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National Crisis Management Group
Restoring HP road links may take time
Fissures galore in Nurpur BJP
Breed Tragopan bird: experts
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Seminar on Indian economy begins
College cries for care
HP move to hike bus fare flayed
Stokes: power generation at Nathpa from today likely
Police beats up ‘pickpocket’ seer
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National Crisis Management Group to meet today
Chandigarh, June 27 Tomorrow’s meeting has been called by the Union Home Ministry, which is a nodal agency. Obviously, the flashfloods will dominate the meeting. For the past few years, Himachal Pradesh has been facing flashfloods at regular intervals because of the bursting of glacial lakes, say the experts, who have been engaged in the scientific study of glaciers and glacial lakes in the Himalayas. This state, perhaps, has the largest number (229) of glacial lakes. Of these, 22 have been identified as potentially dangerous because of their increasing size. Seven such lakes are in the Sutlej basin alone and four in the Beas basin. The identification of dangerous lakes is based on a joint study conducted with the help of satellites by reputed bodies such as the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur and the United Nations Environment Programme. The flashfloods in the Sutlej are said to have been caused by the high temperature recorded in the last two weeks in the Kinnaur region. The temperature in the region was up to 32 degrees Celsius, which was unusually high in the upper hilly region. This led to the rapid melting of glaciers, causing flashfloods. Dr R.M. Bhagat, Programme Director of the Centre for Geo-Information, Research and Training at the agricultural university at Palampur, talking to TNS on the phone, said that the Union Government should fund the setting up of an early warning system in the Himalayan region. Such a system would prove a great help to the people settled along the course of the main rivers, which had become highly prone to flashfloods because of global warming. Flashfloods were “often confused with cloudbursts because of the lack of knowledge”, he added. Dr Bhagat, who has been an important member of a joint study group engaged in the scientific mapping of glaciers and their rapid melting because of rising temperatures, said that measures could be taken to tackle the dangerous lakes. Already countries like Nepal and China had taken steps, technically called mitigation measures, to reduce the risk of flood surges caused by the bursting of glacial lakes. |
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Restoring HP road links may take time
Chandigarh, June 27 Stating this while briefing media persons at Chandimandir, Major General—General Staff, Western Command, Major-Gen R S Gill said it would take up to three days to fully asses the damage done by the floods and work out the task at hand. Besides the Indo-Tibetan Border Police which mans the international border, a brigade-level formation comprising several units, is based in that sector which is responsible for the defence of Himachal Pradesh. Six bridges on National Highway 22, also known as the Hindustan—Tibet Road, at Shalikar, Leo, Akpa, Khab and Karcham have been damaged. Except for the one at Leo, which was build by the state government, the remaining bridges were built by the Army. The route is the lifeline of the region, both for civilian populace as
well as the uniformed personnel. About a 150 km stretch of the national highway ahead of Rampur Bushar has been affected. About a kilometer long stretch at Kharo, 800 metres at Sumdo, 500 metres at Karcham, 250 metres at Khab and 200 metres at Puh have been completely washed away. Given the terrain, restoration of the bridges could only be done sequentially, General Gill said. Working on all bridges affected simultaneously is not possible due to lack of approaches. Under Operation Varuna-II, a special task force headed by a brigade commander has been set up to tackle the situation. Two columns of engineers, comprising about 250 men have already been moved up to the affected areas along with necessary equipment, stores and communication gear. More troops along with bridging equipment have been placed on the standby. General Gill said the reason for the floods was still not clear and satellite imagery of the lake on the Pare Chhu was being awaited. Bad weather and cloud cover was a restricting factor on satellite picture generation. He added that the water level in the Sutlej today morning was just 2 feet above normal, which indicated that the situation was
stabilising. It had risen to 25 feet in Sumdoh yesterday. He added that the Army had not received any requisition from the Himachal Pradesh Government for rendering aid to civilian authorities. |
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Fissures galore in Nurpur BJP
Nurpur, June 27 Mr Dhumal, along with a large number of BJP workers, former ministers and senior party leaders, had to cross the Nurpur Assembly constituency to participate in the BJP rally at Lakhanpur. Intriguingly, Mr Parmar, who has been making inroads into Nurpur Assembly constituency for the past over one year, organised a separate welcome programme at Jachh near here along with the opponents of the local former MLA Mr Rakesh Pathania and hosted a breakfast. Mr Pathania too organised a separate programme at Jassur just half a km away. It all happened contrary to the party decision taken in a meeting, chaired by the state BJP organising secretary, Mr Mohinder Pandey, a few days back here in connection with the arrangements to welcome the entourage. The organising of separate programmes created a flutter in the party’s rank and file and exposed its indiscipline. It is learnt that the local BJP mandal activists met Mr Dhumal the same day and apprised him of the sorry state of affairs of the party following the alleged interference of Mr Parmar and resulting factionalism in the party cadre. Informed sources revealed that Mr Dhumal made them clear that the party would prefer to give tickets to the old candidates in Nurpur,
Jawali, Guler and Gangath Assembly segments in the next Assembly elections which ultimately pacified the activists. It may be recalled that the local BJP mandal committee had already passed a resolution in April this year against holding of public meetings by Mr Parmar in the area without taking into confidence the local party unit or former MLA Mr Pathania. The committee had also taken a strong exception to disbursal of grants under the Local Area Development Fund in the area by Mr Parmar on the recommendation of the local Congress leaders. |
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Breed Tragopan bird: experts
Chamba, June 27 During the erstwhile rajas’ rule, the then forest department used to keep eggs of different snowbirds under a domestic hen. After 21 days the her hatch eggs. The chicks remained with the mother for few days and later start roosting on the nearby trees and after three months they left for the forest, which is their natural habitat. The naturalists believe that the nature has provided us with the best places to breed the beautiful birds. Any adventure undertaken against nature can attain a very little success. In Chamba district, there are about 20 places where the bird is still found. The rulers of the erstwhile Chamba state, especially Raja Ram Singh, were very strict against poachers. Protection of wildlife was on top priority those days. The poachers once detected never go unpunished. |
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Seminar on Indian economy begins
Shimla, June 27 The seminar commenced with the presentation of Prof Manmohan Agarwal on “The processes of globalisation”. During the seminar the participants would look at the Indian economy over the past 15 years since the initiatives of economic reforms in 1990 as well as the emerging trends in the world economy and their implications for India. The topics relate to the impact of globalisation on the Indian economy, polity and social sectors. The participants would try to analyse, more specifically, the state of world economy, Indian agriculture, industry, and the informal sector playing particular attention to the issues of employment, technology, transfer and the need to adopt a policy framework that leads to an improvement in social well being with particular attention to health and education. |
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College cries for care
Nurpur, June 27 The college development was a main poll plank of the local MLA and Revenue Minister, Mr Sat Mahajan, who, during his campaign for the assembly poll held in March, 2003, had also promised overall development, besides additional faculties in the college. But even after 27 months of coming to power, this priority seems to have been ignored. Not to say of additional faculties, even the basic amenities were not provided in the college. Only five subjects
English, Political Science, History, Hindi, Economics and Sanskrit are being taught in the college. The posts of lecturer in political science and history have been lying vacant eversince the takeover of the college. The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, during his winter sojourn in Kangra district in 2004, had announced start of the science faculty in the 2004-2005 session and announced Rs 1 crore for the college expansion, but so far the government has done nothing. The college is running with only five subjects of humanities. There is a lot of resentment among the local inhabitants over the indifferent attitude of the government towards this college. |
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HP move to hike bus fare flayed
Chandigarh, June 27 |
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Stokes: power generation at Nathpa from today likely
Shimla, June 27 “Power generation was likely to begin tomorrow if the slit level decreases,’’ she said here.
— UNI |
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Police beats up ‘pickpocket’ seer
Solan, June 27 The incident that occurred on Saturday evening has left a bitter taste for hundreds of seer’s followers who had come here for the fair. The seer, Swami Maheshwaranand, was going to an acquaintance’s house at Sunny Side around 9:00 pm when the constables accosted him and mistook him to be a gang leader of a pickpocket gang. They took him to the Sadar police station and despite the seer’s repeated requests to verify his identity from a pujari and general secretary of the Sanatam Dharam temple as well as the local MLA Dr Rajiv Bindal, they refused to listen. He was allegedly beaten up by the policemen. He sustained injuries on one eye and the face where he was whipped with a belt by the policemen. He was finally let off around 3.00 am. A delegation led by Dr Bindal met additional SP Prem Thakur and the Governor last evening and demanded action against the erring policemen. DSP Sandip Dhawal has been directed to inquire into the matter and submit a report. Meanwhile, the medical report of the ENT specialist was awaited. Mr Thakur said the two policemen had been identified and their statements would be recorded later. The locals who were irate over this unsavoury incident said unmindful of the impact that such irresponsible behaviour could inflict on the innocent people, the working of the police had been exposed. |
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