Keylong(Lahaul-Spiti), July 1
Model tourist village Sissu, where the Himachal Tourism has spent Rs 75 lakh, is still deserted with little development. The Lahaul valley will open its doors for outsiders after the historic 8.82 km-long Rohtang tunnel will be ready by 2015 as per the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) claims.

Though private hoteliers are gearing up for the expected 2015 tourism boom by building hotels and guest houses in the valley, the government has yet to set up the supporting basic infrastructure to meet the sudden flow of visitors.

In fact, this tourist village has witnessed many regimes and many DCs. But the Tourism Department fails to breathe a life into its baby even after a decade, despite the village has a helipad and the department has made a hype to start heli-taxis.

A signboard, put up on the highway, welcomes visitors to this tourist village. But the blue weeds and heaps of debris that float in this tourist village lake have turned it into a stale stinking pond of stagnant water.

“We have hope that the village will attract tourists as they can use it as a stopover while on their way to Keylong, Leh and Ladakh”, says Himal Thakur, a hotelier. The department has promised to start fishing and boating in the lake, but nothing has happened, he adds.

The lake takes its water from the Sissu nullah and drains into the Chandra river. But the thick layers of the stagnated weeds float in the lake.

The story of another tourism property at Jispa, 20 km from Keylong, is no different. The building is lying unutilised after the government spends lakhs of rupees on its construction.

The IPH Department cannot provide even a regular drinking supply to its residents in Keylong, the district headqaurters, leave alone tourists.

“The pipelines in this town are in the open and we do not get regular supply”, say residents. The sewerage system is not in place. The town has a narrow single lane road. You find not even enough parking space for local vehicles, say hoteliers.

DC Lahaul Spiti Rajiv Shankar says he has written to Principal Secretary, Tourism, Manisha Nanda either to outsource this tourist village café or run some venture here so that this village could come to some life. “We are spending Rs 2 lakh more to renovate the café and will start boating here soon”, he adds.

He says the administration is gearing up for 2015. “We are sending proposal to the government for parking lots or so, he adds.

Amb (Una), July 1
Politics today marred the inauguration of the broad gauge railway line till Amb in Una district.

The railway authorities had initially invited national president of BJYM and BJP MP from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur for the inauguration of the extension of DMU train till Amb.

Anurag, who was scheduled to go to Chile to attend a conference of parliamentarians, cancelled the programme. He had gathered his supporters in large number at Amb for the function. However, at the last moment he was informed by the railway authorities that the programme had been cancelled.

Peeved at the sudden cancellation of the programme, Anurag started ringing up senior officials of the Railways. However, they did not give any satisfactory answer to his queries by just maintaining that the programme had been cancelled at the behest of top political bosses.

He then called up the Union Minister of State for Railways.

After talking to the minister, Anurag, while addressing his supporters, alleged that the Railways’ function was cancelled at the behest of Union Minister for Small, Micro and Medium Industries Virbhadra Singh.

He also then talked to Virbhadra Singh and the two leaders allegedly had a spat over the issue.

Anurag later alleged that the cancellation of the programme had reflected the negative attitude of Virbhadra Singh. He said since the Railways had announced to commence the broad gauge train from Amb, many passengers had also gathered at the railway station. They also had to return dejected.

Anurag said from now on, workers of the BJYM would show black flags to Virbhadra Singh in the state. He also warned of agitation against the railway authorities in case the DMU train was not extended to Amb within the next 10 days.

The Una-Talwara railway line is the only board gauge railway line project being undertaken in Himachal. It involved the extension of railway line from Nangal to Talwara. In the past more than three decades, the Railways has been able to extend the railway line by just about 50 km from Nangal to Amb.

It was only today the passenger railway services were to be started from Amb. However, even this inauguration was marred by politics.

Shimla, July 1
The government will ensure at least one special promotion to all those constables who fail to get any jump in the career in the normal course to encourage them to perform their duties diligently.

Stating this while presiding over the award ceremony of the “Policewala of the Year 2011” here today, Chief Minister PK Dhumal said if a constable failed to get promotion even after 16 years, he would be promoted as honorary head constable. He said out of the total police personnel strength, 10 per cent retired as ASI, 400 as SI and about 100 as inspector.

He said the government was spending Rs 16.5 crore annually on housing for police personnel. More housing projects were being undertaken under police modernisation in the state.

The Chief Minister congratulated the winners of Policewala Awards and hoped that the awards would inspire other police personnel to work hard. Famous Bollywood actor Anupam Kher, who hails from Shimla, was the special guest.

Former DGP RR Verma was awarded Life-Time Achievement Award. Those presented awards for excellent service included Atul Fulzele, SP, Virender Kalia, DSP, Pramod Shukla, DSP, Head Constable Seema Devi and Constable Sanjeev Kumar.

G.C.Bhargava, DIG, received the award for honesty, Gurmail Singh, Inspector, for the best trainer, Sapto Kumar, SI, for fight against crime, Anup Ram and Kulbhushan, both constables, for outstanding bravery, Susheel Kumar Sharma, DSP and Santosh Kumar, ASI, for the best investigations, Balbir Singh, DSP, for the best community policing, Abhimanyu, ASI, for the best traffic management, and Ramesh Kumar, Head Constable, for extra-ordinary services.

Shimla, July 1
Actor Anupam Kher wants to set up a theatre academy in the state so that the talented youth don’t have to go out of the state to learn acting skills.

“I feel compelled to give something back to the state which has given me so much. I owe all that I have achieved in life to the state and its people”, Kher, who was here in connection with the “Policewala of the Year” awards, said while recalling memories of the days he spent in the “Queen of Hills” as a young boy.

“I still remember that it was July 27, 1974, when I left this beautiful city to join the National School of Drama to purse theatre. It has been a long time but the bond with Shimla has grown only stronger”, he said looking back at the time gone by.

Overwhelmed with nostalgia, he said: “The joy is inexpressible and every time I land up in Shimla, I feel as if l have returned to my mother’s lap. The very ambience is so comforting”.

He recalled that he was not a very bright student but was keenly interested in theatre and learnt his first lessons in acting at the famous Gaiety Theatre where he performed his first play. He also visited the DAV School at Lakar Bazar where he spent his childhood days. “I love visiting the school whenever I visit the city,” he said.

The other important landmark of the city which has played a vital role in his life is the Gaiety Theatre and he would revive the link by performing the play “Anupam ke Sath Kuchh Bhi Ho Sakta Hai” in August. The theatre has provided platform to many great actors who made it big in Bollywood. It was a stage where he would love to perform again and again.

The play, which Kher plans to perform, will be sponsored by the state Department of Language, Aart and Culture. He will be performing after a long time.

Shimla, July 1
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau today arrested an executive engineer in the Public Works Department and a junior engineer in the state electricity board for accepting a bribe.

Pankaj Kapoor, posted as executive engineer in the electric wing of the PWD, was nabbed red-handed by a vigilance team for accepting a bribe of Rs 35,000.

“We had received a compliant from a contractor who claimed that Kapoor had allegedly demanded money from him for granting him favour,” said KC Sadyal, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Vigilance.

Vigilance sleuths also nabbed Karam Chand, a junior engineer (JE) in the HPSEB, for demanding bribe from a neighbour, who was undertaking some welding work in his house. Sadyal said the JE had demanded Rs 2,000 from a house-owner on the plea that he had not sought prior permission to undertake the welding work.

Hamirpur, July 1
HP Technical University (HPTU), Hamirpur, has extended the dates for admission to engineering and B.Pharma courses in different private and government institutions of the state for the session 2011-12.

Giving this information, Dr Shashi Dhiman, Vice-Chancellor, HPTU, said the dates for submitting admission forms in B.Tech and B.Pharma courses have been extended since more seats are available in these courses.

The B.Tech forms can now be submitted till July 9 and B. Pharma courses till July 4.

The forms for these courses are available in government ITIs and polytechnic institutions of the state and applicants can send their filled forms to JN Government Engineering College, Sunder Nagar, till 5 pm of due date.

The first phase of counselling for B Tech and BE courses would be held from July 11 to 22 and second phase would be held from August 4 to 11.

The counselling for B. Pharma courses would be held in the first phase from July 5 to 9 and in the second phase from July 25 to 27.

Counselling for both these courses would be held in JN Government Engineering Ccollege, Sunder Nagar.

Chamba, July 1
One person died on the spot when he fell into a 20-metre deep gorge near holy township of Bharmour subdivision in Chamba district last evening.

According to a report, the deceased has been identified as Jamphoo Ram, a resident of Khandoli village in Sinyoor panchayat near Holi township.

The deceased had gone to finalise the date of marriage of his son, when on his way back to his native Khandoli village, his feet slipped from a hillock and he plunged into a deep gorge.