H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Project to bore 7 tunnels under way
Shimla, October 26
The ambitious tunnelling programme has finally got underway with the government engaging Geo-Consult, a world leader in engineering consultancy, for preparing detailed project reports for as many as seven tunnels proposed to be constructed to improve the road infrastructure and ease traffic congestion in the state.

HP CM rules out snap poll
Shimla, October 26
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, today ruled out early Assembly elections in the state and stated that elections would be held on time. Talking to mediapersons after his return from New Delhi here today, he said all reports in the media in this regard were baseless and he had not even discussed this issue with the high command. He said he had no inclination to advance the elections which were due in February 2008.

Mohan Lal is district BJP chief
Chamba, October 26
A former ayurveda minister and senior BJP leader, Mr Mohan Lal, was elected to the post of party district unit president during elections held here today. According to BJP insiders, Mr Mohan Lal’s candidature is stated to be impartial and non-controversial.

Weaker sections to get relaxations in housing schemes
Shimla, October 26
Persons belonging to the weaker sections may be saved from the cumbersome procedures of getting detailed construction plans made by architects and completing other formalities as the government has given several relaxations to them so that they can be provided housing facility easily.

RSS chief Sudarshan supports Tibetans’ cause
Dharamsala, October 26
RSS chief K. Sudarshan here today advocated that China should accept the middle-path approach of the Dalai Lama to find a solution to the issue of Tibet and expressed his party’s support for the cause. He was speaking at a national seminar organised by the Bharat Tibet Sahyog Manch in memory of Guru Govalkar.

7-year RI for raping minor
Solan, October 26
The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr Pritam Singh, today sentenced Gian Chand, hailing from Belgajee village in Aryaa district of Bihar, to seven-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 for raping a minor girl at Handa Khari village in Nalagarh. The judge further announced additional sentence of six months for default in the payment of fine.

One killed in mishap
Kulu, October 26
One person was killed in an accident when a pick-up van rolled into a deep gorge near Hurladhar in Banjar subdivision of this district. Police sources from Banjar said that the pick-up van apparently met with an accident at least three days ago but the vehicle and the body of the deceased were traced yesterday. The body of the driver, Yog Raj, a son of Tikkam Ram of Chirpana (Gadsa), was handed over to the relatives after a post-mortem examination today.

Project to bore 7 tunnels under way
Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 26
The ambitious tunnelling programme has finally got underway with the government engaging Geo-Consult, a world leader in engineering consultancy, for preparing detailed project reports for as many as seven tunnels proposed to be constructed to improve the road infrastructure and ease traffic congestion in the state.

The Austrian company will be working in joint venture with the RITES (Rail India Techno Economic Services) and Banglore-based Secon company. It has been asked to complete work for all the tunnels in six to nine months.

Besides construction of five new tunnels, there is a proposal to double lane the existing tunnels at Dhalli , near here, and the famous Kangra tunnel.

New tunnels are proposed to be constructed under Swarghat on the Chandigarh-Manali national highway and Kharapthar on the Shimla-Rohru state highway. In addition, three tunnels are proposed within Shimla to ease traffic congestion on the circular road.

The company has been asked to conduct a survey of the tunnels in Shimla and Kharapathar immediately as snowfall during winter could delay work. The longest tunnel, about 7.5 km, will be bored under the Swarghat hill to reduce the distance between Chandigarh and Bilaspur by about 16 km. The Kharapathar tunnel will be smaller but will curtail the distance between Rohru and Shimla by about 20 km.

In Shimla, tunnels are proposed to be bored from the Lift to Lakkar Bajar, Lift to Himfed Petrol Pump and the IGMC to Himfed Petrol Pump. The tunnels, will be constructed in Shimla to ease traffic congestion on the circular road, the lifeline of the city. The total length of the three tunnels will be about 4 km. These tunnels will be made part of the urban renewal mission.

According to sources, the Swarghat tunnel project was likely to be taken up on the build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis as there was sufficient vehicular traffic on the road to ensure economic viability of the project. However, the Kharapathar tunnel and double laning of Dhalli and Kngra tunnels will be taken up as social projects. 

HP CM rules out snap poll
Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 26
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, today ruled out early Assembly elections in the state and stated that elections would be held on time. Talking to mediapersons after his return from New Delhi here today, he said all reports in the media in this regard were baseless and he had not even discussed this issue with the high command. He said he had no inclination to advance the elections which were due in February 2008.

Referring to the visit of Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Congress President, who is scheduled to address a rally at Dharamsala on October 30, he said it was meant to strengthen the party.

Referring to the change in leadership of the state units of the NSUI and Youth Congress, he said the high command was seized of the matter. He had discussed the issue with the high command and it was for the central leadership to take appropriate action in the matter.

Mohan Lal is district BJP chief
Our Correspondent

Chamba, October 26
A former ayurveda minister and senior BJP leader, Mr Mohan Lal, was elected to the post of party district unit president during elections held here today. According to BJP insiders, Mr Mohan Lal’s candidature is stated to be impartial and non-controversial.

Mr Dulo Ram, who was the returning officer for conducting these elections, declared Mr Mohan Lal elected as district president. Mr Mohan defeated his rival, Mr Jia Lal, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, by 10 votes. Mr Mohal Lal got 56 votes while Mr Jia Lal 46 votes.

Ms Renu Chadha, Mr Tulsi Ram, Mr B. K. Chauhan, Mr Des Raj, Mr Vikram Jaryal and Mr Inder Thakur were elected as state delegates.

Mr Mohan Lal pledged to work for the unity of party. He appealed to party activists to work for the party in view of next Assembly elections. 

Weaker sections to get relaxations in housing schemes
Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 26
Persons belonging to the weaker sections may be saved from the cumbersome procedures of getting detailed construction plans made by architects and completing other formalities as the government has given several relaxations to them so that they can be provided housing facility easily.

The Director, Town and Country Planning, recently issued the necessary directions in this regard, giving large concessions to the weaker sections.

They will be allowed construction on a plot measuring merely 60 square metres as compared to the minimum permissible limit of 150 square metres in general cases. These relaxations will apply under all the government schemes like the Indira Awas Yojna, for providing housing to the weaker sections of society.

With the issuing of these directions, the TCP Department will have to incorporate these in its Rules 10-A and 10-B as the existing rules do not allow any such relaxation. “Keeping in view the small size of the plots it has been decided to allow these persons row housing,” informed an official.

Moreover, with this fresh relaxation made by the government, the people belonging to the weaker section can cover up to 50 per cent of the total area. In order to simplify the procedures for seeking permission, only a single line plan can be submitted to the development authority within the municipal area in the urban parts.

In case of areas falling outside municipal limits, a simple application illustrating the dimensions will be accepted by the concerned authorities. “This has been done to simplify the procedures as far as possible for the weaker section and to save them form spending on getting a proper building plan prepared by an architect,” explain officials. However, the maximum number of storeys that will be allowed would be two.

Another major relaxation given by the government is in respect of the access or approach to the house. As compared to a minimum of three metre-wide roads to the structure, the people from weaker section can have only 1.5 metre-wide approach roads.

Another relaxation which will allow the weaker sections to have maximum constructed space is construction of a single flight open stairs to the upper floor on the setback. For other people no stairs can be constructed on the setback as this is considered a violation of the laid down norms.

Besides making large number of relaxations, various government agencies have been asked to provide assistance and guidance to these people in submitting their plans and provide any other information which will help them in dealing with their case.

RSS chief Sudarshan supports Tibetans’ cause
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, October 26
RSS chief K. Sudarshan here today advocated that China should accept the middle-path approach of the Dalai Lama to find a solution to the issue of Tibet and expressed his party’s support for the cause. He was speaking at a national seminar organised by the Bharat Tibet Sahyog Manch in memory of Guru Govalkar.

The RSS chief said there was historical evidence to prove that Tibet was never part of China and condemned the incidents of alleged violations of human rights in Tibet by the Chinese security agencies.

Mr Sudarshan said an international conference would be organised by the Bharat Tibet Sahyog Manch on October 2, 2007, in Delhi to discuss the Ttibet issue. Besides, he said, he had extended a formal invitation to the Dalai Lama to participate in an all-religion conference being organised at Varanasi on November 25 and 26 this year to discuss ways and means to achieve world peace.

Appreciating the RSS’s support, Tibetan Prime Minister Samdhog Rinpoche said this would help in spreading awareness about the issue of Tibet and the problems being faced by Tibetans in their own homeland.

Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister, said India had always supported the Tibetan issue and China’s control over Tibet also posed a security threat to the country. 

7-year RI for raping minor
Our Correspondent

Solan, October 26
The Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr Pritam Singh, today sentenced Gian Chand, hailing from Belgajee village in Aryaa district of Bihar, to seven-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 for raping a minor girl at Handa Khari village in Nalagarh. The judge further announced additional sentence of six months for default in the payment of fine.

Gian Chand was working at the victim’s house at Handa Khari village. He called the minor girl to his room and raped her.

The prosecution had presented the medical examination report conducted at the State Forensic Laboratory, Junga, which substantiated the charge of rape.

One killed in mishap

Kulu, October 26
One person was killed in an accident when a pick-up van rolled into a deep gorge near Hurladhar in Banjar subdivision of this district. Police sources from Banjar said that the pick-up van apparently met with an accident at least three days ago but the vehicle and the body of the deceased were traced yesterday. The body of the driver, Yog Raj, a son of Tikkam Ram of Chirpana (Gadsa), was handed over to the relatives after a post-mortem examination today.