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Winter Session: Day Two
Assembly debates swine flu, UPA affidavit
3 killed, 34 hurt as bus falls in khud
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Winter session shortened
Chairpersons of Boards
District courts’ website launched
Villagers hold protest
Left to intensify drive against price rise
‘Double-lane’ highway for Lahaul
‘Fill vacant posts of teacher’
Man gets 10-year RI
Cold wave grips valley
Decomposed body found
Man held with opium
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Industrial package extension issue rocks House
Lalit Mohan Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, December 15 To this industries minister Kishan Kapoor gave a detailed reply starting from the history of how the industrial package was given to the state and later diluted. The Congress member interrupted the minister and told him to limit his reply. The independent MLA from Nurpur, Rakesh Pathania, then got up and said it was a ‘shame’ for the state that it had two union ministers and still the industrial package was not being extended. To this the Congress members got off from their seats and said they were proud that the state had been given representation of two ministers in the Union Cabinet. The CM then got up and said that a resolution would be brought to demand increase in industrial package till 2020. Later, at a press conference HPCC president Kaul Singh also admitted that till date there was no news regarding increase in industrial package to the state. He said that the matter was under the active consideration of the Union Government and till date no decision had been taken on the matter. On the reported statement of Virbhadra Singh that industrial package has been increased by one year, he said that the union minister was misquoted by the media. Kaul Singh sought information if the government has granted permission to establish engineering college in a tea garden in Shahpur tehsil of Kangra district. Replying to the query the horticulture minister initially said no such permission had been given. However, later he said that permission for raising a building on barren land had been given by the revenue department. The department of technical education has, however, not given any permission to run college to the Dhauladhar Education society. Parveen Sharma, BJP MLA from Palampur, sought details regarding the number of job cards prepared under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) in the Bharwana area of his constituency and the number of people given 100 days of employment. In his reply to the question the minister for rural development and panchayats Jai Ram Thakur said 12342 job cards were made but just 2630 persons completed 100 days of employment under NREGS. The Congress members raised questions regarding the number of PTA teachers removed from job by the present government. To this the education minister said they were being removed as per the directions of the court and requirements of the education department. |
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Assembly debates swine flu, UPA affidavit
Dharamsala, December 15
They said the wide publicity that swine flu deaths in Himachal had got in media had the potential to affect the economy of the state. The maximum economy of state and its people was dependent on tourism industry. However, the coverage regarding swine flu deaths was likely to affect the tourism industry in the state. Minister for Health Rajiv Bindal elaborated regarding the steps being taken to check swine flu in the state. He said isolation wards had been brought up in all district hospitals to check swine flu. Awareness was also being generated among people regarding the disease. The CM, while participating in the debate, admitted that there was shortage of doctors in some areas. He, however, said that the position of doctors had improved since the present government took over. The House discussed the issue of a recent affidavit submitted in the Supreme Court submitted by the UPA government in the BBMB case. The issue was raised by Kot Kehlur MLA Sudhir Sharma. Sharma while speaking on the issue said about 250 villages and Bilaspur town were uprooted due to the construction of the Bhakra Dam. However, still Himachal has not been given its due share in the Bhakra. The present affidavit given by the UPA that Himachal was not entitled to 12 per cent royalty in BBMB projects has the potential of affecting state’s interests in the BBMB case. He alleged that the Congress leadership in the state had failed to protect the interests of Himachal. Congress MLA Kaul Singh initially objected to debate on the plea that the matter was sub-judice. He demanded that the House should not debate the issue as the case regarding the matter was pending in the Supreme Court. The Speaker, however, rejected the objection and allowed the debate. |
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3 killed, 34 hurt as bus falls in khud
Shimla, December 15 While two persons died on the spot, one woman succumbed to her injuries at Government Medical College, Chandigarh. The ill-fated bus was on its way from Delhi to Bagha (near Daralaghat). Twelve injured persons were referred to Chandigarh, three to Solan civil hospital, and the rest were hospitalised at Parwanoo. The loss of life would have been much higher but for the fact that the vehicle skidded downhill, without tumbling, after the first plunge. There were over 40 passengers on board when the mishap occurred. The conductor of the bus rang up the authorities from the spot as a result of which rescue and relief operation started without loss of time. The district administration and the staff of the corporation reached the spot promptly. The CPRF unit at Dharampur played an important role in the relief and rescue opertion. Initial inquiries made by the police and the corporation indicated that the bus first veered to the hillside and there after it turned sharply to the valley side and fell near the Cosmos Ferrite factory. Somesh Goyal, managing director of the corporation, who was in Dharamsala in connection with the Vidhan Sabha session, rushed to the scene of accident immediately. He said according to a preliminary inquiry, possibility of human error could not be ruled out. He has constituted a three-member committee under the chairmanship of divisional manager, technical, to conduct an inquiry to ascertain the cause of accident. The corporation would bear the entire cost of treatment of the injured, he added. The police has registered a case of rash and negligent driving and investigation is on. |
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Winter session shortened
Dharamsala, December 15
This year only 34 sittings would be held, including the present winter session. He proposed that another sitting of the House should be held to complete 35 days of session. Meanwhile, the Tibetan parliament-in-exile will host a dinner for members of the Himachal Vidhan Sabha
on December 17. |
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Delay in appointment causes resentment
Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service
Shimla, December 15 The issue came up for discussion at the meeting of the core group of the BJP, held three days back. Some of the senior leaders at the meeting, which was attended by Chief Minister PK Dhumal, Rajya Sabha MP Shanta Kumar, in charge of BJP affairs in Himachal Satya Pal Jain, co-in charge OP Dhankar and state organising secretary Mahender Pandey, pointed out the resentment brewing among party leaders over the inordinate delay. Barring only half a dozen appointments ever since the BJP formed government on December 30, 2007, the wait for party leaders to get appointments is proving to be endless. “At one point of time it was said the appointments will be made after the Hamirpur Lok Sabha by-elections and then the deadline was extended to the Lok Sabha polls but the wait still continues,” said a senior party leader. A section of the party leaders said even after by-elections to the Jawali and Rohru Assembly segments have been completed but even now there seems to be no indication of the appointments being made. “There is no denying that making appointments is the sole prerogative of the CM but there is no reason why there should be delay when the government is soon going to enter its third year of rule,” party leaders contested. Senior party leaders too admit that there is no justifiable reason for the delay but they do not have a say in the matter. Another factor which is causing heartburn to the aspirants is the recent appointment of Vikram Thakur, former MLA from Jaswan in Kangra, who lost the elections. He has been made vice-chairman of the Forest Corporation. Party leaders also cited the example of Govind Thakur, MLA from Kullu, who has been put on the board of directors (BoD) of the HP Tourism Development Corporation. “Despite being an MLA he has been put on the BoD and it will not be surprising if like Rajeev Bhardwaj he too is made vice-chairman after being a member of the BoD for some time,” the party leaders lamented. |
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District courts’ website launched
Shimla, December 15 Himachal is the only state in this part of the country to achieve e-connectivity from the high court down to the subordinate courts. Formally launching the website, Acting Chief Justice of HP High Court Justice RB Misra said the website would enable the litigant public and advocates to have an access of cause list of each court and every judicial officer in the district headquarters and also help know the listing of their cases from anywhere in the country and abroad. Judges of the state HC - Justice Deepak Gupta, Surjit Singh, Dev Darshan Sud, VK Ahuja, Surinder Singh, Sanjay Karol, Kuldip Singh and Rajiv Sharma were present at the inaugural ceremony. Registrar General VK Sharma, Registrar Vigilance DC Chaudhary, Registrar Rules AS Jaswal, and Registrar Inspection Virender Singh were also present on the occasion. |
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Villagers hold protest
Bilaspur, December 15 They also objected to the affidavit of the central government in which it had denied any right to Himachal Pradesh in the Bhakra Dam project in the Supreme Court. They called it their betrayal as the present prosperity of the adjoining states was due to their sacrifices which were being ignored by the central government. The rally was also addressed by Kulbhushan Upmanyu and Guman Singh, president and convener, respectively, of the Himalayan Niti Abhiyan Samiti. A resolution also demanded that the Forest Rights Act, 2006, should be implemented in the state and the notices of vacation of forest lands by the oustees should be withdrawn.
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Left to intensify drive against price rise
Mandi, December 15 Declaring this at a press conference here today, CPM leader Rakesh Singha and CPI state president Des Raj said the UPA had failed to control price rise that rocketed to 19.4 per cent on November 24 as compared to that of last year. The government has failed to check the forward trading and black-marketing and hoardings that go side by side, they asserted. Singha said subsidies on food items was being reduced to save Rs 4,000 crore very year. The government should first control forward trading of food items and hoardings and bring all categories under the PDS system and the Food Security Act, he added. On the other hand, the government gives Rs 52,000 crore as subsidy on food items every year whereas it has given a loan waiver of Rs 1.20 lakh crore to an industrial house alone, Singha charged. “The prices of diesel and petrol are increased artificially as the government never cut down 50 per cent taxes levied on them,”
he added. The Left will reach out to villages and apprise them of the real reason behind the price rise,
he added. |
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‘Double-lane’ highway for Lahaul
Chamba, December 15 For this, the government has planned to widen the existing narrow road making it a ‘double-lane’ with joint efforts in collaboration with the BRO. An authoritative official information revealed that the proposed ‘double-lane’ portion of the highway from Sansari nullah to Gulabgarh connecting Killar, the subdivisional headquarters of Pangi tribal, would facilitate the people of Lahaul and Pangi valleys to travel to the outer world during winter. A joint survey for making this portion of the highway as ‘double-lane’ had been conducted and accomplished by the BRO and the state government authorities, information revealed; stating that during winter season when both Rohtang and Saach passes were closed due to heavy snowfall for about seven months, this highway would be an alternative route for people. Information further divulged that clearance to make this highway as ‘double lane’ had also been accorded by the BRO to undertake the widening work of the highway from three points — Sansari nullah, Tiari and Sohal. |
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‘Fill vacant posts of teacher’
Nurpur, December 15 District president of the union Onkar Rana stated here that two types of evaluation for the same session and classes would be illogical. He also demanded to revoke recent amendment made in the recruitment and promotion rules of deputy directors in the education department which had denied promotions to those who were on the brink of retirement. He criticised the department’s decision of linking annual increments to the school results and added that teachers were dutifully bound to produce good results but the government should first create congenial atmosphere by filling vacant posts and stop mid-session transfers. |
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Man gets 10-year RI
Dharamsala, December 15 Deputy district attorney BK Marwaha, while talking to The Tribune, said Husain was arrested by the Indora police with 12 kg charas at Damtal on December 25, 2007. He was driving his own bus at Damtal. The permit of the bus was, however, for the interior areas of Chamba district. The police intercepted the vehicle as there was no passenger in it. It later found a white bag hidden under the seat from which 12 kg charas was recovered. The accused was found guilty of drugs trafficking under the NDPS Act. |
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Cold wave grips valley
Kullu, December 15 The 13,050-ft-high Rohtang Pass had more than four feet snow while mountain tops around Kullu and Manali experienced moderate snowfall. Tourist spots beyond Manali on the Manali-Leh Highway, Gulaba, Kothi and Solang nullah, had four to six inches of snow today till the filing of this report. Meanwhile, the snowfall on Rohtang Pass has cut off tribal areas of Lahaul valley from rest of the country. The timely snowfall this year has brought cheers and hope for farmers and horticulturists. Local hoteliers and travel agents are also hoping for profitable business this season. |
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Decomposed body found
Nurpur, December 15 According to Jawali DSP Badri Singh, the police received information about foul smell emanating from the well from local panchayat pradhan late last evening and deployed police force to check the matter. The police fished out the body and found legs and arms of the woman tied with a dupatta. A case has been registered. —
OC |
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