Shimla, March 2
The Cabinet today put off a final decision on the commercial use of land given to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) for construction of a five-star hotel in Dharamsala and gave its nod to making the Jakhu aerial ropeway functional after payment of penalty for violations.

This became clear at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

The government is keen that a thorough investigation is held into the case before taking any final decision. The Revenue Department is likely to gather specific details, including the nature of violations, and then place the matter before the Cabinet again.

The government has sought a detailed report on permission granted to the HPCA by the previous regime for construction of the five-star hotel Pavilion near the cricket stadium in Dharamsala. The Chief Secretary has decided to issue a show-cause notice to officials responsible for allowing commercial use of land given for sports.

The Cabinet gave its nod to providing free travel facility in Himachal Road Transport Corporation buses to all students of government schools with effect from April 1. The Chief Minister made this announcement on January 25.

It also gave its nod to giving relaxation to the Jakhu aerial ropeway regarding base and top stations after receiving the applicable penalty under the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1994. The project had been held up as promoters had constructed 13 storeys while approval had been taken only for 11 floors.

Approval was also given to inserting Rule 5A and 5B after Rule 5 of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education, Himachal Pradesh Rules, 2011. This will help disadvantaged groups and weaker sections of society in getting their children admitted to privately managed aided and unaided schools.

The Cabinet also approved the Vision Document for Manali agglomeration and its sub-region making it an integral part of the Development Plan for Manali Agglomeration of Kullu Valley Planning Area.

The Cabinet gave its approval to place supplementary demands for grants amounting to Rs.870.16 crore for 2012-13 in the Vidhan Sabha in the upcoming session. The excise policy for 2013-14 was also approved.

The Cabinet gave its approval to enhancing the remuneration of part-time workers and sweepers with the Health Department from Rs 1,100 per month to Rs 1,300 per month. It approved the filling up of three posts of professor and two of assistant professors at the Himachal Pradesh Government Dental College in Shimla through direct recruitment.

Approval was also given to filling up vacancies in other departments. The Cabinet gave its approval to engaging NIELIT in Chandigarh, a government service provider agency, for providing education in information technology to students of classes XI and XII in the state.

Shimla, March 2
It has been a three-decade-long love-hate relationship that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and octogenarian Congress leader Sukh Ram have shared in their political careers, spanning almost half a century.

The two political stalwarts who have dominated Himachal politics while holding important positions, both in the state and the Centre, are once again on the same side of the fence. With Anil Sharma, son of Sukh Ram, joining the Virbhadra Singh Cabinet after many hitches, the stage seems to have been set for the by-election for the Mandi Lok Sabha, vacated by the Chief Minister.

Sensing the political clout that Sukh Ram still holds in the Mandi area, despite being in virtual political hibernation for the past some time, the Chief Minister once again obliged the one-time powerful Telecommunication Minister in the Narasimha Rao government by inducting his son into his Cabinet.

It was during the run-up to the fight for the post of Chief Minister in 1993 that Sukh Ram, with the full backing of Narasimha Rao came very close to almost wresting the top post from Virbhadra Singh.

It was owing to the support of a majority of the MLAs that Virbhadra managed to become Chief Minister, much to the displeasure of even the high command.

As a powerful minister in the Union Cabinet, Sukh Ram wielded great influence before his career was marred by the telecommunication scam, leading to his resignation. A true survivor, Sukh Ram floated Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) in 1997 which played spoilsport and ensured that the Congress did not come back to power in the 1998 Assembly polls.

Sukh Ram himself remained a minister in the BJP-HVC combine under PK Dhumal, before he had to resign after the framing of charges against him. Bitter at the Congress virtually shunning him, he put his might to ensure victory of Maheshwar Singh in the Lok Sabha election in 1998, ensuring the defeat of Pratibha Singh, wife of Virbahdra.

The relationship of the two leaders once again took a turn when Sukh Ram merged the HVC with the Congress before the Lok Sabha polls and Pratibha Singh became MP from Mandi.

Sukh Ram, who has almost retired from politics, now seems to have once again extracted a political price for ensuring his support for the victory of the Congress from Mandi either in the by-election or when the general elections are held.

Hamirpur, March 2
The extraction of gravel, stone and sand from a majority of the rivulets in Hamirpur district has been banned by the state government till further auction and environment clearance for mining of the material.

The order came into force after the expiry of a majority of the leases granted earlier, on February 28.

The rider of seeking environment clearance for extraction was imposed on the directions of the high court after reports of illegal and unscientific mining in many areas of the state.

A report regarding large-scale illegal mining in several rivulets of the district was carried in The Tribune a few weeks ago.

To check the illegal and unscientific mining, the state government had asked all lease holders to submit an environment clearance report for the extraction of material from the auctioned rivulets.

The next auction of the mining lease for rivulets was likely to be held in the next two months, after which the environment clearance report would have to be submitted by the lease holders to the Mining Department to start the lifting of the material.

District Mining Officer Rajeev Kalia said, “Extraction of sand, gravel and stones will remain banned after the expiry of the mining lease till the new auction and submission of environment clearance report by the lease holders.”

He said the construction activity would not be affected much since a few mining leases were still in force from where the contractors would keep supplying building material till the new auction. 

Mandi, March 2
The shifting of the bus stop from Seri Munch has eased traffic congestion in the town. The Citizens’ Council has also welcomed the district administration’s move and extended their support. Backed by the council, the administration remained firm on its decision to decongest the town.

Even the CPM-led protest against the shift today got a poor response as residents slammed it as a “cheap publicity stunt”.

But the residents supported the CPM-led Seri Channi Bus Stop Sangharsh Samiti’s demand for a parking facility and the removal of the two-wheelers parked on both the sides of the narrow main road leading to Kotli and Sarkghat.

YN Vaidya, president of the council said, “We support the administration as the Seri Munch bus stop was adding to chaos”.

But CPM general secretary Bhupender Singh said people going to Tunagal and Bari Gumanu were facing problems.

Additional District Magistrate, Mandi, Pankaj Rai appealed to the residents to cooperate as the decision had been taken in the interest of the common man.

CPI and CPM activists block the road to demand the local bus stop in Mandi town on Saturday. Photo: Jai Kumar

Mandi, March 2
Bina Devi, 50-year old widow of a Dalit labourer from Bhadiyal (Balh), has accused a factory owner, the police, zonal and Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) authorities of negligence in her husband’s death.

She alleged that her husband Lachu Ram died as he did not get proper treatment and the police did not take any action even 10 months after registering an FIR against the factory owner.

Assisted by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national council member Des Raj, the widow, along with two women from the village, lodged a complaint with Mandi SP RS Negi.

They urged him to take action against the erring policemen who had “dumped” the copy of the FIR lodged at the Balh police station on April 27, 2012, when Lachu Ram was under treatment at the Mandi zonal hospital.

He had stated in his complaint that a concrete equipment collapsed and hit him that broke his leg and he was left on the heap for two hours at Lavanya Pipe Factory in the Balh valley.

He succumbed to his injuries on his way home after he was discharged from the zonal hospital on August 3, 2012.

His widow has been running from pillar to post to seek justice. “Even the land I own is being grabbed by my neighbour,” she alleged in a complaint addressed to the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice, Himachal Pradesh, National Human Rights Commission and Labour Ministry.

Bina Devi alleged that her husband died due to negligence of the factory owner. On April 27 he was taken to the zonal hospital where he was injected some medicines after which he fell unconscious and was referred to the IGMC, Shimla, on April 28. On June 11, 2012, Lachu Ram was referred back to the Mandi zonal hospital where he was till August 3 and discharged in the same unconscious state, and he died on his way back home, she said. “I borrowed money from my relatives, but neither the factory owner nor the government helped me,” she alleged.

Des Raj said they had demanded a CBI inquiry as the local police and the factory owner allegedly conspired to dump the FIR as no investigation was started in the case. “We could not get the copy of the FIR from the Balh police station,” he said. The SP said he had deputed the DSP to investigate the case.

Mandi, March 2
The induction in the ministry of Mandi legislator Anil Sharma, son of former Union Telecommunications Minister Sukh Ram, has reduced the political mileage of Darang legislator and Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur in the district.

“Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has decided to include a third minister from Mandi in the bid of the Congress to retain the Mandi Lok Sabha seat in the byelection. He is also eyeing the 2014 Lok Sabha elections,” said party workers.

There are three ministers from the district, Kaul Singh Thakur, Parkash Chaudhary and Anil Sharma. Insiders said the induction of Sharma would not only revive the political fortunes of the father-son duo, but also diminish the political clout of Kaul Singh.

Sukh Ram and his son Anil did not get along well with Kaul Singh. “Sukh Ram has been lying low since he got involved in the telecom scam, which is still pending in a Delhi court,” the insiders said.

They said dissidents had been calling the shots as they enjoyed a close rapport with Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma. “The induction of Anil Sharma is bound to ruffle political feathers as he may create a third major power centre in the 10-member Mandi district,” feel partymen here.

Excise and Taxation Minister Parkash Chaudhary, a Virbhadra Singh loyalist, also enjoys a good rapport with Sharma. “Kaul Singh is a detractor and has not been getting along well with the Chief Minister,” the insiders added.

Solan, March 2
The Baddi police arrested three youths last evening for duping a company executive of Rs 48,000, on the pretext of providing him a visa to Singapore.

The case had come to light on February 1 when Anil Kumar, an employee of a Hyderabad-based industrial unit, had registered an FIR against an unknown person acting as a visa consultant.

The police had registered a case under the Information Technology Act and arrested Sunil Kumar of Sonepat, Raman Pathania of Indora and Amit Pathania of Nurpur in Kangra district yesterday.

The interrogation of Parikshit Guleria, an employee of a Baddi-based unit, whose bank account had been used to transact the money, had led to the arrest of the other three.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Baddi, Amit Sharma said all the four had been found to be involved in the crime.

The accused had been remanded to police custody.

According to the complaint, Anil Kumar had received an SMS on his mobile which offered him a visa to Singapore. Kumar later received a call from the same number and the caller identified himself as a visa consultant at Singapore.

Kumar was asked to send Rs 18,000 on January 15 in lieu of providing a visa and its copy was mailed to him by the unknown person. Kumar was later asked to deposit another Rs 30,000 on January 24 for the confirmation of the air ticket. It was not confirmed and he was asked to come to Chandigarh with all his documents. Kumar, however, could not trace the unknown person at the address given. 

Palampur, March 2
Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM) Bhupinder Attari today sent to the state government a status report on the purchase of a 4.68-hectare tea garden by Kumud Bhushan Education Society at Kandwari, in which social activist Prashant Bhushan had direct interest.

The SDM had received a 10-point query letter from the government. Sources said the SDM had confirmed in his report that the land in question was originally a tea garden and was still a tea garden in the revenue record which could neither be sold nor its land use be changed as per the HP Land Revenue Act, 1970.

It had also been stated in the report that the seller had obtained permission from the government to sell the tea garden and its sale deed was registered at the Registrar’s office on March 4, 2010. Photocopies of all documents placed before the Registrar by the seller and purchaser, along with answers to all 10 queries, were sent to the government.

The matter pertaining to the purchase of tea garden land figured in the Cabinet meeting on February 9, after which the government had initiated steps for the cancellation of the sale deed of the land. The final decision will be taken by the Cabinet in the next few days.

Kangra, March 2
Under the Public Entrepreneurship Guarantee Scheme for the next two years, the food storage capacity in the state will be enhanced to 25,000 metric tonnes so that food distribution through the public distribution system can be regularised.

Minister for Transport, Food and Civil Supplies GS Bali said this while presiding over a meeting of senior officers of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) at Nagrota Bagwan on Thursday.

Bali said with the help of the Union Government under the pilot project in the district, electronic ration card scheme would be implemented shortly and under it the consumer could purchase food and other items from any civil supplies depot.

He said under the public private partnership (PPP), Food and Civil Supplies distribution outlets would be set up at all prominent bus stands from where pilgrims, tourists and local people could purchase daily consumer items.

Bali urged the Food and Civil Supplies Department and the FCI to work jointly with proper coordination.

The minister told the FCI authorities to open LPG agencies in rural areas to protect the forest wealth and enhance the kerosene quota from the Centre.

He said the FCI godown at Nagrota Bagwan would be handed over to the Civil Supplies Department and the pending dues of the Hill Road Transport would be disbursed. He announced that for a food storage centre, 10 acres of land would be made available at Nagrota Bagwan within 10 days.

On the occasion, Joint Secretary, FCI, Sudhir Garg said working of the PDF system in Himachal Pradesh was satisfactory and transparent. He said Himachal was at the top in the country in the distribution of ration among people living Above the Poverty Line (APL).

Garg said 1.40 lakh metric tonne storage capacity would be created so that people would have ration for four months. At different places secondary storage centres should be developed so that besides food items, vegetables, fruits and other consumable items could be stored there, he added.

The meeting was attended by HS Baliwal, Deputy General Manager, FCI, and SK Jain, Director, Civil Supplies, SM Nanta, Director, Food and Civil Supplies Department, BS Badiliya and other officers.

Nurpur, March 2
The Fatehpur police in Jawali subdivision yesterday claimed to have solved the mystery revolving the murder of Tarsem Singh, an ex-Army man of Sarolli village, by arresting all the four culprits who had conspired to eliminate him. The police had recovered an unidentified headless body on January 14 near Rey. The police had also recovered a human male head in a decomposed condition at Shah Nehar barrage on February 13. A forensic examination of the head and the headless body had established the identity of the deceased.

A case of murder and conspiracy under Sections 302, 201 and 120 (B) of the IPC had been registered at Fatehpur police station after the identification of the deceased. The arrested culprits had confessed their crime in the preliminary investigations.

According to information, the police had arrested Budhi Singh of Sarolli village, brother of the deceased, his brother-in-law Satish of Barot village, Baryam Singh, second brother of the deceased, and his friend Harpal Singh of Raja Ka Talab on Thursday evening. They were produced in the court yesterday and remanded in police custody till March 6. 

Chamba, March 2
The state government has restored offices of the Deputy General Manager (DGM) of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL), Chamba, shifting its headquarters from Chamba to Sundla in the district.

Earlier, the office had been closed down by the previous BJP government, relocating its staff at different places of the state.

The recent decision of restoring the office came in the wake of an initiative taken by Congress MLA of Dalhousie and former Cabinet minister Asha Kumari at a meeting held in Shimla on January 24, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, regarding the priorities of developmental works for the Annual Plan of 2013-14.

Kumari said the office had been set up at Sundla to undertake the construction work on the proposed 48-MW Surangani-Sundla hydroelectric project. The project will be a source of livelihood as an indirect employment to local people living in adjoining areas.

She said the state government had directed the HPPCL officials to get the vacant premises of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation at Sundla so that the offices of the HPPCL’s DGM and the residences for its staff could be accommodated.

Palampur, March 2
Ravinder Thakur, senior BJP leader and former IPH Minister, criticised the state government for calling a meeting of a screening committee, for the approval of six new cement plants, proposed to be set up in the state.

Addressing mediapersons here, Ravinder said the state government should not go ahead with the new plants as the existing ones were enough.

He said the state government should emphasise on eco-friendly industries in the state and not encourage cement industry, which had already spoilt the environment of the state.

He blamed the state government for promoting “anti-environment industry”.

He said more cement plants would also hit the tourism industry.

Besides, over 70,000 trucks of these plants would use state roads daily, hindering the smooth flow of traffic. 

Bilaspur, March 2
“Farmers should take to modern and technically improved methods of growing agricultural and horticultural produce in their fields and supplement their income with seasonal and off-seasonal vegetables which fetch a good price in the market,” said Rajesh Dharmani, Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Forests), while addressing a day-long-farmers training camp and farmers seminar, jointly organised by the District Agriculture Department and the Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) at Hambot village, 65 km from here, yesterday.

Dharmani said farmers should take full advantage of the advice of experts of the Agriculture and Horticulture Departments and also scientists of Krishi Vigyaan Kendra (KVK) situated at Barthin near Ghumarwin to get solutions for their day-to-day problems and save their crops from pests, diseases, other calamities so that they got maximum return for their hard work in the fields.

He urged farmers to grow arhar dal for which the climate of this area was ideal. He also exhorted them to grow vegetables with the help of bio-fertilizers and not to use any product before 15 days had passed after spray of any pesticide.

Dr GC Lakhanpal, Deputy Director of Agriculture, LR Dhiman, ATMA Project Director, KVK scientists Dr Ravinder Kumar, Dr Akhilesh Singh and Dr AK Chaube also addressed function apart from other subject specialists. Chief guest Dharmani also distributed kits of vegetables seeds among more than 300 participant farmers. 

Paonta Sahib, March 2
A second case of dumping a newborn has come to light in Paonta Sahib subdivision in a month, with the body found behind bushes at Rajban Colony of the town today.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Nischint Negi said locals informed the police about a body badly devoured by animals. The body had been sent to the IGMC for a post-mortem and there was no information about its origin.

A case under Section 318 of the Indian Penal Code against an unknown person was registered.

Negi said though all panchayat pradhans and ward members were directed to inform them if any pregnancy had been aborted in their vicinity, after the first such case on
February 2, no such information was received.

The police was not ruling out the possibility of miscreants from neighbouring Yamunanagar and Uttarakhand having indulged in the crime. With no clue, the police was groping in the dark.

In the earlier case, a rag-picker had discovered the body of a female newborn dumped in a dustbin.