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Friday,
May 23, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Potato growers face
hard times Curbs on irrigation
in villages HP ‘heading’
for drought Leakages in 9.41 cr water project 2 more depose in job scam |
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Jogi seeks special status for Chhattisgarh Exhibition opened Dowry death: husband,
mother-in-law get RI NRI extends help to affected family
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Potato growers face
hard times Palampur, May 22 The Nagrota Bagwan area of this district is known for the production of quality potatoes, demanded in Maharashtra and Gujarat for making of potato chips. This year growers suffered setback — first the crop was hit by blight and later prices crashed. A visit to Malan, Pathiar, Dadh, Jadrangal, Ambari, Charahri and Hatwas, the potato growers cooperative societies revealed that tonnes of potato is piling up in the absence of buyers. A few farmers have already sold crop at low rate fearing further crashing of price. Mr Pawan Sood, a potato grower and Pardhan Gram Panchayat Pathiar, said the government had failed to provide quality seed to farmers this year. Later no efforts were made to check the disease late blight, which damaged over 40 per cent crop in the area. The farmers have been facing the problem to dispose of their produce. He said government should initiate market intervention scheme as was done in case of apple growers, so that farmers got better price. If no effort was made potatoes stocked by the farmers would perish. Daulat Ram, a potato grower at Dadh, said that he had raised a loan of Rs 1,50,000 from a local bank. His 50 per cent produce have already destroyed and 50 per cent left with him has no buyer, therefore, he cannot repay loan this year. Similar is the case of other potato growers who are also under debt. A branch manager of Kangra Central Cooperative Bank said that his branch had advanced agriculture loans to over 300 potato growers in the area, but none had come forward to repay the loan because of crop failure and sudden fall in the prices of potatoes in the market. Besides, the farmers have also raised loans from local traders at very high rate of interest. Several farmers in the area urged Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to intervene immediately and make earnest efforts for disposal of the produce. They said there should be check on the middlemen fleecing the farmers and pay very little for their produce. Mr G.S. Bali, Transport Minister and MLA from Nagrota Bagwan area told The Tribune this morning that he was conversant with the situation and all efforts were being made to provide remunerative price of produce to the farmers. He said he had taken up the issue with the government. |
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Curbs on irrigation
in villages Shimla, May 22 A notification issued by the District Magistrate barred irrigation of fields in the Thella and Majhavat Panchayat areas from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. to help increase the availability of water from Gummah source for the town. The soaring mercury over the past one week caused a dramatic fall in the discharge of Gummah and Ashwini khads, the two main sources of water, as villagers whose fields are irrigated by ‘kuhls’ drawn from these khads, stepped up irrigation. The farmers have been assured that they will be given compensation in case their crops were affected due to lack of irrigation. The daily availability of water from all sources has come down from 58 lakh gallons to 44 lakh gallons against a requirement of 65 lakh gallons, a shortfall of about 30 per cent. The municipal corporation has been forced to ration the supply. While water is being supplied on alternate days, some areas were receiving it after three or four days. Boileauganj, the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Chakkar and Lower Kaithu, Tutikandi and Chhota Shimla areas have been among the worst hit. Mr R.S. Negi, Municipal Commissioner, said the shortage was acute but there was no need to panic as restriction on irrigation and other measures being taken would ensure adequate availability of water for supplying it on alternate days. Besides, one more tubewell was being energised at Ashwini khad. Steps were being taken to ensure equitable distribution of water. It had been decided that the local councillor, junior engineer and keyman would move jointly in their respective areas to ensure proper distribution and check misuse of water. In the worst-hit areas, tankers had been pressed into service. Meanwhile, Mr Kaul Singh, Irrigation and Public Health Minister, has convened an urgent meeting here tomorrow to take stock of the situation and decide on the short-term and long-term measures to be taken to deal with the perennial problem. |
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HP ‘heading’
for drought Palampur, May 22 Dr R.C. Thakur, Director Research, HP Agricultural University, told newsmen here today that less than normal rainfall was expected in Chamba, Kulu, Kinnaur, Mandi, Sirmour, Shimla and Solan districts. Dr Thakur said chances of below normal rainfall was around 55 per cent in the state as against 21 per cent in the country. He said the HPAU had asked the farmers in rain-fed areas to go for maize and pulse crops instead of paddy. Besides, the farmers could sow mash, kulthi, arhar, soyabean or oilseed in between rows of maize. The university has recommended KH 101 maize. He said farmers have also been advised to sow maize according to the onset of monsoon.
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Leakages
in 9.41 cr water project Mandi, May 22 The leakages in the newly laid distribution lines has led to a lot of water virtually going down the drain while people are crying for water. Thakur Kaul Singh, IPH Minister, has directed senior officers, to take suitable action against the erring officials. Meanwhile,
many areas of the town are facing an acute shortage of drinking water
partly due to the drought-like conditions and partly due to the faulty
distribution of water. Despite directions regarding the use of water
for construction work, people are callously carrying on construction
of houses. |
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2 more depose in job scam Hamirpur, May 22 They gave their statements in-camera as none else was allowed inside the room where they made their statements under Section 164 of the CrPC. However, highly-placed sources in the Enforcement Department said both these teachers confessed to the special investigation team (SIT) that all was not well with the board and that they were made to sign blank papers with a lead pencil. They said they did not know which persons were selected to the posts of trained graduate teacher for which interviews were conducted by the board from time to time. Earlier, the HPSSSB recruitment scandal took a new turn last evening when Mr Harish Jain, a computer expert of Chandigarh, gave a detailed statement in the court of the CJM regarding the evaluation of papers. He was presented in the court by the SIT of the Enforcement Department inquiring into the allegations of awarding of jobs by tampering with the answersheets. The statement was given under Section 164 of the CrPC, according to official sources. The SIT had earlier grilled Mr Jain for the whole of the day and yesterday also in connection with the evaluation process of the answersheets. |
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Jogi seeks special status for Chhattisgarh Shimla, May 22 Talking to newspersons here today, he said Chhattisgarh was a backward, hilly and inaccessible state with a low per capita income and as such deserved the special category status to avail of the liberal financial assistance from the Centre. He said despite being a new state the Centre did not given any special financial package for building the necessary infrastructure. He said the administrative expenditure was 40 per cent of the Budget when the state was formed and it had now come down to 35 per cent, the lowest in the country. The government had succeeded in inviting investment to the tune of Rs 65,000 crore over the past two years and most of the project had reached the implementation state. This had led to the creation of 50,000 jobs in this sector, he said. The Chief Minister added that it was the only power surplus state in the country. |
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Exhibition opened Shimla, May 22 He said Chhattisgarh was a new state but culturally it was one of the richest where ancient art and crafts had been preserved well. He said such exhibitions provided not only a forum to craftsmen for marketing products but also helped their preservation and propagation. He complimented the Chhattisgarh government for the efficient management of its finances. He said it was the only state in the country which had not gone for overdraft. Mr Ajit Jogi, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, said there were several similarities between Himachal Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and one could learn from each other’s experience. |
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Dowry death: husband,
mother-in-law get RI Dharamsala, May 22 Suman Lata was married to Rajinder Kumar, a resident of Rajiana, in February 1999. Her mother-in-law and husband used to torture her for more dowry. When this became intolerable, on the night of December 10, 2000, Suman Lata committed suicide by consuming poison. Her father Shadi Lal lodged an FIR with the Kangra police, saying that her husband, mother-in-law and another person had forced Suman Lata to commit suicide. Mr Vaidya in his orders found Rajinder Kumar and Kamla Devi guilty under Section 498 and sentenced them to two years’ RI and a fine of Rs 2,000 each and under Section 306 of the IPC, they were found guilty and sentenced to five years’ RI and a fine of Rs 5,000 each. |
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NRI extends help to affected family Hamirpur, May 22 One such person is Mr Girdhar Sharma, an NRI engineer, hailing from Hareta village of the district who is now working in New Zealand as a power engineer. He had left his job with the state power board due to “rampant corruption and mismanagement” in its working. Mr Sharma was pained to read a report on the front page of The Tribune dated May 19. He decided to help the affected family by donating some money from his pocket. Mr Sharma has sent Rs 5,000 to Gayatri Devi’s family which is suffering from near starvation. The money was handed over to the local correspondent of The Tribune by one of the former colleagues of Mr Sharma for further disbursal to the affected family. The money will be handed over to the affected family tomorrow with the help of the pradhan of the Malag gram panchayat, Mr
C.S. Sharma. |
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Thakur removed from Seva Dal post Shimla, May 22 Mr Thakur was served a show-cause notice by the party after he demanded the replacement of the pradesh Congress committee chief, Mrs Vidya Stokes, on the plea that the principle of “one man one post” should be enforced in the state. He had even suggested that Mr Satya Prakash Thakur, former minister, should be made the state party chief. |
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‘Release Sikhs
from Pak jails’ Paonta Sahib, May 22 He said the Prime Minister’s suggestion for dialogue for better relations with Pakistan was a right step.
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