Shimla, February 11
Like the BJP, the Congress has cleared the decks for the return of about 100 activists who had been expelled before the Assembly elections in December 2012.

The State Executive of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) which met here today decided that a majority of these leaders should be re-inducted as the Lok Sabha elections were round the corner. However, Congress leaders said those who frequently deserted the party should not be taken back.

The meeting was presided over by HPCC president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu at Congress Bhawan here. “It has been decided that those who had been expelled or issued notices for anti-party activities be taken back on merit and after consultations with the block and district units and the MLA concerned,” said Sukhu.

The HPCC had expelled 25 leaders on disciplinary grounds. Prominent among them were former MLAs, including Kashmir Singh from Ghumarwin, Mast Ram from Karsog, Prem Lata Thakur, wife of former minister Satya Prakash Thakur, and Dharamvir Dhmai from Kullu and Karnesh Jung, who has won as rebel from Paonta Sahib.

Later, the Congress had issued show-cause notices to 86 leaders for working against the party. This had been done on the basis of complaints received by the HPCC from various blocks and district units.

However, a decision on these 86 leaders had been pending and they had not been expelled.

Sukhu is also expected to start his tour of 68 blocks shortly to gear up partymen for the coming elections.

As part of preparations for the Lok Sabha elections, it was also decided that the party would hold district conventions by the February-end. Sukhu said he would also conduct meetings at the district level.

Nurpur, February 11
Former MLA of Guler Assembly segment Harbans Rana and former Chamba district BJP chief Bhupinder Singh Chouhan are back with the BJP.

The two on Monday filled their party membership forms in the presence of Shanta Kumar, Rajya Sabha member and prospective party candidate from Kangra.

Shanta was in the town for a meeting with party workers from Nurpur, Jawali, Fatehpur and Indora mandals.

Chouhan had contested the last Assembly election from Bhatiyat as an independent against BJP nominee Vikram Jarial.

Rana had supported BJP rebel Sanjay Guleria in the Jawali Assembly constituency. As a sequel, the party had shown them the door.

Shimla, February 11
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said no pressure from the BJP would deter the government from a probe into the acts of omission and commission committed during the previous Dhumal regime.

Virbhadra, pointing towards the empty Opposition benches, said such an irresponsible behaviour was condemnable. Replying to the debate on the Budget proposals for 2014-15, he said they had set a wrong precedent.

“Disruption of the Governor's Address and then boycotting Budget presentation and debate only reflects the shallowness and immaturity of the BJP leadership,” he remarked. He said it was not expected from the Leader of the Opposition who has been the Chief Minister twice.

The Chief Minister said the boycott of the session was only an excuse to pressurise the government which was inquiring into various cases. Also BJP legislators wanted to prepare for the success of the Narendra Modi's rally to be held at Sujanpur on February 16.

Holding the BJP responsible for the grim financial health, he said the underestimation of the state’s liabilities by the 13th Finance Commission had impacted the development of the state and this could be rectified only with a just award by the 14th Finance Commission.

“Within the limited finances, I have tried to present a growth-oriented and industry-friendly Budget which can help accelerate the pace of development and bring relief to all sections of society,” he said.

Virbhadra said his government would probe the violation of Section 118 of the Tenancy and Land Reform Act and the guilty would not be spared as illegally acquired land would be confiscated and attached.

“I urge the people to provide details of such benami deals to me or the Revenue Minister so that we could take action,” he said.

He said to make land purchase for the industry easy, the Revenue and Industry Departments had been asked to prepare guidelines which had been cleared. “A special cell dedicated for resource mobilisation will help cut down wasteful expenditure and help in generating resources,” he said.

He also admitted that there were shortcomings in selection of BPL lists and the government would evolve a mechanism to ensure that only the eligible and dersving got benefits.

Una, February 11
Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today said it was the responsibility of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to end the deadlock in the Vidhan Sabha, due to which no business had been transacted.

Addressing mediapersons here, he blamed Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Agnihotri for the situation.

Dhumal said the arrogant attitude and provocative language being used by the ruling party had resulted in the Opposition's boycott from the Assembly. The ball was in the court of the ruling party, he said.

The former CM alleged that Virbhadra had backtracked on his promises to employees. He said the BJP government had promised to give financial benefits to the employees who had completed four, nine and 14 years of service. He, however, said the Congress government had announced that it would give these benefits from 2006, later from 2012 and now it was learnt that these would be passed from 2016. He said the Congress government had even failed to release an instalment of dearness allowance to the employees.

Dhumal said the performance of the government had been dismal in all areas. It had even failed to press upon the Punjab Government to comply with the Supreme Court orders, entitling Himachal Pradesh to arrears of Rs 4,250 crore in the Bhakra Beas Management Board. He said during the past 14 months, the Centre too had shown a stepmotherly attitude towards the state.

He said the Budget pointed towards a financial mismanagement and the end result would be that all developmental activities would come to a grinding halt. BJP state president Satpal Singh Satti and Kutlehar MLA Virender Kanwar were also present.

Shimla, February 11
The government has allotted 37 hydropower projects in Lahaul and Spiti district with a capacity of 22.92.50 MW, including the 420-MW Reoli Dugli project allotted to L&T and the 400-MW Seli project to Seli HEP Company, Power Minister Sujan Singh Pathania told the Assembly during Question Hour.

Replying to a question of Ravi Thakur, Congress MLA from Lahaul and Spiti, he said except for small hydro projects which were commissioned before 2006, 33 projects were in the initial stage of investigation and survey and implementation agreements had not been signed as Local Area Development Committees had not been constituted and no meeting taken place.

The projects allotted in the tribal district included Gypsa HEP (300 MW), Purthi (300 MW), Rasil (130 MW).

Shimla, February 11
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today informed the Assembly that Rs 252 crore had been granted by the Centre as the Calamity Relief Fund for the losses in Kinnaur and other parts during the flashfloods and heavy rains last year.

Replying to a debate on the Budget for 2014-15 in the Assembly, the Chief Minister said Rs 252 had been granted but Himachal would seek more funds so that the restoration of the damage caused in Kinnaur and other parts could be undertaken.

The Assembly on August 22 last year had adopted a unanimous resolution urging the Centre to provide Rs 1,972.08 crore for rescue and relief work in Kinnaur and other parts. Himachal had suffered losses of over Rs 2,892 crore and 53 persons had lost their lives, including 23 in Kinnaur.

A total of 4,377 roads and 6,559 houses and cowsheds were damaged in the rains.

The loss to the roads had been assessed at Rs 1,221.45 crore, Rs 302 crore to the horticulture sector, Rs 200 crore to agriculture, Rs 374 crore to the power sector and Rs 165 crore loss to public property.

New Delhi, February 11
The Supreme Court (SC) extended the deadline for implementing the ban on the sale of 25 food articles packed in polythene sheets in the state by six weeks.

A Bench comprising Justices RM Lodha and SK Singh passed the order yesterday on the petitions filed by the Himachal Pradesh Vyapar Mandal and three others challenging the December 26, 2013, order of the HP High Court.

The Bench granted a four-week time to the state government, the Food Safety and Standard Authority and the state Pollution Control Board to come out with their response. The Bench asked the petitioners to file their replies within two weeks thereafter. The next hearing would be after six weeks and until then the interim order passed on January 20 “shall remain operative.”

On January 20, the court had advised the petitioners to sit together and come out with alternative suggestions taking into account the need to protect the environment and the interests of the business community and the consumers.

The High Court had directed the state government to enforce its June 26, 2013, notification banning the sale of polythene-packed food items such as potato chips, cookies, candies, chewing gum, ice cream, chocolates and noodles. The court had exempted drinking water, milk and vegetable oils from the purview of the ban which was to come into effect on January 26.

The petitioners had challenged the HC order, contending that disposal of plastic waste was a national problem and not restricted to Himachal alone warranting such a ban only in the hilly state. Some of the food items could be packed only in non-porous material like polythene sheets to preserve quality, they pleaded.

Shimla, February 11
Fruit growers in the state have demanded the setting up of more automatic weather stations in each development block for the weather-based crop insurance (WBCI) scheme. They also sought simplification of the insurance policy for the scheme.

The government has extended the scheme to cover 77 developmental blocks — 35 blocks for apple and 42 for mango crop — in the state this year.

Farmers have welcomed the decision as it is covering most of the development blocks in the apple-producing areas of Shimla, Kullu, Kinnaur, Mandi and Chamba and the mango-producing areas in the lower region.

But the Directorate of Horticulture was yet to direct the insurance companies to set up automatic weather stations in Maroag, Shantha-Derwat, Bamta, Khaddar and Khagna in Chopal, Annu in Jubbal-Kotkhai, parts of Rohru and Rampur and other areas freshly covered under the WBCI, said Rajiv Bragta and Deepak Banchta, orchardists from Chopal.

Launched in 2009-10, the WBCI has come in handy for the farmers who suffered 20-30 per cent losses due to hailstorm, drought and adverse weather conditions. As many as 41,333 apple farmers availed the WBCI scheme last year with an insurance claim of about Rs 9.5 crore, said horticulture officials.

"The renewal of the insurance policy remains cumbersome and time-consuming for farmers. We needed more weather stations while the renewal of the policy should be simplified," demanded Laxman Thakur, Chairman, Ecohorts, Nandpur.

The farmers were virtually at the mercy of two Chandigarh-based brokerage firms of the insurance companies as their offices were located in Chandigarh. They should set up their offices here to facilitate farmers, Laxman said.

The Chief Minister in his Budget speech said the WBCI scheme would cover apple crop in 35 blocks and mango crop in 42 development blocks in Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba, Hamirpur and Kangra districts this year, while peach, plum and citrus (kinnow) would be brought under the insurance cover in selected blocks next year.

Under the WBCI scheme, farmers pay 50 per cent of the premium, while the Centre and the state government pay 25 per cent each. The government had given 21 blocks to the AICI and three blocks each to the HDFC and ICICI Lombard last year, said officials.

Horticulture Director Dr Gurdev Singh said the insurance companies had been asked to set up one or two weather stations in each block. Insurance claims worth Rs 9.5 crore had been settled, he added.

The need The government mulls covering 77 developmental blocks -- 35 blocks for apple and 42 blocks for mango crop -- in the state this year Farmers virtually at the mercy of two Chandigarh-based brokerage firms of the insurance companies as offices are located in Chandigarh

Manali, February 11
Recent heavy snowfall in apple belts of the upper Kullu valley has brought cheer to fruit growers who expect to reap a bumper apple crop this year. Snow, which is considered the white manure for apple orchards, has quenched the thirst of the plants.

As per orchardists, apple plants have got enough moisture after this snowfall and if the weather continues showering rain and snow till March, it will prove beneficial for the crop in the coming season. Drop in the temperature has also proved to be beneficial for the apple plants.

Dr DR Khajuria, a scientist with Horticulture Research Station, Seobagh, said, “The plants have completed 1,200 to 1,600 chill hours which will prove beneficial for a good apple crop.”

High reaches in Manali are getting snowfall on a regular basis which has maintained the temperature close to freezing point.

Not only the apple crop, but snow, rain and cold will be beneficial for other commercial fruit crops in the region. The upper Manali region is popularly known as the fruit bowl of the valley where fruit orchards are covered under a thick layer of snow.

Cold temperature keeps the apple crop in dormancy as the early blooming in the plants may prove fatal for the harvest.

Shimla, February 11
About 700 farmers from the state, sponsored by the state Agriculture Department, are on a visit to a four-day Krishi Basant Kisan Mela organised by the Union Ministry of Agriculture at Nagpur.

The Spring Agriculture Fair being held from February 9 to 13 will give the farmers an opportunity to update their knowledge on vegetable farming, organic agricultural practices and latest machines and tools for hilly areas, said JC Rana, Director, Agriculture Department.

About two lakh farmers from all over the country are participating in the fair to acquire knowledge regarding technology, new varieties of seeds, fertilisers and pesticides, farming practices and loan and insurance-related information.

The main highlight of the fair is the live webcasting and video conferencing facility in which farmers from all 12 districts of the state can ask questions.

The farmers will also get an opportunity to interact with farmers from different parts of the country and learn and share their experience about the use of technology for farming.

Dharamsala, February 11
Fissures have come to the fore in the Congress on the eve of President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Kangra.

Prominent Congress leader and former minister Vijay Singh Mankotia, who was the party candidate from Shahpur in the last Assembly elections, has been ignored.

His bête noire, vice-chairman of the Forest Corporation Kewal Singh Pathania, another Congress leader from Shahpur, is likely to get prominence during the function.

The President is coming here to preside over the 2nd annual convocation of the Central University Himachal Pradesh (CUHP). The function is being organised in the Shahpur Assembly constituency where the temporary campus of Central University has been set up. Sources said it had upset his supporters.

But Mankotia said he was busy at an ex-servicemen's league meeting in Delhi.

He said, "I had struggled to bring the college building in Shahpur where the temporary campus of Central University, is located. Many people from Shahpur donated their land for the college campus. Those who had donated their land should have been honoured during the function. However, no one has cared to even invite them for the function."

People were so agitated that they were planning to protest. However, he had discouraged them, Mankotia said.

The Shahpur constituency has been witnessing power struggle between Mankotia, who returned to the Congress during the last Assembly elections, and Pathania, vice-president of the Forest Corporation.

The function will prove to be the last straw for their tolerance, said Rattan Singh, a supporter of Mankotia.

The district administration is making elaborate arrangements for the function. For the two-hour visit of the President, about 1,000 policemen have been deputed on security. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Governor Urmila Singh and Chairman, 13th Finance Commission, Vijay L Kelkar, will also participate in the convocation of the Central University.

Central University Vice-Chancellor Furqan Qamar inaugurated a book exhibition as a prelude to the function. The book exhibition would go on for four days.

Thirty reputed distributors, publishers and suppliers are participating in this book exhibition.

Shimla, February 11
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the CPM and the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) today rooted for a “strong independent Lokayukta who should cover the office of the Chief Minister”.

The proposed Lokayukta Bill, to be presented in the Budget session, was weak and it needed more teeth to check the growing nexus of politician-bureaucrat-business house, the leaders demanded.

The role of Lokayukta was important as the ruling Congress and the BJP were in competition with each other to pursue the neoliberal path of development that in turn bred corruption, claimed Rakesh Singha, CPM general secretary.

Convener, HLP, Maheshwar Singh said the UPA government had also passed the Lok Pal Bill, but they would examine the state Lokayukta”, he asserted.

Lokayukta should have some safeguard to check frivolous complaints. But the Lokayukta, appointed by the judicial commission, could only act as a regulatory mechanism to check both bribery and selling of the state assets, Singha said. “Lokayukta should be free from the pulls and pressures and offices of the CM, executive and judiciary should be brought under it”, he demanded.

AAP state coordinator Des Raj said the proposed Lokaukta Bill gave Himachal a weak Lokpal. Its appointment remained non-transparent and had no independent investigation wing, he claimed.

The proposed investigation wing will comprise the police, which remained under the state government, he said.

Congress and BJP were the two sides of the same coin. Its appointment would be decided by the CM and the Leader of the Opposition, the Chief Justice of the high court, the Director-General of Police, Des Raj added.

The leaders demanded that Lokayukta should have a separate budget with an independent investigation wing.

Dharamsala, February 11
President, Students Council, Dharamsala Government College, Aditya Sharma’s fast-unto-death entered the second day today. Doctors from Zonal Hospital here have examined his health.

Aditya is on fast to press for his demand to invite BJP MP and national president of BJYM Anurag Thakur to preside over the function of the council in the college.

Earlier, Aditya, who was elected as Students Council president on ABVP platform, was expelled from the college on the plea that his graduation degree from the University of Meghalaya was not valid. Aditya had moved HP High Court and was granted stay order against expulsion from college.

College Principal RP Chopra had earlier maintained that they were not allowing students to invite any political person for their function. “We have asked the students to invite some academic personality for the function,” he said.

Shimla, February 11
The nationwide two-day public sector banks’ (PSB) strike observed by unions of 25 banks hit the banking services for the second day in the city and state today.

All banking transactions came to a halt, hitting the industry, corporate houses, including government sector undertakings, and the public.

They were demanding the implementation of the new pay scales pending since 2012. — TNS

Shimla, February 11
Opposing the implementation of the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) on the pretext that the state has not fulfilled the prerequisites such as appointment of lecturers and basic facilities, the Students Central Association (SCA) of HPU today staged demonstrations on the university campus.

SCA secretary Piyush Sewal said the government was trying to raise the fees indirectly by implementing RUSA. He said the fee for undergraduate courses would be taken twice in each semester which would increase burden on students. — TNS

Una, February 11
Eminent personalities, including Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) Vice-Chancellor Dr ADN Bajpai and topper of the 2013 IPS passout batch Shalini Agnihotri, were honoured on Sunday at the 40th annual function of Himotkarsh Parishad, a voluntary organisation of the region.

As Agnihotri could not come, her award was handed over to her family members. The chief guest of the function, Lt Gen HS Kanwar (retd), former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, also honoured Capt Dinesh Chauhan from Jubbal for gallantry, Girish Chander Gurrani for journalism, Zulfikar Khan, chairman of Theater Age, Chandigarh, for voluntary work and the Baba Aya Singh Riarki Girls College Trust, Tugalwala (Punjab), for women empowerment.

Those who were honoured with the Himachal Shree awards included Ashray organisation from Dehlan, Una, Deputy Commissioner SK Sharma of the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Sangathan, Chandigarh, Dr Parvinder Kaushal of Horticulture University, Nauni, Vinay Vashisth and Kuldip Singh Dayal, district general secretary, Una unit, HP state Non-Gazetted Officers Federation for public service.

Last year’s toppers of degree courses being run by the three state-owned universities of Himachal, besides the HP Board of School Education, were also honoured.

The organisation also distributed Rs 2.05 lakh among 300 meritorious students of the state education board. Parishad president Kanwar Hari Singh read out the annual report of the organisation.

On the occasion, Palampur journalist Shishu Patial presented a cheque for Rs 25,000 to Rajni Bala, who topped the honours course in BSc microbiology. Patial gave the honour in memory of his late daughter Ayesha Patial. 

Una, February 11
The 10-day Annual Training Camp (ATC) of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) concluded at Pirnigaha, 8 km from here, today.

The Commanding Officer (CO) of the Una-based 6 HP (Independent) Company, Lt Col Mangat Saini, said 550 cadets from eight districts of the state attended the camp. The Colonel said boy and girl cadets appearing in the ’A’ and ‘C’ certificate courses from all the three wings of the NCC, namely the Army, Navy and Air Force, were here. He said the cadets were given training in armed and unarmed drills, rifle firing, map reading and other tactical training, besides organising games and personality development competitions for them.

Bilaspur, February 11
Teachers and parents should be very careful about all activities of their wards and should ensure that they take part in all school activities which are essential for their all-round personality development.

This was stated by local MLA Bamber Thakur while addressing an annual prize distribution function of Government High School, Dhar Tatoh, 45 km from here, on Thursday.

Bamber said teachers played a significant role in developing hidden talents of students and encouraging them to get ahead in life.

The MLA said hill students were no less bright and capable than others in any part of the country, rather they had proved themselves to be still better.

Bamber announced that a big tubewell, costing Rs 10 lakh, would be dug up at Dhar Tatoh and other three hand pumps would also be set up to redress the drinking water problem in the area. He announced Rs 1 lakh for a school playground and Rs 20 lakh for the construction of rooms at the Balag Ka Ghat government school.

The MLA said the Raw Khad-Dhar Tatoh-Dhon Kothi Khad would be channelised and several check dams constructed over it for providing irrigation facilities to farmers of these areas.

Those present on the occasion included Deputy Director of Higher Education PS Dhatwalia, former BDC chairman Ram Lal Thakur, BDC member Hira Pal, Punjgaain panchayat vice-president Kali Dass Sharma and BDTS president Lekh Ram Varma.

Shimla, February 11
The German Development Financial Institution, KfW, has agreed to finance Rs 1,700 crore for the 191-MW Thana Plaun Hydroelectric Project on the Beas in Mandi district under the "Himalayan Development Programme", Power Minister Sujan Singh Pathania today said.

The minister disclosed that the funds were in addition to its existing loan of euro150 million for electro-mechanical works of the Shongtong Karcham Hydroelectric Project. A three-member delegation from German Development Financial Institution comprising of Eva Maria Zenk, Dr Thilo Stefan Heiberger and Binitesh Kumar met him today.

He said the government would provide 20 per cent equity for the Thana Plaun hydroelectric project.

The construction will start in 2015 and be completed in four years. The project on its completion will generate 69 crore units per annum and earn Rs 276 crore annually to the state exchequer.

Nurpur, February 11
The local unit of the Himachal Pradesh Government Pensioners’ Association has expressed resentment over the non-acceptance of their demand of increasing pension by 5, 10 and 15 per cent on the Punjab Government pattern.

The association, which convened a meeting on Saturday under the chairmanship of president SL Gupta, said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had promised to grant these increments to their association, but the government only announced pension allowance in the annual Budget.

While thanking the Chief Minister for announcing a dearness allowance of 10 per cent to employees and pensioners, the association urged Virbhadra to ensure pension increment, announce Rs 500 as a monthly medical allowance and one month’s pension after every two years as a travelling allowance to the pensioners on the Punjab pattern.

Solan, February 11
Two persons, including a woman were killed, while six others were injured when a Haryana Roadways bus (HR-68-8071) they were travelling in fell into a 100-metre-deep gorge near Datiyar on National Highway No. 22 today.

One of the deceased had been identified as Satinder Bhanu, a resident of Maharashtra, while the woman’s identity was yet to be confirmed.

Out of the six injured, four were seriously injured while two others -- Ranveer and Kavita -- were admitted to the ESI Hospital at Parwanoo with minor injuries.

The seriously injured included driver Jitender, conductor Pankaj and passengers Birbal Sahni from Punjab and Jitender Kaur from Lalru. All four have been referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, for treatment.

DSP, Parwanoo, Sushil Sharma said the probable cause of the accident was negligent driving as the driver could not negotiate a sharp curve.