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Wednesday,
April 30, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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MPs stay
away from BJP meeting BJP candidate launches poll campaign Blocks to have panchkarma centres Plan to boost tourism industry Rs 200 cr more sought for flood control |
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“HP to take up Bhakra oustees’ case” HPSSSB officials questioned Tussle with BSNL hits telegram service Held after 18 years for murder Power panel chief’s appointment quashed College staff
sans pay since 2001 Dismissed for violating two-child norm ‘Mitter milan’ men may join Kalyan
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MPs stay away from BJP meeting Shimla, April 29 The absence of Mr Shanta Kumar, Mr Suresh Chandel and Mr Maheshwar Singh was significant as all of them had been presidents of the state unit of the party. Although the reason for their absence was stated to be their preoccupation with the ongoing Parliament session, insiders maintained that they were unhappy over the manner in which the affairs of the party were being conducted. The senior leaders had serious differences with Mr P.K. Dhumal while he was the Chief Minister on a number of issues. They had also made their dissatisfaction known to the party high command on a number of occasions. They had joined hands to oppose the move of Mr Dhumal to create new districts and had got it stalled. Mr Maheshwar Singh had resigned from the chairmanship of the disciplinary committee in protest against the attempt of the state leadership to undermine his position in his home district. Party men expected that the defeat of the party in the elections would make the high command and the state leadership wiser. The rank and file was disgusted that the coterie responsible for the electoral debacle was still ruling the roost. The sacking of Mr Shanta Kumar, who had often pointed out the shortcomings in the functioning of the Dhumal government, from the Union Cabinet made things worse. His decision not to take any active part in the affairs of the organisation might harm the party further. Mr O.P. Kohli, national secretary of the party, had come from Delhi to attend the meeting. It was decided that the enrolment drive be completed by May 30 and the registers verified by June 15. The programme for organisational elections was also finalised. The elections to polling-booth-level committees would be held between August 1 and August 30 and to constituency-level committees from September 1 to September 15. The elections to district units would be held between September 20 and September 27. The new state party president would be elected before October 10.
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BJP candidate launches poll campaign Shimla, April 29 Addressing a series of election meetings, he said the Congress government was taking anti-people decisions. It had increased the bus fares by 25 per cent and withdrawn the notification issued by the Dhumal government to open schools, he alleged.
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Blocks to have panchkarma centres Shimla, April 29 The Chief Minister said that tourism linked health camps were also being organised at Kulu and Jogindernagar which would soon be extended to Palampur, Shimla and other areas. He said that the herbal gardens set up at Jogindernagar, Jungle Jhalera in Bilaspur, Paprola, Neri in Hamirpur and Dumrera in Rohru area were producing herbs and the farmers were also being encouraged to cultivate herbs. Mr Virbhadra Singh said that the state government had submitted a proposal of Rs 8.40 crore to the government of India for making Rajiv Gandhi government Ayurvedic college, Paprola, a centre of excellence out of which Rs 6 crore had already been sanctioned. He said that Rs 2.30 crore were also being spent on strengthening the ayurvedic pharmacies at Jogindernagar, Majra and Paprola. Mr G.R. Musafir, Speaker, said it was for the first time that a panchkarma camp for MLAs was organised in Vidhan Sabha premises. |
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Plan to boost tourism industry Shimla, April 29 Keeping in view the fact that tourism has merged as a vital sector in the global economy, the government had decided to promote it in a big way with the twin objectives of generating income and providing employment to the local populace. The number of tourists visiting the state has increased considerably over the years with over 49 lakh Indian and 1.44 lakh foreign tourists thronging the state last year. As part of heritage tourism development, the government plans weeklong celebrations to mark the completion of 100 years of the Kalka-Shimla rail line in November this year. An effort will be made by the government to revive the aura of the British times at Shimla during the week. The water sports centre constructed at a cost of Rs 1 crore and the aero sports complex constructed at a cost of Rs 33.89 lakh at Bilaspur have emerged as centres of attraction for tourists. Billing in Kangra is being projected as a centre for paragliding. The Department of Tourism is making efforts for organising a full-fledged paragliding world cup during the year 2004. It is concentrating on developing
heli-skiing in the state apart from providing regular training to the local youth in river rafting and other water sports. The geographical diversity of the state holds a tremendous potential for the development of eco-tourism. The government intends to formulate a policy to promote eco-tourism in a big way. Besides, places of religious importance in the state will be equipped with adequate civic amenities for the convenience of devotees. Facilities like touch-screen TV would be installed at important temples like Chamunda Devi, Jawalamukhi, Chintpurni and Brajeshjwari Devi to provide detailed information to tourists. Efforts are afoot to develop lesser known tourist places like Churdhar and surrounding areas of
Rajgarh. The government has decided to involve the private sector in a big way in this sector and the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation
(HPTDC) will play the role of a facilitator. Basic infrastructural facilities at places of tourist interests are being created. At present there are 1512 hotels with a capacity of 32,302 beds in the state. The department has identified 14 places for aerial ropeways in the state. The
Jabli-Kasauli ropeway had already started functioning and work on a ropeway from Chambaghat to Karol Tibba is in progress. Airports at Shimla, Kulu, Mandi and Kangra are being strengthened for accommodating bigger aircraft. The Government of India has sanctioned Rs 6.53 crore for developing a “Buddhists circuit” for tourists.
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Rs 200 cr more sought for flood control
Una, April 29 The proposal for the first phase was submitted to the Central Water Commission for techno-economic clearance by the state government in 1984, but the work was formally inaugurated on April 15 last year. During every monsoon, the Swan, along with its 73 tributaries, washes away millions of tonnes of loose fertile soil, causing an estimated loss worth Rs 15 crore. Nearly one-third of the total 35,000 hectares of cultivated land in the district is affected by the flood waters, but this may be checked once the project is completed. In the first phase, the 16.67-km most turbulent stretch on the river between the Santoshgarh and Jhalera bridges is being tamed by providing civil embankments and spurs, officials said. Flood control wing Executive Engineer N.M. Saini said it was for the first time in the region that US-made geo-textile was being used throughout the length of the project. Regarding the project’s benefits, he said 2,260 hectares land near the river banks was expected to be reclaimed for productive purposes. Of this, 860 hectares would be used for agriculture, 300 hactares for horticulture, 600 hectares for forestry and 500 hectares for fish-rearing, resulting in benefits to the tune of Rs 13.76 crore annually, he added. Mr Saini said of the Rs 27 crore received so far, the department hoped to complete work worth Rs 12 crore and award contracts for upto the 10-km mark this year. The department’s sources said after the project was cleared by the Centre on January 18, 2000, the state government had submitted a proposal to the Japan Bank for internal funding through the Centre. If cleared, the project on completion would benefit about one lakh farming families of the district. UNI
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“HP to take up Bhakra oustees’ case” Ropar, april 29 Mr Thakur alleged that villagers of Himachal residing in areas around the Bhakra Dam were facing harassment due to a barrier erected by the BBMB authorities near Barmula on the Punjab-Himachal board. The villagers were not being allowed to pass through the barrier after 6 pm. They also complained that even their relatives had to face harassment at the hands of barrier officials. The government would urge the BBMB authorities to change the location of the barrier so that there is no restriction to the movement of the villagers. The barrier is also proving to be a big hurdle in the development of the Golthai industrial area near the Himachal boarder. The Himachal Government has spent Rs 5 crore on the development of the industrial area. The government is trying to set up big industrial units in the area. Already proposals from two big industrial units are being examined. The government has also decided to develop an industrial area at
Behal, near Kiratpur Sahib.
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HPSSSB officials questioned Hamirpur, April 29 The team has yet not issued any notice to the Chairman of the Board, Mr Surendra Mohan Katwal, who has been placed under suspension. Mr Tashi Dawa, lone Member of the board, when contacted, said that he had not received any communication from the state government regarding its functioning, adding that the board was performing its routine duties. The Secretary of the board is on leave due to the death of his relative. Though there were no official comments about the interrogation, insiders said the enforcement department team also summoned a number of persons to the Circuit House and recorded their statements regarding their role and duty during interviews. Sources said officials told the team that results were not prepared in front of them and they were made to sign blank papers once the interview was over. The team has also recorded statements of a number of owners of various computer firms. These persons had evaluated papers of the board since its inception in 1999. Meanwhile, team of the Hamirpur police and the enforcement department have gone to the Bamsan area to locate the man, who at a recent district-level meeting of the BJP in Tounidevi, said that he had made payment to a tout of the board for securing a job for his son. |
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Tussle with BSNL hits telegram service Kangra, April 29 According to sources, telephones in most post offices used for the purpose of telegrams, messages and fax have been disconnected by the BSNL for ‘non-payment’ of bills. In the Dhera postal division, out of 179 post offices, 166 have been deprived of the telephone and telegram facilities, putting the common man in trouble. In the Dharamsala postal division, out of 148 post offices more than 70 have been denied these facilities. The BSNL authorities say unless the bills are cleared, the phones will remain disconnected. However, the GM was not available for comment. When this correspondent contacted the Superintendent of Post Offices at Dhera and Dharamsala, both were said to be on tours. When contacted, the Director, Postal Services, Himachal Pradesh, Mr M.L. Kalia, said BSNL had not communicated to the authorities concerned about the withdrawal of the facility. “The matter is under consideration of the Centre”, he claimed. |
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Held after 18 years for murder Solan, April 29 Mr S.R. Sharma an SP giving details of the case, said that this case was reported on May 31, 1983 that 15-20 persons armed with guns and swords had assaulted Mr Etwari Lal and family members of Ms Kamlesh after entering her house at Sunny Side here at 4 a.m. Besides inflicting serious injuries the men had ransacked the house and had thrown goods outside. A case was registered against 15 persons under various sections of the IPC for rioting and trespass as well as mischief. Later death of Etwari Lal led to addition of Section 320 of the IPC for murder into the FIR. Later in four accused Shakti Rana, Prakash Rana, Harchand Singh and Dalwara Singh prime accused were arrested and Harvinder Kumar alias Billa declared a proclaimed offender. Hearing the case the Additional District and Sessions Judge acquitted eight accused on May 9, 1985 and sentenced other eight in the case. Harchand Singh instead of surrendering in the court had given the police the slip. While the three accused Prakash Rana, Shakti Rana, Sanjeev Kapoor and Dilwara Singh have been undergoing sentence the other three including Harchand Singh, Vyas Chawdhary and Satpal have evaded arrest by giving fake addresses. Non-bailable warrants were issued against the three on April 28. Consequently the police raided the Ludhiana residence of Harchand and nabbed him. Efforts were also on to trace the other two also, added police officials. |
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Power panel chief’s appointment quashed Shimla, April 29 It had been further alleged that Mr Gupta had been appointed Member of the commission in 2000. Later, the government felt that the commission could not work without a chairman. Therefore, the government decided to appoint Mr Gupta as chairman of the one-member commission. It had been further alleged that the government did not recommended the name of Mr Gupta to the selection committee for such appointment, which was mandatory under the Act. The court observed that the petitioner had pointed out that Mr Gupta was a usurper of the office of chairman of the commission without having been either recommended or selected to the post. The court also slapped Rs 10,000 on the state government as litigation costs.
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College
staff sans pay since 2001 Hamirpur, April 29 At the time of taking over of the college, the state government had retained the services of all teachers and other employees. Most teachers and non-teaching employees were sent to the Sujanpur Tira College. However, no decision was taken regarding three teachers and four non-teaching employees as they had not yet completed one year in service. They were told they would be retained on a contract basis. However, since then no decision has been taken regarding them. Insiders say HP University had rejected the plea of the Education Department to absorb them in the college cadre. When contacted, Mr A.K. Acharya, Principal, said the case of these three teachers and non-teaching employees had been taken up with the government. |
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Dismissed
for violating two-child norm Nahan, April 29 This order was passed today by Mr Sharma after it was established that his wife gave birth to eighth child, on December 17, 2001, after he was elected as Chairman. The child’s name has been registered with the Gram Panchayat, Kando Bhatnol, under the Shillai development block. This post has been declared vacant. At present the posts of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman are lying vacant. The Vice-Chairman had quit from the office after he got a government job. In another order passed today, the president of the Gram Panchayat, Ranfua Jabdog, under the Sangrah development block, Ms Tota Devi, was dismissed after it was proved that she gave birth to third child on September 19, 2002. |
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‘Mitter milan’ men may join Kalyan Hamirpur, April 29 Mr Nanda held a two-hour meeting with Mr Kalyan Singh in New Delhi recently. They discussed the political scene in Himachal Pradesh. Sources close to Mr Nanda said here this evening that Mr Kalyan Singh gave a hint to Mr Nanda to head his party along with his ‘mitter milan’ supporters. Mr Nanda reportedly told Mr Kalyan Singh to wait for some time as he wanted to consult his colleagues. |
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G.L. Sharma dead Bilaspur, April 29 |
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Kasauli
centre to air DD Metro Kumarhatti, April 29
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