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Tuesday,
August 27, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Virbhadra
dares CM on Kainthla report After
colonies, it is illegal pumps Toll: HC
notice to Excise Commissioner Progressive
farmer honoured ID cards
for two dists prepared |
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Once an
aide, now challenger 5 Yol
localities seek rural status Police
‘inaction’ raises residents’ hackles Started
in 1969, work on road far from over HP
panel for management of zoos, sanctuaries
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Virbhadra dares CM on Kainthla report Shimla, August 26 Addressing a press conference here today, he said that he would not seek anticipatory bail and the party was prepared to take on the government, which had fabricated cases to harass and intimidate the Opposition. He said Congressmen would fight such attempts unitedly. He said it was an “out and out” politically-motivated case as it was evident that the sections had been decided by the Home Department and not the police who decides the sections thereof. This showed the “extraordinary” interest the government and the Chief Minister took in his matter. An FIR had been filed on the basis of the report of the commission, ignoring the fact that a petition challenging its very constitution was pending before the Supreme Court. The former Chief Minister charged Mr Dhumal with vitiating political atmosphere of the state by his vindictive attitude towards the Opposition. The sharp decline in the popularity of the BJP-led government had unnerved Mr Dhumal, he claimed. The Congress leader alleged that the State Subordinate Services Selection Board had become a den of corruption and his party on coming to power would order a probe into the irregularities in recruitment not only in the board but also in the Himachal Pradesh University and other departments to expose the “Sidhus” of Himachal. He said it was shocking that record of selections made by the board was destroyed within three months and alleged that this was being done in collusion with Mr Dhumal to destroy the evidence of irregularities. He took exception to the decision of the government to hire the services of a private company for publicising its achievements and quipped that even a foreign company would not be able to refurbish the image of the party steeped in corruption. On the creation of new districts he said the issue had boomeranged, dividing not only the people of the state but also causing a vertical split in the BJP. Putting the move on hold on the basis of a letter from the Delimitation Commission was a face-saving device to wriggle out of the situation. The Delimitation Commission was set up months ago and the government was aware of it even before the move was initiated. Replying to a question he said the Congress was not in favour of taking back Mr Sukh Ram, HVC leader, into the party. Any move to induct a convicted leader would tarnish the image of the party in the state and the country. He also ruled out the possibility of merger of the HVC into the Congress saying that the party would not gain anything. However, he added that cases of individual leaders could be considered on merit. |
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After colonies, it is illegal pumps Kumarhatti, August 26 The alleged illegal drilling of a hand pump by a builder, near here, recently led to the gherao of the Executive Engineer of Irrigation and Public Health (IPH), Solan division, by local residents. They fear the drilling could adversely affect the surrounding government-owned water lifting schemes. Led by panchayat representatives, the locals were enraged over the failure of the IPH to stop the drilling despite complaints in this connection by the Chewa panchayat. Following the illegal boring of hand pumps, the Rs 4.50-lakh government water lifting scheme had to be abandoned this summer due to poor discharge of water, lamented Mr Ramesh Chauhan, president of the panchayat. The hand pumps had been drilled despite refusal by the panchayat to give a no-objection certificate, he pointed out. IPH officials lament that they are helpless to take action against the builders due to lack of specific guidelines. The need of the hour was to make it mandatory for builders to get an NOC from the authorities of Central Ground Water based at Dharamsala, remarks a concerned IPH official. |
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Toll: HC notice to Excise Commissioner Shimla, August 26 The petitioner said the charging of toll from the locals was unconstitutional. He alleged that employees of the contractor used to beat the residents who refused to pay the tax. The court directed the respondents to file their reply within four weeks. |
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Progressive
farmer honoured Solan, August 26 Mr Verma consistently extracted high yields from his recently setup orchard of the exotic Kiwi fruit and also in his cauliflower seeds farm at Kailer village 4 km from here. He has also won prestigious Espee award for being the best farmer in his category in the country last year. Mr Vidya Sagar said that following experience of this year’s draught which damaged up to 80 per cent of standing kharif crops, the state government had decided to encourage small irrigation tanks on the farmers’ fields. A subsidy of up to Rs 8,000 each would be given to those farmers who constructed such tanks. Chairman of Himachal Marketing Board, Virendra Kashyap said that the Board planned to construct 100 more fruit and vegetable collection
centres, covering all Block in the state in the current year. He said that the newly created regulated fruit and vegetable complexes like the local Subzi Mandi had generated income of Rs 6.5 lakh in the past two months alone for the Board besides and provided farmers with an easy access to the markets. Local MLA Dr Rajeev Bindal said that the government, to boost floriculture had allocated Rs 1.5 crore grant for setting up a Floriculture Centre at Mahog village on the Kandaghat-Chail road in the district. |
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ID cards for two
dists prepared Shimla, August 26 She said identity cards had been prepared in Solan and Sirmour districts and the process was on in Hamirpur, Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti. It would begin in the Pangi area of Chamba district from August 29 and in Kulu, Chamba and Bilaspur districts in the first week of September. She said the identity cards of only those who had been registered as voters would be made. She urged people to check voter lists and if their names did not figure on it, they should contact the Electoral Registration Officer concerned. |
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Once an aide, now challenger Nurpur, August 26 By staking claim to Congress ticket Mr Bakshi who was once close to Mr Sat Mahajan, , has first time openly challenged the claim to party ticket of Mr Mahajan. He lamented that he had defeated by his own men in the last Assembly elections. |
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5 Yol localities
seek rural status Dharamsala, August 26 At meeting held at Yol yesterday under the chairmanship of Mr Subhash Chand Mussafir, secretary-general of the Himachal Pradesh All-Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Association, a committee was formed to take up the matter with the state government. In a joint statement, Chaudhary Amin Chand, Mr Dulo Ram and Mr Hoshiar Singh chairman, president and secretary, respectively, of the newly formed sangharsh samiti said in 1940, when the board was established, five villages namely Tika Bain, Tika Bandroru, Tika Khas Yol, Tika Lehsar and Tika Chated were brought under its jurisdiction. These localities were villages and agriculture was the main occupation of people there, but the British authorities included these in board giving urban status, they added. Samiti office-bearers stated that they were being deprived of benefits available to rural villages. “They have decided to launch an agitation to press on government for according rural status to the villages”, they added. |
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Police ‘inaction’ raises residents’ hackles Dharamsala, August 26 On the night of August 22, Mr Netar Singh, a resident of Kathua, came to Kangra along with his wife for paying obeisance at Brajeshwari temple. The couple was having food at a dhaba at Mandir Gali when two youths came and dragged Mr Netar Singh out of the dhaba. Soon two more persons allegedly dragged his wife out also. While the husband was given a sound thrashing, the woman was allegedly raped. Surprisingly, while the incident was the talk of the town, the local police expressed ignorance about it. It was only on August 24 when some reporters asked the Subdivisional Police Officer, Kangra, Mr Uma Pati Jamwal, about the case that an inquiry was conducted by the SHO, Kangra. |
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Started
in 1969, work on road far from over Mandi Development projects here have either come to a halt or going on at a snail’s pace. This is despite the fact that the constituency is represented by the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister, Mr Prakash Chaudhary. The enchanting Surah valley has a vast potential in tourism development and the cultivation of fruit. The inordinate delay in the construction of roads is the biggest stumbling block for the marketing of the valley produce. During a visit to the area, villagers revealed that the construction of a 16-km road from Katal to Mandogool, which was started way back in 1969, has not been completed so far. Only a portion of 11 km up to Surah village has been accomplished so far. This road would have brought prosperity to a cluster of villages falling in the jurisdiction of six panchayats — Rajwari, Chhambiar, Salwahan, Kiling, Shilhanu and Jaidevi — of Balh and Nachan segments. By linking the Sundernagar-Baggi road with the Chail Chowk-Karsog road at Mandogool, the marketing problems of fruit and vegetables of the valley would have been solved. Even the condition of the 11-km stretch is vulnerable. The road is bumpy and in bad shape. According to Balh Congress Committee president Chint Ram Shashtri, Chhambiar is the last panchayat to be linked with this road. This panchayat has been declared backward by the state government, but no funds have been provided for its development. He says only 150-metre stretch of the road has been completed in the past more than four years. A bull-dozer stands on the roadside. It has hardly worked for a few hours over the months. Mechanics of the PWD can be seen repairing it from time to time. On the other hand, work on the main road in the Nachan constituency is being done on a war footing by a private contractor. But to link the road, it is necessary to complete it from the Surah side where the bull-dozer stands idle. The Executive Engineer says the main reason for the non-completion of this road is the provision of paltry funds in the Annual Budget. Only a sum of Rs 40,000 has been provided for it. A sum of Rs 2,40,000 provided from the backward area sub-Plan has been utilised for a culvert. |
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HP panel for management of zoos, sanctuaries Shimla, August 26 Other members of the committee are the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (wildlife), Conservator of Forests (wildlife) North, Member Secretary, Central Zoo Authority, Director National Zoological Park, Dr Ravi Chellam from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dr Rahul Kaul, from the World Pheasant Association. The Conservator of Forests (wildlife) South will be the Member Secretary of the committee. The Additional Director-General (wildlife), Union Ministry of Environment and Forest, will be the special invitee. The committee will advise the state government on matters pertaining to management, development and policy relating to zoos. |
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