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Delimitation panel renames constituencies
Contempt notice to Secy, Languages
Mankotia trains guns on CM’s secy
Kulu residents asked to install water meters
1 lakh visit Brajeshwari temple in Navratras
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Rainwater harvesting structure made compulsory
Former CPSs directed to appear before EC
A hill god comes out of the palace of the royal family of earstwhile Suket Estate in Sundernagar on Thursday.
— Photo by Mahesh Chander Sharma
Devotees offer prayers
on Ram Navmi
Stokes seeks report on Chamba project
Scholarships for Sanskrit students
Harassment charges against firm
manning toll barrier
Car rally for ‘save the girl child’
Labour Dept likely to be strengthened
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Delimitation panel renames constituencies
Chamba, April 6 Chamba district has been placed at serial number one on the election schedule of Himachal Pradesh and for Assembly constituencies in the state, the serial number one goes to newly formed Churah (SC) Assembly constituency. Chamba district comprises five Assembly constituencies of Churah (SC), Bharmour (ST), Chamba, Dalhousie and Bhattiyat. In pursuance of Sub-Section (2) of Section 9 of the Delimitation Act, 2002, the Delimitation Commission has published its proposals for the delimitation of parliamentary and Assembly constituencies in Chamba and Kangra districts together with the dissenting proposals of the associate member and specified April 10 as the date on or after which the proposals will be further considered by it. According to a notification published in the Gazette of Himachal Pradesh on March 27, the general public of Chamba and Kangra districts has been advised to submit their objections and suggestions with regard to these proposals, which should reach the Secretary, Delimitation Commission, New Delhi, on or before April 10. The gazette notification is available for inspection of the public with the offices of the District Election Officers of Chamba and Kangra district. The date of hearing on objections and suggestions for both the districts has been fixed April 21 at Government Polytechnic College, Kangra. |
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Contempt notice to Secy, Languages
Shimla, April 6 On November 29, 2005, the court directed the state government to constitute a committee to manage the affairs of the Kalisthal Temple, Nahan, within one month. But despite clear directions of the court on the issue, the government failed to do so as per the order. While issuing the show-cause notice, a Division bench, comprising the Chief Justice, Mr V.K. Gupta, and Mr Justice K.C. Sood, observed that unfortunately on February 7, 2006, the Deputy Commissioner, Sirmaur, by grossly misinterpreting the order passed by the court had taken upon himself the burden of constituting the committee. The court directed the Secretary to implement the court order within in shortest possible period. |
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Mankotia trains guns on CM’s secy
Shimla, April 6 Reiterating his resolve to take the fight against corruption to its logical end at a press conference here today, Mankotia released photo copies of some documents pertaining to money deposited in banks and purchase of land in the name Ahluwalia and his family members. He produced copies of bank receipts amounting to Rs 4.67 lakh deposited in the account of Ahluwalia,
his wife and daughter in March and April, 2005. He also released copies of a sale deed of land purchased by a son of Ahluwalia in the Kaithu area in Shimla at a cost of Rs 4.50 lakh in August, 2004. He alleged that the prime land fell in the restricted zone and its value would shoot up once the construction
was liberalised by amending rules. He also alleged that Meera Ahluwalia, wife of Ahluwalia who was a government servant, had been marketing products of a private company. He wanted to know whether or not the government had granted permission for it. However, Mr Ahluwalia maintained that all transactions were transparent and the fact that deposits had been made by cheques spoke for itself. He said the receipts pertained to his salary, rent from the building he owned in Shimla and withdrawals from provident fund. There was nothing to hide. He had become a victim of political rivalry. Regarding the land purchased in the name of his son, he said the surname Ahluwalia was not used along with his name as his caste had not been mentioned in his school certificate and service record. He said he had been regularly filing income tax returns and all transactions, including the purchase of plot, were mentioned in it. Manokotia maintained that highlighting corruption was not indiscipline and any way he was only carrying out the He said it was only a "trailer" and he would soon submit a well-documented charge sheet to Ms Gandhi and request her to get the allegations inquired by an independent agency like the CBI. The documentary evidence and other material he had collected for the charge sheet was enough to send 12 politicians and bureaucrats behind the bars, he claimed. |
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Kulu residents asked to install water meters
Kulu, April 6 Such notices were served on the residents in 2002 and the instruction to install the meters of a particular make. It was alleged that the meters were supplied by the son of a politician. This time again, a particular make, having ISI mark, has been suggested in the notice. Mr Som Nath from Akhara Bazar here has said the meter installed by him in 2002 went faulty within six months and the fresh notice has forced him to waste his hard earned money on the meter again. Another consumer has said the department should supply the meters, like those installed by the HPSEB and charge rent. He said water meters usually go out of order within three or six months. Mr Ashok Aggarwal, Assistant Engineer, Irrigation and Public Health Department, agreed that water meters did not function properly for more than six months. He said the department had asked the government to supply meters so that those could be given to the consumers. But, he said, there was no consideration on the matter by it till date. When asked how many connections were disconnected in 2002 for not installing the meters the Assistant Engineer said “none”. Mr Aggarwal said there were 3,217 consumers, including 128 commercial connections. Out of these 535 consumers had working water meters and the rest were getting water supply on flat-rate billing. He said the department had told the consumers to install meters with the ISI mark. Sewerage had been laid in the phase-1 of the town and trial runs were performed on the sewerage lines of the Akhara Bazar, Sarwari and Sultanpur areas. The department might start giving sewerage connections to the consumers in the next two weeks, he added. |
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1 lakh visit Brajeshwari temple in Navratras
Kangra, April 6 Yellow-clad pilgrims in thousands from Delhi, Punjab, UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir had visited the temple for the last nine days. Long queues of the pilgrims were seen outside the temple. The town was humming with activities and pilgrims reciting Vedic hymns and bhajans were going to the temple today. The lanes and bylanes of Mandir Mohala were overcrowded by the pilgrims. Thousands of people attended the “puran Ahuti” of the “Havan” which had started on the first Navratra and concluded today in which 12 pandits participated. Mr Ram Swroop Sharma, temple officer, told The Tribune today that it was for the first time that there was not even a single chain-snatching incident took place on the temple premises during the Navratras. The temple authorities said the pilgrims offered Rs 8,09,069, besides nearly 64 grams of gold and nearly 6 kg of silver during these days. Meanwhile, Swami Virenderanand Giri, state president of the Himachal Pradesh Math Mandir Suraksha Samiti, today demanded that the temple towns in the state should be declared as “Holy towns” and the liquor and meat shops should be shifted. Swami Giri said Shakti peeths in Kangra, Naina Devi in Bilaspur, Chintpurni in Una and Jawalaji in Jawalamukhi towns, besides Chamunda temple of this state, were attracting lakhs of pilgrims every year from all parts of the country.But liquor and meat shops in these towns hurt the religious sentiments of the pilgrims. Swami Giri expressed shock over the water scarcity during the current Navratra at Naina Devi and alleged mismanagement at the Chintpurni shrine putting the pilgrims to inconvenience. He said Jawalamukhi was lacking proper sanitation and cleanliness during the Navratras. He demanded that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh should take necessary steps to redress the problems of the pilgrims. |
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Rainwater harvesting structure made compulsory
Chamba, April 6 Directions said the main source of bulk water supply for all purposes in the state was from rivers and water level of the natural resources during summer went down causing acute shortage of water supply to people. In pursuance of these directions, Mr Kartar Jaiswal, Executive Officer, local municipal council, issued a public notice to all residents living within municipal limits asking them to follow the specifications while constructing buildings; adding that 20 litres per square metre rooftop area capacity of rainwater harvesting structure had been proposed in the plan. The storage tanks should be constructed in such a way that rainwater was used for non-domestic purposes as prescribed in the directions, the Executive Officer pointed out. He said the building plan, without such provisions of rainwater harvesting structure, in the building plan would be rejected and the completion certificate of the building would not be issued. |
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Former CPSs directed to appear before EC
Shimla, April 6 Sources said even though the 12 MLA’s had submitted their replies to the Election Commission yet they had been asked to appear in person on April 28. The 12 MLAs were removed from the posts of CPS and PS after the high court termed their appointment illegal. Chief whip of the BJP, Ravinder Ravi had filed a petition before the Governor, Mr V.S. Kokje seeking disqualification of the 12 MLAs from the Assembly for holding offices of profit. The petition was filed under Article 192 of the Constitution. In their reply to the Election Commission former CPSs and PSs have said that the offices of the CPS and PS were covered under 3(d) of the HP Legislative Assembly Member (Removal of Disqualification) Act 1971 and therefore the holder of such office was protected by the statutory provisions. They also said the petition of the BJP was not maintainable in view of the Section 3 of the HP Legislative Assembly (Removal of Disqualification) Act 1971, which protects the members of Legislative Assembly from disqualification in case he holds any office of profit. The legislators said the matter was sub judice as the state government had filed a SLP in the Supreme Court, seeking relief against the decision of the court, terming the appointment of the CPS and PS illegal. They have taken the plea that the institution of CPS and PS had a been in existence in India for the past 50 years and existed in other democratic countries as well. They cited examples of a number of states, including the ones ruled by the BJP, like Rajasthan where there are CPSs and PSs. They have said Punjab and Haryana had about 12 MLAs holding the post of CPS and PS. |
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Minister stays away from procession
Sundernagar, April 6 Hundreds of hill gods assembled at the Mahamaya temple where the devotees offered offerings to them. All gods moved in procession, which culminated at Jawahar Park after covering a distance of about 6 km. All deities, along with their devotees, visited the royal family of Suket Estate (now Sundernagar) as per the century-old tradition. The Royal family performed a prayer for the deities at the palace. This year, unlike the tradition, the chief guest, Mr Kaul Singh, Irrigation and Public Health Minister, did not take part in the procession. However, local MLA Sohan Lal was seen in the procession. But, Mr Kaul Singh performed puja as the chief guest at Jawahar Park at the conclusion of the fair. According to devotees, by not taking part in the procession the chief guest had shown disrespect to the deities and would soon face the consequences. |
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Devotees offer prayers
on Ram Navmi
Shimla, April 6 The devotees made a beeline to the temples early in the morning and offered prayers. Shoba yatras were also held at various places in the state, including the state capital. Thousands of people visited the temples in the town which were decorated for the occasion. A large number of people also visited the Sankat Mochan Temple and the Taradevi Temple. However, there was an
unprecedented rush in the Ram Mandir situated in the heart of the town. The Governor, Mr V.S. Kokje, also visited the temple and performed puja. Presiding over the religious function, the Governor said the people had a great faith in the teaching of Lord Rama. The Sood Sabha presented a memento to the Governor.
— PTI |
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Stokes seeks report on Chamba project
Chamba, April 6 The Chamba Welfare Association president, Mr Mohinder Chand Marwaha, on whose representation these directions were issued to the DC, hoped that it appeared to be a drastic step towards shunning the desperate scheme of the Chamba hydel project. |
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Scholarships for Sanskrit students
Solan, April 6 Addressing students of the local Government Sanskrit College at their annual prize distribution function here today, the Chief Minister said the state government had enhanced the educational budget from Rs 1,060 crore last year to Rs 1,208 crore this year. He laid the foundation stone for a Rs 2.5- crore building of the college at Punjvilla. Mr Virbhadra Singh said the government was keen to propagating Sanskrit learning in the state. He said Himachal Pradesh was counted among top states as far as educational development is concerned. A budget of Rs 8.19 crore had been earmarked for setting up 64 science laboratories in the state. The Director, Elementary Education, Mr B.M. Nanta, presented a cheque for Rs 12.48 lakh to the Chief Minister for his relief fund. Later, speaking at the silver jubilee function of a local vernacular weekly, he said newspapers should be encouraged by society as they had their own significance in promoting the cause of local residents. He directed the officials of IPH Department to make sure that the Giri water scheme was executed by October. He said that he would inaugurate it on October 2. He also inaugurated the diagnostic centre at the local Regional Hospital. It has been constructed at a cost of Rs 3 crore. He launched the e-governance facility at the office of Deputy Commissioner. The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for a parking lot near the railway track. It would be constructed at a cost of 2.85 crore. Later, he dedicated a shopping-cum-marketing complex, constructed by the Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Authority at a cost of Rs 1.25 crore, to the public. |
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Harassment charges against firm
manning toll barrier
Parwanoo, April 6 The association alleged in the complaint, a copy of which was available with Chandigarh Tribune, the company staff at the post had been harassing people. They were not issuing passes to people as per the notification. The company staff had refused to issue passes to trucks, jeeps and taxies plying regularly across the barrier. The association action was the outcome of numerous complaints it had received in the past few days. The company had been adopting unfair means to generate more revenue than provided under the notification, the association alleged. All kinds of vehicles, even if registered in other states, were eligible for quarterly as well as yearly tokens under clause 24(a) at the rates specified in the Schedule II of the notification, the association pointed out. It demanded penal action against the company. Meanwhile, the Excise and Taxation Officer said the matter was not much serious. Passes would be issued in a phased manner, he said. |
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Car rally for ‘save the girl child’
Shimla, April 6 The rally will be flagged off from Chandigarh and pass through Pinjore, Kalka, Solan, Shimla and Kufri and terminated at Chail. The rally is being organised in collaboration with the state Department of Tourism. Sanjay Sood, spokesman of the association, said the association also proposed to sponsor poor girls of Shimla for pursuing education. A musical evening celebrating the girl child will also be held on the eve of the rally. The closing function will be held on the cricket ground in Chail on April 9 at which Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, will felicitate girl child and give away prizes to winners. |
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Labour Dept likely to be strengthened
Baddi, April 6 To implement the labour laws effectively the strengthening of the department is must. At present, the department has shortage of staff. Of late, the number of units has multiplied involving lakhs of workforce. At present, the state has a Joint Labour Commissioner and a Deputy Labour Commissioner. With the increased industrial activities in the state, these two posts required to be doubled. In fact, the AITUC is demanding the creation of two posts of the Deputy Labour Commissioner and a post of the Additional Labour Commissioner. As per AITUC leaders, these posts could be filled without incurring any additional financial burden by rationalising the deployment of manpower in the employment wing of the department. |
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