 |
|
Balancing
act by Cong leadership Shanta
cautions Cong against raising hospital issue in poll BJP
leaders must exercise restraint, says Congress Rise in
voters’ strength in Hamirpur |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
EC
appoints 12 observers for Himachal
NHPC
speeds up work on Burrar project HC
orders disability pension for Army man sacked in 1964 Stamp
papers being examined Pathankot-Mandi
highway needs repair Women
protest against opening of liquor vend Teachers’
union threatens stir 
|
|
Balancing act by Cong leadership Shimla, March 29 It took almost a year for the party high command to undertake the exercise, which was necessitated due to resignation of seven office-bearers, three general secretaries and four vice-presidents — who joined the Cabinet. They had decided to quit their party posts to uphold the principle of “one man one post”. Ms Vidya Stokes, who also occupies a ministerial berth, was allowed to hold two posts by the high command. The exercise was delayed because of sharp differences between Mr Virbhadra Singh and Mrs Stokes Ultimately the issue was decided by the high command after holding consultations with the state leaders. Mr Virbhadra Singh had been nursing a grouse that his supporters had not been given due representation. An effort was made to restore factional balance while reconstituting the team. While all districts were given representation, the caste, gender and regional factors were not given due consideration. Of the 30 office-bearers, excluding the PCC chief, 17 are Rajput, six Brahmin and four from the Scheduled Tribes and there is one representative each from the Scheduled Caste, other backward classes and the minorities. There are only five women in the team. The new teams comprises six vice presidents, seven general secretaries, 16 secretaries and a treasurer. The districts with larger representation in the ministry have got fewer posts. For instance, Solan, which has no minister, has got five party posts Kangra, which has six ministers, has only two office- bearers. Of the four new vice-presidents appointed, Mr Sujan Singh Pathania and Mr Yogendra Chandra, are supporters of Mr Virbhadra Singh while Mr Moti Ram is from the Stokes camp. Mr Phunkchuk Rai has been made vice-president to give representation to the tribal area of Lahaul and Spiti. Mr Lajja Ram and Mr Kush Parmar have been retained as vice-presidents. Of the three new general secretaries, Mr Thakur Singh Bharmouri and Mr Kuldeep Singh Pathania are Virbhadra loyalists and Mr Sukriti Kumar is a supporter of Ms Stokes. Ms Viplove Thakur, Mr Kuldeep Rathore, Mr A.N. Vidyarthi and Mr Rajinder Zar have been retained. Mr D.D. Thakur and Mr Raghubir Singh are the Virbhadra loyalists among the eight new secretaries. The other six are Mr Joginder Singh, Mr Sunil Sharma, Mr Rajinder Verma, Mr Asim Sharma, Mr Rakesh Kalia and Dr Kailash Prasher. Mr Kashmir Singh, Mr Harsh Wardhan, Mr Kunjana Singh, Ms Dinesh Sharma, Mr Raghu Raj, Mr Rehmat Ali Khan, Mr Rajesh Dharmani and Mr Bumber Thakur have been retained as secretaries. Mr Naresh Gupta continues as treasurer. |
|
|
Shanta cautions Cong against raising hospital Nurpur, March 29 Terming the remarks passed by Mr Kapil Sibal, AICC spokesperson, against Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani that he was a son of Jinnah , Mr Shanta Kumar expressed his anguish over such unsavoury remarks. He opined that leaders and candidates of all political parties must desist from making personal attacks and carry out a dignified poll campaign. He advised Mr Sibal to withdraw his remarks against Mr Advani. On the issue of the re-entry of former Agriculture Minister and former Kangra MLA Vidya Sagar, which was being opposed by the local BJP unit, Mr Shanta Kumar stated that there was a process of bringing back those BJP leaders who had left the party. He clarified that efforts were being made to bring such leaders back into the party fold only where it was possible. |
|
BJP leaders must exercise restraint, says Congress Shimla, March 29 Addressing a press conference here today, he said the kind of language BJP leaders had been using during campaigns against Mrs Sonia Gandhi was unacceptable. Instead of asking Mr Sibbal to apologise for his remarks on Mr L.K. Advani, Mr Shanta Kumar should seek a public apology from his own party leaders, he said. The “Bharat uday yatra” of Mr Advani was a flop, he said, adding that Mr Advani had no achievements to highlight during the yatra and had chosen to launch personal attacks on Congress leaders. He said the merger of Sikkim with India was a far greater achievement than making China accept it as a part of India. Similarly, there had been no change in Pakistan’s stand on Kashmir and the BJP was making tall claims that its foreign policy had been a big success, he added. |
|
|
Rise in voters’ strength
in Hamirpur Hamirpur, March 29 The total number of voters this time has been recorded at 10,61,741 as against 9,37,500 in 1999 when the last Lok Sabha elections were held. Women voters outnumber their male counterparts in the area. The total number of women voters in the area this time is 5,25,820 as against 5,18,013 male voters. This district again tops with the number of women voters in the area. The total number of women voters in Hamirpur district stands at 1,63,192 as against 1,49,320 male voters. Dehra sub division also comes second where female voters outnumbers the male voters. The total number of women voters in the Dehra subdivision that falls under the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat stands at 84,425 as against 81,531 male voters. However, male voters are in large numbers in the districts of Bilaspur and Una. The number of women voters in these districts has come down this time as compared to the male voters. |
|
|
EC appoints 12 observers for
Himachal Shimla, March 29 The observers will oversee the election process right from voting, counting of votes to the declaration of results. The observers will also scrutinise the affidavits filed along with the nomination papers of the candidates and review the daily expenditure incurred by candidates to ensure that expenditure was within the prescribed limits.
— TNS |
|
|
Expulsion of 9 Cong men revoked Shimla, March 29 These reinducted into the party include Mr Thakur Das, Mr Ramesh Pant, Mr Dharam Chand, Mr Krishna Chand, Mr Satya Dev, Mr Baldev Puri, Mr Ram Krishna Shandilya and Mr Ram Lal. Mr Virender Kumar and Mr Sita Ram Sharma have crossed over from the HVC to the
Congress. |
|
|
Saini heads BJP
Minority Morcha Shimla, March 29 Mr Karim Baksh is the general secretary of the morcha. Mr Pawan Thakur has been appointed co-convener of the party’s transport cell. |
|
|
NHPC speeds up work on Burrar project Dalhousie, March 29 The project is planned as a storage scheme on the Marusudar river, the main tributary of the Chenab, and is located in Kishtwar tehsil of Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir quite adjacent to Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. At present, there is no such storage scheme on
the Chenab or its tributaries. According to the Indus water treaty, storage
of 1.1 million acre-feet is proposed to be created across the tributaries of the Chenab at this project. The geological investigations of the Bursar hydro-electric project is an extremely difficult and challenging task because of its remoteness and inaccessibility, severity of climatic conditions, limited working season and extremely intricate geological features. The combined annual snowfall and rainfall reported to be average about 1820 cm and 1.5 metre of snowfall reported in the Maru valley during November and subsequent months of winter season. During the snowy season, the high altitudes are cut off from one another and there is hardly any human activity in the area. Bursar hydro-electric project is perhaps the only major project in the country located in a distant mountainous terrain where it takes three days of trekking through tough and rugged terrains to reach the project site. According to Mr Yogendra Prasad, Chairman and Chief Managing Director (CMD) of NHPC, despite all odds, the corporation has accepted the challenge to execute the colossal 1020 mw Bursar hydro-electric project and signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Jammu and Kashmir Government in 2000. The proposed project is located approximately 80 Km from Kishtwar town. The dam site is located near Hanzal village of Kistwar tehsil in Doda
district of Jammu and Kashmir on the river Marusudar, a major tributary of the Chenab. The project is presently approachable in the initial 30 KM by a motorable road whereas the remaining 50 km distance is negotiated by mules on footpaths. Mr Prasad said the project would provide peak power of 1020 mw to the Northern region grid and provide regulated discharge to all downstream projects including Pakal Dul, Dulhasti, Ratle, Baglihar, Sawalkot and Salal.
— UNI |
|
|
HC orders disability pension for Army man Shimla, March 29 This order was passed by Mr Justice R.L. Khurana. He directed the Ministry of Defence to pay the petitioner disability pension along with arrears from the date when he was removed from service within three months of the verdict. The petitioner had stated that he was enrolled as sepoy in the Mahar Regiment of the Army on January 18, 1958. He had added that he was removed from service on March 20, 1964, since he was found to be of an unsound mind and was not paid disability pension. He had further alleged that he made several representations to the ministry, but nothing was done. In 1999, he approached the court. Delivering this judgement, Mr Justice Khurana observed that the petitioner was not found suffering from any disease at the time of his recruitment in the Army. If there was no note with regard to a disease on account of which a person had been removed from service, it would be deemed to be attributable to or aggravated by Army service, the court ruled. |
|
|
Stamp papers being examined Chamba, March 29 According to official sources, an expert audit party is currently touring Chamba district to inspect whether the stamp papers sold by the government treasury and stamp vendors are genuine. The audit party inspected the departments concerned and directed them to thoroughly check the stamp papers at the time of receiving delivery from the government treasury. It also directed the officials concerned to keep constant vigil on vendors selling stamp papers in the area. It also asked the tax and revenue authorities to renew the licences of stamp vendors after proper verification. However, no clue of the presence of Telgi stamp paper network has been found in the district. |
|
Pathankot-Mandi highway needs repair Palampur, March 29 This highway plays significant role in the economy of the region and is important national highway of the country. It connects Pathankot to Leh via Manali and is being used by the Army authorities to carry heavy equipment and other material to Leh, Ladakh, Kargil and other forward areas. During Kargil conflict heavy equipment was carried via this highway to Leh and Kargil since it is beyond the range of Pakistan. Condition of this highway is worse than that of a rural road. This road was declared national highway in 1987, in view of the defence requirements for the supply of goods and defence equipment to Leh and other border areas. Even after
expire of 15 years the state Public Works Department could not convert even 25 per cent of the road into a national highway. The Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department, which looks after the maintenance of this highway has neglected this road and funds provided by the Ministry of Surface Transport, from time to time were either allegedly utilised or diverted to other roads at the behest of MLAs and Ministers who have no interest in the early completion of national highway. Equipment of the National Highway has also been transferred to the state roads. Besides, corruption in the allotment of tenders has made the matter worse. Despite spending crore no improvement is seen. Condition of road between Pathankot and Nagrota Bagwan, Joginder- nagar and Mandi has worsened in past two years and vehicle carrying heavy Army supplies and defence equipment to Manali are finding it difficult to move on the road. Vehicles laden with supplies are seen daily stranded at different points. Despite reminders to H.P. PWD authorities no steps were taken to keep the road in proper condition. Eight kilometre portion of highway between Jogindernagar and Ghatshani has turned into a drain. No bitumen is seen on the surface. Accidents take place daily in this portion but PWD authorities are unconcerned. |
|
|
Women protest against opening of liquor vend
Solan, March 29 Irked at the decision of the officials concerned, at least 250 women, including activists of local mahila mandals, today took out a demonstration in the village and later in front of the office of the local gram panchayat in protest against the opening of the liquor vend at Chamdhar village in Ramshahar sub-tehsil. The agitated women castigated the local panchayat for passing a resolution for setting up of the liquor vend. The women threatened that if the liquor vend was opened in the village, they would intensify their agitation. They said if the district administration did not respond to their demand, vehicular traffic would be blocked on the Shimla-Nalagarh road. The women said they had urged the Deputy Commissioner to intervene as opening of the liquor vend would invite unlawful activities in the villages. They said the panchayat pradhan, instead of coming out in their support, was favouring the opening of the liquor vend, which would adversely affect the younger generation. The women also submitted a memorandum to the Nalagarh Sub-Divisional Magistrate, who further sent it to Excise and Taxation Department officials.
— UNI |
|
Teachers’ union threatens stir Bilaspur, March 29 Addressing newsmen here yesterday Union’s State President Roshan Lal Sharma, district president Kuldeep Singh Bhabhauria, General Secretary Rattan Lal Sharma said teacher Kuldeep Kumar was performing duty as centre Superintendent in annual School Board Examination at government Senior Secondary School Kothipura and was not allowing copying in the centre. This was not liked by certain persons. The school principal had wrote to the administration and sought security to the invigilation staff. But the request was not accepted. On Saturday while Kuldeep Kumar was coming to the examination centre, he was accosted by certain persons and attacked, abused and beaten up. The Union wanted the administration and the school to take action in the matter. |
|
Snow-bound areas to have JBT
entrance centres Dharamsala, March 29 He asked all such candidates to give in writing the name of the subdivision where they were presently residing in so that examination centres could be allotted accordingly. He said this intimation should reach the board by April 5 and any request after that date would not be entertained.
— PTI |
|
|
Poppy husk worth over 5 lakh seized Solan, March 29 Harshiv and his accomplice Sardara Singh were arrested and a case under the NDPS Act registered against them at Nalagarh. This was the first large-scale haul of a narcotic substance in the district. Harshiv had earlier been booked in a similar case a few months back. |
|
Nalwar Fair concludes Sundernagar, March 29 At least 500 wrestlers participated in the ‘Chhinj’ this time. Jony Chaudhary was declared Suket Kumar. He won the title for the second consecutive time. Jagdish Kumar was declared Suket Kesri. |
|
|
HVC leader bereaved Bilaspur, March 29 Her funeral that was held today, was largely attended. Those who paid tributes to her included HVC supremo Sukhram and former RS member Anil Sharma. |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | National Capital | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
