HP towards 'brown revolution'
SHIMLA, Dec 26— Himachal Pradesh is heading for a "brown revolution"as a bumper potato production with the joint efforts of the State Government and the Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) is under way.

Induct Sukh Ram in Cabinet: HVC
BILASPUR, Dec 26 — A virtual revolt is brewing in the Himachal Vikas Congress cadres against the party's present alliance with the BJP.

Workshop on panchayati raj
MANDI, Dec 26 — A three-day state-level workshop of the panchayati raj institutions and non-government organisations engaged in the task of generating awareness of the significance of self-government at the village-level in planning and implementation of development projects began at Panchayati Raj Bhavan here today.

House owners seek enactment of Act
SHIMLA, Dec 26 — The executive committee of the Shimla House Owners Welfare Association has urged the government to enact the new Rent Control Act in the state on the lines of the legislation approved by the Centre.

PWD engineers for review of decision
SHIMLA, Dec 26 — The Himachal PWD Engineers Association has urged the government to review its decision of scrapping national highways set up in the state.

HP towards 'brown revolution'
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 26— Himachal Pradesh is heading for a "brown revolution"as a bumper potato production with the joint efforts of the State Government and the Central Potato Research Institute (CPRI) is under way.

The state government is providing high-yielding and disease-resistant seed potato to farmers to ensure an enhanced production and thus uplift the socio-economic condition of the farmers of the state.

With an objective to undertake basic and strategic research for developing technologies, enhance productivity, produce disease- free basic seed of different notified varieties and provide leadership and coordinate network research with state agriculture universities, the CPRI came into existence in 1949. Since then it is acting as a national repository of scientific information relevant to potato and is also collaborating with national and international agencies in producing quality potato.

The agro-climatic conditions of Himachal Pradesh are highly suitable for the production of potato. Potato in the state can be grown as mixed, inter, relay or sequential crop. The state government in association with the CPRI is providing the latest knowhow about the crop to the farmers.

The main objective of the institute is to transform technology from lab to the field. For this "lab to land", programmes are launched from time to time. From 1991-92 to 1995-96, a farmers anticipatory programme was started in Mandi district. The farmers were made aware of the latest technology and new seeds were also introduced.

Again from 1996 to 1999, a programme named "Technology assessment and refinement" was launched in selected places of Shimla district. More than 300 families were adopted and an average 40 to 50 per cent increase in productivity was achieved. Farmers were not only provided with the latest knowledge about potato cropping, but technical knowhow was also made available on crops like apple, maize, cabbage and peas to facilitate the farmers of the state.

The CPRI till date has produced 35 new varieties of potato. The seed potato produced here is first supplied to the Himachal Pradesh Agriculture Department and HP Seed Corporation from where it is further supplied to the farmers after multiplying it by growing the same for three years.

To ensure that even the less fertile land of the tribal areas of the state are also involved in quality potato production, the Government of Himachal Pradesh has initiated a new scheme to increase the production of seed potato in the tribal areas. The farmers are being provided with 50 per cent subsidy on seed potato and also 100 per cent transport subsidy.

During the year 1999-2000, 1720 hectare area has been brought under the potato crop. Farmers, with a view to ensure better prices to the farmers and maintain quality of the seed potato, seed certification programmes are also being encouraged. Efforts are on to register maximum number of farmers for the production of seed potato and its certification.

Since potato is the major cash crop, particularly of the tribal areas and the farmers depend on it to great extent, a market intervention scheme has been introduced for the tribal areas of the state.

The latest varieties of the seed potato produced by the institute are Kufri Chipsona-I and Kufri Chiprona-II. These varieties are disease-resistant and rated as the best potatoes in the world. The lower areas of Himachal Pradesh are best suited for these varieties. Other varieties produced by the institute, which are especially resistant to the deadly disease, the late blight of potato, are Kufri Giriraj, Kufri Anand and Kufri Kanchan. Kufri Giriraj is yet another variety of potato which is best suited for Himachal Pradesh.

The state government will ensure that the seeds of this variety are provided to the potato growers of the state, so that production of the crop is increased manifold. This variety is not only resistant to the late blight disease, its maturity period is also of 80 to 95 days only.

Induct Sukh Ram in Cabinet: HVC
From Our Correspondent

BILASPUR, Dec 26 — A virtual revolt is brewing in the Himachal Vikas Congress cadres against the party's present alliance with the BJP, as was evident here last evening when hundreds of HVC leaders and activists demanded that either the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, should invite their party supremo, Mr Sukh Ram to rejoin his Cabinet and restore his earlier status as PWD and Power Minister, failing which all HVC ministers should resign and support the government from outside.

The meeting presided over by the party state General Secretary, Mr Shivlal, a former MLA, and was attended by the state mahila wing president, Ms Veena Sharma, state office secretary, Mr Kundan Thakur, state Press Secretary, Mr Pratap Rana, district unit president, Major Shivram Sharma, the district youth wing President, Mr Baldev Thakur, the state joint secretary, Mr Baburam Thakur, a former MLA, Mr Sadaram Thakur, and district youth wing general secretary, Mr Manoharlal Thakur. They criticised the BJP ministers for allegedly ignoring the HVC.

They were also critical of the HVC ministers, who, they alleged, did not bother for party activists other than those in their own constituencies.

They alleged that the present alliance and some "anti-people policies" of the state government were damaging the interests of the HVC. The present arrangement must be reviewed to ensure that HVC leaders were consulted on all policy matters and a 'minimum programme of action' was decided between the two alliance partners at the earliest, they demanded.

Ropeway builds hope
From Balkrishan Prashar

CHAMBA: The mountainous terrain, stretching from Bagga to Dunali, touching the Bharmour tribal region, has majestic slopes. The terrain having an altitude of about 3000 metres is appropriate for apple and vegetables crops. In 24 villages of the area there are 200 apple orchards. This belt produces over 1500 tonnes of apple.

In the past there were no link roads to the area. The mule was the only means of transportation. It wasn't easy for orchardists to bring their produce to the road.

Transportation of apples from village Tappel to roadhead costed Rs 120, whereas from Karnani, Kundi, Mukantha and Marotha costed Rs 100 , Rs 80 , Rs 70 and Rs 60, respectively.

Under the Integrated Cooperative Development Project (ICDP) ropeways are being provided in this alpine region. The first ropeway in the district has been set up by the Bassu Cooperative Multipurpose Society. The ropeway links this belt to the Bharmour-Chamba Highway.

According to Mr Vivek Mahajan, General Manager of the ICDP, the ropeway consists of four spans having a total length of about 2.5 km. The first span from Darog to Luharka is around 800 metres ( aerial distance). The second span from Luharka to Krunti is about 700 metres. The third span from Krunti to Marotha is 500 metres. The last span from Marotha to Mukantha will be installed in the second phase. The ropeway has cost Rs 2.15 lakh.

This ropeway covers Tururu, Kumathra, Bhadrota, Dadrotha, Dhumbie, Kundi, Sunara, Trigaltha, Gadiara, Kunger, Ghunh, Karnani, Luharka, Jaroutha and Bullighori villages of Chamba district.

Almost all the villages have ration shops. Kundi and Sunara villages have six ration shops each. This ropeway will help in the carriage of the public distribution ration from the main road to these villages.

HP non-teaching staff demand new pay scales
From Our Correspondent

KANGRA, Dec 26— The Himachal Pradesh Non-Teaching Employees Association has demanded that the revision of the pay scales of the non-teaching employees of the Education Department should be made on the pattern of the newly-revised pay scales of the Punjab Government for this cadre.

The spokesman for the association, Mr Chanderabh Mishra, in a statement here today demanded pay scales of Rs 3120-6200 for Class IV, Rs 4550-7220 for the clerical cadre, Rs 6400-10625 for senior assistants and Rs 7220-12000 for the superintendents, (Grade II). He demanded filling of the 114 vacant posts of superintendents (Grade II).

Mr Mishra demanded that the house rent and CA to the employees at Dharamsala be put at par with that in Shimla.

Workshop on panchayati raj
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Dec 26 — A three-day state-level workshop of the panchayati raj institutions and non-government organisations engaged in the task of generating awareness of the significance of self-government at the village-level in planning and implementation of development projects began at Panchayati Raj Bhavan here today.

About 90 delegates from all over the state are participating in the workshop which has been organised under the joint auspices of the Zila Parishad, Navrachana Palampur and the Rural Development and Technology Centre Rajgarh, Mandi.

The workshop will draw a strategy to build up pressure on the Government for the implementation on of the 73rd amendment in the Constitution regarding the transfer of powers to the panchayati raj institutions.

House owners seek enactment of Act
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 26 — The executive committee of the Shimla House Owners Welfare Association has urged the government to enact the new Rent Control Act in the state on the lines of the legislation approved by the Centre.

The association has said house owners were facing problems in the absence of reforms in the Act.

It demanded that wholetime rent controllers should be appointed for the speedy disposal of cases.

The association expressed resentment over the proposal of the municipal corporation to levy 2 per cent tax on the sale of property.

It demanded adequate water supply and criticised the policy of providing single water connection to house owners irrespective of the residing units in the building.

The association also demanded the construction of additional parking places in view of the growing number of vehicles.

PWD engineers for review of decision
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 26 — The Himachal PWD Engineers Association has urged the government to review its decision of scrapping national highways set up in the state.

In a statement here yesterday Mr Harbans Kumar, secretary general of the association, said an emergency meeting of the association was held here on Thursday to discuss the issue. The decision of the government was described as a "retrograde step". Scrapping of the national highways would not only impede development and maintenance of the highways, but also prove fatal in the long run.