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Rail Budget cold-shouldered state, says CM
Illegal drug trade raises CM’s hackles
Tattapani-Karsog link snapped
BJP to oppose relaxation in laws for ‘colonisers’
Declare state as drought-hit, demands BJP
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Woman found hanging
Planning dept decision
sparks row
Protest march by Muslims
Judicial service exam from March 25
Man found dead on highway
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Rail Budget cold-shouldered state, says CM
Shimla, February 24 While hailing it as a popular Budget, wherein interests of all sections of society have been protected, he said there was no mention of railway projects in the state. He said the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, during his visit to the state, had announced that the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur railway line would be constructed as a national project, the Nangal-Talwara railway line would be completed in two years and the Baddi industrial area would be connected to Chandigarh through broad-guage railway line. However, these projects did not find any mention in the Budget estimates, he rued. He said the state’s railway network had not seen much expansion after independence and only one new railway line, Nangal-Talwara, was being constructed and that too at a very slow pace. He said the matter would be taken up at an appropriate level to secure the state’s due share in railway expansion. He welcomed the proposal to provide 50 per cent concession in the 2nd class fare to the handicapped for travelling to national-level institutes for transplantation. Steep reduction of fares in the air conditioned category would facilitate the commuters to a great extent and enable the Railways to meet the challenge posed by private airlines. He also welcomed the proposal to introduce 55 new trains besides converting 200 express trains into super fast trains. |
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Illegal drug trade raises CM’s hackles
Shimla, February 24 He was replying to a question by Mr Mohinder Singh, MLA, during the question hour in the Assembly today. “We will not allow such unlawful activity to be carried out in the state and the police will deal with it sternly and intensify the campaign to destroy all such illegal cultivation,” he informed the House. The Chief Minister said the forest officials and other agencies, including the police, had now been directed to destroy cannabis and opium crop, which grows naturally on the forest land. “Our request to the Centre to allow controlled growth of poppy and cannabis in the state has been turned down time and again and the possibility of getting permission now is next to impossible,” he said. The CM said during the last three years, a total of 1,055 kg of charas and 50 kg of opium had been seized by the police. “The international value of the charas is estimated at Rs 5.27 crore while the opium is valued at Rs 23.25 lakh,” he informed. He further said the seized drugs became the case property and once the case was decided, it was destroyed. To a suggestion by Mr Mohinder Singh that the government should sell the drugs and earn money, he said the government could not be expected to be trading in drugs. He said the areas where drugs were being grown had been identified. "It is a fact that in the higher reaches of some of the districts, like Chamba, Shimla, Kullu and Mandi, cannabis and poppy are cultivated. But this being an illegal activity the government cannot allow it,” he remarked. In reply to another question by Mr Jagat Singh, the Chief Minister said there was no proposal to have a separate cadre of postgraduate specialist doctors. “The total number of MBBS and MD doctors in the state is 1560 and the doctors having a degree and diploma are given a special allowance of Rs 660 and Rs 220,” he said. He, however, said in order to attract specialist doctors to the state, the government was considering giving them better perks and additional benefits. The CM also informed the House that so far 1544 persons had been given jobs on compassionate grounds, while cases of 1498 persons were
pending. |
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Tattapani-Karsog link snapped
Shimla, February 24 The fire started from the Mandi end from a stack of waste material and soon engulfed the wooden sleepers supporting the old bridge. The fire spread quickly as the sleepers were covered with a thick protective layer of highly combustible bitumen. Efforts of the local people to put out the fire failed to save the bridge and it collapsed. According to the police the fire may have been ignite by a lighted cigarette thrown by some passerby. The bridge had withstood the fury of the unprecedented flash floods in August 2000 which had wiped out all the 18 small and big bridges on the river between Khab in Kinnaur and Tattpani. It also survived floods caused last year following the breach of Parechu blockade. |
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BJP to oppose relaxation in laws for ‘colonisers’
Shimla, February 24 Initiating the debate on the motion of thanks on the Governor’s address said the industrial boom had led to emergence of land mafia in the Baddi and Barotiwala areas. Land was being purchased from poor farmers by influential persons and sold to companies at exorbitant rates. The scale at which this was going on had made a mockery of the tenancy act. He said all this could have been prevented had the government itself acquired land and after developing plots sold these to industries. He also alleged large
scale irregularities in the allotment of industrial plots and said even the industrialists had demanded inquiry by a sitting judge of the high court into the scam. Worse the government was planning to confer the powers of to sell built-up structure on a par with the state urban development authority to private builders and companies like the Himalayan Ski Village Limited which would expose poor agriculturists to exploitation and pose a serious threat to the fragile hill environment and culture. Alleging that the government had given nod for the multi-crore-ski village project in Kulu in undue haste he said that his party was opposing it. He said artificial snow to be created using bacteria and dust would not only pollute water but also prevent vegetation from growing on the high mountain ranges that would disturb the ecological balance. Further, the company will sell built-up villas to foreigners, which change the demographic composition of the area and have serious socio-cultural implications. Earlier, moving the motions of thanks Mr Harsh Wardhan said that the decision to hold the winter session of the house at Dharamsala and the projects worth over 100 crore started in the lower hills during the winter sojourn of the Chief Minister had upset the BJP which always tried to exploit the sentiments of the people by raising the bogey of regional discrimination. He said the popularity of the government had been reflected in the recent elections to the panchayati raj institutions in which the Congress supported
candidates won in eight out of the 11 zila parishads and over 70 per cent of the block panchayat samitis. Supporting the motion Mr Mukesh Agnihotri said that crusade against corruption had started yielding results with the conviction of the former chairperson of the state Subordinate Services Selection Board in the recruitment scam. |
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Declare state as drought-hit, demands BJP
Nurpur, February 24 Mr Rana demanded special girdawri of crops and grant of cash compensation to the farmers. He said the farmers were facing an acute shortage of fodder that had added to their woes and the government should formulate a strategy to provide fodder to them. |
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Woman found hanging
Kangra, February 24 The Kangra district police chief, Mr. S.P. Singh, said that Rajni Devi had left her home on Tuesday morning but did not return back. Her husband Ranu Ram started to search to find her. It was in the afternoon that the middle-age woman was found hanging from a tree in the forests. He said that the preliminary investigations revealed that it was a case of suicide. He said that the body was sent for the post-mortem examination. The cause of her death would be established after final autopsy report, he said. The local residents said that the deceased and her husband had good relations but poverty could be the cause for the extreme step. Rajni Devi was from West Bengal. This was 12th dead body recovered from the forests of Kangra district during the last one-and-a-half months. Eight dead bodies were earlier recovered from Kangra sub-division, two from a well in Dehra subdivision, one each from Dharamsala and Palampur subdivisions during the last one-and-a-half months. According to the police, most of the deaths were suicides and investigation in all the cases was in progress. |
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Planning dept decision
sparks row
Parwanoo, February 24 The planning department, in order to check the unauthorised constructions here, has asked the Electricity Department not to issue power connections to those who failed to get prior approval for the new construction. Recently the planning department has issued notices to the Electricity Department to disconnect 26 power connections on unauthorised construction. Though the
Electricity Department has issued further notices to violators giving them 15 days’ time to get approval of the planning department or face power disconnection. The move has spread resentment among resident who blamed the planning department for not taking timely action. The planning department should come into action when the construction started, argued the residents. Ironically, the planning department remained a silent spectator till unplanned construction was going on. When the construction completed the planning department started creating problems, pointed the residents. “We have now been asked by the planning department not to issue power connection to unauthorised construction,” pointed a senior official of the Electricity Department. |
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Protest march by Muslims
Nahan, February 24 Portesters raised slognas against the persons showing disrespect to the Prophet and demanded action against the persons responsible for publishing such cartoons. A delegation of protesters met the SDM, Paonta, and submitted to him a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister, demanding intervention of the Government of India in this matter. |
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Judicial service exam from March 25
Shimla, February 24 A spokesman of the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission said that the civil law, papers-I and II, would be held on March 25, criminal law and English composition on March 26 and Hindi paper on March 27. |
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Man found dead on highway
Kumarhatti, February 24 His body was noticed by passersby and the police was informed. At some distance from the body, a scooter was found in a damaged condition. A case has been registered. |
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