 |
Friday,
January 18, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
|
Scanty snowfall may hit apple crop Illegal felling in
protected forest CM to open irrigation
scheme HPU seeks Rs 6 crore grant from
govt DCM management justifies closure
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Drive to check spread of
AIDS Row over temple
demolition Woman found dead, in-laws booked Dhumal backs
party MLA Extended power shutdown BJP: book Cong MLAs indicted by panel Cong rally on January 21 Warning to
loan defaulters Seva Dal threatens stir Three killed in
accidents 1 killed as truck
falls into gorge Team inspects waste management project
|
|
Scanty snowfall may hit apple crop Shimla, January 17 The trend is likely to hit the apple crop and winter tourism in the long run, it is feared. Many years have passed without a white Christmas and the new year. What is worrying is that the temperature has not dipped sub-zero so far this year and it was the coldest yesterday with 0.4°C, whereas the last year’s January remained below 0°C. The maximum temperature today was 7.2°C. This is for the first time in the past 15 years, except 1998, that the lowest quantity of only 3.7 cm of snow was recorded here till mid-January when it is required the most for the apple crop. This includes the 2.2 cm snowfall of yesterday and 1.5 cm on January 15. In 1998, there was no snow at all in January. Last year, there was no snowfall till January 16 and after that 18.4 cm of snow was recorded at the Mashobra-based observatory with a single snowfall of 12.4 cm on January 23. The data indicates that the highest quantity of 99.2 cm of snow was recorded during January in 1995, followed by 90.2 cm in 1993. Dr S.P. Bhardwaj, Associate Director of the Mashobra-based fruit research station, said in the absence of adequate snow, rain has come to the rescue of the farmers. As much as 27.9 mm of rain was recorded during the past about five days. He said the snow cycle was gradually shifting over the years towards February, whereas, earlier, heavy snowfall used to occur between the Christmas and somewhere around mid-January. “Early snow provides adequate number of chilling hours for the apple plants which result in a good bloom in April”, he added. Dr Bhardwaj pointed out that during the past 16 years the lowest snowfall of 28.1 cm was recorded last year, while the highest was 11 years ago in 1991 when over 180 cm of snow fell resulting in a large-scale damage to roads, electricity and trees. He added that 155.4 cm of snow was recorded two years ago in 2000. The data indicates that there was a good snowfall of 170 cm in 1995, 150 cm in 1988, 138 cm in 1989, 118 cm in 1994 and 128.1 cm in 1997”, he said. He hoped that the precipitation of clouds and the cold winds sweeping here indicated that there might be snowfall shortly. Old timers point out that the once world famous ski slopes of Kufri used to be full of activity at this time of the winter. However, with the shifting of the snowline upwards, these slopes are now being utilised for growing potato on the experimental basis. The famous slopes around Manali, too, had little snow during the past few years and the winter games had to be cancelled last year. |
|
Illegal felling in
protected forest Mandi, January 17 Mediapersons who visited the ravaged area saw that over a 1,000 trees had been cut and stumps removed from the site to wipe out any evidence. A village confided that hundreds of people virtually went on a rampage and destroyed the forest for constructing a link road through the DPF area. It is being alleged that the nod to carry out the illegal operation was given by a powerful politician of the area. Newspersons could not get an official version as the DFO, Nachan, was on leave. The haphazard manner in which the villagers had attempted to make the link road has further endangered hundreds of other trees which were likely to fall down due to massive erosion. Moreover, the gradient of the road is so steep that it is not possible to ply any vehicle. Despite a huge loss to forest wealth, the road is nowhere near completion. It is also surprising how the Block Development Office, Gohar, provided funds for a road in the DPF without the approval of the Central Government. This dense forest falls in Murahg Panchayat. A similar misadventure, carried out last year, had resulted in massive erosion, which went unnoticed. Large-scale smuggling of timber takes place from the valley. Most of the timber distributed to right holders at nominal rate is sold to smugglers. A powerful forest mafia enjoying political patronage has been active in the valley for a long time. |
|
CM to open irrigation
scheme Kangra, January 17 He would also lay the foundation stone of the Rs 4.52-crore residential accommodation project in Tanda Medical College and inaugurate Para Clinic Phase I building there on the same day, Mr Sagar added. He said a kisan bhavan would be constructed in the outskirts of the town at a cost of Rs 10 lakh. The foundation stone of the bhavan would be laid by the Chief Minister on the first day of his tour. Mr Sagar said he would urge Prof Dhumal to sanction a Rs 10-crore sewerage scheme for the town besides a sub-employment exchange during his visit to the town. |
|
|
HPU seeks Rs 6 crore grant from
govt Shimla, January 17 The Vice-Chancellor, Dr S.D. Sharma, has drawn the attention of the Education Minister, Mr I. D. Dhiman, to the worsening financial situation of the university and urged him to sanction additional funds to bridge the growing deficit, which was likely to cross the Rs 11 crore mark by the end of the year. The situation would become manageable if the government released Rs 3.46 crore paid as arrears by the university on account of pay revision, and Rs 2 crore to meet the increase in liability due to a hike in the dearness allowance. The annual expenditure of the university has been increasing by about 10 per cent but the grant-in-aid was almost static. The government has been increasing the non-plan grant by a meagre 3 per cent. In fact, the grant was reduced from Rs 15.15 crore in 1999-2000 to Rs 14.18 crore in 2000-01. It was again increased to Rs 15.05 for the current year. The total income of the university in 2000-01 was Rs 23 crore, including Rs 8 crore from its own resources against an expenditure of Rs 31 crore. This year the expenditure will be 34 crore with no appreciable increase in the income. The university has managed to increase its income by Rs 2.5 crore by increasing fee and other charges. Since a fee hike evokes strong protests from students, the university cannot make it an annual affair. As such it is not in a position to raise additional resources to meet the deficit. The financial crisis has already started having a telling effect upon the functioning of the university. Over 90 posts of teachers and non-teaching staff are lying vacant. It has imposed a cut of 30 per cent on all expenses, except salaries. While it was making do by diverting funds from various heads, the development activities, particularly creation of infrastructure facilities for the UGC-funded research projects, have come to a standstill. Senior officials of the university maintain that situation could improve only if the government steps up the grant by at least 10 per cent annually, besides providing Rs 6 crore immediately to clear the liabilities. However, given its precarious financial position, the government might not be able to spare much funds for the institution. |
|
|
DCM management justifies closure
Baddi, January 17 In a seven-page reply sent to the Labour Commissioner, Shimla, a copy of which was available with Chandigarh Tribune, the management has contended that the issuance of a show-cause notice prior to the actual date of closure of December 22 did not present a true picture of the circumstances. It has further stated that no copy of the labour officer’s report was made available to it which formed the basis of the show-cause notice on them by the Labour Commissioner. Refuting the charge of suppressing information regarding the employment of workmen in the unit as pointed in the inquiry report of the labour officer, the management has claimed that only 76 workmen were actually employed in March, May and August last year in the unit. In other months the number of workmen employed was even less than 76. Defending its stand on less than 100 workmen being employed by the unit the management has asserted that supervisors, officers and contractor’s employees should not be counted as workmen as defined by the Industrial Dispute Act, 1947. Terming the closure as perfectly legal and valid, they have stated that there was no requirement of an application for permission on the plea that there were less than 100 workmen employed in the unit. The management has further contended that under the present circumstances the retrenched employees were only entitled to the closure compensation as provided by law and no other benefit as mentioned in the show-cause notice. The management has urged the employees to receive their due compensation and finally settle their account.
|
|
Drive to check spread of
AIDS Shimla, January 17 About 4,000 persons are estimated to be HIV positive in Himachal Pradesh where only 336 patients had been identified till November last. As many as 91 of these are full-blown cases of AIDS. Most of the HIV positive cases were from Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Mandi, Shimla and Kangra districts, said the Chief Secretary, Mr Harsh Gupta, while presiding over a meeting of the state steering committee for the campaign here today. The campaign is aimed at containing the spread of the reproductive tract infections and the sexually transmitted diseases. Except for the tribal districts of Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur, and Pangi area of Chamba, all 10 districts will be covered. Mr Gupta said the campaign will cover about 59 lakh people, of which 29 lakh are in the age group of 15 to 49. He asked all government departments to give special attention to the AIDS control programmes and extend help to the campaign. The Secretary (Health), Mr Vineet Chaudhary, said the Panchayati Raj institutions will be actively involved in the campaign. |
|
Row over temple
demolition Kangra, January 17 Mr Nalinder Gautam, president of the 12-member action committee formed for the protection of the temple, describing the demolition decision as unfortunate said while on the one hand the BJP was making all efforts for the construction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya, on the other hand, the BJP government in the state was issuing directions for the demolition of the temple of Balmiki. The temple is situated on the premises of government medical college, Tanda, was coming up at the corner of the proposed block of the para clinic phase II. Mr B.S. Thakur, Executive Engineer, HPPWD, who is looking after the construction of the medical college, when contacted, said earlier dilapidated type I & II houses were demolished and their occupants shifted to some other place. The occupants who had constructed the Balmiki temple had agreed to shift it to a new site in view of the construction of the para clinic block. Mr Gautam, however, denied that any such assurance was given by the Balmiki community for shifting the temple. |
|
Woman found dead, in-laws booked Nurpur, January 17 An FIR has been registered under Sections 302, 498A and 34 of the IPC against the husband, mother-in-law and brother-in-law of the woman. Milap Singh, the husband, has been arrested whereas the other suspects are absconding. According to information, the deceased was found dead and the ward’s municipal councillor intimated the police, which took the body into possession. Kaku Ram, father of the woman and a resident of Ward No. 1, alleged in the FIR that her daughter was being harassed by her in-laws for bringing more dowry. He alleged that she was murdered by them. |
|
Dhumal backs
party MLA Hamirpur, January 17 He said the party had no place for dissidents and such activities would be curbed effectively. Addressing a public meeting at Bijheri, he said that Nadaunta had seen an all-round development under Mr Baldev Sharma. He also justified the decision of the state government to release the report of the Justice Kainthla Commission. Earlier, the Chief Minister dedicated the newly-constructed building of Shaheed Deep Singh Rana Memorial Senior Secondary School and a bridge over Shukkar khad. He also laid the foundation stone of a high-level bridge over Gwal Khad in the Dhatwal area of Nadaunta Assembly segment. |
|
|
Extended power shutdown Mandi, January 17 After the augmentation of the Bijni sub-station, the HPSEB authorities had assured uninterrupted power supply. However, it is learnt that one of the four transformers at the sub-station has burnt due to overloading. Mr D.R. Sharma, Executive Engineer Transmission, said the capacity of four transformers was only 10 MVA while the load on them was 14 MVA. An engineer confided that the transformers at Bijni, installed in 1963, had worn out. All of them were long due for replacement, he said. |
|
BJP: book Cong MLAs indicted by panel Dharamsala, January 17 Addressing a press conference here today, he said the BJP would demand the registration of criminal cases against the indicted MLAs at the two-day state BJP executive meeting to be held on January 19. “The party wants to put an end to the misleading statements being made by the people who have been indicted,” he said. |
|
|
Cong rally on January 21 Dharamsala, January 17 Talking to mediapersons here today, he said the Congress had widened its base in the state and was giving importance to youth women, OBCs and other weaker sections of society. He said the Congress would hold a rally at Kangra on January 21 for which invitations had been extended to all senior leaders of the state. |
|
|
Warning to
loan defaulters Jaisinghpur, January 17 The society has two embezzlement, three recovery and six arbitration cases against defaulters. Besides this, there are 17 other persons who have defaulted on repayment. The total recoverable amount is more than Rs 3 lakh. The poster is likely to include names of some local influential persons. |
|
Seva Dal threatens stir Hamirpur, January 17 Addressing mediapersons here yesterday the state Seva Dal organiser Pratap Kondal said the report was biased. |
|
|
Three killed in
accidents Nahan, January 17 Natha Singh and Balwinder Singh died when a van hit their scooter at Kala Amb. According to the police, both died on the spot. The police has registered a case against the driver of the van. In another accident Fakirudeen was injured seriously when a car hit him near
Badripur. He succumbed to his injuries on the way to
hospital. |
|
|
1 killed as truck
falls into gorge
Shimla, January 17 The police, confirming the mishap here today, said the lone deceased was identified as Mahinder Guleria. The injured were admitted to the Civil Hospital at Rampur.
UNI |
|
|
Team inspects waste management project Shimla, January 17 The team also had an overview of the site where an incinerator will be installed for the disposal of bio-medical waste, near the IGMC hospital. The proposed incinerator having the processing capacity of 170 kg per hour will meet the requirement of all six hospitals of the town. The team inspected Deep Burial Pits near the incinerator site. It also inspected few nullahs which are being channelised under this programme. Besides this, the team also visited the important heritage buildings of the town, including the Vice-Regal Lodge, Gaiety Theatre and town hall. |
|
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
