 |
|
|
Warrant issued against ADGP
Vajpayee flays government for price rise
Govt gives in to lawmakers, okays retention policy
Liquor dearer in Kinnaur
Decision on IT Commissioner’s office invites flak
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Nari Niketan inmate commits suicide
Rain brightens hopes for kharif crops
BJP leaders booked for rioting
1 killed in road mishap
|
|
Warrant issued against ADGP
Shimla, June 4 According to reports, the warrant had been issued by a local court to the station house officer of Dera Bassi police station to which the case pertains. Since a very senior police officer was involved, the Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), Patiala, who is investigating the case, further endorsed it to the Director General of Himachal Police for execution. Although the state police is legally bound to execute the warrant, it is unlikely that it would be executed as a very high-ranking officer is involved. As Thind is also holding the additional charge of law and order and is directly supervising the range DIGs and district police chiefs it will not only be very embarrassing for the subordinate staff but also virtually impossible to arrest such a senior officer. Mr Ajit Narayan, Director General of the state police, when contacted, said appropriate action would be taken in the matter after seeking legal opinion on the communication sent by the Punjab Police. Since the case pertained to a different state and a senior officer was involved it was necessary to ensure that proper procedure as laid down in the CrPC was followed. Meanwhile, Mr J. P. Nadda, a senior BJP leader and a former minister, has alleged that the state government was shielding the officer and it was not cooperating with the Punjab Police in getting the warrant executed. He said it was shocking that Mr Virbhadra Singh, the Chief Minister, had entrusted the responsibility of important functions like the law and order and CID to an officer against whom a non-bailable warrant had been issued. He said the Chief Minister should ensure that the officer was handed over to the Punjab Police without any further delay.
|
|
Vajpayee flays government for price rise
Manali, June 4 The government instead is preparing the public mentally to accept the rising prices rather than taking steps to check them, he said. Mr Vajpayee, who was addressing BJP workers at the Circuit House here today, said the prices of pulses and other essential commodities were increasing day by day and the government had lost control over the price-controlling mechanism in the country. The prices of petroleum products could be understood to be increasing, but the prices of essential commodities were increasing at an alarming rate and were being justified, he stressed. Mr Vajpayee is here for a weeklong summer vacation at his private residence at Prini. Responding to reporters’ queries on the sidelines of the function, Mr Vajpayee said the infrastructure of Manali town was not being developed the way it should have been. When asked as to why Manali was not developed during his regime when he was the Prime Minister, he said, “There must had been some weaknesses in implementing the plan then.” Replying to a query on the recent episode of Mr Rahul Mahajan, son of the late Pramod Mahajan, Mr Vajpayee said young people got trapped into bad habits and they should be rehabilitated. Mr Vajpayee recited a poem on the occasion. His local fans and admires visited him at his residence. Mr Vajpayee will attend a tea party at Prini village being hosted by the villagers in his honour tomorrow. He will address the BJP state executive on June 6 at Heritage Village Resort at
Sarsai, near Naggar, before he leaves for New Delhi.
|
|
|
Govt gives in to lawmakers, okays retention policy
Shimla, June 4 The decision, which will help regularise up to seven-storeyed structures, was taken at a meeting of the state Cabinet last week but it was kept a guarded secret. The policy approved is on the lines of the one implemented for the special area development authority (SADA) in 2004 under which two storeys and a parking constructed in excess of the maximum number of permissible storeys will be regularised. It is quite unusual for the government to come out with a retention policy for such a small area. However, the reason is very obvious. A large number legislators, ministers and former legislators, who were allotted land for housing purpose in Hiranagar (Patechi) village, have constructed huge structures in blatant contravention of rules and regulations. There are only about 100 new structures in the area but a majority of them have come up in violation of the building bylaws with a built-up area far in excess of the permissible limits which could not be regularised under the law. Thus, only a retention policy could bail them out. As per norms, a maximum of four storeys and a parking can be constructed in the Patechi area but huge structures having up to seven storeys have been constructed and the offenders include lawmakers. Initially, the proposal was to bring a general retention policy so that buildings constructed in violation of the law could be regularised across the state. However, that would have taken some time. Intriguingly, the retention policy is silent on the setbacks and other regulations like distance of structures from state and national highways. A retention policy for the rest of the state will be brought some time later at a convenient time (on the eve of elections) so that the ruling party can gain maximum electoral mileage from it.
|
|
Liquor dearer in Kinnaur
Reckong Peo, June 4 During a visit to various liquor vends in Kinnaur, it was found that a majority of the vends did not display the rates of liquor/beer that is mandatory as per the Excise and Taxation Act and subsequent excise power and appeal orders issued from time to time. The Excise and Taxation Department vide notification number: 7-218/2005-EXN-7946-7996 has fixed the maximum sale price of lager beer (with alcoholic content up to 5%) at Rs 50 per 650 ml bottle and for strong beer (with alcoholic content above 5 % and up to 8.25 %) at Rs 60 per 60 ml bottle. However, liquor vends in Kinnaur are selling lager and strong beer for Rs 20 to Rs 40 more than the maximum price fixed by the Excise and Taxation Department. In Reckong Peo, the district headquarters of Kinnaur, both lager and strong beer is sold at Rs 70 per bottle. In the interior areas, both the lager and strong beer is sold even at higher prices than charged at the district headquarters. Mr BR Negi, Excise Inspector, admitted that the beer was being sold at higher prices. He had challaned three liquor vends in Reckong Peo, Puari and Akpa for not displaying the rate chart. He said: “I have forwarded the challans to the Excise and Taxation Commissioner through proper channel for further action”. On the other hand, Mr Madan Khanna, proprietor of Bushahar Wine Traders, the company which has been allotted all the liquor vends of Kinnaur said on the phone: “Kinnaur areas are very far as a result of which heavy losses are incurred due to breakage. Hence we are charging higher rates”. On being told that the maximum rates were fixed by the government and that he could not charge higher rates, Mr Khanna in a polite tone replied: “Don’t worry, we will accommodate you. I will ask my manager, Mr Walia based at Reckong Peo to oblige you”. Not only beer but prices of Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) are also three to four times higher than the minimum rates fixed by the Excise and Taxation Department due to which there is a great resentment among the public.
|
|
Decision on IT Commissioner’s office invites flak
Palampur, June 4 These organisations have said the decision is one sided and taken on wrong feedback from senior officers of the Income tax Department, who have been opposing the setting up of this office. Briefing newsmen on behalf of Beopar Mandals, Pt Bal Krishan, president, Beopar Mandal, Kangra, said abolishing of the office of Commissioner, IT (A), at Palampur would cause inconvenience to thousand of tax payers of eight districts of the state who were earlier pleading their appeal cases here. He said these tax-payers would have to go to Solan to represent their cases. He said all offices of Income Tax Department were functioning in private or hired buildings. No effort had been made in the past to acquire land and construct own building. Though the Centre had allocated funds from time to time but the same were spent on certain places in Shimla and other areas. He added that the post of Additional Commissioner of Income Tax at Palampur, which is biggest range of the state, had been lying vacant for the past one year. Pt Bal Krishan said if the board failed to reconsider its decision then all business establishments in Kangra, Chamba, Una and Hamirpur would observe strike next week. He said a copy of resolutions of the beopar mandals had already been sent to the Finance Minister and Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Tax, New Delhi.
|
|
Nari Niketan inmate commits suicide
Mandi, June 4 The victim has been identified as Neelam Dhiman, a resident of Bari village in Paddar in Mandi district. She has left behind a suicide note stating: “She was fed up with her life and was ending her life”. The inmates told the police that she was on a cooking shift today. She cooked meal for inmates in the morning, watched TV for some time, then went to her room and bolted it from inside. When she did not turn up to serve the meal, her inmates peeped into the room from a window and saw her hanging from the ceiling fan. They informed the police. Her inmates said she had been upset for the past few days. Even her parents used to meet her here. Though a minor, she was married a few months ago, but she lived separately. She shifted to Nari Niketan four months ago, the police said. The SHO Mandi Sadar, Mr Narender Kumar, said the police had registered a case under Section 174, CrPC. “A suicide note has been recovered from her room and has called her parents. The body has been sent for a postmortem examination,” he added.
|
|
|
Rain brightens hopes for kharif crops Parwanoo, June 4 In Solan, an
all-time high rainfall has been recorded. As per data collected from the
Soil and Science Department of Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Forestry and
Horticulture, Nauni, 78.80 mm of rainfall has been recorded in May. This
is an all-time high in the past five years. The good rainfall has come
as a surprise to farmers, particularly to vegetable and fruit growers.
After facing a long dry weather since October the rainfall has
brightened the hope of healthy produce of off-season vegetable cash
crops like tomato and capsicum. What made the situation good was
sowing of vegetable crops in rainfed area on time. The 95 per cent area
under off-season vegetables cash crops was rainfed in this region.
|
|
BJP leaders booked for rioting
Solan, June 4 The procession was taken out in protest against the attack on the RSS office at Nagpur last week. The BJP workers, wielding various arms, including unsheathed swords, guns etc marched from Durga club and reached the Deputy Commissioner’s office. Effigies of ISI and militants were also burnt as a protest.
|
|
1 killed in road mishap
Solan, June 4 The police has registered a case under Sections 279, 337 and 304-A of the IPC against the driver of the truck Naresh Kumar. It was carrying vegetables and was on its way to Shimla.
— OC
|
| 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 | |
Video
