Report on Devi Lal's land deal now with govt
SHIMLA, Oct 31 — The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, today said he would not succumb to any pressure while taking action against former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, who was allegedly involved in the benami purchase of 12.19 bighas of land in Kulu district.

Six killed in HP accident
MANDI, Oct 31 — Six persons were killed and three injured, one of them seriously, when a PWD vehicle fell into a deep gorge on the Sarkaghat- Dharampur road last night.

HPTDC, Rlys plan to develop tourism
SOLAN, Oct 31 — The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, in a chat with local mediapersons at Jabli, 25 km from here, yesterday, said that a novel tourism development scheme jointly formulated by the HP Tourism Development Corporation and Indian Railways would be launched in the state from December 10.

Tributes paid to Sardar Patel
MANDI, Oct 31 — Glowing tributes were paid to Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel on his 125th anniversary in the sprawling campus of Vallabh Mahavidyalaya here today.

Life term for murder of sister-in-law
SOLAN, Oct 31 — The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr P.S. Ran, yesterday convicted Sarwan Kumar of Khebla village under Ramshahar Tehsil of this district under Section 302 of the IPC for murdering his sister-in-law, Maya Devi, in April 1998.

• Life term for murder

Paonta Sahib gurdwara to get UP funds
SHIMLA, Oct 31 — The Uttar Pradesh Government has sanctioned Rs 28.49 crore for the construction of wier and baths near the Paonta Sahib gurdwara, agreed by it in 1978 under the Kulhal hydro-power project.

Demand to abrogate treaty
SOLAN, Oct 31 — Nearly 400 delegates from various parts of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab who had come to participate in a conference organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Nepali Ekta Sangh, held a procession and a rally at Ganj Bazar here today.

Newly-wed man drowned
CHAMBA, Oct 31 — A tourist from Delhi, Naresh Kumar, was drowned in the Ravi river near Baloo bridge on the outskirts of Chamba town this afternoon when he and his wife were photographing each other on the bank of the Ravi.

• 4 labourers killed

Report on Devi Lal's land deal now with govt
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Oct 31 — The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, today said he would not succumb to any pressure while taking action against former Deputy Prime Minister Devi Lal, who was allegedly involved in the benami purchase of 12.19 bighas of land in Kulu district.

The Chief Minister, who was talking to newsmen here, said the law would take its own course in the matter without any political considerations.

The Revenue Minister, Mr Rajan Sushant, who was also present, said a report of the Deputy Commissioner, Kulu, regarding Mr Devi Lal's alleged benami land purchase had reached him.

Mr Dhumal said an action plan would be prepared by the state government for curbing benami land deals. Several cases of benami land purchase in Kasauli had come to light and all these would be examined.

A high-powered committee had already been appointed for simplifying Section 118 of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act under which non-agriculturists were not allowed to purchase any land without the prior permission of the government. Loopholes in the Act would also be plugged.

The Chief Minister warned that the government might acquire property which was got registered at an undervalued price with a view to causing a lose to the government.

Mr Dhumal said some more offices might be shifted out of here to decongest the town and decentralise officialdom. A beginning had been made by shifting the headquarters of five boards and corporations out of the town.

He said during his recent visit to Delhi, he met central leaders and urged them to bail out the state from the financial crisis through outright grants or a ways-and-means advance. He also demanded that the financial burden put on the state by the implementation of the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission should be met by the Centre.

He also met the Railways Minister, Ms Mamta Banerjee, and the Surface Transport Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, and urged them to expedite rail and road projects in the state.

Mr Dhumal did not rule out the possibility of further resource mobilisation in the state. The Centre was not in a position to financially help all states. The tax base in Himachal Pradesh was small and subsidies had to go in a phased manner, he said.

He said there was no proposal to give the Rajya Sabha seat of the state to any "outsider". The BJP-HVC combine would jointly contest the Solan assembly seat, he added.

Six killed in HP accident
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Oct 31 — Six persons were killed and three injured, one of them seriously, when a PWD vehicle fell into a deep gorge on the Sarkaghat-Dharampur road last night.

The vehicle carrying nine persons was going from Sandhol to Marhi.

While five persons died on the spot, another succumbed to his injuries in Regional Hospital, Mandi.

Those killed were identified as Hans Raj, Bholu Ram, Krishan Nayan Singh, Kali Das and Raju. One of the injured Kashmir Singh was shifted to Regional Hospital here. Another injured was identified as Hari Chand.

Mr Mahinder Singh, PWD Minister, who was in his native village of Dharampur, rushed to the scene of the accident and supervised relief and rescue operations.

Mr Prabodh Saxena, Deputy Commissioner, and the Additional SP, Mr Vinod Dhawan, also visited the scene of the accident along with a team of doctors.

An ex gratia of Rs 10,000 to next of kin of the dead and Rs 5000 to the injured was disbursed by the Deputy Commissioner.

The Deputy Commissioner said the SDM, Sarkaghat, would hold an inquiry into the cause of the accident.

Kisan passbook released
 Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Oct 31 — The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, today released a kisan passbook with legal validity for farmers of Himachal Pradesh.

Releasing the passbook at a news conference here, the Chief Minister said the passbook would contain details of land holdings of farmers, including horticulturists. These would be provided to nearly 12 lakh farmers in the state within a year.

The Revenue Minister, Mr Rajan Sushant, also attended the news conference.

Mr Dhumal said passbooks were earlier introduced by the state government in 1982, but these did not have any legal validity. The shortcomings had been removed now.

Bank loans would be made available to the farmers on the basis of the passbooks which would be issued on payment of a fixed amount. A farmer possessing up to 1 acre would be given the passbook on payment of Rs 50 each, the one having up to three acres would be charged Rs 100 and a farmer having more than three acres would have to pay Rs 150 for it.

Mr Dhumal said by introducing the passbook, his government had fulfilled its election promise to the farmers.

He said entries of the allotment of trees under the timber distribution rights would also be entered in the passbooks.

He said the state government had taken several steps to improve the lot of small and marginal farmers. Additional subsidy for irrigation was being provided to those farmers who did not have any means for irrigating their land.

Mr Rajan Sushant said the passbook had 14 different chapters in which complete details of land-holding, including consolidation, acquisition, loans, fertilisers and insecticides issued to farmers and certificates of categories to which they belonged would be given.

UNI adds: Mr Dhumal said the Centre had agreed in principle to waive halting charges of Indian Air Force helicopters requisitioned for security-related purposes in Chamba.

He said he had met Union Home Minister L.K. Advani in Delhi recently, who had accepted the state's request in this regard.

He said he also discussed with Mr Advani the raising of the India Reserve Battalion in the state, to which 1000 Himachali youths would be recruited.

HPTDC, Rlys plan to develop tourism
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Oct 31 — The Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, in a chat with local mediapersons at Jabli, 25 km from here, yesterday, said that a novel tourism development scheme jointly formulated by the HP Tourism Development Corporation and Indian Railways would be launched in the state from December 10.

He said the Railway Ministry had agreed in principle to develop tourist spots on land situated between the Kalka-Shimla highway and the rail track. Both these communication arteries run parallel and at places close to each other.

He said that he had made a special request to the Railway Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, for expediting work on the Kalka-Parwanoo broad gauge project, the foundation stone of which was laid sometime ago.

The issue of allotment of ticket for the Solan Vidhan Sabha byelection would be sorted out amicably between the ruling coalition partners — the BJP and the HVC, adding that a win here by either of the two would strengthen mutual bonds.

Earlier, while speaking at a civic reception held for the newly elected HVC MP, Lt-Col Dhani Ram Shandil, by the Jabli panchayat, Mr Dhumal appealed to the people to rise above party politics and extend their whole-hearted support to the government for making Himachal Pradesh a model hill state.

Conceding some long-standing demands of the Jabli Panchayat, Mr Dhumal directed the HP State Marketing Board to provide Rs 1.5 lakh for the construction of the Jabli-Nandoh road.

Col Dhani Ram Shandil sanctioned Rs 1 lakh for the proposed Jabli-Joharj road from his MP fund. The Marketing Board Chairman, Mr Virendra Kashyap, said that a Rs 40 lakh marketing complex was nearing completion at Dharampur. The Jabli Panchayat Pradhan, Mr D.C. Dhiman, demanded the reopening of the Jabli railway station which was closed on account of low traffic last year.

Tributes paid to Sardar Patel
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Oct 31 — Glowing tributes were paid to Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel on his 125th anniversary in the sprawling campus of Vallabh mahavidyalaya here today.

Debates and declamation contests were organised under the joint auspices of the college, the Health and Forest Departments.

Speakers lauded the role of the Iron Man of India in maintaining the unity and integrity of country.

Earlier, Mr Prabodh Saxena, Deputy Commissioner, garlanded the statue of Sardar Patel.

Ironically, no minister was present.

Life term for murder of sister-in-law
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Oct 31 — The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr P.S. Ran, yesterday convicted Sarwan Kumar of Khebla village under Ramshahar Tehsil of this district under Section 302 of the IPC for murdering his sister-in-law, Maya Devi, in April 1998.

He sentenced Sarwan Kumar to life imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him.

Sarwan Kumar was constructing a 'chhan' (thatched hut) alongside the house of Maya Devi when she objected to it on the ground that the land on which the 'chhan' was being built belonged to her husband, Gian Chand. She asked Sarwan Kumar to suspend the construction till her husband returned to the village.

Sarwan Kumar was infuriated and after dragging her some distance from her house, he inflicted some blows with an axe on her neck, head and back. Sarwan Kumar also attacked Hukmi Devi, sister of Maya Devi, when she tried to save her sister.

Sarwan Kumar then fled from the scene of the crime and handed over the murder weapon, the axe to the village blacksmith. The axe was recovered from the blacksmith's shop.

Life term for murder
From Our Correspondent

SUNDERNAGAR, Oct 31 — Mr Shamsher Singh, Additional Sessions Judge, Mandi, has convicted Ram Krishan of Maghandi village of Karsog subdivision and sentenced him to life imprisonment and pay a fine of Rs 5000.

Ram Krishan, along with another person, Harmender Singh of Thaltu in Karsog subdivision was charged with murdering Manohar Lal (20) who was a general merchant at Maghandi village. The police had registered a case under Sections 452, 323, 427, 302/34 of the Indian Penal Code in the regard.

The case of the prosecution was that on November 26 last year the two visited the business premises of the victim under the influence of liquor and killed him with stones.

The court held Ram Krishan guilty of murder and acquitted the other accused.

Paonta Sahib gurdwara to get UP funds

SHIMLA, Oct 31 (PTI) — The Uttar Pradesh Government has sanctioned Rs 28.49 crore for the construction of wier and baths near the Paonta Sahib gurdwara, agreed by it in 1978 under the Kulhal hydro-power project.

The sanction was made following a request made by the Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, to his Uttar Pradesh counterpart, Mr Kalyan Singh.

A communication received from the UP Chief Minister in this regard said the government had also agreed to release Rs 3.55 crore for repair and renovation of the gurdwara and the temple at Paonta Sahib, likely to be completed in June next year.

Demand to abrogate treaty
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Oct 31 — Nearly 400 delegates from various parts of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab who had come to participate in a conference organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Nepali Ekta Sangh, held a procession and a rally at Ganj Bazar here today.

Mr D.P. Sapkota and Mr Gan Bhadur Kharaka, president and general secretary, respectively, of the sangh, told newspersons that the main aim of the conference was to focus attention on the need for abrogating the Indo-Nepal Treaty of 1950. They alleged that this instrument’s main clause of granting civic rights to Nepalese on a par with Indian nationals was not being adhered to by India. "We Nepalese here are not getting the kind of respect due to us under the treaty".

They said a new treaty should be signed on the basis of equality between the two sovereign nations. Any such document must provide for the grant of adequate opportunities for individual advancement to Nepalese.

The two leaders also demanded that "the current wave of repression let loose by the present Nepalese Government on innocent citizens" must be brought to an end immediately. They alleged that more than 250 persons were under illegal detention in Nepal. No charges had been framed against them and nobody had a clue to their whereabouts.

The two leaders, in reply to a question, did not deny that they were Leftists. They, however, said that today’s procession and rally had been organised on the directive of their central body.

Newly-wed man drowned
From Our Correspondent

CHAMBA, Oct 31 — A tourist from Delhi, Naresh Kumar, was drowned in the Ravi river near Baloo bridge on the outskirts of Chamba town this afternoon when he and his wife were photographing each other on the bank of the Ravi.

According to a police spokesman, the newly married couple was staying here in a hotel. They went to the river bank, where the husband was trying to take a photograph of his wife, who slipped and fell into the river.

The husband at once jumped into the river to save his wife. But though the wife clung to a rock and was saved by passersby, the husband was drowned.

His body has been recovered and sent for a post-mortem examination. A case has been registered by the local police.

4 labourers killed
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Oct 31 — Four labourers were killed and three seriously injured when an electric pole fell on them in Dalet village, 50 km from Rampur, today.

The labourers were constructing a structure of the power grid corporation, reports said