The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	BJP spokesman’s statement ‘misleading’ Tribune News Service Shimla, May 11 Three Congress legislators Mr Harshwardhan Chauhan, Mr Mukesh Agnihotri and Mr Sudhir Sharma have termed the statement of Mr Rajiv Bindal, BJP spokesperson that the apex court had allowed the party to file a petition in high court in the "khair wood" allotment case mischievous, misleading and contrary to the fact. In a joint statement, they said that the BJP was trying to put a brave face after the bashing it suffered in the case and its leaders were issuing false statements to cover up their mala fide actions. They should respect to the decision of the highest court, instead of discussing it in public forum. The MLAs said the apex court had not allowed the BJP to file a petition in the court as was being claimed by Mr Bindal. The fact of the matter was that Mr Baldev Sharma had filed a petition and Mr Randhir Sharma a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court alleging bias against the special judge (forest), Shimla, and also indirectly imputed allegations on the high court. They said that the petition was dismissed on merit and seeing its fate the counsel for the petitioner made submission to withdraw the SLP with a liberty to approach the high court. The court dismissed the SLP as withdrawn but the request for liberty to approach the high court was not acceded to. They said that the BJP spokesperson was trying to mislead the people on the judgement. The Sagar Katha case was a big hoax and framed to tarnish the clean image of Mr Virbhadra Singh. During their tenure BJP left no stone unturned to somehow implicate him in false cases which ultimately could not withstand judicial scrutiny.
	14 scantlings of Deodar seized Our Correspondent Sundernagar, May 11 Forest officials and the flying squad here last night seized 14 scantlings of Deodar which were being smuggled in a Maruti van (HP-58-1966). According to Mr Anil Joshi, DFO, Flying Squad, last night a complaint was received that a van was carrying smuggled timber on the Karsog road. On this, the officials chased the van. However, the three persons in it ran away from the spot, taking benefit of darkness. Fourteen scantlings of Deodar were recovered from the van the value of which is about Rs 25000. Interestingly, the number which was written on the number plate of the van was different from what was engraved on the glasses of the van. Cases under the Indian Penal Code and the Indian Forest Act have been registered.
	HPTDC steps for tourists’ convenience Tribune News Service Shimla, May 11 The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) today formally launched the payment gateway on its website making instant booking through credit card payment possible for the convenience of the tourists. Addressing a press conference here today, the Tourism Minister, Mr G.S. Bali, said with the launch of this facility Himachal has become the second state after Tamil Nadu to offer this kind of customer-friendly facility. “Though we had a website on which one could book a room on the internet sitting in any part of the world but with financial transaction within 24 hours being a problem, tourists were facing inconvenience,” he remarked. Though the payment gateway was formally launched today, the HPTDC has already got payments worth Rs 2.75 lakh during the last 10 days. “During the whole of last year, the Corporation got only Rs seven lakh payment through the online blocking of accommodation. So we can see that this will bring more business, while making it more convenient for the visitors,” he said. He said technical software and solutions for this system have been developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC) while the payment gateway is through HDFC bank. Mr Bali also gave details of a number of steps taken by the HPTDC to make the travel plans of tourists much easier and comfortable. Another facility that the HPTDC will shortly be launching is the toll free telephone number, which can be accessed from anywhere in the country. At present, it is being run on trial basis and will give complete information to the caller. Mr Bali said the HPTDC had registered an increase of 14 per cent in its turnover during 2005-06. The operational profit has registered 27 per cent increase from Rs 1.82 crore to Rs 2.30 crore, with the net profit touching Rs 1 crore. He added that the average occupancy in the HPTDC hotels had gone up from 40.63 per cent to 42.78 per cent. He said the HPTDC would soon come out with a disinvestment policy so that there can be management partnership in some of the properties. He said Himalayan Ski Village project had been discussed by the Cabinet yesterday and certain queries had been made. “Once the DPR is submitted by the company, the cabinet will look into it and the MOU has already been approved by the Cabinet,” he stated.
	Shiva Temple under threat Illegal mining endangers ancient monument Ravinder Sood Palampur, May 11 Despite a blanket ban imposed by the Himachal Pradesh High Court on mining and quarrying in Binwa river adjoining Shiva temple at Baijnath, illegal mining and quarrying going on unchecked. A visit Baijnath yesterday revealed that the ancient Shiva Temple of the town built in 1204 AD is facing threat because of reckless quarrying and mining in the adjoining Binwa river. The historic temple is situated on the banks of this river. The historical monument, encompasses the essential features of the Nagara temples. It is stated that this temple was built by two local merchant brothers Ahuka and Manyuka. It lies on the main road to Kulu- Lahual Spiti, the ancient route to Central Asia. Raja Sansar Chand, a Katoch ruler of Kangra renovated the temple in the 19th century, but Aurel Steil, who studied the monument in 1892, said it had not undergone much alteration. At present the temple is under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India. It has spent lakh of rupees on maintenance and development of the temple complex over the past 10 years.Thousands of tourists visit the temple every year. The state government has constituted a trust to manage the affairs of the temple and the SDM, Baijnath, is its president. The retaining wall of the temple is on the verge of the collapse. One portion of the temple situated on the left bank of the Binwa river has developed cracks because of reckless mining in the river. It is sad that the temple which remained intact during the major earthquake in Kangra in 1905 has been badly damaged by the unscientific quarrying in Binwa river in the past 15 years. Mr Sandeep Kumar, SDM, Baijnath, has fined over 100 persons for illegal mining in the Binwa in the past one year. He has a impounded number of tractors and other vehicles involved in quarrying and mining. He has also banned the entry of mules in the river.
	Local deity okays power project Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service Bhaba Valley (Kinnaur), May 11 The local deity of Bhaba valley in district Kinnaur, Maheshwar Devta, at a gathering of the local people held at the valley today has granted permission to the Jaypee Karcham Hydro Corporation Limited to go ahead with the construction work on the proposed 1000 MW Karcham-Wangtoo Hydel Power Project in their area. This is considered as a big achievement for the Jaypees as the local people and deities of many areas have long been opposing this project. A 100 per cent private venture, this is the biggest proposed private project in the power sector by any company in the country. The proposed cost of the project has been estimated at Rs 5000 crore. After negotiations made at various levels with the local panchayats of Katgaon, Kafnu and other villages of Bhaba valley by senior officials of the Jaypees, the final authority to grant permission was vested in the local deities. The gram sabhas of the villages concerned in consultation with the local deities put forward certain demands with regard to the development of villages which were blindly accepted by the private power company. Mr Varinder Sethi while talking to The Tribune said that the company would spend a total sum of Rs 2 crore to fulfill the demands of the local people on development works. After this agreement, the local deity, Maheshwar Devta, was carried in a palanquin by priests on foot a few kilometers away from their locality on the proposed site of the construction work where the priest after having a 'divine talk' with the devta formally announced the grant of permission to go ahead with the construction work. Apart from the hundreds of local people, senior officials of the company, local MLA and sarpanches of villages falling in the Bhaba valley were also present on the occasion.
	Engineers oppose power board’s bifurcation move Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service Mandi, May 11 Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board's (HPSEB) move to bifurcate the Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (JVNL), a board's subsidiary, into two "special purpose corporations" to raise funds from the market, has raised the ire of the board engineers, who, instead, insist on creation of a single-generation corporation. The HP Project Engineers Association (HPPEA) met the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, recently in Shimla and submitted a memorandum in this regard, insisting that the board should constitute a competent single-generation corporation on the lines of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) or the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) to infuse core competence and professionalism in the board. According to the sources, HPSEB's Board of Directors has recently approved the proposal to bifurcate the JVNL into the Beas basin corporation to execute 100 MW Uhal, which is under construction in Mandi district, 105 MW Sainj, the work for which is yet to start and the Satluj basin to execute the 402 MW Shongtong-Karcham, for which the detailed project report (DPR) is ready and the 242 MW Kashang project for which the DPR is being prepared. The insiders revealed the reorganisation aimed at raising funds from the markets and bringing about a change in board's management without upsetting the powerful votebank of over 40,000 employees of the board. "The board needs funds. It has shown a profit of Rs. 57 crore this year, but its cumulative losses still hover around at Rs. 250 crore that paints a bad future picture for the board". But the HPPEA rejected the bifurcation, stating that the creation of the single-generation corporation with a centralized management will infuse core competence and ring in specialization, the hallmarks of the NTPC and the NHPC, which is lacking in the board so far. With the bifurcation of the JVNL into two corporations, the board will have now three subsidiary corporations apart from the Pabber Valley Power Corporation, which is executing the 111 MW Sawra-Kudu, 70 MW Dhamvari-Sunda and 46 MW Chirgaon-Mazgaon projects in Rohru — all the three corporations moving into different directions, the HPPEA claimed. Even the HPPEA has pleaded that the state government should take back the 1020 MW Khab and 600 MW Luri projects in the Satluj basin from the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) as they were not honouring the job quotas commitment signed in the agreement and should assign the projects to the board, which is competent enough to execute the projects. The Chairman, HPSEB, Kunwar Shamsher Singh said that they have proposed to re-organise the board to improve its efficiency and work culture. "The proposal awaits final approval", he commented and admitted that the board engineers had submitted a proposal for a single-generation corporation.
	Altercation over water Tribune News Service Dharamsala, May 11 Unruly scenes were witnessed in the office of the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department here today when nearly 70 locals, including women, met the department officials to voice their grievances regarding water scarcity. Mr Atul Bhardwaj, vice-president of the Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha, said instead of focusing on the water crisis, the department officials started discussing how the issue was being highlighted in the local media. This led to an altercation between the delegation of residents and the officials concerned. Mr Bhardwaj said water supply had been severely hit in the Sham Nagar and Ram Nagar areas, located in the heart of Dharamsala city and they had demanded a fixed schedule for the areas. “The supply is for only 15 minutes at the most and there is no fixed time for it. We wanted that alternate arrangements be made. The public tap in Shiv Vihas has also been dry for days now,” he said. The delegation included block development committee members and ward panches. After prolonged heated exchanges, the IPH officials agreed to visit the affected areas to take stock of the situation tomorrow.
	Water to Shimla from Pabbar Shimla, May 11 Faced with acute water shortage, the authorities are planning a 200-km pipeline to take care of the hill resort’s thirst. The Himachal Pradesh government will spend Rs 6 billion to tap the icy Pabbar river, a tributary of the Yamuna some 200 km away, and bring the water to Shimla through the pipeline, Irrigation and Public Health Minister Kaul Singh said. “The government will outsource a detailed project report and later float global tenders to build the ambitious project,” he said. The civic authorities supply only 6.5 million litres of water in peak periods while the demand shoots up to eight million litres. Shimla, once the British summer capital, has a huge tourist inflow, burdening its already scarce water supply. Many of the 500 hotels here are forced to get water from far-off places. — IANS
	Student bodies flay expulsion of 19 students Tribune News Service Shimla, May 11 Even though peace prevailed on Himachal Pradesh University campus, various student organisations today condemned the expulsion of 19 students from the hostels by the university authorities and demanded immediate revocation of the ‘‘arbitrary’’ decision. With nine of its activists facing expulsion from the hostel, the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) today said it would hold a symbolic dharna on the campus from tomorrow till the decision taken by the Vice-Chancellor was revoked. The SFI, while terming the expulsion order as one sided, said this was an attempt on the part of the authorities to victimise SFI activists who were not even present in the hostel when the rooms of some students were burnt. In a statement issued here today, the State Secretary of the ABVP, Mr Omesh Dutt, said they would consider moving court against the decision of the authorities to expel nine of their activists from the hostel. “It is surprising that cases have been registered against those very students whose belongings have been burnt,” he said. He said the incident of violence and vandalism on April 25 had taken place because the Security Officer had failed to keep the situation under control. The Vice-Chancellor had yesterday ordered the expulsion of 19 students, 10 belonging to the SFI and nine to the ABVP, from the hostel. The action followed the report of the inquiry that had been ordered into the incident under Justice O.P. Sharma (retd). The 19 students have also been issued a show-cause notice to explain within a week as to why they should not be rusticated from the university. Interestingly, out of the 10 SFI activists who have been expelled three are office-bearers of the SCA. The State Secretary of the SFI, Mr Ashok Negi, said the SFI would meet the Governor, Chief Minister and the Vice-Chancellor to present their version and demand the cancellation of the expulsion orders. “The SFI will not bow to the dictatorial attitude of the HPU authorities and will launch an agitation,” he said. Meanwhile, state BJP spokesperson and sitting MLA, Dr Rajiv Bindal, while criticising the expulsion of ABVP students said it was ironical that the students whose rooms had been burnt were facing cases and expulsion. “It is a clear cut case of political vendetta as the government has implicated ABVP activists in false cases,” he remarked.
	Consumer Forum’s order set aside Our Legal Correspondent Shimla, May 11 The state Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has set aside the order passed by the District Consumer Forum, Bilaspur, whereby the insurance claim of complainant was dismissed by the forum. While allowing the appeal of the complainant, the president of the commission, Mr Justice Arun Kumar Goel (Retd) has directed Oriental Insurance Company to pay Rs 50,000 along with 9 per cent interest to the complainant, Mr Vishwanath, as insurance claim. According to the facts of the case, the complainant had obtained an insurance policy of Rs 50,000 for his wife on February 28, 2000. But his wife died on June 9, 2000. An insurance company repudiated the insurance claim of the complainant on the ground that the wife of the complainant was suffering from mental disorder and as per the terms of the insurance policy, the claim was void and therefore it was not liable to pay any amount to the complainant. The complainant preferred a complaint against the insurance company before the Consumer Forum, Bilaspur. But the forum dismissed the complaint on the ground that it needed investigation. While setting aside the order of the forum, Mr Justice Goel (Retd) observed that the insurance company had not produced any evidence to prima facie satisfy the commission that the deceased was suffering from mental disorder.
	CPM protests against price rise Tribune News Service Shimla, May 11 The CPM yesterday staged a demonstration against rising unemployment and steep hike in prices of essential commodities. Party activists staged a dharna outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office and took out a protest march through Lower Bazar. Addressing the rally, the state secretary of the CPM, Mr Rakesh Singha, said the common man was paying the price for economic reforms pursued by successive Congress and BJP governments in the country. He said on the one hand the steep hike in prices had made life difficult for the common man and on the other hand there were no jobs. “The state government has failed to generate employment opportunities and the few appointments being made are either part time or contractual with a paltry salary of Rs 600 to Rs 1,000,” he remarked. Mr Singha said the government was gradually doing away with various subsidies and imposing user charges for water, electricity, health and all other services. “While wheat growers are being paid Rs 6.50 to Rs 7.50 per kg, the government is paying at the rate of Rs 9.50 per kg for wheat being imported from outside due to the WTO conditions,” he said.
	HAS officer as Rural Health Mission chief resented Tribune News Service Dharamsala, May 11 The Himachal Medical Officers Association has resented the posting of an HAS officer as Director Rural Health Mission in the Department of HP Health Services. In a statement here today, the association threatened that all medical officers of the state would boycott the programme and no cooperation of any kind related to RHM will be extended to the HAS Director is some senior doctor was not posted as director.
	Enhancement of sentence to Katwal sought Our Legal Correspondent Shimla, May 11 The state of Himachal Pradesh has moved the High Court of Himachal Pradesh for the enhancement of sentence of Mr S.M. Katwal, a former Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Subordinate Service Selection Board, who has been convicted by the Special Judge Hamirpur in connection with the recruitment scam. During the hearing of the appeal filed by the state in this regard, the counsel for the state government pleaded that the sentence of three years awarded by the lower court was inadequate and deserves to be enhanced.
	Plea to shift fire station Tribune News Service Mandi, May 11 In view of the recent spate of fire incidents in the town, local residents and the Mandi Traders’ Union have demanded that the fire station should be shifted from the congested location in Palace Colony to some other place in the town. Even firemen rue that they face a tough time taking the fire tenders out from the station through the narrow congested road, losing precious time in the process. The general secretary of the MTU, Mr Rajesh Mahendru, yesterday stated that fire tenders got stuck on the road as the present station was located in a congested area. Most of the time, the road remains blocked due to parked vehicles. Even the Divisional Commissioner, Mandi, Mr KJBV Subramanyam, has directed the district administration to speed up fire fighting operations.
	Trekker dies of cardiac arrest Our Correspondent Kulu, May 11 Ravinder Bodse, son of Sakhram Bodse, of Anand Nagar, Doomibali, Mumbai, died while trekking to Mahili Dhar, 35 km from here, on Thursday. Bodse was accompanying 25 trekkers under the Youth Hostel of India. Group leader Naveen Tiwari told Bodse died of cardiac arrest. His body was brought to the Regional Hospital here for a postmortem examination. The body was taken to Delhi where from that would be flown to Mumbai. Police sources at police post at Patlikuhal confirmed the death was due to heart failure. Mr Lal Singh, the police post Incharge, Patlikuhal, said the body was handed over to the organisers after a postmortem and police sources said the deceased was working in the State Bank of India and joined the trekking group as a volunteer.