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| Monday, February 7, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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Plan
to make HP grain basket |
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| Mahajan objects to CM's remarks SOLAN, Feb 6 — The HPCC President, Mr Sat Mahajan, today took exception to Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal's statement at a party workers meeting here yesterday that development activities were bound to slow down in the Solan constituency in case the BJP candidate was not elected in the forthcoming Solan byelection. CM’s gesture to ailing girl SHIMLA, Feb 6 — Timely financial help offered by the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, has raised hopes of life for a poor tribal girl who has been struggling for survival at the PGI, Chandigarh. Need to manage park’s protected areas SHIMLA, Feb 6 — Mr Roop Singh, Forest Minister, has stressed upon the need for effective planning and sound management of protected areas of the Great Himalayan National Park for managing its national resources for perpetuity. A centre of traffic jams KUMARHATTI: Situated on National Highway No 22 and just 10 km from the district headquarters, Kumarhatti, lacks basic amenities like a bus stand, power supply, potable water supply and garbage disposable system. Jilted lover blasts himself MANDI (HP), Feb 6 — A jilted lover committed suicide at Dhalwana village in the district in a brutal way on Friday by allegedly exploding an explosive device in his mouth, the police said yesterday. Detainee turns out to be militant UNA, Feb 6 — A Resident of Arniala village, 3 km from here, who was detained by the Una police on January 30, has turned out to be Shah Mohammad (20), a Pakistan-trained militant. Review decision on lifting ban: MLA SHIMLA, Feb 6 — A senior Congress leader and an MLA, Mrs Vidya Stokes, has urged the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, to review the decision of the government to lift the 16-year-old ban on cutting of green trees as the step would further denude the Himalayas. Redesign sewerage scheme: DCC MANDI, Feb 5 — The District Congress Committee President, Mr Sher Singh, yesterday demanded that the Sundernagar Sewerage Scheme should be redesigned to cope with the present-day pressure of the population of the town. Power staff assail govt move SHIMLA, Feb 5 — Mr Chander Singh Mandyal, General Secretary, Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Employees Union, has assailed the move of the state government to restructure the state power board.
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Plan to make HP grain basket SHIMLA, Feb 6 (UNI) — According high priority to agriculture sector, the Himachal Pradesh Government has planned to make the state not only self-sufficient in foodgrains production but also to make it a grain basket of the country. It has been envisaged to produce 17 lakh metric tonnes of foodgrains, 1.55 lakh tonnes potato, 5.20 lakh tonnes vegetables and 0.35 lakh tonnes ginger during the current financial year. For this purpose, the state government has supplied 7500 metric tonnes improved seeds and 39,500 metric tonnes of fertilisers to farmers during the last two years, according to an official spokesman here. The government has provided cost and transport subsidy, worth Rs 23 crore, to farmers so that they can get chemical fertilisers at cheaper rates. For the benefit of small and marginal farmers, a cost subsidy of 50 per cent on plant protection material was also being given to them. The rate of such subsidy is 30 per cent for other farmers of the state. To promote use of fertilisers in rainfed areas, 10 per cent additional subsidy on the existing rate of subsidy was also being provided. Besides, 10 per cent cost subsidy on complex fertilisers has also been provided for the first time to the farmers. To exploit the seed potential of the state, 13 seed companies and corporations have been asked to take up seed production programme in the state. Initially, these companies produced 100 quintals of seed of temperate vegetables. For the promotion of mechanised agriculture in the state, as many as 88 tractors and 1,25,000 agricultural implements were distributed to the farmers during the last two years. To bring more area under cultivation, rainfed areas were being developed in a big way. Project proposals of 61 watersheds, amounting to Rs 22.54 crore, have been prepared and would be implemented soon. The projects on completion would fulfil the requirements of food, fodder and fuel of local areas besides generating ample employment opportunities. Minor irrigation programme had been given a top priority for bringing more area under irrigation. About 200 irrigation projects, costing Rs 23.58 crore have been posed to the NABARD for providing financial assistance. Tea cultivation has been transferred to agriculture sector and its cultivation is also being encouraged. Tea planters are being provided 50 per cent subsidy on fertilisers. Nearly 1,100 hectare area in Chamba district and 767 hectare area in Kangra district had been identified for the cultivation of tea. To give boost to technology generation, assessment and refinement, a World Bank-funded national agriculture technology project had been launched in Kangra, Shimla, Bilaspur and Hamirpur districts. Soil testing facilities have been provided to farmers through seven soil testing laboratories, and mobile soil testing vans. A rashtriya krishi bima
yojna has been introduced from rabi 1999-2000 season to
provide insurance cover to crops in the event of any
natural calamity. All loanee and non-loanee farmers are
being covered under this scheme. |
Poachers active in Chamba areas CHAMBA, Feb 6 — Despite best efforts of wildlife officials who booked 26 persons recently for killing wild beasts and birds in the Sahoo and Shillagharat forests of Chamba district, poaching is going on a large scale now a days in the border belts of Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh. As wild animals have come down from high hills owing to heavy snowfall poachers are active day and night in the Sanghni, Bhandal, Diur, Himgiri, Makkan Sanwal, Bairagharh and Devikothi and in small pockets of Churah subdivision on the border region of Chamba district adjoining Jammu and Kashmir killing wild beasts clandestinely. Sporadic poaching has occasionally continued in several other distant pockets for a long time, but it is only after a long period that wildlife officials were able to detect poachers’ activities with the help of local naturalists and the wild life officials seized 3 kg meat, two female monals, one monal head. Poachers also killed pheasants like koklas. There female Ghoral (local name pij) on January 19. The same is the situation prevailing in the remote pockets of the district replete with wild fauna. Unofficial sources reveal that poaching is going on in a big way in the snow-capped forest surroundings where endangered species of wild animals and pheasants are struggling along the low-lying forests as there is heavy snow on the mountain peaks. There is urgent need to carry out forays in such distant terrains where poaching goes on clandestinely in the peak snowy weather.
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HPAP replaces IRB in Chamba CHAMBA, Feb 6 — The Himachal Pradesh Government has replaced the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB), with the 3rd Battalion of Himachal Pradesh Armed Police in the district. Mr R.M. Sharma, the district police chief, said here today the battalion has been imparted complete anti-insurgency training. He said the battalion has been equipped with the latest sophisticated weapons. Vulnerable points had been covered by long-range patrolling by security forces, including the Indo-Tibet Border Police. The police chief informed to keep watch on the movement of terrorists, the Himachal Pradesh Police was in constant touch with the Jammu and Kashmir Police authorities. He said the new communication network had been spread out to the entire border region from Pangi to the Khari area of Chamba district. The police chief said in order to check infiltration into Chamba district, the J & K authorities had been asked to restrict grazing of the livestock in the Doda region. The district police chief said a Muslim organisation viz ‘Ahmediya Jamaat’ had come to light which had launched a campaign among economically backward Muslims in the Chowari area of Chamba district. The police chief further
said after resentment in a section of the society,
against the sect, he had met its leader. He said the
priest had apprised him of his noble cause. |
Infighting in YC comes to fore SHIMLA, Feb 6 — Infighting in the state Youth Congress has come to the fore with the floating of the Himachal Pradesh Yuva Vichar Manch here last night. Claimed to be a non-political organisation, the manch has been floated by persons who could not reconcile to the appointment of Sukhwinder as chief of the youth wing. According to insiders, the manch has been floated with the "blessings" of top party leaders who had openly opposed the appointment of Sukhwinder. The inherent contradiction in the claim of the promoters that the manch is non-political became evident as soon after his election as president of the manch Mr Manjit Thakur announced that his organisation would campaign for the Congress candidate, Ms Krishna Mohini, in the byelection for the Solan assembly seat. Observers feel that the mach will function like a parallel organisation to undermine the authority of Sukhwinder. The party has already taken note of the activities of the disgruntled faction. In fact, Mr Harsh Mahajan, party vice-president and in charge of front organisations, had reportedly brought to the notice Mr Sat Mahajan, Pradesh Congress president, that certain party men were trying to float a parallel body and urged him to restrain them. The Youth Congress has been plagued with factionalism ever since Sukhwinder revamped the organisational set-up. Leaders owing allegiance to the Virbhadra camp who were ignored had been planning to float a parallel body for quite some time. The emergence of the new outfit will further fuel infighting in the party.
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Mahajan objects to CM's remarks SOLAN, Feb 6 — The HPCC President, Mr Sat Mahajan, today took exception to Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal's statement at a party workers meeting here yesterday that development activities were bound to slow down in the Solan constituency in case the BJP candidate was not elected in the forthcoming Solan byelection. Mr Mahajan, who held a press conference here, alleged the Chief Minister was actually hinting that he would slow down the pace of development in the area in the event of the constituency returning the Congress MLA. "This would be a blatant negation of democracy," Mr Mahajan said. The Congress nominee, Ms Krishna Mohini, who was present, charged the BJP with "high jacking" her agenda. She said projects like the shifting of the sub-jail and the construction of the new bus stand were initiated by her during her term as MLA. "The only thing that the BJP did for the constituency was to sanction the construction of a lake near Sadhupul, 25 km from here," she said. Ms Mohini alleged that owing to the gross incompetence of the BJP government, people of the Kandaghat belt had been deprived of a tourism project.
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CM’s gesture to ailing girl SHIMLA, Feb 6 — Timely financial help offered by the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, has raised hopes of life for a poor tribal girl who has been struggling for survival at the PGI, Chandigarh. Miss Krishna Dasi, a 26-year-old girl from Riba village of the tribal Kinnaur district, was referred to the PGI from the local Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital, here in a serious condition. The doctors at the institute diagnosed her ailment as intra-cranial aneurysm, caused due to ballooning of an artery in the brain which required immediate surgical intervention. Surgical procedures, which included implementation of soft coils in the brain, required Rs 90,000. However, the girl who lost her parents long back had no source of income and thus could not afford it. With no earning member Krishna and her four younger sisters and brothers are dependent for livelihood on a small piece of agriculture land which the family has. Taking pity on the plight of the girl a doctor contacted Ashadeep, a local non-government organisation for help, Mr Sushil Tanwar, president of the Ashadeep, brought the case to the notice of the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, who lost no time in sanctioning the required amount and sent a fax message to doctors to go ahead with the operation. One minor and one major
surgery has already been conducted on the patient and it
will take another major operation to implant soft coils.
Krishna’s hopes of life entirely rest on the success
of this surgery. |
Need to manage park’s
protected areas SHIMLA, Feb 6 — Mr Roop Singh, Forest Minister, has stressed upon the need for effective planning and sound management of protected areas of the Great Himalayan National Park for managing its national resources for perpetuity. Presiding over fifth meeting of the governing body of the Biodiversity Conservation Society for Great Himalayan National Park here yesterday, the Forest Minister said the national park was one of the unique parks where endangered species like western tragopen, monal and jungu rana are found. Mr Roop Singh said the national park was a World Bank-aided conservation of biodiversity project with unique eco-system. He said that alternative income generation activities and support from various governmental and non-governmental agencies at the national park had been taken up. The governing body approved logo, a sketch of the western tragopan identifying the Great Himalayan National Park. The logo will be used on banners, display boards, letter heads, stationery etc to popularise conservation efforts in the project. It also approved income-generation activities like plantation of medicinal plants, vermi-composting in the park eco-zone. Among others who present in the meeting were the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, members of the governing body, Director, Great Himalayan National Park, Dr P.K. Mathur from Wild Life Institute, Dehra Dun and senior officers of the state government.
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A centre of traffic jams KUMARHATTI: Situated on National Highway No 22 and just 10 km from the district headquarters, Kumarhatti, lacks basic amenities like a bus stand, power supply, potable water supply and garbage disposable system. Increase in the vehicular traffic on the national highway in the past few years turned this beautiful town into a centre of traffic jams. Fear grips bus passengers and others as vehicles pass through the main bazaar at full speed in the absence of any speed-brakers on the highway. Passengers have to wait for buses in the open sky affected by rain, scorching sun or the winter chill due to the absence of a proper bus stand. However, a rain shelter has been built on Nahan road at some distance, but it too far from the main bus stop. Dagshai, which is 3 km from Kumarhatti, has some standard schools, including Army Public School. Children come from Kumarhatti and the adjacent areas to these schools, but the road that leads to Daghshai from Kumarhatti has numerous potholes. These potholes endanger the life of school kids. Mr Jai Paul Aggarwal, the local Congress leader, said the condition of this road had gone bad to worse. He was unable to recall the time when this road was tarred last. Low voltage and low pressure of water are other problems which have plagued the town for a long time. Dry taps are witness to water scarcity. The local residents allege that water supply is not enough to meet their requirements. In the absence of a proper garbage disposable system, polythene bags have proliferated and have choked drains. Mr Kuldeep Singh, a member of the CPM's state secretariat, said the government should pay more attention to places like Kumarhatti, which has a vast potential to become a ideal hill station and should exploit this opportunity when Shimla and its surrounding areas were losing their charms and this could not be done until the infrastructure has been strengthened . "We would love to bring tourist groups here , but in the absence of adequate amenities, are forced to take our clientele to other tourist destinations." a hotelier stated.
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Jilted lover blasts himself MANDI (HP), Feb 6 (PTI) — A jilted lover committed suicide at Dhalwana village in the district in a brutal way on Friday by allegedly exploding an explosive device in his mouth, the police said yesterday. Twenty-two-year-old Ram Lal took the extreme step outside Government High School in the Sarkaghat area of Mandi district, 80 km from here, they said. He also injured the girl with a knife before killing himself, the police said. A suicide note recovered from his pocket said he would commit suicide if a 10th standard girl of the high school, whom he loved, did not marry him. He also wrote that no one would be responsible for the act. Giving details of the incident, the police said Ram Lal, whose request for marriage had been turned down by the girl earlier, waited outside the school on Friday with an intention to propose marriage to her. When the girl came out during the recess, he extended his proposal and even threatened to kill her and himself if she did not agree to marry him. When the girl rejected the proposal, he put a detonator in his mouth. He also took out a knife from his pocket and pounced at the girl causing injury to her. In the meantime, the detonator exploded in his mouth causing instant death. The police has
registered a case. |
Detainee turns out to be militant UNA, Feb 6 — A Resident of Arniala village, 3 km from here, who was detained by the Una police on January 30, has turned out to be Shah Mohammad (20), a Pakistan-trained militant. The person he was resided with has been identified as Shakeel Ahmad (28), a native of a village in Doda. Mr I.D. Bhandari, DIG, Kangra Range, told mediapersons yesterday that on interrogation Shah Mohammad had confessed going to Pakistan for training in subversive activities at the age of 14 in 1994. Shakeel Ahmad, the DIG
said, was Shah Mohammad’s cousin. |
Review decision on lifting ban:
MLA SHIMLA, Feb 6 — A senior Congress leader and an MLA, Mrs Vidya Stokes, has urged the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, to review the decision of the government to lift the 16-year-old ban on cutting of green trees as the step would further denude the Himalayas. In a letter to Mr Dhumal, she has demanded that the ban should not be lifted. She has pointed out that environmentalists have also expressed concern over the decision of the government. Mrs Stokes has pointed
out that the green cover, particularly in the Himalayas,
was depleting which has upset the water-table. About 1.5
million hectares of forest land is being denuded every
year, she added. |
Redesign sewerage scheme: DCC MANDI, Feb 5 — The District Congress Committee President, Mr Sher Singh, yesterday demanded that the Sundernagar Sewerage Scheme should be redesigned to cope with the present-day pressure of the population of the town. He said the scheme designed about two decades ago would not work now and added that the redesigned project should take into account the population increase in the next 30 years. He alleged that irregularities had been committed in the execution of the second phase of the scheme. He argued that pipes of smaller diameter were being used which might choke within a few years. Mr Sher Singh also
alleged that in an exercise to benefit a few favourites
of a minister, the contract work had been divided into
three persons which had resulted in a loss of Rs 50 lakh
to the state exchequer. Power staff assail govt move SHIMLA, Feb 5 — Mr Chander Singh Mandyal, General Secretary, Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Employees Union, has assailed the move of the state government to restructure the state power board. In a statement here yesterday, he said the decision to constitute a "state electricity regulatory commission" was neither in the interest of the consumers of the state nor the employees of the board. The employees were vehemently opposed to it as there was no justification in the setting up of the commission and further bifurcation or trifurcation of the board which had always been in profit. The need was to provide complete autonomy to the board and plug the loopholes. Mr Mandyal urged the
government not to act in haste as restructuring of power
boards and the constitution of state regulatory
commissions could not yield the desired results in other
states like Orissa, Karnataka, Haryana and Andhra
Pradesh. |
Office-bearers of HP Industries
Dept SHIMLA, Feb 6 — The
following have been elected office-bearers of the
Himachal Pradesh Industries Department Non-Gazetted
Federation: President — Mr Tarsem Chand Sharma;
Senior Vice-President — Mr Subhash Chaudhary;
Vice-President — Mr Brij Lal; General Secretary
— Mr Ram Pal Vashist; Joint Secretary — Mr
Chaman Chauhan; Finance Secretary — Mr Tilak
Guleria; Organising Secretary — Mr Sat Pal Bhatia;
Press Secretary — Mr Rajeshwar Thakur; and Chief
Advisers — Mr Kapil Sood and Mr Kuldip Sharma. |
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