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Lack of resources hit poll campaign: Kaul
State Congress president Kaul Singh Thakur during a press conference at Shimla
on Monday. Tribune photo: Amit Sharma
Congress MLAs in dock for ‘poor show’
124 villagers taken ill after drinking water
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Fire engulfs 20 hectares of forest area
Uncertainty over Cabinet expansion
Providential escape for JCB driver
Use of liquor enabled Virbhadra to win: BJP
HC stays order on Thind’s narco test
‘Forest thanas’ to start this month
Dept takes steps to ensure proper supply of water
Solan records 35°C
Registration of labour mandatory: Board
Resentment over pay panel report
Encroachment on forest land
Plea to accept employees’ demands
Minor girl dies of burns
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Lack of resources hit poll campaign: Kaul
Shimla, May 18 Addressing a press conference here he said the Congress could not match the ruling BJP in resources and chief minister P.K.Dhumal and other party leaders took the aerial route from the very outset whereas the Congress could manage one only after the fourth phase of polling. Consequently, its leaders could not cover all the areas and the party failed to take advantage of the achievements of the UPA regime. It ultimately cost the party two seats. There could be other factors too specific to assembly segments which could also be discussed. The candidates would also be asked to submit their reports. However, more important was the party’s performance in the home district of Dhumal where the lead had come down from 83,000 votes to just 23,000 votes in less than a year. Dhumal could manage a slender lead from his own assembly segment as the victory margin of his son Anurag Thakur came down by over one lakh votes. It was the gross misuse of official machinery and coercive tactics used by the BJP to pressure employees, panchayati raj functionaries and other voters which helped the BJP to win three seats. Referring to the demand of state BJP chief Jai Ram that he should resign as the PCC chief, Kaul Singh said he would have quit if the party had lost all the four seats as promised. However, it won the Mandi seat and slipped out narrowly on two others. Instead of seeking his resignation, Jai Ram should put in his papers as the BJP had lost his home seat of Mandi. The state had a tendency to vote for the party in power in state and last time when the BJP was in power in 1999 it won all the four seats in alliance with the HVC with huge margins. This time the Congress had done much better. But the party would introspect and analyse the shortcomings so that corrective measure could be taken. National general secretary and in charge of the party affairs in the state Mohsina Kidwai would also be requested to attend the special meeting of the
PCC. |
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Congress MLAs in dock for ‘poor show’
Hamirpur, May 18 There are reports that party observer and other top leaders have prepared a report on the functioning of certain party leaders and MLAs, which would be soon submitted to the party high command in this context. Since the Congress has six MLAs out of total 17 assembly segments in this constituency, besides two former ministers and few former MLAs, the party was expecting better performance from all of them in this election. More so since there is a feeling among a section of the party that due to ‘factionalism in the party few leaders campaigned for Narinder Thakur half heartedly. While Narinder Thakur through the party’s campaign managed to make deep inroads in the BJP’s vote bank in Hamirpur district, many party MLAs and stalwarts could not maintain their hold on the voters in the assembly segments falling under Una, Bilaspur and Kangra districts. Only two MLAs- Mukesh Agnihotri from Haroli (1,537) and Rajesh Dharamani from Ghumarwin (1,201) could secure lead for the party candidate, besides a lead of 1,102 votes secured by former minister Kuldeep Kumar in the Gagret assembly segment. In assembly segments of all other MLAs the Congress candidate failed to get a lead. In the Naduan assembly segment represented by Sukhvinder Singh, Narinder Thakur was down by 4,264 votes and in the Chintpurni constituency held by Congress candidate Rajesh Kalia trailed by 1,554 votes. While the Congress was down by 5,218 votes in the Dehra constituency, despite having Yog Raj as sitting Congress MLA, its performance was worst in the Jaswan constituency which is represented by party MLA Nikhil Razor where party candidate got 8,644 lesser votes than the BJP candidate. The Congress got 4,390 less votes for Narinder Thakur in the Naina Devi assembly segment which was represented for several terms by former forest minister Ram Lal Thakur, who had himself contested Hamirpur seat thrice, is also being seen as a matter of concern by Congress leaders. |
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124 villagers taken ill after drinking water
Hamirpur, May 18 According to reports, villagers from Bari started complaining of symptoms of diarrhoea last night and by morning 124 people were suffering from it. Hamirpur SDM Pankaj Rai confirming this report said, “We had received the complaint of villagers suffering from diarrhoea in the morning from Bari (Pharnol) village after which I rushed to the village along with the CMO and a team of doctors.” “We administered drip to eight persons badly affected by the disease and distributed medicines to other persons in the village itself, while one patient was referred to district hospital, Hamirpur,” he added. Hamirpur CMO DS Chandel said, “The villagers were affected by diarrhoea since there are reports of drinking contaminated water from a local bowli.” He said, “We have distributed medicines and treated them in the village while a team of doctors is still camping in the village; and have asked the villagers not to drink water from the bowli and instead use water supplied by the IPH Department.”
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Fire engulfs 20 hectares of forest area
Solan, May 18 In the latest incident a massive forest fire, which erupted last night at the Jagjitnagar area of Kuthar Forest Range engulfed almost 20 hectares of
forest area. Range officer Ved Prakash said though it was a ground fire and was controlled initially around 2 am, it assumed a severe form late in the night forcing them to restart firefighting operations. Finally, a fire tender was pushed into service by a local NGO to douse the flames early this morning from Subathu and fire was controlled around
10 am today. Prakash said the efforts of local villagers and forest staff helped to save their plantation area and not much damage was done to the Boli-Katli unprotected forest area. The Forest Department was on a high alert and apart from fire watchers, regular staff was deployed to clear at least 5 m of area along the National Highway so as to avert any major fire. A special vehicle had been stationed at Dharampur to rush to a fire spot in case of any emergency and it was assigned to collect the inflammable pine needles, which were then safely disposed off. Telephone numbers of forest officials and panchayat representatives, mahila mandals as
well as yuvak mandals had been displayed at prominent places so as to ensure easy connectivity in case of a fire incident,
confided Prem Mahajan, ACF, Solan. |
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Uncertainty over Cabinet expansion
Shimla, May 18 The wait for those wanting to be inducted could be further prolonged despite a good performance as after the drubbing in the parliamentary polls, the BJP high command is in total disarray as blame game is on. Even though the chief minister has given indications that he could fill the two vacancies in the ministry after consulting the high command but the much-talked about reshuffle of the Cabinet could prove to be a ticklish task. Dhumal when asked about the impending expansion said it would take some time as the high command had to be consulted. Barring the education minister who got a lead of 8,900 votes, PWD and Revenue Minister Gulab Singh Thakur with 7,321- vote lead and Ramesh Dhawala with a lead of 6,256 votes the remaining cabinet members have failed to impress. While other ministers have failed to get impressive leads for the party, it is transport minister Kishan Kapoor in whose constituency of Dharamsala the BJP was down by 324 votes.
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Providential escape for JCB driver
Bilaspur, May 18 Rakesh, a resident of Dehar in Mandi district, and his machine had got buried in huge mound of sand and debris after a sandy hilltop came crashing down while he was busy in his work. As soon as villagers heard the loud noise of the fall of a sandy portion of the hilltop, they rushed to the spot. However, their efforts to extricate the man and the machine proved insufficient. They informed the police and fire brigade officials, who were very quick to respond to the situation and reached the site of accident in no time. Timely intervention by the police, fire brigade officials and villagers helped save the life of Rakesh Kumar. He was rushed to the local Regional Hospital where his condition was stated to be out of danger. The villagers were all praise for the police and fire brigade officials for their quick response to the SOS that ultimately helped save a life.
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Use of liquor enabled Virbhadra to win: BJP
Kullu, May 18 This was alleged by Maheshwar Singh, the defeated BJP candidate, here today at a press conference in the Circuit House. He said many bottles of liquor were seized at Banjar and Jallugran being carried in vehicles were examples of that. Maheshwar alleged that the Congress leaders were busy in distributing liquor on the eve of the voting day. He referred that election in charge of Kullu and former minister Harash Mahajan was caught staying in Kullu and was directed to leave on the night of May 15 by the district returning officer. He alleged that he was also indulged in distributing wine and money that night. He said the Virbhadra had been talking that his fight was against the Dhumal government but the results of the state went against him despite the Congress wave. He said we had lost the Mandi seat due to over confidence though our leaders and workers had toiled hard in their respective areas.
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HC stays order on Thind’s narco test
Shimla, May 18 While staying the order, Justice Surinder Singh admitted the revision petition filed by Thind wherein he had challenged the order of the Special Judge, Solan, on the ground that narco test was a violation of Article 20 (3) of the Constitution. The court also observed that since it is a debatable question of law and also the fact that the revision petition had been admitted for hearing, as such the operation of order is stayed till final disposal of the petition. It is pertinent to mention here that the police had filed an application before the Special Judge, Solan, for seeking permission for narco test of Thind. Acceding to the police request, the special court granted approval for conducting narco test on the suspended ADGP. The police sought this test for baring the truth with regard to his involvement in the Parwanoo CD case. The Parwanoo-based businessman had alleged in his complaint that he had paid lakhs of rupees to the IPS officer for getting his commercial premises vacated, which was in possession of his brother. It was on his complaint that a case for alleged cheating and extortion was registered against Thind. |
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‘Forest thanas’ to start this month
Shimla, May 18 Out of the six forest thanas being set up by the forest department, four will be made operational at Balu in Mandi, Deha in Theog, Habban in Rajgarh and Mohal in Kullu in the first phase. Since buildings have yet to be constructed these ‘thanas’ are being opened on rented premises. Additional chief secretary, forests, Avay Shukla said that staff was being deputed for the proposed ‘forest thanas’ and they would start functioning within this month. The remaining two would come up at Deokhand in Panarsa and Tikker in Rohru in October. The locations of ‘thanas’ have been carefully chosen taking into consideration the high incidence of forest crimes in these areas which have earned notoriety for illicit felling, timber smuggling, encroachments and other such unlawful activities. Staff is being provided by merging six to eight existing forest beats and on an average about a dozen officials will be deployed in each thana. They will collectively check offences over larger areas rather than looking after small beats individually. Each thana will be headed by an official of the rank of deputy ranger who will be assisted by a team of forest guards for carrying out patrolling of forests. A ‘munshi’ will also be provided to record complaints and maintain records. The ‘thanas’ will be equipped with vehicles, wireless, mobile phones, arms and other required facilities. The thana system will enable the department to concentrate on selected areas where mafias are active and illegal activates like smuggling of timber is taking place in an organised manner. With the road network penetrating the interior areas smuggling of timber has become easier and economically more rewarding. In recent cases of offenders intimidating and even assaulting the field staff have taken place in such notorious areas. Moving in larger teams will enable the watch
and ward staff to take on those indulging in organised crime. |
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Dept takes steps to ensure proper supply of water
Shimla, May 18 A spokesman for the department said here today that directions had been issued to all the superintending engineers and the executive to ensure proper supply of distribution of water in view of the drought-like conditions and declining discharge. He said executive engineer, design, D.K. Negi, had been appointed as the nodal officer to monitor the situation under the Shimla circle, who would be available on telephone number 0177-2625913. He said directions had also been issued to carry out intensive inspections and monitoring of all schemes to ensure equitable distribution of water, besides plugging the leakages in the pipelines immediately to avoid wastage of water. The consumers had been asked to avoid misuse of drinking water for irrigation of kitchen gardens, fields, construction of buildings, using 'tullu' pumps (online pumps) and excess storage. The use of any kind of pumping machinery to lift water from pipeline was banned but still people were using it which was leading to inequitable distribution of water which was already in short supply. The field staff had been directed to take immediate action against offenders and disconnect their water supply without notice. The people have been advised to inform about unauthorised use of pumps the sub-divisional engineer or executive engineer concerned so that appropriate action could
be taken. |
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Solan records 35°C
Solan, May 18 This year’s abrupt rise of mercury to 35°C in the second week of May was unprecedented, said
Dr Parvinder Baweja, scientist at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni. The day temperature shot up from yesterday’s 32.4°C to 35°C today. However, there was some respite in the offing with light showers and dust storms being predicted in the coming days. The inclement weather also gave indication of the early arrival of the monsoon in Himachal, which could be advanced by one week, Baweja said. The farmers had been advised to go in for sowing of late varieties of crops, including wheat, and develop ponds to collect rainwater. According to inputs received from the Puna meteorological office, the monsoon was expected to touch Kerala coast by May 26,
he added. The severe heat had, however, confined people to their homes and even children hesitated to venture out in the afternoons. The sale of fans had picked up. Natural sources of water, including kuhals, are witnessing a sharp decline in water level throughout the region. With winters remaining almost dry, the farmers are eagerly awaiting early showers to have a
healthy crop. It is not only the case of Solan but temperature is rising at all places in
the region. |
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Registration of labour mandatory: Board
Shimla, May 18 Presiding over the first meeting of the board, he said many unorganised workers were employed by construction agencies whose proper identity was not maintained by the employers. “The main objective behind setting up the board is to ensure the welfare and safety of all such employees,” he said. He further said many welfare schemes, including safe health standards, had been enshrined by the board in the Act. “The board will provide all types of financial assistance to the kin of the labourers, including house loans, pension, and ex-gratia,” he added. Purohit said cess up to 1 per cent would be paid by all employers for construction work beyond Rs 10 lakh. “The welfare activities of the building workers would be met with the cess collected which is likely to be Rs 45 crore during this financial year,” he
disclosed. Additional Chief Secretary Parminder Mathur stressed the need for disseminating information about welfare policies of the board by conducting meetings with employers and employees representatives at various levels. |
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Resentment over pay panel report
Chamba, May 18 In a statement issued here today, district president of the federation Sat Pal Thakur said the employees of class IV and III categories had the least advantage of this report on pay scales released by the Punjab Government while officers had been given enough benefit. He demanded that the minimum pay of class IV and class III employees should be at least Rs 10,000 so that they were able to bring up their families and provide good education to their children. Thakur appealed to all employees of the state to unite on one platform for establishing strong coordination with the Punjab employees so that the Punjab Government could be pressurised for the revision of existing pay
scales. |
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Encroachment on forest land
Mandi, May 18 According to information sought under the RTI Act by the villagers, the said pradhan allegedly used his clout as forest official and grabbed three bighas of land. They had made repeated attempts earlier, but neither the Forest Department nor the district administration took action in the case. The Forest Department has been passing the buck on the Revenue Department for the last two years. The RTI bureau, Mandi, has demanded suspension of pradhan under the Panchayati Raj Act.
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Plea to accept employees’ demands
Bilaspur, May 18 A meeting of the sangathan was held here today. State president of the sangthan Amar Singh Chandel and state adviser Bhuri Singh Thakur said though CM PK Dhumal had assured them during the last Assembly session that a positive decision would be taken at the earliest regarding their charter of demands, nothing had been done so far. It was demanded that rural part-time water carriers should be paid monthly wages like other water carriers and the disparity in payment should be removed at the earliest. It was also demanded that emoluments of school cooks should be paid regularly in the first week of the month.
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Minor girl dies of burns
Chamba, May 18 She belonged to the Kundoo area in Bhattiyat subdivision of the district was allegedly burnt by sprinkling kerosene by some unidentified youth in mysterious circumstances at her house. A case has been registered.
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Sammelan
Shimla, May 18 |
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Two killed
Shimla, May 18 According to the police, Puja Dev (28), a resident of Jaguni village, near Rampur, was killed when the Alto car (HP-06-4202) he was travelling in met with an accident near Racholi late last night. In another accident, Raj Kumar (24), died when the Alto car (HP-01A-0582) rolled down a deep gorge at Badrash, near Jeori, in Rampur.
— TNS
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While maintaining that gains of Congress in terms of electoral support in Hamirpur seat outweighed losses in Kangra and Shimla, the Pradesh Congress Committee chief Kaul Singh today conceded that lack of resources and mobility affected party’s poll campaign.
