H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

10 lakh granted for paraplegic home
SHIMLA, June 13 — The Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to give ex gratia grant of Rs 1 lakh to next of kin of those men of the paramilitary forces who lost their lives in various operations, including anti-terrorist operations, since May 1, 1999.

CM: use latest technology
SHIMLA, June 13 — Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, has underlined the need for intensive research and induction of the latest technology to provide a competitive edge to the indigenous products in the international market.

Mystery shrouds youth’s death
BILASPUR, June 13 — Mystery shrouds the death of Rahul Sharma (20), a student of B.A. Part -II of the local Government College, whose mutilated body was found by the railway police on the rail track between Lalru and Dehra Bassi, some 175 km from here, on June 7.

Solan bypoll defeat, blow to BJP
SHIMLA, June 13 — The ruling BJP has suffered a severe blow in the defeat of Mr Ashok Arora whom it was backing against the Congress sponsored candidate, Mr Ajay Mittal, in the byelection for a seat of the Solan Municipal Council.

HP govt may take action on reports
SHIMLA, June 13 — The Himachal Pradesh Government is considering taking action on the reports of inquiries ordered by it into the irregularities in recruitment of employees in various government departments and public sector undertakings during the Congress rule.

Kisan sabha for regularising encroachments
KUMARHATTI, June 13 — The executive committee of the Himachal State Kisan Sabha met here yesterday and expressed concern over the fragmentation of operational holdings of land which had taken place in the state during the last three decades.

New scheme to end water shortage
SHIMLA, June 13 — The Himachal Government has formulated a Rs 100-crore scheme to find a permanent solution to the perennial problem of drinking water shortage in the state capital.

Jawan cremated with full state honours
KUMARHATTI, June 13 — The mortal remains of jawan Sikander of 10 Dogra Regiment, who was killed in the Rajouri area of Jammu and Kashmir on June 10 during cross bordering firing, were consigned to the flames with full state honours at his native Bholi village, 7 km from here today.

5 Tibetan monks, 20 others held
China arrests 5 monks, 20 others
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, June 13 — Following the death of Tashi Rabten, treasures of the Thenthok Monastery in Tibet, under suspicious circumstances, the Chinese police has tightened security and arrested five monks and 20 other persons in the area.

According to information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, the death of Tashi and the arrests were made during the “patriotic reeducation” campaign, launched by officials from the Chamdo Religious Department, at the Thenthok monastery in Dzogang country in the Chamdo region of Tibet.

During the campaign in May, the officials ordered the monastery to remove all pictures of the Dalai Lama. Following protests by the monk, they were severely beaten up, with one sustaining serious injuries and broken ribs.

The treasurer of the monastery, Tashi, was interrogated and forcefully led to the private hall on the third floor. Soon after, he was found on the ground floor in a critical condition, leading to his death. The following night, the monks pasted independence posters in the monastery, reading “Tibet is independent”. Subsequently, Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials from Dzogang country, along with the local officials, conducted a joint investigation, resulting in five arrests.

Later, the PSB officials denied responsibility for the death of Tashi and described it as a case of ‘suicide’. Alleging that the death was a premeditated murder, the locals residing in the area displayed resentment over it. Fearing outbreak of violence, 20 civilians were arrested and security was tightened.

The five monks arrested include Jamyang Tashi (28), Tenpa (25), Tsultrim Jinpa (20), Tsering Chonden (22) and Yeshi Nyima (25). They are currently under detention in the Dzogang County Detention Centre.

The ‘patriotic reeducation campaign’ was launched in Tibet in April, 1996. The objective of this campaign is to control the Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and to attack the political and religious supporters of the Dalai Lama. So far, this campaign has resulted in the expulsion of 13,333 monks and nuns and 296 arrests. A total of 20 religious institutions have been sealed by Chinese authorities.

10 lakh granted for paraplegic home
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, June 13 — The Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to give ex gratia grant of Rs 1 lakh to next of kin of those men of the paramilitary forces who lost their lives in various operations, including anti-terrorist operations, since May 1, 1999.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Chief Minister’s Sainik Welfare Fund Committee presided over by the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, here today.

It was decided to give Rs 10 lakh grant for a paraplegic home in Mohali to create a corpus fund for a rehabilitation centre for paraplegic and tetraplegic soldiers.

It was also decided at the meeting that wards of martyrs of Operation Vijay would be provided free coaching for competitive examinations.

The Chief Minister said the government was committed to the welfare of martyrs’ families and also other soldiers in the state and would do its best to ensure that they lived a respectable life in society. He said steps taken by the state government in this respect had been appreciated.

It was informed at the meeting that Rs 11.78 crore, including the state government’s contribution of Rs 2.5 crore, had been received in the Chief Minister’s Sainik Welfare Fund till May 31, 2000. Out of this Rs 3.59 crore had been spent on the welfare of martyrs’ families so far. A balance of Rs 8.19 crore was available in the fund out of which Rs 7 crore had been kept in fixed deposit for one year. This would create a rolling fund for the future.

The committee also gave ex post-facto approval for expenditure of Rs 95.55 lakh on making payment of ex gratia in 31 cases of martyrs who were killed in various operations other than the one in Kargil and 20 cases of death due to other reasons.

A team of officers had visited 40 Kargil Martyrs’ families in the state on the directive of the Chief Minister to inquire about their welfare.

All 52 families of martyrs of Operation Vijay had been given ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each. Thirty two dependents of martyrs had been employed and 15 given letters of commitment.

Mr Dhumal directed that instructions be given to all Deputy Commissioners in the state to attend to the grievances of martyrs’ families on priority basis.

CM: use latest technology
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, June 13 — Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, has underlined the need for intensive research and induction of the latest technology to provide a competitive edge to the indigenous products in the international market.

Inaugurating the Bhartiya Vipanan Vikas Kendra set up by the Swadeshi Jagran Foundation here yesterday, he said globalisation and liberalisation were a reality which could not be wished away. It was time for the country to gear up to face the challenge by making optimum use of its vast pool of knowledge-based manpower.

The information technology revolution had already demonstrated to the world to capabilities of Indians. They were much in demand in developed countries which had even relaxed the immigration rules to allow them entry.

Expressing concern over the vanshing biodiversity, he said India was a treasure house of medicinal herbs and traditional knowledge based on their usefulness which must be preserved. Traditional knowledge could be patented only by conducting extensive research in which biotechnology would play a vital role.

Referring to the problems faced by farmers due to unrestricted import of apples, hops and other commodities, Mr Dhumal said the agreement to join the WTO was signed during the Congress Government.

Mr Murali Dhar Rao, convener of the foundation, said contrary to expectation, globalisation had not led to any appreciable increase in foreign investment, employment and export, and it was time to have a second look at the reform process.

Mystery shrouds youth’s death
From Our Correspondent

BILASPUR, June 13 — Mystery shrouds the death of Rahul Sharma (20), a student of B.A. Part -II of the local Government College, whose mutilated body was found by the railway police on the rail track between Lalru and Dehra Bassi, some 175 km from here, on June 7.

Dr Geeta Ram Sharma, a veterinary officer in the Animal Husbandry Department posted at the cattle breeding farm, Kothipura, said that his son, Rahul, had gone to pay obeisance at the nearby Dholera temple on June 6 at about 9.30 a.m., saying he would return soon. They felt worried, however, when he did not return home that day. The following morning the railway police from Lalru asked them to come and identify a body that had been found on the tracks.

The deceased person’s telephone number and address were found in his pocket. Some relations immediately rushed to Lalru and identified the body as being that of Rahul. After postmortem, the body was brought here and cremated in the presence of a large gathering.

Dr Sharma said while the Lalru police suspected it to be a case of suicide, Rahul had little reason to do so, especially at a far-off place. He said circumstances indicated it to be a case of murder. He urged the government to order a high-level probe into the alleged murder of his son.

Solan bypoll defeat, blow to BJP
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, June 13 — The ruling BJP has suffered a severe blow in the defeat of Mr Ashok Arora whom it was backing against the Congress sponsored candidate, Mr Ajay Mittal, in the byelection for a seat of the Solan Municipal Council.

Although it was an insignificant byelection for a seat of Ward No. 6 which was vacated by Mr Rajiv Bindal of the BJP after he became an MLA, it has wider ramifications as factionalism within the BJP came to the fore with activists of the Shanta Kumar faction reportedly supporting the Opposition candidate.

Moreover, the seat has remained a stronghold of the BJP and gone to the Congress-backed candidate within about four months of Mr Bindal quitting it after having been elected to the Assembly.

Opponents of Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, claim that the defeat of Mr Arora was humiliating for him as it reflected that Mr Bindal, who was the handpicked man of Mr Dhumal for contesting the Assembly election, had lost influence in the area.

It may be recalled that Mr Bindal, who was a nominee of Mr Dhumal, was given the party ticket for the Assembly elections ignoring the claim of Mr Mohinder Nath Sofat, who had earlier represented the constituency.

The victory of Mr Mittal has come as a shot in the arm of the Congress which has so far witnessed only defeats ever since the BJP-HVC combine government came to power in the state about two years ago. The Senior General Secretary of the District Congress Committee, Solan, Mr Arvind Gupta, described the defeat of the BJP-backed candidate as the “countdown” of the BJP-HVC rule.

Now the Congress has six members in the Municipal Council with 13 seats. However, there are high expectations among the Congressmen to regain control of the Municipal Council in the coming election for the President of the council. The election of the President was earlier scheduled to be held on June 27, but was indefinitely postponed.

The Congress was eying the three councillors of the Shanta Kumar faction who were not having cordial relations with the Dhumal group after the Solan Assembly seat byelection.

The Congress controlled the Municipal Council before the BJP-HVC came to power. However, two of its members switched their loyalty to the BJP when it came to power in the state and the control of the prestigious Municipal Council went into the hands of the BJP.

It is being said the Shanta Kumar faction has shown the Dhumal group its place in Solan itself where their rivalry had come in the open for the first time during the Assembly election.

HP govt may take action on reports
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, June 13 — The Himachal Pradesh Government is considering taking action on the reports of inquiries ordered by it into the irregularities in recruitment of employees in various government departments and public sector undertakings during the Congress rule.

Stating this while talking to newsmen here today, Mr P.K. Dhumal, the Chief Minister, said reports of the Harsh Gupta, committee and the Shukla committee had pointed to glaring irregularities in recruitment proving the BJP’s charges. The vacancies were not notified, as required under the Compulsory Notification of Vacancies Act and proper selection procedure was not followed in most of the cases.

The main issue before the government was what action should be taken against the officers who made recruitments at the behest of the political bosses in gross violation of various laws and whether those who had got jobs in this manner should be retained or not.

He ridiculed the former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh’s charge that the Subordinate Services Selection Board was not functioning properly. When the Congress was in power jobs were given on “chits” and now that his government had set up an independent agency to check such malpractices they were crying foul.

He also refuted the Congress allegation that the present regime was selling out state’s interest and said it was his government which had settled the long pending inter-state issues like Anandpur Hydel Channel, Shah Nehar and Thein Dam, which the earlier governments had failed to resolve.

He blamed the Virbhadra Singh government for raising huge loans, for the perennial financial crisis plaguing the state and said the present government was doing its best to bring about fiscal stability. He said the state’s committed expenditure had increased considerably due to mounting interest liability, pensions and salaries. The annual interest payment had shot up from Rs 455.71 crore in 1997-98 to Rs 1050 crore during the current year. Similarly, the burden on account of salary had swelled from Rs 987 crore to Rs 1500 crore and pension from Rs 182 crore to Rs 400 crore during the period. Despite this the government had managed to get the annual plan enhanced substantially from Rs 1440 crore in 1998-99 to Rs 1720 crore for the current year.

One held in youth’s murder case
From Our Correspondent

NURPUR, June 13 — Personal enmity led to the murder of a 25-year-old youth of Bhalakhi village. He was reportedly thrashed on June 4 when he was watching a wrestling match at Gangath in this subdivision. An FIR was lodged under Section 302 of the IPC.

The accused Rai Singh, who was arrested yesterday, confessed that he had beaten up the youth at the fair. The victim had sustained internal injuries. The family of the deceased reported the incident at Gangath police post on June 8. He was medically examined at Community Health Centre (CHC), Gangath, and his injuries were observed as minor. But his condition deteriorated on June 10 and he was rushed to the CHC, Gangath, where he was advised an ultrasound examination. However, the victim succumbed to his injuries before he arrived at Pathankot for the examination.

In the initial postmortem examination of the deceased it was reported that his liver was damaged and the stomach was full of blood because of bleeding from internal wounds.

Kisan sabha for regularising encroachments
From Our Correspondent

KUMARHATTI, June 13 — The executive committee of the Himachal State Kisan Sabha met here yesterday and expressed concern over the fragmentation of operational holdings of land which had taken place in the state during the last three decades.

Mr Kuldeep Singh, general secretary of the sabha, said small and marginal farmers having land below two hectares had increased from 4.78 lakh in 1971-72 to 7.53 lakh in 1999-2000 and accounted for 85.5 per cent of all. The result was that these had become economically unviable. It was only the shift towards cultivation of fruits and off-season vegetables which had prevented the economic ruin of the peasants.

The sabha expressed apprehension that this fragmentation of holdings along with more than eight lakh highly educated registered unemployed youth and the new challenge posed by the heavy import of cheap foreign agricultural goods could lead to an explosive social situation.

The sabha noted that whereas since 1975 the state government had discontinued the policy of allocating “non-tod” land to the land poor, the kisans had indulged in large-scale encroachment of adjoining forest land. Since the Forest Act of India had already defeated two moves of the previous Congress-led state government to regularise these encroachments. The sabha demanded amendment to the Act, allowing the state government to allot treeless forest lands to the land poor and regularising these encroachments.

The sabha warned that it had directed its district and village units to identify the encroachments and prepared them for a statewide struggle towards regularisation of the encroachments and fight against the policies of liberalisation and globalisation.

New scheme to end water shortage
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, June 13 — The Himachal Government has formulated a Rs 100-crore scheme to find a permanent solution to the perennial problem of drinking water shortage in the state capital.

Stating this while inaugurating the new building of the government middle school at Ramnagar here on Sunday Mr Narinder Bragta, Horticulture Minister, said the scheme envisaged lifting of water from the Giri river up to Fagu near Kufri from where it would be brought to the main reservoir at the Ridge.

He said the government was giving top priority to drinking water and it would soon convene a meeting of officers of the Irrigation and Public Health Department, the state electricity board and the Municipal Corporation to identify new sources of water and preparing plans to tap them. Besides, hand pumps were installed in areas which suffered from water scarcity.

Jawan cremated with full state honours
From Our Correspondent

KUMARHATTI, June 13 — The mortal remains of jawan Sikander of 10 Dogra Regiment, who was killed in the Rajouri area of Jammu and Kashmir on June 10 during cross bordering firing, were consigned to the flames with full state honours at his native Bholi village, 7 km from here today.

The air was filled with slogans like ‘Shaheed Sikander amar rahe, Pakistan murdabad’ as the youngest brother of Sikander lit the pyre. The body was brought to Bholi yesterday. A large number of people, relatives and political leaders thronged the house to express sympathy. Prominent among those who expressed sympathy were Mr K.D. Sultanpuri, former MP, Mr. Raghu Raj Congress MLA and Mr Rajiv Bindal, MLA from Solan. Hundreds of residents offered flowers and laid wreaths. The 24-year-old Sikander was commissioned into the Army in 1994 and posted in 10 Dogra Regiment in Rajouri sector had returned to his unit only two months back.