Shimla, October 10
Over 70 students, including 19 girls, were arrested for defying the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) today.

The police swung into action on the campus and foiled the attempt of agitating students to hold a rally to press for rollback in fee hike and restoration of Students Central Association (SCA) elections.

The arrested students were booked under Sections 149, 151,188 and 341 of the Indian Penal Code for wrongful restrain, unlawful assembly and blocking the passage to the university campus, said DSP Shiv Chaudhry.

The Joint Action Committee of the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had given a call for holding rallies on the university campus and affiliated colleges in support of their demands, but the police made elaborate arrangements to maintain law and order.

As soon as the students gathered near the HPU library, the police cracked down on them and whisked them away in waiting buses.

Tension mounted as students were being dragged into the buses. Student leaders alleged that they were roughed up by the police.

Rakesh, spokesman of Student Unity Forum, lashed out at the university authorities for adopting repressive tactics and said the arrest of peacefully demonstrating students was undemocratic and uncalled for.

He said the police action was a reminder of emergency days and the authorities were terrorising students, but it won’t work as the entire student community was united and would thwart the designs of the university.

“Students are undeterred by police repression and will go ahead with future actions like road blockade on October 14 and Jail Bharo on October 17,” he said.

Students of HPU and affiliated colleges are agitating against exorbitant hike in fee for the past two months and also demanding restoration of direct elections to the SCA and scrapping the nominated SCAs.

The government had constituted a three-member committee headed by retired High Court Judge VK Sharma to review the hike and other related issues.

The examinations to the first, third and fifth semester would commence on November 27 and the agitating students are also likely to face the problem of short attendance. 

Shimla, October 10
Himachal can enter into collaboration with France in urban development, city mobility and power generation as the French Ambassador will hold a series of meetings with state government officials when he arrives here on a three-day visit on October 15.

The proposal to make the state capital Shimla and Dharamsala as smart cities is in the pipeline and the possibility will be explored to execute this with French assistance. The funding for all these projects is likely to be made from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Himachal is also keen to promote solar energy as this will be of great help in the remote and inaccessible areas, especially during winters. The tribal belts of Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Pangi and Bharmour face power crisis during winters when transmission lines snap due to heavy snowfall. Efforts will also be made to rope in French companies for harnessing the vast 23,000 mw hydro-power capacity the state has.

“Shimla and Dharamsala are international tourist destinations and for this, we will be keen to enter into collaboration with French companies,” said Sudhir Sharma, Urban Development and Town and Country Planning Minister. Having a smart city would ensure that these cities were completely wi-fi, have 24x7 water supply, modern wayside amenities, ample parking and all other latest facilities, he added.

Making Shimla and Dharamsala as smart cities could lead to the advent of street food culture and proper eating joints along roads at select places, as are in many foreign countries.

Officials said sites would be identified for creating such restaurants where tourist could enjoy their meals with local cuisine being an integral part.

Another area which the government is keen to strengthen is urban mobility in Shimla, Dharamsala and Una. “We will discuss with the French team as to which will be the most appropriate mode of urban transport whether it is metro cable, elevated pods or trams as proposed for Una,” said Sudhir. He said if French officials agreed on a tie-up, efforts would be made to get the feasibility study done at the earliest.

Another area where possibilities of tie-up would be explored was reliable water supply. 

Shimla, October 10
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said the government would find a permanent solution to the Urni blockade on the national highway- 22, which had become a major traffic bottleneck on the highway.

Later, at Sangla, he assured that Nautaur land and a Sangla-Delhi bus service would be provided soon.

Addressing a public meeting at Pooh in Kinnaur, after inaugurating the Rs 2.35-crore mini secretariat building, Virbhadra promised that parking facilities would be developed at Pooh and Kalpa at the earliest.

He lauded the efforts of the people for conserving environment and said water, if the need be, would be lifted from rivers to irrigate orchards, fields and for drinking. He directed the Forest Department to plant more plants and deploy locals for watering them.

He announced a health sub-centre at Pooh and gave Rs 25,000 to the students who performed the cultural programme. He visited the war memorial of 36 Headquarter Infantry Brigade of Indian Army later.

Earlier, Kinnaur legislator Jagat Singh Negi, Deputy Speaker, Vidhan Sabha, welcomed and honoured the Chief Minister. He said the foundation stone of the mini-secretariat was also laid by Virbhadra Singh in 2006 and today it was dedicated to the people.

He said Rs 17 crore were distributed to people as compensation for damaged crops, besides Rs 8 crore for houses which were damaged by heavy rain in August. Also, work on mini stadiums at Pooh, Kafnu, Gyabong, Peo and Sangla was in progress and play grounds will also be made in Chango, Leo, Moorang and Nichar, he added.

Later, at the concluding festival of flowers, Ukhyang at Sangla, Virbhadra said the government has eased up the process of ‘Nautaur’ till the next two years and it would also be available on the land having few trees.

Roads were lifeline of the people of the state and the government would connect all far-flung areas with roads, he added.

The Chief Minister also honoured Shashi Negi, an international boxing player, and the girls boxing team who had clinched more than nine gold medals at the under-19 boxing championship held at Dharamsala recently.

Mandi, October 10
To give a boost to agrarian economy, eight food processing units will be set up in the district.

District Industries Centre General Manager Rajesh Kumar said eight food processing units with an investment of Rs 11 crore would be set up in industrial areas of the district.

He said several schemes were launched to woo industrialists, including financial assistance on plant and machinery, subsidy on freight and reefer vehicles (mobile pre-cooling vans).

He said a grant-in-aid of 33 per cent would be given for a food processing unit and 50 per cent subsidy be given for setting up a cold chain.

To reduce the cost of transportation in the hilly areas, he said 75 per cent subsidy would be given on freight charges from the unit to the nearest railway station for five years from the date of production.

He said entrepreneurs could set up processing units for preparing food flavours and colours, pickles, chutney, etc and for locally grown fruits and vegetables, including potato, mushrooms, hops, oleo resins and spices. Units could be set up for oilseed, rice and flour and pulses.

For primary processing centres, which could be set up at the village-level, the government would provide 75 per cent grant-in-aid on the total cost of plant and machinery, he added.

For modernisation of meat shops, he said 75 per cent aid would be given on purchase of freezers, tiles, air-conditioners, etc with a maximum limit of ~5 lakh.

For carrying perishable goods, 50 per cent subsidy would be provided to purchase reefer vehicles with a maximum limit of Rs 50 lakh.

Shimla, October 10
The century old Viceregal Lodge building, housing the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) here, can get the much-needed ~56 crore for executing the restoration plan prepared almost six years ago as Union Human Resource Minister Smriti Irani scheduled to visit the institute on October 20.

Even as the best efforts are being made to maintain the façade of the magnificent stone masonry structure built in 1888, many parts of the building are virtually crumbling, especially the wooden structures. The IIAS is now pinning its hopes that the funds required for starting the exhaustive restoration plan could finally be granted by the HRD Ministry when Irani will arrive here.

Irani is coming here in connection with the commencement of the golden jubilee celebrations of the IIAS which came into being on October 20, 1965. Noted lyricist and writer Gulzaar will deliver a lecture.

A conservation plan, prepared painstakingly by the Archaeological Survey of Indian (ASI) and the Central Bureau of Building and Research Institute almost six years ago, has pegged the cost of the restoration project at over Rs 56 crore, which is yet to be arranged. Efforts to seek the help of Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra and the Murthy family to bestow the generosity they showered on Harvard and other foreign universities too did not yield results as none of them responded to request from the institute four years ago

However, the main concern of the IIAS authorities is to upkeep and maintain the building which is in desperate needs of a major restoration and conservation project, the kind done for the Gaiety Theatre.

The deteriorating condition of the building has even compelled the authorities to consider restricting the entry of visitors, especially in the historical building. Being a must see on the itinerary of those visiting the erstwhile summer capital of the British, the growing number of visitors has become a cause of worry for the authorities. There has been a tremendous increase in the number of visitors which is over 1.50 lakh annually.

The imposing Victorian edifice of the Viceregal Lodge, which houses the IIAS, remained the residence of the Viceroy of India during the British rule and later Rashtrapati Niwas, has been in desperate needs of major restoration work. Besides using local material such as stone, Burmese wood was used extensively in paneling and the restoration plan would include preparing an inventory and restoration of the historic furniture.

The architectural masterpiece has been witness to many a historical events which shaped the destiny of the country. Top political leadership including Mahatma Gandhi, Pt Nehru, Maulana Azad, C. Gopalachari and Mohamed Ali Jinnah attended the Shimla Conference, held here in 1945. 

Nurpur, October 10
Students of local Government Arya College are facing a lot of inconvenience in depositing their examination fee for which the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) has authorised the State Bank of India (SBI) only.

Long queues are seen at the SBI Bank in Nurpur before it opens, as the last date for depositing online examination fee is October 12. The bank remains crowded with students waiting for their turn for online fee remittance throughout the day.

Moreover other bank customers are also in trouble as they have to return dejected.

HPU has adopted a new system for receiving examination fee online through banks and authorised only SBI after the enforcement of RUSA system in government colleges in the state.

Earlier, the college managements used to collect the examination fee and remit the money to the HPU through bank drafts. That system was considered appropriate in saving students’ time. But now students waste their precious time by standing in long queues.

Pitamber Thakur, president of local unit of the ABVP, condemned the HPU for changing the fee collection system.

Criticising the state government and the HPU for enhancing examination fee from Rs 420 to Rs 1,200, he said the HPU should restore the old system of fee collection 
to save students from unnecessary harassment and hardship.

Nurpur, October 10
The Himachal Pradesh Revenue Officers’ Association has decided to call off its over two-month agitation launched in support of its longstanding demands to increase the promotional quota from 25 to 35 per cent and defer the stoppage of registration works till November 9.

Arun Sharma, state general secretary of the association in a statement here today, said the association had taken this decision after holding dialogues with the state government and positive and sympathetic approach of the latter towards the demands of the association.

He said the association had called off the agitation such as work to rule and wearing of black badges resorted to in August in support of its demand of enhancing promotional quota to 35 per cent.

He also hailed the notification issued by the state government to withdraw the responsibility of the Public Information Officers from revenue officers and shifting it to the office superintendents.

He asserted that this was also one of the demands of the association. He added that the association’s early decision to stop registration work had also been deferred to November 9.

Una, October 10
Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today said on October 7, the Union Ministry for Water Resources had released Rs 107.8 crore as the first installment for the Swan River Tributaries embankment project, estimated at Rs 922.48 crore.

In an official press release issued today, Agnihotri said the project funding was being shared 70:30 by the Center and the state.

He said as per the project guidelines, the second installment of Rs 107.8 crore would be released by the Center as soon as 50 per cent funds of the first installment were utilised. The state government had already deposited Rs 152 crore against its total project cost share of Rs 276.75 crore, he added.

During the current financial year, Rs 308 crore would be spent under the project to create 137-km-long stone pitched embankments on the Swan river tributaries in the district. Work on 20 km embankments has already been completed. Also, the project involves flood protection works on all the 73 tributaries of the river, covering 1,200 square kilometer catchment area of the river system in 165 panchayats of the district, Agnihotri said.

Dalhousie, October 10
Group Capt Bhupender Singh Chauhan (retd), president of the Bhattiyat unit of the Himachal Pradesh Ex-servicemen League, has expressed resentment at the state government’s delay in filling vacant posts in the Sainik Welfare Department and HP Ex-servicemen Corporation in Hamirpur.

He said here on Wednesday that it was due to the lack of staff in these departments that dependents of former servicemen were suffering as their work was not being done on time.

Referring to the announcement of the Chief Minister at the ex-servicemen’s rally in Kangra to fill vacant posts in these departments, he said the posts had not been filled despite the fact that eight months had elapsed since the announcement.

Kullu, October 10
Kullu MLA Maheshwar Singh, the chief caretaker of the chief deity of Kullu, Lord Raghunath, said the Supreme Court would deliver a historical judgment with regard to the order of the High Court banning animal sacrifice at religious places and congregations.

Addressing mediapersons today, he said while the rituals of the Lanka Dahan during Dasehra were upheld, care was taken that the orders of the High Court are not violated. Their struggle to ensure that ancient traditions are not altered would continue, he added.

The MLA stated that their petition had been accepted by the SC and even the government had earlier submitted an affidavit in the HC accepting the traditional customs. “DB Lal Commission had upheld that the ritual of animal sacrifice was part of the Dasehra festival and was a public function performed by the vice-regent of Lord Raghunath,” he said.

Una, October 10
Two youths were killed late last night, while another suffered serious injuries, when their Maruti Alto car hit the road divider in Dehlan village.

Rahul Sharma, a resident of Kathera village of Punjab, near Una border, and Sahil Bali of Kalsera village of Una district died on the spot. The third occupant of the car, Pammu Sharma, a resident of Chamba district, was shifted to the Una district hospital by the locals.

Pammu was later referred to PGI, Chandigarh.

The police said the bodies were handed over to the family members after a post-mortem examination was conducted today at the district hospital.

Solan, October 10
Army Public School (APS), Birpur, won the inter Army Public School 2 core corps quiz competition, held among eight schools, at APS Dagshai today. The second position was bagged by APS Chandi Mandir while APS Patiala stood third.

Quiz master Ravi Sharma from APS Dagshai tested the general knowledge of the eight teams on a variety of topics including current affairs, sports, films and history through various rounds like audio video, rapid fire, buzzer, mosaic, etc.

Chief Guest Amarjeet Kaur, principal, APS Sangrur, gave away prizes to the winners and appreciated the quiz master for the conduct of quiz.

Officiating principal of APS Dagshai, Col (retd) Ravinder Singh, encouraged them to brush up their general knowledge as it would help them in competitive examinations in the future.

Earlier, a team led by Brig Sajeev Jose, conducted the administrative inspection of APS Dagshai while another team led by Col BP Singh, additional director, AWES, 2 corps, conducted the technical inspection of the school. 

Shimla, October 10
Ravi Thakur, Lahaul and Spiti MLA, today dedicated the Rs 3.53-crore Mooling bridge to the people of the district. This bridge will provide connectivity to the people of Goshal and Mooling, he added.

Ravi also inaugurated Rs 1.97-crore Keylong gymnasium. It would provide the facility of physical activities to the local youth round the year.

He also held “prashasan janta ke dwar” at Karga in which DC Hans Raj Chauhan and other officials were present. People of five panchayats apprised him of their problems and demands during the programme. — TNS

Mandi, October 10
A three-member team of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has arrived at Vallabh Government College here for inspection.

On a three-day visit, the team will inspect infrastructure and facilities being available in the college.

Team members will meet teachers, non-teaching staff, students and their parents. The team yesterday inspected various departments.

They held a meeting with faculty members of different departments and inspected the girls hostel.

Earlier, the NAAC team came for the inspection was in 2004.

Team will submit its report to the UGC and on the basis of the report, the UGC would allot grade to the college.

Mandi, October 10
The district police have registered cases under the Excise Act against three persons for possessing illicit liquor.

The Sarkaghat police recovered 3.75 litre country liquor from Rajender Singh, a resident of Kakduhi in the district, during patrolling at Khalyana, yesterday. In another case, the Karsog police recovered 5.25 litre liquor from Purkhu Ram of Khola, during patrolling at Jachh. The Balh police recovered 5 litre of illicit liquor from Tek Chand, a resident of Dharwahan. — TNS

Kullu, October 10
A 39-year-old woman was allegedly raped by a friend of her husband’s relative in Akhara Bazaar here on October 2, the police said today.

In her complaint, the woman alleged that her husband’s relative came to her house with a friend and offered her a job in Kullu. She accompanied them to Kullu by car and stayed in a hotel in Akhara Bazar. In the night, the accused entered her room and raped her and also made a video. The next day, the accused snatched her ornaments, mobile phone and Rs 7,000 and threatened her not to disclose it to anybody.

The police said a case under Sections 376 (2), 342, 356, 384 and 34 of IPC and Section 67 of the IT Act had been registered in the Kullu police station. — OC

Nurpur, October 10
A lineman of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) got electrocuted yesterday at Fattu ka Bagh near Gangath in Kangra, while he was carrying out repair work on an electric pole on Wednesday night.

As per the information received here today Mahinder Singh, the deceased, was working along with other linemen when he received an electric shock and died on the spot.

The deceased, a resident of Basnar village, was on official duty when the mishap occurred.

The local police have reported the mishap under Section 174 of the CrPc and handed over the body of the deceased to the family after postmortem examination.