Dharamsala, May 10
Minister for Transport and Urban Development Kishan Kapoor launched a counter-charge sheet against the Congress today.

The Congress had, in its charge sheet, accused Kishan Kapoor of allotting a plot to himself under discretionary quota in his native village, Khaniara, near Dharamsala.

Talking to The Tribune, Kapoor claimed he was not the only beneficiary under the discretionary quota. He said the provision was started by the Congress government.

During his stint as the Chief Minister and the chairman of Urban Development
Authority, Virbhadra Singh allotted two plots in the names of his daughters under
the discretionary quota.

Other beneficiaries who got plots under the discretionary quota during the Congress rule included Vimla Mahajan (mother of former Congress MLA Harsh Mahajan), Ram Lal Thakur and Singhi Ram (former Congress ministers) and relatives of Congress minister Rangila Ram Rao.

Gulam Mohamad Bani or Gulam Mohamad Azaf, former Congress Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, was also allotted plot under the discretionary quota. All said beneficiaries were allotted plots in prime areas of Shimla under the discretionary quota during the Congress rule.

The plots were given at price ranging from just Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, which was much below the market rates.

About the allegation against him, Kapoor said he was allotted a plot under the discretionary quota at Khaniara where there are very few takers of the property.

He said, “I tried to get the plot at Rs 8 lakh per kanal, which was much more than the market price in the area. However, even after that when some people objected to it, I withdrew my application.”

He said the Congress had made a defamatory allegation against him for which he would file a case against it.

He launched a scathing attack against HPCC president Kaul Singh in connection with the alleged grease scam.

During his stint as the IPH minister, grease was purchased at prices ranging from Rs 900 to Rs 9,990 per kg although the prices of ordinary grease had not gone beyond from Rs 100 per kg over the years.

Simple cotton was purchased at Rs 300 per kg, although sterilised cotton was available at Rs 30 per kg.

Corruption committed during Congress rule was unparalleled in the country and the party had no moral right to level such charges against BJP ministers, Kapoor said.

Shimla, May 10
Doctors are being posted in an “arbitrary” manner without keeping in view requirement as a result of which health institutions in rural areas are being starved of their services.

The problem has been compounded due to the fact that the Health Department has 229 medical specialists but no separate cadre and they were treated on a par with MBBS doctors.

This has been revealed in an information provided by the director of the health services to Dev Ashish Bhattacharya, an RTI activist, who had sought details regarding the total number of posts of doctors and medical specialists and number of vacancies in rural and urban areas of the state under the Right to Information Act.

As per the information supplied, there is no separate cadre of medical specialists in the state and as such no break of their postings has been provided.

However, the information supplied by chief medical officers not only gives details of sanctioned posts of medical specialists but also the actual deployment.

For instance in Shimla district, the sanctioned posts in various institutions add up to 23, of which 11 were vacant. All posts were in civil hospitals located in urban areas.

It is evident that doctors were being posted to suit their convenience and not the need of the people.

There are in all total 1,375 sanctioned posts of medical officers, of which 278 were vacant. As many as 203 posts were also vacant in rural areas.

Further, there is no vacant posts in Una district and only two vacancies in Solan, the two border districts of the state.

It is clear that those having interests in the neighbouring states are being obliged with convenient postings at the cost of the suffering people in the interior areas, who need their services more.

Moreover, these border districts could do with a few doctors in position as the PGI, Chandigarh, and other private and government medical institutions were easily accessible and could be reached within one to two hours, points out Bhattacharya.

The maximum numbers of 59 posts out of the total 214 (over 27 per cent) were vacant in the rural areas of Shimla district, followed by 47 (35 in rural areas) out of 184 sanctioned posts in Mandi district.

The state boasts of two government medical colleges and over 1,300 strong cadres of medical officers, including specialists, but it does not have a retina surgeon.

There were disparities in the information supplied as per which 1,307 doctors were in position of which 72 were recruited on contract basis.

Whereas in response to another query in the same RTI application, it has been stated that out of the 1,375 sanctioned posts, 278 were vacant, which means that only 1,097 doctors were in position.

Shimla, May 10
Union Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma lambasted the BJP for pursuing a communal agenda and said the party had been left with no alternative as the NDA failed to deliver during its six-year-rule.

Addressing a series of meetings today at Theog, Sunni and other in the Shimla constituency in favour of party candidate Dhani Ram Shandil, he said the NDA did not take concrete steps to solve their problems.

He alleged that a large number of farmers committed suicide but the Vajpayee government remained a silent spectator.

He claimed that it was only the Manmohan Singh government that provided relief to debt-ridden farmers by coming out with a Rs 72,000 crore agriculture loan waiver scheme. The NDA regime failed to handle the menace of terrorism, he added.

He said terming Manmohan Singh as a “weak” Prime Minister was not relevant, as he was a man of conviction and could go to the extent of sacrificing the government if he felt that a particular decision or policy was in the interest of the country.

“The BJP played the communal card to divide the people for political gains and made no constructive contribution in making the country progressive,” he said.

Referring to the Dhumal government, he said it had nothing to show in the name of performance and only trying to take credit for the achievements, projects and schemes of the UPA government.

Mandi, May 10
The ruling BJP and the Congress have activated their respective wings to woo over 12 lakh ex-servicemen and serving soldiers.

Supporters of these parties are bargaining hard for “fauji and ex-fauji” votes in the state as the polling date is drawing near.

Even as the “fauji cells” of these parties are roping in ex-soldiers to woo the “fauji vote banks”, these voters have kept their cards close to their chest.

Trying to keep aloft the BJP lotus are Lieut-General HS Kunwar (retd) from Amb and MC Parmar, a retired IG from the NSG, and their associates.

They are highlighting the BJP agenda for serving soldiers and ex-servicemen like “one rank, one pension”.

On the other hand, pleading the Congress cause are Col Biddi Chand Lagwal (retd), who unsuccessfully contested the 2008 Assembly elections against PK Dhumal from Bamsan, Col Thakur Singh, a Rashtriya Raksha Dal (RRD) candidate who withdrew his nomination in favour of Virbhadra Singh from Mandi this time, and Col PS Mandiyal from Mandi, who has been canvassing for the Congress for the past two weeks.

Gen Kunwar went overboard at a press conference today and said, “The BJP has done to ex-servicemen in the few years of its rule what the Congress has not been able to do in 50 years or so. Congress believes in “shadow boxing” while dealing with terrorism and Naxalism, but the BJP has a strong leadership to tackle such issues.”

However, he was on the defensive when asked to comment on the Congress charge that terrorists attacked Parliament and Akshardham temple during the BJP-led NDA regime. Dreaded terrorists were also released under the same regime. “There were some compulsions at that time,” he said.

Taking Gen Kunwar head on, chairman of the ex-servicemen Congress cell Col BS Lagwal said Kunwar was trying to mislead ex-servicemen.

“A three-member team of the Navy, the Army and the Air Force has been constituted to consider “one rank, one pension” and other issues relating to soldiers. The Congress has contained terrorism and Naxalism. As dreaded terrorists were released during the BJP-led NDA regime, the BJP has no moral right to talk on the issue,” he asserted.

RRD’s Thakur Singh claimed that he withdrew his nomination in favour of Virbhadra Singh because he was sure the UPA would form the next government at the Centre.

Moreover, the Congress had come out with a concrete step of constituting a team on the issue of “one rank, one pension” and other issues pertaining to soldiers.

“The NDA will not form the next government at the Centre and there is no point in supporting it,” he claimed.

Mandi, May 10
They are familiar but “new political kids on the block” hogging the limelight in the campaigning arena as they are offspring of the state’s topnotch politicians.

Son of Chief Minister PK Dhumal and sitting MP Anurag Thakur needs no introduction after he won his first Hamirpur byelection by a record margin of 1.7 lakh votes.

But hogging the limelight this time is not Anurag, they are the kids of state’s stalwarts Virbhadra Singh and vice-president of the national BJP Shanta Kumar, including Mandi BJP candidate Maheshwar Singh.

These new “political kids” have thrown their hats into political wings in the state,
canvassing for their parties or fathers, who are locked in a royal battle in Mandi,
more particularly.

Meet youngest upbeat Vikramaditya Singh (20), a shooting champion, who represented national in Kerala in 2009.

He has been campaigning for his father Virbhadra Singh in his hometown of Rampur and Ani assembly segments striking a personal chord with rural youth.

He is not accompanied by his father or mother MP Pratibha Singh, but young supporters, like former NSUI president Atal Sharma and others, urging voters to vote for the Congress as it has contributed a lot in development of the state.

A BA-I (honours) student at Delhi University, Vikramaditya took up his exams and came here to join the campaign fray. He said he was enjoying canvassing and would take to social service in future.

“Politics is in my blood. My first priority is to complete my studies and pursue my law degree abroad to gain experience before I make a plunge into politics,” he asserted.

Vikram Sharma, son of Shanta Kumar, said he had been campaigning in his hometown of Palampur for Rajan Sushant now and during earlier elections for his father and other BJP candidates.

“I am an active BJP worker and politics is in my blood. At present I am a full-time businessman,” he added, not ruling out making a plunge into politics in near future.

Danvinder Singh (38), son of the Mandi BJP candidate, is a cricketer and vice-president of the state cricket association headed by Anurag Thakur. “We have been campaigning in the Kullu, Ani, and Rampur areas,” he said.

He added that there was no harm if siblings of politicians enter politics as sons of IAS, doctors pursue their professions then why not we.

“As of now my father is in politics and if people and the party wants me I will not hesitate,” he asserted.

Mandi, May 10
Overloading in non-passenger private vehicles, which killed two schoolchildren yesterday and injured 11 others, near Chehad, continue to be a major killer hazard on roads in Mandi under the “nose” of the police and the state transport authorities.

The two schoolchildren- Yash (4), son of Hoshiar Singh (Kamand) and Nitin (7), son of Roshan Lal of Tarbandu village, killed in a mishap yesterday.

The incident took place when the private temp trax (HP 33 A 8809) that belongs to a private operator, was carrying 22 passengers, including 13 children and 7 teachers and the driver of the vehicle lost control of the vehicle and rolled down, near Chehad, on the Paddar road.

The condition of the four injured- Usha, Mohit, Shila and Jagdish- admitted to the zonal hospital is reported to be serious.

The police blamed the RTO for not checking overloading in private non-passengers vehicles being used illegally for local transport.

According to eyewitness, the vehicle was overloaded. SP, Mandi, Sonal Agnihotri said a case under Section 279/337 of the IPC had been registered against the driver and the owner of the vehicle and the police was investigating into the case.

Bilaspur, May 10
Former Chief Minister and Congress party leader Virbhadra Singh said the party could not trust police machinery for conducting an impartial inquiry into the memorandum of charges against the BJP government during its 14 months in the state.

If the government was serious to bring truth of all these charges, which were submitted by the Congress to the Governor yesterday, the charge sheet should be handed over to the CBI for the probe so that all facts were brought to light.

Addressing an election meeting here today, Virbhadra alleged that the present police set up was such that it could not be trusted for any probe against those who were in the ruling party as the police was dancing to tunes of the ruling party politicians.

The former Chief Minister said BJP leaders were indulging in character assassination of its opponents. “Nothing can prevent the Congress to win all four seats this time,” he claimed.

Virbhadra claimed he had got the survey of the Bhanuppali to Bilaspur rail line done and his state government had signed a written agreement with the Central government for the implementation of the project.

He said this agreement was signed in August 2008, earlier than the BJP came to power in the state. “How the BJP is claiming any credit for the project?” he asked.

He said his government took several steps for solving problems of lakhs of Bhakra Dam ousts and his government constructed the Ali Khud Bridge, started the construction of the Bagphal Bridge and even laid the foundation stone of the Rs 52 crore HP’s biggest bridge at Berry Darollan.

He declared that the Congress party was committed for the construction of the bridge and would construct it as soon as it came to power in the state.

Palampur, May 10
Residents of Palampur and its adjoining panchayat areas are reeling under an acute shortage of LPG cylinders as the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has suspended the supply of the LPG to local dealers for the past 10 days.

Though the IOC had made alternative arrangements to supply the LPG to Palampur by other agencies, it failed to meet requirements of the people.

LPG consumers in Ghuggar, Bindravan, Airma, Bundla, Choki Khalet, Sughar and
Lohna keep on waiting for LPG vehicles for hours but feel disappointed when they
do not turn up.

In the absence of home delivery, consumers have to collect their cylinders from the roadside and there is also no one to replace the leaked cylinders.

An officer of the IOC, when contacted, said there was no shortage of the LPG. He said dealers to whom the supply of the LPG to Palampur was given had failed to supply the LPG, as they also had to meet requirements of their own agencies.

Senior member of the Palampur Welfare Forum KB Rahalan in a press statement
said the IOC should take necessary steps to streamline the supply of the LPG to
Palampur town.

Shimla, May 10
The National Social Watch Coalition (NSWC) has called for scrapping the local area fund scheme for MPs and MLAs and underlined the need for making the elected representatives accountable to the people.

Convener of the campaign for social and economic equality in Himalayas Sukh Dev said today that the MPs and MLAs should focus on discharging their constitutional responsibilities of making policies and enacting the required laws.

The development activities should be planned and executed by involving the local people. The schemes allowed elected members to spend fund on their whims and fancies, ignoring the concerns of the local people.

He said the monitoring being carried out under the banner of the NSWC had revealed that more than half of the time of Parliament was wasted on walkouts and most of the members did not make any worthwhile contribution. There was a need to make the member accountable, he added.

He said the NSWC would start monitoring schemes like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to pinpoint lacunae and shortcomings in their implementation.

Shimla, May 10
Politicians campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections seem unconcerned about environmental degradation in the hills of the state, but their voters are so worried about shrinking water channels, declining flora and fauna or increasing air and water pollution that they are asking the candidates some tough questions on green issues.

To highlight their concerns about robbing of the greenery in the name of development and power generation, tribals of Kinnaur district, under the banner of the Him Lok Jagriti Manch (HLJM), have come out with a 28-page 'green' manifesto, posing questions to the LS candidates.

Ranjit Singh Negi, a retired IAS officer, who is heading the HLJM, said: "It's time to sensitise our leaders about the importance of natural resources and the dependence of the tribals on them."

The manifesto also pointed out that the government has been lax in implementing the Forest Rights Act of 2006 in the tribal areas and it has failed to settle any claim from Kinnaur in this regard.

"Most tributaries have been allotted for micro-hydro projects, resulting in clashes between villagers and companies over water rights," Negi said.

Environmental activist Kulbhushan Upmanyu, who is heading the Himalaya Niti Abhiyaan (HNA), said: "We won't allow any government to plunder our natural resources in the name of development."

The HNA, a conglomerate of more than 20 action committees, has launched protests against the mega projects coming up across the state.

"What is the most painful is the fact that while the common man has been denied timber distribution rights, hydropower majors like Jaypee Karacham Hydropower are being given rights to axe thousands of trees in the name of setting up projects," Upmanyu said. Jaypee is setting up a 1,000-MW project in Kinnaur.

Upmanyu said at least six cement projects and 12-15 major hydropower projects were in the pipeline in the state.

"Both the BJP and the Congress are equally responsible for the robbing of greenery of the hills," said Upmanyu.

State Forest Minister JP Nadda admitted that a forest cover of 78 sq km is estimated to have been gobbled up in the state because of development activities, primarily hydropower projects.

"We (the government) are serious on green issues as hills are warming up faster than any other part of the world. The state would soon have its environmental master plan to tackle critical areas of environmental degradation," Nadda said. — IANS