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Vidhan Sabha Winter Session — Day 1
BJP holds meeting on preparations
Concern for human rights in name only
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Plea to revive rights panel
Without salary for 5 months
Police on alert after seizure of gelatin sticks
Premium fuel being thrust upon consumers
HRTC suspends services
Violation of human rights by ex-MP alleged
BSP hails cabinet decision
Protest against FDI in insurance sector
Water management projects on priority basis
Bank officers hold protest
Advocates observe strike
Father fires at son, held
5.5 kg charas seized, 2 held
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Vidhan Sabha Winter Session — Day 1
Dharamsala, December 10 While the Congress MLAs held a meeting at Mahindra Club today evening under the stewardship of Vidhya Strokes, Congress legislative party (CLP) chief to discuss their strategy, the BJP MLAs met at the local circuit house. The sources available here said that the Congress might try to corner the government in the session on issues like ouster of PTA teachers, the reduction of rice quota under PDS in state, the shortage of fertilisers, shifting of central university location to Dehra and abolition of the state administrative tribunal. The ruling party would like to list its achievements in the past 10-month rule in
the session. While most of the MLAs had reached Dharamsala by today evening some senior leaders like former chief minister Virbhadra Singh were still awaited till the filing of this report. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal who arrived here today inaugurated the ministerial complex constructed along the assembly building. The complex that would house the ministers has been brought at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore. The chief minister while talking to The Tribune said that the cabinet of ministers would be expanded very soon. There are two slots of ministers waiting to be filled in Himachal Cabinet. The CM said that both these slots would be filled by including one cabinet member each from Una and Mandi district. He, however, added that the decision regarding the expansion of the cabinet would only be taken in consultation with the party high command. While reacting to news item published in certain vernacular papers the CM said that there was no proposal to carve out one more district in the state. It was reported in certain vernacular papers that the government was planning to carve out Dehra district out of Kangra. Regarding shifting the proposed central university location to Dehra, the CM said the team from the union ministry of HRD had visited Kangra district to survey various sites being proposed locating the central university. The sites were shown to them as per their requirements and specifications. Now it is for the union ministry for HRD to finalise the venue of central university in Kangra district. The issue has been gathering heat in the recent past with the Congress MP from Kangra Chander Kumar making it one of his election agenda. The residents of Dharamsala have also formed a committee to oppose any move to shift central university venue from the vicinity of district headquarters. The CM said the present seven-day winter session beginning here tomorrow would be the longest session being held here. It is also historic in the sense that two sessions have been held at Dharamsala this year. The BJP government has fulfilled its promise of bringing government to the doors of Kangra people, he said. |
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BJP holds meeting on preparations
Shimla, December 10 BJP state general secretary Khushi Ram Balnatah asked the party workers from all the eight mandals of Shimla district to ensure good attendance at the meeting where Advani would be present. “Himachal is perhaps the only state where the government has fulfilled 65 per cent of the promises that it made to the people in its election manifesto,” he said. District BJP chief Ganesh Dutt said that the success of the rally was a must not just from the point of view of celebrations but to ensure good performance by the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections as well. “The relief given to the public in the form of amendment in the Town and Country Planning Act to regularise the over 3,000 unauthorised structures in the state has been welcomed by all sections,” he said. The leaders and party workers observed two minutes’ silence in memory of those killed in Mumbai blasts and in Kufri bus accident. |
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Concern for human rights in name only
Shimla, December 10 The commission was virtually wound up when its only member B.S. Chauhan completed his term on September 19. The manner in which the commission has been allowed to die provides an indication of the “respect and concern” the government has for human rights. The status of human rights is an important indicator of the quality of life the people enjoy and also the quality of governance in a democratic set-up. The commission had remained defunct for the past over three years during which more than 400 complaints had piled up. With the government showing no inclination to revive the commission, which could be easily done by appointing the chairperson and members, no one knows the fate of these complaints. The commission was set up in 1994 but no separate staff was provided, except one post of the inspector-general of police, and it had been making do with the staff of the Lokayukta all these years. Not only that, in the beginning the Lokayukta held the additional charge of the commission but that was illegal. An independent chairman was appointed only after the high court ruled that neither the Lokayukta nor the chairperson of the commission could hold any additional charge. Incidentally, it was the Dhumal government that scrapped the commission in 2002. It was reconstituted by the Congress government on the directions of the state high court following a public interest litigation. However, the commission had been without a chairperson since July, 2005, when Justice N.K. Jain quit office to take over as the chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Rajasthan. One of the two members in position, I.D. Bali, resigned in November, 2006, in protest against the failure of the government to make the institution functional. The only remaining member B.S. Chauhan completed his term in September. Himachal Parish is better placed than most of the state as far as human right violations are concerned, but there are some dark spots like child labour, crime against women and other areas that need attention. |
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Plea to revive rights panel
Shimla, December 10 The samiti submitted a memorandum to Governor Prabha Rau today seeking revival of the state human rights commission, which, it said, had been lying defunct for the past three years. The samiti demanded that complaints had been piling up before the commission, but there was nobody to attend to these. To ensure that the commission plays an effective role, judiciary, legislature and the executive must be involved in it actively, the samiti has demanded. “There is need to include representatives of social organisations in the commission so that it can become more effective,” it was demanded. The government should also ensure that the commission held regular meetings so that all complaints were attended to at the earliest. Kuldeep Tanwar from the samiti said in view of increasing cases of female foeticide, domestic violence and sexual harassment of women at workplace, there was a need to have a functional human rights commission so that people could get justice. He said the samiti had launched a campaign for the last 15 days to check violence against women and ensure strict implementation of various legislations. |
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Without salary for 5 months
Nurpur, December 10 The school was upgraded as a senior secondary school on September 14, 2007. It started functioning on September 27 with lecturers posted on deputation from other schools. The fresh admissions for class XI started on October 1 and 42 students appeared in the annual board examination in March this year. During the 2008-2009 academic session, 106 students were enrolled in classes XI and XII. The education department posted lectures in Hindi, mathematics, history and English along with a principal in July. The senior secondary classes are being run by the newly posted teaching staff. Principal Banwari Lal Sharma said the newly appointed teaching staff had not received salary since August. He said the education department should make temporary arrangement to make payment to the staff through pay orders. Director (higher education), Shimla, O.P. Sharma said 31 schools were upgraded during the tenure of the previous government out of which three schools were issued functioning orders without creating posts of teaching staff. Upgraded Sidhpurgar senior secondary school was one of these three schools. He said the department would make temporary arrangement for disbursing salary to the staff appointed in these schools. |
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Police on alert after seizure of gelatin sticks
Shimla, December 10 CRPF personnel had seized 15 gelatin sticks, six detonators and fuse wire from six Nepalese at the Chandigarh bus stand on the intervening night of December 8 and 9. These persons were travelling in the Rohru-Delhi bus. Their arrest has put the Shimla police on the alert as it has decided to direct all agencies authorised to use explosives to be very particular about their stock. Shimla district police chief R.M. Sharma today constituted a panel to check stocks of PWD authorities at Rohru and that of the Sawra Kuddu power project. “I have directed the DSP and the SHO to personally check the stocks of the PWD wing and the Sawra Kuddu power project to ascertain if the gelatin sticks and detonators seized from the six Nepalese persons came from there,” he said. A team of the Chandigarh police today arrived at Rohru to hold investigations about the detonators and gelatin sticks. The arrested persons had claimed that contractor Viplu Nainta had provided them with the seized material. “The road construction work was sublet by Naresh and Shashi Bhushan to Vipul Nainta, who claims that he has further sublet it to a Nepalese, Sher Bahadur,” said Sharma. In view of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, the police is not ready to take any chances and it has decided to be very stern with all agencies making use of explosives to ensure that
these do not fall in the hands of anti-social elements. The fact that there are 11,575 Nepalis working in Shimla district alone has the police even more worried. There are about 23,800 migrant labourers in Shimla district, including those from Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. Practically all apple orchards in Shimla district are managed by Nepalese labourers despite the fact that many of them have been involved in serious crimes like murder, rape and theft. In most of the case, such persons go back to Nepal after committing crime here and the Indian authorities are not able to get them extradite in the absence of any extradition treaty. |
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Premium fuel being thrust upon consumers
Solan, December 10 Inquires from the area revealed that though the availability of ordinary fuel had been declining for the past few days, some petrol pump owners had altogether stopped supplying any ordinary fuel to customers. This was creating an unsavoury situation where the vehicle owners had to buy premium fuel, which is priced higher, to meet their daily requirement. While ordinary petrol and diesel was available at Rs 47.58 per litre and Rs 33.32 per litre, respectively, its premium version was sold at Rs 50.58 per litre and Rs 35.32 per litre, respectively. This meant that an ordinary user had to shell out Rs 3 for every litre of the premium fuel. Petrol pump owners who abstained from being quoted said that though the ministry of petroleum had clearly stated that a petrol pump owner having a single storage tank should sell only that product whose demand was more in the area but the oil companies were verbally directing them to increase the percentage of sale of premium fuel. This was due to the fact that the sale of premium fuel led to a higher profit margin to these companies. For instance when the premium fuel was introduced the oil companies received a neat profit of Rs 1.35 per litre while the dealers were handed out a measly 15 paise per litre. Now after the premium fuel has found a market in the luxury cars its profit margin has been enhanced by as much as Rs 2.75 for the oil companies while a dealer got a mere 25 paise per litre of its sale. This adverse trend was thus difficult to be checked as no oil company had passed any written instruction to the dealers to promote the sale of premium fuel. However, these companies have in the recent past passed directions to the dealers to sell a particular percentage of premium fuel along with the ordinary fuel as well. While the step was detrimental for an ordinary customer little had been done to check this practice. President of Himachal Petroleum dealers Association Sukumar Singh while commenting on the situation said it was the higher profitability of the oil companies which forced a dealer to sell a fixed quantity. It was however deplorable that even those dealers were directed to sell it where its consumption was less or even negligible. |
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MDLR launches Kullu flights
Kullu, December 10 The Kullu-Chandigarh air connection has been restored after 18 years. Vayudoot and Jagson airlines were operating on this sector till 1990. MDLR’s executive director Kaustav Dhar addressed mediapersons at the airport. He said the airlines would connect Kullu with Goa from December 17. The Kullu-Delhi flight would be extended up to Goa. The aircraft would have the facility to carry patients in stretchers. The aircraft was having special folding seats that could be used in such an eventuality, he added. Captain S.B. Petrov, a foreign pilot, commandeered the flight. The aircraft could carry 40 to 45 passengers from Kullu while it could bring 60-65 passengers from Delhi to Kullu. Airport controller at the Kullu-Manali airport said the pilots of the new jet engine aircraft were satisfied with the airstrip and the facilities available at Kullu. |
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HRTC suspends services
Kullu, December 10 It may be recalled that the Manali-Leh road has been officially closed for vehicular traffic from November 15 by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), but the deputy commissioner, Lahaul and Spiti, had announced to continue operation of the PSU on the route till the road was closed due to snow. |
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Violation of human rights by ex-MP alleged
Mandi, December 10 Though Maheshwar Singh dismissed the IPTA charge as another politically motivated ploy, IPTA convener and RTI activist Lawan Thakur requested the Central Human Rights Commission to take appropriate action against Maheshwar Singh on the issue. Thakur said, “Maheshwar Singh is a public figure and his behaviour reeks of feudalism and slavery even in the 21st century.” The IPTA has also written letters to
Governor Prabha Rao, President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging them to take action against Maheshwar Singh. Maheshwar Singh said, “I have to see who are the persons who have filed the complaint. I cannot respond to each and every thing stated in the media against me. I will reply to the competent authority whenever I am asked to do so.” |
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BSP hails cabinet decision
Bilaspur, December 10 State unit general secretary of the party and former MLA Krishan Kumar Kaushal said all encroachments made by Bhakra Dam oustees of Bilaspur should be
regularised. |
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Protest against FDI in insurance sector
Hamirpur, December 10 Branch secretary of the North Zone Insurance Employees Association (NZIEA) Pradeep Minhas said the demonstration was being held on the first day of the winter session of Parliament to express commitment of the insurance employees to oppose the move of UPA government to introduce comprehensive FDI Bill during the current parliamentary session. He said, “It is surprising that the UPA government is trying to increase the comprehensive FDI limit in this sector from 26 to 51 per cent despite stiff opposition from trade unions.” Minhas said, “FDI in the insurance sector is not in the interest of the country since foreign insurance companies have little commitment towards development of the
country while 85 per cent of the LIC fund is being utilised for the development and growth of
the country.” He said, “It will not be prudent to invite foreign insurance companies in India at this time because these are faced with tremendous financial problems and seeking bailouts from their respective governments.” All insurance employees would observe one-day strike throughout the country to oppose FDI in
the insurance sector the day Bill was introduced in Parliament, he added. |
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Water management projects on priority basis
Nahan, December 10 Dr Katoch said at present KVK, Dhaulan Kuan, was executing watershed project for water management at Ranfua Jabdog in the Renuka area. Over Rs 65 lakh were being spent on this project. In addition to this KVK was also executing water management projects at nine places with the participation of farmers and an amount of Rs 2.97 lakh have been sanctioned for these projects. Farmer representatives highlighted their problems at the meeting. District heads of
various departments also took part. |
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Bank officers hold protest
Shimla, December 10 Deputy general secretary of the association D.K.Sharma said there was failure of the management to settle long-pending issues as a result of which the customer services were being affected. The officers were forced to work from 14 to 16 hours a day to meet the business targets and maintain customer services because of huge shortage of staff. He said the shortage of manpower was severely affecting 170 branches of the bank in the state and the policy of sending employees from under-staffed branches on deputation to newly opened branches was making things worse. The association is demanding adequate staff and other infrastructure, particularly for the newly opened branches, and it had threatened to intensify the stir by resorting to work-to-rule , non-cooperation and other form of agitation if the demands were not accepted. |
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Advocates observe strike
Mandi, December 10 Apart from the district headquarters, lawyers also did not attend courts in various subdivisions. However, no untoward incident was reported from anywhere during the protest. Spokesperson of the action committee and member of the Bar Association of Himachal Pradesh Des Raj said a senior police officer should be appointed as the investigating officer in the case as the SP had been named as an accused in the FIR lodged in the case. |
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Father fires at son, held
Nahan, December 10 Sanjeev Kumar received bullet injuries in his shoulder and was rushed to the Nahan district hospital immediately. Later, he was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. As per police information Sanjeev Kumar is stated to be out of danger. As per details there was hot exchange of words between father and son on some domestic isue which annoyed the father so much that he fired at his son. After the incident accused Roop Chand was missing along with his gun. Finally, the accused was nabbed this afternoon. A case under the Arms Act and Section 307 of IPC has been registered. |
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5.5 kg charas seized, 2 held
Dharamsala, December 10 A raid was conducted and two persons, Pritam Chand of Batuni village and Ravinder Kumar of Jamli village, were arrested with 5.5 kg charas. The police was trying to establish whether some other persons were also involved in narcotics trade, he added.
— TNS |
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