Shimla, August 25
Electioneering for students’ polls to be held on August 27 has picked up with activists of various outfits resorting to not just door-to-door campaigning but also to sending SMSes to seek votes.

Even though the elections will be held in the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Evening College and three other colleges of the state capital but the entire town is witnessing poll fever as students are seeking votes on the streets and market as well. While the HPU campus and colleges are the hub of political activities during the day, in evening the door-to-door campaigning picks up that goes on till late night.

The exact picture regarding the candidates in the fray cleared up today as the final display of candidates was done. The process of nominations, scrutiny, withdrawal and display of candidates was completed today, HPU officials said. The main players are the ABVP backed by the BJP, the NSUI backed by the Congress and the SFI backed by Communists.

The run up to the elections has so far been peaceful, barring minor skirmishes.

The HPU and college authorities are acting strict in enforcing recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee to ensure peaceful and fair polls. The students are not allowed to disturb classes, paint the campus with slogans or put up huge printed posters. As such, they are relying on hand-written material.

In fact, the ABVP and the SFI are resorting to sending catchy slogans reflecting their ideology and main election issues through SMSes. With almost all students possessing a mobile phone, this is probably the easiest way to put across their viewpoint and introduce the panel.

As per the electoral rolls, there are 2,830 voters in HPU, 3,685 in Rajkiya Kanya Mahavidyalaya (RKMV), 1,184 in Court Shera College, 1,492 in Centre of Excellence, Sanjauli, and 550 in Evening College.

The polling will take place on August 27 and the results will be declared the same evening. 

Shimla, August 25
Chief Minister PK Dhumal today interacted with BJP leaders and workers from the Balh Assembly constituency of Mandi district as part of the party programme launched for better coordination between workers and government.

Dhumal, while interacting with the BJP Mandal from Balh under the “Mukhya Mantri-BJP Mandal Milan” programme here, urged partymen to reach out to people at the grassroots level so that they could be informed about the policies and programmes of the BJP regime.

“All round development has taken place in the state without any kind of discrimination or political considerations so that improved educational, health, drinking water, road and other facilities could be provided to the people at their doorstep,” he said. He said the party workers must highlight the achievements of the government to the public.

Dhumal said Rs 100 crore had been sanctioned for executing the Balh Valley Medium Irrigation scheme. “The ESI medical hospital is being set up at Ner Chowk which will be very beneficial to the people of Mandi district as specialised services will be made available,” he said.

He pointed out that several innovative schemes like the Rs 353 crore poly house scheme offering 90 per cent subsidy, Rs 300 crore Doodh Ganga scheme and Rs 442 crore organic fertiliser project had been launched for promoting the farm and animal husbandry sector. “The main objective behind starting the Mandal Milan programme is to enable workers to establish direct link with the Chief Minister and air their problems for early redressal,” he said.

Senior BJP leaders highlighted development activities that had taken place in Balh and Mandi district.

Solan, August 25
After dilly-dallying for years the much-awaited approval for the construction of a new bridge across the Chikni river at Nalagarh has been accorded by the Ministry of Highways and Surface Transport.

Approval has been granted for Rs 8.23 crore after submission of a detailed project report. The National Highways wing of the Public Works Department would now call tenders and initiate further action.

Officials disclosed that a year’s time would be spent in putting in place a new bridge and since the initial hiccup of approval had been cleared they would speed up the work.

Initially, an estimate of Rs 7.73 crore was prepared, but this was revised to Rs 8.1 crore after a team of officials from the Centre remarked that in lieu of abnormal receding of the riverbed, deep foundation of 15 to 16m would be required to construct a sustainable structure.

Expressing concern over illegal mining, the officials observed that the colossal damage caused by mining had escalated the cost of construction of the new bridge.

Lakhwinder Rana, PCC member, said they had pursued the case with senior Congress leaders in Delhi, including the concerned minister, and this helped in grant of approval. He added that the inconvenience faced by the people would be put to an end with the construction of a new bridge. He lamented the inordinate delay of three years in giving approval for this bridge and said the state government could not petition the case properly before the Centre.

Peeved at the delay, truckers under the leadership of Rana had given a call to initiate a strike if the approval was not granted soon. A delegation had then proceeded to Delhi to meet senior Congress leaders to pursue the case.

Rana said they prevailed upon the Congress leaders that the absence of the bridge led to frequent accidents and breakdown of vehicles as the alternative road was in a poor shape.

Dharamsala, August 25
With Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal slated to lay the foundation stone of Una textile park on August 28, the state does not seem to have lost faith of investors after withdrawal of industrial package. The textile park being developed by the state government in Una district is an illustration to the fact.

Sources in the Department of Industry said 10 big corporate houses have already shown interest in setting up units in the proposed textile park.

Two big corporate that had already decided to bring up units in the proposed textile park were Jindal Medicot and Jindal Speciality Textile. The group was making an investment of Rs 350 crore in the textile park and would generate employment for 2,200 skilled and semi-skilled workers. It would also start an institute to train local labourers in the trade at the park.

The companies would produce export-based basic material used in the textile industry. They would produce radar resistant cloth for the US army and other cotton-based products. The first phase of the said industrial units is likely to start production by December this year, the sources said.

The textile park is being brought in Dhadhal village near Amb subdivision of Una district. The park will be brought up in 70 acres. The state government will spend Rs 108 crore on bringing up infrastructure in the textile park. The government is inviting companies producing basic raw material in the proposed park.

The park is likely to boost the economy of Una district. Una is comparatively a plain area of the state and is bordering Hoshiarpur and Ropar districts of Punjab. It is also the only district of the state that is connected with broad gauge railway line. The broad gauge railway line has reached near Amb subdivision of the district. It is proposed to be linked to the Talwara area of Hoshiarpur district that will provide the area connectivity with Jammu mainline. However, the work for the railway has been progressing at a very tardy phase and lingering since decades due to meagre budget allotted for the project.

The district already has industrial areas at Tahliwal, Mehatpur, Amb and Gagret.

Dharamsala, August 25
Bureaucrats are adding spoke in one rank, one pension scheme for ex-servicemen. Though the UPA government had announced one rank, one pension scheme about a year ago, it has not been implemented.

Vijay Singh Mankotia, president of the state ex-servicemen league, said this while addressing a press conference here today. The Himachal ex-servicemen league has about 1.3 lakh members for the past 25 years.

He alleged that as per information the bureaucrats were not implementing one rank, one pension scheme for ex-servicemen citing reasons for financial liability. According to information, the scheme had a financial liability of Rs 2,000 crore per annum, which was a meagre amount for the Government of India. The bureaucrats also want the scheme to be implemented for their own cadre.

However, the service conditions of servicemen and civil servants are different. The facts have also been conceded by members of the sixth pay commission and the government, Mankotia added.

In case the UPA government does not implement the scheme, it will be betrayal with ex-servicemen in the country, he added.

He said, “I have recently attended a meeting of all India ex-servicemen league. The frustration in ex-servicemen has reached its pinnacle after the MPs raised their own salaries by three times while the government is dithering on paying one rank, one pension to ex-servicemen.”

“Parliament seems to have forgotten the slogan of ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’ given by former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. The MPs by raising their own salaries are betraying both jawans as well as kisans. It is unfortunate that the elected MPs are raising their salaries but 70 per cent of Indian population has an income of less than Rs 20 per day,” Mankotia alleged.

He further alleged that ex-servicemen in the country have already resorted to peaceful method to stir the conscience of the Union government. We have returned the medals of valour and submitted petitions signed with blood of soldier. However, this did not have any impact on the government.

However, ex-servicemen might take to streets to get their right. The government must remember that the soldiers are trained to protect the boundaries of the country. It should not force them to break the discipline and agitate like any other civilian, Mankotia said.

Kangra, August 25
Members of the Himachal Government Teachers’ Union hailed the decision of the state government to retire teachers at the end of the of the academic session and not when they reach the age of retirement if it falls in the middle of the session.

PC Kapoor and Onkar Rana, chairman and secretary-general, respectively, of the union, in a joint statement here yesterday said the decision of the government would not only be beneficial to teachers but would also improve the quality of education in the state.

The union demanded that this decision should be implemented at the earliest so that teachers retiring in the current month could continue to teach the students till the end of the academic session.

The union leaders thanked Chief Minister PK Dhumal and Education Minister ID Dhiman for the decision.

Solan, August 25
An attempt was made to burn a woman by her in-laws by pouring kerosene over her at Balh village in Hanuman Barog panchayat of Arki sub division last evening.

DSP Darlaghat Kuldeep Rana said the woman had sustained 30 per cent burns and had been referred to IGMC, Shimla, after receiving preliminary treatment at PHC Arki.

A case has been registered against her in-laws after she reported that they tried to burn her by throwing kerosene over her last evening.

Earlier, she had approached the SDM Arki with a complaint that her husband was not giving her money due to which she was unable to send her child to school. Though the SDM had summoned her husband but he did not turn up following which she had filed a case under the Domestic Violence Act that was slated to be heard today.

Shimla, August 25
There is need to bring functional and attitudinal change while dealing with cases of mental health, juveniles and domestic violence.

This was stated by Justice DD Sud of the state high court while inaugurating a four-day orientation programme on “Protection of women from the Domestic Violence Act, 2005; the Mental Health Act, 1987; and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000,” at Shimla.

The programme is attended by about 18 judicial officers of the rank of civil judges (senior division)-cum-chief judicial magistrates (CJM), additional CJMs and JMICs.

Justice Sud apprised the participant officers with the provisions of the Acts.