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Sunday,
October 6, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Gearing up
to rein in drug menace Hoardings
alongside highways removed Talks fail
to end Chamera workers’ stir Miss Tibet
finalists in Dharamsala Make
college audit report public: Cong Decision
to dissolve right panel opposed |
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Low
voltage irks residents HP
declares two local holidays
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Gearing up to rein in drug menace KULU: Cannabis is blooming and the harvesters are ready for the extraction of charas. The presence of a large number of foreigners in this district, many of them staying illegally, provides an easy market and acts as a conduit for carriage of charas to the international market. Usually these foreigners use local youth or Nepalis to carry the contraband. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the district police has chalked out a comprehensive plan to control the menace. The district police chief, Mr N. Venu Gopal, said the yield of cannabis this year would be very less due to drought in the valley. However, the police had surveyed all areas where cannabis was being cultivated or had wild growth and identified the areas as well as the people involved. He said about 500 bighas of land was under the cultivation of cannabis. As much as 320 kg of hashish was seized between 1991 and 2000 where as 472.9 kg of charas was seized during the past 20 months. From April, 1999, to March, 2000, 31 cases were registered under the NDPS Act and 36 persons arrested. From April, 2000, to March, 2001, 87 cases were registered and 109 persons arrested and 262.255 kg of charas, 5.225 kg of opium, .083 grams of brown sugar and 8.050 kg of ganja were seized. During the past financial year (01.04.2001 to 31.03.2002), 131 persons were arrested in 109 cases and 210.655 kg of charas, .050 gram of opium, 1.600 kg of ganja and .007 gram of smack were seized. The police chief felt public awareness and participation were necessary to root out the problem. He said the state government should permit such herbs that could fetch better monetary benefits to the growers and wean them away from growing charas. The police would also use Section 68-E of the NDPS Act, which provided for attaching the property of the accused. The Kulu police had already attached property worth Rs 75 lakh of one such offender here.
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Hoardings
alongside highways removed Mandi, October 5 The state government’s order is being described as “discriminatory” as it excluded the hoardings of government departments. The decision of the government has led to resentment in the tourism industry, already hit by riots in Ahmedabad and tension on the Indo-Pakistan border which led to largescale cancellation of bookings by groups of foreigners who visit Himachal in large numbers and brining revenue of crores of rupees. A meeting of hotel owners of the region, comprising districts of Bilaspur, Mandi, Kulu and Manali, here resolved that the Union Ministry of Surface Transport and the state government be urged to reverse the decision taken in haste. They said hoardings were displayed all over the world on both sides of the highways for tourists to identify destinations. Representatives of hotel unions of four districts lamented that the decision of the government would cause inconvenience and harassment to the tourists particularly foreigners in locating hotels and resorts as highway authorities had removed all indicators on the road diversions making it impossible to locate the place of their stay. Representations have also been sent by hotel unions to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, Union Rural Development Minister Shanta Kumar, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Maj General (retd) B.C. Khanduri and all MPs of the state. |
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Talks fail to end Chamera workers’ stir Chamba, October 5 In a latest development, leaders of the workers’ unions have now prepared a new charter of demands which includes minimum wages, disbursement of monthly wages by 10 of every month in the presence of the NHPC authorities and employees’ provident fund. Meanwhile, a team of officers of the Labour Department from Shimla is arriving here soon to work out a solution so that the work on the project could be restored. |
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Miss Tibet finalists in Dharamsala Dharamsala, October 5 Giving details, Mr Tenzin Namgyal, one of the moving forces behind the Shambala Miss Tibet contest, said six contestants namely Tenzin Yankey of Dehradun, Lhakpa Dolma from Orissa, Dolma Tsering from New Delhi, Tsultrim Dolma from Karnataka, Dolma Yangzom from New Delhi and Tenzin Deki from Colorado, USA, have arrived at McLeodganj and are going on with the preparations for the beauty pageant. Mr Namgyal said for the past three years an annual festival was being organised by their group named Free Spirit Festival. This year it would be the third such festival. To make it more attractive for the younger generation, it was decided to include a beauty contest as one of the attractions. Mr Namgyal said the advertisement was made on the web site in which young Tibetan girls in the 18-26 age-group with a minimum height of 5 feet 5 inches were asked to apply. Only those Tibetan girls who were unmarried and were holders of Voluntary Tax Book could participate. Twentyseven applications were received. The contestants were asked to submit their photographs and answer a questionnaire. On the basis of these, six final contestants had been selected. Mr Namgyal said the participants had been paid their expenses for coming to McLeodganj. The winner would be given Rs 1 lakh in education sponsorship. He said the winner would also be provided with an opportunity to participate in international competitions. He said Ms Tourism World had already accepted their participation while efforts were on to get a nod from Ms World and Ms Universe beauty contest organisers. |
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Make college audit report public: Cong Kangra, October 5 Mr Sudhir Sharma raised the demand at a press conference in the local Tandon Club here last evening. He said Mr Amar Nath, a former MLA from Kangra and Principal Nanad Kumar, father and brother of Dr Shiv Kumar respectively had contributed a lot in the field of education in the area and the people had high hopes from Dr Shiv Kumar but the controversy has dashed their hopes. He said Mr Dulo Ram was earlier arguing that there was no irregularity in the accounts of the college but now he, too, has come out with these allegations forcing Dr Shiv Kumar to resign from the BJP basic membership. Mr Sudhir Sharma said college students and staff member were holding protest for the last three weeks. |
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Decision
to
dissolve right
panel opposed Hamirpur, October 5 Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Babu Ram Rahi, chairman of the sangathan, said by dissolving the commission, the government had proved its intentions to curb the democratic rights of the people. He urged the people to oppose the move. |
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Low voltage irks residents Shimla, October 5 The plight of these residing in the adjoining areas cemetery, Dhalli and Bhattakufar — is also miserable due to voltage fluctuations. The residents have urged the electricity board authorities to supply electricity to the area from one sub-station and install more transformers, which would ensure proper voltage. The authorities however, say that unplanned and haphazard construction in the area is posing a big problem for it in the expansion of electricity lines. |
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HP declares two
local holidays Shimla, October 5 The above holidays will not be applicable to the employees working on daily wages and will also not be holidays within the meaning of Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881.
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