Shimla, December 13
Acting on the directions of the high court, the government today constituted a three-member committee to look into the allegations against Additional Director-General of Police (Law and Order) B.S. Thind.

The committee will be headed by ADGP (Headquarters) Prem Singh. Other members will include IG Sanjay Kumar and DIG Pradeep Kumar. The committee has been constituted by Director General of Police Ajit Narayan.

The DGP said as per the directions of the court, the committee would submit its report within three weeks from December 8, the day the court order came. He added the task of the committee would be strictly in accordance with the directions given by the court.

Mr Thind, who is a strong contender for the top police post in the state, has remained involved in one or the other controversy.

The court order came in response to a pubic interest litigation (PIL). The court had directed that the special investigating team would function under the overall supervision of the DGP. The court had observed that the inquiry would essentially be a fact-finding exercise, which would be treated as an aid in establishing the truth.

The court directed the committee to submit information and documents to the court in a sealed envelope and not form any opinion. The allegations against Mr Thind pertain to illegalities committed in property matters in Punjab and Chandigarh.

It was reported that he had 17 properties in his name, valued around Rs 1.50 crore. It was also alleged that he had not paid back loans obtained from different banks.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had said since the cases pertained to other states, it was for those governments to take action against Mr Thind. The CBI, too, had written to the DGP, regarding the allegations against him. An explanation had been reportedly sought from the officer.

Meanwhile, the BJP on Tuesday demanded that a high-level probe be ordered into the disappearance of the CBI letter against Mr B.S. Thind from the Chief Minister’s office or else the party would launch a statewide agitation.

In a statement issued here, state BJP chief Suresh Bhardwaj said it was surprising that the letter written by the CBI in August had gone missing. “The fact that a letter can go missing from the CM’s office is an indication that the government is shielding Mr Thind,” he remarked.

The BJP chief said the state government could not shirk its duty by merely stating that the allegations against Mr Thind pertained to Punjab and Haryana.

“In case the government does not order a probe into the disappearance of the CBI letter from the CM’s office, the BJP will launch a statewide agitation to expose the government that was protecting corrupt officials,” he said.

Mandi, December 13
The candidates contesting the Mandi Municipal Council (MCC) elections here have painted their names with lime stone paint on trees, government buildings and school walls to woo voters. It is in violation of the election code of conduct.

Wall paintings and posters bearing candidates’ names have appeared all over the town on government buildings and schools’ walls under the nose of the Forest Department, raising concern of residents and ecologists.

Under the election code of conduct issued by the national and state election commissions misuse of government buildings trees and walls attracts punitive action, but the authorities are yet to take notice of it.

The candidates have painted trunks of trees all along the Tarna road and other places in the town, painting their names, seeking votes for the coming MCC elections.

Even members of the Citizens’ Council, Mandi have expressed concern, saying that the candidates who would represent the MC should be responsible citizens. “The trees act like lungs that maintain greenery and ecology of the town. But if they have no respect for ecology then how will they work for health and hygiene in the town”, they questioned.

The candidates have pasted their posters on the IPH building, on walls of the senior secondary school, Mandi and other government office buildings in the town.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mandi district, who is the returning officer Mr Subhashis Panda said the candidates putting up their names on the walls and government buildings and trees would attract punitive action under the election code of conduct if they did not rectify “their ways” of campaigning.

Conservator of Forest C.S. Singh said that nobody could use the trees for putting up names and hoardings or paint these with lime under the law. “I will send a team to see who have violated the law”, he added.

Shimla, December 13
Keen to set up a special economic zone (SEZ) in the politically sensitive Kangra district at the earliest, the Himachal Government has decided to enact a legislation to put the project on a fast track.

An exercise is on to frame the SEZ (Regulation) Bill to facilitate the setting up of the SEZ in the private sector. The government wants to pass the Bill during the winter session which is being held at Dharamsala, the headquarters of Kangra, from December 26. The session is being outside Shimla for the first time in the history of the Vidhan Sabha. It is a tactical move of the Congress to rebut the BJP charge of discrimination in development against the merged areas.

Simultaneously, the government has asked Skill Infrastructure, which has submitted a proposal to invest Rs 10,500 crore in a slew of projects, including an SEZ in Kangra district, to submit a preliminary project report for the first phase. Besides an SEZ and an industrial estate in Kangra, an international airport with an air cargo hub near Gagret in Una district and a health city at Vaknaghat in Solan district are proposed in the first phase involving the investment of Rs 5,100 crore. Subsequently, an SEZ is also proposed in Una.

It has also decided to forward to the Centre the Rs 1,850 crore proposal submitted by Waste2Energy, a British company, to transform the “garbage state” into a “garden state” by setting up a state-of -the-art waste management facility at Bagota near Nalagarh. 

Bilaspur, December 13
Distt Congress Committee here has strongly condemned involvement of local Hamirpur BJP member of Parliament Suresh Chandel in the alleged “bribe scandal” today and has demanded that he should immediately resign on moral grounds as he has no right to continue to represent people of this area in the Parliament.

Addressing mediapersons here yesterday, District Congress President Onkar Singh Chandel said that this action of Suresh Chandel has not only degraded the post of member of Parliament but he has also humiliated people of his Hamirpur parliamentary constituency.

Mr Onkar Singh Chandel said that democracy and Constitution expected certain norms and standards from a public representative particularly from elected member of Parliament and now that Suresh Chandel has been caught on camera and lakhs of people have seen and found him doing what he should not have done. He has forfeited the right to continue as member of Parliament. He further said that Suresh Chandel has been repeatedly and falsely charging Himachal government and its Congress leaders and even ministers and Chief Minister with corruption but this was only a cover up for his own corrupt practices. Now the cat is out of the bag when he himself has been caught in corruption net.

He urged Chief Minister and the Central government to order high level CBI probe into all the assets gathered by Suresh Chandel during his three tenures as member of Parliament.

Dharamsala, December 13
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) today threatened to launch a statewide campaign against the alleged growing cases of conversion.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Baldev Raj Sood, state organising secretary of the VHP, said there had been a spurt in the number of cases of conversion, most of which involved coercion and pressure tactics.

Mr Sood said the issue would be taken up at the state executive meeting of the VHP on December 23 and 24 at Una and the future course of action would be finalised in case the state government was unable to put a check on these “forced conversions.”

He further alleged that nearly 20 NGOs were active in parts of Kinnaur, Kullu, Rohru and Kangra and most of these were getting foreign aid in this regard. “Many such cases have come to light where the accused have admitted that they were using pressure tactics to achieve conversions,” he alleged.

Shimla, December 13
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, today said that there was no controversy over the directive issued by the state Congress president asking the members of the Pradesh Congress Committee to furnish the detail of their assets. He said it was a routine matter as declaration of assets by leaders had been a tradition in the Congress since long.

Talking to mediapersons here, he said in the Congress-ruled states the ministers, legislators and chairpersons of various boards and corporations had been submitting copies of their income tax returns to the respective Chief Ministers. These were further forwarded to the party high command.

However, the PCC members who were not government functionaries or legislators must submit the details of assets to the party President.

The Chief Minister said the bill to set up a public utility service tariff commission would be brought in the Vidhan Sabha during the Budget session.