H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

HP Govt harassing minorities, says Virbhadra
Salooni (Chamba), November 7
A Congress Legislature Party leader and former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, today condemned the BJP-led government and its allies like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for discriminating against minorities in Chamba.

BJP govt a disaster, says Virbhadra
Nurpur, November 7
The CLP Leader and former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, addressing a Press conference here last night, said the presence of the BJP in the government was a disaster for the interests of the state. “It is anti-people, anti-employee and anti-worker,” he alleged. He came down heavily on Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, alleging that he had been humiliating and harassing Opposition leaders and Congress supporters.

Sushma seeks support on POTO
Solan, November 7
The Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ms Sushma Swaraj, has urged the people to support POTO which is an effective tool to curb terrorism. Addressing the gathering on the occasion of the Vikas rally organised by the BJP here last evening she stated that terrorism which had claimed the lives of two Prime Ministers besides killing 70,000 persons and an indefinite number of men from the three services should be dealt with an iron hand and POTO was a step in this direction.

HP not to withdraw surcharge on power
Shimla, November 7
Despite mounting pressure the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board is unlikely to withdraw the winter surcharge of 25 paise per unit which has been imposed on domestic consumers.

Appointment issue: govt may create another post
Shimla, November 7
In a bid to resolve the “tangle” over the appointment of the new Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, the government might create another post of this level to satisfy two front runners.

HP power board overstaffed, says Sukh Ram
Shimla, November 7
Mr Sukh Ram, President of the Himachal Vikas Congress, had blamed the “wrong” policies of the government for the repeated hike in power tariff, saying that the situation would not have come to such a pass if the capital subsidy for micro-hydel projects had not been discontinued. He also alleged that the state power board was overstaffed.

SP to expand base in Himachal
Dharamsala, November 7
With an eye on the next Assembly election in the state, national leaders of the Samajwadi Party will be making regular visits to Himachal to increase the base of the party.

HC notice to State Bank of Patiala
Shimla, November 7
A Division Bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court comprising Chief Justice C.K. Thakkar and Mr Justice M.R. Verma today issued notices to the State Bank of Patiala on a petition filed by Mr Mast Ram of Mandi in which he alleged that the bank had not sanctioned the pension, which was admissible to the petitioner.

Judicial workshop begins today
Shimla, November 7
A three-day workshop to identify gender bias in the criminal justice system and to discuss the problem by interaction and self-education will be organised here from tomorrow in which 50 senior judicial officers from all over the state will participate.

‘Link road to every HP village soon’
Dharamsala, November 7
Transport Minister Kishan Kapoor has said under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojna every village in the state will be linked through roads in the next three years.

• Major-Gen Arren visits project HQ

• Village seeks dispensary

HP Govt harassing minorities, says Virbhadra
Our Correspondent

Salooni (Chamba), November 7
A Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, today condemned the BJP-led government and its allies like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for discriminating against minorities in Chamba.

Addressing a rally in Salooni, Mr Virbhadra Singh criticised the ruling leaders for harassing the minorities rather than safeguarding their interests. Even the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government at the Centre was discriminating against the minorities in states like Bihar and Jharkhand, he alleged.

Mr Virbhadra Singh castigated the government for failing to trace the six Himachalis who had been abducted by militants during the Kalaban-Satrundi massacre in August 1998. He appealed to the people to combat terrorism collectively whether it was militancy on the borders of Himachal Pradesh or in J&K.

He also opposed the move of the BJP-led government for issuing a notification under Section 4 of the Himachal Pradesh Land Acquisition Act to acquire land from residents of the Manjeer area in Chamba district for the setting up a cement plant at Sikridhar. He assailed the government for acquiring land of the poor farmers at throwaway prices. He alleged that the government could not issue any such notification without the clearance from the Union Environment Ministry.

He stated that the Congress, when voted to power, would rescind this notification. It would also amend the memorandum of understanding as the cement plant was viable and feasible for the employment of the local people and that was why the Congress government during its rule had okayed this cement plant. However, the havoc played with ecology would not be brooked while setting it up.

Countering the press statements of certain ruling BJP leaders that development in the state was carried out only during its four years of rule, Mr Virbhadra Singh said that it were the Congress governments which had brought radical reforms and developments in the state during their 54 years of rule.

BJP govt a disaster, says Virbhadra
Our Correspondent

Nurpur, November 7
The CLP Leader and former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, addressing a Press conference here last night, said the presence of the BJP in the government was a disaster for the interests of the state. “It is anti-people, anti-employee and anti-worker,” he alleged. He came down heavily on Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, alleging that he had been humiliating and harassing Opposition leaders and Congress supporters.

After he (Virbhadra) got a clean chit from the CBI, the government had been trying to implicate him in false cases as part of political conspiracy, he alleged. He denied the allegation of Mr Dhumal that he had been intimidating government officers in connection with investigations of records pertaining to his ancestral property in erstwhile Rampur Bushahr state.

Talking about the delay in the disposal of complaints regarding rigging and irregularities in the organisational elections, Mr Virbhadra said 28 individual complaints had been filed before the Central Election Authority (CEA) and he was in favour of the early settlement of these complaints. The CEA had recently given a personal hearing to each appellant by constituting a three-member committee, he added. He criticised the Dhumal government for hiking the power tariff for the third time during the past three years. “The hike is pro-rich as the industry will benefit from it while the common man will bear the brunt of it,” he said.

Earlier, he addressed a well-attended public meeting at Wazir Ram Singh Memorial. He said various party cells formed recently by the HPCC comprised persons who had no Congress “back-ground”.

The CLP leader lashed out at the Dhumal government for allegedly misusing the official machinery in organising “vikas yatras”. Kangra, the biggest district, had been neglected by the government, he alleged. A large number of foundation had been laid without budgetary provisions, he said.

Sushma seeks support on POTO
Our Correspondent

Solan, November 7
The Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Ms Sushma Swaraj, has urged the people to support POTO which is an effective tool to curb terrorism. Addressing the gathering on the occasion of the Vikas rally organised by the BJP here last evening she stated that terrorism which had claimed the lives of two Prime Ministers besides killing 70,000 persons and an indefinite number of men from the three services should be dealt with an iron hand and POTO was a step in this direction. She said those opposing it on the basis of human rights violation were unable to see how terrorism rendered people homeless in their own country. She urged the people to fight against the menace and support POTO. Talking about the achievements of the BJP in the state she stated that Himachal Pradesh was surging towards development under the able guidance of the Chief Minister, Mr P. K. Dhumal.

It was for the first time that any government had undertaken an evaluation of their development works by going from village to village. In a democracy public opinion about elected representatives was an effective measure to gauge the success of any government.

She said the state government had undertaken a number of development activities in the state. She expressed satisfaction over the fact that the literacy level in Himachal was found to be higher than in Punjab in the last census with an overall increase in the women literacy rate.

HP not to withdraw surcharge on power
Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 7
Despite mounting pressure the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) is unlikely to withdraw the winter surcharge of 25 paise per unit which has been imposed on domestic consumers.

The HPSEB has imposed the surcharge along with the hiked tariff from November 1 as was ordered by the HP Electricity Regulatory Commission. A winter surcharge of 20 paise per unit has been imposed on big industries.

Mr Harsh Gupta, Chief Secretary and Chairman of the HPSEB, told the TNS today that there was no question of withdrawing the winter surcharge because the HPSEB was purchasing power from other states and various other sources at a higher price during the five months of winter between November to March when Himachal Pradesh becomes a power-deficit state. In the remaining seven months the state had surplus power which was being exported to other parts of the country.

The discharge in water to various rivers in the state falls to 20 per cent in winters, which badly hits the generation as a result of which power has to be bought from outside.

Initially there were reports that the HPSEB might file a petition before the regulatory commission to withdraw the winter surcharge. The HPSEB will earn an additional income of about Rs 25 crore by imposing the winter surcharge.

Mr Gupta said although the order of the regulatory commission of reducing the tariff for the industry during night was a welcome step as it might increase productivity, but it was a premature idea because no system was available at the moment for separately measuring the consumption of electricity by any individual industry during night.

The Congress, CITU, CPI, CPM and many other parties have decided to launch an agitation in case the hike was not withdrawn.

Appointment issue: govt may create another post
S. P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 7
In a bid to resolve the “tangle” over the appointment of the new Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), the government might create another post of this level to satisfy two front runners.

The final decision on the appointment of the PCCF is expected to be taken at a meeting of the state Cabinet on November 9.

It is learnt that the Forest Department might by split into two segments — territorial and wild life wing — to accommodate the two claimants.

The coveted post has been lying vacant for the past over three months when the PCCF, Mr S.K. Pande, proceeded on deputation to the Centre where he has been appointed as Director-General of Forests.

Although Mr Pankaj Khullar, Additional Principal Chief Conservator, was looking after the department, he has not yet been promoted, reportedly due to political pressure. Mr R.A. Singh, Chief Conservator, who is next to him in seniority, was also in the race for the post.

The departmental promotion committee, which had at its first meeting failed to reach a consensus on anyone for the post, is now learnt to have finalised the names of Mr Khullar and Mr R.A. Singh. Both of them belong to the 1971 batch of the IFS, besides four other officers of the same year.

It had been a normal practice in the past to promote the seniormost officer of the department at the PCCF, but this time the problem has arisen because there are more than one claimant.

HP power board overstaffed, says Sukh Ram
Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 7
Mr Sukh Ram, President of the Himachal Vikas Congress, had blamed the “wrong” policies of the government for the repeated hike in power tariff, saying that the situation would not have come to such a pass if the capital subsidy for micro-hydel projects had not been discontinued. He also alleged that the state power board was overstaffed.

Lamenting the third power hike in as many years, he said providing cheap electricity to hill people was essential to protect forest wealth. Mr Sukh Ram said he had, as the Union Minister for Non-Conventional Energy Sources, framed a policy for the expeditious execution of mini and micro-hydel projects under which 50 per cent capital subsidy on the cost of the project was given by the Centre and 25 per cent by the state.

He said the main reason for the high cost of power in the state was that the electricity board was overstaffed. He claimed that there was one employee for every 40 consumers.

SP to expand base in Himachal
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, November 7
With an eye on the next Assembly election in the state, national leaders of the Samajwadi Party will be making regular visits to Himachal to increase the base of the party.

Addressing a press conference here today, the general secretary of the Uttar Pradesh unit of the SP, Ms Manju Rani Maurya, said Mr Akhilesh Yadav, MP and son of the SP chief, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, will visit Kangra in January to address a series of public meetings. Before that, the President of the Uttaranchal unit of the party, Mr Vinod Bhardwal, was scheduled to visit Shimla and Solan on November 24 and 25.

Acknowledging that the SP was not yet a force to reckon with in HP, she added that every effort would be made to strengthen the party.

HC notice to State Bank of Patiala
Legal Correspondent

Shimla, November 7
A Division Bench of the Himachal Pradesh High Court comprising Chief Justice C.K. Thakkar and Mr Justice M.R. Verma today issued notices to the State Bank of Patiala on a petition filed by Mr Mast Ram of Mandi in which he alleged that the bank had not sanctioned the pension, which was admissible to the petitioner.

According to the petitioner, he joined the bank on May 22, 1981, as a peon and continued to work there till March 31, 2001. He further alleged that the bank had introduced the voluntary retirement scheme from February 15, 2001, to March 1, 2001.

The petitioner, who was working on a ‘teller’ with the Kangra branch of the bank had opted for the scheme itself. On this the bank accepted the application and granted him permission to retire from service.

But, the bank did not grant the pension or PPF admissible to the petitioner in accordance with the law.

Judicial workshop begins today
Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 7
A three-day workshop to identify gender bias in the criminal justice system and to discuss the problem by interaction and self-education will be organised here from tomorrow in which 50 senior judicial officers from all over the state will participate.

Disclosing this here today, Ms Aruna Kapoor, Presiding Judge, HP Industrial Tribunal-cum-Labour Court, said the workshop would be organised by the National Judicial Academy and British Counsel in collaboration with the High Court of Himachal Pradesh.

Ms Kapoor said the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court would inaugurate the colloquim. The valedictory function would be presided over by Ms Justice Kamlesh Sharma while the chairman and members of the Administrative Tribunal, the chairman of the Human Rights Commission, senior judicial officers, senior officers of the government, media and lawyers would participate in the function.

‘Link road to every HP village soon’
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, November 7
Transport Minister Kishan Kapoor has said under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojna every village in the state will be linked through roads in the next three years.

Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the 7 km road linking, Kaswa-Narwana and Tang, he said it would be the endeavour of the government to link every village through roads. He added that the road to Tang was completed at an estimated cost of Rs 32 lakh.

Mr Kapoor said work on 134 new roads, worth Rs 132 crore had been taken up under Nabard schemes.

Lashing out at the Congress, he said the fast pace of development and numerous new projects being initiated in the state had made the opposition party nervous.

Mr Kapoor also inaugurated a 13-m span bridge constructed at a cost of Rs 12 lakh on the Barned khud. He stated that so far a total of Rs 47.52 lakh has been spent on providing drinking water to the people of the area. He announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh for the construction of a community hall in Kaswa-Narwana village and assured the people that their power related problems would be solved.

Major-Gen Arren visits project HQ
Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 7
Major-Gen Madhav Arren, Colonel Commandant of BRO, visited the headquarters of “Project Deepak” here today. He presided over a GREF sammelan.

Addressing officers and jawans, he praised their dedication and achievement of targets. “Project Deepak” had played a commendable role in the upkeep of important roads during Operation Vijay, he said.

Brig V.K. Negi, chief engineer of the project, briefed General Arren on the ongoing works.

Village seeks dispensary
Our Correspondent

Kumarhatti, November 7
Despite repeated pleas for opening of ayurvedic or veterinary dispensaries at Badhalak panchayat in Dharampur block to the authorities concerned, nothing has come about. “Our countless pleas in this regard have failed, laments Kanta Devim, the pradhan of panchayat. Fiftyfive children of Government Primary School, Aanji, attend classes in a ‘Kuchcha’ room that can collapse any time.