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Tuesday,
June 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Felling green to get out of red Sukh Ram sees debt trap Cooperative bank to open 16 more branches TRANSFERS/POSTINGS Shoolini fair concludes |
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Advocate held for helping accused Railway stations lack facilities Kin to present ‘real’ Bhagat Singh on Net Awards instituted for best students Withdraw fee hike: medicos Rattan Award for K.C. Azad NCP prepares for HP poll Army men cremated Five charred bodies found
in forest Range
Officer held for corruption HPU declares
BA (III) results
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Felling green to get out of red Shimla, June 24 The state proposes to generate an additional revenue of about Rs 100 crore by felling mature green trees as part of silvicultural operations to ensure optimum growth. The plan came a cropper as the Finance Department was reluctant to provide any funds over and above the normal allocation. In fact, it asked the Forest Department to raise the resources internally which was not feasible. Further, it was also against the ruling of the apex court, which had passed the orders after taking notice of the increasing tendency of the state to scale down allocations for the forestry sector. For instance, in Himachal Pradesh, the allocation had come down drastically. In 1998-99, the allocation was Rs 86 crore and another Rs 4 crore was provided under externally aided projects. This year, the allocation has come down to Rs 75 crore and it includes Rs 30 crore made available for externally aided projects, which were confined to a small part of the state. The issue was discussed at the recent Cabinet meeting in which Mr
P.K. Dhumal, the Chief Minister, directed the Finance Department that funds be given to the Forest Department. Once the funds are made available, the Forest Department will seek permission from the Centre to carry out green
fellings. As per the plan drawn up by the Forest Department, as much as 2.25 lakh cubic metres of standing volume of trees is to be removed annually from the state’s forests. The silvicultural removals will include 1.05 lakh cubic metres of fir and spruce and 50,000 cubic metres of the precious deodar. This will fetch a royalty of about Rs 75 crore to the department, while another Rs 24 crore will go to the state exchequer as sales tax. The Supreme Court has laid down that a part of the earnings should be ploughed back for the regeneration of felled areas. Accordingly, the department had sought an additional allocation of Rs 22 crore. The Finance Department had, however, expressed its inability to provide the required funds. The department has already revised 18 of the total 31 forest working plans and also got these approved from the Centre. Another four working plans are under scrutiny and likely to be approved shortly. On the basis of these working plans, the department will be able to carry out silvicultural removals in more than almost half of the forest areas. The decision to carry out green feelings was taken in 1997, but it could not be implemented for want of approved forest working plans. |
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Sukh Ram sees debt trap Dharamsala, June 24 Mr Sukh Ram blamed former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for the situation and alleged that during his tenure, administrative expenditure rose by more than 45 per cent. Without giving a clean chit to the BJP-HVC government, he said the Chief Minister had no option but to raise loans. Citing the example of Punjab, he said the state government had been forced to adopt strong measures to restore financial discipline. He said the neighbouring state had a strong industry and a large tax base which Himachal Pradesh lacked. He said unless all vacant posts were abolished, it would not be possible to improve the financial health of the state. The Centre might be forced to put a ceiling on the loan -raising capacity of the state as resources were not sufficient to meet interest payments, he warned. The HVC supremo said his party had announced an economic policy last year during the foundation day celebrations. He said if the HVC was voted to power, it would ensure proper exploitation of natural resources of the state, which would create ample job opportunities. Making a frontal attack on his political detractors, Mr Sukh Ram said he had been falsely implicated in cases. As he was innocent, he had moved the Supreme Court to constitute a special court so that his cases were transferred to it and day-to-day hearing was held, to which the Supreme Court had agreed. Mr Sukh Ram said the HVC would observe its foundation day at Ghumarwin, Bilaspur on July 6. He said he was ready to field candidates for all 68 seats. Asked about the support to the Dhumal government despite differences on policies, Mr Sukh Ram said he had promised support for a full five-year term and had kept that promise. |
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Cooperative bank to open 16 more branches Shimla, June 24 Mr Verma said the bank had simplified its existing loan schemes so that loan facilities were available to the people with the least procedural hazards. He said the state had vast tourism potential and to attract tourists from neighbouring states, the bank had launched a scheme for the financing and construction of hotels and motels. Both individuals and cooperative societies are eligible to get finance under this scheme with the main attraction that no collateral security is required for availing of loans, he added. The bank has started financing hydroelectric power generation projects, he said. A mini-hydro electric power project in Kinnuar district, has already been financed by the bank. To create employment for unemployed educated youths of the state, a self-employment loan scheme has been launched by the bank, Mr Verma said. The bank is also participating in all government-sponsored schemes started under the Poverty Alleviation Programme to help weaker sections of society. Mr Verma said there was a plan to increase credit disbursal to cooperative societies, agriculturists and other priority sectors to enable local people to have better farming, better business and better living. There is to be further decentralisation of loan sanctioning powers so that the customers get prompt services, he added. |
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TRANSFERS/POSTINGS Shimla, June 24 Mr Chander Shekhar, on return from a UN posting on deputation, will take over as ASP, Shimla, vice Mr Virender Singh who will take over as ASP, Kulu. Mr Sunder Lal, ASP, Solan and Mr Devender Singh, ASP, Nahan, will swap places. Mr Santosh Patial has been posted as ASP, Kangra, vice Mr Ram Lal who takes over as ASP, First India Reserve Battalion, Una. Mr Gurmeet Singh, SDPO, Palampur, has been shifted to Salooni, vice Mr Padam Chand, who takes over as SDPO, Anni, vice Mr Basher Singh who will be the new DSP of the 2nd India Reserve Battalion (IRB), Jungle Beri. Mr Mohan Lal, DSP, IRB, has been posted as DSP (CID), Dharamsala, against a vacant post. Mr Preetam Singh, SDPO, Baijnath, takes over as SDPO, Palampur. He will also hold the additional charge of SDPO, Baijnath. Mr Bimal Gupta, DSP (CID), Shimla, has been posted as SDPO, Amb, vice Mr Vimukat Ranjan, who takes over as SDPO, Dehra, against a vacant post. Mr D.W. Negi, on return from a UN posting on deputation takes over as DSP, Third Battalion, Pandoh. Mr Yashbir Pathania has been posted as DSP (Enforcement), Shimla and Mr Hardesh Bist, as DSP (CID), Shimla. |
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Shoolini fair concludes Solan, June 24 The three-day festivities drew large crowds from urban and rural areas of the district. The main attractions were Indian-style wrestling bouts and the display of tractor in front of the Industries Department pavilion. Sarwar Pehalwan of Chandigarh bagged the first prize of Rs 6,000 while the second prize of Rs 5,000 went to Satinder Pehalwan of Sonepat. Other results are as follows: Baby Show: |
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Advocate held for helping accused Dharamsala, June 24 On Friday, when Pradeep, alleged to have been involved in a murderous attack on a person in Dehan village near here on June, 14, was produced before the Senior Sub-Judge, Palampur. As it was expected that he would be granted bail in the case, the police had moved an application on Pradeep’s involvement in the attack on a businessman at Maranda last year. He had been denied bail by the Sessions Court, Dharamsala, and had been absconding. The court had yet to decide on the fresh application moved by the police for the re-arrest of Pradeep when his advocate, Mr Peter David, asked him to come outside the court room. Before the police realised what was happening, the accused fled from the court. According to the SDPO, Mr Gurmeet Singh, the police was convinced that it was with the active connivance of Mr Peter David that Pradeep escaped. A case under Sections 212 and 216 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against the advocate, who was taken into custody for investigations. Later, he was released on bail. Mr Gurmeet Singh said efforts were on to arrest Pradeep, who had gone underground. Police parties had been sent to various locations where he might be in hiding. |
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Railway stations lack facilities Kumarhatti, June 24 Almost every railway station has inadequate arrangement for potable water for passengers. Dharampur, the first major halt for the trains from Kalka, has a canteen facility but not enough variety of etables. There is no toilet facility at the Dharampur station where the trains stop for 5-10 minutes. Of the three water connections, two remain without water for most of the day. A single connection cannot cope with the rush of the passengers. The staff at the station blamed the IPH Department for the situation. The staff has to repeatedly make mike announcements to call back the passengers before the trains restart as they often rush to the nearby market to meet their needs. The authorities have failed to store the natural water source near Koti railway station. Similar was the condition at Solan station. |
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Kin to present ‘real’ Bhagat Singh on Net Shimla, June 24 Mr Abhay Singh, who was in the city, told newsmen that there was no girl in the life of Bhagat Singh and he was also not engaged to anyone as depicted in the three films released recently. “Shaheed-e-Azam”, “The Legend of Bhagat Singh” and “March 23,1931 — Shaheed”, have distorted the personal life of the martyr whose only obsession was the liberation of the country, he said. In one of the films, it has been shown that while Bhagat Singh was being hanged, preparations were going on for his marriage, which was nowhere near the reality, he added. He said as such distortions could create a wrong image of the martyr, he had decided to create a website containing Bhagat Singh’s life history and his jail diary. The 150-page diary, written between 1929 and 1931, is an important document in which Bhagat Singh wrote down his plans for an independent India, he stated, adding that it touches on all aspects of governance ranging from the framing of the Constitution to making the country economically self-reliant. He lamented that apart from a few researchers, no one had really taken note of the diary. |
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Awards instituted for best students Dharamsala, June 24 According to the President of the Old Students Association (OSA), Mr Raghubir Singh Rana, the son and the grandson of Pandit Prasad, have donated a sum of Rs 2 lakh, which will form the corpus fund. His son Bhagirath Diwedi, and grandson Mehru Thakur have instituted two awards for the best all-round boy and girl students. Mr Rana said the annual income from the fund would be spent in giving away the awards and meeting the administrative expenses of the OSA. He added that the awards would be given from this academic session, 2001- 2002, onwards. Pandit Prasad, who taught political science, joined the college in 1930 and was the Principal from 1948 to 1952. Mr Rana said the OSA had collected Rs 5 lakh for the construction of an auditorium, but with the proposal still awaiting the nod from the state government, the project had been delayed. He said an auditorium was not just the need of the college, but the entire town as there was no proper venue for holding functions. |
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Withdraw fee hike: medicos Shimla, June 24 He also demanded introduction of postgraduate courses in skin and psychiatry and increase in the number of seats in orthopaedics. The duties of registrars and PG students, who were overworked, should be limited to eight hours on shift basis and examination for filling the vacancies of registrars should be conducted twice a year, in July and January. Other demands included government accommodation to senior registrars from general pool and shifting of the Obstretics and Gynaecology Department from Kamla Nehru Hospital to the college premises. |
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Rattan Award for K.C. Azad Shimla, June 24 The award will be presented during the conference on “India’s Economic Liberalisation — Gateway to Success” to be held at India International Centre, New Delhi, tomorrow. This is the sixth award for Dr Azad who was earlier honoured with the Secular India Harmony Award in 1996 by the former President of India and A Special Award of Honour by the Himachal Government during the 50 years of Himachal horticulture celebrations in 1998. He has the distinction of being the first Himachali entrepreneur to venture into the field of hydel power, being the first person in the state to undertake the execution of a micro-hydel project. He is also the founder President of the Himalayan Agro Systems, an NGO consultancy services agency in the field of horticulture both within and outside the state. |
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NCP prepares for HP poll Shimla, June 24 He said candidates with a clean image would be identified for contesting the elections. Mr Ved Pal said that the people in Haryana were fed up of the Chautala government because of “growing” corruption. The farmers, who were the backbone of the INDL government, were a dissatisfied lot because of the “adamant” attitude of the Chautala government on the issue of electricity bills, he added. |
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Army men cremated Nurpur, June 24 Mr Kishori Lal, Industry Minister, who laid a wreath on the body, said the native village of the martyr would be linked with a motorable road. The road would be named after the martyr, he added. The Subedar is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son. Sepoy Kuldeep Singh of 11 J&K Rifles, who had laid down his life in the Kargil sector, was cremated at his native village Gher in Dehra subdivision on Saturday. He was only 21 and was recruited in the Army in February, 2001. He is survived by his parents, two sisters and a younger brother. |
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Five charred bodies found
in forest Shimla, June 24 The district police chief said the post mortem examination of the bodies of two men, two women and a boy had been conducted on the spot. The victims, who had been running a “dhaba”, used to stay in the hut at night. Immediately after the police learnt about the incident, which occurred on June 19 last, a special investigation team rushed to the site for investigation. A forensic team from Shimla was also called. Foul play in the incident could not be ruled out. Three suspects had been picked up to find any leads to the incident. The police registered cases under various sections of the Indian Penal Code in this connection.
UNI |
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Range Officer held for corruption Shimla, June 24 According to a spokesman of the Vigilance Department, Vinod Kumar Thapa, Range Officer, Chirgaon and Dodra-Kawar Range (Shimla), was prima-facie found possessing assets worth Rs 22 lakh. Properties, such as plots, a truck, bank deposits and a house in Tutu were found registered in his wife’s name, who does not have any independent source of income. |
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HPU declares
BA (III) results Shimla, June 24 The following is the merit list: Deepa Seth (RKMV, Shimla) 759, Amandeep Kaul Punish (RKMV, Shimla) 749, Pooja Sud (RKMV, Shimla) 723, Chitra Sharma (G.C. Arki) 718, Raj Kumar (Hamirpur) 692, Rachita Rathour (RKMV, Shimla) 689, Taruna Chowdhary (St. Bede’s, Shimla) 687, Sujata Devi ( GZS College) 684, Seema Kashyap (RKMV, Shimla) 680 and Manita Kumari (MSCM College, Thural) 678. |
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Ex-servicemen seek toll tax exemption Nurpur, June 24 |
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Voter ID cards from June 27 Shimla, June 24 |
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