Palampur, July 2
The hydel power projects in Dhauladhar hills of Kangra valley are under fire from various environmental groups of the state.

The groups have charged the construction companies with blatant violations of state environment and forest laws. The power projects are coming up on four major rivers, Neugal, Binwa, Baner and Gajj of Kangra valley.

Environmental groups have alleged that the power companies have played havoc with nature and disturbed the eco-fragile system of Dhauladhar ranges by large-scale cutting of hills, blasting of rocks, execution of tunnels and dumping of muck and debris in local rivers.

Most parts of Dhauladhar hills between Baijnath and Dharmsala have become prone to large-scale land erosion and landslides because of reckless and unscientific cuttings.

A social organisation, "Peoples Voice", has blamed the private power companies and the state government for the adverse effects of the rain resulting in heavy landslides, flash floods and cloud bursts.

The members of the organisation, Subhash Sharma, Kulbhushan Ralhan and Dalip Sharma said various environmentalists, local residents and panchayats had been raising hue and cry against the power companies since 2005. Hundreds of residents had staged dharna processions and also approached the local MLAs and ministers but government agencies including Deputy Commissioner, SDMs and forest officials failed to initiate action and allowed the power companies to indulge in large scale cutting of hills, deforestation and blasting of rocks by using heavy explosives.

They said after visiting different spots it was seen that power companies had virtually played havoc with the nature in Dhauladhar hills from Baijnath to Dharmshala, destroyed dozens of natural water sources, damaged hundreds of drinking water supply schemes and irrigation channels.

The members of the organisation said if timely action was not taken to save the ecology of Dhauladhar hills, the tragedy like Uttarakhand can also be repeated here. The organisation also demanded that in future no power projects should be allowed to come up in Dhauladhar hills.

Shimla, July 2
After almost five years of indifferent performance, the World Bank has for the first time appreciated the implementation of the State Road Project and recommended to upgrade its rating.

The tardy implementation of the Rs 1,365 crore project (revised to Rs 1,853 crore), under which 10 major state roads were to be widened and upgraded, all these years had thoroughly disappointed the World Bank and it downgraded its rating to "moderately unsatisfactory" last year. However, World Bank mission, which visited the state in May for appraisal, has been pleased with the progress made in recent months.

"I am happy to note that critical steps have been taken to ensure the completion of project activities within the Loan Closing Date and there has been a steady progress and improved quality in most of the civil works and enhanced project management," states the Country Director of the bank in a letter to the Chief Secretary while mentioning that he was endorsing the recommendation of the mission to upgrade the rating of the project's implementation performance to "moderately satisfactory".

In its report, the mission was pleased to note that three of the 10 packages have been completed and four other packages will be substantially complete over the next three to nine months. The planned periodic maintenance works have largely been completed and a few remaining have been progressing well.

The report has also appreciated the initiative taken in addressing the issue of road safety, particularly the black spots in critical corridors, and also for introducing the system of Performance-Based Maintenance Contract for the first time.

It also lauded the performance with regard to compliance of safeguard requirements and observed that the project was moving beyond compliance to value proposition to sustainable road construction and maintenance.

The mission has underlined the need to tidy up construction debris, clearance of waterways and rehabilitation of dumping and quarrying sites as the contracts were coming to a close.

There is a small pretty private garden at Mashobra owned by Saroj Malhotra. This year, the garden achieved the distinction of winning the first prize for the 15th year in a row in ‘garden competition’ organised by SAGES (Shimla Amateur Garden and Environment Society). It pulled me to visit the place and drink with eyes the beauty of flowers. I took a ride with RL Jain, a flower-lover, and reached there to find that Saroj was a poet too. Thus she spoke to the flowers: “O ye messengers of purity untouched by jealousies or greed/Your loveliness permeates the whole universe/Adding bright sunshine on the shadows of life”. I read some of her poems, both in English and Hindi, and found that she was a poet of melancholy. I was reminded of the lines by Percy Bysshe Shelley: “A poet is a nightingale who sits in the darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds.” When I reached her bungalow, in Garden Resort, she was engaged with flowers (See Photo). But then she turned out to be an excellent host, warm and humble, reflecting poise and grace. She admitted that the sounds of melancholy started creeping in her after 2003, the year of the death of her husband, Sudershan Malhotra, an IAAS officer. He was basically a botanist and his interest in flowers motivated her to live amidst blossoms. They had built a small cottage at Mashobra in 1991; the purchase of the piece of land was, however, regularised in 1995.

The entire area around Garden Resort, during the Raj, belonged to Hotzs, a Swiss couple that had arrived in Shimla in 1887. The couple had started living in Bandochy, a building adjacent to Saroj’s garden. The lady, FE Hotz, was more enterprising than her husband and ended up as mother of 10 children and owner of six hotels - two in Agra, one each in Delhi and Kasauli, The Gables at Mashobra and Wildflower Hall at Chharabra. Hotzs sold the land to one gentleman Krei, manager in Oberoi’s hotel here, from whom the property went to Leela Jain, running a juice-plant at Mashobra. Malhotras had purchased about a 1,000 square yards of land from her. They developed a garden and raised a cottage with mixed traces of Tudor and Swiss chalet styles of architecture (See Photo). It fits perfectly in the hilly ambience.

Saroj’s father, SD Verma, was an IAS officer in Punjab cadre and, during his babudom, the offices of the government used to function from Shimla and Lahore during summers and winters respectively. So, Saroj was acquainted with Shimla from her childhood, and living at Benmore, had studied in the Convent of Jesus and Mary at Sanjauli. She did her graduation from the Government College, Chandigarh. When it came to settling in Shimla, they avoided the din of the town and eyed on Mashobra. Sir Edward Buck writes: “About six miles from the Simla church lies the little suburban village Mashobra, an ideal retreat from the ‘despotism of despatch boxes’… During the past few years, Mashobra has been steadily growing in favour as a popular week-end resort, and a number of delightful villas are now dotted among its beautiful pine and oak forests.” Today, Mashobra is also on way towards ‘brick and mortar’; the Garden Resort area, however, is an oasis amidst the flow of concrete.

Malhotra’s garden, managed by a family friend, JVS Iyengar, is known for tulips, perennial, bulbous plants with showy flowers. The word tulip is derived from the Persian delband (turban) because of the flower’s perceived resemblance to a turban. On the day of my visit, yellow Clivia was in bloom and I was told that the same species varying from orange to red had had its day. One flower, which the owners were proud of, was Nemesia. They claimed that they were the sole possessor of that flower in Shimla. I did not like its appearance but its rarity astounded me. The glass-house had geranium galore. I could hear laughter from all cheery corners in the garden of the poet of melancholy and seconded Emerson who had said: “The earth laughs in flowers”.

Nurpur, July 2
The Himachal Pradesh Computer Teachers’ Association has alleged that the private companies, which are taking the services of computer teachers in the government schools since 2001, have exploited them. Daljit Minhas, president of the association, in a statement issued here said that a private company during the period of 2008-13 had taken Rs 5,000 as security from the computer teacher against their appointment and around Rs 66 lakh were collected from 1,329 IT computer teachers appointed in various government senior secondary schools to impart the computer education.

Minhas rued that the company had not returned their security notwithstanding that its agreement with the state government terminated on March 31 this year. “Besides, the company had collected around Rs 4 crore for the employee provident fund (EPF) from these computer teachers, but failed to pay it to them and the teachers are feeling duped by the company,” he lamented.

He said now the new Chandigarh-based company, which had reappointed 1,329 teachers, recently started collecting Rs 3,750 as security from each of them and didn’t pay their salaries for the past two months. The association president has appealed to the state government to take requisite action to ensure the refund of the security of the computer teachers from the previous company and ensure regular and timely payment of their salaries. He said the association had taken up the issue with Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Education) Neeraj Bharti.

Palampur, July 2
A large scale irregularities have been reported in the selection of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families in Himachal Pradesh. Thousands of non-deserving people have fraudulently managed to get their names included in the BPL list to avail the benefits like subsidised ration, free medical aid and other financial assistance from the government. The state government has failed to initiate any corrective measures so far.

In an information given by the state government under the RTI to Dev Ashish Bhatachraya, an RTI activist, it came to the light that 11,628 representatives of panchyats are in the BPL category in the state, which included around 5,138 panches, 4,481 former panches, 442 panchyat pardhans, 530 former panchyat pardhans and 22 zila parishad members. It was also revealed that out of 70 lakh population, over 12 lakh residents fell under the BPL category.

In the recently concluded Assembly session, the state government replied to question raised by the BJP MLA, Mohinder Singh, and admitted that 6,732 panchyat representatives had a been availing the BPL benefits. Though, the Rural Develpoment Minister, Anil Sharma, had categorically assured the Assembly that the action against the guilty panchyat representatives would be in taken. However, the Deputy Commissioners or BDOs neither initiated any action against the culprits nor reviewed the BPL list. The instructions issued by the Chief Secretary, Himachal Government, are yet to be implemented.

The state Agriculture Department organised a three-day Organic Fair in collaboration with the International Centre for Organic Agriculture to promote organic farming in the hills.

The fair provided a platform to the organic farmers to showcase their produce and also an opportunity to interact with experts during seminars and talks held as part of the event. Scientists and organic certification agencies gave detailed presentations on the requirements and procedures for certifying the organic produce for the benefit of the farmers.

The state has 25,729 registered organic farmers and some of them participated in the fair. Some farmers from Narkanda and Rampur diplayed their organic cherry while those from Solan brought organic vegetables like beans, cauliflower and cucumber. Other organic produce on display included dry fruits like walnut, vermi compost and organic tea. Companies engaged in supply of organic products also participated in the event.

Certification agencies which participated in the fair included Indocert, Onecert and Uttarakhand state organic certification agency. The participants were also educated about the state organic policy and the advantages of switching over to organic farming.

The main attraction of the fair was the organic food festival organised in collaboration with the state Tourism Development Corporation. The entire cuisine was prepared from organic produce.