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Friday,
November 16, 2001,
Chandigarh, India  
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CM unveils
road construction plan Women
‘tortured’ in Tibetan prisons Coop movement at peak: CM Dharampur
block roads incomplete |
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Bank
sanctions Rs 2.5 cr loans for farmers Contest held in Reorich’s memory School in
state of neglect HP Cong
leader opposes POTO Low-sulphur diesel demanded Clarify
stand on power tariff, says Cong HP panel
to review transfer policy Fire
breaks out in 3 villages LJP
membership drive launched HP farm
varsity convocation
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CM unveils road construction plan Shimla, November 15 Speaking on the occasion, Mr Dhumal stressed the need for preserving the rich cultural heritage of the state and added that fairs and festivals organised in various parts of the state were repositories of it. He said to ensure that these festivals did not lose the local touch, the government had handed over these to the local bodies so that the participation of the local people could be ensured. The Chief Minister said the Lavi fair was a centuries-old fair and had gained cultural importance in the past few years besides the trade fair for which it was known. He congratulated the organisers for arranging it in a befitting manner. Reiterating his government’s resolve for a speedy and equal development of all areas of the state, Mr Dhumal said a master plan for the construction of 2,776 km of roads under the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana to connect 359 villages by roads this year was being implemented. He said out of these, 57 villages would be provided roads facility in Shimla district alone. He said the Katindi-Notikhad-Shakla-Nankhari road was also being developed under the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana at a cost of Rs 32 lakh. Under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) three bridges were being constructed at a cost of Rs 3.12 crore. Mr Dhumal said Rs 143 crore had been spent on repairs and restoration work in Rampur area of Shimla district and other areas of Kinnaur district that were affected due to flood last year. He said 11 bridges that were washed away due to flood, including the bridge to Jagat Khana, had been repaired and the work on the remaining was in progress. He said the restoration and relief work in these areas was done on a war footing to avoid inconvenience to the people. He announced a grant of Rs 3 lakh for expediting the construction of the Ralla-Khanag road, Rs 3 lakh for the Taklech-Tarkali road, Rs 1 1akh for the Annu-Panoli road and Rs 1.5 lakh for the construction of a bridge on Kashapath-Darkali road. He said Rs 6 crore was being spent on the construction of roads under the Prime Minister’s Sadak Yojana in Shimla district during the current financial year. Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated a Sabji Mandi at Rampur, which has been constructed at a cost of Rs 41 lakh. |
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Women ‘tortured’ in Tibetan prisons Kangra, November 15 Disclosing this here today, Ms Tenzin Choekyi Drainang, human rights officer of the Tibetan Women’s Association, said conditions in the prisons fell far short of the international standards for human conditions of detention. She said that women prisoners were not provided with sanitary supplies or permitted to wash for long periods. She alleged that women prisoners were subjected to hard labour, forced exercises and psychological and physical torture. She said that the US State Department annual report released in February last year noted details of the appalling prison conditions. In Lhasa’s Drapchi prison, 129 political prisoners, including 23 women, were suffering at the hands of the Chinese authorities. She presented before mediapersons here 26-year-old Choeying Gyalisen, a nun of Sha-Bhumpa nunnery of Lhundup county, who on June 14, 1994, was arrested within 10 minutes of a pre-independence demonstration and taken to Gutsa detention centre and imprisoned for six months. With tears in her eyes, she narrated the trauma she underwent in the prison. She said she was beaten up and tortured during the six months and interrogated seven times. She said that forced blood extraction was done and the prisoners were told that it was to cover the price of their food. She was later sentenced to five-year imprisonment and two-year deprivation of political rights by intermediate people’s court in November, 1994. In December, 1994, she was transferred to Drapchi prison where beating and forcible participation in rigid exercises was common. The human rights officer demanded that the status of Tibetans, especially women living in Chinese-occupied Tibet, was dire and should be sympathetically considered by the international community. |
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Coop movement at peak: CM Una, November 15 This was stated by Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal while addressing a large gathering at a state-level function held in Pubowal village to mark the 48th All-India Cooperative Week. He said the cooperative movement in the state was at its peak as there were 4,340 cooperative societies with 12.25 lakh membership and Rs 124.42 crore share money. He said about Rs 2,720crore had been deposited with various cooperative societies. Prof Dhumal said electricity charges had to be increased by the state electricity board due to faulty planning of the previous Congress government. He said the Congress government had failed to start work on new power projects in the state during its long rule. He said the BJP-HVC government had signed MOUs and started work on various 7,155 mw projects during the past three and a half years. The Chief Minister announced setting up of a private university in the state. Earlier, Prof Dhumal inaugurated a bridge constructed at Roharli village in Gagret constituency and laid foundation stones of bridges at Nagdoli and Palakwah villages. Mr Rikhi Ram Kandal, State Minister for Cooperation, said the BJP government had formed rules regarding service conditions of secretaries of cooperative societies according to which they would be paid more as per the gradation of the cooperative society. |
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Dharampur
block roads incomplete Kumarhatti, November 15 A recent visit to the some of the panchayats under Dharampur block showed that non-completion of roads for a long time was a common complaint of most of the panchayats. Despite PWD surveys, politicians, assurance and repeated pleas by representatives of the panchayats, nothing tangible has happened so far. The 7-km long Jorhji-Sherla road in Goyala panchayat, covering a population of nearly 2,000, dominated mostly by the Schedule Castes, has not seen any progress despite the fact that it was surveyed by the PWD about three years ago, said the panchayat vice-president, Mr Swaroop Singh. The 1-km forest land, falling on the road, has proved a big hurdle as the Forest Department has not yet given a no objection certificate (NOC), he rued. The 14-km Chabbal-Subathu road covering about 50 villages dominated by the SCs of Hudang and Rori panchayats could not be metalled in 35 years. It is practically of no use as a bridge near Kanda village could not be repaired after it was badly damaged in the 1994 monsoon. The villagers have to trudge long distances to catch a bus as the HRTC bus plying on this road had been discontinued due to the damaged bridge, said
Lakshami, president of Hudang panchayat. A visit to the bridge showed the iron material to be used in the repair work lying as junk. Some of the material was washed away in the recent rain and could be found with a lot of difficulty, said the villagers. Under Badhalak panchayat, only a 500-metre portion of the 5-km Durgapur-Maneshi road has been constructed in five years. Under Chandi panchayat, two roads — Chandi-Borti and Chandi-Hara-Daong — are lying incomplete. We have received the money but are unable to use it as the NOC from the Forest Department for the use of its land for the roads has not been received, said Santosh, the panchayat president. The non-completion of the 5-km
Garkhal-Chakki Ka Mour road has led to resentment among the villagers, mostly vegetable growers, who have to incur extra costs to transport their produce to the market at Chakki Ka
Mour. |
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Bank
sanctions Rs 2.5 cr loans for farmers Hamirpur, November 15 An official spokesman said that these loans were sanctioned for purchasing small tractors, light vehicles, setting up cottage industries and starting minor irrigation schemes. The Chairman informed the meeting that the state government had decided to abolish stamp duty on loans to the farmers. He also informed the meeting that the bank had distributed loans amounting to Rs 22 crore to farmers and orchardists of the state during the current fiscal as against annual target of Rs 50 crore. The directors appealed to the loanees of to repay their loans in time to avoid penal action. The meeting also authorised the bank officers and employees to take steps for the recovery of old loans. |
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Contest
held in Reorich’s memory Shimla, November 15 Reorich came to Keylong four times during 1930-1933 and stayed at Gungshel village near Keylong. He constructed a small studio at
Gungshel. Ms Dolma who remained in attendance of Reorich passed away in October last year but her husband, Mr Jambal who was engaged in the construction of Reorich’s original studio at Gungshel cherishes memories of the Russian artist. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr
C.R.B. Lalit, presiding over the Children’s Day celebrations, said the mud stone studio of Reorich would be recreated. The district administration would display replicas of Reorich’s
paintings in the studio and would provide an opportunity to artists to work with similar brushes and colours which were used by
Reorich. The Deputy Commissioner said with a grant of Rs 1crore by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, the Reorich Trust would be able to make Reorich’s dreams of Himalayan cultural resurgence reality. Mr Cheering
Dorje, Tibetology scholar, highlighted memories connected with Reorich’s stay. Vivek Kumar, Sanjeev and Rohit bagged the first, second and third positions respectively, in the painting competition. In the paper-reading competition, Babita of DIET, Keylong, won the first prize in senior section while Manisha won in the junior section. |
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School in state of neglect Shimla The area falls under the Kasumpti constituency. However, no public representative has come forward to do something for the development of the area. People allege that they are being deprived of the basic facilities. The Urban Development Minister, Mr Roop Das Kashyap, who belongs to the area, has allegedly turned a blind eye to the development of the area. For the past four years not even a single penny has been provided by him for the development of the area, they alleged. However when contacted, Mr Kashyap said he would provide funds whenever these were demanded. He said a lot of development works were undertaken by him. The approach road to the school is full of potholes. Even the basic facilities like playground, electricity and drinking water are not available in the premises since the past 10 years. The infrastructure is not up to the mark. Rainy days are holidays for the students here as water enters the classes. As soon as it starts raining the students have to be sent home, adversely affecting their studies. There is no proper staff room for the teachers and they have to share a small room. The total strength of students is about 150. According to sources, the four-room school building was constructed in 1990 by the district administration with its own budget. People allege that many times they have urged the administration to hand over the building to the education department so that better facilities, can be provided in the school but nothing has been done. Expressing anxiety over the lack of development of the area, the local councillor, Mr Inder Dutt Pal, alleged that the newly merged area of Ward No 7 was being totally ignored. Even the school was deprived of the basic facilities. He said the estimate of the amount needed for the renovation of the school building had been sent to the district administration and the chief minister’s office, but nothing had been done. He said, he had urged the local MLA many times to look into the matter, but to no avail. |
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HP Cong
leader opposes POTO Chamba, November 15 Mr Nayyar said here Tuesday that POTO was in contravention of human rights. He alleged that it gave scope for harassment of journalists, banning organisations without judicial supervision and seizing properties from anybody etc. Mr Nayyar suspected that the provisions of POTO were likely to be misused against leaders of the opposition. He said that there was no need to enact such legislation as stringent laws to deal with extraordinary crimes, inclusive militancy, were already prevalent. Mr Nayyar slashed the Dhumal government harassing the people who had joined the Congress rally held at Lamboo in Hamirpur district, saying that the people had been denied the right of peaceful demonstration. |
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Low-sulphur diesel demanded Shimla, November 15 In a letter sent to the Union Minister, Mr Dhumal has said pollution can be reduced if high-quality diesel is made available to the state. He said presently diesel with a sulphur content of 0.50 per cent was available in Himachal Pradesh whereas at places like Delhi and other cities, low sulphur diesel with sulphur content of 0.25 per cent was made available to reduce pollution. Proposal to provide “ultra-low sulphur diesel” with a sulphur content of 0.005 per cent was also under active consideration of the ministry, which should also be cleared at the earliest, he added. |
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Clarify
stand on power tariff,
says Cong Chamba, November 15 Talking to reporters here today, Ms Asha Kumari, general secretary of the HPCC, asked the government to clarify its stand on the issue. She charged the government with benefiting industrialists |
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HP panel to review
transfer policy Shimla, November 15 The Chief Secretary, Financial Commissioner (Finance), Secretary (TD), Secretary (GAD), Secretary (Personnel), Mr Ganga Singh Thakur, president, NGOs Federation, and Mr Prem Singh
Bharmoria, secretary-general NGOs Federation, will be members of the committee. The Joint Secretary (Personnel) will be its Member-Secretary. The committee will examine the possible changes in the transfer policy and submit the report to the government at the earliest, an official spokesman said. |
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Fire breaks out
in 3 villages Shimla, November 15 The district administration was given Rs 10,000 each to the affected families at Jarol. They were also provided with ration, blankets and tarpaulines. The affected families at Klai were given Rs 5,000 each as immediate relief. Yet another fire broke out in Khunna village where the affected families were provided with Rs 8,000 as relief. A Magisterial inquiry has been ordered into all three fire incidents. |
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LJP membership drive
launched Chamba, November 15 Mr Sharma said the party led by Mr Mohinder Singh had decided to counter the recent rallies and propaganda by the BJP and its coalition partner HVC and the Congress. Mr Sharma described all these parties as ‘communal’ which could not represent Dalits. He said the LJP would give more representation to the Dalits in the elections |
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HP farm
varsity convocation Palampur, November 15 The function Chief Minister, Mr
P. K. Dhumal, will also be present on the occasion. It may be recalled that the university is holding its convocation after a gap of more than five years.
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