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9 from Cong make it to final round
Horticulture project awaits ministry nod
Naina Devi ropeway project gets leg-up
Deodar trees may dry up post Gorton Castle blaze
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Letters against Rana circulated
Consumer forum orders mobile replacement
Sarpanch booked for vandalism
Fire renders 25 families homeless in Kotkhai
Fund-starved HIMFED gets soft loan
Gastro grips Jwalamukhi village, 350 taken ill
Shoolini varsity sends students to South Korea
IGMC doc gets Best Clinical Case award
Rs 10 lakh for girl qualifying IAS/IPS exam
CM urged to restore promotion policy
HLP to discuss merger with AAP on Feb 2
Domestic help rescued
Inter-caste marriage incentive doubled
2 bikers die in road mishap
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9 from Cong make it to final round
New Delhi, January 30 Sources in the AICC said while the name of Pratibha Singh, sitting MP from Mandi and wife of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, was the only one forwarded for the constituency, two names had been shortlisted for Shimla and three each from Kangra and Hamirpur segments. For Shimla, Rohru MLA Mohan Lal Bragta and Vinod Sultanpuri have been recommended for the Central Election Committee. Vinod is the son of former MP KD Sultanpuri and had lost the last Assembly election from Kasauli by 23 votes. He fits the bill insofar as Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s stress on young candidates is concerned. For Kangra, former MP Chander Kumar is leading the race of candidates although a panel of probables, firmed up by the screening committee, chaired by Assam Congress president Bhubaneshwar Kalita today, also comprises Raghubir Bali, son of Himachal Transport Minister GS Bali, and Suresh Kumar, a retired Sessions judge. Chander Kumar had lost the last Lok Sabha election from Kangra by 17,000 votes. For the Hamirpur segment, the screening committee has finalised three names, former state minister Ram Lal Thakur, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Barsar MLA, and Rajinder Rana, independent MLA from Sujanpur, who was once close to former CM PK Dhumal. Sources in the Congress said Himachal Congress chief Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu raised objections to the candidature of Rana whose name was said
to be figuring in the Congress chargesheet against the former Dhumal government. “Rajinder Rana’s name has been forwarded along with the objections raised by the state party president,” top sources said. It is reliably learnt that the name of the Himachal Industries Minister was discussed for Hamirpur at the screening committee meeting yesterday. But Virbhadra Singh said Agnihotri could not be spared from the state. The name has not yet been recommended to the panel, Congress leaders said although Sukhu favoured Agnihotri’s candidature. Sources added that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi would take
the final call on the name of all sitting MPs, including Pratibha Singh from
Mandi. The screening committee meeting was attended by AICC general secretary, Himachal, Ambika Soni and Virbhadra Singh among other senior leaders. The final panel was drawn up today. Race-II
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Horticulture project awaits ministry nod
Shimla, January 30 The state has sought to put in place a 22-point high-end horticultural practices strategy to revamp the sick horticulture industry where 14 per cent of fruit plants are as good as dead. The project seeks to cultivate and develop new high-yielding root stock fruit varieties, set up cool chains and one-stop shops for fruit and agricultural crops and automate government agencies like the HPMC, APMC and HPAIC and farmers’ call centres. The state will contribute Rs 200 crore while the Centre will give Rs 800 crore, said sources. The project seeks to revamp the Rs 3,500 crore apple industry. Besides, it seeks to diversify vegetable and horticultural crops like hazel nuts and olive into new districts of the state. The projects are supposed to benefit 25,000 families in the backward region of Sirmaur and Chamba district as well, said the project officials. Horticulture Minister Vidya Stokes discussed the project with the Centre and Union Minister Sharad Pawar recently. “We will send the details of project to the Ministry. We have already held a series of meeting with farmers, government officials, scientists and experts,” she said. The project focuses on production and marketing, and post-harvest management practices of horticultural corps in the state. “We have sought to set up modern nurseries for hazel nuts and olive in Chamba and Sirmaur, a centre of fruit excellence at Shilaroo, upgrade of the marketing yards, processing units in Parwanoo, Jarol and Patlikuhal, Rohru and other places,” said Prakash Thakur, vice-chairman, HPMC, the government implementing agency. The vegetable stores would be set up at Nadaan and Ghumarwin as well, he added. The project seeks to enhance capacity-building for farmers with the help of the Directorate of Horticulture, set up a cool chain to sell fruit in the markets. They otherwise suffer bruises and result in poor return. Rain harvesting, sprinklers, drip irrigation, pond lining and storage tanks for irrigation as horticulture crops depend on rain and snow, said experts. The plant nurseries for hazel nuts, olives and apple will be set up in public-private partnership (PPP) mode. The project awaits MoA’s nod, said JC Sharma, Managing Director, HPMC. “The gestation period for the project is five years and it seeks to modernise horticulture," he added. The Vice-Chancellor of the Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture, Dr Vijay Thakur, said the university would give technological support and provide new high-yielding varieties to farmers after testing. |
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Naina Devi ropeway project gets leg-up
Shimla, January 30 Himachal had decided to go it alone after scrapping a memorandum of understanding signed with Punjab for the project. The Infrastructure Development Board has already held a pre-bid meeting. With only 274.58 metres of the entire 3,751-m span of the ropeway falling in Punjab, it was felt that the sharing of the earning on a 50-50 basis between the two states was not in Himachal's interest. The ropeway is likely
to be executed by making Kola Wala Toba, falling in Himachal, as the take-off point. Mohan Chauhan, Director, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said following the cancellation of the agreement signed with Punjab, the process of inviting bids for preparing the project documents had been initiated so that work on the ropeway could begin soon. “Since we have received many queries from interested parties, we have now extended the last date from February 3 to 10 to give enough time to parties for sending their bids,” said Anil Kapil, Infrastructure Development Board general manager. The Congress regime had constituted a high-powered committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, to assess if the memorandum of understanding signed with Punjab was in the interest of the state. The committee in its report said as per the terms and conditions of the memorandum of understanding, HP did not stand to gain much. It was felt that it would be a more profitable venture if Himachal executed it alone. Himachal and Punjab had signed the memorandum of understanding in the presence of Chief Ministers PK Dhumal and Parkash Singh Badal on July 26, 2012, in Shimla. The cost of the project was estimated to be about Rs 85 crore, while the completion time was three years. Of the 70 lakh pilgrims who visit the Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district every year, 90 per cent are from Punjab. The ropeway will to
have three terminals - Rampur in Punjab and Toba and Naina Devi in HP. Trolleys can carry 800 persons per hour in one direction. Linking the shrines
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Deodar trees may dry up post Gorton Castle blaze
Officials of the state’s Accountant General (AG) have ruled out any major damage to the green heritage around the fire-ravaged castle so far, but silviculturists say deodar trees near the Gorton Castle are physiologically dead and cannot withstand the 10-hour-long blaze around its canopy. “The damage on trees is yet to be assessed as the mortality rate is higher in physiologically old trees,” says Dr Rajesh Kumar, a senior scientist and silviculture expert at the Himalayan Forest Research Institute (HFRI), Shimla. Deodar trees near the Gorton Castle are physiologically dead as they are surrounded by buildings, concrete and roads, observes Dr Rajesh, adding that, “These trees do not have loose soil to replenish themselves in case they face blaze or other danger.” Dr Rajesh Kumar says the fire impact does not show immediate signs on trees and may take weeks or months to register its exact damage. “The fire is rare in deodar jungle as these are evergreen trees. Its branches may replenish the fire impact, but the impact of the blaze on photosynthesis in old trees speeds up mortality and stops food process,” he explains. On the other hand, AG officials say they cannot judge as to what impact the fire has on the trees. “There is no visible impact of fire on the deodar trees, but you have flagged an important issue,” says Satish Sethi, Deputy Accountant General, AG office. “It is an important issue and we will assess the damage on trees and green canopy around the castle,” says Satish Loomba, Principal Accountant General (Audit), HP. The Forest Department will assess the impact of the fire on the trees around the Gorton Castle soon, says Sanjay Sud, Conservator, Forest Circle,
Shimla. Silviculturistspeak
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Move to close Indian Coffee House draws flak
Dharamsala, January 30 The cafe, run by a Kerala cooperative, is operating in a building given to it on lease by the district administration. However, sources said a team of officials of Indian Coffee House would finalise the formalities of closing down the unit at Dharamsala. The officials were not available for comments. Raghav Guleria, a resident, said Indian Coffee House was a part of heritage of Dharamsala. It should not be closed. There might be a conspiracy to grab the prime property in which coffee house was located, he alleged. Suresh Prashar, another resident and regular visitor to Indian Coffee House, said the staff was behind the move to close down the Dharamsala branch. Earlier also, a similar attempt was made in 2000. However, the move was dropped after resistance from residents, he said. Sources said the Indian Coffee House management had proposed to close down the unit on the plea that it was running in losses. The customers, however, alleged that it could not be loss-making unit as it was filled with customers in the afternoons. Certain locals said the staff at the cafe did not issue receipts for the cash received. Indian Coffee House is a famous eating joint in Dharamsala for leaders. It provides a platform to both Congress and BJP leaders while in the opposition to hold press conferences and raise their voice. The sources said the residents had also petitioned the local administration for saving Indian Coffee House. District officials were trying to convince the management against closing down the unit. The Indian Coffee House chain was started by the Coffee Cess Committee in 1936 when the first outlet was opened in Bombay. In the 1940s, there were nearly 50 coffee houses. |
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Leopard carcass found in Chamba
Chamba, January 30 They informed forest officials who rushed to the spot and found the carcass of a leopard in the nullah. The forest officials said the dead animal was a male leopard of 5 ft length. Later, the carcass was brought to the Mehla nursery for further
examination by senior officials. They said the death of the leopard appeared to be natural. As its lower jaw and a couple of nails missing, it could be due to a fight between two wild animals. "Though body parts of the animal are intact, someone tried to remove the skin after its death, but left it in the middle. The exact reason of the death will be known only after its postmortem," said Chief
Conservator, Forests, Chamba, ARM Reddy. However, a report about the incident had been lodged by the forest officials at the police station here. Though the animal appeared to have died a week ago, due to low temperatures prevailing, the body had not deteriorated, Reddy said. For the disposal of the carcass after its postmortem, Divisional Forest Officer, Chamba, Dr Kirupa Sankar constituted a committee which consisted of Range Officer, upper Chamba range, Range Officer (Wildlife), the pradhan of Chari gram panchayat and other field officials. |
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Letters against Rana circulated
Shimla, January 30 Rana, a former BJP man and close aide of former Chief Minister PK Dhumal, was targeted as letters were circulated against him in Hamirpur and Bilaspur yesterday. These were sent through post to many mediapersons. It is not surprising that the act of trying to rake up the old episode allegedly involving Rana came on a day when the screening committee was meeting in Delhi yesterday. The letter links Rana to an episode where the police had raided a hotel in Shimla and this incident had also featured in the Congress chargesheet. Rana, who had won as a BJP rebel in the December 2012 Assembly elections, is vying for the Congress ticket for the Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat. While the Virbhadra camp is keen to field him, state Congress president Sukhwinder Sukhu wants the ticket for a man who is at least from the Congress. |
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Special gram sabha meetings on Feb 2
Chamba, January 30 Deputy Commissioner, Chamba, Kadam Sandeep Vasant stated this while talking to mediapersons here on Tuesday. The DC said at every village there would be a forest rights committee for recognising and safeguarding the traditional forest rights of tribals and all other forest dwellers in the district. The village-level gram sabha would examine issues put up before the committee and submit its recommendations with comments to the subdivisional-level committee which had already been constituted, the DC stated. The quorum for the gram sabha would be 50 per cent of the total adult members of the village. Women had also been given priority and at least one-third of the total attendance should be of the women, the DC said while answering to a query. |
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Oustees seek surplus land for families
Sundernagar, January 30 The oustees, led by Hem Singh Thakur, president, Oustees Sangh, said a copy of the memorandum was also given to the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) chief engineer for consideration. The memorandum said the BBMB had surplus land. They sought the declaration of the land as surplus as per provisions of the Land Acquisition Act and that it be given to the oustee families. Oustees said the surplus land had been acquired for the construction of the Beas Sutlej Link project, but they did not get a single inch of land as per the government policy. Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, Devesh Kumar listened to the grievances of the oustees and assured them of resolving their problems at the earliest. He said the copy of the memorandum was already forwarded to the Chief Minister. |
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Shanta Kumar’s dream project in tatters
Kangra, January 30 The foundation stone was laid in 1992 by the then Chief Minister Shanta Kumar, but the successive governments abandoned the idea of constructing the project. The project site has turned into a garbage dump and is used for the parking of vehicles. Earlier, Shanta approached the district administration and offered to provide it Rs 1 crore from his MP fund if the government in view of paucity of funds was not constructing the project. RS Gupta, the then Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, and a close aide of Prof PK Dhumal, said later the government decided to bring up the project at a cost of Rs 4.2 crore. Neither Shanta Kumar's Rs 1 crore was accepted by the Dhumal government nor was the project accomplished. Former Parliamentary Secretary Surender Kaku has sought Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s intervention into the matter. |
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Consumer forum orders mobile replacement
Sundernagar, January 30 Opposite parties were also directed to pay to the complainant Rs 2,000 for mental harassment and inconvenience and Rs 2,000 as costs of litigation. The complainant had purchased a Micromax A-87 mobile phone from Music World in November 2012 for Rs 5,900. It was alleged that the phone became non-functional after a month of purchase and a complaint was lodged which was entered vide job card dated February 16, 2013. The complainant further alleged that he approached the opposite parties many a time, but neither the mobile had been returned after repair, nor had it been replaced, which amounted to deficiency in service. The complainant prayed for Rs 50,000 as compensation. The opposite parties admitted that the set was defective and irreparable. So they offered the complainant replacement of the mobile handset with a new one, but the complainant refused to receive it. The forum held that from the perusal of record, it was quite clear that the mobile phone sold to the complainant was defective and irreparable. |
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Sarpanch booked for vandalism
Kullu January 30 Banjar MLA Karan Singh was to lay the foundation stone on January 28, while the president of Chaini panchayat Rameshwari allegedly broke it on January 27, saying that the rest house was being built on the panchayat land and the samiti had not taken any permission from Chaini panchayat for it. On the other hand, Kishan Thakur, vice-president, Panchayat Samiti, Banjar, said the land was selected after proper measurement and another site could still be opted if the president presented the papers to support her claim. He added that the matter could be sorted amicably. DSP Sanjay Sharma said a case had been registered against Chaini panchayat president for damaging public property and taking away the foundation stone. |
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Fire renders 25 families homeless in Kotkhai
Shimla, January 30 The fire was controlled by villagers before the fire tenders rushed to the spot as the village was far-off from Kotkhai and Theog. The team led by Additional District Magistrate, Shimla, and SDM and DSP, Theog, rushed to the spot. There was no loss to life, said Sagar Chand, DSP, Theog. The loss to property runs in crores as villagers lost all goods in the fire, said fire victims. Short circuit was the likely cause of the fire. The fire rapidly spread in the adjourning houses as most of them were wooden. The officials said the fire-hit people had been rehabilitated by villagers as they refused to stay in tents. The affected families were given an immediate relief of Rs 20,000. |
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Fund-starved HIMFED gets soft loan
Nahan, January 30 The loan will be provided by Jogindra Central Cooperative Bank, HP State Co-operative Bank and Kangra Central Co-operative Bank that will contribute Rs 50 lakh, Rs 3 crore and Rs 2.5 crore, respectively, at an annual interest of 5 per cent. HIMFED will be liable to return the amount in 10 years. With the cumulative loss of Rs 11 crore, HIMFED was incurring major losses in selling fertilisers and as against the profitability of about Rs 1 crore, the federation was paying Rs 4.5 crore as an annual interest to raise funds to procure fertilisers. Federation vice-chairman AS Saklani said they would request the state government to provide them the working capital to bear the undue financial liability of crores of rupees on account of the fertiliser purchase. The federation was presently paying 13.75 per cent interest on availing loans and a major share of their profitability was being spent in paying the annual interest amounting to crores of rupees. HIMFED was also forced to provide fertilisers in the snow-bound tribal areas and far-flung areas of the state where the cost of management was as high as Rs 75 per bag of fertiliser while they merely earned Rs 6.30 per bag. The interest alone worked out to be Rs 25.96 per bag, thus making the fertiliser distribution a loss-yielding venture.
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Gastro grips Jwalamukhi village, 350 taken ill
Kangra, January 30 He said some patients were rushed to Jwalamukhi Hospital for treatment, while others were provided medical aid at the village itself. He said gastroenteritis had spread in the village and affected hundreds of villagers. Gurang said two teams from Micro Biology and other departments of Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, would rush to the village tomorrow to identify the source of the infection.
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Landslide hits Jawali village
Nurpur, January 30 As many as 12 houses fall in the danger zone in this village. This village is a few metres away from the Pong Dam reservoir and the landslide even damaged its path. The landslide has caused panic among residents. Suman Bala, pradhan of Khatiar gram panchayat, said the panchayat had been giving assistance to the affected families, but the state government should rehabilitate the affected families as their houses were not fit for living now due to constant threat of landslide. According to information, the families of Uttam Chand, Subash, Devi Dass and Pratap Chand left their houses yesterday after the landslide. Jawali SDM Mohan Dutt Sharma and DSP DC Verma visited the affected village today. The SDM said the landslide in the village was mild and the four families had been shifted as precaution only. He claimed that the affected families had been given tents for raising temporary roofs.
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Snow eludes skiers in Solang valley
Manali, January 30 The main ski slopes, which remain covered with 2 to 4 ft of snow, are devoid of snowfall. The major ski slopes have received moderate snow till date. However, due to the rise in the temperature, snow melted at a fast pace, making things difficult for skiing and snowboarding. Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports Deputy Director Mahavir Thakur said the trials for the senior Himachal Pradesh Alpine skiing and snowboarding team had been postponed to February 11 and 12 due to inadequate snow on the main ski slopes. The Manali-Rohtang Pass road was closed for vehicular traffic due to heavy snowfall, following which the Solang valley has become a major attraction for tourists and winter sports lovers.
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Contractual employees observe fast
Shimla, January 30 Family members, relatives of the employees also joined the satyagarh that started from the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on The Ridge and culminated at the DC's office here. Later, the employees submitted a memorandum of demands to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh through the DC. AHCEA convener Dr Harshvardhan Khimta said 20 unions of school and college teachers, clerks and other employees participated in the march. Contract employees had been denied their due for a long time, he claimed. The different employees unions said they had same recruitment and promotion rules and were recruited under the HP Public Service Commission, Subordinate Service Selection Board and other regular recruitment channels, but they continued to be contractual employees. The association demanded the regularisation of jobs in three years and their contract period be counted as the government service period. The other demands included the inclusion of the pension contributory scheme and revised grade pay scale for clerical staff. Khimta warned of intensifying the stir if their demands were not met. "We are waiting for the state budget which will come on February 7," he added.
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Shoolini varsity sends students to South Korea
Solan, January 30 The university had earlier signed an MoU with Seoul National University, Gachon University, Suwon University and Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GSIT), all in South Korea, to develop alliances and partnerships with international institutes. Three more students will later visit the university for this student exchange programme, said Vice-Chancellor PK Khosla. The students have been awarded a fellowship which will help meet their boarding, lodging and tuition fee at the South Korean universities. The Anand Automotive group has agreed in principle to offer a short-term job for these students in Korean industries functioning in India following the completion of their programmes. The MoU signed between these South Korean universities and Shoolini University is meant for the promotion of science, engineering and management courses, and the research grant generated with this collaboration would be utilised for future collaborations.
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IGMC doc gets Best Clinical Case award
Dr Bhardwaj presented at the conference the challenging case of Ram Prasad (48) who survived a cardiac arrest after he performed angioplasty on him. It was a rare case, as a patient rarely survived after suffering from cardiac arrest, he said. The jury of doctors adjudged Dr Bhardwaj’s case as the Best Clinical Case of the year out of the six cases shortlisted from a total of 164 cases presented at the conference, which was attended by around 2,000 delegates from more than 23 countries. Apart from Dr Bhardwaj’s case from India, the jury selected one each from Spain, Japan, France, Egypt and Russian federation. Dr Bhardwaj said Ram Prasad from Bilaspur had suffered a cardiac arrest after angiography. “He did not respond to the cardiac massage for 15 minutes. We then found that the left main coronary artery had got completely blocked at its origin,” he said. During the cardiac massage, Dr Bhardwaj performed angioplasty and fitted a stent, following which the patient’s heart started beating, blood pressure came up and the patient was put on respiratory support. “After 4 hours, the respiratory support was withdrawn,” he said. “Prasad recovered the next day and was discharged from the IGMC on the third day,” he said.
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Rs 10 lakh for girl qualifying IAS/IPS exam
Bilaspur, January 30 He said at every function he would preside over as the chief guest, at least one woman of the area would be made the guest of honour and honoured by him. Dharmani honoured girls who excelled in various activities of the school. Present on the occasion were Block Medical Officer TS Chandel, Nagar Parishad president Reeta Sehgal, former parishad president Sat Pal, Boys School Principal Lal
Singh Chauhan, DSP Anjani Jaswal, College Principal RP Chopra, panchayat president Suneeta Dhiman and school
management committee president Pawan.
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CM urged to restore promotion policy
Palampur, January 30 HP Revenue Officers Association general secretary Virender Sharma said the previous BJP government had reduced their promotion quota from 35 per cent to 27 per cent. He urged the Chief Minister to restore the previous promotion policy as it would benefit over 300 revenue officials working in the state. — OC
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HLP to discuss merger with AAP on Feb 2
Kullu, January 30 The merger of the HLP will be important since the HLP leadership has already held talks with AAP leaders in Mandi on January 26. APP leaders have ruled out the possibility of seat sharing between the two parties for the coming Parliament elections as there is no provision in the constitution of the party regarding the seat sharing. Maheshwar Singh, state convener, HLP, said, “We had put forth our viewpoint to check the division of anti-Congress anti-BJP votes to AAP leaders at the Mandi meeting and it is now for the AAP party high command to take a decision in this regard.
— TNS
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Domestic help rescued
Kullu January 30 DSP, Kullu, Sanjay Sharma said Pawan, hailing from Gaya district in Bihar, came to the police station and reported that he worked at the house of one Dolma at Bhuntar, who locked him in a room after he refused to
work at another place. He said he had somehow managed to escape and informed the police. The DSP said the boy’s relatives were informed and he was moved to Child Helpline in Manali. A case under Sections 23 and 26 of the Juvenile Justice Act and Sections 342 and 506 of the IPC was registered and the hunt was on to arrest the accused.
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Inter-caste marriage incentive doubled
Kullu January 30 District Welfare Officer Pratap Negi said 11 couples from the district had benefited under the scheme during this financial year. He said besides Rs 15,000 was provided for marriage to people having more than 75 per cent disability and Rs 8,000 to persons having 40-74 per cent disability.
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2 bikers die in road mishap
Nurpur January 30 Jaswinder Singh (26) of Hazipur and his brother-in-law Rajat (18) of Maajpur in Hoshiarpur (Punjab) died, while the third rider Manpreet of Maajpur and truck driver Joginder Singh of Chakwal were injured. The injured were rushed to the Mukerian Civil Hospital. DSP Nurpur Rajiv Atre said a case was registered against the truck driver.
— OC
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Shimla, January 30
Shimla, January 30