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Sack education board chief, Himachal to have OBC
welfare board Katwal case hearing on February 3 Illegal constructions threaten
sanctuary Abolish post
of Pro-VC, says federation |
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Siltation
affects
Pandoh dam Himachal to set up 3 family,
2 labour courts 10-yr RI for smuggling charas 2 held for killing leopard
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Sack education board chief, demands BJP Shimla, January 17 In a statement here yesterday, he said the Chief Minister should apologise to the people for playing with the career and sentiments of thousands of unemployed youth, who appeared in the test, which had to be cancelled. He said the Virbhadra Singh government had so far been groping in the dark to find evidence regarding the alleged irregularities in recruitments made by the State Subordinate Services Selection Board. However, by cancelling the whole process of selections, the government had admitted that irregularities had been committed in the JBT test. Mr Bhardwaj claimed that people had lost faith in the words and actions of the government because when the BJP initially alleged irregularities in the JBT selection process, the charge was dismissed as false and politically motivated. Meanwhile, the state unit of the BJP has taken exception to the statement of Mr Virbhadra Singh, that his government would derecognise the Saraswati Vidya Mandir schools opened in the state during the BJP rule. Mr Ganesh Dut, a senior party leader, said these schools fulfilled the norms set by the government for private institutions and did not receive any grants from it. As such these could not be derecognised. He said there were only about 130 such schools in the state and the charge of Mr Virbhadra Singh that the previous BJP regime gave recognition to over 1,000 schools was false and politically motivated. He said the allegation that land meant for oustees in Bilaspur was allotted for a school was misleading. |
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Himachal to have OBC
welfare board Kangra, January 17 This was announced by the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, today. He was addressing a public meeting at the local Polytechnic College after laying the foundation stone of Rs 9.28-crore sewerage project. He said the project, which would benefit 36,000 persons, would be completed in three years. He said the Congress government in the state had worked for the emotional integration of the state and achieved success in that regard. He was critical of the Vajpayee government for its alleged failure to curb militancy in the country, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East. He announced the upgrading of Government High School, Matour, to Senior Secondary School. Upgrading of a middle school at Icchhi to a high school, primary schools of Jasai, Talla and Jagni to middle schools was also announced. Those who addressed the gathering were Mr G.S. Bali, Transport Minister, Mr Kaul Singh Thakur, IPH Minister, Prof Chander Kumar, Forest Minister. PALAMPUR: The Chief Minister has stressed the need to maintain the ecological balance in the state. While addressing mediapersons here on Saturday evening, he expressed concern over indiscriminate felling of trees, reckless mining and construction of roads and building in the past 10 years. These had strained the ecology of the state. He said the government would give top priority to the protection of environment in the state. He went on to expressing his disappointment on the tacit support of the official machinery to the mining mafia. He sounded a warning that the administration should pull up its socks and deal with the menace rigidly. He said his government was committed to bring a legislation imposing a ban on commercial extraction of building material from khuds, rivulets, rivers and quarries. He, however, assured that essential requirements of the citizens would be taken care of. |
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Katwal case hearing on February 3 Hamirpur, January 17 Mr Katwal was present in the court along with his two advocates. He had filed a complaint levelling various charges against Chief Minister and seven others on January 15. Later, while talking to reporters he blasted the state government for cancelling the KBT entrance test results. He wanted to know why a case had not been registered against the education board. Interestingly, the press conference was with a difference. Mr Katwal talked to the media only when reporters agreed to foot the bill of tea and snacks. He said he had no money and it was not possible for him to entertain the reporters. |
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Illegal constructions threaten
sanctuary Kalatop-Khajjiar Sanctuary (Chamba): Illegal and unwarranted constructions fast springing up in and around this famous wildlife sanctuary may make some wildlife species including the state bird ‘monal’ extinct. It is not known how people have managed to raise these structures inside the sanctuary area despite the stringent provisions laid down in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Grazing, sporadic road constructions, commercial exploitation of forests and clandestine hunting are affecting environment in the wildlife habitat. The entire eco-system of the sanctuary has been endangered by these concrete structures. All this has disturbed the free movement of wild beasts and the very idea of creating a wildlife sanctuary appears to have gone meaningless and absurd. The present situation may result in reducing the species of wild animals. The sanctuary has an area of 20 sq km (2,728 hectares) having thick deodar forests at an altitude ranging from 1950 to 2850 metres. Of the 29 wildlife sanctuaries in Himachal Pradesh, the one at Kalatop-Khajjiar is unique. Wild animals like musk deer, barking deer, black bear, leopard, goral, serow, and pheasants such as monal, koklas, kaleej and “chukor” can be seen in the sanctuary. Besides, migratory birds of the wetland species also visit the Khajjiar lake every year. The sanctuary is being looked after by a Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Wildlife Wing of the State Forest Department based at Chamba, and other staff, including a Range Officer and other subordinate staff trained in wildlife management. Specialists from the School for Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, had presented a detailed analysis of the situation while investigating a proposal for revival of the lake within the sanctuary area. It had suggested taking up the area on an integrated watershed basis. There were two other initiatives — one in the management plan for the Kalatop-Khajjiar wildlife sanctuary and the other by the a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Earth Station Trust, Khajjiar. The analysis expressed deep concern over high grazing pressure by right holders, insensitivity of tourists to cleanliness and decorum in the area and reluctance of locals to take part in activities beneficial to the sanctuary. Unfortunately, the state government had so for failed to create a forum for inter-departmental cooperation for better management of the Khajjiar tourist resort. Officials, however, maintain that all preventive steps have been taken to curb illegal developments around the habitat. |
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Abolish post of Pro-VC, says federation Shimla, January 17 In a memorandum submitted to the Chancellor, Mr V.S. Kokje, here today, the federation also demanded an increase in the budget of the university, introduction of a five-year degree course in law and Bachelor of Education course on the campus, filling of vacant posts of teaching and non-teaching staff, grant of stipends to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes students and setting up of full-fledged regional study centres at Mandi, Hamirpur, Una and Dharamsala. |
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Siltation affects Pandoh dam Mandi, January 17 Environmentalists say at the time of the construction of the project in mid-sixties it had been envisaged to take up massive plantation in the catchment area of the Beas, but no steps were taken in this regard. |
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Himachal to set up 3 family, 2 labour courts Hamirpur, January 17 Mr S.L.Sharma, general secretary of the HP Judicial Officers Association, said here today that the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh said this at a meeting with them at Dharamsala recently. He said the Chief Minister also agreed to create the post of Director (Judicial) at HIPPA. This would save the government from spending money in sending judicial officers to other states for training, he added. Three more posts of Chief Judicial Magistrates (Traffic) would also be created. |
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10-yr RI for smuggling charas Mandi, January 17 The accused was caught with charas on January 29, 2003. |
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2 held for killing leopard Shimla, January 17 Forest officials reached the spot as soon as they received information that a leopard had been trapped. They recovered the carcass. It was 6 ft long and weighed about 90 kg. A case has been registered under the Wildlife Act and two local villagers, Sunil and Lale, alias Pinku, have been arrested. |
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Statehood Day function
at Una Shimla, January 17 An official release here today said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh would preside over the function. —
UNI |
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