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Wednesday,
May 22, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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War only solution: Shekhawat
Water scarcity in Kangra areas 1 cr sanctioned for supplying water |
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Encroachments by poor to be regularised Naik Randhir Singh cremated Rajiv Gandhi remembered HP panel on Sikh pilgrims reconstituted Urban local bodies staff suspend stir HPU seminar on Vivekananda begins Rs 334-cr scheme to protect farm produce
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War only solution: Shekhawat Shimla, May 21 Stating this at a press conference he said India had made all possible efforts to resolve bilateral issues through negotiations as was evident from the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee’s Lahore bus journey and the Agra summit but Pakistan had shown no such inclination. There had been no let-up in Pakistan’s support to terrorists and suicide attacks on Army personnel and civilians were continuing unabated. The situation had come to such a pass that even the common man favoured a fullscale war to settle the issue once and for all. Some political parties, however, had a different view. They were stressing that all available diplomatic channels should be exhausted first and war should be the last resort. He said in his view all diplomatic efforts had turned out to be an exercise in futility. He said the timing of war was a strategic issue to be decided by the Army and government. Expressing concern over the need for the Congress-ruled states to take effective action to curb the activities of anti-national elements in the country, he said in the eventuality of a war, a firm policy to deal with the “enemy within” would have to be put in place and implemented rising above party lines. While the Army and paramilitary forces formed the first and second line of defence, respectively, the support of the people, who backed the two, enabled a country to win wars. There would be no place for saboteurs in the country. He lamented that the sympathisers of Pakistan, particularly in the border states like Rajasthan, were having a field day as the state governments were reluctant to use POTO or enforce the ban on SIMI as it went against their policy of appeasement of minorities. Hundreds of madarasas had sprung up along the border and after the Taliban experience in Afghanistan this should have been taken seriously as the training of “jehad” given in these Islamic institutions would only weaken the country from within. Further, ISI agents were active all over the country and they were mainly indulging in smuggling of drugs and weapons and running fake currency rackets to fund and arm terrorists. The population was increasing at a rapid rate, partly due to unchecked infiltration. Besides over 1.5 crore Bangladeshi nationals, lakhs of Pakistanis were staying back in the country after the expiry of the visas. There was an urgent need to issue identity cards to citizens to solve the problem of infiltration. Referring to the political situation in Rajasthan, he said the Congress government was in a bad shape and it would be ousted as and when elections were held. The debt liability had shot up from Rs 23,000 crore to over Rs 44,000 in just three years and the state was heading for bankruptcy. |
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Water scarcity in Kangra areas Dharamsala, May 21 The Changer area. including Jaisinghpur, Lambagaon, Jwali, Guler, Dehra and Pragpur are the worst hit as people are facing a great problem. Residents of Rajor, Kuthaar and Rasuch villages near Ranital have to go without water for days together as the supply given by the Irrigation and Public Health Department is erratic and insufficient. “ Despite our repeated pleas to the IPH authorities to provide water to our villages nobody has bothered, while some of the areas are being given a good supply,” said a villager Sanjeev Guleri. With the taps of the IPH Department going dry during the peak summer months, villagers rely on traditional water sources like bowris and wells, However the water level in these sources too falls as the temperature rises. The failure of the village panchayats in keeping hand pumps installed by the IPH Department in a running condition has added to the woes of the people. They complain that the panchayats do not have the resources or the manpower to undertake repair of the hand pumps. The district administration on its part has made arrangements to provide water through tankers in the scarcity areas. Water through 10 tankers is being provided in the Dheera, Lambagaon, Chaddiar, Daroh, Nurpur, Pragpur and Dehra areas. The District Administration has asked the IPH authorities and the local SDMs to work in coordination. IPH officials revealed that during the past over one month, a total of 26 hand pumps had been installed in the worst hit areas under Dharamsala and Nurpur circles. With this the total number of hand pumps in Kangra had gone up to 3007. While admitting that entrusting of the maintenance of hand pumps to the panchayats had led to some problems he added that all major faults were being repaired by the IPH Department as and when complaints were being received from the villages. |
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1 cr sanctioned for supplying water Shimla, May 21 The committee which met here yesterday under the chairmanship of Mr Harsh Gupta, Chief Secretary, approved the guidelines and norms for utilisation of the fund as recommended by its sub-committee. The sub-committee reviewed the steps taken to meet the shortage of drinking water in some parts of Himachal Pradesh and sanctioned Rs 1 crore for supplying water through tankers to the affected areas. The sub-committee had sanctioned Rs 75 lakh to the Irrigation and Public Health Department for installation of hand pumps in February, 2002. So, far 62 pumps had been installed. The department had further installed 82 hand pumps in Himachal Pradesh during the current financial year. |
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Encroachments by poor to be regularised Dharamsala, May 21 Addressing a press conference here today, he said this was the last concession being given by the government, after which all cases of encroachments would be dealt with strictly. “Since there was a demand from the public that the government should regularise all encroachments, we took the decision in the interest of the weaker sections of the society,” he opined. He said revenue committees had been constituted so that the process of regularising the encroachments committed by the SC, ST, OBC, widows, disabled and the IRDP families could be completed within the next two months. He added that the people should file their objections and give suggestions by August 15, after which the process of giving possession would be started. There were a total of 57,000 cases of encroachments in different revenue courts in the state, while another 2.5 lakh cases were yet to be taken to courts. Expressing satisfaction over the settlement of almost 80 per cent of mutation, demarcation and correction cases pending in the revenue courts he said rest of the cases would be settled soon. The minister said the government had involved not only revenue officials but also legal experts, social workers, NGOs and elected members of panchayati raj institutions to undertake the task of regularising encroachments and the disposal of encroached property. |
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Naik Randhir Singh cremated Nurpur, May 21 The martyr, whose body had arrived at his native village on Monday evening, is survived by his parents, wife and two sons. He was recruited in the Army in 1988. According to the Army personnel who accompanied the body, Naik Randhir Singh was on the post to retaliate firing by Pakistani troops when a shell hit him in the chest killing him on the spot. His son, Pankaj, lit the pyre. Mr Rajan Sushant, State Revenue Minister, laid wreaths on the body of the martyr. Wreaths were also laid by civil and military officials. |
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Rajiv Gandhi remembered Dharamsala, May 21 Though, Ms Stokes arrived here today to see the arrangements for the state-level rally to be addressed by the AICC President, Ms Sonia Gandhi on May 31, she addressed party workers at Nehru Park. Senior Congress leaders, including the Kangra DCC President , Mr M.R. Goma, Mr Vijai Mankotia, Mr Kewal Singh Pathania and Mr Vikram Katoch, were present. However, members of the Dharamsala Block Congress Committee, held a separate function at a serai. They later joined the senior leaders at the Deputy Commissioner’s office, where a memorandum was handed over to him. Later addressing a press conference, Ms Stokes said the HPCC would hold a massive rally to be attended by about one lakh people at Shahpur on May 31. On the holding of a separate rally by the Dharamsala block, she said the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi was being observed at the block level all over the state and denied that there were any differences within the party. SHIMLA: Rich tributes were paid to the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his martyrdom day on Tuesday. Blood donation camps, special prayer sessions, “sadbhavana yatra” and other functions were organised by Congressmen. Mr Virbhadra Singh, Congress Legislative Party leader, administered the oath of national integration at a function held at the Congress Bhavan here. Mr Ram Lal Thakur, a former Chief Minister, Mr Kaul Singh, former Speaker, and Ms Asha Kumari, former minister, among others, who paid floral tributes to the late leader. |
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HP panel on Sikh pilgrims reconstituted Shimla, May 21 The other members of the committee are the Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Secretary (Home), the Director-General of Police, Mr Mahender Singh (Chamba), Mr Gurnam Singh (Mandi) and Mr Harbhajan Singh Mann, member, NAC Santokhgarh, district Una. The Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Home) will be the member secretary. The term of the committee will be three years and its headquarters will be at Shimla. The committee will be advisory and it would collect and disseminate information useful to the intending pilgrims. It would advise and assist in appointing “Sikh Pilgrim Friends” and sub-committee in districts. |
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Urban local bodies staff suspend stir Shimla, May 21 Mr Roop Das Kashyap, Urban Development Minister, Director Urban Development and Commissioner of the local Municipal Corporation and other officer represented the government. Employees were represented by the joint action committee headed by Mr Kishori Lal. Mr Kishori Lal said the government had accepted most of the demands and a time frame was also set for their implementation. It was agreed that pending cases of pension would be cleared within seven days and necessary amendments in the rules would be made in view of the Supreme Court’s judgement to grant pension from the date of appointment. It was informed during negotiations that as many as 632 daily wage workers had been regularised and the services of remaining eligible daily wage workers, if any, would be regularised. |
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HPU seminar on Vivekananda begins Shimla, May 21 In his inaugural address Mr Justice Anshuman Singh, Governor of Rajasthan, said the philosophy of Swami Vivekananda were relevant in modern times. Presiding over the function Dr Suraj Bhan, Governor, highlighted the role of Swami Vivekananda in bringing about socio-cultural reformation in the society. Prof S.D. Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, Himachal Pradesh University, said Swami Vivekananda was a great visionary and a reformer who had great love for humanity. He also presented portraits of Swami Vivekananda to Dr Suraj Bhan and Mr Justice Anshuman Singh. |
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Rs 334-cr scheme to protect farm produce Shimla, May 21 Inaugurating a three-day training programme on “gramin bhandaran yojna”, organised by the institute, he said under the scheme over 20 lakh million tonnes of additional storage capacity would be created across the country. The government would provide 25 per cent subsidy, while the banks would make available 50 per cent of the cost of the project as loan. He said the foodgrains production in the country was expected to increase from the present 210 million tonnes to 243 million tons by 2007 and the marketable surplus was also likely to go up rapidly. |
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Sonia
to address meeting Shimla, May 21 |
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