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Tuesday,
July 29, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Heavy rain triggers
landslides Court takes government to
task for laxity Panchayat Act to
be made instrument of change Food poisoning: conspiracy not ruled out Vaknaghat to include group
housing sites |
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Kokje inspects Chamera
project Sewerage scheme for Nagrota
Bagwan CM to unfurl
Tricolour at Keylong Sultanpur Lake to have aquarium Students
boycott classes Social worker
Ajit Kumar dead Man shot dead HIV testing
centre opens
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Heavy rain triggers landslides Shimla, July 28 Shimla and its surrounding areas were pounded by heavy rain since morning, which disrupted normal life in the capital town. Dense fogs enveloping the town added tot he discomfort of the people. Shimla and its surrounding areas recorded 7.9 mm rainfall by the afternoon in a total of 22.2 mm rains in the past 24 hours. Shimla has received 448.7 mm rains since last month. The Shimla-Kalka (Haryana) National Highway and the 320-km Hindustan-Tibet highway also remained shrouded in fog, reducing the visibility to a few metres, forcing the vehicular traffic to move at a snail’s pace with headlights on. The Hindustan Tibet Highway was blocked due to huge landslide at Jhakri. Upper areas in Shimla district, including tourist resorts of Wildflower Hall, Kufri and Narkanda too reported heavy rain today. Kinnaur district was totally cut off from the rest of the state by roads for the fourth day today. A report from Dharmasala said, Kangra valley experienced heavy rains since last night causing sharp drop in the ground temperatures. Some of the rivers and rivulets in the district were in spate. Reports of rains have come in from Chopal, Jubbal, Hamirpur, Palampur, Mallan, Nagrota Bagwan, Dehra and districts of Solan, Sirmour and Bilaspur. Chandigarh: Kalka, in Haryana, gateway to Himachal reported 20 mm rains, while Ambala had 0.7 mm. They day temperature in and around Ambala rose by 20°C above normal to 33.7°C. As Amritsar reported trace the maximum today hovered around 34.6. Ludhiana had the maximum of 34.2 with 0.2 mm rainfall while Patiala reported the high of 34.2 mm and 4.8 mm rainfall. Shahpur Kandi reported the heaviest rainfall of 35.2 mm in the region. The National Capital Territory of Delhi recorded 24.6 mm rainfall while its Palam area had 4.2 mm rains. The meteologists here predicted more precipitation in the region, while warning of heavy falls at isolated places in Himachal and Haryana over the next 48 hours. Srinagar, summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir reported having received 37.8 mm rainfall in the past 24 hours ending 8.30 am today. Basohli in the Jammu region received 30.2 mm rains while Bhoond 2.4 mm. —
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Court takes government to
task for laxity Shimla, July 28 Chief Justice Gupta told the Advocate-General that this was the last time that the court was taking a lenient view of the government’s laxity. The state government filed this appeal on January 14,2003, without the certified copy of the impugned order of the Company Law Board, which was mandatory for filing the case. The High Court registry raised some objection in appeal and it was returned to the counsel for the removing of the objection in a week. The government failed to remove the objection in a month and the petition was returned twice to state for filing a proper appeal. The Bench asked the Advocate-General that why the officer concerned not be sacked for treating such high-stake matters with negligence. The government had entered into an agreement for the construction of a five-star hotel with East India Hotels, as a joint venture. The government was to provide land and its share was to be 35 per cent and hotel was to be constructed within six years by the company, latest by October 2001. The government later in 2002 cancelled the agreement and this decision was challenged before the Company Law Board. The Company Law Board setting aside the government’s decision to cancel the agreement fixed the state share in the project at 21 per cent. The government in appeal before the High Court had challenged this decision, which was not properly prosecuted. This matter was listed for July 30, where the government has been asked to file an affidavit explaining the reasons for the negligence. |
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Panchayat Act to
be made instrument of change Shimla, July 28 Stating this at a press conference, here today, Mr Sat Mahajan, Himachal Rural Development Minister, said that after attending the meetings of Zila Parishads to know the short-comings and problems being faced by Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementing various schemes he had come to the conclusion that all was not well with the existing system. There was need to check pradhans who in many instances had made the panchayats a one-man show. Further, the rotation of reservation of seats also needed fresh look as members were not working sincerely as they knew that they would not be contesting from the same ward again. He said he would visit Kerala and Karnataka along with senior officers to study panchayati raj system in these states which was considered the best in the country. He would visit some other states like Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra and interact with block-samitis before proposing the amendment bill. If needed a new legislation would be enacted. Mr Mahajan said that the engineering wing of the Rural Development Department would be strengthened and the government was considering to make it mandatory for all fresh junior engineers to serve in the department for a minimum of two years. He said there was no dearth of funds and as many 70 watershed development schemes each involving an expenditure of Rs 2.5 crore, were to be implemented. Funds were also available under various other schemes. The government wants to ensure proper utilisation of funds so that the people could benefit from it. He said there had been instances of financial irregularities in the execution of works. He had already set up a vigilance cell in the department to bring the guilty to book. He said a fresh survey of below party line families would be conducted soon under which 2.82 lakh families were to be identified. The final list of identified families would be approved by the gram sabha concerned. There was a provision for 45 per cent of test-checking of the selected families. The extension officers would check 25 per cent, block development officers 10 per cent and Additional Deputy Commissioners and subdivisional officers 10 per cent. He disclosed that 200 panchayat pradhans had been either disqualified or were being proceeded against for violating the two-child norm. |
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Food poisoning: conspiracy not ruled out Dharamsala, July 28 Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Bali said he was trying to ascertain the truth. He said it was uprising that thousands of persons attended the celebrations and had food, but only 128 persons fell ill. Mr Bali said timely help of Nagrota Bagwan residents had helped in saving lives. He said four persons were referred to Kangra and five to Dharamsala while the others were treated at Nagrota Bagwan. |
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Vaknaghat to include group
housing sites Shimla, July 28 Located on the Shimla-Chandigarh highway, about 25 km from here, the township will be built for a population of 30,000 over about 405 acres. It will have well-landscaped parks and green spaces. Mr Mukesh Agnihottari, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, said plots would be allotted by December, 2006. The hill architecture would be maintained and all structures would have slanting roofs, he added. The township would be divided into sectors and each would have market and community facilities. Sites for group housing would also be created and developed in collaboration with the private sector. The main attraction would be educational institutions for higher learning and specialised health facilities. Besides sports infrastructure, the township would also have an amusement park. The social infrastructure would include religious sites, a library, a recreational club, a theatre, meditation and spiritual centres, a museum, an art gallery and a nature park. |
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Kokje inspects Chamera
project Chamba, July 28 The Governor was impressed by the progress on the project. It would be completed within four years, a year ahead of schedule. The Governor said the project was a benchmark in the history of power generation. He praised the people engaged in the construction of the project. Mr V.K. Kanjlia, Executive Director (Design ( E&M), NHPC, said spinning testing of the first generating unit of 100 MW on this project would be conducted on July 31. The spinning of the second unit would be conducted on August 31 and of the third unit by the end of September, he added. |
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Sewerage scheme for Nagrota
Bagwan Dharamshala, July 28 Giving details of other major projects started in the area, Mr Bali said that Rs 1.73 crore Chamunda water supply scheme was nearing completion while work of Rs 1.84 crore Sera-Thana-Dhaloon water supply scheme was in progress. He said Rs 30 lakh was being spent on the Jadrangal water supply scheme. The work of the Rs 4 lakh water supply scheme for Nagrota Bagwan town has been complete and this would ensure daily supply of 120 litres of water to each person. |
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CM to unfurl
Tricolour at Keylong Shimla, July 28 Mr Gangu Ram Musafir, Speaker, will unfurl the National Flag at the district-level function in Shimla; Mrs Vidya Stokes, power minister, at Hamirpur; Mr Kaul Singh, Irrigation and Health Minister, at Dharamsala; Mr Sat Mahajan, Rural Development Minister, at Mandi; Mr R.R. Rao, Excise and Taxation Minister, at Una; Mr Chander Kumar, Forest Minister, at Chamba; Mrs Chandresh Kumari, Health Minister, at Nahan; Mr Ram Lal, Industries Minister, at Kulu; Mrs Asha Kumari, Education Minister, at Solan; Mr B.B. Butail, Revenue Minister, at Rekong Peo; and Maj Vijay Singh Mankotia, Tourism Minister, at Bilaspur. |
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Virbhadra's health excellent, say docs Shimla, July 28 The health bulletin came as great moral booster for the loyalists of Mr Virbhadra Singh, who have been upset over sustained misinformation campaign by his detractors, which created a false impression that he had not been keeping well. In fact, efforts had been made by his detractors to drive political mileage by using his health condition as ploy to raise doubts about his capacity to deliver and assert his authority as the Chief Minister. He had been intensively touring the state eversince he took over the reins of the government and had toiled hard in the inhospitable terrain during the recent elections to three tribal seats. However, all this failed to dissuade his political rivals from carrying out the sinister campaign. The medical report would certainly silence his detractors. |
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Sultanpur Lake to have aquarium Chamba, July 28 This was told to a department of the Chamba Welfare Association which met Mr Harsh Mahajan, Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Mr Mahajan said that the chilling plant at Parel near Chamba town would be modernised and upgraded to ‘Milk Plant’ to supply bottled milk to consumers of Chamba district. Mr Mahajan said a new building of state Animal Husbandry Department at Pucca Taala in Chamba town would be constructed for which Rs 20 lakh had been provided. Mr Mahajan said that all posts of veterinary doctor and pharmacist in hospitals and dispansaries in Chamba district had been filled and supplies of medicines had also been made to all veterinary hospitals. |
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Students
boycott classes Nurpur, July 28 Later they took out a procession in the
town and also polished shoes to protest against the 25 per cent hike
in bus fares raised by the Himachal Pradesh Government. The ABVP also
took strong exception to birthday celebrations by the Transport
Minister, Mr G.S. Bali, on Sunday in which over 100 kids were taken
ill after consuming eatables. The parishad termed the celebrations as
a gimmick to gain cheap popularity by the minister. |
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Social worker
Ajit Kumar dead Dharamsala, July 28 Mr Ajit Kumar who was chairman of the Dhauladhar Educational Society met with an accident near Bilaspur three days ago when he was on way back from Shimla. He was admitted to Bilaspur hospital in a serious condition and shifted to PGI later at Chandigarh where he was operated upon. According to family sources, he developed infection which caused his death . His body is being brought to his Garli village under the Dehra subdivision for cremation.. |
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Man shot dead Chamba, July 28 The police arrested Dheeraj and his brother Deepak, who were hiding in a field, in this connection. A case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against them. The deceased, Rakesh Kumar of Amritsar, was shot from close range by Dheeraj, said the police. His niece was shot at in the stomach. She was referred to Chandigarh for treatment. |
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HIV testing
centre opens Nahan, July 28 The incharge of the centre, Dr Sanjay Sharma, said that misconceptions of persons, regarding HIV, STD and AIDS would also be removed, during counselling sessions. |
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The recent incidents of
cloudbursts in the Kullu valley have put the authorities on high alert
in the region. (
