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Aleo power project reservoir collapses; bridge threatened
The damaged reservoir of the Aleo Manali Hydropower project on the Allain nullah near Manali. Photo by writer
High Court Ban on Plastic Packaging
HP to get Rs 200 crore for industrial projects |
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VIGNETTES
Banti Devi of Krishna Nagar returns to her damaged house in Shimla on Saturday.
No action against CM exposes Cong: Dhumal
Play on Swami Vivekananda’s life
Gang of car thieves busted
HC disposes of petition on overcrowding in buses
State Youth Congress president Vikramaditya Singh waves a sword during a Youth Congress rally in Hamirpur on Saturday.
‘We owe a great deal to Sardar Patel’
Gold worth Rs 7 lakh looted
Mobile jammers in
exam halls
Six-day adventure camp concludes
A student treks to Kalatop in Dalhousie.
Pensioners seek joint consultative panel
CPM for pact with like-minded parties
Congress harassed people, says BJP
No let-up in cold wave
A man with yaks waits for customers after fresh snowfall at Kufri on Sunday. Photo: Amit Kanwar
Forest rest house opens in Chamba
151st birth anniversary celebrated
2,000 blankets given to needy in Shimla
Membership drive by AAP
Digital cable network launched in Nurpur Garment shops gutted One nabbed with charas
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Aleo power project reservoir collapses; bridge threatened
Manali, January 12 The project was to be put on power production by the end of this month. An official from the project's management said the incident took place when the reservoir was filled to about 75 per cent of its total capacity. The reservoir is designed to store 12,000 cubic metres of water. What caused the burst remains unclear, but sources said the damage to property was being assessed. Officials for the project say the reservoir might have collapsed due to high water pressure, but investigation is on to find out the actual reasons behind this incident. Manali Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vinay Dhiman said the administration was not informed about filling of the reservoir on trial basis. He said investigation was on to find out the reasons behind the incident and if anybody was found guilty, he would be liable for legal action. Villagers near the project site were worried if such incidents would happen in the near future. Vashisht panchayat pradhan Govardhan Thakur said the project management should take care to guard against such incidents in future, for these may prove fatal for lives and property. He said the management should inform the panchayat suitably before executing such works which need extra precautions from both the project and the public. He also said there were chances of damage to the bridge on the highway if proper care was not taken by the management. Thakur Dass, panchayat pradhan, Prini village, said the water of the
reservoir had reached close to the village cremation ground. He requested the project management to erect safety walls near the project site for the village's safety. |
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High Court Ban on Plastic Packaging
Una, January 12 The High Court has also directed the government to ensure that from March 31, foodstuff, including primary and essential food manufactured, transported, sold, packaged and distributed in the state, conforms to the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulation of 2011. The traders have been perturbed as most of the fast-moving packaged edible products of branded and unbranded types come in plastic packing. In view of the orders, such material will not be allowed to enter the state for sale. The Beopar Mandal today authorised its working-president Sumesh Sharma to lead a delegation of traders to Delhi to meet legal experts. The other members include Inderjit Singh, president of the Shimla unit, Surinder Kumar, general secretary of Manali unit, and Rajinder Sood, member of the Wholesalers' Alliance from Una. Speaking over telephone, president of the state Beopar Mandal, Madan Lal Khurana said the delegation had left for Delhi today and would take legal advice on January 12. He said the manufacturers were not willing to change the packaging for a small percentage of the clientele in the state, which meant these items would not be on the shelves for sale after January 26. Khurana said these orders would not only bring financial setback to the traders, but would also affect the consumers. Expressing hope that the Supreme Court would give relief to the traders of the hill state, he said if need be, their cadre would not hesitate to take to the streets against the orders. He said while the party in power should clarify its stand, even those in the Opposition should speak their minds on the issue. |
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HP to get Rs 200 crore for industrial projects
Shimla, January 12 It was decided that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry would provide Rs 200 crore for industrial projects, said an official spokesman. Further, two new state-of-the-art industrial townships at Kandrori in Kangra district and Pandoga in Una district would be upgraded at an estimated cost of Rs 218 crore, and a Central assistance of Rs 100 crore had been approved. It was decided that the funds would be released during the financial year. The Commerce Ministry also approved industrial infrastructure projects amounting to Rs 72.17 crore under the Assistance to State for Infrastructure Development of Exports scheme for setting up an export warehouse project at Baddi, composite pharma testing lab at export cluster, Baddi, upgrade of powergrid in export promotion park at Baddi and setting up of common effluent treatment plant at Kala Amb in Sirmaur district. The ministry further approved the setting up of 10,000 MT capacity new apple juice concentrate plant by the HPMC at Gumma in Shimla district and upgrade of the existing apple juice concentrate plant at Parwanoo. In addition, the Agriculture Produce Export and Development Agency (APEDA) would provide financial assistance for setting up of an organic product certification agency in the state. It was stated at the meeting that the state government had decided to give 10 acres to the Spice Board for setting up a Spice Park at Nadaun and foundation stone of Rs 17-crore Spice Park would be laid in Hamirpur district during February. The Union government also agreed to finance Rs 10-crore fruit and vegetable processing plant at Nagrota Bagwan in Kangra district. The ministry agreed to provide one-time relaxation in respect of pre-registration of tourism-related projects for availing central investment subsidy. The Commerce Ministry has agreed to release Rs 25 crore for meeting the pending liabilities under the Central investment subsidy and Rs 36.83 crore under Central Transport Subsidy. A Rs 561.76 lakh cost special project for tea farm mechanisation and development for Kangra district of the state was approved. A sum of Rs 1.2 crore had been sanctioned for setting up a Kangra tea museum in Palampur. |
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Beauty in Words
Shriniwas Joshi
I also find her poetry rendition electrifying - that soft, smooth voice full of emotion. I have heard her ‘Naani Maa’ several times and would still listen to it with initial eagerness. I disagree with Sudama Pandeya ‘Dhumil’, the famous poet: “Har ladki/ teesre garbhpaat ke baad/ dharmshala ho jaati hai aur kavitaa/ har teesre paath ke baad.” Rekha has bid goodbye to Shimla to stay in Mandi where she was born about 60 years ago. She did PhD from HP University after post-graduating from Panjab University, Chandigarh. She then taught English in various colleges of Himachal Pradesh for 31 years and retired as Principal of Ghumarwin College, Bilaspur. She has been decorated by the State Academy of Arts, Language and Culture for her poetry. Her latest book on poetry has come after a silence of 25 years. It is ‘Viraasat Jaisaa Kuchh’, a hard-bound collection of 63 poems, published by Saahitya Sahkaar Publications, Delhi and costs Rs 250 (see photo). Her poem that has given the book its title is at number 56 in the anthology. I believe Rekha wrote this poem when she was boldly fighting against a traumatic experience of her life. It has pathos and fear of an uncertain future: “Bahut door ki sochte hue/ Yeh bhi sochaa/ Apni vasiayat likh jaaoon/Phir zaroori lagi yeh partaal/Pehle pataa karoon/ Meraa hai kuch/ To woh kyaa hai/Kuchh gehne kuchh kapre/Kuch bhaande kuch bartan/ Yeh to beshak jahaan hain/Vahin rahenge/ Pressure cooker mein chaawal hi ublenge/Beshak ubaalega koi aur.” The poem depicts two different thoughts. The first one is of a middle-class woman who is about to write a will and counts her meagre belongings to be entered in the will and thinks of her kitchen when she would not be living, but someone else would cook rice in the pressure cooker. The second thought comes to her when she realises that maybe those for whom she wants to write the will, may not relish it. Her poem ‘Shimla’ is based on an innovative idea. A conference was held on the Ridge to discuss “Shimla-yesterday, today and tomorrow.” She sees the personalities coming out of their statues standing in Shimla and assembling on the Ridge - Gandhiji, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Lala Lajpat Rai, Dr Ambedkar and Dr Parmar plus the local Pahari deities. Lal Bahadur Shastri, whose bust adorns The Mall, could not come himself: "Shastriji swayam nahin aaye/Ghutnon mein dard ke kaaran/ Kewal shubhkaamnaayen bhaijin.” Gandhiji, using the Mall and the Lower Bazaar as metaphors, hinted towards the uplift of both the rich and the poor. Indira was perturbed by the grime and filth of the town. Lalaji was unhappy over the jungle of concrete that had developed where there was greenery once. Only Dr YS Parmar, our first Chief Minister, the founder of Himachal Pradesh, whose statue sees the beauty of distant mountains, was still confident of Shimla’s tomorrow: “Doctor Parmar/ Shahar ke kal ke vishaya mein/Aaj bhi aashwast dikhe/Jahaan woh khare the/ Sanyogvash wahaan se door tak/Nazar aatee thin hari chaaraagaahen/Harman pyaare netaa ki tarah/Door tiki thi unki drishti/ Door se dekhen to pahaar/Sachmuch sunder lagte hain.” The flap of the book reads: “There are several remembrances in Rekha’s container of life. She picks up one after another from that and weaves poems.” TAILPIECE: Cherish all your sad and happy moments, they make a fine cushion as poems or stories for old age.
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No relief for 200 displaced families
Shimla, January 12 Victims of the calamity were provided shelter at Ambedkar Bhawan and given Rs 10,000 each as relief and ration by the district administration, but nothing was done for the reconstruction of the houses and rehabilitation of 200-odd displaced families. Banti (38) of Sunder building, whose house was damaged in the landslide, returned home three months back as her eight-month-old daughter Laddi developed breathing problems due to bone-chilling cold at night at Ambedkar Bhawan. A daily wager, Banti is struggling to make both ends meet after the tragedy struck. “We are poor people with no place to go and therefore, have chosen to come back to our damaged and unsafe house as it is better to die once than to die every day looking for shelter,” she says. Charan Singh, president of the Guru Ravi Das Sabha, said electricity connections had been installed in the damaged houses, but there was no water supply and roads had not been repaired, which was a threat to pedestrians, especially during winters. Anju (16), a student of Class XII, said, “We have hired a room on rent as my examinations are approaching in March and concentrating on studies at the crowded place is not possible”. "It is a huge burden on the family as my father is unemployed and my mother is engaged in door-to-door collection of garbage,” she lamented. "The story of other displaced families is no different as either they are under deep debt or are forced to live in unsafe houses, waiting for some tragedy to happen," says Krishna Nagar ward No. 11 councillor Rajni Singh. "The administration had promised to give six sheds near cowsheds for the calamity victims, but no electricity and water supply have been provided in the sheds during the past eight months and the families had to return to their damaged houses. We also met the Chief Minister for an early reconstruction of houses of 40 BPL families, but nothing has been done so far," she added. |
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No action against CM exposes Cong: Dhumal
Nahan, January 12 Dhumal said while the state unit of the BJP would compile acts of corruption relating to the Congress government in the state, including various acts of corruption relating to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, their central leadership was compiling facts pertaining to corruption and failure of the UPA government. He said the Congress leadership had failed to act against the Chief Minister and he failed to explain how crores were earned through his apples orchards. He said even the clear case where Virbhadra Singh had received crores through fake companies had failed to elicit any response from the Congress, exposing their stand on
corruption. Criticising the one-year rule of the Congress government in the state, he said it was trying to take credit for various works executed by their government and setting a wrong precedence of replacing plaques in the name of BJP leaders. He said despite tall claims, the Congress had failed to bring any special project for railways and the industrial package too had failed to be extended. He said the government had not honoured its poll promise of granting unemployment allowance to the youth and had replaced the earlier plan with the Kaushal Vikas
Bhatta. Earlier, addressing a gathering on the 151st birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, he said he had made the country proud by fighting against the British rule. Swami Vivekananda had set an example of high Indian traditions while addressing the people in the
USA. Dhumal said the country had got another Narendra (actual name of the Swami) in the form of Narendra Modi and he would revolutionise the country by making it a global power. Others present on the occasion were Nahan MLA Dr Rajiv
Bindal, MP Virender Kashyap, BJP leaders Baldev Bhandari, Praveen Sharma among others. |
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Play on Swami Vivekananda’s life
Kangra, January 12 The play, directed by Sarika
Pandse, left the audience spellbound. The local unit of Vivekananda Kendra and the Aman Kachroo Trust organised the play, which was sponsored by the National Rural Health Mission.
Partik Giakward and Anil Palkhar played the lead role in the two-and-a-half-hour-long play. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s role played by Jaint Pathak was also lauded by the audience. The play highlighted incidents from Vivekananda’s childhood, his meeting with guru Ramakrishna, his meditation on the rock amid three seas at Kanya Kumari on December 25, 26 and 27 in 1892, his Chicago address and service to the nation through Ramakrishna Mission. His call to the youth of the country ‘Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached’ at the end of the show was appreciated. The play also highlighted the plight of women in India through the eyes of Vivekananda and his oneness with people belonging to the untouchable section of the society. Director Sarika said it was the 150th presentation of the play. She said the play had been staged in
Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam and Kanya
Kumari. She said the play gives a message of positivity, strength of character and philosophy of simple living and high thinking. The artistes and the production team were honoured by
DRPGMC, Tanda, Principal Anil Chauhan and Kangra SDM Ajit Bhardwaj. |
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Gang of car thieves busted
Shimla, January 12 Ishwar had taken the car to Rajgarh and changed the number plate of the car. The police suspected him to be a member of a bigger car lifters gang. On Friday, Nishant Verma came here from Faridkot with his friends. Ishwar offered them a room in a city hotel. Ishwar also acted as their guide on the first day of their tour. The second day, he demanded car key for parking. But the tourists never found him and his mobile number went switched off. “They contacted the police and lodged an FIR. "We tracked Ishwar’s phone and traced him with a car at Rajgarh today, said Somya Sambasivan, Additional Superintendent of Police, Shimla. The investigation revealed that Ishwar had also worked as a hotel agent in Shimla was carrying a card of Swastika Travel Agency. Though travel agents and hoteliers had assured the tourists that they knew Ishwar and was safe to hand over the key to him, when the police quizzed them, they refused to identify him, said the police. |
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HC disposes of petition on overcrowding in buses
Shimla, January 12 A Division Bench comprising Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir, Acting Chief Justice and Justice Kuldip Singh accepted the affidavit filed by the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) and disposed of the petition. The court passed this order after perusing the affidavit filed on the behalf of the HRTC wherein the court was informed that the corporation had issued purchase orders after completion of all codal formalities for purchase of 47-seater buses, numbering 300, 37-seater buses, numbering 200 and 30+1-seater fully built-up buses, numbering 15, in favour of Tata Motors Ltd on September 27, 2013. It added that as per the purchase orders, Tata Motors had supplied 30+1 seater buses, 15 in number, which are being plied in different parts of the state as per requirement and the rest of the 500 buses - 47-seaters and 37-seaters, are likely to be supplied in a month or two. The HRTC informed the court that as soon as these buses were supplied, the same would be plied by the corporation on busy routes as per requirement so that the problem of heavy rush was dealt with. The court disposed of the petition, which was treated as a PIL on a letter submitted by the president, HP Handicapped Welfare Association.
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YC chief asks Dhumal, Anurag to quit posts
Hamirpur, January 12 Addressing a public meeting at Gandhi Chowk yesterday to launch the pol-khol campaign started by the Youth Congress and the NSUI to expose the BJP leaders, he said, “After the exposure of several cases against the HPCA involving former CM PK Dhumal and HPCA president Anurag Thakur, they don’t have any right to hold their present posts and should resign immediately.” He alleged, “The HPCA has been hijacked by the Dhumal family and people from Phagwara and Tarn Taran have been made its life members while Dhumal has been made its patron with a right to vote.” He said, “The state government had leased out lands worth Rs 250 crore to the HPCA for promoting cricket, but Anurag had turned the HPCA into a company.” Hitting back at Arun Dhumal for levelling allegations against Virbhadra Singh and other family members, he said, “Every day he is levelling baseless allegations against my father and our family members, but he should not forget that people living in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones at others.” “Before levelling allegations against the CM, he should first get elected as a panchayat president,” he added. The rally was also addressed by other Congress leaders. Earlier, the activists also took out a procession from Bhota Chowk to Gandhi Chowk. |
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‘We owe a great deal to Sardar Patel’
Bilaspur, January 12 Garga said gestures like coming up with a monument to set a world record like the one Narendra Modi is raising in Gujarat, was a way to pay a befitting tribute to this great son of India who tirelessly worked and fought for the country's unity all his life and succeeded in making India one unit after the British, who were interested in dividing this country into many small parts on the basis of caste, creed, language, religion and even areas, left the country. |
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Gold worth Rs 7 lakh looted
Bilaspur, January 12 The theft was detected in the morning as the Sonis arrived there to open it as usual and
found their iron shutter and all locks broken. The police were informed about this. They rushed to the spot and found that the thieves had shut off lights of the roadside solar lights by cutting wires and broke locks with a gas cutter. Two CCTV cameras
were broken and recording equipment was carried away. Thieves had tried to open the steel safe with a gas cutter, but could not succeed. The total losses in this theft are being assessed. The police have registered a case and have started an investigation. |
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Mobile jammers in
exam halls
Shimla, January 12 He took a serious view and decided to introduce the mobile jammers on experimental basis to check the frequency, range and viability of the jammers in the examination halls. The commission has also taken up the matter with the government to purchase mobile jammers to eliminate hi-tech cheating and malpractices during examination for which the government has agreed in principle. |
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Six-day adventure camp concludes
Dalhousie, January 12 Vipin Thakur, noted eye-surgeon and Chief Medical Superintendent of Dalhousie Government Hospital was the chief guest. He gave away prizes and certificates to the participants. He said: “Trekking keeps a person physically and mentally fit and makes one confident and courageous.” Dr Brijesh Rupapara of the college said: “We experienced the beauty of the Himalayan ranges and culture of Himachal during our stay. The most memorable moments were witnessing snowfall and trekking in the snow-bound areas.” |
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Pensioners seek joint consultative panel
Bilaspur, January 12 Unit general secretary
Dr Upendra Gautam said here after a meeting that another resolution demanding immediate release of 10 per cent DA pending since July 2013 was also passed. Another resolution pleaded with all heads of departments to send their total fund demand to the Finance Department regarding pending medical reimbursement bills of pensioners, so that all these bills are cleared. The meeting urged the DC to start Mudrika Bus Service here and also check excess charges by three-wheelers. The meeting decided to form its ad-hoc city unit here and appointed Dr Upendra Gautam as its convener and Nand Lal Rahi its secretary . |
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CPM for pact with like-minded parties
Mandi, January
12 Speaking at Mandi district committee meeting here today, Singha said the CPM would field two candidates, Kushal Bhardwaj from Mandi and Jagat Ram from
Shimla, and would support like-minded candidates on the remaining two seats. He said the CPM would hold a convention of party activists from 17 Assembly segments of Mandi at Mandi on January 26 and would formulate its strategy to defeat BJP and Congress candidates. The CPM district committee has decided to intensify its campaign on the issues of public concern from January 15 to February 15 throughout the district and would hold dharnas and public meetings. |
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Congress harassed people, says BJP
Bilaspur, January 12 Members alleged that the Congress government, during its one-year rule, compelled people to run from pillar to post for the Direct Benefit Transfer of gas subsidy, which had not benefited most people in the state so far. They added that the government, under the name of the Food Security Act, had devised a new method to harass consumers, wherein they had been asked to issue new ration cards and combine them with Aadhaar cards, knowing that several consumers had not got their cards despite registering twice.
— OC |
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No let-up in cold wave
Shimla, January 12 The minimum temperature dipped to -13°C at Bharmaur, while Keylong recorded a low of -12.8°C. Kalpa and Manali recorded minimum temperatures of -2.4°C and -2°C. Shimla, Solan and Sundernagar shivered at 1.1°C, 1.5°C and 1.6°C, while Nahan recorded a minimum of 3.8°C, followed by Dharamsala at 5.6°C. The local Met office has predicted rain or snow in mid and higher hills during the next four days. |
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Forest rest house opens in Chamba
Dalhousie, January 12 The minister visited Chamba district for the first time after he swore in as the Forest Minister. Chief Conservator of Forests, Chamba, ARM Reddy said so far Rs 49.65 lakh had been spent on the building, though initially the estimated expenditure was only Rs 27 lakh. The state-of-the-art rest house has been constructed with four sets and has a conference hall. The foundation stone for the construction of the rest house was formally laid by the then Education Minister Asha Kumari on October 2, 2006.
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151st birth anniversary celebrated
Solan, January 12 The founder Vice-Chancellor of Makhanlal Chaturvedi University of Journalism, Bhopal, Prof Radhe Shyam Sharma, graced the occasion as chief guest and Sher Singh, secretary, Akhil Bhartiya Itihaas Sankalan Yojna, chaired the session as the guest of honour. Professor Bansal, while addressing the gathering, said a compulsory paper on human values and ethics had been introduced in all the courses of the university and a series of lectures on Swami Vivekananda and his karma yoga had been made an essential part of the curriculum, he said. Ajay K Poddar, Suresh Gupta, Prof RK Misra and Dr Vikas Dhawan were among those present. |
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2,000 blankets given to needy in Shimla
Shimla, January 12 In the week-long drive to save people from the cold weather, the foundation has donated blankets to Blind and Deaf School, Dalhi, Government Home for Destitute Women, State Home for Destitute Girls, Sarvodya Girls Hostel, Durgapur, Sarvodya Boys hostel, Shimla, Himgiri Tribal Hostel at Chamba, Shimla and Kinnaur, Inner Wheel Club, Indira Gandhi Medical College sarai, Vishal Kusht Ashram and Krishna Nagar. Foundation chairman Ajay Srivastav said, “We do not take any help from the government. This social work is carried out through public donations.”
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The reservoir of a 4.8-MW small hydel project at Aleo near here which was to be commissioned soon burst this morning while it was being filled during a trial to check for any seepage.
The six-day adventure camp for students of SPKM College, Jetpur, Gujarat, concluded here today. The Youth Hostel, Dalhousie, had organised the camp, which saw participation of 81 girls in trekking, rappelling, valley crossing and Burma Bridge crossing in Dalhousie hills.
Vipin Thakur, noted eye-surgeon and Chief Medical Superintendent of Dalhousie Government Hospital was the chief
guest.
CPM state secretary Rakash Singha said the Left would form an alliance with the like-minded parties to defeat the Congress and the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking at Mandi district committee meeting here today, Singha said the CPM would field two candidates, Kushal Bhardwaj from Mandi and Jagat Ram from
Shimla, and would support like-minded candidates on the remaining two seats.
Shimla, January 12
I know quite a few poets of Himachal who follow the tradition of Harivansh Rai
Bachchan: Do post-graduation in English and write Hindi poetry. Keshav
Narain, Avtar Engill and Rekha Vashisht come to mind instantly. Rekha is my favourite (see photo). Why? Because her poetry fits into what TS Eliot had said: “Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood.”
