Himachal Diary: Selective action?

This week the minister for transport carried out checks against illegal contract carriage buses in his constituency Jaswan Pragpur. A few contract carriage buses were stopped and fines were imposed. However, interestingly no action was taken on permanent bus stations of these buses in Dharamsala and complaints of HRTC officials regarding illegal plying of contract carriage buses.

Vikramaditya at receiving end

Congress legislator Vikramaditya Singh is yet again on the firing line with his own party MLAs and Congress workers and leaders lashing out at him for condemning the PM security lapse and demanding an inquiry into the incident. “We too do not support the security lapse as it a very serious matter but how can you speak in BJP’s tone,” said most MLAs. Una MLA Satpal Raizada and Ashraya Sharma, Congress MP candidate in the last elections, openly took him to task on the issue. A majority of them felt that this was not the first time that he had embarrassed the Congress. On several earlier occasions also, he diluted party stand against the BJP. Netizens also took him to task as some doubted his intentions of staying with the Congress while others quipped if his family relations with Amarinder Singh, former Punjab Chief Minister were more important than party stand.

Dhawala raises the pitch

The belligerent MLA from Jwalamukhi Ramesh Dhawala has caused a stir in the BJP be demanding that the party high command must clear the tickets for the Assembly polls as early as possible. Dhawala, who failed to secure a berth in the Jai Ram Cabinet, is miffed with his own regime for ignoring him and the undue interference in his constituency by a senior party functionary. Dhawala, who is known for his plain speak, is probably treading cautiously considering the hard time that he is facing at the hands of his bête noire, a powerful party functionary.

Power tripping frequent in Kasauli

Tall claims of quality power availability notwithstanding, power tripping has become the order of the day in the Kasauli area. Though power is often dubbed as a major asset by the government to lure investors, the residents, it seems, are not a priority. Reeling under biting cold, especially the elderly have been forced to bear hardships. Will any heads roll for this nonchalant attitude which finds repetition year after year or the common man’s woes will remain too trivial to be addressed.

Contributed by Pratibha Chauhan, Lalit Mohan and Ambika Sharma

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