59,000 new phone connections for HP
MANDI, Nov 26 — The Himachal Pradesh Telecom Circle has taken up the modernisation, expansion and augmentation of telecommunication facilities on a war footing.

Telecom GM told to pay Rs 2000
CHANDIGARH, Nov 26 — The Shimla District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has slapped on the General Manager, Telecommunications, damages to the tune of Rs 2,000 for not attending to the complaint of Mr Anil Varma, General Secretary of the SDA Residents' Welfare Society, for 15 days from August 26, 1997.

Bilaspur Hamirpur Kulu Mandi Shimla Nahan Solan

Time-bound promotion for doctors likely
SHIMLA, Nov 26 — Mr J.P. Nadda, Health Minister, has said the government was committed to providing qualitative health care to people in the state. He said the government was contemplating a time-bound promotion scheme for doctors.

Art, Culture Dept function reviewed
SHIMLA, Nov 26 — A meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee was held under the chairmanship of Mr Kishori Lal Vaidya, Industries Minister, to review the progress made in the implementation of BJP election manifesto. Mr J.P. Nadda, Health Minister and Mr Mansa Ram, Food and Supplies Minister also participated in the meeting.

Consumer forum penalises firm
BILASPUR, Nov 26 — The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed Paras Enterprises, Chandigarh, to refund Rs 8,500 to Mr Rajkumar Tadu, a resident of Baba Bengali, for supplying him a defective washing machine.

Arrested for abducting girl
KULU, Nov 26 — The police here has arrested Ashok Kumar of Jaspa village in Lahaul-Spiti and recovered an abducted girl from Mandi yesterday.

Cong leaders blamed for poll debacle
HAMIRPUR, Nov 26 — Congress workers of this district came down heavily on their leaders today at the first meeting of the party's district unit after the recent Lok Sabha poll.

• Workshop concludes

59,000 new phone connections for HP
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Nov 26 — The Himachal Pradesh Telecom Circle has taken up the modernisation, expansion and augmentation of telecommunication facilities on a war footing.

Mr N.S. Gill, Chief General Manager, says that 59,000 new connections will be installed during the current year besides bringing 2500 new villages on the telecom network by providing VPTs.

It is planned to generate 22,000 new connections through big exchanges, and 37000 new connections through medium and small exchanges.

A survey of the state has identified 150 locations for setting up new exchanges with a view to covering the entire state. Of these, 50 exchanges will be set up this year and the remaining will be installed in a phased manner.

The department is adding 83000 lines of switching equipment for commissioning major exchanges at Chamba, Dalhousie, Gagal, McLeodganj, Jassur, Barmana, Kuthera, Mehatpur, Jogindernagar, Baddi, Barotiwala, Kasauli and Nalagarh. All other exchanges at important places will be expanded, says Mr Gill.

A comprehensive plan has been drawn up and sent for the approval of the Ministry of Communications for linking all exchanges with reliable media by December, 2000.

Of the 651 exchanges, over 92 per cent have been provided with STD facility and 62 per cent are on reliable media.

Telecom GM told to pay Rs 2000
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Nov 26 — The Shimla District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has slapped on the General Manager, Telecommunications, damages to the tune of Rs 2,000 for not attending to the complaint of Mr Anil Varma, General Secretary of the SDA Residents' Welfare Society, for 15 days from August 26, 1997.

In their three-page order, Mr Mrigainder Singh, President , Ms Karuna Manchhan and Mr Vijay P.Khachi, members of the Forum, ruled that the complainant would also be paid a sum of Rs 500 by way of cost of litigation. "These payments be made within 15 days," the forum ordered.

In his complaint before the forum, Mr Varma had alleged that his telephone (No. 221856) remained out of order from August 26, 1997, to September 9, 1997. None of the officials of the Telecommunication Department cared to redress his grievance, notwithstanding regular complaints.

He brought to the notice of the forum that during that period his mother was ill and admitted to the PGI at Chandigarh. Due to the fault in his telephone, he could not keep liaison with her. He was forced to visit Chandigarh by bus. Therefore, he suffered mental agony and harassment because of the 'slack' and, 'lax' attitude of the department.

The stand of the department, on the other hand, was that there was no negligence or deficiency in service to the complainant.

"We can well imagine the inconvenience which had been faced by the complainant during the period of 15 days when his telephone remained out of order," the Bench observed. It added: "He had been consistently requesting the department to make it ( his telephone) operational and workable but all requests went unheeded. This fact established on record from the perusal of the receipt of the registered letter sent to the department."

Time-bound promotion for doctors likely
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 26 — Mr J.P. Nadda, Health Minister, has said the government was committed to providing qualitative health care to people in the state. He said the government was contemplating a time-bound promotion scheme for doctors.

Launching the "quality assurance programme" in Indira Gandhi Medical College, here today, he said that this programme would bring desired results. He said indoor and outdoor patients would be provided a form for giving their opinion on the medical service.

The government would receive feedback about the health services in the state. He said that initially, this scheme would be implemented in the IGMC, Kamla Nehru Hospital, Shimla, and DDU Hospital and would later be spread to the entire state in a phased manner.

The health minister said the forms filled by the patients would be reviewed by a committee named "Quality Circle". This committee would analyse the feedback and would suggest measures to improve the quality of health services and patient satisfaction level, he added.

Mrs Asha Swarup, Financial Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Health), said everybody aspires for qualitative aspects of life and utilisation of health services was an outcome of the quality and a credibility of the system. She hoped that this programme would bring qualitative change in the health services.

Mrs Swarup asked the doctors to maintain high tradition of doctor-patient relationship and live up to their expectations. She also stressed on bringing the health facilities within the reach of the people.

Prof. N.K. Sarin, Principal, IGMC, welcomed the chief guest and others. Dr Chemal Singh, M.S. IGMC proposed vote of thanks.

Mr Parveen Sharma, Minister of State for Youth Services and Sports, Dr Sukh Ram Chauhan, Director, Health Services, Mr Dinesh Malhotra, Administrator, IGMC, and a large number of doctors were also present.

Cong leader decries Kaushal's remarks
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Nov 26 — A former MP and veteran Congress leader, Mr Kishan Dutt Sultanpuri, has taken exception to certain remarks made against him by the district president of the Himachal Vikas Congress, Mr Amar Nath Kaushal, here on Monday.

The HVC leader had described Mr Sultanpuri as an "illiterate, no good person, ill suited for the job of a parliamentarian", at a public rally organised to welcome BJP leader Shanta Kumar on his maiden visit to this town after becoming the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution.

Reacting strongly, Mr Sultanpuri said by making such "unparliamentary remarks", Mr Kaushal seemed to be casting aspersions on the intelligence of the electorate who had returned him to the Lok Sabha six times in a row prior to his withdrawing from the contest on 'health grounds' this time.

The former MP, said his long stint in Parliament was "equivalent to many postgraduate degrees in political science", and appealed to opposition leaders to refrain from making, unfounded personal remarks.

Art, Culture Dept function reviewed
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 26 — A meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee was held under the chairmanship of Mr Kishori Lal Vaidya, Industries Minister, to review the progress made in the implementation of BJP election manifesto. Mr J.P. Nadda, Health Minister and Mr Mansa Ram, Food and Supplies Minister also participated in the meeting.

The departments reviewed were the Language, Arts and Culture, Urban Development, Primary Education, Information and Public Relations, Technical Education, Tribal Development, Youth Services and Sports.

Reviewing the progress of the Language, Arts and Culture Department, the Industries Minister observed that the amount of incentive being given to the writers, artists, journalists was meagre and should be enhanced. He directed that timely and adequate supply of text books to students belonging to backward classes and families covered by the IRDP should be ensured.

He stressed the need for encouraging para-gliding, hand-gliding sports and to explore the possibility of developing a sports complex.

Consumer forum penalises firm
From Our Correspondent

BILASPUR, Nov 26 — The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed Paras Enterprises, Chandigarh, to refund Rs 8,500 to Mr Rajkumar Tadu, a resident of Baba Bengali, for supplying him a defective washing machine.

The forum also directed the firm to pay interest at the rate of 12 per cent on the amount from the date of the complaint.

It also directed that the complainant should be paid Rs 1000 as compensation and Rs 3,00 as the cost of litigation.

Mr Rajkumar had complained that he was supplied a defective washing machine and all requests, reminders and notices to Paras Enterprises had failed to elicit my response.

Arrested for abducting girl
From Our Correspondent

KULU, Nov 26 — The police here has arrested Ashok Kumar of Jaspa village in Lahaul-Spiti and recovered an abducted girl from Mandi yesterday.

The girl, who belonged to Krozing village of Lahaul-Spiti district, had come here to appear in the banking services recruitment examinations when she was allegedly abducted by her friend, Ashok Kumar, on Sunday.

The girl reportedly phoned her cousin and told that Ashok was forcing her for marriage and threatened to commit suicide if she did not agree to his proposal.

A case under Section 366, IPC, has been registered.

Cong leaders blamed for poll debacle
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, Nov 26 — Congress workers of this district came down heavily on their leaders today at the first meeting of the party's district unit after the recent Lok Sabha poll.

The workers alleged that the leaders were to blame for the party's poor performance in the elections. Lack of party material, funds and improper strategy by the leaders led to such a shocking defeat of the party.

However, there were others who alleged that bogus voting and misuse of the official machinery led to the defeat of the Congress party in the elections.

The meeting was called by the state unit of the party to discuss the causes of the party's defeat.

A former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, the state Congress chief, Mr Sat Mahajan and Mr Ram Lal Thakur, MLA and party's defeated candidate in the Lok Sabha poll were also present. Mr Suresh Kumar, the DCC chief, chaired the meeting. Prof Narain Chand Prasher, former minister, Mr Anita Verma, former Parliamentary Secretary, and Mr Kuldip Singh Pathania, and Mr Manjeet Singh Dogra, both former MLAs, were also present.

Senior leaders of the party several times found it difficult to control the agitated party workers who were airing their grievances.

Mr Virbhadra Singh and Mr Sat Mahajan gave a call for unity. They said the time had come when all should sail together in the larger interest of the workers and the party both. They claimed that the Congress was united under the dynamic leadership of Mrs Sonia Gandhi.

Both leaders said that they had come only to tell the workers that there were no differences among them and the reports to this effect in a section of the press were "baseless". they said that they could not come together earlier due to their preoccupations and separate programmes.

Workshop concludes
From Our Correspondent

NAHAN, Nov 26 — A two-day district-level workshop for promoting community participation in rural water supply programme sponsored by Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission and organised by the Irrigation and Public Health Department, Sirmaur, concluded here today.

More than 150 persons from panchayati raj institutions and non-government organisations participated.