Shimla, January 27
The Governor, Mr V.S. Kokje, unfurled the Tricolour and took salute at an impressive march past at the state-level Republic day function held here 
yesterday.

The Governor paid tributes to the war heroes, martyrs and others who had made sacrifice for the cause of the nation. He urged the people to come forward for maintaining the unity and integrity of the nation.

Contingent of the police, the ITBP, the Home Guards, the Army, NCC cadets and ex-sevicemen presented an impressive march past. Capt Iqbal Singh of J and K Rifles commanded the parade. Tableaux exhibited by various departments and corporations, depicting the development made by the state in various fields were also on display.

Cultural programmes were presented by troupes from within the state and the neighbouring states.

The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, the Power Minister, Ms Vidya Stokes, the Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Mr Singhi Ram, the Deputy Speaker, Mr Dharam Pal, and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

KULLU: The Republic Day celebrations here took the shape of a fair as hundreds of people dressed in traditional costumes came to participate in the flag-hoisting ceremony held in Dhapur Maidan here. A number of cultural programmes were also held on the occasion.

Mr Ram Lal Thakur, Forest Minister, took the salute from contingents of the police, the ITBP, the Home Guards, NCC cadets (air and army wing) and Scouts. These contingents were led by the Himachal Home Guards band.

Officials of the Department of Police, the AD project and senior citizens of Palchang village, near Manali, were given appreciation letters and cash prizes for their involvement in saving more than 160 lives at the Rohtang Pass where these were stuck due to heavy snowfall in November last year.

A colourful cultural programme by students of various schools, members of women bodies, youth clubs and artistes of the Public Relation Department was presented on the occasion.

A function was also organised on the NHPC premises, Nagwain, where Mr A.K. Mishra, General Manager of the organisation, took salute from the security guards of the NHPC.

NAHAN: The Minister of Animal Husbandry and Housing, Mr Harsh Mahajan, unfurled the Tricolour and took salute from contingents of the police, the Home Guards and NCC cadets at a district-level Republic Day function at Chowgan Maidaan here yesterday.

Addressing the public on the occasion, he said keeping in view the importance of animal wealth in rural areas of the state, the government had deployed 135 doctors and 800 pharmacists in 2,071 veterinary institutes across the state. He said jobs would be provided to all fresh veterinary doctors graduating from the state immediately.

He said the milk produced in the state was found to be the best in the country in quality as there were no pesticides found in the product sold by Milkfed. The MLAs from Shillai and Nahan, Mr Harsh Vardha Chauhan and Mr Sada Nand Chauhan, were also present on the occasion.

Mr Harsh Mahajan also felicitated Mr Sada Nand, Mr Kush Parmar and Mr Ajay Bahadur (former MLAs) and distinguished social workers.

He said the state government had initiated a number of welfare schemes to raise socio-economic status of the people. Special stress was being laid on checking the declining sex ratio in the state. The government had earmarked Rs 31 crore to be spent in 11 cities for various development schemes.

He said services of 22,000 daily-wage earners had been regularised and their wages hiked from Rs 60 to Rs 75 per day. The government was spending 48 per cent of the budget on the welfare of the people of the state, he added.

Industrialisation was gaining momentum, particularly in Kala Amb, Barotiwala, Parwanoo and Baddi areas, due to attractive industrial policies of the government.

In rural areas, emphasis was being laid on roads, public utility services, sanitation, schools and veterinary institutions, he said.

At Rajgarh and Paonta Sahib, the Tricolour was unfurled by the SDMs.

BILASPUR: The Revenue, Punchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister, Mr Sat Mahajan, unfurled the Tricolour at a Republic Day function here yesterday. He paid tributes to the freedom fighters who laid down their lives for Independence. Her said the country and Himachal Pradesh had made tremendous progress since Independence. He said it was due the efforts made by the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, that the state had got Rs 14,000 crore under the 11th Five Year Plan. It meant an increase of Rs 3,700 crore over the amount under the last plan.

He also declared that all revenue records of Bilaspur district were being computerised in phases. He added that 151 gram punchayats would be soon computerised. Earlier, he visited the War Memorial, near the Circuit House here, and paid floral tributes to the heroes who fought for the country.

HAMIRPUR: The Tourism and Transport Minister, Mr G.S. Bali, unfurled the Tricolour at the Republic Day function organised at Government Senior Secondary Schools (Boys), Hamirpur, on Friday. Contingents of the Home Guards, NCC cadets and school students took part in the march past.

A Republic Day function was also organised in former Chief Minister and BJP leader Prem Kumar Dhumal's Assembly constituency, Bamsan. The function was organised at Chamboh village.

Ex-servicemen from the area took part in a march past. Mr Dhumal, who was the chief guest, took the salute. Local people flocked the place in large numbers to attend the function. A colourful cultural programme was also presented.

Patlander (Hamirpur), January 27
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh here today announced he was in favour of building a Ram temple at Ayodhya.

Addressing a meeting in the government senior secondary school, Patlander, he declared he was prepared to participate in ‘kar seva’ and give financial help for the construction of the temple.

Referring to the BJP’s recent national council session at Lucknow, the Chief Minister said he had thought that the party would give some direction to the country after the session but it failed to come out with any new issue. “Construction of the Ram temple cannot be an issue of the 21st century. The BJP has already fought elections on the issue and it won’t be able to take advantage of the issue again. Such issues need to be resolved peacefully,” he said.

The Chief Minister said he wanted to ask BJP leader and former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal what was his party’s contribution to the development of Hamirpur district, as it was the Congress government, which developed the tehsil into a full-fledged district and also set up the National Institute of Technology here. “The BJP has nothing to boast of as some works of development are executed even during President’s rule,” he said.

He said he had started the practice of winter sojourn in lower Himachal areas in 1993 as it helps him get first-hand feedback from public about the functioning of different departments and they can also put forth their grievances.

He advised the BJP to refrain from politics of tit-for-tat as it look away focus from the development. He said the Congress never believed in regionalism and the opposition, used such issues to get votes.

He said during his long political career, he had never seen more worthless and corrupt government than the one with Mr Dhumal as the Chief Minister.

Forest Minister Ram Lal Thakur said the BJP leaders had no moral right to accuse the Congress government of corruption as it was during Mr Dhumal’s tenure as Chief Minister that a group of ministers made allegations against their own leadership, something unprecedented in the political history of any state.

He ridiculed the statements of BJP leaders that BJP MP Suresh Chandel’s expulsion would not affect prospects of the party.

Hamirpur MLA Ms Anita Verma raised the demands of the local people, including construction of a bridge on the Dug khud, upgradation of government middle school in Chamiara to a high school and setting up of an ayurvedic dispensary in Kaned.

She said the Congress couldn’t be blamed for price rise as it was due to uncontrollable factors like delay in rainfall and the prices of essential commodities have gone up during the BJP rule as well.

Mr Karam Singh and Mr Ranjit Singh Verma, ex-Ministers, HPCC general secretary Ajay Mahajan and Congress district president Balak Ram Sharma, Col Mohinder Singh, chairman of the HP Ex-Servicemen’s Corporation and NSUI president Kewal Singh Pathania were also present on the occasion.

Patlander (Hamirpur), January 27
"I wanted to join civil service or become university lecturer and never dreamt of entering politics," said Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister here today.

He made this disclosure and said he was writing his autobiography, which would also be a chronological account of political history of Himachal.

He added, "I just strayed into politics. When the party offered me ticket for election to Lok Sabha in 1962, I was doing my post-graduation. I told party leaders that politics is not my cup of tea. But one and a half years later when the list of candidates of the Congress came out, my name was in it".

"Then Chief Minister Y.S. Parmar called me up and said 'Aap toh chupe rustam nikle'. I told him I never believed that an offer made much before the elections would still stand," said Mr Virbhadra Singh.

"Then, though I became an MP, I never wanted to be a minister but was given a chance to be part of the cabinet twice. Later, Ms Indira Gandhi told me that I should take over as Chief Minister of Himachal, something for which I had no desire. I told her that if the high command wants, I could be removed from the Cabinet but the party wanted me to serve my home state," he said.

"But I guess it was all destined to happen. I can never repay the love I have received from the people of the state and I consider it my good fortune that I was born in Himachal," he said.

Solan, January 27
The disappearance of a servant Rajinder Singh, from the Shimla-based residence of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on November 17 has sparked a controversy Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh All Employees Joint Action Committee Gopal Dass Verma pointed a finger at the CM’s role.

Addressing reporters here today Mr Verma said why the police had failed to trace him ever after more than two months. He questioned role of inmates of Holly Lodge, CM’s residence, which pressed the police to report Rajinder had gone missing from outside the CM’s house.

Rajinder’s uncle Bali Ram wrote a letter to the Governor on January 10 requesting him to direct the police to trace his nephew. The letter states Rajinder had been working in the CM’s residence since August 2005. An account No. 762124 had been opened in his name at the local post office where his address was mentioned as Holly Lodge, Jakhu, Shimla. Amount of Rs 5,500 was credited to the account in September 2005. Rajinder had protested against non-grant of salary and had asked the CM’s wife and MP Pratibha Singh to clear his 19 months dues on November. This led to an argument between the two. Instead of promised salary of Rs 5,500 per month he was paid Rs 500 per month only.

According to Mr Verma Ms Singh had further given Rs 1,000 as per a hand-written receipt produced by him as his salary from August to September and since Rs 100 had been taken as advance it was deducted. He was given Rs 900. This led to a dispute between Rajinder and Ms Singh on November 17. His relatives have alleged the police of Lakkar Bazaar police station did not register facts but concocted facts.

Mr Verma also alleged while the CM had fixed the minimum daily wages in Himachal at Rs 75 the CM was paying Rs 500 to his domestic servants. This was a violation of the Minimum Wages Act. The police acting under the CM’s pressure failed to locate Rajinder. Demanding a CBI probe into this matter he said the police either should produce Rajinder or it would be believed that he had been done to death, observed Mr Verma.

Nahan, January 27
Two persons were killed in the Paonta area one was injured seriously as a Tractor over runned.

As per the Majra police the driver of a tractor (HR0D-2996) carry stones lost control of the vehicle near Surajpur village under the Paonta subdivision and overrunned killing Rajo Devi of Amargarh Puruwala village. She was on the way to her village along the main road.After this the tractor hit a water tanker parked on the road side. The tanker fell on a mason engaged in construction work on road side and his associate. Mason Zahoor Ali of Bombay Pur village (Haryana) died on the spot while his associate Rashid Ali of same village was injured critically. He was taken to a Paonta hospital.

The police has arrested the driver of the tractor and registered a case in this regard. 

Shimla, January 27
Two former Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha members, Thakur Moti Ram and Kashmir Singh Rana, passed away in the state today, official sources said.

While Moti Ram passed away at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital (IGMC) here after a brief illness, Rana died at his native village, Khundian in Kangra district of the state.

State Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Minister Kaul Singh Thakur and Revenue Minister Rangila Ram Thakur have expressed grief and shock over their demise.

In his message, Mr Virbhadra Singh said Moti Ram Thakur and Kashmir Singh Thakur were veteran Congress leaders who always worked for strengthening the party.

In their death, the party has lost staunch Congress leaders who always had the best of the people their heart, he added. — UNI

Shimla, January 27
The government today ordered the posting of four IAS officers, appointing Mr J.P. Singh as Secretary to the Governor.

Mrs Rashmi Gupta, Secretary to the Governor has been posted Resident Commissioner, New Delhi. Mr V.C. Katoch, awaiting posting has been appointed Secretary, Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission.

Mr B.S. Nanta, Director Industries has been given additional charge of the Member (Administration), Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB). — TNS