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Anti-Virbhadra camp against working president
Congress ticket seekers in district reach 100 mark
NCP to contest 40 seats
3,100 students to cast vote in HPU poll
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Keen on international division, HPU seeks land
Tibetan govt-in-exile directs its representatives to meet Muslim leaders in South India
Coal Block allotment
Cong flays state govt for converting complex
Only deserving candidates to get ticket: BJP
SJVN to execute projects in Bhutan
School uniform scheme launched in Nurpur
44 posts of constable to be filled in Bilaspur
Govt seeks early release of boy from Somalian pirates’ captivity
Musafir not acting chief of HPCC: Spokesperson
Lightning strikes phone exchange
Policy to regularise vet pharmacists sought
5 injured as taxi rams into tree
Youth hangs himself from tree
Enhance financial aid to disabled: Samiti
Woman gets 4-year jail
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Anti-Virbhadra camp against working president
Shimla, August 18 Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Kaul Singh Thakur today met AICC general secretaries Janardhan Diwedi and Birender Chaudhary, the latter being in charge of Congress affairs in Himachal Pradesh, and other senior party functionaries in Delhi. Miffed over the possibility of the appointment of a working president, he tried to impress upon the high command that he was working to bring the party back to power in the state. It was reliably learnt that the anti-Virbhadra Singh faction had also told the high command that the move could trigger resignations by office-bearers who supported Thakur. Leaders belonging to this camp had got in touch with their supporters to get District Congress Committee chiefs and Block Congress Committee chiefs to resign in case a working president was appointed. The suspense over the appointment of Gangu Ram Musafir, former Speaker, as working president continued even as functions were being planned to welcome his appointment. Even as a section of the media reported that Musafir, a Virbhadra loyalist, had been appointed working president, Chaudhary said no such appointment had been made. While Virbhadra Singh and his loyalists had been pressing for the appointment of a working president, the AICC chief did not seem to have taken a final decision. Though Chaudhary had recommended Musafir’s name, there was no official confirmation yet. Virbhadra Singh’s arch-rivals had told Chaudhary that the appointment of a working president could intensify factionalism. They felt that this could have an adverse impact the party’s prospects and result in the creation of an additional power centre, which would add to the confusion. BATTLE WITHIN
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Congress ticket seekers in district reach 100 mark
Dharamsala, August 18 Sources say the maximum number of aspirants are from Dharamsala, with 23 having applied for Congress ticket from the constituency, as per records available with the District Congress Committee. This points to a deep division in party cadres. The constituency has earlier been represented by former Congress minister Chandresh Kumari, who has shifted to her native place, Jodhpur in Rajasthan, from where she has been elected MP. Her son Ashwarya Chand Katoch has applied for Congress ticket from Dharamsala. Digvijay Puri, HPCC delegate from Dharamsala, who has the support of HPCC president Kaul Singh, is another strong ticket contender. In three other constituencies, there is just one ticket aspirant each. Sitting MLA and former minister GS Bali is the only aspirant from Nagrota Bagwan. Sitting MLA Neeraj Bharti, son of former MP Chander Kumar, is the sole aspirant from Jawali. Sitting MLA Nikhil Rajour is the lone aspirant from Jaswan Pragpur. Five aspirants have applied from Shahpur. HPCC delegate Kewal Singh Pathania and Swatantra Mahajan, who has the support of former Congress leader Vijay Singh Mankotia, are the main contenders. Five aspirants have applied from Nurpur. Ajay Mahajan, son of Congress leader Sat Mahajan is the main contender. He had lost in the previous elections. A total of 21 aspirants have applied from Indora. Kamal and Majinder Rajan are the main contenders. Four aspirants have applied from Fatehpur. Sitting MLA Sujjan Singh Pathania is the main contender. Six aspirants have applied from Jaisinghpur. Six aspirants have applied from Baijnath. Kishori Lal, Tilak Raj and Saroj Kumari are the main contenders. The constituency is represented by Congress MLA Sudhir Sharma at present. He cannot contest from here now as the constituency has been reserved for the Scheduled Caste category. Four aspirants have applied from Dehra. Former HPCC president Viplove Thakur and sitting Pragpur MLA Yog Raj are the main contenders. Five aspirants have applied from Sullah. Sanjay Rana and Jagjivan Pal are the main contenders. Four aspirants have applied from Jwalamukhi. Block Congress president Nardev Kanwar is the main contender. 9 stake claim
Palampur: Nine aspirants have staked claim to Congress ticket from here. Former MLA Brij Behari Lal Butail has applied through the Block Congress Committee. Baijnath MLA Sudhir Sharma has sent his application directly to the Pradesh Congress Committee. He plans to shift here because his current constituency has been reserved. Others who have staked claim are Hirinder Parwana, Thakur Atma Ram, Vijay Kumar, Vinod Kapoor, Abhinav Katoch, Beni Parsad and Kamla Kapoor. The local unit of the party has recommended Butail’s name. Block Congress Committee president Karan Sharma has said the general house has cleared his name. |
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NCP to contest 40 seats
Shimla, August 18 This was stated by national vice-president of the kisan cell of the NCP and former Speaker Radha Raman Shastri at a press conference here on Thursday. He was accompanied by state NCP president Anirudh Sharma. Shastri said the NCP had decided to field its candidates from between 25 and 40 seats. “We will contest the poll on our own without having a pre-poll alliance with any party,” said Shastri. He added that he would contest from Shimla in every likelihood and not Chopal, his traditional seat. Shastri claimed that several senior Congress and BJP leaders who were unhappy in their parties would shortly join the NCP. In reply to a query as to why he had deserted the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP), he said only a national party which could take on the other big parties like the BJP and the Congress. Shastri said the NCP would get a good response from the people as they wanted an alternative to the BJP and the Congress. “I admit that we are not in a position to form the government in Himachal Pradesh on our own at the moment. We will decide on whom to support after the poll,” he said. Shastri said that he personally felt that Himachal Pradesh would get a hung Assembly and no “We will shortly release our vision document, in which the issue of sale of prime land in violation of Section 118 will be a major issue. We intend to revert it in case we have a say,” he stated. |
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3,100 students to cast vote in HPU poll
Shimla, August 18 The polling and counting of votes will take place on August 23 in the 27 teaching departments of the HPU. A total of 28 polling booths will be set up on the campus for the purpose. The elections are being conducted strictly as per the recommendations of the Lyngdoh Committee in a peaceful and congenial atmosphere. The highest number of 400 voters are in the Department of Law, while there are only seven votes in the Department of Life Long Learning. Ninetyseven affiliated colleges will also go to the polls on August 23 with about two lakh voters expected to cast their vote. These include 65 government colleges, 25 non-government degree colleges, five government Sanskrit colleges and two non-government affiliated Sanskrit colleges. Besides this, elections will also take place in the Centre for Evening Studies and Regional Centre, Dharamsala. Vice-Chancellor ADN Bajpai today cautioned the students that any kind of violence or violation of the code of conduct would result in the cancellation of the poll. |
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Keen on international division, HPU seeks land
Shimla, August 18 The HPU has been approached by the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry to start its international division by admitting 20 students from this year. Due to paucity of land, the HPU is not in a position to construct infrastructure, including a foreign student guest house, as no land is available at the site in Summer Hill. “We have been approached by the HRD ministry to admit 20 students from different countries to various courses, but we cannot admit students from overseas right now as we have no land to construct a separate international division,” Vice-Chancellor ADN Bajpai said. The HPU authorities approached the district administration about a fortnight back to provide them 100 bigha in the vicinity of Shimla so that work on an alternative campus could be started. There was more urgency as the HPU authorities were keen to start the international division at the earliest. Professor Bajpai said he was told by HRD officials concerned that the HPU should prepare to take in 1,000 foreign students in the next four years. “I will not want this venture to be delayed. I am keen that the HPU be provided land at the earliest so that our requirements can be met,” he said. In case the HPU was able to set up its international division with a student hostel, the number of students from overseas could go up considerably. The paucity of land was proving a major hindrance in HPU expansion and the starting of new courses. Spread over 160 bigha, the HPU did not have space for new buildings, a must for the 57 courses The new courses cleared by the academic and executive council included a five-year law course and professional courses in business administration and computer applications. |
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Traffic police constable murdered
Dharamsala, August 18 Kangra Superintendent of Police (SP) Diljeet Thakur, who visited the spot
this morning, told The Tribune that the constables were waiting for a bus at the Baijnath bus stop around 10:30 pm. He said four persons travelling in a new white Alto car with a temporary registration number had an altercation with Sanjay, after which they came out of the vehicle and stabbed him many times. The SP added that constable Surinder Kumar rushed to help Sanjay, but he too was stabbed by the accused, who then fled the scene. The police has set up ‘nakas’ on all roads from Baijnath, but has failed to nab the culprits. The SP said the police had got some vital clues in connection with the attack and an FIR was registered under Section 302 of the IPC. He also said the police was directed to set up special ‘nakas’ in the Baijnath area
in the evening. |
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Tibetan govt-in-exile directs its representatives to meet Muslim leaders in South India
Dharamsala, August 18 Tibetan exiles fear that recent photographs posted on the Internet, in which a Buddhist monk is shown standing near a pile of bodies, will fuel attacks against Tibetan exiles, especially in South India. The Tibetan Cabinet-in-exile has directed Tibetan representatives to meet Muslim leaders and apprise them of factually correct information. Sources here say though the stabbed Tibetan youth is out of danger, the motive of the attack by two motorcycle-borne assailants is not fully known. The police suspects the Tibetan youth to be a victim of random attacks against people from North-East India following recent ethnic clashes in Assam. In a statement, the Tibetan government-in-exile has said Tibetan settlement officers should visit and meet religious leaders and state Assembly legislators to apprise them of correct information on the issue. The Tibetan Cabinet-in-exile said the recent conflict between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar had created some misinterpretation and misunderstanding about Tibetans, leading to unfortunate incidents. This had arisen mainly from the misuse of a photograph of Tibetan monks on certain websites about violence against Muslims in Myanmar. The photograph of Tibetan monks was in connection with the funeral following the devastating earthquake at Yushul in eastern Tibet in April 2010, it was noted in the statement. The Kashag also guided Tibetan leaders to inform the Muslim community about the sadness expressed by the Dalai Lama on the recent violence in Assam. Speaking at a prayer ceremony in Dharamsala yesterday, Lobsang Sangay, Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, urged Tibetans to practise caution and remain indoors for a few days around Eid. |
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Small traders resent 5-day closure of shops
Hamirpur, August 18 A section of the traders have closed theirs shops from August 16 to 19 to take a monsoon break here and shops of jewellers, cloth merchants, electronic goods sellers and cosmetics have been closed. Shops also remained closed on Independence Day. The traders who have closed their shops during this period have taken a break as they hardly get time to take off from their daily routine work. This practice was started by jewellers of the town, who had been closing their shops during this period for five days for the past many years. This year, other traders like cloth merchants, cosmetics and electronic goods sellers have also decided to close their shops during this period. Their main argument is that they also need a monsoon break to take their families out. But many small traders are not happy with the decision since they feel closing their shops for five days will affect their daily earning. More so, traders have also made it mandatory to close shops and any trader defying the decision will be fined Rs 10,000. A small trader said, “Big traders are going to foreign countries and other places, but for us earning our daily bread and butter is more important. They have every right to take a holiday, but they should not impose this decision on small traders.” Citizens too have not appreciated the closure of shops for five days as they are finding it hard buying essential items, and have to run to nearby markets to fetch the same. |
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Coal Block allotment
Shimla, August 18 Addressing a press conference here today, state BJP spokesperson Ashok Kapatia said since Dr Manmohan Singh was the Minister for Coals for the longest period, the responsibility lay directly on him. “The corrupt face of the UPA regime today stands exposed with scam after scam being unearthed,” said Dr Kapatia. He demanded that a probe by an independent agency must be held to ascertain the exact extent of loss that had been caused to the state exchequer. “Responsibility must be fixed and ministers and officers responsible for the loss must be arrested,” he said. Dr Kapatia said those who made monetary gain out of the allotment must be identified. The place where the money had been stashed away must also be identified and the money brought back. He said the BJP would hold demonstrations on August 21 across the state against the irregularities in the allotment of coal blocks, which had been done in violation of the norms in the contract to bring about windfall gains to chosen private companies. “The UPA had till now been refuting charges of irregularities in the allotment of coal blocks while terming it as only draft CAG report but now with the final report indicting the UPA regime, the government is left with no defence,” he said. He added that as had been the case in the past, the UPA regime would try to pass off the responsibility by terming it again as a “zero loss scam”. |
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Cong flays state govt for converting complex
Bilaspur, August 18 Talking to mediapersons here yesterday, block president Col (retd) AP Gautam, senior district general secretary Gopal Sharma, state Congress Seva Dal leader Pratap Kaundal, Bilaspur town unit president Raj Kumar Tadu and nagar parishad vice-president Kamlender Kashyap said the sale of government land was shameful and condemnable. They said the government had failed to allot plots to any of the remaining 364 Bhakra Dam oustees, who had been seeking the plots for the last 55 years. They demanded a high-level impartial inquiry into how the project was revised, the estimates inflated and the design changed. They said after spending about Rs 1 crore given by the Centre for the double-storey building, it had been decided that it would be demolished and a multiplex commercial complex, worth Rs 16 crore, would be constructed by the contractor, who would use it for 40 years and then hand it over to the nagar parishad. |
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Property worth lakhs destroyed in industrial shed fire
Kangra, August 18 Fire Officer Shrawan Kumar Sharma today said the fire broke out in the shed at 3 am and some pilgrim informed the police and Fire Brigade about it. He said three fire tenders two from here and one from Dharamsala fought the flames for more than two hours. Sharma said plastic shoes and slippers worth Rs 15 lakh, which were dumped in the shed, were burnt to ashes in the fire. He said a vehicle which was also inside the shed too was totally damaged in the fire. He said it took more than half an hour to break open the shutter of the shed and by that time things within the shed were burnt to ashes. The police said when the fire broke out owner Raman Trehan was away to Manikaran and his son to Delhi as shoe shops in the town were closed for three days. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. However, the police suspect that either it was because of short-circuit or lightning which the town experienced last night. |
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1-MW Chhor Nullah hydro power project
Manali, August 18 After a copy of the order was handed over to the ‘kardar’ of Goddess Jogni, Gupt Ram Thakur, by local MLA Govind Thakur today, residents of the villages thanked the MLA. The termination order, dated August 13, was issued by the Department of Non-Conventional
Energy Sources of the state government. It was noted in the order that Watermillers Power Company Private Limited of Kullu carried out construction without obtaining a no-objection certificate from the panchayat, which had water use rights. The ‘kardar’ of the goddess left the Congress and joined the BJP. He said the state government had fulfilled its promise to cancel the power project.
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Arthritis gripping youngsters: Expert
Shimla, August 18 Speaking at a continuing medical education programme here today, Manuj Wadhwa, Director and Head, Joint Replacement Unit, Fortis Hospital, Mohali, said arthritis was afflicting more and more people, including a large section of youngsters. “The new fourth generation knee implant is the most advanced design available in the world to meet the needs of these patients,” he said. It could provide high range of motion up to 150 degrees, a longer implant life and enable patients to live pain-free for the rest of their lives. “These joints for youth are made of special ceramic material called Oxinium, which unlike the normal chrome cobalt metal is scratch-resistant and, therefore, wears less and lasts longer,” he said. The replacements could last up to 30 years, he said. Dr Wadhwa said the computer- navigated replacement associated with this technique reduces pain, scarring and facilitates early restoration of mobility. Computer navigation also ensured increased longevity of the replacement. “The surgery reduces the pain and allows patient to walk long distances, climb stairs, stand for a long time and do low-impact activities comfortably,” he added. Dr Wadhwa has performed the surgery on young patients, some as young as 16 years old.
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Only deserving candidates to get ticket: BJP
Chamba, August 18 Chauhan said since the BJP was gearing up for “mission repeat” in the state, the party high command would ensure allotting party ticket only on the basis of merit and winability of candidates. Only those candidates who fulfilled the criteria prescribed by the party high command for the party ticket would get the same, Chauhan said. He slammed the UPA government’s anti-public policies, price rise and rampant corruption which had shattered the economy of the country. Chauhan claimed that the BJP was committed to capture all the five Assembly seats in Chamba district in the Assembly poll and workers and the rank and file of the party were ready to achieve the same.
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SJVN to execute projects in Bhutan
Shimla, August 18 Stating this while addressing employees here, SJVN Chairman-cum-Managing Director RP Singh said detailed project reports had been completed and submitted to the Central Electricity Authority. He said the SJVN had submitted pre-feasibility reports for the 60-MW Rangarandi-II, the 378-MW Kameng-I and the 80-MW Doimukh projects in Arunachal Pradesh in a record time of six months. He added that the state government had assigned it the task in January this year. Survey and investigation works on the Si river basin in Arunachal Pradesh were in progress, he further said. During the current financial year, the 1500-MW Nathpa Jhakri hydro power station had achieved a plant availability factor of 108 per cent compared to 103 per cent in the corresponding period last year, he said. The target was to generate 7,000 million units in the current year, he stated. With a final breakthrough in the head race tunnel, the 412-MW Rampur project was heading for completion and commissioning in September next year, he added.
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School uniform scheme launched in Nurpur
Nurpur, August 18 Local MLA Rakesh Pathania launched the scheme by distributing school uniforms among students of government schools of Sadwan, Suliali, Danni, Malkwal, Kukher and Khazan areas. Presiding over the function, he said Himachal was the first state where the government was providing free uniforms, along with stitching charges, mid-day meals and health screening to students of government schools. He claimed that the free uniform scheme had eliminated the barriers of rich and poor in schools. While talking about the Rs 205-crore ambitious Phina Singh Irrigation Project in the area, he said it would prove a boon for the farming community and boost its economic status. He added that the Irrigation-cum-Public Health Department had invited tenders for the construction of a project tunnel on August 29.
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44 posts of constable to be filled in Bilaspur
Bilaspur, August 18 He said there would be no merit in the physical test, but it would be essential for men and women candidates to qualify the test. Patial said all women candidates would have to appear at the venue for the physical test on September 11 at 8am. Male candidates from Naina Devi tehsil would have to come for the test on September 10, those from Jhandutta tehsil on September 12, from Sadar Tehsil on September 13 and from Ghumarwin Tehsil on September 14. |
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Govt seeks early release of boy from Somalian pirates’ captivity
Shimla, August 18 In a letter written to Vasan, the Chief Minister said Aman (21) had been in the custody of Somalian pirates, who had hijacked the Malaysian ship about 20 months ago. He said Aman’s father Kewal Krishan had been running from pillar to post to free his son from the captivity of the pirates, but nothing concrete had been done so far. Dhumal urged the Union Minister for his personal intervention in the matter and get all Indians, including Aman, released immediately as the deadline of 45 days announced by the pirates would soon be over.
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Musafir not acting chief of HPCC: Spokesperson
Dharamsala, August 18 While addressing a press conference here today, HPCC spokesperson Swatantar Mahajan said Musafir was a respected and senior leader of the Congress in the state. So far neither the HPCC nor the AICC had issued any communication about his appointment as the acting state president of the party. Certain elements were trying to create confusion in the minds of voters by circulating imaginary stories, Mahajan said. The Congress was heading towards a landslide victory in the Assembly elections in the state under the leadership of AICC president Sonia Gandhi and HPCC president Kaul Singh. However, wrong notions among the masses were harming the interests of the party, he added.
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Lightning strikes phone exchange
Nurpur, August 18 Tilak Thakur, SDO, BSNL, Nurpur, said lightning damaged the transmission system of the telephone exchange that also snapped the online banking connectivity in the town, which could be restored at 11am, but the damage of Trunk Interface Cards had thrown the whole exchange out of gear. However, the technical staff of the BSNL succeeded in restoring the services in the evening. Meanwhile, torrential rain triggered landslides at Batees
Meel, Bhalli and Trilokpur on the Pathankot-Mandi national highway last night. The vehicular traffic remained suspended till 12 pm today. The traffic on Batees Meel-Ranital link road, which had also been blocked due to heavy landslides, could be restored till late this evening.
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Policy to regularise vet pharmacists sought
Chamba, August 18 He also demanded the filling of 400 vacant posts of training veterinary pharmacists in the state.
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5 injured as taxi rams into tree
Kangra, August 18 The police said a small child had taken ill at Hamiprur and his family was on way to the DRPGMC, Tanda, to get him treated. The injured were immediately rushed to the Tanda hospital and admitted there. The police registered a case under Sections 279 and 337, IPC, against taxi driver Satish Kumar.
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Youth hangs himself from tree
Kangra, August 18 Since then he was disturbed, family sources told the police. Some villagers found Sanjeev hanging from a mango tree. They informed the village pradan who in turn informed the police. Sanjeev was unmarried and from an affluent family. A case was registered under Section 174,
CrPC.
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Enhance financial aid to disabled: Samiti
Nurpur, August 18 He said the workshop would prove a boon for the disabled in Kangra district as earlier they had to go to Jaipur in Rajasthan to get artificial limbs fixed. He urged the state government to enhance financial aid to the disabled. Naresh Dhiman, president, HVKS, and himself a disabled person, said the samiti would prepare Jaipur foot and calipers at the workshop and provide these to the needy on a no- profit, no-loss basis. — OC
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Woman gets 4-year jail
Bilaspur, August 18 Earlier, Public Prosecutor RK Barwal told the court that on March 25, 2011, Asha threw a brick on Sukh Ram (who had been deployed as labourer to remove debris of a disputed but abandoned and dilapidated house) which resulted in his death later at a hospital.
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