 |
Saturday,
May 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
Vajpayee arrives in Manali Manali, May 24 On his arrival amid very tight security, Mr Vajpayee was received by the Governor, Dr Suraj Bhan, and the Chief Minister, Prof P. K. Dhumal, at the Kulu airport. Thereafter, he proceeded here in a helicopter. The Speaker, Thakur Gulab Singh, was also present. Mr Vajpayee drove to his private residence on the banks of the Beas in Prini village from the helipad of the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE). The Prime Minister has public engagements for the first three days and for the next three days he is not likely to attend any function. Roads on the left bank of the Beas, leading to Mr Vajpayee’s residence, are being tightly guarded. Barricades have been put at many places for checking tourists vehicles. Many ministers were initially not allowed by the police to enter the airport at Kulu to receive the Prime Minister. Confusion prevailed outside the airport as security personnel refused to honour the passes issued to mediapersons for covering the visit of the Prime Minister. The Director of Information and Public Relations was also not allowed to enter the airport. Domestic and foreign tourists were upset as flights were rescheduled because of the Prime Minister’s visit. Only the early morning flight of Jagson Airlines operated, while three other flights were postponed. The arrival remained a low-key affair as he was received only by the Horticulture Minister, Mr Narendera Bragta, and a handful of top functionaries of the ruling BJP at SASE.There were hardly any welcome gates or buntings en route to his residence. Addressing a conference of tribal women in the evening, Mr Vajpayee called for consensus among all political parties to tackle the menace of terrorism which was claiming innocent lives in the country. He made it clear that there could be no compromise with terrorism and all parties should rise above party politics to meet the challenge. He said that Himachal Pradesh should be vigilant against the terrorist activities as it was also a border state. Mr Vajpayee said that education of women was essential to solve most of the problems plaguing the society. Laws were being made more stringent to curb female foeticide. Women should be made conscious of their rights and the women’s commissions should take steps to speed the process of educating women about their rights. He appreciated the Himachal Pradesh government for taking a lead for the welfare of the women and said that there should be no discrimination on the basis of sex. The Himachal Chief Minister, Mr P. K. Dhumal, said that the Rohtang tunnel will benefit immensely the residents of the tribal area of the Lahaul-Spiti. This will also help opening the Lahaul valley to tourism. Referring to the Kaluchak terrorist attack near Jammu, where “innocent children were taken away from their mother’s lap and killed’’, Mr Vajpayee said: “It is like Kansa taking Devaki’s children and killing them.’’ “But, a Krishna has already been born here to kill the Kansa of Kaluchak,’’ he said, inaugurating a seminar on tribal women here. The Prime Minister said India had already decided to fight cross-border terrorism.  |
||||||
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
