Manali, March 29
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is now engaged in clearing snow on the road and efforts are being made to open the 13,050-ft high Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul-Spiti.

The Manali-Leh Highway, which runs north from Manali, has now been opened to vehicular traffic up to picturesque meadows of Gulaba, about 21 km from here. The height up to which the road opens up gradually as the snow clears is popularly know as snow point. This snow point moves higher and higher till it reaches Marhi (11,500-ft), Rahni Nullah and further towards 13,050-ft high Rohtang Pass. To the right of this pass, lies the source of the Beas river, also known as Beas Rishi.

Hundreds of tourists have started moving to Gulaba to get a visual feast of the snow-capped peaks of the Western Himalayas. The heavy snow in the vicinity attracts the visitors.

The 51-km-long route from Manali to Rohtang Pass is replete with magnificent views of snow-covered Pir Panjal Range to the north and the lush-green Kullu Valley to the south. The tourists when move on this road up to 7,000ft high feel drastic changes in temperature.

The 474-km-long Manali-Leh highway was included in the BRDB programme during 1964. The road portion from Manali-Sarchu (222 km) is under the area of responsibility of the Project Deepak and beyond Sarchu-Leh (222.390) to Leh (474.00) is with the Project Himank. In 1989, the Government of India threw open the Manali-Leh highway to foreign tourists.

The journey from Manali to Leh is replete with adventure and thrills. The road to Leh (3505m) winds its way through Rohtang Pass, Baralacha Pass (4883m), Lachlungla Pass (5065m) and Tanglang La (5328m). The journey on this high road has become popular, particularly among visitors from western countries.

Shimla, March 29
The HPSEB Project Engineers Association has urged the government to allot 12 hydroelectric projects of 114 MW capacity to HPSEB Limited immediately as per the Cabinet decision and finalise the modalities for transferring the cadre control of project engineers to HPPCL(Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited).

A deputation of the association met Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal here and impressed upon him HPSEB Limited urgently needed capacity addition for which it had already prepared a plan for implementation of 12 projects. The state Cabinet had in 2009 decided to reserve projects of 5MW to 25 MW (aggregating 175 MW) to the company but no new projects had been allotted. It would meet all cost of development of these projects, besides employing its staff gainfully.

HPPCL had created a separate cadre by recruiting employees, engineers from the Civil Supply Corporation , Agro-Packaging India Limited, Himfed, HPMC,Tourism and other public undertakings and given higher posts and financial benefits otherwise not admissible in their parent departments. But project engineers of the HPSEB were taken on a secondment basis and denied such benefits.

The association also demanded strengthening of the State Transmission Utility on the pattern of the Power Grid Corporation of India and India HIMURJA, the nodal agency of renewable energy, by appointing the CEO and Director (Civil) from the project engineers cadre. Besides, one post each of chief engineer and superintending engineer in the State Electricity Regulatory Commission should be manned by project engineers (civil). 

Dharamsala, March 29
There is a general impression in society that “vansh” is carried on by sons. Proving this assumption wrong are many couples who have decided to have a single child even if it is a girl.

Though there is no dearth of people who think of daughters as a liability, there are couples who feel blessed to have daughters and celebrate their birth and set an example for others.

In an era where women face discrimination even before birth and during day to day life, such people have been able to take the bold step of discarding the preference for sons.

To recognise such people as champions of women empowerment and gender equity, block-level functions will be organised in Kangra where couples who opt for family planning after single girl child will be honoured.

Dr RK Sood, district AIDS programme officer (DAPO), says Rs 10,000 will be given to those giving information on female foeticide. Also, couples opting for sterilisation after one girl child will be given Rs 25,000 as incentive. The government is committed to reduce maternal mortality rate and Rs 700 is being given for institutional delivery to below poverty line (BPL), SC and ST families.

Bimla and Sukhdev, who run an NGO called Rural Technology Development Centre (RTDC) from Palampur, have a 12-year-old daughter. They decided not go for another child and opted for vasectomy. Bimla says, “Being associated with an NGO, we have been following various norms since long. We do not take any dowry in marriage. Further, as we decided to have only one child, we closed the family irrespective of the sex of the child.”

Sukhdev says modern education has failed to change the mindsets, and three Rs of literacy movement are required to be imbibed to make a healthy society through rational and responsible decisions. He demands that the government should have special provision for daughters of people having single child like free higher education, preference in jobs or social security for the parents.

Palampur, March 29
Himachal Pradesh has emerged as the first state in the country to march towards achieving carbon neutrality. After going through various models of some environment-conscious countries like Costa Rica, the state government has drawn up a master plan with the support of the World Bank for making Himachal Pradesh a complete carbon-neutral state.

The Centre government has sanctioned bio-carbon project funded by the World Bank for the state. It aims at transforming the socio-economic condition of the people by providing livelihood options to the rural poor. The bio-carbon project is underway in about 10,000 hectare of non-arable and degraded common forestland.

The focus of this project is only on afforestation for which the farmers will receive cash incentives. The project aims at developing cost-effective ways to minimise climate change risks by generating environment benefits through carbon regeneration, besides improving revenue generating capacity of small farmers.

The state has also formulated a policy on climate change to prepare a road map for the issues to be focused in immediate future to protect the environment. The issues that the policy addresses include introducing technological interventions for the reduction of greenhouse emissions from industries, residences, automobiles, landfills and the agricultural sector.

It also focuses upon massive afforestation programmes, promoting the use of renewable energy, CFLs, meeting energy requirements from hydel power, biomass rather than fossil fuels, recovery of energy from the waste and preventing change in forestland use.

Himachal is the first state in the country to launch a novel scheme like “Atal Bijli Bachat Yojna” under which four CFLs were distributed to every household of the state at Rs 64 crore resulting in saving 270 million units power.

The state government has also constituted the Himachal Pradesh Environment Fund, a voluntary contribution corpus. The funds would be utilised for relief in losses sustained during natural calamities. Some grants will be given to the villages proactive for environment protection and reducing carbon footprints and to schools, institutions and organisations playing proactive role in environmental protection and conservation.

Realising the threat being caused by polythene to the environment, the state government had banned the use of polythene carry bags. It also launched “Polythene Hatao - Paryavaran Bachao” campaign on the Earth Day to associate masses and for creating awareness among all sections of society. It was due to the participation of the masses that polythene has been discarded by the people in the state.

A buyback scheme for plastic waste from urban local bodies has been started. The plastic waste is being bought at Rs 3 per kg and an additional rupee will be given as handling charges. The rag-pickers will thus be keen to segregate the plastic waste for recycling purposes.

Apart from using the shredded plastic in the construction of roads, cement plants are also being motivated to integrate solid waste management mechanism into their plants to generate electricity.

Kangra, March 29
Out of over one billion population of the country, one third of the strong contingent of adolescents in the age group of 10-19 have birth right to preventive health care.

This was stated by principal Dr Vanita Kapoor while addressing health officials from the eight districts of Himachal Pradesh on the concluding day of the five-day workshop recently on the Adolescent Friendly Reproductive and Sexual Health Services under the NRHM at the Regional Health and Family Welfare Training Centre, Chheb, here. She said it was a cause of concern that globally, 16 million people in the age group of 16-23 years were afflicted with HIV.

Elaborating on various alternatives for curbing female foeticide, she stressed on the role of legal, punitive moral and socioeconomic approaches to tackle the menace. Economic empowerment of society, especially female counterparts, would go a long way in strengthening adulthood and motherhood, she added.

Dr Surender Nikhil Gupta, faculty of the centre, pointed out that it was increasingly felt that investing in the most-neglected vulnerable adolescent group was going to have rich dividends for the future health.

Gupta said in the RCH-II programme of the Government of India, specific focus had been given to adolescents. Overall, RCH-II focuses on integrated packages of services, addressing access and quality issues, reaching vulnerable groups and community involvement. He said each state was accountable for the implementation and management of RCH-II.

Narrating the facts about adolescents in the country as per the National Family Health Survey-2, he said with over 50 per cent of the adolescents down with anemia, early marriage of 44.5 per cent girls, unmet need of contraception 27 per cent, 35 per cent of new HIV cases and substances usage by 40 per cent fall into the category of this vulnerable group.

Dr Sanjeev Chaudhary, Dr Milap, Dr Abhilash Sood and Dr Amit Gupta, various experts from DRPGM College, Kangra, also impressed upon the participants on various alternatives available for the harmonious growth and development of adolescents.

Prior to 1888, the Government of India owned several houses in Shimla besides the Viceregal Lodge and was a tenant of others. The houses were used as dwelling units for staff of the Viceroy. Wheatfield was one of them. It was then surrounded by cornfields now swallowed by brick and mortar.

A decision was taken in 1888 to place the outlying houses on the market and to accommodate the staff of the Viceroy in houses lying in the vicinity of the lodge. Wheatfield was then purchased by Col John Robertson, who was the President of the Shimla Municipality from 1891 to 1897 and remained its proprietor for a short period.

He sold it to Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh of Darbhanga (ruled 1860 to 1898), who named it Darbhanga House. Mother Gonzoga Joyce and other sisters travelled to Shimla in 1892 to establish a school and provide good education to Catholic children at the behest of Dr Van Den Bosch, Archbishop of Agra.

Mother Joyce, who was from West Ireland, purchased two buildings, Wheatfield and Belle Vue, and established Loreto Convent there on 30.11.1895. The hill of Tara is famous in Ireland, so Wheatfield became Tara Hall (See photo). The Gazetteer of Shimla district 1904 reads: "The boarding school of Loreto Convent at Tara Hall was founded in 1895. The course of studies embraces all standards of the Code of European Schools in Punjab. The school is affiliated to Trinity College, London, and the pupils, who include girls and young boys, children of officers, are carefully prepared for the music examination."

In August, 1935, Roland Hotz, chartered architect of the school, sought permission from the Municipal Committee (MC) for clothes to be washed in the premises because the public dhobighat took its own time in delivering clothes, resulting in delay and inconvenience.

The sanction was asked for three sets of dual tanks, a sloping ramp to be used for scrubbing and a copper for boiling clothes. Hotz further wrote that every modern builder should pay heed to: 'All water from these tanks will be conveyed to the nullah alongside by means of glazed stonewall drains. (I will take) every care to make everything as good as possible.' The proposal was sanctioned within four months. The first floor of Bellevue building (See photo) was reconstructed in 1936. Mother Mary Euchaira also improved the nuns dwelling quarters without taking sanction from the MC.

The MC sent a show-cause notice to which she replied:"The charge against me is correct but it gave me a shock as I had no idea that we must apply for sanction to improve our dwellings. I knew all outside structural work needed municipal sanction, but no more." The MC imposed a compounding fine of Rs 10 for it. It was Mother Helena who made further improvements in Bellevue, including addition of a little balcony and five music rooms. She wanted a quick sanction for it from the MC and for that she wrote to Samad, Secretary, MC, "I want to complete the building before I leave. I want you to hurry the matter. May God reward you!" The second storey to Belle Vue was added in 1944.

The 'days of dormitory chatter and dining room clatter' came to a close in 1975 and Loreto became a day school in 1976. It gave the school more room to accommodate more students from where alumnae like Vimla Kitchlu, Mira Nair, Pamela Rooks, Komal GB Singh and Usha Albuquerque have turned out.

The major structural change in the complex was the dismantling of Darbhanga House for a new building that was designed by architect Rakesh Mehta and Associates and completed in 1998. It was handed over to Sister Jacintha Noronha of the Sacred Heart Mission that had taken over the school from Loreto Convent in 1995. It has now gone back to Loreto. The present principal of the school is Sister Anita Braganza, who believes in inculcating the values of forgiveness, care and compassion in the children so that their world is a better place to live in. 

Bilaspur, March 29
The parents should not impose their will on children in choosing their careers while teachers should collaborate with parents to ensure the development of basic qualities honesty and integrity among them so that they boldly face future challenges of competitive life, said BJP general secretary and local MLA and former Forest Minister JP Nadda while speaking at the annual prize distribution function of Government Post- Graduate College here recently.

Nadda urged the students never to go for distractions but stick to their goals with "ever-friendly" tools of hard work and determination to achieve their targets. He said time was very precious and they should utilise every minute of it very carefully and in constructive and positive pursuits.

Nadda said Rs 1.50 crore would be provided soon for completion of the new college building on which the government had already spent Rs 6.25 crore. A sum of Rs 1.06 crore had been spent so far on the students' hostel building.

Responding to demands presented by Students Central Association president Vishal Thakur and ABVP and other students organisations , Nadda said steps would be taken to start more MA classes in the college from the next session while other demands would also be considered sympathetically .

Principal Dr Subhash Gupta , who would retire this month after three-year stay here, said the college has several "firsts" to its credit. While it had been graded as "B plus plus" the college was heading towards "grade A" as a reputed educational institute.

He said "women empowerment" had its own role to play in this college as most of the prizes in almost every field had been won by girls. Most of the 470 prizes had been won by girl students this year, added Gupta.

Dr Gupta said the college had the first rainwater harvesting system irrigating flowerbeds blooming all around the premises, the first college to start the B.Sc (Hons.) in biotechnology and certificate courses in floriculture, besides being the first to have been linked with "INflib -net" with 51,000 books and thousands of journals of all subjects being just a click away with 40 computers at service. 

Nurpur, March 29
The governing body of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti (RKS) of the local civil hospital recently approved the budget proposals for the next fiscal year. The RKS meeting, presided over by chairman-cum-SDM Susheel Sharma, gave its nod to the Rs 68.86 lakh budget, which included Rs 25 lakh for the establishment of an intensive care unit in the hospital.

The governing body of the RKS decided to disburse the minimum government approved wages to the employees recruited under the RKS fund and resolved to enhance these wages to 30 percent for which a resolution would be submitted for approval to the higher authorities of state Health Department.

The issues of non-functioning of the toll-free number of the hospital and failure to implement the decision of the RKS to run a clinical laboratory round the clock were also raised at the meeting. The hospital administration showed its helplessness on both issues.

A leading eye hospital, Grewal Eye Institute (GEI), organised a glaucoma public education seminar in Shimla to create awareness about its irreversible impact on the vision.The seminar was a part of the Glaucoma Week being observed by the institute during which a host of other glaucoma-related activities were also organised. Apart from free advice, a complete glaucoma workup, worth Rs 4,000, was offered to all patients.

Addressing the seminar Dr SPS Grewal stressed the necessity of regular eye examination to ensure that glaucoma was detected early for timely and proper treatment to prevent blindness. More than 75 persons attended the seminar. He explained that glaucoma was a preventable blindness but once the vision was lost it could not be restored. Hence, the need for its early detection.

It was the leading cause of blindness in the world today due to low awareness among those who were susceptible to the disease. Raising the level of public awareness of glaucoma was the key to fighting the disease in the long run. He said a regular eye checkup was necessary as in the early stages of glaucoma no symptoms were present and if left untreated the first sign of the disease was a loss of sight.

Shimla , March 29
The ruby jubilee celebrations of the Himachal Pradesh High Court ended on a positive note with Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal laying the foundation stone of lawyers’ chambers at the complex, fulfilling a long pending demand of the Bar Association.

However, the lawyers are disappointed that the Chief Minister did not extend any financial assistance for the project which will come up under a self-financing scheme with the lawyers bearing the entire cost.

Ashok Sharma, President of the Bar Association, informed that the construction was being carried out by the lawyers through individual contribution. The Chief Justice on his part assured that the court administration would fully support the association in successful implementation of the project.

Another highlight of the valedictory function was the address of Justice Deepak Gupta, who is also chairman of the State Judicial Academy. While recalling the contribution of various judges of the high court, he also showered praise on Chief Justice of India SH Kapadia, who has assumed the office at a critical juncture.

“Our ship is sailing on turbulent waters. However, we are lucky to have a very able captain in Justice Kapadia. He been at the helm of affairs for less than a year but has already charted a new course for the judiciary. I am sure that he will steer us to calmer waters,” he said.

Recalling the contribution of retired judges of the state high court, Justice Gupta especially mentioned the role of Justice HR Khanna, Justice RN Agarwal and Justice PD Desai, who demonstrated by their conduct that no man was greater than the institution to which he belonged.

“The people of the country look up to the judicial system and expect it to lay down the standards which ensured that the rule of law is maintained. Each and every action of ours is under public scrutiny, the Indian judiciary is indeed going through testing times,” he observed.

Justice Gupta said in the federal constitution, there was separation of powers and the legislature, the executive and the judiciary had well defined roles in the system of checks and balances. It was expected that all three wings worked in a spirit of comity and each should respect the powers of the others, he said, adding that however, sometimes conflicts did arise, but these must be settled in a dignified manner.

Chamba, March 29
The National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) is proving a boon for 850 families of the district. The project is being executed by the Extension Directorate of the Himachal Pradesh Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Agriculture University, Palampur, on recommendations of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi.

A high-level scientific committee has selected farm families meeting the specific requirements in Chamba, Bhattiyat and the tribal area of Bharmour in the district.

Dr KD Bindra, scientist in charge of the project, says, “The project was started in 2007 for five years with the aim to enhancing the livelihood prospects of farmers through providing area-specific and need-based agricultural entrepreneurial inputs so as to make them sustainable in the long run. Farmers and scientists were given training from time to time, which resulted in wholehearted participation and better coordination, he adds.

“Various inputs like improved seeds, plants, fertilisers, mushroom bags and pesticides etc were provided free of cost that showed excellent results. Thus, the project is likely to be extended and more inputs in the form of power tiller and other machines will be provided”.

According to Dr RS Kishtwaria, a livestock and veterinary expert, “Thirty seven Jersey cattle, 500 poultry birds, feed-block machines, fodder roots, chaff cutters, feed and medicines have been distributed among farmers. The response of the farmers in livestock production enhancement, healthcare, awareness and interactive camps has been overwhelming”.

Due to difficult terrain, doorstep services have to be provided for attending to production and health problems of livestock in collaboration with the state Animal Husbandry Department for follow-up treatment which is showing good results in the form of improved production. There is a great demand for university farm-bred livestock, feed, mineral mixture and ‘cow chocklet’ which will be provided to the farmers in due course.

Fish farming is also catching up in some areas for which services of experts are being made available. The farmers of these areas remain in touch through telephone which is proving very helpful in solving their problems, he adds.

Keeping in view the topography of Chamba district and the success of the project, more farmers in these areas and adjoining Churah and Pangi subdivisions should also be adopted to bring about overall economic development in its relatively backward and tribal areas, says Dr Kishtwaria.