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BJP stages walkout in Vidhan Sabha
Centre ignores Himachal in Budget,
Villagers lose sleep over leopard
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BJP demands Mayor’s resignation
Encroachments on roads resented
Seven excise barriers auctioned for Rs 8.41 crore
Honorarium for devtas raised
5 employees of bank suspended
Car occupants robbed of Rs 2 lakh
Sharma Sirmaur Sessions Judge
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BJP stages walkout in Vidhan Sabha
Shimla, March 2 The BJP members, led by their leader, Mr P.K. Dhumal, were on their feet as soon as the Chief Minister finished his reply to the debate. Mr Dhumal maintained that burning issues like drought situation, price rise, corruption, unemployment and points raised regarding the ski village project had not been touched. He said the Chief Minister had failed to respond to these issues and his group was not satisfied with the reply before staging the walkout. Mr Virbhadra Singh said it had become a tradition with the BJP to stage a walkout whenever it was not in a position to face the government in the House. He said much hue and cry was being raised about the ski village project even though a final decision had not been taken and a detailed project report was being prepared. Earlier, replying to the debate he said the previous BJP government had sold the vital economic interests of the state by offering two mega hydroelectric ventures, Parbati and Kol Dam projects, to central agencies without any equity participation. He said his government had broken fresh ground by persuading the Centre to have joint venture with the state for the execution of the Nathpa Jhakri project. The state would pay through nose in perpetuity for the folly committed by the BJP. He said he government was still trying to get the agreement regarding the two projects reviewed so that the state could have 30 per cent equity in the Parbati and Kol Dam projects on the pattern of the Nathpa Jhakri project. The Centre had agreed to the state having 30 per cent equity in the Rampur project but it was reluctant to reopen the agreements signed during the BJP rule. Mr Virbhadra Singh rebutted the BJP allegation that his government was patronising the JP Industries and said it was the Dhumal government which allowed unjustified and exorbitant cost escalation of Rs 718 crore in the case of the Baspa project. Not only that it also singed a supplementary power-purchase agreement on February 28, 2003, when the results of the Assembly election had been declared and the Congress government was about to assume office. Further, it also scaled down the quantum of free power to be given as royalty to the state in the Karcham-Wangtu project from 15 to 12 per cent and 20 to 18 per cent. He said his government had now framed a new policy as per which the private companies would have to give 15 per cent free power for the first 12 years, 18 per cent up to 30 years and 30 per cent thereafter. Besides, it had been made it mandatory to recruit 70 per cent employees from amongst Himachalis. He said global tenders floated for some projects under the new policy had evoked very good response. He rejected the charge that law and order situation had deteriorated and quoted comparing figures of crime for the years 2004 and 2005 to drive home the point that crime graph had declined
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Centre ignores Himachal in Budget, says Dhumal
Shimla, March 2 Talking to mediapersons here, he said the Budget had disappointed the people of the state because Congress leaders had been claiming that the package would be reflected in the two Budgets. “The ignoring of Himachal in the Budget is nothing less than cheating the people and the government is responsible for misleading the Centre,” he claimed. He said packages worth thousands of crores of rupees had been given to north-eastern states, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, and a number of tourist circuits and institutes announced, while Himachal was neither given a package nor a hotel management institute. Mr Dhumal said of the 48,000-MW hydel power potential in the country, Himachal had 21,000 MW, but no encouragement had been given to harness this despite the Centre repeatedly saying that efforts would be made to harness the country’s power potential. “It is apparent that neither the state government nor the Congress MPs from Himachal have had any say as far as the demands of the state and its people are concerned,” he said. |
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Villagers lose sleep over leopard
Sundernagar, March 2 According to villagers about four days ago a female leopard was captured by them and was later handed over to forest department officials. The villagers maintain that the leopard (most likely a male leopard) has been roaming in the vicinity of the village since that day. On Sunday some residents of Bhayura village noticed a leopard in their village, when they raised an alarm the leopard entered a cave. The villagers made a cage and captured the leopard. Mr Rajeev Sharma, RO, Sundernagar, brought the leopard to the Division office of forest department. At that time the animal was very violent and did not eat the pieces of meat offered to it. After taking permission from the D.F.O, Wildlife, the leopard was shifted to the Gopalpur Zoo, near Palampur, in Kangra district on Monday. Residents of Bhayura displayed extra-ordinary courage in capturing the leopard alive on their own but the presence of the second leopard is giving them sleepless nights now. They fear that the leopard, which can be the mate of the captured leopard, would attack villagers. According to villagers the roaring of the leopard could be heard throughout the night and it could be seen running in the fields and had even destroyed crops. They have requested forest department officials to take immediate steps to capture the animal. According to RO, Suket, the department had deputed persons to study the tracks of the leopard in the area and had also provided a cage. |
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BJP demands Mayor’s resignation
Shimla, March 2 The party at its meeting here today said the Mayor should step down immediately as there were serious allegations of encroachment on a piece of government land against him. “In case he did not resign within one week, the BJP will launch an agitation,” said one of the leaders. The BJP also cautioned the government not to impose house tax on self- occupied portion. “Majority of the government employees have constructed houses in Shimla by taking huge loans and imposition of house tax would be a major burden on them,” the leaders said. |
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Encroachments on roads resented
Kangra, March 2 In a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Kangra, the senior citizens said the population had enormously gone up in the town, its suburbs and nearby villages and the number of pedestrians had also gone up on the Dharamsala road, connecting the bus stand with Tehsil Chowk, and the Suraj Kund road, connecting Tehsil Chowk with Tanda Medical College. Mr B.L. Sharma, general secretary of the Senior Citizen Forum, said in the letter that the encroachments on the government land and illegal parking along the two roads had resulted in a large number of accidents, including fatal ones. He said recently an employee of the BSNL was crushed to death outside the post office because of the traffic hazard. He said schoolchildren and the aged people were the worst sufferers on both the roads. Mr Sharma said the rush of the pedestrians was very high during the Navratras in the town but illegal parking on both roads proved as a major traffic hazard. Traffic jams had become a common feature. He demanded that from the bus stand to Tehsil Chowk and the Suraj Kund road be declared “no parking zones”. The senior citizens have also approached the Superintendent of Post Offices, Dehra, against a major decline in the work culture of the Kangra Head Post Office. Mr Sharma alleged that even the entries of deposits and withdrawals in the passbooks were refused by the post office staff. |
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Seven excise barriers auctioned for Rs 8.41
crore
Solan, March 2 The highest bid was received for Parwanoo barrier which was auctioned for Rs 4.17 crore against reserve price of Rs 4.12 crore pegged by the Excise and Taxation Department. The Derowal barrier was auctioned at 80 per cent hike of Rs 1.12 crore against reserve price of Rs 65 lakh. The Barotiwala barrier was auctioned for Rs 3.12 crore against reserve price of Rs 2.25 crore fixed by the department. |
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Honorarium for devtas raised
Mandi, March 2 “We have decided to increase the honorarium by over 100 per cent,” Mr Panda told The Tribune. The committee this year would pay over Rs 7 lakh to devtas that included transportation cost and “nazrana” fixed by the administration. The devtas are paid “chadava” by the devotees at the mela time. The committee also honours the devtas with traditional offerings, he added. Welcoming the move as token of respect for the devtas, the president, Sarv Devta Committee, Mr Shivpal Sharma, said it was long overdue. “But our main demand is that the 'nazrana' be increased as the devotees have to trudge over 120 km on foot and maintenance has become difficult,” he added.
— TNS |
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5 employees of bank suspended
Nahan, March 2 However, bank officers here were silent on this action which was taken by the administration at Shimla two days back on the report of alleged misappropriation of bank funds. As per the information the bank administration had placed five employees of the Kala Amb branch under suspension with immediate effect. They include branch manager, a woman employee who was recently transferred to Nahan and a peon. |
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Car occupants robbed of Rs 2 lakh
Solan, March 2 The robbers first signaled the car to stop and then fired in the right arm of Jasbir who was trying to conceal the cash in a plastic bag. One of the robbers then snatched the cash from an injured Jasbir and fled towards Ropar on their unnumbered bike.
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Sharma Sirmaur Sessions Judge
Shimla, March 2 |
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