HP pensioners’ DA up
SHIMLA, Feb 3 — The Himachal Pradesh Government today released another instalment of dearness relief to its pensioners and family pensioners at the rate of 6 per cent with effect from July 1.

CM's pilot vehicle damaged
SHIMLA, Feb 3 — The pilot vehicle of the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, was damaged when it was hit by a private jeep near the Vidhan Sabha here today.

'Computerise' HPU exam wing
SHIMLA, Feb 3 — Mr Subhash Puri, Chairman of the Employees Confederation, has demanded that the examination wing of Himachal Pradesh University should be computerised.

Minister's assurance to HP doctors
CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — The Himachal Medical Officers Association has urged the Himachal Pradesh Health Minister, Mr J.P. Nadda, to implement the recommendation of four-tier scale to all doctors in the state after four, nine and 14 years of service.

Community forest scheme launched
CHAMBA, Feb 3 — A Rs 10 crore Sanjhi Van Yojna — a community based afforestation scheme — has formally been put into operation in Chamba district this week.

Manhunt launched for palace burglars
CHAMBA, Feb 3 — The district police have mounted a manhunt for burglars involved in a major theft at the local palace, a residential building of the princely family of Chamba district on January 30 night.

HVC flexes muscles to pin down Dhumal
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Feb 3 — After lying low for about two months since the Baijnath byelection, the Himachal Vikas Congress has again started flexing its muscles to pin down the Chief Minister on the vexed issued of a CBI probe into the charges against Mr Virbhadra Singh, Leader of the Congress Legislature Party.

The party, which met here yesterday under the chairmanship of Mr Sukh Ram, also criticised the government for increasing the power tariff and posting senior officials without consulting the coalition partner.

The meeting expressed the concern over the lackadaisical manner in which in state government was pursuing the issue of the CBI inquiry with the Centre. It was resolved that the party President, Mr Sukh Ram, should apprise Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, of the views of partymen and ask for specific information regarding the progress made in the matter.

It also decided that in case no satisfactory reply came, the party should take up the issue directly with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the Union Home Minister, Mr Lal Krishan Advani. If the central leaders also failed to respond positively to the demand, the party should decide the future course of action accordingly.

The party was severely critical of the power tariff hike as it had promised in its manifesto to supply power at 25 paise per unit. It requested the Chief Minister to withdraw the hike.

It urged Mr Dhumal to oppose the increase in prices of essential commodities, cooking gas and fertilisers as it would hit the poor hard.

It expressed anguish over the failure of the government to register a case against a former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, for allotting a khair quota to an industrial unit without completing formalities and posting of certain senior officials who were indicted by the party in its charge sheet to key posts.

Later, Mr Sukh Ram, accompanied by HVC ministers, met Mr Dhumal and apprised him of the decisions taken at the meeting. Sources close to the two leaders said the talks were cordial.

The party will again meet in Mandi to decide its next course of action after a fortnight.

Dhumal's remark on Sonia ‘malicious’
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, Feb 3 — A senior Congress leader and former CLP leader in Himachal Pradesh, Ms Vidya Stokes, here today criticised the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, for giving "malicious" statements about party president, Ms Sonia Gandhi.

She was reacting to Mr Dhumal’s statements regarding the attacks on Christians in Dang, Gujarat. The Chief Minister had stated that "the incidents were the result of infighting among the Christian groups of the area and the incident of rape of a nun was also the handiwork of Christian groups."

Terming the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi as "biased" as she met only certain sections of the community during her visit to the area, Mr Dhumal had said "this proved that Ms Sonia Gandhi was also communal and wanted that communal incidents should continue so that the Congress would benefit and the ruling combine was defamed."

The senior Congress leader, Ms Vidya Stokes, criticised the statement as being "malicious" and "uncalled for", and urged Mr Dhumal to "withdraw the statement as a gentleman".

Stating that religion was a personal matter of each individual, Ms Stokes said "mixing of religion with politics was a dangerous trend for Indian democracy."

Ms Sonia Gandhi was as much an Indian anybody else, she said, adding that political rivals must attack policies and programmes and not malign an individual’s character.

HAS probationers call on Speaker
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Feb 3 — A group of 15 HAS and allied services probationers today called on the Speaker, Mr Gulab Singh Thakur, in the H.P. Vidhan Sabha.

While talking to them, the Speaker stressed on developing work culture and self-discipline in the public career, he exhorted the probationers to discharge their assigned duty with pragmatism as in the given democratic set-up the growing aspirations of the general public require to be fulfilled in the quickest and the best possible way.

While dwelling on the role and importance of the Vidhan Sabha and its committees, he advised them to pay adequate and prompt attention to Vidhan Sabha matters and to send factual details of the field whenever required to do so. He wanted them to pay due respect to the suggestions or demands forwarded by the MLAs of the area.

The probationers were also taken round the Vidhan Sabha chamber and committee room to acquaint them with the functioning of the Vidhan Sabha and its committees, Mr Ajai Bhandari, Secretary of the Vidhan Sabha, briefed the probationers about the functioning of the Vidhan Sabha and its committees.

HP pensioners’ DA up
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Feb 3 — The Himachal Pradesh Government today released another instalment of dearness relief to its pensioners and family pensioners at the rate of 6 per cent with effect from July 1.

With the grant of this instalment, pensioners and family pensioners will be entitled to dearness relief at the rate of 22 per cent of their revised pension against the existing rate of 16 per cent. With the implementation of this decision, about 50,000 pensioners will be benefited, entailing an additional expenditure of Rs 10.80 crore annually.

CM's pilot vehicle damaged
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Feb 3 — The pilot vehicle of the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, was damaged when it was hit by a private jeep near the Vidhan Sabha here today.

The Chief Minister was on his way to Hamirpur when the accident took place.

The police has registered a case against the driver of the private vehicle.

The pilot vehicle was replaced by the police for the onward journey of the Chief Minister.

'Computerise' HPU exam wing
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Feb 3 — Mr Subhash Puri, Chairman of the Employees Confederation, has demanded that the examination wing of Himachal Pradesh University should be computerised.

In a statement here yesterday, Mr Puri said that there was no proper place to keep the records of the strong room. Computerisation was required to cope with the increasing workload.

He urged the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, to release Rs 3 crore for computerisation which would help improve the examination system.

Minister's assurance to HP doctors
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 3 — The Himachal Medical Officers Association has urged the Himachal Pradesh Health Minister, Mr J.P. Nadda, to implement the recommendation of four-tier scale to all doctors in the state after four, nine and 14 years of service.

Dr Harmohinder Singh, general secretary of the association, said here that a memorandum had been submitted to Mr Nadda who assured that he would implement the demand within one month.

Dr Harmohinder Singh said other demands included in the memorandum were treating the non-practising allowance (NPA) as a part of the basic salary for all purposes such as calculating TA and DA, LTC, and retirement benefits. The association wanted that the controversy with regard to NPA should be settled once for all.

Community forest scheme launched
From Our Correspondent

CHAMBA, Feb 3 — A Rs 10 crore Sanjhi Van Yojna — a community based afforestation scheme — has formally been put into operation in Chamba district this week.

Giving this information here today, Mr R.K. Kapoor, Conservator of Forests, Chamba said that a two day workshop on the scheme was conducted here earlier this week.

The scheme envisages regeneration of degraded forest areas through community involvement and bringing more areas under tree cover by encouraging rehabilitation of private wastelands.

Under the scheme village forest development societies, would be constituted comprising of 10-15 members.

Manhunt launched for palace burglars
From Our Correspondent

CHAMBA, Feb 3 — The district police have mounted a manhunt for burglars involved in a major theft at the local palace, a residential building of the princely family of Chamba district on January 30 night.

Police sources told this correspondent that jewellery worth lakhs of rupees was reported stolen. The burglars broke the locks of rooms in which jewellery and other valuables had been kept besides raiding certain stores.

The police has registered a case in this connection.