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Death of six labourers
Meeting eases communal tension in Chopal area
Valentine’s Day with a difference
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Staff shortage hits high court SPIO’s working
Mechanic booked for stealing cash
Losar celebrations a low-key affair
Man living abroad in BPL list
Mela panel accused of mismanagement
State to promote Peterhoff as heritage hotel
Consumers rue shortage of LPG cylinders
Transport nagar project proposed
Four injured airlifted
‘HP to follow Costa Rica model’
Gold medal for college student
Five hurt in firing incident
Govt urged to set up schools for
visually-impaired
Villagers block highway
Luder Chand, Hira best skiers
Bravery award given
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Death of six labourers
Shimla, February 14 State Secretariat member Tikender Panwar said
the company had a long history of playing with the lives of the people and it had not been following the mandatory safety and security measures. As per the information received by the party, absence of strong “anchor bolts” led to the present disaster. Thus, the mishap took place due to sheer negligence and failure to take adequate safety measures on the part of the company for which it must be held responsible and accountable, he added. He feared that the number of missing persons could be more as many of them had jumped into the Sutlej. This was not an isolated incident as just two days ago eight workmen were injured in a similar landslide and one of them, Deepak, had died on his way to the PGI, Chandigarh, he said. The party demanded payment of compensation to the tune of Rs 15 lakh to The party maintained that some of the workers jumped because of fear and were not traceable. All deceased and missing workers were engaged with a contractor Dhan Raj Shahi who was working for the Jaypee Company. Meawhile, Governor Urmila Singh and Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal have expressed grief over the death of six persons who were killed by falling of boulders. They have conveyed their sympathies to the bereaved families. |
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Meeting eases communal tension in Chopal area
Shimla, February 14 The initiative to bring the two estranged communities together was taken by Deputy Commissioner JS Rana and Superintendent of Police RM Sharma who first met their representatives separately and after ascertaining their point of view, organised a combined meeting to help sink the differences. The final meeting was held at Kuthar in the madarsa which became a target of mob violence two days ago. Over 350 persons, including 150 Muslims, were present at the meeting. The members of the Muslim
community disapproved of the act of cow slaughter committed by some individuals and said action should be taken under the law against the wrong doers. The representatives of the Hindus, which included members of the beopar mandal, youth mandals and various social and religions organisations, also agreed that if some persons who instigated the mod to indulge in violence against the minority community could be identified action should be taken against them. The administration as well as members of the two communities heaved a sigh of relief following the successful meeting at which the representatives from both sides adopted “let bygones, be bygones” approach to restore communal harmony. Rana said there was realisation on both sides that it was an instant provocation and there was no history of communal strife. They had been living in harmony all these years and this one incident would not be allowed to drive a wedge
between them. However, the police was not lowering guard and it had decided to
deploy security persons to protect the minority community in eight identified clusters where they
were concentrated. At the same time to ensure that miscreants from outside the state did not disturb communal harmony it had been decided to set up a police barrier at Fitz entry point from Uttarakhand to help keep a watch on
suspicious persons. |
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Valentine’s Day with a difference
Shimla, February 14 Joining hands under the umbrella of YES (Youth for Enlightening the Society), a few bright young boys and girls pursuing engineering, MBBS, BDS and other professional courses transformed the festival of “love and passion” into a celebration of “compassion and human values”. They made the occasion more meaningful for the society by saying it with “red blood” instead of the “red rose”. “When we came to know that blood banks in the state capital have been left with just 12 units of blood, we immediately decided to hold a camp as a minimum stock of 40 to 50 units is required,” said Akarshan, a final-year student of the local government dental college. “We purposely chose the Valentine Day for it to send a message across to the youth that it was the occasion for expressing love for humanity and what other better way could be to do so than donating blood which could save precious lives,” he added. In all 70 persons, including some tourists, donated blood in the camp. Incidentally, the idea to float YES was mooted by Akarshan, the whistle blower who blew the lid off the CPMT scam as he felt that there was need for a regular forum to a take up issues concerning students. A group of bright students, who had supported his endeavour in highlighting the scam, joined him immediately. Over the past two years, the scope of its activities has widened and it has taken up a number of activities. It has been constantly working among youth to fight the menace of drug addiction which has become a major problem being faced by the society and the state at large. |
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Staff shortage hits high court SPIO’s working
Shimla, February 14 “I would like to bring to your notice that no supporting staff such as SO (section officer), senior assistant, stenographer or clerk have been provided by the state government to assist me for discharging the duty of SPIO at the high court level. In addition to this, I have been assigned multifarious works in the registry owing to which I remain awfully busy,” he wrote in his letter to the commission. A copy of the office order of the high court dated December 16, 2009, has also been enclosed which says “It has been noticed that whenever any information is asked for by the SPIO from different branches of the registry under the RTI Act, the same is generally supplied after undue delay which is a violation of the provision of the Act. In order to obviate such violations, the Acting Chief Justice is pleased to order that henceforth all branch in charges shall ensure that all kind of information, as may be asked for by the SPIO, be supplied to him with due promptitude and in no case beyond one week.” Bhattacharya had filed two applications with the high court on October 30, 2009. However, when he did not receive any reply for two months, he filed a complaint with the SIC which asked the SPIO to appear before it on February 1, 2010. In between, Bhattacharya received two replies from the SPIO which provided only partial information in response to his queries. |
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Mechanic booked for stealing cash
Dharamsala, February 14 According to the police complaint lodged by the manager of the bank, Ravinder came to rectify a fault in the ATM on Thursday. While repairing the machine, he allegedly stole Rs 2.36 lakh in the form of 236 notes of Rs 1,000 denomination. However, later he realised his act of theft might have been caught at the hidden camera in the ATM. He came back to the ATM after half an hour and tried to delete the recording but failed. The next day he made a similar effort but failed again. Realising that he would be caught, ultimately Ravinder came to the bank manager yesterday and admitted his crime. He also deposited the stolen amount of Rs 2.36 lakh. However, what perplexed the bank authorities was how the mechanic broke the password of the ATM. They informed the police regarding the crime after which a case was registered against the accused. |
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Losar celebrations a low-key affair
Dharamsala, February 14 In his brief address on the occasion, the Dalai Lama said despite facing great problems in Tibet for many years, the Tibetan people there had shown indomitable courage and sincerity in standing up to the situation. Tibetans are marking the year as a year of remembrance of Tibetan people’s suffering. He urged the Tibetans living in the free world not to forget the critical situation in Tibet. The Tibetans-in-exile must keep up their sincerity and courage like their brethren in Tibet, the Dalai Lama added. Speaking on education, he urged Tibetans, Mongolians and the people of Himalayan region to put more efforts in education, and to excel in the study of Tibetan Buddhism. Though the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile had urged the Tibetans in Tibet to shun celebrations this year, the Chinese authorities have announced cash awards for celebrations of Losar as a counter propaganda, according to sources. The Chinese government has gone aggressive in its opposition to the Dalai Lama and his followers after the protests in Tibet last year displayed that the exiled leader still retained control over the people of Tibetan plateau even after staying in exile for more than 50 years. China has launched diplomatic initiatives to press on world leaders against meeting the Dalai Lama. The new year for the Tibetans began from today. The Tibetans have sent new year cards to US President Barack Obama who has decided to meet the Dalai Lama on February 18 this month despite strong opposition from China. |
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Man living abroad in BPL list
Hamirpur, February 14 Rakesh Kumar, who is reportedly residing in a foreign country has not only been included in the BPL list of the Makkar gram panchayat but also been awarded a house under the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojna. The facts regarding this glaring irregularity were brought to light by Ishwar Dass, a resident of the Makkar panchayat, in a complaint made to the
DC here. In the complaint, Dass alleged that in the BPL list of the Makkar gram panchayat, which was available at the block development office (BDO) at Bijhadi, the name of Rakesh Kumar, son of Jagdish Kumar, a resident of Karer village under Makkar panchayat had been included in the BPL list for the year 2007-08. The complainant said, “Though this person is living in a foreign country at present, he has also been allotted a house under the Rajiv Gandhi Awas Yojna, which is basically meant to provide cheap housing
for members of the BPL category.” “This house is being allegedly constructed on a piece of land, which Rajesh Kumar does not own in the revenue papers,” he added. It is being said “this whole manipulation to include Rakesh Kumar in the BPL list has been done by his sister-in-law, who is the present president of the Makkar panchayat to allegedly give benefit to him.” Hamirpur district panchayat officer Satish Sharma said, “I have sought report from the BDO regarding this complaint and action will be taken against the panchayat president if these charges are proved since the name of a person residing in a foreign country cannot be included in the BPL category list.”
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Mela panel accused of mismanagement
Mandi, February 14 Narrating their tale of woes, Katwal, pujaris of the devis and devtas, rued that they were deprived of drinking water and security cover. Mela committee president Amandeep Garg and devta subcommittee under the Mandi ADM have not even bothered to send a member to look after us, he added. “Even premises where the gold-studded raths of the six devis are camped is not safe as the window is broken,” said Girdhari Lal, a katwal of the Devi Baglamukhi. The six devis — Baglamuki, Budi Bhairya, Kashmiri, Dhumavati, Bushai Mata, Rupeshwari— traditionally have been camping in the inner courtyard of the Bhiwani palace. A visit to the old palace is an eye-opener. “The premises are in the shambles as the slate roof is falling apart and leaking at several places,” rued kardars. Not only the traditional devtas---Sukhdev Rishi, Dagandu, Prashar, Magrumahadev and Bura Bingal---were allotted the spots inside old Bhiwani palace, but the premises have been locked and wall has been built to obstruct the entry of devtas, resented the kardars of devtas. Meanwhile, Ashokpal Sen, present scion of the Mandi state, when quizzed on this, said he stopped them because last year two traditional metallic bells in old Bhiwani palace were stolen during the mela. “People from all walks of life come here and it becomes risky to open the premises. I am not aware about the old tradition as I have been out of India for the past 31 years,” he claimed. He added that he was cooperating with the mela committee. However, this time they could not attend the ceremony due to death in the family. President Kardar Sangh and Mandi samiti sarvadevta Shivpaul Sharma said, “We have called a meeting of the kardars so that the problems are addressed and taken up with the mela committee,”
he assured. |
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State to promote Peterhoff as heritage hotel
Shimla, February 14 “We are planning to promote Peterhoff as a heritage property among tourists in a big way. For this, we will put up a plaque to highlight its glorious history,” Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) assistant general manager Vijay Sharma said. “The history of the building comprised the trial of the father of the nation’s assassin, Godse, during 1948-49. At that time, the building housed the Punjab High Court when Shimla was part of united Punjab,” he said. At present, Peterhoff, located in the heart of the city, just 1 km from the state assembly building, has 34 suites. “The hotel would soon be refurbished and expanded with 25 more rooms, a conventional hall and a big restaurant,” Sharma said. The hotel that witnessed important periods of history stands on the charred remains of the earlier building that was gutted in a massive fire on January 12, 1981. Peterhoff was first occupied in 1876 by the viceroy couple, the Lyttons. At that time it developed a reputation for its hospitality, particularly for the quality and quantity of exotic drinks served there. After the Independence, Peterhoff housed the Punjab High Court when it witnessed the trial of Godse. The case was finally decided on June 21, 1949, against Godse. Later, the building was turned into the Governor's residence. During a fire in 1981, then Governor Aminuddin Ahmed Khan managed a narrow escape from the flaming building. He lost all his belongings and was left with only the clothes he was wearing. When it was burnt down, Barnes Court was made the Governor's residence and continues to be so. Peterhoff was rebuilt in 1992-93 and converted into a state-run guest house-cum-hotel. Shimla, the former summer capital of the British, has 91 British-era heritage buildings in typical Tudor style - all wooden frames and shingled eaves. — IANS |
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Consumers rue shortage of LPG cylinders
Palampur, February 14 The situation was alarming at several places in the district as shortage of the LPG had turned into a law and order problem for the police. In Rehan, hundreds of consumers gathered in front of a vehicle carrying LPG, the police was called and then the LPG cylinders were distributed so as to avert any mishap. In Baijnath, a LPG truck carrying supplies for Jogindernagar was stopped by irate consumers recently. Later, the Baijnath SDM, along with the police, reached on the spot and persuaded the angry consumers to release the vehicle. However, many LPG distributors were receiving only 50 to 60 per cent quota of their demand. Meanwhile, the situation of LPG supply in Palampur town had gone from bad to worse after the suspension of dealership of Palam Gas Service, the main supplier of LPG, who had been feeding over 12,000 consumers of the town and its adjoining areas. Though the IOC had made alternative arrangements of LPG supply by extending the limits of two adjoining gas agencies, that too had failed to meet the shortage. Long queues for LPG cylinders could be seen on the roadside daily. In many parts of the town people keep on waiting for the LPG vehicle throughout the day but go back disappointed in the evening. The home delivery of LPG had virtually been discontinued as most of the time the cylinders were delivered on the roadside. Though IOC officials were well conversant with the situation, no efforts had been made to solve the problem. A senior official of the IOC said the HP High Court had revoked the suspension of Palam Gas Service and supply was likely to be resumed, which would ease the supply of LPG here. Meanwhile, the Palampur Welfare Forum, at its meeting held here recently, urged the Kangra Deputy Commissioner to intervene so as to streamline the supply of LPG in the town and its adjoining areas. General secretary of the forum UC Verma said copies of the resolution were sent to the DC, SDM and IOC officials in this regard. |
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Transport nagar project proposed
Solan, February 14 A sum of about Rs 7.5 crore, out of the total Rs 11 crore, has been sought from the Centre. Funds to the tune of Rs 4 crore comprise the land component.” In an effort to make the project feasible revenue generation too has been incorporated in the project. This was considered crucial as an earlier project of setting up a transport nagar at Jharmajri had failed to attract bidders and it failed to take off. With nearly 50 export-oriented units in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) area the need to improve infrastructure was considered crucial. It was for this reason that the need to set up a transport nagar where trucks could be parked along with provision of related facilities was being felt. The proposal would also help decongest the NH-21A where haphazardly parked hundreds of trucks created a traffic snarl. The present location of truck parking had also become a killer’s stretch on the NH-21-A as a number of accidents had taken place on the spot. Parking of trucks on the national highway was also a violation of laws. In an unfortunate incident a young engineering student too had been killed some months back. This has necessitated the need to provide a suitable parking place where the trucks could be parked without creating traffic hazard. There were nearly 5,000 trucks in the local transport union and an equal number of them daily entered the area from other states everyday. More trucks would also be added once industries undertook expansion of their existing capacities. Though the Baddi police had created a no-traffic zone in the town and specific zones had been identified for parking, its implementation was yet to come through as the parking space was inadequate. The BBNDA was now hopeful of getting the project sanctioned. Earlier, a project for
setting up a trade centre had also been sanctioned for the BBN area. |
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Four injured airlifted
Chamba, February 14 Giving this informative here today, the Chamba DC said the rescue party was making all-out efforts to provide possible help to residents of Hudaan Bhatori village; adding that six quintal foodstuffs and other eatable commodities had been dropped by helicopter today. However, the Deputy Commissioner maintained that the rest of villagers were safe. |
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‘HP to follow Costa Rica model’
Shimla, February 14 He said Himachal had emerged as the first state in the country to demand carbon credits in lieu of the green house gases being absorbed through its green cover. He said various steps directed towards the carbon neutrality had been initiated by the state government in the recent past while more vigorous efforts were being made to achieve the target of making Himachal Pradesh a carbon neutral state in the near future. The Chief Minister said Himachal Pradesh was inspired from the achievements of Costa Rica which was destined to emerge as the first carbon neutral country in the world by 2021. He said the delegation would study the modes adopted by Costa Rica to double its green cover in a period of less than a decade and replicate the same in Himachal Pradesh keeping in view the weather and other climatic conditions. |
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Gold medal for college student
Kangra, February 14 Dr Sanjeev Choudary, spokesman of the DRPGMC, Tanda, said Dr Manu was awarded gold medal for his position in the subject of medicine in
the state. He said it was an indicator of the fact that the Tanda medical college was imparting better medical education to its students. He said the award had brought pride to the institution and the state.
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Five hurt in firing incident
Chamba, February 14 Rattan Chand, who is an eminent environmentalist of this region, was seriously wounded. This was stated by Chamba SP Madhu Sudan while talking to mediapersons today. He said the injured included Rattan Chand, Hem Singh, Manoj, Man Singh and Lakshman. They had been admitted at the Chamba regional hospital for treatment. These persons are residents of local villages falling in and around the proposed 4.5 MW Hul hydroelectric project. Statements of the injured were being recorded by the police and a police party, headed by the Chamba DSP, had also rushed to the incident site to take stock of the situation. Sharma, who represents the Saalghati Bachao Sangharsh Morcha, had already lodged a protest against the hydroelectric project at the time of signing of the MoU between the government and the private enterprise. He had also submitted a memorandum to the state government through the local administration last month, apprehending a threat to his life in the wake of controversial 4.5 MW Hul hydroelectric project to be executed on the Hul nullah in the Jadera area of the district. These villagers were of the view that nullahas, natural water sources, water mills and mini irrigation schemes of eight gram panchayats, besides drinking water supply schemes of the area, were likely to be affected as a sequel to the construction of the hydropower projects.
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Govt urged to set up schools for
visually-impaired
Shimla, February 14 It was an odd combination and nowhere in the country such an arrangement existed. Moreover, the premises on which the schools were housed lacked adequate space and other facilities. Setting up of separate
schools for visually-impaired required specialised staff, conversant with the Braille script and teaching methods. It also required additional infrastructure
in the shape of Braille books and talking libraries. The existing schools did not had enough rooms either for holding classes or for lodging students and also lacked requisite staff. New premises would enable the government to set up institutions with proper infrastructure and staff. He also demanded filling of backlog
of posts reserved for visually-impaired on regular basis as was being done in the neighbouring states of Punjab
and Haryana. |
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Villagers block highway
Bilaspur, February 14 State spokesman of the manch Kesh Pathania said the road blockade affected vehicular traffic on both sides but they had no other peaceful method to wake up the government which was not listening to the demand of lakhs of poor farmers of khair growing 10 districts of the state. They had demanded that khair be declared an agricultural crop and their financial exploitation by intermediaries be stopped. Addressing the rally, Krishan Kumar Kaushal warned that the manch would start a statewide kisan agitation if the government still continued with its present attitude and did not intervene in favour of farmers. Others who addressed the rally included prominent kisan leaders, including Lekh Ram Varma, Bhag Singh Thakur and Vasudev Vasu. |
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Luder Chand, Hira best skiers
Manali, February 14 Luder Chand and Hira Lal, both from Manali, were jointly declared the best skiers. Preeti Dimri of the GMVN was declared the best skier among women and HP-A team was adjudged the best. RC Negi, president of the HPWGA, said with a view to promoting cross country skiing and snow boarding, competiton in these two categories was also organised on the sidelines of the championship. Negi said in order to further encourage these skiers, cash prizes were also given to all the winners. |
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Breaking away from what has of late become an established tradition of celebrating Valentine’s Day, a group of
young professionals organised a blood donation camp.
Losar, the new year celebrations, remained a low-key affair this year at
McLeodganj, the headquarters of Tibetan government-in-exile. The Tibetan parliament-in-exile had already announced suspension of official celebrations due to alleged atrocities on Tibetans in Tibet after protests in March, 2008, ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
The Dalai Lama presided over the religious ceremonies organised at Buddhist temple here today. The ceremonies were also attended by officials and ministers of Tibetan government-in-exile.
Manali, February 14
