Mandi, August 15
The Chief Minister Mr. Virbhadra Singh today announced an Independence Day bonanza for daily wage workers, both in the private and government sectors hiking the daily wages from Rs 70 to Rs 75 that would come in to effect from January 1, 2007 in the state.

Addressing a massive gathering after unfurling the Tricolour to mark the 60th Independence Day at Karsog in Mandi district today, Mr. Virbhadra Singh said the hike would benefit lakhs of workers in the state and was part of his government’s commitment made in the Congress manifesto. “We have promised to look after the welfare of all sections and regions of the state when the party assumed power during this term in the state”.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said the government would provide employment to over 35,000 persons both in the private and public sectors by March 31, 2007. “The fresh investment to the tune of Rs 19,000 crore brought in by the special industrial package, which has been extended till 2010, will employ over 2.5 lakh persons in the state in due course of time”, he added. Pointing out the pending arrears on power projects and the state share of 7.14 per cent earmarked in the Punjab Reorganisation Act, Mr Virbhadra Singh said the state was currently getting just over 2 per cent from Punjab. He reaffirmed that the state had sought justice from Supreme Court on the power projects run by Punjab in the state. We will get justice and the state will become self-reliant as it is also tapping 21000 MW hydro power potential in a big way,” he added. Mr Virbhadra Singh said the BJP was making false propaganda to divide the people.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said the government would sign the MoU on the Alcindi Cement Plant in the Karsog subdivision that would give local employment. He upgraded three high schools, Preshi, Soshan and Kaw to senior secondary level and announced a high school for Alcindi, and Chirl Pahlu and a middle school for Bahain.

Mr Virbhadra Singh also announced a grant of Rs 75 lakh for the local stadium.

He took the salute of the 60th Independence Day parade presented by the police, Home Guards, NCC and NSS volunteers and school children.Present on the occasion were IPH Minister Kaul Singh Thakur, Excise and Taxation Minister Rangila Ram Rao, Chief Secretary SS Parmar, DGP Ashwani Kumar and other top officials from the Chief Minister’s Office and district officials.

Shimla, August 15
Making a breakthrough in the alleged HP-CPMT question paper leak, the police has arrested a youth, Manoj, from Nagchalla in Mandi who has given vital information which will help in the investigation of the case.

Manoj is learnt to have told the police about the identity of the person who got the question paper from the press in Lucknow where the papers had been sent for printing. He has named a person from Bijnaur in Uttar Pradesh who was involved in the racket in a big way along with an Amritsar-based doctor.

It was yesterday that Manoj was produced before a judicial magistrate, who has sent him in police remand till August 18. According to the police Manoj is an alleged dalal who found prospective clients in the form of parents wanting to ensure admission of their children to medical colleges.

Manoj is alleged to have taken some of the parents of students who cleared the PMT to Dehradun and Delhi. However, as per the Supreme Court directions, the police cannot undertake cross interrogation of these persons named by Manoj till August 23 as the PMT will be held on August 20.

“A majority of persons, who were behind the racket, are outsiders and people from Himachal were only involved at the very lower level, with the task of finding parents of candidates as clients. Those involved in the racket from Punjab and Uttar Pradesh used Himachali youths to act as dalals and look for parents who were willing to pay. In return these youths were given sums ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per client.

The police has been able to make a breakthrough with the help of a mobile phone conversation between various links. Those running the racket used three sets of people, one for getting the question paper leaked from the press, others for finding clients and finally some tutors who solved the question paper for the students at coaching centres in Uttranchal and Delhi.

Mandi, August 15
The two woman were killed and 17 others were injured, two of them seriously, when the bus carrying them rolled down from a narrow curve on the Leda -Mandi road near Palai, about 30 km from here, today.

The women, who died on way to zonal hospital Mandi, have been identified as Gorja Devi( 70) and Kamla Devi(30). Divan Chand and Raj Kumar, who sustained serious abdomen injuries, have been put on blood transfusion and referred to IGMC, Shimla, for treatment.

The injured were rushed to Rati hospital in Balh . While three passengers are under treatment at Rati, the rest are under treatment at Mandi zonal hospital.

As soon as the bus reached the spot the driver tried to negotiate the narrow curve but the shaky support wall on the left side caved inand the bus rolled down in the fields.

The driver and the conductor of the private bus( HP 33 2861), which belongs to Nain Bus Service also sustained injuries and are under treatment at Mandi hospital.

The nearby villagers and the police team for Riwalsar and Balh rushed to the spot and rescued the passengers from the bus, which had overturned.

Inquiries by this correspondent revealed that the road where the accident took place had been dug for the laying of cables by the telephone service provider. Even the trench dug up on the narrow road for the cable was had not been filled up making the spot all the more dangerous for the passing vehicles, rued locals.

The Station House Officer, Balh police station, Mr. Hemant Thakur, said a case under Sections 279, 338 of the IPC had been registered against the bus driver and the cable contractor.

The district administration has announced an immediate relief of Rs.25,000 each for the next of kin of those killed and Rs. 5000 each to the seriously injured. 

Nurpur, August 15
The Judicial Magistrate, Nurpur, Mr Hoshiar Singh Verma, today remanded in judicial custody Subash Sharma, a quack, and his two female accomplices, Usha Devi and Bandana, who had been running an illegal hospital at Jassur, near here, till August 28. They were arrested on August 11 following registration of a criminal case under Section 316 and Sections 3 and 4 of the MTP Act. They were allegedly running a private hospital illegally and performing illegal abortions of women from rural areas.

The whole episode had come to light following unsuccessful abortion of Poonam (23), a resident of Jarroli village in this subdivision, whose abortion had been conducted on July 29. She had to be admitted in the Civil Hospital here in a serious condition on August 6.

Kangra, August 15
Panic gripped Ansoli village this morning when a woman with head injury was found on the Kangra- Dharamsala road on the outskirts of this town, the police said here.

The police said the woman, identified as Madhu (40) from Hamirpur, was in an intoxicated condition and was found on the road bleeding from her head. A local resident and social activist, Mr A.B. Rajbansh, along with the local Pradhan and other villagers took the injured woman to the Kangra Civil Hospital where from she was referred to the Dr R.P. Government Medical College Hospital at Dharamsala.

Lists of mobile phone numbers and names of taxi drivers were recovered from her purse. The police said that Madhu was still not in a position to give a statement.

Shimla, August 15
The Congress chief, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, certainly wanted her four-day holiday here to be a completely private affair but not when it came to bringing a smile on the faces of the 150 children at the School for the Visually Challenged and Hearing and Speech Impaired at Dhalli, where she happened to go for a trek along with daughter Priyanka.

For the children, too, it was a completely unexpected visit by the most familiar face they see on television everyday when they saw her taking a walk in the forest right next to their school in Dhalli, on the outskirts of the town on Saturday last. Making no mistake in identifying her, the children whose hearing and speech is impaired greeted her with ‘namaste’ and waved to her, forcing an unscheduled visit by the lady who wished to meet none during her holiday.

Being a chance visit to the school she was not carrying any gifts for the children which is the norm whenever any VIP comes but she made it a point to send apples and ‘bhutta’ (corn) for the children the very next day on Sunday. “It was her security staff which came with the apple boxes and bhuttas for the children as she was not carrying anything for them the previous day,” said one of the staff members at the school.

Mrs Gandhi, accompanied by Priyanka came inside the institute and spoke to the chowkidar of the school. “They inquired about the strength of the school, staff and the facilities available for the children and how they were managing with such skeletal staff, especially during the night,” said another staff member who rued not being there when the Congress chief came. Clad in a ‘salwar-kameez’ Mrs Gandhi and daughter Priyanka wearing trousers and shirt, clicked photographs as all the children were asked to come out of their rooms.

“They spoke to the chowkidar and clicked photographs, holding his children in their arms,” said staff members. The children were even happier the next day when they were told that Mrs Gandhi had sent fruit for them, he added.

After spending about half an hour with the children, Mrs Gandhi and Priyanka drove off in the vehicles waiting for them below the school. Barring a visit to Naldehra and Glen, Mrs Gandhi accompanied by Priyanka, undertook long treks in the deodar forests in the vicinity of their hotel in Charabra on practically all the four days.

Dharamsala, August 15
Prof Samdhong Rinpoche, who has been elected Prime Minister (Kalon Tripa) of the Tibetan Government-in-exile for the second consecutive term, here today took the oath of office.

In his statement, he said the main purpose of the Dalai Lama’s view that the political leadership of the Tibetans should be chosen through a process of elections was to provide an opportunity for the young and progressive Tibetans to take up leadership roles in the community.

Moreover, the Dalai Lama feels that once this trend is firmly established, it will send a clear message that the Tibetan political leadership does not depend upon a few individuals and that there exists a huge potential and choices for leaders among the broad masses of the Tibetan people.

“Unfortunately, I was elected again recently. This is not something that we should feel happy about and take pride in. However, I have accepted this because in a democracy, one should respect the people’s mandate,” he said.

Child buried under debris
Our Correspondent

Kasauli, August 15
Krishna, a four-year-old son of a labourer was buried under debris when a parapet of an overlying road collapsed due to heavy rain late last night near the Army’s Inspection Bungalow near here. The labourer’s family, which hails from Ghumla district of Jharkhand, had arrived here in July to work for a private construction company, Mangalam Constructions.

The family was living along with other labourer families in makeshift tinned huts. The heavy debris of the collapsing parapet buried the child while his parents Sat Narayan and Shanti managed to escape.

The incident occurred around 2.30 am and the police learnt of it in the morning. Police officials said the child had already been buried by the time they arrived. The construction work was being carried out by Delhi-based Mr Malhotra who was constructing a three star hotel.

A local environmentalist Baljeet Malik who was among the first to reach the site said the contractor tried to hush up the case and he prevailed upon the poor labourers to bury the child before the arrival of the police.