Shimla, July 2
The government has urged the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to drop the notice issued to it following the death of 24 engineering students from Hyderabad at Thalot near Mandi in view of the sincerity shown in undertaking rescue and search and issuing necessary directives to various agencies to prevent recurrence of such mishaps.

Chief Secretary P Mitra, in a five-page reply to the notice issued on June 11, has detailed all steps taken after the mishap, which are continuing till date. The reply was sent to the Assistant Registrar (Law), Law Division, NHRC, yesterday.

The state government has stated that the cause of the mishap appears to be the sudden increase in water discharge from the barrage of the Larji hydro-power project, located about 4 km upstream of Thalot.

“Directions have been issued to all departments on June 21 to implement the recommendations made by the Divisional Commissioner in his inquiry report, which was submitted to the High Court on June 18,” it said.

The reply mentions some steps that have been taken such as putting up warning boards, barbed wire fencing at three places and the path leading to the river at three sites has been dug up to prevent easy access. It also mentions that the power department has issued directions to all power projects to follow instructions before releasing water.

The reply states that another inquiry panel, headed by the Chief Engineer of the HP State Electricity Board (HPSEB), has been ordered to look into the working of the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) and the Northern Region Load Dispatch Centre (NRLDC), report of which is still awaited. The probe will look into reasons as to why only the state power projects were asked to reduce generation while other projects continued run on the full capacity.

The reply mentions that the investigation by the police is still underway as a case has been registered under Sections 336 and 334 A of the IPC at the Aut police station. Three officials of the Larji project, the Resident Engineer, the Senior Executive Engineer and a fitter, were placed under suspension on June 8, the night of the mishap.

“Since the water level had touched the full reservoir level of 969.50 mts, the operating staff opened the gate No 5 to release 50 cumecs of water,” the government has stated in its reply.

Citing the information given by the Principal Secretary (Power), it has been stated that the release of water resulted in substantial increase in water flow which led to washing away of 24 students of VNR Vignan Jyothi Institute of Engineering and Technology and their tour conductor.

The report also gives details of the relief and rescue measures taken by the police and the district administration of Mandi.

“Till the evening of June 30, 20 bodies of the missing students have been found and efforts are on to locate the remaining four and one body of the tour conductor,” it is stated in the report. It also mentions that all possible help extended to families of the students and Rs 1.50 lakh paid as relief.

Shimla, July 2
Monsoon hit the state early morning today lashing the Queen of Hills, which recorded 19 mm rain. Manali, Dharamsala, Solan and other parts of the state also experienced the first monsoon showers.

The Met office warned that heavy-to-very-heavy rainfall would lash Kangra, Una and Kullu districts tomorrow. The rainfall would occur in other parts of the state as well.

Local Met office in charge Dr Manmohan Singh said: “Monsoon set on a uniform course throughout the state and that in the neighbouring state of Uttarakhand and parts of Jammu and Kashmir in the past 24 hours. Monsoon is active in Shimla and surrounding areas.”

The capital city recorded 19 mm rain from 8.30 am till 5.30 pm today, while the Shimla airport at Jubbarhati had received 52 mm rain since yesterday, Bilaspur 56 mm, Dharamsala 43 mm and Manali 8 mm, till 8.30 am today.

Minimum temperature of Shimla, Manali and Dharamsala was 15°C, 13°C and 19.4° C, respectively.

The landslide on the Bhattakufar road and the uprooting of a tree on the circular road near the Himfed petrol station damaged three vehicles and disrupted traffic for a few hours in the morning.

The uprooted tree damaged the transmission line and disrupted power supply in the area for a few hours in the morning till the line was restored.

Shimla, July 2
Tomato farmers, mainly in the Sundarnagar-Balh valley belt, have been left in the lurch as the HPMC has said “no” to procure tomato to bail out farmers. Reasons: The HPMC has no pulp-making and sterilising unit for tomatoes at its processing plants in the state.

Himachal Horticultural Produce, Processing and Marking Corporation (HPMC) has deputed a team to the Balh area in Mandi to assess the losses and explore possibility of procuring the produce. Farmers are in distress as they are dumping the tomatoes in khads as the domestic markets have crashed due to bumper crop this year.

The team assessed that the area has over 2000 metric tonnes of tomatoes to sell in the markets. But procurement of tomatoes cannot be done as none of the fruit processing plants have pulper at Jarol and Parwanoo to crush the tomatoes, said HPMC managers.

“We can make tomato puree, a semi-finished product used for making tomato ketchup, but we have to find buyers for puree as the HPMC never made such product”, said BM Saini, additional general manager, HPMC and in-charge of the Parwanoo processing plant.

Besides, the HPMC has no slicers and steriliser which is needed for tomato. The big units such as Kissan has their units for the puree and tomato ketchup and puree has no demand, said the managers.

On the other, farmers raised tomatoes in a larger area this time as they got good prices last year. “We sold Rs 110 a crate, about 18 kg, last year, but this time there are no takers and prices have dipped below Rs 40 a crate, which is non-remunerative”, rued the farmers.

President of the Himachal Kisan Sabha Dr Kuldip Tanvar said the state government should have processing facilities for vegetable crops as the vegetable production has shot up manifold.

It is a failure of government agencies that the farmers produce was rotting in the fields and the government has no support price to procure the produce, he added.

HPMC vice-chairman Prakash Thakur said they wanted to procure the tomato but it has hit the roadblock as they do not have machines for the purpose. “We have learnt a lesson and the proposed Ghumarwin and Nadaun vegetable processing plants will have processing facilities for all vegetables”, he added.

Shimla, July 2
The Congress will lay down norms for the appointment of presidents of the 37 Block Congress Committees (BCCs) which were dissolved so that only those persons who have remained loyal to the party and have experience of having worked with the Youth Congress or the National Students Union of India (NSUI) are appointed.

Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has convened a meeting of HPCC general secretaries here tomorrow to lay down the norms which will be adhered to while appointing the presidents.

“I will discuss the issue with senior HPCC general secretaries and form criteria and later discuss the issue with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to ensure that the most deserving and capable people get the responsibility,” said Sukhu.

He added that loyalty towards the party would be the important factor while appointing the new BCC presidents.

He also hinted that the party would prefer to have relatively young presidents who are preferably below 60 years though there would be no hard-and-fast rule as exceptions can be made in case of deserving leaders.

“Though it is the team of general secretaries who will fix the norms, we will prefer people who are educated, loyal and have experience of working with the Youth Congress and the NSUI,” he said.

He said later the Chief Minister and other senior leaders would also be consulted while appointing the president. “We will ensure that the BCCs are not more than 31 members,” said Sukhu. He also added that some of the leaders, who were either BCC presidents or members of the executive, could be accommodated in the District Congress Committees (DCC).

Sources said the appointment of the presidents would be started soon and be done in a phased manner. In some places, the BCC executive would also be constituted immediately.

Some senior leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Viplove Thakur and AICC secretary and MLA Asha Kumari, had criticised the move of the HPCC to dissolve the 37 BCCs. Later, AICC Member Kuldeep Rathore had also termed the moved unjust. Asha had demanded that the BCC presidents must be appointed through elections as they were elected and not nominated.

Sukhu’s priority Loyalty will be the important factor The party will prefer to have young presidents who are below 60 years Educated and experience leaders will be preferred

Nurpur, July 2
Kangra MP and senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar has exhorted the Virbhadra government to forgo election bitterness and concentrate only on development of the state.

Addressing a press conference here today, he said the government should undertake development projects in co-ordination with MPs of the state who could be instrumental in getting sufficient funds for accelarting development activities in the state.

Listing his priorities for his constituency, he said he would work to promote the tourism industry in Kangra and Chamba districts, expand railway network in Kangra and set up a cement manufacturing industry in Chamba district.

“I along with other Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs of the BJP will meet the Railway Minister shortly and plead for the expansion of railway services in the state by making budgetry provision in the coming annual Rail Budget,” he said.

The MP lamented that the state government had no vision for giving fillip to the tourism industry and failed to provide requisite infrastructure for its promotion. Talking on the bad shape of roads leading to various tourist places, he advised the state governement for improving road connectivity in key tourist places to ensure smooth traffic movement.

On asking on the stalled Disaster Management Battalion of the Indo-Tibet Border Police force proposed for Nurpur during the previous Dhumal government, Shanta said he was taking up this issue with the Union government and would try that this project should not slip from here. He said he was allocating Rs 10 lakh from his MPLAD fund to each Assembly segment for development work.

Nurpur, July 2
Kangra MP Shanta Kumar had asserted that rebels who joined the party before the General Election would not be ignored. Even after that the local BJP mandal did not invite former MLA from Nurpur Rakesh Pathania to a meeting of BJP workers of the local unit today.

The meeting was presided over by Shanta Kumar. Neither Pathania nor his supporters turned up for the meeting. Pathania had re-joined the party a few months before the LS poll and Shanta had secured lead from Nurpur .

The latter had contested last two Assembly elections from here as independent candidate after denial of ticket by the BJP and in both elections, the BJP nominees had lost security deposits.

Shanta had yesterday lauded the efforts of BJP rebels and had admitted that they had played a constructive role in his landslide victory in the LS poll. He had reiterated that these workers would not be ignored and their services would be utilised in strengthening the party.

When asked by mediapersons, Shanta claimed that Pathania could not attend the meeting due to his personal pre-occupations.

Whereas, Pathania said he had no information or invitation for the programme. “I will take up this matter with Shanta Kumar as well as party’s high command,” he added. Inquiries revealed that in neighboring Jawali Assembly segment, former BJP rebels Harbans Rana and Sanjay Guleria also faced humiliation as they were not invited for a lunch hosted by local party unit for Shanta Kumar.

Shimla, July 2
Welcoming the decision of resuming the three-year degree course in Delhi University and some other universities, former Chief Minister PK Dhumal today said RUSA adopted by the previous UPA regime was not suited for a country like India where the teacher-student ratio was high.

In a statement here, Dhumal welcomed the move of switching back to the three-year degree course. “The fixing of the number of seats in each class under RUSA was depriving thousands of students from going in for higher education,” he said.

He said the UPA regime never took feedback by the way of survey to assess if RUSA was suited for India. “RUSA was implemented in a haste, resulting in students being deprived of acquiring higher education, especially those hailing from rural background,” he lamented.

Dhumal said in Himachal, the three-year degree course was most suited for students hailing from remote and inaccessible areas. “The BJP regime in HP had pursued the policy of opening quality education institutes in remote and far-flung areas so that students, especially girls, could acquire education,” he said.

With students not being able to get subjects of their choice, their careers were at stake. He also accused the Congress regime of failing to get recognition from the Medical Council of India (MCI) for the increased 85 MBBS seats in its two colleges.

Shimla/ Manali, July 2
Farmers in Lahaul-Spiti and Pangi subdivision are a worried lot, as the movement of traders and transporters has been banned beyond the Kothi barrier. They now fear that their produce, including peas, potatoes and fruits, will rot.

The barrier was erected by the district administration as per the National Green Tribunal (NGT) directions.

The NGT Shimla circuit bench will take up a bunch of petitions from NGOs from Lahaul-Spiti seeking a rollback of the NGT order on entry permits for residents to cross the Rohtang Pass on August 13.

Farmers are a worried lot, as the pea season starts in July-end and the first week of August in the lower Pattan valley.

Lahaul-Spiti Congress legislator Ravi Thakur, former BJP legislator Ram Lal Markande, convener of the Janjatiya Kalyan Samiti Dr CM Parshira and vice-president of the Richen Zangpo Buddhist Cultural Society Ringzing Dorje, among others, urged the NGT chairman to reconsider the “entry permits system” for people of Lahaul-Spiti and Pangi.

“The produce, including peas, potatoes, hops and apple are transported through the Rohtang Pass which remains closed for six months in the winter season,” said Dorje.

“We cross the Pass during summer time. The entry permits to go home will demoralise tribals and we appeal to the NGT to reconsider its order so that our crops grown with hard work in adverse conditions are protected,” Dorje said.

The traders and transporters, who lift the peas and potatoes from Lahaul, are reluctant to go there this time as they will have to pay Rs 300 per vehicle at the green-tax barrier and then Rs 100 per vehicle as congestion charges at the Kothi congestion barrier.

Even if the traders manage to come to Lahaul, they will extract Rs 100 as transportation cost from farmers, said Prem Lal, a farmer from Lahaul.

“We have got calls from traders expressing their apprehension as old models will not be allowed beyond the Kothi barrier,” farmers said. SDM, Manali, Vinay Dhiman said they were charging congestion charges from vehicles going to the Rohtang Pass at the Kothi barrier.

Mandi, July 2
Though the government has taken several measures to check illegal mining of sand and gravel in different parts of the state, stopping it completely is a challenge.

Illegal mining is continuing unabated in major rivers and rivulets of the state, despite a country-wide ban on mining of sand and gravel by the Green Tribunal.

There is a huge demand of sand and gravel and ‘easy money’ through illegal mining is a major attraction for the mining mafia.

After the ban on mining, the state government has not been able to auction mining area to stone crusher owners due to lack of environmental clearance from the Central Government.

This activity is continuing mainly in areas bordering Punjab and Haryana and in many other areas. As mining in rivers is banned in Haryana and Punjab, sand and gravel is being supplied illegally from boarder areas of the state.

The Himachal Pradesh Government has given powers to check illegal mining to 22 different departments, however, the job is being done mainly by the Mining Department.

The department has been challaning people involved in illegal mining but this is hardly a deterrent due to the huge money being made by people involved in the activity.

Sources said, “While allurement of easy money for people involved in illegal mining is great, the department lacks adequate staff and resources to put a check on it.”

The large-scale extraction of sand from river Beas was exposed after the mishap at Thalot on June 8 after which Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had asked the administration to take stern action in cases of illegal mining.

Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said, “We are taking steps to check illegal mining and have decided to strengthen the department by providing four vehicles and appointing 25 mining guards.”

“The government has also decided to hold open auction of mining areas to local contractors by legalising mining to meet the demand of sand, gravel and other building material and through this the state government would also earn revenue,” the minister added.

Mandi, July 2
A large number of villagers of Lataran from the Chuahar valley falling under the Darang Assembly constituency today met the Superintendent of Police, Mandi, to protest the thrashing of several schoolchildren by a village family.

Former Lataran panchayat president Kapoor Thakur said the primary class children were beaten up this morning by the family.

He said: “The family has allegedly blocked the path to Senior Secondary School, Thaltu Khod, by installing a barbed wire on the way used by villagers, especially by schoolchildren to reach the school. The fencing was removed yesterday after the intervention of the SDM.”

The family, however, blocked the path and installed the barbed wire again this morning and did not allow schoolchildren to use the way.

“Some of the students had to appear for their examination today, but when they tried to cross, the family allegedly gave them a severe beating,” he said.

SP, Mandi, Mohit Chawla, said: “The villagers met me and have lodged a complaint in this regard and I have asked the Additional SP to visit the village tomorrow and try to resolve the issue.”

The police have booked both parties to prevent breach of peace in the area.

Kangra, July 2
The death of a 45-year-old woman, who suffered from a snake bite, in the Emergency Department of the Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College (DRPGMC), Tanda, led to a controversy on the hospital premises.

It was alleged that she died due to the negligence of the doctors on duty and delay in the needed vaccine. However, Dinesh Sood, Medical Superintendent, refuted the allegations.

At 5.30 am on Tuesday, Kirtana Devi, a resident of Jeol village, was brought to the emergency ward of the hospital for snake bite.

Vijay Kumar, nephew of the woman, said the doctor on duty asked them to get the needed injection from outside as it was not available at the hospital.

They rushed to the local Fortis Hospital to get the required injection, but by that time the doctors managed to get it from the Intensive care Unit (ICU). But she died after being given the injection, he added.

Vijay alleged that the delay in giving injection led to Kirtana’s death.

This led to an altercation between the relatives of the deceased and the doctor on duty and tension prevailed. The relatives registered a complaint with the police against the doctors on duty for their alleged negligence.

Investigating Officer Reshpal Singh said investigation in the case was initiated.

Sood said he had submitted an inquiry report to Vineet Choudary, Additional Chief Secretary, Health, today. He said during inquiry it was found that the patient reported at 5.40 am in the emergency and was attended to at 5.42 am. After conducting the relevant tests for injecting the vaccine, the patient was given an injection at 6 am. The needed injections were available in the Emergency and ICU and were given in time, he added in his report.

About the cause of death, Sood said it would be established after the post-mortem report was received.

Una, July 2
The school dropout rate in the primary and upper primary (up to Class VIII) at government educational institutions has been reduced to zero per cent in Una district after 2010-11.

The Education Department has attributed this to the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme for students studying at government schools.

Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Jain, while presiding over a review meeting of the MDM scheme, here today revealed that as on March 31, 2014, there were 27,090 primary school students and 19,300 upper primary school students in the district.

The MDM scheme is applicable only to students studying up to middle class.

While the Centre contributes Rs 2.51 and Rs 3.75 for a day’s meal for primary and upper primary class students, respectively, the state government’s contribution is Rs 0.83 and Rs 1.25, respectively.

In all, the MDM scheme in Una district alone accounts for about Rs 5 to Rs 6 crore annually, requiring the services of 1,492 cooks and helpers in about 770 institutions, besides supervisory duties by officers from the rank of Sub-Divisional Magistrates to local panchayat representatives.

The DC said: “Despite huge paraphernalia for the scheme, the major cause of concern for the Education Department has been the declining enrolments at government schools despite the growing population. The government primary schools have witnessed a decline of 7.35 per cent enrolments, while the upper primary institutions have seen a decline of 8.03 per cent enrolment this year as compared to 2012-13.”

While this negative enrolment trend continued from 2011-12 onwards, the main reason being attributed to this was the tendency of parents to educate their wards at private institutions.

Dharamsala, July 2
The solid waste being collected from the Dharamsala Municipal Council is being disposed of in an unscientific manner despite the fact that the council is spending lakhs for the purpose.

The solid waste is being dumped at the site earmarked for the purpose on the Dharamsala-Chari road. As per the norms fixed for the solid waste management, the authorities have to deploy labour for segregation of solid waste such as plastic and other material so that it can be recycled. The solid waste that cannot be recycled can be used as filler in road or construction of buildings. The organic waste can be used for producing organic manure by processing the waste.

However, the hazardous solid waste is also being burnt. The burning of toxic waste such as plastic and rubber emits harmful fumes.

Many residents have complained against the pollution being caused due to burning of solid waste.

Despite strict directions from the Supreme Court regarding the scientific management of solid waste in all urban areas, nothing has been done in this direction in Himachal. Many municipal councils have not even earmarked the areas for solid waste dumping. In certain councils the area marked for solid waste dumping was not being used for the purpose due to resistance from locals. In Una, the solid waste management machinery worth crores has not been put to use due to resistance from locals.

In Dharamsala, where the solid waste dumping sites have been created, the scientific methods are not being used for its disposal. Sources here said a shredder machine for converting huge pieces of solid waste into small manageable parts had also been brought at Dharamsala. However, the machine is not working.

Council officials said they had no knowledge as to who was setting fire at the solid waste dumping site. It could be the work of some outsider or some burning material might have come in contact with solid waste being brought to the site, he said.

The MC is also planning to hire the services of NGOs and rag pickers for solid waste management.

Interestingly the Dharamsala Assembly constituency is being represented by Minister for Housing and Urban Development Sudhir Sharma. If this is the state of the solid waste management in the home constituency of minister, the condition at other places could be worse.

Chamba, July 2
Residents of an outlying Samot area of Sinhunta sub-tehsil in the district have submitted a memorandum to the district administration and the Health Department about the lack of doctor, paramedical staff and absence of basic health facilities at the primary health centre (PHC), Samot.

The residents today said the Samot primary health centre was the oldest PHC in Sinhunta sub-tehsil where in earlier times there used to be the facility of admitting patients, but nowadays the health services here were deteriorating.

They urged the authorities to fill up the vacant posts of medical officer, paramedical staff and other allied staff so that poor patients would not suffer.

They warned that they would resort to agitation if the requisite medical staff was not posted at the primary health centre, Samot, forthwith.

Chamba, July 2
Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri today flagged off a jeep of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) on a newly constructed 7.5-km-long Saach-Gheesal jeepable road which will provide facility to inhabitants living in far-flung villages of the mountainous Pangi tribal subdivision of Chamba district.

In fact, there are several mountainous terrains in Pangi subdivision which are still inaccessible and difficult and have no access even by jeepable roads.

The Forest Minister, on the occasion, said the Saach-Gheesal road would also be a great facility to private transporters and at the same time the plying of an HRTC jeep would be of great convenience to people.

With the commissioning of this road, residents of the area would now easily transport their local agro-horticulture produce such as fruits and vegetables to the markets, the minister said.

Bharmouri said to promote traditional handicraft products of local people, an emporium would be opened in the Pangi valley so that they could get genuine prices, thereby revitalising their economy.

Shimla, July 2
The state government has approved detailed project reports (DPR) of five Rural Water Supply Schemes amounting to Rs 860.22 lakh for the districts of Kangra, Mandi and Shimla for funding under NABARD during the current financial year.

A spokesperson of the government disclosed here today that the schemes include improvement and augmentation of water supply scheme at Passu Dhagwar and Bagli Ghana in Dharamsala at a cost of Rs 267.95 lakh. The scheme will benefit 47 villages.

Another scheme approved for Kangra district includes augmentation of lift water supply scheme at Malahri, Surarwan, Gagwan and Ghandran in Indora which is estimated to cost Rs 299.61 lakh and would benefit 27 villages.

He said the improvement and augmentation of the water supply scheme at Palnidhar, Bandal, Uba, Heel, Dawapra and Baldun in gram panchayat Deori, Nagdhar and Shiva in Illaqa Badar in Sadar in the Drang constituency of Mandi district had also been approved which would cost Rs166.01 lakh and 19 habitats would be benefited by this.

The fourth scheme includes schemes in Sheeladesh in Chirgaon of Rohru at an estimated cost of Rs 37.80 lakh, benefiting one habitat. Another scheme prioritised for Shimla district is the Shalli Temple in Khatnol, at a cost of Rs 88.85 lakh.

Nurpur, July 2
Five members of a family were injured in a clash with their neighbours over a piece of land at Kukher near here on Monday night.

The police said Jog Raj in his complaint alleged that his neighbours attacked his family with rods and sticks.

His wife Salochana, sons Surjeet and Rahul and daughter Sikhon Devi sustained injuries in the attack.

He said his neighbour Devinder Singh and his family members had threatened him a day before, after which they entered his house at night and thrashed his family members when they were asleep.

He said the accused had attacked his family members in the past as well. The police registered a case under Sections 452,147 and 149, IPC, against Devinder Singh and his six family members.

Meanwhile, Devinder Singh and his family also registered a case under Sections 452, 147,149 and 323, IPC, against Jog Raj and his sons Surjeet and Rahul. DSP Manoj Joshi said the police had registered cross cases in this connection and started investigations.

Kullu, July 2
Kullu District and Session Court Judge Purender Vaidya today sentenced Fateh Chand (43) of Bashkola village in Manali sub-division of this district to life imprisonment for raping his minor (13) maternal niece.

District Attorney, Kullu, Mahesh Sen said the prosecution stated that the convict had raped the minor in 2012 at Katrain village, while the victim was staying with her maternal grandfather and elder sister, since her parents had expired.

Sen stated that the prosecution had submitted that the victim was threatened and sexually assaulted for a period of over three months by her maternal uncle, till she conceived and a police complaint was registered. He said the court had also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000. — OC

Kangra, July 2
A 50-year-old man died at the DRPGMC Hospital, Tanda, today after he consumed some poison by mistake, the police said.

Jai Singh, SHO, Nagrota Bagwan police station, said Vipin Chand of Sudhar village was ailing for some time. He said his relatives told the police that he took some poison by mistake and was rushed to the Nagrota Bagwan hospital from where he was referred to the Tanda hospital where he died.

The SHO said that the police had started investigation under Section 174, CrPC.

Kangra, July 2
Rakesh Kathuria was elected president of the local unit of the Rotary Club yesterday. Sunil Dogra was elected secretary; Ajay Kakkar and Hardesh Kohli vice-presidents; Divender Kohli, Sushant Sharma and Sanjay Agrawal joint secretaries; and Vishal Sharma finance secretary.

The new team of office-bearers of the club distributed lunch to 50 children in the local slum area. The club also set up six sign boards for the convenience of tourists and pilgrims at the entrance of the town.

Chamba, July 2
The incidence of violation of traffic rules in the district has increased almost to double as compared to June last year, the police revealed here today.

The police said in June this year, 3,064 vehicles were challaned for violating different provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act and a fine of Rs 7.81 lakh was realised.

As many as 64 drivers were challaned for the use of mobile phones while driving, the police said.

During June last year, 1,641 vehicles were challaned for violation of traffic rules and a fine of Rs 4.18 lakh realised, they said.