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| Sunday, November 19, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Virbhadra fails to appear in
court Dhumal under pressure to drop Mohinder
Singh Govt ‘shielding’ mine
mafia Consumer Act to be ‘amended’ Manali-Leh highway closed due to
snow ‘Kasauli needs water
tank, not guest-house’ |
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The 'intimate man' turns hero Plea to fill posts of
employment officer Maize and paddy face apple’s
fate An ‘always-out’
Inspector Over 10 cr spent
on development projects
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Virbhadra fails to appear in court SHIMLA, Nov 18 (PTI) — Mr Virbhadra Singh, former Chief Minister of Himachal, today failed to appear in the court of Mr A.K. Jaswal, Chief Judicial Magistrate, Shimla to depose in a criminal complaint of defamation filed by him against Mr Shanta Kumar, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution System. Today’s date was fixed for recording the statement of Mr Virbhadra Singh. On the other hand Mr Shanta Kumar accompanied by his lawyer, Mr Satya Pal Jain, a former MP and Rajindera Kishore Sharma, reached the court exact at 10.00 am. A large number of prominant BJP workers, including Mr Krishan Kapoor, Transport Minister of HP, Mr Ram Dass Malanger, Deputy Speaker, and Mr Dulo Ram, MLA. The criminal complaint was filed by Mr Virbhadra Singh against Mr Shanta Kumar in 1996 on the basis of press statement issued by the latter in the matter of payment of Rs 2-crore as commission to certain private individuals for getting a loan for the H.P. Government. When Mr Virbhadra Singh was Chief Minister in Himachal Pradesh. Earlier, an application was filed in the court by Mr M.S. Chandel, counsel for Mr Virbhadra Singh seeking exemption for him from appearing in the court today. In the application it was stated that Mr Virbhadra Singh had been held up in Delhi for personal reasons of importance which were beyond his control. In the reply to this application Mr Shanta Kumar through his lawyer opposed the request of Mr Virbhadra Singh and stated that he was intentionally avoiding his presence in person for cross-examination and was unnecessarily delaying the case. The respondent Mr Shanta Kumar was a Cabinet minister in the Central Government and he was quite busy. Still after deferring all his important meetings, he reached the court from Delhi today while the complainant was intentionally avoiding the cross-examination with the intention to linger on the matter for political gain. Since Mr Jaswal was on leave, the case was adjourned to December 2 for orders. |
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Dhumal under pressure to drop Mohinder
Singh SHIMLA, Nov 18 — Breaking the month-long ceasefire, Shanta Kumar supporters have again mounted pressure on Chief Minister
P.K. Dhumal to remove Mr Mohinder Singh, PWD Minister, from the Cabinet and improve the functioning of the government as the graph of the ruling BJP had dipped to a new low. It is learnt that three ministers — Mr K.K. Kapoor, Mr Ramesh Chaudhary and Mr Hari Narayan Singh — and a couple of legislators considered close to Mr Shanta Kumar, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, have again made it clear to the BJP leadership that the present style of running the administration in the state was not acceptable to them. They are also learnt to have expressed anguish over the alleged sidelining of the ministers and legislators belonging to the Shanta Kumar faction. These leaders recently trooped to Delhi and gave vent to their grievances before the party leadership. Interesting developments have started taking place in the political circles here following the fresh warning of the Shanta supporters. It is learnt that feelers were being sent to Mr Mohinder Singh though emissaries for a change of his portfolio. The Sports Minister, Mr Parveen Sharma, and a member of the Rajya Sabha, Mr Kirpal
Parmar, are said to have met Mr Mohinder Singh in this regard earlier this week. An officer of the Chief Minister’s office reportedly remained closeted with the minister in the secretariat for about an hour on Thursday and discussed the issue. Those close to Mr Mohinder Singh claimed that an impression was being created as if there was great pressure from the BJP rank and file for dropping Mr Mohinder Singh from the Cabinet. However, it is learnt that Mr Dhumal was not in favour of taking the extreme step against Mr Mohinder Singh, who had extensively campaigned for the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections in the Shimla constituency and elsewhere. Mr Dhumal had so far resisted the pressure of the Shanta supporters and HVC chief Mr Sukh Ram to drop Mr Mohinder Singh from the Ministry. The opposition Congress was also demanding his removal. The Shanta supporters have taken exception to the alleged embarrassment of Mr Hari Narayan Singh, Minister of State for Town and Country Planning, at public functions in Nalagarh by men of Mr Dhumal and Mr Mohinder Singh. Their grievance was that steps were being taken by the “coterie” of Mr Dhumal to demolish some established leaders of the Shanta Kumar camp. They have also urged Mr Dhumal to take steps to curb growing corruption. The
pro-Shanta Kumar ministers had recently taken the opportunity in a Cabinet meeting to raise the issue of alleged misuse of Rs 25,000 out of the Local Area Development Fund which Mr Shanta Kumar had allocated for the construction of a road in
Kangra. The call for self-introspection on the issue of corruption given by Mr Shanta Kumar some time ago was still haunting the Dhumal group. Mr Shanta Kumar, who was here today, reiterated that the BJP was committed to restoring value-based politics in the country. He appealed to all politicians to take remedial steps against corruption which had pushed the country towards a crisis. The faith of people in the system has been badly shaken owing to all-round corruption The
pro-Shanta men suffered a setback recently when Mr Narendera Modi was again given charge of Himachal affairs in the party high command. They had been demanding his removal from the Himachal scene and were against his handling of various situations. |
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Govt ‘shielding’ mine
mafia SHIMLA, Nov 18 — Accusing the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh of trying to shield the mine mafia the Trans-Giri Ecological Society has sought intervention of the high court in the implementation of the report of the Central Mining Research Institute (CMRI), Dhanbad, which has recommended closure of 23 limestone mines. In a letter of the Chief Justice of the high court by Mr P.S. Chauhan, President, Trans-Giri Ecological society, and its secretary, Mr S.S. Tomar, they alleged that the government was delaying the implementation of the decision of the Cabinet which had ordered the closure of these mines about two months ago. All this was being done under the pressure of the influential mine lobby of Uttaranchal operating in the Sirmour area. They said a mass agitation would be launched against the mafia if no action was taken by the government which they accused of being “hand in glove” with the mafia. The society claimed that the mine operators had employed labour mostly form Nepal, Pethoragarh and Garhwal. A lot of damage had geen caused to water resources and forests, leading to degradation of environment. They pointed out that the CMRI was directed by the high court to study the impact of mining in Sirmour district. The state government accepted the report of the CMRI in September last under which 23 mines were to be closed. However, the process was being delayed under the pressure of the mine mafia, the society members alleged. They said that the mining licences of some of the operators of Dehra Dun had already expired, but they were continuing to extract limestone even in the reserved forests of Sirmour. The operators were reportedly continuing to operate on the pretext of salvaging their extracted stocks. Five “gharats” operating on water streams had been washed away around the Shiva-Banaur road where a mine was operating illegally, they alleged. Over 500 trees had been uprooted in the Tityana reserve forest. Haphazard mining had damaged hundreds of trees in Malani, Chitti, Bohar and Banaur areas, they alleged. The police had failed to take action against the guilty against whom three FIRs had been lodged. They have raised questions about the “meeting” of some members of the mine mafia with the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, during his recent visit to Renuka. |
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Consumer Act to be ‘amended’ SHIMLA, Nov 18 — The Centre has decided to amend the Consumer Protection Act and set up consumer awareness centres in all 573 districts of the country to educate consumers about their rights. This was stated here today by Mr Shanta Kumar, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, while talking to mediapersons. He said in the first phase 115 consumer awareness centres would be opened and these would be provided a grant of Rs 5 lakh each. A total budgetary allocation of Rs 28.65 crore had been earmarked for the purpose. The minister said public awareness on the rights of consumers had become necessary because of misleading advertisements on television and newspapers. These centres would function under the supervision of zila parishads which would involve non-governmental organisations to educate the consumers. Mr Shanta Kumar regretted that the consumer redressal forums in the country had by and large failed to come up to the expectations as the settlement of complaints was getting delayed beyond 150 days. He said following a detailed debate on the issue, it had been decided to drastically amend the Consumer Protection Act to ensure that the disposal of complaints was not delayed, decisions of the district forums were strictly implemented and all forums were made functional by filling vacant posts. He said with a view to utilising the huge stocks of foodgrains, the state governments had been offered these at half rate for launching food-for-work scheme, running hostels for weaker sections and welfare schemes. He said an eight-member committee under the chairmanship of Prof Abhijit Sen, Chairman of the Commission for Agriculture Cost and Prices, had been set up for formulating a new foodgrain policy as the earlier strategies had become irrelevant with the country becoming self-reliant. He expressed concern over the increasing dependence on foreign markets for edible oil. Mr Shanta Kumar said the Punjab package for procurement of paddy by the Food Corporation of India would be extended to Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, adding that the storage capacity of foodgrains was being doubled in Himachal Pradesh. The minister said the proposal to provide foodgrains at reduced rates to the nearly 5 crore persons living below the poverty line in the country was being considered by the government. The scheme would cost about Rs 1037 crore. The two pro-Shanta Kumar ministers, Mr K.K. Kapoor and Mr Ramesh Chaudhary, were present at the news conference, besides Mr Khushi Ram Balnatah, Vice-Chairman, HRTC, and two former legislators, Mr Mohinder Nath Sofat and Mr Jagat Singh Negi. Later, Mr Shanta Kumar left for Sundernagar to attend the marriage of a son of the Minister for Town and Country Planning. |
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Manali-Leh highway closed due to
snow MANALI, Nov 18 — The 13,050-foot Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul-Spiti experienced heavy snow while the lower parts of the valley were lashed by rains, ending the two-month-long dry spell. And snapping the road link between Manali and Lahaul valley last night. Due to fresh snow on the higher reaches of the Pir Panjal ranges, including Marhi, Gulaba, Koth Dhundi and Solang, the upper Manali region remained in the grip of severe cold wave. The 475-km-long highway, the lifeline of Lahaul-Spiti and Leh-Ladakh regions was closed to vehicular traffic in the wake of heavy snow on Baralacha, Lachiang and Tanglang passes. Manali-Kaza road in Spiti valley also remained closed to vehicular traffic. According to Himachal Pradesh Transport Corporation sources, all buses on their way from Manali to Keylong, Darcha and Udaipur in Lahaul valley stopped near Rahni Mullah, 45 km from here, this morning and had to return to Manali. Meanwhile, most of the tourists rushed to Marchim Gulaba, Kothi and Solang valley to see the snow. According to the Director, Mountaineering Institute, Manali, two rescue posts have been set up at Marhi at the base of Rohtang Pass and Khoksar in Lahaul-Spiti district by the base of Rohtang Pass and Khoksar in Lahaul-Spiti district by the Directorate of Mountaineering and allied Sports, Manali. The rescue posts will help to monitor the safety of pedestrians crossing the pass and to meet any eventuality due to bad weather. The belated snow and rain brought cheer to farmers, particularly for those whose crops had been affected by drought. |
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‘Kasauli needs water
tank, not guest-house’ KASAULI, Nov 18 — The proposed construction of a guest-house at a cost of Rs 22 lakh by the Cantonment Board in the town has led to a contention amongst the residents here. The proposed site is considered a heritage site from where tourists can have an uninterrupted view of the whole town. The Kasauli Welfare Committee has taken an exception to the construction. Committee members said the said amount earmarked for the project should have been used for the construction of a water storage tank as the town faces an acute shortage of water in summers. Many hoteliers complained that they were charged commercially for water but supplied just a fraction of their requirement. Consequently, they have to arrange water from Parwanoo through tankers. Besides, residents feel the idea of constructing a guest-house should be dropped and other essential problems like sanitation and water supply be given priority. The Executive Officer of the Cantonment Board, Mr G.N. Mathur, clarified that the guest-house was sanctioned by the GOC-in-Command during his visit to the town early this year and the project was aimed at generating more revenue to the board. He said the cantonment lacked adequate lodging facilities. He assured that the construction of the guest-house would be carried out in such a way that the view would not be hindered. A water augmentation scheme is being planned and the funds earmarked for it would be utilised for building a storage tank in Mashobra, he clarified. The Cantonment Board is working towards implementing this scheme, said Mr Mathur. |
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The 'intimate man' turns hero HAMIRPUR, Nov 18 — Syed Julfi, one of India's top models, is optimistic of proving his mettle in the films. Julfi who turned 25 last month, hails from Bangalore and has now settled in Mumbai. He has been given chance to act in three films — Pyasa, Kab, Kyoon aur Kahan and Hum, Tum or Woh — by producer Romesh Sharma. It is for the first time that the same producer has given any newcomer three films. Julfi has acted in various ad films for products like Tata-Indica, Lakme and BSL suiting. He rates his best modelling performance in the Tata-Indica ad, even though people know him more as BSL's My intimate man. This ad has been done with film star Sonali Bendre. Talking with mediapersons last night at Hotel Hamir, here Julfi said he became model by chance. While he was doing a degree in hotel management, his model friends asked him to take part in the Gladtrack Modelling contest. Julfi got the first position in that contest and went on to win the second position at the world level. The two titles paved the way for him to be a model. However, since life in modelling is short-lived, the model took up films. When Romesh Sharma, the famous film producer offered him roles in his upcoming films, his joy knew no bounds and he grabbed the offers. Surprisingly, Mr. Sharma offered him roles in his three films and that was like a windfall for a newcomer. In Pyasa and Hum, Tum or Woh, Julfi's heroine is Miss World Yukta Mookhey while in Kab, Kyoon aur Kahan, another model, Reema Puri, would be my heroine. The upcoming actor loves Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan the most for their all-round contribution to films. They are his ideals. Among new heroes, he likes Shah Rukh Khan. He said that one had to work hard to find a place in the Bollywood. He praised the hospitality of the people of Himachal Pradesh in general and Hamirpur town in particular. He said that he was given a warm welcome when he took part in a function at Hamirpur. He loved the nature and the beauty of the place. Syed Julfi was in good mood and was relaxing in his hotel room when reporters met him. He said the Himachalis were nice and hospitable people. Syed Julfi gave full credit to his parents for what he was today. It was all due to the grace of Allah, he said, while winding up the interview. |
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Plea to fill posts of
employment officer SHIMLA, Nov 18 — The Himachal Pradesh Labour Department Non-gazetted Employees Union has urged the government to fill the vacant posts of regional and district employment officers in accordance with the revised recruitment and promotion rules notified recently. Mr Jeet Ram Panwar, general secretary of the union, said at present seven posts of District Employment Officer and as many posts of Regional Employment Officer were vacant in the department. At present no incumbent was eligible for promotion as Regional Employment Officer for which three years’ experience as District Employment Officer was essential. The government had decided to fill the posts in relaxation or rules. However, now that the promotion rules had been amended, the revised memorandum for holding a departmental promotion committee meeting in accordance with amended rules should be sent to the state Public Service Commission for filling the posts. |
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Maize and paddy face apple’s
fate KASAULI: As if the problems relating to the marketing of apples in the upper belt of this Himalayan state were not distressing enough, a similar plight has befallen growers of crops like maize and paddy in Solan district. The indifferent attitude of the government towards the farmers’ marketing difficulties has led to resentment, particularly among those in far-flung villages in the Baddi-Barotiwala industrial belt, about 40 km from here. These villages include Mandhala, Kuranwala, Kalu Jhinda, Bagowalla, Kotiyan and Koti. Even after a bumper crop this season, the lack of timely arrangements by the state government to procure their produce has forced the farmers to sell it outside the state at around half the total cost of their inputs. In the case of the maize crop the prices ranged between Rs 350 and Rs 400 per quintal. This is 20 per cent to 30 per cent below the average rate for traditional maize varieties. This has led to utter disappointment among the farmers who had experimented with new high-yielding varieties of maize and paddy recommended by the state’s agriculture university. These were procured at rates which were high as compared to those for traditional local varieties. The hybrid varieties were available at Rs 40 per kg. Heavy expenditure was incurred by farmers on inputs, including fertilisers and pesticides, enabling them to obtain yield levels 25 per cent to 50 per cent higher than that in the case of the traditional varieties. A majority of the farmers do not have access to adequate scientific storage facilities for the maize crop. Consequently, the produce has been dumped in the open by most of them. The government has not provided proper marketing facilities due to which the produce has to be sold in Chandigarh, causing a financial loss to the farmers as well as the state exchequer. A farmer of Mandhala village in Kasauli tehsil says that he had cultivated maize in an area of 40 bighas. A yield of 70-80 quintals was obtained after spending Rs 24,000 on fertilisers and manure alone. The cost of labour went up to about Rs 47,000, whereas the crop fetched him only Rs 30,000. Marginal farmers, on the other hand, are content to use the traditional varieties of maize and paddy, which require virtually no fertilisers. Besides, as the land area is small, they need not spend money on employing labour. A visit to various villages by this correspondent revealed that farmers are waiting to sell their produce at remunerative prices. But looking at the prevailing market trends, they fear heavy losses. Their problems have been aggravated due to the fact that no support price has been fixed by the government. The release by the government of buffer stocks of wheat for sale in the open market at reduced prices has added to the woes of the farmers. Farmers are already faced with problems like the shortage of water, the absence of pucca roads and virtually no aid from the government. The low prices for produce have broken the back of the farming community. A voluntary organisation, the Krishi Vigyan Sangh, has voiced its protest against this government apathy. The vice-chairman of the organisation, Mr Harbans Lal Mehta, has demanded adequate relief for the affected farmers on the Punjab pattern. Criticising the government’s “anti-farmer” policy, the sangh has also sought better irrigation, transport and marketing facilities for farmers . The state government had earlier fixed a target of obtaining a yield of 20-22 quintals per hectare in the state in the case of the maize crop. This was increased to 28-30 quintals per hectare in the Ninth Five Year Plan. However, if the present situation continues, no farmer will dare experiment with high-yielding varieties and this target will be difficult to achieve. |
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An ‘always-out’
Inspector KULU, Nov 18 — The office of Labour Inspector at Raghunathpur is often found closed. The one-man office is without any telephone. A contractor told this correspondent that he had been visiting this office for the past four days but had always found it closed. The adjoining office of the District employment Officer was also unaware of the duty schedule of the inspector. The inspector here has the charge of Kulu and Lahaul Spiti districts. There are more than 1,000 hotels in the district, besides Asia’s second biggest hydel power project being under construction. More than 10 small hydel power projects have been allocated to private entrepreneurs in the region where thousands of workers are engaged. In addition, more than 10,000 shops and offices are functioning in the area. |
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Over 10 cr spent
on development projects MANDI, Nov 18 — Mandi nagar parishad chief Pushap Raj Sharma has claimed that during his three-year tenure the town had been given a face-lift. He said here today that over Rs 10.5 crore had been spent on various development projects, with a thrust on improvement of sanitation and cleanliness. He said modern toilets had been built in all wards of the town and members were accountable for the development of their respective wards. As many as 33 big water tanks were installed in different parts of the town to provide drinking water to the public. Besides this, four water coolers were also set up at key points in the town. For the first time, the facility of water tanker had been provided for social functions and hotels. Mr Sharma said the entire streetlight system had been refurbished with the installation of 254 sodium lights and 147 tubelights. He called upon the government to build a new bus stand here as the present one was in a bad shape.
DC issues notification
on reserve wards HAMIRPUR, Nov 18 — Mrs Anuradha
Thakur, Deputy Commissioner, has issued a notification to reserve various wards for the SC, OBC and women candidates for the ensuing Zila Parishad election in the district. Election for the 18 Zila Parishad seats in the district will be held along with the election of other Panchayati Raj institutions in the state, on December 13, 15 and 17. KULU, Nov 18 — Ms Veena Verma (32), a pradhan of Jaluna gram panchayat in ANI subdivision of this district was found dead yesterday morning in her bedroom.
The SP said the post-mortem report had not yet reached, however, the initial investigations had shown that she died a natural death.
She was reportedly a heart patient and might have died of heart failure. |
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HC upholds
conviction SHIMLA, Nov 18 — A special Division Bench of the High Court comprising Mr Justice
L.S. Panta and Mr Justice R.L. Khurana yesterday dismissed the criminal appeal of Raj Kumar and upheld the judgement of the Special Judge, Solan, in which he was convicted and sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 10 years and pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
Raj Kumar while travelling on the
Harban-Solan bus on March 17, 1997, was found to be possessing 2 kg of charas at Solan. He was arrested under Section 20 of the Narcotic Drug and Psychotrophic Substances Act, 1985. The counsel for the accused argued that the case was false and foisted upon the
accused.
Laxman to visit
Amb on Nov 21 SHIMLA, Nov 17 — Mr Bangaru Laxman, BJP chief, will be felicitated at an “abhinandan” rally to be held at Amb in Una district on November 21.
The state BJP which earlier planned to organise a “Dalit” sammelan, decided to make it a big event to mark the first visit of Mr Laxman to the state. Mr Narinder Modi, All-India General Secretary of the BJP and in charge of Himachal, will also be honoured on the occasion. Notification issued for winter session SHIMLA, Nov 18 (PTI) — The Himachal Pradesh Governor, Mr Vishnu Kant Shastri, today issued a notification to convene the winter session of the state Assembly beginning here from December 21.
The session will have five sittings and will conclude on December 29. December 27 has been marked as Private Members’ Day. |
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