Kandrori (Dharamsala), February 21
Union Minister of Chemicals, Fertilisers and Steels Ram Vilas Paswan today laid foundation stone of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) plant at Kandrori industrial area of Kangra district today. He was also accompanied by the Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. Paswan, while addressing the meeting said that 40,000 tones 6 and 8mm wire rods would be manufactured at the Kandrori plant. A steel unit would also be established in the Nahan area in the near future.

He also urged the CM to extend required assistance to achieve the objective. Kandrori steel processing plant that would be brought up at a cost of Rs 105 crore is likely to generate direct and indirect avenues of employment for locals. Steel consumption in the rural areas was almost negligible. However, it is expected to increase in coming few years.

Himachal presently has 35 dealers of SAIL. The union minister also said that health insurance had been started under the Jan Aushadhi programme. Every BPL family would get health insurance cover without any premium payment under the scheme. Addressing the gathering at the ceremony Dhumal urged the Union Minister for providing steel to local consumers at concessional rates to help people construct their houses in hilly architecture.

He assured all help, including free accommodation, to the union government for opening Aushadhi centres in every district of the state to make life saving drugs available to the people of the State.

Dhumal also said that one private university was also being established in the Gangath assembly segment to give momentum to developmental activities in the area.

The state government had extended best cooperation to the SAIL authorities in establishment of a steel processing unit in the state.

Chander Kumar, MP, Kangra said that steel had emerged as the essential ingredient to maintain pace of development. The union government has earmarked Rs 40,000 crore to be spent under the Bharat Nirman programme.

B.S.Meena, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Government of India, said that Kandrori was ninth unit of SAIL being set up in different states of the country.

Mandi, February 21
After the exposure of a house rent racket worth Rs 1.3 crore, the Right to Information (RTI) Act has exposed yet another “non-payment of shop rent and market fee racket”, exposing the alleged nexus among councillors and shopkeepers. The Mandi Municipal Council (MMC) has yet to recover an amount of over Rs 1 crore as rent from over 450 shops and restaurant owners in the town as on December 31, 2008.

RTI information from the MMC sought by the RTI Bureau, Mandi unit, by Samir Kashyap revealed that 234 shopkeepers in the Sunkan Garden market have yet to pay an amount of Rs 65 lakh as rent to the MMC due from years together.

“The defaulters, who have not paid rent amounting to lakhs of rupees, enjoy political patronage and nexus of the respective councillors who have been wining just because they ask for votes in lieu of non-payment of the rent,” alleged RTI activists--- Lawan Thakur and Samir Kashyap.

At the Gandhi Chowk, Seri market, 52 shopkeepers did not care to pay the pending rent of Rs 5 lakh over the years. Similarly, 60 booth owners in the vegetable market have to pay rent of Rs 3 lakh. Even the IPH and the SBI, Mandi branch, are defaulters and have to pay their rent, revealed the RTI information.

The information also revealed that 23 shop owners in the vegetable market have to pay licence fee of Rs 8.8 lakh to the MMC. Sixty-two stall owners also have to pay their rent to the MMC.

The RTI activists demanded a high-level probe into the matter and said the councillors and MMC owe explanation to residents of Mandi.

Shimla, February 21
With permission from the union Home ministry being mandatory, the enactment of the new Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act 2009 to replace the existing Act of 1977 will have to wait till central approval is obtained.

Under the new Act, panchayats and municipal bodies were to be given powers to regulate construction activity within their area, but with the HP TCP Act, 1977 being on the concurrent list, approval from the union home ministry before bringing in the new act becomes obligatory. “Moreover since the municipal bodies and panchayati raj bodies are to be involved, approval from the Centre becomes must as even in the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendment they have been given regulatory powers with regard to development,” said sources.

Now the matter would be delayed, as the new Act would be placed before the cabinet for approval and subsequently in the assembly only after the permission from the union Home ministry is obtained. “It was the Law department which after examining all the aspects realised that permission from the home ministry will have to be taken,” informed a senior officer.

With the matter regarding the enactment of the new TCP Act, aimed at bringing the entire state under its ambit, being discussed at the highest level it was being expected that it would be presented in the assembly during the ongoing winter session.

Now it is only an amendment in Section 30-A of the HP TCP Act, 1977 which is likely to be undertaken so that construction of farmhouses and residential areas outside the municipal areas can be regulated. At present only two storeys and 200 sq mt built up area is allowed which will be enhanced to construction of three storeys, said officials.

The new Act would have replaced the existing Town and Country Planning Act, 1977 to check haphazard growth of the urban corridors along the national and state highways which is leading to ribbon development and would hamper further expansion and growth plans.

The entire state, including all rural areas, will be brought under the ambit of the new Act, the involvement of the PRIs and local bodies was considered a must.

It is only for commercial ventures in rural areas that permission will have to be sought from the authorities. The state at present has 20 Planning Areas and 34 Special Areas where all construction activity is regulated under the TCP Act.

Palampur, February 21
The BJP will win all four seats in the coming Lok Sabha elections. The party is prepared for it and has finalised names of all its four candidates. This was stated by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal while talking to mediapersons at Baijnath today after laying the foundation stone of the district-level Panchayat Training Centre.

Criticising the Congress, he said it had failed to play an effective role of opposition in and outside the Assembly. Instead of cooperating with the state government on the issues of development, it was creating hurdles.

He said in the past one year, the BJP government had taken various major development projects, which included widening of roads and augmentation of drinking water supply schemes.

Dhumal said the BJP government had also succeeded in getting IIT, Central University and AIIMS-standard hospital and medical college in the past one year. The state would get over Rs 10,000 crore for these projects from the Union government in coming years.

Mandi, February 21
Former Telecom Minister and former Mandi MP Sukh Ram today almost bid farewell to elections and asserted that he would make an appeal against his conviction in the disproportionate asset (DA) case announced yesterday by a special CBI court in New Delhi, even as the state Congress and the BJP reacted on the news defensively.

Commenting on the verdict, Sukh Ram said on phone from New Delhi that he would make an appeal in the high court taking the plea that it was the “party fund and he was a victim of political conspiracy”. He, however, did not name any one as his conspirators in the Congress party.

He charged that some ambitious Congressmen hatched a political conspiracy against him after they became jealous of the “telecom revolution” he brought about in Himachal and in the country. They have succeeded, he added.

He said, “There is no question of contesting any election now. I have refused it earlier and conveyed it to the party as well,” he added.

State Congress president Kaul Singh Thakur said the verdict was unfortunate, but it would not impact on the outcome of the coming Lok Sabha elections. “The BJP has no moral ground as it was due to the then Sukh Ram’s Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) Party that the then Chief Minister PK Dhumal had formed the BJP government in 1998,” he added.

On the other hand, BJP state president Jai Ram Thakur said the BJP had always made corruption an issue as proved by the court verdict. “Sukh Ram has always stated in the media that he was a victim of conspiracy hatched by some Congressmen. It is time that he should bare them before the public,” he added.

On the BJP-HVC government, the BJP chief said it was a different political compulsion at that time.

Dharamsala, February 21
The Tibetan parliament-in-exile (Kashag) has deplored the alleged use of force in Tibet by the Chinese authorities.

A spokesperson for the Tibetan parliament-in-exile in a statement issued here said on January 29 the Kashag issued an appeal to Tibetans in Tibet not to engage in protests and avoid any activity that would bring unnecessary imprisonment, detention and harm.

Since then, the situation in Tibet has deteriorated by the fact that the Chinese authorities have deployed additional troops across the Tibetan plateau. The deployment of additional troops is significant and conspicuous in the Tibetan capital city Lhasa, Labrang Tashikhyil , Rebgong, Lithang in Kham and in other parts of Tibet.

The Chinese authorities recent remarks that they “will wage a people’s war” to crush any potential protest was especially inflammatory and was an incitement for ethnic tension. The authorities’ refusal to permit tourists to visit Tibet was a clear indication that the situation in Tibet was not stable, despite their claims to the contrary, the spokesperson said. The Kashag strongly deplores the recent arbitrary arrest, detention and torture taken place in Dege, Zogang, Lithang, Nagchuka and other places for slightest peaceful expression of their aspirations or resentments.

The Kashag supports the right of every Tibetan in Tibet and elsewhere to not to celebrate the Tibetan New Year as a mark of respect for those Tibetans who sacrificed their lives in the 2008 protests to highlight the deplorable human rights situation in Tibet.

The Kashag especially regrets the re-launching of the strike hard campaign, patriotic re-education and forcing Tibetans to celebrate the Tibetan New Year.

The Kashag is convinced that this show of military force by the PRC authorities and the accompanying strike hard campaign are acts of provocation. In view of this, the Kashag once again ask the PRC authorities to call off the strike hard campaign and withdraw the undeclared martial law imposed to suppress the Tibetans.

In view of the grave and urgent situation in Tibet, the Kashag call upon parliaments, governments, human rights organisations, Tibet Support Groups and the individuals concerned around the world to actively intervene and persuade the PRC authorities to exercise restraint.

Hamirpur, February 21
The Wildlife Department is all set to start a sterilisation campaign for monkeys here from March to control their increasing number. The department has established a sterilisation centre at Shashtar near Hamirpur at a cost of about Rs 1 crore.

The initiative will give a relief to farmers and residents. The monkeys’ menace has become a big issue here as they have been causing huge losses to crops and harm to human beings.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal had assured the people of finding a solution in this regard.

According to estimates of the Forest Department, as many as 13,000 monkeys are present in the district and causing perennial losses to crops. Some of the affected farmers had formed an organisation ‘Kheti bachao sangharsh samiti” and raised the demand of allowing their killing, which animal lovers had been opposing.

DFO, wildlife, SK Guleria said, “ Sterilisation centre near Hamirpur is almost complete where an operation theatre, cages to house monkeys are being set up and the department has also appointed veterinary doctors to carry out the process.”

Veterinary officer of the department Dr Pradeep Sharma said after the process, a tag would be put on them for future identification.

Hamirpur, February 21
Though a team of doctors from Shimla had administered anti-rabies injections to many villagers during the past few days, the death of a person from hydrophobia in Lanjyan village on Friday has created a panic among them.

Gian Chand (55) had died on February 19 on his way to Hamirpur hospital after afflicted with a dog bite.

According to information, Gian Chand and one other villager was bitten by a mad dog sometime back in his village. Though the person accompanying him had taken a treatment for rabies, however, Gian Chand ignored it and went to Andhra Pradesh, driving a truck.

Then he reported symptoms of hydrophobia, as he got scary while watching water and referred to the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, where doctors confirmed that he was suffering from hydrophobia.

On reaching his village his condition started to deteriorate and he died on his way to the hospital.

When the villagers came to know that Gian Chand was detected positive with rabies, a panic started gripping them and they drew the attention of local MLA Baldev Sharma and the Health Minister about this since many of them had come in contact with the deceased.

The Health Minister had immediately dispatched a team of doctors to the area who gave anti-rabies treatment to many villagers.

Hamirpur CMO DS Chandel said, “After getting this information a team of doctors from the Health Department was sent to the area and anti-rabies injections were given to 46 persons, including his family members.”

He said, “The Health Department is maintaining a vigil and more people would be given treatment if the need arises.”

Manali, February 21
Two persons were killed and two others were injured when the i10 (DL-4C-4463) in which they were travelling fell into a deep gorge near Kothi, on the Manali-Rohtang road, near here today.

The vehicle was on its way from Kothi to Manali carrying four tourists from Delhi. The two injured tourists Boby and Amit, residents of Nagloi, Delhi, were admitted to Lady Willingdon Hospital, Manali. The deceased have been identified as Kuldeep and Hari Om. Their bodies could not be retrieved as the vehicle rolled deep into the gorge.