Hamirpur, April 16
BJP candidate from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur filed nomination papers today. Former Chief Minister PK Dhumal, BJP leader Satya Pal Jain and others accompanied Anurag on the occasion. Later, the BJP also organised a public rally at the Gandhi Chowk here.

Addressing the rally, Rajya Sabha member and BJP leader Balbir Punj said, "People should elect Anurag Thakur so that development can be carried out in this constituency."

He said, "Today people are fed up with price rise, unemployment, Naxal attacks, terrorisms etc and there is need to elect a strong government under Modi, which can give relief to people."

Talking about black money, the BJP leader said, "The Central Government made no effort to bring it back and the Modi government is committed to bringing it back."

Addressing the rally, Gen VK Singh said, "The way our neighbouring countries are flexing muscles and our government kept silent on the killings of our soldiers had demoralised the forces and now time has come to give a reply."

Speaking about one-rank, one-pension, Singh said the Centre gave a lollypop to serving and ex-servicemen and now they should devote themselves in the campaign and make their fellowmen aware what treatment they were given by the UPA government.

He said, "The Modi wave is sweeping the country and they all must work to elect the NDA government."

In his address, Dhumal lashed out at the Congress government and said, "During the UPA regime, price rise, unemployment and poverty increased and development works were done during the BJP regime."

Dhumal accused the Centre for committing fraud in LPG cylinder subsidy and said, "The subsidy on LPG cylinder has not been transferred to the accounts of a large number consumers."

He said, "I am not scared of threats, investigations and court cases and the state government is free to act as it desires."

Shimla/Hamirpur, April 16
The announcement of one-rank, one-pension ahead of the Lok Sabha elections will not benefit the Congress as the men in uniform and ex-servicemen are aware that the BJP is the only choice to steer the country, says former Army Chief, Gen VK Singh.

Talking to The Tribune, the former Army Chief said, "We need to look towards the armed forces in a holistic view and as far as the Army's condition is concerned, the whole nation knows the truth. The Army is like an insurance policy, the costlier the premium, the better the policy is."

The national security has many facets as economic and environmental security was equally important for a nation to sustain, he said.

Referring to revelations made by Sanjaya Baru, former media adviser of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in his book, "The Accidental Prime Minister," he said, the media adviser was supposed to be very close to the Prime Minister and the picture portrayed by him raised many questions on the functioning of the PM's Office and showed the PM in a poor light.

"When a confidential official letter written by the Army Chief to the PM could be leaked, what else can we say. I had condemned it at that time also and stated that the leakage was motivated," he added.

When asked about his winning prospects from Ghazibad, Singh said, "I don't believe in making speculations but the turnout was good and the final verdict of the people will be known on May 16."

Claiming that the BJP is not a "one-family party", General Singh said it had a democratic structure and the party thought about the nation and he had joined the BJP with free will.

VK Singh, who accompanied BJP candidate from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur during filing of his nomination papers, said the turnout on the nomination day indicated that Anurag had bright prospects and the result should be in his favour.

Chandigarh, April 16
While the Genesis Foundation gets the third edition of the Kasauli Rhythm and Blues Festival rolling over the Easter weekend (April 18 to 20), it features India’s 10 finest music bands at the Baikunth Resorts, Kasauli. The bands will be playing to raise funds, the proceeds from which will go to helping underprivileged children suffering from lethal health problems.

Organised by the Rolling Stone magazine, the event will feature Delhi-based funk and blues musician Valentine Shipley, who will be accompanied by Dilip on the drums. Having sung for various musicians, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Oliver, Mikado, Joseph, Val also played with a famous rock band, Parikrama. What sets him apart from other musicians is his ability to connect with the audience. Val released his debut instrumental album, Shararat, while later, came his second album, The wandering mystic that features his fluid, bluesy style of guitar playing and open singing featuring folk songs and Sufi songs.

Known for their Bangalore jazz act, the band, Kaya, presents a new sound with Arati's original compositions and lyrics with Aman's cutting edge and contemporary production values. The band was recently showcased at the IndiEarth XChange festival in Chennai, December, 2013.

The festival will also feature blue rockers, Ministry of Blues, who play a genre of music that originated in 1900s, but combine it with the distinctly 21st-century flair and The Susmit Sen Chronicles, a band by ex-Indian Ocean guitarist, Susmit Sen. Wrapping up the first day of the festival, will be Indus Creed. Performing on the second day will be Whirling Kalapas, an acoustic-based trio comprising Uday Benegal, Sankarshan Kini and Ashwin Andrew. Meanwhile, Adi and Suhail have been for long making their presence felt on the independent music scene in India, with songs like Qalandar, Laage Re and Zindagi. The festival will also feature Caralisa Monteiro, a fusion rock act followed by the band Lagori. The closing band for the second day will Soulmate, a band that is inspired by the sounds of Blues, Blues-Rock, Soul, Rock 'n' Roll, Funk and R&B. The last day of the festival will include a morning session with Atul Ahuja’s jazz and love ballads and the Army brass collective Gurkha Regiment Band.

(Entry to the festival is in the form of donor cards priced at Rs 5,500 per card, which includes complimentary drinks and beverages. One pass allows one).

Dharamsala, April 16
Residents of Khaniara are likely to lose their right on slate mining in Dhauladhar hills. The state government has failed to deposit about Rs 1.6 crore as the net present value (NPV) of 25 hectare forest land that was to be diverted for mining purpose with the Compensatory Afforestation Monitoring and Planning Authority (CAMPA).

As per documents available with The Tribune, the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests had given March 13, 2014, as the deadline to the state government for the deposition of the net present value with the CAMPA, pending which it had threatened to cancel the ad hoc permission for mining on the land.

Sources said the state government had not deposited about Rs 1.60 crore as the NPV before any mining was allowed on the forest land.

Divisional Forest Officer, Dharamsala, BM Marol said we had written to the Industry Department for the deposition of the NPV with the CAMPA. District mining officer Jyoti Kumar Puri was not available for comments, despite repeated calls. General Manager, Industries, said the matter was to be dealt by the Mining Department.

In case, the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests withdraws the ad hoc permission for mining in the 25 hectare land in Khaniara village, hundreds of families depending on mining of slates will be rendered unemployed due to mishandling of the case by officials of the state government.

Khaniara village was once the hub of slate mining for Himachal Pradesh. However, due to environment concerns and the impact of mining on Dhauladhar mountains, the Supreme Court banned mining in the area.

The state government represented the case in the Supreme Court as slate mining was the source of livelihood for Khaniara residents. The Supreme Court then allowed mining in 25 hectare forest land in Khaniara village in 2002. However, before the forest land could be diverted for mining purpose, the state government, through its mining department, had to deposit the NPV of forest land with the CAMPA.

The sources here also alleged that the entire mining process at Khanirara village was illegal. As per the rules, till the net present value was deposited, no mining could be allowed on the land. The CAMPA authority has been set as per the directions of the Supreme Court for compensatory afforestation of areas that are being diverted from conservation of the Forest Act.

However, despite the fact that the NPA has not been deposited and forest land has not been diverted in paper, illegal mining was continuing. Forest officials who were responsible for checking illegal activities on forest land have turned a blind eye to illegal mining. The sources added that it was the duty of forest officials to patrol and prevent any kind of illegal activity on the forest property.

The Union Ministry for Environment and Forests had written a letter to Principal Secretary, Conservator of Forests, Himachal Pradesh, on January 31, 2014, that the state government had not deposited the net present value (NPV) for diverting the 25 hectare forest land for other purposes.

In the letter, a copy of which was available with The Tribune, the Ministry for Environment and Forests has maintained that in case the under agency (mining department in the present case) failed to deposit the NPV within the stipulated period, it would not consider approval for allowing mining on the land under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.

Environmentalists, on the other hand, are demanding that inquiry should be held as to how mining continued at Khaniara village on the forest land for the past many years, despite the fact that the NPV was not deposited with CAMPA.

Shimla, April 16
The HP High Court today extended the period of interim bail, granted to former BJP MLA Baldev Sharma from the Badsar constituency in Hamirpur district in an alleged case of sexual harassment, till May 2.

While extending the bail period, Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan further directed the petitioner not to leave the jurisdiction of the police station concerned without the permission of the investigating officer.

According to the prosecution, the FIR against the former MLA was registered on April 1, 2014, under Sections 354 and 377 of the IPC.

A case of sexual assault was registered against him on April 1 at the Shimla West police station after recording the statement of the victim, who belongs to his constituency.

The victim in her complaint, made on March 5, 2014, had alleged that the former MLA had sexually assaulted her on March 25, 2012, at his residence in the Vidhan Sabha complex in Shimla.

She alleged that when she approached the MLA for her husband's transfer, he called her to his residence and sexually assaulted her. However, in his bail application Baldev Sharma contended before the court that he was falsely implicated in the case and was innocent.

The case According to the prosecution, the FIR against former BJP MLA Baldev Sharma was registered on April 1, 2014, under Sections 354 and 377 of the IPC A case of sexual assault was registered against him on April 1 at the Shimla West police station after recording the statement of the victim, who belongs to his constituency The victim in her complaint, made on March 5, 2014, had alleged that the former MLA had sexually assaulted her on March 25, 2012, at his residence in the Vidhan Sabha complex in Shimla

Shimla, April 16
A seven-day Army open recruitment rally for Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur and Kinnaur districts will be organised from May 10 to 16 at Senior Secondary School, Junga, in Shimla for general duty, clerks and storekeepers, Director, Army Recruitment Office, Shimla, Col CB Chhetry, said here today.

Talking to mediapersons, Colonel Chhetry said candidates born between May 10, 1993, and May 10, 1996, could apply for soldier's general duty, while candidates born between May 10, 1991, and May 10, 1996, are eligible for the soldier clerk and storekeeper category.

The candidates should possess two duly attested copies of certificate of their educational qualifications (standard VIII, X and XII), bona fide Himachali, Dogra class, caste and marriage certificates, if applicable, along with 15 passport size photographs.

Recruitment for general duty soldiers for Solan district would be organised on May 10, for Shimla on May 11 and Sirmaur and Kinnaur on May 12 while recruitment of soldiers clerks and storekeeper would be held on May 13 for Sirmaur and Kinnaur and on May 14 for Shimla and Solan. Medical check-up has been scheduled for May 15 and 16.

Advising the interested candidates to beware of touts as the recruitment was supposed to be on merit, Colonel Chhetry said the candidates were liable to be screened for use of drugs during the rally.

Candidates with small engraving or tattoo of name or religious symbol only on the inner face of forearms and on reverse side of the palm are eligible for enrolment. Candidates with tattoos on any other part of the body would be debarred, he added.

Sundernagar, April 16
Power generation from the 800-MW Kol Dam project, the first hydroelectric project undertaken by National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd, will be delayed by at least another year. Earlier, it was announced that the power generation would take off in April.

The delay could mean a loss of more than Rs 150 crore, in the light of the agreement signed between the state government and the NTPC.

The project has already witnessed delay. Its foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on June 5, 2000. At that time, it was declared that the project would be completed within six years, that is, in 2008. Following delay, it was stated that the project would start generating electricity in April.

Last year onwards, the NTPC has been claiming that the filling of the 42 sq km reservoir will begin soon, but all such claims proved to be an eyewash. Many parameters of the project were not in place. Even so, the authorities preferred to go for the filling of the reservoir with water on December 19.

Due to a problem in gates fitted inside the diversion tunnel, the authorities were forced to release water into the Sutlej. Two other attempts also failed. Later, seepage was observed inside one of the diversion tunnels. After major repairs, the process resumed on March 14. The water level was raised from 504 to 560 m, but once again, some problem was detected.

The Kol Dam authorities started releasing water into the Sutlej after about a month, on April 10.

Though the Kol Dam authorities claimed the first phase of the process was successful and as per a press release, the water release was for the testing of gates of bottom outlet jacket, it was revealed that now, the process would resume after the monsoon.

Some senior officials of Kol Dam, requesting anonymity, said since further repairs were to be carried out in a tunnel, which was not done earlier and excess of water was observed in one of the drainage galleries and some repair was to be carried out inside this gallery, there was no option but to suspend the process.

As per the schedule of filling of the reservoir, after retaining the water at a level of 560 m for a few days, the level is to be increased further.

A visit to Kol Dam revealed that there was no water in the main dam. A source further stated that the repairs of Tunnel LAV will start after a few days, which will take at least three months.

Whatever be the reason, the generation will be further delayed by a year.

PRO Parveen Bharti denied that the process was suspended due to some defect inside the tunnel and problem in drainage gallery. He said it was a routine process.

Mandi, April 16
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has appealed to people to elect such a government which a person of every religion could claim to be his government.

Addressing a rally on Seri Manch today, one day before the filing of nomination papers by Congress candidate from Mandi Pratibha Singh, the CM said, “People should elect such a government which a person of every religion can say its my government. If the country is divided on the basis of religion, it could be perilous for the country.”

Attacking BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Virbhadra Singh said, “I pity veteran leaders of the BJP such as Advani, MM Joshi and others the way they have been sidelined after Modi's rise, who is being projected as a superman.”

He said, “Modi is being shown 24 hours on TV channels and thousands of crores are being spent on the advertisements being run on nearly 400 channels and the Election Commission should enquire from where this money is coming.”

Questioning former Chief Minister PK Dhumal’s statements that after May 16, the state government would fall, the CM said, “Our government is not surviving at the mercy of Dhumal.”

Attacking the functioning of the HPCA, Virbhadra said, “By converting the HPCA into a private company after seeking land worth Rs 250 crore from the state government at a lease of Re 1, it has been made a personal property of one family and the HPCA has committed a big fraud and Dhumal is patron of the HPCA.”

He said, "I am not against the promotion of any game, but cricket is getting defamed and as the Supreme Court has acted to cleanse the affairs in the BCCI, I am acting to cleanse the HPCA affairs here.”

Addressing the rally, Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said,”The BJP is trying to divide the nation on the basis of religion, but we are seeking votes for work done by the state government as several projects were started by the Central and the state government.”

Pratibha Singh also talked about various development activities started during the UPA and the state government and said the Congress was seeking votes for the development.

Rural Development Minister Anil Sharma, Youth Congress president Vikramaditya Singh and several other Congress leaders addressed the rally.

Cabinet Ministers Prakash Chaudhary, Thakur Singh Bharmauri, state Congress vice-president Harsh Mahajan, many CPSes, MLAs and other leaders were present on this occasion.

Shimla, April 16
The Communist Party of India (Marxists) today took BJP Kangra Lok Sabha candidate Shanta Kumar to task on the issue of black money stashed away in foreign banks. It stated that Kumar, when Union Minister in the NDA government, did nothing to bring black money back.

"Shanta's statement is an attempt at cheap publicity. The NDA under Atal Bihari Vajpayee did nothing about this then," CPM charged.

Reacting to Shanta's statement at a press conference here yesterday in which he held some papers on foreign bank accounts of some leader, CPM state secretariat member Dr Kuldip Tanvar alleged that Congress and BJP governments represented two sides of the same coin as far as corruption was concerned.

Tanvar cited reply to a question on black money in 2011 in Parliament, saying the government had informed the Rajya Sabha that India suffered a loss of Rs 20.92 lakh crore as illicit financial outflows since Independence. "This outflow was generally a product of tax evasion, corruption, bribery, kickbacks and criminal activities," the reply stated.

Out of this, Rs 9.64 lakh crore were lost during the 40 years between 1948 and 2008 and the rest 11.28 lakh crore were lost between 2008 and 2010, he added, citing the statement in the Rajya Sabha.

CPM charged that corruption in just two years was more than that over the last 40 years. "Yet, no serious effort has been made to bring this money back and on the contrary, UPA concealed the names of the offenders," the party charged.

Dr Tanvar alleged that the NDA regime put in place a notorious mechanism to avoid so-called double taxation and that in turn put in place legalised tax evasion that facilitated money laundering.

The CPM said if black money was brought back to India, it could provide food for all, eliminate hunger, ensure electricity for all with reduced power tariffs and even free power to farmers in the most backward regions. "With this money, we can start many new industries and ensure jobs for all," said Dr Tanvar.

Dharamsala, April 16
BSP candidate Lal Hussain filed his nomination papers from the Kangra parliamentary constituency here today.

As per the affidavit filed before the returning officer, Lal Hussain, 47, has no PAN number and not filed his income tax return. He has Rs 40,000 with himself and Rs 20,000 with his spouse. He has Rs 1,000 in his bank account and owns a motorcycle. He has immovable property worth Rs 32 lakh that includes 16 kanal inherited land and a 1,500-sq-ft house. Hussain belongs to the Gujjar community. — TNS

Shimla, April 16
The Congress choice for the Sujanpur Assembly byelection is narrowed down to three women candidates, Anita Rana, Anita Verma and Urmil Thakur, a new entrant from late Jagdev Chand’s family.

Sources said the Congress high command had authorised all Congress Chief Ministers to give them candidates of their choice, but the party cited its one-line mantra —“Perform or perish”.

Though the Congress has formed a panel which includes Vidya Stokes, IPH and Horticulture Minister, and Kaul Singh Thakur, Health Minister, to suggest names for the Sujanpur seat, the final word rests with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, revealed top leaders.

The sources added that since Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu refused to contest from Sujanpur, the names of Naresh Thakur and Arun Thakur, district unit leaders, were also doing the rounds.

With the entry of Urmil Thakur in the Congress, the party faces a dilemma over the final choice of candidate. Virbhadra Singh has backed Anita Rana, wife of Rajinder Rana, Congress candidate from Hamirpur. Sukhu and Mukesh Agnihotri refused to enter the fray against Anurag Thakur, son of PK Dhumal, said party leaders.

The delay in the allotment of the ticket has sent negative signals to the Sujanpur electorate as the Opposition BJP has already allotted the ticket to Narinder Thakur, brother-in-law of Urmil Thakur and son of late Jagdev Chand Thakur.

But Jagdev Chand’s legacy is dying a slow death in Hamirpur due to a feud within the family as the Congress and the BJP have been playing a tug of war roping in Narinder and Urmil to woo voters. This power struggle within the family has cost the political fortunes of Jagdev’s family dearly in which the net losers are his family members, confided an old family associate of late Jagdev Chand.

Narinder Thakur lost elections twice to Anurag Thakur, while Urmil Thakur won once in 2007. Dhumal has made an all-out effort to save his bastion from crumbling by organising BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s rally at Sujanpur in February. But the big worry for the BJP is that Shanta Kumar has not campaigned in Hamirpur while Dhumal has not campaigned in Kangra, revealed insiders.

Rajinder Rana will pose a challenge to Anurag Thakur, who had won the 2009 Lok Sabha elections by a reduced margin of about 76,000 votes, when he was pitted against the then Narinder Thakur from the Congress.

Rajinder Rana secured 31.5 per cent of votes winning the seat by a margin of over 14,000 votes defeating Congress Anita Verma. But if Anita Rana gets the ticket, the role of two other ambitious contenders Anita Verma and Urmila would be crucial, said party workers.

Shimla, April 16
The Communist Party of India-Marxists (CPM) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) slammed the successive Congress and the BJP governments for not putting a uniform transfer policy in place for employees in a bid to woo them ahead of polls.

They said: “As soon as a party comes to power, the first thing they do is order large-scale transfer of babus or effect the administrative reshuffle.”

The government employees form state’s powerful lobby of over three lakh voters and occupy the centrestage among over 47.40 lakh electors in the state during the elections.

A cross-section of employees revealed: “Employees’ votes are divided along political lines, but a majority of the voters tend to toe the pro-government line mainly during the Lok Sabha elections.”

They cite the track record of successive chief ministers and say: “Shanta Kumar remained stern and implemented a strict no-work no-pay policy, but Virbhadra adopted an employee-friendly carrot-and-stick policy. Dhumal on the other hand remained flexible and pampered the pro-BJP lobby of leaders,” an employee said.

Both the Congress and the BJP blame each other for ordering transfers and announcing sops for government employees before, during and after the elections, they said, adding: “But a majority of them demand a uniform transfer policy. A CM should have a prerogative as to see where to put which employee to get best results out of him.”

Dr Harshvardhan Khimta, convener, Himachal Contract Employees’ Umbrella Union, which has over 32,000 employees in the state, said: “Every time a new government is formed, they talk about the transfer policy. But nothing happens on the ground.”

“We want a transparent and uniform transfer policy so that all ills such as political harassment associated with the transfer of government employees are eliminated,” he added.

This would bring efficiency in the service-delivery system and the administration, which was essential for good governance, the employees said.

CPM state secretariat member Kuldip Tanvar said: “Money exchange hands and corruption is rampant as politicians use transfers as a weapon to settle scores whether it is the BJP or the Congress rule in the state.”

Though the model code of conduct forbids support for any political party in the elections, every party is seen announcing pre-poll sops for them.

AAP leaders in the state claimed that though the Election Commission of India had curbed the menace to a great extent by imposing the model code of conduct, the government misused power by ordering transfers of government employees.

Kamal Kanta Batra, AAP candidate from Hamirpur, said: “AAP will put an end to the corrupt practices and only good and honest officials will get preference. Those with doubtful integrity will be taken to task.”

Shimla, April 16
Keen to capitalise on naturopathy, a local resort situated in the vicinity of Deen Dyal Upadhaya (Rippon) Hospital is all set to start first health restaurant in Shimla.

Brain child of Sushant Nag, the restaurant christened as "Petpooja" will offer 66 health dishes, high-protein shakes, juices, herbal tea, sprouted pulses, fresh salad, baked and steamed items along with international, Indian and Himachali cuisines.

"Apart from serving low-calorie, low-fat, high-protein and herbal food items, we tend to increase alkaline food which produces blood," says Nag, adding that only organic vegetables, wheat, rice and pulses will be used with emphasis on the usage of herbs and spices like trifla, turmeric, amla, bhrami, mint, basil, kari leaves, sinnamon, desi ghee, green chillies etc.

"I am not looking for big commerce from this venture, but my honest endeavour is to mitigate the sufferings of ailing people. Since my residence is close to the hospital, I have seen attendants of patients running from pillar to post for sugar free food, baked items and other healthy food and my humble effort will certainly do good to them," he says, adding that the restaurant will be open to public within a month.

Senior US-based consultant Dr Alok Uppal, who was here for a visit, said healthy diet helps in reducing fatigue, digestive complaints, mood disorders and depressions, allergies and sensitivities, behavioural problems, musculoskeletal complaints, including arthritis, high blood pressure, endocrine disturbance, eyesight problems, fertility issues, cardiovascular problems, hormonal imbalances and diabetics.

It is a good initiative and thrilling experience to go back to our roots and follow the ancient practices in a modified manner and propagate nutritious low calorie and low sugar food, which is beneficial for body.

The concept has been popular in big cities and more and more people are adopting healthy food style to stay fit and we should persuade people to adopt healthy lifestyle, but the diet should be as per the age and body weight of individual, says Dr Jaishree Sharma, director, Medical Education.

Additional Director, Tourism, Manoj Sharma said this was the first such initiative of its kind in the town and would definitely benefit the general public at large.

Kangra, April 16
The windscreen of an HRTC bus on way from Shimla to Dharamsala was smashed by two youths. They pelted the bus with stones following an altercation between them and bus passengers late last evening at the Kangra general bus stand when they tried to attack a bus passenger, the police said here today.

Investigating officer ASI Santosh Kumar said the police registered a case against two youths who arrived in an Alto car (HP-40-B-8445) at the Kangra general bus stand at 9 pm and tried to attack a passenger who was travelling in the Dharamsala-bound bus (HP-03-B-6080) of Shimla depot.

He said on the intervention of bus passengers, the two youths fled from the scene in their car.

The police registered a case under Sections 341, 427 and 34, IPC, on a complaint of HRTC bus driver Janam Singh of Nadoli tehsil Jawali. Both the youths are absconding. The police said the passenger whom they tried to attack had not yet been identified. The accused had been identified, but are yet to be arrested.