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Monday,
May 20, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Cong to review all MoUs on coming to power : Stokes Ambivalent response to tourist season PM must clarify stand on militancy:
CPI Foreign aid boon for HP
projects Scribes
oppose FDI in print media |
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Stone crushers face
closure 34.28-cr budget for HP Housing
Board SC orders monitoring of afforestation work 3 watershed
schemes for
Hamirpur Blazing sun sparking off forest
fires Dhumal launches Una’s
Website 4 arrested for
attacking JE 3 held for robbery in temple 2 killed in
road mishap Victoria Cross winner
dead Man gets life term for rape, murder Naik cremated with military honours Cheque presented to NGO
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Cong to review all MoUs on coming to power : Stokes Chandigarh, May 19 Talking to The Tribune here this afternoon, Mrs Stokes said that though the Congress was not opposed to privatisation, especially in the sphere of hydel generation, it would ensure that the interests of the state in general and its people in particular were safeguarded in all such MoUs. “We are convinced that in most of the MoUs signed in the power sector, the interests of the state have not been adequately protected,” she said holding that there was “rampant corruption everywhere in the state.” Though the next
assembly elections are due only in February, 2003, Mrs Stokes did not rule out the possibility of these being advanced and held in September or October this year. “We are fully prepared for the electoral battle. Corruption, the dithering economy and unemployment are going to be the main issues. Besides, the non-performance of the BJP government, its failure to keep the promises it had made to the people of the state in its election manifesto, has led to its large scale alienation from the masses. “If the results of the Shimla Municipal Corporation election are any indication, the writing is on the wall. The people of Himachal, like many other states which went to the polls recently, want a Congress government in Himachal, too,” she said. “We have no one in mind as the next Chief Minister of the state. It will be for the party chief, the party high command and the elected legislators to decide who will be the next leader of the Congress
Legislature Party. “We have an apprehension that the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections may be linked to Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir and may be advanced,” she said blaming the NDA government for its failure to act, leading to escalation along the Indo-Pak border. “It may be a mere coincidence that tension starts building up as and when any state assembly poll comes closer. But that does not mean that the country should sit back and watch helplessly its innocent people, or even its soldiers, being slaughtered in cold blood. The government should have acted long ago,” Mrs Stokes said and hoped that the escalation of tension would not come in the way of the assembly elections. Mrs Stokes, who has been a Minister and one of the few women to have a full term as Speaker, said that the Himachal Congress was all geared up for the coming assembly elections. “As far as recruitment scams are concerned, Himachal is perhaps even worse than Punjab,” she said alleging that jobs were only for a consideration — money or “sifarish”. She quoted a couple of examples which, she said, she had raised even in the Vidhan Sabha. The people of Himachal, she said, were fed up with the BJP government and wanted a change realising that it was only the Congress which could give them a clean, transparent and efficient government. “We are committed to putting the economy of the state back on the rails. The total debt of the Himachal Government was a staggering Rs 15,000 crore and the interest alone was Rs 700-800 crores a year. Planning has been at a standstill. We want to review the education policy and also plan to do something for womenfolk of the state. Our aim is one job per family. How we do it, is a tough task but we will have to do it,” she said. “To restructure the economy, we will have to constitute a committee of fiscal
experts. Needless to say, we will have to probe all acts of omission and commission by the present government after coming to power,” Mrs Stokes added. |
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Ambivalent response to tourist season Kasauli, May 19 An HP Tourism Development Corporation Corporation (HPTDC) undertaking, Hotel Pinewood, situated at Barog on the Kalka-Shimla highway has barely managed to fill 45-55 per cent rooms with only weekdays drawing maximum clientele stated the Manager, Mr H.R. Sandhu, adding that the flow of tourists was far below the expected level. Business in hotels situated in the town was also not very high. The Manager of Hotel Alasia, the oldest hotel, Mr Gautam, opined that the freebies being offered by the various airlines had cut in as much as 50 per cent of the tourists visiting the hills. As against 49.7 per cent occupancy registered by their hotel during the corresponding period last year, it had dipped to a low of 37 per cent this year which was considered to be the peak time of the tourist season. Lucrative packages to foreign countries like Singapore etc were now available at almost the same cost as a holiday on a hill station by various airlines and this had drastically affected the tourists visiting hill stations, he added. The HPTDC-run hotel, Ros Common, here recorded 89 per cent occupancy during the week. The abnormal rise in the temperature in the region has necessitated the need to install fans in the hotels and they may soon have to add facilities like air-conditioners if the mercury continues to rise in summers here opined another hotelier. The newly opened Baikunth and Kasauli Resorts here have also managed to draw tourists from as far as Delhi, Mumbai and Punjab, besides the areas surrounding Chandigarh. They have been witnessing a maximum rush during weekends though they admit that the general recession in the economy has adversely affected the tourist influx to the hills. Kasauli Resorts has taken a lead in drawing tourists by offering facilities for sports, disco conference hall etc. The General Manager, Mr Rocky Chimney, stated that hey had witnessed about 65 per cent occupancy with some shortfall being caused due to the violent atmosphere of Gujarat. Mr Rana Jolly of Baikunth Resorts expected tourist influx to pick up by early next month when schools in Punjab closed for the summers. Shortage of water and the deplorable condition of the roads in the region was leaving a negative impact on tourists said the hoteliers. In order to make water available throughout the day hoteliers were engaging tankers for the job which proved to be an exorbitant exercise with costs going up to as much Rs 1,700 a day in some cases. A permanent solution to these problems in addition to some lucrative packages could push up tourism, opined the hoteliers. |
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PM must clarify stand on militancy:
CPI Hamirpur, May 19 Talking to mediapersons at a conference at Mahre today, he said the Indian government, led by Mr Vajpayee, had failed to protect the lives of innocent persons and even the Army personnel in various parts of north India, especially Jammu and Kashmir. He alleged that the attacks on Indian troops inside the Indian territory had proved that the government had failed to stop the infiltration of militants to India. Mr Darshan Singh, secretary of the Haryana unit of the AITUC and Mr Shanker Singh Chandel, state secretary of Himachal CPI also attended the conference. Mr Bhaura was at Mahre to take part in the kirya ceremony of veteran comrade of Himachal Pradesh, Mr Milkha Singh, who had died recently. He said the Left Front and all democratic parties would try to field Mr K.R. Narayanan for the post of President of India once again and if Mr Narayanan declined the offer, these parties would field their own candidate and oppose the nominee of the BJP. He alleged that the Indian Government was working under pressure of foreign powers because of which the indigenous industry had been closed down in almost all parts of India, rendering lakhs of workers jobless. He also condemned the Chief Minister of Gujarat for not being able to control the communal tension there and demanded his dismissal. Mr Chandel said a meeting of the left parties and other like-minded parties would be held at Mandi on May 25 to finalise strategy for the third front in the state. This front was urgently required as elections to the state Assembly were near. |
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Foreign aid boon for HP
projects Mandi, May 19 In the ninth Five Year Plan the state got foreign assistance to the tune of Rs 354.36 crore for forestry and other projects. During the current Five Year Plan 19 foreign-aided projects are expected to be taken up for execution in the state on which Rs 2,296 crore are proposed to be spent on. The Indo-UK Joint Forestry Management Project now under operation in Mandi and Kulu districts through the Department of International Development (DFID) has yielded good results and has gone a long way in exploding the myth that forest belonged to the government. People now treat them as their wealth and safeguard them. The world bank-aided Integrated Watershed Development Project, popularly known as Kandi project, initiated over a decade ago has regenerated the arid lands into green valleys in five selected watersheds — Markanda and Ghaggar sub-watersheds in Sirmaur district, Sirsa in Solan district, Swan in Una district and Chakki in Kangra and Chamba districts covering 70,000 hectares. A sum of Rs 59.46 crore has been invested in the first phase of the project. The work on the second phase (of Rs 169.27) crore is currently in progress. The second phase of the Indo-German Changer Area Development Project with an outlay of Rs 32 crore has also been launched after successful implementation of the first phase in Kangra district. The project ushered in greenery in the Changar valley of Kangra district. Measures adopted to revive conservation of land and water with a special focus on inter-disciplinary practices yielded astonishing results. A Rs 54.80-crore project is currently being executed to revive the glory of Shimla by OPEC, which would contribute Rs 36 crore and the remaining cost would be borne by the state. A Rs 3.42-crore Indo-Norwegian Cooperation Programme is also going on in Shimla, Manali and Kulu. Another Rs 129.28-crore World Bank-aided programme has also been launched in the districts of Lahaul-Spiti, Chamba and Sirmaur for the promotion of primary education. Efforts are being made to harness the massive potential of foreign aid for the development of the forests. |
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Scribes oppose FDI in print
media Shimla, May 19 A resolution passed at the annual conference of the union here today said foreign direct investment in the print media was not only an onslaught on Indian journalism but also a serious threat to the country’s security. It should not be viewed in terms of narrow short-term gains and its long-term repercussions for the media, national security and culture must be kept in mind, the resolution said. In another resolution, the HUJ expressed concern over the failure of a large number of newspapers to implement the recommendations of the Manisana Wage Board and urged the Himachal Government to set up a tripartite committee comprising representatives of employees, the government and journalist unions for the purpose. It is imperative for the government to ensure that the recommendations of the wage board are implemented and that the journalists get their due, it said. The union took serious notice of the denial of proper wages to part-time correspondents and called for a suitable amendment to the Working Journalists Act to change the definition of working journalists. It endorsed the resolution passed by the NUJ during the Tirupati session in this regard and said the definition of working journalists as suggested by the NUJ be accepted. The union regretted that even big newspapers had not implemented the recommendations of the wage board in respect of part-time correspondents. The HUJ decided to hold monthly meetings at the district level to identify the problems faced by journalists working at the district and subdivisional level. It will come up with an action programme in this regard. |
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Stone crushers face
closure Nurpur, May 19 Inquiries reveal that these stone crushers are operating without legal sanction and have been set up at
Lodhwan, Thapkor, Bhadroa, Seerat, Mohtli, Chhanni, Damtal and Mazra villages. The government has mine and mineral rights but the surface land on which crushers are being operated pertains to right holders. The Himachal Pradesh mineral rules came into force in 1971, but these villages were exempted from the enforcement of these rules following objection from the right holders. No objection certificates
(NOC) were given for setting up stone crushers in these villages by the state Industry Department. Even a mining lease was not mandatory. The crusher owners had to pay royalties to the right holders. In 1983, the then government vested mineral rights of these villages with the state government. New rules were framed in 1989 and the Governor issued a notification in 1997 for vesting the mineral rights to the government by taking them away from the right holders. However, a number of villages were left from the pur the view of notification. In 1998, another notification was issued but again a few villages were left. In 2000, the government issued yet another notification under which all villages of Nurpur and Indora tehsils were covered and mineral rights were vested with the government. The land surface rights, however, remained with the right holders. The Mining Department directed the crusher owners to obtain a mining lease from the department. A majority of the owners applied for it. The department asked them to submit an NOC of the right holders, who refused to do so. The crusher owners said the area had been generating government revenue in the shape of sales tax and power bills and that they were ready to pay royalty by obtaining the mining lease. Sources revealed that as many as 30 crushers had been set up in the Haryal area of Punjab. The Punjab Government has not granted mining lease to them. The Damtal Crushers Association has urged the Chief Minister to intervene in the matter. |
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34.28-cr budget for HP Housing
Board Shimla, May 19 The board at its meeting held, under the chairmanship of Mr R.D. Kashyap, Urban Development Minister, here yesterday also reviewed the various ongoing projects. It was informed in the meeting that as many as 461 houses and flats had been completed during the last financial year and a target of constructing 211 houses and flats fixed for the current year. The board approved the proposal to construct a new housing colony at Daruhi in Hamirpur where 100 plots would be developed at a cost of Rs 1.55 crore. In addition, it also approved the proposal for the construction of a residential complex in New Shimla, Phase-III (Part-II), at a cost of Rs 11 crore where 44 category-I, 40 category-II would be constructed and 37 plots developed. The proposal to develop a housing colony at New Rampur where 83 plots would be developed at a cost of Rs 2.50 crore was also cleared. To ease out the shortage of residential accommodation for the board’s own employees it was decided to set apart eight units in New Shimla for the employees. The minister also launched the website of the board. The site www.hphousing board.com has been designed to cater to the needs of the allottees and all required information, including tender notices, would be available on it. |
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SC orders monitoring of afforestation work Shimla, May 19 The apex court has directed state forest departments to furnish through an affidavit detailed information regarding plantations raised by them over the past 50 years. They have been asked to even specify the location along with the number of saplings planted and the area covered so that it could be verified by an independent agency. The directive has been issued to help know the status of plantations raised over the years so that the extent of “green cover” could be assessed accurately. The Himachal Forest Department has already given the required information to the court. Since 1950, 8,996 sq km area has been planted and the total coverage has been 3,898 sq km. Over the years, crores have been spent on afforestation but the “green cover”, instead of expanding, has shrunk in most of the states. Besides, the indiscriminate felling of trees and slipshod execution of afforestation schemes have been the main reasons for the decline in forest cover. While in some cases the plantations were raised on paper, in others the success rate was negligible due to the callous attitude of the officials. However, the forest authorities never bothered to fix the responsibility for such lapses and make the officials concerned accountable. The latest directive of the court has caused much discomfiture among forest officials across the country, as their functioning will come under scrutiny. The physical verification of plantation agencies would help keep the state Forest Department on its toes. Taking serious notice of the dwindling green cover, the Supreme Court, hearing a public interest litigation, had imposed a complete ban on green felling in 1996. Thereafter, it allowed “silvicultural fellings” only in accordance with forest working plans duly approved by the Centre. Earlier this year, the court made it clear that green fellings would be allowed, provided the state government concerned allocated separate funds, over and above the normal budget, for the regeneration of the felled area. |
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3 watershed
schemes for
Hamirpur Hamirpur, May 19 She was addressing a gathering after inaugurating some rooms in a primary school, Bassi, Jhaniara, 10 km from here, yesterday. She said Rs 92 lakh had been sanctioned to improve the water supply system in Jhaniara, besides setting up of four hand pumps. She said education, health and construction of roads had been given special attention by the government. She said 3,000 km of roads had been constructed in the state during the past four years and more than 3,200 km had been metalled. She said the road length, which was 288 km in 1948, had gone up to 22,000 km at present. Besides, the Social Security Pension had been enhanced from Rs 100 to Rs 200 per month which had benefited 1.71 lakh persons. She added that the wages of daily wage workers had been enhanced from Rs 45.75 to Rs 60 per day. |
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Blazing sun sparking off forest
fires Hamirpur, May 19 No forest in the district has remained unaffected. The worst affected in the fires have been wildlife, flora and fauna. While the Department of Forests claims that the number of fires has not been much, the version of the locals is otherwise. Insiders in the department admit that the district has not seen such fires in the past decade. They add that this time, no crown fire has been reported from any part of the district. The sources say the outbreak of the fires has been due to the intense heat wave conditions in the district. They say whenever the mercury crosses the 35° Celsius mark, they get a report of fire as the pine needles are highly inflammable. The state government is upset over the increasing number of forest fires. It has sought details in this regard from the agencies concerned. |
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Dhumal launches Una’s
Website Una, May 19 He said this would not only provide useful information about the district but also help in attracting pilgrims and tourists. Prof Dhumal said Una was facing acute water scarcing and advised people not to waste drinking water and asked officials to maintain the water supply. Addressing a congregation at Amlohar on the occasion of “Shrimad Bhagvat Mahapuran Mahayajna”, Prof Dhumal said the teachings of the Vedas and the Puranas were relevant to life, a UNI report said. Bilaspur, May 19 |
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4 arrested for
attacking JE Dharamsala, May 19 According to the Kangra police chief, Mr Sanjay Kundu, Gulzari, Deepu, Praveen Singh and Nanak Chand attacked Amarjeet Singh, JE who had asked foreman, Nanak Chand to disconnect the power connection of their shop, which they said had been given to them by the owner of the building. They took the JE aside on the pretext of settling the issue. Even as they were talking among themselves, Gulzari along with another person attacked him with empty liquor bottles. While the foreman and the owner of the shop Kikker Singh tried to save him, Deepu and Praveen who were standing nearby attacked the two and injured them. The matter did not come to an end here. One of the salesman attempted to kidnap the JE. He was saved only by Kikker Singh and the foremen. The accused later escaped in a utility van. As the news spread that the JE, Amarjeet Singh had been assaulted, villagers blocked vehicular traffic near the village asking the administration to take action against the culprits. |
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3 held for robbery in temple Nurpur, May 19 According to Mr Sanjiv Gandhi, DSP, during a routine search at the Kandwal barrier yesterday the police personnel searched two persons — Vipon and Dalbeer — and found some cash and 500 grams silver from them. On interrogation, they confessed to theft committed in the temple. The police also arrested Vikram, their accomplice, from Gangath village, near here, this morning. The DSP revealed that it was a six-member gang out of which three had been arrested. |
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2 killed in
road mishap Dharamsala, May 19 According to police sources, a head-on collision between a car and a truck resulted in the death of a woman and of the driver, while two children, who sustained injuries were admitted in a local hospital. The car was reportedly coming from Palampur and was on its way to Patiala. A case has been registered and investigations are on to ascertain the cause of the accident, said a police official. In another case, Sunita Devi (18) consumed poison in Puhara village of the Shahpur Assembly constituency of Kangra district late last night.
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Victoria Cross winner
dead Bilaspur, May 19 He is survived by his wife Champa Devi, two daughters and three sons. His funeral, which was held today, was attended by several political leaders and representatives of social organisations, among others. The Governor, Dr Suraj Bhan, and the Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, have expressed grief over his death. |
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Man gets life term for rape, murder Sundernagar, May 19 The case of the prosecution was that the convict had illicit relation with the mother of the victim and on the night of December 8, 2000, he visited her house under influence of liquor. The mother of the girl was not at home, and he raped the girl before killing her. |
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Naik cremated with military honours Kumarhatti, May 19 Before sacrificing his life for the nation, he killed two militants despite being hit by a bullet. Naik Gurang, who hailed from Nepal, joined the centre as a recruit in First Gorkha Rifles on July 11, 1988, at the age of 18. In 1989, he was transferred to 2/1 Gorkha Rifles. In 2001, he was commissioned in 15 Rashtriya Rifles. The centre Commandant, Col Raghuwinder Kapoor, laid a wreath on the body. The Tehsildar of Solan laid a wreath on behalf of the Solan Deputy Commissioner. Residents of Subathu also attended the funeral. |
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Cheque presented to NGO Shimla, May 19 Mr Vijay Bhushan, Chief Postmaster General of the Himachal Pradesh circle and a trustee of the organisation, was also present. Mr Tanwar, who is handicapped had been managing the affairs of the “Ashadeep”, a non-government organisation. The trust was started in 1950 by Lala Narain Dutt, a philanthropist and freedom fighter. |
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