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| Sunday, November 26, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Govt top violator of town Act: NGO Rape victim awaits justice Road of fatal accidents HP to set up separate Wakf Board |
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Tibetan women seek justice Tibetan women allege
forced abortions Ayurvedic doctors flay Health Dept New scheme to woo tourists Notification for
panchayat poll Probe ordered
against SDM
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Govt top violator of town Act: NGO DHARAMSALA, Nov 25 — Expressing concern over the large-scale, unauthorised constructions in McLeodganj and Dharamsala, Jan Chetna, an NGO, today alleged that the government, which itself had framed the Town and Country Planning Act, had turned out to be its biggest violator. These views were shared by a majority of participants, from various works of life at the public awareness drive, launched by the Town and Country Planning Department. “How can a government which has blatantly violated the provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act while constructing its own buildings, ask the public to abide by it,” quipped Mr M.P. Singh, Convener of Jan Chetna, a local NGO striving to create public awareness on vital issues. He said a majority of the constructions in and around McLeodganj, which was fast emerging as an international tourist destination, had taken place after 1977, the year in which the Town and Country Planning Act, was framed, Government agencies like the Municipal Committee and the PWD were to a great extent responsible for the ‘mess’ that had been created in McLeodganj, turning it into a concrete jungle. Another functionary of Jan Chetna, Col. K.K. Sharma, said that instead of putting the blame on the government each one of us must try and create public awareness on the issue.” The participants said that complete lack of coordination between the Municipal Committee, Town and Country Planning Department and the Housing Development Authority, was the major reason for the increase in the number of unauthorised constructions in the town. They felt that today there were no gardens, parking places or traffic-free roads. The Assistant Town Planner, Mr P.P. Raina, said that the objective of holding the awareness campaign was to bring people closer to the department and create awareness regarding the people’s role in planning through transparent administration. Mr Raina said that keeping in view the fact that Dharamsala fell in a Seismic-prone area, there was need to avoid construction of multi-storeyed concrete building. He added that the recommendations of the Wadia Institute of Seismology, Dehra Dun had been gathering dust in government offices. |
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Rape victim awaits justice JAWALAMUKHI, Nov 25 — Justice seems to elude a 22-year-old expectant mother, who was raped by an acquaintance, as the local police has failed to make any headway in the case even though an FIR was lodged by the victim 13 days ago. Anguished over the laxity of the police in dealing with the matter, the victim has approached the Himachal Pradesh State Women Commission and demanded an investigation. According to Anuradha (not her real name), a resident of Jalandhar Lahar village of Dehra sub-division in Kangra district, a fellow villager sexually assaulted her on November 9 at the Sub-Divisional Hospital, Dehra. “I had gone to the hospital for a medical check-up. On November 8, Vir Singh, who works as a driver in the hospital, helped me to meet the woman doctor. Then he asked me to come again the next day to take the medicines. On November 9, I went to the hospital with my mother-in-law and Vir Singh took me to his quarter on the hospital premises where he raped me,” the victim alleged. Having failed to get any positive response from the police, the victim, in her complaint lodged with Chairperson of the Commission, Ms Indu Goswami alleged that even though she lodged an FIR at Dehra police station on November 11, the police had failed to arrest the culprit. Meanwhile, the SHO said the accused was absconding. He admitted that the medical examination of the victim had proved that she was raped. |
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Road of fatal accidents KUMARHATTI: The increase in traffic on the Kalka-Shimla National Highway has turned it into a road of fatal accidents. If the number of such accidents is any indication, then surely the 33 km stretch between Parwanoo and Barog has virtually turned into a death trap. According to records for the past three months, eight persons lost their lives and 50 sustained serious injuries in different mishaps. The number of vehicles running on the highway every day has doubled during the past few years and in the case of the stretch the figure is around 3,000. The reasons for accidents on this highway include the increase in traffic, blind turns and reckless driving. Paramjeet Singh, the driver of an ill-fated Pepsu Roadways bus, was perhaps unaware of what fate had in store for him when he started his routine journey from Patiala to Shimla on August 17. There were 40-odd passengers in the vehicle. Around 8 a.m. a truck hit the bus head-on near Datyar. The impact was so strong that Paramjeet Singh got trapped in his seat. A woman sitting behind him was also seriously injured. Both died on the way to hospital. One day before Divali a CTU bus carrying 50-odd passengers skidded off the road and fell into a 200-foot-deep gorge near Barog. Jetinder Thakur from Shimla was killed and 39 other passengers were injured. According to Puran Chand, one of the injured persons from Matiana, near Shimla, something went wrong with the bus all of a sudden. He said had local people not helped the police in the rescue work, the number of casualties might have been more. In another accident a Haryana Roadways bus fell into a khud near Jabli on the highway on October 1 when its driver, in an effort to avoid a collision with a vehicle, lost control of it. Four persons died in the mishap. Amarnath from Chaoli ,who was driving a scooter, was another accident victim. He was killed after being hit by a truck near the Timber Trail Resort on September 28. The stretch is also unsafe for monkeys coming on to the highway for eatables thrown by those passing by in vehicles. The death of a large number of monkeys in accidents over a period of time has set the alarm bells ringing among conservationists. |
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HP to set up separate Wakf Board SHIMLA, Nov 25 — The Himachal Pradesh Government will set up a separate Wakf Board in the state and take stringent measures to check encroachments on Muslim graveyards and other properties of the community. Stating this at a function organised by the Shimla Muslim Welfare Committee at the local Jama Masjid here, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal said he would soon issue orders to all Deputy Commissioners to carry out immediate demarcation of the Muslim burial grounds to detect encroachments and take action against illegal occupants. He said the government would also bring to book those guilty of selling off graveyard land. He said such illegal acts were committed by those who enjoyed the patronage of the Congress. The property was disposed of for their personal interests. Flaying the Congress and the Jamiyat Ulema, which had accused the BJP-led government in the state of handing out a raw deal to the Muslims, Mr Dhumal said it was strange that the present government was being blamed for the sins committed during the Congress rule. He said the brief rule of the BJP had exploded the myth propagated by the Congress that the party was anti-Muslim. He called upon the community not to be misled by the false propaganda of the Congress and judge the BJP-led government at the Centre and in the state on the basis of performance. Referring to the demand of the local Muslims for a separate Wakf Board of the state, the Chief Minister said the matter would be taken up at an appropriate level. The state government had also urged the Army authorities to allow Muslims of Nahan to offer namaz on the military ground until an alternative site was made available. He added that he had directed the Deputy Commissioner to identify suitable land to enable Muslims to offer prayers without any hindrance. He clarified that the State Minorities Finance and Development Corporation had not been wound up but merged with the State Backward Class Development Corporation to ensure optimum utilisation of manpower and resources. He announced that the labour hostel being constructed by the local municipal corporation would be completed next year. Earlier, Mr Sayad Nasir Ahmed Gilani, Vice-President of the BJP minority cell, submitted a memorandum, urging the government to grant Urdu the status of second language in schools, provide land to Muslims for offering namaz, depute a Muslim officer in the state secretariat to monitor the implementation of welfare scheme meant for the upliftment of the community and include Muslims in the state list of backward classes. |
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Tibetan women seek justice DHARAMSALA, Nov 25 — Seeking international support to put an end to gender specific torture and violence against Tibetan women in Tibet, hundreds of Tibetans today took out a procession, to protest against “Violence against women”. Observing November 25 as the International Day of Violence against Women, the Tibetans marched from McLeodganj to the main town. They raised anti-China slogans and demanded justice for Tibetan women. The Tibetan Women Association (TWA), said women in Tibet were in a doubly disadvantaged situation, as they were victims of gender discrimination and were also victimised for being a Tibetan under a brutal communist regime. The TWA said the Chinese Government in order to destroy Tibet’s religion, race and cultural identity, was carrying out persistent violence against Tibetan women. Women constitute more than one fourth of the political prisoners held in prisons in Tibet, out of which 180 are women prisoners of conscience. On being released many nuns, who have remained prisoners, are not allowed to enter the nunnery and many of them are compelled to escape to India to complete their religious education. The TWA said there was so much violence against women in Tibet today that they had even lost the right over their bodies. Under the instructions of the Chinese, health workers subject Tibetan women to forced abortions, contraception and sterilisation. This coercive birth control policy of the Chinese poses a threat to the survival of Tibetans. |
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Tibetan women allege
forced abortions SHIMLA, Nov 25 — The Tibetan Women Association has sought international support to end violations against the Tibetan women by the Chinese authorities. The association in a statement here yesterday alleged that the Tibetan women were being subjected to forced abortions by the Chinese authorities. The coercive birth-control policy of the Chinese Government was posing a threat to the survival of Tibetans as a distinct race. The Chinese domestic legislation and international obligations have failed to uphold the rights of Tibetan women in Tibet. The association has alleged that women political prisoners were inhumanely and brutally tortured and sexually harassed. |
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Ayurvedic doctors flay Health Dept NURPUR, Nov 25 — The Himachal Pradesh Ayurvedic Doctors Union has criticised the State Health Department from giving priority to the non-Himachalis while appointing doctors in the department, Mr Sanjiv Guleria, the state president of the union in a statement issued here that the department had appointed 150 non-Himachali doctors on contract-basis. On the other hand, the department had failed to issue appointment letters to doctors who were interviewed on June 1999 and selected on contract basis with departmental options. Mr Guleria said doctors appointed by the Health Department during the past few years had been running their private clinics in their own states which had adversely affected the health services in the rural areas. He alleged that unemployed doctors had been meted out step motherly treatment by the Health Department, inspite of the fact, that the Supreme Court had declared at par the degrees of the MBBS and the BAMS. |
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New scheme to
woo tourists SHIMLA, Nov 25 — The Kufri Holiday Resorts, near here, has introduced a unique discounted tariff scheme to check unhealthy practices in the tourist trade in wake of growing competition and save them from exploitation at the hands of guides, touts and porters. The scheme under which up to 75 per cent discount will be available, on room tariff, depending on the season, on advance bookings, aimed to pass on the benefit directly to the customers. At present the touts were having a field day, particularly in Shimla and Manali, and making money at the cost of tourists and hotel owners. The discount will be 50 per cent to 75 per cent for bookings made four to six months in advance, 40 to 65 per cent for four to three months, 30 to 55 per cent for three to two months, 20 to 45 per cent for two to one month and up to 35 per cent for one month to seven days. Mr Dhyan Chand, Managing Director of the Resort, said at present those who booked rooms in advance paid full charges, whereas the walk in customers got huge discounts even during peak season due to cut throat competition in the hotel industry. The scheme would put an end to desperate selling methods and provide value for money to the tourists. Even agents could take advantage of the scheme by getting rooms booked in advance, he added. |
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Notification for
panchayat poll BILASPUR, Nov 25 — Deputy Commissioner Jagdish Chander Sharma issued notification regarding election of members of zila parishad, panchayat samitis and presidents, vice-presidents and members of panchayats in the district. Nominations can be filed for zila parishad membership with Subdivisional Magistrate at Bilaspur Sadar here and at Ghumarwin from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. from November 27 to 29. For membership of panchayat samiti sadar, panchayat samiti Jhandutta and panchayat samiti Ghumarwin, nominations would be filed with respective tehsildars on the same dates between the same timings. For gram panchayat presidents, vice-presidents and members, assistant returning officer would be available at respective panchayat headquarters to accept nominations. All nominations would be scrutinised on November 30. These can be withdrawn on December 2 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. after which symbols would be allotted. The Deputy Commissioner also declared that 2,16,046 voters would exercise their right to vote through 381 polling stations in 134 gram panchayat areas. |
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Probe ordered
against SDM MANDI, Nov 25 — Mr Prabodh Saxena, Deputy Commissioner, has ordered an inquiry into the allegations of corruption against the SDM of the Karsog subdivision in the district. Mr Manish Garg, Additional Deputy Commissioner, is holding the inquiry and will soon submit the report to the Deputy Commissioner. Last week, a couple had given an affidavit that the SDM had charged money from them for issuing a certificate of marriage. Witnesses had also been produced by the aggrieved couple. |
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