Solan, February 14
With no assurance from the state government regarding their demands, the operators of four truck societies continued their agitation for the fifteenth day today despite having agreed to call off the stir last evening.

Demanding a freight revision with effect from July 2005, rollback of cases slapped on the truckers during the 15-day agitation and tabling of the Avay Shukla Committee report by February 18, the truck operators refused to ply their vehicles today.

Mr Shushil Thakur, president of Golden Land Loosers said though the Deputy Commissioner had agreed to concede their demands verbally yesterday but no written assurance was given to them. The society further stressed that though the 4.8 per cent hike was acceptable to them till the Avay Shukla’s committee’s report was tabled no difference in the freight charge should be charged from them if the findings of report were lesser.

Peeved at the non-acceptance of their demands, about 60-70 truckers planned to block the cavalcade of the Governor, Mr V. S. Kokje, at Shalaghat. However, the police diverted his cavalcade through Arki, fearing an adverse backlash from the truckers.

A flag march was carried out by the police officials and paramilitary forces from Darla to Namhol to ensure peace in the region. The police officials said the situation was peaceful and under control.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rajesh Kumar, said a report had been sent to the state government and a decision was awaited.

Meanwhile, supporting the truckers’ agitation at Darlaghat, the Youth Congress today flayed the GACL management for handling the matter in an inept way. State Youth Congress’ general secretary Sanjay Awasthi while terming the demand of the truckers as genuine said the GACL should effect a hike in freight charges as per the 1998 agreement between the truckers and company management.

Addressing media persons here today he said while the management of Gujarat Ambuja Cement Limited (GACL) was banking solely on the committee’s statement, little was being done by the state government to solve the matter. Supporting the freight revision demand of the truckers he said since the rates of diesel and other commodities had increased several times, the plying of trucks had become uneconomical.

Shimla, February 14
The move of the Centre to further reduce the import duty on rosin (manufactured from resin) has set the alarm bells ringing for the resin producing hill states which fear further slump in the market.

The domestic rosin is already facing a stiff competition from imported product following the reduction in duty from 25 to 15 per cent over the past three years. The state Forest Department has urged the government to take up the matter with the Centre as any further reduction in the import duty will make resin processing an uneconomical proposition. It will not only affect the state Forest Corporation, which produces one-third of the country’s requirement, but also the farmers who will get lesser returns from their pine trees.

The landed cost of superior grades of rosin from countries like China and Indonesia ranges from Rs 46.50 to Rs 49 per kg and after levying import duty and other charges the cost ranges between Rs 62.25 and Rs 64 per kg. The cost of resin produced by the state Forest Corporation also ranges from Rs 60 to Rs 62.50 per kg. As such reduction in the import duty by another 5 per cent will make the indigenous resin costlier. The corporation produces about 75,000 quintals of rosin worth over Rs 30 crore annually.

Mr R.A. Singh, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, said the ultimate loser would be farmers whose income from tapping of resin would go down.

Besides, he said, steps were also required to discourage the use of gambiar , a cheaper imported substitute for catechu (katha), as it was affecting the returns from khair forests. Khair was being grown in private areas on a large scale and it was a cash crop which supplemented the meagre income of farmers from agriculture.

Mandi, February 14
Over 1,600 vidya upasaks, appointed during the then BJP regime in August 2000 have threatened to go on mass leave on February 20 and wear black badges in protest against the state government’s failure to “regularise their services even after completion of five years as promised by the then government”.

Though the Directorate of Primary Education says that the matter related to the demands of the vidya upasaks is pending in the court, the Vidya Upasak Sangh (VUS) claims that it has given an ultimatum to the Deputy Director, Primary in each district stating that the state government has yet to regularise this services even after they have put in six years.

The Director, Primary, Mr. BM Nanta, said some vidya upasaks had moved court and the government could take a decision unless the court gave its ruling. “Moreover, the vidya upasaks have yet to complete one-year training. We are training them in batches during vacations to avoid the suffering of teaching work in the schools,” he clarified.

On the other, hand the VUS has warned the government that the students will ultimately suffer as the vidya upasaks run the primary schools where no teachers are willing to go getting a paltry sum of Rs 2,500 per month. “The government promised to’ regularise their services in 2005, one year has passed but nobody heard us so far”, said Mr Prem Singh Rao, President, VUS. The vidya upasaks in Mandi district have taken up the training under the government direction, but the department is not clear about their future, added Mr Hem Chand Chauhan, vice-president, VUS, Mandi.

The VUS has demanded that their salary should be on a par with that of the junior basic teachers (JBTs) and results be declared by February 19. “If the department fails to implement our demand, we will go on mass leave on February 20,” they warned.

The Deputy Director, Mandi Mr Bir Singh, said they had forwarded the ultimatum to the government.

Kangra, February 14
Himachal Chief Minister Mr Virbhadra Singh, today dedicated Rs 1.10 crore double-laned motorable bridge on Charan Khad on the Dharamsala-Dadh-Palampur road to people of the area Mr. G.R. Musafir, Speaker, Himachal Vidhan Sabha, also laid the foundation- stone of the Himachal Vidhan Sabha building at Tapovan near Dharamsala today in presence of the Chief Minister.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said new building of Vidhan Sabha at Dharamsala would be constructed on priority and funds would be made available for the construction. He said that design would be finalised soon and hoped that the next winter session would be held in the new building.

The building site is located in the foothills of Dhauladhar ranges and with sylvan surroundings.

The new Vidhan Sabha Building at Dharamshala will have all things needed including Vidhan Sabha chamber, Chief Minister, Speaker and Deputy Speaker’s chambers, conference hall, offices of senior officers, media Centre, Press-Officers and visitors’ Galleries, minister’s offices and all other facilities required for holding the Vidhan Sabha Session.

The Vidhan Sabha Bhavan at Sidhwari will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 10 to Rs 12 crore. The decision to construct the Vidhan Sabha Bhavan was taken by Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister during the winter session of Vidhan Sabha at Dharamsala in December last year.

The land for Vidhan Sabha Bhavan measures 35 kanals. The Public Works Department prepared site plan for the building. The building is expected to be completed in one year. It will be constructed in Pahari architecture and in harmony with hilly landscape of the area.

Mr Sat Mahajan, Revenue Minister, Mr Ram Lal Thakur, Forest Minister, Mr Singhi Ram, Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Ms Chandresh Kumari, Mr. B.B.L. Butail, Political Advisor to Chief Minister, Mr Sujan Singh Pathania, Mr. Thakur Singh Bharmauri, Mr. Ravinder Ravi, Mr. Surender Kaku, Capt. Atma Ram, Mr. Surender Pal Thakur, Dr. Biru Ram Kishore, Mr. Sudhir Sharma, Mr. Jagjivan Pal, MLAs, Mr. Kewal Singh Pathania, President, State NSUI were present on the occasion.

Kangra, February 14
Panic has gripped the town following the recovery of a highly decomposed body of 42-year-old Ajeet Kumar from the Kaliad forest, near here, last evening. With this, the number of bodies recovered in this subdivision in the past one month has risen to nine.

Yesterday, the police received information that the body was lying in the forest and recovered it from there. The victim had been missing since January 5 from Kaliad village and a missing report was lodged by his family at the Kangra police station.

Most of these bodies were found from different forests.

The first body was found near Samloti under this police station on the Pathankot-Jogindernagar railway track, the second one of an aged man in a decomposed condition was recovered from near Sammela, the third one of a polytechnic student was recovered from the Banner khud, near here, the fourth one of Amit Kumar, a resident of Parore, was recovered from the forests of Takipur under the local police station, the fifth one of Prakash Chand was recovered from the forests near Bhoodkoaloo under the local police station, the sixth one of Vivek Rishi, a local shopkeeper, was recovered from a drain near the Industrial Estate in this town, the seventh one was found on the national highway near Samloti, the eighth one was found near Narwana and the ninth was recovered from the Kaliad forest yesterday.

People have demanded an inquiry into the recovery of these bodies.

Shimla, February 14
An unauthorised structure, which has been raised in the no-construction Heritage Zone on the Mall Road during the past two days, has led to a controversy. The property is allegedly owned by a senior bureaucrat.

Residents and shopkeepers of the area, under the banner of Baljees Building Tenants Association, today met the Mayor and Municipal Corporation (MC) Commissioner demanding immediate demolition of the structure constructed during the past two nights. They alleged that the structure had been raised in violation of the norms taking advantage of the fact that there were three holidays and as such there would be no action from the authorities concerned.

The residents and shopkeepers demanded that the MC should take immediate action as no fresh construction was allowed in the Heritage Zone. According to them, an entire floor has been created using thick iron sheets on February 14, obstructing natural light and ventilation to adjoining shops. It was only recently that the building, 17 Middle Bazar, had been bought by the bureaucrat (IAS officer), they said.

The government has declared the stretch from Secretariat in Chotta Shimla up to the Indian Institute of Advanced Study in Chaura Maidan as Heritage Zone. Only minor repair or alteration and addition is permissible in the zone. Moreover, permission for undertaking even minor repair or alteration in buildings that fall in the Heritage Zone is given by the State Heritage Sub-committee.

The ban on construction in the zone is applicable up to 50 metres on the both sides of the Mall Road. The controversial construction falls in Middle Bazar, which is within 50 meters of the Mall Road.

Moreover, the alleged unauthorised construction has come at a time when the MC has launched a campaign to remove all unauthorised structures (dharas) from government land, including forest land, in the town.

The MC is very particular in enforcing the law when it comes to the common people, but when the violation is by an influential person there is hardly any action, the residents alleged.

Mayor Sohan Lal and Municipal Commissioner Mohan Chauhan assured the residents that a notice would be issued to the owner of the building and action taken accordingly. However, the residents demanded that the structure should be pulled down immediately as it is in utter violation of the rules.

Engineers of the MC visited the spot. The bureaucrat could not be contacted despite repeated efforts.

Reckong Peo, February 14
There are no flowers, particularly no roses in the tribal areas of Kinnaur during this part of the year. Most of the greenery has vanished away in the snow, except for the pine trees and a few other forest species.

There are also no greeting cards available for special occasions of expressing love to beloved ones.

Yet, the passion of expressing love to their dear ones is present amongst the youngsters on the Valentine’s Day in this tribal area.

The young ones know the importance of this day, especially because of communication revolution in the past couple of decades in the form of newspapers, satellite television channels and of course movies.

The girls are not shy, rather more forward than those in any other parts of the nation in choosing their partners. This is probably because the women here are socio-economically more powerful than their men counterparts. They work hard in orchards and keep their hold on household economy.

One could come across a number of cases here in Kinnaur, in which the brave tribal women had shown the door to their husbands rising up against their “torture” even without a legal divorce. And, they are more successful, though, working hard lonely to bring up and provide quality education to their children.

Sheela Devi (name changed), a resident of nearby village who had shown the door to her husband two decades back, has worked hard to provide quality education to her children. Her elder daughter postgraduated in science from Panjab University two years ago and is happily married to an officer in the Intelligence Bureau.

Her second daughter had completed her postgraduation in library science from the PU and has just cleared the UGC examination. The third one is doing law at the university and her only son is doing graduation and a modelling course in Mumbai.

When this correspondent asked about the planning to marry her other two daughters, she boldly replied, “The time has changed and they will find their partners on their own.” She further disclosed that her eldest daughter had also married to the person of her own choice. “Love marriage is better to settle down in a life rather than face hardships like me later after the marriage”, is the mantra she gives to her children.

Shimla, February 14
Out to derive maximum political mileage from the employment guarantee scheme, the Congress has directed its field units to play the role of both facilitator and watchdog in the implementation of the scheme.

Mrs Viplove Thakur, state party chief, has asked the general secretaries in charge of Sirmaur and Chamba, the two districts where the scheme is being implemented in the first phase, to hold meetings to educate workers about the scheme and gear up the party right down to the polling booth level for the purpose.

Mrs Thakur said Mr Harbhajan Singh and Mr Kuldeep Rathore, the two general secretaries, would monitor the implementation of the scheme every month. The party workers had been asked to apprise the eligible youth of the scheme and help them fill the relevant forms and complete other formalities.

Interestingly, the two backward districts are the stronghold of the Congress. Of the total 10 legislators from the two districts, eight are of the Congress and one Independent is also supporting the party.

Chamba, February 14
As many as 40 houses in the Palyur and Sahoo areas of Chamba district have developed cracks due to blasts being carried for the construction of 5 MW Him Kailash hydroelectric project. It has become a cause of concern for inhabitants. They have demanded compensation for the damage caused to houses and property.

A deputation of the residents of Palyur and Sahoo belts whose houses have been affected by the blasts met with Animal Husbandry and Urban Development Minister Harsh Mahajan recently and apprised him of the situation. The minister directed the administration to assess the situation. In compliance will the directions; the Sub-Divisional Magistrate Chamba assessed and confirmed that the houses had developed cracks.

Meanwhile, Mr Rattan Chand a Zila Parishad member of this area has sought probe into the construction of this project on the Sal rivulet, a tributary of the Ravi 15 km from Chamba where the Forest Conservation Act, the Environment Protection Act and the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act are being violated.

Reckless digging of hills and a gutter along the Sal rivulet has created concern for biodiversity of the government in the Sahoo valley. It is also giving rise to accumulation of debris.

Expressing concern over the activities on the 5 MW Sahoo hydroelectric project, people of the region, who submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister pointed out that livelihood of anglers and owners of watermills of this area was going to be affected with the coming up of this project. Even there was hardly any scope of employment in the project to the locals, opined residents; adding that the dreams of the people were languishing in the name of so-called concept of the state government about the micro hydel projects in the state.

In fact, the 5 MW hydroelectric project is a big one and should not be called as a ‘micro hydel project’, but below one megawatt capacity, the project can, of course, be called as a micro hydel project which does not disturb the ecology of the local area and generate power to meet the requirement of electricity supply to the local villages”, vehemently pleaded these residents. They threatened that eco-system of the green area would not be allowed to disturb under the guise of ‘micro hydel power projects’.

Residents of the area urged the government to reconsider the decision and impress upon the enterprise executing the project to undertake catchment area treatment (CAT) plan; otherwise the project would result in damages to the 450 kilowatt (KW) Bhuri Singh Power House, a heritage hydroelectric project which is in fact a micro hydel project operating downstream on the Sal rivulet.

The functionaries enforcing the relevant Acts pertaining to environment and forest conservation however, maintain that though the environment clearance has already been accorded to the project but it is not a licence to cross the limitations beyond parameters prescribed under the provisions of these Acts and action would be taken for any lapse.