Dharamsala, November 21
Today being the last day of the deadline given by Minister of Industries Kishan Kapoor to the cement industry in Himachal to reduce the cement prices in the state, senior officials of the Industries Department held a meeting with representatives of the cement industry.

Sources told The Tribune that the representatives of the cement industry offered to reduce the prices of a 50 kg bag of cement in Himachal by Rs 10. Earlier, they had offered to reduce the price of cement by Rs 5 per bag.

Kishan Kapoor said the reduction in price of a cement bag by Rs 10 in Himachal was not acceptable. He said cement should be sold at prices lesser than Punjab in Himachal.

While the price of a cement bag in Punjab ranges between Rs 295 and Rs 300, in Himachal it is being sold at prices ranging from Rs 330 to Rs 350. The cement industry justifies the high prices in Himachal due to the high transportation cost in the state.

The minister, however, maintained that keeping in view the fact that plants had been set up in Himachal and concessions were being given to the industry in the state, cement should be sold at lesser prices than Punjab.

Since the meeting today could not resolve the deadlock between the industry and the government, another meeting has been fixed for November 25 to resolve the matter.

Kishan Kapoor said the government was clear that state residents should get cement at lower prices than the adjoining state.

With elections in the state due next year, the issue taken up by the minister has struck a chord with the common man in the state.

The sources said the cement industry might also try to bargain with the state government in case it was forced to reduce cement prices in Himachal.

Shimla, November 21
It’s a virtual ultimatum by the state government to the Longjian Road Construction Chinese company to give results on a weekly basis or else pack up as there has already been an inordinate delay in the completion of the Theog-Hatkoti-Rohru road, the main lifeline for the apple belt of upper Shimla.

The company has been placed under notice where it has been asked to show weekly progress and fulfil the commitment on a weekly basis or else face the inevitable cancellation of the World Bank-funded road project worth Rs 354 crore. Ajay Mittal, Principal Secretary, PWD, today visited the work site along with senior officers of the department to see the progress of various components.

“We have issued them a notice making it very clear that there is no scope for further delay and in case they do not give results on a weekly basis, we will not hesitate in cancelling the agreement signed with them,” said Thakur Gulab Singh, PWD Minister. The first review meeting after the issuance of the notice will be held with senior officials of the Longijian company here on November 23.

Work on the Mehatpur-Amb-Una and Theog-Kotkhai-Hatkoti-Rohru roads worth Rs 354 crore, being executed by the Chinese company, has been delayed inordinately despite giving extension to the company on more than one occasion. The contract for the two roads of about 120 km length was awarded under the World Bank-funded project, work on which began in June 2008 and was to be completed by November 2010.

“Our endeavour is to somehow salvage the situation and whatever it takes to give a boost to the project, we are willing to do it. However, the company will have to fulfil the commitment it makes of which there will be weekly monitoring or else we will be forced to take a harsh decision even if amounts to rescinding the project,” said Mittal.

He admitted that cancelling the project would delay it further as floating new tenders would be a very exhaustive and cumbersome procedure considering the fact that it is a WB-funded project.

The project suffered a major setback resulting in a delay following imposition of strict visa restrictions by the Centre. More than 100 Chinese workforce was compelled to leave after their request for grant of work visa was turned down by the Ministry of External Affairs. It was after much delay that work was resumed in April 2010.

Solan, November 21
Union Minister Virbhadra Singh today gave a piece of his mind to his party men at a corner meeting at Manjholi before he took on the ruling BJP at the onset of his campaigning for the Nalagarh seat today.

The Union Minister, while lambasting the Nalagarh Congress for organising a dismal corner meeting, said it was a mistake to have spared time for the party as it appears they did not need him. He said he was a five-time Chief Minister and a sitting Union Minister and such a poor show did not confirm to his status and he could have utilised his time while campaigning in the Renuka constituency instead.

After giving sermons to his party men, he attacked the ruling BJP government and said the government was steeped in corruption. Raising questions on LK Advani’s Jan Chetna Yatra, he said Advani appeared to have shut his eyes and ears to the corruption prevailing in the state government.

He addressed public meetings at Manjholi, Dhabota and Baruna, and said the allegations of corruption levelled by the Congress had been vindicated by BJP ministers and MLAs. He added that only the Congress government had brought about development while the BJP was preparing to close down 2,500 schools.

Casting aspersions on a key minister of the BJP, he alleged that the Chief Minister had sent his Solan “courtier” to Renuka, where the minister had bought 125 bighas of land. He, however, lauded the late Nalagarh MLA HN Saini for his gentleness and said he was given a shabby treatment by his party.

Dharamsala, November 21
The Army today adopted strict security measures in the Yol Cantonment area after a threat from the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). Sources said the LeT had issued a letter to a local trader threatening him with dire consequences in case he did not provide them intelligence inputs regarding the Yol Cantonment.

However, the strict security measures taken by Army has brought it at loggerheads with civilians functioning in the cantonment area.

Officials of the State Bank of India branch in the Yol Cantonment were in for a surprise this morning. They were stopped at the gates of the cantonment by the military police. They were asked to produce security passes issued by the Army authorities.

The bank officials, who have been coming to their branch in the cantonment area since years, were in for a shock. They were not allowed to go to their branch by the military officials. The bank officials sat on the main crossing outside the cantonment as a symbol of protest.

Talking to mediapersons, they alleged that the action of the Army authorities was unwarranted. “About 12,000 people of the area have their accounts in our branch. They had to suffer harassment today as we were not allowed to operate our branch. The Army had not intimated us regarding the strict requirement of security passes to enter the cantonment area,” a bank official alleged.

An Army spokesperson said the security in the Yol Cantonment area had been increased keeping in view the security considerations. He said the Army had been urging the bank and other civilian employees working in the cantonment area for the past six months to get security passes issued from the respective Army authorities. However, they have not paid any heed to the notices of the Army authorities.

The Army has now given one week’s time to all civilians visiting the cantonment area regularly to get their security passes issued pending which their entry could be barred due to security reasons, he said.

The Yol Cantonment area is now the headquarters of the Rising Star Corps. Earlier, the Himachal police had cracked a network of spies carrying out espionage activities in the area.

Shimla, November 21
It was sheer disappointment for hundreds of fans of Rishi Kapoor, poster boy of yesteryear, who refused to respond to anyone while he took a stroll on the Mall road here, surrounded by his security guards and crew members of the film he is shooting in the Queen of Hills.

Rishi, the heartthrob of millions who gave hits like “Bobby”, “Chandni” and “Karz”, looks quite stunning even today, but the glamour and star quotient ended the moment he snubbed mediapersons as well as his fans for even walking beside him, trying to catch a closer glimpse of the star. Clad in jeans and a dark blue jacket, he still looked handsome, notwithstanding the extra kilos he has put on with age.

The arrogance of the film star, who otherwise comes across as a very cool and relaxed person on screen, was evident as he objected to people even walking by his side, asking them personally to either step back or walk behind. No amount of pleading from fans moved the actor who gave a cold shoulder to them, even as they followed him.

Rishi Kapoor is in town to shoot for the film “Student of the Year” being directed by acclaimed director Karan Johar. With director Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter and director David Dhawan’s son making their debut in the film, the shooting is being done at various places in the town, including the Convent of Jesus and Mary and Hotel Woodville Palace.

The cold and haughty behaviour of the star evoked a strong response from the public who said Amitabh Bachchan, who shot here extensively for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film “Black”, was much more humble and friendly despite his iconic status in Bollywood.

Kapoor who alighted from his car at the Ridge, took a look at the Christ Church and then walked down the Mall before he entered Ashiana restaurant to enjoy a cup of tea. Even as people called out to him and tried to take photographs, his security guards and crew members did not allow anyone to come near him.

He later visited the historic Gaiety Theatre, where his grandfather, the legendary Prithiviraj Kapoor and later his uncle Shashi Kapoor and his wife Jennifer gave some scintillating theatrical performances. He is likely to return to Mumbai day after completing shooting. 

Shimla, November 21
As many as 7,500 trees will be axed to pave the way for the 775 MW Luhri Hydroelectric Project being constructed by the public sector Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam on the Sutlej near Nirath downstream Rampur.

In all, 271 hectares of forest land, including 89 hectares for underground works, will be diverted for the project. Besides, 110 hectares of private land will also be acquired. The state government has already recommended the case of diversion of forest land and the matter is pending with the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests. General Manager of the project SK Sharma said the trees were mostly of “broadleaved species of class IV and class V” and not a single tree of deodar or other important conifer species, except a few pine trees, was involved.

The process for obtaining the environment clearance is also under way and a public hearing has already been conducted for the purpose. It will be the first hydroelectric project to introduce the concept of “payment for environment services” (PES) in the country. The PES has been made an integral part of the catchment area treatment (CAT) plan for the project. The project involves the construction of an 86-m-high diversion dam at Nirath, about 100 km from here, which will create a 6.80 km reservoir at the site. It will have the unique distinction of having 38.14-km twin head race tunnels, the longest in the world. Water will be diverted after sedimentation of particles of 0.1 mm and bigger size through twin circular tunnels, each of 9 m diameter, on the right bank of the river. As the twin head race tunnels are very long, engineers have proposed eight adits for carrying out speedy excavations.

The twin tunnels with a design discharge of 480 cumecs will carry the water to the underground power house at Marola village on the Sunni-Sainj road, about 60 km from here, creating a net head of 181 m. The project is estimated to cost Rs 6,100 crore at the December 2010 price level and it will generate 3,142 million units of power annually. The generation cost will be Rs 4.90 per unit with 12 per cent free power and the levelised tariff will come to Rs 4.51 per unit.

The project will take nine years for completion.

Shimla, November 21
An elderly couple, Seu Ram (70) and his wife Karam Devi (65), was charred to death when their house at Gaura village near Rampur subdivision caught fire on Sunday night.

According to the police, the old wooden house was completely gutted with the two sleeping inside. A cat and a cow, also housed in the same building, also died in the fire.

Solan, November 21
A “mandir parade” was held on the second day of the Reunion 2012 where officers, JCOs and other ranks of the 1st Gorkha family, along with their spouses, prayed for the success of their battalions at the 14 GTC Regimental Mandir.

The other celebrations comprised “pagal gymkhana” at the historical Salaria Stadium. It was inaugurated by the First Lady of the 1st Gorkha Regiment Suvarna Ravindranath. The overwhelming response of members of the battalions, irrespective of their age, sex and rank structure, made the event memorable. — OC