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Jan Shatabdi chugs off from Una
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and MP Anurag Thakur flag off Jan Shatabdi train from Una on
Sunday
Terror Threat
Dharna outside police station
Demand to set up cold stores
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Weather upsets apple growers
Civil supplies corpn stores to sell only standard drugs
Concern over rising crime in Palampur
Case against medical centre
Land Tenancy Act
Cong threatens to launch stir
Cement Plant
Fire renders family homeless
Student commits suicide
Drive to highlight farmers’ issues
Rs 4.71 cr spent on govt college building: MLA
Stray animals a matter of concern
Rural postal sewaks to go on strike
Cong MLA urged to end fast
Sewa hydel project to be completed by June
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Jan Shatabdi chugs off from Una
Una, December 14 Dhumal called December 14, 2008, as a golden day for Una district and said usually Shatabdi trains start from the state capitals to Delhi. While talking to mediapersons he said this train would leave Una at 5 am and reach New Delhi at 12 noon and would start from Delhi at 3 pm and reach Una at 10 pm. He said to start this train a lot of efforts were made by him as well as MP Anurag Thakur and after several meetings with ministers and Railway Authorities the train had started from Una. He said the state government would demand modern facilities for Una railway station. The Chief Minister said efforts were being made by him and MPs to request the Railway Authorities to start all trains from here, which at present start from Nangal, about 18 km from here. He said the state government had requested the Railway Ministry and Railway Authorities to complete the Una-Talwara rail link at the earliest and hoped that the Railway Authority would be in a position to complete the track between Chururu to Amb at the earliest and the Himachal Express which till now is touching up to Chururu would touch Amb shortly. Dhumal said at present the people were paying about Rs 225 as bus fare from Una to Delhi while they would have to pay only Rs 137 if they travel by Jan Shatabdi. Later, he addressed the meeting of pensioners at Himotkarash College for Women at Lal Singhi, about 3 km from here, which was largely attended by the pensioners. He assured them that all possible help would be rendered to the pensioners by the state government. |
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Terror Threat
Nahan, December 14 Himachal and Uttarakhand police is not ready to take any chance in this regard. They were continuously in touch, sharing every intelligence information and carrying out fresh joint combing operations on the both sides of the Yamuna river to nab the suspected terrorist. After a meeting between Paonta SDM Manmohan Sharma, Paonta DSP V.S. Thakur, Vikas Nagar SDM Pandey, and CO Police Vikas Nagar (Uttarakhand) Dr Harish Verma, in which SHOs of Paonta and Kulhal, Vikas Nagar and Sahaspur police stations from Uttarakhand also participated, it was decided to suspend the Kulahal Peeth (local weekly bazar) on December 11. Now it had been further decided to keep the Peeth suspended on December 18 for security reasons as thousands of residents of both the states participates in it. In Paonta town administration had started clearing certain points in the crowded market and near religious places, which were posing threat to the security of the town. Some temporary structures, which could be used for hiding explosive material like bombs were being removed, sources said. The Paonta DSP said police barriers have been erected at all inter-state entry points between HP-Uttarakhand and HP-Haryana. The police parties deployed at Yamuna bridge, Beharhal, Khodri Majri, Tons bridge, Minus bridge and at Haripur Khol police barrier were keeping strict vigil on the suspected persons crossing over to Himachal. Pacchad police had erected a new police barrier on Sarahan-Chandigarh road at Panalag village just on the border of Haryana. Confirming this DSP Rajgarh Virender Kalia said it had become necessary from the security point of view to keep vigil on the vehicles and persons crossing over to Himachal from Chandigarh and Haryana side. He said the Sarahan-Chandigarh road was the only link between Haryana-Chandigarh and the Pacchad area of Sirmaur district. He added that forces in the area were fully alert and patrolling on the Haryana border had been intensified. |
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Dharna outside police station
Bilaspur , December 14 The protesters were led by president of the Dhaun Kothi panchayat Surender Paul Sharma. Vice-president of Dhaun Kothi panchayat Mehar Singh said a false case had been registered against Mehar Singh and his relatives at the instance of the other group. A woman had alleged that an attempt was made to assault her when she visited Mehar Singh’s house to fetch milk. The protesters said there was a clash between the two families and people from both sides were injured in it. Some vested interests were now trying to exploit the situation by showing it as a case of atrocities on Dalits, which was far from the truth, the said. The protesters lifted the dharna after additional superintendent of police Pritam Patial ensured them that an impartial inquiry would be held into the incident and no injustice would be done to anybody. Later, Pritam Patial accompanied deputy superintendent of police Vinod Sharma and SHO Taranjeet Singh to the spot of clash and recorded statements of the people. |
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Demand to set up cold stores
Chamba, December 14 The issue was raised by farmers and orchardists belonging to various self-help groups of the Salooni block in a meeting of the Green Gold Krishak Samiti, Salooni, held at the sabzi mandi at Salooni. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of president of the committee Kanth Ram. The government was urged to procure vegetables from villagers for selling it in the open market. A resolution to this effect was passed in the meeting and forwarded to Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal. |
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Weather upsets apple growers
Shimla, December 14 The mercury dipped towards the middle of November when some parts of the state experienced the first snowfall of the season. The mild snow so early in the season brought cheers to the apple growers as it brought down the temperature well below 7°C. For a good crop, a minimum of 1,600 hours of chill is essential as it helps maintains dormancy to prevents early flowering. However, the weather changed abruptly within a week and the mercury again started rising. Even the ice-skating session could not commence on December 1 as per normal schedule. The minimum temperature that hovered around 3°C in the third week of November increased to 10°C in the first week of December. The maximum temperature also rose from 13°C to 18°C over that period. The maximum temperature has again gone down over the past two days, creating favourable conditions for apple crop. However, the continuing dry spell is still causing worry as lack of adequate moisture also affects the crop. Scientists maintain that a spell of snow over the next fortnight will help ensure minimum chill hours and also provide the required moisture. Delayed snowfall could hit production as the mercury starts rising towards the middle of January and snow in February upsets flowering. The dry spell is also affecting the sowing of wheat in lower areas. There has been no rain in most of the areas since September as a result of which rabi sowing is being delayed.
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Civil supplies corpn stores to sell only standard drugs
Palampur, December 14 Civil supplies minister Romesh Dhawala issued specific orders to this effect today. Besides centralising the purchase of medicines, the state government had also taken a policy decision to make purchases from standard drug manufacturers, sources said. The corporation had also ordered a high-level probe into the purchase of medicines made by the corporation during the Congress regime. The corporation had purchased medicines worth Rs 25 crore for its stores directly from the dealers bypassing the purchases committee and ignoring the standard companies. As per rules, the corporation was bound to constitute a purchase committee and purchases could only be made after receiving a recommendation from that committee. There are 32 medical stores owned by the corporation in the state. These are situated in various hospitals. While opening these stores, the main object of the corporation was to provide standard medicines at reasonable rates to the patients visiting these health institutions. |
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Concern over rising crime in Palampur
Palampur, December 14 Besides this, other minor crimes have also gone up. Over 12 cases of thefts were reported in different parts of the region in the past two months. However, in most of the cases the police failed to trace the culprits. Likewise, the cases of murder and rape have also been reported. Recently a woman was robbed of her purse in broad daylight at Ghuggar locality of the town. It is stated that two youths came on a motorcycle, snatched the purse and fled away. Though the matter was reported to the police, no arrest had been made so far. The incident has created panic in the town and women have stopped venturing out of their houses after sunset. Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that though there had been manifold increase in population of the Palampur region during the past 10 years, the government had not enhanced the police force. The strength of the police in the region is the same as it was in 2000. There is already a plan for the creation of a new police station at Bhawarna, keeping in view the steep rise in the population of this area. Despite repeated requests, the higher authorities had not yet created it at Bhawarna. Meanwhile, local MLA Parveen Sharma said the file for the creation of police station at Bhawarna is pending in the state Home Department. However, he clarified that the Chief Minister had already given consent for creation of the new police station and it would be functional before March 2009. |
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Case against medical centre
Sundernagar, December 14 According to Sundernagar DSP Raj Kumar Chandel, the case was registered on the statement of Sanjeev Kumar, a resident of Lalit Nagar and husband of victim Nitu Bala (30). He alleged in the FIR that his wife had undergone an operation and the doctor told him that the operation was successful, but during the night his wife complained pain, but the medical officer did not attended the victim after repeated telephone calls. However, when the doctor came to the clinic his wife had already expired. Kumar along with his relatives raised slogans against the doctor and nursing staff of the clinic. According to the police, it seized the treatment record of the victim and started investigation into the matter. |
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Land Tenancy Act
Dharamsala, December 14 When The Tribune asked Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal to comment on the matter he said the allegations of opposition leaders are baseless. They are trying to make an agenda out of nothing, as they today have nothing against the present government. He said what the present government was planning is to give single window clearance to those who want to set up industries in the state. The industrial concession package to the state is ending in 2010 as per the present scenario. At present the industrialists who want to set up their units in the state have to take clearance from various quarters. They have to run after petty revenue officials to get documents of the land they intend to buy. The government instead had initiated a move to form committees of officers. These committees would receive applications from industrialists. The applicant would now not have to run around for getting no objection certificates from various government departments. The task would be completed by the committee formed by the government for the purpose. This would save precious time of industrialists and getting clearance and more industrial units could start production before the lapse of industrial package to the state, the CM said. The spat over the issue giving permissions under Section 118 of the Land Tenancy Act had been used since long by the politicians to create a scare among people of the state, but for it they would be overwhelmed by the outsiders, which generally are residents of other states. However, sources available here told that the Act is basically meant to protect the small farmers of the state. The basic purpose of Act was that the small farmers should not sell their land to non-agriculturists for greed of money and get rendered land less. However, the politicians of the state have associated the Act with statehood. With land holding becoming smaller and farming unviable to sustain the families the industrialisation is one of the options for the state to provide employment to residents. For that the industrial houses have to be allowed to set up units in barren or agriculture lands that the farmers are willing to sell to them. Though the Congress also allowed large number of units to come up on lands covered under Section 118 during its stint in power, now in opposition, the party had started making it an election issue. |
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Cong threatens to launch stir
Kangra, December 14 He said this while addressing a press conference at Chatru, near here, today. He said the government was contemplating to change Section 118 of this Act in order to benefit some industrial houses. He alleged that the BJP government was attempting to make amendments in the Act to allow those industrialists staying in the state for the last 15 years to purchase any land anywhere in the state without seeking permission from the state government. He said this amendment would pose a “serious threat to the culture and demography of the state” and to the interests of the farmers. Singh said any dilution in the Act would encourage land mafia and suggested that the government should not go with any such amendment. He expressed concern over the deterioration in the law and order in the state. He said there was no shortage of police force, but their services have allegedly been diverted to harass, humiliate and frame charges and false cases against political opponents of the ruling party. He said, “I am speaking all this with a very heavy heart and do not speak things lightly. I am a five time Chief Minister and have served the state for 17 years. I am dejected with harassment and humiliation that the political opponents are put to by the present government.” He said, “The police is working as a private army of the BJP in the state.” He alleged that during the past one year 1,000 cases of inquiries were ordered, mass scale transfers were made and unfortunately the developmental works have come to a grinding halt. He alleged that Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal was inaugurating the roads, bridges and buildings in the state, which were either started or completed by the previous Congress government. He ridiculed the Chief Minister for re-inaugurating different projects, including DRPGMC Hopsital at Tanda and a bridge on Sutlej at Tatapani. He criticised the government for changing the names of different hospitals, including DRPGMC Hospital, Tanda, Rajeev Gandhi Ayurvedic PG College, Paprola, and even of Ripen Hospital, Shimla, to Deendayal Upadiyia Hospital, which was an insult to patriots of the country. He described it as “narrow mentality” of the present government. He demanded that the government should set up a medical college at Mandi as it was decided by his government and the Cabinet had given an approval for the same. |
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Cement Plant
Sundernagar, December 14 The residents started raising slogans against the company and the BJP government and further alleged that when they did not want the cement plant in the area why the government was favouring it keeping all environmental norms aside. According to a local resident, the company had given false data to the Ministry for Environment and Forests and even it had written in its application that no government land was involved in the plant area. After issuing notification it was found that 22 bighas of land was forest land which could not be diverted for non-forest purpose without prior approval of the Central Government. The company then applied to the Forest Department for issuing NOC of land, which was denied. So the company applied for diversion land as per provisions of the Forest Conservation Act and a joint inspection was fixed on Friday in which teams of various departments were present. When the news spread regarding the inspection, which was kept secret by the government about 250 to 300 local residents assembled on the spot around 11 am. Seeing the residents the team did not visit the spot as scheduled, but it tried to conduct inspection secretly during afternoon hours and reached the spot by a different route. By that time most of the residents had dispersed, but after seeing the inspection team along with representatives of Harish Cement Ltd the mob reached the spot raising slogans against the government and proposed cement plant. The official team was headed by Sundernagar DFO Pardeep Thakur and naib tehsildar Sita Ram tried to convince the residents, but all in vain. According to secretary of the Sundernagar Sangharsh Samiti Lalit
Chaudhry, the samiti had given call for Sundernagar bandh on December 17 in protest against the setting up of cement plant. Interestingly, the local residents did not allow the government agency to conduct an inspection on Friday and on the same day Chief Minister
P.K. Dhumal deposed in Assembly session at Dharamsala that their was no proposal to shift the cement plant from the Chambi area to elsewhere. |
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Fire renders family homeless
Shimla, December 14 Police sources said the house of Arjun Singh was reduced to ashes when a fire broke out in the house at Koti village under Bag-Pashog gram panchayat on Friday night. The family members were attending a marriage function in another village when the incident occurred. The villagers present tried to control the flames but did not succeed, as a result the house was completely gutted. The police has registered a case and the report of losses would be sent to the district authorities to provide compensation to the affected family. — UNI |
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Student commits suicide
Nahan, December 14 Confirming the incident Paonta DSP Virender Singh Thakur said the body had been taken into custody and search operations were going on in the hostel. He said more details in this regard would be available after preliminary inquiry and post-mortem of the girl. |
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Drive to highlight farmers’ issues
Shimla, December 14 Besides restoration of timber distribution rights and steps to check the threat posed by wild animals and the stray cattle menace, the sabha is demanding five bigha of land for the landless, soft loans to farmers at 4 per cent and alternate avenues of employment for the farmers who have been displaced due to construction of hydroelectric projects and industrial projects. It accused the BJP and the Congress of pursuing anti-farmers policies. The general secretary of the sabha said his organisation would launch a statewide stir to oppose the anti-farmer policies. |
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Rs 4.71 cr spent on govt college building: MLA
Bilaspur, December 14 Kaundal said the government is very particular to attend to grievances of the people and while all officers have been instructed to give top priority to solution of problems and difficulties of the people, a special cell had been set in the office of the Chief Minister to immediately attend to all complaints received from the people. He said an amount of Rs 3 crore would be spent on the construction of Ghumarwin-Bachhrettu road and an Ambedkar Bhawan would be soon constructed at Jhandutta at a cost of Rs 10 lakh. He announced grant of Rs 2 lakh for solution of drinking water problem of Chuman village and also Rs 5 lakh for construction of a civil dispensary building and Rs 1 lakh for construction of the Community Centre building at the village. Earlier, Kaundal inaugurated distribution of CFLs in Gehadwin constituency at Jhandutta and 200 CFLs were distributed to the villagers on the spot. He urged the people to remove their conventional bulbs and use only these CFLs, which would be of advantage to all in every way. Power board superintending engineer D.S. Jamwal and BDC chairman Sarla Chandel were also present among others. |
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Stray animals a matter of concern
Palampur, December 14 Despite repeated requests made by the citizens of the town to the local Municipal Council no steps have been initiated to check the menace. These animals were not only causing inconvenience to common man and local shopkeepers, but also resulting in fatal accidents. Recently a two-wheeler rider lost his life near Darang, 10 km from here, when a cow on the Pathankot-Mandi national highway hit his motorcycle. In the past one-year more than 24 persons had lost their lives in different road mishaps caused by the stray animals in the district. The sabzi mandi and lower areas of the town had become centres of stray animals. These animals can be seen languishing on heaps of garbage, waste fruits and vegetables in these areas. Many times when garbage is not removed more and more animals enter in the town. Though the state government had initiated steps to check the stray animals menace in the town and it was planned that they would be shifted to the go sadan, nothing had been done so far. |
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Rural postal sewaks to go on strike
Hamirpur, December 14 Divisional and branch secretaries of GDS union Suresh Kumar Banyal and Gautam Chand Sharma said the decision was taken during a meeting held here today. They said the postal employees had been demanding review of the Natrajan committee report regarding service conditions of postal employees. The union has demanded that the authorities should address their long-pending at the earliest. |
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Cong MLA urged to end fast
Palampur, December 14 In a press statement issued here this evening, Parmar said Pal had been creating hurdles in the development of the Sulaha area by launching agitations. He said he remained MLA for five years, but failed to delivers the goods. This led to his defeat in last assembly elections, he added. Only an application had been filed for the setting up of a stone crusher and there had been no inspection of the site so far. He said the state government would grant permission for the setting up the stone crusher only if the project was approved by a high-level committee. Moreover, an environmental clearance was also required for the project. Till date, only the panchayat concerned had given its consent for the setting of crusher, he said. The government would keep in view the public interest while taking any decision on the issue, he added. Jagjivan Pal should understand the situation and call off the fast, he said. |
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Sewa hydel project to be completed by June
Khairi (Chamba), December 14 According to general manager of the project V.K. Rattan, the 10-km-long headrace tunnel had been day-lighted after accomplishing its excavation work recently and Anil Razdan, secretary of the Union Ministry for Power, had applauded this achievement. The project, which is located in Basholi tehsil of Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, is situated on the right side of the Sewa river just in front of Chamera stage-I power station falling under the NHPCs Region-II with headquarters at Banikhet in Chamba district. The project is executed on the Sewa river, a tributary of the Ravi, with its base camp at Khairi adjacent to Chamera stage-I in Chamba district. The project envisages construction of a 48 m high concrete gravity dam at Gatti village, 10-km-long headrace tunnel, steel-lined penstocks and underground powerhouse with three units of 40-MW each at Mashka village. It will have a 780 m long tailrace tunnel. The project would generate around 535.63 million units of power annually. Power generated from this project would be supplied to the power grid for further distribution to the beneficiary states of Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Union Territory of Chandigarh. Besides, Jammu and Kashmir will get 12 per cent free share of power from this project. The Rs 665.46 crore project was targeted to be completed and commissioned by June next year, the general manager informed. |
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Una, December 14
Kangra, December 14
Sundernagar, December 14
