H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Verma to allay POTO fears in HP
Shimla, November 16
Mr Sahib Singh Verma, a former Delhi Chief Minister and Vice-President of the BJP, will launch the BJP’s campaign in the state to allay the fears that the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) would curtail the freedom of the people, particularly the mediapersons, here tomorrow.

HC directive to govt on writ petition
Shimla, November 16
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the H.P. Subordinate Services Selection Board and the state government to consider the writ petition filed by Mr Rajeev Bhardwaj as a representation. The petitioner had prayed that the preliminary examination to fill all posts should be conducted in all district headquarters of the state.

College a boon for Nurpur area: MLA
Nurpur, November 16
The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) Chairman and MLA, Mr Rakesh Pathania while talking to mediapersons here last evening said the sanctioning of a government degree college by the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, at the concluding ceremony of the BJP’s ‘vikas yatra’ in the Kangra parliamentary constituency would be a boon for the people of the Nurpur Assembly segment.

Sixty pine trees ‘felled illegally’
Hamirpur, November 16
Nearly 60 pine trees have been felled illegally in forests of Barsar revenue subdivision of the district and an admission to the felling of 18 has also been made by the Divisional Forest Officer and Mr P.L. Chauhan.

Sham Lal Rao, alias Akash, and Deep Ram, who are suspected to have murdered a hotel owner and his mother at Shimla, are presented at Sadar police station after having been arrested near Nahan. — AD November 16 story: Hotelier, mother hacked to death

‘Ply’ buses to Lahaul
Kulu, November 16
The HRTC should start plying buses from Manali to the Lahaul valley as Rohtang Pass has been opened for heavy vehicular traffic. This was stated by Mr A.N. Vidyarthi, a former Chief Secretary and member of the AICC, in a press note here today.

Verma to allay POTO fears in HP
Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 16
Mr Sahib Singh Verma, a former Delhi Chief Minister and Vice-President of the BJP, will launch the BJP’s campaign in the state to allay the fears that the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) would curtail the freedom of the people, particularly the mediapersons, here tomorrow.

The campaign is a part of the party’s nationwide campaign to educate people on POTO, which had drawn flak from various quarters, and to muster support for making it a law.

Mr Verma will address the partymen at Deep Kamal, the state BJP headquarters. The meeting will be attended by all senior members of the party, including ministers and office-bearers, who in turn will hold meetings all over the state on November 18 to educate the party workers at the grass roots.

The party is laying emphasis on the fact that POTO had none of the draconian ingredients of TADA and could not be misused for political purposes. It maintains that the new law was required to effectively deal with the militancy. It clearly defines the “terrorism acts”, “terrorist organisations” and contains safeguards to prevent use of explosives in public places and causing death or injury to innocent citizens.” 

HC directive to govt on writ petition
Our Legal Correspondent

Shimla, November 16
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the H.P. Subordinate Services Selection Board and the state government to consider the writ petition filed by Mr Rajeev Bhardwaj as a representation. The petitioner had prayed that the preliminary examination to fill all posts should be conducted in all district headquarters of the state.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice C.K. Thakker and Mr Justice M.R. Verma further directed that this representation be decided within three months. The petitioner alleged in his public interest petition that the respondents had been conducting the examinations for all recruitments to Class III & IV posts at Hamirpur where there were no sufficient boarding arrangements for the candidates coming from different parts of the state. There are only a few hotels in the district, he added.

He further stated that the candidates and their guardians, who reached one day in advance, could only get the accommodation in these hotels and the rest had to go stay at Jawalaji and other distant towns. Many candidates had to spend the night at bus stand, he added.

The petitioner stated that he had made the representation in this regard to the board but the respondent board paid no heed to it. 

College a boon for Nurpur area: MLA
Our Correspondent

Nurpur, November 16
The Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) Chairman and MLA, Mr Rakesh Pathania while talking to mediapersons here last evening said the sanctioning of a government degree college by the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, at the concluding ceremony of the BJP’s ‘vikas yatra’ in the Kangra parliamentary constituency would be a boon for the people of the Nurpur Assembly segment.

Mr Pathania said as a result a long standing demand would be fulfilled. The previous Virbhadra Singh government had only made announcements and laid a number of foundation stones having no budgetary provision for the area.

The construction of a hotel complex of HPTDC, the opening of a timber depot and the sanctioning of the drinking water augmentation scheme to be constructed at a cost of Rs 4.25 crore in the town were the major achievements of the Dhumal government which had accelerated the pace of development in this politically discriminated area, he claimed.

Sixty pine trees ‘felled illegally’
Our Correspondent

Hamirpur, November 16
Nearly 60 pine trees have been felled illegally in forests of Barsar revenue subdivision of the district and an admission to the felling of 18 has also been made by the Divisional Forest Officer and Mr P.L. Chauhan.

Mr Chauhan told this reporter today that he visited the area yesterday and instructed the officials of the department concerned to do the necessary demarcation work and book the guilty persons under the law.

According to reports, a forest contractor, who is also a leading leader of the BJP in the area, was given permission to fell 255 dead trees from the forests of Lohara, Jathundla and Thana in the district.

However, he has yet not started felling the trees for which the department accorded permission to him. Instead, he axed trees from the private land and allegedly threatened Barsa-based mediapersons not to publish the matter.

The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, reportedly has sought complete details about the illegal felling of trees from the Forest Minister.

Cong leader’s son held, freed
Our Correspondent

Kangra, November 16
Police arrested R.S. Bali, son of a sitting MLA and the HP Congress Committee general secretary, Mr G.S. Bali, allegedly assaulting a traffic constable Sanjeev Kumar in the police station here. A case has been registered against him, the police said here today.

The district police chief Mr Sanjay Kundu, said there was some altercation between R.S. Bali and a traffic constable Mr Sanjeev Kumar over the parking of his car near the Tehsil Chowk. He said R.S. Bali reportedly assaulted the traffic constable on duty there. Some advocates joined Bali for negotiations and later went to the police station where he assaulted the traffic constable.

A case under Sections 353, 332 and 506 of the IPC was registered against him and he was arrested. However, he was later bailed out in the evening.

R.S. Bali has in a complaint lodged before the police alleged that the traffic constable Sanjeev Kumar had misbehaved and assaulted him at the Tehsil Chowk.

‘Ply’ buses to Lahaul
Our Correspondent

Kulu, November 16
The HRTC should start plying buses from Manali to the Lahaul valley as Rohtang Pass has been opened for heavy vehicular traffic. This was stated by Mr A.N. Vidyarthi, a former Chief Secretary and member of the AICC, in a press note here today.

He said there was resentment among people of the tribal district as they were compelled to engage taxis by paying exorbitant fares in the absence of HRTC bus service.