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Timber
distribution rules need revision Manch
to probe lathicharge on Tibetans
Cong
harassing staff, says BJP |
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Two get
life term for rape, murder Ayurvedic
units face crisis Varsity
staff gives memo to VC School celebrates scholar’s day Langar
food poisoning: case registered Jalora-Sajuni road inaugurated
7-day
Shivratri fair begins Woman
held, charas seized 
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Timber distribution rules need revision Shimla, February 19 While the state has been losing forest revenue of over Rs 100 crore annually on account of the ban on green fellings, 45,000 to 50,000 green trees are being allotted to the right holders virtually free of cost every year under the TD rules. Records of the Forest Department reveal that 2,10,934 green trees with a standing volume of 5,49,484 cubic metres were sanctioned to right holders during the 1994-99 period in the state. Worse, the trees are still being allotted at rates fixed more than 130 years ago. The extent of subsidy being provided to the right holders can be judged from the fact that trees worth over Rs 275 crore were given away for a meagre amount of Rs 2.13 lakh during the five-year period. On an average about 1.10 lakh cubic metres of timber is being granted to the right holders annually as against 63,041 cubic metres in 1966-67. Further, the best trees in the forest and that, too, of valuable species are axed under the TD allotments. Successive governments have been over the past three decades underlining the need to rationalise the TD rules and revise the rates for the allotment of trees. However, fearing an adverse political fallout no government has shown the courage to actually carry out the exercise. Consequently, trees are still being sanctioned at the rates fixed during the forest settlement in 1873. Influential persons have been misusing the facility primarily meant for the rural poor for bona fide use like building a modest house or for carrying out repairs. At one stage in 1985-86 the level of removals from the forests under TD had reached 1,76,000 cubic metres. The wide difference in the TD rates and the market rates was mainly responsible for the misuse of the facility, and even those who did not require timber got trees sanctioned and sold these to builders. The TD rates were fixed at 20 to 25 per cent of the market rates 130 years ago. The market rates has since increased by several thousand times but the TD rates have not been revised accordingly. The ratio of TD rates to the market rates for deodar, which was 1 : 5 about 100 years ago, has gone up to 1 : 9000. In the case of chil (pine) it is up from 1 : 8 in 1867 to 1 : 15,000 and for kail to 1 : 30,000. TD fellings have over the years taken a heavy toll of forests. Dense forests (with over 40 per cent canopy cover) are fast degenerating into open forests. The area under dense forests has come down from 9,565 sq km in 1995 to 9,120 in 1999 mainly on account of removals under TD. The department has once again proposed to rationalise the TD rules and suggested steps like linking the TD rates to the market rates, restricting the quantity of timber and regulating the periodicity of grant of trees more stringently and even supplying converted timber to the right holders instead of trees to save the forests. |
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Manch to probe lathicharge on Tibetans Dharamsala, February 19 On February 11, 80 Tibetan peace marchers, which included TYC activists, nuns, monks and elderly people were on way to New Delhi to participate in the March 10, Tibet Uprising Day function, the police led by Additional SP Santosh Patial resorted to lathi charge without provocation in which more than 12 persons, including nuns and Tibetans were injured. All of them were rounded up and had to spent many hours in Dharamsala police station. Later, Transport Minister G.S. Bali and the Prime Minister of Tibetan Government-in-Exile, Prof Samdhong Rinpoche, had denied the allegations of lathi charge. The Union Home Ministry had asked for a report on the incident and an inquiry by the manch will bring out the truth. |
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Cong harassing staff, says BJP Chamba, February 19 Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Kishori Lal, former minister and senior BJP leader, charged the Congress government with involving the non-Congress members of the Panchayati Raj institutions in false cases with revengeful attitude. He accused the ruling government of misusing the administration in its favour. Mr Kishori Lal condemned the Congress men of casting aspersion on the BJP leaders and advised them to desist from mean politics. Mr Kishori Lal flayed the move of the state government of retrenching a number of poor labourers and employees in different boards and corporations in the state. He sought a “white paper” on the statement of Revenue Minister Brij Behari Burail for providing jobs to 12,000 persons in the state. |
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Two get life term for rape, murder Una, February 19 According to an official press note by Public Prosecutor K.S. Verma, on the night of January 9, 2000, a 50-year-old woman of Bhadsali village had boarded a taxi being driven by the two accused, Balwinder, alias Punjabi, and Ravinder, alias Babloo, from the Una bus stand for her village Bhadsali. She was returning from Uttar Kanshi in Uttaranchal, where her husband, serving in a paramilitary force, was posted. Suresh Devi was reportedly raped by the duo in the taxi and thrown into the Sutlej Canal near Nangal. Fast Track Court Judge K S Chandel ordered the accused to undergo life imprisonment and deposit a fine of Rs 25,000 each under Sections 392/34 and 302/34 of the IPC, 14-year imprisonment and Rs 20,000 each under Section 266/34 of the IPC, and seven-year imprisonment with Rs 10,000 fine under Section 201/34 of the IPC. In case of non-payment of fine, the sentence would be further extended by three years. The Judge also ordered that all fines, if collected from the convicts, be given in compensation to the aggrieved party.
— UNI |
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Ayurvedic units face crisis Nurpur, February 19 According to Mr Jatinder Sodhi, chairman of the Ayurvedic Manufacturers Association, various products of the state’s ayurvedic units have got recognition in international market but have been ignored by the state government. He lamented the “step-motherly” treatment meted out to the ayurvedic industry in the state. The state government does not render financial assistance to local ayurvedic units, and the complicated licence system has added to the industry’s woes, he added. The AMA has protested the practice of floating supply orders over 50 per cent to the pharmacies outside the state by the Department of Ayurveda against which the AMA had already lodged its protest with the Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. It also sought transparency in the purchase of ayurvedic medicines being made once in a year in March end. |
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Varsity staff gives memo to VC Solan, February 19 The president of the non-teaching staff, Mr Arun Sharma, said two installments of dearness allowance, announced in July 2000 and January 2003, had not been granted till date. He said the house rent from January 1997 to August 1999 and two months allowance of secretariat allowance had been unnecessarily withheld. The senior-president of the teachers community, Dr C.L. Jandiak, said as many as 105 teachers and scientists had not been granted promotion arrears for the year 2000. He said the Finance Controller had failed to project the correct financial position of the university before the state government, resulting in the university receiving less aid to tide over the financial crisis. Mr Ramesh Sharma, president of the technical staff, said the functioning of the health centre on the campus had deteriorated over the past few years. |
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School celebrates scholar’s day Parwanoo, February 19 Mr Rajesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, Solan, was the chief guest. After hoisting the school flag, ceremonial lighting of the lamp and invocation, Mr H.D.S. Malhotra of Eicher School addressed the gathering and stressed on the importance of the all-round development of students for a bright future. Mrs Shalini Kashyap, Principal, told the parents about the awards. She announced that the school would recognise and honour the students who showed an improvement of 20 per cent percentage in the final exams. This was announced to encourage, motivate and draw more students in the circle of success. First, 29 students who had secured 80 per cent and above in aggregate for three consecutive years for the academic session (2001-03) were adorned with red-coloured gowns. Then 30 students were presented marker cups for attaining the first, second and third positions in their respective classes for the academic session 2002-03. Ninetynine scholar badges, 109 scholar ties and many more prizes for different activities were also given away. Later, students enthralled the audience with a well choreographed and coordinated ‘dandia’ dance and a skit on the 'Guru Shishya
Parampara'. The function ended with an address by the chief guest who lauded the prizes won by the students and the school’s policy to recognise the efforts of the students in all fields. |
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Langar food poisoning: case registered Una, February 19 According to sources, 450 devotees, including 220 women, children and other men were taken ill after partaking of ‘langar’ at the Samadhi Girji shrine. They all were admitted to the zonal hospital here yesterday. Hospital sources said that except for five persons all rest were discharged today. Those still in hospital are expected to be discharged today evening, sources said. The police has taken samples of the food served at the ‘langar’ and sent these to the forensic laboratory at Junga in Shimla district. No arrest had been made. The inquiry into the incident has been entrusted to ASP, Brij Mohan Sharma. Medical aid free of cost was provided by the district administration to those admitted to the hospital.
— UNI
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Jalora-Sajuni road inaugurated Kulu, February 19 Addressing the gathering on the occasion the Agriculture Minister said that with the opening of this road, villages of Bhekhali, Banogi, Nalahach, Jindaure, Gadeharh, Beasar, Gadani, Sajuni, Jalora and Shirar would be connected. He said the Congress party’s policies were poor and farmer-friendly. He said that the education system was being strengthened under the Sarb Shiksha Abhiyan. He called upon the
villagers to send their children to schools for a bright future. |
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Rajinder
Gir is mahant of Baba Balak Nath Temple Deotsidh (Hamirpur), February 19 Late Mahant Shiv Gir had adopted Rajinder Gir as his disciple on May 27,1990. Sadhus of various akharas and temples had gathered at the place since last evening to take part in the installation of Rajinder Gir as the new
mahant. Surprisingly, none from the district administration or the Baba Balak Nath Temple Trust was present at the function. However, devotees of the Baba had come from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and countries like Canada, the UK and the USA. Talking to mediapersons before taking over as the new mahant, Baba Rajinder Gir said he would try to restore the sanctity of the temple and help the suffering mankind. He also sought suggestions to improve the functioning of the temple. |
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7-day
Shivratri fair begins Mandi, February 19 After performing “pooja” at the Damdama Palace in keeping with the centuries-old tradition, Mr Virbhadra Singh participated in a shobha yatra, led by Madho Rao. Over 200 hill deities along with thousands of devotees and elite of the town, wearing coloured turbans, and contingents of the mounted police, Home Guards and the NCC took part in the procession. Earlier, a rousing reception was given to various hill gods and goddesses, who had converged here and paid their obeisance to Lord Shiva at the temple of Bhutnath — the presiding deity of Mandi town. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said fairs and festivals had gone a long way towards preserving the cultural heritage of the state.
— OC |
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Woman held, charas seized Mandi, February 19 The police, on a tip-off intercepted a private bus near Sandali and recovered charas from the accused. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, has been registered.
— PTI |
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Total knee
replacement surgery done Shimla, February 19 Dr R.S. Yadav and
Dr Pawan Thakur, trained at Escorts hospital in New Delhi in advanced
osteoarthritic surgery, performed the operation on 75-year-old Vimla
Devi. The treatment cost only Rs one lakh. — TNS |
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