H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

CM source of corruption: Virbhadra
Dharamsala, October 9
A former Chief Minister and CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, has blamed the BJP for giving birth to many Ravinder Sidhus in the state and has declared that when the Congress assumes power in the state, all corrupt people will be exposed. He said for the first time in the state jobs were on sale and accused the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, of being the epicenter of corruption. 

NIT to reopen on Oct 22
Hamirpur, October 9
Hamirpur NIT which was closed indefinitely after the August 25 incident will reopen in three phases from October 22. While students of first and second year will join their classes from October 22, those studying in third and fourth year will join their classes on October 28 and November 5, respectively. Students will report one day prior to the starting of their respective classes.

Demonstration by medical students
Kangra, October 9
Striking students of the Dr R.P. Government Medical College here today held demonstration outside the office of the Principal of the college and raised slogans demanding starting of construction of hospital building — a pre-requisite for the recognition of the medical college.

College issue: stir threat by residents
Nahan, October 9
Mahila Shakti awardee Kinkri Devi has threatened to start a relay fast with hundreds of residents of the Renuka Assembly constituency to press for the opening of a degree college at Sangrah.

Staff resent shifting of govt press
Shimla, October 9
The decision of the Union Government to closing down the century-old Government of India Printing Press, Shimla, from March 31 has caused resentment among its over 350 workers and their families.

Deo Tibba peak scaled
Manali, October 9
A joint mountaineering expedition of the Indian Air Force and the Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, has scaled the 19,687-ft high Deo Tibba, peak.

Video
	Preparations are on in full swing for the first ever Miss Tibet contest to be held in Dharamsala. (28k, 56k)

CM source of corruption: Virbhadra
Our Correspondent

Dharamsala, October 9
A former Chief Minister and CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, has blamed the BJP for giving birth to many Ravinder Sidhus in the state and has declared that when the Congress assumes power in the state, all corrupt people will be exposed. He said for the first time in the state jobs were on sale and accused the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, of being the epicenter of corruption. He said earlier the Himachal Public Service Commission was considered to be honest, but now it was under a cloud. He alleged that jobs were either given on political recommendations or for monetary consideration.

Addressing a well-attended rally organised by the Youth Congress, Mr Virbhadra Singh said all limits of corruption had been crossed during the rule of Mr Dhumal. He said the state had raised loans directly and indirectly amounting to Rs 15,000 crore and the money instead of being spent on development had been squandered. He said the Congress would expose all misdeeds of the Dhumal government in the coming days. He also accused the government of encouraging regionalism and caste politics and said now even employees were getting divided on these lines.

Ridiculing certain Congress leaders for their demand of having a Chief Minister from a particular district, Mr Virbhadra Singh reminded them that the people of the entire state selected the Chief Minister.

Declaring this to be the first “yuva kranti rally” of the Youth Congress before the elections, the President of the All-India Youth Congress, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, made a scathing attack on the Vajpayee government and said the youth had suffered the most during the present regime. Virtually declaring Mr Sudhir Sharma, son of a former minister, the late Sant Ram, who is also the general secretary of Himachal Youth Congress, as the candidate from Baijnath, Mr Surjewala asked the youth to come forward and overthrow the BJP government.

The All-India Mahila Congress President, Ms Chandresh Kumari, former Speaker Thakur Kaul Singh, former minister Chander Kumar, state youth Congress President Sukhvinder Sukhoo and NSUI president Kewal Singh Pathania also addressed the gathering.

Earlier talking to mediapersons, Mr Virbhadra Singh said the policy of appeasement being adopted by the BJP would have no impact and the Chief Minister was fighting a losing battle.

He said the expulsion of Mr Kuldeep Singh Pathania and issuing of a show-cause notice to a former MLA, Mr Manjit Dogra, smacked of bias and there was a feeling gaining ground that inconvenient people were being thrown out in the garb of enforcing discipline in the party.

NIT to reopen on Oct 22
Our Correspondent

Hamirpur, October 9
Hamirpur NIT which was closed indefinitely after the August 25 incident will reopen in three phases from October 22. While students of first and second year will join their classes from October 22, those studying in third and fourth year will join their classes on October 28 and November 5, respectively. Students will report one day prior to the starting of their respective classes.

Giving this information to mediapersons here today, Dr S.K. Bhowmick, Acting Director of the institute said the delay in reopening of the institute was due to Dasehra holidays. The decision to reopen the institute was taken by the Board of Governors Mr Balbir Badaliya, ADM, Hamirpur, who is also Registrar of the institute was also present at the press conference.

He said appointments to the posts of chief warden and warden of other hostels would be finalised within two or three days. Dr Bhowmik described the August 25 incident as unfortunate and added that if the students repeated the old things, the institute would be closed for one year.

He said an internal inquiry into the incidents that led to the closure of the institute held by a three-member committee and the guilty would be booked accordingly. Dr Bhowmick said in future no extra classes as suggested earlier would be held and semester would not be allowed to lapse.

He said total loss to the property in the August 25 incident was around Rs 7 lakh.

Dr Bhowmick informed that all students would be informed by post.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner, Mrs Anuradha Thakur, today started an inquiry into the August 25 incidents of the NIT. She recorded statements of all eight students who were named by the teachers for their involvement in the August 25 incidents.

She also recorded the statements of the teachers and also viewed the documents submitted by them. She would continue the inquiry tomorrow in which students and teachers both would be present.

The inquiry report would be submitted to the state government, which in turn would send the same to the Union HRD Ministry.

Demonstration by medical students

Kangra, October 9
Striking students of the Dr R.P. Government Medical College here today held demonstration outside the office of the Principal of the college and raised slogans demanding starting of construction of hospital building — a pre-requisite for the recognition of the medical college.

The students wore black badges and carried placards of their demand. Another group of students held a demonstration at Dharamsala today a spokesman of the Students Union of the college said here.

The students alleged that the state government was not serious about the college from the very beginning students were the worst sufferers. The strike entered the third day today. They have been boycotting evening classes. They want work on the 500-bed hospital building on the college premises started and completed by end of 2003 so that recognition to the college was not affected.

Principal of the College Dr I.D. Santoshi said that the college council met yesterday to persuade misguided’ students to call of strike. He said that the Health Secretary today conveyed to the striking students through him that everything was being done to start work on the hospital building soon. The Health Secretary said, “Hospital building construction was being taken up on priority and it is the job of the government to fulfil commitment made to the MCI and students had no role to play”. Dr Santoshi asked the students to call off strike.

College issue: stir threat by residents
Our Correspondent

Nahan, October 9
Mahila Shakti awardee Kinkri Devi has threatened to start a relay fast with hundreds of residents of the Renuka Assembly constituency to press for the opening of a degree college at Sangrah.

She said they were ready to make any sacrifice to get the college started. Kinkri Devi said she would return her Mahila Shakti award to the Government of India if the state government failed to fulfil the demand of the residents of the area.

Meanwhile, a big rally was organised at Sangrah on Monday. Agitators blocked the Renuka-Haripur Dhar road for more than five hours, held a public meeting and submitted a memorandum to the Naib Tehsildar, Sangrah, Mr D.K. Sharma.

Staff resent shifting of govt press
Our Correspondent

Shimla, October 9
The decision of the Union Government to closing down the century-old Government of India Printing Press, Shimla, from March 31 has caused resentment among its over 350 workers and their families.

Workers of the press are sitting in a dharna outside the gate of the press building against the anti-worker decision of the government. It is worth mentioning that after Independence efforts were made by the government to shift the Shimla press to Nashik, but the decision was reversed.

Similarly, in the early fifties the idea was again mooted by the government to shift the press to Faridabad. But the Union Government later set up a new press at Faridabad.

Deo Tibba peak scaled
Our Correspondent

Manali, October 9
A joint mountaineering expedition of the Indian Air Force and the Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, has scaled the 19,687-ft high Deo Tibba, peak.

In an official press note issued the Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, here said the expedition team comprised 21 members of the Indian Air Force and eight members of the Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports.

The training of the IAF team was being held by the Directorate of Mountaineering and Allied Sports and it was planning an expedition to the Everest. This was the first part of their pre-Everest training programme.