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| Friday,
January 12, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Cabinet okays hydel power
plan Film producers need financiers:
Ramesh HC acquits murder
convict NIC told to pay
compensation Expel Ajay
Bahadur, say 4 Cong
MLAs |
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YC asks Stokes to punish
rebel leaders MC elections: BJP fears
revolt HC notice to HPSEB Secy Students rue omission
of forestry Gram sabhas to select IRDP beneficiaries Congress charge on
pesticides denied HVC is third force in HP: Sukh Ram
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Cabinet okays hydel power
plan SHIMLA, Jan 11 — A short and medium-term plan for further tapping the hydroelectric potential in Himachal Pradesh to generate 10,000 mw of additional electricity in the next 10 years was today approved by the Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal. Sources said that the perspective plan aimed to involve the state, Central and private sectors for speeding work on new power projects. This was being done to achieve the status of a power state for Himachal Pradesh. As per the projected requirements of the Centre, about 1 lakh mw of additional power would be required in the country by the end of the Eleventh Plan in 2012. The short-term projects will coincide with the end of the Tenth Plan in 2006-2007, while the medium-term power project would coincide with the end of the Eleventh Plan in 2011-2012. According to the report, the plans will be implemented in phases to generate over 10,000 mw of power during the period. Various projects have been earmarked for the HPSEB and independent power producers. Some projects will be allotted to the Central sector following approval of the Energy Ministry. Under the new plan, the developers will be free to undertake investigations and prepare detailed project reports. The private sector will have the choice of getting the project reports prepared by the HPSEB. This is expected to expedite work on these projects which get delayed due to shortage of funds. The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) has already started work on two major power projects, — Parbati and Kol Dam — which will generate about 2900 mw of electricity. However, work on the biggest project of Nathpa Jhakri has been further delayed due to flash floods in Kinnaur district. |
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Film producers need financiers:
Ramesh SHIMLA, Jan 11 — The arrest of leading diamond merchant Bharat Shah for his alleged links with the underworld notwithstanding, the film industry has no option but to bank on private financers, unless the government evolves a mechanism for “easy and transparent” funding of film ventures, asserts Ramesh Sharma, a noted cine producer. Bollywood has in recent years been much maligned for its dependence on the underworld and a general impression has been created that films were being mostly financed by mafia dons. However, till this day there has been no concrete evidence to prove this. He said a few black sheep could be there, but to paint the entire film industry black would be unfair, said Sharma, who is in town to shoot his latest venture, “Pyasa”, told The Tribune during an interview today. The industry must be cleansed of the bad elements but the image of genuine producers and financiers should not be tarnished, he added. The arrest of Shah, he said, had come as a big setback to the industry, but it was too early to rush to any conclusion. “We must wait until investigations are completed and the case undergoes judicial scrutiny,” he cautioned. The grip of the underworld had been tightening not only over Bollywood but the entire business community with Mumbai, the commercial capital of the country, virtually becoming a haven for mafia dons as was evident from the ever-increasing number of extortion cases, said Sharma, who himself survived a murderous attack by the Chhota Shakeel gang in 1999. He earned the wrath of the underworld as he refused to pay Rs 50 lakh. The three assailants were nabbed and a fortnight ago were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, besides being fined Rs 10 lakh by a court. The film industry could not survive without private financiers as banks were not willing to finance film projects and, moreover, for advancing a loan of Rs 5 crore, they asked for securities worth Rs 10 crore, a condition few producers could fulfil. In contrast, Bharat Shah financed the film on partnership basis by sharing the returns from the sale of world rights of the film. He himself scrutinised the project and the producer did not have to run around for completing various formalities, as was the case when getting finance from banks. Sharma has been raising funds by selling the distribution rights of his film to four or five financiers territory-wise. He said he had already produced five films and another three were in hand. Sharma, who hails from Hamirpur district, plans to set up a film city in his native state. He said he had already selected a 100-acre plot in the Kulu-Manali valley. However, his dream project would take off only if the government gave him the required land. He welcomed the decision of Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, to set up a film training institute, but said a film city would not only help boost tourism but also provide jobs to thousands of local youth. Mr Dhumal, he said, should send a team of officers to Hyderabad to see the film centre there so that they could have an idea about his project. Regarding his search for a new face for playing the female lead in his yet untitled venture, he said he had selected a local schoolgirl, Preeti Dhillon. If her parents agreed to the offer, he would arrange for her training in Mumbai. The film, which would be essentially a Hindi version of the western hit “Money Can’t Buy Love”, demanded a fresh face, he added. |
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HC acquits murder
convict SHIMLA, Jan 11 — Mr Justice R.L. Khurana of the HP High Court acquitted Jai Ram, who was convicted and sentenced by the Sessions Judge, Kangra, under Section 307 of the IPC and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for five years and to pay a fine of Rs 5000. The accused was tried by the Sessions Judge under Section 307 of the IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act, 1959. But the Sessions Judge while acquitting the accused of the offence under Section 25 of the Arms Act convicted him of the offence under Section 307 IPC. The high court allowed the appeal of the accused and set aside the conviction and sentence and acquitted the accused of the offence under Section 307 of the IPC. It was held that the acquittal of the accused of the offence under Section 25 of Arms Act, 1959, meant that he did not possess the gun in connection, therefore, it would be self contradictory to say that he committed the murder by using gun which he had never possessed. Since the prosecution failed to prove that the accused was in possession of the gun, therefore, once it was held that the accused was neither in possession nor had used the gun at the relevant time, he could not be convicted and sentenced for the offence under Section 307 of the IPC for having tried to commit the murder.
Forged judgement case A Division Bench of the HP High Court comprising Chief Justice C.K. Thakkar and Mr Justice K.C. Sood on Tuesday directed CID (Crime) to investigate the matter of forged judgement of the Himachal High Court and the court held that this was a very serious matter and the dignity of the judiciary must be maintained. The court directed that the investigation should be made by an officer of the rank of DSP and the report of the inquiry should be produced before the court on March 12. The petition was filed by Mr Subhash Chand, a resident of Nadaun village in Hamirpur district, in which he had alleged that Ved Prakash of Seri village had forged the judgement of the HP High Court whereby he had obtained a favourable order and got government land measuring three kanals, 16 marlas muted in his name and he had also filed an affidavit before the Tehsildar to the effect that the judgement was true. In that forged judgement Ved Prakash stated that the land was given to his father by Raja Narender Chand of Nadaun. The Bench further directed that no benefit would be given to Ved Prakash or anyone by way of this forged judgement. |
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NIC told to pay
compensation SHIMLA, Jan 11 — Mr P.D. Goyal, District and Sessions Judge and President of the District Consumer Forum yesterday directed the National Insurance Company to pay Rs 4,75,000 with interest at the rate of 15 per cent per annum with effect from December 3, 1996 till the final payment is made to a complainant, Mrs Sheela Devi of Ramohi village in Kulu district. In her complaint, she had stated that she owned a truck which was insured with the National Insurance Company with effect from September 2, 1996. She said the truck met with an accident on October 2, 1996 near Kohlal in Kulu district. The matter was reported to the police as well as to the company. The insurance company appointed a surveyor, who assessed the loss to the vehicle to the tune of Rs 4,75000. The company repudiated the claim of the complainant on the grounds that the driver was not holding a valid driving licence. The judge observed that the insurance company had failed to prove on record that the terms and conditions of the insurance policy were wilfully violated by the complainant. Therefore, the company could not be exonerated from the liability to pay compensation. |
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Expel Ajay Bahadur, say 4 Cong
MLAs SHIMLA, Jan 11 — The dispute within the Congress over the election of a BJP nominee as Chairman of the Sirmaur Zila Parishad has taken a serious turn with four of the five Congress legislators of the area demanding expulsion of Mr Ajay Bahadur from the party for issuing “objectionable” statements against them. The signatories to the statement demanding expulsion of Mr Ajay Bahadur are Mr Kush Parmar, Mr Rattan Singh, Mr Prem Singh and Mr Harshwardhan Chauhan (all MLAs). All five Assembly seats in Sirmour are with the Congress. Mr Gangu Ram Musafir, another legislator, has not signed the statement. These legislators have urged the PCC President, Mrs Vidya Stokes, and CLP leader Virbhadra Singh to take action against Mr Ajay Bahadur for making “baseless” allegations damaging to the Congress. They have described him as a “self-styled drawing room leader who has no authority to comment on the role of the legislators.” A dispute between the legislators and Mr Ajay Bahadur, a former MLA, was on eversince a BJP candidate was elected to the post of President of the Zila Parishad. Explaining the reasons for having supported the BJP nominee, they have said that the Congress backed persons could win only five seats, whereas the BJP had won 10 and the HVC and an Independent got one each. The legislators said they were not in a position to form the parishad because the BJP-HVC combine was in majority. They alleged that leaders like Mr Ajay Bahadur had done nothing for the development of Sirmaur district and had always “damaged” the interests of the Congress. |
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YC asks Stokes to punish
rebel leaders CHAMBA, Jan 11 — Activists of the Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress have appealed to the HPCC President, Mrs Vidya Stokes, to initiate disciplinary action against those disgruntled party leaders who are issuing misleading statements and spoiling the image of the party. They demanded that such leaders should be punished for their anti-party activities. In a joint Press note issued here today, Mr Vineet Vij, vice-president of the state unit of the Youth Congress and Mr Mohinder Handa, district president of the local unit of the Youth Congress, asked Mrs Stokes to restrict these leaders not to make media statements against the party ethics. Both of these leaders said these Congress leaders had been rejected by the public in the recently held panchayati raj and municipal elections and out of frustration they were giving misleading statements about the party. The youth leaders described such leaders as ‘opportunists’ and charged them with anti-party activities during Parliament, Assembly, municipal and panchayati raj elections. Supporting the District Congress Committee
(DCC) elections, these youth leaders said that Mr Khem Raj Abrol was an elected president of the
DCC. |
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MC elections: BJP fears
revolt KULU, Jan 11 — The revolt by the RSS-supported BJP faction in the zila parishad elections here yesterday has exposed the internal party differences in this district. Political circles apprehend the same kind of revolt in the municipal council elections for Chairman and Vice-Chairman, scheduled for January 14. Though in the 11-member municipal council seven are from the BJP and four from the Congress yet it is uncertain who would get to be the Vice-Chairman. The uncertainty arose because of the different choice for the chairperson. It was learnt from within the BJP circles that the pressure was being put by the Chief Minister and BJP general secretary and in-charge of Himachal Narendra Modi for choosing Mr Ram Singh for the post. On the other hand, Mr Maheshwar Singh, MP was standing by the promise, given to Mrs Sushila Thakur and the election committee of the party before the elections. This has also become a political compulsion for the local leaders as more than 6000 votes in their own constituencies are of the tribal people of Lauhul and Spiti, the area to which Mrs Sushila Thakur also belongs. It was also learnt a few members of the BJP election committee of the local body threatened to resign from the party if the decision of the chairperson was changed from the one that was taken before the elections. The Congress leaders in this district have become silent spectators and will not lose any chance to slip out of their hands. The political sources do not rule out the possibility of cross-voting to embarrass the leaders of this district. Hectic lobbying is on by both the factions of the BJP. At one point it was agreed that the chairmanship be shared by Mrs Sushila Thakur and Mr Ram Singh for two and three years, respectively. But the rigidity of supporters of Mr Ram Singh has again made the situation uncertain. |
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HC notice to HPSEB Secy SHIMLA, Jan 11 — On a petition against imposition of winter surcharge on electricity on domestic consumers a Division Bench of the HP High Court comprising Chief Justice C.K. Thakkar and Mr Justice K.C. Sood today issued a notice to the Secretary, HP State Electricity Board (HPSEB). The petition was filed by a former state Vidhan Sabha Speaker, Mr Kultar Chand Rana, in which he challenged the notification of the HPSEB in which the board notified that winter surcharge shall be applicable for domestic consumers with consumption exceeding 300 units per month and non residential power supply consumption exceeding 500 units per month by charging the entire consumption at a flat rate of 225 paise per unit and 300 paise per unit, respectively. The petitioner contended in his petition that the notification as issued was discriminating and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution because there was no reasonable clarification and the notification had been issued without being subjected to any guidelines. He further stated in his petition the state was having surplus power with most of the electricity generated being sold to other states through power supply to the northern grid. Further large amount of money was to be recovered from adjoining states to whom the board had sold electricity. Since there was no alternative source of fuel and energy the board was taking advantage of this fact. It was misusing its position as a monopolistic venture and had introduced the winter surcharge in an arbitrary and whimsical manner. Further he pleaded in his petition the court may quash this notification which was issued by the
HPSEB. |
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Students rue omission
of forestry SOLAN, Jan 11 — The Central Students Association (CSA) of Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry at Nauni, near here, submitted two separate memoranda listing seven of their demands to the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, yesterday. The first memorandum expressed students concern over the omission of forestry and horticulture and forestry from the list of optional subjects for the preliminary examination of the Himachal Pradesh Administrative Service (HAS). These examinations had been introduced for the first time on the pattern of IAS. The memorandum stated that both forestry and horticulture had been on the list of optional subjects for the HAS main examinations for a long time. However, these were not included in the list of optional subjects for the newly introduced preliminary examinations. This would put the horticulture and forestry students at a disadvantage vis-a-vis graduates of other disciplines while appearing in the preliminary examination. The memorandum urged the Chief Minister to take up the matter with the HP Public Service Commission for getting the needful done before the last date of filling applications. Gram sabhas to select IRDP beneficiaries JAWALAMUKHI, Jan 11 — The Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister, Mr Parkash Choudhary, said here today that the state government had decided that IRDP and social security pension beneficiaries would be selected through gram sabhas. The decision had been taken to ensure transparency in the selection of beneficiaries and to ensure that the needy were not deprived of benefits under various government programmes. Talking to mediapersons here Mr Choudhary, laid stress on close co-ordination between the government and Panchayati Raj institutions in the state. He said the new panchayats would become effective from January 23. |
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Congress charge on
pesticides denied SHIMLA, Jan 11 — Mr Madan Lal
Verma, chairman of the Theog Block Samiti, has refuted the Congress charge that substandard insecticides and pesticides are being supplied to farmers in the state. He said there was no substance in the allegation and the reality was that the farmers did not face any problem in procuring farm inputs, particularly insecticides and pesticides. The charge was politically motivated, he claimed. He urged the government to make payments to small and marginal farmers whose fruit was procured under the market intervention scheme on a priority so that they could purchase farm inputs on time. He also underlined the need to open more centres for supplying farm inputs in the Theog area where vegetable cultivation had picked up in a big way. |
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HVC is third force in HP: Sukh Ram JAWALAMUKHI, Jan 11 — The Himachal Vikas Congress chief, Mr Sukh Ram has ruled out merger with any other party and claimed the HVC had emerged as a potential third force in the state. Talking to mediapersons here today he said it was unfortunate that the BJP and the Congress were engaged in intra-party feuds and the infighting in the ruling BJP was affecting development works. Mr Sukh Ram refuted rumours about his party MLA Ram Lal Markandey joining the BJP. He said the BJP triumphed due to the presence of the HVC in the elections and alleged that some vested interests, who could not digest the success of BJP-HVC combine, were behind such
rumours. |
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Poll put off for lack of quorum MANDI, Jan 11 — The election for Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Gohar and Dharampur BDC were postponed for want of quorum. Interestingly, the election for the Gohar Block Development Committee has been put off for the second time. The election for the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Gohar BDC would now be held on January13 and for the Dharampur BDC on January 20. The election date for office-bearers of the Nagar
Parishad, Mandi, has been announced for January 17. HP power projects MANDI, Jan 11 — Mr Ravinder Singh
Ravi, Minister of State for Technical Education and Power, claimed today the BJP government had made a big breakthrough in its short tenure by taking up for execution about a dozen projects through the
HPSEB, the private sector and in collaboration with power corporations to harness 6100 MW of hydel power in the next 10 years. He was talking to mediapersons at
Jogindernagar. |
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Woman killed as car
falls into khud SOLAN, Jan 11 — Sneh Gupta, a resident of Tank Road locality here, was killed when the Maruti car in which she was travelling along with three others fell down into a deep khud near Kandaghat, about 15 km from here on the national highway No 22 today. The police has registered a case under Sections 279, 337, 304A of the IPC. The body has been sent for post-mortem to Primary Health Centre, Kandaghat. |
PNB branch robbed
of Rs 1.51 lakh MANDI, Jan 11 — Burglars took away a sum of over Rs 1,51,000 from a branch of Punjab National Bank at Neri Langna, near Jogindernagar, last night. Mr Somesh Goyal, DIG (Central Range), said thieves broke into the bank through the rear wall by digging a hole and took away the money by breaking open the chest. |
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