M A I L B A G

No white revolution in Himachal Pradesh

Apropos the news item “Himachal’s own Amul revolution”, this is a blatant lie that Himachal has ushered in a white revolution. Himachal is the only state in India which has more livestock population than human population. The state has a vast area under grasslands and pastures. Yet the state is deficit in milk production. Approximately three lakh litres of milk is imported to the state from Punjab and Haryana. Its annual cost comes to Rs 165 crore. Thus the success story of a village cannot reflect the development in the whole state.

The Himachal Government’s claim of modernisation of animal husbandry services is also not very true. Livestock owners have lost faith in artificial insemination services because of repeated failures. Due to poor facilities and a faulty insemination technique adopted by unqualified professionals engaged in this job have turned many animals unproductive due to which there is a menace of stray cattle on roads. Department farms are in an utter state of despair and are crying for attention and are no more inspiring.

More than 100 veterinary hospitals are without veterinary doctors as posts of veterinary officer have been lying vacant for many years. Dispensaries are manned by compounders only which can at best provide first aid. Most of the institutions are ill-equipped and are without medicines and necessary equipments. There are no extension services to educate livestock owners about modern animal husbandry practices so that they can take maximum production from their livestock. Hence to bring about a white revolution the government of Himachal Pradesh should remove all these bottlenecks so that livestock owners can take optimum profit from their cattle and add 165 crore annually to their kitty.

ANUKANT SHARMA, by e-mail

Carelessness

I write this to highlight the carelessness and callousness of the J&K police and the Area Commander for not taking precautionary measures to protect the vehicle of a Colonel travelling with his family and a bus of the ITBP on May 25, 1999, and May 30, 1999, after the military vehicle in which jawans were travelling was blown up by terrorists near the Bannihal tunnel.

My son, Shakeel Joy Lal, and his jawans and colleagues as well as the Colonel and his family would have been alive today, had the local police and the Area Commander in whose jurisdiction the terrorists were operating taken preventive measures.

All the three blasts took place near the Bannihal tunnel and terrorists were operating from a nearby village for more than 10 days.

HARGO LAL (IAS retd), Panchkula

Not indifferent

Apropos the Chandigarh Calling piece “Plainly indifferent” (July 23), the total fee received in any class was not Rs 1,499.

Clerks at the fee counters of course have to know the exact amount of fee for all classes as they have to issue a computerised receipt slip to every student.

The notice about the exact amount was put up for the information of the students. When more than 3,500 students have to pay the fee, it is the responsibility of the students to pay the exact amount or they can take the balance back later (Notice was already displayed).

The situation was always orderly in spite of all the rush. The write-up is false and malicious published to defame institution and demotivate the honest and hard-working officials.

VIJAY LAKSHMI, Principal, Government College for Girls, (Sector 11), Chandigarh