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Sunday,
July 21, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Govt fails to pay dues, OPEC project held up Silt eating up Renuka lake
Woman, daughter poisoned to death Rain lashes Himachal |
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NPA of striking vet teachers to go National
sample survey begins HP’s first private
varsity to open on Aug 21 Cong ready for poll: Stokes Probe deaths in
Salwan: minister
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Govt fails to pay dues, OPEC project held up Shimla, July 20 The Central Excise and Taxation Department has stopped further supplies until the state cleared the arrears of over Rs 3.25 crore on account of non-payment of excise duty on material already supplied for the project. According to officers engaged in the execution of the project, no supplies have been received for the past over two months as a result of which the work had been affected. The government had earlier paid Rs 85 lakh to clear a part of the dues but the department has adopted a tough posture and wants the arrears cleared. Foreign-aided projects are exempted from excise duty but there is no such exemption for OPEC-funded schemes. The government continued to procure material without paying the duty. Subsequently, the Central Excise and Taxation Department took notice of it and started the process for recovering the dues. The government has no option but to clear the arrears to keep the project going. It is making efforts to get OPEC projects included in the category of foreign-aided projects. Not only senior officers but even the Irrigation and Public Health Minister, Mr Ramesh Dhwala, have been pursuing the matter with the Central ministries concerned. |
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Silt eating up Renuka lake SHIMLA: The picturesque Renuka lake in Sirmaur district continues to shrink despite serious efforts by the state Wild Life Department to check the flow of silt into the national wetland. Over the past two decades the effective areas of the water had been reduced by over 25 per cent due to silting and spreading of weeds. The eastern side of the lake has been transformed into a marshy land. The measures taken by the department had indeed brought down the silt content in the storm water which flows into the lake through 19 “naullah” considerably but it is on the higher side and beyond manageable limits. Over the past 10 years over Rs 1 crore has been spent on various measures to save the lake from accumulating silt. It has been a serious threat to the wetland even though its main source of water is an underground spring. The decline in vegetative cover in the catchment area due to an increase in population and construction of roads have rendered the fragile hill slopes encircling the lake extremely prone to soil erosion. The numerous landslides triggered off due to the construction of roads has not only aggravated the problem of soil erosion but also marred the scenic beauty of hills. They appear like ugly scars on the green hills. Last year the department constructed a 75-metre-high and about 2800 metre-long toe wall along the edge of the lake with silt-retaining structures to prevent silt from entering the lake. Besides, a 200 metre-long retaining wall has been constructed on the hillside to check erosion. To check biotic interference the entire Renuka sanctuary, spread over about 500 hectares, has been fenced at a cost of Rs 60 lakh. However, all these measures have proved insufficient to prevent silting up of the water body. The state Council of Science, Technology and Environment, which is the coordinating agency for maintenance of the wetland, had now decided to shift the focus to rehabilitation of the ecologically fragile hills. It is preparing a five-year action plan to stabilise the slopes through a combination of civil and bio-engineering works. The council looks at the shrinking of the lake as the “ageing process” which could not be reversed. It will be satisfied if the effort helps in slowing down the process. The measures taken so far have shown results as evident from the quality of water. The dissolved oxygen in the water has been around nine, which is good enough to support aquatic life. Under the plan, fast-growing shrubs like agave and opuntia will be planted on the sliding hills. Once they are stabilised other trees will be grown to spread the vegetative cover over denuded hills. |
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Woman, daughter poisoned to death Hatwar (Ghumarwin), July 20 According to sources, Sarla Devi and her daughter Rachna Devi were first beaten up by Ramesh Chand Thakur and then forced to consume some poisonous substance. The suspect entered the house of the victim while they were alone at about 7.30 p.m. The mother-in-law of the deceased said she noticed the door of the house of Sarla Devi bolted from inside when she called upon her. Despite repeated calls, nobody opened the door. She raised an alarm and alerted the residents of the nearby houses. Subsequently the police was also informed. According to eyewitnesses, the villagers assembled and broke open the door of the house and found the bodies. The task was carried out in the presence of elderly persons of the village and a police party. The police also found three glasses from near the bodies. The suspect had possibly mixed poison with sugar in a steel glass and then it served to the victims in led glasses, the police said. The suspect is said to have absconded from the village after the incident. Mr Bhagwan Das, member, Zila Parishad and villagers said the suspect had been already beaten up by the woman on July 13 and a complaint was pending with the Harare police station against him. Since then, he had been threatening the family with dire consequences and even passed obscene comments on her often. Residents alleged that the “criminal” was instigated by his mother leading to the death of the mother and daughter. They also alleged that the police was shielding the “criminal” and had failed to arrest Ramesh Chand on the complaints of Sarla Devi. The irate villagers, a majority of them women, of the surrounding villages on Thursday blocked the Jahoo-Ladrour road for over 24 hours and demanded an inquiry into the case. They also demanded the immediate arrest of the suspect and his mother. Later, Mr S.S. Nanda, SDM, and Mr Varinder Sharma, DSP, reached the spot and dispersed the mob. Meanwhile, a case under Section 306 of the IPC has been registered against Ramesh Chand at the Bharari police station. The deceased were cremated by the women folk of the village after a post-mortem examination here on Thursday. |
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Rain lashes Himachal Chandigarh, July 20 During the past 24 hours, Shimla received 12.3 mm of rainfall, Sundernagar 26.1 mm, Una 18.4 mm, Pandoh 32.5 mm, Rampur 8.5 mm and Kasol 17.8 mm, the Meteorological Department said here. It said Dharamsala was pounded by 111.6 mm of rainfall during the past 24 hours, ending at 8.30 a.m. today. Other places in Himachal which received rain included Kahu (42.6 mm), Guler (6.3 mm), Gamrur (48.0 mm) and Nagrota Surien (4.2 mm). HAMIRPUR: Monsoon has arrived in Hamirpur district. It has been raining in all parts of the district for the past three days. Farmers have heaved a sigh of relief, hoping that the rain would save their crops. |
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NPA of striking vet teachers to go Dharamsala, July 20 Vice-Chancellor Tej Partap, who returned from Shimla yesterday, called a meeting on the Finance Committee and withdrew the notification of 2001 by which the veterinary teachers had been granted 25 per cent NPA. This was followed by a notification by the Registrar, declaring the strike illegal and directing the teachers to resume their duties. The Vice-Chancellor asked the teachers to resume their duties by Monday, failing which the university authorities would take action. |
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National
sample survey begins Dharamsala, July 20 Mr Saxena said the 58th round of the National Sample Survey for the collection of data on socio economic conditions which started yesterday would continue till December 31. He said out of 124 villages and urban blocks to be covered in the state, 24 were in Kangra district and the first village from where the work had been started was Darang under Dehra subdivision. He said the District Statistical Officer would supervise the work of data collection. |
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HP’s first private varsity to open on Aug 21 Shimla, July 20 Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said the university was being set up by Jai Prakash Seva Sansthan in collaboration with the Himachal Pradesh Government at a cost of Rs 100 crore and 195 students would be admitted in the undergraduate classes from the session starting July 29. He said the campus of the university would be developed in a 5-lakh sq ft area and five courses would be started from this year while two more courses would be added next year. The postgraduate and postdoctorate courses would also be started in the next five years and the centre for excellence would also be set up. PTI
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Cong ready for poll: Stokes Hamirpur, July 20 Mrs Stokes said she was not averse to the formation of new districts in the state and suggested that a high-level meeting of leaders of all political parties social organisations and public representatives be called to discuss the issue. |
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Probe deaths in Salwan: minister Chamba, July 20 The minister said a team of doctors, including doctors from the Indira Gandhi Medical College, had been sent to the Salwan pocket along with sufficient stock of medicines. The minister had himself visited the area along with the team of doctors and met the local people. The minister added that the situation was now under control. |
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Draughtsmen
postpone stir Bilaspur, July 20 Ram Singh said Mr Negi ordered the implementation of the Supreme Court order regarding promotions of trained draughtsmen. He also fixed another meeting with the association for July 31 in this regard. |
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