Chauntra (Mandi), June 15
The police has arrested Rinpoche Gankar, who reportedly has close links with Tai Setu, the controversial guru of the 17th Karampa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, based in Sidhbari in Kangra district. The police has termed the arrest as a “big catch”.

He was brought to the Jogindernagar police station here this evening by a police team from Delhi in plain dress and his arrest was kept a secret. He used to live in a local monastery at Chauntra and has links with Tai Setu, said police officials.

Rinpoche was earlier arrested in 2009 as he had a forged US visa with a Nepalese passport. The case against him is still pending.

The police is yet to ascertain whether Rinpoche has any links with China, Taiwan or Kathmandu. It is yet to establish his sources of funds and donations as a multi-crore benami house here is suspected to be built by him. The police is investigating whether the alleged missing bags of foreign currency, out of which it had seized only about Rs 30 lakh and $3,000 during raids, were taken by him or not.

Three electricity meters in the benami house are in the name of Tsewang Phuctsok, believed to be the husband of Dolma, the woman who is at large.

Interestingly, the meters were changed in the name of Tschatin, the caretaker of the palatial house, on April 12. A local patwari has given a certificate that the house lies on khasra number 736/136, Chauntra, which is under the scanner now. The land is in the name of the Tibetan Khampa Industrial Society.

Tschatin, who was arrested along with eight Taiwanese nationals, had been staying in the house along with Dolma and her daughter, both at large, for the past few months.

The investigating agencies have yet to find out whether Rinpoche and the Kathmandu-based Lama, Sonam, who stayed in the house with Dolma for a week, are the same person or not with alleged links in Taiwan or China.

DGP DS Manhas said Rinpoche had been brought to the police station and would be interrogated. He said the police would be able to ascertain his links with the eight Taiwanese nationals only after the interrogation.

Sundernagar, June 15
Six persons of a family were killed while another family member was seriously injured when their car fell into a 300-foot gorge at Sar Ki Dhar, 30 km from here, today.

The family had gone to the Naina Devi temple near Rewalsar to perform the “mundan” ceremony of nine-month-old Amol. When they were returning from the temple, their car, which was being driven by Ragubir Singh, went out of control at Sar Ki Dhar and fell into the gorge.

The deceased have been identified as nine-month-old Amol, his father Bhupinder (30), mother Hem Kanta (26), grandfather Raghubir, all residents of Marathu in Mandi district, Pankaj (13), Amol’s maternal uncle, and his maternal grandmother Padma, both residents of Kothigehari.

The only survivor, Hima Devi, Amol’s grandmother, was seriously injured and was admitted to the Zonal Hospital, Mandi, after being given first aid at the CHC, Rewalsar.

RS Jamwal, Additional SP, Mandi, said the police had registered a case under Sections 279, 338 and 304-A of the IPC at the Balh police station.

Pankaj Rai, ADM, Mandi, visited the spot and said the district administration had sanctioned Rs 10,000 to next of kin of those killed.

Shimla, June 15
“The fragmentation of natural habitats due to the construction of power projects apart, hundreds of workers engaged by contractors are emerging as a major threat to the wildlife in the hill state,” observes bureaucrat-turned-environmentalist Vijay Bhushan, who is also a member of the State Wildlife Board.

“The large presence of workers results in increased biotic interference in the habitats. Worse, a majority of them are from places like Nepal and Jharkhand and are past masters in poaching and use snares, poison and other types of traps to kill animals. The aquatic life has been the worst hit by power projects as its movement has been restricted by dams and diversion of rivers. In such a scenario, protecting the wildlife in the interior areas, which do not have enough watch and ward staff, is not possible,” Vijay Bhushan, a former Union Secretary and United Nations Consultant who was in the city, said during a conversation with The Tribune.

He said the shrinking forest cover was also a matter of concern and he had himself seen certain areas like Kharapathar in Shimla district losing more than one-third of the forests over a period of two decades. The main casualty had been the slow-growing but precious high-altitude species like fir, spruce, taxus bacccata, deodar and blue pine.

However, the manner in which the Great Himalayan National Park was being managed provided much hope not only for the wildlife but for the whole spectrum of the hill flora and fauna. During his recent trek through the park, he came across some very old trees of fir, walnut and chestnut with massive girths, which flourished unharmed by the humans. The virgin forests provided ideal habitat for a host of wild animals ranging from goral, thar, bears and leopards on the one hand and birds like tiny fire-breasted flower-pecker, monal and the highly endangered western tragopan.

Efforts were on to obtain the world heritage site status for the park but much groundwork would be required for the purpose. He said he had advised the Forest Department to install as many trap cameras as possible to have concrete evidence of all forms of wildlife. Further, to protect such a huge area, spread over 700 sq km, modern communication system should be acquired and coordination among the field staff and cluster approach should be ensured for patrolling.

The department should have a special plan for winter when higher reaches came under snow, forcing the wildlife to descend to lower areas close to human habitation. Maximum number of animals fell prey to poachers during this period. He said the Narain Dharamarth Aushdhalaya Trust, an NGO, of which he was the executive director, had instituted an award for recognising the efforts of activists in nature conservation. NGOs and individuals were eligible for the award.

Bilaspur, June 15
Faster progress of the state is totally depend on the progress of its villages as Himachal has the highest concentration of its 90 per cent population living in villages, which is the highest in the country.

This was said by Chief Minister PK Dhumal while addressing a huge gathering of villagers, most of them women, at Jukhala after inaugurating and laying foundation stones of 10 schemes, buildings and projects worth Rs 18.50 crore, including Rs 9-crore government college building, Rs 2.30-crore community health centre building, Rs 59-lakh science lab block of Government Senior Secondary School, Rs 1.89-crore Jabbal Irrigation Project and Rs 1.20-crore water harvesting system in shape of a check dam on the Ali khad in the Jukhala area, about 35 km from here, yesterday.

He said elections were nearing and the Opposition was targeting BJP leaders on the issue of corruption while the government is fully involved in ensuring maximum progress of the state.

He said those alleging corruption had not brought out a single case against any BJP leader.

Accepting almost all demands earlier presented to the Chief Minister by local MLA and BJP state spokesman Randhir Sharma, Dhumal announced that commerce classes would be started in the Jukhala college from the new session, agitating poly house kisans who had taken loans at commercial rates from banks would be provided cheaper loans from HP State Co-operative Bank to help them save from financial crises and schools that would qualify under fixed norms in the area would be upgraded.

The JP cement factory management had been asked to help in setting up a police chowki at Kharsi and also provide technical education to youth by opening an ITI there at the earliest, he said.

MP Anurag Thaklur, MLA Randhir Sharma, national Kisan Morcha vice-president and former MP Suresh Chandel, Kisan Morcha state general secretary Subhash Sharma, state BJP member Subhash Thakur were among the others who spoke.

Shimla, June 15
Himachal and Punjab today decided to set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to jointly implement the Anandpur Sahib-Naina Devi aerial ropeway project, which has been hanging fire for the past a decade.

The terms and conditions for executing the project were finalised after detailed talks between Punjab Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh and his Himachal counterpart Sudripta Roy here today. The two states will be equal partners in the SPV, which will have the Chairman from Himachal and the Managing Director from Punjab.

Himachal will contribute towards the initial corpus an amount of Rs 3.29 crore, the cost of land acquisition and the net present value to be paid for the diversion of forest land. Sudripta Roy said the project would be implemented in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode on a build, operate and transfer basis. Latest machinery would be installed for the 2.5-km ropeway and as a result the cost would be on the higher side at Rs 83 crore. The concession period had been increased from 40 to 43 years to allow adequate time for various clearances and construction of the project.

Any wayside facilities, which Punjab might want to develop, would not be a part of the project. The two states would equally share the profit and liabilities. Punjab would carry out the entire process, including bidding and award of contract. The construction of the ropeway would ensure a comfortable journey for lakhs of pilgrims who visit the holy shrine of Naina Devi from Punjab every year and give a boost to tourism in both states. An agreement would be signed after approval of the MoU by the state Cabinet.

The issue of channelisation of the Swan river, which criss-crosses the two states, was also discussed. The river was being channelised in Himachal under a Rs 220-crore project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency but the portion located in Punjab was not being covered. As such the 13-km length of the river had been left untreated as a result of which Himachal was not getting full benefit from the project. Punjab was not keen on taking up the project in its territory as it had to contribute 75 per cent share, unlike Himachal, which shared only 10 per cent of the cost, being the special category state. Moreover, it did not have any villages in the area and as such it would not benefit much. However, it assured that it would implement the project if funds were granted on the same terms and conditions as Himachal.

Himachal also sought the release of Punjab’s outstanding share of Rs 17.6 crore towards the cost of the Shah Nehar project. It agreed to give it in instalments.

Shimla, June 15
The century-old Town Hall building is all set to regain its original glorious look of 1908 as the Tourism Department intends to do away with the additional structures created over the years along with laying of cobbled streets as part of a Rs 14-crore restoration and conservation project.

The local Municipal Corporation (MC) today wrote to the Tourism Department seeking an alternative accommodation to house its offices, which are at present located in the Town Hall building. The MC, while attaching a copy of the resolution, passed by the House last year, reiterated that it would vacate the heritage building on the condition that it would be handed back to them after restoration.

“I have written to the Secretary, Urban Development, that we should be provided a suitable accommodation, which can house our various branches and is convenient for the public,” said MP Sood, Commissioner, MC. He said the MC did have some buildings in mind but that would be discussed at a meeting.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) has already approved a Rs 19-crore loan to the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department for restoration of the Town Hall building, beautification of the Mall, laying of cobbled streets and creating leisure plazas at various locations. “A sum of Rs 14 crore will be spent on the restoration project, to be completed over a period of two years, and the designs prepared by consultants are ready,” said Arun Sharma, Director, Tourism.

The MC was keen on getting a temporary accommodation at the United Services Club, which earlier housed the office of the Public Works Department before it moved to Nirman Bhawan at Nigam Vihar. Bantony, the building located on the Kalibari Road, which the government intended to acquire, was also a possible accommodation for shifting the MC office.

He stressed that the endeavour of the conservation and restoration project would be to restore the historic building to its original look as after 1908 several additions were made. “Though the façade of the building will remain the same but after removal of the structures added later, the building will adorn the original look, which many have not even seen,” he said.

Under the beautification project for the Mall, streets would be covered with cobbled stones, reminiscent of the colonial era. Plazas would be developed on the Mall near the Sports Complex, near the Rani Jhansi Park and some other points, which would have ornate benches, fountains and other facilities.

Bijahad (Hamirpur), June 15
Chief Minister PK Dhumal has said the alleged involvement of certain Tibetan refugees living in the state in illegal activities is a serious matter and the Government of India has to take a policy decision concerning such acts since this is an international issue.

Dhumal while talking to mediapersons said, “Since Himachal Pradesh has a sensitive border with China and security in this region has been a serious concern as it is very important to keep a check on the activities of suspicious people living in the Tibetan settlement. The Central Government will have to act and the state government will fully endorse such decision.”

On being asked about the suspicious activities of Tibetan settlers and arrests of eight foreign national living in a Tibetan settlement at Chauntra in Mandi district, Dhumal said, “As per the Central Government’s findings these nationals are from REC Taiwan and the state agencies are investigating a case of a suspicious Tibetan settler Gangkar Rinpoche.”

Replying to a question, the CM said, “The state government is working to frame a retention policy for regularisation of deviations in construction of houses by owners at several places in the state and this policy will be announced in a month’s time.”

He said, “We want to take a humanistic approach in regularising deviations to some extent to avoid demolition since majority of owners have constructed houses by putting in their lifetime savings and demolishing their houses will be inhuman.”

The CM also attended few other programmes in Badsar subdivision during his tour today and also addressed a public meeting at Bijahad. Education Minister ID Dhiman and local MLA Baldev Sharma also addressed the public meeting.

Chauntra (Mandi), June 15
The land mafia operating from Sikkim and Kathmandu with an alleged Chinese connection, runs its writ in the Tibetan Khampa Industrial Society (TKIS), Chauntra, as more than dozen multi-crore benami houses and hotels with underground rooms have raised the security concern of local residents. The government says it will hold an inquiry and take action against the violators.

The arrest of eight Taiwanese and one Tsechatin, a so-called caretaker of a multi-crore benami house at the Tibetan colony, has opened a can of worms. The land mafia is operating from outside in an alleged connivance with some ambitious locals, who have amassed property from unaccounted sources of income, sources said. A complaint in this connection has been made to various government agencies by local residents.

Paliki Dolma, who fled from the house along with her daughter and sister, have been living in a palatial suspicious house, which is allegedly built by funds pumped from outside by some Rinpoche, alleged to be a close associate of Tai Setu, the controversial guru of the Karampa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje based at Sidhbari in Kangra, the sources said.

Even a survey was carried out to bring the benami property racket being run in the TKIS over the years to the state Benami Commission. The land belonged to the then kings of Mandi, who used to run their tea garden here. But they subsequently sold the land to the Tibetan society in 1962, the sources said.

But the land has turned out to be a big “money spinner” as some land mafia have been operating its Tibetan links in nexus with some locals, including the government agencies. The Ministry of Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs have also asked the government to probe the land as to who constructed the house and sources of funds.

The sister of Dolma, wanted in connection with the arrest of eight Taiwanese, is constructing flats nearby here whose sources of funds remain under cloud and man behind the construction remains benami, the sources said.

Even a labourer is paid Rs 600 daily by a suspicious builder that smacks of black money being pumped in here to run the benami land racket. The police has been probing the role of Tai Seti and Nepalese Rinpoche who uses different surnames when he comes here and travel to Kathmandu, even China and other countries, the sources added.

Tanzin, settlement officer, TKIS, Diegi division, said they would go by the police investigation.

Revenue Minister and Jogindernagar MLA Gulab Singh Thakur said the government would probe the matter and book all those who had violated the terms and conditions of Section 118 of the Revenue Act. The Mandi Deputy Commissioner will hold the inquiry, he asserted. 

Solan, June 15
The appointment of Health and Ayurveda Minister Rajiv Bindal as the BJP’s general secretary, paving the way for his resignation from the ministry, has created resentment among his dedicated party leaders with at least 40 office-bearers from the Solan constituency submitting their resignation.

Led by Solan BJP Mandal president Ravinder Parihar, several senior leaders, including the mandal’s vice-president Pawan Gupta, state president, BJP Mahila Morcha, Meera Anand, state executive member Ritu Sethi and spokesman Nardev Barola, faxed their resignation to the state president in protest against Bindal’s anticipated resignation on Wednesday evening.

The leaders, who had assembled at the local circuit house, expressed their solidarity with Bindal by raising slogans in his support when he arrived around 11 pm on Wednesday and later submitting their resignation.

Though these leaders yesterday retracted the move and termed the resignations as an emotional outburst, it has amply proved the resentment of his supporters. 

Hamirpur, June 15
The Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) has made a complaint to the Election Commission of India regarding unavailability of space to hold pubic meetings of political parties at Hamirpur and requested him to prevail upon the Hamirpur district administration to earmark places for holding public meetings.

In a written communication to the CEC, copies of which were released to the press here yesterday, HPCC spokesman Deepak Sharma, has alleged that “the Hamirpur district administration had been depriving the Opposition party of the state from holding a “parivartan rally” at Hamirpur despite their efforts to seek permission from the administration, while BJP leaders had been holding such rallies at different places in the district.”

The HPCC has alleged, “The Congress had decided to hold a “parivartan rally” at Hamirpur on June 5, which was to be addressed by Union Ministers Virbhadra Singh and Anand Sharma and other leaders, but the HPCC had to postpone the rally as proper place was not made available for the same.”

DC, Hamirpur, Rajinder Singh Thakur, said: “The Congress had sought permission to hold a public meeting at Gandhi Chowk on June 5, which was granted for June 2 and the party has now applied for permission for Government Senior Secondary School (boys), Hamirpur, for July 5, which has been sent to the Deputy Director, Education, for seeking NoC.”

He added that “the state had banned holding meetings of political parties in educational institutions through a notification in April 2011.”

Kangra, June 15
A Tibetan nomad today immolated himself in Chentsa County, Malho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in Qinghai province of Tibet.

Sources in the Tibetan Centre of Human Rights and Democracy said here that Tamding Thar, a Tibetan in his fifties, immolated himself at around 6.30 am (Tibet time) today in front of the county's People's Armed Police camp. A large number of security officers appeared at the spot within a few minutes. The officers extinguished the flames and took away Thar, who had received severe burn injuries.

Soon, hundreds of Tibetans gathered in front of the army camp demanding that Thar be handed over to them.

At around (Tibet time), Chinese officials released the body of Thar to the Tibetans, which they carried to a remote nomadic area in Chentsa County.

Thar belonged to a nomadic family in Lowa village in Chentsa County.

Shimla, June 15
The bickering in the ruling BJP seems to be getting murkier with each passing day as BJP legislator Khushi Ram Balnatah today warned party leaders to desist from making unfounded charges against him or else they would have to face harsh retaliation.

Balnatah, who has been issued a show-cause notice for going to the press with the letter he wrote to party chief Nitin Gadkari, today said he had learnt of the action against him only through newspapers. “Let Satti, who has himself told the media about the notice which has yet to reach me, decide as to who has indulged in an act of indiscipline,” he said.

A bitter Balnatah, who has now become a punching bag for Dhumal loyalists, said he did not win the election from Rohru by distributing liquor in ambulances nor money to voters.

“It is not the helpless leadership of Chief Minister PK Dhumal which helped me win the elections but the love of the people,” he said.