P R A D E S H
Wednesday, February 10, 1999
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H I M A C H A L P R A D E S H |
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Wednesday, February 10, 1999 |
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Panel to be formed for Pong
Dam oustees |
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Inspector booked for taking
bribe Defaulting
bus operators not to get permits Theft
in palace: 3 held SDM’s
office gheraoed |
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Panel to be formed for Pong Dam
oustees NURPUR, Feb 9 — The proposal for the formation of an independent corporation for the Pong Dam oustees by the Himachal Pradesh Pong Dam Oustees Rehabilitation Advisory Committee (PDORAC) at its first meeting recently in Shimla has brought a ray of hope to the hapless oustees seeking rehabilitation since 1973. Over 16,000 Pong Dam oustees from the foothills of Kangra district have been moving from pillar to post to get justice from the Rajasthan Government. After Pong Dam was built, nearly 30000 families were displaced, out of which 16000 were found eligible for the allotment of land (murrabbas) in Rajasthan as per the Pong Dam construction agreement between the Himachal Pradesh Government and the Government of India. However, since 1973 after a lapse of 26 years, only 9,100 oustees were allotted murrabbas. The Rajasthan Government had earmarked an area of 2.25 lakh acres and reserved it for oustees in Sriganganagar district. The allotments of the murrabbas were made to 9,195 families until 1981 and under the rules framed by the Rajasthan Government. The rules of allotment were so rigid that these only added to the woes to the oustees. As a result, about 4,599 allotments were quashed under the pretext of amended rules, besides 500 to 600 murrabbas were forcibly taken over by locals. Only about 4,000 oustees remained in possession of their allotments. A sudden amendment in the land allotment rules hit the oustees which increased the period of "khatedari" (ownership rights of allotted murrabbas) from 20 to 25 years, but the then Himachal Pradesh Government evinced little interest in it. The oustees, who had already borne the brunt of various amendments in allotment rules, received a major set-back in 1992 when the Rajasthan Government enforced a notification which virtually deprived 1731 allottees of their murrabbas. It seemed that the Rajasthan Government had determined to throw out the oustees from the state. In order to protect the interest of the oustees in Rajasthan, the Pong Dam Oustees Action Committee preferred a writ petition in the Supreme Court which gave verdict in favour of the oustees in 1996. The Rajasthan Government was ordered to appoint three judges and to submit a detailed report of cancellation of murrabbas to a 3 member-high-powered committee, consisting of Secretaries of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and the Government of India. The Special District Sessions Court set up in Sriganganagar reviewed the cases of oustees who had been deprived of their allotments through notification 6-A. The Supreme Court also declared the said notification as null and void. The Himachal Pradesh Government has now decided to shift the Land Acquisition Office(LAO) from Talwara to Raja Ka Talab in Kangra district for the convenience of the oustees. The oustees have welcomed the decision. A major problem of the
oustees is that despite having resided in Rajasthan for
so many years, they are being regarded as outsiders. They
can neither have a bonafide certificate for their
children from the Rajasthan Government nor have the right
to purchase any land in that state. The oustees have been
pinning hopes on the Prem Kumar Dhumal government for
sorting out their problems related with the Rajasthan
Government. |
Headmaster rapes student, beaten up SOLAN, Feb 9 — An irate mob, comprising, mainly village women, beat up Sundar Singh, Headmaster, Government Middle School, Jainagar, under Arki police station, on the Arki- Bolora road, following the lodging of an FIR, alleging rape by a 14-year-old girl against him yesterday. The girl had alleged that Sundar Singh had raped her inside the school on January 28 after sending other students of her class away. She alleged that the Headmaster had threatened to kill her and her parents if she told anybody about the incident. After keeping quiet for sometime, she narrated the incident to her cousin, a student of class VIII, of the same school on February 5. Her cousin, in turn informed the victim's parents the next day and they lodged the FIR. The villagers felt incensed at the alleged misdeed and gathered near the school yesterday. As soon as the Headmaster reached there, they beat him up. On receiving information, the police found Sundar Singh lying on the road in front of the school and bleeding profusely. He was rushed to IGMC Hospital at Shimla, immediately. The police has registered
a case of rape against Sundar Singh and of causing
grievous hurt against the "mob." |
Cafe owner sore over eviction BILASPUR, Feb 9 — The Himachal Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation has evicted a private entrepreneur, Mr Narinder Thakur, from the corporation's Lake View Cafe here with the help of the tehsildar and police force. Mr Narinder Thakur said the corporation took this action on February 5, when he was not present in the cafe. They forcibly expelled the entire cafe-staff, locked the premises and took possession of his property records and cash. He said this action not deprived him of his employment but also deprived 10 other persons of their livelihood. He said the action of the corporation was unjustified and high handed and demanded that possession of this cafe should be restored to him and his lease should be extended for another 10 years. He said it was only due to his efforts that this cafe was now earning profit whereas some other corporation-run cafes had closed down due to heavy losses. Meanwhile, the tehsildar,
Mr Pratap Singh, who accompanied the police, said he had
only implemented the orders of the SDM, Mr Roshan Lal
Rana, under Section 5/2 of the Public Premises Act and
the action was legal and authorised. |
Inspector booked for taking bribe DHARAMSALA, Feb 9 — The Vigilance Department has arrested a Weights and Measures Inspector, for taking a bribe of Rs 500 from a shopkeeper in Palampur. According to the DSP
(Vigilance), Mr N.D. Sharma, the inspector, Surinder
Kumar, was caught red-handed, while accepting the bribe
from the shopkeeper, Mr Kailash Chand. The inspector
allegedly demanded the bribe for stamping the weights of
the shopkeeper. A case has been registered against him
under Sections 7 and 13 (2) of the Prevention of
Corruption Act. |
Defaulting bus operators not to get
permits NURPUR, Feb 9 — The Himachal Pradesh Government will not grant new route permits to the defaulting private bus operators who had not cleared their arrears on passenger tax. Mr Kishan Kapoor Transport Minister, while addressing press conference said here today the new state transport policy was going to be presented at the Cabinet meeting on February 12 at Dharamsala. He lamented that the operators has collected tax from the passengers but defaulted in depositing the same. He arrested that the tax evaders would be stringently dealt with. He alleged the Virbhadra Singh government had distributed route permits frequently to "favourites". Mr Kapoor reiterated that a lot of radical changes for improving the functioning of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) were on the anvil. A work culture was being created, he added. While flaying smoking in the HRTC and private buses and alleged apathy of the bus conductors in checking nuisance, Mr Kapoor said passengers could suo motu lodge a complaint with the regional transport officer or submit it to him. He pointed out that to
improve the working of the HRTC all officials concerned
had been made accountable for their duties. Likewise, the
head mechanic and the work manager in the workshops had
been made responsible regarding the fitness of the buses
before leaving the workshops. |
Theft in palace: 3 held CHAMBA, Feb 9 — The district police has arrested three persons in connection with a theft committed in the palace here. According to official sources the arrested persons had been remanded in police custody till February 10. They were among servants of the palace who were looking after that portion of the palace where the burglary was committed. Jewellery worth lakhs had
been stolen from the palace. |
Virbhadra visits Jawalaji shrine JAWALAMUKHI, Feb 9 —
The leader of the CLP, Mr Virbhadra Singh, today arrived
here to make obeisance at Jawalaji temple here. He
visited the shrine before dawn and performed havan pujan
there. |
Goods worth lakhs burnt in hotel
fire DHARAMSALA, Feb 9 — A hotel in Naddi, in upper Dharamsala, was gutted in a fire that broke out there early morning today. According to the fire fighters they were intimated about the fire two hours after it broke out and the hotel was completely gutted by the time the fire tenders reached there. The cause of the fire is
not known. Property worth several lakhs was burnt in the
fire. |
Demand to ban book SHIMLA, Feb 9 — The Pangi Students Welfare Association has urged the government to ban the book "Exploring the Pangi Himalaya" in which some objectionable words had been used. Members of the association set a copy of the book a flame to register their protest and also staged demonstration in support of their demand for banning the book. They also went to the Raj Bhawan and handed over a memorandum to the Governor, Mrs V.S. Ramadevi. They demanded a public
apology from the author for hurting the sentiments of
tribals and urged her to remove the objectionable words
from the book failing which they would initiate legal
action. |
SDM’s office gheraoed SHIMLA, Feb 9 — Members of the Himachal Kisan Sabha gheraoed the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Arki, to protest against the failure of the government to give compensation to farmers whose crop were being damaged by wild animals. Mr Kameshwar Pandit, secretary of the sabha, said monkeys, boars and bears, which were protected under the Wild Life Act, had made growing of crops virtually impossible in the area. Since the villagers could not kill these, the government should compensate their losses on account of damage to crops caused by wild animals. The sabha will organise a
road blockade on the Bilaspur-Shimla road on February 23
to press the demand. |
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