Hamirpur, April 13
In a setback to the BJP in the Hamirpur constituency, former Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) and two-time Hamirpur MLA Urmil Thakur, along with her son Rubal Thakur, joined the Congress today.

Urmil Thakur, daughter-in-law of one of the founder members of the BJP late Jagdev Chand Thakur, was upset after denial of BJP ticket to contest the Sujanpur byelection. She had given an indication of quitting the BJP and joining the Congress last evening.

She was a strong contender for the BJP ticket, but the BJP high command preferred her brother-in-law and younger son of Jagdev Chand Thakur, who had returned to the BJP recently after quitting the Congress.

Urmil was elected MLA from Hamirpur in 1998 and 2007 elections and lost the 2003 election and last election from Sujanpur against Rajinder Rana.

During the last Assembly election, the BJP had shifted her to newly created Sujanpur Assembly constituency despite her inclination to contest from Hamirpur, when former Chief Minister PK Dhumal decided to contest from Hamirpur.

Urmil today accompanied Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to an election meeting and addressed the meeting, seeking votes for Congress candidate Rajinder Rana at Lamblu.

Addressing a meeting at Lamblu, emotionally charged Urmil Thakur said, “I had to take the bitter decision of quitting the BJP, which my late father-in-law Jagdev Chand Thakur had nursed, as some people wanted to sideline the family of Jagdev Chand.”

She said, “A conspiracy was hatched and we were being called tainted, my father-in-law played a significant role in the formation of the BJP in the state and when the party became strong, a few leaders stepped in to reap the harvest.”

Welcoming Urmil in the Congress, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said, “Despite being from different parties, Jagdev Chand Thakur and I remained good friends and I have high regards for the family.” The CM said, “The Congress will give due regards and proper place to Urmil and her son Rubal Thakur in the party.” 

Shimla, April 13
The exit of former MLA Urmil Thakur from the BJP has shattered the party hopes to derive political mileage from the legacy of former BJP stalwart Jagdev Chand as his son Narinder Thakur and daughter-in-law (wife of elder son) are on the opposite side of the fence again.

The BJP had secured a tactical victory over the Congress by wooing Narinder Thakur back into the party but it has been paid back in the same coin by the Congress which succeeded in pursuing Urmil to join the Congress.

The BJP had denied ticket to Narinder from the Hamirpur Assembly constituency, represented by his father for four terms, in 1998 and preferred Urmil Thakur, who not only won the election but was also inducted as Parliamentary Secretary by then Chief Minister PK Dhumal.

Narinder Thakur, sidelined by Dhumal during his first term from 1998 to 2003, left the party and contested the 2003 Assembly polls from Hamirpur as an Independent against Urmil Thakur and both of them lost.

Both Narinder and Urmil claimed the legacy of Jagdev Chand and the political clout of the family took a downslide with the emergence of Dhumal and his son Anurag Thakur as unchallenged leaders of the district.

After joining the Congress in 2007, Narinder contested the Lok Sabha polls from Hamirpur against Anurag Thakur in 2009 and the Assembly election against Dhumal in 2012 and gave a good fight. Realising that a split in votes could cost it dearly, the BJP started taking back rebels and Narinder was also back in the BJP.

The BJP was hoping that consolidation of votes of Jagdev Chand’s family, sympathisers and supporters in the district would boost the prospects of Anurag Thakur, but Urmil Thakur has played the spoilsport by resigning from the party and joining the Congress and the position is back to “square one”.

Shimla, April 13
The BJP has accused Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Congress candidate from Hamirpur Rajinder Rana of continuously indulging in mudslinging and making false statements against BJP candidate from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur. The party urged the Election Commission (EC) to take action them.

The complaint filed by Vikrant Thakur, co-convener of the state BJP legal cell, said, “Anurag Thakur has already served a legal notice on these leaders for giving false statements without verifying the facts.The allegations that Anurag has spent his time in foreign countries, is always seen on page 3 with beautiful women and hasn’t spent MPLAD funds, are derogatory, mischievous and aimed at tarnishing his image."

The complaint further said: "As per the code of conduct, criticism of other political parties will be confined to their policies and programme, past record and work. Parties and candidates will refrain from criticism of private life, or workers of other parties and criticism of other parties or their workers based on unverified allegations or distortion will be avoided." 

Mandi, April 13
Congress candidate Pratibha Singh today said though she had a short stint in her present term as an MP, she had tried to bring several development schemes for the area. Addressing election meetings at Behna, Bhadyal, Gaggal, Kummi and Nalsar under the Balh constituency, she said “Getting increased sugar quota, seeking approval for five national highways from the Central Government and getting drinking water schemes sanctioned are some of her achievements”.

She said, “Sums of Rs 22.74 crore for the drinking water scheme for Manali, Rs 82.18 crore for Kulu, Rs 15 crore for Mandi and Rs 15 crore scheme for Rampur were sanctioned by the Central Government after her persuasion.”

Talking about development activities in the Balh area, she said several schemes, medical college, tehsil office and approval for an irrigation scheme was granted during the Congress regime.

She said, “I will bring tourism projects which will provide employment to the youth.” Excise and Taxation Minister Prakash Chaudhary, addressing the meetings, highlighted various schemes started by the UPA and the state government for the welfare of people.

Palampur, April 13
Over 1,000 residents of Kanarthu village (situated at a height of 6,000 feet above sea level) in Baijnath subdivision today announced to boycott the coming Lok Sabha elections following the failure of the Public Works Department (PWD) to repair the Baijnath-Kanarthu road leading to their village.

At its meeting held in the village today, residents unanimously resolved that no one from the village would cast their vote and would send back the electronic voting machine (EVM) empty. They said a portion of the road between Sheela nala to Kanarthu was damaged three years ago, but till date, the PWD had taken no steps to repair the road.

They said a number of letters and panchayat resolutions had been sent to the Chief Minister, the local MLA, the Baijnarh SDM and officials of the PWD, but nothing was done in this regard. They said even an ambulance to carry patients did not reach the village and many times patients died as they could not get timely medical aid.

In another development, residents of Bara Bhangal in Baijnath subdivision opposed the decision of the state Election Commission (EC) to shift their polling station from Bara Bhangal to Bir village, which is 53 km away. They said till 2012, there was a regular polling station in the village, but now the EC had shifted the polling station without assigning any reason. They said the EC had no right to debar them from casting their votes. AThey said it would not be possible for them travel such a long distance on foot to reach Bir village to cast their vote. They appealed to the EC to review its decision.

Solan, April 13
PK Dhumal, Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister, today said the Congress had degraded the Prime Minister by reducing Dr Manmohan Singh to a dummy leader who was forced to follow the orders of AICC president Sonia Gandhi.

Referring to Sanjaya Baru’s book, “Accidental Prime Minister”, while addressing an election rally at Renukaji today, he said it was not only unconstitutional, but also unfortunate that the PM was used as a pawn by the Congress. He could not take any decision on his own.

He said the disclosures made by Baru, who was Manmohan Singh’s Media Adviser, had not only cast aspersions on the working of the PM, but also proved that he was used for furthering the corrupt objectives of the Congress.

Dhumal said the Congress was facing a leadership crisis and their vice-president Rahul Gandhi was not aware of the real issue of the nation.

Launching a scathing attack on the anti-people policies of the Union Government, he said people were grappling with price rise, unemployment, corruption, devaluation of the rupee. Despite the Congress' promise to control prices within 100 days, it had woefully failed on this account. He said prices had registered a 10-fold rise since 2007, affecting the people. All developmental works had come to a halt as the government was unleashing political vendetta on its opponents.

He said false cases were being slapped against them for promoting sports and bringing Himachal on the global map where the state’s youth had earned international fame. He said they would not be deterred by such cases and their resolve to promote sports would be strengthened even further by such vindictive deeds.

He said the officials of the Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau were under immense pressure to register false cases against them.

The former Chief Minister challenged Chief Minister Virbahdra Singh to resign from his post and order a probe into allegations levelled against him, including the receipt of Rs 2.8 crore, while he was the Union Minister for Steel.

He said the Chief Minister was trying to save his skin by furnishing five false affidavits before various agencies, probing his cases, whereas he had misled the people by transporting apple worth crores on oil tankers and scooters.

He said if voted to power, the BJP would endeavour to get back black money stashed in foreign banks by the corrupt.

Dhumal urged the people to vote for their Lok Sabha nominee Virender Kashyap, who was seeking re-election for the second time.

Others present included sitting MP from Shimla Kashyap, BJP general secretary and Nahan MLA Dr Rajeev Bindal, senior BJP leader Chander Mohan and Baldev Bhandari.

Shimla, April 13
Union Minister and Commissioner of the IPL Rajeev Shukla today came out in defence of the state government over providing security for matches in Dharamsala. He said the matches would be held at the stadium as infrastructure for international events had been created.

Shukla, who today visited the state capital for the first time after being made in charge of the Congress affairs, however, desisted from making any comment on the controversy surrounding the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) on the pretext that the matter was sub judice.

"The reason why IPL matches are this time not being held in Dharamsala is due to the election as half of the event is being held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi," he said. As such, only four matches are being held in India and the franchisee chose Chandigarh as the venue.

He explained that since only four matches are being held in India, Dharamssla could not be included but as and when IPL would be held again, Dharamsala be included in the schedule.

"The state government and the Chief Minister have never declined from providing security for the matches and the last time also when I spoke to him, he assured full help and cooperation," said Shukla. The BJP in HP has accused the Virbhadra regime of not providing security for IPL matches.

Shukla, when asked political interference in sports bodies, said politicians who were conditioned to sports could be good administrators, but those whose main motive was to grab power and position and get mileage should not be there.

"Politicians too are from this planet and part of this society and there are so many examples such as Madhavrao Scindia and NKP Salve, who made great contributions to cricket," he remarked.

He also added that he too joined the sport when he was still a journalist and had not ventured into politics.

Shukla said there was no Modi factor sweeping the country. "It is only a hype created in the media based on the Rs 10,000 crore being spent on selling Modi," he said. He added that the Congress would seek votes on the basis of the 10-year performance of the UPA regime and its flagship progarmmes such as JNNURM, MGNREGA, the RTI and Land Acquisition Act.

State Congress president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said party leaders, who had been expelled from the party or issued show-cause notice, would be taken back soon after taking the local party units into confidence. He added that the party candidate for the Sujanpur Assembly segment would be declared within a day or two.

Others present on the occasion included ministers Vidya Stokes and Dhani Ram Shandil and state Youth Congress president Vikramaditya Singh.

Shimla, April 13
The proposed move of the Himachal Government to declare the Great Himalayan National Park a World Heritage site has come under fire from an NGO, Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, working for the conservation and protection of people’s rights.

Claiming that the state Forest Department has already proposed the inclusion of Tirthan and Sainj Sanctuaries in the park and started the process to include 13 panchayats with 160 villages in it, Guman Singh, who is spearheading the agitation, said this would divest villagers of their rights.

He said with this, restrictions would be imposed on construction activity and change of land use and developmental schemes could also be stalled.

The affected villagers demanded the implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006. They also demanded that locals be informed and taken into confidence before moving ahead with the proposal. Further, formal consent of villagers should be sought at public hearings and villagers, whose forests have been included in the sanctuaries and national park, be given forest rights in alternative forest areas.

Guman said the award for Himalayan National Park, spread over 1,171 sq km, was announced in 1999 and forest rights in the 754-sq-km area falling in the core zone were snatched from people who were still waiting to get forest rights in other forest areas.

The NGO had planned a meeting of those affected by the government’s move along with those who were likely to be affected by the inclusion of some more areas in the park and its declaration as the World Heritage site, but the meeting could not be held due to heavy rain and was postponed for tomorrow, Guman, who is also the convener of the Maha Sammelan, said.

“All issues, including the effect of government’s moves and infringement of forest rights of the people will be discussed in detail tomorrow,” he added.

Shimla, April 13
Ace cyclist and local rider Devinder won in the solo men category, while Alison from the Great Britain and Douglas from Scotland emerged winners in the women and master categories on the third edition of the two-day MTB Himalaya Shimla-2014, here today.

Devinder, who was at the second place behind Kiran Raju from Bengaluru yesterday, steered past him in the final round today and was declared the winner clicking 4:32:46 in men's solo, while Raju finished a close second (4:33:31).

In women's solo, Alison Clews from the Great Britain was behind Vamini Sethi from Delhi yesterday but managed to click 7:55 timing and became the winner. Vamini was just 10 seconds behind clicking 8:05.

In master category, Douglas from Scotland clicked a timing of 5:17:02 and emerged the winner, while Jasbir and John Hall came second and third with timing 7:21 and 9:37, respectively.

Shiven secured the first position in the student’s category at 6:22, while Sanchit (6:49) and Gurman (7:02) came second and third.

Sixtyfour riders covered 57 km from Chail to Shimla en route Janedghat, Sadhupul and Shoghi on the concluding day.

Dinesh Malhotra, Shimla Deputy Commissioner, gave away the prizes to the winners. Wing Commander Amit Rawat and SP, Shimla, Abhishek Dullar were also present on the occasion. 

Dharamsala, April 13
Nearly 20,000 families were made to part with their fertile land for the construction of the Pong Dam reservoir in Kangra district in 1961. It has been more than 50 years now, but several of them are still awaiting compensation.

The fate of Pong Dam oustees still remains an election issue in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.

As per the data available with the state government’s Pong Dam Oustees Department, 2,501 families have still not been compensated. These families are either fighting legal battles in courts or making pleas with the Himachal or Rajasthan governments.

AAP candidate and former BJP MP Rajan Sushant had once launched a month-long agitation for the construction of Shah Canal and rehabilitation of the Pong Dam oustees. This catapulted him into the mainstream politics of the state.

Now, in the current elections, Pong Dam oustees have accused the successive governments in the state of ignoring them.

Other politicians, including Shanta Kumar, the present BJP candidate from Kangra parliamentary, had also raised the plight of Pong Dam oustees in Parliament.

The oustees have not been provided land earmarked for them in Ganganagar district by the Rajasthan Government despite the Supreme Court order in 1996.

A few years ago a standing committee was formed by the Rajasthan and Himachal governments to solve their problems. The first meeting of the standing committee was held in Bikaner district on September 27, 2010, under the chairmanship of Rajasthan’s Financial Commissioner (Revenue).

The Rajasthan Government offered 3,500 murabas land in Bikaner district to the oustees. The land offered included 2,400 murabas at the Satya Barani area, 600 murabas in the Mohangarh area and 500 hectare at the Nathana area.

The land being offered by the Rajasthan Government was 1,100 murabas, which was more than that required for 2,501 left-out oustees. However, it was without any proper irrigation facility and generally arid.

The oustees are demanding land in the canal-irrigated areas of Ganganagar district in Rajasthan. They alleged that the Supreme Court in its order had ordered the allotment of 1,188 murabas land to them in Ganganagar district. However, most of the land earmarked for them in the district has been encroached upon by locals. They said the Rajasthan Government had not dislodged the encroachers despite the Supreme Court order.

Now, the Rajasthan Government maintains that no land is available in Ganganagar district for the oustees.

The non-officio members of the standing committee, however, maintain that ample land was available which could be allotted to them.

The oustees have now raised the issue again ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and want commitment from the contesting candidates for their cause.

Shimla, April 13
The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report of 17 green belts in Shimla has come up with some bad news for all those who expected that the ban on construction in these areas will be lifted or relaxed.

The EIA, which recommended complete ban on construction in the entire Shimla Planning Area to save the hill town from further degradation and denudation, was undertaken by the Department of Environment in December 2013.

It was conducted for the first time at the behest of the state Cabinet and undertaken by the Society for Environment Protection and Sustainable Development.

These 17 green belts notified on December 7, 2000, are spread over 414 hectares.

Now, on the basis of the report, the state government is expected to take a final call whether to lift the ban on construction in these areas or to partially relax the same.

Environmentalists opposed the idea, but there was a demand from those owning plots at these areas that they be given relaxation.

An examination of the 2002 satellite imagery of a majority of the localities in the town with the present situation in 2013 made some startling revelations.

The report says: “Once known as the Queen of Hills, Shimla is fast becoming an urban nightmare, because of haphazard construction.” The areas, including Sanjauli, Dhali, New Shimla, Khalini, Kaithu, Chakkar and Ghora Chowki, aggravate the environmental pressure on the entire eco-system of the hill region in Shimla.

The report further mentions: “The spurt in construction has gobbled up vast stretches of lush green belts in and around the capital town and now, the concrete jungle is spreading its reach beyond peripheral areas.”

The highlight of the report is the comparison of 17 green belts with the rest of the town. It has been noticed that the development in these 17 belts has been controlled because of the complete ban on construction in these areas.

However, there is a drastic change in land use outside these green belts. A large number of structures have come up in these areas over the past 10 years.

The EIA report has also recommended that eco-sensitive zones within the Shimla Planning Area be developed. It has been recommended that these should be free from human habitat and vehicular traffic along with creating walking zones. Another important recommendation is to enhance tree and vegetation cover for maintaining air quality in the area.

Another recommendation is to undertake plantation on all open lands and plots, both government as well as private. It has also been suggested that private lands be taken over by a competent authority, rain-water harvesting structures be made mandatory and ensure that these are functional.

The EIA has looked into the seismic, hazard risk and soil analyses and tested the air and water quality and requirement of the town. 

Una, April 13
SVSD College, Bhatoli, here is one of the state’s most successful aided colleges. It is in the news as the government is making all-out efforts to ‘forcibly’ take over its reins.

Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) has sought permission from the Election Commission to appoint an administrator at the college after removing the local management committee.

Not only this, the university has also moved a caveat petition in the High Court to plead for hearing, in case the private management committee of the college moves court and pleads for stay on the appointment of the administrator. The move by the university is likely to snowball into a major election issue in Una district.

Anurag Thakur, BJP candidate from the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, while talking to The Tribune said: “The present state government is breaking all conventions and laws in the current elections.”

He said it might be the first case in the administrative history of the state that a government organisation had moved the court in a caveat petition even before the issuing of the notice of appointing an administrator.

“This illustrates that HPU or people forcing the institute to commit an illegal act are expecting that the High Court might stay their illegal move,” he said.

He alleged that a retired IAS officer working at Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s office was behind the move, as his family members were lecturers in the college.

The HPU registrar was not available for comments despite repeated efforts to contact him.

Sources said ever since the present government took over, the college management was receiving letters from various government departments regarding its takeover.

The agenda for it was passed in HPU’s executive body meeting. Though the agenda for appointing the administrator over the SVSD College was not listed in the meeting, it was passed as on-the-spot item.

College Principal KK Sharma said: “The SVSD College has strength of nearly 2,500 students. In contrast, Government College, Betan, has a strength of just 200 students and has been bought at a cost of about Rs 7 crore by the state government. The move to appoint an administrator at the college during elections shows how law is being made hostage by a few retired officers at the CM’s office.”

Shimla, April 13
Himachal has always been a favourite destination of film makers, and history shows that many renowned actors have shared a close relationship with the state. This was stated by Governor Urmila Singh while presiding over the closing ceremony of Shimla Film Festival-2014 at the Gaiety Theatre here today.

"It was a matter of pride not only for the state, but also for art lovers that directors and producers of international and national repute screened their films at the festival. This event was an added attraction for people of the state as well for tourists," Urmila Singh said.

She said, "Himachal is well known for its cultural legacy, folk lores, dances and songs, and I feel that films are an appropriate medium to disseminate the culture and traditions of the state worldwide," adding that film producers of the state should also come forward and work sincerely in this direction.

She said the fest would play a pivotal role in providing stage to art lovers in the state and at the same time provide an opportunity to them to put in their hard work to promote themselves at national and international levels.

She gave awards to the films producers in six different categories.

Earlier, the Governor visited a photo exhibition put up by Mela Ram Sharma at the Gaiety Theatre. She said this exhibition in which several unexplored areas of the state had been captured was an art-lover's delight which would go a long way in promoting tourism.

In the Himachal feature film category, “Dile Ch Vasya Koi” produced and directed by Himachal Filmmaker Sanjeev Rattan, was given the best film award. The film marks the triumph of love in a Himachal setting.

In the Himachal documentary film category, "Shiva’s Abode Shirkhand Peak", made by Mayank Rajan Gupta, was adjudged the best documentary. The film takes the viewer through an arduous journey trek in high-altitude Himalayan mountains.

In the Himachal short-film category "The Bench", was given the first prize. The short film of a loser arousing hope in another loser to a win-win situation, was directed by Prakash Singh and Vishal Singh and produced by Stage Players and Rotaract, Waknaghat.

"Bhole Baba", a musical video, by Himachal Filmmaker Ravinder Randhawa was given the first prize in music video category, while the spot film on cancer awareness was awarded the first prize in spot films category. The jury have handed a Special Jury Award to short film "Aakhiri Munadi" in the open category. The film set in Uttarakhand, depicting how the retirement day turns out to be the most memorable and professionally rewarding one, is directed by Ahsan Baksh. 

Shimla, April 13
Residents of remote and isolated areas such as Dodra Kwar, Chehta, Chanana, Satota, Gonth in Shimla district and the country’s oldest-surviving democracy Malana in Kullu district have upped their demand to declare these as tribal areas.

The villagers have raised a fresh demand asking the BJP, Congress and other parties to declare these areas as backward along the lines of Jaunsar and Bawar in the neighbouring Uttarakhand.

Dodra Kwar, Chehta, Gonth and Malana have one thing in common -- the growth of cannabis -- which is easily available to local smugglers.

Malana people grow and eat kathu (buckwheat), whereas Dodra Kwar and Chehta-Gonth villagers grow Koda-Chaualai (amaranth), which is rich in iron and is their staple diet. Apple cultivation is yet to gain grounds in these areas, villagers said.

During the previous Congress rule, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had directed the tribal cell to conduct the survey not only of the Trans-Giri region, but for Dodra Kwar and Malana as well.

But residents of the Chehta-Gonth belt were left out despite the fact that the area in Kupvi sub-tehsil remained one of the most economically backward and neglected pockets in Shimla district, villagers said.

There are 12 gram panchayats in the area adjoining the Shillai constituency in Sirmaur and Jaunsar and Bawar of Uttarakhand, they added.

Sabla Ram, a senior Congressman from Chehta, said: “The area should be declared tribal as people here practise queer customs, polygamy and child marriage. They are also devoid of proper health and education facilities.”

Servinder, zila parishad member from Dodra Kwar, said: “Dodra Kwar is separated from Rohru by 12,000-ft-high snowbound Chansal Pass and is 100 km away from Rohru town. The road to Dodra-Kwar was built recently, but the remote Pandar and Jhakh panchayats have no road connectivity as it is still under construction.”

Dodra-Kwar and Chauhara block located on the other side of Chansal have been declared backward, but the demand for declaring Dodra-Kwar as tribal has not been accepted so far.

Similarly, Malana also remains socially and economical backward. They practice queer customs and marry within their own “tols” or families in the village.

“We worship Jamlu devta as our deity and outsiders are not allowed to pay a visit here,” Budh Ram, a former panchayat member of Malana, said.

OP Sharma, who runs Malana Vikalp, an NGO that encourages growing alternative crops in the village, said: “The area should be declared as tribal, as it will help speed up its development as people here still reject modern education, fearing it will spoil ‘their culture’ and perhaps bring the village under the lens of law-enforcing agencies which can get away with cannabis-their easy money-making source.”

But this has not shown any encouraging signs so far as cannabis mafias are concerned. They are well-entrenched in the remote valleys and enjoy political patronage, enforcement officials revealed.

“If the area gets a tribal status, the money can be used for alternative development,” they added.

Kangra, April 13
The two-day national-level management fest, Himspark ’14, concluded yesterday. Addressing the concluding function at the Temporary Academic Block, CUHP, Shahpur, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Yoginder Singh Verma said students should imbibe good qualities.

"This function has helped students hone their managerial and decision-making skills," he said.

He said, "Him means snow, which represents purity and transparency, while 'spark' means vibrant and shining. Students have to adopt these virtues in their life."

Verma was the chief guest of the event, which was organised by the Management Society of School of Business and Management Studies, CUHP.

Winners: Resume Writing: Shilpa Sharma of Government Degree College, Dharamsala; Mr Sales Man: Shivam Puri (CUHP); Dispute Handling: Santosh Kumar, Akshu Sharma, Dhanaji Kare (CUHP); Wolf of Dalaal Streets: Chetan Sharma and Sandeep (HPUBS); Pehchan Kaun event: Vishal and Anil (CUHP); Flip-flop: Vishal Sharma and Varun Kapil (HPUBS); Panel Discussion: Shivam Puri (CUHP); Chaos Theory: Abhinav Sharma and Munish Sharma (HPUBS); Case Study: Abhinav, Vishal, Manisha and Shrishti (HPUBS);Creativi Tee: Isha Negi and Ayush Kashyap (CUHP); Online Marketing: Shubham Sharma, Salman Habib, Amit Rana (CUHP); Marketing Madness: Gazal Tomar and Ankita Sharma (HPUBS); Corporate Walk: Shivani Palhania, Sonali Mahajan, Manoj Kumar, Priya Rai, Shekhar Kaundal, Sunil (PGD), Dharamsala; War of Words: Kavita Thakur and Kavita Sharma (PGD), Dharamsala; Lan Gaming: Vivek Chauhan, Karan Pundir, Arpit Sidhu, Ayush Kashyap and Rajneesh Jamwal (CUHP); and Tact-o-Mania: Hitesh Verma and Vishal Sharma (HPUBS).

Una, April 13
On the occasion of Baisakhi, thousands of devotees today thronged various religious places in the district to offer prayers.

The annual Baisakhi fair at Brahmahuti, the famous temple of deity Brahma along the bank of the Satluj at Hindola village, witnessed crowds of devotees from early morning. People took a dip in the river at the revered Bhabour Sahib ghats and offered prayers for good health, prosperity and bountiful crops.

A cultural programme was organised at the Pirnigaha shrine, where Punjabi singer Feroze Khan enthralled the audience. Sweets vendors did a brisk business as people distributed the traditional sweets item “jalebi” among relatives and friends. 

Una, April 13
On the occasion of the 120th year of the establishment of PNB, an all-women branch of the bank was opened at its office situated in the Bachat Bhawan here yesterday. 

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abhishek Jain inaugurated the branch, the first of its kind in the district.AThe DC said the branch would have women employees, and women account holders would get a rebate of half per cent on the rate of interest on loan. Women seeking a credit for income generation activities would be given an opportunity to secure hassle-free loans, he said. — OC

Chamba, April 13
The three-day legendary Suhi fair in the historical town of Chamba concluded today with the singing of songs in the praise of Rani Sunayana, who sacrificed herself for the cause of her subject.

Anita Thakur, president of the local Municipal Council, said a large number of people, mostly women and children, had witnessed the fair.

The fair is celebrated every year on the premises of the Suhi temple, located on a hillock above Chamba town.

The fair also symbolises the “foundation period” of the erstwhile Chamba state.

The over 1,000-year-old Suhi Mata shrine at Chamba is an inseparable part of the town’s cultural heritage.

The temple was built in the memory of Rani Sunayana.

Chamba Welfare Association president RK Mahajan, District Progressive Council president Hari Ram Puri and District Senior Citizens Forum president PC Oberoi jointly urged the government to declare the Suhi fair as a district-level event.

Kangra, April 13
The police arrested 13 persons under the Himachal Pradesh Excise Act for allegedly indulging in illicit liquor trade. Nearly 5 lakh ml country liquor, over 10,000 ml illicit liquor and 1,500 ml English liquor were recovered from them, the police said yesterday.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer Hitesh Lakhanpal said Rakesh of Kaliyara, Satish of Chachian, Rubal of Kharballa Rakh Nagri, Divender of Bhogarwan, Sunita of Gagwal, Billu of Channi, Rai Singh of Ladwara, Suman of Trambla, Kamal of Jogipur, Bishan of Sakout, Anu Raj of Tanda, Karam Chand of Barol and Mukesh of Jalari were arrested.— OC