Shimla, May 14
Having come under the scanner of investigating agencies for doling out favours to influential persons, Jaypee Associates Ltd (JAL) has been asked to furnish details of wards of bureaucrats who have been given jobs in the company and admission in its IT university at Vaknaghat.

The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has shot off a letter to the company seeking details of the wards of IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Services (IFS) officers who have got jobs in any of the companies owned by JAL not just in Himachal but even in other places outside the state. The company has also been asked to provide complete details of bureaucrats or even middle-rung officers who had joined the company either after retirement or after seeking retirement.

The action of the Vigilance Bureau comes in the wake of directives of the HC to probe the role of officials who could have given undue favours to the company in lieu of some indirect benefits. The company has also been asked to furnish complete details of bureaucrats who enjoyed its hospitality by putting up in its guest houses on being transferred here for months together.

The HC has constituted a special investigation team headed by KC Sadyal, Additional Director-General of Police (ADGP), Vigilance, to look into all aspects of the Baghera cement plant set up by JAL.

It is common knowledge that some officers have joined the Jaypee Group after retirement while some even quit their government job for a more cushy and lucrative job in the big corporate house, which has made a meteoric rise in the hill state by venturing into the cement, hydro-power, road construction and education sectors.

Sources in the Jaypee University of Information Technology at Vaknaghat confirmed that the Vigilance Bureau had sought details of admissions given to children or relatives of any of the officers who could have given benefit to the company. “The Vigilance Bureau has sought details of the admissions given to wards, family members or relatives of any of the senior officers in the university,” the sources said.

The bureau has sought the details of the course, year, certificates, merit and the money charged for admission by the Jaypee University of IT from students related to senior bureaucrats. It is felt that the company may have given benefit to certain people by facilitating admission of their wards in its university. 

Shimla, May 14
The fund-starved state electricity board will sell power available from small hydroelectric projects up to 25 MW to help improve its financial health and in the process enable distribution companies in other states to meet the renewable power obligation (RPO). It has also made arrangements for banking and forward banking of power to meet the winter shortfall during 2012-13.

Besides its own projects, the board is getting about 650 million units (MU) from projects operated by independent power producers (IPPs). After meeting its own renewable power obligation, the board will be left with 216 MU of power from small projects. It has already entered an agreement with its Punjab counterpart for sale of the available renewable power at the rate of Rs 4.14 per unit during 2012-13. It will be a profitable arrangement as the board purchases power from various small projects at rates ranging from Rs 2.50 to Rs 2.95 per unit.

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission had made it mandatory for the distribution companies to procure 12.1 per cent power from renewable sources, including 0.1 per cent solar power, during 2012-13. The companies which failed to fulfil the renewable power obligation would have to purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs).

The board had also finalised the arrangement for banking 515 MU of power during the summer and forward banking of 840 MU during the winter during the year. It will bank 240 MU with Punjab, 110 MU with Haryana and 154 MU with Delhi from May to October. These states will return the power during winter and in addition the board will draw another 840 MU to meet the winter shortfall, which will be returned during the following summer. In case of utilities which do not give power during winter, the board will take back 105 per cent of the power banked.

The demand for power, which has been growing at 8 to 9 per cent annually after the grant of the central industrial package, has again declined to a nominal 4 per cent after its expiry, providing much relief to the board. The demand is slated to increase from 6,900 MU last year to 7,200 MU in the current year for which the board has made adequate projects. 

Dharamsala, May 14
In view of the Dalai Lama’s statement that Chinese agents are plotting to kill him, his security has been beefed up by the Himachal police and other security agencies. A meeting of the Himachal police and central security agencies was held at Dharamsala today to review the Dalai Lama’s security.

Kangra SP Diljeet Singh Thakur said all Himachal police security personnel deployed in the security of the Dalai Lama had been sensitised. They had been directed to administer strict control over access to the Dalai Lama. Visitors would be allowed to meet the Dalai Lama only after proper frisking and verification, he said.

The state police has deployed 105 personnel to provide security to the Dalai Lama. They are one Additional SP, three ASIs, five sub-inspectors, 23 head constables and 73 constables. These police personnel have been posted at the Dalai Lama’s residence at McLeodganj. They also move along with the Dalai Lama while he moves in the state.

Besides the Himachal police, the Dalai Lama also has his own security comprising Tibetans-in-exile.

While the Himachal police is responsible for the Dalai Lama’s security within the state, the Tibetan security personnel, who form the inner corridor of his security, remain with him all the time.

The Dalai Lama’s security is handled by the police of the respective states whenever he travels there.

On foreign tours, only a few Tibetan security personnel go with the Dalai Lama. Sources said an official of the Ministry of External Affairs and an IB official also accompany the Dalai Lama during his foreign visits.

The Dalai Lama’s statement about a threat to his life has not come as a surprise to many in the Central Tibetan Administration. Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Lobsang Sangay said “it is old information”. “We have receivED such information in THE past also. We are thankful to the Indian government that it is taking steps to beef up the Dalai Lama’s security.

Sangay said such threats would not stop the Dalai Lama from meeting the public or Tibetans. A Tibetan security official said they had already instructed the Dalai Lama against physically touching the visitors coming to seek his blessings.

Reports were also received regarding some members of the Shugden cult of Tibetan Buddhists being egged on by China to act against the Dalai Lama. The religious practices of the Shugden cult have been banned by the Dalai Lama. 

China: Charge groundless

BEIJING: Dismissing the Dalai Lama’s charge that it was training woman agents to kill him, China on Monday said his allegation was “groundless” and “not worth refuting” while its state-run media accused him of playing an “insidious trick”.

“In religious cloak, the Dalai Lama has engaged in anti-China separatist activity internationally. He has been spreading rumours to draw public attention,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

“His sensational allegations are not worth refuting,” he told a media briefing. — PTI 

Gasota (Hamirpur), May 14
Chief Minister PK Dhumal has said engaging youth in development and involving them in the growth of the state had been a big challenge before the state and every effort was being made to involve them in constructive activities to wean them away from menace like drug addiction.

The Chief Minister said this while addressing a public meeting after inaugurating a week-long district-level Nalwari fair here today.

He said to attract youngsters towards sports and physical training, the state had launched a Rs 17-crore gymnasia scheme through which Rs 50,000 each would be given to all 3,243 panchayats and 54 urban local bodies to construct gymnasia.

The Chief Minister also appealed to the people to maintain vigil over activities of youth and ensure that they were not drawn into addictions like drugs and other intoxications.

He laid the foundation stone of a Rs 15-lakh Pond Restoration Project, dedicated at newly constructed Patwar Circle Bhawan at Langhwan and dedicated a veterinary dispensary building completed at a cost of Rs 7.22 lakh to people of the area. He also paid obeisance at the Gasota Mahadev temple.

Talking about the success of the Rs 353-crore Pandit Deen Dayal Kisan Baagwan Samridhi Yojna and Rs 300-crore Doodh Ganga Yojna launched by the state government Dhumal said: “These schemes are contributing significantly in bringing about a white revolution in the state and providing self-employment by supplementing their income and off-season vegetables worth Rs 2,250 crore were grown during the past fiscal surpassing the income generated from the apple economy.”

The Chief Minister said the government was spending Rs 6.52 crore on various tourism infrastructure developmental activities during the current fiscal.

Dhumal said: “The state had issued directions to the revenue authorities to ensure availability of patwaris on Monday, Wednesday and Friday every week to people of respective patwar circle.”

Shimla, May 14
As the armed forces move towards integration and jointmanship at the operational level, a new high-level course is being formulated to bring officers from all three services on a common platform for fine-tuning the art and science of planning and executing joint field operations.

“The first such integrated course is scheduled to commence by the end of this year and to begin with, it will have 20 officers from the three services,” Lt Gen K Surendra Nath, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army Training Command (ARTRAC), revealed.

The course would initially be of approximately four weeks duration and will be attended by officers of the rank of Colonel and equivalent who meet the stipulated eligibility criteria. The Army’s School of Artillery at Deolali near Nasik would be the venue.

Over the past decade or so, the “joint” component in all field exercises has been steadily increasing, with the notion that no future war or military operation can be successfully conducted in isolation by a single service. Operations would be integrated with two or more services complementing each other’s reach, firepower, logistics and other war-waging assets across the entire spectrum of conflict to attain the larger strategic objective in a short timeframe. Even the tactical battle zone would see the employment of land forces in conjugation with aerial or naval assets to ensure swift and decisive operations.

The scope of joint institutionalised training on operational aspects, especially for senior officers, till now, was limited. There are three major inter-service training establishments, the National Defence College, College of Defence Management and the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC). Except for some components of the DSSC course, which is for mid-level officers, these institutes are largely associated with strategic affairs, management practices, policy and staff duties.

At the senior level, the only joint exposure on operational aspects is an integrated capsule towards culmination of the Higher Command Course (HCC) held separately by the services in their respective warfare colleges. The services are also nominating a few officers to attend each other’s HCC, but this is basically doing the other’s service-specific course rather than honing joint warfare concepts. In addition, there are a few other joint inter-services training courses on professional and technical subjects.

Shimla, May 14
Being way ahead in its campaigning than the Congress and the BJP, the CPM once again took the lead by becoming the first party to release its election manifesto with the focus being on making the Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC) Mayor-centric and people-friendly by holding ward sabhas every three months and finding a solution to the problems of water, traffic and housing.

Releasing the vision document and agenda for action, Chairman of the Election Manifesto Committee Kuldeep Singh Tanwar said if the CPM found favour with the electorate as an alternative to the Congress and the BJP, the party would try to bring about a change. “We appeal to people to vote for the CPM to have a vibrant, dynamic, pro-people and progressive Shimla MC,” he said in the presence of CPM’s Mayoral candidate Sanjay Chauhan, Deputy nominee Tikender Panwar and CPM state secretary Rakesh Singha.

He said despite several amendments, the MC continued to be commissioner-centric with the Mayor and councillors having practically no say. “On the pattern of gram sabhas, we intend to hold ward sabhas every three months and constitute ward panchayats with the participation of professionals and experts from various fields to bring about an effective change,” said Tanwar.

The polling for the 25 wards of the Shimla MC will be held on May 27 with almost 82,000 people casting their vote.

While focusing on the problems of the three emerged areas of Totu, Dhalli and New Shimla, Tanwar said injustice was being done to people of these areas who had till date been deprived of basic civic amenities. “Till date they continue to pay commercial water charges whereas one can explore the possibility of it being declared a special category area as it has a population of over 70,000,” he said.

The CPM has listed the framing of a City Development Plan to provide services like regular water supply, housing for poor, better roads, sewerage network, solid waste management, parking lots, heritage conservation, enhancing green area and tourists spots and tackling monkey and stray dog menace. The CPM also promised to provide better public transport, especially for school, college and university students. 

Shimla, May 14
Taking exception to the allegation of Chief Minister PK Dhumal that the Centre had given the nod to Jaypee Associates Limited (JAL) to set up its plant in the state, the Congress today demanded a CBI inquiry into the matter right from the day when the government framed a new policy to allow thermal plants in the state in 2008 to the announcement of the high court verdict.

General secretary and spokesperson for the party Kuldeep Rathore said the high court order to dismantle the thermal plant and impose a fine of Rs 100 crore on JAL for various violations had put the BJP government in the dock and Dhumal was levelling misleading allegations to wriggle out of the embarrassing situation. He said the Congress government had taken a policy decision in 2007 not to allow any thermal plant in the state as a safeguard to protect the fragile hill environment and all clearances and permissions granted for the JAL project were cancelled.

However, the BJP, which came to power subsequently, overturned the policy to allow thermal plants and granted permission to JAL, only to favour the company. Dhumal’s allegation that the Centre granted clearance was not only misleading but also mischievous as thermal plants were not on the negative list of the Centre. It was the change in the state’s policy effected by the Dhumal regime which paved the way for the JAL plant.

The BJP government allowed JAL to go ahead with the construction of the cement plant, of which the thermal plant was a captive unit. Instead of taking action to stop work, it waited for the completion of the plant and thereafter facilitated JAL by regularising the land on which the plant was unauthorisedly set up by imposing a meagre fine of Rs 4.10 crore.

Only a CBI probe could bring out the truth whether or not the Dhumal government favoured the Jaypee Group. The inquiry should also cover the handing over of the Vivekananda Memorial Medical Research and Education Trust to the company for setting up a medical college and the links of the company with the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, particularly the sponsoring of T-20 tournaments during elections.

Dharamsala, May 14
The Army Chief, Gen VK Singh, will address a rally to be organised by the Himachal wing of the Indian Ex-servicemen League at Dharamsala on May 25.

State president of the league Vijay Singh Mankotia gave this information while talking to mediapersons here today. He said the Himachal wing of the league had invited the General to address their rally before his retirement. The General had accepted the invitation and would preside over the rally.

He said the state wing of the league wanted to honour the General for exposing the ugly underbelly of defence procurements. He had shown exemplary courage in exposing the alleged nexus between politicians and bureaucrats in fixing defence deals and brought the entire matter in public domain.

He said the league would get families of three Paramvir Chakra winners (posthumous) from the state honoured by the General during the rally. Paramvir Chakra winner from the state Sanjay Kumar of the 13 J&K Rifles, who was now posted in Uttaranchal, was also being invited to grace the occasion. Besides, war widows and freedom fighters from the state would also be honoured by the General, he said.

Mankotia said the present UPA government had breached the trust of ex-servicemen by going back on its commitment on one rank one pension scheme. Now, a parliamentary standing committee had supported the demand for one rank one pension scheme for ex-servicemen.

The scheme was being opposed by bureaucrats, who wanted a similar scheme for themselves.

Mankotia said ex-servicemen would launch an agitation in the entire country in case the one rank one pension scheme was not implemented by the government.

Mandi, May 14
Rash, reckless and drunken driving continues to be a life-threatening menace on the Mandi-Sundernagar-Bilaspur stretch of the National Highway-21 as the police has challaned over 97 offenders for the past 24 hours.

A private truck (HP31B-0963) carrying clay from the Sundernagar side to Kol Dam hit another truck (HP34-4326) on its way from Barmana to Kamand at Kangu on the highway and injured the driver of the second truck seriously. As a result of the collision, a third truck parked on the highway was hit, the police said.

The police has booked driver of the first truck under Sections 279 and 337, IPC, at Sundernagar police station today on a complaint of Mohan Lal, truck driver from Hamirpur.

In another incident, Vishal Sharma of Mandi complained that a speeding tipper (PB 5M 5483) hit his taxi (CH02-3074) from behind and injured three of them at Hara Bagh near Sundernagar. They were on their way to Chandigarh.

The police has booked the driver of the tipper under Sections 279 and 337, IPC, and Section 187, Motor Vehicle Act.

SP, Mandi, Abhishek Dular said 75 drivers were challaned for over-speeding on the highway. Twenty offenders were issued challans for drunken driving, he added.

Mandi, May 14
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) have agreed to set up a research park in partnership with the industry at the IIT, Mandi, to spur industrial development of the Himachal Pradesh-Jammu and Kashmir region, a predominant rural Himalayan region. The research park will build up an industrial ecosystem in Mandi, scientists added.

Hot on the heels of the park in IIT, Madras, the scientists said the research park would focus on sectors where IIT Mandi had strengths.

“The IIT, Mandi, will use materials, renewable energy and innovative technologies considering the nature of the rural Himalayan region,” they added.

This development followed after a recent conclave of IITs and captains of industry held at IIT, Mandi, organised in collaboration with the CII, informed chairperson and placement cell and computer science head Dr Arti Kashyap.

Prof TA Gonsalves, Director, IIT, Mandi, said the research park would give a boost to the high-tech industry in Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir. The panel discussed the park’s model fit for Mandi and unique opportunities and challenges that this location offered.

Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala (Padma Shri), who heads the Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT, Madras, delivered the keynote address “India’s Power Crisis and the Potential of Decentralised Solar PV DC Power”. He said the nation needed to look for alternatives and smart solutions, which required academia-industry partnership.

Professor Jhunjhunwala outlined the modus operandi of the park at IIT, Madras, a first of its kind in the country. Over 40 companies had set up their R&D units there, ensuring “credit-based lease” in collaboration with the IIT, he said. Director, NIT, Hamirpur, R Shrivastva, and chairman, CII, HP state council, N Dhar, also welcomed the academia-industry initiative for the purpose. Representatives from the IIT, Delhi, IIT, Ropar, IIT, Hyderabad, and SASE, Manali, were among those participated in the penal discussion.

They discussed how industry could accelerate its movement towards inclusive growth. This could be pursued by high-value addition engineering and product design in collaboration with the IIT, Mandi.

They concluded that the high-end design and intellectual property generation were essential for the Indian industry. The industry was represented by companies like Microsoft Research, CAD Studio, TCS, ABB, Siemens, Mahindra Swaraj, Altair Engineering, Aricent, Tejas Networks, Sandhar Technology, Benchmark Microsystems, Altruist Technology and Nucleus Software.

Shimla, May 14
In a major reshuffle in the state higher judiciary, the Himachal Pradesh High Court (HC) has transferred 11 judicial officers of the rank of District and Sessions Judge.

The notification issued by the high court said, AC Dogra, Principal Secretary (Law), would be the new Registrar General of the HC. PS Rana, District and Sessions Judge, Kangra, at Dharamsala, was transferred and posted as District and Sessions Judge, Shimla, on and w.e.f. August 1, 2012, against the post to be vacated by Shamsher Singh on his retirement on superannuation.

Sureshwar Thakur, District and Sessions Judge, Sirmaur, at Nahan, has been transferred and posted as District and Sessions Judge, Kangra, at Dharamsala, from August 1, 2012.

Whereas SL Sharma, Director, HP Judicial Academy, has been transferred and his services be placed at the disposal of the Chief Justice, for being posted as Registrar, Vigilance.

The services of KS Chandel, District and Sessions Judge, Solan, are placed at the disposal of the state government for appointment as Secretary, Law, to the Government of HP.

While SC Kainthla, Registrar, Vigilance, HC, has been transferred and posted as District and Sessions Judge, Solan. JK Sharma, Additional District and Sessions Judge (I), Kangra, at Dharamsala, on placement as District and Sessions Judge, has been transferred and posted as Director, HP Judicial Academy, Shimla.

The services of Purender Vaidya, Additional District and Sessions Judge (II), Kangra, at Dharamsala, on placement as District and Sessions Judge, are placed at the disposal of the government for appointment as the presiding officer, Labour Court/Industrial Tribunal, Shimla.

Rajesh Verma, Joint Director, HP Judicial Academy, at present working as Additional District and Sessions Judge, Kinnaur, at Rampur Bushahr, is directed to join back the HP Judicial Academy and civil and criminal cases pending in his court at Rampur Bushahr are withdrawn and transferred to the files of the Court of District and Sessions Judge, Kinnaur, at Rampur Bushahr.

Ram Krishan Sharma, presiding officer, fast track court, Una, on his appointment as Additional District and Sessions Judge has been transferred and posted as Additional District and Sessions Judge (I), Kangra, at Dharamsala.

Chamba, May 14
The district police has launched a drive to uproot cannabis (bhang) that grow copiously in the wild tracts in Chamba district.

Police officials at Chamba, Chowari and Salooni uprooted cannabis this week as part of the campaign waged against narcotics by the Himachal Pradesh police in the state.

Today, a team of police officials destroyed green cannabis grown on 2 bighas alongside the Police Lines in the town.

“The staff has been asked not only to uproot cannabis in the precincts of their police stations, but also educate the masses about it being a serious crime as bhang and charas are extracted from cannabis plants,” Chamba SP Kuldeep Sharma stated here today.

Nurpur, May 14
Up in arms over deep and unscientific mining on the banks of the Beas by the existing around six stone crushing units and move to give nod to 12 such units in the Mand area in the lower Kangra district, hundreds of villagers of 20 panchayats had started a six-day protest dharna at Bella Thakran, which entered the fifth day today.

Villagers under the banner of the Mand Area Environment Conservation Samiti, headed by Balbir Singh, pradhan, Ulharian, panchayat, had submitted memorandums to the district and the local administrations in support of their demand and served an ultimatum to intensify their protest after May 15.

The samiti is also demanding channelisation of the Beas in the Mand area so that it can absorb the water of the overflowing Pond dam reservoir in the rainy season.

Sat Pal Singh, pradhan, Riyali gram panchayat, who is spearheading the protest dharna, said the samiti would chalk out its next strategy by intensifying its stir tomorrow if the government fails to take action.

“Around 40,000 population of 20 panchayats of the Indora and the Fatehpur development blocks of Nurpur and Jawali sub-divisions living from Riyali to the Milwan-mand area have experienced the fury of flash floods after releasing the overflowing water of the Pong dam reservoir into the Beas by the BBMB in September last when floodwater destroyed agricultural land and properties of locals, he said.”

The state Mining Department has permitted five-meter deep mining on the banks of the Beas, which has created gigantic ditches on the riverbed causing frequent flash floods in the rainy season.

People living near the Beas were paying a heavy price to the ongoing unscientific mining of riverbed,” he rued.

“Our agitation will continue till the government assures to stop unscientific mining in the mand area,” the pradhan added.

Kangra, May 14
The Himachal Pradesh Government Teachers’ Union yesterday urged the state government to implement all the decisions of Punjab relating to 4-9-14 ACP enhancement in the grade-pay and removal of the January 1,1986, pay scale anomalies of C and V teachers.

PC Kapoor and Onkar Rana, chairman and secretary general, Himachal Pradesh Government Teachers’ Union, respectively, in a joint statement here yesterday said delay in the implementation of the pro-teacher decisions would not only put the teachers in a disadvantageous situation financially, but also create apprehensions in their minds about the government trying to deviate from the Punjab pattern.

The two teacher leaders demanded that the state government should fill up all the vacant posts of the teacher and raise their retirement age to 62 years. They also demanded the release of DA instalment due from January this year and house rent and medical allowance on the Punjab pattern.

The duo demanded HCA equal to the rate of rural allowance being given in Punjab. Both leaders further demanded regularisation of ad hoc promotions, immediate appointment of Deputy Director, Education, against newly created 10 posts, besides conversion of the practical allowance into one special increment.

They demanded extension of two special increments to teachers if they were not getting first promotion till 15 years of service.

They demanded regularisation of the services of contract para teachers after three years and exemption from 50 per cent marks necessary for promotion and B Ed qualification for regularisation to those who were already in service well before the alteration of the Recruitment and Promotion Rules. 

Shimla, May 14
Taking a serious note on the issue of unauthorised collection of money, probably termed as “gunda tax”, in three districts of the state, the high court has sought an explanation from the Superintendents of Police (SPs) of Kangra, Una and Sirmaur and directed them to submit a status report on the “gunda tax” being collected in their district. The court further directed that it should also be shown in the report the result of the investigation conducted by them and also prosecution, if any.

The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Dharam Chand Chaudhary passed this order during a hearing of the petition filed by Subhash Chandra Aggarwal against the unauthorised collection of money (“gunda tax”). In its previous orders, the court had directed the Police Department to file an action taken report on the collection of “gunda tax”. In compliance to that order, the SPs of Kangra, Una and Sirmour were present with the status report in the court. The next date of hearing is June 18.

Shimla, May 14
A special summary revision of photo electoral rolls of 68 Vidhan Sabha constituencies with January 1, 2012, as the qualifying date will be conducted from June 1 to 18.

Chief Electoral Officer Narinder Chauhan said here today that the draft photo voters’ lists would be made available in all polling booths, offices of electoral registration officers and assistant electoral registration officers on June 1. Claims and objections could be filed between June 1 and 18. The voters’ lists would be read out for verification in gram sabha and local bodies’ meetings on June 3 and 10.