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CDs were doctored, reveals report
Cong stages walkout over bus fare hike
Bus Fare Hike
Mehatpur-Amb road turns into commuters’ agony
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Workshop on new pension scheme held
No new panchayats to be created
3,500 litres of kerosene seized
3 children killed in blast
Security beefed up at temples
Man held on murder charge
Two held for killing goat
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CDs were doctored, reveals report
Shimla, March 9 Dhumal informed the Vidhan Sabha while replying to debate on Governor’s Address that that the CDs were sent to two forensic laboratories, one at Chandigarh and the other at Gandhinagar, and the report of the latter had been received. “The examination of the spectrographic pattern and wave form pattern of the audio files in both CDs showed discontinuity, editing, modification with alterations and not found suitable for speaker identification analysis. “Discontinuity was observed at five places in the audio files in one CD and at three places in the other,” the report said. The CDs also showed discontinuity and different contexts in the dialogues and were created by picking up bits of audio files spoken on different occasions in different context at different time. The CDs were prepared on a computer using a CD burning software. The date of creation of both the CDs as revealed by the forensic report was December 31, 1994. He said the CDs were sent to several persons, including the high court judge who was dealing with the case of Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh. An application had also been moved in the court to implead him and DGP Manhas in the case which made things quite obvious. Police sources later revealed that an FIR had been registered on the basis of the inquiry, FSL report and the statement of Manhas at the CID police station, here, under Sections 465, 469 and 471 for making false electronic document, harming the reputation and using forged document as genuine. The inquiry conducted by the police revealed that the CDs were sent by courier from the Khan Market in Delhi using fictitious names. However, the report of the CDs sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Chandigarh, is still awaited. |
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Cong stages walkout over bus fare hike
Shimla, March 9 Leader of the opposition Vidya Stokes was on her legs as soon as Dhumal finished his reply to the debate, drawing attention to the bus fare hike. She demanded withdrawal of the hike, which would further burden the common man. She was joined by Pradesh Congress Committee chief Kaul Singh who expressed dissatisfaction over the reply as there was no mention of the corruption case pertaining to video CD in which a BJP MP was seen accepting cash. As the government stood on its ground other Congress members also joined in creating din in the House. Calm was restored in the House only after the Congress members staged a walkout. Dhumal said the Congress was only looking for a pretext to stage a walkout. Increasing bus fare was a compulsion as the state road transport corporation had accumulated losses to the tune of Rs 512 crore. Moreover, the government had earlier reduced the fare by 10 per cent when the prices of diesel came down. Earlier replying to the debate, Dhumal said there was no merit in the criticism and the claim of the Congress that the state was thriving on the central funds was not entirely true. The industrial package had not been restored up to 2013 and the government would not hesitate to move court to get justice. The state had also been ignored in the Rail Budget and it was not even getting its due. It was evident from the fact that its contribution in various central schemes had been raised from 10 per cent to 20 per cent, 30 per cent and even 50 per cent in some cases. Not only that the 13th Finance Commission had done injustice to the state by grossly underestimating its committed liabilities. He alleged that it was the Congress government which encouraged corruption and cited the example of the sale of the public sector Himalayan Fertilisers for Rs 3.06 crore to a private party which further sold it for Rs 7.55 crore in violation of the terms and conditions which barred it. However, instead of vesting the property in the government as per the agreement, the private party was allowed to sell it. |
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Bus Fare Hike
Hamirpur, March 9 He said the decision of the state government would lead to further increase in inflation and common people would be affected the most. Demanding withdrawal of bus fare hike, the party would hold a statewide protest tomorrow, he said. Meanwhile, state vice-president of the SFI Anil Mankotia said the state already had the highest bus fares and after the present increase the student community would definitely feel the pinch. He said since a large number of students come to educational institutions daily from distant places this would affect them the most. The SFI district committee had also demanded immediate withdrawal in bus fare hike failing which the SFI threatened to launch an agitation. |
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Mehatpur-Amb road turns into commuters’ agony
Dharamsala, March 9 The construction work of the road was handed over to Chinese company Long Jian by the state government last year. The company started the development work from Mehatpur to Amb side. According to sources, the company was given the work for developing 10 km stretches from both sides. As per the contract, the company even during the construction of road had to maintain the existing road in motorable shape. However, the company went on digging the existing roads. It also did not care to maintain the existing road. About six months back the Union Ministry of Labour cancelled the visa of workers of the Chinese company. The Union ministry suddenly woke up to the fact that the Chinese nationals were working in the country on business visa. All workers of the company had to return and construction work of the road came to a halt. During the last six months the Public Works Department of the state also did not cared about maintaining the road in the absence of officials of the Chinese company. This led to further deterioration of road that now rendered it as agony for commuters. The locals have are now using the Una-Gagret road to reach Amb. Though it is longer route, people prefer it to save their vehicles from damage. The authorities too find themselves helpless. Una DC KR Bharti said they were pressurising the authorities concerned to repair the road. The PWD officials dealing with the road said a few workers of the Chinese company have returned. They have started collecting material at their bitumen plant. We hope that they would restart the work within a fortnight. However, sources said the Chinese company was depending on some of the Nepalese workers. They have not started the work of hiring locals as sub contractors, which could accelerate the work for road development. This could be slow progress on the road and prolonged agony for the commuters on the 40 km vital state highway stretch leading from Mehatpur and Amb. |
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Ramdev for more strict laws for ‘babas’
Shimla, March 9 Even as he avoided giving a direct reply to his joining politics he categorically stated that he had no lust for power or money and he considered his duty to fight all evil forces the way Krishna or Ram did during their times. “The laws must be far more stringent for so-called babas who exploit the religious sentiments of people and they should be given nothing less than capital punishment for crime like rape,” he remarked. While admitting that the present laws at time prove to be inadequate to convict the mighty and powerful, including politicians and saints, he said such people needed to set an example for others with respect to moral character and integrity. “The way I have said that there should be some minimum qualification for politicians, similarly some such criteria must be fixed even for sadhus and babas before they are given ‘diksha’,” he remarked. He said corruption was one of the biggest crimes for which there should be capital punishment. He said he had been asked to be part of one such committee, which would take care of all such aspects, but he preferred to devote more time to his mission of nation- building. He said he had already visited the entire country with regard to his Bharat Swabhiman campaign where seven to 10 lakh members would be enrolled in each of the 600 districts of the country. Regarding Women Reservation Bill, he said he was in favour of giving women equitable share and as such they should have got 50 per cent of the seats.
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Workshop on new pension scheme held
Hamirpur, March 9 In the inaugural session, cohesive approach to the NPS expansion was discussed and during the two technical sessions coverage strategies with stakeholders and action plan for the district was finalised. It is pertinent to mention here that Hamirpur is one of the two districts along with Mangalore district in Karnataka where the NPS had been introduced in the country and after the success of the NPS here this would be extended to the entire country. Addressing the workshop, Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Jain said self-reliance had always escalated the self-esteem of an individual and therefore one should always save something for a rainy day during his good times. He said only 8 per cent people in India were working in the organised sector and the NPS was aimed at providing financial security to the people working in the unorganised sector. While explaining this system, Dr Kavim Bhatanagar from Invest India said the NPS was designed for Indian citizens from 18 to 60 years and was being regulated by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority. |
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No new panchayats to be created
Shimla, March 9 Replying to a question of Ram Lal Markanda of the BJP he said that the government had started an exercise for delimitation and creation of new panchayats but it was put on hold after the Centre issued directions that no new administrative, revenue or development unit be created after December 31, 2009, in view of the 2011 census operation. He said the government had taken up the matter with the Centre and requested it to allow the state to carry out the exercise in view of the impending panchayat polls in the state but its plea was rejected on the ground that the census process had already started. He agreed with the concerns of the members, who pointed out that some panchayats had spread over two or three assembly constituencies following delimitation, and maintained that there was need to create new units to solve this problem. However, nothing could be done now, the exercise would have to wait in view of the census. Answering another question he told Rajesh Dharmani of the Congress that 61 proposals were pending approval under “Swajaldhara” scheme due to various reasons like change in funding pattern and revision of estimates due to cost escalation. Under the new funding pattern the expenditure would be shared by the Cnetre and the concerned beneficiary panchayats in the ratio of 90 to 10 where availability of eater was up to 40 litre per capita per day and 80 to 20 in case of 40 to 55 litre per capita per day. In case of higher availability, proposals would not be entertained under the scheme. Irrigation and public health minister informed the House that the government would introduce portable rigs to help install hand pumps in habitations not connected by a wide motorable road. Till date 20,148 hand pumps had been installed, out of which 5,000 had come up in the past two years. The government had identified 9,361 sites for the purpose in drought-hit areas and so far 7,181 had been covered. |
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3,500 litres of kerosene seized
Solan, March 9 A case under the Essential Services Maintenance Act has been registered against godown in charge Narinder Kumar. Police officials said they had some information about kerosene being sold surreptitiously to restaurants and intercepted a youth carrying some kerosene outside a restaurant this afternoon. On being questioned, the youth said he was directed to deliver it to some person who had failed to turn up. The large-scale recovery of kerosene had proved how hoarding and black marketing of oil was underway in a big way in the industrial area of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh where thousands of migrant labourers resided. While the area faced perennial shortage of kerosene it was sold at exorbitant rates of Rs 40 to Rs 50 per
litre to the needy labourers who did not possess any ration card. The in charge of the godown, however, told the police that the oil was stored for distribution through an authorised depot though he failed to explain why it was being distributed to restaurants. |
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3 children killed in blast
Kangra, March 9 Sub-Divisional Police Officer Jeet Singh said the deceased were identified as Chadan, Rahul and Sahil. The trio after taking their examination went to nearby forest where there they found some ‘rocket launchers’ and started playing with them and one blasted which resulted into the incident. The SDPO reached the spot at 10 pm and said there were some ‘live rocket launchers’ around the bodies of the children. He said bomb disposal squads were called to defuse the live bombs. However,Singh said that among the three victims two were brothers. |
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Security beefed up at temples
Kangra, March 9 District police chief Atul Fulzele said here today that the security had been beefed up and control rooms have been set up on the premises of the temples. He said a bomb disposal squad had been put on service and would remain stationed at Dharamsala. Fulzele said frisking of all pilgrims entering the temples premises had been made compulsory and everything had been sensitised. He said the threat was for February 28, but still the police would not leave anything to chance. According to sources, two KCF terrorists arrested by the Punjab police at Patiala had during interrogation revealed that temples in Himachal too were on the threat list. |
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Man held on murder charge
Hamirpur, March 9 The police said Vijay Kumar and Subhash Chand had gone to demand money taken as loan from Anil Chauhan, son of Ramvarit of Pindia under Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, who was living at Pakka Bharo last evening. On Chauhan’s refusal of to payback the loan Vijay Kumar pushed him from the lintel, as a result of which
Chauhan received serious head injury and fell unconscious. The victim was admitted to the regional hospital where he died this morning after which the police converted the case into a case of murder and arrested Vijay Kumar under Section 302 of IPC.
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Two held for killing goat
Mandi, March 9 However, the shepherd informed the matter to the police at Karsog today. The police swung into action and arrested both the accused under Sections 379 and 506 of the IPC. They have been identified as Hukam Raj, son of Nand Lal; and Mohan Lal, son of Deep Ram; both residents of the Saroh area, the
police said.
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