The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Himachal Pradesh Edition

Cong leaders infected by credit bug: CM
Jai Kumar

Bilaspur, September 19
Chief Minister Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal today flayed Congress leaders who, he said, were infected by “claim-credit bug” for anything which was the achievement of his present government.

Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the Rs 85 crore Herbal India Phytochem Industries at the industrial area at Gwalthai, about 95 km from here, the Chief Minister was reacting to the claim of the Congress that the seven prizes which the HP government got at Delhi recently after a prestige magazine survey, were actually the achievements of the former Congress government.

He said if it was so, why did they not get these prizes when they were in power earlier as the magazine had been holding such surveys since the past many years.

Dhumal said the state had been declared pioneer in the field of education and health and it was for the first time that the state had achieved this award.

Referring to the state’s request for extension period of industrial package, the Chief Minister said the central government must look into genuine grievances of the state and its people. He assured to take up the state’s issue with full force and vigour so that the Centre was forced to see reason and give Himachal its due.

Dhumal said all demands of the Gwalthai Industries’ Association, which were earlier leaded by its president Subhash Sisodia, would be met and Rs 3 crore would be spent. Rs 48 lakh would be spent on streetlights, Rs 39 lakh on sewerage lines, Rs 7 lakh on tele communications building and Rs 1.15 crore for common facility building.

Reacting to demands earlier put up by local MLA Randhir Sharma, the Chief Minister said Rs 6.80 crore would be spent on repair of National Highway No-21 from Suharghat to Jamli and Rs 1.22 crore on upgradation of civil health centre at Naina Devi. While the police chowki at Gwalthai would be upgraded, an HRTC bus service would be started from Gwalthai to Shimla, a garbage disposal plant would be set up there and an ayurveda dispensary would be opened at Samtehan village, he said.

Present on the occasion among others were Health Minister Rajiv Bindal, Deputy Speaker Rikhi Ram Kaundal, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sat Paul Satti and Director of Industries Manoj Kumar.

Six of a family killed in car mishap
Our Correspondent

Chamba, September 19
Six members of a family were killed as a Maruti car veered off the road and plunged into the Chamera reservoir near Koti bridge on Chamba-Bhalei road about 27-km from the district headquarters of Chamba, the police said today.

However, one of the family members Kewal managed to survive by swimming across the reservoir.

The police report said the car was on its way from Thakkarmatti to Danoon. The vehicle failed to negotiate the curve and fell into the reservoir of the Chamera project.

On receiving information about the mishap the district authorities alongwith the police reached the accident site to conduct a relief and rescue operation to extricate the bodies of the deceased.

Those travelling in the vehicle had been identified as Sobia Ram, (57) his wife Maya Devi, (53) their grandson Nishant, (5) daughter-in-law Surekha, (32) her son Akshaya, (4) and her two-and-a-half month old baby while Kewal son-in-law of Sobia Ram managed to survive.

The police said the bodies of Sobia Ram and Akshaya were yet to be traced.

All victims of the mishap belonged to the nearby Sadwan and Danoon villages of the district. The bodies of four deceased had been handed over to their kin for cremation.

Meanwhile, ADM Chamba BR Kaundal has announced a relief of Rs 5,000 each to the next of kin of the deceased.

Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha Speaker Tulsi Ram and the local MLA Renu Chadha expressed their shock over the accident and sympathies with the bereaved families.

Call-Girls Racket
Vigilance probe gives clean chit to Rana
Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 19
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau today gave a clean chit to former chairman of the media advisory committee, Rajinder Rana, in the alleged call-girls episode though Suresh Attri, an official of the Environment Department, has not been spared as action under the service conduct rules has been recommended against him.

DGP (Vigilance), D.S. Manhas today said that the report had been given to the government but no cognizable offence was made out as nothing objectionable was noticed in the hotel on the night of September 4. “Conduct on the part of Suresh Attri, senior environmental officer, is not becoming of a good government servant for which it has been recommended that action be taken against him and an inquiry has already been ordered against him on September 11,” said Manhas.

Through the inquiry report the Vigilance Bureau has also tried to put to rest all speculation about the presence of a senior official or politician at the hotel at the time of the raid. “No other government official or public servant was present at the hotel,” the report clearly mentions.

The inquiry into the incident was conducted by SP (Special Investigation unit), Vigilance, Hardesh Bisht, who led the police and vigilance team into the hotel on September 4. The Additional Chief Secretary had removed Attri from the important committee of the environment department two days after the incident and ordered an inquiry into his conduct under service rules.

While the Vigilance has not divulged the names of two girls who were present in room No. 120, but it has specifically mentioned that Rana, Attri and an industrialist Anil Sharma of Mohali were present in room No. 118 of Woodville Palace. The rooms had been booked by Sharma through Attri at the hotel.

It is learnt that Sharma told the police during questioning that the girls were his relatives. During inquiry the police questioned the two girls and got their antecedents verified from the Mohali police but did not find anything objectionable. Action has been recommended against Attri on the pretext that since he is a government servant it is not right for him to intermingle with industrialists like Sharma.

The incident had generated a lot of heat, forcing Rana to step down from from the post of chairman of the media advisory committee. As the incident caused a lot of discomfiture to the ruling party, both the Congress and the BJP had demanded his removal and holding of an inquiry into the incident.

Discretionary Quota
Allotted plots can spell trouble for bigwigs
Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, September 19
The recent allegations against Minister for Industries Kishan Kapoor regarding allotting plot to himself during his stint as a minister for Transport and Town and Country planning and building a hotel in violation of rules, has the potential of opening the Pandora’s box for high and mighty in the state.

Politicians and bureaucrats have been violating rules laid for allotment of plots under discretionary quota.

According to sources, besides Kapoor, Virbhadra Singh, during his stint as the Chief Minister and chairman of the Urban Development Authority, allotted two plots under discretionary quota in the name of his daughters at Shimla. Other beneficiaries who got plots under discretionary quota at Shimla include Vimla Mahajan, mother of former Congress MLA Harsh Mahajan, Ram Lal Thakur and Singhi Ram, former Congress ministers and relatives of Rangila Ram Rao.

Another VIP who was allotted a plot under discretionary quota is Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Congress Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and now the Union Minister for Health.

Besides, BJP leaders have also taken plots in various housing societies and urban development department colonies in Shimla and other parts of the state under the discretionary quota.

According to rules, if a person or his family members own property in an area where the government colonies are being brought up, he cannot get a plot there under any quota. Similar rule applies to the colonies developed by the housing societies.

The sources added that a large number of politicians had taken plots or flats at Shimla, both in housing societies, as well as under the discretionary quota of respective chairmen of urban development authority, in violation of rules and regulations.

Kishan Kapoor, when asked, said he had not been allotted any plot against law. However, he admitted that he was allotted two plots under discretionary quota in his native village Khaniara in his name. “There was no rule that barred me from getting the plots. However, when some people raised objections, I gave those away,” he said.

Another allegation against Kapoor is that he violated the rules of town and country planning while raising his hotel in Khaniara. Dharamsala area falls under zone five according to seismic activity scale. Since it is a quake-prone area, nobody can raise more than four-storey building in the area. Anybody raising a commercial building, has to leave green area as well as open space for parking.

However, even eight-storey buildings have been brought up by hoteliers at Mcleodganj and Bhagsunag. Certain Tibetans have even built hotels on reserve forest areas. Town and country planning officials have limited themselves to just issuing notices to them. When asked they alleged that they could not do anything more as the department did not have adequate staff.

Kapoor, when asked about violation of norms, said the plan of his house was passed in 2007 when he was not a minister.

NGO activist alleges threat by BDO official
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, September 19
An activist of a national-level Non-Government Organisation (NGO), Jagori, has alleged that a Block Development Office (BDO) official has threatened her as she had complained against alleged irregularities in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS).

Rekha, an activist of the NGO, belonging to Bhanala village, about 20 km from here, was yesterday threatened of dire consequences by husband of village pradhan and technical assistant of the BDO.

While talking to The Tribune, Rekha alleged that the accused came to her residence yesterday and asked her to withdraw the allegations made against them. However, when she refused, they threatened and abused her. Rekha has lodged a police complaint against the accused.

Sources revealed that the problem started on September 6 when the district administration held a meeting to review the progress of works conducted under NREGS. Based on the feedback from Rekha, the activists of Jagori made allegations of corruption in the works being carried out under NREGS in Bhanala village.

The NGO activists conducted a social audit during the meeting in which a large number of residents approved of allegations of corruption.

Since then, officials of the BDO office and village pradhan had been nursing grudge against Rekha.

The police, when contacted, admitted that they had received a complaint from Rekha. However, no case has been registered.

Charges framed against Mankotia
Legal Correspondent

Shimla, September 19
The Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Shimla, today put a notice of accusation to Vijay Singh Mankotia and framed charges against him in a defamation complaint filed by Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh.

CJM Yashwant Singh Chogal charged Mankotia with conducting a press conference at Dharmsala on May 28, 2007, and levelling false allegations against complainant Virbhadra Singh and his wife, knowing that the same were false.

The order came on a complaint filed by Virbhadra Singh alleging that respondent Vijay Singh Mankotia had committed an offence of defamation. The former chief minister alleged that Mankotia had released a CD and levelled various allegations against him and his wife. He added that the respondent was aware that the allegations were.

The case would come up for hearing on December 11.

Navratras begin with fervour
Our Correspondent

Kangra, September 19
The nine-day Navratras began today with religious fervour amid vedic chanting.

Devotees from all over the country thronged the temple to pay obeisance in the Bajjreshwari temple here.

Pilgrims in large numbers also thronged Jawalamukhi and Chamunda Devi temples in the district.

Authorities here claim that all the arrangements which include security, parking, traffic regulations, health care and free langers. Adequate number of women police personals have been deployed in the temple during the current Navratra.

Three artists from West Bengal had sculptured an idol goddess Durga for worship during Navratra in Tara Devi temple at Birta.

Drug racket busted
Our Correspondent

Chamba, September 19
The police busted a drug racket operating at the district headquarters of Chamba on Friday. According to SP Madhu Sudan, Rakesh, involved in the racket, was arrested and a case had been registered against him under Section 21 of the NDPS Act. Drugs like recodex cough syrup, spasmocip plus, refereon capsules, preg tablets, cyproheptaxine, syrup tablets, duolin respules, brofenac injection, tramodol injection, sensinin injection, diazepam and chempro recovered from the X-ray clinic were being sold illegally and without licence, the SP revealed.

Meet on animal diseases

Palampur, September 19
The Indian Society of Veterinary Immunology & Biotechnology (ISVIB) today organised a day-long regional conference on animal diseases and zoonoses in northwestern Himalayas at Dr GC Negi College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. In his inaugural address, chief guest Dr Tej Partap, VC, CSK HP Agricultural University, predicted emergence of a large number of new animal diseases as a consequence of climate change.

Dr Partap said for food security of the nation, livestock sector will have to play a major role. Dr AC Varshney, dean of the college, said the college has undertaken extensive work on animal diseases and four new projects had been sanctioned by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. — OC

Nod to Sainj project

Shimla, September 19
The Union Ministry of Forest and Environment has granted forest approval for setting up of the 100 MW Sainj hydro-power project being constructed on Sainj tributary of the Beas in Kullu.

An official spokesperson of the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation (HPPC) said approval had been granted for diversion of 47.993 hectares of forest land within the jurisdiction of the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) for the construction of the project. — TNS