The Municipal Commissioner’s Court here on Saturday directed the president of Muslim Welfare Committee and Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board to demolish the top three unauthorised floors of the mosque located at Sanjauli area in the state’s capital within two months

During the hearing of the case, the Commissioner asked the Muslim Welfare Committee and Waqf Board to bear all the expenses of the demolition.

The decision regarding the remaining two floors of the mosque will be taken on December 21.

Bhoop Singh Thakur, the advocate who is representing the Himachal Pradesh Waqf Board in the case, told mediapersons that the court has passed orders to demolish the top three floors of the mosque.

“We had already offered to demolish the unauthorised floors of the mosque on September 12 and we have no objection with the order. We are ready to demolish the unauthorised floors,” said Muhammad Latif, president, Sanjauli Mosque Committee, after the hearing of the case.
Advocate Jagat Paul, who is representing the locals, said that the Commissioner — during the hearing — said that as per the memorandum submitted by the president of Muslim Welfare Committee, they had offered to demolish two-and-a-half floors of the mosque, after which the court ordered the demolition of three unauthorised floors.

Earlier, the Commissioner also dismissed the application of the local residents of Sanjauli, who wanted to be the third party in the case, after a detailed argument.

The case that is being heard in the Commissioner’s Court since 2010 came into focus when Hindu outfits started to raise the demand of its demolition after a fight between a local and people of a minority community in Malyana.

Hindu outfits have staged massive protests in Sanjauli and across the state through which they demanded that all the illegal mosques within the state should be razed and proper verification of unidentified migrants should be ensured.

The Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti that has been vocal against unauthorised mosques in Sanjauli has welcomed the court’s decision. However, the committee has made it clear that their movement against the illegal mosque would continue till the structure is not demolished completely.

Bharat Bhushan, convener, Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti, in a press statement issued here today alleged that the entire mosque is illegal as it has been constructed on government-owned land. Therefore, the entire structure should be razed.

Now, we are waiting for the next hearing that is scheduled for December 21. We are hopeful that the decision regarding the demolition of the entire illegal structure will be taken during the next hearing,” he said.

The samiti also expressed gratitude towards two Cabinet ministers Vikramaditya Singh and Anirudh Singh for raising the issue during the monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly that was held during August and September.

Artistes from 21 countries will take part in this year’s International Dasehra Festival in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sunder Singh Thakur said.

After chairing an ambassadors’ meet to discuss the participation of various countries in this year’s festival in New Delhi on Thursday, Thakur said ambassadors, excellences and heads of mission from various nations will meet Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on October 18 in Kullu to hold bilateral talks on various points of interest.

Representatives from these countries will set up stalls during the festival while cultural troupes will perform during an international folk dance festival to promote cultural exchange and foster harmony, goodwill and understanding, according to a statement issued here on Friday.

Thakur also briefed diplomats and representatives of various embassies about the event’s preparedness, including logistics and travel support to be extended to the visitors for their participation in the Dasehra festival.

An overview of the event was also provided, the statement said.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has categorically denied imposing ‘toilet tax’ in the state.

Interacting with the media in New Delhi on Friday, he said such claims are baseless and should not be used for political purposes.

He said, “In light of the Haryana elections, the BJP is either playing the religion card or raising the toilet tax issue. No one should try to politicise issues purely for political gains, especially when the allegations are far from reality,” he said.

Sukhu said that prior to the Vidhan Sabha elections in 2022, the then BJP government had introduced sops worth Rs 5,000 crore, including provision of free water (in rural areas) in a bid to get votes. Despite these measures, the people of the state voted in favour of the Congress, he added.

He said free water was being provided to even five-star hotels, adding that the current government had taken steps to rationalise the water subsidy and decided to impose minimal charges of Rs 100 per connection per month in rural areas.

As a child, Pinki Haryan, along with her parents, begged on the streets and scavenged for food in garbage dumps in McLeodganj. Twenty years and a medical degree later, she is now burning the midnight oil to clear an exam that will make her eligible to practise medicine.

It was in 2004 when Lobsang Jamyang, a Tibetan refugee monk and the director of Dharamshala-based charitable trust, spotted Haryan begging. Days later, he visited the slum cluster at Charan Khud and recognised the girl.

Then began the uphill task of convincing her parents, especially her father Kashmiri Lal, to let her pursue education. After hours of persuasion, Lal agreed.

Haryan got admission into the Dayanand Public School at Dharamshala and was among the first batch of students at a hostel for destitute children set up by the charitable trust in 2004.

Ajay Srivastava, president of NGO Umang Foundation, who has been associated with Jamyang for 19 years, said initially, Haryan missed her home and parents but kept her focus on studies, which she realised was her ticket out of poverty.

Soon enough, the results were proof of her dedication.

She passed the senior secondary examination and also cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) for admission to undergraduate medical courses, Srivastava said.
However, the doors of private medical colleges remained shut for her due to the exorbitant fees. With the help of the Tong-Len Charitable Trust in the United Kingdom, she got admission to a prestigious medical college in China in 2018 and has returned to Dharamshala recently after completing her MBBS, Srivastava said.

After a wait of 20 years, Haryan is a qualified doctor raring to serve the destitute and give them a better life.

“Poverty was the biggest struggle since childhood. It was painful to see my family in distress. As I got into school, I had an ambition to become successful in life,” Haryan told PTI.

“As a child, I lived in a slum so my background was my biggest motivation. I wished for a good and financially stable life,” she added.

Sharing a childhood memory, Haryan recalled that during her school admission interview as a four-year-old, she expressed her ambition to become a doctor.

“At that point in time, I had no idea what work a doctor does, but I always wanted to help my community,” said Haryan, who is preparing for the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) to become eligible to practise medicine in India.

Haryan, whose brother and sister have enrolled in a school after drawing inspiration from her, credited Jamyang for her “slum-dweller to doctor” success story.

“He (Jamyang) had a vision to help the destitute and poor children. He was the biggest support system I had while I was in school. His belief in me was a big inspiration to do well,” she said, adding that there were several others like her who have made it big in life due to the support from the trust.

Meanwhile, Jamyang said he had set up the trust in the hope of imparting basic education to the destitute children so that they can lead a respectful life.

“I did not realise that these children were so full of talent… They have become role models and are inspiring others,” he said.

Srivastava said Jamyang believes that children should not be treated as “machines to earn money”. Instead, he says that they should be encouraged to become good human beings.

“He has dedicated his entire life to the children living in slums. Several of them, who once languished in the streets, were adopted by him and have today become engineers, doctors and journalists,” Srivastava said.

Having rested for about 10 days following ill health, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today addressed an election meeting in poll-bound Haryana. Sukhu remained confined to his residence for 10 days but attended to official work and met ministers, MLAs and officers.

Sukhu had to cancel his tour of Jammu and Kashmir on September 23 after he was suddenly taken ill. He is likely to leave for New Delhi after the campaign in Haryana.

Before leaving for Haryana, the Chief Minister said that the BJP was trying to mislead voters in Haryana by making false claims that the Congress had not fulfilled the guarantees it had made to the people of Himachal before to the 2022 Assembly elections. “We have already fulfilled the first guarantee of restoring the old pension scheme (OPS),” he added.

He said that his government had given the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 30 for maize and Rs 40 per kg for organically grown crops. “If my government had not done good work, the people of the state would not have given six of the nine Assembly seats, on which byelections were held, to the Congress,” he claimed.

The Chief Minister said that there was no communal tension in the state and the people of all religions, regions, castes and communities were living in peace and harmony. “It is absolutely wrong on the part of some people to try to get political mileage by fanning communal tension,” he alleged.

The monsoon will start withdrawing from some parts of the state over the next two-three days.

As per the weather department, withdrawal will start from the areas bordering Jammu and Kashmir.

“The Southwest monsoon seasonal (June to September) rainfall has been normal over the state. The state received 600.9 mm of rainfall against the normal rainfall of 734.4 mm, with a departure of minus 18 per cent,” the weather department said in a press release.

As per the release, the state received 97th highest rainfall (600.9 mm) this monsoon season in the last 124 years. The highest rainfall (1314.6 mm) was recorded in the year 1922 for the period of 1901 to 2024.

The monsoon, which hit the state on June 27, was minus 54 per cent deficient in June, with actual precipitation being 46.2mm against the normal rainfall of 101.1 mm. The deficiency in July reduced to minus 29 per cent, with actual rainfall being 180.5 mm against the normal of 255.9 mm.

As per the release, the state received 97th highest rainfall (600.9 mm) this monsoon season in the last 124 years. The highest rainfall (1314.6 mm) was recorded in the year 1922 for the period of 1901 to 2024.

The monsoon, which hit the state on June 27, was minus 54 per cent deficient in June, with actual precipitation being 46.2mm against the normal rainfall of 101.1 mm. The deficiency in July reduced to minus 29 per cent, with actual rainfall being 180.5 mm against the normal of 255.9 mm.

The monsoon picked up pace in August as the state recorded 243.6 mm against the normal of 256.8 mm, with deficiency being only minus 5 per cent. However, September recorded 4 per cent more than normal rainfall, bringing down the overall departure from normal to minus 18 per cent.

The departure of plus, minus 19 per cent from the normal rainfall is considered normal,” Director Kuldeep Srivastava at Meteorological Centre, Shimla, said.

As per the weather department, extremely heavy rainfall was reported at Dharamsala on July 6, Palampur on August 1, and Dhaulakuan on September 26. In the month of June, very heavy rainfall was reported on only one day, six days in July, seven days in August and three days in September.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that the state had registered an increase of 15.70 per cent in trout production in 2023-24 compared to the previous year. “The total trout production in 2022-23 was 1,170.50 metric tonne and in 2023-24 it has risen to 1,388 metric tonne. The production in 2021-22 was 913.50 metric tonne,” he added.

The Chief Minister said that the government was making earnest efforts to strengthen the rural economy. “Thousands of families in the state rely on fisheries for their livelihood. Currently, 742 families are engaged in trout production. Therefore, the government is making a policy to boost fish production, thereby strengthening the economy of fishermen,” he added.

The Chief Minister attributed the growth in trout production to the collaborative efforts of the fishermen and the government. “The increase in the production is a clear result of the hard work of our fishermen and the government’s supportive policies,” he said.

Sukhu said that Himachal Pradesh had nine trout hatcheries in the government sector and six in the private sector that supply trout seeds to the farmers. Additionally, the Fisheries Department has been imparting training to fishermen in modern techniques in trout farming. For the first time, a special training camp was organised for the people residing in far-flung areas of Dodra Kwar in Shimla district. Similar camps were held in Sirmaur, Shimla, Chamba, Kinnaur and Kullu districts regarding trout farming.

He said that trout farming had reached commercial levels with Himachali trout being in high demand in five star hotels of Chandigarh and Delhi in the districts of Kullu and Mandi. The growing popularity of trout farming is also contributing to tourism in the state. “With advanced farming techniques and increasing market demand, trout production is poised for further growth that can benefit the farmers and the state,” he added.

42 families involved

In Himachal Pradesh, there are nine trout hatcheries in the government sector and six in the private sector that supply trout seeds to farmers
At present, 742 families are engaged in trout farming

The Mandi bypass section of the Kiratpur-Manali four-lane road project was opened to traffic trials in the district on Monday.

The event was attended by Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Project Director Varun Chari and other officials.

The nearly 8-km bypass is crucial for both strategic and tourism purposes. During the trial run, the Deputy Commissioner emphasised that once the route was fully operational, heavy vehicular traffic in the city would decrease significantly, providing relief from frequent jams.

The NHAI reported that the Mandi bypass had been constructed at a total cost of Rs 725 crore. The bypass features three major and seven minor bridges, along with four tunnels, all of which were opened to the trial run today.

Once the traffic is streamlined on the bypass, travel to Kullu, Manali, and Leh will become much easier, and Mandi city will be relieved of congestion. A formal inauguration of the project is planned once the road work from Ner Chowk to Pandoh is completed.

The Mandi bypass section of the Kiratpur-Manali four-lane road project was opened to traffic trials in the district on Monday.

The event was attended by Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) Project Director Varun Chari and other officials.

The nearly 8-km bypass is crucial for both strategic and tourism purposes. During the trial run, the Deputy Commissioner emphasised that once the route was fully operational, heavy vehicular traffic in the city would decrease significantly, providing relief from frequent jams.

The NHAI reported that the Mandi bypass had been constructed at a total cost of Rs 725 crore. The bypass features three major and seven minor bridges, along with four tunnels, all of which were opened to the trial run today.

Once the traffic is streamlined on the bypass, travel to Kullu, Manali, and Leh will become much easier, and Mandi city will be relieved of congestion. A formal inauguration of the project is planned once the road work from Ner Chowk to Pandoh is completed.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu yesterday said that the state government was making concerted efforts to fast-track the clearance of cases under the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) and the Forest Rights Act (FRA) to ensure timely implementation of development projects.

He said that due to the state government’s persistent efforts, the Union Government had granted 66 FCA clearances for projects of significant public interest. “These projects cover vital sectors such as infrastructure, education and water supply. Besides, the state has also secured 77 in-principle approvals from the Central Government, paving the way for the Shongtong and Thana Plaun power projects, educational institutions, heliports, water supply schemes and road projects,” he added.

Sukhu said that many such cases had been pending for years, but were now being expedited. “District-level committees under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner, Divisional Forest Officer and representatives of the user agency concerned for monitoring the progress on the FCA and FRA cases for clearance have been constituted,” he added.

The Chief Minister said that to ensure better coordination, proper scrutiny of cases and liaison with the Central Government, the state government had deputed a senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer to expedite the cases.

He said, “Around 70 per cent area of Himachal Pradesh is forest and the requirement of forestland for public interest projects is unavoidable. Therefore, getting forest clearances to implement such projects is crucial for the development of the state but these invariably get delayed.”

The Chief Minister said that the state government was committed to maintaining a balance between environment conservation and development for the benefit of the people of the state. The state government had launched various forestry schemes to further increase the forest cover, he added.

Dr Pardeep Kumar, Associate Professor, Department of Soil Science and Water Management, was elected as a Senate member by defeating Dr Subash Sharma, Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences.

Senate polls in the constituency of Associate Professors/Professors at Dr Y S Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, Solan, were held on September 25. The results were declared on Saturday evening.

Dr Pardeep Kumar polled 54 votes against 48 secured by Dr Sharma, out of 103 votes polled in the elections. One vote was declared invalid.

Kumar has also remained president of Central Student’s Association in 1993-94 and had played a significant role for securing 70 per cent reservation for forestry graduates in the direct recruitment of Range Forest officers and for securing posts of Horticulture Development officers in the state.

The Himachal Government has substantially increased the application fees for the approval of building plans. Non-Himachalis, who have bought land in relaxation of Section 118 of the Tenancy and Land Reform Act, 1972, will have to pay a 150 per cent higher fee than Himachalis for getting building plans approved from the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department.

The TCP Department has notified the rules called the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning (12th Amendment) Rules, 2024. An amendment has been made to the Rule 16 of the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Rules, 2014. The department has sought objections and suggestions to the changes from people within one month.

All cases for building plan permission for residential use having a plot area up to 100 sq m shall be exempted from all kinds of fees

Also, no fee shall be charged from the below poverty line (BPL) families, economically-weaker sections (EWS) of society and from the applicants of housing schemes notified by the government from time to time

Besides, people from other states, who want an essentiality certificate (EC) for building hotels, industry or any other projects, will have to pay application fees of Rs 25,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh for plot sizes of 2,500 sq m, 10,000 sq m and over 10,000 sq m, respectively. The decision seems to be aimed at generating the much-needed revenue for the government, which is reeling under Rs 85,000-crore debt.

A major hike has also been made in the application fee for Himachalis for the approval of building plans, revision, alteration, subdivision of land, change of land use or change of building use with rates varying in the municipal corporation areas and outside.

As per Section 118, people from other states cannot purchase land in Himachal without the permission of the Revenue Department, be it for domestic or any commercial use.

However, all cases for building plan permission for residential use having a plot area up to 100 sq m shall be exempted from all kinds of fees. Also, no fee shall be charged from the below poverty line (BPL) families, economically-weaker sections (EWS) of society and from the applicants of housing schemes notified by the government from time to time. However, a family can avail of this benefit only once.

A fire broke out at the Sector 2 plant of Morepen Laboratories Private Limited — a pharmaceutical unit — in Parwanoo on Saturday. No loss of life has been reported.

A fire engine was rushed to the site to control the blaze, which triggered from the lift and spread to other areas, like the store.

The fire-fighters had to break the glass installed in the lift to control the fire, which took some time, said Santosh Sharma, Commandant, Home Guards, Solan.

The fire had been controlled, though smoke was still billowing from some parts of the building.

They were making efforts to douse the blaze completely, he said.

The unit management is yet to assess the loss.

The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBoSE) is set to change its examination pattern as per the New Education Policy.

Sources here said that from the next academic session (2025-26), the state school education board examinations would have at least 50 per cent competence-based questions. These competence-based questions would be in the form of short questions that would test the reasoning and logical ability of students in respective subjects.

50% Logic, reasoning-based questions

The HP Board of School Education (HPBoSE) currently relies on subjective questions, but under the New Education Policy, the Centre has recommended an examination system that is based on logic and reasoning.
Under the new system, at least 50% questions will be competence-based i.e. based on logic and reasoning, while 20% would be multiple choice questions.
These competence-based questions would be designed in a manner that enables students to prepare for national-level entrance tests such as JEE and NEET along with their board exams.
Besides, at least 20 per cent questions in each examination would be multiple choice questions (MCQs) and there would be a separate section for MCQs in each examination conducted by the HPBoSE.
HPBoSE Secretary Vishal Sharma said the board had decided to follow the format of examinations prescribed by the NCERT under the New Education Policy.

Confirming that every exam conduction by the board would have at least 20 per cent MCQs, he said a separate OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) sheet would be given for attempting these multiple choice questions, which would be evaluated mechanically through scanning machines.

Talking about competence-based questions, the secretary said these competence-based questions would be designed in a manner that enables students to prepare for national-level entrance tests such as JEE and NEET along with their board exams.

These logic and reasoning questions would be either in MCQ form or short form to test the reasoning ability of students on a pattern that is adopted in national-level entrance exams, he added.

The HPBoSE was conducting a workshop of schoolteachers from across the state to acquaint them with the changes to be adopted in the examination system from the next session.

The examination system of the state board currently relies on subjective questions. But under the New Education Policy, the Government of India has recommended the examination system that is based on logic and reasoning.

The CBSE has also reduced syllabus in many subjects as per the New Education Policy. The state school education was yet to reduce syllabus as per the recommendations of the new policy. Hence, the parents had demanded that the HPBoSE also reduces the syllabus for board examination, as per the pattern adopted by the CBSE so that students under the state board were not burdened .

Notably, the HPBoSE has been functioning without a permanent chairman for two years ever since the present government took over. The charge of the HPBoSE chairman has been assigned to the deputy commissioner of Kangra.

Slamming Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut, who claimed that the “Himachal Government was diverting loans and grants to Sonia Gandhi”, Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi on Tuesday said Kangana had made the people of Himachal a laughing stock with her outlandish statements.

“People elsewhere must be wondering what kind of a person we have elected as our MP who doesn’t even have basic understanding,” said Negi.

“Even an illiterate person doesn’t make the kind of statements she makes. As an MP, she should be far more responsible. She, however, makes outlandish statements even in Parliament,” said Negi.

The Horticulture Minister said the people had made a big mistake by choosing her as their representative. “Even the media should not give time and space to such absurd statements. If the media keeps playing it up, it raises question mark on them as well,” he said.