H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

BJP exposed on discrimination issue: Virbhadra
Shimla, January 27
Back after the completion of the first phase of his winter sojourn, the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, today said the overwhelming response he received during his visit and development work worth crores he announced for Kangra had exposed the BJP on the issue of discrimination with lower Himachal Pradesh.

Comment on McLeodganj ‘misleading’
Dharamsala, January 27
McLeodganj is unsafe for women? If the contents of a popular tourist guide, “Lonely Planet”, are to be believed, the tourist spot is notorious for cases of assault and rape, especially after dusk.

Impressive march past at R-Day function
Shimla, January 27
The Himachal Governor, Mr V.S. Kokje, unfurled the National Flag at the state-level Republic Day function held here yesterday. The Governor took the salute at an impressive march past presented by contingents of the Army, the police, civil defence, Home Guards, NCC and ex-servicemen.

Liquor vends open on R-Day

Three hydroelectric projects for Chamba
Chamba, January 27
The Himachal Pradesh Government has recently accorded the approval to the construction of 70 MW Budhi hydroelectric project, 13 MW Siul hydroelectric project and 6.5 MW Saal (Stage-I) hydroelectric project in Chamba district.

BJP exposed on discrimination issue: Virbhadra
Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 27
Back after the completion of the first phase of his winter sojourn, the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, today said the overwhelming response he received during his visit and development work worth crores he announced for Kangra had exposed the BJP on the issue of discrimination with lower Himachal Pradesh.

Accusing the BJP of spreading the canard of regionalism for their petty political gains, Mr Virbhadra Singh said that during his fortnight-long tour of Kangra district he had not just addressed public meetings but tried to redress the grievances of the people who came to meet him in large numbers. Efforts by the BJP to make regional discrimination a political issue had been negated with the success of the winter move of the government, he remarked.

“As has been the policy of our government to ensure uniform and overall development of the state, a number of development projects were announced for the Kangra area. “Having lost out on the only issue they had in hand the BJP is sulking like a child who has lost his favourite toy and they are yet to reconcile to this fact,” he opined.

In reply to a query about the impending appointment of Chief Parliamentary Secretaries and Parliamentary Secretaries, he said that representation would be given to Kangra as and when this was done. He added that this would be done at the earliest whenever it was possible. He added that he would begin the second phase of his Kangra sojourn on February 4 and cover the assembly segments of Baijnath, Sulah, Thural and Shahpur, which have been left out so far.

“The contradictory statements made by former Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal and state BJP chief Suresh Bhardwaj on the issue of shifting of capital only indicated the conflicting stand and confusion in the BJP on the issue,” he remarked. He said that even though Mr Dhumal knew that shifting the capital is not a small task, yet he had been making such statements even though this time he had not specified the place.

The Chief Minister said that the Congress would perform well in the ensuing assembly elections in Haryana, Bihar and Jharkhand as the BJP had no concrete issues or able leadership.

Comment on McLeodganj ‘misleading’
Vibhor Mohan
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, January 27
McLeodganj is unsafe for women? If the contents of a popular tourist guide, “Lonely Planet”, are to be believed, the tourist spot is notorious for cases of assault and rape, especially after dusk.

This has stirred the hoteliers and travel agents in the region and they have demanded deletion of these “objectionable” contents.

Talking to The Tribune, Mr G.S. Bali, Tourism and Transport Minister, said that this was “away from facts” and the government might also take legal action against the publishers after looking into the matter.

A prominently placed “warning” on page 250 of the guide, dealing with the McLeodganj region, reads, “Unfortunately, in this place of spiritual peace, there have been assaults and rapes. Women are advised not to walk alone at night between the outlying villages and McLeodganj.”

When contacted, Mr Surinder Sharma, president of the Hotelier, Restaurant Owners and Travel Agents Association, said that since the travel guide was widely read, as it is printed in different languages of the world, it painted a highly misplaced picture about McLeodganj.

“Safety is the paramount issue with any tourist and such a clearly spelt out warning is enough to keep any sane tourist at bay. We plan to take up the issue with the local administration to ensure that such contents, which are also available online, are removed immediately,” he said.

Mr Anil Sareen, general secretary, said that the issue was also discussed at the general body meeting of the association and there was a consensus that, if necessary, “we should even take legal action against the publishers.”

Impressive march past at R-Day function
Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 27
The Himachal Governor, Mr V.S. Kokje, unfurled the National Flag at the state-level Republic Day function held here yesterday.

The Governor took the salute at an impressive march past presented by contingents of the Army, the police, civil defence, Home Guards, NCC and ex-servicemen. A tableau put up by the Tourism, Agriculture, electricity board, animal husbandry, Municipal Corporation, Himurja, forest and agriculture department depicted the progress made by the state over the years.

Cultural troupes from Kinnaur, Kangra, Kullu, Una, Mandi, Shimla, Chamba and Sirmaur gave performances. There were special presentations by a Tibetan group and artistes from Punjab.

The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, Mrs Pratibha Singh, MP, Mr Harsh Mahajan, Animal Husbandry Minister, the local legislator, Mr Harbhajan Singh Bhajji, and the Mayor, Mr Sohan Lal, attended the function.

Liquor vends open on R-Day
Our Correspondent

Sundernagar, January 27
On the occasion of Republic Day yesterday, a large number of liquor vends were found open along various roads in the district. Mediapersons found the vends open in various parts of the district along national highways and state highways. Interestingly the vends in Gopalpur, the constituency of the Excise and Taxation Minister, were selling liquor through various outlets without interruption.

As per the licence granted to these vends, Republic Day is to be observed as dry day and selling of liquor is not allowed. However, it has been observed that these norms are being flouted and no action has been taken to end the illegal practice.

The vends which were observed by mediapersons were in located in Sundernagar, Balh, Mandi, Dharampur, and Gohar Assembly segments along various roads.

On enquiries at various outlets it was found that the sale was higher as compared to the daily sale . At a few places, when the name of the place was asked, salesmen gave wrong names. Excise officials were not available for comments. 

Three hydroelectric projects for Chamba
Our Correspondent

Chamba, January 27
The Himachal Pradesh Government has recently accorded the approval to the construction of 70 MW Budhi hydroelectric project, 13 MW Siul hydroelectric project and 6.5 MW Saal (Stage-I) hydroelectric project in Chamba district.

This was stated by Mrs Vidya Stokes, Multipurpose Projects and Power Minister, while presiding over the Republic Day function here yesterday. She said it was a matter of great pride for the people of Chamba to get three new hydroelectric projects sanctioned by the government.

The Power Minister said that the state government was spending Rs 27.28 crore to augment the electricity distribution network in Chamba district under the “Accelerated Power Development Reforms Programme” launched in the state with an outlay of Rs 196 crore during the current fiscal year.

In addition, Rs 19 crore were also being utilised on the innovation and upkeep of various power systems in the district during this year, the Power Minister said.

Earlier, the Power Minister hoisted the Tricolour and he took the salute presented by continents of the police, the Home Guards and the NCC.

Snow makes tourists flock to Kasauli, Barog 

Our Corresponent@@Parwanoo, January 27@@The heavy snowfall in the past few days has beckoned tourists to Kasauli and Barog. Even Dagshai, the sleepy cantonment occasionally visited by tourists, has recorded a heavy rush of tourists. @@Hundreds of tourists continued to arrive in hope of fresh snowfall today. The snow-covered Charing Cross area of Dagshai and The Mall area at Kasauli have remained the centre of attraction. The Polo Ground at Dagshai, facing the majestic Chur Chandni, was another point of attraction for the tourists who gathered to enjoy the snow-covered hill slopes. @@The local tea stalls and eating joints are doing brisk business. According to the people here, this year’s snowfall was the heaviest in the past seven years. Even the Dharamapur town has recorded snowfall after a gap of many years. @@The snow covered Barog, the tourist resort on the Kalka -Shimla National Highway, has also attracted a good number of tourists. @@The hotels at Barog, Kasauli and along Kalka-Shimla National Highway have recorded an increase in number of occupancy after the snowfall. @@The dhabhas and eating joints at Dharampur and along the Kalka-Shimla National Highway remained jam packed with the arrival of more tourists.@@Meanwhile, the traffic on the Kalka-Shimla National Highway continued to remain partially suspended during the late evening between Parwanoo to Kalka due to the heavy rush of tourists.