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Friday,
October 18, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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HP’s first woman Chief
Secy Virbhadra hints at MoU scam Tantrik Morcha to contest 68
seats Transfer of teachers flayed Tribal status for Labanas
promised |
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| Quarrel over drinking leads to death of 4 Dharamsala, October 17 A quarrel between a father-in-law and daughter-in-law over the former’s drinking habits, led to the death of four persons, including a woman at Makol village under the Baijnath police station, about 60 km from here, late last night.
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HP’s first woman Chief
Secy Shimla, October 17 A 1967 batch IAS officer of the Himachal cadre, Mrs Bhattacharya who is at present holding the post of Additional Chief Secretary, would be the first woman officer to be elevated to the top post. She will replace Mr Harsh Gupta who is to retire on October 31. The appointment of the Chief Secretary was a smooth affair this time as some junior officers who had unsuccessfully lobbied for the post at the time of the appointment of Mr Gupta, maintained a low profile. Mr A.K. Goswami, who was appointed the Chief Secretary in January 1999, had virtually superseded the then Chief Secretary O.P. Yadav and Additional Chief Secretary, Mrs C.P. Sujaya, who were adjusted against non-significant posts of chairpersons of corporations. A low-profile officer, Mrs Bhattacharya is among the few officers who have never lobbied for any post during her long bureaucratic career spanning over 36 years. She will hold this post for about a year. |
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Virbhadra hints at MoU scam Chamba, October 17 Mr Virbhadra Singh alleged, large-scale corruption in the MoUs. Countering the propaganda of the present government that it had made the state ‘a power state’, he said it was not based on facts. The hydroelectric projects undertaken by the BJP government had been launched during the regime of the previous Congress government. The investigation and draft project report of 2,100 mw Parbati hydroelectric project, 1,500 mw Nathpa-Jhakhri hydroelectric project and 800 mw Kol Dam hydroelectric project had been carried out during the Congress rule, Mr Virbhadra Singh added. He said the BJP government had overlooked the employment aspects, while signing the MoU Chamera hydroelectric project (stage-II) as the local people were deprived of their right to employment. The issue of environment and ecology was also not taken into consideration while executing the contracts. Moreover, the project did not bring prosperity to the region. |
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Tantrik Morcha to contest 68
seats Mandi, October 17 Setting at rest all the rumours and surmises that he was joining the Congress or the BJP he said the Lok Tantrik Morcha would emerge as the third force after the elections and hold the balance of power. Mr Singh, who had been expelled from the HVC by Mr Sukh Ram, claimed that he had played a major role in the formation of the Himachal Vikas Congress and now most of the HVC workers all over the state were leaving the party to join the Morcha. The HVC would be reduced to “father-son party” only, he added. He alleged that the ruling BJP had hatched a conspiracy to “distort and disturb” the boundaries of the constituencies in such a manner which would suit their political interests. He warned that such a political exercise would have disastrous consequences and any attempt to harm the Opposition leaders would boomerang on the BJP. He said he had come to know that it was being manoeuvred at the highest level to declare some important constituencies, including Rohru and Darang as reserved to weed out some top Opposition leaders. Some constituencies of Mandi district were being disturbed to pave way for the victory of BJP candidates. “We will foil these attempts”, he said. He flayed the government for raising the bogey of the reorganisation of districts for a couple of months to divert the attention of the people from non-performance of the government. It carried out yet another exercise in futility in the name of regularisation of districts and the people of the state were cheated by selling 6 lakh forms. Each form costed Rs 50 but these were allegedly sold at a premium at the rate of Rs 500 each. The people were robbed of crores. And all went in vain after the matter was stayed by the court, he said. He came down heavily on Sukh Ram for neglecting the interests of Mandi and added that he was equally accountable for all the omissions and commissions of the BJP government being an alliance partner. It was ironical that the second biggest district of the state had no engineering or medical college while the smaller ones were having them. He said if intentions of the HVC were good it would have left the alliance. In fact, Mr Sukh Ram was hobnobbing with the Congress and the moment he was admitted back into the party he would leave the alliance immediately. The PCC president, Mrs Vidya Stokes, had recently said that there was no use of withdrawing support from the BJP for Mr Sukh Ram at this belated hour when the tenure of the government was going to be over. The Virbhadra Singh group was already against him. |
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Transfer of teachers flayed Chamba, October 17 They alleged that mathematics teachers were not being posted in schools where the strength of students was 20. Untrained vidya upasak’s were being appointed while the trained B.Ed teachers were being sidelined. These leaders warned that after the first phase of dharnas they would launch 24-hour fast at all district headquarters till December 6. |
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Tribal status for Labanas
promised Mandi, October 17 The BJP government had passed a resolution in the Himachal Vidhan Sabha recommending tribal status for the Labanas not withstanding opposition by the Congress. This announcement was made by the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal at Dogh village 75 km away at a public meeting on Wednesday. He said in Jogindernagar subdivision alone 478 km new roads were laid and another 484 km metalled during the past over four years. Besides this 12 big bridges were constructed. Under Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) a sum of Rs 27 crore was being spent this year. A loan of Rs 5.5 crore had been sanctioned for the sewerage of Jogindernagar town. Work would be started at the earliest. Earlier he inaugurated Rs 20 lakh bridge on Nihan Khud near Dogh. Middle School Dogh, would be upgraded to the high school from the next academic session. |
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Quarrel over drinking leads to death of 4 Dharamsala, October 17 The incident took place in the house of 65-year-old Brahm Chand Katoch, an ex-serviceman, who had later joined the HRTC as a driver and had retired from there. According to eye witnesses, Brahm Chand Katoch and his daughter-in-law Binta Devi, wife of Kuldeep Chand, usually fought over his drinking habit. On the fateful day the younger sister of Binta Devi, Reena (17), was shot dead by Katoch picked up his single-barrel shotgun with an intention to kill Binta Devi. Reena pushed her sister into another room, but was hit by a pellet. Hearing the commotion panchayat pradhan Asa Chand Katoch (72) and Partap Singh (42), who used to work with the Postal Department, rushed out. An enraged Brahm Chand also fired on them. Partap Singh was hit on the left side while Asa Chand was hit in the chest. Both died instantaneously. Another guest Kulbir Singh was also hit on his foot. |
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3 die as tractor falls into gorge Bilaspur, October 17 |
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Two killed in mishap Mandi, October 17 The dead have been identified as Prit Pal Singh, alias Pammi, a scrap dealer of Mandi town, and Jaswant Singh Gill of Dhaban village of Balh valley. |
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Vajpayee’s failures listed Kangra, October 17 Talking to
mediapersons here last evening, he said that during the past three years of the NDA government terrorism has spread in the country as never before. Mr Vajpayee had failed to get Pakistan declared a terrorist country by the USA. |
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