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Hydrological station on Pareechu begins working
Record rabi production in HP
Potato farmers suffer losses
Central Research Institute turns 100
Law, order situation deteriorating: BJP
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Dhumal smells rat in sale of show tickets
VC for tissue culture facility on campus
Forensic team fails
to identify explosive
Broadband delay annoys BSNL subscribers
Shimla attracting steppe eagles
NGO raises concern over hydel projects
HP signs pact on selling power
Police suspects wife behind murder
Nepalese killed in accident
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Hydrological station on Pareechu begins working
Shimla, May 16 The data about the depth of the water is being flashed to the master central room of the Central Waters Commission (CWC) at Jaipur via the telemetry system. A team of experts from Delhi installed the system last week on the lines that already exist in places like Chambal. The local CWC office will shortly acquire V-SAT to receive the data directly from Samdoh. “Till then we will receive this data on the V-SAT of the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam installed at Shimla and Nathpa as they too would be indirect beneficiaries from this arrangement,” informed Mr Rajesh Kumar, Director, CWC, Shimla. “The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has been directed to expedite the installation of the hydrological station at Chumar in J and K so that inflow and outflow of water from Pareechu can be measured before the onset of monsoon,” informed a senior official. Chumar is the point where the Pareechu river enters Tibet before draining back into India at Samdoh in Kinnaur district. It is learnt that China, too, is in the process of having two such stations downstream the Pareechu at the earliest. One hydrological station will be set up close to the Pareechu lake, about 9 km downstream, and the other further down. He said no appreciable increase in the water level in the Pareechu had been witnessed so far. “The level in Pareechu river is very normal with the water from the melting snow on the mountains and adjoining streams draining into it, which is normal during the summers,” said Mr Rajesh Kumar. As such, it is only after a month’s time that proper exchange of data will begin between India and China. Officials point out that while the artificial lake on the Pareechu is still frozen, water has started flowing out, without making much difference in the water level in the Pareechu. They are hopeful that all four hydrological stations on both sides will start functioning before the melting of snow is at its peak. As per the agreement between India and China, hydrological stations are to be set up at Samdoh in Kinnaur and Chumar in Jammu and Kashmir so that a constant watch can be kept over the water level. |
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Record rabi production in HP
Shimla, May 16 The previous highest output of 6.25 lakh tonnes was during the 2003-04 rabi season. The production of wheat rose by about 80,000 tonnes to reach 6.50 lakh tonnes. With irrigation facility limited to just about 21 per cent of the total cultivated area, farmers had to depend on weather for a good crop. The production would have been even higher had rain not lashed parts of Nalagarh and Una in April when harvesting was its peak, says Mr J .C. Rana, director of agriculture. The untimely rain damaged 15 to 20 per cent of the wheat crop in the area from where the department procures about 10,000 tonnes of wheat seed every year for distribution. The department had been encouraging farmers to diversify in to vegetable, spices and herbal plants as the yield of food crops ,barring maize, had been on the lower side. For instance, the yield of wheat was only 18 quintals per hectare as against the average of 28 qunitals in northern region. In case of rice it was still lower and about 1.30 lakh tonnes of it was produced on 80,000 hectares. The state was surplus in maize with a production in excess of 8 lakh tonnes with a yield of 27 quintals per hectare as against the national average of 22 quintals per hectare. The emphasis was on expanding the area under off-season vegetables. The target was to increase the production from the existing 8 lakh tonnes to 10 lakhs over the next two years by bringing 8,000 hectares under off-season vegetables. In all 50,000 hectares will be brought under off-season vegetables by 2006-07. |
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Potato farmers suffer losses
Dharamsala, May 16 Potato has been a mainstay of the farm economy in this part of the state with nearly 2,500 hectares under its cultivation. The loss has left the farmers high and dry and no efforts have been made so far for to assess the loss. The Deputy Director, Agriculture, Palampur, Mr G.C.Sharma, said rain in February and March lead to high humidity and low temperature which affected the crop. The farmers had planted three varieties and the damage has been minimal in the approved variety of Kufri Jyoti as compared to the unapproved Lalima variety, he said. “The loss has been more in Nagrota Bagwan and Bhawarna where the farmers did not take proper preventive measures or the rain did not give any time to the pest sprays to work,” he said. Also, since the harvest was satisfactory last time, the farmers took it easy this year and did not take timely precautions. The amount of rain in these months was also more this time. Mr Ashok Katoch, district president of the HP Kisan Sabha, said the loss had hit the small and marginal farmers the most. “Most of them have not been able to pay back their loans and are facing a financial crisis. We have demanded compensation for such farmers,” he said. He complained that no government agency had made an assessment of the damage so far. Since the farmers were keen the fields, even if the government decides to award compensation later, it would be impossible to take stock. “We would have no option but to launch an agitation if the government continues to be indifferent to our problems,” he said. Ms Sushila Devi, a resident of Paraur, said the farmers in these areas would launch a signature campaign to get the attention of the Agriculture Department and the state government. “The Agriculture Department even failed to provide us with adequate seeds in time and we had to rely on cooperative societies. There is also no mandi for us in the region,” she complained. Mr Katoch said 69 of the total 150 posts of Agriculture Extension Officer had been lying. He added that the potato crop could be further damaged during storage due to potato tumour moth. Mr Sharma, however, said his department had already sent medicines to get rid of the moth at all block levels and such a situation would not arise.
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Central Research Institute turns 100 Parwanoo, May 16 Since its inception, the institute was known as rabies and snake bite institute. It was referral centre for dog bite and snake bite cases of the North. It was also a country centre for yellow fever vaccination. Before the Independence, the institute was controlled by the armed forces under the Defence Ministry. Lieut-Col Sir David Sample, Lieut-Col Harvey, Gen Taylor, Sir Christopher and Col Ahuja were its former directors and all belonged to Indian Military Services. After the Independence, the centre came under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and now it is a subordinate office of the Directorate-General of Health Services, New Delhi. Over the year the institute has established itself as foremost institute for control, standardisation and research in the field of immunobiologicals. The institute is also famous all over the world for contributing a great deal of knowledge with regard to several bacterial and viral diseases prevalent in tropical countries. The institute has done commendable work in rabies, cholera, snake bite, typhoid and other salmonella infections like plague, malaria, typhus, relapsing fever, TB and influenza. The centre has a long list of landmarks in medical research history of country. The institute houses the first diagnostic laboratory for infectious diseases in country. Maj Brown has made Brown’s opacity set for counting of bacteria at the institute. The institute had also produced surgical ligatures along with vaccines and sera during the second World War. Although many private institutions in the field of production of immunobiologicals have come into existence in country, even today the contribution of the centre for the supply of vaccine and sera is major in immunisation programmes, especially Japanese encephalitis vaccine, yellow fever vaccine, typhoid vaccine, anti rabies serum, diphtheria antitoxin and tetanus antitoxin.
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Law, order situation deteriorating: BJP
Shimla, May 16 In a statement issued here today, state BJP spokesperson, Mr Randhir Sharma, said the recent blast at Rekong Peo in Kinnaur district had rung the alarm bells for the security agencies. “Even three days after the blast, that too near the ammunition depot of the Army, the police remains clueless about the real cause,” he said. Mr Sharma said the police and other security agencies should have taken the matter more seriously, especially in view of the Prime Minister’s scheduled visit to the area for dedicating the Nathpa-Jhakri project to the people. “The government must order an inquiry into the incident as it cannot be taken lightly as the security of the people and the area is involved,” he demanded. The BJP leader said that practically every day incidents of rape, murder and kidnapping were being reported from all over the state. He criticised the role of the police in the clash between truck operators at Dhalli Subzi Mandi recently. Accusing the ministers, MLAs and Congress leaders of shielding criminal element, he said the government was responsible for this disturbing trend in a peaceful state like Himachal. |
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Dhumal smells rat in sale of show tickets
Nurpur May 16 Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Dhumal alleged that the tickets were without numbers, which suspected a scam in its sale. He said that it was not known that how many tickets were printed and sold to the public. He alleged that the tickets were sold through RTOs to private bus operators and forcibly to contractors. "The Congress had come to power by promising to eliminate corruption, but the government has itself become a den of corruption," he added. He also alleged that the Virbhadra Singh government had been promoting nepotism in the allotment of contracts of government departments.
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VC for tissue culture facility on campus
Shimla, May 16 Speaking at the inauguration of a three-day short-term training programme “Tools and techniques for protein structure and drug designing” here today, he said there would be no dearth of funds for such a project. “For this, there has to be a proper team which needs to work in close coordination with other departments and the Department of Biotechnology of the state government,” he stated. Prof Verma said the workshop was being organised at a time when focus the world over was to develop a low-cost, affordable, efficient and easily accessible healthcare system. “Advances in molecular biology, immunology, reproductive medicine and genetics has revolutionised our understanding on health and diseases,” he remarked. While stating that information technology had a limited life, bio-technology, he said, had a great future. “The age-old system of ayurveda practiced in India needs to be popularised and made an integral part of healthcare,” he said. The resource persons for the workshop were Prof Dinkar Solanki from the Bioinformatics Centre, National Institute of Immunology, Dr Narender Sahni from the School of Information Technology, JNU, Dr Balwinder Singh from the Institute for Microbial Technology (IMTECH), Chandigarh, and Mr Bharat Ram from NIPER, Mohali. |
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Forensic team fails
to identify explosive
Shimla, May 16 A two-member forensic team visited the site and collected some material. The experts ruled out the possibility of a gelatine-based device but failed to establish from the pieces of plastic found from the site that it was a transistor bomb as was stated by people. The material is being sent to the Central Forensic Laboratory, Chandigarh. Initial reports said 40-year-old Kunzum Dolma picked up a transistor-like object which exploded in her hands. She was seriously injured and brought to the Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital here. A four-member special investigating team headed by a DSP had been set up. Mr Arvind Sharda, SP, said the police was not ruling out any possibility, though prima facie it did not appear that the incident could have wider ramifications. The blast took place in the backyard of an isolated house in a remote pocket. The police was also looking into the angle of personal rivalry. The Army establishment was about a kilometre from the site and it could not be inferred that the objective was to target it. The forensic experts ruled out the possibility of gelatine as it could have caused a bigger explosion. |
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Broadband delay annoys BSNL subscribers
Solan, May 16 This has denied the subscribers an opportunity to avail an introductory promotional tariff whereby no additional charges for use would have been levied up to June 30, if they had opted for the service before March 31. The promotional tariff was valid for six months from the date of the commercial launch. With no forms available for applying for these services, the subscribers said the officials directed them to download them from the Internet. The officials also gave no credence to online registration, as was displayed by the BSNL’s official site and insisted that they would have to fill the forms. The GM, SSA Solan, Mr Tajinder Kumar, agreeing that the installation of the equipment had been delayed, said it was on account of some problem faced by the company Alkatel. He said the company had not brought the required converter but had instead brought some other equipment. He clarified that the services would be made available soon and as per the schedule they had to release connections before June. With big industrial houses coming to Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area in Solan district, the broadband services were being demanded. The GM said in the first phase the services would be launched in Parwanoo, Baddi and Solan exchanges. Later, it would be extended to other industrial areas like Nalagarh, Poanta Sahib, Nahan and Kala Amb. A maximum of 24 ports would be initially provided at each site. The services once launched would enable a subscriber to get enhanced data speed, better sound quality and more channels. The billing system for the services was being evaluated and initially the BSNL planned to go in for flat billing based on the package availed. |
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Shimla attracting steppe eagles
SHIMLA: While wetlands like the Pong dam reservoir and the Renuka lake have been attracting birds from Central Asia and Siberia, the municipal garbage dump at Darni ka Bagicha here is emerging as a winter destination for migratory steppe eagles.
A study conducted by the state Wildlife Department during the recent winter months revealed that steppe eagles, a native of Central Asia, start arriving here in December and after spending about five months return to their native place by the first week of May. Their number increased gradually reaching a maximum of 166 on February 17 this year. Thereafter, it started declining and came down to 106 on March 16.Their presence was last recorded on April 29 when five birds were seen at the dump. Interestingly, the migratory visitors outnumbered the indigenous eagles by four to one. The number of these birds reached a maximum of 41 only. However, unlike the winter guests which vanished by the end of April , the indigenous eagles were still present and 10 of them were observed on May 5 ,the last day of observation. Besides the number, other useful information like the time of the day when the eagles converged on the garbage dump, the direction from which they came and the nesting sites was also recorded. It was found that the maximum number of birds descended on the dump around 9 a.m. They spent most of the time in the adjoining forests of Tara Devi, Shogi, Sankat Mochan and Summer Hill. Officials of the department also spotted nine nests atop pine trees in these forests. However, they could not confirm if eggs were laid or there was any breeding during the season. The steppe eagle breeds from eastern Romania through to south Russia, Central Asia and Mongolia. The European and Central Asian birds winter in Africa, and the eastern birds in India. The bird lays one to three eggs in stick nests on trees. Mr A.K. Gulati, Additional Principal Chief Conservator, Wildlife, said coordinated studies would have to be conducted to ascertain the migration route and identify the part of Central Asia to which the eagles belonged. The department would continue with the study next winter and try to involve specialised organisations like the Bombay Natural History Society in the exercise. |
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NGO raises concern over hydel projects
Shimla, May 16 It has
pointed out that the local people had raised several issues during the
public hearing and opposed the setting up of the two projects, but the
Centre granted clearance to both projects without addressing their
concerns. It had set up an unhealthy precedent which could have
serious implications for the states and the people affected by
construction of hydroelectric projects. The organisation claimed that it
had video recordings of public hearing which clearly show that the
exercise was not conducted as per the rules. It urged the state
government to oppose the action of the Centre. |
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HP signs pact on selling power
Shimla, May 16 The agreement was signed by Mr J.P. Negi, Principal Secretary, Power, and Mr Tantram Narayan Thakur, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, PTC, in the presence of Mr S.S. Parmar, Chief Secretary. Mr Negi said so far the free power, which the state government got as royalty, was being sold by the state power board through the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam at Rs 2.35 per unit. Now the government would sell through the PTC India on competitive basis at the rate of Rs 2.65 per unit. Mr Negi said that as a result the state would earn an additional income of about Rs 18 crore till October 31. |
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Police suspects wife behind murder
Nurpur, May 16 According to the police, which has registered a case under Section 302 and 120(B) of the IPC, the deceased was first murdered and then hanged from the house ceiling. It was confirmed after the post-mortem examination of the body that the deceased was strangulated before hanging. The Jawali police suspected the involvement of the wife of the deceased in the murder who allegedly was having illicit relations after her marriage, which took place in December, 2004, with Ram Singh. Both were having strained relations after marriage due to the alleged extra marital relations of the wife. The police also suspected the crime having been committed by the paramour of the wife. The police was interrogating the wife of the deceased till filing of this report. Meanwhile, the body of the victim has been handed over to the family.
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Nepalese killed in accident
Solan, May 16 The youth, who was working as a servant with Devender Singh of Chainthla Kotkhai, was also with him when the mishap occurred. He was taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injures. The police has registered a case under Sections 279, 337 and 304-A, IPC, for rash and negligent driving. |
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