H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Shimla, April 7
Prof B.P. Apte, all-India vice-president of the BJP, today asked various political parties to clear their stand on contentious issues like Article 370, the Ram temple and the common civil code before accusing the BJP of going soft on these issues.

Virbhadra reiterates resolve to stamp out corruption
Shimla, April 7
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Himachal Chief Minister, addressing election meetings at Siuntha and Chowari in Bhatiyat yesterday in favour of Congress nominee from Kangra parliamentary constituency, Chander Kumar said that the state’s Subordinate Services Selection Board was one of the examples where merit was ignored and those with access to high position were selected at the cost of meritorious candidates.

CM blamed for state missing on speciality hospital
Palampur, April 7
Mr Shanta Kumar, former Union Minister, said here today that the state  could not get an AIIMS-like hospital and medical college, under the Union Government plan to set up five AIIMS in the country because of the non-cooperative attitude of HP government.

50 pc DA to be merged in basic pay
Shimla, April 6
The Himachal government is committed to merge 50 per cent of the dearness allowance into basic salary.

Govt may cancel cement plant licence of L&T
Dalhousie, April 7
The Himachal Pradesh Government is contemplating to cancel the licence of Larsen and Toubro (L&T) for the proposed cement plant at Chamba taking into account its inordinate delay in getting the environment clearance form the Centre.

CAT’s notice to CM on IAS officer’s plea
Shimla, April 7
The Central Administrative Tribunal has issued notice to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, and other senior officials of the state the application of IAS officer Sanjay Gupta, who had sought action against them for committing perjury.

EC direction on voters in detention
Shimla, April 7
The Election Commission of India has directed to all state governments to furnish particulars of voters in preventive detention so that arrangement could be made to enable them cast vote by post.

Revision of electoral rolls for bypoll ordered
Shimla, April 7
The state election commission has ordered the revision of the electoral rolls for the conduct of byelections to vacant constituencies (wards) of various panchayati raj institutions with April 1 as the qualifying date for the inclusion of names in the voters list.

Protest march by Tibetan body
Dharamsala, April 7
The Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) here today took out a protest march against the passing of death sentence on Trulku Tenzin Delek, a Buddhist teacher, by the Chinese authorities in Tibet, on April 7 , 2002.

Site offered for shifting of Central School
Subathu, April 7
The authorities of the 14 Gorkha Training Centre have offered around 8 acres as the site for shifting the local Central School from its location in Lower Bazaar here. The land is situated near Radiana village, 1.5 km from here.

Two foreigners arrested for staying without documents
Kangra, April 7
Two foreigners were arrested for staying here without valid documents, the police said here today.

One dies of jaundice
Hamirpur, April 7
One person has died of jaundice while 24 are suffering from it at Chowki Jambalan gram panchayat of Hamirpur district. The gram panchayat is located on the outskirts of Hamirpur town towards Sujanpur Tira. The deceased has been identified as Trilok Chand (58).

Local holiday on Baisakhi
Shimla, April 7
The Himachal Pradesh Government today declared two local holidays on account of Baisakhi falling on April 13 and Dasehra Maha Ashtami falling on October 21 to the employees working in all government offices, boards, corporations and educational institutions in Shimla.

Vintage car rally on April 11
Shimla, April 7
As many as 15 vintage cars will participate in the “Baisakhi drive” being organised to boost tourism in Kasauli on April 11.

One held on abduction charge
Kangra, April 7
The Kangra police last night recovered a minor girl from the Una bus stand. She was allegedly abducted from Sameerpur village by Gulshan Kumar, an unemployed youth of the same village, according to the police here today.

Water crisis in Hamirpur areas
Hamirpur, April 7
With mercury soaring in the region, people of the district are facing a great deal of water shortage. They are fetching water from khuds, wells and hand-pumps, as water has dried up in taps.

Vision document, RSS agenda different: Apte
Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 7
Prof B.P. Apte, all-India vice-president of the BJP, today asked various political parties to clear their stand on contentious issues like Article 370, the Ram temple and the common civil code before accusing the BJP of going soft on these issues.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the vision document of the party was being wrongly termed as a reassertion of the RSS agenda. He said the BJP was a political party with a distinct ideology whereas the RSS was a social organisation which had a wider objective of transforming the entire country. The vision document reflected the political ideology of the BJP and had nothing to do with the RSS agenda.

He decried the tendency of political leaders to trivialise political dialogue by giving undue attention to remarks of Mr Narendra Modi or the health of the Prime Minister, Mr A.B. Vajpayee, which were non-issues. By dwelling on such issues they not only lowered the level of political debate but also diverted attention from major issues like the economic agenda and foreign policy which warranted threadbare discussion.

Mr Apte said that a major difference in the party’s poll campaign this time was that it was seeking votes on the basis of the solid performance of the NDA government over the past five years. It was not mustering electoral support on what it intended to do in the future.

Replying to a question he said Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin was a constitutional issue and raising it could not be construed as a personal attack on her. His party felt that only natural born citizens should be allowed to hold the high offices of Prime Minister and President. There was a law in countries like the USA in this regard and the BJP favoured legislation in this regard.

Virbhadra reiterates resolve to stamp out corruption
Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 7
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Himachal Chief Minister, addressing election meetings at Siuntha and Chowari in Bhatiyat yesterday in favour of Congress nominee from Kangra parliamentary constituency, Chander Kumar said that the state’s Subordinate Services Selection Board was one of the examples where merit was ignored and those with access to high position were selected at the cost of meritorious candidates. He said he had raised this matter in the Vidhan Sabha but no heed was paid to it by the Dhumal government. No rules and regulations were followed the entire recruitment process became a farce.

Reiterated his government’s resolve to eradicate corruption at all level. The Chief Minister said that several initiatives had been taken in this respect during last one year.

Referring to the poll promises made during the last Assembly election he said the manifesto had been adopted as policy by the government and a cabinet sub committee constituted to oversee its implementation.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said that the NDA government at the Centre had failed to ensure security of the country and despite reports of infiltration from across the borders no preventive steps were taken. The country had to face a war-like situation in Kargil and a number of brave soldiers had to sacrifice lives while pushing back the invaders.

He said the NDA government had promise to provide employment to one crore youth every year but the no effort was made to create employment. He charged the NDA government with selling off valuable assets of the country in the name of disinvestments.

CM blamed for state missing on speciality hospital
Our Correspondent

Palampur, April 7
Mr Shanta Kumar, former Union Minister, said here today that the state  could not get an AIIMS-like hospital and medical college, under the Union Government plan to set up five AIIMS in the country because of the non-cooperative attitude of HP government. He said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh did not reply to a letter of the Union Health Minister, Mrs Sushma Swaraj, in which she had offered to take over the Vivekanand Medical College and Education Institute and convert it into a super speciality hospital like AIIMS.

Addressing a press conference here today Mr Shanta Kumar said there was a proposal to set up five AIIMS-like hospitals in the country and one was to be at Palampur.

The Vivekanand Medical College and Research  Trust had also agreed to hand over the project to the Union Government along with the infrastructure. Since the land of the project belongs to the state government, which was on lease with the trust, the consent of the state government was mandatory. He said he called on the Chief Minister twice in this regard. Mr Shanta Kumar said he requested the Chief Minister to write a formal letter to Mrs Sushma Swaraj so that official formalities could be completed. He said initially Mr Virbhadra Singh agreed to write a letter but for reasons best known to him he failed to do so.

He said  the Chief Minister wanted that Government Medical College, Tanda,  should be taken over by the Union Government. But under the policy of the Health Ministry there was no provision to take over  the existing medical colleges.

50 pc DA to be merged in basic pay
Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 6
The Himachal government is committed to merge 50 per cent of the dearness allowance into basic salary.

An official spokesman yesterday said that the state had been following the Punjab pattern in the matter of pay-scales of employees and the decision regarding the merger of dearness allowance into basic salary would be implemented when the Punjab government issued a notification. He said Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh, had announced in the Vidhan Sabha, while presenting the vote-on-account that government would meet all commitments made to the employees.

Govt may cancel cement plant licence of L&T
Our Correspondent

Dalhousie, April 7
The Himachal Pradesh Government is contemplating to cancel the licence of Larsen and Toubro (L&T) for the proposed cement plant at Chamba taking into account its inordinate delay in getting the environment clearance form the Centre.

This was stated by Mr Virbhadra Singh, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, while talking to mediapersons here last night. He said no project, whether hydropower project or any other project, would be allowed to be executed at the cost of the people of the state, adding that employment to the local people would be ensured at all costs while signing the memoranda of understanding (MoUs).

Answering queries about the construction of proposed airports in the state, Mr Virbhadra Singh said with the change of government at the Centre in 1999, the BJP government changed the policies on airports, so the proposed airports at Banikhet and Rangrik could not be constructed.

Commenting upon the Shahpur rally of the BJP, Mr Virbhadra Singh said it was a gathering as usual and there was nothing worth making an impact on the people of Himachal Pradesh. He said he had already written to the Union Ministry of Health for sponsoring Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda (Kangra), on the pattern of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) instead of proposed Swami Vivekananda Medical Hospital at Palampur in the interest of the state but no reply had yet been received in this connection from the Centre.

Mr Virbhadra Singh described the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre as a scam-ridden government which included scams of UTI, nationalised banks and share market.

Mr Virbhadra Singh was accompanied by the Congress nominees, Mr Chander Kumar, Mr Sat Mahajan, Rural Development Minister, Ms Asha Kumar,, Education Minister, Mr Kewal Singh Pathania, state president of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), besides other Congress leaders.

CAT’s notice to CM on IAS officer’s plea
Our Correspondent

Shimla, April 7
The Central Administrative Tribunal has issued notice to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, and other senior officials of the state the application of IAS officer Sanjay Gupta, who had sought action against them for committing perjury.

He alleged that former Chief Secretaries Arvind Kaul and R. Bhattacharya and Mr B.S. Chauhan, Secretary (Personnel), had made false averments before the CAT for a verdict in their favour.

Mr Gupta alleged that the averments in the reply were against the record placed before the high court and before the CAT.

Mr Gupta also alleged that litigation was on in the high court between the applicant and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh but this fact had been denied in the reply, applicant had added that after the decision of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) Mr Virbhadra Singh had filed a petition before the state high court which is pending for adjudication. Moreover, the state government has challenged the decision of the CAT after a gap of two & half years in the state High Court.

During his last tenure as Chief Minister Mr Virbhadra Singh, had made adverse entries in the ACR of Mr Gupta, he approached the CAT and in this respect and the Tribunal quashed the order passed by Mr Virbhadra Singh. In this case Mr Virbhadra Singh was impleaded as party, the State Government had issued a charge sheet to Mr Gupta, which he challenged before the CAT. After issuing the notices to Mr Virbhadra Singh and others the CAT fixed the hearing for May 6 at Chandigarh.

EC direction on voters in detention
Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 7
The Election Commission of India has directed to all state governments to furnish particulars of voters in preventive detention so that arrangement could be made to enable them cast vote by post.

Mrs Manisha Nanda, chief electoral officer, said here yesterday that under the law every voter, in preventive detention, was entitled to cast his vote by post. The Returning Officer concerned would send postal ballot to such electors so that they would exercise their franchise.

The particulars of such voters would be send to the returning officers concerned, in 15 days of the notification of elections. On the receipt of names and addresses of such electors, the returning officer would issue postal ballot to them.

The Chief Electoral Officer requested the government to issue directions to the authorities concerned, including all jail authorities and commandants of the detention camps, if any, in the state so that particulars of the electors in preventive detention could be furnished to returning officers.

Revision of electoral rolls for bypoll ordered
Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 7
The state election commission has ordered the revision of the electoral rolls for the conduct of byelections to vacant constituencies (wards) of various panchayati raj institutions with April 1 as the qualifying date for the inclusion of names in the voters list.

The existing electoral rolls prepared last year, will be published on April 20. Claims and objection could be filed from April 21 to 27 and these would be decided by April 30. Appeals could be filed within seven days of the date on which the revision authority passes the order. The appeals would be decided from May 11 to 17 and the final electoral rolls would be published on May 18.

The revision of electoral rolls with the qualifying date would be undertaken only in those constituencies (wards) where there is a vacancy on or before and existed on March 31,2004. After the disposal of claims and objections, a supplementary list shall be prepared.

Protest march by Tibetan body

Dharamsala, April 7
The Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) here today took out a protest march against the passing of death sentence on Trulku Tenzin Delek, a Buddhist teacher, by the Chinese authorities in Tibet, on April 7 , 2002.

The march started from McLeodganj and terminated at Kachheri Adda. More than 250 Tibetan women, men and foreigners participated in it.

According to the TWA sources, Trulku Tenzin Delek was charged with inciting separatism and conspiracy, and was sentenced to death despite the fact that the Buddhist teacher had denied the charges. The sentence was suspended for two years, while his relative Lobsang Dhondup was executed on Januray 26, 2003, despite protests from international community.

The rally was addressed by Mr Sunil Manocha of the Bharat Tibet Sahyog Manch, Ms Dolma of the TWA and other speakers. The TWA has urged the United Nations and various human rights organisations to pressurise the Chinese authorities to revoke the death sentence and guarantee the safety of Trulku Tenzin Delek. It also demanded fair and independent review of the verdict.

Site offered for shifting of Central School
Our Correspondent

Subathu, April 7
The authorities of the 14 Gorkha Training Centre have offered around 8 acres as the site for shifting the local Central School from its location in Lower Bazaar here. The land is situated near Radiana village, 1.5 km from here.

The Education Officers from Central School, Chandigarh, had recentlly inspected the site along with Administrative Commandant of 14 GTC and had deemed the site fit for shifting the school. They had recommended the matter to Mr D.K. Saini, Assistant Commissioner, Central School, Chandigarh, for further consideration. The officers had also met Brig S. S. Sambyal, Commandant, 14 GTC, and apprised him of their decision.

Two foreigners arrested for staying
without documents
Our Correspondent

Kangra, April 7
Two foreigners were arrested for staying here without valid documents, the police said here today.

Kangra district police chief S. Zahoor H. Zaidi said today that Tasidar, resident of Tibet, and Tsring Chopal, resident of Lithong Tibet, were arrested under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act from Mcleodganj last night.

He said there were reports that some Chinese nationals sneak into India without proper documents via Nepal. So the police intensified checking and the two were caught. SSP Zaidi said both had neither entry permits as is the case with the Tibetans here nor visa. They were without proper travel documents too, he disclosed. He said they had sneaked into India through Nepal as was revealed in the investigation.

One dies of jaundice
Our Correspondent

Hamirpur, April 7
One person has died of jaundice while 24 are suffering from it at Chowki Jambalan gram panchayat of Hamirpur district. The gram panchayat is located on the outskirts of Hamirpur town towards Sujanpur Tira. The deceased has been identified as Trilok Chand (58).

The worst affected is Dodroo village, where at least six persons are suffering from the disease. 

Local holiday on Baisakhi

Shimla, April 7
The Himachal Pradesh Government today declared two local holidays on account of Baisakhi falling on April 13 and Dasehra Maha Ashtami falling on October 21 to the employees working in all government offices, boards, corporations and educational institutions in Shimla. These holidays would not be applicable to the daily wage employees and would not be the holidays within the meaning of Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, 1881, an official release here said.

These holidays were earlier declared as restricted holidays troughout the state. — PTI

Vintage car rally on April 11
Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 7
As many as 15 vintage cars will participate in the “Baisakhi drive” being organised to boost tourism in Kasauli on April 11.

The rally will be flagged off from the office of Kasauli Resorts in Sector 35, Chandigarh, and after having a round of Kasauli terminate at the same point. The event is being organised by the Chandigarh Vintage Classic Car Club in collaboration with the Himachal Tourism Department.

Brig J.S. Phoolka, president of the club, said the success of the vintage car rally from Delhi to Shimla, organised in November last, to mark the centenary of Shimla-Kalka rail, encouraged the club to have a smaller event. It would provide another opportunity to vintage car lovers to display their valuable possession.

One held on abduction charge
Our Correspondent

Kangra, April 7
The Kangra police last night recovered a minor girl from the Una bus stand. She was allegedly abducted from Sameerpur village by Gulshan Kumar, an unemployed youth of the same village, according to the police here today.

The Kangra district police chief, Mr S. Zahoor H. Zaidi, said that Mr Udam Singh, father of the girl, had lodged a report with the Kangra police that Gulshan Kumar had committed the crime on April 2.

The suspect has been arrested under Sections 363 and 366, IPC.

Gulshan Kumar, according to the police, took the girl, who had just given her matriculation examination, to Chandigarh and on the way back he was arrested.

Water crisis in Hamirpur areas
Our Correspondent

Hamirpur, April 7
With mercury soaring in the region, people of the district are facing a great deal of water shortage. They are fetching water from khuds, wells and hand-pumps, as water has dried up in taps.

The discharge in the reservoirs has come down by 25 per cent to 50 per cent. The worst affected are the people of the upper Bamsan area of the district.

Mr R.N. Sharma, Superintendent Engineer of the Irrigation-cum-Public Health Department, Hamirpur, admitted that there was a shortage of water in the Chamboh area of the district. Meanwhile, the district administration organised a meeting here last evening to review the water shortage in the district.