Shimla, July 3
The state government today sent a request to the Punjab government seeking its approval for the inter-state cadre deputation of its IPS officer, SK Sharma, tipped to be the next Director General of Police (DGP) of the hill state.

With Himachal DGP B Kamal Kumar due to retire on July 31, the state government has also sent a request to the Union Home Ministry to allow the appointment of Sharma, a 1983 Punjab cadre IPS officer, to Himachal.

The plea given by the Himachal government is that since none of the three seniormost IPS officers in the state fulfil the minimum service requirement of 30 years, permission may be granted to bring someone from outside.

“We have written to the Punjab government to give a no-objection certificate, Vigilance clearance and annual confidential report of SK Sharma, as his name is being considered for being appointed as the DGP in Himachal,” confirmed Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy.

He said simultaneously a request had also been sent to the Home Ministry, seeking its consent for appointing SK Sharma as the new DGP. Sharma is currently posted as the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Human Resource Development, Training and Community Policing, in Punjab.

Even as there was speculation that the incumbent DGP might be given extension till a final decision is taken on getting someone from outside the state, the state government decided to seek Sharma’s inter-state cadre from Punjab. The possibility of Kumar getting an extension of three months still cannot be ruled out in case it takes some time obtaining clearance for Sharma’s deputation.

Sharma is learnt to have met Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and has expressed his desire to head the Himachal police force. It was only once in 1987 that IB Negi, an IPS officer hailing from Kinnaur, but having an outside cadre, was made the DGP for almost three years till his retirement.

The names of some other IPS officers from outside cadres were also under consideration earlier, but now the choice seems to have fallen on Sharma.

The three seniormost officers are Somesh Goyal, Sanjay Kumar and SR Mardi. Though ID Bhandari, who was removed from the post of DGP and is currently posted as the DGP, Home Guards and Fire Services, is the seniormost in the IPS cadre, but following his unceremonious exit after the phone tapping controversy he is unlikely to be considered for the top post.

Goyal, a 1984 batch IPS officer, is the seniormost and is currently serving with the Sashastra Seema Bal in Delhi. Sanjay Kumar, a 1985 batch officer, is currently on deputation with the Railways and will return to the state on July 21. Mardi, a 1986 batch officer, is currently posted as ADGP, CID, in Himachal. 

Shimla, July 3
Trying to put up a brave face in the wake of the drubbing received from the Congress in the Mandi Lok Sabha by-poll, the BJP today put the entire blame for the defeat on the misuse of power by the Virbhadra government and decided to project its candidates for the parliamentary elections well in advance.

The top brass of the BJP, including former Chief Minister PK Dhumal, state BJP president Satpal Singh Satti, state office-bearers and chiefs of all frontal organisations, today deliberated upon the reasons for the party’s defeat in the by-poll. The party discussed the factors that led to the defeat by a huge margin and prepared a road map to gear up for the next poll. Dhumal said the Virbahdra regime had blatantly misused power and violated all democratic norms. He lauded the efforts of the BJP workers and said they had used their might to fight the money and muscle power of the Congress leaders.

Reiterating the Modi mantra of strengthening the booth-level workers, Dhumal said the party would have to be geared up right from the grassroots level. The shortcomings that had come to the fore in the by-poll must be overcome and disgruntled leaders must be taken along to ensure the formation of the NDA at the Centre, he added.

Solan, July 3
With a view to ensuring that people do not face adverse impact of drug residues from animal foods, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has made it mandatory for veterinary drug manufacturers to write the withdrawal period, which is the maximum period prescribed for their use, on all such drugs.

In the directions issued to all drug controllers, the DGHS has specified the maximum period for which the drugs should be given to these animals which are used as food by human beings. This step was taken after several cases of health problems after consuming animal foods came to the fore due to the presence of drug residues in excess amounts.

Since every drug has a prescribed dose, any overdose can lead to health issues not only in the animals but also in the humans consuming these as food.

According to the directions, a container of medicine for treatment of food producing animals will be labelled with the withdrawal period for the species on which it is intended to be used. In case the withdrawal period has not been valid, it will not be less than seven days for eggs or milk, 28 days for meat from poultry or mammals and specific temperature of 500 degree days for fish meat.

Drug Controllers have been directed to ensure that all manufacturers of veterinary medicines for food producing animals strictly adhere to these directions as laid down in the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules. This will help ensure that food stuff produced from such animals do not contain residues of drugs.

Drug Controller Navneet Marwaha confirmed that such directions had been received and added that necessary directions had been issued to the manufacturers of veterinary medicines.

Dharamsala, July 3
The investment after the lapse of the industrial package in January this year in Himachal Pradesh has slowed down. Data collected by The Tribune in Kangra and Una districts hardly revealed any investment proposal that had come to the Industries Department after the lapse of the package.

Una district is the biggest hub for the industry after Solan district. Inquiries from the department revealed that a polyfibre company had started acquiring land for setting up its unit in Gagret in the past six months.

Sudhir Sharma, General Manager, Industries Department, Una, said United Polyfibre had proposed to make an investment of about Rs 20 crore in the Gagret industrial area. He also said Cremica would also set up a food park at Singha village in Haroli.

However, information gathered by The Tribune revealed that the food park of Cremica was facing a hurdle in land acquisition. The company, after getting a certificate for the food park, was trying to acquire about 500 kanals at Singha. However, the land that the company planned to acquire had about 275 partners. A small portion of government land was also involved due to which the company had to take the approval under Section 118 of the Land Tendency Act.

Sources here also said many proposals for setting up steel units were coming to the department after the Delhi government totally pushed out all steel units from its territory. However, the Himachal government had put the steel industry on the negative list as the industry had huge requirement for power.

Though the industrial package was a major attraction for the industry, better availability of power and comparatively low cost of land can still attract the industry to the state.

Though the cost of land was low in Himachal as compared to Punjab and Haryana, the availability of land is a big problem. The land holdings are small in Himachal. In case, any big industrial unit wants to acquire a huge chunk of land, it would have to tackle a large number of land owners.

The sources said a nexus of property dealers had also developed in the state that extracted money from investors by creating hurdles in land deals. Sources in the Department of Industry also said many investors were waiting for the new industrial policy of the state after industrial package had lapsed.

Some of them also blamed the overall slowdown in the manufacturing sector for lesser investment in Himachal. However, since the UPA government has extended industrial package to Jammu and Kashmir and ignored Himachal, it is going to hit investment in the industrial areas of Kangra district as Damtal and Sansarpur are close of Kathua district of Jammu.

Mandi, July 3
Thousands of students from rural background in the state are running from pillar to post to get science and commerce subjects and a college of their choice, under the newly introduced Choice-Based Credit System (CBCS), as the 22 government-run degree colleges located in rural areas have not introduced the new subjects.

The new system was launched this year by Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) in a hurry, without taking a comprehensive rationalisation of seats in each college and safe-guarding the interests of students coming from poor and rural education backgrounds, said education experts and college teachers.

As the counselling and admission for under-graduate classes came to a close in the colleges today, there were thousands of students who had not scored well in the Class XII examinations and failed to get a choice under the CBCS at the very start of their careers, students and their parents resented.

Students failed to get the subjects and a college of their choice from the 65 different colleges affiliated to HPU under the CBCS, according to the inputs from different colleges in Mandi, Kullu, Bilaspur and elsewhere in the state. This had happened because HPU had restricted the seats to 120 in science and commerce faculties to make it a batch of 60 students each in Vallabh Government College, Mandi, the sources said.

The story is no different in other older colleges in the state.

Of the 65 colleges, 23 colleges started between 2003 and 2012 in rural areas did not offer science and commerce subjects, revealed the information gathered by The Tribune. The obvious choice was the older colleges but students did not get admission there too.

The purpose for which the CBCS semester system was introduced in colleges might get defeated under the Rashtriya Uch Shiksha Abhiyaan (RUSA), cautioned experts. RUSA had sought to increase the participation of students in higher education, they added.

HPU claimed it had consulted college principals before launching the CBCS in colleges but the experts said it was a cosmetic exercise.

HPU should have done a comprehensive college-wise exercise and rationalised the number of
seats in each college, considering its recent intake, academic pattern, staff requirement and faculty position, said college lecturers requesting anonymity.

While the top scorers, most of them from urban areas, have got their choice of subject under the CBCS, the suffering majority from the rural background have been denied a choice. The purpose of the CBCS is defeated as the village students have been left in the lurch, the experts pointed out.

Even if they studied a second choice subjects, those would not be considered for admission at the post-graduate level, feared the students.

Even public administration and psychology, which were not introduced in senior secondary schools, have been introduced as major subjects, despite these having a limited career choice, commented a senior professor.

Mandi, July 3
Residents of Majiali village in the Rewalsar area today lodged a complaint with PL Thakur, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Central range, against a policeman working at Mandi. The villagers accused him of intimidating them in several local matters over the years, while their complaints were dumped in the office by him.

The villagers allegedly that the policeman had been intimidating them with the help of his influential family members. He had been threatening them over the years and their complaints, on various occasions, to the SP office were not allowed to reach the SP by him, they alleged.

The village delegation included Hukmi Devi, Pushpa Devi, Kaushaliya Devi, Damdev, Duni Chand, Kamlesh, Rina Devi, Yoga Raj and Rup Lal.

The IG has forwarded the complaint to the SP for initiating action in the case.

RS Negi, SP, Mandi, said the police was examining the complaint and probing the allegations and would take the required action after that.

Kangra, July 3
Principals of Government Senior Secondary Schools coming from headmaster and lecturer cadres are at loggerheads. The lecturer cadre principals are demanding joint seniority for further promotional avenues. But the other section is demanding that the seniority of the two cadres should remain separate and there should be no change in the recruitment and promotion rules.

KC Randhawa and HS Bharti, president and general secretary of the HP Headmaster Cadre Officers’ Association, Kangra district, respectively, in a statement here today threatened to resort to an agitation if the demand of the lecturer cadre principals for joint seniority of both cadres was accepted by the government.

They alleged that the state government had fixed the promotion ratio at 50:50 after a wrong data was submitted before it by a section of the principals. They said earlier the ratio was 60:40, with 60 for the headmaster cadre and 40 for the lecturer cadre.

They demanded an increase in the grade pay from Rs 6,600 to Rs 8,000 and an administrative allowance from Rs 300 to Rs 2,000.

They demanded the filling up of the vacant posts of Deputy Director of Elementary and High Education Department and 24 posts of Inspection Cadre Deputy Director.

They said the principal and teaching staff in the District Institute of Education and Training should be BEd and MEd and for the principal’s post preference should be given to MPhil, PhD with MEd.

Bilaspur, July 3
The BJP National Kisan Morcha has expressed strong resentment against the hike of only Rs 60 in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of paddy this year. The MSP of paddy was increased from Rs 1,250 to Rs 1,310 only.

Talking to mediapersons at the Circuit House here today, the morcha alleged that the Central Government was playing to the tunes of multinationals and big business houses to serve their interests and was ignoring interests of millions of farmers of the country.

Morcha national vice-president and former Member of Parliament (MP) Suresh Chandel said the government-appointed Swaminathan Commission had recommended in 2005 that peasantry should be provided at least 50 per cent profit over production cost of paddy, which came out to be Rs 2,100. At present, the production cost was Rs 1,400.

Some 20 kisan leaders of the area, including Kuldip Thakur, Bhim Singh Chandel, JC Katoch, Shiv Pal Manhans, Dinesh Kumar, Shashi Sharma and Sita Ram Thakur, accompanied Suresh Chandel at the press meeting.

Chandel pleaded that the prices had shot up so fast that the Central Government itself had provided 14 per cent dearness allowance (DA) in two instalments during last year to its employees. Even on that count, the increase in MSP of paddy should have been at least Rs 170 instead of Rs 60 only. He said this amply proved the anti-farmer stance of the Central Government.

Chandel said the National Kisan Morcha had also rejected the “paltry increase” of Rs 100 in MSP of cotton, which should have been at least Rs 500. He said the failure of the government to give any increase in maize prices this year was sheer injustice to millions of farmers of maize producing states, including Haryana, Rajasthan and even Himachal Pradesh.

He said several bills or amendments to bills, which would have provided relief to farmers, including the Land Acquisition Bill, were being purposefully delayed by the Congress in Parliament.

He said Kisan Morcha National Executive would meet in Gurgaon from July 5 to 7, under the chairmanship of national president OP Dhannakhad and decide on the future course of action.

Chamba, July 3
Crops and property, worth crores of rupees, were destroyed in different parts of Chamba district as the region experienced incessant rains recently, according to reports reaching the district headquarters here today.

The reports revealed that in rural areas, the kharif crops in several bighas had been damaged due to flooding. The short-term cash crops, including vegetables, perished causing heavy financial loss to farmers.

The recent heavy rains in the region had led to an increase in the water-level of the Ravi and if the flood fury of September, 1995, was repeated, it could cause irreparable loss to the habitations which had come up on the riverbed, including the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Sarol, near Chamba town.

It may be recalled that students were evacuated to safer places when the 1995-flood situation had posed a serious threat to the vidyalaya.

Meanwhile, Chamba DC Kadam Sandeep Vasant said a tentative loss of over Rs 59 crore had been estimated because of heavy rains in the district which included damages to agriculture, horticulture, roads and water schemes network, besides various other departments.

Kangra, July 3
The state government has sanctioned Rs 2 crore for the long-pending sewerage project and drinking water scheme in the town.

Stating this here today during a press conference, local MLA and associate Congress member Pawan Kajal said Chief Minister Virbhdra Singh has sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the sewerage project in the town so that the more than a decade old project could be completed. He said the work on the sewerage project in the Old Kangra area of the town had been completed and it would be dedicated to the people next month.

He said for the under-construction drinking water project in the town, the state government had sanctioned another Rs 1 crore. Kajal was critical of the previous BJP government for laying the foundation of the Rs 11.5 crore drinking water supply project for this temple town without any budgetary provision, with an eye on the polls last year.

He said a foot path would be constructed for the pedestrians in view of the heavy traffic on the road from the Tehsil Chowk to the local

Civil Hospital in the town. He said a park would be constructed for senior citizens at Mata Bagh location of the town.

Kajal said for the convenience of the tourists and pilgrims, a multi-storey parking complex, costing Rs 3.5 crore, would be constructed at Gupt Ganga location within a year and a half.

Solan, July 3
The management of an industrial unit, located in the Nalagarh industrial area, was booked for causing the disappearance of evidence and grievous hurt, after it failed to inform the police about a worker who had lost both his arms while operating a machine in the unit on June 28.

The case came to light yesterday when the injured worker, Krishan Kumar, who hails from Bhagvanpur village in Bihar, informed the police that he had been working in the industrial unit M Tech for the last three months and both his arms had been cut accidentally while operating a machine.

Though the company management had admitted him to a private hospital, they had not informed the police about the mishap which had rendered him handicapped.

SP Arul Kumar said a case under Sections 287, 336, 338 and 201, IPC.

Palampur, July 3
A police constable on duty was allegedly attacked by members of a liquor mafia at Bundla village, 2 km from here, last night.

A senior police officer today said Chaman Lal, a police constable, was on his way back to Palampur police station after conducting an inquiry at Kandi village when he was forcibly stopped by a few persons near Bundla. They also hurled empty liquor bottles at him and tried to throw him in a gorge, but passers-by saved him.

Lal received head injuries and was admitted to the local Civil Hospital.

A case under Sections 341, 323, 307, 506 and 34 of the IPC (attempt to murder and causing grievous hurt) has been registered against three persons. Police teams have been sent to arrest the accused.

This is the third incident when a police personnel has been attacked in Palampur. Earlier, a traffic police constable was murdered at Baijnath when he tried to stop a vehicle during night checking. The Bharwana SHO had a narrow escape when he was attacked near Daroh village. Also, some persons had hurled a liquor bottle at the vehicle of the DSP, in the jurisdiction of Bhawarna police station, a few days ago. 

Bilaspur, July 3
Two persons died of massive heart attacks, one youth fell to his death into a gorge while a child died due to snake bite in various incidents during the past 24 hours in the district on Monday.

Jivan Kumar (25), a labourer, slipped and fell into a gorge. He died on the spot.

Karam Chand (54), a PWD employee at Bharadi, died due to a massive heart attack.

In another case, Jagarnath (51), a driver with a government department at Ghumarwin, died of heart failure.

Ishu, two-and-a-half-year-old son of school lecturer Hari Lal of Dhareda village, died of snake bite. He was declared brought dead by doctors at the civil hospital.

Nurpur, July 3
The headless body of a woman was found at Kotpalahri village near Bhadwar, about 1 km from her house, late last evening.

The deceased, Shrishta Devi (54), wife of Baba Singh of the same village, had left her house at 12.30 pm yesterday, along with her eldest son Deepak (32), to fetch wooden sticks from a nearby forest. Her husband started searching for her in the evening and found her body on the path to the forest. Her chopped head was lying about 13 ft from the body.

On getting information, DSP Rajiv Atre rushed to the spot and took possession of the body, which was handed over to the family after a postmortem examination.

Meanwhile, after preliminary investigations, the police recovered a sharp-edged weapon, suspected to have been used in the crime. A case under Section 302, IPC, has been registered by the local police. A team of the Forensic Science Laboratory, Dharamsala, led by its assistant director, also visited the spot today and collected evidence. The police rounded up Deepak for investigation into the murder.

Balbir Thakur, Superintendent of Police (SP), Kangra, also visited the spot and examined it. He told mediapersons that the police had found some concrete evidence and the culprit would be arrested soon.