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Arrest culprits or face protests, ABVP, SFI to police
Maneka flays monkey killing
Plans for commuters to offset bus fare hike: Bali
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Raid de Himalayas
IIT-Mandi to start air defence programme
Villagers meet DC
Mandi MC accused of dishonouring national flag
Cement-laden truck catches fire
Tibetans suffering from dependency syndrome, says Sangay
Decision to upgrade Chief Engineer’s post hailed
Govt targeting BJP leaders, says Satti
Sea buckthorn to check soil erosion in Lahaul-Spiti
Awareness campaign on students’ health at NIT
Nurpur reels under water crisis
Polyhouse firm penalised for shoddy work
Power project tunnel: Committee allays villagers’ fears
CM to visit Bharmour on Oct 9, 10
Use FB, Twitter to mould public opinion: Sukhu
Cong hits out at BJP for defending Anurag
Cases against MP only to malign his image: BJP
31 animals sacrificed at Hidimba temple
Hi-tech Volvo bus service from Oct 8
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Arrest culprits or face protests, ABVP, SFI to police
Shimla, October 6 The ABVP today announced that its activists would stage dharnas in all colleges across the state tomorrow to protest against the one-sided action being taken by the police in the recent clash. It also threatened to gherao the Superintendent of Police if the SFI activists involved in the clash were not arrested within two days. The SFI on the other hand gave an ultimatum to the police to arrest all ABVP activists, involved in the murderous attack on its leader, by October 7, failing which it would resort to action at its own level. State secretary, ABVP, Ajay Thakur said the SFI had been unnerved by the growing popularity of the parishad and it was indulging in violence. SFI activists first tore its posters and then attacked its activists. As a result, five of its members sustained injuries. The police had arrested 11 members of the ABVP, but so far not a single SFI activist had been nabbed. District secretary, SFI, Prem Kayath blamed the ABVP for violence and alleged that it was resorting to such tactics with the backing of the BJP and its youth wing, the BJYM.
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Maneka flays monkey killing
Dharamsala, October 6 Maneka said as per records of the Wildlife Department, there were about four crore monkeys in the country at one time. However, now the number of monkeys in the country had reduced to about 4 lakh. Despite such drastic reduction in population, they were now being termed as a menace and culling and sterilisation programmes were being launched to control their population, she said. She said encroachments on forest areas and felling of fruit trees were reasons for monkeys migrating to urban areas. “The problem is that if you trespass into somebody’s house, take over it and call him a menace. This is not justified,” said Maneka. She said the idea of eliminating simians would prove to be destructive as it would cause ecological imbalance. “You can’t have humans everywhere. In Himachal, the human population has spread everywhere, even in the forests. So where should the wild animals go,” she said. She said sterilisation was also not a solution to the problem. “The only solution to the problem is to plant fruit trees. If people will not plant fruit trees, it is obvious that monkey will move towards human settlements,” she added.
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Plans for commuters to offset bus fare hike: Bali
Dharamsala, October 6 He said the green card scheme had been launched for people travelling daily between 40 and 60 km. The passengers taking green card from the HRTC would be entitled to 30 per cent discount in bus fare. The yellow card for passengers of poorer sections of society would be issued at same rate of Rs 50. Earlier, they were valid for just one year whereas in the new scheme, they would be valid for 5 years. Senior citizens would get a discount of 20 per cent on travel up to 40 km. Smart card holders, who frequently travel on HRTC buses, would get a discount of 10 per cent. The schemes would shield the common man from the bus fare hike whereas the increased fare would maintain the viability of the public transport system in view of the increased prices of diesel. Already the Cabinet has decided to decrease the minimum bus fare from Rs 5 to Rs 3 up to three kilometres, he said. Bali said the Centre had given its nod to additional subsidy of Rs 25 crore for the cheap ration scheme of the Himachal government. The financial subsidy on the scheme had been increased due to rising prices of pulses. Earlier also, the government had provided a subsidy worth Rs 175 crore to subsidised foodgrains scheme of the state government.
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123 teams take off for 6-day odyssey
Rakesh Lohumi /TNS
Shimla, October 6 There were 153 entries in all, but 24 teams failed to clear technical scrutiny and another six teams failed to turn up. Still the rally had the highest-ever participation, surpassing the last year's number of 118. While 68 teams, including 36 four-wheelers, 26 motorbikes and six scooters, are participating in the tough ‘Xtreme’ category, 55 teams have entered the relatively easier ‘Adventure’ trial category. The Xtreme category for scooters has been introduced for the first time. Manoeuvring skills and mental toughness of motorists and the endurance of their machines will be put to a severe test over the next six days during which the rally will pass thorough long stretches of treacherous hill terrain passing through 12 high mountain passes, the highest being the Khardungla (18,500 ft) and the lowest, Jalori Pass (10,500 ft). They will cover about 1,800 km, including 11 competitive stretches aggregating over 800 km to reach Leh where the rally will terminate on October 11. Almost 40 per cent of the competitive portion comprises narrow dirt tracks meandering through high mountain ranges which will pose the most formidable challenge to adventure lovers. Manjiv Bhalla, vice-president of the Himalayan Motorsports Association, which is organising the Raid, said it would be for the first time in the history of competitive motorsport that scooters would take on the tough mountain terrain in the Himalayas. “The task has been made somewhat easier for scooter riders who will run only for the first three days only up to Kaza. There are three foreigners in the scooter category, two from Austria and one from Canada,’ he said. There are 13 women participants, including two all-women teams. Richa Sharma of the Himachal police will be the first woman cop from the country to participate in the event along with fellow constable Munish Mehta.
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IIT-Mandi to start air defence programme
Mandi, October 6 Professor Mahulikar got international recognition when he published 12 landmark research papers on stealth technology in various international journals. “We need MoD support for research and development and strong academic base for indigenous designs and models to protect our helicopters, aircraft and key establishments from infra-red cameras and stealth or anti-stealth devices installed by enemies in their planes, ICBMs and other missiles,” he said. In stealth technology, devices like suppressors were developed that controlled engine temperature, missile interceptors and infra-red smart heat-seekers that helped detect enemy aircraft and also helped in them making them invisible, he said. “The smart devices reject the dummies launched by enemies to confuse attackers in the air. The radar-based surveillance is outdated today,” he said. “We realised this when Pakistan’s shoulder-fired stinger missiles shot down a few MI-17 helicopters in the Kargil War,” he added. The prototypes on designs and models developed by Professor Mahulikar have been tested by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and have shown amazing results. “India pays about one lakh Canadian dollars for two suppressors to be fitted into a helicopter or aircraft as we have no academic base here,” he said. “The MoD pays Rs 4.2 lakh to the IIT, Mumbai, for the project and pays 1 lakh Canadian dollar to buy two suppressors and Canada is selling devices, but not giving technology to India,” he said. Brig Khushal Thakur, convener, India Ex-servicemen Movement, who had commanded the 18 Grenadiers and captured the Tolloling and the Tiger Hills, said, “I was an eyewitness. We had no idea of Pakistan attack when the heat-seeking stinger missile shot down MI-17 helicopter in which a five-member crew died on the spot. We need foolproof air-defence in the high Himalayan terrain. It is good that the MoD has started a programme at the IIT, Mandi”.
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Land acquisition
Bilaspur, October 6 The deputation, led by BJP state executive member Rajender Garga, expressed resentment over the poor assessment of value of their land. It said the land of four villages Palthin, Dadyaana, Auhar and Bhajwaani of these panchayats was the most fertile in the entire district and that is the reason that the government had established the Seeds Development Farm at Auhar in the area. They demanded permanent demarcation pillars of land acquired to save villagers from harassment from the highway authorities. |
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Mandi MC accused of dishonouring national flag
Mandi, October 6 In a complaint lodged with the SP, here on Thursday, Des Raj alleged that certain MMC staff took possession of the national flag in an undignified manner from Meera’s house where AAP had kept the flags. The action amounted to violation of the National Honour Act, 1971, and Section 378, Indian Penal Code, he charged. He claimed that AAP had kept nine national flags at Meera’s house when they had held a satyagrah protest near the Town Hall on August 3-5. Meera lived in a room there with her three minor children and worked as a domestic help, he added. He demanded that the SP should direct the Mandi Sadar police station to lodge an FIR to punish those who had dishonoured the flag. If the SP did not take action and the MMC did not return the national flags to them, AAP would launch a stir. Vice-president, MMC, Gagan Kasyap said the council was not aware of the matter, but the demolition drive was carried out on the order of the high court. There was no need for AAP to carry and keep national flags there as it should have used its party flag, he added. |
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Cement-laden truck catches fire
Bilaspur, October 6 The truck reportedly loaded cement from JP Bagha for Panchkula last night. Its driver brought the truck to Gasaud, parked it outside a dhaba and went to sleep inside the vehicle. He was suddenly awakened by the fire, which had engulfed the front
part of the truck. He came out of the truck and raised an alarm. Several people from nearby service station rushed to extinguish the fire. The driver was taken to a nearby Community Health Centre from where he was referred to the Regional Hospital. The police has registered a case. The driver's condition is said to be stable. |
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Tibetans suffering from dependency syndrome, says Sangay
Dharamsala, October 6 By making the statement, the leader of the Tibetan community stressed on ending the allegedly complacent attitude developing in the Tibetan community in exile. He said, "The dependency syndrome prevalent in our community is hindering the morale of our children. We should work to eradicate this poison and create a more self-reliant society," said Sangay. He further said, "No school or society is devoid of problems, and our Tibetan schools and community is no exception. We should recognise these problems and remove the cause of these problems from the root." Sangay raised the issue of substance abuse and gambling among students. "We should work collectively to remove these problems," he said and identified some common causes of these problems. "Smoking by elders, especially teachers and parents, gambling during weekends, domestic violence, influence of bad company are some of the causes driving children towards a life of vice," he said. He called for an emphatic effort by the community towards building a robust morale and confidence in children’s outlook towards life. "Confidence and a robust mind devoid of low self-esteem is the key to success. We should acknowledge their effort, appreciate hard work and encourage students to believe that they can do anything if they attempt to do something wholeheartedly," he said. He also said peer pressure was one of the main constraints that determined how children and students looked at life. The three-day "Health Workshop-cum-Substance Abuse Review Meeting" was held from October 1. It was attended by over 27 participants from Tibetan schools across India, including rectors, teachers, counsellors and nurses. Sangay, who is doctorate in law from Harvard University in the US, since his election as Sikyong has been concentrating on improving the conditions of the Tibetan community in exile, besides carrying out the campaign for Tibet.
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Decision to upgrade Chief Engineer’s post hailed
Kangra October 6 Dev Dutt Sharma, Director, Industries Corporation of Himachal Pradesh, and Susheel Sharma, Block Congress president, appreciated Chief Minister Virbhdra Singh for establishing the headquarters of the IPH Department in a remote village like Shahpur. They said it was a befitting reply to those elements who were levelling “baseless allegation” against the Chief Minister for adopting a bias towards the Kangra region. |
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Govt targeting BJP leaders, says Satti
Hamirpur, October 6 He said, “It is the party organisation which matters in politics and the BJP has high regard for its committed workers.” The BJP president also appealed to party activists to prepare themselves for the next parliament elections and work for bringing back the NDA government to power. Former Chief Minister PK Dhumal, addressing the meeting, said voters were disenchanted with the current regime at the Centre and looking for a change in the government. Dhumal also advised party activists to strengthen the booth-level committees and maintain living contact with people at the grassroot level. Speaking at the meeting, Anurag accused the state government of unleashing political vendetta against its political opponents. He said, “The state government has registered four cases against me, but I challenge the state government for proving the charges in the court of law and I will quit politics even if I am jailed for a day.” Anurag also urged the party activists to build good rapport with mediapersons. |
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Sea buckthorn to check soil erosion in Lahaul-Spiti
The plantation of sea buckthorn will be carried out under MGNREGA so that farmers could get remuneration for the effort aimed at checking soil erosion in the fragile cold desert area. The Horticulture and Agriculture Departments will provide subsidy for growing the medicinal plant under various schemes. A delegation led by local MLA Ravi Thakur will visit Germany to attend a conference on sea buckthorn where the team will interact with the scientists of China who have developed the knowhow for growing the plant in dry conditions. In the meeting, it was also decided that a task force would be set up to monitor the implementation of the plan under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner. Sea buckthorn project in-charge Virender Singh said the agricultural university in Palampur had developed 15 food products from sea buckthorn and seven types of feed for animals and poultry. Besides, five drugs had also been developed for curing animal diseases for gastric ulcer and healing wound. So far, 80 hectares of the area had been brought under the plant and another 80,000 plants would be planted this winter to increase it to 100 hectares. |
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Awareness campaign on students’ health at NIT
Kangra, October 6 DRPGMC Principal Anil Chauhan said the need of the hour was to create awareness among the youth on how to remain away from ragging, drug and sex abuse. Chief guest Hamirpur SP BM Sharma urged students to stay away from ragging and develop a healthy atmosphere on the campus. Dr Parveen Sharma, Associate Professor, Pharmacology, DRPGMC, introduced the NIT students to the concept of holistic health for students and stressed on three-dimensional approach to health like physical health, social health and mental and spiritual health. Ashok Kumar of Vivekananda Kendra said parents’ attitude, coupled with unified families and single-child syndrome, was responsible for the present-day crisis among the youth. Dr Vivek Chauhan, Associate Professor, Medicines, DRPGMC, said, “We become what we eat. Say ‘no’ to anything that is sweet in taste. Eat traditional food for a better health and prosperous life.” NIT Director Rajnish Shrivastav expressed satisfaction over holding this awareness programme. Dr Ravi C Sharma, Head, Psychiatry Department, IGMC, Shimla, said drug abuse was bio-psycho-social problem, which affected the body, mind and social life. Dr Anil Chauhan said a booklet titled “Holistic health and students” was distributed among the faculty and students on the occasion. He said another booklet titled “Anti-ragging Rules and Regulations”, posters and badges in Hindi and English were also distributed. The next programme would be held at Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, on October 9.
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Nurpur reels under water crisis
Nurpur, October 6 Residents have been demanding a permanent solution to the problem of water scarcity for long. Krishna Mahajan, president, local Municipal Council, rued that before the last Assembly elections, the Congress had promised water supply twice a day, but now they had not
been getting water supply even once. PK Sharma, Executive Engineer, Irrigation and Public Health , Nurpur, said landslides had damaged and dislocated the water supply pipeline of the Chakki scheme and efforts were being made to restore normalcy. He said work was on to make the Harnora Ghat scheme functional and residents would get water soon. |
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Polyhouse firm penalised for shoddy work
Una, October 6 The commission has upheld the compensation granted in favour of Una farmer, Arvind Sohal, by the District Consumer Forum, Una, and directed Thakur Brothers Greenhouse Consultants to refund Rs 86,000 to the farmer with an interest of 15 per cent per annum from the date of agreement. It also ordered the company to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 and costs of Rs 5,000 to the complainant. In his complaint, the farmer had alleged that he had raised a loan of Rs 86,000 from a bank to pay to Thakur Brothers Greenhouse Consultants for the construction of two polyhouses under the Pandit Deendayal Kisan Bagwan Samridhi Yojana. An agreement was executed between the two parties on July 28, 2009, as per which the polyhouses had to be constructed within two months. On the completion of the construction, the Agriculture Department had to pay the remaining cost of Rs 3.44 lakh directly to the polyhouse builders as subsidy. The farmer complained that the company did not complete the work in time and carried out shoddy work. The representatives of the Deputy Director, Agriculture, inspected the work done on polyhouses on the farmer's complaint. The representatives found that UV sheet was about 15-20 cm instead of 40 cm in the soil. Certain pipes were cracked and the insect net was not tightly fitted. The defendants alleged that delay in the construction was caused as the complainant wanted the height of the polyhouses to be raised from 2.5 m to 2.75 m. The commission, however, ruled in favour of the Una farmer.
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Power project tunnel: Committee allays villagers’ fears
Chamba, October 6 The villagers had been demanding the construction of the project tunnel on the right side of the Ravi, protecting the ecology of the Holi area. The committee was headed by the Chief Engineer of the Himachal Pradesh Directorate of Energy which included the Chief Scientific Adviser of the Department of Environment and Scientific Technology. Geologists of the Survey of India took stock of the situation of the project and the grouse of the local people, an official spokesperson said here. The spokesperson said the committee held discussions with the representatives of the five affected panchayats and the local people. The villagers had apprehensions that their water sources would be affected due to the excavation of the tunnel. The committee also met DC, Chamba, Kadam Sandeep Vasant and apprised him of the outcome of the deliberations.
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CM to visit Bharmour on Oct 9, 10
Bharmour, October 6 On October 10, the Chief Minister would address a public meeting at Lyhl-Kothi. |
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Use FB, Twitter to mould public opinion: Sukhu
Shimla, October 6 PCC chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the social media platforms such as Facebook (FB) and Twitter and instant messaging tools like WhatsApp were playing an increasingly important role in spreading the message of the party in society. Social media volunteers of the party should make the best use of these to face the challenge posed by rivals. The party could not afford to lag in this field as conventional campaigns were losing out to modern methods, particularly among the educated middle class. He said social media volunteers of the party should spread awareness about the ideology and policies of the Congress and the government. They should adopt a positive approach while working on these social media platforms. The workshop was organised on the direction of the AICC and its representatives Gaurav Pandi, Zuber Patel and Hitendra Pitharia came from Delhi to train party volunteers. The workshop was attended by HPCC general secretary Sunil Sharma, spokespersons Naresh Chauhan, Deepak Sharma and Sanjay Singh Chauhan, PCC executive member Mahendra Chauhan, treasurer Surender Chauhan and Rajendra Sharma, Amit Nanda and Rajendra Verma of the HPCC Media Cell.
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Cong hits out at BJP for defending Anurag
Shimla, October 6 In a joint statement, Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmauri and Chief Parliamentary Secretary ID Lakhanpal said Anurag had betrayed the trust of the people by running more than one body in the name of the HPCA. A body in the name of the Himalayan Players Cricket Association was registered in Kanpur and its address was found to be fictitious, which amounted to fraud and cheating. The HPCA was perhaps the only cricket association in India which was running a five-star hotel. They said it seemed that former Chief Minister PK Dhumal was using the state BJP and the HPCA to politically establish his son. The land allotted for the stay of players was used to set up a five-star hotel. It was strange that the BJP government could not find land for Central University at Dharamsala, but there was no shortage of land for the HPCA as it was a planned move to promote the interests of Anurag. He even amended the constitution of the HPCA and inducted 26 life members with voting rights in the association, making it his organisation to enjoy supreme power in all matters.
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Cases against MP only to malign his image: BJP
Bilaspur, October 6 Talking to mediapersons here today, Chandel said there was no doubt that these FIRs were politically motivated and had been registered with an ulterior motive against him. He said these were the tactics of the Congress ahead of every election.
Chandel said this was also a novel method of the Congress government to hide its own failures on all fronts after coming to power in the state as it had nothing to show to its credit during the last 10 months of its being in power. This was another way to divert the attention of people from their failures and non-performance in the government. But, he said, Congress leaders must know that people of the state were now awakened and they were not going to oblige them by believing whatever was being alleged against BJP leaders. |
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31 animals sacrificed at Hidimba temple
Mandi, October 6 The ceremony was held by the villagers after they completed the renovation of the 250-year-old temple. A devotee said the sacrificial feast was shared by the villagers in the belief that the goddess purges them of sorrows and brings in prosperity and happiness. Slamming the animal rights activists, who have been protesting animal sacrifices in temples, the devotees said animal sacrifice was an inseparable part of their tradition.
Hi-tech Volvo bus service from Oct 8
Shimla, October 6 The corporation is already plying six Volvo buses, four between Manali and Delhi and two between Shimla and Delhi. A spokesperson of the corporation said it would be made a daily service if the response was good. |
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for a violent clash on the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) campus, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Students Federation of India (SFI) have announced an action programme to build pressure on the administration.
There has been genocide of monkeys across the country in the name of controlling their population.
A highest-ever number of 123 teams took off on a six-day odyssey as the 15th edition of the world’s highest and one of the toughest motor-sport rallies, Maruti Suzuki Raid de Himalayas, got off to a flying start here today.
Shimla, October 6