Dharamsala, July 4
The Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) for the 19th Commonwealth Games today entered Himachal from Mehatpur in Una district and reached Dharamsala in the evening. At Mehatpur, the Baton was received by Chief Parliamentary Secretary Satpal Satti besides district administration officials led by Deputy Commissioner KR Bharti.

The Baton reached Una in a vehicle from where it was carried in the form of relay by international hockey player and Arjuna awardee Deepak Thakur. Other international players who participated in the relay included volleyball player and former Indian captain Surjeet Singh, handball player Harsh Triphi and international shooter and Arjuna awardee Mohinder Lal.

At Indira Gandhi stadium at Una, the Baton was handed over to Padam Shree awardee and former captain of the Indian hockey team Charanjit Singh who was captain of the hockey team that won gold in 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

The Baton was established at the stadium by Satpal Satti which was followed by a cultural programme. The Commonwealth express reached the Una railway station in which 11 wagons displayed history of the games through photographs.

After the Una function, the Baton left for its next destination Dharamsala. At Dharamsala, the Baton was received by Minister for Industries Kishan Kapoor and Minister for Social Security Sarween Chaudhary near the local Secretariat at about 5.30 pm.

Once in Dharamsala, the Baton was carried by international players from local Sports Authorities of India stadium. Players who carried the Baton in the form of relay included Shivani, Campa, Ashu and Puja Thakur.

The Baton was carried to the international cricket stadium by boxer and Arjuna awardee Varinder Singh Thapa. He handed it over to Minister for Industries Kishan Kapoor who established it at the stadium where it would be kept overnight. The Baton would leave for Shimla tomorrow morning.

Hamirpur, July 4
Chief Minister PK Dhumal said the Cabinet would be expanded soon after consultation with the BJP high command. Talking to mediapersons here today, Dhumal said, “Vacancy created in the state Cabinet and other posts of chairman etc will be filled in a phased manner after consultation with the party high command soon; however, no time frame can be set for such matters.”

Replying to a question, Dhumal said, “At present there is no immediate proposal to hike bus fares in the state; though the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) is incurring huge losses as it earns Rs 3 per km and spends Rs 30 per km, this matter will be discussed in their board and state government will act on their advice.”

Dhumal said, “Several development projects are being undertaken in Hamirpur district and foundation stone of IPH schemes worth Rs 9.3 crore will be laid at Hamirpur today.”

He said, “The IPH Department has already implemented a drinking water scheme at a cost of Rs 32 crore for Nadaunta and Rs 92 crore irrigation scheme for Nadaun, besides installation of 124 new hand pumps.”

Refuting Congress leaders claim of lack of development in the present regime, Dhumal said, “National media, international agencies like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, other agencies have recognised the progress made by the state in different fields, but surprisingly they are denying this for political reasons despite word of appreciation by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.”

Shimla, July 4
Targeting the newly appointed BJP Yuva Morcha president Anurag Thakur for being “insensitive”, state Congress general secretary Kuldeep Rathore today demanded a public apology from the BJP for “bursting” into celebrations at a time when people of Dehra were mourning the death of CRPF jawan Pankaj Badiyal who died in a Naxal attack.

Reacting sharply to the statement of BJP leaders who were trying to shield Anurag, he said initially some leaders claimed that he was not aware that Pankaj’s body was being brought to his native village for cremation, which was absurd as the entire country knew about it.

Later, they took the plea that his programme was pre-scheduled, which made his action all the more condemnable, as it was a normal practice to cancel functions in such situations.

By bursting into celebrations on such a sombre occasion, Anurag and his supporters had hurt the sentiments of people for which the party must offer a public apology, he said.

Rathore said such immature behaviour from Anurag was not surprising as he had joined the party only three years ago and had no organisational experience.

“He had the audacity to criticise Rahul Gandhi who had been at the helm for long and came from a family with a history of supreme sacrifices,” Rathore said.

Thakur termed visits of Rahul to houses of the poor and deprived sections as a “gimmick” because the BJP leaders themselves pursued politics from the comfort of air-conditioned rooms, he alleged.

“Party president Nitin Gadkari could not stand heat of the summer and fainted during a rally organised by the party sometime ago,” he quipped.

Referring to the crusade that Anurag planned to launch against corruption, price rise and deteriorating law and order situation, Rathore said the BJP youth leader should start from Himachal and advise his father PK Dhumal to take action against land mafia, cricket mafia and improve law and order situation in the state.

Shimla, July 4
Awareness camps will be held at all tehsil headquarters in this district on July 6 by the Social Justice and Empowerment Department to sensitise people about the welfare programmes being implemented by the state government.

According to Horticulture Minister Narender Bragta, maximum participation of panchayats would be ensured at these awareness camps so that people could avail the benefits of welfare schemes.

He said the government was committed to the welfare of all sections, especially the weaker sections, and adequate budgetary provisions had been made to safeguard their interests. He added that the BJP regime was making budgetary allocation population wise and every care was being taken to improve the implementation process of these schemes.

The Horticulture Minister asked the officers to incorporate suggestions given by MPs and MLAs so that more and more people could be covered under the ambit of welfare schemes. He said every panchayat of the district had to be covered for selecting eligible persons to be benefited under various welfare schemes and the entire selection process should be transparent.

Shimla, July 4
The Congress has lambasted the BJP government for not raising procurement price for apple under the market intervention scheme despite sharp increase in cost of production, transportation and packaging material.

Vice-president of the Shimla district (rural) unit of the party Guman Singh Chauhan said here today that the cost of packaging material had gone up by 15 per cent to 20 per cent and freight charges by Rs 10 per apple carton. As such, increase in procurement price had become necessary to protect the economic interests of the growers. However, the government had not affected any increase, he added.

Further, harvesting had started but roads in the apple belt were in a bad shape. Roads connecting Theog, Kotkhai, Hatkoti and Rohru were crying for attention and most of the link roads also needed repairs.

Instead of taking steps to solve the problems, Horticulture Minister Narinder Bragta was trying to divert attention by inaugurating projects implemented during the previous Congress regime, he alleged.

Kullu, July 4
To draw attention of passengers coming from different parts of the world, hoteliers and private advertisers have put up huge hoardings on private buildings facing the terminal of the Kullu-Manali airport which is in violation of security and safety norms of the Airport Authority of India (AAI).

The AAI bars advertisers from putting up hoardings facing airport terminal. However, these hoteliers have been blatantly violating the AAI norms. They are cashing in on the arrival of high-end tourists or visitors, getting almost free publicity right at the airport, revealed insiders.

According to the AAI norms, big hoardings put up by four Manali-based hoteliers cost Rs 1.15 lakh per year. However, these hoteliers are running the show free of cost except what they pay to private owners, the sources added.

The AAI has fixed charges for putting billboards inside the terminal buildings. However, it costs 10 times more than what the hoteliers pay to building or petrol station owners, the sources said.

Meanwhile, one of the hoteliers said he had paid a “decent” amount to the private building owner to put up his advertisement.

KM Nehra, in charge, AAI, said the airport authorities would hold a meeting and issue notices to hoteliers and advertisers who were found violating the AAI norms.

“We will take action against them if they continue to flout the prescribed norms,” he asserted.

Shimla, July 4
Reposing confidence in leaders of the state, national BJP president Nitin Gadkari has inducted yet another leader, Mohinder Pande, in the key position of coordinator of all frontal organisation and cells of the party.

He is the fourth leader from the tiny hill state to find place in Gadkari’s team.

He had not only retained veteran leader Shanta Kumar as vice-president, but also appointed the next generation leader JP Nadda as general secretary. Only days ago, he handed over reins of the youth wing of the party to Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur, elder son of Chief Minister PK Dhumal.

It is for the first time that so many leaders from the state have found place in the national body of any political party. Gadkari’s reliance on leaders of Himachal is also indicative of the quality of leadership the party has in the state. Pande has indeed been given an important assignment of coordinator of frontal organisations and cells, a newly created position. Earlier, the job was handled by one of the general secretaries.

He was a front runner for the Rajya Sabha seat thrice but somehow could not make it to the same. However, his induction at the national-level provides a clear indication that the high command acknowledges his services to the party.

Mohinder Pande has been associated with the RSS since his student days and has remained a member of the ABVP for almost a decade after completing his postgraduation in physics from Himachal Pradesh University. He has been holding the important position of organisational secretary in the state BJP since 2003.

With the exit of Pande, the post of organisational secretary has fallen vacant. The post is normally held by a leader from the RSS.

Names of Ajay Jamwal, currently organisational secretary of the BJP in Punjab, Ram Swaroop Sharma, chairman, civil supplies corporation, who had earlier held the post when the party was in power during 1998-03, and Bihari Lal, regional organisational secretary of the ABVP, are in circulation.

Chief Minister PK Dhumal has, so far, not filled the ministerial berth vacated by Nadda who resigned as forest minister after being appointed national general secretary of the party. 

Hamirpur, July 4
While the state government is yet to take a decision regarding absorption of HP State Electricity Board (HPSEB) diploma engineers in different projects undertaken by the HP Power Corporation

(HPPC) after reorganisation of the HPSEB, union of diploma engineers of the board has expressed their resentment over this issue.

Peeved at denial of their absorption in various power projects being implemented by the HPPC, the council of HPSEB diploma engineers has termed this as the first repercussion of division of the the HPSEB and “breach of agreement” by the state with them.

“The HPCC is trying to ignore our interests by not absorbing us in different projects. According to letters issued by it to the HPSEB, dated June 3 and June 22, the HPCC authorities have refused to take diploma engineers in the corporation,” they rued.

“Though we have played a vital role in tapping 20,000 MW hydel power in the state through different projects like the Bhaba, Giri, Bassi, Gaj, Baner and Larji projects, now we are not being considered for deployment in HPCC projects,” they added.

DS Datwalia and Arun Kumar Gupta, president and general secretary, HPSEB Diploma Engineers’ Council, respectively, said, “While we are working on the same post for more than 30 years and have not being absorbed as per agreement. Even in projects which were transferred after reorganisation like Kashang, Renuka, Shong Tong etc of 998 MW to the HPCC from the HPSEB, our category has not been absorbed as per quota.”

Due to this reason, work undertaken by private companies is not being inspected properly and sub-standard work is being carried out, they added.

The council has demanded implementation of agreement reached by the state government with joint front of HPSEB engineers and warned in case this agreement was not implemented, all of them would go back to the HPSEB and would launch a statewide agitation.

Meanwhile, Tarun Kapoor, managing director, HPCC, said, “A few of them are already working with us but the state government has not yet taken any decision to absorb them all.”

Dharamsala, July 4
Tibetans-in-exile today reacted sharply to the statement issued by the Chinese authorities regarding their right to determine the next Dalai Lama.

They said Tibet had been led by different men believed to be the Dalai Lama, reincarnated leaders inhabited by the soul of a Bodhisattva, or enlightened being, for the past 400 years.

The current and the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was forced into exile in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Since then, he had peacefully campaigned for limited autonomy for his homeland. China has, however, been trying to destroy the belief of Tibetans, they said

On Thursday, a senior Communist Party official, in a statement to foreign journalists, said it would stop future Dalai Lamas from causing as much trouble as the 14th Dalai Lama. From now on, the selection of reincarnations, known to the Chinese as living Buddhas, would follow a set process and end with approval from Beijing, he said.

However, Tibetans-in-exile reacted by saying that if China understood the history of Tibet, it would realise there were strict historical conventions and religious rituals for reincarnations of living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism. This was determined as early as the Qing dynasty.

When the Dalai Lama announced in May 1995 that a search inside Tibet had revealed that the 11th reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second most powerful monk in Tibetan Buddhism, communist officials used a method to find their own soul child.

To prevent a repeat of the Panchen problem, the 14th Dalai Lama, who will turn 75 next week, is now reviewing how the faith’s 15th leader should be selected. The methods being considered to stop Beijing from hijacking the succession process include allowing the Dalai Lama to pick his successor before he dies or giving the power to a college of select senior monks.

It is also possible that the Dalai Lama may decide that his successor will be found outside Tibet as it had happened in the case of the fourth and the sixth Dalai Lama.