Shimla, October 20
IAS officer Subhash Ahluwalia was today sent in14-day judicial remand even as his counsel filed a bail application before the high court that would come up for hearing on October 22.

Ahluwalia could not be produced in the court of the Special Judge (Forests) J.L. Gupta on medical grounds, but he was remanded in judicial custody.

The bureaucrat, after being discharged from the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) yesterday, is now admitted to a private hospital where he will remain in police custody while being in judicial remand.

The counsel of Ahluwalia, facing a disproportionate assets case, filed a bail application in the high court today seeking his release on medical grounds.

The court has issued notice to the police to present the entire record pertaining to the case, including the medical record of the officer.

Earlier, the Special Judge (Forests) rejected the bail application of Ahluwalia, who was arrested on October 8 from Panchkula by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. Ever since his arrest on October 8, Ahluwalia, while being on police remand, remained admitted to the IGMC from where he was discharged yesterday.

His family members insisted that he was not feeling well and required better medical care outside the sate.

He has been treated for high blood pressure, sugar and discomfort in the chest by doctors at the IGMC. He was even treated by doctors of the psychiatry department for mild depression.

Shimla, October 20
Asserting that Vijay Mankotia will not be invited to rejoin the Congress, PCC chief Kaul Singh today said the decision of the BSP leader to announce retirement from active politics was a fait accompli.

Interacting with mediapersons at the Congress Bhawan here, he said his strategy to wean away stalwarts like Karan Singh from the BSP and bring them into the Congress fold had worked. Mankotia had realised that with all prominent leaders keen to join the Congress, the party he was heading had no future in the state.

He said there was no question of making efforts to bring Mankotia into the party fold as he had taken a considered decision to quit politics. He said the party would give a thought to the issue only if Mankotia expressed his willingness to join the Congress and applied for its membership. Even in that eventuality, a decision would be taken by the party high command, he added.

Kaul Singh lambasted Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal for accusing the Congress of ignoring Hamirpur in the matter of development and said the fact was that the district was created during the Congress regime and various educational institutions, including the first engineering college of the state, was established there. It also opened all government offices and other institutions. Apart from the Congress, BJP stalwart Jagdev Chand also contributed significantly for the development of Hamirpur and it was he who brought Dhumal into the state politics from Jalandhar.

CM flays HPCC chief
Tribune News Service

Bagwara (Hamirpur), October 20
Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal today made a scathing attack on the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Kaul Singh for his statement that the BJP does not know how to rule.

Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the science block of the Government Senior Secondary School at Bagwara, Dhumal said, “They are today saying we do not know how to rule, but we do not want to give a government full of corruption like the way they provided.”

Taking a dig at the HPCC president and former IPH minister Kaul Singh Thakur he said, “While Rs 1.65 crore was drawn for the Drabla road in Shimla district, which was built by the IPH Department with the cost of Rs 15 lakh during his tenure, large-scale irregularities were allegedly committed in the implementations of Bamsan and Solan drinking water schemes.”

Shimla, October 20
Treading a cautious path after the initial controversy with regard to award of contract for supplying CFLs, the government is ensuring that there is complete transparency this time and the laid-down norms and procedure are adhered to so as to avoid further criticism.

Chief secretary Asha Swaroop held a meeting with chairman of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) R.K. Jain and other members of the board to discuss the contentious issue on Friday. It has been decided to go ahead with the opening of financial bids for which five companies have qualified after the technical bids were opened earlier.

The five companies that have qualified on the basis of technical bids are: Havels India, Surya, Asian, Phoenix and HCL Sucomac.

At the time of the earlier bids, the HPSEB had equally distributed the supply order to four companies that had quoted the same rate of Rs 429 for supplying CFL lamps of .85 power factor. The fact that four companies quoted the same price for a pack of four bulbs raised doubts about their forming a cartel to get the contract. These companies were: Surya Bulbs, Asian, Havels India and Phoenix.

It is following allegations by two other companies that the government had asked the chief secretary to look into the matter. The two companies had alleged that there had been irregularities in the award of contract and their bids were not considered as proper procedure was not followed.

Since then the chief secretary has been monitoring the issue at every stage so that there is no further embarrassment to the government at any level. 

Dharamsala, October 20
The Pre-World Paragliding Championship ended at Bir-Billing today with Andreas Malecki of Germany emerging as the overall champion. He was given a cash award of Rs 1 lakh by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, who was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony.

In the overall category, Torsten Seigel of Germany finished second, while Miha Razinger of Slovenia stood third.

Dhumal said Bir-Billing would be developed from tourism point of view. There was a plan to set a tourist reception centre and improve public facilities here. An amount of Rs 4.28 crore had been sanctioned for this purpose by the Union Ministry of Tourism under the “Destination Bir-Billing, Jogindernagar” programme.

“The state has tremendous potential for carrying out tourism-related activities like paragliding, trekking, mountaineering, mountain biking, river rafting etc. Bir-Billing has proved its potential for paragliding among other adventure tourism activities. The day is not far when we will organise Paragliding World Cup here. Efforts in that regard will be made,” he said. He congratulated the winners and participants.

Other results: Indian category: Ajay Sharma 1, Debu Chaudhary 2, Adie Kumar 3; women category: Svetlana Piskaseva 1, Elena Dmitrievskaya (Russia) 2, Zdenka Kuntova (Czech Republic) 3; team category: 50-50 team 1, TB and SD team 2, Russian team 3; serial category: Robinson Jullian (Britain) 1, Svetlana Piskareya (Russia) 2, Dmitry Chernyak (Russia) 3.

In all, 82 pilots, including 12 women, participated in the event. Dhumal also honoured the five guest paragliders from Pakistan. The delegation was led by Syeed Sajjad Shah. Other members included Wajahat Malik, A.B.M. Faisal, Farookh Haroon and Farman Ahmed.

Manali, October 20
The flourishing horticulture and tourism industry has brought the much-needed prosperity and revenue among the local people in the upper Kullu valley, but this has adversely affected the age-old agriculture profession of the local population in the entire upper Kullu-Manali region.

Most of the agriculture land has now been converted into horticulture where people grow apples and other fruits, and also locals have now built modern houses and hotels on it. Today is a special day locally known as “Giari”, when farmers in the Manali region harvest paddy and the grain is allowed to lie in the filed and dry for a few days for thrashing.

In the earlier times, people in their traditional dresses singing local songs would work in the fields, which was a very colourful and pleasing sight for the eyes, but now this tradition is slowly coming to an end. Earlier, all villagers depended on agriculture as a means of livelihood and never ever purchased grain from the market, since they were self sufficient in foodgrain.

In the mid eighties with the drift from agriculture to horticulture, many people converted irrigated agriculture land into horticulture and started growing apples and other fruits. Similarly, with the rise of tourists in the valley many built modern houses and hotels to cater to the fast growing tourism industry.

The villagers in the upper Manali region have their agricultural fields miles away from their villages and in earlier times had constructed temporary shelters known as “doghries” or “sharns” where they stayed during the sowing and harvesting time. These shelters now are either no more and the remaining few present a deserted look. A small number of farmers now go to their fields either by bus or taxis to cultivate the fields and harvest. They then come back home by evening.

The current prosperity has certainly changed the life style of people in a few years time, the question now remains will the next generation know about locally grown grain like kodra (Eleusine Corocana), sariara (Amaranth) and kathu (Buck Wheat), maize, barley and different varieties of pulses, which were sown in earlier times.

Dalhousie, October 20
With a view to promoting tourism activities like water sports in and around the Chamera Lake in Chamba district, the state government has drawn a scheme to harness the available immense potential of Chamera Lake in a big way, which would be put into operation shortly.

This was stated by local MLA Renu Chadha while addressing a gathering in the Bhalai area of the district today. She said initially the state government had sanctioned funds to the tune of Rs 50 lakh under the scheme. The scheme envisaged providing licenses for ferryboats and training to local youths for boating enabling them to ship tourists in their boats across the lake, the MLA stated; adding that to build up other tourism infrastructure, a ferry park would also be developed along the reservoir providing high-tech facilities from the tourism point of view so that the site could be rented out to the Bollywood for shooting thereby fetching revenue to the state exchequer.

The MLA said the scheme would pave the way for earning much cash to the local people engaged in the thriving tourism industry.

Shimla, October 20
Having automatic weather stations right up to the tehsil level and acquiring sophisticated equipment will help the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to make weather forecast for 15 days to a month in advance.

Speaking at the workshop on “Users requirements of weather and climate in western Himalayas” here today, director-general of the Indian Meteorological Department Ajit Tyagi said efforts were on to enable weather forecast for 15 days to a month. “We intend to have 550 automatic weather stations all over the country that will bring about greater efficiency in weather forecasting,” he said.

He said the department would set up an aviation observatory at the Jubabr Hatti airport. “Our plans to have a Doppler radar installed in or around Shimla has been delayed for the want of land and the moment we get it, installation will be made in no time,” he said.

He said the department had the required funds for the Doppler radar. Its installation would help in issuing advance warnings about natural catastrophes like earthquake, flash floods and cloudbursts.

Horticulture minister Narender Bragta, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said the state government was in the process of preparing a strategy to have improved weather forecasting as the economy was largely based on agriculture and horticulture. He said the Indian Meteorological Department would also be involved in the planning.

Manmohan Singh, director of the local meteorological centre, also spoke on the occasion.

Mandi, October 20
Activists of the Mandi Medical College Sangharsh Samiti (MMCSS) and the BJP government are on a collision course on the issue of medical college in Mandi as the MMCSS began its relay fast from the ramparts of the Seri Munch here today.

The activists hit out at the state government alleging that the BJP government was anti-Mandi as the CM has not clarified its stand on whether or not the government wants to start the medical college in the government sector in Mandi.

MMCSS convener Sunder Lohia led the anti-government protest before six activists of the samiti sat on the relay fast here today asserting that they would continue to their fight to finish till the government accepts their demand.

The protesters raised anti-government slogans and were led by CPI state president, Des Raj, district Congress president, Puran Thakur, CPM district president, Bhupinder Thakur, BSP leader Rajinder Mohan and other members.

The six members, who sat on the relay fast include Sunder Lohia, Des Raj, president of the citizens’ council, Mandi, (wing commander retd) Y.N. Vaidai, former district president Kundan Thakur, president of the Himachal Gyan-Vigyan Samiti Paras Ram and BSP leader Rajinder Mohan.

Commenting on the issue, health minister Rajiv Bindal claimed that the activists were playing in the wrong hands as the party behind the protest, Congress, never opened the medical college in Mandi and was misleading the people of Mandi. “The government has decided to open the three medical colleges in Mandi, Hamirpur and Una under public-private partnership,” he informed.

Shimla, October 20
With their chain fast entering the sixth day today, PTA appointees, under the banner of the Himachal Pradesh PTA Lecturers and Teachers Association, have decided to gherao the state secretariat.

State president of the association Vivek Mehta said shortly teachers from all over the state would gherao the secretariat as a mark of protest against the shabby treatment being meted out to them. “The government is politically victimising us as we were appointed during the regime of the previous Congress government,” he said.

The state body of the association held a meeting here. Representatives from all over the state said the agitation would continue at the district and tehsil levels. The teachers alleged the state machinery was being misused by the government to suppress their agitation.

“Local legislators, deputy directors and principals are being asked to pressurise and threaten us by one or the other means so as to suppress our agitation, but we will fight against the injustice being meted out to us,” he added.

Shimla, October 20
A three-day national-level seminar on “Exploring non-violence” commenced at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) here today.

Director of the institute Prof Peter Ronald de Souza said the growing tendency of violence made the deliberations of the seminar more relevant. The scholars must wrestle with the idea of the banality of evil which Hannah Arendt introduced in her report on the trial of the Nazi Eichmann in Jerusalem.

In his introductory address, convener of the seminar Gangeya Mukherji said the scholars were meeting in disturbed times when people across the globe had come to feel that honest negotiation and fair agreement was no longer possible. He dwelt on some aspects of the dynamics within some traditions of non-violence and outlined the development of the idea and some contradictions contained therein.

In his paper on “Himsa-Ahimsa debate in early India: Two Mahabharata Episodes”, Prof S.C. Bhattacharya examined some of the stands of “Brahmanical” attitude to Ahimsa.

Prof Gispert-Sauch dwelt on the role of power in social organisation and the human way of exercising power, while Prof Jalalul Haq discussed the place of asceticism in Islam in in his presentation on “Axiology of violence in Islam”.

In his concluding remarks, Syed Shahabuddin reiterated the significance of non-violence. Quoting extensively from the Quran, he pointed out that Islam never advocated war and stood for peace.

Shimla, October 20
The government has sanctioned Rs 49.93 crore for the construction of 37 hostels across the state under the “Chhatrawas Yojna”. Stating this here today, social justice and empowerment minister Sarveen Chaudhary said providing hostel facilities to students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and backward classes would be the priority. She said 18 hostels had already been constructed under the scheme.

In all, 15 hostels were being constructed for SC boys and 17 for SC girls. Two hostels would be constructed for boys from backward classes and three for girls.

The minister said the Centre had started Babu Jagjeevan Ram Scholarship Scheme from January 1, 2008, for SC girl students. A sum of Rs 13.47 crore was proposed to be spent on the construction of eight hostels during the current financial year. There were proposals for constructing a hostel for 100 girls at Mashobra, 91 girls at Palampur, 91 boys at Nauni University and 60 girls at HPU.

Shimla, October 20
Having brought all 12.5 lakh households in the banking fold, Himachal Pradesh was poised to become the first state in the country to achieve total credit inclusion.

Speaking at seminar on “Total financial incursion” here today, regional director of the RBI J. Sadakkadulla said the objective was to make a basket of financial services, including easy credit and insurance cover, going beyond just opening of bank accounts. Despite difficult topography and sparse population, the hill state had been the first to bring every household in the banking fold by opening no-frills accounts. If all went as planned, it would achieve the target of total credit inclusion by March, 2009, he added.

Principal secretary, finance, Arvind Mehta said the full advantage of total financial inclusion could be derived only by improving financial literacy so that rural people became used to banking services.

Secretary, rural development, S. Baldi said his department had already started making payments under the Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme through cheques.

Chief general manager, NABARD, Raghu Raman said 2.85 lakh families were yet to be covered for achieving total credit inclusion. In the last quarter, 2.15 lakh new accounts were opened. Over 3.3 lakh kisan credit cards had also been issued, he said. 

Solan, October 20
Production work remained suspended for the fourth consecutive day today at GMP Technical Solutions located at Mandhala village following an indefinite strike by the workers, who were protesting against the expulsion of their colleagues.

The workers organised a rally, staged in a dharna and raised shouting slogans against the unit management. They were demanding revocation of the expulsion of 11 of their colleagues who had been terminated on various grounds by the management.

They said they wanted abolition of the contract system in the factory. Benefits like PF, ESI were not being given to them despite several assurances by the unit management, they alleged.

Dharamsala, October 20
Sandhya Devi, wife of Kalidas, a resident of Bhagsunag village, is facing threat to life after being bitten allegedly by a rabid dog.

She was bitten on the face by a rabid dog on September 30. She was not given serum due to its non-availability at the government hospitals and chemist shops in the region. She was just given an ordinary vaccination, which were already proved ineffective in three another rabid dog neck bite cases in Sidhbari village.

Arvind Sharma from the Himalayan Nature Society, an NGO, which have been demanding implementation of birth control program for stray dogs in the state, while talking to The Tribune said that serum injections were just available at Chandigarh. Non-availability with the government health authorities and high cost of injections is keeping poor patients, who were bitten by stray dogs, away from proper medication.

The cost of serum injection is about Rs 4,500. Its dosage has to be administered according to weight of the patient. In certain adult patients three injections have to be given and cost of treatment goes up to Rs 15,000 that is a considerable amount for poor patients.

However, in case of bite by rabid dog, especially in above the neck area, serum injection that contains active antibodies is the only possible treatment, Sharma said.

He said Kangra DC K.K. Pant gave Rs 2 lakh to the Dharamsala Municipal Council for the construction of operation theatre for animal control programme among stray dogs. The amount had been lying with the council since June, but no step had been taken to start the construction. Castration or vaccination of stray dogs, that have become menace in Dharamsala and its surrounding area, is the only viable solution to the problem, he said.

Kangra CMO Dr Anil Mahajan said the serum was available just at the Tanda medical college. However, in case of bite by rabid dog in above the neck area, serum has to be given within 24 hours. In the case of three patients, who died in Sidhbari, it was found that they initially took medicines from quacks and only after that they approached the district health authorities.

Due to delay in reaching the Tanda medical college in time the patients failed to respond to medication, he said.

Shimla, October 20
Well-known parliamentarian and former ambassador Syed Shahabuddin is in favour of a judicial inquiry into the Jamia Nagar encounter in New Delhi to uncover the truth.

“There were several unanswered questions regarding the encounter and the accused. One of the persons killed in the encounter had come to Delhi from Ajamgarh only three months ago. How he could become a dreaded militant in such a small period was a mystery. Moreover, his antecedents did not indicate a shady background,” he said.

Further, there were conflicting versions of the encounter, particularly about the killing of inspector M.C. Sharma. It was being alleged that he became a victim of a conspiracy that warranted a thorough probe, said Shahabuddin. He was in Shimla in connection with a seminar.

Referring to the incidents in Orissa and Karnataka, he said saints, sadhus, mahants and other religious heads should speak out and condemn the violence against Christians.

Disapproving of blasts and violent activities being indulged in by various groups across the country, he said whosoever killed innocent people committed a crime and a sin. He said there was no place for violence in Islam. It preached the philosophy of compassion and forgiveness and even beyond it. In essence, it could be defined as a religion of non-violence. Violence was permitted in exceptional circumstances and that too in self-defence, subject to certain conditions, after all other efforts failed. Those indulging in wanton killing of innocent persons in the name of religion were not its true followers.