P R A D E S H
Thursday, March 18, 1999
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H I M A C H A L P R A D E S H |
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Thursday, March 18, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Insurance firm asked to pay
Rs 1 lakh HP
to audit handpump scheme |
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 Opposition stages walkout SHIMLA, March 17 — The Opposition today staged a walkout in the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, expressing dissatisfaction over the reply of Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal to the four-day debate on Budget proposals. |
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Outbreak of jaundice in Old
Kangra Shimla
MC meeting adjourned |
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Insurance
firm asked to pay Rs 1 lakh DHARAMSALA, March 17 — The district consumer disputes redressal forum has directed New India Insurance Company to pay a compensation of Rs one lakh to the two minor children of Mrs Pawan Minhas, who died in a van accident on May, 6, 1996. Giving the judgement, the president of the forum, Mr Janeshwar Goel and member, Mr Sanjeev Sharma, observed that since Consumer Protection Act is a beneficial legislation in the event of any doubt, the provision has to be interpreted in favour of the consumer. The two minor children of Mr Pritam Singh, whose wife died in the accident, filed a petition before the court through their father, that compensation of Rs two lakh should be paid for the death of their mother, 5 by the Insurance Company. Despite the vehicle being comprehensively insured for the period, the company had refused to pay compensation. The minor children, Pankaj and Parveen Manhad, who were also travelling in the vehicle at the time of the accident, approached the court under Section 12 of the Consumer Protection Act. The insurance company, while admitting that the vehicle and its passengers had been insured under IMT-5, it said since the petitioners had already claimed a compensation of Rs 2.98 lacs, under the Motor Vehicle Act, they were not entitled to further compensation under IMT-5. The court observed that the copy of the Insurance Policy of the vehicle clearly showed that four passengers were also insured under IMT and an additional premium of Rs 200 had been charged. Hence the passenger was entitled to the compensation with regard to death or injuries under IMT-5. The court said that there was no bar to claiming compensation under IMT-5, in addition to compensation under the Motor Vehicle Act. The court observed that
the complainants were entitled to a compensation of Rs
one lakh with interest at the rate of 12 per cent per
annum, from the date of the filing of the complaint till
it is deposited in the forum. The complainant shall also
be entitled to the cost of the proceedings, which amounts
to Rs 500. |
HP to audit
handpump scheme SHIMLA, March 17 — The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, today accepted the demand of the Opposition Congress to order a "social audit" of the working of 7075 handpumps installed in Himachal Pradesh. The suggestion for audit of handpumps was given by the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, during question hour in the Vidhan Sabha. Mr Dhumal said that the enquiry could be conducted either by some independent agency or the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department itself. The suggestion of the CLP leader came when many Congress members were not satisfied with the reply of the IPH Minister, Mr Ramesh Chand that only 151 handpumps were out of order. The Chief Minister said that 38 of the faulty handpumps were irreparable. He said that this time snowfall and rain had been less and the water crisis might be greater this summer. Mr G.S. Bali (Congress) said that responsibility should be fixed on the officers responsible for the 113 handpumps installed at a cost of about Rs 1.50 crore which were deemed irreparable. Mr Kaul Singh demanded that the IPH conduct a statewide survey for identifying handpumps which were out of order. Mr Ram Lal Thakur (Cong) said that the priority for installing handpumps should be given to drought-prone areas where tankers had to be used for carrying in water to villages in summer. The Irrigation Minister, while replying to supplementaries, said that the IPH would purchase a rig which would help in the repair of handpumps which had gone dry. In reply to the original question about handpumps, tabled by Mr Chander Kumar and Mr Ishwar Dass (Cong), the IPH Minister said that out of 7075 handpumps, 151 were out of order. A target of installing 670 handpumps during the current year has been fixed. The Speaker, Mr Gulab Singh, pulled up the Transport Minister, Mr K.K. Kapoor, when he pointed out that the question regarding accidents by buses of the HRTC was being tabled in every session. A question had again been tabled today although he had replied to a similar question on March 5, he said. The Speaker objected to this and told the minister that he could not contest the tabling of the question as it was the right of the legislators to ask questions listed in the business of the house. The question was tabled by Mr Kaul Singh, Mr Gangu Ram Musafir, Mr Kashmir Singh, Mr Rangila Ram Rao and Mrs Viplove Thakur (Cong). Mr Kaul Singh was not satisfied with the reply of the minister that the next of kin of the victims of accidents between November 16, 1998 and February 28, 1999 were not paid passenger insurance so far as applications had not been received. He said the authorities should not expect dependents of the victims to run from pillar to post for settlement of their claims. Some method should be found to pay them the amount sans cumbersome procedures. The Chief Minister, while intervening, said that the government had enhanced the compensation for victims to Rs one lakh each against Rs 50,000 earlier. While claiming that for passenger insurance certain formalities had to be completed he added that steps would be taken to speed up the procedure. In reply to the main question, the minister said that 26 persons died in 90 accidents during the period and 52 buses of HRTC were involved in these accidents. He said that 219 persons were injured in these accidents. He listed various steps which are being taken to check such accidents. In reply to a question the education minister, Mr I.D. Dhiman, ruled out the justification for opening a zonal office of the HP School Board of Education here. The question pertaining to the opening of a zonal office was raised by Mrs Vidya Stokes, Mr Yogendera Chandra and Mrs Asha Kumari (Cong). The minister said that a liaison office of the board already existed here to guide the students. Other sections of the board were such which could not be shifted out of its headquarters at Dharamsala. Mrs Stokes and Mrs Asha Kumari wanted to know the reasons for opening a zonal office here although the previous Congress government had issued orders in this regard on August 30, 1997. Mr Yogendera Chandra said that students particularly at Sirmour, Shimla, Solan, Kinnaur and Bilaspur districts were facing a problem as they had to travel all the way to Dharamsala for minor issues pertaining to the education board. The Education Minister said he was unaware on what grounds the previous government had wanted to open a zonal office of the board at Dharamsala. The Chief Minister
intervened to say that the issue was being blown out of
proportion as every student did not have to go to the
headquarters of the board as information and guidance was
also available here. |
Opposition
stages walkout SHIMLA, March 17 — The Opposition today staged a walkout in the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, expressing dissatisfaction over the reply of Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal to the four-day debate on Budget proposals. As soon as Mr Dhumal finished his reply, Mr Virbhadra Singh, the leader of Opposition, stood up to point out that the Chief Minister had not addressed all issues raised by the Members during the debate. He, along with other Congress legislators walked out of the House saying that the reply had increased doubts in the mind of the Members on these issues. Mr Dhumal condemned the behaviour of the Opposition as undemocratic and said there was no occasion for a walkout as he had given a detailed reply to all points raised during the course of the debate. He said the Congress members failed to criticise the Budget on merits and so, were adopting such tactics. Earlier in his reply, he demolished the criticism of the Budget pointwise, quoting comparative figures. He also announced reduction in sales tax on stainless steel utensils and tooth brushes from 12 per cent to 8 per cent. He said the Congress had no locus standi to criticise the government's initiative in handing over more responsibilities to panchayats as it (Congress) had twice lost the opportunity to do so. He said his government had made an attempt to decentralise power by giving certain responsibilities to primary education, irrigation and other sectors. The government would make all efforts to provide necessary infrastructure and training to panchayat functionaries. He said the Sarawati Bal Vidya Sankalp Yojana would enable the government to provide basic infrastructure for primary schools. At present there were 1,964 schools without any room and 1,413 with just one room. Under the new scheme, 13,612 rooms would be constructed over the next three years to ensure that each primary school had at least three rooms. He said the indiscriminate raising of loans by the previous government had increased the debt liability of the state manifold. Mr Dhumal said the charge that expenditure on vehicles had increased to Rs 125 crore as against the budgetary allocation of Rs 14.5 crore, was misplaced. The fact was that as against Rs 15.25 crore in 1997-98, it was only Rs 15.68 crore this year. Only 15 vehicles were purchased during the year and not 100 as stated by some Members, he said, adding that the number of vehicles in the general administration department had been reduced by six. He said the rate of inflation had come down from 10.8 per cent in 1993-94 to 5.3 per cent this year and was much less in the state as compared to Punjab and Haryana. The Chief Minister also enlisted the steps taken by his government to ensure the purchase of high quality galvanised pipes. Referring to a charge that
the government was not implementing the Act to make
primary education compulsory, he said a similar law was
enacted in 1953, but was not enforced. He said the Bill
passed by the Congress government did not even spell out
the financial implications of the new law. |
Shimla MC
meeting adjourned SHIMLA, March 17 — The special meeting of the Shimla Municipal Corporation to discuss the Norad project for waste management was adjourned today as councillors belonging to the Congress staged a walkout. They were protesting against the presence of Mrs Nisha Singh, Commissioner of the corporation, at the meeting although they had passed a resolution asking the government to recall her. At the outset, Mr D.S. Verma, Deputy Mayor, pointed out to the Mayor, Mr Manoj Kumar, that Mrs Nisha Singh's presence was not proper in view of the no-confidence motion against her. The Congress councillors walked out as she continued to attend the meeting. The Mayor adjourned the meeting because of a lack of quorum. Meanwhile, Mr Yadupati
Sood, Councillor, and spokesman for the Congress said the
BJP councillors had no moral right to seek the
dissolution of the corporation as the party had lost
three successive corporation elections since 1986. The
demand of the BJP councillors was "politically
motivated" he alleged.
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Outbreak of
jaundice in Old Kangra DHARAMSALA, March 17 — Water samples from the Old Kangra area, where a number of cases of jaundice have been reported, are being sent to Kandaghat for testing. According to the Chief Medical Officer, Kangra Dr M.L. Vaidya, 35 cases of jaundice, have been detected in the area so far. Dr Vaidya said jaundice was a water-borne disease which could be due to pollution in tanks, at the source or in water pipes. He said it was only after the laboratory report of the samples was received, that the source of infection could be known. On its part, the Health Department was cautioning people and guiding them how to tackle it. They were being asked to boil and chlorinate water. Health workers were distributing chlorine tablets and pamphlets among people. He said there was no need for people to panic as there was no threat of it becoming an epidemic. However, it was important to take steps to check its spread in the summer as intermittent supply of water caused suction from sewers, leading to infection. It was for the IPH Department to check and plug such point, he added. Meanwhile, jaundice has spread to Kangra, taking the total number of patients affected by the disease to 50 during the past 48 hours. Block Medical Officer V.K.
Mahajan said the outbreak of jaundice was reported from
Old Kangra where 2,672 in habitants lived. He confirmed
that the number of jaundice cases had gone up in Old
Kangra and six such cases were detected in the locality
between Tehsil Chowk and Gupt Ganga in Kangra. Arrangements
for Jwalamukhi fair JWALAMUKHI, March 17 — Shops and temples in the town have been painted and decorated and colourful lights have been installed in view of the Navratra fair that is to begin tomorrow. As many as 5 lakh devotees are likely to come at the fair, according to Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, Mr B.K. Aggarwal. He said elaborate arrangements had been made in this regard. Traffic and security
arrangements had also been made to avoid untoward
incidents, Mr K.C. Sadyal, SSP, Kangra said, adding that
a control room had been established. |
Rs 4.73 lakh
recovered DHARAMSALA, March 17 — The police today recovered Rs 4.73 lakh robbed from Mr Vishwa Kohli, a commission agent of Pathankot by four persons, near Nurpur recently. According to the SSP, Mr K.C. Sadyal, the money was recovered from the banks of the Ravi near Madhopur, where it had been buried under the ground in sacks. The police had recovered Rs 50,000 earlier. With the latest recovery, it had now got back Rs 5.03 lakh out of the total Rs 9.5 lakh had looted from Mr Kohli. Those arrested in this regard include Sat Pal, Dharam Pal, Angrez Singh and Sabha. Another police party had
left for Amritsar to recover the remaining money and to
make another arrest.
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Bala Sundri
fair begins NAHAN, March 17 — Devotees are reaching the Tripur Bala Sundri Temple at Trilokpur, 22 km from here, to attend Navratra fair. The fair will conclude on March 31 after "chaitra purnima pooja". According to temple committee sources, over 10 lakh people are expected at the fair. Although many idols of Bala Sundri have been established at the temple, it is historic 'Pindi' which is the focus of worship during the fair. Coconut offering has been
banned for security reasons. Entry to the sanctum
sanctorum is generally not allowed. |
Two killed DHARAMSALA March 17 — Two persons were killed in separate incidents in the district today. According to the police Vijay Kumar 33 of Kodna village died after being injured while breaking stones. In another incident a
person reportedly hanged himself in the Jwali area. The
details are awaited.
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Karamchari
Parisangh recognised? HAMIRPUR, March 17 — Mr Prem Chand Verma, President of the district unit of the Himachal Pradesh Non-Gazetted Services Federation, has asked the state government to clarify whether it has granted recognition to the Karamchari Parisangh. In a statement issued here today, he claimed Karamchari Mahasangh was the only elected body of the employees and as such there was no need to give recognition to any other body. He said the controversy
arising out of Bilaspur elections of mahasangh was an
internal matter of employees and would be sorted out
soon. He asked leaders of the parisangh to release the
exact number of their membership, district-wise, and the
date and venues where their elections were held.He said
the Parisangh existed only on paper and as such it had
nothing to do with the internal matters of the employees.
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Summons to
top forest officials CHAMBA, March 17 — Mr B.S. Chauhan, Special Judge, Chamba, has summoned four senior officers of the Forest Department among others in a case pertaining to alleged misappropriation of timber. It may be recalled that initially the case was submitted to the court for trial but the special judge ordered further investigation to find out about the complicity of more persons. The case was reinvestigated by the SP enforcement and some senior forest officers reportedly named as additional accused. Those summoned are, Mr
M.S.L. Vaidya, retired Chief Conservator of Forest, Mr
H.C. Sharma, former Principal Chief Conservator, Mr R.A.
Singh Conservator of Forests and Mr C.D. Katoch, Chief
Conservator of Forest. |
BJP-HVC
govt a fiasco: JD DHARAMSALA, March 17 — A former MLA and President of the state Janata Dal, unit Mr Pratap Chaudhary, has said that the BJP-HVC coalition government in the state has proved to be a complete failure due to their political differences. Addressing a press conference here yesterday, Mr Chaudhary said normal functioning of the government had been hampered due to the blackmailing tactics of the Himachal Vikas Congress. The state was facing political, administrative and economic crisis, due to the differences. "It is a matter of concern that communal forces are trying to penetrate into the field of education and in administration," he alleged. He added that holding of shakhas at public places was causing a feeling of insecurity amongst the people of other communities. Crime against women, especially those belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe was on the rise, the regretted. "We will approach the Governor in connection with the implementation of the Mandal Commission report and demand the resignation of the ministers belonging to the backward classes," he said. The government was
indulging in wasteful expenditure while the government
was already facing a serious financial crunch, he added. |
Fire
destroys 14 houses KULU, March 17 — A fire gutted 14 houses rendering 14 families homeless at Rasel village in Manikaran valley, about 50 km from here, on the night of March 14, according to Mr R.D.Dhiman, Deputy Commissioner. Five persons, including Phoolwati (13), Budhi Singh (50), Veer Saran (55), Sher Singh (26), were burnt alive. Six heads of cattle also perished. Mr Dhiman, who visited the site of the incident, said that Rs 1.30 lakh were distributed to the affected families as an immediate relief. Dependents of a deceased were provided relief of Rs 50,000 each. Special TD is being sanctioned for the affected families for the immediate construction of new houses. Besides families covered under the IRDP plan would be provided houses under Gandhi Kuteer Yojna. One hundred blankets and free ration for 15 days have also been provided to the victim, he added. The total loss has been
estimated at about Rs 21 lakh. As per the reports of the
local residents, a short-circuit was said to be the cause
of the fire. |
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