H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Virbhadra meets Sonia Gandhi
New Delhi, March 31
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today told Congress president Sonia Gandhi that the election manifesto of the Congress in the state has been adopted as an official document for development and the state government was taking steps to implement it.

Dhumal’s assets will be under scanner: CM
Shimla, March 31
The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Mr Virbhadra Singh, said today said that the assets of Mr P.K. Dhumal, former Chief Minister of the state, would also come under scrutiny during investigations into various corruption cases against the BJP-HVC regime.

Demand to fill Sainik Welfare Board post
Sundernagar, March 31
The Manali district unit of the ex-servicemen Congress urged Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to order filling of the post of Deputy Director Sainik Welfare Board, Mandi, vacant for the past many years.

Heavy snowfall atop the higher reaches of the Dhauladhar ranges of the Himalayas. — Photo Chander Shekhar Sharma

Work on highways held up
Hamirpur, March 31
Work on national highway has been at a standstill within Hamirpur district limits. Two national highways 70 and 88 pass through Hamirpur district.

Bad weather hits pea farmers
Kumarhatti, March 31
Rain in the past two days has facilitated the sowing of off-season cash crops like tomato and capsicum, but the pea growers of region have been badly hit by the weather conditions second time in a row.

‘Factionalism’ led to BJP’s defeat
Dharamsala, March 31
Mr O.P. Kohli, senior BJP leader and in charge for party organisation in Himachal Pradesh, has asserted that the party’s defeat in the recent Assembly poll was not as humiliating as was being projected.

BJP leader’s threat to immolate self
Hamirpur, March 31
Mr Kehar Singh, a dissident BJP leader of Chintpurni in Una district today announced his decision to immolate himself in front of the Prime Minister’s residence, if the party leadership did not listen to his grievances against state leaders.

• 10-year jail for possessing charas

Virbhadra meets Sonia Gandhi
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 31
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today told Congress president Sonia Gandhi that the election manifesto of the Congress in the state has been adopted as an official document for development and the state government was taking steps to implement it.

Mr Virbhadra Singh met Mrs Gandhi at her residence along with a delegation of party leaders, including ministers, MLAs, district and block presidents, who were in the Capital to take part in the “Desh Bachao rally” organised by the Congress.

Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh Rural Development Minister Sat Mahajan has been honoured by the National Cooperative Union of India in recognition of his services in the co-operative and social sector.

President of the association S.S. Sisodia presented a shawl and memento to Mr Mahajan at a function held today at the Siri Fort auditorium.

Mr Mahajan today called on Union Minister for Rural Development Shanta Kumar with regard to the ministry's projects in the state.

Dhumal’s assets will be under scanner: CM
Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 31
The Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Mr Virbhadra Singh, said today said that the assets of Mr P.K. Dhumal, former Chief Minister of the state, would also come under scrutiny during investigations into various corruption cases against the BJP-HVC regime.

Talking to mediapersons here he said the cases would be entrusted to the state investigating agencies. However, if required the government would not hesitate to take the CBI’s assistance. He said his government would not follow the practice of first filing the FIRs and then searching for evidence as done by the Dhumal government. This had unnecessarily hurt the reputation of individuals against whom the FIR’s had been registered when the investigating agencies later failed to produce substantial evidence to justify the case, he said.

His government would do the reverse to ensure that no innocent person was maligned, cases would be registered only if concrete evidence, which could stand scrutiny before the court, was found.

The Chief Minister said people of the state had given a massive mandate to the Congress to root out corruption. He said his government was committed to provide a clean, transparent and responsive administration. There would be no witch-hunt while dealing with corruption cases and the innocent had nothing to fear. But the guilty would not be spared.

Referring to the agreement signed by the Dhumal government for the execution of mega projects like 800 MW Kol Dam and 2,051 MW Parbati project, he said it would have been better if the state had settled for 25 per cent equity participation on the pattern of the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Project from which it would get 37 per cent of the power generated. In contrast in these two projects the state’s share would be only 12 per cent of free power. He said the government would explore the possibility of having equity participation in these projects.

The state would also take up the case of imposition of generation tax and ask the Centre to enhance the import duty on gaimbiar, a substitute for catecu (katha), in view of the problems being faced by the khair wood growers. The prices of khair wood had come down and even the lifting of the ban on its export had not helped. 

Demand to fill Sainik Welfare Board post
Our Correspondent

Sundernagar, March 31
The Manali district unit of the ex-servicemen Congress urged Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to order filling of the post of Deputy Director Sainik Welfare Board, Mandi, vacant for the past many years.

A meeting of the ex-servicemen observed that the benefits of schemes were not reaching the ex-servicemen due to the negligence of administration. The meeting blamed the previous BJP government for this. Due to the non-filling of the post, ex-servicemen of the district were facing hardships, the meeting alleged.

Press note issued after the meeting said that the meeting was attended by ex-servicemen from all over the district.

Work on highways held up
Our Correspondent

Hamirpur, March 31
Work on national highway has been at a standstill within Hamirpur district limits. Two national highways 70 and 88 pass through Hamirpur district.

NH-88 passes through Shimla and Kangra linking it with Pathankot and Jammu. NH-70 links Hoshiarpur with Mandi via Hamirpur.

These highways were sanctioned during the earlier BJP regime but due to technical reasons work on NH-70 could not go beyond Hamirpur town. Work for the widening of road between Hamirpur and Awadhdevi had started after the Dhumal government assumed power but it stopped when certain persons moved court in respect of land. Since then the work has not progressed.

A subdivision of the NH-70 was set up at Samirpur, home village of former Chief Minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal functioned till date but without doing any work. The office spends Rs 1 lakh every month without results. Reports say that work on the project may be delayed as no one will take up the matter at the top level after the change of the government.

Work on NH-88 in Hamirpur town limits also suffered due to technical reasons. The NH authorities in New Delhi have again rejected the drawings for the construction of a new bridge over Hathli Khad in Hamirpur town. This bridge will link Hamirpur town with Bhota leading to Shimla.

There are reports that the drawings for the bridge and Hamirpur bypass have been revised several times leading to delay in the construction of NH-88 via Hamirpur.

People of Hamirpur district are apprehensive that both projects are unlikely to come up as no one from the state will take up the issues with the Centre.

Bad weather hits pea farmers
Our Correspondent

Kumarhatti, March 31
Rain in the past two days has facilitated the sowing of off-season cash crops like tomato and capsicum, but the pea growers of region have been badly hit by the weather conditions second time in a row.

The persistent dry weather over the region accompanied by the unprecedented swings in the rain circle have adversely affected the growers. The belated winter rain, this time, besides damaging the wheat crop, has upset the equations of pea growers.

A visit to the Dharampur sub vegetable market regulated by the Solan Marketing Committee — the main terminal market for growers from more than 15 villages — showed that only a few pea growers were selling their produce. The market was virtually deserted with most of the commission agents’ shops shutters being closed. A record low arrival of peas has been seen this time in this market. Growers in the market said, besides the weather, certain diseases have also affected the pea crop. The growers have suffered severe losses. “I have sown peas on a large part of my land in the hope of a good produce, but all my projection have turned wrong with late rain,” said Mr Ram Lal of the Bhojnagar panchayat. The growers said most pea plants had dried before the rain, forcing them to plough the fields again for sowing tomato and other seasonal vegetables.

The growers’ action can be seen as a decision forced by distress, as, in the past, the sowing of tomato on a large scale had not helped the growers. In the peak season, the market price of tomato had crashed to an all-time low of below Re 1.

‘Factionalism’ led to BJP’s defeat
Our Correspondent

Dharamsala, March 31
Mr O.P. Kohli, senior BJP leader and in charge for party organisation in Himachal Pradesh, has asserted that the party’s defeat in the recent Assembly poll was not as humiliating as was being projected.

Talking to mediapersons after a meeting of party functionaries of the Kangra district here today, Mr Kohli said though the issue of development and good governance by Dhumal government was accepted by the voters, the BJP failed to project itself as a cohesive and disciplined party. He accepted that factionalism and rebels had played an important role in the defeat of more than 12 party candidates.

Mr Kohli said there was only five per cent difference in the vote share of the Congress and the BJP but it translated into a large number of seats. He said the workers today put their point of view before the observers with an open mind and had acknowledged that there were complaints against senior leaders, including Mr Shanta Kumar.

Mr Kohli said organisational elections would be held later this year and were expected to be completed up to state-level by September. He said the final time-table for the organisational elections would be released during the National Executive meeting at Indore on April 4 and 5.

BJP leader’s threat to immolate self
Our Correspondent

Hamirpur, March 31
Mr Kehar Singh, a dissident BJP leader of Chintpurni in Una district today announced his decision to immolate himself in front of the Prime Minister’s residence, if the party leadership did not listen to his grievances against state leaders.

Talking to reporters at Dhaneta last evening, he said the former Chief Minister, Prem Kumar Shumal and the state party chief Mr Jai Krishan Sharma were to be blamed for the defeat of the party in the Assembly elections.

He demanded a high-level inquiry into the property amassed by various BJP leaders during the past five years.

10-year jail for possessing charas
Our Correspondent

Sundernagar, March 31
Mr Sureshwar Thakur, Additional Sessions Judge, Mandi, has convicted Dole Ram of Sianj valley, Kulu district and sentenced him to undergo imprisonment for 10 years and to pay a fine of Rs 1,00,000.

The accused was found in possession of bag carrying over 11 kg 500 of charas.