Shimla, June 21
The dream of having its own film city in order to facilitate the shooting of Bollywood films in Shimla and at other picturesque locales of Himachal may soon come true as the Tourism Department is going to invite “expressions of interest” for the purpose.

The department of Tourism and Civil Aviation will soon be inviting “expressions of interest” for the setting up of a film city along with other projects like a spa
and golf course.

Though the site for the film city has not been finalised yet, it is likely to come up either at Baragaon, near Manali, or at Jhatingri, near Jogindernagar.

Commissioner (tourism and civil aviation) Ram Subhag Singh said the government would certainly be open to any good offer for the setting up of a film city in the state as it would give fillip to tourism. He said the “expressions of interest” would soon be invited for the project.

The step will go a long way in attracting filmmakers to the state. Successive governments have been talking of setting up a film city, but there has been little headway in that regard so far.

Though acclaimed filmmakers like Sanjay Leela Bhansali have shot their films in Shimla, people associated with Bollywood rue the lack of facilities here.

Efforts are also being made at the government level to give shape film and theatre personality Parikshit Sawhney’s dream of having a theatre and film institute in memory of his father Balraj Sawhney in Shimla.

A house owned by Balraj Sawhney at Chakkar could be the venue for the institute. The family is keen that a trust is formed so that the institute can be established at the earliest.

Prakshit Sawhney had met Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal and expressed his desire to have an institute in memory of his father.

He also held a meeting with the tourism language, art and culture officials to discuss the setting up of the institute.

Several film and theatre personalities like Anupam Kher and Preity Zinta belong to the town, but practically nothing has been done to promote theatre and other performing arts in the state.

The forest department personnel said neither had they been trained nor equipped with proper kits to handle monkeys or langurs.

It took the forest staff more than 30 minutes to tranquillise the animal. Veterinary doctors said it had suffered a spinal injury.

Shimla, June 21
Various banks and financial institutions have identified 32,000 farmers in Himachal who would get relief under the agriculture debt waiver scheme.

Convener of the HP State-Level Bankers Committee (SLBC) Ripan Murgai today presided over the second review meeting of the financial institutions working in the state with regard to the progress under the scheme.

“So far, 32,000 farmers have been identified and the process will go on till June 22 to identify more such persons who will be covered under the scheme,” he said.

He said the identification process would be over on June 22 and the final figures regarding the total number of eligible farmers and the amount of waiver and relief would be sent to the SLBC by all banks, along with a certificate.

Murgai said all individual farmers, who had taken loans for agricultural purposes through various self-help group, which had maintained individual record in their books to the satisfaction of lending institution, would also be covered under the scheme.

The meeting was attended by the RBI general manager, the NABARD general manager, the DGM of UCO Bank and regional heads of all banks.

S.K. Bal, GM, RBI, asked the banks to provide updated information to the SLBC within the stipulated time and ensure that the time schedule fixed for the implementations of the scheme was adhered to at every stage.

Shimla, June 21
Although the water level in the lake formed at Parechu has receded, the administrative machinery in five districts continues to maintain alert as the fear of flash floods and cloudbursts continues.

The water level in Parechu as well as the Spiti and the Sutlej rivers has come down over the past two days because of the cloudy weather that has slowed down the process of melting of snow.

As Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti areas have received very little rain, it was mainly the melting of snow in June that had led to sudden rise in the water level in the lake.

“We are regularly seeking reports from the Central Water Commission, Delhi, and there is no cause for worry as the water level has come down,” said Kinnaur DC
P.S. Drake.

He said the level could rise again if there was bright sunshine, but as long as the water overflowed smoothly, the situation would remain under control.

The houses of most of the people living close to the banks of the Sutlej were damaged during flash floods in 2000 and 2005.

Most of them have now got settled in higher areas. “It is only in Tapri and Tangling villages where houses are in lower areas,” said Drake.

In view of the continued threat of flash floods and cloudbursts, the police, home guard personnel and revenue officials were maintaining round-the-clock vigil so that the people could be shifted to safer places in case of any emergency.

Nurpur, June 21
The alleged floating of the condition of usage of automatic batching plant in mixing cement to prepare concrete in the construction of the inter-state Chakki bridge, near Kandwal in this subdivision, has raised eyebrows in the quality of the double lane bridge.

Inquiries reveal that the construction of the bridge had been awarded to a Hyderabad based private company for Rs 29.88 crore with the condition that it would use only automatic batching plant for mixing cement with gravel and sand.

This plant mixes cement and lays concrete automatically with accuracy. The state National Highway Department had released Rs 3.2 crore to the company for buying the machine, but simple mechanical mixers are being used to prepare concrete.

Naveen Kumar, manager of the Hyderabad-based construction company, Madhav Hightech, said the company had placed an order to purchase batching plant. Simple mixers were being used to avoid delay, he said.

D.R. Chowdary, superintending engineer NH circle Shahpur, clarified that the department engineer was keeping a close vigil on the quality of construction.

Manali, June 21
The two-day long crucial meeting of the BJP working committee concluded here today at the Ambassador resort.

It exposed the BJP’s double-speak, a party “which preaches something, but practices something else”. Significantly, the BJP leaders debated price rise in the absence of Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal.

The party has advocated 33 per cent women quota, but it has yet to induct at least three women as its officer bearers as at present it has none, revealed insiders.

Dhumal missed the “crucial discussion on the price rise” as he made to the venue later on. The members debated issue and wanted to suggest something to the government, but they failed.

National vice-president Shanta Kumar talked about the price rise and chalked out a strategy how to take it masses in the face of coming Lok Sabha polls.

By that time Dhumal had arrived, but he could not get the views of the other members who had suggested to make “some balancing act” rather than blaming it squarely on the Congress-led UPA government in the price rise resolution passed.

Dhumal talked about achievements of the present government. Party in charge affairs Satya Pal Jain urged partymen the and government to work in tandem with each other to make Himachal Pradesh as a role model of how party and government can work together.

He was addressing a gathering after flagging off the Sindhu Darshan Yatra, organised by the Himalaya Parivar, here last evening. — UNI

Dharamsala, June 21
The Tibetan government-in-exile has written to Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala seeking release of their community leaders and other Tibetans who were arrested in Nepal on the charge of organising protests against China.

Writing on behalf of the Tibetan government-in-exile, deputy speaker Dolma Gyari has said demonstrations and protests have been continuing in three provinces of Tibet since March 10.

Many Tibetans have been killed and imprisoned during these protests. Tibetan refugees living in Nepal held peaceful protests and rallies in support of their
brethren in Tibet.

“We are saddened to hear that many Tibetans, including three community leaders, have been arrested since June 19,” the letter says.

She has requested the Nepal Prime Minister to intervene and secure the release of imprisoned Tibetans.

She has given account of historical relations between Nepal and Tibet. “We are going through a critical phase. The Dalai Lama and the government-in-exile are engaged in efforts to find a peaceful solution to the problem,” she has said.

Meanwhile, the Tibetans here today organised a protest against the Olympic torch being carried through Tibet.

The protesters were carrying banners against the alleged atrocities on Tibetans by China.

They marched through the lanes of McLoedganj. This is for the second time that Tibetans have organised a protest despite appeals by the Dalai Lama.

Shimla: Terming the holding of the Olympic torch rally in China as a human rights violation, the regional chapter of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) organised a protest march here today.

Activists of the TYC and local Tibetans raised slogans against the holding of Olympics in China and held a rally at Naaz.

They said the Olympics stood for respect for social norms, especially human rights, which China had never respected.

They also demanded the release of the 11th Panchen Lama and people arrested in Tibet.

They criticised China for constructing a rail line from Gormo to Lhasa and Lhasa to Shegaste posing a defence threat to India.

Nahan, June 21
The Congress has decided to fight against the land grabbers, who recently grabbed around 15 bighas of land worth crores of rupees in Paonta town.

The land belongs to Shri Dei Ji Sahiba temple, the oldest Ram temple in the district, constructed by the rulers of erstwhile Sirmaur riyasat in 18th century.

Addressing a press conference at Paonta yesterday, Kirnesh Jang, one of the senior most party leader who had fought four elections from the constituency and holds several significant posts in the party, alleged that the BJP and the RSS workers have taken the temple land into their illegal possession by raising a wall on it near Sarswati Vidya Mandir Public School in Paonta.

He alleged that despite the fact that the Paonta SDM is the assistant commissioner and tehsildar is the temple officer of the temple trust, no effective action had been taken to vacate the land.

There is strong resentment among residents on this incident against the government, he alleged.

He also alleged that the state BJP government of was under the influence of the RSS, which had its own agenda to implement.

He said the Congress had vowed to fight against the people of the ruling party for grabbing the temple land.

Hamirpur, June 21
The Vidya Stokes-Viplove Thakur faction in the state unit of the Congress that had been teaming up for quite some time against former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has reportedly split.

The leaders are reportedly involved in the game of one-upmanship against each other. According to sources in the state unit of the party, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Viplove Thakur and Congress legislature party leader in the Assembly Vidya Stokes have parted ways.

They are now vying with each other to establish their supremacy in the state unit at various levels.

While both groups are now giving preference to their trusted persons at public functions and in various committees, efforts are also afoot to appoint their own men at every level using their clout in the Congress high command.

Recently, both camps had been busy in installing their own man as the district Congress committee president after the dissolution of the Hamirpur DCC.

With the differences among both groups taking turn for the worse, leaders of one group are avoiding the other group and recently when O.P. Rattan addressed a press conference at Hamirpur, not only were the leaders from the Virbhadra faction ignored, the leaders from the Stokes camp were also avoided.

Shimla, June 21
Five computers were stolen from the ‘Sugam Centre’ located in the deputy commissioner’s office, right below the office of the SP, last night.

The thieves reportedly broke open the locks of the centre and decamped with computers. What is most surprising is the fact that the theft took place from a place where there is round-the-clock vigil as the District Courts and the offices of the DC and the SP are located there.

While thieves stole five computers along with UPSs, monitors and keyboards, one of the computers fell in bushes outside the window from where they were taken out.

Forensic experts and sniffer-dog squad were called to get some clue about the thieves. There were nine computers in the office.

Meanwhile, work at the Sugam Centre, which issues various certificates and collects payments of water and electricity bills from senior citizens, remained affected.

Dalhousie, June 21
Resentment prevails among the residents of Dalhousie and its suburbs about the shortage of LPG.

They complained that they were getting erratic supply of cooking gas. The District Food and Supplies controller (DFSC) admitted that there might be a partial backlog in the LPG supply as a sequel to the blockade of the Dalhousie-Pathankot highway due to landslides following heavy rains.

Moreover, the supply of cooking gas was increasing day by day and to meet the rapidly increasing demand there might be some delay.

The DFSC said the department had also written to the Indian Oil Corporation authorities to enhance the supply and accelerate its transportation enabling them to mitigate the shortage of cooking gas supply.