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CM didn't allow IPL matches: Anurag
Virbhadra condemns Dhumal for statement against govt
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UPA govt a nightmare, says Dhumal
Agnihotri hits out at Dhumal over remark
Govt has let down armed forces: BJP
Infighting rises in BJP: Virbhadra
Third front experiment fails again
Quashing of FIR by Vigilance Bureau
Continuing rain hits stone fruit crop
HC slams PSU officials for ‘adventurous litigation’
Satellite imagery to control spread of weeds
Healing workshop at Kasauli from April 12
Mubarakpur-Kiratpur road notified as national highway
Centre sanctions Rs 37 crore for drinking water scheme
Parbati Hydel Project
Nurpur ITI champs in sports tourney
Importance of cleanliness stressed
Minor girl alleges rape
Medical officers oppose job to retired CMO
Two attack youth, take away his bike
41 boxes of liquor seized
CPM manifesto to be released today
Electronic media should highlight issues of general public: CM
BJP opens offices in Chamba
Minister defies poll code: BJP
268 bottles of wine seized in Chamba
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CM didn't allow IPL matches: Anurag
Una, April 7 Addressing mediapersons here today, he said the BCCI, in a communiqué, had requested the state government to allow four IPL matches between May 10 and 14 and after May 18. However, he said the mandatory security clearance from the Director General of Police was not received by the BCCI, due to which four IPL matches, which were scheduled to be held in Dharamsala, were awarded to other venues. He said the state had lost revenue to the tune of Rs 500 crore due to Virbhadra Singh's political whims. In response to repeated Congress propaganda that Anurag Thakur remained most of the time in Mumbai and Dubai during his tenure while ignoring his home segment, he asked Virbhadra Singh to file an affidavit as to when he had seen Anurag in Dubai. He said the CM was misleading the people. The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president said he had bagged the "Best Parliamentarian" award on three occasions and rated among the top 10 MPs for development in surveys conducted by different electronic channels and media houses. He continued that he had asked the maximum number of questions in Parliament and raised many important issues. Anurag Thakur said the Congress had only given corruption, unemployment and insecurity to the country, while the rate of development in the BJP-ruled states during the last five years had been exceedingly well as compared to the Congress-ruled states. Later addressing a series of public meetings in the Haroli Assembly segment, Anurag Thakur questioned why local MLA and Industry Minister Mukesh Agnihotri had shied away from contesting the general election while he claimed to be popular due to "unprecedented development" ushered by him in the district. |
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Virbhadra condemns Dhumal for statement against govt
Kangra, April 7 He was reacting to the statements of former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal at Jwalamukhi last evening in which he was repeatedly claiming that when Narendra Modi assumed charge, Congress governments in the states would be thrown out of power. Virbhadra said such statements spoke about his autocratic mentality. Addressing a public meeting at Jwalamukhi, Virbhadra said he believed in an idealistic duel. He said Dhumal was allegedly considering him as his enemy and when he was the Chief Minister, he falsely implicated him in various cases. He said he fought for himself and came out clean. The Chief Minister said BJP leader Shanta Kumar was fielded as a part of conspiracy so that he might be thrown out after he lose election. He said in the past too Shanta Kumar had been defeated by Chander Kumar and late Sat Mahajan. Shanta had also lost Vidhan Sabha elections twice, which clearly implied that people of the area did not consider him as their leader. The Chief Minister said the government believed in overall development and in the past one year 14 new colleges had been opened and a budgetary provision of Rs 5 crore each had been made for these so that construction work could start. He said three new medical colleges were also being opened in Chamba, Nahan and Hamirpur. Virbhadra said the Congress believed in secularism not in the politics of revenge. He exhorted the people to vote in favour of the Congress so that the party could win all seats in the state. He said it would help in formation of a secular and strong government at the Centre. He said Chander Kumar was a strong and suitable candidate and appealed to people to help him in winning by the biggest margin so that area could get the maximum benefits from Central schemes. |
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UPA govt a nightmare, says Dhumal
Addressing election meetings at Bhalet, Khairi and Utpur in Sujanpur today, Dhumal said, "The country lagged in development and went two decades back and corruption, scams, prices and crime against women rose during the Congress regime." He said, "During the NDA regime, the growth rate of the country was 10 per cent which has declined to 4.6 per cent during the UPA government." Talking about the merits of the NDA government, Dhumal said, "The remedy for all ills created by the UPA government is to elect Narendra Modi as the next Prime Minister, who will find solutions to the burning problems of people." Narrating various aspects of the BJP manifesto, Dhumal said, "The manifesto released by the BJP is an indicator of good fortune for the country and assures women 33 per cent reservation, effective steps to control prices by putting a check on black marketing and constitution of speacial courts to deal complaints in such cases, mission on the Himalayas, extension of railway line in the state, etc have been included in the document." Attacking the state government, Dhumal said, "In the present term, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has forgotten the art of governance and his only attention is on framing the political rivals in false cases." |
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Agnihotri hits out at Dhumal over remark
Shimla, April 7 Ridiculing the statement of Dhumal, Agnihotri said the statement reflected his dictatorial attitude. “He needs to understand that India is a democratic country where governments are formed in a democratic manner,” he said. He advised Dhumal to refrain from misguiding the people by airing false claims of destabilising the government. He said the government would complete its five-year term. He said Dhumal should stop building castles in the air and accept the fact that the BJP was rejected by the people in the Assembly elections and stop issuing baseless statements to overthrow the government. He said projecting one person as Prime Minister and publicising him as if he was a messiah and creating euphoria among the people was not going to pay the BJP well. The minister said the cases of corruption faced by BJP leaders were their own deeds and had now come back to haunt them. He said everyone was well aware of the fact that Dhumal crossed all limits by flouting the rules and regulations for benefiting the HP Cricket Association which is headed by his son keeping aside the interest of the state and its people. |
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Propagate policies of Congress, Rajinder Rana to workers
Una, April 7 Rana said in a quest to become the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi had sidelined all senior leaders, adding that autocratic style of functioning of the Gujarat Chief Minister had already been unveiled. He said a section of the BJP leadership was unhappy with Modi. Gagret MLA and AICC secretary Rakesh Kalia said the main agenda of the party was development while the BJP believed in misleading people. He said former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal had been confined to his son's parliamentary segment of Hamirpur for campaigning, which proved that the BJP was sensing a defeat here. |
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Govt has let down armed forces: BJP
Shimla, April 7 In administrative services, IAS officers, higher administrative and organised Group-A officers qualify for the pay scale of joint secretaries (equivalent to Major Generals) after completion 14 and 16 years of service, respectively, and that of additional secretaries (equivalent to Lieutenant Generals) after another five years, whereas Army officers put 30 to 32 years of service for the promotion to the post of Major General and higher ranks, said Brig Lal Chand Jaswal (retd), convener, BJP Ex-servicemen Cell. He said disparity had been created in pay scales and promotion of IAS and Army officers as administrative officers sitting in the ministries bend the rules in their favour. "A majority of the directly recruited IAS officers get the scale of additional secretary, while in case of armed forces, 98 per cent Army officers retire below the rank of Major General and are denied time scales on par with their IAS counterparts," Jaswal said. The continued discrimination against armed forces has demoralised the forces which do not augur well for the country. He said BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi has assured armed forces personnel and ex-servicemen of looking into their grievances if the BJP was voted to power and claimed the BJP would get massive support of ex-servicemen. |
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Infighting rises in BJP: Virbhadra
Nurpur, April 7 He was addressing election meetings in support of Congress candidate Chander Kumar in Indora, Baranda and Bodh near here. The inclement weather forced the local Congress units to organise his poll meetings in private halls. He said the BJP was contesting elections by sidelining many senior party leaders. He alleged that BJP leaders were misleading the masses with false publicity of the Gujarat model whereas other states had also set a record of making strides in every field. “Himachal Pradesh has won awards in health and education field last year. Our state has achieved many goals and it has developed only during the regime of Congress governments. As Chief Minister, I have expedited development work after the last Assembly elections which had come to halt during the previous BJP government,” he asserted. He claimed that the UPA government would repeat its third term after the elections as it could only ensure secularism in the country. Talking on the political stature of BJP candidate from the Kangra parliamentary constituency Shanta Kumar, Virbhadra said he had been defeated by the Congress twice in the Lok Sabha as well as Assembly elections and Chander Kumar would again defeat him by a convincing
margin of votes. Election meetings were also addressed by local MLAs Ajay Mahajan (Nurpur), Manohar Dhiman (Indora) and Congress candidate Chander Kumar. |
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Third front experiment fails again
Shimla, April 7 Himachal remained a Congress bastion till 1977 when the Janata Party swept the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
The BJP emerged a major force and the two party system took firm roots in the state. Thakur Sen Negi, former Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha and veteran Tribal leader from Kinnaur, formed the Lok Raj Party by taking some independent MLAs into its fold in 1970, but it did not last long. Most of its leaders, including stalwarts such as Jai Bihari Lal Khachi and Hira Singh Pal joined the Congress in February,1977, on the eve of the Lok Sabha poll. Later,
TS Negi won as an Independent while all other leaders lost in the Assembly elections. Senior Congress leader Vijai Singh Mankotia revolted against the party in 1987 and later joined the Janata Dal (JD) of former Prime Minister VP Singh. The party won 11 seats in alliance with the BJP in 1990 and relegated the Congress to third position, but it disintegrated in 1992, barring Shyama Sharma and Roop Singh, who joined the BJP and Ranjeet Singh who
stayed in the JD. The remaining eight MLAs rejoined the Congress. Again in 1996, former communication minister Sukh Ram was arrested by the CBI in the telecom scam. He floated his own political outfit Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) in 1997 and won five Assembly seats in 1998 Assembly elections defeating Congress in many constituencies. The party forged post poll alliance with the BJP and won the Shimla (Reserve) parliamentary seat in the 1999 mid-term Lok Sabha poll. The BJP engineered defections in the HVC and two of its MLAs split the party and joined the
BJP while Mohinder Singh, once a staunch supporter of Sukh Ram, also parted ways. The HVC went alone in the 2003 poll and Sukh Ram was the only candidate to retain the seat while all others lost. On the eve of the Lok Sabha poll in 2004, Sukh Ram merged his party with the Congress, and the HVC, which was dreaming to emerge a potential third force, evaporated. The HLP floated by breakaway group of the BJP on the issue of corruption in February 2012 and played a spoilsport for the BJP in 2012 Assembly poll. The party won only one seat in the elections and its president Maheshwar Singh was the lone winner from the Kullu Assembly seat, but it made a severe dent in the BJP vote bank in more than a dozen constituencies and played a crucial role in defeating its “mission repeat”. Both the BJP and the Congress have been claiming that the third force has no future in Himachal, but both parties have vested interest in not allowing any third force to emerge. The BJP was aware that the HLP could harm it in the Lok Sabha poll and it first tried to persuade the party leaders to merge with it, but when it did not succeed, it target individual leaders and succeeded in reducing HLP into a splinter group. |
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Modi adopts divide-and-rule policy, says YC chief
Kullu, April 7 He said he refrained from indulging in mudslinging, but alleged that the BJP had a feudalistic and autocratic approach. He further alleged that Modi had a divisive approach and adopted the policy of divide and rule, based on caste and regionalism. He enlisted various development schemes being carried out by the Congress government and said the Congress would reform the higher education system of the state to benefit the youth. Later he addressed the public at Dhalpur. He was accompanied by Kullu zila parishad president Harichand Sharma, Mandi parliamentary constituency YC chief Aditya Vikram Singh, Kullu municipal committee vice-president Manu Sharma, non-official member on the board of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) Gopal Krishan Mahant and other Congressmen. |
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Quashing of FIR by Vigilance Bureau Vijay Arora
Shimla, April 7 The FIR in the case was registered by the Dharamsala office of the Vigilance Bureau on August 1, 2013. Acting Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir reserved the verdict after hearing both parties at length. The counsel for the petitioner, during the course of hearing, urged the court to direct the state that it would not file any challan before the trial court. The Advocate General assured the court that the investigating agency would not present the challan till any decision was taken. It was contended before the court for the petitioners that the FIR did not disclose any offence committed by the petitioner and all actions were taken during the normal course of action being performed by the HPCA and its functionaries. Petitioners said the entire proceedings had been initiated out of a political rivalry and same amounted to malicious prosecution. It was contended that respondents had not filed any reply to the petition and petitioners had received all permissions for running its affairs in the state. It was contended that the HPCA had not caused any wrongful loss to the state and it was liberal to cancel its leases in accordance with law. Petitioners also contended that once the state government withdrew its decision for the cancellation of lease deeds, no criminal action could be maintained. It added that the FIR did not disclose any offence and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act were not at all attracted as petitioners were not public servants. It was alleged that the registration of an FIR was a mere attempt to grab the control of the HPCA, and, therefore, the case would be a gross abuse to the process of law. It was further contended that the working of the HPCA would not come under the purview of the HP Society's Registration Act and the provision of the act was not applicable to it. Moreover, they had not committed any irregularity or illegality. However, the state defended the action of the investigation agency by contending that the investigation was complete and the agency was ready to approach the magistrate for filing a challan. The state government added that documents annexed with the writ petition may not be part of the record attached with the report of the IO, therefore, these documents cannot be made basis for quashing of the FIR. After hearing both the parties, the court has reserved its judgment. In an another matter filed by the HPCA, the Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan adjourned the matter till April 29. The HPCA has filed another application to implead the Registrar, Cooperative Society, as a respondent in his personal capacity. Another application to implead Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Director General of Police Sanjay Kumar and District Magistrate, Kangra, C Paulrasu, SP, Kangra, Balbir Singh Thakur as respondents in individual capacity. The High Court had earlier decided the matter by dismissing the application to implead the Chief Minister and other government functionaries and partially allowing the amendment of writ petition. Aggrieved by the order of the court for not allowing to implead Virbhadra Singh and others government servants, the HPCA had moved the Supreme Court, which remanded the matter back to the High Court for deciding it afresh.
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18 dead, 47 injured in Sirmaur bus mishap Paonta Sahib, April 7 Eyewitnesses said the bus (HP-71-2243) developed a snag as the driver tried to negotiate a curve. The bus split into two as it rolled down the gorge. A part of it was stuck amidst some bushes. Nine persons were killed on the spot, while another died on his way to a Shillai hospital. Eight others succumbed to their injuries while being shifted to a Paonta Sahib hospital, located 68 km from Shillai. Thirty-six of those injured were admitted to the Paonta Sahib hospital, while 10 were referred to the Civil Hospital at Nahan. Another was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. At least 13 children and 21 women were among the injured. Most of them hailed from the Milla panchayat. The number of casualties could vary as the authorities were yet ascertained the exact figure, said DSP Yogesh Rolta. The 108 ambulance service and locals helped carry out relief and rescue operations. Locals arranged private vehicles to shift the victims to the hospital. Paonta Sahib Sub-Divisional Magistrate Shravan Manta and Rolta visited the scene and supervised the operations. Deputy Commissioner Vikas Labroo extended an immediate relief of Rs 20,000 to the next of kin of those killed, Rs 15,000 to the seriously injured and Rs 10,000 to those with minor injuries. The SDM has been directed to conduct a magisterial probe and file the report within 45 days. Governor Urmila Singh, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Transport Minister GS Bali have mourned the death of passengers. Magisterial probe ordered Paonta Sahib SDM has been asked to conduct a magisterial probe and file the report within 45 days. The DC has extended an immediate relief of Rs 20,000 to the next of kin of those killed and Rs 15,000 to the seriously injured
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Rain, snow lower temperature
Shimla, April 7 Shimla, which was repeatedly hit by hail and sleet, received 39 mm rain and thick fog engulfed the region, reducing the visibility to a few metres. Kalpa and Keylong in twin tribal districts of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur received 6 mm and 2 mm snow, while high-altitude tribal areas had 10 to 15 mm snow. Rohtang Pass (13,050 ft), Darcha, Mari (13050 feet), Chhitkul and Shrikhand Kailesh also received 15 mm to 20 mm snow. High-velocity winds and thundershowers lashed the upper Shimla region and Kotkhai was wettest in the region, with 42 mm rain. Rampur and Sunni Bhajji had 30 mm rain, followed by Arki and Mashobra, 27 mm each, Kumarsain, 26 mm, Manali and Rohru, 25 mm, Sangrah and Karsog, 24 mm, Sarahan and Khadrala, 22 mm and Kandaghat and Jubbar Hatti, 20 mm. The maximum temperatures dropped marginally. Una recorded a high of 29.6°C against 30.5°C yesterday while Sundernagar recorded a maximum of 26°C, Shimla 18.5°C and Kalpa 5.6°C. The minimum dipped to minus 1°C at Keylong and 0°C at Kalpa while Manali and Shimla recorded a low of 5.4°C and 6.5°C, 3.5° below normal. The local MeT office has predicted rain or thundershowers in the mid-hill and foothills and rain or snowfall at high reaches. It has warned of a squall or hailstorm at isolated places in lower or mid-hills in the next 24 hours. Fresh snow in Chamba
Dalhousie: High-altitude areas of Chamba district, including the mountainous ranges of Bharmour and Pangi tribal areas, reported fresh snowfall and lower areas had downpour today. There was a sharp fall in temperature and biting cold swept the region. Rain lashes Kangra
Kangra: The Kangra valley today shivered as it was lashed by heavy rain since morning. Fresh snowfall was experienced by the Dhauladhar mountains, bringing down the temperature considerably. It added to an unexpected severe chill in the month of April. Kangra town and its suburbs received rains, which measured 25 mm during the last 24 hours. Reports of rain were received from Shahpur, Dhraman, Nagrota Bagwan, Icchhi, Gaggal, Mallan, Palampur, Trilokpur, Jawalamukhi, Dehra, Ranital, McLeodganj, Bagsu Nag, Naddi and Dharamsala.
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Continuing rain hits stone fruit crop
Shimla, April 7 The rainy chill and winds have marred chances of cherry crop in the lower belt of Bhutti-Thanedar and Kumarsain in the lower Kotgarh belt of Shimla district, revealed farmers. The almond bloom has already suffered a major damage due to the prolonged winter that sent temperatures falling below ideal ranges, they rued. The higher belt of Narkanda is yet to account for full bloom, but the lower stone fruit belt has been hit by bad weather during the bloom time. “There is no bee activity in the area due to the low temperatures that has impacted the fruit set here. White apricot has been hit by bad weather,” said farmers. Farmers have also reported a poor stone fruit crop in the Aut-Kharal-Seobag-Naggar, the Tirthan-Gushaini-Banjar-Jhibhi and Manikaran belt in Kullu district. The stone fruit crop is not more than 30 per cent of the normal crop this year, said Ranjiv Bharti, a grower from Gushaini. "Bad weather has marred chances of good crop this year," said Dr Jayant, a senior scientist at the Fruit Research Station Bajaura. Similarly, farmers in the stone fruit belt of Churag-Thandapani-Kotlu and lower Seri in Mandi district suffered damage to the stone fruit crop this time. Continuing spells of rains here have hit stone crop, said SK Chaudhary, an orchardist from Seri. The Solan stone fruit has a mixed crop as temperature remained wavering. “The ideal temperature should be between 17°C and 23°C during the bloom time. It facilitates pollination by bee activity, a must for good fruit set. The overall picture of this fruit set will emerge after a week or so," said Dr Vijay Thakur, Vice-Chancellor, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture, Solan.
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Rescued leopard cub under observation in Chamba
Chamba, April 7 Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Chamba, ARM Reddy said forest officials had got information that a leopard cub had been hiding in the hay stacked in the cattle shed. The officials rushed to the spot and found the leopard injured with its upper jaw damaged and affected by insects. The cub appeared to have fallen from a hillock and now its wound had gone septic. As it had become feeble and immobile, it took shelter in the the shed, the CCF said. The CCF said it was a male cub and appeared to be three months old and 31 inches long. Block Officer Jaram Singh, Forest Guard Sudarshan and peon Pawan rushed the cub to the Chamba veterinary hospital, where it was given treatment and being observed by Divisional Forest Officer, Chamba, Kirupasankar. “The condition of the cub is still critical and it is kept under the observation of forest officials at the Chamba range office. It will be shifted to the Dhauladhar Rescue Centre at Gopalpur in Kangra district once its condition improves,” Reddy said.
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HC slams PSU officials for ‘adventurous litigation’
Shimla, April 7 Imposing the cost, a Division Bench comprising the Acting Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Chauhan observed that "in the present case, the conduct of the PSU is reprehensible and falls short of expectation of a model employer". The court passed this order on an appeal filed by the corporation against regularisation of Rajesh Kashyap. This was the third round of litigation between the parties. Kashyap was working as a supervisor on a daily basis with the corporation since February 1990 and he filed an application in the HP Administrative Tribunal for being brought on work charge establishment after completion of 10 years of service as per government policy. The corporation accepted the claim of the petitioner in the tribunal, yet brought him on work charge basis from July 2004 instead of January 2000, when he had completed 10 years service. The petitioner again approached the tribunal, where the corporation changed its stance by saying that the petitioner was entitled to regularisation only with prospective effect. The case was transferred to the High Court after closure of tribunal. In 2011, the Single Bench of the High Court directed the corporation to regularise the services of the petitioner from May 2000. Thereafter, the corporation filed a civil review in the High Court to recall the orders and the matter was reheard by another Single Bench of the High Court, which too passed a judgment in favour of Kashyap. Dissatisfied with this judgment too, the corporation again filed the present appeal in the Division Bench of the High Court against the orders of the Single Judge. The court said the cost of Rs 1 lakh would be recovered from the erring officials responsible for the relentless litigation, notwithstanding whether they are still serving or not. Half of the amount will go to the petitioner Rajesh Kashyap and the remaining will be remitted to the Himachal Pradesh State Legal Services Authority.
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Satellite imagery to control spread of weeds
It is following the signing of an agreement last month by the Forest Department with the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad, that satellite imagery will be put to assess the exact extent of problem and map the spatial distribution of invasive weeds, revealed Tarun Sridhar, Principal Secretary (Forest). Almost 60 per cent of the total 2,600 sq km of the area under forest in the lower elevation is infested with weeds such as lantana camara, commonly referred to as phulnu, lantana weed, parthenium and ageratum. Kangra, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Solan, Sirmour, Chamba and Mandi districts have been heavily infested with these species over the past 20 years and have given rise to serious health and ecological concerns. As per a reconnaissance survey undertaken by the Forest Department two years back, almost 1,563 sq km forest land is infested with lantana camara. The speed of spread of these species is another cause of concern as almost 40 per cent of its spread has taken place during the past one decade. With there being little control over the various extraneous factors contributing to the spread of exotic weeds like cutting of lands for roads and projects, muck dumping, uncontrolled grazing and innate biological traits of weeds, the infestation is still continuing at an alarming rate. The Forest Department has chalked out a programme where rehabilitation will begin from low-intensity infestation areas and progress towards areas with heavy infestation. This approach will allow in tackling larger areas within the given financial resources and help in containing further spread of exotic weeds. Rehabilitation of heavily infested areas as starting point will be taken up only in limited number of carefully selected critical habitats like grazing grounds near habitations. State’s Grazing Advisory Committee has also been raising concerns about the spread of these weeds and their effect on the pasture lands and grass availability. An idea about the scale of intervention can be had from the fact that over the past three years, only about 1,700 hectare of forest area has been tackled under the weed management
programme.
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Electricity board duped by Hungary-based firm
Palampur, April 7 The HPSEBL, an HP government undertaking, had given the money to Ganj Mozaz, a Hungary-based company, through its representative with an office in Mohali for the installation of new runners at the turbines of the Binwa hydel project in Utrala near here. But, the Board has failed to trace the firm or its Mohali-based representative so far. As per the terms and conditions of the agreement, the company had to supply and install two new runners costing Rs 90 lakh each to the Board to be installed at the Utrala hydel project near here within two years. Later, after signing an agreement, the HPSEBL immediately advanced Rs 58 lakh to the firm. Sources said Board officers, who signed the agreement with the firm, did not verify its antecedents before the order for the runners were placed and issued the cheque. It is also learnt that the said firm has already been blacklisted by several states for failing to comply with the orders. Besides, the Hungary-based company refused to acknowledge that it had any representative in Mohali or elsewhere in the country who had acted on its behalf with the Board. A Board official admitted that despite all efforts it could neither trace the office of the company nor its representative who had received the cheque. He said now the Board had decided to prosecute the firm in the court in Shimla under different provisions of the IPC. Meanwhile, the HPSEBL has suffered losses in crores in the past four years in the absence of new runners at the power house which were to be replaced to boost power generation. At present the Binwa power house generates 1.25 lakh units of power every day. The power house |
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Lukewarm response to Chaitra Navratra festivity
Kangra, April 7 The business centres in the town and its main roads were also deserted during the Chaitra Navratra season. Chief priest of Bajjreshwari temple Ram Prasad Sharma said the number of pilgrims had come down by more than 50 per cent during the current Chaitra Navratra. He said it was because of the polls in the country, alleging that the authorities in Uttar Pradesh had not encouraged permits to buses this year in view of the polls. The drivers and the pilgrims who visited the Bajjreshwari temple said bad road conditions in this hill state and bad weather had also kept a large number of pilgrims from visiting Kangra this year. Among those who visited the shrines this year were followers of Dhyanu Bhagat. He is believed to have offered his head at the feet of the goddess. Clad in yellow, followers of Dhyanu Bhagat were seen having a dip in the ill-maintained Chaker Kund before paying obeisance at the Bajjreshwari temple.
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World Health Day observed at Tanda medical college
Kangra, April 7 College Principal Dr Anil Chauhan said 150 students and faculty members of the college participated in the run for fun. He said both students and faculty members
tested their endurance on the 3-km stretch of circuit all around the DRPGMC campus. He said among the boys, Deva Anand of MBBS 2011 batch bagged the first position, while Naresh and Anil, both of MBBS 2013 batch, stood second and third, respectively. He said among the
girls, Roha of MBBS 2011 batch bagged the first position, while Nitika and Poonam, both of MBBS 2013 batch, secured the second and third position, respectively. A tug of war was organised on the college campus and both students and faculty members participated in the event. 77 units of blood donated
A blood donation camp was organised by students of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) here today. Seventy seven blood donors, including students and faculty members, donated blood to observe World Health Day. Prof SK Bala Siddartha, Director, NIFT, said 104 students and faculty members had got themselves registered for the social cause, but due to the lack of time only 77 could donate the blood. He said the camp was organised under the student development activities. Teams of the Tanda hospital were deputed, he added.
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‘Avoid liquor, drugs, junk food’
Palampur, April 7 The march passed through various streets of the town as voice was raised against the use of alcohol and drug abuse. People were told that if they wanted to keep good health, they should avoid alcohol use as it could lead to diseases like blood pressure, diabetes, heart ailments and renal failure. Later, a rally was taken out near the Rotary Bhavan. Speaking on the occasion, members of various organisations and NGOs said the high rate of consumption of liquor in a small state like Himachal had become a matter of serious concern as every third youth in the state had become an addict. They said in 1990-1991, total liquor consumption in the state was 1.50 crore bottles. In 2001-02, it went up to 5 crore bottles and in 2013-14, the figure crossed 10 crore. They said the increase in population during this period was 30 per cent. It was further stated that the situation was alarming. The government was asked to close at least 25 per cent liquor vends in 2014-15 so that the young generation could be saved. Ajit Baghla, president, PWF, speaking on the occasion, said alcohol had become a root cause of problems in society. It had given rise to domestic violence, crimes like rape, murder and theft, he stated. SR Kapoor and RK Sood, senior members of the forum, stressed the need for adopting a disciplined lifestyle and avoiding junk food, that could
save people from all kinds of ailments.
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Healing workshop at Kasauli from April 12
Solan, April 7 The workshop is being organised by various internationally renowned spiritual seekers and healers at Baikunth Resorts. Aptly surrounded by green hue and pine whiffed mountain air, the place provides a perfect ambiance to connect with musicians and artists in experiencing deep communication with one self. It provides an opportunity to meditate with Zen meditation flute, hum in joy to strumming of bowed and plucked, accompanied by Tuvan throat singing which is used for meditation in Tibet and Mongolia. Special activities have also been set aside for the children, informs Ritali Omrita Dhillon, one of the organisers. She said empowering transformations, the inner goddess, body-mind intelligence, angel therapy, tarot wisdom, channeling and chakra cleansing are some of the available spiritual treatments available at this workshop. The much-talked about mind and body therapies such as kundalini yoga, Osho meditation, nature walks, etc., will all help revitalise a visitor’s life after this camp, organisers claim.
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Mubarakpur-Kiratpur road notified as national highway
Dharamsala, April 7 Minister for Transport GS Bali gave this information while talking to The Tribune. He said the notification of the national highway was issued by the Union government on March 20. He said now the road from Mehatpur in Una district to Nagrota Bagwan in Kangra district had been declared as national highway. This road connected with the Pathankot-Mandi national highway. It would boost the tourism in the state, he said. Bali also said Ambika Soni, senior Congress leader and in charge of Himachal, who is now contesting the election from Anandpur Sahib, was instrumental in getting the new national highway for the state. The highway would include about 30-km road leading from Kiratpur Sahib to Nangal in Punjab and about 50 km from Mehatpur to Mubarakpur in Himachal. The Punjab portion was being manned by Rohan-Rajdeep company. It is a toll road. The portion of road leading from Mehatpur to Mubarakpur was being constructed by Longjian, a Chinese company under the World Bank project. The Chinese company was awarded the contract for developing the highway at Rs 121 crore. The road was to be completed in 2010. However, there had been an inordinate delay in the construction of the road. The Chinese company has almost completed the road. However, many bridges on the road are still to be constructed. Now that the road has been notified as national highway, the state government will get funds for the maintenance of the road. However, it can only be transferred to the national highway authorities after the Chinese company had completed its work.
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Centre sanctions Rs 37 crore for drinking water scheme
Mandi, April 7 Since the Centre is funding the scheme, the money is being routed through the Mandi MC for giving it to the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department. The Centre had cleared the scheme and the project report which was prepared by the IPH Department in November last year. One of the biggest drinking water schemes in the state so far, the scheme will supply 135 litre water per person to an estimated population of 68,000 until 2046 in Mandi and its surrounding areas. Under the scheme, water will be brought from the Uhal to Mandi through gravity for which 28-km-long pipeline will be laid from Riagadi village to Mandi. As many as 15 villages, including Nela, Chandyana, Kangani, Sanyarad, Manyana, Talyahad, Madwahan, Panjeti, Bijani, Arda, Badi, Sheel Kippad, Chandyara, and Chheepanu, will be supplied drinking water through the scheme. Municipal Council president Shushila Sonkhla said, “We have received Rs 37 crore for the drinking water augmentation scheme which will be transferred to the IPH Department for beginning the work.” IPH Department executive engineer Arun Sharma said, “The department has already started preliminary work on the scheme and will begin the augmentation work as soon as the money is received.”
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Parbati Hydel Project
Kullu, April 7 The complaint said the storekeeper found some material missing on Saturday and informed the higher-ups about it. Kullu DSP Sanjay Sharma said the NHPC authorities had stated that material worth around Rs 2.5 lakh including 4 tonne iron rods was missing. The complex is well-fenced and loss of such heavy construction material signals involvement of persons closely associated with the company. The DSP added that a case under Section 406 of IPC had been registered and investigations were on. GM AK Singh said he was out of the station and was not aware of the amount or quantity of lost material. He added that he had urged the employees to assist the police in investigations. — OC
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Mumbai Heroes win cricket tournament
Solan, April 7 After winning the toss, Mumbai Heroes chose to field. Batting first, Roy Bois OS scored a massive total of 275 runs for the loss of four wickets. A number of beautiful knocks were played by batsmen of Roy Bois OS which included an explosive 158-run-knock by Sangram Singh. Gurjot Singh contributed a versatile 81 runs. Mumbai Heroes openers batted comfortably and managed to score 130 runs without losing a wicket till the 10th over. Their partnership was finally ended by Subroto of Roy Bois OS. With 5 runs remaining in the last over, Sangram Singh gave his best by bowling first three dot balls, but Mumbai Heroes chased down the target by taking a single and then striking a four, thus finishing in style. Chief Guest Shomie Ranjan Das, a renowned academician, gave away the awards. Extending his vote of thanks, Headmaster Praveen Vashisht lauded the sportsmanship displayed by both teams that gave a nail-biting finish to the match. Salil Ankola bagged the Man of the Match award, while Bunty Walia and Bobby Deol were adjudged best fielders. Rahul Roy walked away with the award for the best bowler, while the Man of the Series award was won by Sangram Singh.
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Nurpur ITI champs in sports tourney
Nurpur, April 7 Industrial Training Institute, Shahpur, won the overall trophy in the athletic event. In basketball, ITI, Nagrota Bagwan, was first and Industrial Training Institute, Neharnpur, second. In march-past, ITI, Nurpur, Palampur and Dharamsala, were declared first, second and third, respectively. In kabaddi, Industrial Training Institute, Nurpur, was first and Neharnpur, second. In volleyball, ITI, Nurpur, was first and Shahpur, second. In discus throw, Ankaj of ITI, Neharnpur, was first, Sanjeev of ITI, Nurpur, second and Bhupinder of ITI, Lahru, third. Chief guest Sunil Verma gave away trophies to
the winners.
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Importance of cleanliness stressed
Kullu, April 7 Medical Officer Dr Sushil Chander talked about symptoms of malaria and stressed on importance of quick treatment. He talked about prevention of vector-borne diseases. A poster making and declamation were organised. Shivali and Sunanda stood first in the contests. Dr Rakesh Thakur, Dr Hiralal Bodh and Dr JR Thakur addressed employees of MC Kullu, Mahila Mandals of Gandhi Nagar, Badah, Loran, Lanka Baker, Bandrol and Nangabag, self-help groups of Mohal, Jwani Ropa and Prem Nagar and students of Christian Medical Institute. — OC
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Minor girl alleges rape
Kullu, April 7 Kullu DSP Sanjay Sharma said the medical examination of the victim had been conducted and a case under Sections 376, 342 and 506, IPC, had been registered. Though the alleged accused was not known to the victim, the police would take make every effort to nab the culprit, he added.
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Medical officers oppose job to retired CMO
Shimla, April 7 HPMOA general secretary JN Chauhan said the government has given undue favour to Harmohinder as it has blocked the promotion of two senior Block Medical Officers Dr BR Chauhan and Dr Bishan who retired without getting promotion as
CMOs. The HPMOA charged that Dr Harmohinder Singh was facing departmental inquiries due to financial irregularities, but he was rewarded by the government. They had met Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Principal Secretary, Health, and informed him regarding their demands, but nothing was done. They stated that they would approach the CM requesting him to annul his reemployment. The DPC meetings should be held timely and all promotions of medical officers as Joint Director, Deputy Director, CMO and Block Medical Officer should be done timely, the association demanded. — TNS
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Two attack youth, take away his bike
Una, April 7 The victim, Prashant Kumar of Lidkot village, had been admitted to the Una district hospital. Police sources said two unidentified youths, who were sitting by the roadside at a secluded place just before the Bihru Bazar, stopped Parshant on the pretext of enquiring about the way to the Pirnigaha shrine. One of the accused repeatedly hit Parshant with an iron rod, while the other one took control of his motorcycle. SP Anupam Sharma said all barriers had been put on alert and search was on to nab the culprits.
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Dharamsala, April 7 Vigilance officials claimed that 36 boxes (Lal Kila) and five boxes (Green Label) were recovered from Madhu’s residence. A raid was conducted at Madhu’s house on a tip-off given to Vigilance officials. The accused could not provide any licence for the liquor stock available with her. A case under the Excise Act of Himachal was registered. Meanwhile, BJP leader and former minister Kishan Kapoor claimed that the liquor had been stored in view of the elections. He alleged that Madhu was a Congress leader and the liquor had been stored in her house for distribution during the elections. — TNS
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CPM manifesto to be released today
Shimla, April 7 CPM state secretariat member Tikender Panwar said the Bharatiya Janata Party was propagating
the agenda of the Sangh parivar. The inclusion of the Ram temple issue in the
manifesto showed that the saffron party was trying to polarise the majority
community to get its vote, he charged. He said the party would be released its manifesto tomorrow as it was postponed due to some reason.
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Electronic media should highlight issues of general public: CM
Shimla, April 7 He said the press was said to be the fourth pillar of democracy and it should uphold its dignity in the real sense. The media should work with truth, honesty, courage and impartiality, he added. Irrigation and Public Health Minister Vidya Stokes and Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (HPPSC) Chairman KS Tomar were also present on the occasion.
— TNS
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BJP opens offices in Chamba
Chamba, April 7 BJP media in charge Ajit Singh said the state BJP vice-president Dr Rajeev Bhardwaj inaugurated the party office at Chamba for Chamba assembly constituency, Kishan Kapoor at Bhanjraru for Churah constituency, Rakesh Pathania at Sundla for Dalhousie constituency, Dulo Ram at Chowari for Bhattiyat constituency and Jia Lal at Bharmour for Bharmour constituency.
— OC
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Minister defies poll code: BJP
Hamirpur, April 7 Through this complaint, the BJP accused the minister of misusing his post to garner votes for the Congress candidate by organising a community feast today.
— TNS
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268 bottles of wine seized in Chamba
Chamba, April 7 The report said on a tip-off, a police party conducted a raid at a house and seized the bottles of wine. A case under the
Excise Act had been registered at the Chamba police station, the report further said. The report went on to add that further investigation in the case was on.
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Hamirpur, April 7
Shimla, April 7