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assembly in session
government Completes 100 Days
State BJP chief announces new team
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Justice AM Khanwilkar is new CJ of HP HC New Delhi, April 3Justice Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar, a judge of the Bombay High Court, has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court (HC). He has been an Additional Judge of the Bombay HC and a permanent judge since April 8, 2002. After graduating in commerce and law from Mumbai University, he started legal practice in 1982 and handled cases relating to criminal, civil, constitutional, election and cooperative matters. — TNS
Pvt varsities can’t be dissolved before 50 years: House
Purchase of LCDs, split AC in CMO office creates row
Cong issues show-cause notice to INTUC chief
Work on Theog-Hatkoti highway likely to start by September
Kisan Sabha members start relay hunger strike in Dharamsala
Carnatic music reverberates at Lawrence School
Chess player goes missing
Probe officer partial, says NGO chief
165 trees of different species felled illegally: VB
Avalanche hits Manali-Rohtang road, 1 missing
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assembly in session
Shimla, April 3 Replying to a question of Ravinder Ravi of the BJP, he said Union Commerce Minster Anand Sharma had written a letter to the Chief Minister that the demand for the restoration of the package was justified and the matter was under consideration by the Centre. The Chief Minister had written letters to the Prime Minister, the Finance Minister and the Commerce Minister urging them to restore and extend the package till 2020. He said he also met the Commerce Minister along with the Chief Minister and had detailed discussions with him on the issue. Agnihotri said the package had expired on January 6, 2013, and its impact was being evaluated to ascertain the reasons for relatively low investment even during the period when incentives were available. In all, industrial proposals worth Rs 48,000 crore were sanctioned, but out of these, projects involving an investment of over Rs 35,000 crore failed to come up, he said. There were other bottlenecks, which held back investors despite the incentives available under the package, he added. The Congress government had already taken some measures like time-bound clearances within 90 days to facilitate investors. It would attract investors through invitation by simplifying procedures, though it was hopeful of securing some incentives like enhanced capital investment subsidy from the Centre, Agnihotri said. Soon after the Question Hour, Ravinder Ravi drew the attention of the House toward media reports of ‘snooping’ activities by the police in the Vidhan Sabha Complex during the ongoing Budget session. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh dismissed the report straightaway and also had a dig at the BJP by stating, “There is no snooping going on anywhere. The days of snooping and phone tapping are over. They are performing only security duty”. MINISTERSPEAK
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government Completes 100 Days
Shimla, April 3 Addressing a press conference here today on the occasion of the completion of 100 days of the Congress regime in the state, he said there was an endless list of issues in which probe had to be ordered. “We intend to get the probe done into various issues through different agencies rather than entrusting the task to a Special Investigation Team (SIT),” he said. He said probe into the Bemloe Housing Project, Annandale land deals, land purchase by Prashant Bhushan and affairs of the HP Cricket Association were underway. “I have yet to study the report on ‘benami’ land deals submitted by the DP Sood Commission, but if need be, we can consider setting up another commission to look into the issue,” he said. Virbhadra said the Vigilance Bureau had been assigned the task of not just probing but proceeding further with the alleged phone tapping issue. “With the formation of the Congress regime in the state, at least one can freely talk in complete privacy to anyone over the telephone, with no lurking fear of snooping,” he said in a lighter vein. Listing the achievements of his regime during the first three months, he said the election manifesto had been adopted as a policy document. “Concrete steps are being taken towards expediting the fulfilment of the promises made to the electorate during the elections and this will be done over a period of time,” he said. The Chief Minister said efforts were being made to get the industrial package restored and the issue had been taken up with the Prime Minister as well as the Finance Minister. “Either the package will be restored or Himachal will be compensated in some other way and we have also sought a financial help of Rs 740 crore from the Centre,” he said. He termed the performance of his Cabinet, a blend of youth and experience as far beyond his expectations. “The experiment has been a big success and the Cabinet as a whole is functioning to achieve the goals set by the government in its election manifesto, which has been adopted as a policy document,” he said.
CM says no to truce
Notwithstanding the political truce between Virbhadra Singh and his one-time Cabinet colleague Vijay Singh Mankotia, the Chief Minister said the defamation filed by him against the Kangra leader would continue in the court of law. It was being expected that after getting a clean chit in the CD case from the court of law, Virbhadra could withdraw the defamation filed against Mankotia. It was Mankotia who had released the CD against Virbhadra. |
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State BJP chief announces new team
Shimla, April 3 While many of the old faces in the state body have been retained, some youth leaders have been included. This is the second inning of Satti as the state party chief. The state executive is likely to be announced within the next one week. It is learnt that a panel of three names each have been submitted to the party high command for being appointed as state chief of various frontal organisations, including the president of the Mahila Morcha and the chief of the Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha. Satti’s new team is dominated by Dhumal loyalists as a few supporters of the former Chief Minister figure in the list released today. A majority of the former ministers in the Dhumal Cabinet have been included in the list of the 19 permanent invitees. The new team has nine vice-presidents, three general secretaries, Rajeev Bindal, Vipin Singh Parmar and Randhir Sharma. The new team has eight secretaries and one organising secretary, Pawan Kumar Rana. Another noteworthy development is the comeback made by Indu Goswami, BJP leader as the state secretary after a long gap. Ganesh Dutt, Kripal Parmar and Praveen Sharma have been made the state spokespersons of the party. The other members of the media team include Ashok Kapatia, Himanshu Mishra, Pravene Sharma and Hariom Bhanot. The vice-presidents are, Ramswaroop Sharma, Mahender Singh Thakur, Narender Bragta, Vikram Singh Thakur, Rajeev Bhardwaj, Rama Verma, Rajeev Sehjal, Ram Singh and Sikander Kumar. Those who have been made secretary include Neena Sharma, Indu Goswami, Vinod Thakur, Payal Vaid, Vinod Mahajan, Daisy Thakur, Trilok Jamwal and Kamlesh Kumari. The list of 19 permanent invitees are PK Dhumal, Shanta Kumar, Jagat Prakash Nadda, Anurag Thakur, Nageen Chander Pal, Suresh Chandel, Jaikishan Sharma, Suresh Bhardwaj, Jai Ram Thakur, Khimi Ram Sharma, Virender Kashyap, Vimla Kashyap, Sarveen Chaudhary, Ramesh Dhwala, Gulab Singh Thalur, Ravinder Singh Ravi, Kishan Kapoor, Rikhi Ram Koundal and Chaman Lal Gupta. |
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Pvt varsities can’t be dissolved before 50 years: House
Shimla, April 3 In the amendment Bill introduced yesterday, a period was proposed to be raised to 40 years, but some BJP members suggested that the period should be raised to 50 years. The government brought an amendment and the Bills were passed in the amended form with a provision making it mandatory for private universities to remain functional for a minimum of 50 years. The universities for which amendment Bills were passed today included Sai University, Eternal University, Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India University and Chitkara University. The members expressed concern over the increasing drug menace during a discussion raised by Mohinder Singh of the BJP. Replying to the debate, Excise and Taxation Minister Prakash Chaudhary said it was a serious issue and government agencies were doing their bit. The steps being taken by the government included deployment of the police in plain clothes near educational institutions and other sensitive points. Joint raids were also being conducted by the department and the police to check sale of drugs and other narcotics. Earlier, Mohinder Singh said the youth was being targeted by drug mafia and even schoolchildren were falling prey to the menace. Narcotics were being sold illegally at cigarette shops and dhabas. Liquor was being sold illegally in shops in rural areas and the government agencies were not able to curb the illegal trade, he said. He suggested that the police should resort to tapping of telephones to nab those indulging in such activities which were destroying the youth. |
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Purchase of LCDs, split AC in CMO office creates row
Solan, April 3 The order to purchase these items was placed by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) through a Chandigarh-based firm, M/S AGMax Business Solutions, on March 26, barely six days before the completion of the last financial year. The seven LCDs of 42WS10 model of LG Company were purchased at an inflated rate of Rs 6,49,691 while one LCD of 55WS10 model was purchased at the rate of Rs 2,01,938 and eight wall-mounted stands for the same cost Rs 44,552. Inquiries from the market, however, revealed that the 42WS10 model of 42-inch LCD was available at a cost of Rs 49,000, while the other model 55WS10 was available at a cost of Rs 57,000. The seven ACs cost Rs 3,34,480, thus the total purchases had been made at a cost of Rs 8,96,181. However, according to a letter available with The Tribune, these items were received and checked and its bills were verified for release by the office of the CMO on March 29, barely three days after placing the order. The purchase of these luxury items has put a question mark on the working of the Regional Hospital where money collected by the RKS was being spent on luxuries and poor patients were forced to purchase most of the medicines from markets. Issues like expansion of facilities for patients have not only failed to be addressed but there is a little check on doctors prescribing costly generic medicines to patients. Deputy Commissioner Mira Mohanty, who heads the RKS, said she would get the matter inquired into as the hospital authorities had been saying that no purchase had been made as yet. She said one LCD for the waiting lounge and blowers had been approved for purchase but she was not aware about the purchase of eight LCDs and seven ACs from the RKS funds. However, Shashi Pal, CMO, could not be connected for comments. |
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Cong issues show-cause notice to INTUC chief
Shimla, April 3 The notice has been issued to Bawa, who is also the chairperson of the State Building Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, on the basis of media reports regarding his involvement in a criminal case. It underlines that the state Congress had adopted the policy of zero tolerance towards corruption and criminalisation of politics. Bawa had been asked to explain the circumstances which led to the registration of the criminal case against him and the nature of the offence allegedly committed by him. He had also been asked to submit a copy of the FIR along with the reply to the notice. In case further action like suspension from the party is taken against Bawa, he may be forced to quit the post of chairperson of the board. |
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Pilgrims stopped by transport officials, cause traffic jam
Dharamsala, April 3 Pilgrim tourists are coming in cavalcades of as many as 20 vehicles each. In numbers they see security from transport officials who set up nakas on state highways to collect taxes from unauthorised vehicles that are used by pilgrims to visit various temples. One such cavalcade of buses that had come from Uttar Pradesh paralysed traffic on the Kangra-Ranital road today. About 20 buses in the cavalcade moved slowly in a group that almost choked the traffic on the road. About 5 km from Kangra, Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials tried to stop one of these buses. This triggered a reaction. All the pilgrim buses stopped on the road plugging the traffic on the narrow road. The pilgrims got down from the buses and started raising slogans against the transport officials of the state. Soon there was about a 1-km-long traffic jam on the narrow road leading to Kangra. The RTO officials had to give in to pressure exerted by the pilgrims and the buses were allowed to move forward. People struck in the traffic jam flayed RTO officials for raising a naka on the narrow road that led the choking of traffic. They said the RTO officials should have stopped the buses along the Kangra bypass where there was enough space for the parking of buses. Stopping buses on a steep narrow road would obviously lead to traffic hazard for commuters, they said. The Navratras, during which thousands of pilgrims from adjoining states come to visit temples in Una and Kangra district, are starting from April 11. These will continue till April 20. This season is also peak tax and fine collection season for transport officials. They impose heavy fines on pilgrims coming in trucks and tractor-trolleys that are unauthorised vehicles for the transportation of public. The pilgrims over the past few years have also devised a strategy to avoid the imposition of heavy fines on them and the impounding of their vehicles by the Transport Department and the traffic police. They come in cavalcades of vehicles. Last year at some places, the pilgrims fought pitched battles against transport officials and even locals as they had enough strength to do so in the cavalcade of vehicles in which they had come. To check the practice, the transport officials should break the cavalcades of vehicles in which the pilgrims come during the Navratras at the border checkposts of the state. Since the cavalcades of vehicles are also a traffic hazard on the road, the pilgrims should not be allowed to move in groups of more than two buses or other vehicles to ensure a smooth transition of traffic on the roads. The RTO, Dharamsala, was not available for comments over the development despite repeated attempts to contact him on the phone. |
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Construction of Mandi, Chamba bus stands in limbo
Mandi, April 3 The Board of Directors (BoD) of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) has yet to take a final call on the issue. The HRTC has been under severe debt as the corporation had availed a loan of Rs 7 crore for the construction of the Mandi bus stand, insiders said. However, Mandi Sadar MLA Anil Sharma had raised questions on its design and had demanded its review. The then Transport Minister and president of the BoD (HRTC), Mahender Thakur, had started the work on the three bus stands. Sandhol bus stand falls in Dharampur, the home constituency of the former minister. HIMUDA, the executing agency, has completed the structural work in Mandi and Sandhol. “We are at the finishing stage, but the work has been stopped till further orders,” said engineers working on the project, adding that 13 bus bays had been opened for the public last year while five more were yet to be completed. Onkar Sharma, Managing Director, HRTC, said the work on the incomplete bus stands was under review of the BoD, adding that it would be resumed soon. The HRTC was categorising the bus stands according to need and availability of funds and not on other considerations, he added. He said the bus stand at Chamba would be constructed only after the jail was shifted to some other place. “The HRTC has taken a loan for the
Mandi bus stand, which it has to pay back. All the bus stand projects are under
the review of the BoD,” he added. |
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Work on Theog-Hatkoti highway likely to start by September
Shimla, April 3 The World Bank has granted an approval for the first package of Rs 174 crore covering 48 km of road length from Theog to Kharapathar and tenders have been invited. However, the entire process will take at least four months. The new company will be able to start work only by the end of September. The second package of Rs 129 crore covering the remaining 32-km road length from Kharapathar to Rohru is being finalised and submitted to the World Bank for approval within a month. The work was earlier given to a Chinese firm, Long Jian Road and Bridge Construction Company, in a single package of Rs 228 crore, but it failed to execute the project due perennial shortage of funds and manpower and the department was forced to rescind the contract. The delay and re-tendering of the project in two packages has increased the cost of project by Rs 75 crore. Project Director Naresh Sharma said the field staff of the PWD had been asked to identify sites for quarrying and dumping so that the company which bagged the contract should be able to start without any delay. A pre-bid meeting would be held shortly and the tender would be completed by the end of June and after completing formalities, the work would start only by the end of September, he said. Since it was important to keep the road traffic-worthy during the monsoons when apple was transported out from the region, the department had invited tenders for Rs 3.9 crore maintenance contracts to take care of dangerous sliding sections, which required construction of retaining walls and heavy machinery for the removal of debris, he said. It was in addition to the normal maintenance being carried out by the PWD. The work on the project for widening and up-grade of the Mehatpur-Amb highway, which was also allotted to the Ling Jian Road and Bridge Construction Company, had been expedited and tarring had been started. Meanwhile, the work on three more projects for the upgrade of Una-Badsar (45 km), Badsar-Jahu(45 km) and Jahu-Kalkhar (26 km) was in final stages and expected to be completed by October. With this, five of the total 10 packages awarded under the State Road Project will be completed. |
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Traffic disrupted on Cart road
Shimla, April 3 It was about 9.45 in the morning when the slush and debris from the construction site came down, blocking the Cart Road, which is the lifeline of the town. With the debris blocking the entire road, vehicular traffic came to a complete standstill resulting in great inconvenience to office goers and other commuters. The fresh slide has also posed a threat to the Clarkes Hotel, whose retaining wall had been damaged last year following the construction work of the lawyers’ chambers. The government has set a deadline of April for the completion of the road connecting the Cart road and the High Court. |
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Doon MLA made to write 60 times on 20 sheets to get handwriting samples
Panchkula, April 3 The nursing home records were got written five times on each sheet and there were five sheets. Then figures and other entries in vouchers were also to be written five times on five sheets. Different English sentences were also to be written on 10 sheets. Chaudhary still has to give his Hindi handwriting samples to the Panchkula police. The case will now come up for hearing on April 5. Though Chaudhary said his fingers were aching, the Panchkula police contended that he had just written two sheets till then. It was after the Forensic State Laboratory (FSL) had asked for more handwriting samples to match with those credentials and details written on the abortion papers and bank documents, that the Panchkula police sought permission from the court and got him from the Ambala jail. Recently a special investigation team (SIT) was formed in the case. After the father had moved an appeal in the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the police was acting in connivance with Chaudhary and might even destroy the proofs that SIT was formed. He had requested the court to either get the investigation done from a separate investigating agency or by some senior officer. Recently the hair sample reports of Chaudhary from the FSL revealed that the samples did not match with those of the hair strands found on the victim’s sweater at the time of the murder. The court had then sent a notice to the Panchkula police asking it to put up a report about the complete case. The case will come up for hearing on April 9. Jyoti (24) was found murdered on a road in Sector 21, Panchkula, on November 22, 2012. It was later that the police arrested Chaudhary and his aides who according to the police had murdered the victim because she was forcing him to continue with their relations. |
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Kisan Sabha members start relay hunger strike in Dharamsala
Kangra, April 3 Sabha vice-president Sat Pal Singh said the members gathered at the War Memorial in Dharamsala and took out a protest march. He said the victims of this demolition drive were landless and deserved government sympathy. The protesting members of the Kisan Sabha reached Deputy Commissioner C Palrasu’s office and held a demonstration there. They handed over a memorandum to him demanding the immediate intervention of the government as the demolition drive was against the Forest Land Act 2006. Sat Pal said such a protest was also organised at Bhawarna where a protest march was taken out from near the Government High School to the BDO’s office where the members held a demonstration and handed over a memorandum to the BDO. The members said people had been living in these houses for decades and should not be deprived of their hearths. The protesting members said village committees should be constituted by the government for regularising the houses. Sat Pal said four protesting members also started a relay hunger strike outside the DC’s office in Dharamsala in support of their demands and would continue till April 10, 2013. If by then their demands were not accepted, a massive rally would be held in Dharamsala on April 11. He accused the government of not representing the state before the High Court in the right perspective which had resulted in this crisis. |
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CUHP organises festival for North Indian universities on April 5-6
Kangra, April 3 Disclosing this here today, CUHP spokesman said HIMSPARK-13 would provide a unique platform to all the participants to display their managerial and professional skills in this competitive world. He said the Management Society, School of Business and Management Studies, CUHP, would host the festival. He said HIMSPARK-13 offered loads of infotainment and information as well as entertainment through the management events. In this festival over 30 formal and informal events were being organised for visitors and these would not only exhibit the hidden talent of the participants, but also nurture their skills, the spokesman said. There would be events like chaos theory, general and financial quiz, online marketing, talk show, photography, T-shirt painting, quantomania, sudoku etc during the festival, he said. The CUPH spokesman said a fusion band Trikaal Shastra would be there to energise and boost the spirit of the participants, and keeping in sight the management society vision, HIMSPARK-13 is also going to organise a community extension programme through an event called Skoolmate. It would be an event exclusively for school students from classes IX to XII . A painting competition would be held for them to showcase their creative ability, he added.
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Carnatic music reverberates at Lawrence School
Solan, April 3 She was accompanied by KJ Dileep on the violin and Sumesh Narayan on the mridangam. The vocal concert showcased various “kritis” that included Madhava Murahara in Raga Hamsanandi, Govardhana in Raga Hindolam, Nanda Mukunda in Raga Valaj, besides Vande-mataram and Pi’s Lullaby. The society seeks to foster an exchange of traditional Indian values and generate awareness of the cultural traditions and heritage of our country. A singer, music composer and teacher, with excellence as an underlying thread in all the activities, is what characterises Vidushi Bombay Jayashri Ramnath in the field of Carnatic music. Her performance left the staff and students mesmerised. She has been groomed under the tutelage of her guide and mentor Padmashri Lalgudi G Jayaraman (doyen of Carnatic music) and has got a diploma in music from Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. More recently, Jayashri composed and sang with her students verses from traditional texts and bhakti poetry in the album Smaranam. Jayashri recently sang Pi’s Lullaby, which sets the tone in Ang Lee’s film, “Life of Pi”. She has written the song as an original piece in Tamil and co-composed the track along with Michael Danna. Besides many other awards, she is also a proud recipient of the coveted Sangeetha Kala Bharathi Award from Bharath Kalachar in 2011. “There is nothing as ‘no sense of music’. Everyone is born with a sense of music. There is music in the rhythmic beating of the heart, in the chirping of birds, in the running stream and the falling rain. Music is in perfect harmony with nature,” mused Jayashri.
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Paprola school gets International School Award
Kangra, April 3 In this connection Sushma Gowsami, Principal of the school, was deputed by the school management to tour the United Kingdom for a week. During this time she visited different schools in London and Wilshire to know and learn about the educational system, cultural exchange and classroom-connecting programmes of that country. She introduced the classroom programme in her school at Paprola which is a global programme that creates partnership between the cluster of schools in the UK and others around the world. Sushma said this partnership brought international dimensions to young learners in the school to improve their knowledge in understanding other cultures and prepare them for life and work as global citizens. She said with these partnerships, a trust and understanding was developed among young people of different societies globally for creating a safe and more connected world for the future. She said in continuation of this exchange programme and partnership, a team of British delegates of 29 members comprising five teachers and 24 students of Saint Lawrence School, London, UK, visited JNV, Paprola, for two days and their visit concluded yesterday. The members of the UK delegation were honoured and presented Himachali caps as mark of cultural exchange.
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Chess player goes missing
Shimla, April 3 He said an FIR had been registered at the Theog police station, but so far the police was clueless about the player’s whereabouts. Vekta was a member of the Under-19 chess team of the state which had participated in the 29th National Chess Championship at Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, in 1999 and had been the third best unrated chess player at the Parsvnath International Chess Tournament in Delhi. Coach Khachi said Vekta was the second seeded chess player of the state with 1,942 International Chess Rating Points and has represented the state many times at international chess tournaments.
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Probe officer partial, says NGO chief
Bilaspur, April 3 Accompanied by another NGO leader Rajesh Parmar and two witnesses, Roshan Lal, a mason, and Sahan Lal, a labourer, Ram Singh said he had constructed a house near the Industrial Area here several years ago after fulfilling all the formalities of approval of map and “nishan dehi” of land from the authorities concerned. He alleged that seven persons and a police head constable came to his house in his absence and beat up his mason and labourer and threatened them with dire consequences after demolishing a wall of the house. He said he gave an application to the SP regarding the incident. “The SP sent the application to the Bilaspur Sadar police station on March 15,” he said.
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165 trees of different species felled illegally: VB
Nurpur, April 3 Y.R.Jaryal, ASP of the bureau, who is supervising the ongoing inquiry on the felling of trees, said today that Tilak Raj, a resident of nearby Lakhwal village had felled 165 trees with an estimated cost of Rs 3 lakh of different species, of six owners of private lands in the area. The SP, VACB, had constituted a six-member team which had completed the counting of the felled trees yesterday. Initially, the team had detected around 30 trees felled illegally, besides 25 trees for which a requisite permission had been taken from the forest department. The contractor had felled 165 more trees under the pretext of permission for 25 trees. The VACB had further started its investigations to verify the involvement of Forest Department staff in felling of trees.
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Avalanche hits Manali-Rohtang road, 1 missing
Manali, April 3 An assistant cameraman and a BRO personnel got minor injuries after being caught in the grip of avalanche. According to Mahabir Thakur, Deputy Director, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, an intensive search and rescue operation has been launched to recover the missing correspondent.
— OC
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