• Hotel worker murdered
• Cong Govt flayed

More powers for HP panchayats mooted
Tribune News Service

RAMPUR, Nov 15 — The Himachal Government is planning to hand over the administrative control of primary education to the panchayati raj institutions to ensure greater accountability at the grassroots level.

This was announced by Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, while speaking at the concluding ceremony of the four-day international Lavi fair here last evening. He said his government not only proposed to give more financial powers to panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies but also to ensure their active involvement in administration as far as possible.

He said the government was taking a number of steps to strengthen the educational setup. While the process to fill the vacant posts of PGT and school lecturer had already begun, a scheme to recruit 4,400 "vidya upasaks" had been formulated to meet the shortage of teachers in primary schools. The Centre had allowed the state to recruit matriculates and 'vidya upasaks' as a special case. These primary teachers would be paid Rs 2,500 per month and their services would be regularised after providing them JBT training.

Tribal areas has also been accorded top priority in the matter of development and Rs 131 crore had been earmarked under the tribal sub-plan during the year to accelerate the pace of development.

He stressed the need for preserving the rich cultural heritage. The Lavi fair of Rampur was a historic one but it received a setback after the Chinese aggression in 1962 when the trade ties between the two countries were snapped for some time. Referring to problems of Rampur, he said the 200-bedded hospital would be fully equipped and provided with doctors and other necessary staff soon.

A large number of traders, including some from Tibet, participated in the fair. Besides traditional items like pashmina wool, dry fruits, chamurti horses, goods imported from China were on sale during the fair.

Sukh Ram warns BJP
From Our Correspondent

BILASPUR, Nov 15 — The Himachal Vikas Congress chief and former Communication Minister, Mr Sukh Ram, has warned the BJP that if the Dhumal government fell it would be only due to the failure of the BJP to fulfil its obligation towards the people of state and and also towards the HVC.

Addressing a party rally organised by the Bilaspur unit led by the district president, Major Shiv Ram Sharma, at Ghumarwin yesterday, Mr Sukh Ram said that any attempt to defend the former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, by any leader of the BJP would be viewed seriously by the HVC.

Mr Sukh Ram said he had a report that someone in the BJP was in league with the former Chief Minister and he was now trying to bail him out.

The HVC chief said the probe against Mr Virbhadra Singh was not only his party's but the commitment of the BJP to the people the state and the HVC would keep its promise.

He dared Mr Virbhadra Singh to prove his claim that a court had exonerated him on any of the charges by making public contents of any such judgement. He said Mr Virbhadra Singh was making false and baseless claims in the matter and misleading people.

The rally was also addressed by PWD Minister Mahendra Singh and Maj Gen RS Dayal (retd), and acting president of the HVC Vijay Joshi and Rural Development Minister Ram Lal Markandeya.

Mr Sukh Ram honoured General Dayal and Victoria Cross winner Captain Bhandariram Sharma, a large number of decorated soldiers, war widows and prominent freedom fighters.

Virbhadra lambasts BJP Government
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Nov 15 — Former Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today came down heavily on the BJP Governments in the state and at the Centre for their "dismal performance".

Talking to mediapersons at the local Circuit House, the former Chief Minister lamented that BJP leaders were so much engrossed in retaining power that they did not have any time to solve the problems of the people. "The BJP governments in the state and at the Centre are weak, unstable and directionless. The steep rise in prices is the biggest economic disaster since independence," he said.

Mr Virbhadra Singh alleged that development in the state had come to a virtual halt. "I wonder where has Rs 300 crore gone about which much ado was made by BJP leaders. I doubt if at all any money has been received from the Centre. If the amount would have come, some development activities would have been visible," he said.

The former Chief Minister alleged that corruption was thriving on a large scale, particularly in the PWD and the Excise and Taxation Department. Either this was being done with the connivance of Mr Dhumal or he was a helpless victim of blackmailing by HVC chief Sukh Ram. He said the BJP had lost its credibility by seeking the support of corrupt elements.

He categorically denied that there was any move at any level to admit Mr Sukh Ram into the Congress. Mrs Sonia Gandhi was totally against taking back Mr Sukh Ram, he claimed. In fact, Mr Sukh Ram himself was floating rumours in order to intimidate and blackmail the Chief Minister to maintain his importance.

He made it clear that the Congress was not in a hurry to form a government. "We will play the role of on effective opposition. The BJP Government will fall under its own weight," he declared.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said the continuance of the BJP in power was disastrous for the country "it is striking at the very roots of the secular character of our Constitution.

Tibetans: no dearth of leadership
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Nov 15 — The General Secretary of the Tibetan Youth Congress TYC, Mr Pema Lhundop, has said there is no dearth of leadership among the Tibetans and the freedom struggle will continue, even after the Dalai Lama's death.

Mr Pema said the Chinese were mistaken that the Tibetan struggle would die with the Dalai Lama as the struggle for freedom would continue under the leadership of other Tibetans." The Chinese are committing a big blunder if they think that the Tibetan struggle will die with the Dalai Lama, as after him it could become violent and things would go out of hand," he said.

The TYC leader said this was the most appropriate time for the Chinese to negotiate on the Tibetan issue as so far the youth had been following a non-violent path as preached by the Dalai Lama. "The Dalai Lama is ready to make compromises by accepting genuine autonomy, but once he is not there, the younger generation will not accept anything short of total independence," he contested.

In reply to a question about the problem of leadership after the death of Dalai Lama, he said this was not a major issue as there were several others who could lead the Tibetans. "Since we have a Parliament and Cabinet ministers, the Tibetan Government-in-exile will continue to function till the search for the incarnation of the Dalai Lama is going on," he said.

Regarding the resumption of fast by the TYC, he said they were waiting for the UN session to get over. "We had called off our strike temporarily as a number of nations and the UN had asked us to give them time to resolve the issue, and in case there is no development even after the UN session is over, we are committed to resume the fast", he said, adding that all TYC members during a convention in August, had been in favour of the resumption of the agitation.

Mr Pema felt till the Tibetan problem was solved, the Dalai Lama would not be allowed to visit Tibet even if it was for a pilgrimage. He said the Dalai Lama's desire to visit the holy shrine in Tibet and perform the Kala Chakra initiation in China would not be fulfilled until the Tibetan issue was resolved.

Damaging natural drainage
From Romesh Dutt

SOLAN: Hectic construction activities that had been taking place here for the past two decades had damaged the town's natural drainage.

While virtually every square metre of land within the municipal limits has either been covered by clusters of houses and related civil works or is proposed to be put to such use shortly, land along all roads leading to the town has been sold off to prospective house builders up to a minimum of 5 km beyond the city limits on all sides.

Huge quantities of debris thrown by cutting and levelling hill slopes (a prerequisite for creating house plots here) has been dumped at the nearest convenient space. This has resulted in radical alterations of the natural courses of rain water at many places.

In some cases, which alterations had led to serious damages to houses and other properties. One such case is that of a skew bridge over a nullah on the bypass road here.

An abetment wall supporting one of the four corners of the concrete slab of the bridge gave way following a 46-hour spell of rain on November 16 and 17.

Mr N.K. Jindal, Executive Engineer, National Highway Division (Solan) of the PWD ascribed the collapse of the abetment wall to the dumping of debris in the natural drainage system in the nullah's catchment area.

He said the bridge was designed to take a certain flow and speed of water after taking into account sudden high peaks observed during excessive rains about 13 years ago. At that time hardly any house existed in the nullah's catchment. Since a bypass was basically designed to remove congestion on city roads, it was presumed that only minimal housing activity would take place along it.

The opposite had happened in the case of Solan bypass. It has attracted the maximum number of house builders. This has resulted in the choking of old drainage routes and diversion of waters into the nullah far in excess of its carrying capacity as far as the bridge is concerned.

It was estimated that the repair of the bridge alone would cost around Rs 30 lakh. Additionally vast tracts of road had started sinking beyond this particular bridge and the two next to it towards Chambaghat side. The creation of protective civil works to retain the old alignment of the bypass road could cost another Rs 20 lakh to the public exchequer.

Faults in the drainage system, both natural and man made, has caused losses of about Rs 50 lakh to other civil works in the town during the same spell of rain.

At many places people have built their dwellings right on the drainage courses by erecting masonry bundhs to divert flood waters. People have also been dumping debris into the town's nullahs. Such activities, which have been going on unchecked for several years, have led to the filling up of a nullah crossing the hospital road. Similar filling up of the nullah below the M R DAV School ahead of the bypass bridge that had been going for over one year now would raise the level of the nullah which would, in turn, result in the acceleration of speed of water. This could pose a danger to the bridge.

Civil engineers here believe that henceforth no plan of a house proposed to be constructed along the highways should be cleared without obtaining a non-objection certificate from the PWD authorities.

Neglect of the culverts and bridges on the highways could be potentially catastrophic. The October 16-17 collapse of the abetment wall of the bypass bridge went unnoticed for several hours as it occurred late in the evening. It was sheer luck that no mishap took place.

HP Govt 'harassing' employees
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 15 — Mr Harsh Mahajan, vice-president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, has alleged that the Dhumal Government was harassing and intimidating government employees and trying to split them by encouraging factionalism.

Mr Mahajan said here today that despite a ban on transfers, employees were being shifted on political considerations. The government had made a mockery of the transfer policy by ordering large-scale, faulty and irrational transfers. He said the government was indifferent to the problems being faced by various categories of employees.

The staff of the state secretariat had already started an agitation but the government had even not bothered to held negotiations with them. The revised payscales had not been implemented in respect of all categories of employees and even the additional dearness allowance had not be released, he said.

"The government had also not increased the house rent, medical reimbursement and health compensatory allowance after the implementation of the revised payscales."

Mr Mahajan reminded that the previous Congress government gave financial benefits to the tune of Rs 900 crore without the employees having to resort to any agitation.

HP schools to have link roads
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, Nov 15 — All schools in the state will be linked with roads. This was stated by the State Education Minister, Mr Ishwar Dass Dhiman, while addressing a meeting at Mundkhar village yesterday.

The minister announced that Rs 10 crore would be spent in the district in the current fiscal year for the development of the rural areas.

Mr Dhiman asked people to reach health centres on December 7 and January 12 for getting pulse polio drops for their children.

The minister also took part in cultural programmes presented by students of the high and plus two schools of the district at Bhumpal village. He asked students to take active part in studies as well as in other extra-curricular activities.

He said a state-level cultural programme for schoolchildren will be held at Paonta Sahib later this month.

Pulse-polio immunisation

SHIMLA, Nov 15 (UNI) — The second round pulse-polio immunisation in snow-bound areas of Himachal Pradesh will be completed tomorrow.

Stating this here, an official of the state Health Department said the first round of pulse-polio immunisation was held on October 12 and 100 per cent coverage achieved.

The spokesman said the Department of Health and Family Welfare was fully equipped to supply the polio vaccines with manpower to carry out the second dose of immunisation in snow- bound areas, which is a must for all children up to five years.

The spokesman urged parents, teachers, students, panchayats and voluntary organisations to bring children to the nearest booth on this day and make the programme a people's movement.

Combing operations in Chamba, Doda

CHAMBA, Nov 15 (PTI) — Security forces and intelligence agencies have launched a massive joint combing operation in Chamba district in Himachal Pradesh and Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir to check militant activity.

The security forces, including the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB), have been keeping round-the-clock vigil and surveillance to combat militancy in consonance with the village defence committees (VDCs), an official spokesman said here yesterday.

He said the security forces had been screening strangers constantly to check the infiltration of militants.

He said efforts were on to train members of the VDCs.

Hotel worker murdered
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 15 — Mr Raj Kishore, a hotel worker, was stabbed to death near the Army Training Command here last night.

According to the police, the deceased was attacked while he was returning home from a party arranged by his employer. Raj Kishore succumbed to his injuries in hospital. Rajinder Kumar, who was accompanying him, was seriously injured. Both of them had consumed liquor.

A case has been registered.

Cong Govt flayed
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, Nov 15 — Mr Ishwar Dass Dhiman, Himachal Education Minister, has blamed the previous Congress Government for growing unemployment in the state.

The minister said the BJP Government would accord priority to check unemployment. Work on the Parvati hydroelectric project be taken up on a priority basis. This project would provide employment to thousands of people.

The minister criticised the Congress for making a false propaganda against the present government on various issues.