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| Sunday, April 30, 2000, Chandigarh, India  
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HUDCO finalises 250 cr package for
HP Mankotia seeks Central rule Dismiss Mohinder, says Sukh Ram CRI staff refuse salary Hazard and chaos at Parwanoo
barrier
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HP to be made fruit bowl
of India: CM Tibetans alleges torture in
prisons Fernandes cancels Dharamsala visit Cops allege rights violations
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HUDCO finalises 250 cr package
for HP SHIMLA, April 29 — The Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) has finalised a Rs 250 crore package for housing and urban infrastructure development in Himachal Pradesh. The blueprint for a quantum leap in the corporation’s financial assistance to the state was firmed up at a meeting between Mr V. Suresh, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the corporation and Mr A.K. Goswami, the Chief Secretary to the Himachal Government, here today. Mr Suresh told mediapersons that during the past 30 years the corporation had advanced about Rs 350 crore and as such the package for 2000-2001 would go a long way in expeditious development of housing, water supply, road, sewerage and other infrastructural facilities. He said, while Rs 125 crore would be given for housing, including Rs 50 crore under individual housing finance, scheme for advancing loans to employees. The rest of the money would be utilised for augmentation of water supply, improvement of sewerage scheme, construction of parking lots, commercial complexes, development of model villages, night shelters, building centres bus stands and tourist villages. A monitoring committee headed by the Chief Secretary had been set up to ensure that the funds were properly utilised. Referring to the achievements of HUDCO during 1999-2000 Mr Suresh said total sanctions jumped to Rs 8899.89 crore from Rs 6666.67 crore in 1998-99, an increase of 33.5 per cent. It provided financial assistance for the construction of 16.34 lakh dwelling units and 1.8 lakh sanitation units during the year. Till date the HUDCO had financed 1.01 crore units out of the total about 16.70 lakh good houses in the country. There was still a shortage of 3.5 crore houses and by 2020 seven crore more houses would be needed for which a sum of Rs 1,50,370 crore would be required. He also informed that HUDCO Niwas retail lending operations would be launched in Himachal Pradesh from June and a regional office of the corporation would be opened here to carry out its increasing operations in the state. He announced that the corporation would contribute Rs 2 crore to the Prime Minster’s Relief Fund to help the drought hit people in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Orissa and other states. The main projects
sanctioned, include solid waste management schemes for
Shimla, Kulu and Mandi, sewerage schemes at Chamba,
Shimla, Solan, Dharamsala, Una, Paonta Sahib and
Sundernagar and water supply schemes at Shimla, Theog,
Rajgarh and Hamirpur, bus stands at Jwalamukhi and
Hamirpur and development of township near Rajgarh. |
Mankotia seeks Central rule SHIMLA, April 29 — Major Vijay Singh Mankotia, Vice President of the Pradesh Congress Committee, had demanded imposition of President’s rule in Himachal Pradesh on the grounds of gross financial mismanagement which, he says had brought the state to the verge of economic disaster. Addressing a press conference here today, he said the state had been in overdraft on several occasions even during the first month of the new financial year. Only last week the RBI had given it two days to clear the overdraft of Rs 150 crore failing which it would stop payment. He said it was surprising that the Dhumal government had plunged deep into a financial crisis despite the liberal assistance of Rs 900 crore from the Centre and raising of loans to the tune of Rs 1600 crore during its two years in office. He said the previous Virbhadra Singh government did not get a penny from the Centre and had borrowed only Rs 800 crore during its four year-term. But this government had "squandered" away Rs 2500 crore in just two years. He urged the government to bring out a "white paper" on the financial position of the state and let the people know how it had utilised these funds. He alleged that the government had deliberately presented the report of the Comptroller and Auditor-General on the last day of the session as it had exposed many skeletons in its cupboard, particularly, the unauthorised diversion of funds. Maj Mankotia said the financial crunch had brought development activities to a halt and various departments owed crores to contractors executing the works. It had been forced to deviate from the Punjab pattern in the matter of house rent allowance, depriving the employees on an average a benefit of Rs 150 - Rs 250 per month. He said by enacting the resignation drama, Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, had committed grave constitutional impropriety as the state remained without a government for a week. The ministers stopped working and some had even returned their official vehicles. He said the whole
episode had put a big question mark over Mr Dhumal’s
ability to lead and govern the state and he had reduced
to a "zero" from a "hero". The
resignations were not spontaneous but "fixed"
like the cricket matches and instead of giving him a free
hand, the "drama" had tied Mr Dhumal in knots. |
CRI staff refuse salary KASAULI, April 29 — About 90 per cent of Central Research Institute (CRI) staff here comprising Group C and Group D today refused to accept their salaries in protest against non-acceptance of their long-pending demands. They had expressed resentment by wearing black badges last month. Their demands, include restart of Japanese-Encephlitis (JE) vaccine, removing pay anomalies as sanctioned for ATOs, lab technicians, lab assistants and others, curbing expenditure on buying machinery, which has been lying unused. The Director of the institute, Dr Usha Soren Singh, was not available for comment. The Joint Director declined to comment. He said all issues has been suitably forwarded to the Director-General Health Services, New Delhi. Employees resenting the
callous attitude of the Director stated that they will
boycott the Raising Day celebrations of the CRI. |
HP to be made fruit bowl of
India: CM HAMIRPUR, April 29 — The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, has expressed the resolve of his government to make Himachal Pradesh the fruit bowl of India by 2010. He said while apples would be grown in the upper hill areas of the state, all-out efforts would be made to grow subtropical fruits in the lower belt of the state. He asked farmers to grow litchi, kiwi and other citrus fruits and thus supplement their income. He said that if any farmer had little land at his disposal and was unable to sow crops, he should grow fruit plants of various types and thus have one or another cash crop at his disposal. The Chief Minister stated this while addressing a massive rural public meeting at Ghalaun village in the district today. He justified the hike in power rates saying the government had little choice in the matter. The state was forced to purchase power from other states during the summer. "It costs us Rs 5 per unit and the increase in tariff is marginal as compared to Punjab, Haryana and Delhi". He said the government would reduce the rates once the state became self-sufficient in the field of power. Earlier the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of a Lab-cum-Training Centre complex of the research station of HP University of Horticulture and Forestry. A sum of Rs 5.41 crore would be spent on this project during the Ninth Five-Year Plan and the state government had released Rs 1.09 crore for 2000-01. The centre would transfer technology to farmers by holding camps, on farm trials and organising trials besides developing an appropriate technology in the fields of horticulture, forestry and allied disciplines. It would be the second such centre after Jachh in Kangra district in the subtropical areas of the state. The Chief Minister said during the past two years, his government was able to harness 4500 MW of power and it was a record. He said efforts were afoot to harness the hidden hydel potential of the state with the help of private parties and young entrepreneurs. The HP Government would observe 2000 as the year of irrigation, he said, adding that 92 more irrigation schemes would be completed during the current fiscal year and funds for these would be arranged from NABARD. The Chief Minister told the officers present at the function that their performance would be judged from achievement of targets under various programmes entrusted to them from time to time. He said a slack approach would not be tolerated. Professor Dhumal hit out at the Congress saying the party was on the brink of further division as had been proved in the Rajya Sabha elections in the state when three Congressmen had voted for the BJP nominee. Talking about the resignation of his ministers and its fallout, he said it was the prerogative of the Chief Minister to see who was to be kept in the ministry. He said he was not for a reshuffle but his colleagues thrust it upon him. He said being the leader of the party he made changes in some portfolios and silenced opponents who were saying the BJP was in crisis. Professor Dhumal hinted
at some harsh decisions to deal with the fiscal crisis
the state was facing at present. He blamed the previous
Congress governments for fiscal mismanagement. |
Hazard and chaos at Parwanoo
barrier PARWANOO, April 29 — Almost half of the National Highway road through Parwanoo township leading from the Parwanoo barrier to Timber Trail remains occupied by a long line of parked trucks. The other half of the road has to take the load of vehicles going in both directions. Thus, it becomes very hazardous and creates chaos when the vehicles try to overtake each other, which often leads to serious accidents. The trouble starts at the Parwnoo barrier itself when most of the trucks have to halt for hours to get the excise and sales tax clearance, and due to shortage of space to accommodate trucks, there is hindrance in the flow of traffic. Traffic jams have become a regular feature with vehicles lined on either side of the barrier which divides Kalka town in Haryana and Parwanoo in Himachal. Conditions here take a turn for the worse during the morning and evening peak traffic hours as many commute to the industrial town of Parwanoo from Kalka, Pinjore and Chandigarh. The traffic from Shimla side and Kalka side has to pass through a lot of traffic hold-ups at the various places in the town from the Parwanoo barrier to Timber Trail. Roadside workshops for the repair of trucks on the National Highway are a very common scene in the town, which also create chaos. Due to parking of the trucks on the roadside, pedestrians, specially women, find it very difficult as they have to listen to lewd remarks of truck drivers. Parwanoo also lacks a bypass, which has become vital due to an increasing number of heavy vehicles passing through this town, specially vehicles carrying heavy machinery for the various hydroelectric projects in Himachal Pradesh. Once a heavy vehicle breaks down on the road, it create hindrance in the smooth flow of traffic and ultimately leads to traffic jams. As there is no proper bus stand in the town, buses also halt at the roadside to disembark passengers, thus creating traffic hold-ups. One of the root-cause of
traffic hold-ups at the Parwanoo barrier is adjoining
Kalka town, from where all the traffic going towards
Shimla and Chandigarh has to pass through the congested
Kalka bazaar. Both sides of the bazaar have been
encroached upon by rehriwallas, vegetable sellers parked
vehicles, leaving hardly any space for the traffic to
move near the ‘Kali Mai Temple’. A
cross-section of the people, when asked to suggest a
solution to this problem, said that an additional police
post should be created at Timber Trail to regulate the
traffic with better communication system. The number of
policemen at the barrier should also be increased. |
Dismiss Mohinder, says Sukh Ram HAMIRPUR, April 29 — Mr Sukh Ram, Himachal Vikas Congress supremo, has demanded the dismissal of Mr Mohinder Singh from the state Cabinet since he has been expelled from the party. He said he would meet senior BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, in New Delhi next week to express his resentment over the "dubious role" of the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, in spitting the HVC. Talking to this correspondent on the phone from Mandi last night, Mr Sukh Ram blamed the Chief Minister for creating fissures in his party. He said the BJP leaders acting against the spirit of coalition governments. The HVC supremo said he would visit all parts of the state next month to reorganise the party and expose those who betrayed it. He said that Mr Mohinder
Singh stood expelled from the party and action would be
taken against his loyalists also. He said the party would
not tolerate any indiscipline. |
Tibetans alleges torture in
prisons DHARAMSALA, April 29 — The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, yesterday said that contrary to the Chinese claims, the conditions in Tibet’s prisons were pathetic, with a number of deaths resulting due to ill-treatment and torture. "Since the Chinese Government ratified the convention against torture in 1988, 71 Tibetans died as a direct result of torture and ill-treatment in prisons in Tibet," stated Lobsang Nyandak, Executive Director, Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy. He said according to a 1998 report from the International Commission of Jurists, Tibetan women, particularly nuns were subjected to some of the harshest treatment, including cases of rapes with electric cattle battons. He refuted Chinese claims that doctors conducted regular medical check ups of prisoners. The fact remained that prison conditions were harsh with inadequate food and medical care, often resulting in serious illness and subsequent death of the prisoners, he added. A Tibetan refugee here, Choehyi Gyaltsen, who was in the Drapchi prison at the time of the May 15, 1998, protests confirmed the death of a 25-year-old nun. Tsultrim Sengmo, due to injuries. She was beaten up by the prison guards and was denied medical treatment till she died in the prison," stated Gyaltsen on Thursday after she arrived from Tibet. According to the Tibet Information Network, the death rate amongst female political prisoners was about 5 per cent or one in 20 and for the male prisoners it was about one in 40. The Chinese report
claimed that women prisoners did not perform heavy labour
and male prisoners worked only for four days in a week
and for six hours. These claims were repudiated by
Tibetan prisoners, who had escaped Tibet. |
Fernandes cancels Dharamsala visit DHARAMSALA, April 29 — The Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes’s visit here to meet the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorjee, at Gyuto Monastery in Sidhbari, was cancelled at the last minute, today. The Defence Minister, was scheduled to make a special trip here to meet the 14-year-old boy, who fled from Tibet, to arrive here in McLeodganj, on January 5. Apart from meeting the head of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, the Defence Minister, had no other engagements here. Great significance was being attached to the visit of Mr Fernandes, as the issue of granting political asylum to the Karmapa, has remained unresolved for almost four months. According to sources the
trip was cancelled due to the Defence Minister’s
sudden visit to Rajasthan, where an ammunition depot of
the Indian Army caught fire yesterday. |
Cops allege rights violations KANGRA, April 29 — Police personnel serving in Second Battalion at Dharamsala have alleged that they were being treated as ‘bounded labourers’. Mr Manak Chand Sharma, General Secretary, Second Battalion, Dharamsala and district president, Class III Police employees Maha Sangh, Kangra district, said here yesterday that resentment prevailed among the personnel for alleged human rights violations, and curbs on their freedom. He said that the class
III employees of the Police Department would wear the
black badges from May 3, in support of their other
demands which included the grant of ration money, medical
allowance, house rent and conveyance allowance on the
Punjab pattern. |
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