Mandi, June 23
A resident of Tamroh under Balh tehsil of Mandi district, working in Arbil town of Iraq, has sent a message, seeking immediate help to evacuate five workers stuck there, due to threat to their lives in the trouble torn-town of Iraq.

In an SMS sent to his wife Nisha, Neeraj Kumar has asked for immediate help from the government.

Nisha said, “I received an SMS yesterday in which my husband has sought immediate help for evacuation from Arbil along with four other workers Prem Singh and Krishan of Dhaban, Anchal of Sllapar and Lachhman Singh of Chail Chowk.”

She said, “My husband has said there is no wayout to return home as the company, Happy Land, where they were working, is not returning their passports. There is no helpline in the area and we are not getting any help from any quarter as situation here is most volatile as the company has no security arrangements there,”.

“I am trying to meet local leaders and the district authorities for seeking help from the Indian government,” she added.

Neeraj and other workers had joined the company about five months back.

DC Mandi Devesh Kumar said, “We are taking up all such requests with the state government.” 

Una, June 23
Family members of Sunny Singh from Bhadolian village of the district, who was working in Iraq, have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, requesting them that their son should be brought back safe.

Other four Una youths are Des Raj from Panoh, Dara Singh from Badheda, Naresh Kumar from Nangran and Deepak Rana from Panjawar villages. All five are reported to be in Karbala, one of the holiest places for Shia Muslims, located about 100 km from Baghdad.

Sunny Singh’s father Mahender Singh today said his son had gone to Iraq about four months ago to work in a construction company. He said last week Sunny had informed him on the telephone that while their life was not in danger, but there were continued explosions in the area, which meant that the situation could turn violent any time.

Mahender Singh showed a video grab sent by his son through email, in which workers from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh have charged that they were not being allowed to return to India by their company management and were even denied salaries. The video showed dozens of Indian workers fearing for their life, alleging that the security at their place of work was inadequate, while terrorists were just about 130 km away.

Mahender Singh has requested early intervention by the government to save the Indians working in the country. Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Jain said the family members had also presented him a memorandum, which has been forwarded to the persons concerned. 

Mandi, June 23
Forest and Environment Minister of Telangana Jogi Rammana has urged the state government to build a memorial of 25 student victims at the mishap site. They were washed away in the Beas on June 8, after the sudden release of water from the Larji dam.

Talking to mediapersons here today, the minister said, “I will request the state government in this regard, besides requesting the Telangana and Andhra governments to pay Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the victims.”

He said, “The Telangana Government has registered a case against the management of the VNR Vignana Jyothi Colleges of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, and the state Cabinet has discussed every aspect of the mishap, including action against the tour operator and other safety measures for the tourists.”

The minister has also thanked the state government and various agencies involved in the search operation to find the victims and said ministers and officials from the Telangana Government would continue to camp in rotation at the Pandoh dam till all victims were located.

He said, “The Himachal Government has borne the expenses of boarding and lodging of the relatives and officials and assured them to provide all help.”

Mandi DC Devesh Kumar was also present in the press conference. 

Shimla, June 23
People from all walks of life turned up to wish Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on his 80th birthday at his residence Holly Lodge, Congress Office and at the Secretariat in Shimla today.

Virbhadra said he has had a very long and satisfying political career and had it not been politics he would have been an academician, teaching in a university or college.

Talking to mediapersons at the state Congress headquarters, he said he made his political debut in 1962, when he contested the Lok Sabha election from the Mahasu seat.

“It was after being specially chosen by Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri to contest the Lok Sabha election that my political career started, though I had thought of being a teacher,” he said.

“Once I took a plunge into politics there was no looking back and no time to sit back and think. Being in the service of people has not left any time for me to sit back and ponder,” he said.

He said he has seen several changes not just in the state, but in the country, some of which have been good, others not so good.

“My autobiography is in its final stages, but it will be published after I am no more, as it can upset and hurt a lot of people,” he said. He, however, assured that it was certainly an honest and truthful account of Himachal Pradesh politics.

He said the picture of India too has changed and with the new government in Delhi everyone had a lot of expectations.

“I hope all these promises will be fulfilled and will take India ahead and make it a superpower,” he said.

Shimla, June 23
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today lashed out at Rajya Sabha MP Viplove Thakur saying: “It is very easy to sit in air-conditioned rooms and talk. Only those who fight it out in the heat and dust of the polls know what it means.”

He was referring to Viplove’s remarks wherein she had yesterday said action should be taken first against the Chief Minister and state Congress president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu for the Lok Sabha poll debacle.

“It appears she is paramount of all knowledge and the most popular leader as she is safely lodged in the Rajya Sabha and does not have to wage a battle against political opponents,” he said, referring to Viplove Thakur.

She had demanded that action should have been taken first against the CM and the state Congress chief and not against the 34 Block Congress Committees (BCCs), which had been dissolved. He said he was never consulted on the issue of dissolution of the BCCs and he only received a post-facto list of the names of 34 BCCs.

The CM also termed the decision taken by Sukhu as hasty wherein he dissolved 34 BCCs as a fallout of the Congress debacle in the Lok Sabha polls.

“I am in no way questioning Sukhu’s authority to dissolve these BCCs, but the decision appears to have been taken in haste. The criteria followed for the dissolution should not have been the 5,000 lead of the BJP, but the improvement made in some Assembly segments as compared to the 2012 Assembly polls,” he said.

Virbhadra said the dissolution of the BCCs was not the solution, rather the party should have taken remedial steps to strengthen the organisation.

He said he did not believe he had any political enemies and they were merely adversaries.

“If those who have political differences with me consider me as their enemy and not adversary then they are doing great injustice to politics,” he said, on being asked to comment on his detractors within the party.

He said in his entire political career spanning over half-a-century,he had considered the entire state as one and always opposed all divisive forces who divided people along region, caste and language. 

Shimla, June 23
As many as 3,164 patients were examined at a two-day free medical camp organised by the Himalayan Welfare Foundation (HWF) to celebrate Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s 81st birthday at Kumarsain in the Theog constituency today.

A team of 19 doctors from Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and other hospitals, headed by Dr PC Negi, Head of the Department of Cardiology, Indira Gandhi Medical College, examined over 1,200 patients yesterday and another1,967 patients today.

The therapists from the Composite Regional Centre, Sundernagar, also examined special patients.

As many as 130 patients were given free spectacles, 50 hearing aids, 30 crutches and seven wheelchairs, said Atul Sharma, president, HWF and vice-chairman of HP Small Scale Industrial Corporation.

The foundation would continue to serve the poor and needy and the camp would continue tomorrow as well, he added.

Youth Congress state president Vikramaditya Singh, who presided over the camp said the government was providing patient care at the doorstep and would continue organising such camps from time-to-time in the state.

Horticultural and Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Minister Vidya Stokes inaugurated the camp.

New Delhi, June 23
The Himachal Government will take a slew of measures to give a boost to tourism. Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Board vice-chairman Major Vijai Singh Mankotia, speaking to The Tribune here, said the measures included developing new hills stations as tourist destinations. Rajgarh in Sirmour district and Larot and Chashal in Rohru and Bir Billing in Palampur are on the government’s radar.

After Independence, there has been no addition in the hill stations in the Himalayan state. Moreover, the existing stations, including Shimla, have now become congested. New destinations will inject fresh charm among tourists.

Good infrastructure, better road and rail connectivity and salubrious environment will be factored into while developing the new stations.

“The venues for new stations and their promotions will be done on the modern lines based on the experiences of the extant ones,” Mankotia, who was in the Capital to meet Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju, said.

The state government is also pushing with the Centre for creation of an independent circuit of tribal areas located in Himachal Pradesh and Leh-Ladakh (Jammu and Kashmir).

The circuit could be christened golden triangle by drawing from the analogy of the Golden Triangle of highways which connect Delhi, Agra and Jaipur. The areas in Himachal for the proposed circuit include Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur and Bharmour.

The government is of the firm view that the tribal culture and hilly terrains, which have a potential of great tourist attraction, have not been tapped adequately.

Mankotia, at his meeting with the Civil Aviation Minister, also urged that the Centre should subsidise helicopter services.

He pointed out to the minister about the Central subsidy provided to the north-eastern states, and pleaded that Himachal should be also given benefit.

The state is also pushing with the Centre for modernisation and expansion of airports and their runways. Mankotia said the latter gave him a patient hearing and assured him of all help.

Also, the state government has decided to regulate the hotel and other service operators to rationalise and effect uniformity in their fare structures. This is in the backdrop of complaints of inconveniences faced by the tourists at the hand of operators.

Dharamsala, June 23
The Dharamsala police have busted a gang of thieves that used to break ATMs in Kangra district, with the arrest of its kingpin.

The accused has been identified as Rajender Singh (25), hailing from Saidpur in Amritsar district of Punjab.

A police team, led by Sub-Inspector Surender, nabbed the accused from his house on Sunday.

Shiv Kumar, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Kangra, said the police stumbled upon vital clues while investigating a case of attempted robbery at the State Bank of India (SBI) ATM in Dharamsala on June 11.

“Working on the clues and CCTV footage we got from the ATM cabin, we traced the accused. He was arrested from his house on Sunday,” said the ASP.

Kumar said the police were now trying to find out whether he was involved in other ATM robberies that took place in the district.

The burglars had looted Rs 25 lakh from two ATMs, of Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Kangra Central Cooperative Bank (KCCB), on May 11 at Dharamsala. An ATM was looted at Nurpur town also.

Meanwhile, Kumar said the police were yet to arrest two accomplices of the accused.

“We have sent the police to neighbouring states to nab the culprits,” said Kumar. A case of burglary has been registered against the accused.

Mandi, June 23
The Border Security Force (BSF) team won the All-India Hot Weather Football Tournament in the final match against the DFA Hoshiarpur at the Paddal ground here yesterday.

The match was decided 3-2 on the basis of penalty strokes as no team could score any goal after the 90-minute’s play.

PL Thakur, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Central Zone, was the chief guest of the concluding day of the tournament.

The IGP gave away prizes to the winners after the match.

Holi (Chamba) June 23
A water pipe, extending across the entire length of a steep mountain, attracts the attention of anyone travelling on the Chamba-Holi road. On inquiries, it was found that it is Siur micro hydel project that is about to go functional within one month. The project is located near the Holi area, one of most remote areas of Chamba district.

The Siur micro hydel project has the distinction of having the highest water head in Asia. The 1.5 mw-Siur micro hydel project has a vertical water head of 716 m. The penstock (pipes through which water is brought to the turbines) length of the project is over 1,200 m. Its 2-km water channel is at a height of 2 m from the ground on the banks of the Ravi.

SK Saini, a resident of Pathankot area of Punjab, who is a doctor, has executed the project. Talking to The Tribune, Saini said he got the project sanctioned in 2001. “At that time I had no knowledge about the perils of executing a micro-hydel project in the remote hilly area, but I took it up as a challenge,” he said.

There was no road to the area where he had proposed to create the water head for the project. “We have to climb the arduous mountainous region up to 2 km to reach the area. Local and Nepali labour played a crucial role in building the project”, he said.

Saini further said the project work picked up after the road was constructed by the Himachal Government. Initially, about 2-km channel was constructed at a height of about 2,000 m from the ground on a steep mountain to bring the water of local nullah (rivulet) to the head located 716 m from the ground level.

Then about 1-km pipeline was laid to turbine located on the banks of the Ravi, he said.

Saini said the project was scheduled to be completed in 2010. However, due to problems faced from locals and difficult terrain, the project had been delayed by about four years. It has escalated the cost of the project by about 40 per cent. The attitude of officials was also a problem.

“I have got a power connection from the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board. The entire construction has been executed with the help of power generators that were carried to the spot through ropeways,” he said.

Mandi, June 23
Mohit Chawla, new Superintendent of Police (SP), Mandi, took charge of his office today. He said, “Establishing connection between the police, media and public will be my first priority.” He directed all in charges of police stations to work keeping this in mind.

Interacting with mediapersons here today, he said, “I have also decided to hold a victim day in every police station, on rotation, on the third Sunday of every month. I will hear the grievances of complainants and have asked police stations to hear these on priority.”

The SP said, “Providing women security by acting on all their complaints, dealing strictly against all kinds of law violators, fighting drug menace by acting on those involved in NDPS cases and maintaining law and order by ensuring the presence of police will be my other areas of thrust.” He said “I will also try to regulate traffic by identifying black spots in accident-prone areas.” 

Una, June 23
The Haroli unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today began a four-day protest against the alleged drug mafia in the Assembly segment. Dozens of BJP activists, led by Ram Kumar Sharma, the party candidate during the last Assembly elections, and Jagjit Mankotia, block party president, sat on a dharna at the Haroli block headquarters.

Ram Kumar alleged that thousands of youth here were hooked on drugs such as smack and poppy husk.

A youth from Dulehar had recently died due to drug overdose. A police case to this effect had also been registered.

Citing inaction by the police in checking drug abuse, the protesters raised slogans against police and the state government.

Ram Kumar pointed out that merely transferring out police personnel from the constituency would not help the cause. He demanded strict action against the mafia, failing which the BJP would have to “unveil the faces of the locals involved in the nefarious activity”. 

Holi (Chamba), June 23
The Palampur Rotary Eye Hospital Foundation carried its mobile operation theatre to the Holi tribal area and operated upon 27 persons suffering from cataract free of cost.

Dr SK Sharma, Director of the hospital, while talking to The Tribune, said they had gone to Holi on the request of the local panchayat.

“The panchayat had requested us that many old people from the area were not willing to travel to Chamba to get cataract treatment. We got a bus developed that had a mobile operation theatre. It is the only mobile eye operation theatre in the state. The bus was brought here and 27 persons were operated upon. Besides, over 300 people were given medical aid for eye ailments. All the cataract operations and medical aid was provided free of cost,” Dr Sharma added.

Shiv Kumar Sharma, Chairman, Rotary Eye Foundation, said the foundation had got the mobile operation theatre developed on its own. It was taken to remote areas such as Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur to provide free treatment to people.

Dr Rohit, who also operated upon people in the Holi area, said they had got the latest and best equipment for eye operations.

Brahmand, pradhan of Deol panchayat of Holi, one of the organisers of the camp, credited the Palampur Rotary Eye Foundation for exemplary service to the poor and old of the area.q

Palampur, June 23
Resident of Mohan Ghatti village, near Baijnath, impounded a tipper belonging to the Nagar Panchayat, Joginder Nagar, today as it was dumping garbage in a forest.

The villagers were opposing the dumping of garbage in the forest for the past many months but the administration had failed to initiate action against the erring officials.

Official sources said as soon as the tipper carrying garbage reached the forest, villagers, along with the village panchayat pardhan, assembled on the spot in a large number and impounded the vehicle and held the driver and labourers captive.

Later, they informed the police who reached the spot and took the tipper in their possession.

The police said the tipper belonged to the Nagar Panchayat, Joginder Nagar, and was dumping garbage in the forest in gross violations of rules and directions of the HP Pollution Control Board, which was punishable under the environment laws. However, the police have not registered a case against the Nagar Panchayat so far.

The police said the matter was under investigation and officials of the Nagar Panchayat had been directed not to dump garbage on the roadside or in forests. They had also been asked to create a dumping site as per the directions of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

Shimla, June 23
The state received 30 per cent deficient rainfall till June 23 even though it poured continuously throughout the month.

Director of local Met office Manmohan Singh said the state received 42 mm of rain during the month of June against normal rainfall of 55 mm, while it received 8 per cent higher rainfall during May.

The state received 66 mm rain against normal rainfall of 61.4 mm during May and Mandi district received the highest rainfall of 102 mm, followed by Kullu 97.7 mm, Chamba 93.4 mm, Lahaul and Spiti 72 mm, Shimla 69.9 mm, Hamirpur 55.5 mm and Kinnaur 45.5 mm.

The monsoon showers lashing the state for the past one week subdued today, but the Met office has predicted heavy rain at isolated places on June 25 and 26, while monsoon may not hit the state by the end of June.

The maximum temperature decreased by 3 to 4 degrees with Una recording a high of 35.7° C followed by Nahan 32.9°C, Bhuntar 31.7°C, Kangra 31.5°C, Sundernagar 31.1°C, Solan 29.4°, Dharamsala 28.2°C, Shimla 25.1°C, and Manali 21.4°C.

While minimum temperature decreased by 2 to 3 degrees with Keylong being the coldest with 6°C, followed by Manali 8.6°C, Kalpa 9.6°C, Bhuntar 14.5°C, Chamba 15.6°C, Shimla 16.7°C, Solan 17.5°C, Nahan 18.9°C, Sundernagar 19°C, Kangra 20°C, Dharamsala 20.2°, Una and Bilaspur 21° C.

As per the Agriculture Department, the climatic conditions are favourable as the sowing of paddy is in progress. Paddy will be sown in 76,000 hectares, maize in 29,700 hectares and pulses in 2,250 hectares.

But this will not have much impact on crops as the paddy was in its sowing stage and vegetables were concentrated in irrigated areas.

Nurpur, June 23
Rakesh Singh of Jonta and Tarsem Singh of Dhar-Bhanguri in Nurpur are two boys among 231 Indian workers, who had been engaged by a construction company in Iraq, are unable to return India. They have no direct communication with their families here and the latter are receiving their messages through Facebook.

Baldev Singh, father of Rakesh Singh, said his son had gone Iraq two month back and had been engaged by Marmara Engineering and Construction Company, Karbala, in Iraq. He informed mediapersons here today that his son had conveyed message to him that three boy hailing from Nurpur were among 231 workers who had been in trouble as their passports had been taken by the company.

“They have no money and no passport to return to India. Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has assured them safe return of Indians, but has not initiated any effort,” he said.

He appealed to Kangra MP Shanta Kumar and the state government to take this issue with the External Affairs Ministry to ensure the safe return of the Himachali youths.

Mandi, June 23
Three persons were killed and nine others injured in a mishap after a bus collided with a motorcycle near Majhwar here this morning.

Motorcyclists Harish (44) of Bodog and Jagat Ram (35) of Bolanu died on the spot after losing control of their bike.

The driver of the bus also lost control over the bus and it rolled down in the fields, leaving nine passengers injured.

One passenger, Paras Ram (74) of Kippad succumbed to his injuries at the Zonal Hospital, Mandi, later.

All injured have been admitted in the Zonal Hospital and one of the seriously injured has been referred to the IGMC, Shimla.

The police said the Himachal Roadways bus was coming to Mandi from Majhwar when it was hit by the motorcycle coming from the opposite direction near the Chatrod nullah.

Rural Development Minister Anil Sharma visited the hospital to enquire about the well being of the injured. The minister has assured the kin of victims and the injured to pay adequate compensation as per the norms. 

Kangra, June 23
Sukhvinder Singh Gondal, Principal of GAV School, Kangra, has been conferred with the Asia Pacific Achievers’ award by the Global Achievers Foundation.

Gondal was given the award during the Asia Pacific Achievers’ Summit held at Tashkent in Uzbekistan on June 15 this year.

AK Sharma, secretary of the foundation, said they were promoting and encouraging achievements in different fields from all over the country and abroad.

Gondal was among those who were selected for the award in the field of education, he said.

He said 60 persons from all over the country were selected for the award for excellent performance in their respective fields, besides seven were selected from the rest of the world.

Palampur, June 23
National spokesman of BJP tribal unit Trilok Kapoor criticised the state government for diverting funds sanctioned by the Centre for tribal area development to one part of the state only.

Addressing newsmen here today, he said the state government was discriminating against the tribal community of Kangra and Chamba. He said it was on record that so far major portion of tribal development funds were spent in Kinnaur and Lahual Spiti districts only, while tribal areas of Kangra and Chamba were ignored completely.

Kapoor said he had already taken up this matter with Union Tribal Development Minister Julo Ram.

He said Gaddi and Gujjar community of Kangra district was declared tribal community in 2003 by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and necessary amendments in the constitution was also made. Unfortunately the state government never accepted these communities as tribal and grants given by the Centre for the development under ST plan failed to benefit people in these two districts in the absence of administrative and political will, he said. He said a deputation of tribal community called on Shanta Kumar , who said it was a serious matter and he would raise the issue in the Parliament.

Una, June 23
The management of Government Post Graduate College, Una, and the District police today barred various student organisations from putting up posters, banners and other publicity material on the campus. The decision was taken after activists of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) entered into a scuffle over the issue of publicity material.

Sensing trouble, the college management called the police. DSP (probationer) Kulwinder Singh, asked the leaders of the organisations, who were not students of the college, to leave the campus immediately. Thereafter, it was decided to ban the poster war. PS Chandel, college vice-principal, said entry of the outsiders to the college would be banned strictly. — OC