Himachal plans 3 revenue courts
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Feb 12 — The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, has said that three new revenue courts will be opened for solving the pending cases of the Pong Dam oustees.

This was stated by Mr Dhumal while addressing a public meeting at Raja Ka Talab, near Nurpur, yesterday. He announced that the three courts would be set up at Dharamsala, Dehra and Raja Ka Talab for disposing of the 20,000 pending cases of the Pong Dam outsees. He also said the government had agreed to give Rs 5 lakh each for the construction of three serais at Anupgarh, Gharsana and Raja Ka Talab for the convenience of the oustees.

Mr Dhumal regretted that till date the previous government had failed to solve the problem of the Bhakra Dam oustees. He announced the decision of the government to open two new sectors at Bilaspur for rehabilitating the remaining Bhakra Dam oustees. he hoped that with the opening of the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Relief and Rehabilitation, at Raja Ka Talab the problems of the Pong Dam oustees would be solved.

The Chief Minister said that in order to make the government procedures less cumbersome a committee had been constituted to amend the revenue laws so as to make things convenient for the public. He added that the government would lay thrust on primary education by providing better educational facilities in the remote rural areas.

Mr Dhumal cautioned the people not to be misled by the false propaganda being launched by the Congress. "The Congress Party is in the habit of misleading the public for its own vested interest, and shows its concern for the people only at the time of the elections," he stated.

Mr Dhumal announced the upgradation of the Mehra and Banauli primary schools to the middle school level and the Sthana High School to senior secondary. He also agreed to the opening of a primary health centre, an ayurvedic and veterinary dispensary, at Raja Ka Talab.

The Revenue Minister, Mr Rajan Sushant, also addressed the gathering. Mr Vidyasagar, Mr Krishan Kapoor, Mr Ravinder Thakur, ministers and Mrs Shraveen Chaudhary, Mr Des Raj, and Mrs Nirmala Devi, MLAs, were also present on the occasion.

Mr Dhumal later addressed a public meeting at Rehan in the Nurpur constituency.

IA plans flights to Himachal
By Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Feb 12 — Indian Airlines has decided to extend its wings to Himachal Pradesh. The airline will soon start operating on the Delhi-Shimla-Kulu sector by using a Dornier aircraft. Initially, the frequency of this flight will be three times a week. According to information available here, the new service is expected to commence next week (February 17 or 19). The flights are being introduced to meet the long standing demand of the Hill State for a direct air link with the Union Capital. The inflow of tourist traffic to Himachal Pradesh has increased manifold because of closure of Kashmir valley.

Since Kulu is identified as a major honeymoon centre in North, other than Kashmir, some private airlines, including Jagsons and Archana, had been intermittently operating smaller aircraft on the Delhi-Kulu and Delhi-Chandigarh-Kulu sectors after Vayudoot wound up its operations.

In the absence of any regular airlink between the Union Capital on one hand and capitals of most of northern states — Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh — the Chief Ministers of all these States had been regularly pressing the Union Civil Aviation Ministry for regular air service. The BJP Government in Himachal Pradesh has now been successful in getting a thrice-a-week service introduced.

The officials of airline are hopeful that now once the management has decided to use Dornier aircraft, additional flights to Chandigarh and Kulu are on the anvil. Chandigarh, they maintain, generates good traffic for Kulu.

For the past few months, one of private airlines, Jet Air, has also been contemplating to bring Chandigarh on its air map. The airline also proposes to link the city with Jammu with an eye on the growing traffic to Vaishno Devi and Jammu region.

Until some years ago, Chandigarh had nearly 17 flights week. But now the number of flights operating through the city is only three, including one to Leh on Wednesdays and the remaining two to New Delhi via Amritsar. These flights are being operated by Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Indian Airlines.

The initial proposal of connecting all major towns of North India through booster or feeder air services has been shelved. At one stage, the Government was keen that all major towns in Punjab — Patiala, Bathinda, Ludhiana, Amritsar — besides Hisar in Haryana were interlinked by using smaller aircraft like Dorniers. These services were discontinued even before their frequency had stabilised. Ever since, a little has been done to revive the proposal in an effective way.

After Vayudoot wound up its operations, a fleet of Dornier aircraft available with the airline, are either being used on special assignments or for charter services. At present, Indian Airlines is left with only one airworthy Dornier which is now being used for the Delhi-Shimla-Kulu-Delhi flight. Once formally approved, this flight would take off from New Delhi at 8.30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and arrive at Shimla at 9.30 a.m. before departing for Kulu at 9.50 a.m. The return flight will be direct to Delhi from Kulu at 10.40 a.m.

Employees resent govt attitude
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Feb 12 — The Himachal Pradesh Urban Local Bodies Employees Federation has expressed resentment over the failure of the government to grant house rent and various other allowances on the Punjab pattern.

Mr Kishori Lal Sharma, president of the federation, said that the Punjab Government had granted house rent to both husband and wife with effect from May 3, 1990, but Himachal Pradesh, which was committed to follow the pay scales of the neighbouring state, had not implemented the decision so far.

Similarly, the compensatory and capital allowances had not been increased after the implementation of the revised pay scales. He urged the Chief Minister to intervene and ensure these issues were settled forthwith.

Recognise college, urge students
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Feb 12 — The state unit of the Students Federation of India has expressed concern over the failure of the government to secure the mandatory approval for Dental College from the Centre, even four years after it was opened.

The federation said it was true that the previous Congress government had opened the college without providing the requisite facilities, but the present government should not try to drive political advantage from it as it was a sensitive issue involving the future of students.

It supported the agitating students of the college and threatened to join the stir if the government failed to get recognition for the college.

Villages along Ravi warned
From Our Correspondent

DALHOUSIE, Feb 12 — Residents living on the banks of the Ravi in the low-lying areas of Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts of Punjab and Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir have been warned against carrying out any work along the river banks and operating boats from February 13 to February 18 as the sluice gates of the reservoir of the Chamera Hydroelectric Project would be opened release.

Disclosing this on the telephone here today, MR S.K. Dodeja, General Manager of the Chamera project said that the reservoir water would be released at a velocity of 200 to 250 cubic metre per second as its volume.

Mr Dodeja said people living in the low-lying areas of the Chamera reservoir had also been cautioned not to allow their livestock to graze on the beds of the Ravi and the boatmen had been advised to move out their boats from the Ravi beds otherwise the velocity of reservoir water could wreck the livestock.

Mr Dodeja said water from the Chemera reservoir was being depleted for a period of five days from February 13 to February 18 with a view to checking and inspecting the reservoir ring of the project. He informed that the power generation in the power houses was expected to be resumed after some days.

The district administrations of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Kathua and Chamba districts had also been informed about the discharge of water.