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Tuesday,
November 26, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Poor security at Baba Balak Nath Temple
Day of inaugurations, stone
laying |
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Karmapa’s sister
interrogated Funds for Kangra diverted: PCC
chief Three held for murder of youth
Shooting range to be
set up near Shimla
Employees perform protest
havan Himachal gears up for pulse
polio Patwaris’ plea on power bills Kaushal is Una DC
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Poor security at Baba Balak Nath Temple Deotsidh (Hamirpur), November 25 The temple trust has appointed eight security persons at the temple but sans weapons. These persons are paid about Rs 5000 per month. There are three air-guns but these are normally kept under lock and key. There is a police post here but their services are required only on Sundays or during mela. There is no checking of the people entering the temple. During a visit to the temple the reporter found that the man who was on duty at the second gate was reading a newspaper in the canteen. Only one security man Roshan Lal was found on duty at the cave. He was there to check the flow of the pilgrims and to ensure that there was no pilferage of the offerings made at the cave. He said all security persons worked for eight hours. When asked if there was an attack by antisocial or antinational elements what would they do, he replied that all would be in the hands of Babaji. He, however, added that there were two main entry points to the temple and once they were closed nobody can enter the temple. Temple officer Madan Lal was not in the temple. He had gone to Hamirpur to the Department of Settlement. He is looking after temple duty in addition to his own duties as consolidation officer. All senior district officers were on duty with the Chief Minister, who is in the district these days. However, Mr K.D. Rana, SDM, Barsar, who is also the in charge of the temple, admitted that there were poor security measures at the temple. He said, “I will visit the temple today to review the security measures.” |
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Day of inaugurations, stone
laying Hamirpur, November 25 He inaugurated a bridge on Balu khud at Amned constructed at a cost of Rs 25 lakh, laid the foundation stone of a fire station here, and inaugurated a bridge at Sukar khud on the Khudian-Masyana road constructed at a cost of Rs 2.57 crore. He also opened the Durgyar bridge at Dhaned constructed at a cost of Rs 21 lakh. Mr Dhumal said work culture had been created in the state which had resulted in accelerating the pace of development. He added that the government had maintained cordial relations with its employees and provided their dues in time. He said the government was committed to harness the hydel and tourism potential of the state. He urged the people to avail of various facilities provided by the government for boosting up their economy. He said farmers and horticulturists were being provided the necessary irrigational facility. Speaking about the Hamirpur Assembly segment’s development Mr Dhumal said Rs 9.05 crore were spent on bridges and roads during the past four years. He said 64 km-long roads were metalled, besides construction of important institutional buildings at the district headquarters which included Rs 2.50 crore government senior secondary school building, Rs 2.50 crore. HP Subordinate Services Selection Board building, Rs 2.50 crore zonal hospital building and Rs 86 lakh Town Hall. He said Rs 7.36 crore were spent under Nabard schemes, while Rs 2.38 crore were spent under PMGSY on the construction of five roads during 2000-01. Rupees 2.51 crore would be spent on five more roads under the scheme. Mr I.D. Dhiman, Education Minister, said Rs 960 crore were being spent on education during the current financial year. He said over 13,000 teachers, were appointed during the past four and a half years. He said scholarships were given to 8,000 students. Earlier, Mrs Urmil Thakur, Parliamentary Secretary and local MLA, welcomed the Chief Minister and elaborated on various developmental activities. Later, the Chief Minister also laid the foundation stones of a Red Cross laboratory, first phase of sarain at zonal hospital, Hamirpur, and an indoor stadium at Netaji Subash Chander Bose Degree College, Hamirpur. He also inaugurated a district rehabilitation centre constructed at a cost of Rs 65 lakh. |
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Karmapa’s sister
interrogated Dharamsala, November 25 Kangra SP R.M. Sharma had directed Ms Palzom to come to his office for investigation in the matter. She returned to Gyuto Monastery, near here, late last evening after she was stopped at Siliguri by the Intelligence Bureau from entering Sikkim. It is now revealed that Ms Palzom had been issued permit by the Deputy Superintendent of Police office attached to the security of the Dalai Lama on November 13. She had been issued a permit to enter Sikkim by the Sikkim Government in Delhi on November 14 and had travelled up to Siliguri before she was stopped. According to information, the Intelligence Bureau had on March 20, 2001 issued a circular, according to which the 17th Karmapa and six others have been denied permission to visit Sikkim where Rumtek Monastery is located. It appears that the failure of police personnel at McLeodganj to check their records, resulted in the issue of permission to Ms Palzom to leave Gyuto Monastery for Delhi. The Intelligence Bureau became aware of her intention to visit Sikkim only after getting information that Ms Palzom has been issued permit to visit Sikkim and immediately took steps to stop her and bring her back to Dharamsala. When this correspondent contacted Mr Sonam, Director of the Reception Centre of Tibetan Government in exile, at Mcleodganj about the letter sent by him to the Liaison Officer of the Union Home Ministry for giving a letter of introduction to Ms Palzom, he asserted that such letter was a mere formality and was in no way against the rules. He claimed that there was no need to inform the liaison officer that Ms Palzom was the sister of the 17th Karmapa. The secretary to 17th Karmapa, who accompanied her during the investigation, claimed that there were no restrictions on people close to the Karmapa. He said Ms Palzom had not flouted any rules in leaving Dharamsala and had done so after obtaining permission and as such the police could not take any action against her. In the meantime, SP R.M. Sharma has started inquiry into the reasons how the DSP office at Mcleodganj issued permit to Ms Palzom when the IB had debarred her from visiting Sikkim. He said lapse appeared to be in his department and only after verifying all facts, further action would be taken in the matter. Meanwhile, security has been tightened at Gyuto Monastery where the Karmapa and his entourage is putting up. |
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Funds for Kangra diverted: PCC
chief Nurpur, November 25 He alleged Mr Shanta Kumar had failed to protect the political interests of the district. He held Mr Dhumal responsible for making Mr Shanta Kumar politically ineffective and alleged that the BJP in the district had become leaderless. Commenting on the recent Kangra bandh call given by the district BJP to protest against the working proposals of the Dellimitation Commission, Mr Mahajan said it was the first instance in the country that the district chief of a party had given such a call during the rule of its own party in the state “The BJP leaders also passed unparliamentary and derogatory remarks against their own Chief Minister while giving the call for bandh which even the opposition Congress had never done. It only vindicated the fact that the infighting in the BJP had come to the fore”, he quipped. Mr Mahajan alleged that the Chief Minister was in a hurry to lay the foundation stones and inaugurate incomplete projects when merely two months had been left for Assembly election in the state. He pointed out that the inauguration of a merely 4 km-stretch out of a 50 km-long canal of the Rs 143 crore Shah Nehar Irrigation Project in the Jawali Assembly constituency on November 20 was to “befool” the farming community. He alleged that the Dhumal government had failed to formulate any strategy to combat drought which had hit the state this year, adding that the farmers or fruit growers got no relief. “Even the crop insurance scheme (CIS) of the government flopped following the failure of kharif crop”, he added. He asked the Chief Minister to make public how many farmers had received compensation under the CIS in the state. |
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Three held for murder of youth Chamba, November 25 According to Mr Ajay Yadav, Superintendent of Police, Chamba, Khayali Ram was beheaded on the night of August 22 and later his body was thrown in the bushes. According to a report lodged on September 1 by Jai Karan, father of the deceased, his son was a cable operator who did not return home on August 21 as per his usual routine. After an intensive search, he found the beheaded body of his son lying in the bushes of a forest near Garola. The SP said the police, after the postmortem, started investigation and launched a manhunt and succeeded in tracing the accused and arresting them. These accused included Vikrma Devi, Urmila and Nand Lal, residents of the surrounding hamlets of the Garola area of Bharmour. The accused had been remanded in judicial custody, the SP said. |
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Bus operators’ strike hits
life Hamirpur, November 25 There was heavy rush in roadways buses due to the strike. All private buses were seen parked on roadsides. Worst affected were the office-goers and the students of schools and colleges. The attendance in these institutions was thin due to the strike. The main bus stand here wore a deserted look. The HRTC plied buses on various routes for the convenience of passengers, according to an official spokesman. He said the strike was peaceful and no untoward incident took place in any part of the district. Mr Naresh Kumar Darji, district president of the bus operators union, claimed that the strike was complete. He warned the state government of an indefinite agitation if their demands were not met. SHIMLA: commuters were put to great inconvenience all over the state as most of the private buses remained off the road in response to the 24-hour strike call given by the state bus operators union to press its demands. The strike was complete, except in Una and Chamba districts where a good number of private buses were seen on roads. The agitating bus operators also blocked traffic at Ner Chowk in Mandi and Berthin in Bilaspur for a brief period. The passanger transport services were severely affected as the fleet of 2,184 private buses in the state is even bigger than that of the state road transport corporation which has 1,747 buses. Those living in the interiors were the worst-hit as hardly any bus service was available. |
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Shooting range to be
set up near Shimla Hamirpur, November 25 Addressing a public meeting after unveiling a statue of Netaji Subhash Chander Bose at the local Government College, he said that the Central Government had sanctioned Rs 58 lakh for the proposed shooting range. The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of an indoor stadium at the college to be constructed at a cost of Rs 2 crore. He said there was no dearth of sports talent in the state and efforts were on to tap it. He said the state government had given 3 per cent reservation to outstanding sportspersons of the state in government jobs. Mr Dhumal advised the youth to channelise their energies towards sports activities, which, he said, not only ensure good health but also prepare them well for the future. He sanctioned Rs 25 lakh for library facilities in the college. The Chief Minister announced that B.P.Ed classes would be started at the college from next academic session. Mr Lalit Mohan Sharma, Principal of the college, welcomed the Chief Minister on the occasion. |
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Himachal electoral rolls
on Internet Shimla, November 25 This was stated here today by Mrs Manisha Nanda, Chief Electoral Officer, while presiding over a workshop for imparting training in the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) organised for the officers and officials of state secretariat. She said Rs 8 crore had been spent on the purchase of 8,000 EVMs for 6,230 polling stations in the state for the ensuing assembly elections to make the electoral process in the state fully-computerised for the first time. It will not only save time but also the cost of election. She said the training-cum-demonstration was aimed at giving exposure to officials who would be deputed for conducting elections. She said such demonstrations had already been held to provide first hand knowledge to Deputy Commissioners. |
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Employees perform protest
havan Kangra, November 25 The protesting employees prayed to God so that better sense prevails upon the state government and it implements the Supreme Court direction and accept their demands. Wearing saffron mufflers the protesting employees raised anti-government slogans and later took out a rally and held a demonstration. Mr Rajender Sharma, president of the Aided School Employees Association, said, if their demands were not met, they would resort to self-immolation. The protesting employees demanded the resignation of the Education Minister. Meanwhile, the relay fast of the employees entered 27th day today. Mr Ishwar Dass Dhiman, HP Education Minister, when contacted, told the correspondent that the government was eager to implement the apex court direction and would implement it at all costs, but the agitating employees should realise their problems regarding the financial front. He said Rs 5.5 crores had been disbursed among the employees and the remaining amount would be disbursed soon. He, however alleged that some school managements were misusing the aid given to them. |
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Himachal gears up for pulse
polio Shimla, November 25 Mrs Rajrendra Bhattacharya, Chief Secretary said this while presiding over a meeting to streamline the arrangements for the campaign in the state, here today. She said specific instructions had been issued to deputy commissioners of the districts including Chamba, Kinnaur, Kulu, Mandi and Solan where hydel projects, cement plants and other industrial units were operational to ensure that children of migrant labourers and project workers are fully covered under the campaign. She said the success of polio eradication campaign depended on social mobilisation and cooperation of all government and non-government organisations and community participation by involving panchayati raj institutions, local bodies, mahila mandals and mahila swasthya sanghs. She said instructions had been issued to departments like the PWD, ayurveda, education, health and transport to make the campaign a success. She further stated the staff doing exceptionally well in the implementation of the pulse polio immunisation programme would be honoured with commendation certificates, besides financial reward. She said house-to-house activity on subsequent 2nd and 3rd days of the campaign would be launched to ensure that no child was left out unimmunised. |
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Patwaris’ plea on power bills Bilaspur, November 25 At a meeting presided over by the District unit President J.N. Sharma at Ghumarwin near here today. The association demanded that the government should pay electricity bills of patwarkhanas like all other government offices and tehsildars should be directed to repair all patwarkhanas and kanungo offices which are in a bad shape. Members urged the Deputy Commissioner to ensure that potable drinking water should be supplied in all patwarkhanas of the district at the earliest. The association said the practice of allotting extra work to them than their normal work should be stopped. |
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Kaushal is Una DC Shimla, November 25 The post fell vacant recently when Mr K.K. Pant proceeded on deputation to the Centre. Mr Rajneesh, Resident Commissioner, Pangi was posted as Additional Director Industries. Earlier, Mr Swayam Ram, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kulu, was posted as Resident Commissioner, Pangi. |
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