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Thursday,
April 18, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Dhumal rules out snap poll in HP Marketing yard awaits CM Focus on water, power tariff Steps to ease water
scarcity Kin of missing Briton to continue
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Himachal farm varsity
being revamped: VC Food-against-work scheme dismays
workers Shimla MC poll to ‘test’ Cong
unity MC poll: Cong raising non-issues, says
BJP Capt Ram Singh’s death mourned Senior citizens seek more docs in
hospital CBI probe into papers’ leakage sought Teachers demand 2 advance
increments PM’s Police Medal for two cops
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Dhumal rules out snap poll in HP New Delhi, April 17 Asked about the possibility of contesting the forthcoming poll with the Himachal Vikas Congress, Mr Dhumal said it was for Mr Sukh Ram to make up his mind on the issue which would be finally decided by the BJP’s central leadership. The two parties, Mr Dhumal said, had fought the last Assembly poll separately and had joined hands only after that. The Chief Minister, who yesterday met Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K.C. Pant to get the state plan approved, said that there was no anti-incumbency factor in the state and the BJP would win both the forthcoming Shimla Municipal and Assembly elections. Mr Dhumal said the BJP had won all the by-elections in the state and had performed well in the panchayat elections also. Terming the demand of some NDA allies for the removal of Mr Modi as unreasonable, Mr Dhumal said it was for the people of Gujarat and the ruling party in the state to decide who would be their leader. Maintaining that the allies should follow the “coalition dharma,” Mr Dhumal said no ally would want the BJP to tell who should or should not be its leader. Asked about the results of recent Assembly poll in which the BJP suffered reverses, Mr Dhumal said while the people of Uttaranchal had shown some impatience with the government of a newly-formed state, in UP, the BJP was still in a position to form a
coalition government. “However, the Goa National Executive meeting of the BJP has discussed the scenario and any mistakes committed by the party would be improved upon,” he said.
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Marketing yard awaits CM Sundernagar The marketing yard has 20 shops, a canteen, meeting hall, rest house consisting of three rooms and premises for a bank, besides an open auction platform for grains, vegetables and fruits. This building, completed in April, 2000, now houses the District Marketing Committee, Mandi, which was earlier situated at Mandi. Due to the non-inauguration of the marketing yard, 40 traders are suffering business losses and thousands of farmers have to take their produce to the trader-controlled markets. The Government, too, is suffering a huge revenue loss. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal visited the assembly segments of Karsog, Chachiot, Gopalpur, Balh, Sadar, Drang and Sundernagar adjoining the Nachan assembly segment in 2001 and inaugurated various schemes and buildings. Even though he stayed at Sundernagar, just 2 km from Dhanotu, this building could not be inaugurated. According to a BJP leader, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal is concentrating only on the assembly segments won by the party during the last assembly elections. But this may prove fatal to the party in the coming elections, he feared. |
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Focus on water, power tariff Shimla, April 17 While the Congress had been ruling the corporation since its inception 16 years ago, the BJP has been in power in the state and at the Centre for the past over four years. Thus, there are a host of important national, state and local issues for which the electorate will hold the two parties accountable. In the emerging situation the BJP is trying its best to focus on the performance of the Congress-ruled corporation and blaming it for all ills plaguing the hill resort. On the other hand the Congress is raising national issues like the central budget which had left the middle class sulking, corruption, imposition of user charges and power tariff hike to put the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state in the dock. The Congress, which was in an upbeat mood after its victory in the recent Assembly Election and the Delhi Municipal Corporation election seems to have frittered away some of the advantage due to infighting. It has been facing challenge from party rebels in 11 seats. There has been discontent in the BJP too but it had been spared of open rebellion. The presence of a large number of candidates in the fray has created further confusion in the poll scene. The entry of the Him Lok Tantrik Morcha, a joint front of eight parties, and the Himachal Vikas Congress has made the contest multi-cornered for most of the seats. There is straight fight between the BJP and the Congress in only two wards. While the sitting
Mayor, Ms Jaini Prem, is pitted against Ms Swarna Sharma (BJP) in Comeli Bank (ward No 5), Ms Maya Kataria (Congress) is taking on Ms Neelam Sharma (BJP) in Benmore (ward No 17). The fight is triangular in Sabzi Mandi (ward No 14). It is a quadrangular contest in eight wards. There are five candidates in five wards, six in another five wards, seven in two wards and maximum number of 11 candidates in Krishna Nagar (ward No 11). The employees, who hold the key to outcome of polls are maintaining a studied silence. While the BJP is claiming credit for “not” victimising the staff unlike the previous government and granting various financial benefits to them, the Congress is accusing both the Vajpayee and the Dhumal governments of pursuing anti-employee policies. It is citing decisions like withdrawal of various Income Tax concessions to the salaried class, reduction in the rate of interests on provident fund and small savings, disinvestments in public sector undertakings proposed amendment in labour laws and increase in the price of cooking gas. The issues of revision of power tariff thrice in the past four years, imposition of user charges in hospitals and hike in water charges is being raised to put the Dhumal government on the defensive. To keep the issue of corruption in sharp focus the Congress is declaring that it would order an inquiry into the charge sheet submitted by it last year to take the multicrore health scam and other scandals to logical conclusion. The BJP is squarely blaming the Congress for the deficiencies in civic services and various amenities and alleging that corporation failed to spend funds provided by the state government. The Congress councillors, it points out, were hardly concerned about the development of the city and spent most of the time settling personal scores. The Congress however, maintains that the unwarranted interference by the BJP government had undermined the autonomy of the corporation by virtually crippled its functioning. It in turn blames the local minister, Mr Narinder Bragta, who had been calling shots in the administration ever since the BJP came to power in the state for the poor civic amenities particularly the roads, which were dug up by the Irrigation and Public Health Department for laying water pipes without permission. The BJP seeking vote for a change in the corporation set-up and promising that it would speed up development activity and restore old glory of the Queen of Hills. |
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Steps to ease water
scarcity Shimla, April 17 Disclosing this during a visit to the Ashwani Khad water supply scheme today, Mr Ramesh Dhwala, irrigation and Public Health Engineering Minister, said the tubewell had been bored by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) to a depth of 304 metres. Three other ministers, Mr Parveen Sharma, Mr Narendera Bragta and Mr R.D. Kashyap and the chairman of the HPTDC, Mr Rakesh Pathania, who is looking after the BJP campaign in the elections for the Shimla Municipal Corporation, accompanied the minister. These ministers said the BJP government had taken steps to meet the perennial water scarcity of Shimla, whereas the previous congress government failed to take any step in this direction in the past 35 years. They said instead of going in for the Rs 75 crore scheme of lifting drinking water from the Giri river, which would have taken a long time, it had been decided to bore at least 10 tubewells in and around Shimla to enable 24-hour water supply in the town. They said 32 handpumps had already been drilled in the town during the past three-and-a-half years. Three tubewells had been bored in Dharamsala to meet the crisis. The ministers said various other steps had been taken to streamline the drinking water supply in Shimla. The outdated pumping equipment at Gumma and Churat reservoirs had been replaced at a cost of over Rs 6 crores while Rs.9.46 crores had been spent on adding 50,000 litres of water supply from the Nauti Khad area. Mr Dhwala said the sewerage project in the town was progressing at a fast pace and was expected to be commissioned within a couple of months. The ministers said the CGWB had deployed three rigs for boring tubewells in various parts of the state. The 24-lakh gallon water reservoir at Seog constructed about 100 years ago was being repaired at a cost of Rs 11 lakh for tapping the water from natural springs. It is worth mentioning here that the water supply scheme here was constructed during the British regime in 1875. Thereafter its augmentation was done in 1889, 1914, 1923, 1974, 1982 and 1992. About 71.58 lakh gallons of water is required daily during summers, whereas only 58 lakh gallons was available. |
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Kin of missing Briton to continue
search Dharamsala, April 17 According to the Baijnath DSP, Mr Pritam Thakur, the father of the missing paraglider will arrive here within a day so that the search could be continued. The family is considering the services of a private chopper from Kulu so that the possible locations could be searched. He said the girl friend of Joel , who was with him atBilling on April,7, when he took off, was also in touch with the authorities. The other para-gliders who were with Joel have told the police that he was moving towards the Dharamsala side when they last saw his glider. According to the other foreigners, who were with him, Joel is a trained pilot and it is being apprehended that due to bad weather conditions he was lifted to a great height , creating a hurdle in his safe landing. Police sources said since the Joel’s glider was white in colour, it could be difficult to spot it if it had drifted towards the snow-bound areas. The police said Joel’s family was keen that the Kulu and Mandi area should also be searched as his glider could have been blown off in that direction. Meanwhile adjoining police stations in the districts of Mandi, Chamba and Kulu have been alerted and villagers have been asked to intimate the police in case they get any clue. The Baijnath police on its part is continuing the search and three different parties have been sent to the Barot, Kathi Kad and Utralla areas. SHIMLA:
The parents of Jeol Kitchen have announced a prize of Rs 1 lakh for tracing their son in the remote and inaccessible bara Bhangal area of Kangra district. |
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Himachal farm varsity
being revamped: VC Palampur, April 17 Addressing a press conference here this morning he said a committee headed by two top agriculture experts Dr S.S. Johal and Dr Mehta. The committee would review the functioning of different departments and submit its reports within six months. Dr Partap said recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff would be made on contractual basis. Likewise redeployment of staff has also been taken up for the proper utilisation of technical and non-technical staff. He said his next step would be complete decentralisation of powers of senior functionaries of the institution. He had also initiated economy measures like pooling of vehicles to reduce expenditure on fuel. Dr Partap said in the current financial year he had also planned to streamline the financial management of the university. Efforts were being made to generate internal resources. The university had also issued a notification to all its heads and statutory officers not to divert funds from research head to other purposes like salary and running of vehicles. The Vice-Chancellor said these steps had shown good results. The deficit has reduced to Rs 5 crore from Rs 14.5 crore as compared to previous financial year. He said the total budget allocation of the university was at Rs 41 crore, out of this Rs 27 crore was spent on the salaries of staff, only Rs 14 crore was left for research and extension activities. This amount of Rs 14 crore was too small for research and extension activities in the difficult terrain of the hill state. The Vice-Chancellor said in view of serious financial crises, the self-financing seats in different colleges had been increased to 48 this year in under graduate and post-graduate programmes. He said in the current financial year a hostel for 200 girls would be constructed. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Non-Teaching Employees Association has alleged rules and regulations had been ignored in the case of promotion of Assistant Registrars to Deputy Registrars. The minimum service as Assistant Registrar required was five years. The person who was promoted, had completed five years only in December 2001, while two others in the panel had over eight years of experience. |
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Food-against-work scheme dismays
workers Nurpur, April 17 Under the scheme the various departments have to pay Rs 50 as daily wages of a worker. Out of this, Rs 35 is given in cash and a coupon of Rs 15 for food grains. The daily wagers of this subdivision have not been paid wages for the past four months. However, they were being issued coupons for foodgrains to be collected from the Food and Civil Supplies Corporation. However, the corporation has not received any foodgrain for the scheme for the past few months. The Regional Manager of the Food and Civil Supplies Corporation, Kangra, said Block Development Officers of the district had been issued coupons for 2500 metric tonnes of foodgrains under the FAWS, but the corporation had not received the foodgrain supply so far for the same. Mr Pratap Shukla, a member of the zila parishad, in a statement has demanded foodgrains supply under the FAWS be released in time or this scheme be rescinded forthwith. |
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Shimla MC poll to ‘test’ Cong
unity Dharamsala, April 17 Addressing a press conference here, he said no doubt the main election issue would be financial and administrative collapse of the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh, but forging unity in the Congress before the assembly elections would be one of the positive outcomes of the elections. “Even the party high command in Delhi has said the election results will be indicative of the unity in the party,” he said. He said the AICC General Secretary and in charge of Himachal Pradesh, Mrs Mohsina
Kidwai, was likely to visit Shimla on April 21. When asked if the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, and the PCC chief, Mrs Vidya Stokes, would campaign jointly for the elections, he said that there were some Congressmen who were preventing the two leaders from joining hands due to vested interests. |
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MC poll: Cong raising non-issues, says
BJP Shimla, April 17 Addressing a press conference here, he said despite being in power at the Centre and in the state for decades, the Congress had never sought votes on the basis of its performance on the development front. It had been exploiting the emotions of the people for winning elections, he alleged. He said the Congress was adopting the same tactics in the Municipal Corporation poll and trying to sidetrack the main issues, which would only reflect on its performance in running the corporation. Mr Sharma said the party had failed to fulfil the promises made by it during the 1992 corporation poll. He said the Congress had promised to build accommodation for 200 working women annually, construct 200 shops in each ward to provide self-employment to the youth, besides community halls and indoor stadia in various parts of the city, but it had not kept its promises. Mr Sharma claimed that the BJP always fulfilled its election promises. He alleged that the corporation had failed to spend the funds made available to it by the government. |
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Capt Ram Singh’s death mourned Dharamsala, April 17 Capt Thapa, who was born at Chilgari in Dharamsala on August 15, 1914, had settled at Lucknow after his retirement from the Uttar Pradesh Police. He passed away in Lucknow at the age of 87 on Monday. The HP Gorkha Vikas Parishad, while mourning the death of Capt Thapa, said the community was proud of the laurels that Capt Thapa had brought to their community and to the national cause during the freedom struggle. They said Capt Thapa had joined the INA formed by Netaji at Malaya in 1942. The Transport Minister, Mr Kishan Kapoor, in whose native village Khaniyara, Capt Thapa’s family later settled, while mourning his death said his musical compositions instilled the spirit of patriotism amongst the INA soldiers apart from the Indian populace. Mr Kapoor, while paying rich tributes to Capt Thapa, said he brought laurels not only to Himachal but to the nation by making a contribution to the national cause. It was two years ago that Capt Thapa had visited Dharamsala, along with his family, after almost 20 years. Capt Thapa, had composed a number of patriotic songs, including the national anthem and the lyrics of “Kadam kadam badaye ja”. A condolence meeting will be held here on April 20 where a large number of soldiers who had served in the INA will take part. |
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Senior citizens seek more docs in
hospital Kangra, April 17 Mr Suresh Kaistha, general secretary of the forum, in a statement issued here today said the senior citizens had resolved at an emergency meeting that the government should be pressed to provide doctors and para medical staff in the hospital so that visiting patients could be relieved of their day-to-day trauma. He said nearly 400 patients visit the hospital daily in the OPD, which lacks proper infrastructure and doctors despite announcement of the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, that the hospital had been upgraded to a 100-bedded one. He said in view of the deteriorating condition of the hospital the number of the indoor patients had remarkably reduced. Last week some local residents and patients held a demonstration outside the hospital in protest against the non-availability of the doctors. The government authorities, however, posted one more doctor to the hospital taking the number to seven while the required strength was 16. The senior citizens further criticised the government for its failure to provide DA instalment due to the pensioners since July last year and sanction enhanced monthly medical allowance of Rs 250. They demanded old age incentive allowance to the pensioners at the rate of 5 per cent and 10 per cent on the completion of 65 and 75 years of age, respectively. |
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CBI probe into papers’ leakage sought Shimla, April 17 In a statement here today, Mr Sharma said the controversy had brought a bad name to the HPU and the matter should be thoroughly inquired into. It was a matter of concern that there were complaints of not only error, but also allegations of replacing certain question papers. It was for the first time that such complaints had been made. |
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Teachers demand 2 advance
increments Kangra, April 17 In a statement issued here today, Mr Kartar Singh Rana, state president of the Himachal Government Teachers Union, said the process of transfer of teachers throughout the year be stopped immediately and those teachers who were not promoted for the past 20 years be promoted. The union, however, lauded the decision of the Government to create the posts of the Head Master in the senior secondary schools and demanded that the posts of Head Master be created in the middle schools also. |
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PM’s Police Medal for two cops Shimla, April 17 He said Head Constable Yashwant Singh of the district and Lance Head Constable Lal Chand, Traffic Wing, Mandi district, would be presented with medals on April 20 on the occasion of concluding ceremony of 45th All India police duty meet being held at Jaipur in Rajasthan. Mr Puri said the police personnel were being awarded for saving lives of two minor children and a girl, which is a matter of pride for our police organisation.
Shimla, April 17 |
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Devta mela begins Sundernagar, April 17
Shimla, April 17 |
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