Shimla, December 21
The ruling BJP seems to be toughening its stand on dissidence as two more party leaders who are active members of the Bhrashtachar Mukti Morcha were today removed from their party posts and dropped from the state Executive.

The latest in the firing line includes Naveen Dhiman, former BJP MLA from Pragpur in Kangra. He has been removed from the post of state BJP secretary and also dropped from the state Executive. The other leader who has had to face the party wrath is Tikku Thakur, who was a member of the state Executive and general secretary of the Shimla district unit of the BJP.

Although state party chief Khimi Ram has not specified any reason for the action against the two leaders, being active members of the Bhrashtachar Mukti Morcha, it is evident that the party action is aimed at quelling dissidence and discouraging others from joining hands with the dissident camp. The party action against the dissident leaders who have formed the morcha in the garb of fighting corruption comes shortly before the party celebrating its four-year rule with a rally at Kullu.

Prior to this Maheshwar Singh, state convener of the morcha and former MP, had been removed from the BJP National Executive for leading the dissident camp. Even the defiant party MP from Kangra, Rajan Sushant, had been dropped from the state BJP Executive when he openly criticised his own party’s government in the state on various issues.

Members of the morcha at their meeting with national BJP chief Nitin Gadkari had urged that Maheshwar should be taken back in the National Executive, but their demand has so far not been accepted. It appears that in the coming days more morcha members could face action.

Naveen Dhiman and Tikku Thakur said they had only taken forward the crusade started by BJP leader LK Advani, who had himself led a yatra against corruption. “We have only formed a non-political front to fight corruption.So the action against us only reflects the double standards of the party as we did not indulge in any anti-disciplinary act,” said Thakur. Dhiman added that forming a front to fight corruption does not in any way amount to indiscipline, but he had been targeted for being aligned with the morcha.

Unperturbed by the action taken by the party against some of its members, the morcha has decided to continue with its programme. The morcha will hold its next function at Nahan on December 23. 

Dharamsala, December 21
The Himachal Vidhan Sabha today unanimously adopted a resolution that would be sent to the Union Government for amending the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Site and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010.

In the resolution the government has proposed that the limit of no construction around the sites protected under the said Act should be limited to their existing premises. At present, as per the new Act, the ASI has banned all kinds of construction within 100 metres of the protected structures.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, while moving the resolution, said that many projects launched by the state government had come to a standstill due to Act adopted by the Union Government. In Nurpur subdivision of Kangra district the building of the mini secretariat was almost ready. It was just awaiting the final touches, but work on it had been stalled due to a notice from Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) under the new Act.

In the case of the Masrur temple also the ASI authorities had issued notice to a government school located near the temple for a long time. Owing to the notice of the ASI the government was not in a position to carry out repairs to the school building. Many towns like Chamba and Mandi were badly affected by the new Act. Many residential areas of these towns had come within the purview of the Act and common people were facing problems in even getting their houses repaired, the Chief Minister said.

He said a hill state like Himachal, where land was already scarce, special relaxation should be given under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Site and Remains (Amendment and Validation) Act, 2010.

Speaker of the House Tulsi Ram supported the resolution, stating that his house in the Bharmour area of Chamba was now covered under the new Act.

Though none of the Congress members spoke against the resolution in the House, at a press conference later they said that in case total relaxation was given in the ban on constructing buildings around protected monuments, it could threaten the existence of historic buildings. Chander Kumar, HPCC general secretary, said exemption should to be considered as per the conditions and the importance of each monument. A universal policy for all monuments was not feasible.

Dharamsala, December 21
High cement prices generated heat in the House on the third day of the winter session today. Mukesh Agnihotri, Congress MLA from Santokhgarh, had sought information from the government regarding the number of cement plants in the state, the total production and consumption of bags of cement in the state per month, the number of dealers and dumps of cement in the state and the commission paid to them.

The Minister for Industries, in reply to the query, said the information sought by the Congress member was being collected. This led to heated exchanges between the government and Opposition members. The Opposition sought details from the government regarding the steps taken to get cement prices reduced.

The ruling party MLAs blamed the Ccongress for not taking steps during its own stint in power for getting the cement prices reduced.

Later, while talking to newspersons, Minister for Industries Kishan Kapoor said he had convened the final meeting with representatives of the cement companies on December 23. At the meeting he would convey the intention of the government to bring cement prices in Himachal on a par with those in the adjoining state of Punjab. There would be no further meetings. The cement companies would have to abide by the government decision to reduce the prices or the government would be free to take any action after that, Kishan Kapoor said.

He alleged that the cement companies were making unreasonable profits at the cost of the common man. The UPA government had taken a wrong step by deregulating the cement sector. After deregulation, the cement companies were effecting unreasonable increases in the prices of cement, he alleged.

Earlier three rounds of talks had taken place between officials of the Industries Department and the cement companies over reducing the prices. Sources told The Tribune the cement companies at the most had offered to reduce the cement bag price in the state by Rs 10.

At the last meeting the government had conveyed its intention to cement companies that it wanted the prices in Himachal on a par with those in Punjab. However, the companies had not given any response to the government after that.

While in Punjab a 50 kg bag of cement was being sold at Rs 300, in Himachal it is being sold at prices ranging from Rs 325 to Rs 350. The cement companies blame the high transportation cost in Himachal for the higher prices.

Dharamsala, December 21
The Congress today staged a walkout while Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal was replying to a discussion on the steps being taken to improve the law and order situation and checking corruption in the state.

The debate was initiated on a resolution brought by CLP leader Vidya Stokes.

While speaking on the issue Stokes alleged that the law and order situation in the state was deteriorating. She quoted many incidents of crime in Shimla.

The other Congress MLAs, including Kuldeep Singh Pathania from Bhatiyat and Gangu Ram Musafir, while participating in the debate lamented that liquor and money were allegedly recovered from BJP leaders during the Renuka byelection.

The Chief Minister, while replying to the debate, started reading out a statement given by a Congress complainant in the Renuka byelection case, Ajay Bahadur. As soon as the he stated that Ajay Bahadur in his statement to the police had said that he had not seen anyone giving or taking money during the byelection, Opposition members got up from their seats and alleged that the ruling party was manipulating the system. Musafir said he was an eyewitness to incidents of liquor and money distribution during the Renuka poll. The members then staged a walkout from the House raising slogans against the government.

The Chief Minister said the Opposition was staging a walkout as it did not have the courage to face the truth regarding its allegations.

He said three FIRs were registered during the Renuka byelection. Two of these were registered by BJP workers and one by Congress workers. Investigations were going on, he said.

Quoting figures the Chief Minister said Himachal had a lower crime rate than all other Northern states in the country.

Regarding allegations regarding permission given under Section 118 of the Himachal Land Tenancy Act in Solan district, the Chief Minister said 51 permissions under the section had been given till date in the district. Out of these, 49 were given by the Congress government and just two under the present regime, he said.

He alleged that during the Congress regime an industrialist was allotted land on a riverbed in Sirmour district despite objections from the Deputy Commissioner.

The present government had busted a smuggling racket in red sandalwood from the state border into China. The racket had been going on during the regime of the Congress, the Chief Minister alleged.

Dharamsala, December 21
The Congress today formally declared that the party in charge for the state and AICC general secretary, Barinder Singh, would lead their rally planned for tomorrow from Nagrota Bagwan, the constituency represented by Congress strongman from Kangra, GS Bali.

It is for the first time, just a day before the rally, that the party has presented a united face ahead of a crucial rally in which the Congress would try to show its strength in Kangra, which is politically the most significant district of the state.

Earlier, leaders from the district owing allegiance to Virbhadra Singh, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, had not been actively taking part in the preparations for the rally.

The rally was being projected by Congress leaders as a show of Nagrota Bagwan MLA GS Bali. Apprehensions were also being expressed by some sections of the Congress that party in charge Barinder Singh might not attend the rally.

Since the rally was starting from the constituency of Bali and he has projected himself as the main organiser for the event, it is likely to bolster his prospects in the party.

Barinder would be reaching Kangra by road this evening to participate in the rally.

Addressing a press conference at the opposition lounge of the state Vidhan Sabha, HPCC general secretary Chander Kumar said tomorrow’s rally was an extension of the rally carried out by the party from Solan to Shimla in September to oust the present government.

He said the Congress would target the present government on benami land deals and flourishing mining mafia in the state.

The Saber paper mill case in Una district has brought to the fore a major benami land deal in which the original land owners were duped by middlemen, he alleged.

Chander Kumar alleged that leaders of the BJP were feeling so suffocated in the present government that they have been forced to form the Bhrashtachar Mukti Morcha. The allegations being levelled by them should be probed by an independent central agency.

He also alleged that the present government was raising the issue of creating of additional districts in the state as a political gimmick. The state was already under debt and could not bear the burden of creation of additional districts, he added.

Mukesh Agnihotri, the HPCC spokesperson, said the party cadres from across the state would participate in the rally.

Nurpur, December 21
A leopard reportedly sneaked into a house at Bhadukar under the Indora police station in the wee hours today and attacked a family injuring five of its members.

The injured, Surjeet Singh, and his other family members rushed to the community health centre at Indora where one of the seriously injured members Chanchal Devi was later referred to Civil Hospital, Nurpur.

The leopard also attacked the livestock of Kishori Lal and Madan Lal in the village.

According to DSP Rajinder Jaswal, villagers saved themselves by killing the wild animal in self-protection.

Bilaspur, December 21
Another death has been confirmed in this district during the past 24 hours due to the increasing intense cold, particularly during the nights. Last morning one unidentified person has been confirmed to have died due to cold at the Sallapad bridge at a rain shelter in this district.

Reports here said today that the second unidentified body of a youth, who was found dead in the wee hours yesterday in a nullah near Mussaur village under the Ghumarwin police station, has been now identified as of Ravi Kumar alias Rinku (32) of Mundkhar village, Bhoranj thana, near here.

Dharamsala, December 21
Chief Minister PK Dhumal has written to Union Minister of Power Sushil Kumar Shinde for directing Power Grid, a Central Government corporation, for constructing a transmission grid for evacuating power from the remote Chandrabhaga and Spiti areas of the state.

The Chief Minister has stated that a team of Central Electricity Authority and Power Grid engineers visited these remote areas in September 2011.

They have prepared a requisite plan for transmitting potential power to be generated in the region. The proposal has now been cleared by the Northern Region Standing Committee on Power System Planning and will go to the empowered committee on transmission for necessary decision, the CM has stated.

He has further stated that the planned transmission system includes the implementation of various pooling stations and high-capacity common transmission corridors.

Mandi/Kullu, December 21
The police and the Health Department have joined hands to launch anti-smoking squads at each district headquarters to challan them with a fine ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 200 under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Smoking Prohibition Act.

The Mandi and Kullu police have taken a lead in enforcing this Act and have penalised over 2,882 offenders since October last year till today.

The police has collected Rs 3 lakh as fine from them so far and the public was now aware, but a lot more needs to be done, said Pupul Dutta, SP, Mandi.

The Kullu police penalised 1,500 offenders and collected Rs 3 lakh fine in Kullu, Manali, and Bhuntar towns this year alone.

“We have constituted anti-smoking squads with the help of health and police officials, said Abhishek Dular, SP, Kullu.

But the police penalising offenders yielded good results in Mandi, Kullu and Manali. But smokers are continuing to smoke in public places as the awareness level remains poor.

Local small pan and tea shops are a smoker’s paradise.

In its “lofty bid to make Himachal a smoking-free state”, the government has launched the anti-smoking squads.

Chief Medical Officer, Mandi, AB Gupta said the anti-smoking team yesterday penalised seven offenders and fined them Rs 100 each and told them not to repeat the offence as they could be fined Rs 200 as per law.

But diehard smokers still find their office, public toilets and aloof corridors as a place for smoking.

There are smokers who plead that they need the notified smoking areas as it was a matter of their right.

But, police and health officials said they would enforce law as smokers could not be allowed to smoke in public areas.

The anti-smoking squads will be launched at the sub-divisional level to enforce the law, they added.