|
|
|
|
BJP giving free hand to traders, charges Congress
Harvesting restricts political leaders to corner meetings
Poll effect: Heli-taxi service to be delayed
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
BJP leaders Khushi Ram Balnatah and Ashok Kapatia talking to mediapersons at Shimla on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Amit Sharma
Mohinder Thakur may play vital role in Hamirpur
Apple growers’ new strategy to improve yield
Felling of 33 trees
MLA’s brother accused of sexual exploitation
These remote villages are untouched with development
Plea to reduce quantity of waste
Passengers have narrow escape
Teachers’ plea to EC
Tanda College
Ragging Death
Election observers’ meeting
EC nod to parole of prisoners
|
|
BJP giving free hand to traders, charges Congress
Shimla, April 28 Addressing a press conference here today he said that the most glaring example was the prices of cement which were higher in Himachal Pradesh compared to the neighbouring states. Cement was produced in the state and a major company was sponsoring the T20 cricket tournament being hosted by the state cricket association which was headed by Anurag Thakur, the BJP candidate from Hamirpur. Further, the government had not reduced VAT on petrol and diesel as a result of which prices of all the commodities were higher in the state. He lambasted the BJP leaders for taking credit for Bhanupali-Bilaspur rail project and reminded them that it was part of the economic package announced for the state by prime minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to the state in June, 2005. He had also announced that the Centre would give assistance to the state for exploiting the hydroelectric potential to make it self-reliant. He had fulfilled the promise by arranging Rs 4,000 crore loan from the Asian Development Bank, 90 per cent of which would be given to the state as outright grant. The BJP leaders had at that time alleged that no package had been given and termed these announcements a joke. Regarding the Bilaspur-Leh rail project Rathore pointed out that Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal had sought upgradation of Pathankot-Jogindernagar track to a broad guage and further linking it to Leh via Mandi and Manali which was rejected. The Railways had got a survey conducted of the Congress proposal for laying the track as extension of the Bahnupali-Bilaspur rail link to Mandi, Manali and up to Leh. He lambasted Dhumal for taking credit for all these central government schemes and at the same time accusing the UPA of discriminating against the state. Referring to the Supreme Court order asking the special investigation team to probe the role of Gujarat Chief Minister Narinder Modi in Godhra riots Rathore said it was in indictment of the BJP leader who should quit office on moral grounds. |
||
|
Harvesting restricts political leaders to corner meetings
Dharamsala, April 28 While harvesting of wheat in plains starts in March, in hills it is starting in these days, the end of April. Most of people in rural areas of Kangra and Una districts are busy harvesting and trashing the wheat. Since the land holdings are small, the harvesting is generally manual. The entire families are involved in harvesting process as the produce is also meant for their own consumption. The campaign managers of both parties when contacted said they were being forced to organise small corner meetings. Generally in Lok Sabha elections where the candidates have to cover large areas, the campaigning is dominated by large rallies. However, due to harvesting season in upper hills and high temperature in lower hills the candidates are being forced to restrict their campaign to small public meetings. Even the rallies of state leaders as Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and BJP national vice-president Shanta Kumar are restricted to small public meetings. For the Congress, however, till date even the state leaders are not venturing out. The former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh is restricted to Mandi parliamentary constituency from where he is himself contesting. In Kangra parliamentary constituency Vidya Stokes, leader of opposition, is the only state-level congress leader who has organized rallies for just a couple of days. The Congress candidate and sitting MP Chander Kumar is relying on his strong support in OBC community that is a sizable vote bank in the Kangra parliamentary constituency. The sources available here said national leaders were likely to hold just a few rallies in the state after May 5. BJP prime ministerial candidate LK Advani and Congress president Sonia Gandhi would address rallies in the state in the last phase. The national leaders of other parties are not likely to organise more rallies in the state. The BSP national president has already organised an election rally at Una. However, the party sources confirmed that no other national leader of the BSP would hold any other rally in Himachal. The Lok Jan Shakti (LJP) president Ram Vilas Paswan is also likely to address a rally in last phase in favour of party candidate from Kangra. |
||
|
Poll effect: Heli-taxi service to be delayed
Shimla, April 28 Even though about half a dozen bids have already been received by the tourism department but with the Election Commission of India directing the department to defer a decision on it till the model code of conduct is in force, the project would be delayed. “We had proposed to start the heli-taxi service this summer but with the election process being on, it is likely to be delayed,” admitted a senior officer. Sources said that some of the big names in the airline industry had shown keenness to run the heli-taxi service but a decision will be taken by the government after May 20 when the election process is complete. The cabinet had some time granted approval for the heli-taxi project but the holding of the elections has delayed the entire process. To begin with about a dozen of the over 50 helipads in the state will be linked through the heli-taxi service. The tourism department has already short-listed the circuits that are to be covered under the heli-taxi service. It is the tribal, remote and inaccessible areas, which have abundant virgin natural beauty that would be covered under the service. |
||
|
Public response shows our policies are appreciated: BJP
Shimla, April 28 Addressing a press conference here today, state general secretary of the BJP Khushi Ram Balnatah said the kind of response that the BJP candidates were getting from the public all over the state was indicative of the fact that the policies of the BJP regime were being appreciated. “The Congress has been pushed on the defensive as they have very little to say in their favour and, moreover, the people have themselves seen the difference within the last one year,” he said. Citing an example he said image of Congress candidate from Shimla Dhani Ram Shandil among the electorate is so bad that HPCC chief Kaul Singh Thakur had to seek apology on his behalf for remaining inaccessible during the last five years. “There is resentment among the people against Shandil as he never bothered to share their joys and sorrows and was nowhere to be seen when rains and flood wreaked havoc during the monsoons, last year,” he said. Balnatah said people were angry with Shandil for not having given money for development works out of his MP Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund. “He is answerable to people of the Shimla parliamentary constituency as to where has he spent the Rs 20 crore that he received under this fund during the last 10 years,” he said. The BJP leader lashed out at the Congress for taking credit for every scheme and development work that the Dhumal regime has undertaken till now. “If they were so efficient then why is that they could not get all these works done while they were in power in the state and their own party at the centre,” he quipped. He said the Congress could no longer fool the people of the state who had already made up their mind to vote in favour of BJP. |
||
|
Mohinder Thakur may play vital role in Hamirpur
Hamirpur, April 28 The Dharampur assembly segment, which is geographically and socially quite akin to Hamirpur district, is at present represented in the state assembly by former PWD minister Mohinder Singh Thakur, who joined the BJP a few years ago. The Jawalamukhi assembly segment, being represented by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramesh Chand Dhawala, had been helping the BJP in getting good lead in the last few elections from here. In the last byelection that saw BJP’s Anurag Thakur win by a whopping margin of 1,74,666 votes, the party had got a lead of 16,699 votes from this constituency. On the other hand, Mohinder Singh Thakur, who entered the state assembly in 1990 as an Independent, has contested all five elections from different political platforms; the last one, in 2007, on the BJP ticket. Mohinder Singh Thakur had always been instrumental in fetching good votes for different candidates in parliament elections as per his preference, irrespective of his party affiliations. Voters of the Dharampur segment have always supported his desire. Even in the last parliamentary elections in 2004, in which Congress candidate Pratibha Singh had won, he had managed a lead of over 6,800 votes for the BJP candidate Maheshwar Singh, despite the fact that his mentor and strongman of Mandi, former union communication minister Sukh Ram, had sided with the Congress. Since Mohinder Singh is in the BJP now and had been one of the most trusted men of Chief Minister PK Dhumal in the last government, the BJP would be surely banking on him for a substantial lead for Anurag Thakur in the present election.
|
||
|
Apple growers’ new strategy to improve yield
Shimla, April 28 Over the past two years, more than 1,500 water storage tanks have been built and more and more fruit growers are developing irrigation facilities to help stabilise the dwindling production in unfavourable weather conditions. A 300 cu m capacity tank is considered sufficient for an average orchard. It has been virtually a snow-less winter in the apple belt and the continuing dry weather has only underscored the emerging ground reality that horticulture is no more a viable option without irrigation facilities. While it is not possible to make for the lack of snow, which melts slowly, ensuring that most of the water is absorbed in the soil, storm water could be harnessed to provide crop-saving irrigation during prolonged dry spells that have become a regular feature of late. The government gave priority to horticulture over agriculture all these years as it was not possible to provide irrigation facilities in the hilly terrain, particularly in the mid and high hill areas. The farmers took to apple and other temperate fruit crops as ample snow during winter not only provided the necessary chilling hours, but also sustained moisture through the summer. However, the scenario has changed in recent years and the snowline has receded drastically and average temperature has increased significantly. A major part of the apple belt is already out of the snowline. As a result, the orchards are being denied the required minimum chilling hours and the much needed irrigation.
|
||
|
Action awaited against PWD contractor, officials
Our Correspondent
Sundernagar, April 28 According to source form the Forest Department, the PWD contractor who was acting under direction of officers of the PWD Division, Karsog, started the construction of road which falls under Katanda Beat. When the work was noticed by a forest guard he got it stopped on April 9, but the contractor instead of stopping the work further speeded it up. Till April 13 he had felled many trees and when work was finally got stopped it was found that 22 green trees were uprooted and three were damaged badly while constructing the road of over 1 km. The Karsog DFO after visiting the spot immediately got an FIR lodged under Sections 33(a) and 33(g) of the Indian Forest Act in which the name of Forest contractor Bhupinder Singh was clearly mentioned. As per details prepared by the Forest Department 22 trees were uprooted and roots of three trees were exposed badly and total loss to forest wealth was assessed to the tune of Rs 33.6 lakh. According to Conservator of Forest BD Suyal, the act also attracted violation of the Forest Conservation Act as the work was done in the forest area without any prior permission from the Ministry of Environment and Forests. However, on the other hand many days have lapsed but the police has neither taken any action against the guilty PWD officials nor against the contractor after registration of the case.
|
||
|
MLA’s brother accused of sexual exploitation
Mandi, April 28 Assisted by her ailing father,
Ramdas, Sumana lodged a complaint against Budhi Singh and MLA Hira Lal with the Superintendent of Police,
Mandi, two days ago. But, no FIR has been registered in the case so far. Sumana said Budhi Singh and she had submitted an affidavit in the court of the Executive Magistrate, Shimla, on December 30, 2008, stating they intended to marry each other. After that, she was made to stay with the sister of Budhi Singh and Hira Lal from December 30 to February 20, 2009. She said she cohabited with Budhi Singh as he had promised to marry her. But Budhi Singh suddenly went missing on February 20. She said she was three-month pregnant now. She came back to her native village after Budhi Singh went underground. She said the matter was taken up with MLA Hira
Lal, who allegedly offered them Rs 1 lakh to hush up the matter. She alleged the police had neither registered any FIR nor got her medically examined so far. “I have been cheated by Budhi Singh. He concealed facts stated in the affidavit from me. I thought he had approved of our marriage in the affidavit,” she alleged. On the other hand, Hira Lal said Budhi Singh did not stay with him. He had gone missing and even a report had been lodged in that connection at
Karsog. “We do not know how and when they married. They have never met me and there is no question of offering them bribe,” he
said. Mandi SP Sonal Agnihotri said he had received the complaint by post and the complainants had not met him personally. “As of now, there is no prima facie case. But, I have asked the
SHO, Karsog, to probe into the allegations. If we are convinced, the police will register an FIR,” he said. |
||
|
These remote villages are untouched with development
Dharamsala, April 28 When this correspondent visited the area during the recent election campaign, the residents despite abject lack of basic facilities seemed to have lost hope. They were not seen pressing on the visiting politicians who came for their votes for basic infrastructure. Village elders said many have come and gone but nothing had changed for our villages in the last 50 years. Gurbachan Singh, a retired state police inspector who chose to settle in his remote native Bassi village after retirement, said basic medical facilities is the potent need of the area. Since there is no road in the area the people from adjoining villages have to walk for 5 to 10 km to reach the main road. If anybody falls ill seriously in night there is no doctor to treat in the entire area. The only option available for residents is to call for a taxi from nearby town that had been made possible by mobiles. However, the taxi operators charge at least Rs 500 to trek their way over stones to reach remote villages. This much amount is substantial for majority of population in the area as they hardly have any source of income. Capt Gurnam Singh (retd) said agriculture had become totally non-viable in the area. There is no irrigation facility in the entire area and people are dependent on rains that are totally uncertain. To add to it wild animals, especially monkey, have made agriculture impossible in the area. Most residents of the area are dependent on government or army jobs for livelihood. Since the opportunities in government sector have now declined the youth are now migrating to metros for jobs in private companies. Interestingly, the government self-employment schemes have not reached the area.
|
||
|
Plea to reduce quantity of waste
Shimla, April 28 She was speaking at the training workshop on “Municipal Solid Waste Management: Option for Hilly Areas” organised by the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board here today. She said dumping sites should be built in a scientific manner to ensure cleanliness. “The state has a pollution free environment which must be protected at all cost so that Himachal can emerge as an international tourist destination,” she emphasised. She said protecting the fragile ecology was a pre-requisite for tourism promotion. Swaroop said segregation of biodegradable and non-degradable waste should be done at the household level itself so that there could be proper and scientific garbage disposal. “Every household needs to take this initiative so that we can move towards achieving the target of zero waste,” she added. Principal Secretary Environment, Science and Technology Sarojini Thakur detailed the objectives of the workshop and steps being taken by the government towards environment protection. |
||
|
Passengers have narrow escape
Mandi, April 28 The passengers sustained minor injuries, the police said. The police has registered a case of rash driving against the driver under Sections 279 and 337 of the IPC on the complaint of Shakti
Chand, a passenger. In another incident, five pilgrims who were on their way to the Kamaksha Mata temple in Karsog were injured in a road mishap today on the Karsog road after the Maruti car (HP31-2790) they were travelling in rolled down into a 100 m gorge at Riuni after the driver lost control over the car. According to the police, car driver Ram Lal and four pilgrims were rushed to Karsog hospital for treatment where they were stated to be stable, but serious. The police has registered a case. Meanwhile, owner of a private bus (HP31-7981) Arun Kumar allegedly thrashed driver of the HRTC bus (HP31-1586) Tulsi Ram, near Leda, today. The police has booked Arun Kumar under Sections 353, 332 and 504
of the IPC. |
||
|
Teachers’ plea to EC
Bilaspur, April 28 In a communication addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner, copy of which has also been sent to the State Electoral Officer, association state general secretary Dr Suresh Kumar Soni has said at present all college teachers are busy in examination and evaluation work and their absence would cost heavily on the academic work and it should be avoided as much as possible. The association has agreed that election is one of the most essential duties for national cause but if they can be spared, the same should be done to avoid this another national loss of the students as was also directed by the Supreme Court earlier. The association has also pleaded that if there is no alternative and they have to be put on election duty, then it should be on holidays and vacations only and their posting should be according to their status, designation and protocol. |
||
|
Charge sheet against 16 students Our Correspondent
Kangra, April 28 Public prosecutor Pankaj Dhiman said all 16 students were present in the court of JMIC, Kangra, Avinash Chander Sharma when the charge sheet was presented. The accused were supplied copies of the charge sheet. The next hearing in the case would be on May 19. Mukul Sharma, Naveen Verma and Abinav Verma, who were already booked in connection with the death of first-year student of the college Aman Kachroo, were also accused in this case. Among the remaining 13 accused, Parveen Kumar, Raj Kumar, Digvijay Singh, Abimanu Patial and Maninder Singh were among the six second-year students who were expelled for one month by the college council recently for allegedly creating ruckus on the roads of the college campus in the dead of night. The remaining eight students were: Arjun Kumar, Kushal Katoch, Neeraj Sharma, Susheel Sharma, Prashant Sharma, Pankaj Chouhan, Vivek Sharma and A. Ghautam.
|
||
|
Judicial custody of accused extended
Our Correspondent
Kangra, April 28 The four accused, Ajay Verma, Naveen Verma, Abhinav Verma and Mukul Sharma, facing the murder charge under Section 302 of the IPC were presented in the court. Public prosecutor Pankaj Dhiman said copies of the 194-page charge sheet prepared by the police were today handed over to the accused in compliance of Section 207 of the CrPC. The charge sheet names 37 witnesses, including faculty members, police officers and relatives of Aman. The final post-mortem report, which is in conformity with the preliminary autopsy report that Aman died due to head injury, is also annexed with the charge sheet.
|
||
|
Election observers’ meeting
Hamirpur, April 28 Giving this information here today returning officer of the Hamirpur constituency Abhishek Jain said political parties have been told to observe the directions of the EC regarding observance of the election code of conduct for holding free and fair election. He said the political parties and contesting candidates would have to seek prior permission to hold public meetings from the administration and they would have to ensure that traffic is not disrupted during the public meeting. He also briefed the meeting about other arrangements for the election. |
||
|
EC nod to parole of prisoners
Shimla, April 28 He said all eligible prisoners are entitled for release on parole as per provisions of the Himachal Pradesh Good Conduct Prisoners (Temporary Release) Act, 1968, and the high court directions and the EC had no objection in this regard. He said the EC had desired deferment of the proposal of the Health Department for issuance of NOC in favour of national Cooperative Consumer’s Federation of India Ltd for the Jan Aushadi scheme till completion of the election process.
|
||
|
Three new entrance test centres
Shimla, April 28 |
||
|
Office-bearers
Bilaspur, April 28 State Congress president Kaul Singh Thakur has appointed Chandan Chandel of Duhak village as vice-president and Pradip Kumar as general secretary of the Bilaspur Sadar Congress Committee.
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
The late harvesting season in lower areas of Himachal is creating trouble for campaign managers of the political parties.
