Hatgrah (Mandi), October 11
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today launched a scathing attack on the BJP-RSS-Jan Sangh combine, accusing them of opposing the formation of Himachal Pradesh in 1966 and 1971 and held the former BJP government responsible for plunging the state into “losses worth Rs 80,000 crore in the 2051-MW Parbati and 800-MW Kol Dam power projects. 

Addressing a public meeting here after laying the foundation stone of a Rs 1.95-crore 75-metre-long Gutkar-Behna bridge and Rs 1.61-crore improvement and extension of the Balh valley irrigation project, Mr Virbhadra Singh alleged that the Jan Sangh, now BJP, had opposed the statehood day of Himachal as the merger of hill areas of the then Punjab would have rendered Hindus in Punjab into minority. 

Mr Virbhadra Singh made this charge and went on to accuse the BJP regime of Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal of “selling the interests of Himachal” by not staking the state’s equity participation in the Parbati and Kol Dam projects awarded to the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation and the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), respectively, during the BJP regime. 

On the other hand, the Congress government staked 25 per cent equity participation agreement in the 1500-MW Nathpa-Jhakhri power project and now the state was earning an annual revenue worth Rs 1,000 crore and 12 per cent as free power. Mr Virbhadra Singh cited an example to substantiate his claim.

“If the BJP government had made provision for the equity participation in these two big projects, then the state would have earned Rs 80,000 crore in an average life span of 40 to 45 years of these projects, Mr Virbhadra Singh claimed at a meeting where BJP legislator from Balh Damodar Das was also present. 

The Chief Minister threw an open challenge to the BJP to prove and present facts as to how much roads the BJP government had built and how many schools, college, medical engineering and universities they had opened. “They should come clean on the issue and publish an advertisement in four newspapers detailing the party’s achievements within 15 days, he claimed. 

Mr Virbhadra Singh, who also inaugurated the Rs 2.15-crore 33-KV Baggi substation that would benefit 80 villages in the Baggi-Chunahan area to public, further said that his government was roping in private universities to increase the value additions in education in IT and medicine and other key sectors this year. 

Mandi MP Pratibha Singh donated Rs 3 lakh each for the treatment of a nullah near the school and for the construction of the Grahu-Gagal link road. 

Irrigation and Public Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said the Rs 74-crore irrigation project for the left bank Balh scheme had been sent to the Centre for approval and Rs 1 crore allocated to the scheme this year. The scheme would irrigate 2,780 hectares of land in the Balh valley, he added.

Chamba, October 11
king a serious note of the inordinate delay in the payment of compensation on account of catchment area treatment (CAT) plan to be deposited by a private enterprise Lenco Coastal Project Private Limited, the Forest Department officials on the spot stalled the work of the project. The company is presently executing the 70 MW Budhal hydroelectric project on the rivulet Budhal, a tributary of the river Ravi near Bharmour Tribal Township in Chamba district.

According to official sources, as per the norms, the Forest Department had issued several notices to the company to deposit the balance amount totalling to about Rs 5 crore settled for the CAT plan. But the company did not make the payments.

Meanwhile, the members of the Kisan Sabha and Budhal Project Workers Union said the company was using the delaying tactics and evading government directives of providing 70 per cent employment to the locals. — OC

Bilaspur, October 11
He is not a god. But farmers of this region of Himachal, the state known as a “Dev-bhoomi” (land of gods), treat him like one. The man is Mohammad Mushtaq, a farm expert, a force behind the sowing of seeds of floriculture and horticulture revolution in this by and large, dry region of the hill state. He single-handedly, has been working to bring prosperity to small farmers to this region.

“For us, Mushtaq is everything. We do what he tells us to do with regard to farming. And he has never failed us”, says Mr Jagdish Singh Thakur and Mr Inder Singh Thakur, two farmers, who set up green houses on Mushtaq’s bidding and profited from the new venture started by them.

After doing M.Sc in Floriculture from Y.S. Parmar University at Solan, Mushtaq served the university as assistant scientist for a month and then joined a private organisation in Delhi. Later he became a consultant of a Dutch company engaged in floriculture business at the international level. He had been to many countries before resigning to start his farming in floriculture at his Talyana village — a short distance from here. 

“My parents were alone in the village as other brothers have also been in service. So, I thought to be with them and start my own work at the village”, he adds. And later, he persuaded his friends and others in the area to adopt green house technology to grow high-value crops such as colour capsicum, carnation and lily etc. “I faced many problems to convince farmers, who had meagre resources and were apprehensive of taking any risk”, said Mushtaq. “ But in due course, they started trusting me and did what I told them to do”, he added.

“As many as 265 farmers have started green house technology on my advice in Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Mandi and almost all of them are making money. Many more come to start such ventures. I interview them and take up the projects of only those who really are interested in something worthwhile”, he said, adding that he was not doing an charity work but charges from farmers for giving consultancy for setting up green houses, tending their crops and also with regard to marketing etc. 
“I guide farmers from A to Z as far as green house technology and growing high-value crops are concerned”, he asserted. His two cellphones never stop ringing. “Meeting 10 to 15 farmers daily has become a habit with me. I cannot think of my life without them”, he said. “Farmers in Himachal have been growing vegetables but now they have started making a fortune from high-value crops”, he said. 

My first aim is to make Himachal number one state in floriculture in comparison with other states such as Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat in this business. “Being nearer to Delhi, which has big market for high-value ornamental crops, we have advantage over states like Karnataka”, he adds. Impressed by Mushtaq’s work, Union Agriculture Secretary, Mrs Radha Singh has also visited the farmers growing high-value crops here.

“Mrs Radha Singh has been a great help and source of encouragement for us”, says Mushtaq, who is now engaged in setting up his one more green house in 30,000 square yards near Morni hills in Srimur district of Himachal.” I have the dream of earning daily Rs 5 lakh from my new green house in 10 years from now”, he told Director Agriculture, Punjab, Balwinder Singh Sidhu, who had gone around the green houses set up by him in this region.

Dharamsala, October 11
A 32-year-old woman was beaten to death by her husband, for whom she was fasting on the occasion of Karva Chauth, in the Palampur subdivision last night.

According to the police, Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Dhoran village under the Bhawarna police post, started beating up his wife, Sita Devi, with a stick around 9.30 p.m. 

The fight started when the accused reportedly told her that the moon had appeared and she should complete the ceremony, but she said she was tired and would do it after some rest. 

In no time, the husband lost his cool and started beating her up. He was apparently drunk as he did not realise that she had fallen unconscious and kept on beating her up.

The accused used to beat up his wife in the past as well, said the police. A case of murder was registered and the accused, working at a scooter puncture shop, was arrested by the police today.  The couple has three children, including two  young girls.

Dharamshala, October 11
A heavy rain pounded the hill station of Dharamsala in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh today, forcing the people to scurry for cover from the unexpected heavy rain.

The heavy rain followed by hailstorm that lasted an hour, forcing the people to scurrying cover from the unexpected raindrops, while plummeting the day temperature in the town by a few degrees.

The sky, however, cleared after over an hour of heavy  rains, — UNI

Shimla, October 11
Three persons were killed and several injured in two road accidents, while a woman committed suicide in Himachal Pradesh during the past 24 hours, police sources said.

One person was killed and several injured after the jeep, they were travelling in, skidded off the road at Palkwah village, 18 km from here, while residents of Talwandi village in Punjab were on their way to the Jawalamukhi temple in Kangra district.

While the killed person has been identified as Balbir, the injured, identified as Shingara Singh, Mohindo, Harjinder and Manpreet, Jyoti and Sikander were admitted to the district hospital here.

Mamta, Sukhwinder, Harjeet Kaur, Soma and Sarabjet, who escaped with minor injuries in the accident, were provided first aid at the Haroli Primary Health Centre (PHC).

In another accident in the district, a person, identified as Joginder Singh (38), was run over by a vehicle near his village late last night.

One person, Chaman Lal, was killed and four were injured after a truck hit their motor cycles at Chakkar last night, the sources said.

The speeding tipper ran over the people after hitting their motor cycles from behind and sped away from the scene of the accident.

The police officials chased the tipper and arrested the driver, identified as Yadvinder, from Rajwari village.

A 31-year-old woman committed suicide by hanging herself at Kaloh Dhar village in Mandi district yesterday, Sarkaghat DSP Vimal Gupta said.

He said according to her family members, Rooma Devi, who was being tortured by her in-laws, committed suicide on Karva Chauth to draw public attention towards the torture she was being subjected to.

The sources said cases had been registered. — UNI

Kumarhatti, October 11
Two more suspected cases of dengue were referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, from Baddi today.

Nisha (20), who was employed in Havell’s unit in Baddi, was reporting high-grade fever for the past few days. She was getting treatment at the ESI dispensary in Baddi. The dispensary, after failing to find any improvement in Nisha’s health, referred her to the PGI.

Another industrial worker, Hari Kishen (22), who was under treatment at Bhujia Dental College, Nalagarh, was referred to the PGI after his fever failed to recede. Hari Kishen, who hails from Kolkata, is employed at a unit in Baddi.

Earlier, three suspected dengue cases were referred to Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, from Baddi on Monday.