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Rain bails out Nathpa Jhakri hydel project
State first to reserve 50 per cent seats for women in PRIs
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Proposed cement plant
Govt out to promote cash crops, says CM
vignettes
Himachal diary
Kangra teacher gets state-level award
School board chief ridicules demand for resignation
Man gets life term for murdering wife
Hamirpur NIT to have new director
Devotees dance in Kangra town as a procession takes an idol of Lord Ganesha to the Banner river for immersion on the eve of Anant Chaudas. Photo by the writer
Swami Ramdev to visit Chamba
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Rain bails out Nathpa Jhakri hydel project
Shimla, October 5 The 1,500-MW project has generated a record 1,120 million units during the month against the target of 687 million units to make up for the generation loss due to repeated shutdown forced by high silt levels. The project has, since April 1, generated 5,030 million units, just 57 million units short of the target. Generally, the discharge in the river declines sharply from the first week of September, but this year the incessant rains had ensured that the project operated in full steam for most of the month. At present, it is daily generating 31 million units against the target of 19 million units. It is well on the way to achieve the target of 6700 million units fixed for the year by the Ministry of Power. The state received 290 mm of rain during September, more than double the normal precipitation of 134 mm. At the end of the Monsoon (June 1 to August 31) the total precipitation was 687.5 mm against the normal of 665.5 mm. As many as five out of the 12 districts had deficient rains, though overall the state had 3 per cent excess precipitation. The five districts are Lahual-Spiti (-18 per cent), Bilaspur (-10 per cent) Hamirpur(-16), Kangra (-15 per cent) and Sirmour (-3 per cent)). However, September turned out to be abnormally wet and at the end of the month, the state had received 977 mm of rains , which was 16 per cent higher than the normal of 831 mm. Sirmour (597 mm) and Shimla (261 mm) districts had the maximum rains during the month. The Shimla city had 40 per cent excess rains at 1,491 mm. The district experiencing excess rains at the end of September included Kinnaur (210 per cent), Kullu (102 per cent) Shimla (40 per cent), Sirmour (27 per cent) and Solan (12 per cent). The only district with significant shortfall is Kangra (-12per cent). In charge of the local Met office Man Mohan Singh said September was wet all through and the state had 70 per cent excess rain in the first week, 100 per cent in the second week and 87 per cent in the third week. Paonta recorded 958 mm, Renuka (862 mm) and Nahan (606 mm).
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State first to reserve 50 per cent seats for women in PRIs
Palampur, October 5 Rural-friendly policies of the government have enriched political and social empowerment of people residing in the rural areas of the state. This has gone a long way in making panchayats an effective unit of the local administration. PRIs are the pillars of the democracy, which play a pivotal role in the developmental process. The government has undertaken several measures to further strengthen these basic units of progress to seek active participation in developmental process. According to Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, the government has enhanced the sum for the construction of panchayat ghars from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3.40 lakh. The panchayats have been given substantial powers and privileges by the government. Several steps are being taken for the training of panchayat officials from time to time. In order to deliver standardised training to panchayat officials using state-of-the-art techniques, Panchayati Raj Training Institutes are being reconstructed by spending Rs 12.80 crore. Similarly, Rs 6.44 crore are being spent for construction of a new building at the training institute located at Baijnath and Rs 6.25 crore are being spent for the construction of a new building at the training institute, Mashobra. For the first time, separate cadre of panchayat officials has been created in the state and as many as 8,547 employees falling under different categories have been appointed through PRIs, which includes panchayat sahayak, panchayat secretary, junior engineer, junior clerk and junior draftsman. Out of the 3,243 gram panchayats in the state, new panchayat ghars have been constructed in 855 panchayats. There is hardly any panchayat in the state, which is devoid of the facility of the panchayat ghar. During the current financial year, a provision of Rs 6.30 crore has been made for the upgradation of panchayat ghars in as many as 630 panchayats. The government is laying special emphasis on the computerisation of gram panchayats. As many as 840 panchayats left from the last fiscal year have been given computers this year. 2,403 panchayats of the state have already been computerised in the first two phases, thus fulfilling the dream of providing computer in each gram panchayat. In order to ensure the availability of panchayat sahayak or panchayat secretary in every panchayat, 225 new posts of panchayat sahayaks have been created. The panchayat sahayaks have been vested with financial powers so that people do not have to face any sort of difficulty. The government has also ensured that the panchayat office remains open from 10 am till 5 pm. The monthly emoluments of panchayat sahayaks have been hiked from Rs 2,340 to Rs 5,910 and they have been authorised to exercise the powers of panchayat secretary in the absence of one. Panchayat sahayaks have also been given powers as to coordinate gram panchayat funds. The government has accorded the powers of granting BPL certificate to the gram panchayat pradhan so as to facilitate the people. Besides this, the facility of staying at government rest houses during official tour has been extended to the officials of the Panchayat Samiti.
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Govt warned against repeat of Nandigram
Kuldeep Chauhan /TNS
Keran-Chambi (Sundernagar), October 5 Residents and NGOs have alleged that the government has given a free hand to the company to acquire land on its own despite the fact that the Ministry of Environment and Forests and a central committee constituted by the Supreme Court have yet to give their approval for the plant. “I fought the Indo-Pak war in 1971-72. And the reward is that the government has thrust upon us a cement plant which would snatch away my fertile land which feeds me and my family,” says Devi Singh Thakur, a resident of Keran, the site for mining. “We will never allow the cement plant here what may be the cost,” he asserts. “This belt has over 12 colleges. We were expecting the government to open a technical university here, but it has delivered a blow by starting a cement plant in the fertile and thickly populated area, just because industrialists enjoy political patronage at the highest level,” residents allege. Besides, the government has been speeding up the plant work despite the fact the company has no final approval from the environment ministry. The Forest Department has yet to complete the counting of trees in both 173-hectare mining site and 1.08-hectare new plant site in the Chambi-Khatarvari area after the government shifted the plant site from Nalni-Maloh, which is closer to the Bandli wildlife sanctuary, to Chambi-Khatravari belt, rue residents. Even the farmers who had signed sale deeds with the company are joining the movement, alleging that they were lured and misled by certain local politicians. “Farmers thrive on fertile land, not on few wads of currency notes. The government is more concerned about protecting wildlife while it deems fit uprooting farmers from their fertile land,” they resent. The residents allege that the plant will dry up underground water and the 21 sources of water that come from the Keran-Chambi hills. The company has dug up of six tubewells near Dador for the plant, violating the Underground Water Act as it has no permission from the IPH department, resent farmers. Though the IPH has stopped this after it was highlighted in the media, the residents say the cement plant will drain underground waters and dry up the drinking surface water sources located in the mining area. The resentment is fast spreading among farmers after the government went for compulsory acquisition. Except for the mining mafias and truckers, all sections in Sundernagar, Bhangrotu, Mahadev, Dador, Bhojpur and others oppose the plant as these localities will have to bear the brunt of pollution from quarrying, mining and plying of over 4,000 cement trucks that will spell a death-knell for peaceful ecology of the town,” residents say. Joginder Thakur, state president, RSS-supported Bhartiya Krishak Sangh, charges that the top leaders are answerable to local people. “Land is being acquired without public hearing and pro-cement lobby misrepresented facts before the ministry,” he alleges. Dharampal Prashar of Krishak Vikas Samiti; Chunilal, president, Kisan-Kalyan Samiti; Col BS Raghava (retd), president, Paryavaran Sangharsh Samiti; Lalit Chaudhary, president, Sundernagar sangharsh Samiti: and Chandramani of Tramar-Keran Kalyan Samiti have warned the government against turning Sundernagar into another Nandigram by forcing the cement plant here by violating the Forests Rights Act, 2006, besides other laws. BD Suyal, conservator of forest, Mandi, says the ministry’s final approval would be sent after report from the Sundernagar DFO. The central empowered committee has not given its approval for the plant so far, he adds.
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Govt out to promote cash crops, says CM
Palampur, October 5 The Chief Minister said the government would requisition the services of scientists whether carrying plantation in the cold desert of the Spiti valley was ecologically safe and in the national interest. He said with the change in global climate, the cold desert areas were experiencing heavy rain which had never been the case earlier. Dhumal said the state government was committed to strengthening the basic sectors of agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry. With limited land holdings
for farming practices, optimum utilization of land was being ensured. Diversified farming of cash crops was being encouraged through polyhouses in the state under the Pandit Deen Dayal Kisaan Baagwan Samridhi Yojna. Dhumal said floricultursits of the state would provide flowers worth Rs 30 crore for different purposes during the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The state government would endeavour to make Delhi and other metropolitan cities as permanent markets for selling the produce. Efforts would also be made to explore international markets for farm produce from Himachal Pradesh. The Chief Minister also released the herbarium catalogue of the institute on the occasion. He honoured floriculturist Ranjeet Singh of Raakh village with a technical award of the institute and two science students, Ashish Kumar and Tsewang of Hamirpur and Lahaul Spiti, respectively, for scoring 97 per cent marks in science subjects in the matriculate examination. He also honoured the retirees of the institute with 25 years of service . Dhumal complimented the CSIR scientists for contributing significantly towards the institute’s many innovations since its establishment 68 years ago. Dr.PS Ahuja, Director, Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, welcomed the Chief Minister and said the 68-year-old institute had been rendering yeoman service in various engineering and related spheres. He said the institute had been contributing significantly in DNA and other investigations. He said the cultivation of lilium was gaining popularity which could be conveniently cultivated in the Lahaul valley.
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Affordable quality healthcare in Shimla
by Shriniwas Joshi When Dr Balak R Verma, chairperson of Indus Hospital Trust, was negotiating to purchase Woodland Estate just above St Bede’s College, an old woman who would graze her goats on those grassy plots had told him that before Independence, a kothi was there where a nawab and his begum used to leisurely swing in hammocks and that the kothi got burnt after Independence. During construction of Indus Hospital, (See photo) Dr Verma found a few metallic wracks unearthed from the spot where once stood the burnt building besides an outhouse dilapidating on the mouth of the present structure. The kothi belonged to the nawab of Malerkotla, says Dr Verma. I take his statement with caution because the British had been strict in the early twentieth century in granting permission for the purchase of property in Shimla to the princes due to their extravagance that had led a couple of them to bankruptcy. Pamela Kanwar writes, “In 1921, the nawab of Malerkotla was given permission to acquire Maisonette at Mashobra with the provison that he could not transfer it, or create encumbrances, and would divest himself of the house when called upon by the government to do so.” Most likely the nawab who had owned Woodland Estate was not the one from among the ruling clan because he already had one house in the vicinity of Shimla, but could be belonging to the royalty like Muzaffar Ali Khan Quizzilbash who had owned Fairlawn at Dhalli. Woodland’s six-acre estate belonging to the nawab, who had left India for Pakistan, was given in exchange to the father of Manmohan Kapur ICS, a retired commissioner, in lieu of the property lost by elder Kapur in Pakistan when he took refuge in India in 1940s. Dr Verma struck a deal with Manmohan and purchased the estate for $ 102 lakh in March 1978. A dollar was equal to Rs.8.20 then. There was yet another aged building nearby called Earlsfield having an area of 12.5 biswas just at the back of the present exquisite house “Sukhmani” of Amrik Singh, a former DGP of Himachal. Earlsfield was purchased by Indus Trust in an auction for Rs 2.79 lakh from Major Vijay Kumar Sood and was dismantled. It is, now, an open space.
Several bureaucratic hurdles, expectations of “they who mattered” for backhander from the settling NRIs, shortage of water in Shimla, rigorous control on cement and steel, getting clearance for the items from the Cement Authority and the Steel Authority of India, respectively, spanned 10 years in the completion of the hospital building, the foundation stone of which was laid on July 1, 1983, and was opened on June 13, 1993 (see photo). The architectonics have been designed by Balraj Nijhon of the US after visiting 10 best university hospitals there, so the spaces in Indus are so allocated to different specialties that with his least movement, a patient gets optimum facilities. The words of Justice Ranganath Mishra, chairman, National Human Rights Commission, on human rights and medical ethics spoken here in 1996 are still followed in the hospital. Addition of a well-equipped ambulance and a quarterly news report “Indus Today” having a mailing list of 1,700 private and public healthcare institutions are fresh feathers in its cap. May the value system of “Tretayug” flourish here!
Tailpiece
Patient: Doctor, I think I am a chicken since the day I was born. Doctor: That’s serious. Why did you come so late to me? Patient: Because my family now wants me to hatch eggs.
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Himachal diary "Rasmayee Yatra", the annual fest at Convent of Jesus and Mary School in the state capital provided a feast of entertainment. The programme included folk dances, singing, puppet show and a one-act play " Ek Kahani", (See photo) which was the main highlight. It focused on the theme of women empowerment and had an all-girl cast. In fact, 100-odd girls occupied the stage during the play with even the male characters enacted by girls. The play depicted how the girl child was discriminated against from the very childhood and had to struggle for everything, particularly in pursing higher education. The director very thoughtfully used flashbacks in which the old characters played by young girls were taken back to their youth with great effect. Jyotika Kanwar, who played the character of a 70-year-old woman, stood out. The play was written and directed by Dayal and the entire show was designed by a three-member team comprising Manoj Thakur, Suarabh Agnihotri and Dheeraj Raghuvanshi. The medley of "pahadi" natis and energetic "bhangra" made the audience tap their feet. Legal mediation Realising the need for reducing litigation and providing speedy justice, the State Legal Services Authority and Mediation Committee of the High Court recently organised a five-day training programme in which training was imparted by experts from the Supreme Court of India. To make mediation an alternative method for resolving disputes, a mediation and conciliation project committee has been set up at the apex court which has been looking after training needs as trained mediators are not yet available in most courts. In particular, the neutralising communication skills and powerful bargaining strategies of facilitated negotiation can strengthen the system's capacity to bring justice to society. Inaugurating the training programme Himachal Chief Justice Kurian Joseph underlined the significance of resolving conflicts through the process of mediation. He said that decades-old cases had been amicably settled through the process of mediation. Despite demonstrable value these techniques have not been deployed due to several large obstacles that block the path to mediation in India. Exposure to these facilitated negotiation processes, though spreading rapidly of late, remains limited. Judges and lawyers harbour understandable apprehensions about the relationship between mediation and the formal judicial process. There was deep skepticism over the application of mediation in the Indian legal system. As many as 44 mediators from the H.P. High Court and district courts were imparted training in the process of mediation and conciliation during the programme by Ms. Shailender Kaur, Harish Dadani, Nagina Jain and K.K. Mukhija, trainers from the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee of the Supreme Court. Approximately 40,000 cases are pending with the High Court whereas the pendency in the 106 subordinate courts has crossed 1.57 lakh. The judiciary of the state is now ready to deploy these methods for quick disposal of cases. Postal stamps exhibition While Hamirpax 2010, an exhibition of postal stamps organised by Hamirpur division of the Postal Department, attracted a large number of schoolchildren and stamp lovers, it was also unique in a way as first day cover was released on Hamirpur NIT on its last day. Stamps from more than 80 countries were displayed in this exhibition and the oldest stamp dating March 26, 1918, from Italy and post cards dating 1914 were great attraction among the visitors to this exhibition. Similarly, stamps released by the Postal Department on Baba Balak Nath temple, Deoth-Sidh, and NIT, Hamirpur, were also very popular. Schoolchildren not only participated in this exhibition by opening 24 philatelic accounts but also presented a colourful cultural programme on this occasion. Prizes were also given for best stamp collectors in this exhibition. While Ambika Rana won the first prize, the second prize went to KK Verma and third to Harish Chaudhary.
(Contributed by Rakesh Lohumi, Vijay Arora and DP Gupta)
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Kangra teacher gets state-level award
Nurpur, October
5 He is the youngest teacher among the 13 best teachers of the state and second in Kangra district who have been conferred the award recently by Governor Urmila Singh in Shimla. He studied with the help of kerosene lamp till matriculation as there was no electricity in his house until 1984. After being selected for the 1985-87 JBT batch, he started giving free education to students in Govt Primary School, Baruna, till his appointment as a regular JBT teacher in Govt Primary School, Nagaal, where he brought excellent annual results despite being a single teacher in the school. In 1992, he worked successfully in launching the Total Literacy Campaign by motivating hundreds of illiterates to become literate in Jagnolli, Baruna, Dhameta, Baari, Hadwal, Polian, Khatiar, Sthana, Machhot and Jonka gram panchayats in Jawali subdivision. He has adopted teaching as a mission to serve society. He also extends succour to poor students to continue their schooling in his area. He has also helped in addressing various problems of the teaching community after his unanimous election four times as president of the Fatehpur unit of the Primary Teachers Federation. Interestingly, when he was posted to Govt Primary School, Hadwal, in December 2006, there was not even a single student in the school. But, he accepted it as a challenge and launched a special awareness campaign in the rural area and with the help of the gram panchayat and the Mahila Mandal, raising the strength of students in the school to 36. He also motivates schoolchildren to take part in extracurricular activities.
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School board chief ridicules demand for resignation
Kangra, October 5 Prof Gupta said while the examination scam was purely a criminal case, it was being politicized by certain political vested interests. He said that nine alleged accused in the case-- two main accused, four postmen and three others, including a woman, ---were arrested and the police so far had not pointed any finger at the board official in the scam. He said that 38 officials of the board had so far been issued show-cause notices for their lapses and negligence and if anyone was found involved in the scam would be handed over to the police. Dr Gupta said it was a criminal case and the police was moving ahead in the case but certain politicians were trying to hinder the process of investigation by raising such issues that were politically motivated and irrelevant. He said it was immaterial whether he continued to be the board Chairman or not but this investigation should reach its logical conclusion in the larger interest of the students' community and the board itself. He advised politicians to rise above their petty political interests and help curb such scams that had been going on for the past more than half a decade.
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Man gets life term for murdering wife
Chamba, October 5 In default of payment of the fine, the convict shall further undergo rigorous imprisonment for one year. He would undergo imprisonment for six months with a fine of Rs 5,000 and in default thereof under further imprisonment for three months under section 201, IPC. A case was registered by victim's father, Harbans Singh of Chhota Badwal Khurd in Fatehgarh Churiyan tehsil(Gurdaspur). Harbans Singh stated that his daughter, Rimpal Kaur, was married to Gurpreet Singh of Multan Mehal, Amritsar district. On May 14, 2006, Gurpreet and his daughter went to Dalhousie accompanied by his son, Samraj Singh. On May 17, 2006, Gurpreet telephonically informed Harbans Singh that his daughter, Rimpal Kaur, had gone missing at Dalhousie. Harbans Singh further stated that after marriage his son-in-law sought dowryworth Rs 5 lakh. Due to the non-fulfilment of his dowry demand, Gurpreet killed his daughter, Rimpal Kaur, during his travel in the Dalhousie area, Harbans Singh stated in his police complaint. Accordingly, accused Gurpreet Singh was charged, tried and then convicted for murder punishable under sections 302 and 201 of the IPC.
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Hamirpur NIT to have new director
Hamirpur, October 5 The NITs which would have new directors are
Allahabad, Bhopal, Calicut, Durgapur, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Kurukshetra,
Nagpur, Rourkela, Surat, Tiruchirapalli and Warangal. The term of present incumbent of NIT Hamirpur Dr IK
Bhatt, who remained in the thick of controversy due to a CBI raid here some time back, is also coming to an end in the beginning of this November. The term of Dr Bhatt was embroiled in several controversies despite his contribution in the growth of the NIT. While he had strained relations with teachers’ union of the NIT and other employees, his several decisions were challenged in the court. The appointment of certain faculty members had attracted criticism from the teaching community who had taken up this issue with the board of governors of the NIT and had even demanded a CBI inquiry in these appointments. Later, a team of the CBI had conducted a raid on the NIT campus and taken the records pertaining to these appointments in its custody. Though the HRD Ministry had reportedly not give permission to proceed against the NIT director, this decision has also been challenged in the high court through a public interest litigation (PIL)
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Faith, fervour mark Ganesha immersion procession
Kangra, October 5 Beautifully decorated idols of the Lord were taken out from different pandals of the town and its outskirts on the occasion in procession reciting vedic hymns and chanting bhajans by the devotees. The youths were seen dancing in the procession throwing colours at each other. This time in some processions, women devotees outnumbered men. The idol of the lord was kept in the Donga Bazaar locality of the town for 11 days so was at Gaggal and Birta and all were immersed in the Banner Khad on that evening with religious fervour. Fruits and prashad were distributed among those who lined up on the route of 11 km from Gaggal to the Banner seeking blessing of Lord Ganesha. This year, a number of Ganesha pandals were established within the town and its outskirts. Dahi handis were also broken at different places. One dahi handi was broken in the main Municipal Stadium, too.
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Swami Ramdev to visit Chamba
Chamba, October 5 Swami Ramdev, who is committed to building a healthy and prosperous India by eradicating ailment, intoxication,
unemployment and illiteracy, will also address the gathering on the occasion.
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Dr Verma gives eloquence to his vision of a hospital, “Having spent our younger days in India with subsequent professional training and collective exposure of more than half a century in the US, my wife (Dr Indira
Verma) and I had a crazy dream of doing something old fashioned we firmly believed in. We thought, with a few modifications here and there, we might be able to translate that experience into a state-of-the-art hospital for the impoverished we had left behind. It would stand for affordable healthcare with dignity, strict quality assurance without profit motive and full accountability on the part of the providers. Could a dream conceived on the value system of ‘Tretayuga’ ever materialise in ‘scandalous’ India?”