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| Monday,
July 2, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Virbhadra : remove imbalances in
party Panchayat errs, Dhumal cautions Himachal to develop wetlands Sukh Ram’s claim
‘baseless’ Hamirpur gets water harvesting project |
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Reverse decision on posts of DIG, says Cong Tibetans
observe black day Preserve human
values: Shanta Chandigarh girl is Kasauli Queen 3 courses at Kala Amb college lose affiliation Panel to monitor mining work HP Governor
visits Kasauli Bitta demands treason case against Chohan Body recovered from
forest
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Virbhadra: remove imbalances in
party New Delhi, July 1 Mr Virbhadra Singh, who was here to meet AICC General Secretary Mohsina
Kidwai, told The Tribune that co-option of some of his supporters in the state PCC was not sufficient to remove past misunderstandings and a balance had also to be created in the state Congress election committee, disciplinary action committee as also the PCC office-bearers. He termed these committees as “one-sided.” Angry over the way appointments were being made by the PCC chief Ms Vidya Stokes “almost on a daily-basis without consulting him,’’ he said that he also had strong reservations over the way in which splinter group of the Himachal Vikas Party had been allowed to join the Congress. Asserting that he was not against Ms Stokes being the PCC chief as she was the choice of party President Sonia Gandhi, he, however, added that it was upto the PCC chief to “rise above petty group considerations and take everyone along.” I will give full cooperation and unstinted support to stengthen the party on the basis of fairness and justice,’’ he observed. Mr Virbhadra Singh, who is the CLP leader, alleged that a deliberate attempt was being made by certain Congressmen to weaken party MLAs in their constituencies. The former Chief Minister said the organisational elections, “which had been marked by rigging, had caused widespread resentment among the party workers.’’ He said that election-related complaints had come from 28 blocks which had been heard “by the high-command after a lot of struggle.” Expressing satisfaction at this move, he hoped that the Congress high command would take appropriate action for the redressal of grievances. Sources in the AICC had recently hinted that supporters of Mr Virbhadra Singh who had filed election appeals would be co-opted in the
PCC. |
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Panchayat errs, Dhumal cautions Tundel (Solan), July 1 The proceedings were watched by Mr P.K. Dhumal, the Chief Minister, along with certain senior officers. The executive engineer of the Public Works Department faced a volley of questions on the progress of various road construction schemes. A heartening feature was that there were as many women as men at the meeting though many did not ask questions. The village elders watched with curiosity as the youth dominated the proceedings. It is a small panchayat comprising 281 households. In fact, the presence of Mr Dhumal only emboldened some of the members who linked the deployment of bulldozer to today’s visit of the Chief Minister. It has been a normal feature to put bulldozers on roads whenever a minister is scheduled to visit the area the machinery vanishes the very next day, a youth quipped while asking the officer about the time the department would require to complete the road. An elderly villager sought the details of the funds made available by the government for the Kehlog Basha road. Mr Rakesh Jain, the executive engineer, who had come prepared with all the information and told the House that there was no provision in the budget for the road but the department had received Rs 2 lakh for taking up the scheme as a deposit work. He assured that a compressor would also be pressed into service and the bulldozer would remain deployed until all the available funds were exhausted. The manner in which the villagers pleaded for inclusion of the certain roads under the Prime Minister’s NABARD-funded Rural Infrastructure Development Scheme made it evident that they were fully aware of the schemes launched by the government. After roads the House showed concern for irrigation, as many members pleaded for early repair of the local irrigation scheme which had not been functioning properly. Irrigation is important for the area known for producing quality vegetables. The members looked a bit surprised when the secretary, who was conducting the proceedings, announced that the House would now select two beneficiaries for granting financial assistance under the “Rin Anudan Awas Yojna”. Hitherto, beneficiaries under various schemes were selected by officers, mostly on the recommendation of politicians, and the panchayat had virtually no role to play. They felt reassured when Mr Tarun Kapoor, the Director, Panchayati Raj, informed that henceforth, the general House would not only select beneficiaries under various schemes, but also take decision on including or excluding names of persons from the list of IRDP and Antyodaya families. Thereafter, one Madho Ram and Vimla Devi were chosen by the House for granting financial assistance for house construction. Mr Dhumal was quick to notice that the procedure adopted was not proper. The villagers were not prepared for making such selections. While addressing the gathering after the meeting he said the panchayat should have invited applications from poor persons much in advance and the selections should have been made during the meeting on merit. He also advised the residents should be informed about the agenda in advance so that the members had enough time to ponder over and arrive at a correct decision. He said the government had not only made four meetings of Gram Sabha every year mandatory but also fixed the days so that all the villagers were aware of it. Not only that all the ministers and senior officers had been asked to be present at these meetings to make the villagers realise their importance and ensure that proceedings were conducted in a serious manner. The objective of empowerment of panchayati raj institutions could be achieved only by involving them in the decision making system and providing resources. The government had already taken several steps like entrusting the responsibility of appointment of various categories of employees like chowkidars, anganwari workers, tailoring instructors and water carriers and supervisors of primary schools and other village-level institutions to the gram sabha. Decentralisation of powers would go a long way to checking corruption besides ensuring need-based development. Indeed by announcing a rigid schedule for holding meetings and ensuring presence of ministers and officers the government had taken a major step in restoring the dignity to this grassroot-level democratic institution. |
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Himachal to develop wetlands Shimla, July 1 There are 85 natural and 7 man-made wetlands covering an area of 547 sq km which is 1 per cent of total geographical area of the state. These wetlands are spread over an altitudinal range of 450 metres to 5,093 metres above sea level and cover tropical, sub-tropical and the alpine regions of the state. Himachal Pradesh is known for its rich wealth of flora and fauna. Of the 45,000 plant species in India, 3,245 species are found in the state whereas the number of faunal species in the state stands at 5,721, insect diversity is 4,362, bird species 447 and mammal species 77. According to an official spokesman, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, has declared at least 21 wetlands of national importance in the country and of these, three wetlands — Renuka, Pong Dam, now renamed as Maharana Pratap Sarovar, and Chandertal are situated in this state. With a view to protecting the rich biodiversity of these wetlands, integrated management action plans have been started and about Rs 1.75 crore has been spent on these three wetlands of national importance so far. Regions generally referred to as wetlands are lakes, marshes, swamps, temporary ponds, river banks, mangroves and paddy fields and are a major source of drinking water, irrigation, recreation and fishing, etc. Increased human activity has an adverse influence on the hydrobiological regime and hence wetland management is of great importance in the state. The wetland development programme has been closely linked with food production, environmental protection, soil and water conservation, flood management and wildlife conservation. The centrally-sponsored wetland management action plans are being implemented through the State Council for Science Technology and Environment in the state and has done commendable work, particularly in the Renuka and Maharana Pratap Sarovar wetlands. The departments of Forest, Irrigation and Public Health, Tourism and the Pollution Control Board have also been involved for the conservation and protection activities. These wetlands not only attract a large number of tourists but also have a large body of avian fauna, especially during the summer, and these lakes are a part of the cultural ethos of the local inhabitants also. The Renuka wetland is one of the most attractive natural wetlands of the state and is situated at an altitude of 660 metres, at a distance of about 37 km from Nahan in Sirmaur district. This wetland has a catchment area of about 500 hectares, which is drained by 21 small and big nullahs. The state government has also declared an area comprising 402 hectares in and around of this wetland as a wildlife sanctuary. Recognising the importance of the Renuka wetland from the biodiversity and tourism point of view, every effort is being made to develop and protect it. About Rs 1 crore has been spent on this wetland so far. A massive plantation on 50 hectares has been done in the catchment area to check the soil erosion and 32 check dams and 8 check walls have been constructed in various nullahs to prevent the flow of silt into the lake bed. The fencing of 13,643 running metres around the catchment area has also been done to prevent any biotic interference due to grazing in the catchment area. The Maharana Pratap Sarovar wetland is one of the largest man-made wetlands of northern India. This wetland is situated at the base of the Dhauladhar ranges in Kangra district and came into being as a result of the construction of a dam on the Beas in 1975-76. This wetland is the first major wetland which potentially offers a transitory resting reserve for the migratory water birds coming from trans-Himalayan zone. The wetland attracts more than 220 species of migratory and resident birds. The state government has constituted a wetland expert committee to identify various management objective on this wetland and various conservation efforts have been initiated and about Rs 70 lakh has been spent on these activities. This wetland has become a centre for bird watching eco-tourism, water sports and many other activities. Chandertal, a natural high altitude lake situated in cold desert of the state at a height of 4,420 metres, has also been identified as a wetland of national importance due to the presence of rare plants, variety of animal species and its role in the maintenance of the eco-biodiversity of the region. In view of the special value of the Chandertal lake, efforts are being made to keep the surrounding environment clean. A special work plan has been prepared with provision for soil conservation works and public awareness programmes. It is also the endeavour of the state government to make all these wetlands as major centres of tourist attraction by providing various amenities, the spokesman added. |
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Sukh Ram’s claim ‘baseless’ Mandi, July 1 Addressing mediapersons at the HPSEB rest house, the former minister said he would like to refresh the memory of Mr Sukh Ram that the leaders mentioned by him were not his creation and they had fought the 1977 election on the ticket of the Janata Party and defeated the Congress. They were leaders by virtue of their own strength and following. “I am also not his creation. I fought the 1989 election as an Independent candidate defeating the Congress Party of Mr Sukh Ram”, he said. He claimed the popularity graph of Mr Sukh Ram was falling as was evident from his function at Saiglu in his home constituency where only a gathering of 200 persons was present. The proposed rally of the HVC on July 6 in Kangra would seal the fate of Mr Sukh Ram, he claimed. |
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Hamirpur gets water harvesting project Hamirpur, July 1 The main aim of the water harvesting project, mainly known as Jal Samridhi Yojna to stop the flow of water from going waste, especially during the
rainy season. Nearly 90 per cent of the total rain water goes waste into the Beas that flows through the district, according to Mrs Anuradha Thakur, Deputy Commissioner. Mrs Thakur told this reporter today that under the water harvesting project efforts would be made to tame all 149 small and big rivulets of the district, the survey work of which was recently conducted. These nullahas were found full of water but their water was of no use as there were no check dams constructed on them. Mrs Thakur said the project, first of its kind in the state and taken up with the help of NABARAD, would help in controlling the land erosion as well as the water. NABARAD had already released Rs 7.42 crore as its share, she added. According to Mrs Thakur, the implementing agencies would construct small dams, raise
plantations and thus control the silt in the first phase and water in the second phase of the programme. The project would be managed by the DRDA under the Rural Infrastructure Fund Programme in active collaboration of the departments of Agriculture, Horticulture and Forest. She said an area of 4,500 hectares would be covered and treated under the project. Mrs Thakur was optimistic that once the project was completed, the water problem in the district would also ease as the water table would also come up and he recharging of water would also start in a systematic manner. The Deputy Commissioner said the project would also usher in an era of green revolution and make the district self-sufficient in terms of foodgrains and high quality grass needed for cattle. Moreover, it would also help in changing the lifestyle of the people of the areas where this project would be made operational. She said the people of the area, where this project would be started would be also to lift the water to irrigate their fields. |
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Reverse decision on posts of DIG, says Cong Dharamsala, July 1 Mr Mahajan said the decision to abolish posts in the three police ranges at Shimla, Mandi and Dharmsala would affect the work of appeals and promotions with no economic benefit to the government. Mr Mahajan said the decision too seemed to have been taken in haste like several other decisions. “Either the government must reverse its decision or explain to the people as to what has been achieved by closing the three ranges”, he quipped. This would only lead to the demoralisation of the police force, he added. He said with the winding up of the these ranges the coordination work being undertaken by these offices with the police force of Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab to check militancy related activities would receive a severe blow. |
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Tibetans observe
black day Dharamsala, July 1 Hundreds of Tibetans, including monks, nuns, schoolchildren, and a large number of foreigners, today took out a march from McLeodganj to Dharamsala. Raising anti-China slogans and holding placards, the Tibetans were protesting against the holding of Olympics in Beijing in 2008. The Tibetans urged the International Olympic Committee not to allow China to hold the Olympics. The observing of black day by the Tibetans coincides with the 80th foundation day of the Communist Party of China. The demonstration and fast was observed by nine NGOs including the Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women Association, National Democratic Party of Tibet, as part of their stepped up campaign against China’s bid for Olympics. |
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Preserve human
values: Shanta Kangra, July 1 Mr Shanta Kumar was addressing a function here organised by the Old Students of MCM DAV College, Kangra, in honour of the Principal, DAV College, Chandigarh, Mr R.C. Jeewan, who founded MCM DAV College, Kangra, in 1976, for completing 25 years of service to society in the field of education as a Principal. Mr Shanta Kumar said educational institutions could play a vital role in the preservation of human and cultural values and the intelligentsia must come forward and take the challenge. The Transport Minister, Mr Krishen Kapoor, Mr Jeewan and the Principal, MCM DAV College, Kangra, Mr S.K. Sharma, also addressed the gathering. Mr Shanta Kumar honoured Mr Jeewan on the occasion.
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Chandigarh girl is Kasauli Queen Kasauli, July 1 Despite receiving as many as 15
entries for the much-awaited title barely five girls came forward to compete. About 400 members and an equal number of guests from all over the country attended the event. The main event was open to unmarried members above 18 years of age. A panel of judges comprising the executive and club members strived to choose the winners epitomizing their concept of perfection based on beauty, poise, dress sense, elegance and intelligence. The girls vying for the title came forward and after taking a round of the dance floor were posed questions by the judges. Amidst a din of a large cheering crowd most of the contestants could not reply properly to the questions. Supreet Brar, a plus two student from Chandigarh, was announced the Kasauli Queen and Shweta Maini, working with Air Tel in Delhi, the first runner-up. A teen princess contest was also held in the evening. Five girls in the age group of 13-19 years participated. Amita Tonk was the unanimous winner as she impressed everyone with her witty replies. Besides these, a number of other contests were also held. This included the most elegant senior couple — Mrs and Mr Khosla; best dancing couple — Mr Manjot and Mrs Sonali; best dressed gentleman — Mr Ajit Pal Singh; most elegant lady. — Mrs Ammena; most energetic youngster — Mr Sanjit, and the girl to look out for — Eena Singla. The station commander, Brig V.S. Tonk, and his wife gave away the prizes to the winners. The secretary Col Karnail Singh announced the winners amidst an impatient crowd comprising mostly youngsters. A large number of non-members who could not get entry into the club were seen romping on the city roads till the wee hours in the morning. |
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3 courses at Kala Amb college lose affiliation Shimla, July 1 According to Dr S.K. Gupta, Vice-Chancellor of HPU, the decision would not affect the students already admitted to these degree courses prior to the 2001-2002 session. It was decided that teaching of English in bachelor of Arts would now be divided into three streams — communicative/functional English, English literature and honours courses in English. English literature will now be an optional paper. The council decided in principle to start LLB classes in Mandi. For this the case will be sent to the government and the Bar Council of India. The university decided to start M.Com in HPU evening college, master’s degree in journalism and mass communication and bachelor’s degree in library and information science through ICDEOL, PG diploma in women development studies, PG diploma in e-commerce, polymer science and applied and analytical chemistry. Besides this, the council has also approved rules and regulations for launching partnership or franchise programmes for courses like advanced PG diploma in web technology, advanced PG diploma in IT, advanced PG diploma in e-commerce, PGDCA and BCA. The name of the HPU evening college, Shimla, has been changed to Himachal Pradesh University Centre for Evening Studies. The council debarred Pushpa Raj, a BA III student, Government College, Mandi, from appearing for any university examination for a period of three years. Abhishekh Lakhanpal, who impersonated for him, was debarred for admission or appearing for any examination for a period of three years. It was further decided that criminal proceedings would be initiated by the superintendent or institutions concerned against those indulging in impersonation. The council also approved three-year diploma courses in organisational psychology, environmental psychology and clinical psychology. The council approved the promotion rules for the post of assistant librarian as also the earned leave and encashment of leave rules for teachers. The teachers’ vacation has been slashed from 96 days to 56 days. The council approved the appointments in the department of chemistry and bio-sciences, both under direct recruitment and career advancement scheme. |
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Panel to monitor mining work Hamirpur, June 1 Addressing a meeting of the district-level grievances committee here today, he said all-out efforts should be made to tackle this problem as it would ultimately affect the environment also. He said the Department of Industries could not be blamed alone for the upplanned exploitation of khuds and nullahs as it was the duty of all to protect their interests. He said a Rs 50 lakh garbage cleaning project for the town would come into operation once all formalities were completed. He said this project would help in keeping the town neat and clean. Ms Dhiman said the state government had also sanctioned a Rs 14 lakh water supply scheme for Dhaneta in Hamirpur district. The work on the project would start soon, the minister added. Mrs Urmila Thakur while addressing the members asked them to come up with concrete suggestions in the meeting. She said steps would be taken to repair the old hand pumps in operation in the district.  |
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HP Governor
visits Kasauli Kasauli, July 1 The Governor was particularly interested in the anti-venom manufacturing vaccine unit. He also visited the historic Kasauli Club and had lunch with the station Commander, Brig V.S. Tonk. This was his first ever visit to the town. He planted two saplings of almond on the club premises. The Governor also visited Lawrence School at Sanawar near here. |
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Bitta demands treason case against Chohan Nahan, July 1 He said he had started this movement by staging a dharna against the attack on the Press in Tamil Nadu in front of Tamil Nadu House at Delhi. Mr Bitta who was talking to The Tribune here last night demanded that a case of treason should be registered against Dr Jagjit Singh Chohan. He asked the Centre and the Punjab Government to collect evidence against Dr Chohan and move the Supreme Court to pave the way for the arrest and conviction of Dr Chohan. Mr Bitta advocated that keeping in view increasing terrorism activities in the country a law stricter than the TADA Act should be enforced in this country. Anti-terrorist courts should be set up to decide such cases within three months, he added. |
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Body recovered from forest Solan, July 1 Anil Kumar originally hailed from Chatrayag village of Sarkaghat subdivision of Mandi district. |
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