Shimla, June 20
While the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has been stressing the continuity of members of the Core Group set up for managing the project to conserve the breeding of endangered pheasants, the government has disturbed the group unmindful of its implications.

The CZA has, in a communication to the government early this month, emphasised that the conservation breeding of the endangered western tragopan at the Sarhan Pheasantry is of international importance and, therefore, continuity of the members of the Core Group is a must for achieving the success. The World Pheasant Association (WPA) has already imparted training to some of the members and removing them from the group may lead to the derailment of the whole programme.

It has asked the government to maintain continuity of the members of the Core Group till the implementation of the management plan sanctioned by it. The CZA has also made it clear that further grants for the conservation-breeding programme of the western tragopan will be released keeping in view the success achieved in the programme.

Significantly , the CZA has sent the written communication after the Core Group was disturbed by shifting Dr Lalit Mohan, conservator of forests and the member secretary of the group. He was imparted training in conservation and management of the endangered species in England. Besides him Mr B.L. Negi, Divisional Forest Officer, and Mr Alam Singh, Deputy Ranger, was also sent to England for training by Mr John Corder, conservator-breeding expert of the WPA and consultant for the Sarhan project. as conservation breeding was a technical job.

The other key member of the group Mr A.K.Gulati, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, has gone on leave after the government posted Mr K.K.Gupta, who returned from deputation, as Principal Chief Conservator.

Mr Ashok Thakur, Principal Secretary, Forests, said he would look into the matter and as far as possible those involved in the conservation-breeding programme would not be shifted.

Besides western tragopan, projects for the conservation breeding of cheer pheasant and red jungle fowl were in the pipeline. The future of the two projects will be uncertain unless the government strictly follows the conditions laid down by the CZA.

Nurpur, June 20
The inter-state Chakki bridge on the foothills of Kangra district links Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. The opening of liquor vends with the permission of the Departments of Excise and Taxation of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh on both edges of the national highway (NH-20) near the bridge has become irksome and evokes sharp criticism from commuters. The buses stop before these vends as their crew members buy liquor from there. The competitive rates of these vends attract the consumers.

Contrary to the rules and directions of the Supreme Court, these vends are doing roaring business on the national highway. The national highway authorities seem to be ignorant of the running of the vends on prohibited limits. Inquiries reveal that the rules and directions of the Supreme Court prohibit the positioning of liquor vends within a radius of 150 metres of the national highways.

Ironically, the liquor vend positioned within Himachal Pradesh jurisdiction at the Kandwal barrier, just on the gateway of the hill state, has been welcoming tourists coming to the state.

The vend has been ridiculing the wording of the big sign board fixed by the state government just above the vend. It reads: “Dev Bhumi Himachal Pradesh Welcomes You”.

This vend is being run on the land of the Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department just on the brink of the national highway.

The vend has become a major temptation for both bus and truck drivers. Unlike other areas, the vends positioned on the national highway have their regular clientele of truck, bus, taxi drivers and also farmers of nearby rural areas.

Inquiries reveal that the Excise and Taxation Department had given permission for the opening of the liquor vend at the Kandwal barrier following a request made by the local gram panchayat a few years back.

Liquor vends are also being operated at the Niazpur and Chogan bus stands here on the edges of the national highway.

The Superintendent Engineer, NH, Shahpur Circle, was contacted more than once for the official version, but he was away on official tours.

Nurpur, June 20
Despite adequate rain during this winter the ground water level in Nurpur subdivision had decreased, thanks to the unabated illegal mining and unscientific extracting of sand, grift and stone from the Chakki rivulet which passes through Kangra district.

Inquiries reveal that mining is affecting the water level in Naki, Channi and Mazra, Khanni, Maira, Gagwal, Barikhud, Kandwal and Dhangu Peer villages. Drinking water supply schemes in Chakvan, Bassa, Khanni, Majra, Beli-Mahamra and Takka Colony and irrigation schemes in Nakki, Khanni, Tipri have also been affected.

Mr L.S. Thakur, Executive Engineer, Irrigation-cum-Public Health (IPH) Division, Nurpur, has confirmed the declining of the ground water level Panjuri in be Charuri gram panchayat and Talara lift water supply scheme.“Owing to a fall in the ground water level, the timing of pumping of these schemes has come down drastically, causing hardships to inhabitants,” he added.

According to information, the water level in wells of farmers adjoining the Chakki rivulet have also started depleting. The IPH Department has for the first time deployed two tankers to provide water to residents of the Charuri gram panchayat to cope with the scarcity of water. Ground water conservation experts opened that if immediate steps were not initiated to curb the menace, the groundwater level would face a drastic fall.

They observed that the demand for water was being met with ground water. Hence, there was an urgent need to curb the mining of the Chakki rivulet.

In order to regulate the management of ground water, the state government has proposed to enact a law. According to information, the government has drafted the act and copies of the draft has been circulated among government agencies in the field for seeking their opinion on the proposed clauses of “The HP ground water regulation and control of development and management Bill 2005”.

Under the act, a groundwater authority healed by Engineer-in-Chief, IPH department, is being constituted, have nine technical expert.

After the enforcement of the Bill the authority will take measures to ensure that exploitation of ground water resources will not exceed the natural replenishment and wherever there is mismatch steps will be taken to ensure augmentation of ground water resources in addition to regulatory measures.

To improve the ground water situation, the authority will also promote rain water harvesting for recharge ground water.

Shimla, June 20
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, has asserted that the drive to remove encroachments on government land would continue unabated and appealed to the offenders to voluntarily surrender the encroached land.

Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating a branch of the state cooperative bank at Jangla in Rohru today, he stressed the need for the optimum use of land as it was becoming scarce with each passing day. He said the maximum land should be made available for development purposes in the larger interest of the state and welfare of the people.

The population pressure was on the increase while the land availability was the same. The government had launched the campaign to remove encroachments all over the state and the people should cooperate to make it a success by vacating the encroachment land.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said that the living conditions of the people of the state had improved substantially and banking institutions had played a important role in this. He said that a large number of banks were providing loans for development purposes and added that this had helped in improving the social economic conditions of the people. He advised the people of the area to take benefit of the baking facilities.

Mr Natha Singh Thakur, Chairman of the state cooperative bank, said that another branch would opened in the Deoli in Pujarli.

Solan, June 20
Students of Government Senior Secondary School (boys) here had to pay a heavy price due to a clerical error.

The school, whose teachers' strength was curtailed to half due to an error in furnishing incomplete information by the Deputy Directorate office, here, has the school authorities running from pillar to post to get the teachers posted back to the school.

Despite making several rounds of the directorate, the school authorities have not managed to get the strength of teachers restored.

As per the rationalisation policy of the state government, all schools where the student strength was less than 60 for a single section was liable to get only one teacher.

All schools were required to send their student and staff strength to the directorate of education through the district deputy directorate offices.

This school had a strength of 525 students and therefore two trained graduate teachers, two language teachers, two other teachers and two PTIs and drawing teachers were posted here. But due to a clerical error, the Deputy Directorate office here forwarded only list of one section of each class and hence only half the total strength. This created a situation where at least six teachers were posted from the school.

Now with fresh admissions the student strength has risen to 553 and hundreds of students are forced to share classrooms, adversely affecting the quality of teaching.

Some classes are being held in the open to accommodate the heavy rush.

The Parents Teachers Association has now decided to take up the matter with the Chief Minister as well as senior officials of the department.

It was learnt that the reluctance of the staff of the directorate had delayed the posting back of the teachers as they reportedly suggested to the school authorities that there were other schools where the strength was even higher.

The teachers, however, said schools like Government Senior Secondary school, Domehar, where there were three TGTs for 140 students and others where there were certain vacancies, could be transferred here.

Shimla, June 20
All petrol stations in Himachal Pradesh remained closed today to press for the increase in commission on the sale of petrol and diesel, a spokesman for the Federation of All-India Petroleum Traders (FAIPT) said.

‘’The strike was a complete success in the state. Barring a few, 250 petrol stations across the state remained closed,’’ FAIPT secretary Sukumar Singh said from Chandigarh over the phone.

The federation is demanding an increase in the commission to 5 per cent of the sale price from the existing 1.59 per cent on petrol and 1.27 per cent on diesel.

Mr Singh said even the company-owned stations remained closed in the state in support of the strike.

He said the federation would go on an indefinite strike on July 18 if their demand was not met. — UNI