Shimla, January 15
The government has decided to make provisions of the Himachal Pradesh Apartment and Property Regulation Act more stringent to ensure land developers were made more accountable for plan development of the state.

Stating this while presiding over the meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee constituted for finalising amendments here today, Public Works Minister Gulab Singh said areas should be identified in different parts of the state for development of colonies and apartments. It should be ensured that only barren and non-agricultural land was used for construction of apartments and flats. Licences granted to developers should be issued for a period of three years and thereafter renewed for a period of two years only after payment of prescribed fee, he added.

He said developers should be asked to ensure basic amenities such as roads, footpath, water supply and sewerage and street lights in the upcoming colonies and flats. Provision should also be made for rain-water harvesting as per the town and country planning guidelines.

He said the developers should also ensure that the plantation work was carried in and around the construction site for ensuring ecological balance. The minister asserted that at least 10 per cent flats should be reserved for economically weaker sections of the society in accordance with the National Housing Policy.

Forest Minister JP Nadda said the developers should be asked to develop the area properly and only then allowed to start the construction work so that people did not face any inconvenience later on.

Urban Development Minister Mohinder Singh said the town and country planning department would ensure effective implementation of building regulations.

Hamirpur, January 15
The re-appointment of district mahila Congress district chief Raj Dhiman on the present position by the All-India Mahila Congress Committee replacing Rakesh Rani has once again brought factionalism within the Congress party to fore.

Rakesh Rani, who was appointed district mahila Congress president about two weeks back by the state president of the organisation, was replaced by the earlier incumbent Raj Dhiman by a message sent by general secretary of the national body of the mahila Congress on Thursday.

Dhiman, appointed about two years ago, was removed from her post on December 29 by state president Kamla Prarthi.

Rakesh Rani, after attaining her new post, had also announced to organise a district-level convention of the mahila Congress in which Himachal Pradesh Congress committee (HPCC) chief Kaul Singh Thakur was also invited.

However, after the present development, this convention had also been cancelled.

This tug of war between two Mahila Congress leaders is in fact a result of ongoing reported factional fight between two groups of some of the Congress leaders who had been trying to prove their supremacy by getting appointed their men on key organisational posts.

Though Raj Dhiman was replaced by the state Congress leadership for her alleged slow approach, Dhiman termed this step as a move to topple her as she was not liked by a few leaders.

Talking to The Tribune, Dhiman said, “I was removed without any show-cause notice and thus had to approach the central leadership.”

However, Rakesh Rani said, “This and the earlier decision to appoint me was taken by party leaders and I would go by their decision.”

According to sources while a few leaders close to the HPCC chief manipulated replacement of Raj Dhiman, on the other hand, Nadaun MLA Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu managed to get these orders cancelled through national president of Mahila Congress Prabha Rau.

The present development has definitely exposed the factional fight between certain leaders of the state Congress.

Mahila Congress state president was not available for her comments due to some mishap in her family.

Meanwhile, HPCC chief Kaul Singh Thakur said, “We have no role in these appointments as frontal organisations are independent. However, I would not be available to attend the proposed convention on January 18.”

Dharamsala, January 15
Superstition regarding ill-effects of solar eclipse kept a large number of residents, including senior administration officials, indoors today.

The major markets in the town wore a deserted look. The people preferred to stay indoors. They did not undertake business or other activities and waited for the omen to pass. Only a few enthusiastic students with scientific outlook were seen on roads trying to see solar eclipse using X-ray screens though it was not visible from the area.

Inquiries also revealed in Una that the entire administration was absent today. Though the deputy commissioner was out of station, other administrative officials were busy in rituals or ceremonies to either get benefit of lunar position or ward off conceived ills.

The sources available here told The Tribune that many politicians, including ministers, also carried out rituals to ward off ill-effects of the eclipse.

The officials and people started appearing on roads only after 3.30 pm when the eclipse was over.

Inquires revealed that many people under the influence of astrologers observed fast today to ward the evil of solar eclipse. They performed various rituals and threw coconuts and other items in rivers to appease ‘the solar god.’

The way solar eclipse was conceived illustrated lack of scientific outlook among the majority of people. The state government also did not make any effort to educate the people regarding the solar eclipse to dispel the superstition despite the fact that promotion of scientific outlook was duty of the state under provisions of the Constitution.

Different astrologers on various television channels added fuel to superstitious streak of common people.

One wonders whether people have heard of something called science in this country. Truly, science went on leave during solar eclipse.

Mandi, January 15
Though the rare spectacle of the solar eclipse in the region largely kept residents indoors when the moon blurred the direct view of the sun between 11.58 am and 3.08 pm today, the more devoted believers took a holy dip in the pilgrimage centres of Riwalsar lake, Parashar lake in Mandi, Renuka Devi in Sirmour and Manikaran and Vashist hotbaths in Kullu districts.

The eclipse was only marginal in the region, but the people in general avoided the work or remained indoors in most parts of the countryside, according to sources here.

In the remote villages of the state, people showered grains towards the sun as soon as the solar eclipse was about to be over under the belief that this would bring good luck.

Most of them kept away from both eating and cooking during the solar eclipse. Residents, including women, then visited temples and offered prayers. Expectant mothers avoided venturing outside homes.

The more devoted believers made a beeline to the pilgrimage centre of Riwalsar even freezing Parashar lake to make a holy dip after the eclipse was over.

The pilgrims also visited legendary shrines of Naina Devi in Bilaspur, Hateshwari and Bhima Kali in Shimla, Chintpurini in Una and Bajreshwari in Kangra and Hindimba Devi in Manali to pay obeisance to the devis.

Hamirpur, January 15
Hundreds of villagers blocked the national highway leading to Hoshiarpur from Nadaun at Manpul this morning and stopped traffic for more than two hours demanding police action in the alleged murder case of a local youth.

The protesters demanded arrest of persons involved in the murder of Santosh Kumar (25) of Majhiar village under Nadaun police station, who had died at the PGIMR at Chandigarh on Thursday, where he was admitted few days back after allegedly beaten by few persons on December 31 at Jhalan.

Temper of local people ran high today after cremation of the deceased at his village, who after blocking the traffic also met the Hamirpur SP.

Relatives of the deceased had also accused local police constable Beer Bhagwan, “who according to them was trying to shield the culprits”.

The blockade was lifted after the intervention of the Nadaun SDM and SHO, who promised to arrest the accused soon.

Shimla, January 15
Expressing concern over the neglect of geothermal sites in the Indian Himalayas, noted geologist Ritesh Arya has urged the government to formulate a policy to exploit their tourism potential to help boost the economy of the people living in far-flung and remote pockets of the mountain range.

Arya, who earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for striking ground water and drilling the highest borewell in the world in Ladakh, wants numerous geothermal springs to be developed into tourist destinations by developing spa resorts, health centres based on traditional therapies along with other required infrastructural facilities.

“Hot springs have been, since time immemorial, used by the local residents and which also attracted a large number people because of their medicinal properties, lack even the basic amenities. While the government has been indifferent to the development of these sites, private players have not been able to exploit these sources to its potential,” he lamented.

More importantly, each of these places like Manikaran, Tatapani and Vashist (Himachal) and Chumathang, Panamic, Puga Sasoma, Marsmicla and Demchuk (Ladakh), had a history and also acquired religious sanctity which could be exploited to attract tourists. By setting up of recreational facilities like swimming pools, spas and good hotels and using the green non-polluting geothermal energy, the state could take lead in promoting low-carbon footprint tourism, he pointed out.

Arya maintains that geothermal resource development holds the key to sustainable development of tourism and power in the region where ever they are found. In fact, states like Himachal could set up geothermal study centre for carrying out research and development to promote geo-tourism.

He has already carried much work on these sites and will present his plan at the World Geothermal Congress-2010 to be held at Bali in Indonesia from April 25 to 29 in a paper entitled “Geothermal Sites as Tourists Destination in Indian Himalayas”.

He has, in the paper, highlighted the importance of developing geothermal sites and has asserted that advanced countries, which had acquired expertise in the field, should provide technical and other required support to the developing countries where the geothermal resource planning and development was still in its infancy. After all, benefits of geothermal and rock energy had to be shared by all irrespective of the place, he added. Clean rock energy should be made available to all at a very low price, he said. Investment opportunities to develop geothermal sources are many but because of lack of initiatives by the successive government and policy makers, geothermal resource is a badly neglected resource, he added.

Solan, January 15
The Nalagarh police has registered a case of negligence against the management of Bhojia Dental College, Bhud, near Baddi, and Dr Dharamvir Chanaria, who was serving the college’s hospital, in the case of death of a college student who died on December 12.

The case was registered after college student Abhishek Sharma, who after completing his fourth year was undergoing internship, died due to sudden chest pain. Father of the deceased Dr Ashok Sharma from Banikhet, who lodged the FIR today, told the police that since he too was a doctor he had concluded that the death of his son was due to negligence on part of the college management as well as the attending doctor.

It was worth mentioning that Abhishek had gone to Dr Chanaria on December 12 after he complained of some chest pain. He was, however, referred to Nalagarh First Referral Unit after an hour but he died on his way to the hospital. Protesting against negligence on part of the doctor as well as the management, which had delayed availability of an ambulance, the students had gone on a four-day strike soon after his death on December 12. They had also protested against inadequate medical facilities to deal with such eventualities at the campus and alleged that Abhishek had not been treated appropriately.

The SDM had been entrusted an inquiry to look into the incident. The police has registered a case under Section 279 of the IPC.

Solan, January 15
The police claims to have solved a case of hacking of a bank account through e-banking technology. The case pertains to one Sarvjit Singh, an employee of Ambuja Cements employed at Darlaghat who had complained of Rs 41,000 having gone missing from his account on January 3.

SP Prem Thakur said soon after receiving the complaint they conducted investigations and came to know that the money had been credited into the account of one Sandesh Kundiba Jadav, who worked in PNB’s branch located at Shanti Nagar, Meera Road, Mumbai, and he facilitated availability of loans to customers.

Jadav had hacked the password of Sarvjit’s bank account in Punjab National Bank pertaining to his Darlaghat branch and had transferred this amount to his account. This money was withdrawn from two ATMs belonging to Karnataka Bank and SBI’s Lokhandwala branch at Mumbai. While Rs 20,000 were withdrawn from Karnataka Bank’s ATM, the remaining Rs 21,000 were withdrawn from the SBI’s ATM. A team of policemen led by Darlaghat SHO Baldev had gone to Mumbai and they managed to arrest Jadav while detaining his accomplice for interrogation.

The police had registered a case of cheating.