Dharamsala, August 23
Revenue Department officials have said in a report that the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) encroached on some portion of the Education Department land where the stadium had been constructed.

The State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau had sought a report from the Dharamsala tehsildar in this regard.

Sources said during the measurement of the land, Revenue Department officials have found that the encroachment had been done on some part of the Education Department land. The land earlier had houses for the teaching staff of the college. However, the houses were demolished and the area was included in the HPCA stadium.

The HPCA in 2008 pleaded before the then Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, that the allegedly ramshackle houses adjoining the cricket stadium were posing a threat to their infrastructure. The DC sought a report from the PWD that declared these unsafe. Thereafter, the decision was made to demolish these. However, after the demolition of the houses, the land, defining the HPCA cricket stadium and college boundaries, was not clearly demarcated.

In the measurement carried out now by revenue officials, it has been allegedly found that about 18 metre land of the college was in possession of the HPCA. The state government has asked the district administration to provide them the record of the meetings in which the decision was taken to demolish the houses of Dharamsala college staff.

Sources also said the land on which the stadium was built was still in the name of the youth services and sports department.

However, since the land was given on lease at Re 1 to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), the entry in revenue records was made.

Revenue officials said the land entry in the name of the HPCA was not made in revenue records as they had not approached them for the purpose. However, this could still be effected if the HPCA wanted it. Sources said the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau was also inquiring into other properties and stadia of the HPCA in the state, including those in Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Una.

It also going into the financial transactions carried out by the HPCA for the construction of the stadium.

The HPCA and its properties in Himachal are likely to hog the limelight until the parliamentary elections as the present Congress government was trying to pin the organisation that is headed by BJP MP from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur.

Shimla, August 23
The House witnessed uproarious scenes during the Question Hour as BJP members staged a protest alleging victimisation of elected panchayat functionaries on political grounds, leading to a brief adjournment of the House on the second day of the monsoon session of the Vidhan Sabha here today.

The trouble started when Rural Development Minster Anil Sharma was replying to a question of Jai Ram Thakur (BJP), who had sought details of the panchayat representatives suspended from January 1 to July 31. The BJP alleged that panchayat pradhans were being victimised on political grounds as a notification was issued to seek information about their political leanings.

The Minister, however, maintained that no notification was issued, but the BJP members persisted with the charge and rose in protest. They started raising slogans and displayed placards carrying slogans. Speaker BB Butail asked them not to display the placards as it was against the rules. As the BJP members continued with sloganeering, the Speaker adjourned the House for 10 minutes. The BJP members left the House and did not return.

Condemning the action of the BJP members, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said it was a pre-planned move as evident from the fact that they had come prepared with the placards to stage a protest.

He said the BJP’s accusation of vendetta was like “kettle calling the pot black”, as it was the Dhumal regime that had resorted to victimisation of elected panchayat representatives and suspended all those who were suspected to be Congress sympathisers. The appeals filed by them were not decided for months. Some affected pradhans, who had the resources to pursue legal battle, managed to get justice from the High Court.

The Chief Minister asserted that no notification seeking information on political leanings of panchayat functionaries was ever issued. However, the District Panchayat Officer, Kangra, had on his own written a letter, which was withdrawn as soon as the matter came to the notice of the government. The officer was issued a warning.

Shimla, August 23
The HP High Court has given an approval to the HP University to start the admission process to the BEd as per the entrance test.

The court passed this order after perusing the reply filed by the university vide which it had contended that there was no illegality in the system introduced by it by making mandatory the entrance test for admission in BEd course.

The petitioners challenged the entrance test system for admission to BEd course.

The university had pleaded before the court that it may be allowed to admit the students to BEd on the basis of their merit in the entrance test. The bench comprising Chief Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice Kuldip Singh observed: “We modify the interim stay, granted on June, 26 2013, to the extent that the selection process may be continued further, but the authorities will not exercise power of lowering down the marks for SC/ST candidates below 30 per cent. 

Shimla, August 23
The concept plan prepared by the International Centre of Roerichs (ICR), Moscow, for the development of the International Roerich Memorial Trust (IRMT) at Naggar in Kullu into a global centre of art and culture underlines the need to accord heritage status to the village.

An eight-member delegation of the ICR, headed by Alexander Losyukov, made a presentation of the concept plan before Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy here last evening. The plan has been prepared in consultations with eminent architects and other experts from Moscow. It will be posed to the federal governments of Russia and India for financial support, besides approaching UNESCO and other world agencies.

The collaborative process between the ICR and the IRMT was initiated by Shakti Singh Chandel, a life trustee of the IRMT, during his visit to Moscow in September 2011. Subsequently, a team of officers from the State Department of Language, Art and Culture headed by Sudripta Roy visited Moscow in October 2012 and concluded an agreement for collaboration.

Thereafter, teams of experts from Russia kept visiting Naggar for the preparation of concept plan which proposes the revival of the Urusvati Himalayan Research Institute, setting up of a new museum as was envisioned by S Roerich, creation of an indoor auditorium, introduction of a scholars-in-residence scheme and making the Helena Roerich Academy of Arts (for children) functional.

The plan lays stress on landscaping of the premises with flowers and herbal garden and ensuring that no undue construction took place to disturb the heritage character of the 200 bigha Roerich Estate nestling amid a thick jungle of cedar trees.

Alexander Stetsenko said the ICR had been organising exhibitions of Roerichs paintings and other works of the family members in various countries. Last year, an exhibition was held in Paris under the aegis of UNESCO and this year in Geneva at the UN headquarters. Next year, it has been proposed to hold such an exhibition in Shimla and other cities of India. 

Shimla, August 23
As many as 200 delegates from India and abroad are participating in the two-day international conference on women empowerment being organised at St Bede’s College here.

The conference was inaugurated by Transport and Civil Supplies Minister GS Bali here today. The keynote address was delivered by Prof Pam Rajput, Chairperson of the high level committee, constituted by the Government of India on the status of Women and Member, Central Monitoring Committee on Empowerment of Women.

In the plenary session on “Women’s Rights and Issues: Uplift and Empowerment” Sarojini Ganju Thakur Chairperson of the HP Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission, was the moderator. The other members were Subhash Mendhapurkar, Meera Khanna, a social activist, Vinita Shaw and Prof Usha Bande.

Participants from Australia, Russia and the USA are attending the conference.

Shimla, August 23
Up in arms against the dictatorial attitude and political victimisation by the Virbhadra regime, the BJP today warned that it would fight back.

The BJP held a state-level protest rally at Ambedkar Chowk in Chaura Maidan here. Later party legislators, office-bearers and workers led by former Chief Minister PK Dhumal and state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti marched to the Vidhan Sabha to lodge their protest. The workers tried to push their way across the barricades but were prevented by a large posse of the police.

Addressing party leaders and workers, Dhumal cautioned the Congress to desist from such petty acts. “Rather than focusing on development works and fulfilling the promises made to the people in its election manifesto, the Congress is registering false cases against BJP leaders, workers and their relatives and suspending elected BJP panchayati raj representatives,” he alleged.

Dhumal said transfer industry was prospering as thousands of transfers had been ordered on political considerations. “The government is unconcerned about the plight of the common man who is suffering due to price rise, corruption with no relief in the form of subsidised ration or jobs,” he remarked.

He also lashed out at the Congress regime for launching a misinformation campaign with regard to phone tapping. “The government is free to take action against anyone found guilty of the act, but it has no right to name me or anyone else for being responsible for it,” he objected.

He also defended the HP Cricket Association by stating that the land given to them for hotel was from the allotable pool and the NOC from the panchayat had been obtained but the government was targeting them unnecessarily.

Dhumal said the Congress during the assembly elections had made a propaganda that the Centre had provided Rs 10,000 crore financial help to Himachal which the BJP regime could not utilise. “I want to request it to provide this unspent money to the people so that they can get some relief,” he said.

Satpal Satti said the Congress had virtually unleashed “Goonda Raj” where petty politicians were threatening officials and elected representatives. Senior party leaders including Virender Kashyap, MP, former ministers and MLAs Gulab Singh Thakur, Ravinder Singh Ravi, Jai Ram Thakur, Mahender Singh, Rajeev Bindal, Shraveen Chaudhray, former MP Suresh Chandel and other party MLAs and office-bearers participated in the demonstration. 

Kangra, August 23
The weeklong Sanskrit festival at Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan concluded here today.

The festival was aimed at propagating the importance of Sanskrit at the global level. During the festival, various competitions, including recitation and Sanskrit quiz, were organised for schools and college students. A ‘shoba yatra’, which was part of the festival, moved through the markets of Pragpur town.

Chamba, August 23
A priest of the Mindhal Mata Mandir situated in the Pangi tribal valley of Chamba district has been booked by the police today as three gold articles of the temple and Rs 68,000 were found missing from the temple.

This was disclosed by Chamba SP Jagat Ram in a press note issued here today. He said priest of the temple Budhi Singh was booked on the complaint lodged by the tehsildar, Pangi, who is also the secretary of the Mindhal Mata Committee.

He said on August 19, the tehsildar asked Budhi Singh to hand over the charge to another priest Sri Ram but Budhi Singh tried to evade the directives.

Finally, the charge of temple was handed over to Sri Ram. When the property of the temple was inspected, three gold objects of the goddess and Rs 68,000 were found missing.

No arrest had yet been made.