The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Himachal civic poll on Dec 20 Tribune News Service SHIMLA, Nov 21 — The election for 48 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Himachal Pradesh will be held on December 20. There are 19 municipal councils and 29 nagar panchayats in the state. According to a notification issued by the state Election Commission here today, nominations shall be filed on November 29 and 30 and December 1. Scrutiny will be held on December 2. Withdrawals will be allowed on December 4. Counting of votes will begin on December 20 after polling and results will be declared immediately thereafter. The state Election Commission has fixed the limit of expenditure to be incurred by a contesting candidate from the date of nomination to the declaration of result. The maximum limit of election expenditure shall be Rs 8,000 for a municipal council election and Rs 5,000 for a nagar panchayat election. The maximum limit of expenditure to be incurred by a contesting candidate for panchayat elections shall be Rs 1,000 for member of gram panchayat, Rs 5,000 for up-pradhan, gram panchayat, Rs 5,000 for pradhan of gram panchayat, Rs 15,000 for member of panchayat samiti and Rs 30,000 for member of zila parishad. A contesting candidate shall be required to lodge the account within 30 days of the declaration of the result failing which he would be liable to be disqualified from being chosen as and for being an office-bearer of a municipality under Sections 16 and 301 of the Act.
	37 cases of violation of HP Land Act From Our Correspondent NAHAN, Nov 21 — As many as 37 cases of violation of provisions under Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, have been detected so far in Sirmaur district. Most of the cases involve buyers who are non-agriculturists and have purchased freehold plots from the Himachal Pradesh Financial Corporation at open auctions. The general manager, District Industries Centre, Nahan, has reportedly intimated the district administration regarding most of the purchases. According to the sources, many buyers have political links and even after nine years of purchase of the property, they have not bothered to seek permission from the state government as per provisions of the Act. The sources said of the 37 cases, 22 had been decided while 15 were pending, which included four cases from Nahan and 15 from Paonta tehsil. Cases under trial also included transfer of private land to non-agriculturists and freehold plots auctioned in 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1996, the sources added. Mr Rakesh Kaushal, District Magistrate, Sirmaur, said certain cases in this regard had recently been brought to his notice and they were being investigated.
	Laxman for Himachal regiment Dhumal’s demand endorsed From Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service AMB (Una), Nov 21 — Justifying the demand made by the state Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, that a Himachal regiment must be raised, the BJP President, Mr Bangaru Laxman, on his first visit to Himachal, said this would be a befitting tribute to the memory of hundreds of martyrs from the state who laid down their lives while fighting the infiltrators. Mr Laxman, further said that by announcing a unilateral ceasefire in Jammu and Kashmir, during Ramzan, the government had tried to send a signal of peace but felt that the security forces should not hesitate to retaliate to any move by the insurgents to create trouble in the valley. Mr Laxman was given a warm welcome at Una from where he drove here to address a Dalit sammelan. “The government’s unilateral ceasefire during Ramzan is a striking illustration of India’s concern for ending violence in Kashmir so that a durable solution can be found to the problem,” he stated. He said that Mr Vajpayee, had proved to the world that India was willing to walk that extra mile so that peace and normalcy can return to the valley. He felt this historic decision of the government indicated that issues could be resolved in the spirit of “isnaniyat” rather than killing innocent people in the name of “jehad”. Urging the various groups in Kashmir to take this opportunity and cooperate with the government, he added the BJP felt that the security forces must not hesitate to give a befitting reply to any move by the militants to create trouble during this ceasefire. Mr Laxman, while clarifying that the BJP would not follow the policy of appeasement said that myth created by Opposition parties that the BJP regime would be marked by communal violence and religious intolerance had been prove wrong. “The BJP does not balieve in politics of vote bank and wants to take every one along including the Muslims,” he stated. Welcoming the decision of the NDA government to reduce prices of kerosene and LPG, Mr Laxman, said that this had been done with an intention of giving relief to the poor and middle class. He said that the state government should lay stress on setting up of fruit processing units so that the apple produce of the farmers could be put to full utilisation, and thus lead to value addition in the horticulture sector. The all-India BJP General Secretary, Mr Narender Modi, who is in charge for Himachal, said that during the Kargil conflict Pakistan had been alienated in the world community but after the announcement of the unilateral ceasefire it would be ignored even by the Muslim nations. Mr Modi, while praising the Union Minister, Mr Shanta Kumar, urged him to expose all those politicians, who had indulged in rampant corruption. By doing so Mr Shanta Kumar will render a great service towards the nation, as it is because of this corruption that there is so much poverty in the country,” he opined. Using the occasion to formally launch the campaign of the BJP for the coming panchayat elections, he said that winds of change were blowing and the Congress would finally be wiped off even at the panchayat level. He added that the people must be wise in electing their representatives at the panchayat level as with decentralisation moe money and powers had been granted to the institutions at the grassroots. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister, Mr Dhumal, said that the demand for a Himachal regiment, must be raised in the next session of the Parliament, as hundreds of soldiers from the state had laid down their lives for the nation. “If it is not possible to name it as Himachal regiment, it can be called Himalayan Regiment, with 75 per cent reserved for Himachalis,” he stated. He said that now only three states in the country, Himachal, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, did not have a regiment in their name. Mr Dhumal said that with more and more stress on micro-level planning, people must be very careful in the election of their representatives during the coming panchayat elections. He said that his government had tried to provide the basic necessities to the underprivileged sections, who had been denied these facilities so far, he disclosed that CII had in its survey rated Himachal as number one in certain general achievements like education, law and order and provision of drinking water. Mr Dhumal further said that special stress was being laid on the education sector and a number of scholarships were being given to the children. “Probably, Himachal is the only state, which is giving scholarships to the tune of Rs 8 crore to the brilliant students,” he said. Almost all ministers, MPs, MLAs, and party leaders came to welcome Mr Bangaru Laxman, on his first visit to Himachal. Our Correspondent adds from Ropar: The BJP would maintain its agenda while keeping into consideration the expectations of people and other constituents of the NDA. This was stated by the national president of BJP, Mr Bangaru Laxman, while addressing a large number of party workers who had gathered to receive him at the Nangal railway station. Mr Laxman along with Mr Narender Modi arrived at Nangal in the Himachal Express from Delhi on Tuesday morning. While thanking the party workers for the warm welcome he said that the BJP was the biggest party in the country and its each worker had an identity. Earlier besides the workers Mr Laxman was received by a number of BJP leaders, including Mr Shanta Kumar, Union Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Mr Madan Mohan Mittal, Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Punjab, Mr Jai Krishan Sharma, president of the Himachal BJP, Mr Parveen Sharma Excise and Taxation Minister, Himachal and Mr Randhir Sharma, Vice-President Small Savings, Himachal. Mr Mittal presented a sword and a shawl to Mr Laxman at the Nangal Railway Station. The entire administration staff of the Una district of Himachal was also present at the railway station to welcome the BJP president. After a brief halt at Nangal, Mr Laxman left for Himachal.
	Muslims seek quota in panchayats Tribune News Service SHIMLA, Nov 21 — Muslims have demanded reservation for the community in panchayats on the pattern of other Backward Classes and accused the BJP government of treating them like “second grade” citizens. A congregation of Muslims from various parts of the state today accused the BJP government in Himachal Pradesh of harassing the community by implicating them in cases. They alleged that their religious places and madarassas were being raided by the police and the Muslims were being looked with suspicion. These views were expressed at a one-day Himachal Muslim Conference on the protection of constitutional rights which was organised by the Jamiyat Ulema of Himachal, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh. Maulana Sayed Asad Madani, president of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind and a former member of the Rajya Sabha, Mr Nusrat Ali, Sports Minister of Punjab, Mr Virbhadra Singh, leader of the Opposition, and several others participated in the conference. Mr Madani, talking to mediapersons, expressed concern at the “hostile” attitude and conduct of the BJP government in the state towards the Muslims and their institutions. He expressed disenchantment with the fact that on the one hand Mr Bangaroo Laxman, President of the BJP, was offering the olive branch to the minorities, including Muslims, and on the other hand affiliates of the BJP, including the Shiv Sena, the Bajrang Dal, the RSS and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, were fanning hostility against the minorities. Mr Madani criticised the state government for banning cassettes of speeches of Muslim scholars and described this as an attempt to harass the Muslims. He claimed that the propaganda of the government that there were 48 madarassas in the state was incorrect. Actually, these institutions did not number more than seven. He reiterated the resolve of his organisation to fight communalism in cooperation with “secular democratic” elements in the country. Mr Madani welcomed the decision of the Centre for a ceasefire in Kashmir during the month of Ramzan and made it clear that Kashmir was an integral part of India. He accused Pakistan of perpetuating terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and regretted that sometimes Indian forces were involved in killing innocent persons. He alleged that the BJP government at the Centre was being guided by the RSS which was a “terrorist” outfit. Mr Virbhadra Singh, addressing the congregation, urged the Muslims to come out of isolation and join the mainstream. He said the Congress was always friendly towards Muslims, but the BJP government was committing atrocities on the community. He said Urdu was not the language of Muslims alone but of the entire country. Most participants demanded that harassment of Muslims be stopped.
	Cooperatives asked to perform better: Dhumal Tribune News Service SHIMLA, Nov 21 — Mr P.K. Dhumal, the Chief Minister, yesterday said the decision to increase the term of cooperative societies from two to five years would enable the cooperative institutions to perform better. Presiding over the concluding function of the cooperative week at Ghanatti, near here, today, he said cooperative institutions should better the quality of products and services to find a firm footing in the market. He lauded State Cooperative Bank and Kangra Central Cooperative Bank for their outstanding performance. The Chief Minister also gave away trophies to agriculture cooperative societies of Chamair, Baldoha and Patlander who were adjudged first, second and third, respectively in performance during the last year. He also gave away trophy to the Lahaul Potato Growers Association for good work. Mr Roop Dass Kashyap, the Minister of State for Urban Development, underlined the importance of cooperatives. Mr Rikhi Ram Kaundal, the Minister of State for Cooperation, also spoke. Mr Devinder Singh Thakur, Chairman, State Cooperative Development Federation, urged the Chief Minister to provide liberal funds to strengthen the cooperative movement in the state.
	Oustees await land allotment Tribune News Service DHARAMSALA, Nov 21 — With the issue of rehabilitation of Pong Dam oustees still hanging fire, a meeting of the Pradesh Pong Bandh Visthapit Samiti will be held at Raja ka Talab on November 26. Disclosing this here yesterday, senior vice-president of the samiti, Mr Des Raj Dogra, said despite 27 years having passed since these people were uprooted, hundreds of them were still awaiting allotment of murabaas in Rajasthan. “Despite the historic judgement of the court that it was the responsibility of the Rajasthan Government to rehabilitate the 30,000 uprooted families, they were still fighting for justice", said Mr Dogra. He resented that the 948 families to whom the Rajasthan Government had agreed to give murabaas were facing great difficulty as it was just not possible to settle down in the Ramgarh and Mohangarh areas which lacked even the bare minimum facilities for human survival. He added that in case of 451 cases settled by a special court, the allottees were yet to get possession of murabaas. He disclosed that a public interest litigation too was pending in Jodhpur courts in this regard. Mr Dogra regretted that despite the court orders some of the persons who had gone to Rajasthan to take possession of the murabaas had to return empty-handed as they were not even given allotment letters for land in the Ramgarh and Hanumangarh areas.
	3 killed as truck falls into gorge From Our Correspondent MANDI, Nov 21 — Three persons were killed and four others were injured, one of them seriously, when the truck in which they were travelling fell into a gorge near Kotlu village on the Kotlu — Teban road, 145 km from here, in Karsog subdivision of this district last night. The driver of the truck was also killed. The ill-fated truck (HP-51-0571) was going from Kotlu to Teban. The persons killed have been identified as driver Behari Lal, Roshan Lal and Om Prakash, all belonging to Teban village. The injured persons have been identified as Mohar Singh, Jia Lal, Narpat Ram, all from Teban village, and Sanjiv Kumar from Kinnaur district. Mohar Singh has been referred to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Shimla while the three other injured persons have been admitted to the Civil Hospital, Karsog, where they are stated to be out of danger. The cause of the accident could not be immediately known. An inquiry has been ordered into the accident. This is the second accident within a week. Earlier, 10 persons of a marriage party travelling in a truck were killed in Sarkaghat subdivision.