 |
| Wednesday,
August 8, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Cong rejects Governor’s
decision Hold monthly press meets, CM tells
DCs Floods: HP seeks additional grant Give jobs to locals in
power projects: BJYM Govt urged to lift ban on
constructions |
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HC notices to HPU VC,
UGC 100-bed hospital
inaugurated Preparations for Buddha Mahotsava
on V.P. Mohan is FAO consultant Man crushed
to death
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Cong rejects Governor’s
decision Shimla, August 7 The PCC chief, Mrs Vidya Stokes, today said the portrait of Mrs Gandhi alone should be reinstalled as it was removed from their sometime ago mysteriously. She said her portrait had special significance because Mrs Gandhi was the main architect of the Simla Accord in 1972 when Mr Vajpayee had nothing to do with it. Mrs Stokes and the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, will meet the Governor on August 9 to apprise him of the stand of the Congress on the issue. Meanwhile, Mr Kuldeep Singh Rathore, Spokesman of the PCC, accused Dr Suraj Bhan of playing politics with history by deciding to install photographs of the President and the Prime Minister along with that of Mrs Gandhi. He said Raj Bhavan had been changing its stand on the controversy from time to time and had now questioned the genuineness of the table and chairs used for signing accord by Mrs Gandhi and Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. The table and chairs have been displayed in Raj Bhavan sine past several years and were historic objects. Mr Rathore said Raj Bhavan first appointed a high-powered committee without taking the members into confidence. The Congress nominees resigned from the committee as they demanded that the portrait of Mrs Gandhi should be reinstalled immediately and there was no need for a probe into the matter. |
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Hold monthly press meets, CM tells
DCs Shimla, August 7 Addressing officers of the Information and Public Relations Department here yesterday, he underlined the need for regular feedback on policies and programmes of the government so that it could take corrective steps, if required, to make them a success. He reiterated his government’s resolve to make Himachal Pradesh a model of hill development and urged the public relations professionals to become the main instrument for educating the people about the policies and programmes of the government and in turn informing the government about their impact. He said the government had started various schemes aimed at the welfare of the people and the department should be geared up to educate people about these so that people could benefit from them. Stressing the need for continuous flow of information, the Chief Minister said mediapersons should get information regularly. He said the department would be strengthened to enable it to function more
effectively. All district public relations officers in the state would be provided computers to enable them to store information for further dissemination. Mr Harsh Gupta, Chief Secretary, emphasised the importance of public relations in maintaining rapport with the media and making government policies and programmes a success. Mr Ajay Mittal, Secretary, Information and Public Relations, said the public relations professionals were an important link between people and the government and played a key role in image building. He called for constant updating of information. Mr Balram Sharma, Director, assured that the department would make concerted efforts to come up to the expectations of the government. |
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Floods: HP seeks additional grant Shimla, August 7 According to an official spokesman, several areas have suffered damaged due to excessive rains, flashfloods and cloud bursts during this monsoon but extensive damages have occurred in the Sainj valley of Kulu district which experienced a flashflood due to cloud burst on July 22 and affected Siund, Saran, Shensher and Thachan villages. Similarly, extensive damages occurred in Baijnath subdivision of Kangra district due to flashflood in Binwa Khud and its tributaries on the night of July 30 affecting vast population of Deol, Multhan, Uttrala and Lohardi villages. Eighteen lives have been lost due to these calamities in the pradesh out of which 12 in Baijnath sub-division of Kangra district and 4 in Kulu district besides 168 cattleheads also perished. Some nomadic shepherds are still reportedly missing and efforts for tracing them are going on. The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, along with some Cabinet colleague and speaker of the Vidhan Sabha visited the affected areas of Baijnath subdivision. He announced Rs 5 crore for the relief repair and restoration of damaged works in the Baijnath area which are going on in full swing. The state government has already submitted a memorandum on damage. Mr Harsh Gupta, Chief Secretary, has also taken up the matter personally with the Secretary Ministry of Agriculture, government of India, for sanctioning of relief assistance and requested that Central team be deputed at the earliest for inspection. |
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Give jobs to locals in
power projects: BJYM Kulu, August 7 The youth leader condemned Mr Sukh Ram for protesting against the setting up of cement projects in the state. He said these
comment factories would generate ample scope of employment to the locals. Citing examples of the ACC and Ambuja in Bilaspur and Solan districts, he said, people had direct and indirect employment in these factories. Criticising the HVC leaders, Mr Jamwal said, leaders at the districts and block levels had been criticising the BJP-led government despite the fact they were a part of the present coalition government. Answering a question about the programme for the youth in the state Mr Jamwal said, the BJP had given party ticket to many youth leaders and they had adequate representation in the ministry and various boards. The morcha leaders revealed the state unit had planned to organise youth training camps in every district. The camp here would be organised on August 25 and 26. He said all the executive members of the district unit of the BJYM, the state executive members from the district and all mandal presidents would participate in the camp. |
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Govt urged to lift ban on
constructions Shimla, August 7 The executive body of the SHOWA its meeting today expressed concern about the slowing of housing activity due to the ban on construction in certain areas and FAR restrictions. The SHOWA alleged that the attitude of the government was discriminatory to both houseowners builders and the needy residents. The red-tapism in the functioning of the municipal corporation while passing the plans expeditiously had aggravated the situation, it alleged. The general secretary of the SHOWA, Mr S.S. Kaushal, said the association had criticised the levy of municipal taxes where no civic amenities were in
existence. The association had expressed anguish on the deteriorating condition of sanitation, he said. Mr Kaushal, further, said it was difficult to cross the dumping site on the bypass highway road. There was anguish due to inadequate sewerage and drainage system in the town and lack of parking facilities everywhere, he added. The SHOWA further expressed concern about the imposition of Section 118 of the HP Land and Tenancy Act, which had deprived the bona fide residents of the state from buying land. |
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HC notices to HPU VC,
UGC Shimla, August 7 The petition accused the university of mismanagement, irregularities and arbitrary functioning, particularly with regard to making recruitments to various teaching and non-teaching posts. The notices were issued by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice C.K. Thakkar and Mr Justice Arun Kumar Goel. It was alleged in the petition that persons without merit had been selected by the university and the meritorious had been overlooked. It was also alleged that the appointment of Mr Vir Singh Thakur, presently working as lecturer in physics in the university, and Mr I.C. Kapoor, appointed as consultant of the construction wing of the university, was an attempt to please political masters and accommodate the favourites of university administrators who were allied to a political group or were related to a politician. It was also alleged that Mrs Malika Nadda, wife of Health Minister J.P. Nadda, had been appointed lecturer, ignoring meritorious candidates who were possessing Ph.D degrees. The petitioner prayed that the university be directed to make fresh appointments against the posts through a selection committee. |
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100-bed hospital
inaugurated Kangra, August 7 The minister said the hospital located on a national highway could serve accident victims. A lady doctor’s post which was lying vacant for the past few years, had been filled and more medical and paramedical staff would be deputed soon. He would take up the matter with the Chief Minister and the Health Minister next week, he said. He said the hospital had two ECG machines, a cardio meter, and a dental X-ray plant besides an incubator and an ultra sound machine. |
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Preparations for Buddha Mahotsava
on Shimla, August 7 The mahotsava is being organised as part of the programme drawn up by the Government of India to promote the emotional integration, especially in Himalayan states where the Buddhist population lives. The other states where this mahotsava is being organised are Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal. The Chief Minister directed that efforts should be made to ensure the maximum participation of foreign tourists in this festival which would expose the tribal valley culture to them. He said the state government would provide helicopter services for tourists. A seminar on national integration, cultural programme, exhibitions and sermons by the renowned personalities will be the highlights of the two-day mahotsava. The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation and the local Mahila Mandal would put stalls of local dishes. The Chief Minister said it should be ensured that roads leading to Rekong-Peo were kept in good condition. |
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V.P. Mohan is FAO consultant Shimla, August 7 Mr Mohan after his retirement in 1995 has been participating in various international workshops and seminars in UK, Germany,
French and South-East Asia as an invited resource person and particularly while working as a senior consultant with the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), UK, under the Department for International Development supported project in Himachal Pradesh. |
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Man crushed
to death Shimla, August 7 The driver, who escaped in the vehicle from the scene, was nabbed by a local businessman who was following the truck in his car. The police later arrested the driver and impounded the truck. |
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