 |
Sunday,
December 9, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
|
Tibetans
want end to ‘atrocities’ by China BJP gears
up for Assembly poll Congress
MLA denies reports Fund
paucity hits health centres 17 shawl
vendors held, interrogated Hundreds
of sheep to be sacrificed |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
CMO dies
as jeep falls into gorge Review
curriculum of commerce: Dean Thakur
rues rampant corruption Film on
life of Jim Corbett A
Canadian film crew shooting the century-old vintage steam engine
coming out of a tunnel at Kaithlighat, near Shimla, on Saturday. — photo
Anil Dayal CM to
inaugurate power project Former
MLA Chauhan dead
NSUI
flays change in syllabus
|
|
Tibetans want end to ‘atrocities’ by China Dharamsala, December 8 “While the Nobel Committee recognised the landmark contribution made by the Dalai Lama for world peace and harmony, ironically the international community has failed to censure China for its deteriorating human rights record,” said the
RTYC. It added that while the whole world prepared to celebrate the 53rd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, it was painful to see the issue of Tibet neglected. The RTYC regretted that while the USA was receiving moral support from all over the world in its fight against terrorism, nobody had made concrete efforts to solve the issue of Tibet. They said that during the 42 years of Chinese occupation of Tibet, 1.2 million Tibetans had been killed, 6000 monasteries destroyed and the 7.5 million Chinese today outnumbered the Tibetans in their own homeland. “Tibet is still an occupied nation, oppressed by force, scarred by suffering and faced with the fundamental problem of survival,” they regretted. They expressed concern over the Chinese proposal of building a railway line to connect China to Tibet, as it would pose a serious threat to Tibet’s environment, natural resources and help in population transfer. The TWA demanded that the international community must pressurise China to hold talks with the Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, so that an amicable solution to the Tibetan problem could be worked out. It said that today the Tibetans had not religious freedom or fundamental rights in their own country and thousands of monks, nuns and innocent people had been made political prisoners. The TWA said that the Chinese Government was following a strict birth control policy and coercing Tibetan women to go for a one-child norm, forced sterilisation and penalty for having more than two children. This way, the Communist Chinese regime intended to make the Tibetan a minority in their own country. |
|
BJP gears
up for Assembly poll Shimla, December 8 This was told to mediapersons here today at a press conference by the general secretary of the party, Mr Ram Swaroop, and three spokespersons, Mr Ganesh Dutt, Mr Khushi Ram Balnatah and Mr Randhir Sharma. They said all chairmen and vice-chairmen of boards and corporations, MPs and MLAs of respective districts would join the ministers and make themselves available to partymen on a particular day in a month. Mr Ram Swaroop said as the coming year would be utilised for preparing the organisation to effectively fight the Assembly elections, the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, had started meeting leaders of each block-level BJP committee and solving the problems of their areas on the spot. He said Mr Balnatah and Mr Sharma had been appointed spokespersons to share the burden of Mr Dutt and not to “clip his wings”. Mr Balnatah, who is considered a staunch supporter of Union Minister, Shanta Kumar, claimed that there was no groupism in the BJP and there was complete cohesion under the leadership of Mr Dhumal. The rebel ministers and MLAs had already withdrawn their allegations of corruption and nepotism against the state government following removal of misunderstandings on certain issues. He flayed the Congress for harping on the issue of allegations made by the rebels for their own political benefit. Action had been taken on complaints of the rebels and a FIR registered by the Vigilance Department in the alleged scam in the Health Department and the Director had been arrested. He said with the High Court admitting a petition of a local journalist against the alleged irregularities of the Virbhadra Singh government, a question mark had been put on the “clean chit” which the Congress leader claimed to have been given to him by the CBI. Mr Randhir Sharma said the Congress was trying to exploit the issue of levying user charges in hospitals and hiking electricity and water tariff. Taking into account the financial position of the state, the people would be convinced that the government had taken the right step. He said because of cordial relations of Mr Dhumal with Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, financial assistance worth several hundred crores had been received by the state government from the Centre in the past three years. |
|
Congress MLA
denies reports Shimla, December 8 Mr
Mahajan, who belongs to the group led by Mrs Vidya Stokes, rang up this correspondent this afternoon to deny the report published in a section of the press. He said he had called on Mrs Sonia Gandhi along with another Congress leader to greet her on her birthday and there was no question of criticising Mr Virbhadra Singh at the brief meeting. Reports that he had met Mrs Gandhi along with some MLAs of the Stokes faction to criticise the style of functioning of Mr Virbhadra Singh were “false and baseless”, he said. Mr Mahajan said Mr Virbhadra Singh had his own place in the political scene. |
|
Fund paucity
hits health centres Kumarhatti During a visit to the panchayats, selected on random basis under the block, it was found that most of the population depends on old methods of treatment rather than availing of quality medical facilities. Lack of health centres and dispensaries, sub-standard medical quality due to lack of infrastructure and staff shortage at health centres are some of the reasons for the current pathetic state of the health services in rural areas. Ironically the block community health centre at Dharampur, 5 km from here, that was upgraded from a primary health centre nearly a year back, has failed to provide the satisfactory health services due to lack of medical staff. At present only two doctors are posted in this PHC situated on a stretch of the Kalka-Shimla national highway where two serious accidents on an average occur in a week. The medical and para-medical staff has to perform round-the-clock duty to handle the rush of patients. Due to lack of staff, they are not in position to provide indoor medical facilities, a staff member said. Most cases have to be referred to the District Hospital, Solan, as it is not in a position to admit patients. The situation is pathetic at Jabli panchayat, situated on the national highway. The villagers of the panchayat have to cover long distances to avail of medical facilities. Besides, whenever any accident takes place near Jabli the casualties are rushed to either Dharampur or Parwanoo that often proved fatal, said the panchayat head, Mr Dooni Chand. Most affected were the villagers of the Dharti area who due to the non-completion of the Chakki ka Mour-Garkhal road had to carry patients to the health centre at Dharampur, he added. The primary health centre at Sandhog of Banasar panchayat — the most backward in Dharampur block — has proved a white elephant as it lack medicines, said Mr Upendra Singh, the panchayat head. At Badhalak panchayat, despite repeated requests no health dispensary has been set up. As a result the villagers are deprived of medical facilities. Similarly the villagers in the Subathu area, comprising more than 15 panchayats, have complained about the lack of quality health services. The standard of medical facilities has not been raised at the Subathu Cantonment Board Hospital even after residents had gone on a 63-day-long agitation last year. Though members of the cantonment board have raised the standard of medical treatment at this hospital but lack of funds from the Central Government is a major obstacle. ‘‘We get almost half of the annual budget which that limit our option to use money for the development as around 70 per cent of the budget goes for salary payment, said Mr Pramood Marwaha of Subathu Cantonment Board. |
|
17 shawl vendors
held, interrogated Dharamsala, December 8 With still no trace of the two armed youths, who were spotted near the Army firing range, near Damtal, two days ago, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Prabodh Saxena, and the SP, Mr Sanjay Kundu, visited the Bhadoroah forests today. Though the joint search operation by the Army, Punjab and Himachal police has been suspended but strict vigil is being maintained in the entire area. The total 40 Kashmiri shawl vendors, who have been arrested so far, have been sent to the Dharamsala jail will remain in the judicial custody. The police has also taken the identity cards of all 50 Kashmiri labourers, who were summoned for interrogation, into its custody and their antecedents will be verified from the Jammu and Kashmir police. The Kangra police also interrogated Kashmiri Gujjars in the Mand and Lodhwan area in Indora today. These Gujjar families have been coming to the areas from Kathua and other parts of Jammu and Kashmir with their cattle since many years. “The possibility of the suspected militants having links with these people cannot be ruled out and as such they are being interrogated", said one of the official. With Kashmiri militants, who killed 35 labourers in the Kalaban and Satrundi areas of Chamba in 1998 having links with the Gujjars, the police is keeping strict vigil on them. |
|
Hundreds of
sheep to be sacrificed Shimla, December 8 The “yagya” is being held after about 30 years. Political colour is also being added to the occasion as the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, and the Congress leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, will participate in the “yagya”. The area falls under the Rohru Assembly constituency, which is represented by Mr Virbhadra Singh for the past many years. Mr Dhumal will formally inaugurate the Gumma Power House during his visit to Chirgaon. Reports said there was enthusiasm among the residents of the area who had been waiting for the event for several years as the “shand” could not become a regular feature because of the high cost involved in performing it. The deities will descend at Kashadhar on Sunday for the three-day “yagya” and this will be followed by “pher”, when all deities will be taken around the village to purify the surroundings. Thereafter, the mass sacrifice of sheep will begin in all four directions at the “shikha” (roof of the temple). The deities will return to their respective abodes on December 11 with their share of the sacrifice. This is for the first time that the people from other areas will be able to drive right up to Kashadhar which was yesterday connected with a 9-km-long motorable road. Although sacrifice of animals has been banned in certain temples, but the practice was prevalent in many hill areas of the state, particularly those of the Shimla and Sirmaur districts. A similar function to sacrifice a large number of sheep will be held in the hills of Sirmaur on January 11, where residents of many areas, including Shillai, Renuka and Pachhad, will participate. |
|
CMO dies
as jeep falls into gorge Mandi, December 8 Three persons were in the vehicle when the accident took place. One of them had a providential escape as he was thrown out of the jeep before it fell into the gorge. The condition of driver Tej Singh is critical. Dr Guleria was cremated here on the banks of the Beas. Thousands of people, including officials from the neighbouring districts of Kulu, Bilaspur and Hamirpur, joined the funeral procession. Mandi town plunged into grief as the news of his death reached here. Many shopkeepers downed their shutters and a stream of mourners assembled outside his residence in the town. The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Speaker, Vidhan Sabha, Thakur Gulab Singh, HVC supremo, Mr Sukh Ram, former Speaker, Thakur Kaul Singh, Health Minister, Mr J.P. Nadda, Director, Health Services, Mr K.S. Rana, General Secretary, Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers Association, Dr Jiwanand, the District Beopar Mandal and various other organisations expressed condolences on the demise of Dr Guleria who served at Regional Hospital here for about two decades and was very popular with the people. |
|
Review curriculum
of commerce: Dean Shimla, December 8 He was speaking at a three-week refresher course in commerce organised by Academic Staff College, Himachal Pradesh University, here today. Prof Yoginder Verma, Director of the college, while welcoming the chief guest, said, the college had organised 104 refresher courses and 57 orientation programmes since its inception in 1989. Prof Y.P. Singh, Dean, Faculty of Commerce and Management, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University, asserted that there was a need to overhaul the course curriculum of commerce. He emphasised that there was a need, to make it more result-oriented, keeping in view the needs and expectations of the society. Dr Kulwant Pathania, Deputy Director, Academic Staff College, said the theme of the course was “commerce education in the new millennium”. Prof Bhagwati Prasad, Prof Sagar Sharma, Prof Ravinder Vinayak, Prof Balkrishan Bali, Dr P.K.Vasudeva, Prof S.C.Vaidya, Prof. M.K. Sharma, Prof I.P. Massey, and Prof L.R. Sharma were among those who delivered the talk. Dr Kiran Rekha, Assistant Director, Dr Sanjeev Sharma from UBS, Panjab University, Chandigarh and Mr O.P. Sharma, Superintendent, Academic Staff College, were also present on the occasion. As many as 33 teachers from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttaranchal, UP, Rajasthan,
Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya are participating in the course. |
|
Thakur rues
rampant corruption Dharamsala, December 8 Speaking at a meet the press organised here, he said since there was rampant corruption at all levels, development had virtually come to a standstill. “The BJP-HVC regime, which never had the public mandate as far as the number of MLAs or percentage of votes is concerned, has failed to come up to the expectations of the people of the state, whose interests are being sold out,” he alleged. He said development works in the state had been severely hit even as a total of Rs 2600 crore loans had been raised, only to be spent on unproductive and wasteful expenditure. “The state is on the verge of bankruptcy as the total loans taken by the government will touch the astounding figure of Rs 5,000 crore by March 31, 2002,” he lamented. Demanding a white paper on the development works undertaken by the BJP regime during its four-year rule vis-a-vis the work done by the Congress during its tenure, he accused the Chief Minister of undertaking selective development. “Barring a handful of Assembly constituencies, development works have come to a standstill as there is discrimination in allotment of funds,” he alleged. Mr Thakur said the Rural Infrastructure Fund
(RIF) under NABARD, was not being spent on districts, where the density of roads was scarce but solely on political considerations. “Unfortunately Kangra has been the worst victim of discrimination due to the tug of war between Union Minister Shanta Kumar and the Chief Minister,” he said. |
|
Film on
life of Jim Corbett Shimla, December 8 The unit will take aerial shots of the toy train pulled by the vintage steam engine to create the 1910 scene on the Shimla-Kalka track when the British North Western railway operated the rail services. Mr Sunil Chhabra, the art director, has been trying to make modifications in the coaches. A KC-520 steam engine built in England in 1905 is already in place for the shooting. The shot to be taken from a helicopter will show the train passing through thick forests, high bridges and tunnels, capturing the splendour of the hills between Kandaghat and Shogi. The story revolves around Jim Corbett who will be seen not only killing man-eating tigers to save villagers, but also educating them about the need to protect wildlife. |
|
CM to inaugurate power project Shimla, December 8 The project is a run of the river scheme on the Gumalti khad, a tributary of the Pabbar. The powerhouse is located on left bank of river
Pabbar. The project comprises a trench weir 14 mtr long with top elevation at 2034.00 m. The project also includes an independent tail race channel 33.75 m. long discharging water into the Pabbar, 22 KV switch yard near powerhouse and 22 KV transmission line to Andhra Powerhouse substation for evacuation of power. The construction of the project started during October 1996. The total expenditure on the project is approximately Rs 28 crore, including MNES grant-in-aid of Rs 540 lakh. The project is estimated to generate 18.46 million units. |
|
Former MLA Chauhan dead Shimla, December 8 Balanand Chauhan represented Jubbal-Kotkhai constituency in the Assembly from 1952 to 1956. Expressing shock over the death, Assembly Speaker Thakur Gulab Singh hailed the contribution of Chauhan as a representative of people inside and outside the House. He said Chauhan had been consistently raising voice on behalf of the poor and people of background areas. The Speaker expressed his condolences to the bereaved family.
UNI |
|
IN FOCUS Nalagarh The park, which was built on forest land in 1980, was the only open space available to the residents. It was used by the children of a nearby school for morning prayers and as a playground. In 1984, the ownership of this forest land was transferred to the government and the municipal committee got its possession. People are questioning the move of the municipal committee to build a commercial complex on land meant for a children’s park. The land is still registered in revenue records as ‘gair mumkin’ and some officials have expressed doubts whether construction can be done on this land without obtaining permission to change the use of the land. However, officials of the municipal committee describe it as a state government’s project for public welfare and maintain that they have sought the permission of the Department of Town and Country Planning. The Rs 1.5 crore project will be completed in a year. The residents lament that the entire park has been destroyed and a number of trees have been axed. The plaque marking the foundation stone of the park has also been removed to pave the way for the construction of the complex. Large-scale digging is being done in the plot which measures more than 20 biswas. The officials support their move with the argument that the fence of the park had been damaged by the children and animals grazed there. The construction was being done after due notification and inviting objections from the public. They maintain that the project would benefit the residents and only a small section is raising objections. A sum of Rs 10 lakh has already been spent on the project. After a written complaint was lodged with the SDM, he had directed the municipal committee to construct the complex on another site. But in the absence of any alternative site, the committee passed a resolution to proceed with the construction. |
|
List of
MBBS candidates Shimla, December 8 The candidates have been asked to report to the Principal,
IGMC, on or before December 21. The role numbers of the selected candidates
are:- 12678, 10447, 13439, 12993, 10049, 11030, 13665, 10229, 12453, 12689, 10767, 10046, 11239, 10995, 10344, 13857, 13641, 13905, 12725, 10420, 13201, 13007, 13569, 12287, 10928, 12568, 13134, 10636, 13175, 11675, 13608, 12794, 13535, 12824, 13704, 10397, 13733, 10375, 12547, 13287, 12428, 11047, 10038, 11042. |
|
NSUI flays
change in syllabus Shimla, December 8 The state president of the-NSUI, Mr Kewal Singh Pathania, said a meeting of district executive and colleges unit presidents would be held from December 12 to 18. He said a signature campaign would be launched shortly and a memorandum submitted to the President of India through the Governor. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
IN FOCUS
