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Cabinet reshuffle after Assembly session: CM Cong men rally behind Sonia
NDA defeat sobers BJP leaders
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Eradi panel team visits Manali
Fires: Forest Dept feels the heat
BSNL employees honoured
HRTC to make buses for Uttaranchal
10 arrested, liquor seized
Jawan cremated with honours
ABVP for fee cut
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Fake killings shocking, says Army chief
Hamirpur, May 18 Talking to reporters here today, he claimed that terrorist activities were on the decline. He, however, said the forces were on alert to check possible terrorist activities once the snow melted on higher peaks of Jammu and Kashmir. To a question about the Siachen fake killings, he described the issue as highly disturbing and shocking. He said the Army had taken action much in advance in December, 2003. He said the Commanding Officer of the Siachen area had already been shifted and an inquiry into the issue was on. He said action would be taken against those found responsible in this incident. The Army chief said there was no need to increase the quota for jawans in Himachal Pradesh as it was already getting more than its share. He appreciated the gesture of the people of the state to join the Army to serve the nation. Earlier, the Army chief dedicated a B-grade polyclinic to the people of Hamirpur district at a function here this morning. The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, was also present on the occasion. General Vij said the Army was keen on helping ex-servicemen, serving soldiers and their families. He said the Army proposed to open 277 polyclinics in the country, including eight in Himachal Pradesh. Three such polyclinics became operational in Himachal Pradesh from today at Hamirpur, Una and Bilaspur. The General said it was a dream project of the Army to help those who had extended them a helping hand when they were in service. The Army chief paid tributes to the people of Himachal Pradesh for their selfless services towards the nation by way of joining the Army. He said the Army would provide all sorts of facilities to its serving soldiers and ex-servicemen, and added that in future the facility of Canteen Stores Department would also be provided near the polyclinics. He thanked the HP government for providing land and building facilities free of cost to the Army for setting up hospitals. Mr Virbhadra Singh thanked the Army chief for the opening of Army hospitals and polyclinics in the state. He assured the General that facilities would be provided to the Army for this purpose in any part of the state. |
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Cabinet reshuffle after Assembly session: CM
Hamirpur, May 18 Talking to mediapersons, he admitted that he had given a dressing-down to a number of ministers, MLAs and chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of various boards and corporations, who failed to perform their duty during the Lok Sabha poll. He advocated the need for giving representation to Himachal Pradesh at the time of formation of the Union Cabinet. Indirectly, he opposed any move to give a ministerial berth to Mr Anand Sharma, Rajya Sabha MP from the state. The Chief Minister was here to take part in a function organised by the Army in connection with the inauguration of a polyclinic. |
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Cong men rally behind Sonia Shimla, May 18 Mr Kuldeep Rathore, general secretary of the Pradesh Congress Committee, led the dharna in which Mr Sohan Lal and Mr N.K. Mehta, mayor and deputy mayor of the local municipal corporation, Mr Adarsh Sood, a former MLA, Ms Kanta Sood, a former president of the INTUC, and Mahila Congress leaders participated. Mr Rathore urged Ms Gandhi not to bow to the pressure tactics of the RSS and other communal forces and honour the sentiments of the people who had given a clear verdict in her favour. |
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NDA defeat sobers BJP leaders
Shimla, May 18 It was after a long time that all leaders who were invited turned up for the meeting. There were no fireworks or even any indirect attack on one another by leaders of the rival faction headed by Mr P.K. Dhumal, former Chief Minister, and Mr Shanta Kumar, former Union Minister. The meeting, held under the chairmanship of Mr Suresh Bhardwaj, the state president. Apparently, the defeat of the NDA at the Centre had a sobering effect on the partymen who had been engaged intense infighting over the past three years. All speakers, including Mr Dhumal and Mr Shanta Kumar, exercised restraint and the thrust was on removing the shortcomings which led to the defeat. There was no “blame game” which reflected the changing mood in the party. Mr Bhardwaj in his opening remarks maintained that the party had done well and defied the electoral history by winning one seat. In the past, all seats had been won by the party in power in the state. He claimed that the performance of the party had improved as it gained leads in 23 Assembly segments, whereas it could win only 16 seats in the 2003 Vidhan Sabha poll. Its vote percentage increased from 35.8 to 44 which was a remarkable achievement, he said. The Congress government put pressure on and even threatened the panchayat functionaries to force them to support it. The fact that electronic voting machines were used and counting was done boothwise came in handy for the ruling party. Mr Dhumal said the workers lacked the killer instinct as a result of which the campaign lacked the cutting edge. Mr Shanta Kumar said that he virtually fought against the government as there were eight ministers in his constituency which did make a difference. It was, however, the over-confidence among the partymen which led to his defeat. Mr Suresh Chandel, Mr Maheshwar Singh and Mr H.N. Kashyap, the other three candidates said that they received full support from the party and they had no grouse. Mr Maheshwar said he was unable to understand why could not get a lead from Kulu district Mr Chandel and Mr Shanta Kumar did hint at undercutting at certain places. The majority view was that taking back the expelled leaders had helped the party, though a few had reservations in this regard. |
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Eradi panel team visits Manali
Chandigarh, May 18 The tribunal was set up by the Union Government in April ,1986, to fix the share of Punjab and Haryana in Ravi -Beas waters so as to resolve the river waters dispute between the two states. The team is accompanied by Mr K.R. Lakhanpal, Principal Secretary (Irrigation), Punjab; and Advocate-General, Harbhagwan Singh and their counterparts from Haryana, besides the Chief Engineers (Canals) of both states. Mr Harbhagan Singh told The Tribune on the phone that the team members visited various river streams, the origin points of various rivulets etc. The team would visit the origin point of the Beas, besides the Pong Dam and other water sources such as the Sutlej tomorrow. The team will return to Chandigarh on May 20 and visit the Bhakra Dam, Ropar headworks etc. The tribunal is to decide whether Haryana is a part of the basin of rivers the water of which is supposed to be adjudicated between the two states. Punjab had recently taken the plea that Haryana was not a part of the basin and secondly it was not an inter-state river, waters dispute. Hence, the tribunal was not a competent authority to decide the river waters issue. Mr Harbhagwan Singh said that the team members were also shown some dry streams near Manali. Punjab had taken the stand that the quantum of water in various streams and rivers has gone
down. The tribunal has been relying on the river waters data collected in 1916, 1922 and a few decades later. It does not have the latest data. Punjab had cited the latest data collected by the Bhakra-Beas Management Board ( BBMB) on the river waters to justify its assertion that the flow into the rivers has gone down in the recent past. Moreover, certain streams have changed their courses. The state, therefore, has no surplus water to spare for Haryana. The tribunal has fixed July 23 as the next date of hearing in the case. |
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Fires: Forest Dept feels the heat
Shimla, May 18 As per the latest report sent by the state Forest Department to the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment yesterday, at present there have been 170 cases of
ground fires, affecting a total area of 3,200 hectares, mainly in sensitive pine belts in Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Dehra, Nurpur, Una and Nalagarh. “We are all geared up to tackle forest fires. At present, the situation is under control and so far there has not been
even a single instance of crown fire, which is more damaging and difficult to control,” said Mr R.A. Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. “The situation is under control, but the worst is yet to come as we apprehend this year to be one of the worst in terms of forest fires,” said a senior forest official. With exceptionally high temperatures and a drought-like situation, forest officials are keeping their fingers crossed as these factors could lead to a disastrous situation. In 1997, forest fires had ravaged pine forests right across the state, leading to huge loss of trees and animal life. As per data available with the Forest Department, last year about 14,000 hectares had During the last decade, the Forest Department has tried to focus on community involvement in controlling fires and seeking cooperation of the public in managing forests. A total of 600 fire watchers have been deputed to keep the
situation under control while 834 joint village forest development committees have
been constituted in the state. “Since it is humanly not possible for beat forest officials to keep an eye on the entire area, we are trying to educate and awaken the public, without whose help the department alone
cannot save and protect the forest wealth,” remarked Mr R.A. Singh. As a routine precautionary method, controlled burning is always undertaken during the winter months by the Forest Department,
when the piled up pine needles are burnt in rotation after every four years. With the bark of pine trees being very thick, the tree can withstand the severity
of the fire to a great extent and many of the affected trees regenerate. During the past few years, there has been extensive damage to the forests, especially pine forests, and animal life due to the fires, which have become an annual feature, giving a tough time to the authorities. |
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34 cases of forest fire in Nahan
Nahan, May 18 Mr M. Narayanappa, Conservator of Forests, Nahan circle, said here today that one forest plantation raised by the department had been damaged in a fire causing a loss of Rs 25,000 to the department. He said due to a mass awareness campaign launched by the department through divisional officers in Solan and Sirmour districts, the department was getting full cooperation from the local people in controlling fire incidents. It was because of this that fire could be brought under control immediately. Mr Narayanappa said he was personally reviewing the fire protection arrangements. He had visited all five forest divisions recently to take stock of fire protection measures. Mr Narayanappa said on his initiative the Deputy Commissioner, Sirmour, Mr M.L. Sharma and the Deputy Commissioner, Solan, Mr Rajesh Kumar has enacted the provisions of HP Rural and Small Town Patrolling Act, 1964 and has ordered the panchayats to organise night patrolling in their respective panchayats and assist forest department to prevent forest fire. Mr Narayanappa said as much as 5100 mandays of fire watchers have been created to keep the vigil on fire-prone areas. Fire control rooms equipped with wireless sets at divisional level are working round the clock. |
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Kokje urged to take action against officials
Shimla, May 18 In a letter to Mr Kokje, he said he had been implicated in false cases while those who actually misappropriated the funds had not been touched. He named some employees, who he alleged, had drawn government funds by faking signatures of drawing and disbursing officers. |
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Taps in Shimla go dry
Shimla, May 18 Come summers and the city faces an acute water shortage, with the floating population of tourists making the situation even worse. The municipal corporation today ordered water rationing and water would he supplied only on alternate days. With the water level in all reservoirs falling drastically, the situation is likely to worsen in the coming days, as the dry spell continues unabated. As against a water requirement of 65 lakh gallons per day in summers, there is a shortfall of almost 15 lakh gallons. “At present, we are able to supply only about 49 lakh gallons of water as the water level in the reservoirs has gone down,” said Mr Mohan Chauhan, Municipal Commissioner. Mr Chauhan said with the water level dropping, the pressure reduced as a result of which the water did not reach the homes of people. He added that the availability of water from the main water source at Ashwani khud had dropped, resulting in a slight shortfall, which was likely to improve shortly. The water level at the reservoir at Ridge has come down to 7.9 ft from the normal level of 14 ft. Similarly, the level at the Sanjauli reservoir has also slipped to 9.2 ft from the normal level of 14 ft. Certain parts of the town, including Tuti Kandi, Khalini, New Shimla, Vikasnagar, Kasumpti, Dhalli, Sanjauli, Nabha, Chakkar, Summer Hill, Ghora Chowki, Tutu, Kelston, Bharari, Cemetery and Batta Kuffar areas are facing an acute water shortage. Residents complained that they were getting water supply after two days and not on alternate days. The problem is likely to aggravate in the coming days as more and more tourists will flock the town to beat the heat of the plains. However, locals rue that the municipal corporation authorities should make arrangements keeping in mind the flow of tourists to the town every summer. Meanwhile, the district administration is yet to order stopping of water to growers in the vicinity of the Gumma pumping station for irrigation purpose. |
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BSNL employees honoured
Dharamsala, May 18 Mr Chaturvedi asked other employees also to work hard. He said the Dharamsala circle had proved its efficiency by raising its revenue from Rs 39 crore to Rs 48.60 crore last year. |
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HRTC to make buses for Uttaranchal
Dharamsala, May 18 Himachal Transport Minister G.S. Bali said the workshops have trained staff but due to lack of work, they remained idle most of the time. He said for the first time, the HRTC has got an order for making bodies of 20 buses for the Uttaranchal Government. Mr Bali claimed that talks for zero interest financing of vehicles through Tata Motor Co were in the final stages. He said many routes in Himachal were loss-making, but the HRTC was committed to providing bus services to these remote areas as the state has little railway network. He said plans are afoot to get 400 such vehicles financed to provide self-employment opportunities to youths. He said all these vehicles would be attached with the HRTC and loan repayments, salaries, taxes and maintenance would be the responsibility of the corporation till the loans are repaid. Earlier, the minister presided over the award
ceremony organised by Tata Motors where 49 drivers were given gifts and commendation certificates for high mileage achievement in HRTC buses. The minister said due to the hard work of the employees, the running costs had come down, resulting in a net saving of Rs 3 crore. He said the Transport Department had also raised its earnings by Rs 20 crore last year. The Managing Director of the HRTC, Mr Daljit Dogra, welcomed the chief guest and said the awards which were discontinued five years ago have been started again and will go a long way in motivating other drivers to help achieve economy. Mr G.S. Bali also announced that a new AC Super Deluxe bus service between Dharamsala and Delhi would run from today. |
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10 arrested, liquor seized
Kangra, May 18 The district police chief, Mr S. Zahoor H. Zaidi, said today that the arrested persons had been identified as Rekha Devi of Gopalpura, Asha Rani of Parel, Suresh of Bardaari, Chaman of Majra, Bantee of Chunoor, Raj Kumar of Channi, Birbal of Chalwada, Manoj Kumar of Kuthrana, Deenu of Salee and Manchand of Draman. He said cases against them were registered under the Excise Act. He said 40,000 ml of illicit liquor was seized from the possession of Banti of Kothi under the Indora police station. |
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Jawan cremated with honours
Dharamsala, May 18 The mortal remains of 21-year Amit Thapa who was unmarried and had joined 3/1 GR about three years ago, were brought home last night. A large crowd of family members, relatives, friends and locals, including large number of women, awaited for the mortal remains at Shilla Chowk. The youth belonged to Sidhbari. He is survived by his parents and a brother. The mortal remains were consigned to flames with full military honours at the Sidhbari cremation grounds where his brother lit the pyre. Senior serving and retired Army officers and representatives of the civil administration were present. INJURED: A scooterist, Ashwani Kumar, was seriously injured when a van hit his scooter. The accident took place near Kotla. The police has registered a case. |
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ABVP for fee cut
Chamba, May 18 Expressing concern over the present trend of education becoming a lucrative business for capitalists, Mr Ramesh Pappa, organising secretary of the northern region of the ABVP, demanded that the trend be curbed and a uniform policy of education be formulated. |
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