Solan, June 6
With frequent power cuts occurring in Kasauli, Dharampur, Garkhal, Dagshai and its surrounding areas since the past several weeks, the working of the HP State Electricity Department has come under a cloud.

No day passes when electricity is not snapped for a few hours ranging from half an hour to as long as five hours.

On June 3 the power supply remained suspended for five hours after a forest fire uprooted a tree and damaged electricity wires. Though this was rectified by late on Sunday evening, the next day again there was a three-hour power cut in Garkhal and its surrounding areas and a three- hour power cut in Dagshai in the evening. The power supply was again snapped for about three hours in the night.

On the morning of June 5, residents had to stay without power for almost an hour and again for two hours in the afternoon and for another three hours in the evening.

These were not isolated cases as all power faults appear to be occurring in this area and cases of electricity poles being damaged due to reckless digging by private builders are also routine happenings.

Also cases of industrial units developing faults and later failing to inform the authorities in time also contribute their share to power failures.

Residents have become used to the power failures that they have started stocking candles, torches and emergency lights as alternatives.

Tehsildar, Kasauli, Lalit Sharma, while echoing similar views, said the power supply had become irregular and apart from power cuts spanning several hours even power trips during the day were frequent.

He said when enquired, officials give excuses like problem from the supply line in Solan or tree having been fallen.

Superintending engineer, HPSEBL, Anup Dhiman, when quizzed, said they try to rectify faults as soon as possible, adding that power disruptions in the past few days had been due to lightening or forest fires.

The situation was so miserable that even a slight breeze led to disruption of electricity and this speaks volumes about the maintenance.

Though the department had availed several maintenance cuts to check reoccurring faults, it has failed to improve the system.

Nurpur, June 6
The sudden spurt in the temperatures during the past three weeks has resulted in frequent forest fires in forests under the Nurpur forest division in lower Kangra district. The fires have not only played havoc with forest wealth worth crores of rupees, but have also put the field staff of the Forest Department in trouble as they were not equipped with modern techniques to douse forest fires.

As many as 46 forest fire incidents have been reported from Nurpur, Jawali, Kotla, Indora and Rey forest ranges from May 14 to June 5, whereas only one forest fire had been reported last year.

The department is concerned over daily reports of forest fires, which have reportedly engulfed 132.5 hectares of planted forest area and 231.5 hectares of other forest area until yesterday. Moreover, the department’s field staff are ill-equipped in firefighting and people living nearby forests are also not coming forward to douse forest fires. The staff is resorting to traditional methods to combat forest fires like beating fire with bushes and pouring soil for over it.

Forest fires are reportedly being lighted to burn bushes and weeds by unidentified farmers in the hope of a good growth of grass, to be used as fodder during the monsoon. Negligence on the part of passersby who smoke at times leads to such forest fires.

According to Divisional Forest Officer, Nurpur, JC Katoch, the department has so far lodged FIRs in all 46 fire incidents with the Nurpur, Indora and Jawali police stations. “The Indian Forest Act-1927 stipulates that setting forest wealth on fire is a non-bailable cognisable offence.

Katoch said the department had deputed 100 forest guards, 148 workers, 30 deputy rangers, five range officers and engaged 75 fire watchers temporarily to combat these fires in the area.

Dharamsala, June 6
The Congress leadership in the state will put up a united face at a state-level rally of the party to be held at Dharamsala tomorrow.

Coordinator for the rally and Congress MLA from Nagrota Bagwan GS Bali gave an indication to this effect while addressing a press conference here today. Bali said senior Congress leaders from the state, including Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Virbhadra Singh, Union Minister for Industry, Commerce and Textile Anand Sharma, party in charge for Himachal and AICC general secretary Birender Singh, HPCC president Kaul Singh and CLP leader Vidya Stokes, would participate in the rally.

He said the Congress was united and would launch a collective campaign in the state to oust the present government. He said Virbhadra Singh would arrive at the rally from Jwalamukhi along with thousands of supporters. Anand Sharma would arrive by air from the Gaggal airport and would be escorted to the rally venue in 101 vehicles.

It is for the first time after a long period that all senior Congress leaders from the state will share the stage during the rally. Earlier, Virbhadra Singh had been staying away from rallies organised by GS Bali in Kangra district.

His supporters also did not participate in Anand Sharma’s rally held at Palampur in the recent past.

Bali and leaders of the Kaul Singh camp did not participate in the rallies organised by Virbhadra Singh’s supporters in Kangra district. The rallies were organised at Jawali and Palampur in Kangra district.

Bali said all Congress leaders were coming on a single platform on the directives of party president Sonia Gandhi.

Asked if he was aspiring for the Chief Minister’s post, Bali said the decision in this regard would be taken by Sonia Gandhi.

Bali said after the rally, he would leave immediately for Manali on his rath yatra in which he would travel on foot in rural and urban areas of the state.

Sources said though Bali’s yatra had the blessings from senior party leaders at the Centre, state leaders of the Congress were unlikely to be part of it.

Dharamsala, June 6
The district BJP unit, comprising mostly of Shanta Kumar’s supporters, today moved a resolution and demanded that Minister for IPH Ravinder Ravi should be removed from the Cabinet. It is for the first time that the Shanta supporters have openly demanded the minister’s removal with whom they have been at loggerheads for quite sometime.

In the resolution, the district unit of the BJP, led by its president Ranjit Singh Pathania, has held that the minister tried to torpedo Shanta Kumar’s rally held in the Jaisinghpur area of Kangra district a few days ago. They have held that the minister tried to use his influence to prevent BJP workers from attending the rally.

Ravinder Ravi, a close confidant of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, has been the target of Shanta Kumar’s supporters for quite sometime. They have been alleging that the minister was interfering in their constituencies and even levelled charges of corruption against him.

Ravinder Ravi has, however, denied the allegations that he tried to torpedo Shanta Kumar’s rally. He, however, refused to comment on the resolution moved by the district BJP seeking his removal from the Cabinet.

The district BJP has also moved a resolution opposing the division of Kangra district. In the resolution, the district BJP has maintained that they have not been consulted by the party over the division of the biggest and most populous district of the state. The district BJP of Kangra has held that none of the sitting MLAs from the district was in favour of the division of the district. The government was moving ahead to divide the district on the demand of Independent MLA from Nurpur Rakesh Pathania.

Shanta supporters feel that the government is planning to divide Kangra district to finish Shanta Kumar’s identity, who belongs to the area. Shanta Kumar has also openly stated that he has not been consulted by anyone regarding the division of Kangra district.

Shimla, June 6
The re-carved political boundaries of Assembly constituencies in Kangra due to delimitation has flared up bickering among ministers and legislators of the ruling party with Shanta faction all set to intensify its campaign in the coming days against attempts by loyalists of Chief Minister PK Dhumal to bulldoze into their territories.

The contentious issues of carving out of districts out of Kangra and bickering due to delimitation of Assembly segments could be discussed by national BJP secretary Shyam Jaju, who is the co in charge of the party in Himachal, with Rajya Sabha MP Shanta Kumar during his visit to Kangra in a day or two.

To worsen matters, the Shanta faction is preparing its strategy to counter attempts by the rival faction to disintegrate Kangra, which at present is the biggest district with 16 Assembly constituencies.

Shanta Kumar, who till now had been maintaining silence over the issue, also seems to be coming out in the open against the move, basically aimed to undermine his influence.

Sources said Shanta had also formally complained to BJP national chief Nitin Gadkari regarding the absence of Irrigation and Public Health Minister Ravinder Ravi from a function at Jaisinghpur in his Assembly segment two days ago when he visited the area.

Shanta, who till now had refrained from openly criticising anyone or holding any functions, is likely to be more vociferous on the issue in the near future.

The senior BJP leader, who is miffed with the Dhumal faction for its attempts to undermine his influence by trifurcating Kangra, is likely to take up the issue with the Central leadership also.

His own supporters, including Industries Minister Kishan Kapoor, have already expressed their opinion against disintegrating Kangra.

With Ravinder being the target of the Shanta camp for not just the influence he wields owning to his proximity to the Chief Minister, but also for the fact that he has his eyes set on Jwalamukhi, as his own constituency of Thural has been fragmented into other segments.

Food and Supplies Minister Ramesh Dhawala, who represents Jwalamukhi, has made it clear that under no circumstances would he shift to another segment.

Ravinder could also stake claim from Palampur or Dehra. Kripal Parmar, a former Rajya Sabha MP and a close confidante of the Chief Minister, too is keen to contest the Assembly ticket from Fatehpur, from where Kangra Lok Sabha MP Rajan Sushant used to contest.

With Baijnath also being reserved for the Scheduled Castes community, there could be shifting of leaders to accommodate others.

Nurpur, June 6
Recently formed Zila Banao Sangharsh Samiti today started its chain fast in front of the SDM office here for granting the district status to Nurpur.

Hundreds of people, including members of the samiti and representatives of panchayati raj institutions from Nurpur, Fatehpur and Indora Assembly segments, joined the stir held under the banner of the samiti.

People from six panchayats each from Nurpur and Indora and 11 panchayats from the Fatehpur Assembly segment joined the samiti’s chain fast call today.

Addressing the gathering, local MLA Rakesh Pathania, who has been spearheading the movement of granting district status to Nurpur, called upon people to join this mass movement by crossing the party lines.

He said Nurpur along with Hamirpur, Una, Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti had been notified as new tehsils way back in 1898, but barring Nurpur all four tehsils had been upgraded to districts.

“The district demand of the area is the oldest one and now the time has come that the Dhumal government render justice to the people of lower Kangra district by accepting their demand,” he asserted. Mastan Singh, chairman of the samiti, said the chain fast would remain round the clock till June 11 and the future strategy would be chalked out the next day.

Dharamsala, June 6
Following criticism by politicians of opposition parties and the strict control of the regulatory commission, managements of private universities are planning to come on a single platform.

Highly placed sources told The Tribune that the managements of about 15 private universities in the state held a meeting at Chandigarh recently and mulled over the idea of forming the Himachal Pradesh Private Universities Management Association.

The association is being planned by the managements of private universities in the state to lobby their cause.

The managements are sore over the criticism of their institutions by politicians. The sources said the managements were of the view that criticism by state politicians in the media had affected their image among students. Students from other states were now avoiding taking admission to the private universities in Himachal. The student intake of private universities in Himachal had decreased in the past few years due to the bad name brought by the criticism by state politicians.

They allege that some decisions taken by the state regulatory commission have reduced the private universities to the level of colleges. The managements have to now take approval from the regulatory commission before starting any course or increasing the number of seats in various courses. The regulatory commission in the recent past has also barred the private universities from offering PhD courses. It has directed the universities to take approval from it before charging fee from students.

The managements have maintained that they have invested crores in raising infrastructure for their institutes in Himachal. The cost of construction in Himachal is much higher than in plain areas. The Himachal Government had imposed a condition of giving 70 per cent employment in private universities to local residents and also 85 per cent seats to Himachal students.

The sources said they were planning to meet the Chief Minister on a newly formed common platform to put forward their grievances.

Shimla, June 6
Kali Dass Batish, a former Additional Advocate-General and practising lawyer, was today appointed as Information Commissioner after a committee, chaired by Chief Minister PK Dhumal, cleared his name.

With Batish’s appointment as Information Commissioner for a term of five years in place of former Chief Secretary SS Parmar, who completed his tenure, speculation is rife that the government could create another post of Information Commissioner at tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting.

Since there is a provision to have a maximum of 10 Information Commissioners, there is a possibility that the Cabinet may grant approval for having one more Information Commissioner to be able to accommodate a retiring officer. So far, there is only the Chief Information Commissioner and one Information Commissioner in Himachal.

The committee, headed by the Chief Minister, met here today to finalise the name of the new Information Commissioner. Other members who attended the meeting included Congress Legislature Party leader Vidya Stokes, Irrigation and Public Health Minister Ravinder Singh Ravi and Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy.

Batish (59), who remained the Additional Advocate-General from 1998 to 2003 during the last BJP tenure, is at present the legal adviser of the HP Khadi and Village Industries Board and standing counsel for the HP Transport Corporation. His name also figures in the panel of advocates notified to represent the government in the high court.

There were a total of seven contenders who had applied for being appointed as Information Commissioner. They included Director-General of Police DS Manhas, Additional Chief Secretaries SK Dash and TG Negi, retired IAS officer Kashmir Chand, Shyama Dogra, a former Member of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Chandigarh, and RTI activist Dev Ashish Bhattacharya.

The proposal to enhance the number of posts of Information Commissioner from one to two had been placed before the Cabinet about two months ago. However, at that stage the government had decided that in a small state like Himachal, one Chief Information Commissioner and one Information Commissioner were more than sufficient to handle the workload.

Dharamsala, June 6
The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) seems to be in no hurry to appoint new envoys for holding talks with China.

Lodi G Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, the two envoys of the Dalai Lama who held nine rounds of talks with the Chinese officials from 2002 to 2010 had resigned last week. Their resignation was accepted by the Prime Minister of the CTA, Lobsang Sangay.

Amid speculation regarding appointment of new envoys, a spokesperson for the CTA has said that new Tibetan envoys for the stalled China-Tibet dialogue process will be appointed whenever China is ready to resume talks with Tibet.

Thubten Samphel, a spokesperson for the Task Force on Negotiations under the CTA, said the Tibetan side was ready to appoint new envoys whenever China was ready to resume the dialogue process.

Samphel refused to reveal the names of Tibet’s new envoys.

“I can't divulge the names right now but can assure that we are ready to appoint our envoys anytime if China shows willingness to hold a dialogue with us,” he said.

Asked whether the title Special Envoy of the Dalai Lama will be used for the next envoys, Samphel said a suitable envoy would be appointed according to the response from China.

The two envoys, who have led nine rounds of talks with the China since 2002, cited the deteriorating situation inside Tibet and their utter frustration over the lack of positive response from China as the reasons for their decision to resign.

Hamirpur, June 6
On the basis of information received from Senior Superintending Engineer of the BBMB, Pandoh, Hamirpur DC Rajinder Singh has informed the people living on the banks of the Beas that due to a rise in the water level of the Pandoh dam, the spillway gates of dam can be opened anytime.

He has asked the residents to remain vigilant and avoid venturing into the river.

Chamba, June 6
The Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd (HPSEBL) Employees Union has pointed a finger at the functioning of certain bureaucrats. It has alleged that they have personal biases against the HPSEBL and are providing undue benefits to independent power producers (IPPs).

Interacting with mediapersons here yesterday, state president of the union Kuldeep Kharwara alleged that the present power policies of the state government as well as that of the Centre were pushing the state power board into a debt trap. Kharwara revealed that due to the alleged mismanagement of the board’s functioning, there was a financial liability of over Rs 300 crore on the HPSEBL with regard to the arrears of about 13,000 retired employees. He added that with this the deficit of the board had crossed Rs 1,400 crore during the past two years.

“The expenditure and revenue gap of the HPSEBL is increasing sharply due to the defective power policies of the state government, but sadly no heed is being paid to bail out the board from the prevailing financial crisis. As a result, the employees of the state power board are being deprived of the financial claims relating to the revised pay scales,” Kharwara said.

Kharwara lamented that reimbursements of employees were being delayed and the financial benefits of the revised pay scales were being withheld, which had created panic among employees as well as pensioners of the power board.

Kharwara urged the CM to set up an employees’ pension fund and deposit the proposed share amount of about Rs 4,300 crore to be received from the Bhakra Beas Management Board into this fund.

Kangra, June 6
Ragini Chandershekhar, a renowned Bharatnatyam dancer, enthralled dance lovers of this town with her spellbinding performance at the Sobha Singh Auditorium of the DRPGMC, Tanda, on Sunday evening. She effortlessly floated from one character of “natyam” to another with a mere change of expression and posture.

The audience included students and faculty of the medical college, students from other colleges and several dignitaries from Kangra and Palampur.

She aptly compared the “sadhna” of an artist to the lifetime selfless dedication of a physician.

It was a commendable effort by Principal Dr Anil Chauhan and students of the DRPGMC and the Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth to introduce the youth to classical dance.

Ragini had won many prestigious awards like the Yuva Puraskar, 2009, and Lakshmi Viswanathan Endowment Award, 2002.

Mandi, June 6
Congress leader from Kangra and MLA GS Bali and state party president Kaul Singh and other Congress leaders are locked in a “fierce factional fight over Bali’s padyatra being viewed as a ploy to grab public attention as a potential state-level leader” to the run-up to the upcoming state Assembly elections.

Though back home Bali faces “his own henchmen within his Nagrota-Bagwan constituency, he is firm on his padyatra starting from June 8 at 10am from the Hidimba temple in Manali. Mandi MP and Union Minister Virbhadra Singh, who landed at Jwalamukhi today for the parivartan rally at Dharamsala tomorrow, and his supporters ignored Bali’s yatra as a non-issue.

Manali block Congress spokesperson Nihal Singh said they have prepared the stage to welcome Bali in Manali for his padyatra starting from the Hidimba Devi temple on June 8. The preparation was monitored by Manali block president Bhuvneshwar Gaud, son of late Rajkishan Gaud.

Though Bali claimed that he had sent letters to sitting and former MLAs of the state, senior Congress leaders from Kullu and Mandi chose to stay silent and ignorant on his padyatra, dubbing it as a “yatra to grab public attention”.

Bali told The Tribune that he had the support of the common man as he was undertaking this padyatra against the issue of unemployment, which he had raised in the last Vidhan Sabha.

It was an issue that touches the common man and he expects all Congress leaders would participate in it, he asserted. He claimed that Kaul Singh had given his statement in the media that he would be attending the padyatra.

Bali asserted that there was no question of going back on the padyatra as he had the support of the national high command. But on the other, Kaul Singh remained non-committal on Bali’s padyatra.

He told The Tribune on phone that he had never given any statement that he was attending Bali ‘s padyatra. He further said Bali had claimed that the AICC general secretary was coming in the yatra.

They were not aware about his yatra, but he would discuss the issue tomorrow at Dharamsala with DCC and BCC members,” Kaul Singh added.

Shimla, June 6
A special court today reserved its order on the issue whether charges should be framed against Union Minister Virbhadra Singh in the alleged CD case registered against him and his wife.

The hearing on the issue of framing of charge and discharge was completed today before the court and after hearing the parties, Special Judge BL Soni reserved the order on charge/discharge for June 25.

During the course of hearing, the counsel for Virbhadra disputed the authenticity and veracity of the audio cassette and its contents. He further claimed that in the challan itself there was no mention of an audio cassette whereas it mentions a CD.

He further added that the case against the couple had no basis in law.

He said the case had been registered on the basis of a CD whose origin was not known.

It was alleged that the communication had been taken place in the late 1989 and beginning of 1990 and the case had been registered after 20 years of the alleged offence.

The prosecution has placed an audio cassette before the court and the same was played before it on the last date of hearing.

However, as per the prosecution the cassette allegedly contained telephonic conversation of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh with Indian Administrative Service officer late Mahinder Lal.

It also allegedly contained voices of Virbhadra's wife and some industrialists.

Mandi, June 6
A panel of experts comprising scientists, engineers and clinicians has decided to put in place a healthy mixture of “noble, bio-compatible nanomaterials for promotion of a healthy environment, strengthening available research efforts for diagnosis and treatment of diseases in human, plants and animals”.

Apart from spelling out a healthy nanobiotechnology mechanism for the Himalayan region, the panel also decided to set up a nanobiotechnology society at IIT, Mandi, under the patronage of its Director Prof Timonthy Gonsalves.

The penal of experts from top research institutes and IITs had gathered in this temple town recently to attend the national symposium on nanobiotechnology at IIT, Mandi. The penal has decided to develop “eco-friendly techniques for synthesis of nanomaterials.

“The new models will be practical, safe and efficient using both engineered and naturally occurring nanomaterials,” they added.

Convener of the symposium, Dr Kenneth Gonsalves, a visiting professor from the USA at the IIT, Mandi, said: “The healthy nanomaterials will be targeted for healthy drug delivery, diagnosis and treatment of diseases related to cardiovascular, metabolic and bone disorders,” he added.

Co-convener of the symposium Dr RC Sawhney said the nanobiotechnology society would consist experts from engineering, medical, basic sciences and life sciences under the patronage of Professor Gonsalves with its secretariat located at the Mandi IIT.

Dr Rajesh Malhotra from AIIMS presented how nanotechnology can be used in orthopaedics that can benefit patients with bone disorders.

Dr Gonsalves said the collaboration between the Mandi IIT and the HPVK, Palampur, would give priority under the ICAR 12th five-year Rs 1,000-crore plan on applications of nanotechnology in agriculture, veterinary and food technology.

Guest of Honour, Dr Muraleedharan, Director of Materials at DRDO, said nanobiotechnology promises a good future for defence and civil in nano-biosensors, drug delivery and medical imaging.

“We will tie up with the Mandi IIT, growing high-altitude herbs.”

The panelists represented NIPER, Mohali, the IHBT and the HPKV, Palampur, and AIIMS, Jamia Millia Islamia, AMU, BHU, IISER Pune and IISER Bhopal, DRDO and NPL.

They focussed on three main themes on “bioscaffolds, tissue engineering, drug delivery, targeting bionano interfaces”.