H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

10 lakh mahseer fingerlings stocked
in Chamera
CHANDIGARH: To enhance the fish fauna of cold-water species, the Himachal Pradesh Fisheries Department has stocked 10 lakh fingerlings of the golden mahseer in the Chamera reservoir. The reservoir came into being in 1994 with the construction of an arch dam by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation.

A view of the Chamera reservoir in Chamba district.

Doctors decry govt apathy
Dharamsala, March 8
The indifference of the state government towards the demands of doctors was condemned at a meeting of the block representatives of Himachal Medical Officer’s Association of Kangra district on Sunday.

Gastro situation under control: CM
Shimla, March 8
The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, yesterday said that there had been only a minor outbreak of gastroenteritis in Rohru and surrounding areas and the situation was very much under control.

Empowerment of women stressed
Baddi, March 8
Even as the world celebrates Women’s Day today, it holds little meaning for hundreds of women workers employed in various industrial sites of Nalagarh, Baddi and Barotiwala. For them it is a perpetual toil to make both ends meet.

2-yr-old girl burnt to death
Nurpur, March 8
A two-year-old girl was burnt alive while her mother received serious burn injuries in a fierce fire which gutted their house at Jassore in Nurpur subdivision of Kangra district today, police sources said.

No pvt langars this time at Baba Balak Nath mela
Hamirpur, March 8
The three-month-long mela of Baba Balak Nath at Deotsidh in Hamirpur district will start on March 14. Necessary preparations for the mela were finalised at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Devesh Kumar.

Missing trader found in Delhi
Palampur, March 8
Mr Parvinder Verma, a local businessman who had been missing for the past four days, was found in New Delhi last night.

‘Revamp sainik boards’
Dalhousie, March 8
The Himachal Pradesh Ex-Services League has demanded the state government must reconstitute Zila Sainik Boards forthwith.

Hailstorm hits Shimla Shimla, March 8 The capital town of Shimla and its surrounding areas were hit by a hailstorm this afternoon. Shimlaites, who enjoyed a bright sun this morning, were seen rushing back home after the sky became overcast and it started drizzling followed by hailstorm. The day temperature, which rose to 19°C, dropped by 5°C after the hailstorm and rain. The weather remained partially cloudy in the upper areas. — UNI

Manali to play host to Koi Mil Gaya team
Mandi, March 8
Bollywood’s megastars like Hrithik Roshan, actor-director Rakesh Roshan, Rekha and Priyanka Chopra along with others will be shooting in Manali for a sequel to Koi Mil Gaya , also being directed by Rakesh Roshan. Rekha has already arrived.

10 lakh mahseer fingerlings stocked in Chamera
Vishal Gulati
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH: To enhance the fish fauna of cold-water species, the Himachal Pradesh Fisheries Department has stocked 10 lakh fingerlings of the golden mahseer in the Chamera reservoir.

The reservoir came into being in 1994 with the construction of an arch dam by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). The dam was built on the Ravi near Chowrah village in Chamba district. It has a water spread of 900 hectares and a catchment area of 4,725 sq km.

Talking to The Tribune, the Director, Fisheries, Mr B.D. Sharma, said the fingerlings of 40 mm to 50 mm were released in December and January.

Before the release a study on the ecology of the reservoir was conducted by the Kolkata-based Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute. The study says the oxygen-rich water of the reservoir is good for cold-water species like the common carp, the mahseer and the gulabi machhi.

“This is for the first time that such a large number of fingerlings of the mahseer have been introduced in any reservoir of the country,” claims Mr Sharma.

The fingerlings were procured from a farm at Nalagarh. This is the first farm in Himachal which is rearing the mahseer. Earlier, the department has stocked the common carp.

The mahseer, also known as the “Tiger of Indian rivers”, has been declared endangered by the Washington-based International Union of Conservation of Natural Resources.

The longest-living freshwater fish, the mahseer is an inhabitant of mountainous and sub-mountainous regions. It is an upstream breeder. It migrates from large rivers to creeks. After spawning, the parents return to their original feeding grounds.

Sadly, their population is declining. Studies conducted by the Department of Zoology, Panjab University, say the mahseer population has declined by 50 per cent in the past 10 years in Himachal.

Prof M.S. Johal of the department says the stocking of the mahseer in the Chamera reservoir is a good step towards its conservation, but the government should make it a regular feature. He says the survival of hatchery-bred fingerlings in the nature is minimal. The report suggests the continuous stocking of the common carp and the mahseer at least for three years to establish their population.

The Director, Fisheries, says the department has so far received Rs 60 lakh from the NHPC for the propagation of fish fauna in the reservoir. A fish farm, jointly funded by the department and the power corporation, was also set up at Sultanpur, near Chamba.

Last year, the department had stocked 50 lakh and 53 lakh fingerlings of various species in Gobindsagar and the Pong reservoir, respectively.

Doctors decry govt apathy
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, March 8
The indifference of the state government towards the demands of doctors was condemned at a meeting of the block representatives of Himachal Medical Officer’s Association of Kangra district on Sunday.

Association president Dr Naresh Gupta and general secretary Dr Ajay Dutta said the house had unanimously demanded that the doctors appointed on contract basis be regularised, grant of post-graduate increments to all specialists working in various government hospitals, house rent allowance of 10 per cent to all doctors. It was also demanded that permission should be given to the doctors to do post-graduation after three years of service, instead of 10 years as had been decided by the government.

Gastro situation under control: CM
Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 8
The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, yesterday said that there had been only a minor outbreak of gastroenteritis in Rohru and surrounding areas and the situation was very much under control.

The Chief Minister made a suo motu statement in the Assembly yesterday after reports appeared that 200 people had been affected by gastroenteritis. “The necessary preventive and curative measures have been taken by the health authorities following a small outbreak of gastroenteritis in Rohru bazar and the surrounding areas,” he informed the House.

Giving details, he said only four people suffering from gastroenteritis were admitted to the Civil Hospital, Rohru, yesterday while 16 had taken treatment as outdoor patients. He added that so far a total of 14 persons had been admitted to the hospital since March, 4 and 50 had taken outdoor treatment over the past four days.

Empowerment of women stressed
Tribune Reporters

Baddi, March 8
Even as the world celebrates Women’s Day today, it holds little meaning for hundreds of women workers employed in various industrial sites of Nalagarh, Baddi and Barotiwala. For them it is a perpetual toil to make both ends meet. Dwelling in makeshift metal rooms erected by labour contractors, these women have come from as far as Churu in Rajasthan, Bihar and Rajasthan.

With a nine-month child tied on the back, Radha, a labourer, has little idea if any such day exists or whether it has any relevance. Earning barely enough to keep the kitchen going, these women can only think of how to supplement their meagre family income.

Champa, in her early 20s, has come from Churu along with her husband and three children. Asked about Women’s Day, she wonders what it can do to ameliorate their miseries.

SANGRUR: Women’s Day was celebrated by the local Bhai Gurdas Institute of Engineering and Technology, the Scientific Awareness and Social Welfare Forum, and the Osho Youth Club here.

Mai Roop Kaur Bagrrian, member of the Punjab Public Service Commission, who was the chief guest at Bhai Gurdas Institute of Engineering and Technology, spoke on women empowerment. Among others spoke on the occasion included Mr Hakam Singh Jawandha, Chairman, Bhai Gurdas Educational Trust, Dr Jatinder Kaur Arora, Joint Director, Bio-technology, Punjab State Council of Science and Technology, Chandigarh, and Dr Tanuja Srivastava, Director of the institute.

Mr Harinder Singh Chahal, SSP, presided over a function organised by the Osho Youth Club. Five women, including Dr Jasbir Kaur, a radiologist, and Ms Veena Gupta, a lecturer, were honoured.

Dr Inderjit Kaur, president of the All-India Pingalwara Charitable Society, Amritsar, was honoured at a function organised by the Scientific Awareness and Social Welfare Forum. Two plays on women were staged by Gursharan Singh (Bhai Manna Singh) on the occasion.

KAITHAL: Ms Sunita Dhariwal, state convener of the cultural cell of the HPCC, stressed upon the need to create awareness among women for their uplift. She announced the setting up of a Haryana Mahila Kalyan Sangh to achieve this objective.

2-yr-old girl burnt to death

Nurpur, March 8
A two-year-old girl was burnt alive while her mother received serious burn injuries in a fierce fire which gutted their house at Jassore in Nurpur subdivision of Kangra district today, police sources said.

The fire was caused by bursting of a kerosene stove. The two-year-old girl, Radha, who was in the lap of her mother. Mohini, died on the spot. Mohini was admitted to hospital with 80 per cent burn injuries and her condition was stated to be critical. A case has been registered. — PTI

No pvt langars this time at Baba Balak Nath mela
Our Correspondent

Hamirpur, March 8
The three-month-long mela of Baba Balak Nath at Deotsidh in Hamirpur district will start on March 14. Necessary preparations for the mela were finalised at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Devesh Kumar.

Officers from various departments and the SDM, Barsar, who is also the Chairman of the Sidh Baba Balak Nath Temple Trust, took part in the meeting.

The meeting finalised the mela arrangements and decided to ban private langars during the mela period. Only government-owned free langar will be allowed to run, according the SDM, Barsar.

It was disclosed to The Tribune that since private langars were creating traffic problems, the administration had decided not to allow the same. However, those desiring to provide free langar to the pilgrims were free to deposit their goods with the temple trust so that the same were used in the official langar.

The income of the temple trust that was just Rs 45 lakh a year till 1985, but when it was taken over by the trust, it crossed Rs 5,85,000,00 during the calendar year 2004.

The trust earned a net profit of Rs 81 lakh as the rest of money was spent on various developmental works relating to the temple and providing facilities to the pilgrims.

Missing trader found in Delhi
Our Correspondent

Palampur, March 8
Mr Parvinder Verma, a local businessman who had been missing for the past four days, was found in New Delhi last night.

Disclosing this to media persons here today, Mr S.R. Rana, DSP said that Mr Verma had left a suicide note three days back and was missing from his shop.

‘Revamp sainik boards’
Our Correspondent

Dalhousie, March 8
The Himachal Pradesh Ex-Services League has demanded the state government must reconstitute Zila Sainik Boards forthwith.

Group Capt (retd) Bhupinder Singh Chauhan, senior vice-president of the league, expressed anguish over the apathy of the government towards the welfare of ex-servicemen.

He said the Zila Sainik Board was a forum for ex-servicemen to solve their problems.

Manali to play host to Koi Mil Gaya team

Mandi, March 8
Bollywood’s megastars like Hrithik Roshan, actor-director Rakesh Roshan, Rekha and Priyanka Chopra along with others will be shooting in Manali for a sequel to Koi Mil Gaya, also being directed by Rakesh Roshan. Rekha has already arrived.

According to sources in the film unit, the shooting continued for the second day today at Span Resorts, Patlikuhal, about 10 km from Manali.

Rakesh Roshan has selected locations at Naggar and Solang Nullah, about 12 km from Manali, in this regard. Kala Gram, a village on the Manali-Kulu national highway No. 21has been selected as the site for erecting the house of the hero i.e. Hrithik.
— TNS