P R A D E S H
Monday, July 26, 1999
|
H I M A C H A L P R A D E S H |
|
Monday, July 26, 1999 |
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
 |
|
|
HVC in no mood to yield |
 |
|
|
Fun camp for disabled Apple
growers threaten stir Widespread
rain in Himachal Minjar
fair opened Nand Kumar rejoins Congress |
|||||
 |
||||||
Shimla seat SHIMLA, July 25 — While the Himachal Vikas Congress is gearing up for contesting the Shimla (reserved) parliamentary seat, the BJP, is making a last ditch effort to persuade Mr Sukh Ram, the party supremo, to give up claim on the seat. A strong reaction from the rank and file over the proposal to leave the seat for the HVC, has forced the party to have second thoughts and it decided to have another round of talks with the coalition partner. A two-member committee comprising Mr Suresh Chandel, President and Mr Khushi Ram Balnatah, General Secretary, has been constituted for the purpose. The two leaders will meet Mr Sukh Ram over the next week and try to convince him that the BJP stood a better chance of wresting the seat from the Congress. Senior leaders and partymen are not very optimistic about the outcome of the latest move, given the adamant attitude of Mr Sukh Ram. However, hoping against hope, the party has constituted a three-member committee for selection of candidate in case talks with HVC leader yields positive results. However, Mr Narinder Modi, the all India general secretary and in charge of the Himachal affairs, made it clear that the BJP would not do any thing to strain its relationship with the HVC. It wanted the alliance to continue and make a clean sweep of all the four seats. Obviously, the committee consisting of Mr Narinder Bragta, Mr Nagin Chand Pal and Ms Shyama Sharma has been set up more to convince the cadres that it was serious about contesting the seat than finding a candidate. Mr Sukh Ram, who has been calling shots ever since the BJP-HVC combine came to power, is in no mood to oblige. When we are sharing power, what is the harm in sharing seats. It will only strengthen the alliance and improve the electoral prospects of the combine, he maintains. There can be no alliance without seat sharing and the HVC has settled for the minimum one seat, though it staked claim on two, that too the weakest seat where the Congress emerged victorious in the past six Lok Sabha poll. No doubt the BJP has a vote bank of 1.25 lakh in the constituency but it was not enough to wrest the seat from the well-entrenched Congress. Only the HVC could make dent in the Congress support base as it has already demonstrated in the Mandi Lok Sabha seat and the Lahaul-Spiti Assembly segment. The HVC will add another one lakh vote and in case the BJP electoral base remains in tact, the combine will have no difficulty in winning the seat, Mr Sukh Ram explains. The Congress leaders were already perturbed over the prospects of facing a HVC candidate in the constituency as they had not as yet forgotten the party’s humiliating defeat in Mandi, where Rani Pratibha, the wife of Mr Virbhadra Singh, lost with a record margin. They know that coming together of two parties would change the electoral mathematics entirely to its disadvantage, he adds. Mr Sukh Ram seems keen on challenging Mr Virbhadra Singh in his own stronghold as in case the Congress loses the seat it would have serious fallout for the former Chief Minister. Meanwhile, the state election committee of the BJP has finalised the candidature of Mr Mr Shanta Kumar from Kangra, Mr Suresh Chandel from Hamirpur and Mr Maheshwar Singh from Mandi. Meanwhile, the HVC has constituted a campaign committee for the Shimla seat. Mr Mohinder Singh, Public Works Minister and senior Vice-President of the party, has been made in charge of the constituency whereas the other three ministers, Mr Mansa Ram, Mr Prakash Chaudhary and Mr Ram Lal Markanda, will look after the campaign in Sirmaur, Solan and Shimla districts respectively. Mr Sukh Ram has also set up a sub-committee to finalise the election manifesto. The sub-committee comprises Mr Kewal Ram Chauhan, Mr G D Verma and Mr P D Garg. He has appointed persons in charge for all 17 Assembly segments comprising the parliamentary constituency. Mr Bhagat Ram will be in charge for Kumarsen, Mr Sunder Lal Theog, Mr Kewal Ram Chauhan Chopal, Mr Devinder Bushahri Rohru, Mr Rewati Prakash Sharma Jubbal-Kotkhai, Mr Tarsem Bharti Kasumpati, Mr Haminder Thakur Solan, Mr Inder Singh Thakur Arki, Mr Chaman Lal Gachli Kasauli, Mr Mati Vinod Chandel Doon,Mr Subhash Barmani Paschad, Mr Mohan Lal Renuka, Mr Sada Nand Chauhan Nahan, Mr Feteh Singh Paonta Sahib and Mr Sita Ram Shillai. The party will meet on
August 2 to work out its election strategy. |
Dhumal favours proxy voting for soldiers SHIMLA, July 25 (PTI) — The Himachal Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, has favoured right of proxy vote to the soldiers guarding the frontiers to enable them to participate in the democratic and development process of the nation. Speaking at a cultural function organised by students of Jwalaji Degree College at Jawalaji today, Mr Dhumal said that it was surprising that those making supreme sacrifices for the cause of the country were being opposed by some vested interests to be given the right of proxy vote and added that the election schedule had become so tight that it was not possible to complete the formalities of service voters within this time schedule as a result of which they would be deprived of their right to vote. Mr Dhumal held the Congress responsible for not handling the Kashmir issue in the past in the right perspective as a result of which the people of the country had to pay price time and again. Mr Dhumal said it was the mistake of Jawaharlal Nehru to take this issue to the UN in 1949. He said that in 1948 about 1103 Indian soldiers laid down their lives, in 1962 — 1521, in 1965 — 2902 and in 1972 about 3630 made their supreme sacrifices. He said despite this India surrender what it gained at the cost of loss of so many precious human lives. The Chief Minister complimented the students of Jawalaji Degree College for presenting a good programme based on nationalism and added that such programmes were a must for educational institutions so that younger generation kept national interest above all. He also had a dig at those opposing the singing of Sarswati Vandana in the educational institution and added that this song create an awareness of nationalism. Irrigation and Public Health minister exhorted Ramesh Chaudhry, the youth to set up their own ventures and not to run after white collar jobs. He also urged upon local people to contribute liberally for the construction of college building. Ravinder Ravi, Minister
of State for Technical Education thanked the Chief
Minister for resolving the long pending Shah-nehar, Thein
Dam and Anandpur Hydel Channel issues with the Punjab
Government and starting work on them. |
Fun camp for disabled GAURA (Solan), July 25 — Gaura is a sleepy hamlet on the banks of the Giri fed by glacier waters, 23 km from Solan. An internationally known fishing resort famous for it’s cold water trout during the ‘raj’ the top brass from the Governor-General to the District Collector, from the Command-in-Chief to local army commanders, made a beeline for it in for leisure. It lapsed into near oblivion after independence, largely due to changed lifestyles. It sprang into life once again when the Himachal chapter of the Indian Association of Muscular Dystrophy organised a fun camp here today. It was laughter, music and dance all the way. Some participants had travelled to the place from as far away as Rajasthan. Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner,Mr R.D. Dhiman, said the district administration would soon prepare a databank of muscular dystrophy district with a view to providing requisite governmental assistance. He said every effort would be made to improve the quality of life of MD sufferers and other disabled persons. He emphasised the role of yoga for physical and mental fitness. He said he was of the belief that the practice of yoga could help alleviate the suffering associated with the disease to a large extent. He announced a grant of Rs 5,000 for the IAMD from his discretionary fund. Mr S.K. Lakhanpal, President of the Physically Handicapped Association of Himachal Pradesh, said Himachal Pradesh was the only state in the country which had so far not constituted a co-ordinated committee for the disabled, despite it being a constitutional requirement. Welfare policies for the disabled were being framed by bureaucrats who had no first-hand knowledge of the actual problems faced by this class of citizens. He said certain concessions like provision of 25 square metres of commercial land for enabling the disabled to set up self-employment ventures and provision of 3 per cent reservation in jobs were not being implemented. The quota was too small as in cases where the number of jobs available were less than 30, this provision became meaningless. He pleaded for enhancement in the job quota, especially in view of the fact that the disabled were not eligible for more than 50 per cent of jobs. He also said the government should start providing unemployment allowance to the disabled in the state. The President of the Himachal Chapter of the IAMD, Ms Sanjana Goyal, said the union and state governments should allocate sufficient funds for creating mass awareness on MD on the analogy of campaigns for AIDS and cancer. She said one person in every 2,5000 was afflicted with MD in India. She said her association had tried to disseminate information about the latest advances made worldwide for tackling this disease. Relevant information had been collected by surfing the Internet and could be passed on to the needy either through the Net or mail. She said fun camps helped the sufferers express themselves through, poetry, music and dance. This helped them gain self-confidence and develop a healthy outlook. She demanded that the
government should set up a research laboratory for
evolving a cure for MD. |
SFI to launch agitation MANDI, July 25 — A three-day state-level convention of the Students Federation of India (SFI), which concluded here today, resolved to launch an agitation for the restoration of the Students Central Association in Himachal Pradesh University and all colleges affiliated to it. The convention alleged that there was an "unholy nexus" between the BJP-HVC alliance government and the university to deprive students of their democratic rights. The government was encroaching upon university autonomy and interfering in its day-to-day working as was evident from the recent appointments and postings. It further alleged that the government was out to tarnish the autonomous and independent image of the university. The convention expressed concern over the "saffronisation" of education in the state. It condemned the commercialisation and communalisation of education. The convention adopted a number of resolutions. It resolved to fight communal forces which it said were endangering the unity and integrity of the country. It also called upon the government to solve the problem of unemployment on a war footing and provide subsistence allowance to unemployed youth. It demanded that the enhancement of fees should be withdrawn immediately. Briefing newspersons, Mr
Kushal Bhardwaj, all-India vice-president of the SFI,
announced that the agitation schedule would be started
from August 2 with the submission of a memorandum to the
government. Later there would be a one-day strike on
August 4 and a mass fast on August 9 followed by a
torchlight procession. |
Apple growers threaten stir SHIMLA, July 25 — The fruit growers of Kumarsein in Shimla district have threatened to launch a statewide agitation against the government's decision to allow import of apple under the open general licence (OGL). The threat was held out by the Adi-Shakti Fruit Growers Association of Kumarsein here yesterday. A meeting of the association was held on Thursday under the chairmanship of Mr Vijay Pal Khachi to discuss the issue. The association said the inclusion of apple and other fruit in the OGL would hit marketing of the domestic fruit. Apple should be excluded from the OGL, the association asserted. The association accused the BJP government of adopting anti-farmer policies. It demanded introduction of the crop insurance scheme to cover apple and other fruit. It accused the Chief
Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, of having failed to meet his
commitment of clearing all pending payments of apple
growers for the last season. |
Widespread rain in Himachal CHANDIGARH, July 25 (UNI) — The North-West plains had scattered rain but, no downpour, while Himachal Pradesh had widespread rain during the past 24 hours. Even though major areas of Punjab and Haryana were deprived of rain, the city and the surrounding areas had 17.7 mm of rainfall since last night. Rain was, however, widespread in Himachal with Shimla having 4 mm of rainfall. The other areas of Himachal lashed by rain included Nahan (19.2 mm), Una (12.2 mm), Nadaun (22.8 mm), Pandoh (3.1 mm) and Guler (2.7 mm). The Nangal Dam area in Punjab was lashed by 4.5 mm of rainfall while Ambala had a drizzle of 0.3 mm. According to the weather forecast here, moderate to rather heavy rain is likely at a few places in Haryana, Himachal and Punjab. Heavy rain is likely at some isolated places in Himachal, it added. Rain-related incidents
have claimed five lives in Himachal so far. |
Minjar fair opened CHAMBA, July 25 — The week-long historic Minjar fair got off here today with the offerings of maize blossoms (minjars) at Lakshmi Narayan and Raghuvira temples by the Deputy Commissioner, Mr K. Sanjaymurthy and other officials and dignitaries and citizens. Mr K. Sanjaymurthy, also inaugurated the legendary carnival amidst the singing of folk songs. He also declared the Minjar Fair Sports Tournament open. The fair would conclude on August 1 with the immersion of minjars in the Ravi. According to a legend, the Minjar fair dates to the tenth century. It marks the victory of King Sahil Verman over the King of Kangra. The defeated king presented blossoms of maize and paddy to King Sahil Verman. According to another
legend, a sage in the Champavati temple on the bank of
Ravi performed a week-long yajna which changed the course
of the river. This enable people to visit the Hari Rai
temple across the Ravi. |
Nand Kumar rejoins Congress CHAMBA, July 25 — Mr Nand Kumar Chauhan, a farmer MLA and a prominent leader of the Rajnagar Assembly constituency has today returned to the Congress along with his supporters. Announcing this here today, Mr Sat Mahajan, President of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), stated that Mr Nand Kumar Chauhan was expelled from the Congress in the last Assembly elections about one and a half years ago. He hoped Mr Chauhan's rejoining the Congress would prove a much-needed filip for the party in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. Mr Chauhan had contested
from the Rajnagar Assembly constituency and polled 5,000
votes thereby helping the BJP candidate to win. |
 |
||
 |
| Nation
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Chandigarh | | Editorial | Business | Sport | | Mailbag | Spotlight | World | 50 years of Independence | Weather | | Search | Subscribe | Archive | Suggestion | Home | E-mail | |
