Dharamsala, July 9
Unscientific mining and lack of a clear-cut mining policy based on scientific data is allegedly creating a situation that can spell natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh.

The situation in Himachal is such that on the one hand debris being created from infrastructure projects like power projects and road constructions are being dumped in rivers raising their water levels especially during the monsoons while on the other hand illegal mining is destroying the ecology of many rivers and threatening national infrastructure as bridges are vital connecting links in hilly areas.

In Himachal lakhs of tonnes of debris is generated every year as cutting of hills is required for creating infrastructure like roads, power projects or buildings. Since the construction and development activity is taking place in all parts of the state, debris is being generated everywhere. In some places as the Dehar project of BBMB in Mandi district, farmers are always at loggerheads with authorities over dumping of silt generated due to dredging in power projects and its further dumping in local rivulets.

However, most of the debris being generated from cutting of hills is being dumped in an "unscientific" manner along the rivers or hill sides. In rivers the debris was creating silting in power projects and also destroying the ecology of the rivers. Along the hill sides, the debris destroys the plantations and undergrowth of trees.

While the debris generated is being dumped in an unscientific manner, the riverbeds are being mined by stone-crusher owners causing another form of damage to the ecology of rivers. The demand for crushed material from Himachal-based stone crushers has increased manifold after the Punjab and Haryana High Court banned mining in Punjab. In the past few years, many stone crushers have mushroomed in the border areas of Punjab and Himachal especially in Kangra and Una districts.

Allegedly due to illegal mining, the railway bridge over river Chaki on the Punjab-Himachal border got damaged. Last year the railway traffic on the Pathankot-Jogindernagar narrow gauge railway line remained disrupted for many months as railway bridge pillars were damaged due to illegal mining and flash floods in Chaki river. This year also the same railway bridge has been damaged and railways authorities are blaming it on illegal mining in Chaki river.

In Una district, the district mining authorities have imposed heavy fine on heavy-duty trucks arriving from Punjab almost every day and carrying illegally mined sand and gravel from the rivulets of Himachal. The people in many villages complain regarding the damage being caused to their roads due to plying of heavy duty trucks carrying illegally mined material.

However, in case the state government creates dumps for debris being generated due to infrastructure development, these can also be used to satiate the demand for filling material. In most of the infrastructure projects such as construction of roads, soil generated from levelling of hills is being used for creating base. However, the debris can also be used for the same purpose. In case dumps are created, Himachal can in fact sell the debris for national infrastructure projects such as construction of national highways.

Another unscientific procedure of mining being adopted in the state was that most of the mining was taking place in easily approachable areas. Many rivulets that have not been cleared for many years pose danger of flash floods for farmers. The mining potential of these rivulets was not being exploited as they are far off from the border areas and the transportation cost of material is high.

The Minister for Industries and Mining, Mukesh Agnihotri, is framing a new mining policy for the state, hopefully stressing on scientific mining.

Shimla, July 9
The Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to take over a grand heritage building in this erstwhile summer capital of the British Raj, fearing it might be lost otherwise. The cabinet headed by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh Friday decided to acquire Bantony Estate near Scandal Point on Shimla's famous Ridge, an official spokesperson said.

Bantony, located in the heart of town, was the summer palace of the erstwhile Maharaja of Sirmaur, whose coat-of-arms can still be seen in the cast-iron railing in front of the house. The property was purchased by a London-based Indian businessman in 2011 to give way to an ultra-luxurious spa. The Bharatiya Janata Party then ruled the state.

The Congress, now the ruling party in the state, had alleged that top political functionaries in the government were involved in illegal transactions in connection with this property. Like many buildings in Shimla, Bantony's architectural style is somewhat eclectic — part mock-Tudor, part chalet and crowned with sloping roofs with mini-towers.

The architect is said to be TEG Cooper.

Before its construction in 1880, the place had a rickety cottage belonging to Captain A Gordon and housing some army officers. Since 1957, the building, now in an advanced state of decay, had been the headquarters of the state police. It was formally vacated this year after a court case.

According to the Municipal Corporation, due to inadequate repairs, lack of financial resources of the owners and limited understanding of heritage preservation, the building is in a poor state.

The corporation has warned that if measures were not taken to preserve the structure, Bantony Estate would soon be consigned to history books. — IANS

Solan, July 9
The inordinate delay in constructing a new bridge over the Chikni khad by the National Highway (NH) authorities of the Public Works Department (PWD ) in the Nalagarh subdivision is creating problems for the investors who have been forced to take a longer detour through the NH-21-A.

This was not just a time-consuming exercise but was leading to wastage of fuel. Scores of investors whose industrial units are located across the Chikni khad and locals are facing a difficult time while trying to cross the khud which is full of water after the pre-monsoon showers.

The Chikni bridge had collapsed in 2007 and ever since the commuters have been waiting for the new bridge to be constructed. Though an alternative provisional track was constructed for the movement of vehicles in the khud, the rains reduce the utility of this track.

With considerable damage having been caused to the old bridge, work estimates for the new structure had to be revised at least thrice as modifications were suggested by officials of the Ministry of Surface Transport, Roadways and Highways. It was finally fixed at Rs 8.23 crore in August 2010.

Chief Engineer, NH, Anil Sharma said 50 per cent of the work had been completed and the remaining was scheduled to be completed by the year-end. He said work was progressing according to the time schedule after the grant of approval, though there was some delay due to shortage of certain items. He said he had directed his staff to ensure that the alternative bridge was workable.

The pre-monsoon showers, which lashed the Nalagarh area this week, have once again increased the woes of the locals whose vehicles get stuck in the khad.

Vinod Kumar, a senior HR executive employed with an industrial unit, said though bigger vehicles managed to cross the Chikni khad, there was a threat to smaller vehicles, which tried to wade through the khad.

The Ministry of Highways and Surface Transport took three years to grant approval for this Rs 8.23-crore project in August 2010, and though work had begun in March 2011, it was yet to be completed.

Kangra, July 9
A discourse on "Spirituality and Education" was organised at the Dronacharya College of Education recently. The programme was held by the college management and Shri Yog Samiti, Shahpur, in pursuance of their mission to provide value-based education to society in general and the youth in particular. The spiritual discourse commenced with the lighting of a lamp followed by a prayer by BCA final year girls.

"Man in his quest for prosperity has trampled upon morality and ethics. As a result, the foundation of society is crumbling and the education system, coupled with westernisation, has failed to inculcate value-based education among youngsters. Such a scenario poses a grave danger to impressionable youth and society," said Prem Narayan Sai, a spiritual teacher.

He spoke on spirituality in its various manifestations, i.e. meditation, pure actions and compassion. He exhorted students to follow the path of spirituality.

Devotees from Punjab and Himachal Pradesh came in large numbers to seek the blessings of Prem Narayan Sai. The discourse came to a conclusion with the reciting of Vedic hymns and prayers by the devotees. Executive Director of Dronacharya College BS Pathania proposed vote of thanks and lauded the spiritual teacher for his benevolent influence in society.

Former Forest Minister, Himachal Pradesh, Harbans Rana, GS Pathania, faculty members and students participated in the spiritual congregation.

Mandi, July 9
Even as horticultural scientists termed the growing of low-chilling apple in low-lying areas as "no success story in the apple-dominant state", a retired engineer-turned-hobby farmer,

Achru Ram Gautam, has accomplished the feat of growing low-chilling eight fruit-bearing apple trees in the backyard of his kitchen garden.

Gautam has done what two farmers in Dharamsala and Ghumarwin in Bilaspur have accomplished in the recent past. But fruit scientists termed these "success stories" as "successful hobbies" adding that the farmers should not be discouraged as such as they had cultivated apple in the lower areas.

Commenting on the three "success stories", the Associate Director at the Fruit Research Station of the Dr YS Parmar university of horticulture, Dr Vijay Thakur, said the low-chilling varieties were being grown in Guntur, Karnataka, and part of Pune and Aurangabad, but just as hobbies and not as commercial crops as it is done in Himachal.

The apple can be grown in Punjab, but growing it as a major commercial crop will be like saying growing mangoes as a major crop in Kinnaur, he added.

Dr Thakur said it was not possible climatically to grow apple commercially in low-lying areas. The low-chilling varieties needed 400 hours of chilling and even if trees were cultivated, there were serious questions about their life, productivity and quality of fruit in the long run, he said.

Dr Thakur said farmers who cultivated apple in the lower areas should not be discouraged. The low-chilling varieties were grown in

Indonesia, Argentina, Israel and other countries, but they hardly figured as apple-producing countries in the world. Gautam took the low-chilling variety from Ghumarwin and planted eight trees, which have borne fruits this season. The farmers are taking advice and Gautam is offering them guidance and experience as to how to do that.

Earlier, a farmer each in Ghumarwin and Dharamsala have grown apples on their farms and claimed these to be as tasty as the ones grown in the apple belt of Shimla-Mandi-Kullu-Kinnaur-Chamba and parts of Kangra and Sirmaur districts.

The farmers had pleaded that horticultural scientists had yet to explore the possibility of apple cultivation in the low-lying areas in the state.

Chamba, July 9
As the main objective of the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) is capacity building at the every level and to draw the maximum benefit from the each penny approved by the government for the project, the District Watershed Development Agency (DWDA), Chamba, recently organised a three-day training programme for its community organisers and the members of various self-help groups (SHGs).

The training programme focused on how to form self-help groups, user groups, their function and role, cropping system development, micro enterprises, sanitation and general awareness building besides other issues.

All these issues were taken up during the training programme, alongwith an exposure visit to Sahoo and Paluir villages in the district, said an official of the DWDA.

The DWDA has planned to organise more such capacity development programmes to realise the goals of the IWMP on a sustainable basis.

For the smooth implementation of the project and to build the conceptual, managerial technical and operational capabilities, the participants were given training regarding the issues and proper knowledge was provided alongwith training material to the each participant by project director Ramya Chauhan, lead bank officer Lachia Ram Thakur, technical expert Chain Lal and the community organiser Vikas.

"The training would certainly enhance the skills and competence of the project staff. It would deepen the participatory process by imparting participatory rural appraisal skills and would initiate a change in the attitude of the project staff," an official said.

This would not only increase the achievement of targets fixed by the government, but also enhance the effective utilisation of funds to the tune of Rs 135.62 crore, earmarked by the government for Chamba district under the programme.

Nurpur, July 9
Unauthorised parking on the Pathankot-Mandi National Highway (NH) between Jachh and Jassur has been posing a threat to life, thanks to apathy of the traffic police as well as NH authorities which have never bothered on this burgeoning menace.

It is pertinent to mention that a stretch from the HRTC workshop right from Jacch to Jassur bridge has become an accident-prone area where road accidents occur frequently. A bus collided with a jeep on this stretch just a week back.

The unauthorised parking of the cement-loaded trucks on this stretch has become a daily feature. The highway has squeezed due to this round-the-clock parking. There is no check on the parking either by the traffic police or local administration. Ironically, this portion of the highway is either surrounded by the stray cattle or loaded trucks, causing a lot of hardship to national highway users, especially tourists, who used to cross it to approach the Kangra valley and tourist places in Kangra and Kullu districts.

Intriguingly, the NH authorities, along with the local administration and the police, have successfully vacated and widened the NH stretch of a few metres at Chogan bus stop at Nurpur by removing and shifting encroachments of kiosks and rehris from here which had been covering the highway since many years. The authorities have paid no heed on this unauthorised parking just a few meters away from Jassur, a wholesale busy trading centre in the Kangra district. There is a demand to stop unauthorised parking of any vehicle on the road sides of this NH.

In this connection, Ashwani Sood, a local SDM, said it was a serious issue and no vehicle could be allowed to park on the national highway as it was not a parking lot. 

Palampur, July 9
The recent decision of the state government to set up six more cement plants in the state with a capacity of 11-million tons per year can result in a major ecological disaster in the state. If the corporate houses are allowed to go ahead with the projects, 50,000 green trees, 1,00,000 saplings and 5 lakh non-timber plants in mining area would be destroyed. The Ministry of Environment and Forests and has not yet given its final approval for the projects.

Notably, the ruling Congress government has permitted Reliance Industries to set up a mega cement plant in the green belt of Chopal area in Shimla district recently. At the same time, the state cabinet has also issued show cause notices to four other cement companies for delay in setting up of cement plants. The MoUs with these companies were signed during the BJP regime in 2010. These companies have been directed to set up the cement plants at the earliest.

Though the Vir Bhadhra Singh government is well conversant with the situation and knows that the six cement plants in the state have played a havoc with the nature. Moreover, 30,000 trucks loaded with cement and clinkers are plying on the state roads, resulting in traffic jams everyday. Thousands of tourists visiting Kulu, Mandi, Manali, Shimla, Leh and Kangra valley can be seen stranded on the highways everyday because of traffic jams. Kulu, Solan, Bilaspur and Shimla districts of the state are the worst affected areas, where hundreds of acres have gone barren because of the reckless felling of hills and the extraction of limestone for the cement plants.

In most of the cases, the state government has failed to take an action against the defaulters. Tons of silt, sand, stones and muck have been dumped in the Sutlej and Beas and the dumped material flows to the Bhakra and Pong reservoirs, which has reduced the life of these reservoirs. 

Palampur, June 9
Resentment prevails among Palampur residents over the failure of state government in extending the municipal limits of the town. The local municipal council was first set up 60 years ago and since then its limits have never been extended as the leaders representing Palampur in the state Assembly never favoured the extension of the municipal limits of the town due to vote bank politics.

Out of 50,000 population of the town, only 3,000 residents live in the municipal area and enjoy the basic amenities like sewerage, street lights and cemented lanes, while 47,000 residents living in the adjoining six panchyats do not have such amenities. Potholed roads, overflowing drains, contaminated drinking water highlight the plight of these areas, which are fast turning into a slum.

The successive governments have extended step-motherly treatment to the town. They neither extended the municipal limits of the town nor granted district status to it.

The sewerage project for the adjoining six panchyats and a parking complex were sanctioned five years ago, but the projects failed to take off due to the lack of political will.

Almost all the interior roads and streets of the town are in a bad shape. Due to overflowing drains and leaking water supply pipes, water accumulates on these roads.

Garbage can be seen in every nook and corner of the town. On the cinema and IPH roads, garbage is not removed for days. The absence of sewerage in the panchyat areas has further aggravated the situation. The sanitary situation of the town is deplorable, creating a number of health problems.

The condition of localities like Ghuggar, Aima, Bundla, Lohana, Chokki and Bindravan in the town has gone from bad to worse. Besides, the residents are facing frequent traffic jams on the narrow Pathankot-Mandi National Highway, which passes through the town. Because of rising population, the pancahyats are finding it difficult to maintain their areas with the meager funds allocated to them every year.

Deft craftsmanship and creativity of artisans and weavers of the northeast states was visible at the North East Trade Expo -- 2013 being held in the state capital.

A whole range of handmade products are on display such as silk sarees, shawls, mekhelas, carpets, grass cushions, basketry, folding bamboo partitions, and cane and bamboo furniture. The fair has been organised by the North East Handicrafts and Handloom Corporation, a central public sector undertaking which is engaged in promotion of handmade products of the region. The corporation sources products from artisans and weavers spread over the states of Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram.The exotic cane and bamboo furniture, basketry, hats, show pieces and other products are a major attraction of the show along with textiles with a whole range of silk, woollen and jute products. Silk sarees and mekhala chador of Assam, silk and cotton sarees and bed covers of Manipur are available in modern fancy designs. Various utility items like combs, trays, paper weights carved from various types of wood and horn are on sale.

The famous wooden carvings, Kuna mats and cushions of Meghalaya, Sital pattas and bags from Assam are the other attractions at the exhibition.

Senior Manager of the corporation BC Kalita said on an average 80 to 100 exhibitions were organised across the country and a few abroad to provide a platform to artisans for selling their products. Items worth over Rs 20 crore were sold through these exhibition and artisans also got exposure which enabled them to improve their products.

Palampur, July 9
Many development projects of the town are hanging fire since 2010. Despite adequate budgetary provisions, construction on these projects is yet to be taken up by the government. Foundation stones for these projects were laid during the BJP regime. It may be recalled that former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal had laid foundation stones for about six development projects in Palampur. Enquiries made by The Tribune revealed that the previous BJP government had also provided adequate funds for these projects. Years have passed, but no one has bothered to take up the projects.

A foundation stone for the multi-story parking project was laid by former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal in 2008. The local MC has already given land for the project and funds were also transferred in the account of the MC Palampur by the government.

Another project for the residential complex of doctors in the local Civil Hospital is also hanging fire. PWD officials blame health officials as the site was not handed over to PWD, therefore construction was delayed. The foundation stone for this project was also laid by former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal in 2010.

In another case, the state government had also given Rs 60 lakh to the Municipal Council for the construction of two parking lots in the town, but no construction work was taken up.