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Trucks carrying cement material choke road
Welfare of martyrs’ families top priority: Dhumal
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Bhoranj first to start e-soochna centre
Residents rue curbs on construction
Farmers rue discrimination against poppy cultivation
State to earn Rs 40 cr annually from Chamera-III
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Trucks carrying cement material choke road
Bilaspur, July 6 Another serious problem for locals who travel regularly on the national highway no. 21 (Chandigarh-Bilaspur-Mandi-Kullu-Manali) is of perpetual traffic jams on this road. The worst sufferers are those who have some urgency, particularly those who have to rush a serious patient or a critically injured person to PGI, Chandigarh. Traffic jams are mostly caused by heavy trucks, which mainly carry raw materials for cement or construction companies. On many occasions, patients have died on their way to the hospital due to delay in medical aid. The worst affected stretch is the 42-km long road from Suharghat to Bilaspur, which should normally be travelled in one hour, but it takes three hours to cover the distance. There are three cement factories on the way, ACC at Barmana, Ambuja at Dadlaghat and JP cement at Bagha Balag. Thousands of trucks carrying either raw material or cement bags ply on the national highway from Nauni to Kiratpur Sahib. With two more cement factories coming up at Sundernagar and Karsog, one can image that the situation is going to be even worst. The government which talks so much of the development of tourism as major industry of the state, is actually ruining the same, at least in the area comprising Bilaspur, Mandi and Kullu districts by allowing setting up of cement factories. The argument that a rail line is proposed for this region does not cut much ice with locals as the proposal has been hanging fire for the past 30 years. The process may take another 20 years even if things move fast, for which there is hardly any hope. Meanwhile, locals have urged the government to wake up to this situation of intolerable traffic jams on this vital road at the earliest.
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Welfare of martyrs’ families top priority: Dhumal
Palampur, July 6 The Chief Minister stated this while talking to mediapersons at Dehara Gopipur after visiting the family of CRPF jawan Pankaj who was killed in Chhattisgarh while fighting with the Naxals last week. He said Himachal Pradesh had been contributing significantly in the Indian Armed Forces. More than 1.20 lakh soldiers from the state were serving in the armed forces and there were over 1.01 lakh ex-servicemen in the state. The state has the distinction for having the highest number of jawans in the armed forces. During the Operation Vijay in Kargil in 1999, soldiers from the state displayed exemplary courage in defending the country. As many as 52 soldiers from the state made supreme sacrifice. Out of the four Param Vir Chakra awarded during this operation, two were conferred on the soldiers from the state. He said Major Som Nath Sharma, who was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) after the Independence, also hails from Himachal Pradesh. Besides, Capt Vikram Batra from Palampur was conferred the PVC posthumously during the Kargil War. Dhumal said it was privilege to serve the people of the state as a Chief Minister twice for more than eight years, first from 1998 to 2003, and now from December 30, 2007, onwards. During the Operation Vijay, he was the Chief Minister of the state. Dhumal said those were really emotional and painful moments for him when he visited each and every family of martyrs and attended cremations. Most of the jawans killed in the Kargil War were in their 20s. It was a great challenge for the government at that time. The state was receiving one dead body every day. The entire state was in a state of shock. His government extended all possible help. Besides, providing jobs to one member of the affected family, liberal financial assistance was also given. At that time, first causality in the Operation Vijay was also from Dehara Gopipur. Vijainder of this subdivision was the first who sacrificed his life in Kargil.
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Bhoranj first to start e-soochna centre
Hamirpur, July 6 Speaking on the occasion, the minister said: “Fast development has brought revolutionary changes today and e-soochna centre would provide diverse information to people at a click of a button and could play crucial role in providing vital information”. Additionally RCMS (computerised court software) and m-governance facilities have also been started at the SDM office, Bhoranj. Citizens can obtain information on various government schemes, programmes, progress, etc., through the kiosk. The information available through e-soochna includes statistical data of Hamirpur district, developmental schemes run by the state and the Central governments, list of Zila Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat representatives, waiting list of the Indira Awas Yojna, information about tourism, important telephone numbers, enquiry about vehicles registration and driving licence, etc. An important feature of the e-soochna kiosk is the availability of updated status of the implementation of developmental schemes in every panchayat, sanctioned amount, present status, etc. Telling about the project, Hamirpur deputy commissioner Abhishek Jain said e-soochna and RTI would bring transparency, efficiency and would also save time. “Now almost all information required by public from a SDM office is available through proactive disclosure of information from the administration,” he added. These centres are being set up under capacity building for access to information project sanctioned for the district and would be established in the remaining three sub-division offices soon.
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Residents rue curbs on construction
Nurpur, July 6 Intriguingly, none, even the state government, can raise any construction, alter and repair old constructed area without prior permission of the National Monuments Authority (NMA), Government of India. With the enforcement of new amendment, ASI staff has started stopping ongoing construction in the regulated area in the town where a major chunk of urban populace resides and a large number of government offices are housed. Taking a serious note, local Municipal Council president RK Mahajan urged the state government to take up the issue with the Centre and recommend the relaxation of rules framed in the amended Act keeping in view the larger public interest. Municipal Council executive officer Lalit Kumar informed that henceforth the MC could not approve sketch plan of any proposed building until prior permission was granted to the applicant by the NMA in the regulated area in the town. Meanwhile, local MLA Rakesh Pathania condemned this amendment and termed it a dacoity on civil rights of the citizens. He added that about 40 per cent population of the town would face repercussion of stringent norms of the ASI Act. In this connection, BS Rana, officiating in charge of the ASI, Kangra, confirmed that inhabitants residing in the protected area (100m radius) of the Nurpur Fort could not raise any construction and in regulated area, they could undertake construction, repair and altercation only with the permission of the NMA. “The applicant has to submit his application to the superintendent ASI, Shimla, who will forward the same to the ASI’s head office in Delhi and finally the NMA will grant the permission,” he added.
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Farmers rue discrimination against poppy cultivation
Kullu, July 6 However, both Narcotics Bureau of India and the state were spending huge funds on the destruction of the cultivated poppy plants in the region and anyone found growing the same were booked under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act. Although the cultivation of opium is allowed in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, besides many other states in the country. A team of alumni of Forest College, Dehradun, visited Rajasthan in February 2010. All-India National Senior Citizens Welfare Confederation’s chairman ON Hajri, who was also a member of the team, expressed surprise over the large cultivation of opium in the Haldighati and Chittorgarh region of Rajasthan. He said these fields were auctioned to local villagers through open auction by the District Collector and handed over to the highest bidder for extraction. The produce was further given to the Narcotics Department, he added. He said, “Unfortunately the bread-earning cultivation of farmers of some parts of the state was considered as illegal”. The farmers had been facing legal trials and many of them were also awarded capital punishment. This was discriminatory, he said. The Chuhar valley villagers protested against the destruction of their poppy crop by the police and the Customs Department, but in vain. According to Punjab District Gazetteers, opium was grown in all kothies of Kullu, except those at the head of the Beas, Sarwari and Parbati valleys. The area covered under the poppy cultivation in 1916 was 812.5 acre in Kullu and 747.5 acre in Saraj. The total number of cultivators was 3,535 in Kullu and 5,136 in Saraj. The amount of excise revenue earned by the government was Rs 53,983 in 1915-16, Punjab Gazetteers added. However, in 1950, the Centre created the Central Bureau of Narcotics under the international obligation to restrict production of opium in the country. Whereas for export, medical and scientific purposes, the cultivation of poppy was confined to the traditional poppy-growing tracts of UP, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan barring Himachal Pradesh. Hajri stated that the team had a discussion on the matter and observed that there was no harm if cultivation was legalised and controlled like the other poppy-growing states. An opportunity to people of cold areas in Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand, whose crop had been adjudged less harmful, should be considered and the state and Uttrakhand government should consider the matter in a right perspective and fight for the farmers by taking up the matter with the Centre, he added. A few state politicians were also in favour of the poppy cultivation. If the states could promote liquor vending to increase revenue, they should also consider opium production, they said.
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State to earn Rs 40 cr annually from Chamera-III
Dharwala (Chamba), July 6 The excavation work of total tunnelling of around 17.5 km on various fronts, including 16-km headrace tunnel, powerhouse cavern, transformer gallery, etc., of the project has already been completed. Besides, water of the Ravi has also been diverted through a 366-m-long diversion tunnel at the Churaid Bagda Dam site near Kharamukh in the rocky cliffs of tough terrain in the Bharmour tribal region ahead of the schedule. The prestigious 231-MW Chamera stage-III project, a run-of-the-river scheme, is being executed by the NHPC on the Ravi at Dharwala village in Chamba. AK Malhotra, general manager of the project, claims that the project is poised to complete the construction work of 68-m high gravity concrete dam as early as possible, the work on which is going on at a speedy pace. The project, which is scheduled to be completed and commissioned by the next year, most probably in March next, would cost Rs 1,405 crore. The project would generate 1,104 million units of electricity annually. Power generated from the project would be fed to northern grid for further distribution to Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan in addition to power royalty of 12 per cent to the Himachal Pradesh government. The state government would earn the revenue of approximately Rs 40 crore annually from its 12 per cent royalty of free power share to be given by the Chamera stage-III project; in addition to the income accrued from surplus power.
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Himachal diary
Non-government organisation CMS Vatavaran organised weeklong activities to create awareness about the benefits of a low-carbon lifestyle.
The events included a green marathon, painting competition
(see picture), slogan writing contest, pane discussions and a film festival featuring films on
environment and wild life. As many as 40 films were screened during the festival, which was the main highlight. The painting competition was a success 150 students from 40 schools taking part.
A nature walk was also organised to create awareness among school children who were taken to the "Dhalli Catchment Forest" near here. Experts accompanying the children provided valuable information regarding flora and fauna and how an unspoilt habitat helped in protecting wild life and environment. A workshop was also held for those teaching environment-related subjects in schools. They were told to make the teaching of environment science enjoyable for children using the play-way method. Not only that a workshop was held to teach children how to make films using a handy-cam. It included every aspect of film making right from concept to editing of the film, using a computer. Screening tests to begin soon
Bringing an end to the long wait of applicants for different posts the Himachal Pradesh State Service Selection Board (HPSSSB) Hamirpur, has decided to conduct screening tests for posts in July. The process would begin from July 11 and continue during the entire month at different centres across the state. The board had advertised for 500 posts of assistant librarian, sub-inspector in the Police Department, school lecturers in English, economics, political science, history, shashtri and junior draftsmen. The screening tests for 84 posts of assistant librarians and 54 posts of sub-inspector would be held on July 11. Similarly, the screening tests for 80 posts of school lecturer in English, 82 posts in economics and 61 posts of shashtri would be held on July 18. The candidates for 80 posts of school lecturer in history and 79 posts in political science would be screened on July 25 and the screening test for 26 posts of junior draftsman would be conducted at Hamirpur on July 27. HPSSSB Secretary HR Sharma said the board had completed scrutiny of all forms of candidates for different posts advertised during 2009 and the screening tests for all posts would begin soon. The backlog would be finished over the next two months. MC wants control of
water supply
With the Centre sanctioning Rs 72 crore for the rejuvenation of the Shimla Water Supply Scheme under the Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, the local Municipal Corporation wants to take over the entire system, including pumping stations at various sources that are currently with the Irrigation and Public Health Department. The main objective of the rejuvenation plan is to replace the old pipelines to plug leakages and improve the distribution system but corporation authorities feel that the problem faced by residents could be addressed only if the pumping stations were also handed over to it. The people faced problems due to erratic functioning of the pumping stations, affecting water supply, but the corporation was blamed for it invariably. If pumping stations were under its control the corporation will be able to inform the people in advance about water shortage in case there were problems in pumping due to low voltage, silt or any other reason. Senior officers of the corporation were likely to take up the matter with Chief Minister PK
Dhumal. (Contributed by Rakesh Lohumi and DP Gupta)
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vignettes
The British used to enjoy Army band played twice a week on an open wooden platform where Ashiana (the Nest) and Goofa
(See photo) restaurants are functioning on the Ridge today.
Kanwar Jiwan Dass of Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh) got erected in 1907 a timber flat-floor stand covered by a rotund structure with large baluster arches which added beauty without hampering visibility of the happenings on the stand. Canopied by a conical slate-roof that appeared charming against the backdrop of blackish-green hue of Jakhu jungle, it has stood to the day as a signpost of Shimla. Kanwar presented it to the Shimla Municipal Committee (MC). It earned its name - The Band Stand - although the ground floor, where Goofa is, stocked the implements of gardeners of the MC. I have seen police band showing its skill on the stand after the Independence. When VK Ahluwalia, an IPS Officer, held the dual charge of the commissioner of MC and the managing director of HPTDC, he placed the Band Stand at the disposal of HPTDC on 1.6.1980 where it started Ashiana restaurant on 21.10.1981 with capacity of serving 92 customers. Goofa and Ashiana were, respectively, inaugurated by the two Chief Ministers YS Parmar and Thakur Ram Lal. Daulat Singh Park in front of the twin restaurants, which was named after the Lt. General Chief of Western Command who lost his life in a helicopter crash in 1963, has a statue of YS Parmar that had replaced in 1984 a graceful work of art “a Himachali lady with a pitcher” by Mahesh Saxena. Many young lads had had their photographs with the hill belle but I wonder where the lady has gone now as she was lifted from her second home towards the entrance of Ashiana too. Anyway, this park was also handed over to the HPTDC by the MC in 1970 to be taken back after 13 years. The Fast Food Corner, which had a brief tenure as conference room and is, at present, converted into ‘The Patisserie’, cake n’ coffee lounge, was inaugurated by Dev Raj Negi, Deputy Speaker on 18.10.1986. It has a capacity of 18, of which six chairs are for customers with petite bottoms. The tenants pay a rent of approximately Rs 23,000 per month to the MC. The slim rent evoked the High Court, a few years ago, to pass an order that open tenders be invited for running the complex and the highest offer was about Rs 6 lakh per month. The HPTDC is sticking to the place owing to a stay given by the Supreme Court. Many national level politicians have had their fill here. Varun Sharma, former manager, has a prized photograph of his in company of Atal Behari Vajpayee, the latter having lunch in Ashiana, but the recent list includes the Great Khali and Shiranthi Rajapakse, wife of Mahinda Rajapakse, Sri Lankan President. Ashiana got the silver screen status through “Main Aisa Hi Hoon” (Ajay Devgan-Sushmita Sen), “Achanak” (Govinda-Manisha Koirala) and “Kareeb” (Bobby Deol-Neha). It is the most popular venue for press conferences and literary sittings. I was witness here to the release of a book “Darosh tatha Anya Kahaniyan” by SR Harnot, one of the prominent writers of the state by late Suraj Bhan, the former Governor of Himachal Pradesh, who was impressed by the gathering. “Could literature evoke such response?” he had mused. NK Bali, the manager, informed me that efforts of the corporation under the guidance of Subhashish Panda, the MD, are to obtain ISO 9001:2008 for the restaurants. No wonder, I saw the quality policy statement signed by Panda in March 2010 displayed in Ashiana. May their zeal and efforts bring results!
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Tibetan NGO educating ragpickers’ children
Dharamsala, July 6 While talking to The Tribune, the simple and generally quiet monk said he wants to repay in someway to the Indian society for giving unconditional refuge to the Tibetans living in exile for the past more than 50 years. Jamyang escaped from Tibet in 1992. He came to India through Nepal. The Dalai Lama sent him for spiritual studies in Tibetan exiles camp in Karnataka. He was moved by poverty in many areas of the country. Jamyang returned to Dharamsala in 2001. He came in contact with British philanthropists and started helping poor. He started teaching children of ragpickers who were living in the slum areas of Dharamsala near the Charan rivulet. Jamyang told The Tribune that his initial efforts to teach the children of ragpickers met with resistance. Children were a source of earning for parents and they did not want to spare them for education that they considered as a useless exercise, which could not fetch any immediate gains for them. However, he started giving food and clothes to the parents of the children following which they relented and allowed him to teach their children. After continuing three years in an unorganised manner, he got registered a charitable trust in the name of Tong Len to carry out the work further. Now, he has adopted about 100 children of ragpickers. The children are being kept in hostels hired by the organisation for the purpose. The organisation has admitted them to a local private school. They are being provided boarding and lodging facilities and tuitions for competing with other children in the school. The parents are also paid Rs 150 per month to spare their children for education. Many of the children currently adopted by the Tong Len organisation have got good grades in the annual examinations of the school. Their parents were invited by the organisation to see the success of their wards. Jamyang said some of the children adopted by them are proving to be very good in studies. We intend to provide them free professional education like engineering also in case they want to go for further studies. Hostels of the organisation are like the second home for the children. They are given proper education, allowed to play and are also provided with hygienic conditions to live. Besides providing education to the children, the organisation is also providing medical care to the poor of the area. Every Tuesday, the NGO organises medical check-up camps in the slum areas. Patients are given free medical treatment and those suffering from serious ailments are adopted by the organisation and sent to super-specialised hospitals for further treatment. The NGO is helped by philanthropist donors from the UK. John and Sharan Brown, two UK residents, started their trip in December last from the UK to raise funds for the organisation. They will be travelling through France and Corsica and then on to Italy. After this, they plan to travel the length of Africa and then on to the USA. Their route then takes them through Central America, Ecuador, Peru and Chile, finally ending up in Ushaia, Argentina - the southernmost city in the world. Their trip will take in 23 countries in four continents.
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Crime on the rise in BBN
Solan, July 6 A lurking fear was seen among investors having their units in the Nalagarh industrial belt, close to the Punjab border. However, the police instead of arresting criminals, held a migrant labourer, who was mistaken to be a naxalite as he resembled a wanted naxalite appearing in a vernacular daily. The police wasted no time in arresting the youth and placing him behind bars without carrying out his proper identification. It simply brushed aside the matter and failed to issue even clarifications for the mistaken identity, thus creating a scare amongst the residents. This had proved the hollow claims of the police regarding the compulsory registration of migrant labourers. It had also reduced policing to a cursory exercise, where the national and state highways were being manned, but the link roads failed to have any police check. The BBN has acquired a dubious distinction of being a safe haven for criminals as it was proved by the arrest of an aide of the Babbar Khalsa International a few days back. Even criminals from other outfits, like SIMI, frequent the area for contract killings in the recent past. Meanwhile, several theft cases in the industries have proved that even security guards have connived in crime. Even incidents of cash being stolen from vehicles parked in the board daylight has been reported many a times from all over the area. Baddi SP Chander Shekhar Pandit said illegal extortion was underway in the bordering areas, adding that investors were scared of reporting about such matters. This made it difficult to apprehend the offenders and the problem was aggravated by their open patronage by the Punjab police, he said. He added that he had sent a proposal to the state government to post policemen instead of private security guards by making new appointments, solely for the industrial areas. A corpus fund should be created, where investors could pool in funds to pay these policemen. He added that though the investors had been asked to adopt this system, their reluctance showed that they were indirectly benefited from the present setup of private security guards.
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The MC decided to hand over its ground floor to the HP Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) and it opened Goofa restaurant here on 1.5.1975 with a seating capacity of 62 customers. A bar was started here in 2002. The Band Stand continued to be a nest to the card and chess players while the aged enjoyed noon siesta here.