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Start Air India flights to state, Union Ministry urged
Sonia will take final call on CM candidate: Kaul
CDs containing conversations of Cong men doing rounds
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Assembly Poll 2012
Dalai Lama congratulates Obama on re-election
High Court dismisses former minister’s plea
Failure to appoint consultant delays national food project
EC nod sought for undertaking project works
GS Bali alleges victimisation of Cong workers in Nagrota
Woman gets RI for life for double murder
Bike rider killed in road accident
Man gets 5-yr RI for causing death
Woman dies of burns, man of poisoning
2 booked for felling deodars
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Start Air India flights to state, Union Ministry urged
Shimla, November 7 The three airports at Bhuntar in Kullu, Gaggal in Kangra and Jubbarhatti in Shimla have no operating flights. Arun Sharma, Director, Tourism and Civil Aviation, has written to the Union Minister of Civil Aviation to press for services of Air India to protect tourism from getting affected. Those associated with the tourism industry are a worried lot as the Christmas-New Year season is the busiest time of the year and the absence of air connectivity has started affecting hotel bookings. “I have urged the Secretary, Civil Aviation, to help us out as this could severely impact the coming winter season,” said Sharma. He said efforts were on to rope in some private operators to start services so that air connectivity could be restored. It was almost three months ago that Kingfisher discontinued its flights operating between Delhi-Shimla via Kullu. Till that time they had flights on Monday, Tuesday and Friday linking the state capital with air services. With the situation further worsening, Kingfisher suspended operations between Dharamsala-Delhi as well. The flights to Shimla and Dharamsala have always been erratic and this has been a huge deterrence to tourism promotion. The shorter length (3,900 feet) of airstrips does not permit larger carriers to operate from the three airports in the state, with there being little scope for extension. Some hotel owners admitted that they had already started getting calls for the cancellation of bookings for the Christmas-New Year bash due to the absence of flights. There are a few high-end tourists who can afford a chartered flight and will stick to their earlier holiday plan. There has been a little progress on the issue of setting up an international airport in the state. Though land has been identified in Solan and Hamirpur districts, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) is still examining the suitability of the sites. Poor air and rail connectivity in Himachal are some of the biggest hurdles in promoting the state as a tourist destination as a majority of the people avoid travel by road. |
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Sonia will take final call on CM candidate: Kaul
Shimla, November 7 Interacting with mediapersons here today, he said both Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary had been talking tough on the issue of corruption and it was likely to get due weightage in deciding the Chief Minister, indirectly undermining the claim of HPCC chief Virbhadra Singh. He said he resigned as the HPCC chief in the interest of the party and Virbhadra Singh was appointed in his place as part of the party’s strategy. He said he was a disciplined soldier of the party and discharged with full commitment whatever responsibility the party high command assigned to him. He said he would return to the Vidhan Sabha for the eighth time in spite of the presence of two party rebels in the fray. There were rebels in many other constituencies and the party high command was aware of the leaders who had proposed their names and entered the fray as Independents after being denied ticket. Kaul Singh claimed that the BJP was on the way out as people were determined to teach a lesson the party, which put the state on sale and opened the floodgates for outsiders. The Congress would form the government with a comfortable majority and it would implement all the promises made by it in letter and spirit. Congress leaders from the Centre had blasted the BJP charge of discrimination during the campaign and convinced people that the incompetent government failed to utilise Rs 10,000 crore provided by the Centre. He said the long gap between polling and counting of votes was quite unusual and it would have been better if the Election Commission of India had held election in the state just a few days before Gujarat polls. |
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CDs containing conversations of Cong men doing rounds
Dharamsala, November 7 Audio CDs allegedly containing recorded conversations of senior Congress leaders with party workers in which they are urging them to work against official nominees of the Congress are doing rounds in the district since yesterday. In one such CD, a senior Congress leader has reportedly urged party workers to support Independent candidate from Dharamsala Kamla Patial instead of official nominee of the party Sudhir Sharma. The senior Congress leader has also admitted in the conversation that another party leader from the district was also working in a similar direction. However, in the recorded conversation, a copy of which is also available with The Tribune, it seems that the person involved in dialogue with senior Congress leader has in fact prompted her to speak about the other Congress leader. The person involved in the conversation seems repeatedly poking the senior Congress leader to speak in a particular direction. In another recorded conversation, a Gaddi leader of the Congress is reportedly urging members of his community to support BJP nominee from Dharamsala Kishan Kapoor on the plea that Congress leader Sudhir Sharma was an outsider. Sources here said the recorded CDs had also been sent to the party high command by the affected Congress leaders. Some political observers also see the move to release the audio CDs as a fight for the post of the Chief Minister if the Congress is voted to power in the state. However, the release of the audio CDs might be a step to check their aspirations and carry out lobbying against them before the results are declared on December 20. The police has got the possession of the CDs. A case under the IT Act and defamation could be lodged in case the leaders involved in the conversation make a formal complaint, a senior police official said. |
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Assembly Poll 2012
Shimla, November 7 The overall polling percentage of 73.92 fell short marginally from the highest 74.51 recorded in the 2003 poll. However, the turnout of women has shot up from the previous high of 75.92 per cent to 77.05 per cent, while that of male has come down from 73.14 per cent to 70.93 per cent. As many as 33,51,411 electors exercised their franchise out of which 17,04,023 were female and 16,47,388 male. The polling percentage of women has been on the rise consistently from the 1967 Assembly poll when only 42.45 per cent women electors cast their vote against 59.53 per cent men and they almost drew levels in the 1993 Assembly poll when 71.10 per cent women exercised their democratic right as against the 71.91 per cent men. In the 1998 Assembly poll, they finally overtook men the first time with a polling percentage of 72.21 per cent against the 70.26 per cent for men. The highest-ever women turnout of 75.92 per cent was attained in 2003 when male voters also came out in strength and polled 73.14 per cent. In the latest poll, the highest women turnout of 80.31 was recorded in Sirmaur district, but the men were not far behind with a polling percentage of 79.47. It was followed by Una where 78.55 women exercised their franchise but the men were lagging far behind with a turnout of 69.42 per cent. Other districts where women did better than men are Chamba with female polling percentage of 77.68 and male 75.63, Kangra female (77.54) and male (66.22), Lahaul-Spiti female (76.51) and male (73.42), Hamirpur female (76.27) and male (61.90), Bilaspur female (78.23) and male (68.48), Kinnaur female (75.49) and male (71.70) and Solan female (77.85) and male (77.45). However, there are three districts where male voters outnumbered their female counterparts. Three districts are Shimla where the male percentage was 70.49 and female 67.57, followed by Mandi male (77.86) and female (73.28) and Kullu male (79.46) and female (78.21). |
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GHNP awaits world heritage site status
The technical expert committee is optimistic that the GHNP represents a potential western Himalayas representative site, which has an “outstanding universal value and contiguous natural barriers for conservation” from all its sides and is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. What has raised the optimism of the state and country’s wildlife fraternity is that India has become a WHC member and as such can plead the GHNP case strongly. A UNESCO team led by vice-chairman, World Congress on Protected Area (WCPA) of International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Dr Graeme L Worboys inspected the park. The team also visited the park area and took a helicopter survey. Dr Graeme said the GHNP was a potential world heritage site and he would submit the report to the IUCN, that would further send it to the WHC, which is the final authority. Dr Graeme inspected the work being done by women self-help groups and how villagers were being rehabilitated in the eco-zone of the park. But the UNESCO nod for the park cannot be taken for granted. The WHC also reviews its decision after every five years to ascertain whether the management is up to the mark or not. As many as five-six world heritage sites are reviewed and not found up to the mark satisfying the norms, he cautioned. Talking about tourism promotion in the GHNP, he said it was a world challenge before heritage property site managements to monitor tourism in the right way. The impact in the property could be negative if tourism became unmanageable, but the key was to strike a balance. A wild-lifer and supporter of the GHNP, Dilaram Shabab (90), presented a memorandum to Dr Graeme, representing local NGOs in the Tirthan valley to make the GHNP a people’s park, not a mere source for outside exploiters to grab its natural sources to make quick money. He pleaded that the rights of people should be protected and accommodated by the WHC. The state team of wildlife officials, including Chief Wildlife Warden SV Islam, GHNP Director Ajay Srivastva and GHNP DFO (Wildlife) Sandeep Sharma, are optimistic that the national park will see the light of the day and put Himachal on the world heritage map. |
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Self-immolations: Probe
causes, CTA urges China
Dharamsala, November 7 It urged them to develop corrective policies and measures that meet the aspiration of Tibetan people. The CTA has also appealed to the Chinese leadership to stop its policy of denigrating and accusing the Dalai Lama with exaggerated and distorted statements. The organisation representing the Tibetan exiled community also urged the 18th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party to provide amnesty and release all Tibetan political prisoners to foster positive policy transformation in Tibet. The Chinese leadership should desist from the existing policy of avoidance or the false notion of not accepting the existence of a Tibetan issue. “Rather we urge them to revive the channels of meaningful contacts to resolve the long-standing issue of Tibet,” the CTA appeal to the Chinese leadership said. The CTA further said 10 self-immolations in October 2012 alone marked the most extensive tragic cases in one month till date. “According to confirmed information available with us, so far 63 Tibetans have set themselves on fire, including Dorjee Lhundup on November 4. Fiftyfive of them were male and eight of them female. The oldest among the self-immolators was 64-year-old and the youngest 17. Fiftytwo of them have already succumbed to their injuries,” the CTA claimed. The Tibetan administration also said in spite of its repeated appeals to Tibetans in Tibet to value their precious lives, the Chinese government blatantly accused the Dalai Lama of instigating separatism through self-immolations. “However, we clearly recognise the fact that all these drastic actions were driven by wrong policies of the Chinese overnment in the past 60 years and, particularly, since 2008,” the CTA said. |
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Dalai Lama congratulates Obama on re-election
Dharamsala, November 7 Since then, you have made earnest efforts to live up to that great hope and trust placed in you by the American public. I believe you have been re-elected now in recognition of that effort.” “As you know, it is over a year since I handed over all my political authority to the elected Tibetan leadership, but as just one among the six million Tibetans I want to thank you for your steady encouragement of our efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the problems in Tibet,” he said. |
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High Court dismisses former minister’s plea
Shimla, November 7 The petitioner, Kuldeep, filed this petition against the order of the Judicial Magistrate on the ground that the Magistrate has overstepped the jurisdiction vested in him while passing the order on the complaint. The Magistrate has acted in an illegal manner in passing the orders. It has been stated that examination of complainant is sine qua non for passing an order under Section 156 (3) CrPC. In alternative, the Magistrate is to send the complaint to the police for inquiry and then proceed further. The Magistrate has not adopted either course. It further contended that the petitioner was not heard before the complaint was sent for investigation. The trial Magistrate passed the order of registration of the FIR and investigation of the allegation on the complaint of Des Raj of Amb, Una district, on the allegations that in revenue record, Kuldeep is mentioned as “Tarkhan Jambal” by caste as per pedigree table 1913-14 and he belongs to the “Tarkhan” caste and is a politician. He took undue advantage of his position and got his caste changed fraudulently with dishonest intention and got himself registered as ‘Lohar Kaundal’ in revenue records in connivance with revenue officials and got himself declared as Scheduled Caste (SC) by cheating and has been wrongly taking benefit of reservation by corrupt means, which is granted to the SCs. The “Tarkhan” caste belongs to the OBC. The petitioner has got a SC certificate from Tehsildar, Amb, and using the same for his benefit and his family members. The petitioner is using fraudulently scheduled caste certificate as genuine. While dismissing the complaint, Justice Kuldip Singh observed that the petitioner had failed to make out a case for quashing of the proceedings. There was no merit in the petition. |
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Failure to appoint consultant delays national food project
Solan, November 7 The project aimed at enhancing the level of processing of perishable foods from 6 per cent to 20 per cent and value addition from 20 per cent to 35 per cent nationally will help enhance the country’s share in the global food trade from 1.6 per cent to 3 per cent. It will also help enhance the level of processing for fruits and vegetables from the present 2.2 per cent to 10 per cent and 15 per cent in 2013 and 2015, respectively. A state-level committee has already been constituted to oversee the working of the cell, set up to implement the process, and the process to appoint a consultant was in an advanced stage. Once appointed, the consultant will prepare a vision document highlighting the state’s vision for the growth of food-processing industries in the state. Though tenders for the same were invited on August 10 and after the evaluation of bids, the process of appointing the consultant had been delayed. An amount of Rs 2.69 crore had been received from the Centre as part of their share of 75 per cent, while the remaining 25 per cent from the state was yet to be received. Besides the vision document, operational guidelines covering various criteria for carrying out earmarked activities under the project would also be chalked out by the consultant. Various activities, including technology upgrade, setting up of new units, modernisation and expansion of food processing industries, would be covered under the scheme. The public would be educated about its usefulness through conducting promotional activities. Efforts to introduce a course on food processing in universities are also being mooted. Expressing concern at the delay, Director, Industries, JS Rana said they had taken up the issue with the Election Commission so that the process to receive the sanction for the state funds could be initiated and the process to appoint the consultant could be finalised. He said they were in an advanced stage of undertaking implementation of the project and were now awaiting permission from the Election Commission. |
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PWD official’s vehicle set afire in Palampur
Palampur, November 7 A police officer while talking to mediapersons here today said the driver parked the jeep at 7 pm yesterday on the premises of the PWD rest house. The vehicle was intact till 12.30 am when the caretaker of the rest house saw it last. However, the caretaker found the vehicle destroyed early this morning. He reported the matter to senior officers of the PWD, who immediately reached the spot and informed the police. A case has been registered against unknown persons in the local police station. A team of forensic experts was also called from Dharamsala to assist the police in the investigation. No arrest has been made so far. The police said when the incident took place the official vehicle of Tulsi Ram, Speaker of the state Assembly, was also parked on the same premises. In another incident, some miscreants damaged a new Maruti car near a local hotel last night. The police said it was a road rage incident as the car hit a pedestrian. Later, some persons stopped it at Lohana village. Besides, manhandling the driver of the vehicle, they also damaged it badly. A case has been registered. The police had identified the miscreants in the incident. |
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EC nod sought for undertaking project works
Shimla, November 7 Chief Secretary S Roy today wrote a letter to the EC to allow Himachal to go ahead with routine works, which otherwise got affected due to the model code of conduct, which would be in effect till December 24. The counting of votes would be undertaken on December 20. The EC had directed the state to send a written request. The state has taken the plea that permission be granted to start work on several projects for which permission has been received from various agencies, including the World Bank. |
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GS Bali alleges victimisation of Cong workers in Nagrota
Dharamsala, November 7 He also accused the local police of supporting anti-social elements who were victimising Congress workers. SSP, Kangra, Diljeet Thakur said the police had been receiving complaints that two groups were creating problems in the Nagrota market. An additional force had been sent to Nagrota to maintain law and order, he said. Bali’s supporters and Arun Mehra, Independent candidate from Nagrota, had been posturing against each other in Nagrota. Mehra was Bali’s former supporter who had turned against him and contested as an Independent in the Assembly elections. |
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Woman gets RI for life for double murder
Chamba, November 7 According to the judgment, on September 7 last, Bhagi Ram telephonically informed the police that his daughter Mithilesh, wife of late Amar Singh, of Diur village was missing for the past six-seven days. He also said foul smell was emanating from inside the room. A police team, headed by Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Onkar Singh, and another police team, headed by Sub-Inspector Darshan Singh, left for the spot. They found the bodies of Mithilesh and her son Bhupinder (9). The postmortem of the two deceased was conducted at the Regional Hospital, Chamba, and it was observed that they had died due to strangulation. During investigation it was found that on August 31 last year, Anchala had hired a taxi from Chamba and gone to the house and committed the two murders by strangulating them with her ‘dupatta’. Then she took the mobile phone of the deceased with her and locked the door from outside and returned by the same taxi. Twenty witnesses were examined to prove the case. |
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Notorious monkey captured
Nurpur, November 7 Sanjay Sen, Divisional Forest Officer, Nurpur, said, “Even after being captured in the cage, it is aggressive towards women and children. Balwant Singh, forest guard, has played a key role in the capturing of this notorious monkey.” He said the captured monkey would be left in a dense forest far away from habitation so that it could not return to the village.
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Bike rider killed in road accident
Dalhousie, November 7 The report said the deceased had been identified as Ravi Kumar of Goli village in Dalhousie, adding that Rohit of Banikhet had been injured. A case of rash and negligent driving had been registered against the bike rider at the Dalhousie police station. |
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Man gets 5-yr RI for causing death
Sundernagar, November 7 The court further sentenced Nirmal Devi and Sanjay Kumar to pay a fine of Rs 1,000 each under Section 323, IPC, for causing injuries to Vijay Kumar, Jayoti and Kanta Devi. The police had booked all three initially for offence under Sections 302, 323 and 506, IPC, on September 4, 2011. As per the prosecution, Bhagat Ram had started digging a trench on land at Mahadev village, Sundernagar. When stopped, he inflicted injuries on Lal Singh. Other accused also inflicted injuries on family members of Lal Singh. The prosecution examined 11 witnesses to prove the case. The court held that a case of murder was not made out against Bhagat Ram as he had no intention to kill the deceased. However, a case of causing death without any intention was made out and the remaining two persons were guilty of causing injuries to others. Bhagat was in custody since the time of arrest and afterwards shifted to Modern Jail, Nahan, after the passing of the order.
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Woman dies of burns, man of poisoning
Kangra, November 7 She was rushed to the Tanda hospital from where she was referred to the DMCH, Ludhiana, and later shifted to the PGI, Chandigarh. She was this morning shifted back to DRPGMC where she died. Chander Singh (40) of Mandal died after consuming poison at DRPGMC, Tanda, late last evening.
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2 booked for felling deodars
Chamba, November 7 On a complaint of Om Parkash, Forest Range Officer, Masroond, a case had been registered in which it was stated that Darshan Kumar, beat guard of the forest, caught the accused red-handed while felling trees. He also snatched an axe from the accused. The cases had been registered under various sections of the Indian Forest Act and the Indian Penal Code and future investigation was underway. The cost of the deodar trees had been put at more than Rs 5 lakh, a report said here today.
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Sai Ropa (Kullu), November 7