Shimla, February 14
New National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) guidelines making forest clearance and acquisition of minimum quantum of land mandatory before inviting bids is delaying road projects to be executed in the public-private partnership mode.

As per the guidelines, a project will be cleared for tendering only after the authorities concerned complete the process of acquisition under Section 3(A) of the National Highways Act and acquire at least 60 per cent of the land under Section 3(D) of the Act.

Prior clearance for diversion of forest land will also have to be obtained from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. Even after inviting tenders and the awarding of the contract, the site will not be handed over until 80 per cent of the land has been acquired and environment clearance obtained.

Environment clearance is granted after the case for forest clearance is submitted to the Union ministry. The authorities will not be able to start the tendering process on the basis of in-principle approval for forest clearance which enables them to pursue the process of acquisition side by side.

The public-private partnership committee, which clears projects for inviting bids, rejected the case of the Rs 2,600-crore Parwanoo-Shimla four-laning project last month as conditions regarding land acquisition and forest clearance as per the new guidelines had not been met.

The case for forest clearance has not been sent to the Union ministry so far and only 46 hectare of the 221 hectare required for the project have been acquired.

NHAI Project Director Satish Kaul said the case for diversion of forest land for the Parwanoo-Solan stretch would be sent shortly, but it would take a long time for the Solan-Shimla stretch which was included in the project later.

The process for land acquisition for the portion is underway and the proposal for inviting bids will be submitted afresh after obtaining forest clearance and more land acquisition.

Work could not be started on the Rs 1,818-crore Kiratpur-Ner Chowk four-laning project as 80 per cent of the land could not be acquired and environment clearance was also pending. The contract was awarded more than a year ago.

In the past, work used to be started after getting approval in principle and the process of land acquisition was pursued after the awarding of the contract.

The NHAI authorities issued the new guidelines to prevent delay after the awarding of the contract which lead to financial implications and litigation later. Protracted land acquisition and environment clearance have been the main reasons for the delay.

Before Tender At least 60 per cent of the land should be acquired Clearance for forest land diversion must be obtained

Shimla, February 14
Finding it to be the most effective and cheapest mode of communication with residents, the Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC) is planning to start a community radio to be able to reach out to the people, whose number swells up to five lakh during the tourist season.

The proposal for the launch is being conceptualised with the help of a consultant. Funds to the tune of Rs 30 lakh required for the facility will be sought from the Union Ministry of Urban Development under the information and education campaign. Once modalities are worked out, the matter will be placed before councillors in the House.

The local MC, which is one of the oldest municipalities in the country, is starved of funds. Though the launch will not bring about any direct revenue, this aspect can be explored at a later stage provided the law permits it. “We treat residents as one big community and the radio will bind the people in many ways,” said Tikender Panwar, Deputy Mayor.

“We have sought the help of a consultant to prepare the plan and will send it for approval to the Union ministry after seeking the nod of the House,” he said. He added that the radio would help the MC disseminate information regarding water, electricity, road repairs, traffic diversion, parking, weather forecast and snow alerts easily among the people.

MC Commissioner Amarjeet Singh confirmed that the idea of launching a community radio was being explored. It will help disseminate information about campaigns and schemes of the MC which otherwise do not reach the people easily or on time. The population of Shimla is about 2.3 lakh, but touches the 5 lakh mark during the peak tourist season, especially in summer.

The community radio will be run for two hours initially and the time period can be increased later. “We can easily give slots to non-government organisations, Himachal Pradesh University and journalism institutes for programmes and interactive discussions,” said Panwar. Community radio can facilitate two-way communication as people can register complaints, air grievances and give suggestions for improving services through the channel.

Shimla, February 14
The Himachal Pradesh Government will jointly work with the Centre to raise an additional storage capacity of foodgrains up to 42,000 MT in the state.

The decision was taken at a meeting between KV Thomas, Union Food Minister, and GS Bali, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister, at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, today. It was decided in principle that supply of rice would be raised under the public distribution system (PDS) in comparison to wheat.

Bali said Rs 19.5 crore would be spent on computerisation of the PDS in the state. The meeting was attended by Prem Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, and BC Badalia, Director, Food Supplies, Himachal Pradesh, and senior officials.

Bali also met Union Transport Minister CP Joshi in Delhi today. He submitted a proposal to the minister with regard to proper road connectivity in the state. “The existing 91-km-long single-lane national highway from Mallan-Nagrota Bagwan to Mubarakpur will be put under trench-II scheme to convert it into a double lane,” he said.

Dharamsala, February 14
The state government has decided to change the proposal of constructing the Holi-Uttrala tunnel, the survey for which was conducted during the previous BJP government. The new government has now decided to connect Chamunda with the Holi region through a tunnel.

While talking to The Tribune, Minister for Housing and Urban Development Sudhir Sharma said the Chamunda-Holi tunnel would be 5-km-long and would connect Kangra valley with Bharmour valley of Chamba district. It could act as a booster for tourism in Kangra as well as the Bharmour valley, he said.

Sudhir Sharma got the proposal for constructing the Chamunda-Holi tunnel from the state Cabinet as Chamunda falls in his new Assembly segment, Dharamsala.

However, inquiries by The Tribune revealed that the idea to construct the said tunnel was just a proposal. Sources in the PWD said it would be a massive task to construct the proposed tunnel.

During the stint of the previous government, an Austrian company had conducted a satellite survey for constructing the Holi-Uttrala tunnel. In the survey, it was found that the tunnel would be about 6 km in length and open up in the highly rugged terrain of mountains near Holi in the Bharmour valley of Chamba.

The sources said besides the tunnel, a 12-km road was also to be constructed from Holi to the area where the tunnel was to open up. The terrain in which the road was to be constructed was very difficult and comprised sliding mountains. A satellite survey was conducted for the tunnel and till date, even the detailed report for the project was not prepared.

Now that the state government had proposed to construct a tunnel from Chamunda to Holi, a new survey would have to be conducted for the new proposed project. The sources said the survey for the project would be a massive task. Though the satellite survey can give a rough estimate of the terrain, a field survey was a must for giving a final shape to the project.

Besides, massive investment would be required to construct the tunnel. An approximate amount of Rs 1,000 crore or more would be required for constructing the tunnel. The state with meagre resources would have to seek the help of the Union Government in constructing the tunnel.

Since hardly any defence purpose is going to be served with the construction of the tunnel, it is unlikely that the Union Government would pump in such a huge amount for the project. Attracting private investment for the project would be a difficult task as very few people would use the route regularly.

Those from the Bharmour and Pangi valley are likely to benefit the most from the project. There is a population of just about 50,000 people living in the entire Bharmour and Pangi valley. A majority of them have already migrated to lower areas and stay in higher reaches only during summers.

To keep the tunnel open during winters was another factor that would have to be taken into consideration, the sources added.

Kangra, February 14
Nearly 1,000 women from the Kangra and Rait blocks of the district took out a protest march through the main streets of the town as part of the One Billion Rising campaign today.

Protesting against atrocities on women and demanding protection, they thronged the police station and the SDM office here.

The One Billion Rising Campaign is the call given by the UNO in which 22 countries are participating.

The protesters gathered at Jogipur village panchayat house. Local MLA Pawan Kajal flagged off the march. The programme was organised by the Chinmay Organisation of Rural development (CORD), Sidhbari.

The march passed through the Dharamsala road, Old Bus Stand and culminated at Tehsil Chowk.

Later, they submitted a memorandum to Kangra SDM Ajit Bhardwaj.

Khema Matre, national director, CORD, said similar programmes were held at Panchrukhi, Indora, Nagrota Bagwan, Garli, Nagrota Surian, Dharamsala and Kangra in which thousands of women participated. She said signature campaigns and declamation contests were also held.

Meanwhile, the Social Work Society of the Department of Social Work of Central University Himachal Pradesh (CUHP), also organised the One Billion Rising Campaign in collaboration with Jagori Grameen, an NGO, in Chattri, Shahpur.

Vice-Chancellor of the university Furqan Qamar flagged off the rally. The rally started from the CUHP and culminated at Shahpur. Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the university Yoginder Singh Verma, Dean, Students Welfare, Prof HR Sharma, faculty members, non-teaching staff and students participated in the rally.

Chamba: A women’s organisation, under the banner of Sau Krore Umadtay Log Abhiyan, held a rally in protest against violence against women at Chamba.

Addressing the rally, orators spoke fiercely against the day-to-day crime against women and sought the implementation of harsh laws for the safety of women in the country. Prominent among the orators was Anita Thakur, president, Municipal Council, Chamba.

Hamirpur, February 14
The joining of the new chairman of the Ex-Servicemen Corporation has reportedly been put on hold after generating heat over the appointment of Col (retd) UC Katoch as the new chairman of the corporation.

The state government had announced the name of Colonel Katoch as the new chairman of the corporation a few days ago.

Colonel Katoch, who originally hails from Paprola in Kangra district, has not joined till now as the government notification has not been made.

Some of them had even rushed to New Delhi to express their resentment with All-India Congress Committee (AICC) leaders after the appointment of Colonel Katoch.

The chairman of the Ex-servicemen Department of the state Congress, Col (retd) BC Lagwal, who has been aspiring for the post, was the most ‘disappointed’ after the appointment and had been ‘convincing’ Congress leaders about his claim to the post.

Colonel Lagwal had been camping in New Delhi for the last few days and meeting AICC leaders.

Since Lagwal belongs to Hamirpur, he is arguing that the maximum ex-servicemen are in Hamirpur district and the post should be given to an ex-serviceman from the district.

There were reports that a few Congress leaders had been questioning the loyalty of Colonel Katoch towards the Congress and had apprised them about this after which the notification regarding the appointment had been put on hold.

Manali, February 14
Heli-skiing has failed to rope in a significant number of foreign skiers in the last 10 years. Heli-skiing is also reeling under the slowdown in the global banking and finance sectors, say operators here.

Last year, operators flew 101 skiers from across the world in nine-week snow season. This time, they will fly 93 skiers to the 46 ski runs using 90 helipads.

Heli-skiing remains out of the reach of Indian skiers. “The company charges 6,850 euros per skier per week. It includes transport, accommodation and meals,” says a manager with Himalayan Heli-Adventures Private Limited (HHAPL).

Residents of the Palchan-Kothi area say helicopters create too much noise and disturb the wildlife that comes to lower areas during winter.

Kullu District Forest Officer Anil Sharma says the Centre has given permission to heli-skiing on only three-and-a-half hectare in Mathiban beyond Kothi. “We cannot monitor it as the area is covered with snow,” he adds.

Manali Hoteliers Association president AR Thakur says some local boys who are shareholders in the company are employed as guides. “Skiers carry images of the area and market Manali as a tourist destination abroad,” he adds.

HHAPL Director Manjiv Bhalla says they have got government permission for operating heli-skiing and using 90 helipads and 46 ski runs for which we have paid a conversion fee of Rs 9 lakh per hectare.

“We have also paid a penalty of Rs 50 lakh to the government and royalty of Rs 16 lakh last year. We renew permission each year and take care of safety factors as per world standards,” he adds.

He says there is a slowdown in the high-end market of 5,000 heli-skiers, but even then they are getting a good response compared to other destinations in the world, he adds.

Tourism Commissioner Subhashish Panda says the royalty is $350 per skier per week. “We inspect them from time to time,” he adds.

Solan, February 14
In a bid to rid the industrial hub of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) of jhuggis, Dr PC Kapoor, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), said today that private land owners would be directed to provide fabricated dwelling houses with all the basic amenities to jhuggi dwellers.

Since a large number of jhuggis had been erected on private land, its owners would be directed to either get these removed or else provide low-cost fabricated structures in a phased manner along with the basic facilities like water, power and sanitation.

Dr Kapoor convened a meeting of officials at Baddi today where he reviewed the progress of his directions given in November last year during his earlier visit to the area.

Various officials, including CEO of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority (BBNDA) Meera Mohanty, Deputy CEO Rajesh Maria, those from departments, including Excise and Taxation, Industry, Revenue, IPH, PWD, state Pollution Control Board, etc, were also present at the meeting, apart from representatives of industry associations.

Officials said 56 jhuggis, which had been erected on the government land, had been vacated in the Nalagarh area, while in the Baddi area, more than 3,500 jhuggis had been removed and 189 were in the process of being removed.

The ACS also directed the BBNDA to identify government land where green parks could be developed and said a beginning could be made by the state Pollution Control Board. Investors, too, were asked to volunteer for such endeavours and ensure maintenance of green patches in their vicinity.

Lacking planned development due to unplanned haphazard industrial growth, a discussion on implementing the master plan chalked out in 2007 was also held, where Kapoor directed BBNDA officials to insert need-based changes and present a plan for approval. An expenditure of Rs 54 lakh had been incurred on the plan, which had remained unimplemented by the successive governments.

The BBNDA officials were directed to hold regular meetings and address issues relating to greening and cleaning of the BBN belt. Kapoor said he would review the works after every three months to ensure compliance of his directions. 

Chamba, February 14
Some portions of the Chamba-Satrundi, Langera and Hadsar highways are still covered with snow, thereby making several habitations inaccessible due to the disruption of transportation services, as a result of the recent rains and heavy snowfall in Chamba district.

Life in the highlands of the district has been gradually returning to normal as the priority was given to removal of snow and debris of landslips from the main highways and the link roads connecting the far-flung areas.

An official spokesperson said yesterday that the workforce of the Public Works Department and other concerned agencies had been pressed into service to remove the snow and mud from the highways as early as possible so that the vehicular traffic could be plied to and fro.

“Though there are reports of disruption in the electricity supply, irrigation and water supply due to snow and rain, yet the work to resume the supply is going on at war footing”, the spokesperson stated, adding that the entire government machinery was busy in the restoration work of lifelines and other public services in the district.

Essential foodstuffs and other commodities were being made available to the public in the difficult terrains of the district, to avoid any problem arising out of bad weather conditions, the spokesperson added.

Nurpur, February 14
Following information given by ward member of the Sthana gram panchayat under Fatehpur police station, the local police recovered a human head in a decomposed condition at Shah Nehar barrage last evening.

DSP, Jawali, Sanjay Sharma, who rushed to the spot, said the human head (male) was sent to the Tanda Medical College, Kangra, on Thursday for forensic examination.

Bilaspur, February 14
The police has arrested two warders of Government Open-Air Jail at Raghunathpura (Jabbali), near here, for creating a nuisance in a drunken state and also destroying public property and threatening other colleagues on duty earlier night and during the day.

Superintendent of Police Anupam Sharma said two warders Vijay Kumar Dhiman and Sachin Kumar were reported abusing and quarrelling persistently with other warders after breaking windowpanes of some warders’ quarters and threatening them. They even created a ruckus even inside the jail when one of them came on duty and summoned the other and both threatened other warders on duty.

When even the intervention of Jail Superintendent Bhanu Prakash Sharma had no salutary effect on them and they continued their rowdy behaviour, he summoned the police that took them into custody and got them medially examined at the Regional Hospital here after registering a case. 

Mandi, February 14
The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mandi, today sentenced Mangat Ram of Malwana (Balh) for molesting a minor last year to simple imprisonment of one year and imposed a fine of Rs 500.

After examining seven prosecution witnesses, the judge found the accused guilty of committing the crime.

The police had filed the challan after family members accused Mangat of outraging the modesty of their school-going minor girl at her native village. The case for prosecution was pleaded by Ajay Thakur.

Shimla, February 14
Power Minister Sujan Singh Pathania and Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma today said people had voted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) out of power due to its politics of vendetta.

In a press note issued here today, the two ministers ridiculed the statement of former minister Ravinder Singh Ravi, accusing the current regime of failing on all fronts and indulging in the politics of transfer. They said the statement reflected the BJP leader’s frustration.

“Ravi has been a minister and should be aware that every government undertakes such changes in the administrative set-up after coming to power, which is a routine administrative process,” they remarked.

They said the previous BJP regime had indulged in mass transfers for its biased political considerations, as a result of which people had voted it out of power.

They said Virbhadra Singh, who became the Chief Minister for a record sixth time, was a visionary and an experienced leader and the state would benefit under his leadership.

On the renaming of schemes, they said the BJP regime had renamed Centrally sponsored Rajiv Awas Yojna as Atal Awas Yojna after coming to power.

They addeged that PK Dhumal had taken such decisions to fulfil his ulterior political motive and wrongly claim credit for Centrally sponsored schemes.

They said Ravi was levelling baseless allegations out of frustration. They advised him to rise beyond area-specific politics, restrain from making false statements and stop misguiding the people.

Shimla, February 14
Bahra University, Waknaghat, has entered into an agreement with Qualification and Assessments International (QAI), a private awarding body of the UK, to run certification courses for skill improvement of its passouts.

SK Bansal, Vice-Chancellor of the university, said here today that the university was also introducing English language examinations and qualifications under an agreement with the University of Cambridge. The students would not be charged any fee for the certification courses which were being introduced to improve employability.

He said a large number of educational institutions were also coming up, but the quality and skills of the passouts was a matter of concern and it was for this reason that the university had decided to join hands with global agencies.

Professional students mostly lacked requisite communication skills even to send e-mails as per international standards. With employability skills and Cambridge English language exams, the students would be ready for global employability, he said.

Bansal said in due course, the university planned to introduce these certification courses for outsiders, but on payment basis. The courses involved different modules in English language and skill improvement. The students would be taught by trainers certified by the QAI and Cambridge University.

John Kerr, CEO of QAI, UK, said the courses would help prepare the students with skills and certifications necessary for global employability. 

Mandi, February 14
The stage has been set for Dev Sadan for lodging and boarding hundreds of devis and devtas, who will come to participate in a week-long international Mahashivratri fair at this temple town. The district administration has identified 4.5 bighas of land for the purpose.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh is likely to lay the foundation stone of the Dev Sadan if the Forest Department gives its clearance for the land. Besides, Shivratri cultural nights will be staged at Paddal Maidan this time.

While presiding over a meeting of officials convened to oversee the arrangement for the Shivratri fair here today, Health and Revenue Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said, “The land has been identified and the case has been sent for clearance to the Forest Department. We hope to get the clearance soon”.

He directed officials, including Mandi DC Devesh Kumar and SP RS Thakur, to invite old and new devtas and make proper arrangement for organising the Shivratri fair and cultural nights.

He asked the officials to take tough measures against plot and stall owners who sublet stalls. They should be issued identity cards to check the racket of subletting, he said. Thakur said the fair should be promoted to attract tourists as well.

He said the district administration should take care of law and order and health and hygiene during the fair. “We have invited over 200 devis and devtas for the cultural events,” the Mandi DC said.