 |
|
Sports Bill passed amid protest
Prompt reply to letters of MLAs to
Special observers for Cong poll
Restoration of 1925 council chamber
Kangra remembers quake victims of 1905
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kangra belt prone to massive quakes: seismologist
3 inspectors of co-op societies suspended
Record power generation in Chamera-1
HPSEB using PF for daily expenses
Power cuts common in Bhiuli area
Katwal case: framing of charges adjourned
Two convicted in embezzlement case
Speaker lays stone for footbridge
85 jhuggis burnt
Senior citizens discuss FM’s
proposals
|
|
Sports Bill passed amid protest
Shimla, April 4 The BJP members were on their legs as soon as Mr Ram Lal Thakur, Forest Minister, who also holds the charge of Sports Department, finished his reply to the debate on the Bill. They started raising slogans when the Speaker, Mr G.R. Musafir, went ahead with the passage of the Bill and wanted the minister to respond to specific issues raised by them. All of them trooped out of the House and the Bill was passed in their absence. Replying to the debate, Mr Thakur said that the government was forced to bring the Bill to ensure that the sports bodies functioned as per their constitution and in a transparent manner, besides safeguarding the interests of the Himachali sports persons. He said that there had been several instances where dispute had arisen and parallel bodies had been floated. He said that the position was worst in case of the state cricket association as its constitution was changed arbitrarily to confer voting rights on life members most of whom were from outside the state. Many of them were from Jalandhar and four of them had the surname Dhumal. Worse, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, the then Chief Minister, who was made the patron-in-chief of the association, was also conferred the voting right. Even the contractor who built the stadium was made a life member with voting right. All norms were thrown to winds during selection of the cricket team and almost half of the team members were from outside the state. On the other hand, deserving Himachali players were shown the door. The lone candidate sent for the training of umpiring sponsored under the states quota actually belonged to Jammu. He said that the government appreciated the good work in building a stadium at Dharamshala but that did not mean that the association could be allowed to get away with anything. The BJP government, he reminded the House, tried its best to stop him from becoming the president of the state Olympic association but the sports bodies backed him to the hit and he was elected for the fourth time. He said that the government had held discussions with representatives of 43 affiliated associations and barring one or two, which did not attend the meetings, all of them underlined the need to enact a legislation to regulate the functions of the sports bodies. He said that even at present the associations were required to be registered with the Registrar, Cooperative Societies, and as such there should be no objection if they were registered under the new Act. Earlier, opposing the Bill, Mr Ravinder Ravi said that it was an attempt to control sports bodies. Mr Suresh Kalmadi, president of the Indian Olympic Association, had taken a serious notice when such bills were passed in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. He had set up the R.K. Anand committee, which disapproved of the law and observed that it would undermine the autonomy and increase government interference in the affairs of sports bodies. |
|
Prompt reply to letters of MLAs to be ensured
Shimla, April 4 Replying to the debate on a resolution move by Dr Rajiv Bindal (BJP) in this regard, he said his government was committed to provide a transparent , efficient and accountable administration to the people. It was alive to issue and it wanted to put in place a responsive system where the complaints and concerns not only of the legislators but even the common people were taken care of without delay . It was with this intention that a separate grievances redressal department had been set up. The normal practice was to acknowledge the letter and, if possible even give an interim reply promptly. The final reply to the letter was given after taking action on the matter raised. The letters were forwarded to the department concerned for necessary action and after receiving the compliance report the complainant was duly informed. He said most of the letters either contained a request for granting jobs or pertained to transfers of employees. In such cases it was not possible to give a reply as recruitment for jobs was done under rules and regulations. He assured that inquiry would be ordered into the specific instances of officers avoiding phone calls of members and action taken against the guilty officer. Earlier, moving the resolution, Dr Bindal lamented that letters written by members concerning important matters of public interest were not responded to by the officers at the helm of affairs. In most cases the official machinery had not even bothered to acknowledge the letters. He cited several specific instances to substantiate his charge. Mr Jai Ram Thakur (BJP) mentioned an instance where an officer who was very much in the office refused to entertain his telephone call. Dr Bindal withdrew his resolution following the assurance given by the Chief Minister that fresh instructions would be circulated to ensure that the officers not only showed due courtesy to the legislators but also responded promptly to their letters. The Himachal Pradesh Agricultral and Horticultural Produce Marketing (Development end Regulation) Bill was introduced in the house today by Mr Raj Krishan Guar, Agriculture Minister. The Bill seeks to provide improved regulation in marketing of agricultural produce, development of marketing system, promotion of agri-processing and agricultural exports establishments and proper administration of markets in the state. |
|
Special observers for Cong poll
Shimla, April 4 Addressing a press conference here today, Mr K.C. Lenka, Chairman of the State Election Committee, said 22 Block Returning Officers had been appointed for the second phase of party elections in 22 constituencies. The second phase of elections would be held from April 6 to 14, and the entire election process in the state would be accomplished by April 25, he added. Mr Lenka said elections were already underway in 44 blocks and in the third phase elections in Theog and Kasumpti where there were some disputes would be undertaken. “So far 29,000 persons have been enrolled as active members of the Congress, which includes about 1,000 BJP workers who had joined the Congress,” said Mr Lenka. He said former minister Kashmir Singh had been made in charge for supervision of elections in districts of Lahaul Spiti, Kullu, Kinnaur, Shimla and Mandi. Mr Kuldeep Rathore would be in charge for districts of Kangra, Chamba, Sirmour, Hamirpur and Solan. Mr A.N. Vidyarthi would be in charge for Bilspur and Una. Mr Lenka further said that the Block Returning Officers cannot announce the results without the approval of the Pradesh Returning Officer. “Any Block Returning Officer who violates this condition and announces the result without the consent of the Pradesh Returning Officer will face strict disciplinary action,” he cautioned. |
|
Restoration of 1925 council chamber to start soon
Shimla, April 4 During the Assembly session, which started on February 21, a total of eight Bills had been passed. Out of the 1468 starred questions and 131 unstarred questions received, 1138 and 88 had been admitted so far. Out of the 35 Calling Attention under Rule 62, eight had already been admitted. The session, which was to conclude on April 6, has been extended by another two days which will ensure a total of 28 sittings. Addressing a press conference here today, the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr Gangu Ram Musafir, said the restoration and protection work of the 1925 council chamber, which is a heritage building, would be undertaken shortly. “During the last financial year, the office chambers of the Chief Minister and the Speaker were done up at a cost of Rs 12.50 lakhs and the remaining work in the heritage council chamber will be done this year,” he informed. Mr Musafir said the process of upgradation of the Vidhan Sabha was being done in a phased manner with the help of liberal assistance from the 11th Finance Commission. “Some of the future projects include the construction of a community centre, auditorium and internet kiosks. |
|
Kangra remembers quake victims of 1905
Dharamsala, April 4 A special multi-community prayer was held at the St John’s Church on the McLeodganj road and a two-minute silence was observed in memory of those who died in the earthquake in 1905. Hundreds of people thronged Brajeshwari Temple in Kangra and Jwalaji temple in Jwalamukhi to take part in “Shanti Havans”, to seek the Goddess’ blessings so that the region is saved from all natural calamities, especially earthquakes. In the evening, residents of Kangra town, along with members of different NGOs, lighted candles at the Municipal Committee grounds and prayed for the well-being of the region. Sub-Divisional Magistrate R. Selvan also attended the function. Earlier, a workshop on the retrofitting of existing building to make them earthquake-resistant and social awareness was held in Kangra. Divisional Tourism Planner P.P. Raina, Mr Ajay Prashar and Mr Arun Chandar, both members of the district committee, talked about earthquake awareness. Salesh Dutt, priest of the Jwalaji temple, said since we are helpless before nature, we sought God’s blessings to save us. People also discussed the dos and don’ts to be followed to minimise the loss of property and human lives. Deputy Commissioner Bhart Khera said since the district fell in zone V of seismic activity, which was most prone to earthquakes, the administration had initiated a series of steps to inform people on how to minimise the damage in case of an earthquake. Special prayers and havans were also organised at various small and big religious places in the district, including the Dal Lake temple. |
|
Kangra belt prone to massive quakes: seismologist
Palampur, April 4 Speaking at a three-day seminar organised by the Geological Survey of India at CSK Agricultural University here to mark the centenary of the earthquake that rocked Kangra district in 1905,Professor Bilham, who is working with University of Colorado, said the Western Himalayan region was in a ‘stress state similar to the Andaman plate boundary prior to 2004 and, therefore, the possibility of another earthquake cannot be ruled out’. Professor Bilham further said the December 26 earthquake had several implications for Himalayan earthquakes and it indicated that great ruptures could occur through or pass the rupture zones in the Himalayas. Another important observation made during the seminar was that the Kangra quake of 1905 was mistakenly thought to be a great earthquake for more than 90 years. But the magnitude was 7.8 and not 8 and this error suggested that further rupture might occur in the region. He added that it would not be wise to ignore the possibility of a great earthquake in the Himalayas which could have a much greater impact on people than the recent tsunami. He called upon the seismologists and scientists that they would not be serving the society well by viewing seismic risks too conservatively. The Himachal Governor, Mr V.S.Kokje, called upon scientists, seismologists and experts to prepare a blueprint of the strategy so that people living in high zones could be educated about the impending dangers of earthquakes. The Governor also released a special publication brought out by the Geological Survey of India. Mr U.K.Bassi, Deputy Director- General, Geological Survey of India, gave details of the activities of his department. Earlier delivering the theme lecture, Dr Harsh Gupta, Secretary, Department of Ocean Development, said an earthquake of the magnitude of 7.5 was a reality in the Himalayas. |
|
3 inspectors of co-op societies suspended
Shimla, April 4 The three inspectors, Mr Parveen Kumar, Mr Bhagat Ram and Mr Narpat Ram, were responsible for auditing the accounts of the bank. An inquiry conducted by the government into the scam revealed that they were not only negligent in performing their duty but had also committed certain irregularities. Departmental inquiries were also being initiated against the officials. Irregularities in the bank came to light during an inspection conducted by the RBI which imposed a ban on transactions. It was revealed during inspection that loans had been advanced to employees and relatives of those in the management without furnishing securities and that the non-performing assets of the bank had crossed Rs 7.70 crore. Not only that loans of those not eligible were written off. The issue was raised in the Vidhan Sabha recently and Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, had announced in the House that criminal cases would be registered against the employees who had obtained loans from the bank in violation of the rules without furnishing securities.
|
|
|
Record power generation in Chamera-1
Dalhousie, April 4 Disclosing this here today, Mr M.S. Babu, General Manager, said that the Chamera project (stage-I) having three generating units of 180 MW each had so far generated 237.56.14 million units of power, of which 2848.64 million units of free power had been supplied to Himachal Pradesh since its commissioning. To give a new lease of life to the project for achieving better results of power generation, Mr Babu said that maintenance of gas insulated switchgear (GIS) equipment, besides special maintenance of main inlet valve (MIV), was taken up on January 27.
|
|
HPSEB using PF for daily expenses
Shimla, April 4 The board has put the provident fund amount of Rs 186 crore in the current account for making payments. The board earns only 6 per cent interest on the amount, but pays a interest to the employees. The matter has also come to the notice of the state electricity regulatory commission which has asked the board to file an affidavit on how it proposed to protect the interests of the subscribers and the employees with such huge amount ploughed into the working capital of the board. The employees of the board are worried about their provident fund deposit as the unbundling of the board is required under the Electricity Act, 2003. |
|
Power cuts common in Bhiuli area
Mandi, April 4 Power Board (HPSEB) staff restored supply to the Bhiuli area yesterday after three hours of lodging the complaint. Power cuts and faults in power lines have become an order of the day in several parts of the town, except the VIP areas. “Every time there is a little lightening or rain the supply in the town is snapped for hours together”, rued Mr Inderjit Singh, Bhiuli resident. Field staff blame the inordinates delays in attending complaints to lack of transport facilities. Mr D.N. Bansal, member, technical, HPSEB, told The Tribune that the board has provided a mobile carriage to each division for the maintenance staff.
|
|
Katwal case: framing of charges adjourned
Dharamsala, April 4 The court made out charges of forgery, incorrect records and abuse of official position under Sections 218, 465, 467, 468 and 471, IPC, and Section 13 (2) ‘D’ of the Prevention of Corruption Act against him. Mr Katwal was, however, granted confirmed bail in the case regarding recruitment of Shastri teachers in the state with the condition that he would not leave the country without permission. In another case, the court found prima facie charges of impersonation against Narayan Singh and Jagat Ram under Sections 419, 120-B, IPC. The formal framing of charges has been adjourned till April 20.
|
|
Two convicted in embezzlement case
Chamba, April 4 On the recommendation of the Government of Himachal Pradesh, an FIR was registered against them in connection with an irrigation scheme sanctioned in 1992-93. The two had also prepared false and fictitious muster-roll of labourers and affixed false and fictitious thumb impressions and signatures of the said labourers. The sentence pronounced by the court under various sections of the IPC will run concurrently.
|
|
Speaker lays stone for footbridge
Nahan, April 4 Addressing a public meeting, at Shewla, Musafir disclosed that drinking water schemes costing Rs 53 lakh had been sanctioned, for the Pachhada area of Sirmaur district. Nadab Khojar, Shewla, Dhawada, Loharadi, Fathroth schemes will cost Rs 35 lakh the Maladi and Dharoti scheme will cost Rs 18 lakh. He announced grants of Rs 1 lakh for link road between Shalio and Chakla; Rs 80,000 for the community hall at Dhawada; Rs 25,000 each for a link road between Dhawada and Mehlog; Rs 30,000 for a link road at Kather and Rs 15,000 for the repair of Gagio road. |
|
|
85 jhuggis burnt
Nalagarh, April 4 The administration has provided immediate relief ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 to each family. The fire, which started in a cooking area of one jhuggi, soon engulfed the neighbouring jhuggis as they were made of thatched material. The fire engines doused the flame after more than an hour. The dwellers who had been residing there for the past several years, lost all their households ware, including clothing. Locals came forward in large number to help the jhuggi dwellers. The local officials, including Tehsildaar, Naib Tehsildaar and police officials, came forward to extend help to the aggrieved. Senior citizens discuss FM’s
proposals Parwanoo, April 4 The members were dismayed at the action of the Finance Minister in proposing the withdrawal of Sector 88-B which permitted a reduction of Rs 20,000 from the Income Tax payable by senior citizens.
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
