Shimla, May 20
Congress cadres seem to be unhappy over the centralisation of power and poor governance by the Virbhadra government leading to simmering discontentment among workers.

It was at the meeting of all District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents chaired by state Congress president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu here today that the annoyance of the party workers came to the fore.

Sukhu proposes to hold a meeting of all DCC chiefs with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh so that they can put forth their viewpoint before him.

The issue of adherence to one-man one-post was also discussed by the party leaders with Sukhu, who will be taking up the issue with the Congress high command. Barring the DCC chief of Kinnaur and Bilaspur, all other 11 DC chiefs attended today’s crucial meeting convened to look into the reasons for the party’s defeat in the Lok Sabha polls.

“It was undoubtedly the Modi wave which resulted in the Congress losing all four seats, but the DCC chiefs today conveyed their dissatisfaction over the poor governance in the state leading to ignorance of grass-root workers who do not have a say in the government,” Sukhu said.

He said he would convey the sentiments of the workers to the Chief Minister. “Due to the centralisation of power, one has to make rounds of the Chief Minister’s office to get even the smallest of work done,” said one of the DCC chiefs on condition of anonymity.

He said there were instances when the CM had given orders for the work, but the implementation was very poor and tardy, leading to frustration amongst party cadres. He even quoted instances where some BJP workers were getting all their works done in a sharp contrast to party workers who were feeling dejected.

A majority of DCC chiefs said ministers and MLAs must have a greater interaction with party workers and devote time to meet them. “The interaction of ministers and MLAs with party workers is practically nil, leading to a gap between the government and the organisation, which became evident in the elections,” said another DCC chief.

Some of the DCC chiefs quoted instances of Congress MLAs who had not managed to get a lead from their own polling booth.

On the issue of taking back rebels, Sukhu refuted allegations that a pick-and-choose policy had been adopted. “The same yardstick was adopted in taking back those who had been issued show-cause notices and this was based on a report of the block and district Congress committee,” he said. 

Shimla, May 20
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and State Congress president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu will be meeting All-India Congress Committee chief (AICC) Sonia Gandhi tomorrow to spell out the reasons for the party’s debacle in the polls and the steps that need to be taken to rejuvenate the sagging morale of party cadres.

Accompanied by his ministerial colleagues and close aides, Virbhadra left for Delhi today and is likely to meet the AICC Chief tomorrow. Those who accompanied Virbhadra in the chopper included Industry Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma, Transport Minister GS Bali, Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri and Excise and Taxation Minister Prakash Chaudhary.

Sukhu will be leaving for Delhi tomorrow. The two are likely to meet Sonia, Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary and in-charge of Congress in Himachal, Ambika Soni.

Following the meeting of the two leaders with Sonia, a major overhaul in the state party unit cannot be ruled out. Some drastic steps could be taken to ensure better coordination between the party organisation and the government.

Virbhadra has time and again expressed his displeasure over the pick-and-chose policy adopted in taking back rebels, which according to him harmed the party in the polls. He could also point out the lackadaisical and half-hearted efforts made by the party cadres in ensuring victory of party cadres in many places, including Hamirpur and Kangra.

On the other hand, Sukhu is likely to raise the issue of ignoring of party cadres by the government functionaries. The latest bone of contention between the two now seems to be the appointment of chairman and vice-chairmen of boards and corporations by the Chief Minister after the poll results.

While Virbhadra has tried to accommodate his supporters, Sukhu is learnt to be sore as he is of the opinion that the clearance from the high command was not taken.

Transport Minister GS Bali is also learnt to have objected to appointment of any vice-chairman in the portfolios held by him on the plea that it cannot be done without the high command clearance. All these issues are likely to be discussed by the Chief Minister and the party chief with the high command. Some new decisions could be taken by the government after directives from the Congress high command in the near future.

The agenda CM Virbhadra Singh and State Congress president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu will be meeting AICC chief Sonia Gandhi to spell out the reasons for the party’s debacle in the polls Following the meeting, a major overhaul in the state party unit cannot be ruled out. Some drastic steps could be taken to ensure better coordination between the party organisation and the government

Shimla, May 20
Narinder Thakur, newly elected BJP legislator from Sujanpur, today took an oath as a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) after his victory over Congress nominee Anita Rana in the recent bypoll.

Narinder, son of former BJP stalwart Jagdev Chand Thakur, was administered the oath by Brij Bihari Lal Butail, Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha. Those who were present on the occasion included state BJP president Satpal Singh Satti, former ministers and BJP MLAs Jai Ram Thakur, Mahinder Singh and Suresh Bhardwaj.

He said his priority would be to ensure proper drinking water supply to the people of his constituency. “I will make efforts to start more drinking and irrigation schemes in the segment so that people do not face inconvenience,” he said.

Palampur/Chamba, May 20
The Palampur region was lashed by rain, high-velocity winds and a thunderstorm this evening while upper reaches of the Dhauladhar ranges experienced mild snowfall. This resulted in a considerable fall in temperature.

Reports said lower areas of Palampur adjoining Hamirpur and Una districts were lashed by heavy rain and thunderstorm, which adversely affected wheat harvest. Besides, in Nagrota Bagwan, Bhawarna, Sulaha, Thural, Dheera and Jaisinghpur, thunderstorm damaged the mango crop.

A spokesman of the HP Agriculture University said unusual rain in May was harmful for crops. He said farmers were left with no time to harvest as in the first week of June, pre-monsoon showers were expected in the state.

The Forest Department heaved a sigh of relief as rain helped them in dousing fires in lower areas of the Kangra valley.

Meanwhile, Chamba district was lashed by heavy rain accompanied by a thunderstorm this afternoon, according to reports reaching here this evening.

Reports said apple orchardists were feeling upbeat with the rain for a bountiful apple crop, but farmers in low-lying areas of the district were worried as the rain had badly hit the wheat crop.

Shimla, May 20
The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) has asked the state government to immediately remove ADN Bajpai, Vice-Chancellor (VC), Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), and hand over the charge to the Education Secretary till the time a new incumbent is appointed.

In a statement here today in reaction to the VC's claims about his tenure that would end on May 24, Tikender Panwar, CPM state secretariat member, said the present VC indulged in self-appreciation and the entire machinery was used for that.

"He is a Sangh Parivar activist and continues even in the Congress term by appeasing Congress leaders with honorary degrees," he alleged.

The party condemned the VC's statement wherein he had targeted the CPM, terming the party's demand for his resignation as wrong, stated Panwar. "The CPM has every right to question the action of a person who is heading any institution and at the same time, the VC must know that he has no business to dictate what a political party must do," he said.

"The VC is turning the university into Unicode rather than allowing ideas and ideologies to bloom on the campus," Panwar charged.

The CPM has asked the Congress to explain its position over the mess that has been created. RUSA being implemented in the state has been detrimental to the interests of students, the results have still not been declared, the syllabus has not been covered and the session could not have even 30 days of teaching, Panwar charged.

The party has asked the government to ensure that the credentials of the VC are verified before appointment. The VC could not be contacted for his comments despite repeated attempts.

Nahan, May 20
Anju Sharma, a resident of Kafota village, has donated five body parts of her husband Devinder Kumar after his death.

Employed as a primary assistant teacher, Devinder (34) met with an accident on May 2 and he was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, in a serious condition the next day. He was admitted at the trauma centre of the PGI, where, despite the doctors's efforts, they failed to save him and he succumbed to his injuries on May 5 as he was declared brain dead.

His wife, in the face of utmost grief, decided to donate his body parts which could give life and hope to the needy after the doctors convinced her that his vital body organs were capable of being transplanted.

His two kidneys were transplanted to Ramesh of Ludhiana and Vijay of Chandigarh. Both of them were undergoing treatment at the PGI and awaiting kidney donors. His eyes were donated to two other persons and his liver was transplanted to a soldier at Delhi's Army Hospital by specialist doctors who came to Chandigarh.

Dr Yogesh Chawla, Director and Head, Department of Hepatology, informed Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh about the gesture of Anju Sharma who had come forward to help the needy, said Vikas Labroo, Deputy Commissioner, Sirmaur.

Terming it as an act of utmost benevolence which would inspire many others to come forward, the DC has urged others to come forward and help the needy.

Shimla, May 20
Deputy Commissioner Dinesh Malhotra today ordered the closure of the Shimla-Nalagarh road via Tuttu from May 21 to 23 due to the tarring of roads.

As per an official note, the Shimla-Nalagarh road via Tuttu will be closed. Traffic will not be allowed on the Tuttu Chowk and Kenchi Morh, known as the Tara Devi bypass, for three days.

He said the traffic would be diverted via Tara Devi. The traffic was being stopped to speed up the tarring work so that commuters did not suffer, he added. — TNS

Una, May 20
Mango hopper and sirphid fly have attacked the mango crop in the district. These insect pests have reportedly increased in number due to the increase in humidity in the face of intermittent rains.

Horticulturist Atul Sharma, who rears a mango plantation at Charagarh village having about 120 trees, said air-borne insects had invaded the leaves. Their excreta, which was sweet, had begun to attract flies, which were also drawn to mango fruit. The fruit weighs about 100 to 150 grams each by now.

Sharma said while little help had been forthcoming from the Horticulture Department, the horticulturists had been seeking assistance of scientists from the Agriculture University, Palampur, or Horticulture University, Nauni, for advice. He said many mango cultivators were in contact with him.

MS Rana, Deputy Director of the District Horticulture Department, said more than 2,000 hectares of land were under mango cultivation in Una district. This year, about 15,000 metric tonnes of yield was expected if there were no further fruit losses, he added. 

Chamba, May 20
District and Sessions Judge, Chamba, RK Sharma called upon people to get their trivial disputes resolved at the local level through panchayats so that they could save their time and money.

This was stated by District and Sessions Judge RK Sharma at a legal literacy camp organised at the panchayat ghar of an outlying Bakani panchayat of the district under the aegis of the Himachal Pradesh Legal Services Authority on Sunday.

On the occasion, the District and Sessions Judge gave detailed information about the free legal aid and advice provided to people by the Legal Services Authority.

At the camp, Additional District and Sessions Judge PR Pahadiya apprised the people of the nature of cases about which free legal assistance was given.

Chief Judicial Magistrate, Chamba, Aparna Sharma underscored the need of bringing awareness about underage marriages among people.

Advocates Ashok Thakur and Sanjay Thakur delivered a lecturer on the Right to Information Act (RTI), while Sub-Inspector Sakini Kapoor gave information about the working of the police.

Shimla, May 20
In a significant order, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has held that "If due to administrative reasons, Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs) cannot be held in a year, the person cannot claim retrospective promotion in the absence of mala fide."

A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir and Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan passed this order on petitions wherein the petitioners raised the question that whether despite there being vacancies and because of non-convening of DPCs within the time schedule, the claim of the petitioners can be defeated only for the reason that they had crossed 57 years of age when the placement order had actually been issued on November 20, 2013, and the panel for promotion to the post of Deputy Director was sent to the government on May 7, 2013 when the petitioners had not crossed 57 years of age.

However, the state contended before the court that the petitioners had completed more than 57 years of age on the date of determining the eligibility and hence they were found ineligible for being promoted or placed to the posts of Deputy Directors. It was further contended that the seniority of Principals from the Headmaster Cadre had been circulated on September, 26,2006 and all the incumbents who were mentioned in the said notification were either placed as Deputy Directors or retired and the panel had exhausted.

It was further contended that since the process of regularisation was found very lengthy, the department on November 13, 2013, finally considered placing the Principals from amongst Headmaster Cadre on the basis of seniority in Headmaster Cadre.

Accordingly, as per requirement of the rule, the eligibility was determined only of those Principals who had not completed the age of 57 years on the date of determining the eligibility to the post of Deputy Director.

While dismissing the petitions, the bench observed that "the normal rule of law is that nobody can be promoted from a retrospective effect except when there exist facts which necessitate so or there is a rule which permits so". It further observed that "we find that there is not even a single whisper, much less a ground taken by the petitioners attributing mala fide against the government authorities. Therefore, in the given facts and circumstances, in absence of mala fide attributed to the respondents, no retrospective promotions can be ordered."

Mandi, May 20
The attempt of the state government to regulate private technical institutions in the state has irked owners of private polytechnic institutions in the state.

The decision of the state government to impose Rs 15,000 fine per student on the private polytechnic institutes for admitting students without appearing in the Polytechnic Admission Test (PAT) has put the institutions under pressure.

The polytechnic institutes are already facing admission dilemma as out of total 10,850 seats available in these institutions, only 2,600 students were admitted in the last session.

The poor placement of pass-outs during the last few sessions is also proving to be a reason for a little enthusiasm among students to join the diploma courses.

Nikka Ram, general secretary, Private Technical Institution’s Association, blames the government policy for poor response of students towards diploma courses.

“There is still a lack of awareness among students in the state. The stringent norms of the state government are forcing a large number of students to join courses in Punjab and Haryana,” he said. “The fines and penalties are also discouraging students from joining the diploma course in the state and many universities from Punjab and Haryana have opened their centres in the state to admit students,” he adds.

On the other hand, the state Technical Education Board blames certain institutes not following the rules for admission and academic norms in the polytechnic institutes.

Officials of the Technical Education Board are of the view that the private polytechnic institutions should appreciate the state government’s initiative to improve the quality of education as this would make the technical education attractive.

Sunil Verma, secretary, HP Technical Education Board, said, “The provision of imposing fines and penalties for admitting students without appearing in the PAT test are prescribed in the prospectus and no new fines have been imposed.”

Palampur, May 20
Villages in the Khaira area of the subdivision are reeling under acute water shortage. Most of the villages have not received drinking water for the past four days.

Though Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department is well conversant with the situation, no efforts have been made to restore water supply. In many villages, residents have been forced to drink contaminated water from a local stream which can lead to epidemics.

Hundreds of residents from adjoining villages today thronged the IPH Department and were up in arms against the failure of the IPH authorities in providing drinking water to the Khaira area. They also submitted a written memorandum to Dinesh Kapoor, assistant engineer of IPH Department.

A written complaint was also submitted to local junior engineer, but no efforts had been made to streamline the drinking water supply. They said lack of proper management led to water crises.

Residents met local MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Jagjivan Pal and urged him to intervene into the matter. Pal assured the residents of restoring the drinking water supply in 24 hours.

Kangra, May 20
Two youths were killed and two others, including a girl, were injured in three different road accidents in Kangra, the police said here today.

The police said motorcyclist Ajeeb Kumar (22) dashed against a parked truck at Kandiyala near Khappear Nala late last evening as a result of which he was seriously injured and rushed to the Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, where doctors declared him brought dead.

In another accident, motorcyclist Pinku (22) dashed against the parapet at Adhi Di Hati near Jawalamaukhi leaving him and pillion rider Hari injured. Both were rushed to the Jawalamukhi hospital where Hari was admitted and Pinku referred to the Tanda hospital, but died on the way.

In another accident, Shika of Abdullahpur was injured and admitted to the Tanda hospital when the scooter on which she was travelling with her husband skid off the road at Zamanabad.

The police have registered all three cases under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Hamirpur, May 20
The Excise and Taxation Department, Hamirpur, has imposed a penalty of Rs 46 lakh against a contractor for evading tax on goods bought worth Rs 1.96 crore.

District Excise and Taxation Officer Hardev Singh said, "The contractor engaged in construction of a boys hostel at the National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, and ordered the purchase of furniture from a company through a sub-contractor."

The main contractor was not filing tax returns, saying that goods were procured through the sub-contractor who was paying the tax.

During random investigation of the contractor's account, the Excise Department detected a transaction of Rs 1.96 crore for supply of the furniture directly to him by the firm without deducting the sales tax.

"After the investigation, the case of tax evasion was detected," said the ETO.

Known for throwing tantrums and using pressure tactics to have his way, Transport Minister GS Bali is at his best once again these days.

Being under pressure after the BJP got a massive lead of over 10,000 from his Assembly segment in Nagrota in the Lok Sabha polls, he is trying to turn the heat on others. Believing in the policy of “Offence is the best form of defence”, he tried to put the blame of defeat on the wrong selection of candidate from Kangra, knowing very well that out of all ministers in the Cabinet, the performance of the Congress was the worst in his constituency.

He raked up the issue of poor selection of candidate during the recent Cabinet meeting with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. Later, he was seen fuming at the proposal by Virbhadra to appoint the vice-chairman in two departments of Transport and Food and Civil Supplies held by him.

Chamba, May 20
Residents of far-off Bonderi belt of Chamba district have urged the state government to post adequate teaching staff at Government Senior Secondary School, Bonderi.

Owing to the shortage of teaching staff in the school, students had to leave the school and get admission in other schools at Bairagarh and Bhanjraru. The schools are located at far-off places where students, especially girls, had to face problems in addition to heavy expenses incurred on education.

Kangra, May 20
A 38-year-old woman and mother of two children committed suicide by setting herself on fire at her residence at Prithipur village, Amb. She was admitted to the DRPGMC, Tanda, last night with 80 to 90 per cent burn injuries and succumbed to her burns in the wee hours today, the police said here today.

Investigating Officer Harjeet Singh said the victim Vinod Rani was married to Vijay Patial of Prithipur village 20 years ago. He said in her dying declaration before the police and doctors at Dhaulatpur hospital, Vinod Rani said she was tortured by her husband during the last 20 years and forced her to commit suicide.

The police has registered a case of abetment to suicide under Section 306, IPC, against Vijay Patial, husband of the victim, and arrested him. Investigation was on.

Dharamsala, May 20
The 26-year-old football tournament of Dharamsala finds its existence threatened due to lack of support from the state government. While the state government has been speaking of promoting sports other than cricket, a football tournament started in the memory of Gorkha martyrs in 1989 is hardly receiving any help from those in power.

Organisers of the event are finding it hard to keep up the standard of the 26-year-old football tournament.

Last year, Minister for Housing and Urban Development Sudhir Sharma, who is also the local MLA, had promised Rs 15 lakh for the tournament, but organisers just got Rs 75,000.

The All-India Shaheed Durga Mal Dal Bahadur Memorial Gold Cup Football Tournament was started in 1989 by the District Football Association of Kangra. It was started by then Principal Ravinder Singh Rana (retd) and Lt Col SNS Gurang (retd).

Durga Mal and Dal Bahadur were soldiers in the British army who served in the 2/1 Gorkha Rifles. Both of them joined the Indian National Army formed by Subhash Chander Bose in the Second World War and fought against the British. They were captured and later hanged at the Red Fort by them. Both martyrs had a Dharamsala connection. So the tournament was named after them.

Due to the football tournament, Dharamsala now has about 10 football clubs being run by local youth. These youth keep organising local football tournaments every quarter of the year mobilising their own resources.

District Football Association general secretary Ravinder Singh Rana while talking to The Tribune said, "In case the tournament gets a little support from the government, it can emerge as one of the most popular football tournaments of North India. We can also produce some national and international football players from Himachal."

"However, the present situation is that we go collecting funds door to door in Dharamsala to keep the football tournament alive. The annual expenditure of the tournament ranges from Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakh. However, this year, we are getting Rs 30,000 as the government support. Due to the financial crunch, we are just giving one-way fare to the participating teams. Earlier, we used to give them two-way fare for participating in the tournament," he said.

While giving information about the 26th All-India Shaheed Durga Mal Dal Bahadur Memorial Gold Cup Football tournament that is beginning here tomorrow, Ravinder Singh Rana said 12 teams from different states, including Uttarakhand, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, were participating in the tournament. The concluding ceremony would be done on May 25 by Shayam Thapa, an international football player.

He said the winning teams would be given a cash award of Rs 51,000 and Rs 31,000, respectively.