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| Sunday, August 27, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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BRO fighting against odds All-woman police
cell for Kangra 3 youths sentenced to life imprisonment Local bodies staff
threaten stir Congress leader’s
bail extended Lawyers block
traffic |
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| Parmanand for team
spirit in youth SHIMLA, Aug 26 — Haryana Governor, Babu Parmanand stressed the need for inculcating the qualities of leadership, team spirit and discipline among the youth. 
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BRO fighting against odds SHIMLA, Aug 26 — The restoration of the flood-damaged national highway-22, the life line of Kinnaur district, required a war-like effort and the Border Road Organisation (BRO) is doing exactly that. Racing against time to open the important road well before the onset of winter, when the area becomes snowbound, the organisation has mobilised all possible resources and man power. It has not only pressed into service M1-26 helicopters to airlift heavy construction machinery like bulldozers and compressors but also hired whatever machinery was available with private companies engaged in the execution of various hydel projects in the cut off areas. The restoration of the 100-km stretch of the highway between Wangtu and Khab, is indeed a Herculean task, says Brig B.M. Bakshi, Chief Engineer, BRO. Over 20 km of road has been either completely washed away or extensively damaged. Since it was in fine shape before the flood, only minimum machinery was deployed in the area for the routine maintenance. It was for this reason that the BRO was forced to hire machinery from private companies, besides the state PWD. As if the havoc wreaked by the flash floods in the Sutlej was not enough the treacherous hill terrain at Malling nullah is also creating hurdles in starting the restoration work from the Spiti side. A 500-km stretch of a precipitous hill has been constantly on the slide for the past three weeks as a result of which engineers of the BRO could not transport machinery and equipment for installing a bailey bridge across the Sutlej at Khab. With the slow slide continuing unabated, the engineers have now resorted to “artificial triggering” to accelerate the process. To start work in all the cut-off segments of the road simultaneously machinery had been flown to Karcham and other places. Besides, the help of the Army and local contractors was also being taken for construction of abetments of bridges and retaining walls. The immediate concern, Brig Bakshi said, was to open the damaged road. However, for providing a permanent reliable link, the alignment of the national highway would have to be changed. Efforts would be made to avoid the construction of too may bridges across the Sutlej. This could be achieved if the road was taken along the left bank from Karcham up to Kharo. Instead of constructing two bridges, the Khadra Dhank could be avoided by shifting the alignment of the highway 1 km uphill from the existing one where it could be joined with an existing PWD road. |
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All-woman police
cell for Kangra SHIMLA, Aug 26 — A separate cell of the police for exclusively handling crime against women will be set up at Kangra on August 29. This was stated here today in a news conference by the new Director General of Police, Mr A.K. Puri, who admitted that the incidence of crime against women was on the increase in Himachal Pradesh. He said that Kangra, being the biggest district, the first all-woman police cell was being opened there. All cases related to crime against women in the district will be transferred to the cell by the police stations. Such cells will be set up in other districts in the phased manner. The DGP said that 893 cases of crime against women were registered in the state in 1998. The figures rose to 908 in 1999 and in three months
up to June this year, 426 cases were registered. Mr Puri said that in a bid to tone up the functioning of the police, the investigating staff was being separated from the crime prevention staff in 20 of the 82 police stations with higher crime rates. These include all the four police stations in Shimla, 4 police stations in Kangra district and two each in Solan and Sirmour at Paonta Sahib, Nahan, Solan and Nalagarh. The investigation staff will not be put on other duties. In a bid to remove fear of the police from public minds at least 5000 students of schools will be taken to police stations where they will be educated about the functioning of the police. The respective superintendents of police will be present in the police stations to reply to their queries. Mr Puri said that a special drive will be launched to destroy cannabis plants, from which charas is manufactured and vehicles will be checked along highways to prevent its smuggling. He said that the traffic police will launch a special drive on Monday on the Kalka-Shimla highway to check violation of traffic rules. Traffic was most-indisciplined on this highway. Doppler radars will be used for detecting speeding vehicles and breathalysers for checking drunken driving. Such drivers will be launched in Mandi and Kangra next month. Giving figures, Mr Puri said that deaths due to road accidents were rising in the state. 680 persons were killed and 3659 injured in 1996, the number of deaths in 1997 and 1998 was 687 in 1865 and 2342 accidents respectively, 693 persons lost their lives in 2043 accidents in 1999 and 314 have so far been killed this year in 991 accidents. He said that according to intelligence reports all the 6 persons taken hostage by terrorists in the Chamba area two years ago have been killed. |
3 youths sentenced to life imprisonment HAMIRPUR, Aug 26 — Mr Govind Ram Sharma, Sessions Judge, here today sentenced Manoj Kumar, Naresh Kumar, alias Kaka, and Ravinder Kumar, alias Vicky, to life imprisonment and fined them Rs 2000 each for causing the death of Sunil Kumar of Kehrwin village of the district on January 24. The judge has, however, acquitted Sunil Kumar, alias Kaku, of all charges as the prosecution failed to establish his presence at the place of the incident. The judge has also ordered that in case of default of payment of fine, the accused shall further undergo three months’ imprisonment. According to the prosecutor, Mr Akshya Kumar, Patterwal, all four were also charged with committing an offence under Section 323 and 34 for injuring Mr Rajeev and Mr Mukesh. However, the accused were acquitted of the charge under Section 323/34 of the
IPC. |
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Local bodies staff
threaten stir SHIMLA, Aug 26 — The state Urban Local Bodies employees Federation has threatened to launch an agitation if the government fails to accept its demands. Expressing anguish over the indifferent attitude of the government towards the demands, Mr Kishori Lal Sharma, president of the federation, said the action plan for the proposed agitation would be chalked out at the meeting of the federation scheduled to be held at Mandi on September 9. He said the failure of the government to lift the ban on recruitments for the past eight years had started affecting the functioning of the municipal bodies. The work load had increased manifold in various municipalities, particularly in the Shimla Municipal Corporation in which new area had been included. In the absence of adequate staff the basic civic services in most of the towns, particularly tourist and pilgrim centres, had been severely hit. |
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Congress leader’s
bail extended HAMIRPUR, Aug 26 — The District and Sessions Judge has extended the interim bail of Congress leader Prem Kaushal till August 28. Mr Kaushal has been named in the FIR for desecrating the statue of Mahatma Gandhi here, on August 10. Meanwhile, the CID wing of the Himachal Pradesh police continues to investigate the case. However, no arrest has been made in this connection. An official spokesman said the CID was doing its best to nab the culprit. |
Lawyers block
traffic KANGRA, Aug 26 — Striking lawyers of Dharamsala today took out a black flag procession, raised anti-government slogans and held a demonstration in front of the zila parishad hall where a meeting was in progress, and also blocked traffic at the Kachairi chowk for half an hour in protest against the amended Sections 23A, 37 and 46 of the new Land Revenue Act which came into force from August 16. The lawyers were addressed by the Bar Association President, Mr Soni, who described the amendment as “black law”. The lawyers have been on strike since August 4, demanding the revocation of amended Sections of the new Act. |
Parmanand for team
spirit in youth SHIMLA, Aug 26 — Haryana Governor, Babu Parmanand stressed the need for inculcating the qualities of leadership, team spirit and discipline among the youth. Babu Parmanand was speaking at the conclusion of the 10-day inter-state junior Red-Cross training and study camp here today. The camp was organised by the Haryana branch of the Indian Red Cross Society. The Governor urged the youth to continue to participate in such camps in future as they inculcated qualities of unity, leadership, team spirit, honesty, discipline, etc. |
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