 |
|
|
Mankotia to move SC for CBI probe
Hamirpur Byelection
Audio CD Issue
CPM, BSP for CBI probe
Cong suspends Vijay Joshi
Polling to be videographed
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
BJP ridicules CM’s statement
One accident, chaos all around
Old engine fails again
Himachal CPMT
4,959 candidates appear
Mercy chance to matric students
Shimla to host SAFMA meeting
Major S.C. Guleri
Water scheme to benefit 12 villages
2 killed as tipper falls into gorge
Fire ravages two units in Baddi
Baddi all set to go
green
|
|
Mankotia to move SC for CBI probe
Tiara (Kangra), May 30 Revealing this to The Tribune after holding a meeting with his legal advisers at his residence here today, he said if the party high command did not remove the Chief Minister from the post and expel him from the party, he would file a case in the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe. On being asked when he was going to file the case, he said he would file the case after the completion of the election process for the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat and until that period he would wait for action against the CM and his wife. He said he was hopeful that the Supreme Court would admit the case and direct the CBI to hold investigation against the Chief Minister and his wife. He said he had some more CDs and other documents against the Chief Minister, his ministers and some senior bureaucrats related to monetary exchanges. He gave The Tribune a few zerox copies of bank receipts of a senior bureaucrat close to the Chief Minister alleging that this bureaucrat had deposited lakhs in his and his wife’s accounts in a bank in Shimla in a period of less than one month. He should be questioned from where he got that money, he said. Adding that it was just the tip of an iceberg, he said bank accounts of many senior bureaucrats and their family members needed to be thoroughly examined to bring out some startling revelations of money transactions beyond their financial capacity. He said he would make a few more exposures soon and transform his crusade against corruption into a movement of the people.
|
|
Hamirpur Byelection Tribune Reporters
Bilaspur, May 30 Addressing a series of election meetings in Bilaspur town late last night and today at Jhanda and Kothipura in Kotkehloor Assembly segment, Shanta criticised the Congress for evading questions on national issues. Shanta lashed out at the Central Government for allowing multinational companies to purchase and sell grains and also give double prices of grains to foreign farmers instead of compensating farmers here in the country and encouraging them to grow more grains. He said due to wrong policies of the government, it was now importing lakhs of tonnes of wheat which had led to massive increase in prices of essentials commodities in the country. Shanta said the CD had exposed the Chief Minister’s involvement in corruption just before the elections. This had demoralised the Congress. He said exposure of the Congress top brass, its wrong policies and misdeeds would also help the BJP in the Himachal Vidhan Sabha elections. NAHAN: BJP leader Shyama Sharma, said on Wednesday said the Congress was neck deep into corruption, as per the CD released by Congress MLA Vijay Mankotia. It had concrete evidence against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. She demanded that Virbhadra should resign from his office and demanded an immediate CBI enquiry into the corruption charges levelled against him. The BJP leader said at present the Congress was sailing in troubled waters and was embroiled in the court cases. MP Pratibha Singh should be debarred from attending Parliament session till she is absolved of the corruption charges as the CD was a prima facie evidence against her.
|
|
Audio CD Issue
CPM, BSP for CBI probe
Shimla, May 30 It also stressed that to ensure an impartial inquiry Virbhadra Singh should resign as the Chief Minister on moral grounds. It lamented that both BJP and the Congress were embroiled in corruption. Serious allegations of corruption were made against former Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal by his own ministers. Dhumal compromised with the ministers and the charges were brushed under the carpet. The State Subordinate Services selection board became a den of corruption during the Dhumal regime and only recently BJP MP Suresh Chandel was caught on camera taking money for asking questions in Parliament. The party had decided to launch a statewide agitation to protest against the anti-people policies of the government and the manner in which the Congress and the BJP had been patronising corruption. KANGRA: Prakash Chand Saniyal, secretary of the state BSP, on Wednesday demanded a CBI probe into the CD, adding that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife, Pratibha Singh, should resign their respective posts on moral grounds in view of the serious charges of corruption levelled against them. The BSP leader said that the party would not join any third front in the state but would welcome Mankotia into its fold. |
|
Cong suspends Vijay Joshi
Shimla, May 30 A Congress statement said Joshi had deliberately acted in a way calculated to lower the prestige of the party. Joshi’s case had been sent to the state disciplinary committee for further action. Joshi had given a statement in support of Vijay Mankotia, who levelled serious charges of corruption against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife, Pratibha Singh, and also released an audio CD as evidence. Joshi is the second leader after Mankotia to be suspended from the party.He won the Santokhgarh seat in the 1977, 1985 and 1993 Assembly elections |
|
Polling to be videographed
Shimla, May 30 Stating this here today Chief Electoral Officer Manisha Nanda said all electors who had been issued photo identity cards would have to produce cards to exercise their franchise on June 2 for the Hamirpur byelection. However, those who had not been issued the photo identity cards so far by the election department would be allowed to vote, provided their identity was established by any of the alternative documents like passports, driving licenses, income tax identity (PAN) cards, service identity cards, freedom fighter identity cards, pension documents and domicile certificate (Himachali certificate).
— TNS |
|
BJP ridicules CM’s statement
Shimla, May 30 In a joint statement here today BJP general secretary Khushi Ram Balnatah and secretary Hira Nand Kashyap said asserting that it was an old recording the Chief Minister had only accepted that the CD was authentic. By dubbing the evidence provided by the CD as old Virbhadra Singh and his MP wife Pratibha Singh could not absolve themselves of the charges of corruption levelled by Mankotia. Taking money in lieu of favours and using senor government officers for extorting money were criminal acts even at that time. They demanded a CBI inquiry into scandal. |
|
One accident, chaos all around
Kangra, May 30 A tourist bus met with an accident at Matour bridge on the Pathankot-Mandi national highway around 3 pm today resulting in a traffic jam at Matour chowk where roads bifurcate for Kangra and Palampur. The traffic coming from Dharamsala and Pathankot was diverted to Kangra town via Zamanabad link road. The link road could not sustain the pressure of heavy traffic and it led to a traffic jam. This was the beginning of the traffic chaos in the town, which lasted for more than three hours. The jam spread to other roads of the town within minutes and traffic on the Dharamsala road also got blocked. The traffic from the Hoshiarpur road was diverted via the newly constructed bypass. Encroachments on different roads, fruit shops on highways and jeeps (used as taxis) parked on the Dharamsala-Shimla national highway and the Zamanabad road junction added to the traffic chaos. In absence of the police, taxi drivers started regulating the traffic on the Dharamsala road. Even some foreign tourists were seen regulating the traffic to ease out the situation. Long-route buses, loaded trucks, pilgrim and tourist buses were seen stranded on different roads. More than 1,200 HRTC and other buses enter Kangra town daily. Schoolchildren, aged people and patients were the worst affected due to the traffic jam.
|
|
Old engine fails again
Solan, May 30 Since there was no spare engine, over 100 passengers had to wait for hours together for their onward journey. This also blocked the rail traffic on the route compelling the staff to cancel a holiday special train that was slated to start around 12.10 pm from Kalka. The 255 Up train had to be halted near Taksal as two trains were stuck on the Kalka-Shimla track. Agitated passengers gave tough time to the railway staff at Dharampur as they demanded immediate relief. |
Himachal CPMT
4,959 candidates appear
Shimla, May 30 Himachal Pradesh
University had this time taken extra precautions for the conduct of the examination in view of the paper leakage
scam last year. The test was held at 15 centres. In Shimla Vice-Chancellor Anil Wilson along with the Dean of
Studies, Registrar and Controller of Examinations visited the centers. Senior professors
were on duty as observers for smooth conduct of this test at all centres. The district administration was closely associated by the university for smooth and peaceful conduct of the test. |
|
Mercy chance to matric students
Dharamsala, May 30 Since many students had again failed to clear the examinations, the board has decided to give them one more chance. |
|
Shimla to host SAFMA meeting
Shimla, May 30 It will be the first-ever meeting in India being organised at the initiative of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), the SAARC-recognised organisation of journalists. Apart from addressing the problems faced by them the organisation works for strengthening regional cooperation and supports steps seeking to reduce tensions and conflicts. Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee will inaugurate the conference while External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will deliver the keynote address. Former External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha will deliver the concluding speech. Leading members of Parliament apart from journalists from the region will take part in the discussions. This will be the second meeting of its type. The first one was held nearly two years ago at Murree in Pakistan. The theme then-as now-was "Towards South Asian Unity". In all 87 parliamentarians have accepted SAFMA's invitation. The maximum number of 24 participants are from India, followed by Pakistan (23) Bangladesh (12), Nepal( 8), Sri Lanka(6), Bhutan(2), Maldives(4) and Afghanistan (8).
|
|
Major’s sister not in delegation to Pak
Nurpur, May 30 Having furnished all information sought by the authorities concerned and fulfilling various formalities she and her husband, S.K.Sharma, a local advocate, had been waiting for a call to join the delegation. Major S.C.Guleri of the 9 Jat Regiment had been declared missing by the Indian Army in the wake of the Indo-Pak war in 1971 from the Chhamb Sector in Jammu and Kashmir. Major Guleri hails from Dharamsala while his sister, Neena Sharma, was married at Nurpur. According to family sources, Major Guleri's father, mother, one brother and wife have died in the course of time.
|
|
Water scheme to benefit 12 villages
Nahan, May 30 Addressing a public meeting at Sarsu, he said all revenue villages of the area would be connected with the water supply provision except for newly emerging temporary hamlets. As many as 92 such hamlets will be connected with regular water supply this year. He said that owing to continuous construction of roads in the rural areas, new hamlets add emerged at a number of places that created fresh demand for drinking water. Last year 58 such small hamlets were connected with water supply scheme.
|
|
2 killed as tipper falls into gorge
Chamba, May 30 Those killed were Manga Ram (driver) and Subhash Chand (helper). The tipper was being used to carry sand and gravel for the construction work at the Budhil hydroelectric project, near Bharmour, when the driver failed to negotiate a curve. The bodies of the deceased were handed over to the respective families after autopsy. Manga Ram was a resident of Lamoo village, while Subhash Chand belonged to nearby Holi village. According to resident commissioner of Bharmour N.K. Lath, an immediate relief of Rs 5,000 has been given to the next of kin of each deceased. The private construction company has also given Rs 25,000 each to the families. A case has been registered. |
|
|
Fire ravages two units in Baddi
Baddi, May 30 A major fire broke out at Rahul Industries, a corrugated cartons unit based at Jharmajri near here. The fire was first noticed by a unit security guard at around 8 am. The local fire station was informed that rushed its two fire tenders at the spot. According to Sanjay Sharma, MD of Rahul Industries, initial estimates put the losses at Rs 22 lakh. In another case, an industrial waste recycling unit at Madanwala was badly ravaged by a fire that broke out at 1 pm. The fire tenders were rushed from Baddi, Nalagarh, Parwanoo, HMT Pinjore and Panchkula. Lal Muhhammed, owner of the unit, has estimated the loss between Rs 18 lakh and Rs 20 lakh. Short circuit is stated to be the reason in both cases. |
|
|
Baddi all set to go
green
Baddi, May 30 The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Dr Amandeep Garg, CEO of the BBN Development Authority (BBNDA), and the brain behind the project. It is decided that tree planting works will be taken up by two agencies. The industries, too, shall plant and maintain trees in front of their plots whereas on the Baddi-Barotiwala road, the forest department shall raise and maintain the tree avenue planting. The project was prepared by the Forest Department. Dr Garg says the project is targeted to make Baddi green. Though industrial revolution has set the industrial growth in the state on the fast track it has also brought its bad affects. With the setting of numerous units the pollution levels have gone from bad to worse. Negative results are already started to come up due to imbalanced environment and industry effluents. On numerous occasions, fish in the Sarsa river have been found dead. The groundwater level is depleting. Trees play an important role in reducing the environmental pollution, besides serving as pollution indicator, asserts Dr Garg. The vegetal cover is, therefore, a pollution scavenger as it absorbs gases and gathers particulate matter through leaves having large surface area, he maintains. “The green portion of the trees and plants has the capacity to filter dust, smoke and other pollutants in the air. Some species like ficus, mango, neem, drek, kanak champa etc also act as good dust filter.” Studies show that one well-grown peepal tree (162 sq m crown area) can absorb 2252 kg of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and give out 1712 kg.of oxygen in one hour. In the fast race of industrialisation, the BBNDA is looking for a holistic development and comfortable milieu for industries in this area. Under the project, the target area is roadside. In an area like BBN where the availability of space is a constraint it becomes imperative to choose such species which will not only beautify but also turned out to be lungs of this industrial hub. Under project while selecting the species the main thrust has been laid on the following points: 1) Indigenous species of the area, 2) Overhead electric cable/ underground drainage, 3) Ornamental nature of plant 4) Evergreen species, 5) Flowering species 6) Space availability along the road, 7) Continuity and connectivity of roads and 8) Fast growing nature of the species and frost resistance. Keeping in mind the climatic and geographical condition of the belt, certain species are planned to be planted. The climate is mainly subtropical and dry. On an average a maximum of 300 mm to 350 mm of rainfall in the month of July and August is recorded. The altitude varies from 300 to 700 meters above the sea level. The slope varies from gentle to steep. Keeping all these considerations the following species are to be planted: Annogeissus Latifolia (chhal), Lannea Grandis (jhingan), Albizia Lebbeek (siris), Bombax Ciebe (simal), Syzygium Cummini (jamun), Acacia Catechu (khair), Dalbergia Sisso (shisham), Bauhinia Varigata (kachnar), Azadiracta Indica (neem), Phoenix Humilis (khajoor), Morus Alba (shehtoot), Cedrela Toona (toon), Terminalia Belerica (bahera), Melia Azadirchta (drek), Terminalia Chebula (harar), Jacranda Mimosifolia (nili gulmohar), Delonix Regia (gulmohar), Azadirachta Indica (neem), Grewellia Robusta (silver oak), Cassia Fistula (amaltash). These species will be planted at the space of 5 m on the either side of the road. Meanwhile, A.R. Singh, president, BBNIA, and Rajinder Guleria, chairman of the HP CII, have assured all support for the project. A subcommittee has been formed who would persuade the industries to give support in plantation drive in their respective area. The plantation will start on June 5 the day marks the World Environment Day. The plantation under the project will be completed before 15th July.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
