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THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
H I M A C H A L    P R A D E S H    E D I T I O N

CD case: HC verdict a setback to Virbhadra
Shimla, September 3
The high court verdict dismissing the petition for quashing the FIR against Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh in the much-publicised audio-CD case has come as setback for the beleaguered royal couple.

Land compensation: Dhumal urges Centre to intervene
Shimla, September 3
Chief Minister PK Dhumal has urged Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Kamal Nath to intervene and ensure that the villagers whose land was acquired by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for construction of the Sansari Nallah-Killar-Thirot road in Lahaul and Spiti were paid compensation for the land.

Shukla Committee Report
Govt seeks more info on power projects
Shimla, September 3
Concerned over implications of the Shukla Committee report on hydropower development programme in the state, the government today held a high-level meeting to finalise its response to the high court which had set up the committee to examine the environmental fallout of over 100 MW projects.


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Shimla


EARLIER STORIES

‘Suggestions not viable’
Mandi, September 3
Power producers of the state have joined hands in rejecting the Shukla Committee’s recommendations and said they were “not viable”. According to them, 5 km of riparian distance between two projects and stalling all those in the pipeline for allotment on this ground would delay projects by three years and Himachal would lose 70 per cent of the projects listed for allotment.

Tikender Panwar CPM threatens stir over apple issue
Shimla, September 3
State unit of the CPM has lambasted the Dhumal government for its failure to make adequate arrangements for marketing of the bumper apple crop. It has threatened to launch a stir if effective steps were not taken to end the shortage of packaging material and trucks within a week.
                                                                         Tikender Panwar

Heavy showers behind growers’ woes: Bragta
Shimla, September 3
Citing heavy rains during the current monsoon season as the reason behind problems being faced by the apple growers, Horticulture Minister Narinder Bragta today condemned the negative attitude of the Opposition parties, the Congress and the CPM, which have been politicising the issue.

Sham Brij Lok Kala Manch artistes from Mathura present a colourful programme on the closing day celebrations of the district-level Janmashtmi fair at Jassur, near Nurpur, on Thursday.
Sham Brij Lok Kala Manch artistes from Mathura present a colourful programme on the closing day celebrations of the district-level Janmashtmi fair at Jassur, near Nurpur, on Thursday. Photo: Rajiv Mahajan

Development of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area
Govt mulls merger of urban bodies
Solan, September 3
Even as the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial area has drawn investment worth crores, the sluggish pace of development has left both investors and the authorities discontented.

Arrangements in place for Manimahesh yatra
Chamba, September 3
The state government has, so far, spent nearly Rs one crore on arrangements being made for the pilgrims during the ongoing Manimahesh pilgrimage in Bharmour mountainous region of Chamba district in the state.

Dalai Lama against cage poultry farming
Dharamsala, September 3
The exiled Tibetan leader Dalai Lama has come out against cage poultry farming. He has expressed concern over the cruelty of confining egg-laying hens in tiny cages in factories and appealed to people to switch to cage-free eggs.

Balakrupee PWD division inaugurated
Palampur, September 3
IPH Minister Ravinder Thakur today inaugurated a new division of HP PWD at Balakrupee near here. With the opening of this division, the number of PWD (B&R) divisions has gone to nine in the district.

Hamir Utsav
Bollywood singer Mahaluxmi Ayer performs on the second day of the Hamir Utsav in Hamirpur on Thursday. Ayer weaves magical spell
Hamirpur, September 3
The second cultural evening of the Hamir Utsav saw famous Bollywood playback singer Mahaluxmi Ayer enthralling the audience with her mellifluous voice on Thursday night.



Bollywood singer Mahaluxmi Ayer performs on the second day of the Hamir Utsav in Hamirpur on Thursday. Photo by the writer

Trade unions to protest on Sept 7
Hamirpur, September 3
The district unit of joint coordination committee of trade unions have decided to join the nationwide strike being observed throughout the country on September 7.

Woman sets herself on fire
Bilaspur, September 3
Neha Kumari, a resident of Palthin village in Auhar gram panchayat near here under the Ghumarwin police station, allegedly set herself on fire last night and was grievously injured in the process.

15 hurt in mishap
Solan, September 3
As many as 15 passengers, including four women and a child, were injured when an HRTC bus (HP-03-B-2167), en route Shalaghat to Baddi, fell into a 100-ft-deep gorge near Badhlag village falling under the Kasauli police station around 10 am this morning.

One held with pirated CDs
Sundernagar, September 3
The police today nabbed Rajender Kumar of Kaloha in Rakkar tehsil of Kangra district while selling pirated VCDs and DVDs here.

 

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CD case: HC verdict a setback to Virbhadra
Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 3
The high court verdict dismissing the petition for quashing the FIR against Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife Pratibha Singh in the much-publicised audio-CD case has come as setback for the beleaguered royal couple.

The judgment has come at a time when the five-time Chief Minister, who has been calling shots in the party all these years, is being sidelined. The legal battle on the issue has still quite someway to go, but the political fallout could be serious for the veteran leader, if he fails to get any relief from the Supreme Court and charges are indeed framed against him in the lower court. More so, as his detractors within the party are already gunning for his scalp and keen to see his exit from the Union Cabinet.

The verdict has come as a shot in the arm of Chief Minister PK Dhumal, who has all through been maintaining that the case had not been registered to wreak vengeance on the main political opponent, but based on concrete evidence. A favourable judgment would have vindicated Virbhadra Singh’s stand that it was a politically motivated case.

His wife Pratibha Singh has already suffered politically because of the audio CD and it was one of the main reasons that weighed with the high command while denying her ticket from the Rohru seat. She would have been a natural choice, as Rohru has been a pocket borough of Virbhadra Singh, who resigned after his election to the Lok Sabha from Mandi.

The development could also have implications for the impending election of the Pradesh Congress Committee Chief due later this month. The Virbhadra Singh camp has been at the receiving end during the organisational poll and the court verdict would only weaken its position. He has been opposing the candidature of the present incumbent Kaul Singh, who has emerged as the frontrunner for the post.

However, he may not been in a good position to influence the high command on the choice of the new party chief after the verdict. The newly elected delegates were likely to follow the established convention of adopting a one-line resolution authorising the party supremo Sonia Gandhi to pick the next incumbent.

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Land compensation: Dhumal urges Centre to intervene
Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 3
Chief Minister PK Dhumal has urged Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Kamal Nath to intervene and ensure that the villagers whose land was acquired by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for construction of the Sansari Nallah-Killar-Thirot road in Lahaul and Spiti were paid compensation for the land.

Making a formal request, he informed the Union Minister that the local tribal people had also raised the matter before the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes that had passed the necessary directions for payment of the land compensation amounting to Rs 7,16,81,292 to the stakeholders. The land was acquired in Madgram village way back in 1982-83.

The CM said the road stretch was constructed by the BRO, keeping in view its strategic importance in providing connectivity to the Jammu region, especially during the winter months when the Valley remained cut off due to heavy snow. The cultivable land in the tribal areas was very limited and people were emotionally attached to it.

He said since the tribal people had parted with their most valuable possessions to pave the way for the construction of the strategic road link, they deserved to be compensated adequately. The issue had been pending since the time BRO traced the road through the village. The road was handed over to the State Public Works Department in 2007 for maintenance and improvement by the BRO with clear understanding that all commitments and liabilities would be borne by the Government of India.

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Shukla Committee Report
Govt seeks more info on power projects
Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 3
Concerned over implications of the Shukla Committee report on hydropower development programme in the state, the government today held a high-level meeting to finalise its response to the high court which had set up the committee to examine the environmental fallout of over 100 MW projects.

The meeting, chaired by Chief Secretary Rajwant Sandhu and attended by senior officers, discussed the recommendations of the committee at length.

It was decided that more information be sought from the departments concerned to have an exact idea of the implications before formalising the government’s stand, on the basis of which affidavit will be filed in the high court.

The departments were asked to compile detailed information regarding the status of the various hydroelectric projects being implemented in the state in public and private sector, the projects to be affected by the recommendations and the likely loss if a few of them were to be cancelled.

Information was also sought regarding the actual loss of forest cover and impact on environment so that a proper rational view could be taken.

The government is keen to ensure that the report did not stall implementation of the projects as hydropower is its major resource.

Already projects with aggregate generation capacity of 6,700 MW have been commissioned and five more of 400 MW are expected to become operational by the end of the year, followed by the 1,000-MW Karcham Wangtu project, which is scheduled to be completed by March 2011.

Similarly, projects of 2,500-MW capacity, which are in advanced stage and are to be commissioned within the 11th Plan, will not be affected by the report.

The report had recommended a minimum riparian distance of 5 km between two projects on the same river and that environment impact assessment be carried out basin-wise instead of the existing project-wise.

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‘Suggestions not viable’
Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Mandi, September 3
Power producers of the state have joined hands in rejecting the Shukla Committee’s recommendations and said they were “not viable”. According to them, 5 km of riparian distance between two projects and stalling all those in the pipeline for allotment on this ground would delay projects by three years and Himachal would lose 70 per cent of the projects listed for allotment.

A Division Bench, headed by Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjay Karol, put the Shukla Committee report on record and directed the power producers to file a reply before October 1, the next date of hearing.

The court also directed them to raise 10 times more trees than being cut down for construction of power projects.

The power producers have joined hands, lobbying hard with the government, to oppose the recommendations.

According to them, since most of the hydel projects are underground, they would not cause much damage to the environment.

“If a river gets 15 per cent of the flow discharge throughout the year, there is no need for maintaining 5 km distance between the head race tunnel of one project and intake of the other,” engineers from the Department of Energy claimed.

The power producers also opposed “basin-wise” study that has been given 18 months’ time by the high court, saying that it would delay the projects by three more years.

“The delay will cost an annual revenue loss of Rs 1,500 crore,” they rued.

Meanwhile, they welcomed the committee’s recommendations to appoint a “body of experts” to give its advice on the matter.

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CPM threatens stir over apple issue
Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 3
State unit of the CPM has lambasted the Dhumal government for its failure to make adequate arrangements for marketing of the bumper apple crop. It has threatened to launch a stir if effective steps were not taken to end the shortage of packaging material and trucks within a week.

Member of the State Secretariat of the party, Tikender Panwar, said the lapse on the part of the government was unpardonable as estimates by the Horticulture Department had indicated in June itself that over 3.25 crore boxes of apple were likely to be produced.

Growers were paying the price for the callous approach of the administration which failed to arrange adequate number of trucks and packaging material. He said a deputation of the party would soon meet Chief Minister PK Dhumal and submit a memorandum on the problems being faced by the apple growers and if no action was taken on it, a state-wide stir would follow as almost 50 per cent of the crop was yet to be marketed.

The problem was compounded as the government decided to close its Gumma carton factory and allowed marketing of apple boxes and trays by private companies who formed a cartel to exploit the growers. With the closure of the public sector unit, there was no way the government could intervene to stabilise price of cartons. As a result, the cartons which cost Rs 25 to Rs 30 per piece were now being sold for Rs 45 to Rs 60 each.

Similarly, the prices of trays have also gone up from Rs 2.95 to Rs 6.50 per tray from the semi-auto plants, and from Rs 4.95 to Rs 8 per tray from the automatic plants.

The activities of two the nodal agencies — HPMC and HIMFED — had been curtailed, which has led to acute shortage of packaging material.

Slump in the market has brought down prices to such levels that most growers would not be able to recover even the cost of production.

According to experts, an expenditure of over Rs 270 per box is incurred on post-harvest handling, whereas average returns for various grade and variety of fruits ranged from Rs 140 to Rs 500 per box.

Roads were in bad shape and long traffic jams had become a common feature in Rohru-Kotkhai-Theog-Shimla highway, the lifeline of the apple belt.

Panwar blamed substandard quality of construction for poor condition of most roads as the surface came off within a year and there was no accountability. The government was not very keen to make procurement under the market intervention scheme (MIS) as evident from the fact that collection centres were not made functional initially, he added.

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Heavy showers behind growers’ woes: Bragta
Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 3
Citing heavy rains during the current monsoon season as the reason behind problems being faced by the apple growers, Horticulture Minister Narinder Bragta today condemned the negative attitude of the Opposition parties, the Congress and the CPM, which have been politicising the issue.

He said traffic jams were inevitable when thousands of trucks have to pass through a road within a short span of time. The government had taken requisite measures to stabilise the landslide-prone stretches of the Theog-Kotkhai-Hatkoti road, which were being widened to ensure a smooth flow of traffic. However, a few spots could not be taken care of. The government deployed adequate machinery and manpower to promptly open the roads blocked due to landslides.

He maintained that there was no shortage of cartons and those who were complaining about it were themselves responsible for it, as they had not placed orders with state agencies like HPMC and HIMFED, which had made all required arrangements for supply.

He added that over two crore boxes had been marketed so far, which could not have been possible if packaging material and trucks were not made available. Regarding the low returns, he said not only Himachal but the entire northern region had also been experiencing rain which did impact the trading of apples. The prices depended on a host of other factors which were beyond ones control.

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Development of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area
Govt mulls merger of urban bodies
Ambika Sharma

Solan, September 3
Even as the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial area has drawn investment worth crores, the sluggish pace of development has left both investors and the authorities discontented.

Though the BBN Development Authority (BBNDA) governed the BBN area and the area had two local urban bodies (ULBs) at Baddi and Nalagarh, it was the lack of coordination that was acting as an impediment.

The government is now exploring the possibility of consolidating the two ULBs with the BBNDA so as to bring about a coordinated approach for smoother development of the BBN area.

According to sources in the Urban Development Department, an exercise was underway in this direction and deliberations were being held to make it workable.

With more than 70 per cent of the industries being housed in the BBN area, the state derived its image from it and it was showcased as its industrial capital. However, with the deplorable condition of the roads, bridges and the other infrastructure, it has failed to be in sync with the industrial growth.

The sources said issues like devolution of powers to the BBNDA after the merger of the two ULBs into it were being deliberated at length so that a unidirectional approach could be adopted. The presence of a single regulatory body would help achieve the basic objective of unhindered development, as it was being felt that multiplicity of agencies was hampering speedier development.

The issue had generated much heat among the locals, who were opposing it. The Urban Developemnt Department had been directed to ponder over the crucial issue that was supposed to improve the image of this industrial capital of the state. It would soon submit a report over the issue. Having drawn an investment of Rs 42,000 crore, the state was now being considered a developing industrial state.

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Arrangements in place for Manimahesh yatra
Our Correspondent

Chamba, September 3
The state government has, so far, spent nearly Rs one crore on arrangements being made for the pilgrims during the ongoing Manimahesh pilgrimage in Bharmour mountainous region of Chamba district in the state.

Chamba Deputy Commissioner Devesh Kumar said in order to conserve the ecology of the area en route Manimahesh Lake, appropriate steps had been taken for keeping up the sanitary conditions, so that the sanctity of the sacrosanct place could be preserved.

“A register is being maintained by officials making entry of pilgrims at the entrance gate at Hadsar from where the climb to Manimahesh starts, so as to reckon the daily number of pilgrims visiting the holy place,” stated the DC.

Meanwhile, Chamba SP Madhu Sudan Sharma said police personnel were giving thrust on providing essential information and guidance required.

Besides managing parking arrangements, the SP said frisking of pilgrims’ luggage at identified points on the itinerary of Manimahesh was being conducted from the security point of view.

Jumbo security arrangements had been made for the smooth conduct of Manimahesh pilgrimage, said the SP.

In addition to it, a checkpoint at Karian had been set up to count the number of vehicles of the pilgrims, said the SP, adding that number of the pilgrims had been continuously increasing although the concluding date of the pilgrimage was September 15.

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Dalai Lama against cage poultry farming
Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, September 3
The exiled Tibetan leader Dalai Lama has come out against cage poultry farming. He has expressed concern over the cruelty of confining egg-laying hens in tiny cages in factories and appealed to people to switch to cage-free eggs.

“The abuse we inflict on hens has always been particularly disturbing to me, and I have always been concerned about how these animals are treated in industrial food production. I was troubled to learn from my friends about the practice of confining egg-laying hens in tiny cages,” the Dalai Lama said in an appeal letter posted on the website of the Humane Society International.

The animal rights group has launched a campaign against the practice of factory-style egg farming in which birds are cramped into cages.

“In these cages, birds cannot engage in their natural behaviours such as spreading their wings, laying eggs in a nesting area, perching, stretching at the ground and even standing on a solid surface. Each hen has less space to live in than the very sheet of paper I have written this letter on,” he said.

“Turning these defenceless animals into egg-producing machines with no consideration for their welfare, is a degradation of our own humanity. Switching to cage-free eggs would reduce the suffering of these animals,” he said.

“Tibetans have a rich history of protecting the most vulnerable in society and opposing cruelty, which is why it is natural for me to encourage the change to cage-free eggs. Following in this tradition, I hope compassion and kindness will prevail in this matter,” he added.

Countries like Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Norway have already banned battery cages that confine hens. Other countries, including those in the European Union, are phasing out battery cages and there would be a total ban by 2012.

In the US, while states like Michigan and California have passed similar laws to sell cage-free eggs by 2015, agriculture leaders in Ohio have agreed to a moratorium on the construction of the new cage facilities.

However, it remains to be seen if the appeal of the Dalai Lama phases out cage eggs or chicken from McLeodganj, the headquarters of the Tibetan-government-in-exile.

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Balakrupee PWD division inaugurated
Our Correspondent

Palampur, September 3
IPH Minister Ravinder Thakur today inaugurated a new division of HP PWD at Balakrupee near here. With the opening of this division, the number of PWD (B&R) divisions has gone to nine in the district.

“With opening of this division in the backward area of Changer, the construction of roads and buildings will gear up,” said Thakur.

He said earlier the Changer area was attached with Baijnath division of PWD, which was quite far from the place and the development of the region was neglected. Therefore, the residents of the area were demanding setting up of a new division in the area.

He said special emphasis would be laid on the construction of the new roads and metalling of all existing roads. He said the government was providing necessary budget.

HPPWD engineer-in-chief NL Sharma said over Rs 2,000 crore would be spent on the construction, widening and metalling of the roads in the state. He said the World Bank, NABARD and the Union Government under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna had funded most of the projects. He said online tending of the new projects had already been taken up in the state.

With an objective to bring transparency and avoid the pooling of the tenders by contractors, all new projects would be awarded through online tenders in a phased manner.

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Hamir Utsav
Ayer weaves magical spell
Dharam Prakash Gupta

Hamirpur, September 3
The second cultural evening of the Hamir Utsav saw famous Bollywood playback singer Mahaluxmi Ayer enthralling the audience with her mellifluous voice on Thursday night.

Ayer made a grand entry at about 10 pm with the colourful song “Desh mera rangila” from the film Fanaa. She went on to sing evergreen songs such as “Sham teri bansi pukare Radha naam” and “Solah baras ki bali umar ko salam”, originally sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

Ayer was quite sentimental to sing the song “Kabhi sham dhale to mere dil me a jana” from the film Sur, which had catapulted her to success.

Later, Ayer was joined by another singer Shrimans.

The duo was at their best in singing “Jai ho”, the Oscar-winning song composed by AR Rehman.

Earlier, artistes from the North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala, presented folk dances from states such as Rajasthan and Punjab. Himachal girl Rekha Chauhan and other singers, through their rendition of pahari songs, also regaled the audience.

Irrigation and Public Health Minister Ravinder Singh Ravi was the chief guest on the occasion. Nadaunta MLA Baldev Sharma and other dignitaries were also present on this occasion. They were presented mementos by Hamirpur Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Jain.

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Trade unions to protest on Sept 7
Tribune News Service

Hamirpur, September 3
The district unit of joint coordination committee of trade unions have decided to join the nationwide strike being observed throughout the country on September 7.

District president of the committee Pradeep Minhas, in a press release issued here, said this decision was taken after a joint meeting of the trade unions.

The trade unions are demanding immediate steps to check price rise, implementation of labour laws, not to allow direct foreign investment in pubic sector companies, to provide social security to unorganised sector labour, to declare anganwadi workers as government employees and to stop privatisation of insurance sector.

The joint committee has appealed to various sections of society to join the campaign against the economic policies of the Central government.

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Woman sets herself on fire
Our Correspondent

Bilaspur, September 3
Neha Kumari, a resident of Palthin village in Auhar gram panchayat near here under the Ghumarwin police station, allegedly set herself on fire last night and was grievously injured in the process.

Members of her family woke up after hearing her shrieks from the courtyard of the house and tried to save her. Reports said Neha was immediately rushed to regional hospital here and was later referred to the IGMC, Shimla.

Neha, daughter of Arun Sharma of Gangad village, Jaisinghpur, Kangra district, had married Rajesh Kumar of Palthin village. According to the reports, Neha and Rajesh had probably married against wishes of their parents and were not of the same caste. They had married in the court only on August 13 this year.

DSP Sanjay Sharma said Neha was not in position to depose anything in the matter and nobody from both the families had complained to the police till now. The police has registered a case and is investigating the matter.

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15 hurt in mishap
Our Correspondent

Solan, September 3
As many as 15 passengers, including four women and a child, were injured when an HRTC bus (HP-03-B-2167), en route Shalaghat to Baddi, fell into a 100-ft-deep gorge near Badhlag village falling under the Kasauli police station around 10 am this morning.

Kasauli SHO Vikram Chauhan said the accident occurred while the driver was trying to reverse the bus. He ignored warning of the conductor and continued to reverse it, leading to the accident. Out of the 25 passengers who had boarded the bus, 15 received injuries and were treated at Chandi primary heath centre. One was referred to Regional Hospital, Solan, and another to the IGMC, Shimla.

While further investigations were underway, a case under Sections 279 and 337 of the IPC has been registered against driver Naresh Kumar.

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One held with pirated CDs
Our Correspondent

Sundernagar, September 3
The police today nabbed Rajender Kumar of Kaloha in Rakkar tehsil of Kangra district while selling pirated VCDs and DVDs here.

According to the police, a case under Sections 51, 53 and 68 of the Copyright Act has been registered against the accused.

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