H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

A boon to animal owners
PALAMPUR: The veterinary clinic established on the HP Agricultural University campus here has proved to be a boon for people of this hill state where there is no animal care worth the name.

1,336 self-help groups in Kangra
DHARAMSALA, Dec 23 — The Indira Mahila Yojna, which was launched five years back, has started showing results as a total of 1,336 self-help groups have been formed in Kangra district, providing the much needed economic strength and awareness among women.

Inquiry ordered into poll irregularities
KANGRA, Dec 23 — The Deputy Commissioner has ordered an inquiry into the alleged irregularities during the recent panchayat election in Ward No 8, Mundla, in Shahpur tehsil of the district. The elections were held for the post of pradhan, up pradhan, block samiti member and zila parishad member, Additional Deputy Commissioner Rahul Anand said yesterday.

Madarsas closing down in HP
DHARAMSALA, Dec 23 — The stepped up police surveillance and resistance from a section of the Muslim community against visits of fundamentalists in Chamba district has led to the closure of a number of madarsas, which had mushroomed during the recent years.

Warrants issued against ex-SHO
BILASPUR, Dec 23 — The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr D.K. Sharma, has issued non-bailable warrants against Sardari Lal, a retired SHO of the Sadar police station here, and Kartar Singh, a villager, and ordered the police to produce them in the court on January 29.

CM to open Ganvi hydel project
SHIMLA, Dec 23 — Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal will inaugurate the 22.5 mw Ganvi hydroelectric project near Jeori in Shimla district on December 25.

IITT examination from Dec 26
NAHAN, Dec 23 — Following the directions of the Delhi High Court, Himachal Pradesh University has deputed Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent to conduct the examination for engineering students of the IITT, Kala Amb, from December 26.

HP officials get notice over Parwanoo traffic chaos
PARWANOO, Dec 23 — Taking cognizance of a public interest litigation against the authorities’ indifference towards the chaotic traffic conditions at Parwanoo, Himachal Pradesh High Court have issued show cause notices to the Secretary (Transport), Secretary (PWD), Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police, Solan, and the Secretary of Municipal Council, Parwanoo. 

A boon to animal owners
From Ravinder Sood

PALAMPUR: The veterinary clinic established on the HP Agricultural University campus here has proved to be a boon for people of this hill state where there is no animal care worth the name.

This clinic, established in 1986, is the state’s only nodal referral hospital which apart from providing treatment to sick animals, is also a teaching veterinary hospital. It provides a platform for training veterinary graduates for courses offered by the departments of veterinary clinical medicine, preventive medicine and veterinary surgery. The clinic is manned by members of clinical departments under the supervision of hospital superintendent on rotation basis.

This institution has important facilities like the OPD section where outdoor patients are treated by experts. Indoor wards are also available to large as well as small animals. The clinic also has facilities for animal owners to stay.

There is one clinical diagnostic laboratory in the complex which routinely carries out the faecal, blood, urine, sputum, skin test, etc. It has facilities, for the mastitis test on milch animals. Besides, the clinic has most modern x-ray plant where regular x-ray tests of small and large animals are carried out free.

According to Dr B.S. Katoch, Dean of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, it developed as a central diagnostic laboratory equipped with the most sophisticated instruments.

He says there are also two operation theatres for small and large animals fitted with close-circuit camera and TV for the visual demonstration of operation techniques. Even during odd hours the animals are attended to and one intern is available round the clock.

Besides, providing facilities for training students, field veterinarians are also trained here. The institution is regularly organising clinical camps in the different parts of the state, attending to the management and treatment of wild life and zoo animals even on Sundays and holidays. The livestock owners have also been receiving consultancy from experts here.

Dr Katoch says that till date more than 40,000 cases have been treated at this referral hospital. Since its inception, over 2000 clinical camps have been organised in the different parts of the state. Such camps have also been held even in tribal areas like Pangi, Kalpa and Keylong. Over 11,000 cases have been handed in these camps and on the spot treatment is provided. Even operations like patellar desmotomy in cattle and castration in dogs, horses, sheep and goats were also performed.

With the setting up of this clinic farmers in the state have been educated on healthcare and management of their livestock. H.P. Agricultural University has approached the ICAR for the grant of Rs 45 lakh for the setting up of a milk processing plant on the campus which would further strengthen this institution.

1,336 self-help groups in Kangra
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Dec 23 — The Indira Mahila Yojna, which was launched five years back, has started showing results as a total of 1,336 self-help groups have been formed in Kangra district, providing the much needed economic strength and awareness among women.

Presiding over the district-level Indira Mahila Yojna coordination committee meeting here today, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr R.C. Kapil, said over 20,000 women were engaged in various activities. The self-help groups, each comprising 20 members, had mobilised savings worth Rs 20 lakh, of which Rs 8 lakh had been advanced against consumption loans.

The yojna, launched in Baijnath block initially, has now been extended to the entire district. The project seeks to generate awareness among women by disseminating information and knowledge, so as to bring about a change in attitude and help women achieve economic strength through micro-level income generating activities. The self-help groups are engaged in various activities like animal husbandry, poultry, basket making, cultivation of off-season vegetables and pickle making.

So far the banks have advanced loans to 45 self-help groups through NABARD. A project has been sent to the Centre through NORAD for the further strengthening and diversifying of the Indira Mahila Yojna.

Inquiry ordered into poll irregularities
From Our Correspondent

KANGRA, Dec 23 — The Deputy Commissioner has ordered an inquiry into the alleged irregularities during the recent panchayat election in Ward No 8, Mundla, in Shahpur tehsil of the district. The elections were held for the post of pradhan, up pradhan, block samiti member and zila parishad member, Additional Deputy Commissioner Rahul Anand said yesterday.

Mr Anand said the complaint of irregularities was lodged by Mr Ram Prasad, a candidate for zila parishad, Ward No 8, Mundla, Mr Chain Singh, Mr Inder Jeet and Mr Karam Chand, candidates for block samiti from Ambari and Rajol Wards, the elections for which were held on December 13. The votes were counted on December 18. They alleged in their complaint that in Ward No 5 of Rajol Gram Panchayat, 157 votes were polled whereas during the counting only 150 votes were found.

They alleged when the counting of the votes for the zila parishad and the block samiti at Rait was in progress, a vote polled in favour of Mr Chain Singh was found lying in front of the BDO’s office.

Mr Anand said the SDM, Dharamsala, Mr H.S. Chaudary, had been asked to inquire into the matter and submit a report.

Madarsas closing down in HP
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Dec 23 — The stepped up police surveillance and resistance from a section of the Muslim community against visits of fundamentalists in Chamba district has led to the closure of a number of madarsas, which had mushroomed during the recent years.

According to police sources, the number of madarsas, which are being closed down in Chamba, Kangra and Una districts is on the rise. In Chamba district, which has the highest population of Muslims, in the state of the 28 madarsas only 17 are functional. The same is the case in Kangra, where of the eight madarsas only three are operational. The reports from UNA district too indicate that the madarsas here are also being closed.

Interestingly, in Chamba, it was a section of the Muslim community, which raised strong objection to the frequent visits of fundamental groups. In fact, these people even reported the matter to the police on the pretext that the visits of these elements would not lead to the disruption of communal harmony.

A sudden spurt in the visits of various Islamic fundamental outfits to Chamba district had put the police and the intelligence agencies on the alert. This year there had been a sudden increase in the visit of teams of the Tablique Jamat group to the date and Misrewala in Sirmaur district.

With the bitter example of Jammu and Kashmir, where the madarsas became harbouring grounds for militants, the Himachal Pradesh police stepped up surveillance and even interrogated outsiders coming here from Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country. The visits of the people belonging to the Anjuman Islam group, which has its headquarters at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, also became more and more frequent.

The Intelligence Bureau and other agencies had indicated in their reports that certain suspected elements, close to militants were taking refuge in the madarsas. This had prompted the police to take every precaution against the entry of such elements.

The DIG (North), Mr K.C. Sadyal, said since the police could not take any chance, the antecedents of people coming here whether to teach at the madarsas or to stay verified." With the massacre of 35 innocent persons at Kalaban and Satrundi still fresh in our minds, we cannot afford to take any chance and have to guard against the infiltration of militants or those close to them,” he stated.

He admitted that the police had reports that certain persons from Chamba were visiting different places outside the state but had no concrete evidence against them. He added that frequent visits of outside elements to certain remote areas did raise suspicion and as such the police was keeping a strict vigil.

Warrants issued against ex-SHO
From Our Correspondent

BILASPUR, Dec 23 — The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr D.K. Sharma, has issued non-bailable warrants against Sardari Lal, a retired SHO of the Sadar police station here, and Kartar Singh, a villager, and ordered the police to produce them in the court on January 29.

A case had been registered against them under various sections of the IPC on the complaint of Mr Vijender Chandel, president, gram panchayat, Behna Jattan village, alleging that the accused had insulted him when he had gone to the police station regarding some complaint along with some villagers. He had alleged that he was assaulted and held in illegal confinement.

The court has also asked the police to produce Additional SHO Anant Ram and Head Constable Ram Lal of the same police station in the court on the same day.

Earlier the judge accepted a bail bond for Rs 5,000 and a surety of similar amount regarding Additional SHO Anant Ram’s appearance in the court.

CM to open Ganvi hydel project
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 23 — Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal will inaugurate the 22.5 mw Ganvi hydroelectric project near Jeori in Shimla district on December 25.

The project is on the Ganvi stream, which is a tributary of the Satluj. The diversion site of the project is situated near Ganvi village 13 km today Jeori, and the power house is located near Katolu village.

The construction of this eco-friendly project was started in October, 1996, and the first and second units have been successfully commissioned.

The project comprises a 17-metre long drop-type trench weir, a surface desilting tank, water conductor system comprising 143 metre-long tunnel, 1,225 metre-long RCC box-open channel, 336 metre-long forebay tunnel, a small underground foreway tank, 700 metre, long and 1.40 metre dia penstock and an underground power station to house two generating units of 11.15MW each. The tail water joins the Satluj through a 108 metre-long tunnel.

The project will generate an average 109 million units in a year fetching an income of about Rs 25 crore annually.

The power from the project will be fed into the Kotla sub-station, which will improve continuity and quality of power to the area and also provide indirect benefit to the surrounding area by way of growth of power-based small-scale industry.

Unprecedented floods during August in the Satluj had to be tackled for the completion of the project. An expenditure of Rs 123 crore had been incurred for the construction of the project.

Another project (Ganvi stage-II) is proposed to be constructed to generate 8 MW of power. The diversion site is located about 2 km from the intake site of existing project. 

IITT examination from Dec 26
From Our Correspondent

NAHAN, Dec 23 — Following the directions of the Delhi High Court, Himachal Pradesh University has deputed Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent to conduct the examination for engineering students of the IITT, Kala Amb, from December 26.

However, examinations of information technology (IT) (semester I) will not be held now, as per the latest communication received from the university.

IT students had been on strike for the past three weeks, demanding the conduct of examinations and action against the IITT management. The administration has already started action against the management by registering a case under Section 420 of the IPC.

HP officials get notice over Parwanoo traffic chaos
From Our Correspondent

PARWANOO, Dec 23 — Taking cognizance of a public interest litigation against the authorities’ indifference towards the chaotic traffic conditions at Parwanoo, Himachal Pradesh High Court have issued show cause notices to the Secretary (Transport), Secretary (PWD), Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police, Solan, and the Secretary of Municipal Council, Parwanoo. The writ petition was filed by Kiran Lata, a law student of HP University and a permanent resident of Parwanoo, citing a report in Chandigarh Tribune, “Hazard and chaos at Parwanoo barrier” published on April 29, highlighting the difficulties faced by the local residents, especially women, who had to bear with the dirty remarks of drivers of the trucks parked along the National Highway.

The petitioner have also demanded a construction of a bypass to divert the traffic from the main town to avoid haphazard parking and traffic jams. The petitioner has also demanded that a proper parking place for trucks should be constructed with proper amenities for drivers and conductors.

The petitioner in her petition, also asked to enforce strict traffic regulations so that smooth and regular flow of vehicles was ensured and to make provisions for proper drainage, hygiene in the town so as to avoid pollution.