H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Potato seed scam to be investigated
Shimla, April 15
The Himachal Agriculture Minister, Mr Raj Krishan Gaur, today said that the Agriculture Department would inquire into the issue pertaining to the “wrong supply’’ of potato seeds to farmers in Una district by the Lahaul Potato Society.

Index page (Himachal Day stories): Virbhadra promises higher daily wages

Human rights violated in Iraq: Shankaracharya
Kangra, April 15
Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Puri Swami Nishchalanand has criticised Pope John Paul II for maintaining silence over the human rights violations in Iraq and the alleged arbitrary attack by the USA on Iraq and described it as an inhuman act.

Sewa project gets clearance
Dalhousie, April 15
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has accorded environment clearance to 120 mw Sewa Hydroelectric Project, Stage-II, located in Basholi tehsil of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir adjacent to 540 mw Chamera Hydroelectric Project, Stage-I.

3 die, 54 hurt in accident
Una, April 15
Three persons, including a woman were killed and 54 others injured of whom eight were said to be serious when a private bus (HP-69-0188) coming from Badsar (Hamirpur district) to Una fell into a gorge 45 km from Una near a village in Una district Lathiani.

Potato seed scam to be investigated

Shimla, April 15
The Himachal Agriculture Minister, Mr Raj Krishan Gaur, today said that the Agriculture Department would inquire into the issue pertaining to the “wrong supply’’ of potato seeds to farmers in Una district by the Lahaul Potato Society.

Talking to mediapersons here, he said the issue had tarnished the image of the society, which was one of the oldest and most reputed potato societies of the state.

It may be mentioned that about 60 per cent of the potato seed, worth about Rs 15 lakh, which was labeled as Kufri Jyoti, turned out to be Kufri Chander Mukhi. The latter is not resistant to blight disease and farmers had to suffer because the crop this year was infested with blight following intermitent rains.

The minister said he would ensure that the affected farmers were suitably compensated by the erring soceity and the seed certifying agency.

He stressed the importance of providng more and more irrigation facilities to the farmers of the state so that they could go in for intensive farming in their existing farm holdings. He said the government would try to minimise the role of middlemen in the marketing of agriculture produce.

Talking about the “kisan pass book’’ issued by the previous government, Mr Gaur said they failed to serve the purpose for which they wre intended. He said these would not be considered as mandatory documents for the release of agricultural subsidies or for giving relief kits to the farmers. UNI

Human rights violated in Iraq: Shankaracharya
Our Correspondent

Kangra, April 15
Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Puri Swami Nishchalanand has criticised Pope John Paul II for maintaining silence over the human rights violations in Iraq and the alleged arbitrary attack by the USA on Iraq and described it as an inhuman act.

Swami Nishchalanand was talking to this correspondent at Chamunda on Sunday evening on the concluding day of a three-day rashtriya raksha and shadna shibar organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Peeth Parishad which was attended by hundreds of people from all over the country. He said: “I have protested against the US attack on Afghanistan and Iraq as in both the countries human rights were violated when men, women and children were not spared.” Swami Nishchalanand said: “The Pope should have intervened and asked President George Bush not to violate human rights in Iraq.” He asked the Pope as to why he remained silent on such a human tragedy?

The Shankaracharya blamed both the BJP and the Congress for exploiting the Ram Temple issue for their political interests. He said that the Ram Janmabhoomi yojna was directionless and people at the helm of affairs were lacking farsightedness. He alleged that both Muslim and Hindu politicians were keeping the Ram Temple issue hanging for the past 55 years. He said that weak administration handed over such issues to judiciary where they got delayed for years. He suggested that the Congress and the BJP along with their supporting organisations, the RSS, the Bajrang Dal, the BSP, the SP and other organisations should put their heads together to sort out the issue in the interest of the national and global peace. He suggested the Muslims in India too should also think in positive direction with an open mind.

He said that Muslims of India were safer than the Muslims in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iraq and Iran. He said that leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Mr Ashok Singhal, Mr Giri Raj Kishore and Dr Parveen Togadia had been meeting him regularly, but after the BJP came to power at the Centre they met him once after two or three years.

He expressed concern over the forcible conversion among the Adivasi people in Orissa by the Christian missionaries.

Sewa project gets clearance
Our Correspondent

Dalhousie, April 15
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has accorded environment clearance to 120 mw Sewa Hydroelectric Project, Stage-II, located in Basholi tehsil of Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir adjacent to 540 mw Chamera Hydroelectric Project, Stage-I.

According to Mr Yogendra Prasad, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), the project is a run-of-river project, proposed to be executed on the Sewa river, a tributary of the Ravi.

The project envisages the construction of a 53 m high concrete gravity dam at Gatti village, 10-km long headrace tunnel, 2,027-km-long steel lined penstocks and surface powerhouse with three unit of 40 mw each at Mashka village.

The project will generate around 534 million units of power annually in a 90 per cent dependable year with 95 per cent machine availability. Power generated from this project will be supplied to the northern grid in term of the central power sharing formula for further distribution to the beneficiary states of Punjab, Uttaranchal, Haryana, Rajasthan, UP, Delhi and Union Territory of Chandigarh through the northern grid in terms of the central power sharing formula of the Centre. Besides, J&K will get 12 per cent free power from this project.

The project will be completed in four years from the date of sanctions with an estimated cost of Rs 705.13 crore which includes Rs 70.84 crore of interest during construction.

3 die, 54 hurt in accident
Our Correspondent

Una, April 15
Three persons, including a woman were killed and 54 others injured of whom eight were said to be serious when a private bus (HP-69-0188) coming from Badsar (Hamirpur district) to Una fell into a gorge 45 km from Una near a village in Una district Lathiani.

All injured have been admitted to Badsar hospital and eight seriously injured persons have been shifted to Una District Hospital. The woman was identified as Resham Kaur of Tanda in Hoshiarpur district. The two dead youths could not be identified, SP Satwant Atwal said.