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| Monday, February
5, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Tribesmen alarmed at drought Narcotics trade in ‘valley of gods’
spurts Illegal constructions on rise in
Chamba Vijay rally was private affair:
Stokes Regularise daily wage earners Hike daily
wage rates: Inspectors |
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‘Probe’ allotment
of accommodation Poor signals trouble
Air Tel users DCC leaders allege
harassment Girl refuses to live with mother,
abducted ‘Hill Fruits’ facing
threat of closure Tax holiday in HP extended YC dissolution to ‘streamline’ wing Patwari held for graft
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Tribesmen alarmed at drought SHIMLA, Feb 4 — The continuing dry spell, which has created a drought-like situation in the tribal belt of the state, is causing worry among local people. It has been an unusual winter in the hills in Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur and other tribal areas, which are normally under thick snow during this part of the year, are barren. The situation is worse in the Lahaul-Spiti district, places like Kaza, Losar, Keylong, Udaipur and Jispa, which usually receive 5 to 6 ft of snow by this time have virtually not seen any snow. For instance Kaza had only 2 inches of snow so far while certain areas in the Lahaul valley had 6 to 8 inches of it. The tribesmen are alarmed over the situation as unlike other parts of the state these areas have not received any rain and life is sustained by snow. The impact of dry spell is already being felt with sources of water drying up in tailing and nearby villages. People of these villages have to walk 2 to 3 km to fetch water. Dr Ram Lal Markandey, Minister for Animal Husbandry, who represent the Lahaul-Spiti constituency, said that about a dozen hand pumps had gone dry and the discharge in several others had come down to a trickle due to lowering of the water-table. The roads in both the Lahaul and the Spiti valleys which were normally closed due to heavy snow in winter were clear of snow vehicles were plying right from Koksar to Udaipur and Jispa from Kaza to Losar. The tribesmen were reeling under an intense cold and extremely dry conditions which were not congenial to health. Unless the weather god took pity and obliged with a snowfall, the lot of the tribesmen would be miserable. They would not be able to sow the only crop they have. The tribal areas have not been getting enough snow for the past three years as a result of which the glaciers all over the region have receded by several hundred metres. The Khawnam glacier overlooking Kibber, the highest village in the world, has shrunk significantly. However, maximum impact has been on the Attorgo glacier which has receded by 3 to 4 km over the past decade. The efforts of the government to spread green cover over the barren hills will receive a severe setback if the dry spell continued. Over the past few years patches of vegetations have established in the cold desert. Their survival in the inhospitable weather conditions is seriously threatened by the drought. Even wild animals have been forced to migrate down to the riverbank from high hills which has created an unusual problem with the local dogs in Keylong getting infected with rabies. Reports of some infected dogs biting local people have also been received. The medicinal plants and herbs, which require chilling, will also be severely affected and the tribesmen would lose yet another source of income. |
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Narcotics trade in ‘valley of gods’
spurts MANDI: Once known as “valley of the gods”, the Beas valley has of late earned the notoriety of being a veritable haven for smugglers of “charas”, brown sugar, opium and “ganja”. Not much headway seems to have been made to contain the menace despite frantic efforts by the police allegedly because of the patronage provided to drug peddlers by politicians. Nevertheless, the police has seized the largest quantity of narcotic drugs over the past one year. Over 270 kg of charas has been seized in the Central Police Range covering Mandi, Kulu, Lahaul-Spiti and Bilaspur districts during this period. The highest seizure of about 200 kg was made in Kulu district alone. The value of the “charas” seized from the range is worth over Rs 100 crore in the international market. The largest haul was in July last year when 74 kg of charas was seized, followed by 54 kg in November, 24 kg in August, 17 kg in May and 13 kg in October. Besides, 21 kg of opium, 8 kg of ganja and 83 gm of brown sugar has also been recovered. Over 100 persons, including 12 foreigners, have been arrested in about 90 cases registered so far. The largest number of cases pertain to the Kulu valley. These figures show a spurt in the narcotics trade in the Beas valley. Only 36 cases were registered in 1999 and cases registered in the past four years did not exceed 41. Last year the number swelled to 90. The DIG, however, attributed the increase in the number of cases registered and persons arrested to the vigorous drive launched by the police. The large number of foreigners that visit Manali has given a fillip to the narcotics trade there. As many as 100 foreigners, mostly Europeans, have been arrested in connection with drug-related crimes over the past 10 years. Many have been convicted as well. According to the police, most of the drug peddlers among foreigners were Israelis and Italians, followed by French and Japanese. No serious effort is being made by government to check the drugs menace which has started spreading to schools also. The measures adopted so far have remained confined to speeches and statements by politicians and police officials. The police force in the state is inadequate to even tackle ordinary crime. Many police stations in the state do not have vehicles. The so-called economy drive has restricted the number of calls for police stations. In a number of cases recovery of the telephone bill has been made from the Station House Officers, thereby killing their initiative. While there is an army of IPS officers the number of constables lags far behind in proportion. The field staff teases officials and Narcotics Control Bureau for holding meetings without caring to properly equip field staff. The contraband trade is spreading so fast that it has become an uphill task to check the menace. Although the police destroyed the cannabis plants in 1200 bighas around Meha, Faizal, Garihal, Clincha, Kandi, Bali, Kathyari, Khannala, Tilapul, Tuncha, Chaunur, Grincha and Bathad villages in the Banjar area, yet the growth of cannabis plants is so fast that it is virtually impossible to destroy it with the manpower at hand. A report has come to light that 12 villages in Mandi district were found growing cannabis using hybrid seeds imported from Afghanistan and other countries. The drug menace with the involvement of other countries has assumed dangerous proportions. With people of all walks of life involved in the nefarious trade, the drug menace is thriving like cottage industry in the valley due to the lust for becoming rich overnight. Even the poor in the remote areas have reportedly adopted the extraction of “charas” as a full-time job. A gang collects the product from them at a nominal price, which is far higher than the income of a daily-wager. Another interesting feature of the trade is that the big smugglers have engaged carriers to escape the stringent provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Act, 1985, which provides imprisonment up to 12 years and a fine of Rs 2 lakh. These carriers are paid heavily in view of the risk involved. They seldom disclose the identity of mafia dons for the fear of being eliminated. |
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Illegal constructions on rise in
Chamba CHAMBA, Feb 4 — Notwithstanding the fact that the earthquake which had hit the town and its outer suburbs on March 24, 1995, haphazard constructions are on the rise in the town, specially on the banks of the Ravi and the Sal rivulet. The people and the departments concerned know that the quake had posed a serious hazard to the safety of human beings and many buildings constructed in the zones. During that quake several buildings of these localities had developed cracks and the extensive soil erosion was feared. There were apprehensions that slopes might develop cavities and loose boulders roll down. The soil erosion in the Chowgan and Kashmiri mohallas of the town where the Deputy Commissioner’s residence is located was also posing problem. Considering the situation, experts had at that time taken a serious view of the haphazard construction of multi-storeyed private and government structures. They had suggested measures to strengthen the stability of the vertical hill slopes. At the moment well-planned constructions and properly lined drains in and around the localities are required. The town needs an integrated action plan to prevent soil erosion. Meanwhile, Mr T.D. Negi, Deputy Commissioner, says that the district administration is aware of the problems faced by the towns. The first major step taken by the administration is to ban the use polythene bags. |
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Vijay rally was private affair:
Stokes SHIMLA, Feb 4 — Ms Vidya Stokes, the Pradesh Congress Committee chief, today refused to be drawn into any controversy over the rally being addressed by Mr Virbhadra Singh, the Congress Legislative Party leader, at Kanair in Mandi district and maintained that it was a private affair and had nothing to do with the party. The rally organised by a section of Congress persons to celebrate the upholding of the election of Mr Tek Chand from the Nachan constituency by the Supreme Court acquired political overtones after Mr Virbhadra Singh was invited as chief guest. Mr Moti Lal Vohra, general secretary of the All-India Congress Committee and in charge of Himachal affairs, had, recently, cautioned partymen against holding any rally without approval of the block, district or pradesh Congress committees. He had also made it clear that any rally organised by a party leader in its individual capacity would be deemed as an act of indiscipline and invite action. Ms Stokes, however, said she had no objection if someone organised a rally to celebrate victory. She said she also received an invitation from Mr Tek Chand Raghva, convener of the Vijay Rally Organising Committee. She was highly critical of what she termed as Dhumal government’s indifferent attitude towards the situation created by the prolonged day spell in the state. She said crops had started withering and even fruit crops had suffered 60 to 70 per cent damage but the government had not even bothered to assess the loss caused to farmers. Not only that many villages were facing an acute shortage of water and fodder. She urged the government to activate revenue demand and carry out a statewide survey to assess the loss on account of damage to crops and take effective steps to deal with water and fodder shortage. The clarification of the government regarding the plan size not withstanding, Ms Stokes maintained that the size of the annual plan for the current year had been reduced from Rs 1720 crore to Rs 1382 crore mainly because of failure of the state to mobilise the necessary financial resources. Ms Stokes held a meeting of district president here today to activate the party machinery for collecting relief fund for victims of the Gujarat earthquake. She said the party had decided to contribute Rs 5 lakh, besides dispatching five truck loads of relief material. Each AICC member from the state would contribute Rs 10,000 and each PCC member Rs 5,000. The money and the material would be sent to the AICC for further distribution. She expressed concern over the failure of the government to pay the growers whose fruit was procured under the market intervention scheme. She said instead of cleaning their dues, the HPMC and other procurement agencies were compelling growers to take juice, jams and organic manure which was ridiculous as they needed money for their daily needs. Moreover, the organic manure being given had neither been tested in the state nor recommended by the horticulture
university. |
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Regularise daily wage earners NURPUR, Feb 4 — The Himachal Pradesh Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) has taken a strong exception to the recent orders of the state government which had been issued to various heads of the departments to undertake transfers of daily wage employees to stop the fresh recruitments in the Public Health Department. Mr Rajnesh Sharma, state vice-president of the INTUC, and president of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation Employees Union, in a statement issued here today alleged that the government had decided to give effect to its anti-labour notification issued in May 2000. He said the government was adopting anti-labour attitude and it had been unmasked, notwithstanding, promise to enhance the wages from Rs 51 to Rs 60. He said the BJP government had failed to regularise the services of those who had completed five years of service. But it had undertaken the retrenchment of the workers. He accused that the government had decided to abrogate the services of those daily wage workers who would not join their new work place after transfer orders. He said these decisions were against the interests of the workers. Hike daily
wage rates: Inspectors NEW DELHI, Feb 4 — Inspectors of Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department (HPPWD) have called for an upward revision of the daily wage rates from the existing Rs 65 per day to Rs 71 per
day. According to a spokesman for the Inspector Union, the existing wage rate in 1996 of Rs 63.47 was required to be raised to Rs 71 with effect from August 1, 1998. Instead the wage rate was raised to Rs 65 per day. This anomaly needs to be removed and Work Inspectors granted the daily wage rate of Rs 71, the spokesman said. |
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‘Probe’ allotment
of accommodation CHAMBA, Feb 4 — Resentment prevails among government officials posted at district headquarters here over the anomalies in allotment of quarters in government accommodation pertaining to various departments, including those of the District Collectorate, Forest, Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) and Public Works Department (PWD). They have demanded a probe into the accommodation allotment racket. It has come to light that nearly 25 officials are presently occupying government residential accommodation here despite the fact that they have been retired for several months or transferred on request to other places. Besides this, some of the officials who are local residents or have constructed their own houses are still occupying these quarters. They have, however, rented out their own houses. According to provisions of the house allotment rules, if any official intends to occupy government accommodation, he is expected to pay higher rent to be assessed by the competent authority, an official spokesman said here today. In case of those posted in tribal areas and when academic session of education of children of officials who are either transferred or retired from government service had begun, they are entitled to retain the quarter but, that too, with the permission of the Secretary (GAD) to the Government of Himachal Pradesh. And until the Secretary accords permission, the concerned official is liable to pay penal rent but he cannot live there after the prescribed period and without payment of the rent. According to sources, one retired person and one employee of the Health Department already transferred to tribal area had been still occupying the quarters for several months. Same is case with other officials. Meanwhile, the allotment authorities of various departments claim that no such thing had come to their notice. |
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Poor signals trouble
Air Tel users KASAULI, Feb 4 — The Air Tel mobile users in the region are facing problems due to the non-availability of signals in major parts of the town and its surroundings. The subscribers complain that even within a radius of 200 m the signals are not received, defeating the very purpose of carrying a mobile phone. For instance, a call made from the bus stand fails to be received in the market area here, a distance of mere 200 m. Nor a call from the market area can be received in the Mashobra region or even at the tehsil office. The users also complain that prime areas like the police station, tehsil, cantonment hospital are virtually cut off. Besides, paying a monthly charge of Rs 448, including a rent of Rs 300, the commuters to nearby places have to avail the auto-roaming facility at a cost of Rs 10 per minute plus the STD charge. Enquires made from Air Tel said they were ignorant about this problem. Even in other parts of the states, particularly in Palampur and Dharamsala, such problems existed in various parts of the towns. |
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DCC leaders allege
harassment SOLAN, Feb 4 — Mr Shiv Kumar, General-Secretary, District Congress Committee, and Mr Ramesh Kumar, former DCC vice-president, yesterday alleged that the local BJP leaders had pressurised the police into arresting five persons who had been named in the FIR lodged by Mr Mohan Singh Thakur, president, BJP Gramin Mandal, in a property related dispute at Ghalai village, near Kandaghat on Thursday. The two leaders who met media persons here yesterday said Mr Thakur, who had unleashed a “reign of terror” in and around Kandaghat, had falsely implicated five members of a poor family, who owned a piece of land below that of Mr Thakur’s. They maintained that the clash and subsequent attack was the handiwork of Mr Thakur who later used his political clout to get them arrested. They regretted that while cross cases had been registered the police had so far acted only on the FIR lodged by Mr Thakur. They also alleged that a local MLA had issued instructions to get Mr Thakur medically examined at the district hospital here and not at the PHC, Kandaghat, where all facilities, including that of an X-ray existed. They demanded that the police should conduct a fair inquiry into the incident and the ruling party leaders should refrain from pressurising government officers. |
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Girl refuses to live with mother,
abducted SOLAN, Feb 4 — Mr Aseem Sharma, president of the district Youth Congress (YC), Mr Manish Rajdev, executive committee member of the HP Youth Congress and Mr Sewa Singh Rana, executive committee member of the Himachal Vikas Congress, in a joint statement issued here today appealed to the Chief Justice of Himachal High Court to order an inquiry into the circumstances under which an unmarried woman, Seema, was abducted in broad daylight in Bilaspur on February 1. The three YC leaders, who are practising law at Nalagarh, stated that Seema, who hailed from Bilaspur, had joined the service of a Baddi-based company along with her elder sister recently. Sometimes back their mother came to Baddi and asked the two girls to leave the service and return to their home at Bilaspur. While the elder daughter complied with her mother’s request, Seema refused as she was afraid that their mother would force them into flesh trade. Seema also lodged a report with the Nalagarh police on January 20 expressing her apprehensions. The copies of this report were sent to the Chief Minister and the Chief Justice. The mother, who had obtained summons under Section 97, Cr P.C. from the court of the SDM, Bilaspur, took her to Bilaspur on January 25 after filing a petition seeking restoration of Seema on the ground of her being a minor and prone to be exploited if allowed to stay single away from home. Seema deposed before the SDM that she was a major and that she had every right to stay wherever she chose to. She also alleged that she did not want to live with her mother. |
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‘Hill Fruits’ facing
threat of closure CHAMBA, Feb 4 (UNI) — Owing to a number of problems and alleged irregularities, the district fruit growers cooperative industrial society here known as “Hill Fruits” has been facing threat of closure for the past about five years. The delay in the initiative to revive the Hill Fruits, which was established in 1970 for processing different kinds of juice, squash, sauce, jam and pickle-like process based on local fruits like apple and plum, is being attributed to the indifferent approach of the state government authorities. The society has about 141 members and their share capital, including that of government, amounts to about Rs 14 lakh. Besides, it has huge assets, totalling more than Rs 50 lakh inclusive of the land, building and machinery. The liabilities incurred on the society amounts to the tune of Rs 15 lakh, in addition to the alleged irregularities of about Rs 6 lakh by its manager, who is reportedly absconding. According to official sources, the liquidator appointed by the Department of Cooperative Societies was looking after the affairs of the society. |
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Tax holiday in HP extended SHIMLA, Feb 4 — Himachal has attracted fresh investments of Rs 740 crore over the past three years. A standing committee, headed by Secretary of Industries, has been constituted to examine and recommend sites for new industrial areas and estates in the state. To facilitate investors, the government has simplified the procedure for transfer of land for industrial purpose. The mechanism of the Industrial Project Approval and Review Authorities (IPARA) has been abolished. Instead a concept of Escort services for large and medium scale units for facilitating quick clearances and approval from various departments has been introduced. The Income Tax holiday has been extended by the Central Government up to March, 2002. The Central Government has also extended the central transport subsidy scheme up to 2007. The store purchase rules have been simplified for the benefit of small
industries. YC dissolution to ‘streamline’ wing KULU, Feb 4 — Virender Sood, vice-president of the Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress, said here yesterday that the dissolution of all units of the District Youth Congress was done to streamline the youth wing in the district. He further said a team of State Youth Congress would visit the quake-affected areas in Gujarat and help distribution of relief material as the authorities were finding hard to distribute the available material in the quake-hit areas. He demanded buses for the Youth Congress volunteers for Gujarat from the state government. Mr Virender Sood blamed the present BJP-HVC combine government and said they were anti-farmers and anti-unemployed as the government did not have policies and programmes for this section of the society. Patwari held for graft PALAMPUR, Feb 4 — The state Vigilance Department arrested a patwari of Basool village in Baroh tehsil of the district while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 300 from Sarup Chand of the same village. Stating this here today, a spokesman of the department said Sarup Chand had applied for copies of his land revenue record and had been visiting the office of the patwari for the past one week. The patwari was demanding Rs 300 to get his work done. Later, Sarup Chand complained to the DSP (Vigilance) at Dharamsala. The vigilance authorities laid a trap and caught the patwari red-handed. |
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