 |
|
|
Threat to file case of defamation
Financial health a matter of concern
Proper utilisation of Vidhan Sabha time top priority: Speaker
Most want Shanta in RS, says Jain
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Cong ‘taking false’ credit for development
Induct Renu Chadha into Cabinet: BJP mandal
Power shortage hits output
Weather conditions good for apple crop
Miscreants beat Italian engineer
Working of diagnostic centres under scanner
Roads top priority, says PWD minister
Provide blood for poor patients, says youth body
Resentment over DCC dissolution
|
|
Threat to file case of defamation
Kangra January 13 Himani Madan, her husband Sunil Madan and her maternal uncle Manu Sharma, Congress MLA from Jaswan, at a joint press conference at the residence of Viplove Thakur at Birta here today alleged that a case of political victimisation had resulted in the arrest of a 35-year-old woman, who had come to seek the job of a maid servant. Himani said the woman was picked up and arrested by the Dehra police at 11.30 p.m. from one of the huts of her house at Landiara after breaking open the door where she was all alone. Himani Madan claimed that nothing objectionable was found despite the fact that a 20-member police party and three civilians of Dehra searched the entire premises without a search warrant. Manu Sharma demanded immediate suspension of the SHO of Dehra and the ASI who conducted the unwarranted raid for political victimization. He threatened that if the suspension was not made by tomorrow he along with Sunil Madan and 500 Congress workers would launch a fast outside Dehra police station from Tuesday. Manu said he had discussed the issue with Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal who assured action in the matter but nothing had been done so far. Virender Jaswal, SHO, Dehra, said the police raided the place following information that a woman had been brought in the premises. The woman who was arrested from the premises under suspicious circumstances changed her name four times during questioning. She was arrested under section 41, 2 and 109, Cr.P.C and was produced before the SDM, Dehra, who granted her bail. |
||
|
Financial health a matter of concern
Shimla, January 13 The gravity of the situation could be judged from the fact that salaries and pensions of the employees, maintenance, debt, interest and liabilities together account for over Rs 7,000 crore in a budget of Rs 9,600 crore. The state’s total income from its own resources is only about Rs 2,900 crore which is not enough even to meet the expenditure of Rs 3,000 crore on debt servicing. Further, an amount of Rs 4,000 crore goes towards disbursement of salaries and pensions of the employees. The debt burden of about Rs 22,000 crore is already beyond the sustainable level in view of the fact that the gross state domestic product (GSDP) is around Rs 35,000 crore. The total debt comes to over 63 per cent of the GSDP. As per the norms, debt in excess of 40 per cent of the GSDP is unsustainable. The financial position had been worsening despite the fact that the 12th Financial Commission had recommended a revenue deficit grant of Rs 10,200 crore for the 2005-10 periods, an increase of 124 per cent over the 11th Financial Commission. The government had signed an MoU with the World Bank last year to raise a Rs 850 crore development policy loan to help improve its fiscal health which restricts the annual loans raised by the government at around Rs 1,100 crore. It also caps the total government guarantees at 40 per cent of the total revenue receipts, freezes subsidy on power at the current level and limits annual transfers of employees to six per cent of the total strength. All these steps will see the ratio of fiscal deficit to the gross state domestic product improve from minus 3.4 per cent to minus 2.2 per cent over the five year period. However, much would depend on how sincerely the government implements the MoU. In the past, the conditions stipulated in the MoU had been observed more in breach. The new government had already announced 50 per cent hike in social security pensions and 25 per cent increase in minimum daily wage. It would have to raise the resources to meet the additional burden on this account and also to run the host of schools, colleges, health centres and other intuitions opened by the previous government. |
||
|
Proper utilisation of Vidhan Sabha time top priority: Speaker
Kangra, January 13 While talking to The Tribune here today during his visit to the town after he assumed the charge of the Speaker he said that he was a believer in the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and so he would use his services for the betterment of the people through the assembly proceedings by carrying the sessions in right perspective. He said he would conduct the assembly proceedings impartially and would provide equal opportunities to both ruling and opposition members to raise the issues related to the common people of the state. He believed in best the utilisation of time and so would implement his belief within the assembly too. He said he would see the not even a single penny of the contingency plan of the Vidhan Sabha was misused and it would be used honestly and properly during his tenure. He further said he was eager to hold the portfolio of the Animal Husbandry Department if inducted in the cabinet to serve the farmers, animals and birds of the state as he was a nature lover but now he would do better for them. He expressed his desire to visit Japan to learn more about conducting the proceedings of the assemblies and Parliament there as he feels that Japan was the most disciplined and patriotic country in the world. Earlier he, accompanied by his wife Leela Sharma, visited Bajjreshwari temple in the town and paid obeisance there. He later visited his family friend Tilak Raj Soni, a prominent citizen of the town and interacted with mediapersons there. |
||
|
Most want Shanta in RS, says Jain
Shimla, January 13 The state unit would decide on the matter soon and send a recommendation to the central leadership for the final decision, he added. The state executive committee and BJP MLAs are scheduled to meet in February, Jain told PTI. The BJP leader, who unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha election from Chandigarh, said he was not interested in becoming a Rajya Sabha MP. A Rajya Sabha seat has fallen vacant from the state due to the resignation of BJP's Suresh Bhardwaj after he was elected from the Shimla Assembly constituency. The BJP central leadership had earlier said that while Prem Kumar Dhumal would serve as the Chief Minister in Shimla, Shanta Kumar would be taken out of the state. There would be perfect coordination between the BJP government and the party in HP, Jain added. There would be regular meetings between the government and the party and the opinion of workers would be sought and honoured, he said, adding that the decision was aimed at minimising anti-incumbency against the BJP. “Our target is to come to power again after five years” he said. BJP president Rajnath Singh has already announced that he would come to HP every year to assess the government's functioning. — PTI |
||
|
Cong ‘taking false’ credit for development
Nurpur, January 13 He claimed that development of the area was done only on papers during the past five years of Congress rule. Ridiculing the reported statement of state Congress general secretary and defeated Congress candidate from Nurpur Ajay Mahajan, claiming that the previous government had approved 74 posts in Arya Government College here and a large number of development works were started. |
||
|
Induct Renu Chadha into Cabinet: BJP mandal
Dalhousie, January 13 In a resolution the BJP mandal has mentioned that a this seat has by and large remained the stronghold of the Congress since 1951. Gian Chand Dhawan, a candidate of the joint front formed by the Janta Party in 1977, won this seat and remained an MLA for hardly two-and-a-half years. At that time, the Jana Sangh (now the BJP) merged into the Janata Party. Chadha emerged as a high-profile politician for the first time in 1998, who though defeated by a slight margin of 421 votes gave a tough fight to Asha Kumari of the Congress. |
||
|
Power shortage hits output
Power cuts
continue Kumarhatti: Even as power cuts in other parts of the state have been relaxed, the industrial belts of Baddi -Barotiwala-Nalagarh and Parwanoo continue to reel under a power shortage.
The daily power demand at Baddi and Barotiwala, including Parwanoo, was 150 MW and 140 MW, respectively. Power supply in the belt was, however, 35 to 40 per cent short of the demand, forcing the board to impose a five-to-six-hours power cut daily in the belt.
Solan, January 13 The investors rued that when the state electricity board was unable to provide them uninterrupted 21-hour power supply, the contract demand, which is the fixed minimum charges for power, should be eased likewise. They added that this was the worst power crisis they had faced in the state and running a unit had become a major challenge for them. The association also wrote to the board to bring them some respite as the production losses had increased from 25 to 50 per cent. More than three-hour power cuts effected during the day as well as numerous unannounced trippings had forced them to install diesel-generation sets. While this further enhanced the cost of production, it also disturbed the entire production process. “Pharmaceutical units were among the worst sufferers, which being a continuous process had to altogether suspend production work for hours in the absence of power. With the minimum wages being hiked by 33 per cent, the industry was finding it hard to cope up with this scenario. Also effected were the orders received from various places” rued a pharmaceutical investor. Investors said they could not believe that the state was unable to procure the requisite power and it appeared that adequate efforts were not being made. Each year the industry was made to suffer as the board didn’t want to buy power at a higher rate. Though this higher rate was included in the power tariff devised by them but when it came to buying power at higher costs, the board found means and ways to avoid it. This was however a violation of the agreement that the board had made with the investors lamented another investor. “We have been forced to make labourers sit idle and especially with the minimum wages being hiked from Rs 75 to Rs 100 per day, the effect on the overall economics of the industry was telling” confided another industrialist. The board had now devised a schedule by which various areas were being made to face the brunt of power cuts in a phased manner. While officials of the board said they were trying to ensure that the power cuts were enforced strictly in the industrial areas, they added that efforts were afoot to procure power from various states. |
||
|
Weather conditions good for apple crop
Mandi, January 13 The cloudy weather and widespread spells of rain have rid vegetables from the problem of frost in the lower belt and snowfall has brightened up the prospectus of good apple crop. According to apple growers, the two spells of snowfall, first in December and the current continuing spell in the higher areas, have fulfilled the chilling requirement of 1,200 hours for apple trees. The moisture content is good and the average temperature has been below the desired 7°C. “There has been over 2.6 feet of snow so far which acts like white manure for apple trees,” said Deepak Banchta, an orchardist from Shimla district. S.P. Bhardwaj, a fruit scientist at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, said the weather conditions had been conducive for the apple crop so far. “Apple trees need 1200 hours of chilling which has almost been fulfilled as the average temperature in the apple belt has been below 7°C since December. Moreover the moisture content and snowfalls have been timely,” he added. Similar reports have been received from farmers in Kullu-Kinnaur areas. |
||
|
Miscreants beat Italian engineer
Kullu, January 13 The victim, Lavilla, said he was coming from Chandigarh and did not know that a white Maruti car without any number plate was chasing his vehicle. He said the Maruti car overtook his vehicle inside the highway tunnel and forcibly stopped it. Four persons with covered faces forced their entry into his vehicle and started “thrashing me brutally as one of them put a revolver on my temple," Lavilla said. Lavilla was immediately shifted to the local Regional Hospital where his condition was stated to be stable. He will be shifted to either Chandigarh or Delhi tomorrow, hospital sources said. A doctor said Lavilla had got multiple injuries, including a minor head injury. The police has detained the driver of the victim's vehicle. |
||
|
Working of diagnostic centres under scanner
Hamirpur, January 13 Arrested doctor P.C. Verma was also working as a consultant radiologist for these centres. He had withdrawn as consultant from these centres after the CMO had issued notices to some of these centres as regards having qualified radiology staff. The government had ordered to keep an eye on the functioning of diagnostic centres in the district and had asked to ensure that preconception and prenatal determination test were not conducted anywhere. The doctor was found conducting a sex-determination test on a patient after charging Rs 5,000. Since Badsar and Nadaun blocks have the lowest female ratio of 717 and 742, respectively, in the district, there was sufficient reason to believe that some diagnostic centres were conducting such tests illegally. |
||
|
Roads top priority, says PWD minister
Palampur, January 13 He said the condition of roads, including the state and national highways, had gone from bad to worse in the past five years. Besides, the internal roads were also in a bad shape. He said the government would launch a special campaign to set all roads in order. Thakur regretted that despite getting huge funds from the union government under the PMGSY programme, the Congress government had done little in this field in the past five years. Addressing newsmen here , Thakur Gulab Singh said besides maintaining the existing roads, the BJP government would also lay stress on the widening of all roads connecting the district headquarters with the state capital. He said there was a manifold increase in the traffic on the roads in past five years but the width of the roads were the same as it was 10 years ago, if necessary steps were not taken there would be problems in the coming years. He said all efforts would be made to bring more transparency in functioning of the PWD and stress would laid on quality construction of roads and buildings. |
||
|
Provide blood for poor patients, says youth body
Chamba, January 13 President of the federation Dr Ajeet S. Bhardwaj in a letter to the Chief Minister said this move would be a step forward to bring succour to poor patients as it was the need of the hour. Most of the remote areas were deprived of blood bank facilities, Bhardwaj said. Bhardwaj observed that poor patients were not getting blood from the government blood banks. Bhardwaj appealed to the youth to donate blood. A blood donation camp would be organised on April 10. |
||
|
Resentment over DCC dissolution
Shimla, January 13 In a statement issued here , vice-president of the Shimla DCC (Urban) Om Prakash and general secretary Sanjeev Kuthiala said the decision taken by the party was against the democratic norms of the Congress. The office-bearers said Congress candidate and former MLA Harbhajan Singh Bhajji was trying to put the blame on party workers rather than doing introspection. “It was for the first time that the Congress did not open its election office in Shimla and the workers were not taken into confidence,” said Om Prakash. The office-bearers, including Ashwani Sharma, Nisha Sharma and Rakesh Kalia, all general secretaries, and Rakesh Puri, vice-president, said the decision taken by HPCC chief Viplove Thakur was totally wrong. |
||
|
| 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 | |
Kangra, January 13
