Shimla, August 1
The BJP today blocked traffic for two hours at the Victory Tunnel here in protest against the failure of the government in controlling price rise.

Hundreds of BJP workers led by state BJP chief Suresh Bhardwaj blocked the traffic at the Victory Tunnel on the Cart Road from 11 am to 1 pm. Even though the police forcefully removed the chakka jam at 12.15 pm and arrested over 100 BJP workers along with Mr Bhardwaj. It was only at about 1 pm that the movement of traffic was resumed.

Mr Bhardwaj said the party had decided to disrupt traffic to alert the government on the issue, and it did not want to put public to any inconvenience. It was for this reason that the duration of the protest was 
kept only for two hours, 
he added.

“In case the government fails to take effective measures to control the price rise the BJP will intensify its agitation in the coming days,” he warned.

There are reports of traffic being disrupted by the BJP leaders and workers all over the state against the price rise. Former Union Minister and national vice-president of the BJP, Mr Shanta Kumar, blocked traffic along with party workers at Sulah, while former Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal led the party workers at Tauni Devi in Hamirpur.

There are reports of chakka jam by MLA’s, former ministers and senior leaders at various places in Shimla, Kangra, Hamirpur, Una, Mandi, Bilaspur and Kullu districts.

Hamirpur, August 1
An HIV-positive woman has approached President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam requesting mercy killing along with her infant daughter.

The woman, a resident of Kurara area here, allegedly got the virus from her husband Raju who died on January 19 after prolonged illness.

Raju, who was a teacher by profession, had ventured to Surat and Mumbai in search of better opportunities. However, he returned penniless and HIV positive, the woman claimed.

Until Raju died, the family was not aware of his HIV status and his treatment caused a considerable drain on the family's already frail resources.

After his death, it was confirmed that Raju had Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

A medical test confirmed that Raju's widow was also HIV positive. However, her daughter has tested negative.

Faced with penury, the woman has tried committing suicide at least twice, first by consuming sleeping pills and then by jumping in the Betwa river on May 26. But, she was saved.

Now, she has approached the President to allow euthanasia in her case. —UNI

Dalhousie, August 1
The hotel industry constitutes the backbone of tourism and is its main base in a hill station like Dalhousie. But, sadly the provisions of the newly enacted Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development and Registration Act, 2002 (Act No.15 of 2002) have not yet been enforced in the Dalhousie-Chamba tourist circuit.

According to official sources, about 80 hotels, including guest houses have earlier been registered in and around Dalhousie by the Himachal Pradesh Department of Tourism in accordance with the HP Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1988. Likewise, about 33 hotels in Chamba town, 14 in Khajjiar tourist resort and 11 in Bharmour tribal township, have been granted registration under the HP. Registration of Tourist Trade Act, 1988 which is no longer in use now.

The latest Act provides that every person intending to operate a tourism unit shall, before operating the tourism unit, apply for registration to the prescribed authority in the prescribed manner provided that any person already operating a tourism unit on the date of commencement of this Act shall apply for registration within 90 days from the date of commencement of this Act.

Also that any person, operating a tourism unit, makes any addition or alteration in the tourism unit, shall apply for fresh registration within 90 days from the date of such addition of alteration.

The tourism unit operator or travel agent or guide or adventure sports operator, as the case may be, registered under this Act shall get renewed the registration certificate after a period of three years from the date of issuance of registration certificate by the prescribed authority and shall also pay renewal licence fee as may be prescribed.

But It is not understood why the old registration of the hotel establishments of this tourist circuit could not be renewed so far even after a period of four years. The reasons are perhaps best known to the authorities concerned.

Certain hotel premises do not conform to the prescribed standards required under the provisions of the Act. These hotels lack basic amenities. For instance, accommodation of standard size, attached toilet facilities ready for being let out to tourists and guests as prescribed under the Act and the rules made therein are violated.

Surprisingly, the hotels which have been constructed unauthorizedly by ignoring the essential provisions of the building byelaws have been granted registration.

The buildings of some hotels have been approved even without obtaining the foundation details. There was no practice to obtain the revenue records of the estate in support of the construction.

Some hotels do not fulfil the eligibility norms as their premises and accommodation, not being in a suitable area, are below the requisite standards.

The district administration has not bothered to invoke the provisions of the Public Premises Act to remove highly inflammable articles kept in the additional pantry of the hotels.

What irks tourists and guests staying in hotels are the dirty rooms, seepage from bathrooms, sagging roofs and exorbitant rates.

The state government has been granting registration to hotels, lodges and restaurants unmindful of the provisions of the Act.

Dharamsala, August 1
Despite the delay in the finalisation of its details, the ambitious ropeway project, linking Dharamsala to McLeodganj, can soon be a reality.

The Department of Tourism has tied up with a Kolkata-based firm to get a technical survey of the Rs 15-crore project done.

Talking to The Tribune, Divisional Tourism Officer Vikas Labru said it had been decided that the ropeway would have two parts. It would start from a point near the HRTC workshop in Dharamsala and would have a resting point near the official residence of the Dalai Lama. From here, it would end at a point close to the bus stand, he said.

The department was focusing on the first phase of the project and the viability of the ropeway linking McLeodganj with Triund, would be studied later.

Interestingly, an initial survey conducted by the district administration and the Tourism Department had pointed out that the easy availability of road link from Dharamsala to McLeodganj might not make it a viable project and the other option from McLeodganj to Triund should be given preference. The fact that travel by ropeway would be about 10 times costlier than road transport.

On the other hand, a detailed study of the project had shown that entire area was still being unexplored by most tourists and it would surely make it popular.

“But we are sure that the Dharamsala-McLeodganj ropeway would be an instant hit. Considering that Dalhousie and Dharamsala are the two key tourist destinations in the region and whichever place gets the ropeway first will have an edge over the other,” said Mr Labru.

The technical survey has concluded recently and the report is expected soon. “The project is very much on and the delay in starting work is because of the involvement of a host of departments in the project,” he said.

Mr Rajesh Bansal, a travel agent, said the ropeway project had great potential and quality tourists would like to travel by ropeway instead of taking the busy road. As of now, there is no such major attraction in McLeodganj from tourism point of view.

The total length of the Dharamsala-McLeodganj project would be around 3.5 km and it would be one of the longest ropeways in the region. said Labru.

Dharamsala, August 1
The arrest of two foreigners, staying illegally in this area, during the past two weeks seems to be just the tip of the iceberg as scores of unregistered foreigners are reportedly settled here.

Police sources said there could be a large number of foreigners staying illegally, especially in McLeodganj. However, not many cases had been detected since there had been hardly any concerted effort on the part of the police to identify such elements.

These sources said Tibetans coming to McLeodganj and staying illegally enjoyed protection of registered Tibetan residents. At the same time, verification of the antecedents of persons of nationalities other than Tibetans did not seem to be a priority area of the police.

“It’s only a matter of chance that the police stumbles on some illegally-staying foreigner or is tipped-off by intelligence agencies or the Tibetan security office that they come into action,” said a police official on condition of anonymity.

He added that the illegal stay of foreigners in this part of the state was definitely a cause of concern from the security point of view. He added that as per intelligence reports, while 20 persons among those staying here illegally were suspected to be involved in espionage, the remaining, including those from China and Mongolia, came here inspired by the Tibetan religion.

“While random checks of foreigners will be done in McLeodganj, the police will also keep an eye on Tibetan monasteries as one of the Chinese woman was caught from a monastery in Sidhpur,” he said.

He said all foreigners planning to stay here for more than six months should get themselves registered with the Foreigners’ Registration Office located in the police headquarters. The monastery authorities also needed to keep a record of monks and nuns staying with them.

Directions had also been issued to hotel and guesthouse owners to keep proper records of foreigners checking in and pass these to the police, said Mr Patial.

Two foreigner women were arrested by the police under the Foreigners Act for not having the required documents during the past two weeks. 

Jangam Bagh (Mandi), August 1
A leopard is on the prowl around this village located nearby the Tramri wildlife sanctuary, and is believed to be a “topobhumi” of sage Jamadgni.

Residents of the nearby BBMB Colony in Sundernagar are, however, scared after it mauled two persons here yesterday. But villagers express no fear from the leopard as it has never harmed anybody here till yesterday.

Mr Harpal Negi, a revenue official, and Mr Amar Singh Sankhayan, his neighbour, spotted the leopard yesterday. The leopard slipped out from behind the bushes and pounced on Mr Negi.

Surinder, Mr Sankhayan’s son, and Ruchi, Mr Negi’s nephew, rushed to the spot and caught hold of the leopard’s tail, dragging it.

“The fight continued for four minutes”, said Mr Sankhayan. “I informed the SDM, Sundernagar, about the incident. Mr Negi was taken to hospital”.

A team of four policemen and wildlife guards arrived, an eyewitness said. The leopard pounced from the bushes and mauled a guard carrying a sickle. It withdrew again and sat behind the bushes. It later disappeared into the sanctuary.

Leopard(s) come to drink water at Jangam Bagh. They roam around the temple, and sit there in the evening. They move away without attacking my cattle, Mr Sankhayan said. “It has never harmed anybody in this village. But we heard it has killed pet dogs and other domestic animals in other areas”, he said. 

Kangra, August 1
A group of pilgrims from Punjab clashed with locals this morning, leaving a dozen injured. The pilgrims ransacked six shops and threw bottles and other articles at the locals, the police said.

The ASP, Mr Santosh Patial, said it was at 10 am that a group of pilgrims from Punjab clashed near Chintpurni.

The clash continued for about an hour. He said 16 persons were caught by the locals and were handed over to the police. The DSP, Jawali, rushed to Chintpurni along with police personnel to control the situation.

He said 16 persons were arrested and more were wanted in the case. The police was searching for the other accused who had gone into hiding.

The ASP said trouble started between the pilgrims and the locals for a personal reason. The area fell in Una district but the clash spread to another part of Chintpurni which fell in this district. He said the Sharawan Ashtami mela continued undisturbed.

The SP, Una, said four policemen were overpowered and attacked by the group. The mob also tried to set ablaze a traffic police post.

Kangra, August 1
Two pilgrims from Punjab were drowned in the Bathu river near Ranital today when they were taking a bath there.

According to the police, Balvinder Singh (26) and Lovely (18), both residents of Nawanshahr, were drowned in Bathu Khad when they along with other five youths went for a bath. They could not be saved as the water was very deep there.

The bodies were later recovered and sent for postmortem. Seven persons died on Sunday in the same khad almost at the same spot when a pilgrim bus rolled down. The police is investigating the case. Both along with other friends had come to pay obeisance at the Bajjreshwari temple here.

Kumarhatti, August 1
The Kalka-Shimla national highway was blocked for half an hour by BJP workers at Dharampur market today in support of party wise agitation against rising prices. Over 200 party workers from Kasauli constituency led by senior leader, Mr Virender Kashyap, shouted slogans against the Central government for its failure to check the inflation. The BJP workers led by Mr Shrikant, district chief of Solan BJP, blocked the traffic at Baddi. The party workers led by state party spokesman, Mr Rajiv Bindal, staged a protest at Arki. No protest was held at Nalagarh and Solan areas represented by the BJP in state Vidhan Sabha.

Shimla, August 1
The CPMT scam took its toll when Mr K.P. Dogar, the Controller of examinations of the Himachal Pradesh University resigned from the position he had been holding since the past three years.

Mr Dogar has been forced to quit because of the pressure generated students as he was directly involved in the conduct of test.

The decision of the court had come as great embarrassment to the university which had all through maintained that there was no irregularity in the conduct of the examination. In fact, the one-man inquiry ordered by the university had given a clean chit to it.

The entire exercise was seen as a cover-up operation. It became quite obvious that a few heads will roll the day the high court pronounced the judgment.

Shimla, August 1
The state government has notified the creation of the Nalagarh and Baddi Barotiwala Development Area (NABBDA) bringing a total of 127 villages, spread over an area of 150.78 sq km under its authority, as the entire belt has been witnessing unprecedented industrial boom.

A separate notification under Section 66 of the Town and Country Planning Act (TCP) has also been issued, which has further increased the area under NABBDA as 20 new villages have been added to the earlier 107 villages. A separate notification under Section 67 of the TCP Act will be issued for the creation of a development authority, as the matter is still under deliberation. With all these villages falling under NABBDA, land use has been frozen here and any land transaction can take place only with the permission of the Town and Country Planning Department and other agencies.

Though the Cabinet had granted formal approval to the creation of NABBDA but the notification has been issued now by the government. The two planning areas of Baddi-Barotiwala and Nalagarh will henceforth be treated as special areas under Section 66 of the TCP Act.

However, the development plan of Nalagarh and Baddi-Barotiwala will still remain operative even after the creation of NABBDA. The NABBDA will touch the border of Punjab on one side and the foothills of the Shiwalik on the other side towards Haryana.

The government has declared this entire industrial belt as a development area to ensure its planned and regulated growth as per the TCP Act. The main focus of the authority will be to create road network, parks, parking, transportation, open spaces and use the government land for community development.

The government got a detailed study of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and the NOIDA (New Okhla Industrial Development Authority) studied before creation of NABBDA. A team of officials from the TCP department had visited Panchkula and NOIDA to study the pattern of the two authorities created by Haryana.

NABBDA shall have a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), while the minister incharge will be its chairman. The Principal Secretary, Town and Country Planning will be its Vice-Chairman. The other members of NABBDA shall include heads of various departments including Forest, PWD, Revenue, Industries. And also the Himachal Urban Development Authority. The Deputy Commissioner and the Superintendent of Police, Solan, and two representatives of the Industries Department will also be its members.

Shimla, August 1
Mr Kaul Singh Thakur, Irrigation and Public Health Minister, and Mr Harsh Mahajan, Animal Husbandry Minister, today lashed out at the BJP for politicising the matter relating to disciplinary proceedings against an errant ayurvedic officer.

In a statement here today, they said the reaction of the BJP was not only uncalled for, but also raised suspicion about a “nexus” between the officer and the BJP. They said all government employees were bound by rules and according to these no government servant could take part in RSS activities.

They said the association of government servants with the RSS was banned and participation by any government servant was liable for disciplinary action.

They said it was false that three persons had been suspended. Complaints were received against the officer that he was often found absent from duty during his posting in Chamba and was also alleged to have been involved in RSS activities during office hours.

Shimla, August 1
The police today registered two cases against the Students Federation of India (SFI) activists who gheraoed the chief warden and held a demonstration outside his office at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU).

The police had to use force against the SFI activists who were raising slogans outside the office of the chief warden.

Meanwhile, the SFI alleged that the police cane charged them while they were peacefully protesting outside the office of the chief warden. “We had gheraoed the chief warden over the issue of girls hostel allotments and the HPU authorities summoned the police who used force even against the girl students,” said Mr Ashok Bansal, Campus President of the SFI. — TNS

Solan, August 1
Defending the recent appointments made by Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, the university Vice-Chancellor, Dr Jagmohan Singh, yesterday said a mere gold medal was not the sole criteria of selection. Marks according to the qualification, publications and experience had also been taken into consideration.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, he said the reservation roster had been complied with as three posts had been reserved for SC and ST candidates. These posts could not be specified as it could have created a situation where some posts could have fallen vacant in the absence of SC/ ST candidates. This, however, attracted flak from the aspirants as general category candidates were made to appear for reserved posts. Deserving candidates having gold medals had failed to make it to the interview.

The VC enlisted number of publications, experience and higher qualification as the criteria carrying 85 marks while a mere 15 marks were attributed to the interview. He said the wife of an associate professor, Bunty Shylla, was selected in the department of Pomology (The branch of botany that studies and cultivates fruits), as she had an experience of seven years. She was chosen as an ST candidate though she was pursuing her Ph.D.

When asked about last minute reservation the VC said the posts had to be re-advertised if no suitable candidate was found for the specific SC and ST posts. This would have delayed their appointment by another six months, he said. He added that the reservation roster was cadre wise and not department wise. This had initiated a controversy in the university.

Interestingly, Rajesh Thakur, son of the Vice-Chancellor, who fared much lower than another aspirant Brajesh Verma got selected in the department of Floriculture. Brajesh Verma not only had more publications to his name but had a three year versatile experience in the Krishi Vigyan Kendre which fetched no reward.

Similarly, Ph.D candidates who had appeared with Bunty Shylla had to bear the brunt of last minute reservation. Candidates felt that merit was ignored blatantly and this was evident in the case of the VC’s own son who hardly fared higher than the other candidates in any laid criteria.

The VC however defended the selection by asserting that he was not heading that committee where his close kin had appeared. No convincing reply could be given as to why only those posts where his kin appeared were not reserved.

Departments where three posts existed were not reserved while single department posts were reserved to adjust favourites, remarked some aspirants.

Shimla, August 1
The Army has decided to rebuild Walker Hospital, which was gutted in a devastating fire in 1998.

Stating this at a press conference, Col G.S. Panta, Director, ex-servicemen helpline station, said the magnificent structure would be built at the same site at a cost of Rs 29 crore. The new military hospital would have all modern facilities. It would be made functional in the next 18 months. He said at present only a polyclinic was functioning at Jutogh station from where the patients requiring specialised treatment were being referred to Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital.

The medical services were being outsourced to ensure better medical care to the ex-servicemen and spare military doctors for serving personnels. The number of exervicemen was increasing at a rapid pace and the military hospitals were over-burdened.

He said the need for setting up an organisation exclusively dedicated to the welfare of ex-servicemen was being felt for long and it had been addressed by establishing the ESM helpline at the station headquarters, here. Similar facility was being established at other stations too.

He said many ex-servicemen, particularly those living in the interiors, had lost touch with the Army and he was seeking the help of panchayat pradhans and the civil administration to trace them out. The ultimate objective was to have a comprehensive data bank of ex-servicemen, their widows and dependents so that they could be provided assistance and make them feel that they were still part of the organisation.

The helpline will coordinate for medical assistance, jobs in both government and private sectors, renewal of CSD, liquor and ration cards, resolving family disputes and legal cases and provide the latest information regarding various schemes for the welfare of ex-servicemen.