Palampur, October 3
With the launch of “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” in the country, senior BJP leader and Kangra MP Shanta Kumar today released Rs 10 lakh to the local municipal council from his MPLAD funds for purchasing 10 dumpers to be installed in satellite areas of Palampur for the collection of garbage.

The MP said residents of 12 panchayats of Palampur and its adjoining areas had approached him informing him that there was no provision for the disposal of garbage in the panchayat areas of the town, as the panchayats did not have funds for the purpose.

They told him that heaps of garbage emitting foul smell could be seen in all 12 panchayats which was not removed for days together.

Shanta Kumar said he approached the local municipal council and sought their help. He released Rs 10 lakh immediately for the purchase of dumpers to be installed in panchayat areas.

“Now, the council will collect the garbage from the municipal areas for further disposal in the garbage treatment plant,” the MP added.

Meanwhile, “People’s Voice”, a social organisation of the town, thanked the MP for his gesture to help the residents of panchayat areas.

Members of the forum said if a plan for garbage disposal from panchayat areas was materialised it would be a big relief for the residents. They said the state government should also come forward and extend the municipal limits which could be a permanent solution.

The organisation also urged Shanta Kumar to provide funds for the installation of solar lights in the next phase in panchayat areas. 

Palampur, October 3
The Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to open a new office of the Town and Country Planning Department (TCP) with immediate effect at Palampur in Kangra. This was stated by Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma here yesterday.

Addressing mediapersons, Sudhir said the state government had taken this decision keeping in view the demand of area residents who had to travel to Dharamsala for petty matters such as seeking no-objection certificate for the construction of their houses.

He said with the opening of this office there would be quick disposal of cases pertaining to clearing the designs of houses. Besides, this office would help promote planned urbanisation in this part of the district.

Sudhir said more areas would be brought under the purview of TCP in a phased manner in the district to check haphazard and unplanned constructions. He said it would be ensured that no harassment was caused to stakeholders while getting plans cleared for their houses by the TCP Department.

He asked officials of the department to speedily clear all pending cases. He announced that a sub-office of the TCP department would be opened at Baijnath. 

Kullu, October 3
Over 200 gods and goddesses “assembled” in this Himachal Pradesh town for the weeklong Kullu Dashera festivities that began today.

Kullu Dashera, a centuries-old festival, begins on Vijaya Dashami, the day when the festivities end in the rest of the country.

The chariot of Lord Raghunath, the chief deity, accompanied by palanquins of other assembled deities reached the historic Dhalpur Maidan here amid beating of drums and playing of “shehnais”.

Hundreds of devotees pulled the wooden chariot, while people dressed in their traditional folk dresses and hundreds of foreign and domestic tourists gathered to watch the event.

Even as the uncertainty loomed large over the participation of the deities due to the recent orders of the High Court banning animal sacrifice, members of the Kardar Sangh confirmed that 224 deities have arrived, while a few were en route to attend the festival.

Kullu MLA Maheshwar Singh and Banjar MLA Karan Singh, descendents of Raja Jagat Singh, the erstwhile ruler of Rupi (Kullu) valley, along with their offshoots led the shobha yatra that started from Raghunathpur, the sanctum of the chief deity of Kullu. The idols of Lord Rama and Sita were placed in a beautifully decorated wooden chariot. The rath was pulled up to the camp temple of Lord Raghunath that was erected in the middle of the maidan where religious activities and meeting of local gods and goddesses will be carried out for the next six days.

More than 150 gods and goddesses with their processions and bands accompanied Lord Raghunath in the rath yatra.

Governor Urmila Singh and Additional Chief Secretary Upma Chaudhary also participated in the festivities.

Unlike other parts of the country, here effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkaran and Meghnath are not burnt. However, the “evil empire” will be destroyed by the assembled deities during the Lankadahan ceremony on the banks of the Beas on October 9.

Later, the Governor inaugurated a weeklong international folk dance festival by performing a pooja and lighting a lamp at Kala Kendra. She also inaugurated an exhibition of local handicrafts, Kullu shawls and power projects coming up in the state and visited the stalls put up by various government departments and private organisations.

She said, “The festival, which was a symbol of victory of truth over evil, has maintained its glory with the changing times.” She added that over 200 local deities converge at Kullu to pay obeisance to Lord Raghunath, which makes the festival rare.

Shimla/Kullu, October 3
The weeklong historic Dashera festivities started in Kullu today with the rolling out of the chariot of Lord Raghunath from Rath Maidan to Dhalpur Maidan in Kullu town without the participation of his brother Balu Naag of Kothi Shikari and his guru Shringa Rishi of Kothi Chehni as the protracted feud between the two devtas remains unresolved.

The two deities — Shringa Rishi and Balu Nag — have been excluded again this year from the august list of gods and goddesses due to their feuding kardars who wanted a special place of honour for their respective god in the annual procession.

Though the Kullu Dasehra Committee (KDC) under district collector Rakesh Kanwar did not invite the “belligerent devtas”, the devtas have come for the Dasehra celebrations this year too, pleading that no power can stop them from participation in the century-old festival.

The KDC also invoked Section 144 of the CrPC today to maintain law and order in the town and kept the devtas confined in their respective camps in Dhalpur Maidan.

The dispute among the devotees, mainly politically motivated kardars of devtas divided into Maheshwar and anti-Maheshwar camps, erupted in 1990s when Maheshwar Singh, chief kardar of Lord Raghunath, entered the politics.

Both Shringa Rishi and Balu Naag have been staking claims to occupy the right hand slot with Lord Raghunath during the rath yatra.

In the absence of one devta, the other used to occupy the slot. However, the problem arose when both the devtas participated in the yatra.

“The kardars of both the devtas refuse to shun their egos, which is creating bad blood among the devotees, marring the festivity down the years,” said SR Thakur, a cultural critic and writer from Kullu.

The devotees of Shringa Rishi had moved the High Court in 2012, seeking a legal action against the KDC for denying them the right to participate in the Raghunath Yatra.

The kardars of Balu Naag also filed an appeal in the High Court staking its claims to the right slot as claimed by the kardars of Shringa Rishi.

Kanwar said the petition was still pending in the High Court and they have no option other than confining the devtas to their camps. The administration would invite Shringa Rishi and Balu Nag deities only when their devotees settle their decades-old dispute, he added.

Kangra, October 3
Over 1 lakh pilgrims from all over the country, particularly from Uttar Pradesh, paid obeisance at the Bajjreshwari temple during the Ashwin Navratra, which culminated with Dasehra here today.

The effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkarna and Meghnada were set ablaze at the local municipal ground which was filled with thousands of people.

Thousands of pilgrims from all over the country, particularly followers of Dhaynoo Baghat, had been thronging the town round the clock. They were seen standing today in queues in the temple complex to have the glimpse of the pindies of the goddess and seek her blessings.

Deputy Commissioner C Palrasu said lakhs of pilgrims visited the Jawalamukhi and Chamunda Devi temples during the Ashwin Navratra.

Temples Assistant Commissioner, Kangra, Ajit Bhardwaj said 1 lakh pilgrims visited the shrine amid tight security during the Navratra. He said Sat Chandi Mahayagiya, which started on the first Navratra, concluded with pooran ahooti. He said priests did Vedic chanting while making offerings round the clock during the Navratra.

He said pilgrims from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir visited the Nagarkot Dam. Reciting bhajans, Vedic hymns and raising slogans ‘Jai mata dee’, pilgrims kept thronging this temple town from the very first day of the Navratra.

A large number of people, most of them Bengalis, visited the Tara Devi temple during the Navratra from where the idol of Mahashasurmardani would be taken for immersion in the Banner river tomorrow. 

Solan, October 3
King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk and his Queen Jetsun Pema were given a warm welcome at the Lawrence School Sanawar in Kasauli last evening.

The royal couple have come to attend the 167th Founder’s Day celebrations.

The second day of the Founder’s Day celebrations witnessed the 167th Athletic Meet presided by Debabratamay Mitra of the 1964 batch. The athletes displayed the spirit of “Never Give In”.

Tushar Nandi and Shivam Ahlawat together won the Fateh Pal Cup for Best Athlete in the under-14 boys’ category, while Kudrat Bains and Jayant Malla were awarded the Bala and Kalinga Cups for Best Athlete in the Girls (open) and Boys (open) categories, respectively.

Himalaya House (girls) bagged the March-past Cup. The PD, BD and GD Cups were bagged by Nilagiri House, Siwalik House and Vindhya House, respectively.

Siwalik House also won the coveted over-all trophy. This was followed by the parent-teacher-meet. Hockey and basketball matches were also held between the present and old Sanawarians.

Later, as Indian classical orchestra based on Raga Kedar, a brilliant presentation of Indian classical dance titled Euphoria showcasing a perfect blend of Kathak in three parts, including Ganeshvandana, Indrastuti, and Breathless were also held. An English play titled “Heroes Never Give In” based on the heroic deed of second Lt Arun Khetarpal in the battle of Basantar, was enacted with perfection on the stage.

It gave a universal message that scars of war remain forever.

Mukesh Khetarpal, younger brother of the decorated soldier who was also an ex student of the school was the chief guest on the occasion.

An enthralling tattoo show, a display of talent, music, dance, mass PT, gymnastics, high-horse and bugle band, were the highlights of the evening. Lt Gen K J Singh, AVSM, G-O-C-in-C Western Command was the chief guest at the occasion. 

Kangra, October 3
More than 90 persons from different districts of the state were examined and treated at a free-of-cost ENT camp, organised by the local branch of the Vivekananda Kendra, here today. Dr Sanjay Sachdeva, Director, ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Max group of Hospitals, examined the patients. — OC

Dharamsala, October 3
Army officer Major Abhijai Thapa, who was killed along with his two colleagues in a chopper crash in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, was cremated with full state honours here today.

Thapa (29), who was serving in the aviation unit of the Indian Army, was killed after the Cheetah helicopter crashed soon after it took off.

The other two officers killed were Major Vikas Varyani (29) and Captain Avinash Somavanshi (26). Thapa and Somavanshi were pilots and Variyani was a flight engineer. The three officers were on a maintenance sortie on the fateful day.

The soldier’s family bid a tearful adieu to him. Relatives and hundreds of people from neighbouring villages gathered to participate in the last rites of the martyr. His body was brought to his native place Shamnagar, Dharamsala, today morning by an Army helicopter. He was given a Guard of Honour before the cremation.

Local MLA and Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma also paid homage to the deceased solider.

He expressed heartfelt condolences to the grief-stricken family and assured all possible help. “I pray that the Almighty give the family members courage and strength to bear this terrible loss,” said Sharma. 

Dharamsala, October 3
Lobsang Wangyal, Tibetan showman who became famous for organising the Miss Tibet pageant, will organise the Miss Himalaya pageant at McLeodganj on October 4 and 5.

Addressing the media here today, Wangyal said he was happy to present five beautiful Himalayan women for the Miss Himalaya pageant, 2014. The five contestants include Dawa Dema, 22, from Thimpu, Jyoti Dogra, 22, from Bhagsu Nag, Kuenzang Choden, 23, from Thimphu, Priyanka Dogra, 24, from Bilaspur and Shikha Sharma, 20, from Dharamsala.

Wangyal said the competition rounds would begin on October 4 at 6pm at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA).

The finale night on October 5 would be held at the TIPA grounds and is expected to begin at 6.30pm. There would be three rounds, including introduction, traditional costume and interview rounds, followed by crowning of the winner and the presentation of awards, he said.

Shimla, October 3
Cory Wallace from Canada and Sonia Lopes from Portugal emerged champions in the Men and Women sections at the 10th Edition of the Hero MTB Himalaya which concluded here today.

Cory Wallace and Sonia Lopes, who were leading from day one, maintained their lead till the end to clinch the titles.

In the women’s solo event, Monica earned the second place. In the men’s solo section, Manuel Wessenbacker and Andreas Hartman finished second and third, said event spokesperson Ashish Sood.

In the master’s solo category, John Funk emerged the winner, followed by Mike Mclean and Gerry Mccuiag remaining at the second and third places. In the team of two category, Aymann Tamang and Budhi Bahadur Tamang were declared winners. Naresh Barman and Purna Bahadur from the Army A team and Manjit Shishir and Man Karki from the Army B team came second and third, respectively.

Solan, October 3
The nondescript village of Dhabota in Nalagarh subdivision erupted in joy after India bagged another gold in kabaddi with local youth Ajay Thakur being part of the winning team in Incheon Asian Games.

India defeated Iran by a narrow margin of 27-25 in a nail-biting match, which was watched by Ajay’s father Chottu Ram, mother Rajinder Kaur along with villagers today.

They celebrated the victory by distributing sweets in the village.

Ajay’s father said: “It is great to see my son in the Indian team. It has won a gold medal today. The entire village was eagerly waiting for this match.”

He said Ajay would come home on October 7 and the villagers had started preparing for his grand welcome.

This was Ajay’s first gold in the Asian Games. Earlier, he has bagged two gold medals in Asian Indoor Games.

Ajay, who was part of the Bengaluru Bulls in the recently concluded Pro Kabaddi League, was the second highest selling player of the tournament.

He received a contract of Rs 12.20 lakh from Bengaluru Bulls and has also won an award for being the best raider of the recently concluded tournament.

Working with the Indian Airlines, Thakur is now helping local youth adopt kabaddi as a professional sport, for which he has also provided facilities in the village. 

Shimla, October 3
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today announced the setting up of a hostel for boxers in the state.

Addressing a gathering at the HP Senior Boxing Championship for Men at APG University here, he said the championship provided a platform for budding players to reassert their dominance in the sport and emerging boxers to display their skills.

“The government is planning to promote boxing in a big way as the game did not require much big paraphernalia,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the government wanted that every school had its own playground so that children could develop the skill from an early stage.

At present the state was spending Rs 50 lakh for developing as many as 50 playgrounds in different schools of the state, he added.

Responding to the demand for constructing a boxing academy in the state, the Chief Minister assured that the government would consider the demand sympathetically.

He congratulated the shooters, who performed well in the Asian games and brought medals for the state. A 10-m indoor shooting range was being set up at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Shimla, he added.

He gave away prizes to the winning Shimla and Mandi teams, who were the runners up of the tournament.

Rajesh Goyal, chairman, APG University, Rajesh Bhandari, president of the HP Boxing Association, thanked Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.