H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Move to shift ITI irks residents
NURPUR: Residents of this sub- divisional town and its surrounding gram panchayats are sore over the state government's move to shift the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) from Jachh, near here, to Rehan.

Nalwar fair opens today
SUNDERNAGAR: The Nalwar fair (cattle fair), a major fair in this subdivision, has got its own importance in northern India being the biggest cattle fair here.

Cong to pull out members from panel
SHIMLA, March 21 — The Congress party is likely to withdraw both its legislators from the membership of the committee which has been constituted to suggest measures for making the administration more efficient.

6.5 lakh for manned crossing
NURPUR, March 21 — The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution,Mr Shanta Kumar, while talking to media persons here last evening, said that he had released Rs 6.5 lakh to the Railway Department for converting the unmanned railway crossings into a manned one at Raja-ka-Bagh, near here, where a bus-train mishap had occurred on March 7, in which 10 members of a marriage party were killed.

Students boycott classes
KANGRA, March 21 — About 400 students of the local Government Polytechnic College today boycotted their classes and sat on a dharna at the gate of the college on the first day of their “indefinite strike” in support of their demands.

6 die in road mishap
SHIMLA, March 19 — Six persons were killed when a truck in which they were travelling fell into a khud near Haripur Dhar in Sirmour district today, reports received here said. The bodies of the victims were being recovered.

Move to shift ITI irks residents
From Rajiv Mohajan

NURPUR: Residents of this sub- divisional town and its surrounding gram panchayats are sore over the state government's move to shift the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) from Jachh, near here, to Rehan.

According to the information, the Department of Technical Education has allocated Rs 50,000 for shifting. The previous Virbhadra Singh government had started the ITI on October 28, 1997, in a rented building of the Himachal Pradesh Agro Industries Corporation.

It was started with one electrician's trade from the ITI at Shahpur in Kangra district with borrowed skeleton staff. Two more trades, electronics and plumbing were added. The previous government had, however, sanctioned 23 posts of all categories for this ITI The construction of its own building was also proposed at Nurpur by the then government which earmarked Rs 20 lakh for this purpose.

Notwithstanding, to make any headway in this institute the present Prem Kumar Dhumal government has decided to shift this ITI. The local MLA and Vice-Chairman, H.P. Tourism Development Corporation, had promised to bring back government offices shifted by the former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, following his political rivalry with the then local MLA, Mr Sat Mahajan. Intriguingly, Mr Pathania himself is trying to please the residents of Rehan by shifting this ITI from Nurpur which evoked sharp reaction from among the residents of this area. There is a demand that the ITI should not be shifted from here at any cost. The government can open a new ITI at Rehan.

In the meanwhile, the students of the ITI are worried over their future as the ITI has to get fresh affiliation from the Technical Education Board if it is shifted to Rehan. Earlier, the result of the ITI was held up by the board as the Technical Education Department had failed to get its affiliation in time. As a sequel, the students have to do an additional training for six to 12 months for this lapse of the department.

The proposed mini secretariats at Nurpur and Jawali town by the former Virbhadra Singh government have become mockery to inhabitants of these two subdivisions. The foundation stones of Nurpur and Jawali secretariats were laid, respectively, in August, 1996, and February, 1996, by the then Chief Minister. But the construction did not begin. It is learnt that these foundation stones were laid in haste. Neither blue prints of the secretariats were prepared nor any funds for construction allocated.

The local 100-bedded subdivisional Civil Hospital caters to the needs of residents of Nurpur, Jawali and Bhatiyat subdivisions. The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, had inaugurated a new ultrasound machine in February last year set up by the Kangra District Red Cross Society.

The state government has failed to appoint any radiologist in the hospital so far. The ultrasound machine has been lying out of order for the past about three months. The patients are facing a lot of hardship and being forced to undergo ultrasound tests from private doctors at Pathankot. The post of X-ray technician has also been lying vacant for the past one year. The technician from the Community Health Centre, Gangath, used to come here twice a week. The Health Department had recently posted a surgeon and anaesthetist in the hospital. But it has neither blood bank nor a well equipped operation theatre. The posts of physician, gynaecologist and orthopaedic are still lying vacant. There is no mortuary on the hospital premises. The old mortuary is housed in a dilapidated room, about 2 km from the hospital. It has no water and lighting arrangements.

The Himachal Pradesh Forest Corporation had set-up its depot at Badni, near here, in February last year. The timber logs are stacked here and auctioned to the private entrepreneurs in bulk. The domestic users with its bare needs cannot get timber from this depot as there is only open auction here. There is a demand for setting up of a timber selling outlet in the depot for the benefit of small customers.

Nalwar fair opens today
From Mahesh Chander Sharma

SUNDERNAGAR: The Nalwar fair (cattle fair), a major fair in this subdivision, has got its own importance in northern India being the biggest cattle fair here.

During this seven-day fair, beginning on March 22, thousands of cattle from Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Haryana are brought here for sale or exchange and the transaction is in crores. This year, the fair will be inaugurated by Mr Rup Singh Thakur, Forest Minister, while the Governor, Mr Vishnu Kant Shastri, will be the chief guest for the closing function.

The fair started during the era of Kartar Sen, ruler of the erstwhile state of Suket (Sundernagar). During his time, another king, Nal, had visited Sukhdev Vatika (a place here where St Sukhdev meditated). At that time a function was organised in honour of King Nal and domestic animals, including cows, buffaloes and bulls were brought since King Nal used to take interest in agriculture. Both kings liked the event and so did the people. Since then it is being organised.

After independence, the fair used to be organised by the Agriculture Department followed by the Notified Area Committee and then the municipal council. In 1994, the then Congress government declared it as a state-level fair and now it is organised by the Mela Committee under the chairmanship of the local SDM.

The fair starts with the worship of bullocks and by putting a ‘‘khundi’’ (stake) in the ground. Thereafter, the transaction of cattle begins. Last year, the Mela Committee earned Rs 7.5 lakh. The cattle fair is held at Nagaun khud while the shops are set up in and around Jawahar Park. Thousands of shopkeepers open stalls in the mela grounds in which traditional products of the hill state can be purchased.

Besides the sale of cattle and other products, wrestling bouts (Chhinj) is a main attraction of the fair. The wrestling competitions are organised at Nagaun khud. Wrestlers from northern India can be seen here fighting amidst cheers from the crowd sitting on the hills on both sides of the arena. The champion is given a silver ‘‘gurj’’ besides a cash prize. National-level wrestlers have participated in this fair many times.

According to the chairman of the Mela Committee and SDM, Mr Vijay Chandan, all arrangements for the fair have been completed.

Many national-level artistes have been invited for the cultural programmes which include Anoop Jalota, Ahmed Hussain, Mohammad Hussain, Rathore brothers and the Pulkit Ramnik Group. The cultural programmes will be held at Jawahar Park from March 22 to 27 during night time.

Many departments, including Agriculture, Horticulture, Forest and Himurja and Polytechnic Sundernagar and the BBMB, will display exhibitions. Competitions will be organised to promote agriculture and horticulture and the winners given cash awards.

With the dependency of farmers on bullocks decreasing, there is a need to install separate counters where farmers may exchange or purchase modern agricultural equipment. The government can appoint an officer at a counter so that farmers can purchase and sell tractors and complete all formalities on the spot.

At times, cattle brought to the fair die and nothing is given to the farmer who has travelled hundreds of kilometres. There is, therefore, a need to launch an insurance scheme for the farmers so that they are not deterred from coming to the fair.

6.5 lakh for manned crossing
From Our Correspondent

NURPUR, March 21 — The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution,Mr Shanta Kumar, while talking to media persons here last evening, said that he had released Rs 6.5 lakh to the Railway Department for converting the unmanned railway crossings into a manned one at Raja-ka-Bagh, near here, where a bus-train mishap had occurred on March 7, in which 10 members of a marriage party were killed.

The Union Minister on his way back to Delhi also visited Naglahar and Geora villages in Nagabarigram panchayat and expressed sympathies with the families of those who had lost their members in the bus-train collision. He assured them of all possible assistance on behalf of the government.

Mr Shanta Kumar also visited the accident site. Mr Rakesh Pathania, the local MLA, accompanied him.

Cong to pull out members from panel
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, March 21 — The Congress party is likely to withdraw both its legislators from the membership of the committee which has been constituted to suggest measures for making the administration more efficient.

The six-member committee headed by Mr Babu Ram Mandayal, a senior BJP MLA, was recently constituted by the Chief Minister, Mr P. K. Dhumal, for enforcing efficiency and punctually in government offices.

It is learnt that the Congress party has decided to ask both its members, Mr Lajja Ram and Mr Kush Parmar, not to participate in the meetings of the committee as the government did not hold any prior consultations with the party leadership regarding the agenda terms of reference of the committee.

The committee was constituted following complaints that there was hardly any punctuality in government offices in the state and common people had to suffer because of this.

Students boycott classes
From Our Correspondent

KANGRA, March 21 — About 400 students of the local Government Polytechnic College today boycotted their classes and sat on a dharna at the gate of the college on the first day of their “indefinite strike” in support of their demands.

Carrying placards and raising slogans against the government, the students demanded that those students who pass their first and second semesters should be allowed to appear in the fifth and sixth semesters, respectively.

They demanded that the students debarred from appearing in the fourth and sixth semesters despite their passing the first and third semesters be allowed to “carry on”. They demanded 80 per cent reservation for the diploma holders in different industries in the state. They also demanded that the aggregate marks of the fifth and sixth semesters be counted for the final result instead of taking the aggregate of all six semesters.

The students demanded that the rules for all polytechnic colleges in the state should be uniform and said the re-evaluation fee be dropped to Rs 100 from Rs 250.

6 die in road mishap

SHIMLA, March 19 (UNI) — Six persons were killed when a truck in which they were travelling fell into a khud near Haripur Dhar in Sirmour district today, reports received here said. The bodies of the victims were being recovered.