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| Thursday,
March 29, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Himachal Budget passed Truce with Dhumal divides rebels Several Himachal judges shifted Prolonged dry spell hits farmers Papers cancelled due to copying |
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Drug
menace worries House Power project ready ahead of schedule Insurance
co. told to pay truck owner Water supply ‘diverted’ to construction works 2 cops die as van falls into gorge Blurred DD reception 150 village leaders join HVC Plan to
beautify The Mall Mother
electrocuted while saving girl 
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Himachal Budget passed Shimla, March 28 Replying to the cut motions of the Opposition, the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, announced that the decision to discontinue non-practicing allowance to doctors would not be implemented immediately. The government would take a final decision after holding consultations with the doctors and the Opposition. He also allayed fears regarding the reduction in the Plan size for the current year and disclosed that the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee had granted a special assistance of Rs 150 crore to the bridge the resource gap. Besides the state had taken a loan of Rs 100 crore from the Life Insurance Corporation and received another Rs 86 crore on account of improvement in
resources. By raising another Rs 50 crore the state would be able to maintain the Plan size of Rs 1720 crore as against Rs 1382 crore approved by the Planning Commission. Mr Dhumal said his government had tried its best to remove the imbalances in the allocation of funds under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. He said that the objective was to ensure funds for each district in proportion to its population. Referring to the quality of road construction work he said it had been decided to take random samples of material used for analysis to ascertain if it conformed to the prescribed specifications and standards. He said work on national highways was being carried out as per the norms laid down by the Centre. It was mandatory to use computerised hot mix plants for metalling of roads. The temperature of the macadum used for surfacing had to be more than 1450°C and there was no restriction of distance over which the hot mix could be transported. Under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojna, smaller villages could be grouped to fulfil the criteria of minimum population. The roads to be constructed under the scheme would be all weather and with plantation on both sides. The contractor assigned the construction work would also be required to maintain it for five years. Cut motions on demands pertaining to health, forest, education, public works and planning were discussed before the Speaker applied the guillotine. The cut motions were either rejected or withdrawn. As per the proposals loans to the tune of Rs 2318 crore would be raised to bridge the resource gap of Rs 2490 crore the year would start and end with a deficit of Rs 162 crore. |
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Truce with Dhumal divides rebels Shimla, March 28 It is learnt that atleast four of these rebels had reservations over the issue of the reinduction of the ministers. Only two rebels, who were dropped from the ministry, were keen on their reinduction. One of these rebels said by hankering for a ministerial berth their demand for the removal of Mr Dhumal from Chief Ministership had been set aside as they had accepted to become members of his ministry again. The rebels had demanded Mr Dhumal’s removal first in November and then again in their open letter last month and had made it clear that they would accept nothing short of a change in the leadership. However, their sudden climb down has come as a setback to their supporters. It is learnt that Mr Ramesh Dhwala and Mr Harinarayan Singh had made it clear during the final round of negotiations yesterday that they were not keen on being reinducted into the ministry. Another rebel said that they could have been more effective in putting pressure on the Chief Minister to fight corruption in case they remained out of the ministry. Their hands would get tied and they might not be able to raise these issues after joining the ministry. There are reports that the rebel leader, Mr Dulo Ram, who is considered to be the right hand man of the Union Minister, Mr Shanta Kumar, is annoyed with his colleagues who readily accepted the idea of their reinduction into the ministry. A section of the rebel feels that the reinduction would send wrong signals among their supporters and create an impression that it was done to grab ministerial berths. One of the rebels said they were hopeful that the patch-up would work this time and serious efforts would be made by Mr Dhumal in solving their grievances. One of the rebels said because of their previous experience, this time they had got the RSS leaders involved in the peace process and they were standing as a guarantee for the implementation of the agreement. He said they had not dropped their demand for the removal of Mr Narendera Modi, general secretary of the BJP, from the Himachal scene, but had left the issue to the party high command to settle as the new BJP chief, Mr Jena Krishnamurthi, would be appointing his own team of office-bearers. He made it clear that their demand for the shifting of the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Kangra district had been accepted and both these officers might be removed from their posts in due course of time. The rebels were annoyed over the issue of the registration of cases against three ministers — Mr K.K. Kapoor, Mr Ramesh Dhwala and Mr Ravinder Singh Ravi and Mr Dulo Ram, Kangra district chief of the BJP, by the police which had caused great embarrassment for them. Mr Dhumal had initially acted strongly by dropping all four rebel ministers on February 28 shortly after they released their strongly worded letter against the government to the mediapersons here. However, he later became soft and kept the options open for a dialogue and their reinduction into the ministry. He kept the entire matter at the disposal of the central leadership of the BJP and came into picture only yesterday during the final round of talks with the rebels. A senior BJP leader said the truce might have solved the problem for the time being, but the rebels had tarnished the BJP government by having gone a step ahead of the opposition Congress while ridiculing Mr Dhumal and raking up the issues which could have been settled within the party forum or at the level of central leadership. |
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Several Himachal judges shifted Shimla, march 28 The High Court today shifted Mr O.P. Sharma, District and Sessions Judge, Mandi, to Shimla in place of Mr Surjit Singh who has been appointed as Registrar-General of the High Court. The High Court ordered the transfers of 11 District and Sessions Judges and Additional District and Sessions Judges. Mr V.K. Ahuja, District and Session Judge, Kangra, has been transfered to Mandi. Mr J.N. Barowalia, District and Sessions Judge, Una, has been shifted to Kangra with headquarters at Dharamsala. Mr R.K. Raghu, Registrar-General of the High Court, has been appointed District and Sessions Judge, Una. Mr J.L. Gupta, District and Sessions Judge, Chamba, has been transferred to Nahan in place of Mr Janeshwar Goyal who will retire on March 31. Mr D.D. Sharma, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mandi, has been appointed District and Sessions Judge, Chamba. Mr George, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Shimla, has been shifted to Mandi. Mr A.C. Dogra, Additional District and Sessions Judge (1) Kangra has been shifted to Shimla while Mr P.C. Sharma, Additional District and Sessions Judge (II) Kangra has been shifted as Judge (1) at Dharamsala. Mr V.K. Sharma, District and Sessions Judge (Rules) at the High Court has been temporarily transferred as District and Sessions Judge, Hamirpur, against the leave vacancy of Mr G.R. Sharma. |
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Prolonged dry spell hits farmers Kasauli Already reeling under heavy losses suffered due to a slump in the paddy and maize markets, the farmers are now a disappointed lot. In an attempt to get some financial return in the rabi season, the farmers had invested heavily in high-yielding seeds, fertilisers and other inputs for crops such as wheat and gram. But the unavailability of water for irrigation and the lack of rainfall have harmed the fields, lament farmers. Cattle-rearing, which is dependent on the availability of fodder, has also been hit due to the dry spell. Some farmers complained that in spite of a vast potential for developing perennial sources of water, the government had not even bothered to tap these. The Krishi Vikas Sangh, a voluntary organisation, expressed resentment against this “anti-farmer policy” of the state
government. Farmers are unhappy that the government has not even ordered assessment of their losses. The food-for-work programme of the state government seems to be a far-fetched scheme when the growers have to face government apathy besides the vagaries of the weather. Farmers contend that with virtually no support from the government, agriculture has not been a gainful occupation for the past couple of years. The absence of basic facilities like pucca roads, perennial irrigation sources, proper markets and adequate transportation have added to the problems of the farming community. The fear psychosis created by the WTO regime has further dampened the hopes of this section. Farmers are worried that their children will be unable to sustain themselves in the emerging world scenario. As a panic reaction, many farmers have started selling their land and that, too, at prices lower than those prevalent in Punjab and Haryana. Describing the policies of the government as outdated and arbitrary, the sangh said that by not allowing non-Himachalis to buy land in the state, the prices of land had fallen substantially. Members of the families of traditional farmers were now shifting from agriculture to jobs where at least a regular income was expected. As they lacked adequate education or had not undergone vocational training, they landed up with a paltry amount ranging between Rs 1,200 and Rs 1,500. The vice-president of the sangh, Mr Harbans Lal Mehta, said that this trend would have a negative impact on the socio-economic structure of this Himalayan state. |
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Papers cancelled due to copying Dharamsala, March 28 According to a press note issued by the board, the twelfth class Hindi paper at the Government Senior Middle School, Baldwara in Mandi district, has been cancelled on the basis of a report of the SDM, Sarkaghat. The flying squad headed by the SDM found that the students at the centre were indulging in mass copying. The board has also cancelled the Social Science paper of tenth class being conducted at the Government Senior Middle School, Jwali in Kangra district on March, 27. The board has also cancelled the Social Science paper of tenth class being conducted at the Nahlian examination centre in Kangra district. The flying squad found that mass copying and other irregularities had been committed at these centres. The fresh dates for holding the exams at these three centres will be later decided by the board. |
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Drug
menace worries House Shimla, March 28 The issue was raised by Mrs Viplove Thakur and Mr Kaul Singh during question hour. Cutting across party line, the members called for effective steps to contain the menace, which if unchecked, could spell doom for the coming generations. Appreciating the concern of members, the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, said the government was alive to the problem and several steps had been taken to check the menace but the society as a whole would have to rise and wage a collective war to nip the evil in the bud. He said the police had launched a special drive against the narcotics mafia as a result of which the number of cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act had doubled over the past three years and a large quantity of charas and bhang had been recovered. He said the government was aware of the fact that the drug mafia was targeting educational institutions which could well be a part of a conspiracy to destroy the youth. Hence the need for collective effort to curb the menace. The government had taken steps to ensure that foreigners visiting the Kulu valley were registered with the police. There were cases of overstay and also several instances of foreigners marrying locals to prolong their stay in the valley. The government would take up the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs so that those overstaying could be sent back to their respective countries. Referring to the suggestion of Mr J.B.L. Khachi that the passport of the foreigners should be deposited with the police and they should be given a temporary permit to move around in the state, Mr Dhumal said the government would get the proposal examined from the legal point of view and also take it up with the Ministry of External Affairs. Mr Ravinder Ravi, Minister for Technical Education, told Mrs Asha Kumari that Punjab would have to contribute Rs 98.49 crore in the Rs 145.90 crore Shah Nehar project and so far it had given Rs 3.5 crore. He said construction works were awarded through open tenders and works involving an expenditure of Rs 3.39 crore were allotted to 15 Himachalis contractors. Besides work to the tune of Rs 6.60 crore was awarded to contractors from Punjab and Delhi. The Chief Minister informed Mr Ram Lal Thakur that Rs 9.92 lakh were paid as travelling allowance and daily allowance to chairpersons and vice chairpersons of various boards and corporations from April 1, 2000 and March 15, 2001. The maximum amount of Rs 3,34,861 was drawn by the Chairman of the State Marketing Board, followed by Rs 81,082 by chairpersons of the State Khadi Board. |
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Power project ready ahead of schedule Kulu, March 28 This was stated by Vijender Pal Singh Chauhan, general manager of the Malana Power Company here today in a conference at the Press Club. Mr Chauhan said foundation stone of the project was laid by Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, on September 27, 1998. Thereafter, the infrastructure work was taken up. About 10 km of the road was constructed in difficult mountain terrain in a record time of 11 months. This also included construction of 65 m-long bridge across the river Parvati and a few temporary bridges on both river Parvati and river Malana. Mr Dhumal on a visit to Malana project earlier called upon engineers and PWD authorities to take example of efficient working by the Malana Power Company. He also declared at village Chowki that the government would reward engineers and workers for completing their work well within the scheduled time. The general manager further said major components of the project were barrage works, 3 km-long tunnel, 900 m-long penstock, a surface powerhouse with two units of 43 mw each and 22 km long 132 kv transmission lines. Mr Chauhan said work on major package started from July 1999 onwards. He said as per the present status of progress, the barrage works were 75 per cent complete. The tunnel was daylighted on February 3, 2001. The penstock work 90 per cent complete. The power house work and transmission line work were 75 per cent completed. Mr Chauhan claimed that the power project would be completed by June 2001 in a record time. He emphasised that the project would be commissioned at least 30 months before the schedule. |
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Insurance
co. told to pay truck owner Shimla, March 28 Mr Verma, a resident of Theog, said his truck was insured with the insurance company for the period January 27, 1998, to January 26, 1999. The truck while on its way from Chango (Kinnaur) to Chandigarh met with an accident on November 23, 1998. Counsel for the complainant contended that the company is liable to indemnify the complainant to the tune of Rs 4,50,000, but the company was ready to give Rs 3,98,500 as compensation according to the surveyor reports. The dispute was with regard to the amount of compensation and the rate of interest payable on the amount. As per a Supreme Court judgement, the forum held that the complainant is entitled to get interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum. As such, it directed the company to indemnify the complainant to the extent of Rs 4,48,500 with interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum with effect from February 24, 1999 till the payment is made. |
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Water supply ‘diverted’ to construction works Kasauli, March 28 The water tank which supplies water to the residents of the area was found empty by the water supply staff and they said people living in the proximity of these sources had consumed the entire supply meant for the entire town. The IPH Assistant Engineer, when contacted expressed ignorance about this and said he would look into the matter. |
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2 cops die as van falls into gorge Mandi, March 28 Of the six persons travelling in the van two policemen died on the spot. They have been identified as head constable Biri Singh and constable (LHC) Gopal Singh. Mr J.R. Thakur, S.P, said the policemen were returning from Rewalsar after finishing their duty with the Karmapa. The accident took place at about 7.30 pm, last night, he added. One of the injured persons, Gopal Singh, driver of the van, is stated to be in a critical condition. |
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Blurred DD reception Kasauli, March 28 Viewers complain that all other channels received by cable are more clear and only the reception of DD channels, including DD-1, DD-2 and DD-Sports are not satisfactory. The Doordarshan transmission centre set up in 1986 was aimed at providing DD-2 and DD-Sports to people of Chandigarh. This high-powered, 10 kw transmission centre provides these channels in an area of 50 km from the 115-meter tower erected here, the station engineer, Mr P.K. Sood said. The unclear reception was because people did not use required antennae. To deal with the ongoing power cuts the centre is well-equipped with generators. |
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150 village leaders join HVC Bilaspur, March 28 They were inducted into the HVC by Mr Sukh Ram in presence of Animal Husbandry and PWD Minister Ramlal Markandeya, party working president Vijay Kumar Joshi and former Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker Ramnath Sharma. |
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Plan
to beautify The Mall Shimla, March 28 Mr Y.D. Sharma has prepared the master plan for the beautification of various places along the Mall. Mr
Satish Jain, of A.B. Builders has offered to provide benches on the Mall. The
Rotary Club will supply flower pots with plants to be placed on the Mall Road. |
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Mother
electrocuted while saving girl Mandi, March 28 Her daughter, Asha was plucking a papaya with the help of an iron rod, when she got an electric shock as the rod touched a live wire. Hearing her cries, her mother Meera Devi (35) ran towards her and tried to pull away the rod. Asha fell and survived, but her mother died on the spot. Sarkaghat town remained closed today over the incident. |
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MiG
crashes, pilot injured Dharamsala, March 28 According to the police , the air crash took place at about 9.30 p.m. and fell in the fields near Kharad Khud. The pilot has been admitted to the Military Hospital. |
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