Bereaved
Kullu: Daya Ram Parmar, father of former president of district Youth Congress Uttam Parmar, died after he reportedly fell from a tree yesterday. His death has been mourned by former ministers Satya Prakash Thakur and Raj Krishan Gaur and the district Youth Congress and Kullu (urban) Youth Congress.

Disposed of
Kullu: Presiding over a "Prashasan Janata Key Dwaar" programme at Sainj town, Deputy Commissioner R.D. Dhiman has directed the Department of Agriculture to prepare an action plan to promote farming of off-seasonal vegetables in the district. Of a total of 66 representations, 40 relating to public grievances were redressed at the spot while the rest were sent to the departments concerned for expeditious disposal. Earlier, another district-level Khula Darbar was organised at Burua village, 7 km from Manali.

Welcomed
Kullu: Ghanshyam Kapoor, general secretary of the Association of Lecturers of Himachal Pradesh Senior Secondary Schools, has hailed the decision to restore Class II gazetted status to senior secondary lecturers. He expressed the hope that the Chief Minister would concede rest of the pending demands of the lecturers soon.

Carnival
Kullu: The five-day annual Winter Carnival and the all India Youth Festival were inaugurated by the BJP MP from Mandi, Maheshwar Singh, at Nehru Stadium here. Earlier, a procession was taken out from Hidimba temple till Nehru Stadium in which a large number of artistes and villagers dressed in local costumes participated. The MP announced a grant of Rs 1.5 lakh for the Winter Carnival out of his local area funds.

OpposedKullu: The residents of Vashisht village, about 4 km from Manali, have opposed the move of the Snow Avalanche and Studies Establishment (SASE) acquiring 30 bighas of fertile land near Bahang. The residents said a notification to this effect has already been issued. They submitted a memorandum to MP Maheshwar Singh in this connection and urged former minister Thakur Kunj Lal to intervene. The residents said 40 families in the village would face starvation if the land was acquired. They added that SASE could have acquired land in Kothi and Solang areas.