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Dalai Lama hopes for era of peace
Mandi, February 29 Dalai Lama today expressed hope that the twenty first century would herald an era of peace, cooperation and mutual respect in the world. Service panel Secy shifted, staff protest
BJP anti-minorities, says Cong leader
Third front to contest poll in Himachal
Shimla, February 29 Congress President Sonia Gandhi will visit Himachal Pradesh on a three-day tour in the first week of March to galvanise the party for the Lok Sabha poll. Nation page  Sonia
to tour Himachal on March 3, 4
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Shimla, February 29 Keeping in view the vital role of wetlands in conservation of biodiversity, the State Council for Science, Technology and Environment has sent proposals to seek Ramsar site status for two more lakes in the state. Highway widening causes panic among residents
Minister’s kin assaulted, 3 held
3 medical centres planned
Foundation stone laid twice
2004 will be year of science
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Dalai Lama hopes for era of peace
Mandi, February 29 Speaking at a reception held in his honour by the Nagar Parishad, Beopar Mandal, BMS, Namdhari Sangat, Sheetla Smaj and a dozen other organisations, he said he was consistently opposed to the use of violence and favoured peaceful solution to all problems based on tolerance and mutual respect. Dalai Lama said Indo-Tibetan friendship was not new. Bonds of love and understanding between the two nations were centuries old. Tibet had been treating India as its “dharam guru”. The philosophy and culture of Buddhism were imported to Tibet from India. He said 3000 years ago India had acquired the status of a spiritual leader of the world. At present there was a need to implement those great Indian ideals of tolerence, peace and non-violence within the country. Mahatama Gandhi successfully followed those great ideals of non-violence against a mighty empire. Dalai Lama said Tibetans had old links with the ancient town of Mandi and Rewalsar where their Guru Padama Sambhava had meditated for many years. Buddhists from all parts of the world visited the sacred lake every year. “I came to Mandi in 1956 at the age of 22. Many in this congregation must be going to school at that time”, he said. Expressing concern over the situation in his homeland he said, “We are passing through a period of great crisis. Our religion, philosophy, culture and identity are in danger. We are seeking a peaceful solution for regaining our motherland based on tolerance and non violence”. Earlier the Himachal Pradesh Governor, Mr V.S. Kokje, described Dalai Lama as a symbol of peace. He said India still had the potential of emerging as the spiritual “vishva guru” if earnest efforts were made to imbibe selfless dedication for the service of mankind. Earlier, the Nagar Parishad chief, Mrs Sushila Sonkhla, welcomed Dalai Lama and the Governor. Dalai Lama inaugurated the 2-day Tsechu Fair at Rewalsar and visited Guru Rinpoche Caves, Kagyu Dzigar Tibetan Monastery and Nyingma Monastery.
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Service panel Secy shifted, staff protest
Shimla, February 29 The appointment of Mrs Anita Tegta as Secretary in place of Mr Onkar Sharma, who has been posted as Director of Information Technology Department, had come in the wake of the reports that the CID had been looking into alleged complaints of administrative and financial irregularities in the commission. It had even dug out certain letters written by the previous Secretary, Mr Subhash Mehta, who had pointed out certain irregularities, last year. However, the State Public Service Commission Employees Association was demanding cancellation of the transfer of Mr Sharma on the plea that the government did not consult the commission as required under the rules. Mr B.C. Verma, president of the association, pointed out that the rules clearly stated that the Secretary would be an
IAS officer and would be appointed by the Governor, in consultation with the commission. He urged the Chief Minster to review the decision in the larger interest keeping in view the Constitutional status of the institution. He also said that in case the government was convinced that some irregularities had been committed, it should get the matter inquired into by a sitting Judge of the High Court so that integrity and image of the commission was not sullied. The government, however, maintained that it was empowered to appoint the Secretary and it had only followed what was the past practice in this regard. Even the present incumbent was a appointed in the same way six months ago. Its only concern was to see that the administration in the commission was run smoothly and in accordance with the rules and regulations. The commission and the government had been at loggerheads ever since one of the members of the commission had alleged irregularities in selection of the Assistant Engineers. Subsequently, two experts, who were on the four-member panel, along with the member concerned, also confirmed that the list of the selected candidates had been changed after which the Chief Minister asked the Chairman to resign or face a vigilance probe. |
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BJP anti-minorities, says Cong leader
Nahan, February 29 He said during the BJP regime out of total of three lakh minority population in the state only 500 persons received financial assistance from the minority corporation. BJP had appointed a non-Himachali as Chairman of State Haj Committee, which was an insult to the Muslims of the Himachal Pradesh. Mr Bharti said that ‘Feel Good factor’ of the BJP was in fact ‘feel bad’ factor which was working against the BJP in the country. He alleged the BJP was spending Rs ten thousand crore from the Government Treasury on its popularity plans, which was highly objectionable. Mr Bharti also addressed a meeting of members of the Sirmour District Muslim Welfare Committee in the Municipal Hall and called upon the Muslims to ensure proper and higher education for their wards. |
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Third front to contest poll in Himachal
Hamirpur, February 29 The announcement of the candidates for both these seats will be made before March 15,” said Comrade Shanker Singh Chandel, state secretary of the Communist Party of India, here today. Talking with reporters here today, he said that the Left parties would contest Mandi and Hamirpur seats and give tough fight to the Congress and the BJP both. He said that the people of state were disappointed with the Congress and the BJP both and they wanted to bring the third front to limelight. |
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Sonia to visit Himachal
Shimla, February 29 Unlike previous visits, she will not address any rallies and instead interact with people in villages and meet party workers. Meanwhile, Mr Raj Kumar, spokesperson for the All-India Youth Congress, yesterday said that the lopsided policies of the NDA government had led to negative growth of employment. |
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Ramsar site status sought for 2 more lakes
Shimla, February 29 The council has generated enormous scientific data to underscore the need for making concerted efforts to conserve the Chandertal Lake in Lahaual-Spiti and the Renuka Lake in Sirmaur, which are rich repository of the western Himalayan flora and fauna. While Renuka stands out for its remarkable faunal diversity, the much smaller Chandertal is crucial for the preservation of the genetic and ecological diversity of the rare high-altitude flora and fauna. Wetlands, which share the characteristics of both dry and wet environments, are of critical importance for the survival of biodiversity. So far the sprawling Pong Dam reservoir is the only water body recognised as a Ramsar site in the state. The two lakes already enjoy the status of national wetland. The Ramsar site status will not only put the two water bodies on the international wetland map but also go a long way in ensuring their proper preservation. Situated at a height of 14,300 ft downhill the Kunzum pass, the majestic Chandertal supports an assemblage of endangered plant and animal species. It is a special value lake as the high-altitude zone is a region of oxygen deficiency, low atmospheric pressure, excessive cold, aridity and intense radiation. The flora and fauna have specialised morphological and physiological features to counteract the unfavourable effects of the extreme environmental conditions. The Renuka wetland has a total of 443 species of 26 faunistic groups ranging from microscopic protozoa to mammals. |
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Highway widening causes panic among residents
Kumarhatti, February 29 The issue has again become a hot topic among the residents after causing sleepless nights for them two and half years ago when the ministry had undertaken a survey of the project through a New-Delhi-based private company. Confusion and uncertainty are writ large on the faces of the residents who supposed to be badly affected. Going by the present thickly population along the highway, particularly the 30-km stretch between Parwanoo and Kumarhatti, the project could cause large-scale displacement. Jabli and Dharampur are the worst affected and Kandaghat residents could too face displacement. Though with the opening of the Barog bypass Barog and a major part of the Kumarhatti market have escaped the four-lane effect, the fear of displacement of the whole market of Dharampur is looming large. Shopkeepers of Dharampur are in a piquant situation as the construction of the bypass avoiding the market is very low due to the high cost of construction. |
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Minister’s kin assaulted, 3 held
Hamirpur, February 29 Reports reaching here from Nadaun say that three young persons stopped the vehicle of the minister at Nadaun last night, while he was on his way to Jwali from Shimla. They tried to overtake the vehicle of the minister first and allegedly also hurled abuses at the family. One of them even slapped the minister’s son who was driving the private vehicle. The gunman who was sitting in the vehicle and even the minister tried to stop the assaulters but they didn’t budge. Ultimately, a local resident, Raj Kumar took the gunman to the nearby police post and narrated entire story there. In the meantime, Chander Kumar also rang up SP, Hamirpur and told him what had transpired with him and his family. This led to a traffic jam for more than 20 minutes. Ultimately, the police swung into action and took all three persons into custody from a dhaba located on the Nadaun Bridge. P.L.Thakur, SP, Hamirpur, told The Tribune here this afternoon that the police had acted immediately after getting information about the incident. He said three persons —Harcharan Singh, Tek Singh and Sanjay Thakur —had been taken into custody and were being interrogated after the registration of a case against them. There are reports that the minister had apprised the Chief Minister and the Director General Police (Himachal Pradesh) of the incident and had demanded action against the culprits. Mr Chander Kumar was not available for comments. However, his wife told Nadaun-based scribes on phone that the incident was shocking and troublesome. She said it had happened with the family of a minister then one could imagine the fate of a common man. Earlier, a woman Zila Parishad member, Anita Sharma was also assaulted at her parent’s residence at Rangas last evening by five persons of the Nadaun area. They also misbehaved with the mother of the woman before forcing their entry into the house. While one of them — Jagdev Chand of Batran was apprehended by local people and handed over to the Nadaun police, the others managed to escape and were still at large. The police was in search of four other assaulters, according to an official spokesman. They were also got medically examined last night. Meanwhile, resentment prevails amongst people of the Nadaun subdivision of the district over the growing lawlessness there and the failure of the authorities to check the defaulters. There is a general feeling among the people that some anti-social elements under the patronage of political masters were terrorising the innocent people and there was none to check their activities. They have approached the Chief Minister, Mr Vir Bhadra Singh to provide them protection. |
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3 medical centres planned
Shimla, February 29 At present the patients have to go out of the state for advanced cardiac care. The government has also decided to upgrade the diagnostic facilities in the state by setting up three specialised centres at Solan, Hamirpur and Bilaspur at cost of Rs 9 crore. These centres would provide state-of-art diagnostic facilities. Over the past one year, emphasis had been laid on strengthening the health infrastructure. Also to ensure that the people did not suffer for want of staff, the government had filled 146 posts of doctor and 181 posts of staff nurse. Apart from this, 22 more posts of medical staff had been sanctioned. The regional cancer centre at the Indira Gandhi Medical College, had been granted recognition by the Government of India it had become the first medical college in the country to have such a centre. In addition, a cancer project of the Indian Medical Research Board had been started in Mandi, Bilaspur and Hamirpur district. The Rogi Kalyan Samities had also been replaced with Hospital Kalyan Samities to provide treatment at affordable cost. The patients, belonging to the IRDP families were being provided the medical facility at all levels. The user charges, implemented in the hospitals by the previous government, had also been withdrawn. The result of the national health survey showed that the state had made appreciable progress in stabilising the population growth. It was one of the three leading states in the reproductive child health programme and second in the balanced sex ratio. Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda was being developed as a centre of par excellence in the field of medical services at a cost of Rs 300 crore. Out of this Rs 100 crore had already been spent and the remaining Rs 200 crore would utilised for construction of buildings and acquiring latest equipment. A 500-bed hospital was being constructed within the campus, which would cater to the needs of the patients. The regular training was being provided to the doctors and other paramedical staff about 2000 para medical staff would be provided training to cater to the needs of residents in remote and far-flung areas. |
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Foundation stone laid twice
Palampur, February 29 Mr Butail today again performed the bhoomi pujan ceremony. All senior officers of the district were present. Mr Sat Prakash Thakur, Chairman H.P. State Marketing Board, presided over the function. Mr Butail said that the Sabzi Mandi complex would be ready by the year- end and there would be no shortage of funds for this project. He said over Rs 1 crore would be spent by the state marketing board. Criticising the previous government, he said the former Chief Minister Prem Kumar had forgotten about this project after laying its foundation stone two years ago. He said BJP government had made fools of the residents of the town as they did not allocate any funds for this project, therefore, its construction could not be taken up. — OC |
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2004 will be year of science
Shimla, February 29 A Rs 2.61-crore project had been sanctioned by the Department of Space to develop a natural resource information system for all districts in the state using remote sensing. He said these initiatives would be strengthened during the current year by focusing on issues related to water conservation, sanitation in rural areas, health, environment and biodiversity, disaster management and empowerment of people. |
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