H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Kangra Zila Parishad chief’s poll deferred
DHARAMSALA, Jan 17 — The election to the post of Chairman, Zila Parishad, Kangra, was deferred yesterday amid slogans and allegations by the Congress that the government and the district administration was trying to rig the democratic process and harass the elected members.

Bilaspur block poll postponed
BILASPUR, Jan 17 — The election of the Bilaspur Sadar Block Development Committee (Panchayat Samiti) has been postponed to January 19. Allegedly in a bid to buy time, BJP members absented themselves from the election meeting and there being no “quorum”, it had to be postponed .

Problems beset Kasauli
KASAULI: Over the years, residents of this cantonment town have been battling with problems which the authorities have not been able to solve to the satisfaction of the residents. The increasing population together with the influx of tourists has affected the basic amenities, which have remained more or less the same with the passage of time. This seemingly smug town has remained static with regard to development.

Thousands of fish die
Toxic effluents released in Sirsa river
SHIMLA, Jan 17 — Thousands of fish have died in the Sirsa river, allegedly due to the release of toxic effluents by industrial units near Nalagarh since yesterday. Villagers living along the river from Baddi to Manjholi noticed it in the morning when they found birds feasting on the small dead fish swept ashore by the current. 

Civic body results
JAWALAMUKHI, Jan 17 — BJP candidates were elected chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Dehra Panchayat Samiti today. Mr Gopal Sharma, SDM, Dehra, conducted the election. Mr Jagdish Chand was elected chairperson. He got 12 votes as against 10 by the Congress nominee, Mr Kisan Parmar. The post of the vice-chairperson went to Ms Swarna Devi.

Panchayat samiti poll postponed
KUMARHATTI, Jan 17 — Mr Jagdish Sharma, Returning Officer for the election of Dharampur Panchayat Samiti, yesterday postponed the election to January 22. Only six out of the total 21 elected members reached the election venue while 14 members were required to complete the quorum for election.

ABVP statewide stir from Jan 24
DHARAMSALA, Jan 17 — The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad will hold a statewide demonstration in protest against the economic policies of the government, which according to them was posing a threat to the domestic industry.

Apple growers object to payment in kind
SHIMLA, Jan 17 — Apple growers are annoyed with the state government which is paying them the price of their procured produce in kind and not in cash.

Ultimatum to district admn
CHAMBA, Jan 17 — The district unit of the Himachal Pradesh Non-gazetted Employees Federation has served a 15-day ultimatum to the district administration. It has demanded the implementation of the decisions taken in the meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee.

Students irked at mobile misuse
SHIMLA, Jan 17 — Mobile phones have become a source of disturbance, especially in the university library. The university administration has not taken any action against it.

Kangra Zila Parishad chief’s poll deferred
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Jan 17 — The election to the post of Chairman, Zila Parishad, Kangra, was deferred yesterday amid slogans and allegations by the Congress that the government and the district administration was trying to rig the democratic process and harass the elected members.

The election was deferred to January 22 as, according to the administration, none of the members turned up at the election venue today. Although senior leaders, both from the Congress and the BJP were camping in the town along with supporters yet they did not turn up at the election venue.

The All-India Mahila Congress president and Rajya Sabha member, Mrs Chandresh Kumari, claimed that 31 members of the Congress, along with senior Congress leaders had reached the election venue. She alleged that the Deputy Commissioner had already left and by the time they could go and meet him in his office it was past 12 o’clock.

On being informed that the election had been deferred, the Congress workers raised anti-government and anti-administration slogans. Mrs Chandresh Kumari said the next date for the election could have been fixed much earlier.

Senior Congressman, including former PCC chief Sat Mahajan, Mr M.R. Goma, Mr N.C. Prashar, Mr Kewal Singh Pathania and Mr Chander Kumar, MLA, alleged that the district administration was playing to the tune of the government. Addressing mediapersons they said if the BJP claimed to have a majority in the zila parishad then why did they not turn up for the election. They added that the only motive of the BJP was to get the election deferred so that they could buy time to manipulate the members in their favour.

Earlier, the Congress displayed a show of strength when all senior leaders came to the zila parishad hall along with their supporters.

However, the Congress leaders refused to divulge the named of the member to be fielded as the party candidate for the chairmanship.

Bilaspur block poll postponed
From Our Correspondent

BILASPUR, Jan 17 — The election of the Bilaspur Sadar Block Development Committee (Panchayat Samiti) has been postponed to January 19.

Allegedly in a bid to buy time, BJP members absented themselves from the election meeting and there being no “quorum”, it had to be postponed .

Reports said only 14 members from Congress and four from the CPI attended the meeting, which was short of the quorum required (24 members).

Later, addressing a press conference, a former Health Minister and now Congress MLA, Mr Ramlal Thakur, alleged that the BJP had “kidnapped” four of their party members and was now keeping them“ in illegal custody” and attempts were being made to force them to change sides .

Mr Thakur further alleged that all ministers, chairmen and vice-chairmen and even some government officers were being “misused” to win over members of other parties by hook or by crook.

There are at present 24 members of this samiti, nine are of the BJP, seven of the Congress and five of the HVC .

In Jhandutta block samiti, Mr Hardyal Singh of the BJP was elected chairman and Ms Usha Thakur the vice-chairperson.

Problems beset Kasauli
From Ambika Sharma

KASAULI: Over the years, residents of this cantonment town have been battling with problems which the authorities have not been able to solve to the satisfaction of the residents. The increasing population together with the influx of tourists has affected the basic amenities, which have remained more or less the same with the passage of time. This seemingly smug town has remained static with regard to development.

The cantonment is faced with shortage of funds and efforts to raise them by constructing a guest-house here has found disfavour with hoteliers. They deem it as a threat to their business which, according to them, pays no return particularly in winter. The residents have expressed dissatisfaction over the upkeep of basic amenities like water and sanitation. The Kasauli Welfare Committee has been apprising the cantonment authorities about the slip-shod services but they contend that no steps have been taken to improve them. Heaps of garbage can be seen at many sites, public toilets are poorly maintained with no proper water availability.

The pine trees surrounding the town spill pine needles in the summers, making the area prone to fire during the summer. Inadequate fire fighting equipment is one prime shortcoming of the town which has not been upgraded for years now. The medical facilities in the town are highly insufficient to deal with emergencies. Specialised health care is available in the district town of Solan, a distance of another 25 km.

There is no recreational facility in this old town. The only cinema hall was shut down more than a decade back as it incurred losses. It has been replaced by a shopping complex. The locals feel that it should be reinstated as it not only provides recreation but is also a prestige symbol for the town.

The students face obvious problems as there is no college here. They have to travel to Solan for higher education. Though there was a plan to set up a college in this area but a move was never initiated.

The locals have no access to the prestigious 120-year-old Kasauli Club, whose membership list reads like a virtual who’s who of North India’s elite. The library maintained by the cantonment board cries for upkeep and staff. There is no permanent employee to serve readers. One clerk comes to the library for barely half an hour a day.

Tourists visiting the town complain of problems. For most they are prohibited from taking two-wheelers beyond the main barrier at the bus stop whereas those moving in swanky cars have made the roads risky for pedestrians owing to reckless driving and over-speeding. The residents feel more parking space needs to be created to accommodate the increasing vehicles and avoid haphazard parking. The age-old adage that it is a fashion in the hills to walk and not ride a car seems to have been reversed with few preferring to walk amidst salubrious and panoramic landscape. This town is thronged by young couples from the city beautiful who bring with them the infamous ‘geri culture’ here by riding about in cars and not enjoying the environs on foot. Lack of decent eating places in the town also draws flak from visitors.

As if all this is not enough, the recent spurt in benami transactions and construction flouting all rules, is all set to tarnish the nature pristine of the town. It is not until tourists feel a part the town that cleanliness can be maintained here, opines a defence official.

The Executive Officer of the Cantonment board, Mr G.N. Mathur, says that they are trying to solve the problems according to the availability of funds. Steps will be taken to beautify the place. A water storage tank of one lakh capacity will be built to check water problem and they are also trying to put up street lights in the town. A sum of Rs 75000 was deposited with the electricity department to electrify lanes but even after nine months nothing has been done by the electricity department. The setting up of a police assistance booth near the bus stand in the town has been gathering dust for months together. It was aimed at providing immediate assistance to the locals as well as tourists. The residents feel that it is high time that pending problems of the town are taken care of by the cantonment.

Thousands of fish die
Toxic effluents released in Sirsa river
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Jan 17 — Thousands of fish have died in the Sirsa river, allegedly due to the release of toxic effluents by industrial units near Nalagarh since yesterday.

Villagers living along the river from Baddi to Manjholi noticed it in the morning when they found birds feasting on the small dead fish swept ashore by the current. This is the third incident of this kind since the monsoon. However, as the breeding takes place during July and August, most of the fish which died this time are small.

The first incident took place in September when a large number of big fish died. Subsequently, the state Pollution Control Board issued notices to some industrial units which were suspected to have released toxic effluents in the river on the sly.

Later, the examination of the viscera of the dead fish confirmed that they died due to increased toxicity in the water.

It is evident that the board has not been able to take effective action in the matter as more such incidents have taken place. Only a fortnight ago, some fish were killed in the Ratta river, a tributary of Sirsa. It was, however, localised in a small stretch of the river.

The repeated incidents have alarmed the environmentalists. Mr Ganendra Bhardwaj, president of the Nalagarh-Doon Joint Environment Protection Action Committee, blamed the laxity of the Pollution Control Board for the recurrence of these incidents.

Most of the polluting units have installed effluent treatment plants, but they are not run most of the time. Certain industrial units have been releasing toxic effluents into the river during night.

This year, the prolonged dry spell has brought down the discharge of water into the river to a trickle and the release of effluents was proving fatal for the aquatic life particularly, the fish. He said in Ratta, some frogs had also died.

Mr Bhardwaj demanded stringent action against the guilty industrial units and urged the board to keep a constant watch on such units.

Civic body results
From Our Correspondent

JAWALAMUKHI, Jan 17 — BJP candidates were elected chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Dehra Panchayat Samiti today. Mr Gopal Sharma, SDM, Dehra, conducted the election.

Mr Jagdish Chand was elected chairperson. He got 12 votes as against 10 by the Congress nominee, Mr Kisan Parmar. The post of the vice-chairperson went to Ms Swarna Devi.

The victorious BJP leaders were garlanded and taken through Dehra bazaar to Jawalamukhi town in a procession.

KANGRA: Mr Bal Krishan Sharma and his wife Ms Urmila Sharma were elected president and vice-president of the local Municipal Committee respectively on Wednesday.

HAMIRPUR: The election of The chairperson and the vice-chairperson of the Sujanpurtira nagar Panchayat in the district was postponed on Wednesday as no member reached the nagar panchayat office to take part in the election.

Mr B.S. Thakur, SDM, waited in the office for hours and finally postponed the election to January 20.

Meanwhile, the election of the chairperson and the vice-chairperson of Hamirpur Nagar Parishad will be held on Thursday.

BILASPUR: Ms Manjeet Kaur of the BJP was elected president of nagar parishad while Mr Harikrishan Gupta, a former Congress member who won this parishad election as an independent candidate, vice-president of the local nagar parishad here on Wednesday.

NAHAN: The election of the chairperson and the vice-chairperson of the local municipal council was postponed to January 20 as no newly-elected member of the council attended the meeting here on Wednesday.

SOLAN: District Election Officer K. Sunjay Murthi once again postponed the election of the chairperson and the vice-chairperson of the local zila parishad to January 22 on Wednesday.

Not even a single member turned up for the meeting. Later, Mr Murthi issued a notice under Section 131 of the Panchayati Raj Act informing the members that their membership would be terminated in case they did not attend the meeting on January 22.

MANDI: The election of the president and the vice-president of the local nagar parishad was postponed to January 20 for want of quorum.

Only five of the 13 members were present.

Panchayat samiti poll postponed
From Our Correspondent

KUMARHATTI, Jan 17 — Mr Jagdish Sharma, Returning Officer for the election of Dharampur Panchayat Samiti, yesterday postponed the election to January 22. Only six out of the total 21 elected members reached the election venue while 14 members were required to complete the quorum for election.

Earlier, on January 11, the Returning Officer had to postpone the election meeting when no member turned up for the meeting.

However, yesterday, the Congress, with the help of eight independents, claimed to complete the required quorum for the election. An internal feud between the two groups of the Congress to reach a consensus for the posts of chairman and vice-chairman has reportedly forced them to abstain from the election meeting. The differences over the probables for the posts between the two groups could not be solved yesterday despite an internal voting for the consensus.

ABVP statewide stir from Jan 24
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Jan 17 — The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad will hold a statewide demonstration in protest against the economic policies of the government, which according to them was posing a threat to the domestic industry.

According to the state secretary of the ABVP, Mr Kamalnayan, demonstrations will be held all over the state on January 24. He said under pressure from the World Trade Organisation India had allowed the entry of multinationals, which was against the interest of the domestic industries “Due to the opening of the Indian Markets to chinese goods, the Indian producers will suffer more, he stated.

The ABVP leader said the government had failed to improve the educational facilities in various institutions in the state. “Even after several years the government had failed to select proper land for the setting up of the regional centre, which has been facing an acute shortage of teaching staff,” he added.

He added that making English compulsory at graduation level was affecting many students, who have been unable to complete their graduation because of this. He informed that the committee which had been constituted to look onto the matter, had not held even a single meeting, since it was formed.

Mr Kamalnayan said the decision of the government to bar plus two students, who had got a compartment from getting admission in college, would adversely affect many students.

Apple growers object to payment in kind
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Jan 17 — Apple growers are annoyed with the state government which is paying them the price of their procured produce in kind and not in cash.

They complain that they were being given fertilisers, sprays and other implementations in lieu of the apple procured from them by various agencies of the government during the recent fruit season. The Shimla District Congress Committee (Rural) yesterday adopted a resolution criticising the government for not paying the price of their produce in cash.

The President of the DCC, Mr Sudhir Bhaik, and the General Secretary, Mr Kehar Singh, Khachi, said the poor farmers were suffering because of the policy. They were financially broken as they were being forced to accept the unrequired commodities instead of being given cash. Fertilisers not approved by horticulture university were being given to them, he alleged.

Ultimatum to district admn
From Our Correspondent

CHAMBA, Jan 17 — The district unit of the Himachal Pradesh Non-gazetted Employees Federation has served a 15-day ultimatum to the district administration. It has demanded the implementation of the decisions taken in the meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC).

It has threatened to organise dharnas and gherao officers concerned if its demand is not met.

In a press note issued here today, Mr Sat Pal Thakur, president of the district unit of the federation, said the step had been taken in a meeting of the executive of the federation here.

Students irked at mobile misuse
From Our Correspondent

SHIMLA, Jan 17 — Mobile phones have become a source of disturbance, especially in the university library. The university administration has not taken any action against it.

Though the administrative officials have visited many times, the situation is the same. There is no proper check in the library, due to which students are suffering.

“Mobile phones should be banned in the educational institutions, especially in the libraries. They divert our attention from our studies,” says a university student.

A large number of students can be seen carrying mobile phones in the city. This is not matter of need, but a new fad.