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| Sunday,
March 18, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Congress workers hold
rally Markanda allocated
PWD portfolio Health services paralysed Dismissal of BJP govt sought Gaggal airport being
upgraded |
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Workers
stop construction HPSEB complaint
centre inaugurated Seminar on
environment 24 posts of teacher vacant
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Congress workers hold
rally Dharamsala, March 17 Senior Congress leaders, including former ministers Mr Vijai Singh Mankotia, and Mr Kewal Singh Pathania, led the party workers till the Deputy Commissioner’s office, where a memorandum was handed over to him. In the memorandum addressed to the President, the Congress demanded that the Prime Minister must resign as in a democracy, the collective responsibility lies on the Cabinet and he had lost the moral right to continue in the office. The shameful act by the senior politicians and defence officials has shattered the faith of the people in the government. PATHANKOT: Hundreds of Congress workers took out a procession which started from Congress Bhavan and concluded at the local SDM court complex today. Mr Raman Bhalla, former Minister, Punjab, Mr Brij Mohan Puri, Joint Secretary, PPCC, and Mr Sham Behal president of the city Congress Committee, led the workers. They also raised anti-government slogans. They submitted a memorandum to the local SDM seeking the removal of the NDA government led by Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. Addressing the gathering, Mr Sham Behal, president city Congress Committee, said the party would continue their agitation until the Central Government led by Mr Vajpayee resigns. |
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Markanda allocated
PWD portfolio Shimla, March 17 Mr Markanda, who is a nominee of the HVC, and was so far Minister of State for Animal Husbandry, had resigned last week to protest against what he alleged as discrimination against his tribal district of Lahaul Spiti. He had submitted his resignation to Mr Sukh Ram for being forwarded to the Chief Minister. The sop comes for Mr Sukh Ram just before the budgetary proposals of Mr Dhumal will be put for voting in the Vidhan Sabha on March 26, 27 and 28. The HVC MLAs, Mr Sukh Ram and Mr Markanda, whose note at the time of passing of the Budget was crucial in view of the revolt by seven legislators of the ruling BJP. However, Mr Dhumal has now allocated him the PWD portfolio which is considered important here. Mr Markanda will remain attached with the Chief Minister as Minister of State for PWD. The portfolio was with the Chief Minister eversince Mr Mohinder Singh was dropped from the Cabinet on the demand of the rebels and Mr Sukh Ram. Mr Dhumal told newsmen that Mr Sukh Ram wanted that Mr Markanda should be given the PWD portfolio and he did so. The HVC chief had held a series of meetings with Mr Dhumal following submission of his resignation by Mr Markanda to him. It is learnt that the entire process of allocating the portfolio was rushed through and approval of the Governor, Dr Suraj Bhan, who is at Delhi these days, was obtained on fax this afternoon. One of the reasons for annoyance of Mr Sukh Ram with Mr Dhumal was retention of Mr Mohinder Singh as PWD Minister even after he broke away from the HVC and floated his separate outfit. He had been demanding his removal from the ministry and allocation of the PWD portfolio to Mr Markanda. However, the opportunity came now when seven BJP legislators revolted against Mr Dhumal and every single vote became valuable for him in the Assembly. Mr Markanda celebrated the development. |
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Health services paralysed Shimla, March 17 Patients suffered as doctors of all four hospitals here, including Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Kamla Nehru Hospital and Deen Dayal Hospital, remained on leave. Only emergency services were being looked after by senior doctors. HAMIRPUR: All 68 medical officers working in various health institutions of the district on Saturday struck work and resorted to a day-long token strike in support of their demands for the implementation of an agreement reached with them by the state government and the unilateral decision of the government to withdraw the NPA. The medical officers took out a silent procession through the main bazar and submitted a memorandum to the district administration enlisting their demands. However, they maintained emergency services. Dr Des Raj Sharma, press secretary of the District Medical Officers Association, in a statement here today asked the state government to accept their demands failling which they would be compelled to resort to a state-level dharna in Shimla on March 26. UNA: More than 60 doctors working in various hospitals, dispensaries and Zonal Hospital, Una, took out a procession in the town on Saturday and presented a memorandum of demands to the Deputy Commissioner. Doctors all over the district observed a day’s token strike. Dr S.P. Samnol, district president of the Himachal Medical Officers Association, said doctors had gone on strike against the decision of the state government to withdraw the NPA. SOLAN: Members of the Solan district chapter of the Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association observed a complete strike here on Saturday. The press secretary of the association, Dr Udit Kumar, said work in OPDs of all state-run health institutions, including the Zonal Hospital here, remained paralysed. However, the medical officers provided emergency services. DHARAMSALA: Health services in the district remained paralysed on Saturday as doctors observed a day’s token strike in protest against the decision of the government to withdraw the NPA and the non-implementation of the agreement with their association. The Himachal Medical Officers Association has resented the unilateral decision of the government to withdraw the NPA without taking the doctors into confidence. KULU: Health services in the district remained paralysed on Saturday as doctors observed a day’s token strike. Dr Om Pal Sharma, president, Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association, criticised the “biased and short-sighted” decision of the government to withdraw the NPA. CHAMBA: Health services in the Zonal Hospital here and other hospitals of Chamba district were badly hit on Saturday as doctors observed a day’s token strike. In a hand-out issued here, Dr Arun Kumar, district president of the Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association, said the doctors held a rally in the town to pressurise the state government to withdraw its decision on the NPA. Meanwhile, the Himachal Pradesh Veterinarians Association is also up in arms against the state government’s decision. Dr Devender Kumar Soni, district secretary of the association, asked the government to grant NPA to veterinarians failing which the association would launch an agitation. KANGRA: Thousands of patients were put to inconvenience on Saturday as doctors in the district observed a day’s token strike. A spokesman for the Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association, Dr Susheel Sharma, claimed that a complete strike was observed by the doctors in the state. |
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Dismissal of BJP govt sought Dharamsala, March 17 Addressing a press conference here yesterday, Mr Mankotia said resignations of the Defence Minister and the BJP President were not sufficient as the needle of suspicion clearly pointed towards involvement of the Prime Minister Office in the entire episode. “It is India’s hour of shame as those occupying high positions have allegedly compromised on safety and security of the nation,” he said. What was of utmost concern was the fact that it would take years to restore the confidence of our armed forces who had been thoroughly demoralised by this immoral act of politicians and defence officials, he added. “There has been a continuous erosion of the clean image of the armed forces which has a Defence Minister whose credibility and integrity has been doubtful from day one,” he alleged. |
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Gaggal airport being
upgraded Dharamsala, March 17 After remaining unoperational for over three years, the Gaggal airport now has 18 seater Donier flights thrice a week. However, due to the length of the airstrip being 3,900 feet, it was not possible for bigger aircraft to land here. With higher air traffic during the peak tourist season, Indian Airlines Donier flights could cater to the rush. However, with the extension of the runway by 600 feet, now it will be possible for a 50-seater aircraft to land, thereby giving a fillip to tourism in the Kangra valley. Along with the strengthening of the facilities at the Gaggal airport, it is being named as Kangra Airport. A new building will be constructed having all provisions at any modern airport. Most importantly, the airport will now have the refuelling facility, the absence of which was a big problem. “Even the Donier aircraft could not carry passengers to its full capacity from Delhi, as it could not get fuel here in
Gaggal,” disclosed one of the travel agents. In fact, the Donier would carry nine passengers from Delhi and take back not more than 14 persons, he added. The state government had undertaken the construction of the Gaggal airport at a cost of Rs 7 crore in 1989 and handed it over to the Airport Authority of India in 1992. Initially, the people living in the village close to the airport had been opposed to the extension of the airstrip. Though they have not agreed to the extension of the airstrip by 600 feet, it will not be possible to make it 7,000 feet, which is a must for a Boeing. The landing of the 50-seater aircraft will give a boost to tourism as important dignitaries from all over the would keep visiting Dharamsala to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama. As per the figures available with the Tourism Department, the number of foreign tourists visiting Dharamsala is the highest in Himachal followed by
Kulu-Manali. The handing over to the Himachal sector to the private airlines initially and the exorbitant fares have been the major reasons for the
non-stabilisation of air traffic in the state. The state government on the other hand has been demanding a subsidised structure of air tariff as was given to Jammu and Kashmir and the North-Eastern states. The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Mr Shanta Kumar, along with the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Mr Chaman Lal Gupta,will lay the foundation stone for the new building and the extension of the airstrip at Gaggal on March 18. |
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Workers
stop construction Nurpur, March 17 The BMS had held a rally at Dharamsala on March 3 and given an ultimatum to the state government for stopping the ongoing construction work of the project. Earlier, it had also submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar
Dhumal, on February 16, in this connection. The BMS activists also held a rally at Sathana in which its leaders criticised the anti-worker policies of the Dhumal government. |
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HPSEB complaint
centre inaugurated Kangra, March 17 Mr Sagar was speaking at a function after inaugurating Rs 3.25 lakh HPSEB complaint centre and the junior engineers office in the industrial area of the town today. He said the Congress was allegedly involved in urea, Bofors and sugar scams and never stepped down when asked by the Opposition. He said Nagarwal scam of 1976 where the Congress leadership was allegedly involved in Rs 70 lakh scam was put under the carpet. He said Rs 1.45 crore was spent on the development work in the power sector in Kangra during the past one year. |
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Seminar on
environment Shimla, March 17 Prof Harjit Singh of the Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, emphasised that environment and globalisation were going to be the most important questions in the 21st century. Dr Jagdish
Bahadur, was the chief guest. |
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24 posts of teacher vacant Shimla, March 17 In a statement issued here yesterday, Mr Verma said at least 24 posts of teacher were lying vacant in eight schools in Theog. These included Kathog, Dhamandari, Mahori, Batlawag, Kandroo, Garakufer and Bagoti. There was just one teacher in Government Middle School at Jari. He said about 60 compensation cases to IRDP families were pending. |
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