Shimla, February 26
The state's dream project of having a bigger airport to boost its tourism seems to have made little headway with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) seeking 3,000 bighas of land, which is unlikely to be available at the site chosen near Kandaghat.

A high-level team of the AAI had inspected a 1,200 bigha site for a bigger airport near Kandaghat almost two months back. Though they have approved the site, they have now clarified that bigger planes can land only if 3,000 to 3,500 bighas are available. It is possible to get such a big chunk of land only by undertaking cutting and filling work.

Under the AAI requirement, 150-m each on either side of central runway would be required besides a 3-km long runway. “We are exploring all options, including cutting and filling which is the only option in the hills, but only technical experts can advise us on the issue,” said Mohan Chauhan, Director, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

He added that the Solan DC and the Kandaghat SDM had been asked to look for the maximum possible land required by the AAI.

A team of senior engineers is likely to inspect the site and see what options are available.

Another area of concern is that in case cutting and filling has to be done, the cost of the project will shoot up considerably. The department will also have to get an obstacle survey done along with preparation of a detailed feasibility report.

With Himachal having only three small airports, Jubbar Hatti near Shimla, Bhuntar near Kullu and Gaggal near Kangra, the need for a bigger airport has been felt for long. It is only with the launch of bigger aircraft that the present fare of almost Rs 15,000 between Kullu-Delhi on ATR planes will come down. With only a runway of 3,900 ft in Shimla, there is problem in landing of bigger aircraft, resulting in exorbitant fares.

Even if the Tourism Department is able to find the required land, financing the project is another big issue. “We will start looking for a funding agency after the search for land ends as the state government is in no position to shell out the huge amount,” admitted officials. The project could be taken up as a joint venture between the AAI and the Himachal Government.

Dream Project At least, 150-metre each on either side of a runway will be required besides a 3-km long runway The Solan DC and the Kandaghat SDM have been asked to look for land A team of senior engineers is likely to inspect the site and see what options are available.

Solan, February 26
Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, president, Pradesh Congress Committee, today said rebels would be taken back solely on merit. There would be no mass entry of leaders who had contested the Vidhan Sabha polls against official nominees.

Addressing mediapersons at Baddi after presiding over a meeting of the Doon block, he said the recommendation of the Block Congress Committee and District Congress Committees would be mandatory.

He said panchayat committees would be constituted to bridge the gap between booths and blocks and this would strengthen the party organisation.

Sukhu said politics meant service to the people for the Congress while former Chief Minister PK Dhumal practised commercialised politics and his MP son Anurag Thakur was reaping monetary benefits from cricket. He also flayed the BJP for having boycotted the session and said it was an attempt to shun responsibilities.

When questioned about his choice of candidate for the Hamirpur seat, he said ability to win was the most important criterion and he was not opposed to the candidature of any candidate.

Negating the claim of the BJP that Modi's Sujanpur rally had created a wave in favour of the BJP, he said a majority of the people in the rally had come from other states and it had failed to have any impact on the voters in Himachal.

Harshwardhan, general secretary, Pradesh Congress Committee, was also present.

New Delhi, February 26
Rooting for the candidature of BJP rebel and independent MLA Rajinder Rana for the high-profile Hamirpur Lok Sabha segment, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi saying Rana was the party’s best bet in the constituency which the Congress had not won for six consecutive terms.

“I had recommended the name of Rana for the Hamirpur constituency after going through the merits and demerits of about 12 probable Congress candidates. My decision is based on practical realities and political pragmatism and I have spoken to all senior leaders,” Virbhadra wrote in his letter accessed exclusively by The Tribune.

The letter, penned on the eve of Congress Central Election Committee meeting to be held tomorrow, assumes significance as it rejects other probable candidates for the Hamirpur segment. Topmost among these are Mukesh Agnihotri, Himachal Industries Minister, whose name was recommended for Hamirpur seat by Himachal Congress chief Sukhwinder Sukhu.

The CM, however, told the Congress leadership that he couldn’t spare Agnihotri from the state.

Virbhadra has now, with a formal communication, put his foot down on the issue justifying the candidature of Rana, an outsider, saying, “Since Rana had been a political strategist for the Dhumals earlier, he knows their strengths and shortcomings very well.

He can give a real fight to the Dhumals on the Hamirpur seat. If we act with strategy and planning, we can snatch this seat from the BJP this time,” the CM’s letter says.

Sukhu had opposed Rana on the grounds that his name figured in the Congress chargesheet against the former BJP Government led by Prem Kumar Dhumal. But Virbhadra has strongly argued in his favour, describing him as a local Hamirpur leader unlike Agnihotri who comes from Una.

The CM, in his letter, a copy of which has also gone to Congress general secretary in charge of the Central Election Committee Madhusudan Mistry, says the Congress hasn’t won Hamirpur for six consecutive terms.

“The seat is presently represented by Anurag Thakur and in the past it was represented by Prem Kumar Dhumal and Suresh Chandel, all Rajput leaders. Therefore, the Congress candidate from Hamirpur has to be from the Rajput community and since Anurag is to contest from this seat, our candidate has to be from Hamirpur to dent BJP vote bank. Rana is a Rajput leader from Hamirpur district and has an added qualification of having an influence over moderate BJP followers which was evident as he won the last Assembly elections as an independent by over 14,000 votes,” the CM says in his letter, putting his weight behind Rana.

The final decision will be taken by the panel headed by Sonia.

Other front-runners in the four Himachal LS seats are Pratibha Singh from Mandi; Chandresh Kumari and Chander Kumar from Kangra and Mohan Bragta and Vinod Sultanpuri in Shimla. Candidates for the seats not held by the Congress are likely to be declared tomorrow and those where party has sitting MPs will be declared thereafter in the second phase.

Mandi, February 26
With the arrival of principal deity Dev Kamrunag in Mandi town, revelry for the week-long traditional Shivratri festival began here today.

Chairperson of the Shivratri Festival Committee, Mandi DC Devesh Kumar accorded a warm welcome to the Dev Kamrunag when it arrived at the Madho Rai temple in the afternoon.

Tradition has it that the deity, along with its Kardars, will be housed on the hilltop in the Tarna temple during the festival. It does not participate in traditional colourful procession (jaleb) taken out thrice during the festivities.

The celebrations will be formally inaugurated by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Saturday. He is scheduled to participate in the procession on the opening day of the festivities. Governor Urmila Singh will be chief guest at the closing ceremony.

As many as 215 deities have been invited for Shivratri this year. The town is abuzz with sounds of drums and other musical instruments and people are accompanying the deities, dancing to drumbeats. Buildings have been repainted and railings across the town and other places redone. Temples in Mandi town, called "Chhoti Kashi", have been decorated.

The district administration has made elaborate arrangement on the Paddal Ground, where locals make purchases at the traditional trade fair.

The Shivratri committee has also shifted the night cultural programmes to the Paddal Ground from the Seri Manch this year.

Governor, CM extend greetings Governor Urmila Singh and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh have felicitated the state’s residents on the occasion of Shivratri. The Governor hoped the festival brought peace and happiness into people’s lives The CM said the festival has been strengthening bonds of social fabric and brotherhood. Cabinet Ministers have also extended their greetings to the public

Chamba, February 26
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the Congress government did not believe in discrimination and all areas of the state were being given equal priority for a balanced development.

Addressing a public meeting at Bhanjraru in the Churah Assembly constituency of Chamba district today, the Chief Minister said his government believed in "unity in diversity" and nobody could divide people on the narrow lines of religion, region and language.

Earlier, he laid the foundation stones of the Shakti Nullah bridge on the Tissa-Sai Kothi-Dhajja Koti road to be constructed at a cost of Rs 1.35 crore, the Dhanju Nallah bridge over Tissa-Satyas road at Rs 79.23 lakh and the Pangola Nallah bridge at Rs 76.26 lakh. He also dedicated the newly constructed BDO office at Tissa to people of the area.

Mandi, February 26
The core committee of the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) has kept its decision to field its candidate pending and adopted a wait-and-watch policy.

The core committee, which met at Sundernagar yesterday to take a decision regarding candidates contesting the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls, still seems to be exploring the possibility of reaching an alliance with like-minded parties.

The party leadership said, “The HLP is still working to stop the division of votes among like-minded parties such as Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and others and will wait for some more time to field its candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.”

HLP and AAP leaders had met in Mandi recently to discuss seat-sharing or the merger of the two parties before the coming elections, but nothing seems to have materialised in this regard.

The HLP leadership is reportedly trying to rope in some other parties to forge an alliance to contest the election jointly as the HLP still has limited pockets of influence.

State convener of the HLP Maheshwar Singh, said, “We discussed several options at the core committee meeting and have decided to work to stop division of votes among like-minded parties. We are waiting for a response from the AAP leadership else the HLP will field its candidates on all four parliamentary seats from the state.”

Mandi, February 26
The Central Government has sanctioned two cancer centres (cobalt centres) for the state, which will soon be started at Shimla and Mandi.

Giving this information here yesterday, Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said Union Minister of Health Ghulam Nabi Azad would lay the foundation stone of the Mandi Cancer Centre on March 1.

He said the Cobalt Centre at the IGMC, Shimla, which was already functioning, would also be upgraded.

The minister said the Union Minister would also dedicate a public super-speciality department at the DRPGMC, Tanda, on the same day. — TNS

Dharamsala, February 26
BJP MP from Kangra Rajan Sushant, who recently joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), today raised the issue of trifurcation of Kangra district.

Addressing a press conference at Palampur today, Sushant said he would launch a movement for the trifurcation of Kangra district. Sushant’s statement indicates that the trifurcation of the biggest district of Himachal is once again likely to be an election issue.

During the last Assembly elections, the BJP played up the issue. It proposed to create Dehra, Nurpur and Palampur districts out of Kangra. However, the move was resisted by Shanta faction leaders in the BJP.

After the BJP lost Assembly elections, the party created its district units in Kangra as per the proposed trifurcation. Now the BJP has four district units within its organisation, Kangra, Palampur, Dehra and Nurpur.

However, the BJP has already declared Shanta Kumar as its candidate from the Kangra constituency. The stalwart leader of BJP is not in favour of division of Kangra.

The Congress is also opposed to the idea of division of Kangra district. Now with Sushant playing up the issue of division of Kangra, it remains to be seen what stance the Congress and the BJP maintain over it.

Sushant, when asked if he would contest on AAP ticket during the parliamentary elections, said he had joined the party with commitment. "I will abide by whatever decision is taken by the party high command," he said.

He said the BJP and the Congress had reduced politics to personal fight between the families of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and former Chief Minister PK Dhumal.

He also criticised the Chief Minister for declaring new subdivisions and tehsils in the state. The creation of new subdivisions and tehsils just months before the parliamentary elections aimed at misleading the people of the state, he said.

Shimla, February 26
The BJP today expressed surprise over the re-allotment of five eco-tourism projects to same promoters and asked the government to come clean on turning a "volte face".

Accusing the government of adopting double standards on corruption, party spokesman Ganesh Dutt said the Congress had opposed the eco-tourism projects during the BJP regime but now it had re-allotted the same projects and people want to know the reason for a "sudden change in heart".

Demanding public apology from the government for opposing the eco-tourism projects and misguiding the people, Dutt said the action of the government had raised suspicion about transparency in decision-making. The government was also adopting double standards on private universities which it opposed and made it a major issue against the BJP government in the Assembly polls.

Shimla, February 26
Contractual safari karamcharis of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) staging a dharna to press their demand for regular and minimum wages fixed by the Labour Department were allegedly roughed up by the police on the university campus today.

As many as 28-odd employees, including 18 women, who were being paid Rs 3,000 per month were demanding payment of minimum daily wage of Rs 4,500 and regularisation of their service. They were lodging a protest under the banner of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), when the police whisked away the protesters, including women employees, state president of CITU, Vijender Mehra, alleged.

He said the employees were also demanding 39 leaves per year, proper uniform and gloves which had not been provided by the university.

“We were demonstrating peacefully. Even then, 29 persons, including 18 women, were whisked away and detained at Boileauganj police station for three hours," said a protester.

The police have registered a case of “disobedience to orders duly promulgated by public servant” under Section 188, IPC, on the complaint of the university's security officer. It was alleged that CITU workers raised slogans against the university officers in front of the administrative block in defiance of High Court orders.

Shimla, February 26
The High Court has directed the Social Justice and Empowerment Secretary to provide boarding and lodging to inmates of the institutions which have been ordered to be closed down by the government, in one week in the nearby ashrams.

This order was passed by Justice Rajiv Sharma on a petition filed by the Umang Foundation, Kasumpati, to highlight the hardships of inmates of the 23 institutions which were not registered under the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection of Children) Act.

The court further observed that there was no illegality in the government orders as the institutions were required to be registered under the Juvenile Justice Act. Since the inmates of these institutions are either orphans or belonging to the lowest strata of society, they were required to be provided boarding and lodging to avoid disruption of their studies as the annual examinations were also near.

Shimla, February 26
The Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is irked over the tardy progress of work in the pilot project under the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana.

The project is undertaken in Solan and Sirmaur districts. Under the pilot project, 225 villages, including 100 in Solan and 125 in Sirmaur district, with highest number of Scheduled Castes population was taken up under the gap filling programme. The targets were to be met in three years ending March 31, 2014.

The Union Government sanctioned Rs 49.50 crore for improving the basic facilities such as widening and repairs of village paths, construction of payments, lighting, disposal of solid waste, drinking water, construction and maintenance of ponds, pits and disposal of waste, but only Rs 8.58 crore were spent till January 31, 2014.

Out of 2,592 approved works, 1,362 in Solan and 1,230 in Sirmaur, only 117 works were complete, while 453 works are in progress. However, the work is yet to commence in 2,022 cases.

Besides Rs 22 lakh sanctioned for each village, the government also released Rs 22.50 lakh for functional area wise component such as technical resource support for the scheme, baseline survey, strengthening of administrative machinery, preparation of village development plans, awareness generation, publicity, management information system (MIS) and evaluation, but only Rs 8.09 lakh were spent.

Union Ministry for Social Justice and Empowerment Additional Secretary Anuj Srivastav, who reviewed the progress of the project, has asked the state government to expedite the work and ensure that targets were met.

However, the state government said due to difficult hilly terrain and short-working season, the progress of work was slow as compared to plains.

With Lok Sabha poll round the corner, the model code of conduct would come into force and pushing the works would not be easy, representatives of the state government argued.

The state government is hopeful of getting extension of six months to complete the pending works so that similar project could be taken up in other district in the state.

Sundernagar, February 26
The four-day-long 19th HP State Inter-polytechnic Athletic-cum-cultural Meet, 2014, concluded here yesterday.

Thakur Sohan Lal, Sundernagar MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Panchayati Raj), was the chief guest on the occasion.

Around 500 students from 15 government polytechnic colleges participated in the events.

The closing ceremony was held on the campus of Govt Polytechnic College, Sundernagar. Apart from distributing prizes to students, Sohan Lal announced Rs 5 lakh for development activities in the college.

The overall trophy (cultural) was won by host Government Polytechnic College, Sundernagar.

Results:

4x400 m relay (men): Hardyal, Pawan, Pushap Raj, Amandeep (Sundernagar) - 1st; Vishal, Sajan, Gaurav, Pushpender (Kangra) - 2nd; Puneet, Ajay, Safal, Vinod (Hamirpur) (3rd).

400 m (men): Amandeep (Sundernagar) - 1st; Pushap Raj (Sundernagar) - 2nd; Ashish (Hamirpur) - 3rd.

400 m (women): Savita (Talwar) - 1st; Shamli (Kangra) - 2nd; Anjali (Ambota) - 3rd.

High jump (women): Shikha (Kangra) and Kavya (Kandaghat) -1st; Sonali (Pragtinagar) - 2nd; Shayama (Kandaghat) - 3rd).

High jump (men): Akshay (Hamirpur) - Ist; Gopal Dogra (Kangra) - 2nd; Parvesh (Banikhet) - 3rd).

5,000m (men): Surenderpal (Talwar) - 1st; Kamlesh (Pragtinagar - 2nd); Narinder (Banikhet) - 3rd.

100m (men): Karan Rana (Sundernagar) - 1st; Chanderkant (Sundernagar) - 2nd; Ashwani (Kangra) - 3rd).

200m (men): Karan (Sundernagar) - 1st; Chanderkant (Sundernagar)- 2nd; Anshul Shukla (Sundernagar) - 3rd).

200m (women): Shikha (Govt Polytechnic, Kangra) -1st; Monika (Sundernagar) - 2nd; Kritika (Chamba) - 3rd.

100m (women): Kritika (Chamba) - 1st; Shikha (Kangra) - 2nd; Monika (Sundernagar) - 3rd.

Best athlete (men): Pushap Raj (Sundernagar);

Best athlete (women): Shikaha (Kangra);

Overall trophy (cultural): (Sundernagar)

Overall trophy (games): Sundernagar

Overall trophy athletics (men): Sundernagar

Overall trophy athletics (women): Kandaghat

Best player (volleyball): Vikram (Baniket)

Best player (kabaddi): Pradeep (Baniket)

Best player (table tennis): Satvik (Hamirpur)

Best player (basketball): Shubham (Talwar)

Best player (badminton): Vivek (Sundernagar)

True to his reputation of being a belligerent leader, suspended BJP MP from Kangra Rajan Sushant is now giving anxious moments to none other than his mentor, former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar.

As luck would have it, Sushant, known for his mercurial temperament, has jumped on to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) bandwagon and made his intentions clear that he will contest the Lok Sabha poll, irrespective of the fact that Shanta is all set to be the BJP nominee. It’s a different matter that it is yet not clear whether AAP will field him or someone else though he has formally joined the Kejriwal party.