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CM visits Sacha Sauda dera
No dearth of funds for development: CM
CM assures jobs to JBT trainees
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Hamirpur Zila Parishad member arrested
Four held in Kalyani helipad murder case
War widows honoured
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CM visits Sacha Sauda dera
Dharamsala, July 4 Kangra district magistrate Bharat Khera recently passed orders against this dera, asking the Revenue Department to take over the possession of 175 kanals of prime land of this dera as state property and 'vest the property in the name of the state government. It may be mentioned that the visit of the Chief Minister to the dera was not mentioned in his official tour programme. When the CM was going to Nagri village on an official tour to inaugurate certain development schemes, a few people standing outside the main gate of the dera stopped his cavalcade. The CM came out of his car to meet the people who not only greeted him with garlands but also invited him to visit the dera. Interestingly, Bharat Khera escorted the Chief Minister inside the dera without briefing him that this land was 'benami' and he had passed orders for taking possession of this land. It was only when the dera people requested the Chief Minister to intervene so that the possession of this land remained with them that Virbhadra Singh came to know that there was some controversy over this land. Last week, the dera challenged the orders of the district magistrate and filed an appeal before divisional commissioner of Kangra B.K. Aggarwal. |
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No dearth of funds for development: CM
Palampur, July 4 The Chief Minister said as far as the election manifesto of the Congress was concerned his government had already implemented 95 per cent of the poll promises made in the 2003 Assembly elections. The Chief Minister said his government had always given top priority to the development of Kangra district and there was no question of ignoring this important district. As Kangra district with 16 Assembly segments was politically considered one of the important districts, no party could afford to ignore its development. He said it was evident from the fact that the political party which had secured the maximum Assembly seats from Kangra had ruled the state. Virbhadra Singh denied the charges levelled by the BJP that the Congress government was extending step-motherly treatment to the merged areas, particularly Kangra district. He termed the recent statements issued by various BJP leaders and Major Vijay Singh Mankotia as misleading, politically motivated and far from the truth. The government planned to set up two new modern airports, one at SunderNagar and the other in Kangra district where Boeing aircraft could easily land. The selection of land for these airports was in progress. The lack of air travel facility was a major bottleneck in the development of tourism in the state. Besides, the government also planned to widen all state highways to cope with the increase in the number of vehicles.
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CM assures jobs to JBT trainees
Bilaspur, July 4 JBT Trainees Welfare Association president Sanjeev Kumar said the Chief Minister categorically stated that the government was committed to giving them jobs after the completion of their training. He ordered the Education Department to get the service bonds of all JBT trainees filled at the earliest. It may be recalled that DIET JBT trainees recently demonstrated at various places in the state against the government decision of filling 2400 vacant posts of JBT teachers. |
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Hamirpur Zila Parishad member arrested
Hamirpur, July 4 Jagdish Thakur was arrested late on Tuesday night after his bail was cancelled by a local court. The woman doctor had filed a complaint against Thakur for misbehaving with her while on duty. Trouble started when Thakur after being bitten by a wasp went to seek medical help in the local hospital. Thakur later complained that his life was put to danger by the doctor by administering him a few injections one of which reacted on him as a result of which he started vomiting blood and later had to be admitted to the intensive care unit. On his complaint the chief medical officer had asked the medical superintendent to conduct an inquiry. Thakur alleged that the authorities were not only trying to hush up the matter but also had changed even the initial prescription slip. He later approached the police demanding legal action against the doctors. While Jagdish Thakur was given interim bail by the court he was arrested on Tuesday after his bail was not confirmed. Meanwhile, acting on Thakur’s complaint, SP Asif Jalal has ordered the registration of a case against the doctors. Hamirpur CMO P.L Poonam said :" The inquiry is yet to be completed. About the allegation of two set prescription slips, he says as the original slip was misplaced, a duplicate one had to be made." |
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Four held in Kalyani helipad murder case
Shimla, July 4 Superintendent of police A.P. Singh said that while Gurpreet Singh had been arrested from Moga, Anees Khan had been taken into custody from Chandigarh. Both of them had sped in a Ford Ikon along with three other friends, who were at large. ]The police is looking for the owner of the vehicle in which these boys had come here. The owner of the vehicle is basically an agent who is engaged in the business of sending people from Punjab abroad. "The two local youths went across to the Kalyani helipad in an Alto car from Lakkar Bazar and were drinking with their friends from Punjab when the altercation resulting in the death of Vikas took place," said A.P. Singh. The two local youths-- despite being a witness to the crime-- did not inform the police and as such they were guilty of trying to hide evidence of a cognizable crime. A police team from Shimla is visiting Chandigarh and some other towns of Punjab to get to these youths, some of whom have been identified. These youths from Punjab beat up Vikas mercilessly at the helipad after an altercation and later crushed him to death as they fled. |
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Parking blues: A
TRIBUNE DEBATE The response to the debate was large and passionate while some readers spoke of an integrated approach to deal with the problem, others suggested raising the entry tax. At least one reader thought preferring two-wheelers over cars should help. Here goes a selection: The problem is a serious one and the administration needs to give it a serious thought before the situation goes out of hand. The rapid growth of vehicles in the past few years have added to the problem. The only solution is to give a facelift to the conditions of the roads. With the widening of roads, the problem can be sorted out to a great extent. Encroachers like reheriwallas, who make their base in the parking lot should be removed from these areas. Yogesh Sharma, Shimla Traffic police can help
To cope up with the problem, the traffic police should take necessary measures to stop the vehicles from crowding on busy roads. There should be a provision for proper parking lots for vehicles. People who violate traffic rules should be dealt with strictly and a heavy fine should be imposed on them. Vikas Dogra, Jawali, Kangra
Make parking mandatory
Word of mouth is the most effective publicity tool. The problem is affecting tourism in Himachal. For tourists ‘parking hunting’ is more important than ‘room hunting’ these days. When a tourist drives to Shimla, he first looks for a hotel with parking. If he parks his vehicle on the roadside, he is challaned for ‘idle parking.’ Cops order him to park in Government’s parkings, which are far from hotels and already jam-packed. Signboards should display names of hotels with number of vehicles their own parking can accommodate, at entrance of restricted roads. Parking lots should be made mandatory in all buildings. If locals and tourists can’t park their vehicles in Shimla, the government should stop sale/registration of vehicles, or shift the capital elsewhere as a solution. Roshni Johar, Shimla
Hotels can help out
Government should realise that Shimla is losing its charm due to lack of parking lots, it has become a transit place and is no longer a tourist destination. Undeniably, the government parkings are inadequate for both local and tourist vehicles. It should urgently construct more multi-storied parkings in various pockets (like Dingle Estate and Yodha Nivas) especially near hotels. While the Army has made its parking for 50-60 vehicles, civil authorities are yet to act. It should be compulsory for every building to have its own parking. While the government has parking lots mandatory for hotels, yet strangely, the government has banned tourist vehicles to be driven to hotels. These hotels definitely help to ease out parking woes. Prior to buying a vehicle, a local must ensure its parking. Social needs must override personal ones. Many feel that the government should shift the capital elsewhere to reduce its increasing official vehicles. M.Seth, Shimla
Multi-level parking systems
There are multi-level parking systems available. Vehicles can be stacked on top of each other (on pallets) and two to 10 levels of parking levels can be achieved. These systems take up very less space. The government can identify and allot certain places all around the town to private investors on a long-term lease basis. These systems are being used all over the world and can be purchased from China or Germany. Sanjay Gupta, Houston, Texas, USA Need to strengthen public transport system Hitesh Lakhanpal, Dharamsala Regulate traffic
Parking space should be verified by the government at the time of registration of any new vehicle. At present, the number of vehicle in Solan town have grown in numbers and the parking space is not sufficient for vehicles here. The roads are narrow and owners are parking their vehicles on the roadside with the result there is always blockage of traffic on the roads. Auto rickshaw drivers also halt at any convenient place to them. What I feel is the traffic should be regulated on a regular basis. Jagdish Chander, Solan
Hike entry tax
Find few short-term and some long-term ideas for addressing the parking problem. In the short-term, impose a reasonably high-daily-vehicle-entry tax for tourists who wish to drive in their own vehicles locally in Shimla. For example, a daily-vehicle-entry tax may be imposed for Rs100 to Rs 500, based on the size of the vehicle. This would discourage many tourists to drive down in their own vehicles, but rather find alternate ways, if they exist. To start with, use the money collected to build out-of-town parking places or lots and from there provide a super-deluxe bus service to the city streets either free or at nominal charges that just cover the expenses. Locals can also take them but by paying a ticket price that is almost prohibitive for a typical routine travel. Sanjeev Singh, Danbury, USA
Integrated efforts needed
Parking of vehicles is a major problem of concern all over India. The increasing number of vehicles is increasing parking problem in Shimla. In summer, there is inrush of tourists from different parts of India. Road-side parking should not be allowed and vehicles parked along the roads should be fined heavily. It should be made mandatory for hotel/restaurant owners to provide ample parking space for tourists. An individual should not be allowed to possess more than one. Basement parking is an effective way of reducing parking problem in hilly areas like Shimla. Both the government and civilians should help and support in solving the problem, as it is got to be an integrated effort. Vivek Guleri, Kangra
Opt for two-wheelers
The genesis of parking blues lies in according approval to car manufacturing projects without simultaneously starting matching road building and parking projects. A planning error committed at the level of the Planning Commission. To get over parking blues, shift to two wheelers, which are easier to park and move around on. L.R. Sharma, Solan
Tourists can help
To overcome the problem, more parking facilities should be provided. Traffic system should be up to the mark. Tourists can also help in their own way by co-operating with the authorities. Instead of coming in seperate vehicles, they can accommodate themselves in one large vehicle to reduce the parking problem. Purnima Bali, Shimla
High-tech parking meters
To tackle the problem, the government/administration has to take strict measures and make certain rules and regulations and implement them strictly. First of all, the government as well as private agencies should build multi-storey car/vehicle parking at different locations of a tourist place and fix the parking charges. High-tech parking meters should be installed to make the payment easier. Secondly, the government should not allow vehicles on a particular place of tourist interest or on a single road which leads to a tourist place (e.g. Manali to Rohtang Pass). The government should ply their own buses or issue permits to some private transporters on fixed time table so that the excess traffic jams could be avoided. Nikhil Sahota, Paprola, Kangra
Increase parking space
Special efforts must be made by the government to increase parking space in every town, particularly in hill resorts, on a priority basis. All roads must be maintained properly and widened, where possible, so as to avoid traffic jams. Traffic discipline must be enforced All construction activity in every town must scrupulously follow the stipulated rules. Encroachments must be severely dealt with. Creation of additional parking space should be encouraged. A number of special ‘no traffic’ zones should be earmarked in every town so as to reduce traffic. Maximum use should be made of by-pass roads to regulate traffic. Tourists should be accorded assistance to acquaint them with local traffic rules and other relevant information so as to enable them to enjoy their holiday and make it a memorable trip. Govind Singh Khimta, Shimla
Metered taxis
The state government should improve the standard, quality, frequency of local buses so that local peoples minimise the use of their cars. The government should also introduce and run metered taxis covering only local limits. It will help tourists and locals to avoid their own vehicles. Safe parking lots on entrance of Shimla should be constructed, so that tourists can park their cars and hire metered taxis for movement. This will automatically reduce the parking problem. Anuj Sharma, Summer hills, Shimla
Blanket permits
Rules should be one and for all. Tourists should be allowed to drive down to hotels as these hotels have parking lots. Blanket permits should be reintroduced which were issued to hotels to drive down on restricted roads. The Chief Minister and the Tourism Minister should intervene in order to save tourism industry. D.V. Sethi, Jalandhar
Let’s be responsible
We should follow rules made by the administration and we must not shrink from our responsibilities. Supreet Singh Dhanjal, Jubbal, Shimla |
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War widows honoured
Shimla, July 4 He was speaking at a ceremony organised by the War Widows Guild of India and the International Punjabi Society, Himachal chapter, to honour war widows. He said the government had enhanced the grant to Rs 25 lakh for Param Vir Chakra awardees, Rs 15 lakh to the Mahavir and Kirti Chakra awardees and Rs 10 lakh to Vir Chakra and Shaurya Chakra awardees from April 1 last year. He added that the annuity of gallantry awards had also been increased.
— TNS |
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Woman commits suicide
Nurpur, July 4 The police has booked husband Parvinder Singh, father-in-law Chander Singh and mother-in- law Vashna Devi for alleged harassment, forcing her to take the extreme step.
— OC |
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7 Montessori schools for HP
Shimla, July 4 Chairman
of the group Gurmeet Singh Arora said here today that besides
introducing the time-tested Montessori concept of education at the
pre-school level, his organisation also planned to open schools up to
class V next year.
— TNS |
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BSNL launches FLPP
service
Shimla, July 4 The fixed line pre-paid (FLPP)
service could be availed by the existing as well as new basic phone line
customers. It is a pre-paid service over a post-paid connection. The
customer only needs to have an FLPP account card of Rs 112 with a
talk-time of Rs 90 and validity of 60 days.
— TNS |
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Transferred
Shimla, July 4 Commandant, India Reserve Battalion, Una, S.P.S. Verma has been posted as the Chamba SP. Una district police chief Atul Phuljale will hold the additional charge of Commandant IRB, Una. |
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Vehicles are flooding the roads and vehicular traffic is posing multifarious problems and parking of vehicles seems to be insurmountable bottleneck emerging these days. This problem has become a serious one in tourist destinations. The government can mitigate the potential of the problem by finding out the additional land for parking purposes, increasing the efficiency of traffic regulatory mechanism, stringent laws for issuing driving license, spreading awareness among people about traffic rules and also developing an efficient public transportation system