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Getting ready to face flood threat
Govt encouraging crop diversification
Poor management leads to water crisis
Students threaten stir
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HPCC gen secy lashes out at BJP
Tribune Impact
Tea town losing glory
IHBT celebrates foundation day
BJP condemns ‘fatwa’ by Muslim bodies
Azad instigating militants, alleges Sahib Singh
Minister disburses pension to 583
Daredevil display by Army men
K.D. Sultanpuri dead
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Getting ready to face flood threat in Sutlej
Reckong Peo, June 11 Just short of announcing an alert, the district administration has installed warning sirens and high frequency communication devices at various places, besides, asking the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the army, district police and other civil departments to be ready to face any situation. A senior official of the district administration told The Tribune, sirens have been sirens have been installed at Chango, Akpa, Spilo, Reta Khan, Karcham and Tapri — the places that are situated along the river. These sirens have been placed under the control of district police, ITBP and officials of the electricity board. High frequency wireless sets have been installed at Yangthang, Pooh, Moorang, Reckong Peo, Sangla and Nichar, enabling an effective communication system throughout the district. In order to control the situation, the whole district has been divided into six sectors. Various control rooms have been set up in the offices of General Reserve Engineering Force (telephone no. 01786-223310), ITBP (telephone no. 01786-222247), district administration (telephone nos. 01786-222227/ 222252) and police (telephone nos. 01786-222294/ 222210/100). The district administration has asked the officials of food and supplies department to keep a two-month stock of essential commodities at Pooh, Sangla and Reckong Peo to cater to the needs of the local people. Similarly, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and District Ayurvedic Officer have been asked to keep a stock of essential/emergency medicines in the hospitals, primary health care centres and dispensaries to face any situation. The ITBP has set-up a special post at the mouth of the Sutlej to monitor the flow of water into the river. It is maintaining a round- the- clock vigil and it’s men and equipment are in place, ready to move on the first signs of danger. Sources said relief and rescue equipment have been deployed at strategic places so that no time is lost in case of emergency. Meanwhile, the public works department was busy restoring the old Hindustan Tibet road as an alternate to the national highway that often gets disrupted in case of flash floods in the Sutlej. Although, the PWD had after the last year’s flash floods in the Sutlej had initiated a move to construct a second alternate to the national highway but its work is still pending. Jaypees sound alert in Baspa basin
The Jaypee Hydro-Power Corporation Limited running 300 MW Baspa-II Hydro Electric Project at Karcham has sounded an alert among the residents of Baspa basin in wake of the considerable rise of water level in the Baspa river during the past couple of weeks. In a communique issued for the general public this week, the Jaypees had warned that the water level in their run-through water reservoir situated at Kupa in Sangla valley may rise anytime in the days to come, keeping in view of the present weather conditions. A senior official of the company, when contacted, said that they will be forced to flush out the water from their barrage if the flow of water increased beyond the danger mark. “The company will not be responsible for any loss to private/government property under such circumstances”, said the official.
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Govt encouraging crop diversification
Shimla, June 11 Under the crop diversification programme, cultivation of off-season vegetables was being promoted in the state. In March, 2003, these vegetables were being cultivated in around 35,220 hectares, the area has now increased to 47,000 hectares. The production of vegetables had also shot up from 6.21 lakh tonne to 9 lakh tonne. The increase in production in the past three years had generated an additional revenue of Rs 175 crore. The Agriculture Department plans to bring 50,000 hectare under off-season vegetables and increase production to 10 lakh tonne by the end of the tenth Five-Year Plan. It will generate revenue to the tune of Rs 600 crore annually. During 2005-2006, an area of around 5,000 hectare was diverted from traditional crops to high-value crops that helped produce 85,000 tonne additional vegetables. The state is also promoting organic farming to minimise the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Under the Organic Farming Project, training is being provided to farmers in that regard. A proposal to popularise organic farming has been submitted to the Government of India for approval. The proposal would involve an expenditure of around Rs 32 lakh. Besides, the department has taken up an organic farming project in Shimla district under which 5,000 farmers have been registered. A new bio-control laboratory is also being set up at Mandi at a cost of Rs 70 lakh. Certification agencies like the ONECERT and the SGS will certify the organic produce in the state. Seven districts have been covered under the extension reform programme. These are Shimla, Hamirpur, Kangra, Bilaspur, Kullu, Mandi and Una. The programme is being run by setting up Agriculture Technology Management Agencies (ATMAs) for each district. Technology teams, farmer advisory committees, interest groups, self-help groups and farmer organisations have been constituted at the block level. To ensure easy access to farm credit, Kisan Credit Cards have been issued. Out of 8.63 lakh farmers, 4.50 lakh have been issued soil health cards. In the next 3-4 years, all farmers will be given these cards.
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Poor management leads to water crisis
Kasauli, June 11 Inquires revealed that though there was adequate water it could not be supplied to the residents of Garkhal as the villagers of Ladaha falling between the pumping site and the supply area have damaged the pipes to irrigate their crops of tomato and other vegetables. The SDO and junior engineer of the department are away on training, while the field staff neither informed the executive engineer nor rectified the damage themselves. It was after bringing the matter to the notice of the IPH Minister Mr Kaul Singh Thakur that the Executive Engineer Dharmender Gill yesterday said that he would personally visit the site and ensure that the water supply was restored soon. With no report of the damaged irrigation machinery having been filed as yet by the IPH Department, nothing has been done to bring the erring villagers to book. The residents rued that this was not an isolated case and every year in summers the villagers indulged in such acts. The IPH officials have always remained mute spectators, which has emboldened the villagers. Hundreds of residents trudge kilometers to procure some drinking water from far-off hand pumps. With no other source of water and the supply remaining hampered, the hapless people had no choice but to buy mineral water to meet their daily requirements. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rajesh Kumar, when contacted, said he had already instructed the tehsildar to arrange water tankers as and when required. The tehsildar, who was out of station, said the officials of the IPH Department had been instructed to arrange the tankers. In the absence of lack of coordination, the residents continue to face the hardships.
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Students threaten stir
Shimla, June 11 They held a meeting to chalkout further strategy to put pressure on the government. It was decided that evidence should be collected to support the charge of foul play in the test. The committee decided to hold another meeting on June 13. Meanwhile, the Himachal Pradesh University Teachers Welfare Association has demanded a thorough probe into the matter by an independent agency. The image and the credibility of the university was at stake and the controversy could be set to rest only by holding an impartial inquiry. It urged the Chancellor to order a probe and the officials responsible for the conduct of the test should be asked to proceed on leave to facilitate an impartial inquiry. MANDI:
The BJP state president, Mr Suresh Bhardwaj, has alleged irregularities in the HPCPMT-2006 examination and demanded a CBI probe into the matter. Talking to reporters here after his return from Jammu, where he had led the a state BJP delegation to participate in the “Stayagrah” against the terrorist activities, Mr Bhardwaj alleged that the government should order the probe to unearth the racket in the HPCPMT. Meanwhile, the action committee of the aggrieved students and parents got the support of the CPM and the ABVP, which staged a protest march in the town and demanded a high-level probe into the matter. Sundernagar college students held dharnas while the ABVP activists submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Mandi.
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HPCC gen secy lashes out at BJP
Bilaspur, June 11 Addressing mediapersons here in the presence of top Congress party leaders including Forest Minister Ram Lal Thakur, local MLA Tilak Raj Sharma, District Congress president Onkar Singh Chandel, Zila Parishad vice chairman Hoshiar Singh Thakur, state Congress Seva Dal Additional Chief Organiser Partap Koundal, state NSUI general secretary Anil Kumar Mintu and state Finance Secretary Budhi Singh Thakur, district market committee chairman Shankar Dass Koundal and prominent Youth Congress leader Brajesh Kausal, Mr Satya Parkash Thakur and Ms Kunjana Singh declared that price rise was an international phenomenon and there was hardly anything which the Central government could do. They said that still whatever possible could be done, is being done by Dr Manmohan Singh government and it was result of efforts of Central government that price rise in India was not in proportion to the price rise in the international market. It was due to strenuous efforts of Central government that price rise was slow and steady and was not as high as it should have been due to international pressures. They said that financial mismanagement by former NDA government was now being corrected by Dr Manmohan Singh and most of the time of last two years has been wasted in correcting financial imbalances created by former Atal Behari Bajpayee government. These leaders said that under dynamic leadership of Virbhadra Singh, all areas of Himachal Pradesh were making tremendous progress without any distinction or favouritism. This was the cause of worry of the BJP leaders who were raising irrelevant and unwarranted issues like price rise and unemployment. They said that the BJP was raising these issues time and again only to divert attention of the people from its own internal party dissensions. divisions and wranglings. But people fully understood real nature and character of the BJP and they could now no more be misled by such tactics. They said that they have arrived here to take stock of party organisation in the district and had found that Congress was as strong here as ever before under leadership of Forest Minister Ram Lal Thakur. They said that party was anxious to go to every door of every village of the state for propagating policies and programmes of the government and party and also for contradicting false opposition propaganda against it. A meeting of all leaders of district Congress committee has been summoned for reviewing organisational matters in district here.
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CM’s warning to govt doctors
Ravinder Sood
Palampur, June 11 Mr Virbhadra Singh, who concluded his two-day visit to Palampur, told media-persons here today that he had gone through a news item appeared in The Tribune in this regard. He said that all nefarious activities were being carried out by medical officers at the cost of poor patients who visited government hospitals. He said if the doctors failed to restrict their illegal activities, the government would not hesitate to ask the law enforcement agencies to look into the matter, evaluate their assets, inspect their bank accounts and those of their family members and file criminal cases against them. He said he had also received reports that a number of doctors posted in government hospitals were running their parallel clinics, testing labs and ultrasound units. It was a serious matter and no government would tolerate such illegal activities as it was also against the conduct service rules, he said. The Chief Minister said many doctors posted at one station for the past 10 to 15 years had developed vested interests. They had set up their own clinics and they rarely attended patients in government hospitals. They forced patients to come to their private clinics. Whenever they were shifted they put a lot of political pressure for the cancellation of their transfers. Mr Virbhadra Singh appealed his Cabinet colleagues not to shield such corrupt medical officers and not to send requests to his office for the cancellation of transfers. He said doctors posted at one station for the past five to 10 years would be shifted soon. Earlier, the Chief Minister paid a visit to the Civil Hospital, Bhwarana, near here, and shifted the entire staff, including two medical officers, for negligence in their duty on the complaints of local residents. The Chief Minister was told that no doctor attended to the emergency cases and patients were referred to the Civil Hospital, Palampur and Dharamsala, by the Class IV staff. On Friday, The Tribune had carried a news item regarding sale of substandard drugs in government hospitals in Kangra district. It was also reported that many doctors were receiving commission from the drug companies for prescribing their products which were not only substandard but also costly.
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Tea town losing glory
Palampur, June 11 Haphazard construction of shops, houses and roads is going on unchecked. It seems that no authority exists here to check such illegal activities. A number of shops, houses and other buildings have come up without prior approval of Town and Country Planning Department. In many cases even the local civic body has also not opposed the unregulated growth. The things have gone from bad to worse in the past two years as there is a spate of illegal constructions in the town. Influential persons and henchmen of the politicians are allowed to go ahead with illegal construction whereas many residents of the town are yet to get approval for construction of their houses. Despite the fact that the state government has imposed blanket ban, multi-storied building has come up in the town. Nobody knows who accorded the approval to such concrete structures . In many cases, applicants are fed up with the attitude of Town and Country Planning Department. They allege that widespread corruption is prevailing and middlemen are making huge money. It is most surprising that not only private persons are involved in the illegal construction but various government and semi-government departments have also taken up the execution of their buildings without the approval of Town and Country Planning Department. The construction of shops by the Municipal Council near Rotary Bawan and tehsil complex in the heart of the town remained in the news but the state government failed to initiate any action to remove the illegal construction. The municipal committee promised to shift these shops but the assurances remained confined to files. In one case the Himachal Pradesh High Court intervened and stayed the construction of multi-story complex of the Municipal Council which was being constructed in gross violation of norms. Heaps of garbage can be seen everywhere. The lower areas of the town are the worst affected where no municipal commissioner ha bothered to visit. Sabzi mandi and the local Civil Hospital Complex are the worst hit. The sabzi mandi has become the most polluted place in the town. Garbage from the sabzi mandi is not removed for days together causing great inconvenience to the families residing near it. The demand of residents to shift the sabzi mandi outside the town has been turned down by the government. A senior police officer admitted that besides resulting in large-scale pollution the sabzi mandi has become a big traffic hazard for the residents of the town.
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IHBT celebrates foundation day
Dharamsala, June 11 Dr P.S. Ahuja, Director, IHBT, read out the annual report and highlighted the progress made during the last one year and elaborated on the key milestones achieved in the field of research. During the year, the IHBT had witnessed significant positional shift in the performance parameters on all fronts. The institute attracted several important companies for collaborations. As many as eight patents were awarded and 11 patents were filed in India and 12 abroad. In natural products, several processes were developed. Academic linkages with universities were strengthened. The Institute organized a number of training programmes throughout the year and also hosted conferences of national importance. A rural school was adopted under the CSIR programme of “Faculty Training and Motivation and Adoption of schools and colleges” and the institute organized trainings for local science teachers reflecting the IHBT’s societal commitments. Distinguished scientists from various neighbouring institutions and persons from different professions also took part in the function. Besides, about 120 senior science students from various schools were invited. Mr BBL Butail, Advisor to Chief Minister, was the guest of honour. Speaking on the occasion, he said it was sad that lack of initiative by entrepreneurs and industrialists in the area had resulted in non-translation of the commendable research by the institute on tea, bamboo and hybrid flowers into profitable returns for the locals. He said there was a need for self-help groups to come forward to help in large scale production of hybrid varieties of flowers like rose and lavender and bamboo in the Palampur region. Prof Deepak Pental, Vice- Chancellor, Delhi University and a renowned scientist gave an absorbing lecture on “Mustard breeding work as a model for crop breeding programme in India” he also released the annual report of IHBT, a prestigious document of the Institute. He said the overall major goal for the Indian agriculture should be breeding for reduced water requirement in irrigated rice and wheat, giving two alternative crops to farmers for every season and disease and pest resistance through genetic inputs. Prof Sudhir Kumar Sopory, chairman, Research Council of IHBT presided over the function. Dr DS Rathore, V.C.,H.P.Agricultural University, Palampur, Dr Sushil Kumar, former director CIMAP, Lucknow and Prof Verma of Panjab University, Chandigarh were also present on the occasion. Dr Ahuja also declared institution of Dr Akshey Kumar Gupta biannual award in memory of the institute’s former Director, which would be given to a scientist of the institute for excellence in research from 2007 onwards.
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BJP condemns ‘fatwa’ by Muslim bodies
Shimla, June 11 In a statement here today, he accused these organisations of spreading communalism and showing disrespect to the country. He also asked the UPA government and the Congress to make their stand clear on the issue. The silence was intriguing and the only inference one could draw from it was that they were sheltering anti-national elements. He said those who were allergic to “Vande Mataram” had no right to live in the country.
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Azad instigating militants, alleges Sahib Singh
Nurpur, June 11 Addressing a press conference at Bodh, near here, today, he alleged that Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Navi Azad was instigating Kashmiri militants and a case should be registered against him. He said he had written a letter to the Union Home Minister in this connection. He said Mr Azad would be held responsible if militants attacked him. Mr Verma, who is also the national BJP vice-president, said during the regime of NDA government village security committees had been formed and given weapons for self-defence. He clarified that the BJP would extend monetary assistance to those civilians who eliminated militants in Kashmir, provided the state government would verify it. Mr Verma has come to Himachal Pradesh to preside over a meeting of the state executive of the BJP in Hamirpur on Monday.
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Minister disburses pension to 583
Chamba, June 11 He said as per the records, 16,800 persons were receiving social security pension worth Rs 1.70 crore and added that approximately 4,000 fresh pensions had been introduced in the district for the past three years. The minister distributed pensions among 583 eligible persons here today which included old-age, widow and disability pensions.
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Daredevil display by Army men
Shimla, June 11 The event, which was inaugurated by Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, commenced with plots of the Aviation Squadron displaying their skills in flying helicopters. The Army dogs from the Remount and Veterinary Corps put up a spectacular show demonstrating obedience drills, show jumping and their expertise in life-saving skills during avalanches, landslides and detecting explosives and mines. The judo team of Corps of Military Police Centre and school displayed their skills in unarmed combat. The Jammu and Kashmir Rifles displayed the armour which included Assualt rifles, machineguns, mortors, missile-launchers, sniper rifles and recoilless guns. The function concluded with an impressive band display.
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K.D. Sultanpuri dead
Shimla, June 11 He is survived by his wife, two sons and four daughters. He suffered a massive heart attack while he was on the way to the house of a party worker. Mr Sultanpuri was first elected to the Vidhan Sabha from the Solan constituency as an Independent in 1972. He joined the Congress subsequently and got elected to the Lok Sabha from the Shimla (Reserved) constituency in 1980. He set a record of winning the same seat six times in a row. He also remained president of the state Congress. The cremation will take place at his native village, Sultanpur, in Solan district. The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, the PCC chief, Mrs Viplove Thakur, Mr Shanta Kumar, national vice-president of the BJP, former Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal, state BJP chief Suresh Bhardwaj, ministers and other Congress leaders have expressed grief over the sudden death of Mr Sultanpuri and conveyed their sympathies to the bereaved family.
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