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Cong to file charge sheet against CM
Charges baseless: Minister
Kapil, Madan to campaign for Cong
Efforts on to get Shanta to campaign
Cong to complain against Dhumal
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Drought-hit farmers not concerned with polls
Bullish tourism amid global slowdown
Duped in the name of placement
State govt concerned about women: CM
Foreign help sought to save 2 Tibetans
SCA forms anti-ragging panel
Building cries for care
Conference on environment ends
FIR in fund bungling case
2 killed as truck rolls down gorge
PTA to take political stand
Weather turns warm
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Cong to file charge sheet against CM
Shimla, April 11 Even though the earlier deadline of April 15 laid down by the opposition party for submitting the charge sheet to the Governor on the occasion of Himachal Day might be extended by three four days but the party is keen that the document becomes the most talked about issue in the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress is likely to submit the charge sheet to the Governor on April 18 or 19. Besides Musafir, the other members of the committee include former minister Asha Kumar, legislators Sudhir Sharma, Mukesh Agnihotri and former minister Raj Kishan Gaur. The members of the charge sheet committee, headed by former Speaker Gangu Ram Musafir gave final shape to the document, which will highlight the rampant corruption, favouritism and misuse of discretionary powers by the ministers. “We are keen that the charge sheet is released closer to the elections when the campaigning is at its height and we are able to get political mileage out of it by pushing the BJP on the backfoot,” admitted a committee member. Interestingly, the charge sheet will contain allegations against the chief minister on the same lines as levelled by Thind in a complaint he has filed before the Lokayukta. Thind was recently arrested by the police in the CD cases where a Parwanoo businessman accused him of alleged extortion and cheating. The Congress charge sheet will try to raise the same questions about the property owned by Dhumal and his family over the years. The charge sheet also makes mention of showing special favours to contactors and awarding them tenders for items for which the bids were not even invited. The document is also likely to prominently highlight the alleged acquiring of land by a minister running into several hundred bighas. The removal of PTA teachers on political considerations is also likely to be one of the highlights of the charge sheet, which is likely to be a voluminous document. The charge sheet will also make mention of the irregularities in grant of power projects despite
government claims that preference would be given to Himachalis. |
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Charges baseless: Minister
Shimla, April 11 In a statement issued here today, Bragta said the reputation of the suspended police officer was known to all. “He is not just facing cases for alleged misuse of his position as MD of Agro Industries Packaging Limited but also in some dubious land transactions in Punjab,” he alleged. “His allegations against the chief minister are nothing but an outburst of political vendetta by which he is trying to tarnish the image of the chief minister,” he said. He added that some leaders were using Thind to target the chief minister while the suspended officer was trying to conceal his own misdeeds to divert he attention of the investigating agencies. He advised Thind to admit the truth and cooperate with the investigating agencies. |
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Kapil, Madan to campaign for Cong
Hamirpur, April 11 Addressing a press conference last evening here he said, “AICC chief Sonia Gandhi, general secretary Rahul Gandhi, AICC general secretary Gulam Nabi Azad, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, former Punjab and J&K Chief Ministers Amarinder Singh and Farooq Abdullah, respectively, former cricketers Madan Lal and Kapil Dev would be campaigning for the Congress in the state.” He said a list of bollywood stars were also being prepared to canvass. Criticising the state government for instituting a vigilance inquiry against him, Thakur said, “though I have been hearing reports about a vigilance inquiry against me but nothing seems to have been done in this regard but I am not scared of any inquiry.” “Since the BJP and the Congress had submitted chargesheets against the governments and the Congress would soon be submitting another charge sheet against the BJP government; vigilance inquiries should be instituted on all these charges.” He said, “the party leadership is considering the return of rebels of the Congress back into the party and their cases are being decided on the basis of merit.” HPCC president also warned certain leaders of the district Congress to work in unison in the district or he would spare no one and take disciplinary action against them. |
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Efforts on to get Shanta to campaign
Shimla, April 11 Shanta Kumar has so far been able to address only a handful of meetings in favour of the BJP candidate Rajan Sushant in Nurpur, Jwali, Guler and Ganggath areas of Kangra district before leaving for abroad. Immediately after his return he has left for Jammu, where he has been given responsibility by the high command. Realising that Shanta’s absence from active campaigning could send negative signals, efforts are being made to ask Shanta to spare time to each constituency. Attempts are now being made to get Shanta and Dhumal to hold joint public meetings so that the workers are enthused and the campaigning gets a momentum. “We are in the process of chalking out the programme of Shanta Kumar so that he is able to spend a minimum of two days each in Mandi, Hamirpur and Shimla besides taking out more time for Kangra in the first phase,” said state party chief Jai Ram Thakur. Thakur said with Shanta Kumar being in charge of some constituencies in Jammu, Uttrakhand and Haryana he would not be in a position to spend as much time as party workers would have wanted him to but he will take out maximum possible time. He added that Shanta and Dhumal would also address joint public meetings. Senior party leaders admit that with Shanta Kumar being away most of the time, a signal is going out that he is deliberately trying to keep himself away from the campaign. “We admit that his organisational responsibilities and political engagements in other parts of the country are keeping him busy but this could cost us dearly,” admitted a minister. Shanta Kumar is considered the voice of Kangra and it is after holding consultations with him that the party fielded Sushant. Sushant was given the ticket to strike caste balance so that at least one Brahmin is fielded and Shanta too hails from the same community. Though party sources said Shanta Kumar would attend the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha rally at Palampur on April 16 but it is still not clear weather he will campaign in Himachal or leave for Uttrakhand. Party leaders feel that Shanta Kumar who was in the race for the post of chief minister will have to campaign for the party candidates as he is not just a good orator but also has a good following despite being confined to the organisational matters. |
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Cong to complain against Dhumal
Shimla, April 11 General secretary and spokesperson of the party Sudhir Sharma said during his election rally in Baijnath, Dhumal bluntly told the people that he would give a nod for the development project only if the BJP got lead from the segment in the election. He said it virtually meant that there would be no development if they did not vote for the ruling party. This was undemocratic and a violation of the code of conduct which barred parties from using coercive methods for securing votes. The Congress had called for the CD recording of the speech made by Dhumal, which would be carefully analysed before lodging a complaint with the Election Commission. He said the utterances of the CM also reflected
his frustration over the lack of response to the campaign of the BJP in the Kangra region. |
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Drought-hit farmers not concerned with polls
Mandi, April 11 The drought-hit farmers are a disillusioned lot over the elections as the political parties remained unconcerned over their plight as far as immediate relief is concerned. The party workers campaigning for their candidates are received with a cold response from the farmers. Though the state government asks for relief from the Centre, there is no immediate relief from the state government to help farmers cope up with the drought loss. According to farmers, agricultural scientists and officials, the dry spell has already destroyed more than 90 per cent of crops in the rain-fed areas and 40-50 per cent crops in irrigated areas in the state. In Mandi alone, loss is estimated to be Rs 96 crore. “Last year, I sold peas worth Rs 40,000 this time it is not more than Rs 10,000. I had bought seed for Rs 15,000,” rued Het Ram, a farmer who was plucking remnant of the peas from his fields at Dhanda Pani village in Karsog block. “We cannot afford to buy seed for next year, as we have no money. Who care for elections as it is mater of survival for us,” rued Banti Devi and Mashi
Devi, who were plucking peas from the dried fields in lower Karsog village. From Dharampur to Bilaspur and from to the fertile Balh valley to Karsog, farmers tell the same tale of destruction. The farmers have either cut down the dried-up wheat crop or have given it as fodder to their domestic animals. “Even in the irrigated fields the production has been cut down to just 40 per cent,” the farmers said. Director Agricultural JC Rana said reports from the fields are awaited and would be sent to the Revenue Department. The total loss would be assessed by the Revenue Department and sent to the Centre for relief, he added. |
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Bullish tourism amid global slowdown
Manali, April 11 Travel agents, hoteliers and managers revealed that the corporate world has cut down their “holiday and holiday convention and conference budgets drastically ranging from 50 per cent to cent per cent”. “Still tourists, including foreigners and film stars, are flowing in the state,” they informed. Nakul Khullar, who is promoting Manali as a prime shooting location, said, “Directors Deepa Mehta and Ketan Mehta are holidaying here scouting for some shooting locations. Vivek Oberoy and Tamil star, Vibha and her unit just went back after shooting here. There is a marginal impact of recession on tourist markets here,” he observed. Baring the absence of the summer corporate holiday conventions, the star hotels in Manali are reporting 80 per cent to the cent per cent occupancy rate for the last few days. “This time we have no corporate conventions. But individual and family tourists from India and abroad is resulting in cent per cent occupancy here,” said GM, Holiday Inn, Piyush Kapur. “We have closed March 31 doing 40 per cent more business. This time occupancy is cent per cent so far and bids well for the coming peak summer months as tourist inflow from southern and western India will pick up,” said Rohit Garg, GM, Country resorts. Chairman, Manali Hoteliers’ Association, Gautamnath Thakur said occupancy in smaller hotels remains 20 to 40 per cent, but it is picking up every day. “Other higher segment hotels it is going up to 80 per cent. The school and college groups are coming here and tourist inflow will pick up as slowdown, it seems, has a marginal impact on tourist markets in the state,” he observed. The state-government-run HPTDC resorts have also reported occupancy ranging from cent percent in Shimla and Manali to 80 per cent in Dalhousie and other destinations. “This may be because of week-long holidays. Slowdown has no much impact on tourist inflow in the state so far,” said Behl, GM, HPTDC. |
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Duped in the name of placement
Solan, April 11 In a recent case Raman Pankaj, who was allured by one such advertisement not only ended up losing Rs 1,82,791 but also wasted eight months waiting for a job in the merchant navy. Pankaj, who hails from Kumarhatti, said it was after reading an advertisement which had appeared in a newspaper in September last year that he faxed his application to a Bhopal-based Indian Institute of Marine Technology. The institute promised to get him a placement in Dubai for which he was required to deposit Rs 25,000 in the institute’s online account. He duly deposited the amount after receiving a call from some Santosh Kumar Singh representing the institute on September 10 and he thereafter received a call informing him that his work had been done. He was then required to deposit Rs 11,400 in the same account in lieu of procuring his air ticket for Dubai at a subsidised rate. This amount was also deposited. Pankaj’s father, RS Pankaj, said they both left for Bhopal where they were shown a letter which stated that he had been placed at Dubai. The letter was, however, not handed over to them on pretext of some formalities. They were further directed to deposit Rs 1 lakh to pay the Dubai-based company where his job had been finalised. They also deposited this sum on September 18 after which they went to Mumbai to board a flight for Dubai. An institute employee also accompanied them to Mumbai but apart from receiving assurances the institute failed to do anything for procuring a job. Pankaj said after spending some more days they came back and then the institute continue to dilly-dally on the issue. Even efforts to call Santosh Singh were frustrated with his cellphone remaining unattended. Finally, he faxed a letter to the institute in November to refund the total amount or face legal action. Even after that Santosh tried to prolong the repayment and adopted tactics like sending photocopies of three cheques, later three original cheques which, however, bounced. Pankaj finally filed an FIR on January 3 at Solan in this case. The police was now inquiring into the case though it was yet to take any step to bring the offender from Bhopal. |
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State govt concerned about women: CM
Nurpur, April 11 Addressing a election rally at Fatehpur in Jawali subdivision in support of BJP candidate for the Kangra parliamentary constituency Rajan Sushant, he said apart from taking pro-women decisions like holiday on Karva Chauth, he also allowed free travel on Bhaiya Dooj and Raksha Bandan. The government had also first time sanctioned a women battalion and ensured posting of three female constables in every police station in the state to check women atrocities. He said the government had also taken an important decision to render 50 per cent reservation in the elections of panchayati raj institutions in the state. “The BJP has also promised to double remuneration of anganwari workers if the BJP is voted to power in the Centre and fulfil the longstanding demand of ex-servicemen of one rank one pension,” he claimed. Criticising Congress leaders in the state for misleading the people about government’s free distribution of CFLs to every domestic user, Dhumal said it was purely state government’s own scheme to save power which was even lauded by Union Energy Minister Susheel Kumar Shinde, who had exhorted other states to follow the hill state. |
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Foreign help sought to save 2 Tibetans
Dharamsala, April 11 The Chinese court in Tibet had pronounced death sentence on two Tibetans who allegedly participated in March 14 uprising last year. Sources said the court had awarded death sentence to Lobsang Gyaltsen on charges of burning down two clothing shops in downtown Lhasa on March 14, 2008. Loyak, another Tibetan, had been sentenced to death for his alleged role in burning of a motorcycle shop that killed the owner, his wife, son and two employees. Two other Tibetans Tenzin Phuntsok and Kangtsuk have been given suspended death sentences. There death sentences have been suspended for two years. Darva Sangpo has been sentenced to life imprisonment. The Tibetan parliament-in-exile called on all just and peace loving individual organisations and governments to help save and ensure due process of law and justice, in the case of Lobsang and Loyak, who may or may not be able to appeal to higher competent courts. They also appealed for saving Tenzin Phuntsok and Khantsug, both of whom have also received suspended death sentences. The Tibetan parliament has alleged that the verdict has been handed down without due process of law by the court. The sentences announced by the Lhasa Municipal Intermediate People’s Court for execution of Lobsang and Loyak remains to be reviewed by the China's Supreme People’s Court, the press release added. The Tibetan organisations here have decided to make the death sentences to two Tibetans in China as rallying points. There movement had been slowing down since the completion of Beijing Olympics last year. However, now the death sentence to two Tibetans has once again provided them a rallying point against China. Meanwhile, the sources said the Dalai Lama’s envoy had called upon China to give new schedule for further bilateral talks pending which they would consider that it was not interested in further talks. The Chinese government had not shown any interest in further talks with the Dalai Lama’s envoys ever since a memorandum for autonomy was submitted to China in eight round of talks last year. The China had rejected the memorandum. |
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SCA forms anti-ragging panel
Kangra, April 11 President of SCA Gulab Saroha said the anti-ragging committee, headed by Neeraj Baliani, comprising six boys and three girl students was formulated. He said the committee would look at the gross-root level that the menace of the ragging should not raise its ugly head any more. He said the SCA also organised an interaction session between the junior students and the local guardians. |
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Building cries for care
Dalhousie, April 11 The building houses the transport and tourism departments for the past about 35 years when three departments of transport, tourism and public relations used to be a single department. After the trifurcation of these departments three decades ago, none of these departments has been assigned any responsibility nor the ownership of these structures had been allotted to any particular department. Thus no department bothers about the renovation of these units. A visit to the building revealed that though the building is in decaying state of affairs and looks untidy, its facade, design and grace are remarkably and superbly majestic. The ground floor of the building is used by the state transport corporation as its store, while the first floor, which is owned by the transport corporation, has been rented to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL). The second floor houses the office of the assistant general manager of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development
Corporation (HPTDC), which is making all possible efforts to maintain their floor. There are demands that such shared structures should be handed over to a single department probably to the HPTDC with a view to keeping these well maintained and commercially viable. Moreover, the building can be utilised as a hotel of the HPTDC after carrying out renovation; feels Sahib Singh, assistant general manager of the HPTDC at Dalhousie. |
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Conference on environment ends
Bilaspur, April 11 Presiding over the concluding session of the conference here today, which was organised under the aegis of the Himalaya Niti Abhiyan Samiti, promient environmentalist Sunder Lal Bahuguna pleaded for an uprootment policy in the state and also maintenance of a society oriented balance between the development and environment so that society is the least sufferer and it gets appreciable relief from this development process instead of being victim
of this so called development. The demands charter included abrogation of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, which was enforced during the pre-Independence days by the British rulers on this country and the stoppage of practise of the forcible acquirement of peoples’ lands for projects. It demanded that no project should be permitted without first permission of the concerned gram sabha and that recent notices under Sections 17/4 given at Renuka dam, Banala tower line and Alsindi cement plant at Sundernagar should be withdrawn and Forest Rights Act, 2006 should be enforced in the state. Some 24 environmentalists and leaders of oustees movements, including Guman Singh, Kul Bhushan Upmanyu, Bishambar Dass, Puran Chand, BS Varma, Vinay Negi, Rahul Saxena , NL Sharma and Shankar Singh Chandel also addressed the conference. However, the BJP virtually “boycotted “ the seminar in which Samiti had invited leaders of all political parties to know their reactions on the demands charter. No representative of the BJP attended this seminar to which samiti state convener Guman Singh reacted strongly by criticising the BJP leadership. Guman Singh said he had repeatedly contacted the BJP district president Daulat Ram Thakur and even local Forest Minister J.P. Nadda and had invited them to be available today so that conference could benefit from their views on the subject. However , district Congress party president Rajesh Dharmani, MLA, left all his prior engagements to attend it. CPI state secretary Desh Raj Sharma , Lakhan Pal Sharma, CPM district Secretary and Krishan Kumar Kaushal, former MLA and now state general secretary of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) were present on the occasion. |
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FIR in fund bungling case
Mandi, April 11 The ACJM examined the documents put on records by the complaints, Ravinder Kumar and Praveen Kumar, both residents of
Kamlah, and ordered the police to lodge the FIR in the case involving eight persons, including three government officials, pradhan and
vice-pradhan and three ward members of the Kamlah Fort Panchayat. The complaints had alleged that the inquiry into the case remained pending and villagers felt cheated as the government officials were hand in glove with the pradhan and
vice-pradhan in funds bungling as they enjoyed political protection. According to the FIR, accused Gram Panchayat Kamlah Fort pradhan Nirmla
Devi, vice-pradhan Roop Chand, ward members: Bidhi Chand, Tara Devi and Salochna
Devi, secretary Hem Raj, Tilak Raj Sharma, presently posted as BDO Dharampur, Dharampur panchayat inspector Sarwan Kumar, all joined hands in their bid to bungle funds meant for the NREGA and other different schemes in different villagers. The FIR showed that they prepared “fake
mustrolls, then put fake signatures against each name on the mustroll in their bid and bungled and grabbed government money running into several
lakhs. The complaints alleged in the FIR that neither the work was complete nor the poor people who figured on the “fake
mustrolls” got the money. District panchayat officer KC Saklani said the inquiry was going on in the matter but the report was not received so far. However, other officials, including pradhan and
vice-pradhan, named in the FIR are tightlipped on the issue. Mandi SP Sonal Agnihotri said the case had been registered and the police was investigating the matter.
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2 killed as truck rolls down gorge
Solan, April 11 The ill-fated truck, which was on its way to Shimla, was loaded with cement bags. A police team, led by SDPO Parwanoo Ramesh Pathania, reached the spot soon after receiving the information. He said a preliminary investigation revealed that a mechanical failure might have caused the accident, as it appeared that the driver failed to negotiate a curve due to some mechanical problem. The driver has been identified as Devinder Kumar Sharma (33) of Nehri village in Una while the cleaner was identified as Naveen Kansari, who belonged to Chowki Baniyaar village of the same district. Their bodies that were trapped inside the truck were retrieved with great difficulty. A case has been registered.
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PTA to take political stand
Shimla, April 11 State president of the association Vivek Mehta today said the PTA bodies would start holding meetings at the block level from April 19 onwards. “The district bodies will hold meetings on April 26 to ascertain the view of the members on the political stand that should be taken,” he said. He informed that the state body would meet at Mandi on May 9 so that a final stand could be taken before the elections.
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Weather turns warm
Shimla, April 11 The state capital experienced a bright sunny day, along with other towns in the hilly state, the Met Department said today. In Sundernagar, the mercury climbed to 10.1°C while it was 10.3°C in Dharamsala and 9.5°C in Mandi, the Met office said. The minimum stood at 20°C in
Nahan.
In the high-altitude areas, the minimum crossed the zero barrier to reach 2.6°C in Kalpa in Kinnaur district. The temperature, however, slipped below freezing at Keylong, district headquarters of Lahual & Spiti, where it was recorded at minus 0.4°C, the office added.
— PTI
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