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Thursday,
March 14, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Cops descend on Wildflower Hall
Budget figures fudged: Virbhadra Virbhadra camp to meet today |
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Suspensions stun BJP rebels ABVP holds victory rally Choked nullah pollutes town CM ignites blast on Larji Project tunnel
HP to regularise nursery teachers Lawyers to boycott work
till March 16 .
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Cops descend on Wildflower Hall Charabra (Shimla), March 13 The entire staff of the hotel gathered in the lobby and the manager and the lawyer apprised the police and the government-appointed management of the orders of the board. The government and the staff of the Oberois gave conflicting versions of the incident. While the former claimed that it had taken over the control of the hotel since March 8, Mr Andrew Saldanha, General Manager (GM), said they were in control of the property. The staff, which had been recruited by the joint venture of Mashobra Resorts, was manning the telephone exchange and the main reception. However, some officials of the HPTDC were sitting nearby and they claimed that the reception was being manned by them. The order of the law board had been faxed to the hotel management from Delhi at about 5 p.m. which prevented the authorities from taking further action for the time being. Mr Saldanha said earlier in the afternoon that the government-appointed Executive Director, Mr S.K. Baldi, asked him to vacate his office for Mr Ajay Thakur, AGM of the HPTDC, whom he had appointed as the GM. However, Mr Saldanha did not oblige as there were no court orders to this effect. The SDM (Shimla — Rural) today filed an FIR with the police against the lawyer of the hotel and some others for allegedly obstructing him from performing his official duty. The management too has filed an FIR in which the SDM has been named. The lawyer said he had obtained anticipatory bail. The order of the board, which has come as a shot in the arm of the Oberois, said the respondent were being granted time till March 18 to obtain instructions and file a short affidavit to the application for interim prayers. In the facts and circumstances of the case and the urgency pointed out, it is hereby ordered that till the next date of hearing the respondents will maintain status quo as of date in respect of the composition of the board of directors as well as in respect of the movable and immovable assets of the respondent company. On the other hand, a spokesman for the government claimed in the evening that the Company Law Board had refused to grant relief to the East India Hotels (Oberoi) group which had filed a petition to restore status quo ante. The board had instead ordered status quo till the next hearing on March 18. He said the room of the company secretary was sealed by the SDM on March 11 after observing the process of law. The staff of the hotel cooperated with the management from March 8 to March 10 in all respects, but, however, on March 11 the general manager and some other employees turned hostile, he alleged.He also alleged that the employees even broke one of the seals already affixed by the SDM.
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Budget figures fudged: Virbhadra Shimla, March 13 Initiating a debate on the general Budget for 2002-2003, he said the government had committed a grave impropriety by misusing, the additional Plan assistance given by the Centre during 1998-99 and 1999-2000. The Planning Commission had approved an Annual Plan of Rs 1,440 crore from 1998-99 and the Centre provided assistance to the tune of Rs 200 crore. However, the additional funds were not utilised for the purpose they were meant as the Plan size remained at Rs 1,440 crore. Similarly, in the following year the approved size was Rs 1,600 crore and the Centre provided assistance of Rs 200 crore but the final Plan size was only Rs 1,651 crore instead of Rs 1,800 crore. The main reason for it, he asserted, was gross fiscal mismanagement and inability of the government to mobilise resources. The Budget presented an alarming picture of the state’s finances with the total loans raised by the Dhumal government during the five-year tenure set to cross the Rs 10,000 crore mark. This year alone, loans to the tune of Rs 2229.01 crore were to be raised to bridge the whopping revenue deficit of Rs 2,426 crore. The deficit of Rs 197.72 as projected in the Budget was misleading as a loan could not be deemed as income, he said. The former Chief Minister came down heavily on the government on the issue of corruption and alleged that vigilance cases against officers were either being withdrawn under pressure from various quarters or prosecution sanction was being denied even in foolproof cases. He quoted several FIR numbers which had been cancelled. Mr Virbhadra Singh disapproved of the proposal to set up a new corporation to tap the hydel power potential of the Sutlej and said the move would only delay the execution of projects. There was no need for it as the existing NJPC was set up with the purpose of harnessing the Sutlej. The 400-MW Rampur project, which was an extension of the Nathpa Jhakri project, would be the first casualty, he said. Referring to various concessions announced in the Budget, he said the government which burdened people with hospital charges, power hike, water charges and other taxes during the past four years was now trying to woo them with facile relief. Last year it had increased the rural water charges from Rs 6 to Rs 20 per tap and now these had been reduced to Rs 10. The daily wage was being revised from Rs 55 to Rs 60 from August 1 instead of April 1. The BJP in its manifesto had promised to regularise services of daily wage earners after five years but it had retrenched even those who had put in 12 to 13 years of service, he said. Mr Chander Sen (BJP) said the government had wiped out the political divide of “old and new” Himachal and “upper and lower” hill areas by assuring balanced development of all regions. Various scholarship schemes had benefited 2.88 lakh students, he added. Mr G.R. Musafir (Cong) said prices of essential commodities supplied through the public distribution system had been increased, making the life of the poor difficult. Mr Hari Narayan Singh, Town and Country Planning Minister, said the Congress had no right to raise a hue and cry over the allotment of petrol stations as the Supreme Court had imposed a fine on its ministers at the Centre for wrongful allotment of cooking gas agencies and petrol stations. About 500 of such agencies were auctioned after cancelling the allotment, he said. |
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Virbhadra camp to meet today Dharamsala, March 13 With the Congress virtually being split into two, right up to the grassroots level, counter allegations by the leaders of the rival factions continue unabated. Supporters of Mr Virbhadra Singh and the All-India Mahila Congress President and Rajya Sabha member, Mrs Chandresh Kumari , have taken the utterances against the two leaders very seriously. It was two days ago that the General Secretary of the Kangra DCC, Mr Ram Swaroop, and Mr Jagmohan Sharma had claimed at a press conference that Mr Virbhadra Singh was responsible for the party’s debacle in the last Assembly elections and he had no mass base in Kangra. He had also lashed out at the Rajya Sabha member, Mrs Chandresh Kumari, questioning her performance during her tenure as an MP. It is reliably learnt that some of the staunch loyalists of Mrs Chandresh Kumari, including office-bearers of the Dharamsala Block Congress Committee, today held a meeting to chalk out the strategy for tackling the issue. They have reportedly got in touch with all the Congress leaders belonging to the Virbhadra camp and summoned them here tomorrow for finalising the action to be demanded for the outburst against the CLP leader and Mrs Chandresh Kumari. Political analysts point out that the outburst by Mr Swaroop was basically an outcome of the threat he was facing from Mrs Chandresh Kumari, who had expressed her desire to contest from the Dharamsala Assembly segment. Ever since, she had made public her intentions to take more interest in state politics, she was being targeted, they added. The ire of the Stokes faction has been directed against Mrs Chandresh Kumari as after drifting away from the HPCC chief she joined the Virbhadra faction. Her proximity to 10 Janpath remains undisputed, making party ticket claimants for the Assembly elections from Dharamsala insecure. With both Mr Virbhadra Singh and Mrs Stokes planning to address rallies in Kangra district, the coming days will see a lot of political upheaval as both camps will try to outdo each other. |
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Suspensions stun BJP
rebels Hamirpur, March 13 Supporters and close associates of Mr Thakur who met him at his residence expressed their resentment against the decision. they told him not to succumb to the pressure of the high command and to continue to lead the grass-roots party cadre. Activists of the Nadaunta Bachao, Baldev Sharma Hatao Manch also denounced the high command for expelling their leader Mr Dhian Chand Sharma from the party. Mr Narinder Thakur, a former district BJP chief and one of the two suspended leaders, described the party high command’s action as one-sided and unconstitutional. |
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Suresh Bhardwaj files
papers
for RS Shimla, March 13 Three sets of papers were filed by him. The Congress has not yet announced its candidate and tomorrow is the last day for filing nominations. However, it is being said that Mr Natha Singh, former MLA, may be asked to contest. |
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ABVP holds victory rally Shimla, March 13 ABVP leader Virender Thakur, said the ABVP victory had exposed the false claims of the NSUI and the
SFI. Meanwhile, state NSUI president Kewal Singh Pathania has accused the Himachal Pradesh University, administration of committing alleged irregularities in the Students’ Council (SC) elections. He accused the Dhumal Government of misusing the government machinery in the SC elections. He claimed that the presiding officer re-scheduled the election process in contravention of his jurisdiction. He said the NSUI and the SFI would move the court against these irregularities. The NSUI and the SFI staged a dharna on the campus against these irregularities. They also gheraoed pro-vice-chancellor of the university for two hours. |
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Choked nullah pollutes
town Banikhet
(Dalhousie) Situated about 6 km away from Dalhousie’s General Post Office, Banikhet township is the gateway to Chamba. A number of vehicles, including about 60 government and private vehicles, besides trucks, pass through this township daily. But so far, the state government has not bothered to beautify this township to attract tourists. The nullah’s waters are so polluted that the fledglings town stinks. Experts say that the waters of the small stream have become a breeding ground for diseases posing a health hazard. Local residents have expressed deep concern over the negative and unforeseen consequences arising out of the loss of water movement of the nullah and the nullah-bed had turned into a gutter. The dried-up portion of the nullah was being rapidly filled with silt and filth as well as human waste. The residents apprehend that the nullah would be nothing but a depository for wastes, thereby creating pollution to the township located here. There is no proper bus stand at this township though and buses stop here on the roadside. The small bus shelter of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation here needs to be demolished and a building built to serve as a bus terminus. The bus stop is devoid of toilets. The residents of the township have requested the state government to prepare a comprehensive plan for clean-up of the nullah as well as the beautification of this township, otherwise sanitary conditions would worsen and the township lose its charm.
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CM ignites blast on Larji Project
tunnel Mandi, March 13 The Beas basin in the state has an identified hydel power potential of 4300 mw of which only 1550 mw has so far been exploited. Much of the infrastructure needed for the project already exist there. It is situated on the National Highway No. 21, about 20 km from the Bhuntar airport. The foundation stone of the project was laid in April, 1991, by the then Chief Minister, Mr Shanta Kumar, and was scheduled to be completed by 1997.
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Dhumal opens Shivratri Fair Mandi, March 13 The Chief Minister participated in the grand “shobha yatra”. Over 150 hill gods and goddesses accompanied by traditional hill orchestra and thousands of devotees in their best garments marched with the procession. Contingents of police, Home Guards and NCC with their respective bands also joined the “shobha yatra”. The town resounded with melodious tunes. Both sides of the road were jampacked with people who had come to have a glimpse of the procession.
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HP to regularise nursery
teachers Shimla, March 13 Mr Dhiman, who was replying to a question by Dr Rajiv Bindal (BJP), said the wages of nursery teachers had been enhanced to Rs 2500 per month from Rs 1500. In a written reply to Mrs Asha Kumari (Cong), the Minister of State for Primary Education informed her that the government proposed to start the JBT course in the state and the NCTE had allotted 955 seats for various districts, except Chamba. As many as 120 seats each had been allotted for Mandi and Sirmour districts,100 each for Kangra, Shimla and Solan, 94 each for Bilaspur and Kulu, 85 for Hamirpur, 50 for Lahaul-Spiti and 46 each for Kinnaur and Una. Replying to a question by Mr Virbhadra Singh (Cong) Mr J.P. Nadda Health Minister, said on behalf of the Forest Minister that 748 green pine trees had been marked for felling in the Urla block range in the Jogindernagar area. In a written reply, the Minister of State for Primary Education informed Mr Raghu Raj, Mr Kuldeep Kumar and Mr Prem Singh (all Cong) that one teacher each was posted in 1307 primary schools in the state and steps were being taken to appoint additional teachers in such schools. The number of such schools
district wise was 319 (Shimla), 266 (Mandi), 144 (Kulu), 151 (Sirmour), 136 (Kangra), 106 (Chamba),10 (Hamirpur), 63 (Bilaspur), 71 (Una) and 41 (Solan). |
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Lawyers to boycott work
till March 16 Dharamsala, March 13 Members of the association have decided to take out processions, hold dharnas and gherao functionaries of the government, including the Chief Minister and ministers, until their demands are accepted. The President of the Bar Association, Mr K.S. Thakur, said they would resort to an indefinite strike if the government did not give them an assurance by March, 18. The members said no steps had been taken to fill the posts of Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the HP Administrative Tribunal and other vacancies. They said instead of setting up a permanent Bench of the high court in Dharamsala, the government was considering scrapping the tribunal. They sent a copy of the resolution passed at their meeting to the Chief Minister, Prof P.K. Dhumal and Union Minister, Shanta Kumar. |
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Shops remain closed in
Palampur Palampur, March 13 Members of the mandal held a big rally in the town and staged a dharna blocking traffic for an hour. It threatened to intensify the agitation if the government failed to withdraw its decision. |
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