|
|
|
|
|
Lower hills reel under heat wave
Moral policing goes viral
VIGNETTES |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Shongtong-Karcham
power project
State to celebrate 2014 as ‘silk year’
Villagers blacken boy’s face for teasing girl
Incentives galore, but cement companies refuse to decrease price
PM urged to take up Tibet issue with Chinese minister
Chairman Kangra Block Samiti, BDO spar over purchase of solar lights
47 panchayats declared 'nirmal' in Chamba
Tourist rush on the rise
Body of missing man found from BBMB canal
Una villages face drinking water shortage
Call to fill vacant posts of doctor
CITU activists gherao labour office SFI condemns cane-charge on HPU students 5 killed in two road accidents House destroyed in Chamba fire Una enter cricket quarterfinals Training for NCC cadets Man’s body found hanging from tree Rs 14.06 crore for Chamba development work
|
|
Lower hills reel under heat wave
Shimla, June 8 The day temperature breached the 40ºC mark at Sundernagar in Mandi district to stay at 40.5ºC, while Kangra and Nahan recorded a high of 39.1ºC and 38.6ºC, five degrees above normal. Solan and Bhuntar recorded the maximum temperature at 37.5ºC and 37ºC, 6.2ºC and 4.2ºC above normal, while Shimla reeled under unusual heat with the mercury rising to 31.2ºC, seven degrees
above normal. The minimum temperature also rose by few notches and Nahan and Palampur recorded a low of 25.6ºC and 24.2ºC, three and four degrees above normal, while Kalpa in tribal Kinnaur district recorded a minimum of 11.2ºC, five degrees above normal. Shimla recorded a minimum of 20.1ºC, five degrees above normal, while Keylong was the coldest at night with a low of 8.2ºC. The weather remained dry across the state barring Saloni in Chamba district which experienced 15 mm of rain. The perennial sources of water are drying due to sizzling heat and if the mercury stays high over the next few days, acute water shortage may occur in scarcity-prone areas, officials said. The
Manali-Leh national highway, the highest road in the world, has been opened to tourists after nearly seven months, but the order of the Green Tribunal to levy congestion tax is causing inconvenience to them. A check post has been set up near Gulaba on the
Manali-Rohtang highway for issuing permits to tourist vehicles and a tax of Rs 50 is being charged. |
|
|
Moral policing goes viral
Dharamsala/Una, June 8 The students were seen pleading with them to show mercy. The social vigilantes were justifying their action by maintaining that the students were destroying their culture. Sources said the incident pertained to a village near Kangra where the students had gone for camping. The video clip has shocked many. However, since the students involved did not lodge any complaint with the police, no action has been taken. Sources said the students did not report the incident as they feared that
the NIFT authorities might take action against them for camping out late in the evening. Another incident happened at Sanoli Majara village in Una district. The village is located on the border of Punjab and Himachal. Sources said a youth of a high caste community allegedly misbehaved with a girl of a lower caste community in the village. The entire panchayats of lower caste communities in the area gathered and demanded action against the boy. However, sources said instead of lodging a police complaint, the panchayats decided to deal with the matter. The youth, who had misbehaved with the girl, was punished by the panchayat that satisfied the family of the victim. Sources said as a punishment, the face of the boy was blackened and he was paraded in the village. In this case also, no police complaint was lodged and justice was served by social vigilantes. Such incidents in Himachal surprised many and indicated towards increasing social vigilantism that ought to be checked by the authorities. |
|
VIGNETTES The Shimla Amateur Garden and Environment Society (SAGES) flower show is one of the activities of the Shimla Summer Festival that is held every year in the first week of June. Dr Sanjeev Gulati had rightly written in the SAGES Visitor’s Book that it was the only day-activity for general public in the Summer Festival. If the Visitor’s Book is any measure, then I find that tourists from Chandigarh, Punjab and Delhi had visited such a flower show for the first time. It fits best on the Hindi proverb “Ghar ka jogi Jogra; Bahar ka jogi Siddh” or, perhaps in one’s own town one is so busy in earning bread and butter that one has no time to "stand and stare".
The flower show, annually, is held in the open space available around the statue of Indira Gandhi on The Ridge. A shamiana is erected here especially for the purpose through the courtesy of the district administration. This year God Varun (god of thunder and storm) did not have His pleasing eye towards the organisers and when schoolchildren were arranging the flowers, he threw his temper; the poles got dislodged and the shamiana blew off; the children were taken to a safe place nearby where they did the arrangements. Monal Public School, Sanjauli, got the first position, thereby the participating students from that school got the honour of opening the flower show the next day. There were 350 displays in various categories of flowers and foliage in the show (See photo) although the number of participants was about 50. Additional Chief Secretary (Horticulture) Vineet Chaudhry, who gave away the prizes and presided over the valedictory session, praised the efforts of SAGES, which the society had been organising for the past 17 years. To "catch them young" in the field, he announced that a running trophy by the state Horticulture Department would be given to the best maintained garden of the schools in Shimla. Geetika Sood bagged the highest number of prizes - four first and two second. She also lifted two running trophies (See photo). She had developed interest in floriculture for about 15 years ago when her family had shifted to a new house near Combermere Bridge. She and her husband thought of utilising the vacant rooftop for developing a garden. They were aware of the two deterrents - monkey menace and water scarcity. They could save their garden from the monkeys’ plunder by raising a net on the sides of the rooftop and erecting a glasshouse. The rain water harvesting managed to supplement their requirement for watering the plants. Geetika says, “Though it is a cumbersome job, I water each and every plant separately and not waste water just by spilling it over the plants.” It is a learning point for all flower-lovers. She first started cultivating roses after buying saplings from a Chandigarh nursery. Her interest in gardening got a boost 13 years ago when she participated in the SAGES Flower Show and won a prize. That prize acted as a stimulus and motivated her to do better and better. There is a mound near her house from where she started collecting soil for the pots and when this handicap was solved, she added more varieties to her garden and, today, it is a "pride of place" in her household. She feels a flower show can attract more entries if it is organised at a drive-in location in Shimla and that too in April last or early May when the flowers here are in full bloom. SAGES is also remembered for its eco-bags. The credit for designing eco-bag goes to one of the members of SAGES - Reiko Sukumaran. She uses parachute cloth to make an eco-bag hardy and handy. It can be folded to pocket-handkerchief size; tucked into a pouch attached to it and be kept in the gents’ pocket or ladies’ purse causing no inconvenience. Eco-bags sell like hot cakes because carrying things to home in paper bags is unwieldy in polythene-free Shimla. TAILPIECE Mother’s work:
Son’s prize. The chief guest informed the house that he got first prize in flower arrangement when he was in the 4th standard. His mother had arranged flowers for him for a competition.
|
|
|
Shongtong-Karcham
power project Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service
Shimla, June 8 The depot and barracks are of strategic importance and located downstream from the project site, sources revealed. A team, led by Chief Secretary Parthsarthi Mitra, met the Defence Secretary at the Ministry of Defence office, New Delhi. The ministry has agreed in principle to allow the HPPCL to carry out “non-hazardous activities at the site, but the Army is yet to take a final call on ground zero,” sources said. The Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, has been asked to provide suitable land to the Army for the ammunition depot. Earlier, two sites were suggested for the project, but the Army has not yet agreed, the sources revealed. The Army stalled the work on the project citing the strategic importance of the ammunition depot and barracks functioning near Powari for decades. The team rushed to Delhi after Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh took up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday evening to resolve the deadlock. The delay can push up the costs from the projected Rs 2,807.83 crore in 2011. But the Army still insists that the project site is the only safe and flat land available in the tribal belt to store, reinforce and strategise the defence line in the upstream forward posts of the Kaurik border with China, 200 km from the project site. The HPPCL started work on the project in 2012 after the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) gave its clearance. But the corporation has not got the clearance or NOC from the Ministry of Defence. DK Sharma, Managing Director, HPPCL, said the issue had been resolved for the time being as they would carry out only non-hazardous activities there. The project posed no hazards to the Army depot and was not acquiring any land there, he added. The project is located upstream of the 1,000-MW Karcham-Wangtoo power project and is a run-of-the-river scheme. The Satluj water will be diverted through a head race tunnel to generate 450 MW electricity in an underground powerhouse, located on the left bank of the Satluj near Ralli village. The project will generate 1,579 million units of electricity per annum. The project is being constructed through EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) mode of contract.
|
|
|
State to celebrate 2014 as ‘silk year’
Shimla, June 8 The Himachal Pradesh General Industrial Corporation (HPGIC), running the lone silk mill, has decided to add more varieties, launch innovative plans and give offers to convert it into a profit-earning unit. An official spokesman said the government
was committed to boost the economy of the local people by imparting training and encouraging greater participation in silk manufacturing. When Kangra was a part of Punjab, the government established the unit at Nurpur in 1963, with the intention to develop it as the silk centre of the entire northern region. The unit was commissioned on June 9, 1964, and started yarn manufacturing. Three years after Kangra became a part of Himachal on November 1, 1966, the control of the unit was handed over to Himachal Pradesh Mineral and Industrial Development Corporation (HPMIDC). The unit was expanded in 1976, with the merger of the carpet manufacturing unit, and it started manufacturing silk fabric. Initially, chinnon and chiffon produced here became famous across North India. In 1988, the HPGIC took charge of the industry. Realising the importance and potential of the mill, the HPGIC started making an effort to revive the industry and concentrated on making designer sarees, suits, shawls, stoles, jackets, scarves and innovative fabric with various design and variations, besides manufacturing traditionally produced silk sarees and suits. The silk mill is being projected aggressively in the neighbouring states also, under the brand name of Himachali Silk, to make people aware about the quality of the fabric and attractive designer products. To reach out to maximum people, the unit exhibits its products at major fairs of the state such as Kullu Dashera, Lavi, Winter Carnival, Manali festival, Mandi Shivratri and Shimla Summer Festival. |
|
|
Villagers blacken boy’s face for teasing girl
Una, June 8 According to accused Varinder Singh's father Mukhtiar Singh, his son was beaten up in the presence of panchayat members and other locals. He alleged that later, he was paraded in the village with his face painted black. He said Varinder, who repeatedly pleaded not guilty, was dejected and even tried to end his life after reaching home. On the other hand, the mother of the minor girl, in her complaint, has alleged that the accused had teased her daughter with obscene remarks. After the incident, locals were divided in favour of either parties. With threat to peace in the village, the panchayat informed the district administration, requesting its intervention. SDM Dhanvir Thakur said the situation was now under control and tempers were cooled after deliberations. He said it was decided to lodge cross-cases and investigate into the matter. DSP Surinder Sharma said a case under Sections 354 and 506, IPC, besides the SC/ST Act and the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act had been registered against Varinder, while another case under Sections 147, 149, 355, 342, 323 and 506, IPC, had been registered against the pradhans of Sanoli, Majara, Malukpur, Poona and Binewal panchayats. He said the matter was being investigated, adding that no arrest had been made so far. |
|
|
Incentives galore, but cement companies refuse to decrease price
Solan, June 8 A cement bag is costlier by Rs 30 to Rs 45 in Himachal than in the neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. Cement prices had been increased by Rs 10-30 per bag in March this year and it was available at Rs 335 per bag in Solan, while it was Rs 10-15 per bag costlier in far-off areas such as Kinnaur and
Lahaul-Spiti, owing to the transportation costs. The high price continues, despite the transport subsidy worth nearly Rs 25 crore being available to these cement plants as an incentive extended by the Union Government. Though Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri has taken up the cause with the cement companies to ensure that the prices were at par with the neighbouring states, he has achieved little success till now. While the cement companies have been taking the plea of higher freight charges as the prime reason for the high price, the state appears to have benefited little from allowing cement manufacturers to invest here. “Pollution has emerged as a perpetual cause of concern to environmentalists as air, water and noise pollution have degraded the quality of life around these cement plants,” said Balkrishen Sharma, general secretary of an environmental NGO at
Nalagarh. The State Pollution Control Board has finally woken up to issue notices to the two plants. JP Cements is also exceeding its approved manufacturing capacity from 2.05 metric tonne per annum
(MTPA) of clinker to 2.8 MTPA. The case of Ambuja Cements Limited was no better which sold only 25 to 30 per cent of its stock in the state, despite asserting to sell nearly 70 per cent. |
|
|
PM urged to take up Tibet issue with Chinese minister
Dharamsala, June 8 The crisis in Tibet over the past few years has only worsened, which is why Tibetans and Tibet activists around the world are intensifying efforts to urge countries to build pressure on China to end the severe repression in Tibet. “We take this opportunity to welcome the new government and are thankful to Modi for inviting Tibetan Government-in-Exile PM Lobsang Sangay to the swearing in ceremony. India made a strong and clear statement on its stand on Tibet, along with their longstanding support and understanding”, said Dorjee
Tseten, Asia Director, Students for a Free Tibet. Since Xi Jinping became China’s President in March 2013, China’s grip on Tibet has tightened. The renewed clampdown includes mass detention, violent military responses to peaceful protests, increased use of “patriotic re-education” campaigns and the criminalisation of family members of those 130 people who have protested by burning their bodies to protest the Chinese rule in Tibet. “We ask the Government of India to issue a strong statement in light of the current human rights violation, the provocative policies and crisis in Tibet. It’s time now for India to devise a counter-strategy by reinforcing the issue of Tibet in the talks with the Chinese Foreign Minister,” said Rashi
Jauhri, deputy programme director, Students for a Free Tibet-India. |
|
|
Chairman Kangra Block Samiti, BDO spar over purchase of solar lights
Kangra, June 8 He said the BDO issued a cheque for Rs 8.64 lakh to the party concerned with his personal signature only, thereby violating the government direction of December 12, 2001, under No. 30CH-HA (1-3/98) which said such accounts might have at least two
signatories. Kulbash said for all public institutions such as villages,
panchayats, zila parishads, mahila mandals and block samitis among other
organisations, it was a legal precedence to have at least two signatories. He said earlier, both BDO and block samiti chairman used to sign the
cheques. He said on May 22, 2014, the BDO issued a cheque of Rs 8.64 lakh with his signature only and on June 4, 2014, he sent a letter to the Kangra Central Co-Operative Bank
(KCCB) Ltd manager stating that the cheque with only one signature be entertained. He demanded a high-level inquiry into the alleged scam. Meanwhile,
BDO, Kangra, Shashi Patial denied the allegations saying that earlier too the solar lights were purchased from the same party at the same rate. He said solar light costing
Rs 23,500 had a five-year warranty, whereas the cheaper ones costing Rs
19,900 had only a three-year warranty and were of poor quality. He said these lights were purchased from the funds of the 13th Planning Commission and the panchayat samiti house had empowered the BDO to purchase these lights. |
|
|
Kangra hospital victim of govt apathy
Kangra, June 8 However, the notification could not be implemented ever after 14 years due to alleged political differences between the BJP and the Congress. For not upgrading the hospital, the government said there was a medical college at
Tanda, just 4 km from Kangra, to cater to the needs of people. But statistics speak otherwise. Nearly 1.42 lakh patients visited the OPD of the Civil Hospital here last year. Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Vineet Choudary said the hospital could not be upgraded in 2000, as a 500-bed hospital was coming up at
Tanda. He, however, expressed surprise as to why an operation theatre assistant was not available at hospital. He said an assistant would be posted there soon. |
|
47 panchayats declared 'nirmal' in Chamba
Chamba, June 8 Addressing the media here today, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kadam Sandeep Vasant said to give a fresh impetus to the abhiyan, Swachhata Week was observed in the district which concluded today. During the event, people were made aware of cleanliness and enrolled as voluntary swachhata mitras. So far, 500 mitras had been enrolled and imparted training while a target of enrolling 2,500 more had been fixed, the DC said. Moreover, 80 resource persons had been selected and imparted training for ensuring total sanitation all around human habitations, Vasant said. Under the abhiyan, 63 community toilets had already been constructed at different points in the district, the DC said, adding that ~3 lakh was being spent on the construction of each toilet block. The DC said 20,904 out of 1,15,897 households in the district were without toilets and these would be covered under the abhiyan. Besides, 1,482 schools would also be provided the facility to make their environs defecation-free. For this, the DC said Rs 2.04 crore had been earmarked for the purpose. |
|
Tourist rush on the rise
Kullu, June 8 Hotels of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) have been packed to capacity since the onset of the tourist season and hundreds of revellers are making a beeline to this hill station to seek relief from the heat wave prevalent in the plains. Ritesh, a tourist from Delhi, said, “It is thrilling to play with snow during this time of the year.” Jasbir Singh from Punjab said, "It is heavenly to experience the chill, while the plains are experiencing unbearable heat." Even government rest houses and bungalows are experiencing heavy bookings, as many officials and bureaucrats also visit this tourist destination. Many ascetics and saints schedule their summer camps in this “valley of gods”. Acharya Sudhanshuji Maharaj recently conducted around three camps three-day each during his stay at an ashram at Ghurdaur village, 20 km from here. Renowned orator Sant Morari Bapu is also scheduled to visit Kullu and deliver his sermons at the historic Dhalpur ground from June 14 to 22. |
|
Body of missing man found from BBMB canal
Mandi, June 8 The body was fished out by a team of divers from Mahadev and the BBMB after reducing the water discharge into the
canal. Manoj had gone missing on March 25 from his house and his relatives had lodged a complaint with the police and a case of kidnapping was registered.
Manoj’s wife Lata had been misleading the police by telling them that her husband, who ran a taxi, had gone to Shimla to ferry passengers and did not return. During investigation, the police got suspicious and interrogated Lata and her paramour
Amarjeet. Balh SHO Madan Dhiman said Manoj was murdered while sleeping in his house by hired killer Satish Kumar
Sethi, from Punjab living at Gutkar, and Amarjeet. The conspiracy was hatched by Lata and Amarjeet and they hired the killer for Rs 1.30 lakh. After killing the victim, they dumped his body into the canal near Pali
Ropa, he added. The Balh police have arrested Lata, Satish and Amarjeet. |
|
|
Una villages face drinking water shortage
Una, June 8 Reports of water shortage have come in from Kutlehar, Chintpurni, Haroli and Una Assembly constituencies. The terrain in Kutlehar, Chintpurni and Haroli is hilly with habitations residing at high altitudes. Villagers of Tahliwal in Haroli block, ward numbers 3, 8, 10, 11 of Una city, besides Dehlan and Sanoli panchayats of Una block and some villages near Chintpurni have reported shortage of drinking water. Mukesh Hira, Executive Engineer, Irrigation and Public Health Department, said the situation was better this year. He said the demand for water increased during summers, which was the reason for reports of water shortage in some areas. He said pumping hours were increased to cope up with the increased demand.
— OC |
|
Call to fill vacant posts of doctor
Kangra, June 8 Dr Sushil Sharma, spokesman of the
HMOA, demanded here on Friday that vacant posts of Chief Medical Officer and Block Medical Officer should be filled. He said the HMOA further demanded that the Rogi Kalayan
Samiti, ad hoc and contract service should be considered for 4,9,14 time scales for the doctors as there was a huge financial loss to doctors. He said the HMOA further demanded that the postgraduate quota for GDOs should be immediately restored to 90 per cent from 66 per cent which was decreased last year. Otherwise there would be no motivation for fresh doctors to join health services. |
|
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Shimla, June 8
Kangra Block Samiti Chairman Kulbash Choudhary has demanded a high-level inquiry against Block Development Officer
(BDO) Shashi Patial, who according to him had violated norms while purchasing 75 solar
lights. Kulbash, while addressing a press conference here on Thursday, said the BDO had approved the quotation for 75 solar lights at
Rs 23,500 each ignoring a quotation of Rs 19,900 violating government norms. 
