H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Apple productivity increasing in HP
Shimla, June 17
After suffering a sharp decline during the 1990s, productivity of the apple crop has started showing rise over the past couple of years.

Poachers have a field day along the Beas
Kulu-Patalikuhl, June 17
Poachers are active along the Beas and its tributary Tirthen, catching the prized brown trout to make a quick buck in the black market in Kulu and Manali towns tourists. The brown trout are also allegedly being smuggled out to New Delhi and Mumbai to cater to clients in the five-star hotels there.

2 Nepalis held for theft at temple
Shimla, June 17
Prompt action by the police led to the arrest of the two Nepali nationals who had stolen antique gold and silver ornaments from the Dadla temple at Kanam village in Kinnaur district yesterday. The entire stolen property has also been recovered from them

Fake B.Ed degrees’ racket unearthed
Dharamsala, June 17
The Enforcement Department busted fake-degree racket in Dari village here today. Fake degrees, certificates and marksheets of the Lucknow University were being sold for Rs 60,000 to people to get jobs and admissions in other courses on the basis of these documents.

Kulu hospital needs 15 more doctors
Kulu, June 17
Over 800 patients who visit the zonal hospital, Kulu, daily for treatment are a harassed lot as the hospital needs 15 more doctors, including a radiologist and a physician, to cope up with the patient rush that has multiplied over 10 times for the past five years.

Apple productivity increasing in HP
Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 17
After suffering a sharp decline during the 1990s, productivity of the apple crop has started showing rise over the past couple of years.

The latest data reveals that the productivity, which plunged to 5 tonnes per hectare during the 1990-2000 period from 9 tonnes in 1980-90 period, is again increasing. It has reached 8.39 tonnes per hectare in 2004, the year when the state recorded its highest-ever output of 5.27 lakh tonnes.

The state had been experiencing alternative bearing as a rule. A good harvest had invariably been followed by a poor crop. However, apple production has been increasing for the past three years. In 2002 it was 3.48 lakh tonnes and increased to 4.59 lakh tonnes in the following year. Consequently, the productivity had also increased to 5.1 tonnes per hectare in 2002 and to 6.35 in 2003.

This year too the state is heading for a good crop, the frequent spells of hailstorm in May notwithstanding. As per a survey carried out by the Horticulture Department, the production was likely to be more than two crore boxes. It is after years that the lower areas are having a good crop. The apple belt had adequate snow, which is considered as white manure for the orchards during winter, but the low temperatures in March and April affected fruit setting in the upper hills. However, with lower areas having a good crop the overall production will not be affected.

Mr R.P. Sharma, Director of Horticulture, said that the yield had been declining because the growers had not been replacing the aged plantations. The productive life of an apple plant is 35 to 45 years and as such the plantations which came up in the 1950s and 1960s, needed to be replaced. The growers started rejuvenating their orchards only in the early 1990s when the production fell sharply. The production has now started increasing as the new plantations are coming into bearing. He said that the high-yielding varieties introduced about a decade ago had helped in boosting production.

The productivity in the USA is over 35 tonnes per hectare and as such there is much scope for improvement. One of the reasons for the low production is that the growers have been obsessed with commercial varieties like royal delicious, red delicious and neglecting the pollenising varieties.

Poachers have a field day along the Beas
Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Kulu-Patalikuhl, June 17
Poachers are active along the Beas and its tributary Tirthen, catching the prized brown trout to make a quick buck in the black market in Kulu and Manali towns tourists. The brown trout are also allegedly being smuggled out to New Delhi and Mumbai to cater to clients in the five-star hotels there.

Though the Department of Fisheries has banned fishing in rivers, poachers are operating in the rivers, poaching brown trout, which unlike the yellow trout are not bred in captivity and fetch hefty prices in metros and big resorts in tourist town, revealed the sources.

The poachers are virtually are having a field day in the rivers as there is just one fishery guard to look after the 60 km long river stretch between Manali and Aut. But none for Tirthen river, which is being promoted as the angling destination for the brown trout, revealed insiders.

Though the department sells trout at its farms at Patlikuhl here at Rs 200 a kg, but the brown trout is available in the Beas only as it cannot be bred in captivity, informed the fisheries officials.

The Director Fisheries, Mr B.D. Sharma said they were short of staff. Poaching remains a problem in the rivers. We are seeking the cooperation of locals to check poaching. We have given them power to challan the culprits, but it is not proving effective so far”, he explained informing that over a dozen trout farms had come up in Kulu and Mandi districts.

2 Nepalis held for theft at temple
Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 17
Prompt action by the police led to the arrest of the two Nepali nationals who had stolen antique gold and silver ornaments from the Dadla temple at Kanam village in Kinnaur district yesterday. The entire stolen property has also been recovered from them

The theft took place during night and villagers immediately informed the police which sealed all the exit points in the district. While Kishen Mal was nabbed at the police naka near Jhakri while he was trying to escape from the area in a Tata Sumo, Karan Bahadur, the other accused, was arrested from Powari. He was also travelling in a utility vehicle.

The two took separate routes after committing the theft, but the strategy did not pay as the police put up nakas at various points immediately which led to their arrest.

Mr R.L. Sood, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, said that the incident had again highlighted the fact that criminal elements from Nepal were sneaking into the state in the garb of labourers. He appealed to orchard owners, contractors, construction companies and others, who engage Nepali labourer, to get all the migrant workers registered.

Fake B.Ed degrees’ racket unearthed
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 17
The Enforcement Department busted fake-degree racket in Dari village here today. Fake degrees, certificates and marksheets of the Lucknow University were being sold for Rs 60,000 to people to get jobs and admissions in other courses on the basis of these documents.

Mr G.D. Bhargava, SP (Enforcement), said a raid was conducted on the house of Mr Bodh Raj in Dari village of Dharamsala today.

During search the police party, recovered five fake B.Ed certificates, five migration certificates, five photocopies of marksheets of B.Ed, one provisional certificate of B.Ed, all of Lucknow University, from the accused.

As many as 19 migration certificates of the Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla were also recovered.

Besides these fake certificates and degrees, the police party also found a list of universities across the country recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), universities whose B.Ed courses are recognised by the HPU, fake receipts of admission fee and other such documents related to admission.

Mr Bhargava said that Bodh Raj had been running the racket of fake degrees for the past three years from different locations in Dharamsala.

He allegedly used to charge Rs 60,000 from each candidate for a fake B.Ed degree, along with other documents. The B.Ed course is popular in the region and Dharamsala has a Government B.Ed College, which gets students from the state.

“It is believed that the accused had procured and provided fake degrees to 60 candidates. These included candidates from far-off areas like Pangi, in Chamba district. Some candidates even managed to get employment on the basis of these degrees in the Pangi valley,” said Mr Bhargava.

A case in this regard has been registered at the police station, enforcement, north zone, in Dharamsala under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC. Further investigations are on.

Kulu hospital needs 15 more doctors
Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Kulu, June 17
Over 800 patients who visit the zonal hospital, Kulu, daily for treatment are a harassed lot as the hospital needs 15 more doctors, including a radiologist and a physician, to cope up with the patient rush that has multiplied over 10 times for the past five years.

A visit to the hospital reveals that the patients are being provided extra beds in the corridors. In the 120-bedded hospital over 300 patients are admitted, stretching hospital’s health care and hygiene facilities to its limits. The hospital has stinking toilets and unkempt wards and corridors giving foul smell, complain patients who come here for treatment from as far as Lahaul valley.

Their suffering does not end here. The patients have to go to the private labs for X-ray and diagnostic tests as the hospital has no radiologist.

Patients seeking treatment in the medicine department have to return disappointed as there is no medicine expert in the hospital for the past 15 years. The patient load has surged in the hospital for the past four years as labourers working in the 2051 MW Parbati project and the Allian-Duhangan and other micro hydro projects in the district, reveal the doctors. “But the strength of doctors has remained as it was 10 years ago”, they inform.

The Chief Medical Officer, Kulu, Dr B.C. Kapur, says hospital need 15 more doctors, including a radiologist and a physician. “We have a physician, Dr R.L. Gupta, who has been promoted as CMO and transferred from here. We have requested the Director, Health and Family Welfare, to appoint more doctors”, informs. saying the patient load has increased many times here over the years.

The Director of Health and Family Welfare, Dr R.N. Mohanta, says the department has appointed a physician and a radiologist to the Kulu hospital, who will join duty shortly.