H I M A C H A L    P R A D E S H    E D I T I O N

Consensus eludes BJP in finalising candidates
Shimla, October 1
With the dispute in ticket distribution of the 23 Assembly segments, including eight in Kangra district, remaining unresolved, the State Election Committee (SEC) of the BJP today forwarded its recommendations to the BJP Parliamentary Board, which is likely to take a final call next week.

BJP leader revolts against party’s official candidate from Manali
Kullu, October 1
Senior BJP leader Chandersen Thakur from Kullu has revolted against BJP’s official candidate Govind Thakur fielded from the newly created Manali constituency. He said today that he would contest the Assembly elections from Manali.

Rakesh Pathania alleges BJP ticket on sale
Nurpur, October 1
Local BJP associate MLA Rakesh Pathania got a boost when thousands of his supporters from every nook and corner of his Assembly segment thronged the Kandwal barrier, near here, to receive him after his return from Delhi after the denial of the BJP ticket from Nurpur today.

Arki Congress opposes grant of ticket to outsider
Solan, October 1
The Arki Congress has come out in the open against the inclusion of an outsider in the panel of candidates drawn by the state election committee with senior leaders convening a meeting to deal with the situation.

Satti to Virbhadra: Prove charges of financial mismanagement
Shimla, October 1
While accusing HPCC president Virbhadra Singh of misleading people to gain “cheap publicity”, state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti today challenged Virbhadra to prove the allegation of financial mismanagement levelled by him against the Dhumal regime.

Employees object to Virbhadra’s remarks
Bilaspur, October 1
The Himachal Pradesh State Employees Confederation has objected to the remarks of Congress state president and former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh declaring that if the Congress came to power in the state, the now abolished state Administrative Tribunal would be restored.

Congress, BJP closely linked: CPM
Shimla, October 1
The CPM today warned people of the state against a “strong element of bondage and commonness” between the BJP and the Congress. In a statement here today, member state secretariat of the CPM Tikender Panwar said both parties were determined to rob the state of its wealth, natural resources, land and mines.

Instalment of DA released
Shimla, October 1
The state government today released the instalment of dearness allowance (DA), which was due from July 1, 2012, to its employees. As a result, the rate of DA has been increased from the existing 65 per cent to 72 per cent.

Literacy classes for one lakh illiterate in Chamba dist
Chamba, October 1
The Zila Saaksharta Samiti has decided to start literacy classes for one lakh illiterate under the Saakshar Bharat Mission launched in Chamba district so that the target of 100 per cent literacy in the district can be achieved.

International Day of Older Persons Senior citizens demand security Kangra, October 1 Senior citizens observed a special day here with elderly persons, along with their families, meeting over lunch and discussing their day-to-day old-age problems. They stressed that the government provide them with security steps to save them from, among other things, abuse from the younger generation.

Elderly people on the International Day of Older Persons participate in a walkathon on the Ridge in Shimla on Monday.

Death of Girl Students
FIR filed against school, teacher
Shimla, October 1
Based on a complaint filed by the parents of the two deceased school girls, Nancy and Sakshi, the police today registered an FIR against the management of the Convent of Jesus and Mary and the class teacher.

Rathore is special counsel for Railways
Shimla, October 1
Kuldeep Rathore, who is the standing counsel for the Central Administrative Tribunal for the Shimla Bench and senior panel counsel for the Armed Forces Tribunal, Chandigarh, has been appointed special penal counsel for Railways before the Himachal High Court.

Russian national arrested under Foreigners Act
Mandi, October 1
The Mandi police arrested Russian national Alexander, who was travelling without documents, under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, from the bus stand here today.

2 killed as tractor falls into gorge
Mandi, October 1
Two persons, driver Roshan Lal and co-passenger Khem Singh of Kalnidhar, were killed when the tractor (HP65-1982) they were travelling in rolled down about 100 metres into the gorge near Dhawas in Gohar subdivision today.

Couple dies in road mishap
Chamba, October 1
A husband and his wife were killed when the motorcycle on which they were riding veered off the road and fell into a 70-metre-deep gorge at Kapadi Mor near Nakrod in the outlying Churah subdivision of Chamba district today, according to a police report here.

Consensus eludes BJP in finalising candidates
Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 1
With the dispute in ticket distribution of the 23 Assembly segments, including eight in Kangra district, remaining unresolved, the State Election Committee (SEC) of the BJP today forwarded its recommendations to the BJP Parliamentary Board, which is likely to take a final call next week.

With both Dhumal and Shanta remaining inflexible on the names of candidates, the SEC, which met in Chandigarh today, decided to leave the decision to the Parliamentary Board by recommending panels in all the 23 segments.

The board had issued a list of 45 names on the basis of recommendations by the SEC on September 28.

The most contentious issue of shifting die-hard Shanta loyalist and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramesh Dhawala from his home turf of Jwalamukhi to Dehra to make way for ministerial colleague Ravinder Ravi remained unresolved.

Dhawala’s declaration that he would contest as an Independent if denied the ticket too has put the pressure on the party.

Sources said Shanta vehemently opposed the idea of shifting Dhawala to Dehra, terming it as “gross injustice” with his loyalist. On the Kangra seat, a choice is yet to be made between Sanjay Chaudhary, who won on the BSP ticket but later joined the BJP and Pawan Kajal, a zila parishad member.

The committee could not forge a consensus on the candidate to be fielded from Fatehpur in Kangra with Sudha Sushant and Madan Sharma, wife and brother of Lok Sabha MP Rajan Sushant, respectively, being in the race. Madan had contested as an Independent against the BJP nominee in the last poll. Even in the other seats in Kangra, including Jawali, Indora, Baijnath and Jaisinghpur, a panel has been sent to the Parliamentary Board.

Suspense continues even on the name of the BJP nominee from Bilaspur with former MP Suresh Chandel and Mallika Nadda, wife of the BJP national general secretary, being the hot contenders.

With former MLA Chet Ram threatening to contest as an Independent from Kinnaur, the ticket of sitting BJP legislator Tejwant Negi remains uncertain.

In Solan too, a choice has to be made between HN Kashyap and other contenders.

The candidature of Assembly Speaker Tulsi Ram too is in doubt as he is facing stiff opposition from party leaders and name of Jia Lal emerging as a front runner. Ticket allotment in Chopal too is proving to be a ticklish issue.

BJP leader revolts against party’s official candidate from Manali
Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Kullu, October 1
Senior BJP leader Chandersen Thakur from Kullu has revolted against BJP’s official candidate Govind Thakur fielded from the newly created Manali constituency. He said today that he would contest the Assembly elections from Manali.

Chandersen’s declaring a war against the official candidate has come as a major setback for the BJP ahead of the poll, considering that former BJP MP Maheshwar Singh had already launched a virulent attack against the Dhumal government.

After deserting the party, Maheshwar has formed the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP), which is bound to dent the BJP vote bank in Kullu district and other pockets in the state.

Chandersen’s revolt has come as yet another major setback for the party in Kullu district, considering both Chandersen and Maheshwar hold sway among the electorate in the district.

According to their supporters, Masheshwar, Chandersen and Kunjlal Thakur, father of Govind, are the three senior-most leaders from Kullu who established the BJP in the district, what used to be a stronghold of the Congress.

Though Kunjlal’s family, his son Govind and sister Dhaneshwari Devi, who heads the State Women Commission, have been rewarded by Chief Minister PK Dhumal, but Chandersen and Maheshwar were pushed to the brink.

Maheshwar hit back at Dhumal from the HLP platform and has kept his political fortunes afloat in the turbulence of the state BJP politics, now dominated by the Dhumal family. But Chandersen has no option other than contesting as an Independent or from the HLP or any other party, claimed his supporters.

Chandersen was a confidant of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpyee, who used to visit Chandersen’s heritage village resort at Sarsei whenever he used to visit his summer residence at Prini near Manali till 2006. Chandersen has been toeing pro-Shanta Kumar line that has turned out to be his disqualification to be tipped for the party ticket, said his supporters.

Both Banjar MLA and Forest Minister Khimi Ram and Govind Thakur call the shots in the Kullu BJP affairs, sidelining Chandersen and other BJP leaders, including Dharamvir Dhami, who rejoined the Congress after he remained sidelined in the BJP since 2007, when he had joined the BJP during the last Assembly elections.

Chandersen said he had decided to contest the election this time preferably from Manali. “I have applied for the BJP ticket from Manali or Kullu, but the party has not responded so far.”

Rakesh Pathania alleges BJP ticket on sale
Rajiv Mahajan

Nurpur, October 1
Local BJP associate MLA Rakesh Pathania got a boost when thousands of his supporters from every nook and corner of his Assembly segment thronged the Kandwal barrier, near here, to receive him after his return from Delhi after the denial of the BJP ticket from Nurpur today.

The slogan-shouting supporters, who had managed this show of strength in Pathania’s absence, took two and half hour to cover just 10 km of distance from Kandwal to Bodh where a massive political rally had been organised. The long cavalcade of two-wheelers and four-wheelers carrying youth and women in strength resulted traffic jams at a number of places on its route.

Before addressing a massive rally at Bodh, near here, Pathania in a press conference asserted that he did not believe the Congress slogan “Himachal on sale”, but alleged that ticket in the state BJP were on sale. “I was betrayed twice and have paid a heavy price for launching a stir for granting district status to Nurpur subdivision and raising my voice against forcible collection from tractor owners of my area by the mining mafia. If doing so is a sin, I will continue to do so till the granting of district status to Nurpur,” he said.

Accusing Shanta Kumar for denial of party ticket to him, Pathania said he would expose him publicly and asked why he had been denied ticket when he had worked for the interests of the BJP during the past four and half years in and outside the Assembly.

“I was the lone BJP associate MLA in the Assembly who presented a resolution of declaring Ramsetu as national heritage and got it resolved. I am sure to contest election from Nurpur, but this time people of my area will fight it and give a befitting reply to those who conspired for the denial of party ticket to me. Some political parties want me to lead their party in the state, but my cadre and supporters will decide my fate,” he claimed.

Arki Congress opposes grant of ticket to outsider
Ambika Sharma

Solan, October 1
The Arki Congress has come out in the open against the inclusion of an outsider in the panel of candidates drawn by the state election committee with senior leaders convening a meeting to deal with the situation.

Opposing the candidature of Kailash Prashar, who not only hails from Solan, but had also unsuccessfully contested the last Vidhan Sabha elections from there, Congress men said today that they would not accept any outsider.

Prashar, who enjoys the backing of a key Union Minister, had been nominated to the panel despite large-scale protests being held against him even in the Block Congress Committee meeting that was convened earlier to finalise the names of probable candidates.

Party men had clearly stated that they could recapture the Arki seat from the BJP if a local was given the ticket.

Various leaders, including HPCC member Prakash Karar, former spokesman for District Congress Committee Shushil Thakur, former Block Congress Committee (BCC) president Kanshi Ram Sharma and former general secretary of the BCC DD Sharma, along with hundreds of party workers, held a meeting at the Arki Guest House today to discuss the issue.

They said if Prashar was declared the official nominee, it could compel them to not only oppose his candidature, but also lead to a situation like the 2007 poll where a large section of the Congress had sided with Independent Dharam Pal Thakur after refusing to support the official party nominee.

Satti to Virbhadra: Prove charges of financial mismanagement
Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 1
While accusing HPCC president Virbhadra Singh of misleading people to gain “cheap publicity”, state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti today challenged Virbhadra to prove the allegation of financial mismanagement levelled by him against the Dhumal regime.

In a statement issued here today, Satti said the HPCC chief’s remarks were “baseless, misleading and a bundle of lies based on sheer imaginative figures”.

“It is a desperate attempt by Virbhadra to create confusion and misunderstanding among people to fulfill his political agenda,” he said.

He said the BJP government had proved its perfect financial management during the past over four years while the Congress rule witnessed gross fiscal mismanagement.

“This is evident from the fact that cash balances of the state with the RBI remained positive and the state’s financial management was lauded,” he said.

He said Virbhadra was quoting imaginative figures since the debt liabilities inherited by the BJP regime from the Congress government was Rs 21,241 crore and not Rs 19,000 crore as quoted by him.

He said it was not true that revenue receipts of the state have come down from 27 per cent of GSDP in 2006-07 to 22 per cent of GSDP in 2011-12. In fact the ratio of total revenue receipts to GSDP was 25.87 per cent in 2006-07 and 24.12 per cent in 2011-12.

Employees object to Virbhadra’s remarks
Our Correspondent

Bilaspur, October 1
The Himachal Pradesh State Employees Confederation has objected to the remarks of Congress state president and former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh declaring that if the Congress came to power in the state, the now abolished state Administrative Tribunal would be restored.

Talking to mediapersons here yesterday, confederation state president Vinod Kumar, accompanied by other leaders, said the former Chief Minister seemed to be labouring under the impression that employees of the state had lost everything by the abolition of this Tribunal, while actually this had provided them relief as the Tribunal was abolished by the Dhumal government only on their demand.

He said a majority of the employees had welcomed its abolition and heaved a sigh of relief as not less than 30,000 cases were pending in this Tribunal and some cases had been pending for the past 20 years. And it had been set up to provide “quick justice and relief” to employees.

Congress, BJP closely linked: CPM
Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 1
The CPM today warned people of the state against a “strong element of bondage and commonness” between the BJP and the Congress. In a statement here today, member state secretariat of the CPM Tikender Panwar said both parties were determined to rob the state of its wealth, natural resources, land and mines.

“The classic example of awarding a doctorate degree to Rajiv Shukla, a functionary of the BCCI and a member of the Rajya Sabha from the Congress, smacks of the links the BJP and the Congress enjoy under the table,” he remarked.

Instalment of DA released

Shimla, October 1
The state government today released the instalment of dearness allowance (DA), which was due from July 1, 2012, to its employees. As a result, the rate of DA has been increased from the existing 65 per cent to 72 per cent.

A notification in this regard has been issued here today. The additional instalment of DA of 7 per cent will be paid in cash with the salary of October 2012 payable in November and the arrears accrued from July 1, 2012, to September 30, 2012, will be credited to the provident funds account.

The orders will be applicable to employees covered by the HP Civil Services (Revised Pay) Rules, 2009; HP Civil Services (Category/Post wise Revised Pay) Rules, 2012; and work charged employees working in government departments. These orders will also apply to members of All India Services Officers, HP Judicial Services Officers and the state government employees covered by the UGC pay scales.

The government also released the enhanced dearness relief payable to pensioners from the existing rate of 65 per cent to 72 pc. The dearness relief on pension and family pension at the rate of 72 pc will be paid with the pension for the month of October. — TNS

Literacy classes for one lakh illiterate in Chamba dist
Balkrishan Prashar

Chamba, October 1
The Zila Saaksharta Samiti has decided to start literacy classes for one lakh illiterate under the Saakshar Bharat Mission launched in Chamba district so that the target of 100 per cent literacy in the district can be achieved.

Disclosing this here yesterday, district project coordinator of the mission Suman Kumar Minhas said before taking up class work, the samiti had initiated activities for creating a congenial environment for teaching illiterate in the classroom.

Minhas said heads of various government departments had been asked to ensure convergence activities with lok shiksha kendras for the awareness of development schemes run by the government by organising awareness camps, charcha mandal, along with their publicity material at the lok shiksha kendra level.

The heads had also been directed to identify the remaining illiterate workers and employees working in their departments.

Block development officers-cum-chairpersons, secretaries and coordinators of block saaksharta samitis of the district had been asked to provide separate rooms for the identified 20 model lok shiksha kendras in the school and panchayat buildings, along with security of the IT material, Minhas said.

International Day of Older Persons
Senior citizens demand security
Ashok Raina

Kangra, October 1
Senior citizens observed a special day here with elderly persons, along with their families, meeting over lunch and discussing their day-to-day old-age problems. They stressed that the government provide them with security steps to save them from, among other things, abuse from the younger generation. They displayed some promotional material on the International Day of Older Persons at the venue of the celebration.

BL Sharma, general secretary of the local Senior Citizens Forum, said it was unfortunate that 31 per cent of the senior citizens in the country were being abused. However, in this hill state, where the cultural heritage was still preserved, witnessed only 2 per cent senior citizens getting abused, he added.

PR Agnihotri, former president of the forum, suggested that the state government, coordinating authority for health-related issues and other groups should actively be involved in promoting public awareness regarding senior citizens and provide them with a safe and secure fag-end of their lives.

He said on December 14, 1990, the UN General Assembly made October 1 the International Day of Older Persons The senior citizens expressed concern over the insecurity they were facing, particularly while moving on roads because of the rash and negligent driving of some people in this town. Most of the senior citizens were living lonely lives at their homes with their children having settled in different metros of the country or some foreign countries.

On the occasion senior-most citizen HC Sharma was honoured.

Death of Girl Students
FIR filed against school, teacher
Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 1
Based on a complaint filed by the parents of the two deceased school girls, Nancy and Sakshi, the police today registered an FIR against the management of the Convent of Jesus and Mary and the class teacher.

It was late last night that the police finally acceded the demand of the parents to register an FIR in the case, which was still being investigated on the basis of inquest proceedings. “Based on the FIR by parents, investigation and the legal opinion sought, we have filed a case under Section 306 of the IPC against the class teacher and school management at Dhalli police station,” said Parveer Thakur, DSP (City).

With public opinion building up against tardy progress in the case and outrage among the parents over the non-registration of an FIR, the police has registered an FIR.

The two class VI students had died mysteriously on September 24 after falling from the hillside onto the Cart Road between St Bede’s College and Sanjauli. The parents had alleged that the two girls were mentally upset as they had been harassed by the teacher in the school. They rued that though the police had shown promptness in registering an FIR against relatives and others who went on a rampage on the school premises on September 29, no case had been registered against the school management and the teacher concerned.

Rathore is special counsel for Railways
Tribune News Service

Shimla, October 1
Kuldeep Rathore, who is the standing counsel for the Central Administrative Tribunal for the Shimla Bench and senior panel counsel for the Armed Forces Tribunal, Chandigarh, has been appointed special penal counsel for Railways before the Himachal High Court.

He has been appointed for a period of three years. He is also the counsel for Central public undertakings, the BSNL and the MMTC.

Russian national arrested under Foreigners Act

Mandi, October 1
The Mandi police arrested Russian national Alexander, who was travelling without documents, under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, from the bus stand here today.

2 killed as tractor falls into gorge
Tribune News Service

Mandi, October 1
Two persons, driver Roshan Lal and co-passenger Khem Singh of Kalnidhar, were killed when the tractor (HP65-1982) they were travelling in rolled down about 100 metres into the gorge near Dhawas in Gohar subdivision today.

According to the police, both the occupants died on the spot. The driver apparently lost control on the tractor. The police has registered a case.

Couple dies in road mishap
Our Correspondent

Chamba, October 1
A husband and his wife were killed when the motorcycle on which they were riding veered off the road and fell into a 70-metre-deep gorge at Kapadi Mor near Nakrod in the outlying Churah subdivision of Chamba district today, according to a police report here.

The deceased had been identified as Rakesh Kumar and his wife Usha who belonged to Gholti village in the district.