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Sunday,
June 22, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Pachmarhi-II to focus on poverty,
drought
Kufri zoo set for expansion Probe ordered into project
bungling |
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Yamuna pollution at alarming level Case diluted:
Dalit morcha Pay denial hits unit workers HP board to continue holding Class VIII
exams Congress captures Pacchad samiti
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Pachmarhi-II to focus on poverty,
drought Shimla, June 21 Mr Oscar Fernandes, general secretary of the All-India Congress Committee who was here to review arrangements for the meeting told newsmen that the issues concerning the people like unemployment, poverty and drought would be discussed threadbare. Coming after almost five years after the Pachmarhi meet, the brainstorming session would also address to the economic and international issues and the deliberations could lead to some important decisions to make the conclave a historic one. He said the session had nothing to do with the recent BJP conclave and the party had decided to hold a Pachmarhi-type camp much earlier. He said besides Mrs Sonia Gandhi, President, the top brass of the party from all over the country would participate in the camp. In all 210 delegates were expected but the number could increase. The delegates would assemble here on July 6 and deliberations would continue up to July 9. Elaborating Mr Fernandes said the NDA government had failed completely in dealing with the drought situation. The people were suffering and the centre was not doing anything to lessen their woes. The NDA regime should have risen above party considerations and taken required measures to provide succour to the affected people. There was no sense of urgency with the centre to deal with calamity. The Congress leader maintained that the Vajpayee government had failed on all fronts and it had no right to continue in office. It should immediately quit to pave the way for fresh elections for which the Congress was fully geared up. The NDA had promised to create one crore jobs every year but in reality largescale retrenchment had been going on due to the closure of industrial units. The situation was worsening as retrenchment led to unemployment, the root cause of poverty. Mr Virbhadra Singh, Himachal Chief Minister, who was also present at the press conference, said that Mrs Sonia Gandhi would also inaugurate the 300 MW Baspa project and address a public meeting at Rekong Peo in Kinnaur during her visit to the state. He said that the conclave would be a subdued affair and it would be ensured that the tourists and people were not put to inconvenience. |
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Kufri zoo set for expansion Shimla, June 21 The Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park at Darjeeling has finally agreed to give a pair of each of the rare snow leopard and Tibetan wolf for the purpose under an exchange arrangement. The Kufri zoo authorities will send a pair of Monal, three female and two male red jungle fowl and one female Himalayan Thar to Darjeeling in return. All documents regarding the exchange of the animals have been submitted to the Central Zoo Authority which is likely to give its formal approval at its meeting to be held in the first week of July. Efforts to have a pair of snow leopard for breeding were being made ever since Rosy, an abandoned female cub, was brought to Kufri from the cold desert of Lahaul in 1998. Before the zoo authorities could find a mate for her the animal died in May 2001. The committee, comprising top wildlife experts of the country, which probed the death, found environment of Kufri ideal for high-altitude species and suggested that it should be developed as a centre for breeding endangered species. The wildlife department has prepared a Rs 2.23-crore plan for the expansion of the zoo under which new enclosures, veterinary centre, an aviary, and other facilities will be created. In all 8 enclosures for herbivores and one for carnivores and five breeding enclosures will be constructed in the zoo spread over 90 hectares. The number of animals is proposed to be doubled from the present 70. Similarly, the number of birds will also be increased from the existing 32 significantly and birds like western Tragopan, Kaliz and broody hen will be brought from Sarhan pheasantry. The veterinary centre will be made functional within this year after which diagnostic facilities will be made available. The long-term plan is to breed the endangered species and release them in the wild, says Mr A.K. Gulati, Additional Principal Chief Conservator, wildlife. The efforts will be made to have breeding centres and zoo. Besides, facilities will be provided for tourist. The zoo has been attracting a sizeable number of tourists. Last year it had over 80,000 visitors, fetching an income of about Rs 8 lakh. The new additions and improvements in the zoo are expected to increase the number of visitors to around two lakh and the income to Rs 20 lakh, enough for its proper maintenance, he explained. Ultimately, the zoo will be developed into a centre for the conservation of the Western Himalayan fauna and a model nature park for creating awareness among people regarding the importance and need for preserving the wildlife, he added. |
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Probe ordered into project
bungling Hamirpur, June 21 Mr Mahajan made this announcement at a press conference here this evening. He said in future, all watershed management projects would be handled by the gram panchayats concerned. The minister hinted at making various changes in the Panchayati Raj Act to give more powers to the panches and the up-pradhans. He lamented that the zila parishad of Hamirpur was ignored while making recommendations for the construction of roads under the Prime Minister’s Sadak Yojna. Earlier, Mr Mahajan took part in the meeting of the Hamirpur Zila Parishad. |
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Yamuna pollution at alarming level Solan, June 21 An action plan was mooted by the Union Government for undertaking cleansing operations and restoration of water quality and other associated mitigation methods for the Ganga and the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and, to an extent, West Bengal sometime ago. The plan, which involved treatment at the starting point of these rivers, met with no success and it was suggested that the treatment should be based on a holistic and integrated approach and should start from the initiation point of these rivers. The River Conservation Directorate, thus, brought into focus the involvement of Himachal Pradesh into the project from where rivers like the Yamuna, the Beas, etc flow. A sum of Rs 70 crore was granted to the board in 2001 for the project by the Union Government. Another 30 per cent share was to be contributed by the state government. However, in the absence of this share, little headway was made in the project. The Department of Irrigation and Public Health was directed to formulate specific projects for various towns, including Kulu, Manali and others, where the problem of pollution has acquired an alarming dimension. Seven lakh tonnes of sewage per day is dumped daily in Manali alone. Dr S.S. Negi, member secretary of the board, stated that the board, which was alive to the problem, had already prepared a project for setting up a sewage disposal plant at Manali which would soon be installed. |
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Case diluted:
Dalit morcha Nurpur, June 21 Mr Sham Lal Baru, state president of the morcha, in a written statement here on Thursday alleged that the accused had attacked members of the Dalit family in which Kewal Singh had sustained serious injuries. The police has lodged the FIR under simple sections of the IPC allegedly under political influence of the accused, he alleged. However, the police has denied any political influence in the case and said a case under Sections 147, 149, 451, 325 and 506 of the IPC had been registered. |
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Pay denial hits unit workers Chamba, June 21 Ms Brahmi Devi, president of the Chamba unit of HP Handloom and Handicrafts Export Corporation Workers Union, alleged that the previous BJP-led government was responsible for ignoring this unit, which had been generating employment opportunities for poor workers. She said that this unit consisted of the footwear factory, which had been manufacturing Chamba chappal and shoes and the embroidery centre of Chamba rumal since 1954, but now it was on the verge of closure. In a memorandum submitted to Mr Virbhadra Singh, Himachal Chief Minister, she urged that the workers be paid wages and remedial steps for the revival of this sick unit be taken. |
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HP board to continue holding Class VIII
exams Dharamsala, June 21 Presiding over a meeting of Principal and Headmasters of government schools of Kangra district today, Mr Rahi said the fall in the number of students in government schools was a matter of concern and there was an urgent need to create confidence amongst the parents about these schools. He said in a meeting held last month under the chairmanship of the Education Minister, Ms Asha Kumari, at Shimla it had been decided to initiate steps to improve the working of government schools so that more and more students joined these institutions. While rejecting the demand for handing over the holding of Class VIII examinations back to schools, Mr Rahi agreed to allow the schools to hold Plus 1 examinations. He said the papers for these examinations would be set by the HP Board of School Education. |
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Congress captures Pacchad samiti Nahan, June 21 A meeting of the samiti convened for the election of new office-bearers was presided over by Mr S.P. Rolta, Subdivisional Magistrate of Rajgarh. The previous Chairman of the Samiti (BJP leader) Mr Bal Mukund (BJP) was defeated by the Congress nominee, Mr Sirmour Singh Thakur, by three votes. |
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