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Dhumal Regime’s Bounty ahead of poll
Rs 2,000 crore earmarked for irrigation: Minister
Peas production in Lahaul-Spiti
dips by 25%
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Anupam Kher opens acting workshop
Bollywood actor Anupam Kher conducts a four-week acting workshop at the
Gaiety Theatre in Shimla on Monday. Photo: Amit Kanwar
‘Nothing wrong in Sunny Leone acting in films’
Shelter home for women in Hamirpur soon
The Beas poses a threat to the Manali-Leh highway. Photo by writer
Landslides disrupt vehicular traffic
A JCB machine clears the debris from the national highway near Baijnath. Photo: Ravinder Sood
CM tells HPSEBL to pay relief to electric shock victim
Chief Minister PK Dhumal distributes the school uniform among students
in Chamba on Monday.
Link canal threatens farmland at Majra
Mining engineers to create awareness about disasters
Trekkers make a beeline for Lahaul valley
Congress to review jobs provided by govt
Cong MLA GS Bali addresses mediapersons in Dharamsala on Monday. Photo: Kamaljeet
Six proclaimed offenders arrested
Killings at US gurdwara flayed
Death of Athletics Coach
Govt adopting anti-worker policy: PWD staff union
CM performs ‘bhoomi poojan’ of road project
Man dies after taking poison
Dhumal lays stone of bridge over Chakki khad
Youth drowned in pond
Another person dies of snakebite
Man dies after falling into gorge
8-time councillor dead
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Dhumal Regime’s Bounty ahead of poll Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service
Shimla, August 6 Two 1982 batch IAS officers - Ajay Mittal , Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, and PC Kapoor, Principal Secretary, Industry, could be bestowed with the ACS rank shortly. RD Dhiman, Chairman, HP State Electricity Board, Ali Raza Rizvi, Secretary (Health), and Sanjay Gupta, Divisional Commissioner, Kangra, belonging to the 1988 batch, are in line for being elevated to the rank of Principal Secretary. IFS officers were the first ones to enjoy the largesse of the state government, which has already gone into election mode by adopting a “keep-all-happy” attitude. The trickle-down effect may not stop at the IAS as Indian Police Service (IPS) officers are already making their voice heard by demanding promotions. Under such circumstances, it may get difficult for the government to deny top police officers their due even though the force is already top heavy. One of the pleas being given for granting the ACS rank to Mittal and Kapoor is that Director-General of Police (DGP) ID Bhandari, a 1982 batch officer, has been appointed as the top cop of the state. In any case, two posts of ACS are vacant following the retirement of Saroj Kumar Dash and TG Negi, both belonging to the 1980 batch. Prem Kumar, also of the 1980 batch, is an ACS and is due to retire in April. At present there are three ACSs, including Prem Kumar of the 1980 batch, P Mitra of the 1978 batch and Deepak Sanan of the 1982 batch. Incidentally, Mitra and Chief Secretary S Roy are from the same 1978 batch. There are 129 IAS officers in the Himachal cadre with about 35 on central deputation. The promotions granted to 25 Chief Conservators of Forest within a span of less than one month to the post of Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF) took everyone by surprise as this was nowhere in the pipeline. The total number of APCCFs has suddenly shot up from seven to 32.
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Rs 2,000 crore earmarked for irrigation: Minister
Kangra, August 6 IPH Minister Ravinder Ravi said this here today while addressing a public meeting at Birta laying the foundation stone of Rs 63-lakh Gurkari Birta lift irrigation scheme here. He said in this Assembly segment work on seven drinking water schemes, two irrigations schemes, one sewerage scheme and urban water supply schemes were in progress. The estimated cost of these schemes is Rs 30 crore. He said 199 hand pumps had been installed in this constituency. He laid the foundation stone of Rs 1.56-crore Samirpur Tiara lift irrigation scheme earlier in the day. This would provide drinking water to 15,000 inhabitants of 10 villages. He also laid the foundation stone of Rs 1.14-crore Snoura-Salangdi lift irrigation scheme. He said 43,065 localities in the state had been provided drinking water facilities whereas target was fixed for 2,530 locations during the current financial year. He said 2.42 lakh hectares of land was brought under irrigation schemes and a target was fixed to cover 7,500 hectares under different irrigation schemes in the state in this financial year. As many as 100 beneficiaries were given first instalment of Rs 10,000 under the Indira Awas Yojna, nine beneficiaries were given Rs 11,000 each under the CM Kanya Dhan Yojna, 13 beneficiaries were given Rs 5,100 each under Beti Hai Anmol and seven gas connections were also given on the occasion. Kangra MLA Sanjay Choudary and IPH Chief Engineer Parveez Akhtar were also present on
the occasion. |
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Peas production in Lahaul-Spiti
dips by 25%
Manali/Keylong, August 6 The only solace for farmers this time is that they are fetching a good price ranging between Rs 30 and Rs 55 per kg from pea buyers within the valley these days. “We could get just one round of peas harvesting this time instead of three in a normal season,” said Jagdish Kumar, a farmer and pradhan of Thirot panchayat in the Pattan valley, Udaipur sub-division, where the peas season is over. Though farmers have an irrigation facility, the climatic condition is playing havoc with the cash crops in Lahaul-Spiti over the years. The farmers could not do much sowing of peas this time due to dry weather conditions. “Just 10 cm of rain has been recorded in the valley from June to date this year,” said officials. The pea harvesting is at its peak in the Chandra and Bhaga valleys these days. More than 60 per cent of the crop had been exported to other markets, the buyers said. As per statistics, the peas production is set to decline from 22,000 metric tonnes in 2011-12 to 16,000 metric tonnes this year. The peas from Lahaul generally fetch a good price as it reach the markets when there are no peas from other parts of the country. The second problem which farmers have been facing over the years is the bad condition of roads and traffic jams at Rani Nallah. “The bad roads discourage buyers from outside as peas in gunny bags rot on the way if these are not transported in time,” the farmers rued. |
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Anupam Kher opens acting workshop
Shimla, August 6 “It is time to pay back the beautiful city and its lovely people who have played a vital role in shaping my life and profession and making me the person I am today,” he said while recalling his journey from his childhood days in Shimla to his entry into the highly competitive world of Bollywood. “It is an important moment in my life and I made it a point to be present at the opening of the workshop and take the inaugural session myself,” he said. Having an acting workshop in the exalted premises like the Gaiety Theatre was the best thing one could hope for and he had also spared his best teacher and dean of his acting school in Mumbai, “Actor Prepares”, Yash Raj Yadav, for the training programme. Yash was the best in the business and had been organising workshops worldwide, Kher said. “My ultimate aim is to set up a regular acting school like the one I have in Mumbai to help preserve and promote the rich legacy of theatre in the erstwhile British summer capital. The production-based acting workshop that opened today was just the first step in this direction. I also plan to start an international theatre festival in Shimla on the lines of the one held at Edinburgh in Scotland,” he said while unfolding his future plan. The international theatre festival could happen in a year or so, he said. It was during his visit to the city after the death of his father Pushkar Nath Kher early this year when he met local theatre artists, who rued the lack of training facilities in the city, that he decided to hold a workshop at the earliest. He was pleased with the response with 40 persons, aged between eight and 66 years, coming forward to participate in the course. In Mumbai there were only 12 participants in the first batch and as such it was a super start, he said. He said he firmly believed that actors were not born but made by training and hard work. More than talent, it was the attitude, honesty and commitment that delivered the goods. Undergoing such training helped a person to rediscover himself as it provided new insights into the hidden world of emotions and emerge as a better human being. It was worthwhile even if one did not plan to take up acting as a profession. Moreover, in Mumbai his school charged Rs 1.5 lakh for a three-month course, whereas here the four-week course will cost only Rs 5,000. The workshop will end with the production of a full-length play which will be staged in Shimla and other places. |
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‘Nothing wrong in Sunny Leone acting in films’
Shimla, August 6 “The dignity of a person has to be respected at all costs. No one is forced to see a film. If anyone has reservations over featuring of Sunny Leone in a film, he can skip it,” he said. Kher said he was working on a number of Bollywood films. The project about which he was most excited was a Hollywood comedy film, “The Silver Linings Playbook”, in which he had got an opportunity to work with his favourite actor Robert De Niro. He had been following him for long and always longed to meet him and shake hands with him. His Hindi film to look forward to was “Chashme Buddoor” in which he had a triple role. He said he had cut down on his film assignments to spare time for other activities like promoting theatre and holding workshops to help new talent.
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Shelter home for women in Hamirpur soon
Hamirpur, August 6 The centre will also provide legal and police support to help them women live with dignity. It will also have a provision to provide financial assistance up to Rs 2 lakh to such women. Nearly 30 to 50 women would be housed in the centre. To make the women self-dependent and prepare them to live life with dignity, the women would be given training to adopt new professions and earn a livelihood. It has also been made mandatory for the police stations to forward a copy of the FIRs of such complaints to CDPO officers and other welfare agencies. The complainants would also be provided legal assistance to contest their cases. Hamirpur DC Rajinder Singh Thakur said, “A ‘swadhar’ centre will be established soon in Hamirpur district and any woman facing cruelty or sexual harassment can make a complaint on mobile phone number 9418033385 and every assistance would be provided to such complainants”. |
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Rain in upper Manali poses threat to highways
Manali, August 6 The Beas has changed its course drastically from Palchan village in Manali to Bhuntar due to the flash flood. The flood has caused considerable damage to the highway between Manali and Palchan towards Leh. The Manali-Kullu highway has also suffered damage at many places. Beginning with two devastating floods in 1995 and 1997, the Beas is continuously eroding both its banks. The river has swallowed a large part of forest land in the upper Manali area. The Manali-Leh highway and the Manali-Kullu national highway are vital links to Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti and Pangi. Both highways are important for the tourism sector. The Manali-Leh highway is strategically important for the country as it is used by military convoys to reach the Ladakh region. One of the main reasons for the Beas changing its course constantly is illegal quarrying of sand and stones on the river bed and its banks. Deforestation near the river is another reason. Besides being a vital link between northern districts of the state and the plains, these highways are also the lifeline for local farmers to transport their cash crops to major city markets. |
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Landslides disrupt vehicular traffic
Palampur, August 6 Reports said a big portion of hill rock came down on the highway and disrupted the traffic. Senior
officers of the Public Works Department (PWD) immediately reached the spot and pressed JCB machines and other equipment into service. Hundreds of passengers remained stranded on the highway for hours as the PWD faced considerable difficulty in removing the debris. Long queues of vehicles were seen on both sides of the highway. The Army supply to Leh was also hit following suspension of traffic on
the highway. Later, the PWD cleared the highway for traffic. |
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CM tells HPSEBL to pay relief to electric shock victim
Chowari (Chamba), August 6 Presiding over the Prashasan Janta ke Dwar camp at Chowari in Chamba district today, the Chief Minister listened to the grievances of the public and directed the officers to ensure speedy redressal of their problems. As many as 500 applications were received and most of them were disposed of on the spot. Dhumal said the Prashasan Janta ke Dwar was an effort to provide an opportunity to people of remote and far-flung areas to interact with the district administration and get their problems redressed on the spot. He said he himself was holding such camps across the state for the benefit of the public. Efforts were being made to provide relief to people at their doorsteps so that they need not visit the state headquarters. He appealed to people to participate in these camps and interact with public representatives and officers of the district administration. The Chief Minister directed officers of the departments concerned to dispose of the grievances of people immediately and intimate his office about the compliance. He assured people of speedy action to solve their problems. Dhumal also sanctioned over Rs 14 lakh for various development works in the Bhattiyat area of the district and treatment of poor patients. The Chief Minister also distributed the school uniform among students of different state-owned educational institutions in the area under the Atal School Uniform Yojna. |
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Link canal threatens farmland at Majra
Dharamsala, August 6 Residents of the village had given a representation to Kangra Deputy Commissioner (DC) KR Bharti. The DC, along with Irrigation Department officials, visited the village
recently.
Talking to The Tribune, the DC said large tracts of agricultural land had been washed away due to the canal. At many places, cracks could be seen in fields and there were chances of more land getting washed away, he added. He said an immediate grant of Rs 2 lakh was released to the irrigation department to check soil erosion at the village. The only way to save the village was to change the course of the canal, especially during the monsoon, he said. The sources said village residents were being affected due to the erosion and they were demanding that the portion of the canal passing through the village be channelised. The project would involve administrations of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. The canal was under the control of Punjab’s Irrigation Department and the area in the village was with HP. The project would involve investment worth crores and both states did not have funds to complete the project. The DC said he had written to the Pathankot DC to exercise restraint while releasing water in the canal, especially during monsoon. Majra village was located in a remote area adjoining Punjab. One had to travel through Punjab to reach the village. The primary occupation of residents was farming. The loss of agricultural land was posing a serious problem to poor farmers. Sources with the Irrigation Department said a long-term solution was the channelisation of the canal, funded by the Centre.
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Mining engineers to create awareness about disasters
Shimla, August 6 The association, which met at the Kashlog mines in the Darlalghat area yesterday, decided to apprise the students about the mineral wealth of the state and how to identify rock samples. Members of the association will also make efforts to promote and popularise geology as a subject so that they are motivated to study the discipline. During the meeting, NS Virdi, former director of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, delivered a lecture on the long-term implications of haphazard urbanisation and unscientific mining for the fragile hill environment. He underlined the fact that the Himalayas were a seismically active zone and there could be severe and permanent changes in the environment if development activities were not planned properly. The unique topography and climate of the hills and the extremely fragile strata had to be factored in while planning development projects. He also spoke at length about tremors, landslides and flash floods and their causes. He also focused on the impact of construction of hydropower projects and ill-planned mining activities in the state. Chairman of the chapter JL Sud said his organisation would work for the protection of the fragile environment by creating awareness among the people.
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Trekkers make a beeline for Lahaul valley
Manali, August 6 Though the Seri Nullah flash flood has hit the arrivals of domestic tourists, hoteliers and travel agents say the Manali-Leh and Manali-Kaza routes are open and have been attracting high-altitude trekkers from the metros and foreign countries. “We are in Lahaul for the past five days with our friends to trek to the Neel Kanth lake in Udaipur and Chandratal. The weather is very good in the cold desert,” said Tejesvi Lohmi and Anish Panta, young techies from Infosys, who are holidaying in the cold desert. “We met a number of foreigners on the way,” they added. Tashi Deleg, a hotelier from Keylong, said foreign trekking groups were coming to the Lahaul valley despite negative publicity regarding the flash flood. “The real lure this time is that it has not been raining in the cold desert,” said Paul Gentleman, a trekker from Europe. President of the Manali Travel Agents Association Anil Sharma alleged that TV channels were presenting a wrong picture of the Manali flash flood and it had hit the arrivals of domestic tourists. “The Manali-Leh highway is clear and trekking groups are making a beeline for the cold desert,” he said. Kullu Deputy Commissioner Amitabh Awasthi said the Kullu-Manali-Leh and the Manali-Kaza highways were open for traffic and the administration was there to assist the Border Roads Organisation in case there was any blockade. |
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Congress to review jobs provided by govt
Dharamsala, August 6 Senior Congress leader and MLA from Nagrota Bagwan GS Bali told a press conference here today that in case the Congress was voted to power, the recruitment made by the present government at the fag end of its term would be reviewed. Nepotism was rampant in the recruitments, he alleged. He said since the elections were around the corner, the government should avoid taking major policy decisions that are likely to impact the financial health of the state. In the recent past, the government had promised huge incentives to government employees. This was aimed at influencing the electorate. Bali said the Congress would urge the Chief Election Commissioner to take note of the major policy decisions being taken by the government with a view to influencing the electorate. “We will also urge the Election Commission to impose the code of conduct in the state at the earliest so that the use of official machinery for electioneering by the government can be stopped,” he said. Bali alleged that the government had failed to bring up even a single big industrial unit in Kangra. No new employment avenues were created by the government for the unemployed youth of Kangra district, he said. Bali said the Congress was united in the state and would give a collective fight to the BJP. He said winning ability would be the sole criterion for deciding the party candidates for the Assembly elections. Bali, who is the convener of the manifesto committee of the party, said the Congress manifesto would be ready by the end of this month. |
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Six proclaimed offenders arrested
Bilaspur, August 6 Superintendent of Police (SP) Santosh Patial said here today that the police had launched a special campaign to nab the POs and it had succeeded in a number of cases in the past two weeks. He said the team had arrested Ram Kishan (38) of Pater village under Kot police station. He was wanted in a case of the Excise Act and was declared a PO by the court on May 19, 2012. The SP said they had also arrested two POs, namely Salim (26) of Ghanghote village, Saharanpur district (UP), and Mohammed Ehkaam (27) of Gholapura village, Saharanpur district (UP). Both of them were wanted in a case of 2004 under the Animal Cruelty Act. They were declared POs by the court on April 9, 2012. In another theft case of 2004, Jagdev Singh, alias Kala (30), of Kot village, Talai police station, Bilaspur district, was also arrested. He was was declared a PO on March 22, 2012 by the court. The SP said in another theft case of 2008, accused Sanjay Kumar, alias Sanju, of Samirpur village, Hamirpur district, was arrested by Head Constable Rajesh Kumar and constable Kashmir Singh of Talai police station. He was also declared a PO by the court. Patial said Thakur Dass of Berry village under Talai police station, who was wanted in an arson case of 2006, was also arrested by SIT. |
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Killings at US gurdwara flayed
Shimla, August 6 Expressing anguish over the attack, the committee said it was unfortunate that the Sikhs who had gathered for the Sunday prayer congregation were subjected to such a mindless violence. The committee passed a resolution urging the president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and the Prime Minister to take up the matter with the US authorities and ensure the safety of Sikhs in the country. The incident had once again brought the issue of racial hatred against minorities to the fore and hurt the sentiments of Sikhs across the world.
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Ghumarwin MLA demands judicial probe
Bilaspur, August 6 Talking to mediapersons here today, Dharmani said despite the ordeal she went through at the hands of various conspirators led by a senior officer of her department, she did not lose her balance of mind and vowed to fight back to get justice. He said despite her repeated requests and representations to the police, district administration, Sports Department, state Women Rights Commission and even the Chief Minister for the past three months, no action had been taken. He said the Chief Minister had assured her that an inquiry would be ordered and she would get justice soon. But within days of this assurance by the CM, she was transferred to a far-off school in Una district from Bilaspur town. Dharmani said the CM failed to give justice to Kamlesh when she was alive. He urged him to order an inquiry and ensure justice to her at least now. — OC
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Govt adopting anti-worker policy: PWD staff union
Mandi, August 6 Activists of the workers union Dumanu Ram, Pradhan Singh, Sukh Dev and Raj Mal alleged that PWD daily wagers had been on a chain hunger strike for the past 97 days at Jogindernagar, but the state government had been adopting an anti-worker stance from day one. “The government is anti-daily wagers and misleading them by making false promises of regularising them”. They claimed that they had completed 10 to 15 years in service in the PWD. The government claimed that it would regularise the workers who had completed eight years in service, they pointed out. CPM state secretariat member Kushal Bhardwaj, who has been spearheading the strike in support of the workers, alleged that the state government had been regularising certain workers on a pick-and-choose basis, and it was criticised by both CITU and the CPM. The government must come clean on its policy and regularise all workers in the department who had completed eight years in service, he claimed. |
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CM performs ‘bhoomi poojan’ of road project
Dalhousie, August 6 While addressing a public meeting at Bhagdhar, the Chief Minister said it was under the BJP regime in the state that the families affected by Thein Dam were given the highest land compensation besides providing employment to their wards in the project. The Chief Minister sanctioned Rs 5 lakh for the link road to connect Badheru village with a motorable road. He also sanctioned Rs 4 lakh for the conversion of a wooden bridge into steel bridge at Malunda gram panchayat. |
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Man dies after taking poison
Mandi, August 6 Body found in Pandoh Dam
The police fished out a body from the Pandoh Dam today, but it remained unidentified so far. The police has booked a case under Section 174, CrPC, and kept the body at the zonal hospital in Mandi for identification. |
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Dhumal lays stone of bridge over Chakki khad
Nurpur, August 6 On this occasion, Dhumal said with the construction of this bridge people of the area would be benefited and get an all-weather connectivity and ultimately it would deliver benefits of development at their doorsteps. Renu Chadda and Kuldeep Pathania, MLA from Banikhet and Bhatiyat, respectively, were present on the occasion. The Chief Minister was accorded a rousing reception by people of Kangra on his arrival at the entry point of the district. |
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Youth drowned in pond
Nurpur, August 6 Atul was plucking lotus flowers from the pond when he slipped and got drowned in it. Local villagers pulled him out, but he died on the spot after some time. He had been staying with his maternal uncle at Minjgrah for the past few days. A case was registered under Section 174 of the CrPC.
— OC
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Another person dies of snakebite
Bilaspur, August 6 Reports said Chaman Lal of Mukdana village under Jhandutta gram panchayat near here was bitten by a poisonous snake while he was fast asleep in his room today. Chaman Lal suddenly woke up from his sleep when he felt a bite on his arm. He tried to push the snake away with his other hand and the snake bit him on his other arm also. He was immediately rushed to the Community Health Centre at Jhandutta by relatives and villagers, but was declared brought dead by the doctor there. |
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Man dies after falling into gorge
Chamba, August 6 The body of the deceased had been retrieved from the gorge and identified as Sadhu Ram of Bathinda
in Punjab. The body had been handed over to his kin after carrying out an autopsy and a case had also been registered by the police. |
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8-time councillor dead
Nurpur, August 6 He was the younger brother of former minister and senior Congress leader Sat Mahajan. His funeral this evening was attended by people from all walks of life.
— OC |
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Marred by dry weather conditions at the time of sowing and bad condition of roads, the production of peas crop, main cash crop after potatoes in the cold desert of Lahaul-Spiti, has declined by about 25 per cent this season as more than 60 per cent of peas have been transported out from the landlocked valley to the markets in the northern India.
Shimla, August 6
Palampur, August 6
Chowari (Chamba), August 6
Dharamsala, August 6
