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Tuesday - March 25, 2025
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Tuesday - March 25, 2025
Weather: 20°C
REGD.-HP-09-0015257
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NHAI Turns Into Corruption Den: GM Caught Red-Handed With Rs 15 Lakh Bribe, Rs 1.18 Crore Cash Recovered — CBI Must Probe Collapsing Highway Projects in Hills
Chandigarh/New Delhi:
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), trusted with building the country’s lifelines, is fast turning into a corruption hub where managers openly mint money.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) busted a major bribery racket, arresting an NHAI General Manager red-handed while accepting Rs 15 lakh from a private company for clearing project bills. Three private players, including a GM of the firm, were also arrested.
In swift raids across Patna, Muzaffarpur, Samastipur, Begusarai, Purnia, Ranchi, and Varanasi, CBI recovered a staggering Rs 1.18 crore in cash, besides seizing digital devices and incriminating documents.
The racket, registered on 22 March, involves six NHAI officers — Chief GMs, GMs, and senior officials — along with a private company and contractors.
The officials were hand-in-glove with the company, clearing inflated and poor-quality work bills in return for fat bribes.
No wonder, portions of highways sink or collapse within months of construction. Look at the hill states — Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand — where newly built highways turn into death traps. Multiple stretches of the Kalka-Shimla Four-Lane, Kiratpur-Manali, and Parwanoo-Solan roads have sunk or caved in like cardboard, exposing the sub-standard work and shady deals behind these projects.
Locals often ask — who’s approving these faulty projects and why is no one held accountable when hills are butchered and roads sink? This entire NHAI network of corruption must be probed threadbare, especially in fragile Himalayan regions where people's lives are at risk every day.
It’s high time the CBI expands its probe to all NHAI projects in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and other states where highways have turned into black spots of corruption. Every inch of road built under these corrupt babus must be audited — before more lives are lost.
#NHAI #CBIRaid #HighwayScam #HimalayanLoot #KalkaShimlaFourLane #RoadToScam #HighwayCollapse #CBIProbe #CorruptionInHills #ParwanooSolanCollapse #KiratpurManaliLoot #InfrastructureLoot #TaxPayersMoney #CBIAction #Himachal #Uttarakhand
Shimla, March 24:
The Himachal Pradesh High Court on Monday directed parties to frame the legal questions involved in the high-profile case of Abhishek Manu Singhvi vs Harsh Mahajan, arising out of the controversial Rajya Sabha election defeat that shook Indian politics.
The court fixed April 2, 2025 as the next date of hearing. A single bench of Justice Ajay Mohan Goel ruled that once legal issues are framed, arguments on the maintainability of the petition and core issues will begin.
Appearing virtually, senior counsels P. Chidambaram and Prashanto Sen argued for Singhvi, while Neeraj Gupta and Vedant Ranta represented him in person. Maninder Singh, Senior Advocate, appeared for BJP’s Harsh Mahajan.
The matter dates back to February 28, 2024, when Congress heavyweight Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, backed by the ruling party in Himachal, lost the Rajya Sabha seat in a dramatic election twist inside the Vidhan Sabha.
Despite Congress having the numbers, the poll ended in a tie—sending shockwaves across political corridors. In a rare move, Harsh Mahajan of BJP was declared the winner by toss, leaving Singhvi and the Congress red-faced.
Singhvi moved the High Court challenging the process, arguing there is “no statutory mechanism” to settle such a constitutional tie-breaker by toss in Rajya Sabha elections.
His petition pleads that the declaration of Mahajan as a winner via toss is “illegal, arbitrary, and unconstitutional”, and demands the result be quashed.
The case has major legal and political implications—questioning the validity of deciding a Parliamentary seat by a toss, raising constitutional concerns never tested before.
If the court rules in Singhvi's favour, it could set a precedent for electoral laws, especially around tie-breaking mechanisms in high-stakes elections.
Stay tuned for April 2. This case is set to reopen political wounds and constitutional debates!
#RajyaSabhaElection #TossPolitics #SinghviVsMahajan #HimachalHighCourt #ConstitutionalCrisis #ElectoralReform #BJP #Congress #AbhishekManuSinghvi #HarshMahajan #HimachalPolitics #RajyaSabhaToss #BreakingNews #PoliticalDrama #IndianPolitics #SupremeCourtNext #VidhanSabha
Shimla, March 24 — The widening gap between demand and supply of medicinal plants is a growing concern in Himachal Pradesh.
Stakeholders flagged the issue during a consultation workshop organized by the Himalayan Forest Research Institute (HFRI), Shimla here today.
Experts said the market is buyer-driven, forcing cultivators to sell produce at throwaway prices.
Dr. Vineet Jishtu, Scientist-E and Training Coordinator at HFRI, stressed the need for proper record-keeping of cultivation and harvesting cycles to help farmers get organic certification and better market rates.
Dr Jishtu also suggested that farmers form groups to build a seller-driven market where they could fix the price rather than depend on buyers.
He pointed out that the biggest challenge is the lack of storage, leading to loss of medicinal quality due to fungal attacks.
Dr. Sandeep Sharma, Director of HFRI, warned that extracting medicinal plants from forests before maturity is destroying their quality and medicinal properties.
"Harvesting should be done only after the Bhado month when plants have the best medicinal value," he said, adding that unethical harvesting is leading to adulteration, causing people to lose faith in Ayurvedic medicines.
Dr. Lal Singh, Director of the Himalayan Research Group, explained that Chirayta cultivation can earn Rs. 30,000 to 35,000 in just 18 months, while Kadu cultivation can fetch Rs. 80,000 to Rs. 1 lakh annually after 3-4 years.
These crops require no fertilizers and remain safe from wild animals like monkeys.
Lal Singh stressed that whatever is cultivated should ensure livelihood, and all expenses from production to market should be calculated.
Proper harvesting time and scientific storage are essential to retain medicinal properties and fetch better prices.
Medicinal plant trader Kailash Sharma demanded that traders be trained in proper storage so that quality material is supplied when demand arises.
"When demand comes, due to lack of storage, suppliers dump anything they have, compromising on quality," he added.
Experts from JICA also shared various government schemes under their project for stakeholder support. All participants raised their queries, which were addressed by experts in detail.
Over 35 stakeholders from across Himachal Pradesh attended the consultation workshop aimed at improving the quality of medicinal plants and reviving trust in Ayurvedic medicines.
@HFRI @ICFRE_INDIA @HPForestDept @AyushHP @AgriGoI @jica_india
#HimachalNews #MedicinalPlants #Ayurveda #OrganicFarming #SustainableDevelopment #ForestConservation #HerbalMedicine #FarmersRights #RuralEconomy #HerbalQuality #SustainableHarvest #MarketReforms #PostHarvestManagement #HealthMatters #HerbalWealth #HimalayanEconomy #MedicinalHerbs #NaturalResources #FarmersVoice #SkillDevelopment #IncomeSource #TribalLivelihood #NaturalHealing #HerbalCare
Auckland House School Faces Flak Over Eid Dress Code, Forced to Withdraw Order After VHP, Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti Uproar
Shimla – Auckland House School landed itself in controversy after it issued a circular asking students to come dressed in kurta-pajama and a cap for Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations scheduled for March 28, 2025.
The directive, which also asked students to bring roti roll with paneer, sevaiya, and dry fruits in their lunchbox, sparked outrage from Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Devbhoomi Sangharsh Samiti.
VHP leader AP Singh lashed out at the school management, calling it a "blatant example of shallow secularism." He questioned why a Christian missionary school was imposing religious attire on students, forcing them to participate in religious rituals in the name of secularism.
"Celebrating festivals is fine, but dictating dress codes for religious events is not acceptable.
Auckland House School must realize it is not a madrasa. If this is secularism, then let them also issue similar orders for Hindu festivals like Ram Navami or Janmashtami," AP Singh said.
Faced with mounting pressure and social media backlash, the school management finally withdrew the circular late evening.
A fresh message was sent to parents, asking students to come in school uniform instead.
The episode has triggered fresh debate on selective secularism and how minority appeasement in the name of inclusivity is being pushed by elite institutions.
#EidRow #AucklandSchoolControversy #VHPProtest #SelectiveSecularism #ShimlaNews #DevbhoomiSangharshSamiti #MissionarySchoolRow
BJP bigwigs reach Katgaon, back Vimal Negi’s family; demand CBI probe into HPPCL officer’s mysterious death
Katgaon (Kinnaur), March 23:
Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, along with BJP State President Dr. Rajiv Bindal, reached Katgaon village in Kinnaur on Saturday to meet the grieving family of Vimal Negi, an officer in Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL), whose mysterious death has triggered massive outrage in the tribal district.
Accompanied by senior party leaders, Jai Ram and Bindal stood in solidarity with the family and demanded a CBI probe, openly rejecting the ongoing inquiry led by Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Onkar Chand Sharma.
"It is just a bureaucratic formality. We don't trust it. Only a CBI investigation can unravel the real conspiracy behind Vimal's death," said Jai Ram Thakur while consoling the family and promised support and solidarity with the family to give them justice.
Vimal’s mother and wife Kiran Negi broke down inconsolably, accusing the authorities of shielding the real culprits.
"Had we not raised our voice, even the small action taken till now wouldn’t have happened. Still, the main accused—HPPCL MD H. Meena, and Director Personnel & Finance Shivam Pratap Singh—have not been named in the FIR," cried Kiran, urging leaders to stand by them till they get justice.
Locals alleged that Vimal Negi was under constant pressure after he raised red flags over financial irregularities in a multi-crore project. Shockingly, his death was first brushed aside as suicide,’ and it was only after protests and their support that a probe was ordered.
Even Kinnaur’s Congress MLA Jagat Singh Negi, while speaking to the media, admitted that the case has shaken the faith of people. "I too feel the need for a high-level inquiry. If the family is not satisfied, the government must hand over the case to CBI. We can’t let the guilty go scot-free, whoever they may be," said Jagat Singh Negi.
The Opposition warned the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government of a bigger agitation if the case is not handed over to CBI soon.
"This is no ordinary death; it smells of a deep-rooted scam and murder. We will take this fight to the streets," said Bindal.
Meanwhile, the tribal district is simmering with anger, with people alleging that the HPPCL top brass is being shielded due to their political connections.
The family has made it clear—they want nothing less than a CBI probe.
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