Shimla, June 13
Persistently under attack from the Congress on the issue of alleged shady land deals, the BJP government today appointed a one-man commission under Justice DP Sood, a retired judge of the high court, to enquire into the issues relating to benami land transactions effected in the state since 2003.

The commission will also probe all violations of the statutory provisions in issuing essentiality certificates under the Himachal Pradesh Apartment and Property (Regulation) Act 2005 since its inception until March 31, 2011. The inquiry relating to benami land transactions will look into the violations of Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act 1972 since 2003 which has resulted in the transfer of agriculture land to non-agriculturists.

The commission will have its headquarters in Shimla and has been asked to submit its report within six months.

The move is not only to counter the “Himachal on Sale” campaign of the Congress, but also to focus on the permissions granted during the previous Virbhadra Singh regime by extending the judicial probe to cover all the transactions effected right from 2003.

The BJP government has been maintaining that the previous Congress regime had given over 2,100 permissions under Section 118 during the 2003-07 period as against 1,200 permissions granted by it till March 2011.

The Congress has already set up a five-member committee to frame a chargesheet against the government in which the issue of land deals is likely to figure prominently. The party points out that Section 118 has been abused to open floodgates for outsiders and asserts that the purpose and quantum of land involved is more important than the number of permissions granted.

The party specifically mentions private universities, which have been allowed to acquire huge chunks of land. There is no need for so many private universities in the small hill state.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on the other hand says the Congress has launched a tirade against the government to mislead the people. The DO Letters written by him to main opposition leaders requesting them to furnish information regarding violations of the Act have failed to evoke any response. A judicial inquiry will bring out the truth and clear all the issues, he asserts. 

Kullu, June 13
The State Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau has busted a benami land deal in Kullu involving a Delhi-based businessman, the then tehsildar, a patwari and a resident of Kullu. The benami land owner made “a forged entry in the will”, availed the agriculture certificate and bought 22 bighas of prime land in Kasauli, violating Section 118, HP Land Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, investigation revealed.

The main accused in the deal included Rajinderpal, the land owner from Delhi, Thakurdas, a local who helped him in the deal, and then tehsildar RB Thapa and patwari Suresh Chand.

The vigilance has registered a case on October 28, 2009, under Sections 420, 120 B, IPC and Section 13(2), Prevention of Corruption Act against them.

The vigilance arrested all four accused. The vigilance has completed the investigation and is likely to put up challan in the court of the Special Judge, Kullu.

Busting the whole racket, the vigilance found that Rajinderpal gave a temporary address of Akhara Bazaar in Kullu. He befriended Thakurdas and the patwari and the tehsildar, who is now retired.

Rajinderpal and Thakurdas, in connivance with revenue officials, used a “will” measuring 3 bighas and 16 “biswas” of land made by a widow, Sainu Devi, the wife of late Khiali Ram, a resident of Khopri, Lug valley, which was made in the name of her grandson, Jagat Ram, to buy prime 22 bighas of land in Kasauli.

The duo forged the “will” and entered the name of Rajinderpal in this “will” on September 4, 1993, that entitled for buying land in Himachal. The “will” was attested and verified by kanungo, said the investigation.

The vigilance found that after entering the name of Rajinderpal, along with Jagat Ram, in the “will”, then tehsildar Thapa entered its mutation in 1997. The patwari had issued the agriculture certificate to Rajinderpal as “the forged will” made him a legal heir and entitled him for buying agricultural land in Himachal, which otherwise is forbidden for non-agriculturalist Himachali, the investigation found.

The vigilance is now investigating other properties of Rajinderpal bought subsequently in Kasauli.

Rajinderpal later bought 22 bighas of prime land in Kasauli.

SP, Vigilance, Virender Sharma said, “All accused have been arrested and the investigation is complete. The vigilance is about to submit its challan in this case in the court of Special Judge, Kullu”.

Shimla, June 13
Chief Minister PK Dhumal today urged the Centre to continue the existing arrangement of fertiliser supply to the state from the Chandigarh railhead.In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he drew his attention to the fact that the Railway authorities had decided to discontinue the fertiliser supply from Chandigarh from June, 2011, and the out agency had been advised to handle the fertiliser movement from the Kiratpur railway station from July onwards.

He requested him to direct the railways authorities to continue with the existing arrangement so the state could procure its supply from Chandigarh.

He pointed out that if the supply was routed from Kiratpur there would be a backward movement of fertilisers to Shimla, Solan, Sirmour and Kinnaur districts of the state. Moreover, the Kiratpur Railway Station was not properly equipped with infrastructural facilities and vehicle availability to handle the transportation of fertilisers to the state.

He said the present arrangement of rake handling from Chandigarh Railway Station was working smoothly and the out agency of Railway was also handling the fertiliser supply from Chandigarh to full satisfaction of the state government. He maintained that the government would face major problems in transportation of fertilisers in case the existing arrangement was discontinued. 

Mandi, June 13
More than 100 protesters today lodged their protest against Hemraj, Director, Ma Shakti Svayam Sevi Sanghathan, Kullu, after the police brought him here for questioning in connection with case of cheating the youth.

The protesters came to the Mandi sadar police station and demanded the arrest of the director and repayment of their money they had deposited in a bank. They also demanded that they should be paid their salaries since December 2010.

Though the police has initiated an inquiry against Hemraj, it has not lodged an FIR so far. They registered a complaint with the DC, Mandi, last week who had forwarded it to the SP, Mandi, for investigation.

Meanwhile, Gulab Singh and Chaman Lal claimed that the NGO cheated them as Hemraj did not pay a penny after he collected Rs 15,000 from them as security. The NGO had promised them it would build gaushalas and train youth in vocational courses, they added.

Hemraj claimed the sangathan had made over 50,000 members in Kullu, Mandi, Solan and other parts of the state.

The SP said the police had summoned all records from the NGO and its director Hemraj and is scrutinising these as to whether he had permission to collect money or not.

Dharamsala, June 13
In charge of the Himachal Congress Birender Singh today attacked social activist Anna Hazare, who has been carrying a crusade for the Lokpal Bill.

Addressing a press conference here, he alleged that Anna Hazare was a face of the RSS and the BJP. He was trying to undermine constitutional institutions and defame the Congress on charges of corruption.

Birender did not stop at that and condemned all spiritual leaders, who extended support to Baba Ramdev. Without naming anyone specifically, he said the spiritual gurus had acquired wealth through dubious sources. They should first come clean on sources of their income.

He said Congress President Sonia Gandhi was already serious about tackling corruption. She had asked the partymen to take strictest possible action against political leaders resorting to corruption.

Sources said senior Congress leaders like Birender Singh had started launching attack on Anna Hazare as the party was on the backfoot on corruption. However, the open support by the BJP to Ramdev had given the Congress a chance to associate the anti-corruption agitation with the party. The party high command had asked its leaders to seize the opportunity and reverse the tide on crusaders for the Lokpal Bill.

Launching an attack on the BJP government in the state, Birender alleged that the present government had sanctioned 25 private universities during its present stint. All but two of these universities had been set up by outsiders who have been given special permission under Section 118 of the Land Tenancy Act.

He said the chargesheet committee that had been formed under senior Congress leader GS Bali would prepare its report soon. The chargesheet would be submitted to the President of India and a CBI inquiry would be demanded into the charges levelled against it.

Shimla, June 13
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today urged the Centre to amend the Ancient Monuments, Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010, regulating construction activity around protected monuments.

In a letter to Union Minister for Culture Kumari Selja, the Chief Minister pointed out that as per the provision of the Act no new construction, reconstruction, additions and alterations in the existing structures could be carried out within an area of 100 m of the protected monuments and permission from competent authority was required up to a distance of 200 m beyond the prohibited area. It should be relaxed by limiting the prohibited zone to 50 m only and allowing construction in 100 m beyond the prohibited area with sanction from competent authority.

The Chief Minister said the provision was not viable and practical keeping in view the geographical constraints in the hill state and added that almost all the religious structures, a number of which were declared protected monuments, were located in the heart of townships and as such the provision, if enforced, would cause hardships to the local population living in the vicinity.

He pointed out that construction activity would neither hamper access to these protected monuments nor have an adverse impact on their scenic view. The protected religious monuments were the centre of faith of the people and the provision would create problems for them, leading to an adverse impact from social and religious point of view. 

Kangra, June 13
Inquiry was today ordered into the death of a woman, who was a cardiac patient undergoing treatment in the CCU of DRPGMC, Tanda, and who died due to a fall from the fifth floor in the wee hours of June 11.

Dr Anil Chauhan, Principal, DRPGMC, today said he ordered an inquiry into the incident and directed Medical Superintendent SB Sood to submit the report.

Dr Chauhan said there were nearly 80 ducts in different buildings of the medical college including the hospital building. He said such ducts were posing a threat to the life of patients, their attendants and even to the employees.

He said the matter was today taken up with the Public Works Department, and the executive engineer, PWD, here was directed to either lock the ducts or close them to avoid any causality in future.

A 65-year cardiac patient Sahnati Rana of Dharamsala was admitted to the Tanda Medical College on June 10 last, and her body was found on the ground floor. 

Hamirpur, June 13
All government and private colleges running engineering, pharma and MBA courses in Himachal Pradesh (except those being run by the established universities) will be affiliated with newly established Himachal Pradesh Technical University (HPTU), Hamirpur, from July 1, 2011.

The HPTU, which is having its camp office on the campus of Government Polytechnical College here, has already started a process to affiliate all colleges running these courses.

The HPTU will charge Rs 75,000 for the inspection of a college and Rs 2.75 lakh as affiliation fee.

The university has already released a prospectus containing the admission schedule and criteria for nominations to different categories in various courses, counselling schedule, etc for engineering, pharma and MBA courses for the current session.

Talking to The Tribune, newly appointed Vice-Chancellor of the HPTU Shashi Dhiman said, “The HPTU has already started a process for the affiliation of all such colleges in the state and after July 1, all colleges will be affiliated with the university”.

All colleges running the courses will also have to follow norms set by the HPTU for maintaining quality of education and such other areas.