Shimla, March 13
Chief Minister PK Dhumal today not only rejected the resignation of Health Minister Rajeev Bindal by stating that he was innocent but also dared the Congress to approach the Lokayukta with the charges against him.

Addressing mediapersons after the Assembly proceedings, he said there was no justification in the Congress demand for Bindal’s resignation. “Purchasing land is not a crime and when he has stated all the facts, including the sale of some land, it is clear that the allegations have been levelled with vested interests, just before the elections,” he said.

He said the tendering of the resignation by Bindal was an emotional outburst and the Congress was levelling baseless charges against him by taking advantage of the immunity MLAs enjoyed in the House. “The papers clearly prove Bindal’s innocence and the Congress, too, has in the past rejected resignations submitted by their leaders on moral grounds,” he said.

He took the Congress to task by stating that there was no place for violence in the Assembly, which was meant for holding debates on important issues. “It is a very sad and unfortunate day when members indulged in physical abuse as the Himachal Assembly was known for its high standards of debate and decorum all over the country,” he said. He appealed to the MLAs not to lower the standards of debates in the Assembly and make efforts to ensure smooth conduct of the session.

“The Congress is leaderless and directionless, especially after the defeat it faced in the recent Assembly elections, but it does not realise that this kind of behaviour will only aggravate its position,” he said. He added that the BJP regime was always open for a dialogue. The Opposition had the right to protest, raise slogans and stage walkouts, but it must not cross the line where MLAs get into a scuffle.

He said the Congress, which was today talking of morality, must set an example by asking its own leaders, who have bought land on subsidised rates and put it to commercial use, to step down. “There can’t be two different yardsticks for dealing with the issue of morality when it comes to the Congress leaders,” he said.

Balbir Chaudhary, MLA from Gagret, presented himself before the media with a bandaged hand in a sling, accusing Mukesh Agnihotri of banging his hand against the table deliberately. “I was targeted by the Congress today as during the debate on the Governor’s Address I had exposed the Congress’ anti-Dalit face,” he said. 

Shimla, March 13
Accusing the BJP of trying to throttle their voice by resorting to unruly behaviour, the Congress today said it would continue its fight against corruption, notwithstanding the “high political drama and pressure tactics ” being indulged in by the ruling party.

Speaking to mediapersons after the animated protest staged by them in the House today, CLP leader Vidya Stokes and state Congress chief Kaul Singh Thakur said the drama enacted by the BJP on Bindal’s resignation would only aggravate the situation. “The Chief Minister, too, is compromising on the issue of corruption by rejecting Bindal’s resignation, but we will continue our fight and not be cowed down by pressure tactics come what may,” said Stokes.

She added that Bindal’s statement that he had returned some land did not absolve him of the offence that he had committed.

She termed the behaviour of BJP members as undemocratic and rowdy to throttle the voice of the Opposition. “Even before the Speaker could react to our request, BJP members started creating a ruckus, forcing us to lodge our protest,” she said. She lamented that the Chief Minister did not make any effort to pacify his party members as bedlam prevailed in the House.

Chief whip of the Congress Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said the Speaker must take action under the rules against BJP members who left their seats and came forward and engaged in a scuffle with Opposition members, who were only raising slogans.

Reacting to allegations of letting out his residential premises for commercial purposes, state Congress chief Kaul Singh said as a member of the HP Legislature Housing Society, there was no restriction on using it for commercial purposes. “No illegality is involved in renting out a protion of my house and I dare the Chief Minister to hold a judicial inquiry on the issue,” he said.

Shimla, March 13
The BJP today said the Congress should apologise to the people of the state for its unruly behaviour in the Assembly in which a ruling party legislator, Balbir Chaudhary, was injured.

In a statement issued here today, BJP leaders Ram Swaroop Sharma, Chandermohan Thakur and Ganesh Dutt said the Congress today scripted a new low in the history of the Himachal Vidhan Sabha by resorting to physical abuse. “They owe an apology to the people of the state who voted in their favour so that they could participate in the debate and raise important issues rather than indulge in hooliganism,” they said.

They said Congress MLAs had indulged in violence and Balbir Chaudhary’s two fingers had been fractured. “Despite Congress members trying to provoke the Treasury Benches, BJP members maintained peace and Congress MLAs thumped the tables of BJP members,” they alleged.

Solan, March 13
With Health Minister Rajeev Bindal being in the firing line of both the Congress and the BJP’s breakaway group, the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP), the Solan faction of the BJP today took out a rally in his support.

Led by mandal president Ravinder Parihar, BJP leaders, including vice-president of the local municipal committee Pawan Gupta, state spokesman Nardev Badola, Ritu Sethi, Rakesh Sharma, Mohan Singh Thakur, Sunil Jagga and Kushal Jethi, marched from the PWD guest house to DC Office Chowk raising slogans in support of Bindal for the developmental works carried out by him.

They announced that he would be honoured with Solan Gaurav on March 17. Various social organisations and elected representatives, including panchayat pradhans and BDC and zila parishad members, would honour him.

Hamirpur, March 13
Cement companies are all set to increase the prices of cement by about Rs 15 per bag from midnight tonight.

Two major cement manufacturers in the state - Ambuja Cement and Associated Cement Companies (ACC) - have sent telephonic messages to their retail dealers throughout the state in this regard.

The companies had slashed the prices of cement by Rs 20 per bag in the state in January after much dilly-dallying over the issue for several months and following Chief Minister PK Dhumal’s intervention. It was after some tough talk by the state government that the cement companies had relented on this issue.

Interestingly, cement was being sold at lower prices in neighbouring states and border areas. The sale of cement at a higher rate in the state had earned the ire of the public after which the state government took up this issue with the cement companies.

A bag of cement is likely to be available at Rs 323 per bag in the retail market after effecting the increase in the price. 

Dharamsala, March 13
The Labour Department has failed to register adequate number of workers under the Buildings and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996.

So far only 350 construction workers have been registered under the Act in Kangra district, the biggest and most populous district of the state.

About 25 per cent population of the state is concentrated in the district. However, the district contributes just 6 per cent to the total number of construction workers registered in the state. So far about 5,500 construction workers have been registered in the state.

Ravinder Singh, an activist who helped many construction workers register themselves in Kangra, alleged that there was no regular labour inspector in the district. Since January this year, no construction worker had been registered in Kangra district, he alleged.

Due to non-registration, construction workers are being denied the benefits that were to be extended to them under the scheme.

Under the scheme, the construction workers would get a health insurance cover of Rs 30,000, an accidental death insurance cover worth Rs 70,000 and maternity benefit to women construction workers worth Rs 10,000. Besides, a pension of Rs 500 per month would be given to the construction workers who remain enrolled in the scheme continuously for a period of three years, after attaining the age of 60 years. They can also get an interest-free loan of Rs 50,000 for the construction of a house.

Under the Act, the state government has imposed a cess of 1 per cent on all constructions involving Rs 10 lakh or more in the state. Sources said in the past three years, the government had collected Rs 101.09 crore as cess in the state. However, due the non-registration of construction workers, the state till date had managed to disburse just Rs 2.12 lakh. Of this amount, Rs 2 lakh has been paid as premium to the insurance company. The only two benefits extended to labourers include Rs 2,410 as medical assistance to a construction worker and Rs 10,000 as funeral assistance to a deceased.

The sources said the cess was not being imposed in the private sector. The cess of Rs 101.09 crore collected so far under the Act by the Labour Department has been imposed on government buildings.

Ravinder Singh said even the District Rural Development Agency had failed to deposit the construction cess of 1 per cent on all buildings brought up by them.

The sources said the state government had formed a board for implementing the Act. However, the board had not opened its offices at the district level. This had rendered the board non-functional at the ground level.

Shimla, March 13
The Himachal Power Engineers’ Association has expressed resentment over the decision of the state electricity board to abolish the post of Chief Engineer (System Planning) and merger of its function in the office of Chief Engineer (System Operation).

The association stated that this decision of the management was highly detrimental to the working of the company. The post of the Chief Engineer (SP) was created way back in 1988 for the integrated planning of power system in the state and for the formulation of schemes and getting them financed from the PFC or the REC or other financial institutions. The quantum of work being handled by the Chief Engineer (SP) had not in any way reduced and, thus, the purpose of abolishing the post was not understood.

The Chief Engineer (SO) was dealing with sale and purchase of power, which involved transactions amounting to over Rs 2,300 crore, power regulation and IT applications and it would be difficult for the Chief Engineer (SO) to handle the additional functions of the system planning.

The association said the decision was based on the premature evaluation of the office of the Chief Engineer (SP) by the management and asserted that the distribution company could not run without a full-fledged planning wing as it required effective system planning with introduction of the state-of-the-art technology.

Welcoming the decision to post a Chief Engineer (Electrical) in the office of planning and monitoring, the association demanded the immediate restoration of the post of Chief Engineer (System Planning) failing which it would be constrained to adopt trade unionist methods.

Shimla, March 13
The Special Judge (Forest) has declined the plea of Union Minister Virbhadra Singh for further investigation of the alleged CD case and listed the case for March 26 for consideration on charge.

Special Judge BL Soni while passing this order observed that law expects the discharge of duties by investigating officer properly and further investigation can only be ordered in exceptional cases.

Applicant Virbhadra Singh has filed the application for further investigation on the ground that two witnesses, Kapil Mohan and Prem Chand, has disputed their statements under Section 161, CrPC.

The former Chief Minister said investigation was biased, tainted and incomplete as well as the genuineness of the CD had not been established. There was no evidence about the date and time of recording the alleged conversation.

The applicant said the case had been registered on the basis of a CD whose origin was not known.

The state government has opposed this application and said the investigating officer had thoroughly investigated the matter and no further investigation was required.

Solan, March 13
With the state having got only 44 km of new rail track since Independence, Himachal is now pinning hopes on tomorrow’s Railway Budget for getting funds for new rail lines.

The Railway Ministry had got a feasibility study conducted for a 186-km new rail line connecting Ganauli-Nalagarh-Baddi-Surajpur-Kala Amb-Paonta Sahib and Dehradun and an expenditure of Rs 3,745 crore is to be incurred on this line. The state is supposed to bear 25 per cent of the expenditure. According to the feasibility study, business worth Rs 2 lakh crore is transacted annually from these industrial areas where industries like cement, light engineering, fast-moving consumer goods and textiles are present.

The ministry had announced this survey in its earlier budget and had declared it a socially desirable project. It, however, remains to be seen if funds will be sanctioned in this budget as Himachal does not figure in the priority list of the the Railway Ministry.

The lack of a railway line had reduced the Container Corporation of India’s proposal for opening an inland container depot to a mere container freight station at Baddi though its feasibility had been worked out. Chief Minister PK Dhumal had on Februrary 17 mooted a proposal to lay a new rail line connecting Kalka-Baddi-Nalagarh-Bilaspur and Beri as it would prove beneficial to more industrial clusters.

Rajeev Malhotra, CII Chairman, Himachal chapter, said they had been pursuing the progress of this project with the railway authorities so that funds could be sanctioned as it would help the industry transport raw material and finished goods at competitive rates.

Similar views were echoed by Sanjay Guleria, president, Himachal Drug Manufacturers Association, who said this rail link would help end the transportation woes of investors and this was crucial as the central industrial package had lapsed and the state was banking on the sustenance of the existing industry.

While the rail link could also pave the way for a metro in the future, general secretary of the Baddi-Barotiwala Nalagarh Industries Association YS Guleria said they were hopeful that funds would be allocated for this long-pending rail line which would connect various industrial areas. He added that since 60 per cent of the industry workers commuted from the BBN area to Chandigarh everyday, a metro train would help provide quality transportation facility to the workers.

Shimla, March 13
The state high court in a minor administrative reshuffle has transferred nine civil judges and two judicial officers of the rank of District and Sessions Judges.

In a notification issued by the high court today, the services of Member Secretary, HP State Legal Services Authority, JS Mahantan have been placed at the disposal of Lokayukta, Himachal Pradesh, for being posted as Legal Adviser to the Lokayukta. Whereas the services of DK Sharma, presiding officer, Labour and Industrial Tribunal, Shimla, have been placed at the disposal of the state government for being posted as Member Secretary, HP State Legal Services Authority.

KK Sharma, Additional Special Secretary (Law) to the state government, has been promoted as presiding officer, fast track court, and posted as such at Solan against the vacant post. While Mukesh Bansal, Civil Judge (Sr Division)-cum-Chief Judicial Magistrate, Chamba, has been promoted as presiding officer, fast track court, and posted as such at Chamba against the vacant post.

Bhupesh Sharma, Civil Judge (Sr Division)-cum-Chief Judicial Magistrate, Solan has been promoted as presiding officer, fast track court and posted as such at Hamirpur against the vacant post.

Whereas Padam Singh, Civil Judge (Sr Division)-cum-Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kullu, has been promoted as presiding officer, fast track court and posted as such at Kullu against the vacant post.

Yogesh Jaswal, Civil Judge (Sr Division)-cum-Chief Judicial Magistrate, Lahaul-Spiti, has been transferred as such to Kullu. While Rajeev Bali, Civil Judge (Sr Division)-cum- JMIC (I), Kasauli, has been transferred and posted as (Sr Division)-cum-Chief Judicial Magistrate, Lahaul-Spiti at Kullu.

Pawanjit Singh, Civil Judge (Sr Division)-cum-JMIC (I), Dehra, has been transferred as Civil Judge (Sr Division)-cum-CJM, Solan.

Whereas Jaswant Singh, Civil Judge (Sr Division)-cum-JMIC (I), Paonta Sahib, has been transferred and posted as Civil Judge (Sr Division)-cum-CJM, Chamba.

The services of Jyotsna Sumant Dadwal, Civil Judge (Sr Division)-cum-JMIC (I), Nalagarh, have been placed at the disposal of the state government for being posted as Additional Secretary/Special Secretary (Law) to the state.

Hamirpur, March 13
The second guest lecture at the technology festival, Nimbus 2012, being organised at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Hamirpur, was delivered by Vamsi Krishna Chaudhary, an expert in entrepreneurship of preparations for various aptitude tests like CAT, MAT, XAT, GMAT, GRF and CSAT.

Hailing from Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh, Chaudhary had achieved 100 per cent success in quantitative ability and data interpretation for seven consecutive times in CAT.

He had also received the prestigious “Shiksha Rattan” from the Institute of Economic Studies and was awarded a gold medal by the Government of India in the year 2011.

In his lecture, Chaudhary said though cracking exams like CAT were easy, most students feared these tests.

Chaudhary added that the questions put in aptitude test exams could be solved on the basis of basic understanding of the subject, but one had to learn the way of learning.

Shimla, March 13
Expressing concern on the issue of inadequate basic amenities in the Mata Chintpurni Temple in Una, the state high court has summoned the Deputy Commissioner (DC), Una, for March 19 and directed him to explain the progress in the work.

The court passed this order after the petitioner brought to the notice of the court that there was no progress as to the construction of toilets despite the orders of the court.

In its earlier order, it had observed that “going by the statistics of people coming to the temple, we are of the view that immediate steps are to be taken for providing toilet facilities to them either on outsourcing basis or otherwise.”

The court passed this order on a petition filed by Vinod Kumar Kalia for quashing the interim prospective plan for the management of the Mata Chintpurni Temple Trust.

It further directed the DC to explain what action had been taken on the resolution passed by the temple trust for the purchase of an ambulance and a fire brigade van and maintaining the sewage system.

Shimla, March 13
India must play a bigger and more effective role to help strengthen the fragile democracy in Bangladesh, where resurgence of religious fundamentalists and military coups cannot be ruled out, asserts Asaduzzaman Noor, Awami League MP and Cultural Secretary.

“Even 40 years after liberation, democracy is not on a firm footing and anything can happen anytime, largely because of the confrontationist approach of the two main political parties which are not keen on having a consensus even on important national issues,” he said while delivering a lecture on “Understanding Bangladesh” at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study here today.

Besides freedom from Pakistani rulers, the struggle for liberation had other cherished goals like establishment of a secular and democratic system and ensuring social justice. However, 15 years of military rule after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman rehabilitated the anti-liberation forces, undermining the goals of the freedom struggle. The subsequent return of democracy also did not help. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) saw the rise of extremist forces with serial bomb blasts rocking the country, he said, explaining the background of the current political divide in the country.

Some of those who opposed the freedom struggle joined the BNP, which believed in Islamic nationalism, and the party had been pursing this line to get the support of religious fundamentalists. The Awami League on the other hand asserted the Bangla identity and nationality. However, the two ideologies had created a vertical split in society and today teachers, doctors, lawyers and the bureaucracy were all divided, which did not augur well for the country.

The relations between the two countries have to be strengthened at all levels and should not be limited to exchange visits of ministers.

Editor of leading Bangladesh daily “Prothom Alo” Motiur Rahman said treaties on sharing the waters of the Teesta and other rivers was essential as such irritants aroused anti-India sentiments among the people. 

Mandi, March 13
Terming the Congress and the BJP as the two sides of the same coin, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal today announced that Anna Hazare would hold a fast at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to press for making protection of whistle-blowers mandatory in the Jan Lokpal.

Talking to mediapersons here after the conclusion of the two-day state-level seminar, “India Against Corruption”, Kejriwal said there had been a series of attacks on whistle-blowers and those fighting corruption in the country.

But there was no protection for them under the present law as “the police acts as an agent of the corrupt system”, he said.

He said they were disappointed by murders of honest people and attacks on them as they became soft targets of the deep-rooted nexus of mafias.

To protect whistle blowers, Hazare and his supporters would hold a day-long strike at Jantar Mantar on March 18, he added.

Kejriwal said they had been asking the UPA government and MPs to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill submitted to Parliament and make protection of whistle-blowers mandatory in this law.

As many as 163 MPs in Parliament were facing criminal charges, including charges of rape and murder to kidnapping and abduction, he alleged.

He said the Anna movement had been getting a countrywide support for Jan Lokpal as it provided for an alternative system to punish the corrupt. Power should be with the gram sabha at the village level and action in corruption cases should be time-bound and whistle-blowers be protected, he added.

Manali, March 13
The entire upper Manali region experienced a fresh spell of snowfall in the wee hours today, while the snowfall in the lower parts was mild. Snowflakes also greeted tourists in the Manali town this morning. But after a fresh spell of snow, the sun shone bright around 9 am.

The ski slopes of the Solang valley, which are used for different skiing courses by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, also experienced a fresh spell of snowfall.

The snowfall on the ski slopes brought cheer to the faces of winter sports lovers as now the slopes had enough snow for the skiing courses.

Hundreds of tourists who were on their sight-seeing tour to the snow point were also in for a surprise to see the upper areas of the Manali region donning an impeccable white mantle.

Ratanayanee, a tour leader from Thailand, said it was amazing to see fresh snow in the Solang valley at this time when the plains in India had started warming up. It was also a dream that had come true for them to see the entire upper Manali region covered with a white blanket.

The entire higher reaches in the Kullu valley, including the 13,050-ft-high Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul-Spiti district, the Pir Panjal ranges, Marhi meadows, Gulaba, Kothi, Dhundi, Bhrighu slopes, Hamta slopes and Chanderkhani pass, also experienced fresh snowfall.

Chamba, March 13
Since the post of an ENT specialist has been lying vacant at the far-flung Government Regional Hospital in Chamba for the past more than seven years, the Tanda Medical College (TMC) has been sending a team of ENT experts in the district from time to time.

A two-day free medical camp was organised by the hospital in collaboration with the team of ENT specialists of the TMC here today.

During the camp, 350 patients were examined. CMO Rakesh Verma said deploying ENT specialists by the TMC had brought succour to the patients. — OC

Bilaspur, March 13
Chinta Devi (75) and her son Bhagat Ram (55) of Kasohal village in the Harnoda area of Kol Dam, 35 km from here, reportedly died of dehydration here today.

Reports said both the mother and son were suddenly taken ill with diarrhoea and when their condition deteriorated, they were rushed to the Regional Hospital here, but they died.

Some villagers, led by Zila Parishad member Basant Ram Sandhu, alleged that both died due to the negligence of doctors in the hospital. They urged the government to hold an impartial inquiry into the incident and improve the condition of services here.

But the doctor on duty denied the charge and said it was a “case of food poisoning” and they were vomiting after this poisoning and it resulted in serious dehydration. He said they were first treated locally at the village and when their condition went out of control, then they were bought to the hospital, but it was too late by then.

Sandhu also said now only Kanta Devi, widow of Bhagat Ram, was left alone in the family and there was no one to support her. He urged the government to provide suitable financial help to her.

Dharamsala, March 13
The district police has arrested two persons and recovered 2 kg charas from them. It is being considered as a big catch before the start of the tourist season in the area this month.

Sources here said the smugglers were bringing the narcotic for sale in tourist places near Dharamsala, including McLoedganj and Bhagsunag.

SP, Kangra, Diljeet Thakur said the police had arrested Mehar Singh of Rajiana area and Suresh Kumar of Tota Rani and recovered 2 kg charas from them.

The accused had told the police that they were given charas by a Nepalese national near the Sudher area of Kangra district. — TNS