Shimla, July 28
In the first initiative of its kind in the country, the Centre, the state government and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) will join hands to attract investment in the state in specific areas to accelerate economic growth and ensure balanced development of various regions.

The issue was discussed at a meeting of senior officers from the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) , Government of India, the state government and the representatives of the CII, here today, to discuss the growth roadmap for the state.

It was decided that a tripartite approach would be adopted by involving the captains of industries to identify the areas with potential for growth and gaps in infrastructure and other shortcoming hampering industrial development.

The main areas identified included agro processing, controlled atmosphere stores, cold chains to add value to agriculture and horticulture produce. The Tourism Industry was identified as the engine for boosting economic activities in the interior areas. The strategy will be to built on the natural endowments and strengths of the state.

Secretary DIPP Ajay Shankar led the Central team, which arrived here for a follow up to the meeting between the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industries Anand Sharma and Chief Minister PK Dhumal when the former visited the state after assuming office.

Shankar said the state had some remarkable positives like high literacy rate and deep penetrating telecom networks, which could be used to unfold a wide array of e-enabled services. The broadband services and 3G services could provide fillip to home stay tourism in the state. The infrastructure gaps in identified area would be taken care of in consultation with the state and the industry.

Chief secretary Asha Swaroop said the state had requested the Centre to restore the industrial package up to 2013 and also submitted some specific projects to the Centre.

CII president Anil Sehgal said the industries favoured growth and investments based on merit of the state and not keen on incentives. Sustainable long-term growth could be achieved only if it was based on the strengths and need of the state. The workers in the state, particularly the textile industry, were the most efficient in the country.

Shimla, July 28
“The state is poised to give new dimensions to the use of information technology (IT) to deliver services to every citizen at their doorsteps as all the gram panchayats would have computers by the end of 2009-10.”This was stated by Forest Minister JP Nadda while presiding over the sixth meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee set up for monitoring and reviewing the implementation of the election manifesto, held here today.

“A total of 2,370 panchayats have already been provided computers in the first and second phase while the remaining 873 gram panchayats will be covered during the current financial year,” he stated.

While reviewing the progress of the Excise and Taxation Department it was informed that taxation procedure had been made transparent and practical. “The Toll Policy-2009-10 has also been made flexible and toll tax being realised quarterly and yearly has been reduced by 50 per cent for the people residing near the boundaries of the neighbouring states and are using their private vehicles,” he said.

Reviewing progress of the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department, Nadda said Rs. 322 crore has been utilised under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act during last year and about 2 crore-man days had been generated.

Shimla, July 28
In a minor administrative reshuffle the government today ordered the transfer and postings of 15 IAS and HAS officers.

Rajinder Singh Negi, Specail Secretray (Education) will hold the additional charge of MD (HP Electronics Development Corporation), relieving Subhashish Panda of the charge.

Dinesh Malhotra, ADC, Sirmaur, has been posted as Additional Controller of Stores and Additional Director (Industries). Sharab Chhopal Negi, Special Secretary (Tribal Development), has been posted as ADC, Shimla.

Mohan Chauhan, Special Secretary (PWD), has been given additional charge of Sainik Welfare. Sunil Chaudhary, Special Secretary (Tourism), will hold the charge of Additional Director (Tribal Development).

GK Srivastava, Special Secretary (Power), has been posted as ADC, Sirmaur. Laiq Ram Chauahn, Specail Secretray (Revenue), has been posted in the same capacity in the Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs. Rakesh Kumar Sharma, Additional Director, Industries, has been posted as Special Secretary (Power).

Manohar Lal Sharma, SDM, Jwali, has been posted as AC to DC, Kangra, and Gopal Sharma, ADM (Protocol), Shimla, as Secretary, State Election Commission. Ramesh Chand Thakur, Joint Secretary (Sainik Welfare), has been posted as SDM, Chopal, Ashwini Kumar Sharma, SDM, Chopal, has been posted as Joint Secretary, Information and Public Relation.

Arun Bhardwaj, SDM, Theog, has been posted as AC (Protocol) Parwanoo. OP Thakur, AC to DC Kangra has been posted as SDM, Jwali.

Dharamsala, July 28
The government is dithering to take action over the benami properties owned by the Tibetans in Mcleodganj and other surrounding areas of Kangra district.

The DC till 2005 had declared 74 major properties owned by Tibetans as benami. He had ordered transfer of these properties in the name of the government as per the provisions of Section 118 of Land Tenancy Act.

As per the information, some of the properties of the Tibetans that have been declared as benami include the Institute of Dialectics at Mcleodganj, the Norbulinka and Kirti monasteries. The property was purchased in the name of Dev Raj Negi, Budhibalraj Singh, Satya Dev Negi and other unknown farmers of the state. However, later the Tibetan institute came up on the land.

There were 74 such properties that were purchased in the name of unknown farmers and later Tibetan institutes or establishment came up on them. The respective collectors declared all these properties as benami.

However, on the request from the Tibetan administration here the government in 2006 issued a notification that all benami properties under control of the Tibetans before 2005 should be given on lease to the Dalai Lama society for a period of 50 years. However, in case the Dalai Lama moved out from the state the properties would once again be vested in the state government.

Though the notification was issued in 2006, it was yet to be implemented. However, even after that period the Tibetans have purchased large numbers benami properties in and around Dharamsala. Presently, 34 cases are pending before the DC in which it has been alleged that the Tibetans have bought benami properties.

In the recent past, the income tax authorities had also collected data regarding the benami properties purchased by Tibetans in and around Dharamsala. They are likely to initiate proceedings against the benamiowners of these properties on which the Tibetan institutions have come up.

Kangra Deputy Commissioner RS Gupta admitted that 34 fresh cases of ‘benami’ purchase of properties were pending. Regarding the transfer of old encroachments in name of the Dalai Lama society, he said nothing had been done on 2006 notification as yet.

He said first all the 74 properties that were declared benami before 2005 would have to be transferred in the name of the government. They could be given on lease to the Dalai Lama society only in case they applied for it later.

In case they do not apply for lease eviction proceeding could be started against them, the Deputy Commissioner said.

Manali/Kasol, July 28
A cardboard sign catches attention of visitors to a roadside dhaba in Old Manali. Written in an alien language, it requires much coaxing to ferret the information that the language used is Hebrew. An amused Israeli tourist eventually translated the message on the signboard. “Everything is possible and available here,” it read.

It wasn’t far off the mark, either. Drugs and narcotics of all kinds seem to be available to the visitors willing to pay a price. This correspondent had no difficulty in buying some of the stuff right on the Mall at Manali. For Rs 10 one could buy a ‘cigarette’ and for Rs 1,000, 10 gm of ‘Malana creme’, hash named after the village where the prized substance is allegedly grown. And touts seem to be swarming all over the place.

Herbal cafés have mushroomed in the region. So have private, unregistered guest houses. The hotels too have got into the act and some of them regularly organise ‘mujras’ or get girls from Russia and Kazakhstan to perform for the guests. Waiters at these hotels and teenagers giggle and speak of “full moon” parties, allegedly held in secret hide-outs, and hint at orgies induced by both liquor and drugs.

The police has apprehended foreigners with brown sugar, smack and cocaine and claim they are smuggled in by the well-heeled from Delhi and Mumbai.

Hoteliers grudgingly accept that some tourists, both domestic and foreigners, indulge in wild parties and excesses. But they vehemently deny their own role in promoting drugs. Charas and drugs are brought in from outside by the guests, they hold and declare that it should be for the police to crack down on the trade. For hoteliers to police the guests would be unthinkable, they point out.

Also, the parties are not confined to hotels. In fact they are held more frequently in the open, in orchards and even villages nestling in the hills. Cafeterias have come up in villages like Shenag, Vashisht and Solang and have proved to be a popular draw for the tourists.

Kasol in Parbati valley is another destination which is popular with the backpackers and low-budget tourists. And here one can often find English-speaking ‘gurus’ offering to teach ‘Hatha Yoga’ or simply, ‘Nirvana’. The Tribune team spotted one such Baba at the “Little Italy Restaurant”, where he was assuring a lady that he had the perfect cure for her. He passed on a cigarette and went out to speak on his mobile phone. The lady took a few puffs and appeared to sink into a stupor.

The ‘chillum’ is more popular at Kasol and at the “O Maria Guesthouse and Café”, a group of foreigners smoke hashish quite freely, making no attempt to conceal the ‘chillums’. The café charged Rs 40 for ‘Nimbu paani’ and advertised buffet dinner with Rs 250 as the “entry fee”.

The ugly face of tourism is also visible at the gambling dens which have mushroomed in the region. The nearest police station is 10 km away and in the hills, that is a formidable distance. Not surprisingly, no policeman could be seen at Kasol.

Solan, July 28
The manner in which policemen faring in the officers of doubtful integrity (ODI) list have been posted in the sensitive crime-stricken Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) area, a question mark has been put on the commitment of the police to tackle crime.

The fact that the mere criterion of selection of these 56 policemen was their willingness to be posted in these areas is a worrisome point as quite a few of them figure in the ODI lists.

These lists are prepared on the basis of their past record, cases and inquires going on against them and their general reputation in the department.

Being the state’s prime industrial area, housing thousands of industrial units, the area is considered lucrative and several policemen posted here face inquires after leaving the area.

Notably, even senior officers, including DSPs and SHOs, topped the list where heinous crimes like embezzlement, forgery, cheating, etc., were being inquired into.

Though the department had posted these 56 policemen in a bid to enhance the staff strength and make more men available for patrolling, nakas and other police works, but the yardstick adopted to select them had raised serious questions on the whole exercise.

The area has witnessed a sharp upsurge in crime in the past several months where murders, dacoities, looting and snatching of valuables had become a routine. So high is the rate of occurrence of these crimes that even the mandatory files of each such case can barely be completed, confided an official posted in the area.

There was no thought being given to obliterating the ODIs from this sensitive posting, which required strict policing. This was more so as it had already been observed that majority of the policemen posted there had not only spent years in the area but had developed local interests. The presence of ODIs would further aggravate the situation.

A majority of the policemen hailing from the area had now been posted there and they would now spend time in fulfilling their domestic responsibilities as well.

The IG (law and order) Pardeep Kumar when asked in this regard said this aspect would be looked into but he added that the police was doing a good job. He said the extra force had been posted there to help strengthen the force and curb crimes.

Shimla, July 28
Celebrating its sesquicentennial jubilee, Asia’s oldest public school, Bishop Cotton, has earned yet another distinction as it became the first school to be associated by United Nations in its mission on “Seal the Deal” campaign for Copenhagen Climate Change conference.

The 150th celebrations of Bishop Cotton School (BCS) took off today with old students of the 1956 batch and later, joining the school fraternity to mark the milestone. “BCS is the only school in the world to have been associated by the UN in its mission on climate change to safeguard the planet for future generations by sealing a fair, balanced and effective climate agreement,” said Roy Christopher Robinson, Headmaster of the school. The message from Achim Steiner, UN Under Secretary General and Executive Director of the UN’s Environment Programme for use of the logo “Seal the Deal” and making it part of everyday communication was received only a few days back.

“I want to pass on the message to all the past and present students to put in their best to ensure a green world as environment protection needs to be taken up as a mission,” said G.P.S. Sahi, a former Chief Secretary of Punjab, who passed out from BCS in 1956. Capt Vivek Bhasin of the 1970 batch says the illustrious alumni of the school who have excelled in every field owe whatever they have achieved to BCS which gave them the confidence and strength to venture into the world to make a mark. “It would take two long days for me to travel to Shimla from Kolkata as a five-year-old but the school became like a family as everyone shared a close bond,” he says.

Then there are others like industrialist K.C. Anand of the 1956 batch who fondly remembers even the caning that the students received on erring. “The school taught us such discipline, courtesy and humility that even after receiving the punishment we had to express our gratitude with a ‘thank you’, ” he said in a lighter vein.

The bust of the founder of the school, Bishop George Edward Lynch Cotton who set up the school on July 28, 1859 was unveiled by P.K. Samantaroy, Bishop of Amritsar and Chairman of the Boatrd of Governors of BCS on the school campus.

Kangra, July 28
Kangra valley received the heaviest rain of the season, which began last night and continued till this afternoon. It disrupted normal life.

The vehicles were forced to move with headlights on during the day as it was dark. As much as 35 mm rain was recorded during past 24 hours in the town till 8 am. The rain continued in the valley heavily till afternoon.

Areas like Matour, Gaggal, Kangra, Kholi, Samloti, Jadrangal, Chamunda, Yol, Dhraman, Shahpur, Ranital, Jawalamukhi and Dari too experienced rain. The rain was said to be beneficial for the current paddy crop. The reports of heavy rain was also received from Palampur and Baijnath, where all rivers and tributaries’ were in spate.

Normal life was affected following the rain in the valley.

The worst hit were the pilgrims, who were visiting the Shati peeths of Bajjreshwari, Jawalamukhi and Chamunda Devi here in connection with the Navratras.