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Tuesday, February 12, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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Scheme to export medicinal plants
School
teachers to intensify stir Rain enthuses farmers |
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Members of
AITUC, MJM hold rally OBC body to observe black day BJP is mother of all ills: CPM ABVP holds symposium Gill: ultras can’t
make base in HP Liquor shops may
appear in Himachal
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Scheme to export medicinal plants Shimla, February 11 The plan will be implemented by involving the local people and the delegation of Powers to panchayats to issue export permits for selected species was a step in this direction. A spokesman for the Forest Department claimed that it would help in exercising effective control on its indiscriminate exploitation through traders and enforce the traditional rights of the local communities. He said panchayats would not be free to issue export permits for all minor forest produce. The Forest Department would continue to regulate the exploitation of endangered species. There were 237 species of herbal and aromatic plants in the state out of which the state government had imposed restrictions on export of only 53 species widely used for medicinal and aromatic purposes. Red Data Book published by the Government of India had listed 17 species in respect of this state, which were endangered. Out of these only 31 species had been allowed to be exported through the panchayats on the recommendations of the forest guard concerned. The remaining 22 species, including the above 17 endangered species, would not be allowed to be exported through them and only the Divisional Forest Officer would be competent to issue the export permits. The forest guards would not be competent to issue such permits in respect of the endangered species. Moreover, the exploitation of forest produce was regulated under the cycle framed by the department and in case there was excessive exploitation of any species the government could always impose a ban on its exploitation. As such the apprehensions that empowering panchayats to issue export permits would lead to exploitation were misplaced. The decision of the state government to delegate powers to issue permits for the export of selected species of forest produce to the panchayats was based on its commitment to empower these institutions. |
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Panel on youth policy formed Shimla, February 11 The committee will discuss the draft policy which has been prepared by the state government and suggest incorporation of various other measures. The committee headed by the Minister of State for Youth Services and Sports, Mr Parveen Sharma, will include youth leaders of various political parties, NGOs and self-help groups. Among others members of the committee include, Mr Ram Lal Markanda, a minister and president of the youth wing of the HVC, Mr Ram Lal Thakur, Mr Jai Ram Thakur, Mr Rakesh Pathania, Mr Harsh Mahajan, Mr Harshwardhan Chauhan, Mr Vipin Parmar (all MLAs), Mr Kewal Singh Pathania, president, NSUI, Mr Vikram Thakur, president, Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha, Mr Manoj Chandel, president, SFI, Mr Cukhwinder Singh, president, Youth Congress and Mr Tekinder Singh, president, DYFI. The minister said 1,000 letters were being written to various organisations, including schools and colleges and journalists to give their suggestions in this regard. The policy will aim at channelising the energy of the youth towards constructive works and educate them about the alternative employment avenues. |
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Sunken Garden area developed Mandi The dream of making a modern business complex around the historic garden has come true. The new Palika Bazar, comprising about 250 shops, has enhanced the beauty of the ancient garden, which remained neglected for decades with heaps of rubbish lying around. Over the years it became a congested area dotted by ugly wooden khokhas around it and was fast becoming a slum. The process of aging had further brought in its wake the decay of ancient structure. Plans of beautify this historic town of temples were initiated many a time with a bang, but always ended in a whimper for want of funds. The idea of raising a modern complex around the Sunken Garden was conceived in 1985. But work went on at a snail’s pace for want of funds. It gained momentum only when the then Union Minister Sukh Ram got a Rs 2 crore allocated from the Centre for the beautification of the town when he was holding the independent charge of the Minister of Planning. More funds followed in subsequent years. The wooden khokhas around the Sunken Garden were the ugliest structures of the town. The owners of the khokhas were initially reluctant to shift to the new complex, but they were prevailed upon to shift. The khokhas were removed. The Sunken Garden wore a sprawling look overnight and it was beaming with elegance after the demolition of the ugly structures. Their fear that business would get a setback proved unfounded. All of them became occupants of a modern complex one fine morning. The work of further beautifying the Sunken Garden is nearing completion. Lush green lawns, ornamental plants, fountains and flowers beds are camping up. A pagoda-type structure with a clock tower is a marvel of hill architecture and the star attraction of the garden. Beneath this precious monument are buried the tragic tales of the hoary past. It remainds of the cruelty, betrayal and perversion of Sidh Sen (1684-1727), who beheaded his son-in-law, Raja Prithi of Bhangal. A small area near Jogindernagar used to be Bhangal state in that time. His head was buried in the centre of the garden and limbs at the four corners of what became the Sunker Garden. The Rani of Bhangal had come to her father following strained relations with her husband. Sidh Sen wanted to teach him a lesson. He laid a trap and sent for Prithi Pal. On his arrival at Mandi he was taken captive. An abortive attempt was made by Prithi Pal to escape from prison with the help of Raja of Sukket (Sundernagar). He did escape from prison but was caught while crossing the Beas. Ferrymen recognised and informed Sidh Sen. Prithi Pal was then killed. Obviously about 500 years ago, Beas was a big river and ferries used to transport people from one bank to the other. The water discharge in the river has gone down alarmingly over the centuries with the gradual loss of forest cover. The ghastly murder of Prithi Pal was followed by many natural calamities. Sidh Sen summoned astrologists and tantrists who attributed to the wrath of the raja’s wandering spirit. Sidh Sen grew panicky and on the advice of astrologers started lighting an earthen lamp daily at the place where the head of his son-in-law had been buried. The subsequent rulers kept up the tradition of lighting earthen lamp for centuries. The Sunken Garden used to be a small lake in the days of Sidh Sen and was called Sidhsar. Joginder Sen, the last ruler of Mandi state, converted it into a garden. A clock tower was built during him regime. The temples of Sidh Kali, Bhairon and Mahadeva had been built by Sidh Sen. |
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School
teachers to intensify stir Dharamsala, February 11 Teachers from private schools getting 95 per cent grant from the government, from all over the state today held out a procession, demanding the implementation of the Supreme Court directions in regard to their services. The protesting teachers handed over a memorandum to the Deputy Director, Education, enlisting their demands. The state president of the union, Mr Rajender Sharma, said in case the government did not clarify its stand on the government-aided private schools within a week, they would step up their agitation by going on fast strike. He said despite repeated assurances by the Chief Minister and the Education Minister, they were still not getting their due. Mr Sharma said despite the Supreme Court ruling that these teachers be given financial benefits at par with government teachers, no such step had been taken by the government. “Only 66 per cent grant from the government has reached us for the last year, as we dos not receive salaries for months together, he stated. He regretted that despite the Supreme Court directing the state government to continue the grant, the entire amount was not being given to these private schools, putting the teachers to a lot of inconvenience. |
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Rain enthuses farmers Kumarhatti, February 11 Nowadays, farmers are busy levelling their fields for the tomato crop that will be sown in the beginning of the next month. In some low-lying areas of the region this process will be started within 15 days. Rain has speed up agriculture-related activities in the region as the farmers could be seen removing wild bushes and ploughing fields. A visit to the adjoining villages, which are known for the production of off-season vegetables on a large scale, showed that rain though belated has enthused the farmers, particularly vegetable growers, who have already suffered losses due to their inability to plough fields in the absence of timely rain on the start of rabi season. This had caused failure of mainly wheat crop on a large scale. The most of the rain-fed arable land remained unused for want of water. Rain has also improved the prospects of stone fruits. The stone fruits production had earlier seen considerable decline due to inadequate winter rain. The small size of fruits as compared to normal as well as inferior qualities plagued by several diseases were also witnessed last year. |
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Members of AITUC, MJM hold rally Kangra, February 11 The protesters carrying placards and banners bearing anti-government slogans moved through the main market of the town and later held a demonstration inside the Tehsil office. They handed over two memorandums to the Tehsildar, Kangra. The MJM demanded the closure of 25 per cent of the liquor shops by the end of this year and a complete ban on sale and use of liquor by 2005. It also demanded a curb on atrocities on women and 33 per cent reservation for them in the state. The AITUC demanded the regularisation of the services of Aanganwari workers, helpers, cutting and tailoring teachers and nursery teachers. It also demanded that daily wagers be brought under the pension scheme and be paid a minimum wage of Rs 120 per day besides regularisation of services after five years. It demanded the regularisation of the services of revenue chowkidars, panchayat chowkidars, ayurvedic part-time workers, booking agents of the HRTC and forest rakas. The demonstration was led by Mr Himal Chand, district secretary, CPI. |
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OBC body to observe black day Dharamsala, February 11 Addressing a press conference here today, the president of the organisation Mr Pawan Chaudhary, said on March, 24 when the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, would preside over the function in connection with the completion of four-year rule of the government at Shimla, they would observe “black day”. He said they would hold a rally at Kangra and burn the effigies of the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister and the Union Minister, Mr Shanta Kumar.” We will hold the rally at the same venue at the Municipal Ground, Kangra from where Mr Vajpayee, at the time of the elections had promised to give reservation to the OBCs who constitute a considerable chunk of the electorate in Kangra district,” he stated. Mr Chaudhary, while accusing the government of taking false credit for raising the reservation to 18 per cent said this had been done by the Congress regime headed by Mr Virbhadra Singh. “If what they are claiming is true then let the government make public the notification issued by them in this regard so that everyone gets to know the truth,” demanded Mr R.L. Chaudhary, former President of the organisation. Mr Chaudhary, said the Chief Minister’s statement that they had never made a promise to give 27 per cent reservation was false as this has been stated in the election manifesto of the BJP released before the 1998 elections. Their wrath is also directed towards the ministers and MLA’s of their own community, who they feel are shirking from their responsibility. “If they cannot fight for our cause then they have no right to continue in office and we will ensure their defeat in the next
elections, "they stated. They added that the organisation would not only gherao these leaders, while they are touring their constituencies but would also hold dharnas outside their homes. Mr Chaudhary, said before March, 24, OBC representatives would hand over memorandums at all sub-divisional headquarters. |
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BJP is mother of all ills: CPM Hamirpur, February 11 The election was held at a day-long conference of the party held here yesterday. Mr Des Raj, state committee member of the party, chaired the proceedings as well as the election process. The party hit out at the state government for its anti-people policies and gave a call to the people to oust the BJP government from power in the next Assembly elections. Addressing mediapersons here, Mr Mukesh Kumar and Mr Des Raj held the BJP responsible for all ills the nation was facing at present. Prices had sky-rocketed and law and order situation had worsened in the counting in general and Himachal Pradesh in particular they alleged. They said the government was handing over vast hydel potential of the state to private parties and thus harming the cause of the state. They said all this was being done at the behest of foreign powers, which were bent upon harming the country. They announced that the party would not join the Him Loktantrik Morcha till it snapped links with the BJP. |
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ABVP holds symposium Shimla, February 11 In his keynote address, Dr C.L. Gupta, Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education, said by raising the bogey of
saffronisation, the Congress and other political parties were opposing Indianisation of education and the country’s rich cultural values. In fact the “swadeshikaran” of education was aimed at restoring the country’s old pride and glory. He said the opposition to promotion of sanskrit, vedic literature, astrology and other Indian disciplines was also misplaced and politically motivated. The ABVP also launched a signature campaign in the support of the
saffronisation of education.
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Gill: ultras can’t
make base in HP Kangra, February 11 Mr K.P.S. Gill who was here in connection with hockey tournament was talking to mediapersons here last evening. He said as long as the local population desist to provide hideouts to Jammu and Kashmir militants they could not make a base in this state. He said in view of the December 13 attack on Parliament the government had changed its attitude towards tackling terrorism.
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Liquor shops may
appear in Himachal Shimla, February 11 The new system might be introduced in the forthcoming excise policy which will be applicable from April when the term of the existing vends expires. So far, the state government has been auctioning the liquor vends to contractors mostly at the level of sub-divisions. Mr Parveen Sharma, Minister of State for Excise and Taxation, said that the new system was expected to further increase the revenue of the state government and also bring competition in the trade. This was also expected to cut down liquor prices and check smuggling. He said that the 750 ml and 375 ml pouches of country liquor would also be discontinued as these were reportedly adulterated and also caused pollution. Mr Sharma said that brands of their choice would be available to the people once the monopoly of contractors was broken.
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Train derails near Dharampur Solan, February 11 While no loss of life has been reported, hundreds of passengers of this train as well as those travelling by the 252 Dn remained stranded. The railway authorities managed to get the 242 Dn De luxe hauled up to the Dharampur station after getting the derailed bogey delinked from it. Meanwhile, the 252 Dn carrying passengers who had confirmed booking for the Kalka-Howrah Mail, that left kalka around midnight, had to be stranded at Kumarhatti station for want of track clearance.
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Demand to postpone army recruitment Shimla, February 11 The federation resented the fact that the recruitment was still going on despite the demand from the local people for the postponement. The youth were not able to reach the venue as most of the roads in the interior were under 1 to 4 feet of snow. Even those who reached the venue were not able to take part in the recruitment because of heavy rain in Rampur. |
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CAG report submitted Shimla, February 11 According to a press note issued by the office of the Accountant-General, Himachal Pradesh. |
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