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Friday,
August 30, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Cong men close ranks, courtesy Kainthla ghost ‘CM trying to malign Cong men’ Distribution of funds unequal: Oppn CM flays Oppn move
against Speaker Speaker rejects Cong notice |
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Centre agrees to apple crop insurance One washed away in Kangra NIT teachers’ terms for talks Two ultras held in Palampur Visa for Dalai Lama sought TB training centre at Dharampur likely Rs 71-cr power
schemes sanctioned Four lose job for violating 2-child norm Sheetla
bridge completed Resolution on flags adopted
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Cong men close ranks, courtesy Kainthla ghost Dharmsala, August 29 The youth wing of the BJP has declared that any agitation by the Congress against the action on the basis of the commission’s report would be countered suitably. The Kainthla Commission report has indicted Congress leaders of the Virbhadra camp as well as the Vidya Stokes camp. SOLAN: Local Congress leaders on Wednesday threatened to launch a ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ (mass courting of arrest) in case the former Chief Minister and present Leader of Opposition in the state legislature Mr Virbhadra Singh, was arrested as a follow-up of the Kainthla Commission Report which had pointed an accusing finger at him in the Ramesh Dhawala case. Mr Virbhadra Singh had challenged the very validity of constituting the Kainthla Commission through a writ petition filed in the Supreme Court soon after it’s formation was announced. Simultaneously he had been saying publicly that Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal had constituted the Kainthla Commission merely to “get some political mileage on trumped up charges” and also to browbeat the opposition by harassing and intimidating him. Local Congress leaders who felt that their leader’s arrest had become imminent as it had to be a logical consequence of the filing of an FIR against him, were planning strategy since yesterday. They had issued a press statement here today “strongly condemning the filing of the FIR and threatening to start a courting of mass arrests campaign. They had also threatened that Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal would be gheraoed the moment he landed here after putting their leader behind the bars. The signatories to the press statement included former DCC president Dyal Dutt Sharma, former DCC vice-president Surinder Sethi, former DCC General Secretary Arvind Gupta, former Himachal Youth Congress President, Jagmohan Malhotra, youth leader Ajay Chauhan, Ramesh Thakur, Kanwar Ishwari Singh, Sundar Singh and all Congress members of the Zila
Parishad. |
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‘CM trying to malign Cong men’ Shimla, August 29 Talking to newspersons here he said Mr Dhumal had been saying that Congress men had beaten up an Independent legislator, Mr Ramesh Dhwala, whereas no such incident was mentioned in the report. He said the Chief Minister had lost his equipoise and had been behaving in a rash manner. He reiterated that the Congress had never accepted the commission, headed by a retired Sessions Judge, and had demanded that if at all a probe was warranted it should be entrusted to a sitting high court judge. It was for this reason that the party had rejected the report, which was a political document. Mr Virbhadra Singh refuted Mr Dhumal’s allegation that he had instituted cases against his own partymen. He said the cases in which the party leaders were booked were registered in the routine course. A son and a son-in-law of late Ram Lal Thakur were booked during a campaign against the forest mafia and both were convicted. No case was registered against Mr R.K. Gaur and Mrs Vidya Stokes during his tenure as the Chief Minister, while the cases against Mr Sukh Ram and his son were registered by the CBI, he added. He also contested the claim of Mr Dhwala that he filed an affidavit in the high court under duress and said if it was so what prevented him from bringing this fact to the notice of the court over the past four years. He maintained that Mr Dhwala came on his own to meet him at his residence and subsequently stayed at the PWD rest house. He become a minister in his Cabinet and used to move freely in the state. |
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Distribution of funds unequal: Oppn Shimla, August 29 Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal faced a volley of questions on the issue from Congress members who alleged discrimination in the distribution of funds and maintained that “imbalances” had increased over the past four years. Mr Virbhadra Singh, Leader of the Opposition, pointed out that more funds had been allocated for Hamirpur, the home district of the Chief Minister, which had the highest density of roads, as compared to the low road density districts of Chamba and Sirmaur. Kangra, the biggest district with 16 Assembly constituencies, had received much less. Mrs Asha Kumari complained that there were imbalances in the allocation of funds to districts and also at the constituency level. Mr Kaul Singh and Mr G.R. Musafir said priorities of legislators were not being taken into account while sanctioning road projects. The Chief Minister, maintained that the imbalances were a result of the “inequitable” allocations made during the previous government regime and he had tried his best to restore the balance. Quoting figures, he said Hamirpur received only Rs 80 lakh out of Rs 112.63 crore distributed during the previous Congress regime. Similarly, Chamba got just Rs 69 lakh, which came to a meagre 59 per cent of the total funds. He said 142 road construction projects and 55 bridges, involving an expenditure of Rs 342.5 crore, were sanctioned from April 1998 to July 2002. Out of these, Rs 64.93 crore was sanctioned for Mandi district, Rs 60.18 crore for Kangra, Rs 43.74 crore for Hamirpur, Rs 34.28 crore for Solan, Rs 28.23 crore for Sirmaur and Rs 26.85 crore for Chamba. The Health Minister informed the House that hospital charges fetched an income of Rs 5.31 crore to Rogi Kalyan Samitis set up in various hospitals up to August 15, 2002. He said 26 cases of AIDS had been detected from March 1 to July 31, 2002 in the state. Effective measures were being taken to control the menace and Rs 9.86 crore had been allocated to the state AIDS Control Society for 1999-2004. |
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CM flays Oppn move
against Speaker Shimla, August 29 He said the Congress was emerging as a leaderless and directionless party, incapable of safeguarding the interests of the people. The leader of the Opposition was behaving in an irresponsible manner. The Speaker had been giving due respect and honour to all members of the Opposition and providing ample opportunities to them to present their point of view in the House. On many occasions he had accommodated them by allowing them to speak on various issues even beyond the rules and regulations of the House. Mr Dhumal said yesterday when a few members of the Opposition were disrupting the proceedings of the House, the government was presenting a resolution to thank Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee for granting tribal status to gaddies and gujjars of the state and consider the government proposal to accord a similar status to the people of Dodra-Kwar of Rohru segment represented by Mr Virbhadra Singh, Kupvi-Nerwa in Chopal segment, Transgiri area of Paonta, and Renuka segments of Sirmaur district, Chohar area of Drang segment in Mandi district and Pandrah bees area of Rampur segment in Shimla district represented by Mr Singhi Ram. He said when the House was discussing the resolution the Opposition was raising slogans. |
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Speaker rejects Cong notice Shimla, August 29 Giving his ruling after question hour, Mr Thakur said that under the rule it was mandatory to give a minimum of 14 days’ notice for moving the resolution. Further, it was not admissible under the article referred to in the notice. Mr Virbhadra Singh, leader of the Opposition, wanted to know the fate of the petition filed by his party challenging the election of the Speaker. He said the House was about to complete its term but the petition was still pending. He said the party would be constrained to move the high court if the petition was not decided within a month. |
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Centre agrees to apple crop insurance Shimla, August 29 Making a suo motu statement in the Vidhan Sabha, Mr Narinder Bragta, Himachal Horticulture Minister, said that the government had pursued the matter with the Centre, which agreed to include one particular crop in one district in the state on experimental basis. In Himachal, apple, the main fruit crop, had been approved for coverage under the scheme. The scheme will be extended to other areas on the basis of the experiment and
results. The modalities in this respect were being worked out by the central government. Himachal stands to benefit the most as horticulture was the mainstay of the people. Mango, apple, citrus fruits, litchi and stone fruits constitute an important segment of the agriculture sector. In all 4.60 lakh families were engaged in horticulture which contributed Rs 600 crore to the state’s economy. The Centre had only included the annual crops and not the perennial horticulture crops under the scheme and as such it was the farmers of the state who were not able to derive any benefit from it. The production of fruit was capital and technology intensive activity. These crops were also weather-sensitive and the weather
conditions played great role in the orchard economics. The horticultural farms were mainly of small and marginal category and as such the risk coverage for the perennial horticulture was urgently required for enabling the fruit-growers to make investment for sustainable development of the horticulture industry. It was there- fore, a matter of paramount importance that the fruit crops were brought under the purview of the scheme. In the last decade very erratic pattern of annual fruit production of apple in the state was recorded. The farming community had also been facing huge losses in the previous few years due to natural calamities, changing climatic conditions and were working great risk. Moreover, in the existing era of globalisation the farmers of the state had to go for high-tech horticulture, which requires high investment. |
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One washed away in Kangra Kangra, August 29 Kuldeep (31), resident of Sidhbhari, was washed away near the Sidbhari bridge due to a sudden rise in the Sukard khud water following rains. His body was found 1 km away from the site of the accident. Reports of heavy rains were received from Dharamsala, Palampur, Nagrota Bagwan and Jwalamukhi. HAMIRPUR: Life was paralysed in Hamirpur district due to heavy rains that lashed the region. Worst sufferers were school and college students who were caught unawares in the rain. The rain also affected the power and water supplies and communication services in the interiors of the district, according to reports reaching here. Road traffic was also hit. Farmers are happy with the rain as it is beneficial for kharif crops. SHIMLA: Shimla and its surrounding areas were pounded by sharp rain on Thursday afternoon. The town was enveloped by a thick fog, which reduced visibility considerably. A private airlines flight to Kulu from Delhi via Shimla was cancelled due to bad weather. The Shimla-Kalka National Highway and the 320-km Hindustan-Tibet road also remained enveloped in fog at certain places. The Manali area of Kulu district experienced heavy rainfall during the past 24 hours. The water level of the Beas has gone high as the catchment areas of all nullahs around Manali had torrential rains. Kulu, Bhuntar, Manikaran valley and Gadsa valley of this district too had light rainfall. The Manali area also witnessed fog throughout the day today. However, there was no report of any road blockade. Upper areas of Shimla district, Mandi, Solan and Sirmour also had rain. |
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NIT teachers’ terms for talks Hamirpur, August 29 They have been protesting against the suspension of one of their colleagues and damage to their property by students. It was decided that no talks would be held with the government until the teacher was reinstated. Reports said the government had summoned the acting Director of the institute for talks regarding the reopening of the institute and the demands of the teachers. The talks may take place at Shimla on August 31. Parents of several students have, meanwhile, asked the Union HRD Ministry and the Chief Minister to intervene in the matter. |
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Two ultras held in Palampur Kangra, August 29 A senior police official said the militants identified as Ghulam-u-Din Ganie of Rawatpura that falls under the Trehgam police station of Kupwara district, and Imtiaz Shiekh of Tawaizgang of Baramula district were in Kulu in connection with terrorist activities. When a team of security agencies and the Kulu police went to arrest the militants, the duo gave a slip to the team and boarded a Jammu-bound bus. The Kulu police informed the Kangra police about the militants and the latter arrested them at Palampur. They were remanded in judicial custody till September 6 and were shifted here today, the official added. |
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Visa for Dalai Lama sought Dharamsala, August 29 In a letter, Acharya Phunstok said the refusal of visa to the Dalai Lama had disappointed Buddhists living in three Russian republics of Kalmykia, Buryatia and Tuva. People practising Buddhism there had close relations with Tibetans. It appeared that pressure from the Chinese authorities was the reason behind the denial of visa, he added. He said since the Earth Summit being held in Johannesburg aimed at concentrating on world issues like poverty, trade and
environment and so on, participating nations should also take up the issue of Tibet which under the Chinese occupation was facing a crisis. He appealed to the nations and various organisations to urge the Chinese government to protect the environment of Tibet. |
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TB training centre at Dharampur likely Kumarhatti, August 29 Under the move it is also likely to reduce the present bed strength to half of sanitarium and construction of other required infrastructure for the training centre like conference hall and hostels etc. At present the Dharampur sanitarium has bed strength of 200 and the average inflow of TB patients is 90 and 150 in winter and summer respectively and out of these there are considerable number of the patients who are being treated under RNTCP under which patients get door-to-door medical treatment and not required to be admitted in sanitarium. Dr D.K. Gupta, World Health Organisation (WHO) consultant in charge of HP and J&K accompanied by Dr H.C. Gupta, Solan district TB officer and officiating Medical Superintendent of Dharampur sanitarium along with others doctors visited the sanitarium and enquired about the available infrastructure to set up training centre here. The teams said it was a routine visit under RNTCP. However sources said that the team had decided to convert male ward no six into a conference hall and plans for prepare the required infrastructure in sanitarium. The decision on the training centre would be taken after the visit of HP State TB Officer to the sanitarium, said Dr H.C. Gupta confirming plans to set up the training centre here. Under RNTCP the central government has sanctioned a state TB training centre in HP and in the circumstances Dharampur sanitarium was a best option to set up the centre, said a top official in health services. |
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Rs 71-cr power
schemes sanctioned Shimla, August 29 The schemes basically cover activities relating to the improvement of sub-transmission and distribution network, reconducting of lines,
reinstallation of electronic meter installation of new 33-and 11-kv sub-stations, replacing service wires and remote metering. With the implementation of the project, a notable reduction in losses is expected, apart from ensuring reliable and better quality of power to consumers. Besides, this proposal shall make each operation circle accountable for each unit and shall work as an independent profit centre. |
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Four lose job for violating 2-child norm Solan, August 29 If elected representatives have a third child, it leads to their disqualification under Section 131 (1) of the HP Panchayati Raj Act, 1994. Those against whom action has been taken are Shyam Lal and Devanand, vice-presidents of Bheonkri of Nalagarh block and Kishangarh of Dharampur block gram panchayats, respectively, and Ratti Ram and Jagat Ram, members of Barian (Nalagarh) and Navgaon (Kunihar block) panchayats, respectively. Those against whom notices have been served are Pratap Singh, vice-president, Materni gram panchayat, Devaki Devi, member of Balera gram panchayat and Luxmi Dutt, member of Solan block gram
panchayat. |
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Sheetla bridge completed Chamba, August 29 Stating this here today, Mr S.K. Dodeja, Executive Director, NHPC, said the corporation had constructed the bridge at an estimated cost of Rs 6 crore. The approach road to the bridge was about 300 metres. He said this bridge was the first of its kind in the state and work on it was completed within the target period of 18 months. |
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Resolution on flags adopted Shimla, August 29 Mr Chander Sen (BJP) while moving the resolution said the use of flags similar to the national flag created confusion. However, Mrs Asha Kumari (Congress) opposed the resolution and said it was aimed at the Congress flag. She said deciding such issues was the prerogative of the Election Commission. |
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