Danger allowance for technical staff
HAMIRPUR, May 8 — A danger allowance of Rs 50 per month will be given to technical employees of the state power board from August 1 this year.

'Solanki Tigers' disrupt phone services
SOLAN, May 8 — Over 1000 telephone lines went dead and Telecom Department property estimated Rs 10 lakh was damaged after certain persons calling themselves "Solanki Tigers Force" set three cable boxes afire during the past seven days.

Fund collection drive begins
SHIMLA, May 8 — The World Red Cross Day was celebrated by the state and district Red Cross Societies throughout Himachal Pradesh today. The theme was "The power of humanity’’.

HVC to stake claim to 2 seats
HAMIRPUR, May 8 — The HVC will contest the Lok Sabha elections in the state jointly with its alliance partner, the BJP. The party will stake its claim to at least two seats but will not raise any unreasonable demand to weaken the BJP-HVC alliance.

Stones laid for two dispensaries
BILASPUR, May 8 — The government has adopted a special policy of popularising the ayurvedic system of medicines and treatment and 36 new posts of officer have been created in the Ayurveda Department.

Two killed in forest fire
SUNDERNAGAR, May 8 — Two persons were burnt alive in a forest fire here yesterday.

2 restaurants gutted
CHAMBA, May 8 — Two restaurants were gutted and half a dozen shops were damaged near Subhash Chowk at by a fire which broke out Dalhousie this afternoon.

Danger allowance for technical staff
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, May 8 — A danger allowance of Rs 50 per month will be given to technical employees of the state power board from August 1 this year.

This was announced by the Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, at the first conference of the power board technical employees' union here today.

The Chief Minister said the government favoured all sorts of help and facilities to employees of the state as they were the backbone of any government. He, however, chided those who were trying to harm the cause of the employees by creating a rift between the staff and the government for their selfish ends. He said there was no place for violence in the state and such persons would be dealt with sternly.

Professor Dhumal said the main aim of the government was to make Himachal the power state of India. The government had signed a number of agreements with private parties for harnessing the hidden hydel potential. Once generation work started in full swing, Himachal would be one of the richest states in India, the Chief Minister stated emphatically.

He sought suggestions from the people regarding transmission losses. He said there was need to curb the losses. The government would create a mechanism in this respect and reward persons whose suggestions were the best.

He justified the move on the setting up of a regulatory commission in the power board. This commission was the need of the hour and the government would go ahead with it despite opposition by a few. After this commission came into being, no employee of the board would be retrenched. Instead, all vacant posts would be filled. He warned employees against those who were opposing this on one pretext or the other.

The Chief Minister said the government was also examining a proposal to have a power project of 60 MW in the Nadaun area of the district costing about Rs 150 crore. This project would be able to supply power not only to Hamirpur but also to adjoining districts of the state.

Mr Layak Ram Garg, president of the union, raised a number of demands, including the main demand of the danger allowance, which was accepted by the Chief Minister in his speech.

Mr C.P. Pande, Member (Administration), Mr S.S. Gupta, Member (Technical), and Mr J.S. Rana, Secretary of the power board, were among those who attended the conference.

The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of a Rs 1.20 crore town hall complex in the main bazar of the town.

The new complex will house the district library and have a big parking area. A statue of Thakur Jagdev Chand, a former minister, would also be installed in the complex.

The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of the BJP office near the bus stand complex. A sum of Rs 1.20 lakh will be spent on its construction.

Professor Dhumal also laid the foundation stones of the buildings of the Hamirpur Zila Parishad and the local Rotary Bhavan.

The Chief Minister dedicated to the people a huge building of the Kendriya Vidyalaya at Jhaniara, constructed at a cost of Rs 2.20 crore.

Addressing a public meeting, Professor Dhumal criticised the Congress for pushing the nation towards an unwanted Lok Sabha poll.

He said Hamirpur town would be made a model town and funds would not come in the way of development activities.

He said Congress leaders always "ditched" the people in all parts of the state in general and in Hamirpur district in particular.

'Solanki Tigers' disrupt phone services
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, May 8 — Over 1000 telephone lines went dead and Telecom Department property estimated Rs 10 lakh was damaged after certain persons calling themselves "Solanki Tigers Force" set three cable boxes afire during the past seven days.

The first attempt was made on April 30 in Saproon area of the town, the second on May 2 and the third on the night intervening May 6 and 7.

While not much loss was done in the first two attempts, the third resulted in disruption of telephone services in Basal, Dharot, Bawra, Chambaghat and parts of Kather areas.

Handbills posted on the damaged boxes said the act had been done in retaliation against "the anti-people and anti-labour policies of the state government".

The police has registered a case under Section 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

Fund collection drive begins

SHIMLA, May 8 (UNI) — The World Red Cross Day was celebrated by the state and district Red Cross Societies throughout Himachal Pradesh today. The theme was "The power of humanity’’.

Volunteers and members of the Red Cross Society here pinned the Red Cross flag on Governor V.S. Rama Devi at Raj Bhavan to launch a fund collection and membership drive in the state. She contributed towards the Red Cross Fund.

Red Cross members also pinned flags on Health Minister J.P. Nadda, Minister of State for Horticulture Narinder Bragta and other prominent persons present on the occasion and collected donations from them.

The Governor met students of school for the blind and the deaf and dumb and the Destitute Children’s Home, Dhalli, who assembled at Raj Bhavan carrying placards. The Governor spent more than an hour with the children who were given sweets.

Mrs Rama Devi called upon the people to take a greater interest in social and humanitarian work and help the poor and the needy. She asked philanthropists and other well-to-do sections to donate liberally towards the Red Cross Fund for alleviating human suffering.

She directed the District Red Cross authorities in Shimla to provide instant assistance to members of poor families who came to Shimla for medical treatment from various districts and the same assistance grant could be reimbursed later by the District Red Cross authorities to which the patients belonged.

NAHAN: A blood donation camp was organised here at diet Hall by the Sirmaur Red Cross Society. Speaking on the occasion, Ms Shyama Sharma, Vice-Chairperson of the State Planning Board, said social organisations like the Red Cross Society should be strengthened so that it could deliver better services to the oppressed classes.

Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kaushal said the Red Cross planned to open shops in government hospitals. Chief Medical Officer V.K. Chopra said the Red Cross would provide an ambulance at the Primary Health Centre, Sangrah, shortly. Mr Amil Kumar, who has donated blood 57 times, and Mr Yogesh Kumar Gupta, who has donated blood 38 times, were honoured.

MANDI: The World Red Cross Day was celebrated here with enthusiasm. Vidhan Sabha Speaker Thakur Gulab Singh was the chief guest. He appreciated the efforts of the Red Cross in organising a camp on the occasion for vaccinating over 1,000 persons, including children, against hepatitis at subsidised rates. He also got himself vaccinated.

Earlier, he distributed artificial limbs, hearing aids, wheelchairs and sewing machines on behalf of the Red Cross Society among the needy.

HVC to stake claim to 2 seats
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, May 8 — The HVC will contest the Lok Sabha elections in the state jointly with its alliance partner, the BJP. The party will stake its claim to at least two seats but will not raise any unreasonable demand to weaken the BJP-HVC alliance.

Stating this here today, the HVC supremo, Mr Sukh Ram, told reporters that the party would mainly concentrate on the Mandi Lok Sabha seat. He said this seat was given to the BJP last time to oust the Congress-led feudal elements from power.

He claimed that the alliance government was doing its best and would complete its five-year term. There was no question of the HVC withdrawing support to the Himachal Pradesh coalition government, Mr Sukh Ram said.

The HVC supremo blasted the Congress for pushing the state towards fiscal bankruptcy. He alleged that instead of doing something concrete in the sphere of development the Congress "looted" the state.

The HVC leader said he met the Prime Minister in New Delhi recently and demanded an inquiry by the CBI into charges of omission and commission against Mr Virbhadra Singh. The Prime Minister gave an assurance that action would be taken as per the rules and the guilty punished according to the law.

Mr Sukh Ram said there was ample scope for providing employment avenues to thousands of unemployed youth. For this, all-out efforts needed to be initiated by the government in the field of hydel generation and exploitation of the tourism potential of the state.

He alleged that the previous Congress government did not make full use of the vast tourism potential due to gross mismanagement at a time when Jammu and Kashmir was in the grip of militancy.

He said he would submit a detailed report to the state government in the coming months about the functioning of the Departments of Forests, Public Works and Power regarding their functioning and how to improve and streamline their working.

Stones laid for two dispensaries
From Our Correspondent

BILASPUR, May 8 — The government has adopted a special policy of popularising the ayurvedic system of medicines and treatment and 36 new posts of officer have been created in the Ayurveda Department.

The number of seats for ayurveda students in the College of Ayurveda at Paprola have been increased from 30 to 50 and the subject of surgery has also been introduced in this college.

Laying the foundation stones of ayurvedic dispensaries at Chalehali and Hawaan, about 40 and 45 km from here, respectively, last evening. The Health and Family Welfare Minister, Mr Jagat Prakash Nadda, said the government was also attempting to set up a number of "herbal gardens" at some unidentified locations in the state with aid from the World Bank which would also provide additional employment and income to villagers of those areas.

The Health Minister said in Bilaspur district alone there was one ayurveda hospital at Bilaspur town with indoor and outdoor facilities while 56 ayurveda dispensaries and two homoeopathy were functioning here.

The Health Minister also presented the first prize to the Hawaan gram panchayat for being best panchayat in foodgrains production in Bilaspur district. He also announced the road from Chalehali to Tirfaal Ghat would be metalled soon.

Two killed in forest fire
From Our Correspondent

SUNDERNAGAR, May 8 — Two persons were burnt alive in a forest fire here yesterday.

The bodies were recovered today. The victims have been identified as Chandu Lal and Dharam Singh, both from Bhanwar.

The police has started proceedings and sent the bodies for post-mortem examinations. This was the first case of human life last in forest fire here.

BILASPUR: Another forest fire, the seventh in the past seven weeks at Bandla Hill, near here, has been raging in the Sihada area since last morning. Forest wealth worth lakhs of rupees along with wild animals and birds have been destroyed while the entire area is full of smoke.

In another forest fire near, Samoh in Seru, forest wealth worth lakhs of rupees and hundreds of pine trees were destroyed. Hundreds of peacocks and several leopards were also killed as little attempt was made to put out the fire.

Several prominent leaders of political parties here have urged the Chief Minister and the Forest Minister to rise to the occasion and take this challenge of forest fires on a war-footing and save the forests from getting destroyed.

2 restaurants gutted
From Our Correspondent

CHAMBA, May 8 — Two restaurants were gutted and half a dozen shops were damaged near Subhash Chowk at by a fire which broke out Dalhousie this afternoon.

Giving this information over the phone, an official spokesman told this correspondent a loss of more than Rs 10 lakh had been estimated as per preliminary assessment. Revenue officials were on the spot to assess the actual losses caused due to the fire, he added.

He said on getting information about fire, local youths and fire engines of the Indian Air Force reached the scene and put out the fire. There was no loss of life, he added.

He said the police had registered a case in this regard to ascertain the cause of the fire.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner of Chamba, Mr K. Sanjay Murthy, informed that the local administration of Dalhousie had been directed to provide immediate relief to the affected families. So far, Rs 5000 each to the two fire victims had been given, the D.C. added.

Rajasthan allows land purchase to oustees
From Our Correspondent

NURPUR, May 8 — The long-standing demand of Pong-dam oustees to get land purchasing rights in Rajasthan has been fulfilled. The Rajasthan government recently issued a notification in this connection.

Mr Sardari Lal Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, Relief and Rehabilitation, talking to mediapersons here last evening, said the state government had taken up the issue with its counterpart in Rajasthan which had granted permission to the oustees to purchase land there.

The purchase transaction had begun. The D.C. pointed out that to curb fraudulent sale transactions, it had been made mandatory to present photo-identity cards during the registration of sale deeds to the authorities concerned.

He said a delegation of the State Pong Dam Oustees Advisory Committee would visit Rajasthan in the second week of June to inspect the suitability of land allotments earmarked by Rajasthan for the remaining 1559 oustees.