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Himachal Chief Justice Appoints Dhumal-Era Advocate General As Amicus Curiae in Priyanka Land Case

priyanka-gandhi-house-construction-shimlaTheWire.in: In a major development in the Priyanka Gandhi Vadra land deal case, the petitioner, Dev Ashish Bhattacharya, will now be represented by senior advocate R.K. Bawa, who will be assisted by an advocate named Jivan. The chief justice of the Himachal Pradesh high court stepped in and appointed Bawa, the former advocate general when P.K. Dhumal’s BJP government was in power, as the amicus curiae after Bhattarcharya’s originals advocates quit the case citing personal reasons.

The Wire reported in December 2016 that the petitioner had sent a letter to the state chief justice voicing concerns about how the case is being handled, allegations of the presiding judge having a conflict of interest, his lawyers’ refusal to fight on his behalf and the need to move proceedings to New Delhi in view of the prevailing situation.

The RTI activist, who had been fighting the legal battle on his own, claimed that he was now facing adversity on multiple fronts. “The sudden withdrawal of my counsels from the case on [the grounds of] “personal reasons” and the reluctance of other advocates to take up this case has rendered me defenceless in front of the petitioner, who is represented by a battery of senior lawyers,” he wrote.

Bhattacharya said that after his lawyers left him and others refused to represent him, he apprised the chief justice of the situation and requested him to appoint an amicus curiae for the proper adjudication of the case.

“In the meantime, a Delhi-based advocate Dinesh Rattan Bhardwaj extended his help to me and appeared on my behalf in the high court on December 22, 2016, the last date of hearing of the case. By that time I had not heard anything from the chief justice,” Bhattacharya said.

He said it was after he filed an RTI application to know the status of his petition on December 27 that he received a reply from the public information officer, vide a letter dated January 24, that the chief justice has appointed an amicus curiae and another lawyer to assist him.

Apart from fighting a legal case against Gandhi – in which he has alleged that a plot of land in Chharabra, 13 kms from Shimla, was wrongfully allotted to Gandhi – Bhattacharya has also repeatedly raised several issues regarding the manner in which the case has been fought in court.

At one point of time last year, he even urged the state’s high court to send a reference to the Supreme Court to transfer the case out of Himachal Pradesh. Citing the fact that Gandhi is based in Delhi, he said, she “should not have any objection if the case is transferred to Delhi high court”.

Additionally, he said that Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, who was the presiding judge in the case, was compromised due to a “conflict of interest” as Chauhan’s wife had contested the election for Shimla Municipal Corporation in 2012 on a Congress ticket. Following which, Bhattacharya requested that the case be transferred to Delhi to be tried by another judge.

Prior to that, in July 2016, Bhattacharya had cried foul about how a court order pertaining to the case had been announced by the public relations officer even before it had been formally pronounced.

A year before that, in July 2015, the state high court had stayed the state information commission order directing Shimla’s deputy commissioner to disclose information about Gandhi’s land. She purchased over 4.25 bighas of land between 2007 and 2013 in relaxation of section 118 of Tenancy and Land Reforms Act that bars any non-agriculturist from purchasing land without the permission of the government.

The matter has been pending in the high court, which last heard it on December 22.

In a first, greater flamingoes spotted in Himachal’s Pong wetlands

pong-dam-flamingoPONG DAM (HIMACHAL PRADESH) (IANS) :More than 125,000 birds of 93 species have been spotted in Himachal Pradesh’s Pong Dam wetlands. Among them, greater flamingoes, a common migratory species in India’s coastal areas, have been recorded for the first time here, an official said.

A total of 52,530 bar-headed geese, the world’s highest-altitude migrant and a rare winter migrant in other Indian wetlands, were also recorded. They are regular winter migrants here.

During a three-day census of waterfowl species — birds that depend on water bodies for roosting and feeding — 127,200 birds were spotted in the Pong Dam wetlands, spread over 307 sq km, Assistant Conservator of Forests D.S. Dadwal, who was associated with the exercise, told IANS.

Besides the bar-headed goose, the other largest influx is of the common coot (15,632), northern pintail (11,470), common teal (10,284), common pochard (8,746), little cormorants (6,434), tufted pochard (3,838), northern shoveller (2,350) and ruddy shelduck (1,900).

The other noticeable species recorded are the great crested grebe, graylag goose, red crested pochard, ferruginous pochard, common merganser, Eurasian spoonbill, Richard’s pipit, Blyth’s pipit and many species of larks.

The man-made Pong Dam wetlands, one of the largest such in the foothills of the Himalayas in the picturesque Kangra Valley, are located 250 km from state capital Shimla.

Dadwal said four greater flamingoes were recorded in the Pong Dam wetlands for the first time.

The bird, which stands four feet tall with its S-curved neck and is a common migrant to the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat, has been spotted in the marshy areas of Nagrota Suriyan.

In 2013, a rare winter migrant, the whooper swan, was spotted here for the first time.

In the last census conducted at the Pong wetlands in February last year, 105,000 birds of 87 species were recorded.

With the onset of winter, thousands of migratory birds from central and northern Asia start arriving in the Pong wetlands for their annual sojourn.

The influx of birds can be seen at swamps near Nagrota Suriyan, Budladha and Sansarpur Terrace.

The bar-headed geese are regular and prominent winter visitors in the Pong Dam wetlands. A staggering 71,800 of them were recorded in winter of 2015, a new record.

The gregarious bar-headed geese, which start arriving in October and stay till March-end, fed at night in the grasslands on riverbanks and breeds in high-altitude lakes in Central Asia, as also in Tibet and Ladakh.

Listed under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the global population of the bar-headed geese is believed to be around 130,000, wildlife experts say.

The Pong wetlands are also home to many native birds like the red jungle fowl, large Indian parakeet, Indian cuckoo, bank myna, wood shrike, yellow-eyed babbler, black ibis, paradise flycatcher, crested lark and the crested bunting.

The Pong wetlands occupy an area of at least 18,000 hectares and extend up to 30,000 hectares in the peak monsoon season. An area of about 20,000 hectares within a radius of five kilometres has been notified as a buffer zone dedicated to wildlife.

A total of 425 species of birds, 18 species of snakes, 90 species of butterflies, 24 species of mammals, 27 species of fish have so far been recorded in Pong Dam Wildlife Sanctuary.

Alleged ISIS posters, graffiti appear near Army cantonment in Solan

SHIMLA (31st January): Graffiti and posters in a high security area in Solan district cautioning people about ISIS triggering possible bomb blasts at several places today caused panic, with police saying it was not taking the issue “lightly”.

subathu-solan-isis-poster

The posters and graffiti appeared at five places in Sabathu Cantonment area in Solan district, about 70 km from here, with one threatening bomb blasts from Himachal Pradesh to Nepal using washing machines and television sets.

Police rushed to the spot and launched probe after registering an FIR under relevant sections of the IPC.

Police sources said the graffiti was noticed at five places in the Subathu Cantonment near Solan in Himachal Pradesh this morning. The writings in Hindi and English spoke about a ‘fatwa’ issued by Islamic State Fatwa. A couple of flags with the slogan ‘ISIS zindabad’ (long live Islamic State’) were planted as well.

“Fridge bikega to bamb aye ga… TV bikega to bamb aye ga,’’ was one of the slogans written on walls in the Army area. They were written with black spray paint on the gate of a park and on some walls in the cantonment at the 14th Gurkha Training Centre.

A case of sedition has been registered under Section 124 A of the Indian Penal Code against the unknown persons. A team of forensic science experts from Shimla examined the graffiti.

The deputy commissioner of Solan, Rakesh Kanwar said joint surveillance would be undertaken by the Army and civilian authorities to prevent recurrence of such graffiti.

Similar but saffron coloured graffiti was noticed in Dharampur a few days ago. Both sets of graffiti are being compared to determine whether they were the handiwork of the same group.

A few days back local people found that drinking water supplied by tankers in Sabatu and adjoining panchayats by the irrigation and public health department had been poisoned.

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Himachal Pradesh proposes annual budget of Rs 5,700 crore

Shimla, Jan 31 (TNN): Himachal Pradesh government has proposed an annual plan of Rs 5,700 crore for 2017-18, which is Rs 500 crore more than the previous plan. Chief minister Virbhadra Singh on Monday said there is increase of 9.61%, which is more than the state’s growth rate of 7.7%.

While presiding over a meeting of MLAs of Solan, Shimla and Sirmaur districts in Shimla for the finalization of priorities for 2017-18 budget, Virbhadra said Rs 470 crore worth detailed project reports were sanctioned through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) for meeting out the priorities of MLAs. He said total project reports of around Rs 1,100 crore were forwarded to Nabard for sanction.

He said it was necessary to conduct the social audit of new schemes or those being implemented as it was important to know the reasons of delay in implementation, if any. “It’s easy to correct oneself at the very beginning rather than wasting time in mending the mistakes afterwards,” he said.

Virbhadra stressed on social audit of the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut) Yojna being implemented in Shimla and Kullu, skill development schemes for Mukhyamantri Startup Yojna and other schemes in a time-bound manner.

He said the forest officials should have a proactive approach and should push for clearance as it is their responsibility to pave way for development. He said that Dharampur-Kasauli road needs to be widened and asked for preparation of project report. He asked to purchase water pipes of different dimensions for routing water to households anticipating the availability of connections.

Two multi-storey houses collapse in Solan

Solan, Jan 30 (IANS) Two multi-storey residential complexes in this Himachal Pradesh town collapsed on Monday because of digging activity in the vicinity, officials said.

building-collapse-solanSince both the buildings, clinging to one another, had earlier been vacated, no one was inside at the time of the incident.

The buildings, located in Shoolini temple locality, had been marked dangerous by the civic body.

Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar has ordered a probe into the reasons for the collapse.

Heavy snowfall, rains to boost first quarter hydropower generation in new fiscal

Hydropower generation recorded a drop of 17.5% and 16% in months of April and May, respectively, due to scanty rains and less snowfall in the north in 2016-17.

hydropower

Heavy snowfall in north this year portends healthy growth in hydropower generation in the first quarter of the coming financial year compared with last year, when the output fell by about 2% because of less snowfall and scanty rains.

Hydropower generation recorded a drop of 17.5% and 16% in months of April and May, respectively, due to scanty rains and less snowfall in the north in 2016-17.

The generation picked with arrival of rains in June.

“The snowfall had a positive impact on hydropower generation in most projects located in northern states including Uttrakhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh,” a senior executive with National Hydro Power Corporation Limited told ET.

A senior SJVNL executive told ET: “Snowfall has been better than previous year in the catchment area and is likely to improve hydrology in the region.”Central public sector company SJVN Limited operates and owns country’s largest hydro power project of capacity 1,500 MW in Himachal Pradesh.

“Snowfall will boost generation in first quarter. Monsoon is crucial for total hydropower output that peaks in months of July, August and September with rains,” he said.

The overall hydropower generation in the country had been patchy in the past five years. Droughts in the past two years had checked growth in hydropower generation in the country.

The generation in 2015-16 had dropped by 11% to 121.377 billion units compared to 134.848 billion units in 2013-14. In the current fiscal, the hydropower generation is less than the last fiscal due to less snowfall and delayed scattered rains.

Over two years after foundation stone, Shimla roepway yet to take off

Over two years after foundation stone, Shimla roepway yet to take off

shimla-ropeway

SHIMLA: The ambitious ropeway project to decongest traffic in Shimla town has failed to take off as land free from all encumbrances has not been made available to the company allotted the project. Delay in handing over the land has forced the Municipal Corporation to give six months extension to the company to start the work.

According to sources, work on this ambitious project was estimated to start in June last year but till date it has not as the project file is still moving from one table to another to complete the formalities.

On June 23, 2015, Virbhadra Singh had laid the foundation stone of Rs 200 crore passenger rope-way at Jodha Niwas near the Ridge in Shimla. The passenger ropeway would connect the town from Tourist Information Centre to ISBT Tuttikandi to Lift and will finally connect the Ridge near Jodha Niwas. It will have four terminal stations. The total length of the ropeway will be 3600 meters. The project was supposed to be completed within three and half years.

The project was allotted to Usha Breco Limited and will transport 1000 passengers per hour per direction. From this project, municipal corporation would earn an estimated income of Rs 10.62 crore annually with an incremental increase of five percent every year which would be utilized for development of Shimla town.

Sources said that to speed the process to get clearances, the then Shimla Deputy Commissioner Dinesh Malhotra in November 2015 had held a meeting with the officials of various concerned departments and had directed them to complete the formalities for the completion of ISBT Tutikandi-Jodha Niwas ropeway project in time. Malhotra had asked the departments including officials from Forest, Revenue, Irrigation, Public Works and Tourist departments to prepare the NOCs at the earliest and in time.

Since this meeting, a year has passed but there is no headway in the ropeway project that otherwise would have reduced the pressure on circular road.

Shimla Deputy Mayor Tikender Panwar said that project has not been started yet as land free from encumberances has not been provided to the company executing the project. He said even forest clearances is awaited. He said company has been given extension to start the project as departments are delaying the clearances.

–TNN

Himachal Pradesh to celebrate statehood day today

Himachal Pradesh to celebrate statehood day today

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday will celebrate 47th Statehood Day. It was on January 25, 1971, when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had conferred the status of statehood to Himachal Pradesh while addressing thousands of people at the historic Ridge Maidan of state capital Shimla.

virbhadra

In last 46 years, the hill state has not only emerged as fastest developing economy of the country but has also become the hub of pharmaceutical industries.

In 1971, Himachal Pradesh had a total population of 34.60 lakh which has now increased to around 69 lakh, 2011 census, while per capita income which was just Rs 651 in 1971 was Rs 11,9720 as per 2011 census. When announced as 18th state of India it had the road length of 7609 kms but today it has road length of over 37,000 kms.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said that statehood had set the pace for speedy development and today state is emerging as fastest growing economy in the country. He said that it was the struggle led by first chief minister of state Dr Y S Parmar that hill state got a separate entity, size and status to lay a solid foundation for its development in the initial years.

Recalling the time when Indira Gandhi announced statehood to Himachal Pradesh amid heavy snowfall from the Ridge, Virbhadra Singh said she had stated as the brave people of state face the storm of snow, they would also face the challenges of development in the coming years.

“In a short span of time the state has become a Model of Development not for the smaller states but for the bigger states of the country in the field of education, health, horticulture, social welfare and inclusive growth, he added.

He said as horticulture plays an important role in the socio-economic development of the state, a Rs 1169.15 crore Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Development Project has been launched for the state. He said subsidy on anti-hail nets has been increased from 50 per cent to 80 per cent.

The CM said to provide quality education to every children 1329 new schools have been opened or upgraded and 38 new degree colleges have been opened in rural areas during the last four years besides taking over 4 private colleges.

He said over 1721 km new motorable roads and 180 bridges have been constructed during the last four years, while 276 villages have been provided road connectivity during this period. He said 301 projects worth Rs 1052.63 crore have been got sanctioned from NABARD. As many as 495 km roads and 87 bridges have been constructed under the project.

He said Single Window Monitoring and Clearance Authority has approved setting up of 283 industrial units with an investment of Rs 13,262 crore with an employment potential of about 26,680 people.

–TNN

Snowfall and inclement weather disrupt life in Himachal

Monsoon will gain momentum after July 5

Snowfall and inclement weather disrupt life in Himachal

weather-in-himachal-pradesh

High reaches of Himachal Pradesh experienced moderate to heavy spell of snowfall today, disrupting normal life in the State partly however down-streams got light drizzling and remained overcast till this afternoon. The reports arriving said that high reaches of Kullu, Keylong, Chamba, Kinnaur and Shimla experienced light to moderate fresh snowfall today.

Keylong got 20 centimeter fresh snowfall. No Emergency sorty could operate between snowbound of Lahaul Spiti district today and it had been cancelled tomorrow due to inclement weather. The gateway to Lahaul Spiti 13050 ft high Rohtang Pass, Kunzum Pass, Lady of Keylong, Seven Sisters hill, Goshal hills also reported frequent spell of snowfall today. High reaches of Kullu got mild spell of fresh snowfall and downstream lashed with rainfall. Tourist resort Manali recorded around 20 mm rainfall and moderate to heavy snowfall on the high reaches. Seobagh of Kullu got 4 mm rain, Bhuntar 3 mm and Manikaran 2 mm.

Chief Minster Mr. Virbhadra Singh who was scheduled to take Helicopter from Annadale ground to Kullu had to take land route as chopper could not take off due to overcast and inclement weather in the State. It was snowing at Reckong-Peo, district head-quarter of Kinnuar today. Met Office said that Kalpa got 9 centimeter snowfall till 1630 hrs today which continues till now.  However the vehicular traffic on National highway 22 and other link roads was normal today.

The minimum temperature of Shimla improvised as Keylong was coldest with minus 4 degrees, Kalpa 0 degree, Manali 4 degrees, Dharamshala, Sunderngar and Solan 7 degrees each, Shimla and Bhuntar 8 degrees each, Una 8.6 degrees, Kangra 9.8 degrees and Nahan 11 degrees respectively. The Met office warned of heavy rain or snowfall likely to occur at few places in mid and high reaches and heavy to very heavy snowfall at isolated places in the next 48 hrs and heavy rainfall at many places in the mid hills and foot hills.

Himachal Pradesh Governor gives his nod to Town and Country Planning Bill

Himachal Pradesh Governor gives his nod to Town and Country Planning Bill

tcp-bill

SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Dev Vrat finally gave his consent to the Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill, 2016 that would pave way for the regularization of around 30,000 unauthorized structures across the state. Buildings would be regularized only on producing structural safety certificate.

Himachal Pradesh Assembly on August 27, 2016 had passed the bill to give people a chance to regularize their buildings. While tabling the bill, Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma had said that no unsafe building would be regularized in the state.

After passing it in the assembly, the bill was sent to the Governor for his consent but he took time to decide and this uncertainty over the bill had left the Congress government on the edge.

In October last year, Sudhir Sharma along-with senior officers of department had met Acharya Dev Vrat while in November last year, Leader of Opposition Prem Kumar Dhumal, too, had submitted a memorandum to the Governor requesting him for early approval to the bill.

Right before the start of winter session of state Assembly in December last year, Sudhir Sharma on December 15 had written a three page letter to Governor. In the letter, the minister stated that uncertainty over the pending Bill is encouraging violators and the department is not in a position to check this. He requested Governor either to approve, reject or return the bill with his suggestions.

In the beginning of this month, the Governor had sought some clarification including structural stability of buildings, action against the officials who failed to check illegal construction all these years and whether amendment in the bill is contradictory to the high court order.

Recently, state government had submitted its detailed reply on the clarification to Governor making it clear that buildings would not be regularized without structural safety certificate. Sources said that satisfied with the reply, Governor has finally approved the bill.

–TNN

Paid Rs 450 cr to Himachal, Centre tells Supreme Court

Paid Rs 450 cr to Himachal, Centre tells Supreme Court

The Centre today told the Supreme Court that it paid Rs 450 crore to Himachal Pradesh as reimbursement for the land acquired for the Rs 5,242 crore Renuka Dam.

supremecourt

Appearing before a three-member Bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar, Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar said the state government’s appeal had become irrelevant as the Centre had reimbursed the compensation amount and sought disposal of the case.

The dam is primarily meant for providing drinking to Delhi, but the pipeline could also be utilised for areas of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh falling in the National Capital Region (NCR) such as Faridabad and Noida. The project will come up across Giri river, a tributary of Yamuna, in Sirmour district. Himachal also has a stake in the project as it will get 40 MW of electricity from the project free of cost.

Himachal has approached the SC as it is not in a position to pay further compensation to comply with an order passed by the state high court on November 20, 2014.

Heavy Snowfall Predicted In Parts Of Himachal Pradesh Today

Heavy Snowfall Predicted In Parts Of Himachal Pradesh Today

kufri-snowfallSHIMLA:  Heavy snowfall is likely to occur at isolated places at Himachal Pradesh today, with the state likely to see conditions intensify between January 25 and 26, MeT department officials said on Monday.

Sunday’s western disturbance due to an upper air cyclonic circulation over north Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir has moved away east-northeastwards. It would affect the Himalayan region from tomorrow, officials said.

The weather remained mainly dry in the region except Kalpa and Udaipur which received 2 cm of snow and Rohroo which recorded 3 mm rains, they said, adding strong velocity icy winds swept the mid and higher hills.

Day temperatures increased marginally and Una was hottest with maximum temperature at 23.8 degrees Celsius while Nahan and Bhuntar recorded a high of 20.7 degrees Celsius each.
shimla_heavy-snowfall
Manali recorded 13 degrees Celsius and Kalpa 5.8 degrees Celsius.

High altitude tribal areas continued to reel under freezing cold wave conditions with minimum temperatures staying between minus 15 and minus 22 degrees Celsius.

Keylong and Kalpa recorded a low of minus 7.2 degrees Celsius and minus 2.8 degrees Celsius respectively.

Manali recorded minus 1.0 degrees Celsius, Bhuntar 2.6 degrees Celsius, Sundernagar 3.8 degrees Celsius and Solan 4.0 degrees Celsius

The MeT office has predicted rains or snow at many places in mid and higher hills for next four days from today and rains and thundershowers in lower hills.

Three years later, Himachal tableau to make a comeback to Republic Day parade

Three years later, Himachal tableau to make a comeback to Republic Day parade

After a gap of three years , the tableau of Himachal Pradesh will make a comeback on Republic Day parade in New Delhi on Thursday.

tiranga

The tableau will present the traditional art form of Himachal Pradesh — the Chamba Rumal.

In front of the tableau, a beautiful statue of a woman doing embroidery work on Chamba Rumal will be on show.

The middle section of the tableau will show Raasleela.

The big Millennium Gate of Chamba town will adorn the rear portion of the tableau.

Chamba Rumal is the finest specimen of pahari art form that flourished in Chamba town of Himachal Pradesh in the 18th century.

The product has been registered for protection under the Intellectual Property Rights Agreements in 2007.

Admn on alert after heavy snowfall warning

DCs told to gear up for next two days to ensure locals, tourists do not face inconvenience

Tribune News Service

Amid fresh warning of heavy to very heavy snowfall or rain in mid and higher hills on January 24 and 25, the state government has asked the DCs to remain alert and take adequate steps to ensure that no inconvenience is caused to people.

fresh-snowfall

The government was caught off guard after the heavy snowfall on January 7 as water and power supply and transport and other services had remained crippled for several days, causing inconvenience to locals and tourists.

The local MeT office has predicted heavy to very heavy rain or snow in the mid and higher hills on January 24 and 25 and heavy snow at scattered places on January 26 following a fresh western disturbance.

Most parts of the state continued to reel under the biting cold wave conditions even as weather remained dry and cloudy in mid and lower hills and day temperatures rose by a few notches. Kalpa and Khadrala had 6 cm of fresh snow while other high-altitude tribal areas also had mild snowfall while Rohru and Nahan recorded 4 mm rain, followed by Dharampur 2 mm.

Arctic conditions prevailed in high-altitude tribal areas as minimum temperatures stayed 15 to 20 degree below freezing point and Keylong and Kalpa in tribal Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts recorded a low of -6.7 degree and -2.6 degree.

Manali and Solan recorded 2 degree, while Shimla and Sundernagar shivered at 4 degree and 4.8 degree, followed by Bhuntar 5 degree, Palampur and Nahan 7.5 degree, Dharamsala 7.8 degree and Una 8.6 degree.

The natural sources of water like lakes, springs and rivulets in high-altitude areas are frozen, reducing the discharge of water in the Sutlej, Ravi and Beas rivers, affecting hydropower generation.

The maximum temperature rose by a few notches at several places and Una in Shiwalik foothills was the warmest with a high of 23.2 degree while Sundernagar and Bhuntar at 21.9 degree and 21.5 degree, Solan 19.5 degree, Nahan 18.3 degree, Shimla 15.6 degree, Dharamsala 15.4 degree, Manali 10.5 degree and Kalpa 5.4 degree. The farmers and orchardists are happy with the continued wet spell as it would prove a boon for Rabi and apple crops.

Rishi Dhawan gets engaged to girlfriend Deepali Chauhan! Indian cricketer posts pictures on Facebook

Rishi Dhawan has been dating Deepali Chauhan, an engineer by profession for past eight years.

Rishi-Dhawan-engagement-pictures

Himachal Pradesh all-rounder Rishi Dhawan is the latest member of Indian cricket team to ditch his bachelor status. The 26-year-old, Rishi Dhawan got engaged to his girlfriend, Deepali Chauhan in a private ceremony held in Mandi on January 21. The Kings XI Punjab player took to Facebook to share the happy news with followers. Dhawan posted a picture from the engagement ceremony with his beautiful fiancée Deepali looking all radiant. He had earlier posted pictures of Deepali applying mehandi and preparing for the engagement day.

Rishi Dhawan has been dating Deepali Chauhan, an engineer by profession for past eight years. It came as no surprise to their families when the two decided to get engaged. Speaking to The Tribune, Dhawan revealed how he met his partner for life. The couple met during a Shivratri fair in Mandi and after that started dating. Rishi Dhawan was quoted speaking on his engagement and also share marriage plans. He said, “It is a great moment for both of us. We will get engaged tomorrow, and the wedding will be held next year.”

The Kings XI Punjab player posted an adorable note on Facebook for his ladylove announcing their engagement. He wrote, “You are my best friend, my human diary and my other half. You mean the world to me and I LOVE YOU Got engaged”. Rishi had also posted pictures of his beautiful fiancée prepping up for the engagement. The two definitely make a sweet pair.

Rishi-Dhawan

On the career front, Deepali is an engineer, currently working in Gurgaon. She is also said to be related to fashion and modelling world. Meanwhile, Rishi Dhawan who had a brilliant international debut, in India vs Australia ODI match in 2016. The middle-order batsman is a key player in Kings XI Punjab side. Rishi Dhawan has also been a part of Mumbai Indians team in Indian Premier League in 2013.

Doctors go on strike in Himachal

Doctors go on strike in Himachal

doctor-holding-stethoscope

Patient care services in all government hospitals and dispensaries in Himachal Pradesh were affected badly as doctors went on a day-long strike on Monday.

Only casualty services and emergency surgeries were working.

The strike came following the Himachal Medical Officers Association (HMOA) call for an agitation over its demands, including safety of doctors and pay parity.

Most patients who turned up at the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital in Shimla and Rajendra Prasad Medical College in Tanda town in Kangra district were caught unawares.

Official sources said doctors in over 700 government hospitals and dispensaries were on strike.

HMOA president Jiwanand Chauhan said the failure of the government to ensure safety of doctors in the hospitals has forced them to go on strike.

“For the past four years we have been demanding safety of doctors on duty but the government is silent on the issue,” he said.

The association has claimed that a doctor after facing humiliation from politically connected people in a hospital in Una suffered a heart attack.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh said the government is concerned over the safety of the doctors. He said the government is bringing a bill in the ensuing budget session for the safety of the doctors.

–IANS

Anurag Thakur elected HPOA president

hpoaDharamshala –Member of Parliament from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur was today unanimously elected head of the Himachal Pradesh Olympic Association (HPOA) for a four-year term. He was elected at the HPOA’s annual general meeting here. Anurag Thakur had to step down as BCCI president owing to Supreme Court ruling on Lodha Committee reforms. Virender Kanwar was elected senior vice-president and Rajesh Bhandari was elected general secretary.

Himachal to set up Parshuram Bhavans in each district

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Friday directed all the Deputy Commissioners to allot land on lease at Re 1 to the Brahmins for construction of Parshuram Bhavans in each district.

He also directed officers of prominent temples to establish libraries so that research scholars could be benefitted. He said such libraries have already been working in the Sanskrit colleges and academies in the state.

Presiding over a meeting of the Brahmin Kalyan Board in Dharamsala town, the Chief Minister said Sanskrit is an ancient and rich language and a high scoring subject in competitive exams.

He assured the members to consider their demand of introducing Sanskrit at senior secondary level in the government schools.

Admiring the efforts and role of the Brahmin community in dissemination of education, religion and related practices, the Chief Minister said this community has played a significant role in educating society at large.

–IANS

Himachal Pradesh medical aspirant hangs self in Kota

Kota: A 19-year-old National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) aspirant allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself, the first such incident reported this year, police said on Friday.

Taniya Rana, a resident of Kandana area in Himachal Pradesh, was preparing for NEET at a coaching institute here. Taniya was found hanging in her hostel room last night in Landmark city, Kunhadi police station Circle-in-Charge Sri Chand said.

suicide-kota“No suicide note has been recovered and the reason behind the extreme step is yet to be ascertained,” Chand said. The body has been placed in the mortuary of MBS hospital for post-mortem which will be carried out after the arrival of her parents from Himachal, the officer said.

The state government and district administration have issued several guidelines to coaching institutes and hostel management to check the rising incidents of suicide.

Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje had recently expressed concerns over the number students who committed suicides in the last few years and issued directions to the institutes and the district authorities to open recreational centres in Kota for them.

Raje also asked the coaching managements to not burden the students with excess studies so that they could take their time out for other recreational activities to release stress. She also made an appeal to the parents not to pressurise the students.

This is the first suicide incident reported this year since 2015 and 2016 that each witnessed 17 such cases. Around 1.75 lakh students from across the country arrive at Kota every year for admission in coaching institutes to prepare for entrance exams of IIT and medical colleges.

According to a National Crime Records Bureau report, 2014, 45 cases of suicide were reported due to failure in exams. However, the figure in 2015 came down and 17 cases were registered, according to the report.

Snowfall in Himachal disrupts daily life

Snowfall in Himachal disrupts daily life

Shimla-Snowfall-himachalwatcher

The havoc of snowfall can be made out of the fact that most of the areas were deprived of power and water and traffic was badly affected. In fact, Sarah Valley and the Gadagusseni area in Kullu are still covered under 3 to 4 inches of snow. This is creating chaos for the villagers as they have to travel miles on snow covered roads and carry patients on palanquins to reach the hospital.

Moreover, various connecting roads to and from Shimla were also badly affected. Two days back, national highway 5 connecting the upper part of the city also came to halt. Owing to the snowfall, vehicles did not ply outside the Sanjauli road leading to Kufri and Narkanda. –

Now, as per Skymet Weather, the possibility of snow and rain over the lower reaches of the hilly regions is not foreseen for another 24- 48 hours. However, a fresh Western Disturbance is expected to affect Jammu and Kashmir soon.

Therefore, the higher altitudes are likely to witness some light snow or rain again from January 21. The intensity of rain or snow is expected to increase on January 22 and moderate to heavy snow and rain may occur from January 24 to January 27.

Owing to the heavy snowfall, schools, and colleges in the Una District have also been shut as per the order of the District Magistrate until January 21.

Please Note: Any information picked from here must be attributed to skymetweather.com

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