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Sunday,
September 15, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Venkaiah
launches poll campaign Rain
claims three lives 20,000
take dip into Manimahesh waters Bar seeks
chambers for lawyers |
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Venkaiah
launches poll campaign in HP Mandi, September 14 Addressing a massive rally, he expressed confidence that on the strength of its performance the party would again come to power in Himachal Pradesh and also at the Centre. He said for the first time after Independence the Vajpayee government gave top priority to rural development since a majority of the population lived in rural areas. He said the country could become prosperous only if villagers became rich. In addition to the construction of a network of national highways, the government had embarked upon a gigantic programme to link all villages in the country with metalled roads by 2005 under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) for which Rs 7,000 crore would be spent during the current financial year. In Himachal Pradesh, 3000 km roads were being constructed under the PMGSY. “No development is possible without roads,” he said. He said the BJP was toiling hard to realise the dream of “gram swaraj”, conceived by Mahatma Gandhi, which the Congress failed to realise in 45 years. He said a whopping Rs 1,300 crore had been provided in the current financial year for generation of self-employment in rural areas of the country. He alleged that the performance of the Congress over the past four decades had been dismal, adding that over two lakh villages in the country were yet to get electricity and there was no potable water in as many as 2,17,000 villages. Mr Naidu lauded the performance of the state government and added that this was the first non-Congress government which would complete its full term. He expressed confidence that the Dhumal government would come to power again. He asked the people to vote for the BJP after assessing the performance of the government. He said the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, had enhanced the honour and prestige of the country among world powers, which held him in high esteem. He had succeeded in isolating Pakistan. Many countries were now convinced that Pakistan was aiding and abetting cross-border terrorism. He said the BJP, with its three-crore membership, had emerged as the largest party in the country and was expanding its base in all states, while the Congress and Left parties were losing their hold on the masses. Referring to the Kashmir problem, he said the only dispute with Pakistan was regarding taking back the territory of Kashmir occupied illegally by it. He said how could there be any talks with a country which believed in terrorism and was launching a proxy war against India. Mr Rajnath Singh, General Secretary of the BJP and former UP Chief Minister, paid tributes to jawans who laid down their lives for the country. He complimented Mr Dhumal for launching various programmes for farmers. The Chief Minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal, came down heavily on Congress leaders for “spreading canards” against the BJP merely to cover up their non-performance in the past 45 years. He said the BJP, in its short tenure, had made great strides in all spheres of development. He said the Congress had been sleeping over harnessing the vast hydel potential of the state. “We have taken up a large number of big, small and mini-power projects through the HPSEB and private agencies. Work has been started on the Parbati and Kol Dam project, the foundation stones of which were laid by the Prime Minister. He claimed that Himachal would emerge as one of the most prosperous states in the country during the next 10 years. Meanwhile, talking to mediapersons, Mr Naidu said there was no move to change the leadership in Gujarat as reported in a section of the Press. Similarly, in Himachal Pradesh the elections would be fought under the leadership of Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, he added. To a question, he said there were no differences within the BJP in Himachal Pradesh. Differences, if any, existed only in the columns of newspapers, he remarked. When a correspondent uttered the name of Mr Shanta Kumar, Mr Naidu said, “Why do you drag the name of Mr Shanta Kumar. He is at the Centre and a good leader.” |
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Mahila Cong chief to contest from Dharamsala New Delhi, September 14 In a statement issued here, Ms Chandresh Kumari said some vested interests were trying to create an impression that she would contest the poll from Thural. “I had made it clear some months ago that I would contest from Dharamsala which was my constituency the last time I fought elections,” she said. |
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Rain claims
three lives Shimla, September 14 Two constables, Mangat Ram and Prem Lal, were buried alive in a landslip at Old Tapri in Kinnaur district when they were going to Rekong Peo, on a motor cycle, yesterday. Their bodies were cremated with full police honours at their home villages today. In another incident, a junior electrician, Rajesh Kumar Bisht, was washed away in the swollen Ravi at Bagga in Chamba district when a pole on which he was working was uprooted. With these deaths, the toll in rain-related incidents in the state has risen to 19. Residents of Sultanpur, Parel, Karian and JP Colony in Chamba district have been warned to remain alert and vacate their houses at short notice, if required. High altitude areas in the tribal belt had another spell of snowfall, plumetting the temperature. The cofferdam of the 300-MW Chamera Hydroelectric Project (Stage-II) at Bagga was also washed away in the flooded Ravi in Chamba district last evening. According to an official spokesman, the Chamba-Hardsar highway leading to Manimahesh has been washed away at Bagga. He said revenue agencies had been directed to assess the losses caused due to heavy downpour. However, the work to repair the road was going on a war footing. |
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20,000 take dip into
Manimahesh waters Chamba, September14 The pilgrims also had a clear vision of the sacred image of Kailash Mount (the abode of the Lord Shiva) at an altitude of 5,656 metres on the occasion of Radhashtami. But, a number of pilgrims had to return from the Dhanchoo half of the 13-km uphill climb to Manimahesh. According to Mr D.K. Rattan, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, the pilgrims had a blissful journey. The devotees during the pilgrimage offered prayers to the Lord Shiva. He said during the 15-day pilgrimage, which started on occasion of Krishna Janmashtami and concluded today on the occasion of Radhashtami. At least 60,000 pilgrims visited the holy place of Lord Shiva at Manimahesh. He said the pilgrims, hailing from the Bhaderwah region of Jammu and Kashmir, visited the pilgrimage site under a security cover and had a holy bath despite prevailing disturbed conditions across the border of Chamba district adjoining Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, five deaths have so far been reported during the pilgrimage. |
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Bar seeks
chambers for lawyers Shimla, September 14 In a statement here, he said the Himachal Pradesh High Court was the only high court in the country where chambers had not been provided to the lawyers. He said lawyers’ personal chambers or offices were situated at scattered places in Shimla and clients visiting the town faced a lot of difficulty in locating them for consultation and providing briefs. In winters, the clients coming from far-flung areas found it all the more difficult, he added. Mr Bali said provision for chambers would facilitate the clients to contact their lawyers under one roof. He said vacant land in and around the premises of the high court should be used for constructing chambers.
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