Shimla, September 25
The battle between the state government and the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) has now reached the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Registrar of Cooperative Societies has brought to the notice of the apex cricket body the alleged wrongdoings of the HPCA in the hill state.

Even as the HPCA is yet to reply to the show-cause notice issued to it by Registrar RD Nazeem on September 7, a detailed letter was sent to the BCCI today, intimating it about the alleged acts of omission and commission committed by the sports body.

“The purpose of sending this communication is to point out the facts about the state of affairs with regard to the HPCA as it has come to our knowledge that a meeting of the BCCI is scheduled for September 29 at Mumbai. The HPCA is claiming to be the duly authorised body to participate in such a meeting,” the Registrar wrote.

He intimated the BCCI that proceedings had been initiated against the HPCA. Its governing body had been restrained to pass any resolution or to make any expenditure or banking transaction concerning the affairs of the HPCA without the written approval of the Kangra Additional Commissioner.

The Registrar also brought to the notice of the BCCI the writ petition pending in the Himachal Pradesh High Court which is scheduled to come up for hearing on September 30. He added that the court had not granted any stay in favour of the HPCA.

The letter also makes detailed mention of the fact that land was given to HPCA for a stadium, in its capacity as a society and not a company under the Company Act. “The HPCA, with almost identical office-bearers and Directors, was registered as a society as well as a company,” the letter read.

The Registrar of Societies also intimated the BCCI about the FIR registered against the HPCA on August 1 by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.

It added that more details in this regard could not be divulged as the investigation in the case was on and, moreover, the matter was also pending in the court.

In the letter, the BCCI has been assured that all facts will be brought to its notice as the government is keen that the HPCA functions properly. It has also been pointed out that public largesse has been given in the form of land and other benefits under the HP Societies Registration Act, 2006 to the HPCA which has been constituted for the purpose of promotion of cricket in the state.

What govt has written HPCA’s governing body has been restrained to pass any resolution or to make any expenditure without approval of Kangra Additional Commissioner High court hasn’t granted any stay in HPCA’s favour. A writ petition against it is scheduled to come up for hearing on September 30 The HPCA, with almost identical office-bearers and Directors, was registered as society as well as company All facts pertaining to HPCA’s wrongdoings will be brought to BCCI’s notice

Dharamsala, September 25
Heavy rain in Kangra district have caused Rs 27 crore damage to paddy and vegetable crops. A survey conducted by the Department of Agriculture revealed that maximum damage to paddy crop was caused in Fatehpur block and areas close to the Dhauladhar ranges.

Areas close to the Dhauladhars received very heavy rainfall even in the month of September due to which heavy damage was caused to paddy and vegetable crops said the Deputy Director, Agriculture.

The survey by the Agriculture Department authorities has revealed 20 to 25 per cent damage to paddy and maize crops and 40 to 50 per cent damage to vegetable crop.

Besides, the quantitative loss there will be qualitative loss to the said crops. The late rains are likely to discolour the paddy yield. The dwarf variety of paddy is grown in Kangra district that has more resistance to heavy rains and storms. However, this year even this variety has suffered heavy damage to the unprecedented rains. The vegetable crops have also been damaged and exposed to fungal diseases, sources here said.

Swaroop Singh, a farmer from Sakoh village, said the entire paddy crop in the area had been levelled to the ground due to heavy rains in the last few days. He said about 50 per cent paddy crop had been lost in Sakoh and surrounding areas of Dharamsala.

Though the Department of Agriculture has worked out the losses to the crops, the state government has no budget or policy to compensate the farmers for loss due to natural calamity.

The Deputy Director, Agriculture, Palampur, when asked if there was any policy to compensate the farmers for the loss due heavy rains, said there was no such provision. However, the government had decided to give 50 per cent subsidy to farmers of the state for the forthcoming rabi cropping season for crops, including vegetables, oil seeds, fodder crops, pulses and cereals as wheat crop, he said.

The state government had also introduced a crop insurance policy for farmers of the state. However, very few farmers have taken up the scheme. Inquiries from farmers revealed that they either did not have knowledge about the crop insurance scheme or were suspecting it.

The Kangra valley is a rain-fed area. It is among vital areas where the Union Government wants to increase the area under crop cultivation under the second green revolution programme.

However, climatic changes like untimely rains are posing a major challenge to agriculture in the area.

Due to climatic changes and destruction by wild and stray animals, especially cows, the farmers have given up tilling their lands. Due to small land holdings, the farmers in Himachal generally grow cereal crops for their own consumption. The sources here said farmers had started giving up farming due to cheap ration schemes of the government under which they got foodgrains at very nominal prices.

Shimla, September 25
The Cabinet has decided to frame a special policy for regularisation of encroachments by the Bhakra Dam oustees in the New Bilaspur township. The maximum extent of land to be regularised will be up to 150 sq m only on a freehold basis.

The Cabinet, which met here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, decided to move the case under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for diversion of forestland to establish a Central University.

The Site Selection Committee had recommended developing two campuses, one at Dharamsala and other at Dehra, in a phased manner. It has selected 160 hectares of land at Dharamsala for immediate development of the main campus of the university, while 80 hectares at Dehra will be taken up in the second phase.

It has also decided to revise and enhance the norms of relief under the State Disaster Management and Relief Manual, 2012. It granted approval to upgrade the Nagar Panchayats of Santokhgarh, Dehra, Jawalamukhi and Sujanpur into Municipal Councils and upgrade the posts of secretary to executive officers in these local bodies.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to upgrade Civil Hospitals in Nerva and Chopal in Shimla to 50-bed institutions with required staff. It created 15 posts of various categories at the recently upgraded police station at Sunni. It also approved the shifting of PWD division-II (Shimla) and the PWD sub-division at Jutogh to Dhami.

It cleared the proposal of the Himachal Pradesh High Court for enhancement of pecuniary jurisdictions of all subordinate courts to enable citizens to take up their cases at the district-level courts.

Permission was granted to lease out government land measuring 1,540.37 sq m at Khaliar in Mandi to the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan for 99 years in relaxation of rules. It gave its nod to open a tehsil welfare office at Haroli in Una and construct a rest house of the Irrigation and Public Health Department at Sidhbari in Kangra.

It also decided to transfer back the control of 842.68 hectares of forests of the Shimla Urban area from the Shimla Municipal Corporation to the Forest Department for its proper management.

The Cabinet has also decided to fill 100 posts each of Punjabi and Urdu teachers on contract basis.

Important decisions Cabinet to approach Centre for diversion of 160 hectares of forestland at Dharamsala to develop main campus of Central University Nagar Panchayats of Santokhgarh, Dehra, Jawalamukhi and Sujanpur upgraded to Municipal Councils

Shimla, September 25
The draft document to amend the timber distribution policy proposes to allot standing trees instead of converted timber to right holders.

The draft amendments in the Himachal Pradesh Forest (Timber Distribution to the Right Holders) Rules approved by the Cabinet today provides for grant of 7 cubic metre of standing volume of trees to right holders for construction of house once in 15 years. In the existing rules, a right holder is entitled to 3 cubic metre of converted timber once in 30 years.

Similarly, for carrying out repairs, 3 cubic metre of standing volume of trees will be made available once in five years. The proposed rules are much liberal as against the existing provision under which 1 cubic metre of converted timber is allowed for repairs once in 15 years.

However, green trees will be felled and the requirement of right holders for timber will be met through salvage marking, which means giving preference to standing trees instead of fallen trees. Green trees will be felled only if enough timber is available through salvage marking.

Every year about 50,000 cubic metre to 75,000 cubic metre of standing volume is allotted to right holders and as such almost 40 per cent of the salvage marking will be utilised to meet the requirement of right holders.

There is also a proposal to link grant of trees under the rules to the Aadhaar card to prevent misuse of the facility.

The main problem of the right-holders was that the application for grant of trees was not accepted after the stipulated deadline and approval had to be obtained from the Gram Sabha, which held only four meetings in a year.

The amended rules provide for grant of timber on the recommendation of panchayat pradhan so that requirement for funeral, renovation of temples, agriculture and other bona fide purposes could be met instantly.

Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri had given an assurance in the Vidhan Sabha that “faulty” timber distribution policy framed by the BJP regime would be amended as it virtually denied villagers of their right.

Since the new policy came into force in January 2010, only 813 of the total 9,771 applications were granted. As result of a tedious procedure, 7,657 applications were rejected as incomplete.

Palampur, September 25
Shanta Kumar, senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister, today criticised the UPA government for bypassing Parliament and bringing an ordinance to protect those legislatures and parliamentarians who had been convicted by courts of law or were likely to be sentenced to more than two-year imprisonment.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Shanta Kumar said the UPA government wanted to amend this law earlier also and a Bill for the amendment of the law was presented in Parliament in the last session, but the same was deferred and sent to the select committee of Parliament for further discussion. It was a matter of surprise that the government had promulgated an ordinance even without waiting for the report of the committee.

He expressed concern over the criminalisation of Indian politics. He said recent riots in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh was the latest example of criminals active in political parties who were responsible for the killing of 40 innocent persons.

He said there were hardly 10 political leaders in the country who had been convicted for more than two years. It was shameful that just to protect only 10 persons, the UPA government was playing with the sentiments of lakhs of people and also showing disrespect the highest court of the country.

He categorically stated that the main object of this ordinance was to protect Lalu Parsad Yadav who had been facing trial in the Rs 10,000-crore fodder scam in Bihar.

Palampur, September 25
A rally organised by the Army for admission to its school for children between nine and 11 years threw life out of gear here today.

With the break of the dawn, thousands of children, along with their parents, started arriving in the town by buses, private cars and other vehicles, resulting in traffic jams in different parts of the town. By 8 am, all roads leading to the town were choked. Long queues of vehicles were seen on Dharamsala and Bundla roads. The Dogra Regiment had organised the rally to select children for Boy Sports Company, Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh.

The police and the local administration had a tough time, as there was no prior information about the rally and no arrangements made to handle the situation.

For hours, hundreds of vehicles remained stranded. Office-goers, schoolchildren and patients visiting different hospitals in the town were the worst affected. Police personnel were nowhere to be seen as there was a mad rush on roads. Only a few police constables were seen at the Nehru Chowk and near the Public Works Department rest house.

The situation was no better at the venue either. A stampede was reported from the venue, as Army authorities failed to handle the situation. Many children received injuries. As the situation went out of control, Army authorities were forced to cancel the rally.

Palampur SDM Bhupinder Attari said the Army hadn’t given any information about the rally to the administration, which led to such a situation. He added that the venue chosen by the Army for the rally was too small to accommodate 20,000 persons.

Members of different trade unions raise anti-government slogans during a demonstration at Dharamsala on Wednesday. Photo: Kamaljeet

CITU district president and secretary Jogidner Kumar and Pratap Rana, respectively, and AITUC leader Mukesh Kumar, among others addressed the public meeting.

Rs 10,000 per month wages sought

SHIMLA: Hundreds of workers affiliated with the Centre of Trade Unions (CITU) today staged a massive demonstration. Workers from AITUC, BMS and INTUC also held a rally at the the Sabzi Mandi ground here today.

Speakers at the rally demanded a minimum wage of at least Rs 10,000 for unskilled workers and sought its linking to the consumer price index. They also demanded an end to contract labour system by way of a legislation. Despite exploitation of the workers, the government had chosen to remain a mute spectator, alleged Kashmir Singh, general secretary, CITU State Committee.

He alleged that labour law implementation had become a casualty in the hands of the UPA regime as neither minimum wages, pay slips, employment cards nor housing facilities were being provided to the workers. He added that if the workers raised their voice to seek their rights, they were “thrown out of job exploited”.

CITU workers hold demonstration

DHARAMSALA: Members of CITU organised a protest march here today. They were demanding the implementation of labour laws in the state.

Ashok Katoch, district secretary, CITU, said all labour unions from the district, including the Anganwadi Workers Union, Water Carriers Union, Mid-day Meal Workers Union, Lanko Group Project Workers Union, Subhash Group Workers Union and Raheja Power Project Workers Union, participated in the protest.

The protesters submitted a memorandum to the district administration, Kangra.

They demanded Rs 10,000 per month as minimum wages for all workers and Rs 5,000 for anganwadi workers. They also urged the government to implement the pension scheme in all private organisations.

Shimla, September 25
Kuldeep Singh Pathania, Chairman, State Pollution Control Board (PCB), has proceeded on a 13-day tour of Europe to study the urban sector.

He will visit France, Belgium and Sweden under the Indian Urban Sector Study Tour, organised by the European Business and Technology Centre.

Pathania said the focus was on bringing the Indian administrators in urban local bodies together to interact with their peers from Europe. They had undergone the change and could provide effective advice on how to manage sustainable urban environment, finding innovative technological solutions to the challenges faced as well as creating the capacity-building mechanism for the operational staff of the urban local bodies.

The areas of interests included collection, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal of municipal, industrial, hazardous, e-waste and bio-medical wastes. They also include waste recycling, waste-to-energy, bio-methanation, composting, landfill management and waste consultancy, treatment and distribution of water and waste water, public hygiene and sanitation, road cleaning etc.

The Chairman is accompanied by Vineet Kumar, Member Secretary of the Board, as part of the delegation from India.

Mandi, September 25
As many as 15 students from the US, Poland, Turkey and the Philippines, including six visiting foreign faculty and 600 students from all over the country, enrolled at the IIT, Mandi, are here to transform the town into an upcoming vibrant cosmopolitan and multicultural town.

They are here working on how to solve the town’s problem of traffic congestion and villagers’ drinking water problem in the peripheries.

The five teams comprising overseas and IIT students are working on five different projects aiming to find both short and long-term solutions to the town’s problems of congestion and traffic chaos and problems of postal service and drinking water in villages around its campus.

“It is like another home here as people are warm and friendly and want to find a solution to their problems,” said Dr Ingrid Shockey, global programme manager and adjunct assistant professor, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), near Boston, who heads the team.

The town is facing problems like traffic congestion, lack of safe footpaths, sidewalks, lack of space, parking lots and proper cleanliness. “We met all types of people and gathered that they wanted a traffic-free city centre at Chauhata and Indira market zone,” said team members Justine Mert, Bipul and Sumit.

The teams have also visited Shimla as part of the project and found the same set of problems clogging the city. “We have a two-way traffic system in New York City, but here it is a problem. Maybe Mandi can have bypasses and more parking places outside the main city centre and circular road,” said Austin from New York.

The five projects aimed at solving the problem of traffic congestion, water scarcity, traditional irrigation system and lighting in villages and eco-tourism and postal service in remote areas, said Dr Aarti Kashyap, Associate Professor, SCEE and SBS, IIT, Mandi, who is coordinating with the WPI.

“We will have an open house in mid-October with NGOs, various stakeholders and district officials and submit the report to the Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, for implementation,” she added.

The community service projects with the WPI and the IIT, Mandi, are a part of multiculturalism-based curriculum, especially devised by the IIT to instill a sense of social responsibility among the IITians.

“The multiculturalism teaches us who to grow up globally. When they pass out from here and assume higher responsibility in future, they must know how to contribute to society they work and live in,” said Prof Timothy Gonslaves, Director, IIT Mandi. 

Solan,September 25
The state government has directed the Department of Higher Education to post Muslim teachers in areas where the concentration of Muslim students is more. In Himachal, the Muslim community is mainly concentrated in Sirmaur, Chamba, Una and Solan districts.

The directive has been issued in line with the recommendations of the Sachar Committee to the Government of India where it had been pointed out that Muslims continued to remain educationally backward and steps should be taken to address the issue.

The Directorate of Higher Education has directed the principals of all government degree, postgraduate and Sanskrit colleges to monitor the number of staff members and students belonging to the Muslim community in each block and send six-monthly reports to the government.

The Directorate of SCs, OBCs and Minority affairs had earlier stressed the need to post Muslim teachers in areas where the concentration of the community students was more.

As per the directions issued by the Government of India, preference should be given to Muslim teachers in areas where the concentration of such students was more so as to attract more students from the community.

A progress report giving details of each block in the district, along with the concentration of the Muslim population, the number of teachers in the teaching institutes, share of Muslim personnel and teaching category of Muslim personnel, is required to be regularly sent to the Directorate of Higher Education by all principals.

Even details of the enrolment of Muslim boys and girls and their total percentage vis-à-vis total enrolment of all students and even gender-wise details have been sought from each institute.

According to the committee findings, the literacy rate among the Muslims is below the national average and the gap between the Muslims and the general average is greater in urban areas and women. It has also been pointed out that 25 per cent of the children of Muslim parents in the age group of 6-14 years have either never attended school or have dropped out.

The national-level report had also pointed out that Muslim parents are not averse to mainstream education or to send their children to affordable government schools.

Palampur, September 25
Heavy rain, accompanied by a hailstorm and high-velocity winds, hit the Palampur region of the state last evening adversely affecting normal life. Power supply and vehicular traffic were also affected.

Many parts of the region remained without power supply for hours as electricity wires and other equipment suffered an extensive damage. Lightning also struck in many areas which damaged electronics appliances. Reports reaching here said a number of kachcha houses were also damaged.

Palampur, Baijnath, Paprola and Bir areas experienced heavy showers, while upper reaches of the Dhauladhar ranges had the first snow of the season. There has been considerable fall in the temperature.

Agriculture experts of Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University termed the rain as harmful for the paddy crop and harvesting was in progress in many areas. A senior scientist said if rain continued like today, it would hit the production targets of paddy in the state.

Kangra, September 25
Mohammed Altaf Bhat (42) of Srinagar, who had crossed over to Pakistan in 1990 for militancy training and subsequently was arrested by the BSF and sentenced to jail, is on a peace march from Dharamsala to Delhi.

Altaf was released after serving a two-year imprisonment in the Central Jail, Srinagar. He started his march for peace from Dharamsala yesterday and reached here today on foot to impress upon the youth of Kashmir to desist from getting involved in such activities, which would ruin their life.

He said he had experienced the brunt of militancy. He said in 1990, when he was just 18-year-old and militancy was at its peak in the Valley, he was pushed across the border by a person.

Altaf, who was in Pakistan for three months, claimed that he left his gun at the border while crossing over to India, but was later arrested by the BSF. He said for him all was over, adding that but now his mission was to save the youth from falling prey to such a situation.

He said he started his first march for peace from Mumbai to Srinagar on September 24, 2010. He said he would not give up his fight for peace.

However, he criticised the government for the non-implementation of rehabilitation programme for those who had shunned militancy.

He demanded peace and justice for both the Muslims and Pandits of the Kashmir valley, who were living in exile. He gave a call to the Kashmiri Pandits in exile to return to the Valley.

He said he was not against any party or public leader, but through his march he wanted to convey the sentiment of the common man in Kashmir to everyone. He was joined by a few local youth during his march here.

Kangra, September 25
The seven-day Tourism Week celebrations concluded with a valedictory function at the Temporary Academic Block of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP) at Shahpur today.

Addressing students and faculty members at the valedictory function, CUHP Vice-Chancellor Furqan Qamar said such initiatives and opportunities enabled students to get overall development and hands-on experience to work as a team.

Urging the students to make use of such opportunities, the Vice-Chancellor said the theme of the celebration "Tourism and Water: Protecting our Common Future" was very relevant.

Pro Vice-Chancellor Yoginder S Verma said, "Such celebrations help to bring in sweeping change of attitude and behaviour among key actors in local, national and global tourism for peace and sustainable development.”

The Tourism Society had organised competitions and awareness programmes like a tree-planting drive, declamation competition, workshop on home-stay scheme and quiz contest. The Vice-Chancellor gave away prizes to winners of the competitions.

Registrar Gautam Mukherjee, Dean, Student Welfare, HR Sharma, Proctor Roshan Lal Sharma, faculty members of different departments and other colleges were present.

Mandi, September 25
VK Dhawan, Superintendent of Police, Kullu, today put two head constables and three constables posted at the police station, Manali, under suspension and ordered departmental enquiry against them.

According to the preliminary enquiry conducted by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Manali, it was found that the three cops on duty at Manali did not discharge their duties when they were informed about an incident of pick-pocketing at the bus stand, Manali, on September 22.

The SP said the preliminary enquiry found that the two cops did not respond and the third one was found absent from duty. The SP has asked the DSP, Manali, to conduct the department enquiry in the case.

In the second case, local BJP MLA Govind Thakur was travelling in his vehicle at night when two cops on duty asked for a bribe from the driver on flimsy ground. However, when they found that the MLA was sitting inside, they made lame excuses. Both the cops have been put under suspension and were called to the police lines, Kullu, by the SP.

The SP said a departmental enquiry in both the cases had been ordered and five cops put under suspension till the DSP, Manali, submitted the report to him.

Kangra, September 25
Two persons were killed and five others injured in two road accidents today.

Kangra district ASP Mohit Chawla said at 10.30 pm some vehicle hit Joginder Singh (45) of Kuthaird village at Chamba leaving him dead on the spot. The driver, along with his vehicle, fled from the scene after the mishap. Some passer-by informed the police that sent the body for postmortem and registered a case under Sections 304-A and 279, IPC, and 187 MV Act.

The ASP said in another accident on the Baroh road near Samloti today, a Tata Sumo rolled down leaving Munshi Ram (85) of Bussal dead and three others Sushma (32), Preet Singh (57) and Suresh Kumar (58) injured. The injured were rushed to the DRPGMC at Tanda. A case was registered under Sections 304-A and 279, IPC. Sumo driver Rajesh was unhurt in the accident.

In yet another accident, a private bus (HP 68 1843) on way from Dehra to Dhaliara hit a motor cycle (HP 36 6256) and a scooter (HP 36 4542) at Sunhet village falling under Dehra police station today. Two persons Sanjeev Kumar of Daonta and Shanti Das, drivers of the motor cycle and the scooter, respectively, were injured. A case under Sections 279 and 337, IPC, was registered against bus driver Sarvjeet Singh of Dadashiba.