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Move to cut 4,000 trees for power project decried New
road develops potholes High accident rate matter of concern Employee leader Gopal Das Verma’s HP suspends two doctors |
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TB sanatorium awaits funds Penalty of
Rs 25,000 imposed on power board Follow
Vivekananda’s teachings, the youth urged Fast-track court inaugurated
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| Move to cut 4,000 trees for power project decried Kulu, January 12 The World Bank’s International Financial Corporation (IFC) met villagers of the area where the Aleo-Dhungan project is to be constructed last week. The team comprised Richard English, regional specialist, environment and social development, Neena Singh, Technical Director, Environment Research Management (ERM), Binoy R Mishra, senior investment officer from IFC and I K Moulik, vice chairman and CEO from ERM besides V.P.S. Chauhan, additional vice president of the Aleo-Dhungan hydro power project. Public hearing was held at Jagatsukh 35 km from here on the Kulu-Manali left bank road. The meeting witnessed slogan-shouting and noisy scenes. Villager’s were heard by the management of the project. Residents of Prini and Jagatsukh villages said the project would impact people, environment and ecological imbalance in and around the project area. Mr Dile Ram Shabab said, we had to save natural setting and surroundings of the valley between Naggar and Manali. People suspect promises of jobs being offered to them and commitment to preserve the forest. Destruction of green forest wealth of the area and blasting operations for
tunneling would damage water sources and endanger flora and fauna, and livelihood of the villagers. He reminded that people had not forgotten the Gulaba forest episode and the “rape” of the forest wealth in the name of salvage markings in Parvati Valley. Gulaba forest, predominantly a Fir-cum-Spruce prized area comprising 465.22 hectares, interspersed with brown oak is not a solitary case. For centuries this forest provided evergreen cover to the alpine slopes from the Manali side to the Rohtang pass, he added. The area was exploited from 1961-62 to 1973-74. These felling till date are remembered forester’s folly. Now it has not been possible to revive its past glory as the area has changed its micro-climate, creating unfavourable conditions for the growth of high altitude forest trees. The drying up of 2000 full grown trees in Kheer-Ganga forest under Parvati Division revealed how officials had been plundering the states forest wealth in the garb of Salvage markings. Today fragile ecology of the Kulu hills is being undermined without taking into account as earth’s crust was wrinkles “fold” landslides and rock falls which had become a natural process. Mr Shabab lamented that forest land would be made use for the construction of 3 MW Palachan Microelectric project in Seraj Forest Division. Mr K.L. Aggarwal, a forest officer, who carried out the forest working plan in 1939-41, had placed 60 per cent of the geographical area of Kulu under forest cover of all categories. Since then forestation and forest conservation schemes involving crores were executed annually. Forest cover is receding and it is 38.43 per cent, Mr Shabab added. |
| New
road develops potholes SUNDERNAGAR: The 12 km long road along the
Baggi-Sundernagar hydel channel the tarring work of which was
completed just three months ago, has been found damaged due to poor
quality of construction. There are patches on the road. The residents of 30 villages who live along the road have demanded a probe. This road was used by the BSNL project authorities during the construction of the BSNL project. Afterwards, the project was commissioned in 1977, however, this road was not tarred by the project authorities. Also both the sides of channel were not tarred due to which a large number of villages were suffering due to dusty conditions of the road as the intensity of traffic increased
manifold. Even then the project authorities did not take any steps to improve condition of the road. The resident of this area raised their voice many times but the Bhakhra Beas Management Board (BBMB) had been giving a false plea that the road could not be tarred due to technical reasons. Interestingly, the Himachal Government had been accepting this as a fact. All this continued till 2000 when the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur, prepared the Environmental Management Plan for this project and suggested that one side along the Baggi-Sundernagar hydel channel which is open for traffic be tarred although the BBMB once again insisted that this could not be done. Now, the BBMB has decided to tar this road at a cost of Rs 78 lakh. The work began in June, 2002, and was completed by the end of May this year. But the road was damaged sourer than later. An official from the accounts department of the BBMB said more than 90 per cent of the payment had been made, the last bill will be cleared soon. From the very beginning the residents of this area had doubts as the work estimate was on the higher side. The residents told this correspondent the tarring was not done as per specifications. Even slope of the road was not proper due to which water was collected at various places. Subsequently, the road was damaged. It was further added by the residents that Xen H.S. Sohal, in charge of Hydel Channel and Baggi Gates Division, and Mr R.P. Sharma, SDO under whose supervision this road was constructed daily travelled from this road but none had taken notice of the damage to the road. However, these officials tried to do patchwork on the road. When asked about the construction of road, the Xen concerned said that only Chief Engineer could comment. On the other hand the Chief Engineer of Project has shown his ignorance about the condition of road and said that only the official concerned was competent to comment and said that he would take necessary action in this regard. A senior officer from the PWD told this correspondent that the life span for a newly constructed road was five years but not just two months. He further added that cost of this road per km was on the higher side in comparison to roads constructed by the HPPWD. The residents have appealed to the Chairman of the BBMB to look into the matter and order an inquiry so that the residents did not suffer due to the negligence of BBMB officials. They also want that the guilty should be punished for this lapse. Mr Damodar Dass, BJP MLA from Balh, has also assured the residents that he will take up the matter with the government. |
| High accident rate matter of concern Shimla, January 12 The number of accidents has the almost doubled over the past 10 years from 1390 in 1993 to 2667 in 2003. On an average, about 720 persons die in road accidents every year in the state. The highest death toll of 802 human lives was recorded in 2002. The phenomenal increase in the number of vehicles and the expansion of road network into the interiors has much to do with the increase in the accident rate. The total number of vehicles has crossed the two lakh mark, including one lakh two-wheelers, 30,000 light and heavy commercial vehicles, 4000 buses, 10,000 taxis and about 24,000 private cars. The inflow of tourist vehicles add to the chaos on the narrow hill roads which do not have the capacity to carry such a large volume of traffic. Serpentine roads passing through hill slopes are prone to accidents. More so because most of the roads are single lane. Deficient geometry and lack of maintenance makes things worse. The cost of maintenance of roads in the hill is very high and the state does not have the requisite funds for the purpose. Further, in the absence of training facilities, the drivers lack adequate skills to safely ply vehicles on narrow winding hill roads. It is little wonder that human failure is one of the main factors responsible for accidents. A small percentage of mishaps also take place due to mechanical failure. Of late the police has taken steps to arrest the increasing rate of road accidents. To check drunken driving and over-speeding on the national highways, three patrol vans have been deployed. These are equipped with speed radars and alco-sensors (a device for detection of alcohol consumption) and function directly under the DIG’s range. In the next phase, all seven national highways will be covered. In fact, making hill roads safer is a priority with the police in the year 2004.It has decided to deploy 20 motor cycle patrols on main highways to check infringements of the Motor Vehicles Act. It has also decided to launch a campaign to educate the people on good driving habits, particularly the hill roads. |
Employee
leader Gopal Das Verma’s services terminated Shimla, January 12 Mr Verma had been facing a number of inquiries some of these instituted by the previous Dhumal regime. A spokesman of the Fire Services Department said that the charges against him had been substantiated. Mr Verma, however, maintained that he was dismissed under pressure from Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh, as he had submitted a complaint against him to Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Congress President, regarding the vendetta by him against employee leaders. He claimed that the departmental inquiries against him had not been completed yet he had been dismissed. He also alleged that the department did not even supply a copy of the order dismissing him. He said he would soon file a public interest litigation to highlight acts of commission and omission of Mr Virbhadra Singh. |
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HP suspends two doctors Dharamsala, January 12 According to official sources, Dr. A. Dutta and Dr. Rakesh who were on duty on Saturday night had been indicted by an inquiry by Kangra Additional District Magistrate P.D. Chowdhry. The report of enquiry was submitted to the Chief Minister on Sunday and the Chief Minister ordered the suspension of the two doctors. It is learnt that action against some other employees will also be taken soon. The government. also gave termination notice to Dr. Rakesh as he had been indicted in another inquiry by the principal of Dr. R.P.G. Medical College Dr. L.S .Pal. |
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TB sanatorium awaits funds Kumarhatti, January 12 The sanatorium set up by the British in 1913 is a premier institute of north India in treating TB cases. With no funds the sanatorium is finding it hard to run its three vehicles including an ambulance. The management was getting petrol for vehicles on credit from a local petrol station. Till date it owes around Rs 20,000 to the petrol station owner. The sanatorium got Rs 1.71 lakh and an additional Rs 10,000 for office expenses for the financial year 2003-04. The whole budget amount has been utilized by mid year. To improve the situation an additional budget requirement of Rs 1.50 lakh was forwarded to the health authorities. The delay to get the additional fund has led to current situation. “We are hopeful of improvement in the situation after the release of additional funds,” said Mr V.D. Sharma , Medical Superintendent of the sanatorium,. The Director, Health has assured to release the additional funds in a week or so, he maintains. |
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Penalty of
Rs 25,000 imposed on power board Shimla, January 12 An additional penalty at the rate of Rs 1,500 per day had been imposed from September 3, 2002, until the date of compliance to the satisfaction of the commission. The order was passed on a petition filed by the Parwanoo industries association. The commission observed that the board not only defied its order passed on August 3,2002, directing it to revise the contract demand within a month but also virtually sat on an appeal over the directive to make it the worst case of
willful and deliberate contravention. It took serious note of the contravention, which not only resulted in substantial loss to the petitioners but also caused harassment to them. The commission pointed out that out of the 21 directions issued by it since the tariff order was passed in October, 2001, the board had complied with only four. |
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Follow
Vivekananda’s teachings, the youth urged Kangra, January 12 Prof Samdongh Rinpoche, chairman of Kasag, in his address said Swami Vivekananda was a great social reformer and his teachings were more relevant today. Dr Tej Partap, Vice-Chancellor of the HP Agriculture University also spoke on the occasion.
Twenty-six students of 17 schools who had bagged positions in an essay writing competition organised by the kendra on November 16, last year, were given prizes. Mr O.C. Sharma, former DGP Madhya Pradesh, honoured the Governor, Mr Ripudaman, former General Manager, HMT Bangalore, honoured Professor Rinpoche and Mr Satinder Gupta, an advocate, honoured Dr Tej Pratap, a social activist, Mr Vijay Chand of Pragpur, was also honoured by the Governor. |
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Fast-track court inaugurated Una, January 12 He appealed to Judicial officers to maintain quality while conducting criminal cases so that litigants got justice without delay. He also appealed to the bar to avoid unnecessary delay in Criminal procedure. District and Sessions-Judge A.C. Dogra welcomed Mr Justice Sood said that till date nine fast-track courts had been established in Himachal. Fast-track court Presiding Officer K.S. Chandel, Una, Additional Secretary, Law Rajiv Bhardwaj, Rajesh Tomar JMIC Una, Rajneesh Kumar DC Una, R.L. Raghu President Consumer Forum Mandi, Ashok Sharma, SP, Una and ADM Amitabh Awasthi were also present on the occasion. |
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