Shimla, August 24
Ending a decade-old legal battle, former Chief Minister PK Dhumal today withdrew a criminal defamation case filed by him in February, 2003, against Punjab Congress leader Capt Amarinder Singh.

It was following the statement made by Amarinder in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Shimla, today, that Dhumal decided to withdraw the case. “Following the regret expressed by Amarinderji, I have decided to withdraw the case against him, but not against Anand Sharma and Moti Lal Vora,” said Dhumal.

The defamation case had been filed by Dhumal against the former Chief Minister of Punjab, Union Commerce and Industry minister Anand Sharma and senior Congress leader Moti Lal Vora. The matter was taken up in the court of CJM Jyotsna Dadhwal today.

“Dhumal and I share a cordial relationship. In the course of my speech in Hamirpur on January 18, 2003, I did not attack him personally, though I criticised his government. Unfortunately, the speech was incorrectly reported in the media,” Amarinder said in his statement.

He added that he had not levelled any personal allegation against Dhumal and the allegations attributed to him in some newspapers were unfounded and not made by him. “I regret the hurt caused to Dhumal by the incorrect reporting in the press,” he said.

It was an election meeting addressed by Amarinder in Hamirpur that he had levelled serious corruption charges against the Dhumal government. While Amarinder was the Chief Minister of Punjab, Vora was AICC treasurer and Sharma AICC spokesperson.

Dhumal had served a legal notice to all three seeking apology. The case has now been listed for September 28 in which Sharma and Vora will have to appear personally in the court. Both Dhumal and Amarinder were present in the court. 

Una, August 24
Gastroenteritis has spread in Una district with about 100 patients being hospitalised. The Scheduled Caste population at Dehlan village and its surrounding areas is the worst affected. The sick people have been admitted to Dehlan and Una hospitals. Many people are reportedly undergoing treatment at private hospitals in Mehatpur and Nangal towns in Punjab.

GR Kaushal, Chief Medical Officer, Una, admitted that about 100 patients were admitted to government hospitals due to gastroenteritis. He said the disease had spread due to the consumption of contaminated water by people. "This type of disease is common in monsoons, but the situation is under control, he said.

He further said the patients who had been admitted to government hospitals were suffering from bacterial or amoebic infection. "We have sent the report to the district administration and the admitted patients are being given proper treatment," he said.

Sources here said the pipes supplying drinking water to the affected areas were punctured at various places that led to the contamination of water and further outbreak of the disease.

Water samples from the affected areas had been collected and sent for examination by the district administration.

The patients allege that proper arrangements are not available for those admitted to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) Dehlan. Due to scarcity of resources at the Dehlan hospital, two patients have been allotted only one bed. The general hygiene at Dehlan village is reportedly very poor.

Deputy Commissioner, Una, Abhishek Jain said he was personally monitoring the situation. He said a meeting of health and public authorities was called to look into the reasons for the outbreak of the disease. The poor patients would be provided financial aid from the Red Cross funds, he added.

He further said the IPH officials had also been directed to clean water sources in the entire district. They had also been ordered to carry out chlorination of water in affected areas.

The sources said the outbreak at Dehlan village started about four-five 5 days ago.

Dharamsala, August 24
Two French trekkers, who were on an expedition, have gone missing in the Dhauladhar mountain range.

Sources said the missing trekkers, Xabier (20) and Valintin (21), had come along with a 32-member group of trekkers to Dharamsala. The group of foreigners was brought here by an NGO, Field Service Intercultural Learning. The group, along with five local guides, had left for trekking from Dharamkot, a famous tourist spot located about 12 km from Dharamsala, on August 19.

On August 20, the group reached Triund, a famous trekking spot, and stayed there. The next day, the group trekked up to the snowline area in the Dhauladhars and camped there.

The other members of the group informed the police that both Xabier and Valintin insisted on climbing the highest snow-clad peak.

Despite local guides’ warning that the terrain was prone to landslides and difficult to trek in the monsoon, both the French trekkers left early in the morning to climb the highest peak in the area. The other members of the group waited for the French trekkers for the entire day to return. However, they did not come back. The group returned to Dharamkot on Friday evening and filed a missing report with the police.

Today the police dispatched a 30-member team to trace the French trekkers in the Dhauladhars. The team also includes local guides and mountaineers.

Police sources said the team could not make much progress beyond Triund due to bad weather. Since there is no mode of communication beyond Triund, but for satellite phones, it will be a difficult task for the team to track the French trekkers when the Dhauladhar mountain range receives very heavy rainfall.

The sources added that the police had informed the French Embassy through the Ministry for External Affairs regarding the missing French trekkers.

Shimla, August 24
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today asked the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to meet the drinking water requirement of people and allot a piece of land near the Pong Dam for fish farming.

In a meeting with BBMB chairman AB Agrawal, the Chief Minister said it was unfortunate that people who had become oustees due to the Bhakra Dam project could not be rehabilitated properly in Rajasthan. He said maximum number of people had been settled in Himachal. 

Shimla, August 24
Contrary to reports that admissions in private engineering colleges in the state were drastically low, the official figure on admissions given by the Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission stands at 53 per cent.

Based on the figures, which have been received by the Commission from 14 of 16 universities, admissions for the current academic session in undergraduate engineering programmes of private universities in the state has averaged at about 53 per cent, which is 3,233 seats against 3,531 in the previous academic session (2012-13).

Two universities, Manav Bharti University, Solan, and IEC University, Baddi, have not submitted the information to the Commission yet. “This is contrary to the reports in certain sections of the media that admissions this year have come down drastically due to the introduction of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains and 65 per cent in the qualifying examination as the entrance criteria,” said a spokesperson of the Commission.

He added that in other states, too, such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, the admissions in engineering courses was about 50 per cent. The range of admissions this year in private universities varies from 91 per cent to as low as eight per cent of the sanctioned intake, but the majority have the average intake of about 50 per cent.

This figure of 53 per cent takes into account enhanced seats in 2013-14, which is 6,040 as compared to 5,450 seats available in 2012-13. Universities with adequate faculty, better placement records and infrastructure have noticeably better admissions.

He said this was the first year that the JEE Main was made mandatory for admission to B.Tech.

He added it would continue to be an essential criterion for admissions in future as well. He added that in the long run the JEE exam would ensure further improvement in admissions.

Shimla, August 24
The Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (HPPSC) today launched a toll-free helpline to assist candidates applying for various posts to fill up their forms and answer their queries.

HPPSC Chairman KS Tomar launched the helpline number, 1800-180-8004, to help the candidates appearing for various competitive examinations in the state, here today. “The assistance centre will function from 10 am to 5 pm on all working days and telephonic calls of the candidates will be answered by the experienced and professional executives,” he said.

Almost 80,000 applications are received by the HPPSC annually from candidates for various posts like the Himachal Administrative Services (HAS), Himachal Judicial Services (HJS), doctors, naib-tehsildars and college lecturers. The maximum number of 33,000 applications are received for the HAS examinations.

Tomar said the launch of the helpline would be of great benefit, especially to youth in rural areas, who often face difficulty in filling up the online forms. “Though the applicants are intimated about the status of their application, including acceptance or rejection through SMS or mail, the helpline will be of great help,” he said.

He said the Commission was now planning to launch an online examination system to make it fully paperless, as was being done by various Public Service Commissions of the country.

Shimla, August 24
The world's longest mountain biking rallies, Hercules MTB-2013, will be much tougher this time with the inclusion of large stretches of single track and increase in an average uphill climb.

The rally will take off from here on September 28 and, after pedalling through over 500 km in the treacherous hill terrain of Shimla and Kullu districts, culminate in the state capital. As against the average ascend of 1,200 m to 1,400 m per day last year, the bikers will have to pedal up 1,800 m to 2,000 m and the highest point of the rally will be 3,300-m Hatu peak overlooking the tourist destination of Narkanda, which is 300 m higher than last year's highest point of the Jalori pass.

Further, instead of two or three small competitive sections of 15 to 20 km every day, the seven-day event will have one long competitive section of 60-70 km. The new format of the rally will put to a severe test both the mental toughness of the riders and the endurance of the bicycles. On an average, the participants will traverse a distance of about 72 km every day. The track includes some hike and bike sections also.

Mohit Sood, president, Himalayan Adventure Sports and Tourism Promotion Association (HASTPA), which has been organising the race to promote environment-friendly adventure tourism, said changes in the format had been effected to bring the event in line with the parameters set by the United Cyclae Internationale (UCI). The objective was to get recognition from the apex body to help attract more foreign participants to the event.

The event is being organised with the support of the Union Ministry of Tourism and the state Tourism Department. In all, over 80 riders are expected to take part in the 9th edition of the MTB Himalaya 2013. The event will see participation from over eight countries, besides teams from the Adventure Wings of the Indian Air Force and the Army.

The riders will be passing through the back country and touch over 100 villages en route. Unlike in the past, there will be no rest day.

Hamirpur, August 24
The Kangra Central Cooperative Bank (KCCB) election has become interesting in Hamirpur zone, as three Congressmen are running for the single post of Director.

The election process to elect 16 directors from all zones of the bank started on August 8 and will continue till August 24. The scrutiny of the nomination papers will be done on August 27, which is the last date for withdrawal of the candidature also. The elections are scheduled for September 7.

From Hamirpur district, two directors - one each from Hamirpur and Nadaun zone - will be elected.

All three Congressman - former MLA Kuldeep Singh Pathania, Sujanpur Nagar Panchayat president Manoj Kumar and former Deputy General Manager of the bank HR Pathania - are claiming the support of the ruling party in the elections.

The newly elected 16 directors, including three nominated by the state government and two ex-officio members, will further elect the Chairman of the KCCB.

With the Congress in power, it will be interesting to see whether it can change the history, as no Congressman has won this election in the past.

The support of the ruling party is important, as the balance can tilt in favour of a candidate supported by it. While the Congress has failed to reach a consensus on lending support to a candidate in Hamirpur zone, the BJP is backing KCCB former chairman RS Mankotia.

Former MLA Kuldeep Singh Pathania said: “The Congress party never officially nominates its candidate for these elections. However, efforts will be made to reach a consensus on the issue.”

For Nadaun zone, former bank Chairman BR Mandial, Jaid Nath affiliated to the BJP and Congress’s Atam Prakash are in the contest. 

Mandi/Sarkaghat, August 24
The flag-hoisting ceremony on Independence Day at a government school in Sarkaghat that turned into a slugfest between the Congress and the BJP has resulted in transfer of five of the school staff, including the principal.

The BJP workers, led by Hamirpur BJP MP Anurag Thakur and Dharampur BJP MLA Mahendra Thakur, hoisted the Tricolor at Government Senior Secondary School, Cholthra, which is named after Kargil war martyr Deepak Guleria.

Unhappy with the development, local Congress leaders asserted their authorities to effect the transfer of the school principal, three teachers and a non-teaching staff, for being actively involved in the ceremony dominated by the BJP, said the sources.

The sources added that Anurag and Mahendra used the ceremony to woo serving and ex-servicemen of Sarkaghat and Dharampur, which falls in the Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency represented by Anurag, son of the leader of the opposition PK Dhumal. They reportedly blamed the Congress for ignoring the Kargil martyrs, revealed sources.

Officials and school staff are tightlipped over the transfer of the school staff.

Nurpur, August 24
The project to set up the Disaster Management Battalion (DMB) of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) during the Dhumal regime at nearby Kopra gram panchayat is likely to be shelved following the statement of Revenue Minister Kaul Singh Thakur in the Assembly Thursday. His statement that land for the proposed project could not be found due to the opposition by locals has evoked sharp reactions here.

Taking a strong exception to his statement, former MLA Rakesh Pathania alleged that the Revenue Minister had misled the House by giving such baseless statement.

He said the ambitious project had been sanctioned during the PK Dhumal regime and most of the formalities had been completed with his efforts. “The local gram panchayat too had passed a resolution in favour of setting up the battalion and 17.5 hectares of private land of villagers and 23.06 hectares of forest land had been identified for the purpose. The compensation to the tune of Rs 12.68 crore and Rs 2.06 crore had been calculated, respectively, for private land owners and the Forest Department,” he said.

He further added the then Deputy Commissioner of Kangra had written to the NDRF authorities in September last year to release the compensation to pave the way to acquire land, but in the meantime the model code of conduct was enforced which halted the process.

He alleged that local MLA Ajay Mahajan, who should have protected the interest of the area, remained a silent spectator after the distorted statement of the Revenue Minister. “If this project is taken away from Nurpur, the local MLA will be responsible for it and people will not forgive him for this apathy,” he said.

Nurpur, August 24
To establish a better coordination between the government machinery and people in the wake of problems posed by incessant rain and floods, the local administration convened a meeting of representatives of gram panchayats of Nurpur and Indora blocks and officials of various departments on Friday. SDM Ashwani Sood said to expedite relief and rescue work in the rain-affected areas, panchayat-level relief committees were being constituted with local patwari and panchayat secretary as its official members and five non-government members recommended by panchayat pradhans.

“The panchayat committee will immediately act in the wake of the monsoon calamity and prepare a loss estimate report. The administration will rely upon the committee’s report and disburse relief accordingly. These committees will also prepare a detailed report of the unsafe houses and cowsheds in gram panchayats so that precautionary safety measures could be taken in time,” he said. He added that the administration had disbursed Rs 7 lakh so far among flood and rain victims in both blocks of the sub-division.

Meanwhile, the Revenue Department has assessed a loss to the tune of Rs 28 crore to private and government property in the rains during the past one month in the area. 

Shimla, August 24
Taking a serious note of the transfers of gazetted and non-gazetted police officers without following the norms, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to inform it within four weeks about the number of transfers of police officers made without following the mandatory provisions of the Police Act.

While giving the direction, a Division Bench comprising Justices Rajiv Sharma and Dharam Chand Chaudhary observed that “the objective of enacting the Act is to organise the police and keep it free from extraneous influences”. It further said: “As per Section 56 of the Act, there shall be a state Police Establishment Committee headed by the Director General of Police and comprising four senior police officers not below the rank of Inspector General of Police. The committee will be responsible for approving all postings and transfers of non-gazetted police officers among various wings of police organisations and for inter-range transfers in all the wings with the prior approval of the government".

The Bench further said the state must honour the rule of law. Frequent transfers of police officers demoralise the police organisation.

The Bench gave the direction on a petition wherein the petitioner contended that he had been frequently transferred from one place to another without following the mandatory provisions of the Police Act. He further alleged that he had not been permitted to complete his normal tenure. The court has stayed the transfer order of the petitioner and directed the state to file a reply within four weeks.

Palampur, August 24
Ravinder Thakur, senior BJP leader and former Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Minister, today accused Virbhadra Singh for discriminating against Kangra in development matters and release of funds for projects under construction.

Addressing a press conference here today, he said the Congress government was voted to power in December last and in the past eight months it had failed to bring any new project for Kangra.

He alleged that a development activities in the district had virtually come to standstill. The condition of state roads and highways passing though this region had gone from bad to worse. Besides, four-laning of the Pathankot-Mandi national highway passing through Kangra had also been hanging fire since the Congress was voted to power.

He said PK Dhumal had begun the process for the acquisition of land, but in the past eight months no steps had been taken for acquiring the land to widen this highway.

Ravinder said the recent move of the Dalai Lama to shift from Dharamsala to Bangalore would be a major setback to the tourism industry of the state, particularly the Kangra valley. He said every year lakhs of foreign and domestic tourists visited McLeodganj and other parts of Kangra only because Dharamsala is the headquarters of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Shimla, August 24
Seeking the immediate intervention of the Chief Minister into the inquiry of the Pavilion hotel, constructed by the HP Cricket Association (HPCA) at Dharamsala, the CPM has said the hotel must be taken over as it was not built on the land for which an NOC was taken from panchayat.

In a statement here yesterday, Tikender Panwar, member, state secretariat, CPM, claimed that some new revelations had been made in the HPCA hotel controversies which were bound to have serious ramifications on the inquiry process. “Not only have large-scale irregularities been committed in the land allotment to the HPCA, but the land on which it is built is different from the one given to it,” he alleged.

In case this is true, the entire deal and construction will become null and void and should be immediately taken over by the government. “This also reflects the high-handedness of the then BJP regime which provided the land to the HPCA without verifying the facts on ground,” he remarked.