Addl Chief Secy's house burgled
SHIMLA, Nov 5 — In yet another incident of theft at the residence of high officials of the Himachal Pradesh Government, the official residence of the Additional Chief Secretary, Mr Harsh Gupta, was burgled here last evening.

Rain lashes J&K, Himachal
MANALI, Nov 5 — The 15,050 feet high Rohtang pass, the gateway to Lahaul and Spiti district, and the dream destination of domestic and foreign tourists experienced season's first snowfall while the lower parts of the Manali were lashed by rain.

Popularise ayurvedic system: Dhumal
HAMIRPUR, Nov 5 — Himachal Chief Minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal today dedicated to the people of Hamirpur a hotel Hamir, constructed and furnished at Rs 1.19 crore.

HP census in 2001
SHIMLA, Nov 5 — The census operation would be conducted in Himachal Pradesh from February 9 to March 5, 2001, and all deputy commissioners and commissioners, Shimla Municipal Corporation, will function as principal census officers in their jurisdictions.

Assault on doctor condemned
MANDI, Nov 5 — The local unit of the Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association which met here today condemned the assault on Dr C.S. Thakur, medical officer, in charge of Bagsiad Health Centre while on duty.

Model cooperative Act mooted
JAWALAMUKHI, Nov 5 — The government will soon introduce a model cooperative act to strengthen the cooperative movement in the state, State Cooperatives Minister Rikhi Ram Kaundal told mediapersons here yesterday.

2 die in mishap
BILASPUR, Nov 5 — Constable Rakesh Kumar who was driving a scooter and his pillion rider Sukh Ram Chaudhary resident of Lakhanpur were killed when their scooter had a direct hit with a truck on the national highway near police lines main gate at Lakhanpur on outskirts of the town here last night.

• 3 shops damaged in fire
• Leopard skins seized

Addl Chief Secy's house burgled
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 5 — In yet another incident of theft at the residence of high officials of the Himachal Pradesh Government, the official residence of the Additional Chief Secretary, Mr Harsh Gupta, was burgled here last evening.

When contacted, Mr Gupta told TNS today that burglars decamped with cash and jewellery after breaking through a window. No one was at home at the time of the incident.

The burglars took away Rs 10,000 and jewellery worth over Rs 25,000 and some silverware, the police said.

Mr Gupta noticed the theft when he returned from office at about 5.30 pm. The police started investigations shortly after.

Several senior officers of the state and the Centre reside at Bemloe where Mr Gupta lives.

Mr Gupta said he had withdrawn some money from the bank for payment to labourers who were constructing his house.

This is not the first time that the residence of a VIP has been burgled here. Sometime ago thieves entered the official residence of Mr O.P. Yadav, Principal Adviser (Industries), when he was the Chief Secretary.

The official residence of the Deputy Commissioner of Kulu was burgled and cash and jewellery was missing.

Burglars broke into the residence of a judge sometime ago, but no loss was reported.

A woman officer’s residence in a VIP area was broken open her house while she was abroad.

The police has so far failed to solve any of these cases.

Some residents of Vikas Nagar informed about a spate of thefts in the area. Mr Anil Verma, General Secretary of the Vikas Nagar Residents Welfare Society, said a couple of houses were burgled yesterday and today. The police had failed to take any effective action, he alleged.

Rain lashes J&K, Himachal
From Our Correspondent

MANALI, Nov 5 — The 15,050 feet high Rohtang pass, the gateway to Lahaul and Spiti district, and the dream destination of domestic and foreign tourists experienced season's first snowfall while the lower parts of the Manali were lashed by rain.

Due to snowfall on the higher reaches of Manali, including Pir Panjal ranges, the upper Manali region remained in the grip of severe cold wave conditions following further decline in the temperature.

The 485 km-long Manali-Leh highway, the life line of the border district of Lahaul and Spiti and Leh Ladakh region, got closed to vehicular traffic in the wake of heavy snowfall on Baralacha Pass (4883 mtr). Lachalangla (5065 mtr) and Tanglangla (5328 mtr) also Manali-Kaza road over Kunzum pass (4551 mtr) remained disrupted for vehicular traffic due to heavy snowfall.

Meanwhile, tourists mostly honeymooners rushed to Kothi, Gulaba and Rahla falls in order to have a glimpse of the fresh snowfall.

According to Himachal Road Transport Corporation sources, all buses on their way from Manali to Keylong, Udaipur and Darcha in Lahaul valley stopped at Kothi 14 km from here on Manali-Rohtang Pass and had to return to Manali.

According to Mr S.S. Porwal, Commander, 38 BRTF (GREF) heavy snowfall on Rohtang Pass, Marhi and Gulaba is continuing. He said the organisation would take up snow clearing work in case any vehicle was found stranded in snow on the other side between Rohtang Pass and Koksar on Manali-Leh road.

CHAMBA: The high peaks of Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh have been experiencing the first snowfall of the season since last night and the lower areas have been experiencing rains.

The adjoining hills of Jammu and Kashmir bordering Chamba district have also experienced first snowfall of the season.

Meanwhile, the agriculture experts say that the rain as well as the snowfall in the alpine region is a great relief from the expected drought. The rain after a long spell is also beneficial for the rabi crops and the ongoing hydro-power projects of this hilly region.

White paper on HP fiscal position sought
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 5 — Mr G.S. Bali, a sitting MLA and general secretary of the Congress, has urged the Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal, to issue a white paper on the financial position of the state and to provide details of the loans which have been raised from the open market by the government.

Mr Bali, talking to newsmen here yesterday, said the Congress was seriously concerned about the deteriorating financial position of the state under the BJP-HVC combine rule.

He demanded that a special session of the Assembly should be convened immediately to discuss the issue and also the commission which was being paid to private parties for arranging the loans through various boards and corporations.

Mr Bali said that Mr Dhumal had criticised the CLP leader and former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, for raising loans from the open market but now he was himself doing all this.

He demanded that the Chief Minister should take the Congress in confidence on the financial position and not try to keep the people in the dark.

He said in view of the financial crisis, Mr Dhumal should reduce the size of his jumbo ministry.

He alleged that the government assets were being frittered away by the BJP-HVC combine. Residential plots were being allotted to the ruling alliance activists and their relatives at throwaway price and many officers were being paid salary without taking any work from them, he alleged.

Mr Bali alleged that the BJP-led government has thrown all rules and regulations to the winds. He alleged that Mr Dhumal has failed to implement his promise of providing employment to 1.25 lakh youths every year. About eight lakh youths are registered with the employment exchanges in the state.

Popularise ayurvedic system: Dhumal
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, Nov 5 — Himachal Chief Minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal today dedicated to the people of Hamirpur a hotel Hamir, constructed and furnished at Rs 1.19 crore.

It has eight double bed rooms with attached baths, one family suit, a dormitory each for the visitors and the staff, restaurant, lounge, bar and a multipurpose hall. With the commissioning of Hotel Hamir, the number of hotels constructed by the HPTDC has risen to 63.

Mr P.C. Kapoor, Managing Director of the HPTDC said that the corporation had constructed 15 buildings of various types in the state during past 18 months. Seven more were under completion and would be commissioned soon.

This is the first HPTDC hotel in Hamirpur district so far. The foundation stone of the Hotel Hamir had been laid by Mr Dhumal on August 15, 1998 to bring Hamirpur district also on the tourist map of India.

Prof Dhumal also laid the foundation stone of the Zonal Hospital building here. A sum of Rupees 2.52 crore will be spent on its construction. It will be the third phase of the district hospital complex at Hamirpur. All sort of modern medical facilities will be provided in the Zonal Hospital as per programme of the state government.

Mr Dhumal also took part in the state-level Rashtriya Ayurved Parishad function organised to celebrate the Dhanvantri Jayanti. Addressing ayurvedic doctors from all parts of the state, Mr Dhumal said that the ayurvedic system of medicines was best suited in the present time. He asked the ayurvedacharyas to do much research work in field of various diseases.

Prof Dhumal said that instead of making demands, the ayurvedacharyas should propagate their own system of medicine and try to save the suffering mankind from various ailments. He had a dig at ayurvedic doctors that though they were asking for more facilities but were prescribing allopathic medicines that showed that they had to confidence in them. He said that the government was ready to give them higher scales that of allopathic doctors provided ayurvedic doctors made ayurvedic system more popular.

He said that the state government had created 1088 new posts of various nature. The department had recruited 292 ayurvedic doctors on batch wise and by year 2000 the government hoped to recruit more than 2000 ayurvedic doctors in the state.

The Chief Minister said that the state had abundant stocks of herbs but these were vanishing day by day due to lack of knowledge and protection. He asked people to protect these precious herbs and added that the government had already set-up a Herbal garden in Neri area of Hamirpur district and two more in Kangra and Mandi districts. He said that two more Herbal gardens would be set up in Chamba and Kulu districts of the state for which Rs eight crore had already been sanctioned by the central government.

Mr Mohal Lal, the HP minister for Ayurveda said that the government was looking into the demands and problems of the ayurvedic doctors and all out efforts be made to solve them.

Mr Jitendra Vir Gupt, a former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Himachal Pradesh High Court said that the ayurveda system of medicines was the best available system of medicines in the world but regretted that Indians had forgotten it and foreign countries like Germans had taken a lead over it. He said that this system was based on thousands years of research made by our Rishis and yogis and wanted that we should believe in ultimate cure than immediate cure as prevalent in the present time.

Prof Dhumal honoured Dr Ashok Kapatia. A private practitioner of Shimla was also honoured on this occasion by presenting him with a trophy.

Dr Raj Kumar, President of the Rashtriya Ayurveda Parishad said that Himachal had taken a lead over Punjab in field of ayurveda and commented that it would not be wrong if HP was called as Ayurveda Pradesh.

HP census in 2001
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 5 — The census operation would be conducted in Himachal Pradesh from February 9 to March 5, 2001, and all deputy commissioners and commissioners, Shimla Municipal Corporation, will function as principal census officers in their jurisdictions.

Stating this here today, the director of census operations, Mr R.L. Bisotra, said ADMs, SDMs, tehsildars and naib-tehsildars would function as district census officers, sub-divisional census officers and charge officers, operations, respectively. The district revenue officers would function as additional district census officers in their jurisdictions, he added.

He said enumeration in snowbound areas would be conducted in two phases in September and October, 2000, as house listing operations and enumeration. The house listing would identify the existing dwelling and non-dwelling structures and a number of households in these dwelling structures would be conducted in April and May, 2000, for non-snowbound areas and in June and July, 2000, in snowbound areas, he added.

He further said 12,000 enumerators and supervisors, including functionaries like teachers, patwaries, inspectors and clerks would be engaged in the work.

Where builders act with impunity
From Ravinder Sood

PALAMPUR: Situated at a height of 4000 feet above sea level, Palampur — the tea town of Himachal Pradesh — is losing its glory day by day. Thanks to the apathy of the state government, unplanned and haphazard construction of shops, houses and roads is going on with impunity. It seems no authority exists here to check such illegal activities. A number of shops, houses and other buildings have come up here without the approval of the Town and Country Planning Department. In many cases the local civic body has also not opposed this unregulated growth.

Things have gone from bad to worse in the past two years and there is a spate of illegal constructions in the town. A number of influential persons and henchmen of politicians were allowed to go ahead with illegal construction whereas many other residents are yet to get approval for construction. An Army officer, who has come on annual leave in connection with the construction of his house, says that despite repeated visits to office of the Town and Country Planning Department, he has not been granted approval so far and has already exhausted half his leave. There are number of other such cases where applicants have fed up with the rude attitude of department and they allege that there is widespread corruption prevailing in this department and middlemen are also amassing huge money.

It is most surprising that not only private persons are involved in the illegal construction here but various government and semi-government departments have also taken up the execution of their buildings without the approval of the department. The construction of shops by the Municipal Council on a footpath in the heart of the town remained in the news but the state government failed to initiate any action to remove the encroachers. However, the Municipal Committee promised to shift these shops but the assurances remained on the files. The public, by and large, feels that if no suitable measures are adopted by the government to check the situation this beautiful town will soon become a slum.

In the prevailing circumstances the Municipal Council has already failed to maintain the cleanliness in the town as the state government has not sanctioned additional funds. The Executive Officer of the council says that at present the council needs Rs 2 lakh per month to maintain roads, water supply and street lights of the town and it was not possible for the council to generate Rs 2 lakh from its own resources. He says it would be very difficult for the Municipal Council to survive for a longer period if no additional grants were given by the government.

Heaps of the garbage can be seen everywhere in the town which emit a foul smell. The Sabzi Mandi and the local Civil Hospital complex are the worst hit. The Sabzi Mandi has become the most polluted place in the town. The garbage from Sabzi Mandi is not removed for days together causing great inconvenience to the families residing near it. The shopkeepers of the Sabzi Mandi assert that the Municipal Council has provided shops to them and as they pay rent regularly to the council, therefore it is council's duty to keep the premises clean. There is also an urgent need for setting up a garbage treatment plant near the town. At present the garbage is being dumped in a khud near the town and its water is used for drinking by residents in lower areas of the Palampur sub-division which can result in an epidemic at any time.

The residents' outstanding demand to shift the Sabzi Mandi from the town has been turned down by the government. Mr H.R. Sharma, SDM, says that he has taken up this matter with the government. A piece of land has already been suggested to the government but the transfer of land has not been accorded till today. He admits that besides resulting in large-scale pollution in the town the Sabzi Mandi has also become the biggest traffic hazard.

Assault on doctor condemned
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Nov 5 — The local unit of the Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association which met here today condemned the assault on Dr C.S. Thakur, medical officer, in charge of Bagsiad Health Centre while on duty.

The association said the culprits had not been arrested so far. Dr. D.K. Arora, Secretary of the association also met the Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police in this connection.

The NGOs of Bagsiad also held a meeting and called upon the district administration to take stringent action.

Mr Ravinder Singh, DSP, said two youths had allegedly assaulted the doctor on duty on the hospital premises and were evading arrest. "They have reportedly applied for anticipatory bail," he said. A case under Sections 353 and 333, IPC has been registered.

Model cooperative Act mooted
From Our Correspondent

JAWALAMUKHI, Nov 5 — The government will soon introduce a model cooperative act to strengthen the cooperative movement in the state, State Cooperatives Minister Rikhi Ram Kaundal told mediapersons here yesterday. He said due to the lackadaisical attitude of the previous Congress government, the cooperative movement could not produce the desired results.

The minister said to rejuvenate these cooperative institutions, an integrated cooperative project was being implemented with the assistance of a national cooperative development corporation in the state.

It would also strengthen the financial base of cooperatives at grassroots level and would also identify financial and management development needs and provide necessary financial assistance to all levels of cooperative.

Under this project, Rs 319 lakh would be spent on the development of infrastructure and business operations of society, new primary agriculture cooperative and ropeways and repair and construction of godowns. An amount of Rs 128 lakh has been kept under the agriculture sectors as margin money and Rs 10 lakh for fruit and vegetable marketing cooperatives to enable the farming community to send their produce directly to various markets.

An amount of Rs 81 lakh would be spent on strengthening secondary level marketing societies such as tehsil unions and district federation.

2 die in mishap
From Our Correspondent

BILASPUR, Nov 5 — Constable Rakesh Kumar who was driving a scooter and his pillion rider Sukh Ram Chaudhary resident of Lakhanpur were killed when their scooter had a direct hit with a truck on the national highway near police lines main gate at Lakhanpur on outskirts of the town here last night.

Confirmed reports said that mishap occurred as one head-light of truck was off and the scooter driver hit the truck. Both were crushed. Rakesh Kumar was the only son of Kashmir Singh a police ASI of Berry near here and was married only two years ago. His sister also died last year after consuming poison. Truck driver who fled the scene of the accident was later arrested. Subdivisional Magistrate Roshanlal Rana said here today that defendants of both accident victims have been given immediate grant-in-aid of Rs 10,000 by the government.

3 shops damaged in fire
From Our Correspondent

CHAMBA, Nov 5 — Three wooden shops were damaged in a fire which broke out in the local sabzi mandi last night, reportedly causing a loss of more than Rs 5 lakh.

According to Mr B.S. Thakur, Additional District Magistrate, the fire broke out at about 2 a.m. and was extinguished with the help of the fire brigade.

He said a relief of Rs 5000 each had been sanctioned.

Leopard skins seized
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Nov 5 — A team of the Solan police headed by the additional, Superintendent of police, Mr Sundar Lal raided a house in Damana village of Rajgarh Sub-division in Sirmour district and seized three leopard skins worth Rs 10 lakh in black market, today.

Mr Rakesh Aggarwal, SP, said Chaman Lal, owner of the house had been arrested. The raid was conducted with the help of a contact man who had gathered information about the skins being in possession of the suspect.