Shimla, October 4
As many as 150 teams and 250 participants, the highest so far, will test their endurance and skill driving past rough, high mountain roads and passes under extreme weather conditions during the six-day 16th Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya.

It was ceremonially flagged off by vice-president (marketing) Maruti Suzuki Manoj Bhatt from Peterhof here today. The competitive leg of the race will start in the wee hours tomorrow morning.

For the first time, Bollywood has also linked up, as actor, producer and director Sohail Khan, will be seen participating in the adventure category driving a Maruti Gypsy with former Raid De Himalaya winner Rahul Sanchati as his navigator.

Eight-time winner Suresh Rana, renowned motorist Amit Alhuwalia from Delhi and biker Suresh Babu are among prominent participants. As many as 41 teams are participating in the X- treme category, 55 in adventure trial category, 28 in Moto X-treme (bike) category, 18 in Moto alpine category and four in scooter category.

The motorists will cover 2,200 km in adventure and 1,700 in X-treme categories, out of which 650 km will be a competitive stretch.

The rally will pass through 11 high mountain passes, including Baralacha La, Nakee La and Yagla La and drive past beautiful monastries of Komik, Dhankar, Key and Tabo. In all, eight women comprising three all women teams, two in X-treme category and one in adventure category are also in the race with three foreigners.

Manjit Bhalla, vice-president, Himachal Himalayan Motor Sports, said a helicopter for emergency evacuation would be kept in readiness during the rally, while seven life-saving ambulances and two trauma ambulances had been engaged to meet any exigency.

Patients would be airlifted to Shimla and Chandigarh, depending upon the seriousness of the problem, he added.

Dharamsala, October 4
It is a boom time for hoteliers in the Dharamsala region. All hotels in the area are jam packed till the weakend.

Tourists who arrived in Dharamsala without any booking had to return or take rooms in areas far-off from tourist spots.

Inquiries revealed that hoteliers increased the rate of their rooms in view of hundreds of tourists arriving in the area for Dasehra.

Sources said the airlines operating for Dharamsala were also making hay in this peak season. The rate of an air ticket from Delhi to Dharamsala shot up to ~15,000 and ~17,000, whereas the airfare from Delhi to Dharamsala ranged between ~8,000 and ~10,000.

Sources said besides tourist influx, a VIP marriage at Dharamsala has given a fillip to the tourism industry in the area. The marriage of Gurmeet Singh Mann, owner of Mann Tea Estate in Dharamsala and Shamboli Sugar Mills, is scheduled on October 5. All main hotels in Dharamsala and Kangra have been booked for the marriage for three to four days.

Besides Dusehra holiday, the cricket match between India and West Indies on October 17 is likely to keep hotels and other tourism-related industry busy for the next fortnight.

However, bad roads and lack of parking spaces have exposed the unpreparedness of the administration in dealing with the heavy influx of tourists. The condition of the Dharamsala-McLeodganj road is pathetic. The road is under construction and the PWD and the contractor laying the road have failed to keep it in a motorable condition. Other roads in the area, including the McLeodganj-Dharamkot and Dharamsala-Naddi roads, are also no different. Officials said the construction of roads would begin soon as the monsoon had ended.

The large influx of tourists in the area leads to long traffic jams, especially in the Kotwali market at Dharamsala and at McLeodganj. The authorities cite the active sliding zone as the reason behind the damage. But if the PWD authorities knew that the road was being constructed on an active sliding zone, why did they waste Rs 4 crore worth public money.

The existing parking places in McLeodganj are highly inadequate and most of the tourists park their vehicles on roadsides leading to traffic jams. 

Solan, October 4
King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk lauded India’s role in promoting education in Bhutan by contributing quality teachers who have helped Bhutanese students in acquiring good knowledge and values. He termed it as the bedrock of Indo-Bhutanese friendship.

The king and his queen Jetsun Pema were presiding over the 167th Founder’s Day celebrations of Lawrence School, Sanawar, which concluded today.

Lt Gen KJ Singh, AVSM, GOC-in-C Western Command was the guest of honour. The Bhutanese king reviewed and took the salute of an impressive parade presented by students. This was followed by a march-past by the students of the 1954, 1964 and 1989 batches, who were celebrating their diamond, golden and silver jubilees, respectively. Film actress Pooja Bedi was also among the old students of the 1989 batch.

Expressing gratitude for the school’s hospitality, the king shared his joy in visiting his queen’s beloved school, where she had spent formative years of her life.

Addressing students and staff on the occasion, the King of Bhutan said: “Education is a tool for achieving happiness as it empowers an individual and is a great social equaliser.”

He urged students to safeguard their cultural and spiritual heritage and told them to invest in themselves so that they could play an important role in society.

He said: “One should invest the best in medicine and technology though it is equally imperative to protect our values and cultural heritage.”

He dwelt on the need to rationalise one’s failure and said: “The purpose of education is to create successful people. One must learn from mistakes to attain success, but should be resilient and never give up.”

Headmaster Praveen Vasisht read out the school’s annual report and informed the gathering about the school’s achievements in various fields.

The king later awarded medals and trophies to the winners of various academic and extra-curricular events.

The Chief of the Army Staff Trophy for best allround boy and girl in Class XII for 2013 were bagged by Angadbir Singh and Asma Arora, respectively. Yashpal Choudhary Gold medal for standing first in Class XII Board Exam 2013 was awarded to Shubhangi Rana, while Shadi Ram Gold Medal for scoring highest marks in Commerce in Class XII Board Exam 2014 was given to Ashima Bansal.

The Smt Bhagwati Devi Gold Medal for scoring highest marks in humanities in Class XII Board Exam 2014 was given to Saga Vadera and Nellie Lovell (OS).

Gold medal for scoring highest marks in English in Class XII Board Exam 2014 was bagged by Jannat Sandhu.

The Chief of Army Staff Cup for best cadet was bagged by Angadbir Singh, while the King Constantine Medal for round square activities was given to Raavishu Sanghvi.

The Chief of Air Staff Trophy for academic excellence was bagged by Shiwalik House.

The Old Student Achiever of the year award was granted to Dushyant Chautala, youngest parliamentarian from Hisar in the 16th Lok Sabha. 

Shimla, October 4
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today stressed on the need to protect and promote the culture and tradition, saying it was a prerequisite for development.

Addressing a public meeting on the district-level Dasehra festivities at Sunni in the Shimla constituency, the CM said: “No nation can prosper without preserving the tradition and culture.”

He listed out development works being carried out in the constituency such as three industrial training institutes at Jalog, Dargi and Sunni, four primary health centres at Totu, Gulthani, Nehra and Dharogra, two community health centres at Halog and Jalog.

The CM said a Rs 105-crore IPH scheme was coming up in the area, which would benefit 41 gram panchayats and solve the drinking water and irrigation problems.

Besides, 19 roads worth Rs 40 crore had been sanctioned to connect remote villages of the area and 13 roads were likely to be sanctioned soon, while two bridges amounting to Rs 4 crore were under construction, he added.

He said 42 buildings worth Rs 240 crore would come up in the Shimla Rural constituency, which also included a judicial academy. The school hostel would be renovated and, if needed, be constructed at Sunni school, he added.

The CM announced a sum of Rs 20 lakh for internal roads of Sunni nagar panchayat and Rs 20 lakh for the nagar panchayat office.

He also announced Rs 50 lakh for development of the Shalli temple and for providing other basic amenities to boost religious tourism activities in the area, besides improving the temple ground. He also promised the opening of a block medical office at Sunni and distributed sewing machines to the mahila mandal, Sunni, and inaugurated the Dasehra Kala Manch.

Earlier, he laid the foundation stone of the Sunni bus stand to be constructed at a cost of Rs 8.53 crore and the multipurpose hall of the Government Degree College, Sunni, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 8 crore. The hall, when completed, would accommodate 700 people, besides having other facilities. He also inspected the ongoing work of the 30-bed Civil Hospital in Sunni and Rs 2.45 crore old-age care home at Basantpur and directed officials to complete it within a stipulated time.

Vikramditya Singh, president, State Youth Congress, said with the support of Punjab National Bank, a multipurpose vocational training institute would be opened at Sunni. He urged the government to take care of the youth while framing social welfare policies. 

Shimla, October 4
Former Nagaland Governor and Vice-Chancellor of APG University Ashwani Kumar today stressed on the need for sensitising corporate houses about the Corporate Social Responsibility and regretted that it was moving at a snail’s pace.

Inaugurating the two-day zonal conference of the Public Relations Society of India (PRSI), organised by the Shimla Chapter of the PRSI, he said: “Capitalism is the mantra for the success of corporate social responsibility in the present global era of liberalisation.”

He said it was the vision of Mahatma Gandhi who introduced the trusteeship concept in corporate sector and cited the example of East India Company, which was instrumental in bringing the British rule to India.

Despite the fact that India ranked 136th in corporate social responsibility in the world, as per data released by the UNDP, it ranked first in making corporate houses spend 2 per cent of the preceding year budget for discharging their corporate social responsibility.

Dr Balbir Talwar, additional general manager, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), said long-term planning of public relations could be an effective instrument for bringing out a change in social system, while corporate social responsibility would help in sustainability.

Journalist Prof Vepa Rao, who chaired the second session, expressed concern over the degradation of journalistic values and hoped that the trend would reverse. BD Sharma, Chairman, Shimla Chapter of PRSI, welcomed the dignitaries.

Kangra, October 4
A procession of goddess Mahishasur Mardini was carried out here today and later immersed in the Banner river. The idol of the goddess was kept in the Tara temple at Gurkhari.

Thousands of people joined the procession and carried the idol through the main roads of the town. A long motorcade also followed the procession.

The idol of the goddess was made by Samuel Paul, a renowned artist from Shanti Niketan, Kolkata, and his son. Swami AS Bramchari, popularly known as Lal Baba, organised the celebration.

The famous Survojonin Durga Puja of Kangra district was also performed on the occasion.

Shimla, October 4
Bollywood actor, producer and director Sohail Khan is thrilled over his foray into motor racing and regrets having not participated in such events earlier.

Khan is a star attraction and participant at the 16th Maruti Suzuki Raid De Himalaya in the adventure category and will drive a Gypsy. He hoped that it would be a unique experience and would look forward to joining the rally again.

“I am participating for the first time with no idea of the 2,200-km track, but it is going to be a wonderful journey through high mountain passes and picturesque views and unusual weather conditions,” he told The Tribune, sitting on the driver’s seat and ready to leave.

Sohail, brother of superstar Salman Khan, reached here last evening and is staying at Oberoi’s Cecil Hotel. He said: “This is my first visit to Shimla and the place is very charming and beautiful and it will be gratifying to visit the place again.”

On being asked if he had any experience in driving through rough, high-mountain terrain, he said he drove from Leh to Manali during the shooting of his film “Heroes”, but this stretch was not included in the route.

“I am a novice to competitive racing and am doing it for adventure and thrill. I felt like being a part of the raid and here I am,” he said sitting beside his navigator Rahul Sanchati, a winner of former Raid De Himalaya. When pointed out that his presence had added glamour to the rally, he was modest enough to say that it was the other way round and he was inspired by other participants of the rally.

“The participants and winners of Raid De Himalaya are my real heroes,” he said.

Rahul Sanchati said the second leg, including a 201-km track from Manali to Gramphoo to Losar to Kaza, would be the most difficult and maximum vehicles would break on the second day. Sohail has written four movies, directed six, produced 13 and acted in 22, including “Veer”, “Heroes”, “Fight Club”, “Darna Mana Hai”, “Aryan” and “God Tussi Great Ho”. He made his directing debut in 1997 with “Auzaar” and acting debut in 2002 in “Maina Dil Tujhko Diya”. 

Hamirpur, October 4
Former Chief Minister PK Dhumal today congratulated the victorious kabaddi players of the state who had won gold medals at the Incheon Games.

As per a press note here, he said though it was a tough competition for both men and women kabaddi players in the finals of the event, the Himachali players’ contribution was remarkable.

He said Ajay Thakur of Solan, Pooja Thakur of Bilaspur and Kavita Thakur of Manali had proved that state players were no less than other players in the country. The state government should provide facilities to encourage players ignoring regional and political lines, he added.

Nahan, October 4
The police claimed to have achieved a major breakthrough in the fake currency case with the arrest of Vikas Kumar from Yamunanagar last evening. The case had come to light in September.

Vikas was produced before a local court which remanded him in five-day police custody today.

ASP Nischint Negi said the arrest of two Bihar residents from Nahan on September 22 had led to the arrest of Vikas of Betia district in Bihar by a team of policemen, led by ASI Ram Swarup.

Negi said the gang was circulating Rs 1,000 denomination notes in the market and for every Rs 1,000 note they had to return Rs 900 to Vikas, while two Bihari youths Anil Kumar and Rajinder Kumar would pocket Rs 50 for each successful transaction.

The police had arrested Anil and Rajinder for having circulated 28 fake currency notes in Nahan.

Nurpur, October 4
The local police have registered a case under Section 143 of the IPC against five activists of the local unit of the ABVP.

They had reportedly burnt an effigy of CM Virbhadra Singh on October 1 at the Niazpur bus stand here in protest against the unprecedented fee hike by HPU.

The activists had given the slip to police personnel who arrived on the premises of Government Arya College after getting information about their plan to burn the effigy there. Local ABVP unit’s president Pitamber Thakur had led the activists for this protest away from the college premises.

Former MLA Rakesh Pathania in a statement today, said activists of the ABVP had burnt effigies of the CM across the state as a mark of protest against fee hike, but no report of registering cases had been received from anywhere in the state.