Mandi, October 14
The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, today described the BJP regime under Mr Shanta Kumar as an unpleasant phase in the state’s history during which 13 innocent persons were killed and several injured, the CRPF and BSF had to be called and the state had to pay a bill of Rs 25 crore for the same.

Rounding up his five-day tour here today, Mr Virbhadra Singh cited two “unforgettable” incidents — the Mandal agitation and the Kotgarh firing — during Mr Shanta Kumar’s regime as proof of BJP’s “anti-farmer”, “anti-employee” and the “anti-poor” policies.

“The CRPF and even the Army were called in during that time as the BJP government failed in its primary obligation to protect the interests of the common man and farmers,” he alleged.

Mr Virbhadra Singh claimed that during the Congress regimes, the law and order situation had improved. “Good governance has brought in industrial investments worth Rs 24,000 crore”.

About former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal’s charge that even after 53 years, the Congress government could not get its share in BBMB projects and had failed to tap the power potential, Mr Virbhadra Singh asked what Mr Dhumal and Mr Shanta Kumar had done in this regard during their 10-year-long rule.

“We took up the matter with the Centre and finally the Supreme Court and hope we will get justice by January or so when the case will be decided,” he explained.

On the state’s share of 7.19 per cent as per the Punjab Reorganisation Act in the BBMB and BSL projects, he said he was optimistic the Supreme Court would decide the matter in Himachal’s favour.

“We are getting 5 per cent ad hoc power from Bhakhra, 15 mw from the BSL project and nothing from Pong Dam so far,” he explained.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said a handful of BJP men were trying to “misuse devis and devtas” for political purposes.

“We are satisfied as the private company in Chagoan in Kinnaur has resolved the matter. Like in other cases, 1.5 per cent of the total cost of the Karcham Wangto project is being spent on local area development and we will ensure more funds from executing companies in the state for local development”.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said the BJP had awarded the project to JP Industries without inviting global tenders. “Still we have not cancelled the award,” he added.

Mandi, October 14
The Chief Minister Mr Virbhadra Singh, today said the state government would bring in legislation “checking the change of land use of the fertile and irrigated land for non-agricultural purposes” as thousands of crores being spent on irrigation facilities, were going waste.

Mr Virbhadra Singh, who was accompanied by IPH minister Kaul Singh Thakur and Excise and Taxation Minister Rangila Ram Rao, said the Medical college in Mandi would be started in the next session and the Rs. 120 crore beautification barrage project was being finalised.

“The barrage will have a motorable road around it, making it unique attraction for tourists”.

On the merger of the Mandi Urban Cooperative Bank, he said the government would ensure that recovery of loans was complete.

Responding to a query Mr Virbhadra Singh said the vigilance inquiry into the Larji project was in progress and would probe as to why the project was delayed had that made it one of the costliest projects in the state. 

Shimla, October 14
With 65 residents of Swara village in Jammu and Kashmir wanting an assurance on security from their Chief Minister, Gulam Nabi Azad or a senior minister, efforts by the Doda and Chamba administrations to facilitate their return home have not borne fruit.

The 65 residents from J and K have been camping in the company headquarters of the IInd India, Reserve Battalion at Tarela since their arrival here on October 3. The ASP and Tehsildar, Doda went back after holding several rounds of talks with these residents at Tarela as they want an assurance from the Chief Minister or a senior minister about their security.

The Chamba administration is awaiting a reply from the J and K authorities while these 65 residents are being taken care of at Tarela. Majority of the people in this group are family members of the 16 Village Defence Committee (VDC) members of Swara village in Doda district.

Those who have crossed over into Chamba are 21 men, 14 women and 30 children. They are accompanied by Mr Mela Ram, who is BJP Mandal president of the area. They are putting up in a community hall at Tarela, which is headquarter of the IInd IRB.

These people said in the absence of adequate security they are at the mercy of the Lashkar-e-Toiba militants and as such they cannot risk going back home. They have alleged that the Doda police had failed to protect them and their property when a temple was burnt and a bomb exploded by militants in their village in the recent past.

The officials from Doda have been alleging that these people have fled Doda to avoid arrest for the involvement of five VDC members in the murder case of a local. However, none of these five VDC members whose name figure in the FIR have come to Chamba.

Villagers from J and K are learnt to have told the police that after the shoot out in which a local died, the police seized all arms including AK-47 which given to them for defence. As such now they were more vulnerable to militant attack or any other enemy.

“It was at 6 a.m. on October 1, that these people fled their home and reported at our Nodaldhar out check post (OCP) on October 3,” informed Mr Upender Thakur, SP, Chamba. They came via Gandoh and Maila Vardhar in J and K and crossed the 12,000 foot Singradhar in Chamba district before reaching Tarela, he added.

Palampur, October 14
The third round of the pulse polio immunisation drive in Kangra will be observed tomorrow.

A massive rally was organised here this morning by the health department in which students from various educational institutions, NSS volunteers from the local Vikram Batra College, Rotarians, health functionaries and social activities participated.

Addressing the rally, Dr H.K. Vasisth, Block medical Officer-cum-campaigner of the programme, talked of the need to remain vigilant since polio cases had been reported from the adjoining states Punjab, Haryana, Uttaranchal and Chandigarh this year.

He pointed out that in Himachal Pradesh no polio case had been reported for the past nine years. “however, we have to be vigilant keeping in view the regular flow of migrant labourers into the state from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal where a number of cases of polio have been reported”.

Dr Vasisth appealed to the people to participate in this “holy yagna” with enthusiasm. He said 96 booths had been set up in Palampur region and 400 people from various government departments and social volunteers had been deployed for the same.

He said on October 16 and 17, activists would go door-to-door to ensure not a single child was left without polio drops.