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Motorists encounter parking blues in Kullu
Her fight for justice inspiration for others
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Kinnaur, Spiti turn hot spots for skiers
Camp on glaucoma awareness held
14-km patch of express highway to remain narrow
Vignettes
Resentment among Chamba residents
Campaign to showcase welfare schemes
No takers for VPTs in rural areas
Using art for noble cause
Hoteliers, travel agents oppose service tax
Colony residents rue insanitary conditions
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Motorists encounter parking blues in Kullu
Kullu, March 22 The traffic police has allocated a crane and is towing away vehicles from almost every place in the town even as there are no places earmarked as "tow away zones". As there is only one designated parking place at Akhara Bazaar that too with a capacity of about 15 vehicles, people have no option but to park their vehicles on the roadsides. The police had earlier allowed parking near the district courts on The Mall road due to pressure from the bar association, but that part of the road between Dhalpur Chowk and district courts has now been partially blocked by the traffic police by placing barricades. The haphazard placing of these barricades has created chaos on the road, putting motorists to inconvenience. Earlier, the area was earmarked by the traffic police for parking small vehicles, but suddenly the police placed rolling barricades for not allowing parking. Members of the District Bar Association have ridiculed the putting of barricades at the available parking area. The road is important as it leads to the regional hospital, the veterinary hospital and the district secretariat. Coordination between the administration, police, municipal council and prominent residents is need of the hour. The MC should earmark parking places at Shashtri Nagar, (old octroi post, Dr Ram Dev's clinic and Valentino Restaurant), Gandhi Nagar (near Vaishali Hotel, Chamardi nullah), Dhalpur (near safai karamcharis residential complex, near Kala Kendra, Senior Secondary School, near Hari Haran hospital and Government College), Sarwari (near State Bank of Patiala, near Bus Stand, opposite Gramin Bank and Sheetla Mata temple) and Akhara Bazaar (near Ram Bagh, opposite truck union community hall, near old bus stand, near Sanatan Dharam Sabha and Ramshilla Bridge) by putting yellow lines at the places where wide space on the roadsides is available so that vehicle owners did not face harassment.
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Her fight for justice inspiration for others
Mandi, March 22 Now, she is at peace, pursuing her first love - painting - in this temple town. Her paintings are different. She uses no brushes, but instead uses her fingertips and woollen threads to create paintings. She inherited a knack for painting from fine art painter AR Gautam. But her first love got a severe beating when in 2002, she was denied the job she deserved. Though she does not want to talk of her past, her hope and faith in herself made her a fighter that can be a source of inspiration for the subdued lot. It all happened in 2002 when she appeared for an interview for the post of lecturer in sociology at a senior secondary school, Jalugran, Kullu. She was rejected by the selection committee and a candidate of lesser qualification was selected. She decided to fight for her right that was denied to her just because she did not have political patronage. She moved the state administrative tribunal, which upheld the decision of the selection committee. She then took the battle to the high court and won the case. But the other party moved the Supreme Court. At that time, she was in the middle of a crisis as her husband suffered a major health problem. Her family members dissuaded her from pursuing the battle further. But she never gave up and went ahead with her fight for justice. Finally, on October 30, 2009, the apex court set aside the selection committee’s appointment and she won the long legal battle. “I owe it to my inner voice that always tells me that truth always prevails. My legal counsel Manohar Lal Sharma, a senior lawyer from Mandi, helped me and pleaded my case strongly and won it in the Supreme Court.” Hemant Lata joined the school on November 23, 2010. In the meantime, she kept pursing painting with vigour. She loves training students in the art. “Our youth face the menace of drugs as they do not have proper guidance to divert their energy. I get a lot of happiness and peace when I spend time teaching how to paint and channelise their energy,” she says. Hemant Lata uses waste materials, cardboards, canvass and oils to create her unique paintings. The still flowing water and a floating cloud inspire her and provide her energy. Her paintings now adore hotels, offices and showrooms. “I am now doing a series of paintings on pahari village life which has undergone a transformation,” she says. Chief Minister PK Dhumal in his remarks on her paintings at a recent exhibition in Mandi, said, “The paintings should be preserved as a heritage”.
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Kinnaur, Spiti turn hot spots for skiers
Manali, March 22 Three Canadian nationals, Alasdair Bates, Monte Painter and Madelene Martin Preney, visited Kinnaur and Spiti recently on a ski tour. They skied from Reckong Peo to Chitkul in Kinnaur and from Kaza to Losar near Kunzum Pass in Spiti. Alasdair Bates said their original plan was to ski from Kinnaur to Spiti over Kunzum Pass and to Lahaul valley and later crossing over Rohtang Pass to Manali. He said they could not cross Kunzum pass due to inclement weather. They then came back by road to Manali from Spiti and Kinnaur. They later visited Rohtang for skiing and camped at Marhi meadows on the base of Rohtang Pass for three days. But they could not cross Rohtang Pass and get into Lahaul valley due to strong winds and instead skied at Marhi slopes. After that they decided to come back to Manali. They said Himachal Pradesh had a lot of potential for ski tours and could be developed as a preferred destination for winter sport lovers. Bates said Spiti particularly had a lot to offer as it could be accessed from Shimla-Kinnaur and monasteries could be visited during winter as well. RC Negi, president of the Himachal Pradesh Winter Games Association said the association would promote Spiti and Kinnaur valleys for winter sports. He added that efforts would be made by the association to train the local youth in winter sports so that they could act as guides for tourists interested in adventure sports in the region. This would help them get employment during winter months. Besides, local ski clubs would be benefited in a big way, he added. Earlier, the association donated 10 ski pairs each to clubs in Lahaul- Spiti and Pangi valley. At the moment, the association has around 30 ski clubs affiliated to it. These are located in Bharmour, Pangi, Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, Shimla and Manali regions, Negi added.
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Camp on glaucoma awareness held
Kangra, March 22
Dr Anil Chauhan, principal, Dr RP Government Medical College, Tanda, expressed these views recently on the occasion of glaucoma day in the college. He said the theme for this year was "Don't lose sight of your family". He said a lot needed to be done to increase the awareness among the masses and to get the message across the state. He said, "For millions of people living in the remote rural areas of the country, primary health care specialists will have to be sensitised for the need to suspect and refer glaucoma at the very basic level if we have to make a dent." He said in an awareness camp a former minister was found to be a patient of glaucoma. A quiz competition for students was also held on the occasion. — OC
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14-km patch of express highway to remain narrow
Hamirpur, March 22 Though almost 50 per cent work has already been executed on this project by the Himachal Pradesh Road Infrastructure Development Corporation (HPRIDC) through construction companies and entire work is likely to be completed by the end of this year but decision about building the road beyond Karkhal is still hanging fire. The Una-Ner Chowk express highway is being built in three phases - from Una to Badsar - a patch of about 50 km with a cost of Rs 98 crore, Badsar to Jahu - about 40 km road costing Rs 92 crore and from Jahu to Kalkhar - a 15 km patch being built with at a cost of Rs 33 crore. The double-lane highway of about 105 km is being built with the total cost of about Rs 224 crore funded by the World Bank and as per the World Bank norms. After completion of this highway, the state government envisages to ease traffic on the Manali-Chandigarh National Highway (NH No 21) by providing smooth flow of traffic through this highway for people coming from the Punjab to Manali side besides improving road conditions. Since this expressway would be linked with NH 21 at Ner Chowk, the travellers would have to pass through a narrow and curvy patch from Kalkhar to Ner Chowk, which at present is not included in this project. It has been learnt that this 14-km patch had been kept out from the express highway project to keep the project cost within the limit of the Word Bank funding. HPRIDC Chief Engineer said, "At present, there is no proposal to extend the express highway from Kalkhar to Ner Chowk but maintenance of this road is included in the project."
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vignettes When Sanjiv Katoch, chief manager of IndusInd Bank, invited me to be the key speaker on a get together on the 100th year of International Women's Day (IWD) on March 8, I was surprised that a bank, mostly engaged in credit-debit ratio, is arranging a discussion on women empowerment. At the venue, I was the only person in pants among a score of those wearing salwar kameez and sarees, mostly educationists, few bankers and one running her own business (See photo). I started with the history of IWD. Women started raising demonstrations for voting rights, better pay and shorter working hours in 1908 in New York. Their voice flew across the Atlantic where Clara Zetkin of the Social Democratic Party in Germany was active with words, "When the men are silent, it is our duty to raise our voices on behalf of our ideals". She launched the idea at Copenhagen in 1910 of having IWD and since March 8, 1911 the day is celebrated every year. I told the gathering, "Since Tennyson wrote 'man for the field and woman for the hearth', woman has been keeping the kitchen humming, but in professional cooking, we hear the names of Sanjeev Kapoor, Marut Sikka, Ajay Chopra, Kunal Kapoor and other males and she who learns the art or skill from them, as shown in TV channels, is always a woman and never a man. Why so? Are we still in the age of 'woman for the hearth?'" I disclosed my pleasure that in Akshay Kumar's "Master Chef-India", the winner was a woman, Pankaj Bhadauria, a school teacher in Lucknow who beat a man, Jaynandan, in the finals. Pankaj showed that she was the woman for the field and the hearth - an all-rounder. Himachal Pradesh bagged the Diamond State Award for Women Empowerment and showed that here women were keen to take on the "field" as in the recently concluded panchayat elections they bagged 57 per cent of the seats against a reserved quota of 50. And besides running many girl-friendly schemes, a sex ratio of 896:1000 in favour of the male child in the age-group 0-6 years in 2001 has been bettered to 922:1000 in 2008. My question to them was that the statistics reveal that more the female literacy, more the son fixation. Chandigarh has 81 per cent literacy rate and its sex ratio is 777. Hamirpur district in Himachal Pradesh has a sex ratio of 850 against the state's 896 while female literacy there is 75.7 against 67.4 of HP. Why? The question looms large on the face of educated Indians. One of the participants replied that the attitude of women towards their own species was of neglect and that the woman relatives in the family pest that woman who bore female child that necessitated a behavioural change. She added a new dimension by saying that her maid sends her daughters to a government school and the only son to a public school, thus creating a gender disparity. On the role of banking, they felt that more bank accounts of only women, not joint accounts, would empower women because "the power resides there where the key to the locker lies". I agreed with them giving the example of a survey conducted in two panchayats of Kandaghat Block where in a hectare of land, a pair of bullocks worked for 1,064 hours, a man for 1,212 and a woman toiled for 3,485 hours. The sale proceeds, in the end, were pocketed by the man. I felt that enrolling more female members as bank account holders might lessen the practice of "she works; he keeps the money". A participant was upset that when she went to stand security in her own capacity to a bank, it wanted to know her husband's name, which should not be because a man going for the same purpose had not to give his wife's name. She felt that a woman ought to be recognised as an independent entity and not through her husband or father. "You can tell the state of a nation by looking at the status of women there," said Jawaharlal Nehru. See the status of a village woman where lives Gandhi's India and ask your heart "what is the state of our nation?"
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Resentment among Chamba residents
Chamba, March 22 The posts of ENT specialist have been lying vacant for the past over five years, while the posts of gynecologist have been lying vacant for the past about one year. Even a single post of these specialists at the regional hospital, Chamba, could not be filled so far. Chief medical officer Rakesh Verma said advertisements for the posts of gynecologist had been published in various newspapers till January this year seeking specialists on the monthly salary of around Rs 85,000. But, none of the applicants had so far applied in response to the advertisements pertaining to the posts of gynecologist.
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Campaign to showcase welfare schemes
Nurpur, March 22 Team leader of the troupe Naseem Bala said more than 20 cultural programmes had been presented in rural areas of Nurpur and Jawali subdivisions during the past one week. Skits, nukkar nataks and developmental group songs were presented highlighting welfare schemes, besides local songs and dance items to entertain the people. The skit --"Nikhattu Putra"-- was appreciated by all. In this skit, the artists appraised the masses of the benefits of the ambitious "polyhouse and doodh ganga" schemes that had made numerous youths self- reliant by producing off-season vegetables and flowers in polyhouses. The people were also informed that Himachal was the first state to provide 80 to 90 per cent subsidy for setting up polyhouses. The cultural troupe also presented skits on "Polythene Hatao, Paryawaran bachao", Beti hai anmol and Atal swasthya Yojna. More than 10,000 copies of publicity literature were distributed in exhibitions organised at various places during the campaign.
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No takers for VPTs in rural areas
Nurpur, March 22 This scheme was launched under the social service concept of the then Union government which had attracted rural people. Over 300 VPTs were installed in the Nurpur area in every revenue village. Interestingly, in the changed telecommunication scenario, this social service is still prevalent but the villagers are reluctant to avail it, thanks to the mobile revolution. At that time when mobile phones were not in use, this scheme was proving a boon to the rural people, but nowadays these VPTs are proving just showpieces in the villages as publicly they have negligible use after the launch of mobile phones in a big way. In fact, there is no taker of VPTs in the villages. Moreover, frequent thefts of telephone cables, particularly in the rural areas, have discouraged the villagers in availing this means of telecommunication. It is notable that the Telecommunication Department had installed one VPT in every village following the recommendation of the local gram panchayat. These villages were identified by the Revenue Department which had issued the list of villages of every gram panchayat to the Telecommunication Department. Inquiries reveal that the Telecommunication Department had installed these VPTs without monthly rent and offered 50 per cent discount in call tariffs. In this connection, Tilak Thakur, SDO, BSNL subdivision, Nurpur, said the newly elected gram panchayats could shift these VPTs by submitting fresh resolution justifying new recommended locations. He informed that most of the VPTs had been converted into WLLs following rampant thefts of overhead telephone cables in the area. He admitted that the villagers were reluctant to avail this public telephone facility.
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Early this week, he was at Dharmapur along with a group of famous global artists who produced some great pieces of art during their five-day sojourn in the hills. Artists and art lovers from the region thronged the place to see them at work (See photo). One day was especially devoted to schoolchildren who got an opportunity to interact with master artists and learn the nuances of the trade. Himself a trained artist, Sandhu left the shores of the country for better prospects and settled in Sweden. His unflinching commitment to the cause of art brought NGO Tellus Art, which is now organising art-related activities in 113 countries. Sandhu has been investing a major part of his earnings for the cause of art. His good work has earned him recognition from the Sweden government. Artists from world over extend full cooperation and are willing participants in the events organised by his NGO. The basic objective has been to provide a platform to talented artists and create art awareness, but of late, it has taken a new initiative to involve children in the preservation of nature and environment. It has adopted Kaliyanwala village in Uttarakhand under its programme, “A journey of art interaction, creative workshops & exhibitions by global artists on climate change, nature and environment”. Under the programme, training is being provided in art to 140 children in the traditional ashram mode under the tutelage of masters. They are also involved in environment-related activities. For instance, they carry out cleanliness drive in the village every Saturday. Each child is being motivated to plant at least two saplings, adopt organic farming, and conserve water and other such activities. Part of the funds for undertaking such programmes is raised by selling the paintings produced during various workshops. BJP counters Cong, CPM
The Congress and the CPM have made the closure of the apple carton factory at Pragatinagar a major issue and they have been using it to whip the ruling BJP. It is being cited as a glaring example of the anti-apple growers’ attitude of the government. However, with the government deciding to set up an engineering college in the premises, the BJP is now in a better footing to take on the opposition on the issue. Horticulture Minister Naridner Bragta was quick to counter the Congress rally at Jubbal to highlight the plight of apple growers by bringing hundreds of people from the area all the way to Shimla for thanking Chief Minister PK Dhumal for sanctioning an engineering college at Pragatinagar. Dhumal told the gathering that the foundation stone of the project would be laid shortly. The institution would be named after former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and it would be the third of its kind in the country. There would be an engineering college, a polytechnic and an ITI all under one complex. The complex would be developed on the analogy of Sant Longowal Engineering College in Punjab as a centre of excellence in imparting vocational education. The required infrastructural facilities in the complex would be developed by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited. Apart from the engineering institutions, the government has also announced that a self-contained modern marketing yard would be set up at Parala, close to Pragati Nagar, to ensure that growers do not face any difficulties in marketing their produce. It remains to be seen how far the initiatives help the BJP regain the lost ground in the apple belt.
HPU extends pvt candidate scheme
In a significant move, Himachal Pradesh University has decided in principle to allow boy students to appear in examinations as private candidates. Hitherto, only girls and those from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes were allowed this facility. However, only Himachali boys will be allowed to appear as private candidates and the fees for the purpose will be kept reasonable, much lower than those undertaking various courses in the distance education mode. The decision will enable a large number of students who are not in a position to attend regular courses to pursue higher education. (Contributed by Rakesh Lohumi)
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Hoteliers, travel agents oppose service tax
Mandi/Manali, March 22 The hoteliers' and the restaurants' associations in the state are coming under a banner to raise their voice against the proposed service tax. In Himachal, more than 95 per cent hotels come under the ambit of Rs 1,000 tariff ambit which will have to pay the service tax to the government, the hoteliers say. The Himachal tourism industry is growing at the rate of 15 per cent receiving more than 1.11 crore tourists, both Indian and foreign, last year. "This time we also expect the same growth. The service tax is yet to be imposed," say tourism officials. The president of the Manali Hoteliers' Association (MHA), who chaired the MHA's meeting to chalk out the strategy to deal with the issue of service tax proposal, said: "We oppose the service tax because it will hit the tourists as they pay both luxury tax and sales tax on food items to the state. We are taking up the issue with the Federation of Hoteliers and Restaurants Associations of Northern India, including the FICCI and the CII, Chambers of Industries". Surinder Thakur, a hotelier, says the MHA has also taken up the issue with Mandi MP and Union Micro, Small and Medium-Scale Industries Minister Virbhadra Singh. "We request him to plead our case as 95 per cent hoteliers in the state will be impacted by the proposed service tax that in turn will hit the tourist inflow in the state," he adds. Dr Arun Sharma, director, Tourism, says they are seeking the copy of the service tax proposal from the Planning Commission and will be able to comment after that only.
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Civic amenities elude Baijnath
Palampur, March 22 Potholed roads, broken streets, overflowing drains and contaminated drinking water are some of the perennial problems of the town, which is fast turning into a slum. Most of the interior streets need immediate repair. Due to overflowing drains, waterlogging is a common problem, making it difficult for the residents to venture out. Some of the paved streets have been damaged because of regular overflowing of drains and leakage of drinking water pipes. Garbage can be seen littered in every nook and corner of the town. Surprisingly, there is no sewerage system in the town, which has caused insanitary and unhygienic conditions. All this has been leading to a number of health problems among residents. Besides, the Pathankot-Mandi national highway, which passes through the town, has become a bane of locals because of frequent traffic jams. Despite repeated requests, the state government has not cleared the project for the construction of a bypass. During a recent visit of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Tirlok Kapoor, chairman, HP State Wool Federation, had raised the issue once again. At present, this town is looked after by a panchyat, which has no funds to keep the town clean. With expanding population, the panchayat has been finding it very difficult to maintain the town with meager funds. Locals say since the town is expanding fast, a plan should be drawn up to provide basic amenities on a par with other towns of the state. Liberal funds should be sanctioned to the panchayat for repair and maintenance work. The panchayat should also be permitted to charge toll tax from vehicles crossing the town and tax on the sale of liquor should be given to it for development works. Kishori Lal, president of Baijnath Panchyat, while criticising the state government, says the sewerage system must be laid on a priority as the prevailing conditions are alarming. "There is also a shortage of potable water and it is a general complaint that drinking water being supplied to households carries mud and other waste material, which is not fit for human consumption".
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Colony residents rue insanitary conditions
Mandi, March 22 Stench from the open sewage blows the nose as one enters the colony which has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, besides attracting stray animals. Some children have complained of vomiting and diarrhoea and several have been hospitalised as well, rue residents. "The rear side of the colony has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and flies. Trash and sewage has been accumulating there and there is no outlet and drainage," a resident says. "Recently, my parents came to take part in the Shivratri festival here, but they could not sleep because of the stink," rues Jaipal, a resident. "Thieves made their way with cracked pipes from the toilet a few days ago and we have to go to the public toilet at Beas Sadan," he adds. Window panes too have been broken as the district administration has not carried out the repair work for the past 10 years. "We have made several requests to the PWD and the deputy commissioner to carry out maintenance in the colony, but to no avail", say residents. "There is no sweeper in the colony as the Mandi Municipal Council says the area falls under the jurisdiction of the Bhiuli panchayat," the residents resent. The septic tanks of the colony too have been damaged by a transport contractor who has been dumping debris from an under construction bus stand near here. Amandeep Garg, DC, Mandi, says the administration has sought an estimate for colony's repair work from the PWD, which is still awaited. "HIMUDA is building new septic tanks for the colony and we will sanction some funds for immediate repairs," he promises. However, N Pal Singh, executive engineer, PWD, claims that they have already submitted an estimate worth Rs 10 lakh for colony's repair to the DC office. "The PWD has no funds and it will take up the repair work only after the administration sanctions the funds," he adds.
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The volume of traffic has increased manifold in the town, but the roads and parking lots are still the same as they were in the pre-Independence period.
Manali, March 22
When Sanjiv Katoch, chief manager of IndusInd Bank, invited me to be the key speaker on a get together on the 100th year of International Women's Day
(IWD) on March 8, I was surprised that a bank, mostly engaged in credit-debit ratio, is arranging a discussion on women empowerment.
At the venue, I was the only person in pants among a score of those
wearing salwar kameez and sarees, mostly educationists, few bankers and
one running her own business (See photo). I started with the history of
IWD.
The Information and public relations Department, Kangra, has launched a special campaign here to create awareness about the policies and programmes of the state government.
Passion for art keeps Ajmer Sandhu on the move. He devotes most of his time in organising workshops and exhibitions of paintings in different parts of the world to help raise awareness among the people, particularly children, on various issues.