H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Congress leaders a frustrated
lot, says CM
DHALIARA (Jawalamukhi), Jan 15 — The State Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, today came down on the State Congress leaders. He dubbed them as a bunch of frustrated elements.

Award for Himachal forensic scientist
CHANDIGARH, Jan 15 — Dr J R Gaur, Director of the Himachal Pradesh State Forensic Science Laboratory at Junga, has been given the Union Home Minister award for meritorious service in forensic science (biological sciences) for the year 1998.

10 J & K labourers nabbed from deras
SOLAN, Jan 15 — The police rounded up 10 Kashmiri labourers from deras in Arhat Bazar, Kasauli, after raids in a fake currency case today.

Solan: BJP keeps HVC under vigil
SHIMLA, Jan 15 — The ruling BJP leadership is keeping a close watch on the activities of the HVC, its alliance partner, which is adamant to field its candidate for the Solan byelection and has convened a meeting of office-bearers of the party at Delhi on Tuesday.

Jawans cremated with military honours
NURPUR, Jan 15 — The body of jawan Jasbir Singh of 10 Infantry Division (Signal Regiment), who lost his life in the Akhnoor Sector in Jammu and Kashmir on January 12, was consigned to the flames with full state and military honours at his native Thehar village, near here, today.

Dhumal arrives for winter stay
DHARAMSALA, Jan 15— The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, arrived here today for the 10-day winter stay.

DCI okays admissions to Shimla college
SHIMLA, Jan 15 — The Dental Council of India (DCI) has approved the admission of third year students in the local Government Dental College, from this year, official sources said.

Revised R-Day programme
SHIMLA, Jan 15 — The Himachal Government today issued a revised Republic Day programme according to which Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gulab Singh Thakur will preside over the function at Mandi.

Congress leaders a frustrated lot: CM
From Our Correspondent

DHALIARA (Jawalamukhi), Jan 15 — The State Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, today came down on the State Congress leaders. He dubbed them as a bunch of frustrated elements.

He was talking to mediapersons here today before leaving for Dharamsala, Mr Dhumal said these leaders were giving baseless statements to mislead the people.

Mr Dhumal said there was a plan to harnessing of the hydel potential of 2100 MW, raising of annual fruit production to 12.5 lakh tonnes and vegetable production to 10 lakh tonnes, promoting tourism, providing safe drinking water, basic health care and shelter to all.

Mr Dhumal said it was possible to achieve the plan targets. He hoped to realise it by involving the private sector.

While the government will arrange Rs 17,000 crore through public sector investments, the remaining Rs 75,000 crore would come from the private sector. The government would create the necessary environment to attract private investments he added. Apart from hydel power and tourism priority will be given to infrastructure development, particularly in the rural areas.

The State proposed to set up a rural infrastructure development fund (RIDF) at the state-level on the pattern of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to arrange institutional fianance for the execution of irrigation schemes, construction of roads and other basic facilities necessary to encourage investment in agriculture and horticulture sectors.

He said the Government had also decided to restructure the technical courses in various institutions after studying the national employment market and consulting the local entrepreneurs so that the local youth of the state got quick employment. It also proposed to set up a multipurpose institute and eight new industrial training institutes soon.

The government has formulated a new transport policy with a view to ensuring better transport facilities to the people in the State. It has provided for exemption of tax for five years to the private transporters for plying buses on uneconomical and "kutcha" routes, he added. More powers were being given to panchayati raj institutions to accelerate the process of development at the grassroots level.

An eight-point strategy had been adopted to make these institutions independent so that they could meet developmental needs themselves. They had been allowed to utilise the money collected on account of land revenue and cess on liquor for development works.

The Chief Minister claimed that his government has managed to implement almost all that he had promised the electorate. This proved that his "government does not believe in words, but in deeds".

Earlier, he was received by BJP workers of the Dhaliara area.

Award for Himachal forensic scientist
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 15 — Dr J R Gaur, Director of the Himachal Pradesh State Forensic Science Laboratory at Junga, has been given the Union Home Minister award for meritorious service in forensic science (biological sciences) for the year 1998.

The award was given at the 11th All India Forensic Science, biennial conference held at Bhopal.

This is for the first time that any forensic scientist in Himachal had received the highest honour in forensic science in recognition of his work.
A press note said that he had 75 publications to his credit published in national as well as international journals.

10 J & K labourers nabbed from deras
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Jan 15 — The police rounded up 10 Kashmiri labourers from deras in Arhat Bazar, Kasauli, after raids in a fake currency case today.

All the nabbed persons were related to Habibullah Butt, who was arrested after he went to deposit Rs 40,000 in the Kasauli branch of the State Bank of Patiala on January 10. Habibullah sought to deposit the amount in notes of Rs 500 denomination. Thirteen of these notes were found to be fake by the alert bank treasurer, who immediately informed his superiors and then in turn informed the police.

Upon interrogation, Habibullah had stated that the currency notes were given to him by the contractor for whom he and other fellow Kashmiris worked. The contractor, however, denied having passed on fake notes to Habibullah and told the police that he had obtained Rs 1.5 lakh in Rs 500 denomination from the State Bank of India, Shimla, out of which he had handed over Rs 40,000 to his ‘Munshi’ for payment to the labourers.

The needle of suspicion then turned on the Kashmiri migrant labourers.

Surprisingly, whereas police records showed only 90 Kashmiri labourers as stationed in Kasauli, about 120 turned up at the police station on being summoned here today. It is learnt that about 10 to 15 labourers had earlier left Kasauli for their villages in Kashmir to celebrate Id.

Solan: BJP keeps HVC under vigil
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Jan 15 — The ruling BJP leadership is keeping a close watch on the activities of the HVC, its alliance partner, which is adamant to field its candidate for the Solan byelection and has convened a meeting of office-bearers of the party at Delhi on Tuesday.

The BJP fears that its poll calculations may go haywire if HVC chief Sukh Ram goes ahead with his plan to field a candidate in the byelection.

On the other hand, the Congress high command has summoned CLP leader Virbhandra Singh and PCC President Sat Mahajan to Delhi on Monday to discuss the prospective candidate for the Solan seat with AICC General Secretary Moti Lal Vora and Secretary Narain Swami.

Indications are that Ms Krishna Mohini, who was recently unseated from the Assembly by the Supreme Court, might be given the Congress ticket although 12 others were also in the run for the party mandate. A meeting here of the pradesh election committee (PEC) of the Congress today authorised Mr Virbhadra Singh and Mr Mahajan to decide the candidate in consultation with the party high command.

Interestingly, most of the office-bearers of the Solan District Congress Committee have applied for the ticket. They include, Mr Liaq Ram Sharma, Mr Sunder Singh and Mr Ramesh Mehta (all vice-presidents); Mr Shiv Kumar, Mr Ramesh Thakur, Dr Kailash Prashar and Mr Jagmohan Malhotra (all general secretaries) and Mr Mohan Mehta (secretary).

A section of the BJP feels that Mr Sukh Ram may give behind-the-scenes support to Ms Krishna Mohini in case the BJP succeeds in persuading him not to field his candidate for the seat. They point out that Ms Mohini has remained a supporter of Mr Sukh Ram in the past and had gone with him during the trial of strength for the post of Chief Minister against Mr Virbhadra Singh in 1993. Fingers of suspicion were again raised on her role during the election for the Rajya Sabha seat which Mr Anil Sharma, son of Mr Sukh Ram, won in 1998.

BJP circles are confident that their candidate would benefit even if the HVC decides to contest the seat. The HVC would only cut into the votes of the Congress, they believe.

Political circles are attaching significance to the decision of the HVC for holding its meeting at Delhi instead of in Himachal. This is being described as yet another pressure tactics of the HVC chief as it is for the first time that the party is holding its meeting outside Himachal.

Jawans cremated with military honours
From Our Correspondent

NURPUR, Jan 15 — The body of jawan Jasbir Singh of 10 Infantry Division (Signal Regiment), who lost his life in the Akhnoor Sector in Jammu and Kashmir on January 12, was consigned to the flames with full state and military honours at his native Thehar village, near here, today.

According to Army sources, the deceased was on duty and accompanying his Commanding Officer in a Gypsy when the vehicle was washed away on a flash flood near Sunderbani.

The body of the jawan was recovered from near Jammu Tawi bridge on January 13. The where abouts of the driver of the Gypsy, Mr Lalit Kumar, who is also from Kinnaur district, are not known yet.

The SDM, Nurpur, and the local MLA, Mr Rakesh Pathania, laid wreaths on the body on behalf of the Governor and the Chief Minister, respectively. Mr Yodh Raj, the younger brother of the deceased lit the funeral pyre. His father, Bishamber Singh, is also an ex-serviceman. Jawan Jasbir Singh was married to Ms Dimple only seven months ago.

A large number of villagers attended the funeral.

Mr Pathania, the Vice-Chairman of the HP Tourism Development Corporation, announced that the family of the jawan would be treated as that of a martyr get all benefits, accordingly.

HAMIRPUR (UNI adds): The mortal remains of jawan Chaman Lal, who was killed in the Siachen sector during Army operations, were consigned to the flames at his native village, Yanwin in this district last evening. His fiancee had earlier committed suicide on hearing of the death.

Slogans of “shaheed Chaman Lal amar rahe” rent the air as his nephew lit the pyre amid a heavy rainfall and inclement weather.

Chaman Lal’s fiancee, Praveen Kumari, had committed suicide after hearing the news of his demise, it was earlier reported.

Hundreds of mourners gathered in the village paid last respects to Chaman Lal, whose body was brought to the village last night from the Siachen sector by Army officials.

Among those who attended the cremation were Himachal Pradesh Education Minister Ishwar Dass Dhiman, Additional Deputy Commissioner B.R. Verma, Additional District Magistrate Nirmal Singh Suman, Col Punjab Singh, Director of the HP Sainik Welfare Board, and other sub-divisional and block-level officers.

Mr Dhiman announced the construction of a crematorium in memory of Chaman Lal and said the state government would provide all help to the slain jawan’s family.

Dhumal arrives for winter stay
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Jan 15— The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, arrived here today for the 10-day winter stay.

The Chief Minister was given a warm welcome all along the route from Una to Dharamsala. Accompanied by senior ministers from the district, Mr Dhumal held a meeting with the district officials to review the progress of various government schemes, like the Saraswati Bal Vidya Sankalp Yojna, Vikas Mein Jan Sahyog scheme and the 20-point programme.

During his winter stay here, the Chief Minister will extensively tour Kangra, Chamba and Una districts. It was Mr Virbhadra Singh who started the tradition of the winter stay when he, along with senior officials, would camp here to meet people and hear their grievances. During the winter stay of the Chief Minister, the state Cabinet meets here once. This time the meeting will be held on January 18.

DCI okays admissions to Shimla college

SHIMLA, Jan 15 (PTI) — The Dental Council of India (DCI) has approved the admission of third year students in the local Government Dental College, from this year, official sources said.

The Dental Council which met at Delhi on January 10 and 11 took the decision in this regard on the recommendations of the inspection team of the council which visited the college last month.

The team comprising Dr N.S. Yadav and Dr S. Chakravarty was satisfied with the steps taken by the government for providing necessary facilities and the staff in the college for running third year classes.

Dr R.S. Pathania, Director, Dental Services, Himachal Pradesh, who is a member of the Dental Council informed that the recommendation of the DCI had been forwarded to the Union Health Ministry for further action.

Revised R-Day programme

SHIMLA, Jan 15 (UNI) — The Himachal Government today issued a revised Republic Day programme according to which Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gulab Singh Thakur will preside over the function at Mandi.
Health Minister J P Nadda will now preside over the function at Solan and Transport Minister Kishan Kapoor at Nahan, said a press note issued here.