Shimla, May 6
With the BJP government adopting a confrontational attitude towards the UPA regime at the Centre, the Congress has decided not to be a part of the joint delegation which Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal proposes to lead to Delhi to take up the demand for extension of industrial package with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Instead, the Congress will send its own independent delegation to meet the Prime Minister. Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Kaul Singh and Congress Legislative Party leader Vidya Stokes had earlier agreed to accompany Dhumal as part of the delegation to jointly pursue the issue of state’s interest with the Centre. In fact, Dhumal had earlier this week during an interaction with mediapersons stated that the commitment of Congress leaders still stood and he was confident that they would join the delegation.

However, taking notice of the news report in this regard, union steel minister Virbhadra Singh shot off a letter to Kaul Singh in which he said: “I was surprised to see the news report and I hope that it was false. It is unimaginable that the CLP leader and the PCC chief should be a part of the Dhumal-led delegation. It is unprecedented and, if it is true, it will show us in very poor light.”

“We have been writing about representing the interest of Himachal Pradesh in this regard from time to time. Therefore, if a delegation is to visit the Prime Minister, it should ideally consist of PCC chief, CLP leader and Congress MPs and MLAs from Himachal Pradesh.”

Copies of the letter were also sent to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minster Manmohan Singh.

Kaul Singh, when contacted, confirmed that he had received the letter from Virbhadra Singh and had made it clear to him in his reply that the Congress leaders would not accompany Dhumal as agreed earlier. He said the party decided against it in view of the confrontational posture being adopted by the BJP, which was organising a “nyaya” rally to highlight the injustice perpetrated on the state by the UPA regime. The Dhumal government had also been threatening to move court in the matter. Confrontation could not be reciprocated with cooperation, the two don’t go together, he said.

Shimla, May 6
In an open letter addressed to BJP chief Nitin Gadkari, the CPM today demanded that a central team of the party be entrusted the task of unearthing the scam related to setting up of private universities, which are indiscriminately being granted approval in the hill state.

Accusing that a nexus between land mafia, politicians, bureaucrats and big businessmen was resulting in prime agricultural being used for setting up private universities, member of the state unit of the CPM Tikender Singh Panwar urged the BJP chief to depute a central team to look into these irregularities. Gadkari will be arriving here on May 8 on a two-day tour of the hill state for the first time after assuming power.

“When the BJP is talking of holding a “nyaya” rally to get justice for people of the state, we seek justice with regard to the approval granted by the BJP regime here for setting up of 18 private universities in this tiny state,” he said. He added that like most other intellectuals who are opposed to opening of so many private universities, the CPM too is against commodification of higher education, which is against the interest of the state.

He said when the BJP could hold the Navin Patnaik government in Orissa guilty of selling the interest of the state to the Vedanta University, it should also hold a thorough inquiry into a similar scam taking place in Himachal. “A section of your own party men have alleged that huge kickbacks are being given to BJP leaders for the opening of such universities, a majority of which are concentrated in Solan district,” he said.

Targeting of agricultural land for setting up of private universities, private engineering colleges, nursing colleges and B.Ed colleges is leading to change in land use. “Section 118 of the Land Tenancy Act that forbids non-agriculturists to buy land in the state was basically aimed at ensuring that land use did not change whereas the opening up of private universities has done just the contrary,” he opined.

He said when a central BJP team comprising Balbir Punj and Chandan Mitra could visit Orissa to unearth the scam, why can it not be done in Himachal. He added that in Himachal, too, land worth crores was being given to these universities and other centres of learning.

Shimla, May 6
The state government has decided to provide 50 per cent subsidy on kharif seeds as relief to farmers in view of losses caused to rabi crops on account of drought.

A spokesperson of the Agriculture Department said here today that since the state received deficient rains during October, December, January and March, rabi crop had suffered heavy damage due to less rains. To add to the woes of farmers the abnormal rise in temperature during March and April caused further damage, which resulted in shriveling of the crops.

He further said during the current kharif season, about 35,000 quintals of seeds shall be supplied by the department to farmers at 50 per cent subsidy, as per the decision of the government, which would be implemented with immediate effect. For this purpose, approximately Rs 7 crore shall be spent as a relief to affected farmers, he added.

He said the sowing of kharif crops would be completed by end of June, so all seeds which would be supplied up to June shall be supplied on subsidised rate. “The government has always come to the rescue of farmers as and when such natural calamity affects crops and even in 2009-10 relief has been provided to the farming community,” he said.

He revealed that during 2009-10 when kharif as well rabi crops had suffered huge damage, the affected farmers were supplied 1,27,167 quintals seeds on 50 per cent subsidy at a cost of Rs 17.3 crore.

Shimla, May 6
The state electricity regulatory commission has issued a notice to the state power board over the imposition of voluntary power cuts on industrial consumers.

Taking cognisance of a news report published in these columns, the commission has asked the Chief Engineer, Commercial, whether any cuts were being imposed, and has sought details like the duration and quantum of the cuts if they are being imposed on the consumers.

The commission has decided to examine the notification in the light of the provisions under the Electricity Act, 2003, and the regulations framed thereunder, the notice said. The board has been asked to supply a copy of the said notification vide which industries were directed to stop work voluntarily on the dates specified by the board and also provide for the imposition of penalty, including disconnection of supply, in case an industrial unit failed to comply with the instructions.

The board has also been asked to provide information about the current power availability scenario in the state during peak and off-peak hours. The commission has given a week’s time to the board to file its reply.

Shimla, May 6
The police department today launched an SMS facility for people of the state as well as tourists so that they could seek assistance of the police by sending an SMS on a designated number.

People can send SMS to the police on mobile number 9459100100 for any kind of assistance. The SMS will be immediately forwarded to the police officer concerned for necessary action.

All SMSes along with the action taken report (ATR) received from the officials concerned during the preceding 24 hours will be placed before the Director General of Police for perusal every day. The SMS facility will be in addition to the existing services available for seeking police help.

Shimla, May 6
The Planning Commission of India has expressed concern over the failure of the state to achieve the desired outcome in health and some other sectors despite being among the leading states in implementation of various development programmes.

During the two-day review of the plan implementation, member of the commission Saumitra Chaudhuri, who headed the review team, pointed out that the performance in certain sectors did not match the outcome as indicated by various health surveys. For instance, the performance under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) was claimed to be good but at the same time the instance of anaemia among children up to three years had increased.

Similarly, the maternal mortality rate (MMR) and the infant mortality rate (IMR), though better than the national average, had not come down at the desired level to achieve the goals 
set for 2012.

The MMR was 190 per lakh and it was very unlikely that the target of 100 per lakh would be achieved over the next two years. Chaudhuri underlined the need for ensuring better synergy in the activities under the child and women development programmes and health schemes. It also advised the government to use the computerised data of families compiled under the ICDS for effective monitoring.

The performance under Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojna was also not satisfactory and there had been a delay of more than two years in implementation of the sanctioned schemes. So far, only Rs 130 crore had been spent against the sanctioned amount of Rs 341 crore. The commission was informed by the state government that updating the estimates, which were based on 2005-06 rates, delayed the work. The estimate had been revised in December 2009 and works would be completed within the stipulated period, the commission was assured.

However, commission maintained that the delay of two years was not justified. Similarly, in case of JNURM only Rs 19 crore had been spent out of the sanctioned amount of Rs 80 crore. The commission was also not satisfied with the outcome of total sanitation programme and expressed doubts if the remaining 50 per cent of the educational institutions would be covered by the deadline.

The team visited the tribal areas of the Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti today to see the outcome on the ground. It urged the government to set long-term goals and draw a strategy to achieve them. 

Palampur, May 6
The Global Convention on Climate Security, to be held here from May 28 to 30, will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. The World Environment Foundation (WEF), which has been holding annual conferences on environment management in Palampur, plans to hold the meeting on a bigger scale this year.

The conference, with the theme “Carbon, Climate, Copenhagen, Commonsense”, will focus on the way forward after the fiasco at Copenhagen and the impact of climate change on national security. It will impress upon political leadership in India the overriding importance of tackling climate change.

Disclosing this, Dr Madhav Mehra, president of the WEF, announced that the Himachal Government and the Central government had come to support the conference in a big way. Both tourism minister Kumari Selja and secretary (tourism) Sujit Banerjee were expected to participate in the event, which will be attended by dignitaries from all over the world.

Mandi, May 6
Director General of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) OPS Malik said the NCB would assist and reward the police for detecting and destroying illegal cultivation in the state and assist it in modernising equipment and methods of detection like satellite imagery to tackle drug-related problems mainly illegal cultivation of poppy and cannabis in the state.

Malik’s first ever visit to Mandi-Kullu has been kept as secret and as such assumed significance considering that the Mumbai crime branch police seized 376 kg of charas, believed to be originated from Kullu.

According to sources, Malik was here on a four-day-long visit to assess the ground situation in Mandi and Kullu and interacted with the Mandi and Kullu SP, including NGOs working in the field of alternative development for farmers who have been growing contraband crops traditionally in the region. He was also accompanied by zonal director of NCB Chandigarh AK Yadva.

Malik said the NCB would assist the HP police and NGOs working in the alternative development so that the cultivators shun illegal cultivation here. “We need to improve the satellite imagery to detect poppy cultivation and modernise methods of detection and destruction by adopting new technology,” he added.

He said the NCB would provide incinerator to burn the seized contraband after the cases were closed. The burning of contraband as being done by the police in the state was not scientific and healthy, Malik added.

He also asked chief adviser of the Malana Vikalp OP Sharma to present a brief on how it was doing its job in Malana village, hashish hub in Kullu district.

In his presentation to Malik, Mandi SP SM Agnihotri said the graph of drug seizure had gone up. The police scanned 2,500 bighas of land during the anti-poppy drive this season and booked two cultivators under the NDPS Act, he added.

He said the opium-poppy cultivation had been reduced to just 2 per cent of what was the case last year in the Mandi region. This has happened because of the increased surveillance and destruction campaigns, he added.

Agnihorti also cited problems that the police face during the operation including its limited resources at command to tackle the menace.

Solan, May 6
In a bid to crack down on industrial units failing to adhere to pollution control norms, a team of officials of the Pollution Control Board raided several units last evening and found the effluent treatment plant (ETP) inadequate in a unit manufacturing healthcare products at Baddi.

The ETP of Sarvottam Care, located at Jharmajri, was found overflowing as it failed to cater to the pollution load. The excess effluent was flowing into a nearby nullah.

Officials said the unit had come into operation after the 2003 central industrial package had been announced. The unit had later enhanced its capacity but had failed to enhance the capacity of its ETP. The board would now get the plant’s performance evaluated and a sample had already been taken for analysis.

The team also took samples from various other units, including Wipro, Colgate Palmolive, Hindustan Unilever and Wockhardt.

The board’s move assumes importance as the Punjab Pollution Control Board has been accusing the industrial units located in Gol Thai, Nalagarh and Una for dumping their effluents illegally in the water bodies located on the border. Upon receiving such reports, the board has stepped up its vigil in the industrial areas and the officials have been instructed to carry on night raids to keep a check on any such activity.

Though visits of the team of Central Pollution Control Board has failed to find any such evidence from the industrial areas of the state, the repeated allegations levelled by the Punjab Pollution Control Board has alerted the state authorities here. Officials also stated that such measures would act as a deterrent and check any such activity in the industrial area at Baddi, where a number of units had come up after the 2003 central industrial package. 

Bilaspur, May 6
Chaman Lal, munshi of contractor Chamkaur Singh, both of Sirsa (Haryana), alleged that Amit Kumar, a contractor from Chandigarh, fired upon them at Mandi Manman, about 6 km from here, last night.

SP Kapil Sharma said here today that it received information from the Regional Hospital last night that a person claiming to have been hurt by firing was under treatment.

Chaman Lal alleged that he was driving a car when another car overtook them and Kumar fired upon him and fled from the scene and he received two bullet injuries on his arm. He was going to Manali along with Chamkaur Singh, who was unhurt.

Sharma said a team of forensic experts visited the spot and opinion of doctors was also being taken for the cause of injuries. He said the police had not found any bullets on the spot though Chaman Lal said three to four bullets were fired on him.

Chamkaur Singh alleged that they had a “business rivalry” with the assailant.

The SP said a case has been registered and a team left for Chandigarh last night to trace Kumar, who was found in his house. Kumar is being brought here to join in the investigation of the case, he added.

Mandi, May 6
Samson Nibonisa, a Nigerian, who was convicted in the e-mail fraud case by the judicial magistrate at Jogindernagar last year for one year, escaped from the police custody in New Delhi when three policemen were sent to hand over him to the Nigerian Embassy.

Nibonisa, who did not carry his proper documents with him, dodged the police in the Chanakyapuri area as the pleas of policemen to take back and deport him to Nigeria failed. Sources said the Nigerian Embassy did not take his custody from the police as he did not carried his documents.

Though the Himachal police lodged FIR under Section 224 of the IPC at the Chanakyapuri police station yesterday, there was no clue about the e-mail cheater so far. The police suspected that he had a fake name as he did not revealed his identity.

The Mandi police took him to Delhi on Tuesday, but the Nigerian Embassy refused to accept him as its national as they clamed they did not had any record of him.

The police had arrested him in connection with the e-mail fraud case in which he cheated Jogindernagar resident OP Bhatia of Rs 30 lakh in lieu of inheriting the million pounds bounty offered to him on e-mail by the cheater.

Mandi SP Sonal Agnihotri said the Nigerian was convicted by the court for one-year jail term and had nearly completed the sentence. “The police tried its best to hand over him to the Nigerian Embassy, but they refused to take him as he did not carry the documents with him and might be an illegal migrant,” he added.

Shimla, May 6
They could have committed the most heinous crimes for which they are serving jail sentence but after all they too are human and go through all kinds of emotions that have found expression in poetry compiled in two books “Toote Armano
Ki Aawaz” and “Kshiyij Ke Us Par”.

Social worker and writer Saroj Vashishth presented two poetry books penned by jail inmates to Chief Minister PK Dhumal here today. Besides the two poetry books, she also presented a poetry book titled “Jung Jaari Hai” with contributions from authors from Himachal, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir.

The Chief Minister appreciated the efforts put in by Vashishth in motivating prison inmates to write poems on various themes and experiences they had undergone in their lives. “She has helped and motivated the inmates by providing them a platform to express their feelings by way of writing and all three publications are very inspiring for all sections of society,” he said.

He said Himachal Pradesh happened to be the nursery of best soldiers who had the capability to fight in adverse geo-physical conditions on higher altitudes and had earned laurels for the nation and their home state. He hoped that more writers would be inspired from such publications and motivate prisoners to express their feelings in writing.