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Sunday - May 18, 2025
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01:48 PM
Sunday - May 18, 2025
Weather: 21°C
REGD.-HP-09-0015257
Shimla: Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s re...
Himachal Erupts: Farmers and Apple Growers Protest...
Shimla, April 25: Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder...
BREAKING: Residents Urge PM Modi to Cancel Rail Project Involving Turkish Firm
KULLU/SHIMLA:
Residents in Devbhoomi of Kullu-Manali in Himachal Pradesh have raised strong objections to a Turkish firm’s role in a strategic Bilaspur Manali Leh railway rail project.
They have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately intervene.
Apart from this they have also joined Apple farmers in Himachal coming out swinging, demanding that all apple trade and related goods linked to Turkey be scrapped immediately.
They say it's time to teach Turkish President Erdogan a lesson for backing Pakistan and funding terror networks.
“Why should we let Turkish companies profit while they stab India in the back?” Devbhoomi Residents ask raising security concerns related to survey being done by the Turkish firm in the valley.
They have upped their ante to cancel the Turkish firm’s role in the Bilaspur–Manali–Leh railway project.
From the orchards of Himachal to the Parliament in Delhi, the chorus is growing louder — cut the ties, cancel the deal, and put national security first.
Continuing their protest they demand: Cancel the involvement of Yüksel Proje, a Turkish company, in the Bilaspur–Manali–Leh railway project.
A memorandum was submitted to former CM Jai Ram Thakur and ex-minister Govind Singh Thakur today in Kullu urging them to shuffle in their sipport and press PM for cancellation of the project to Turkish company .
The protest is being led by Narantak Sharma, President of the Upper Valley Bachao Sangathan.
Locals say the Turkish company’s presence is a national security risk.
They argue that Turkey supports Pakistan and opposes India’s stance on Kashmir.
They also fear massive environmental damage.
Over 1 lakh trees could be cut down.
They warn of damage to orchards, water sources, and rural livelihoods.
The alignment could hit apple farming — the backbone of the region’s economy.
Tourism could also take a hit due to noise, tunnel work, and pollution.
Several panchayats have already opposed the company’s survey.
Locals are demanding that the survey be redone by Indian agencies.
They want public hearings before any further work.
Their message is clear:
"We support development, but not at the cost of our land, trees, and security."
#CancelTurkeySurvey
#HimalayaMatters
#NoBlindDevelopment
#PMMustAct
SHIMLA: a historic first, the National Cadet Corps (NCC) Boys and Girls Mount Everest Expedition 2025 successfully summited Mount Everest at 4:45 AM on May 18, 2025.
This marks the first joint ascent by a mixed-gender NCC team, showcasing the courage and determination of India's youth.
The expedition team comprised 10 cadets—five boys and five girls—selected from across India. Notably, cadets Jahan Kukkal and Padam Namgail from the 2 Chandigarh Battalion NCC were part of this remarkable journey.
Both had previously participated in preparatory expeditions, including Mount Abi Gamin and a winter training camp at Siachen Base Camp, to ready themselves for this formidable challenge.
The expedition was led by Colonel Amit Bisht, a seasoned mountaineer who previously summited Everest in 2021.
The mission was managed by Seven Summit Treks, with support from experienced Sherpa guides and Indian Army personnel, ensuring the team's safety and success .
This accomplishment not only highlights the NCC's commitment to fostering resilience and leadership among its cadets but also serves as an inspiration for young aspirants nationwide.
#NCCMountaineers #YouthOnEverest #ChandigarhPride #NCCAdventure
Shimla, May 17:Even as Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu directed the Forest Development Corporation to stop outsourcing work to private contractors and take direct charge of extracting nearly 10,000 stumps of cider wood, experts believe this is just the beginning of a long-overdue course correction.
For years, private contractors have called the shots in Himachal's forest-based operations—allegedly indulging in unfair practices, cornering profits, and undercutting the state’s potential revenue.
In a meeting of the Pricing Committee chaired by the CM, fresh rates for non-timber forest produce and royalty were also approved.
However, it was the decision to halt contractor dependence that stood out. Sukhu categorically told the Forest Corporation to prepare a roadmap for in-house extraction of cider stumps—aimed at curbing leakages and boosting transparency.
Despite the move, many in forest and environmental circles argue that the Forest Corporation has only scratched the surface.
“This decision was long pending. The state has been losing crores due to underreporting, mismanagement, and over-exploitation by private contractors. The question is—why now?” said a retired forest officer on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the Forest Corporation presented a cheque of Rs. 41.30 crore to the CM, generated from silviculture felling of Khair and Saal trees.
While this is being projected as a success story, critics point out that if operations had been fully in public hands, the revenue could have been significantly higher.
Silviculture felling, cleared by the Apex Court, is said to be not just ecologically sound but also economically rewarding.
Yet the state's failure to build internal capacity and its overreliance on contractors has kept it from harnessing the full benefits.
The CM also emphasized fire preparedness ahead of peak summer, directing the forest department to involve local communities more actively and enhance survival rates of planted saplings.
He reviewed various forest schemes and stressed the timely disposal of salvage trees to prevent losses and improve revenues.
Present at the meeting were State Forest Development Corporation Vice-Chairman Kehar Singh Khachi, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) K.K. Pant, HoFF Samir Rastogi, MD Sanjay Sood, and other senior officials.
Cyber Fraud of ₹11.55 Cr Exposes Lax Security in HP State Cooperative Bank, Customers Fume
Cyber Police Station Shimla probing the breach; RBI halts transfer, bank under fire for delayed response and weak safeguards
Shimla, May 17: A massive cyber fraud of ₹11.55 crore has exposed serious flaws in the cyber security system of the Himachal Pradesh State Cooperative Bank, sending shockwaves among account holders and triggering a full-fledged investigation by the Cyber Police Station in Shimla.
The fraud, which occurred on May 12, involved the hacking of over 20 bank accounts in a Chamba branch. But what’s more alarming is that the bank came to know about the breach only two days later, on May 14.
By then, the hackers had already attempted to siphon off the funds through multiple transactions.
Following the alert, the bank informed the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which swiftly acted to halt the transfer of the stolen amount.
But the damage had been done — the breach has laid bare the weak digital armor of one of the state’s most trusted cooperative institutions.
As the probe deepens, sources say the bank is currently clueless about who the hackers are, how they managed to breach the system, and whether an insider may have been involved.
These unanswered questions have only added to the anxiety of customers and the credibility crisis facing the bank. Social media is ablaze with anger.
“How can such a vast sum be transferred without anyone noticing?
Was there no alert system in place? Or worse, was someone from inside helping the hackers?” asked a furious depositor from Chamba.
What the Chairperson and MD and so-called board of directors are doing ?
The management has stated that they are cooperating with investigators and that customer deposits are safe.
They also claim to be transitioning to a new, AI-enabled banking software system with enhanced security features.
But many argue that these measures should have been in place already, not introduced in damage control mode.
The bank now finds itself cornered with multiple questions demanding answers — who are the hackers? How did the breach go undetected for two days? Was any staff member involved? And most importantly, how secure are the other accounts?
For now, trust is the biggest casualty. The bank’s slow response, outdated cyber systems, and lack of clarity on the nature of the attack have left thousands of customers in a state of unease.
Until clear answers and solid reforms emerge, the shadow of this ₹11.55 crore fraud will continue to loom large.
Only One Caught, Many Slipping Through: UDF Slams NMC for Weak AEBAS Monitoring in Medical Colleges..
New Delhi/Shimla, May 16: In a strong-worded statement, the United Doctors Front (UDF) has slammed the National Medical Commission (NMC) for what it calls a "glaring failure in monitoring and auditing" biometric attendance fraud in medical colleges.
This comes after a recent RTI revealed that only one institute—Rawatpura Sarkar Institute in Chhattisgarh—has been held accountable for manipulating the Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS) using fake fingerprints.
UDF President Dr. Lakshya Mittal minced no words, calling it “alarming and disappointing” that only one institution was named despite widespread concerns in the medical fraternity about proxy attendance, fingerprint cloning, and biometric misuse.
"It is just one, but what about those private medical colleges in Himachal, Punjab, and Haryana? Are we to believe the rest are clean, or has the system simply failed to catch them?” questioned Dr. Mittal.
The UDF is now calling for a wider net and tighter scanning mechanism by the NMC. According to the doctors' body, the fact that no full list of defaulters has been released points to serious gaps in the regulatory and surveillance systems meant to uphold transparency in faculty attendance.
"The AEBAS was introduced to ensure accountability and honesty in medical education.
But if institutions can game the system using proxy biometrics and still go unchecked, it raises serious doubts about the intent and effectiveness of NMC’s monitoring," said Dr. Mittal.
While the NMC has begun rolling out a face-based AEBAS system—deemed harder to manipulate—UDF has expressed only “cautious optimism.” Full implementation is expected from May 1, 2025.
"Face recognition may reduce fraud, but without regular audits and transparent reporting, even this system can be misused. There needs to be a robust public mechanism to expose defaulters," UDF added.
The doctors’ body has urged both the NMC and the Union Ministry of Health to make audit reports public and hold institutions accountable.
It wants regular third-party checks, detailed RTI disclosures, and exemplary action against repeat offenders.
"It’s about safeguarding the future of healthcare in India. We can’t afford to let students train under systems soaked in unethical practices. This isn’t just academic fraud—it’s a national health risk," Dr. Mittal concluded.
As whispers grow louder about multiple private colleges across northern India indulging in similar practices, UDF’s demand for a full-scale crackdown may be the wake-up call the NMC cannot ignore any longer.
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