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Move to shift capital creates turmoil
Follow teachings of
Vivekananda, says Virbhadra
Virbhadra Singh misleading people, alleges Dhumal
2-year-old boy killed in Parwanoo colony fire |
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Plan to restrict admissions in private colleges
SFI against limit on college seats
Teachers flay rationalisation policy
Withdraw power tariff hike: BJP
BJP MP flays anti-people policies of Cong
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Move to shift capital creates turmoil
Shimla, January 12 The repeated statements by Mr P.K.Dhumal that the state capital be shifted out from Shimla has evoked a strong reaction in the party cadres with the Shimla district unit coming out openly against the former Chief Minister on the issue. The issue generated much heat at the meeting of the district unit held at Theog two days ago under the chairmanship of its president, Mr Sandeepany Bhardwaj, with the members urging the state high command to clear its stand of the party on the issue. They asserted that if the party had not taken any such policy decision why were such misleading statements being issued. The matter was not on the agenda for the meeting but the agitated partymen forced a discussion on it. Mr Dhumal came under fire for making unauthorised statements. The members urged the party leadership to restrain the former Chief Minster from issuing such statements. Mr Ram Swaroop, state vice -president and in charge of the Shimla district, was also present at the meeting. Insiders revealed that similar sentiments were expressed by party cadres in other districts too as a result of which Mr Suresh Bharadwaj ,the state party chief, was compelled to publicly state that the party had not taken any such stand and the statements of Mr Dhumal reflected his personal views. Mr Bhardwaj, when contacted, asserted that the BJP was a responsible political party and it would take a "realistic" stand. Given the precarious financial health of the government , the state could not afford the luxury of having another capital which would require several hundred crores of rupees to develop. Even states like Haryana, which were financially better off, and Uttaranchal, created recently, had not been able to develop new capitals because of the resource crunch. Obviously, the views of Mr Dhumal are not in conformity with the party's stand. The controversy, if not settled amicably, could put the party in an awkward position. Some BJP leaders feel that Mr Virbhadra Singh's "winter move" has trapped the party. The Congress was forced to embark on such a move as all its Chief Ministers came from the old Himachal areas and it faced the charge of discriminating against the Kangra region. However, the BJP had no such compulsion as all its Chief Ministers hailed from the merged areas and the absolute political power was vested in the new Himachal areas during its regime. |
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Follow teachings of
Vivekananda, says Virbhadra Kangra, January 12 Mr Virbhadra Singh was speaking on the eve of 142 birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda here today. The celebrations were organised by Vivekananda Kendra, a spiritually-oriented service mission. He said he himself had raised funds for the construction of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanya Kumari. Swami Brahmesharanand, secretary, Rama Krishna Mission, Chandigarh, who presided over the function said the youth must take the guidance from the Swami Ji’s teaching. Mr Parvin Dhabolkar, joint general secrtary, Vivekananda Kerndra, Kanya Kumari, who was the guest of honour briefed about the service activities of the kendra throughout the country. Twentysix students were given prizes who participated in an essay writing competition organised by the kendra in November in which 570 students of the district had participated. Mr Hoshiyar Singh, a freedom fighter and close associate of Subhas Chandra Bose was honoured by the Chief Minister.
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Virbhadra Singh misleading people, alleges Dhumal
Hamirpur, January 12 Addressing a series of party meetings from Ukhli to Hamirpur today, he said people of the state were well aware of the anti-people policies of the Congress and would not fall prey to them any more. He said while the state was passing through the worst fiscal crisis, the Chief Minister was busy in foundation stone-laying ceremonies. Earlier, hundreds of party workers and leaders accorded a rousing reception to Prof Dhumal on his reaching at the Ukhli khud, gate way of Hamirpur from Bilaspur district. Pyere Lal Sharma, the district BJP chief led the party cadre to garland Prof Dhumal. Dhumal was accompanied by Rajendra Rana, the HP BJP joint media in charge from Shimla to Hamirpur. Later Prof Dhumal was brought to Hamirpur. Professor Dhumal flagged off a truck from local party office carrying clothes and cash worth Rs 50,000 to the tsunami victims of south India. BJP activists of the Bamsan area have contributed these items and money. |
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2-year-old boy killed in Parwanoo colony fire Parwanoo, January 12 According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out at a dwelling unit at about 10.15 am and soon engulfed the entire colony killing Anand who was asleep alone inside his jhuggi. Father of the boy Dinesh had gone to his office and his mother, who worked as a domestic help nearby, was not at home. The injured girl was admitted to the ESI Hospital, Parwanoo. After noticing smoke billowing out of a jhuggi, certain residents informed the fire brigade. The police was also called for help. Since a majority of the jhuggis were made of wood and tarpaulin sheets, the fire spread to the entire colony. Kerosene and other inflammable materials stored in the jhuggis stoked the fire. It reduced the entire colony into ashes before a fire engine from the local fire station reached the spot. The firemen brought the blaze under control in oven an hour. Mr Sarad Pal, a victim, lamented that the fire had rendered them homeless and there was hardly any food grain and clothes left for their survival. Their all household goods and other articles, including television sets, fans, stoves and other electronic goods, had been destroyed, he added. Mrs Nandita Bajaj, Subdivisional Magistrate, Solan, visited the spot and expressed sympathy for the family of the deceased and other victims. She gave a relief worth Rs 7,500 to the parents of the deceased and Rs 2,500 each to the affected families. Talking to the Chandigarh Tribune, Mrs Bajaj claimed that 41 migrant families had been rendered homeless. The local administration had provided a temporary accommodation to the victims in an industrial unit of the Himachal Pradesh Small-Scale Industries in Parwanoo. The victims have also been provided with clothes, carpets, bed covers and quilts. A community kitchen has been started for them, she said. The cause of fire could not be ascertained. The police has started investigating into the incident, she added.
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Plan to restrict admissions in private colleges
Dharamsala, January 12 Besides helping colleges in achieving higher cut-off percentages, the decision is also expected to root out non-serious students from colleges. Directions have also been issued to the universities not to provide hostel facilities to students for more than one postgraduate course. Sources said the Education Department had been asked to identify colleges where an upper limit for admissions in each subject would be fixed to introduce the system. The Chief Minister Mr Virbhadra Singh, said this would be implemented on an experimental basis in about 10 colleges in the state from the next academic session and if successful, it would be extended to all degree colleges. “It is not necessary that all students should go to the college. The less serious ones should pursue their education through the correspondence mode and should not become a burden on the resources of the state,” he said. “It has been seen that it is when non-serious students take admission that discipline in colleges is affected. There cannot be any compromise on this account,” he said. Taking a serious view of students of postgraduate courses not vacating hostels, the Chief Minister said that from now on, a student would be given the hostel facility for only one post-graduate course. “In case he wants to do another MA, he will have to take private accommodation. We have to be strict about this as we cannot afford any indiscipline,” he said. “It has been seen that some students keep hopping from one course to another and then shift to diploma courses just to keep possession of the hostel rooms,” he said. He said students would be asked to vacate hostels during vacation and the deans and faculty of universities would now be responsible to ensure that students don’t treat hostels as their property. “The university should get hostels vacated for the upkeep and maintenance work and it is not necessary that a students should be allotted the same room after holidays,” he said. And in case the property in a room is found damaged, the student concerned will have to pay for it and will not be allowed to sit in the exams in case of non-compliance. “The wardens would visit the rooms to see if the furniture and other infrastructure is intact,” he said. |
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SFI against limit on college seats
Shimla, January 12 The federation condemned the statement of Mr Virbhadra Singh,Chief Minister, in this regard and warned that it would be constrained to launch a stir if the government went ahead with the move. It also criticised the Chief Minister for asserting that hostel accommodation would be allotted to students in the Himachal Pradesh University for only one course. The federation maintained that limiting the number of students in colleges would deprive a large section of the opportunity for higher education. On the one side the government was encouraging private institutions and on the other limiting the seats in government institutions. This clearly indicated that the state was heading towards commercialisation of education. In the situation only those who had money would be able to pursue higher education. The poor who failed to secure admissions in government institutions would not have money to pursue studies in private institutions. It alleged that the Congress government was following in the footsteps of the BJP regime as far as the education policy was concerned and ignoring the larger interests of the people, particularly the poor. |
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Teachers flay rationalisation policy
Nurpur, January 12 Mr Onkar Rana and Mr Subash Pathania, the district president and general secretary respectively, in a joint statement here today alleged that the untimely rationalisation had created a number of anomalies affecting studies in the schools.
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Withdraw power tariff hike: BJP
Dalhousie, January 12 Stating this here today, Mr Kishori Lal, a former Industries Minister and a senior BJP leader said at a time when Himachal Pradesh was emerging a top destination for investors in northern India, the hike which took place recently bypassing the H.P. State Regulatory Commission could be a setback to development. The new industrial units would have to pay a heavy amount as advance consumption deposit at the rate of Rs 750 per kw. He pleaded for withdrawal of the hefty power rate hike. |
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BJP MP flays anti-people policies of Cong
Bilaspur, January 12 Addressing a largely attended BJP rally organised by former Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda at main market here today, Suresh Bhardwaj lashed at Congress Governments at the Centre and in the state for their consistent “anti-people policies”. Mr Bhardwaj said the Congress leaders has befooled people by promising during the last election that each house-hold would be provided with a job and essential commodities would be available at cheaper rates and that corruption would be controlled. |
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5 shops burgled
Nurpur, January 12 |
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Tibetan shops burgled
Dalhousie, January 12 According to Dr D.K. Choudhary, Deputy Superintendent of Police, a case had been registered and a manhunt launched. The DSP claimed the police was active in its jobs of gathering clues pertaining to the thieves. |
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