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Bid to
Save SHO in Rape Case Nurpur BJP executive committee dissolved
High command to decide CM: Dhiman
UNESCO team completes rail track inspection |
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BSP rallies begin today
Liquor worth Rs 8 lakh seized
International paragliding event from Nov 14
20 passengers hurt as bus hits trailer
Herbal plants — a boon for Pangi valley
5 pvt varsities to come up: CM
CM’s word on cement plant in Chamba
Rs 12.5-cr corpus to fund annuity to shrines
Dhumal: Cong anti-farmers
Sandeep Kaushik cremated
Tribune Impact
Honorarium raised
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Mandi ex-SP earns High Court ire
Mahesh Chander Sharma
Sundernagar, September 16 Gulzar Muhammad, the SHO of Mandi, was convicted by the Sessions Judge on August 19, 1998, for raping a woman in police custody. He was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment of 10 years along with a fine of Rs 20,000. As per information, the husband of the victim was arrested by the accused SHO in connection with a suicide case on August 29, 1994, and the woman was summoned to the police station. The accused SHO then took her to the upper storey of the police station and raped her. The woman narrated her tale of woe to her mother and sister who reported the matter to the SP, Mandi, with the request to get the accused SHO and the woman medically examined so that a case could be registered. But the SP declined to get the woman medically examined on the grounds that she was married and did not initiate any proceedings. The woman later filed an application for the registration of a case before the Chief Additional Judicial Magistrate, Mandi. The court issued a direction to get the woman medically examined and to register a case. But the police did not get her medically examined and a case was registered after a gap of 15 days. Later, the SP submitted a cancellation report in the court, which stated that no rape had been committed by the SHO. It was only when the woman filed a private complaint in the court that the accused SHO was summoned and was convicted under Section 376, IPC. He later appealed in the high court against the sentence but the case was dismissed. The court held that the sole testimony of the woman was sufficient to arrest the accused SHO. A Division Bench comprising Mr Justice Surjit Singh and Justice Kuldip Singh upheld the conviction and criticized the role of the SP and have issued a notice to him to explain why a case not be registered against him.
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Nurpur BJP executive committee dissolved
Nurpur, September 16 Thakur said Congress in charge of the state R.K.Dhawan’s assertion at Dharamsala last week that the high command would name the leader under whose leadership the party would contest the elections, showed that the top leadership had taken a serious note of the allegations of corruption and money transactions levelled against Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife. Later, the BJP chief addressed a meeting of party workers and called upon them to stay united to oust the Congress in the forthcoming Assembly poll. He also announced dissolution of the ad hoc executive committee and allied cells of the local unit of the BJP, adding that a new committee would be announced soon. He, however, clarified that the ad hoc president and general secretary would continue holding their
posts. |
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High command to decide CM: Dhiman
Hamirpur: Talking about the leadership issue after the next Assembly poll if the BJP came to power, leader of the Opposition in Himachal I.D. Dhiman said :“There may be a difference of opinion among leaders but there is no infighting over the leadership issue since it will be decided by the party high command. At present the priority is to prepare the party for winning the Assembly elections in the state”.
Dhiman said “Corruption is rampant under the present government and serious allegations of corruption have been levelled against the Chief Minister.” |
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UNESCO team completes rail track inspection
Shimla, September 16 After inspecting the entire 96-km stretch from Kalka to Shimla, including all 20 railway stations along the route, the team of Robert Lee and Ian Walker returned today, said divisional Railway manager (DRM), Ambala, H.K. Jaggi. Superintendent of Shimla Railway Station P.S. Gill said the team was shown things of the British era like mementos, seals, telegraph belts, rule books, registers, jacks and oiling machines used in the the British period. The team, which began its work on September 11 from Kalka, would submit its report to the UNESCO in October which would decide on declaring the track a world heritage site. If given the approval, the track would find a place in the list of world heritage sites.
— PTI |
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BSP rallies begin today
Mandi, September 16 Addressing reporters here before the meeting of the BSP Mandi Sadar executive, central zone coordinators M.L. Sahni and Deep Rahi said the rallies would be the test for each candidate. “Response in the rally will be the criteria to select the candidate for the ticket”, they informed. The party had divided the state in three zones; Shimla zone (Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur and Kinnaur districts), Sundernagar zone (Mandi, Bilaspur, Kulu Lahaul-Spiti, Hamirpur and Bilaspur) and Nurpur zone (Kangra, Una and Chamba). A team of observers would attend the rallies. Corruption and inability of the Congress and BJP regimes to solve the problem of unemployment would be the main issues during these rallies. BSP chief Mayawati will meet all office-bearers of the state and address a rally in Shimla on October 28. |
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Liquor worth Rs 8 lakh seized
Solan, September 16 According to SP Diljeet Thakur said a police party intercepted the truck at Bastla village near Patta. As the police signalled the truck to stop, the driver immediately put the vehicle in reverse gear and jumped from the vehicle and managed to escape. The police seized 7,248 bottles of country liquor, 432 of Indian made foreign liquor and 432 of beer. A case has been registered under the Excise Act. — OC |
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International paragliding event from Nov 14
Shimla, September 16 It was in 2002 that the department organised the Pre-World Cup for the first time. Although foreign pilots have been enjoying the sport in the Bir-Billing area for the last several years, serious efforts were now made to hold an international event. The take-off point is from Billing, which is located at a height of 2,600 m, while the landing point is at Bir (2,080 m). The site offers opportunities for high-altitude and cross-country flying for more than 200 km. It was French pilot Xavier Redmond who made a world record for out and return from Bir when he flew for 132.5 km. The government has already taken approval from the Aero Club of India and the Federation Aeronautical International for holding the event this year. An aero sports club has been formed at Bir by the department. The condition of the 14-km stretch from Bir to the take-off point at Billing has been improved so that there is easy accessibility to the take-off point. |
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20 passengers hurt as bus hits trailer
Nurpur, September 16 According to sources, the bus was on its way from Pathankot to Nadaun when it collided with the trolley coming from the opposite direction. The police has registered a case under Sections 279, 337 and 338 of the IPC and both vehicles have been impounded. |
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Herbal plants — a boon for Pangi valley
Shimla, September 16 Medicinal plants being grown on steep slopes, which are unfit for traditional crops, are fetching remunerative returns as one quintal of herbs yield anything between Rs 14,000 and Rs 25,000. Tribal families which have taken to cultivation of medicinal plants are selling over 100 quintals to earn over Rs 25 lakh annually. This has been made possible by a herbal nursery raised by the Forest Department at an altitude of about 12,000 feet, where hardly any vegetation grows, opening a new window of income generation in the tribal belt. Within a short span of about five years the nursery has emerged as harbinger of prosperity for locals who no longer need to trek miles into dense forests to collect medicinal herbs. They now grow these herbs in villages. The herbal spread over a one hectare nursery at Hudan Bhatory village in the Pangi valley, which was raised in 2000-2001, has over the past seven years produced 2,62,679 saplings of medicinal herbs. Out of these 1,74,415 saplings have already been transplanted over 71 hectares of forest land. The areas where the saplings have been transplanted include Phindpar Dhar, Rajwar Mojhi, Shiani Dhar, Kulthu, Chasak Bhatory, Ghisal, Bhasenu and Shivlot. The tribals have been traditionally collecting herbs from the wild and supplying these to traders in the plains. The Forest Department has given permits to the right-holders for the purpose. However, by introducing medicinal plant cultivation the department had opened new vistas for the tribals to supplement their income. More importantly, it will also help protect the rare medicinal herbs that are facing extinction due to unscientific and over exploitation. The saplings planted in different areas require at least three years to gain maturity. The plantation of herbs is done in November and every year 80,000 to 1,00,000 saplings of different varieties are being raised and transplanted. The department has issued permits to more than 600 families of the Pangi valley. The panchayat concerned gets Rs 540 per quintal as royalty. |
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5 pvt varsities to come up: CM
Shimla, September 16 Presiding over the annual function of Government Senior Secondary School, Chhota Shimla, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the government had decided to involve the private sector in expanding the facilities of higher education and it had already given the nod for setting up of five private universities. As many as 21 degree colleges had been opened and the state today had over 72 degree colleges in the government sector alone,
he added. He said his government had directed the department to provide every senior secondary school with a well-equipped science block.
— TNS |
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CM’s word on cement plant in Chamba
Chamba, September 16 Addressing mediapersons at Chamba through videoconferencing from Shimla, the Chief Minister said he had spoken to chairman and managing director of Jaiprakash Associates Jai Prakash Gaur on the issue of setting up of the plant at Baroh-Sikridhar in Churah subdivision of Chamba district. The Chief Minister said Gaur had assured him that work on the plant would start at the earliest as the memorandum of understanding (MoU) had already been signed with the government. The Chief Minister also refuted rumours that the government was not showing any interest in setting up the plant. The MoU was signed by Prem Kumar, principal secretary (Industries) on behalf of the state government and Manoj Gaur, executive chairman of Jaiprakash Associates in the presence of Virbhadra Singh, and Kuldeep Kumar, industries minister on February 1 in Shimla. There were 10 companies in the race for the project, including multinational companies like Lafarge and Heidelberg. The 2-million-tonne capacity plant to be set up at a cost of Rs 800 crore would be commissioned after five years. It would provide direct employment to 1,000 persons and indirect employment to over 5,000 persons. As far as the execution of hydroelectric projects in the mountainous region of Chamba district was concerned, the Chief Minister warned that no enterprise would be allowed to ignore the rights of the local inhabitants. As per the hydropower policy of the state government, the enterprises working on the ongoing projects would have to ensure 70 percent employment to the locals, the CM asserted; adding that the complaints regarding violation of these rights, environment hazards and other employees welfare schemes would be dealt with stringently. Regarding the under-construction Holi-Utrala road linking the Chamba and Bharmour alpine regions through a shortcut route with Kangra and Mandi districts making the access to Shimla shorter, the CM stated that he would hold a meeting with the top brass of the public works department accelerate the work on the highway. |
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Rs 12.5-cr corpus to fund annuity to shrines
Shimla, September 16 Land used to be a source of income for the shrines and with the surrender of this land that source had been stopped, the CM said addressing the annual function of people of Kullu association here. The Chief Minister said his government had decided to identify all such shrines and provide them annuity to help them carry their devotional activities without money being a hindering factor. He said funds should not be a constraint and if required more funds would be made available. Singh said deities were an integral part of the culture and tradition of HP popularly referred to as ‘devbhoomi’ (land of the gods). Virbhadra Singh said his government was committed to preserving the rich cultural heritage of the state with the cooperation of the people.
— PTI |
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Dhumal: Cong anti-farmers
Shimla, September 16 In a statement issued here, Dhumal said rather than making concessions for the farmers, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has announced that the free power subsidy being given to farmers would be withdrawn. “When more than 70 per cent of the population is dependent on agriculture, such anti-farmer decisions by the government will further demoralise the farmers,” he said. He said even the Congress regime in the state had taken several anti-farmer decisions. “The carton factory at Gumma which had been set up during the BJP regime is almost on the verge of closure. As compared to a production of 60 lakh cartons earlier, it was producing merely 100,000 cartons annually. He alleged the government, which had failed in providing trucks for apple transportation, was protecting the interests of big companies rather than taking care of the needs of the farmers. |
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Sandeep Kaushik cremated
Nahan, September 16 The mortal remains of Kaushik were consigned to fire at the Bankuwala cremation ground in the presence of thousands of local residents, friends, relatives, advocates and BJP workers. Opposition leader I. D. Dhiman along with BJP leader and renowned lawyer Sat Pal Jain, former minister J. P. Nadda, MLA Baldev Sharma, and a number of former ministers, MLAs and party leaders attended the funeral. |
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Diagnostic tools installed
Tribune News Service
Mandi, September 16 As many as four diagnosis tools- blood analyser, auto X-ray film developer, portable X-ray and a radiant warmer- have been installed for the treatment of patients. Earlier, there were no proper equipments for diagnosing patients. The Tribune in a report published on September 6, had highlighted that patients did not get emergency services at the hospital, which was ill-equipped and had no trauma centre. Chief medical officer, Mandi, Dr D.K. Arora told The Tribune today that they had procured these tools from the ECF, which were given for the automation of diagnosis services in the hospital. He said the blood analyser could conduct tests, including lipid profile. “Auto X-ray film developer enables to give the X-ray report within 15 minutes, which otherwise takes a couple of hours in routine”, he informed. Dr Arora said the radiant warmer would enable premature babies to maintain their body temperature and protect them from hypothermia. He said the ECG and X-ray services would be charged at Rs 50 and Rs 35, respectively, and would be provided by the Red Cross Society at odd hours.
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Honorarium raised
Bilaspur, September 16 Presiding over a three-day workshop organised by Panchayati Raj Department at Harlog, near here, he said the government had increased the monthly honorarium of all panchayat representatives. Now a Zila Parishad chairman was getting Rs 3,000, vice-chairman Rs 2,000, Zila Parishad member Rs 1350, B.D.C. chairman Rs 1500, vice-chairman Rs 1,200, BDC. member Rs 1,000, panchayat president Rs 1,000, vice-president Rs 750 and a panchayat member Rs 250 each. |
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