Shimla, September 29
Even as deliberations are still on in the Congress over ticket allotment, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released the first list of 45 candidates for the ensuing Assembly elections last night.

The BJP’s Parliamentary Board cleared the names of 45 candidates on the recommendations of the State Election Committee of the party.

The party cleared the names of all candidates in Hamirpur and Sirmaur districts, having five constituencies each. The decision on one seat each is pending in Solan and Chamba districts. In Una and Bilaspur districts, the decision on two seats each is awaited.

Deciding on ticket allotment in Kangra district is proving a tough job for senior leaders, with supporters of Shanta Kumar and PK Dhumal strong contenders there.

So far, names have been finalised for only seven of the 15 segments in the biggest and politically most significant district of the state.

As expected, Shanta Kumar had a say in ticket allotment in Kangra and Chamba districts. The Independent MLA from Nurpur, Rakesh Pathania, was denied the ticket due to Shanta Kumar’s resistance.

CHAMBA
1. Churah- Hans Raj
2. Chamba- BK Chauhan
3. Dalhousie- Renu Chaddha
4. Bhattiyat- BK Jariyal

KANGRA
1. Nurpur- Ranvir Nikka
2. Jaswan- Vikram Thakur
3. Sulah- Vipin Parmar
4. Nagrota- Mangal Chaudhary
5. Shahpur- Sarveen Chaudhary
6. Dharamsala- Kishan Kapoor
7. Palampur- Praveen Sharma

LAHAUL-SPITI- Ram Lal Markanday

KULU
1. Manali- Govind Thakur
2. Banjar- Khimi Ram
3. Ani- Kishori Lal

MANDI
1. Seraj- Jai Ram Thakur
2. Darang- Jawahar Thakur
3. Jogindernagar- Gulab Singh Thakur
4. Dharampur- Mahender Singh Thakur
5. Mandi- Durga Dutt Thakur
6. Balh- Inder Singh Gandhi

HAMIRPUR
1. Bhoranj- ID Dhiman
2. Sujanpur- Urmil Thakur
3. Hamirpur- PK Dhumal
4. Badsar- Baldev Sharma
5. Nadaun- Vijay Agnihotri

UNA
1. Chintpurni- Balbir Chaudhary
2. Una- Satpal Satti
3. Kutlehar- Virender Kanwar

BILASPUR
1. Jhanduta- Rikhi Ram Kaundal
2. Naina Devi- Randhir Sharma

SOLAN
1. Arki- Govind Sharma
2. Nalagarh- AL Thakur
3. Doon- Vinod Chandel
4. Kasauli- Rajiv Sehjal

SIRMAUR
1. Pachhad- Suresh Kashyap
2. Nahan- Rajeev Bindal
3. Renuka- Hriday Ram
4. Paonta Sahib- Sukh Ram Chaudhary
5. Shillai- Baldev Tomar

SHIMLA
1. Theog- Rakesh Verma
2. Kasumpti- Prem Thakur
3. Shimla- Suresh Bhardwaj
4. Jubbal- Kotkhai- Narender Bragta
5. Rampur- Prem Singh Draik

Shimla, September 29
Marred by heated exchanges, the State Election Committee (SEC) of the Congress today failed to decide the issue of ticket allotment as names of only 15 candidates could be cleared, leaving the decision in other segments to the Screening Committee, which will meet on October 3.

The meeting of the SEC, which was held in Delhi today, continued till late in the night with tempers running high as the process of screening of the huge number of over 700 candidates was undertaken. The poll committee shortlisted the names of prospective candidates for the Assembly elections as there was no consensus on one or two names and forwarded it to the Screening Committee, which will finalise the party candidates.

Those who attended the meeting included HPCC chief Virbhadra Singh, Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, CWC member Dhani Ram Shandil, CLP leaders Vidya Stokes, Kaul Singh Thakur, Viplove Thakur, Asha Kumari, Chander Kumar and Gangu Ram Musafir.

The meeting was marred by heated exchanges as rival factions, led by Virbhadra Singh and Kaul Singh, pleaded the case of their supporters for being fielded.

SEC had met earlier also but with consensus eluding the two warring factions, a single-line resolution was adopted, authorising AICC chief Sonia Gandhi to decide the issue of the ticket allotment.

The final decision regarding the ticket allotment will be taken by the Screening Committee on October 3.

Shimla, September 29
Students of various schools and voluntary organisations, along with local citizens, will take out a candlelight march for humanity and in memory of the two schoolgirls who died in an unfortunate incident.

It is an initiative by schoolchildren and some NGOs who strongly feel that had Sakshi and Nancy been rushed to hospital immediately after the incident, they could have been saved. “We students feel that there is deterioration of human values which is evident from the fact that nobody came to the help of the two girls who kept lying on the road for quite some time; people remained mute spectators,” says a pained Mehak Arora, a student of class XII in DAV School, New Shimla.

The same sentiment is echoed not just by students of the Convent of Jesus and Mary and the bereaved parents of Nancy and Sakshi, but also by many people of the town. “Is it not a failure of human values, as timely medical help could have saved their lives,” quipped Neelkamal Bedi, a teacher at St Bede’s College and neighbour of Nancy. She said Nancy’s pulse was still running when she was rushed to a hospital and timely help could have saved her life.

Students from various schools of the town, along with teachers and others, will assemble at the Convent of Jesus and Mary at 4.30 pm tomorrow and take out a candlelight vigil till Sanjauli Chowk. From Sanjauli they will return to the point where the two girls fell from the hillside and died on the road.

The parents of the two girls regret that their daughters kept lying on the road without help as the fear of police prevented people from taking them to hospital. “Can we let someone die on the road simply for the fear of the police? Has human life become so worthless?” asks Mehak.

Meanwhile, the police is still investigating the case as the report from the forensic science laboratory, Junga, is awaited. An FIR too has also not been registered as legal opinion is being sought and investigations are being done on the basis of inquest proceedings.

A meeting was held at the convent as two Provincial Councillors arrived here today from Delhi, the Order of Religions of Jesus and Mary.

Shimla, September 29
Students of various schools and voluntary organisations, along with local citizens, will take out a candlelight march for humanity and in memory of the two schoolgirls who died in an unfortunate incident.

It is an initiative by schoolchildren and some NGOs who strongly feel that had Sakshi and Nancy been rushed to hospital immediately after the incident, they could have been saved. “We students feel that there is deterioration of human values which is evident from the fact that nobody came to the help of the two girls who kept lying on the road for quite some time; people remained mute spectators,” says a pained Mehak Arora, a student of class XII in DAV School, New Shimla.

The same sentiment is echoed not just by students of the Convent of Jesus and Mary and the bereaved parents of Nancy and Sakshi, but also by many people of the town. “Is it not a failure of human values, as timely medical help could have saved their lives,” quipped Neelkamal Bedi, a teacher at St Bede’s College and neighbour of Nancy. She said Nancy’s pulse was still running when she was rushed to a hospital and timely help could have saved her life.

Students, teachers and others, will assemble at the Convent of Jesus and Mary at 4.30 pm tomorrow and take out a candlelight vigil till Sanjauli Chowk. From Sanjauli they will return to the point where the girls fell from the hillside and died.

The parents of the girls regret that their daughters kept lying on the road without help as the fear of police prevented people from taking them to hospital. “Can we let someone die for fear of police? Is human life worthless?” asks Mehak.

Meanwhile, the police is investigating the case as the report from the forensic science laboratory, Junga, is awaited. An FIR has not been registered as legal opinion is being sought. A meeting was held at the convent as two Provincial Councillors arrived from the Order of Religions of Jesus and Mary.

Hamirpur, September 29
District Election Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner (DC) Hamirpur Rajinder Singh Thakur has said every contesting candidate in the coming Assembly elections will have to open a separate bank account for the elections, as per directions of the Election Commission.

In a meeting held with local bankers here today, the DC said all contesting candidates would open separate bank accounts, receive contributions in this account and make all election expenses through the same only.

Banks would have to inform election observers about any unusual transactions made through such accounts.

Shimla, September 29
Keen to emerge as a viable third alternative in Himachal Pradesh, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) today said it was not averse to fielding candidates discarded by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.

Addressing a press conference here today, KD Singh, MP and in charge of northern states, said the TMC was keen to field candidates from all 68 seats, subject to availability of candidates.

Asked about accommodating candidates discarded by the major parties -- the Congress and the BJP, he said any good candidate with a clean image would be welcome.

Addressing a party rally at Theog in Shimla district, KD Singh declared Dr Pramod Sharma as the state TMC president and party candidate from Theog. The seat is represented by Congress Legislature Party leader Vidya Stokes at present.

Singh said the TMC was keen to contest all 68 seats to emerge as the third alternative. “People want change and are looking for a third option. We are keen to field candidates on all 68 seats, subject to availability of winning candidates with a clean image,” he said.

Dubbing the BJP and the Congress “corrupt and power hungry”, Singh said TMC chief Mamata Banerjee was the only leader in the country with a clean image who was dedicated to the poor. He added that the response of the people to the ideology and programmes of the party was encouraging.

“The slogan of Maa, Mati and Manus (mother, motherland and people) given by her is catching up with the people, who want a new dynamic leadership, dedicated to the country and its people. We have no doubt about the TMC emerging as a major political force in Himachal Pradesh,” he said.

The TMC leader said the BJP and the Congress were two sides of the same coin and had failed to undertake development in the state, an indication of which was the bad condition of roads.

Shimla, September 29
Chief Minister PK Dhumal today termed the statement of state Congress chief Virbhadra Singh about the BJP election manifesto as false and malicious, aimed at gaining political mileage.

In a statement issued here today, he said the BJP election manifesto had been adopted as a policy document of the government and every department was directed to implement the same in letter and spirit.

“All promises made in the election manifesto have been implemented within two years and the promise to increase old-age pension, daily wages and woman welfare were implemented within three days of the formation of the government,” he remarked.

He said a Cabinet subcommittee was constituted to monitor the progress of the implementation of the election manifesto. “Let Virbhadra Singh name any mega scheme during his tenure as Chief Minister,” he said.

He said the Congress leader was making futile attempts to mislead the people by issuing false statements in the media to cover his inefficiency.

Shimla, September 29
The eighth MTB Himalaya 2012 rally was flagged off from the Ridge Maidan here today.

The rally was flagged off by Lt-Gen Amarjeet Singh of the Army Training Command this morning.

Adding glamour to the event were Bollywood actors Parvin Dabas and Preeti Jhangiani, besides other dignitaries.

The MTB Himalaya, currently in its eight edition, is not only one of the finest mountain biking events in the country, but the toughest too.

It covers 438-km trail that takes riders through some of the most scenic locales of Himachal. It will take participants a great amount of grit and determination to power through the entire course.

Mandi/Kullu, September 29
The State Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau today caught Sanjay Sharma, General Manager (GM), Department of Industry, Kullu, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from an office-bearer of a Kullu-based Co-operative Society.

He has been arrested under Sections 7 and 13/2 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Acting on a complaint, the Vigilance team laid the trap to nab the officer.

Initially, he had demanded Rs 40,000 as bribe from the society to release a payment of Rs 88,000 sanctioned as incentives for training by the department.

Vigilance sources told The Tribune that the GM was finally settled for the payment of Rs 10,000.

The team laid the trap and allegedly caught him red-handed taking the bribe, the sources added.

Mandi, September 29
Students of Ayurvedic College, Jogindernagar, especially those enrolled in the first batch under the semester system affiliated to Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), face uncertain future as university’s “draconian ordinance” has pushed the students behind two years as the college is governed by the two sets of rules.

Chaos governs the college that was opened in 2010 as the first batch of 30 college students come under the semester system as the college was then affiliated to the HPU. Students of the second and the third batches are governed by another set of rules as the college has now been affiliated to Himachal Pradesh Technical University (HPTU), Hamirpur.

Students of the first batch and their parents are on a warpath as all their pleas to the HPU have fallen on deaf ears so far.

“The Vice-Chancellor has given us assurance, but nothing concrete has been done so far,” students resented.

“We also met Chief Minister PK Dhumal and PWD Minister Gulab Singh Thakur in this regard, but the students are not being allowed to appear in the next examinations as the ordinance on supplementary is not clear,” they resented.

Students of the second and third batches of the college have moved ahead, but the students of the first batch have been left behind just because they were not allowed to sit for the higher examinations, which was a normal procedure under the semester system, they rued.

Students admitted after affiliation to the HPTU were allowed to sit in higher examinations even if they had supplementary examinations to clear, they charged.

“We had no teaching faculty in 2010 as guest lecturers used to come from Paprola college. The college got some basic staff in 2012, but has yet to get a regular principal,” they added.

As per the government order, all technical, pharmacy, ayurvedic and technical institutions were affiliated to the HPTU that was inaugurated in 2011.

On the other hand, the caretaker college principal Dr CP Kashyap said the college had taken up the matter with the Vice-Chancellor and Controller of Examinations, but the final order was yet to be received.

Sundernagar, September 29
Members of the Himachal Kisan Sabha and the Kanaid Beopar Mandal, along with residents of the four panchayats of Dadour, Bhour, Kanaid and Chowk, took out a march recently, demanding the shifting of the alignment of a proposed four-laned road.

They submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Mandi Deputy Commissioner seeking a change in the alignment of the proposed four-laned road, which would affect the lives of thousands of residents living near it, and the construction of a bypass.

They pointed out that the area between Naulkha and Dadour, which was about 4.7 km, was thickly populated, with around 20,000 persons residing on either side of the road. They added that occupants of about 500 houses and 200 shops, besides more than 3,000 students, would be affected by the increase in the height of the road.

They stated that 12 major village link roads and more than 30 pedestrian and cattle crossings would be rendered useless due to the proposed alignment. They added that approach roads to some dispensaries would be affected and six temples and two water sources would be destroyed.

Joginder Walia of the Himachal Kisan Sabha and Vijay Abrol of the Kanaid Beopar Mandal, said they had been submitting representations on the issue to the authorities, but no action had been taken. They added that there was resentment among the people of the area.

Shimla, September 29
Cardiac diseases have been on the increase in the state and women are becoming more vulnerable to these than men.

A data released by the GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI), which operates the 108 free ambulance services across the state, on the eve of World Heart Day, said heart ailment-related emergencies accounted for 5 per cent of the total medical emergencies over the past one year.

In all, 1,34,795 medical emergencies were reported at ambulance 108 between September 2011 and August 2012. Of these, 5,485 were cardiac emergencies with 2,825 pertaining to females and the remaining 2,660 to males, the data said.

The GVK EMRI ambulances service has attended to more than 2 lakh emergencies, of which 9,000 were related to cardiac problems. The highest numbers of 1,039 emergencies were from Kangra, followed by Hamirpur (775), Mandi (762), Shimla (734), Bilaspur (465), Chamba (399), Sirmour (397), Solan (333) and Una (332), the data stated.

Nurpur, September 29
Two-day inter-college kayaking and canoeing water sports competitions concluded in the regional water sports centre at Pong Dam reservoir last evening.

The sports meet was organised by Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, .

In kayaking (women) - DAV College, Hans Raj College (Jalandhar) and GNDU campus (Amritsar) were declared first, second and third, respectively.

In kayaking (men) - Layalpur Khalsa College (Jalandhar), DAV College (Amritsar) and GNDU campus (Amritsar) were declared first, second and third, respectively.

In canoeing (men) - Layalpur Khalsa College (Jalandhar), DAV College (Amritsar) and GNDU campus (Amritsar) were adjudged first, second and third, respectively.

Manindar Kaur, who won three gold medals, and Angrej Singh four gold medals, were declared best water sportsmen in both categories. — OC

Kangra, September 29
A two-day police workshop regarding anti-human trafficking, which was organised by the Police Training College (PTC), Droh, concluded here today. Twentyeight police officers, including Deputy Superintendents of Police and five representatives of different NGOs, participated.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, Police Training College, Droh, GD Bhargava said here today that the workshop was aimed at bringing police officers close to the recent dimensions of the anti-trafficking law and its effective implementation.

He said Kangra District Police Chief DS Thakur spoke on understanding the problem of human trafficking in his inaugural addess and SP, PTC, Droh, KC Sharma on human trafficking concept, definition, historical background, besides its social and legal contours.

DIG GD Bhargava spoke human trafficking in underaged girls and children, legal aspects and remedies. He said officers were briefed about the modern modus operandi adopted by traffickers and the vulnerability of women and children to play an effective role in curbing the menace in this hill state.

AK Raina, a journalist, spoke on “Role of media in anti-human trafficking law enforcement and justice delivery system”. He also urged the police officers to adopt the path of righteousness on the basis of religious scriptures so that human trafficking issues were dealt with a human angle. He made a thrust on creating awareness about this menace through the print and electronic media so that human trafficking could be nipped in the bud.

Deputy District Attorney, PTC, Droh, Rajesh Verma and NGO representative RK Mastana also spoke on the occasion.