Congress to launch stir on March 1
SHIMLA, Jan 22 — The Congress Party has accused the BJP-HVC combine government headed by Mr P.K. Dhumal of having committed an impropriety by keeping the people in the dark about the hike in power tariff.

Sukh Ram supporters upset
SHIMLA, Jan 22 — Sympathisers of the HVC leader, Mr Sukh Ram received a shock with the AICC general secretary, Mr R.K. Dhawan, dismissing the possibility of the Congress patching up with him to form a government in Himachal Pradesh.

HP plan to attract tourists to Pong
DHARAMSALA, Jan 22 — The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, has said that the government has drawn up a comprehensive plan for the development of Pong Dam, as a tourist attraction.

Implementation of new pay scales sought
SHIMLA, Jan 22 — The Himachal Pradesh University Teachers Association has urged the government to expedite the implementation of revised pay scales recommended by the University Grants Commission expeditiously.

Copter flights for tribal belt
SHIMLA, Jan 22 — The state government will operate helicopter flights to the tribal belt tomorrow to facilitate the residents of these snow-bound areas.

• Credit card facility for farmers launched

Power tariff hike
Congress to launch stir on March 1
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Jan 22 — The Congress Party has accused the BJP-HVC combine government headed by Mr P.K. Dhumal of having committed an impropriety by keeping the people in the dark about the hike in power tariff.

Mrs Viplove Thakur and Mr Yogendera Chandra, both general secretaries of the PCC, at a joint briefing here today told newsmen that the Dhumal government has burdened the common man with the steep hike in power tariff.

The Congress would launch an agitation against the hike on March 1. The PCC chief, Mr Sat Mahajan, has written a letter to the Chief Minister demanding that the old tariff should be restored.

The two legislators said that the Dhumal government, which claimed to be a well wisher of the common people, had burdened the domestic consumers with the hike. The Assembly was not informed about the hike during the recent winter session. The House should have been taken into confidence before imposing the hike.

Mr Yogendera Chandra alleged that the government was trying to suppress the vital issue of not releasing the dues to the apple growers for their produce which was procured by various government agencies during the recent season.

The apple growers were facing hardships due to the delay in payment of the arrears by these agencies. For procurement of apple worth Rs 30 crore, a paltry amount of Rs 6 crore has been released so far.

He demanded that a zonal office of the H.P. Board of School Education should be set up here to facilitate the students who have to travel all the way to Dharamsala for small matters.

Mrs Thakur said that a meeting of the office-bearers of the PCC will be held here on February 1. The party workers had appreciated the workshop which was organised at Palampur and had demanded such get-togethers at other places also.

The PCC has forwarded to the AICC a panel of seven partymen's names for being nominated on the ethics committee. They include Mr Sat Mahajan (chairman), Maj-Gen (retd) Bikram Singh (secretary) and Mrs Vidya Stokes, Mr Raj Kishen Gaur, Mrs Viplove Thakur, Mrs Asha Kumari and Mr Ajay Bahadur Singh as members.

Another panel of names had been forwarded for constituting the women's redressal committee with Ms Krishna Mohini as chairperson and Mrs Chander Abha as secretary, and Mrs Anita Verma, Ms Manbhari Devi, Mrs Ghandari Vaidya, Mrs Sneh Lata and Mrs Santosh Taneja had been recommended as members.

Dhawan's statement
Sukh Ram supporters upset
From S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Jan 22 — Sympathisers of the HVC leader, Mr Sukh Ram received a shock with the AICC general secretary, Mr R.K. Dhawan, dismissing the possibility of the Congress patching up with him to form a government in Himachal Pradesh.

Refusing to take cue from the clear stand of the AICC chief, Ms Sonia Gandhi, that the Congress will have no truck with tainted persons, certain Congress leaders continued to hobnob with Mr Sukh Ram who has been booked by the CBI. Prominent among those advocating a patch up with Mr Sukh Ram are the PCC chief, Mr Sat Mahajan, who who has been talking of toppling the BJP-HVC combine government of Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal.

Instead of damaging the BJP government, Mr Mahajan's statement has only created a confusion within the Congress. However, all this has been set to rest for the time being following the statement of Mr Dhawan.

Certain Congressmen have already started demanding the removal of Mr Mahajan from the post of PCC chief as he had failed to carry along everybody. His supporters have been describing him as a representative of Ms Sonia Gandhi in Himachal as he was "handpicked" by her to be the PCC chief. They warn that defiance of the wishes of Mr Mahajan by partymen would amount to insulting Ms Gandhi.

In the past over two months, there has been complete confusion within the Congress as various leaders have been claiming that Mr Virbhadra Singh was being replaced from the post of the leader of the Congress Legislature Party. Names of a former Chief Minister, Thakur Ram Lal and Mrs Vidya Stokes were being mentioned for the post.

Indications are that Mr Sukh Ram is trying to mend fences with the Congress leadership and has met Ms Sonia Gandhi a few days ago. A woman Congress leader from Himachal Pradesh claiming close proximity with Ms Gandhi is learnt to have got an appointment of Mr Sukh Ram fixed with Ms Gandhi.

In an apparent bid to regain strength, Mr Sukh Ram has been trying to put his flock together and he recently tried to retrieve his two ministers from the influence of the ruling BJP which they were earlier made to join by him as his "masterstroke". However, these two ministers had reportedly started defying him and even refused to participate in the public meetings organised by him. These two ministers did not turn up at his native village in Mandi district where he had reportedly summoned them on the eve of his deadline to the Dhumal government on November 6 for ordering a CBI probe against Mr Virbhadra Singh.

These ministers again did not participate in the public meeting that was organised by Mr Sukh Ram at Rohroo on December 22. He finally managed to bring them on his platform recently in Mandi district.

HP plan to attract tourists to Pong

DHARAMSALA, Jan 22 — The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, has said that the government has drawn up a comprehensive plan for the development of Pong Dam, as a tourist attraction.

This was stated by the Chief Minister after laying the foundation stone of the Rs 35 lakh cafeteria, to be built by the Tourism Department at Pong Dam, yesterday. After visiting the Ransar-ki-Gari, island located in Pong Dam, he said the place had immense potential for tourism, fisheries and other adventure sports.

The Departments of Tourism, Sports, Fisheries and Science and Technology, will work in coordination for the development of the Pong Dam area. Since a large number of migratory birds visit Pong Dam every year, a 70-foot high bird watching tower, will also be set up here.

Mr Dhumal, also laid the foundation stone of Shah Nehar Staff Colony, at Fatehpur. The project, to be built jointly by Himachal and Punjab, will cost over Rs 143.32 crore and will irrigate 15,267 hectares of land in both states. He disclosed that a sum of Rs 8 crore would be spent on the project this year and assured that the government would give utmost priority to the project as it would help in strengthening the economy of the people of Jwali and the surrounding areas.

The Chief Minister said his government had even solved the problem of Thein Dam and the Anandpur hydroelectric project, as the Punjab Government had agreed to provide jobs to members of 500 families, who had been displaced on account of this project. The first instalment of Rs 15 crore had also been given by Punjab as compensation for the land submerged in the project. He also thanked the Punjab Government for agreeing to give water to Himachal, from the Anandpur Hydro channel, which would go a long way in bringing prosperity to the Changer areas of Bilaspur district. "The credit for getting Rs 38 crores waived which had been imposed as penal interest, also goes to our government ," he said.

Mr Dhumal said Maharana Pratap Sagar, would be developed by the government, by creating infrastructure for tourism and water sports. He disclosed that a snake park, would also be developed as an additional attraction.

The Revenue Minister, Mr Rajan Sushant, and other ministers, including Mr Ramesh Chaudhary, Mr Krishan Kapoor, Mr Ravinder Thakur, Mr Praveen Sharma and MLAs Mr Rakesh Pathania and Mrs Shraveen Chaudhary, were also present.

Implementation of new pay scales sought
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Jan 22 — The Himachal Pradesh University Teachers Association has urged the government to expedite the implementation of revised pay scales recommended by the University Grants Commission expeditiously.

Mr Rajinder Chauhan, president of the association, said the teachers were incurring huge financial loss because of the non-implementation of scales which had been due since January, 1996.

He underlined the need for implementing the pay scales in toto to get 80 per cent grant for the five-year period from the commission. As per the policy guidelines issued by the commission all types of grants would be stopped to universities and colleges which failed to implement the entire package, including pay scales, recruitment policy, qualification and promotion and superannuation rules.

Copter flights for tribal belt
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Jan 22 — The state government will operate helicopter flights to the tribal belt tomorrow to facilitate the residents of these snow-bound areas.

A spokesman of the Tribal Development Department said here today that the first helicopter flight for tribal areas would be between Bhunter and Stingiri. The second would be between Bhunter, Baring and Udaipur, while the third would be between Bhunter and Stingiri.

The first flight on January 24 would be between Bhunter and Sisu while the second would be between Bhunter, Tindi, Ajog and Tindi. These flights would be subject to clear weather, added the spokesman.

Credit card facility for farmers launched
From Our Correspondent

KANGRA, Jan 22 — Credit card facility for farmers was launched today by Himachal Gramin Bank at Dard village near Chamunda.

The facility is first of its kind in the state. Dr S.C. Anand, Chairman of Himachal Gramin Bank, handed over 28 credit cards to farmers on the occasion. Dr Anand said the cards were being issued by all branches of the bank.

The cards would be renewed after three years.

High school has only one teacher
By Balkrishan Prashar

CHAMBA: Resentment prevails among the people of Chamba district over the state government's failure to fill the posts of doctors and teachers lying vacant in hospitals and schools in the district for the past several months.

The health and teaching services in this far-flung corner of the state are in a state of total neglect. For instance, a primary school at Kuriana having a strength of about 83 students is being run by a part-time water carrier while a high school at Kunr is functioning with a single teacher. Same is the case with a number of schools in the district. The irony of fate of this distant region is that the teachers have been transferred from these schools without having substitutes in their places.

The civil dispensaries at Chhatrari and Drada and primary health centres (PHCs) at Kohladi and Chaned have been locked up as there is no physician and para-medical staff for the past many months. Likewise, nine posts of physician, including specialists, in the district hospital at Chamba have been lying vacant for long and the hospital is nowadays crying for specialists.

Patients here are suffering due to the substandard medical facilities available in the district hospital. The X-ray plant is under repair for quite some time. The poor needy patients are referred to Dharamsala, Shimla or Pathankot and other places for ultrasound, check-up and other significant tests.

The commitment of the Himachal Government to provide better health services in the remote areas of Chamba district seems to be a mere dream. Almost all PHCs and health sub-centres are devoid of doctors and para-medical staff.

A recent survey conducted by this reporter reveals that the Community Health Centre (CHC) at Kihar is functioning without staff and doctors. The condition is equally bad at PHC, Diur. Amazingly, these health institutions are being run by peons and safai karamcharis. These centres are also without residential accommodation for the staff.

There is need for medical specialists in these health centres to mitigate the sufferings of ailing human race of this far-away region.

An official spokesman, however, says these problems and difficulties have already been taken up with the state government.

* * * *

Fruit growers of the Chamba region are sore at the laxity of the state government in not supplying the fertilisers, fungicides and pesticides to redeem orchards from various diseases.

The orchardists of Chamba hills in a memorandum to the government have alleged that the innocent downtrodden fruit-growers were suffering for want of fertilisers, fungicides and pesticides.

They have also alleged that the state government's horticulture department has failed to impart guidance and technical knowhow about pruning of fruit trees and pasting after pruning. They say the diseases that are spreading in fruit orchards are posing a threat and the Department of Horticulture is not paying any attention in this regard.

They have urged the government to wake up the authorities concerned from their slumber so that they could do something for the poor fruit-growers.

* * * *

Trafficking in bhaang, charas, lahan and country liquor is continuing in the alpine region of Chamba district in Himachal which is considered rich in bhaang-charas potential.

Official information from the district police reveals that a huge quantity of charas has been detected and seized every year.

Last year too the police seized 180 gm of charas and 118 poppy plants from the possession of eight persons and registered nine cases under the relevant act.

The police has also recovered 3,75,980 ml of illicit liquor, 51,700 ml of country liquor, 71,700 ml of English wine and 187 kg lahan last year ie in 1998.

Mr Shanta Kumar, a member of Parliament who recently toured Chamba district and addressed a series of public meetings at several border villages of Churah subdivision of Chamba district announced a grant of Rs 8.50 lakh for the construction of a Tarela bridge near Kalaban-Satrudi, a ground for Kathwar school, a railing for senior secondary school at Salooni and a sarai for Tissa hospital.