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Violence outside Assembly
Blockade costs child life |
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BJP MLAs stage walkout
Democracy absent in state : BJP
CPM holds marches
Kaushal’s suspension may split Kotkehloor Cong
CM orders probe into irregularities
Nod to Private Varsity
Anganwari Recruitment
Fruit vendors evicted
3 chemists booked in Hamirpur
Hike rejected
Water supply not yet restored
Solan receives maximum rainfall
Jahu bridge opens
Man killed
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BJP seeks judicial probe
Tribune News Service
Shimla, August 29
Addressing a press conference here, state BJP chief Jai Ram Thakur said the BJP had approached the Governor for the immediate dismissal of the government due to the incident. “We have also demanded a judicial probe by a sitting judge of the high court so that the guilty can be punished,” he said. He said the party would register an FIR for the alleged attack on the BJP workers who were taking out a peaceful demonstration. He said more than 30 persons were injured in the incident. He said the Governor had been telephonically informed about the incident but they would submit a memorandum to him on on September 1. “The BJP will observe September 1 as a ‘Black Day’ as a memorandum addressed to the Governor will be submitted at the district and sub-divisional level,” he said. He said the BJP had already sought permission to hold a rally and the Congress decided to hold the rally just to create trouble. Talking to mediapersons Shanta Kumar said the manner in which Virbhadra Singh and other Congress leaders provoked their workers, reflected their frustration and demoralisation. “The kind of corruption charges that have come out in the form of an audio CD, Virbhadra Singh should have stepped down immediately,” he said. Former Chief Minister and MP, P.K. Dhumal, said the government had reflected its policy of confrontation. “It is not for the first time that the Congress has done this as even on June 25, 2003, lathis were showered on BJP leaders and later in March the BJP was denied permission to hold a rally at the ice-skating rink here,” he said.
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Blockade costs child life
Shimla, August 29 The child died due to lack of medical attention as the vehicle carrying him got stuck in the blockade due to a complete ban on the plying of vehicles on the road from Boileauganj to the Vidhan Sabha and later even on the Cart Road near Tunnel No 103. The police did not allow any vehicle to cross as barricades had been put up to prevent a clash between Congress and BJP workers. The vehicle carrying Dinesh, who had been suffering from acute diarrhoea, remained stranded at Boileauganj for two hours. Seeing the vehicle stranded due to the holding of political rallies, the harried parents of the child rushed him to the nearby sanitorium in Chaura Maidan but by then it was too late. Precious time had been lost and the doctors declared him brought dead. He was the only child of Raj Kumar and Reena Devi. The boy’s mother was inconsolable as the attending doctor said he could have done something had the child been brought earlier. An agitated Prem Singh, grandfather of the boy, broke down as he said that the rallies had cost the child his life. He said the administration should have at least made arrangements for the plying of ambulances.
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BJP MLAs stage walkout
Shimla, August 29
Leader of the BJP group, I.D. Dhiman, raised the matter as soon as the House assembled. He said the administration had given permission to hold a dharna at the Kennedy Chowk from 11 am onwards, but the Congress workers had occupied the place since morning. He said the administration had granted written permission to the party for the purpose. However, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh maintained that the Congress had got permission for its demonstration from the A.G. Office Chowk to Kennedy Chowk and the venue was duly conveyed to the party by the DC and the SP. He said the BJP was allowed to hold dharna at Chaura Maidan and not the Kennedy Chowk. He said BJP leaders were trying to mislead the House. However, this led to noisy protests from the BJP members who raised slogans against the treasury Benches. Speaker Gangu Ram Musafir strongly disapproved of their conduct and said that they did not listened to the chair and did not allow their own leader to speak. He said there was no point of order during the question hour under the rules and moreover, the venue of rallies was not the agenda of the House. The issue should be addressed to the administration, he said. This further infuriated the BJP members who raised their pitch to deafening levels. As the Speaker proceeded with the question hour, the entire Opposition staged a walk out. However, they returned later and attended the sitting till lunch. The House passed the Shimla Road Users and Pedestrians (Public Safety and Convenience) Bill, which was deferred yesterday, with some amendments. A clause to create a new category of dignitaries was incorporated and a provision was made under which legislators and ex-legislators could apply for permits for plying vehicles on sealed and restricted roads to the Vidhan Sabha secretariat. The state maintenance of parents and dependents (Amendment) Bill was also passed to make a provision for persons above the poverty line to apply for maintenance order under the Act. So far, only those living below the poverty line were eligible to apply. As both parties were preoccupied with their parallel rallies outside the House, the Speaker adjourned the house sine die due to lack of quorum.
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Democracy absent in state : BJP
Nurpur, August 29 In a statement issued by state BJP spokesperson Rajinder Rana here, he alleged that unprovoked lathi charge by the police and pelting of stones by hooligans, showed that democracy had no place in the state. He said the reign of terror let loose by the police indicated that feudal system prevailed in
the state. He said the government was supressing the voice of the Opposition which had been opposing the anti-people policies of the government in a democratic manner. |
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CPM holds marches
Shimla, August 29 Jagat Ram, secretary of the Shimla town committee of the CPM, said as culmination of this campaign a public meeting will be held at the Subzi Mandi ground here tomorrow. He said a street corner meeting was held in the Totu area of the capital. “A large number of local issues like plying of HRTC buses on the Shimla-Jutog route, regularisation of constructions in the newly merged areas and provision of sewerage were raised at these meetings,” he said. |
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Kaushal’s suspension may split Kotkehloor Cong
Bilaspur, August 29
While staunch supporters of Ramlal Thakur - district Congress president Onkar Singh Chandel, mahila district Congress president Pawana Sharma and Kot Kehloor constituency Congress unit president Kuldeep Singh Deol- have objected to statements of Kaushal against Thakur and have welcomed party’s action against him. Nine prominent Congress leaders - four BDC members and five former gram punchayat presidents - have come out openly in support of Khaushal and have joined him in demanding a CBI enquiry in to anganwadi selections and action against the guilty who are responsible for doing injustice with the deserving candidates, who have been denied appointments in this matter. The latest to join the issue is another Congress leader of Bilaspur, Sadar constituency, and zila parishad member Bambar Thakur, who has also alleged scandal in the appointments Meanwhile, four BDC members — Babu Ram Thakur (Jukhala), Prem Lal Thakur (Namhol), Shersingh Thakur (Dhaun Kothi) and Nikka Ram Thakur (Jagatkhana) and five former gram punchayat presidents - Dharampal (Swahan), Jeet Singh (Behal), Hari Ram (Soldha), Lekh Ram Thakur (Dobha) and Rooplal (Kotla) - all of the Kotkehloor constituency, have taken strong exception to allegations of Chandel against Kaushal and have said these allegations were false and fabricated. These leaders also questioned propriety and authority of Chandel for recommending any disciplinary action to the party high command against Kaushal without consulting and taking in to confidence all party leaders in the district.
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CM orders probe into irregularities
Shimla, August 29 He informed the House that as per the report submitted by the chief executive officer of the trust dated March 21, 2005, about 80 per cent of the work had been completed and an amount of Rs 14 crore had been received. A yoga and naturopathy complex had been created, he added. He said the government had given land worth Rs 30 crore to the trust for setting up a medical college. As per the initial memorandum of understanding (MoU), the Indian Hospital Corporation was to undertake the construction and commissioning of the project but no work had been done since 8 years as the corporation had expressed its inability to implement the project due to paucity of funds. Later a new trust was registered under the chairmanship of Shanta Kumar, the then Union minister. He said a former managing trustee had made serious charges against the trust and had written a letter to him in in 2004. He has asked the Health Department to look into the allegations. |
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Cabinet okays
Rs 134-crore
power subsidy
Tribune News Service
Shimla, August 29
The Cabinet, which met here last evening, decided to issue a letter of intent for setting up a private university to the trust. It is the fifth private university proposal cleared by the government. It has already issued letters of intent to Amity, Chitkara Education Trust, ICFAI and the Institute of Engineering and Emerging Technologies. The Cabinet granted recognition of tertiary-level care to 25 private hospitals for treatment and reimbursement purposes to the government employees and pensioners, without being referred by the director of health services. The recognised private hospitals include 15 in New Delhi and 10 at other places like Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar. It approved a subsidy of Rs 134 crore to domestic and agriculture power consumers for the current financial year 2007-08. Out of this Rs 1.58 crore will go the Antyodaya and BPL families, Rs. 131.15 crore to domestic consumers, including pre-paid meters, and Rs 35 lakh to the agriculture sector. It sanctioned 1376 posts in different departments and approved a higher honorarium for contractual junior engineers in the Department of Panchayati Raj who were getting Rs 6,000 in non-tribal areas and Rs 7,500 in the tribal areas. It decided to pay them a basic pay of Rs 5,800 plus 50 percent dearness pay, which comes to Rs 8,700 per month. It decided to engage the services of 4,978 daily-wage workers for 30 days a month instead of their earlier engagement for 15 to 20 days. It included 3,483 workers who have completed 10 years and 1,495 others with less than 10 years of service. The decision will be applicable to all of them. It also approved the procedure for bringing a no-confidence motion against the up-pradhan of the gram panchayats. No confidence motion against the up-pradhans could be brought after two years of election. A majority of the members of the gram panchayat shall have to be given notice, 75 per cent quorum will be required to consider the motion and it will have to be passed by a two-thirds majority. The Cabinet granted permission for the regularisation of 289 daily wagers in the municipal bodies who have completed eight years of service on March 31, 2006, and also granted relaxation in the educational qualifications in respect of 49 daily wagers to make them eligible for regularisation. It sanctioned in ITI at Boghdhar in the Renuka segment of Sirmour district along with eight posts to be started with two trades. It sanctioned 732 posts of teaching and non-teaching categories for newly opened Government Degree College, Pangi, at Killar and 30 newly upgraded senior secondary schools, 174 teaching and non-teaching posts in the newly opened and upgraded 29 middle schools, 10 posts of extension officer (industries) five posts of assistant geologist and one post of assistant engineer in the Industries Department.
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Dalit family launches hunger strike
Rajiv Mahajan
Nurpur, August 29 She has been demanding an inquiry into the low-income certificate submitted by her rival candidate and has asked for the suspension of the patwari who had issued it. Staging a dharna along with her husband and her two children, the Dalit woman has also submitted a memorandum to the SDM demanding an inquiry into the family income of her competitor. Both have appeared in an interview in Ther ward of Kopra gram panchayat on August 27. She has also alleged that the applicant’s family, having sufficient agricultural land had managed a low-income certificate from a patwari of another circle, whereas patwari of the local circle had issued an income certificate to her on July 4, 2007 in which Rs 40,000 had been mentioned. She claimed that her family had been listed in the IRDP category having no house or land of its own. Meanwhile, SDM Inder Bhardwaj has acknowledged the receipt of a complaint in this connection. He said he had withheld the result of the interviews conducted for the anganwari worker and submitted the complaint to the Child Development Project Officer, Nurpur, for conducting a probe into the allegation of the forged low-income certificate.
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Fruit vendors evicted
Mandi, August 29 The vendors protested the move pleading that they were being denied right to sell fruits and vegetables on their rehris set up along the roadsides as they had not other place to go and set them up . But on the other side, the officials in the Mandi municipal council stated that rehriwalas had encroached upon the roadsides adding to traffic problems. Hence they were being removed from the roadsides. Mandi Sadar SDM and chief executive officer Arun Sharma said the rehriwalas were allowed to move their rehris from place to place but they were not allowed to set them up on the road sides as they were doing. “We have asked the council to ensure that they do not create traffic problem in the town”, he said.
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3 chemists booked in Hamirpur
Hamirpur, August 29 Three chemists have been booked for storing and illegally selling certain drugs to addicts at high prices. On Monday evening, a drug peddler was arrested at Badu and seized 1,200 capsules from him. The drugs included 1,000 capsules of Proxyvon, 50 tablets of Nitrozepam, 50 tablets of Alprezolam and 10 bottles of Corax. Owner of the premises Aman Sharma had no licence for carrying out any such trade and is already facing a case under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. A case has been registered under the NDPS Act. Drugs have also been seized from two other chemist shops at Naduan and Kangu. Hamirpur SP Asif Jalal said, “A special drive has been launched against drug peddlers as several youths were getting hooked on to drugs.” |
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Hike rejected
Chamba, August 29 The CM had betrayed pensioners by not honouring his commitment made during the All-India Pensioners' Day celebrations at Kangra on December 17 last year.
— OC |
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Water supply not yet restored
Kumarhatti, August 29 The water supply was disrupted after motors at all three stages of water lifting scheme from Kaushalya River had developed a snag. While the motors at two stages had been repaid the one at the third stage was yet to be repaired. Due to lack of water supply there has been water crisis in the area. The villagers have forced to consume unfit water from natural water sources thus exposing themselves to water-borne diseases. The snag in the motors is a routine affair but yet the IPH has not planned any alternative to counter the crisis, Banasar panchayat up pradhan Shakth Ram said. Meanwhile, the Executive Engineer of IPH, Solan Division assured to restore the water supply in a day or so. |
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Solan receives maximum rainfall
Shimla, August 29 Solan town was the wettest place in the state, recording 26 mm of rainfall, while Nahan followed recorded 17.4 mm and Dharamsala 12.2 mm. However, dry weather prevailed in tribal areas of the state. Met officers said Dharamsala has so far received 1,860.8 mm of rainfall, Mandi 1,223 mm and Bangana in Una 1,224 mm since June 1. Shimla received light showers and dense fog enveloped the town, while tribal districts of Kinnaur, Lahul Spiti, Chamba and Kullu remained dry. Light showers in several parts of the state brought the temperature down. The met officers have predicted rain and thundershowers in next 24 hours.
— UNI |
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It’s bumpy ride to Dharamsala
The roads leading to Dharamsala, which is visited by hundreds of tourists from India and abroad everyday, are in bad shape. The authorities concerned seem to have turned a blind eye to the inconvenience faced by the tourists and the local people. Majority of the local commuters and tourists prefer to enter the town from the Gaggal side through Skoh village. A 9-km stretch of this road is being upgraded and repaired by the PWD through a local contractor. The work has been going on for the past six months and the estimated cost is around Rs 3 crore. Many portions of the road that were repaired a few weeks back have started developing potholes. Jagged and exposed rocks in these portions not only give bumpy ride to the travellers, but also damage vehicles. Many people used to travel via Sheela village, but that road has also got damaged during the current monsoon. Traffic jams are also a common sight on this single-lane road. The third road leading to Dharamsala is from Palampur side via the famous Chamunda Devi shrine. But the present condition of this road is the worst. A 21-km stretch of the Palampur-Malanh-Chamunda-Dharamsala road was recently upgraded and repaired through two contractors at a cost of around Rs 12.6 crore, but many portions of the road have got damaged again. Chief engineer (north zone) of the Public Works Department R.S. Kanwar said notices had been issued to all contractors. They had been asked to repair the road at their own cost, he said. He said the superintending engineer of the department posted in Una district had been asked to hold a thorough inquiry into the issue. He would look into official negligence in supervision, if any, he said.
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Hamirpur, August 29 While traffic remained suspended for several days on the bridge snapping road link between Hamirpur and Mandi districts, the traffic was diverted through the Seer Khad after water had subsided a few days back. Senior engineer, PWD, M.C. Sood said “We have erected a bridge by laying pipes in the khad and traffic was restored on the bridge last evening.” — TNS
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Man killed
Chamba, August 29 The accident took place when the jeep was on its way from Pathankot to Chamba. The deceased has not yet been identified.
— UNI |
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Dies due to delay in medical attention
