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Monday,
April 14, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Powers of Katwal may be withdrawn Bridge project launched, grants for roads Centre okays project on livestock Notice to INTUC chief in extortion case HP Cabinet to take up timber rights issue |
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Heritage status for rly track sought MNCs looting nation’s wealth: CPI Membership drive by Sena
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Powers of Katwal may be withdrawn Shimla, April 13 The issue has been discussed at the highest level and the implications of the proposed action have also been deliberated. The government is of the view that a person facing charges of forgery, cheating and corruption cannot be allowed to function as the Chairman of the board, which can be achieved immediately by withdrawing his powers. The government has already put on hold the ongoing selection process, including interviews, and even the recommendations for appointment made by the board, which have not been implemented so far. Once the powers are withdrawn, the board will become defunct as it will be virtually left with a solitary member, Mr Tashi Dawa. There were three members in all but Mr Vidyanath, one of the members, retired in January early this year. The government will have to appoint at least one member to make the board functional. Mr Dawa can take over as the acting Chairman of the board. The government is under tremendous pressure to scrap the board altogether in view of its dismal track record. The manner in which the board has functioned had not helped at all in inspiring the confidence of the people. Moreover, the Congress had not only made favouritism and corruption in recruitments as its main election plank, but also even questioned the necessity of such an institution in a small state. In fact, it was termed as a white elephant. The state already has a public service commission, which does not have enough work to justify its existence. Last year, it made only about 80 recommendations. Senior officers point out that the commission did not have even an hour's daily work. However, being a constitutional body it cannot be abolished. The only way out is to provide more work to the commission to ensure optimum use of manpower and other infrastructure at its disposal. For this the board can be scrapped and the recruitment of Class III employees can also be entrusted to the commission. If need be, the commission can be strengthened for the purpose by inducting one more member. |
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Bridge project launched, grants for roads Nahan, April 13 He said this at a public meeting after laying the foundation stone of Sataun Bridge that is to be built on River Giri at a cost of Rs 3.2 crore. The CM charged previous government with propagating “mass corruption” in the state. He said the Subordinate Service Selection Board had been converted into a centre for selling jobs. The board employees found guilty would not be spared. He called upon the people of the state to provide the state with information regarding corrupt practices of the previous government and be rewarded with cash prizes. A team of expert would be formed for inspecting development works to ensure quality. The team will have the power to initiate action against defaulters. Mr Virbhadra Singh said: “After making primary education compulsory in its previous term, my government has, now, planned to make education upto middle standard compulsory in the state. For this purpose, 2,200 middle schools would be opened in the state in the next five years. He said employees recruited under the Tribal Difficult and Backward Areas Sub Cadre would not be transferred till the completion of their tenure in these areas. The Chief Minister said the Sataun Bridge would be completed within a year and the construction of link roads would be given priority in the area. He sanctioned Rs 15 lakh for three main link roads in Shillai area. He said Rs 1 crore would be spent on the Shillai Water Supply Scheme. He announced Rs 3 lakh for the construction of the boundary wall of the Senior Secondary School in Sataun and said funds would be made available for the construction of the school ground at Kamrau. Mr Harshwardhan Chauhan, local MLA, urged him for including people of Trans Giri in the Scheduled Tribes. He said the area had been neglected by the previous government. Dr Prem Singh, an MLA, also spoke on the occasion.
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Centre okays project on livestock Chamba, April 13 Disclosing this here yesterday, Mr Harsh Mahajan, Minister for Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, said the project had been designed especially for the hilly state of Himachal Pradesh with a view of strengthening liquid nitrogen storage, sperm station and banks, acquisition of bulls and imparting training facilities. Mr Mahajan said to launch this project in a phased-manner, a state-level implementing agency, namely Himachal Pradesh Livestock Development Board had been constituted for ensuring quality production of the deep frozen semen straw for artificial insemination of cows and buffaloes adding that it had been proposed to strengthen two exiting sperm stations at Palampur and Bhangrotu. Besides this, the existing artificial insemination centres were propose to be covered into mobile centres in inaccessible and remote areas of the state, Mr Mahajan added. Mr Mahajan said the major thrust of the project had been concentrated on the upgradation of genetic resource control of animal diseases creating of disease-free zones. Mr Mahajan said under the project 1274 artificial insemination centers had been identified for rendering insemination service to the farmers of the state. |
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Notice to INTUC chief in extortion case Solan, April 13 It is interesting to note that Bawa, who has procured a blanket bail from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, is required to be issued a seven-day notice prior to being arrested in any case. A number of copies of the notice have been pasted outside the offices of Bawa in Parwanoo, Pinjore and Kalka by the Kalka police. The Superintendent of Police, Panchkula, Mr R.S. Sharma, told the Tribune on telephone from Panchkula that a special team headed by the DSP, Kalka, in coordination with the SHO, Kalka, and the SHO, Pinjore, has been constituted to look into all cases registered against Bawa in Kalka, Pinjore and Parwanoo. Giving details of his modus operandi, he said the gang headed by Bawa had been booked in a number of cases of land grabbing, extortion and criminal intimidation in the area. They used to purchase disputed property and then evicted the owners by inflicting physical injuries on them. The members of the gang then used to procure bail and return to the area after remaining elusive for a few days. With a view to restraining the matter from reaching the court they then either intimidated the complainant to reach a compromise or assaulted him. The SP also stated that the police was providing full protection to the aggrieved parties, who had registered cases against
Bawa. |
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HP Cabinet to take up timber rights issue Chamba, April 13 He said the rights would also be extended to all post-1939 settlers in Chamba. Mr Mahajan said the state was keen on building a big shopping complex at the Old Police Lines (Chowgan Number 4) that got burnt down five years ago. The prerequisites for the transfer of the land to the Urban Development Department were being processed and Rs 80 lakh had already been given for this complex. The case for constructing a new bus terminus at Zero Point (Bharmour Chowk) was being pursued and the Public Works Department (PWD) had been told to build the bridge at Parel fast and complete various road projects. |
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Heritage status for rly track sought Shimla, April13 Stating this at a press conference here today, Mr Keshav Chandra, Divisional Railway Manager, said the winding rail track passing through 102 tunnels and about 900 bridges fulfilled all parameters for the UNESCO certification. He said while the 96-km-long track was an engineering marvel, some of the arch masonry bridges and stations on it were rare specimens of architecture. The matter had already been taken up with UNESCO and a proposal was being prepared in consultation with the Archaeological Survey of India for the purpose, he said, adding that the case of the Darjeeling narrow gauge track was also being pursued and it was likely to be awarded the world heritage certification shortly. Mr Chandra said trains were running on the Shimla-Kalka track even though it was economically unviable because of its heritage value. The Railways earned a revenue of Rs 8.4 crore annually from the section but spent Rs 11.3 crore on it, he said, adding that the situation could improve if it was promoted as a tourism venture. Referring to the overall performance of the Railways on completing 150 years of existence, he said the total length of the railway network had crossed the 60,000- km mark and trains in India were carrying one crore passengers daily.
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MNCs looting nation’s wealth: CPI Mandi, April 13 She said the CPI had launched a mass-awakening drive through nationwide “jan jagran yatra” from April 8. Contingents of party workers would start from Moirang (Manipur), Kanyakumari, Goa, Srinagar, Mumbai and Porbandar. Contingents from Himachal and other states would join the main jatha. Contingents from all over the country would convert into a rally in New Delhi on May 9. She said things had come to such a pass that in Chhattisgarh 36-km length of a river had been leased out to an MNC and the locals were being forced to pay even for a bucket of water. Similarly at Gangotri the bottling rights had been sold to a Swedish company. She said it was imperative to generate strong public opinion against the indiscreet sell out of the national wealth. Condmning the US attack on Iraq she said the war was for oil wealth and added that the side lining of the UNO was an unfortunate development which would endanger world peace. |
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Membership drive by Sena Hamirpur, April 13 Talking with reporters at Nadaun today, he said all previous local units of the party in the state had been dissolved and the district presidents would be appointed shortly. Mr Tara announced that a rally of the party would be held at Kangra in the last week of May. He condemned the state government’s decision to ban the holding of RSS shakhas on the premises of government buildings. He said the activities of the Muslim fundamentalists were increasing and the Union Government should take a serious note of the matter. |
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