Sullah (Dharamsala), December 30
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh went on a spree to inaugurate various development projects in Sullah Assembly constituency of Kangra district represented by his loyalist Jagjivan Pal.

He inaugurated the administrative block of the degree college in Sullah set up at a cost of Rs 2 crore.

He inaugurated the Kural lift irrigation scheme completed at a cost of Rs 1.10 crore, which will benefit six villages of the area by providing irrigation facility on 1,605.07 hectares land.

He inaugurated a lift-drinking water scheme for Thaliyal set up at a cost of Rs 88.30 lakh. It will benefit more than 3,250 people of six villages.

Later, addressing a political rally at Naura, the CM said Himachal had made tremendous progress in the education sector and emphasis was being laid on providing quality education.

He said he was not against private educational institutes, but it would be ensured that they provide quality education.

No private institution would be allowed to do business in the name of education, he stated.

Himachal Pradesh started its journey from a point where there were nominal health, education, roads and electricity facilities, but today, the state has made spectacular development in all sectors.

Today, health and educational institutions and road facilities have been provided even to the farthest corners of the state and people are living in a state of prosperity, he said.

Himachal Pradesh is among the leading states when it comes to providing subsidised ration to its consumers, he further said.

The state has implemented Rajeev Ann Yojana under Food Security Bill and all the ration card holder families are being provided subsidised ration, he went on to state.

Besides, 35 kg ration is being provided to BPL and Antyodaya families in the state, he said. The state government is providing Rs 175 crore subsidy for giving ration on subsidised rates and an additional provision of Rs 62 crore has been made under the scheme, he added.

The Chief Minister announced upgrade of the Primary Health Centre Dheera to Community Health Centre and Government High School Dheera to Government Senior Secondary School.

He said separate science and commerce blocks would be constructed for Naura college. He announced Rs 25 lakh for construction of a multipurpose sports stadium and Rs 50 lakh for constructing a bus stand at Pudhwa.

He announced Rs 10,000 for the children of Dheera school for promotion of cultural activities and Rs 5,000 to Kumari Khushboo of the school who won the first prize in inter-school poetry competition.

Food and Civil Supplies Minister GS Bali said the Congress government had invested Rs 700 crore on developing Tanda Medical College as superspecialty hospital and work on this project would be completed in the next two months.

The facility of 200 more beds would be added to this hospital to facilitate the patients. He said 1,300 new buses were being added to the fleet of HRTC and more buses would be purchased to facilitate commuters in the state.

Sudhir Sharma, Urban Development Minister, Pawan Kajal, Sanjay Rattan and Yadnendra Goma, MLAs, were among others present on the occasion.

Shimla, December 30
The state government will issue show-cause notices for cancellation of the approval given to six private medical colleges that have failed to come up. These projects have been approved by the Health Department .

The six medical colleges, approved under the Green Fields project to rope in private players, will be given a month’s time to reply to the show-cause notice. The Cabinet has already given its nod for issuing the notices. The letter of intent (LOI) to these projects were given in 2009-10 and since these are valid for two years, the notices are being issued.

The six colleges are the Maa Saraswati Education Trust, Kala Amb in Sirmour, the Vocational Education Foundation, Hamirpur, the Amrut ANS Education and Social Trust, Una, Swami Vivekanand Medical College, Palampur, the Akal Institute of Medical Education and Research, Baru Sahib in Sirmour, and the Swift Fundamental Research and Education Society, Una.

“There has been little progress by these institutions who had been issued LOI, so we will issue them the notices as to why the sanction granted to these should not be withdrawn,” said Ali Raza Rizvi, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare. He added that they would be given one-month time to cite reasons for the delay and update the government on the progress.

Sources in the Health Department said only Maharishi Markandeshwar Medical College, Solan, had become functional and admissions to the MBBS course had been done. There had also been some progress at another medical college but in most cases, nothing much had been done.

“In case of Swami Vivekanand Medical College, Palampur, one part of the institute, mainly dealing with naturopathy, was functioning but there is little progress with regard to the setting up of the medical college which is the primary objective,” said a health official.

If those executing the medical colleges fail to provide the convincing reasons, then the next step would be withdrawal of the LOI. Officials admit that if they cite genuine problems such as delay in transfer of land or in seeking government approvals, they could be granted some more time.

It was with much fanfare that the government had invited private players to set up medical colleges in Himachal under Green Field projects. As per the guidelines of the Medical Council of India (MCI), it was mandatory for these colleges to have a 150-bed medical college.

Though these medical colleges were to purchase land from individuals, keeping in view the land constraint in the hills, the government had given relaxation to some of them in the mandatory minimum land requirement from 25 to 20 acres. Besides this, another relaxation that has been made in case of hills is that the hospital and medical college could be at two places within a distance of 10 km.

Shimla, December 30
The policy of opening degree colleges being pursued by successive governments has resulted in lopsided expansion of higher education, further aggravating the problem of unemployment in the state.

The state already has 97 degree colleges, 68 in the government sector and 29 in the private sector, five Sanskrit colleges and 72 B.Ed colleges, which are far too many for the small state. These colleges churn out 50,000 qualified youth annually for whom there are hardly any jobs. Yet the government is keen on opening more colleges.

Annual jobs available for graduates in the government sector are only around 5,000 and thus, over 40,000 persons are being added to the ranks of unemployed annually. The situation is worse in case of B.Ed, with the number of unemployed already exceeding 60,000 and 8,000 more are being added every year. The jobs available for them are less than 2,000, according to an official data.

Worse, the pass outs from these institutions are not employable in the industrial sector in which most of the jobs are being created of late. Out of the 8.61 lakh enrolled unemployed, 2.10 lakh are graduates and postgraduates. “While the pass outs from industrial training institutes and polytechnics are finding placements, degree holders are jobless,” said a senior official underlining the need for reviewing the policy.

Unemployment problem will get worse progressively as the government plans to raise the gross enrolment ratio (GER) from the current 24 , which is already higher than the national GER of 18 to 32 over the next 10 years under the Rashtriya Uchhtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).

The state has been lacking in quality institutions, which could ensure jobs. For instance, it has no Indian Institute of Management and the government has failed to provide land for Central university, which started functioning four years ago. A well established Central university will be a boon for students, who are at the mercy of private universities which lacked credibility. Technical education has been in a mess and private universities and colleges are not finding students despite relaxation in admission norms.

RD Dhiman, Principal Secretary, Education, said the situation would improve with the implementation of the National Vocational Education Qualification Framework as colleges would be able to impart vocational education. It has been introduced in 100 schools and it will be extended to colleges in a phased manner.

Nurpur, December 30
Inhabitants of as many as 20 gram panchayats of Kotla in the Jawali Assembly constituency who have been raising the demand for a sub-tehsil for the past 15 years have urged Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to fulfil his commitment in this connection.

They rue that hollow promises and announcements have been made by the present and successive state governments.

The then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, during his Parivartan rally at Jawali just a few months before the Assembly elections in 2012, had promised to fulfil the long-standing demand of Kotla residents for a sub-tehsil after his government came to power.

After the change of guard in the state, Virbhadra visited Jawali a few months ago and announced the opening of a sub-tehsil at Kotla, but even after over four months, this sub-tehsil has not started functioning, inconveniencing the residents who have to travel 25 to 30 kilometres to reach Jawali for their tehsil-level works.

Intriguingly, the Chief Minister had also announced the opening of a Government Degree College at Nagrota Surian in Jawali sub-division, but nothing has been done so far.

Yog Raj, pradhan of Kotla gram panchayat, has urged Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to fulfil his announcement by opening a sub-tehsil at Kotla as thousands of people of the Kotla belt were facing hardship because they had to travel 30 to 35 kilometres to reach Jawali for their tehsil-level works.

In this connection, local MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary (education) Neeraj Bharti said the government had issued notification for a sub-tehsil at Kotla and soon, a naib tehsildar would be posted here.

Shimla, December 30
Participation of the country’s top three skiers, two of them from Manali, in the Russian winter Olympics to be held at its city of Sochi from February 7 to 24 under the national flag, has run into rough weather as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) remained banned by the International Olympic Committee.

It has been by dint of individual hard work that Indian skiers Himanshu Thakur (alpine skiing), Hira Lal (cross-country), both from Manali and Nadeem Iqbal from the Army, have qualified for the winter Olympiad by scoring the required Federation de International of Skiing (FIS) points in different competitions held in Europe this year.

Shiva Keshvan, who also hails from Manali, has qualified for participation in ruse (sledge) event in Russia.

“We have qualified on FIS points and are eagerly waiting for the IOA’s nod for representing the country in the winter Olympics in Russia,” said Hira Lal and Himanshu Thakur.

“India has no presence in the winter Olympics as the state and Central governments provide neither funds nor facilities for winter games in the country,” they resented.

The government has not recognised winter sports as being on a par with other games so far. They are kept in the category of other sports. Skiers from India have been participating in the winter Olympiads since 2006.

“If a sportsperson wins a national medal in another game recognised by the government, the person gets Rs 80,000. But the winter game athletes get nothing in Himachal. We spent Rs 7 lakh each for FIS competitions,” rued Hira Lal.

Sadly, the IOA has not taken it seriously and has not held its mandatory elections so far for its membership to be restored, rued Roshan Thakur, secretary general, Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI).

WGFI has written several times to the IOA, the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs and the Director General of Sports Authority of India to release Rs 1 crore fund for the federation and resolve the IOA election row, but nothing has happened so far, said Brig SS Patwal, president, WGFI.

“No individual participation is allowed in Olympics. Unless IOA revives its membership, our bright skiers will be denied entry in the Sochi Olympiad,” he lamented.

State principal secretary, youth affairs and sports, VC Pharka said they had taken up the matter with the Centre. The WGFI should take up the issue with its international counterpart as they can ensure the country's participation in the Olympics.

“We are providing 5 per cent job quota to all sportspersons in the state,” he added.

This is for the first time in the history of the HP High Court that it has seen two Chief Justices and three Acting Chief Justices in a year. In 2013, it has been headed by five judges. In the beginning of the year, Justice Kurian Joseph was the Chief Justice of the High Court, but after his elevation as a Judge of the Supreme Court, the court was headed by Justice RB Misra as the Acting Chief Justice for a brief period. Thereafter, Justice Ajay Manikrao Khanwilkar became the Chief Justice in April and he remained here till November. After the transfer of Justice Khanwilkar as the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Justice Dev Darshan Sud headed the institution as the Acting Chief Justice for a short period. Finally, Justice Mansoor Ahmed Mir from the Jammu & Kashmir High Court was transferred here as a Judge and simultaneously took over the charge of the Acting Chief Justice of the court.

Apart from this, the strength of judges had decreased from 10 to 6. It has seen the maximum number of retirement this year. Justice VK Ahuja, Justice RB Misra and Justice Surinder Singh are among those who retired this year. Justice Deepak Gupta has been elevated as the Chief Justice of the Tripura High Court.

Apart from the administrative changes, the High Court had delivered landmark judgments this year, which has embarrassed the state government. One such order is on the issue of transfers made on the basis of political consideration where the court held that the transfer of a government employee at the instance of a person, who had no role to play in the government, would not only be extraneous consideration but also against public policy. Thereafter, in another similar type of case, the court had quashed and set aside a provision of the state transfer policy vide which there was a provision that on request of public representatives, transfer of an employee would be considered by the competent authority.

It was a big jolt to the state government when in a case the High Court directed the state authorities to immediately restore the possession of properties of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), including the stadium at Dharamsala, which were taken over on October 26, 2013.

This interim order came as a major reprieve to the HPCA as the court directed the state government to restore the status quo ante as on October 26, 2013. The court passed this order on a petition filed by the HPCA challenging the decision of the government to cancel the lease granted in favour of it and take over its premises. The HPCA is headed by Anurag Thakur, BJP MP and son of former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. While passing this order, the court said the orders of forcible dispossession was against law, constitutional guarantee and obligations of the state to its citizens as a person in settled possession of a premises could not be dispossessed by an executive fiat, even though he could be stated as a trespasser.

In an another embarrassment to the state government, the efforts of the state to regulate private educational universities received a big jolt when the state High Court in its judgment quashed the Himachal Pradesh Private Education Institution (Regulatory Commission) Act, 2010, and declared it ultra vires and unconstitutional. The court also quashed the assessment orders, circulars, notices passed by the Himachal Pradesh Private Education Institution Regulatory Commission by holding that these were issued without any authority of law.

With a view to clean the administration by removing officers of doubtful integrity from sensitive posts, the court on a Public Interest Litigation directed the Chief Secretary to shift 43 officials of doubtful integrity to non-sensitive posts.

In a major relief to employees of the State Public Sector Undertakings (PSU), the court had allowed pension to those employees, who were members of the Pension Scheme notified on October 1999, which burdened the state with 225 crore.

In its efforts towards e-courts this year, the state High Court had made several changes in its functioning and has become one of the first high courts in the country to provide court case details and other key judicial information in public domain. Litigants can now access website of the High Court and get details of cases, which are either pending or disposed of at the High Court as well as 100 district and sub-divisional courts in the state.

As many as 100 out of 118 district and sub-divisional courts in the state have so far been covered under the e-Courts Mission Mode Project sponsored by the Department of Justice, Government of India. Now, the listing of a freshly filed case in the High Court is ensured within seven court working days. Also, the next date of hearing in a court is generated automatically using the Case Management Information System, which has been replaced with the earlier used List of Business Information System. The HP High Court is among the top three best performing High Courts as far as implementation of the e-Courts Project is concerned.

Solan, December 30
Value Added tax (VAT) collections have registered a marginal increase of 16.4 per cent in the state, while income generation in lieu of luxury tax on hotels has taken a sharp dip in view of declining tourist rush.

VAT, which is charged on various items at the rate of 4 to 13.75 per cent, is a major source of revenue generation in the state and as against 15 per cent hike achieved in the previous year by November this year, the hike has been marginally increased to 16.4 per cent. VAT collections comprise 40 per cent of revenue generated by the Excise and Taxation Department and the department endeavours to make maximum efforts to increase its collection every year.

The income generated in lieu of excise had registered a hike of 17.2 per cent by November 30, while barely 32 crore could be generated in lieu of luxury tax, said KK Sharma, Joint Commissioner, Excise and Taxation Department, who attributed the low tourism rush to the Uttarakhand disaster.

With an overall increase of 14.37 per cent in the revenue generation this year, the department was endeavouring to achieve its target of about Rs 4,407 crore by the end of the current financial year. The department had collected around Rs 3,000 crore tax till November end putting together its various earnings, added Sharma.

The department had introduced various new schemes to enhance revenue, which included mandatory realisation of tax outside one’s jurisdiction for its officials. This exercise, which began a few months ago, has helped realise additional revenue of Rs 45 lakh per month.

Efforts like introduction of e-declaration of goods have also helped check tax evasion, though efforts to check tax evasion from escape routes lying in various bordering areas still needs to be strengthened.

Shimla, December 30
The Executive Council (EC) of Himachal Pradesh University today constituted a single-member committee under Chander Shekhar to probe the tender given to a Gurgaon company for the preparation of degree certificates and detailed mark sheets (DMCs) of the students.

The EC took the decision after its members raised the issue at the meeting which was attended by most of the EC members, Harish Janartha, Chander Shekhar, Bambar Thakur and Vice-Chancellor Dr ADN Bajpai, Registrar Dr Mohan Jharta, Director, Higher Education, Dr Dinkar Burathoki, Director, IGMC, Shimla, Dr KK Kashaul, Director, ICDEOL, Dr KP Thakur, elected member Waryan Singh Bains, Dean of Studies, Suresh Kumar.

According to sources, the EC members raised single tender given to the Gurgaon firm, pointing out that the students were not getting the DMCs and degree certificates.

The university informed the EC that they had given the tender to the firm after the Resource Management Mobilisation Committee recommended that the DMCs and degrees should be made through "the German technique so that these are durable and presentable", revealed insiders.

The university authorities informed the EC that there was no delay as the first batch had passed this year.

The EC disqualified the affiliation to two B.Ed colleges for not fulfilling the criteria and released Rs 1 crore grant to the regional centre, Dharamsala.

The EC gave approval to promote 21 associate professors to professors and three assistant professors to associate professors, informed the university press note.

The EC was also informed that 565 posts were vacant in the university. SCA officer-bearers Rajan Harta and Piyush Sewal and the ABVP gave a memorandum to EC members. It was pity that the EC did not take any decision for the welfare of students and discussed a political agenda, said they.

Shimla, December 30
Irrigation and Public Health Minister Vidya Stokes today refuted allegations of commission in her department as mentioned in the BJP "chargesheet".

In a statement issued here today, she termed the BJP "chargesheet" as a bundle of lies with a motive to defame the Congress.

She said PK Dhumal and his like-minded coterie were deliberately fabricating false cases to divert the attention of the state's people.

Stokes said as far as quality of GI pipes was concerned, the requirement of 7,475.82 metric tonnes was received from all the zones of the department and approved by the screening committee in its meeting held on June 24, 2013 for procurement through the L-I firms shortlisted against tenders and rates approved during 2012 which were valid up to June 30, 2013.

Irrigation and Public Health Minister said orders were accordingly placed with five firms on June 29, 2013 for procurement of 7064.30 metric tonnes GI pipes. These include Bhushan Power Steel Ltd Chandigarh, for 5187.52 metric tonnes, APL Apollo Tubes Ltd Delhi, 1,241.45 metric tonnes, AST Pipes Pvt Ltd Ghaziabad, 414.92 metric tonnes, Vishal Pipes Ltd Delhi, 126.85 metric tonnes and Tirupati Containers Pvt Ltd Ghaziabad 93.56 metric tonnes.

All the supplies of GI pipes have been received against these supply orders, she stated.

She said as far as quality of the GI pipes was concerned, firms having BIS certification were considered for procurement of GI pipes and there was no grading of firms into A, B and C.

Pre-dispatch inspection of pipes was done and in addition, 30 per cent of the total quantity was inspected on the factory premises through authorised agencies after drawing samples as per BIS norms in presence of officers of firms and officers from HP Civil Supplies Corporation, she further stated.

She said no complaints had been received regarding quality of pipes from any of the consignees.

"It is obvious that the allegations are not based on facts and the BJP is giving concocted statements and submitted an ambiguous "chargesheet" to mislead the people," she said.

Shimla, December 30
Revellers, hoping to usher in a New White Year, are all set for the big bash tomorrow.

Both HPTDC-run resorts and private hotels have offered dine and dance parties, bonfire and DJs for couples as well as singles.

Following western disturbances, a heavy snowfall was expected in Pangi, Lahaul-Spiti and Rohtang Pass, while snow or rains could lash Narkanda, Kharapathar and Shimla hills by tomorrow evening, said Dr Manmohan Singh, Director, Meteorological Department, Shimla.

Manmohan said since parts of Haryana and Delhi were covered with clouds, western disturbances had covered the entire northern region, predicting snow or rains on the New Year eve.

Special checks were being made to check overcharging at the hotels and no complaints had come to light so far, said Surender Justa, Deputy Director, Tourism.

The police had deployed extra force to meet any untoward incident during the New Year rush, said Abhishek Dular, Superintendent of Police, Shimla.

Hoteliers and the Tourism Department have made specials arrangements for revellers, including drinks, dance, desserts and DJs, with special packages for couples and singles.

HPTDC’s Peterhoff

Indoor Dine and dance dinner with attractive ethnic and tempting cuisine for walk-in couples. Price tag Rs 4,000 per couple that includes unlimited snacks, drinks and desserts and dinner from 7 pm to 12 midnight. The hotel authorities have made special arrangements to choose Ms Peterhoff.

HPTDC’s Hotel Holiday Home

Dine and dance with DJs and qawali night with unlimited snacks and dinner for couples. Package: Rs 6,000 per couple. The show will begin from 7 pm to 12 midnight. The HPTDC is offering dine and dance at its Fagu and Chail resort for walk-in couples and guests.

Gala Nights at Hotel Combermere and Marina

The twin hotels provide dinner and dance nights for limited walk-in couples. The price tag of Rs 8,000 per couple is fixed at Hotel Combermere, while Rs 12,000 at Marina with unlimited premium drinks and 15 types of desserts and Mexican, Thai, Lebanese, Chinese and Indian food, informed Ishwar Dhareula, manager.

Mask dance at Roller Skating Rink, Lakkar Bazaar

It offers Masquerade party at Rs 4,000 per walk-in couple and Rs 2,500 for singles which provides unlimited snacks and drinks and food, said Deepak Bhimta, organiser. The Wildflower Hall, near ski slopes of Kufri, and Hotel Cecil and Oberoi Clarks in the town were offering dine and dance night on the New year eve for its in-house guests, informed managers.

Frequency at Northern Crown Spa and Resort, Galu, Fagu

The resort provides rock party from 8 pm to 12 midnight for Rs 6,500 per walk-in couple with unlimited snacks and food and drinks for New Year eve revellers. 

Bilaspur, December 30
The state government will provide employment to youth of the state. For this, “Rozgaar Melas” are now being organised at different places in the state.

This was stated by State Planning Development and 20-Point Implementation Committee chairman Ram Lal Thakur while inaugurating a state-level Rozgaar Mela at Suharghat, 42 km from here, yesterday.

Thakur said the state government had provided Rs 100 crore this year for the skill development allowance of Rs 1,000 per month for two years to those who are getting training in any institute.

He said the mela had been organised by the State Labour and Employment Department and a total of 17 private companies were participating in it.

Of the 1,762 youth registered at the mela, only 425 could get employment letters from various companies.

Those who were present on the occasion included SDM Dr ML Mehta, Labour and Employment official Krishan Kumar Sharma, tehsildar Rajendra Fista and District labour official Rajendra Chauhan.

Shimla, December 30
Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition PK Dhumal today said Rahul Gandhi, who had been harping about zero-tolerance towards corruption, should take note of the corruption allegations against Virbhadra Singh.

Dhumal said during a meeting with Congress-ruled Chief Minister, Rahul spoke about zero tolerance towards corruption, but now was the time for him to prove that he practised what he preached. "Rather than rendering mere lip-service, Rahul must prove through action that he is serious about his fight against corruption," Dhumal remarked.

He said with Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley raising the issue of loans raised by Virbhadra Singh and shares of his family in a power firm, it was high time that the Chief minister clarified the situation.

"All along Virbhadra Singh has been maintaining that my son Arun Dhumal is nobody to raise these issues, but now when Jaitley has raised the issue, he must clear the air which has been in public domain for quite some time," he said.

State BJP spokesperson and BJP MLA Randhir Sharma demanded the resignation of Virbhadra Singh from the post of Chief Minister. "He kept dismissing the allegations by stating that he was not answerable to Arun Dhumal, but now he has to answer to the issues raised by Jaitley," he said. If Virbhadra refused to resign, the Prime Minister must remove him from office as he was facing serious allegations.

Sharma said Jaitley had given complete documentary evidence of the loan taken by Virbhadra and the alleged favour given to the power firm in which his wife and children had shares.

Una, December 30
The groundwater reserves in Una and Sirmaur districts are overstressed. As per reports available with the State Hydro-Geology Department in Una, groundwater reserves in Una are ‘critical’, while in the Kala Amb valley in Sirmour district, it has reached the ‘over-exploited’ stage.

As per a report ‘Dynamic groundwater estimation of Himachal Pradesh’, compiled jointly by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and the State Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department, copies of which are available with the State Hydro-Geology Department, there are eight major groundwater reservoirs in the state -- the Indora and Nurpur valleys in Kangra, the Balh valley in Mandi, the Paonta and Kala Amb valleys in Sirmour, the Nalagarh valley in Solan, besides the Una and Hum valleys in Una district.

The annual groundwater availability in million cubic metres in Indora is 105.2, in Nurpur 76.39, in Balh 59.42, in Paonta 81.55, in Kala Amb 0.96, in Nalagarh 83.31, in Una 194.72 and in the Hum valley, it is 5.63.

The report, which is based on groundwater data till 2011, states that the percentage of water withdrawal in the Indora, Nurpur, Balh, Paonta, Kala Amb, Nalagarh, Una and the Hum valleys was 50, 39.5, 15.3, 26.6, 564.6, 52, 107 and 99.5, respectively. Consequently, while Una and Hum have been placed in the ‘critical’ category, Kala Amb is under the ‘over-exploited’ category.

Senior state hydrogeologist Kuldip Mandhotra said there was a static reserve of underground fresh water. While generally the replenishable reserve is pumped out, even the static reserve has begun to be exploited in the Kala Amb and Una valleys.

IPH Department executive engineer Mukesh Hira said the present situation was such that more water was being pumped out of the earth than what was seeping in every year. He admitted that the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) had stopped funding new lift irrigation schemes in Una and Kala Amb for the past three years, adding that even the Union government funding for lift irrigation schemes had been stopped in view of the pressure on groundwater. 

Una, December 30
Thousands of devotees queued up at the Chintpurni shrine to pay obeisance to the deity on the occasion of the four-day New Year fair that began today. The temple has been especially decorated with flowers and lights to suit the occasion.

Temple Officer Subhash Chauhan said the Chintpurni Temple Trust had made special arrangements, including deputing extra home guards and police force, to manage the rush of people.

A medical camp had also been set up near the premises, while the administration had ensured that the supply of essential items such as drinking water, eatables and milk were available for the devotees, he said.

Meanwhile, in view of the heavy rush of devotees, particularly during the Navratra fairs, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to fund an integrated tourist amenities centre near the shrine on which Rs 36.63 crore will be spent. Assistant engineer of the temple trust RK Jaswal said the centre, to be developed on a 4.5 acre plot near the bus stand, would have a parking facility for 290 vehicles, 200 units of toilets, an amphitheatre, six lifts, a waiting hall and computer counters for dispensing darshan chits to devotees.

Jaswal said the tender for the work had been awarded and the trust had already deposited its share of 37 per cent of the estimated cost to the ADB. He said the temple trust had also passed a project of Rs 8.9 crore for constructing rooms and dormitories from its own funds for housing devotees. He said the drawings had been prepared and the project would come up adjacent to the facility funded by the ADB.