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| Sunday, January 28, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Crowd
braves cold to celebrate R-Day Project to
end Hamirpur water shortage Don’t
mislead public on project: Dhiman Forest
mafia fells 23 trees
Virbhadra flays cut in Central allocation |
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Confusion
over buildings along Kalka-Shimla road
Three die as car skids off road
Dogs chase barking deer to death 2.50 lakh looted from
petrol station, chowkidar hurt Removal of entry
tax barriers demanded Politicisation
of govt bodies alleged Apex court
upholds MLA’s election ISI agent
arrested from temple Dile Ram block
panel chief
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Crowd braves cold to celebrate R-Day SHIMLA, Jan 26 (UNI) — Republic Day was celebrated with great enthusiasm and gaiety in Himachal Pradesh yesterday. Unfurling of national flag, march past by contigents of the police, Home Guards, traffic police, fire services, ITBP, SSB, ex-servicemen, Army band and NCC cadets and cultural programmes marked the celebrations. The state-level function was held at the Ridge ‘maidan’ here where the Governor, Dr Suraj Bhan, hoisted the Tricolour and took the salute at an impressive march past. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and some ministers in his government were also present on the occasion. A large number of men, women and children were part of the celebrations in spite of a cold wave that swept the town. Tableaux depicting development in various fields, including power, health, forest, horticulture and tourism, were displayed. Folk dance troupes from various districts and from Punjab and Haryana performed on the occasion. The Republic Day functions were also held at the district headquarters where ministers unfurled the national flag and took salute. CHAMBA: Mr Ishwar Dass Dhiman, Education Minister, presided over a district-level Republic Day function here on Friday. He unfurled that national flag and took the salute of an impressive march past by the police, Home Guards and NCC. A cultural programme was also presented on this occasion. The minister also gave away the prizes to participants. MANDI:
Mr Kishori Lal Vaid, Industries Minister, unfurled the national flag and took a salute from the contingents of the police, Home Guards and NCC at Seri Pavilion. Speaking on the occasion, he paid tributes to martyrs. Mr Vaid said after achieving the distinction of an apple state, Himachal was poised to become “power state” in another 10 years when several of its ongoing hydel projects would be completed. The minister said the total investment under the industrial sector was Rs 28,000 crore which had generated employment for 1.5 lakh persons. A colourful cultural programme of group songs was also presented. NAHAN:
The Speaker, the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, Mr Gulab Singh Thakur, unfurled the national flag and took a salute from contingents of the police, Home Guards, NCC and Scouts at a Republic Day function held here. He said the Indian democracy, despite challenges, was vigorous and vibrant which was a significant feature of the Constitution. HAMIRPUR:
The Republic Day celebrations were held there on Friday in which Mr Mansha Ram, Minister of State for Food and Supplies, unfurled the national flag and took a salute from the contingents of the Himachal Pradesh police, Home Guards and National Cadet Corp. The minister lauded the role of the freedom fighters and leaders. He said the nation should be indebted to them. The minister also paid tributes to late Dr Y.S. Parmar for bringing the state into limelight during his tenure. A variety programme was presented on this occasion. The minister also gave away prizes to those who took part in the functions. |
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Project to end Hamirpur water shortage HAMIRPUR, Jan 27 — A watershed development project aimed at ending water shortage and curbing soil erosion has been launched in the district. The Rs 10-crore project will cover 25,000 hectares in the district. It will be completed in four years. The project will cover the catchments of khads of Kunah, Maan, Poong, Gasoti, Bumbloo, Shukker, Seer, Bakker and Salasi, said Mrs Anuradha Thakur, Deputy Commissioner here. She said the entire area would be covered in 48 watersheds and each microshed area would be at least 500 hectares. She said the project was being implemented by the District Rural
Development Agency (DRDA), which had already constituted committees at district and village levels for the successful implementation of the programme. Officers of the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research, Chandigarh, Peoples Science Institute, Dehra Dun, HP Krishi Vishwavidyala, Palampur, and other agencies were providing training to all the members of the watershed development project, she said. The Deputy Commissioner said the other main aim of the project was to make the district self-sufficient in water. She said since the district was a rain-fed area, the rainwater received every year went waste. All-out efforts would be made to conserve rainwater in ponds and other water-harvesting media, she added. She informed that the Central Government had so far released Rs 1.5 crore for the project and the same money had been credited to the account of the DRDA, the implementing agency for the project. Under the first phase of project, around 16,500 saplings of khair, 1,000 of mango and 50 of litchi have been planted in the microshed area of Bakker khad. Similarly, 20,431 roots of elephant variety of grass and 1,250 saplings of mango have also been planted in the Salasi khad area of the project. Besides, 48 water sources of the area falling under the project have also been cleaned and properly maintained in order to provide clean drinking water to the local people. |
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Don’t mislead public on project: Dhiman CHAMBA, Jan 27 — Mr I.D. Dhiman, Education Minister, has criticised Mrs Asha Kumari, a Congress MLA of Banikhet Assembly constituency for issuing misleading statements about the hydro-power policy of the BJP-led government. Addressing a news conference at the local Circuit House yesterday Mr Dhiman said such statements were an outcome of the frustration arising out of the defeat in the municipal and block development committee elections in her area. Contesting her allegations that the hydro-power projects had been assigned to a private enterprise like Jai Parkash Industries, the Education Minister said this enterprise was executing the projects ahead of the scheduled and had undertaken them on turnkey basis. The Education Minister urged the Congress leaders to make public whey they could not get the 300-mw Chamera Hydro-Electric Project (Stage-II) cleared by the Centre even after 13 years. Mr Dhiman said that Himachal Pradesh was bestowed with abundance of hydel potential and was expected to trigger growth of the power in the coming decades. |
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Forest mafia fells 23 trees SOLAN, Jan 27 — Forest mafia reportedly felled 23 trees in the Kunihar forest division on January 20, according to a late report lodged with the Kasuali police by the Block Forest Officer, Mr Dittu Ram, of the Patta Mahlog forest range recently. He had named two forest contractors as suspects in the FIR. However, the late filing of the report has raised eyebrows with local villages alleging that such a large number of trees could not have been felled without the connivance of forest officials. They say that except for the stumps, there was no other sign of felling. This was something which could not have been done in a hurry. The police has registered cases under Sections 26 and 33 of the Forest Act and under Section 379, IPC. |
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Virbhadra flays cut in Central allocation SHIMLA, Jan 27 — The CLP leader and a former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, today lambasted the BJP government in the state for a cut of Rs 338 crore in its next annual plan by the Centre and said this was for the first time that such a drastic step was taken in view of the failure of the state government to meet its plan targets. Mr Virbhadra Singh, who was talking to newsmen here, described the step of the Centre as a “rebuke” to the state government against its failure to meet the financial obligations and utilise the plan funds properly. The former Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh was always given a pat by the Planning Commission for proper utilisation of plan funds and this was for the first time that the reputation of the state had been tarnished because of the fault of the BJP government headed by Mr P.K. Dhumal. He said that he had forewarned Mr Dhumal of a cut in the plan funds because of neglect of development schemes and failure to pay the state’s share in their funding. Mr Virbhadra Singh said that the cut was “very shameful” for the state and it depicted the mess created by the BJP government which had led Himachal to bankruptcy. He said that Mr Dhumal raised loans to the tune of Rs 2000 crore ever since the BJP government came to power three years ago and was taking steps to raise loans of Rs 350 crore more through various boards and corporations for running the day-to-day affairs of the government. These funds were not being utilised for development works, but for paying the monthly salary bill. He said that during the Ninth Plan when the Congress was in power, an expediture of Rs 3600 crore was made against an allocation of Rs 2500 crore. However, the BJP government failed to fulfil the plan targets resulting in a shortfall in achievements. Mr Virbhadra Singh accused the BJP government of pursuing anti-people and anti-farmer policies and encouraging corruption. He said that Mr Dhumal had failed to take action against his ministerial colleagues who were accused of indulging in corruption. Taking exception to the decision of the state government to close down the primary schools which had less than 20 students on rolls, Mr Virbhadra Singh said that the move was anti-educational and indicated that the BJP Government was insensitive to the requirements of the poorer sections of the society. About 1,200 schools will be closed. He said that if this decision was taken with the intention of curtailing expenditure, then Mr Dhumal should first cut the size of his ministry and remove the politically appointed chairmen and vice-chairmen of boards and corporations who were levishly syphoning of the resources of the state. He alleged that Mr Dhumal was discriminating against certain areas and the Australian agency-funded Rs 43 crore watershed programme in the Rampur area had been diverted elsewhere by him. The project was to be implemented in the Rampur, Kumarsain and the Ani areas for preventing silting of the Gobindsagar Dam of the Bhakra project. |
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Confusion over buildings along Kalka-Shimla road KUMARHATTI, Jan 27 — Confusion prevails among the residents of Chewa, Dharampur and Barog panchayats who own land up to 100 metres on the both sides of Kalka-Shimla
National Highway No. 22 over the government decision to constitute the Special Area Development Authority (SADA). Despite the formation of the SADA in August, a majority of the residents were unaware of the implementation of the SADA. To regularise the constructions and check the unplanned construction activities along the highway, the state government had formed the SADA under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1977. With Town and Country Planning officials taking the measurements of buildings falling within 100 metres on both sides of the highway, panic has gripped the residents as most of them have been caught unawares. Due to lack of publicity, not a single resident turned up for the meeting at Barog that was organised by the Solan TCP office to inform the residents about the SADA some time back. Under the SADA, one has to get prior sanction for any construction. Recently, the newly elected presidents of Chewa, Barog and Dharampur Panchayats were called by the DC, Solan, who is also the Chairman of the SADA, Barog. Mr Ramesh Chauhan, president of the Chewa panchayat, said the meeting decided to charge Rs 5 per square metre as building fees in the commercial construction and Rs 2 in the non-commercial construction. Meanwhile, a highly placed official of the TCP when contacted some time back asserted that there were some exemptions for the poor families in the SADA and they need not panic. |
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Three die as car skids off road MANDI, Jan 27 — Three persons were killed when the Santro car in which they were travelling from Janjehli to Ludhiana fell down the road near Nauni village on Mandi-Janjehli road, 45 km from here last night. Of the three occupants in the car, two died on the spot while the third succumbed to injuries while crawling up to the road. The person who died near the road was spotted by the driver of a Shimla-Janjehli night bus who immediately informed the villagers who found the mutilated bodies. Later the bodies were sent by the police to the Zonal Hospital here for post-mortem. Eyewitnesses told newspersons that the ill-fated car (PB-10B-9722) skidded on the thick layer of frost frozen on the road. A card recovered from the pocket of one of the deceased bore the name of Tarsem Kumar. The deceased persons had talked to their relatives at Ludhiana shortly before the accident from a PCO at Thunag. The police obtained their Ludhiana numbers from the Thunag PCO and informed the relatives who were likely to reach here late in the evening. The occupants of the ill-fated car had gone to Janjehli to get a herb from a hakim for the fractured bones. |
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Dogs chase barking deer to death KASAULI, Jan 27 — A barking deer, aged about four years died near the Gamber river in the Kuthar forest range, near here yesterday. According to Mr Kshen Chander, who was the first to spot the animal, said the deer was being chased by stray dogs and was profusely bleeding from the leg. Villagers reportedly saved it from the dogs but the animal soon collapsed owing to excessive fatigue. According to the SHO, Mr Narveer Singh Rathore, the preliminary investigations revealed that some locals could have attacked the animal, making it run in defense. The animal was reportedly pregnant and had collapsed owing to constant running. Marks of dog-bite were seen on its leg. People possessing weapons in the area were questioned by the police today. Its body has been sent for a postmortem. This was not the only incident of the death of the wild animal in the region though the SHO stated that only a few such cases were detected. The death of a stag was reported in the region about 6 months ago. Last month another case of poaching of a barking deer was reported from Kandaghat near Solan. Wildlife experts opined that scanty rainfall resulting in destruction of the natural habitate was one of the reasons that wild animals strayed into the field for fodders. |
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2.50 lakh looted from petrol station,
chowkidar hurt NAHAN, Jan 27 — In an accident of looting last night six persons snatched about Rs 2.50 lakh and seriously injured a chowkidar of the Baveja Filling Station. Mr S.P. Singh, SP (Sirmour), said today that the suspects arrived at about 11 p.m. last night at the filling station and requested the chowkidar to fill petrol in their car as they were going to PGI, Chandigarh with a patient who was in serious condition. When Sushil Kumar, chowkidar, came out of his room he was attacked by three or four persons. He tried his best to overpower the intruders. The chowkidar received injuries on his head and became unconscious. He was attacked by iron rods and ‘katta’. The SP said the suspects opened the safe of the filling station and fled away with the cash in their Maruti car (white colour) and a scooter. The chowkidar who was admitted in the local district hospital was stated to be out of danger. Mr S.P. Singh said the suspects had fled to Haryana. The police was in constant touch with Haryana, Punjab and UP police to nab the culprits. |
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Removal of entry
tax barriers demanded SHIMLA, Jan 24 — The private bus operators have urged the government to immediately remove the entry tax barriers at several places in the state. A meeting of the Himachal Pradesh Private Bus Operators Association headed by Mr Dev Raj, held here today, demanded that the government should implement its promise of removing the barriers, which have become an irritant for drivers. It said the government had also failed to reduce the Special Raod Tax which it had promised to do to compensate for the hike in the prices of diesel and lubricants. It claimed that about 20 per cent of the total numbers of buses had been grounded and 25 per cent bus owners had not been able to repay loans because of the Special Road Tax. The association criticised the authorities for challaning buses on account of polluting. It said the pollution was being caused due to
adulterated diesel. |
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Politicisation of govt
bodies alleged JWALAMUKHI, Jan 27 — The Himachal Pradesh Government Teachers Union has taken exception to the government’s decision to empower Panchayati Raj institutions to supervise the administrative work and attendance of government officials. Mr Onkar Rana, president of the Kangra unit of the union, in a statement said here today alleged the move would politicise government institutions, adding that the Panchayati Raj institutions were affiliated with political parties. Mr Rana urged the Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, to revoke the “anti-employee” decision.
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Apex court upholds MLA’s election SHIMLA, Jan 27 — The election of Congress MLA, Tek Chand has been upheld by the Supreme Court. A petition challenging a High Court’s decision to unseat Mr Tek Chand, who represented the Nachan Assembly constituency, was disposed of by the Supreme Court by upholding his election. CLP leader Virbhadra Singh and PCC chief Vidya Stokes have welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court. |
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ISI agent arrested from temple MANDI, Jan 27 — Anwar Naquvi, an ISI agent, was arrested yesterday by the local police, claimed Mr M.L. Negi, DIG Central Range, at a hurriedly called news conference here today. Mr Negi said the police nabbed Anwar Naquvi from Lakshmi Narain temple near the Beas-Sutlej Project. A diary and some other documents were recovered from his possession, which on preliminary investigation confirmed Anwar’s links with the ISI. He had visited Pakistan twice in the past two years, Mr Negi added. |
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Dile Ram block
panel chief MANALI, Jan 27 — Mr Dile Ram of the Congress was elected chairperson and Mr Sarab Dayal of the BJP vice-chairperson, of the Block Development (BDC), Naggar block. Mr Dile Ram defeated Mr Hukam Ram of the BJP and Mr Dayal defeated Mr Inder Singh Rana of the Congress. |
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