Shimla, May 12
Even though there has been a slight improvement in the temperature today, rain and cold weather continued with the state capital being lashed by rain and hailstorm in the afternoon.

Though still below normal at this time of the year, the maximum temperature in Shimla was recorded at 23.2°C toady. There has been a slight improvement from the 21.2°C recorded yesterday.

The minimum temperature recorded today was 9.8°C as compared to yesterday’s 12.7°C. According to the local meteorological office, there will be rain or thunderstorm at a few places and hailstorms at isolated places in the next 24 hours.

A heavy rainfall and hailstorm lashed the capital in the evening. The rainfall recorded in Shimla during the past 24 hours is 31.9mm. It was 38.3 mm at Sundernagar and 6.2 mm at Bhuntar.

The maximum temperature in other parts of the state wasd Sundernagar- 32.7°C, Bhuntar- 31.5°C, Dharamshala- 30.6°C and Kalpa- 20.1°C. The minimum temperatures at Sundernagar was 12.6°C, Bhuntar- 11.2°C, Dharamshala-16.7°C and Kalpa- 3°C.

Horticulture experts said the rain was beneficial for the apple and other fruits. “The size of the fruit is too small to suffer any damage due to hail and moreover the rain will help increase its size by getting ample nutrients from soil,” he said.

Shimla, May 12
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau could not question former bureaucrat and acting chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission, S. Nigam, in connection with the ‘jobs on chit’ scam.

The special investigation unit (SIU) of the Vigilance Bureau, which is investigating into this scam, had asked Nigam to come to its office for questioning.

“He has written to us that since he is holding a constitutional post it would be more appropriate for the Vigilance sleuths to question him in his office rather than he coming to their office,” informed a senior police officer.

Nigam had been summoned by the Vigilance Bureau to ask him about the alleged jobs given during his tenure as the commissioner of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC). As per the preliminary investigation done by the bureau 52 persons were allegedly given jobs in the SMC, ignoring merit.

Being the senior most member of the Public Service Commission, he is presently the acting chairman, as the top post had been lying vacant for sometime now. About 40 senior officials, including 12 IAS officers, are likely to be questioned by the SIU of this scam. It was on the directions of the Special Judge (Forests) that the bureau reinvestigated the matter. Even though the previous Congress regime had moved court seeking withdrawal of the case the Special Judge had directed the Vigilance to reinvestigate the matter in March earlier this year.

The Vigilance Department found that 336 persons had been provided jobs on recommendatory slips. “We are likely to question 40 officials, including 11 IAS officers with regard to their role in granting jobs to these persons,” said a senior police officer.

As per the list of persons who had got undue benefit from the ‘jobs on chit’, a maximum of 103 had been absorbed in the Urban Development Authority, 61 in the Marketing Board, 52 in SMC, 47 in Himachal Pradesh Small Industries Development Corporation, 29 in Agro Industries Corporation and 25 in Him Urja.

Shimla, May 12
The fund-starved hill state is pinning its hopes on the 13th Finance Commission for some compensation for maintaining the green cover as management of environmental concerns consistent with sustainable development are included in its terms of reference.

Apart from seeking Rs 55,900 crore as a revenue deficit grant for the 2010-15 period, the government has also sought Rs 10,800 crore for environment protection from the commission headed by Dr Vijay Kelkar visiting the state to hold discuss the memorandum from June 6 to 8. Funds have been sought for maintenance of existing plantations and raising new ones, implementing measures to check soil erosion and in lieu of payment for environment services rendered by maintaining the green cover which benefited other states too.

The loss of forest revenue on account of moratorium green felling has been put at Rs 1000 crore annually and Rs 2,500 core have been demanded in lieu of environment services rendered by maintaining the green cover.

The government plea is that as there is no law under which it could ask other states to pay for environment services, the Centre must intervene and suitably compensate it. The government is quite hopeful of a favourable dispensation in this regard from the commission which has been asked to consider the need to manage ecology, environment and climate change consistent with sustainable development, an issue of national concern.

In the memorandum to be submitted to the commission the government has worked out that its own income which stood at Rs 2700 crore at present will grow at a nominal rate of 11 per cent annually. However, the additional financial burden on account of revision of salaries and pension of employees with the implementation of the recommendations of the pay commission alone will be Rs 8,500 crore over the 2006-15 period. The recommendations will come into force from 2006.

Funds have also been sought for some special projects like the Rs 715-crore Shimla Gravity Water Supply Scheme to tap water of Pabbar, Rs 700 crore have been sought for construction of an airport in the Balh valley in Mandi and financial assistance for the implementation of the Rs 1045-crore Bhanupali-Beri rail project. A sum of Rs 1150 crore has been demanded for urban local bodies which are reeling under a financial crunch.

Dharamsala, May 12
Girls outscored boys in the class XII arts, commerce and vocational stream results declared by the Himachal Pradesh School Education Board today.

In arts, all top 10 positions were bagged by girls. Girls got six of the top-10 lot in the commerce stream, while the figure was eight in the vocational stream.

Students of government schools did better than those of private schools. Most of the top positions were bagged by students from government schools. This is in contrast to the results of the science stream declared earlier.

In arts, Nancy Sharma of Government Senior Secondary School, Jawalamukhi, topped with 438 marks out of 500. Neha Jaswal of Government Senior Secondary School, Ghanari, Una, stood second with 432 marks. Nisha Devi of Thora public senior secondary school stood third with 425 mark, followed by Shivani of Government Senior Secondary School, Jawalamukhi, (423 marks), Dimple Sharma of Government Senior Secondary School, Sanjauli, (421 marks), Shilpa of Government Senior Secondary School, Bhota, (419 marks), Sapna Kumari of Government Senior Secondary School, Mandi, (418 marks), Sunita Kumari of Government Senior Secondary School, Sarkaghat, (417 marks), Hardeep Kaur of Government Senior Secondary School, Dehlan, Una, (416 marks), Bharti Kapoor of Government Senior Secondary School, Chaned, Chamba, (415 marks).

In commerce, Saroj Lata of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Hamirpur, topped with 436 marks. Neveditta of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Portmore, Shimla, stood second with 427 marks, Ruchi Chawla of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Nahan, came third with 424 marks. They were followed by Hanish of Government Senior Secondary School, Bahngrotu, Mandi, and Nand Lal of Government Senior Secondary School, Dhaneta, Hamirpur, (418 marks each), Poonam Devi of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Portmore, Shimla, (417 marks), Abhishek Singh Chauhan of Government Senior Secondary School, Paragpur, (416 marks), Priya Kumari Butail of St Paul Senior Secondary School, Palampur, (415 marks), Sameer Verma of Government Senior Secondary School, Sujanpur Tihra, (414 marks), Kritika Sehgal of Kullu Valley School, Ramshila, (412 marks) and Rajat Gupta of Arunodaya Senior Secondary School, Mohal, Kullu, (408 marks).

In the vocational stream, Renu of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Nahan, topped by scoring 741 marks out of 800. Varsha Devi Gurung of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Nahan, stood second with 737 marks, while Bharti Thapa of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Nahan, came third with 725 marks. They were followed by Ritika Devi of Government Senior Secondary School, Lathiani, Una, (702 marks), Dola Singh of Government Senior Secondary School, Banjar, Kullu, (693 marks), Girdhari Lal of Government Senior Secondary School, Banjar, Kullu, (689 marks), Jyoti Devi of Government Senior Secondary School, Bhoranj, Hamirpur, (687 marks), Manjeet Singh of Government Senior Secondary School, Lathiani, Una, (684 marks), Kanchan and Sunaina of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Nahan, (680 marks each), Monika Sharma of Government Senior Secondary School, Galore, Hamirpur, (678 marks).

Secretary of the education board Rakesh Sharma said the total pass percentage in arts and commerce subjects was 70.45 per cent. It is better than the pass percentage of 56.29 recorded last year. In vocation courses, the pass percentage increased from 56.6 per cent last year to 74.96 per cent this year, he added.

Kangra, May 12
A 70-seater aircraft of the MDLR Airlines landed at the Kangra airport on a regular flight here today. The first-ever big passenger aircraft to land here had 20 passengers on board including executive director, marketing and planning, MDLR, Koustav M. Dhar.

Dhar said the MDLR would conduct six regular flights every week (except on Sunday). Shortly, the service would be made daily. In the first flight, 20 passengers arrived here and 35 left for Delhi via Chandigarh, he added.

Dhar said it would take 47 minutes for the aircraft to travel from Delhi to Kangra whereas other aircraft take 150 minutes. During the current peak tourist season, the MDLR would charge zero passenger fare for 15 days. They would be charged only Rs 1,875 in lieu of taxes.

Even thereafter, the fare would be 25 per cent less than that charged by other airlines. The passengers would be served 14 vegetarian dishes during the travel, he said. The company would also introduce flights between Kangra and central and eastern India within a month, he added. The aircraft to be used for the Kangra flights was four-engine STOL (short take-off and landing) performing aircraft with the safest speed control.

He said the flight would depart from Delhi at 3 o’clock and would arrive here at 3.50 pm. It would depart from here at 4.10 pm, would land at Chandigarh at 4.40 pm and take off for Delhi at 17.10 pm from there.

Meanwhile, mediapersons of various Hindi and English dailies, national news agencies and news channels held a demonstration at the Kangra airport against the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Kangra airport station manager S.K. Sharma.

They were protesting against not allowing them entry to the airport to have pictures of the 70-seater aircraft of MDLR that had landed as a regular passenger aircraft there. Although mediapersons were refused entry, a youth, said to be the son of an AAI official, was allegedly allowed by the AAI authorities to have photographs.

S.K. Sharma said it was the responsibility of the MDLR authorities to seek permission from the director-general of civil aviation for allowing mediapersons to have photographs of the event. Regarding clicking of photographs by a youth, he said he would inquire into the matter.

Hamirpur, May 12
As the byelection campaigning for the Hamirpur parliament seat is gaining momentum both main contenders of the BJP and the Congress have set up their agendas to woo the voters.

The BJP is concentrating on the failure of the UPA led Central Government and its own achievements during its 120-day rule whereas the opposition Congress is focusing its campaign more on the state related issues.

Since steep rise in the prices of essential commodities during the recent months is a burning issue affecting the people the BJP leaders are holding policies of the Central Government responsible for this.

The BJP is also focusing on various measures taken by the state government like increasing the purchasing power of weaker sections by increasing daily wages, old age and widow pension, making a provision of 90 crore in the current budget for providing subsidised ration through the PDS and disbursement of Rs 300 crore to government employees by paying 5 per cent interim relief.

On the other hand the Congress is targeting the BJP on 25 per cent bus fare hike, its failure to control prices by reigning in hoarders and unscrupulous traders and the PTA issue. The Congress is criticising Chief Minister Dhumal for promoting his family rule by nominating his son Anurag Thakur is this election.

Corruption, which used to be the main theme of both the parties in the election, has not been focused this time.

Hamirpur, May 12
Leader of opposition in the state Assembly Vidya Stokes said the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme launched by the UPA government is a unique scheme to provide employment to rural youth near their village.

Addressing public rallies today in support of Congress candidate O.P. Rattan at Jharlog, Manoh, Jol Kota and Bhukad in Mewa Assembly constituency she lauded the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for launching this scheme which took her two years to prepare it and no where in the world such scheme exist which provides employment at one’s place.

Stokes said, “The UPA government has taken a lead in waving off loans of farmers to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore and the government is still studying whether this amount could be enhanced further.”

She said, “The Central Government has increased the plan allocation to the state by Rs 300 crore but the BJP government has decreased the supply of PDS ration in the state.” Stokes also criticised the state government for the recent hike in bus fares by 25 per cent.

Hamirpur, May 12
Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal said opening of 318 sawmills would facilitate the owners and workers of sawmills.

Addressing a series of election meetings today at Chodu, Kangoo, Pansai, Kalar and Jaladi under Nadaun assembly constituency in support of Anurag Thakur Dhumal said, “What the present government has achieved during its 120 days rule the Congress could not achieve in its last 5 year term.”

Dhumal said, “The BJP government is committed to fulfill all its elections promises and 26,000 jobs would be created to provide employment in the state.”

Una, May 12
There was no shortage of foodgrain in the state or the country but the same was being created by traders, who were supporters of the BJP, by indulging in hoarding.

This was stated by former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh while talking to mediapersons here today.

He said the Central Government reduced the central excise and CST on various items to check prices of essential commodities, but the BJP-led government in the state reduced VAT only on liquor. No reduction in VAT or sales tax was effected on other things. Thus, the BJP government was responsible for the rising prices in the state, he added.

Shimla, May 12
The state government is considering a proposal to pay double salary to doctors opting to serve in far-flung areas, which face a shortage of medicos.

The doctors who opt to serve in far-flung and difficult areas would be given double the salary their colleagues get in urban areas and towns, a spokesman of the Health Department said. He said such areas would be categorised on the basis of facilities available.

The spokesman said there are about 350 posts of doctors lying vacant in the state. He said the Dhumal government has accorded top priority to improving health facilities in the state. The government intended to fill 250 posts in the current financial year, he added. — PTI

Mandi, May 12
Even as the residents demand restoration of the Damdama and Babakot historic buildings as a Rajmadhav museum, the main buyer of the Rs 3-crore royal property, Khub Ram, pleaded today that he was ready to part with the property in favour of the government.

Though Khub Ram shied away from meeting the Press, his lawyer stated that he was ready to part with the property, including the Rajmadhav temple, in favour of the government. “I have bought vacant land located in Kesri bungalow and not the palace and other property”, Khub Ram claimed in the statement issued here. Khub Ram claimed that he had nothing to do with any political party and would cooperate fully with the government.

Nurpur, May 12
After running from pillar to post ex-Subedar Major M.N. Rana, a resident of Hagwal in this subdivision, today submitted a letter to Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal seeking a CBI probe into the death, suspected to be murder, of his son, Aman Rana, on November 27, 2006.

While distributing copies of the letter to mediapersons here Rana alleged that his son was murdered by a group of four persons who had hatched a conspiracy to eliminate his son. He accused one of his close relatives as a prime suspect in the murder of his son who had a money dispute with him.

Shimla, May 12
The draft climate change policy for carbon credits through clean development mechanism (CDM) has been finalised and circulated among the stakeholder departments for comments and suggestions.

Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal said here today that climate change could have substantial impact on the viability of hydroelectric projects, cropping patterns and lead to a geographic shift in horticultural activities, besides affecting wildlife, biodiversity, glaciers, snow cover, natural reservoirs and rainfall pattern. As such an environment preparedness and adaptation strategy was a must for a Himalayan state like Himachal Pradesh.

He said energy efficiency and conservation, renewable energy, gas, transport, industry, afforestation and land restoration, waste management and land use change for green house gas (GHG) mitigation had been identified as potential areas for earning carbon credits.

Dhumal said a number of initiatives had been taken to reduce energy consumption by promoting compact fluorescent lamps and meeting energy requirement of the state by promoting run-off-the-river hydroelectric projects. Solar-passive technologies and afforestation were being promoted, besides formulating forest fires-prevention schemes and imposing a ban on use of coal and fossil fuels.

He said additional measures were required for reducing GHGs emissions by recovery of energy from the wastes. He said that biofuels crops plantation was being encouraged.

Bilaspur, May 12
Taking cognisance of a highly objectionable activity of earning huge profits at the cost of environment by dumping road-cutting debris etc. into khads and forests, destroying greenery and trees, by the PWD contractors, the forest authorities here have exercised their powers for the first time and have fined a PWD contractor for violation of these rules.

The Forest Department fined Rs 1.05 lakh on contractor Ravinder Kumar for destroying plants, trees and forest property by throwing road-side debris and dumping it into forest land and Ali Khad near Ghagus on the National Highway 88 near here while these debris also destroyed thousands of plants of a forest nursery.

Forest range officer Tirath Raj warned all contractors to be cautious in such matters and to obey the rules properly and to dump the debris like soil and stones at the allocated sites only for which permission from the government must be obtained.

Chamba, May 12
The state government has sanctioned a sum of Rs 4 crore for the promotion of tourism in and around the famous Manimahesh pilgrimage centre, its itinerary and Bharmour Chaurasi temples for the convenience of lakhs of pilgrims and tourists who visit this shrine every year.

This amount would be spent under the aegis of Manimahesh Trust for the development and beautification of the Manimahesh holy place.

Naresh Kumar Lakh, Additional District Magistrate of Bharmour tribal subdivision, who is also the chairman of Manimahesh Trust, said officials of various departments based at Bharmour had been asked to draw layout plans pertaining to the activities to be undertaken.

Solan, May 12
YPS, Mohali, and Welham lifted the sixth Major Jagpal Memorial Junior Inter-Public School Basketball trophies in the boys’ and girls’ categories, respectively, at Pinegrove School, Subathu, today. In the final, YPS boys defeated Lawrence School (28-25) in a closely fought match that went into extra time. Sehwaz and Sunderjit were the main scorers for YPS, while Himmat and Fateh contributed goals to the Lawrence School’s kitty.

In the girls’ pool, Welham girls defeated Pinegrove by a margin of 23-9 to register a comfortable victory. Sunaina contributed 13 points, while Subhi scored 8 points for the Welham’s team.

In the first semifinal for boys, Lawrence School had defeated the hosts Pinegrove School by 42-14. Akinjeet scored 13 points while Adhikari scored 10 points for Sanawar boys. Nikhil scored 6 points for Pinegrove. In another interesting semifinal match, YPS, Mohali, boys beat Rashtriya Military School, Chail, 23-12. Sehwaz and Harsimran scored 11 and 6 points, respectively, for the YPS team, while Vikram scored 8 points for Chail boys.

In the girls’ semifinal, Pinegrove School, shattered the dreams of Sanawar by defeating them in a one-sided match. The final score was 24-4. Pragalbha scored 8 points while Gurmehak scored 6 points for the Pinegrove team. In the second semifinal, Welham girls outplayed YPS, Mohali, girls and won the match by 36-9. Subhi and Aishwarya scored 12 points each for the Welham girls.

Aishwarya Nandini of Welham Girls School, Dehra Dun, and Akinjeet of Lawrence School, Sanawar, won the top scorer award in the two categories. Sunaina Das of Welham Girls School was adjudged the best girl player, while Sunderjit Singh Chahal of YPS, Mohali, bagged the best boy player title. Brig Thomas George, Brigade Commander, Kasauli, gave away the prizes.