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Monday,
August 11, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Human
activity causing flash floods Kin of crash victims
relive tragedy Dhumal accuses Congress govt of ignoring masses Release of murder accused raises eyebrows Heavy metals detected in Coke plant sludge
Probe into assault on scribes sought Campaigning for students’ bodies poll |
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1 killed, 11 hurt as vehicle falls into gorge Two cops go
missing
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Human
activity causing flash floods Shimla, August 10 While cloudbursts are a “freak” natural
phenomenon, a host of human activities like deforestation,
unscientific mining and massive construction carried out by people in
the hitherto virgin interior areas have increased their destructive
potential manifold. It is hardly surprising that the most of
devastation by flash floods has been caused in the areas where big
projects are under implementation. The frequency with which the cloudbursts are taking place in Sutlej and Beas basins, it appears that certain areas have suddenly become prone to such natural disasters. Devastating flash floods are being invariably attributed to cloudbursts, which is not always the case. A cloudburst represents highly concentrated rainfall over a small area with an intensity of four inches per hour or more and such an occurrence is not very frequent. The over all precipitation in the hills has been decreasing and the rise in the frequency of flash floods has more to do with the human factors. The two most recent disasters in Kulu valley at the Puliah nallah and the Kangni nallah are perfect examples of it. These were uninhabited virgin areas, bereft of all human activity, until last year when work on the mega 2051 MW Parbati project and the Rs 1,000 crore Rohtang tunnel project got underway. But for these projects, the cloudbursts, which claimed about 70 lives, would have gone unnoticed. Those killed were all migratory labourers from Nepal, Jharkhand and other states. Further, the large-scale excavations being carried out in such projects generate thousands of tonnes of debris, which is conveniently dumped on the steep slopes, which get washed away into nullahs and rivers during rain reducing their carrying capacity drastically, besides destroying all vegetation on the hill slopes. The debris raises the bed level and the flow is often obstructed during heavy rain and as a result of which the water changes its course causing widespread devastation. Worse,
the excavation and construction activity is not confined to the
surface, the fragile hills are being rendered hollow by boring of long
tunnels. The Kinnaur area provides the best example where the Nathpa
Jhakri project alone has 27 km of tunnels, besides world’s largest
underground power house and desilting chambers. While the power house
structure is as high as a seven-storey building, each of the four
desilting chambers is 500 m long. Then there is the underground 120 MW
Bhabha project. The 300 MW Baspa project and the 22.5 MW Ghanvi
project have been commissioned recently in the same area. Not only
that the 1,000 MW Karcham project and the 440 MW Rampur project are
also being constructed in the same area. The large-scale mining and excavations, in which explosives are used, have made the hill strata fragile. In some areas villages are sinking and houses have developed cracks, causing much concern to the local people. The unscientific mining and boring of tunnels have led to drying of natural sources of water. The area has become prone to flash floods and landslide, which block the national highway every other day. The Border Road Organisation, which maintains the highway, has been considering to change the entire alignment of the road. There has been talk of reviving the old Hindustan-Tibet road, which was abandoned three decades ago. There had been three occasions since 1993 when the Sutlej was blocked by landslides to form lakes, causing a scare in the areas downstream. All
these happenings call for a serious rethinking on the policy of having
big projects in the largely unstable hills. The environment impact
assessment and the environment management plans do not take into
considerations these factors. |
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Kin of crash victims
relive tragedy Manali, August 10 Be it the family of Chennai-based Mr Sundram, whose father, a wireless operator with the Air Force crew, went missing after the Leh-bound aircraft crashed, which took off from Chandigarh on February 7, 1968, or the 100 other families, they were all anxiously waiting for the outcome of the search operation, launched from Bathal, today. As 10 personnel from the Air Force Advance Cell, Delhi, and 25 men from Dogra Scouts, Chandigarh, embarked on their difficult mission today, the hope of at least getting the remains of their loved one had once again been rekindled. There were a number of such families all over India, who had been making inquiries from the Army headquarters and the Mountaineering Institute here, ever since some climbers chanced upon the body of a soldier Beli Ram, who was on the same flight. “Though mountaineers had spotted parts of the wreckage of the aircraft in the slopes facing the Chandrabhaga (CB-13) peak, but it was only after the body of a soldier was identified from his service documents, that the Army decided to launch a search operation in the 16,000 feet area,” said Col H.S. Chauhan, Director of the Himalalyan Mountaineering and Allied Course Directorate. “With the South Dakka Glacier, being 7-km-long and half-km-wide, the chances of recovering the remains are rather bleak, but keeping in view the sentiments of the families who lost their members, we will go ahead with the task,” admitted an Army official. The search would continue for the next 10 days and depending on the progress, further decision would be take by the Army headquarter, he added. Colonel, Chauhan, who is assisting the search team in its task, said that about 50 metres stretch on both sides of the spot where the body was found, would be searched. “There is a high probability that the aircraft hit the CB-13 range and crashed, but since 35 years have elapsed and the ice being hard like glass, it seems a rather difficult task,” said Colonel Chauhan. He added that the body of Beli Ram, probably got exposed due to movement of a glacier, under which it was lying buried. Two Air Force choppers had undertaken an serial survey of the area last month so that rescue operations could be undertaken in case of an emergency. After the aircraft carrying Army and Air Force personnel went missing in 1968, search had been carried out for six months, before the operation was suspended. |
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Dhumal accuses Congress govt of ignoring masses Hamirpur, August 10 Mr Dhumal started his campaign from the Gwarroo village of the Bamsan Assembly segment appealing to party workers to expose the Congress party and its leaders for ignoring people’s grievances. The campaign will last one week. The former Chief Minister alleged that the Congress party had stopped development activities in the district and people were unhappy with the Congress government. He said no funds had been provided for the development of the lower hill areas of the state as the government was biased against these areas. The BJP he said would contest Lok Sabha elections on the plank of once again making Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee as Prime Minister of India. The party would oppose the candidature of Mrs Sonia Gandhi for the post of Prime Minister because of her foreign origin. Mr Dhumal criticised the state government for not giving compensation to the farmers of the state who had lost crops due to drought-like conditions. Instead it raised prices of many items, needed for farming. |
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Release of murder accused raises eyebrows Bilaspur, August 10 Rajesh was said to be in love with a class XI girl who lived near his house and was Sanjiv’s cousin. Since the parents of Rajesh did not like this Sanjiv tried to pressurise the former into marrying the girl. But when Rajesh refused to oblige Sanjiv entered his house when he was alone and attacked him with a knife, killing him on the spot. He was arrested while trying to escape. Eleven months later he escaped from the jail and was declared a proclaimed offender. He was once again arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment and fined Rs 5,000. Later, on an appeal the Himachal High Court upheld the life imprisonment awarded to Sanjiv. The Supreme Court also rejected his appeal. Although, those convicted for murder, rape and under NDPS Act cannot be transferred to open air jail but how Sanjiv managed to do so is
surprising. |
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Heavy metals detected in Coke plant sludge Solan, August 10 Sources revealed that the leaching analysis of the sludge, which take 24 hours to show the results, will be able to establish whether the waste discharged by the plant is percolating down to the ground, thus affecting the water quality. The board, which had conducted routine sampling of the sludge on May 17, had detected heavy metals like cadmium, nickel, chromium, zinc and iron in the sludge after a detailed analysis on August 6. Board officials clarified that they were routine tests and not conducted after reports of the Delhi-based Centre of Science and Environment in this regard. |
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Action against cola
companies sought Shimla, August 10 |
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Probe into assault on scribes sought Chamba, August 10 Quoting names of the journalists in memorandum submitted to the Himachal Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, the district president of the federation, Mr Yogesh Mahendroo, has urged the state government to provide security cover to the journalists. Mr Mahendroo stated that the journalists were frequently receiving threats from undesirable elements. |
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Campaigning for
student bodies' poll picks up Hamirpur, August 10 Dates for the elections are to be announced by the Himachal Pradesh University under whose jurisdiction the colleges come yet activists of all three students’ outfits have started campaigning for their candidates. The district has three students’ organisations namely — the Students Federation of India, The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the National Students Union of India. In last elections the ABVP won majority in Hamirpur and Tarkwari colleges and each shared two seats with the SFI at Chakmoh and Sujanpur Tihra colleges. The NSUI had swept the Nadaun college elections last time. Hamirpur college witnessed incidents of violence by students’ outfits on various issues. Leaders and activists of the ABVP and the SFI have already burnt effigies of the Transport Minister and the state government on the college campus in protest against hike of bus fares. The ABVP has demanded the announcement of dates of election of students’ associations in the state. Meanwhile, leaders and workers of the Congress party and the BJP have also stepped up activities for the student bodies elections in the district. These persons have been extending indirect support to students of their organisations. There are reports that Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had directed ministers and the MLA’s to ensure the victory of NSUI candidates in all colleges of the state including Hamirpur. Hamirpur College is considered to be the stronghold of the
ABVP. The Hamirpur district administration has also taken steps for maintaining law and order during elections. The Hamirpur police may seek the services of jawans and officers of the reserve battalions of the police during elections.
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1
killed, 11 hurt as vehicle falls into gorge Solan, August 10 The police has registered a case under Sections 279, 337 and 304 of the IPC and Section 187 of the Motor Vehicle Act for rash and negligent driving against the driver. The deceased, Parmanand of Karsog district in Mandi, was declared brought dead by doctors at the ESI dispensary,
Parwanoo. Two others, Dola Ram and Ganga Singh, hailing from Tikari Gohar and
Gohar, respectively, were referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. Others were given preliminary treatment at the ESI dispensary,
Parwanoo. |
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Two cops go
missing Chamba, August 10 According to police sources, a police party from Tissa police station had gone to investigate a case along the border yesterday. When the police party was returning some unidentified people fired at it. Policemen, however, escaped and managed to return to a safer place in the Tissa sector area, but a constable and a special police officer reportedly lost their way and had since gone missing. |
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Suresh Kumar is Youth Congress general secy Solan, August 10 |
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ABVP
launches membership drive Nurpur, August 10 On the occasion, Mr Pawan Vashisht, district coordinator of the ABVP alleged that the Virbhadra Singh government had been playing a cruel joke with the students by not declaring the results of the JBT and TGT examinations. |
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Former
employee sues government Hamirpur, August 10 He has alleged that the two former officers forced him to seek retirement at the age of 53 years. He has also levelled allegations against a former Law Secretary of the state, who is at present a sitting judge of the High Court. The court has fixed August 22 as the date for hearing . —
OC |
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BSF jawan cremated Nurpur, August 10 |
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