Shimla/Keylong, November 15
Work on the border roads in Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur has come to an abrupt standstill as over 70 per cent labourers have left the sites on the Udaipur-Tandi, Manali-Keylong stretch and Kinnaur-Kaurik stretch of National Highway 22 due to the biting winter chill.

As the mercury dipped to sub-zero level in Lahaul-Spiti, Pangi, Kinnaur and Manali-Rohtang Pass areas, the migrant labour – most of whom come from Chattisgarh and Jharkhand – started moving out in the second week of November. Officially, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) labour leaves the road sites in the Lahaul-Spiti desert towards the end of November.

“We come from warm areas and it is difficult for us to stay here in this freezing weather,” said labourers on their way home by bus through Mandi.

Two spells of snowfall in Lahaul-Spiti sent temperatures below -5°C, intensifying the cold wave in the desert. Over 60 per cent residents of Lahaul have also left for the warmer climes of Kullu-Manali and other places.

The movement of traffic on the Manali-Leh National Highway beyond Patseo, about 40 km from Keylong, and the Manali-Sipiti road beyond Grambhu has been stopped due to heavy snow at Tanglangla, Baralacha and Kunjam Passes.

Though the BRO has restored the Rohtang-Keylong-Patseo stretch and Keylong-Udaipur road in Lahaul-Spiti, but there is hardly any traffic, said district officials. Similar is the situation in upper Kinnaur, where the minimum temperature at Kalpa was 0.8°C today. The capital city of Shimla recorded minimum temperature of 6.3°C.

The mercury further dipped in Keylong to settle at -6.4°C, the lowest minimum temperature in the state. Water pipes and streams have frozen in Keylong and upper Kinnaur and Spiti. “The HPTDC, private hoteliers and villagers had shut down their units in October as the temperature dropped to -5°C and the water froze,” said Tashi Deleg, a local resident.

“Over 60 per cent of the local population of Lahaul has either moved to the warmer Kullu-Manali or has left for pilgrimages across the country. They will return only when the summer sets in in April-May and the passes are opened,” said Ajay Kumar of Keylong.

Shimla, November 15
Famous for producing quality seed potato until recently, the tribal Lahaul valley is fast turning into the vegetable bowl of the state.

The area under potato has declined from 2,000 hectare to about 700 hectare over the past decade and the area under peas has increased to 1,300 hectare. However, over the last three years, farmers have started shifting to other vegetable crops like cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce and Swiss chard, which are fetching better returns.

Consequently, the area under peas has also started declining and it has already come down to 1,050 hectare this year as more and more farmers are taking to various other vegetables.

The main reason for the switchover to cauliflower, cabbage and other vegetables is the high yield and good prices these crops are fetching. While farmers were getting Rs 25 to Rs 30 per kg for peas, cauliflower is also being sold at Rs 20 to Rs 25 per kg. However, the yield of cauliflower is much and thus, the overall returns are much better than peas.

“The size of cauliflower grown in Lahaul is more than double the average size of the produce elsewhere in the state. It weighs around 2 kg as against the average weight of about 500 gm in other parts of the state,” said Director of Agriculture JC Rana.

Further, the yield was as high as 400 quintals per hectare as compared to 200 to 250 quintals elsewhere in the state. The yield of peas was around 100 quintals per hectare and it was not surprising that farmers preferred other vegetable crops over peas, Rana said.

Production of high-quality seed potato was the exclusive preserve of the state till the early 1990s and Lahaul was known for its disease-free seed potato, which was supplied to even far-off states like Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat, Maharashtra and West Bengal.

However, the state's monopoly ended after the Central Potato Research Institute developed seed plot technique, which made it possible to grow virus-free seed potato in the plains. The market of seed potato has been shrinking ever since, forcing growers to shift to vegetable crops.

Dharamsala, November 15
High vegetables prices might be pinching buyers, but it is proving to be a boon for farmers of Kangra district. The lower side of the Kangra-Gaggal road comprising Sohra and Kotkawala villages is the vegetable-growing belt of Kangra district.

For the Saini community residing in these villages, growing vegetables is a traditional occupation. Prem Singh, a farmer from Sohra village, said, “I grow vegetables in my 25 kanal land holding. I generally earn about Rs 1 lakh per annum from selling vegetables. However, this year vegetables are fetching a good price even at the local mandi”.

“This year, cabbage is fetching us a good price between Rs 35 and Rs 40 per kg. The price of radish is also about Rs 10 in mandi. If the prices remain the same, we can earn up to Rs 2 lakh per annum from vegetables this year,” he said.

Sandya Devi, another farmer from the area, is growing radish in her small field. She said, “I was earning about Rs 200 daily by selling 20 kg radish daily to a local hotel. This year the price of radish in wholesale market is good”.

She said prices of vegetables in the area were high due to heavy rainfall in the region. “Vegetable sowing has been delayed and there is an acute shortage of vegetables in market,” she said.

Further investigation by The Tribune in the local vegetable market revealed that middlemen and retailers were also making a huge profit due to the shortage of vegetables in the market.

The prices of vegetables were doubling while travelling from local mandis to retailers.

While farmers are getting Rs 35 to Rs 40 per kg for cabbage, it is being sold at a price of Rs 70 per kg in market. The profit margin is being pocketed by middlemen in mandis. Farmers are getting a price of Rs 7 to 8 per kg for radish, while the price in market is Rs 20 to Rs 30 per kg. The price of tomato is about Rs 60 per kg in mandi, while the retailers are selling it at a price ranging between Rs 80 and Rs 100 per kg.

Kangra is also a potato-growing belt. The locals here are of the view that the government should fix the profit margins of middlemen and retailers in sale of vegetables. It is surprising that the prices of vegetable double after travelling just 10 km from Gaggal to Dharamsala.

Shimla, November 15
Alleging that passenger transport services in the state were affected due to failure of the previous BJP government to replace the aged bus fleet, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today that 1,000 new buses would be purchased to help replace vehicles that had completed their life.

Presiding over the annual prize distribution function of Government Senior Secondary School, Khalag, near Jubbar Hatti in Shimla, he said the new buses would enable the State Road Transport Corporation to operate more bus services and provide better services to commuters.

He said the Congress had always given topmost priority to the education sector. As many as 17 schools had been upgraded in the Shimla (rural) constituency, which included seven middle, five high and five senior secondary schools.

The CM said Khalag School ground would be expanded and directed the Director, Higher Education, to explore the possibilities of providing a music teacher and a Sanskrit lecturer for the institute.

He said he was representing the Shimla Rural Constituency and would make all possible efforts for the construction of roads, provide adequate drinking water, irrigation facility and uninterrupted power supply to the people.

He said a primary health centre would be constructed at Sharda and the Dental and Nursing College was being shifted from the IGMC, Shimla, to Ghandal, near Ghanatti, to decongest the premier hospital.

Shimla, November 15
The State Electricity Board Employees Union has opposed the decision of the management regarding rationalisation of pay structure of certain categories in HPSEB Limited, which, it said led to the reduction in pay scales of 50 categories in future.

In a memorandum to the Chief Minister, the union alleged the management had reduced the pay scales for future recruitment and promotion without going into the background of the case.

The decision would cause a reduction in the basic pay to the extent of Rs 1,320 in pre-revised scale and Rs 2,900 in the revised pay structure in future. The financial loss to an employee would amount to around Rs 6,000 per month after taking various allowances into account.

The union said in 1978, when the state adopted Punjab State Electricity Board’s pay scales, there was two options, one to implement improved scales without time-bound promotion scales (TBPS) and the other to continue with lower scale with TBPS. The State Power Board opted for the improved scales without TBPS. Subsequently, revisions of scales were made accordingly from time to time.

The exercise to rationalise the pay structure of 50 categories was arbitrary and against the service jurisprudence. Moreover, the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003, clearly envisaged that the pay scales could not be derogative to the existing ones.

Shimla, November 15
Chief Justice Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar is all set to take over as the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court next week.

“It has been a rather brief tenure of about eight months, but I am quite satisfied by what I have been able to do to improve the system of judicial administration, which will ensure speedy justice in the long run,” Khanwilkar said while talking to The Tribune here today.

“The complete digitisation of the functioning of the High Court and subordinate courts is a big achievement as it will facilitate litigants as well as advocates in the state, where difficult topography is a big constraint,” he said.

He said the digitisation of the entire record of the court would lead to paperless functioning of courts across the state and would increase the efficiency of the system. Apart from switchover to e-governance, he had also taken certain other measures to expedite disposal of cases. Cases had been prioritised on the basis of pendency and seriousness of offences.

He said his most important initiative was the establishment of a judicial academy near Shimla. He had proposed infrastructure of international standards for the academy, which would help both the judicial officers and quasi-judicial authorities in keeping abreast of the latest developments. He said his target was to set up an international centre for arbitration and mediation in the academy.

Justice Khanwilkar was all praise for the state government, which extended full support to his initiatives and also provided requisite funds to implement these. He said the Bar had also given full cooperation without which it would not have been possible for him to carry out the reforms.

He said Justice DD Sud, who is the senior-most judge, would be the acting Chief Justice. A notification has already been received in this regard from the Union Ministry of Law And Justice.

Shimla, November 15
The Wildlife Wing of the Forest Department has got the Central Zoo Authority’s (CZA) sanction to resume the Rs 3 crore Himalayan Monal Pheasant Conservation and Breeding Project in the state.

The stunningly colourful Monal is the state bird of Himachal. Since it is found in large numbers in the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP), the site for the conservation project will be in Manali. The Wildlife Wing has begun preparations to make enclosures that would provide a near-natural habitat for the birds to breed in captivity.

The Wildlife Wing started the Monal conservation and breeding in captivity programme in 2006 on the outskirts of Manali town. A sum of Rs 55 crore was sanctioned for the construction of enclosures to house the majestic bird, known for its colorful rainbow-like plumage. However, the project did not take off as the focus and thrust of the department on the conservation and breeding of Western Tragopan at Sarahan in Shimla district.

“Having got the approval of the CZA for the project’s revival, we intend to start work on construction of enclosures by April next year,” confirmed Lalit Mohan, additional principal chief conservator forest (APCCF), Wildlife.

Though the Monal is not as endangered as the Western Tragopan or the Chir Pheasant, but it’s much reduced sighting and apparently declining numbers have been a cause of concern for the Wildlife Department as well as environmentalists. “The population of the male bird witnessed a considerable decline because of heavy hunting. Its crest feather is often used to adorn the caps of people in the state,” admitted an official.

The forest department had imposed a ban on hunting of the Monal in 1982. Though illegal hunting continues, the bird can often be sighted in the higher reaches of Chamba, Kinnaur, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Shimla and Sirmaur districts.

Shimla, November 15
The BJP has alleged that the sole objective of the Congress regime in the state appeared to be defaming former Chief Minister PK Dhumal and his family and targeting the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA).

In a statement issued here today, state BJP spokesperson Ganesh Dutt said, “It was Virbhadra Singh who started politics of vendetta against Dhumal and his family. When he has started this trend, he should be ready to face the consequences and not expect that the other person will not retaliate”.

Dharamsala, November 15
The Kotwali market bypass, which can decongest traffic bottleneck in Dharamsala town, is likely to get delayed. The work on the bypass is going on at a snail’s pace.

Sources here said the work was likely to be delayed as the authorities had not acquired land on about 300-m stretch of road adjoining the old Chari road. While half of the construction work of the bypass has been completed, the acquisition of land on the entry portion has not been carried out.

The sources here said since the land required was a private land, the officials were now finding it hard to persuade people to give their land for the construction of the road.

Sanjay Chaudhary, Executive Engineer, PWD, Dharamsala, said most of the people owning private land on the bypass had been persuaded. He said now just 50 m land was left for acquisition.

He said the deadline for the completion of the bypass was the end of this month. However, the work of the bypass was likely to be completed by March next. The total cost of the project was Rs 3.92 crore and there was no shortage of funds, he said.

However, a survey of the under-construction bypass revealed that in many areas, even the electric polls standing between the roads had not been removed. As per the project report of the bypass, the width of bypass road has to be 7.5 m, therefore, at many places the administration would have to remove encroachments for attaining the desired width. Removing encroachments could also involve demolition of certain private structures and further acquisition of private land.

The work of the construction of the bypass was started during the stint of the previous government. The sources said though the bypass was planned in 1990, the work for its construction was started just about two years ago.

Dharamsala, November 15
The state government is finding itself in a dilemma over removing encroachments on the forest land following the Himachal High Court decision in this regard. The court had directed the Forest Department to remove all encroachments on the forest land before November 18.

Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri held a meeting with forest officials at Dharamsala to take stock of the situation last evening.

Sources here said in Khaniara village near Dharamsala, about 50 families belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities had settled on the forest land. They had constructed houses on the land and had been living there since decades.

The administration is finding it difficult to unsettle the families as most of them belong to poor families and do not have alternative land to settle.

Similar problem persists in many other villages of Kangra district, especially those located on the banks of the Pong Dam lake. About 307 sq km area around the Pong Dam lake is now a wildlife sanctuary. Many Pong Dam oustees have settled on the forest land in the area. Most of the families were allowed to settle on common lands of villages by panchayats that were later converted into forest lands.

In McLeodganj, Tibetans have settled on the reserve forest land over the last many decades. They have constructed hotels, shops and residential buildings on the land. The area is now a source of their livelihood. Recently when the district administration exerted pressure on the Tibetans to vacate the land, it evoked protest from the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).

Representatives of the CTA met Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and pleaded against the removal of encroachments as they were their source of livelihood. In some cases, even institutes of the CTA have been brought up on forest land.

The sources said the state government might seek more time from the court to settle the encroachers on alternative land before the encroachments made on the forest land were cleared.

It is a difficult to remove all encroachments as this will annoy a large section of population. It can also create situation where many poor people will be left without houses or sources of livelihood.