Shimla, December 25
Setting at rest all speculation about the continuation of the present government till it completes its term on March 9, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today that if the Congress failed to get majority, which was highly unlikely, he would resign keeping in view the highest democratic norms.

Talking to The Tribune, the Chief Minister said the matter had been discussed at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting and it had been decided that keeping in view the highest traditions of the Congress, the government would resign if the mandate went against the ruling party.

He maintained he was confident that that the people would vote the Congress to power keeping in view the all-round development that had taken place in the past four-and-a-half years. “In case that does not happen, I will resign keeping in view my personal commitment to democratic norms,” he opined.

However, with the election results yet to be out the Chief Minister also left the option to continue in power open in case the mandate was in favour of the Congress. “In case the Congress gets the mandate to continue in power or is in a position to form the government, we may opt to complete the full term of this Assembly till March 9,” he clarified.

Virbhadra Singh said that the decision whether the government would continue or not had been taken at the Cabinet meeting, which met for the first time after polling.

The possibility of a constitutional crisis has been averted with the Chief Minister formally stating that the government would resign in case the Congress did not get the mandate. The BJP had gone to the extent of saying that it would meet the Governor and launch an agitation in case the Chief Minister did not resign after the BJP getting majority on the counting day.

On the issue of the decision not to pursue the writ petition filed by revenue minister Sat Mahajan for stalling counting of votes he said it had been decided not to exercise this option any further. “Though I still maintain that the decision of the Election Commission to hold early elections was blatantly wrong all the same time we have decided not to exercise the legal option,” he said.

Kullu, December 25
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh will visit Mohini village tomorrow to take stock of the damage caused by the fire that broke out on Thursday. In all, 48 houses were burnt in the fire and 230 persons rendered homeless.

He might not be in a position to announce special relief to the victims due to the prevailing model code of conduct, although the villagers are hopeful of getting more help from the government.

Meanwhile, Chander Sen Thakur, former MLA and vice-president of the national BJP Kisan Morcha, has expressed concern over the failure of the government to protect rights of the people of Kullu, who were not getting TD (timber distribution) for building and renovation of their houses even in case of fire incidents and natural calamities. He said the high court had banned TD to the people, but the Department of Law should have approached the court to look into the situations arising out of such incidents. He said the government should provide free timber to the fire victims.

Meanwhile, the Sewa Bharti, a voluntary organisation, collected various items from the people of Kullu and distributed these to the fire victims of Mohini village. The organisation distributed 150 blankets, 50 plates, 500 cups and glasses, 20 buckets, 15 quilts, 1,600 kg wheat flour, 46 tarpaulins, 60 shawls and 10 bundles of used clothes besides a cash amount of Rs 500 each to the poor families.

Tej Ram Negi, president of the organisation, called upon the people to come forward and donate generously for the fire-hit families. 

Nurpur, December 25
The Gangath BJP mandal today expelled seven BJP activists for six years for their anti-party activities during the election campaign of official party candidate Des Raj.

The expelled activists are former Rajya Sabha MP and senior BJP leader Kirpal Parmar, Dev Raj, Haridutt Singh, Jagdev Singh, Ripudaman Singh, Rashpal Singh and Chaman Lal.

The mandal BJP said in a press statement issued here this evening that these party activists had opposed the official candidate and worked in favour of the rebel BJP leader and Independent Anita Dhiman. The party unit has submitted its report to the district, state and national presidents for further action.

The BJP high command had earlier allotted the party ticket to Anita Dhiman, a staunch supporter of Kirpal Parmar, state BJP vice-president and political rival of former local MLA Des Raj. Following persistent pressure from top party leaders the party high command changed the candidate and declared Des Raj as its official nominee from Gangath.

Nita Dhiman opposed the decision. She revolted against the party decision and contested the elections as an Independent candidate. Meanwhile, the Congress could not field its candidate from this constituency due to a legal problem. Ultimately after the rejection of the nomination papers of the Congress nominee the party went out of the fray from Gangath. The independent rebel BJP candidate also got the support of the Congress in the constituency.

Former Rajya Sabha MP Kirpal Parmar clarified from Delhi that he was an office-bearer of the state BJP unit and the local unit could only recommend his expulsion.

“I have worked as per directions given by the party high command and I am supposed to give my reply to the party high command,” he added.

Shimla, December 25
Thousands of tourists have thronged the state capital to celebrate Christmas as all hotels are packed to capacity.

Special prayers were held in all churches in the capital amidst the singing of Christmas carols. The local Christian community, along with a large number of tourists as well as locals, attended the prayer service.

Christmas parties were held at all major hotels as people danced through the night. Special events and contests were held at the special Christmas night celebrations.

There was an air of festivity as artists performed at The Ridge as part of the winter carnival celebrations. Thousands of tourists danced to the tunes of film and folk songs on The Ridge throughout the day.

With all government as well as private hotels registering 100 per cent occupancy tourists coming here without booking had to return or take rooms in the nearby places, right up to Solan.

The ‘Queen of Hills’ and all other resorts in the vicinity will be flooded with tourists right till New Year as this was one of the busiest tourist seasons of the year.

Kumarhatti:Tourists today made a beeline to hills to celebrate Christmas. The rush touched its peak in the afternoon with roadside dhabas, eating joints and hotels flooded with tourists from Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.

Clear sky proved a blessing in disguise for those associated with tourism locally after white Christmas elided Shimla. Tourists who had planned to go to Shimla were seen enjoying themselves at the tourist resorts of Barog, Kasauli and Dharampur.

Most food junctions at Dharampur remained jampacked with tourists throughout the day. The low tariffs in local hotels as compared to those in Shimla and its surrounding tourist resorts also made tourists to opt for Christmas celebrations here. 

Dharamsala, December 25
An 11-year-old girl was kidnapped by four persons from Narvana village near here last evening. However, the police swung into action immediately and rescued the girl from near Baijnath within a few hours.

According to Prem Lal, additional superintendent of the police, girl’s father Gaurav Kumar had reported to the police that his daughter was playing outside the house when some car-borne persons forcibly dragged her into the car and drove away.

The ASP said special ‘nakas’ were immediately set up. The car was intercepted by a police party near Baijnath and the girl rescued, he said.

Four persons, including Thakur Singh, his wife Champa Devi, Prakash Chand (driver) and Ram Bahadur were arrested. A case under Sections 363 and 366 of the IPC had been registered against them, he added. The car (HP-34A-2650) had been impounded.

Preliminary investigations revealed that they all were residents of Marhi village, near Manali in Kullu district. The couple had also brought their four-year-old daughter with them who was also in the police custody.

Prakash Chand and Ram Bahadur had been identified as Nepali migrants. The motive behind the kidnapping could not be ascertained so far, said the ASP.

Meanwhile, the rescued minor girl was handed over to her parents by the police after recording her statement.

Kullu, December 25
Residents of Prini village and BJP workers celebrated the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today. The village, which is situated around 40 km from here, is considered as the second home of Vajpayee.

President of the Prini panchayat Kundan Thakur said the people prayed for the long life of Vajpayee and worshipped according to the local traditions. He said he had talked to Vajpayee on the telephone and invited him to the village on behalf of the villagers. He said Vajpayee promised to visit the village during the next summer. Organisation secretary of the BJP Mohinder Pandey, BJP candidate from the Kullu constituency Govind Thakur, member of the Zila Parishad Dhaneshwari Thakur and many other BJP leaders participated in the celebrations.

Dhaneshwari Thakur donated Rs 20,000 to the village school on the occasion. A cultural programme was also organised.

General secretary of the National Tribal Morcha of the BJP Yuv Raj Bodh said in a press note from Delhi that he and the president of the morcha met Vajpayee at his residence today and thanked him for blessing the people of Lahaul-Spiti by announcing the construction of Rs 1,300-crore Rohtang tunnel.

BILASPUR: A meeting of BJP leaders and activists from the Kot-Kehloor constituency was organised at Dholra resorts today to celebrate birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The meeting was presided over by BJP’s state spokesman Randhir Sharma. The leaders also expressed happiness over the formation of BJP government under the leadership of Narendra Modi.

Addressing the gathering, Randhir Sharma said Vajpayee had been an ideal Prime Minister and he had been very benevolent for Himachal Pradesh. He started projects like the Rohtang tunnel, the Kol dam, four national highways, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sarak Yojna and the Hariyali Yojna etc providing thousands of crores for the faster development of the state.

The meeting adopted resolutions congratulating Vajpayee on his birthday and wishing him several years of good health so that he could guide the party in the interest of country and society. Meeting exhorted BJP youths to follow the ideals of Vajpayee and to work selflessly for strengthening the party.

Solan, December 25
With Ludhiana-made mechanised shawls and other woollens giving stiff competition to the traditional weaving industry in Himachal, the patenting of Kullu shawls is being eagerly awaited.

The process that was initiated more than a year ago by the Geographical Indices Survey of India has yet to come through. The delay has caused a setback to the traditional weavers in Himachal. Though the groundwork, including the logo, has been finalised it was the sudden announcement of elections that has led to further delay, opined weavers from Kullu who had come here for an exhibition.

They feel only the marketing and technical support can help them withstand market pressures. A section of weavers, who are here to exhibit their products during a 12-day exhibition organised by the HP State Handloom and Handicraft Development Cooperative Federation Limited, echoed these views.

Organised under the Himbunkar banner, different societies from Kullu are here to draw people towards their handicraft products, including shawls, stalls, gloves, jackets, scarfs, etc. The shawls were an instant hit among the visitors.

The weavers also felt that the large number of Ludhiana shawls, which were cheaper, had flooded the markets and once the Kullu shawls were patented these would help put an end to unethical practice of affixing ‘Kullu shawl’ logo on Ludhiana products. Since they were machine-made, their cost of production was much less than hand-woven shawls.

Moreover, the weavers found it difficult to sustain themselves solely on weaving as the activity became hard to pursue during harsh winter months. With more variety in patterns and lesser price, Ludhiana shawls managed to give their Himachali counterparts a tough competition.

Despite slogging hard for an entire day, all they got was a petty amount of Rs 120 to 150 while they managed to earn much more by selling off-season vegetables. With a view to draw more people towards this traditional trade, the government had sent a Rs 4-crore shawl weaving project to the Ministry of Textiles that would enable them to train 2,500 women. A stipend granted during the training would serve as a motivating factor for the trainees, said Rakesh Sharma, the exhibition in charge.

He said the exhibition drew more people in Una than elsewhere in the state. There was great demand for these articles in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow and other parts of the country.

With a view to bring about modifications in designs, help has been sought from NIIFT and NIFD. This has enabled weavers to bring out designs on a par with mechanised ones, said Mohammed Ali of the Raina Weavers Society.

Shimla, December 25
The 200-year-old palace at Kumarsain was completely gutted in a devastating fire that broke out around 12.30 last night.

Despite fire tenders being rushed to the spot from Rampur and Shimla, the wooden structure could not be saved. It was completely destroyed in no time. A short-circuit is said to be the reason behind the fire.

Besides the palace, some adjoining shops were also gutted. With daughters of the ruler of Kumarsain being married in Nepal, the building was now being used for running an industrial training institute.

There has been a loss of over Rs 1.5 crore due the fire in the palace, while the owners of nearby shops suffered a loss of around Rs 50 lakh. The ITI has suffered a loss of around Rs 12 lakh.

Only the “ashtdhatu” idols of Koteshwar Mahadev, which were placed inside a temple in the palace, could be saved from fire. The priests used to offer prayers in the temple daily. The idols were saved as these were placed on a stone pedestal in the temple.

The fire reportedly began from the office of the Great Himalayan Travel Agency owned by Mohit Sharma.

Nurpur, December 25
The parents and hapless wife of Kargil war hero Santokh Singh of Jatolli village in this subdivision are feeling cheated as the Centre has failed to honour its word on succour to the family. The family has been running from pillar to post to seek justice for the past over eight years.

Rifleman Santokh Singh laid down his life in the Kargil sector during Operation Vijay on July 14, 1999. The then government had made a number of promises to the family of the martyr. Former union minister Shanta Kumar and former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal had also called on the bereaved family.

Champa Devi, wife of Santokh Singh, lamented that she had not been allotted any filling station or gas agency by the Government of India under the programme for the re-habilitation of dependants of the Kargil martyrs. Champa Devi said she had been getting only Rs 2,500 per month with no other steps to rehabilitate the family.

Sansar Chand, father of the martyr, rued that the then government had even promised and announced the opening of a government primary school after the name of Santokh Singh. “The opening of an ayurvedic dispensary, construction of a village link road and village gate in the memory of the martyr were also announced but all promises have remained unfulfilled,” he lamented.

It is learnt former union minister Shanta Kumar had released Rs 1 lakh for the construction of school rooms but the money could not be utilised, thanks to the apathy of the state government.

Inquiries reveal that neither the state government has sanctioned a primary school in the village nor utilise the allocated funds. As a result, the released funds were returned to the Government of India which shows the indifference of the state government in utilising central funds.

Bir Singh, local panchayat pradhan, pointed out that he had approached the state Education Department and the district authorities several times for opening a primary school in the martyr’s village and even offered accommodation for running it in the beginning but the department had not opened it so far.

Dharamsala, December 25
Major-General Anant Singh Pathania (retd), a decorated World War II fighter who was the first Indian officer to command the Gorkha Rifles and get the Military Cross for the battalion, breathed his last on Wednesday last. He was 95.

He is survived by octogenarian wife, three sons and two daughters.

No district administration official was present at his cremation or had so far paid tributes to the guardian of the nation.

Son of Lieut-Col Raghubir Singh Pathania, he was born on May 25, 1913, at Re village in Kangra district of Punjab (now Himachal Pradesh). He was commissioned in the 5 Gorkha Rifles on February 3, 1935. Subsequently, he rose to the rank of Major General in the Indian Army.

Shimla, December 25
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said his government had succeeded in integrating the state emotionally, which had helped in the progress of the state.

He was speaking at the annual function-cum-get-together organised by the Rohru Students Welfare Association here today. “The active participation of the youth in every aspect has helped in emotional integration and overall development of the state,” he said. He said the government had always opposed regional, caste and religion-based politics as it was not in the interest of the state. He gave a clarion call to the youth to work for the integration of the state and contribute actively to its speedy development.

During the past over four years, the state government had been able to get a lot of foreign funding due to its credibility, he claimed. “The government during its regime has not only laid developmental milestones but regularly repaid the loans taken by the previous regime from various organisations,” he said. He said development was a continuing process and the state had emerged as a role model of development for the rest of the country. He announced a grant of Rs 20,000 to the association for promotion of cultural activities.

Chamba, December 25
In order to bring revolution in telecom services in Dharamsala telecom district, which includes Kangra and Chamba districts, the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has decided to introduce the latest technological developments like WLL EVDO BTSs by March.

According to Deepak Chaturvedi, general manager of Dharamsala telecom district, the BSNL will install WLL EVDO BTSs (wireless local loop evolution date optimised base trans-receive stations) having high Internet speed with a view to enabling rural customers to enjoy high-speed Internet.

The BSNL also planned to start broadband services in Dalhousie, Khajjiar, Chamba and Bharmour besides Mugla, Surgani, Khairi, Khajjiar, Bakloh, Banikhet and Chowari, the GM said. The equipment had started arriving and the service was likely to be launched in this financial year itself.

Among other future plans, three WLL BTSs were being installed in Chamba district, while 163-km optical fibre would also be laid in the district.

He said 52 FIRs had been lodged in Chamba district as regards cable thefts during the current fiscal year so far. All this caused a loss of around Rs 14.54 lakh to the BSNL. To curb cable thefts and to improve telecom services, the cooperation of the phone subscribers was equally indispensable, the GM said.

He also advised people to make bill payments in time. In all, 499 telephones had been disconnected in the district due to non-payment of bills, he added.

Shimla, December 25
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief Viplove Thakur has expelled Devinder Negi, Chander Kiran and Chandersen from the party for a period of six years.

The party chief has taken the decision on the recommendation of agriculture minister and party candidate from Kullu Raj Krishan Gaur. The action has been taken against the three for working against the official party candidate during the elections.