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Shimla suffers water pangs
Sarvajan Samaj Rally
Factionalism at BJP get-together
No-trust move against MC chief
3 trauma centres by year-end
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Chemist shops raided, 30 samples collected
ABVP men gherao police station
Rs 20-cr outlay for infrastructure
Central power body to monitor transmission
‘Monkey culling illegal’
Army rescues British trekker in Kinnaur
Thein Dam
Kangra Development Block
Thind’s Promotion
Move to assess Bali’s popularity
Plea to promote cash crops
Rs 124 cr for job scheme
Rs 16.6 lakh for sapling plantation
108 to join Haj
Mild tremors experienced
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Shimla suffers water pangs
Shimla, July 23 Most parts of the town, including the Chotta Shimla, New Shimla, Khalini, Vikasnagar and Kasumpti areas, did not get supply for the third consecutive day. These areas are fed by the supply from the Ashwani khad area. Though the municipal corporation diverted some water from the Ridge reservoir to cater to the VIP areas taps in most localities remained dry. The municipal corporation authorities said there was shortage in supply due to damage to the pipeline near Kasumpti, which is likely to be restored by tomorrow. It was only a week back that the MC had started giving regular water supply after three- month rationing when supply was made only on alternate days. However, the supply got totally disrupted due to the breaking of the pipeline. Mayor Narinder Kataria said normal supply would be restored within a day. “Moreover, the 17 sectoral tanks made by the Irrigation Department would shortly be made operational so that in such emergencies when scarcity hits the town, supply can be maintained,” said Kataria. He said nine tanks had been made operational while testing of the remaining was being done. These 17 sectoral tanks have been made for good water supply to the capital. During the peak summer season that people have to face an acute water shortage due to a huge floating population of tourists arriving here. With the tourist season over, the supply is about 65,000 gallons which meets the requirement of the town. |
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Sarvajan Samaj Rally
Mandi, July 23 So far, Pathania and Joshi have kept a low profile, but Mankotia is out among people as the ‘BSP’s sarvajan brand ambassador’. He has already toured Shimla, Solan, Hamirpur, Kangra and Palampur and is proceeding to Kullu to garner support for the new found party. Mankotia told reporters here today that he would continue to fight against corruption. “If it is opportunism then I will continue to speak up against it and fight for the problems of the people”, he said. The BSP is targeting not only 6 reserved constituencies in the state. The former HVC leader, Nanak Chand Bhardwaj from Dharampur, Sukh Ram’s supporter and few HVC leaders from the district attended the BSP meeting here today. The Congress and the BJP have termed the recent euphoria over the BSP’s Sarva Samaj rally as a “regionalised short-lived honeymoon for the outspoken party detractors in the state”. The BSP neither has a significant leader like Mayawati, nor any significant base, as the Dalits are not organized the way they are organized in states like UP so far and castes divide work differently in different districts in the state. However, the political pundits say like the Sukh Ram-led now defunct HVC, the BSP can play a spoilsports in case the Congress and the BJP fail to garner a simple majority in the coming states Assembly elections due for February, 2008. BSP state president Balwant Singh said the BSP leaders were ready to make any sacrifice for the party “even if it means no political career for them within the party’s new emerging setup”. The leaders will formally join the party in Mayawati’s presence in Dharamsala, he said. Balwant said the media had ignored the BSP in UP and in Himachal. “There will be a mass upsurge in favour of the BSP after Mayawati addresses the rally on July 26”, he said. |
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Factionalism at BJP get-together
Sundernagar, July 23 During the procession, some of the workers began raising slogans in favour of former BJP minister Roop Singh Thakur and the act was not liked by supporters of Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha state president Rakesh Jamwal, and they also started raising slogans in favour of Jamwal who is also projecting himself as a perspective candidate of the BJP from Sundernagar Assembly segment. All this happened in presence of Thakur and other senior leaders of the party. Some of the workers were also seen raising slogans in favour of former BJP minister from Nachan Assembly segment Ram Dile. |
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No-trust move against MC chief
Mandi, July 23 Vaidya belongs to the BJP. The immediate provocation for the pro-Congress councillors to go against Vaidya is said to be his recent statement that Mandi MP Pratibha Singh had not allotted funds for the musical fountain in the town. The councillors said Vaidya had lost faith of the majority in the 13-members House and he had lost the moral right to run it. Those who have signed the no-confidence motion are: Pushp
Raj, Sushila Sonkhla, Aanad Behal, Gagan Kashyap, Mahinder Kumar, Asha Chopra and
Yograj. Panda said he had received the copy of the motion signed by seven members and directed the
SDM, Sadar, to issue notices to all councillors to call the special general house meeting in 15 days. |
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3 trauma centres by year-end
Shimla, July 23 Work on all trauma centres is in full swing and the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has already sanctioned Rs 1.50 crore for the purpose. The trauma centre at the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) here is likely to be completed by year-end. Keeping in view the high accident rate along the national highway No 21, the trauma centre at Kullu and Bilaspur will go a long way in saving the lives of accident victims who at times can’t make it to big hospitals at Chandigarh or other places. Though the Centre has so far approved three trauma centres the state is keen another one at Rampur and Kanga. The construction of the trauma centre at the IGMC has already been completed and even the requisite equipment has been procured. The fabrication of two special vehicles, exclusively for the trauma centers, is being done while Rs 51 lakh has been spent on construction work. “We will be able to make the trauma centre at the IGMC operational by December as only minor work remains to be done,” said Hardyal, medical superintendent, IGMC. Besides a separate building, sophisticated life-saving equipment and two separate vehicles, the trauma centres will be provided with a good communication network. “There will be wireless sets and other communication gadgets so that the doctors travelling with the patients can seek guidance from specialists while the patient is being brought to the trauma care centre,” said M.L. Mahajan, director, health and family welfare. With a very high accident rate in Himachal due to the difficult hill terrain, the need for trauma care centres was being felt in a big way. Though the orthopaedics and other departments at the IGMC and Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda in Kangra handle such cases the setting up of the trauma care centre will provide them the best critical care for which they used to be rushed to Chandigarh, Ludhiana or Jalandhar. There have been several instances where patients, especially accident victims whose life could have been saved did not survive as precious time was lost in travelling to outside hospitals in the absence of trauma centres within the state. In fact the state Transport Department too had been pressing for the setting up of trauma centres along the national highways. |
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Chemist shops raided, 30 samples collected
Dharamsala, July 23 Confirming this, assistant drug controller Navneet Marwah said 20 samples of various medicines were collected on Sunday from Dhaliara, Palampur, Jawalaji and many other places of the district, while 10 samples were collected from various chemist shops here today. He said that these samples would be send to a drug testing laboratory to ascertain whether the drugs were spurious or not. After receiving the reports of the drug testing laboratory, action would be taken accordingly. He further said for the time being nothing could be said about the genuineness of the medicines merely on the basis of collection of samples. |
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ABVP men gherao police station
Dharamsala, July 23 The local police picked up Kuldip Kumar, a BA second year student, from the college as he was not carrying his identity card. The police maintained there were complaints that outsiders were daily coming to the college and disturbing the classes. Even as the principal identified that he was a student of this college, the police slapped him before taking him to the police station. Enraged ABVP activists gathered in the college and took out a protest march in the town against the growing atrocities of the police. They alleged that the local police was as a routine harassing them on the roads leading to the college. Finally, they gathered outside the local police station and blocked traffic on the main road of the town for more than one hour. They also raised slogans against the police and gheraoed the police station for more than two hours. However, no untoward incident was reported during the protest. The students demanded the registration of an FIR against the police personnel and also immediate suspension of the cop who had slapped and taken away Kuldip Kumar to the police station from the college. The SHO got a written complaint from Kuldip Kumar in this regard and assured the agiatators of a proper inquiry into the episode. Kuldip Kumar was released after more than five hours only after the students laid a siege to the police station. |
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Rs 20-cr outlay for infrastructure
Shimla, July 23 He underlined the need for improving and upgrading the Pinjore-Nalagarh and Chandigarh-Nalagarh roads, adding that the matter had been taken up with the neighbouring states. The two roads would make the industrial areas accessible from both sides and ease pressure of vehicular traffic on the Pinjore-Baddi section. The widening of internal roads had already been taken up by the BBNDA and it was making a difference. The government was very much concerned about environment and it had already granted permission for setting up a solid waste management plant in the area. |
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Central power body to monitor transmission
Shimla, July 23 The issue was discussed at a high-level meeting presided over by CEA chairman Rakesh Nath here today, for evolving an integrated master plan for the evacuation of power from identified hydroelectric projects through a regional transmission system. Nath assured that the state electricity board and the IPP’s that its master plan would ensure that the transmission system was in place for evacuation of power from every project. He asked project developers to apply for open access at the earliest so as to facilitate the creation of an appropriate system under the master plan. In case they faced any problems they could send note to the CEA for consideration. Member (technical) of the board highlighted the need for an integrated plan in view of the limited availability of transmission corridors in the state due to geographic conditions. It was essential to ensure that projects which might come up at a later date did not become viable for want of a transmission system. He stressed the need for greater coordination among the CEA, Power Grid Corporation of India, IPP’s and the board to put in place a robust transmission network. Member (civil) R.L.Chauhan while giving the time-frame for the projects emphasised the need for synchronising the transmission system with the commissioning of projects. CEA chief engineer Asthana made a presentation of the master plan for Sutlej, Beas and Ravi basins. It was decide that the master plan will be put up on the website of the CEA within a week. It will be further discussed by a smaller committee comprising representatives of CEA, power grid, board and IPP’s The meeting removed doubts on various issues among the stake holders and paved way for finalisation of an integrated master plan to help harness the vast hydroelectric potential of the state. |
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‘Monkey culling illegal’
Shimla, July 23 Dr Ranvireshwar Singh , North India convener of the NWI said the decision to allow professional hunters in the guise of farmers a free reign to kill monkeys, as also neelgai, wild boars and other wildlife violated the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Under the laws, the animals to be killed had to be identified, authenticated and proved to be dangerous like carrying fatal infections, rabies and anthrax thus giving license and allowing people to hunt in forests did not absolve them of culpability. As the Noradhar and related incidents in Sirmaur where nearly 12 monkeys were reported to have been killed by villagers on July 14 under the supervision and at the behest of senior forest officials it made them complicit offenders under the Animal Conservation Laws. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests had constituted a 12-member expert committee under the chairmanship of the union secretary of the said ministry, with 2 members representing Himachal Pradesh and solutions and proposals were formulated and accepted for rehabilitation of conservation reserves, through habitat regeneration, food stocking, planting of shrubs and fruit trees, improved solid waste management, and sterilising of male alpha monkeys as the last resort. All these were made a part of the action plan. However, four years had elapsed since and not a single step had been taken in this direction, except for sterilising a handful of randomly picked monkeys at the Tuti Kandi centre at Shimla. The expert committee and action plan rejected any method of culling or killing either through biological means shooting or poisoning. |
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Army rescues British trekker in Kinnaur
Chandigarh, July 23 The Defence Ministry had alerted Headquarters Western Command after assistance was sought by the British team trekking on the Pin Parbat in the remote, glaciated Pin Valley in Himachal Pradesh. Natasha had developed high-altitude pulmonary oedema, an ailment that develops due to lack of oxygen in high-altitude areas. The Western Command launched two helicopters to rescue the girl and also placed a ground-based rescue team in high state of readiness in the area of Sumdo, which is about five hours driving time from the area where the expedition was stranded. Bad weather, however, prevented the helicopters from approaching the Pin Valley and the ground-based rescue team, with an experienced medical officer and specialised equipment for rescue operation in hilly terrain was immediately pressed into service. The expedition leader Adrian Mcartney also started approaching the nearest road head with the casualty. The British expedition and the Army rescue team linked up in the area of Mud where the Army medical officer carried out the critical diagnosis and provided the timely medical aid.
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Thein Dam
Dalhousie, July 23 As many as 1,599 bighas of private land and 4,515 bighas of government land was submerged in the waters of the Ranjit Sagar Dam project in Dalhousie tehsil of Chamba district. Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh was the most affected as it displaced 537 families of Dalhousie tehsil. In spite of an agreement executed between the chief secretaries of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and a meeting held on July 13, 1998 in Shimla, it was agreed to provide job to one ward of the affected or identified family of the Thein Dam but out of 537 identified families, jobs were given to only 322 families and remaining 215 are still on the waiting list for the past nine years. Most of the wards of the identified families are still unemployed and our running from pillar to post for their appointments, but of no avail. The district unit of the All-India Senior Citizens Forum has sought the government’s attention and has asked to adjust all remaining families in the state government job as many posts in various departments are still lying vacant. |
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Kangra Development Block
Kangra July 23 They had approached the Kangra block development officer against the panchayat secretary that the records were not being shown to public representatives and that they suspected a foul play in it. A panchayat inspector was asked to conduct an inquiry. The panchayat secretary did not report for the inquiry. Rajbansh has alleged that Rs 30,000 was received by the Ansoli panchayat on June 1, 2006, (receipt number 764341) for development work on Daggual Khul in the village, but the work was never executed. They alleged money was shown as paid towards carriage of cement, cost of boulders, sand and making payment to labourers, while actually no work had been executed. Finding himself cornered panchayat pradhan Ravi Kumar reportedly gave in writing in presence of the panchayat inspector, countersigned by the members of the panchayat, that he would get the work done after the monsoon. Panchayat inspector Omkar confirmed that the village pradhan had in writing assured that the work would be executed after the monsoon season. Rajbansh said the villagers had already informed panchayati raj minister Sat Mahajan and Kangra DC Bharat Khera about these developments. Meanwhile, Sat Mahajan said he had not received any complaint so far. He, however, said it might have been received by his office. Appropriate action would be taken on the complaint whenever it came to him, he added. |
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Thind’s Promotion
Shimla, July 23 This became evident as senior party leader Jagat Prakash Nadda has filed an application under the Right to Information Act to get details about the promotion of the controversial police officer B.S.Thind from as additional director-general of police. He has sought the details of the screening committee report and proceedings of the departmental promotion committee. The party has been alleging that Thind, who was facing criminal cases, was being favoured and protected by Virbhadra Singh. |
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Move to assess Bali’s popularity
Dharamsala, July 23 Prior to the celebrations, a local committee organizing the show has initiated to gather first hand information of the minister’s popularity at the grassroot-level in the area by getting a printed form filled related to his working style, achievements and priorities, besides, any excellent or poor work done by him. The forms are being circulated in the villages falling under his Assembly constituency A children’s fair is being organised. Above all, music and dance programmes have also been arranged for the evening Political observers feel that the whole show, although a purely personal affair, has been arranged keeping in view of the forthcoming assembly elections to project his popularity in the area and present his ‘so called survey report’ before the Chief Minister. The minister’s popularity graph has seemingly come down as the opposition parties have raised questions on the irregularities that has come to the fore in the construction of a parking-cum-hotel complex at McLeodganj. |
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Plea to promote cash crops
Bilaspur, July 23 Sharma exhorted the farmers to get their crops insured to recover their losses due to natural calamities according to the government schemes introduced lately. He said in Bilaspur, the Agriculture Department was spending Rs 46 lakh under the Agriculture Management Program, Rs 9.41 lakh under the Scheduled Castes plan, Rs 3.54 lakh under the Scheduled Tribes plan, Rs 36.60 lakh under the ATMA project and Rs 20 lakh for providing compensation under the Natural Calamity Relief Program. He said an amount of Rs 3.33 crore was being spent on the construction of Kandraur-Samaila road, while another Rs 25 lakh was being spent on the Kuniyala link road. He distributed Rs 5.54 lakh to 177 farmers under the Crop Insurance scheme, while implements worth Rs 10,000 were also distributed. |
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Rs 124 cr for job scheme
Kumarhatti, July 23 He was inaugurating the newly built community centres at Gamradua and Daati Brahamana villages. He said in Kunihar block of Arki, Rs. 1 crore had been spent on the construction of community centres, panchayat ghars, primary school buildings and mahila and yuvak mandals and bhavans. |
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Rs 16.6 lakh for sapling plantation
Bilaspur, July 23 Inaugurating “vana mahotsava” in the dam area at Jamthal village, 35 km from here, last evening, forests, youth services and sports minister Ram Lal Thakur said the NTPC would also construct a park in the nearby Chamyon village for beautification of the area He planted a sapling to mark inauguration of the vana mahotsava campaign. |
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108 to join Haj
Chamba, July 23 He said 110 persons from all over the state had applied for participation in Haj but two applications were rejected. The government had decided to provide 15 per cent concession in air travel to Hajis from Himachal Pradesh, he said. |
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Mild tremors experienced
Dharamsala, July 23 However, no loss to life and property was reported from anywhere in the hill state. The quake with its epicenter in the Gaumukh region in Uttaranchal was felt around 4.32 a.m. |
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