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Simla
accord a non-issue: former Pak foreign secretary House
rejects motion on opium cultivation CM’s
no to allowance for jobless persons Congress
leaders flout rules with impunity |
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International
conference on India’s vitality Solar
energy options attractive: expert Land
sinks, three hotels declared unsafe 4 get
life for murder Para
teachers’ appointment to be probed Rain
disrupts life in Hamirpur Water
shortage in Arthi area Paraglider
dies in mid-air accident 
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Simla accord a non-issue: former Pak foreign
secretary Shimla, June 24 He said it was not the modality which was important but the purpose one attaches to it and the Shimla Agreement had many more elements like greater people-to-people contact and reviving trade relations. “The constructive mindset that appeared during the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of the two nations in China is a happy augury for carrying forward the composite dialogue and moving towards a solution to the problem,” remarked Dr Shaikh. He is here to attend an international conference on “Vitality of India in the Regional and International Perspective” being organised by the Chandigarh-based Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, here. “I see no reason why the Congress-led government will not have an attitude which is less forward looking than pursued by the Vajpayee regime,” he opined. Agreements are not between individuals but between governments which must be honoured irrespective of change of power, he added. He was quite optimistic that if nothing unfortunate happens to queer the pitch, the past atmosphere of distrust and suspicion between the two neighbours would be done away with. “Rather than being prisoners of history we must learn from it and I personally feel that it is time we focus towards facilitating contact, flourishing old associations and easing out the hardships and pain of divided families rather than letting them die at the door of non-contact. “The Kashmir problem is more a human issue, which is only partially territorial and a solution has to be found which is mutually acceptable to the people of Kashmir on both sides,” he stressed. He added that on issues like Siachen, the agreements of the past can be a guide for the future. Elaborating on the issues which need to be taken care of, Dr Shaikh said cutting down on the needless expenditure on defence without jeopardising the perception of our own security would definitely be a great step forward. Conventional and nuclear restraint along with mutually balanced reduction would also help in normalising relations between the two nations, he felt. Dr Shaikh said he was in favour of reviving the Consulates at Mumbai and Karachi, which had been closed down a decade back. “Things are on the right track and the time table has been set by the Islamabad Declaration and there is no reason why we shall not reach at a final settlement on Kashmir,” he said. |
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House rejects motion
on opium cultivation Shimla, June 24 However, Mr Rangila Ram Rao, Excise and Taxation Minister, while replying to the debate on the resolution, moved by Mr Jai Ram, said the government would again take up the case of cultivation of opium with the Centre though it had rejected the state’s plea in the past more than once. He said as per an international convention, opium could be grown only to meet the requirement for manufacturing medicines. It was being cultivated in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and the production was enough to meet the requirement. He said opium was cultivated in the state on a trial basis in the seventies but it was discontinued as the quality of the produce was not found up to the mark. He said the cultivation of both cannabis and opium was banned and the Narcotics Control Bureau had been destroying plantations with the help of the local police. In all plantations, over 500 bighas had been destroyed. Mr Jai Ram said these substances could be grown under government control. Even jaggery and barley were used to produce liquor but their cultivation was not
banned. The resolution was rejected by voice vote after Mr Jairam refused to withdraw it. Mr
G. S. Bali, Transport Minister, introduced the Himachal Pradesh Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill providing for payment of tax for 15 years in the first instance and subsequently after every five years in place of the existing provision for payment of one-time tax on vehicles. Further, at present tax is not charged on transport vehicles like cars and maxi cabs which are converted into personal vehicles and on second-hand vehicles which are registered for the first time in the state. The amendment provides for levying tax on such vehicles . A provision to allow payment of tax arrears in six monthly instalments has also been made to ensure that the arrears do not mount and relief could be granted to honest tax payers. Mr Raj Krishan Gaur, Minister for Horticulture, introduced the State Universities of Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry Amendment Bill to curb the misuse of emergency powers by the Vice-Chancellor and check financial irregularities in the universities. |
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CM’s no to allowance
for jobless persons Shimla, June 24 Replying to the debate on a private member’s resolution moved jointly by Mr Ramesh Dhawala and Mr Kuldeep Pathania in the Vidhan Sabha today, he said the fund-starved state did not have the resources to grant such an allowance. The name of 8,93,433 jobless persons were on the live registers as on April 3, 2004, and even an allowance of Rs 200 per month would entail an additional annual burden of Rs 215 crore on the state exchequer. Further, granting such an allowance would not help solve the problem of unemployment. Instead it would be wiser to invest the available resources in employment generating schemes. He said the live registers did not reflect the true picture as even those who managed to get jobs wanted their names to continue in the hope of landing a better job. The actual number of unemployed persons was only about 37 per cent of the number registered with employment exchanges. He shared the concern of the members over the growing unemployment and said that since job opportunities were limited in the public sector, the effort would be to create maximum number of jobs in the private and
organised sectors. During 2003-04 as many as 1,46,941 jobs were created as against 96,585 in the previous year. Steps had been taken to ensure that Himachalis got at least 60 to 70 per cent of the jobs at all levels in various hydroelectric and industrial projects. Earlier moving the resolution Mr Dhawala said that avenues of self-employment should be created by encouraging agro-based ventures, dairy farming and tourism for which the state had much scope. Mr Kuldeep Pathania said a detailed study of microclimate should be conducted to guide farmers and microhydroelectric projects should be encouraged to improve the economy of interior areas. Mr Damodar Dass lamented that workers were exploited by private companies and they were denied just wages. Mr Sat Pal said that faced with a dark future young persons were taking to drugs and other undesirable activities. Dr Biru Ram underlined the need for imparting vocational education on the pattern of Japan. |
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Congress leaders flout rules with impunity Solan, June 24 An HP Congress committee member is reportedly constructing shops on the national highway in the Mohan Mekin Brewery area here without getting a building map approved. The Executive Officer of the Municipal Committee, Mr B.R. Negi, when quizzed in this connection said construction could be undertaken only after clearance of a building map by the committee and Town and Country Planning Department. Expressing ignorance about this construction, he said the committee had not issued any notice in the case. The Executive Officer of the PWD National Highway, Mr Ashok Gupta, when asked about violations also expressed ignorance. He said he would get the charge probed. The structure is coming up on National Highway No 22 allegedly without leaving the mandatory distance of 8.5m from the road. The builder, Mr Shiv Kumar, stated that since he was constructing on an old structure, no map was required and the revenue records had recorded the structures as two storeys plus shops. He agreed that he had raised the height of the shops. This is not the first case where the Municipal Committee has allegedly chosen to ignore the violations. Earlier, BJP councillor Bimla Garg had reportedly encroached upon the adjoining land at Saproon. Only a cursory notice had been issued by the committee, no efforts were made to further check the violation. In another case, a former president and councillor, Ms Shammi Sawhney, had allegedly encroached upon some land near the ITI, here. But no action was taken to stop this encroachment and the file was reportedly dumped in the committee allegedly due to pressure. The Executive Officer said a notice had been served in the former case while the latter was pending in the house. |
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International conference on
India’s vitality Shimla, June 24 The conference was inaugurated by the Governor, Mr V.S. Kokje, at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study. In his inaugural address, Mr Kokje said though India was known for its unity in diversity, there had been crises like the breakdown of democracy during Emergency and the peak of militancy, which had been able to overcome solely because of the vitality of India. The conference is being organised by Chandigarh-based Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Advanced Study. Issues like economic dynamism, socio-cultural harmony, political decentralisation, ecological sustainability, technological capacity and science-spirituality symbiosis in regional and global context would be discussed. The first session focused on the issue of languages in the country. The chairperson for the session, Dr Kapila Vatsyayan, reiterated that India had always celebrated its multi-lingualism and accepting English for communication had never been a problem. Prof V.N. Datta, while discussing the issue of vitality, said despite being threatened by communalism and regressive nationalism, India had the ability to bounce back. Prof Bharat Wariavwala pointed out that India’s biggest strength was respect for diversity, be it in art, culture or language. A former Editor of The Tribune, Mr Hari Jaisingh, while pointing out the gap between the rich and the poor, promise and performance and dharma and karma, said a large percentage of the Indian population had become victims of intellectual dishonesty. Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, Gen V.P. Malik (retd), Salman Haidar, Habib Tanvir, Dr Najmuddin A. Shaikh, Lt-Gen Talat Masood (retd), Mr Malcolm Subhan, Dr Yash Pal and Mr Arthur Waldron are attending the conference. |
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Solar energy options attractive: expert Shimla, June 22 Much headway had been made in harnessing the solar energy using both the thermal and photovoltaic technologies in the country over the past decade. Today, India was among the first four countries in the world, after Japan, Germany and the USA, in generating electricity using the photovoltaic technology with an installed capacity of 140 MW. Last year alone, the industry produced photovoltaic equipment for generating 35 MW of power, Dr Sastry who was in the city as part of a three-member team to discuss a proposal to set up a solar energy centre here, told The Tribune during an interview. The use of solar energy for cooking and water heating was also on the increase and the government had already withdrawn the subsidy on solar water heaters and solar cookers. The people were finding these devices much more economical. For instance, a family which consumes one LPG refill every month could save four to six refills in a year by using a good quality solar cooker which cost about Rs 1800. Thus, the cost of the cooker which had a life of about 25 years, would be recovered within two years, he explained. The country had the distinction of having the world’s two largest solar cooking systems. While the one installed at Tirupati temple at a cost of Rs 1.18 crore daily cooked food for 15,000 persons, the other at Mount Abu had a capacity to cook for 10,000 persons. As the traditional solar cookers took a lot of time in cooking, a new dish cooker had been introduced which did the job in just 30 minutes for cooking. The parabolic dish made of highly reflecting aluminum strips focused the solar rays at the spot where the pressure cooker or any other cooking utensil was placed. It cost about Rs 5,000 and the government was offering 50 per cent subsidy to popularise the new device. Similarly, the use of solar water heater reduced the electricity bill by Rs 4000 to Rs 5000 annually, particularly in cold hilly regions like Himachal Pradesh where the water was very cold. A solar water heater cost around Rs 16,000 and as such the cost was recovered over a period of four or five years. As many as 80 companies were manufacturing solar collectors used for making various kinds of thermal devices. In all, about 8 lakh square metres of solar collectors had been produced in the country. |
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Land sinks, three hotels declared unsafe Shimla, June 24 Following heavy rains yesterday, the columns of the six-storeyed Alaknanda Hotel developed cracks and tilted. The tourists lodged there were immediately shifted to other hotels. There was so much panic and fear that people in the adjoining hotels and residential buildings ran out of their rooms, when the columns gave way at about 7 pm. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Sushil Negi, who visited the spot said two more hotels, Pushpak and Yadgaar, also faced a threat from the damaged Alaknanda Hotel, which as a precautionary measure would have to be pulled down. He said while one column of the building had collapsed, four others had developed big cracks. He said one of the reasons for the sinking of land could be faulty structural designing and poor drainage system in the area. Municipal Corporation engineers who visited the spot said in the case of heavy rains, the Alaknanda Hotel building would collapse and the adjoining buildings also faced a threat. The Mayor, Mr Sohan Lal, said one of the reasons for the hotel developing cracks was the poor drainage system as water from the upper-storey buildings was seeping into the ones located below them. There has been haphazard construction of hotels and private buildings in the entire Fingask Estate area. A guest house in the same area had collapsed a decade back, killing some persons. If the municipal corporation does not regulate the construction of buildings in the area, other buildings could also face a threat as this has been declared a sinking zone. |
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4 get life for
murder Sundernagar, June 24 In case of default of payment, the convicts would have to undergo further simple imprisonment for six months. The convicts were further sentenced for causing grievous injuries for two years and fined Rs 2,000 each. According to the prosecution, the convicts accosted Chaman Lal and Shamsher Singh on April 10, 2000, caused grievous injuries to Shamsher Singh and murdered Chaman Lal at Machhiyal village. The victims were going to the house of their aunt at Khudar village when the incident occurred. |
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Para teachers’ appointment to be probed Shimla, June 24 Replying to a question of Mr Damodar Dass, she said according to the rules of the University Grants Commission, the deemed universities were not permitted to run institutions in other places. These institutions had also not obtained no-objection certificates either from the UGC or the state government. Their activities had to be confined to their premises. The students who had been cheated by such institutions could take legal action against them. She said the government had set its own council for vocational training which would grant recognition to institutions on the basis of set norms. Already 66 applications had been received for grant of permission to start institutions. Mr Kaul Singh, Irrigation and Public Health Minister, informed the House that against a requirement of 4,334 pump operators, the sanctioned strength was only 2,172. However, only 1,681 operators had been employed. He said the case for filling 491 vacant posts had been taken up with the Finance Department. In a written reply, Mr G.S. Bali, Transport Minister, told the House that the government proposed to take stringent action against the private operators who played music in the buses in violation of the instructions issued in this connection. |
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Rain disrupts life in
Hamirpur Hamirpur, June 24 The worst affected were the school students who were caught in the rain on their way back from their respective institutions. The sky was clear in the morning and it suddenly became dark around 2 p.m and started raining. It continued about two hours. It was difficult to cross through the New Road area near the main bus stand. Roads were full of water and massive boulders, which had come on the road from the nearby drains. Power supply in most of the parts of the town was also snapped. It was restored in the evening. Reports from the interiors areas say that water levels in the Beas, khuds and nullahs flowing through the district had risen sharply due to the rain. This rain is considered beneficial for the kharif crops. Farmers have welcomed the showers. |
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Water shortage in Arthi area Mandi, June 24 According to the residents, the water pipeline is running dry as leakages are rampant in the supply. “The supply tank is leaking that makes the water to reach the areas impossible”, they added. The municipal council and the Irrigation and Public Health Department have started using water tankers to supply potable water, but the tankers do not reach the lower Arthi area. “It lies away from the roadside”, said the villagers. The villagers said they were drinking water filled from a traditional open ‘baoli’, which had the risk of contamination. “Even the ‘baoli’ has limited capacity and there is a long queue to fetch a pail of water ”, said a local resident. IPH engineers said they had not received any complaint so far. “But we will rectify the faults to solve the problem ”, said the subdivisional officer of the IPH. |
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Paraglider dies in mid-air accident Palampur, June 24 The accident took place when Mr K.K. Tandon of Chandigarh on flight pressed the wrong button and fell down. The pilot, Mr Raj Kumar, escaped unhurt. The paraglider took off from billing for landing at Bir and the accident
occurred in mid-air. The District Superintendent of Police, Kangra, Mr S.Z.H. Zaidi, said a case of negligence under Section 304 (A) had been registered against the pilot. The pilot should have properly guided the person to avoid such a tragedy, he observed.
— PTI |
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Chauhan is VC of Palampur varsity Shimla, June 24 A notification in this regard was issued by Raj Bhavan today. Dr Chauhan has been appointed Vice-Chancellor of Palampur Agriculture University in place of Dr Tej Partap who had recently resigned.
— PTI |
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Hospital, admn issued notices Shimla, June 24 The attendants who carried her on the stretcher had only Rs 100 with them which was kept by the IGMC administration as security amount for providing the stretcher. |
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