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Santa brings sunlight, not snow
Ministers fear losing jobs BJP workers wish PM happy birthday
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Dalai Lama's lectures from Dec 29 to 31 Cong govt corrupt,
says ex-minister Where cremating dead is a problem 
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Santa brings sunlight, not snow Shimla, December 25 Christmas was celebrated with the traditional gaiety and fervour. The Christian devotees braved the chilly weather to attend the midnight mass at the two local churches, which were beautifully decorated for the big day. A special prayer session was also held this afternoon. Reports of Christmas celebrations were also received from Manali, Kulu, Dharamsala, Palampur and other towns of the state. A festive atmosphere prevailed in the state capital as members of all communities, mostly tourists, joined the festivities. The Himachal Pradesh Governor, Mr V.S. Kokje, has called upon the NGOs to supplement the efforts of the Red Cross in serving the masses. Inaugurating a blood donation camp jointly organised by the Amway Opportunity Foundation and the Red Cross Society of Himachal Pradesh here today on Christmas. Kumarhatti:
The poor rush of Christmas revellers has disappointed the local hoteliers who were hoping a good rush of tourists from plains. Newly all hotels and dhabas on the Kalka-Shimla national highway from Parwanoo onwards wore deserted look. The tourist resorts of Kasauli and Barog also witnessed poor arrival of tourists.
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Ministers fear losing jobs Shimla, December 25 The new law limits the number of ministers in small states to 12, but Himachal Pradesh has 17 ministers at present. It is obvious that at least five of them will lose their jobs. There is a lurking sense of insecurity among the ministers as the axe could fall on anyone of them. While Mr Virbhadra Singh seems to be in no hurry to reconstitute his council of ministers, some of his loyalists want him to undertake the exercise at the earliest. Mr Ram Lal Thakur, the Industries Minister and staunch supporter of Mr Virbhadra Singh, even suggested that all ministers should tender their resignations to give a free hand to the Chief Minister to choose his new team in consultation with the high command. There were rumours that he had resigned, but he clarified that he had only stated that being a loyal worker, he would be the first minister to resign as and when the moment arrived. But then, there are others like Mrs Asha Kumari, the Education Minister, who maintains that there was no urgency to force matters by submitting resignations. Besides striking the right caste and regional balance, the performance of the ministers could also be evaluated during the downsizing exercise. At present, there are 16 Cabinet ministers, including the Chief Minister and a Chief Parliamentary Secretary. Since Mr Virbhadra Singh has indicated that he would have a two-tier ministry, some Cabinet ministers may have to settle for the junior position of minister of state, in addition to the five to be dropped. Mr Virbhadra Singh has also said the reconstituted ministry would be a mix of experience and youth and as such there is a possibility of young legislators being assigned the job of ministers of state. The axe could be wielded on the old guards who could be asked to contest the Lok Sabha poll or sent to the party organisation. At least one senior member could be sent to the Rajya Sabha in April. Kangra district, which has the highest number of six ministers, will only have two or three. Similarly, in Shimla district the number of ministers will certainly come down from three to two. The districts like Hamirpur, Solan and Sirmour, which do not have any minister at present, could get some representation in the ministry. |
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BJP workers wish PM happy birthday Hamirpur, December 25 Mr Ishwar Dass Dhiman, MLA, Mrs Urmila Thakur, Babu Ram Mandyal, former MLAs and Vinod Thakur, general secretary of the district unit of the party, were among those present in the meeting. CHAMBA: Marking the birthday of Mr Vajpayee here today, the BJP held a meeting held under the chairmanship of Mr Kishori Lal, former Industries Minister. The meeting discussed new strategies for the ensuing Lok Sabha poll. DHARAMSALA: Former Union Minister Shanta Kumar today asserted that winds of change were sweeping the country in favour of the BJP. He was addressing party workers in the Zila Parishad Hall here at the birthday celebrations of Mr Vajpayee. Eighty lamps were lighted. Mr Shanta Kumar said the present times were golden period both for the country as well as the BJP. Kangra:
Former Agriculture Minister of Himachal Pradesh Vidiaya Sagar, who was shunted out of the BJP last year, today sent birthday greetings to Mr Vajpayee. Mr Sagar had floated a new political party — Janhit Morcha. He is now awaiting a signal from the BJP to rejoin the party in view of the ensuing Lok Sabha polls next year. |
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Dalai Lama's lectures from Dec 29 to 31 Kangra, December 25 Mr Tenzin Taklha, Deputy Secretary to the Dalai Lama, told this correspondent that as requested by Jonnam Yeosucitg Dukchungdong Suchen Temple, Korea, the Dalai Lama would give lectures on two chapters of patience (Chapter 6) and concentration (Chapter 8) of the holy scripture of Shanti Deva's Bodhicharyavatara. He said the Dalai Lama would also teach some other related topics from the scripture. He said every day there would be two sessions each of two-hour duration. He said the lectures delivered by the Dalai Lama would simultaneously be translated into number of languages. |
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govt corrupt, says ex-minister Mandi, December 25 He alleged that the works were being awarded to pro-Congress contractors, robbing the state exchequer of crores of rupees. The practice of pooling was in vogue and competitors were allegedly being bribed for quoting higher rates in tenders. Mr Mahinder Singh against whom the state Vigilance Department is currently investigating, quoted specific instances of large-scale bungling in the execution of NH-70 in Sarkaghat and various works being done in Rampur. He said he had already exposed the tender scam at Rampur through his video tapes and the government had failed to give satisfactory explanation to the charges made by him. He threatened to take the matter to court if the controversial tenders were not rejected. "All this has exposed the claim of the government to uproot corruption in the state", he asserted. Replying to a question, he said he was neither joining the Congress nor the BJP as was being surmised in a section of the press. The Loktantrik Morcha, he said, would maintain its independent identity. He lashed out at the Virbhadra Singh government for letting loose repression against leaders of opposition and described their recent expulsion from the Vidhan Sabha as "undemocratic". He charged that the government had done virtually nothing except large-scale political transfers and witch hunt ever since it came to power in March, as a result of which people had been disillusioned with the Congress in less than a year. The Congress would bear its brunt in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, he claimed. |
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Where cremating dead is a problem Kumarhatti, December 25 Parwanoo has cremation ground but due to its bad condition residents of the town have to trudge 5 km to get the facility at Kalka. Residents blame the Municipal Council, Parwanoo, for the situation. A mini truck takes Rs 500 to carry the body to Kalka, point out residents. Moreover the police have to be informed in advance to help for the smooth passage for the funeral procession from Parwanoo to Kalka — stretch of highway known for traffic congestion, say residents. Col Dhani Ram Shandil (Retd), MP, had granted financial assistance from his MP’s funds to the MC for the maintenance of the cremation ground. According to residents the MC had not utilized the funds properly for the work. Had the MC used the funds properly the cremation ground might have been in good condition, maintain residents. According to Ms Meenakshi Sharma president of the MC the funds were used for the maintenance of cremation ground. The ground remained unused due to the collapse of a retaining wall due to rains in the monsoon season, she said. |
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Bhota tangle ends Hamirpur, December 25 The management of the hospital agreed to provide emergency services to the local residents during odd hours. —
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Assam Rifles’ recruitment rally Dharamsala, December 25 Deputy Commandant of Assam Rifles Training Centre and School, Dimapur, Mr Yudhvir Singh, said 100 riflemen were to be recruited out of which 50 would be in general category, 20 from OBCs , 25 from Scheduled Castes and five from Scheduled Tribes. —
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