The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

PCC meeting: Virbhadra loyalists stay away
Shimla, August 1
Five loyalists of the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, were among seven office-bearers of the Pradesh Congress Committee who did not participate in the meeting of the PCC here today which was convened by the PCC chief, Mrs Vidya Stokes, to tone up the organisation.

Maize blossom fair
Chamba
The annual Minjar fair is not only a confluence of all social and religious life of the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh but also a symbol of national integration. And, for Chambiyals living outside the region, it is a symbol of distinct tradition.

Bad phones hit Theog apple growers
Shimla, August 1
Resentment prevails among apple growers of the interior villages of the Theog subdivision over the failure of the Telecommunication Department to provide them reliable and efficient telephone services.

Suspended PRO held in cheating case
Kasauli, August 1
Mr Ashok Sharma, a suspended Public Relations Officer of Punjab who also posed as a journalist and is learnt to be involved in at least six cases of swindling, was arrested today from his Garkhal residence following an arrest warrant issued by the Panipat police for his alleged involvement in a cheating case. He was produced in the district court later in the day.

CM finds top HPSEB staff absent
Shimla, August 1
Two members of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board, two chief engineers, the secretary, about 12 officers and 50 others were found absent when the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, visited the headquarters of the Board here this morning.

Resentment over water shortage
Shimla, August 1
Resentment prevails among the residents of Malyana panchayat over the failure of the government to take steps to end the shortage of drinking water in the area.

Booklets released on panchayati raj
Shimla, August 1
The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, yesterday released three booklets of guidelines for office-bearers of gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads brought out by the Panchayati Raj Department.

YC membership drive begins
Shimla, August 1
The month-long membership drive of the Youth Congress commenced here today for enrolling above two lakh primary members in Himachal Pradesh. The membership campaign has been started for the election of the national president of the party on November 19.

Ban sought on vehicles in Chowgan
Chamba, August 1
The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, Chamba chapter, has demanded a ban on the entry of all vehicles in the historic Chowgan of Chamba.

Tonnes of fish perish
Mandi, August 1
Heavy rain in the Uhl catchment area, falling in the districts of Mandi and Kangra, has perished tonnes of trout fish which thrive in clean and cold water only.

Caution against fake homoeopathy colleges
2 die as car falls into khud

Kin of missing Gaddis still hopeful
Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Deol (Baijnath), August 1
Gajro Devi, had barely come to terms with the loss of her son, killed in the Gujarat earthquake, when destiny played a cruel joke on her, as her husband Nihal Singh, was washed away in the flashfloods, right before her eyes, in the Deol area of Baijnath, on Sunday night.

Resotration work being undertaken at Luni, where the bridge connecting Baijnath and Deol has been washed off due to flash floods.
Restoration work being undertaken at Luni, where the bridge connecting Baijnath and Deol has been washed off due to flash floods.

“I saw helplessly as he was swept away by the gushing water, while trying to save the life of another Gaddi woman in the adjoining dera at Dandu where all of us had gone with our cattle,” said an inconsolable Gajro Devi, wife of Nihal Singh. Being an ex-serviceman, he did keep up the motto of “service before self”, but at the cost of his own life.

“Cautioned by the shrieks and noise made by those in the deras above us, my father moved us to a safe place and went to the rescue of those in living in the next dera, but never returned, said Rajesh, (17) son of Nihal Singh. Gaddi residents of all villages in the Deol area, go up to the higher reaches with their cattle during the monsoon and live in the temporary deras.

While there has been only one casualty in Lulhani village to which Nihal Singh belonged, people of Jalgraon village have been more unfortunate. Three members of a family and two brothers were washed away by the flashfloods, at Jalgraon.

Having lost his wife, son and daughter in the flashfloods, Jaisi Ram of Jalgraon has lost the desire to live. “Had I been with my family in the dera that night and not in our village, where I went to fetch groceries and other essential items, probably I would have saved them from the fury of the floods,” regrets Jaisi Ram. His wife Vimla Devi, son Devinder Kumar and daughter Sunita, have in all likelihood died, but till the bodies are found he still hasn’t lost the hope. He has also lost over 60 cattle, including sheep and cows.

Vimla Devi’s real sister, Gikro Devi, married in the adjoining Kandwari village, refuses to believe the news of their death, as she goes about asking people for more information.

“It was Dhobru Ram and his wife Roshni, who were swept away by the water being taken unawares, as their dera was right at the top in a group of five deras,” reveals Subhash of village Lulhani. The others still got time to flee to safer points as they heard the rumblings of the speeding water and even managed to pull out a few cattle and sheep.

Twenty-year-old Virender’s dream of serving the nation by joining the Army was cut short, as the flashfloods claimed his life too. Having joined the Army, only a year ago, he had come home on his first leave and was to return back on August 4. He too had taken his cattle along with his brother, Narender to their dera at Linda Nal.

There is an endless tale of woe as one sees a young Gaddi woman attired in bright coloured traditional costume. Tagging along her two tiny children, searching for her husband, Kehar Singh. Kehar Singh (32), employed by a private contractor at the Binwa Power Project near Utrala, was at the dam site on that fateful night.” He had just about managed to close the dam gates, before talking on the phone at the power house, located below, when the gushing waters, swept him away, revealed one of his colleagues.

Though there is a word of praise from everyone for the bravery shown by Kehar Singh, in closing the gates, which minimised the damage to the Binwa project, but this appreciation holds no value for his 26-year-old wife Indra Devi, whose world has come down crashing. Hoping against hope, she is praying for the safety of her husband.

The flashfloods have wreaked havoc in the entire Deol, Multhan and Utrala area. One can estimate the fury of the floods from the fact that there is virtually nothing left of the Rs 2 crore PWD bridge at Luuni. With the bridge broken and the waters still in full spate, the villagers are taking a long route, to come to Baijnath.

There has been extensive damage to the Binwa Power Project, and the loss has been estimated at Rs 2 crore. The trail of destruction and misery left behind by the floods is evident from the uprooted trees water having changed its course and hundreds of kanals of land being washed off completely.

Plaque row takes new turn
Speaker wants Governor to wind up panel
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 1
The controversy regarding the removal of the portrait of Indira Gandhi from the place of the signing of Simla Accord in the “Barnes Court” here, took a new turn with the Speaker, Thakur Gulab Singh, recommending to the Governor to wind up the high-powered committee which was constituted to settle the issue.

The Governor, Dr Suraj Bhan, had constituted the committee under the chairmanship of Thakur Gulab Singh to look into the issue of the removal of the portrait from the wall behind the table and charis on which Indira Gandhi and the then Pakistan Prime Minister Z.A. Bhutto, signed the accord.

Dr Suraj Bhan, who returned from Delhi today, is likely to take a decision shortly. The Speaker is learnt to have said in the report that he was unable to make any recommendation because the office of the Speaker had to be above such controversies to maintain its prestige.

The Barnes Court, where the accord was signed, has now been turned into Raj Bhavan.

Not even a single meeting to the high-powered committee could be held as all three Congress nominees, Mr Virbhadra Singh, Mrs Vidya Stokes and Mr J.B.L. Khachi, had resigned from the panel and demanded that the portrait should be reinstalled. Only the Industries Minister, Mr Kishori Lal, had come to attend the meeting of the committee which was convened last week by the Speaker.

The controversy had arisen as the Raj Bhavan authorities had replaced the portrait of Indira Gandhi with a plaque of a flying pigeon.

It is learnt that Thakur Gulab Singh was not in favour of involving the office of the Speaker in such controversies and recommended that the committee should be wound up as it would not solve any useful purpose.

On the other hand, the PCC chief, Mrs Vidya Stokes, on Wednesday warned that an agitational strategy on the issue would be finalised with the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, in case the portrait was not restored.

She said the removal of the portrait was politically motivated.

PCC meeting: Virbhadra loyalists stay away
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 1
Five loyalists of the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, were among seven office-bearers of the Pradesh Congress Committee who did not participate in the meeting of the PCC here today which was convened by the PCC chief, Mrs Vidya Stokes, to tone up the organisation.

However, Mrs Stokes denied any differences in the party and told reporters that all those who didn’t attend the meeting had either sent in writing or talked to her on the telephone and informed about the reasons for not coming to the meeting.

Two loyalists of Mr Virbhadra Singh, Mr Kashmir Singh and Mr T.S. Bharmourie, who are secretary of the PCC, attended the meeting. Among the absentees were Mr Gangu Ram Musafir, Mr Harshwardhan Chauhan, Mrs Anita Verma, Mr Chander Kumar, Mr B.B. Butail, Mr G.S. Bali and Mrs Kunjana Singh.

She said the meeting was held to assess the implementation of the programmes of the party during the past six months. All DCC chiefs and general secretaries in charge of various areas had sent their reports regarding activities of the party in the respective areas.

She said she was touring the entire state to be in touch with the grassroots-level workers of the party. During her recent tour of the tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti, she created four zones to enable the proper implementation of party programmes.

The Kangra district has also been divided into four zones of Dehra, Dharamsala, Nurpur and Palampur. She said that the morale of the Congress activists was high and they were prepared to defeat the ruling BJP in the next elections.

Meanwhile Mrs Stokes, warned that the entire Congress party would sit on dharna during the coming monsoon session of the Vidhan Sabha in case the BJP-HVC combine government failed to withdraw the users charge in hospitals and did not stop from going ahead with its plans to give another dose of steep hike in power tariff to the consumers in the state.

Mrs Stokes, who was talking to newsmen here, said the decision to impose users charge was an anti-people action of the Dhumal government which has caused problems for the common man.

She said that the strategy for taking up several burning issues would be finalised with Mr Virbhadra Singh, CLP leader, who had already announced his decision of dharna against the users charges.

She said the Dhumal government had failed on all fronts and people were waiting for an opportunity to throw it out of power.

Maize blossom fair
Balkrishan Prashar

Chamba
The annual Minjar fair is not only a confluence of all social and religious life of the Chamba region of Himachal Pradesh but also a symbol of national integration. And, for Chambiyals living outside the region, it is a symbol of distinct tradition.

The fair, which is an inseparable part of the cultural heritage of the alpine region, was started in the 10th century by King Sahil Verman.

In this important festival people from all walks of life participate enthusiastically to propiate the gods and goddesses of the land.

According to a legend, the fair is celebrated to signify King Sahil Verman’s triumph over the king of Kangra. The defeated ruler presented King Sahil Verman, founder of the erstwhile Chamba state, sprouts of maize and paddy. The sprouting of maize and paddy coincides with the fair. Farmers pray to the rain god for rain to ensure bumper yield.

Another legend has it that centuries ago, the river Ravi flowed through Chamba beside Chowgan. On the right bank of the river is the Champavati temple and on the left the Hari Rai temple. A sage, who stayed near the Champavati temple, used to cross the river daily to go to the Hari Rai temple. King Sahil Verman requested the sage to make it possible for all to visit the Hari Rai temple.

The sage performed a week-long yajna and prepared a multi-coloured cord, called “minjar”. The river changed its course on the completion of the yajna.

Mr S.C. Mehta, the Deputy Commissioner of Chamba, who heads the state-level Minjar fair celebration committee, says that the district authorities are all set for the fair starting from July 29 to August 5. The programmes are being organised to give a much-needed fillip to tourism.

On the opening day, the fair will get a colourful start with minjars (maize blossoms) being offered at the Lakshmi Narayan and Raghuvira temples. The town, specially its ancient temples , bazar and the verdant Chowgan, will be illuminated.

On the concluding day (August 5) , a procession will be taken out from the Akhandchandi Palace to the Ravi, where minjars along with coconuts would be immersed.

Renowned artistes and orchestras have been invited to perform . The Deputy Commissioner says traditions would also be maintained by presenting folk dances.

Meanwhile, security arrangements have also been beefed up on the check-points bordering Jammu and Kashmir, says Mr Sanjay Kundu, Superintendent of Police, Chamba.

	Bad phones hit Theog apple growers Tribune News Service Shimla, August 1 Resentment prevails among apple growers of the interior villages of the Theog subdivision over the failure of the Telecommunication Department to provide them reliable and efficient telephone services. The telephone facility is needed by them the most during apple harvesting season, which is already on to keep in touch with market trends across the country. However, the poor connectivity, particularly for outgoing calls, virtually makes facility useless for them. Subscribers of the Mohari, Devgarh and Kiara telephone exchanges are unable to get through their calls even to Theog, what to speak of Shimla, Delhi, Mumbai and other cities to which the bulk of their produce is exported. The Theog Block Development Samiti has taken up the matter with the department several times, but to no avail. Mr M.L. Verma, chairman of the samiti, said the connectivity could be improved if the Mohari exchange was linked to Sandhu and the Devgarh exchange to Gummah. In the second phase, both these exchanges could be connected with Chhaila exchange. Earlier, the telephone connections were given to the subscribers of these areas from Chhaila. The problem of Kiara could be solved if work on the optical fibre cable link between Kiara and Matiana was completed expeditiously. However, a long-term solution could be found only if a new telephone exchange was set up at Ghutan and linked with UHF (ultra-high frequency) link to Sandhu, Mahori, Kiara and Devgarh all of which fell in the line of sight. Mr Verma said that during the inauguration of the telephone exchange at Daya, Mr N.S. Gill, Chief General Manager, Himachal Telecom Circle, had announced that Daya would be linked to Deothidhar with optical fibre cable, but nothing had been done so far. The microwave tower erected at Theog two years ago had also not yet become functional.
	Suspended PRO held in cheating case Our Correspondent Kasauli, August 1 Mr Ashok Sharma, a suspended Public Relations Officer of Punjab who also posed as a journalist and is learnt to be involved in at least six cases of swindling, was arrested today from his Garkhal residence following an arrest warrant issued by the Panipat police for his alleged involvement in a cheating case. He was produced in the district court later in the day. According to Mr Umesh Gupta, a Panipat-based carpet businessman, he came in contact with Mr Sharma in 1991 when the latter came to buy carpets worth Rs 52,000 and made the payment through a cheque drawn on the Chandigarh branch of Andhra Bank. It was only when the cheque bounced at the branch that Mr Gupta realised that he had been duped. Mr Sharma later made good his escape from Panipat. Mr Gupta alleged that his modus operandi involved opening bogus firms and then seeking money from various firms, including finance companies to invest in them. Another “victim” of Mr Sharma, Mrs Satwant Kaur of Modern Housing Complex, Manimajra alleged that Mr Sharma had duped her of Rs 1,80,000 in 1997. She said he was at that time residing in their neighbourhood and had convinced her that he would send her son to some university in the USA for higher studies. He said he was also sending his son there. After she was convinced, she gave him the money. She suspected foul play when there was no further intimation from his side and she did not receive a satisfactory response from him. Her worst fears were confirmed when he was found missing from his house. He had quietly shifted elsewhere. After a few months, he was located in Sector 2, Panchkula. Mrs Satwant Kaur, along with her relatives, approached him and to escape any legal action, he gave her a written affidavit promising to send her son abroad. He also gave her a cheque for Rs 20,000 which bounced. He again disappeared and was learnt to be living in Sector 38, Chandigarh. But before he could be approached, he had again fled. He was spotted at Kasauli a few days ago and Mr Gupta got him arrested. Mr Sharma had also been impersonating as a press man here and had even put a press sticker on his car. He had reportedly been telling some Army officers that he had been appointed as an Officer on Special Duty to a Governor of a neighbouring state and often presented himself as press man. The bail of Mr Ashok Sharma was rejected by the Sub Judge, Kasauli, and he was remanded in judicial custody. He was handed over to the Haryana police to be taken to Panipat where he is required in a case of fraud.
	CM finds top HPSEB staff absent Tribune News Service Shimla, August 1 Two members of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB), two chief engineers, the secretary, about 12 officers and 50 others were found absent when the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, visited the headquarters of the Board here this morning. The Chief Minister made a surprise visit to the HPSEB headquarters this morning at about 10.20 a.m. while he was going to the Annandale ground for boarding the helicopter to fly to the areas which were hit by a flashflood in the Baijnath sub-division of Kangra district. The main door of the building was got bolted as soon as Mr Dhumal entered the headquarters. The Agriculture Minister, Mr Vidya Sagar, and the Minister of State for Power, Mr Ravinder Singh Ravi, were with him. Mr Ravi, who was to accompany Mr Dhumal to Baijnath, was left behind for making a room-to-room inspection and prepare a report of the absent staff. The minister remained there for three hours to check each and every room. He said that a list of all officers and engineers found to be absent has been prepared and the list would be submitted to Mr Dhumal. The member (administration), Mr Narenedra Chauhan, was summoned by the Chief Minister as soon as he arrived at the headquarters and he remained with the minister when the latter conducted the search. It is learnt that the chief minister was annoyed when he noticed several Board employees roaming near the Vidhan Sabha while going to the helipad.
	Resentment over water shortage Tribune News Service Shimla, August 1 Resentment prevails among the residents of Malyana panchayat over the failure of the government to take steps to end the shortage of drinking water in the area. According to Mr Chander Kant, the panchayat pradhan, the Irrigation and Public Health Department has failed to come out with a scheme to augment the drinking water supply over the past 53 years. Consequently, the people of Chhachhroo, Ganoti and Shakrala have been facing an acute shortage of water. They have to fetch drinking water from far away. They go to nearby nullahs and other natural sources of water for washing clothes. The panchayat located at a short distance from the state secretariat has remained neglected. He said the panchayat had requested Col Dhani Ram Shandil, the local MP, to grant a sum of Rs 9 lakh for augmenting the water supply. He said water sources were available but the department had made no effort to tap it. Meanwhile, many areas of the town have also been facing drinking water shortage. The Tutikandi area has not been getting adequate supply for the past one week. In fact, the taps have virtually remained dry for the past three days.
	Booklets released on panchayati raj Tribune News Service Shimla, August 1 The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, yesterday released three booklets of guidelines for office-bearers of gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads brought out by the Panchayati Raj Department. The booklets contain simplified version of the Panchayati Raj Act and rules, including administrative and judicial functions of the panchayats. These would be distributed to more than 26,000 office-bearers of panchayati raj institutions. The Chief Minister lauded the efforts of the department in bringing out the booklets. It would go a long way in educating the panchayati raj functionaries, he said. He said the state government had made massive devolution of powers to the panchayats during the past three years.
	YC membership drive begins Our Correspondent Shimla, August 1 The month-long membership drive of the Youth Congress commenced here today for enrolling above two lakh primary members in Himachal Pradesh. The membership campaign has been started for the election of the national president of the party on November 19. Talking to mediapersons the Youth Congress chief, Mr Sukhbinder Singh Sukhu, said the membership drive will be organised after 23 years. The age group for the drive would range between 18 year to 33 year. Mrs Vidya Stokes, Pradesh Congress Committee president, inaugurated the drive by giving membership to 10 state office-bearers and district president Shimla Urban. The state office-bearers include Mr Mohinder Chauhan, Mr Naresh Chauhan, Mr Kamal Dhaulta, Mr Devanand Verma, Mr Anil Sharma and Mr Ved Prakash (president Youth Congress Shimla Urban). The membership drive committee will have eight members. They are convener Surender Chauhan, secretary Pankaj Sood and other members Prithvi Vikram Sen, Manoj Mehta, Manoj Pathania, Ajay Badraria, Sanjay Sharma etc.