 |
|
Pratibha files nomination Apologise to PM, Chandel asks CM 77 pc Mandi voters have ID cards |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
CM violates poll code: BJP Abhishek is Youth Cong general secy
Fauna diversity in Pin valley 18 sheep, goats perish in fire Cluster of houses destroyed in fire A cluster of houses (Chowki), where 26 families were residing in the congested Bangla Mohalla of the town, were reduced to ashes in a devastating fire today. The loss has been estimated at Rs 60 lakh. No loss of life has been reported. Dharamsala, April 17 Mohinder Singh (33), BSF jawan who died in a landmine blast near Udhampur on April 15 while going on election duty, was cremated with full military honours in his native Samba village, about 50 kilometres from here. Shimla, April 17 Mr V.S. Kokje, Governor, inaugurated Chander Kaur Sood Memorial Physiotherapy Clinic at the district Red Cross Bhavan, near Ripon Hospital, here last evening. 
|
|
Pratibha files nomination Mandi, April 17 Welcoming the return of Mr Sukh Ram to the Congress, who was also on the stage, he said it would strengthen the party and also benefit Mr Sukh Ram, who had bitter expriences with the BJP. Referring to the charge of favouring his wife, he said circumstances had forced her to enter the fray, as Thakur Kaul Singh, IPH Minister, had expressed his inability to fight for personal reasons. Mr Sukh Ram, talking about his rejoining the Congress said: “I am happy that every one has welcomed my joining the party and there was not a single voice of dissent.” He advised Ms Pratibha Singh to establish her independent identity, apart from being the wife of the Chief Minister. Ms Vidya Stokes, HPCC president, claimed that the people were disillusioned with the NDA and added that the Congress would form a government at the Centre. Ms Pratibha Singh said service of the people would be her mission and development the main issue. Thakur Kaul Singh and Excise and Taxation Minister Rangila Ram Rao also spoke on the occasion. |
|
Apologise to PM, Chandel asks CM Hamirpur, April 17 Addressing a series of election meetings at Pahloo, Ropri, Patera and Nahlwin villages in the Mewa assembly segment today, Mr Chandel asked the Chief Minister to seek a public apology from the Prime Minister for telling “lies” on various issues concerning him. He said a person who had himself praised Mr Vajpayee for helping the state by giving Rs 553 crore for developmental activities was now making false accusations against him. He said the ex-servicemen of the state had received several benefits under BJP rule. It was wrong to say that nothing had been done by the BJP for the ex-servicemen and their families. Only the one rank, one pension demand was yet to be fulfilled and that was under the consideration of a high-level team of ministries. Mr Ishwar Dass Dhiman, MLA and former Education Minister, condemned the Congress for its “misinformation drive” against the BJP and its leaders. |
|
77 pc Mandi voters have ID cards Mandi, April 17 Briefing newspersons, he said spread over 34,383 sq km, Mandi was the second-largest constituency in the country, covering the districts of Mandi and Kulu and the tribal belts of Chamba and Kinnaur and the Rampur segment of Shimla. He said the directions of the Election Commission would be implemented in letter and in spirit. The candidates were prohibited from transporting voters to the polling stations. Also the government rest houses and circuit houses could not be used for electioneering, he warned. Mr Rizvi said there were 10,70,985 voters, including 8836 in the services, in the constituency. The electoral rolls had been revised up to January 20, 2004. As many as 1,712 polling stations had been set up. The number of sensitive booths in the district was 81 and hypersentive 35. The highest polling booth had been set up a height of 15,000 ft at Hikkam village Lahul and Spiti. A trek of 35 km would take one to the farthest Chharng polling station in Kinnaur district, Mr Rizvi said. As many as 4,81,441 voters (77 per cent) had been provided identity cards. A “liberal system” had been evolved for those without the cards to enable them to cast their vote. The nominations would be received between April 16 and April 23. The scrutiny would be done on April 24 and the time for withdrawal would end on April 26 at 3 pm. The polling would take place on May 10 and the counting would be done on May 13. As many as 68 sector officers and 21 sector magistrates had been deputed. |
|
Chamba, April 17 Expressing anguish over these announcements, Mr Kishori Lal alleged that prior to the elections, the Chief Minister had imposed a ban on the appointments due to which educated youths of the state were disappointed. In a complaint lodged by the BJP with the Election Commission of India, Mr Kishori Lal had urged the commission to probe these announcements.
— OC |
|
Abhishek is Youth Cong general secy Shimla, April 17 Earlier, Mr Ahluwalia was the secretary of the organisation. He is also a member of state youth
board. |
|
Medical college near completion PALAMPUR: The Vivekanand Medical College and Research Institute being set up here by a private trust will come as a boon to residents of lower region of the state. The proposal to set up this super-speciality institution was made by Mr Shanta Kumar in 1992 when he was Chief Minister. This medical institute was meant to provide quality medicare to the people of the state where there was no medical facilities worth the name. Earlier this project was a joint venture of the Himachal Pradesh Government and Apollo Group Of Hospitals, which had to run this institution through a private trust. But the Apollo group left this project half way. Thereafter, neither the state government nor any other private party has shown any interest in the completion of this project. For almost 10 years the project has remained confined to official files. Since this was a dream project of Mr Shanta Kumar, the sole force behind the idea to set up such a big medical institution here, in 2000 when he joined the Union Cabinet, he decided to revive the project. A trust headed by him was formed. Besides, Mr Shanta Kumar social workers and respected citizens of the region were made trustees. The state government transferred valuable land measuring 40 acres situated in the heart of the town to the new trust on a token lease of Re 1 per year. Now almost 60 per cent work on the institution is complete. The remaining work is on full swing. This project is being set up under the guidelines of experts of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. Besides setting up of a super-specialty hospital with 500 beds (indoor), the project envisages providing a medical college, a nursing institution a para-medical school and yoga and naturopathy treatment facilities. There is a provision for reserving 20 per cent beds for poor patients. The estimated cost of project is approximately Rs 80 crore. the entire funding by donations from individuals and institutions. People from all walks of life have come forward to donate liberally for this noble cause. Rev, Dalai Lama has given Rs 5 crore for one block of the hospital, which has been named Mount Kailash Prakhand. The Birla group of industries have donated Rs 3 crore for the construction of yoga and naturopathy centre. Keeping in view the estimated cost of the project, the trust still needs substantial funds in the form of donations to ensure early completion. However the trust is hopeful that the institution will be functional within a year. |
|
|
Fauna diversity in Pin valley CHANDIGARH: Many think of the Pin Valley National Park as just a cold desert. But on the contrary, it supports a diverse fauna. According to studies conducted by the Solan-based high altitude zoology field station of the Zoological Survey of India, mammalian fauna in the region is less diverse than in the trans-Himalayan areas. The only national park in Himachal Pradesh, it falls in Spiti subdivision. Established in 1987, the park is spread over 1,825 sq km with a core zone of 1,150 sq km. The altitude ranges from 3,650m to 6,632m as it encompasses the watershed of the Parahio and Pin rivers and lies above the tree line. Dr R.M. Sharma, officer in charge of the station, says Asiatic ibex, snow leopard, red fox, Tibetan wolf, stone marten, Himalayan weasel, pale weasel and mouse hare have been recorded in the park. The Himalayan or Asiatic ibex is one of the five sub-species seen in Eurasia. It is found from Hindu Kush to the Tien Shan and Altai mountains in Central Asia. It is included in Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. However, a study conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun, “Ecology and conservation of the Asiatic ibex in India”, has reported that the ibex population is threatened due to three factors — migratory graziers, local livestock and habitat degradation. The study says 17 villages in the vicinity of the park are an immediate threat to the species. The hazards for the animals are increased as the park is used by migratory graziers whose livestock are potential carriers of diseases. The dependence of the villagers on the park for wood, fodder and cultivation is also degrading the habitat. Dr P.C. Tak and Dr R. Paliwal, scientists at the Solan-based station, have sighted 39 species of birds belonging to 15 families, while the Wildlife Institute of India has recorded 60 species from 27 families. They range from common species, snow pigeon, blue rock pigeon, plain mountain finch, yellow-billed chough and citrine wagtail, to diurnal carnivorous birds like golden eagle, Himalayan griffon, common kestrel and lammergeier to long-tailed shrike, which feeds on insects, besides chukar, common swift and house swift. The small plain-coloured swift resembles swallow and is noted for its rapid flight. Dr Sharma says 14 species of butterfly of four families have been recorded. These included lime butterfly, Indian cabbage white, bath white, common leopard, queen of Spain fritillary, painted lady and eastern blue sapphire. Besides these, three species each of scorpion and snail have been recorded. Recording butterflies is a difficult task due to strong winds. “Since recording of all range of species is not possible, the survival of these identified species ensures the survival of all species in the park,” says Dr Sharma. He says the park is rich in fossils. Regarding the invertebrate fauna, Dr Sharma says 17 different groups have been recorded. The beetles are found in abundance. He says the fish fauna in the park could not be studied as Bhotis, the local people, do not allow outsiders to catch fish here due to religious sentiments. |
|
18 sheep, goats perish in fire Chamba, April 17 Giving this information over the phone today, Mr Sanjeev Pathania, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Churah subdivision, said the local administration, along with police officials, rushed to the incident site and supervised the rescue operation carried out with the help of the locals but the house and the livestock, including sheep and goats, was engulfed in flames. The SDM said the police had registered a case and the police investigation had revealed that some half-burnt “bidi” or cigarette sparked fire to a scooter parked in the house, which burst into flames, thereby burning the house. The SDM said an immediate relief of Rs 1,000 had been given to victim Manorath, besides blankets. However, the revenue officials were on the job to assess the loss caused due to fire. |
|
Cluster of houses destroyed in fire Mandi, April 17 District officers rushed to the spot immediately and supervised the fire-fighting. Fire was brought under control after two hours. Fire tenders could not reach the spot. The district authorities disbursed Rs 25,000 each to the 23 affected families, whose entire property had been destroyed, and Rs 500 each to the three families, who had suffered minor damage. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh also visited the spot. |
|
BSF jawan cremated Dharamsala, April 17 The martyr’s brother lit the pyre on the banks of the river Maul. He is survived by his wife and one-year-old son. Mohinder Singh’s three brothers also serving with the armed forces. Himachal Revenue Minister B.B.L. Butail and local MLA Jagjiwan Paul and senior police and administration officials, along with hundreds of villagers, bid a tearful adieu to the jawan. |
|
Physiotherapy clinic opened Shimla, April 17 The clinic, only of its kind in the city, has been established by the Dr V.K. Sood and R.K. Sood Memorial Trust and the Chander Kaur Sood Memorial Charitable Trust. It will serve physically and mentally challenged persons with the cooperation of the Bharat Vikas Parishad, a voluntary organisation. |
| 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 | |
