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No action in fake certificate case
Minister launches eco-awareness campaign
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Tractor-trailers illegally being used in mining activities
PTA teachers without salary for 4 months
The Bhandal valley of Chamba. (File photo)
From Korea with healing power
Vanishing art of woodcarving survives in temples
vignettes
Fish caught from Pong Dam being sold at a Fisheries Department centre in the Nagrota Surian area. Tribune photo
Defence pensioners’ office in bad shape
Himachal diary
St Bede's releases research journal
43 donate blood
Logs gathered near a dam site along the Ravi.
Letter
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No action in fake certificate case
Kangra, July 20 RTI activist Ahluwalia said on the basis of alleged fake certificates of Prabhakar, B.Sc, M.Com, B.Ed and even doctorate people have managed their appointments in government schools and colleges in the state. Describing it as a serious issue, he said it was eroding the base of education in the state. He said fake certificate racket had deep roots in Magadh University in Bihar and senior officials of the university were in hand and glove with those who were running the racket in this hill state. Ahluwalia said it was difficult even to get RTI replies under the RTI Act, 2005, and it was only after he sought the intervention of the Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, who fortunately responded promptly and RTI information revealed certain vital facts. Ahluwalia said on the basis of fake certificates, some people were running postgraduate colleges in the district and surprisingly some members of one family were working in different government colleges and schools on the basis of these certificates. He said despite documentary evidence beyond doubt, the Education Department, the Vigilance and the Police Department were mute spectators to the entire problem. He expressed shock that despite the written complaint with documentary evidence, neither the police nor the Vigilance Department acted. He said members of the racket, perhaps had strong political links, dared even to implicate him in false case to silent him over the issue. He said a girl got a job in the Education Department as a language teacher on the basis of Prabhakar certificate from Magadh University, but surprisingly university authorities confirmed that Magadh University did not impart Prabhakar degree course to its students from its inception. He alleged that on the basis of fake certificates from Magadh University, two brothers of which one was working as a TGT Non-Medical in Mandi district and another was appointed as a lecturer in the Political Science Department in Kangra district. Dr RD Sharma, former deputy director, Education, said it was surprising that despite documentary evidence and written complaint made by Ahluwalia, why the authorities did not take even a single step to know the truth regarding this scam even after the lapse of one year? He sought intervention of the Chief Minister to order vigilance enquiry into the matter.
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Minister launches eco-awareness campaign
Palampur, July 20 The initiative was taken by the minister to educate people to keep the state clean and green. Without public participation, the government cannot achieve results in such matters. Later, hundreds of local residents and officials of different government departments also joined the campaign. Thakur said the use of polythene bags had been made a cognisable offence and strict action in terms of fine and imprisonment had been included in the environment policy. “People visiting Himachal are also being requested not to carry non-biodegradable material that could harm the ecology of the state”. He appealed to the residents to cooperate in making the state environmentally safe and stop all polluting activities so that it is recognised as the “first carbon neutral state” not only in the country but also in the Asian subcontinent. It may be mentioned here that various motivational campaigns are being organised all over the state to create awareness among the masses about the drastic impact of non-biodegradable material. However, it is an uphill task for the government to strike a balance between development and environment to make rapid progress on all fronts. There are over 24 major power projects and six cement plants under execution. These projects needed large tracts of land which means large scale felling of trees and mining. Power projects are the major source of revenue for the state today. It may be recalled that Himachal has since long banned the felling of green trees. The forest laws have been made more stringent to deal with smugglers and poachers. The Union government till date has refused to come to the rescue of the state and share the cost of maintenance and conservation of forests. Himachal has already placed polluting industrial units in the negative list and is encouraging only eco-friendly units.
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HP to woo entrepreneurs
Shimla, July 20 Though Himachal is still pleading its case for restoration of the industrial package which got over on April 1, efforts are already being made by the Industries department to woo big industrial houses, especially from the Western region comprising Maharashtra and Gujarat. The objective is not just to rope in investment in the industrial sector but also in the tourism and power sectors. "We propose to hold an investors meet in Mumbai in September-October, with Chief Minister Prem kumar Dhumal leading the high-level delegation so that industrialists can be wooed to choose Himachal for setting up of their units," said Industries Minister Kishan Kapoor. He, however, added that Himachal was still hopeful that Centre would accede to its demand for restoration of the industrial package till 2013 as it was important for Himachal which otherwise had limited avenues for employment generation. During his stint as Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh too had led a similar delegation to major destinations, including Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. "It is too early to assess the impact of withdrawal of excise duty exemption under the industrial package but fresh cases for investment are less by almost 30 per cent now," said an official. He, however, added that the slowdown could be for other reasons such as high cost, liquidity factor but investment in industries having more than 14 per cent excise duty could definitely be impacted. While seeking restoration of the industrial package given to Himachal by Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2003, the Chief Minister said its withdrawal would slow down the pace of investment. The Centre must,therefore, restore it at least for the next three years. He has also been candid in stating that in case the Centre does not oblige in restoring excise duty exemption, it would certainly amount to discrimination on political considerations as Uttarakhand and Himachal, both ruled by the BJP, would be severely affected. Dhumal has, however, said Himachal would wait for a positive response from the Centre till the monsoon session of Parliament after which it would launch a public agitation as well as explore legal options to fight for its right. The industrial package has become quite a political issue with the BJP accusing the Congress of not supporting it adequately. The package, which was given in 1993 for 10 years during the NDA regime was curtailed to 2007 while the Congress was in power but later restored to 2010 on Himachal's request. The BJP in Himachal is now seeking that it should be extended till 2013 as originally planned.
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Tractor-trailers illegally being used in mining activities
Solan, July 20 It is worth mentioning that crores of rupees are spent on undertaking restoration work of various bridges which suffer damage due to unchecked quarrying. The budgetary estimate of constructing a new bridge across the Chikni has been revised by at least Rs 2 crore to offset the impact of unchecked mining, opined officials of the PWD National Highway wing. Though the issue had figured in a recent meeting held at Baddi after the Balad bridge faced damage due to illegal mining, there was little willingness among the officials of other departments to check mining. Daily commuters faced a lot of inconvenience when the Balad bridge was closed for several days following the sinking of one of its pier owing to unchecked quarrying. At least, Rs 15 lakh have been spent on its protection works in the ongoing rainy season only. An estimate of illegal quarrying can be gauged from the fact that hundreds of tractors can be seen plying daily on the roads of this industrial belt. Though registered for agricultural use, they have illegally put to use to carry quarry material. A little has been achieved in nabbing this illegal trade though it has been carrying on for decades now. The government in a bid to effectively check mining had delegated powers to various officials besides mining officials, including forest guards, SHOs, SDM, JEs of the PWD and the IPH departments. This has failed to make each of them realise their responsibility as they contend the area was so vast that they could do little besides challaning tractor-trailers occasionally. Besides with the cohorts of the local politicians often being covertly involved in such activities, officials failed to act effec tively. “Several petty political activists acted like a politician in authority here and often browbeat the authorities to turn a deaf ear to such activities which fetched easy money worth lakhs,” confided a police official. Such was the state of affairs that a whole hillock was cleared by illegal mining activity at Makhnumajra where its soil was sold off for crores by people who had no rights over the place. Some protests were witnessed when some buildings lying uphill got endangered owing to the hillock lying below getting cleared. No action was however taken despite electricity poles too faced destruction. Tractor-trailers carrying muck had an easy exodus from the barrier with no authority checking them thus encouraging them to strike at more such locations. SP Chander Shekhar Pandit, while ruing the abject lack of support from other departments, said the police had executed challaning of such tractors on a large scale and whenever such cases were brought to their notice, prompt action was taken. But since crime rate was high in the area, the force was engaged in dealing with crime detection and other responsibilities. SDM Nalagarh Shushil Sharma, however, said prompt action was taken whenever such cases were witnessed. He added that he had directed the officials of the Electricity Department to take action in the Makhnumajra case where poles had been disrupted. There was an urgent need to address the issue seriously as more laxity would cause further damage to the environment by fixing accountability as all other lenient measures had failed to improve the situation.
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PTA teachers without salary for 4 months
Chamba, July 20 Pankaj Kumar, vice-president of the PTA Teachers Association, disclosed that about 600 teachers working in various schools of the district had not been paid salaries for the past four months. He said they had brought the matter to the notice of the state government, but to no avail. He condemned the lackadaisical approach of the government. The PTA teachers were making strenuous efforts to teach pupils and give good results in the examinations conducted by the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education, Pankaj asserted. He urged the government to release the salaries as early as possible and make it regular every month otherwise they would be forced to resort to protest.
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Tourism potential of Bhandal untapped
Bhandal (Chamba), July 20 Even as the successive governments claim that normalcy has been prevailing in the valley for the past several years given its proximity to the Doda district of militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir, there is no to promote tourism. No concrete tourism plan has ever been drawn up. Langera village here having a population of 150 can be made a tourist destination on both Chamba side and Doda side, but the government has not been able to capitalise on the natural beauty of the place. In fact, to exploit the tourism potential here, it requires a collective effort from both the Himachal Pradesh government and the J&K government. Both governments should join hands to draw a joint master plan for the promotion of tourism. For this, the valley can be declared as a tourist circuit to catch the attention of domestic and foreign tourists. Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism recently surveyed the valley and motivated rural populace desirous of adopting tourism business by getting their surplus accommodation registered as tourist lodges under the home stay scheme, a spokesman for the department said. He said under the scheme, surplus housing in the rural areas would be registered as home stay making them legal tourist guesthouses, paving way for the promotion of rural tourism and revitalising the economy of villagers.
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From Korea with healing power
Shimla, July 20 Intriguingly, this group of healers dressed in immaculate white and blue chose to step out of their country for the first time to take the benefits of this meditative and heavenly technique to India. "It was our guru who directed us to take Won Ki to India as its people were very spiritual and well-bonded," says Jaeho Yoon, branch manager of the New Millennium Health
(NMH) in Shimla. The Shimla branch of the NMH started functioning in March and till now 10,000 persons have availed themselves of the benefits of this healing touch. "We have cure for practically all ailments, be it cancer, joint pains, kidney, heart and blood pressure and there are several cases we can cite where even the doctors have been left amazed," says Yoon. He explains that a human life is ordained to be 108 years but it is the materialistic feeling and negative thoughts that reduces age and brings about ailments. The treatment is simple with a 15-minute session, which recharges the body cells while the healer chants mantras and the patient remains in a meditative state. "Positive frame of mind, gratitude towards God and a feeling of brotherhood is essential to make this therapy work wonders for people," says Ajit K.
Nanda, India president of the NMH after a personal healing experience. The NMH now wants to take their healing touch not only to all schools and colleges of the town but also to other parts of the state. "We are working out the modalities so that more and more people can benefit from this therapy which has no side effect as no medicines are prescribed and only energy is transferred," says
Nanda. A free three-day camp is being held by the NMH at Rotary Town here. Treatment can be taken at their Nigam Vihar branch, close to the DGP office. The NMH has started its branch in Pune and Mumbai and are likely to start functioning from Chennai as well. The NMH also offers training courses, basic, advanced- I and advanced-II. "We only charge Rs 100 per session and the treatment depending on the ailment could last from five to 15 sessions," said
Nanda.
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Vanishing art of woodcarving survives in temples
Shimla, July 20 Indeed, woodcarving not only requires artistic skills, but also a lot of patience to create exquisite pieces of art. The art of crafting wood into different items has been a living tradition in the state for long. The pahari artisans created fascinating specimen of art, like complex jalis, trellis work or perforated reliefs that allowed light to filter through, ornate panels for interiors of a buildings and other items. However, the rich tradition of craftsmanship has of late fallen on bad days and the art, which flourished in the hills of Chamba, Kinnaur, Kullu and adjoining areas, is slowly vanishing. Only a few masters of the craft, like Thakur Singh have been left and they are mostly surviving because of the ancient wooden temples which require renovation from time to time. However, the modern architecture has no place for woodcarving. As a result only a handful of families are still pursuing the tradition in Kinnaur, reveals Thakur, who is creating a new wooden edifice in the traditional style for the "Hatu Devi". His brother-in-law Hari Singh and two grandsons have also been working with him to complete the work. They all come from Nichar, which still has a few families, carrying on with the tradition. His lifelong experience is visible in the ornate designs that embellish the exteriors and interiors of the temple being build by the family. "It is not as easy as it looks as everything has to be first visualised, drawn on paper, before starting work," Thakur says. He learnt the nuances of woodcarving from his father and grandfather. However, he is doubtful about the future of the woodcraft. Though the younger generation have been trained and picked up the requisite skills, the reasons are not far to seek. For how long craftsmen will survive by building temples, he asks. He is being paid a miserly wage of Rs 300 per day, which is even less than the amount an ordinary carpenter gets. The government must do something to ensure that the woodcarvers get enough work to exhibit their skills and reasonable reward so that the surviving families could carry on with the tradition.
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Glorious innings about to end
by Shriniwas Joshi When I met Asha Swarup, chief secretary of Himachal Pradesh recently, she was casually sitting at home chatting with her husband Dev Swarup, a former IAS officer and presently the state election commissioner. Her fruitful innings of 37 years in the IAS shall finish on the month-end. She was born on July 3, 1950 at New Delhi to her parents PN Kaw and Somawati. Kaw had migrated from Kashmir to Delhi for better avenues. Her parents gave her the name Asha (hope) and she acquired the suffix Swarup (like) by getting married in a Chamba family. Hope-like, she gave promise for the future to each assignment that she held and translated that promised future into reality by giving direction, meaning and justification to it. That is why in her long career, she “really never felt totally let down”, and the pain of non-accomplishment of a task due to forces other than her efforts was transient to her.
My description of Asha Swarup in one sentence is, “Many good adjectives start with letter ‘H’ - humble, honest, hard-working, hopeful and Himachali; Asha Swarup is an amalgamation of all these.” RSS Chauhan, a former chairperson of the electricity board, endorses me. The subdivisional magistrates in the state had no official vehicle attached to their offices in the early seventies. PC Thakur was tehsildar when she was posted as SDM at Jogindernagar (Mandi) and he recollects that she used to walk miles to hear and solve the grievances of the people. “Her sensitivity towards the common man’s problems was not confined to her desk only,” he says. Coming from a family of modest means, she had her schooling in Hindi medium in a government institution at Lodi Colony and Jor Bagh from where she did her higher secondary (class XI) and stood second in arts stream in entire Delhi. Though mathematics was her forte, she took English (Hons.) for her graduation from Indraprastha College where she felt uncomfortable in the company of girls who were products of the convent and public schools. They would snigger at her wrong pronunciation and halting English but that did not deter her from completing postgraduation in English from Hindu College and then teaching in the evening classes of Delhi, Bhagat Singh and Hindu colleges, respectively. The evening classes suited her because that gave her time enough to study for the civil services examination. In the first attempt in 1972, she qualified for the Income Tax Service. That encouraged her and she decided to sit for IAS next year and qualified it. Replying to my query on her satisfaction in the IAS journey, she expressed it positively with the words, “If she were to rewrite the story of her life, she would like to be an IAS officer again to serve the people”. The sense of fulfillment in my next question sounded lofty to her and she said, “Whenever a project conceived and given shape by one comes to successful completion, there is a sense of satisfaction. Call it a sense of fulfillment or an achievement.” I remember that when she was transferred from the post of secretary (health) to the chairperson, HP Electricity Board, she was not much pleased (seventh heaven for any other IAS) because public welfare is always uppermost in her mind. She was secretary to the Union government in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting when she came to Shimla to be the chief secretary here because her goal was to be of some help to the people of her state. And that is why her comment upon the 25-month tenure as the chief secretary unfolds her government’s achievements in rural development, education, urban environment etc. benefiting the common man while the regulatory functions stand closeted. Her advice to young bureaucrats who are working and will have to work under increasing stress and strain is, “If you move a step ahead and, under pressure, retrace half a step, think that you have made progress of half a step. Always be optimistically helpful”.
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Fish farming potential untapped in state
Dharamsala, July 20 One of them is Baljit Singh Tur, a farmer from Una district, who was recently awarded by the state government for carrying out successful fish farming. Baljit has successfully converted his waterlogged land into fish farm and is earning about Rs 50,000 per acre from fish farming. The sources here said fish farming, if carried out in a professional manner, could raise a net income of farmers up to Rs 1 lakh per acre per annum. Baljit said: “It is boom time for fish farmers in the region. Even the wholesale price of fish has increased to about Rs 50 per kg. However, the farmers of Himachal are missing the revolution due to the lack of motivation”. Fish farming is turning into a lucrative venture in the region due to the increasing demand of fish in the cities of Punjab. Data collected by The Tribune revealed that there is daily demand of about 4,000 kg fish in Amritsar wholesale market. Similar quantum is required in Ludhiana and Jalandhar also. Due to lesser production locally, dealers in the region import fish from UP, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. Sea fish is imported from Maharashtra, which is available in winters only, as in summers it is difficult to transport it within stipulated time period. The varieties that are imported include sangara, mali and sal. Pangas, which is commonly known as pyasi and is a cheap boneless fish, is imported from fish farms in Andhra Pradesh. Boneless varieties like sal and mali are sold at the rates ranging from Rs 150 to Rs 180 per kg. However in the state, the Fisheries Department is concentrating on promoting the farming of just trout fish. Trout fish is high-end product that has its market just in metros. Last year, trout farmers rued the fact that they were not finding proper market for their produce due to the decrease in number of high-end foreign tourists coming to the country. The other major fish production in the state comes from two man-made lakes, including Gobind Sagar lake on Bhakra Dam and Pong Dam lake. However, fisheries production in lake has its limitations. It is supporting fishermen rather than fish farmers. In Pong Dam lake, the Fisheries Department is also in direct conflict with the Wildlife Department. The Wildlife Department claims that commercial fishing could not be allowed in the lake as it is a part of the international wetland area. If farmers in the state, especially in the lower areas, are motivated to take up the farming of common fish varieties that can be sold easily in adjoining states, it can boost their income. A farmer in Una district has also displayed that fisheries can also be coupled with pearl farming. A few other farmers from the district, who want to take up pearl farming in commercial manner, have requested the department to call in experts from Orissa to train them in intricacies of pearl farming. However, their requests have fallen on deaf ears. CM Prem Kumar Dhumal has recently ordered higher officials of the department to do the needful in the matter. Farmers blame certain government policies that are bottleneck in promoting fish farming. There is no tax on the income generated from traditional crops. However, fish farmers have to pay the tax at par with the industry. The hassles of paying taxes desist farmers from diversifying to fish farming. The government should give incentives similar to traditional agriculture to fish farmers to increase the production. It would help farmers increase their income and the government can also achieve diversification targets.
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Defence pensioners’ office in bad shape
Hamirpur, July 20 The DPDO office located just opposite to the DC office is located in such an accommodation where it becomes difficult to carry daily office work for the staff and maintaining office record, the septuagenarian and octogenarian pensioners also find it difficult to climb its narrow staircase. A large number of defence pensioners visit this office quite frequently on a daily basis for their identification to draw their pension but many of them also visit this office for other routine work. About 8,000 defence personnel drawing their pensions before 2006 are directly linked with this office since all their pension record is maintained here. Chairman of HP State Ex-servicemen Department of the Congress Col (retd) BC Lagwal said: “The location of this office is quite inconvenient for the ex-servicemen visiting the DPDO office and we have been taking up this issue with the authorities to shift this office to some other place”. This office is located above a dhaba and a chicken corner on the ground and first floors of the building where smoke and foul smell is quite common. A staff member from the office tells, “Due to a congested place it is very difficult to maintain our office record and pension record is lying bundled in clothes in corridors and staircase and we have not been able to carry expansion plan and computerisation in the DPDO due to lack of sufficient space.” DPDO Arjun Gaud said: “We have taken up the case of shifting this office with the higher authorities and after approval this office would be shifted to some other place”.
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Bridge project delayed further
Already behind schedule by about two years, the Rs 11-crore Auckland tunnel (see photo) and bridge project is not likely to be completed by its revised schedule of March 2011. So far the widening works of up to only 42 m of the 72 m long tunnel has been completed. However, excavation of another 12 m has been taken up and the pace of work will depend on the weather. A strong monsoon, as predicted by the MET office, could lead to further delay. Once the 12 m stretch is completed, the remaining 20 m will have to be taken in two stints. The work was held up mid-way due to dispute over private land, which took more than 18 months to sort out. The entire work cannot be taken in one go because of the constraints imposed by sites. Huge buildings stood on both sides of the tunnel and it involved open excavations to a depth of 18 m, points out superintending engineer Naresh Sharma. The bridge on the IGMC-side portal of the tunnel has also been delayed as engineers had to change design due to problems at the site. The work on foundation pillar will now be taken up. The tunnel and bridge together will help reduce the distance by about 1,100 m and also improve the gradient to ease traffic congestion on the Circular Road, the lifeline of the city. However, the narrow temporary bridge and the potholes on both its approaches are causing much inconvenience to both motorists and pedestrians these days. The PWD should also explore the possibility of boring a tunnel alongside the Victory Tunnel, which is the main traffic bottleneck. Dr Faustus staged
A local dramatic group “Sankalp” staged the famous play of Christopher Marlowe “Dr Faustus” at Gaiety Theatre early this week. The script in Hindi was based on the translation by Badri Singh Bhatia. Directed by Kedar Thakur and sponsored by the North Zone Cultural Centre, the play drew appreciations from theatre lovers. The main character of Dr Faustus was played by Saurabh Agnihotri, a casual artist with the All India Radio, and the role of the king of hell was enacted by National School of Drama (NSD)-trained Uma Dayadut Bharati. After staging three shows in Shimla, the group moved to Kullu to present three more performances. Kedar, who has acted and directed about 70 plays, is keen to make it a success at the national level and has pinned hope on the National Drama Festival of the NSD. The Sangeet Natak Academy, Delhi, has already recommended the play for the event.
Admn to curb
students’ scuffle
The ongoing skirmishes between rival student organisations in different colleges and postgraduate studies centre at Shimla are becoming so frequent and alarming that the university administration and law enforcing agencies have been forced to find ways to curb violence. The students’ originations have become hyperactive at the very start of the academic sessions as Himachal Pradesh University holds elections to the students central associations early. The concern of the student bodies affiliated to various political parties is to have control of as many educational institutions as possible and they are engaged in a no-holds barred battle, which normally invariably leads to violence, creating problems for the administration. This has drawn even the attention of the Governor and the Chief Minister, who have expressed concern over violence in educational institutions. However, political parties are to be blamed for the increasing violence as they have set up students’ wings with the objective of grooming future cadres. The students receive patronage of senior leaders, particularly those in power, which emboldens them to take law into their own hands creating law and order problems. (Contributed by Rakesh Lohumi and DP Gupta)
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St Bede's releases research journal
Shimla, July 20 The reviewers, she said, were from across the globe, including the USA, Nigeria, and Iran. "We are hopeful that the journal will not only help the college promote the cause of education but also the value of research, as it is important both for the growth of the individual as well as institution," said Sister Molly. The feedback for the first issue is overwhelming and a review by Dr Leelawati Krishnan from IIT Kanpur says "I have no doubt at all that this journal will flourish and is probably the only one of its kind in this part of the country."
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43 donate blood
Nurpur, July 20 As many as 43 persons donated blood. The camp was inaugurated by RK Mahajan, president of the local municipal council. A team of doctors from Dharamsala blood bank took blood from donors. Doctor Neerja Gupta from Civil Hospital, Nurpur, assisted the team. The chief guest, while opening the camp, exhorted youths to serve society by donating blood, as it would save a number of lives of needy patients. On the occasion, he also distributed certificates of blood donation to the donors on behalf of the Himachal Pradesh State Blood Transfusion Council, Shimla. The camp organisers extended gratitude to the donors for making the camp successful.
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Over 3,000 logs washed away
Chamba, July 20 According to information, these sleepers of wood that belonged to the Himachal Pradesh State Forest Corporation were valued at about Rs 16 lakh. Officials have also confirmed the incident. The logs gathered near the dam site along the Ravi might be seen after the floodwater receded, they said.
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Rein in this ecological degradation
This is not the first time that a report about ecological destruction has appeared in Himachal Plus, and I commend the reporter for highlighting the havoc being wreaked by a power company executing a 15-MW hydel project over the Neugal khud near Palampur. In the past too, the media has highlighted the ecological destruction by this power company. What a pity that except for a few diplomatic but weightless words by the politico-bureaucrat combine, not a feather has ruffled and the company has been going on with its agenda of commerce at the cost of ecocide of the majestic Dahuladhars. Palampur is a beautiful hill town and a home to the former Chief Minister. The present CM too has land at a beautiful locale so close to the wounded Dhauldhars and enfeebled Neugal. However, this destruction has been going on right under their noses, which is highly disturbing. I urge the environment-conscious Chief Justice of the HP High Court to take suo motu notice of the Tribune report (and the previous ones in various dailies) and treat it as a PIL. Palampur residents must also raise their voice against this ecological destruction. Subhash C Sharma, Member, The Palampur Welfare & Environment Protection Forum
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