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Sunday,
September 29, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Cong not to project any leader as CM Revision of poll rolls from Jan 1 Stokes dissatisfied
with delimitation panel work A unique power project for HP Sangrah residents seek college |
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Pathania detractors suffer setback Murder
mystery solved Tibetans hold prayer meeting HP has ‘highest tele-density’ Work on Uhl (Stage III) to begin soon
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Cong not to project any leader as CM Shimla, September 28 This announcement was made by Mrs Moshina Kidwai, General Secretary of the AICC and in charge of party affairs in Himachal, during her two-day visit to the state. The game plan is obvious the high command, which has been concerned over the internecine factional fight in party, wants to take along both groups. The sharp differences between the Stokes and Virbhadra camp were all too visible during the party functions which were marred by slogan shouting in the presence of Mrs Kidwai. Another important implication of the announcement is that the high command will not buckle under pressure from the supporters of any faction. It should have a sobering effect on both the two leaders and supporters of rival camps and they will refrain from running down each other at public functions. Mrs Kidwai's observation that by and large the ticket will be granted to the sitting legislators is also significant. Reading between the lines the indication that the axe can fall on a few of them. This will keep the MLAs on tenterhooks. By not projecting any leader as Chief Minister it has been made clear that allotment of tickets will not be the monopoly of any particular leader or faction. Much will depend on the high command which is already in process of finalising a broad formula for the allotment of the ticket. Mrs Kidwai also said that cases of individual leaders will be considered for entry into the party. Talks have been on for the return of prominent Himachal Vikas Congress leaders for the past quite sometime and the move is likely to be given a final shape after central leaders are free from elections in Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, the visit of party president Ms Sonia Gandhi, to Mandi district, which was earlier planned for October 9 has been deferred in view of the Puja holidays. She is now likely to tour the state in the last week of October. |
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Revision of poll rolls from Jan 1 Shimla, September 28 The process involved not only the inclusion of those who had become eligible for the first time but also the deletion of names of the dead and those who had shifted out of the relevant areas, she added. Mrs Nanda informed that the draft rolls would be published at the office of Electoral Registration Officer (Sub Divisional Officer C) on November 7, 2002 and in addition, at each polling station so that the people could inspect the same and file their claims and objections between November 7 and 30. She said for the revision of electoral rolls four special campaigns would be held on November 9,10,23 and 24 for which sufficient staff would be deployed to attend to filing of claims and objections. She said claims and objections would be disposed of on January 4, 2003, and final electoral rolls would be finally published on January 6. Mrs Nanda appealed to the all eligible voters to get themselves enrolled as voters keeping in view the ensuing Assembly elections. |
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Stokes dissatisfied
with delimitation panel work Shimla, September 28 She expressed fear that the process might be reduced to a political exercise to suit the electoral mathematics of the ruling BJP. A serious effort was being made to create caste-based constituencies. She urged him to ensure that the delimitation, which was a constitutional requirement, was carried out in constitutional manner. Justice Kuldeep Singh assured her that the commission would take into consideration the views of the all sections, including political parties. |
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26 BJP, HVC
workers join Congress Kulu, September 28 This was stated by a spokesman of the district Congress in a press note here today. Mr Satya Prakash Thakur, former Horticulture Minister, welcomed the new entrants by garlanding them in the presence of the district Congress chief, Mr Ishwar Dass. The press note said the new entrants were from the Hat panchayat, a stronghold of the BJP. |
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A unique power project for HP Mandi This is a unique project being built entirely underground. Work has been going on over the past four years inside the mighty mountains while very little is visible outside, except the debris that is taken out in the course of the excavation for a network of tunnels. On completion of the project only the barrage will be visible. Everything else would be underground beneath the mountain ranges. Over 95 per cent of the excavation work is over. Only a 2-km-long traffic tunnel, a modification of the original project, remains to be excavated. This is not directly linked to the completion of the project, but was expected to be completed within the scheduled time. The total length of the traffic tunnel will be over 3 km — the longest highway tunnel in the country — and an added attraction for tourists visiting Kulu, Lahaul and Spiti. The project envisages construction of a 26.50-metre-high concrete diversion barrage above the river, about 600 metres downstream of the confluence of the Tirthan and the Sainj, both tributaries of the Beas. A concrete-lined 8.5 metre-diameter tunnel will open into the surge shaft linked to three pressure shafts. These will feed the turbines. An underground power house is being built 200 metres downstream of the confluence of the Duada Nullah and the Beas. The power generated would be transmitted through a double-circuit 132 kv transmission line to Hamirpur (115 km) and Gagal (65 km). A single-circuit 132 kv line will be taken to Kunihar (15 km). The national and regional grid points are located at Hamirpur and Gagal respectively. A huge quantity of debris excavated from the tunnels has been best utilised by dumping it in the vast cavity of Shara nullah, where a sprawling ground measuring 300 metres x 200 metres has come up. No debris has been thrown into the Beas to save the Pandoh Dam downstream. But debris has been used to level a portion of land at Shilli, near Larji rest house. Unlike the Beas-Sutlej Link Project, which has made the Balh valley into a veritable desert due to the massive ejection of silt, Larji Project has been designed to flush out sand particles back into the river through four silt flushing conduits. Of the 1116 metres length of these conduits, about 900 metres has been excavated so far. Over 85 per cent work of the desanding chambers has also been completed. Mr B.M. Sharma, Superintending Engineer, explained that all major works had been completed. Excavation of the 4.12 km-long head race tunnel was complete and its concrete lining work in progress. Similarly excavation work on pressure shafts was also complete. The foundation stone of the Larji Project had been laid by the then Chief Minister, Mr Shanta Kumar, in April, 1991, and the project was to be completed by 1997. Its estimated cost had been Rs 335 crore. However, with the fall of the Shanta Kumar Government, the project suffered a setback. On political considerations its work was first slowed down and later stalled. Subsequently men and machines were shifted to a small (22 MW) Ghanvi Project in the Rampur area, now complete. This sparked off public protests. At the fag end of its tenure, Mr Virbhadra Singh resumed work on the Larji project but by that time a huge loss had already been caused. The government gave top priority to the execution of this project. Now its cost has gone up to about Rs 700 crore. The Beas basin has an identified power potential of 4300 MW. Of this, 1550 MW has been harnessed so far. The remaining 2750 MW is yet to be tapped. |
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Sangrah residents seek college Nahan, September 28 Workers of all political parties, NGOs, mahila mandals, navyuvak mandals and people from over 40 villages of the area assembled under the leadership of well-known environmentalist and ‘Mahila Shakti’ awardee Kinkri Devi at Kalimitti. They shouted slogans in favour of their demand for a degree college at Sangrah. It was only after noon that the Renuka-Haripur Dhar road was opened. The agitators also held a dharna at the office of the tehsildar of Sangrah. A memorandum was submitted to the tehsildar, warning that if the announcement of opening a degree college did not take place in the first week of October, a huge rally would be organised on October 7 at Sangrah and a hunger strike started. They also demanded the withdrawal of the case registered against College Samiti leaders for blocking traffic during a rally on September 24. |
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Pathania detractors suffer setback Nurpur, September 28 Mr Ajay Pathania, Yakub Khan and Mann Singh, vice president and secretaries, respectively, of the BJP Yuva Morcha, Nurpur mandal, in a joint statement clarified that they had been invited by the ‘mitar milan’ organisers only for lunch. The said they had nothing to do with the ‘mitar milan’. They alleged that certain politicians had been using the name of the Union Minister, Mr Shanta Kumar, and organising such ‘mitar milan’. They reiterated that the Yuva Morcha would work for the victory of any BJP candidate in the ensuing Assembly elections. It may be recalled that BJP dissidents had claimed themselves to be real cadre and passed a few resolutions to highlight their grievances before the party high command against the local MLA Mr Rakesh Pathania, a close confidant of the Chief Minister, Mr
P.K. Dhumal. |
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Murder
mystery solved Kangra, September 28 The Kangra district police chief, Mr Sanjay Kundu, told mediapersons here at a press conference that Sudhir Saini (27), along with Amar Singh (30), both reached their ancestral village of Sadarpur, 4 km from here, on Wednesday night after finishing their work. Both were engaged in business. Mr Kundu said the two had an altercation on some minor issue. Amar Singh allegedly killed Sudhir Saini with a stone and left the body there in a pool of blood and fled. He said the police following the registration of a case on Thursday under Section 302 of the IPC started investigations and arrested Amar Singh. Mr Kundu said Amar Singh during sustained questioning and interrogation confessed having stoned Sudhir to death. |
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Tibetans hold prayer meeting Shimla, September 28 The TYC said India committed a blunder in 1954 by signing the Panchsheel Agreement with China. It added the “India-China bhai bhai policy” was a mere eyewash and ground realities were different. The TYC said China was hitting India economically by manufacturing toys, batteries and cosmetics and they were entering through Nepal. The products were available at half the rates prevailing in Indian market. It also wanted the Indian Government to take notice of the Golmo-Lhasa rail line, which was close to the Indian border and would be ready 2008. The TYC urged the Indian Government to pass a resolution, protesting human rights violations in Tibet, give recognition to the Tibetan-government-in-exile and invite. His Holiness, the Dalai Lama to address Parliament. |
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HP has ‘highest tele-density’ Shimla, September 28 Stating this at a press conference here today, Mr N.S. Gill, Chief General Manager, said that it was a remarkable achievement in view of the fact that the tele-density in the country was around three. Over the past three years 2.25 new telephone lines had been installed and during the current year 70,000 landlines, 20,000 mobile phones and 10,000 wireless in local loop (WLL) connections would be provided. The technology being used was the latest. Out of a total of 16,925 villages, all but 278 had been provided with the village public telephone facility. The remote villages, which were not even connected by road, would be covered by setting up 26 more earth satellite stations. First preference was being given to optical fibre cable connections in extending the network and already 5,000 km of cable had been laid while another 1,500 km would be provided during the current year. He said the BSNL was all set to launch its mobile phone service in the state. |
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Work on Uhl (Stage III) to begin soon Shimla, September 28 He said techno-economic clearance for this
project was recently accorded by the Central Electricity Authority. This would pave the way for taking up construction work on this important project soon. Mr Dhumal said the project would cost Rs 431.56 crore and generate 390 million units, thereby fetching a revenue about Rs 100 crore to the state annually. |
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