Tunnel under Rohtang planned
SHIMLA, June 29 — A three-member team of officials of the Konkan Railway will visit Manali next week to examine the feasibility of the construction of a 10-km-long tunnel below the Rohtang Pass to provide a round-tie-year road link to the Army to enable it to carry its supplies to Leh and Kargil.

Italian experts move to Shimla
SHIMLA, June 29 — Italians experts working with the Nathpa-Jhakri joint venture today shifted to Shimla along with their families on the advice of the government as tension continued to grip the project area.

Chamba Dharamsala Kulu Shimla

Panchen Lama's statements decried
DHARAMSALA, June 29 — The Tibetan Government-in-exile, has ridiculed China for using a nine-year-old boy, as a political tool, to serve its interests. Tibetan officials said that now China, was using the boy appointed by them as the Panchen Lama, to issue political statements, which go on to serve Chinese interests.

Town known for temples
CHAMBA: The picturesque Chamba valley is widely known by different names from time to time. It is also known as Shiv bhoomi and the 'land of gods and goddesses". The reason can be attributed to the valley abounding in pristine temples dating back to the sixth century.

Ministers admit holding of meeting
SHIMLA, June 29 — Mr Kishan Kapoor and Mr Vidya Sagar, two Cabinet ministers from Kangra district, today admitted having held a meeting but denied that its purpose was to hatch a conspiracy against the Chief Minister.

Compensation to dam oustees
KULU, June 29 — The Punjab Government has agreed to pay Rs 143 crore as compensation to Thein Dam oustees.

Judicial probe into snag in cable system
CHANDIGARH/Solan, June 29 — A magisterial inquiry has been ordered by the Himachal Government into yesterday's incident in which 34 tourists on a joy ride in the newly installed cable car system at Jabli on the Chandigarh-Shimla highway were trapped in mid-air following a technical snag.

Tunnel under Rohtang planned
From S.P. Sharma
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, June 29 — A three-member team of officials of the Konkan Railway will visit Manali next week to examine the feasibility of the construction of a 10-km-long tunnel below the Rohtang Pass to provide a round-tie-year road link to the Army to enable it to carry its supplies to Leh and Kargil.

The need for an alternate road link between Manali and Leh has been felt with the only other route between Srinagar and Leh becoming unsafe for army convoys due to shelling by Pakistani troops.

The proposal to construct the tunnel was shelved about a decade ago as it was not considered to be economically viable.

Highly placed sources said the team would take into account a feasibility report about the tunnel which had been prepared by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) which maintained the road.

An earlier report prepared by the Rites was not acceptable to the BRO as it did not concur with the views of army engineers.

The proposed tunnel would cut the 421 km distance between Manali and Leh by 76 km and would provide a direct access to the Lahaul valley. The estimated cost would be around Rs 600 crore which was likely to go up to Rs 1000 by the time it was completed in about six years.

Experts pointed out that the tunnel would open only the Lahaul valley up to Darcha and not provide a round-the-year link with Leh for which several other measures would have to be taken.

The sources said a high-level meeting of the BRO would be held in Delhi on Monday to discuss the construction of the tunnel.

Global tenders would be floated for the construction, but preference might be given to the Konkan Railway which had gained expertise in tunnelling in difficult terrains.

The team would visit the north and south portals before submitting its report.

The Director-General of the BRO Lt-Gen R.J. Mordecai, along with Brig B.M. Bakshi, Chief Engineer of the Deepak project of the BRO, travelled from Manali to Leh last week to supervise arrangements for keeping the road open for a longer period because of the infiltration of Pakistani troops in the Drass and Kargil areas.

Civilian traffic from Manali to Leh has also started and hours have been fixed in this regard.

Italian experts move to Shimla
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, June 29 — Italians experts working with the Nathpa-Jhakri joint venture today shifted to Shimla along with their families on the advice of the government as tension continued to grip the project area.

The Italians, whose houses were stoned by an irate mob following a clash between agitating workers and security guards of the company at Manglar on June 25, had sought security through their embassy.

The Union Home Ministry and the Energy Ministry were in constant touch with the state government which had been requested to ensure the safety of the Italians.

According to official sources, 17 such families had shifted to Shimla.

Certain top Italian functionaries who have preferred to stay back have been provided adequate security.

An official spokesman said the advice to the Italians to shift to Shimla was given as a precautionary measure.

Meanwhile, 43 workers of the Nathpa-Jhakri Joint Venture Employees Union were arrested for defying prohibitory orders at Jeori and Jhakri.

However, a spokesman of CITU, which is spearheading the agitation, claimed that 600 workers had been arrested.

The workers were protesting against the arrest of Mr Rakesh Singha, state CITU president, and other leaders. They alleged that the leaders had been implicated in false cases.

Meanwhile, Mr Ram Subhag Singh, Deputy Commissioner, who is camping at Jhakri, said the situation was returning to normal. He held meetings with pradhans of the Jeori, Gopal Pur, Shahdhar, Gaur Dhar panchayats and the local Beopar Mandal and sought their cooperation in the restoration of peace in the area.

He said the reference to the Labour Commissioner about the retrenchment of 138 workers was being expedited.

The management of the Nathpa-Jhakri Power Corporation maintained that so far stir had not affected work much, and it was hopeful of keeping up the schedule for its commissioning by December, 2001. There were several companies working on the project and only one had been partly affected by the stir.

The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, has assured the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the corporation that the government would provide all help to restore industrial peace and ensure that work was not affected due to the agitation.

Panchen Lama's statements decried
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, June 29 — The Tibetan Government-in-exile, has ridiculed China for using a nine-year-old boy, as a political tool, to serve its interests.

Tibetan officials said that now China, was using the boy appointed by them as the Panchen Lama, to issue political statements, which go on to serve Chinese interests. The Panchen Lama, appointed by the Chinese, after completing his studies has returned to Tashilhumpo monastery, and issued statements that the Tibetans should follow communism and accept the Chinese leadership. The boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, selected as the Panchen Lama, by the Dalai Lama, still remains in the custody of the Chinese, with his whereabouts still unknown.

"We feel that there is no reason whatsoever, for us to make concerted effort to counter such blatant propaganda by the Chinese, as the Tibetans living inside Tibet and elsewhere, know that the boy selected by the Dalai Lama, is the real Panchen Lama," asserted the Tibetan officials. They added that the very fact that China was now using a boy as a political tool, reflected their frustration.

The Tibetan officials said that despite 50 years of Chinese occupation of Tibet. China had failed to win over the hearts of the Tibetan people, so even now not a single Tibetan will accept the Panchen Lama appointed by them. "The request by the Panchen Lama to the Tibetans that they should follow communism, seems so absurd that even the Chinese are laughing as it," they commented. They explained that communism had been discredited to such a large extent, that it was on its way out even in China as each individual wants to accumulate wealth and get rich.

The Tibetan officials claimed that despite the best efforts of the Chinese, the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, appointed by him, continue to rule the hearts of the Tibetans, and even the monks of the Tashilhumpo monastery, which is the seat of the Panchen Lama, keep the photographs of the boy selected by the Dalai Lama.

Attempt to mislead police foiled
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, June 29 — The police has claimed to have foiled an alleged attempt of a former panchayat pradhan of Channi village and her family to mislead the police and eliminate evidence of a murder in their house.

The SSP, Mr K.C. Sadyal, said a conspiracy was hatched where a person was shown to have been murdered and his cremation done even before the police was informed about it. The person who was actually killed was shown to have absconded after the murder.

As per the police version a brawl took place between the servants of the former pradhan at her house in the village on June 15. According to her, a brawl took place between her three servants, Raju,Nasir and Charnjit Singh, in which Raju was killed. The police was not informed about the murder and the body was cremated. The police got to know about the incident through an anonymous call.

Initially, it was made out to be that Raju of Nathiar district in Bihar had been killed. However, the police investigations later revealed that it was Charanjit Singh who had actually died in the brawl. The police also succeeded in tracing out Raju from Punjab.

The police has already arrested three persons in this case and further investigations are on. A case under Section 302, IPC, has been registered.

Meanwhile, in a bizarre incident, Vimla Devi of Simbal village in Baijnath allegedly poured kerosene over her husband, Dhanu Ram, and set him on fire.

According to the police, Vimla was quite disturbed over the behaviour of her husband, who in a drunken state used to beat her up frequently.

Dhanu Ram (60), an ex-serviceman, was admitted to the Baijnath hospital with 65 per cent burns. A case under Section 307, IPC, has been registered. The accused has been arrested.

Town known for temples
From Balkrishan Prashar

CHAMBA: The picturesque Chamba valley is widely known by different names from time to time. It is also known as Shiv bhoomi and the 'land of gods and goddesses". The reason can be attributed to the valley abounding in pristine temples dating back to the sixth century.

Every temple in Chamba town is known for one peculiar feature or the other but the Hari Rai temple near Chowgan Gate, has a huge bronze idol of Lord Vishnu.

The dazzling bronze idol of Vishnu Chaturmurti weighing 338 kg was stolen by smugglers from the temple on the night of May 6-7, 1971. The people were shocked at the disappearance of idol.
But smugglers had plotted to smuggle it out of India. And to their chagrin, their evil designs did not succeed. Thanks to the detective agencies who, after a 45-day nationwide hunt for the stolen idol, finally succeeded in tracing the idol in a godown at Mazagaon in Bombay on June 25, 1971. As it was being brought back from Bombay, the Vishnu statue was temporarily kept at the Old Police Lines, Delhi.

The statue finally reached Chamba town where at a grand religious function, it was reinstalled in the sanctum of Hari Rai temple on July 8, 1971. With the restoration of the Vishnu idol, the day is celebrated as reinstallation day.

The temple is said to have been erected in the 11th century A.D. when land was granted by King Somavarman of Chamba state. However, its sculpture is said to have been done in the second or first century B.C. Even after a comparative study, the opinion of archaeologists and iconographers about the origin of sculpture is divided.

The four-faced figure of Vishnu has the face of a lion to the right but on the back is a ferocious one with a moustache. The front has an image of Lord Vishnu. On the head is a brilliant crown with three triangular juttings. The crown is in the form of a full-blown lotus flower. The eyes are inlaid with silver. The image has four hands. In the right upper hand is held a lotus and in the upper left a conch. The lower right hand is artistically placed on the head of the Gada Devi who is tastefully decorated with jewellery and drapery and the left hand rests on the wheel shaped also emerging from behind the head of Chakra-Purusha wearing of a loin-cloth.

Ministers admit holding of meeting
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, June 29 — Mr Kishan Kapoor and Mr Vidya Sagar, two Cabinet ministers from Kangra district, today admitted having held a meeting but denied that its purpose was to hatch a conspiracy against the Chief Minister.

In a joint statement here today the two ministers said it was a formal meeting at which they discussed the action of Mr Praveen Sharma, Minister of State for Youth Services and Sports, in holding talks with the striking private bus operators on his own. The Chief Minister had given specific directions that the Transport Minister must be present at the meeting.

Mr Kapoor said he had brought the matter to the notice of Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal and he had agreed that talks with transporters should have been held under the chairmanship of the Transport Minister.

The two ministers described the reports that Mr Dhumal and Mr Shanta Kumar had a held a closed door meeting at Kangra to discuss the proposed sacking of Mr Vidya Sagar from the Cabinet as baseless.

The issue was also discussed with the Chief Minister, here today. He made it clear that nothing of the sort was discussed and his talks with Mr Shanta Kumar were confined to construction for ropeway at Palampur and the impending Lok Sabha poll. Mr Shanta Kumar had also confirmed this.

The ministers asserted that their relations with the Chief Minister were very cordial.

Compensation to dam oustees
From Our Correspondent

KULU, June 29 — The Punjab Government has agreed to pay Rs 143 crore as compensation to Thein Dam oustees.

This was stated by Mr Ravinder Singh Ravi, Minister of State for Multi purpose Projects and Power and Technical Education while addressing a gathering at Barsheni village about 60 km from here on Sunday.

He inaugurated the 15-km-long Manikarn-Barsheni road built at a cost of Rs 5.50 crore.

He revealed that the Punjab Government was committed to providing employment to at least a member each of the oustees' families. He further disclosed that 25 cusecs of water would be released to Himachal Pradesh from the Anandpur hydroetectic Channel by which 2516 hectare would be irrigated. The minister said that the Himachal Government had given priority to power generation, forests and tourism.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Karan Singh, Minister of State for Primary Education, said that the Union Government had allocated Rs 100 crore to the NHPC for developing infrastructure of the 2051 MW Parvati hydroetectrict project.

He disclosed that Rs 27 lakh had been sanctioned for the widening of the Bhunter-Manikaran road. He said that five new primary schools would be opened in the Banjar Assembly constituency.

Judicial probe into snag in cable system
From Tribune Reporters

CHANDIGARH/Solan, June 29 — A magisterial inquiry has been ordered by the Himachal Government into yesterday's incident in which 34 tourists on a joy ride in the newly installed cable car system at Jabli on the Chandigarh-Shimla highway were trapped in mid-air following a technical snag.

The Subdivisional Magistrate, Solan, Mr Rakesh Dhiman, has been appointed as inquiry officer. He has been asked to submit his report within a month. The police has registered a case against the management of the ropeway under Sections 287 and 336 of the Indian Penal Code.

The management of K.K. Ropeways in a statement issued today said the programmable logic controller (PLC) had developed a snag and the motors could not start around 4 p.m. yesterday.

The first group of passengers were rescued within half an hour by operating the main ropeway system and bringing the cabins to the point where the ground clearance was about three to four metres.

In this process, the local administration helped the company staff in bringing the tourists down from the cabins through ladders. The operation took a little more time due to dense fog.