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Wednesday,
May 1, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Board
flouting selection rules, says Cong Shankaracharya
lauds Modi, decries RSS Cabinet
discusses poll debacle Drying
sources lead to water crisis |
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Shruti
opens NIFD centre Temple
theft: 3 security guards suspended 16
injured as bus rams into tree HP
redesignates two posts
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Board flouting selection rules, says Cong Dharamsala, April 30 Addressing a press conference here he said on coming to power the Congress would not spare the officials who had betrayed the interests of Himachal Pradesh and were shielding corrupt elements. “The Congress has already prepared the list of officials who have been controversial and had amassed wealth disproportionate to their sources of income,” he alleged. He added that none would be spared by the Congress if found guilty. Mr Mankotia alleged that all rules, regulations and norms were being flouted by the Board while making the selections. It was intriguing that non-Himachalis were being given clear preference when qualified people from the state were available, he remarked. He said even private companies executing major power projects and industries in the state were not providing jobs to the local residents. The Congress leader said the BJP would be dealt with even more crushing and humiliating defeat in the Assembly elections than what it had been given in the Shimla Municipal Committee elections. “We fear that the plundering of the state exchequer which has been going on for the past four years will cross all limits during the last days of the BJP regime, plunging the already bankrupt state into total anarchy and chaos,” he alleged. Mr Mankotia alleged that it was a matter of shame for the BJP that despite registering of almost 200 bogus votes in every ward, the Congress had won by a two-third majority. “The Congress has come out with flying colours in the Shimla MC elections as this is the result of our team work and we have passed the acid test through unity and coordination,” he claimed. |
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Cong wants Assembly poll in HP Chamba, April 30 Speaking to mediapersons at his residence here today, Mr Harsh
Mahajan, general secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee
(HPCC), demanded the dissolution of the state Assembly and holding of elections in the wake of the BJP’s defeat. Despite irregularities in voter lists, fraud, rigging and intimidation of government employees, the electorate of Shimla put the BJP and its coalition partner Himachal Vikas Congress
(HVC) to rout, paving the way for the Congress to return to power in the Assembly elections in the state, he said. |
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Shankaracharya
lauds Modi, decries RSS Kangra, April 30 Talking to this correspondent at Chamunda yesterday where he presided over a three-day
‘shivar’, the Shankaracharya alleged that the RSS had failed to provide right direction to the Hindu society for which it was set up in 1925. It had become power hungry first through the Jana Sangh and later through the BJP. Expressing concern over the present national scenario, he suggested that ‘kranti’ was the only solution to it. The Shankaracharya said India was divided eight times during the British rule. It was divided again on the basis of the two-nation theory a day before Independence. He said the Hindus were deprived of human rights, the right to security and national integration by the enactment of different laws by the successive governments. Certain Muslim leaders, patronised by some Arab countries were again trying to divide the Hindus. He appealed to the Indian Muslims to fight against these leaders. |
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Cabinet
discusses poll debacle Shimla, April 30 The performance of the BJP in the corporation elections was reportedly discussed by the Cabinet after finishing the items listed on the agenda. Although the BJP won only six out of the 24 seats in the SMC house, the ministers are learnt to have patted themselves for the increase in the strength of their councillors from two to six. The ministers were satisfied that while the BJP had gained, the loss was of the Congress whose strength dropped to 16 from the earlier 22 in the SMC. Some of them pointed out that the pattern of voting for the SMC had mostly been in favour of the Congress. Meanwhile, senior officials of the Urban Development Department held a meeting to study the provisions of the Act governing the SMC for the selection of a new Mayor. Sources said as per the provisions, the Mayor’s slot this time was reserved for the Scheduled Caste category. |
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Eight hydroelectric projects go to private sector Shimla, April 30 The Malana-II (100 Mw) goes to M/s Everest Power Pvt. Ltd, Shimla, Sainj (100 Mw) to M/s Jindal Hydro Electric Company Ltd, New Delhi, Paubital-Lassa (36 Mw) to M/s Shri Jailakshmi Power Corp. Ltd, Guntur (AP), Dhaulasidh (80 Mw) to M/s G.V.K. Industries
Ltd. Hyderabad, Tangnu Romai (44 Mw) to M/s P.C.P.International Ltd, Chandigarh, Lambadug (15 Mw) to M/s Himachal Consortium, Bangalore, the Baragaon (10.5 Mw) to M/s Padmini Traders Pvt. Ltd, Noida and Sai Kothi (17 Mw) to M/s Venture Energy
Technology Ltd. New Delhi. The Cabinet decided to readvertise the Chirgaon-Majhgaon (46 Mw) project as no party had qualified. The Cabinet, earlier, considered the proceedings of the high-powered committee headed by the Chief Secretary for the allotment of these projects to the private parties. These projects were offered to the private sector in July last year. Briefing the cabinet about the recommendations of the committee, the Chief Secretary, Mr Harsh Gupta, said the state government had received 72 offers from 39 independent power producers (IPPs). Many of them had offered to execute more than one project. These offers were scrutinised and 33 successful bidders were asked to give a detailed presentation to the committee. After a series of deliberations the companies were shortlisted. At some places a panel of three companies was prepared in order of merit incase the projects allotted did not progress within a time-bound period. The Cabinet decided that strict milestones be kept in the MoUs and implementation agreements in order to ensure the early implementation of the projects. It was also stressed that employment to local people should be given for the execution of these projects. The Cabinet approved the enhancement of the secretariat allowance for clerks and class IV employees of the secretariat and the equivalent officials from May, 2002, subject to the condition that such officials would be required to pass the basic computer examination within two years. |
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Drying sources lead to water crisis Shimla, April 30 The residents of these areas complain that they have been experiencing water shortage for the past two decades, but nothing has been done so far. The most affected villages are Tarapur, Dhogogi, Kolujubber, Patengali, Chhanawat and Kailty. The residents, particularly women, are forced to walk at least 2 km to fetch water from nearby natural sources which have also started drying up. “The problem has been increasing every day as the natural water sources are drying up” say the villagers. Mr C.R. Garg, Pardhan of the Dhalli panchayats said that the local nullah is the main water source for these villages. With the advent of summer even the traditional water sources have started drying up. These villages have been facing the scarcity of water for past many years. Pipelines have been laid to fetch water from other water sources and hand pumps have been installed, but they are not enough. “We are forced to drink dirty water of the nullah which is an invitation for diseases.” said a villager. Admitting the shortage of water, the Urban Development Minister, Mr Roop Das Kashyap, who belongs to this area, said that hand pumps had been installed which would solve the problem. They would also ask the Municipal Corporation to provide water to these villages, he said. Meanwhile, development work in these villages on the outskirts of Shimla has come to a stand still. “The government has neglected our villages in all type of development activities,” says a resident of Kailty. Villagers allege that they have urged their political representative in this regard several times, but all their representations have fallen on deaf ears. |
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Shruti opens NIFD centre Kangra, April 30 Ms Shruti Sharma, who was here to inaugurate a centre of NIFD, told mediapersons that cultural values were imbibed in the Indians through their families so despite the influence of the western culture, these values won’t disappear. She said youths must be courageous and confident in achieving their aim in life. She added that last year she had failed to make through to become Miss India but this failure had prompted her to win the contest. She further said she would make efforts to become Miss World next year. |
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Temple theft: 3 security guards suspended Kangra, April 30 According to these sources Naresh Kumar, designate security supervisor, had managed to get his duty hours changed. Mehar Chand and Narinder Kumar, security personnel were suspended as both of them were sleeping when the thieves struck. Meanwhile the police detained 20 persons on Tuesday for interrogation. Thieves stole Rs 80,000 cash during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday last. However, 15 kg of gold and large quantity of silver remained untouched costing nearly Rs one crore. The authorities have deployed armed security at the temple. |
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16 injured as bus rams into tree Nurpur, April 30 Thirteen of the injured were admitted in the local Civil Hospital. According to information, the driver of the bus lost control over the vehicle due to a technical snag. |
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HP redesignates
two posts Shimla, April 30 The government has further decided that the super-time scale officers re-designated as Principal Secretary shall, henceforth function as the Administrative Secretary of the department allocated to them. The super-time scale officers re-designated as Secretary if posted under the overall control of Principal Secretaries and the Additional Chief Secretary shall function as such under their administrative control. |
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