58 jaundice cases in Kangra town
KANGRA, March 19 — Eight more jaundice cases were detected by the Health Department in Old Kangra town on Wednesday taking the number of the jaundice cases in Old Kangra and Kangra town to 58.

Kisan Sabha to stage dharnas
SHIMLA, March 19 — The Himachal Kisan Sabha will organise dharnas at district headquarters to press the demands of agitating farmers affected by the Nathpa-Jhakri project on March 26.

Examinees escape with answer sheets

Forum penalises bank manager
From Our Correspondent

NAHAN, March 19 — The District Consumer Forum has directed the Manager of UCO Bank, Nahan, to pay Rs 15,000 as damages and Rs 1000 as litigation fee to a complainant Mrs Puran Prabha Sharma, for deficient services and for the illegal sealing of her locker.

The Manager has also been directed to comply with these orders within 30 days.

Mrs Sharma a resident of Jalandhar, had filed a complaint with the forum in November, 1996 alleging that she was being deprived of her right to operate her locker in UCO Bank at Nahan. In August, 1996, when she came here with her husband to open her locker, she was not allowed to operate it as it had been sealed by the bank authorities.

She wrote to the higher authorities regarding the illegal sealing of the locker but nothing was done. She than approached the forum which passed the order.

58 jaundice cases in Kangra town
From Our Correspondent

KANGRA, March 19 — Eight more jaundice cases were detected by the Health Department in Old Kangra town on Wednesday taking the number of the jaundice cases in Old Kangra and Kangra town to 58.

Dr VK Mahajan BMO, when contacted said eight more cases were detected in Old Kangra raising the number to 36. Official sources put the total number of cases to 42 which include six of Kangra town.

Valleys need tunnels
From Balkrishan Prashar

CHAMBA: The catchment area of the Chanderbhaga river in Pangi and Lahaul regions can remain connected with the other areas throughout the year. This is possible if two tunnels are constructed in the area.

Residents of the Lahaul and Pangi valleys have urged the Centre and the state governments for early construction of the two tunnels — one near the Rohtang Pass for the Lahaul valley and another below the Maru Pass for linking the Pangi and Lahaul valleys.

Mr P.L. Thakur, a prominent figure of the Pangi valley, says, a number of resolutions passed by many bodies in the past have also been sent to the two governments for according sanction for these projects. The Chenab Valley Road being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is not a permanent solution, feel residents of the valleys.

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The state government has recently accorded sanction for three of the six ropeways identified in the interior of Chamba under the Centrally-sponsored Integrated Cooperative Development Project (ICDP). The five-year project is being executed with an outlay of Rs 5.81 crore.

According to Mr Vivek Mahajan, General Manager of the project, these ropeways would be constructed at Chanju, Tikrigarh, Bharara, Garola, Sunara and Mehla. The ropeways would not only help marketing of apple but also boost tourism in the region.

The Adarsh Mahila Hathkargha Sehkari Samiti at Janna and the Ex-servicemen Handlooms and Handicrafts Cooperative Society at Banikhet would promote wood, metal and stone crafts.

A group of 18 persons from cooperatives in the district attended a 20-day training camp in Gujarat.

Varsity bodies poll today
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, March 19 — Nearly 1,000 non-teaching employees of Himachal Pradesh University here will take part in tomorrow's polling for one seat each in the Executive Council and the University Court.

Eight candidates are in the fray for these two seats. The trend so far has been that the non-teaching employees have been sending those representatives to these bodies who belong to the ruling party.

Mr Subhash Puri and Mr Anil Kumar Sharma are being considered as BJP-backed candidates. Mr Om Prakash Sharma and Mr Waryam Singh Bains have the Congress backing. Mr Bains has twice been a member of the university court.

Mr Pratap Singh Rana is seeking election to the executive council for the second term with support of the CPM. Mr Vijay Kumar is in the panel for the seat of the university court.

Besides, two independents, Mr P.N. Bhardwaj and Mr Sohan Singh Thakur, are seeking election for these two seats respectively.

Kisan Sabha to stage dharnas
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, March 19 — The Himachal Kisan Sabha will organise dharnas at district headquarters to press the demands of agitating farmers affected by the Nathpa-Jhakri project on March 26.

The main demands of the farmers are compensation for the land acquired for the project at the rate of Rs 1 lakh per bigha, relief to those whose houses have been damaged due blasting in the tunnels, provision of piped water at places where natural resources have dried up due to landslides and lasting and utilisation of 10 per cent of the total project cost on rehabilitation works.

Examinees escape with answer sheets
From Our Correspondent

NURPUR, March 19 — Flying squad staff of the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education on Thursday faced a piquant situation when two matriculation examinees at Government Senior Secondary School, Ladori, near here, snatched away answer sheets from them. The staff was preparing documents on five copying cases, when the two examinees Chaman Singh and Dilser Singh snatched away the answer sheets and ran away.