Shimla, February 20
The crisis in the faction-ridden BJP is likely to continue with veteran party leader Shanta Kumar reportedly refusing to budge from his stand that he will not have any involvement in the party affairs in the state.

Party president Nitin Gadkari had deputed a two-member central team comprising JP Nadda and Shyam Jaju to review the functioning of the party and the Dhumal government in light of issues like corruption, nepotism and neglect of his supporters raised by the aggrieved leader. The team, which visited the state last week, had, after interacting with a cross-section of the party men, prepared a report and also drawn up a proposal for making some changes in the organisational structure.

The entire exercise was carried out while Shanta Kumar was on a private visit to Bangkok. The team met him soon after his return to Delhi yesterday and apprised him of the feedback gathered from the party men and also the changes proposed to revamp the party organisation. However, sources said there was no response from the leader who stuck to his position that he would not associate with the party in Himachal Pradesh in any manner. He was reportedly unhappy over the fact that the team had exceeded its brief by giving a clean chit to the government and asserting that all was well with the party.

He is learnt to have bluntly told the team that the high command was free to make whatever changes it wanted as he had completely withdrawn from the state and had no stakes in the party. If all was well than there was no need to revamp the party. He would remain aloof as far as the party affairs in the state were concerned.

The team submitted its report to Gadkari late in the evening and apprised him of the discussion it had with Shanta Kumar. The tough posture adopted by the two-time Chief Minister was quite unexpected and has complicated matters.

Shanta Kumar has not been attending the party meetings for the past 18 months and with the high command refusing to take notice of the issues raised by him, he finally decided to severe all ties with the state BJP.

Shimla, February 20
Various government departments in the state have been illegally charging postal expenses from the applicants for supplying information under the Right to Information Act.

There is no provision for recovering the postal charges for supplying information in the Right to Information Act and Section 3 (3) of the State RTI Rules framed under the Act is also silent about it. However, information obtained by RTI activist Dev Ashish Bhattacharya from the Department of Administrative Reforms revealed that the postal expenses were being charged by all departments from the applicants. This was despite the fact that the Centre had issued instructions that the postal charges should not be recovered from the applicants.

According to the information supplied by the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the department, the postal expenses are being charged. The charges are being collected on the basis of Form B in which details like the number of pages pertaining to the information sought and charges for it are mentioned by the PIO.

He said the matter regarding the postal charges has been referred to the law department for advice. Necessary instructions would be issued to all concerned as soon as the advice was received.

Bhattacharya maintains that it is illegal as the departments can only recover the charges for which provision has been made under the relevant law and the rules.

Form B only provides a format to be filled in by the PIO to inform the applicant about the number of pages the information was spread over and the charges thereof. Moreover, the departments under the Central Government were not taking the postal charges from the applicants and the Centre had also issued instructions to the state in this regard after he filed an RTI application with the Department of Personnel and Training last year.

He said there was no case for referring the matter to the Law Department. It was just a ploy to drag the issue and allow the departments to continue to collect the illegal charges.

Hamirpur, February 20
The state unit of the All-India DRDA Staff Welfare Association has decided to join the agitation being organised in March throughout the country demanding the takeover of District Rural Development Agencies (DRDAs) by the Central Government.

The association will join the three-day countrywide strike from March 15 to 17. It will also take part in the one-day dharna and fast being organised at Parliament House on March 26.

The association has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sought an appointment with him to discuss the issue to avoid any confrontation on it.

The DRDA employees are also demanding absorption of all employees working in the DRDAs by the Central Government.

State vice-president of the association Pawan Banyal said, “The association is demanding the absorption of DRDA employees in the Union Ministry of Rural Development or bringing the DRDAs directly under the control of the Central Government, since DRDA programmes are being run with Central Government funds.” 

Shimla, February 20
Animal rights protection bodies have taken a strong notice of the horrific details of deaths of hundreds of monkeys at the Gopalpur sterilisation centre in Kangra and demanded a judicial probe into the programme to contain the simian population. They have also called for a review of the programme and demanded that till that time there should be no more sterilisation of monkeys.

Convener of Nature Watch India (NWI) and member of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) Rajeshwar Negi condemned the insensitive approach of the authorities and alleged that the entire method, right from the monkey census, the capture of animals and their sterilisation, adopted by the state was flawed and in blatant violation of provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

The utter disregard for the prescribed procedures had led to the death of monkeys during the process of sterilisation.

The defence of the officials concerned that the simians were being brought in a vulnerable condition did not hold good as it was the responsibility of the centre to ensure that the correct procedure was followed by the personnel engaged for the capture and upkeep of the animals at the pre and post-sterilisation stage.

He said the officer in charge of the Gopalpur centre should be suspended immediately and an FIR registered against him for wilfully and negligently causing the death of animals under the Wildlife Protection Act. The Chief Wildlife Warden should be made accountable and transferred from his present responsibility.

Negi pointed out that the decision to provide Rs 500 for catching a monkey was fraught with mischievous implications and was primarily responsible for the large number of deaths.

Dharamsala, February 20
Congress workers and supporters of Independent MLA from Nurpur Rakesh Pathania, who is an associate member of the BJP, clashed in the Jasur police station late last evening.

The police has registered cases and booked both Congress and BJP workers, including block president of the Congress from Nurpur Baldev Papi and Rakesh Pathania’s son Bhawani Singh. Till the filing of this report, two of the accused, Baldev Papi and Mintu of the Congress had been arrested by the police.

Sources said Congress workers, who were reportedly in an inebriated state, started stopping vehicles on the Pathankot-Kangra road last evening. Rakesh Pathania’s supporters and BJP workers allegedly entered into an altercation with the Congress workers.

Rakesh Pathania said his son Bhawani Singh was coming from Pathankot. He was stopped along with other commuters by the Congress workers and asked to raise slogans in favour of their party. “My son resisted following which many commuters also started countering the Congress workers. On being informed, I reached the spot and called the police. The Congress workers had fled the scene by that time,” he said.

Ajay Mahajan, HPCC general secretary, who represents the Nurpur area, said the Congress workers had been victimised. He alleged that the BJP workers could not digest the successful rally organised by the Congress under the leadership of HPCC president Kaul Singh last evening. Some BJP workers tried to stop Congress workers from going to the rally. This led to an altercation between the two groups. The Congress workers had been falsely implicated in the case. “We will fight against the injustice meted out to the Congress workers, both judicially and politically,” he said.

Meanwhile, the sources said the police took Congress workers to the police station around mightnight after a complaint was filed by Rakesh Pathania. Supporters of both the groups gathered and clashed at the police station. Rakesh Pathania’s son later lodged a criminal complaint against the Congress workers.

Following this, the Congress workers also filed a police complaint against Pathania’s son and two others. The police has registered a case under Sections 323, 341 and 504 of the IPC against Baldev Papi, Ranju, Mintu and Keshu, all Congress workers.

Another case has been registered under Sections 341 and 504 of the IPC against Bhawani Singh, Sudershan Kumar and Harjit of the BJP.

Shimla, February 20
Chief Parliamentary Secretary Satpal Satti has been appointed as state BJP chief in line with the recommendations made by the two-member committee which reviewed the functioning of the party and the Dhumal government in the state.

An official party statement said president Nitin Gadkari had accepted the resignation of Khimi Ram submitted some time ago and appointed Satti in his place.

Satti, who currently represents the Una Assembly seat, has been associated with the ABVP and remains the president of the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. — TNS

Chamba, February 20
Local MLA BK Chauhan today flagged off the jatha of Sakshar Bharat Yatra which arrived here from Delhi. The yatra participants will tour the alpine areas of Tissa tomorrow and Salooni on February 22. The yatra will leave for Jammu and Kashmir on February 23.

Addressing the jatha on the occasion, the MLA said since Chamba had been declared a “superlative district” in the country under the Sakshar Bharat Mission, it was everybody’s duty to maintain its status.

The MLA also said to ensure success of the mission, it was necessary to create a social environment conducive to literacy, thereby achieving cent per cent literacy.

“Chamba district is one of the 365 districts in the country and the only district of Himachal Pradesh which has been identified with a view to wiping out illiteracy under the Sakshar Bharat Mission-2012,” Deputy Commissioner Sharabh Negi revealed.

As many as 1,35,824 illiterates had been identified through a household survey conducted in the district. Out of them, 34,980 were attending literacy classes in the 7,126 literacy centres running in the district, the DC informed, adding that 8,000 literacy centres had already been set up under the control of 283 Lok Shiksha Kendras in the district.

Director, state Resource Centre, Shimla, Dr OP Bhureta and District Project Coordinator, Zila Saaksarta Samiti, Suman Minhas would also accompany the yatra.

A nationwide mobilisation campaign is being organised by the National Literacy Mission during February-March, in collaboration with a non-government organisation, Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, for promoting the Saakshar Bharat Programme. A countrywide jatha will be organised covering 22 states, 180 districts, 1,000 blocks and over 16,000 panchayats.

The mission is primarily focusing on women, SCs, STs, minorities and other disadvantaged groups in rural areas. The programme is being implemented in 1.6 lakh gram panchayats in 372 districts of the country. Nearly 13.5 million learners are already enrolled in the programme.

The broader themes of the yatra will include literacy, empowerment, development, gender issues, right to education (RTE), right to employment etc.

Palampur, February 20
Ravinder Thakur, Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Minister, today criticised HPCC president Thakur Kaul Singh for misleading people of the state and presenting distorted facts before the press pertaining to the development undertaken in the state in the past four years. He termed the recent statements of Kaul Singh as baseless and far from the truth.

Addressing mediapersons at the IPH Rest House here today, Ravinder said people of Kangra knew well that it was the Congress that had extended stepmotherly treatment to Kangra district whenever it ruled the state. During the past four years the BJP government had launched two dozen major projects in Kangra and also completed more than three dozen projects which were left half way by the Congress government.

He said in the past four years the BJP government had got sanctioned four new national highways for the state. Three dozen major drinking water supply schemes were made operational. Setting up an NIFT at Kangra and construction of bridges on the Beas at Harsipatan and Chambapattan in the district were other major achievements. Besides, a number of new faculties were opened and postgraduate classes started at Government Medical College at Tanda. The BJP government also succeeded in getting funds over Rs 300 crore for this medical college from the Union Health Ministry.

Ravinder Thakur said at present the Congress was a divided house. There were a number of factions in the party and over half a dozen party leaders were in the race for the post of Chief Minister. Therefore, in the present political scenario the PCC president had been isolated by senior party leaders like Virbhadra Singh and Vidya Stokes.

Ravinder said during Kaul Singh’s visit to Kangra, factionalism in the Congress came to the fore as most of the party leaders belonging to the Virbhadra Singh faction kept themselves away from his meetings.

Solan, February 20
With the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) issuing the much-awaited clarification regarding the continuation of various benefits of the 2003 central industrial package to units which have shifted to new premises, the industry in Himachal has heaved a sigh of relief.

Several units in Himachal, which were initially running their operations from rented accommodation, had failed to shift to their own premises in the absence of this clarification. These units were not only being fleeced by landlords, who hiked the rent every now and then, but also failed to shift to their own buildings, constructed after investing lakhs.

In a circular sent to the Industries Association of Uttarakhand (IAU), the CBEC has stated that the exemption will continue to be available in the case of an eligible unit shifting to a new location within the area specified under the notification.

These units will, however, be examined on a case-to-case basis, subject to the condition that these do not shift their operations out of the states notified for the package.

According to the clarification, the exemption will also be available in the case of the expansion of a unit by acquiring an adjacent plot of land and installing new plant and machinery on such land.

The CBEC has also stated that a change of ownership of an industrial unit enjoying these benefits will not jeopardise the admissibility of exemption for the remaining part of the 10-year period. This will, however, be subject to the condition that the new owner exercises the option in writing to avail of the benefits of the exemptions before effecting the first clearance.

This has come as a major relief to the industry in Himachal and Uttarakhand where various industrial associations had time and again sought a clarification from the CBEC. The issue had also been taken up by the Industries Department with the union ministry several times.

Terming it as a major relief, Prem Sharma, president of the Nalagarh Industries Association, said this would save the industry from undue harassment which investors had been facing at the hands of landlords who had been dictating their own terms. Scores of investors would now be able to shift to their own buildings which had been lying vacant in the absence of this clarification.

This would also help expansion activities as several units were desirous of taking over other units or executing joint ventures to expand their operations, said the HR head of a consumer products manufacturing unit. 

Mandi, February 20
The proposed Rs 3-crore multipurpose Dev Sadan to provide shelter to over a 1,000 Devlus and Bajantris, traditional devotees and musicians, who accompany devis and devtas for the weeklong International Mahashivratri fair in this temple town, has run into rough weather as the Shivratri Mela Committee (SMC) has failed to provide funds and land for the sadan.

Even after decades, when the district administration took over the control of the organisation of the Mahashivratri fair after Independence, over a 1,000 of Devlus and Bajantris have been roughing it out in the open every year. “We do not get even toilet facilities, leave alone some respectable shelter,” the kardars of the devtas stated. Moreover, the traditional resting places that used to provide shelter to the 69 devtas invited during the erstwhile Mandi state, have been squeezed due to the construction of new houses in the town.

But today, the number of devis and devtas has swelled manifold as Shivratri has been turned into a political and cultural event by local politicians. More than 215 devtas, many of them new ones, have been registered by the SMC, said the kardars.

President, Sarva Devta Committee of Kardars, Shivpaul Sharma said they had been demanding the construction of a Dev Sadan and allocation of 50 per cent Shivratri budget at various levels, but to no avail. “The devis and devtas are the mainspring of Shivratri and the SMC gets donations and collections in the name of the devtas. But the devlus do not have shelter facilities here,” he lamented.

“Moreover, the nazrana and honorarium are in peanuts, not even 20 per cent of the mela budget, as compared to the expenditure incurred on travelling to the town,” Sharma claimed.

On the other hand, SMC Chairman-cum-Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, Devesh Kumar said they had asked the kardar committee to identify the land for a Dev Sadan and had proposed to raise funds from various temple trusts in the district, but the response so far had been poor. “There is neither land in the town and nor enough funds available for the purpose,” he added.

The DC said the SMC had been raising nazrana every year and provided free ration and shelter to the devtas. “We have to organise other cultural and sports events. Besides, the kardars never raised the issue in the general house for the committee to take a collective decision,” he claimed.

Mandi, February 20
Chief Minister PK Dhumal will lay the foundation stone of the Rs 1-crore District Self-employment Training Centre (DSTC) at Pandoh, near here, and Rs 2.14-crore District Panchayat Office and Zila Parishad building at Bhiuli, before presiding over the inauguration ceremony of the week-long International Shivratri Fair here tomorrow.

Stating this at the press conference here recently, Rural Development Minister Jai Ram Thakur said: “The DSTC will provide vocational training for rural youths under the below poverty line (BPL) category and self-help groups (SHGs) to enable them to start their individual ventures.”

The centre will cost Rs 2.14 crore, which will be funded by Punjab National Bank.

Thakur said over 6,887 persons had been trained in 10 training centres being run in 10 districts in the state so far.

Except for Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts, 10 other districts have their own self-employment training centres, the minister said.

In its bid to promote marketing of products made by the SHGs, the ministry had allotted Rs 20 lakh for holding the Saras Mela in which over 122 SHGs from 17 states would showcase their products during the Shivratri Fair. The mela venue would be the roof top of the Indira Market, he said.

To promote the marketing and selling of products made by the SHGs in the region, the Central Ministry of Rural Development has sanctioned Rs 1.5 crore for the zila haat that would provide marketing facilities for the SHGs.

“We are locating a land for the zila haat that will help in marketing products of the SHGs,” he added.

Bilaspur, February 20
The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) is taking suitable steps so that cricket lovers in far-flung areas, where there are no cricket stadiums, also get the facility of playing cricket. This was stated by HPCA state president and BCCI joint secretary Anurag Thakur while inaugurating an inter-departmental cricket tournament organised by the district administration in collaboration with the District Cricket Association here yesterday.

Anurag said the HPCA was organising trials to select talented cricketers in such areas so that they could be trained at the Cricket Academy and show their worth at the state and national levels. He said the Luhnu cricket stadium was only in name when he had first visited this spot in 2000 with the BCCI secretary, but now this Bilaspur cricket stadium was one of the best in the state and was even more beautiful and ideally located than much-talked Dharamsala cricket stadium as it was situated on the bank of the Gobind Sagar. He urged sportspersons to take full advantage of the cricket facilities being provided by the stadiums of the HPCA.

Anurag said several other playfields were also available at the Luhnu sports complex, but these required further improvement. He announced a grant of Rs 20 lakh for this complex out of his MPLAD funds for developing a playfield further. He distributed cricket kits to players of teams that were playing in the tournament here.

Deputy Commissioner Ritesh Chauhan said a total of 16 teams were contesting in this tournament which had been started with the objective of developing better relations between different population groups that were taking part in it.

District Cricket Association secretary Vishal Jagota also addressed the congregation. 

Bilaspur, February 20
Prashashan Janata Ke Dwar camps are proving to be very useful for solving villagers’ problems at their doorsteps and this system will be continued in far-flung areas.

This was stated by HP Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker Rikhi Ram Kaundal while addressing a camp at the subdivisional level at Rishikesh across the Gobind Sagar yesterday.

He said villagers converged in large numbers to take advantage of these camps where all officers were present under the Deputy Commissioner’s guidance at the district level and the Subdivision Magistrate’s at the subdivisional level.

Kaundal said earlier villagers used to go from office to office at far-off centres like the district or subdivisional headquarters or tehsil offices, and most of the time officers were on a tour or at an official meeting or on leave.

He praised Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal for restarting this system and said these camps were proving to be a boon to villagers as most of their work regarding revenue, land, pensions, schemes and projects etc, were being solved on the spot.

SDM RK Guttam said 96 cases were presented by people at this camp and out of these 58 were solved and settled on the spot while the remaining 38 cases were given to officers concerned for quick disposal with a proper reply to petitioners.

He said hundreds of villagers drawn from far-off gram panchayats of Dammali, Dadi Badi, Badole Devi and Behna Jattan were present at this camp. 

Palampur, February 20
All the three persons accused in a case in which Meena was allegedly forced to commit suicide by her in-laws were presented in the local court today and remanded in police custody till tomorrow.

There was a dispute in the family over the inadequate dowry she had brought in her marriage.

As per an FIR lodged at Bhawarna police station by Sakuntala Devi, mother of the deceased, her daughter Meena was married to Vinod of Dhoran village in 2009. Since then she was maltreated and victimised by her in-laws for bringing inadequate dowry. She had stated in her complaint that Meena’s husband Vinod, father-in-law Mast Ram, mother-in-law Urmila and sister-in-law Bindu used to torture her. She was thrashed and beaten up by these persons a number of times.

Shakuntala also stated that on Friday Meena was again beaten up by her husband and other family members. Meena told her parents about the incident on the same day. Later, they received a message that Meena had been admitted to the Tanda medical college as she had tried to commit suicide. But by the time her parents reached the medical college, she was declared dead.

According SHO Prem Chand, the police had registered cases against Mast Ram, Urmila, Bindu and Vinod for forcing Meena to commit suicide and demanding dowry.

Later in the evening, the police had arrested Mast Ram, Urmila and Vinod. However, Bindu could not be arrested as she was in Amritsar. A police team was rushed to Amritsar to arrest her.