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Cong’s crucial strategic committee meets today
‘Cong ready to check rebellion by ticket seekers’
States reduced to municipalities by Centre, says Badal
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Patna gang rape: Schoolboy gives himself up
Screening Panel
Judicial staff threaten indefinite strike
HP ranked No. 1 in environment
Leopard kills child in Bilaspur village
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Cong’s crucial strategic committee meets today
Shimla, July 26 The crucial 11-member strategic committee includes Virbhadra Singh, Anand Sharma, Vidya Stokes and Kaul Singh. Sources said Virbhadra Singh might not attend the meeting as he is reportedly unhappy over his exclusion from the screening committee. AICC general secretary and in charge of the Congress affairs in Himachal Birender Singh had appointed senior Congress leaders, including ministers, party legislators and officers-bearers from Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, as observers in all districts. Four observers for the parliamentary constituencies will also be present at the meeting. “While some observers have visited the districts assigned to them, others are yet to tour the areas. We will give them directions how to prepare reports and not succumb to pressure and present the ground realities,” said HPCC chief Kaul Singh. Tomorrow’s meeting is being considered significant given the fact that Virbhadra’s name does not figure in the screening committee to be headed by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. His exclusion from the committee has come as a major setback to the former Chief Minister and his supporters, who are agitated over the move to marginalise him in the ticket-allotment process. The Congress has this time announced its campaign committee, headed by Virbhadra Singh, and the screening committee well in advance so that the party can take on the ruling BJP and return to power. Rahul Gandhi, during his two-day visit to Kullu earlier this month, had said that candidates for at least 40 seats where there was no dispute over the candidature must be declared so that the leaders got ample time to campaign for the elections. Poll Preparedness
The meeting is being considered significant given the fact that Virbhadra Singh’s name does not figure in the screening committee to be headed by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. His exclusion from the committee has come as a major setback to the former Chief Minister and his supporters, who are agitated over the move to marginalise him in the ticket-allotment process. |
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‘Cong ready to check rebellion by ticket seekers’
Nurpur, July 26 Kangra district Congress poll observer Ghulam Mohammad Mir, after assessing the mood of party workers in Nurpur, Shahpur, Jawali, Fatehpur and Indora Assembly segments in the district for the party ticket distribution, told mediapersons here today that the Congress was gearing up its rank and file and leaders to give a united fight to the ruling BJP. “The Congress will closely watch the threat of rebellion after the announcement of the party ticket and other ticket seekers should not feel as losers after the denial of the ticket as they will ensure requisite honour and responsibility in the party,” he said. “I personally feel there are fewer chances of jumping rebels in the poll fray,” he asserted. Commenting on the role of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in the Assembly elections, Mir said there was no question of sidelining the Congress stalwart. The AICC would utilise his services where it deemed fit. Kangra district Congress chairperson Suman Verma and Manoj Pathania and Rakesh Mahajan, party ticket aspirants from the Nurpur Assembly segment, were among those present. |
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States reduced to municipalities by Centre, says Badal
Shimla, July 26 Badal made a brief visit to the town today to sign an MoU for the execution of an aerial ropeway project connecting the two shrines of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab and Naina Devi in Himachal. “The states today have no financial or other powers while these are fully accountable to the people and it for this reason that poverty, price rise, unemployment and corruption have become major issues and the states are looking on helplessly,” he said. He lamented that the Centre did not bother to hold consultations with the respective states on issues concerning these, despite the federal structure of the country. Expressing concern over the trend of state subjects like agriculture and others being gradually put on the Concurrent list, he said the states had to seek approval from the Centre for everything and something needs to be done as the states have lost all their powers. Badal alleged that the Congress-led UPA regime had been discriminating against the non-Congress-ruled states in development works and in providing liberal funding. “This is not the right occasion to lament about this discriminatory approach. However, the fact is that a lot of injustice has been done with Punjab in development works,” he said. He also criticised ministers in the UPA regime for giving preference to their home states while allocating funds and projects. “Unlike a national government where the principle of uniform development and fair treatment to all is followed, ministers in the UPA regime completely overlook the demands of other states to give preference to their home states,” he said. Badal was, however, evasive on questions regarding giving Himachal its due in the Shanan project and power arrears due to the hill state as its share in the Bahkra Beas Management Board (BBMB) projects. “Punjab and Himachal are like two brothers; so we will amicably resolve them without anybody’s interference,” he said in a lighter vein. Badal goes
nostalgic
Badal referred to Himachal and Punjab as two parts of the same body. “Coming here today is like walking down memory lane for me as I used to come here during the undivided Punjab days which I really miss,” a nostalgic Badal said. He said he would love to spend two days here in Himachal in complete solitude to enjoy the salubrious climes. He was all praise for the delicious Kinnauri apples which, he said, he enjoyed every year, courtesy Chief Minister PK Dhumal. |
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Rain triggers landslips in Dharamsala region
Dharamsala, July 26 Early-morning commuters on the road, who depend on public transport for going to work, faced problems as the traffic on the road was disrupted. The landslide was caused as the recently cut hillock gave way due to the heavy rain. On the Chari road, a few trees fell on the road due to the heavy rain. The Forest Department had to cut the fallen trees to clear the road for traffic. Though the monsoon has been sluggish in Dharamsala, considered the second wettest place in the country, heavy rain was received during the past two days. People in the Kangra valley traditionally sow paddy in terraced farms. However, this year the sowing of paddy was delayed by about a month due to less rain in May and June. Meteorological Department data shows that in May rain was 60 per cent less than normal. |
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Patna gang rape: Schoolboy gives himself up
Shimla, July 26 Additional SP Ramesh Pathania confirmed that Kamlesh had surrendered in the Boileauganj police station late last night. “He was produced in a local court and after obtaining a transit remand, he has been handed over to the Bihar police,” he said. Police sources said Kamlesh had surrendered after his father persuaded him to do so. While two of the five youths involved in the sensational case have
been arrested, three are still at large. Though the gang rape took place at the residence of the one of the accused, reportedly close to the girl, on July 12, it hit the headlines later when the
MMS of the incident was circulated. It was at the behest of the Bihar State Women Commission that the police swung into action. With the family of the victim unwilling to lodge an FIR, the matter came to light only when the news was published in a daily about the circulation of
the MMS. A women’s wing had taken out a candlelight vigil in Patna demanding the arrest of the accused. All five youths are students of a reputed school in Patna. The victim is also a student of the same school. |
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Screening Panel
Mandi, July 26 Party workers said the exclusion of Virbhadra Singh, a popular leader among the masses all over the state, amounted to a suicidal step by the Congress at the crucial juncture. It was an insult of the people of the Mandi parliamentary constituency comprising Mandi, Kullu, Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur. |
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CPM protests against proposed food security Bill
Hamirpur, July 26 Addressing the gathering, CPM leaders said the prices of food items had increased substantially during the past some time and the petrol price hike had added to the woes of the common man. They said: “The Centre is proposing to bring a Bill on food security in the monsoon session of the Parliament, through which supply of subsidised ration would be curtailed to people by converting the APL and the BPL categories into primary category, thereby reducing the supply of subsidised ration by nearly 54 per cent in rural and 72 per cent in urban areas.” They said: “At present about 7 crore 70 lakh tonnes of food grains are available with the government and about 5 crore tonnes of food grains are required to supply subsidised ration to the total population of the country through the PDS system.” The CPM has also decided to hold a dharna in New Delhi on the matter on August 1. State secretariat member of CPM Dr Kashmir Singh Thakur, district leaders Anil Mankotia, Pratap Rana, Satya Galoda and Joginder Kumar were among those who addressed the rally. |
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Kargil war heroes remembered on Vijay Diwas
Mandi, July 26 The 10 war heroes, including Capt Deepak Guleria, Naib Subedar Khem Chand, hawaldar Kishan Chand and sepoys Sarvan Kumar, Naresh Kumar and Rajesh Chauhan, fought Pakistani intruders in the snowy cliffy mountains and laid down their lives to secure the sovereignty of the nation in the Kargil-Drass war zone bordering Pakistan and China on July 26, 1999. Army jawans celebrated the Vijay Diwas at Drass at Patseo in the snowbound Lahaul-Spiti today. But not even a single politician or official from the district administration and municipal council came to the Kargil Memorial Park in Mandi to pay tributes to these heroes today. Convener of the Mandi Bachao Manch Lakshmender Guleria, who is son of war hero Capt Guleria, members of the Rajput Sabha and HP RTI Bureau president Lawan Thakur and some ex-servicemen paid tributes to the valiant soldiers. Capt BS Bhardwaj said they thanked the government for granting petrol stations to six family members of war heroes and employing four others. “But this is not enough, we must honour our war heroes on Vijay Diwas collectively,” said Roshan Lal Rana, secretary, Rajput Sabha. Hamirpur: Vijay Diwas was celebrated today by the Ex-Servicemen Corporation to commemorate the victory of the Indian armed forces in Kargil, on this day. Chairman of the corporation MC Pramar and chairman of Kangra Central Cooperative Bank Raseel Singh Mankotia, accompanied by other prominent citizens paid tributes to martyrs at Capt Mridul Sharma Memorial and also went to his house to honour his parents. |
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ABVP activists hold protest
Dharamsala, July 26 In compartment cases, students are declared as fail in one of the subjects and given a chance to clear the subject in supplementary examinations generally held in September. As per a recent judgment of the high court, students who get compartment cannot be given admission in higher class. Earlier, students were given provisional admissions in higher classes and were allowed to continue in higher classes in case they cleared supplementary examinations or were reversed back to lower class if they failed to clear the examination. About 6,000 to 10,000 students get compartments in Class X and Class XII board examinations. They demanded that the board should give up the practice of declaring compartment results. They should either declare students as pass or fail so that their academic year is not wasted. Chairman, HPBSE, Balram Sharma said he could not say anything on the matter. |
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Judicial staff threaten indefinite strike
Kangra, July 26 Suresh Thakur, state president, HP Judicial Employees Welfare Association, said this while addressing a press conference at the judicial complex in Kangra today. Thakur was critical of the state government for its failure to implement the Shetty Commission report, despite the apex court directions. He said the government following amendment in the HP Judicial Officers’ (Pay, Allowances and Other Conditions of Services) Act, 2003, gave the Shetty Commission financial benefits to judicial officers whereas judicial employees were left in a lurch. Thakur said judicial employees moved the court and despite the court direction on July 20, 2011, financial benefits were not given to the staff. He said when contempt petition was moved, the government tried to move with the technicalities and the matter was further delayed. He said on the one hand, general employees were given financial benefits at par with Punjab and on the other the Punjab Government implemented the Shetty Commission report but Himachal was putting judicial employees in the dock. Thakur said the government, to keep the judicial employees away from promotion, kept only one cadre of employees, thus, after rendering 25 years of service they remained stagnant at one post till retirement. He said despite the recommendations of the high court, the state did not accept their demands. He said their struggle would continue in the form of work-to-rule and demonstrations during the lunch hour. It would be followed by a chain fast at the district headquarters and on August 3 and 4 employees would go for mass causal leave. He appealed to Chief Justice of the state high court Justice Kurian Joseph to intervene and get their demands accepted by the government. |
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HP ranked No. 1 in environment
Shimla, July 26 “Himachal has been ranked No. 1 amongst 28 states and seven union territories with an EPI of 0. 7076,” he said. He said the cumulative environment performance index was a measure of the environment well being of the state and indicative of a clean environment. |
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Leopard kills child in Bilaspur village
Bilaspur, July 26 The leopard had fled on finding so many people on its trail. The child was immediately rushed to the CMC, but was declared brought dead by Dr Bhanu Tanwar. He said the leopard had broken the neck of the child and it was impossible for her to survive. The victim was the daughter of Surjit Singh of nearby Ladraur in Hamirpur district. DC Ritesh Chauhan said he was taking up the matter with the chief warden of Wildlife to declare this leopard “man eater” so that it could be killed. DFO DR Kaushal said a grant of Rs 25,000 had been given to the family while the remaining amount of Rs 75,000 would be disbursed by tomorrow. |
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