Mandi, April 22
Terming the state BJP as a “divided house”, Union Minister Virbhadra Singh today charged the Dhumal regime with promoting a reign of land mafias, political vendetta and regionalism in the state.

Addressing the parivartan rally, organised here by Balh MLA Parkash Chaudhary, Virbhadra Singh alleged that the Dhumal government had sold land along the national highways from Mahatpur in Una to Dharamsala and from Parwanoo in Solan to Shimla to “outsiders” through benami transactions. If returned to power, the Congress would probe these deals, he said. He declared Chaudhary as the party candidate from Balh.

“Youth and government servants are up in arms against the BJP government as the Chief Minister is encouraging sycophancy among officials and unleashing a reign of political vendetta on Congress workers from panchayat to higher levels,” he alleged.

He said the Congress should learn a lesson from the “divided” BJP and election results of Uttarakhand, UP and Punjab and allot the ticket only to winning candidates. “Had we given the ticket to right candidates, we would have retained power in the last Assembly elections,” he claimed.

He said the Congress would set up a government medical college in Mandi if voted to power. The Central Government had allocated Rs 1,900 crore for national highways and started an IIT in Mandi and a Central University in Dharamsala, he added.

Kaul Singh Thakur termed the Dhumal government as the “most corrupt”. The government had claimed various awards because of development works done during the previous regimes and constant financial support from the Centre, he claimed.

Others present were former ministers Ram Lal Thakur and Rangila Ram Rao, former Kangra MP Chander Kumar, former MLAs Surinderpal, Tek Chand Dogra, Surinder Kaku, Mast Ram, Chet Ram Thakur, Sohanlal Thakur, Shiv Lal and party district president Puran Chand.

Shimla, April 22
An early end to the ongoing factional war in the ruling BJP is not in sight. This became evident when veteran party leader Shanta Kumar refused to accompany Chief Minister PK Dhumal to a public function in the Sulah assembly constituency of Kangra district yesterday.

Dhumal went to his residence at Palampur to persuade him to attend the function, but he refused to budge from his stand that he would not get involved in party affairs and those of the government until issues raised by him were addressed to his satisfaction.

It is learnt that the initiative was taken by Dhumal on the intervention of the high command which is concerned over the widening factional divide in the party in the run up to the assembly poll. Shanta Kumar will have a vital role in the elections and the party cannot do without him, the BJP feels.

Earlier, Vipin Parmar, who represents the Sulah constituency, had tried to break the ice, but failed. He along with his wife visited Shanta Kumar to extend him a personal invitation for the function, but the latter reportedly expressed his displeasure over the fact that he was being invited at the 11th hour for a function planned a fortnight ago. Shanta Kumar had also stayed away from party meetings and those of the core committee, held here two days ago.

The reason, his close associates revealed, for his tough posture was that issues like corruption, nepotism and neglect of his supporters were not being addressed. He is also unhappy over “weird” priorities of the state government which had led to an unsavoury confrontation with the Army on the Annandale ground issue. What upset him the most was that the government and the party had been gripped by cricket mania to such an extent that national security was made to look like a secondary issue. He was so peeved that he made a statement urging all leaders of the state to refrain from issuing statements against the Army. The move to carve out new districts by dividing Kangra has brought in another irritant.

National general secretary JP Nadda and state BJP chief Satpal Satti have been in constant touch with him and trying to settle the issues, which are not easy to resolve for the party to embark on its mission “repeat” to retain power like Punjab. However, Shanta Kumar is of the view that the party will have to first “perform surgical operation to sideline the tainted leaders on the pattern of the neighbouring state where four ministers and five chairpersons of boards and corporation were removed.

It is becoming amply clear that the party high command will have to take some concrete measures to address these issues to assuage the aggrieved leader’s feelings. It has to take a call so that the party could go to polls as a united force.

Palampur, April 22
Jagjivan Pal, former MLA and senior Congress leader who was sitting on a dharna at Purbha village, was forcibly dragged by the police and BJP workers last night. Pal was lodging his protest against the inauguration of an incomplete project by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.

Pal was sitting on a dharna at the venue of the inauguration along with his supporters where the Chief Minister was to inaugurate a half-complete lift irrigation scheme. He had already informed the IPH Department that he would not allow the inauguration ceremony of incomplete schemes.

The Chief Minister was on a one-day visit to Sulah areas of this district to inaugurate the new project and launch the party’s election campaign for the Assembly elections ahead.

To avoid any untoward incident a heavy police force was deployed at the venue. Later, Jagjivan Pal was forcibly dragged from the venue and only then the inauguration ceremony was completed.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh criticised the state government for the manhandling of Jagjivan Pal by the police and BJP workers.

Talking to this correspondent on the phone this morning, Virbhadra Singh said Pal was peacefully sitting on a dharna lodging his protest against the misdeeds of the BJP government. Therefore, there was no justification for dragging him with the help of police force.

Bilaspur, April 22
Union Minister Virbhadra Singh has been touring HP repeatedly to strengthen the Congress party and so is being done by party state president Kaul Singh Thakur. This was stated by All-India Mahila Congress president Anita Varma while talking to mediapersons after paying obeisance at the Naina Devi shrine, 95 km from here, last evening.

She said the Chief Minister of the state would be decided by the Central high command led by Sonia Gandhi. “Presently our foremost task should be to strengthen the party at all levels so that the BJP is totally routed from the state,” she said.

She claimed that the popularity graph of the BJP had gone down in the eyes of general masses as it had betrayed all sections of the population.

Anita said the party had always been in favour of women’s empowerment and given them maximum opportunities to come forward in every field. It was the Congress-led Central government which made provision of 50 per cent reservation for women in the elections to panchayati raj institutions and local bodies.

She said the party would give 33 per cent tickets to women in the next election and Central observers were visiting all areas of the state to pin-point constituencies where competent women were available.

Anita was accompanied by All-India Mahila Congress general secretary Onika Malhotra, District Mahila Congress president Anjana Dhiman, Block president Seema Thakur, district Congress general secretary Pradip Sharma and Prabhat Kumar.

Mandi, April 22
The British authorities in London have sought a reply from those staking claim to the controversial George Cross medal of the late Kirpa Ram of Ghumarwin in Bilaspur by May this year as Ashok Nath, an NRI ex-serviceman settled in the UK, who claimed to be a bona fide purchaser of the medal, has started the “inter-pleader proceedings in a London court”.

The auction of the George Cross medal still stands stalled in the London Auction house, but Ashok Nath and the British authorities have fired a fresh salvo at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which has further forwarded this letter to the HP Government.

The “inter-pleader proceedings in London have started as there are many claimants to the medal which has made it a disputed property, but the British authorities still consider Ashok Nath as its bona fide purchaser”. The British have rejected findings of the HP Police in this case.

The issue has been further complicated as Brahmi Devi has also moved a petition in the high court, seeking the restoration of the medal. She has no legal heir as such, but has adopted her niece.

“We are seeking legal opinion on this letter from the British authorities. The medal belongs to Brahmi Devi not to Ashok Nath, as she was cheated by the dealer,” claimed Surinder Thakur, her relative, who has moved the petition in the high court on her behalf.

He said the state government in its reply had claimed that they wanted the medal back, but the Ministry of External Affairs, which was also a party in the petition, had not filed its reply so far. “The case is not listed for effective hearing yet,” he added.

Brahmi Devi (80), widow of Kirpa Ram, who was awarded the George Cross by Lord Wavell in 1946, never thought what this medal was all about as she is an illiterate.

But antique sharks taking advantage of her “innocence” eyed this medal as bonanza that could fetch them Rs 50 lakh in London auction.

Further, the police inquiry could not clear the air as the police had lodged the FIR in 2002 when Brahmi Devi’s jewellery was stolen. But the medal was found missing in 2000 and the matter came to light much later when retired IAS officer Shakti S Chandel, brought it to notice in his book on Bilaspur and took it to various levels.

The police found that antique dealer Shayam Lal Jain from Delhi deployed Kirpal Singh, a scrap dealer from Moga, Punjab, and gave him Rs 50,000 to get the medal from Brahmi Devi in 2000.

Kirpal, a small-time tout, gave Rs 20,000 to her and managed her thumb impressions on an affidavit, which was bought from outside and later typed words as they pleased, sources said.

DG, CID, ID Bhandari said the police had submitted the challan in the Ghumarwin court, charging Shayam Lal Jain and Kirpal Singh of cheating and misrepresenting the facts.

Bhandari said Jain and Kirpal were arrested and later released on bail. Jain probably sold the medal to Nath.

“We have forwarded the British authorities’ letter to Surinder Thakur for his reply as it does not involve investigation part,” he added.

President, Honorary Commissioned Officers’ Association, Capt Jagdish Chand (retd) said the state and Central governments should put facts before the British Government as Brahmi Devi had been cheated. “The medal belongs to her and should be brought back,” he said.

Manali, April 22
While planting apple trees, growers commit a vital mistake by not planting pollinisers of varieties like golden delicious, commercial, Jonathan, Granny Smith, Kalidevi and red gold. These apple plants play an important role in increasing crop productivity by way of pollination.

The growers prefer only royal delicious and red delicious to earn remunerative prices, which leads to a shortage of polliniser trees in the orchards.

Orchardists in the upper Manali region have developed a process to increase the pollination process. They put a flowered branch of a polliniser in a polythene bag which is filled with water so that pollen from the polliniser’s flower is carried to the apple trees and effective pollination takes place.

Honey bees and insects also play a vital role in increasing apple crop productivity by way of pollination. But, farmers are doing four to five sprays of different kinds of insecticides and fungicides to control the risk of canker, scale, scab etc. While it controls the disease, it also kills many eco-friendly insects and honeybees dependable for pollination.

The flourishing horticulture and tourism Industry has improved the economy of the upper Kullu valley. But this has adversely affected the quick drift from traditional houses, which were ideal for bee swarms to live in typical boxes embedded in walls.

Mushrooming of concrete structures has also forced bees to flee, thus affecting the pollination process. A decline in bee population poses a serious threat to horticulture.

The Horticulture Department encourages farmers in the region to put beehives in their orchards to ensure a good apple crop. To complete the pollination process, many farmers have placed two to three beehives in their orchards after hiring these.

Bilaspur, April 22
Former MLA and now Himachal Kisan Manch state chief convener Krishan Kumar Kaushal has urged the state government to revise state relief manual according to the present circumstances and ensure that those who happen to be unfortunate to be overtaken by natural disasters or are involved in road accidents etc are given at least an amount which can fulfill all the obligations and expenditure they have to meet after these incidents and accidents.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Kaushal said this relief manual was decided several years ago, and now since then prices of essentials goods and services had increased almost 10 times. As all provisions of this manual had become obsolete, these should be increased by the same jump.

He said when the government could revise salaries of ministers and MLAs, there was no reason why this essential provision was not revised at the earliest. He said presently on a person’s death, the relief provided by the government was only Rs 1 lakh, for serious injuries Rs 25,000, both were very meagre amounts by present price lines.

Kaushal demanded that in case of death this relief should be increased to Rs 10 lakh and serious injury to Rs 2 lakh and Rs 50,000.

Kaushal also pleaded that at least one member of each family of those who were killed in the Kharotta van accident a few days ago, should be provided government service as all them were from very poor Scheduled Caste families.

Shimla, April 22
Concerned over the fast deteriorating financial position of the state power board, the State Electricity Board Employees Union has urged Chief Minister PK Dhumal to take immediate steps to save the state utility from collapsing.

A deputation of the union met Dhumal here yesterday and told him that the revenue deficit of the board had increased to Rs 1,400 crore, for which “faulty” policies of the government were responsible. The board was being forced to buy costly power to meet the winter shortfall. Last year, it procured power worth Rs 2,600 crore.

There was a gap of Rs 1.10 per unit in the average cost of supply and average sale price as a result of which the revenue gap was increasing with each passing day. Further, the decision of the government to charge average procurement price for power supplied by it would put an additional burden of Rs 90 crore on the board. Besides, the HPSEBL was also paying royalty to the government for its own power houses, Dhumal was informed.

Financial benefits which became due after revision of pay scales were not released to employees and pensioners which had led to resentment among them. The union representatives suggested that power available from the BBMB projects be provided to the board free of cost and the government must infuse some equity to improve board’s financial position. The arrears of enhanced share of 7.19 per cent be put in the HPSEBL Employees Pension Corpus for disbursing future pension liabilities. The outsourcing of billing and operation and maintenance should be stopped.

The union demanded that 300 vacant posts, out of the 956 posts transferred to the HPPCL, be filled from the HPSEB so that promotion avenues of the employees were not affected. Immediate tripartite meetings of representatives of HPSEB Employees Union and managements of HPPCL and HPSEBL be convened to settle various prolonged issues relating to service conditions of the employees working on secondment. Some projects be allotted to the HPSEB to reduce the employee cost and the construction of transmission lines in the entire Chenab be assigned to the HPPTCL, they added.

Shimla, April 22
A liquor shop, a public toilet and a large stretch of the Circular Road caved in after a water pipe burst due to excavation work being carried out by a private builder for the construction of a parking lot at Chhota Shimla here today.

The project is being executed on the BOT (Build, Operate and Transfer) basis for the local Municipal Corporation. Work was in progress on a war footing to take protective measures to stabilise the huge landslip, which poses a serious threat to houses located downhill.

The Public Works Department had only three days ago sent a notice to the builder to take necessary precautions to prevent caving in of the road. Some measures were taken, but the water pipe burst triggering off a massive landslide.

Dharamsala, April 22
The Forest Department will conduct a field survey to estimate the population of western tragopan, the state bird of Himachal Pradesh.

Training up to the rank of forest guards for the purpose was conducted here today. ARM Reddy, Conservator Wildlife, Dharamsala, said the survey would be conducted in all beats that were located in the altitudinal zone of 2,800 to 3,400 metres above the sea level in six districts, including Chamba, Kullu, Shimla, Kangra and Kinnaur.

Forest guards are being trained to count the birds on the basis of their calls. In Kangra district, the survey is being conducted in 14 beats. The estimated population of western tragopan in the state is around 1,500 to 2,000 birds. Tragopan has been listed as an endangered bird by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN). Samhita Bose, a research fellow from Wildlife India (WII), imparted traning to the forest guards.

Reddy said the survey would give an estimation of the number of this bird present in Kangra. Instruments like GPS would be used in identifying the location and spread of the pheasant. The data would further help in formulation of a strategy for protecting the bird species, he said. These birds are sensitive to anthropogenic disturbance and avoid disturbed habitats. The construction of hydropower projects has disturbed their habitat in many areas of Himachal.

Nurpur, April 22
Industry Minister Kishan Kapoor faced the ire of agitating tractor owners who had assembled in hundreds near the venue where he had to preside over a BJP workers’ meeting at Matholi, near here, today.

The situation turned tense as protesters raised slogans against the minister for opposing the carving of new districts and allegedly supporting mining mafia in the area.

Police personnel deployed at the venue stopped slogan-shouting demonstrators from approaching the spot. Later, the agitators gave a memorandum to the Industry Minister.

In another development, Kangra district BJP president Ranjit Pathania, who is at loggerheads with local MLA Rakesh Pathania, announced Ranvir Singh, alias Nikka, pradhan of the Kandwal gram panchayat, as party candidate from the Nurpur Assembly segment for the forthcoming Assembly elections.

He claimed that his candidature had been finalised by the district unit, and the state leadership and national BJP vice-president would support his candidature.

Intriguingly, Nikka joined the BJP today in the presence of the Industry Minister, who, along with his supporters, had come to the workers’ meeting.

In this connection, Sat Pal Satti, state party president, when contacted by this correspondent, made it clear that it was an act of indiscipline. “I will take notice only after verifying Kangra BJP president’s assertion,” he added.

Addressing party workers, Kishan Kapoor targeted those who were supporting the move of carving out new districts and said Kangra division would not be tolerated at any cost.

The meeting was also addressed by minister Ramesh Dhwala and state BJP general secretary Vipin Parmar. Des Raj, MLA from neighbouring Gangath area, and HRTC’s vice-chairman Rajiv Bhardwaj were also present at the meeting. 

Kullu, April 22
The State Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau (SVACB) has set a target of achieving 40 per cent conviction rate.

In Manali for a two-day review meeting and workshop for its investigating officers, top VB officials gave tips through presentations as to how to tighten its loose ends to put the corrupt behind bars by adopting scientific and digitised evidence in the court.

Though the Vigilance officials claim that they have not even spared gazetted officers, certain Congress leaders, including former minister Ram Lal Thakur, have charged the BJP of using Vigilance to “harass” Congress men.

KC Sadyal, Additional Director-General, Vigilance, said, “The conviction rate in vigilance cases has gone up to 19 per cent from 5 per cent in 2007. Our next target is 40 per cent in a year”.

Sadyal said all but three cases pending since 1994 till 2009 had been disposed of. “We will dispose of all cases till 2010 in the next four months,” he claimed. He rubbished charges made by politicians against the Vigilance saying that they acted on the basis of facts and not under any pressure. “After all, our actions are subject to defamation if false case is made out against anybody”, Sadyal claimed.

Asked about low conviction rate in the state as compared to Kerala, which has achieved 90 per cent conviction, Sadyal said they earlier relied heavily on individual witnesses, who later turned hostile. “We lack scientific methods of investigation, which is being strengthened now,” he asserted.

He said the Vigilance spared no corrupt officer, be it patwari or a gazetted officer. Former drug controller Sher Singh Thakur had been convicted and other 14 officer rank caught in graft cases would also follow the suit, he added.

Shimla, April 22
Expressing concern over the issue of the non-payment of licence or permit tax by transporters to the state authorities, the state high court has directed the Secretary (Transport) and the Director (Transport) to furnish all particulars of transporters/owners of vehicles, including their tax liability and the date on which tax fell due.

It passed these orders on the petition of Ram Partap of Solan, whose bus was impounded for not paying road tax on time. In his petition, he had alleged that action was taken only against his vehicle by the RTO, Solan, in connivance with other private bus operators as he had complained against the violation of the timetable by owners of some buses, while other operators were plying their vehicles without paying any taxes with impunity.

The Secretary (Finance), the Secretary (Transport), and the Director of Transport informed the court by way of affidavit that Rs 266.31 lakh had been recovered from transporters out of the liabilities of Rs 1,119.65 lakh and special drives were on for effecting recovery. The court said it was open for the government and competent authorities to authorise and designate police personnel for checking vehicles as to whether they were plying without permit or without paying taxes.