Manali, December 29
With a good spell of snowfall in the upper Manali region, the New Year revellers have stated arriving in the tourist town to say goodbye to 2013 and enjoy a white New Year.

The famous ski slopes of the Solang valley, Kothi and the nearby snow-covered areas witnessed a heavy rush of tourists for the New Year celebrations. The Hadimba Devi temple, Club House, Buddhist monasteries, Vashisht Rishi temple, which is famous for its hot water springs and nearby tourists places of Manali, saw a huge rush of tourists today. The Mall Road also witnessed a big crowd of tourists this evening.

According to sources, nearly 466 vehicles from other states entered Manali on December 27. The number further increased to about 506 vehicles on December 28 and is likely to increase on December 29. Besides, hundreds of commercial and non-commercial vehicles of Himachal Pradesh entered the town.

The number of tourists arriving in Manali has gone up manifold in the last two days. However, hoteliers in Manali are ready for the New Year celebrations.

SDM, Manali, Vinay Dhiman, who is also the vice-chairman of the National-level Winter Carnival Committee, said to boost the winter tourism in Manali and extend their stay after the New Year eve for more days, the Winter Carnival Committee was organising a five-day-long Winter Carnival that begins from January 2 to 6.

The availability of snow at different tourists places has proved to be a blessing for hundreds of people around the Manali region, who have been associated to the tourism industry.

Shimla, December 29
The electricity generation has dipped by one-fourth of the installed capacity in most of the powerhouses in the state following the decreased discharge of water in rivers due to extreme winter. Himachal is drawing 836 mw units as its share from the “central and bilateral pools” to meet the increased demand of about 237 lakh units it needs everyday, said engineers.

The engineers said load shedding in different places were due to local problems in transformers. The board is not resorting to any power cut as of now but has asked the Irrigation and Public Health Department to run water supply schemes at only daytime, said Pankaj Dadwal, Superintending Engineering, Operations.

The HP State Electricity Board has resorted to a “demand-based generation in its power projects to meet the peak demand”, said the engineers. The 126 mw Larji power project is shut down from 10 am till the evening. Bhawa is generating 45 mw, Malana 43 mw Giri 16 mw, Bassi, 18 mw and Ghanvi 5 mw, said the engineers.

This is being done to maintain stability in the northern grid. “We can not generate more if the demand is less as grid has to be maintained at 50.20 htz frequency”, they added.

The demand on Sundays or other holiday decreases as government offices, industrial houses and other business establishments remain closed, said the engineers. The board was getting about 826 mw of electricity from the central pool as per its share - 107 lakh units from the central sector, 21 lakh units from HPSEB-run projects, 11 lakh units from Baspa, 9.21 lakh units from micro power projects, 10 lakh units from bilateral shares and 95 lakh units through banking from UP, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana to meet the increased power demand in the state, they added.

HPSEB power controller Joginder Singh said there were no power cuts and load shedding and state would meet its power demand till March next year.

Indora (Dharamsala), December 29
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today laid the foundation stone of the Chhonch Khad Channelisation Project in the Indora area of Kangra district. It is the second biggest irrigation project in Kangra district after the Shah Canal that has now been commissioned.

The Chief Minister said about 180 crore would be spent on the Chhonch Khad Channelisation project. The channelisation would include construction of 34-km embankments on both sides of the khad. It would benefit 35 villages of the area and salvage 1,382 hectares agriculture land, he added.

He said Kangra district was being accorded priority in all spheres of development and during the last one year, numerous development works were undertaken in the district.

While addressing a public meeting at Mangwal in the Gangath constituency of Kangra district, the Chief Minister said he always believed in clean and healthy politics and had never indulged in politics of vendetta and victimisation of his political rivals, whereas the BJP governments led by former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal “fabricated false cases” against him.

He alleged that the previous BJP government gave valuable land on Rs 1 lease to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) by “ignoring all norms and regulations and this organisation was converted from society to a company illegally”.

The Congress government was not against any sports organisation, but it was the duty of the government to ensure a complete transparency in their functioning.

He said the state had emerged as a role model of development for all other states, the credit for which goes to the successive Congress governments which ruled the state.

The Chief Minister announced to open a sub-tehsil at the Gangath area. He also announced to upgrade four high schools of the area, including Government High School, Dagla, Mangwal, Ghoran and Kandrori. He also announced to open an ayurvedic dispensary at the Dagla gram panchayat. He directed the PWD authorities to improve the condition of Kandrori road which was in a bad shape. He also directed the Health Department to explore possibilities to open a Primary Health Centre at Mangwal.

Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated the Mangwal Khad bridge on the Kandrori-Pucca Tala road constructed at a cost of Rs 80 lakh.

While speaking on the occasion, Irrigation and Public Health Minister Vidya Stokes said safe drinking water had been provided to 1,327 habitations and 1,315 hand pumps had been installed in the water scarcity area during the last one year.

Manohar Dhiman, MLA, Indora, welcomed the Chief Minister and apprised him about various demands of the people of the constituency. Sujan Singh Pathania, Agriculture Minister, Thakur Singh Bharmauri, Forest Minister, Sudhir Sharma, Urban Development Minister, Ajay Mahajan and Pawan Kajal were also present on the occasion.

Bilaspur, December 29
A largely attended general house of oustees of four-lane express highway right from Kainchi Mode to Kangoo held at central place of Auhar about 30 km from here today unanimously decided to stall all construction work of the contractor on this highway till the government signs a written agreement with them for solution of their problems and difficulties.

This was decided at a meeting held under the aegis of “Four Lane Express Highway Visthapit Samiti” presided over by Samiti president Ram Singh this afternoon.

The meeting took stock of difficulties of villagers, who complained that their crops were being destroyed, more land than acquired was being taken over, roads and paths, drinking water sources and water pipes were being destroyed and debris was being dumped at various places, further destroying either their lands or their grasslands without bothering at all for villagers' difficulties and problems so created.

Villagers were sore that there was no redressal of their problems by the district administration or the state government despite their repeated written and verbal representations — They have been left to fend for themselves without any check on excesses and unjustified actions of the contractor.

They said such a situation cannot be tolerated any longer and they would resist it tooth ad nail; they would not allow construction of this road till the government comes forward to listen to their grievances and provide relief to them, even if this results in their launching “jail bharo andolan” here.

The general house also decided to stage a massive demonstration and mass dharna at Bilaspur town and in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office to get the government to look into their problems and ensure that they get justice and necessary relief.

The meeting said if such efforts fail to attract the government's attention to their problems, they would consider more stringent democratic methods to get justice.

Present on the occasion were Naina Deviji area Action Committee chairman Ramesh Thakur with his executive committee, chief advisor Jagat Ram Sharma, general secretary Vijay Chandel, secretary Madan Lal Sharma, treasurer Balak Ram, vice-president Pyare Lal and prominent leaders Sada Ram, Pyar Singh and Dev Raj Sharma among others.

Una, December 29
The future of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in Himachal Pradesh is in jeopardy as the organisation has suspended organising training camps from September this year. This is reportedly due to the insensitivity of the government towards the 14,000 NCC cadets and the organisation in the state.

The NCC functions on a 75 per cent Central and 25 per cent state funding for organising camps. About two decades ago, the daily mess allowance per cadet for camps was Rs 40, which was increased to Rs 75 in 2005. Now, this allowance has been revised to Rs 105.

While all other states are making 25 per cent contribution of their share on the revised rates, the Himachal Pradesh Government is contributing only Rs 10 per cadet as the daily allowance on the basis of the pre-2005 rates. Consequently, the Centre has also declined to meet its 75 per cent share of funds for camps.

The NCC Group office at Shimla, which commands the 13 NCC units in Himachal Pradesh, has suspended organising training camps since September. It is worth mentioning that a cadet has to attend at least one annual training camp (ATC) to be eligible to appear for the final examination.

When contacted, Lt Col Mangat Saini, Commanding Officer, 6 HP Independent NCC Company at Una, admitted that the camps had been suspended due to paucity of funds. He said it was impossible for the organisation to bear the camp expenses as the cost of grocery and fresh vegetables, besides LPG have increased many fold.

Of the three certificate courses of the NCC, the ‘A’ certificate cadets are drawn from schools, while the ‘B’ and ‘C’ certificate cadets are drawn from colleges. Since the duration of the ‘B’ certificate course has been increased from one to two years from this session, there will be no ‘B’ certificate examination this year. Therefore, if the ATCs are not held by January 2014, the ‘A’ and ‘C’ certificate cadets will not be able to appear in the NCC examinations scheduled to be held in February 2014.

It is learnt that repeated correspondence with the state government by the NCC Group office at Shimla have fell on deaf ears. It is also worth mentioning that all other states and union territories of the country are contributing their share of revised rates and when a cadet from Himachal Pradesh is sent for inter-state or national camps, the host states have begun to refuse the old rates being offered by the Himachal Pradesh NCC.

The organisation, with the motto ‘Unity and Discipline’ develops character, comradeship, discipline, leadership, secular outlook, spirit of adventure and ideals of selfless service among the youth of the country, besides creating a human resource of organised, trained and motivated youth having leadership qualities and ready availability for the service of the nation.

Besides, the NCC has also been feeding youth in the military, paramilitary and police forces. If the state government fails to take immediate remedial steps, the organisation and the aspiring youth force will suffer reversals.

Shimla, December 29
Farmers have expressed concern over the uncertified apple plant material being imported through middlemen as certain imported apple cultivars are susceptible to the deadly fire blight, a bacterial contagious disease that can spell disaster in the apple belt.

Though the Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Griba, an Italian company, for the import of certified plant materials, the threat of fire blight looms large as thousands of imported plants have been planted for the past two years.

"The university can be held accountable as it could check these in its labs whether it is disease-free or not and fit to be distributed for planting," said Laxman Thakur, chairman, Ecohorts, Nandpur. For the past two years, the company has been selling uncertified plants through middlemen.

But the risk factor would be taken care of as the university would provide the certified plants at Rs 300 per plant the next year as the company is setting up its nursery at Nauni, said Dr Vijay Thakur, Vice-Chancellor, Dr YS Parmar varsity.

"The university will get 20 per cent profit from the company. There is a demand of about 10 lakh plants in the state each year and it will monitor the quality," he added.

Inquiries from farmers revealed that thousands of plants and grafts have been multiplied in private nurseries by middlemen after they had bought these from a nursery based in Lalru in Punjab. "When I asked from the company whether plant material is certified or free from the fire blight, they did not answer my queries," said Balbir Chajta, an orchardist from Jubbal.

Moreover, the university had no contingency plan to check the fire blight. It was finding it difficult even to control fungal diseases, which triggered premature leaf fall in orchards, said Laxman Thakur.

Another allurement is that these varieties in lower elevations mature in early July. Farmer fears are well-founded. Some cultivars- rootstock combinations, including varieties such as "Rome, Jonathan, Jonagold, Idared, Tydeman's Red, Gala, Fuji, Braeburn, Lodi and Liberty" are susceptible to fire blight and investments could be risky, warned scientists.

Dr Thakur said the varieties susceptible to fire blight would not be imported and the plant material would route through the university. "We are promoting traditional and modern varieties among the farmers," he added.

Dharamsala, December 29
Minister for Transport, Food and Civil Supplies and Technical Education GS Bali has offered to face CBI inquiry into charges levelled against him by the BJP in the chargesheet submitted recently to the Governor.

While addressing a press conference here today, the minister said the charges levelled by the BJP against him amounted to character assassination.

“Since I am confident that there is no substance in the allegations levelled against me in the chargesheet, I am ready to face CBI inquiry as desired by the BJP,” Bali said.

“I have already announced that in case the BJP leaders did not issue a rebuttal of their allegations levelled against me within 15 days, I shall file a case of criminal defamation against them,” Bali said.

When asked if other ministers in the Congress government were also ready to face CBI probe into the BJP chargesheet, Bali said, “I am concerned just about allegations levelled against me. Other ministers are free to respond on their own to the allegations levelled against them. However, I am of the view that they should come out and defend themselves,” he said.

The BJP in the chargesheet submitted to the Governor along with the other ministers of the Congress government had alleged that Bali had purchased a village common land in Kangra district.

While addressing the press conference, Bali said now that he had declared his intension to face inquiry, the BJP should also come forward and offer to face CBI inquiry into the chargesheet levelled against them by the Congress.

Bali said being in politics, he was in favour of fact that the life and conduct of politicians should be questioned by the public. However, levelling baseless allegations just for political motives was not acceptable.

During the press conference, Bali was accompanied by district Congress president Suman Verma and HPCC secretary Ajay Verma.

Mandi/Hamirpur, December 29
The selection of candidates to contest the next parliamentary elections from the Congress for Hamirpur and the BJP for Mandi seats will take some more time as the central leaderships of the parties are weighing different options to select the best candidates.

For Hamirpur, the Congress leadership had been making experiments for the last few elections where the well-entrenched BJP candidates have won last six elections in a row.

Former Forest Minister Ram Lal Thakur had lost three consecutive elections at the hands of the BJP candidates after which the Congress had fielded OP Rattan and later Narender Thakur in the last election, who had also lost by Anurag Thakur, the sitting BJP MP of Hamirpur.

The Congress leadership has been focusing to wrest the seat from the BJP for the quite some time and mobilised people to show its strength a few days ago on completion of the one-year rule in the state to put a challenge to the BJP on the home turf of former Chief Minister PK Dhumal.

Though the Congress leadership has announced to declare its candidate early for Hamirpur, it has still not done so.

The names of Ram Lal Thakur, Sunil Sharma, Rajender Rana, Mukesh Agnihotri, Rakesh Kalia etc are doing rounds here.

Congress sources say, “The candidate for Hamirpur will be decided by the Congress high command and is likely to be finalise by the end of January.” Similarly, BJP leaders have been discussing options for its candidate to contest the Mandi seat.

The party had fielded Jai Ram Thakur in the last byelection, after Maheshwar Singh, who had been contesting from here, had quit the party, in which Congress candidate Pratibha Singh had won with a huge margin.

Bilaspur, December 29
National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) member Dr Biru Ram Kishore has rebutted charges of non-cooperation of the Congress government by BJP MLA of the Jhandutta constituency Rikhi Ram Kaundal.

Addressing a meeting of the Jhandutta Mandal Congress Committee at Barthin, about 42 km from here, today, Kishore said work of the Bhabkhal bridge was stalled during the BJP regime when Kaundal was Deputy Speaker and he “did not take any step” to ensure that the construction work was restarted.

He alleged that the construction work of the Jhandutta college building and Behran sports stadium were stopped during the BJP regime.

Biru Ram said though he was not an MLA from the area, he would see to it that the work on the Bhabkhal bridge should start again after Gobind Sagar water receded.

He said Kaundal should ensure that problems of the people of his constituency should be solved and development of the area gets at the full speed.

The meeting was presided over by mandal president Captain (retd) Om Parkash Chandel and was attended by all prominent leaders of the area, including KD Gauttam, Paramjit Dhiman, Shanti Devi, Prem Lal Nadda, Budhi Singh Parmar, Rup Singh Guleria, Ram Chand Sharma, Anjana Dhiman, Sanju Devi, Kishori Lal, Sudhir Suman, Chaman Sharma, Sukh Raj, Ajay Chandel, Abhishek and Ranbir Singh.

Dharamsala, December 29
A power department labourer today risked his life while cutting down heavy branches of trees on Kachehri adda this morning. The labourer climbed the tree about 15 to 20 feet from the ground without any safety gear and performed daredevil acts to cut down the tree branches for shifting the power lines.

A large number of people gathered at the spot to watch the labourer hanging up and down and in one instance, hanging by the cable wires crossing the road to cut the tree branches.

The traffic on the main Dharamsala-Mcleodganj road also remained affected as the tree branches were cut down by the labourer single-handedly with the help of an axe and manual saw. The power supply in Civil Lines area of Dharamsala also remained disrupted for about three hours for the entire operation.

Sources at the spot said trees were cut to shift the power lines from Kachehri adda poles as the area was to be beautified.

However, the way the power department officials risked the life of a labourer for cutting down of the tree branches, speaks volumes about safety standards adopted in public works by government departments.

Chamba, December 29
In the aftermath of construction work of the 36-MW Chanju Hydroelectric Project in the Churah region of Chamba district, three villages Dhalanjan, Kuha and Makalawani, which belongs to Scheduled Caste families, will be ruined as visible big cracks have developed on the walls and floors of 51 houses.

These villages were visited by a team of the Ambedkar Mission Society of Churah comprising its founder member and chief adviser KL Shah, Devi Dass, Inder Singh, Ramesh, Pawan Kumar and engineer TR Thakur.

The members said these three villages were situated just above the powerhouse of the project where construction work was going on a war-footing.

Because of the large scale excavation of muck just below these three villages, agricultural land, grazing land and the land on which the houses stand, started getting destabilised due to which big cracks had developed on the walls and floors of all the residential houses of these villages.

The members of the team said all the residential houses had become unsafe for human and cattle dwelling. The team said an earthquake of even mild intensity could cause a large-scale destruction to the residential and other structures of these villages.

They disclosed that the first snowfall of the ongoing winter would be enough to cause a large-scale loss of lives and properties in these villages.

Another village Kathwad with 75 families is also facing similar threat of loss of lives and properties because of destabilisation of the village due to construction of tunnels of the project below their village.

However, the team was shocked to know how the project feasibility report was cleared by the authorities concerned as it involved large-scale destruction of four villages of the Churah region, on the rehabilitation of which the state government would have to arrange for funds of several crores. The team observed that erring officials responsible for the feasibility report needed to be booked after conducting investigation through a high-level agency.

The team of the Ambedkar Mission Society Churah, recorded the statement of a few villagers.

The villagers also alleged that so far no due attention had been paid to them by the administration at panchayat, subdivision and district level and villagers had been left to face an imminent danger to their lives and properties.

The people were also upset at the way muck was being disposed of throwing to winds implementation norms required to keep the area free from pollution.

Meanwhile, the Ambedkar Mission Society, Churah, has decided to take the matter of affliction of the people with the National Human Rights Commission.

Palampur, December 29
Panchrukhi, a small town 10 km from here, is crying for attention of the authorities as residents are living in a hellish condition. Potholed roads and streets, overflowing drains, contaminated drinking water tell the tale of the town, which is fast turning into a slum.

Residents alleged that the government always extended stepmotherly treatment to this town. The longstanding demand of the residents for opening of sub-tehsil here is hanging fire.

Captain Atma Ram, senior BJP leader, remained the MLA from this area for 20 years but failed to deliver the goods. The proposal for Nagar Panchayat and parking complex remained confined to files in the absence of “political will”.

Almost all interior roads and streets of the town are in a bad shape. Due to overflowing drains and leaking water supply pipes, water accumulates on the streets and roads, which stink every time, making it difficult for the residents to move.

Garbage can be seen in every nook and corner of the town.

There is no sewerage system, which has further aggravated the situation. The sanitary condition is deplorable, thus creating a number of health problems.

Besides, the narrow Palampur-Jaisinghpur highway, which passes through this town, has become a major traffic hazard for the residents because of frequent traffic jams.

There has been manifold increase in the population this town in past five years, therefore, panchyats is finding it difficult to maintain the town with meagre funds allotted to it.

Palampur, December 29
“People’s Voice”, a social organisation, asked Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to remove red beacons and hooters from official vehicles of the state government and direct bureaucracy to deal with public in a simple manner.

The executive committee of People’s Voice said every official in the state was using red beacons in violation of the rules and guidelines laid by the apex court recently.

It also said that the Chief Minister should curtail the convoy of vehicles accompanying him during his tour in the state with immediate effect.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Dalip Sharma and KB Rahlan, members of the organisation, said the Chief Minister should give a message to other state officials that his government was a common man’s government and all officials were public servants, they were bound to serve the public with full dedication.

They regretted that in the present scenario, people had to wait for hours to meet officials. The scenario was same all over the state and many a time, they had to go back disappointed without meeting the officials concerned.

People’ Voice also demanded the postings of honest and hardworking officials on the key posts in the state so that rampant corruption could be checked.

They said it was a matter of serious concern that despite repeated orders of the High Court, the state government had failed to remove tainted officials from key postings. They said if these officials were removed, a right message would flash in the state.

Both of them demanded a speedy investigation into all the pending cases before the Vigilance agencies.

Palampur, December 29
The sudden increase in the number of stray animals in Palampur town and its adjoining areas has become a matter of serious concern as dozens of stray animals can be seen roaming in different parts of the town and on highways day and night.

Residents have made repeated requests to local authorities in thus connection but no steps have been initiated to deal with the problem. There is inconvenience to the common man and the local shopkeeper, and there are fatal accidents.

Recently, a two-wheeler rider lost his life near 61 Mile 15 kilometres from here when a cow on Pathankot-Mandi national highway hit his motorcycle.

In the past one year, a number of persons lost their lives in different road accidents linked to stray animals in the district.

The problem is marked in Sabzi Mandi and lower areas of the town. The animals can be seen languishing on heaps of garbage, waste fruits and vegetables in these areas.

Though the state government has announced steps to deal with the stray animals problem in the town and assured the public that all the stray animals would be shifted to the "Gau Sadan", nothing has been done so far. The number of stray animals is increasing day by day.

Kangra, December 29
The condition of roads in this temple town is in a pitiable condition. The road passing through the main market from the Tehsil Chowk to the College Road is full of potholes, putting visitors, pilgrims and locals to inconvenience. The roads were dug for sewerage purpose, but have not been repaired till now.

“The Gupt Ganga Kachiari road is also full of potholes and is in a bad shape,” said RK Chauhan, former ADM and a resident of the area.

The road leading to the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) is also in an extremely bad condition. Director of NIFT Prof Bala Siddartha said the approach road to NIFT from the Jayanti Vihar crossing was full of potholes and was eroded.

He said 600 students from all over the country were studying in NIFT and their parents had complained several times regarding the deplorable condition of the road. Bala said he had written twice to the Executive Engineer, PWD, and once to Superintending Engineer, PWD, but to no avail. He said the road had no streetlights, thus putting students to inconvenience.

The local Beopar Mandal had lodged a protest with the SDM, Kangra, about the deplorable condition of the road. SDM Ajit Bhardwaj said he took the matter with the SDO, IPH, and he had assured him that the sewerage work, which was halted, would start soon.

Kangra, December 29
A silver jubilee function was organised at DAV Senior Secondary Public School, Tiara, today.

The function focused on eradication of social menace, besides stress was laid on strengthening the positive attitude of parents and teachers towards children in shaping their future.

Principal Shekhar Moudgil said the speakers expressed concern over the deteriorating cultural values among the youth. Cultural programmes were part of the event, besides skits and plays were presented by students of all classes before the audience.

In the group dance competition, class XII students bagged the first position and in the junior group, class IV students got the first prize.

In play and skit competition, students of class VI bagged the first position.

Solan, December 29
The implementation of the project is being delayed following disputes relating to the cost of land slated to be acquired for the fourlaning of the Pinjore-Nalagarh national highway.

It is adding to the woes of investors who use the route to commute to the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh from Chandigarh and its surrounding areas.

The project which was approved in 2010 is yet to begin as several disputes have been cropping up. A delegation of the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Industries Association comprising Sanjay Khurana and Rajiv Satya met with Additional Director General in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, New Delhi, recently.

Association secretary AL Gupta said after holding a discussion with the officials, it had been decided to hold a secretary-level meeting of Haryana and Himachal with the Secretary of the Central Government in the first week of January to prepare a detailed time-bound implementation schedule of the project and this would ensure compliance on the pending issues.

A stretch of 15-km portion out of the total 35-km stretch of this Rs 550 crore project falls in Haryana and once ready, it will ease traffic issues on this highway where accidents have become order of the day.

With the passenger car unit (PCU) touching an all-time high of 25,000 vehicles on the Pinjore-Baddi National Highway, according to a feasibility study conducted by the UK-based Gifford India, the need to four-lane this project was being urgently felt.

Designed for 35 years, the vehicle influx is supposed to cross the 80,000 mark by then. The fourlaning will follow the built, operate and transfer mode where the government will not incur any expenditure and toll barriers will be set up to collect tax.

Five major bridges, including Sukhna, Marrawala, Balad, Ratta and Manpura, will be constructed. An overbridge will also be constructed at Pinjore for the railway traffic.

Shimla, December 29
Governor Urmila Singh and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh have expressed grief over the demise of Shakuntla Devi, mother of Rajan Sushant, MP from Kangra Lok Sabha seat.

She passed away after a brief illness yesterday at her native Dehri village.

The Chief Minister has prayed for peace of the departed soul and strength to the family members.All the Cabinet colleagues of the Chief Minister have expressed condolences with the bereaved family members.

Meanwhile, the deceased was cremated at her native village in Dehri today. — TNS

Shimla, December 29
The police today arrested Naved, a resident of Saharanpur, under the NDPS Act after the police recovered 55 bottles of drugs from his possession which he was selling in Rohru.

According to the police, he was selling the smuggled drugs in the local market in Rohru as it was used by the drug addicts.

Chamba, December 29
The Chamba Veteran Cricket team beat the Una Veteran Team by 105 runs at the Indra Stadium, Una.

Former Ranji trophy player Major SC Nayyar captained the Chamba team and former Ranji player Devinder Tonny led the Una veteran team.

The captain of the Chamba team won the toss and elected to bat first. Chamba opener batsman Kursheed and Sushil batted so well that at one stage Chamba was 150 for no loss.

This was the record partnership between Kursheed and Sushil. Kursheed scored brilliant 105 runs of 62 balls only, which included seven sixes and 10 fours, whereas Sushil scored 65 runs of 45 balls.

Sunit Puri and Pawan were not out with five and seven scores, respectively. Chamba scored 190 runs for four wickets in 20 overs.

From Una side, Devinder Tonny got one wicket for 20 runs, Rajnesh two for 15, Rajkumar one for 20. Una started their innings with Rajnesh and Sharat Kumar, both Ranji players. Only Sharat and Devinder Tonny, both Ranji players, saved the team from collapse . After Tonny’s fall, no other batsman could face the disciplined bowling of the Chamba team. Una scored 85 for seven wickets in 20 overs.

From Chamba side, Sushil got two wickets for 21 runs, SC Nayyar got one wicket and gave only three runs. Rajinder 2 for 15, Ram Singh 2 for 22 runs and Pawan 2 for 18.

Major SC Nayyar said Kursheed was given special prize for his brilliant 105 runs. Sushil was declared the man of the match.

The Chamba Veteran Team will play against Solan next year. The Chamba winner team members comprises SC Nayyar, captain, Dr Sunit Puri, Naresh Puri, Pawan Marol, Sushil, Surinder Bhandari, Roshan Pervez, Kursheed Ahmed, Rajinder Bakshi, Anil Kumar, Ram Singh, Rattan Singh, Ishwar Puri, Yaduvir Chona and Shiv Dutt, manager of the team.

Shimla, December 29
The Institute of Engineers (IoE), state centre, in its 13th general meeting here today, decided to set up the centre for skill development and engineering consultancy to train workmen, supervisors, engineers and other executives working in the state.