Cong decried for seeking white paper
DHARAMSALA, Nov 15 — The state Minister for Youth Services and Sports, Mr Praveen Sharma, today criticised the Congress leadership for demanding a white paper on the state’s financial position as the government was undertaking uniform development of the state.

SGPC chief donates 11 lakh for complex
SOLAN, Nov 15 — The SGPC chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur, today visited Nalagarh and inspected the complex to be constructed by the Gurmati Prachar Trust at Jagat Khana.

Telephone exchange for remote villages
SHIMLA, Nov 15 — The remote villages of Nimla and Chaini in Ani subdivision were put on the telecom map with the commissioning of state-of-the-art exchange at Kandaghai today.

Doctors urged to join duty
SHIMLA, Nov 15 — The doctors, who passed their MBBS examination from the local Indira Gandhi Medical College and had signed a bond with the state government, had been asked to join their duties immediately or face legal action.

1 killed in mishap
DHARAMSALA, Nov 15 — A 35-year-old woman, Sumana Devi, was killed in Baijnath when the scooter on which she was travelling met with an accident, today morning.

Office of DHO gutted
SHIMLA, Nov 15 — Official property worth about Rs 25 lakh was burnt in a fire which reduced the office of the District Horticulture Officer (DHO) to ashes in the tribal area of Recong-Peo in Kinnaur today.

NHPC to exploit Ravi basin power resource
From Our Correspondent

CHAMBA, Nov 15 — The hydroelectric projects on the Ravi basin such as 231-megawatt (mw) Hibra, 260-mw Kutlehar, 200-mw Bajoli-Holi and some other projects in Chamba district of Himachal would be undertaken and executed through the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) in the near future.

This was announced by Mrs Jayawanti Ben Mehta, Union Minister of State for Energy, after she inaugurated the works on the inlet Adit tunnel of the Chamera hydroelectric project (stage-II) by blasting off near Chamba town in Himachal today.

The minister said that the Chamera hydroelectric project stage-II envisaged the generation of 300-mw of power annually. She said that the project was being constructed with an outlay of Rs 1700 crore and it was expected to be completed within five years.

The minister disclosed that the country had a total hydro-power potential of 84,044-mw, out of which Himachal alone had a potential of 20,744-mw, available through the river basins of the Yamuna, Sutlej, Beas, Ravi and Chenab, besides 500 mw hydro-power potential through mini and micro projects up to 3-mw.

The minister said that the hydro-potential through the Ravi basin which originates in Chamba district was 3,225-mw, adding that so far hydro-potential of 738-mw had been developed in the central sector by the NHPC.

The minister said that the 300-mw Chamera project (stage-II) was under construction this year through the NHPC and schemes at Hibra, Kutlehar, Holi-Bajoli were ready for execution.

The minister who during her three-day visit to the Chamera stage-I and II projects felt that these projects were providing big reservoirs to boost tourists and beautifying the surroundings of the projects which attract tourists.

The minister hoped that the state government of Himachal would draw ambitious plans for promoting tourism activities thereby revitalising the local economy. Mr Yogendra Prashad, Chairman-cum Managing Director (CMD) and Mr S.K. Dodeja General Manager of Chamera project also accompanied the minister.

Dhumal govt protecting corrupt
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 15 — The Congress party today accused the Himachal Chief Minister’s office of having become a "fountain head of corruption" and also demanded a white paper on the loans being raised by the government from the private sector.

In a joint press conference here, Mr Virbhadra Singh, CLP leader and Mr Sat Mahajan, PCC president, said that the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, has taken a quick "U" turn on his earlier stand on the raising of loans by the previous Congress government. They said that the BJP-HVC combine government had raised loans amounting over Rs 500 crore through the HPSEB and the newly set up Road Infrastructure Corporation.

They demanded that a comprehensive statement on the commission paid for raising these loans through various boards and corporations should be given by the government. Mr Dhumal had been raising a hue and cry when the Congress government raised such loans.

Mr Virbhadra Singh and Mr Mahajan alleged that power seems to have gone into the heads of the ruling party leaders who were trying to just ignore the opposition parties.

They alleged that corruption was at its peak under the BJP rule and the corrupt people were being given protection by the political bosses. Decency and democratic values have been thrown to the winds.

The two Congress leaders said that they were equally concerned about the deteriorating financial position of the state and would give constructive cooperation to the state government provided Mr Dhumal changed his attitude of brushing aside the opposition.

They accused the Chief Minister of discriminating against the Assembly constituencies which were represented by Congress legilsators.

The two leaders alleged that development was being ignored and certain elements enjoying extra constitutional authority were interfering in the functioning of the government. Priorities pertaining to development works identified by most of the Congress legislators in the planning committees and which have also appeared in the Budget were being altered by these elements who were trying to usurp the functions of the duly elected representatives.

Mr Virbhadra Singh alleged that the BJP was pursuing the hidden agenda of ‘saffronising’ the administration and educational institutions and urged the supporting parties of the government at the Centre to wake up and realise the hatred and communalism being spread by the BJP government at the Centre and the state.

He said that parties like the Lok Dal (U), the TDP, the ND and the Trinmul Congress, which claim to be secular, should realise what the BJP government was going to disintegrate the country with their support.

He alleged that the Dhumal government was showering largesse on the RSS and other communal organisations. The RSS was directly interfering in the functioning of the state government and rooms have been allotted to the organisation for its activities in schools and other educational institutions.

Mr Virbhadra Singh and Mr Mahajan accused the Dhumal government of vitiating the process of selection to government jobs and politicising the Public Service Commission and the Subordinate Services Selection Board. For the first time a question mark has been put on the free and fair functioning of the Public Service Commission. Doubts have been raised on the credibility of the SSSB.

They demanded that there should be greater transparency in the selections for jobs. Controversy has been raised over the selection of clerks, male and female health workers, pharmacists and JBT trainee teachers.

The PCC, which held a meeting here yesterday, adopted three resolutions criticising the government for allegedly diverting the funds were earmarked for the constituencies of the Congress legislators, saffronising of education and sudden cancellation of selection of assistant secretaries of gram panchayats selected under the powers of the Panchayati Raj Act enjoyed by the respective gram panchayats.

Renuka fair from Nov 18
From S.R. Pundir

NAHAN, Nov 15 — The famous Renuka Fair would be celebrated from November 18 to 23 this year. This fair is a part of the social and cultural life of the residents of Sirmour.

Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, will inaugurate the fair. He will also participate in the ‘shobha yatra’ of Lord Parshuram, which will start from Dadahu on the same day.

Puranas contain several references to Renuka and speaks highly of ‘Renuka tirth’, which is also known as the birth place of Lord Parshuram.

According to the Puranas, King Shahastrajun, the cruel ruler of Aryaverta situated on the bank of the Narmada, came to meet Maharishi Yamdagni and his wife, Bhagwati Renuka, at Tepe-ka-Tila near Renuka with his forces. He saw that with the blessings of ‘kamdhanu’ (cow), Maharishi and Bhagwati Renuka were able to fulfil the daily needs of his forces.

Shahastrajun demanded ‘kamdhanu’ cow from the Maharishi. Maharishi Yamdagni refused to oblige and the kind killed him. Then Bhagwati Renuka jumped from a hill into the Ram Sarovar (now known as Renuka lake) to save her honour.

Maharishi Yamdagni and Bhagwati Renuka did ‘tapasya’ on Tape-ka-Tila and finally were assured by Lord Vishnu that he would take birth as his sixth incarnation in their family. Subsequently, Lord Parshuram was born and he killed King Shahastrajun.

Owing to the power of his prayers, his father got life again and Bhagwati Renuka came out of the lake. On that day Lord Parshuram promised him mother that on the Dashmi and Devothan Ekadashi every year he would come to meet her.

Therefore, on this occasion the idol of Lord Parshuram is brought in a procession by the people of the area.

The mela is managed by the Renuka Development Board, which is chaired by the Deputy Commissioner of Sirmour. A cultural show is organised. Hunting of fish and other animals is completely banned, but boating in the late is allowed.

4 police chiefs shifted in HP
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 15 — The Himachal Government today shuffled four district police chiefs in a middle-level shake-up in the police department.

Mr O.C. Thakur, Superintendent of Police, Shimla, goes to Mandi in the same capacity in place of Mr Jog Raj Thakur who is proceeding on foreign deputation under U.N. Mission to Kosovo.

Mr A.N. Sharma, Superintendent of Police, C.I.D., takes over as the new district police chief of Shimla.

Mr S. Zahur Haider Zaidi, Superintendent of Police, Kulu, has been posted as S.P. (Enforcement), Shimla, in place of Mr Atul Verma who goes as S.P., Bilaspur, in place of Mr Anurag Garg who in turn takes over as district police chief, Kulu.

Mr S.B. Negi, S.P. (Security) will hold the additional charge of C.I.D. till further orders.

Mr Jagdish Sharma, Subdivisional Police Officer, Badsar, goes as D.S.P. (Headquaters), Hamirpur, in place of Mr Kuldeep Sharma who has been posted as D.S.P. (Leave Reserve), Badsar.

Cong decried for seeking white paper
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Nov 15 — The state Minister for Youth Services and Sports, Mr Praveen Sharma, today criticised the Congress leadership for demanding a white paper on the state’s financial position as the government was undertaking uniform development of the state.

Addressing a press conference here today, he said that the demand for white paper by the Congress leaders reflected their mental state and "frustration". "Instead of issuing a white paper on the state’s financial position we should be bringing out a list of the misdeeds committed during the Congress regime," he stated. Today, the government was paying a sum of Rs 750 crore per annum as the interest on the loans taken by the Virbhadra Singh government.

Mr Sharma claimed that unlike the Congress government they were undertaking uniform development of the state. He added that there was no dearth of funds for development and the Congress was unnecessarily making a hue and cry about the financial position of the state.

Asked about the responsibility of hearing the public grievances in the Chief Minister’s office at Shimla being entrusted to him, he said that the task had been assigned to him as the Chief Minister was getting little time for administrative work.

The General Secretary of the BJP, Mr Kripal Parmar, was also present.

SGPC chief donates 11 lakh for complex
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Nov 15 — The SGPC chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur, today visited Nalagarh and inspected the complex to be constructed by the Gurmati Prachar Trust at Jagat Khana.

She donated Rs 11 lakh for the complex and appealed to the 'sangat' to donate liberally for the complex.

Mr Hari Narain Singh Sani, Minister for Town and Country Planning, who laid the foundation stone of the complex said a day boarding school, hospital and darbar would be constructed. He said devotees from Mumbai had sent a donation of Rs 45 lakh and the local people contributed Rs 11 lakh for the complex.

Telephone exchange for remote villages
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 15 — The remote villages of Nimla and Chaini in Ani subdivision were put on the telecom map with the commissioning of state-of-the-art exchange at Kandaghai today.

Based on the latest technology, the exchange will facilitate extension of the telecom network to inaccessible areas which could not be connected through land-based lines or optical fibre cable.

Mr N.S Gill, Chief General Manager, Himachal Telecom circle, inaugurated the station which made telephone exchanges at Nimla and Chaini operational. He said the station would connects five to six remote telephone exchanges of 30 lines each.

Doctors urged to join duty
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 15 — The doctors, who passed their MBBS examination from the local Indira Gandhi Medical College and had signed a bond with the state government, had been asked to join their duties immediately or face legal action.

Mrs Asha Swarup, Financial Commissioner, Health said here today that action would be taken against those doctors who failed to join their duties.

1 killed in mishap
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Nov 15 — A 35-year-old woman, Sumana Devi, was killed in Baijnath when the scooter on which she was travelling met with an accident, today morning.

The accident took place when the scooterist tried to overtake an HRTC bus, which was on its way to Shimla from Dharamsala. The police has arrested the driver, Rajinder Kumar and impounded the bus.

In another incident, a 20-year-old girl Prem Lata, of Kandor village, near Nurpur committed suicide by consuming poison.

Office of DHO gutted
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Nov 15 — Official property worth about Rs 25 lakh was burnt in a fire which reduced the office of the District Horticulture Officer (DHO) to ashes in the tribal area of Recong-Peo in Kinnaur today.

The Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, Mr J.P. Singh, said that the fire broke out after midnight and the office of the DHO was gutted. Four rooms consisting of stores were also burnt.

The SDM, Peo, has been asked to hold a magisterial inquiry and submit his report in 15 days.

Preliminary reports said that the fire broke out due to short circuiting of electric wires.