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Tuesday,
July 30, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Govt to conduct special girdawari Students’ threat to gherao ministers Pvt transporters’ stir hits life
MCI team to visit Tanda college |
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DISTRICT DIARY Forest Ministry’s step on fund release Plea to regularise daily wagers Shop owners told to pay damages Corruption to be Cong poll plank Separate dists on merit: Dhumal Cong to strengthen women’s cell
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Govt to conduct special girdawari Shimla, July 29 The decision was taken at a meeting of the state level committee on the calamity relief fund held under the chairmanship of Mr Harsh Gupta, Chief Secretary, here today. It was also decided that the necessary directions be issued to the deputy commissioners to carry out the task. The committee decided to place Rs 1.20 crore at the disposal of the deputy commissioners for providing drinking water in the severely affected villages. This is in addition to Rs 1 crore released earlier for the purpose. The Agriculture Department informed the committee that a contingency plan involving an expenditure of Rs 2 crore had been prepared to supply seeds and other inputs to the affected farmers for sowing alternative crops. Under the plan, seeds of toria, mash and moong, the recommended alternative crops, will be supplied. The Food and Civil Supplies Department projected a monthly requirement of 25,000 tonnes of foodgrains for the next three to six months depending on the severity of drought. The Animal Husbandry Department placed a demand for 10,000 tonnes of damaged foodgrains to be supplied as cattlefeed to the affected framers. The Social Welfare Department has prepared a long-term Rs 39.68 crore plan to take care of the nutrition requirement of rural women and children if the drought persists. The Irrigation and Public Health Department has come out with a Rs 27 crore proposal to deal with the water shortage in the affected areas. Meanwhile, the state unit of the Himachal Vikas Congress has urged the government to declare the entire hill state as drought hit. |
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Students’ threat to gherao ministers Dharamsala, July 29 Talking to mediapersons, former college SCA joint secretary Ashwani Patial of the NSUI, the district vice-president of the SFI, Mr Sanjiv Mana, the HVSO district president Mr Arvind Pathania, and the campus president, Mr Munish Sharma, alleged that they were misled while seeking admission. According to the student leaders, 750 sought admission at Palampur while 88 students had been admitted at Paraur. They said people close to the BJP had been claiming that the Palampur campus did not have proper infrastructure which necessitated the shifting but the situation was worse at Paraur where even basic facility like toilets for girls were not available. It was wrong to shift the college under these circumstances. The student leaders said that their agitation would continue till the college was shifted back to
Palampur. |
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Pvt transporters’ stir hits life Hamirpur, July 29 They were demanding rationalisation of the tax structure, increase in tax holidays for them and more facilities to them at government-owned bus stands. Government buses failed to handle the rush of passengers and most persons coming to Hamirpur from various parts of the district to attend their offices, schools or colleges were inconvenienced. Hundreds were seen rushing to their destinations on foot. The transporters did not allow vehicles to enter various parts of the town and blocked traffic at the main busstand for over three hours. Buses and light vehicles were allowed to ply through the main bazaar, as a result of which there was congestion in the bazaar. The traffic was restored only when Deputy Commissioner Anuradha Thakur intervened. Talks were later held between the transporters’ leaders and the district administration officials to end the strike. The operators also submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner. Ms Thakur said the transporters would hold talks regarding their demands with the Director, Transport, who would visit Hamirpur tomorrow. Mr Naresh Kumar Darji, president of the Private Transporters Sangh, claimed that the strike was complete. He said they would meet senior officials of the Department of Transport. If no decision was taken on their demands, they might go on strike again, he warned. |
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MCI team to visit Tanda college Dharamsala, July 29 Dr Santoshi claimed that steps had been taken to meet norms laid down by the MCI for the recognition the medical college and hoped that provisional recognition would be extended thus paving the way for admissions to the next batch of students. He said he would try to convince the inspecting team about the sincerity of the state government in providing the infrastructure. Dr Santoshi said that lack of funds had been the major stumbling block in providing all the facilities. He said that Rs 65 lakh would fulfil most of the requirements pointed by the MCI team during last inspection. He said a case for sanction had been sent to the government supply orders would be placed on receipt of funds, he added. The Principal who assumed charge only last month, said that work on the hospital building was to commerce last December but it could not be started due to lack of funds. He said now the state government was trying to raise funds and the building of the college would be completed before 2003. The Principal said that Tanda, being a rural panchayat, the medical college should have been declared a rural medical college. |
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DISTRICT DIARY Chamba Mr Kishori Lal, a senior minister holding the portfolio of Industries in the Dhumal government, represents the Bhattiyat Assembly constituency while Ayurveda Minister Mohan Lal represents Rajnagar. The creation of these divisional offices is need of the hour and these ministers should see to it that these are opened at the earliest. On the other hand, there is no dearth of divisional and other offices in the constituencies represented by the sitting Congress MLAs in the district. *
* * With the dedication of an 18- km-long Bharmour-Harchhu road to the people of Tundah valley of Chamba district by throwing a bailey bridge open across the Budhil rivulet, a tributary of the Ravi, by Himachal Industries Minister. Kishori Lal recently, the long-cherished dream of residents of the tribal belt has come true. According to Mr Rakesh Kanwar, Resident Commissioner of Bharmour, HRTC bus service has also been introduced on this road. The road would be extended to Badgran village and the Banni Mata temple in the near future at a cost of about Rs 6 crore. The Tundah valley is replete with apple orchards and has a lot of tourism potential. The road would also promote religious tourism after its extension up to Banni Mata temple. Since the road has linked the Tundah wildlife sanctuary, it will also attract naturalists to this area. *
* * An ambitious Rs 40 lakh plan for the revival of the charm of Khajjiar Lake and the exquisite landscape of the Khajjiar hill resort is under active consideration of the Union Government. According to the Deputy Commissioner of Chamba, Mr Rahul Anand, it is for the first time that such a prestigious scheme has been drawn up to restore the charm and glory of the lake. The HP Town and Country Planning Department has already sanctioned Rs 70,000 for taking up cleanliness activities in the Khajjiar hill resort. Special emphasis is being laid on traffic planning, parking lots, upkeep of surrounding roads and conservation of the ancient Khajji Naga temple. |
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Forest Ministry’s step on fund release Shimla, July 29 Taking serious note of the delay in the setting up of FDAs by states the ministry has made it clear that no funds will be released to the government henceforth. It has directed the states to set up the agencies at the district or circle level at the earliest to avail themselves of funds under the centrally sponsored schemes. The agencies are to be set up on the pattern of the district rural development agencies for the planning and execution of forestry projects. The village forest development committees will be the members of the agencies. The schemes formulated by the committees will be scrutinised by the agencies and forwarded to the Centre through the state department concerned. Funds for the schemes approved by the ministry will be released direct to the agencies concerned. The decision has been taken keeping in view the reluctance on the part of the state governments to promptly release funds to the department. As a result, the schemes are not being executed properly. In many cases the state Finance Department did not allow the department to make the necessary purchases for implementing the project and the funds lapsed. For instance, last year the department failed to utilise Rs 50 lakh sanctioned under the fire prevention scheme as it was not allowed to procure fire-fighting equipment, vehicles and other required infrastructure facilities. So far, only two FDAs have been set up in the state, one for Suket-Sundernager division and the other for Palampur. These will have to wound up because as per the guidelines issued by the ministry the agencies have to be set up at the district or forest circle level. The state has 12 districts and eight forest circles. As such, at least eight agencies will have to be set up for getting central funds in the current year. There are 818 village forest development committees which have prepared forestry schemes to cover of 2.24 lakh hectares. These schemes can be implemented only after FDAs are put in place. The state has been receiving about Rs 12 crore annually from the Centre under various schemes and it will be deprived of the amount if it fails to set up the agencies. |
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Plea to regularise daily wagers Shimla, July 29 Addressing a press conference here yesterday, she said the government had for the past four years been repeatedly rejecting the demands of workers and employees on the plea that it was facing a financial crisis. Moreover, it had failed to regularise those workers also who had completed more than eight years, service due to resource crunch. However, suddenly it had come out with a proposal to create new districts which would put additional burden on the state exchequer running into crores of rupees. She said INTUC was in favour of new districts but it felt the demands of poor workers deserved priority. These included the raising of the daily wage to Rs 100, house rent allowance to both husband and wife, increase in hill compensatory allowance from Rs 500 to Rs 650 per month and capital allowance from Rs 100 to Rs 500 per month. She demanded 10 per cent ticket for INTUC in the ensuing assembly poll for which it had identified the Shimla, Doon, Una, Santokhgarh, Kangra, Nagrota Bagwan, Shahpur, Bharmour and Chamba constituencies. She supported the demand of other backward classes for 27 per cent quota and jobs and inclusion of leftout castes like the Sainis and the Jats in the OBC list. Mrs Sood urged the Returning Officer, Dr Subhash Sharma, to hold the elections to the state INTUC at the earliest as the court case filed by one of the leaders, Mr Amarjit Bawa, had been withdrawn. |
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Shop owners told to pay damages Shimla, July 29 The order was passed by Mr P. D. Goyal, President of the forum, here today, while disposing of the complaint in which he was alleged that on December 17, 2001, he purchased a bottle of Horlicks on which he was charged 50 paise in excess of the printed price. He further alleged that when he complained of overcharging, the manager of the shop misbehaved with him. |
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Corruption to be Cong poll plank Chamba, July 29 Addressing a press conference at his residence here today, Mr Mahajan asserted that corruption, nepotism and commercialisation of education and health institutions would be the major poll planks of the HPCC in the forthcoming Assembly elections. Mr Mahajan claimed that the Congress had always worked or the setting up of a ‘welfare state’ not the ‘business state’ like the BJP government, which had always sold the interest of the state. He said the memoranda of understanding signed for the execution of hydroelectric projects would be reviewed if the Congress was voted to power. |
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Separate dists on merit: Dhumal Shimla, July 29 Addressing deputations from the two areas at his residence here, he said his government had always strived to provide a responsive administration to the people. It would take decision regarding the creation of districts in the best interests of the people. Mr Ravinder Ravi, Minister for Technical Education, led the people of Palampur while Mr Ran Vijay Singh, President of the Rohru Congress Committee, led the deputation of his area. |
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Cong to strengthen women’s cell Una, July 29 She said on instructions from the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, to strengthen the women cell of the Congress she had started the tour of Himachal Pradesh from July 11. She said women in Himachal constituted more than 50 per cent votes hence the Congress was trying to cover this section of voters. She said to create awareness among women to protect themselves against atrocities she had formed an Utpirit Mahila Utthan Samiti and eight women had been nominated to this samiti. Roma Kaundal and Satya Rana from the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, Kamala Prathi and Nirmala Devi from the Mandi, parliamentary constituency Archana Dhawan and Hamida Bano from the Shimla parliamentary constituency, and Dhaneshwari Devi and Anita from the Kangra parliamentary constituency had been included in the samiti. Major Krishna Mohini, state President, Mahila Congress, said the Himachal Mahila Congress had asked the Congress high command to allot 50 per cent of the Vidhan Sabha seats to women in Himachal. |
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Jawan cremated Hamirpur, July 29 Ravi Kumar, son of the deceased, lit the pyre in the presence of hundreds of villagers. Tehsildar of Bhoranj represented the district administration. |
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