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Tuesday,
April 8, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Shanta’s
exit may add to BJP’s woes Himachal
revives posts of Divisional Commissioner HC’s
contempt notice to 2 IAS officers ‘FIR
against 6 HP cops a serious issue’ Rights
panel moved against cops College
misusing funds: teachers PWD
employee to be honoured for courage Devta fair
begins |
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Shanta’s exit may add to BJP’s woes Shimla, April 7 The party may have reasons to crack the whip to enforce discipline in view of the Assembly elections in four states. However, it may have to pay a heavy price in the state for handing out a raw deal to its
senior most leader. The development will send wrong signals not only to the cadres, who had demoralised after the poll debacle, but also to the people. The exit of Mr Shanta Kumar, who had been quite vocal on the sensitive issue of corruption and had often expressed his frank opinion on the functioning of the Dhumal government, would only strengthen the general impression that the party was patronising corruption. The Congress would have a potent weapon to attack the BJP in the states scheduled to go to polls later this year. What has shocked the workers is the fact that the party has made no effort to identify the reasons for the infighting. The one-sided and dictatorial attitude of the high command had led to dissidence, it is being felt. Party cadres are surprised that no one in the party had been held responsible for the electoral debacle even though the high command had itself stated that organisational weakness was one of the reasons for the defeat. Mr Jaikrishan Sharma, state party chief, who himself ended up in his Santokhgarh constituency, continues to be at the helm of affairs. It was under his presidentship that the party got divided vertically between the Dhumal and Shanta factions. Things were better during the two- year stint of Mr Suresh Chandel as the party chief. While the Dhumal camp may have scored over the rival group, the factional divide in the party will further widen it is being said. HAMIRPUR: Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on Monday expressed surprise over the resignation of Union Minister for Rural Development Shanta Kumar. Talking to reporters here, Mr Dhumal said Mr Shanta Kumar had not given any hint to him about the resignation when they had met at Indore three days
ago. |
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Himachal
revives posts of Divisional Commissioner Shimla, April 7 Mr Virbhadra Singh, Himachal Chief Minister, told newsmen here today that Divisional Commissioner was an important link in the revenue administration and it was not a wise to abolish the three posts. Also, the step did not lead to any economy as the exercise resulted in reduction of only one post, he added. He said the government would also revive the Human Rights Commission also scrapped by the Dhumal government. The Chief Minister said that in the past one month he had taken several steps to tone up the administration. The bureaucracy had been politicised and rules regulations had been given the go-by in the functioning of the government. This would take some time to rectify. He said the government would review the two winery projects being set up in the joint venture with Champagne India. He said the project needed a fresh look as it was apprehended that it could lead to the exploitation of farmers growing the special variety of grape for the two wineries. It was not a table variety which could be marketed like common grapes and as such the growers would have no option but to sell the produce to the company which could make them vulnerable to exploitation. Moreover, the farmers had very small land holdings mostly under traditional crops and apple. Enough land might not be available to grow grapes. He said he would be discussing the issue with the company. Mr Virbhadra Singh pleaded including Himachal in the horticulture mission as the hill state was predominantly dependent on fruit crops. It need all technological and financial investment to become the fruit bowl of the country. He lamented that the previous Dhumal government ignored horticulture and support price for apple was increased only by 50 paise per kg over five years. The increase of 25 paise per kg was effected only last season and the growers had not been paid yet. The Chief Minister said the government would give priority to the development of tourism but it would merely play the role of a facilitator and projects would be set up by in the private sector. While reputed players in the tourism sector, particularly foreign companies, would be assigned big projects like the setting up of resorts and golf courses, the state Tourism Development Corporation would carry out only pioneering work by opening new destinations where private sector was not prepared to venture. Replying a question he said the resignation of Mr Shanta Kumar as Union Rural Development Minister was unfortunate as he was the sole representative of the state in the Union Cabinet. However, it was an internal matter of the
BJP, he added. |
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HC’s contempt notice to 2 IAS officers Shimla, April 7 The court had constituted a committee comprising three IAS officers — Kanwar Shamsher Singh, Mr Abhey Shukla and Mr Narinder Chauhan. Mr Chauhan appointed member secretary of the committee constituted on the issue of traffic jam and bad traffic management in the The court directed this committee to hold meetings in this regard and present its first report to the court before March 31 but the committee failed to comply with the directions of the court. On the last date of hearing the court also directed the Secretary
(Transport) to file an affidavit on the next date to give response with regard to the construction of ISBT (bus stand) at Tutikandi. The court took a serious note of the averments made in the affidavit filed by Mr Abhey Shukla, Principal Secretary (Transport) and directed him to remain present in the court on the next date of hearing. These directions were issued by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta and Mr Justice Arun Kumar Goel. The court further directed both IAS officers — Mr Narinder Chauhan and Mr Abhey Shukla to remain present in the court on April 10. |
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‘FIR against 6 HP cops a serious issue’ Shimla, April 7 Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, said it was a serious matter and that he would take up the issue with his Haryana counterpart, Mr Om Prakash Chautala. He said the action of the Haryana police was malafide as it descended on the residence of the Mr Bawa in the wee hours of the day. They tried to whisk him away to Haryana without an arrest warrant. In the normal course the police from another state should contact the local police authorities and then take away the accused with its assistance. He said it was the duty of the state to protect its citizens against illegal actions. Mr Virbhadra Singh said every state should respect the rights of the other. |
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Rights panel moved
against cops Nurpur, April 7 He stated that he had a land dispute case with Madan Lal, his neighbour. But the local judicial magistrate court on September 27, 1997, had granted him ownership right of the land. But Madan Lal forcibly encroached upon the said land. The complainant was forced to file an execution petition in the judicial court to get back its possession. The petition is still under consideration in the court. The complainant alleged that on April 1, some police personnel in uniform came his house and forcibly took him to the local police station where he was kept in lock-up and beaten up for not leaving the land. The next day, the police framed a case against him under Sections 107 and 151 of the Cr Pc. He said he was released the same day following a surity bond furnished by Mr Bakil Singh, up pradhan of Sadwan. However, the local police termed these allegations false and baseless. |
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College misusing funds: teachers
Dharamsala, April, 7 In a statement, president of the Himachal Pradesh Non-Government College Teachers Association, Baijnath, Dr Suman Sachhar, and press secretary Anup Sharma alleged that the college management, for the past two decades had been swindling funds with impunity. They said a special audit conducted during 1996-97 had also brought out financial irregularities to the tune of more than Rs 1 crore. Mr Sharma said similar allegations against the management were also made by the district BJP MLA from Baijnath during the Dhumal regime. That government had twice suspended the management in recent years, but no efforts had made to bring the guilty to book. Dr Sachhar alleged that complaints regarding discrepancies in the Provident Fund accounts had not been settled, despite complaints. Mr Sharma appealed to the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, to order an impartial inquiry into the functioning of the college. |
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PWD employee to be honoured for courage Bilaspur, April 7 This honour would be bestowed on Mr Sharma by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for showing courage and presence of mind and saving the lives of four seriously injured tourists here a few months ago. These tourists from Punjab were entrapped in their vehicle when it suddenly met with an accident and fell from the national highway near Gambhrolla khud. Mr Sharma broke the window panes of their vehicle, took out the tourists and took them to a hospital here. |
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Devta fair begins Sundernagar, April 7 Mr Sohan Lal, local MLA was the chief guest. The fair started with the puja of Mahunnag (the chief deity) of the old Suket Estate (now Sundernagar). The chief guest performed the puja of about 100 hill gods in the courtyard of Community Hall. The opening function was delayed as the main deity, Mahunnag, arrived two hours late and as per the tradition the fair cannot start without worshipping the chief deity. Mahunnag is brought here in the shape of a chariot lifted on the shoulders of devotees from Karsog, an interior part of Mandi. During the fair the devotees perform puja and invite the deities to their respective houses along with their devotees and host community lunch in honor of the deities. The deities are brought in the fair from various parts of Mandi in the shape of man-made chariots which the devotees carry on their shoulders accompanied by hill orchestras. |
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