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Gang using stolen traveller
cheques busted
Paper leak case: cheque paid to tout found
Himuda fails to realise auction amount
Multi-crore project for data collection on water sources
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BJP seeks White Paper
on financial health
Katwal’s conviction indictment of BJP: CM
Dead fish case:
accused unit made powerless
2 teenaged sisters die due to snake bite
1 killed as landslide hits labourers
MC to open 3 zonal offices
Power supply cut for discharging effluents
Award for SJVN
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Gang using stolen traveller
cheques busted
Kulu, August 30 The gang had allegedly brought stolen US dollar Traveller Cheques (TCs) of American Express Bank and managed to encash 1,500 USD with two travel agents in Manali on Monday. The agents came to know from the American Express Bank's approving centre, Gurgaon, that the TCs were stolen and could not be exchanged. The travel agents reported the matter to the police and police immediately swung into action and detained four persons. Four others managed to escape from Manali but were nabbed at Pandoh in Mandi district in a naka. Mr G D Bhargava, Superintendent of Police, revealed here today that the gang was from Tamil Nadu and their ascendants were being confirmed from the Tamil Nadu police. Two Canadian passports were also seized from them which looked to be fake. The passport bearing the name of one Shiva Subramaniam had photograph of Kadir Ali Khan while the other passport had the name of Charles Maria Dass. They had exchanged 500 TCs from Yeti Travels, Manali, and 1,000 TCs from Swagtam Travels, Manali. The alleged cheats have been identified as Yognathan and Kadir Ali Khan, sons of Hamid, Charles, son of Maria Dass and Ravichanderan, sons of T. Raseiya, all from Chennai. The other detained were Safi, Basira, wife of Safi, Nasrin Begam, wife of Kadir, and Sufi Mustafa. But their real identity would be confirmed from the TN police he added. The police sources confirmed that they had visited Manali earlier too and exchanged foreign money. The police were not ruling out the involvement of international forgery mafia. The Investigating Officer told that they were so professional that the police neither got their real identity, actual addresses nor recovered any Indian currency or foreign currency or Traveller Cheques from them. However, the complainant had told that they had more Travellers Cheques and they had been paid Rs. 68,100 in exchange of the TCs. They were produced before the court of CJM, Manali, today where they have been remanded in police custody up to September 4. A case under sections 420, 419, 379, 411, 467, 468, 471 and 34 of the IPC has been registered against them.
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Paper leak case: cheque paid to tout found
Shimla, August 30 The cheque was paid as guarantee to the tout as the detailed mark sheet of the said student had been deposited in the medical college, where he had already taken admission. The moment the parents felt that an inquiry would be held into the leak, they wrote a letter to the bank, requesting them not to honour the cheque. "However, the parents are now claiming that they have lost the cheque and it was never given to anybody, whereas we have evidence of the letter written to the bank, not to honour it," informed police sources. The police said in case they had lost the cheque, they would be asked as to whom it had been issued and had the bank been informed about this. The touts guaranteeing a seat in the medical college had taken detailed mark sheets of all the students as a guarantee, which was to be returned only at the time of counselling in exchange for Rs 10 to 14 lakh. Since the said student had already deposited his mark sheet in the medical college where he was studying, a post dated cheque was issued. The said student was keen to shift to a medical college in Himachal. The police has interrogated parents of six candidates who could have benefited from the PMT leak so far. The police has found more evidence of telephonic conversations between parents and touts operating on behalf of the mafia. The police is also interrogating two persons from the printing press in Lucknow, from where the question paper had been leaked. Police sources said parents of candidates besides the 38 who had come under the police scanner could also be interrogated in case the needle of suspicion points towards their involvement.
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Himuda fails to realise auction amount
Solan, August 30 The auctioneer could only deposit about 10 per cent of the auction money amounting to Rs 78.7 lakh. Initially a time of one and a half months was sought by him. This time limit expired in April but he was granted a series of extensions to deposit this amount with Himuda. Now after a lapse of seven months, the authority has gained no success in getting this money. This has incurred a loss of lakhs to the exchequer as no interest on the crores due from the bidder is being charged. Sources confirmed that the Delhi-based bidder had found the deal uneconomical soon after it was finalised. He had since then been making attempts to get back the 10 per cent money deposited at the time of auction. Pressure was being mounted from political high-ups to get back the money, revealed highly placed sources. Officials in the authority chose to remain silent about this case and added that the file was being kept under wraps. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Himuda, Mr Y.R. Sharma, when quizzed said the bidder had been given a final opportunity till August 31 to deposit the money. In case he failed to do so his security amount of 10 per cent would be forfeited as per the rules of the auction. The plot would then be re-auctioned. Another option of granting the bid to the second highest bidder couldn’t be considered as even its rate was much higher than the existing rate and it could have met the same fate.
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Multi-crore project for data collection on water sources
Shimla, August 30 Mrs Rajwant Sandhu, Principal Secretary, Irrigation and Public Health, while inaugurating a one-day workshop in connection with the project here today, said the main objective of the World Bank aided project was to develop and put in place an integrated hydro-geological data collection and information system for optimum utilisation of water sources. A state water policy had already been framed. She said the project would be implemented over a period of six years. She said the project envisaged establishment of a monitoring network comprising river gauges, round water observation centres, rain gauges, snow gauges, climatic stations and water quality laboratories for collecting data on surface and ground water sources in the state. Mr R.N. Sharma, Engineer-in-Chief, in his keynote address said the state had made tremendous progress in the development of the water resources sector. It has provided drinking water to 41,717 habitations out of 45,367 habitations, installed 14,389 handpumps and established 15 water quality testing laboratories upto July, 2006. He said out of 56 towns in the state augmentation of water supply schemes 38 had already been completed and sewerage facility extended to 10 towns.
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BJP seeks White Paper
on financial health
Nurpur, August 30 He said the Virbhadra Singh government had failed to formulate any strategy to check the debt burden in the state. Terming the 41 months’ rule of the present government a total failure on all fronts, Mr Rana alleged that the development in the state had come to a halt and every section of society had been disillusioned with the poor performance of the government. He alleged the mafias of land, forest and illicit liquor had been ruling the roost.
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Katwal’s conviction indictment of BJP: CM
Shimla, August 30 Talking to mediapersons, he said irregularities in appointments was a major issue on which the Congress contested elections and the court verdict had vindicated the party’s stand. He said such large-scale bunglings by a statutory body could not have taken place without the help of top political bosses.
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Dead fish case: accused unit made powerless Baddi, August 30 The recommendation was made on Monday, according to Mr S.P. Vasudeva, Member-Secretary of the Pollution Control Board. However, the power was disconnected today. Highly infectious pesticides were released into the river on Saturday night by the unit. Next morning, a large number of dead fish were found floating on the water surface at Kanduwala village, 3 km from here. The accused unit was identified by the local office of the Pollution Control Board on Sunday. On the same day, water samples were sent to the departments’ laboratory at Parwanoo, besides forwarding of the report on the issue to the Shimla office for further action. The lab report revealed that the fish died due to the presence of pesticides in the water, said Mr Vasudeva. For further investigations into the issue, water samples had also been sent to a laboratory in New Delhi, he added.
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2 teenaged sisters die due to snake bite
Mandi, August 30 Two of three sisters — Seema (12), Sheetal (10) and Sarita (16) — of Chowki village in Sarkaghat subdivision, first two succumbed to snake bite last night in the hospital here as the venom had affected the nervous system of the two patients before they reached the hospital. According to family members, the victims were sleeping on a bed at ground floor of their house with their grandmother. A snake made two bites each on the two victims, while Sarita escaped with mild attack. She spotted the snake sneaking through the floor, but before other members could come there snake had disappeared. They reached Mandi zonal hospital after six hours as they tried some local quack to neutralise the sanke poison through “jhar-phoonk”, but he failed to revive the patients, revealed doctors. The attendants of victims complained that they did not get medicine at Sarkaghat hospital and they reached Mandi yesterday at 5 a.m. What is even more surprising is that even after the doctors declared the patients dead today, the relatives and family members took the bodies of the victims to a quack near Jai Devi where they failed to revive the patient. The quacks are making a fast buck as people’s faith in quackery flourishes due to the fact that some of the snake bite victims are bitten by non-poisonous snakes and hence they are bound to survive when they are taken to a quack for the “magic cure”, explained doctors. Doctors disclosed the snakes are forced out from holes after these are filled with rainwater during rainy season. On an average 10 snake bite victims succumb to bites every year in the district, but the PHCs have no anti-snake venom, they added. Chief Medical Officer Mandi district Dr. KS Katoch passed the buck on the Medical Officer concerned commenting that anti-snake drug should be available in the civil hospitals and primary health
centres as it needed a Rs 450 device to preserve the anti-snake venom.
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1 killed as landslide hits labourers
Palampur, August 30 The tragedy occurred in a power project being executed by a private company near Baijnath. Reports said the workers of the company were returning to the project site from nearby shops when a landslide carrying heavy boulders hit them, killing one labourer and injuring three others. The deceased was identified as Aita Bahadur, a resident of Nepal. The injured workers were admitted to the Civil Hospital, Baijnath, where the condition of two workers was stated to be serious. A spokesman of the Astha Power Company said the company would bear the entire medical expenditure of the workers who had suffered injuries and had been admitted to the hospital.
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MC to open 3 zonal offices
Shimla, August 30 This was decided at the meeting of MC while discussing the issue of undertaking development works in these areas. The Councillors stressed the need for preparing proposals for undertaking street lighting, sewerage, road maintenance and other works. A sum of about Rs 2.50 crore would be transferred to other MC, which was lying with the SADA. Besides, the works already sanctioned for these three SADA areas would also be executed by the MC. The issue of extensive damage to trees, especially to deodars, also came up for discussion during the meeting. The Councillors said that with the transfer of the entire forest area in the town to the Forest Department, problem was being faced sue to multiplicity of authorities. They requested the Commissioner to take some immediate steps as a number of trees had tilted and were posing a threat to human life and property. They said that despite a number of authorities like the Forest Department, COPWD and the MC, it is the MC Act, which would be applicable.
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Power supply cut for discharging effluents
Solan, August 30 The Member Secretary of the board, Mr S.P. Vasudeva, while confirming the information said orders had been sent to the electricity board to disconnect its power supply. He said though the effluent treatment plant of the unit was found working, the containers carrying pesticides had been washed with the river water. He said gauging the seriousness of the matter he would take up setting up a common effluent treatment plant with the Industries Department. This would enable primary treatment of the hazarduous waste at the unit level while it would be further treated at the community level.
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Award for SJVN
Shimla, August 30 The Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the nigam, Mr H.K. Sharma, has been awarded the Udyog Ratna. The awards were given at a ceremony in Delhi during a seminar on “Development of north-eastern hill states” yesterday. |
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