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Obscene MMS racket exposed in Solan
US aid team to develop flood forecasting model
Fish production hit as Bhakra water recedes
Teachers resent govt decision on poor results
Scientists concerned over declining popularity of physics
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No place for farmers at Nalwari fair
CM seeks 30 pc equity in hydel projects
CM’s plea on land dismissed
Inflated power bills irk traders
RSS leader calls for rewriting history
Woman crushed to death
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Obscene MMS racket exposed in Solan
Solan, March 21 The police which raided a shop selling and repairing mobiles located in the crowded Murari Market today seized three CDs and a mobile cell containing obscene pictures. The owner, Kamal Aggarwal, was earlier arrested for possessing 150 grams of charas under the NDPS Act. A fresh case under Section 292 of the IPC has been registered against him. Investigations revealed that Kamal had loaded pornographic material on his computer. Revealing his modus operandi the officials disclosed that he used to click photographs of girls visiting his shop either to buy or repair their cell phones. The photographs were clicked so discreetly that the girls never realised that they were being photographed. These pictures were then loaded on the computer where he managed to mix pornographic material from various obscene sites. These were then sold as chips for prices varying from Rs 500 to Rs 700. Police officials revealed that information of girls being blackmailed through such pictures had been pouring in for the past some time. Though they were yet to crack down on the entire network and find out who bought these chips, officials said the suffering girls were slowly coming out to reveal how they had been by these pictures. |
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US aid team to develop flood forecasting model
Shimla, March 21 After the devastating 2000 floods in the Sutlej, which played havoc with life and property in the Kinnaur and Rampur area, the Union Ministry of Water Resources decided to have a forecasting network in place. “Since due to hilly terrain the travel time of the water will is barely four hours, it was decided to seek technical expertise from the US aid for this endeavour, the first of its kind in the country,” informed an official. The US aid team comprising three experts from Washington visited the entire Sutlej basic last week, right up to Khab to get first hand information about the terrain characteristics and prepare a model best suited for the area. It has already been decided to have four observatory stations at Khab, Powari, Nathpa and Rampur. Khab, which happens to be the confluence of Spiti and Sutlej rivers is the last point on the Indian side where an observatory can be set up as beyond this the Chinese occupied territory of Tibet starts. A five-member delegation comprising the Director, Ministry of Water Resources, the Commissioner, Eastern Rivers, and representatives of the Ministry of External Affairs and Himachal Government have just returned from China. The issue of flood threat due the formation of the Parechu lake in Tibet, its stability and exchange of information between India and China was being discussed at length. There is also a proposal to have an observatory at Chumar in Jammu and Kashmir, the point where the Parechu enters into Tibet, before draining back into India. “The US aid team will send the design document best suited for the Sutlej basin and then engineers from the Indian side will go to America to get training and exposure to the warning systems existing for flood forecasting there,” informed sources. Though the visit of the US aid team, earlier scheduled for October last year, was delayed but the officials are hopeful that the forecasting network would be in place by next year. While the technical expertise and training component would be taken care by the US aid team, the hardware, including censors and the telemetry system, would be installed by the Central Water Commission. |
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Fish production hit as Bhakra water recedes
Bilaspur, March 21 The fisheries’ officials and fishermen here give three main reasons as to why the fish production has decreased this season. “First, it was over 50 per cent fall in the water level of the Gobind Sagar dam due to drought last year. Second, the fear of flood in the Parechu river, Sutlej’s tributary that starts from the Chinese territory, kept fishermen off from fishing during the August-September months. Now the cold spell has hit the catch”, they revealed. The fishermen say that fish avoid hitting the higher surface of the receded reservoirs as the temperature of water remains cold due to the current spell of cold weather. “The singhara fish, the mainstay of the fish production in the Bhakra dam, prefer to stay in the deep water if the water surface is not hot,”they said. The Bhakhra water level has hit an all-time low this season, rue the fishermen, pointing out the empty water-starved embankments along Bilaspur town, which used to be submerged in water this time of the year. “The shortage of water has hit both fish breeding and catch this season. But we get good prices due to shortage in supply”, they added. In the Pong dam in Kangra district too the fishermen has reported a marginal fall in the production this season due to the same reasons, said the officials. “The Gobind Sagar produces about 1,100 tonnes fish mainly singhara, which feed on smaller fishes, while Maharana Pratap Sagar or Pong dam gives about 400 tonnes, mainly silver carp,” they added. The Director, Fisheries, Mr B.D. Sharma said the maximum fall in fish production had been recorded from the Gobind Sagar dam due to the fall in the water level. “Despite this fall, the state produces about 110 kg of fish per hectare, which is the highest in the country”, he said. He hoped to cover the loss in the remaining three months of fishing season till June 1. Mr Sharma said the revenue from fishing had continued to increase as it gave Rs 75 lakh as royalty to the state exchequer every year. “We have 15 cooperatives of over 2,000 families at Gobind Sagar and over 2,000 families at the Pong dam, who are given license to fish from the reservoirs”, he informed. |
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Teachers resent govt decision on poor results
Kangra, March 21 Mr Onkar Rana and Mr Subhash Pathania, president and general secretary of the Himachal Government Teachers’ Union, respectively, in a joint statement here today criticised the state Education Department for being not serious about improving the standard of education in schools. They said more than 6,000 posts of teachers, Headmasters and Principals were lying vacant and it was reflecting on the standard of the education in the government schools. They said government schools were imparting education to poor students. However, due to lack of accommodation, basic facilities and inadequate teaching staff, it was difficult even to achieve the target of 25 per cent results in most of the schools. Both leaders criticised the rationalisation process of the government in the Education Department at a time when examinations were near. It had affected the studies of the students and would certainly reflect in the results. Advocating corporal punishment in schools, they said the notification banning corporal punishment in the schools had led to indiscipline among the students and the teaching community was at the receiving end. They said it was affecting the quality education in the schools and results. They said only teacher were not responsible for poor results, there were other factors that needed to be addressed. |
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Scientists concerned over declining popularity of physics
Shimla, March 21 More than 60 participants from within the country and abroad are attending the four-day international workshop on “Nuclear Structure at the Extremes: New Dimensions” organised by the Department of Physics of Himachal Pradesh University. In his inaugural address, Prof Bikash Sinha, Director, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics and Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Kolkota, said efforts should be made to attract students towards scientific research keeping in view the declining interest in basic sciences. “The impending human resource crunch in basic sciences can have disastrous consequences for the nation,” he cautioned. Prof Amit Roy, Director, Nuclear Science Centre, Delhi, talked about the existing and upcoming accelerator facilities for nuclear research in India. “Most of these facilities are being developed indigenously by involving various industries within the country,” he stated. Speaking on the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor of HPU, Prof L.R.Verma, underlined the importance of such workshops for rapid scientific and technological progress. “Modern physics has helped in creating modern technologies and industries like information technology, pharmaceutical and biochemical industries,” he said. Prof Verma, expressed concern over the declining interest of students and public in basic sciences and physics in particular. Welcoming the delegates, Prof S. Dev, Chairman, Department of Physics, called for setting up of a scientific institute in Shimla on the pattern of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies. |
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No place for farmers at Nalwari fair
Bilaspur, March 21 Talking to The Tribune during the week-long fair, which was inaugurated at the Luhnu ground by Sports and Forest Minister Ram Lal Thakur on March 18, 40 cattle breeders, who had brought their bullock to the fair, lamented: “There was no provision of shelter and feed for the cattle. The committee provides all facilities to sportspersons but nothing for poor farmers.” Considered a cattle fair, the fair has now turned into a sports festival, which features games like volleyball,
kabaddi, wrestling, allege farmers, who have been facing a rough deal over the years. “Even pharmacists from the Animal Husbandry Department ask us to inject the cattle. Policemen harass us asking for papers, but we have no records of transactions at the fair,” said Sada Ram, a cattle breeder of Dhami-Jhukhal village. Urging Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to revive the cattle fair, S.R.
Chouhan, a cattle breeder from Balh-Balwana in Bilaspur district, said: “Earlier, farmers used to bring good breeds of cattle from Hisar, Ropar, Nalagarh and nearby Sundernagar that encourage competition. But the committee has stopped the practice. Over 90 per cent farmers still use bullock to till their land and depend on cows, sheep, goats and buffaloes for milk and manure. The cattle fair has been hijacked by the sports lobby.” Citing examples of Ropar, Nalagarh and Hisar cattle fairs, the farmers rued that bullock races, cattle competition and events for the farmers no longer took place. “They are promoting sports at cattle fair instead,” the farmers alleged. “I paid Rs 1,100 to transport a pair of bullock here. There is no record of transaction that takes between the cattle owners here. During old times, Luhnu ground used to bustle with good breeds of cattle,” said Mr Jhairi Ram from
Jhukhala. Deputy Commissioner and chairman of the NMC Subhashish Panda said the committee was reviving the fair and would award breeders of good pairs of bullock. “I am not aware of their problem. But the taste has changed and sports and other activities are being encouraged as part of the fair,” he added. |
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CM seeks 30 pc equity in hydel projects
Shimla, March 21 Mr Virbhadra Singh raised the issue of equity participation in his meeting with the Union Energy Minister, Mr P.M. Syed, at New Delhi, today. Mr Syed, while appreciating the steps being taken by the state government in exploiting hydel potential, said the Himachal’s case for equity participation in Central PSU’s would be considered sympathetically. Mr Virbhadra Singh said the work on 439 MW Rampur, 455 MW Luhri and 450 MW Khab entrusted to the Satluj Jal Vidyut Corporation was being expedited so that both the Central and the state government could benefit. “Giving 30 per cent equity participation to Himachal in these power projects would ensure legitimate share to the state and help in taking decisions which are in the interest of the state and its people,” he requested. |
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CM’s plea on land dismissed
Solan, March 21 The prosecution argued that Capt Amarinder Singh had sold his various properties, including forest land, buildings and other structures to the state of Himachal Pradesh in 1972. His claim, therefore, was dismissed. |
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Inflated power bills irk traders
Nurpur, March 21 The HP State Electricity Board (HPSEB) has given no reason for the sundry charges. The trading community is also upset over the recent hike in the annual registration fee of the commercial establishments. A shopkeeper had to pay Rs 5 annually for the renewal of registration of his establishment last year, but now this amount has been hiked to Rs 250 for five years, causing a lot of resentment among the small traders. |
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RSS leader calls for rewriting history
Hamirpur, March 21 He alleged that the Indian history was distorted by the Britishers to enslave the Indians permanently. He was addressing a meeting of RSS activists and villagers at Neri village in this district today. Earlier, he inaugurated the first research centre of the all-India history writing yojna of the RSS in India. A sum of Rs 20 lakh had been spent on the construction of the first phase of the centre spread over about 50 kanals. Mr Ram Singh Thakur, all-India organiser of the Indian history rewriting yojna, gave details of the Indian history. Senior BJP leader and former HP Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal blasted the Left parties and the Congress for communalising the history rewriting process.
— UNI |
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Woman crushed to death
Shimla, March 21 According to the police, the mishap took place when the women were hit by a government car (HP-03-4045) after they got down from a bus and were crossing the road. The driver of the car fled after hitting the women. While Vidya Devi (40), a resident of Sarog village, died on the spot, Asha Verma and Shobha Thakur were rushed to Indira Gandhi Medical College for treatment. The two have sustained serious injuries. A child, Monica, accompanying them, also sustained minor injuries. In another accident, five persons were injured when the utility van (HP-09- 1133) they were travelling in rolled into a khud at Jais, near Theog, about 35 km from here. The injured are being treated at Theog hospital. |
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Scooterist killed in mishap Baddi, March 21
Baddi, March 21 Meanwhile Solan police recovered three obscene CDs and one mobile camera from the shop of Kamal Aggarwal in Murari market Solan yesterday. Kamal Aggarwal who runs a shop was arrested under the ND PS Act for possessing 150 gm charas on Saturday. OC
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