The sudden rise in mercury in Himachal Pradesh in the past few days has triggered forest fires causing widespread damage to forest wealth of the state. Almost every forest in the state is on fire. Despite tall claims made by the state government and plans initiated to check the forest fires, precious forest wealth has been going on flames.

Although, before the onset of summers, the forest department had taken various preventive measures like creation of fire lines, removing of pine needles from road side, restoration of old paths and controlled burning of frosts, but these too have
proved ineffective in the absence of adequate funds, man power and equipment.

A senior officer of the forest department while talking to The Tribune said forest department needed over ten crore to check the forest fires in the region but the department gets only around two crore annually under this head which is not sufficient to fight the fire menace.

Most of the fires have been reported from the highly flammable pine forests, as shedding of pine needles is in full swing these days. Though the chances of fires in other forest are not very high.

He appealed the villagers and panchayats to extend their cooperation in checking forest fires. He said no one should be allowed to smoke inside the forest, which could also be the reason for the forest fire.

The forests in Himachal Pradesh not only contribute in maintaining the ecological balance but also play a significant role in the economic development of the state. Here, forests provide physical sustenance to the fragile eco-system and also act as a source of precious raw material for rural and industrial application. The area under forest in the state totals 37,591 sq. km., of which only 11,780 sq. km. is under tree plantation.

The economists in the year1995 had put the total value of the state forest wealth at Rs. 39,000 crore. It is evident from the various surveys and studies conducted by the NGOs, that the drive for plantation for trees in the state has badly failed to gain momentum in past ten years. The areas under forest were shrinking year after year.

The state has planted trees only on papers. Meanwhile, reports reaching said forest fire had destroyed thousands of trees in Bindravan, Kandi, Alampur, Rantital, Baijnath, Kangra, Dhara Gopipur and Nurpur areas.

The condition of the National Highway-21 from Kullu-Manali airport to Manali, has gone from bad to worse in the past two years. The road has been a victim of digging spree by irrigation and public health departments, BSNL and other private mobile phone companies.

The dug up part of the national highway is never repaired except some soil filling. The road verges are broken and pose a danger to small vehicles. The road falling in Kullu has been dug six times in the past couple of years and the digging up of the road is still on for laying telephone cables by a private mobile phone company in the town.

Whenever a VIP is to visit the area, the PWD department starts patchwork on the road, which sustains for hardly a week.

The worst patch of the NH-21 is between Kullu and Manali. The surface of the road has been peeled off at many places, which made the road bumpy. Also thickness of the coal tar layer seems inadequate and substandard.

The stacking of material on the roadsides, particularly on the curves, is another hazard. Such is the condition of the road at Pirdi on a curve where stones and soil have been lying for the past eight months after the PWD broke beautiful parapets made of round stones and converted these to concrete blocks.

SK Verma, executive engineer, PWD, admits that the road is in bad shape but says the trouble is due to roadside drains. He is of the opinion that until drains are not constructed, the peeling off of the surface will continue. The department has already forwarded a proposal in this regard to the authorities, he adds.

Regarding the alleged substandard tarring of the road, Verma says the periodical repair limit for the surfacing is one-and-a-half to two years and the road will be maintained shortly. He expresses his constraint that the Delhi office releases the funds while the sanctions are done through the Chandigarh office.

He says the repeated digging on the highway is a matter of concern, but they are maintaining the road from the funds deposited by the telephone companies. Moreover, the seepage of drains is damaging the road, he adds.

As tourism remains the main source of revenue in the state, poor roads will only hamper its growth.

With the police headquarters finally proposing to post a new sub divisional police officer (SDPO) at  Darlaghat, the long standing grouse of the two key cement plants in the region appears to  be addressed soon.

In the wake of plants, including an operational one- Ambuja Cements Limited and another which is slated to be functional within a year Jay Prakash Associates- being located in the region, there are nearly 3,000 trucks in the sub-division alone.

The presence of truckers has often led to disputes, which at times have required a whole posse of policemen to resolve the issue. Police had to be rushed not only from Shimla, but also from all over the district, to control the volatile situation of the region at times.

In the present arrangement, the area is looked after by DSP (headquarter) who sits at Solan which is at a distance of nearly 65  kms requiring more than two hours to reach the spot in case of an emergency.

The area has also seen a high rate of crime with road accidents, even gruesome murders, rapes and disputes. The industrialists had time and again been pressing for placing a senior official in the region who could act promptly and dispose issues which otherwise lead to bigger problems.

 While welcoming the proposal, vice-president, ACL R K.Sharma said it would ensure speedier disposal of issues which at times a junior officer is unable to settle as he has to await for directions from the senior officials.

The SDPO would be liable to supervise the working of three police stations of Arki, Bagha and Darlaghat according to the proposal.

Since the area alone has attracted investment worth several crores there has been a steep increase in the labour force working in the region. This has led to a spurt in the crime too.

Disputes occurring in this region are largely due to lack of award for land acquisition and enhancement in the transport freight. Since the issues pertain to the local people who surrender land, the locals go all out to resist the pressure created by the industrial houses.

The management of Jay Prakash  Cements, while welcoming the move, said it would  help maintain law and order and restore peace at all times. This was a mandatory step especially since two major cement plants are located in the area.

Governor VS Kokje's name will go down in the history of the state as the second constitutional head to have completed the five-year tenure as his term expires on May 8. In the past, it is only S. Chakravorty, the first Governor of the state, who completed his full term after he was appointed on January 25, 1971, when Himachal Pradesh got statehood.

In fact, his term was extended by another year and he remained the Governor till February 16, 1977. Ever since, all Governors have either resigned or were removed by the centre before the expiry of their terms.

As such Kokje will be the first Governor in the past three decades to have completed a full term of five years. Kokje was appointed on May 8, 2003, by the NDA regime headed by Vajpayee. Unlike his counterparts in the country he was lucky enough to continue despite the UPA coming to power. The Congress government headed by Virbhadra Singh also did not seek his removal and he continued.

Many of the appointees managed to remain Governor for very short terms, barely a few months. Some were embroiled in controversy for which they are still remembered. Aminudin Ahmed, who was appointed Governor on January 13, 1981 could last barely for seven months as his term ended on August 26, 1981.

After him came the appointment of A.N. Banerjee on August 26, 1981, who was in the office till April 16, 1983. He was succeeded by Hokishe Sema, who remained the Governor till March 7, 1986.

After him, it was R.K.S. Gandhi who took over as Governor and remained in the office for four years. The tenure of the next appointee K.B. Rachiah lasted only for 10 months as his term ended on December 19, 1990. After this, the then V.P. Singh regime appointed Virender Verma as Governor who was in the office for about two years.

Then Punjab Governor Surinder Nath had the additional charge of Himachal Pradesh. In fact, when he died in an air crash near Kullu, he was holding the charge of state Governor. After this, Baliran Bhagat, Gulsher Ahmed and Sudhakar Rao Naik remained Governors for short stints and left the post for political reasons.

Congress leader Sheila Kaul, was made Governor on November 17, 1995, but after a court verdict she was removed. Then VS Rama Devi took over, but she was shifted to Karnataka. After her transfer, Vishnukant Shastri assumed office on December 2, 1999.

It was a nostalgic moment for the students and staff of Army Public School, Dagshai, when they bade farewell to their chairman Brig H.S.Nagra, commandant, 14 GTC, Subathu. With the school being rated at an enviable sixth position in the prestigious education world and IMRB international’s survey, which is the country’s premier market research firm, the two-year tenure of the chairman was one which brought maximum fame to the school.

While addressing the students, Brig Nagra gave due credit to the students for bringing laurels to the school. He emphasised the significance of residential schools in shaping a child’s personality and lauded the role of the principal as well as the staff for attaining new heights.

It was under his guidance that the school achieved excellence in every sphere which included earning 21st rank in the North Zone League and 43rd in India’s best school league.

As the restoration work of the historic Gaiety Theatre complex continues at a sluggish pace, the heritage structure on the Mall has become more an eyesore. Inquiries reveal that the work, which has been in progress for the past over five years, will take quite some time for completion. The language art and culture department has already spent over Rs 5.5 crore and as per latest estimates; the final cost will be over Rs 8 crore.

The work is being executed by the public works department under the guidance of noted architect Ved Segan who pays occasional visits to guide the engineers. Officials maintain that it was highly specialised work and had to be carried out with utmost care and precaution. The decaying masonry has been redone by replacing the old stones with exactly similar ones.

Further, the structure was being restored to its original shape as it existed in 1880. It was quite a task to rebuild the two upper storeys, which were demolished in 1912 by the British who found the structure too unwieldy and heavy to support such heavy masonry. The interiors involve intricate papier mache work which will require much time. The department has now engaged a consultant to get the work executed in the same style as the original.

Restored upper storeys will provide a multi-purpose hall, which will accommodate over 500 persons. The Amateur Dramatic Club managed by the army will also move out from the main structure. The space vacated will be utilised by the language art and culture department for a museum and organising various activities. 

Students from all over the country are studying at the Jaypee University of Information and Technology but the state road transport corporation does not stop at Waknaghat.

As a result, the students and other commuters face a lot of inconvenience. Inquiries reveal that the corporation has not included it in its list of halting points.