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Thursday, February 14, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Mining
mafia adopts new tactics Himachal
to have tourist police Snow disrupts life Pupils
await mid-day meal |
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HP
achieves targets in foodgrain production DISTRICT DIARY DC holds
meeting with employees Women
panel to launch helpline Review
afforestation policy: Shiv Sena Civilian
members resent meeting’s postponement HPMC
packing house gutted 
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Mining mafia adopts new tactics Nalagarh, February 13 Indiscriminate quarrying being carried out by the lessees has already depleted bigger-sized stones from the riverbeds. Now the mining mafia is targeting the lower layers comprising medium and small-sized stones. It is proposed to instal screening machines and sift these stones according to their size and sell them further. The Joint Society for Action and Protection of Environment here has voiced apprehensions about this move. The president of the society, Mr Gyanender Bhardwaj, while opposing this move, stated that it would further deepen and widen the riverbeds on account of more digging. The indiscriminate quarrying of sand, stones and gravel from these places has already cast an adverse affect on at least a dozen-odd irrigation schemes, besides eroding arable soil from the fields lying in the proximity of the riverbeds during the rains. This poses an additional 20 per cent monetary burden on the Irrigation and Public Health Department for the restoration of these irrigation schemes during the rainy season. Not only this, the water level depletes by about 10 to 15 feet each year in tubewells lying close to the riverbeds. Residents complain that the water pumped through hand pumps declines gradually with some tubewells discharging no water barely after an hour. The laws framed to carry out quarrying operations have been “flouted” with impunity. The society feels that setting up of screening plants in the region will wreak further havoc on the environment where digging operations will remain unchecked, further affecting the irrigation channels. It will also increase soil erosion. It has been learnt that these operators have been advised to gather public opinion in their favour by officials following which they can be granted the required permission. In order to gauge public response, some meetings were organised by these operators in which they put forth their proposal before gram panchayats. But these meetings, where locals also participated, failed to elicit the desired response in favour of these operators. A unanimous decision was taken by at least two gram panchayats, one each in Doon and Nalagarh, to oppose the installation of these screening plants. It has also been learnt that at some places these operators were allegedly influencing the panchayats, using their political connections to get their approval. Eversince getting approval from the panchayats concerned for pursuing any quarrying activity was made a mandatory norm by the Mining Department, the mining mafia has been trying hard to turn their opinion in their favour. With the state government having postponed the auction of riverbeds in the Nalagarh area last year in May, stone crusher owners are suffering heavy losses. Quarrying, which is considered the most lucrative business, has become a cause of concern for environmentalists here. There are as many as 26 stone crushers in this area comprising Nalagarh and Doon, many of which the locals allege lie in the proximity of settlements, educational institutes and roads. |
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Himachal
to have tourist police Shimla, February 13 A high-level meeting was held here yesterday in this regard, which was presided over by Chief Secretary, Harsh Gupta and attended by Mr
A.K. Puri, DGP, Mr Tashi Dawa, Director-General (Home Guards), Financial Commissioner, Director, Tourism, and president, Hotel and Restaurant Association. It was decided at the meeting that the DGP would identify 50 police personnel capable of conversing in English and posted in Shimla, Manali, Dharamsala and Dalhousie. They would be trained for the purpose. An equal number of Home Guards personnel could also be trained, it was stated. Women police personnel would also be encouraged to take part in this programme. It is expected that eventually, the state would have a 300-strong tourist police force. The training of police personnel would be conducted through the Department of Tourism Administration, HP University, and would be funded by the Director, Tourism. Either distinct uniforms would be provided to tourist police personnel. It was also agreed to confer the powers of special police officers to individuals who volunteer to assist the state in regulating the tourist trade. It was also decided at the meeting that the Shimla police would introduce pre-paid service from Shimla to Kufri and back. The Chief Secretary directed the Transport Department to introduce metering of taxis as a pilot project in Shimla. He also urged the Tourism Department and the district administrations to regulate and maintain cleanliness of the tourists spots. |
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Snow disrupts life Shimla According to reports received here, 20 cm of snow was recorded in the Spiti valley today. The temperature in the cold desert area plunged to -22°C as a result of which rivers and nullahs have been frozen. The administration is making efforts to ensure that the held up persons, mostly Buddhist devotees, who were returning after attending the Kalchakra ceremony in Bodh Gaya reached their destinations safely at the earliest. The lamas from the Losar panchayat were stranded at Kaza. Some others were held up at Rekong Peo as avalanches blocked road leading to Kaza. The Hindustan-Tibet highway is blocked at six places as a result of which not only the supply of essential commodities and mail services had also been affected beyond Jhakri. The upper areas of Shimla district also remained cut off as roads leading to Narkanda, Kharapathar, Rohru and Chopal areas were still under knee deep snow. The snow cutters deployed by the PWD were making slow progress due to intermittent snow.
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Pupils await mid-day meal Nurpur, February 13 Enquiries reveal that a large number of primary schools have not even got the food grain supply meant for 1997. As many as 10,000
pupils of 132 primary schools in the Nurpur block have been enrolled in the scheme. There are complaints of irregular supply of food grain in government primary schools at Ondh, Kopra, Hadal, Kherian, Baduee, Nagni, Bhadwar, Khanni and Thoda, Chownki, Ladorri, Thana, Jonta, Rajol, Mastgarh, Khazan, Lagor and Hatli. The pupils of primary schools, Ondh, were not given midday meal for November and December, 1997, September and October, 1998, May, October and November, 1999, and June and September, 2001. There were several other schools which were not given food grain. According to information, under the scheme the pupils having 80 per cent of monthly attendance are eligible for 3 kg of rice every month. There are also complaints of short supply of food grain under the scheme from the FCI. Enquiries also revealed that the FCI had allocated food grain under the scheme for eight months as against the target of 10 months. The short supply of food grain earmarked under the scheme has raised many a eyebrow. A probe has also been demanded into the matter. |
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HP achieves targets in
foodgrain production Kangra, February 13 Stating this at a press conference here today, state Agriculture Minister Vidya Sagar said 11.35 lakh tonnes of foodgrains were produced in the zone during the current financial year, which included 6.66 lakh tonnes in kharif season and 4.69 lakh tonnes in rabi season. He said 46,230 tonnes of potatoes and 2.85 lakh tonnes of other vegetables were also produced in the zone during this period. Mr Sagar said during rabi season, 65,788 quintals of improved seeds costing Rs 8.65 crore were distributed in these five districts. He said 900 quintals of pesticides costing Rs 1.20 crore were also distributed. He said 21,083 agriculture implements costing Rs 62,30,000 were also distributed among the farmers. He said 17,049 metric tonnes nitrogen phosphate and potash fertilisers were distributed which helped the government to achieve the targets. He said 56 small power tillers were also distributed among the farmers. In response to a question, Mr Sagar said the issue of the agitating members of the OBC community would be sorted out and he would meet the Chief Minister in this connection. He reiterated that he supported 27 per cent reservation for the
OBCs. |
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DISTRICT DIARY Chamba The authorities’ apathy has encouraged people to encroach on roadside government land, evacuee property and forest land at many places in the district. Encroachments continue even though the Town and Country Planning Department has in several cases rejected building plans, withdrawn permission relating to land use and issued notices to defaulters in Chamba town. The
Chamba-Bharmour and Chamba-Salooni state highways within the town’s precincts have been gradually encroached upon with impunity. Illegal construction can also be seen in the Controlled Area. In most cases encroachments in Chamba,
Salooni, Bharmour, Dalhousie, Banikhet and Chowari towns have sprung up due to the lapses of revenue officials or the failure of the authorities to take tough action against the guilty. A glaring lapse of the officials concerned came to light recently on the
Chamba-Khadamukh road where the state government had paid compensation to persons whose land had been acquired for road construction 35 years ago. However, the land was neither transferred to the Public Works Department nor were the former owners evicted from it. This lapse is impeding the progress of the Chamera hydroelectric project (Stages II and III), say project officials. * * * Work on a pilot project, the Greening of Himalayas, launched by the Union Government about two years ago in Chamba district has been hit due to fund shortage, causing resentment among residents of this region. According to official sources, the project had been approved by the Centre and was to be implemented in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir with the participation of the local people. Under the project, 18 panchayats in the Dehar catchment area in Bhattiyat subdivision and 11 in the Sal catchment area in Chamba subdivision had been identified for coverage. The sources say the project was launched in these panchayat areas with the participation of local residents besides non-government organisations like the Himalaya Bachao Samiti. Initially, the project did well even though the funds were
meager. When the progress of the project was monitored by a team of experts sent by Government of India, 92 per cent plant survival was recorded, which is an achievement in the case of such projects. Unfortunately, after the first instalment of funds was received, the Central Government failed to release the second one, adversely affecting the project. * * * The Chamba District Fruit Growers Cooperative Industries Society (Hill Fruits) may be wound up following alleged irregularities and mismanagement. The inordinate delay in improving the functioning of Hill Fruits is being attributed to the lackadaisical approach of the state Cooperation Minister and the government officials concerned. Established in 1970, products of Hill Fruits were quite popular not only in Himachal Pradesh but also in the neighbouring states. In fact, the Hill Fruits processing unit was launched with the objectives of utilising the local produce like apple, plum and other fruits and eliminating middlemen. The society has 141 members with the share capital amounting to about Rs 14 lakh. Besides, it has assets worth about Rs 1 crore, including land, buildings and machinery. According to official sources, the Deputy Commissioner of Chamba used to head the Board of Directors. But since the board has been scrapped, the liquidator appointed by the Department of Cooperative Societies is looking after the affairs of the society. |
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DC holds meeting with employees Hamirpur, February 13 Presiding over the district level JCC meeting here today, she directed the district officers to hold periodical meetings with their employees to discuss their problems and find out solution. Mr Prem Chand Verma, president of the district unit the federation represented the employees at the meeting. She said only such issues should figure at the district level meeting which could not be or sorted out at the department level. Mrs Thakur announced a grant of Rs 50,000 for providing grills and nets in the quarters of the HP subordinate services and Rs 30,000 for electrical repairs in the pooled accommodation quarters. She took a serious note of the complaints of the drivers in the meeting that a number of officers were plying the vehicles on their own. Mr Prem Chand Verma expressed his resentment over the failure of the district heads to implement the decisions taken at the last JCC meeting. He said the proceedings of the meeting should not be taken lightly. |
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Women panel to launch helpline Shimla, February 13 She said the commission had already started this service in Una district to which people were responding in a big way. She said women rights awareness camps were being organised in every district of the state with an active involvement of the district administration and elected women representatives of panchayats. The awareness camps was conducted in seven districts — Shimla, Mandi, Solan, Sirmour, Lahaul-Spiti, Bilaspur and Una, while it was in progress in other district, she said. She claimed that the commission had resolved 80 per cent cases successfully since the inception of the commission in 1999. The rest of the 20 per cent cases were pending due to technical and legal compulsion. The participation in awareness campaign has changed the attitude of rural women. They are coming out more openly and confidently to report cases to the commission, she said. |
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Review afforestation
policy: Shiv Sena Shimla, February 13 The state executive of the Sena, which met here today, discussed various environment-related and came to the conclusion that the situation could improve if deodar trees were planted in place of pine. Large-scale plantations of pine over the years had been responsible for the climatic changes, it observed. These plantations degraded the quality of soil and subsequently affected vegetation. They also demanded the introduction of CNG on the pattern of Delhi and urged the government to set up CNG stations in the state in a phased manner. It appealed to hoteliers, dhaba owners and others to shun the use of coal as fuel. |
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Civilian
members resent meeting’s postponement Kumarhatti, February 13 The four elected members of the board alleged that they were forced to sit for an hour in board’s office without anybody intimating them about the postponement of the meeting. The civilian members have complained to the board’s higher authorities and sought a probe. |
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HPMC packing
house gutted Kulu, February 13 The cause of the fire was stated to be electricity short circuit. The District Fire Officer confirmed that the service wire of the electricity board was burnt and that might have caused the fire. Machinery, fertilisers, fruit trees spray oil, fungicides and other fruit-packing material were damaged. Mr Chander Sen Thakur, Vice-Chairman, HPMC and MLA, reached the spot during the fire-fighting operation and supervised the rescue work. Three fire tenders two from Kulu and one from Manali which were requisitioned later saved the
adjoining buildings and a cold store of the HPMC. The District Fire Officer said the timely removal of the spray oil from the building saved the rest of the property of the
HPMC. |
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CAG submits
report
to Governor Shimla, February 13 Mr Satish Loomba, Accountant-General, Himachal Pradesh, said here today that the report containing audit comments and observations on the accounts and transactions pertaining to the activities of the government for the year 2000-2001 was handed over to the state government on February 1, 2002, for laying in the state legislature. |
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Students’ strike enters sixth day
Hamirpur, February 13 Meanwhile, talks between the college management and the students failed today as both groups remained adamant on their stand. The SDM, who tried to solve the tangle between the striking students and the college management, failed in his mission. They have decided to continue with their agitation till the fee-hike was withdrawn. |
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