Bilaspur, November 11
State Congress general secretary Ram Lal Thakur, who contested the Assembly elections from Naina Devi constituency on the Congress ticket, today took exception to relaxation in the enforcement of the model code of conduct.

He pointed out the use of cars and flags by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and the powers of the Cabinet to take decisions, including transfers of employees, even though counting of votes was scheduled for December 20.

Talking to mediapersons here, the former Law Minister said the order on relaxation, if passed by the Chief Election Commissioner, was illegal and against norms.

He asserted that the model code of conduct could not be ended, withdrawn or relaxed on any pretext as the counting of votes and the declaration of election results were awaited.

He questioned the sanctity and effectiveness of the model code of conduct if BJP leaders who contested elections were given
these powers.

He pointed out that officers would feel to be under threat and they could not be expected to work impartially during the interim period when electronic voting machines were in their custody.

Ram Lal Thakur pleaded to the Chief Election Commissioner to reconsider any such decision and enforce the model code of conduct strictly.

He said the model code of conduct was enforced four months before voting during the previous Assembly elections and the then Congress government was made a caretaker government.

Dharamsala, November 11
The move of CSK Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University in Palampur and the state government to promote organic farming has failed to take off. The move was launched to bring organic farmers in the state on one platform.

The university had identified about 9,000 farmers in the state who were carrying out organic farming. The farmers were listed by the university. As the first step, the university planned to form an association that would have all organic farmers as members.

The university wanted to adopt the Maharashtra model to promote organic farming in the state. In Maharashtra, farmers carrying out organic farmers have formed an organisation. They complement each other not only in technology, but also in marketing produce.

Farmers in Himachal Pradesh, especially in the high reaches, are already practising organic farming. The basic problem before the state is that it has only a few organic farming experts to guide the farmers. In addition, there is no institutional infrastructure available for promoting organic farming practices.

The association of organic farmers would have provided a platform to farmers to exchange their experiences. They were to be given knowledge about soil healthcare required for organic farming and later, about certification required for selling the produce as organic.

As per international norms, the government cannot form an organic produce certification agency as it is perceived as a vested party. It has to be created by a third party, that can be a university or an independent association or organisation.

The certification for forming an organic produce certification agency is given by the Agriculture Produce Export Development Agency, functioning under the Ministry of Commerce.

At present, there are only 11 organic produce certifying agencies in the country. Hiring any of those for getting the produce of farmers in Himachal Pradesh certified is economically unviable.

Farms in Himachal Pradesh are small in scale. Organic farming can increase the income of farmers of the state if it is marketed properly. Organic produce from the state is already being marketed in metros, fetching good returns.

At present, most of the profit of organic produce is being pocketed by middlemen. If an association is formed to provide farmers a platform for marketing, the maximum benefit can go to farmers.

The university had recently produced organic tea with the brand name Dhauladhar Tea. Tea farms of the university were kept without any chemical fertiliser and pesticide for five years before it was certified by the university to be organic.

It remains to be seen if the organic tea produced by the university finds a good market and becomes a role model for other tea farmers in Kangra.

Mandi, November 11
The allotment of a ‘khokha’-cum-juice bar without a proper process of tender, being run in proxy by some family member of a BJP Mahila Morcha leader on the premises of the Zonal Hospital, has raised the ire of the medical fraternity.

Doctors, staff and patients’ attendants do not have canteen facility at the 300-beded hospital here, but the hospital administration has allotted the shop-shed to the influential person, resented the staff.

The office of Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Mandi, AB Gupta has kept it a secret to avoid controversy. The influential family members have readied the shop in the name of a juice bar right under the nose of the hospital management.

President, HP Medical Officers Association, JN Chauhan said the doctors and staff needed canteen facilities at the hospital. “More than 500 patients visit the hospital daily, but there is no canteen here,” he added.

Despite the fact that no private party can raise its own structure inside the hospital, the influential leader allegedly has set up the shop right at the entrance of the hospital to run a juice bar or other business, revealed insiders.

“No tender was called and the allotment was done on a political ground for running a juice bar,” sources said. “The hospital can provide the space for an essential service like a canteen or medicine outlets to government agencies or can outsource these services in the hospital building following a legal process. But it cannot allow the raising of a shed on government land,” they pointed out.

The CMO had allotted the same shed to run the canteen about 15 years ago. But the shed had been sublet to a third party, while another half of it had been allotted to a juice bar, the sources said.

CMO Gupta said they had provided the space to run an HPMC juice bar. “We will investigate whether the HPMC has signed an agreement with some other person to run it or not”.

He said they had ordered the eviction of the present occupant. “We have not allotted the space to any mahila morcha leader as such, but we will investigate,” he claimed.

Hamirpur, November 11
The Regional Passport Office (RPO) in Shimla has decided to close all passport offices at the district level shortly to start online applications and a biometric system for issuing passports.

At present, the RPO has given facilities to applicants to submit application forms through district-level offices where applications are accepted and forwarded to the RPO.

The RPO has started a Passport Seva Kendra in Shimla. All application forms bearing biometric details of applicants will be accepted online.

Offices functioning at the district level will be phased out. Applicants will have to submit online applications at the Passport Seva Kendra as applications on paper are also being phased out.

While residents resent the move to close down passport offices in districts, the department is claiming that better authenticated passports will be issued to applicants after the introduction of this system.

The department has installed a biometric system at the Passport Seva Kendra. Fingerprints and other physical details of applicants will be obtained at the time of submission of online applications. The inclusion of biometric details will make passports better authenticated and internationally accepted.

Regional Passport Officer, Shimla, Rajesh Sharma, said, “Since the department has opened a Passport Seva Kendra in Shimla with gadgets for biometric details, we are in the process of closing down passport application collection centres at the district level as two sets of passports, one with and the other without biometric details, cannot be issued.”

“With the inclusion of biometric details, passports will be better authenticated. Visitors will not face much of a problem in the authentication of passports in foreign countries. Applicants will have to visit the kendra once and they will be issued passports on the spot, subject to police clearance,” he added.

Mandi, November 11
Discontent is simmering in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress as certain official candidates, who are feeling the heat of likely poll reverses, are hunting for black sheep and scapegoats. They are trying to blame rebels, who are their own party members, for the likely reverses in the election outcome.

After former state Congress president Kaul Singh Thakur raised the issue of party rebels at a press conference in Shimla soon after polling on November 4, the Kullu District Congress Committee has recommended the expulsion of 21 Congressmen in Kullu town for reportedly working against party candidate Sunder Thakur in the Assembly elections.

The action followed a meeting of the Block Congress Committee in Kullu yesterday, where the expulsion of 21 Congressmen was recommended for working against the official candidate. The state Congress has yet to take a decision.

Interestingly, there was no Congress rebel in Darang, from where Kaul Singh was seeking election for the eighth time. His protege Sunder Thakur has started a hunt for black sheep in Kullu Congress unit as party rebel Prem Lata Thakur is the wife of Satya Parkash Thakur, a loyalist of state Congress chief Virbhadra Singh.

Besides, Virbhadra Singh did not campaign in Kullu and Manali constituencies. Manali candidate Bhuvneshwar Gaur is a Vidya Stokes loyalist. Dharamvir Dhami, a Virbhadra Singh loyalist, contested as an Independent.

The bug has started troubling BJP veterans as well. Party hopper and Transport Minister Mahender Singh Thakur held a meeting in Dharampur yesterday and pointed out the negative role of certain black sheep in the elections.

The Congress candidate from Dharamsala, Sudhir Sharma, had pointed out the reported negative role played by certain senior Congressmen against him.

The urge to find out scapegoats ahead of the results can catch up in the constituencies of Manali, Anni, Mandi, Jogindernagar, Dharampur, Sarkaghat, Seraj, Karsog, Sundernagar, Balh and Nachan.

On the other hand, Congressmen are complaining of under-cutting in Jogindernagar, Dharampur, Sarkaghat and Mandi from the leadership nurtured by Kaul Singh.

Apart from Kullu, Congress candidates in Manali, Anni, Karsog, Sundernagar, Balh and Seraj are coming out of their cocoons, hunting for black sheep to blame them in case of poll reverses.

The victims are usually low-rung party workers, who are used as pawns by political bigwigs to settle political scores, rue certain party workers.

Bilaspur, November 11
The Right to Information (RTI) Act is one of the most powerful and revolutionary enactments, which has given the right to every citizen to get any information regarding any government or semi-government organisation or department within 30 days of the submission of an application on a simple form with a fee of Rs 10 in the form of postal order.

This was stated by PR Pahadia, Chief Judicial Magistrate and Chairman of the subdivision-level Legal Services Authority, while presiding over a day-long camp for representatives of panchayati raj institutions here yesterday.

He said those belonging to below poverty line families were not required to submit any fee with their application for any information under this Act.

He said it was a good weapon in the hands of the public to expose corruption and was becoming a deterrent in several ways to prevent government officials from indulging in illegal activities and expenditure beyond rules.

He said the facility had been provided through the Legal Services Authority. He said it also provided free legal aid to those with an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh, jailed undertrials, depressed persons, families of weaker sections, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women.

He pointed out that financial aid and the services of an advocate, with all necessary documents, were being provided free after the submission of an application.

Pahadia appealed to all panchayat representatives to apprise the concerned in their villages of this free facility.

District Bar Association president Tejaswi Sharma, advocate Pravin Sharma and District Attorney SS Kaushal also spoke. Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Gurmeet Kaur Varma and Assistant District Attorney Champa Sureel were present.

Shimla, November 11
The Cabinet has unanimously decided to take up the issue of making it mandatory to vote and link it with the availing of civic services and social welfare and benefit schemes of the Centre and state governments.

The Cabinet, which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister PK Dhumal on Friday, adopted a unanimous resolution to thank electors for extending cooperation in completing polling peacefully and in a harmonious environment.

It extended special thanks to women and the youth who turned out in strength to exercise their franchise. It expressed gratitude to Election Commission officers for the smooth conduct of elections.

It greeted the people of the state ahead of Divali. It cautioned them to be careful in the use of firecrackers to avoid any untoward incident and protecting the environment from pollution caused by dense smoke and fire.

The Cabinet also directed the Food and Civil Supplies authorities to maintain a vigil over the sale of unhygienic and adulterated sweets.

It told them to ensure good-quality, safe and hygienic sweets to consumers so that there was no health hazard and to keep a check on prices of such commodities.

Shimla, November 11
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, has awarded a project on “Analytical and Numerical Study of Genes Instability in a Visco-Elastic Fluid in Presence of Magnetic Field Rotation” to the Department of Mathematics of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU).

It is the Human Resource Development Group of CSIR, which has awarded Dr Joginder Singh Dhiman from the Department of Mathematics, a grant-in-aid of Rs 11 lakh for three years to carry out the research.

Dr Dhiman, principal investigator, said the project had been sanctioned after a strict scrutiny process of the submitted proposal and evaluation of the research work done by him in the field of astrophysics and space science.

He has published more than 30 research papers in national and international journals.

He said the genes instability was the simplest theory that describes the aggregation of masses in space.

He said this aggregation of mass occurred whenever the internal pressure of a gas was too weak to balance the self-gravitational force.

He said in the field of astrophysical science, the genes instability was of central importance in understanding the process of formation of stars, planets and other astrophysical objects in the space.

Under this scheme, they shall investigate the effects of magnetic field and rotation, which are the universal properties of the cosmological configurations, on the genes instability of visco-elastic medium.

Palampur, November 11
Despite orders of the Kangra Deputy Commissioner (DC), most power companies executing small hydroelectricity projects in the Kangra valley have not deposited local area development funds, catchment area treatment plan money and lease amount in the state exchequer.

DC KR Bharati had served a notice on all power companies in August to deposit the funds due within a month. A number of companies had begun generation and were earning profit, but had not deposited the funds.

In the absence of stringent rules, it is difficult for the administration to collect funds from erring power companies, which reportedly have good political connections.

A senior officer with the state government said stern action could not be taken because of certain loopholes in memorandums of understanding signed with the companies. He confirmed that the total arrears from these companies were over Rs 50 crore.

The DC had initiated steps for the collection of arrears from the companies. Prior to that, the companies did not even deposit the lease money for the government land occupied.

Those residing around the power projects had, time and again, apprised Subdivisional Magistrates and and Tehsildars of encroachment on government land by the companies, but no action was initiated.

Nurpur, November 11
The martyrdom day of freedom fighter Wazir Ram Singh Pathania, who hailed from the Nurpur area, was celebrated as Veer Diwas at his native birth place Bassa Waziran, near here, today. The memorial committee constituted by the martyr’s kin has been observing his martyrdom day as Veer Diwas.

Himachal Pradesh Ex-servicemen League president and former minister Vijay Singh Mankotia, who was the chief guest at the function, paid floral tributes to the martyr’s security uniform.

Addressing a mammoth gathering assembled to pay tributes to the martyr, Mankotia underlined the need to rectify the history of martyrs who had made supreme sacrifices for the freedom of the country. He said the Government of India should render the status of the first freedom fighter to martyr Wazir Ram Singh Pathania as he had laid down his life before Mangal Pande whose name figured as the first freedom fighter in history. He urged the youth to follow the path of this great martyr who had made the supreme sacrifice at the young age of 24 years while languishing in prison in 1849. “Pathania’s armed revolution against the British regime (1846-49) had set the path of our Freedom Movement,” he said.

On this occasion, Mankotia honoured octogenarian Capt (Hony) Jagdish Singh, who had been honoured with Veer Chakra during the Indo-Pak War-1965, wives of martyr Hav Tarsem Lal, who had laid down his life in Tripura in 1991, Lieut-Col Kaman Singh, who had laid down his life during the Kashmir war in 1948 and reknowned writer Sansar Chand Prabhkar.

Local MLA Rakesh Pathania, former MLA RS Bakshi and local Rajput Sabha president Suram Singh were also present on the occasion. 

Bilaspur, November 11
Ex-servicemen and several prominent citizens remembered martyrs of the 1962 war with China at the War Memorial at Changar sector in Bilaspur under the aegis of district Ex-Servicemen Samiti here today.

Led by Brig JS Varma (retd), a large number of ex-servicemen, including samiti district president Sub Prakash Chand and 
Vir Chakra winner Capt (retd) Roop Lal, turned up to pay homage to the 150 jawans and officers who had laid down their lives defending our borders with China in 1962.

Drawn from all parts of the district were prominent ex-servicemen leaders, including Rajender Singh, Yogender Jamwal and Bhag Singh (all retired Captains), Sub Hari Singh, Hav Jagannath Sharma, Sub Balak Ram, Hav Sukhdev Kaushal, Ex-Servicemen District Mahila Brigade vice-president Raksha Devi and secretary Sunanda Sud, Bilaspur Nagar Parishad president Rajni Sharma, former Zila Parishad member Neena Kaushal, Prem Lata Shashtri and retired Deputy Ranger Som Prakash.

Paying tributes and saluting to the extreme valour of the national heroes, Brigadier Varma said the country would always remain indebted to these valiant fighters and their names would always remain written in gold in the history of our country. He said, “Despite all odds against them, they did not yield even an inch of their motherland to the enemy till they were alive and fought even with bayonets and fists when bullets and ammunition were exhausted.”

He said, “We should make it a habit to remember and pay tributes to our jawans who sacrifice their lives 
for our safety and stand on their guard day and night in extreme weather and trying conditions.

Sub Prakash Chand said 13 jawans from Bilaspur district had sacrificed their lives in the war with China while defending our borders. 

Mandi, November 11
Between 150 and 200 passengers, including students and women, travelling in three buses and a few trucks, remained stranded at Rani Nullah, 12 km from the 13,050-foot-high Rohtang Pass, from the afternoon till 9 pm today.

An oil tanker got stuck on the spot, blocking the movement of bigger vehicles. The staff with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) finally restored traffic movement for bigger vehicles in the evening.

According to sources, the passengers were on their way from Lahaul to Manali. The BRO had sped up work on the Rohtang-Marhi stretch as tourist traffic had decreased in the last one week. The BRO had restricted the movement of tourist traffic with the onset of winter.

Though the BRO undertook blasting on the trouble spot at Rani Nullah today to restore two-way movement of traffic, the oil tanker got stuck. Officials said smaller vehicles could be driven around the spot, but buses and trucks were stranded.

Chamba, November 11
The staff of Chamba division apprehended deodar timber being smuggled in a Maruti car used as a taxi under the cover of a carpet in the Chamba forest circle of the state Forest Department on Wednesday night.

After receiving a complaint from Suneel Kumar, forest guard, who was on duty at the Ludera forest checkpoint, a team of forest officials led by Range Officer, Chamba, Ved Prakash rushed to Balu, a junction point of vehicles coming from Sahoo to Chamba or Pathankot, and organised a naka.

The speeding taxi did not stop when it was interrupted and sped towards Sarol.

The vehicle was apprehended at Gholti and four ‘nug’ of freshly felled deodar, presumed to have been felled from the demarcated protected Mandu area in Jumhar beat of the lower Chamba Range, were seized from the vehicle.

Pritam, Devi Singh (both from Chamba tehsil) and Rajinder, the driver, who is also the owner of the taxi, was apprehended by the forest team. The accused were produced before Kirupa Sankar, DFO, Chamba, who is also the authorised officer under Section 52 (A), Indian Forest Act. The cost of the timber apprehended has been estimated at Rs 25,000.

Chief Conservator of Forest, Chamba, ARM Reddy confirmed the incident and said a strict vigil had been sounded at all forest checkpoints in the district.

Chamba, November 11
A two-day 21st HIMORTHOCON-2012 annual conference on the Continuing Medical Education (CME) was held here today. Over 35 eminent orthopaedists hailing from various parts of Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring states participated.

Director and Principal, Government Medical College, Chandigarh, Raj Bahadur was the chief guest.

In his keynote address, Professor Bahadur spoke about the day-to-day developments in the field of orthopaedics and updated the gathering about the latest advanced techniques, instrumentation application and treatments available.

Highlighting the ease and availability of the treatment of arthritis, Professor Bahadur underscored the need of providing basic infrastructure in hospitals so that orthopaedic surgeons posted at the district-level health institutions could do much better.

He was thrilled to have a confluence of young minds of eminent orthopaedists, especially in such a remote area as Chamba, and said the conference would go a long way in helping people of this region.

During the conference delegates from Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, and Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda (Kangra), and neighbouring states discussed recent advances in ortho surgery and difficult cases of arthritis.

Eminent orthopedic surgeons Mukand Lal and Bhanu Awasthy also delivered lectures and observed that “joint and bone diseases were no more that difficult to handle in view of the tremendous professional success achieved with the help of the latest technology all over the world.”

Organising secretary, 21st HIM ORTHOCON-2012, Prashant Rana welcomed the delegates and said it was for the first time that such a conference was held in Chamba.

Bilaspur, November 11
An Excise and Taxation team of Una, led by Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dev Raj Sharma and consisting of ETO Sukh Dev Sharma and Assistant Officer Amar Nath Sharma, caught Devender Kumar, representative of a cosmetics firm of Delhi, while selling its products worth several lakhs of rupees on fake bills without paying taxes at all.

The firm was fined Rs 3 lakh after checking all papers and sale vouchers etc being carried by this representative.

Reports said Devender Kumar was selling products like nail polish and lip sticks etc to shopkeepers and traders in Ghumarwin subdivision, apart from other areas earlier. The team accosted him at Balha Seena near Barthin and asked him to produce evidence of having paid tax for the sales.

But he had none with him, although he had already sold goods worth Rs 11 lakh in that area on unaccounted fake sale vouchers. — OC