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Saturday,
May 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Red alert in Kangra Panel to deal with atrocities on Dalits
26 cr spent on textbooks for
SCs, STs: Dhumal NDPT opposes 17-point pact |
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Tibetan centre’s plea to UN on summit PWD Junior Engineer held New policy to solve water crisis Tourist flow below expectations Chamba-Pathankot highway in bad shape Martyrs’ memorial in state of neglect Telecom services paralysed
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Red alert in Kangra
Dharamsala, May 24 Kangra district police chief Sanjay Kundu said the police and the Army had been put on the maximum alert and security had been tightened in and around the cantonment areas in the district and round the clock “naka” had been set up by the police on all national highways. He said as per reports, militants had changed their strategy and might strike at soft targets. A meeting of Zila Suraksha Samiti (district security committee), headed by Deputy commissioner Prabhod Saxena, was held at Yol cantonment today which was attended by senior police, civil and Army officers. It was decided in the meeting that no government or private bus would stop at unscheduled stops. Truck and bus drivers have been directed not to give a ride to unknown persons, dressed in police or military uniform, in their vehicles. Civil and police officer have been directed to keep a strict vigil at bus stands and railway stations. Local people have been directed to inform the nearest police station about suspicious movement of any individual even if he wears police or military uniform. Panic gripped Dharamshala town and surrounding areas today when rumour spread about a militant attack on a private school at Sidhbari, near Yol. Mr Kundu, however, clarified that heavy police force was deployed at the school at which led to the rumour. UNI
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Panel to deal with atrocities on Dalits Shimla, May 24 Stating this at a press conference here today, Mr Bijay Sonkar Shastri, Chairman of the commission, said stringent action was provided for under the prevention of atrocities on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act but there was a general complaint that the police was reluctant to register FIRs. Keeping this in view, the commission had decided to set up a central police station at its headquarters. The victims could lodge complaint through the Internet which would be immediately transferred to the police station concerned and the victim would be informed about it. The matter had already been taken up with the Union Home Ministry, he said. The commission would soon launch its website for the purpose which would not only serve as a helpline the one victims, but also provide the desired information. He hoped that the NGOs would help the victims in lodging their complaints through the Internet. Besides, launching its own website the commission also planned to provide a toll-free number for lodging complaints on the telephone. Further, in cases in which the police had refused to register FIRs the officials concerned would be proceeded against. The commission had powers to summon the guilty officials and could even issue non-bailable warrants against them, if they failed to comply with the orders. The provisions of law to curb atrocities on the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes would be displayed at public places including police stations, to educate people about how grave the offence was. |
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26 cr spent on textbooks for SCs, STs: Dhumal Shimla, May 24 Presiding over a function organised by the Himachal Pradesh Ambedker Mission Society here yesterday evening, Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, said Ambedkar Medhavi Chhatravriti Yojna had been started to help students belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes and the Vivekananda Utrikrishta Chhatravriti Yojna for poor meritorious students of General Category. Under these scheme Rs 10,000 were given to students of Classes IX and XII. In addition to it Rs 11,000 was given to Scheduled Tribes students under the Thakur Sen Negi Utkrishta Chhatraviti Yojna. He said the Valmiki Chhatraviti Yojna had been launched enable girls coming from families engaged in unclean profession and Rs 9,000 annual scholarship was being given under it to the students after matriculation to pursue professional courses. The Chief Minister said Rs 26 crore was being spent on text books being given to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes students of Class VI and X and in all 13 lakh students had benefited from this scheme. He said state government had launched an ambitious scheme to construct houses under the Valmiki Awas Yojna in urban areas of the state. A sum of Rs 50 crore had been allocated for the purpose and the houses under the scheme would be given to poor and needy persons. He appealed to Scheduled Castes people to identify and suggest the names of such persons who really needed houses. The Chief Minister assured that efforts would be made to establish Ambedkar Chair in Himachal Pradesh University on a priority basis. Mr Darshan Lal, Chairman, Ambedker Mission Society, urged the Chief Minister to grant land to the society for construct its building. |
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NDPT opposes 17-point pact Dharamsala, May 24 The party, in a press note said here yesterday that the Tibetan delegation that had called upon the Chinese on May 23, 1951 was forced to accept and sign the 17-point agreement. If it had declined to accede to the Chinese demand, Tibet as a whole would have faced a military incursion, it said. The party said even the seals of Tibetan delegates were manipulated and bore the names of the delegates and not of the Tibetan Government. While the Chinese had repeatedly used this agreement to legitimise their control over Tibet, it bore no legitimacy for the simple reason that it was signed under duress and thus was not a legal document. Even though the Dalai Lama did not approved of the
agreement, in order to save Tibetans and Tibet from total destruction, he had tried to abide by its terms to the best of his ability, the party added. |
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Tibetan
centre’s plea to UN on summit Dharamsala, May 24 The TCHRD said the committee holding the summit should adopt an objective and rationable view in allowing it to participate in the summit as it was solely concerned with the human rights situation in Tibet and did not take any political stand on the issue. “China had strongly opposed our accreditation even at the time of the Durban conference against racism held last year on similar grounds but the objectivity of the organisers had prevented China in its move,” TCHRD spokesman Youdon Aukatsang said. Mr Aukatsang stated that the Chinese permanent secretary to the United Nations had in his letter to the UN Secretary-General stated that the accreditation to the TCHRD should not be granted as its members were “separatists”, who supported the independence of Tibet. |
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PWD Junior Engineer held Bilaspur, May 24 Vigilance sources said today that the total income of Premlal Prashar from all sources of income comes to Rs 8.92,213 during past four and half years. But the Junior Engineer has been found to have amassed Rs 28, 23, 209 during this period. The Vigilance Department found that Prashar owned Kisan Vikas Patras worth Rs 16,50,000 in the main post office here in his name and that of his family members. He also had cash worth of Rs 8,20, 209 in a bank and a post office apart from having spent Rs 1.75 lakh on the construction of his house and another sum of Rs 1.78 lakh on the purchase of a car. The Vigilance Department has charged Prashar of having amassed total assets worth Rs 22,28,400 through illegal means by exploiting his position as a Junior Engineer. When his house was searched the vigilance wing found Kisan Vikas Patra worth Rs 12 lakh and pass books of several banks besides jewellery worth Rs 11,000 was also recovered from the locker of the Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank’s branch here. Kisan Vikas Patra worth Rs 4.50 lakh were also recovered from this bank as the same were mortgaged with the bank by him. Reports said as soon as the Vigilance Department registered a case against Prashar he got an anticipatory bail from the Himachal Pradesh High Court but after having found seriousness of the crime, the High Court rejected his bail and the Vigilance Department took him into custody.
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New policy to solve water crisis Hamirpur, May 24 He said since there was shortage of water at the Hathli Khud reservoir of the town’s water supply scheme, the new water schedule had been fixed. He said water discharge in the scheme had gone down by 60 to 70 per cent. The town needed 26 lakh litres of water daily as against availability of only 10 lakh litres, he added. The Irrigation-cum-Public Health Department in the district is upset over the water shortage and has finalised a time-bound programme to supply water to the public through tankers. It has put seven tankers on water supply duty, according to Mr Sharma. He said the department was coordinating with the district administration for the supply of water in all parts of the district. He said that the department had already identified many villages, which were actually facing shortage. The department was doing its best to help people of these areas by providing water on alternate days. The failure of the contractor to bring tankers in time who was given tender for the supply of water to various parts of the district has also irked the district administration. It had cancelled the tender of the lowest tenderer and was in process to give tender to the second lowest person. The district administration needed services of 35 water tankers in the first phase. There are reports that the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, has sought a complete report from the district administration on water shortage. |
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Tourist
flow below expectations Dharamsala, May 24 All along, the state government has been promoting Shimla, Kulu and Manali as major tourist centres and not Dharamsala. This has had an impact on the overall tourist flow to the region as many hoteliers complain that the flow of tourists has been far below the expected level. Even though the tourist season started almost a month ago, no significant increase in the number of tourists has been witnessed till now. “The number of tourists coming over to Dharamsala are not due to the efforts of the government. Eighty to 90 per cent of the tourists are interested in meeting Dalai Lama and seeing the monasteries,” he said. Foreign tourists, are not visiting the place, at all, he rued. Mr P.P.
Kaachra, Senior Manager of Hotel Bhagsu, a Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation
(HPTDC) undertaking, was, however, of the view that things at present were better than last year. “Our occupancy was around 67 per cent last year as compared to around 90 per cent at present. That’s why we feel it is comparatively better than last year. “It is, however, nowhere near normal,” he said. The tense border situation, attack on a bus and an Army camp at
Kaluchak, riots in Gujarat, abnormal rise in temperature in the region, shortfall of water and deplorable conditions of the roads are having a negative impact on the tourists, said many hoteliers. Tourists from Gujarat, Maharashtra, which constituted the bulk, are almost down to a trickle. Continued rioting in Gujarat has prevented them from travelling. The
Maharashtrians, due to their close affinity with the Gujaratis, are also staying away. Only Bengali tourists are visible here and they are travelling to various tourist places all over the state, said Mr Gupta. But they, too, prefer package tours and they hardly stay for more than two days at one place. At the same time, he added, business is down by almost 50 per cent in the case of domestic tourists, while it is less than 30 per cent in the case of foreign tourists. |
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Chamba-Pathankot highway in bad shape Chamba, May 24 This portion of the highway for about 20 km is full of potholes and it’s difficult to ply light as well heavy vehicles on it. This part of the highway was metalled a few months ago but could not sustain the pressure of the traffic. The authorities concerned are least bothered to repair the highway. The Chamba-Pathankot-highway, is the only lifeline for the entire district from the outside world. Besides, it also sustains the heavy rush of vehicles belonging to various hydroelectric projects undertaken or commissioned by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation in Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh. The highway is maintained by the Border Roads Organisation, but the authorities could not be contacted to know about the steps being taken for its improvement. |
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Martyrs’ memorial in state of neglect Dharamshala, May 24 The memorial, at present, is in a bad shape owing to dry twigs of pine trees that are strewn everywhere and give it a filthy look. With the temperatures already on the high side, a spark would be enough to set these afire. Other waste products like polythine bags, paper plates and empty mineral water bottles too lie littered in the seven-acre memorial. Even the fountains installed here remain non-functional. The pond water has not been changed for quite sometime now and its
color has changed to pale green with mosquitoes swirling on its surface. While quite a few elderly prsons used to come here regularly to feed the fish, now they don’t since there are none fish left to feed. There is no drinking water facility in the park and the people visiting the memorial have to fetch it from a nearby restaurant. A Punjabi couple on a visit here rued the way things were being looked after at the memorial. Interestingly, it was decided to instal a handpump near the memorial but it has failed to come up. When the society approached the IPH Department to have it constructed, the latter demanded a sum of Rs 2,50,000, whereas a private company said they would do the job for Rs 1 lakh. Besides, the timings of the park — from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. — also do not suit many. A spokesman for the Himachal Martyrs’ Memorial, Col M.G. Sharma said: In the absence of adequate financial assistance, things are in a mess. “We had recently met the Deputy Commissioner and he has called a meeting of the PWD, IPH Department and Sainik Board to see how things can be set right? We are also contemplating an extension in the timings.” |
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Telecom
services paralysed Hamirpur, May 24 When contacted, Mr Sunil Sharma, General Manager of BSNL, said the exchange developed technical snags and it took hours to rectify it. He said the services would become fully operational by today evening. However, insiders in BSNL said the failure of a power plant led to this trouble and technicians from Una were called in to repair the plant. |
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Mayor’s election on June 3 Shimla, May 24 An official spokesman said here yesterday that the post of Mayor would be filled from the category of Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Deputy Mayor would be from the general category.
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Award for HRTC Shimla, May 24 The corporation has been getting this award for three consecutive years. The corporation had achieved the mileage of 3.55 km per litre against the average of 3.29 km per litre for the hill state transport undertakings.
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