Hospital awaits VIP for opening
GALORE (Hamirpur): A newly constructed building of the primary health centre here awaits inauguration. It has been constructed at a cost of Rs 20 lakh and is located on the Salauni-Nadaun highway.

'Cong a gainer in BJP infighting'
DHARAMSALA, Nov 24 — The Himachal PCC President, Mr Sat Mahajan, said in a statement here today, that the growing infighting between the Dhumal and Shanta factions in the state BJP had benefited the Congress party.

LPG shortage in Mandi
MANDI, Nov 24 — Mandi town and its surrounding areas are facing an acute shortage of LPG. A delegation of LPG consumers met the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Prabodh Saxena, today and complained about "mismanagement and arbitrary distribution" of LPG.

Plea to hike varsity budgetary provision
SHIMLA, Nov 24 — The Himachal Pradesh University Administrative Officers Association has urged the government to increase the budgetary provision for the university from Rs 13 crore to Rs 20 crore.

PAs, stenos for scrapping of test
SHIMLA, Nov 24 — The Himachal Pradesh State Personal Assistants and Stenographers Association has demanded the scrapping of the two tests in Hindi and English stenography for employees being held by the state Public Service Commission since 1986.

• Brig Mehra visits NCC unit

• Temple gutted

Pak will see reason: George
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 24 — The Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, has expressed hope that Pakistan will understand the futility of continuing the proxy war in Kashmir and respond positively in the forthcoming secretary-level talks which are being held between the two countries in February.

Mr Fernandes was talking to newsmen here today after participating in a seminar on modernisation of the Army which was organised by the Army Training Command (ARTRAC).

The Defence Minister was optimist of some positive outcome of the forthcoming secretary-level talks.

He said that there has been an effort during the recent meetings between the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan and also in the subsequent Foreign Secretary-level talks to make Pakistan understand the futility of continuing support to insurgency and pushing foreign mercenaries in our territory after training them.

He said although the beginning made in the recent talks has not yet produced any tangible results, but this might have made Pakistan understand the futility of what it was doing.

Mr Fernandes said the proxy war was a serious matter and the Army has been fighting it effectively. There has been none major change in the activities of Pakistan on our borders. There was some escalation in the border firing by Pakistan when talks began between the foreign secretaries of the two countries and later between groups dealing with specific issues.

He ruled out third party mediation in the Kashmir issue and said that the question would be solved within provisions of the Simla Agreement.

Mr Fernandes said the menace of insurgency in Kashmir would be wiped out by the Army in the shortest possible time.

The situation in Kashmir has started normalising with the Army clearing the valley of insurgents. Tourism was flourishing again, the Amarnath pilgrimage went without any hitch and the social and economic activity in the valley has grown with an elected government there.

Security steps for Chamba reviewed
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 24 — The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, today held a high-level meeting to review the law and order situation in border areas of Chamba district.

It was informed at the meeting that beefed up security in the area after the killing of innocent persons by the militants in August this year had instilled a feeling of confidence among the local residents.

Village defence committees had been set up and special police officers in addition to security measures.

He said that the police stations on the border areas of Chamba district should be strengthened to meet any situation effectively. He also stressed for strengthening communication net work in the area.

Vacant posts in the Police Department, would be filled on priority basis, he said.

Mr T.R. Mahajan, Director-General of Police, urged for raising the strength of police personnel in the police stations especially those which were sensitive. Mr I.D. Bhandari, DIG, North Zone, gave a visual presentation of steps taken to beef up the security measures in border areas of Chamba district.

16-year wait for bridge
From Jaikumar

BILASPUR: The Himachal Pradesh Government, pressed by a mass agitation, agreed to construct a bridge on Ali Khud connecting Khairiyan, on the side of Bilaspur town, and Kungar Hatti on the other side in May, 1982 and sanctioned Rs 3.62 crore.

But then nothing happened till 1989 when local residents again threatened to revive their agitation and the Virbhadra Singh Government was forced to start construction work. The work was awarded to a Chandigarh-based contractor and terms and conditions of contract specified that this work of construction of the bridge would be completed within three years by October 1992, but even now construction work still goes on at a snail's pace. The Public Works Department says the bridge would be completed by October, 1999.

Construction of the Ali Khud bridge has already been delayed by six years, and if earlier experience is any guide, then there is no guarantee that this completion date would not be extended as has been happening for the past three years.

In 1982 the bridge was estimated to be built at a cost of Rs 3.62 crore but now after a delay of 16 years, Rs 9 crore has already been spent on it while the main job of construction of a 420-metre-long central span cantilever slab is still to be done though a portion of this bridge has been laid. It is clear that whenever work is completed, its construction cost would increase and the bridge is expected to cost more than Rs 12 crore — four times the cost in 1982!

Engineers say construction of this bridge is a complicated matter and it was not easy for any contractor to meet the deadline for completion as the working-season is only about seven months in a year as during the remaining five months the construction site gets inundated with waters of the Gobindsagar, while the slab is to be laid from a height of several hundred feet.

Construction work should have been handed over to an international construction company like Gammon India, but in 1982 this company's offer was rejected because its estimate was higher than the Rs 3.62 crore estimated by the HP PWD.

It is said that the present contractor has never handled earlier a job of this magnitude and every other day he has problems and work has to be stopped for consultations and advice by experts.

Last year one of the piers of the bridge suddenly developed cracks and work remained suspended for several weeks till experts from Calcutta came to suggest a cement adhesive to be imported. Now that this costly cement adhesive has been poured into this crack, it has been sealed, though it is yet to be known whether the crack had been sealed once and for all.

Experts believe that Gammon India has already constructed Asia's highest bridge at Kandraur on the Sutlej near here. This bridge is in a fine condition for the past 33 years and construction of the Ali Khud bridge should have been awarded to such a company, even it would have meant higher costs.

This delay has deprived lakhs of people of Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Chamba, Una and Mandi districts from benefits such as reduction in distance by 21 km. The state government is still to find out who is responsible for this criminal waste of public funds through a long delay.

Hospital awaits VIP for opening
From Chander Shekhar

GALORE (Hamirpur): A newly constructed building of the primary health centre here awaits inauguration. It has been constructed at a cost of Rs 20 lakh and is located on the Salauni-Nadaun highway.

All sorts of facilities for the staff and the patients have been provided at the new building. The construction work of the building was delayed due to one or another reasons though its foundation stone was laid during the BJP Government.

The primary health centre is now in a worn-out structure located nearby the new building. The failure of any VIP to spare time for its inauguration has forced the Health and Family Department authorities to work in the old building, which is unsafe.

The primary health centre caters to the needs of more than 50,000 people of Galore and nearby areas. Only two medical officers are posted here and they are forced to work long beyond their normal hours. The shortage of medical officers and other paramedical officials has reduced the PHC to a rural dispensary. Repeated requests by the local people to the state government to fill vacant posts have had no effect.

Local residents have many times approached their MLA, Mr Baldev Sharma, who also hails from the Galore area, to get the new building inaugurated by any VIP and to fill the vacant posts but without any result.

The PHC had come into the limelight about 10 years ago when gastroenteritis and typhoid had broken out in the area. Though luckily no person had lost his life yet thousands of people had remained ill due to the typhoid and gastro epidemics. It was during that time the need for a new hospital building has arisen and work started.

Mr Anil Verma, Pradhan of the Galore gram panchayat and a DCC leader is upset over the non-shifting of the hospital to its new complex. He wants the Chief Minister to personally visit the area and open the new premises.

According to him, the failure of the Health and Family Welfare Department to take timely action in this behalf is a serious matter and deserves condemnation.

Meanwhile, residents have demanded that the state government provide adequate medicines and other basic items in the hospital to help poor patients. According to them, the PHC did not even have primary drugs and worst affected were the poor.

'Cong a gainer in BJP infighting'
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Nov 24 — The Himachal PCC President, Mr Sat Mahajan, said in a statement here today, that the growing infighting between the Dhumal and Shanta factions in the state BJP had benefited the Congress party.

Mr Mahajan, regretted that BJP leaders, including the Chief Minister, were considering the Baijnath byelection, a mere formality, "Only if the top brass of the BJP had visited the remote villages, would they realise how much the people are suffering, on account of price hike and the lawlessness in the entire area," he said. He said instead of being concerned for the plight of the common man, the BJP was more concerned about saving its government.

The PCC chief, claimed, that it was on account of the poor performance of the BJP government that even their coalition partner, the HVC, was not willing to support Mr Dulo Ram. He added that the Congress had been able to wean away a large number of HVC votes in favour of the young Congress candidate.

LPG shortage in Mandi
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Nov 24 — Mandi town and its surrounding areas are facing an acute shortage of LPG. A delegation of LPG consumers met the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Prabodh Saxena, today and complained about "mismanagement and arbitrary distribution" of LPG.

They alleged that the consumers had to undergo harassment while taking gas connections from the agency. They are make to collect gas accessories from the residence of the owner.

The Manager of the agency, however, admitted that the store had been running from the residence of the owner.

Consumers of Bhiuli also alleged that gas had never been delivered at their residence.

The Deputy Commissioner, however, directed the Civil Supplies authorities to take suitable action.

Officials of the Indian Oil Corporation also informed the Deputy Commissioner that the problem of shortage of LPG would be solved within day or two.

Plea to hike varsity budgetary provision
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 24 — The Himachal Pradesh University Administrative Officers Association has urged the government to increase the budgetary provision for the university from Rs 13 crore to Rs 20 crore.

In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister and the Governor, the association pointed out that the university was not a profit-earning institution and liberal assistance was required for it.

It demanded creation of three posts of Additional Registrars to streamline the functioning of various wings, besides grant of senior scale to Assistant Registrar on the analogy of two other universities in the state with effect from January, 1986.

It also demanded that senior posts like Registrar, Finance Officer, Controller of Examination and Secretary to Vice-Chancellor should be filled through promotion from the Deputy Registrar cadre.

PAs, stenos for scrapping of test
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 24 — The Himachal Pradesh State Personal Assistants and Stenographers Association has demanded the scrapping of the two tests in Hindi and English stenography for employees being held by the state Public Service Commission since 1986.

The association pointed out that at the time of recruitment those who had diploma in stenography in one of the languages were appointed but afterwards they were directed to qualify the test in other language too, which was "unjust".

There were more than 300 employees in the state who had not been able to qualify the two tests and as a result they had not been sanctioned annual increments for the past over 10 years.

It also demanded that promotion rules be notified afresh in all departments so that stenotypists could be promoted as senior scale stenographers and further as personal assistant of superintendent grade II.

The Punjab government had fixed the norms for this category but Himachal had not notified the norms, so far.

Brig Mehra visits NCC unit
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 24 — The Deputy Director-General, NCC, Brig Rajeev Mehra, today visited the state NCC unit here.

Col K. Randhir Singh, state unit commander, informed that about 25,000 NCC cadets in senior and junior divisions of three wings of the services were receiving training in the state.

A total of 12 NCC units were engaged in imparting training in different fields, including military drill, map reading, shooting, social service, adult education, sapling plantation, blood donation, trekking, paragliding and parasailing.

Brigadier Mehra congratulated the officers for their good performance and urged the cadets to work hard to win more prizes and distinctions for the state.

Temple gutted
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 24 — Ancient Badri Narayan temple of Batseri village in Sangla tehsil was gutted in a fire which broke out early this morning, according to reports reaching here.

Idol of Badri Narayan Devta and some other articles were immediately taken out from the temple. Adjoining houses were saved from the blaze with the help of home-guard volunteers, local people and a marriage party. No loss of human life has been reported.

The Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Kalpa and commandant home-guards reached the spot.