Kullu, March 22
With the controversy surrounding the International Roerich Memorial Trust (IRMT), Naggar, continuing, the Russian Embassy has proposed to set up an international commission to resolve the “protracted war” between the Himachal-based Indian trustees and Russian trustees over its control.

The counter-move has come after the state government sent a five-member mission, headed by the ADM, Kullu, to dislodge IRMT’s controversial curator Elena Adamkova from office on March 20.

Senior consul for the Russian Embassy in New Delhi Karmalito today shot off a letter to the state government proposing that a commission be set up to resolve the controversy. The letter is being seen as a ploy to bail out curator Elena, who is facing a series of allegations pertaining to the mismanagement of funds. She is an employee of the Trust and gets salary from the government. The commission will comprise Indian and Russian trustees and the Board of Trustees’ decision will be final, sources said.

The order for her removal was approved by Chief Minister PK Dhumal, who is the chairman of the Board of Trustees, during an executive body meeting held in Shimla on March 6.

However, the curator dubbed her removal as “invalid”, stating that the state executive body had no mandate to remove her. The body could only recommend its decision to the Board of Trustees, which had the final authority to appoint or remove the curator.

The IRMT has 17 Indian trustees and five Russian trustees, including Russian Ambassador AM Kadakin, who is its life member. Elena reportedly enjoys the confidence of some trustees, and has been manipulating her stay on the post since January 2002.

Some trustees have levelled allegations regarding mismanagement of funds and foreign donations, and have alleged that some original paintings have gone missing from the Roerich Art Gallery.

However, Elena has termed these allegations as baseless. “I have not got the salary for February and was not allowed to attend a meeting in Shimla on March 4, she claimed.

Shimla, March 22
National general secretary of the BJP and sitting MLA from Bilaspur has been elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha.

Today was the last day for the withdrawal of nominations and he was the only candidate for the lone seat from the state falling vacant on April 2. The Opposition Congress, which has 23 MLAs in the 68-member House, had not fielded any candidate. Secretary of the Vidhan Sabha Goverdhan Singh, who is also the returning officer, declared him elected after the deadline for the withdrawal of nominations expired.

Nadda made his debut in electoral politics by winning the Assembly poll from the Bilaspur constituency in 1993. He won the seat in 1998 and became the Health Minister. He won again in 2007 and was inducted as the Forest Minister.

However, he was handpicked by BJP president Nitin Gadkari and included in his team as general secretary of the party. Thereafter, he resigned as Forest Minister and shifted to Delhi. With his entry to the Rajya Sabha, the Bilaspur Assembly seat will be vacated, but with the Assembly poll due later this year, there is little possibility of a byelection.

Addressing the gathering, Nadda thanked Gadkari, Chief Minister PK Dhumal and veteran leader Shanta Kumar for reposing faith in him.

Shimla, March 22
Terming the Budget as “unrealistic” and “lacking in vision”, Leader of the Opposition Vidya Stokes today asserted that the “failure” to address the important issues of resource mobilisation, corruption and unemployment would cost the state dearly.

Initiating a debate on the Budget proposals in the Vidhan Sabha, she said corruption and inefficiency were the two major stumbling blocks which hampered development, but the Budget was silent on the issues. The state had been reeling under scams which included land deals, private universities, eco-tourism projects, mid-day meals, power projects, housing projects and mining, which hurt the state’s revenue.

Further, the Budget would lead the state to fiscal distress as no effort had been made to mop up additional resources. The non-tax revenue had declined and the state was not getting adequate returns from industries even though there were over 38,000 units. In fact, the state was surviving mainly on central funds available under schemes like the National Rural Health Mission, horticulture mission, MNREGA, the JNNURM, national highway projects and widow and old-age pensions.

Former minister JP Nadda made a spirited defence of the Budget and said by adopting a new approach, Chief Minister PK Dhumal had managed to provide benefit to every section without putting any additional financial burden on the people. He had provided relief in the short term and also ensured that the state continued to tread on the fiscal-correction path in the long run.

Unlike the Centre, the state had kept “deficit to the GSDP ratio” at 2.88 per cent, which was within the specified 3 per cent, and the “debt to the GSDP” had also come down from 63 per cent in 2007-08 to 46 per cent. Senior Congress member GS Bali attacked the government on the issue of growing unemployment and termed the proposal to set up gymnasiums in every panchayat a cruel joke with the youth which would only help suppliers. He maintained that only 25,000 persons had been given jobs over the past four years and the unemployed would ensure the ouster of the BJP in the coming poll. He accused the government of favouring the Jaypee Group, which was allegedly allowed to fell 22,000 trees for a transmission line. 

Shimla, March 22
Expressing concern over the indifferent attitude of the UPA government towards the increasing activities and interference of China along the Indo-Tibetan border, Chief Minister PK Dhumal today said ignoring “warning signals” could cost the country dearly.

He stated this while replying to the call-attention motion of BJP member from Lahaul-Spiti Ram Lal Markandey in the Vidhan Sabha regarding reports of violation of Indian air space by two Chinese helicopters near Kaurik. He said China had been objecting to road construction in Leh, violating air space, objecting to movement of the Dalai Lama and making a hue and cry over Prime Minster Manmohan Singh’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh. It was building rail lines, highways and airfields close to the Indian border.

Not only that, China was trying to encircle India right from the northeast down to Sri Lanka. As per recent reports thousands of Chinese soldiers in Occupied Kashmir and Pakistan had conducted a joint military exercise across the Rajasthan border. It had deployed missiles in Tibet which could hit any target in India.

He said he had taken up the matter with the Prime Minister. Coming to the violation of Indian air space over Himachal border yeserday, Dhumal said the government had already allotted land to the Indian Air Force for installing radar to check infiltration.

Shimla, March 22
Keen on placating the dissident camp within the party, newly appointed state BJP chief Satpal Satti has already swung into action as he held talks with some of the leaders from Kangra owing allegiance to former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar.

Satti, who on assuming office had categorically said that he favoured holding talks not just with the dissidents within the party but also with the breakaway group which has formed a separate party, has started translating his mission into reality. He held talks with some ministers and MLAs at the residence of a minister from Kangra here last night.

Sources said the main objective behind last night’s meeting was to open channels with the dissident camp and address their grievances, so that the party could take on the opposition Congress unitedly in the Assembly poll due by the end of this year. It is learnt that the dissidents, too, have laid down some conditions before the new party chief, before they abandon their defiant posture.

The sources said in case Satti succeeded in breaking the ice with the dissident camp and pacified them, he could even try to woo back the breakaway group led by former MP Maheshwar Singh. “He is even open to the idea of brining former BJP leaders, who have now formed the Himachal Lokhit Party, back into the party fold, but for that he will have to seek Gadkari’s consent,” said a senior leader.

The main ire of the dissident leaders from Kangra was the undue interference by a senior minister close to the Chief Minister in their constituencies.

The dissident camp in the party, including ministers Kishan Kapoor and Ramesh Dhawala and MLAs Vipin Parmar, Praveen Sharma, Des Raj and Khushi Ram Balnahata, have been skipping important party meetings in the recent past. They even missed the rally addressed by party chief Nitin Gadkari at Kullu.

Dharamsala, March 22
Ankur Abrol, an advocate at the Dharamsala District Courts, was injured in a clash with a colleague today. In a complaint lodged with the police, Abrol has alleged that he was attacked by fellow advocate Rajiv Azad and a few other unidentified persons. However, none of the members of the Bar Association, Dharamsala, claims to have seen the thrashing of Abrol.

Abrol left the court premises bleeding.He received first aid from the Zonal Hospital, Dharamsala, from where he was referred to the Tanda Medical College.

President, District Bar Association, Tek Chand Rana said he had not seen anybody thrashing Abrol. He, however, admitted that yesterday the association had expelled Ankur Abrol from its primary membership as he had indulged in indiscipline and was not respecting senior advocates and members of the Bar.

Sources here said the tiff between Abrol and fellow advocates started over parking on the court premises.

Though Abrol has filed a complaint, the police is yet to register a case in the matter till the filing of this report. SP, Kangra, Diljeet Thakur said a case would be registered after recording the statements of complainants.

Sundernagar, March 22
Inaugurating North India’s biggest cattle fair, the Nalwar mela, here today, PWD Minister Gulab Singh Thakur assured farmers that all 3,243 gram panchayats in the state will get a veterinary hospital by the end of this year.

He urged the farmers to switch over to organic farming and shun the use of chemical fertilisers, which harmed the soil and the health of consumers.

Addressing a gathering after performing the “pujan” of a pair of bullocks at Nagaun khad here, the PWD Minister said the role of animal husbandry was pivot in the economic development of rural Himachal.

The main attraction of the seven-day cattle fair is that it attracts “pure Pahari breed of bullocks” from the hills of the region. It also brings in traders from Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir.

To promote good Pahari-breed cattle, the mela committee is organising a breed competition and will give Rs 3 lakh as rewards to farmers.