Kothi (Manali), May 18
Tourists travelling in their private vehicles and those on packaged tours feel cheated as they are not allowed to cross the Kothi police barrier set up here on the orders of the District Magistrate, Kullu, to regulate traffic on the way to the Rohtang Pass.

Tourists say they are fed up with “tiffs and even abuses” from local taxi operators, who are ruling the roost in Manali. The Kothi barrier has become a barrier of woes for them as no non-Himachali vehicle is allowed beyond this point since last year after the DC, Kullu, notified the order following directions from the high court.

“I will not come to Himachal again,” says Ankush Seth, a young entrepreneur from Delhi. “We waited for two hours at the barrier for a taxi as our car was not allowed to go to the Beas Nullah snow point,” added his friend Nishant.

They alleged that they somehow managed to get a cab (HP 01C 2221), which turned out to be a fictitious number, for Rs 1,300 to travel a distance of another 13 km to the snow point. However, he disappeared and ruined their schedule. “We came to lodge a complaint at the union office in Manali, but we were abused and threatened by taxi operators,” they said, narrating their tale of woe.

However, this is not an isolated case. Rohit, Ashok, Rahul and Chotu, tourists from Gurgaon, had the same story to tell about the taxi operators here.

“We paid Rs 200 at the green tax barrier, and now a taxi operator is demanding Rs 1,300 for four persons,” they said in a resentful tone. “We have never experienced this loot,” they alleged. SK Sharma, who was travelling with his family from Delhi, chose to go back to Manali without visiting the snow point after his car was not allowed beyond this point.

Vamdev Vashisht and Kuldip Daggar had to park their car here and hired a local private car, doubling as a taxi, for Rs 1,400 to visit the Beas Nullah 
snow point.

Interestingly, a taxi charges the same amount from Manali as per the tariff fixed by the district tourism office.

Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy, who also heads the Tourism Department, says it is unfortunate but the government is honoring the high court order by restricting the tourist traffic to Rohtang. He said this order was hitting tourism, but there was no wayout.

President of the Taxi Union, Manali, Polu Ram said they would take action as some local private vehicle owners doubling as taxi operators. “We have 1,700 registered taxis. A small car charges Rs 1,350 from Manali and a bigger vehicle charges Rs 1,800 till the Beas Nullah snow point,” he added.

Shimla, May 18
The state government will invite other airlines to start operations within Himachal as the hill state is losing out on a large number of high-end tourists who are reluctant to travel by Kingfisher, which is the only carrier providing service at the three airports in Himachal.

Erratic flights from Shimla, Kullu and Dharamsala due to last-minute cancellations and weather conditions have always been a major hindrance to tourism promotion in Himachal, but now with the Kingfisher group facing major credibility issue due to its financial ill-health, people are avoiding taking the flight, apprehending cancellation and other possible problems.

“Since reliable and regular air connectivity is one of the pre-requisites for tourism promotion, we will invite other airlines providing small ATR carriers to provide air connectivity to the state,” said Arun Sharma, Director, Tourism and Civil Aviation. He added that the state government would be more than willing to allow other carriers who have permission from the Director-General, Civil Aviation, to operate in Himachal so that visitors did not face problems.

People associated with the hotel and tourism industry admit that this year high-end tourists are avoiding coming to Himachal due to unreliable air connectivity. “This year we have lost out on a large number of high-end tourists from Maharashtra and Gujarat as they are not willing to trust the Kingfisher group, which is the sole airline operating in Himachal,” said Deepak Sood, owner of Ambassador Travels.

Hoteliers, too, admit that high-end tourists avoid Shimla and other places in the state due to unreliable flights. They say the government must make efforts to provide reliable air connectivity and preferably direct flights from Mumbai and other such destinations, as is the case with Srinagar and other popular destinations.

A majority of the people feel that in case there are more airlines operating, people will have a choice and the airfares will also be competitive.

In the past too, Air India and other private carriers have operated on the three circuits in the state but finally withdrew as only 42-seater small carriers can operate in the state due to small runways.

Himachal has been pleading its case for subsidised air tariff on the pattern of north-eastern states, but the Centre has not acceded to its demand. The heli-taxi service started has also been a non-starter with practically there being no takers. The state has limited rail connectivity and visitors have to rely mainly on road transport, which requires longer duration.

Shimla, May 18
The government today decided to exempt upcoming hotels in tribal and hard areas from the luxury tax under the HP Tax on Luxuries (Hotels and Lodging Houses) Act for a period of 10 years from the date the units start functioning.

The decision was taken by the state Cabinet, which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister PK Dhumal, to promote tourism in rural areas and divert tourist traffic from prominent urban destinations to rural areas. The move will also create employment opportunities for the youth.

It decided to provide honorarium to panchayat samiti members on a par with pradhans of gram panchayats and accordingly they will be paid Rs 1,800 per month with effect from April 1, 2012.

The health sub-centre at Rishikesh in Damali panchayat, Bilaspur, will be upgraded to a primary health centre and a primary health centre will be opened at Hansa in the Lahaul valley. A new health sub-centre will also be opened at Nainidhar in Sirmaur. The deadline for furnishing annual returns by traders has been extended to November 30 every year.

The Cabinet decided to transfer Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Subdivision, Rampur-II, to Darlaghat under Arki division along with posts and constituted a committee comprising the Additional Chief Secretary (IPH) and the Principal Secretary (Finance) to give its recommendations regarding creation of a new office of Chief Engineer (Project) for expeditious execution of the projects under NABARD and the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Project.

It granted nod to fill 92 posts of Assistant Professor (college cadre) in different disciplines through the HP Public Service Commission, 56 posts in the Department of Economics and Statistics through outsourcing and one post of Deputy Director by promotion on co-terminus basis for the period of the 13th Finance Commission.

It approved an amendment to Rule 5 of the State Right to Information Act to insert a provision for charging of fee towards postal expenses as per the requirement of the Indian Postal and Telegraph Department.

Shimla, May 18
Terming the fake “charge sheet” released by BJP president Satpal Satti as a farce enacted to deviate attention from the high court verdict on the Jaypee cement plant, the Congress today threatened to initiate legal action against him for circulating a bogus document as “Congress charge sheet” to malign the party in the eyes of the public.

Pradesh Congress Committee chief Kaul Singh said the Dhumal government stood fully exposed after the high court verdict and it was now desperately trying to divert attention from it as the elections to the Shimla Municipal Corporation were just a few days away. The BJP was a “master” in fraud, deceit and lies, and it had come out with a document which appeared to be prepared by the Himachal Lokhit Party or its own party MPs Rajan Sushant and Shanta Kumar, if one went by its content.

The Congress charge sheet was yet to be finalised and even some documents were still being procured after which it would be legally examined at the level of the high command. It will have many more pages than the one released by Satti and prove to be the last nail in the coffin of the “corrupt” BJP regime. The document would be submitted to the President of India and simultaneously to the Governor of Himachal Pradesh.

Referring to the municipal corporation poll, Kaul Singh said the BJP had committed a blunder by switching over to the system of direct election to the office of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

With defeat staring the party in its face, the BJP was indulging in such gimmicks. Last year, the BJP government opted for conducting elections to municipal councils and nagar panchayats on party symbols and it lost in most towns. It would meet the same fate in the Shimla Municipal Corporation poll where the Congress had been ruling for the past 25 years.

Shimla, May 18
Virtually a “mini charge sheet” against the BJP government, the Congress manifesto for the Shimla Municipal Corporation poll promises a high-level probe into the inordinate delay in the approval of detailed project reports by the BJP government under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), which deprived the “Queen of Hills” of development funds amounting to over Rs 4,000 crore.

The manifesto, released here today, squarely blamed the BJP regime for allegedly failing to take action on the City Development Plan, prepared in 2007 by the previous Congress regime, under which about 50 schemes were identified and proposed under the JNNURM. However, the BJP government did not take further action on it and as a result most of the schemes for solving the problems of residents could not see the light of the day.

Of these, 27 schemes were to be implemented by various government departments. Another 10 schemes were to be jointly implemented by the corporation and departments, but these could not be taken up for want of approval. While 13 schemes were under implementation, 30 schemes could not be implemented at all as the government did not grant the necessary approval. Work on four schemes, being implemented by government departments, was progressing at a snail’s pace. The indifferent attitude of the government denied the city central assistance amounting to over Rs 2,000 crore. It even diverted Rs 13 crore meant to provide housing for the urban poor to other areas, but the high court stayed the decision.

The manifesto, released by senior party leaders, including PCC chief Kaul Singh, Leader of the Opposition Vidya Stokes, general secretary Kuldeep Rathore and Mayor Madhu Sood, also focused on the land mafia.

Terming the BJP as the biggest threat to the fragile environment of the hill station, the manifesto pointed out that the “disastrous policies” of the government led to illegal felling of trees to benefit realtors in green areas like Bemloe. Not only that, the land mafia also eyed the thickly forested Annandale area. The BJP regime was anxious to bring the historical ground under the fiefdom of cricket to facilitate activities of the land mafia.

It also referred to the Bantony estate and pointed out that the Congress government had favoured the establishment of a state museum at the place, but the present regime agreed to vacate the complex and handed it over for commercial purposes. The land mafia and builders had been give a free hand to convert the lush green hills into a concrete jungle.

Terming the retention policy brought out on the eve of the poll as a farce, the Congress alleged that the government took no step in this direction for the four years and suddenly notified a policy to mislead the electorate. The document promised that on coming to power in the state, the government would expedite the implementation of the JNNURM and make efforts to complete projects within the 2013-16 period by spending an amount of Rs 4,000 crore.

Manali, May 18
One person was killed and five others were seriously injured after a huge dry devdar tree collapsed at the Hadimba Devi temple, near Manali, this afternoon.

The accident occurred when gusty winds uprooted the devdar tree and it damaged temporary shops that were installed here during the Dhungri Mela, which concluded two days ago.

The annual Dhungri Mela is celebrated between May 15 and 17 and hundreds of shopkeepers from various states arrive here to sell their products. While most of the shopkeepers had shifted from here yesterday but some of them, with intention to finish their products were still staying here with their shops.

According to eyewitnesses, when the accident happened, hundreds of people, including tourists, were present at the spot for shopping and to pay obeisance to the Hadimba Devi.

As soon as the accident happened, rescue teams comprising local SDM, Balbir Thakur and DSP Shamsher Singh rushed to the spot.

A person died on the spot and 5 sustained injuries, of which one was critically injured. Manali SDM Balbir Thakur said the injured have been shifted to Lady Willingdon Hospital, Manali.

He said that Rs 5,000 was given to the next to the kin of the deceased while Rs 5,000 each was given to persons with serious injuries.

“The persons who had minor injuries have been relieved after providing primary medical assistance,” he said.

The deceased has been identified as Atma Prakash of Panipat and the injured were identified as Ashish (27) of UP, Sarla Verma (45) of MP, Mahender Pal (17) of Dhamsu village of Kullu, Prem Dass (60) of Duara village of Kullu, Reena (18) of Duara village in Kullu.

Shimla, May 18
The state high court has directed the president of the HP State Pollution Control Board Officers Association SK Shandil and Sanjay Sood, member secretary, HP State Pollution Control Board, to remain present in the court on May 25 in case they have any complaints against officers of the board.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjay Karol observed that the court had received a letter from Shandil alleging that the member secretary of the board was pressuring members of the association to withdraw complaints against superior officers.

The Green Bench passed this order on a complaint letter written by the HP Pollution Control Board Employees Association to the Chief Justice of the high court regarding violations of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification, 2006, in granting NoC/Consent /Renewal to over 150 industrial units in the stateby the then Member Secretary.

In their complaint letter, the association alleged that former Member Secretary of the board Dr Nagin Nanda, an Indian Forest Service officer, had issued NoC/ consent/ renewal to the over 150 industrial units, maximum stone crushers, in the state without obtaining the requisite prior environment clearances violating the EIA notification, 2006, in connivance with some officers. It was alleged that all these units were established at interstate boundaries of Haryana, Punjab and Uttarakhand and running illegally without obtaining environment clearances. 

Kangra, May 18
International Nurses Week concluded today at the Tanda Medical College with nurses taking an oath to serve the needy and ailing patients just as Florence Nightingale did.

Dr Anil Chauhan, Principal of the college, was the chief guest on the occasion. He said Florence Nightingale’s lasting contribution had been her role in founding the modern nursing profession. He said she set an example of compassion, commitment to patient care and diligent and thoughtful hospital administration.

Dr Dinesh Sood, Medical Superintendent, all matrons and nurses attended the programme to pay tributes to Florence Nightingale for her contribution to humanity. — OC

Dharamsala, May 18
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a commercial and entertainment module of cricket.

However, in a small state like Himachal that has a population of just 68 lakh and every citizen affiliates himself with everything being done by its political leaders, the IPL is also stirring the state politics.

The first IPL was organised at the Dharamsala-based International Cricket Stadium in 2010.

Anurag Thakur, who is the president of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) and the son of Chief Minister PK Dhumal, was admired for bringing up such a facility at a small place like Dharamsala.

However, after three years, the IPL being organised at Dharamsala has given maximum ammunition to opposition parties and detractors within the party against the Chief Minister.

It has left people and vested groups discontented in the state rather than delighted.

The most discontented lot are local residents of Dharamsala, state bureaucracy and other centres of power.

There is a clamour for free passes for matches being organised here. Almost all the bureaucrats, their relatives and those associated with other centres of power in the state were clamouring for free passes.

However, the HPCA that claims that it has limited freebies available in IPL matches has failed to satisfy any of the groups. It could deliver passes for various power centres in the state only at the last moment, many of which were denied by many.

Sources here blamed it more on mismanagement rather than availability of complementary passes or tickets. The empty pavilion stands were an illustration to the fact.

Local residents cribbed at the non- availability of tickets on time.

They alleged that the Opposition was flaying the state government for giving land worth crores free of cost to the HPCA for the stadium. It has also questioned the common village land given to the HPCA for raising the pavilion hotel.

The freebies to the HPCA have become a major component of the Congress charge sheet against the present government. The Opposition is alleging that since the IPL was a purely commercial venture, why should the state provide fee security and waive-off the entertainment tax.

The information received under the RTI said the state had spent about Rs 2.5 crore on providing security for IPL venues at Dharamsala in the past two years. Besides, no entertainment tax was charged from the host team that was selling tickets at premium rates.

The ambitious projects of the HPCA to develop a cricket stadium at Annandale, a ground near Shimla, which is under the control of the Army, created a national debate.

Even national vice-president of BJP and senior leader from the state Shanta Kumar disapproved of the attempts of the HPCA to take over Annandale from the control of the Army.

Within the BJP, the IPL has left Minister for Industries and senior leader of the Shanta camp Kishan Kapoor, who represents the Dharamsala Assembly seat, sore.

Kapoor told The Tribune that he had not received any invitation from the HPCA for matches being organised here and the HPCA had never bothered to consult me regarding these matches.

With the elections to the state Assembly approaching, the HPCA would be at the target of opposition parties, the sources said.