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Probe
indicts 12 MC officers in illegal
construction scam Declining
sex ratio worries authorities Govt
machinery misused during Sonia’s visit: BJP Cong
struggling for survival: Shanta |
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Martyr’s
family awaits pension Rs 1.22
crore to beautify Bajjreshwari shrine Teachers
seek payment of TA bills
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Probe indicts 12 MC officers
in illegal Shimla, March 9 According to sources, the investigation report, which has already been submitted to the government, pinpoints the role of officers at various stages right from the submission of building plans to the completion of the illegal structure and accordingly recommended registration of a case. Investigations revealed that a new hotel was constructed after the demolition of the old Willows Bank structure in gross violation of the building bylaws as per which no new structure could be raised in the heritage zone and only the existing buildings renovated and redeveloped, strictly on old lines. The total deviation, including two extra storeys, has been worked out to 612.16 square metres. The building plan was submitted to the municipal corporation on January 9, 1999, and as the proposal fell in the banned heritage zone it was rejected on February 18. However, it was submitted again on the same day. The corporation sent it to the Secretary, Town and Country Planning, as specific permission of the government was required for redevelopment in the heritage zone on March 27. The Cabinet granted approval on May 27 with the condition that only one storey above the level of the Mall would be constructed and no vehicles allowed. The structure was completed by February 28, 2002. The report points out that Mrs Nisha Singh, the then Municipal Commissioner, sent the proposal to the government without consulting the old map of the building. In case it was not available the old structure could have been measured and the proposal recommended accordingly. Further, after the government approval, the corporation duly deleted one storey in the building plan on June 18, 1999. Intriguingly, the plan handed over to the builder did not bear the words “one storey deleted”. Mr Manoj Kumar was the Municipal Commissioner at that time. The report severely indicts Mr H.N. Kashyap, who took over as the Municipal Commissioner, subsequently. Mr Kashyap, it says, connived with the builder and allowed him to erect an unsanctioned structure. A number of notices asking the builder to stop unauthorised construction were served between April 2001 and October 2002 but no effort was made to actually stop the construction. Neither, any attempt to demolish the illegal constructions was made over a period of one-and-a-half year. It was only Mr A.N. Sharma, who succeeded Mr Kashyap, who pointed out various deviations in the structure after inspection of the site. He wrote a detailed scrutiny note, which had been appended to the report. While 96.37 square metres of extra covered area constructed in deviation of the approved storeys could be regularised by the corporation, it was not empowered to take a similar action in case of the unauthorised storey with a covered area of 515.79 square metres. The report also takes notice of the order of the High Court which has directed the corporation to regularise the area for which it was empowered. The government is likely to seek legal opinion before giving its nod for registration of a criminal case. |
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Declining sex ratio worries authorities Palampur, March 9 Though there is a provision of punishing the guilty, till today the police has not registered even a single case against the owners of ultrasound scanning units in the region. It has come to notice that in the Palampur subdivision alone over 30 women daily visit various ultrasound scanning centres for sex determination test. Before the enactment of the law to deal with the menace private doctors were charging Rs 500 only but now the rate per ultrasound scanning test has gone up from Rs 1500 to Rs 2000. This correspondent who visited the Thural area of the region met a cross section of people said despite the fact that the state government had enacted a law in 1994 and also imposed a ban on the sex determination test, still the number of private practitioners had been conducting sex determination tests openly charging Rs 2000 to Rs 3000. Mr Vijay Singh, a resident of the Changer area, told this correspondent at Alampur that the ban on sex determination test was only confined to official files and private doctors working in the rural areas were conducting the sex determination test followed by the termination of pregnancies with impunity. In the past three months the Health Department had taken various steps to educate people in this regard but still there was no check on the sex determination test in the region. Recently Dr H.K. Vasisth, Block Medical Officer, Gopalpur, organised a camp at Lambapat village to make people aware of the pre-natal diagnostic techniques and provisions of law which were being misused. Over 200 women from various parts of the region attended the camp and assured the organisers that no woman from their village would go for pre-sex determination test in future. They were told that the number of females in the region was coming down. Dr Gurpriya Kapoor, an eminent social worker and member state Red Cross Society, warned that disturbing female sex ratio would spell disaster leading to social crimes. |
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Govt machinery misused during Sonia’s visit: BJP Shimla, March 9 In a complaint faxed to the Chief Election Commissioner, he has stated that on March 4, the state Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, along with Ms Gandhi, and several ministers and party leaders, held a meeting at the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Badsar. Welcome arches were put up there and the entry gate of the office was decorated with Congress flags and banners, he alleged. The government was violating the model code of conduct and directions of the Election Commission, he said. Mr Bhardwaj demanded strict action against the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Badsar and others responsible for the violation of the Election Commission’s directions. He urged the commission to restrain the Virbhadra government from misusing government machinery for electoral purposes and take strict action for violation of its directions. |
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Cong struggling for survival: Shanta Chamba, March 9 “The Congress has nothing to say against the NDA government at the Centre. In Himachal Pradesh, my flagship schemes are being used by the Virbhadra government to influence voters against me,” he said. Mr Shanta Kumar asked the state Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, to disclose the source of funds for these schemes. He said a rally of the BJP would be held at Shahpur in Kangra district on April 4. Mr Shanta Kumar said new hydroelectric projects, Chamba’s cement plant and generation of employment opportunities for the local youth would be his top priorities. |
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Martyr’s family awaits pension Palampur, March 9 Jag Singh, who is also a ex-serviceman, told The Tribune here today that his son was killed on November 3, 2003 in the Rajouri sector and till date he had not received any financial help from the state government or the Centre. Even the papers of his family pension had not been sent to him by the Defence Ministry to fulfil the official formalities. Though he had approached the Deputy Commissioner Kangra and the SDM Palampur, none had entertained him. He said it had become difficult for him to support the family. Jag Singh’s is not the only case, hundreds of such families in the district are awaiting government assistance. In Kangra district alone over 10 widows are yet to receive family pension benefits and other financial help from the state and Union Governments. |
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Rs 1.22 crore
to beautify Bajjreshwari shrine Kangra, March 9 Disclosing this here today, Dr Ashwani Kumar, SDM, Kangra, who chaired the meeting of the temple trust which is under the control of the state government, said a gate with ancient architecture would be erected at Tehsil Chowk on the road leading to the temple. He said it would cost more than Rs 19 lakh. He said work on this gate would start soon and would be complete by the end of the year. He said donors had already expressed their willingness to contribute for the erection of the gate. He said the temple would be beautified in view of the Navratras scheduled for March 21. He said galvanising lights had already been fitted to beautify the temple. |
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Teachers seek payment of TA bills Chamba, March 9 In a memorandum to the Election Commission today, Mr Ramesh Sharma, president, district unit of the HGTU, pleaded for an early payment of their TA bills pending for the past more than one year. Mr Sharma said most of the poll staff was from the teaching community who had to discard teaching work in schools for the sake of elections and at the same time they had to show better performance of results of classes. Certain teachers had even been served with show-cause notices by the department for the poor performance of students, he lamented. |
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Plea to CM
over quota jobs Hamirpur, March 9 Mr M.S. Mastana, the chairman of the body, has requested the state Chief Minister to intervene in the matter. |
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4 students caught copying Kangra, March 9 Mr Rahi said 30 students were caught while copying in Government Senior Secondary School Examination centre at Jawali in this district yesterday. Mr Rahi said all efforts made by the board authorities to curb the menace of copying have given positive results. |
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Lovers commit suicide Kangra, March 9 Sanjay was found in fields near the village in a critical condition. He was taken to the local subdivisional hospital, where he
died. Shaloo (20), a resident of Chamba, committed suicide by consuming poison on knowing about her beloved’s death. The bodies were sent for post-mortem after the police registered a case.
— OC |
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2 die in mishaps Kangra, March 9 According to the police a nine-year girl, Sapna was crushed to death at Jawalamukhi by a motorcycle today. Sapna was moving on foot when she was crushed to death. Sherv Kumar resident of Jain Mohala Nadoon, the driver of the motorcycle (HP 55-4093) was arrested after the accident when the police registered a case against him. In another accident Kamal Kumar, resident of Badroza falling under Nurpur Police Station was killed in a hit and run case last evening, the police said here today. Under Nurpur police station Prem Singh of Baranda was hit by an HRTC bus when he was driving his scooter at Pacca Teyala, injured Prem Singh was admitted in Nurpur Hospital and the driver of the bus Kuldeep Singh was arrested and case registered. Meanwhile, 10-year-old child Gulzardin, a resident of Badoli was injured when a car hit him. He was admitted to the hospital
Jawalamukhi. — OC |
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Accident claims 2 lives Mandi, March 9 Those killed have been identified as Kahan Singh of Nihri village and Anant Ram of Ghain village. The injured have been identified as Gulaba Ram and Raj Kumari. An ex-gratia relief of Rs 10,000 each has been given to the next of the kin of the deceased and Rs 2,500 each to the injured persons.
— OC |
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Woman dies as car falls into khud Shimla, March 9 The deceased was identified as Dayawanti Devi, wife of Roshan Lal. These injured were Champa and Naresh of Dhami village and Mehboob driver of the car. |
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