Shimla, July 21
Himachal has issued an ultimatum to the Delhi government to act within three days against charging of six per cent commission from apple growers in Delhi fruit market or else the state government would issue a legal notice for contempt proceedings.

Himachal had urged Delhi to issue the necessary executive orders by July 24 which would save apple growers from the hill state from paying six per cent commission being charged illegally by the Delhi government at the Azadpur Mandi.

Despite the Delhi High Court granting a stay on charging of this commission, growers are still being made to shell out this extra money when they take their fruit to be sold in the national capital.

“We have asked Delhi to issue the necessary directions within three days or else we will be forced to issue a legal notice for contempt as the high court had granted a stay,” said Ram Subhag Singh, Secretary (Agriculture). Incidentally the commission case will come up for hearing at the Delhi High Court on July 27.

Horticulture Minister Narender Bragta had also raised the issue time and again with Delhi and failing to get a positive response, he decided to move the court against illegal charges being made from apple growers from Himachal. He had even gone to the extent of stating that Himachal would seek the monetary amount from Delhi which had been charged from the growers since 2000.

It was during the earlier tenure of the BJP when Bragta was the Horticulture Minister that Delhi, under Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma, had agreed to issue the necessary directions against charging of six per cent commission from growers. However, before the amendment in the Act could be made, there was change of power and Sheila Dixit formed the government with the issue being sidelined once again.

During the past two days Bragta and Ram Subhag have held series of meetings with senior officials of the Delhi government to resolve the issue. However, with Delhi not appearing keen to oblige Himachal, the hill state will be left with no option but to initiate proceedings for contempt of court.

Himachal has even calculated an amount of Rs 500 crore as extra charges paid by apple growers since 2000 on account of the six per cent commission. 

Shimla, July 21
The government has made dumping sites mandatory for all major road projects to help protect environment and ensure scientific disposal of debris.

Stating this while presiding over a meeting to review functioning of the public works department (PWD) here last evening, Revenue Minister Gulab Singh said provisions of dumping sites would have to be made in the detailed project reports (DPRs) and already 968 dumping sites had been identified in the state for the purpose.

The department was regularly organising seminars and workshops to sensitise officials and contractors regarding environment preservation.

Further, provisions of dumping sites have been made in the recently prepared 106 DPRs and the government proposed to construct tunnels to minimise environmental fallout of the road projects. The department had shortlisted six consultants for preparation of DPRs for construction of three tunnels at Bhubu Jot, Bangana-Dhaneta and Holi-Utrala.

He said as many as 2.5 lakh saplings were planted during the last year and the government had set a target to plant 3 lakh saplings during the current year so as to check soil erosion along side roads. It had identified 32 stretches along side major roads for creation of wayside amenities and some sites would be identified in consultation with the Tourism Department. It would enforce provisions of the HP Road Infrastructure Act to check encroachment on roads. He said during the past one year alone, 540 encroachments were removed.

The 13th Finance Commission had recommended Rs 100 crore for installation of steel crash barriers which had been provided in 25 locations on different national highways over a total length of 29 km.

He said Rs 167 crore had been provided under the Central Roads Fund out of which Rs 115 crore were utilised.

Shimla, July 21
Catering to the educational needs of over 4 lakh students, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) will be completing four decades of its existence tomorrow.

With strength of 4,500 students on campus, and 12 faculties having 29 teaching departments, the HPU has embarked on several self-financing courses, which has helped many of its students land up good positions with top multinational companies. There are 295 conventional and professional courses affiliated to the HPU, providing courses in humanities, science, engineering, medicine, education, law and management.

The HPU was set up on July 22, 1970 through an Act of the Himachal Pradesh State Legislature. Initially, only a few subjects from the social sciences and humanities were taught in the regional centre, which was later accorded the status of a university.

The distance education by the HPU has benefited almost 4 lakh students, many of them from tribal and remote areas. However, the Directorate of Correspondence Courses became the first institution in north India to impart undergraduate and postgraduate courses through the distance education mode.

The International Centre for Distance Education and Open Learning has ever since played a role in meeting the demands of higher education through its correspondence courses.

The Academic Staff College of the HPU set up in 1989 has helped in bringing about educational transformation through teachers training and development in the higher education.

However, during the Eleventh Plan, the UGC allocated Rs 14.45 crore to the HPU for building basic infrastructure and providing modern equipments, which is Rs 10.40 crore more as compared to the Tenth Plan. 

Shimla, July 21
Postgraduates in Fine Arts are up in arms against eligibility criterion of diploma in art and craft fixed by the government for filling of over 200 posts of drawing teachers in government schools, leaving them at a disadvantage.

Addressing a press conference here today, Dr Him Chaterjee, chairperson, Department of Visual Arts, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), today questioned the eligibility criterion fixed by the government.

“When students taught by postgraduates in Fine Arts are eligible for the post of drawing masters how can the teacher not be eligible,” he questioned.

He said strangely enough preference was given to diploma holders in Art and Craft rather than the PG candidates.

“We have urged the Secretary (Education) to issue necessary directions so that PG students are not at a disadvantage while seeking job of drawing teachers,” said Chaterjee.

Citing an example, he said when Central Schools, DAV, Army and other public schools considered Postgraduates in Fine Arts eligible for post of drawing teachers, how could diploma holders be given preference over PGs.

“The PGs are reputed artists who attend national and international level workshops and exhibitions, the benefit of which can be passed on to the students,” he said.

PG students, meanwhile, said they were hopeful that the government would not give preference to diploma holders over them. However, if it happens, they would be forced to take a legal action, they added.

Shimla, July 21
The state power utility will have to procure over 7 million units of solar power from next year under the regulations framed by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) to promote green energy.

The regulations make it mandatory for the utility to purchase 10.1 per cent power from renewable sources from 2010-11, which will go up to 11.1 per cent in the following year and 12.1 per cent in the third 
year, under renewable power purchase obligation.

It will include 0.1 per cent solar power in 2011-12 and 2012-13. The increase will continue to reach 0.25 per cent by 2016. While the state has ample renewable power available from small hydroelectric projects to meet the 12 per cent obligation, sourcing 0.1 per cent power to meet solar-specific obligation will be quite a task.

The total sale of power within the state is 7,300 million units and, accordingly, the quantum of solar power comes to 7.3 million units which require 4 MW of installed solar caapcity.

By 2016, the power purchase under solar-specific obligation will be 25 million units for which solar generation capacity of 12 MW.

The state has made no efforts to tap solar energy all these years and only recently the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation has drawn up plans to install two plants with aggregate capacity of 3 MW in Bilaspur district.

The SERC has, in its application, fixed a tariff of Rs 17.90 paise per unit for the proposed solar plants. It hopes to take advantage of the scheme under which the state utility will get solar power for Rs 5.50 per unit and the differential will be met by the Centre.

The state will still be far behind as the central electricity regulatory commission (CERC) has mandated a minimum 0.25 per cent solar energy from the current year which should go up to 3 per cent by 2022.

In case of shortfall or inability to meet the obligation to do so, the companies will have to purchase renewable energy certificates (RECs) and failure to do so render the obligated entity liable to penalty to be imposed by the SERC, depending on the shortfall of units and the forbearance rate.

An REC will be equivalent to 1 megawatt hour of power which could be traded through the approved power exchanges like the shares within the band of a floor price and a forbearance (ceiling) price to be determined by CERC from time to time. The state will have no option but to go for solar energy in a big way. 

Dharamsala, July 21
Agriculture was once considered to be a domain dominated by boys. However, recent data of admissions collected from Palampur Agriculture University (PAU) presents another picture. Girls have overtaken boys in the field of agriculture education.

According to data collected by The Tribune from authorities of the PAU, this year the number of girls who have taken admission in BSc Agriculture (honours) is almost double than the boys. Out of the total 72 seats, 48 have been bagged by girls.

In Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences, too, girls have overtaken boys. Out of 54 seats, the girls have captured 30 seats. In BSc pure sciences, 59 out of 100 seats have been bagged by the girls.

In MSc Agriculture course, girls have bagged 28 out of total 57 seats. In MSc basic sciences, the girls have bagged 32 out of 34 seats.

Another interesting phenomenon has emerged in the department of home sciences which was always dominated by girl students. Sources in the university, however, told The Tribune that it was for the first time that three boys had taken admission in the field.

Keeping in view increasing number female students, PAU authorities have decided to convert farmers’ hostel into girls’ hostel.

However, new academic programmes started by the university have failed to find good response from students. The university had started MBA programme in Agriculture Management from the current academic year. which was started with 25 seats.

However, in the first counselling, just 13 students opted for the course.

The PAU has also got an approval from the state government for starting BTech in Food Science and Technology. The course will start with 25 seats.

The university is facing a paradoxical situation due to lopsided student-employee ratio. Presently, there are just about 800 students and about 2,200 employees in the university.

In a recently adopted vision document of the university, the state academic council had stressed on phased reduction of employees and increase in number of students through regular and part-time courses.

The academic council had also approved closure of basic sciences and department of home sciences in the university. The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR), which is the major financing authority for agriculture universities across the country, does not approve the said courses.

Hamirpur, July 21
Panicky villagers today killed a leopard after it attacked and injured three persons in Jangal Ropa village under Nalti panchayat here.

The leopard was spotted yesterday night near Jangal Ropa village and attacked two persons Dile Ram and Ravinder of the village in the morning at 5.30 am. However, Dile Ram was admitted to a regional hospital here with injuries.

Later, the same leopard attacked Saroti Devi of Har village at a few kilometres away from the spot of the earlier incident.

The panicky villagers later laid a trap after tracing its movement and killed it.

Confirming the incident, Hamirpur Divisional Forest Officer Ajeet Thakur said, “The villagers reported this incident to us in the morning, after which a team of forest officials rushed to the spot along with traps.”

“This leopard was a semi-adult and was perhaps abandoned by its mother. It had attacked three persons and even attacked me during the operation, but I saved myself by pushing it away with a stick and with the help of the locals,” he added.

He said the villagers had killed the leopard in the afternoon and it was being brought to the district for the postmortem.

“We have informed the chief wild life warden about the incident, besides registering an FIR against villagers in the killing of the leopard and the department will pay compensation to the injured as per the Wild Life Act,” he added. 

Nurpur, July 21
The government is concerned over the hike in steel prices and efforts have been made to check the price rise. This was stated by Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh while addressing a press conference at Chamba resthouse near here yesterday.

He stated that the proposed steel-processing unit of the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) at Kandrori in Kangra would be commissioned within the next year.

“This SAIL unit will initially have the capacity of producing 1 lakh metric tonne of steel products annually. It will be beneficial for Kangra, Chamba and Gurdaspur,” he added. On partial use of leased land for the proposed plant, he said the whole land could not be used due to the passing high tension power wire over some part of the land.

Advocating restoration of industrial package for the state until 2013, he said notwithstanding the opposition of the package by a few states, he was trying for its restoration keeping in view the larger interests of the state.