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Over 70 pc voting in second phase of panchayat poll
Three of family die in house fire
Forest area: MC decision on Dec 30
River guards to check poaching
Police recruitment unfair: Dhumal
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Fearing school closure, residents
meet DC
Punish corrupt MPs: fasting prisoners
Forest policy: locals to be involved
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Over 70 pc voting in second phase of panchayat poll
Shimla, December 20 Salooni block in Chamba district reported the highest percentage of 90 per cent polling, while Jhakri in Shimla district reported the lowest at 37 per cent polling. Sources said no incident of violence was reported from anywhere in the state during the second phase of polling, while the third phase of polling would be held on December 22. Reports received from Mandi district said over 75 per cent polling was reported in the district with Guhar subdivision reporting the highest percentage of 85 per cent, followed by Sundarnagar 82, Karsog 77, Darang 75, Gopalpur, Chachuat and Siraj 73, Balh 72 and Dharampur 70 per cent. Kinnaur district reported over 72 per cent polling, with Kalpa reporting over 76 per cent polling, while it was 73 per cent in Nichar and 69 per cent in Pooh subdivision. A report from Sirmaur district said the overall poll percentage was about 85 per cent, with Shilla reporting over 85 per cent, Paonta Sahib 80, Sangra 80 and Pachhad 87 per cent. Shimla district reported 74 per cent polling with Mashobra reporting 75 per cent, followed by 72 per cent in Basantpur, 85 in Theog, 75 Narkanda, 75 in Rampur, 65 in Chopal, 75 in Jubbal-Kotkhai, 80 in Rohru and 70 per cent in Chohara area. Tissa block in Chamba district reported 80 to 85 per cent polling, Bhatiyat 75 to 80 per cent and Mella 60 to 75 per cent. A report from Hamirpur said nearly 73 per cent voters exercised their franchise for 76 panchayats. Former Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal and other senior BJP leaders were among those who to cast their votes in today’s elections. Una district reported 77 per cent polling and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the district. Bilaspur district reported polling between 60 and 65 per cent, while it was 75 to 80 per cent in Solan district. Kangra district reported over 75 per cent polling, according to preliminary information, the sources added. Dharamsala: Voting was also done for members of the BDC and Zila Parishad. Though counting for these posts would be held on December 24, the process was on for the posts of the panchayats when reports last came in. No untoward incident was reported from any part of the district, but the election was cancelled for the block samiti in Ward No. 5 of the Baijnath panchayat after the ballot papers got damaged. The re-election would be held on December 22. In Kangra subdivision, 78.30 per cent voting was registered in 22 panchayats, the turnout was 81 per cent in 17 gram panchayats in Indora, 66 per cent in 18 panchayats in Lambagaon, 75 per cent in 17 panchayats in Nurpur. Similarly, in the 18 panchayats in Nagrota Bagwan, 72 per cent voting was registered, 77 per cent in 16 panchayats in Nagrota Surian, 80 per cent in 25 panchayats in Paragpur, 79 per cent in 12 panchayats in Panchrukhi, 85.8 per cent in 20 panchayats in Rait and 78.4 per cent in 16 panchayats in Sulah. In Baijnath, 60 per cent polling was registered in 17 gram panchayats, 79 per cent in 15 gram panchayats in Bhawarna, 75 per cent in 22 panchayats in Dehra and 80 per cent in 18 panchayats in Fatehpur. Kulu: Mr Sukh Ram won the election of pradhan by 11 votes in a direct contest. The polling in all the five development blocks was reported. While Nagar had 90 per cent, Ani 82, Kulu 80, Banjar 80 and Nirmand 82 per cent. No untoward incident was reported. Kumarhatti: |
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Three of family die in house fire
Dharamsala, December 20 Had it not been the day of polling for the panchayat elections yesterday, the number of causalties could have been much more. Incidentally, most residents of the small village were awake and outdoors, discussing the results. Those dead include an old couple and their 40-year-old son, who was also a contestant for the panchayat elections but had lost. Mr Sandeep Kumar, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Baijnath, told The Tribune, that the fire was believed to have been sparked off by a short circuit. “Since there were typical hill houses, made of pine wood and mud, the fire spread in no time and engulfed the entire village. Only one house was left untouched,” he said. Besides, he added, the houses were in a cluster and some of them even had common walls. Fire engines had to be rushed from Palampur, which is 76 km from the village, around 12.15 am but by the time they reached there, there was nothing much to be saved. The village falls in gram panchat Multhan in the Chhota Bhangal area of Baijnath subdivision. A relief of Rs 1.5 lakh was disbursed among the affected families and they were provided with blankets and ration by an NGO, Sankalp. The families had been shifted to the Government Primary School in Multhan, said Mr Kumar. Members of the affected families said local youths helped in rescuing many people from the fire. The local MLA, Mr Sudhir Sharma, also visited the spot today to monitor the relief operations. |
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Forest area: MC decision on Dec 30
Shimla, December 20 A special sub-committee constituted by the MC to look into the issue met under the chairmanship of the Deputy Mayor, Mr Shashi Shekhar, here today. “The MC was unable to trace the British time record when the forest land was leased to them and a final decision on the matter will be taken at a meeting on December 30,” said sources. Sources in the Forest Department said as per revenue records, the Himachal Pradesh Government was the owner of the land, which had merely been leased out to the MC as custodian. The issue of takeover of the forest land within the municipal limits by the Forest Department has led to a major confrontation between the MC and the government. The state government has said that the entire forest area with the MC be handed over to the Forest Department for better management. The MC, which is reluctant to part with valuable forests, is yet to take a final decision on the issue. The sources said the old forest working plan, before Himachal was created , clearly mentioned that the Punjab Government was the absolute owner of the forests and the MC only enjoyed its usage, which could be taken away by the government any time. Interestingly, retaining the 1,848 hectare forest area with it might not be a profitable proposition for the MC. The expenditure on maintenance of the forest area is almost four times than the income generated from it. During 2004-05, the income that the MC got from the forests was Rs 18.56 lakh while the expenditure made on it was Rs 62.52 lakh. Due to haphazard and unregulated construction activity in the town, there is hardly any regeneration, while old trees have aged and are drying up. The MC, with limited staff in its forest wing, is unable to manage the forests properly. |
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River guards to check poaching
Shimla, December 20 “The government would make efforts to promote fish farming, especially trout as there was vast potential for it in the fresh water rivers,” he said. He added that the government would provide technical know how for fish farming. He said government fish farms had been producing quality trout fish, for which there was a great demand. “There is need to create awareness amongst the farmers about the benefits of fish farming and the various schemes offered by the government to promote fish farming,” he said. “The Dhamwari trout farm would be developed as a model fish farm, where quality trout fish fish would be produced,” he stated. He also said all hatcheries in the state would be constructed with security safeguards and adequate clean water supply would be ensured for good trout production. |
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Police recruitment unfair: Dhumal
Nurpur, December 20 Reacting sharply on the reported statement of the Excise and Taxation Minister Mr Rangila Ram Rao, and the Chairman of the HP Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation Mr Surinder Kaku, in which the latter had alleged that the BJP was indulging in the politics of regionalism and casteism, Mr Dhumal reiterated that the government was anti-OBC. He alleged that the government had no constitutional right to alter rules for filling vacancies meant for OBCs in the general category. He pointed out that the government had written a letter to the Union Government in September, seeking permission for doing so but the latter had clarified in its response in October that recruitment rules should be followed. He also alleged that the government had not followed any roster in the recruitment of primary assistant teachers in which no reservation was granted . |
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Fearing school closure, residents
meet DC
Mandi, December 20 Ex-servicemen and those in the services have also resented the CSEO’s move to stop admission for the next session in the co-educational school, which has over 425 students on the rolls. A delegation of the Central School Parents Association (CSPA) yesterday met the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Subhashis Panda, here and submitted a memorandum demanding that admissions be made for the next session. The CSPA general-secretary, Mr P.R. Mahajan, said the school had stopped the admission process. The CSPA pleaded that the state government should expedite efforts to allot land for the school in the town. “The move is to shift the school to some location in Slappar, near the Kol Dam project, which is learnt to have offered the land,” it claimed. The Deputy Commissioner, who is also the Chairman of the Central School Committee, Mandi, said he had requested the Commissioner, CSEO, to re-start the admission process for the next session. “Search for land for school playground and staff accommodation is on. Meanwhile, the school will continue to function at the same site,” he added. |
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Punish corrupt MPs: fasting prisoners
Kangra, December 20 Mr O.P. Sharma, Jail Superintendent, said today that here that Satya Prakash, Vishal Dogra, Karam Chand and Amrish Rana undergoing imprisonment in the jail and another undertrail Kuldeep Kumar had started an indefinite fast in the jail since December 15. He said the protesting prisoners demanded severe punishment for all the eleven MPs caught in the sting operation. Mr O.P. Sharma said Kuldeep called off his fast today. However, the other four continued their fast. He said all five prisoners were taken to Dr R.P. Government Medical College Hospital, Dharamsala, yesterday for medical examination. |
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Forest policy: locals to be involved
Shimla, December 20 The policy lays stress on watershed approach for treatment of degraded areas with the involvement of local people. It addresses the problems of forest fires, invasive weeds and stray cattle and calls for effective steps on the part of the government to tackle these. The policy underlines the need for close coordination between the Forest and the Revenue Departments to effectively deal with encroachments on forest land and provides for setting up of special task force comprising forest, revenue and police officials in this regard. The draft forest sector policy, which was approved by the state Cabinet yesterday, identifies eco-tourism as key area for future development. |
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