Shimla, August 10
The government today decided to set up one additional Bench of the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) at Dharamsala and Mandi and raised ex gratia to the dependents of victims of accidents.

The Cabinet approved an amendment to the emergency relief manual to raise ex-gratia from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh to next of kin of the deceased in accident cases and from Rs 25,000 to Rs 35,000 to persons with 40 to 70 per cent disability for loss of limb or eye in addition to free supply of limbs and Rs 50,000 for above 75 per cent disability.

It also approved expansion of the ESI scheme in Jabli village in Solan district and created six posts of different categories for its implementation.

It approved restructuring of the wildlife wing of the Forest Department and approved Spiti forest division as the Spiti wildlife wing and handing over of five wildlife sanctuaries to the wildlife wing.

It approved new ITIs at Killar (Pangi), Theog, Batail in Gopalpur, Garh Jamula in Sulah, Gangath, Nirmand, Bharmour, Dada Siba, Santokhgarh, Talwar in Kangra, Sujanpur Tihra, Lambloo in Hamirpur, Chirgaon, Tissa, Lachori (Banikhet) along with 140 posts, 10 posts for each ITI, to make them functional.

In a major step to conserve the architectural heritage of the state capital it declared four cemeteries of the British era and 54 other old buildings as heritage sites. The four cemeteries are located at Sanajuli, near Portmore School, Kanhlog and Nav Bahar. The buildings to be given heritage status include Auckland House School, Ripon Hospital, residence of Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur. Tara Hall, YWCA, YMCA, Rothney Castle, Convent of Jesus and Mary, Sterling Castle, Hainault, Jakhoo Temple, Pari Mahal, Holly Lodge, DC Residence, Kamla Nehru Hospital, Bishop Cotton School, Sidhowal Lodge, Kalka-Shimla railway line, Bemloe Cottages, Winter Field, St Edwards School, DC Office, police stations of Shimla Sadar and Chhota Shimla, Ellerslie Building and Thistle Bank.

It granted sanction to create and fill 1482 posts in various departments which included two posts of lecturer in the Department of Economics, Government Degree College, Sanjauli, Shimla, 72 posts for the newly created sub-tehsils of Bharari, Namhol and Galore , the newly upgraded tehsils of Naina Devi, Haroli and Rakkar, the newly create tehsil of Jwalamukhi, 257 posts in the Urban Local Bodies Department, 114 posts of horticulture development officer, 126 vacant posts of horticulture extension officers on a contract basis and 133 posts of registrar in Indira Gandhi Government Medical College, Shimla and Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Kangra at Tanda, besides 68 teaching and non-teaching posts for Kanwar Durga Chand Memorial College, Jaisinghpur.

It also granted sanction for filling 102 posts of various categories identified as 3 per cent backlog quota posts under the Disability Act, 1995, in the state electricity board. It reduced VAT on old/used cars from 12.5 per cent to 4 per cent of all makes. 

Shimla, August 10
The Chief of Army Staff, Gen J.J. Singh, said today that his vision of transforming the second largest Army in the world into a modern fighting force and handling insurgency with a human touch had been effectively addressed.

The General, accompanied by his wife, Anupama Singh, who is president of the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA), arrived here today. Reflecting on various challenges during his tenure he said achieving operational readiness with a focus on the training of troops in a conducive environment was a major task.

Reminiscing his tenure as Army Training Command (ARTRAC) chief here, General Singh said a number of doctrines and studies were formulated while he was posted here.

On this occasion, a coffee table book 'A Quest for Excellence' was also released by the Army chief. The book has been published by ARTRAC and primarily showcases the vision, passion and commitment of various training institutions of the Army.

Solan, August 10
The state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau today arrested local MLA and vice-president of the state BJP Rajiv Bindal, along with chairman of the local municipal committee Devinder Thakur, in a case relating to irregularities in the recruitment of drivers, keymen and meter readers during their tenure in the committee between 1998 and 2000.

The duo had earlier been served summons by the bureau to present themselves at their local office today. The arrests witnessed high drama with nearly 150 to 200 BJP workers, including women from mahila morcha and ABVP youth lending support in the form of a rally, which initiated from the circuit house here.

Terming these arrests as a vindictive act aimed at settling political scores, the BJP workers raised slogans against the Congress and blocked traffic for nearly half and hour outside the deputy commissioner’s office.

The rally then proceeded onwards to the bureau’s office located at Lakkar Bazaar and the duo presented them selves for arrest. The BJP workers distributed CDs of former transport and tourism minister G.S.Bali’s infamous birthday party outside the bureau office and raised Solgans criticising Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and G.S.Bali.

The officials however, accorded them a warm welcome where tea was offered to them before they were taken to the district courts. The concerned DSP R.C.Chhajta said they took samples of their signatures and handwriting before first class judicial magistrate Basant Verma. They were later granted bail by the district and sessions judge P.C.Sharma.

The irregularities relate to appointments made by the local municipal committee during 1998 and 2000 when Bindal was its chairman and Devinder Thakur a councillor. Sources said since these appointments were made ignoring norms, a special audit was conducted by the subsequent Congress led committee.

Virbhadra had later directed the bureau to investigate the irregularities. In the probe it was found that not only had some surplus posts been filled in the committee but candidates who were registered at Nalagarh had been appointed denying opportunities to local aspirants.

Further, contractual appointees had been regularized ignoring norms. This was subsequently challenged in the court. It was also known that call letters were shown to be dispatched to aspirants but most of them had been torn while only favourites managed to appear and they were ultimately selected.

These appointments had raised questions over the working of Bindal who was the chairman of local municipal committee in 2000 as well as the special secretary to Virbhadra-cum-settlement officer, Dharamsala, S.C.Kalsotra, who was the officiating executive officer in 1998 by virtue of his being the ADC. 

Shimla, August 10
The Himachal Pradesh High Court gave some more time to the state government to inform its stand regarding ordering an inquiry into the controversial birthday party of former state transport and tourism minister G.S. Bali.

A Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta granted this time on a request of the advocate-general (AG) of the state, whereby the AG sought some more time for informing the stand of the government on this issue.

The court adjourned the case till August 17.The matter was brought to the notice of the court by one Vijay Kumar, resident of Kangra district, who filed a PIL seeking judicial probe of the birthday party.

Kandwal (Nurpur), August 10
After the collapse of the bridge on the Chakki river, the traffic was diverted to Kandwal-Lodhwan road. The alternative road has failed to carry heavy volume of traffic.

Frequent traffic jams and clouds of dust has put residents of 6 villages to great hardships. Even though the Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department (HPPWD) has put men and machinery for widening and clearing other obstacles on the road, yet the unexpected vehicular movement has broken the road at many places.

The plying of heavy vehicles has damaged the newly carpeted road thus putting the work of the department under a scanner.

The road from Kandwal to Lodhwan village has narrowed down, leaving space only for a single vehicle to cross. The three narrow bridges on this link road have been proving additional bottlenecks for the traffic.

Resident of Kandwal village, Banarsi Dass, complained that the department had piled up the gravel along the road three days ago which had now become a cause of concern for themselves as well as for the villagers. Frequent jams and honking horns of the vehicles have been putting the villagers into inconvenience.

Vijay Kumar of Lakhanpur village criticised the government saying that the PWD authorities were well aware of the condition of the bridge still they did nothing to strengthen and widen the alternate roads. The authorities concerned diverted the traffic on the village road without removing all obstacles.

The villagers have also raised questions over the carpeting of the road which got peeled off just in one rain.

The Executive Engineer (National Highways), Jogindernagar, however, claimed that a sum of Rs 6 crore had been sanctioned for the widening and strengthening of the road. The work on the road was in progress. 

Mandi, August 10
Writers, lawyers and poets today condemned the physical attack on noted Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nazrin by religious fundamentalist, including MLAs stating that such assaults on writers was an attack on democracy and the freedom of expression and an attack on writers in general.

Lambasting the three MLAs and their supporters at the book release ceremony, president, HP progressive Writers’ Association, Dinu Kashyap, editor, Bar and Bench Review, Ravi Ram and vice-president Janvadi Lekhak Sangh, Vijay Kushal, said if the MLAs who were people’s representatives attacked writers then one could understand the plight of the democracy in such hands.

They said fundamental forces who were behind such assaults on writers in and outside the country, had to be nipped in the bud. “Each individual has the freedom of expression and people's support to upheld these democratic values and freedom should be upheld”, they added.

Shimla, August 10
The proposal of the Indian Meteorological Department to set up a doppler radar here for more accurate weather forecast has hit a roadblock with the government expressing its inability to transfer the land selected for the purpose by experts.

It took almost two years for the department to find a suitable site in the suburban locality of Hiranagar for installing the radar under the hydrology project. The Irrigation and Public Health Department had helped the IMD to select the land with clear open space for the radar having a range of 150 to 200 km to function properly. As the land belonged to the government the department did not foresee any problem in setting up the radar. Its team of experts visited the site and completed other formalities.

However, after completing the entire process, the government has informed the department that land was in the possession of the state welfare department. It could not be transferred as the department needed it for some other purpose.

According to sources in the met office, the selected site was most suitable as it covered the skies right up to Kinnaur and Kullu, the two most cloudburst prone areas, and the entire western horizon from which the clouds mostly entered the state. Though for a complete coverage of the entire state, at least three doppler radars one each at Chamba, Mandi and Shimla was required.

With the facility of doppler radar, the department would be in a position to get precise data regarding the formation, movement and class of clouds. It would also be in a position to know whether it was raining or snowing in any particular area within the range of the radar. All this data would enable it to forecast the possibility of heavy rain and cloudburst.

With the government rejecting the proposal for transfer of land, the department will have to look for an alternative site and the entire process would have to be started all over again. The department needs two acre of land out of which 40 m x 40 m platform would be required for installing the radar.

Shimla, August 10
The gorgeous western tragopan, locally called jujurana, will be the new state bird in place of monal, while the rare snow leopard will replace the musk deer as the state animal. Rhododendron arboretum will give way to Rhododendron campanlatum as the state flower.

This decision was taken at the third meeting of the State Wildlife Board under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today.

The new state bird, animal and flower were more spectacular and more endangered than the earlier ones and had to be replaced because other states also had them as the national and state bird. Monal is also the state bird of Uttranchal and national bird of Nepal. The king of birds western tragopan (tragopan melanocephalus) and the mountain monarch snow leopard figure high on the list of highly endangered species.

The state happens to be the stronghold of these species and harbours only viable population of western tragopan in the entire world. Similarly, the existing state flower Rhododendron arboretum was a common species widely distributed in western and central Himalayas, while its replacement Rhododendron campanlatum fell in the category of endangered species.

The CM said the decision to grant exalted status to these rare species would go a long way in protecting them and also give a boost to their conservation efforts. He also announced that six wildlife sanctuaries, including Kugti and Tundah in Bharmour, Saichu Tuan nallah in Pangi, Shimla water catchment in Shimla (urban), Gobind Sagar in Bilaspur and Dhauladhar in Palampur would be transferred to the State Board of Wildlife for proper management.

He said the state wildlife wing would be the nodal agency for the five wetland and wildlife sanctuaries, including Renuka, Khanniar and Candertal wetlands and Gobind Sagar and Pong dam lake wildlife sanctuaries. He said concerted efforts were underway to get the entire Gobind Sagar sanctuary denotified.

Shimla, August 10
In an effort to save the depleting green cover in the city, the Forest Department will undertake a massive plantation of high quality timber wood and cryptomeria being brought from Darjeeling in exchange for deodars.

After providing seven different species of rhododendrons, Darjeeling will now provide 5,000 plants of cryptomeria, which give excellent timber like deodar. In exchange, an equal number of deodar plants will be sent to Darjeeling as the forest authorities there have expressed eagerness to plant them.

There are only a few cryptomeria plants, brought here by the British and planted in the Glen area of the town. “The forest authorities in Darjeeling have expressed desire to undertake a massive deodar plantation as the height and climatic conditions would be suited for the plant,” said R.K. Raj, DFO (Shimla). He said 5,000 deodar plants would be sent to Darjeeling shortly.

He said 40 plants of cryptomeria had been gifted by the forest authorities in Darjeeling along with the fresh consignment of 5,000 rhododendrons which reached here yesterday. The department had last year planted 1,500 rhododendrons on an experimental basis. Though the survival rate of these plants has been very high in the catchment area, only 40 per cent of the plants survived in the town. Now the forest authorities will add 5,000 rhododendron plants of seven different species in the town.

Mandi, August 10
President of the Mandi Municipal Council (MMC) H.R. Vaidya was voted out from the post today, after a no-confidence motion raised against him two weeks ago by seven councillors was passed by a simple majority in the 13-member house at a special general house called by the SDM, Sadar, for the purpose here today.

After a heated exchange of arguments among the councillors, the no-confidence motion was passed by seven votes in support of the motion and six votes against it by the SDM.

The seven councillors who had raised the no-confidence motion two weeks ago stuck to their stand and voted against Vaidya in the general house. The six councillors, most of them pro-BJP, voted in favour of Vaidya. The councillors opposing Vaidya levelled charges of non-cooperation, dictatorial attitude, a lack of development activity in the town against Vaidya and demanded his ouster from the top post as he had lost the moral ground to be the president of the council, insiders said.

The seven councillors who supported the no-confidence motion against Vaidya included former council president, Pushp Raj, former president, Sushila Sonkhla, Anand Behl, Gagan Kashyap, Asha Chopra, Mahinder Singh and Yog Raj. The six councillors who opposed the motion included Vaidya himself, Tosh Kumar, Anil Kapur, Suman Thakur, Sarita Handa and Krishna Devi.

Vaidya told the House that the no-confidence motion was uncalled for, politically motivated and undemocratic, as he had always sought the cooperation of the House. At that the SDM called for voting of the House in which the motion was passed. SDM, Sadar,-cum- chief executive officer of the council Arun Sharma said the no-confidence motion was passed by seven votes to six today and Vaidya had been unseated from the post. 

Nahan, August 10
After a conflict and big drama in Badag (Ganog) panchayat on Wednesday resulting into the locking in panchayat president and other functionaries in Panchayat Bhavan, both groups have geared up for a fight.

Women members of the anti-liquor lobby led by the panchayat vice-president met the DC and the SP and asserted that the father-in-law of the panchayat president was allegedly involved in digging several places in the area in search of a hidden treasure. The SHO, Renuka, said after a preliminary inquiry against the father-in-law of the panchayat president, the allegations had been found totally wrong.

Solan, August 10
Hundreds of villages, lying in the vicinity of J.P.University of Information and Technology, Waknaghat, have been forced to go without water for nearly a week now, with the potable scheme getting contaminated due to the seepage of sewage.

The IPH Department has served a notice to the university, directing them to check the seepage immediately. The villages of Chaussa Khurd, Chaussa Kala, Poo, Bandla, Bani, etc., who were fed by the Chaussa scheme are now dependent of natural water sources and few hand pumps present there.

It was after some villagers, including children studying in the local school, suffered from diarrhoea and jaundice, that the villagers informed the IPH officials. They got the water samples lifted and detected foul odour in the water source due to seepage of sewage let-out by the university into the Dera Nullah.

Since the water scheme is located further downstream in the nullah, the sewage water is found to have seeped down contaminating the source the executive engineer (XEN) said. Since the first lab report indicated contamination of sewage it declared the water unfit for consumption. The scheme was immediately closed so as to avoid outbreak of water-borne diseases. University registrar Brig Balbir (retd.) said they had put their staff on the job to locate the problem. 

Kumarhatti, August 10
Income tax officials today raided the Modlex Spring in Sector 4, Parwanoo. The residence of the unit owner was also raided by the officials. The team comprised officials from Chandigarh, Panchkula and Ambala. The local police was approached to assist in the raids.

The team searched various accounts documents pertaining to the unit, besides investigating the bank accounts. According to unconfirmed reports, the team seized cash during raids. Media was kept at bay and no details about the raid were given.

Meanwhile, the owner of Modlex who was once a small-time businessman had climbed to success in a short span of time.

Kangra, August 10
Resentment prevails among government pensioners’ and family pensioners’ in the state against the state government for not accepting their demands for many years now.

They expressed their strong resentment during an emergency meeting of the executive committee of the State Pensioners’ Welfare Association today which was presided over by President of the Association, P.R. Agnihotri.

Spokesman of the association B.L. Sharma said pensioners had urged Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to accept their longstanding demands at the earliest as assured by him in October last year.

He said the pensioners’ felt an ignored lot at the hands of the government.