 |
| Thursday,
July 19, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
|
Living in fear of landslips Dhumal govt blamed for financial mess No takers for gram
sabha meetings HP to tap hydel
power potential Minister flays
shifting of water board office |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Northern Railway to develop 16 railway stations Tomato marketing hiccups Relax affiliation norms for B.Ed colleges: VC Xen’s bail plea rejected Order on construction withdrawn CM to inaugurate
software park on July 21 Members of panel on labour in Shimla Karan Singh opens fair in Kulu
|
|
Living in fear of landslips Nahan, July 18 The Yamuna, the Bata and the Giri rivers have already swallowed around 5,000 bighas of agricultural land and has left many farmers, without land and houses in the past three decades. Residents of Kalatha and Killaur villages have suffered because of heavy landslides in their villages due to constructions on the new Killaur-Danda Anj link road. The residents told this correspondent that heavy rain had caused these landslides which had covered part of the village and were posing danger to houses. Some families had already shifted their residences. They said when it rained during night hours, they assembled to channelise the water to save the houses. They said they had not had a sound sleep since the past one month. The Yamuna has converted thousands of bighas of agricultural land into barren land in its adjoining villages, including Gojjar and Adain. In Paonta subdivision, the Giri and the Bata have played havoc in Gorkuwala, Puruwala, Majra, Tokio, Rampur, Kashipur, Surajpur, Patlio, Santosh Garh, Fatahpur, Kudio, Kotri Biyas, Gulab Garh, Muglawala Kartarpur, Anjiwala, Kishanpura, Dhoula Kuan and Bhata Wali village. Some villages have been severely affected due to soil erosion by rivers and nullahs. It is estimated that more than 5,000 bighas of agricultural land has been converted into barren land or washed away in these villages. The Deputy Commissioner, Sirmaur, Mr Rakesh Kaushal, has sanctioned Rs 4 lakh to deal with the situation at Killaur and Kalatha villages where work has already been started. Mr S.K. Vats, Executive Engineer, Irrigation and Public Health, Paonta subdivision, told this correspondent that Nabard had sanctioned Rs 30 lakh as the first installment for the channelisation of the Bata. |
|
Dhumal govt blamed for financial mess Shimla, July 18 Top Congress leaders, including Mrs Vidya Stokes, PCC chief, Mr Ram Lal Thakur, ex-Chief Minister, Mr J.B.L. Khachi and Mr Rangila Ram Rao who addressed the party workers meeting at Jubbal, today took the Dhumal government to task for its failure to curtail unproductive expenditure and taking any meaningful initiative to improve the financial position. Mr Ram Lal said the Congress was ready to provide all possible cooperation to the government in handling the financial crisis by getting its due from the Centre. He said a delegation of party leaders would meet Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister and urged him to use his clout with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee to secure a special financial package for the state. He disapproved of the government’s policy to raise loans to meet its plan commitments. It would plunge the state into a debt trap. Mrs Stokes said the state should seek Centre’s approval for imposing cess on hydel power generation. She expressed concern over the large-scale import of apples under the open general licence (OGL) which had started to affect the fruit growers. She said that the 55 per cent duty was not enough to discourage imports and it should be raised to at least 100 per cent. Mr J.B.L. Khachi urged partymen to extend their whole-hearted support to Mrs Stokes who had taken over the rein of the party at a crucial juncture. The partymen should stand behind her unitedly so that it could wrest power from the BJP in the next Assembly elections. He also disapproved of Vajpayee-Musharraf summit, which had lent legitimacy to the military dictator’s taking over as President of Pakistan. Mr Rangila Ram Rao criticised the imposition of users charges in hospitals and said that the BJP had put additional burden on the poor people whenever it came to power in the state. |
|
No takers for gram
sabha meetings Mandi, July 18 Ironically the Panchayati Raj Minister, Mr Prakash Chaudhary, who belongs to this district could not ensure the presence of people even in his own Balh constituency where meetings of gram sabhas could be held only in four of the 51 panchayats. Reports compiled from different blocks of the district present a dismal picture about people’s cold response to the Panchayati Raj institutions. In the politically advanced Sarkaghat subdivision comprising two blocks, Dharampur and Gopalpur, not a single meeting could be held for want of the quorum. There are 44 panchayats in Dharampur and 38 in Gopalpur blocks. Only one gram sabha meeting could be held in the entire Seraj block where there are 39 panchayats. Only Thacha Dhar panchayat could hold the meeting of the gram sabha. The performance in the Darang constituency was comparatively better than the rest of the district. Here in nine of the 33 panchayats the quorum was complete and gram sabha meetings were duly held. Elsewhere in the district, only six gram sabha meetings were held in the Karsog block where there are 52 panchayats. In the Sundernagar block also six gram sabha meetings could be held in 45 panchayats. In the Gohar block comprising 36 panchayats the quorum was complete only in two panchayats. Of the 36 panchayats in the Chauntra block the quorum was complete only in three panchayats while in the Mandi Sadar block where there are 48 panchayats only four gram sabha meetings could be held. What worries many is whether panchayats which have been given enhanced powers would be able to deliver goods. |
|
HP to tap hydel
power potential Shimla, July 18 Stating this here yesterday, Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, said his government had over the past three years managed to start work on hydro-electric projects with an aggregate installed generation capacity of 7,155 MW. Had this been done earlier, there would have been no financial crisis at all, he added. The 86-MW Malana project, which had been completed in a record time of under three years, would fetch Rs 40 crore annually to the state. The financial position would start easing from the year 2003 when the 1,500-MW Nathpa Jhakri project and the 300-MW Baspa project would be commissioned. Thereafter, every year one or the other project, including the 300-MW Chamera II, 126-MW Larji, 800-MW Kol Dam and 2051-Parbati projects, would be completed up to 2007. The Malana project had created a favourable environment for expeditions harnessing the state’s hydel potential. It had infused a new confidence among the independent power producers who were now convinced that it was possible to execute hydel power projects in a short time. Taking advantage of the situation, the government had decided to assign nine more projects with an aggregate capacity of 369 MW to private sector. These were the 100-MW Sainj, 80-MW Dhaulasidh, 100-MW Malana II, 46-MW Chirgaon Majhgaon, 36-MW Paudital Lassa, 44-MW Dangnu Romai, 17-MW Saikothi, 15-MW Lambadug and 10.5-MW Bargraon projects. The projects, which were all below 300 MW, would be assigned through the MoU route. Mr Dhumal said he was not fully satisfied with the way things were moving in the Larji project. The repeated workers’ strike were hampering its progress. The government had taken serious notice of it and asked the Labour Commissioner to take all necessary steps to help restore industrial peace. The government would ensure that the workers got their due, but at the same time it would not allow professional trade unionists to disturb industrial peace. The government would curb all activities, which could lead to the breakdown of law and order. The availability of cheap power would encourage big companies to set up industrial units in the state. |
|
Minister flays
shifting of water board office Kangra, July 18 Mr Vidiaya Sagar addressing a press conference here yesterday said he had made efforts to keep the office at Kangra from where it was functioning before its “so-called upgradation”. He said he had even approached the Union Minister for Water Resources, Mr Arjan Charan Sethi, in this connection. Mr Vidiaya Sagar brushed aside the question as to why he did not approach the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, Mr Shanta Kumar, in this regard saying that Mr Shanta Kumar had told the Chief Minister that it was a new office and not an upgradation of the Kangra office. He said even if it was a new office, it was unjust to the people here to open it at Dharamsala. |
|
Northern Railway to develop 16 railway stations Shimla, July 18 Talking to newspersons here, she said the amenities at the Delhi railway station would be upgraded to the international-level and those at Attari and Amritsar would be also improved and modernised. In Himachal Pradesh, the Shimla and Palampur railway stations would be upgraded, she said. The committee, she said, had inspected the railway network under the Northern Railway and interacted with the people and officers to know the shortcomings so that the necessary improvements could be made. She chaired a high-level meeting of railway officers, which included Mr S. Dashrathi, General Manager, Northern Railway, Mr Deepak Krishan, Divisional Railway Manager, Ambala, and Mr T.S. Marwah, Divisional Railway Manager, Ferozepore. Various issues, including extension of the broad guage line from Kalka to Parwanoo, were discussed at the meeting. Ms Chikhalia and other member of the committee also met Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, and discussed the matter pertaining to the expansion of rail network in the hill state. |
|
Tomato marketing hiccups Kumarhatti Meanwhile this time capsicum has failed to yield the desired result like it did the last season. Its wholesale price is hovering between Rs 5 and Rs 6 that is considerably less than what it was last season. There are apprehensions among growers that the tomato market can crash like it did last time when cheap tomato from Nasik will arrive in the markets of adjoining states. Unless measures to protect the local produce are taken same story will repeat every year, opined the growers. In modern trade scenario processing of food articles for the purpose of export has become a necessary condition of export, points Mr Kuldeep Singh, general secretary of the Himachal State Kisan Sabha. The government should see to it that plants for processing vegetables and fruits are established, he asserts. But plans to end market exploitation of small growers are necessary for establishing processing plants in the cooperative sector, he suggests. The MNCs and big business should not be allowed to enter this sector, he adds. Some growers complained of spurious seeds that had affected the quality of their produce. We could not get superior cane fertilisers even from the open market it has forced us to use urea fertiliser that works slower than the former, pointed a grower. Sources said the HIMFED which supplies the cane fertiliser through private agencies could not get the supply of cane fertiliser from the government. The commission agents at Dharampur market have complained and there were fewer places to stock the arrivals of tomato. We have very limited space was difficult to store our stock, said the agents. They suggest that the market space should be increased further. They also complained about the lack of water facilities in the market. The market has a water tank of 1000 litres capacity whereas daily supply of water was 300 litres to 500 litres, and rued the commission agents. |
|
Relax affiliation norms for B.Ed colleges: VC Shimla, July 18 He said it was difficult to meet conditions for the recognition laid down for colleges in the hills, both with regard to infrastructure and land requirement. The constraints posed by nature must be taken into account in case of institutions located in the hills. He urged the NCTE to relax the norms of affiliation in their case as had been done by the Ministry of Human Resource Development for opening Navodaya Vidyalayas in the hills. Over 13,000 candidates had appeared for the entrance test for admission to 855 seats in the B.Ed course, he added. Dr Gupta said the condition of NET for appointment as teacher also required a fresh look in case of B.Ed colleges at least for a year or two as a large number of students with M.Ed and Ph.D degrees and good academic records had failed to qualify the examination. Earlier, many candidates with Ph.D degree did not appear for NET as there was no such condition in B.Ed colleges. The rules and qualifications applicable in these colleges were those prescribed by the NCTE. The UGC under provision in the Regulation 1991 could relax the condition. |
|
Xen’s bail plea rejected Sundernagar, July 18 The accused was booked by the vigilance staff of Mandi as two trucks were found unloading 16 quintals of iron bars at the residence of the Xen at Dalah village in Jogindernagar subdivision of Mandi district. The trucks were transporting iron bars to the PWD, Kulu. Earlier, the accused had filed an anticipatory bail application before a special judge on June 30 which was rejected by the judge on July 12 while camping at Karsog subdivision. The accused was arrested at Karsog. After an interrogation of three days, the accused is now lodged in a sub-jail in Mandi till July 31. The accused moved the bail application under Section 439 of the Cr PC before the Sessions Judge as the special judge has proceeded on leave till July 21. The application was filed on July 16. The court heard arguments yesterday and passed the order today. The court, in its four-page order, held that the court of Sessions Judge had no power to grant bail under the Prevention of Corruption Act as these type of cases were tried by the special judge. |
|
Order on construction withdrawn Shimla, July 18 He ordered that in case they failed to construct the retaining wall as per the drawings and design handed over to them, the municipal corporation would raze the structure at their expense. He had earlier directed the two to submit the design for the wall, which they failed to do. Thereafter, the Executive Engineer of the corporation prepared the design to be supplied to them for carrying out the construction of the retaining wall but they failed to collect it. The design was supplied to them today with directions that the wall would be constructed by them under the supervision of a municipal engineer. He said he was satisfied from the facts and circumstances of the case and the material placed on record that the respondents had not carried out the protection work of the retaining wall despite directions issued to them from time to time. |
Shimla, July 18 An official spokesman said yesterday that entrepreneurs would get approval under the single window clearance mechanism for projects up to Rs 10 crore with Indian investment and NRI funds on non-repatriable basis. Giving details of the facilities proposed for the entrepreneurs under the scheme, the spokesman said 100 per cent foreign equity would be permitted and all imports in the STP units would be completely duty-free. Import of goods on loan, free of cost and lease basis would be permitted and re-export of capital goods brought on the same basis would also be permitted. He said domestic purchases would be completely duty-free and sales in the domestic tariff area would be permissible up to 50 per cent of the export in value terms.  |
|
Members of panel on labour in Shimla Shimla, July 18 The commission headed by Mr Ravinder Verma, will have deliberations with the officers of state government, public undertakings and workers’ associations. |
|
Karan Singh opens fair in Kulu Kulu, July 18 |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
