Shimla, July 27
While referring to Virbhadra Singh as “champion” of the party’s election campaign, AICC general secretary Birender Chaudhary today tried to downplay the resignation of the former Chief Minister by feigning complete ignorance about any such political development, which is threatening to mar the Congress poll prospects.

Even as efforts were on to pacify and appease the sulking Congress leader, whose presence in the Congress election campaign is being considered a must, Birender, who is in charge of the Congress affairs in Himachal, said Ahmed Patel had met him in Delhi yesterday and he personally saw no reason why the “Raja” would not campaign for the party.

Birender said there seemed to be no truth in Virbhadra’s resignation from the poll committees as he had not received a copy of any such letter. “He may be having some reservations over ‘inductions’ in various committees. That is hardly an issue and we will resolve it,” he said.

In a bid to play down the fallout of Virbhadra’s sudden resignation from the campaign committee he was heading and from the membership of the manifesto committee and the strategy committee, Birender said since the resignation had not reached him despite the fact that he was the in charge of the party’s Himachal affairs, he was not aware of any such development. “It is but obvious that he will be the champion of the party’s campaign committee, which he is heading,” he said.

Asked about allegations being levelled against him for “inept” handling of the party affairs in the hill state, he said he had always done what was in the interests of the party. “Let me make it clear that I am not swayed by pressure exerted by anyone. I do what is good for the party,” he said.

He, however, did not hesitate to clarify on allegations that Virbhadra had not been consulted in the constitution of the campaign committee and appointment of secretaries. “I had detailed discussions with him on the issue and 80 per cent of the names he had suggested figure in the final list,” he said.

He said efforts had been made to include those persons who were unlikely to contest the Assembly poll in the campaign committee. He refuted speculation that the resignation was a pressure-building tactics. “Every leader tries to protect the interests of his men and they all have the right to air their views,” he said.

Shimla, July 27
Wanting to nip any revolt in the party right in the bud, the Congress today directed its election observers to ensure that there were no rebel candidates by following the “winnability principle” irrespective of factions with surveys indicating that the party could romp home comfortably with 38 to 40 seats in its kitty.

AICC general secretary and in charge of the party affairs in Himachal Birender Chaudhary today chaired a meeting of the state strategy committee and interacted with party observers and heads of all district Congress committees. HPCC chief Kaul Singh and CLP leader Vidya Stokes were also present.

Birender is learnt to have directed the election observers, 13 in all, to completely go by the winnability factor, irrespective of the group the candidate belongs to. In his interaction with the observers and DCC chiefs, he said surveys had given a clear-cut edge to the Congress and now its endeavour should be to minimise revolt by ensuring that there were no rebel candidates.

The 11-member strategy committee also met here today with senior leaders, including Kaul Singh, Stokes, Ram Lal, Gangu Ram and Vipolve Thakur being present. As expected, both Virbhadra Singh and Union Minister for Commerce Ananad Sharma, who are its members, did not attend the meeting.

It is probably the bitter experience of Uttarakhand, where rebels played spoilsport, that Birender, who is also the in charge of the party affairs in Uttarakhand, has decided not to ignore the aspect of rebels. The party has also decided to take on the ruling BJP by launching a scathing attack on the Dhumal regime.

A programme has been drawn to highlight the “failures and anti-people decisions” of the BJP government and at the same time highlight the “achievements” of the UPA regime with the people right upto the grassroots level. The Congress will hold protests and programmes on the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi.

The Congress is planning its election strategy and it is expected that the candidates in constituencies where there are no disputes will be declared soon. This is one reason why the screening committee was constituted well in advance.

Mandi, July 27
Even as Congress troubleshooters Digvijay Singh and Ahmed Patel today went on a damage- control mode, persuading Virbhadra Singh to take back his resignation from three party posts, Congressmen and the grassroots workers today have thrown their weight behind the Mandi MP and five-time Chief Minister, pressuring him to lead the state in “his own way if his three-point demands are not met with by the party high command”.

Hailing his resignation from “all party posts as the right step” which till today remained unaccepted, Congress men, including the Youth Congress, the NSUI and the Seva Dal, cautioned the party high command that “Virbhadra is the only mass leader who can romp home the Congress to power in the state or in extreme political development can mar its wining prospects”.

What has unnerved Virbhadra is that his wife, Pratibha, was denied the party ticket and Rohru was lost to the BJP and his son Vikramaditya Singh was unseated from the post of the Youth Congress president, despite he was elected by poll.

He has pressed before the high command to hand over the charge of the state to him to bring the party back to power under his leadership.

He has sought tickets for over 45 candidates, majority of whom can win the elections, sources said.

Both Patel and Digvijay met him at Delhi persuading him to take back his resignation, but Virbhadra has refused to relent on his three demands before he plunges into the state election campaign, the sources said.

The resentment has built up in the Congress rank and file ever since “some handful of anti-Virbhadra baiters” were calling shots with the high command.

Most of the Congress MLAs and former ministers and former MLAs have backed him and were pressuring him to lead the electoral battle in the state.

Common workers here feel that exclusion of Virbhadra and giving command to Union Minister Anand Sharma, including party president Kaul Singh Thakur, and the leader of the Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, is a part of ploy to delete him from the state politics.

Mandi/Udaipur, July 27
Family members, including Neha Tomar, wife of Sqn Ldr DS Tomar who went missing in a MiG-29 crash on October 18 last year, are pinning their hopes on Gaddi shepherds and a 65-member search team of the Indian Air Force and the Army, which set up its base camp yesterday below the wreckage site on the 16,000-foot-high Chokhang mountain in Udaipur subdivision in the snowbound Lahaul-Spiti district.

The search team faces a ticklish problem as the Chokhang glacier has reportedly pumped gravel and debris in and around the wreckage site that can make the retrieval task difficult.

The team, comprising rock climbers from the Ladakh Scouts, will make an attempt to reach the wreckage site in a day to two. The family members of the missing pilot had met Gaddi shepherds at Thirot and Darcha from the Keylong side. They gave them a poster carrying a photograph of Sqn Ldr Tomar.

The family members had also met local villagers and Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul and Spiti, SS Guleria last month and had visited Chokhang village. They could not go to the wreckage site as the mountain was covered with thick snow at that time.

Now, the snow has melted in the mountain. The team will try to find the body of the pilot and the wreckage of the MiG-29, including the black box.

The search team has chosen this time of the year as it is only in July, August and September that the area is accessible, which otherwise is covered with snow.

According to the Indian Air Force (IAF), two MiG-29 fighter jets had taken off from the Adampur airbase on a night training exercise in the high-altitude Himalayan region on October 18 last year. The airbase lost radio contact with the MiG-29 flown by Sqn Ldr Tomar at around 8.30 pm.

Labourers and a few residents of Chokhang village reportedly saw a fireball in the sky coming from the Chamba side and later heard a loud bang on the Chokhang mountain that night.

Some villagers had gone to the spot and brought some burnt pieces which were handed over to an IAF team a week after the crash. The IAF had confirmed that the parts were those of the crashed plane. It made recces and aerial sorties, but to no avail. The IAF had to abandon the search due to heavy snowfall. The body of the missing pilot and the black box are yet to be traced.

Shimla, July 27
With an eye on the Assembly elections in the state, the Dhumal regime today announced several sops for employees of the state, including grant of one additional increment for over 23,000 Class IV employees and enhancement of tribal allowance. The decision was taken by the Cabinet, which met here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister PK Dhumal.

The decision to sanction an additional increment to employees who had completed 20 years of service will entail a financial liability of Rs 16.56 crore.

The Cabinet also approved enhancement of tribal allowance for employees serving in tribal areas from Rs 200 to Rs 300 per month from August 1, 2012, which will benefit 10,735 employees.

The Cabinet also granted approval to the proposal of World Bank-funded Rs 1,100 crore Himachal Pradesh Development Policy Loan (DPL) to promote inclusive green growth and sustainable development in the state.

It also consented to sign an MoU with the Centre and NABARD for implementation of the Special Handloom Package, estimated at Rs 9.11 crore to be implemented in 90:10 ratio.

It was also approved in principle to execute two tunnel projects, Bhubhujot, between Jogindernagar and Kullu at an estimated cost of Rs 367 crore, and Bangana-Dhaneta in district Una, at a cost of Rs 145 crore.

It was also decided to create a separate agency - the Himachal Pradesh Ropeway Corporation.

It was decided to amend the existing Resettlement and Rehabilitation of Bhakra Dam Oustees (Grant of Land) Scheme, 1971, and Rules for allotment of plots in New Bilaspur Township.

It also decided to allot 30 self-identified small hydropower projects with a total capacity of 57.95 MW for execution, out of which 24 were allotted to Himachalis and seven to outsiders. It also decided to fill 50 posts of warders, including10 posts of female warders, in the Department of Prisons.

Dharamsala, July 27
The government is pressing its officials to complete the prestigious Shah canal project within two months before the elections are announced in the state.

Local sources told The Tribune that IPH Minister Ravinder Ravi recently convened a meeting of officials and directed them to complete the project by August 15.

However, officials said the work of the canal was not likely to be completed before mid-September.

The department under pressure from the government has warned contractors that in case they fail to complete the canal within deadlines, penalties would be imposed on them. The government is, however, eager to complete the canal to claim credit during the coming Assembly elections.

Shah Nehar, the 45-km-long first canal irrigation project of the country for hill areas, is nearing completion. It has emerged as an engineering marvel and developed into a model concept for providing canal irrigation in hill areas.

The sources said before this canal, irrigation projects were developed only in plain areas. However, now the model of Shah Nehar was also being duplicated in other hill states.

The Beas water that has been picked up from Talwara barrage passes through tunnels and aqua-ducts of Shah Nehar before reaching the fields in hilly areas of the Indora block of Kangra district. The water of the canal passes through 12-km-long aqua-ducts through its 45-km length. The aqua-ducts have been constructed at a height of 25 m from the ground level at various places using RCC pillars. It is also the longest aqua-duct development for any canal irrigation project of the country.

Besides constructing the main canal, the department is also constructing RCC minor and sub-minor canals for carrying water to fields. The canal water would provide irrigation facilities in 93 villages of the Indora area.

“We are in the process of forming Krishak Vikas Sanghs in each village. These local bodies in villages would give demand for constructing water drains to fields of farmers from minor and sub-minor canals,” IPH officials told The Tribune.

The initial deadline for completion of the Shah canal project was March this year. The project has been delayed due to certain environment clearances and litigation by locals.

The department was supposed to make the 40-km portion of the canal functional by May this year. Water was to be released in this portion by May. The remaining 5-km portion was scheduled to be completed by September this year. However, now it is likely to be completed after the Assembly poll.

Shimla, July 27
Speculations about Director General of Police DS Manhas being on his way out got credence today with his proceeding on medical leave and ID Bhandari, DGP (CID), being made to occupy the top police post.

Manhas, a 1977 batch officer, is due to retire on August 31. Bhandari, a 1982 batch officer, is currently the senior-most IPS officer serving in the state. Two other officers, Anirudh Uppal (1976) currently on Central deputation, and RN Gupta, serving with the Intelligence Bureau, though senior to Bhandari are serving out of Himachal.

Bhandari has been given the charge of the DGP in the absence of Manhas. He is due to retire in April 2014. There had been speculations for the past some time that Manhas would be made to make way for Bhandari even before his retirement. Manhas is unlikely to return from leave and Bhandari will keep charge of the post of the DGP.

The justification being given for Bhandari’s early installation and Manhas proceeding on leave is that the new DGP must get enough time to prepare for the Assembly elections, which are due anytime after October. In fact, both Manhas and Bhandari had attended the high-level meeting with the Election Commissioner of India when he visited here early this month with regard to review of election preparedness of the state. — TNS

Solan, July 27
The HP Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission (HPPERC) organised a workshop in collaboration with the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) on “Achievement of Quality in Technical Education” at Baddi University of Emerging Sciences and Technology (BUEST), Baddi, today.

The workshop was presided over by Sarojini G Thakur, chairperson of the commission, and attended by Dr JP Nanda, member, HPPERC, Dr Manoj Chauhan, secretary, HPPERC, Dr DK Paliwal, member secretary, NBA, Vice-Chancellors of various private universities and principals of private engineering colleges of the state, besides a team of officials from the NBA.

Sarojini Ganju Thakur, chairperson, HPPERC, also addressed other issues relating to private universities in the state. Dr Lovi Raj Gupta, Vice-Chancellor, BUEST, later addressed the gathering where 60 participants from across the country had come. The main focus of the workshop was on quality and relevance in the technical education. 

Shimla, July 27
The state government today issued a notice to the Chinese Longijian Road and Bridge Ltd Company asking it why the contract awarded to it for the construction of the World Bank road project of Theog-Hatkoti-Rohru should not be cancelled, while giving 15 days to file their reply.

Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy confirmed that a notice had been issued today to the company to file its reply within 15 days.

In all probability, the contract is likely to be cancelled after the company files its reply to the show-cause notice. The work on the road project, which was awarded in June 2008, has been delayed inordinately.

The company today clarified that they were unable to complete the project because of reasons beyond their control.

Gu Xianbin, director of the company, here today attributed the delay to reasons like delay in handing over hindrance-free work site to contractors, financial crunch faced by the company due to delay in payments and non-payment of dues of over Rs 12 crore.

He said visa restrictions had also compounded the issues of the company. Unreasonable imposition of delay damages was also a reason for the slow pace of work.

Xianbin said the company was being entrusted the task of clearing the road during apple season in the exceptionally adverse climatic conditions without being paid extra. This had also caused losses to the company.

He added that though the company regrets the delay in completion of the project, a sum of Rs 12 crore was still due to the company.

Chamba, July 27
The hill town of Chamba will play host to this year’s regional SARAS (Sale of Articles of Rural Artisans’ Societies) Fair-2012 to be held from July 29 to August 9. SARAS is being promoted as an umbrella band for propping up all the rural products.

Disclosing this here today, RS Rana, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Chamba, said the 12-day-long mega event of SARAS exhibition-cum-fair would commence on July 29 at Chowgan number-two of the town.

The state government had assigned this task to the district Rural Development Agency of Chamba as the nodal agency to hold the regional SARAS fair-2012, the ADC said. He added that 104 self-help groups from 12 states of the country, including Himachal Pradesh, were participating in the fair.

The ADC said the Union Ministry of Rural Development organises this exhibition-cum-fair every year in different parts of the country for facilitating rural artisans, crafts persons, self-help groups and NGOs from all over the country to exhibit and sell their range of rural wares and products and interaction on a large scale.

The ADC said the people of the region, who had a great taste for handicrafts, handlooms and other artwork, but who could not possibly go and access these products all over the country, would be provided with an opportunity to see all these handicrafts at one place. This fair would also ensure that the crafts persons and consumers were face to face with each other without any middleman.

To make the fair a grand success and yield pragmatic results, the district administration had launched a massive awareness campaign through media for attracting people to visit the fair, the ADC said.

Shimla, July 27
The high court today restrained the state government from invoking the bank guarantees submitted by the Chinese Longijian Road and Bridge Limited Company, which is engaged in the widening and strengthening of the Thoeg-Jubbal-Hatkoti road project till August 9.

This interim order was passed by Justice Kuldip Singh on a petition filed by the Chinese company stating that it had already given notice to the state authorities for terminating the contract of this project vide letter dated July 25, 2012 and it had apprehension that the state will invoke the Bank Guarantee submitted by it in lieu of this project.

The company further alleged that as soon as the state authorities become aware of the termination of the contract, immediately the Bank Guarantees submitted by it would be invoked and encashed and the existing equipment on the project site will also be seized and sold.

It also alleged that they had terminated the contract due to the non-availability of funds from the state.

It further alleged that Rs 28 crore was yet to be released by the state in lieu of the work done by the company. The state was not performing its part of the contract and not releasing the money to the company timely.

As per the averment of the company, it had submitted Bank Guarantee of Rs 11,41,30,000 as performance Bank Guarantee and Rs 14 crore 87 lakh as Moblisation Advance Payment Guarantee with the state.

The court in its interim order restrained the state from invoking these Bank Guarantees and also from seizing the equipment of the company, which is being used for the project till the next date of August 9, 2012.

Nurpur, July 27
After holding a meeting with local Congress workers on July 25 for assessing the mood of the party rank and file for the Congress ticket from the Nurpur Assembly segment, party observer for Kangra district Ghulam Mohammad Mir has scheduled his second visit here on July 29.

The local Congress unit had supported the candidature of state Congress general secretary Ajay Mahajan from this segment.

No other ticket claimant was present on that day. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi’s ardent supporter Manoj Pathania, who is also the pradesh returning officer of the Central Election Authority of the Youth Congress, has staked his claim to the party ticket from here.

Talking to mediapersons here last evening, Pathania said he would meet Mir to stake his claim to the ticket and the latter had scheduled a meeting on July 29 for interacting with ticket aspirants at Nurpur. — OC

Kangra, July 27
More than 1,500 patients were treated for various ailments and free medicines were distributed among them at a two-day medical camp organised in connection with the 58th birthday of GS Bali, MLA, Nagrota Bagwan, at Nagrota Bagwan here.

Ajay Verma, HPCC secretary and spokesman of the celebration committee, said today that nearly 1,600 patients were registered, but more than 1,500 received treatment during the camp and medicines were provided to them free of cost.

He said doctors from AIIMS, Delhi, PGI, Chandigarh, 32 Sector, Chandigarh, RG Stone, Delhi, Fortis, Kangra and Mohali, Rotary Hospital, Maranda, and Dental College, Sunder Nagar, rendered their services during the camp.

Kangra, July 27
Nearly 1.25 lakh pilgrims from all over the country visited the Brajeshwari temple here during the Shravan Navratras, which concluded today.

DS Thakur, district police chief, Kangra, said thousands of pilgrims visited the shakti peeths of Brajeshwari, Jwalamukhi and Chamunda temples in Kangra district during the Shravan Navratras. He said there was an unexpected increase in the number of pilgrims from Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir this year.

Thakur said he had been supervising the security arrangements personally and had deployed two armed reserves each at Kangra and Chamunda temples and three reserves at Jawalamukhi temple.

He said apart from the police, nearly 100 Home Guards were deployed at each temple to regulate pilgrims’ traffic and maintain law and order.

He said police personnel in civil dress, bomb-disposal and sniffer dog squads were deployed at all the three shrines.

Pawan Patial, temple officer, Brajeshwari temple, said nearly 1.25 lakh pilgrims from various states had visited the shrine, which included Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. He said on the eve of ‘Shravan Ashtami’ and ‘Navami’, 35,000 devotees paid obeisance at the shrine.

Nurpur, July 27
Following a tip-off, the local police, led by the SHO, raided a house at Danni, near here, yesterday and confiscated 33 cement bags of government supply.

DSP Rajinder Jaswal said Raman Kumar was arrested in this connection. He said the house of the accused was under construction and the cement bags were meant for this purpose. The police has registered a case under Sections 379 and 411, IPC, and started investigations to verify whether cement bags were stolen or sold by any contractor to the accused. — OC