BJPs hard-luck heritage hotel

The dramatic expulsion of Jaswant Singh from the BJP during the three-day chintan baithak in Shimla has been under the...

The dramatic expulsion of Jaswant Singh from the BJP during the three-day chintan baithak in Shimla has been under the media glare,but scant attention has been paid to the venue of the meet the sprawling colonial-era Peterhoff Hotel. In a way,its proof that superstitions dont pay off. The BJPs state unit had recommended the Himachal Institute of Public Administration,but the BJPs central leadership was keener on finding out where the Shimla conclave of the Congress was held in 2003. The answer: the Peterhoff. So top leaders chose the same venue in the hope that the BJPs fortunes would change as it did in the case of the Congress in 2004 within a year after the conclave.

Utterly-Bitterly Virbhadra

Having been inducted as Cabinet minister in the UPA government,former CM Virbhadra Singh finds little comfort in the hills. After the states Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau lodged a corruption FIR against Virbhadra and his wife,the Union minister has accused the government of tapping his telephones and posting policemen around his residence to keep watch on the visitors a charge which CM Prem Kumar Dhumal denied vehemently. When Virbhadra threatened to write to Home Minister P Chidambaram about the alleged phone tapping,Dhumal shot back: If the Union minister is serious about inquiry,I will write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to appoint any top agency of the country to look into the charges.

Recession hits hydro-power

The after-effects of the economic recession have hit Himachal Pradesh in a crucial area. The states drive to accelerate hydro-power generation to meet the countrys power demand,boost the states revenue reserves and generate employment has come to naught. The work on major projects has slowed down,and allotments of new projects to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) also remains severely affected. The government was compelled to cancel 11 hydro-power projects as IPPs failed to deposit Upfront Premium,despite repeated extensions granted to them. The government is now proposing amendments in the power policy to bail out the power sector investors facing problems rising out of recession.

Red-faced apple growers are smiling

After reaching out to the government for help when they lost almost 50 per cent of their crop,the apple producers now have plenty to be happy about as the prices of the fruit are shooting up apples are being sold for Rs 1,400-Rs 2,000 per box in Delhi and Chandigarh wholesale markets. Such high prices are a first in the history of Himachals apple boom,admit local producers. Some popular varieties like Red Chief,Super Chief and Royals have been sold for up to Rs 2,200 per box. Apple orchards,which normally used to earn Rs 8 lakh to 10 lakh,are now making between Rs 16 lakh and 25 lakh.

‘Bangladeshis’ and ‘ghuspaithiyas’: BJP MP Brij Lal stops five sanitation workers on road in to quiz them on video

‘Bangladeshis’, ‘ghuspaithiyas’: On camera, BJP MP quizzes 5 sanitation workers

Cities2 hr ago

BJP MP and former UP DGP Brij Lal has sparked controversy with a video accusing five sanitation workers in Lucknow's Gomti Nagar Extension of being Bangladeshi infiltrators. Lal, a former IPS officer, claims to know how terrorism works and alleges that these workers are a threat to the nation. He appeals to CM Yogi Adityanath to deport them and claims they have fake identities.

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