H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Chief Secy reviews relief work
SHIMLA, Sept 27 — Mr A.K. Goswami, chief secretary, yesterday reviewed the progress of various restoration and relief works being undertaken in the flood-affected areas of Kinnaur district at a meeting of the crisis management committee set up by the government to ensure speedy restoration of damaged works.

HP IAS officers shuffled
SHIMLA, Sept 27 — Mr H.N. Kashyap, Additional District Magistrate here was today appointed the Commissioner of the Shimla Municipal Corporation. He comes in place of Mr Manoj Kumar.

Dhumal backtracks on assurance?
SHIMLA, Sept 27 — Has the state government gone back on its assurance of transferring the DSP of Kangra and his Sub-Inspector wife following the stripping of a scribe outside the local police station by some miscreants?

Candlelight vigil by Tibetans
SHIMLA, Sept 27 — The Regional Tibetan Youth Congress and the Tibetan Women Association organised a candlelight vigil here this evening to highlight the continuing repression of the native people by the Chinese authorities and their systematic onslaught to wipe out the identity of their cultural identity.

Mohinder faction to float party
SHIMLA, Sept 27 — The faction led by PWD Minister, Mr Mohinder Singh, is determined to float a party following yesterday’s decision of the Election Commission to recognise the Himachal Vikas Congress led by Mr Sukh Ram as the real party.

Narrow escape for 3 IAF pilots
SHIMLA, Sept 27 — Three pilots of an IAF helicopter had a miraculous escape when it crashed near Kawang village in the tribal area of Kaza today.

Cable theft hits telecom services
CHAMBA, Sept 27 — The telecommunication services were interrupted on the Chamba-Dalhousie route for three consecutive days a few days ago owing to thefts of optical fibre cable near Dradda belt. According to Mr Hoshiar Singh, the local Divisional Engineer, Telegraph, the thieves had stolen pipes covering the cables.

Chief Secy reviews relief work
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 27 — Mr A.K. Goswami, chief secretary, yesterday reviewed the progress of various restoration and relief works being undertaken in the flood-affected areas of Kinnaur district at a meeting of the crisis management committee set up by the government to ensure speedy restoration of damaged works.

Brig B.M. Bakshi, Border Roads Organisation (BRO), informed that the strategic Khab Bridge would be opened for vehicular traffic on September 30, after the completion of repair work on the damaged approach road. He said Akpa Bridge had also been repaired and light vehicles were allowed to pass and efforts were on to open it for heavy vehicles also. He said BRO had mobilised its resources besides taking help from local people to clear blockades at various points on National Highway-22.

The Chief Secretary while appreciating the restoration work being done by the BRO laid stress on clearance of malling for vehicular traffic at the earliest.

He also reviewed the supply of essential commodities in Kinnaur district and directed authorities to ensure that people did not face any difficulties for want of essential commodities.

A high level team from Shimla which had visited the affected area earlier apprised about the progress of restoration and relief works in the area.

HP IAS officers shuffled
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 27 — Mr H.N. Kashyap, Additional District Magistrate here was today appointed the Commissioner of the Shimla Municipal Corporation. He comes in place of Mr Manoj Kumar.

This is for the first time that a HAS officer has been appointed as Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation. Earlier, the post was held by an IAS and IPS officers. Mr J.R. Katwal, ADM (Protocol) has been appointed as ADM (Shimla).

Mr Nand Lal Sharma, Deputy Secretary, has been appointed as Secretary, HPSEB.

Mr Arun Kumar, Private Secretary to Chief Minister, has been given additional charge of the post of Director, Small Savings.

Mr Shekhar Gupta, Deputy Secretary, GAD, will also hold the charge of the Secretariat Administration Department.

Mr Akshay Sood, Joint Secretary, Excise and Taxation, will hold the additional charge of Trainings and Administrative Reforms.

Four Under Secretaries, Mr Laiq Ram Sharma, Swaran Dass Bhatao, Mr Harprakash Singh Thakur and Mr Khem Chand Sharma, have been promoted as Deputy Secretaries.

The transfer orders of Mrs Manisha Nanda and Mr R.D. Dhiman, both IAS, have been cancelled.

Dhumal backtracks on assurance?
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 27 — Has the state government gone back on its assurance of transferring the DSP of Kangra and his Sub-Inspector wife following the stripping of a scribe outside the local police station by some miscreants?

Although the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, had assured a delegation of mediapersons yesterday that the DSP and his wife would be transferred, no such orders have been issued so far. In fact, the Chief Minister had asked the Chief Secretary on the telephone to issue the transfer orders immediately.

It is learnt that political pressure is being mounted on Mr Dhumal not to take action against the two officers.

The DIG, Kangra, Mr K.C. Sadayal, has been asked to send his inquiry report on the incident by the end of the week for further action. The two have been sent on leave till the conclusion of the probe. Agitated scribes of Kangra say a free and fair inquiry is not possible unless the two officers are transferred from here.

The Home Secretary, Mr Ajay Prasad, says the district administration of Kangra has a different version of the incident. A true picture will emerge only after the inquiry report.

Candlelight vigil by Tibetans
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 27 — The Regional Tibetan Youth Congress and the Tibetan Women Association organised a candlelight vigil here this evening to highlight the continuing repression of the native people by the Chinese authorities and their systematic onslaught to wipe out the identity of their cultural identity.

In a statement, the two organisations said the Tibetans were being denied basic human rights and political prisoners were tortured so ruthlessly that thousands of them died. The Chinese Government had been pursuing the policy of population transfer in Tibet to reduce the native people to a minority in their homeland. It had also imposed forced birth control among the Tibetan women who were forced to undergo sterilisation and abortion, it said.

The Chinese had been pursuing the policy of annihilating the Tibetan people. There has been sevenfold increase in the Lhasa’s population over the past 40 years, with the Chinese accounting for 60 per cent of it.

This had brought many social problems including gambling, prostitution and alcoholism, the statement said.

The international community should not hesitate to condemn China. They appealed to the people of India and all other nations to raise the issue in the UN and pressurise China, to hold talks with the Dalai Lama.

Mohinder faction to float party
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 27 — The faction led by PWD Minister, Mr Mohinder Singh, is determined to float a party following yesterday’s decision of the Election Commission to recognise the Himachal Vikas Congress led by Mr Sukh Ram as the real party.

It has convened a meeting of office-bearers of the party here tomorrow to discuss the fallout of the EC decision. It is likely to discuss the setting up of a new party and an appropriate symbol for it. The “telephone” symbol has gone to the HVC of Mr Sukh Ram.

Mr Mohinder Singh is unlikely to associate himself with the outfit as this will invite action against him under the defection law. He has already been declared an “unattached” member in the Vidhan Sabha and cannot form a party.

Narrow escape for 3 IAF pilots
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 27 — Three pilots of an IAF helicopter had a miraculous escape when it crashed near Kawang village in the tribal area of Kaza today.

According to reports, the helicopter was on a sortie from the Sarsawa airforce station with supplies for the military personnel.

Two pilots escaped with minor injuries, while the third one has been shifted to Manali for treatment.

According to UNI, two helicopters were on a practice flight from Manali when one of them hit an electricity wire and fell on the sand bed of the Spiti river. The power wire runs from Kaza to Kyamo.

Cable theft hits telecom services
From Our Correspondent

CHAMBA, Sept 27 — The telecommunication services were interrupted on the Chamba-Dalhousie route for three consecutive days a few days ago owing to thefts of optical fibre cable (OFC) near Dradda belt. According to Mr Hoshiar Singh, the local Divisional Engineer, Telegraph (DET), the thieves had stolen pipes covering the cables. An FIR in this connection had been lodged with the Dradda police post, he added.

The DET also appealed to the public to extend their cooperation in protecting the property of the department.