Shimla, May 31
Punctuality may not be much of an issue as far as government offices are concerned but with installation of bio-metric machines in the state secretariat, about 1,500 employees will now have to reach office on time or face action as per rules.

Installed despite initial reluctance shown by the employees in accepting the system ensuring punctuality, 16 bio-metric machines have been installed at the four gates of the Armsdale and Ellerslie buildings of the secretariat. There will be a complete switch over to the system from tomorrow when the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretaries and other officers as well as employees of all classes will mark their entry and exit into the office by use of bio-metric machine.

According to a survey conducted by the Secretariat Administration, almost 30 per cent employees had been found to be absent from duty despite not being on leave. “We have introduced the system to bring about punctuality and discipline as it was often seen that employees were found absent from duty,” said Jai Sen Chauhan, Additional Secretary, Secretariat Administration.

Termed as more of a corporate culture, the secretariat employees were a bit reluctant to accept the system. However, after issuing of guidelines, they agreed to accept it. About 32 IAS officers, 14 HAS officers, 58 class-I officers of the HP Secretariat Services and 1,396 others will mark their attendance in office through this system.

The Chief Minister, ministers and chief parliamentary secretaries have been kept out of this system as they are political persons with a lot of touring and public engagements.

Some of the state governments, including Gujarat, Delhi and Kerala, have already introduced the system in some of their offices. It was Union Home Minister P Chidambaram who had set an example by suggesting installation of the bio-metric machine in the ministry in September last year and he was the first one to register his attendance on it.

As per the guidelines, office timings will remain from 10 am to 5 pm with lunch break from 1.30 to 2 pm. Attendance will be marked by placing the index finger on the machine. A flexibility of 30 minutes has been provided, keeping in view hassles like traffic jams and other constraints. Moreover, late comers by half an hour will have to make up for the time lost by sitting late the same day.

Shimla, May 31
“It not only needs publicity but public too,” that is how Manju Seth sums up her rendezvous with the Himachal Haat, the dream village she created in the sprawling Destination Resort, near here, to give high-end tourists a “glimpse” of the hill culture and life.

Indeed, making the hatt a success will be a big challenge for the promoters, if the public response, so far, is any indication. Formally inaugurated only today by Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja, the hatt was thrown open to public more than a month ago. The concept was new and the execution was near prefect. However, the response has not been very encouraging. The promoters are struggling to retain artisans, craftsmen and other vendors who have not only been provided stalls free of cost, but also board and lodging facility. With sales remaining a low key affair, artisans leave the hatt after a few days. None of the craftsmen, or even government agencies, who had put up stalls was satisfied with the level of sales.

“I do not blame them for leaving the haat, they are poor people who earn their livelihood by selling handicrafts and handloom items,” observed Seth, executive director of the resort. It cannot sustain on resident tourists alone and more visitors will have to be brought in to boost sales. Organising package tours for tourists visiting Shimla, Chail and other places could be a way out.

“It needs to be promoted like the Delhi Haat and I have already taken up the matter with the Union Tourism Minister,” she added.

It is a limited public-private partnership venture in which the government has no stakes. However, it will provide wide publicity through media campaigns to promote it in a big way. It took a painstaking effort to create bucolic settings and lend a rustic charm to the village developed in the expensive resort spread over 14.5 acre. The spectacle of thatched roof houses, a typical village well and other specimen of rural architecture which typifies the hill village, is indeed a visual delight, particularly for summer visitors from plains.

Talking to mediapersons, Selja said the Centre would provide all possible support to the state to boost tourism industry. She advised the government to prepare a vision document for the purpose on the basis of which funding of different projects could be considered. 

Dharamsala, May 31
Officials investigating the kidnapping case at Chachian village involving a religious dera are not ruling out a conspiracy angle. While talking to The Tribune on condition of anonymity, they alleged that circumstances surrounding the case raised doubts about the story narrated by the kidnapped children.

The children were allegedly kidnapped by four persons in a Tata Sumo and taken to Malan area, about 20 km from the basic site of crime. The children, however, had a miraculous escape from the custody of kidnappers but did not have even a scratch or wound as mark of resistance against kidnapping or effort of kidnapper to keep them in their custody.

Also nobody noticed the vehicle in which the children were kidnapped or noticed its number.

The kidnapping incident pertains to Saturday evening when three local children from Chachian village, including Sapna, Rishu and Rahul, went to graze their horses near the premises of religious dera. Four persons in a Tata Sumo allegedly asked the children to clean their vehicle and offered a small amount for their service.

However, the children were allegedly kidnapped by owners of the vehicle.

The children, in their statement to the police, alleged that the accused put tapes on their mouth and bundled them into the vehicle. They were taking them to unknown destination when the vehicle got trapped on the roadside pit and they managed to escape.

The children reached the house of the maternal uncle of one of the kidnapped children in Malan area who informed the police about the incident.

Meanwhile, a large number of persons today gathered outside the dera to hold protests. Untoward incident was averted as the police intervened and assured action against the accused.

The police has arrested Mukesh Kumar, who ran a canteen in the dera, and Naresh Kumar, the watchman, for interrogation in the case.

Meanwhile, the police remained clueless regarding the accused or the vehicle in which the children were allegedly kidnapped till the filling of the report.

According to sources, the incident might be a result of land dispute between the religious dera and the locals.

Shimla, May 31
The police today arrested Mahender Singh Negi, alias Danny, the third suspect in the murder of Shubham, son of district BJP chief Sher Singh, from Kalka. Shubham was stabbed to death yesterday allegedly by three youths at a dhaba after an altercation.

SSP RM Sharma said all three accused, Vikram, alias Vikki, Danny and Rohan Bhandari, had been arrested. While Danny will be produced in a court tomorrow, the other two have been sent in police remand for two days.

Being juvenile, the court has directed that Vikram and Rohan should not be kept in a lock-up or police station. As such, they will be kept in some rest house according to the court directives.

According to sources, both Danny and Rohan have told the police that it was Vikram who stabbed Shubham. Danny, on the other hand, has taken the plea
that he stabbed Shubham in self-defence as the deceased and his friends were thrashing him.

Dharamsala, May 31
In a blatant incident of robbery, Balkar Singh, a resident of Gurdaspur, was robbed of his motorcycle and cash by some unidentified persons. 

In a complaint to the police, Balkar alleged that he was going to meet his brother at Indora on his motorcycle.

When he reached Mand, a place near Indora, three unknown persons stopped him and snatched his motorcycle and Rs 6,000 in broad daylight. The police has registered a case in the matter.

Dharamsala, May 31
This year four Tibetan girls have applied for the ninth edition of the Miss Tibet pageant, 2010.

Tibetan showman Lobsang Wangyal, while talking to The Tribune, said the four contestants include 25-year-old Richen Choden, a Bangalore-based hair stylist, 22-year-old Tenzin Namchoe, a second-year-student in Bachelors of Social Work at Saint Joseph College, Bangalore, 23-year-old Tenzin Norzom, who finished her Bachelors degree from Central University of Tibetan Studies, Varanasi, and 19-year-old Yangchen Metok, who came from Tibet in 2008 and was studying English literature at McLeodganj.

He said the pageant was dedicated to the earthquake victims that hit Kyigudo area in eastern Tibet. About 10,000 people had reportedly died in the quake.

The event would start on June 4 and culminate at Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) on June 6.

Winner of the event would be given a cash award of Rs 1 lakh, runners up Rs 50,000 and second runners up Rs 25,000.

However, there will be no display of fireworks. Instead, prayers would be held for victims of the quake, he said.

Despite opposition and lack of support from the traditional Tibetans, Lobsang has been organising the beauty contest since 2002. Though the contest attracts a few contestants every year due to opposition from the orthodox community, it receives a large audience during the event, majority of whom are Tibetan girls.

Lobsang has also managed to send winners of the contest to international events that evoked strong reaction from Chinese authorities.