Shimla, July 7
A clash that erupted between activists of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Students Federation of India (SFI) at the Tagore Boys Hostel of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) late last night, again took place today with students going on a rampage on the campus, causing damage to the Vice-Chancellor’s Office as well.

According to the police, trouble broke out when the SFI students entered into a scuffle with the ABVP activists over stay of four outsiders in the hostel. As the news of the clash between the two outfits spread, students assembled in large numbers at 2.30 am and a fight left more than 10 injured.

All this happened in the presence of the police but all that they could do was remain mute spectators. The clashes continued till late in the afternoon with the police desperately trying to control them as students pelted stones at them. The agitated students forced their way into the VC office and caused extensive damage while raising slogans.

The police has registered counter cases on the complaint of the two warring groups under Sections 147, 149, 351 and 323 of the IPC. Four ABVP activists Ashok, Kushal Singh, Sumit Kumar and Rakesh Kumar have been admitted to Ripon Hospital.

There is heavy police deployment on the campus, including hostels.

Shimla, July 7
The top brass of the BJP, including L.K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, today pleaded the restoration of the special industrial package given to Himachal and Uttrakhand as they accompanied Chief Ministers of the two hill states during their meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi.

At the meeting held with Manmohan Singh in New Delhi today, the senior BJP leadership said the expiry of the central excise exemption would severely impact the pace of industrial investment in the two hill states, which otherwise had limited avenues of employment. Chief Minister of Himachal PK Dhumal and his Uttrakhand counterpart Ramesh Pokhriyal urged the PM to restore the package.

Being BJP-ruled states, the Chief Ministers had decided to take up the fight for the restoration of the industrial package jointly. They had decided to take the support of their central leaders to strengthen their case for extension of the industrial package, which expired on April 1, 2010.

Dhumal, after his meeting with Manmohan Singh, said he was hopeful that the PM would not disappoint the two states as their industrial development depended mainly on extension of the industrial package given by the NDA regime.

Having accused the UPA regime of discriminating with non-Congress-ruled states, BJP national president Nitin Gadkari had said at a rally he addressed here in May that the BJP was with the people of the state in their fight for their rights.

Incidentally, both Dhumal and Rajya Sabha MP and national vice-president of the BJP Shanta Kumar had sought the help of their central leadership in getting Himachal its due.

Both states fear that the expiry of the excise duty exemption from April 1 earlier this year would affect the pace of industrial development in the hill states. It was in March 2003 that the NDA regime under Vajpayee had given the package to Himachal and Uttrakhand. It was later reduced to 2007 when the UPA assumed power but later restored till March 2010.

With Punjab and Haryana opposing the extension of the industrial package to Himachal, the Central Government has so far not obliged the two hill states. Infact, yesterday at a meeting of the Chief Ministers with Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Dhumal said if need be, the Centre could give a similar package to hilly areas in Morni in Haryana and Pathankot in Punjab. 

Shimla, July 7
The administration has sounded an alert in the low-lying areas of Shimla and Kullu districts along the Sutlej and the Beas rivers which are in spate following the heavy rains during the past three days.

The vehicular traffic on the national highway remained disrupted due to landslides at various points between Rampur and Rekong Peo. The Shimla-Delhi flight remained suspended for the third consecutive day due to bad weather. The national highway between Chandigarh and Leh too remained disrupted at several points between Manali and Keylong.

J.S. Rana, Deputy Commissioner (Shimla), said with the water level in the Beas rising in the low-lying areas of Shimla, people living along the Sutlej had been asked to remain on high alert. With hardly any rainfall in Kinnaur, the water level in the Sutlej here was well under normal.

The situation in Kullu district too was serious with the Beas overflowing at Aut, leading to disruption of vehicular traffic on the NH-21. Deputy Commissioner (Kullu) B.M. Nanta said an alert had been sounded as water level in the Beas river was rising.

The local meteorological centre has issued a warning that there could be heavy rainfall at some places during the next 24 hours. The onset of monsoons has caused widespread rains all over the state, triggering landslides leading to disruption of vehicular traffic.

During the last 24 hours, Shimla received 76.8 mm, Sundernagar- 45.9 mm, Bhuntar- 47.9 mm, Kalpa- 24 mm, Dharamshala- 60 mm, Una- 70.2 mm, Nahan- 76.7 mm, Keylong- 24 mm, Palampur- 65.6 mm and Solan- 90.5 mm.

Keylong (Lahaul-Spiti): Seven tourists had a close shave after their Scorpio (HR 87-C 1170) was damaged in the debris at Paagal Nullah near Sissu, about 26 km from here. The nullah breached the Manali-Keylong-Leh-highway this afternoon, hitting the movement of traffic on the 473-km-long BRO highway.

Peas farmers in Pattan valley was hit by the three-day spell of rains as the harvesting of peas was on the peak in the lower valley in the district. The higher reaches of Lahaul valley has six to 10 inches of fresh snow today, but the weather cleared around 5 pm.

The vehicular traffic was thrown out of gear for the entire day as the Keylong-Udaipur PWD road remained breached at Kala Nala due to landslides, about 50 km from here. Meanwhile, the HPSEB shut down the 126 mw Larji project due to heavy silt flow in the barrage from the Beas river.

The tourists, Naveen Chauhan, Ashok Chauhan and their families, had close shave at Paagal Nullah after their vehicle was hit by the debris as the GREF has not made a culvert at the nullah.

The rains hit the movement of tourist traffic from Leh to Manali as over a hundred of tourists either cancelled their journey or halted at Keylong, Marhi, Serchu, Zingzing bar, Pang, Leh or Manali as the highway had remained closed for hours together at different places.

Kullu: People living near the Beas, the Parbati and the Sarwari rivers experienced sleepless nights due to the crossing of river waters beyond the danger level.

Similarly, a bridge near Bharsheni near Manikaran was also washed away. Severe damaged was caused to the feeding tunnel of the prestigious Parbati Hydro Electric Project Stage-II due to the silt. Machinery worth lakhs was also washed away of the sub-contractor company of the NHPC. However, more than 10,000 workers were shifted to the safer place at the project site.

Palampur, July 7
Eleven years after the booming guns of Kargil fell silent and long after the war’s martyrs were frozen into frames forever, the tears are yet to dry. Ask Girdhari Lal Batra and everything comes back in a flash to him - explosions lighting up the night sky, gunshots ringing out in the dark, victory cries of the Indian soldiers, martyrs arriving home wrapped in the Tricolour and, of course, his son, late Capt Vikram Batra, a recipient of the Param Vir Chakra.

The father’s last memory of his son is that of an elated soldier after conquering Point 5140, signing off from a television channel with the “Yeh dil mange more” slogan he immortalised. “That’s how I’ve chosen to remember him,” says the senior Batra as he prepares for his son’s death anniversary today.

He recalls, “Before he went for his next big operation at Point 4875, a television correspondent asked him what his message to his countrymen would be. He said he wished the parents and the families of the deceased soldiers were taken better care of. In that moment I knew, perhaps, he’s not coming back. And he didn’t. It was a kind of a premonition.”

Recalling Vikram’s last holiday at home on the Holi of 1999, Batra, a retired college principal, says, “When the news of war breaking out first came in, his friends advised him to be careful. He replied that he would either come back after raising the national flag in victory or come wrapped in it. He achieved both. I’m proud of him.” The petrol station allotted to Vikram’s parents in recognition of his sacrifice, over the years, has become less of a petrol station and more of his shrine.

“Many people stop by and express solidarity with us. The other day a Wing Commander dropped by, said a few good words about Vikram and drove away. I was surprised to see him return in five minutes to touch my feet. It’s gestures like these that keep us going,” he explains.

While this is one side of the story, there is another too. The Batras are sore with Pepsi for offering mere lip service to them. “We didn’t approach it. The chairman of Pepsi corresponded quite a few times asking us what the company can do for Vikram’s family since he inadvertently became the voice and face of Pepsi and immortalised the ‘Yeh dil mange more’ slogan. We suggested that they start a tournament or contribute to a social cause in Vikram’s memory. But we didn’t hear from him again,” he rues.

The family realises Vikram’s invaluable sacrifice. So, while companies may come and go, Capt Vikram Batra’s memories will live on.

Shimla, July 7
Taking serious note of environment degradation in the industrial hub of the state, Baddi-Barotiwala and Nalagarh, the Himachal Pradesh High Court summoned Member Secretary of the State Pollution Control Board on July 30 and directed him to file an affidavit explaining what action was taken by the board against the polluting units.

While passing this order a Division Bench comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjay Karol further directed the state Chief Secretary and the Chief Executive Officer of the Baddi-Barotiwala and Nalagarh to file their personal affidavits along with the latest status report qua setting up of common effluent treatment plant and solid waste management plant.

The court also directed the Member Secretary of the board to explain in his affidavit that whether or not the board had prepared any comprehensive plans for the prevention of pollution and control of streams and wells and also explain whether the board in the past three years ever sent any advice to the state government as to how pollution could be controlled.

The court also directed the secretary to place information before the court with regard to all industries which according to it require separate effluent treatment plants.

Solan, July 7
Six accused fled the Nalagarh court minutes before their bail application was rejected this afternoon. The case pertains to kidnapping, intimidation and beating up of a youth, Vivek Sharma, who was first kidnapped from his house and then left unconscious at the Nalagarh police station by them on July 1.

While the police was on the look out for the six youths - Ranjeet Singh, Ranjeet Kumar, Dharam Singh, Manjeet, Vipan Kumar and Manjeet Singh - they had presented their anticipatory bail application before the Nalagarh court on Monday. It was listed for hearing today and the public attorney, while contesting their bail, brought the involvement of some of them in other criminal cases before the court following which it decided to announce its decision at 2 pm.

The six accused, however, fled the court before waiting for the decision assuming that their application would be rejected while the police conveniently chose to look askance.

Reacting sharply to this deliberate lapse on part of the police, the zila parishad chairman Ram Kumar said the local Doon MLA was sheltering the accused who had earlier too been involved in another shoot out incident.

He alleged that such an incident could not happen without the connivance of the police and demanded action against the erring policemen. He said though the DSP (headquarters) was present in the court, it was intriguing how the culprits had given the police the slip.

The police had failed to arrest the youths and even in an earlier incident, they had sought bail much before the police could apprehend them and put them behind bars.