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| Friday,
December 29, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Discontent in HP Congress HC issues notice
to HPTDC Patients at receiving
end Id celebrated
with fervour Dept fails to check
encroachments |
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Probe into raising
of pro-Pak slogans Councillors deny
BJP claim Kulu areas remain
without power Govt check on private
bus services State co-op bank goes
online Aphids attack pine
trees in Shimla In 9 years, only 13
placements Unemployed man
threatens immolation HP to identify
“antoyadaya” families Oath administered
to ZP members 
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Discontent in HP Congress SHIMLA, Dec 28 — Irked by the appointment of “rootless” persons as leaders of the PCC, the Virbhadra Singh supporter MLAs today gave him a 10-day ultimatum to take up the matter with the Congress high command failing which the party might face a revolt in Himachal Pradesh. They were also annoyed with the choice of AICC delegates from the state by the party high command. The Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, had been authorised to choose the AICC delegates from the state. Reports indicated that names of Mr J.B.L. Khachi and Mr Vijay Singh Mankotia, who were among those who had recently left Mr Virbhadra Singh and joined the Stokes camp, were not in the list of delegates. Pressure was reportedly being mounted on the high command by the Stokes group to include their names. About 14 MLAs considered to be supporters of the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, did not participate in the 115th foundation day celebrations of the Congress in the party headquarter on The Mall which was presided by Mrs Vidya Stokes, the newly appointed PCC chief, this morning. They held their separate meeting elsewhere where they aired their grievances against the party high command and Mrs Stokes whom they accused of functioning in an arbitrary manner without taking Mr Virbhadra Singh and other leaders of the group in confidence. The Congress function in the party office remained a lacklustre affair as besides Mrs Stokes, only four MLAs out of their total strength of 28 participated. They were Thakur Ram Lal, Mr Lajja Ram, Mr Harsh Mahajan and Mrs Viplove Thakur. Mr Virbhadra Singh himself went to Rampur where he had organised a party rally on the occasion. His supporter MLAs said they were not invited to the function in the PCC office and also to the NSUI rally. However, Mr Kuldeep Rathore, newly appointed coordinator of the PCC, said that all leaders were duly invited. The Virbhadra Singh supporter MLAs, who met in the afternoon at some undisclosed place
here, warned that they would take the situation in their own hands after 10 days in case Mr Virbhadra Singh did not lodge a strong protest with the high command and ask for remedial measures. One of them, who did not want to be quoted, told TNS over the telephone that the party high command had betrayed them on every step which had forced them to defy their decisions. He said they would handover their grievances in writing to Mr Virbhadra Singh tomorrow and wait for the result for 10 days. The annoyed MLAs pointed out that the high command gave them false assurances and nominated Mrs Stokes as the PCC chief without first settling the nearly 24 election petitions which it had promised to do. They said the list of AICC delegates was lopsided. Only one Dalit, Mr K.D. Sultanpuri, who they alleged had indulged in rigging of the organisational elections, had been included as a delegate. The Districts of Sirmour, Una, Bilaspur and Kulu had been ignored in the 21-member list. Although the list of the AICC delegates had not been officially released here yet, but it is learnt that among those nominated in the elected list were, Mr Virbhadra Singh, Mrs Vidya Stokes, Mr Sat Mahajan, Thakur Ram Lal, Mr Kaul Singh, Mr Anand Sharma, Mr Phunchog Rai, Mr K.D. Sultanpuri, Mr N.C. Parashar, Mr G.S. Bali, Mrs Chandresh Kumari, Mrs Asha Kumari, Mrs Anita Verma and Ms Krishna Mohini. Those
co-opted as AICC delegates reportedly are, Mr Vikram Katoch, Mr Chander Kumar, Mr Natha Singh, Mr G.C. Tutu, Mr Rangila Ram Rao, Mrs Vijay Lakshmi and Mrs Viplove Thakur. Heads of front organisations will be special invitees, sources said. They alleged that Mrs Stokes had nominated the DCC of Shimla (Rural) without consulting Mr Virbhadra Singh whose constituency of Rohru falls in the rural area. Over 16 MLAs of the Virbhadra Singh group had boycotted the election of Mrs Stokes as PCC chief. Meanwhile, Mrs Stokes garlanded the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Dr Y.S. Parmar, Lala Lajpat Rai and Lal Bahadur Shastri before going to the PCC office for celebration of the Congress foundation day this morning. |
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HC issues notice
to HPTDC SHIMLA, Dec 28 — A division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice C.K. Thakkar and Mr Justice K.C. Sood yesterday issued notices to Secretary (Tourism) of the State, Managing Director of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) and Regional Provident Fund Commissioner on a petition filed by Mr Puran Chand and others alleging non-payment of their outstanding bills due to them on account of various works executed by them in the corporation. It was further alleged that the petitioners were also being forced to deposit certain amount against the Employees’ Provident Fund, despite the fact that they were not covered under the Employees Provident Fund Act. Brief facts of the case are that the petitioners, proprietors of respective firm and registered technical contractor with the HPPWD were executing various electrical works with the HPPWD. In response to various tender notices issued by the HPTDC, the petitioners had filed the tender and electrical works in various tourism complexes were assigned to them. However, after completion of their work, their payments and their bills were not being made on the pretext that 10 per cent of the total bill in each respective works would be deducted as employees contribution towards the Employee Provident Funds. The counsel for the petitioners contended that the
withholding of the bills due to the petitioners was highly unreasonable and illegal in view of the fact that the petitioners were not covered under the Employees Provident Fund Misc. Act, 1952. |
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Patients at receiving
end SHIMLA: Even after completing three decades Kamla Nehru Hospital, built during the British rule, cries for the basic facilities. At present the hospital is in a bad condition. Patients face inconvenience due to lack of medical facilities. Hospital officials say that an ambulance takes 15 to 20 minutes to reach the hospital from Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) through the Mall Road. If the road is closed or there is some traffic problem than the van has to come through Sanjauli which takes approximately 50 minutes to reach the hospital leading to inconvenience to patients. The road leading to the hospital has potholes adding to the patient’s sufferings It is learnt that most of the new born babies suffer from jaundice. But the authorities say that this is due to the unhygienic atmosphere in the hospital. Moreover, there is always a shortage of Class 1 and Class IV staff. Doctors have to work for many hours on a stretch. “” It is both mental and physical torture. Sometimes we get very few hours to rest”, says one of the doctors. In the family planning sections one post has been lying vacant for the past few months and the other staff has to work always under pressure. There is almost no conveyance facility and no accommodation for the staff. On an average about 200 outdoor patients visit the hospital everyday. There are around 250 to 300 deliveries per month. The operation and admission of patients is around 500 per month. To top it all, there is no haemoglobin test after 4 p.m. and the patients have to go to the IGMC for tests. Even MBBS students have to run from the IGMC to Kamla Nehru Hospital either for theory class or for the practical class. Another problem that the patients suffer from is the non-availability of blood. The blood bank is closed during crucial hours between 4 to 8 pm. If one needs blood during these hours one has to go to the IGMC. “The hospital has to be shifted to the IGMC as it is a part of that and we also depend on it. That can be the last alternative for the hospital” says one of the doctors. The dental college has a huge building and half of it is vacant. There was also a controversy to shift the hospital to the dental college. But no action has been taken so far. There are around 105 beds in the hospital. On an average 14 to 15 hospital. On an average 14 to 15 babies are born everyday. Many times patients have to share beds. There are only five to six beds in the labour room. When there are more delivery cases makeshift beds are made available. All toilets are adjacent to the wards, which stink all the time and make the patients feel miserable. There is one toilet, for each ward which accommodates 50 patients. The water facility, is not, proper and make the things worse. Even at the houses of the employees there are no toilets. Tracing back history, the hospital was started in 1924. It was also known as Lady Reading Hospital. In 1966 it became a medical college. Even today this hospital only accommodates women. |
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Id celebrated
with fervour SHIMLA, Dec 28 — Id-ul-fitr was celebrated with great enthusiasm and religious fervour in different parts of Himachal Pradesh today. Dressed in their festive best, Muslims offered prayers at various places in the state and exchanged greetings and distributed sweets. Muslims, including a large number of Kashmiri labourers, offered “namaaz” at Idgah here. Some of them offered prayers at Jama Masjid. Members of other communities greeted their Muslim brothers on the occasion. State Governor Suraj Bhan and Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal have conveyed their greetings to the people on the occasion of Id-ul-Fitr. HAMIRPUR: Id-ul-Fitr was observed in various localities in the district with enthusiasm. At least 500 Muslims, local and outsiders, offered namaaz at Shashtar village on the outskirts of the town. All present in the function embraced each other and offered Id-mubarak. A feast was also arranged in which sweet rice were distributed. A similar function was also held near Rangas, another Muslim locality of the district. CHAMBA: The District Anjuman Islamia on Thursday organised an Id programme at the local Chowgan to strengthen the spirit of national integration and fraternity among all sections of society. People from all walks of life participated in the programme. |
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Dept fails to check
encroachments CHAMBA, Dec 28 — The failure of the authorities to remove encroachments in the town and roadsides in Chamba district has put the state government in an embarrassing situation. Even the authorities appear to be unmindful of the specifications and requirements of the site plans on the roadside which the residents have flouted. This has created favourable circumstances for people to encroach on the roadside government land, evacuees’ property and forest land at many places in Chamba district. Though the Town and Country Planning Department has set aside the approval of certain building plans, land use permission and issued notices to the defaulters in Chamba town, still encroachment continue unabated. Likewise the Chamba-Bharmour and Chamba-Salooni state highways within the town’s precincts have been gradually encroached upon. Unauthorised construction can also be seen in the “controlled area”. The encroachments in Chamba, Salooni, Bharmour, Dalhousie, Banikhet and Chowari towns have taken place either due to the half-hearted approach of the authorities in checking the encroachers. Certain persons have encroached upon lands with the “blessings” of influential persons. A glaring lapse of the Revenue Department lately came to light in the case of the Chamba-Kharamukh road where the state government had paid the compensation to the land owners whose land had been acquired for the purpose of road construction 35 years ago. But neither the land was transferred to the Public Works Department nor the land owners were evacuated, whose generations are now encroachers. This is impending the progress of the Chamera hydroelectric project (stage-II). The authorities have also not been able to implement the rules of the Himachal Pradesh Roadside Land Control Act in letter and spirit. As a sequel to this, there are numerous instances of violation of the sections of the Act in the district. |
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Probe into raising
of pro-Pak slogans SUNDERNAGAR, Dec 28 — Residents of the Dugrain gram panchayat have demanded action against the miscreants who raised pro-Pakistani slogans on the 17th and 18th of this month at Dinak and Kanaid villages. A deputation of 40 persons of the Dugrain panchayat met the Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, yesterday and submitted him a memorandum addressed to the President with copies to the Governor and the Chief Minister. According to these persons when the panchayat results were declared on December 17 at Dinak village, some persons of a particular community raised pro-Pakistani slogans. Some of Muslim residents of the village tried to stop them from raising the slogans. Similar reports were received from nearby Kanaid village the next day. Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, said he had ordered a Magisterial inquiry into the matter and the SDM Sundernagar, has been deputed for this purpose. Four persons deposed before the SDM. According to the SDM the inquiry will be completed soon. |
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Parliamentary
panel calls on Governor SHIMLA, Dec 28 — The Parliamentary Committee on Government Assurance headed by its chairman, Dr S. Venugopal, called on the H.P. Governor, Dr Suraj Bhan, at Raj Bhavan here yesterday. It was a courtesy
call. The 15-member committee is on a three-day visit to Shimla.The Governor presented Himachali caps to members of the committee. |
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Councillors deny
BJP claim NURPUR, Dec 28 — The BJP bid to install its member as the president of the new municipal council the election for which were held recently, was foiled when the Congress-backed councilors yesterday denied extending their support to the BJP move. The local MLA and vice-chairman of State Tourism Development Corporation in statement recently had claimed that two of the Congress supported councillors were ready to back the BJP move. Seven out of the nine wards were won by the Congress supporters in the poll. All Congress supported councillors said they would back Mr Ratesh Mahajan for the post. |
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Kulu areas remain
without power KULU, Dec 28 — Parts of the district remained without electricity yesterday. Areas of Gandhi Nagar, Shastri Nagar, Bhuntar, Shamshi and Lanka Baker remained cut off till late evening. The Superintending Engineer HPSEB, here said the problem arose due to the shut down of the Mandi 132 kv works. Meanwhile, no cut was imposed on Mandi town. The Kulu District Citizens Forum criticised the ineffective working of the HPSEB here for imposing unannounced power cuts in Kulu and Bhuntar areas. The forum would approach the appropriate authority if the HPSEB did not improve its working. |
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Govt check on private
bus services SHIMLA, Dec 28 — The Himachal Government has decided to authorise the officers of the state bus stands management and development authority to check and regulate the operation of the private buses alongwith those of the state road transport corporation to ensure strict adherence to time schedule. The decision was taken at a joint meeting of the senior officers of the corporation, the Director of Transport and representatives of the agitating employees of the corporation, here yesterday. It was also decided that bus services, which were discontinued by the corporation due to low income, would be restored. The Director of Transport would revise the timetable to prevent unhealthy competition. He will also convene a joint meeting of officers to check illegal operation of buses of private transporters. The meeting also decided to cancel the illegal route permits issued in the past with immediate effect. Mr Ashok Purohit, general secretary of the joint action committee of employees, announced deferment of its agitation in view of these decisions. |
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State co-op bank goes
online SHIMLA, Dec 28 — The Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank has earned the distinction of being the first cooperative sector bank in the country to go online with the inauguration of the core banking system by the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal here today. The state of art total bank automation system will enable to conduct transactions and access information anytime, anywhere and anymode (including internet-friendly cellular phones). Speaking on the occasion, Mr Dhumal said the adoption of the technology and computerisation were essential for any organisation to face the challenge of globalisation and liberalisation. He said in the emerging highly competitive environment the organisations, which lagged behind on the technological front, would perish. Himachal Pradesh had taken necessary steps to ensure that the hill state was not left behind and was able to reap the benefits of the information technology (IT) revolution. An IT institute of international standards would soon start functioning at Vaknaghat from July 2001 when the first batch of 100 students would be admitted to the degree course. The institute would have collaboration with the Berkeley University of the USA which was one of the best in the field of information technology. A software technology park was being set up near here at a cost of Rs 7 crore. He said to promote the IT industry in a big way such units had been allowed to be set up in the residential areas as they were environment friendly. The Chief Minister urged the state cooperative bank to spread its activities to the rural areas and play a leading role in strengthening the agriculture and horticulture economy of the state. He said it was only cooperative movement which could help promote the “swadeshi” products in the present globalised and liberalised world. Mr Dhumal said to benefit the fruit and vegetable growers of the state, Internet services would be provided at Kisan Bhavan, Delhi. He said fruit processing units were also being set up in the state to ensure remunerative returns to the fruit growers of the state. Mr Narender Bragta, Minister of State for Horticulture, said that 1500 metric tonnes of apple juice had been sold by the HPMC this year which was a record in itself. Referring to development of Shimla, Mr Bragta said several projects worth crores of rupees had been started in Shimla and its suburbs in the past 33 months. Mr K.K. Kaushal, Chairman of the bank said his bank was second in the country in respect of profit earning and its recovery had increased from 39 per cent to 79 per cent and bank deposits from Rs 650 crore to Rs 1150 crore over the past 3 years. He said the bank had advanced loans of Rs 275 crore during the current year. Mr Bharat Bushan, Managing Director of the bank said all branches of the bank would go online in a phased manner. |
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Aphids attack pine
trees in Shimla SHIMLA, Dec 28— With aphids appearing on pine trees in Shimla district, there is a fear among people of a famine-like situation in days to come. It is a belief, particularly in the rural areas, that these signs forecast a famine. The chairman of the Himalayan Eco-Horticulture Society, Mr Laxman Thakur, told TNS here today that farmers were worried over the situation as a drought already existed because of no rain in the past five months. Mr Thakur, who along with a team of experts recently conducted a survey of the pine forests, said the unprecedented drought and high temperature had led to the rapid multiplication of cinara species of aphids on blue pines in the entire
region. The aphids feed on pine needles. The excreta of these aphids forms a film of sweet sticky substance giving an extra shine to pine
needles. The film restricts the photosynthesis activity resulting in the poor growth of pine trees. He said there was urgent need to take steps for protecting the pine trees from the attack of aphids which could retard their growth and affect the Himalayan eco-system. |
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In 9 years, only 13
placements SHIMLA, Dec 28 — Having come into existence about nine years ago, the Overseas Employment Bureau here has so far managed to secure jobs for only 13 persons. None of these jobs were in the executive cadre or senior position, but in the category of carpenters and masons. The
bureau, which is managed by the Labour and Employment Department, was set up with a view to secure overseas jobs for the youth and technical hands. However, it has failed in meeting expectations. Trade test of 157 candidates in 1993 resulted in the placement of three masons and helpers each in Yemen. Another trade test of 17 candidates five years later, got employment for five masons in Mauritius, while two carpenters have been put on their panel by the National Buildings Construction Corporation for future overseas
projects. |
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Unemployed man
threatens immolation KANGRA, Dec 28 — A 40-year-old unemployed diploma engineer A.B. Rajbansh, resident of Ansoli village in this district, has threatened to immolate himself along with his wife and two minor children outside the Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 26, 2001. He has blamed the Himachal Pradesh Government for not providing him employment despite a direction by the National Commission of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Mr Rajbansh said the National Commission of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes had directed the Himachal Pradesh state electricity board authorities to accommodate him, on any post in the State Electricity Board in view of his merits and qualification and had asked the HPSEB authorities to take action within 30 days of issuing of the direction which expired on December 13. Mr Rajbansh has been struggling to get a job after he obtained a diploma in mechanical engineering in 1988 with 56.5 per cent marks. He had also cleared a one-year post diploma proficiency course through the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD). |
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HP to identify
“antoyadaya” families SHIMLA, Dec 28 — As many as 78,700 “antoyadaya” families will be identified in Himachal Pradesh by February next for being provided ration at a cheaper rate. The decision is learnt to have been taken at a meeting of the state Cabinet which was held here last evening. The scheme has been announced by the Prime Minister. The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, who presided over the meeting, is learnt to have ordered that the poorest of the poor families should be identified by mid-February so that Himachal could become the first state in the country to implement the scheme. The scheme is to be launched countrywide in March next. It is learnt that the Cabinet also discussed the issue of selling the landed property of Nahan Foundry at Ambala. |
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Oath administered
to ZP members SHIMLA, Dec 28 — The Deputy Commissioner, Mr P.C. Katoch, yesterday administered the oath to the newly elected members of Shimla Zila Parishad here at Bachat Bhavan. Speaking on the occasion he listed the importance of zila parishad for the development of the local areas. The Chief Minister would administer the oath on January 1 to newly elected panchayat president and vice-president of Shimla and Kinnaur districts, said Mr
Katoch. |
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Cong coordinator
appointed SHIMLA, Dec 28 — The Himachal Pradesh Congress President, Mrs Vidya Stokes, today appointed Mr Kuldeep Singh
Rathore, a high court lawyer, as coordinator to look after the Himachal Congress work in her absence. |
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