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New hotels in rural areas to get exemption from luxury tax soon
Eying elections, BJP to fix strategy soon
BJP to honour 76 booth committees in state
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Anurag should decide which state he belongs to: Agnihotri
CPM demands CAG to audit functioning of private varsities
VIGNETTES
Workshop on fundamental rights held in Una
Hospitals violate waste management rules
1,700 treated at medical camp
AAP will consolidate party cadre in state: Shastri
One drowns in Sirsa river
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New hotels in rural areas to get exemption from luxury tax soon
Shimla, July 27 Prakash Chowdhary, state Excise and Taxation Minister, said: “The government will introduce the Himachal Pradesh Tax on Luxuries (in Hotel and lodging houses) Amendment Bill during the upcoming monsoon session of the state Assembly to exempt new hotels in rural areas from luxury tax for 10 years.” The exemption to home-stay units from luxury tax had placed new investors in tourism sector in a disadvantageous position and these were facing a stiff competition from home-stay accommodation. But, the government’s move would now encourage investors to set up units in rural areas. Chowdhary said exemption in luxury tax would be given only to hotels in remote and backward rural areas and hotels coming up in notified municipal bodies, including nagar panchayats and municipal councils, whereas municipal corporations would not be entitled for exemption. There are about 2,800 hotels, guest houses and home-stay units registered with the state Tourism Department with a capacity of more than 62,000 beds. But investors are weary of investing in rural areas due to a large number of home-stay units already operating in these areas and availing various incentives. The state government had already exempted new hotel units in tribal areas and backward panchayats from paying luxury tax for a period of 10 years, with effect from December 2012. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has already announced that big hotel chains would be persuaded to set up units in Himachal and exemption from luxury tax would be major incentives for investing in the tourism sector in rural areas. Expansion of hospitality industry with big hotels coming up in rural areas would generate employment and give boost to rural economy. However, environmentalists feel that it could further squeeze the scarce agricultural land and forests. In a nutshell
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Eying elections, BJP to fix strategy soon
BJP state president Satpal Singh Satti in a statement here today said the state executive body in its meeting held recently deliberated on the ways to ensure that the Congress faced a rout in the PRI and ULB elections. He said the party would be strengthened upwards from the village-ward level to the zila parishad, nagar panchayats, municipal committees and municipal corporations. Satti said a meeting of the Una district of the BJP had been scheduled for August 3, which would be presided over by party district president and former zila parishad chairman Balbir Bagga. He said he, along with party in-charge of Una district and state BJP general secretary Randhir Sharma, would also be present at the meeting. Bagga said present and former MLAs from the district, district party office-bearers, mandal presidents and secretaries besides presidents of all district-level frontal organisations of the party have been invited to attend the meeting at the circuit house.
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BJP to honour 76 booth committees in state
Solan, July 27 They will be honoured in Hamirpur on September 25 along with 10 best booths within a constituency on Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhaya’s anniversary celebrations. BJP state president Satpal Satti said this while addressing mediapersons on the concluding day of the three-day state executive committee meeting here today. He said the party would re-start their agitation against the state government’s anti-people policies, corruption and victimisation of the BJP leaders and all 17 organisational districts have been directed to chalk out a strategy before August 5. Even the 73 mandals in 68 constituencies would devise a strategy to corner the state government. Leader of the Opposition PK Dhumal, while addressing the office-bearers of the party, said the Congress government had adopted a vindictive attitude towards the BJP and the chief minister was behaving like a dictator. Refuting CM Virbhadra Singh’s assertion that the state government was not making any changes in Section 118 of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, Dhumal said he was lying as even a minister had accepted this fact and they were finalising its draft. Dhumal said large-scale corruption was prevalent in the skill development allowance scheme and institutes which imparted such skills belonged to outsiders. He said even a Cabinet minister had accepted the fact that this scheme was marred by large-scale corruption. He urged the youth to expose such doings of the state government and said though the investors were being given relief, the plight of common man had worsened who failed to get adequate and quality ration at the fair-price shops. Dhumal urged party workers to gear up for the byelection for the Doon constituency in case the membership of the sitting Congress MLA, who was facing trial in a murder case, was annulled. With polls to the Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies due next year, workers were directed to strengthen their organisation. Earlier, BJP state in-charge Balbir Punj and national vice-president Mahesh Sharma also addressed the party workers and leaders on the significance of social equality. |
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Anurag should decide which state he belongs to: Agnihotri
Shimla, July 27 The minister said: “It
is shocking to hear this from Anurag, who has spent 30 years of his life at the Central Town in Jalandhar. He should first decide which state he actually belongs to.” “It seems he has no respect for the state from where he has been elected in the recent parliamentary elections,” he
further added. He said it was wrong on his part to say so. “Moreover, it is the betrayal of faith of the people of the state as during elections, Anurag becomes a Himachali while today he admitted that he is from Punjab
and is blaming the state government for flourishing drug trade,” he further added. |
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CPM demands CAG to audit functioning of private varsities
Shimla, July 27 Tikender Panwar, state secretariat member of the CPM, said the UGC and the state government regulatory bodies had failed to regulate the functioning of private universities in the state. “Private universities in the state were set up through non-profit trusts, but these are functioning like commercial companies,” said Pawar. He said parents of poor students were forced to take loans to pay fees. He said the UGC’s fact-finding committee report mentioned that the Rayat Educational and Research Trust (Bahra University) and the Chitkara Educational Trust (Chitkara University) had been generating an annual surplus of Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 10 crore from 2008 to 2012. “These private universities have still not deposited money that is required for the functioning of the regulatory body,” he added. He said the UGC report also questioned the trustees about withdrawing salary from the trust money. The report also said the trust lacked academic expertise and Chief Trustee Sardar Gurvinder Singh Bahra and Principal Prof HC Bedi denied the charges of enjoying a luxurious life at the cost of the trust. Panwar also demanded that the fee structure
of the universities should be revised. |
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Centre has failed to control prices: CITU
Mandi, July 27 Talking to mediapersons here today, Sen said the Modi government had followed the policies of the UPA government during the last two months and no step had been taken to bring down the prices. “In the Union Budget, the government has reduced subsidy on petrol and diesel to the tune of Rs 22,000 crore and increased rail fares, thus, providing relief to corporate houses amounting to Rs 7,525 crore,” he said. He said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had constituted a committee under the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to bring down the prices which were never implemented by the UPA government. “Interestingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also not implementing
the recommendations,” he added. He said the Central Government trade unions would protest against the anti-labour policies. “They are planning for a countrywide agitation. A two-day strike on July 30 and 31 will be observed against the Vasundhra Raje government in Rajasthan,” he added. He said a meeting of trade unions would be conducted on July 31 to chalk out a strategy to demand a coal policy. Dr Kashmir Singh Thakur, state general secretary of CITU, Jagat Ram, state president, and Bhupinder Singh, district secretary, were also present on the occasion. |
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Bali flags off McLeodganj to Chandigarh Volvo bus
Kangra, July 27 Bali said the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) would provide facilities to passengers by introducing new buses on different routes. He said the bus would leave from McLeodganj at 6.15 am for Kangra and for Chandigarh at 7.40 am. The bus would reach Chandigarh at 1 pm and would return at 3.40 pm. The AC deluxe bus connecting Chamba with Shimla would help passengers to have a comfortable journey, he said. He said more buses would be introduced on new routes which would provide employment opportunities for the youth of the state. “The deluxe bus will leave Shimla at 6.30 am and reach Chamba at 8.30 pm via Pathankot. The bus will then leave Chamba at 7.10 am and reach Shimla at 9 pm,” he added. Residents also demanded a bus service connecting Kangra with Katra. |
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Cong leaders attend Bali’s 59th birthday
Dharamsala, July 27 Lobsang Sangay, prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile, presided over the celebrations today. Other Congress MLAs who were present on the occasion included Chief Parliamentary Secretary Jagjivan Pal, MLA from Gagret in Una district Rakesh Kalia, Congress MLA Karan Singh and Independent MLA from Kangra Pawan Kajal. IPH Minister Vidya Stokes inaugurated the Bal Mela, while HPCC president Sukhwinder Sukhu and Congress MLA from Ghumarwin Rajesh Dhirmani attended the function yesterday. Senior bureaucrats, including Tarun Shridhar, Kangra Deputy Commissioner C Paul Rasu and Kangra SP Kapil Sharma were also seen. It was earlier announced that the two ministers close to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, including Minister for Housing and Urban Development Sudhir Sharma and Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, would also participate in the celebrations. But, both ministers did not come saying they had other schedules. |
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Multi-storey parking for Palampur soon: Speaker
Palampur, July 27 Addressing mediapersons at the PWD rest house, Butail said the state Urban Development Department had already signed an MoU with a private company and the letter of intent would be issued soon. Butail said six kanals of land would be transferred to the company by the local municipal council so that construction could be started. He said a five-storey parking would be constructed at a cost of Rs 12 crore. Of the five storeys, three would be utilised for parking and two would house a commercial complex. With the completion of this project, parking problems in the town would be over, he added. The Speaker expressed concern over the delay in the completion of the flyover in the town. He said the construction of the flyover was taken up when he was a minister in 2005. But it was hanging fire because of certain technical problems in its design. However, he said the flyover would be operational by next year. Earlier, Butail met officers of the state government and municipal councillors to review the development activities in the Palampur constituency. |
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Lower bureaucracy fights for quota in promotions to HAS cadre
Dharamsala, July 27 Earlier, the BDOs had announced to hold a strike over the issue, now the tehsildars are threatening to go for it. The state government, in a notification issued recently, reduced the promotion quota of tehsildars to the HAS cadre from 27 per cent to 25 per cent. The quota for
BDOs had been fixed at 17 per cent and for other categories at 8 per cent. As per rule, the state government fills 50 per cent of the HAS posts through direct recruitment, while the remaining 50 per cent are filled through promotions from the cadres of tehsildar, BDO and other categories and the GM of the Industries Department. Before 2005, out of the 50 per cent quota of promotions to the HAS cadre, 22 per cent came from the tehsildar cadre and 28 per cent from other categories, including BDOs. However, as per information obtained under the RTI, on the basis of a commitment made by then Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in 2006 at a convention of tehsildars, their quota in promotions for the posts HAS was increased to 30 per cent. The BDOs and other categories had resented the government move and lobbied against it. The previous BJP government after lobbying by other categories had reduced the quota in promotions to the HAS cadre for tehsildar to 27 per cent. However, still the BDOs and other categories resented that tehsildars were getting an undue favour. The BDOs, in a representation to the state government in the recent past, maintained that due to the changed quota, people in their cadre had been awaiting promotion since 1997, whereas the tehsildar recruited as early as 2007 had been absorbed in the HAS cadre. The BDOs also maintained that while the tehsildars were promoted in their own cadre to the posts of District Revenue Officer (DRO), they had no promotional avenue but for being temporarily made the nodal officers in the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA). They also threatened to go on strike, jeopardising development works in rural areas of the state that take place through them. Following pressure, the state government reduced the quota of tehsildars from 27 to 25 per cent and fixed the quota of promotion of BDOs at 17 per cent. The remaining 8 per cent quota was given to other categories. Though the BDOs are now satisfied with the government move, the tehsildars are resenting the reduction in quota. Now the tehsildars have threatened to launch an agitation over the issue. HAS officers want notification scrapped
Shimla: The HAS Allied Service Officers Association has resented the cut in their promotion quota and described the move of the government as “discriminatory and unjustified”. “The government has reduced the promotion quota of 300-odd officers of 12 departments to just 8 per cent, while 42 per cent quota has been earmarked for tehsildars (25 per cent) and block development officers (17 per cent) whose strength is 132 and 112, respectively,” an association spokesman said. They said the 12 categories constituted posts of district panchayat officer, manager (industries), section officer of the secretariat, district welfare officer, district treasury officer, assistant registrar (cooperative society), excise and taxation officer, electoral officer, district employment officer, district food and supplies controller, assistant controller (weights and
measures) and principal (panchayati raj). Urging the Chief Minister to scrap the quota system, the association demanded that promotions to HAS might be effected through a combined seniority list of all categories of posts, including tehsildar and BDO.
— TNS Revenue staff protest
Dalhousie: To register their protest against the state government’s recent notification to slash the promotion quota of tehsildars into the HAS, abolition of posts of naib-tehsildar, kanungo, patwari and other categories in certain sub-divisions, revenue officials of the local tehsil wore black badges here yesterday. Local Revenue Department Kanungo-Patwari Association president Kailash Chand and general secretary Ramesh Sharma urged the state government to rescind
the notification with immediate effect. — OC Increase in quota sought
Nurpur: Himachal Pradesh revenue officers started a protest demonstration in the state from yesterday against the reduction of HAS promotion quota by wearing black badges. Arun Sharma, state general secretary of the HP Revenue Officers’ Association, in a statement here today, said the protest would continue till July 31. “From August 1 to 8, the revenue officers will resort to work to rule. From August 11 to 19, they will go for pen-down strike till the acceptance of their demand for an increase in the promotion quota from 25 per cent to 35 per cent,” he said.
— OC |
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Present collegium system worked satisfactorily: former SC judge
Shimla, July 27 He was the special guest of honour, while Jitender Sharma, national president of the Indian Association of Lawyers (IAL), presided over the seminar, which was organised by the Indian Association of Lawyers (HP Unit). Singhvi said whatever the substitute or the alternative suggested would be the worst and play havoc with the institution. “Therefore, it is imperative to delve upon all pros and cons of the old and new system,” he said. He suggested the appointment of Judicial Ombudsman for conducting probe on the allegations of misconduct on Supreme Court (SC) and High Court (HC) judges or those being considered for the judgeship on which the decision should be taken by the President of India within a specific timeframe. He advocated the present collegium system. Apart from him, the seminar was addressed by RS Cheema, former Advocate General, Punjab, who laid stress on the transparent system that drew the best talent, not on the basis of seniority, but their suitability for the post of judge. Niloufer Bhagwat, senior advocate from Mumbai, stressed on the need of independence of judiciary, while Jitender Sharma said the selection process of SC and HC judges should be open and the names being considered should be disclosed in public. HP High Court Judge Justice VK Sharma, senior advocate and IAL general secretaries Sarbjit Singh and GK Bansal, Advocate General and chairman of the Bar Council Shrawan Dogra, HP High Court Bar Association president Ashwani Pathak, Assistant Solicitor General of India Sandeep Sharma, Registrar General CB Barowalia, HC registrars, members of the Bar and other dignitaries were also present.
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Minjar fair gets off to colourful start
Chamba, July 27 The minister said the folklore and songs of Chamba were unique which depicted the historical legends of the town. Shandil said celebrating such fairs not only upheld people’s traditional values, but also strengthened the spirit of fraternity and communal harmony among them. Shandil also declared the Minjar sports tournament open. Later, he inaugurated an exhibition installed by various government departments and non-governmental organisations. Himachal Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri, former MLA Surinder Bhardwaj, Zila Parishad Chairman Amit Bharmouri, Chamba Deputy Commissioner KS Vasant, SP DK Chaudhary, district officers and the elite of the region were also present on the occasion. Renowned singers such as Sadhana Sargam, Ashvarya Nigam, Punjabi
pop singer Roshan Prince and artistes from the North-Zone Cultural Centre (NZCC), besides artistes from different parts of the state and its hinterland, will give their concert during cultural nights of the fair.
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Dharamsala cricket stadium to host India vs West Indies ODI
Dharamsala, July 27 The other venues decided by the committee included Kolkata, Vishakhapatnam, Cuttack and Kochi. This is the second international one-day match being hosted in Dharamsala. Earlier, one-day international match between India and England was also organised at Dharamsala. Besides, the Dharamsala stadium had been organising IPL matches. It was the homeground of the Punjab Kings XI team. However, this year the Dharamsala stadium did not organise any IPL match. The schedule of the matches came before the results of the Lok Sabha elections were declared this year and the state government expressed its inability to provide security for the matches. The HPCA however alleged that security was not provided due to political vendetta. For the past more than one year the HPCA has been at the receiving end from the current Congress government in the state. The state Vigilance Department has slapped various cases against the HPCA and its organisers for allegedly encroaching upon government land, felling trees on the land on which Pavillion Hotel has been built and allegedly illegally converted the HPCA, a society, into a company. At one time the state government had ordered the takeover of the cricket stadium and the Pavillion Hotel of the HPCA. The district administration in a midnight swoop had taken over the cricket stadium and the hotel. However, the Himachal High Court later granted a stay on the takeover. The maintenance of the international cricket stadium has taken a toll due to its poor upkeep due to the non- organisation of IPL or international cricket matches here. Now that an international cricket match has been announced at Dharamsala, the HPCA will be back in action. President, HPCA, Anurag Thakur has welcomed the decision of the BCCI to host a match at Dharamsala. He said, “I hope that the international cricket stadium at Dharamsala becomes a favourite destination for the organisation of international cricket matches in India.”
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VIGNETTES
I am not counting it as an achievement though I would call it an achievement if after having used it for 10 years, it was maintained as it stood today. But I am patting the back of District Language Officer Anita Sharma who could spare a room or two of the building to locate an art gallery there. Not only that, she told me that she had been going all over and collecting art objects for the past three years and storing these in a safe place. When she went to the newly built the Markandeya Temple Complex (see photo), she found quite a few stone sculptures of the old temple lying hither and thither. She met the president of the Markandeya Temple Trust and requested him to hand over the sculptures to her. The president agreed and quite a few of the objects found there are displayed in the art gallery. The head of Parvati in black stone (see photo) attracted me. Its features resembled those of the sculptures of the Pratihar period. According to the Antiquities Registration Officer, it belonged to the 12th century. And the Pratihar period referred to as the Rajput era was from the 7th century CE to the 12th century and these Rajputs acted as bulwark against the continuous threat of Muslim invasion. What is the connection of Pratihars and Bilaspur? Miyan Goverdhan Singh writes in the “History of Himachal Pradesh” that Kehloor, i.e. Bilaspur of today was established by Veer Chand, who had some connection with the Pratihars, and had come from Bundelkhand in 900 CE. And that establishes the relationship. Why should anybody go to an art gallery or a museum? One goes to a museum for two reasons: to know the past in which lived one’s ancestors and also to get inspiration. These two are essential for knowledge of one’s roots and one’s continued growth. These take one out of the bog of modern routine. Through a visit to a museum, you get acquainted with what you call heritage. Heritage is inheritance; something that has been left for you by those who came before you. Visiting museums and galleries helps you understand the legacy and appreciate it. I do not see museums as cultural custodians where the curators keep the art in and people out. I see the galleries and the museums as bodies that educate people. Prior to my visit to the art gallery, I did not know that there was in use a small instrument for carding cotton in villages of our state. I am slightly richer today. I feel that a simple tour to the museums will broaden one’s world and mind and be a valuable part of one’s personal growth.
TAILPIECE
There were two huge skulls in a museum — one slightly smaller than the other. It was written on the bigger one “Kumbhkarna’s skull” and on the smaller one “Kumbhkarna’s skull when he was a child”. |
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17,500 hectares to be brought under medicinal plantation: Pathania
Kangra, July 27 He said 25 per cent of the saplings would be wild fruit trees. For new forest projects in the state this year, the government had earmarked Rs 120.46 crore as the preservation of the environment and forests was a priority of the Virbhadra Singh government, he said. Pathania said 5.5 lakh schoolchildren from 3,000 schools were involved in the plantation drive for which Rs 3 crore would be spent. He said the duration for the maintenance of the plantation done during Cat Plan was enhanced to seven years. The Vice-Chairman said 71 nurseries, which were reopened by the present government, had produced 13 lakh saplings. He said a four-year programme was started in the state to protect, scientifically maintain and develop medicinal plants in forests. Expressing concern over the damage caused to crops by monkeys, Pathania said over 83,000 monkeys had been sterilised at seven sterilisation centres in the state this year and two more such centres were under construction. He said the Forest Department was the first in the country to include the Payment for Environment Service in GDP.
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Bharmouri kick-starts van mahotsava in Chamba
Bharmour, July 27 This year, the first van mahotsava was inaugurated near Karian in Chamba district, followed by Lylh Koti village near Dharwala. Both villages are located on the bank of the Ravi. At Lylh Koti, the van mahotsava was followed by a public meeting where Bharmouri stressed the need for planting more plants in the state to fight global warming and the ill-effects of deforestation. Detailing about the activities of the Forest Department, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) ARM Reddy said this year, one van mahotsava would be celebrated in each forest division. Reddy said this year around 1,532 hectares would be brought under afforestation. To supplement the efforts of van mahotsava, afforestation by schoolchildren would also be carried out on August 16 in Chamba, Churah and Dalhousie forest divisions and 359 schools would participate in the programme, Reddy said.
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Workshop on fundamental rights held in Una
Una, July 27 Additional District and Sessions Judge RK Chaudhary inaugurated the workshop. Speaking on the occasion, he said under directions from the State Legal Services Authority, one teacher from each primary school would be educated on the fundamental rights. He said these teachers would further educate students of their respective schools from August 12 to 22, adding that on August 23, school-level essay-writing contests would be organised on the topic. Chaudhary said the top two winners from each school would participate in a subdivisional-level competition to be held on September 20 and the first three winners from this contest would participate at the district level on October 18. The first five winners of the district would sit in the state competition on November 15, he added. Chief Judicial Magistrate Parveen Chauhan, Additional CJM Rajesh Chauhan, Judicial Magistrates Divya Jyoti and Gaurav Kumar, besides advocates Manoj Rana and Seema Sharma, also spoke on the occasion.
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Shravan Navratra fair begins in Una
Una, July 27 Deputy Commissioner-cum-Commissioner of the Chintpurni Temple Trust Abhishek Jain presented Virbhadra with a picture of Mata Chintpurni. Chairman of the State Finance Commission and Chintpurni MLA Kuldip Kumar accompanied the CM. Thousands of devotees lined up from early morning to offer prayers at the shrine. The Trust has installed closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) at important points to keep a watch on anti-social elements. Devotees are allowed entry only on the basis of a computerised ‘parchi’ system.
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Hospitals violate waste management rules
Shimla, July 27 According to environmental engineers, biomedical waste must be collected in coloured plastic bags, but these norms are being flouted. Rag pickers in the state segregate hazardous syringes, glass bottles and plastic containers and further sell it to rag traders in Shimla, Solan, Mandi and Kullu. According to hospital sources at the Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) and other private hospitals in the state, there is no regular collection of biomedical waste because of which it is thrown into municipal dustbins. The biomedical treatment plant of the IGMC has also been shut down as it does not fulfill the norms prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Vineet Kumar, member secretary, SEPPCB, said the board had constituted teams to check the violation. They had also issued notices to around 70 hospitals for non-compliance. “Our plant is approved by the CPCB. We collect about 5 quintals of biomedical waste every day. About 90 per cent hospital waste is outsourced to us, including the IGMC and other government hospitals,” said HR Thakur, Director, Environ Engineers (EE), a private company running waste treatment plants near Solan, and Pirdi in Kullu.
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1,700 treated at medical camp
Kangra, July 27 HPCC secretary Ajay Verma, spokesman of the celebration committee, said IPH Minister Vidya Stokes inaugurated the two-day superspeciality medical camp. Verma said nearly 3,000 patients were registered and more than 1,700 had been treated for different ailments till evening. He said doctors from AIIMS, Delhi, PGI, Chandigarh, Government Medical College & Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, BL Kapoor Hospital, Fortis Kangra and Mohali, Rotary Hospital, Maranda and from other hospitals of the country rendered their services during the camp.
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AAP will consolidate party cadre in state: Shastri
Kangra, July 27 He said AAP would consolidate the party cadre under Mission Vistar in the state, besides Haryana and Punjab by June next year. “We want the party as the most viable alternative to the Congress and the BJP in the country,” he said. Shastri was in town to attend a two-day meeting of workers in which participants from nine districts of the state participated. — OC
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One drowns in Sirsa river
Solan, July 27 The other people unmindful of his absence did not notice that he had been washed away and started looking for him when he failed to come home. They later informed the police who managed to fish out his body around 12 last night which was stuck in stones. SP S Arul Kumar said the body had been handed over the family.
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Una, July
27
On my recent visit to Bilaspur, I was happy to see an art gallery in the office of the District Language Officer had been shifted to a new building in Changar Sector on October 31, 2013. The five-storey building constructed on a plot measuring 309 m cost around Rs 1.56 crore.
My query to Anita regarding the availability of black stone in Bilaspur, of which the head of Parvati was sculpted, remained unanswered. She guessed that it was painted black or got blackened through the constant use of dhoop-batti. I find it difficult to digest. The display is of 73 objects, besides those in the store, donated free to the art gallery, including a 100-year-old camera and a gramophone, a few spinning wheels of different sizes, hookahs and belua, a local instrument for carding cotton, old coins, driftwood art and chhaj, soop (winnowing flat baskets), chakki (grinding stones) and peru (grains storage bins) and three locally painted Kangra paintings. The list of donors is also exhibited in a flax-board. Besides the art gallery, Anita helped in raising a small local gallery at Matwana village in Ghumarwin tehsil where a villager Mansa Ram had ample driftwood art and stone-carvings that he wanted to preserve for posterity. How many officers, today, go out of the box to do a job that she has done?