Dream of an all-weather Leh-Manali road
PANGI VALLEY March 28 — Septuagenarian Tashi Dawa is a man with a mission that he refuses to give up even after 50 years and in the evening of his life.

Cement carriage contract cancelled
BILASPUR, March 28 — The Himachal Pradesh State Ex-Servicemen Corporation (Hamirpur) has cancelled its cement carriage contract at ACC Barmana near here of the HP Ex-Servicemen Transport Union led by Captain Ram Singh and has issued notification taking over this contract and carriage work itself from March 24, 1999.

HP allocates Rs 691 cr for education
LAMBLOO (Hamirpur), March 28 — The Himachal Pradesh Government was spending 16 per cent of its Budget on education and allied activities. This was stated by the Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, at a rural gathering here in his Bamsan Assembly constituency.

• Sentenced to life in dowry death case
• World Theatre Day celebrated
• One killed in road accident
• Hostel for tribal students
• Encroachments removed

Probe confirms jungle raj in Forest dept
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, March 28 — An inquiry by the forest Department has confirmed largescale encroachments and misuse of timber distribution facility to right holders in the Jubbal division.

The probe was ordered following the publication of a news item highlights the prevailing "jungle raj" in the Forest division where green cover had been shrinking at an alarming rate.

In his report Mr A.L. Sharma Chief Conservator of Forests, has observed that the process of apple growers encroaching upon forest land which started in early seventies was still continuing. As per official records as many as 159 cases of encroachment involving over 123 hectares of forest land were pending with the department at various levels.

He was further observed that since the entire area was honeycombed with apple orchards it would not be possible to ascertain how much area had been encroached upon by individuals till demarcation of land was carried out. He had recommended a special drive to check and detect encroachments in the area. The Conservator of Forests Shimla Circle should monitor the cases pending with courts and those already decided and ensure eviction from encroached land.

Since the problem was not confirmed to Jubbal but also existed in Rohru, Theog, Chopal and Kotgarh, the special drive should also cover these areas so that there was no resentment among the people of Jubbal against the drive.

One Deputy Ranger admitted having encroached upon three bighas of land. The inquiry officer asked the conservator concerned to ensure that he was evicted immediately and the land restored to the department. Regarding the alleged encroachments by relatives of Forest officials, the inquiry officer recommended that special staff be deputed to detect such cases and besides carrying out eviction, disciplinary action be taken against the officials concerned for violation of conduct rules.

The inquiry also confirmed marking or oversized trees under the timber distribution rules. One Deputy Ranger, who died in December had marked oversized trees to the extent of Rs 1,48,876. He also not maintained the T.D. register properly. He carried out markings realised the amount but did not issue receipts.

During random checking trees marked in Sanaba forest, the inquiry officer found minor variation in the size of four trees but one of the trees was of 96 cm girth as against the sanctioned 60 cm. The Deputy Ranger concerned was suspended for carrying oversized marking.

The inquiry report underlined the need for detailed investigation and scrutining of T.D. Applications and T.D. registers for trees sanctioned during past two years. Two special teams, each comprising a ranger, two deputy rangers and four guards, from the adjoining Rohru and Theog divisions were set up to detect oversized markings in various forests of Jubbal range.

The inquiry also confirmed that a large number of standing trees had dried up due to constant and frequent lopping over the years. These should be marked and handed over to the State Forest Corporation for conversion.

The inquiry officer also heard the charges of the forest staff against the Divisional Forest Officer. The frequent shifting of the staff by the D.F.O. had indeed caused resentment.

The D.F.O. had been using abusive language against them. The inquiry officer recommended that the D.F.O. be shifted to maintain cordial atmosphere in Jubbal division and some of the field staff be also transferred out.

Hill women awaken to health needs

NAHAN(H.P), March 28 (UNI) — Women from far-flung and interior villages of Sirmaur district, the most backward in this hill state, are for the first time coming forward to discuss intimate health problems including reproductive tract infections (RTIs) at unique forums which aim at empowering them.

Ban on sex determination tests, more ‘dais’ or trained birth attendants (TBA) for expecting mothers unable to traverse long distances to the nearest health centre and overall improvement in the health service delivery are just some of the impassioned pleas that hill women of Himachal Pradesh have begun articulating at the bi-monthly forums.

Health workers and social activists maintain that the high prevalence of RTIs in the district is linked to prevailing sexual practices and social customs like polyandry. The women’s forum which is a component of an innovative district reproductive health programme launched in Sirmaur last June, attempts to address these and other issues with the aim of socially liberating the hill women.

Rukmini Devi, pradhan of the Mahila Mandal in Kumaha village, maintains that foeticide is still actively practised. Women get ultrasound done and if the foetus is female they are taken to towns by their families for abortion, she says.

Rukmini Devi cites the recent case of a young woman who was made to undergo her fourth abortion by her husband and in-laws as all foetuses were female. "The husband said he was helpless as his parents had insisted on the abortions and when we tried to counsel the latter they were adamant on wanting a grandson’, she says.

Rukmini discusses the evils of foeticide with other women at the forum meetings at Sangrah, 50 km from here, where she claims the younger generation is becoming more sensitised.

The women’s forums are an integral part of the pilot district reproductive health project jointly launched in Sirmaur by the central and state governments and the United Nations Development Fund (UNFPA). Safe motherhood, family planning, prevention and management of unsafe abortion, improvement in service quality, child survival and prevention and management of rtis/stds are the key components of the project.

Mina Sharma, an anganwadi worker, uses the forum as a platform to dispel misconceptions among women with regard to rtis. "Women feel that white discharge is due to eating "garam cheez’’ (spicy food) or due to sterilisation operation", she says.

According to Dr Arun Kumar Aggarwal, who imparts health education at the Sangrah forum, about 70 to 80 per cent of the women have vaginal discharge mainly due to hygiene problems. "Unfortunately, they are still shy in coming forward and seeking treatment so we are now identifying such women through dais and anganwadi workers’’, he says.

Dr (Mrs) Barwal, who practices at the civil hospital at Dadahu near here, agrees that the incidence of rtis is alarmingly high due to poor hygiene practices and polyandry which, she says, is common especially in the interior areas. Treatment remains unsatisfactory because in majority of the cases the husbands do not come forward for partner’s treatment.

Another major drawback is that treatment is not easily accessible to the hill people. According to Dr Manmeet Kaur, the project’s co-ordinator here, many times the medical staff are not available or the posts are vacant at primary health centres (PHCS) and sub-centres in the remote areas.

As majority of births continue to take place at home, a common need voiced by women at the forums is for trained dais. Nirmala, a dai in Sangrah, complains that there are no incentives in the job. "Earlier, I used to get Rs 10 per delivery, but now this has been withdrawn by the local administration’’, she says.

Observing that any cuts in government expenditure inevitably fall first on the weakest, Dr Aggarwal says the Rs 10 was given as an incentive to the dais to register each new birth.

He agrees that TBAs are very essential for the village people because of the bond which is created between the dai and the new mother and child. The project proposes to have a special dai training programme which will equip the birth attendant to handle difficult deliveries like resuscitation of asphyxiated or blue babies.

The programme also plans to involve men in community health management, but not just yet. "Right now we are concentrating on women and making them aware of their strength. We do not want a confrontation between men and women, but to reach the family and address various issues including gender discrimination which starts at the home’’, he says.

Dream of an all-weather Leh-Manali road

PANGI VALLEY March 28 (UNI) — Septuagenarian Tashi Dawa is a man with a mission that he refuses to give up even after 50 years and in the evening of his life.

Having been instrumental in defending the Lahaur-Spiti and Pangi valley areas from Pakistani tribal invaders in 1948 by mobilising the local population and the clever use of a mountain path to get Army reinforcements, he is aware of the vital importance of maintaining communication links.

Mr Dawa feels the construction of a 9-km tunnel and renovation of a 360-km strategic road in the Lahaul-Spiti area of Himachal Pradesh could have saved Gilgit, Skardu and Hunza and Aksai Chin areas from falling into Pakistani and Chinese hands, respectively.

The tunnel to connect one part of the highway with another at an altitude of more than 12,000 ft would make the Leh-Manali national highway an all-weather road, which otherwise is closed for six months in a year during winter, and maintain links with the Karakoram pass.

Mr Dawa, who is at present Chairman of the Lahaul-Spiti and Pangi valley tribal area, said the proposal was placed before Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi when they were Prime Ministers. Nothing came out of it though Pandit Nehru had even referred the matter to General Thimayya. In another instance, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, then in the Opposition, had brought it to the notice of Indira Gandhi.

The construction of the tunnel at that time would have cost a mere Rs 50 crore as compared to about Rs 1000 crore at present, he added.

The matter was also taken up by Lt-Gen B.K.N. Chhibber who is now Punjab Governor.

"No amount of money is greater than the national security the tunnel would provide to the area against China and Pakistan. Moreover, the money would come from the Defence Budget," Mr Dawa said.

Mr Dawa, who is now 75, reminiscing about the events of 1948 said Pakistani tribals raiders had taken over a large portion of Baltistan and Kargil and were only about 6 km away from Leh.

There was no other way for the Indian armed forces to reach Leh as the Srinagar-Leh highway was already taken over by the raiders. At that time two tribal youths from the area — Devi Singh and Shiv Chand — came forward to save Ladakh.

The two met Pandit Nehru in Delhi and told him about the Leh-Manali road. At that time it was a little-known narrow pathway traversed by the sure-footed pack mules. Due to the exigencies of the situation, they guided a contingent of the Army up the precarious path to Leh.

Mr Dawa, on his part, played a role in mobilising the people of the area to reach supplies and arms and ammunition for the Army through the same path. Thus, Leh was saved and the Army wrested the Srinagar-Leh highway from the Pakistani raiders.

Had the ceasefire not been ordered, Indian forces would have taken back Gilgit, Baltistan and other places from the Pakistanis, he added.

The Border Roads Organisation (BROI) incorporated the pathway into the Manali-Leh national highway after the 1962 India-China border conflict. The highway goes up to the last post of Karakoram pass through Lahaul-Spiti. The road, besides being crucial for the safety and security of north-western India, is the shortest joining Ladakh with the plains of India.

A renovation of the road was undertaken in 1964 by a survey team headed by the Divisional Commissioner, Jalandhar, Mr Douglas Forsyth, who himself went up to Yarkand in Central Asia crossing the 11,575-ft Zojila pass and Leh. His team remained behind to complete the survey. The result was that the highway was connected to the ancient silk route of Central Asia.

Mr Dawa said the proposed tunnel, to be located at an altitude between, 8,000-22,000 ft in the Rohtang pass would join Kulu with Lahaul-Spiti which would immensely benefit the region, which otherwise remains practically inaccessible as it is bound on all sides by mountain ranges and streams.

The economy of the tribes people of Lahaul-Spiti and the Pangi valley stands to benefit in a big way. The people of this area grow potatoes, green peas, hops, dry fruits and some rare medicinal herbs. These products can be transported and sold in various markets outside throughout the year.

Mr Dawa pointed out the massive amount of money being spent on removing the snow from the road could be saved once the tunnel was built. The BRO had given final shape to the survey for the tunnel, he added.

The road, if properly maintained, could also solve the problems of the nearly 40,000 tribes people living in about 400 villages in Lahaul-Spiti district and the Pangi valley. The population is predominantly Hindu and Buddhists.

Mr Dawa said the defence authorities had a proposal of building a road above the Leh-Manali road but that would be barely 7 km from the border and within firing range. The Leh-Manali road is located at least 70 km inside the Indian territory and therefore be comparatively safer.

He said he had met Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on November 4 last year. The Prime Minister had shown considerable interest and assured some action. Mr Dawa also invited the Prime Minister and Defence Minister George Fernandes to visit the area.

Rectify distortions from history: Dhumal
From Our Correspondent

KANGRA, March 28 — Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prof P.K. Dhumal, yesterday stressed on the need of removing distortions in the history of India to preserve the Indian cultural heritage and India as a whole.

Prof Dhumal was addressing the inaugural function of "Trigarth Through Ages" a three-day seminar organised by the All-India Ithas Sankalan Yojana Samiti in the Kangra fort yesterday. Prof Dhumal said when a society or a nation was to be destroyed the history of that nation was to be distorted. It has happened with India and the Indian history required to be corrected at the earliest. He said it was under a deep-rooted conspiracy against Hindus that the history was distorted and concocted. It was only to smother the "sources of Inspiration" for future generations.

He said it was an omission on the part of the government that it did not took to rewriting the history and wrong informations about our past were being imparted to younger generations in schools. He said that the students were being taught that 'Aryas' had come from outside India but evidence had proved the contrary.

He blamed reporters that they had blown out of proportion the incidents of Gujarat and Orissa and that too was not based on the facts.

He said that under Sarwasti Bal Vidya Sankalan Yojna 13612 class rooms were to be built by the end of 2002 but this yojna was opposed by the Congress party saying it amounted to saffronisation of educational system in the state. He justified this saffronisation saying it was a mark of renunciation and sacrifice. He said the Congress was describing his party as communal without logic and reason.

He announced that a restaurant will be set up in the Kangra fort to attract more tourists, cultural songs and programmes would be presented in the fort by the local artists under flood lights installed in the fort at a cost of Rs 20 lakh.

He said the government would take up the matter of setting up of a museum in the fort with the Archaeological Survey of India. He said all historical places in the state would be developed as tourist places.

Prof Bal Raj Madhok President, All-India Jansangh on the occasion said that if the nation was to be preserved and protected, we have to live in the present on our past for vis-a-vis our future. He said we have committed blunders vis-a-vis China, Kashmir and Pakistan because we have not learnt anything from history.

Prof Madhok blamed Muslims and Christians for distorting facts of the history. He said that the facts were sacred but interpretations were own, on this basis the history requires to be rewritten. He said, "I take pity on those who describe rewriting of history as Hinduisation of the history".

He said, "We have failed to speak the truth thus our history was suffering a jolt". He said Hindus were secular and were proud of it but the Congress and the Communist Party in the country never wanted to see India a secular state.

Mr Moropanth Pinglay, national Director of the Ithas Sankajan Yojna said that the history was being rewritten on basis of "kalgana", that is time and not round a person. He said Mahabharata was made as a water shed for this project. He said India had the longest and the shortest "time calculations".

Chief Minister Prof P.K. Dhumal on this occasion released "Himachal Pradesh Kaa Ithihas" written by Mr Mangant Ram Verma.

Raja Aadit Dev Chander, former Raja of Lambagoan and the representative of the Katoch dynasty who ruled the Trigath from the Kangra fort. was also present on the occasion.

Dr Surinder Kumar Gupta H.P. University V.C. Education Minister Mr Issar Dass Dhiman, Dr Gianeshwar Kurana of university was also present.

Cement carriage contract cancelled
From Our Correspondent

BILASPUR, March 28 — The Himachal Pradesh State Ex-Servicemen Corporation (Hamirpur) has cancelled its cement carriage contract at ACC Barmana near here of the HP Ex-Servicemen Transport Union led by Captain Ram Singh and has issued notification taking over this contract and carriage work itself from March 24, 1999.

In a notification of March 23, 1999 signed by Chairman-cum-Managing Director Colonel (retd) Chetram Verma, Corporation has found reply of captain Ramsingh to its earlier office notice of March 9, 1999 as unsatisfactory and has said that since terms and conditions of agreement had been flouted and irregularities committed and instructions have been disobeyed, this carriage contract work of cement cannot be continued with this union and corporation has been left with no option but to take action as per clause number two of the terms and conditions specified in their office letter dated 15.12.94.

It would be recalled that former Congress Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, after being annoyed with the HP State Ex-Servicemen Transport Union led by Major Shivram Sharma (which was doing this cement loading work since past 11 years) as that union refused to dance to his tunes for his "political ends", on November 15, 1994, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh suddenly ordered raid of hundreds of policemen on the union office at Barmana suddenly and leaders were seriously injured following a police lathicharge and Chief Minister raised another parallel and puppet union led by Captain Ramsingh and snatched cement loading work from union led by Major Shivram Sharma and awarded this work to the union of Captain Ramsingh.

HP allocates Rs 691 cr for education
From Our Correspondent

LAMBLOO (Hamirpur), March 28 — The Himachal Pradesh Government was spending 16 per cent of its Budget on education and allied activities. This was stated by the Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, at a rural gathering here in his Bamsan Assembly constituency.

Earlier, the Chief Minister performed upgradation ceremony of the local high school as the senior secondary school. He said that allocation on education had been increased from Rs 536 crores in 1998-99 to Rs 691 crore for the 1999-2000. He said that the government was examining a proposal to upgrade the middle schools directly as senior secondary schools in future instead of the high schools.

The Chief Minister announced a scholarship scheme in the name of Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, a former President of India for students getting first, second and third positions in entrance tests for the engineering and medical colleges. Students getting first position will get Rs 25000, second will get Rs 20,000 and third will get Rs 15,000 each per annum.

The Chief Minister said that it had been decided to recruit 40 NIS trained coaches in various disciplines in the state shortly to promote sports.

The Chief Minister thanked the HVC chief, Mr Sukhram for extending support for the formation of the government.

The Education Minister, Mr Ishwar Dass Dhiman, hit out at the Congress leaders for blaming the present government for not developing the state equally.

Mrs Urmila Thakur, Parliamentary Secretary and Mr Babu Ram Mandyal, MLA also spoke.

The Chief Minister announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh for the local school. A variety programme was also presented by the school children.

Sentenced to life in dowry death case
From Our Correspondent

SUNDERNAGAR, March 28 — Mr Sam Sher Singh, Additional Sessions judge, Mandi Division in a judgement announced on Friday convicted Bhim Singh of Chowk village of Sundernagar sub division for allegedly murdering his wife by pouring kerosene on her and setting her afire on April 17,1997 at 9 p.m. and sentenced him to life and to pay a fine of Rs 5000.

According to the prosecution Bhim Singh alongwith his mother and sister-in-law used to maltreat the deceased due to dowry. On April 17, 1997 at 9 p.m. the accused set his wife Banti Devi on fire after pouring kerosene on her, the deceased received 90 per cent burns and died on April 22, 1997 in zonal hospital Mandi. Before her death she deposed that her husband set her on fire. The police after registering a case under sections 302, 498-A of the Indian Penal Code arrested the three accused. The court on the conclusion of trial convicted the husband and acquitted the women.

The prosecution examined 19 witnesses and the defence examined three witnesses in its favour, the court, mainly, relied on the dying declaration made by the deceased in presence of an Executive Magistrate and sentenced the convict to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs 5000/- for offence under section 302.

World Theatre Day celebrated
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, March 28 — The local Amateur Dramatic Club celebrated the World Theatre Day by organising two short plays at the historic Gaiety Theatre here last evening.

The students of Dayanand Junior College staged the English play "Villa For Sale".

The second play "Prashana Chinha" written and directed by Rupesh was a biting satire on contemporary socio economic scene in the country. It was adjudged the best play in the drama competition organised by the club in October last year.

Theatre veterans of Shimla Prof G.R. Soon and Mr S.N. Joshi were honoured on the occasion by Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, president of the club.

General Oberoi underlined the need for reviving amateur theatre as a potent influence for awakening the conscience of people. As a performing art the theatre should not only fulfil the creative needs of individuals but also sensitise society towards its problems.

The day is observed in the memory of Jerzy Grotowski, Polish dramatist and an ardent devotee of Kalhakali and Yoga who died early this year.

Hostel for tribal students
From Our Correspondent

KANGRA, March 28 — A hostel at a cost of Rs 3 crore for tribal students in Dharamsala Government College will be constructed soon.

This was disclosed by the Transport and Tribal Development Minister, Mr Krishen Kapoor, while presiding over the prize distribution function of the college yesterday. He said an indoor stadium at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore would also be constructed in Dharamsala town.

A sum of Rs 17 crore had been set aside for sewerage of Dharamsala town out of which Rs 1.44 crore had already been spent. He said the Chief Minister had given additional Rs 50 lakh for speeding up the sewerage project in the town.

Mr Kapoor emphasised the need to adopt the rich cultural heritage of the state. He announced a grant of Rs 10,000 for the college.

Encroachments removed
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, March 28 — The district administration swung into action days after a schoolboy was crushed under a bus near Tara Hall School, and removed about a dozen encroachments along Circular Road.

The structures removed included two tea shops, a juice vend, a scooter repair shop and three garages on Bharari Road.

A dumper and building materials on the roadside were also removed.

Mr R.S. Singh, Deputy Commissioner, said a plan had been drawn up to construct a parking area near Snowview and funds had been given to the Public Works Department.

One killed in road accident

SHIMLA, March 28 (PTI) — One person was killed on the spot and four others were injured seriously when a Maruti van rolled into a deep gorge near Lafoo-Ghati on the Hindustan-Tibet National Highway, 40 km from here, today.

This was the second accident in this area during the past three days. Four persons were killed in an accident near the same spot on the evening of March 25.