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| Saturday, August 12, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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HP seeks 1,500 cr for flood damage DHARAMSALA, Aug 11 — Environmentalists have demanded the reviewing of the government strategy and policy regarding the setting up of big power projects in the state. HP enhances water supply
connection rates Bapu’s statue to be
reinstalled: Dhumal Kalchakra Mahabhishek
begins Govt to bear apple
transportation cost |
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| HP needs rainwater harvesting KASAULI: Himachal Pradesh receives 1134 mm of rain on an average yet there is a shortage of water in almost all its 58 urban settlements. For instance, the average water supply available at present in Shimla town is 101.79 lpcd (litres per capita per day) against a demand of 150 lpcd. Apple procurement plan soon Shortage of stamp papers Dhumal condemns Srinagar blast
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HP seeks 1,500 cr for flood damage NEW DELHI, Aug 11 — The nine-member Central team that assessed the damage caused by flash floods in Himachal Pradesh is expected to submit its report to the Centre by Tuesday. The state government has demanded an assistance of about Rs 1,500 crore to cope with the loss suffered. The Central team headed by Mr Govindan Nair, Joint Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, toured the affected areas of Himachal on August 7 and 8. The relief sought by the state government through its memorandum to the Union Agriculture Ministry also includes about Rs 700 crore to account for the delay in the commissioning of the Nathpa-Jhakri Power Corporation (NJPC) which has suffered heavy damages due to the flash floods in the Sutlej. The state government has said that the commissioning of the project would be delayed by about 18 months and the revenue loss on that account should be shared by the Centre. While the team is likely to recommend immediate assistance for the repair of roads and other measures which would help restore normalcy, the state’s demand for sharing of revenue loss from the NJPC is unlikely to be met soon. “This is not something affecting the life of people now,” a senior official of the Agriculture Department said. After assessing and analysing the state government’s demand for assistance of Rs 1,466 crore, the team would submit its report to the Agriculture Ministry by Tuesday. The final decision on the quantum of relief to be given to the state is expected to be taken by a team headed by the Union Agriculture Minister in about 10 days. The Agriculture Ministry officials said that unlike in the past when the relief amount was given from the National Fund for Calamity Relief, the funds to the state would have to be given as special assistance . They said that the calamity relief fund has been disbanded by the 11th Finance Commission and Himachal case was the first to come up before the Centre since the abolition of the fund. The state Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal had demanded release of Rs 500 crore as immediate assistance from the Centre during his recent visit to New Delhi. Officials said that apart from Rs 100 crore given earlier, more assistance has been released by the Centre to the state government. The Central team that visited the state included experts from the departments of Expenditure, Transport, Telecom, Rural Development, besides the Central Electricity Authority, FCI and Central Water Commission. |
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Review policy on power projects: experts DHARAMSALA, Aug 11 — Environmentalists have demanded the reviewing of the government strategy and policy regarding the setting up of big power projects in the state. Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr Ajit Kumar, an environmentalist, operating Dhauladhar Education Public Society, said because of the havoc created by the Sutlej in Kinnaur and Rampur, there was concern among environmentalists over the setting up of power projects in Himachal and their impact on the fragile Himalayan ecology. “In their blind race to harness 20,000 MW power in the state, the government has never gone in for serious environment impact assessment, which is a must before setting up of big projects, like the Nathpa Jhakri Power Project and the Chamera Power Project,” he stated. He added that in order to prevent any further damage the government should abandon the idea of big dam in fragile hill areas. Mr Ajit Kumar said it was disheartening that only after a big disaster had taken the government went in for crisis management, whereas in order to prevent such mishaps disaster management mechanism should be permanently in place. He added that environment impact assessment be undertaken not only for big power projects but also while making roads and undertaking other development works, be it by the government or by individuals. Dismissing the government’s logic that natural phenomenon like flashfloods and cloudbursts take place once in (61,000) years he said that this could happen any time like there was reference in the gazeteer about a major block in the Sutlej in 1763. He felt that the largescale tunneling and setting up of colonies and other structures right on the river-banks could be devastating. “The local wisdom of the villagers regarding settling much above from the river-bank holds good even today and the government must also keep this in mind,” he opined. |
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HP enhances
water supply connection rates SHIMLA, Aug 11 — The Himachal Government has enhanced the security fee, application fee and other charges for domestic and commercial connections of water supply in rural and urban areas of the state.
According to a notification issued to this effect, the security for domestic water supply in rural areas will be Rs 100, connection charges Rs 100 and application fee Rs 50. The security for commercial water supply in rural areas will be Rs 200, connection charges Rs 200 and application fee Rs 100. In urban areas, the security for domestic water supply is Rs 150, connection charges Rs 150 and application fee Rs 50 whereas security fee for commercial water supply will be Rs 300, connection fee Rs 300 and application fee Rs 100. These rates will come into force with effect from August 1 this year. |
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Bapu’s
statue to be reinstalled: Dhumal SHIMLA, Aug 11 — The demolition of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Hamirpur by unidentified miscreants on August 9 has sent shock waves in the state.
Chief Minister, P.K. Dhumal has assured that the guilty would not be spared and no one would be allowed to take law into his own hands. He said a new statue would be installed soon. Senior Congress leaders have condemned the incident and blamed the government for it. The State Youth Congress staged a protest dharna on the Ridge, here today. Mr Virbhadra Singh Leader of the Opposition, said it was shocking that such a deplorable incident should occur in the home district of the Chief Minister on the anniversary of the Quit India Movement. He said the government should take immediate strong action against the culprits otherwise his party would be forced to launch a state-wide stir. Activists of the Youth Congress led by its President, Mr Sukhwinder, took out a procession for the Ridge to the Deputy Commissioner’s office and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Governor. The Congress expressed concern over the failure of the administration to nab the culprits and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident Mr Sat Mahajan, Pradesh Congress Chief, condemned the incident. Mrs Vidya Stokes, senior Congress leader and a former Speaker, demanded a judicial enquiry into the incident. The state unit of the BJP has also condemned the incident and alleged that it was a calculated attempt to tarnish the image of Mr P.K. Dhumal. |
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Kalchakra Mahabhishek
begins SHIMLA, Aug 11 — Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri, inaugurated the three-day national seminar on “Himachal culture, language tradition and change” at the ancient Kei monastery in Spiti, coinciding with the main ceremony of the 26th Kalchakra
Mahabhishek.
Speaking on the occasion, the Governor emphasised the need for preserving the rich cultural heritage and hoped that the seminar would go a long way in achieving this objective. He appreciated the idea of holding it during the Kalchakra. Emphasising the importance of the ‘Kalchakra’ he said it was a simple way to salvation, he said that one got peace from prayer and the blessings of guru. Mr Shastri said that the Dalai Lama was doing a great service to the humanity by performing ‘yajna’ for world peace and hoped the entire humanity would be benefit from it. The Buddhist spiritual leader had devoted himself to peace despite adverse circumstances. The Governor also inaugurated a “Kalchakra Pravachan Hall” and also released a book titled “Short Guide to Kee” Gompa”. Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal lauded the sincere efforts of the Dalali Lama for world peace in the age of materialism. The Chief Minister said that the “Kei” was one of the important monasteries of the country and the government would spare no effort the develop it. He said that Rs 4.23 crore had been spent on the monastery complex to hold the 26th “Kalchakra”. Mr T.K. Lochen Tulku Rinpoche, Chairman of the Kalchakra Organising Committee, thanked the state government for rendering all help for the “Kalchakra”. While giving his blessings, the Dalali Lama emphasised that non-violence was key to peace and welfare of mankind. He said that during his 41 years’ stay in India, he had found that a lot had been done in for the promotion of culture and religion. |
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Govt to bear
apple transportation cost SHIMLA, Aug 11 — Chief Minister, Prem Kumar Dhumal, today announced that the apple crop from Kinnaur district would be transported via Kaza after restoration of bridge at Khab on which the work is going on a war footing. He said the government would bear the burden of Rs 60 per box which apple growers would have to pay as an additional sum to transport apple from the longer route to the market. He said the government would also bear tansportation cost of the apple to be taken on mule up to Wangtoo and in such areas where it was not possible to market the apple due to break down of communication, it would be procured by the HPMC. The Chief Minister, who was reviewing the progress of relief, rehabilitation and restoration measures in flood-hit areas works at Rekong Peo, today said that ropeways and spans were also being set up on a priority basis and the government would transport apple through these free of cost. He said that the government had taken up the matter with the government of India to cover fruits of Himachal Pradesh under the Crop Insurance Scheme. Mr Dhumal said the Border Road Organisation had fixed a target to open the roads from Khab to Powari by August 28 and Wangtoo to Tapri by August 25. He said that the Central team which visited the state recently to assess the loss due to flood had agreed to develop the old Hindustan-Tibet road from Tapri to Shasokhad as the national highway. He directed the Deputy Commissioner to prepare a detailed report regarding the private land that had been washed away due to flood so that affected people were provided relief accordingly. He expressed satisfaction over the relief and rehabilitation works and said that until normalcy was restored in Kinnaur essential commodities would be supplied by helicopters to avoid any inconvenience to the people. |
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HP needs rainwater harvesting KASAULI: Himachal Pradesh receives 1134 mm of rain on an average yet there is a shortage of water in almost all its 58 urban settlements. For instance, the average water supply available at present in Shimla town is 101.79 lpcd (litres per capita per day) against a demand of 150 lpcd. The position worsens during summer, when water demand spirals due to the tourist rush. The major mode of water supply in the state is through lift schemes. At times the lifts involved are quite expensive. The expenditure incurred on providing one kilolitre of water is around Rs 12. As against this, only Rs 1.80 is realised as charges from the beneficiary. This constitutes less than 10 per cent of the total expenditure incurred. It is pertinent to note that only a fraction of domestic water supply is used for drinking purposes. Studies show that on an average about 5 to 10 litres of water per day per person is consumed in India for drinking and cooking. Even if we accept the figure of 10 litres per day per person, it forms only 6 per cent of the total water supply. Thus, 94 per cent of the water supply to the household would be utilised for purposes other than drinking and cooking such as bathing, flushing of water closets, washing of utensils and clothes and watering of lawns. The interest in domestic use of run-off rainwater has grown worldwide. Apart from legislative steps , certain countries also give incentives for popularising its use. For example, California (USA) provides tax credit to those storing rainwater. In the German city of Osnabruck, subsidy up to $ 1200 is provided to households wishing to build rainwater tanks for washing machines and W.Cs. The concern for rainwater harvesting was also echoed at a national conference on “The Potential of Water Harvesting” held at Delhi in October 1998. In Chennai rain water collection for domestic use is compulsory. Therefore, it is apparent that the problem of water scarcity in the urban areas of Himachal Pradesh could be efficiently tackled through rainwater harvesting. There is a need to review and recast existing policies in order to pre-empt future scarcity. Rainwater could be safely collected from any kind of roof, except those made of asbestos or using lead-based paint The HP Council for Science, Technology and Environment proposed that to tackle rainwater harvesting on priority, first of all, buildings constructed within the urban limits of the town in future should have a separate rainwater collection tank. No building designs and plans should be approved if these do not include rainwater harvesting. Second, all commercial institutional buildings, tourist complexes, industrial complexes, hotels, etc (existing or proposed) having a plinth area of more than 1000 sq metres situated anywhere in the state will have rainwater storage facilities, commensurate with the size of roof area and requirements of the place. Third, the use of public water for watering lawns and gardens should be restricted. Collected rainwater could instead be used. The building bylaws should be amended to make provision for rainwater harvesting structure compulsory in all buildings in future. |
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Apple procurement plan soon SHIMLA, Aug 11 — The Himachal Pradesh Government has under consideration a special market intervention scheme for the procurement of apples in the flood-ravaged areas of Kinnaur district. According to official sources, under the scheme apple will be procured at a rate of Rs 10 per kg from areas which have been cut off due to snapping of road links. This year about 15 lakh boxes are likely to be produced and the growers in most areas would not be in a position to transport it to market. Under the scheme the loss on account of procurement is shared equally by the state and the Centre. Keeping in view the special circumstances the Centre has agreed to bear the additional financial burden. Meanwhile, efforts are afoot to build a bailey bridge across the Sutlej at Khab so that a part of the produce can be transported out via Kaza-Keylong-Manali route. The central team, which visited the flood-affected areas to ascertain the damage, has given an indication that the Centre will be willing to subsidise the extra cost of Rs 60 per box for transportation through the longer route. Officers of the Border Road Organisation (BRO), who were present at the meeting of the crisis management group held under the chairmanship of Mr A.K. Goswami, Chief Secretary, stated that they would try to build a bailey bridge at Khab by August 25. Besides, the road up to Karcham would be opened by September 25. The BRO has decided to shift machinery and manpower from other parts of the country to speed up the restoration of the national highway between Wangtu and Khab. The inclement weather affected the airlifting of essential supplier as helicopters could make only three sorties yesterday. So far over 900 quintals of ration, 8000l of kerosene has been airlifted to cut-off areas. The national highway has been restored up to 2 km beyond Wangtu and 8 single-rope bridges have been made functional, while another 27 will be built soon. A bailey bridge near Juri, which was not being used was being dismantled to be constructed at Wazir Bowli and provide road connectivity to the cut-off Nirmand area of Kulu. More machinery has been deployed to restore the 5-km stretch of the Luri road which had been washed away. |
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Shortage of
stamp papers KASAULI, Aug 11 — There has been an acute shortage of stamp papers in this tehsil, particularly those of lower denomination up to Rs 30. People coming here from far-flung areas for making sale and purchase agreements and affidavits have to buy stamp papers of higher denomination.
Enquiries from the local treasury office have revealed that the supply from the Solan office had been inadequate for the past two months. The District Treasury Officer, Solan, stated that the situation was no better there. The state Revenue Department at Shimla had written to the authorities in this regard. |
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Dhumal condemns Srinagar blast SHIMLA, Aug 11 — Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, has condemned the blast in Srinagar yesterday in which several persons were killed. Mr Dhumal said it was the handiwork of anti-national elements who did not want peace in the
state. |
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