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Intach plans causeway to save submerged temples
Shimla, December 2 The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural heritage (INTACH) has suggested the construction of a causeway, which would facilitate the relocation of these priceless treasures. It has been suggested that a causeway be made from debris and rocks from the sites for roads, dams and power projects so that the temples become approachable. The earlier plans of the department of language, art and culture and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to relocate these temples to a new site failed to take off. “Undertaking any kind of work, be it the elevation of temples at their old sites or their relocation to a new compound is next to impossible till a causeway is made as they are unapproachable due to water, silt and slime during most part of the year,” explains B.S, Malhans, convener of the Himachal State Chapter. In fact, the ball has been set rolling as the department of tourism is already in touch with officials of the department of language, art and culture so that a plan for the conservation and preservation can be drawn out. INTACH is likely to undertake conceptualisation, and the tourism authorities will finance the project. Sources in the tourism department say it is likely that Asian Development Bank (ADB) would be approached for funds to undertake the highly technical and exhaustive work. It is being planned that after a causeway is made, a suitably designed square or circular compound be made to relocate the temples strictly in order of their precedence or hierarchy. For undertaking this arduous task, INTACH has already started work to collect all relevant information and documents, which includes Survey of India maps of old Bilaspur town which got submerged under the waters of the Gobind Sagar. Permission and old records will also be taken from the Bhakra management. Another crucial information that would be required is satellite maps through remote sensing of varying water levels at different times of the year, says Malhans. He adds besides involving soil experts, some local priests, especially the elderly ones and historians having cultural and religious knowledge, would be involved in the task. For the past 50 years, the temples have remained submerged in a depth of over 100 ft water after the entire old Bilsapur town gave way for the setting up of the highest straight gravity dam, Bhakra. The temples, some of them lost forever, remain sunken under water during monsoons and winters but during remaining
part of the year they are visible. The temples ravaged through the years are a specimen of architectural feat dating back to seventh century. According to historians, the sculptures on the temples are a rare combination of the Pahari school of art and the Gupta period. These temples include Shanmukeshwara, dedicated to Kartikeya II, son of Shiva, and an adjoining temple, Dhanduit. There is also a ninth century Ranganath temple dedicated to Shiva, featuring an image of Nandi and Lingam. Historians have pointed out that the Ranganath temple is the only Indian counterpart of Chandi-Asu in Java. Close by is also a Hanuman temple and the Gopla ka mandir, built by Raja Anand Chand. There are several 17th century temples that too were submerged under water. Locals, especially fishermen, recall that over the years some of the smaller temples, which used to be visible, have virtually disappeared. With the sentiments of the locals being attached with these ancient temples, they are keen that the project for their re-location finally takes off so that more temples are not lost forever due to delay.
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Warm weather delays ice skating
Shimla, December 2 The duration of the skating season in Asia’s oldest natural ice skating rink here has in recent years become totally dependent on the weather. The season has been shrinking and the number of skating sessions has also been coming down due to the changing climate in recent decades. Last year, only 45 sessions were possible, as the weather mostly remained unfavourable. There had been a time in the 1960s when as many as 165 sessions were possible and on an average 110 to 120 sessions continued till the early 1980s. On an average, only 60 to 80 sessions take place during a normal season now. With the weather playing spoilsport, there have been occasions when the number of sessions even failed to cross the figure of 20. Severe degradation in the environment has led to a rise in the average temperature and it is becoming more and more difficult for water to freeze naturally. As a result, enthusiasts of the fascinating winter sport have no option but to pray for a good season. Shimla has indeed witnessed severe climatic changes over the past three decades. Its impact is visible in irregular and ever-decreasing snow. The erstwhile British summer capital no longer experiences white Christmas and white New Year, which were a usual feature until three decades ago. Large- scale and indiscriminate construction activity has taken a heavy toll on the environment. Large-scale haphazard construction that transformed vast stretches of green into a concrete jungle has been mainly responsible for the changing microclimate. The felling of trees on the hillside, which provided a shade to the rink has not only curtailed the duration of the season but has also reduced the effective skating area. A large portion of the rink has been exposed to direct sun rays, causing the ice sheet on the rink to melt during the day, thus making very few evening skating sessions possible during the season. The effective area of the rink that was originally equivalent to five tennis courts has been reduced to almost half. Since not much could be done about the changing climate that appears to be an irreversible process, the Ice Skating Club came out with a proposal to convert the natural rink into an all-weather rink by installing suitable refrigeration machinery. A Rs 70-lakh project had been submitted to the Sports Authority of India for funding more than three years ago, but it has not been sanctioned so far. Secretary of the club Bhuvanesh Banga says the refrigeration plant will reduce dependence on the weather and help prolong the season to three months and even more. It will be possible to have skating sessions even during cloudy weather. Meanwhile, the club has decided to glaze the open-air restaurant on hillside of the rink with glass for the benefit of both skaters and tourists. Local legislator Suresh Bhardwaj gave the funds for the purpose from his local area development fund. The club has also decided to increase the membership fee by 10 per cent to take care of increasing cost of operation.
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Villagers oppose Kasauli Development Plan
Kumarhatti, December 2 The Town and Country Planning (TCP) had proposed the development plan on the orders of the HP high court in which the department was directed to strike a balance between developmental needs and environment protection. The adhikar samiti has accused that the officials of the TCP, Solan, have failed to explain as to how they proceeded on the suggestions and objections submitted to the department by the public a month back. The office-bearers of the samiti have accused that contrary to the theme of the plan it would put a blanket ban on every pursuit that holds a promise to the better future for the local population. The proposed plan would infringe on the fundamental and village level rights of the local population. The plan directs the local population to build residential houses that were less than 200sq m. It would also put ban on providing new water connections in future. As per samiti’s allegation, the department has made such a proposal to please the high and mighty people belonging to the other states. According to secretary of the samiti Kapil Tandon, the draft proposes to ban every new factory, hotel, guesthouse, shopping complex, institutional establishments like schools, colleges, hospitals, residential projects both in government and private sector till the year 2021. As a result of this neither any exhaustive statistical data nor the needs of the local population have been made the basis of this plan. Hence, this plan has been seen as a direct encroachment on the fundamental rights of the locals, said Tandon, adding the plan would end all the employment opportunities in this region. People would have to migrate to Parwanoo and Baddi for jobs. The draft proposes to allow only premium tourism projects on minimum area of 10 bighas (7500sq m) and puts a ban on small hotels and guesthouses, remarked president of the samiti Prabhu Dayal. Whereas the local population has neither 10 bighas of continuous stretch of land nor they have the financial capacity to build such a huge project. Cleverly, the draft reserves the salubrious climate of Kasauli for outsiders to exploit for commercial gains. The plan draft has been influenced by the rich to safeguard their vested interests, he maintained. The proposal restricts the size of new buildings to less than 200 sq m only with maximum of three dwelling units per floor, asserted Dayal. It also restricts the number of storeys to two, in already congested “abadi-dehs”, he said. The draft would also take away the right of people to perform “Khangi Taqsim” (family partition) for non-agricultural purposes and proposes to have a forest officer involved in family partitions, he pointed out. It also proposes to disallow any new water connections to commercial establishments. According to the draft, the director, TCP, Shimla, would issue the occupancy certificate, whereas the plans are to be approved by the town planner, Solan. Minute material alterations shall require prior approval from the office of the director, TCP at Shimla. Moreover, plans for partial land development have also been banned. The samiti members have also raised questions against the working of the proposed enforcement committee for the KPA. They demanded that the TCP should be implemented on the same lines as it was to be implemented in whole of the state with the passing of the new legislation that proposes to replace the TCP Act. If the proposal has been finalised by the government without giving any attention to the objections raised by the local population of the KPA, the proposal could inflict such damage to the development of the area that it would become impossible for the people to regain ever, the members opined. The samiti has also conveyed their objections to local sitting BJP MLA Rajiv Saizal and DC Solan Amandeep Garg. The samiti members have threatened that if their suggestions were not made the part of the proposal then they would start agitation against the proposed plan. The samiti demanded that TCP should be applied to the town on the lines of the new legislation that has to be passed in the coming Vidhan Sabha session.
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Arya Samaj Mandir’s English connection
by Shriniwas Joshi
Buck adds that from 1885 new Roman Catholic Chapel under the District Courts was being used and the little chapel in Lower Bazaar was converted into a school. It was called St. Joseph School for Girls in 1892 and was re-baptised as St. Francis Girls’ Day School in 1902. This piece of land and the building of the chapel were purchased by the Shimla Arya Samaj (SAS) in 1906 where the present mandir stands. Sunder Lall, pleader, the vice-president of SAS, wrote a letter on the January 3, 1906, to the secretary, Municipal Committee (MC), “SAS has purchased the building known as old Roman Catholic Chapel and certain repairs are going to be effected thereunto”. The repairs under SAS started here on 24.1.1906 and then construction in this or that form went on continually. Arya Samaj Middle School for Girls replaced the earlier school and its strength touched congested 112 in 1914. J.M. Stratford, inspector of schools, Ambala division, wrote in his inspection note in 1915, “The infant class of 51 children was crowded into the side room in which there is not air space for more than 20”. Though short of funds yet SAS had to plan for more classes. The plan it submitted for additional rooms in the school in 1918, was rejected by the health officer on the plea that the planned classrooms have inadequate sizes. Mohan Lal, pleader in the Chief Court, Punjab, had become the president of SAS by then who sent a revised plan from Gulshan Villa in 1919. Gulshan Villa came into prominence in 1921, when Mahatma Gandhi arrived in Shimla for the first time and after addressing women of Shimla at Arya Samaj on May 14 attended an at home at Mohan Lal’s villa in Lower Bazaar. SAS women also deserve credit for picketing outside the Assembly Hall in Shimla carrying placards in support of Sarda Bill that became an Act in 1929. The commotion in conservative Shimla that the girls in the school are within eye-shots of all passersby in the bazaar resulted in a jafri-type plank wall erected in 1920 along the road on the west as purdah for the girls. A havan kund in the mandir was also that year’s addition. Various appendages in the building had made it an abstract collage so a plan for total re-erection was sent to the MC in December 1926. The present building was ready by late 1927. Twelve shops belonging to SAS on the western end of the Lower Bazaar were designed in 1926, and completed by early 1928. To check rainwater from entering into the shops weather shades were put up in 1928 at Teh Bazaari. In 1934, shop number 12 was purchased by Nand Lal Arhti, a prominent figure of that time. The other shops are still owned by SAS. The first printed letterhead of SAS, on record, is of September 3, 1928, showing 1882 as its year of establishment and the motto of Arya Samaj ‘Krinavanto Vishwam Aryam’ meaning make the world noble. Where did SAS function for the initial 24 years till 1906 when it was established at the present site? It is believed that it had moved from house to house with the presidents-elect. Pamela Kanwar writes that when Sir Jai Lal was its president in 1900, he donated Dilkusha in Ram Bazaar for its use. Today, the senior secondary girl school here, coeducational up to primary classes, has strength of 628 and to quote Acharya Ramanand, president, SAS, about 50 households in Shimla town follow Arya Samaj.
Tailpiece
Father Callistus of Roman Catholic Chaplain wrote to the secretary, MC, in 1894, “I would ask your honour either to come down yourself or send a person of your confidence to inspect the place, but not the municipal guard who has given me no end of trouble since he became a municipal servant”.
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Fine arts school to come up in Shimla
Encouraged by the huge response to the paining competition to nurture budding artistic talent, the Charu Castle Foundation has decided to set up a school of fine arts in the “queen of hills”. Over 1,800 boys and girls from Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh participated in the competition organised in association with the Nehru Painting Group (NPG). If all goes as planned by founder of the NPG Kapur V. Bhan, training courses of 12 months and 18 months duration for art teachers will be started shortly, initially for girls. In due course, the institution will be upgraded to an arts college offering regular bachelor of fine arts degree. The only fine arts college in the state was closed about three decades ago much to the disappointment of art lovers. Kapur, for whom the promotion of fine art is a mission, also had plans to set up an art gallery and a doll museum, but the project could not take off as the government failed to provide the promised land to the foundation. “Funds are not a problem, all that is requires is a piece of land, about two to three bighas, to give practical shape to these plans,” he says. Meanwhile, Balwinder from B.Ed College, Tutu, was the overall winner of the competition, followed by Nijat of Chandigarh and Garima of Una. In the senior category, Suresh Chaudhry of Himachal Pradesh University bagged the first position, Minal Bansal and Asha of local government college got the second and third positions, respectively. Some prominent artists were also honoured during the prize distribution function. BSNL’s unusual promptness
For once BSNL has shown unusual promptness, not associated with public sector undertakings, in rectifying its faulty and rather hazardous telecom cable network in the Bharari area. Field staff of the nigam took immediate notice of the news report published in the columns of The Tribune regarding the dangers posed to vehicles from the maze of low hanging cables fanning out from tilted poles and took corrective action. The precariously perched pole had been removed all together from the chowk and the cable network over a stretch of about 2 km from Kuftadhar to Dudli has been re-laid on a new alignment using high masts. The low cables had become a traffic hazard and frequently got entangled with the passing vehicles. It also encouraged thieves who found the cables within easy reach. Officials of the nigam had also woken up to the problem of cable thefts and held meetings with the police to check such incidents. However, there has been no improvement in the GPRS services and internet connectivity continues to be unreliable and its speed is far less than that of a dial-up connection.
Making the most of RTI
More and more people are making use of the Right to Information Act in the hill state. As against 2,600 applications received last year as many as 7,100 applications have been filed during the current year so far. In 191 cases, the applicants proffered the first appeal against the decision of the public information officer as against 119 cases last year. Further, as many as 117 appeals have been filed with the state information commission. The government has recently reduced the fees for supplying information from Rs 10 to Rs 2 per page which will further encourage people to take advantage of the Act. The state information commission lacks basic infrastructure like its own office premises and other facilities. Since the Act is playing an important role in ensuring transparency and accountability in the functioning of the various organs of the government, it would be worthwhile to strengthen it.
— TNS
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Preserving ancient Chowrasi temples of Bharmour
Bharmour, December 2 The most important existing temples are Manimahesh (Suryamukhling temple), Lakshna Devi, Ganesh and Narsingh. These temples are beautifully carved with human figures and floral designs. The Manimahesh Shikhara temple is one of the most ancient and beautiful temples in the state. Lakshna Devi is represented here as Mahishasuramardini (slayer of the buffalo demon), her brass idol having been executed by Yugga, the master artisan of King Meru Verma. This temple needs special attention for
its upkeep. The Narsingh temple was constructed by queen Tribhuvan Rekha, as is evident from an inscription carved on copper. The temple was badly damaged by an earthquake on April 4, 1905. Tucked in snowy mountains, Bharmour, a tribal subdivisional headquarters, is 65 km away from the district headquarters of Chamba and is linked with a metalled road. Eightyfour yogis visited the place during the reign of King Sahil Verma. It is on account of their visit that the compound where the ancient edifices are situated is called Chowrasi and is held in high esteem. Since the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) looks after half a dozen magnificent temples, hardly anything in the name of renovation has
been done. The work of art on the walls of these temples is decaying due to the vagaries of weather.The ASI must take preventive steps for the conservation and preservation of the antique art of these temples. The state and the central governments are spending sufficient funds on the repair of slate and concrete flooring of the Chowrasi compound, maintains additional district magistrate of Bharmour tribal subdivision Naresh Kumar Lakh, who is also the chairperson of the Manimahesh trust. This year, too, the tourism department has sanctioned a sum of Rs 5 crore for building infrastructure in a big way with a view to conserve and preserve the invaluable religious heritage of the famous ancient temples of Bharmour’s Chowrasi, including the shrines and tourist spots located in the surrounding areas under the Manimahesh trust, reveals the ADM.
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Private transporters skip rural routes
Solan, December 2 According to an assessment made by The Tribune, it had been observed that the number of buses plying between Dharampur-Kasauli, Dharampur- Subathu, Dagshai, Nauni, was much less than the ones, which had been granted route permits. It had been observed that buses, which have been granted route permits, often skip routes after 6.30pm. For instance, as many as five buses are supposed to ply between Dharampur to Kasauli after 6.30pm but barely two of them ply and the commuters are left to fend for themselves after 7pm. Though, the last bus is supposed to leave Dharampur at 7.45pm, but this route exists only on official papers. Since, there have been little employment opportunities available in Kasauli and its precincts, people have to commute to as far as Solan, Parwanoo and Baddi for They face problem at Dharampur, where there is no bus after 7pm, and in the absence of any alternate mode of transport, they are forced to spend on taxis. This situation had particularly benefited the taxi operators and they spare no effort to fleece the passengers by charging exorbitant rates after 7pm. “It appears there is no regulation to check these erring bus operators who force daily commuters to spend exorbitantly on taxis. What can an average man do when there is no option but to hire taxis every day,” rued a bank employee who commutes daily between Baddi and Kasauli. Interestingly, though the HRTC had been plying two buses after 7pm between Dharampur-Kasauli until a few years back but these routes were cancelled after the private transporters sought those routes from the transport department. Neither of the two buses plies and the commuters are left facing the cold while waiting for generous passersby to offer them a lift. Commuters travelling in various other rural routes, including Ukkhu, Jainagar, Manlog Kalan in Nalagarh block and Kander and Bagha in the Arki area, too, had to wait for hours together to catch a bus. The lack of action on part of the transport department officials to find a potent solution has made a common man believe that none cares for their plight. Regional transport authority Avinash Dhani said, since, it has been brought to his notice he would check the ongoing practice. He added that the erring transporters would be given a warning to comply as per the route permit but if he failed to do so his route permit too could be cancelled. He said no transporter could operate as per his whims and fancies. No exemption in special road tax would be granted to any such transporter who willfully skips routes. Such a practice puts public to inconvenience and was certainly not acceptable and would be checked.
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Shiksha abhiyan to the rescue
Our Correspondent
Banikhet, December 2 Over the years, the policy has been changed and the children studying up to Class V are promoted without passing their examinations, resulting in complaints from teachers that the students being promoted are poor in studies and hence the results of Classes VIII and Class X are unsatisfactory. The Yog Manav Vikas Trust (YMVT), Banikhet, has been observing such pitiable standards of education over the years. It has now decided to launch an intervention programme through its Shiksha Sahayata Abhiyan. Under the abhiyan, education help centres are established in villages for providing additional classes in the evening. Unemployed youth are given the responsibility for taking such additional classes in either panchayat ghars, schools or some other premises. The first such centre was opened at Devidehra and Kandi . Since then performances and improvements are observed on a monthly basis. For getting better results, more centres have been established by the trust at Kanda, Devidehra, Dhalog, Bagdhar, Maloora, Baroti (Duer), Airwan (Duer), Churi, Lothal, Durgathi, Shopan, Dughar and Brangal villages and are functioning successfully. The trust is paying an honorarium of Rs 1,000 per month to each teacher of the village, besides providing other material, says chairperson of the trust Kiran Dodeja. More emphasis is being laid on covering primary class children so that when they are promoted, they are in a better position to catch up with the syllabus of higher standards. Dalhousie Public School has chosen to become a partner in this venture.
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Rogi Kalyan Samitis under a cloud
Palampur, December 2 These bodies were set up in district and subdivisional hospitals with an aim to generate funds to meet the day-to-day financial requirements of hospitals. The samitis are authorised to collect funds from patients who undergo medical tests and surgeries. Depending upon the service, the patients pay between Rs 10 and Rs 300 to these samitis. These funds are supposed to be incurred on the welfare of patients and for adding more facilities in the hospitals. Subdivisional magistrates concerned are the supervisory officials of these bodies. However, no proper rules and regulations were laid down to keep a check on the functioning of these bodies. Even no provision was made on how funds collected would be utilised. All this has resulted in large-scale misappropriation of funds since most of the SMOs in the district, who collect these funds, have not maintained proper accounts. In many cases, it is not known how much amount has been collected from poor patients and where it has been spent. Information gathered by The Tribune reveals that the funds collected by these samitis run into crores. It is a matter of serious concern that the utilisation of these funds is not subjected to any sort of audit. Officials are at liberty to use the funds. In various hospitals, funds amounting to Rs 30 to 50 lakh are being received annually and the same are shown as spent on improving healthcare facilities, but in reality no improvement is visible. The true picture tells an entirely different story as many SMOs have purchased luxurious items like furniture, refrigerators, signboards and air-conditioners with these funds. Besides, huge amounts are shown paid to architects, engineers and contractors. As per rules, an expenditure exceeding Rs 2,500 cannot be made without calling open tenders, but these directions are hardly followed even as contractors and sub-contractors are paid lakhs of rupees. Besides, machinery worth lakhs was purchased by the samitis in gross violation of the rules. Even no income tax and sales tax was deducted from payments made. It is also learnt that in one of the hospitals, an amount of Rs 76 lakh was collected in the past three years and this was shown spent on the construction of sheds, purchase of water coolers and other infrastructure. But no such item is seen in the hospital. The shortsightedness on part of the government has resulted in rampant corruption in these institutions as the SMOs are blatantly misusing funds and making purchase of those items which are neither required nor connected with the welfare of the patients.
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Hamirpur to host national rural sports championships
Hamirpur, December 2 After successfully organising the state rural women sports last month, four events of national rural sports would be organised here from December 26 to 29. More than 1,200 players from all states of the country would be coming to Hamirpur and compete for national championship in hockey, lawn tennis, badminton and various events of athletics. Talking about venue of these games, joint director of sports and youth welfare department, Arjun awardee Suman Rawat Mehta told The Tribune, “While hockey, lawn tennis and athletics championships would be held in Hamirpur, badminton events would be organised in Mandi on wooden court”. “It is an honour for Hamirpur in particular and Himachal Pradesh in general that national games are being organised here,” she added. To make this event a success, the sports department and various sports organisations have started preparations in advance. Talking about the significance of holding these games, Rawat said, “It is like an Olympic event and would give boost to sports in the state, especially after the medal winning performance of our players in recently concluded Beijing Olympics.” Pushpa Thakur, an athlete, who has brought laurels for Hamirpur by winning medals in national sports events and has been toiling hard to compete in 400 and 200 m races in this coming event, told the Tribune, “Organising national rural women sports at Hamirpur would inspire budding sportspersons and would provide exposure to all of us”. Sports lovers feel, “These games would definitely support the demand of providing a synthetic athletic track in Hamirpur”.
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Health centre faces staff shortage
Kumarhatti, December 2 The posts of nurse and paramedical staff are also lying vacant. The sole nurse performs duty in three shifts. Similar is the case with the paramedical staff that consists of only two persons. As many as 12 beds of the CHC usually remain unoccupied despite the fact that the centre has a daily OPD and between 80 and 100 persons attend it. Many cases, including delivery cases, are referred to the District Hospital, Solan. The X-ray machine that developed a snag many years ago has not yet been repaired. There is an urgent need for a new machine, points out a senior staff member of the CHC. There is also need to set up a trauma centre, says another staff member.
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Edward Buck writes in 1904 in “Simla - Past and Present”, “the first place of Roman Catholic worship erected in Simla was the little Chapel still existing on the west end of the Lower Bazaar”. This ground, where there was a public hospital, was granted gratis in 1850 by William Edwards, superintendent of hill states, to five Roman Catholics with the stipulation “land being now appropriated for the erection of a place of worship, the same indulgence will be continued so long as it is used for the purpose”.
Bharmour still retains its ancient temples and monuments of its one-time glory, some of which date back to the 17th century. The temples proves that even at that time the state possessed resources.