Solan, September 20
The much-awaited meeting of the Solan Block Committee chaired by the PCC president Ms Viplove Thakur was dominated by sensitive issues like irregularities in the organizational polls with senior party men alleging that the lists were finalized in haste.

Senior leaders, while presenting their discontent, said they were not taken into confidence nor had they any knowledge when the office-bearers were finalized.

With allegation of ignorance of party workers pouring in from each level, the PCC chief had a tough time trying to satisfy the party’s active workers. The meeting recorded a thin attendance with barely 28 active members turning up as against the hundreds of such workers being enlisted.

Speaking at a press conference here yesterday, after addressing a meeting of the block level party workers, she denied all allegations of factionalism within the party. She said office-bearers were nominated strictly on the basis of their regional background from where they seek appointment. She denied having any such information with regard to Solan but said such appointments could be made by the party high command if they excelled in social service.

Facing bitter criticism on the issue of having appointed a large number of contractors, bus operators and taxi drivers in the recently constituted 62-member NSUI’s state unit, she said being a fron organisation, the PCC had no role to play. Such appointments are made by the AICC themselves.

Earlier, she directed her 28 active members of Solan block Congress committee to convene regular meetings at each level. The meeting was attended by Kuldeep Rathode spokesman PCC, Sanjay Awasthi general secretary DCC, Vinod Dutta, Secretary DCC, Hoshiar Singh PCC member and others.

Shimla, September 20
The Himachal Pradesh Government will approach the Centre with a proposal to allow the states independence in deciding about the trifurcation of the electricity boards.

This was stated by Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, while addressing the officers and employees of the board at a felicitation function organised by an employees union here today.

He said the exercise of trifurcation of boards was in progress in all states and few states had completed it. The motive behind trifurcation of the boards was to bring them out of the red, as majority of them had been under heavy debts due to one reason or the other.

The Chief Minister said a number of states were managing their board affairs effectively and had not felt the need for trifurcation. It would be in the interest of the states if they were provided opportunity to take appropriate decision whether or not to go ahead with the trifurcation.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said the government would adopt a liberal attitude in allotting hydroelectric power projects to the board to help utilise the services of its experienced, competent and capable engineers. The board would also be required to compete with other private entrepreneurs.

The state had created a model in equity participation in the hydroelectric power generation and for the first time 25 per cent equity participation was ensured in 1500-MW Nathap Jhakri Power Project, besides 12 per cent free power as royalty and more power at generation cost.

The previous BJP government had failed in protecting the interests of the state as it could not obtain any equity participation in the 2051-MW Parbati Hydro Electric Power Project and the 800-MW Koldam Project.

The government would enforce the labour laws vigorously, safeguard the interests of the workers in all sectors and ensure that they were provided minimum wages besides a congenial and good working environmental at their work places.

Shimla, September 20
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, was conferred the “Shiksha ke Kranti Doot” honour by the state unit of the NSUI in recognition of his contribution in making Himachal a leading state in education in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said the state was poised to achieve more such distinctions in the near future as the state moved ahead to become a knowledge hub of the country.

The state had promulgated the Private Universities Act, adopting an open-door policy in attracting competent, experienced and financially sound private players in the sector. He said a number of private parties had come forward with their proposals to set up universities in the state which were being processed. The private universities would supplement the endeavour of the government in making it the “knowledge state of the country”.

The chief minister gave a clarion call to the students to maintain the best discipline in all the educational institutions and contribute actively in maintaining the academic environment.

He said the NSUI had mobilised the youth and provided them a platform to voice their concern.

Chamba, September 20
Entrepreneurs and local people engaged in the hotel industry in Chamba district are sore over the “policy on airport infrastructure” formulated by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation in 1997 that no airport could be constructed within a radius of 150 km of the existing airports in different parts of the country.

As a sequel to this, the proposal for the construction of an airport at Banikhet, near Dalhousie, had to be relinquished by the Himachal Government in 1998 and the of about Rs 45 crore sanctioned for this project had to be refunded to the government.

They lamented the policy of the Central Government drawn on infrastructure of airports which put the tourism industry on a low priority.

They demanded to amend the policy and make special provisions taking into account the feasibility of airports in the hilly regions so that the proposal for the Banikhet airport project could be revived for the facility of tourists.

Malana Barrage, September 20
Drug traffickers and cultivators of cannabis in Kullu district have invented new ways to evade the attention of the authorities that had been undertaking anti-drug drives in the area.

This time, plants of hybrid cannabis were being grown in hidden patches around the humus-rich fertile meadows in remote areas.

However, the shepherds from Malana village, who graze their herds in the higher meadows, feigned ignorance about any such cultivation.

“We do not know who are cultivating “bhang” (cannabis),” they said when they were questioned by the anti-cannabis teams that launched a drive in the Malana-Belang-Magic valley today.

Malana is feted as the oldest surviving democracy in world, but it has emerged as a notorious haven for drug traffickers and cannabis cultivators.

Three teams of 60 men each from the Himachal Pradesh Police, Homeguards, Forest and Revenue Departments led by Superintendent of the Narcotics Control Bureau, Mr O.P. Sharma, have been on work to check illegal cultivation of cannabis.

The team members claimed they had destroyed cannabis in over 350 bighas of the forest land in Bellang Thach, Nirang and Magic valley, which is located at a height of around 8,500 ft and spread in a radius of 10 km around Malana village today.

Mr O.P. Sharma said Malana villagers had stopped cultivating cannabis on their private land. “This time we have detected illegal cultivation on the hidden patches in the higher meadows in over 3,000 bighas of forest land out of which 350 bighas have been destroyed. There was nobody around and no tents. We have registered three cases under the NDPS act,” he said.

The SP, Kullu district, Mr G.D. Bhargava, said the district police had destroyed cannabis on 1,500 bigahs of land in some area in Manali, Kullu, Banjar, Ani and Nirmand over the past one month and registered some cases. “The production has decreased due to the anti-cannabis drive in the district over the years,” he claimed.