Shimla, May 8
Old warhorse Ram Lal Thakur will be the Congress nominee for the June 2 Hamirpur by-election for the third time in succession.

His name was cleared by Congress President Sonia Gandhi this afternoon. He will have to resign as forest minister before filing nomination. Thakur, who has been contesting the Kotkehloor assembly seat since 1985, contested the Lok Sabha poll from Hamirpur for the first time in 1999. He lost to Suresh Chandel of the BJP by 1,29,247 votes. He again contested against Chandel in 2004 and lost by a narrow margin of 1,625.

The Congress lost the seat for the first time in 1977 when the Janata Party made a clean sweep of all four Lok Sabha seats in the state. However, it came back strongly to wrest it in 1980. Riding the sympathy wave in the wake of Indira Gandhi’s assassination the Congress retained the seat in 1984.

Thereafter, former Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal won the seat in 1989 and 1991, defeating his traditional rival, late Narain Chand Prasher. The Congress brought in ex-army general Major-Gen Bikram Singh, a political greenhorn who humbled the BJP stalwart in the 1996 parliamentary elections.

Suresh Chandel emerged on the electoral scene when Dhumal opted to contest the assembly poll in 1998. He trounced Gen. Bikram Singh by 77,909 votes.

Hamirpur, May 8
The process for the Hamirpur byelection was set rolling today with the issuance of a notification by returning officer Rajneesh Kumar.

The nomination papers can be filed with deputy commissioner or the ADM of Hamirpur up to May 15. Scrutiny will be done on May 16. The withdrawal of nomination can be made on May 18. A committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of the ADM to review the complaints of violation of code of conduct.

No nomination was filed on the first day of nominations.

Shimla, May 8
After the withdrawal of nominations, both the Congress and the BJP are faced with the problem of rebel candidates in the Municipal Corporation (MC) elections, as the former councillors, who have been denied the ticket have jumped into the fray as independent candidates.

Former councillor Vijay Chauhan is contesting as an independent from the Engine Ghar ward after he was denied the party ticket by the Congress. The party suffered another setback when its worker, Poonam Sharma, joined the BJP and is contesting as its official candidate from the Patiog ward. She had also contested as a Congress rebel candidate from Sanjauli in the last MC poll.

On the other hand, the BJP faces rebellion from within the party in the Annadale ward from where Roop Chand Sharma, husband of the present BJP Councillor Swarna, is contesting as an independent. The party has fielded Pradeep Kashyap as the official BJP candidate from this ward.

The BJP is facing problem even in the Tutu ward from where party worker, Roop Ram Shandil, is contesting as an independent candidate. The BJP has given the ticket to Sagar Chand.

While, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, ministers and party MLA’s are likely to campaign in the MC polls, as far as the BJP is concerned, it is MP Suresh Chandel who is heading the campaign committee.

Others in the committee looking after the poll include state BJP general secretary, Khushi Ram Balnath, former minister, Narender Bragta, and member of the state working committee, Ganesh Dutt.

In the 25 member ward, the Congress has 16 councillors while, the BJP has seven. One councillor belongs to the CPM. There are a total of 94 candidates in the fray while, there will be a direct contest only in six of the 25 wards.

Shimla, May 8
Haryana and Himachal Pradesh have decided to join hands to promote tourism in a big way on a regional basis.

The decision to have a tie-up in the tourism sector was taken at a meeting between Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Haryana tourism minister Kiran Chaudhary here today. Initially, the two states will enter a joined marketing arrangement which would help expand the reach and save manpower. It will be followed by combined packages for tourists, joint web portals. If things work out well, the collaboration could be extended to online bookings.

Kiran Chaudhary said that aggressive marketing was the key to tourisms promotion and it was very important for all northern states to have a joint marketing strategy. Pooling the available resources was essential to make an impact on the market and take advantage of the fast-growing tourist trade. Haryana and Chandigarh had already entered into partnership and found it mutually rewarding. Himachal, which had a lot of unexploited tourism potential, would gain much more.

There were small issues to address which could make a big impact. For instance Morni Hills was a famous destination of Haryana but despite being close to the Himachal border the hill state was not able to take advantage because of lack of road connectivity. She said if Himachal constructed a road up to the border it would have another entry point for tourists.

She said Haryana annually attracted 65 lakh tourists but in Europe Madrid, which had a population of 28 million, played host to over 48 million tourists. There had been a paradigm shift in the policy and tourism was not confined to resorts and hotels. The focus was on farm tourism and cultural and heritage tourism under which places like Kurukshetra and Pinjore were being promoted in a big way.

In fact, the state was keen to secure the world heritage city status for Kurukshetra. A new Palace on Wheels train to be introduced would put Pinjore firmly on the tourism map. With Delhi busting at the seams cities in the national capital region like Gurgaon and Faridabad were emerging as the preferred centres for conferences and conventions which also promoted tourism.

Earlier, during the meeting Virbhadra Singh said his government would open all possible channels to promote tourism in collaboration with Haryana. He said necessary infrastructure was being created in rural areas to help people living in villages become active players in tourism trade. Those who had spare accommodation were being encouraged to play host to tourists.

He discussed the matter regarding construction of the Markanda, Kala Amb- Naraingarh road bridges connecting Sirmour district with Haryana. 

Shimla, May 8
While the Ministry of Railways has been reluctant to take up the Bhanupali-Bilaspur broad-gauge project on the ground that it was not viable, a fresh demand-based survey conducted by the government has revealed that a double-track was commercially viable on the section.

The government, which earlier wanted the project to be executed on the pattern of the Konkan railways with the state, cement companies and the Indian Railways as partners, is now keen that the project be implemented as a commercial venture by the Railways.

The data compiled by the government makes it evident that the freight load generated by the cement plants coming up in the Darlaghat-Bilaspur-Karsog belt was enough to justify a double track. The existing two plants of the ACC and Gujarat Ambuja were producing 6.5 million tonne cement annually and another plant of 2 million tonne capacity, being set up by the Jaypee Industries at Bagha, was nearing completion.

The government has sanctioned two more plants, each of 2 million tonne capacity, at Nalini and Alsindi and allowed Gujarat Ambuja to double its existing capacity of 2 million tonne. As a result, the total production will shoot up to 14.5 million tonne over the next four years. Even if 70 per cent of the produce is transported out of the state to various markets, over 4,000 racks will be required for transportation of cement. Carriage work was also being generated by the large number of hydroelectric projects coming up in the Sutlej basin.

The total outward carriage load is likely to be over 10 million tonne, while the incoming goods would be around 6 million tonne. In all, 750 wagons will be required every day for two-way carriage that is enough to justify a double track.

Sources in the government said the Railways had found the project not viable as the survey by it was conducted when there was only one cement plant in the area. The situation had completely changed over the past 15 years.

In absence of the rail track, the cement plants will require 14,000 trucks for carriage, thus choking the Chandigarh-Manali national highway. The survey report will be submitted to the Railway Ministry shortly. The state has been vigorously pursuing the matter as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had, during his visit to the state in 2005, announced that the Bhanupali-Bilaspur rail track would be taken up as a national project.

Kangra, May 8
A 40-year-old Delhi resident was killed on the spot and 40 were injured, seven of them seriously, following a head-on collision between an HRTC bus and a tanker at Thanpuri village, near here, this morning.

Kangra DSP Jeet Singh said that a tanker (HR 57 1288) carrying inflammable material collided with an HRTC bus (HP 37 A 7591), which was on its way from Palampur to Pathankot, leaving Abdul Khalid, a resident of Delhi, dead on the spot and 40 other passengers.

Twelve injured persons were admitted to the Tanda hospital immediately after the accident.

Seventeen injured persons were brought to Nagrota Bagwan Community Health Centre. Two of them who were seriously injured were later referred to the Dharamsala hospital. Six injured persons were admitted to the civil hospital, Kangra.

Kangra SDM Paulrasu said the body of Abdul Khalid, who was on the way back to Pathankot from Mandi , would be handed over to his relatives after a post-mortem. He said ex gratia was given to the seriously injured passengers.

The Pathankot-Mandi national highway remained blocked for more than two-and a-half hours following the accident.

Dharamsala, May 8
A judicial court of Amb sub-division in Una district, has sent a French woman to jail after she was caught without valid travel documents.

The court of Senior Sub-Judge Amb has sentenced Mary Richard to three months of imprisonment for staying illegally in India. She was also fined a sum of Rs 500 failing which she would have to undergo another 15 days in the jail.

Mary Richard was apprehended by the local police from Kinnu village, in Una district, where she posed as a Hindu priestess in a temple of the village, from where she was arrested. She only had an expired passport with her. Since then, she has been kept in judicial custody.

Following her arrest, the French embassy was informed at New Delhi.

Dharamsala, May 8
Service towards mankind is service towards God, and the Red Cross Society must work with this aim and should help the needy sections of the society.

District Magistrate Bharat Khera, presiding over a function organised at government girls' senior secondary school, urged the people to donate generously to the Red Cross.

He said medicines for poor patients, ceiling fans in schools, tri-cycles for the handicapped, marriage of poor girls, blankets and quilts for poor people, uniforms, sweaters and shoes for poor schoolchildren, sewing machines to widows besides, grants for students were being provided through the Red Cross fund.

Captain SM Abrol, secretary District Red Cross Society, said during the last financial year, the society had given grants to as many as 1000 poor patients for treatment of their diseases, 2,500 patients were given treatment through the physiotherapy centre being run by the society, 72 disability camps were organised and 2,500 disabled persons were sanctioned free bus travel facility, besides, sanctioning pension facility to as many as 2,500 persons.

An essay competition titled “disability is not a curse, the role of Red Cross society in the rehabilitation of the disabled” was also organised by Vatsala Khera, wife of the District Magistrate along with a panel of judges.

In the Group-A (Class VI to VIII), Pratik Prashar of DAV School Dharamsala, got the first prize while Shreha of Central School Yol Cantonment, and Dhwani Manocha of DAV School Dharamsala, got the second and third prize, respectively.

In the Group-B (Class-IX and Class-X), Kanupriya of Adhunik Public School Sidhbari got the first prize while, Rimika of Government High School Kotvali Bazaar, and Nisha Sharma of Dayanand Model School Dharamsala, got the second and third prize, respectively.

In the Group-C (Class-XI and Class-XII), Parul of Gurukul School Dharamsala got the first prize, while Kartika of DAV School, and Gangotri of Central School Yol Cantonment, got the second and third prize, respectively.

Sundernagar, May 8
The HP government has issued a notification appointing SDM Sundernagar as the land acquisition officer, for acquisition of land in the controversial Cement Project, to be installed in Khatrwari-Chambi area near the town.

The local residents have lodged a protest against setting up of the cement plant, which according to them was initiated in violation of environmental laws.

As per the information received, the officer would soon start the process of acquisition of land for setting up of the cement plant. Representatives of the Harish Cement Plant have welcomed the government’s move.

The haphazard development activity going on in Solan town has led to traffic bottlenecks. There have been several accidents on the Mall Road claiming precious lives.

Heavy vehicles going towards Rajgarh and other Sirmaur areas pass through Solan, hindering the normal traffic in the town. Recently there was a proposal to construct a bypass to lessen traffic load on roads in the town, but there has been not much progress in that direction so far. It will be a big relief for the residents if the bypass is constructed at the earliest.

Santosh Kumari
Solan

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