Shimla, October 1
With the Himachal Pradesh High Court not providing any relief to Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh in the much-publicised audio-CD case, the five-time Chief Minister is bracing himself for a protracted legal battle to vindicate himself.

He has all through been maintaining that it was a politically motivated case and inadmissible evidence had been collected by the investigating agency to frame him and his wife Pratibha Singh. He has already indicated that he would take further action in the matter after obtaining a copy of the challan and the options include approaching the trial court, again approaching the high court or moving the Supreme Court.

He sees a hope in the observation of the high court that the “trial court will not take cognisance in a mechanical manner on the material collected by the investigating agency in its report under Section 173 of the CrPC and that the matter so collected will be judicially scrutinised and analysed before taking into cognisance”.

The judgment has come at a time when the former Chief Minister, who has been calling shots in the party for the past three decades, is being cornered. The legal battle on the issue has a long way to go but the political fallout can be serious for the veteran leader if he finally fails to get a favourable verdict and charges are indeed framed against him in the lower court. He has dominated the political stage far too long and his detractors within the party are already gunning for his scalp.

Chief Minister PK Dhumal is upbeat. He 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. However, the battle has only begun and will take many rounds and years to conclude.

Shimla, October 1
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has transferred 12 officers of the state judiciary.According to the notification issued by the high court, DS Khenal, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mandi, has been transferred and is posted as Special Secretary (Law) to the state government. Whereas Rakesh Kainthla, Presiding Officer, Fast Track Court, Kullu, on his appointment as Additional District and Sessions Judge has been transferred and posted as Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mandi.

While Jitender Kumar Sharma, Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-CJM, Kangra at Dharamsala has been posted as Additional District and Sessions Judge (I), Kangra at Dharamsala.

Purender Vaidya, Presiding Officer, Fast Track Court, Kangra at Dharamsala has been posted as Additional District and Sessions Judge (II), Kangra at Dharamsala. Whereas RK Verma, Presiding Officer, Fast Track Court, Ghumarwin, has been posted as Joint Director, HP Judicial Academy, Shimla.

Rajinder Kumar Sharma, Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-CJM, Una, has been posted as Presiding Officer, Fast Track Court, Ghumarwin.

Baldev Singh, Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-CJM, Shimla, has been posted as Presiding Officer, Fast Track Court, Kangra at Dharamsala. While RK Chaudhary, Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-CJM, Bilaspur, has been posted as Presiding Officer, Fast Track Court, Kullu.

Pradeep Singh Samyal, Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-JMIC (I), Shimla, is posted as Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-CJM, Shimla. While RK Tomar, Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-JMIC (I), Nurpur, has been transferred and posted as Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-CJM, Una.

Ajay Mehta, Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-JMIC (I), Paonta Sahib, is transferred and posted as Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-CJM, Kangra at Dharamsala. Whereas Pune Ram, Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-JMIC (I), Rohru, has been transferred and 
posted as Civil Judge (Senior Division)-cum-CJM, Bilaspur. 

Shimla, October 1
Sensing relevance of an aggressive marketing campaign, the Himachal Tourism will hold a roadshow in New Delhi after the Commonwealth Games with a special thrust on attracting film producers from Mumbai and South to its picturesque locations.

Huge hoardings have already been put up outside five-star hotels, metro stations and prominent places to attract tourists, especially foreigners to Himachal.

The department has also launched an electronic catalogue, giving details about each and every tourist destination in the state, along with picturesque photographs.

In fact, the catalogue is a compilation of several brochures that have been prepared separately about various circuits like tourism, Buddhism, wildlife, forts, palaces and adventure tourism. Copies of the recent publications of the department, including the coffee table book on Shimla “Har ghar kuch kehta hai” and a book on cemeteries and churches of the hill state, have also been sent to various embassies in Delhi.

The road show will showcase the diverse tourist destinations that the state has to offer. “We are keen that film producers choose various locations in Himachal for shooting their films and we have the best to offer them,” said Director, Tourism, Arun Sharma.

Despite some of the hit films of not only yesteryears, but also recent flicks like “Black”, by acclaimed director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, being extensively shot in Himachal, film units do not prefer Himachal. In fact, the proposal to set up a film city for the last so many years has failed to take off.

The six sites at Baddi, Shoja (Kullu), Saketi (Sirmour), Baragoan (Manali), Jhatingiri (Mandi) and Bilaspur had been advertised to enable setting up of health resorts, spa and film city. The six sites, for which expressions of interest have yet to be floated, could fulfil such requirements.

“Now, the thinking is to have a marketing strategy, which will target international clients. We are now working on a coffee-table book “Unforgettable Himachal” that will showcase the diverse and vibrant places of interest that the state has for the tourists,” said Sharma.

The earlier coffee-table book, “Har ghar kuch kehta hai” has been very well received and there is a lot of demand for the book that brings out the best that the erstwhile summer capital of the British has to offer. While other states like Kerala, Rajasthan and even Uttarakhand have been able to make tourism their mainstay, Himachal despite being endowed with abundant natural beauty has not been able to turn tourism into industry in the true sense.

Dharamsala, October 1
Excessive demand of land for the Himachal Pradesh Central University might delay the project as sources here said the authorities concerned had demanded 7,000-kanal of land for the campus at Dehra and Dharamsala of which, only 1,000 kanals would be the constructed area while the remaining is supposed to be a green area.

The state has asked officials of the Central University to scale down the demand. The authorities are of the view that if the Central University officials did not scale down their demand, it would be difficult for them to get clearance from the Special Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court.

The land being offered to the university by the state is forestland; so over 20,000 trees on the land may be axed. Therefore, the SC committee may not give the clearance.

State officials said since the Central University would just have 1,000-kanal constructed area, they should restrict their demand to just 3,000 or at the most 4,000 kanals.

Though the town and country planning rules restrict buildings to four-storey level due to seismic concerns in Dharamsala, there are no such restrictions in Dehra. The university authorities should plan the building vertically to save the land, especially in hills. As per the notification issued by the Centre, the university would come up both in Dharamsala and Dehra.

Dharamsala will have the administrative headquarters and some colleges of Humanities and Management while Dehra will have colleges of Science and Technology. The state has been asked to transfer the land at Dharamsala, Dehra and simultaneously to the Central University authorities. The university will start its first session this month at the new government college building in the Shahpur area that has been given as a temporary campus to the university. However, the construction of the permanent complex would take longer. 

Hamirpur, October 1
The Himachal Pradesh Medical Officers’ Association (HPMOA) has threatened to launch a statewide agitation if their demands are not considered by the state government at the earliest.

Talking to mediapersons after holding a state-level meeting here last evening, HPMOA president Dr Ajay Dutta, general secretary Dr Jiva Nand Chauhan and other office-bearers of the association said, “We have been fighting for our genuine demands for several years. However, nothing much has been done in this regard which has forced us to consider launching a statewide stir.”

Demanding scrapping of appointment of medical officers through Rogi Kalyan Samiti (RKS), they said, “It is unfortunate for medical officers to get appointed through the RKS for class I posts. One-time relaxation should be given to doctors appointed through the RKS for their regularisation and they should be regularised after two years of service.”

The other demands highlighted by the HPMOA are restructuring of cadre in the health department, restoration of PG policy before 2008 and 100 per cent reservation of seats of HPHS cadre on Punjab pattern for PG, increment for PG for all posts, 6 per cent rural health allowance, 10 per cent HRA and removal of HAS officers from the health directorate. 

Shimla, October 1
The Industries Department is identifying land to create a “land bank” for setting up industries in the state, said Industries Minister Kishan Kapoor while presiding over a review meeting of the Industries and Mining Department here today.

Kapoor said the government was laying main emphasis on the interior areas and the land bank scheme would go a long way in achieving this goal. It would reduce the pressure on land in the existing industrial belts and help accelerating the pace of industrialisation in other areas, Kapoor added.

He said the government was encouraging agro-based industries so that raw material could be utilised to benefit the farmers of the state. The state had felicitated the entrepreneurs to establish the industrial units through the state-level Single Window Clearance and Monitoring Authority. He directed the officers to monitor the status of the industrial units that had been sanctioned.

The minister said in the past last 32 months, 3,461 units had been sanctioned with an investment of Rs 13,635.3 crore that would generate employment to 1.3 lakh people. He said Rs 6120.92 crore had been invested in 2,616 units hitherto by providing employment to 37,000 people.

He said the Centre had agreed to set up Rs 70.54 crore, a bulk drug and pharma cluster unit in the Baddi industrial area under which a public effluent treatment plant, maintenance and improvement of roads would be provided. Also, it had sanctioned a mini-tool room and training centre at Baddi.

He said the officers had been directed to undertake regular patrolling of the areas under their jurisdiction to keep a check on illegal mining. 

Hamirpur, October 1
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) chief Kaul Singh Thakur has criticised the state government for not utilising the funds provided by the Centre for the state.Talking to mediapersons at Deoth-Sidh yesterday, Thakur said: “Though the Centre has granted Rs 1,000 crore to the state under the NREGA scheme, the state has only spent Rs 625 crore.”

He said: “The present government in the state had been giving shelter to land mafia and Section 118 of the Land Tenancy Act is being violated by giving land to builders.”

Demanding a CBI probe into the examination scam, Thakur said: “This is one of the biggest scams in the HP Education Board, but the board chairman has not tendered his resignation and demanded a CBI probe into it.”

Condemning setting up of private universities in the state, HPCC chief said: “The BJP has been giving permission to open universities like sweetshops and many such shops have been given lease on pittance. After coming to power, the Congress would extend the change of land use period by these universities from 15 to 50 years,” he added.

He said, “The issue of HPCC president would be decided by AICC president Sonia Gandhi and all Congressmen would abide by her choice.” He said: “The Congressmen are geared up for the coming panchayat polls.”