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Monday,
March 18, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Over 500 village leaders held Decks cleared for cement plant Fund shortage hits augmentation scheme Sangh front’s salvo against minister |
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Sonia can forge unity: Mankotia HP, Punjab to have tourism
packages Manhunt for Kanth’s murderers Lifting of
ban on resin exports hailed Phone
services go awry
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Over 500 village leaders held Bilaspur, March 17 They intended to block the path of Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda who was to cross the road on his way to inaugurate the state-level Nalwaadi fair at Luhanu ground. The demonstrators, led by leaders of the Berry Darolan Pul Nirman Sangharsh Samiti, were demanding the construction of the Berry-Darolan bridge on the Sutlej and protesting that the BJP government was betraying the people of Bilaspur by not doing the needful. The police brought its own buses, besides HRTC buses, to carry the demonstrators away from the town so that the procession led by the Health Minister could pass without any obstacles. Consequently, the inauguration of the Nalwaadi Mela was delayed by about two hours. The demonstrators also sat on dharna on the national highway for about half an hour at Lakhanpur Chowk on the outskirts of the town for about 45 minutes. When the police tried to carry them to the nearby police lines, demonstrators broke the police cordon and rushed towards Bilaspur town. Action committee convener Bambar Thakur and chief general secretary Ramrattan Sharma claimed that seven of the demonstrators, including 93-year-old village leader Shiv Singh Chandel, were injured as policemen led by a head constable not only “lathicharged” them but also attempted to molest women. They demanded the dismissal of the head constable for misbehaving with women leaders. Prominent among those arrested were district Congress president Hoshiyar Singh Thakur, former Agriculture Minister Bachitar Singh, Gehadwin constituency Himachal Vikas Congress president Pratap Thakur, Behna Jattan panchayat vice-president Jaswant Singh Chandel, Gehadwin gram panchayat vice-president Balwant Singh Chandel, district youth Congress president Kamlender Kashyap, nagar parishad member Sharda Devi, Gehadwin Congress president Ramrattan Sharma, Bilaspur Sadar Congress president Krishan Singh Thakur, district Congress general secretaries Hussain Ali and Shayamlal Sharma, and Bilaspur City Congress president Hafiz Rehman. Talking to mediapersons later this evening, the leaders warned that they would not allow Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal to preside over the closing function of the Nalwaadi fair if the government did not declare the date of laying of the foundation stone of the bridge before March 23 and start construction work. |
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Bridge over Sutlej soon, says
Nadda Bilaspur, March 17 Inaugurating the annual state-level seven-day Nalwaadi Fair this afternoon here at Luhanu Ground in the traditional way by pitching a wooden peg into the ground, tethering a “Nandi bullock” with it, garlanding and then worshipping it, the Health Minister said the Dhumal government had initiated steps for construction of the bridge. The bridge was estimated to cost between Rs 88 crore to 100 crore. Its consultancy cost would be Rs 50 lakh. Criticising the Congress and those who had formed the “Pul Nirman Sangharsha
Samiti” and had started an agitation for the same, Mr Nadda said the Congress had been in power for about 40 years but had not constructed this essential bridge connecting Gehadwin and Ghumarwin constituencies with the Bilaspur Sadar constituency and the district headquarters of Bilaspur. The minister said the Centre had sanctioned two trauma units for Bilaspur and Shimla. These would be of great help in saving the lives of accident victims. This would be the first-ever facility of its kind in Himachal Pradesh. He declared that a Rs 1.25 crore indoor stadium which was nearing its completion would be soon inaugurated and thrown open for the people. |
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Decks cleared for cement plant Chamba, March 17 Mr Shanta Kumar said all formalities had already been discussed and decks had been cleared for giving environment clearance to the cement plant soon by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest. Mr Shanta Kumar, who arrived here from Delhi today to preside over a meeting of senior officers of the Himachal Pradesh Government, the Central Government departments and also an officer of the Larsen and Toubro enterprise to finalise the setting up of a Rs 600 crore cement plant in this district, stated that the meeting was successful. He said all aspects had been identified and discussed, adding that to carry out various assignments relating to the setting up of the cement plant, instructions had been given to the departments concerned. The minister said today’s meeting was successful and it was decided to launch the cement plant which had been conceived many years ago, in June positively. The plant would produce 10 lakh tonnes of cement annually and generate, directly and indirectly, employment for about 10,000 persons. The minister expressed satisfaction over the manner in which the Prime Minister tackled the Ayodhya issue attributing it to Mr Vajpayee’s “inner strength” and “far-sightedness” as the BJP-led government under Mr Vajpayee had taken necessary steps taking note of the people’s sentiments. He said that the letter and spirit of the Constitution was upheld. The shila daan was conducted in a peaceful manner in the light of the court’s decision showing respect to public sentiments and efforts were on to restore normalcy. Touching on his PDS portfolio, Mr Shanta Kumar said it was for the first time that India had attained seventh position in the world in exporting foodgrain and so far 74 lakh tonnes of foodgrain had been exported as against a target of 80 lakh tonnes fixed by the Union Government. Mr Shanta Kumar said to fulfil the Centre’s commitment to make India a hunger-free country, ration had been made available in the length and breadth of the country. Various schemes such as Antodya Anna Yojna, Anna Purana Yojna had been put into operation. He said 11 drought-hit states had been provided 31 lakh tonnes of under food for work programme. Himachal Pradesh alone had been provided 22,000 tonnes of food for free distribution to its people. However, the Centre had also repeatedly asked the states to submit their requirements about the quantity of food needed to the Union Government, Mr Shanta Kumar added. Earlier, the meeting on the proposed cement plant, presided over by Mr Shanta Kumar, was also attended by the Himachal Industries Minister, Mr Kishori Lal, the Transport Minister, Mr Kishan Kapoor, the Revenue Minister, Mr Rajan Sushant, and the Ayurveda Minister, Mr Mohan Lal. |
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Fund shortage hits augmentation scheme Mandi Leaders of the BJP had briefed the Chief Minister on the situation when he inaugurated Vipasa Sadan here recently. The Chief Minister was later told by senior IPH officials that Rs 2.5 crore was required for the completion of the augmentation of project. During the days of the Mandi rulers, the population of the capital was only 5,000 and a gravity pipeline from a natural water source at Bijni provided 24-hour water supply. In the past 50 years the population has increased about 10 times. The first augmentation scheme was implemented during the time of Dr
Y.S. Parmar when water was lifted from the Beas to the Motipur waterworks. While inaugurating the project, Dr Parmar had promised 24-hour supply to the town. That never happened. Later a Rs 2.56 crore augmentation project was sanctioned in 1984 to meet the requirements of the residents until the year 2017. Under this scheme, 22 lakh litres of additional water per day was lifted from the Beas. Another 19 lakh litres of water a day was drawn from the Chabuan
source. Nine lakh litres of water a day was obtained from the Maigal source and 1.37 lakh litres a day from the Kirkani
spring. However, the augmentation measures became ineffective after a few years due to the rapid growth of population. Hundreds of houses came up in the suburbs of the town resulting in an increased demand for water. The completion of the sewer system compounded the problem and the demand for water multiplied. A large quantity of water also leaks out from the wornout network of distribution pipes. Some pipes were changed during the augmentation work. Replacing the entire distribution network is a huge task involving crores of rupees. Despite the two augmentation projects, whereby 51 lakh litres of water a day was added to the supply system, the demand for water shot up. A Rs 9.41 crore water argumentation project was, therefore, sanctioned and administratively approved on December 27,2000. Interestingly, it was also designed to cater to the needs of consumers until the year 2017. The requirement of water is an estimated 114 lakh litres a day against the present availability of 54 lakh
litres. It is a matter of concern that the discharge of water in the natural sources has been decreasing over the past decades because of deforestation in and around the sources. The present augmentation work has been held up as funds are not being released by the government. Work on the treatment plant has come to a halt. A sum of Rs 75 lakh is required to complete it. Another sum of Rs 12.50 lakh is needed for laying a pipeline from the Kangni treatment plant to the
Suketi. Of the 17 storage tanks required to be built around the town 14 have been completed so far. Work on the remaining three tanks — two at Tarna Hill and one in the Transport Workshop area — has also been held up. A sum of Rs 16 lakh is required to complete it. The gigantic task of improving the old distribution network has only been partly completed. Pipelines measuring a total of 30 km are yet to be laid for which Rs 1.20 crore needs to be allocated at the earliest. Work on a Rs 15 lakh
bridge, which forms part of the project, has also been held up for want of funds. It is learnt that the fund-starved state government has proposed raising funds from HUDCO to complete the remaining work. |
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Sangh front’s salvo against minister Shimla, March 17 A front of the Sangh Parivar, the BMS has been gunning for Mr Kapoor for the past quite some time. However, so far the matter had been confined within the parivar and the last time when it started an agitation in support of its demands, the Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, intervened and sorted out the issue. Subsequently, Mr Ashok Purohit, president of the BMS, who was spearheading the agitation was removed from the Board of Directors of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation. However, it is for the first time that the sangh has shown its intention to even support the Congress to run down Mr Kapoor. Ms Chandresh Kumari who will be completing her term as Rajya Sabha member later this month had unsuccessfully contested the assembly election against Mr Kapoor. In all probability, she will be challenging him yet again. The open defence of a minister will only create problems for both Sangh Parivar and the BJP which has been trying hard to project a united image. Ironically, it was Mr Kapoor who inducted Mr Ashok Purohit as director into the management board of the transport corporation. Their differences assumed political dimensions as the Shanta Kumar camp to which Mr Kapoor belongs saw Prof Dhumal’s hand in the activities of Mr Purohit. In fact, to dispel this impression and buy lasting peace with the dissidents, Professor Dhumal even removed Mr Purohit from the Board of Directors. Thus, the latest move of the BMS could create problems for the Chief Minister. The sangh has raised some important issues concerning the functioning of the corporation, particularly the failure of the management to deposit employees’ provident fund to the tune of Rs 18.82 crore and pledging another Rs 19.4 crore to raise a loan, allegedly without taking the Provident Fund Trust into confidence. The present situation has made it difficult for Professor Dhumal who has to strike a balance and take along all factions in the run-up to the elections. |
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Sonia can forge unity: Mankotia Dharamsala, March 17 Addressing a press conference here today, he said whatever differences existed between the HPCC chief, Ms Stokes, and the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, would be resolved and he was making an effort to bring the two together on a common platform. “The fact remains that both Ms Stokes and Mr Virbhadra Singh are senior and respected leaders of the Congress and the party members want both of them to join hands and fight the BJP,” he said. He said despite differences, an arrangement had been worked out in Punjab, where, Capt Amarinder Singh had been made the Chief Minister and Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal had joined his ministry. Announcing the merger of the Vishal Himachal PWD and IPH Workers Union into the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), Mr Mankotia said it was a historic day as the working class had come together to put an end to the BJP misrule, in the state. The Vishal Himachal PWD and IPH Workers Union, have a membership of about 35,000 and had broken away from INTUC in 1988. Meanwhile, the state INTUC, held a working committee meeting here today in the presence of its president, Mr Bawa Amarjit Singh, and other leaders speaking on the occasion, Mr Bawa Amarjit Singh said, “We have been working out the modalities for the merger of the Vishal Workers Union with INTUC and have finally succeeded in the larger interest of the party”. He said that the merger was a positive indication of the changing alignments and it was evident that people from all walks of life wanted to come out in open support of the Congress. The union leader said INTUC, which had a membership of about 2.45 lakh in the state would now hold rallies and agitation to press for the demands of the working and labour class. |
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HP, Punjab to have tourism
packages Shimla, March 17 This was disclosed to mediapersons here yesterday by the Tourism Minister of Punjab, Mr Ashwani Kumar. He said that the PTDC would shortly sign a memorandum with the HPTDC. He also came to the Assembly where he was introduced to members by the Speaker, Thakur Gulab Singh. He said that tourism offices of both states would meet to finalise the package. The Punjab minister said that the thrust area of the package would cover Amritsar, Kangra, Chamba, Anandpur Sahib and the Naina Devi areas. The Punjab Government would expedite work on the Anandpur Sahib — Naina Devi ropeway project. The tourists visiting Punjab would be offered facilities to visit scenic spots in Himachal Pradesh. He said that tourism was being given importance in Punjab as it had remained neglected in the past. The Chairman of the HPTDC, who was also present, said that the Himachal Pradesh Government planned a package for water sports in the Ranjit Sagar Dam in Punjab and the Pong Dam in Himachal. |
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Manhunt for Kanth’s murderers Chamba, March 17 According to the Superintendent of Police, Chamba, Mr S.R. Ojha, Kanth (63) belonged to Gadlei village falling in the Khairi police station of the district. He said the deceased had reportedly gone to his cowshed located at some distance from his house on March 8 and had not returned since then. The SP said after an intensive search, his body was found in a mutilated condition near Kandi village. The investigations revealed that sharp weapons had been used on the throat and ears of Kanth. According to the SP, Kanth had lodged a report with the police against the terrorists involved in Suppa Choli killings after witnessing the incident. The SP said despite being summoned many times, Kanth had not turned up and finally when the court issued bailable warrants, he was found dead. |
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Staff proposals on new transfer policy Shimla, March 17 In a memorandum submitted to the government in connection with the framing of new transfer policy, the confederation has suggested that on the first appointment the employee should be posted out of home district or at least 40 km away from the home town for two years on probation. Then he should be sent to tribal or hard area for a fixed tenure. Exceptions could be made in case of wards of serving defence personnels, handicapped persons and widows. No official should be allowed to continue in sensitive positions like those dealing with purchases, establishment and accounts for a period exceeding three years. In case of non-transferable officials, intradepartment changes be effected to ensure that no one remained on the seat beyond three years. Teachers, Class IV employees, lecturers of school and colleges should not be transferred before completing five years at a station. As far as possible transfers to and from tribal areas should not form part of a chain and be ordered on a one-on-one basis to ensure compliance. If any employee opts to stay in the tribal area beyond the paid allowance for overstay. After having completed the fixed tenure in tribal area the employees should be given posting of choice. The confederation is of the view that the tenure of the Commissioner-Deputy Commissioner, Secretaries Special Secretaries, Additional Secretaries, Joint Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries should be four to five years. |
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Lifting of
ban on resin exports hailed Shimla, March 17 Mr Randhir Sharma, party spokesman, said the prices of resin were higher in neighbouring Punjab and farmers of lower hills with vast stretches of private pine plantations would benefit from the decision. He thanked the Prime Minister for giving the nod to the Rohtang tunnel project which would provide an all-weather road link to the land-locked tribal areas of Lahaul and Pangi. |
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Phone
services go awry Mandi, March 17 Even complaints to the BSNL General Manager had fallen on deaf ears, said a consumer. Only two days ago, the BSNL General Manager had held a consumers day, however, the claims made by the department, promising an uninterrupted telephone service to its consumers in the subdivision, has remained unfulfilled. The service, particularly in the rural areas, is erratic, consumers complain. Telephone lines remain out of order and the faults not repaired in time, they allege. |
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