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Tuesday,
September 17, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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No move to ‘merge’ HVC with
Cong Mahila Cong chief faces
revolt Coffer dam washed away
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Administration in bind
over transfer of prisoners Agri-export zone for apple
mooted VHP flays Vajpayee’s Kashmir
policy Sarahan valley being decked up for
tourists 2 more washed away in
HP Polluted water kills two, 24 taken
ill
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No move to ‘merge’ HVC with
Cong Nurpur, September 16 Mr Sharma claimed that a number of Congress and BJP leaders had expressed desire to join the HVC. He said the HVC had kept its option open for a pre-poll alliance with any party on a merit basis. The party would contest the Assembly poll on two major issues— to make Himachal Pradesh a debt-free state and create self employment avenues he added. While commenting on the performance of the Dhumal government Mr Sharma said let the electorate of the state give their decision on the issue in the Assembly poll. He said the HVC despite all odds, had fulfilled its commitment of continuing support to the Dhumal government and would continue to do so for its full term. Asked if his appointment as HVC president by the HVC supremo and his father, Mr Sukh Ram, was not a case of ‘nepotism’, Sharma clarified that his father had earlier offered the party reigns to the acting HVC president, Mr Vijay Joshi, but he turned down the offer. Asked about his party’s stand on the proposed re-organisation of districts and creation of new districts, he said the HVC would support the carving out of new districts from Kangra district due to its topographical condition but for the re-organisation of Shimla and Mandi districts the state government should finalise their new limits before taking any decision. Earlier, Mr Sharma addressed public meetings at Indora and Dhameta. |
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Mahila Cong chief faces
revolt Dharamsala, September 16 Senior leaders like block president Dhani Ram
Kachroo, Mr Ram Saroop Sharma, who unsuccessfully contested the 1998 elections, and DCC general secretary and party spokesman Rajan Dewan have time and again opposed the move to “foist” the former MP as a candidate from Dharamsala. Congress leader Dhani Ram Kachroo today held a press conference in this regard. Some leaders declared they had decided not to work for the party candidate in the forthcoming Vidhan Sabha elections if the high command decided to nominate Ms Chandresh Kumari against the wishes of party workers. The leaders alleged that the all-India Mahila Congress President was in the habit of ignoring party and grassroots workers and was able to get nomination due to her clout with the high command. She spent most of her time at Delhi, they alleged. These leaders said Ms Chandresh Kumari had been flaunting her links with party president Sonia Gandhi and ignoring the sentiments of the party workers. This could not be tolerated. They also declared that a deputation would meet the HPCC leadership and also the party high command to apprise them of their grievances. In case they were not heard, the future course of action would be decided. According to sources in the party, the open revolt against Ms Chandresh Kumari who has been a MLA, a Lok Sabha member and a Rajya Sabha member is at the instance of senior Congress leaders of the district. |
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Coffer dam washed away Bagga (Chamba), September 16 Flash floods also damaged the Chamba-Bharmaur road and 500-metre stretch along the dam was also washed away. Damage was also caused to houses along the river banks as the residents of the area were caught unawares on Saturday. Traffic, which come to a halt on the Chamba-Bharmaur road, witnessing rush of pilgrims due to Manimahesh Yatra, was, however, restored on Saturday as the NHPC authorities made a new road in place of damaged portion. The coffer dam was got built by the NHPC for diverting river water to another portion of the river via 3 km long tunnel for speedy construction of 300 MW dam. It gave in pressure of water as rain lashed the catchment area comprising of Bharmaur, Holi and Naya Graon. Stating that no damage was caused to the main dam Mr Parminder Singh, General Manager of the NHPC, said the area had not had such heavy rain for the past five years and according to him for the first time water touched the danger mark of the coffer dam. He said all precautions had been taken to save the main structure. A visit of the area revealed that water had started receding. The NHPC authorities maintained that construction which was in full swing could not be restarted till rain stopped it could take one month. “We are making best efforts to do whatever maximum we can do but labour might not be able to work in the riverbed where water level was still high,” Mr Sanjay Durbari, Manager (Technical) of the NHPC said. He said gates of the dam were yet to be recovered. He said river water could have caused damage, of crores of rupees had it entered two inlet tunnels, constructed to supply water to the dam. |
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Administration in bind
over transfer of prisoners Hamirpur, September 16 Though the administration is silent on the issue yet sources in the administration said this evening that the matter had been taken up with the government due to shortage of accommodation here. The subjail here is an extended version of judicial lock-up that was set up in 1962. Even after the formation of Hamirpur as district no effort was made to have district, jail here. Only undertrial prisoners are kept in the subjail, situated on the Hamirpur-Palampur highway near the mini secretariat. The subjail can accommodate 11 men and one woman undertrial prisoners at jail. However, the number has gone up to 19 creating problems for the jail staff and the administration. There are eight warders and one head warder to manage the subjail. The SDM, Hamirpur who is also incharge of the sub jail said, that efforts were on to shift two of the inmates from here to Dharamsala after the arrival of eight new inmates from Una subjail. He said that the administration was in touch with the government on the issue as the number of inmates here had increased. He, did not say anything whether security would be increased after the arrival of hard criminals from Una jail. The subjail was in news on two occasions when a few inmates escaped from here, by breaking a window. One of the escaped persons was yet to be arrested. The subjail is without proper boundary wall. Only barbed wire fencing has been erected around the jail complex, contrary to the Jail Manual. The government’s decision on a district jail has been hanging fire. Though the government selected a big piece of land near the Police Lines but funds had not, so far, been released for this purpose. The Executive Engineer of the HP PWD, Hamirpur, said that he had no information on the construction of District Jail Complex at Hamirpur. No such provision had been made in this year’s Budget, he told this reporter this evening. People of the town are also in panic after reading reports that a few hardened criminals facing murder charges have been brought here from Una subjail. They apprehend spurt in crime by their friends and well-wishers endangering security of the town. They want additional police force to be posted around the mini Secretariat and the subjail and sanctioning of funds for the construction of District Jail Complex here. |
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Agri-export zone for apple
mooted Shimla, September 16 Stating this here today Mr
P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, said the project involving an expenditure of Rs 57.07 crore would help provide apple-growers of the state access to the international market, enabling them to get remunerative returns on a sustainable
basis. Orchardists of Shimla, Sirmaur, Kulu, Mandi, Chamba and Kinnaur districts would be provided assistance under the scheme to enable them to compete in the global market. Himachal Pradesh was the sixth state in the country to have this facility. An MoU (memorandum of understanding) would be signed between the APEDA and the state government on September 17. The centre was expected to contribute Rs 9.77 crore and the state’s contribution would be Rs 17.80 crore. The remaining Rs 29.50 crore would be met through private investment. The project, he said, would not only bring private investment but also attract foreign investors and new technologies. The state-owned HPMC would be the nodal agency for the implementation of the project. There was a provision to set up offices in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the Gulf countries to facilitate the export of apple. The project envisaged area expansion under new varieties, development of modern orchards, nursery modernisation, integrated pest management, training of growers and traders, upgradation of cold storages and introduction of mobile mechanical graders. Mr Dhumal also released “Hortivision 2020”, a compilation of papers and recommendations of the National Seminar on Himalayan Horticulture. It contains 83 papers covering various issues concerning horticulture in the region. He said the document would provide the blueprint for the development of horticulture for which there was a vast scope. The yield of apple in the state was 10 to 12 tonnes per hectare as against 50 to 60 tonnes per hectare in New Zealand and other advanced countries. The government had already initiated steps to improve the yield and quality of fruit. Rootstock of high-yielding varieties had been imported to replace the century old apple plantations. |
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VHP flays Vajpayee’s Kashmir
policy Shimla, September 16 Mr Surendra Jain, secretary of the parishad, while talking to newsmen here today, expressed anguish over the inability of the government to come down on the terrorists with an iron hand and instead trying to tackle it through negotiations. The efforts to resolve the issue through talks would be an exercise in futility unless the government showed a resolve to root out Pakistan-sponsored militancy from the valley. He said the government should rise above politics of vote bank and come down with a heavy hand on ISI elements and others aiding and abetting terrorism in the country. The VHP leader ridiculed the statement made by Prime Minister, Mr
A.B.Vajpayee, in the USA that the Gujarat riots were a shame for the country and asserted that “the happenings in the wake of Godhra killings were a matter of pride”. The country should be ashamed of the fact that lakhs of Kashmiri Hindus had been driven out of their homeland by militants. He said the parishad had decided to burn the effigy of terrorism along with that of demon Ravana on Dasehra to expose the “jehadi” mentality, which fomented it. The parishad would distribute one crore pamphlets to educate people. He said the “jehadi” mentality had made Muslims suspects in the eyes of the world and maintained that Muslims could never be secular as Islam preached hatred against other religions. Mr Jain lamented that the issue of “Islamic terrorism” was not discussed by the Foreign Ministers of China, India and Russia who met in USA to stop the USA from attacking Iraq. He said Islamic fundamentalism had become synonymous with terrorism and the global effort to eliminate terrorism would not succeed unless this fact was understood and acknowledged. |
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Sarahan valley being decked up for
tourists Chandigarh, September 16 Inaugurating the Narag-Sarahan Valley Circuit, at Sarsu in Rajgarh sub-division of Sirmour district yesterday, he said the state government has decided to develop Sarahan valley as a focal point of tourism. This village, which is close to Mangad and 5,000 ft above sea level, will be developed as a hill station. The government will take all possible measures to improve the infrastructural facilities in this neglected region, he said. Motorists find it difficult to reach the place because of a bad road but soon they will overcome this as work on road metalling has started. Mr Thakur said he was preparing a comprehensive strategy to attract visitors from Delhi and Chandigarh to the Sarahan valley which is unique for its picturesque settings. The marketing aspect will also be kept in mind while wooing tourists, he said. He appealed to hotel proprietors and landlords to help develop guest houses in the valley for the
comfortable stay of the
Delhi-ites and Chandigarhians. Landlords have agreed to tie-up with the Tourism Department and convert the huge unused portions of their houses into guest rooms or guest houses. It would be his endeavour to arrange loans for them from nationalised banks to develop facilities at these guest houses. This novel experiment, which is said to foster universal brotherhood and harmony between people of different communities and religions, has succeeded in many states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Orissa. Mr Ravi Bali, president of
Pragati, a non-government organisation, has prepared a blueprint to develop the Sarahan valley circuit. In collaboration with Dr Y.S.Parmar University of Horticulture at Solan, Pragati plans to set up a eco-herbal bio-tech park at Sarsu peak, the highest point in the Narag valley, 5,250 ft above sea level. Apart from the Narag-Sarahan valley, Pragati has short-listed about six lesser known tourist destinations and valley circuits to be launched shortly. These destinations will be in Shimla, Mandi, Kangra and Solan districts. Work on the lushgreen tourist centre in the Tatapani-Chindi-Mahunag-Churag-Karsog valley is in progress. The pilot tourist destinations of the Narag-Sarahan valley are unique in their nature and scope. Sarahan shall be a gateway from Chandigarh-Haryana side and of Rajgarh from the Narag side. From
Rajgarh, it would be gateway to the breathtaking Nauradhar-Haripurdhar valley. The last connecting circuit would be the
Renukaji-Nahan-Paonta Sahib-Baghani valley area. The idea of promoting lesser known and neglected tourist destinations is in tune with the goal of Union Minister of State for Tourism Vinod Khanna. |
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2 more washed away in HP Shimla, September 16 One person died in Chamba district when he slipped on the banks of the Ravi near Dharwala and was washed away by the gushing waters of the swollen river. He was identified as Kamal, a resident of Sundla village. An electrician, Rajesh Kumar Bisht, had fallen into the Ravi in the Chamera dam area where rains had caused a colossal damage to project property on Saturday, while repairing a fault. The bodies of both the victims are yet to be traced. In another incident, 55-year-old Jeevani Devi was washed away while crossing the Barag khud in the Shallai area of Sirmaur. Her body was found 4 km away near Shatan village, reports here said. Shimla and its adjoining resorts of Kufri, Fagu and Naldehra were lashed by heavy showers this evening, causing a further drop in mercury. Thick fog engulfed the region in the afternoon and poor visibility hampered vehicular traffic. Reports of heavy rains had also been received from Dharamsala and its adjoining areas. Meanwhile, the
Chamba-Bharmaur road which was breached at several places in the Bagga area due to heavy rains has been opened for light vehicles. Hundreds of pilgrims who were stranded near Bagga on return from the Manimahesh yatra had been brought to Chamba. PTI |
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Polluted water kills two, 24 taken
ill Dharamsala, September 16 According to sources, the villagers had been getting polluted water for some time. No effort had been made at any level to check this. On Friday more than 24 persons started vomiting and were rushed to the PHC. Pritam Singh and Mistri Singh died due to dehydration while the condition of six was reported to be serious. Kangra Chief Medical Officer Dr P.C. Dogra along with a team of doctors yesterday rushed to the affected village and supervised efforts being made by the health authorities. The authorities have advised people to consume boiled water alone. |
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Soldier cremated Jaisinghpur, September 16 He died fighting terrorists in Assam. |
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Height of cruelty
to animal Mandi, September 16 When Kesar Singh went to the shed today morning he was surprised to note that the sheep was not able to stand up while her newly born hungry lamb was making frantic efforts for feed. On examination he found that one leg of the sheep was missing and the other one injured with a sharp-edged weapon and the hapless animal was sitting soaked in blood. |
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Ozone day observed Shimla, September 16 The events were held in schools at Baddi, Una, Sirmour, Shimla, Solan and Parwanoo. A senior scientific officer of the council, Dr Subhash Gupta, spoke on ozone depletion. |
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Renuka Fair
from Nov 14 Nahan, September 16 Mr Sharma said Rs 1 lakh would be spent on repair and maintenance of a road on the mela ground. |
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