Shimla, August 2
With the seniormost IPS officer of Himachal cadre, G.S. Gill, meeting Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal here today, speculations that he was not keen to return to the state has been set to rest.

Gill’s meeting with the Chief Minister here today has sent clear signals that he was more than willing to don the top police post.

Though Gill, a 1974 batch officer currently on deputation with the BSF, and D.S. Manhas, a 1977 batch IPS officer, were being considered the front-runners, but it was being felt that Gill might not be keen to return to the state.

Barring Gill and Anirudh Uppal, a 1976 officer serving with the NSG, who is on number seven in the seniority, most of the officers on central deputation are not keen to return.

With Gill having an impeccable record of being an upright officer, it will be difficult for the government to ignore his claim. “With Gill meeting the Chief Minister today, it might not be easy for the government to appoint Manhas, who has seven officers senior to him even though he is being tipped as the new DGP,” admitted a senior police officer.

It might take some time now before the government is able to announce a successor to Ashwani Kumar who had been appointed as the CBI director. The three-member committee under the chairmanship of the chief secretary, which has to recommend the panel to the government, has not been able to meet.

The meeting is likely to take place later on as chief secretary Asha Swaroop is away to Delhi and will be returning on Monday.

It is B.S. Thind, a 1974 batch officer, whose name figures at number two in the seniority. Facing serious allegations in many cases in and outside the state, it is certain that he will not be considered for the top post.

Shimla, August 2
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has conveyed to the ministry of external affairs (MEA) to ensure that IAS officer Subhash Ahluwalia, who was facing a probe, should not be allowed to travel out of the country.

The bureau has conveyed to the ministry that there were indications that the former private secretary to Congress leader and former chief minister Virbhadra Singh was planning to visit abroad. Since it is only the ministry that can directly get in touch with any embassy, the matter has been taken up by the bureau.

“It has also been conveyed to Ahluwalia to submit his passport with the Vigilance Bureau to rule out any possibility of his travelling abroad,” said a senior police official. He said it was only after getting information that the bureaucrat had got a call from the US Embassy to appear for interview for obtaining a visa that the Vigilance sleuths got active in this regard.

With Ahluwalia’s son and daughter living in the US, the bureau had indications that he was planning to travel abroad. His wife, however, said all such speculations were completely baseless as her husband was not feeling well. She said in case they had to visit abroad, they would do so after seeking permission from the concerned agencies.

Ahluwalia is facing a disproportionate assets case as there were allegations of corruption against him. In fact his name had prominently figured in the charge-sheet submitted by the BJP to the Governor for probe.

It was on July 30 that he had informed the bureau that it would not be possible for him to present himself for investigation with regard to the case against him as he was not well. He faxed his medical certificate stating that he had been advised to take one week’s rest as he was suffering from blood pressure and diabetes.

He said it would be possible for him to appear before the Vigilance Bureau only 
after August 7.

Kangra, August 2
Kangra district police chief Atul Fulzele today checked the security arrangements during a surprise check at Bajjreshwari, Chamunda and Jawalamukhi temples in the districts and expressed his satisfaction.

Fulzele said six Reserve Police Forces had been deployed at the three shrines.

He said the security had been further beefed up and the police in plain clothes was deployed to keep an eye on the suspicious elements.

He said the administration during the ensuing Navratras was not going to take any chance in view of the recent blasts in Bangalore and Ahemadabad.

Dharamsala, August 2
Residents, who have constructed houses on the Darnu-Dari road are being harassed a lot. Repeated acquisitions by the PWD are threatening their houses.

The residents while talking to The Tribune alleged that the PWD initially acquired land in the area for construction of a 10 feet road in 2003. Though the land was acquired, the PWD did not take its possession. The result was many constructions came on the acquired piece of land.

After two years instead of getting the land acquired, the PWD in 2005 started another acquisition in the same area.

The result of the later acquisition is that law-abiding citizens, who constructed their houses away from the land acquired by the PWD in 2003, are again facing demolition of their houses.

One of the affected person Ranjit Singh Thakur alleged that in the 2003 land acquisition by the PWD his 2 m land was acquired. He left the acquired place and constructed his house in the remaining land. Now once again the acquisition has been started and a portion of his house is facing the demolition. The PWD should get the land acquired by it in 2003 demarcated from revenue authorities.

Another resident has sought information under the RTI. He has alleged that the information was not being provided to him despite repeated pleas. The residents have demanded an inquiry into the repeated land acquisitions.

Solan, August 2
As there are more than 500 pending cases before the district consumer forum, the Himachal Pradesh State Consumer Forum Employees’ Welfare Association has demanded for the provision of a new district consumer forum here.

Placing their claim on the basis of the apex court’s direction and the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act 1986, where an independent consumer forum is supposed to be created if the number of cases exceed 150, the association has demanded for a separate district forum. This will ensure early disposal of the cases and a speedy trial. It will even considerably reduce the pending cases.

The association has stated that since the presidents of the district consumer forum are equivalent to sitting District and Session Judges, they should be provided with an adequate staff.

It said there was scare staff at the district consumer forums of Shimla, Mandi, Dharamsala and Una. They were overseeing workload of 4, 3, 2 and 3 districts, respectively. This affected the working of these forums.

The association has also demanded for the creation of a post of judgment writer for the commission, post of copyist for each district forum as well as a process server. The case for equating the office of State Consumer Commission to grade-A office, along with a provision of requisite facilities, was also demanded by the association.

Shimla, August 2
Driving through the scenic environs of the hill state will be even more enchanting now as fruit and ornamental plants will adorn the national and state highways as the government will launch a special plantation campaign from August 9 to August 31. Public works minister Thakur Gulab Singh stated this while addressing a meeting of senior officers of the department here today.

“More than 1.50 lakh saplings would be planted on both sides of the highways in order to beautify the existing roads, which will also help in environmental protection,” he sated. He said ornamental plants like silver oak, bougainvillea and fruit plants like mango and jamun will be planted during the campaign. “Besides the national and state highways, the roads constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna and the NABARD would be included under the campaign,” he said.

He said all 30,000 skilled and unskilled labourers of the PWD Department would plant five saplings each and would look after them later on. If need be even tree guards would be erected to ensure good survival arte of the saplings, he added.

Thakur said besides providing good facilities and infrastructure, efforts must also be made to beautify the environment. He said this would help attract more tourists and make the state even more beautiful.

The minister said another benefit of planting these trees would be to check against landslides and soil erosion. “The landslide prone areas will be identified and the plantation here would be undertaken keeping in view the ecology and the strata,” he said. He said nurseries under the horticulture wing of the PWD Department would play a major role in making the campaign a success.

Dharamsala, August 2
Babu Ram, a poor person from the rural area, wanted to exercise his right to information. He sought for 20-page information from a government office.

Babu Ram had to cough Rs 200 to get the information. Besides, he had to pay Rs 10 while submitting his application form for seeking information.

The reason is that right to information in Himachal Pradesh is five times costlier than Punjab. In the state, the applicants have to pay Rs 10 for per page of information, but in Punjab the people have to pay just Rs 2 per page.

The officials in various government offices said the rate was fixed by the government.

However, this high rate is keeping many people away from the right to seek information under the Act.

However, some of the officials, while speaking on the condition of anonymity, said cost of Rs 10 per page was fixed by the government, which included all costs, including the labour of the government officials in generating the information.

However, the judgments delivered by various state commissions have made it clear that under the Act, the government officials can charge only for copying the documents.

Himachal Pradesh is comparatively a poorer state vis-à-vis Punjab. People especially in rural areas have meager sources of income. So, the government should reduce the fee being charged under the Act and bring it on par with other states like Punjab.

If the charges were reduced more people would be empowered to use the Act and make the government officials accountable.

Sundernagar, August 2
R.R.L. Azad, Special Judge (II), Mandi, has convicted Guddu Ram, resident of Sakayard, Mandi, of possessing 5.2 kg of charas and sentenced him to 10-year rigorous imprisonment. A fine of Rs 1lakh was also imposed on him.

The convict was nabbed by a police party on the night of 11February, 2007, at the Victoria Bridge in Mandi. The police recovered 5.2 kg of charas form his bag. It arrested him and registered a case under Section 20 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Act.

The convict said two persons were carrying the bag of charas, who were going ahead of him, but after seeing the police they ran away leaving the bag with him.

But the court held that the prosecution was able to prove its case against the convict and held him guilty for possessing commercial quantity of the contraband.