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Monday,
September 2, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Apple
growers losing crores HPCC to
field 25 pc new faces BJP to counter Cong campaign Chander Kumar to head charges panel BJP wooing Dalits |
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Districts issue: Shanta faces BJP men’s wrath Minister’s plea to Ayurveda units Chinese rail track ‘threat’ to security Drive to check green cover fall Major cremated
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Apple growers losing crores New Delhi, September 1 Though the Delhi
Government, through its order of January 13, 2000, had asked commission agents to charge 6 per cent commission from the buyers and not from farmers or sellers, the agents are charging 8 per cent commission from apple growers. This issue has been repeatedly raised by Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Minister Narendra Bragta with the Delhi Government but the orchardists allege that they are still being charged 8 per cent. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal had also written a letter to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in July, pointing to “6 per cent and 2 per cent” commission being charged from the buyers instead of sellers at
Azadpur. Seeking the early implementation of the government’s notification of January 13, 2000, Prof Dhumal said the grievances of fruit growers of the state had remained
unaddressed. Referring to the overcharging by the agents last year, he said proof had been sent to the Delhi Government earlier. Estimates of the Himachal Pradesh’s Horticulture Department suggest that orchardists were suffering a loss of about Rs 18 crore annually due to this. Over 45 lakh boxes of apple have so far come to markets outside Himachal Pradesh in this season apart from the 37,000 metric tonnes of apple procured by the state government. Department officials say that about one crore boxes of apple would be exported by Himachal Pradesh this season. Though the initial estimates had put the number at 1.25 crore boxes, the delay in monsoon affected the crop in some areas of the state. The Chattra Yuva Sangharsh
Vaahini, a student organisation of Himachal Pradesh, submitted a memorandum to the Mrs Dikshit yesterday, demanding that “exploitation” of the growers should be stopped. Threatening to launch an agitation on the issue, Sandeep Kumar, state convener of the organisation, alleged that the Delhi Government was not getting the orders implemented due to pressure from the agents.
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HPCC to
field 25 pc new faces Chandigarh, September 1 This was stated by the HPCC President, Ms Vidya Stokes, who indicated that the 26 sitting MLAs would be given a chance to contest the elections and only those with a “tainted image” may not get renomination to contest but refused to reveal who were presently “tainted”. Ms Stokes warned the Prem Kumar Dhumal Government to refrain from “implicating” Opposition leaders saying the Congress after assuming power would not spare “corrupt elements” in the Dhumal Government. The HPCC chief demanded the state’s shares amounting to Rs 2000 crore in the Bhakra Beas Management Board from the Centre. She also demanded interest on the amount and a cess on hydel power produced in the state. Ms Stokes was accompanied by the HPCC General Secretary, Mr G.S. Bali and a party MLA, Ms Viplav Thakur, in the “Meet-the-Press” programme at the Press Club here. The HPCC President denied irreconcilable differences between the Congress Legislative Party Leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh and her saying: “We have been sharing the dais and will do so during the elections.” Ms Stokes, however, highlighted achievements of her 20-month tenure as party president saying during these months the party had been strengthened to defeat the BJP in the coming elections. The Opposition party chief also threatened to sit on “hunger strike” if the Dhumal Government continued to “implicate” Congress leaders in framed cases. Carrying the air of Chief Minister-in-waiting, Ms Stokes, however, evaded questions on who will be the leader of the party in case it won the election. “Anybody can become Chief Minister as per the wishes of the high command.” Ms Stokes lambasted the Dhumal Government for “fiscal mismanagement, corruption, politicisation of government machinery and imposing economic burden on the people.” The HPCC chief opposed the proposal for creation of four new districts saying she was not opposed to new districts but the issue had to be examined considering the financial implications as the creation of districts would amount to an additional burden of Rs 500 crore on the state exchequer.
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BJP to counter Cong campaign Shimla, September 1 Stating this at a press conference, here today, Mr Khushi Ram Balnatah, spokesperson for the party, said the party (Congress) which had blatantly misused the discretionary quota for allotting petrol stations, LPG gas agencies and giving other benefits to its own leaders and workers during its 45-year rule had no moral right to criticise the NDA government on the issue. He said unlike Congress governments, the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, showed moral courage to cancel all allotments as soon as the Opposition raised doubts. It was another matter that the apex court quashed the cancellation order. He alleged that the Leader of Opposition, Mr Virbhadra Singh, was raising a hue and cry over the FIR registered against him and certain other Congress leaders on the basis of Kainthla Commission report only to pre-empt action against him. He said the government had handled the issue in an extremely fair manner keeping in view that it was a politically sensitive matter. Initially, an administrative inquiry by the Divisional Commissioner was ordered, however, later a judicial probe was instituted on the demand of the Congress. If the party did not have faith in the commission it should have boycotted its proceedings instead of crying foul after it had submitted its report. He said the opposition to the commission was an afterthought and part of party’s strategy to divert the attention of the people from the incident of March 5 and 6 when Mr Virbhadra Singh tried to win over the support of Independent candidates in a vain bid to form government. The BJP leader asserted that the politics of vendetta was a gift of Mr Virbhadra Singh who did not even spare his own party men and got registered cases against several of them to settle personal scores. Not only that famous cricketer Chetan Chauhan was manhandled by his supporters in Rohru where he had gone to preside over the closing ceremony of a cricket meet. Mr Balnatah said the former Chief Minister was indulging in gimmicks to return to the centre stage in the party politics after being sidelined by the high command. He said the Congress had been creating lawlessness everywhere and the recent murder of Mr Atma Ram Gupta, a councillor, allegedly by another party councillor had exposed the real character of the party. |
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Chander
Kumar to head charges panel Solan, September 1 Mr Singh who addressed a press conference here today, said that the Congress would use the charge sheet prepared by the committee along with a similar document prepared by a similar committee under Mr Kaul Singh Thakur in the beginning of year 2000, as the main plank of it’s electoral strategy at the time of next election, due next year. Recalling that the Congress had submitted that Kaul Singh committee prepared charge sheet to the Governor in August 2000, the former Chief Minister said that he felt pained over the fact that the Governor had not initiated any action despite the fact that all charges contained therein were duly supported by documentary evidence. This had left us with no choice except to take on ourselves the task of educating the public about the misdeed of the present government and expose all those indulging in siphoning off public funds. Referring to Congress party affairs, Mr Singh said that it had come to his notice that certain persons had started posing as the new dispensers of the party’s destiny, using Ms Sonia Gandhi’s name and warned that such self-styled pleaders, should know that any misuse of Ms Gandhi’s name amounted to indiscipline and could attract action. |
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BJP wooing Dalits Hamirpur, September 1 The party organised a function for Dalits at Bagwara village of this district, where Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal was the chief guest. Although the function by the HP SC/ST Corporation, Solan, was organised as a loan and awareness camp, the Chief Minister made use of the opportunity to woo the Dalits. Loans worth Rs 1 crore were distributed among the Dalits on the occasion. The Chief Minister announced the construction of Dr Ambedkar Bhavan at Hamirpur with government funds. Presiding over the annual prize distribution function of the local plus two-level school, the Chief Minister said that the government had filled more than 11,000 posts of teacher during its regime. He said 1,400 more primary teachers would be recruited in the state shortly. He laid the foundation stone of the new complex of the school costing about Rs 50 lakh. Mr Dhumal also expressed shock over the Hamirpur NIT incident and said that those found guilty would be punished. He said the institution would re-open when both the teachers and students reach on a compromise.
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Districts
issue: Shanta faces BJP men’s wrath Nurpur, September 1 Mr Shanta Kumar was here in connection with the collection of funds for the Vivekanand Medical Research Trust, Palampur. Reliable sources revealed that while holding meeting of the BJP activists, Mr Shanta Kumar recalled that the BJP in its poll manifesto had committed for setting up a
super speciality hospital at Palampur. On hearing this the workers who were perturbed over the holding up of the proposed district status to Nurpur by the state government got agitated and expressed their anguish for not supporting the creation of new districts by Mr Shanta Kumar. Mr Shanta Kumar, however, tried to pacify the workers by saying that Mr Arun Jaitely, national BJP general secretary and in charge of the Himachal BJP affairs, had already cleared at Shimla during his state visit last month that the creation of new districts were feasible after getting the report of the Delimitation Committee. On the occasion, Mr Rakesh Pathania, local MLA and Chairman of the state Tourism Corporation, also appealed to the minister to support the cause of giving district status to Nurpur. He tried to convince Mr Shanta Kumar that Nurpur as a district was not only an administrative requirement but the issue had also been attached to the emotions of the people of the area.
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Minister’s
plea to Ayurveda units Dharamsala, September 1 Allaying the apprehension of the manufacturers, Mr Mohan Lal said the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), which was recently introduced, should not be feared as the rules were in the interest of the industry. He said with globalisation and acceptance of ayurvedic drugs world over, it was essential for manufacturers to ensure that only international standard drugs were produced otherwise they would not find markets. He said the state government had liberalised the purchase from within the state and in future 50 per cent of total ayurvedic drugs purchased would be from the local manufacturers provided they were up to the mark. Earlier, during the open session, members criticised the Directorate of Ayurveda for its indifferent attitude in granting licences and inordinate delay in granting product approval. Members said huge investments were required for introducing any new product and delay of years led to financial ruin for the industrial unit. They demanded reorganisation of the licence granting committee with due representation to the association. The minister and the Director Ayurveda, Mr R.L. Mohil, rejected certain allegations and assured the members that more transparency would be introduced in the working so that drug manufacturers had no complaints. The meeting witnessed heated exchanges between a representative of the Chemists Association and those from the Ayurveda Officers Association when certain uncalled for remarks against ayurveda doctors working in the state and the department were made. |
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Chinese
rail track ‘threat’ to security Shimla, September 1 The 33rd working committee meeting of the Congress, which concluded here yesterday, observed that the project involving construction of about 70 tunnels and 150 bridges in a rocky terrain was not only difficult to execute but also economically unviable. However, the Chinese wanted to implement it as a strategic project to maintain its huge army and other personnel in Tibet and step up the demographic aggression to reduce the native Tibetans to a hopeless minority. It will also facilitate quick movement of troops and military equipment in case of a conflict with India. Mr Kalsang Phuntsok, President of the Congress, said the environmental fallout of the large-scale construction activity, particularly the boring of tunnels, on the “roof of the world” would not be confined to Tibet but extend to the neighbouring countries which survived on the river system originating from the region. There was an economic angle to it, too, as besides the Lhasa rail track, two other tracks were being constructed along the Indian border — one on the Ladakh side and the other across Arunachal. The Chinese would be able to market their goods, which were quite cheep, on a large-scale. It could spell doom for the Indian industry, as it would not be able to compete with China in the price war. The Congress disapproved of the approach of the Tibetan government-in-exile in resolving the issue of Tibet. It maintained the willingness of the government-in-exile to settle for a “meaningful autonomy” instead of complete independence for Tibet was hurting the freedom movement. The Tibetan youth, who were fighting for independence, felt discouraged. They saw no point in pursuing a struggle for an autonomous state as the country would remain under the Chinese rule. It passed a resolution calling for total independence for Tibet and urged the government-in-exile to review its stand on the issue. It also took notice of the plight of the Tibetans in Tibet who were being denied basic human rights and subjected to repression. As many as 90 representatives from 42 regional chapters of the Congress from the USA, India, Bhutan and Nepal participated in the meeting. The Congress is the largest Tibetan non-governmental organisation with over 20,000 members all over the world.
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Drive to check green cover fall KUMARHATTI: Recommending nearly 1000 trees for felling under the rights of villagers by a panchayat in a year is a matter of serious concern. What will happen in future or what will be left for the future generations if felling goes on unchecked? Are any measures being taken to check this denudation of the green cover? These questions have resulted in a noble and unique solution under which a panchayat has decided to start a sapling plantation drive making it compulsory for each family in a panchayat to plant 10 saplings on their own land. Thus care of the saplings will be done by the families themselves and those families who will not take part in the drive will not be given timber felling rights. This is the brain-child of Mr Ramesh Chauhan, head of the Chewa panchayat, who after a six-month-long struggle succeeded in launching the scheme. Mr S.K. Sharma, DFO, Solan division, has played a vital role in helping them to make the scheme a success by recommending the species to be planted. For the effectiveness and successful implementation of the drive, the panchayat has been divided into three zones of Udaipur-Haripur, Khaali-Kheel ka Mour and Kainthadi villages. The drive was launched on August 4 when around 100 village residents planted nearly 500 seasonal saplings at Udaipur village, near here. At the function, Mr S.K. Sharma cautioned them about a decline of the green cover in the region. He said it was moral responsibility of everyone to protect the surrounding forests. Planting 10 trees was just like a bringing up a baby and less attention may deny the coming generation of dense forest cover, he asserted. The enthusiasm among the villagers could be gauged from the fact that they had gathered in good numbers despite the wet weather. What was inspiring were the large number of women and small school-going kids who took part in the drive. Similar drives were held at Kheel ka Mour and Kaintadi subsequently. Mr Chauhan says from the beginning of next year four rainwater harvesting structures would be constructed in the every village of the panchayat. These structures would enhance the availability of the drinking water as well as recharge the underground watertable, he maintains. |
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Major cremated Nurpur, September 1 His younger brother lit the pyre. The major, was a son of Col. Pritam Singh who hails from Dainkua of Nurpur sub-division. Mr S.S. Guleria, the Additional District Magistrate, Kangra, and Mr Sanjay Gandhi, DSP, Nurpur laid the wreaths on the body respectively on behalf of the Governor and the Chief Minister . Mr Shanta Kumar, the Union Development Minister, Mr Kirpal Parmar, MP, and Mr Des Raj, MLA, paid tributes to the martyr. The martyr is survived by his parents, wife and a two-years-old daughter. |
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Seminar on judiciary Shimla, September 1 The Union Law Minister Mr Jana Krishnamurthy will be the chief guest and the Governor, Dr Suraj Bhan, will preside over the seminar. The Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, will be the Guest of Honour. The Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, Mr Justice W.A. Shishak, will deliver a key-note address. PTI
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Basahan
school upgraded Nahan, September 1 Paying tributes to Dr Y.S. Parmar, Mr Thakur said the school was being upgraded on a priority basis as a mark of respect to contributions of Dr Parmar.
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