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Wildlife Area Diversion for Kol Dam Prabha Rau takes oath as Governor today
Better roads top priority, says Dhumal
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CPM for white paper on industrial policy
Timber seized, 4 arrested
BJP gears up for LS poll
Zila parishad meeting postponed
Mango collection centre set up
Landslides disrupt traffic
‘Death’ of trees to be probed
Rape victim meets CM
Missing herb collectors return
Kangra localities flooded
Two sisters washed away
PCC chief seeks CBI probe
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Wildlife Area Diversion for Kol Dam
Shimla, July 18 The issue has been hanging fire ever since work was started on the project and the central empowered committee of the Supreme Court had taken a serious note of the violation and directed the government to stop work more than once. It was discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal early this week. Interestingly, the NTPC had not raised any objection during the demarcation carried by the revenue authorities in which forest officials and its own representatives were also involved. The exercise only confirmed that an additional area of 125 hectares falling in the sanctuary will be submerged. Besides the thickly wooded Harshang forest, spread over 23 hectares which was completely overlooked, some other forests including Mandrech, Majathal, Chilla and Kiari, together accounting for 102 hectares, will be submerged. The department has raised a bill for Rs 56 crore, including the cost of 44,000 trees and the net present value of the protected area to be diverted. The Revenue Department had all along maintained that the additional area to be diverted was 130 hectares and the commissioner, revenue, had also written in this regard to the government in 2001. However, still the forest authorities stuck to their position that no wildlife area or additional forest area will be submerged. The discrepancy was pointed out by the wildlife wing later when the department raised the bill for recovering the value of trees from the NTPC. Instead of rectifying it a fresh demarcation was ordered which only confirmed that a large part of the Majathal sanctuary. |
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Prabha Rau takes oath as Governor today
Shimla, July 18 Dhumal introduced her to his ministers. During a brief chat with the Chief Minister she inquired about the strength of the ministry and the number of vacancies. She would be the 17th regular and third woman Governor of the state. She replaces V.S.Kokje, who completed his term on May 7.
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Better roads top priority, says Dhumal
Palampur, July 18 He said the World Bank had approved a loan of $220 million for the project that was designed to reduce transportation costs and to ensure smooth flow of traffic on the state’s core road network. He said the Himachal Pradesh Roads Project would upgrade the priority segments of the state’s core road network, including widening of roads, redesigning of road alignments and strengthening of pavement. The project will also support periodic maintenance and minor rehabilitation of the roads in the state. “The hill state has limited rail connections, no waterways, and only three small domestic airports, so it relies exclusively on its road network for transport,” said Dhunmal. This project was also aimed at complementing the ongoing World Bank-supported Himachal Pradesh Rural Roads Project that would ensure speedy movement of agriculture products to markets, leading to increased business activity and higher rural incomes.” Dhumal added. He said a significant portion would be spent on road maintenance, including piloting innovative performance-based maintenance contracts. He said the project would help the state’s scattered population to integrate and would reduce travel costs to markets. The Chief Minister said extensive environmental studies and public consultations were undertaken to protect the environment and to avoid or minimise any adverse impacts. The loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development had 20 years maturity, including a five-year grace period, he added. |
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CPM for white paper on industrial policy
Shimla, July 18 In a statement issued here today, Rakesh Singha, secretary of the state CPM, accused the government on adopting a diabolic stand on the issue of setting He said the issue had figured in the chargesheet submitted by the BJP to the Governor in 2004. “The BJP which has an age old legacy of doing somersault on various issues has sanctioned setting of two steel units in Sirmaur which will consume 88 MW of power,” he said. Singha said being power intensive, the steel plants would be detrimental not only for the HP state electricity board but also for the reason that the state will supply cheap power by purchasing it on high rates from the neighbouring states. “The BJP which had accused the Congress of receiving huge kickbacks can now be questioned on the same grounds,” he said. He demanded that the government should come out with a white paper on the industrial policy to |
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Timber seized, 4 arrested
Mandi, July 18 Acting on a tip-off, the police and forest teams laid the naaka on the Bali-Tikkar road. They stopped the vehicles near Dyna Park under the Paddar police post and seized the illicit timber. The arrested persons have been identified as Rop Das, Munish Kumar, Sunder Singh and Prem Singh Bali. DFO headquarters Kunal Satyarhty confirmed that the timber was confiscated and vehicle was impounded. |
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BJP gears up for LS poll
Chamba, July 18 In a statement issued here today, Mohan Lal, a former minister and district president of the BJP, said the people of the region were evincing keen interest in the positive and pragmatic policies of the BJP government paving the way of a “welfare state”.
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Zila parishad meeting postponed
Mandi, July 18 The Mandi DC has announced second meeting on July 25 for the same. Sources said the 2/3 members were needed to complete the quorum today to elect its new heads. But none turned as both groups were targeting the second meeting. “Only one-third members are needed to elect the new head in the parishad’s second meeting. Only district panchayat officer was present to conduct the proceedings. He informed the DC about today’s meeting . |
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Mango collection centre set up
Nurpur, July 18 The department has issued udhyan cards to the growers requisite for selling fruit in the collection centre. The growers who do not have these cards or have lost can get fresh card from the office of the horticulture development officer, Nurpur. |
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Landslides disrupt traffic
Dharamsala, July 18 The worst affected was the Dharamsala-Kangra-Hoshiarpur road. Massive landslides at various places on the said road, 5 km from Kangra, disrupted traffic in the early hours today. The alternative road through old Kangra was also blocked due to the landslides. Tourist buses and vehicles bringing daily supplies of essential commodities and other goods to Kangra district remained stranded on the road for more than 8 hours. Sources said the landslide on the road started in the morning and disrupted the traffic. Officials of the PWD said the landslides had occurred due to cutting of mountain adjoining the road. This had been done for widening of the road. Due to recent cutting, many portions along the road had become unstable and would remain prone of landslides, they said. The officials said due to paucity of funds, there was no permanent solution to the problem at present. On the Dharamsala-Kangra road also landslides disrupted traffic at various places. The traffic on the road was cleared by the authorities early in the morning. The sources in the PWD said reports had been received regarding blockage of traffic on the Dharamsala-Pathankot road. Due to heavy rains, most of local rivulets were receiving large amount of water. The PWD authorities are keeping a vigil on many sensitive bridges in the district.
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‘Death’ of trees to be probed
Shimla, July 18 The Forest Department has decided to send soil samples from the place where the trees have dried up to the Indian Council of Forest Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun. This is being done to ensure if the tree was deliberately killed or it died a natural death. After the high court recently granted permission to remove the dry trees, several private individuals in the capital have approached the Forest Department to grant them permission to remove these dead trees from their land. During the past few years none of dry trees in the capital could be removed even if these were posing a threat to the houses because of the high court order. The government has now constituted a committee to re-examine each and every case of dry trees on private land. Following the high court decision, the Cabinet has given approval for removal of 100 dry trees on government land here. The ICFRE, Dehradun, would check the PH value of the soil and see if the acidity of the soil is high. “In case the soil sample tests positive for a high acidity level then we could take action against the land owners for causing deliberate death of the tree,” he said. Several applications for allowing removal of dry trees are pending with the Forest Department. However, the department will shortly collect soil samples and send them to Dehradun for soil testing before the committee gives its decision. The high court, which has imposed a complete ban on the felling of trees in Shimla, has recently granted permission to remove the dry trees. |
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Rape victim meets CM
Palampur, July 18 She visited the office of SSP, Kangra, and other police officers in the district, but no one bothered to register an FIR against the culprits. In a written complaint to the DIG, Kangra, Kiran alleged that she was raped by a youth belonging to Nareti village of the Shahpur area. She alleged that the youth did not fulfil the promise of marrying her and threatened her not to report the matter to the police. When the culprit failed to fulfil his promise, Kiran called on the DIG, Dharmshala. The DIG directed the SHO to register an FIR against the culprits. But even after the registration of an FIR, the police did not take any action. Kiran today tried to meet Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, but the police dragged her to a distant place. With the intervention of mediapersons, the Chief Minister agreed to listen to her. Atul Phuljhule, SSP, Knagra, was immediately called by the Chief Minister. He told Dhumal that the Himachal Pradesh High Court had granted anticipatory bail to the culprits, therefore, the police could not arrest them. Dhuaml directed the SSP to submit a detailed report so that necessary action could be taken against those cops, who failed to act in the case. |
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Missing herb collectors return
Chamba, July 18 Disclosing this information here today, ASP Chamba D.K. Choudhary said these persons had gone to collect herbs as usual as was their routine because it was their traditional avocation. “There is nothing to be panicked”, the ASP added. However, security forces already deployed on the borders had been put on high alert with a view to foiling the nefarious designs of infiltrators and strangers sneaking into the borderline, thereby, maintaining peace and communal harmony on the borderland, he said. |
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Kangra localities flooded
Kangra, July 18 Different national highways and link roads were blocked due to landslides. The Pathankot-Mandi highway was blocked at Kuthma, near Kangra airport, following a landslide this morning. The highway remained blocked from 5 a.m to 12.30 p.m. as the PWD authorities failed to take any remedial action, leaving hundreds of the vehicles stranded on both sides of the road. When this reporter visited the site there was no official except the helpless in charge of the Gaggal police post. He said: "As the PWD has not sent any dozer since morning traffic could not be restored on the national highway till noon". No traffic police personnel were seen either at Gaggal or Chambi to to divert vehicular traffic. Earlier in the morning the traffic plied through Chari Graoh Sheela Chowk as landslides had blocked the Gaggal-Dharamsala road too. When this reporter reached the Chari-Dharamshala road, more than 100 vehicles were caught up in a mess when the official vehicles of an SDM and a colonel rubbed against each other. "Ironically when the dispute between the two was sorted out the SDM left the scene without rendering help to the stranded people by getting the traffic streamlined". |
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Two sisters washed away
Dharamsala July 18 The police launched a search operation for the girls. While the body of Sujata had been found, that of Manju was yet to be located. Investigations revealed that after completing their work in the fields the girls tried to take a shortcut to reach home by crossing the flooded rivulet and were washed away. |
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PCC chief seeks CBI probe
Mandi, July 18 He also demanded a CBI probe into the ‘benami’ sale deed of the royal property in Mandi. Thakur charged that the sale deed involved BJP mandal president, who had power of attorney. Speaking at a press conference here today, Thakur said the BJP had submitted the chargesheet against the then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, but the CBI gave him a clean chit. “To unravel the truth, we have asked Dhumal to hand over the chargesheets, including the one that was submitted by the Congress during its last regime, to the CBI,” he said. |
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