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| Friday, March 3, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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HP plans satellite towns |
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| Hamirpur HVC unit may split HAMIRPUR, March 2 — The district unit of the HVC may split. While Mr Ranjit Singh Verma, the district chief of the HVC has joined the group led by Mr Mohinder Singh, the other persons in the party have shown their loyalty towards Mr Sukh Ram. College hostel sans water, electricity KANGRA, March 2 — Resentment prevails among students of the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College at Tanda near here, who were shifted to the new hostel building in the college premises on Monday as the hostel building is without electricity and water. BJP forms panel on membership SHIMLA, March 2 — Mr Suresh Chandel, president of the state unit BJP, has constituted a three-member state level committee to look into complaints pertaining to active membership of the party. Martyr cremated HAMIRPUR, March 2 — Naik Hemraj of 7 Dogra who laid down his life while fighting Pakistanis in Pallanwals sector of Jammu and Kashmir recently was cremated with full state honours in Salauni village on Tuesday. His son Ajay Kumar lit the pyre. 
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HP plans satellite towns SHIMLA, March 2 — Himachal Pradesh Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri, in his address, to the state Assembly today, development activities undertaken in Himachal Pradesh since the BJP-HVC combine government came into power. He said the government had decided to set up a one-member state power regulatory commission. Several steps had been taken to tap the state's hydroelectric potential both in the public and private sector. Mini and micro power projects were also being encouraged. The Governor said steps had been taken to downsize the administration and five posts of IAS and 20 posts of HAS had been abolished. Posts of IPS and the Himachal Police Service had also been reduced. Besides, four posts of IFS and one of the State Forest Service were being abolished. He said the Medical Council of India had granted permission for admitting students for the medical college at Tanda. Three private and a government dental college had been opened in the state. He listed the steps taken for development of agriculture and horticulture in the state. The House paid tributes to former President Shankar Dayal Sharma and B. Rachhiah, a former Governor of the state, who died recently. The BJP MLA, Mr Rajeev Bindal, was administered oath by Speaker Thakur Gulab Singh. UNI adds: The Governor said on Thursday the government proposed to formulate a policy in the near future to set up satellite townships around existing towns in order to ease pressure of overcrowding. In his address to the Assembly on the beginning of the Budget session, he said a pilot project was underway with the help of the Norwegian Government for Palampur and Manali towns. Mr Shastri said the government was preparing an ambitious scheme for replacing old varieties of apple with new high yielding ones. The government had taken up the matter of apple having been put in the OGL list with the Central Government and urged it to increase the customs duty on apple to 100 per cent from the present 45.6 per cent so that interests of growers could be protected. Referring to development of tourism in the state, the Governor said ropeways would be established and water sports, heli-skiing, para-gliding and adventure tourism encouraged. The Gaggal, Bhuntar and
Jubbarhatti airports in the state would be made worthy of
landing and taking off of bigger aircraft. He said the
state had 35 helipads. The government had decided that a
helicopter taken on lease would be utilised for the
service of tourists. |
Virbhadra assails Dhumal tactics SHIMLA, March 2 — The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Virbhadra Singh, has said that the recent election of the BJP candidate from the Solan Assembly constituency in the byelection is the result of "a victory of jungle raj over democracy". In a statement here yesterday Mr Virbhadra Singh alleged that it was a foregone conclusion from the day the election was announced that the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, would do everything possible to win the seat by resorting to "tricks and means fair or foul" for his political survival. In this election the Chief Minister was not only fighting the main rival Congress Party but also his arch political rival Shanta Kumar and an alliance partner, Mr Sukh Ram, who was the source of constant pinpricks and occasional blackmail. He alleged that the entire government machinery and resources of the state were used to help the BJP candidate and hand-picked sympathisers of the RSS and the BJP were appointed as presiding officers in many polling stations. Money and muscle power were openly used to pressure voters on unprecedented scale. Open meetings were held even after the campaign ended in which the Chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues made announcements and commitments regarding the opening of institutions and sanctioning of various schemes without budgetary provisions in utter violation of the election norms and the code of conduct. The district administration remained a mute spectator and even the election observer sent by the Election Commission was nowhere traceable. It turned out to be an electoral battle not between the Congress and the BJP but the Congress Party and the government of Himachal Pradesh. The BJP may have won technically but it has lost morally and ethically with the vast majority of the electorate having voted against it. In view of this the Congress Party and its rank and file is not at all disheartened by the outcome of election but is more determined now to expose the misdeeds of the ruling party by going to the people with renewed vigour, he added.
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Dhumal: 190 cr being spent on
uplift of SCs SHIMLA, March 2 — The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, has said Rs 190 crore was being spent under the Scheduled Caste component plan for the speedy upliftment of Schedule Castes during the current financial year. Presiding over a meeting of the Kubir Panthi Kalyan Board here yesterday, he said the government had taken various steps in this direction during the past two years which included the introduction of the Ambedkar meritorious scholarship scheme under which 1,000 meritorious students belonging to the Scheduled Castes were being provided scholarship. He said the Scheduled Caste Development Corporation would provide loans to 3,345 Scheduled Castes to help improve their economic condition. Besides, 560 educated youth were being imparted training under the Dalit Varg Vyavasayik Prashikshan Yojna and they would be provided interest free loan to pursue higher technical education. It was decided at the meeting to ask the Central Government to insert an entry of Kubir Panthi in the revenue record instead of various names being used at present. Mr Mansa Ram, Welfare
Minister, said the setting up of the Kabir Panthi Board
by the government for the first time in the state
indicated the determination of the government for the
speedy upliftment of the poor. |
Mass copying before exams? HAMIRPUR, March 2 — The Department of Education here is baffled and upset over anonymous complaints of mass copying in exams of the HP Board of School Examinations in various schools of the district received since last evening even as the exams started this morning. In the morning, students of Class VIII appeared in the examinations and in the afternoon session, students of plus two took the exam. Mr Kashmir Singh Banyal, Deputy District Education Officer, Hamirpur, who is also the state President of the HP Government Teachers Union, told reporters that the department was upset over anonymous complaints received in the form of telegrams and letters since last evening. He expressed the apprehension that certain persons were trying to defame the Department of Education by levelling charges of mass copying much ahead of the start of examinations. He said that these complaints had come from Bani, Barsar, and Amroh, Kuthera and Pansai schools in this district. Mr Banyal appealed to the people not to misinform the department and allow it to function in a responsible manner to conduct the annual examinations in a free and fair manner. He also asked the
teaching community to act firmly to end the menace of
copying. |
BJP not to ditch HVC says Dhumal SHIMLA, March 2 — The crisis in the Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) persisted even as Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, who had telephonic talk with HVC supremo Sukh Ram, expressed hope that the issue would be sorted out amicably. The two leaders will meet tomorrow to have detailed discussion and find a solution to the crisis created due to the suspension of Mr Mohinder Singh, Public Works Minister, from the party. Mr Dhumal said he had made it clear to Mr Sukh Ram that the BJP was not trying to split the party and he should not have any misgivings in this regard. It wanted the alliance to continue and he stood by his word that he would not ditch the HVC even if his party secured 60 out of 68 seats in the Vidhan Sabha. On the other hand, Mr Sukh Ram was non-committal on the demand for revocation of Mr Mohinder Singh's suspension and said that he would give a thought to it only after receiving the reply of the errant leader to the chargesheet issued to him. He said the show of strength by Mr Mohinder Singh was an act of defiance and not conducive to amicable settlement of the issues. He was cowed down by such "shows" enacted by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. He said Mr Mohinder Singh could have talked to him directly if sincerely wanted or resolve the issue.
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Boy kills
himself;
woman beaten up DHARAMSALA, March 2 — An 18-year-old student shot himself in the Gamru locality of the town today. According to the police, the boy, Kanwaljeet, shot himself with his father's gun in the evening. The boy's father is an employee in the Forest Department. The cause of the drastic step is not known. In another incident, a married young woman was reportedly beaten up mercilessly before her hair was cut by irate villagers in Kangra district, a week after her 'paramour' committed suicide, the police said today. The police have registered a case and arrested 15 persons. Kangra police station SHO P.C. Sandhu said that 30-year-old Pinki had just returned from her father's house to her village of Nathered on Tuesday, when a group of villagers entered her house after breaking open the door. "She was thrashed,
beaten up severely and her hair was cut. She was later
admitted to hospital," Sandhu said, adding that
Pinki allegedly had illicit relations with a youth who
reportedly committed suicide. |
Hamirpur HVC unit may split HAMIRPUR, March 2 — The district unit of the HVC may split. While Mr Ranjit Singh Verma, the district chief of the HVC has joined the group led by Mr Mohinder Singh, the other persons in the party have shown their loyalty towards Mr Sukh Ram. Mr Verma attended the party meeting that was convened at Shimla on Wednesday by Mr Mohinder Singh and showed full sympathy for him. On the other hand, Mr Deepak Sharma, a member of the state unit of the party, openly supported the HVC supremo, Mr Sukh Ram. Mr Sharma blamed Mr Mohinder Singh for the crisis in the party only to remain in the government. He said a few persons in the BJP were also responsible for the rift. He, however, clarified that the decision taken by Mr Sukh Ram about the future of the party would be binding on all.
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College hostel sans water,
electricity KANGRA, March 2 — Resentment prevails among students of the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College at Tanda near here, who were shifted to the new hostel building in the college premises on Monday as the hostel building is without electricity and water. According to students of the college when went to meet the Principal of the college Dr. R.L. Gupta, yesterday in this connection he allegedly refused to meet them. Mr S.K. Sood, Deputy Chief Engineer, of the state electricity board operation circle, told this correspondent that the medical college authorities had not applied for the power connection for the hostel buildings. Mr Sood said correspondence had been going on with the medical college authorities for the last six months for the installation of a new transformer in the hostel buildings but they had not deposited the required money with the board. Dr R.L. Gupta, Principal
of the medical college, was not available for the
comments. |
BJP forms panel on membership SHIMLA, March 2 — Mr Suresh Chandel, president of the state unit BJP, has constituted a three-member state level committee to look into complaints pertaining to active membership of the party. Headed by Mr Jaikrishan Sharma, vice-president of the party, the committee has Mr Randhir Sharma and Mr Dile Ram as members. Similar committees have also been set up to certify the active membership in each district. Mr Joginder Negi has been made chairman of the committee for Kinnaur, Dr Ashok Kapadia for Shimla, Mr Virendra Sehgal for Solan, Mr Chander Mohan for Sirmaur, Mr Ashwini Dogra for Bilaspur, Mr Ramesh Chand for Mandi, Mr Chandra Sen Thakur for Kulu, Mr Baldev Sharma for Hamirpur, Mr Subhash Sahore for Una. Mr Kripal Parmar for Kangra and Mr Tulsi Ram for Chamba. Mr Chandel said the
members of each committee would be nominated by the
respective district party presidents. |
Martyr
cremated HAMIRPUR, March 2 — Naik Hemraj of 7 Dogra who laid down his life while fighting Pakistanis in Pallanwals sector of Jammu and Kashmir recently was cremated with full state honours in Salauni village on Tuesday. His son Ajay Kumar lit the pyre. Hundreds of persons were present on this occasion to pay their last respects to the martyr. Earlier, his body was brought to his native village by the army personnel. Mr Ishwar Dass Dhiman, Education Minister, Mrs Urmila Thakur, Parliamentary Secretary, Mr B.R. Verma, ADC, Hamirpur, and other civil and police officers laid wreaths on the body of the martyr. He leaves behind his
wife, one son and three daughters. |
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