Shimla, August 1
Though the CBI is a premiere police investigating agency, but if assigned the task of undertaking counter- terrorism intelligence, it should be able to fulfil the role with equal ability. These are the views of state DGP Ashwani Kumar, the new man chosen to head the premiere investigating agency where he has already had a stint as additional director.

“The CBI can serve the role of a professional investigative agency too, provided Parliament assigns a task to it,” said Kumar, who left for Delhi today to take up the prestigious assignment.

He has said though the CBI is a professional organisation that has functional autonomy, it needs to improve the quality of manpower and skill. “The CBI has its own cyber crime investigative cell and a command centre. However, it is for the government to decide whether to assign a broader role, including economic and cyber crimes,” he opines.

Even as allegations of use of the CBI by the political bosses continue to be levelled, Kumar feels there are laid down guidelines in this regard and all that is required is its proper implementation. He emphasises the need for distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate political interference.

“The government has every right to ask the CBI not to delay matters in cases where public opinion is involved, ensure that rules are followed and there is no witch-hunting,” he said. He said a lot of debate on the political use of the CBI had been held in Parliament and the government after the Supreme Court directives in Vineet Narayan versus Government of India had laid down guidelines right from the selection of the director to other aspects.

With regard to the CBI being assigned too many cases by the states, he feels there are already laid down guidelines and cases of inter-state and international ramifications are assigned to it. “The CBI cannot ask any organisation not to send its cases, but others must realise that it is not possible for one agency to handle so many cases,” he reasons out.

On the role of the CBI in checking corruption he says no doubt the agency has a major responsibility, but it was not possible for one organisation to eradicate corruption from such a huge country. “It is the common man who has to fight corruption right from getting a water connection to getting his house building maps cleared. The media has played a significant role in exposing corruption, be it in the judiciary, the police or among politicians,” he said.

Shimla, August 1
G.S. Gill and D.S. Manhas have emerged as the front-runners for the top police post in the state with Ashwani Kumar being chosen as the CBI director.

With Kumar leaving for Delhi to take up the prestigious assignment that has come for a Himachal cadre IPS officer for the first time, the government today gave the charge to the senior most officer, Sohan Singh, serving as DGP (Prisons and Fire Services).

With many of the senior IPS officers on central deputation not keen to return to Himachal, Manhas, an IPS officer (1977), has emerged as a strong contender despite being at number eight in seniority. He is presently serving as ADGP, CID.

Sources said even the present BJP regime was favourably inclined towards having him in the top police post.

As per seniority, it is Gill, a 1974 batch officer, presently serving in the Border Security Force (BSF), who is senior most officer tipped to be the DGP. He is a strong contender for the post in case he is keen to return to the state. The other name which could be considered is that of Sohan Singh, who is also from the 1974 batch.

Amidst speculations as who would be the next police chief of the hill state, the government today decided to set up a three member screening committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary to undertake screening.

The Chief Minister today said the committee would form a panel and forward the names to the government. It could take a few days before the formality is completed and Kumar’s successor named.

It is the controversial IPS officer B.S. Thind whose names figures at number two in seniority. He is also a 1974 batch IPS officer, but with serious corruption allegations being levelled against him it is unlikely that he could emerge as the choice for the top post.

After Thind, it is Ajit Lal, a 1974 batch who is serving as joint director in the Intelligence Bureau, whose name comes in seniority. The police sources said he was not too keen to return to the state. Followed by him in seniority is Sohan Lal.

Next in seniority is the 1975 batch IPS officer Deepak Baghai, who is currently on an extraordinary long leave. After this, it is 1976 batch officers R.N. Gupta, director, CMS and Anti RO, and Anirudh Uppal, serving in the NSG on central deputation.

The name of Manhas is at number eight in seniority followed by Ashok Sood, who is posted as ADGP, Home Guards.

Shimla, August 1
The allotment of 19 micro and mini-hydel projects to sole qualified applicants has triggered off a controversy as the decision goes against the avowed policy of the BJP government not to award contracts to single bidders.

In fact, the government has ordered a vigilance inquiry into contracts awarded in the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Irrigation and the Public Health Department during the previous Congress regime on the basis of single tender. It clearly shows that the government has been using different yardsticks in various departments and policies were being followed selectively to suit their convenience. At the same time it has decided to re-advertise the remaining 149 projects for which a large number of applicants had applied.

As many as 1,609 applications were received for 168 projects with an aggregate capacity of 290 MW by the HIMURJA, the nodal agency for small hydroelectric projects. Out of these, as many as 900 applications pertained to self-identified projects. The aggregate generation capacity of the 19 projects comes to about 27 MW.

However, no decision has been taken about the self-identified projects on which the applicants had the first right. These should have been awarded ahead of the single tender projects.

Calling fresh tenders for the self-identified projects could lead to legal problems as the entire data like stream, elev7ations, head, site of powerhouse, discharge and layout of these projects, which had been investigated by the applicants at their own cost, had been disclosed during the joint inspection carried out last year.

The applicants had incurred huge expenditure on survey, geological investigations and discharge observation. If fresh applications were invited, other parties would also be able to apply on the basis of data that had now become public.

Over the past two years, highly competitive environment has been created and the global bids invited for 17 projects recently have revealed that more independent power producers (IPP’s) were interested in small projects. Out of the total 102 bids, as many as 25 IPP’s were for three small projects (up to 25 MW) and 77 for 14 big projects. The highest number of 13 bids has been received for the 13 MW Suil project in Chamba. In such a situation, assigning projects to single bidders appears totally out of place. In view of the increasing competition, all projects above 2 MW should be allotted through bidding, and those up to 2 MW be assigned to Himachalis.

Hydropower expert R.L. Justa said the government should not allot all projects and reserve some of them for future like European countries. For instance in Sweden 20 per cent of the hydropower potential has been permanently reserved as a measure to safeguard the environment. The projects up to 2 MW should not be clubbed or upgraded into bigger projects as it would deprive the Himachalis the opportunity to take up projects.

Kullu, August 1
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Kaul Singh Thakur said more than 33 per cent representation would be given to women in the State Congress Committee.

Kaul Singh while addressing mediapersons at Kullu said the second line leadership was being created within the party and old faces would be changed with new ones. The potential of youths would be utilised with the experience of senior leaders of the party. He said the party was divided in groups but that culture was over, and in future too, it would not be tolerated.

He said the Congress lost the last Assembly elections due to the wrong distribution of tickets. He lamented that the party could not encash the credit of the development works done during its tenure. At the same time, the BSP also damaged the Congress nearly on 14-15 seats, he added.

He ridiculed the BJP leaders for calling the Congress ‘janani of corruption’. He said the BJP had manipulated the ‘currency note episode’ inside Parliament. He allegedly said the currency notes were withdrawn from a Bank in Bhopal and might be from a BJP leader’s account.

He also criticised the BJP for not cutting down the VAT on petrol, diesel and LPG in the state, like Haryana, Punjab and Uttrakhand.

Hamirpur, August 1
Hamirpur zila parishad chairperson Sunita Dhiman has received a jolt as not only the Himachal Pradesh High Court has unseated her as member of the parishad dismissing her appeal but the district administration has also initiated fresh election for the seat. After the decision, Hamirpur DC Nandita Gupta had declared the seat vacant and taken steps to start process to hold fresh election in Bag Bagehda zila parishad ward represented by Dhiman.

The election of Dhiman was challenged by her opponent before the DC pleading Dhiman did not belong to reserved category as she did not hail from the reserved category by birth and had acquired this category after her marriage.

Gupta after hearing the case had declared the election of Dhiman as null and void on the above plea. As per the Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) Act, the reserved category status of any female has to be decided on the basis of her caste of birth and not on the basis of her marriage. Dhiman had contested the last election from the reserve ward claiming she belonged to the reserved category as her husband came under this category.

Later, she challenged this order in the state high court few months back and had obtained a stay on the lower court order. However, now the high court finding merit in the order has dismissed her appeal and unseated her.Confirming the move to hold fresh election after the high court order Gupta told The Tribune “Though the parishad chairperson has option to challenge the high court order in the Supreme Court, the district administration has declared the parishad seat represented by Dhiman vacant.”

Shimla, August 1
Chief Minister urged the people to make ‘Jan Jan Sanjivni Van Abhiyan -2008’ a success and said the government was considering a possibility to bring all government and private forests under the proposed Carbon Credit Plan.

A healthy green cover would not only help in maintaining the ecological balance in the region, but also reduce green house gases, he said.

Ecological balance was getting disturbed due to global warming and a number of species of animals, birds and plants were driven to the verge of extinction.

He said the temperature was rising at an alarming rate, glaciers were melting at a faster speed and the sea level was increasing. This was a grave threat to the lives of people.

He said urgent remedial steps were required to reverse the trend and the state had come out with 'Jan Jan Sanjivni Van Abhiyan -2008' to associate people in the plantation programme.

He appealed to the people to supplement the efforts of the government in making the state a ‘herbal state’.

Cultivation of medicinal plants on a commercial scale would be a rewarding exercise for the farmers. The Chief Minister said herbal and medicinal plants were being distributed for the first time under the programme.

He said demand for herbal raw material was increasing and farmers should take an advantage of the situation by shifting to herbal cultivation. 

Kangra, August 1
The District and Sessions Judge today ordered 10 students of Dr R.P. Government Medical College, Tanda, to join investigation of the police in a case and fixed August 6 for deciding on their bail application. The Kangra police had booked these students allegedly for rioting and arson on the Dharamsala road in this town last month.

Kangra SDPO O.P. Jamwal today said these students were absconding from the college to evade arrest since the case was registered against them. He said the police couldn’t arrest them till their bail application was decided on August 6. He, however, said the students would be called for joining the investigation during this period.

Jamwal said 34 medical students were booked in the case and 16 of them, who were arrested in the first instance, were bailed out by the court on Sunday last. He said five more medical students were bailed out by the court early this week and three more were absconding and evading arrest. However, remaining 10 were directed to join the investigation.

Chamba, August 1
The Special judge, Chamba, Virender Singh, on Thursday has convicted Mohinder Pal and Surender Pal for possessing charas and sentenced them to undergo rigorous imprisonment (RI) for 10 years and to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh each.

In default of payment of fine by them, the convicts will further undergo the rigorous imprisonment for one year. — OC

Shimla, August 1
The police today busted a gang of thieves, hailing from the Kathua and Poonch areas of Jammu and Kashmir. They admitted committing more than 250 thefts during the past six years in the state.

The police nabbed them after the arrest of four members of the gang operating in the Shimla and Solan area since 2002. Muhammad Sharif, Muhammad Safiq, Muhammad Javed and Muhammad Changa were arrested in Shimla.

They operated in Shimla, Solan, Kullu and Manali and the police had recovered gold from them.

The other three members of the gang, Gulzar Malik, Munzoor Ahmed and Muhammad Qasim were arrested in the morning from the remote area of Banjar in Kullu today.

“A special team nabbed them from the Banjar area,” said SP R.M. Sharma.

He said though they had admitted committing several thefts, they would be interrogated after seeking police remand tomorrow.