Shimla, December 26
The HP High Court today directed the state to impose a ban on the sale/stocking of 25 junk food items in plastic packaging in the state from January 26.

Dismissing a bunch of petitions filed by manufacturers and others wherein they had challenged a notification issued by the state vide which it had banned these items in plastic packaging, a Division Bench comprising Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice VK Sharma directed the state to ensure ban on storage, supply, sale and entry of non-essential food items packaged in plastic/ non-biodegradable materials from January 26.

This excludes drinking water (both packed and mineral). The Bench further directed the state government to ensure that edible oils/fats should not be sold in plastic bottles/pouches and should be packed in tin containers. It said from March 31, milk and milk products, edible oils/fats, fruits and vegetable products and meat products would be manufactured, transported, sold, packaged and distributed as per regulations of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations.

While passing these directions, the Bench headed by Justice Rajiv Sharma observed: “The state is famous as a tourist destination. It is the duty of the state to make every effort to preserve and conserve the environment and fragile ecology of the state”.

It further observed: “It is not only the environment of the state but also the health of children, who consume most of these items. It cannot be protected if the sale of such items is not banned in plastic packaging”.

The Bench also directed the government to ensure that from March 31, 2014, no food stuff, including primary and essential foods, was manufactured, transported, sold, packaged and distributed without conforming to the Food Safety and Standards Act. The court also directed the state to appoint a Food Commissioner within four weeks. The court directed the District Magistrates and the Superintendents of Police to enforce the ban in all districts, otherwise they would be held liable and accountable.

The court also directed all the municipal authorities throughout the state, including the MC, Shimla, to ensure safe collection, storage, segregation, transportation, processing and disposal of plastic waste so that no damage was caused to environment. The court also directed all municipal authorities in the state to manage plastic waste by undertaking “waste audit” at the beginning of the year.

• Chips/wafers
• Kurkure/mad angles
• Biscuits
• Namkeen
• Lollypop/Candy/candy bar/toffees
• Cookies
• Ice cream
• Chocolates
• Noodles
• Samosas
• Pakoras
• Pizzas
• Burgers
• French fries
• Colas, carbonated drinks
• Shakes
• Synthetic and fruit beverages
• Sweets
• Naan, pav bhajee, golgappa and street foods

Shimla, December 26
The Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board issued a notice to Associate Cement Company (ACC) as to why their production should not be stopped for violating pollution norms.

The notice was issued by Vineet Kumar, Member Secretary of the board, on December 24 to unit-I and unit-II of the ACC following a protest by villagers residing in the vicinity of the Barmana cement plant over exceptionally high air pollution levels.

ACC had been asked to file its reply within 15 days as to why its production should not be stopped and power disconnected for violation of the norms for air pollution.

It was following the resentment expressed by the villagers residing in the vicinity of the cement plant that the board had got the ambient air quality monitoring done from December 10 to 14. The results of the ambient air quality monitoring indicated that the pollution levels were 250.07, 316.67, 140.97, 156.94 and 177.22 against the limit of 100, prescribed by the Environmental Engineer.

The notice has been issued for violation of the provisions 37, 38 and 39 of the HP Pollution Control Act, which pertain to air pollution and Section 31A, which makes provision for disconnection of power. In the past too, the locals had complained of high air pollution due to the cement plant.

“It was following the complaints received by the board from the villagers that I visited the plant and directed the engineers at our Regional Office in Bilaspur to monitor the air quality,” said Kuldeep Pathania, Chairman, HP State Pollution Control Board. He added that the notice had been issued after monitoring the air quality in the area for a number of days.

The villagers, including a large number of factory oustees, had met Pathania when he had visited the plant on December 12. The agitated villagers had demanded the closure of the plant on the plea that in the absence of proper pollution control devices, there was too much of air pollution.

They pleaded that the air pollution was so high that they were finding it difficult to breathe and many people had been taken ill with respiratory and lung ailments.

The villagers, led by Sangharsh Samiti chairman Amarjit, had threatened to knock at the doors of the court if the pollution control board failed to act.

They pleaded that despite repeated complaints to the officials, no action had been taken against ACC.

Shimla, December 26
Even as the bus services to the main routes, including district headquaters of Kinnaur, have been restored, the link roads in the snowbound area of Chopal, Rohru and Jubbal-Kotkhai remained blocked since last Monday.

According to commuters, the main road between Chopal-Deha and Baghi and Tikkar from Narkanda and Kotgarh-Nankhari has remained blocked.

Even the Shimla-Kaurik National Highway-22 between Silaroo and Narkanda remained risky for travelling due to the icy cap formed during night.

The Chopal-Shantha-Dewat, Chopal-Kupvi, Chopal- Bamta, Chopal- Maraog, Dopti- Pabaas, Nerwa-Tikri roads in Chopal tehsil and Kharapathar-Shrontha-Tikkar, Kharapathar-Deorighat roads in Jubbal- Kotkhai remained blocked due to snowfall since Monday, resented farmers.

"It is difficult to rush patients needing emergency care to city hospital," said Guttu Azta, pradhan, gram panchayat, Dewat.

The PWD has yet to mobilise its labour to make the roads pliable for the traffic, said Rajiv Bragta, an orchardist from Maroag, who managed to push his vehicle on the Maroag-Khirki-Deha road yesterday, which had experienced two feet of snow on Monday night.

The Narkanda-Baghi and Narkanda-Nakhari roads remained risky for the traffic as the area has received two feet of snow. The PWD has not made arrangements to spread the layer of earth on the risky stretches.

As many as five persons, including two children, who were on their way to Nankhari from Rampur, died on Tuesday after the vehicle they were traveling in fell into a gorge after the driver lost balance, revealed the police.

PWD officials claimed that they had given instructions to engineers to arrange and spread the earthy layer on the risky road stretches in the snow-bound area.

HRTC regional manager, Shimla division, Anil Sen claimed that the HRTC had resumed most of the main bus routes in upper Shimla, Kinnaur till Reckong Peo and Puh. The links roads remained blocked and would be resumed once these were made safe for traffic, he added.

Dalhousie, December 26
Despite a heavy influx of tourists at Dalhousie to witness snow all-around the hills, the Dalhousie-Khajjiar road has remained blocked due to heavy snowfall. Reports said the road was still closed.

The arrival of tourists in a substantial number has brought cheer to hoteliers and allied business.

Officials were on the job to restore the Dalhousie-Khajjiar road so that vehicular traffic could resume soon.

Nurpur, December 26
Residents of upper Khhanni gram panchayat are up in arms against the ongoing illegal mining of the Chakki river bed, notwithstanding the High Court’s ban on unscientific quarrying with JCB machines.

Bachan Singh, Kartar Singh, Sham Singh, Rashpal Pathania and Bimla Devi, on behalf of local villagers, submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and the Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, demanding an action to curb illegal and unscientific mining activities on the river bed.

The memorandum was submitted along with photographs which showed damage to their agriculture land, adjoining the Chakki river bed, due to illegal mining by stone crusher owners. They lamented that illegal mining was playing havoc with water resources, fertile agriculture land and environment.

Residents said they had already written to the local administration about rampant illegal mining in the area, but to no avail.

In the memorandum, the villagers highlighted the alleged violation of the current mining policy framed by the state government following the High Court’s order.

As per the orders, the mining of the river bed has to be monitored after it increases a depth of one metre, but JCBs had dug more than six metre ditches in the whole area causing a threat to adjoining cultivable land and ecology.

Shimla, December 26
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today that the BJP chargesheet against the Congress regime was a “bundle of lies” and an attempt by the “frustrated Opposition party to divert the attention” of the public from the Vigilance probe into the irregularities committed by them.

Talking to mediapersons here today, he said the BJP had set up a new precedent and tradition of preparing a chargesheet against the government within one year of its formation. “The allegations contained in the BJP chargesheet are a bundle of lies and it a clear reflection of the frustration among the saffron party,” he said. Virbhadra said as the Chief Minister, it was his duty to get the Congress chargesheet against the BJP regime probed. “When the chargesheet was prepared, I was a minister in the Centre, but now the Vigilance Bureau is investigating into the charges,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the outburst by the BJP was a result of the probe into “various acts of omission and commission committed by the BJP when in power”. “I want to make it clear that the guilty will not be spared and those found innocent will not be falsely implicated,” he said.

Meanwhile, Vidya Stokes, Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Sudhir Sharma and Prakash Chaudhary lashed out at the BJP for “trying to mislead” the people of the state. “The BJP is feeling the heat of the inquiries initiated on account of the wrongs done by their government while in power and is now trying to distract the attention of the public from their misdeeds by preparing a chargesheet,” they said.

The ministers said the BJP basically “feared the popularity of Virbhadra Singh” and was thus trying to “tarnish his image by levelling false charges”.

They said the Congress was fully united and would give a befitting reply in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

“It was the BJP regime which allotted the Sai Koti power project to Venture Energy and Technology Limited and granted two extensions in 2009 and 2010 and it was the Virbhadra government, which has now cancelled the project and terminated the agreement,” they said.

The ministers alleged that it was former Chief Minister PK Dhumal and his MP son Anurag Thakur, who owed an explanation to the people of the state about converting the HP Cricket Association from a society to a company despite taking benefits from the government.

Shimla, December 26
The Students Federation of India (SFI) today staged a protest at different colleges and in front of the Deputy Commissioner office, demanding admission of students to the second semester, who could not clear the first semester due to some reasons, under the Rashtriya Uchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).

In a statement issued after the protest, SFI leader Munish Sharma said students were facing a lot of problems under the RUSA system. Those students who could not appear in the first semester should be allowed to sit in the second semester so that they could take up the next examination without losing a year, he added.

The SFI claimed that the RUSA was implemented hurriedly as many students were not getting their roll numbers and study materials in time.

Kullu, December 26
A sum of Rs 200 crore will be spent under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) in Himachal Pradesh for upliftment of women.

This was stated by Anil Sharma, Minister Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, while presiding over a meeting of office-bearers and representatives of Zila Parishad and other Panchayati Raj institutions here today.

Under this mission, women will be imparted training to generate self-employment and a loan of up to Rs 3 lakh on 7 per cent interest rate will be provided. A loan of up to Rs 15 lakh is also available to self-help groups under this scheme so that they can generate sources of livelihood.

He said Rs 5.16 crore had been spent on various development works through the 13th Finance Commission. He urged representatives of panchayati raj institutions and officers of various departments to accelerate the development works.

He said the government was concerned over the growing number of stray animals and a long-term plan was under consideration, which might include keeping such animals in a forest sanctuary.

Earlier, president, Zila Parishad, Hari Chand Sharma welcomed the minister and presented a detailed report on achievements and various developmental works being carried out by Zila Parishad. ASP Nihal Singh, ADM Vinay Singh Thakur, District Panchayat Officer Girish Sharma, Project Officer, DRDA, Sanjiv Dhiman, President, Block Development Committee, Megh Singh Thakur and presidents of various panchayats were present.

Palampur, December 26
The Himachal Pradesh Institute of Police Academy (HPIPA) and the Police Training College (PTC) of the state at Daroh, 15 km from here, is in a state of neglect as top posts of Deputy Inspector General of Police and other junior police officials have been laying vacant in both the institutions for the past nine months.

Non filling of these posts by the state government has adversely affected the functioning of these two institutions of the state police department.

There is only one post of the Superintendent of Police in the PTC, but the government has posted four officers of the rank of SP. While out of four, three have been kept as leave reserve officers without assigning any job.

A senior officer of the state government said keeping in view the deteriorating law and order situation in some parts of the state, services of three SP-rank officers could be utilised somewhere else instead of keeping them as leave reserve officer.

These two institutions have been entrusted with the responsibility to train senior and junction officers of the state police department to provide security cover to VIPs and maintain law and order in the state, but a shortage of senior officers (instructors) have adversely hit training programmes in the these institutions.

At present, for all policy decisions and for petty matters, files are always moved to high-ups at Dharamsala and Shimla. At present, 498 junior and nine senior officers of rank of DSP are being trained in these two institutions.

The police academy, which was shifted from Sakoh (Dharamsala) to Daroh a few years ago, lacks proper infrastructure, staff and other man power, due to which senior officers of the state police are reluctant to join duty here.

At present, Rakesh Aggwarwal, Inspector General of Police (North Zone) Dharamsala, holds the additional charge of the police academy and the police training college.

Solan, December 26
Refuting media statements claiming that he had blamed Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for implicating him in a murder case in his bail petition, Ramkumar Chaudhary, who was in his native Sandholi village in Baddi today to attend the bhog ceremony of his grandfather Kali Ram after procuring a day's bail, said no such claim had been made in the bail application filed by him and people were using this as an excuse to create differences between him and the Chief Minister.

Addressing the people who had gathered on the occasion, he said the bail application had barely mentioned that he had been targeted but no names had been mentioned.

He said he and his family held the Chief Minister in high regard and it was due to his efforts that he had managed to procure the party’s ticket for the Vidhan Sabha poll and emphasised that no such statement had been issued either by him or any of his family member and people were trying to make the most of this situation by exploiting it. He said their family was disturbed at such statements.

Others present included Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment DR Shandil, former Nalagarh MLA Lakhwinder Rana and family members of the Chawdhary family.

Kangra, December 26
A four-day annual winter sojourn of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for this district will start from December 28.

The Chief Minister during his stay will visit Shahpur, Dharamsala, Indora, Nurpur, Palalmpur and Sullah Assembly constituencies and lay foundation stones and inaugurate different projects.

Private Secretary to the Chief Minister Subhash Ahluwalia today said the Chief Minister would arrive at the Gaggal airport on December 28 from Delhi and inaugurate bridge on Chambi Road at Throt in Shahpur constituency and address public grievances at Throt.

He said on December 29, the Chief Minister would inaugurate the Mangwal Khad bridge on the Kandrori-Pucca Tiala road and lay foundation stone of the channelisation project of Chhounch Khad at Dah Kuraia and of Sadwan Khad Bridge on the Indora Rey road.

Thr Chief Minister would inaugurate Tanda-Pattan Bridge on the Bain Indorian Mand Miani Paral road on the same day. In the evening, the Chief Minister would pay obeisance at Shiv temple at Kathgarh.

On December 30, he would visit Sullah constituency to inaugurate lift irrigation, school at Kural and Govt Degree College building at Noura.

On the last leg of the winter sojourn on December 31, Chief Minister would do Bhumi Pujan of project construction and upgrade of various roads in Dharamsala town. He would inaugurate a data centre of Kangra Central Cooperative Bank at Dharamsala.

Mandi, December 26
The process to open Regional Centre of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) at Baihna village near Mandi has begun and the land has been identified for it.

The HPU Regional Centre has been proposed for Mandi along with Una and Shimla centres under the vision 2020 of the HPU.

The Mandi district administration after carrying out an extensive exercise has now identified 100 bighas in Baihna.

The land is being considered most suitable for setting up the proposed Regional Centre since this is situated about 5 km from Mandi on national highway.

The proposed land is well-connected with Sundernagar and Mandi through a link road via Gagal-Baggi and also connected with the national highway.

Mandi tehsildar Ajay Prashar said the department was taking necessary steps to hand over the proposed land at Baihna for the construction of the Regional Centre.

After setting up the Regional Centre here, the students of the area would get higher education facilities and be saved from going to Shimla or Chandigarh for obtaining higher education.

This would also result in overall growth of the Balh valley where the Employees State Insurance Corporation is building a medical college and super-specialty hospital at Ner Chowk.

The Revenue Department has started the process to submit the papers for the approval of the state government after which the final decision will be taken to establish the HPU Regional Centre at Baihna.

Mandi, December 26
A series of thefts committed in temples in Sarkaghat subdivision here during the past some time has kept local people on tenterhooks.

Thieves have been targeting temples in the Baldwara area for quite some time.

A theft was reported on Wednesday in the area where thieves reportedly broke open the doors of the Santoshi Mata temple at Balhada, the Murari temple at Sikandra, the Kamru Nag temple at Ram Thana village and the Naina Devi temple at Khalyana and decamped with cash and ornaments.

Baldev Kumar, president of the Santoshi Mata Temple Committee, said, “The doors of the temple were found open in the morning and some valuable were found missing from it after which the matter was reported to the police.”

He said, “Some time ago, thieves had stolen valuables from the Shamakali temple math and the Shiva temple, Baldawra.”

Mandi SP RS Negi said, “A case of theft in one temple has been reported to the police and after investigation a “chhattar” and some currency were found missing.”

“Most of these temples are located at secluded places and people of the area have not come forward in making a formal complaint with the police,” SP added.

Manali, December 26
After a good spell of snowfall, the Solang valley, 13 km from here, has become the biggest tourist attraction with hundreds of visitors thronging it every day to have fun in the snow-covered Solang valley and enjoy different snow-related activities.

The Solang valley has attained worldwide fame owing to its spectacular ski slopes and a clear view of the mighty Pir-Panjal ranges.

The Manali-Rohtang road was closed for vehicular traffic due to snowfall, on account of this the valley has become a most popular tourists destination.

With the snowfall in the upper Manali region, hundreds of small kiosks have come up at different places on the Rohtang road, Kanchnikoot, Bahang, Nehru Kund, Kulang, Palchan and Solang, offering snow shoes, woollen garments and snow dresses for visitors.

Hamirpur, December 26
Two shops at a market in the district were destroyed in a fire last night. One person, sleeping in a shop, got burn injuries. The loss was estimated to be around several lakhs.

The fire was spotted at about 10 pm, but the incident was reported to the Fire Brigade after a delay of half an hour.

The shops belonged to Satish Kumar and Prakash Chand. Satish Parmar, a worker of Prakash Chand, who received burn injuries, had been admitted to the Regional Hospital. — TNS

Sundernagar, December 26
In order to gear up preparations for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, a meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office-bearers of different units of Assemble segments and morchas of the Mandi parliamentary constituency was held here today.

Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal urged workers to be united and work for the victory of the party on all the four seats of Parliament.

While addressing mediapersons, he said the BJP would win all four seats with the help of workers, who were annoyed with the party in the past.

He even hinted toward rebels, but did not declare directly as to what the party has decided.

State BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti, organising secretary Pawan Rana and other BJP leaders from different Assembly segments of the Mandi parliamentary constituency were present on the occasion.

Many workers, who attended the today’s meeting, were of the opinion that the BJP lost the Assembly elections in the state due to differences among top leaders of the state BJP.

Chamba, December 26
The police seized charas weighing 1,150 gm from two persons last night.

The accused were travelling in a pick-up vehicle which was intercepted and inspected at the Inter-State Tunnuhatti police barrier on the Chamba-Pathankot highway here.

Chamba Superintendent of Police (SP) Jagat Ram said the vehicle in which the charas was being smuggled had been impounded and the accused identified as Pawan Kumar and Puran Chand arrested.

The SP said 600 gm charas was recovered from Pawan Kumar, while 550 gm from Puran Chand. Both accused belonged to the Churah area of the district, he said.

A case in this connection had been registered under Section 20 of the NDPS Act at the Chowari police station in the district.

A further investigation in the case was being carried out, the SP said.

Una, December 26
The state’s first Model Rural Health Research Unit (MRHRU), under the Development of Infrastructure for Promotion of Health Research programme of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), will come up at Haroli in the district.

A 10-member high-level team, led by Dr VM Katoch, Secretary-cum-Director General of the Department of Health Research, ICMR, visited the proposed site and held parleys with the Deputy Commissioner to finalise the land and other modalities.

The Haroli unit is among the five such units sanctioned, with the other four being Chabua in Assam, Bhanpur in Rajasthan, Triunelveli in Tamil Nadu and Khumulwng in Tripura.

It will be under the control of National JALMA Institute of Leprosy and other Microbacterial Diseases, Agra, and has been linked with the DRPGMC, Tanda, for conducting medical research.

Dr Katoch said the unit, to cost around Rs 5 crore, would be set up in proximity to the Haroli Civil Hospital. It would work in consultation with other health organisations. The research activities would be monitored by a committee of eminent scientists, health department officials of the Centre and state, besides experts from the medical college.

Dr Katoch said the objective of the programme was to attain new knowledge from the field, enable health technology transfer and its translation into rural settings.

Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Jain said a two-kanal plot on government land adjacent to the Haroli Civil Hospital had been approved for constructing the research facility on it. He said the work was expected to start very shortly.

Kangra, December 26
Resentment prevails among local residents and pilgrims who visit the Bajjreshwari temple here as the authorities concerned have failed to make the Bajjreshwari ghat, near old Kangra, operational.

The ghat was constructed at a cost of Rs 14.35 lakh in 1998, but it could not be made operational even after a lapse of 15 years.

The Bajjreshwari Temple Trust had got this ghat constructed for pilgrims to have a bath in the Banner Khad before paying obeisance at the temple. Adjacent to the ghat is a killer point where 102 pilgrims and tourists were drowned during the last one decade.

Local residents said had the ghat been made operational, these deaths could have been avoided. In the beginning, Rs 12.50 lakh were spent on its construction and later Rs 1.85 lakh were spent on its maintenance.

A contractor kept his construction material on this ghat for nearly six years and the Subdivisional authorities had to get the area vacated by the contractor this year.

Kangra SDM Ajeet Bhardwaj confirmed that the ghat had been under illegal occupation of the contractor and was got vacated recently.

As per sources, despite spending Rs 14.35 lakh on the project, the temple authorities had even failed to get the land transferred to the temple trust from the revenue authorities.

The Kangra Hitkari Sabha has demanded an inquiry into this case and that the guilty should be punished.

Shimla, December 26
Former Chief Minister PK Dhumal congratulated Gujarat minister and BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on being given a clean chit by an Ahmedabad court.

Dhumal said the court verdict had made it amply clear that the BJP leader had been “falsely implicated” in the Gulbarg Society massacre. “It was based on these false charges that the Congress was trying to run down Modi and defame him for something with which he was not associated,” he said.

“I hope following the court verdict, the Congress will put an end to this campaign of vilification and slander and believe in constructive criticism.Truth always prevails and this has been proved by the court verdict,” he said.

Dhumal said the Congress had left no stone unturned to “tarnish” Modi’s image, but the court verdict had set the record right.

“The Congress owes an apology to Modi and the nation for trying to tarnish the image of the BJP leader who has taken Gujarat to the new heights and the people of the country now wish to see him leading the nation,” he said.

The former Chief Minister alleged that the Congress was habitual of hatching political conspiracy against its political opponents and it could stoop to any extent to defame its opponents.