Mandi, March 28
The yellow rust, a fungal disease, has destroyed over 60 per cent wheat crop in the central region this season.

Farmers demanded a compensation for the crop loss due to wheat seeds of substandard quality which were supplied by the agricultural department. The CPM has demanded a probe into the “wheat seed scam”.

The farmers blamed the department for the destruction of the wheat crop this year, saying that they were supplied “three substandard hybrid seed varieties procured from Punjab and Haryana”. The wheat crop had turned yellow and bore no wheat pinnacle and more than 60 per cent of crop had been destroyed, they resented.

The most affected are farmers in the fertile Balh valley, Sundernagar, Dharampur and Gopalpur blocks and parts of the Joginderngar in the district. More than 60 per cent of the wheat crop has perished by the yellow rust, rued Joginder Thakur and Balwant Rana, farmers from Balh and Sundarnagar.

The farmers said they had sown three hybrid wheat seed varieties- PBW-502, PBW-343, PBW-373- in the lower region this year. They had bought these from the agricultural department.

In fact, the department has procured about 14,000 quintal of hybrid seeds from the Haryana Seed Corporation and NAFED and sold it to the farmers for sowing this year.

The farmers had sown over 21,000 quintal of seeds in the 66,373 hectares area under the wheat crop in the district. The rest of the seeds were of traditional varieties, which had not been affected by the fungal disease, the farmers said.

On the other hand, backing the farmers, CPM general secretary Bhupender Singh demanded a probe into the wheat seed scam. “The farmers have the right to sow seeds of their choice, but the department has procured substandard seeds which is a big scam”, he charged.

Deputy director, agriculture, Dr Manmohan, said the yellow rust had destroyed over 50 per cent of wheat crop this time. The main reason is the humid winter weather and the fluctuating temperatures that produced conducive condition for the yellow rust to flourish, he added. He said the crop in the higher hills had not been affected. The three hybrid varieties were more prone to the rust as these had been used in Punjab over the last three to four years. The farmers had been advised to spray insecticides to arrest the fungal attack on the crop, but very few did it, he added.

He said the seeds were procured to the farmers after the agricultural university had recommended it. The hybrid seeds were changed after every third year, he added. “We are assessing the total loss caused by the yellow rust and submit the report to the government”, he added.

Shimla, March 28
With the UK High Commission rejecting the request of the Himachal Police to get back the George Cross, which had been stolen from Bilaspur district, the CID has now been left with the only option of investigating the case as per the law of the land.

It is reliably learnt that the efforts made by the CID to get back the George Cross, stolen from the house of Brahmi Devi, widow of Naik Kirpa Ram of the 8th Battalion of the 13th Frontier Force Rifles in 1946, to India with the help of the Interpol and the UK police by sending the case details through the Ministry of External Affairs have failed to yield the desired results.

“The UK police has informed us that the theft of the George Cross does not fit into criminal arbitration and it should be pursued as per law of the land in India,” admitted a senior police official.

About 10 days back, the CID arrested some persons named in the FIR registered in Bilaspur and interrogated the prime accused Goga Jain and Kripal Singh. Even though a case of theft had been registered in Bilaspur on the complaint of Brahmi Devi in February 2002, a fresh case was registered after the George Cross came up for auction in London last year.

The main accused in the case is Ashok Nath, who is based in London and now is the owner of the George Cross. Efforts had been made by the CID to get the George Cross back through diplomatic channels from London and return it to Brahmi Devi. The George Cross was to be auctioned in London on December 2, 2009, but due to the efforts of the police, the auction was stalled.

Besides Ashok Nath, the name of Goga Jain, a Delhi-based antiques dealer, also figures in the FIR. The CID had interrogated Jain and Kripal Singh, a Moga-based dealer, who is an important link in the conspiracy. The accused have in their possession an affidavit stating that the medal was gifted by Brahmi Devi, but the police has challenged its authenticity.

The Bilapsur police registered a fresh case of cheating and forgery after the medal came up for auction in 2009. Brahmi Devi had, however, told the police that she had never gifted the medal to anyone and it was stolen from her house. The news of the auction of the George Cross, awarded posthumously to Kirpa Ram in 1946, had created ripples as his widow had got a police compliant registered that the medal had been stolen in 2002.

Shimla, March 28
The Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (HPPSC) has decided to launch online application facility for recruitment to various posts from April.

The secretary of the commission, Anita Tegta, said the online application filing system would be user-friendly to enable candidates to upload their biodata, photograph and signature and also download the admit card. So far the online application facility had been available only for the HP Judicial Services examination since 2008.

She added that the fee for the examination would also be deposited through e-challan in any branch of Punjab National Bank. The candidate would have to download the e-challan and take it to the bank to deposit cash .

Tegta said the detailed instructions for filling online applications would be made available on the website of the commission for the guidance of the candidates. The candidates can avail information on the website of the commission (www.hp.gov.in/hppsc).

Dharamsala, March 28
Bollywood actor and former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen visited the Dalai Lama at McLeodganj today. Private secretary of the Dalai Lama told newspersons that Sushmita Sen had just come to seek his blessings. She was presented with Khata, a traditional white scarf, by the Dalai Lama.

Sushmita Sen, who is on a private visit to Dharamsala, arrived here last evening. She is putting up at Asia Health Resorts in the Stoberry area of Dharamsala.

In a short interaction with mediapersons in front of the house of the Dalai Lama, Sushmita Sen said: “It was my dream to meet the Tibetan spiritual guru. The dream has now been fulfilled.”

She also said till the people like the Dalai Lama were here peace would prevail on earth.

Shimla, March 28
Chief Minister PK Dhumal defended chief parliamentary secretary Sukh Ram for defusing the tense situation in Paonta Sahib. He said a sub-inspector and a head constable had been suspended for dereliction of duty as they failed to take action in time.

The issue was raised by Kaul Singh of the Congress, who drew the attention to the role of the CPS after Dhumal gave details of the incident making a suo motu statement in the Vidhan Sabha which reassembled today after a nine-day recess.

Kaul Singh alleged that Sukh Ram had convened a meeting of the Bahti community and asserted that no action would be taken against those who damaged the houses of the Dalits. Such a conduct was unbecoming of a person occupying a responsible position in the government. He should have said in unambiguous terms that all those guilty of violence from rival groups would be brought to the book.

He maintained that the violence could have been averted if the police had taken prompt action on a complaint lodged by one of the parties. He demanded a judicial inquiry by a sitting or retired judge of the High Court to bring out the truth.

However, Dhumal appreciated the role of the CPS who calmed down a surcharged crowd in the wake of the murder of three members of the community. He spent the whole night with senior police officers in controlling the situation.

He said it was a simple clash between two groups of the youths which assumed communal overtones but the administration acted promptly to save the situation. So far, five accused had been nabbed and efforts were on to trace the remaining three accomplices.

Action against those who damaged the houses of Valimikis would be taken after identifying the accused. The accused had also been booked under the Prevention of Atrocities on SC Act, besides various sections of the IPC. He said an inquiry by a judge of the High Court could not be ordered in every other case. Let investigations progress and wait for the outcome.

Paonta Sahib, March 28
With Section 144 of the CrPC remaining enforced in Paonta Sahib even five days after the gruesome killing of three youths, normalcy is yet to return though the administration is claiming that things have normalised.

As a confidence-building measure, officials continued to meet the families of a community which had fled their dwelling places after the murders. Though some families had returned, fear continued to grip the community as they did not move about openly fearing violence in retaliation.

All public cleaning activities in the town had come to a standstill and the community members said they would abstain from doing any work in Heerpur where the members of the other community resided.

They asserted that when the police presence could not prevent burning of their houses how they could feel safe while working in the town.

Members of one of the aggrieved community were unhappy with the lack of help provided to the 11 families whose houses had been totally razed in the fire. They were compelled to live in the open and survive on the help from their relatives. The mere Rs 50,000 distributed among 31 families had failed to extend any succour to them who had lost all their belongings in the fire.

ADC Lokender Chauhan said the community kitchens had been started since last evening to provide food to those families who were returning and the Welfare Department had been directed to rebuild the houses after assessing the total loss at Rs 10 lakh.

Shimla, March 28
The refusal of Health Minister Rajiv Bindal to give a categorical reply on whether doctors of Tanda Medical College, adjusted in the Indira Gandhi Medical College here, will be sent back to the parent institution led to sharp exchanges between the treasury benches and the opposition in the Vidhan Sabha today.

The trouble started as soon as Bindal finished his suo motu statement highlighting the achievements of the government in strengthening the medical education, particularly the two medical colleges, as Kaul Singh (Congress) alleged that doctors were being posted in violation of rules.

He mentioned that even two favoured doctors, who were recruited for the Tanda Medical College, were posted to the IGMC within months. It was patently wrong as the government had separated the cadre of the two instutions.

Bindal maintained that no regular postings had been ordered and they were only on deputation. He said it was the BJP government which effected cadre separation to end the practice of shuttling the staff between Shimla and Tanda which prevailed during the Congress rule.

However, Kaul Singh maintained that the doctors had been posted in violation of rules and wanted a specific reply if they would be sent back to Tanda or not. At this juncture, the Speaker intervened and said as per rules of business, a discussion was allowed on a suo motu statement and the minister was not bound to give a reply.

Earlier, during question hour, the Chief Minister told Kuldeep Pathania (Congress) that the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) had sanctioned a Rs 4.94 crore project for the conservation breeding of the highly endangered western tragopan pheasant in 2003.

So far, only Rs 96 lakh had been released by the CZA as the department could spend only Rs 79.40 lakh of the sanctioned funds. Rs 1.78 crore had been spent as funds available under the catchment area treatment plan were also utilised for the project.

Shimla, March 28
Chief Minister PK Dhumal flagged off additional 29 ambulances under the under the Atal Swasthya Sewa here today.

With this the total number of ambulances under the scheme has gone up to 100. Ten districts have already been covered under the scheme and Kinnaur district and other tribal areas will be covered by May.

The Atal Swasthya Sewa scheme had been launched on December 25 by starting 50 ambulances for providing prompt services to patients during medical emergencies. Besides this, 21 more ambulances were added on February 15.

The ambulances provide free transportation to all pregnant women and persons requiring immediate medical care.

Dharamsala, March 28
Infighting between the camp of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and Kangra BJP MP Rajan Sushant came to the fore once again today.

Dhumal loyalist and Independent MLA from Nurpur Rakesh Pathania levelled charges against Sushant.

While addressing a press conference here, Pathania said he had been forced to come in the open against the Kangra BJP MP who had been levelling baseless charges against the CM.

In the recent past, Sushant had crossed his limits by demanding that a narco test be performed on the Chief Minister which forced me to hold a press conference, he said.

Pathania alleged that it seemed that Sushant had lost his mental balance. He was frustrated as his wife resigned from the government job to fight assembly bypoll from the Jawali constituency. However, she was denied a ticket by the party. Later, she tried to get back the job from which she had resigned but could not be taken back under the rules.

He alleged that Sushant also had humble beginnings. However, now he had acquired land and commercial property in Kangra and Shimla. Sushant should also come clean and provide details as to how he acquired properties and what were his sources of income.

Pathania, a BJP leader, had contested the elections as an Independent from the Nurpur assembly constituency after being denied the party ticket. He won the election and later gave unconditional support to the present BJP government. He is known as a staunch loyalist of the Chief Minister.

The already tense relations between the Kangra BJP MP and the Chief Minister turned sore in February over the venue of the “Parshan Janta Ke Dawar” programme in the Jawali constituency. The Chief Minister allegedly changed the venue of the programme that was organised in Sushant’s constituency at the request of district officials. However, the move peeved the BJP MP. Instead of joining the CM in the programme, Sushant sat on a silent protest at the venue that was declared earlier.

Though the supporters of Sushant spoke openly against the CM, the later tried to defuse the situation by keeping mum over the controversy.

However, tension continued to simmer between the groups of Rajan Sushant and the Chief Minister that ultimately led to open war of words.

The infighting has left the Congress leaders smiling who are alleging that their work is being done by the BJP leaders.

Sushant was not available for comments despite repeated attempts.

Mandi, March 28
With over 15,000 bighas of land under the illegal poppy cultivation in Kullu-Mandi region, the police has warned farmers to destroy their crop or it will book them under the NDPS Act.

The police has identified the areas that have come under illegal poppy cultivation, mainly in the Kullu district, including a few scattered pockets in Mandi, Chamba and Shimla districts. The illegal poppy is flourishing in Sainj, Gadsa, Manikaran, Banjar and Ani areas in Kullu district, revealed police sources.

General manager, Churah valley cooperative and alternative development society, OP Sharma, who conducted field surveys recently, said the society was facing a big challenge to push its alternative development among the farmers in the district.

“The illegal poppy cultivation is going on despite anti-poppy drives launched over the years in the state because of lack of political will”, he added.

Though the police has no exact estimate as to how much area is under illegal poppy cultivation this year, experts suspect that it exceeds 15,000 bighas.

SP, Kullu, Abhishek Dular said the police, with the help of the district administration, had held awareness camps in the third week of March in Gadsa, Banjar and Faujal and made villagers aware about the dangers of the narcotics and punishment it attracted under the NDPS Act.

He said the police would launch anti-poppy drives in the district involving the police, revenue and forest staff. “The response to the drive under MNREGA involving locals was lukewarm last year. We have warned cultivators that they would be booked under the NDPS Act if poppy crop was detected on their private land”, he asserted.

ADGP, CID, ID Bhandari said the police had been persuading farmers to shun the cultivation of the poppy and cannabis on both private and forest lands for the last 15 years. But this time, the police would launch drives in mid-April”.

Dharamsala, March 28
Audio guide system will be launched soon at the Maharaja Sansar Chand Museum in Kangra in Hindi and Tibetan. The museum has been built by the Katoch Royal family of Kangra to showcase the royalty and preserve everything that has been part of the royal lifestyle.

The facility will be launched by the Dalai Lama on April 6 which will be attended by members of the Katoch dynasty from the state and Rajasthan as well, including former CM Virbhadra Singh and MP Chadresh Kumari.

Prince Aishwarya Singh Katoch, owner of the museum, shared, “The concept of launching the facility is to promote the history and the culture of Kangra and bringing it on the tourist map like Rajasthan. Tourists come here and get to know about the Tibetan culture only as the Dalai Lama has brought Dharamsala on the world map by spreading a lot about their culture.”

Aishwarya said, “On the same lines, we will offer Kangra Dham and exhibit its miniature painting at the museum.” Apart from English, the members of the royal family have decided now to start the audio guide facility in these two languages to cater to the needs of Tibetan and Hindi speaking tourists.

The audio guide facility, a wireless device, guides tourists about the fort and the museum. The devices are at the cost of Rs 100 for Indians and Rs 250 for foreign tourists, said Narender Jamwal, manager of the museum.