Shimla, May 24
Accusing the Congress-led UPA regime of protecting the interest of the big corporate houses, BJP and CPM activists today staged protests in various parts of the town against the hike in petrol prices.

Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists burned the effigy of the UPA regime at the Summer Hill Chowk. Narender Attri, state chief, BJYM, along with other activists raised slogans against the UPA regime.

Shimla block BJP workers also staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner office against the hike.

“The Congress that had come to power with the support of the common man has only burdened people with price rise, corruption and scams,” said Ashok Kapatia, state BJP spokesperson.

Kapatia said rather than taking effective steps to give relief to the common man, the UPA regime had enhanced petrol prices by Rs 7.50 per litre, which will automatically lead to substantial hike in prices of essential commodities.

The CPM also staged a protest against the hike in petrol prices outside the DC office.

“We demand an immediate withdrawal of the hike as the common man is not in a position to bear it and the UPA regime needs to understand this,” said Vijender Mehra, secretary of the district unit of the CPM.

Shimla, May 24
Chief Minister PK Dhumal today urged the Centre to immediately withdraw the hike in petrol prices, which would worsen the plight of the common man.

Reacting to the latest hike in petrol prices, he said it would increase the prices of essential commodities consumed by the poor, who already were finding it hard to make both ends meet.

He said the Centre announced the hike immediately after the Budget session, which amounts to insult and disgrace of the Parliament and deceit with people.

The Chief Minister said while the prices of oil had come down in the international market, the UPA regime was increasing it only to widen the gap between the rich and poor.

“Such a big hike would disturb not only the family budget of the poor but also the middle class,” he said and demanded its immediate withdrawal in public interest.

He said the price rise was a Central subject and the state government had been making efforts to provide relief to consumers.

“Himachal has already decreased VAT on diesel and petrol, besides increasing purchasing power of the people by providing them better economic packages and incentives under different schemes,” he added.

Shimla, May 24
The Congress campaign for the Shimla Municipal Corporation poll received a boost with Union Minster Virbhadra Singh addressing a series of public meetings in various parts of the city today.

He urged party men to remain vigilant as a desperate BJP could indulge in large-scale rigging. The BJP had deployed four ministers - Ravinder Ravi, Rajeev Bndal, Mohinder Singh and Narender Bragta - and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sukh Ram, who were all “past masters in rigging”. Out them four were on duty in the Renuka Assembly byelection during which all types of malpractices, including distribution of liquor and money, were committed. He said a large number of liquor bottles were seized from the official vehicle of Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sukh Ram and currency notes kept in envelopes were also seized. However, no case was registered.

He alleged that Chief Minister PK Dhumal had thoroughly politicised the administration and officials, right form deputy commissioners to patwaris, were being appointed on political considerations. The government completely ignored Shimla over the past four years as a result of which development came to a halt and residents had to contend with poor civic amenities, particularly water supply.

The bulk water supply to the city was interrupted deliberately when the election was announced just to show the Congress-ruled municipal corporation in poor light. Now suddenly the pumping machinery had started functioning properly and adequate water was being supplied.

Virbhadra Singh addressed meetings at Maliyana, Vikasnagar, Nabha and Sanjauli.

Shimla, May 24
Apparently prompted by the growing shrill against the IPL, Union Minister Virbhadra Singh today launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister PK Dhumal for undue favours being granted to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA).

“The IPL is a sort of entertainment and I am not against it. However, if there are any irregularities and malpractices like injection of black money, as is being alleged, a thorough probe must be conducted,” he said. The sanctity of cricket as a gentleman’s game has to be maintained at all costs. The recent unsavoury happenings involving players, franchisees and sports administrators had not only sullied the image of the game but also seriously undermined its credibility, he added.

Turning to the HPCA, he said Dhumal not only gave government land for setting up a cricket stadium but also leased out prime land to it for setting up a five-star hotel.

There was no justification for it and it was a case of gross misuse of power by the Chief Minister to oblige his son Anurag Thakur, who headed the HPCA. There were so many good hotels in and around Dharamsala. In any case, there was no reason for the government to lease out land to a sports body for the purpose.

Virbhadra Singh, who is on a two-day visit to the city to campaign for the party in the municipal corporation poll, said he considered his moral duty to work for the success of the Congress candidates as a direct election for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor was being conducted on party symbols for the first time. He said he was the seventh senior-most minister in the Union Cabinet, but he always considered himself a grassroots party worker first.

Regarding the ongoing tussle for leadership in the party, he said he never staked claim to the post of Chief Minister. It was the prerogative of the high command and all party leaders abided by its decision in letter and spirit.

Referring to the increase in the prices of petrol, he said the country had a wealth of mineral resources but it hardly had any petro reserves. Despite all explorations, oil was struck only in Bambay high. As a result, the country was dependent on imports and little could be done about the prices dictated by global market trends. However, states could do their bit by lowering the rate of VAT on petrol.

Shimla, May 24
National Politburo member of the CPM Sitaram Yechury today sought votes for the CPM in the municipal corporation elections with the promise of restoring the lost glory and heritage of the “Queen of Hills”.

Yechury addressed a well-attended rally in the Sabzi Mandi ground, seeking votes for its candidates for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, Sanjay Chauhan and Tikender Singh Panwar, respectively, as well as the candidates for seats of councillor. “It is not the paucity of funds which affects services, but the lack of political will, both on the part of the BJP as well as the Congress, which denies the common man the basic facilities he is entitled to,” he said. He said both the Congress and the BJP had entered into a tacit understanding whereby they were passing Bills and taking decisions which were not in the interests of the common man.

Yechury said while the BJP was facing internal strife with at least six claimants to the the post of Prime Minister, the Congress had a Prime Minister who refused to take concrete steps to give relief to the common man. “Amid this scenario, it is only the CPM which can provide a political alternative to the people as the party wins elections not to rule but to serve the people,” he stated.

Taking the UPA to task for the latest petrol hike, he said the UPA regime was misrepresenting facts as its entire endeavour was to give benefit to big oil companies by burdening the common man.

Yechury also accused West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of having double standards on the issue of the hike in petrol prices. “She publically makes a big hue and cry over the issue while the fact is that Trinamool Congress (TMC) ministers in the UPA regime are a party to the hike,” he said. 

Shimla, May 24
Chief Minister PK Dhumal today sought votes from the electorate to put an end to the 26-year-old rule of the Congress over the Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC) which, he said, had failed to retain the glory of the ancient town and provide basic facilities to the people.

Dhumal addressed three election meetings at Sanjauli, Chamiana and Vikasnagar in favour of the party candidates. “The Congress, in its 26-year-old rule, has miserably failed to provide even basic facilities like adequate water, good roads and cleanliness to the people of the state capital,” he said.

He said the people must give a chance to the BJP as the party, in its four-year rule in the state, had proved that it fulfilled the promises that it made to the people. “We have fielded a very capable candidate for the post of Mayor who has a vision for Shimla and people must vote for the BJP to witness the difference that the party will bring about on being voted to power,” he said.

Launching an attack on the CPM, he said its ideology was on the way out the world over and had been voted out of power in West Bengal. “Voting for the CPM will amount to wasting your vote as the CPM can neither get a majority in the MC poll nor in the Assembly elections,” he urged the voters.

Nurpur, May 24
Hundreds of candidates from Kangra district, especially Nurpur and Jawali areas, who have to appear in the Combined Pre-Medical Entrance Test (CPMET) being conducted by Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) are running from pillar to post to get their roll number-cum-admission cards, thanks to the unprecedented delay in their postal delivery to them or no communication by the HPU in this regard.

Candidates who had submitted their examination forms, along with requisite fees from the area, today said they had opted for Dharamsala as their examination centre where the CPMET was being conducted tomorrow, but till today they had not received their roll numbers or name of the examination centre set up by the HPU at Dharamsala.

Around 8,000 candidates are appearing in this entrance test tomorrow and the HPU had dispatched roll numbers on May 14.

Dr Narider Awasthi, while admitting delay in the delivery of roll number cards to candidates in Kangra district, held the Postal Department responsible for it.

“This transit delay was found only in places where the Postal Department is adopting the Ambala-Pathankot railway route. The HPU has uploaded roll numbers and list of examination centres of all candidates in its website -www.hpresults.nic.co.in <http://www.hpresults.nic.co.in>. He advised candidates to reach examination centres with their two photographs just one hour before the examination and collect their roll numbers without paying additional charges.

VC blames it on postal delay

Ashok Raina

Kangra, May 24

Resentment prevailed among parents whose wards have to appear in the CPMET test on May 25 at 10 am at different centres of the state as they have not received their roll numbers from HPU till last evening.

Thousands of students who have to appear in the CPMET examination on Friday morning, had not received roll numbers till last evening and the HP website was not updated till 7 pm yesterday. Desperate parents and students have been running to post offices and cyber cafes to get the roll numbers.

At the Kangra post office only two roll numbers were received, while hundreds were seen waiting outside the post office in the morning.

ADN Bajpai, Vice-Chancellor, HPU, said he had received complaints from students’ parents and directed the Controller of Examination to update the website and provide students relief without any charges.

He said there was postal delay in delivering the roll numbers because these were first sent to Ambala and then to Pathankot before reaching their destinations.

The Controller of Examination was not available on the telephone.

Dalhousie, May 24
It is not only civil hospitals that are facing staff crunch, but also veterinary dispensaries in far-flung areas of Churah subdivision in
the district which are devoid of doctors.

One such veterinary dispensary is located at Tikrigarh where the post of veterinary doctor has been lying vacant for the quite some time and inhabitants rearing livestock in the area have been facing the problem of getting their cattle treated from various diseases.

Residents of the area have urged the government to deploy a veterinary doctor at the dispensary.

Dharamsala, May 24
The Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) has released a recreation of the Tibetan Proclamation of Independence issued by the 13th Dalai Lama in 1913 after returning from a forced exile in India. A spokesperson for the SFT said the handwritten scroll was unveiled to raise awareness about the coming 100th anniversary of “Tibet’s declaration as an independent country”, which will take place on February 13, 2013. The countdown was marked by the unveiling of the scroll.

The year 2013 will mark 100 years since Tibet proclaimed the restoration of its independence. The Manchu army sent troops to Tibet in 1909, prompting the 13th Dalai Lama to escape to India. However, as the Manchu dynasty succumbed to a Chinese revolution at home, Tibetans seized the moment and expelled the Manchu troops from Tibet. The 13th Dalai Lama returned to Tibet and issued a proclamation to mark the restoration of Tibetan independence. The text of this proclamation has survived, though the original document has not.

The SFT has produced a recreation of this historic document ahead of the 100th anniversary of the proclamation. The recreated scroll was unveiled last evening by Palden Gyatso, Tibet’s second longest-serving political prisoner who was born in the time of the 13th Dalai Lama’s government. Speakers on the occasion included Narkyid Ngawang Dhondup, Serta Tsultrim (Tibetan MP), Bawa Kalsang Gyaltsen (MP), Dhardon Sharling (MP), Tenzin Tsundue (Regional Tibetan Youth Congress), Lhadon Tethong (Tibet Action Institute), Tenzin Dorjee (SFT) and Dorjee Tsetan (SFT, India).