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Govt bailout package for HPSEBL
Spat in House over Governor’s address
Butail’s election as Speaker hailed
BJP MLA sees red in Cong symbols
Two ex-MLAs’ death condoled
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‘Employment generation top priority of govt’
Youth killed in shootout after scuffle with police
Court complex inspired by British architecture
Bilaspur villages in grip of gastroenteritis
Kangra painting exhibition begins
Officials told to crack down on illegal mining
Upgrade polytechnic college: Assn
Workers stage protest rally
Case filed against Ambuja Cements
Folk singer’s death condoled
Sedative drugs seized, case registered
151 bottles of Corex seized from dhaba
Labourers’ bodies extricated
3 booked for thrashing youth
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Govt bailout package for HPSEBL
Dharamsala, January 10 The HPSEBL has a financial liability of about Rs 1,398.12 crore. To be a part of the financial restructuring plan of the Centre, the state government will have to take the burden of at least 50 per cent of the liability till March 31. The rest of the liability will be converted into a long-term loan extending to 15 years. The bottlenecks being faced in the construction of roads due to the pending environment clearance was also discussed. The sources said the Cabinet discussed the issue in detail as a large number of road projects were pending due to the failure to get forest clearance from the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests. It was decided that officials would be directed to expedite such cases. The Cabinet also decided to collect the data regarding major decisions taken by the previous government in the last six months of its tenure. The sources said the decisions would be placed before the Cabinet and it would decide on the decisions taken. It was also decided that the data regarding the number of schools and other institutions closed by the previous government would be put before the Cabinet. It would decide on reviewing the decisions to close or downgrade schools in various parts of the state. The Cabinet could not take a decision today regarding the revision in the rate contract of cement being procured for public works. A hike of 10 per cent was proposed, but the Cabinet deferred the decision. The government would continue to procure cement at the old rate till a new contract was finalised. The sources said the issue of cement being costlier in Himachal Pradesh compared to other states was also discussed. The Cabinet decided to discuss the issue in detail before taking a final decision. The Cabinet also decided to shift back to Tanda the division of the Public Works Department that had been shifted out during the stint of the previous government. Tanda falls in the constituency of GS Bali, Minister for Transport and Food and Civil Supplies. |
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Spat in House over Governor’s address
Dharamsala, January 10 The ruling party criticised the alleged misrule of the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, blaming it for all ills being faced by the state. The resolution of thanking the Governor for her address was presented by the Congress legislator from Kinnaur, Jagat Singh Negi. He chose the occasion instead to criticise the previous government. He alleged that awards bagged by the previous government were the result of match-fixing. The allegation was strongly refuted by Leader of Opposition PK Dhumal, who said the awards were presented by the Congress-led UPA government and the President, which implied that the previous BJP government was engaged in match-fixing with the President. Negi said the debt on the state government was Rs 26,000 crore. He alleged that the BJP government had left the coffers empty and the increase in debt was the result of poor governance by the previous government. Dhumal replied that the debt on the state government was about Rs 22,000 crore when the BJP took charge in 2007. He said it increased by only Rs 4,000 crore in the last five years and this increase was due to the payment of revised pay scale arrears to employees. He alleged that the debt on the state government had increased by over Rs 8,000 crore during the stint of the Congress government from 2003 to 2007. Negi also accused the previous government of registering false and fabricated cases against its political opponents. He said the compact disc case against Virbhadra Singh was an illustration of the fact that the BJP government had victimised its political opponents. Dhumal replied that the case against Virbhadra Singh was registered on former Indian Administrative Service officer Katwal’s complaint. He said the complaint was received by the previous Congress government in June 2007 and referred to Vigilance. Negi also accused the BJP government of ignoring tribal areas and not implementing the schemes meant for those areas. Participating in the debate, Sanjay Rattan, the Congress legislator from Jwalamukhi, said ex-servicemen were discriminated against by the previous government. Dhumal said former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was a mentor of Himachal Pradesh. If the government changed the name of schemes named after Vajpayee, the BJP would rename those on coming back to power, he added. He also criticised the move to remove the Indo-Tibetan Border Police on the border with Jammu and Kashmir in Chamba district. Kuldeep Kumar, the Congress legislator from Chintpurni, criticised the previous government for scrapping the administrative tribunal and failing to check the monkey menace. Maheshwar Singh of the Himachal Lokhit Party alleged that the funds meant to be used to check the monkey menace were misused by the previous government. Randhir Sharma, the BJP legislator from Naina Devi, said the Congress was involved in infighting over portfolios instead of working for the welfare of the people. He alleged that the infighting was illustrated from the fact that Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur was not given charge of medical education initially and not given charge of ayurveda so far. Mohinder Singh of the BJP said the Prime Minister and the Congress chairperson had maintained during elections that the Centre had given a grant to Himachal Pradesh, but the BJP government had not utilised it. He added that the amount might be with the present government and it could use it for the welfare of the people.
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Butail’s election as Speaker hailed
Palampur, January 10 The Palampur Welfare Forum in its meeting held here this morning also welcomed the selection of Butail as Speaker. KB Rahlan, spokesperson of the forum, said Palampur would witness a new era of development under the leadership of Butail. Karun Sharma, president, Block Congress Committee, said the local unit of the party had full faith in the UPA chairperson and the Chief Minister, who had assigned Butail with this responsibility. Butail is the third leader from Palampur to be
elected as Speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly. Earlier, Chaudhry Sarvan Kumar of the BJP from the town had also served as Speaker of the state Assembly. |
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BJP MLA sees red in Cong symbols
Dharamsala, January 10 Raising a point of order during proceedings, he said sporting party symbols in the House was against protocol. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Agnihotri reminded him that BJP workers had even raised slogans in the Assembly complex in 2007 when its government took charge. Speaker Brij Bihari Lal Butail assured the members that the decorum of the House would be maintained. |
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Two ex-MLAs’ death condoled
Dharamsala, January 10 The resolution was adopted by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. He said Sat Mahajan was a seasoned politician and had contributed a lot to the development of the state. Leader of Opposition PK Dhumal supported the resolution. He said Sat Mahajan kept relations beyond party lines. |
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‘Employment generation top priority of govt’
Bilaspur, January 10 He said employees were virtually the backbone of the government and they should work with sincerity and dedication to implement the policies and programmes mentioned in Congress manifesto which had been declared as the government policy document. He said employees were expected to implement all points in the manifesto in letter and spirit. He urged them to be courteous to the people coming to their offices for getting solutions to their problems, which should be immediately attended to. He said he was aware of the problems in Bilaspur district and its villages Ram Lal said steps would be taken to help farmers and horticulturists in solving their problems. He said Centre-financed projects and schemes like the Pradhaan Mantri Sadak Yojna, the MNREGA, the NABARD and drinking water and irrigation schemes would be given preference. He said the Congress government would restart the process of rehabilitation of Bhakra dam oustees in Bilaspur district. He added that the remaining oustees would be allotted rehabilitation plots and the construction of the Baghchhal and Berry Dadollan bridges would also be ensured. District Mahila Congress president Anjana Dhiman, block Congress president Sarpal Thakur, Zila Parishad member Babu Ram Thakur, district unit spokesman Sat Pal Sharma, district unit general secretaries Kuldip Singh Deol and OP Gautam, district Youth Congress president Narender Kumar, state Seva Dal sangthak Surender Thakur and former state Seva Dal sangthak Pratap Kaundal were present. |
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Youth killed in shootout after scuffle with police
Shimla, January 10 The incident sparked off protests by family members, friends and residents of Chakkar outside the Boileauganj police station and the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), where the victim’s body had been kept for postmortem. While Udai Singh Panwar died early morning as he had been hit by a bullet in the abdomen, his friend Harsh is still undergoing treatment at the IGMC. A scuffle took place at the Kainchi Mod at 11.30 pm between the three boys, Udai, Harsh and Nitin, and two police constables Ranvir Singh and Rahul. Later, Ranvir fired in the air, but the boys did not relent, forcing him to shoot at Udai’s legs, who ducked and the bullet hit him in the abdomen. Udai’s family members accused the police of the unjustified action. His father, Pratap Singh Panwar, said even if the boys were involved in some wrongdoing, the police could have simply arrested them. The police alleged that the three boys, who were involved in many criminal activities, had reached the spot near Kainchi Mod to steal a car. Vehicles impounded by the police were parked at the site and the very fact that the boys reached there after 11 pm, clearly reflected their intention. Justifying the action by the two policemen, Director General of Police ID Bhandari said they had done so while discharging their duty. “The boys had no locus standi being there so late in the night and the policemen fired in self defence and to protect government property,” he said. “Though Udai had died at night, the police never bothered to inform the family, who got to know about the incident only through a lawyer, who was informed about it by a doctor who treated the boys at the IGMC,” said Dinesh Mehta, Udai’s neighbour. Mehta said the three boys had gone to the spot as the impounded vehicle of Harsh’s brother-in-law, who lives abroad, was parked there. He said Udai had just completed a course in hotel management. A case has been registered against the two policemen under Section 304, IPC, and a counter case against the three youths under Sections 307, 353, 332, 579 and 511, IPC. Magisterial inquiry ordered
The government has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the shootout that resulted in the death of a youth, Udai Singh Panwar, near Totu, last night. Additional Judicial Magistrate NK Latth has been asked to conduct an inquiry into the incident and submit the report within the next five days. Latth said the body had been handed over to the family members after postmortem. Meanwhile, tension gripped Totu, Boileauganj, Chakkar and the IGMC as agitated family members, relatives and the locals staged a protest against the police action. The protesters gheraoed Boileauganj police station, demanding the immediate suspension of the two police constables involved in the incident. The protest continued outside the IGMC and traffic was blocked on the Circular Road for almost two hours. Tempers ran high and even a scuffle broke out between the protesters and the police as no senior official from the police or administration was present there. It was after 5 pm that the body was finally handed over to the family members, who left for their native place, near Jubbar Hatti, to perform Udai’s last rites. |
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Court complex inspired by British architecture
Shimla, January 10 Spread over 16,494 square metres, the sprawling complex at Chakkar is one of the biggest judicial complexes and probably the most elegant in the country. Its arches, railing, balconies, corridors, verandahs, rainwater pipes and rainwater harvesting system are built on the pattern of the Viceregal Lodge, a fine specimen of British architecture housing the Indian Institute of Advanced Study. It is for the first time that the Public Works Department has tried to incorporate typical features of colonial architecture in a building. Constructed at a cost of Rs 41 crore, it has two blocks. One block has four storeys and the other six. The total built-up area is 12,250 square metres. It has 21 courtrooms, including two huge ones, a library, separate Bar rooms for male and female lawyers and a consultation room. The total area of the floor housing the Bar rooms and the library is 15,000 square feet. The rainwater harvesting structure has a storage capacity of 1.5 lakh litres. The complex has space for police lock-ups, a malkhana bank, a post office, stamp vendors, a dispensary, a creche, and three separate canteens for the staff, advocates and the public. A provision for the construction of lawyers’ chambers has been made and administrative approval obtained for a multi-storey parking lot adjoining the complex. The complex will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on January 12 and the programme presided over by Chief Justice Kurian Joseph. The proposal for a new complex was formulated after the Shimla District Bar Association moved the High Court for either shifting non-judicial officers or providing a new complex in view of inadequate space. As the new complex is about 5 km from the main town, it will ease congestion. The Himachal Road Transport Corporation has started a maxi-cab services from the High Court and the Deputy Commissioner’s office to the complex.
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Bilaspur villages in grip of gastroenteritis
Bilaspur, January 10 Panchayat president Rajeshwari Devi and vice-president Kuldip Singh Chadha, accompanied by village elders, said patients were getting treatment at the Primary Health Centre nearby and other government and private institutes. They claimed that the disease had broken out on account of the polluted drinking water being supplied by the Irrigation and Public Health Department through the Bamm lift water supply scheme from the Seer khud. They said the attention of the department was drawn to it several times and its cleaning and chlorination was requested, but to no avail. Dr TS Chandel, Block Medical Officer, said a medical team was sent to the villages and residents were advised to boil drinking water before consuming it.
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Kangra painting exhibition begins
Dharamsala, January 10
The Governor praised the organisers and said efforts should be made to preserve and promote the unique Kangra School of painting. She congratulated all the artists as well. Akshai Runchal, CEO, Kangra Art Promotion Society, said the Kangra School of Art was born in the mid-18th century AD in the Punjab hills (now Himachal Pradesh) with themes from the love poetry of Radha and Krishna by Jayadeva, Bihari and Keshavdas. The style was established by painters who came to the beautiful setting of Kangra to escape the turmoil of the end of the Mughal dynasty. The Kangra Arts went in decline in the latter half of the 20th century with the decline of the “guru-shishya parampara”. The last renowned master, Chandu Lal Raina, died in 1994. By the beginning of the 21st century, the gharana system had completely collapsed and the art form had nearly disappeared. Very few genuine disciples of old Kangra School (Gharana) survive. Most work in obscurity for a meagre living. “KAPS was started in 2007 to revive and reinvigorate this precious heritage. Our objective is to preserve the Kangra School of Art and build a treasure of Kangra paintings for posterity,” he said. “One of the important achievements of KAPS is the Chitera School of Kangra Paintings that was started in 2007. It is temporarily housed at the Kangra Museum in Dharamsala. We have already graduated 14 students. Each student is given a monthly scholarship. The current cost per student is about Rs 30,000 per year,” Runchal said.
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Officials told to crack down on illegal mining
Dharamsala, January 10 He said officials of the Department of Mining had been directed to take strict action against illegal mining and file a monthly report regarding it. Agnihotri said the Industries Department had been directed to identify allotees of industrial plots who had not undertaken construction. The plots of such industrialists would be cancelled and allotted to those who were interested in setting up industrial units, he said. He said there were immense possibilities of developing industry in Kangra district. The officials had been directed to develop an action plan for 2013 for developing industry in the state. Efforts would also be made to ensure 70 per cent reservation for Himachal residents in private establishments in the state, he said.
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Upgrade polytechnic college: Assn
Chamba, January 10 In a letter sent to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, president of the association RK Mahajan demanded introduction of civil engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering streams in the polytechnic college from the 2013-14
academic session. |
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Workers stage protest rally
Mandi, January 10 The workers raised slogans in front of the PWD office, which is supervising the construction work. They also demanded that the company should be booked for not implementing the labour laws as it was removing workers as per its convenience. |
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Case filed against Ambuja Cements
Solan, January 10 While confirming the news, Ashok Kumar, DSP, Arki, said they had received directions from the local court to register a case against the management of Ambuja Cements Limited following a complaint by Jagdish Sharma. He said the complainant had alleged that a water pipeline belonging to the Irrigation and Public Health Department had been uprooted during some construction activity being undertaken by the plant at Rauri village on December 26. According to the complainant, when he, along with a few villagers, asked them to repair the same, they were threatened and asked not to interfere in this matter as the land belonged to the plant. A case has been registered and further investigations are on.
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Folk singer’s death condoled
Shimla, January 10 The Governor said Ghambri Devi played an important role in preserving culture. The Chief Minister said she would always be remembered. — TNS |
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Sedative drugs seized, case registered
Paonta Sahib, January 10 The DSP said they had been receiving inputs about the illegal sale of such sedative drugs for quite sometime now and a raid carried out last evening had led to this huge seizure. Negi said these drugs had been bought from Saharanpur and were sold to villagers as well as students of nearby areas. A case under the NDPS Act had been registered and investigations were underway. Sanjay was running a small shop selling various articles, including tonics, without having any licence to sell such drugs. The police was now adopting a stringent attitude towards such offenders and they were being booked under the NDPS Act which not only landed the wrongdoer behind bars till the sentence was pronounced, but was also acted as a deterrent. Earlier, the police had been booking such offenders under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act where the quatum of punishment was less and offenders were let out on bail. Negi said 22 such cases had been registered in the last one year in the Paonta Sahib area.
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151 bottles of Corex seized from dhaba
Nurpur, January 10 According to police information, Ajay, son of Onkar, a dhaba owner, had intimated Kandwal police station last evening that Jagtar Singh of Bassa Waziran had left the cartons at his shop on Tuesday evening and said he would collect the same the next morning. But he did not turn up till last evening, which made him suspicious and he informed the local police. The DSP said since this case was not covered under the NDPS Act, a case under Section 18 © of the Drug and Cosmetic Act had been registered. He said a challan would be placed in the court seeking an arrest warrant of the accused who had left the drug bottles at the dhaba. |
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Labourers’ bodies extricated
Hamirpur, January 10 The building, being constructed by a contractor to set up a power grid, had caved in during the laying of an RCC slab last evening. Seven other labourers working on the construction site were injured and admitted to the Regional Hospital, Hamirpur. The labourers killed in the mishap have been identified as Daniel, Vijay, both from Jharkhand, and Nand Ram from Nepal. The bodies were handed over to their relatives after a postmortem today. The police has registered a case of negligence against the contractor and sought technical advice from engineers of the Public Works Department to investigate the case further. Madhusudan, SP, Hamirpur, said, “The police has registered a case under the negligence Act”. The public relations officer of the Power Grid Corporation of India said, “Basically this is an accident and we will find reasons for it. Workmen are covered under the Workmen Compensation Act of India and the deceased labourers will be given compensation as per the norms”. |
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3 booked for thrashing youth
Nurpur, January 10 According to police information, after the medical examination of the complainant a case under Sections 451, 504, 323 and 34, Indian Penal Code, has been lodged against the accused who thrashed him on entering his house. |
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A 24-year-old youth belonging to the Chakkar area died and his friend was seriously injured in a shootout resulting from a scuffle between three youths and two policemen at the Kainchi Mod, near
Totu, late last night. The incident sparked off protests by family members, friends and residents of Chakkar
The new district court complex is the first structure in the erstwhile British summer capital inspired by Gothic architecture with several features of the colonial era lending it a distinct look.
Spread over 16,494 square metres, the sprawling complex at Chakkar is one of the biggest judicial complexes and probably the most elegant in the country.
