Nahan, May 9
BJP president Nitin Gadkari today gave a clear message of adhering to the advice of party national vice-president Shanta Kumar to introspect and take some hard decisions while also reposing faith in the leadership of Chief Minister PK Dhumal.

Urging party leaders to work in unison, he said they could make a comeback in Himachal by projecting a united face and added that the party had grown in strength under Dhumal’s leadership.

He was addressing a public rally at Nahan today after launching the Rs 64-crore Atal School Uniform Scheme for students of government schools. Under the scheme, 4,63,680 boys and 4,63,525 girls would be given uniform free of cost twice a year.

Gadkari attacked the Congress-led UPA and said corruption had pervaded every nook and corner of the Union Government. This was apparent from the fact that no new weapon had been purchased to safeguard the country’s borders, which had become unsafe with a threat from terrorists and Maoists. Even the expansion of infrastructure by China along its borders was being blatantly ignored, which was a matter of concern.

He said India could become the top global power, but large-scale corruption prevailing in the Union Government had slowed down the pace of development. He condemned the Union Government for allowing foodgrains worth Rs 85,000 crore to rot.

Reiterating his party’s commitment towards good governance and overall development, he said they did not differentiate on the basis of caste, creed or religion and the Atal School Uniform Scheme was an illustration of this fact. He said their sole aim was to work for the uplift of the downtrodden and they drew inspiration from Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.

Gadkari stressed the need for using electric power to run ropeways for providing transportation between villages and said they should harness solar energy and not thermal energy.

He upheld Shanta Kumar’s assertions, but said they believed in Dhumal’s leadership under whom the party had grown in strength. He lauded Dhumal’s efforts in making Himachal a model state with 51 awards to its credit in its 48-month rule.

Earlier, while addressing the gathering, Dhumal gave details of various schemes launched by his government. He announced that students would be given Rs 200 as stitching cost for these uniforms.

He said the state was spending 18 per cent of its budget on education while the Union Government was barely spending 4.8 per cent on education. The state had a high teacher: student ratio of 18:1 as against the national average of 40:1.

He also announced free travel facility for Muslim women on the occasion of Bakr Eid.

Shanta Kumar, who appeared at an official function of the party after nearly one and a half years, said there was an urgent need for introspection and some hard decisions to ensure the party’s comeback in the elections.

Meanwhile, the first free uniform was distributed to a Class I student, Aman, of Government Primary School, Shamsher, by Gadkari.

Earlier, while addressing the gathering, state BJP president Satpal Satti eulogised the achievements of both Shanta Kumar and Dhumal. He said both these leaders had revolutionised development in the state.

Other prominent leaders present on the occasion included Kalraj Mishra, in charge, Himachal BJP, Shyam Jaju, co-in charge, JP Nadda, national general secretary, ministers Gulab Singh Thakur, Ravinder Ravi, Kishan Kapoor, Narinder Bragta, Ramesh Dhawala, Rajeev Bindal, Sarveen Chaudhary and Khimi Ram, Virender Kanwar, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, and Virender Kashyap, MP, Shimla.

Nahan, May 9
After having remained aloof for nearly a year and a half from party functions in Himachal, BJP national vice-president Shanta Kumar today adroitly used the occasion to remind the party of his sacrifices, including his 19-month stay at the Nahan jail during the Emergency.

While making this statement before party president Nitin Gadkari and other senior party dignitaries, Shanta appears to have driven home the point that such sacrifices made during the party’s formative years in Himachal had helped it reach its peak later.

Shanta, who arrived along with Gadkari, party in charge Kalraj Mishra and national general secretary JP Nadda, also appears to have obliquely hinted at the sacrifices of his other party members during the Emergency by specially mentioning Nahan as a former senior leader, Shyama Sharma, too, had spent time in the Nahan jail then. While Shyama Sharma has now joined the BJP’s splinter group, the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP), her absence was a point of debate among the party cadres today.

Shanta had, a few days ago, lauded the role of some senior leaders of the HLP in strengthening the BJP in Himachal.

The BJP’s top leadership, however, appears to be in a mood to strike a balance between the two top leaders - PK Dhumal and Shanta Kumar - as Gadkari amply lauded the achievements of the Chief Minister in the state and said the party had grown in strength under his leadership. While endorsing Shanta’s views to introspect and take hard decisions, the high command appears to be in no mood of confrontation.

While HLP leaders have been publicly denying any talks or attempt to make a comeback, Shanta has been, time and again, harping on the need for forging unity by holding talks with the HLP leaders.

The launching of a crucial scheme from Nahan also appears to be an attempt to launch Rajeev Bindal, Health and Ayurveda Minister and Solan MLA, from here as he will have to contest from a new constituency after Solan has been reserved following the delimitation exercise. 

Mandi, May 9
Seven persons were killed in two bus mishaps in Mandi district today. All the five occupants of a Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus, including the driver and the conductor, were killed on the spot after the bus developed mechanical failure and plunged into a 500-metre-deep gorge at Kanda on the Tatapani-Rodidhar road link in Karsog subdivision today.

The toll could have been higher as more than 55 passengers, including schoolchildren, had got down at Rodidhar, just 2 km short of Kanda. The bus is generally overloaded as schoolchildren and office-goers depend on this bus service every day.

The victims have been identified as driver Mohan Lal of Jhogi, conductor Satpal of Jhanukha, both in Karsog, Jhigi Ram of Radidhar and Rati Ram and Nand Lal, both of Talain in Karsog.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the bus was overloaded and developed a mechanical snag. Seemingly the screws of the right tyre rod had got unbolted that led to the accident. Local residents, the police and the local administration faced considerable difficulty in retrieving bodies from the steep narrow gorge.

SDM, Karsog, KK Sharma, who visited the spot, said they had ordered a probe into the accident. “A sum of Rs 10,000 as immediate financial relief has been given to the next of kin of each of the five victims,” he added.

In another road accident, Industrial Training Institute (ITI) lecturer Nand Lal and local hotel worker Chaman Lal were killed and 63 others injured, 37 of them seriously, when a private overloaded bus (HP 33 7381) they were travelling in plunged into a 120-m-deep gorge at Kevli Morh on the Lambathatch-Kulthani road in Gohar sub-division at 8.30 am today.

All the 37 seriously injured patients were rushed to the zonal hospital, Mandi, by three 108 ambulances and private vehicles.

Medical Superintendent Sonam said Ledh Ram suffered head injuries and Bhupesh and Piari Devi abdominal injuries and were critical. “Six patients suffered multiple fractures and others with injuries were stable,” he added. As many as 28 patients sustained minor injuries and were under observation at Thunag dispensary.

Eyewitnesses said local residents rescued the injured from a steep slope. The 108 ambulance reached within 20 minutes while police and rescue teams reached there after 30 minutes. The injured patients said the 42-seater Anjali bus was at a high speed and the driver failed to negotiate a curve, plunging the over-loaded bus into a gorge. The bus was on its way from Kulthani in Seraj to Mandi.

Seraj MLA and Rural Development Minister Jai Ram Thakur visited the patients at the hospital and enquired about their health.

The district administration gave Rs 10,000 as an immediate relief to the next of kin and Rs 5,000 to those injured in the accident.Mandi SP Abhsishek Dular said the police had booked the bus driver.

Shimla, May 9
A high-level team of the World Bank will arrive here by the end of this month to hold the final tripartite talks before sanctioning the Rs 1,000-crore carbon credit project for Himachal Pradesh, which will be the first state to ink an MoU in this new emerging field.

Senior officials of the Himachal Government have visited Washington to hold talks with officials of the World Bank so that money can be released at the earliest by completing all formalities. “We have requested World Bank officials to come to Himachal for holding the final talks with regard to the carbon credit project as it will be impractical for more than 15 officials concerned from Himachal to travel all the way to the US,” said Sudripta Roy, Chief Secretary.

He said the World Bank team was likely to come here by the end of May to hold talks with representatives of the Himachal Government and officials of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. “The modalities of the fund have already been agreed upon and now it is being decided whether the money will be provided from the International Reconstruction and Rural Development Fund or the newly formed Climate Investment Fund,” said Roy.

With there being some hold-up in the finalisation of the project due to queries raised by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, the fund flow could also be delayed. It is being felt that the Centre, as a policy decision, may not be too keen on openly supporting the issue of carbon neutrality as it may then be compelled to take a similar stand in other parts of the country.

However, convinced with the steps taken by Himachal, World Bank officials, too, are keen that the MoU is signed at the earliest and the first instalment of funds is released. Some conditions laid down by the World Bank before approving the project have already been fulfilled by Himachal, including the setting up of a climate change centre, the foundation stone of which has been laid.

A high-level team from the World Bank had visited Himachal in January early this year to oversee the preparedness of the hill state in implementing the first-of-its-kind project in India. The World Bank team had held talks at length about the prior action that needed to be taken by the state government in areas like environment, hydro-power generation, industries, forest, tourism and community advocacy and awareness. Some of the initiatives in this regard have already been put in place while others are in the process of being set up.

Shimla, May 9
The Green Bench of the HP High Court has sought an explanation from the state whether it has any policy for Himachal Pradesh or even a policy limited to Shimla town with regard to the disposal and dumping of the construction material.

The Green Bench comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjay Karol passed this order after a news item published in this regard in a local daily.

The court has taken cognisance of the matter and directed the state Chief Secretary to file an affidavit stating whether any policy for the disposal of excavated material (malba) has been framed by the state and what action has been taken in the past two years against those who have dumped malba on forest land.

The Bench observed that the state must consider before granting building permission to a person that he also makes suitable arrangements for the disposal of the construction material.

It directed the Chief Secretary to file the affidavit within three weeks and listed the matter for further hearing on May 25.

Shimla, May 9
Under the scanner of the government for increasing the installed capacity without approval, the Karcham Wangtu project of the Jaypee Group will be inspected by a committee of experts to help decide the future course of action.

The government took notice of the matter after the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) sent a letter bringing to its notice that the project had been over-designed. The company has installed four 300 MW machines in place of 250 MW each as approved by the CEA while granting techno-economic clearance (TEC) for the 1,000 MW project. With the capacity raised to 1,200 MW, the project has been over-designed in deviation from the original design.

Originally, an MoU was signed in 1993 for 900 MW, but in the implementation agreement signed in 1998, the capacity was raised to 1,000 MW.

Further, the company has also increased the diameter of the head race tunnel from the approved 10.15 m to 10.50 m, which will significantly increase the cross-section allowing diversion of higher discharge to help generate more than 1,000 MW of power. The government has decided to constitute an expert committee, which will have a nominee of the CEA, to ascertain deviations from the approved design. The committee will be notified after the CEA names its nominee.

Generating more power will not hurt anyone, but the moot question is whether a company can be allowed to change the design at will and enhance the installed capacity without approval, making a mockery of the entire system of granting the TEC. Engineers maintain that the company should have sought a fresh TEC after submitting a revised proposal.

The policy states that projects can generate up to 10 per cent more power by overloading the machines. However, in this case higher capacity machines have been installed and by overloading these the project could generate 1,320 MW, which will in effect mean an increase of almost 50 per cent in the originally allotted capacity of 900 MW. There are other issues to be settled if the government decides to regularise the excess capacity. The policy stipulates that the power companies are required to pay an upfront premium at the rate of Rs 20 lakh per MW for the increase and 3 per cent additional free power as royalty if the enhancement is over 20 per cent.

If the government goes by the MoU, the original allotment is 900 MW and, accordingly, the increase is 300 MW, about 33 per cent. The company will have to pay Rs 24 crore as upfront premium for the 120 MW capacity for increase in excess of 20 per cent. More importantly, it will have to give free power as royalty at the rate of 15 per cent (in place of 12 per cent) for the first 12 years and 21 per cent (in place of 18 per cent) for the remaining 28 years.

Shimla, May 9
Himachal Pradesh has requested the Centre to allocate a Rs 15-crore special assistance for strengthening post-harvesting facilities for apple growers in the fruit belt of the state.

The demand was made by Narinder Bragta, Horticulture Minister, who met Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Chairman Asit Tripathi in New Delhi yesterday. He thanked Tripathi for sanctioning an annual grant-in-aid of Rs 29.45 crore for various schemes of the HPMC as part of pre-harvest management and said the entire assistance would be utilised by the HPMC in a time-bound manner.

He pleaded for central assistance for setting up a modern grading and packaging house and controlled atmosphere (CA) store at Kharapathar, which is one of the major areas of apple production. The government has already constructed a marketing complex in Kharapathar.

Chamba, May 9
To review security arrangements on Chamba border, Superintendent of Police (SP) Kuldeep Sharma held a joint meeting with top officials of security forces, including Intelligence Bureau (IB), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP), Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) here yesterday and directed them to act in close coordination.

This was the first meeting of the SP with officials of para-military forces after taking over as the new district police chief. In the meeting, a careful strategy of security forces along the Chamba border adjacent to J&K was thrashed out. The SP asked security officials to utilise the services of the local militia like special police officers (SPOs) and village defence committees (VDCs) who had also been trained in weaponry to guard the borders of the district.

Sundernagar, May 9
Various farmers’ organisations of Sundernagar, under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, presented a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the SDM, Sundernagar, yesterday.

They demanded cancellation of the MoU signed by the state government with Harish Cement Limited to set up a cement plant near here.

They further demanded a probe by the Vigilance or the CBI against officials of Revenue, Forest, Mining and Industry Departments, who were instrumental in giving clearance to the disputed cement plant.

The deputation of farmers was led by Joginder Singh, president, Himachal unit of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (RSS wing of farmers); Chuni Lal Sharma, president, Kisan Kalyan Samiti; Diwan Chand Kaundal, general secretary, Krishak Vikas Samiti and Chandermani, president, Keran Taryamber Kisan Kalyan Samiti.

The memorandum stated that officials were instrumental in giving wrong clearances to the proposed Harish Cement Project, which had been cancelled by the Green Bench of the high court (HC).

They quoted that the project was given environment clearance without any public hearing. The mining lease was executed in favour of the company vide which over 6,000 bighas of forest land was given to it without any permission under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.

Furthermore, land owners of 3,000 bighas were never asked regarding the same.

It was further said top officials were involved in giving permission under Section 118 of the Land Tenency Act, to purchase directly from farmers.

They welcomed the decision of the HC vide which Rs 100 crore fine had been imposed on the JP Associate cement plant at Bagheri (Solan).

Joginder Thakur said if the Chief Minister did not take any decision on the memorandum, farmer organisations would file a separate petition before the HC.

Shimla, May 9
The nomination papers of two candidates, including Congress nominee from Kaithu Anjana Mehta, were rejected during scrutiny today, leaving a total of 129 contenders in the fray for elections to the posts of Mayor, Deputy Mayor and 25 councillors in the Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC).

The nomination papers of Anjana Mehta, the Congress nominee from ward No. 3, Kaithu, and Sanjeev Verma from ward No. 16, Engineghar, were rejected during the scrutiny of papers. Now, there are 10 candidates in the contest for the post of Mayor, six for the post of Deputy Mayor and 113 for 25 posts of councillor in the MC.

With rebels from both the BJP and the Congress having filed their nomination papers against the parties’ official candidates, leaders of the two parties are trying to convince them to withdraw their candidature. While former Mayor Manoj Kumar of the Congress is giving anxious moments to the party by filing his nomination papers for the post of Mayor, it is Tarsem Bharti who is giving sleepless nights to the BJP. Now, it remains to be seen whether the two will retire from the contest or make a dent in the vote bank of their respective parties.

Even as the BJP nominee for the post of Mayor, Dr SS Minhas, started his campaign from Dhalli, sitting Mayor and Congress candidate Madhu Sood has also been seeking support of the public by campaigning door to door. However, CPM candidates Sanjay Chauhan (for the post of Mayor) and Tikender Singh Panwar (for the post of Deputy Mayor) are way ahead in campaigning as their candidature had been decided much in advance, giving them ample time to campaign.

There are 10 candidates in the fray for the post of Mayor. They are Dr SS Minhas (BJP), Madhu Sood (Congress), Sanjay Chauhan (CPM), Tarsem Bharti, Manoj Kumar, Ashok Kumar Sood, Hem Raj Gautam, Ram Krishan Dipta, Karam Chand Bhatia and Suman Kadam.

There are six candidates in the fray for the post of Deputy Mayor. They are Devender Chauhan (Congress), Digvijay Chauhan (BJP), Tikender Singh Panwar (CPM), Kanika Kanwar, Atul Vohra and Narveen Sood.

The maximum number of seven candidates each have filed their nomination from Kanlog and Khalini.

Kangra, May 9
Congress leader and former local MLA Surender Kaku today levelled charges against the local Block Development Office (BDO) here for allegedly purchasing solar lights without inviting tenders andconsulting Him Urja, a solar energy department, thus putting a hole in the government exchequer. Kaku demanded a high-level probe into the alleged solar light scam to fix the responsibility and punish the guilty.

Kaku alleged that local BDO here had decided to purchase 400 solar lights for panchayats in this block at a cost of Rs 30,000 per light and released Rs 24,000 per light to the panchayats.

He said 60 solar lights (75 banner 9 LD quality lights) were purchased on October 22, 2010, and 59 lights on June 10, 2011, from a private firm allegedly without inviting tenders and quotations for these purchases.

He alleged that the supplied solar lights were not even with ISI mark or any guarantee. Kaku asked why these lights were not purchased through Him Urja which was providing 90 per cent subsidy on such lights for rural areas.

BDO, Kangra, Rekha Devi today said the BDO office did not purchase these lights directly, but 80 per cent cost of the solar light amounting to Rs 24,000 per light were released out of the funds of 13th Finance Commission.

She said Block Samiti members proposed it in the meeting and the Block Samiti was the sanctioning authority, and panchayats were responsible for the purchases and BDO office had no role to play.

Raj Kumar Jaswal, panchayat pradan, Jogipur village, today said the panchayats did not purchase these lights, but the block samities had installed these on their own.

Chairman, Block Samiti, Choudary Devi Lal denied the allegations and said the solar lights were purchased for Rs 24,500, and Rs 5,000 was the installation fee.

Bilaspur, May 9
The Central government has given the final approval and sanction for opening a Central School at Ghumarwin near here from this session. This was stated by Ghumarwin Congress MLA Rajesh Dharmani on the phone from Delhi this evening. He said this school, for which he had been trying consistently for the past three years, would start functioning within next few weeks at Ghumarwin.

Dharmani said he had earlier met Central Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal regarding this matter and presented him a detailed memorandum regarding its justification. He said Ghumarwin had a record number of servicemen and ex-servicemen apart from other Central government employees.

Sibal had today informed him that the Central government had approved the proposal and sanctioned the school for Ghumarwin which would start its session within the next few weeks.

Dharmani said the state BJP government did not want to give its credit to him, a Congress MLA, and had been playing politics.