Hamirpur, April 6
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today that the ball regarding the return of rebels was in the court of Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Talking to mediapersons here, the CM said, “The decision about the entry of the expelled leaders with mass base should be taken immediately since this will help in getting the Congress huge lead in the election and I have already made the party high command aware about this.”

Attacking BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Virbhadra said, “The boat in which Modi is sailing has many holes in it as the BJP is contesting the election by sidelining many senior leaders.”

Criticising former Chief Minister PK Dhumal for his statement that the government would fall after the elections, he said, “Perhaps Dhumal does not have knowledge of our Constitution. How can a democratically elected government be toppled? I am running a strong government and BJP leaders are making such statements visualising defeat in the elections.”

He said, “It’s surprising BJP leaders instead of making claims of formation of the BJP government are claiming the formation of the Modi government and the Gujarat Chief Minister, who is guilty of communal riots, do not have much experience for the PM’s post.”

The Chief Minister said, “The name of the Congress candidate for the Sujanpur Assembly seat will be finalised in two-three days.” The CM also went to meet the passengers injured in a bus accident yesterday to the Regional Hospital. 

Nurpur, April 6
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today kicked off the election campaign in lower areas of Kangra district by addressing six election meetings at Nagrota Surian, Jawali, Jakhbar, Rehan, Dhameta and Fatehpur in Jawali subdivision in support Chander Kumar.

He claimed that the BJP had lost its popularity and mass base due to achievements of the UPA government in the country.

“The BJP has taken political shelter of Narendra Modi and been contesting the Lok Sabha elections in his name. The elections are fought with the names of political parties in a country, but the BJP has surrendered before Modi and is contesting elections using his name which has made politics a mockery,” he quipped.

He claimed that there was no Modi wave and hype had been created by the media just to mislead the electorate. He said people intended to know from where millions of crores of rupees was being spent on the electioneering and publicity of Modi. He said only the Congress could give a stable government.

The Chief Minister said Shanta Kumar had earlier refused to contest the election and was not interested in electoral politics, but his detractors within the BJP had instigated him to jump into the fray with a single motive to defeat him. The Congress had defeated him twice each in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and going to do the same in this poll. The election meetings were also addressed by Congress candidate Chander Kumar. 

Palampur, April 6
BJP leader Shanta Kumar has said when the Congress came to power in the state, the region remained neglected and development activities suspended, hitting the common man.

Addressing election meetings in Nagrota Bagwan and Palampur last evening, Shanta Kumar alleged that Virbhadra Singh meted out stepmotherly treatment to many Assembly segments merely on political consideration and settle his scores with his rivals in the party.

Shanta Kumar was reacting to a statement of Congress leader Chander Kumar, who alleged yesterday that Shanta Kumar remained a big failure and could do nothing for Kangra. He said it was evident from the fact that conditions of roads in Kangra had gone from bad to worse in past one year since the Congress took over the reign of the state.

Palampur, which was represented by the ruling Congress MLA, roads were full of potholes, drainage system had collapsed and development projects announced by the government were starving for funds, he added.

Shanta Kumar also disclosed that in 2003 when the NDA was in power, then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee allocated an AIIMS for Himachal Pradesh also. He approached Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in writing for its opening in Kangra district. He requested him to give his written consent to the Union Health Minister so that an AIIMS could be set up in Kangra.

However, Virbhadra Singh refused as he was not ready to open this institution in Kangra. The state lost a big Central-funded medical project valuing Rs 4,000 crore. He said every correspondence to this effect was on record and could be verified by anyone from the record of the Himachal government.

He said AIIMS had already been functional in other places such as Ranchi, Raipur, Jodhpur and other five states. He regretted that it was all because of non-cooperative attitude of Virbhadra Singh that the state was deprived of a big health project.

How HP lost AIIMS

* In 2003 when the NDA was in power, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee allotted AIIMS for Kangra. He requested Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to give his consent to the Union Health Minister

* However, Virbhadra refused as he was not ready to open the institution in Kangra

Shimla, April 6
Congress workers and senior party leaders have upped their ante against Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Sukhvinder Sukhu for his failure to take back about 100 Congress rebels.

Most of the BJP rebels of Dhumal and Shanta Kumar factions are back in the partyfold, giving positive signals ahead of the poll, said worried Congress workers.

They are more concerned as the PCC has yet to take its decision on party leaders whom the party had issued show-cause notices, leave alone those who were expelled from the party earlier, commented a senior Congress leader.

The most senior leaders included Satya Prakash Thakur from Kullu, Raj Kumar from Chamba, Dharamvir Dhami from Manali are Virbhadra's men.

One faction of Congressmen do not want them back though the party rebels were ready to rejoin, revealed party sources.

Since the PCC president comes from Hamirpur, he has yet to clear the air on Hamirpur BJP candidate Anurag Thakur’s recent statement in the media, saying “Sukhu was his friend and had been helping him”, charged insiders.

But his supporters here claimed that Sukhu was not being taken into confidence by campaigners.

When Sukhu was asked about the party’s decision on the rebels and other suspended leaders, he told mediapersons that he would soon release the list.

Sukhu could not be contacted, but Congress vice-president Harsh Mahajan said the party was seized of the matter and would take a decision soon.

Soon after AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi kickstarted a party campaign from Dharamsala, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has covered half of the state. He has launched offensive against the BJP star campaigners PK Dhumal and Kangra party candidate Shanta Kumar and holds eight to 10 public meetings each day.

On the other hand, BJP president Satpal Satti has embarked on a tour in each Assembly constituency to gear up the party cadre for the coming elections, commented party leaders. 

Una, April 6
Congress candidate from Hamirpur Rajinder Rana today said BJP candidate Anurag Thakur was riding the Modi wave to help win the elections, while his report card as an MP was dismal.

Addressing a public meeting in Malangar panchayat of Bangana block, he said Anurag could not even spend Rs 5 crore during this year from his discretionary grant for developmental works in the segment.

Rana claimed that there was no Modi wave in Himachal Pradesh and Anurag had maintained distance from the people of the constituency since he was involved in other activities that interested him more than politics and public service.

The Congress candidate said sensing the defeat of his son, former Chief Minister PK Dhumal was intimidating people to vote for Anurag.

Former Vidhan Sabha Deputy Speaker Ram Das Malangar, block Congress president Ravinder ‘Fauji’ and member of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission Des Raj Gautam were also present.

Shimla, April 6
Congress president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu today said it was strange that the BJP was coming in defence of the HPCA and did not even hesitate to criticise the Governor, who was the constitutional head of the state.

State Congress president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu addresses mediapersons in Shimla on Sunday.

Addressing a press conference here, Sukhu said it was strange why the BJP was reacting so sharply to allegations against the HPCA. “Since the HPCA was part of the Congress chargesheet, a probe was undertaken by the Vigilance Bureau, so why should the BJP make it an issue,” he remarked. He added that it was unfortunate that the Governor had been dragged into the controversy by the BJP without any reason.

The Congress chief also said it was interesting to see how the BJP was defending the actions of the HPCA more than the office-bearers of the sports body. He said had the HPCA not committed any violation and used the land given to it for sports promotion, it wouldn’t have been in any kind of trouble.

Sukhu defended the government move of naming former Chief Minister PK Dhumal in the HPCA chargesheet. “Not only was he the patron-in-chief of the HPCA but 21 of its 23 members also belonged to one family, which says a lot,” he said.

He said the manner in which the HPCA was converted from a society into a private company was wrong and what was worse was the misuse of common village land for commercial purpose in violation of the norms.

In reply to a query on the candidate to be fielded by the Congress from the Sujanpur Assembly bypoll, he said a final decision would be taken in consultation with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. “The three-member ministerial committee has shortlisted four names and after discussing the matter with the CM, the name will be forwarded to the high command,” he said.

He said Anita Rana, wife of Rajinder Rana, who had resigned as an Independent MLA from Sujanpur, had also taken the Congress membership, along with her husband before he was given the ticket for the Lok Sabha poll from Hamirpur.

Sukhu said the Congress would win all four Lok Sabha seats. He said he, along with Virbhadra Singh, would campaign for the party candidate. 

Mandi, April 6
State Youth Congress president Vikramaditya Singh has said the Congress has been focusing on issue-based politics but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched personal attacks on Congress leaders as the party is devoid of issues.

Addressing a press conference here last evening, Vikramaditya said, “The Congress will contest the poll on development plank and ideological issues.”

Vikramaditya Singh said, “The state unit of the BJP has become a pan organisation of the Dhumal family and the Dhumals are using the party to serve their personal interests and the BJP is full of nepotism.”

Talking about development schemes launched under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in the state, Vikramaditya said, “Several institutions such as the IIT at Kamand (Mandi), the ESIC Medical College at Ner Chowk, four-lane projects from Kiratapur to Ner Chowk, four medical colleges, a cancer centre, etc have been started by the UPA government.”

“Even the state government has carried out a large number of development works here” Vikramaditya Singh added.

The leader said, "Fortysix per cent voters is between 18 and 35 years and a large number of these voters will be voting for the first time and is not aligned with any party. Keeping this in mind, the Youth Congress is trying to tap the youth through a special campaign”, said State Youth Congress president Vikramaditya Singh

Shimla, April 6
The Lok Sabha (LS) poll has cast its shadow on the tourist inflow in what is termed as “big summer migration” of people of cities in the plains to hill stations in the state.

Tourism has witnessed a revival in the state since winter after a drastic drop of about 40 per cent in tourist arrivals that the state had witnessed due to the flash floods of 2013 in Uttarakhand and Kinnaur. But it is yet to pick up pace in April as the arrival of both domestic and foreign tourists remain on the lower side, say hoteliers.

Occupancy in rooms still hovers around 40-50 per cent in hotels in the capital, while the arrival picks up during weekends. But tourist arrivals in Kullu-Manali are yet to pick up as the weather is still chilly and the condition of the Chandigarh-Manali highway remains bad, say hoteliers and travel agents.

Government employees likely to travel are engaged in the Lok Sabha election duties in each state and will remain occupied till the results are out in mid-May.

The different sections of middle-class electors are busy with the elections. This has, in turn, hit tourist arrivals in the state so far, said tourism managers here.

Besides, the temperatures in the otherwise hostile hot weather are somewhat bearable. Tourists from Gujarat and Maharashtra largely travel in April and May as Ahmedabad remains hot at around 40°C while Mumbai remains cosy with the day temperature varying around 35°C.

The Lok Sabha elections will affect the tourist arrivals marginally this season, but it will pick up in May, said Harnam Kukreja, president, Shimla Hoteliers and Restaurants Association. The tourist arrivals are comparable with those last year, he added.

The slowdown in the corporate sector has also hit tourist arrivals, mainly business tourists. There was a time when corporates hired hotels for conventions and seminars during the holiday season, but this trend is changing due to economic slowdown, say hoteliers.

Tourists are coming to Kullu-Manali, but the elections, overcast weather and prolonged chill have delayed to the summer tourist season in Kullu-Manali, says AR Thakur, president, Manali Hoteliers Association.

Though the flights between Chandigarh and Kullu-Manali have taken off, Air India is yet to resume air service between Delhi and Kullu-Manali. The service between Shimla and Delhi remained suspended for long, that has in turn hit arrivals of high-end tourists in the state, say hoteliers.

Managing Director, HPTDC-cum-Director, Tourism, Mohan Chauhan said the tourist inflow had improved since winter and would pick in mid-April and May, part of the main summer season in the state.

“The trend among tourists is changing as they travel as per their convenience. Himachal has emerged a destination for all seasons as all valleys and border areas up to Spiti are open for tourists,” he added.

Kullu, April 6
State BJP vice-president Ram Singh yesterday said MLA Maheshwar Singh had failed to carry out development work in the valley and was not easily approachable to the common man.

He said the MLA should resign if he was finding it difficult to work for the masses.

He said the grant of the Mandi parliamentary constituency party ticket to a common man, who had worked for the BJP with dedication, had raised the level of motivation of party members.

Maheshwar said while BJP candidate from the Mandi constituency Ram Swaroop Sharma had not contested any big elections earlier, his connection with the masses at the grassroot level and the "Modi wave" would ensure his success in the upcoming LS poll.

Meanwhile, Maheshwar Singh remarked that the development of the valley was evident to the masses and he would not respond to any false allegations.

Kullu Block BJP president Vijender Sen, Naresh Karir, GS Babbu, Mohar Singh Thakur, Kuldeep Nayyer and other office-bearers of the BJP were present on the occasion. 

Dharamsala, April 6
The district police have written to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) that it cannot provide security for holding IPL matches, slated for May 10 and 17, at Dharamsala.

An official communication in this regard was sent to the HPCA by Kangra SP Balbir Thakur, sources here said.

With this, the possibility of holding two Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at Dharamsala has been ruled out. The HPCA has termed this decision as unfortunate. HPCA spokesperson Sanjay Sharma said IPL matches generated good business for the Dharamsala area.

However, now that the state government has declined to provide security for matches it will cause a financial loss to Himachal. He further alleged that the decision of the state government reflected that it had a vindictive attitude towards the HPCA.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Honorary Secretary Sanjay Patel had intimated the Himachal Police that as per the schedule of the IPL matches, the tentative dates for the two matches would be between May 10 and May 14 and May 17 for the second match. The letter did not make any mention of providing security arrangements.

The BCCI, in this letter, had sought proper guidance and advice from the police. A copy of the BCCI letter was also given to the Himachal DGP who had maintained that the decision on the matter would be taken by the Kangra SP.

The venue for the two matches is the picturesque stadium of the HPCA, which is entangled in a row with the Congress-led government on several fronts. The two (the Congress and the HPCA) are not only engaged in a legal battle, but also the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau is holding a probe into violations of revenue and forest laws. Anurag Thakur, BJP MP from Hamirpur and son of former Chief Minister PK Dhumal, is the president of the HPCA. He is seeking his re-election from Hamirpur.

The district police have maintained that it would not be possible to spare police personnel between May 10 and May 17 as on May 14 they would be returning from their place of deployment.

Similarly, the counting of votes would take place on May 16, making it difficult for them to provide security even for the second match on May 17. Moreover, the code of conduct remains in force almost a week after the counting as even during this period there can be a possibility of clashes between activists of various political parties.

Himachal has itself sought 85 companies from the Election Commission of India for deployment during the elections, especially on the day of polling. A total of six companies of the Himachal Police have already been placed at the disposal of the Union Home Ministry for deployment in other states during the elections. 

Shimla, April 6
Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today said the state government gave proposal to hold matches between May 10 and 14 and after May 17 after the General Election, but it was the lacklustre approach of HPCA president Anurag Thakur, who was contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Hamirpur Assembly segment, that the state could not host Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.

Agnihotri said the HPCA's allegation that the state governemnt was reluctant to host IPL matches in Dharamsala was wrong and the HPCA was blaming the government for its failure to host the IPL matches.

A letter was sent to the SP Kangra to explore possibilities regarding security arrangements for hosting the cricket game and the issue was very much in consideration of the government, he said.

While the government was serious to host IPL matches, the HPCA president misguided the Board of Control for Cricket In India (BCCI) that the state government was not able to provide required security, he alleged.

He said the government was committed to promote cricket in a bigger way, but the HPCA first of all razed residential quarters meant for teaching faculty to illegally occupy the land for the construction of pavilion and then, none of the renowned cricketers of the state were made members of the governing council of the state cricket body.

The last phase of the Lok Sabha poll will be completed on May 12 and the HP Police will be back by that time. The message was conveyed to the HPCA and they should have planned the matches accordingly, but instead they were blaming the state government for their own failure which was totally wrong, the minister asserted.

The claim of the HPCA that maximum matches were being hosted by neighbouring states was also not true as only two matches of Kings XI Punjab were being played at the PCA stadium in Mohali, he added.

The minister said though Jawans of the Himachal Pradesh Police had been deployed in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and other states, the government was still considering the proposal on above dates and had told the HPCA about the same.

Una, April 6
Yashpal Rana, general secretary of the Una BJP, negated Industry Minister Mukesh Agnihotri’s statements that the Haroli Assembly constituency had been neglected by the BJP for development.

In a communiqué here yesterday, he said Anurag Thakur, BJP candidate from the Hamirpur parliamentary segment, had provided a sum of Rs 1.34 crore from his Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) fund for various development works in the Haroli segment during the past five years.

Rana said a sum of Rs 1.5 lakh was given by Anurag for the construction of a community hall even in Agnihotri’s home panchayat, Gondpur Jaichand. However, he alleged that the work was never allowed to begin for political reasons. He said all records of the MPLAD sanctions were available at the office of the Haroli Block Development officer.

Rana said Rs 12 lakh was sanctioned by the MP in Dulehar panchayat, work on which was in progress, adding that a round of the Haroli Assembly segment would reveal the scores of foundation and inaugural stones laid during the BJP regime for different works.

The BJP leader said the first three phases of the Swan flood protection project were sanctioned, implemented and inaugurated during the last two BJP regimes in the state and the Haroli segment was the most benefitted constituency among the five segments in Una district from the project.

He said the fourth phase of flood protection work on all 73 tributaries of the river, sanctioned by the Centre at a cost of Rs 922 crore was also initiated when PK Dhumal was the Chief Minister. 

Mandi, April 6
The annual grant of Rs 2 crore given to the state by the Centre for carrying out National Service Scheme (NSS) activities at various institutes has lapsed. Thanks to the officers looking after NSS activities, who failed to submit accounts and utilisation certificate to the Centre. Now, the NSS activities may get hampered.

The Central Government had to give an amount of Rs 2 crore to the state government before March 31, but it has stopped the payment now.

The state government receives the grant from the Centre for funding NSS activities at educational institutes, which is disbursed to schools and colleges every year.

At present, NSS activities are being carried out at 673 schools and 84 colleges of the state and maximum activities are held for Class XII-level students.

Sources in the Education Department said: “The lapse of the grant for NSS activities and the conditions imposed by the Centre for future release of funds is due to sheer negligence of the officers coordinating the NSS project in the state, as they failed to submit the accounts and utilisation certificate in time.”

To get the money under the grant for the current session, the Centre has also asked the state government to collect unspent money from schools and colleges of the state.

Vijay Kumar, state NSS liaison officer, said: “We received Rs 32 lakh for the last session under the NSS grant from the Central government. The rest of the amount has lapsed. However, we are taking up this matter with the Centre.”

Now, the state government has also been asked to conduct the audit of the money received under the NSS scheme. 

Shimla, April 6
The memories of the British era will come alive as the Himachal Government has chalked out an elaborate plan to celebrate 150 years of the summer capital of British India -- Shimla.

Festivals will commence on April 24 with a six-day national-level theatre festival to be organised in the memory of renowned theatre personality Manohar Singh at the Gaiety Theatre, Shimla, where Manohar had staged many plays.

On the opening day of the festival, theatre artistes of the National School of Drama (NSD) will stage a play, “Khali Ki Khala”, while Motley Mumbai will present “Ismat Aap Ke Naam” by Naseeruddin Shah.

Besides, “Chhaya Shakuntalam” by AN Panikkar, “Monepiya and No Sex Please” by Waman Kendre, “Licence” by Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry and “When We Dead Awaken” and “Macbeth” by Ratan Thiyam will be the other attractions of the drama festival.

A mythological ballet, film, music festival and a display by Army bands will be the other attractions of the celebrations during “Shimla Celebrates -150 Years of Summer Capital”, Additional Chief Secretary Upma Chaudhary informed this while presiding over a meeting of the coordination committee to review the arrangements.

The Department of Language, Art and Culture in collaboration with the Department of Tourism and Sri Ram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, Delhi, will present mythological ballets “Karan”, “Durga” and “Meera” on May 23 to 25 at the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) auditorium, Shimla.

A film festival will be organised from June 18 to 25 in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Government of India and a display by an Army band will be the main highlight at the Independence Day function on (August 15).

Shimlaites will enjoy the Shimla Music Festival from September 25 to October 4 to be organised by the Departments of Tourism, Language, Art and Culture and Punjabi Academy. Folk dance music will be the main attraction on Christmas and New Year festivities for Shimla residents as well as the tourists from December 25 to January 1, 2015.

Kangra, April 6
A dust storm and a cloudy sky brought the temperature down in the Kangra valley after two days of sunny weather.

The sky was clear in the morning, but as the day progressed overcast conditions prevailed in the valley. People were seen rushing for shelters when sign boards were dislodged due to dust storm.

A chaat seller had a narrow escape when a sign board fell on his push cart. Later, the valley received mild showers dropping the temperature. No loss of life was reported from any part of the valley. 

Sanawar, April 6
Apoorva Lakhia has vowed never to make remakes after his much-publicised remake of "Zanjeer" bombed at the box office in 2013.

Lakhia, a renowned director of Bollywood, who was here to play a celebrity cricket tournament with Lawrence School, Sanawar, and representing Mumbia Heroes, asserted this while sharing a few moments with The Tribune. The Telugu-starrer remake had Ram Charan and Priyanka Chopra as the lead pair.

Referring to "Zanjeer", he admitted it was a mistake to have attempted its remake as people took offence to the very idea and it portrayed him as a cocky director. Lamenting its failure, he said it was not a bad movie, but was less watched due to its legendary success and the fact that it was a popular hit during its time.

Lakhia, who has directed his first three films with the legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, said working with him was a challenge and intimidating as he exhibits the highest level of professionalism and could make a director nervous.

Busy in finalising the first draft of his forthcoming movies, "Gangster" and an action comedy, which he is attempting for the first time, Lakhia said he was yet to finalise the cast, though the latter would have big stars.

Lakhia, who appears to have a penchant for making criminal-based movies after the success of his “Shootout at Lokhandwala”, said he had to invest at least one year in working out the minute details from the video footage and information culled from the police in putting together its script and other modalities. In a bid to make it more realistic, the costumes were simple and it was also the lowest costume budget films he had made.

He said his upcoming venture, "Gangster", too was derived from a real life character, but was reluctant to disclose his name.

Breaking free from the league of crime-oriented films, he said his other upcoming film was a romantic comedy which would have enough room for a female actor.

Lakhia played in the first friendly match held this afternoon between the host team and the celebrities which included actors Bobby Deol, Vatsal Shesthe, Varun Badola, Bunty Walia and former cricketer Salil Ankola.

Shimla, April 6
Visually and hearing impaired girls keen to pursue their education after matriculation are left in the lurch as Portmore Girls Senior Secondary School (GSSS), Shimla, has denied them admission and boarding facility.

“The Portmore school was one of the four residential schools declared “inclusive” by the government following judicial intervention. These children have nowhere to go now. We have sought immediate intervention of the Principal Secretary (Education) for directions to the school authorities not to discriminate with these students as admissions are closing,” said Ajay Srivastav, president of Umang foundation, an NGO working for rights of the differently abled.

“Despite the fact that differently abled children have been defined as ‘underprivileged’ under the Right to Education (RTE) Act , the school principal categorically told us during a meeting that the school will neither give admission to any student who is visually or hearing impaired nor provide them hostel facility,” said Srivastav.

The school authorities admitted three visually impaired girls from poor family background in class XI in 2011 after intervention of the High Court in the wake of filing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by the foundation. In 2013 again, the foundation had to seek the intervention of the Chief Secretary in the matter.

"At present, 20 differently abled girls, of whom 8 are visually impaired and 12 are hearing impaired, are studying in the school while 19 of these have been provided accommodation in the school hostel. We also wish to bring to your kind notice that the same PIL filed by us is still pending in the court in which the state and the principal, GSSS, Portmore, Shimla, are also the respondents," he added.

He said it was a clear case of violation of Persons with Disabilities Act 1995 and Right to Education Act. The state has no option except to abide by the law and the orders of the court, he asserted.

Shimla, April 6
About 3,400-odd students studying in 17 government and 23 private institutions across the state are feeling cheated by their institutions. They have not been promoted to the next semester on the pretext that they did not fulfil the revised criteria of clearing at least half of the subjects.

The state Technical Education Board, on July 1, 2013, conveyed to all the institutions that the minimum criteria for promotion to next semester would be that the students should pass at least 50 per cent of the subjects.

The students alleged that the institutions deliberately kept them in the dark about the new criteria, fearing that many students might opt out and the seats would remain vacant.

The institutions did not abide by the instructions of the Technical Education Board that call for clear information to the admission-seekers about the change in criteria, it was stated. Many students stand to lag behind.

The students, who protested in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office on March 31 to highlight their grievances, said about 80 per cent of the students failed to clear 50 per cent of the subjects and, hence, they would not be promoted to the next semester.

The students are taking the plea that the condition was not mentioned anywhere in the prospectus and if the results are poor, the Board should crack down on the institution and the teachers should not penalise the students.

The Board is said to have taken the decision in view of the fact that of late, only 50 per cent of the students enrolled in the polytechnic could clear the three-year diploma course in six years.

The decision was aimed at improving the standards and quality of technical education in the state and it was the duty of the institutions to convey the decision to the students at the time of admissions, said board officials.

Nurpur, April 6
After a few days of the cancellation of the physics paper of Class XI, the state Education Department suddenly cancelled the chemistry and mathematics papers just a day before the declaration of its results by the HP Board of School Education. This has provoked an angry reaction from students and their parents who were waiting for the examination results.

The department has announced that the mathematics and chemistry papers would be re-conducted on April 12 and 16 and their results be declared on April 22.

The affected students and their parents in the area have sought to know the reason behind the cancellation of the papers. “Why were these papers not cancelled along with the physics paper?” they asked.

They lamented that the Education Department’s decision to cancel the papers just a few hours before the declaration of the annual results had startled them. They said the department had failed to check the leakage of question papers that had caused mental agony to students.

Meanwhile, Prakash Thakur, state president of the Himachal Pradesh Government Headmaster Cadre Officers Association, in his statement held the department responsible for the present mess in conducting the annual board examinations. He said cancelling the papers in instalments had reflected the department’s insensitivity towards students. He demanded reforms in the existing system of conducting the annual examination. 

Palampur, April 6
The Department of Physics, Sri Sai University (SSU), Palampur, in collaboration with the Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics, University of Calcutta, has taken an initiative for conducting research on the project funded by the ISRO, for investigating disturbances in space.

A team of researchers along with technical experts from the University of Calcutta installed a GPS system in Sri Sai University, Palampur, today for collecting observations from space.

Dr Tanmay Das, a senior scientist from the University of Calcutta, said the GPS system installed would be utilised for collecting data of the upper space. Its base station would be in the state for its analysis to forecast space activities high above the Earth. 

Dalhousie, April 6
A medical camp was organised for ex-servicemen at the Chowari Civil Hospital in Chamba district today under the aegis of 323 Mountain Brigade and 21 Sub Area to provide medical facilities to veterans residing in far-flung areas at their doorstep.

The medical camp was inaugurated by Brig JS Bhardwaj, Station Commander, Dalhousie Cantt, at Chowari today. Liaising was carried out with the local civil administration and the Chaowri Civil Hospital to harness civil medical infrastructure and solicit doctors for the camp.

A total of 247 ex-servicemen were provided medical facilities besides canteen facilities under one roof at Chowari.

The camp also acted as a forum for them to air their personal grievances, said Army spokesperson Lt Col N Ranganath.

Chamba, April 6
An appraisal team comprising three experts from the German government namely Mority Reme, Dr Florian Wieneka, Gunther Haase and Sangeeta Agarwal from KfW Bank, New Delhi, was in Chamba district for carrying out the appraisal of a project on HP Forest Ecosystems Climate Proofing Project.

The team was here to assess the report submitted by an earlier team of KfW Bank. During their brief visit to parts of Chamba, members of the team visited plantations raised by the department in the past with the active cooperation of Mahila Mandals at Bharodi and Banadu.

The team had an interactive session at Sahoo on the forest premises with a gathering of shepherds of the Gujjar community and apprised them of problems being faced by Gujjars in continuing with their profession without harming the forest wealth.

The team was accompanied by Archana Sharma, Rajiv Kumar and ARM Reddy, Chief Conservators of Forests (CCFs) of the Forest Department. Reddy briefed activities of the department and showed all successful plantations and other developments to the team. 

I had gone to Theog, 32 km north of Shimla, to meet octogenarian social activist PR Ramesh who runs an organisation Lok KalJan Mandal from there. He lives at Kundli, a serene village about 2 km below the main bazaar.

Theog is situated in the upper Giri river valley. It was never a full-fledged state, but a Thakur-ruled tutelage of Keonthal. The history of Theog has it that a Chandel Rajput from Jaipur went on pilgrimage to Badrinath. He was fascinated by the hills and decided to stay there. He lived at Ramasarai in Uttarakhand for some time and then moved to Kehlur (Bilaspur) around 1667.

He had three sons. They moved to the upper Shimla region and the eldest, Jayas Chand, established Theog. The second founded Madhan and the youngest, Janjaan Singh, set up Ghoond Thakurai. The Gurkhas in 1810 captured Theog and the other 18 Thakurais. The British drove out the Gurkhas in 1815 and handed over Theog to Keonthal as its subsidiary and ordered that Theog would pay a nazrana of Rs 500 per annum to Keonthal and the Thakur accept the prince of Keonthal as his Lord.

Ramesh told me that Theog was a misnomer for Shalli. The natives of Theog still call it Shalli because an idol of Goddess Durga was brought from the Shalli peak and was installed here in a temple. The real Theog, where lived the Thakur in his Baasaa (residence or palace), was on top of the next hill. The Baasaa stands dismantled now.

The two bazaars in Theog are Shalli Bazaar and New Bazaar or the Mall or Thandi Sadak. The oldest building built in 1951 in this bazaar was Sud Mansions belonging to Rehru Mal Saraf Mal, a big business house of Shimla (see photo).

A relative of theirs Om Prakash Sud lives in the building and says: "It is the façade that is deplorable, but the interior, where I stay, is quite good.” Thakur Karna Chand of Theog had built a palace for himself in the late 1930s in the new bazaar which was later converted into a PWD rest house (see photo).

Three distinguished persons from this small town have already made it to the Guinness Book of World Records. Slim 24-year-old Ramesh Khachi after 11 hours and 2 minutes of static wall-press sitting on September 22, 1992, made entry into the book after breaking the record of another entrant, of 1989, Madan Verma, who had performed the feat for three hours. In 1988, dentist Rajinder Singh made it to the Guinness book by typing on a manual typewriter for 10 hours at a speed of 98 words per minute and with 99.97 per cent accuracy.

Ajay Sharma, only seven in 1995, did 1,760 sit-ups in 35 minutes and earned his place in the Limca Book of Records. Theog has Navodaya Vidyalaya at Deorighat established in 1986 and the public library for Shimla district set up in April 1960. It has a college with a strength of 986 students, mostly from the surrounding villages. Its principal Dr Karuna Bharadwaj was keen to help the students who pay heavily for staying in rented accommodation by raising a hostel in the complex of the college.

PR Ramesh tells me that earlier times were different. The Thakur of Theog was apathetic towards providing education. The Vidya Pracharini Sabha then established a lower middle DAV School here in 1928 which graduated to middle and then to high school in 1946. Later, it was taken over by the government. The Thakur was, however, a democrat and on August 15, 1947 he made a Vidhan Parishad comprising 13 members under Prime Minister Surat Ram Prakash. Theog, therefore, can boast of having its own Prime Minister for a short period.

TAILPIECE

There is a locality in Theog named Prem Ghat. According to legend, in a ramshackle house there lived Dhania, an ironsmith, in the 1950s. With him lived his wife, her sister and four daughters. The Maharaja of Patiala was smitten by his wife’s sister and wanted her to be part of his harem. Persons of standing fell in love with his daughters and married them, hence the name Prem Ghat.

Kangra, April 6
A 35-year-old woman succumbed to her burn injuries while three others who received burn injuries following electric shocks were under treatment at the DRPGMC, Tanda.

According to the police, Ranjna, wife of Dev Raj of Mujairkhan Kulthi village, received 50 per cent burn injuries on March 11 when her clothes caught fire while working in the kitchen.

She was rushed to the Tanda hospital, but after struggling for life for about a month, she succumbed to her injuries today.

Meanwhile, three persons received burn injuries due to electric shocks at three different places.

The police said Pawan Kumar (29), up-pardhan of Satwal Tissa village of Chamba district, received burn injuries due to electric shock and was rushed to the Chamba hospital for treatment. Later, he was referred to Tanda.

Surender Kumar (28) of Bharmour was working in his house when an iron rod he was lying on got in touch with a high-tension wire and he received serious burn injuries.

Pankaj Kumar (26) of Neoti Mohur village of Bihar, received burn injuries while doing painting when his hair was caught with a high-tension wire at Hamirpur.

Kullu, April 6
One Gorkhu Ram (31) of Malana village committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree with a muffler in the Ropa jungle near Baladi in Jari village, 30 km from here, yesterday.

Kullu DSP Sanjay Sharma said the victim's body had been handed over to the relatives after postmortem. He said no foul play was expected. A case under Section 174, CrPC, had been registered. — OC

Palampur, April 6
As many as 12 stray cows were found detained in a fenced area of a farm house at Nori village here yesterday.

Reports said a dozen stray animals, including cows, were detained in a farm house. Since there was no way for the cows to come out of the fenced fields, two cows died in the absence of fodder, while the remaining 10 were rescued by members of the state Go Raksha Dal.

Go Raksha Dal president DD Rana and Bajrang Dal president Romesh Kalia said the matter came to their knowledge yesterday. They said they immediately reached the spot, but by then two cows had died while the remaining 10 were in a pitiable condition. They were provided fodder and water.

However, in the absence of any shelter for stray animals in the area and support from the local administration, they could not retain the animals for a longer period. They appealed to the state government to make permanent arrangements for the rehabilitation of stray animals and save them from cruelty.