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| Monday, November 13, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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88 cast votes for AICC chief’s post
Panchayats get more powers KUMARHATTI: Though the availability of water has never been satisfactory in this part of Solan district, with the passage of time the problem has become acute and a major chunk of the population of the Barog and Chewa panchayat areas has been badly affected. HP gets Rs 11.15 cr
Nabard loan Cancel transfer order: scribes |
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ITBP officer cremated with honours Vet hospital locked Eyes of schoolchildren
tested
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88 cast votes for AICC chief’s post SHIMLA, Nov 12 — Barring Mrs Satya Parmar, former pradesh Congress committee chief who has gone abroad, all delegates cast their vote for the election to the post of All-India Congress Committee President here today. In all 88 votes were polled, besides, the pradesh returning officer, Mr Hanumanta Rao, also cast his vote here. These included 65 delegates from block Congress committees, 11 district presidents, six CLP delegates and six ex-PCC presidents. The electoral college comprised 94 members, but only 89 of them were eligible to caste votes. While the election process in three of the 68 block committees could ‘not be completed, the election of the district president of Kinnaur could not be held. The district Congress president of Mandi could not vote due to stay order granted by the court. Certain Congressmen had moved the court and secured orders to debar as many as 14 members from casting votes. However, the stay order could be served only to Mr Sher Singh, president of the Mandi District Congress Committee, who did not cast vote. The delegates passed a resolution authorising Mrs Sonia Gandhi to select the next pradesh Congress committee chief, delegates from the state to the All-India Congress Committee, members of the state executive committee and members of the election committee and the disciplinary committee of the pradesh Congress. Mr Sat Mahajan, PCC President, will hand over the resolution duly signed by the delegates to Mrs Gandhi at Delhi tomorrow. Meanwhile, Mr Deepak Rathore, polling agent of Mr Jitendra Prasada, has alleged irregularities in polling for the post of AICC President and accused pradesh returning officer. Mr
Hanumanta Rao, of canvassing for Mrs Sonia Gandhi. Mr Rao virtually canvassed for Mrs Gandhi by sending telegrams asking PCC delegates to collect their identity cards on November 11 and 12 and vote for her. Moreover, Mr Kuldeep Rathore, who was the district returning officer for Kangra and assistant returning officer for Chandigarh, was allowed to become the polling agent of Mrs Gandhi. |
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Panchayats get more powers SHIMLA, Nov 12 (UNI) — The Himachal Pradesh Government has given more powers to
Panchayati Raj institutions to rejuvenate development activities in villages. The government was taking effective steps to make these democratic institutions fully functional and vibrant so as to establish the
Panchayati Raj system in accordance with the spirit of the constitution, according to an official
spokesman. Panchayats can now plan development of areas falling under their jurisdiction as per the needs of people of these areas. The government has devolved powers, functions and responsibilities of 15 departments, including agriculture, animal husbandry,
ayurveda, education, health and family welfare, forest and revenue, to the
Panchayati Raj institutions. The gram panchayats have been empowered to prepare micro-development plans for improving rural roads, health and veterinary care, schools and drinking water facilities and sanitation. At present, there are 3032 gram
panchayats, 72 panchayat samitis and 12 zila parishads in the state. The spokesman said the panchayats had been given powers to report on the attendance of grass root level functionaries such as
patwaris, forest guards, health workers, village-level workers of
ayurveda, animal husbandry, irrigation and public health and women welfare departments and school teachers. This would bring efficiency in the functioning of these departments. The state government has decided to transfer all part-time staff members of various departments to
panchayats. The government had already appointed tailoring teachers in all panchayats and panchayat sahayaks in more than 50 per cent of panchayats where regular gram panchayat vikas adhikari was not available. It has been decided that various government departments instead of having separate committees for monitoring the implementation of departmental
programmes, will integrate these committees with the standing committee of the
Panchayati Raj institutions. The government has also decided to give a share to panchayats in excise collection from sale of liquor. Besides, land revenue will also go to the respective
panchayat. The Panchayati Raj institutions have been empowered to impose fine
up to Rs 1,000 for damaging any kind of public property in their areas. To make these grass root level democratic institutions more responsible and accountable and to ensure transparency in their day-to-day functioning, instructions have been issued to them to provide access to information, accountability and promptness in dealing with public. It has been decided that any panchayat voter can inspect the record of panchayat and even get a copy of it on payment of a nominal fee. |
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Barog areas face water scarcity KUMARHATTI: Though the availability of water has never been satisfactory in this part of Solan district, with the passage of time the problem has become acute and a major chunk of the population of the Barog and Chewa panchayat areas has been badly affected. The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that residents of certain villages have been forced to meet their daily requirements by collecting rain water. Enquiries reveal that water-lifting schemes launched to augment the supply of water to the villages have been abandoned due to political considerations, government department bottlenecks or the paucity of funds. Some families in these panchayat areas do not even have access to public taps. Those who are lucky enough to have a water connection say the supply period is merely 10-15 minutes a day. The gravity of the problem can be gauged from the fact that as compared to the daily requirement of 50 litres of water per person, the availability is only 5 litres per person. This figure excludes the water needs of cattle. The situation becomes extremely bad in the summer when natural sources go dry. Some families near Barog have to trudge a long distance to get drinking water. A population of around 1,500 of Barog is affected by the scarcity of water. There are at least 10 public taps in the Barog area and on an average around 50 families depend on these. The short period of supply often compels half the families to return home with empty buckets. “We have on many occasions requested the authorities to take steps to improve the situation but till date nothing has happened”, says Mr Sanjay Sharma, a member of the Barog panchayat. Mr Sharma, who is also the president of the local Alakhdata Yuvak Mandal, has threatened to launch an agitation if quick action is not taken to augment the supply of water. It is learnt that the residents of Barog are facing the water crisis due to the indifferent attitude of the authorities. The Galiana water-lifting scheme, which was started to get water from a nearby khud, is lying abandoned. According to reliable sources, the scheme was left incomplete due to political considerations. Residents say its completion will help ease the water problem. They say the IPH Department did not lay a water pipe to a village behind Hotel Pine Wood, Barog, despite a sanctioned public connection. In fact, villagers themselves arranged a temporary pipe which is often damaged by wild monkeys. The inadequate supply of water has also put a question mark on the future of hotels at Barog. Hotel and dhaba owners at Barog need around 3,000 litres of water daily against the supply of only 150 litres after a gap of two days. “We have to make our own
arrangements. This costs us 70 paise per litre of water,” says Mr Ramesh Sharma, manager of Hotel Korinns. “Every month we have to spend around Rs 35,000 on these
arrangements," he says. Besides Barog, residents of Kalol, Mouhri, Kathiala, Matian, Dagota, Rundan Ghoron, Udaipur, Haripur, Kalawan, Patta ka More, Himmatpur Dawli and Chamri are also facing an acute shortage of water. The 3 km stretch between Dharampur and Kumarhatti on the Kalka-Shimla highway has no sources of water. As the number of tourists has increased substantially, roadside dhabas have mushroomed in this area. But the lack of potable water for dhaba owners has added to their woes. Mr Gurdial Singh Sandhu, a dhaba owner, says the water problem has adversely affected his business. The Udaipur water scheme, which was to cater to the needs of residents of this area is still not operational despite water pipes having been laid. A water tank constructed under the scheme was washed away during the rainy season. |
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HP gets Rs 11.15 cr
Nabard loan SHIMLA, Nov 12 — The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has sanctioned a loan of Rs 11.15 crore under the Rural Information Development Fund (RIDF) to the Himachal Pradesh Government. The amount has been given for setting up information centres (Rs 0.36 crore) and constructing bridges (Rs 10.79 crore). With this, the cumulative sanction by Nabard to the state government under the scheme has reached Rs 29.72 crore. Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, has thanked the bank for sanctioning funds and stressed that the state should get priority in grant of funds in agriculture and infrastructure development sectors, keeping in view its difficult hilly terrain. |
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Cancel transfer
order: scribes MANALI, Nov 12 — Journalists of Kulu district submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, through the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.R. Thakur, in Kulu on Friday. In a statement a spokesman of the International Press Club here said the journalists had urged the Chief Minister to cancel the transfer orders of Mr Pritam Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kangra, to Kulu as he was allegedly involved an assault on a journalist in Kangra. They asked the Chief Minister to transfer him to any other branch of the department till the judicial inquiry to be conducted against him was over. In case the transfer was not cancelled, the journalists of the district would boycott official functions and press notes. |
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ITBP officer cremated
with honours MANDI, Nov 12 — Mr Surinder Singh Guleria, a Deputy Commandant in the ITBP, died on Friday in a mine blast in Srinagar. Mr Guleria who belonged to Kehnwal village, near here, was cremated on the bank of the Beas with full civil and military honours today. Thousands of people attended the funeral. A contingent of the Army and the Police fired shots into the air and reversed their arms as a mark of respect to the departed soul. |
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Vet hospital locked MANDI, Nov 12 — The veterinary hospital in the densely populated Drubal panchayat of Jogindernagar subdivision has been locked. Drubal Panchayat Pradhan Mukund Sharma says, people are facing lot of problems due to the closure of the hospital. The hospital was earlier manned by a class IV employee. With his transfer about a month back the hospital has been locked. The other nearest veterinary hospital is located 15 km away from the village. He said Senior
Secondary School of the village had also become non-functional as the six posts of teachers, including that of the Headmaster, were lying vacant. This had affected the studies of students, while three months were there to go for the annual examinations, he added. |
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Eyes of schoolchildren
tested SHIMLA, Nov 12 — The Himachal Pradesh Government has undertaken a survey of schools to check the eyesight of the students for prevention and cure of diseases which lead to loss of vision. Inaugurating a free eye check-up camp organised by Guru Hari Krishan Sahib Charity Eye Hospital, Sohana, in collaboration with the Income Tax Department, here today, Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, said even though the national programme for prevention of blindness was being implemented in the state, NGOs organisations like Guru Hari Krishan Sahib Eye Hospital, had an important role supplementing the government’s effort. Mr Dhumal said eye donation was a great service to the humanity. Mr J.S Ahluwalia, Chief Commissioner, Income Tax, Himachal and Haryana, said that the amount spent by any entrepreneur or organisation for social purposes on projects approved from a high powered committee set up by the department for the purpose was exempt from income tax. Sant Bhai Jasbir Singh, Chairman, Guru Hari Krishan Sahib Charitable Eye Hospital, called for making India a cataract-free country. The endeavour of the hospital was to provide a mobile operation theatre soon. |
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Hydel project worker
killed MANDI, Nov 12 — A person working in the powerhouse tunnel of the Larji Hydel Project near here was killed today when a boulder fell on
him. He was taken to Civil Hospital, Kulu, where he succumbed to his injuries. He
has been identified as Ram Bahadur of Orissa. |
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