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Ruckus in House over law and order
Cash-for-question issue echoes in Assembly
Committee to go into issue of trees on private land
Villagers block highway against police role
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Row over land development
Steps to check fleecing of tourists by hoteliers
Dry spell threatens mango plantation
Govt to create 258 posts in 3 depts
Reservation issue still a distant dream
Man gets 10 yrs’ RI
17 ZP members administered oath
Trekking expedition flagged off
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Ruckus in House over law and order
Dharamsala, December 28 The BJP MLAs said that the number of incidents of crime in the state had gone up and unusual type of crime, including the two acid
attacks and alleged screening of blue films in Dharamsala and Shimla had come up. Mr Mahinder Singh of the BJP said annual report of the Police Department for districts of Kangra, Mandi and Hamirpur pointed to an increase in the incidents of crime and it should be a cause for concern for the government. He demanded that the government should constitute a committee to look into the charges of corruption against ADGP B.S. Thind. Following an objection on this issue by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Deputy Speaker Dharampal Thakur ruled that since the matter was sub judice, it could not be discussed in the House. Meanwhile, Mr Ravinder Ravi of the BJP said that abduction was another kind of crime that had emerged in the state and a four-year-old boy was abducted in Rampur and continued to be missing. He said that the two cases of throwing of acid on girls had also affected tourism in the state. He charged the government was shielding those playing with Himachal’s law and order situation Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said that it was the responsibility of the government to provide security to public. He cited the example of a patwari in Una, whose family was burnt to death, and despite an assurance by the Chief Minister that the case would he entrusted to the CBI, no breakthrough had been achieved in the case. Mr Dhumal said that the BJP government had made a policy to have at least three women constables in every police station so that women seeking to get a complaint lodged were saved from harassment. But he said, now, due to shortage of constables, there were certain police stations where only one woman constable had been posted. He also wanted the police modernised as criminals were better equipped than the police, filling of posts to remove shortfall in lower ranks of the force. In his reply, the Chief Minister said it would be wrong to say that the law and order situation in the state had worsened as minor changes in the total incidents of crime could not be taken as a valid index. He said a new battalion had been added to the police force and another was on the cards, which would lead to an increase of 2,500 personnel. He added that modernisation of the police was also on, within the parameters of the funds available with the government. Isolated incidents of crime did not prove that the law and order situation in the state had declined. The Vidhan Sabha also approved on the withdrawal of the professional tax. The Chief Minister said people of Himachal were not mentally prepared to pay such a tax. He accused the opposition of playing a dual-policy as its own allies had been involved in a campaign against the tax. Major Vijai Singh Mankotia of the Congress sought the constitution of an inter-state council for the development of the North Western Himalyan States of Himachal, Uttaranchal and Jammu and Kashmir. He said this would lead to promotion of tourism and inter-linking of the seven rivers in these three states to tackle shortage of drinking water. Major Mankotia also suggested that the issue of clubbing of these three states for having a collective quota in the armed forces to solve the problem of unemployment should also be taken up as the youth of Himachal was
naturally inclined to join the forces, in contrast to those in the southern states. The Chief Minister said the government would make attempts to include Jammu and Kashmir in economic collaboration in the north-western region as an MoU with Uttaranchal was signed on December 17. He said the constitution of a Trans-Himalyan Development Authority was also pending with the Ministry of Defence. |
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Cash-for-question issue echoes in Assembly
Dharamsala, December 28 Even though BJP MLAs condemned corruption, they expressed doubts about the way the entire operation had been carried out by a private news channel. Speaking on the issue, Karamdev Dharmani said it was strange how the media had played the role of informer, investigator, prosecutor and judge in the case. Terming it a frame-up, he said this had been done to shift attention from the Natwar Singh controversy. He added that the MPs were also not given an opportunity to defend themselves. Placing before the House a cassette procured from the news channel, Mukesh Agnihotri of the Congress suggested that a resolution be sent to the Lok Sabha that right signals be sent to corrupt legislators. Vijai Singh Mankotia said it was important to expose the brokers who operated from behind the scene and used politicians. Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said the BJP was the first to take action against the MPs named in the sting operation. He, however, said there were questions about how the operation was carried out, how many MPs were approached and how the sampling was done. Mr Dhumal launched an attack on the Congress by raising the issue of Volcker report and the reference of Congress MLAs in the book by a former KGB official. Ravinder Ravi of the BJP said the appointment of so many Parliamentary Secretaries and Chief Parliamentary Secretaries by the present government after a limit for maximum number of ministers was fixed was an example of misuse of public money. Reacting to this, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said appointment of Parliamentary Secretaries was not a new practice and accused to the BJP of resorting to double standard as BJP governments in some states also had these posts over and above the prescribed number of ministers. |
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Committee to go into issue of trees on private land
Dharamsala, December 28 This was stated by Revenue Minister Sat Mahajan in the Vidhan Sabha here yesterday while speaking on the ‘khudro drakhtan’ issue after a resolution was moved under Rule 130 by BJP legislator Vikram Singh. Mr Mahajan said although the government was of the view that ideally the owner of a private land should also have the right on the tree growth, there were certain legal aspects of the issue that needed to be looked into. He said after the committee submitted its report, the government would decide whether it should move the Supreme Court or find a solution to it at some other level. He said courts had passed various orders related to the conservation of forests, which might be related to the issue at hand. Earlier, BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal said it had been a long-pending demand of the people of Kangra, Hamirpur and Una as certain species of trees were cash crop in the area. He said the BJP government had issued a notification in this regard on March 11, 1999. The notification, however, added that the felling of trees would continue to be regulated under the provisions of the Forest Laws. Mr Dhumal said that income from felling under the 10-Year Working Plan of the Forest Department should also go to the farmers owning the land so that it helped strengthen their economy. Mr Vikram Singh of the BJP demanded that amendments be made in the laws related to ownership of trees on private land so that farmers of the state could benefit from it. He added that this problem was specific to the lower Himachal areas. Another BJP legislator, Ramesh Dhawala, said timber worth crores was going waste for want of an amendment in the related laws. He suggested that a committee of the Forest Department be constituted to identify which species of trees should be allowed to be felled. Mr Baldev Sharma, also of the BJP, said the farmers, who grew trees themselves didn’t get ownership of these trees. The amendments be made to the laws to allow poor farmers ownership of trees. Mr Sujan Singh Pathania of the Congress said the problem dated to over 150 years. Mr Karam Dev Dharmani of the BJP pointed out that this problem was being faced by the farmers of Bilaspur as well and demanded that the issue be taken up with the Central Environment Ministry. |
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Villagers block highway against police role
Sundernagar, December 28 According to the husband of deceased, Lila had gone to Kulu on Monday and her body was brought by five persons — Mukesh, a JE with the BBMB; Brij Bala; Mehar Chand, both former municipal councillors; Vinod Sharma and Anju Sharma — yesterday. They told him that Lila had died at Naina Devi in Bilaspur district and that they had got her post-mortem examination conducted there. According to the family members of the deceased, they had gone to the police post and asked for lodging of a report. Instead, police officials present there misbehaved with them. Alleging that police officials were siding with the accused, residents of Tunahi village kept the body on the national highway and blocked the traffic today. The SDM and DSP reached the scene and tried to pacify the agitators. Later, former Forest Minister Roop Singh Thakur also visited the scene and heard their grievances. The statement of the husband of the deceased was recorded on the spot and the body was sent for another post-mortem examination. According to DSP K.C. Rana, the police has registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC and started the investigation. The police confirmed that the deceased along with Mukesh had gone to Naina Devi and both stayed in a guest house as husband and wife. But she died there and her post-mortem examination was conducted at Bilaspur. The body was brought here yesterday and was handed over to the family members. Although the body had been sent for another post-mortem examination and the police has registered a case, resentment still prevails among villagers, as according to them no action had been taken against the police officials who were siding with the accused. |
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Row over land development
Mandi, December 28 The builder has excavated his land area with a JCB without any permission from the TCP and the Mandi Municipal Council (MMC). The area falls in the Mandi Development Plan and the MMC limits, revealed officials. The heaps of excavated earth are dumped right in front of the houses here which raise dust pollution whenever strong winds sweep the area, rued residents in the ward. Even the property dealer has approached the residents to buy the strip of land he owns along the road leading to BSNL Colony. “He is planning to shift the road alignment to grab this strip of land along the roadside along the row of houses here”, residents said. The property dealer has approached the Telecom Department to shift the road alignment leading to his colony to grab the land and sell it to house owners, they added. “Sewerage and IPH
water supply lines run under the road”, said Dr K.K. Kapur, a local resident. MMC officials said the builder had neither obtained permission for the development of his private area nor for the shifting of the road alignment. “But we have received no complaint in this regard so far,” they claimed. The Town Planner, Mandi, Mr A.N. Guatam, said the permission to develop the area was mandatory under the TCP act. “We will initiate action under the Act”, he added. The landowner, Mr Inder Divan, claimed that he had every right to develop his own area. “I can stop people moving on the road as it belongs to me. I have dumped the heaps of excavated earth inside my private land
for which nobody should have any problem”, he claimed. |
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Steps to check fleecing of tourists by hoteliers
Shimla, December 28 It is during the last 10 days of the year that the highest number of tourists, especially from the neighbouring states, converge on the town. The Tourism Department is conducting regular checks at hotels to prevent fleecing by hoteliers and others associated with the tourism industry. All hotels, including those owned by Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC), are offering attractive packages. The dine and dance parties, where artistes from Mumbai, Delhi and Chandigarh will be performing, are the major attractions. The town is already flooded with tourists, majority of whom are making it a point to travel to Kufri to enjoy snow. “We are keeping a strict vigil to ensure that there is no overcharging and fleecing by hoteliers or others,” said Mr Surinder Justa, District Tourism Officer. He said tourist information centres had been functioning from 9 am to 8 pm to assist and guide the tourists, especially those coming without prior bookings. He said any kind of complaints received by the department would be redressed on the spot. The department is making on-the-spot booking for tourists in private as well as its own hotels through its helpline at tourist information centres. Three such centres are located near the bypass, the victory tunnel and on the Scandal Point. It is a fact that taking advantage of the tourist rush on Christmas and New Year Eve, hoteliers start overcharging and those who come without prior bookings end up being fleeced. Majority of big hotels are already fully booked till January 1. This includes Peterhoff, Holiday Home and Palace Hotel Chail, owned by the HP Tourism Development Corporation. The administration has thrown open the Chaura Maidan road for parking of vehicles due to paucity of parking areas. The police has divided the entire route right from Shoghi to Kufri into sectors. Police personnel are maintaining round-the-clock vigil to maintain law and order and check hooliganism. |
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Dry spell threatens mango plantation
Nurpur, December 28 According to Horticulture Department experts, the last week of December and the first fortnight of January are especially the most sensitive period for the frost formation in the region. The experts have advised the fruit growers to irrigate their orchards immediately. The young plants should be covered with grass. For old and grown-up plantation, smoke screens should be created in late evenings, especially during clear sky. Meanwhile, due to the dry spell, farmers are yet to sow their wheat crop in the area. |
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Govt to create 258 posts in 3 depts
Dharamsala, December 28 Presiding over the Cabinet meeting here, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the decision to create 258 posts in Education, Forest and Irrigation and Public Health Departments of the state. As many as 170 posts of teaching and non-teaching categories in 12 middle and 14 high schools, 62 posts of the forest ranger, besides 26 posts of assistant engineer in the Irrigation and Public Health Department would be filled under the direct recruitment process, the Chief Minister said. The Cabinet also decided to extend the duration of the land lease to the Tibetan community settled in McLeodganj for another 50 years.
— PTI |
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Reservation issue still a distant dream
Baddi:
The issue of reservation of 70 per cent jobs for Himachali youths has dominated this year. Despite the visit of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha and a team of MLAs to this industrial belt, the fixation of reserved quota by industrial units has remained a distant dream.
A number of job opportunities in this belt are of semi-skilled workers, thanks to manufacturing and assembled units. Most of the units prefer to hire the workforce through private contractors. An employer-contractor nexus continued to exploit the workers. Agitation by various trade unions has failed to make any impact in this regard. Interestingly, lack of basic amenities like housing, low salary, overwork, unhygienic and unsafe workplace are some of the reasons that keep the Himachali youths away. Most of the unemployed youths belong to remote areas and they hesitate to work in the industrial belt. Moreover, even for entrepreneurs providing employment to 70 per cent Himachalis is an arduous task as it is difficult to get such huge skilled manpower from the state. Employers complain that whenever they have forwarded the requisition to employ Himachalis youths to the employment exchange, the response was poor.
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Man gets 10 yrs’ RI
Sundernagar, December 28 Officials of the Narcotic Control Bureau, Chandigarh, after getting information from an accused, who was arrested on January 12, 2004, from Parwanoo, visited Kumheri village and seized the contraband from his residence on January 16, 2004. |
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17 ZP members administered oath
Solan, December 28 The BDC members were also administered the oath at their respective subdivisions at Solan, Kandhaghat, Arki and Nalagarh by the respective SDMs.
— OC |
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Trekking expedition flagged off
Dalhousie, December 28 Mr Parvinder Singh Chauhan, field director of this expedition, remarked that this was an environment-friendly trek and the participants would trek from Dalhousie to Kalatop and then to Khajiar and Chamba. |
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