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| Tuesday,
August 7, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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HP decision retrograde step Punjabi still away from
HP schools Tallest Buddha to come up in UP Indira portrait row resolved |
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Inundation threat to Bhabha
project HP ‘neglected’ in rail network
expansion POSTINGS/TRANSFERS Cong leaders stalling
development: CM Meeting to review motor rally arrangements Crush terrorism, says Virbhadra Solan YC kisan cell chief appointed Company’s plea
dismissed Minister’s call to save environment HRTC staff flays govt move on GPF Probe mysteries of epics, VC tells physicists
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HP decision retrograde step Shimla, August 6 It is a retrograde step which may run contrary to the government’s recent decision to provide firearms to forest officers so that they can take on the mafia more effectively. The flying squad wing, which was set up eight years ago, has been carrying out surprise checks to detect illicit felling of trees, smuggling of timber, irregularities in allotment and utlilisation of trees given under timber distribution (TD) rules to the right holders, resin tapping and muster rolls. During this period it has detected 1,051 cases of illicit felling and investigated 431 complaints, besides checking 1,710 cases of timber distribution, 719 cases of resin extraction, 1388 saw mills and 302 muster rolls. The three flying squads under the wing have been proving inconvenient for both the forest mafia and officials by detecting various irregularities. With the closure of the Hamirpur division the process of winding up the wing has started and the other two divisions will be closed in due course, senior officers reveal. In fact, the department had already made a proposal to this effect. The flying squad had in recent years been rendered ineffective because of lack of cooperation from the territorial staff and the inability of the authorities to take action against the culprits. The officers of the squad were not delegated powers to challan or compound cases and after conducting an inquiry. They submitted the report to the conservator of forests and the divisional forest officers who were directly or indirectly responsible for the offences. Instead of taking action against the guilty field staff these senior officers only tried to cover up the lapses and shield the offenders. The officers also did not cooperate in investigations and even refused to show the records. Last year in a case of illicit felling in which 31 trees were axed in Dhrui reserve forest in the Amb forest range, the DFO concerned threatened to book the members of the Hamirpur squad for trespassing under Section 26 (D) of the Indian Forest Act if they dared to enter the forest area for investigations. In another scandal detected by the squad in which over 500 khair trees were illegally axed the department took no action against the culprits. Not only that even serious cases of irregularities detected by none other than the Chief Conservator (Protection) who is in-charge of the flying squad wing were hushed up. The most glaring was the case in which blank muster rolls were seized last year from a forest nursery at Gandhawar in Una. As many as 20 workers had been engaged since February 1 but not a single name had been entered in the muster roll till February 7. No action was taken against the guilty officials. Recently, a complaint regarding felling of khair trees on private land under the Amb range in violation of the Land Preservation Act was handed over to the flying squad for investigation. However, it could not proceed in the matter as the forest officers concerned flatly refused to cooperate. With officers adopting a defiant posture the flying squad had become an object of ridicule. While the culprits went scot-free the officials of the squad who detected irregularities earned the wrath of senior officers of the territorial wing. Moreover, the department had been using flying squads as dumping ground for officers. While many posts remained vacant for years together the officials posted in the squad were mostly those on the verge of retirement. In the entire wing as many as two posts of Assistant Conservator of Forests, three of ranger, 11 of deputy ranger and 16 of forest guards are vacant at present. The manner in which the office of the Chief Wildlife Warden was shifted first from Shimla to Hamirpur and now again back to the state capital has also shown the government in poor light. The irrational decision to dislocate the Chief Wildlife Warden from the state capital was justified on the ground that it was a central place. After having realised the practical difficulties it has been quietly brought back. |
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Punjabi still away from
HP schools Paonta Sahib, August 6 It was on September 4, 1998, that the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, in the presence of his Punjab counterpart, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, announced the introduction of Punjabi in schools of the state from the 1999-2000 academic session. The announcement was made at Paonta Sahib during the Khalsa tercentenary celebration function there. In May, 1999, the Himachal Pradesh Government also notified that Punjabi would be introduced in all those schools where the number of students was 20 or more. As a sequel of this decision, the Himachal Pradesh School Education Board conducted an examination in Punjabi for class IX students during the 1999-2000 session and during the 2000-2001 session. However the state is yet to employ a Punjabi teacher. According to Mr Paramjit Singh Chanana, general Secretary, Shiromani Akali Dal, Himachal Pradesh, the Punjabi community in general and Sikhs in particular have been struggling for more than three decades for the introduction of Punjabi in schools in the state. The September, 1998, announcement bought cheer to the Punjabi community. But in the absence of trained Punjabi teachers, the decision has remained only on paper. Mr Chanana says that the SAD has suggested a number of measures to effectively implement the 1998 decision. He says that all those who have done their “Gyani course” should be straightway employed as Punjabi teachers. They can be asked to attend some orientation or refresher course for a short duration before their formal induction into the service, says Mr Chanana. Otherwise, he says, it will take more than five years for the state government to introduce Punjabi in 150 schools in five districts of the state. At present, the state Education Department has sent a batch of 30 teachers from the existing cadre, who have done Punjabi at the matriculation level, to Patiala for a 10-month refresher course. Once they complete the course, they will be inducted as Punjabi teachers. Next year another batch of 30 teachers will go to Patiala. In this process, to get 150 teachers it will take five years, adds Mr Chanana. In some schools, including a few at Paonta Sahib and other parts of the state, volunteers have started conducting Punjabi classes. Mr Chanana wants that under its Vidya Upashak Scheme, the state government should encourage those who are well-versed in Punjabi to conduct classes on a voluntary or contact basis as per the provisions of the scheme. In this way the implementation of the decision will be faster. Mr Chanana says that a delegation of the state unit will soon call on the Chief Minister at Shimla to impress upon him that the Vidya Upashak scheme should be introduced in the state for Punjabi teachers so that the teaching of this language starts in the school. |
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Tallest Buddha to come up in UP Shimla The society had acquired 30 acres of land at Bodh Gaya for the Rs 900-crore project and it had been negotiating with the Bihar Government for securing another 10 acres, which adjoins the acquired land. However, the government had failed to take decision in this regard for the past six years leaving no option for the society but to shift the project elsewhere. The society had chosen Bodh Gaya for the project as it was the place where Sakyamuni (Buddha) attained enlightenment some 2500 years ago. Similarly, it had after much thought decided to erect a statue of Lord Maitreya, the fifth and next incarnation to appear before the world. After the demolition of the huge rock statues of Buddha at Bamiyan by the Taliban, the society was in a hurry to start work on the project. However, given the indifferent attitude of the Bihar government, there was little hope of the land being passed on to the society, says Prof L.P. Singh, general secretary of the Maitreya project, in an interview with TNS here. The society, he said, had already initiated steps to acquire land in Sarnath, the second most significant place for Buddhists after Bodh Gaya. A delegation of the society led by him met Mr Vishnu Kant Shastri, the Uttar Pradesh Governor, in this connection. He assured them that 100 acres of land would be provided at Sarnath for the project. The project was not confined merely to installation of a statue but involved building of a huge religious complex with a Bodh math, meditation centre, library, guesthouse, hospital and educational facilities. The statue would be erected amidst sprawling gardens with pools of water. The bronze statue would be a modern engineering feat as such a tall structure had not been constructed before. It would, in fact, be a huge steel structure consisting of 25,000 pieces and covered with sheets of bronze to give it a metallic look. The engineers would have to take care of the wind pressure, extreme temperature changes, seasonal rains, possible earthquakes and environmental pollution, so that it could last at least 1000 years. The original structure has been created by British sculptors, Demise and Peter Griffin, under the guidance of master Buddhist sculptors. It would depict Lord Maitreya sitting on a throne. The most remarkable feature would be that the throne itself would be a modern 17-storey public building of stunning beauty. The entrance will lead into a spacious atrium with an array of Buddhist art, statues and shrine rooms. It will have enough space where 4000 people could meditate at a time. One of the walls will be covered with one lakh small icons of Lord Maitreya. Stupas, religious paintings and carved panels will adorn the interiors. The moving spirit behind the project is venerable Mercel Bertels of Holland, who became a Buddhist monk in 1974. He has been raising funds for his dream project for the past several years. He had been able to engage about a dozen top transnational companies in the project estimated to cost $ 195 million. When completed the statue, of Maitreya Buddha will be no less than the eighth wonder of the world, he believes. |
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Indira portrait row resolved Shimla, August 6 The decision of the Governor came today following the recommendation of the Speaker, Thakur Gulab Singh, for winding up the high-powered committee which was set up by Raj Bhavan to settle the controversy under his chairmanship. All members of the committee belonging to the Congress, including Mr Virbhadra Singh, Mrs Vidya Stokes and Mr J.B.L. Khachi, had resigned from the membership of the committee as they demanded that the portrait of Mrs Gandhi be reinstalled there and any inquiry on the issue was useless. The controversy had sparked off as the portrait of Mrs Gandhi was removed from behind the wall where the table and chairs on which the historic Indo-Pak Accord was signed by her and the then Pakistan Prime Minister, Mr Z.A. Bhutto in 1972. Interestingly, in a four-page press note on the issue, Raj Bhavan today claimed that “even the table and chairs displayed in Summit Hall to depict the signing ceremony are not the ones which were used at the time of actual signing of the Agreement”. The claim has been based on TV pictures which were telecast by the electronic media during the recent Indo-Pak summit at Agra. It appears that the present table and chairs were kept subsequently in Summit Hall only to signify that Simla Agreement was signed in that room (not necessarily on the present table and chairs). No record was traceable as to when the present table along with two chairs was placed to depict the signing of Simla Agreement. |
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Inundation threat to Bhabha
project Shimla, August 6 Although the HPSEB has principally agreed to the proposal, but it has suggested some safeguards to the NJPC without which it would not allow it to go ahead with the raising of height of the dam which would subsequently raise the level of the reservoir 1500-MW project. The Chief Secretary and Chairman of the HPSEB, Mr Harsh Gupta, when contacted, told TNS here today that the board had principally accepted the proposal of the NJPC to raise the dam height, but several safeguards have been suggested. By raising the dam height, the generation would increase and the state would be benefited by way of higher royalty and free share of power. By increasing the height of the dam, the NJPC will be able to generate an additional 713 million units of electricity per day. At the present height the project would have generated about 70667 million units. On the other hand, experts have expressed apprehensions that with rising of the level of the reservoir there was every possibility of a back water flow into the Bhabha power house. This might also cause seepage and damage to the machinery and equipment. The approach road to the Bhabha power house at Wangtu would get submerged and the NJPC has agreed to realign a new road. The NJPC is raising the height of the dam of 65.5 metres from the earlier proposed height of 60.5 metres which would increase the top of the dam level to 1498.5 metres from 1493.5 metres and the entry to the Bhabha power house is just 2.5 metres above the reservoir level of 1495 metres which will be created at the spot. It is feared that a flood of the magnitude of last year which bulldozed human lives and property around the Sutlej, could submerge the Bhabha power house which was considered as a masterpiece of the HPSEB. It is being said that the entire thing went wrong with the Survey of India wrongly taking the bench mark of the NJPC dam at 1488.5 metres which has upset the plans. The HPSEB had initially resisted the changes in the dam height by the NJPC, but these will be allowed provided the safeguards were taken to protect the Bhabha project. Mr R.K. Sharma, member (civil) of the HPSEB, said that the NJPC has agreed to construct a 1500 metre-high RCC wall in front of the Bhabha project to prevent the river water from entering the power house. They have also agreed to construct a drainage tunnel to prevent seepage which was expected due to rise in the level of the reservoir. He said that the NJPC has been asked to construct a 1.2 km long tail race tunnel to prevent back flow of the river water into the power house which was constructed in 1988. |
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HP ‘neglected’ in rail network
expansion Chandigarh, August 6 Against a projected demand of new rail links costing Rs 600 crore, the Union Railway Ministry has reportedly expressed its inability to include any new project in its list as projects worth Rs 20,000 crore are either in the pipeline or at various stages of execution. For the overall development of the hill state, says Mr Suresh Chandel, BJP MP, it needs augmentation of the communication services, including rail, road and air transport services. “For the past three years, I have been raising the demand for these basic necessities not only in Parliament but also at the appropriate levels, including that of the Union Government. As a result, in the past three years, the Railways has spent Rs 25 crore on the augmentation of its network in the state. The 12 km Nangal-Una rail link, which had been languishing for 27 years, has now been completed. Work on the small Kalka-Parwanoo line to facilitate goods transport will be taken up soon,” said Mr Chandel maintaining that very little was done for the overall development of the communication network in the state by the previous Congress regimes. “A rail network covering Anandpur Sahib, Naina Devi, Jwalamukhi and Shah Talai will not only usher in a new era of safe surface transport but also cut down fatalities in road accidents as hundreds of pilgrims visit the shrines in unsafe trucks, tractor-trailers and by other means of road transport. Every year, some major road mishaps take place and hundreds of lives are lost,” said Mr Chandel claiming that the replies to his questions in Parliament from the Railway Ministry often cited scarcity of funds as the reason for not developing new rail links in the state. There were several problems facing the state. A major one had been the development of the rail network. The other related to roads. During the past three years, he said, four new roads had been included in the National Highway network. These roads were Kala Amb to Paonta Sahib, Pinjore to Swarghat, Shimla to Kangra and Hoshiarpur to Hamirpur-Mandi. Though the length of roads in the state had gone up from 14,000 km to 17,000 km, a lot needed to be done to further improve the road transport network. Mr Chandel said one of the major problems facing the people of Himachal had been the damage caused by the Swan river in Una district where it brought misery to people through floods every year. A new Rs 600 crore scheme to control floods had been approved by the Union Government. The first phase of the work, which would cost about Rs 104 crore, had already started. Mr Chandel said that after the completion of various hydel projects, including the Kol dam, the state was expected to earn a good revenue. Though the survey report on the dam was prepared in 1958, no steps were initiated to start work on it until a couple of years ago. He said it would be economically viable for all northern states, including Punjab, Haryana and even Rajasthan, to have a joint hydel generation station to meet the future power needs of their respective consumers. At one stage, Mr Chandel said, the government had taken a decision that Himachal should go in for thermal rather than hydel generation. But now this decision had been reversed and work on various hydel projects was in progress. The coming up of a new airport at Pathankot would give another boost to the economy of Himachal, Mr Chandel added. |
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POSTINGS/TRANSFERS Shimla, August 6 Mr Narendera Chauhan, Member (Administration), HPSEB, has been posted as Member (Finance) of the board. Mr K.S. Narang, special secretary, home, has been appointed as Member (Finance) HPSEB. Mr Balram Sharma, Director, Public Relations, has been appointed as Director, Vigilance and Special Secretary, Home. He will continue to hold the additional charge of the Public Relations Department. Mr Subhash Negi, Secretary, Tribal Development and Industries, has been given the additional charge of Computerisation and Information Technology. |
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Cong leaders stalling
development: CM Shimla, August 6 Mr Dhumal, who was talking to newsmen here, said that while the entire world was appreciating the steps being taken by his government for exploiting the hydroelectric potential of the state by signing MoUs with private investors, the Congress leaders, who did nothing to generate resources for the state during their own tenure, were criticising the move. He said political differences should be sunk for the stake of development of the state. Mr Dhumal said that it was difficult to get things done from the coalition government of the Centre but as far as Himachal Pradesh was concerned the Centre had been always helpful in granting financial and other assistance. The successive Congress governments in the state had failed to get any benefits for Himachal Pradesh even when their party was ruling at the Centre with a huge majority. They also failed to add even a single megawatt of generation during their regime. He said that the power sector could only make Himachal a financially sustainable. Mr Dhumal said that during his regime, Thakur Ram Lal of the Congress signed some MoUs for constructing power projects, but these were cancelled by Mr Virbhadra Singh. He said that the Congress leaders were making all sorts of statements after having realised that they cannot return to power. He said that one of the reasons for the current financial crisis was that the Congress governments had failed to get the legal share of the state in the existing power projects. Had they pursued the matter when their party was in power at the Centre, then the financial scenario of Himachal Pradesh would have been comfortable. The financial liabilities of the state had considerably increased with the implementation of the report of the Fifth Pay Commission which has led to an increase of the annual salary bill to Rs 961 crore from Rs 220 crore and the pension liability to Rs 435 crore from Rs 181 crore in 1997-98. The pension bill would increase to Rs 575 crore next year. Mr Dhumal said that his government had provided jobs to 25,000 persons. He said that the state government was examining the possibility of filing a revision petition in the Supreme Court in the case cess was imposed on power houses. He said that he had discussed the matter relating to the creation of a regional airlines with Dr Farooq Abdullah, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. However, in case the regional airline could not come up because of financial constraints, the Centre was being asked to deploy 52-seater aircraft in Himachal Pradesh. Mr Dhumal said that several steps were being taken for stabilising the economy of horticulturists by promoting alternative crops. Imported rootstock was being provided to apple growers as the existing rootstock got damaged due to slight weather change. |
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Meeting to review motor rally arrangements Shimla, August 6 She said the rally would be flagged off from here on October 6 to cover a distance of about 3000 km through the most rugged terrains of Himalayas that is Shimla, Mandi, Kaza, Keyling, Sarchoo, Pang, Leh and Kargil. The rally would conclude at Shimla on October 12. Ms Bhattacharya said the Raid-de-Himalaya was the longest, highest and most arduous motor sport rally of India organised by the Youth Services and Sports, the Department of Tourism, Himachal Pradesh and the Himalayan Motor Sport Association. She said the raid was listed on the international off-road rallies calendar of Geneva and Switzerland making it India’s only international rally. The duration of the rally had been increased from four to seven days making it tougher, longer and higher. Officials of departments of the police, health, youth services and sports, tourism, forests, public works, HRTC and others would help conduct the rally, she said. The Director, Youth Services and Sports, Mr Subhash Ahluwalia, and officers of other departments attended the meeting. |
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Crush terrorism, says Virbhadra Mandi, August 6 He said the Vajpayee government had claimed that it had the political will and the capacity to end terrorism. But the irony was that during the tenure of the present NDA government things had worsened and innocent people were being gunned down. He said terrorism should be crushed with an iron hand and it was not difficult for a country like India which was powerful enough to prevent intruders, mostly foreign mercenaries, to enter the Indian soil provided the government had the will to direct its Army “to kill the killers”. |
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HP ‘delaying’ fish farm Mandi, August 6 In an interview with this reporter, he said half the cost of this project would be shared by the Centre which had already remitted Rs 1 crore to the state about 18 months ago. Land measuring 85 bighas had already been provided for the project when he was a minister in the government. The scanty amount allocated in the budget spoke about the intention of the government to complete the venture which would revolutionise the development of fisheries and usher in prosperity in the state, he alleged. He lamented that the committee constituted for the execution of this project comprising the state chief architect, Superintending Engineer, PWD Mandi, Director of Fisheries and a Central government representative had done virtually nothing over the past one-and-half-years. He said the Sidhpur Mahasheer Fish Farm would be the second and the largest in the country. Mahasheer Fingerlings Development Farm in India is located at Lonavala in Maharashtra. It was established in the private sector by Tata-Electric Company. |
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Solan YC kisan cell chief appointed Shimla, August 6 Mr Nand Lal and Mr Chander Shekhar will be the two vice-presidents and Mr Vijay Kumar, Mr Surinder Kumar and Mr Hira Nand the general secretaries. Three secretaries were also appointed and a seven-member executive was constituted. Mr Devroop was made the block president of the cell for Arki, Mr Som Nath for Doon, Mr Phool Chand for Kasauli and Mr Tara Singh for Nalagarh.
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Company’s plea
dismissed Shimla, August 6 Mr Praveen Sharma purchased a vehicle “Marshal Make” of Mahindra, on August 17, 1998, for around Rs 3.77 lakh. But soon after, it start giving trouble in its fuel indicator, speedometer, diesel tank and headlights. The colour of the vehicle also faded. He had spent Rs 50,000 additional amount on accessories. He contacted the regional office of the company at Chandigarh, but it did not pay any heed to his complaint. He further alleged that he spent Rs 40,000 to remove the defects. Then he filed a complaint before the District Consumer Forum. The forum directed Mahindra & Mahindra to refund the whole amount with 15 per cent interest and Rs 10,000 as damages and Rs 500 as litigation cost. The company challenged this order before the state commission, which dismissed the appeal. |
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Minister’s call to save environment Kulu, August 6 This was stated by Mr Karan Singh, Minister of State for Environment and Primary Education, while addressing a gathering at the village yesterday. Mr Karan Singh said the state government had started utilising natural resources and had generated electricity through micro and mini hydel power projects in the state. He said power generation would change the face of the state’s economy. The minister called upon the people to protect the environment. He said though it was necessary to exploit natural resources for development, yet it was more important to save the environment.
Mr Karan Singh announced Rs 5,000 to the local Yuvak Mandal. |
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HRTC staff flays govt move on GPF Nurpur, August 6 Mr Rajnesh Sharma, president of the state unit of the federation, said here today that it was a matter of concern that instead of depositing the money into the GPF account, the government had utilised it. He condemned the government for its failure to release grant-in-aid worth Rs 82 crore to the HRTC. He urged the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, to release the grant and to fill posts lying vacant for long. Mr Sharma said the government was responsible for the invariable losses to the HRTC. He alleged that the government had also failed to settle the ratio between the HRTC and private buses. |
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Probe mysteries of epics, VC tells physicists Shimla, August 6 Speaking at the valedictory function of the three-week refresher course in physics, which concluded at the university on Saturday, he emphasised the need to adopt inter-disciplinary approach to every subject, which ultimately provided broader understanding and completeness to the learners. In the opening address Mr Yoginder Verma, Director, Academic Staff College, highlighted the virtues of a good academician who, he said, remained a learner throughout his life. The main thrust of the programme was on updating the knowledge in the fields of nuclear and material physics. |
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HPU extends last date for MMC Shimla, August 6 |
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