Shimla, May 7
The implementation of the Rs 600-crore gravity scheme to end the perennial problem water shortage in the “Queen of Hills”, construction of four tunnels and double-laning of Circular Road to remove traffic congestion and the shifting of Sadar police station, bakeries, Anaj Mandi and some other markets are the main highlights of the Congress manifesto released here today for the municipal corporation poll slated for May 23.

With stress on decongestion the manifesto also promised to introduce alternative modes of transportation like ropeways, mono-rail and cable cars to link temples located on various peaks. The Jakhu temple will be linked with the Dhingu Devi temple and Sankat Mochan temples via Ladies Park and the main bus stand. The Tara Devi temple will be linked with Sankat Mochan and Kamna Devi. Besides, elevators will be provided from Rivoli bus station to The Ridge, IGMC College to Lakkar Bazar, Bamloe to the Mall Road and from bypass road to the Kusumpti office complex.

The manifesto was released jointly by Shimla district Congress chief (urban) Arun Sharma and Shimla district Congress chief (rural) Vidya Sagar in the presence of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and PCC chief Viplove Thakur.

While the exiting pedestrian tunnel at Auckland House will be widened for two-way vehicualr traffic, three more tunnels will bored to link the Lift to Lakkar Bazar and Himfed petrol pump, and IGMC College to Himfed.

New parking lots will be constructed at Chhota Shimla, Sanjauli bus stand, near Willows Hotel, Kusumpti, Lakkar Bajar and Dhalli. Anaj Mandi, bakeries goods transport companies , timber depots and district courts will be shifted to decongest the main town. Overbridges will be provided at Tara Hall, Main Bus Stand and Tuti Kandi near the school chowk.

The residents have been promised the supply of water twice a day after the completion of the Giri Lift Water Supply Scheme later this year while a gravity water supply scheme will bring water all the way from the Pabbar river and its tributaries will solve the water problem permanently. The old water distribution network will be replaced by new underground pipelines at a cost of Rs 20 crore, besides the construction of new water storage tanks.

The retention policy will be simplified, housing will be provided for Balmikis, poor and employees of the corporation. Stalls will be constructed for the unemployed youth and members of reserved categories.

Future priorities include the construction of Kufri, Pantha Ghati-Tara Devi, Tutu-Kuftadhar-Naldehra and Ghannatti-Jabbar Hatti-Shoghi bypass roads, bus stand at Bhatta Kufer and new commercial complexes at various places.

Shimla, May 7
Complete database about the urban infrastructure in five towns of Himachal Pradesh will be digitised under a Rs 1.04-crore centrally sponsored national urban informatics system project.

The towns of Shimla, Mandi, Dharamsala, Solan and Nahan have been covered under the project. Complete detailing of urban infrastructure in these towns will be done with the help of satellite imagery. The task for detailing these structures has been entrusted to the Survey of India, which will submit its final report within a month.

The project has been sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Urban Development and the Department of Town and Country Planning will be the nodal agency. Seeing the vast scope of the project, some other departments like science and technology, environment and pollution control and the municipalities and related local bodies are also being included.

Complete data about all urban structures and facilities will be collected and digitised, which will ultimately become the base for detailing of the existing development maps at the zonal, sectoral and scheme level.

The staff of the department in these five towns will be made conversant in the use of GIS so that the technology can be put to use for planning and preparing development plans and other projects.

Under the informatics project, complete detailing of all structures, social aspects, industry, housing, tourism etc. will be undertaken. As far as the state capital is concerned, the municipal limits and the entire planning area will be covered under the project. This also includes the outer limits of Ghannati, Kufri and adjoining areas.

Shimla, May 7
The state government has urged the Centre to bring all district headquarters of the state under the Jawaharlal Urban Renewal Mission.

Talking to mediapersons Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the government had already taken up the matter with the Centre and impressed upon it that no town in a hill state like Himachal with sparse population could fulfil the criteria for inclusion in the project. Even Shimla was included as a special case, keeping in view its historical importance and that it was the state capital.

He said the government was of the view that in case of special category states like Himachal Pradesh, which had meagre financial resources, district headquarters should be covered under the mission. It would help in improving and expanding the basic infrastructure facilities in these towns.

Referring to the plans for Shimla under the mission, he said the government expected to get between Rs 3,000 crore to Rs 4,000 crore for various projects. Three projects involving an expenditure of Rs 45 crore had already been sanctioned. In the first phase, projects amounting to Rs 1,500 crore would be submitted. The government would try to get the Rs 600-crore water supply project funded under the mission.

Shimla, May 7
The Himachal Pradesh High court today held that the secretary and under secretary of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had prima facie committed the contempt of court by not seeking extension of time in implementing the cigarette and other tobacco products (packaging and leveling Rules, 2006), which were supposed to be enforced w.e.f February 1, 2007.

The union ministry extended the period upto June 1, 2007, by issuing corrigendum without seeking the leave of the court.

A division Bench comprising the Chief Justice V.K. Gupta and Mr Justice V.K. Ahuja took a serious notice of this and ordered that what action is to be taken for not complying with the orders of the court would be decided on the next date of hearing.

The court passed the direction on a contempt petition filed by Ruma Kaushik, wherein she had alleged that officials of the union ministry had committed the contempt of court by not enforcing the, rules in the stipulated period.

The petitioner further alleged that the officials of the ministry extended the period from February 1, 2007 to June 1, 2007 without seeking the permission of the court. Now the case will come up for further hearing on July 24, 2007.

Bilaspur, May 7
Taking undue advantage of the holiday rush of pilgrims at Naina Devi shrine, pickpockets had a field day. They even had the temerity to pick the pocket of a Punjab Police sub-inspector who had come to the shrine to pay obeisance and was caught in the crowd.

Pickpockets made away with Rs 3,000 and an identity card from the pocket of Shiv Kamal Singh, posted as sub-inspector at Nakodar in Jalandhar district of Punjab. Another pilgrim, Vijay Kumar, lost Rs 500, while Ram Pal of Purana Panchkula lost Rs 8,000 and some important documents.

Several pilgrims complained of poor arrangements at the temple and said it took hours for them to have darshan of the deity, while some privileged persons were taking advantage of their position and were being given priority upon others. 

Solan, May 7
Junior engineer Sanjay Awasthy, employed with the Municipal Committee, Nalagarh, was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 from one Shiv Prashad by a team of Vigilance and anti-corruption sleuths at Nalagarh today.

The money was being taken in lieu of granting Shiv Prashad a NOC for availing a power connection for his vocational training institute.

He had applied for the NOC in June 2006, but it was kept pending on one pretext or the other. Unable to procure it, he finally made a written complaint to the Vigilance and the Anti-Corruption Department.

A deal was struck and Prashad agreed to pay Awasthi a sum of Rs 40,000 at Shitla Mata Mandir today.

He carried 40 currency notes of Rs 1,000 denomination and as soon as he handed over the money to Awasthi, a Vigilance team led by DSP R.C.Chhajta caught him red-handed.

A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against the JE and he was arrested. 

Dharamsala, May 7
Transport and tourism miniser G.S. Bali today served a legal notice on state BJP chief Jairam Thakur and others for making “slanderous and libelous” charges against him in the chargesheet and warned to file a suit for damages of Rs 50 lakh if they failed to retract charges and tender a public apology within 15 days.

Besides Thakur, others served notice included Khushi Ram Balnata, Rajeev Bindal, MLA, Hira Nand Kashyap, Randhir Sharma and Mahinder Singh Thakur, all members of the BJP chargesheet committee.

Refuting charges made by the BJP against him in its chargesheet submitted to Governor V.S. Kokje in March this year on the completion of four years of Virbhadra Singh’s rule, Bali said he had sent a legal notice through his lawyer to the BJP leaders.

The notice asked the BJP leaders to retract each and every allegation/imputation made in the chargesheet and tender an unconditional apology within 15 days from the receipt of the legal notice.

In case the allegations were not retracted and an unconditional apology not tendered, Bali warned he would be constrained to file an appropraite case in the court of criminal jurisdiction to try the offence of defamation and to claim compensation and damages to the tune of Rs 50 lakh against all.

The BJP leaders had made allegations of corruption against Bali in the purchase of buses and organising a music programme here.

Terming the chargesheet baseless and without any facts, he said it was surprising that they had made him accountable for the things that had taken place during the previous BJP regime.

Dharamsala, May 7
Shubhendu Mahajan of Him Academy Public School, Hamirpur, has bagged the first position in the class XI examination conducted by the Himachal Pradesh School Education Board by securing 93.4 per cent marks. He has got 467 marks out of total 500.

Chairman of the board B.R. Rahi said the second position was bagged by Apurav Chandel of Him Sarvodaya Senior Secondary School, Ghumarwin (Bilaspur). Her secured 91.2 per cent marks (456/500).

The third position was shared by two girls, Samriti and Vaishali Sharma, both from Him Academy Public School, Hamirpur, by securing 91 per cent marks (455/500).

Interestingly, name of no student from arts, commerce or the vocational stream has figured in the merit list.

Other students in the merit list include Shuchi Singh of CRC Government Senior Secondary School, Rehan of Kangra district, (454/500); Nitika Chaudhary of Arunodaya Senior Secondary School, Mohal of Kullu district, (447/500); Parul Kathuria of Neugal Public Senior Secondary School, Bindraban of Kangra district, (442/500); Poonam of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Portmore of Shimla, (441/500); Abhinandan of Government Senior Secondary School, Dadasiba of Kangra district, (441/500); Shiv Kumar of New Era Senior Secondary School, Parol of Hamirpur district, (440/500); Heena Pathania of CRC Government Senior Secondary School, Rehan of Kangra district, (440/500); Hiteshwar Gaur of Him Academy Public School, Hamirpur, (440/500); Deepti Sharma of Him Sarvodaya Senior Secondary School, Ghumarwin of Bilaspur district, (440/500); Shruti Sharma of Him Academy Public School, Hamirpur, (438/500); Neeraj Kumar of DAV Senior Secondary School, Una, (438/500); Rahul Sharma of Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Una, (438/500); Rahul of Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Nagrota Bagwan of Kangra district, (437/500); and Neha Rehalia of CRC Government Senior Secondary School, Rehan of Kangra district, (437/500).

Rahi said 1,09,743 students appeared in the examinations, out of which 56,334 were declared successful. The total pass percentage stands at 51.53 per cent.

The result is available on the board website www.hpeducationboard.nic.in <http://www.hpeducationboard.nic.in>. Enquiries about the result can also be made on phone numbers 01892-229033 and 01892-229037.

Dharamsala, May 7
Perturbed over the slow pace of investigation by the Vigilance Bureau into the multi-million rupee scam that came to light in the local Himachal Road Transport Corporation(HRTC)depot last month, managing director of the corporation Shrikant Baldi has lodged an FIR with the local police station against suspended regional manager Mahinder Singh Rana and inspector Sudarshan Kumar, who were allegedly involved in the scam.

Earlier, HRTC divisional manager H.K. Gupta posted here had approached the local office of the Vigilance Bureau a few weeks ago requesting a probe into the scam.

The Vigilance Bureau forwarded the request to the head office seeking approval to register a criminal case but it was directed to first inquire into the matter to establish prima facie charges and then register a case.

Even though the corporation had provided a detailed audit report conducted in the wake of the scam the Vigilance Bureau did not consider it fit for the registration of a criminal case.

On the basis of the complaint of Baldi, an FIR was lodged in the Dharamsala police station yesterday. The investigation has been handed over to ASI Vinod

Kuma, rwho told The Tribune that no arrest had been made so far.

As per the audit report, the total embezzlement by Mahinder Singh Rana and Sudarshan Kumar amounts to Rs 46 lakh.

As per the audit conducted by a special team of auditors, the regional manager had misused the HRTC buses on more than 300 occasions. The total amount collected by him thus had been calculated at more than Rs 25 lakh. Many more cases of misappropriation of funds were also detected in the audit. 

Nahan, May 7
Vrinda Devi, president, and office-bearers of the Mahila Mandal, Mangarh, under Rajgarh subdivision in a letter to the SDM, Rajgarh, today alleged that with a view to crushing their agitation against the opening of a liquor vend in their village, president of the gram panchayat and the liquor vend contractor had conspired to implicate them in a false case.

On the night of April 19, workers of the liquor contractor misbehaved with the women protesters sitting on dharna by throwing wine bottles and got registered a false case against them for allegedly ransacking the liquor vend. Women said though they had approached the SHO, Pacchad, to register a case against the contractor and met the SP, Sirmour, no action had been taken against the contractor.

The SHO said that a case had been registered against the women on the complaint of the liquor contractor for ransacking the vend. Eight women had obtained bail. — OC 

Solan, May 7
Peeved at the worsening condition of the Pinjore-Swarghat road, an irate group of nearly 150 villagers, including women today, blocked the NH-21-A near Shoban Majra for nearly four hours.

The villagers, including panchayat pradhans and mahila mandal members turned up in large number to protest against the lack of road maintenance. Led by a zila parishad member Vinod Thakur and local MLA from Nalagarh H.N.Saini, the villagers said the road condition was going from bad to worse as virtually nothing had been done to maintain them.

With rapid industrialisation, the influx of vehicles in the region had increased. The excessive wear and tear of the road had reduced it to a path strewn with mud and stones.

The villagers have given a 15 days time to the administration to repair the roads or face another such agitation.

SDM Manmohan Sharma said they had diverted the traffic through the alternate Nalagarh route. Sharma added that they would ensure that work was on by June 15.

Executive engineer Anil Sharma said the tenders were being floated for a stretch of 14-km road and they would soon be awarded after following other formalities.

Shimla, May 7
The 700-MW Luri project on the Sutlej, which has been hanging fire for the past over five years, will be finally allotted to the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN).

An indication to this effect was given by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh who said the government had reconsidered its earlier stand and decided to give the project to the SJVN on the condition that its equity share would be raised to 30 per cent in all projects to be taken up by it in future.

The SJVN was a joint venture in which the Centre and the state had an equity share of 75 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively. The government wanted its share to be raised to 30 per cent.

He said the refusal of the Centre to appoint director personnel in the SJVN from the state was not an issue for taking back the Luri project. The state was more concerned about increasing its equity share in the project.

The Centre has already accepted the condition of 30 per cent equity share in case of 412-MW Rampur project and it has no reservation on extending the same principle for projects to be taken up in future. As such, there are no irritants in the way of project being allotted to the SJVN.

The government had initially allotted the Rampur, Luri and Khab-I and Khab -II projects to the nigam, but the final agreement could be signed only for the Rampur project. During investigation, the two stages of the Khab project were combined into a single project. However, the detailed project report could not be made as the local people had started agitation against the project. The appointment of the director personnel created further differences between the two partners and the government withdrew the Luri project from the nigam.

The state will gain from the enhanced equity not only in case of projects being executed in the state, but also in Uttarakhand, where it has been assigned three projects.