|
|
|
|
Govt mulls major disinvestment in tourism BJP refutes Virbhadra’s allegations Revised pay scales for HPTDC staff Govt to give 50 pc subsidy on seeds ‘Lifting of ban on khair felling to push economy’ |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Lavi fair inaugurated Doc held on molestation charge, released Missing Ukraine para-glider rescued Central varsity issue boomeranged on BJP, says Chander Kumar Rohru Defeat Charas recovered from HRTC bus Snow lures tourists to Solang valley 2 killed in mishap 3 held on suspicion Couple commits suicide
|
|
Govt mulls major disinvestment in tourism Shimla, November 11 It is reliably learnt that a private concern by the name of “Magnum” has sent a proposal to the government, offering to take up all properties of the HPDTC. The proposal which was directly sent to the Chief Minister’s office is pending with the department. “The company in its offer has said they would straight away invest Rs 300 crore and more importantly they are willing to take up the services of all employees serving in these units,” said a senior bureaucrat. He said the matter was likely to be discussed at the top-level before a decision could be taken. In the state tourism policy, it had already been stated that the government should play the role of a facilitator and should gradually encourage private participation in the tourism and hospitality sector. Sources said the HPTDC had already prepared the list of its properties, both profitable and loss making units. “In case we push through our disinvestment proposals we will have to offer not just loss making units but also some of the lucrative units so that good companies come forward,” the sources added. Even though the earlier efforts of the Congress regime to offer its properties to private players at a conclave had failed to yield results, the Tourism Department was once again preparing the list. It also included 12 government properties and sites, which had been offered to private players during the Congress regime. The basic aim of the conclave was to position Himachal as a leading tourist destination both nationally as well as internationally. The government said it would take the responsibility of providing and maintaining appropriate tourism infrastructure with the participation of the private sector. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) had prepared a directory of 12 prime government properties and 105 private ones to be offered to industrial houses, chain of hotels and entrepreneurs. Even though it was said prominent players in the hospitality sector were keen to take up the projects, ultimately things did not work out. Though the contentious issue of disinvestment was also initiated by the previous Congress regime, due to major hurdles the proposal could not come through. |
||
|
BJP refutes Virbhadra’s allegations Shimla, November 11 In a statement issued here today, Horticulture Minister Narinder Bragta, Health Minister Rajiv Bindal and Transport Minister Mahinder Singh said the people of Rohru would never forgive the Union Minister for making such derogatory statement about the electorate to absolve himself from the humiliating defeat in the Congress bastion. “The statement reeks of the frustration that Virbhadra Singh is facing because of being sidelined in his own party,” they remarked. They added that the huge BJP victory margin in Rohru had proved beyond doubt that it was a seal on the policies and programmes initiated by the Dhumal regime. “It does not suit a leader of the stature of Virbhadra Singh to make such derogatory statement as being such a senior leader he must learn to accept defeat humbly,” they said. They added that allegation of misuse of official machinery by the Congress leader was an after thought to put the blame on others rather than owning responsibility. The ministers said the electorate of Rohru had voted very sensibly and shown great political maturity. “The mandate for the BJP in Rohru is a clear indication that people vote for performance and overall development of the state,” they said. |
||
|
Revised pay scales for HPTDC staff Shimla, November 11 The decision was taken by the Board of Directors of the corporatin which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. The corporation registered an increase of 21.24 per cent in its income and earned a net profit of Rs 7.26 crore for the period of April to September, 2009. The Chief Minister said the government had accorded top priority to upgrade the tourism infrastructure to attract high-end tourists and development of unexplored destinations which were capable of holding the visitors for days together to spend time close to the nature. The Chief Minister said star gazing and other interesting activities had also been introduced to attract students and special packages introduced for the purpose. He suggested introduction of similar special packages for visits to hydro power projects and apple flowering during season. He directed the authorities to complete the additional accommodation at Hotel Dhauladhar at Dharamsala before the commencing of winter session of the Vidhan Sabha . He also directed to explore possibility of constructing multi-storeyed integrated tourists facilities centre above car parking at Shimla. He also underlined the need to tie-up with the Commonwealth Games authorities to attract visitors to Himachal next year by offering all inclusive special packages to the sports lovers. The meeting approved a proposal to add a convention hall and 50 rooms in Hotel Peterhoff, 100 rooms in Chail Palace Hotel and decided to study possibility for adding 100 more rooms in the Manali complex. Approval was granted for outright sale of Cafe Bhairav, Baijnath, Cafe Aabshar, Dedgharat (Kandaghat) and Cafe Geetanjli at Dhundiara (Dalhousie) and Hotel Deothsidh at Shahtalai in district Hamirpur district to the Baba Balaknath Trust and hand over the Mandav Complex to the Department of Technical Education and Vocational and Industrial Training for onward transfer to the Indian Institute of Technology for starting early classes at Mandi. |
||
|
Govt to give 50 pc subsidy on seeds Shimla, November 11 The measures to help the poor farmers will cost Rs 10 crore. Ram Subhag Singh, Secretary, Agriculture, said there was no scarcity of seeds as necessary arrangements had been made in advance. He said for this purpose, the government was in constant touch with National Seed Corporation, NAFED, Seed Corporation Haryana and other agencies. The department had made arrangements to provide about 1 lakh quintal seed against the demand of about 63,402 quintal seed for the rabi season. He said for the current rabi season approximately 80,000 quintal wheat seeds had been procured against the demand of 56,729 quintal. Similarly, steps had been taken to procure 4,636 quintal pea seeds and 167 quintal of vegetable seeds. He was in a constant touch with the Union Ministry of Fertiliser which had accorded approval for the supply of 8,000 tonne of complex fertilisers to the state for November. He said every effort would be made to make sure that the farmers did not face any difficulty regarding fertilisers’ supply. |
||
|
‘Lifting of ban on khair felling to push economy’ Shimla, November 11 Stating this at a press conference here today, Forest Minister JP Nadda said the khair, which is grown in 6,03,491 hectares, including 3,84,128 hectares of private land, was a species of great economic value for the farmers and the ban on its felling had deprived them of a major source of income and also crippled the “katha” industry. The present government had vigorously pursued the khair ban and various forest-related issues in the Supreme Court and got these settled in the favour of the people. The court lifted the ban on sawmills, khair felling and allotment of trees under timber distribution rules and accepted the proposal for rationalisation of wildlife sanctuaries to take out inhabited areas. The resumption of khair felling would benefit 56,736 farmers who would be allowed to cut trees under the 10-year felling cycle plan. Further, the ban on export of khair wood had also been lifted which would ensure remunerative returns to the farmers. With the availability of khairwood the katha industry would flourish again. |
||
|
Lavi fair inaugurated Shimla, November 11 Inaugurating the fair, Rau said the Lavi fair had its own historical importance and was famous for business activities. She said efforts had been made to preserve the old traditions and glory of the fair over the years. She added the fair provided an opportunity to market the local products, besides a platform for cultural exchange. She said fairs and festivals played an important role in preserving the rich cultural heritage of the state. The Governor inaugurated the Kinnauri market and exhibition put up by various government departments and other organisations on the occasion. She urged the district administration to explore market for the products produced by self-help groups so that the income of women in the state could be raised. |
||
|
Doc held on molestation charge, released Shimla, November 11 Additional SP Anand K Dhiman confirmed that Dr Bhardwaj was arrested and later released on bail. “We have been questioning the three other doctors doing their PG under Dr Bhardwaj to verify if the allegations levelled against him are true,” he said. A police team from the Sadar police station, where a case has been registered against the HoD under Section 509, IPC, for alleged molestation, questioned the post-graduation students as well as Dr Bhardwaj. The police has also summoned a fellow colleague of the victim from Jalandhar, where she is married. The victim, a final year student of post-graduation, has alleged that she was allegedly being harassed by the HoD since 2008.
|
||
|
Missing Ukraine para-glider rescued Dharamsala, November 11 However, there was a communication gap as the para-glider tried to convey his location in his native language but the authorities failed to decipher it. The only thing that they could understand was that Egor could see a bridge in the plains from the area in which he was trapped. Search teams were sent, however, they failed to locate him. The message regarding the missing para-glider was also conveyed to his family in Ukraine. The sources said Egor’s wife then sent Rs 5 lakh for the rescue operations. Egor’s friends then hired a helicopter from Delhi that started searching for him in the higher reaches of the
Dhauladhar yesterday. It was only around 10 am today that the helicopter team located Egor in higher reaches near the Palampur area. The rescue teams were then sent which brought back Egor and sent him to Delhi from where he would fly back to Ukraine. The sources said Egor survived for six days in higher reaches of the Dhauladhar with the help of few packets of biscuits that he had taken along with him. He took shelter in rock caves to shield himself from cold weather and snowfall that lashed the area in
the last two days. The paragliding event at Bir-Billing has been marred with accidents this year. A Russian para-glider Elliyayudin lost his life and his body was recovered with difficulty with the help of local shepherds. Another Russian Alexey Ashrov is still missing. Besides, there have been many injuries to pilots doing paragliding in the area. The state government cancelled the pre-world cup paragliding event that was to be organised at Billing from November 4-10. The organisers allegedly had not sought permission from the state tourism department for the event. All controversies have, however, hit the image for the Bir-Billing area as a paragliding site. In the last few years the spot had started attracting many |
||
|
Central varsity issue boomeranged on BJP, says Chander Kumar Dharamsala, November 11 The former Congress MP Chander Kumar who was in charge of Congress campaign in Jawali stated this while addressing a press conference here today. He alleged that the central university project that was sanctioned for Kangra district had been scuttled due to adamant attitude of the present government. The present government instead of offering land for the university near Dharamsala had chosen a barren forest land near Dehra for the prestigious project. The union government has not approved the land offered by the state government due to which the project has been delayed. The BJP had put its four ministers from Kangra district for campaigning in Jawali. However, they also failed to change the sentiments of people. When asked about the convincing defeat of the Congress in Rohru constituency, Chander Kumar said that loss was due to delay in announcement of a candidate. The Congress candidate for Rohru was announced just 10 days before the elections. About the denial of ticket to Pratibha Singh, wife of Virbhadra Singh, Chander Kumar said this also might have played a role in defeat of the party from the area. Sometimes, it is difficult for people to accept an alternative candidate when they had been electing a candidate for the past more than 20 years. The other reason for the defeat of the Congress in Rohru was the sympathy factor for BJP candidate Khushi Ram Balnath who had been losing from the area for the past four terms. Kewal Singh Pathania, the HPCC spokesperson and former state NSUI president, flayed the lathi charge on students in Mandi district. |
||
|
Cong men blame party leadership Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service Mandi, November 11 The Congress men, who wished anonymity, went on to blame the state party leadership for allegedly misrepresenting the ground reality before the party high command, superseding the “Rohru Block Congress Committee’s (BCC) unanimous choice, Pratibha Singh, wife of Virbhadra Singh. Even as the blame game has erupted in the state within the state Congress, but majority of Congress workers blamed the loss of the Rohru Congress seat (read Virbhadra Singh’s formidable fort) to four-time loser BJP’s Khushi Ram Balnatah due to ignoring the will of the people of Rohru. The Congress workers told The Tribune that it was mainly due to efforts of Virbhadra Singh that Thakur managed to get 19,919 votes against Balnatah’s 27,705 votes. “The Congress voters felt let down by the party ignoring Rohru BCC resolution endorsed by the DCC (rural) in favour of Pratibha Singh,” they asserted. Virbhadra Singh said, “I am pained to lose Rohru seat which I had represented five times in the past.” He refused to comment on “ticket allotment issue”, but he called for introspection within the Congress before finalising tickets. PCC president Kaul Singh Thakur while responding to media queries on phone blamed the “bhitar-ghat” (internal damage in Rohru), but stated Virbhadra Singh worked hard. Both Kaul Singh Thakur and Leader of the Opposition Vidya Stokes had claimed that the party candidate was selected by the party high command.
|
||
|
Charas recovered from HRTC bus Mandi, November 11 The special investigating unit recovered it from the bus in a naka at Bindrabani barrier. The role of the police has come under scanner as it claimed over four cases of unclaimed charas consignments- three from private buses and one today’s unclaimed 1.5 kg of charas from the HRTC bus. Quantity below 500 gm of charas under the NDPS Act is a non-commercial quantity and as such does not attract stringent punishment, experts said. The police also caught a Japanese, Toshiki Hayachakaya, a resident of Niza, Japan, when he was on his way from Kullu to Panarsa. This was for the second time when he was caught smuggling. His passport has been seized, the police revealed. Though the police has yet to verify his whereabouts and his linkage with charas mafias in Kullu, Hayachakaya told the police that his wife was in Pune. The police recovered 450 gm of charas from one Jinder Ram, and another 450 gm from one Raju Ram, both residents of Ludhiana, yesterday. Both were searched on suspicion while walking from the Pandoh area towards Mandi when the charas was recovered from them and were arrested. “The peddlers get down at Pandoh
bus stop as they fear being caught at the barrier at Bindrabani and start walking to escape from police, the police claimed. Mandi SP Sonal Agnihotri said the police was working on clues regarding the recovery of 1.5 kg of charas from the bus to reach the smuggler. The driver and the conductor expressed ignorance about the bag and so was case with the passengers, the SP added. |
||
|
Snow lures tourists to Solang valley Manali, November 11 This year Manali and its adjoining areas experienced early snowfall and many village elders predict good seasons of snowfall which will be beneficial for their crops. The 13,050-ft-high Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul-Spiti valley, was closed to vehicular traffic due to heavy snowfall. On account of this, famous Solang valley became
alive with domestic and foreign visitors coming in a large number. With the season’s first snowfall, a number of small enterprises sprang up offering snow shoes, woolens, caps, overcoats, etc., for the unprepared tourists. Solang valley, lying to the north of Manali town, has attained worldwide fame owing to its spectacular ski slopes and a clear view of the Pir-Panjal ranges. The ski slopes in the Solang valley also has the distinction of hosting a number of national ski competitions. The entire higher reaches of the Manali region, including the Rohtang Pass, experienced a fresh spell of snowfall today, resulting in considerable fall in temperature. The vehicular traffic on the Manali- Rohtang road was disrupted at several points beyond Palchan, about 10 km from here, yesterday. |
||
|
2 killed in mishap
Hamirpur, November 11 DSP Anjani Kumar Jaswal said six persons - Amarjeet, Praveen Kumar, Satish Kumar, Shashi Pal, Pratap and Satish Patial, all residents of Ghanal village - had gone to attend a wedding when their car, HP-01-H- 0126, plunged into a deep gorge as the driver of the vehicle failed to negotiate a sharp curve near Dhangot. The mishap took place around 9 pm last night. Amarjeet (45) died on the spot while Praveen Kumar (35) died on way to Hamirpur hospital. All other injured were taken to Government Hospital, Badsar. — TNS |
||
|
3 held on suspicion Hamirpur, November 11 The police is trying to verify their alleged links with the inter-state gang of thieves whose eight members were arrested by the police on Tuesday at Hamirpur for committing thefts in moving buses. Meanwhile, all eight arrested persons of the gang, namely Rajesh Kumar, Bhola, Ram Niwas, Rajinder Kumar, Anil Kumar, Jaibir, Sunil Kumar and Raj Kumar, all belonging to Haryana, have been sent to police custody till November 16.
|
||
|
Couple commits suicide
Kangra, November 11 He said the couple arrived in Rajiana village on Sunday and were reportedly happy during their stay at their home. However, on Tuesday morning the couple was found hanging from their bedroom roof. Thakur said the bodies had sent for a post-mortem examination but the police failed to establish a cause for the crime. However, investigation under Section 174 of the CrPC was in progress.
— OC
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Dharamsala, November 11
