Dharamsala, April 16
The Gaggal domestic airport, that generally is a deserted place, was today buzzing with activity. The airport received eight charted, one regular flight and a helicopter today.

Three charted flights came early in the morning. The airport authorities did not have any knowledge about the people who came in these flights. Sources available here, however, told The Tribune that the flights were chartered by the owners of Deccan Chargers team from Hyderabad.

The remaining chartered flights started arriving one after another after about 2.30 pm. The flight brought in the team of commentators, led by Harsha Bhogle, IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and Kings XI owner and Bollywood star Preity Zinta, besides others.

However, the large number of flights coming in had the staff of Gaggal airport on tenterhooks. There are just two technical staff members at the airport as on routine days it receives just one flight a day.

An official, while talking to The Tribune on condition of anonymity, said they had parking facility for, at the most, five flights. Parking of more than five flights can make take-off or landing of another flight risky, he added.

He also said extra flights landing at the airport were likely to be shifted to some other airport for parking.

Moreover, airport authorities do not have adequate staff to park the planes. We have asked flight operators to bring their own staff to park and carry other operations of the landed chartered flights, he added.

The airport authorities also revealed that they were not being informed about the antecedents of passengers coming in the flights.

Security norms were also flouted when a large number of fans and youth gathered at the airport. They clung to glass windows of the airport to catch a glimpse of Preity Zinta as security officials present their watched haplessly.

Himachal police officials found themselves helpless in view of the presence of BJP workers and leaders who had also gathered at the airport to receive Chief Minister PK Dhumal and national general secretary of the BJP, Arun Jaitley.

Dharamsala, April 16
The IPL fever is catching up in the state. However, it is also taking political overtones. The Congress MLAs are undecided about, whether to join the IPL party at Dharamsala or not.

When contacted by The Tribune, Congress leaders expressed different opinions. A few decided against commenting on the matter.

HPCC president Kaul Singh, when contacted on phone, said nobody had extended any invitation to Congress MLAs. It was only during a passing reference during the assembly session when the MLAs were invited, he said.

Kaul Singh also said as per his knowledge, senior Congress leaders, including Vidya Stokes, and others had also not received any formal invitation for the matches.

General secretary of the HPCC and Congress MLA from Hamirpur district Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, said: “I have received a call from Anurag Thakur today. He has invited me for matches at Dharamsala. However, I am away with my family at Hardwar for a pilgrimage. I might turn for the match scheduled on April 18,” he said.

Sukhu added that he was in touch with some Congress MLAs and they said the invitation had been extended to them on phone today.

Kuldeep Pathania, Congress MLA from Chamba district, said: “I received an invitation on phone today. However, I am not interested”.

Meanwhile, the district administration is perplexed about the number of VIPs who would be descending to Dharamsala during the matches.

A senior district official, while talking to The Tribune, said the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) authorities had detained most of hotel rooms in and around Dharamsala. Many VVIPs, including the Chief Justice of both Himachal and Punjab and Haryana High Court, are visiting the match venue.

“We have no information regarding the VIPs, including ministers and senior leaders of parties, who have been invited for the event by the HPCA,” the official added.

Shimla, April 16
The government has ordered a Vigilance probe into irregularities in the award of contract for painting of 6,600 street light poles of the city by the State Electricity Board Authorities highlighted in these columns.

Principal Secretary, power, has written to the director of Vigilance to hold an inquiry into the scam in which the contract was awarded at more than double the rate without completing codal formalities. He has also referred to the news item and the assurance given by Chief Minister PK Dhumal in the Vidhan Sabha in this regard.

Information available from the board, which has already scrapped the controversial scheme under which work was to be carried out on sponsorship basis by involving private companies, reveals that quotations were invited on December 14 last, finalised on December 18 in the office of the superintending engineer and the contract was also awarded the same day.

Approval for the scheme framed by the superintending engineer for the purpose was obtained almost four weeks later on January 12.

Further, the “HPSEB pole painting pool account”, under the scheme, was opened only after approval of the scheme while Rs 5 lakh were received from ACC Limited much earlier on December 29. However, it is not known where the money was kept in between. In all, Rs 12 lakh was received from three cement companies up to March 4.

As per rules, works worth more than Rs 2 lakh are to be awarded by inviting open tenders. However, in this case, the contract for painting poles of different shapes and sizes was awarded on quotation basis at a lump sum rate of Rs 1,100 per pole which was exorbitantly high in comparison to Rs 400 per pole mentioned in the latest cost data of the rural electrification corporation, the benchmark for costs. The financial implication of the scheme was worked out by taking the average cost of five different types of poles in departure from the normal practice of determining rates for the unit surface area. The total cost of painting 6,600 poles worked out to be Rs 1,100 per pole.

The officials maintained that the board was kept in the dark about the fact that the process of awarding the contract had been completed before the scheme was put up for approval. It was for this reason that the board scrapped the scheme after publication of the news.

Solan, April 16
The future of about 200 students, who completed their four-year BHMS degree from Solan Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, is marred in uncertainty with the college lacking any affiliation for its four batches from 2002 to 2005.

The facts have come to the fore through an RTI information sought from the state government and the UGC. However, neither Himachal Pradesh University (HPU)nor the state government could provide a copy of affiliation to the applicant though the HPU admitted that an off-campus centre was being run by the college.

The college was later affiliated to the HPU in 2006 but it continued to run a parallel BHMS course till 2005 which it claimed was affiliated to the off-campus centre of JRN Rajasthan Vidyapeeth University.

While, according to UGC norms, no deemed university can grant affiliation to a college, the fact was clarified by the UGC which denied having given any permission to JRN Rajasthan Vidyapeeth to run any off-campus centre on the premises of the medical college.

The information has led to another revelation which showed that giving all norms a go-by, the said college was enlisted as an off-campus centre of Rajasthan Vidyapeeth Deemed University, for the sessions 2002-2003 to 2003-2004 only for its BHMS course by the Central Council of Homeopathy. This was contrary to the UGC norms and it meant the two subsequent batches were run without the knowledge of the council.

Interestingly, no permission was granted by the HPU to the said college to run this off-campus centre as stated by the academic branch of the university. The HPU also clarified that the college was not allowed to run any off-campus centre after it got affiliated with the HPU though this norm was also conveniently flouted.

Further, as per the UGC norms, colleges imparting medical education should be set up with the prior approval of the UGC and that of the state government. But since the state government had not accorded it any permission and the UGC had not permitted JRN Rajasthan Vidyapeeth to run this off-campus centre, it has put a question mark over the future of around 200 students.

A section of students told The Tribune that they were kept in the dark and were told that the course would be affiliated by JRN Rajasthan Vidyapeeth in the course of time.

Hamirpur, April 16
Chief Minister PK Dhumal in an informal talk said: “I would take up the matter of extension of the industrial package to the state on April 20 with the Prime Minister after his return to India and in case no favourable results are found people of the state would be forced to launch an agitation against the Centre”.

Earlier, while addressing a public meeting at Dhamriana after inaugurating the Rangar-Dhamrian Water Augmentation Scheme, he said: “ Rs 40.16 crore will be spent on the construction of roads and bridges in Hamirpur district during the current financial year”.

The state government had started a new health insurance scheme covering members of below poverty line families suffering with critical illness under which Rs 1.75 lakh would be given, besides Rs-30,000 national health insurance cover, he said.

He appreciated 98 per cent work of issuing cards, which had been completed in the district under this scheme.

He added while many water augmentation schemes were underway and drought-prone and water-scarce areas had been provided hand pumps.

Dhumal appealed to the people to save every drop of drinking water keeping in view the reduction in the rainfall and advised them to postpone construction activities in these months.

Shimla, April 16
Initiative of the Tourism Department to compile historical legends and folklore associated with rural places under “Har Gaon Ki Kahani” is likely to get a further impetus as it is being linked with MNREGA so that places of interest can be developed for tourists through sustainable development.

The scheme has been launched by the Tourism Department to collect stories, historical legends, folklore and popular anecdotes associated with a place in any part of the state. “I have written to all deputy commissioners (DCs) in the state to get works like construction of a path and water sources covered under MNREGA so that places associated with legends can be gradually developed as places of tourist interest,” said Arun Sharma, director, Tourism.

Not only will the scheme be given publicity, but the DCs have been asked to constitute committees having panchayat pradhans and other locals as its members.

“Such folklore and legends, associated with various places, is just the tip of the iceberg as there is so much in store, especially in context to the Mahabharata,” said Sharma.

Having accorded the top priority to rural tourism, the government is keen to use the scheme as a means for economic uplift of villages. Not only will be the best story at the state level and others at the district level be given a cash award, but the legend will feature in the coffee table book to be brought out by the Tourism Department.

The department has also approached the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department to extend full help and cooperation in creation of basic infrastructure in the village concerned. The basic idea is to create and develop new places of interest having mythological relevance, which can attract tourists and bring economic dividends to the villagers.

Though last year a total of 1.14 crore tourists visited Himachal, the objective is to prolong the stay of visitors by developing new places of interest. “By promoting a rural area, we will also popularise its craft, cuisine as well as local traditions which are a big attraction, especially for the foreign tourists who wish to get a feel of the place rather than hotel comforts,” said officials.

Mandi, April 16
Independent Power Producers (IPPs) have sought “some relaxation in parameters in the new bidding policy” for executing projects in view of tough terrain and working conditions in the snowbound Lahaul-Spiti district. However, the state government has remained firm on the issue and intends to invite open bids for power projects worth 1,700 MW, most of them located in landlocked Lahaul-Spiti district. Only four power projects---108 MW Chatru, 452 MW Saili, 90 MW Mayar Nala and Sach Khas in Lahaul-Spiti---have been awarded to four IPPs.

The IPPs had pleaded for relaxation in parameters like 12 per cent free power at a recent meeting of state government officials and IPPs held in Shimla. According to the latter, tough working conditions and hard terrain were reasons that would shoot up the cost per unit energy in projects in Lahaul-Spiti district.

Meanwhile, the state government remained firm on IPPs pleadings and officials even went to the extent of telling that they should not bid at all if they found the projects difficult. However, the fact is that five-month working seasons and tough terrain make the projects unattractive.

Maeserbear, Larson sand Tubro, DCM Sriram are the only three IPPs who have signed MoUs with the state government for four projects in Lahaul-Spiti, so far.

But what is complicating the problem for the government is that power policy is a sensitive issue and the opposition “Congress is already training guns on the present government for selling interests of state mortgaging natural sources to private bidders”.

Commenting on the new bid policy, Deepak Sanan, Principal Secretary, power, said the government had nothing to hide. “All parameters like free power and fixed upfront premium in the new bidding policy are equally applicable to all bidders and are available to one and all in black and white,” he said.

Sanan said most of the projects for which bids were being invited were located in tribal Lahaul-Spiti. “However, some IPPs have made valid suggestions and it would be put before the cabinet, which will have the final say on the issue,” he added.

Palampur, April 16
The Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department (HPPWD) has launched a massive campaign to remove encroachments on the roadside in Palampur and its adjoining areas. In the past few days, over 100 buildings, boundary walls and other structures were removed by PWD authorities.

Most of the encroachments were removed on the Palampur-Dharamsala Highway, where widening of road is in progress.Palampur PWD executive engineer, while talking to mediapersons, said the department was getting full cooperation from the public and in most of the cases where notices were served to remove the encroachments, affected parties themselves had removed the same.

He said Rs 5 crore central government funded project had been sanctioned for expansion and widening of the Palampur-Dharamsala state highway. Hence, people were served notices to vacate the government land along side the state highway.

However, despite Himachal Pradesh High Court orders, the national highway authorities were yet to start its campaign to remove encroachments in and around Palampur on the NH.

Narrow Pathankot-Mandi National Highway, which passes through this town, has turned into a major traffic hazard because of large number of encroachments, resulting in frequent traffic jam daily. Fruit and vegetable vendors have encroached on the highway at many points in gross violation of the HP Roadside Land Control Act, which prohibits construction within 7-m radius of the highway.

Shimla, April 16
Members of the Shimla District Youth Congress (urban) today staged a silent protest against the lathi charge on party men by the police and also submitted a memorandum to the Governor, demanding an action against the local Superintendent of Police.

Sporting black bands, the protesters came in procession and held a rally near the DC’s office. Vinod Sharma, president of the district unit, condemned the Dhumal government for using machinery to crush the voice of the people and indulging in rampant corruption.

They demanded a judicial inquiry into the lathi charge incident in which several youth activists were hurt and action against all policemen responsible. They also demanded withdrawal of false cases registered against the Youth Congress workers.

Shimla, April 16
The Students Federation of India (SFI) today held a protest rally in Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) against the filing of false cases against its activities for raising student-related issues and hike in prices of prospectus.

Addressing students, SCA president Gaurav Thakur accused the HPU administration of implicating SFI activists in false cases. “This kind of a dictatorial attitude cannot stop the SFI from raising its voice against the anti-student decisions of the authorities,” he said.

He said SFI leaders who were raising their voice against the wrong decisions of the authorities were being arrested and implicated in false cases. “In case the authorities continue to crush students’ protests with the help of the police, the SFI will intensify its agitation all over the state,” he warned.

SFI leaders Gaurav Thakur, Pushpwardhan, Rakesh Verma, Sanjeev Kumar and Munish gave arrests after the police tried to prevent them from taking out a procession against hike in price of prospectus by issuing their non-bailable warrants.