The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Transport min allots extra buses to own constituency Kuldeep Chauhan Mandi/Dharampur, October 16 The writ of Transport Minister and Dharampur BJP MLA Mohinder Thakur runs large in Dharampur, it seems. In a bid to woo voters ahead of the November 4 Assembly polls, he started a new HRTC sub-depot at Dharampur with a fleet of 15 HRTC buses, out of which 11 buses run daily. Not only this, plans are afoot to introduce five new HRTC buses being built in Goa at each HRTC depot across the state, at the Transport Minister’s behest. With five more new buses soon being added to it, Sarkaghat would have the largest bus fleet in the district, because of the privilege of being the maverick minister’s constituency. There is no justification for opening an HRTC sub-depot at Dharampur as the Sarkaghat depot, which runs 105 HRTC buses, is located at a distance of 20 km from Dharampur. On the other hand, Mandi and Sundernagar depots, which cater to a larger population as compared to Sarkaghat, have 93 and 74 buses respectively in their fleets. The Kullu depot, which caters to the entire district, has 115 buses and Keylong depot has 64 buses, but HRTC managers refused to disclose as to how many out of these buses are in a working condition. Though the Transport Minister could not be contacted for comments, Divisional Manager HRTC, Mandi, Prakash Chander defended the HRTC move claiming that the Dharampur sub-depot had been notified and was opened by the minister on September 15 as “Dharampur is a junction”. “We are running 11 buses out of 15 there as it is a thickly populated area”, he claimed. There are over 12 uneconomical routes in each depot and are closed, he claimed. What is surprising is that despite Divisional Manager HRTC, Mandi, claim, buses are still running in the uneconomical routes in the transport minister’s constituency. The rival Congress party faces a piquant situation in Dharampur as the party can neither complain to the Chief Election Commission nor can it raise the issue from the public platform for fear of loss of votes.
	Housing Board Colony at Shoghi Residents wait for HIMUDA to restore its lost glory Saurabh Malik/TNS Shoghi, October 16 Established by HIMUDA more than a decade ago to meet the housing needs, the prestigious Housing Board Colony at Shoghi is in a state of neglect. Nestled in the quaint, lush green, hills of Himachal Pradesh just 13 km short of Shimla, captivating building blocks of pinks and yellows with sloping tin roofs add a touch of natural glamour to the picturesque surroundings. But just as you veer off the national highway and pass through the impressive gates announcing Housing Board Colony, Shoghi, you realise all is not well with the campus set up just more than a decade ago. The colony is crumbling with little patience, as state-managed Himachal Pradesh Urban Development Authority (HIMUDA) is just not doing enough for its upkeep, you realise as heaps of garbage and debris rise up to meet you. Available information suggests the colony was set up in the cozy hamlet of Shoghi in early 2001 by HIMUDA for meeting the housing needs of so many people. Not only accessible, the colony was far from the madding crowd situated on a knoll overlooking hills rising one after another to meet the insurmountable skies from a deep vale just across the road. You could go to Shoghi, and back to nature, without running into traffic jams, a characteristic of Shimla. But over the years, the colony has lost most of its charm. The metalled road gives way to streets of cobbled stones, as your huffing and panting car wheezes its way up the hillock towards the rising blocks of flats. Look down the slopes, along the colony streets, and you find the greenery suffocating under the thick layers of rubbish. Carelessly tossed wrappers of potato chips, aluminum foils and empty soda bottles not only narrate the tales of not-so-quiet evenings enjoyed with drinks, but also of sheer disrespect for nature and inability of the authorities to prevent the littering. The Housing Board Society is now making attempts to clean up the mess, but the dirty picture’s end is nowhere in sight. It doesn’t take you much time to realise that the colony has been left to fend for itself otherwise also. The concrete road signs, spelling out the location of the blocks, too, seem to have crumbled under their own weight. Security, too, is an issue. The colony precincts have not been demarcated and in the absence of fencing, it is free for all. Water meters are stolen and open spaces on the campus have metamorphosed themselves into free public parking lots for “outsiders”. The residents have been writing to the authorities concerned and taking up issues with HIMUDA. “We had a number of face-to-face meetings with HIMUDA officials on routine maintenance of services during the recent months,” says a Housing Board Society’s governing body member. “HIMUDA officials have, undoubtedly, given us a patient hearing and have promised to do the needful. They have even translated their words into action by ensuring the upkeep of the street-lighting system”. He adds the residents are, in fact, completely at ease with the services offered by HIMUDA’s Electricity Department. “We are totally satisfied, particularly with the speed shown by the Executive Engineer in attending to our problems,” he asserts. But solutions are few, problems many! HIMUDA is expected to undertake the repair of one-fifth of the roads every year. General cleanliness of the colony, too, is a part of HIMUDA’s commitment. Periodic garbage disposal, repairs of stairs, painting of grills in front of the blocks and cottages and maintenance of sewerage, too, are on the list. But utopia is a distant dream. The member says the roads have not been repaired during the past two years, cleanliness operation is attempted by sole daily wager, and garbage disposal is just not on the priority list. Besides, repair and painting work has not been undertaken during the past one year. The issues were also taken up with the authorities by the residents of block one, two and three. “Since HIMUDA is a public body and receives maintenance charges from residents for the upkeep of the locality, one wonders as to why it has failed to discharge its duties,” they assert. For the residents, each day brings with it a new hope. They are waiting for HIMUDA to restore the colony’s lost glory.
	BUILDING CEMENT PLANT Court directs Jaypee to protect village environment Vijay Arora Shimla, October 16 The HP High court has directed Jaypee Associate to protect the environment and the ecology of Baga village, Solan district, where the company is establishing its cement plant. The court also directed it to carry out restoration work of a temple of Than Gram Devta Bhalag and Shiva temple within 12 weeks and also construct a bus stand at a suitable place, taking into consideration the convenience of the passengers. While passing this direction, the court also directed the villagers of the area that they would give access to the workers of the company, allow transportation of heavy machinery for channelisation of Bhalag Nullah and restoration of other works. A division bench comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Rajiv Sharma passed this order after perusing the report filed by the three-member expert committee constituted by the court for recommending short-term measures to be taken by the company to save the ecology of the area. In its report, the committee has recommended short-term measures. According to these measures, the company has to take corrective/remedial measures to address the issue of unscientific dumping of debris/muck. The court made it clear in its order that the company can carry out the channelisation of Bhalag Nullah and other short-term measures, but without causing any damage to the harvest and property of the villagers. The court has passed this order on a petition filed by the villagers of Baga, Mangal, Tehsil Arki, Solan district, alleging that the company was causing damage to their properties as well as to the environment and ecology of the area. The court has listed the matter for further hearing on December 27.
	Postal life insurance Dept earns Rs 3 cr in Pangi tribal valley Balkrishan Prashar Chamba, October 16 The Department of Posts (DoP) has set a record by earning more than Rs 3 crore under postal life insurance in the mountainous Pangi tribal valley of Chamba district within one week. Giving this information here, the Superintendent of Post Offices (SPO), Chamba Division, Ranjit Singh Rana, said the tribal inhabitants of the Pangi tribal valley in the age group of 18 to 55 had been covered under the postal life insurance policies. The postal superintendent stated that the drive had been launched to mark the national postal week from October 9 to 15 in the district, adding that the emphasis on the improvement of postal services in a better way. In order to provide postal facility to the tribal residents during the snowy weather when the valley is covered under snow, the DoP was going to start the transportation of ‘dak’ to the tribal valley via Batot-Kistwar-Sansari Nala of Jammu and Kashmir to the Killar tribal township of the valley from November 1. “Even the far-flung tribal villages like Kugti in the Bharmour tribal area is being provided with postal services by carrying ‘dak’ through a postman who has to trudge one side distance of about 15 km from Hadsar to Kugti, so by this way, the DoP is providing yeoman service to the residents in difficult tribal areas,” the postal Superintendent said. In order to boost the morale of the postal employees, the DoP had launched ‘dak sewa puruskar’ and a mail runner, Inder Kumar, had been honoured with this award last year, the Superintendent revealed. Giving details about the postal services in the district, the Superintendent said there were 222 post offices functioning in the length and breadth of the district and were providing ‘dak’ services to the people at their doorstep.
	Dalhousie school celebrates founder’s day Our Correspondent Dalhousie, October 16 It is imperative not to take facts at their face value in order to face challenges of life. This was stated by Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne while presiding over a function of the 42nd Founder’s Day celebrations of Dalhousie Public School, here recently. The Air Chief Marshal eulogised the endeavours of DPS Managing Director and principal Dr GS Dhillon and his management for infusing quality education imbued with ethos into the students. The celebration began with ‘Ganesh Vandana’. The Air Chief Marshal also gave away prizes to the winners.
	Practice of Animal Sacrifice HC seeks general public’s opinion Vijay Arora Legal Correspondent Shimla, October 16 The Himachal Pradesh High Court has sought opinion from the general public on the issue of practice of animal sacrifice for religious purposes in temples and other public places in the state. The court directed that a public notice be issued through the media informing the general public that a petition had been filed in the court, challenging the practice of animal sacrifice for religious purposes in temples and anybody who wanted to oppose or support the petition could appear in the court in support of or against the petition. The court further clarified that since a legal question was involved, the persons may not be impleaded as parties, but they could intervene into the matter and file documents to support their cases. While passing the aforesaid order, the court observed that religious bodies and temples and other individuals may have their own version to give with regard to the continuation or discontinuation of the practice of animal scarifies for religious purposes, which was prevalent in some parts of the state. It further observed that “we, therefore, feel that this is a fit case where public notice should be issued so that all concerned can be heard in the matter.” It further said that “we are of the opinion that before any orders are passed, an opportunity must be given to all the persons, who want to oppose or support the petition. The court directed the state to file its reply within four weeks and listed the matter for further hearing on December 14. The petitioner, Ramesh Sharma of Karsog, Mandi, prayed in the petition that directions be issued to the state government to take immediate and stern action against illegal animal slaughter and further direct the Deputy Commissioners of all the districts to ensure and monitor that a complete ban was implemented on animal sacrifice in temples and all other public places.
	Chamba shooters bag 4 medals in state-level meet Balkrishan Prashar Chamba, October 16 A team of five shooters of Chamba participated in the 18th Himachal Pradesh Shooting Championship held at Arki recently and won three gold and one silver medals. Aman Singh won a silver in the .177 air pistol sub-junior category, whereas KL Shah got a gold in the same event as a veteran shooter. Purvi Shah won a gold medal in the .177 peep sight rifle youth category, whereas Indu Shah also got a gold in the .22 peep sight rifle senior women category. The fifth shooter, Irfan Ali, a shooter of air pistol, missed a medal by a margin of a few points and was placed at the 4th position in the air pistol event junior category. The championship was organised by the HP State Rifle Association, Shimla, and hosted by Pt Gauri Shankar Memorial Polytechnic, Arki, in which over 200 shooters participated. It was for the first time that shooters from all districts, except Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, reached Arki to participate in the event. KL Shah, general secretary, District Rifle Club, Chamba, said six shooters of the club were practising in the 10-m indoor range at Karian to participate in the All-India GV Mavalankar Rifle Shooting Championship to be held in New Delhi.
	Motor rally leaves behind trail of pollution in state Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service Mandi/Kaza, October 16 The 14th edition of the Raid de Himalaya motor rally has left behind a polluting trail of dust and carbon footprints in the Kibbar and Chandertal wildlife sanctuaries and the cold desert biosphere of Lahaul-Spiti, notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), which has raised the ire of wildlifers and locals. Sources say the organisers have not taken permission from the Wildlife Department for the rally in Spiti, which falls under the cold desert biosphere reserve. It has raised the grouse of conservationists and tribals, who term the rally as a product of European mindset. Over 100 vehicles in the rally blazed their noisy polluting trail from Kaza through the 15,000-ft-high Kunjam Pass, near the Chandertal Wildlife Sanctuary, and sprayed the houses located along the Koksar-Sissu-Tandi-Keylong part of the Manali-Leh National Highway before the rally halted at Keylong. Locals complain that they virtually inhale dust and unburnt carbon aerosols left behind by the maddening motorcade of noisy vehicles. Dr JC Kuniyal, a senior scientist, GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Kullu, says aerosols and carbon residues remain suspended in the air near the ground for days due to the low temperatures prevailing in the cold desert. It has serious health repercussions for nearby residents as they are exposed to the pollutants for a longer time, he observes. Though the organisers of the rally, Himalayan motor sport, claim that they have permission for the rally route from the district administration, wildlife officials and gram panchayat pradhan say the organisers have not sought their permission, which is mandatory under the Wildlife Protection Act. Spiti Wildlife DFO Rajesh Sharma says the rally went up to Kibbar-Hikim and other routes in Spiti, but the organisers have not sought any permission from the department here. “We will take action as the dust, noise and pollution impact wildlife species in the cold desert and sanctuaries,” the officials say. “The Raid de Himalaya is a product of European mindset and dangerous for the peaceful and scenic Himalayas,” says Ajey, a renowned tribal poet. “It is strange that tourism establishments talk of promoting eco-tourism and reducing carbon footprints in the state, but its actions are just the opposite,” said Ajey. SS Guleria, Lahaul-Spiti DC, says the organisers have sought permission for the rally routes, use of the helipad and ambulance in the district. He said he was not aware whether the organisers had sought permission from the Wildlife Department.
	Rogi Kalyan Samitis under fire for poor utilisation of funds Our Correspondent Palampur, October 16 The functioning of Rogi Kalyan Samitis (RKS) constituted by the state government in various hospitals in the district has come under severe criticism as lakhs of rupees collected by these samitis from poor patients are not properly utilised and accounted for. The government had set up these Kalyan Smitis in the district and sub-divisional hospitals with an aim to generate funds to meet the day-to-day financial requirements of these health institutions. These samitis were authorised to collect funds from the patients who undergo any medical test, X-Ray, ultra sound scanning, surgery and other medical examinations in the hospitals. The patients had to pay between Rs 10 to Rs 300 to these samitis, and these funds were supposed to be incurred on the welfare of patients and for the betterment of the hospitals. The Subdivisional Magistrates were made supervisory officials for these samitis. It is most surprising that no proper rules and regulations were made by the government to keep a check on the functioning of these bodies. Even no provisions were made as to how funds collected would be utilised by officials. In many hospitals, nobody knew how what amount was received from poor patients and where it was spent. Information gathered also revealed that the funds collected by these Rogi Kalyna Samitis had amounted to crores in the past four years. It is a matter of serious concern that utilisation of these funds was not subject to any check. Therefore, officials were at liberty to misuse the funds. In various hospitals, funds amounting to Rs 30 to 40 lakh were received annually by the SMOs and these were shown spent for the welfare of hospitals in one year. However, the true picture is entirely different as many SMOs purchased luxury items, furniture and fridges from these funds in gross violation of the directions of the state government. In many hospitals, money collected in lakhs under the RKS is lying in the banks and has not been spent on the welfare of the patients. Though there was an acute shortage of bed sheets, blankets and other day to day use items in the hospitals but SMOs refused to purchase the same from RKS funds. In one of the hospitals SMO even refused to purchase finial for cleaning the toilets of the hospitals. Even for small items like life saving drugs poor patients were asked to buy the same from market and SMO bother to purchase these drugs from market.
	National Disaster Management Award for Dehra school Our Correspondent Kangra, October 16 Government Senior Secondary School, Dehra, Kangra, was given the ‘National Disaster Management Award - 2012’ by the National Disaster Management Authority of India at an award ceremony held at the India International Centre, New Delhi. It was organised by the National Disaster Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, on the occasion of Disaster Reduction Day recently. Poonam Rana, principal of the school, said the school received a memento, a citation besides a cash award of Rs 25,000. She said the school was the only government school from the state to bag the prestigious award. She said the selection procedure was based on the report sent by the school to the Central Government, which included safety measures at the time of natural calamities like earthquakes, floods and fire. The award ceremony was attended by T Nanda Kumar and Dr Muzaffar Ahmed, members, National Disaster Management Authority of India, while AK Mangotra, secretary (BM), Ministry of Home Affairs, was the chief guest. A book on ‘Safeguard of Environment for DRR’, a compilation of poetries and slogans written by school students on disaster management and environment conservation, was also released on the occasion by the chief guest.
	Navratra Celebrations Traffic chaos continues in Kangra town Ashok Raina Kangra, October 16 Despite claims of authorities, Kangra, a temple town and an educational hub, reeled under traffic chaos on the Dharamsala road ahead of the ensuing Navratras yesterday with no police person in sight. Local shopkeepers took charge to regulate the traffic. Pilgrims have started thronging the town. Besides pressure of heavy vehicular traffic, traffic chaos was witnessed on the Dharamsala road of the town near the Zamanabad road crossing. Rash and negligent driving by youths violating traffic norms were adding to the woes of residents here. Shopkeepers managed to regulate traffic within half an hour by putting in an exhaustive effort, but surprisingly even after the traffic was regulated no police person arrived. The number of vehicles is increasing with every passing day. Nearly 2,000 vehicles enter this town daily from different states of the country and Himachal, but during the Navratras the number goes up far higher. Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Chaib, Polytechnic College and MCM DAV College in Kangra besides colleges on the outskirts and government and privates schools within the town are adding to the traffic chaos. The congested Tehsil Chowk-Tanda road is witnessing frequent traffic jams as this road caters to the needs of patients and their attendants who visit the Tanda Medical College besides vehicles carrying pilgrims to Gupt Ganga. There is also a wholesale vegetable market here. Besides pilgrims, foreign visitors visit the famous Kanga Fort. Rehris and encroachments on the national highway, passing through the town, add to the traffic chaos. Visitors to banks on the Dharamsala road keep vehicles parked on the road. Triple riders without helmets is a common sight in the town and now women drivers, too, enjoy triple rides without fear from law-enforcing agencies. Rash and negligent driving by the youth has become the order of the day. Some senior members of an NGO try to persuade them to avoid rashness or face legal action.
	vignettes Narsimha avatar is favourite of women by Shriniwas Joshi I did not know the difference between kuladevata and ishtadevata. I had thought that one was synonym of the other. My study has, now, revealed that kuladevata is one who is worshipped from generation to generation within the kula (family or tribe) while ishtdevata can be different even for each member of the family and it is possible to astrologically define ishtdevata by studying the horoscopes of humans. Ishtdevata is personal and is invoked as a preferential god. Ishtdevata means the “chosen god” but it does not mean that you do not pray gods other than the ishtdevata; it is more about the primary object of one’s worship. A kuladevata can also be the ishtdevata of a Hindu. My kuladevata is Narsimha avatar, the fourth and the man-lion incarnation of Vishnu, so I often visit the temple of Narsimha at Solan, which, to my knowledge, is the nearest Narsimha temple to Shimla (see photo). It is an old temple built in 1932. Though the idol of Narsimha is not that spirited as the incarnation itself appeared to be and the garbh-griha required more purity, yet it is sense of my devotion or emotion that takes me there. As opposed to it, the Narsimha of BharmourChaurasi is surging with energy (see photo). There is dynamism in the idol; every muscle of Narsimha has verve and vim. On my recent visit there, I remained standing in awe in front of the deity for minutes. There is some élan about it. Writes VC Ohri in “Hill Bronzes from the Chamba Area”, “The figure departs from the usual representation of Narsimha in the fearsome act of disemboweling the demon Hiranyakashipu with his bare claws — the piercing of ignorance by knowledge — and concentrates instead on his immense potential of energy. This Vaishnava image seems to belong to the late eighth century and appears to be the work of an artist of Kashmir origin. Narsimha is represented as a powerful human figure with a heavy strongly modelled lion’s head gazing ahead with open eyes and a half-open mouth. The two folded hands under the chin are unsupported but are meant to be seen as resting upon the tip of the club or gada, an attribute of Vishnu. The other two hands with sharp claw-like finger nails are held up. The parted knees and legs are tense as if ready to leap (unfortunately covered by an orange-coloured dhoti).” There is a temple of Narsimha at Fatehpur in Kangra district. The district gazetteer of Kangra district 1924-25 reads: “About two-thirds of women and some men in Kangra district are the believers of Narsimha. It is believed that he gives sons and assists in all difficulties.” Son-fixation was high in those days, although not much less today, that is why Narsimha was the favourite god of women. The gazetteer gives the procedure of worshipping Narsimha at home if it is not possible to visit a temple. The gist is: On first Sunday of each Hindu month, place a coconut on a washed clean brass thali. Put tilak on the coconut over which washed-wet rice, called akshat, as much as stay on the thumb and the next two fingers of the right hand, are placed. Adorn the coconut with flowers and light the incense. All worshippers wear amulet, called bahuta, containing a picture of Narsimha. Bahuta made of silver is also worshipped before it is worn. Start worshipping coconut as if it were Narsimha. Offer some sweetmeats to the deity and distribute the rest among the children and the members of the household. The gazetteer states: “A ring generally made of silver with a projection towards the nail is worn on the little finger in His honour and this too is worshipped. A special costume made for the purpose only is worn during this worship.” The bhajan that is sung during the puja is: “Oh my Narsimha! Oh great Niranjan! Thou that has captivated me and the whole world! Oh my Narsimha! Tailpiece “Barren women are usually advised by the chelas to worship Narsimha for offspring. He is believed to cohabit with the women in their dreams in the form of a Brahmin clothed in white and aged between 12 and 20 years.” — District Gazetteer, Kangra
	Himachal diary An evening in memory of Mehdi Hasan A well-known ghazal singer, Dhananjay Kaul, revived the memories of maestro Mehdi Hasan at Sham-e-tarannum organised by the Shimla-based Munir Cultural Forum at the Gaiety Theatre early this week (see photo). Starting with Hasan’s personal favourite “Ranjish hi sahi” Kaul rendered some of his popular ghazals. These included “Rafta rafta wo meri”, “Ye dhuan sa kahan se uthta hai” and many more. However, it was “Zindagi mein to sabhi pyar kiya karte hain” which drew maximum applause. In between, he also rendered a Kashmiri song. Hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, Dhanajay has shifted to Delhi to pursue his singing career. His voice and style completely resembles the great maestro. It was for this reason that Parvesh Jassal, the convener of the Munir Cultural Forum chose him for the programme organised to pay tribute to Hassan who died early this year. Earlier, the forum had organised similar events in honour of famous ghazal singer Jagjit Singh and lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri. It has also been organising plays to promote theatre. Awards for green workers In an effort to encourage and recognise the contribution of the uninitiated people in preserving wildlife and environment, the Narain Dharamarth Aushdhalaya Trust has decided to give awards to five local workers at the grassroots in the state. The Narain Dutt Award for the Conservation of Nature will go to Dilbagh Singh, a boatman from Nagrota Suriyan in Pong dam, whose knowledge of migratory birds goes beyond his call of duty, along with Mukesh Dhiman, who runs a shop in Nagrota Suriyan. A former Union Secretary and at present consultant to the United Nations, Vijay Bhushan, who is also the executive director of the trust, said the knowledge of these two persons about birds would excite many an ornithologist. A former Range Officer of Nagrota Suriyan, Devinder Singh Dadhwal, whose obsession with bird watching led him to write a book illustrated with photographs taken by him, has also been chosen for the award. A forest guard, Virender Sharma, who is doing exemplary work at the Sarahan Pheasantry in the project for captive breeding of endangered western tragopan, is also in the list of awardees. A local non-government organisation from the little village of Shakti which is doing commendable work in preventing illegal extraction of valuable herbs from the Great Himalayan National Park has also been selected for the award. Vijay Bhushan was in Shimla to make a presentation on the Great Himalayan National Park (GHMP) before the visiting team of technical experts from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature led by expert Dr Graeme Worboys. The team was in the state in connection with the proposal to designate the GHNP as a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. The Delhi-based trust was founded by Vijay Bhushan’s great grandfather, Narain Dutt, in 1950 and it had been engaged in welfare activities and had provided an Ayurvedic dispensary to the Delhi Administration, donated ambulances to the Red Cross in states like Himachal, Uttarakhand, Delhi and the Union Territory of Chandigarh and supported many ventures for uplift of the disadvantaged women and children. The founder of the trust, Narain Dutt, was a respected social worker as well as freedom fighter of Delhi and famous as “The Grand Old Man of Delhi.” Nomination papers jinx Though notification for the Assembly elections in the state was issued on October 10 and nominations were to be filed between October 10 and 17, most of the candidates did not file their nomination papers till October 15. This period being pitrapaksh (shradh days), most of the candidates were not keen to file their nomination considering this period as “inauspicious” for undertaking any propitious work and waited for Navratris beginning from the afternoon of October 15. During the shradh days, filing of nomination papers was so slow that only a few odd candidates filed their nominations throughout the state. Pundits said two “auspicious” days were available on October 16 and 17; a large number of candidates filed their nomination papers on these two days. There are many who were not convinced by such arguments and asked that hundreds of candidates filed their nomination papers during the Navratris but only 68 candidates would be lucky to be elected as MLAs. Though many of them waited for the “auspicious” days but who would they blame for their defeat despite filing nomination papers in Navratris? Amway surges ahead Sudeep Sengupta, Head, Corporate Communications, Amway India, said it had an office in Shimla equipped with a warehouse to support 47 towns in the state through its home-delivery network. Taxes paid by Amway to the state exchequer annually exceeded Rs 1.25 crore. Amway had tripled the production capacity at its leading vendor facility at Baddi in Himachal Pradesh recently by commissioning four new production lines at an investment of Rs 55 crore. It had the largest manufacturing plant in India at Baddi which was producing 80 per cent of the products sold by the company in the Indian market. The first phase at Baddi saw an investment of Rs 50 crore and another Rs 55 crore in the second phase taking the total investment to Rs 105 crore in Baddi itself. As far as the country was concerned, the company registered a turnover of Rs 2,130 crore last year, a growth of 19 per cent over the previous year. (Contributed by Rakesh Lohumi, DP Gupta)
	Rs 13-cr sewerage project incomplete after 9 years Ashok Raina Kangra, October 16 Kangra continues to remain deprived of the basic amenity of a sewerage system. Though the foundation stone of a Rs 9.27-crore sewerage scheme was laid by the then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on January 17, 2004, the scheme is yet to be completed. Parikshit Raj Agnihotri, member, Indian Road Congress, and former executive engineer, PWD, said the facility had not been provided to the residents till date due to the “callousness” of the succeeding governments. He said initially, there was a delay in searching for sites for three treatment plants and later paucity of funds led to the delay in the completion of the project. He said the delay in the scheme was proving a burden on the government exchequer due to the escalation in the prices of the material with the passage of time. Vijay Sharma, sub-divisional officer, Kangra Sewerage Scheme, said the estimated cost of the sewerage scheme had gone up from Rs 9.27 crore to Rs 13 crore with time. He added that the scheme would be completed by the end of the next year as the work of the treatment plant on the bypass road costing Rs 90 lakh was 90 per cent complete whereas work on another treatment plant near the PWD Rest House of the same cost was 75 per cent complete. He said pipe-laying works were awarded in Zone I (Bus Stand area) and Zone II (Gupt Ganga area) recently. He added that in the beginning, the scheme received a setback because of budgetary problems, but now the funds were floating in through the Urban Development Department. So far, Rs 7 crore were spent on the project and Rs 6 crore more were required for its completion. During 2009, Rs 3 crore and during 2010-2011, only Rs 1.27 crore were sanctioned for the project, Vijay Dadwalia, executive engineer, IPH, said. He said during the current financial year, Rs 1.3 crore was sanctioned for the project.
	Conference on pharma sciences Ambika Sharma Solan, October 16 A two-day national conference on “Emerging Trends in Pharmaceutical Sciences” in collaboration with the Department of Biotechnology was inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof SP Bhardwaj, at Manav Bharti University, Solan. Prof PS Thakur, dean and faculty of life science, welcomed the chief guest and the participants. Prof Bhardwaj in his inaugural speech emphasised that with the change in food habits and the current lifestyle, a dramatic surge in the incidence of new age diseases had been observed across the globe. Drug discovery and clinical trials were of greater significance in the light of the escalating changes and challenges. The objective of this conference was to strengthen current national collaboration of leading pharmaceutical scientists and researchers, and to establish contacts among the scientists around the country in the field of drug discovery and development. Dr DD Gupta, Professor, IGMS, Shimla, was the guest of honour. He emphasised the need for strengthening the patient-doctor and drug relationship. A “Souvenir-cum- Abstract” incorporating articles contributed by eminent scholars in the field of pharmacy and biotechnology was also released on this occasion. As many as 234 delegates from the state of Meghalaya, Manipur, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Karnatka, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh had participated in the conference. The distinguished scientists who attended the conference were Prof OP Arora, Dean, Prof GD Gupta, Director, ASBASJSM College of Pharmacy, Bela, Punjab, Prof AC Rana, Director, Rayat Institute of Pharmacy, Punjab, and Dr Bharat Prashar, Head, Department of Pharmacy, proposed the vote of thanks.
	Himachal polling stations now traceable on Google maps Shimla, October 16 In a first, the Election Commission (EC) had sought to help voters in poll-bound state to find the nearest polling stations on Internet, an official said recently. “Instead of locating the polling station here and there, just visit the commission's website and type your address or place you are interested to visit. Google Maps will automatically provide a list of nearby polling stations,” additional state electoral officer PL Negi said. He said information about the direction of that particular polling station would also be provided. As many as 45.9 lakh voters will cast their ballots on November 4 at 7,253 polling stations across the state. Polling information like election officials, number of voters and electoral rolls would also available online, he added. Election officials said the hill state is to become the country's first state to have this voter-friendly online facility. Earlier, the polling information was available only on manual maps. “We had to rely on manual maps to identify the route of a particular polling station but now the information is available online. It's for everyone to use,” officer on special duty (elections) Neeraj Sharma said. He said by next week, information about all polling booths would be available online. There are many hamlets across Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts where voters have to trek more than 10 km to reach a polling station. Both districts, populated mainly by tribals, remain cut off from the rest of the state for more than six months in the year owing to heavy snowfall. India’s highest altitude polling station is located at Hikkam in Lahaul and Spiti district. It's situated at an altitude of over 15,000 feet. — IANS
	NH-20 damaged due to heavy rains Rajiv Mahajan Nurpur, October 16 The recent monsoon rains have played havoc with the NH-20 from Kandwal to Nurpur. This stretch is full of potholes. Heavy rains have virtually turned the bus stoppage at Jassur near here into a rivulet. The absence of roadside drainage system here has created problems for the road traffic for the past over one month. The efforts made by the NH authorities to construct roadside drains for the rain water on the highway have remained unsuccessful due to the non-cooperation and opposition of the locals. The NH users and tourists visiting the Kangra valley have demanded the repair of the NH, as it becomes an accident-prone route at night.