H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

CM on stone-laying spree
Kangra, February 12
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, said the state government was committed to creating more employment avenues in government and private sectors. This was stated by Mr Virbhadra Singh while addressing a public meeting at Jaisinghpur in Kangra district last evening.

CM for boosting irrigation facilities
Nurpur, February 12
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has underlined the need for creating necessary infrastructure for irrigation in the state. Addressing a public meeting at Jawali in the Guler Assembly segment today, he said the government was committed to giving impetus to irrigation facilities.

World Bank help for express highways sought
Shimla, February 12
With no private sector company willing to take up the express highway work due to poor financial viability, the government has now sought the help of the World Bank. The state government had planned to construct a number of highways which would give a fillip to tourism as the travelling time and distance would be reduced considerably.

BJP has a dig at govt
Shimla, February 12
Mr Ganesh Dut, a senior leader of the BJP, has criticised the Congress government for granting extensions in service to superannuated officers despite the precarious financial position of the state.

HP to have bus stands on BOT basis
Shimla, February 12
The Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to construct modern bus stands in all important towns of the state in a phased manner. Consultants have been engaged to help these on build, operate and transport (BOT) basis. Construction of bus stands at Bhattakuffar (Shimla), Chamunda, Chintpurni multi-storey parking, Chamba, Hamirpur, Rampur and Una will be taken up on BOT basis.

44 truckers arrested
Solan, February 12
The Himachal Pradesh police today sought the help of Central security forces to curtail any attempt by about 2,000 truckers to create law and order problem after the Gujarat Ambuja Cement Limited (GACL) hired trucks from outside the state for transportation of material.

Schoolgirl raped by teacher
Solan, February 12
A teacher posted in government middle school at Kotla in Arki tehsil raped his 13-year-old, class six student, and threatened her with dire consequences if she disclosed the incident.

1 held in abduction case
Kulu, February 12
The police yesterday arrested one of the accused who had abducted a minor girl from Lug Valley in this district in February. The girl (17), along with her father, reported the matter to the police that she was abducted by three or four youths in a Maruti car and taken to Mandi. They raped her repeatedly and threatened to kill her. She said she had been lodged in a hotel in Mandi where from she escaped.

Scholarships for HP students
New Delhi, February 12
“My Himachal”, a newly formed global organisation of non resident Himachalis has announced “Himachal Ratan” scholarship for meritorious Himachali students in the science stream of 10+2 classes.

CM on stone-laying spree
Our Correspondent

Kangra, February 12
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, said the state government was committed to creating more employment avenues in government and private sectors. This was stated by Mr Virbhadra Singh while addressing a public meeting at Jaisinghpur in Kangra district last evening. He was here to lay the foundation stones of an office building to be constructed at a cost of Rs 1.21 crore and a science block at Government Senior Secondary School, Jaisinghpur, to be constructed at a cost of Rs. 40.16 last evening.

He said over 25,000 posts had been created in government sector during the past three years and recruitment process was at progress in different levels. He said 2.25 lakh avenues had been created in industrial sector and an equal number would be made available in hydel power, tourism, horticulture and agriculture sectors. He said Rs 5,000 crore special economic zones envisioned for Kangra District and Una would also create additional jobs.

The Chief Minister said 66 and 33 kv sub-stations were being constructed at different places to improve power supply. He announced the upgrading of Government High School, Tambar, to senior secondary level and assured sympathetic consideration of other demands.

Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated the additional accommodation of Government Senior Secondary School, Daroh, and announced Rs 1 lakh grant for the construction of a boundary wall and added that science would be introduced in the school.

He also laid the foundation stone of Dadu Bhulandar lift irrigation scheme to be constructed at a cost of Rs 91.64 lakh in Changar sector, Kangra district.

The Chief Minister said his government had formulated area and community specific plans and provision of separate funds had been made over and above the regular plan with a view to giving boost to developmental activities. He further said the state government had also formulated a special component plan for the development of Scheduled Caste dominated villages and earmarked 11 per cent of the state Budget to carry development at an accelerated pace.

He said similarly the tribal sub-plan had been formulated to cater to the development needs of Scheduled Tribes. He said 9 per cent of the state Budget had been earmarked for the developmental activities in tribal areas of the State.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said his government had identified over 400 gram panchayats which were not falling in the category of special component plan and tribal sub-plan and declared them as backward gram panchayats.

CM for boosting irrigation facilities
Our Correspondent

Nurpur, February 12
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has underlined the need for creating necessary infrastructure for irrigation in the state. Addressing a public meeting at Jawali in the Guler Assembly segment today, he said the government was committed to giving impetus to irrigation facilities. He said the agricultural sector had the best potential of employment. The government would launch new irrigation projects besides upgrading existing scheme.

Talking to the Sidhatha medium irrigation project situated in the Guler Assembly segment, he said the construction of the project was in progreess and its estimated cost had been risen from Rs 33 crore to Rs 54 crore. The proposed extension of the project would make available irrigation facility in the entire segment. The Chief Minister said the government had sanctioned 51 tubewells and out of that 38 had been installed in the area.

Mr Virbhadra Singh, earlier dedicated a 33-kv power substation, built at a cost of Rs 1.80 crore to the people of the Jawali area and inaugurated a bridge built at a cost of Rs 93.3 lakh on the Kherian-Gambirtal Rajol link road.

“The government has ensured various development projects on schedule,” he claimed.

Lok Sabha MP Chander Kumar and MLA of the Jawali Assembly segment Sujan Singh Pathania also addressed the meeting.

World Bank help for express highways sought
Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 12
With no private sector company willing to take up the express highway work due to poor financial viability, the government has now sought the help of the World Bank. The state government had planned to construct a number of highways which would give a fillip to tourism as the travelling time and distance would be reduced considerably.

A proposal for the construction of express highways was placed before a high- level team of the World Bank, which was here last week.

The projects which the government is keen to take up include an express highway between Kalka-Shimla, reducing the traveling time to just over one hour.

The other proposed projects in case funds are made available by the World Bank include a highway having tunnels between Shimla and Rohru and an express highway between Swargaht and Bilaspur which will reduce the distance by 30 km.

These projects were to be undertaken as joint ventures with the state government having an equity.

The Chief Minister in his Budget speech had said that to promote tourism and industry construction of highways and improvement in the existing roads like double laning was essential.

The World Bank has, however, already approved a road construction project worth Rs 2,000 crore under which a total of 580 roads will be constructed in the state. An additional Rs 100 crore each has been approved for maintenance of roads for the next three years.

Under the same project the Theog-Kotkhai-Hatkoti road will be made double lane, keeping in view the increasing vehicular traffic on this route.

It is learnt that the World Bank has also agreed to extend a financial assistance of Rs 100 crore to the state government for construction of tunnels at some places. 

BJP has a dig at govt
Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 12
Mr Ganesh Dut, a senior leader of the BJP, has criticised the Congress government for granting extensions in service to superannuated officers despite the precarious financial position of the state.

He said on the one hand the government had introduced the voluntary retirement scheme as part of the downsizing exercise while on the other it was granting extensions to enable favoured officers to continue in service after superannuation. This was being done even though the state had surplus staff and it was raising loans to meet the salary burden.

By granting extensions in service, the government was also doing injustice to the unemployed who were promised jobs by the Congress during the Assembly elections.

He took the government to task for its failure to keep the prices of essential commodities under check. He said the sharp increase in the prices of wheat, rice, edible oil an sugar had hit the poor hard. Unlike the NDA regime, the UPA government had been a miserable failure in maintaining the price line.

HP to have bus stands on BOT basis
Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 12
The Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to construct modern bus stands in all important towns of the state in a phased manner. Consultants have been engaged to help these on build, operate and transport (BOT) basis. Construction of bus stands at Bhattakuffar (Shimla), Chamunda, Chintpurni multi-storey parking, Chamba, Hamirpur, Rampur and Una will be taken up on BOT basis.

Bus stand with shopping complexes have already been constructed at Palampur, Nagrota Bhagwan, Joginderngar and Chintpurni at a cost of Rs 4.09 crore. Bus stands at Banjar, Palampur, and Rajgarh are under construction. The ISBT at Tutikandi here and bus stands at Kangra, Mcleodganj and Mandi are being constructed at a cost of Rs 35 crore under BOT schemes.

The functioning of the state road transport corporation is also being improved. The strength of bus fleet has increased from 733 in 1974 to 1,733 in 2004-05. The total mileage has increased from 3.09 crore km to 14.51-crore km annually over the period.

The corporation plies buses on 1,824 routes.

To provide better services to tourists as well as the local people hi-tech Volvo AC buses have been introduced on the Shimla-Delhi, Dharamsala-Delhi, Manali-Delhi and Shimla-Jaipur routes.

Non-stop express bus services have been introduced to connect the state capital with district headquarters.

Moreover, its accident rate of 0.17 was the lowest in the country.

44 truckers arrested
Our Correspondent

Solan, February 12
The Himachal Pradesh police today sought the help of Central security forces to curtail any attempt by about 2,000 truckers to create law and order problem after the Gujarat Ambuja Cement Limited (GACL) hired trucks from outside the state for transportation of material.

The DGP, Mr Ajit Narayan, while confirming that a requisition had been sent to deploy paramilitary forces at Darlaghat, said the step was necessitated to ensure uninterrupted movement of trucks hired by the GACL. As many as 400 armed policemen had already been positioned in the region to avoid any untoward incident.

Meanwhile, as many as 44 truckers were arrested at Darlaghat today for violating Section 144 by indulging in sloganeering in front of the GACL premises. The ADC, Mr Lokender Chauhan, said this was preventive arrest and Section 144 would remain enforced in the area till further orders.

Trouble started when about eight trucks laden with coal arrived at GACL’s premises from Ropar today amid heavy police security. Agitated with the arrival of the trucks from outside as many as 2,250 truckers supported by the BJP and the CPM supporters from Bilaspur decided to protest against the move. With the imposition of Section 144 in the area the truckers assembled at Bararighat to chalk out their strategy.

Police intervention, however, helped to disperse these truckers. Terming the situation as highly volatile a truck union spokesman said political intervention of the BJP and the CPM had aggravated the matter and their basic issue of freight hike had been pushed to the backburner. Condemning their undue interference, he said the truckers could sit across the negotiation table as had been happening in the past but the politicisation of the issue had given a wrong direction to the problem.

With mounting pressure of paying monthly bank instalments and earning a livelihood the truckers were now worried that the non-payment could lead to attachment of their vehicles. Officials of the GACL said the production which had come to a halt about three days ago would resume after another three days if more raw material managed to reach the place.

Meanwhile, Mr Roshan Lal Jagota, a senior leader of the truckers associations, said the recommendations of the Avay Shukla Committee constituted by the high court would be applicable to them but the GACL management should seriously consider effecting a 30 per cent hike as laid down in the agreement. This he observed would sort out the two-week dispute.

Schoolgirl raped by teacher
our Correspondent

Solan, February 12
A teacher posted in government middle school at Kotla in Arki tehsil raped his 13-year-old, class six student, and threatened her with dire consequences if she disclosed the incident.

The victim did not report the matter to her parents. Five days later she mustered courage to reveal the matter to her family. Hailing from a remote Hanuman Barog panchayat and belonging to the SC community her grandmother lodged a report with the Darlaghat police on Friday.

The police said according to a complaint all students of class VI were directed to come to school on February 5, a Sunday, for extra class. But the teacher concerned failed to turn up and instead a vidya upasak directed all students, except the victim, to go home. Left alone the teacher then raped her in the school premises. She was threatened when she tried to raise the alarm.

Villagers now demand stern action against the erring teacher. The police has registered a case under Section 376 and 506 of the IPC. A vidya upasak, who cannot hold charge of a school, procured keys to use school premises on a Sunday. The role of another teacher, who had called the students for extra class but refused to turn up, has also come under a cloud. Medical examination of the victim was got conducted yesterday.

1 held in abduction case
Our Correspondent

Kulu, February 12
The police yesterday arrested one of the accused who had abducted a minor girl from Lug Valley in this district in February. The girl (17), along with her father, reported the matter to the police that she was abducted by three or four youths in a Maruti car and taken to Mandi. They raped her repeatedly and threatened to kill her. She said she had been lodged in a hotel in Mandi where from she escaped.

Police source said a case had been registered under Sections 376, 363 and 506 and one person has been arrested. However, Mr Badri Prashad, SHO, who is investigating the case, ruled out that she had been taken to Mandi forcibly. But, she had taken a lift from the accused who did not drop her at Kulu and instead took her to Mandi.

The SHO said the accused was alone and none of his accomplices were accompanying him when the girl was given the lift.

Scholarships for HP students
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 12
“My Himachal”, a newly formed global organisation of non resident Himachalis has announced “Himachal Ratan” scholarship for meritorious Himachali students in the science stream of 10+2 classes.

According to a press note issued by the Himachal Pradesh Government here, the organisation will offer one scholarship to the topper of 10+2 examination in science stream and two scholarships to students belonging to socially backward and economically weaker sections who have scored more than 70 per cent in science stream.