Hamirpur Shimla

‘BJP misleading people on Kargil’
HAMIRPUR, Sept 11 — The chief of the Himachal Youth Congress Mr Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, has blasted the BJP on the Kargil issue. He alleged that the Kargil conflict had resulted due to the wrong and lopsided policies of the BJP government at Centre.

HP power staff's plea to government
SHIMLA, Sept 11 — The Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board Employees Union has urged the state government not to hand over the Rampur and Koldam hydroelectric projects to a central agency in view of bitter experiences in the execution of the Nathpa-Jhakri project.

CPM to back Congress in Mandi, Hamirpur, Kangra
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 11 — The CPM has decided to support Congress candidates in the Mandi, Hamirpur and Kangra Lok Sabha constituencies in Himachal Pradesh.

A former MLA and a CPM leader, Mr Rakesh Singha, said the decision to support the Congress had been taken because the party had the potential to defeat the ruling BJP in these constituencies.

He said the CPM would support the CPI candidate in the Shimla (Reserved) constituency, but would support the Congress in the three other constituencies without sharing the platform with the party.

Mr Singha said development had come to a standstill under the BJP — HVC combine's rule and even the special assistance of Rs 300 crore granted by the Centre to the state had not led to any improvement in development programmes.

He said the BJP had failed to fulfil its promise made during the last elections of increasing the daily wages of workers to Rs 60.

He said there was great resentment against the state government in the interior areas where dispensaries were without doctors and paramedical staff and schools were without teachers. He alleged that most of the teachers had been transferred soon after the BJP — HVC combine government came to power about 16 months ago.

Mr Singha, who is President of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), alleged that the construction companies engaged in executing hydro-electric projects, were working against the interests of the state.

He alleged that the management of the Nathpa Jhakri Joint Venture (NJJV) had violated the agreement of August 10 and CITU activists were being harassed by the authorities.

He said 10 leaders of the NJJV Workers Union had been dismissed and 94 had not been allowed to join duty after the settlement.

Tourism staff seek pay parity
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 11 — The decision of the government to enhance pay scales of certain categories of employees of the State Tourism Development Corporation following a strike by section of workers has created more anomalies in the pay structure and caused resentment among the staff.

The employees have been demanding a revision of pay scales to bring them on a par with pay scales of their counterparts in other corporations. However, the management enhanced the pay scales of only class IV employees, accountant clerks and senior accountants and ignored housekeepers, receptionists and junior manager.

A spokesman for the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation Class III Employees Association has said the action of the management was not only irrational but also discriminatory.

The association has submitted a memorandum to the management, demanding the removal of anomalies by enhancing the pay scales of clerks in administration, information and transport cadres from Rs 3,120-5,160 to Rs 4,400-7,000, junior assistants, MDH senior receptionists and house keepers from Rs 4,400-7,000 to Rs 5,800-9,200 and captains, assistant receptionists and assistant house keepers from Rs 2,720-4,260 to Rs 4,400-7,000.

‘BJP misleading people on Kargil’
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, Sept 11 — The chief of the Himachal Youth Congress Mr Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, has blasted the BJP on the Kargil issue. He alleged that the Kargil conflict had resulted due to the wrong and lopsided policies of the BJP government at Centre.

Addressing mediapersons here today, he asked the BJP leaders to clarify whether Operation Vijay was over or not. He said according to reports many parts of Kargil were still occupied by Pakistan backed intruders. He accused the Centre of misleading people about situation in Kargil.

Mr Sukhu hit out at the BJP leaders and activists for making irresponsible comments about Mrs Sonia Gandhi and her family members. He said Mrs Sonia Gandhi was a respectable member of the Nehru family and the Congress. The Youth Congress would not tolerate any adverse remarks or statements made against her, he told the reporters.

He claimed that a pro-Congress wave was sweeping the country and the party would be able to form a government on its own. About Himachal Pradesh, he said the party would sweep all four Lok Sabha seats. He denied the reports regarding dissensions with the party and said all leaders and workers of the party were working together to make Mrs Sonia Gandhi the next Prime Minister of the country.

Mr Sukhu feared rigging in elections in the state and demanded that all polling stations falling within the areas of the Chief Minister and ministers should be declared hyper sensitive and para military forces be deployed there for free and fair elections.

He said the major issues being taken up by the Congress were rise in the prices of various essential commodities, growing unemployment and failure of the BJP governments both at Centre and in the state. He alleged that law and order situation had worsened.

The Youth Congress chief said the BJP leaders were misusing the official machinery and the Election Commission should take a note of it and take steps to end this.

HP power staff's plea to government
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 11 — The Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board Employees Union has urged the state government not to hand over the Rampur and Koldam hydroelectric projects to a central agency in view of bitter experiences in the execution of the Nathpa-Jhakri project.

Expressing concern about the delay in the completion of the prestigious project, the union lamented that the management of the NJPC was not serious in settling the issues concerning the employees of the board. Even the demands accepted on the intervention of the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, who took up the issue with the Union Energy Minister, had not been implemented.

It appreciated the efforts of the state government in getting two officers from Himachal Pradesh appointed as directors of the corporation. The step would not only help prompt redressal of grievances of the employees, but would also ensure proper monitoring of the project which had fallen behind schedule as it was being executed through a remote control by directors of the NJPC, sitting in Delhi.