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Governor urged to disqualify Parliamentary Secys
Volcker report: BJP seeks probe
Sonia to name CWC members from HP
Rs 10 cr for tribal transmission line
Uphill task ahead for fire-hit students
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Houses for fire-hit to be built
Steps to boost Indo-China border trade
Tower line to be laid between Pooh, Kaza
Incentive for Pong Dam oustees
Flood-hit unhappy with pace of restoration work
Project to preserve Kinnauri language
Notices issued for
misuse of plots
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Governor urged to disqualify Parliamentary Secys
Shimla, November 5 The 72-page petition was filed by the chief whip of the BJP in the Assembly, Mr Ravinder Ravi, under Article 192 of the Constitution. They have sought the disqualification of all 12 CPS and four PS for holding the post. Former Chief Minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal, Convener of the National Legal Cell of the BJP Satpal Jain and other BJP leaders met Governor V.S. Kokje in this regard. Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Jain said under Article 192, the Governor could take a final decision on the disqualification issue and it was not mandatory for him to consult the Council of Ministers. The only rider in this case was that the Governor must consult the Election Commission of India before taking a final decision. Mr Jain said: “Under Article 192 an MP or MLA, who holds office of profit even for a few hours, is liable for disqualification from Parliament or assembly.” The state high court had already given its verdict on the issue on August 18, terming the appointments as illegal,” he said. Mr Jain said the BJP was once again reminding the removed CPS and PS to vacate the official houses still being occupied by them. “We will give them some more time to vacate the houses and deposit the amount taken by them as salary, TA, DA and other emoluments while in office as it was public money they were not entitled to,” he stated. Mr Jain said the BJP also requested the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary to implement the order of the court in toto and make the recoveries from the 12 MLAs. “In case, they failed to do so it would have no option but to file a petition in court for making recoveries from them. |
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Volcker report: BJP seeks probe
Shimla, November 5 Addressing a press conference here today, the BJP leader said the controversy not only indicated the involvement of External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh but also UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. “Close on the heels of the KGB controversy, a new political upheaval had taken place exposing the Congress stand on corruption,” he remarked. He said the manner in which Dr Manmohan Singh gave a clean chit to Mr Natwar Singh even before holding any inquiry or going through the details, it appeared that the Prime Minister was completely coloured in the Congress culture, putting a question mark on his integrity as well. He demanded that the government should order a high-level judicial inquiry by a Supreme Court judge so that the truth could come out. “The only way Dr Manmohan Singh could prove his integrity was by stepping down on moral grounds and ordering a probe,” he said. He said the statements being made by the AICC spokesperson that notice would be served to the United Nations, amounted to befooling the public on the issue. |
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Sonia to name CWC members from HP
Shimla, November 5 A meeting of the AICC members from the state was presided over by the HPCC chief, Ms Viplove Thakur, at the Congress office here today. A resolution was unanimously moved by the AICC members leaving the decision on Ms Sonia Gandhi. While Ms Thakur moved the resolution, it was seconded by Revenue Minister Sat Mahajan and former party chief K.D. Sultanpuri and Mr Kuldeep Kumar. |
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Rs 10 cr for tribal transmission line
Shimla, November 5 This was revealed by the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, while addressing a public meeting at Kaza yesterday. He laid the foundation stone of the main building for Kalchakara, to be held in 2008. “With the laying of the tower line between Kinnaur and Spiti, the residents of the valley would get uninterrupted power supply,” he said. He said the survey for laying the 66-KV line over a distance of 34 km had been completed. Besides, the machinery at the Rongtong power house would be replaced with the latest equipment so that power could be generated locally, he added. The Chief Minister also announced that the Bhawa-Mudh road would be completed soon as it was being given top priority by the government. “Very little work remains to be completed and the delay has mainly been due to harsh climatic conditions leading to a very limited working season,” he stated. He said the road would shorten the distance between Kaza and Shimla by about 100 km. Mr Vribhadra Singh said his government had accorded top priority to speed up development in the tribal areas. He said the government had got large amounts of money under external aided projects for the tribal areas. “The process of development can be speeded up only with the active participation of the local people, who must take interest in all government schemes, aimed at their socio-economic betterment,” he remarked. The Chief Minister said sea buckthorn cultivation would be encouraged in the valley so that people could take up its commercial cultivation. This, he said, would go a long way in improving the economy of the area. The Chief Minister announced Rs 50 lakh for the construction of the Kalchakara building at Kaza, Rs 40 lakh for old age home at Kee village, Rs 20 lakh for Chumu Hostel at Moorang and Rs 20 lakh for Chumu Hostel at Kungri Gompa in the Pin valley. Mrs Pratibha Singh, MP, and Mr Raghvir Thakur, MLA, were also present on the occasion. |
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Uphill task ahead for fire-hit students
Shila (Kulu), November 5 “I was asleep when I heard a noise in the village. I saw flames leaping up towards my house. I ran away in my T-shirt,” said Hem Raj, a Class XI student of the school located around 10 km from the village. “My board examination is approaching in March. I have lost my books, notebooks and uniform in the fire”, added another. “We go to Mani Karan for studies,” they added, while dispatching bags of rice and wheat through the ropeway that links this village to the Barshaini road across the Parbati, around 45 km from Kullu. Over 84 children, who study at the SSS’s primary and middle schools at Barshaini, have lost their books and uniforms in the fire that reduced 85 houses and a temple of Chavan Rishi, the presiding deity, to ashes. The temple complex, which has five shrines, was built at the cost of Rs 50 lakh a few years ago,” said Mohar Singh, who has given shelter to three families rendered homeless by the fire. “The Bhandhar temple treasury was destroyed in the fire,” he added. Even the idol of Chavan Rishi would have been lost had Dhanvir Bahadur, a local teacher, not salvaged it from the burning temple. He entered the temple engulfed by fire wearing muddy clothes and pulled the idol out of the complex. Block Primary Education Officer, Shamshi, Hira Lal Negi, who heads the Mani Karan-Barshaini Kullu education block-1, said 84 schoolchildren hit by fire would be given books, notebooks and two pairs of uniforms free of cost within three days. “I have called a meeting of teachers for the purpose tomorrow”, he added. The Primary Teachers’ Federation, Kullu-1, today announced a financial assistant of Rs 10,000 for a teacher who lost his house in the fire. The federation will also give uniforms to the schoolchildren, said Mr Negi. |
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Houses for fire-hit to be built
Shila (Kulu), November 5 After reaching the Bhuntar airport from Shimla, the Chief Minister came here and had a first-hand assessment of the situation in the village, which falls in Banjar constituency represented by BJP MLA Khimi Ram. He walked from the road-head at Shila
Nallah, built the by the NHPC, which is executing the 2051-MW Parbati Project here, to the village and was visibly moved by the destruction at the village. Listening to the woes of the victims, Virbhadra Singh, who was accompanied by former Banjar Congress MLA and chairman, Marketing Board, Satya Parkash Thakur, the DC and the SP, assured the villagers of providing free ration for three months. He also distributed blankets, quilts and clothes among the fire victims. He directed the Forest Department to give “free timber” under TD rights for construction of their houses. “Besides, the government would give assistance from time to time,” he assured. The Chief Minister also announced the construction of a link road and opening of a middle school at the village. He gave an additional financial assistance of Rs 5,000 and directed the department to open an “angawadi” centre here to take care of children. Virbhadra Singh also asked the Education Department to give free books, uniforms and study materials to schoolchildren affected by the fire. The health team visited here and gave medicines to the
villagers. Pardhan, gram panchayat, Barshaini, Dhoot Ram, who accompanied the CM, said the assistance would help fire victims rebuild houses. Deputy Commissioner Chamel Singh said he would encourage villagers to rebuild houses under the RGKAY in a planned manner to reduce the chances of another fire from breaking out in future. |
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Steps to boost Indo-China border trade
Shimla, November 5 This was decided at a high-level meeting held here yesterday. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Mr Shyam Saran, Foreign Secretary. Various issues connected with the Indo-China trade and the flood threat from Parechu lake in Tibet were also discussed. The meeting was attended by Mr S.S. Parmar, Chief Secretary, Mr Ajit Narayana, Director-General of the Himachal Police, the Director-General of Military Operations and the Director-General of the Border Roads Organisation. Senior officials from the Ministry of External Affairs were also present. It was decided in the meeting that a regular trading post be set up at Namgya with a customs office. Basic infrastructure will also be created for the convenience of traders from both sides. The border trade from the old silk route was resumed in 1995, but it virtually remained a non-starter with the two-way turnover hovering around a meagre Rs 25 lakh. It was decided to improve the road from Khab to Sumdoh, Shipki La and Namgya. Some other measures to boost the trade were also discussed at the meeting. It was informed during the meeting that the Chinese Government would soon put in place an early-warning system to deal with the flood threat because of Parechu lake. The monitoring system could not be installed as agreed to early this year as water on the Chinese side had frozen. The extensive damage being caused to the road infrastructure due to recurring flash floods in the Sutlej was also discussed and it was decided that a road to bypass Malling landslide be constructed and the old Hindustan-Tibet road be developed as an alternative to the existing national highway. The Border Roads Organisation was asked to come up with concrete proposal in that regard. It was agreed that the Centre would provide funds for the electrification of border villages. A new power transmission line would have to be laid for it at a cost of Rs 10 crore. |
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Tower line to be laid between Pooh, Kaza
Kaza (Spiti), November 5 Estimated to cost Rs 10 crore, the work on this tower line will be initiated from both sides for early completion along the Bhawa-Mudh road via Pin Valley. It is slated to be completed in three years. This was stated by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh while addressing a public meeting after inaugurating buildings of Agriculture Department, Public Works Department and a tourism complex here, last evening. The CM claimed that the tower line to be laid from Kinnaur to Spiti valley would help provide the residents of the valley uninterrupted power supply. He said a survey for the 66 KV tower line had been completed and its length would be 34 km. He added that the machinery at Rongtong power house would be replaced soon with more efficient machinery and equipment to generate power locally. He said the Bhawa-Mudh road was being accorded top priority and only a few kilometres of the road was left for completion. He said the working season in the valley was limited, which was the major hindrance in the completion of the work on the road. He said the road construction would be restarted in the next working season on a war footing. The road once completed would shorten the distance from Kaza to Shimla by around 100 km. The Chief Minister also announced Rs 50 lakh for the construction of Kalchakra building at Kaza, Rs 40 lakh for an old age home at Kee Village, Rs 20 lakh for Chumo Hostel at Moorang and Rs 20 lakh for Chumo Hostel at Kungri Gompa in Pin Valley. He also promised to open a government primary school in Dhankhar
Gompa. |
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Incentive for Pong Dam oustees
Nurpur, November 5 Talking to mediapersons here last evening, Mr Mahajan alleged that the previous BJP government had misused the fund for individuals. Mr Mahajan, who is also president of the Pong Dam Oustees Rehabilitation and Advisory Committee, said the oustees who were having annual income below Rs 10,000 would get special financial assistance which would be decided by the committee. “The oustees, suffering from dreaded disease like cancer, will also get financial help for treatment” he added. He expressed satisfaction over the report submitted by 12-member panel of Pong dam oustees which had visited Rajasthan in September to know the problems of the oustees. He said the panel, headed by the Deputy Commissioner, Relief and Rehabilitation (R and R), had observed the problems of the oustees rehabilitated in
Anupgarh, Gharsana and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. “After reviewing the panel’s report, the state government will take action and also expedite the ongoing process of land allotments to the oustees who could not be rehabilitated so far due to certain reasons,” he added. |
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Flood-hit unhappy with pace of restoration work
Reckong Peo, November 5 The people also feel let down by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who is a native of this tribal area, as he did not even bother to look into the basic problems they were facing in the post-flood scenario. As per official records, the Chief Minister had visited the flood-hit areas only twice after the waters played havoc in the region, besides an immediate aerial survey. His second visit in his home district was this week on the eve of the closing ceremony of the tribal festival. No matter, the CM during his three-day visit to the district this week had visited Sangla, Akpa, Nichar, Leo and many other flood-hit areas and also interacted with the people. But he just fell short of announcing any special financial aid to people of the flood-affected areas. During his speech at a public gathering here on the closing day of the tribal festival, Mr Virbhadra Singh said the state government was considering allotting plots to the flood victims who had lost their houses in the devastation. “It is shameful that even after four months of the floods that the state government is still considering allotting plots to those who had lost their houses in the devastation,” alleged B.S. Negi, a local resident. On the other hand, in a bid to get political mileage out of the weaknesses of the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to go out in the public and win back the confidence of the people. Revealing this to The Tribune, Mr Tejwant Singh Negi, district president of the BJP, announced that the district unit of the BJP would soon carry out a ‘jagriti march’ in the whole state to portray the real picture of the betrayal of the CM with his native district. |
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Project to preserve Kinnauri language
Reckong Peo, November 5 The description study of the Kinnauri language aims at inquiring into the uncertainties of its origin, affiliation and specific features as contact languages and to assess how these speeches, belonging to Himalayan groups, were themselves being gradually transferred through a variety of contacts. Dr P. Perumal Samy, Investigator (language), from the office of the Registrar General of India, Kolkata, has been assigned this task. Early this month, he arrived in Kinnaur and is at present working in Chungling, Kalpa and Jhangi villages to collect the words, sentences and texts of the language. It may be mentioned that the Kinnauri language has no script of its own. The local people, living on the Indo-Tibet border, had influenced by both Tibetan and Indian cultures during the medieval and modern period. They had tried to write their oral conversations in either Uchen script of Tibetan or Devnagri script of Hindi languages. Mr Roshan Lal Negi, expert of the Tibetan language who had worked in Tibetan language department of Shanti Niketan University (West Bengal) and is now engaged in translation of the Tibetan text into the Hindi language, said the Kinnauri language came under the Sino-Tibetan family and was classified under the Tibeto-Burman group. It was further sub-grouped under the Himalayan group of languages. Due to the rapid development in technology and changing socio-economic lifestyle of the tribal people in the region, the socio-cultural patterns of Kinnaur had undergone many changes, he said. He said since there was no university in this region, the younger generation of Kinnaur, for attaining higher education, had started to migrate to other parts of the nation. Thus, they had become bilingual as the medium of instruction and the lingua-franca was not their mother tongue. Many had also ended up taking jobs outside their region adversely affecting the sanctity of the original language of Kinnaur. This was the basic reason that had come in the way of preserving this language. As a result, the speakers of the language were declining with the day. One could find mostly elders sticking to their language as mode of conversation. The youngsters were drifting away from their mother tongue, he said. |
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Notices issued for
misuse of plots Parwanoo, November 5 The notices were the outcome of a drive against those plot holders who were allegedly using industrial plots for commercial and godown purposes rather for industrial activities. In the past one month, a committee of HIMUDA and the Department of Industries has inspected the plots in town. The committee found around 40 plots which were not carrying out industrial activities. These plot holders, most of them in Sector 1, were found using plots as stores and godowns to dump raw material. As per the lease deed, the lessee was supposes to use the plot only for industrial purposed. In the show cause notices, 15 days’ time has been given to violators to start industrial activities from plots failing which the recommendations will be made of HIMUDA for the cancellation of the plot lease, pointed out a senior official of the Department of Industries.
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