Himachal Confidential

Slip of tongue
Horticulture Minister Narender Bragta got emotional when he held a press conference last week to give out calculated reasons for not reviving the Gumma carton factory that stopped functioning two years ago. When asked as to why the BJP was going back on its promise listed in the election manifesto,which was adopted as policy document of the government,Bragta almost lost temper. Besides many other things,he said: “We had meant the factory would be started if it looked profitable.” As it was pointed out that there were no ifs and buts in the manifesto,Bragta said: “Manifesto mein to bahut kuch likha hota hai (a lot of things are said in manifestoes).” When asked whether he was saying it on the record,he checked himself and said after a pause: “Kaha suna maaf (forgive me if I said something that hurt anyone)”.

Wanted: women in khaki
The Himachal Pradesh Police,which have about 5 per cent of women officers,are finding it difficult to select eligible candidates to raise the Women India Reserve Battalion (V) sanctioned to the state. Of the 701 vacancies,the state police have been able to fill up only about 422 and will start fresh recruitment for the rest. The police are not able to believe that in a state like Himachal that shows great interest in government jobs,there are not enough eligible girls according to the required physical standards. The state recently announced the number of women employed under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act,which was 46 per cent.

Blessing in disguise
The High Court’s order of last week to shift the solid waste disposal plant from the present site in the town to its outskirts has come as a blessing in disguise for the Shimla Municipal Corporation. Villages around the new site on Tara Devi bypass road had already registered their protest against the waste treatment plant,quoting environment concerns and disturbance to the local drinking water schemes. But now that the court has ruled that any obstruction in shifting of the plant will be treated as contempt,the corporation has got a freeway to immediately take up work on the site. The villagers are now looking for other channels to get themselves heard.

Conspicuous absence
As Nitin Gadkari took over as the new national president of the BJP,Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal,his son and MP Anurag Thakur and party in-charge of Himachal affairs Satya Pal Jain made a special trip to Delhi to congratulate him. After photographs of the three leaders with Gadkari were flashed in the media across the state,the BJP workers were looking for reasons behind the absence of state BJP president Khimi Ram. Ever since taking over about four months ago,Khimi Ram is known to have maintained an extraordinarily low profile and distance from the limelight. Many are trying to find out whether Khimi Ram is a simpleton to the core or there is a special design behind his running away from the limelight.