Shimla, August 25
With the Central high-powered committee bringing down Himachal’s arrear claim in BBMB projects down by Rs 850 crore, the state has declined to accept the reduced amount of Rs 3,400 crore and has made up its mind to seek Supreme Court (SC) intervention so that it gets its entire due.

The state conveyed its displeasure over the move before Chairman of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) AB Aggarwal, who met Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy, here today.

“The reduction of the arrear claim after the Supreme Court order is an afterthought which we will not accept and after receiving the ratification amount we will consult legal experts and move our case before the SC,” asserted Roy.

He added that he had already conveyed displeasure over the move to the BBMB Chairman in today’s meeting.

It is the high-powered committee headed by Joint Secretary, Hydropower, which has conveyed to Himachal that the amount of Rs 4,250 crore has been reduced to Rs 3,400 crore.

The Chairman of the BBMB and the Member Secretary, Central Electricity Regulatory Authority, are its other members.

Officials said the figure of Rs 850 crore was a notional amount arrived at by the central committee as due that the state owed to the Centre as its share in the Pong Dam.

Sources said the moment Himachal received a written communication from the Central committee, legal experts would be consulted and SC intervention would be sought. The reduced amount of Rs 3,400 crore from the worked out figure of Rs 4,250 crore was yet to be conveyed to Punjab and Haryana as well and once they ratified it, HP would put up its opposition to the move.

The state has also decided to seek interest on the arrear amount for any further delay on grant of the amount to it as it feels Punjab and Haryana are adopting delaying tactics to buy time and delay payment to Himachal.

Considering the state’s poor fiscal health, Himachal was looking forward to this amount of Rs 4,250 crore and reduction of a substantial amount of Rs 850 crore was not acceptable to the state on whatever grounds.

“This amount is payable to the state as the SC has already turned down the plea of Punjab and Haryana and the Central Government will have to adhere to it,” said Power Department officials.

Shimla, August 25
With the party high command still weighing various options to work out an amicable solution mutually acceptable to all factions, efforts have been stepped up by loyalists of Vidya Stokes to prevent her removal as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader to accommodate state Congress chief Kaul Singh Thakur.

While the rival camps are still camping in Delhi, efforts have been stepped up by legislators owing allegiance to CLP chief Stokes to prevent her from being dislodged in the mutually acceptable solution still being worked out by the Central leadership.

With reports circulating that Kaul Singh could likely be made CLP leader to make way for installation of Virbhadra as state party chief, Stokes is reportedly meeting party leaders to secure her position.

There was also talk of Stokes being accommodated suitably in the Congress Working Committee (CWC) or party organisation at the national level.

There was talk in political circles of her being considered for Governorship also.

Some MLAs, including Virbhadra loyalists, have reportedly met the high command supporting Stokes’ continuation as the CLP leader.

The fact that some Virbhadra loyalists have come out in favour of Stokes makes it amply clear that Virbhadra, too, is in favour of Stokes’ continuation, thereby obstructing Kaul’s rehabilitation and denying him the important post of the CLP leader.

Kaul has made it amply clear that he had not resigned and Virbhadra’s appointment could only come when he resigns.

He was also candid enough to say that Virbhadra was using “politics of pressure” to get his way around.

Shimla, August 25
Eminent lawyer and president of the Bar Association of India Anil Divan today advocated the creation of a constitutionally supported national judicial commission (NJC) for the appointment of judges so as to have a more transparent system.

Divan, who has appeared in several eminent and path-breaking cases in the Supreme Court, admitted that the system of collegiums for appointment of judges had come under enormous criticism by the Bar, lawyers as well as the public and there was an urgent need for a better system.

He was speaking at the 3rd Lala Amar Chand Sood Memorial Lecture organised by the Bar Association of India on “Appointment of Judges and Independence of the Judiciary” here today.

While citing the example of South Africa, the UK and the USA, he said the way forward was to have a national commission with a lot of non-judicial element at least in its recommendatory role.

He did not mince words while advocating the constitution of a commission while stating that this was the only means to ensure that the field was not left open for cronies and those who indulge in canvassing.

“The answer to the question whether we should go back to the old system is an emphatic no as the last word should certainly not be with the executive,” he opined.

Divan said: “We must move forward by adopting a more acceptable and transparent system which also has public approval.”

He discussed the pros and cons of the three system of appointment of judges adopted so far and the need for making changes in it. He gave instances how the supercession of judges in appointing the Chief Justice of India had come in for severe criticism on two occasions.

Chief Justice Kurian Joseph said the system of collegium was adopted in 1993 as the earlier system did not ensure independence of judiciary.

He said it was only after evaluating the old three systems of appointment that we could know what was best for us. Prashant Kumar, general secretary, Bar Association of India, and Anuj Nag, president, HP High Court Bar Association, also spoke.

Shimla, August 25
There will be no respite from the incessant rain for the next few days as the Meteorological Department has issued a warning of heavy rainfall at some places during the next 48 hours.

Rain continues to wreak havoc in the district with the 2.5-MW Nogli hydropower project near Rampur facing partial damage due to downpour. The damage has been assessed at nearly Rs 6 lakh. Traffic to several link roads has been severely affected due to landslides.

As per the forecast by the department, rains will continue till August 29 as easterly winds are prevailing over the western Himalayan region at lower levels and interacting with mid latitude westerly winds over the region.

Traffic was obstructed in and around the town at various points due to landslides today.

Mandi/Keylong, August 25
Israeli woman tourist Shosan Jozen (50) was killed and three other women were injured when the Mahindra Scorpio they were travelling in fell 20 foot down the road on the Manali-Kaza road yesterday.

Sources said the victims were on their way to the Chandratal Lake in Lahaul-Spiti district. The mishap took place when the driver failed to negotiate a turn on the zigzag road near the 15,000-ft-high Kunjam Pass.

A 14-member group of Israeli tourists was travelling in three vehicles and an Israeli woman was driving the said vehicle, sources added.

Lahaul-Spiti Deputy Commissioner SS Guleria said three out of the four injured were rushed in 108 Ambulance from Keylong to the Regional Hospital in Kullu while the woman who was driving the vehicle was taken to Kaza where her condition was reported to be stable.

“We contacted them through satellite phone at Batal and rushed them to the hospital, but a woman died today at Kullu hospital as she suffered a severe head injury,” the DC said.

After getting treatment, two Israeli women were discharged from the Kullu hospital this evening, the doctors said.

Guleria added that the Manali-Leh and Keylong-Udaipur-Killar roads had been opened for traffic as there was no cloudburst at Mooring near Udaipur and three labourers had sustained minor injuries only. “It was due to rain on Thursday that the nullah brought down some debris on the road which was cleared by the Border Road Organisation (BRO) yesterday,” the DC said.

Palampur, August 25
Two women in Palampur have reportedly committed suicide in the past 24 hours following domestic violence. In the past six months about a dozen cases of suicide have been reported from different parts of the region.

The police said the first suicide case was reported from Terhal village of Baijnath sub-division where 21-year-old pregnant woman Batro Devi lost her life by consuming poison. Batro Devi was married a year ago to Surinder Pal. Since then her husband allegedly used to ill-treat her. On Friday morning after a family quarrel, Batro reportedly committed suicide by consuming poison.

Ambia Ram, SHO, Baijnath, told mediapersons that on the complaint of Kashmir Singh, father of the deceased, the police had arrested Surinder Pal, husband of Batro Devi, and a case under Sections 306 and 498, IPC, for domestic violence had been registered against him.

The SHO said Kashmir Singh in his complaint had alleged that his daughter was forced to commit suicide because of regular physical torture for the past one year since her marriage.

In another case, Sunita Devi of Kiranvan village of Bhawanra police station also committed suicide last evening. Sunita was married 10 years ago to Surjit Kumar and her married life was reportedly miserable.

Bikrant Basera, SHO, Bhawarna, told newsmen that Veena Devi, mother of the deceased, in her complaint told the police that on August 22 Sunita was mercilessly beaten up by her husband. Since then she was not keeping well and last evening she was committed suicide. Veena Devi demanded that a case of murder should be registered against Surjit Kumar, husband of the deceased.

Later in the day the police arrested Surjit Kumar and a case under Sections 306 and 498, IPC, for domestic violence was registered against him. After post mortem both the bodies were handed over to family members.

Palampur, August 25
A non-resident Indian (NRI) settled in Canada reportedly committed suicide at the local guest house today. The police recovered his body this morning.

The SHO, Palampur, told newsmen that Surinder Singh (55), an NRI from Kapoorpind, Jalandhar (Punjab), hired a room at the guest house near the bus stand last evening. He had shown his arrival in the guest house register from Jalandhar.

He said in the morning the owner of the guest house informed the police about the NRI’s suicide. A police team immediately reached the spot and found the NRI’s body hanging from a fan hook.

The police said no suicide note was found from the spot.

Later, the police sent the body for post mortem in the local Civil Hospital. Family members of the NRI were informed . A case has been registered and the matter was under investigation.

Nurpur, August 25
The police has registered a case against Pardeep, owner of Sethi Bus Service, Gangath, for alleged assault and causing disruption in discharging government duty on the basis of a complaint filed by Rashpal Singh, adda in charge of HRTC at Jassur, near here. Pardeep has been booked under Sections 323, 452, 506 and 34, IPC.

Rashpal alleged that the accused entered into an altercation with him in his office over some dispute over the time table of buses on Thursday. He alleged that Pardeep hit him and two employees working as conductors with the HRTC. A case under Sections 353 and 506, IPC, has been registered against him.

In another case the police has registered a case under Sections 323, 452, 506 and 34, IPC, against Ram Sroop and his sons Shuv Karan and Arun for allegedly thrashing Vikas and Ankush. The victims alleged that the accused quarreled with them over some business issue and beat them.

Chamba, August 25
Two persons were killed on the spot when the vehicle in which they were travelling veered off the road and fell into a 150-metre-deep Chanju Nullah at Kathwar Ghar near Nakrot in an outlying Churah subdivision of Chamba district last night, according to police report received here today.

The report said the deceased were travelling in a private Commander vehicle. The deceased had been identified as Sham and Mithun who belonged to the local area.

The police had registered a case at Tissa police station and was investigating into the cause accident, the report added.