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Govt playing cruel joke with unemployed youths: Dhumal
Panel recommends new grading norms
Rs 3.80 cr project to save bamboo forest
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Horticulture mission deviates
Regional growth plan
Plan to construct tunnel to link Chamba with Shimla
Chamba needs professional colleges
Biotechnology, IT to be promoted
Minjar Fair from July 24
Shortage of water in Palampur
Day 21: Kinnaur dist still cut off
BJP threatens stir over ‘inadequate’ relief work
Pensioners seek cut in age limit
Cops educate schoolchildren
Ambedkar Scholarship
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Govt playing cruel joke with unemployed youths: Dhumal
Nurpur, July 17 “The government has cancelled written tests for the selection of JBT teachers thrice, revoked the selection of multi-purpose health workers and trained Graduates teachers and now cancelled the tests given for the selection of patwaris in the state,” he said. He alleged that mass irregularities had been committed in the recruitments of conductors in the HRTC and pharmacists in the animal husbandry department. Alleging extravagance on the part of the state government, Mr Dhumal said the government had given financial crisis as a reason for not recruiting youths and slowing of development activities in the state but there was no funds’ shortage for appointing chief parliamentary secretaries, parliamentary secretaries and chairmen, buying new fleet of luxury vehicles for ministers and spending a huge sum on buying a helicopter. He alleged that the government was anti farmers and anti growers. “The government has yet to release support price of the apples procured in last season and failed to announce any relief to the growers in the submerged areas, whose mango and potato crops have been damaged due to inclement weather,” he lamented. He also accused the state government of adopting double standards for the welfare of growers of upper and lower Himachal Pradesh and creating regionalism in the state on this issue. He said the government had failed to abolish 8 per cent market fees being charged from the Himachali growers at Azadpur Mandi at Delhi even as the governments at Delhi and Shimla were being run by the same party. “Whereas his government during BJP regime had not only built a Kisan Bhavan at the cost of 2 crore in Azadpur Mandi for the benefit of the growers of the Himachal Pradesh,” he claimed. Ridiculing the ongoing lobbying for the
appointment of new Pradesh Congress Committee PCC Chief, Mr Dhumal said the Congress factions instead of concentrating on the development of the state and watching the interests of the people had been exhausting their energy for appointing candidate of their choice for the post of the PCC Chief. |
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Panel recommends new grading norms for timber
Shimla, July 17 The committee headed by Mr Ashok Thakur, Principal Secretary, Forests, has based the new grading system on the specifications laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to make it an objective exercise. The best quality timber, with minimum defects like knots and cracks, will be classified as “samuda” and it will be directly offered to the state and Central Government departments. Instructions were being issued to all the departments to procure their requirement of timber directly from the state forest corporation. The BIS has specified three categories, special, grade-I and grade-II. However, as green felling is banned in the state the special category timber (totally free from defects) and grade-I ( with minimal defects) is not available. Thus, the “samuda” category will have slightly more defects than BIS standards. The “samuda” timber rejected by the government agencies after passing will be sold as grade “A” timber. This has been done in view of the general complaint that inferior grade timber is passed as superior grade for supply to government agencies. A team comprising representatives of the Forest Department, the state forest corporation and the department concerned will do the passing. It will be done only at the depots of the corporation and from its own stock. Unlike in the past the corporation will not pass any private timber. The timber with more defects than “samuda” will be classified as grade “A”. Similarly, the timber with bigger and higher number of knots and larger and deeper cracks will be classified as grade “B”. The timber from which not even a single plank or sleeper could be made will be put in the “C” category. The rest of the timber will not be brought to the depots and auctioned in the field. The number of knots and cracks permissible per metre length have been specified for all the categories. Further, an officer from the field division concerned will be present at the depot during unloading and grading of timber. The Divisional Manager concerned will be present during auction of timber. The board of directors of the corporation will approve the modified manual of instructions shortly. The Managing Director of the corporation has been authorised to make suitable modifications to remove the shortcomings, if any, in the manual approved by the board. He three-member committee was set up in the wake of timber grading scam in which serious irregularities were detected in grading to benefit the contractors. |
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Rs 3.80 cr project to save bamboo forest
Kumarhatti, July 17
To save and protect the bamboo forest the division has drawn up a project of Rs 3.80 crore to fence the area besides facilitating bamboo plantation. Apart from closure and artificial regeneration of the forestlands, certain entry point activities such as improvement of access, water sources and micro-irrigation systems were planned under the project.
The project suffered after the Ministry for Rural Development initially shot down the project terming it as irrelevant. However efforts of the division under DFO, Mr Alok Nagar finally bore fruit when a team of the ministry’s screening committee appreciated efforts of the division to save bamboo in area.
The team spent two days and visited the bamboo forest area and was convinced of concerns of the division in protecting the bamboo. The team assured to forward positive report to the approval committee. It would take three months to clear the project, pointed Mr Alok Nagar. The division has already started to protect the bamboo area. Out of total 1267-hectares around 250-hectares area is already under process of fencing, said Mr Nagar.
The said area has points where cattle could approach and destroy bamboo seeds, the growing shoots, asserted Mr Nagar. As the regeneration process has already been late for want of funds the focus was now not to fence the area but facilitated the manual plantation of bamboo also, he maintained. Emphasizing the need to protect the regeneration process of bamboo Mr Nagar said that livelihood of some of the Swarozgari families were dependent on bamboo.
Out of the 92 villages falling in the bamboo region it could be said that 3,224 villagers from 29 villages in Pratha, Neri Kalan and Kaba Kalan panchayats would be affected in case bamboo disappeared, he pointed. Bhanjaras was another community that is totally dependent on bamboo for livelihood.
They are artisans and make baskets, chapatti boxes, kiltas, rudimentary furniture and certain other items for a living. There was nomadic goat herd community called Gaddis, dependent totally on these forests. Usually Gaddis have about 11,714 animals every year over in these bamboo areas.
If these forests were not re-established the lantana and other harmful weeds would come up and there would be nonothing left for these animals, asserted Mr Nagar.
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It’s going to rain apples
Shimla, July 17 The premature dropping of fruit has been causing worry to the apple growers, but experts maintain that there is no cause for alarm and that there is no possibility of its spreading to more areas. A special team consisting of scientists of the Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry and officers of the Horticulture Department has, after surveying the affected orchards of Mandi and Kulu districts, identified the disease as core rot .It is caused by a combination of fungi. The affected fruit starts rotting from inside. The team found that only 1 to 2 per cent fruits in some orchards in the Karsog area in Mandi and outer Seraj in Kulu have been affected. Only those orchards where the growers failed to spray the plants during flowering have been affected. Mr R.P. Sharma, Director of Horticulture, said orchardists were alarmed as they found the dropped fruit affected with the disease. The fact was that the disease caused premature dropping of fruit but not many fruit on the trees had been affected. The disease was confined to a few pockets and it was not likely to make any significant impact on the crop. The production was likely to be between 2.25 crore and 2.50 crore boxes as per the latest assessment. He said the continuing rain and cloudy weather was highly conducive to outbreak of diseases like leaf spot, shooty blotch and fly speck. The growers should adhere to the spraying schedule to protect the crop from such diseases. The rain helped in increasing the size of the fruit but continuous rain was not desirable as it affected the colour and taste of the fruit. Meanwhile, the growers are a worried lot as incessant heavy rain has triggered off numerous landslips, blocking the link roads in the apple belt, which will hamper transportation of the produce. Plucking of fruit commences towards the third week of July in the lower hills and if the roads are not through, the growers will not be able to transport their produce to the market. |
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Horticulture mission deviates
Shimla, July 17 The association pointed out that as per guidelines, the Director of Horticulture was to be appointed as the nodal officer of the mission for its implementation but this did not happen as the Principal Secretary, Horticulture, who was the administrative head of the department, retained with him the position of nodal officer which was purely a technical job. To further aggravate the matter, Deputy Commissioners were made chairpersons of the mission’s district bodies for taking decisions that were purely technical in nature. Similarly at the block level, the Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) had been made chairpersons for decision making. They always remained busy with administrative activities and hardly had any time for the mission activities. This was in contrast to the guidelines. Moreover, the responsibility of the Project Director, (Horticulture Technology Mission) had been given to an HAS officer as an additional charge. The government had earlier appointed two professionally qualified Senior Horticulture Officers as Project Directors South and North Zone. They had been looking after the implementation of the mission. It would also not be out of place to mention that work of the Project Director was a full time job involving technical expertise. It was clear that vested interests had managed to keep their unwarranted hold on the Department of Horticulture to demoralise the professionally qualified officers. If this trend persisted it would be detrimental to the development of the horticulture industry in the state as was evident from the non performance of earlier projects like the Micro Water Shed Project and the DRDA projects for floriculture. It is pertinent to mention that the Department of Horticulture had highly qualified and competent officers recruited through the State Public Service Commission. Moreover, the horticulture services were “missionary services” which could only be provided by dedicated, technical people who were free from bureaucratic ego and keen to serve the farming community. The association urged the government to allow horticulture officers to work independently and with a free mind to provide better services to the farming community. |
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Regional growth plan
Shimla, July 17 The areas covered under the plan range from northern limit of Solan district touching Ali Khad and Ghagus and moves along a line of 500 metre in east of National Highway-21, including Gagal Cement Plant along the Satluj river upto Kandraur Bridge and the 500 metre towards east of Kandraur-Samela-Trifalghat-Kuthera-Baldwara-Bhambla road. It will also cover north of Una-Mandi state highway-22 upto Lathyani, old Una-Lathyani road upto Lathyani khud, upto its confluence with Satluj upto Ghambhrola khud near Bilaspur moving up stream along. Ghambhrola khud upto the northern boundary of Solan district upto Ali Khud. The plan specifies narrative report supported by maps, emplaning its provisions, implementation, enforcement and manner in which permission for development could be obtained. Draft development plans have also been published for Kulu Bhunter Agglomeration of Kulu valley planning areas and Nahan planning area. Objections and suggestions, if any regarding draft outline regional plan could be sent to the Director, Town and Country Planning, Shimla, town and country planners of Mandi and Hamirpur district and Assistant town planners of Bilaspur within 60 days. Similarly, objections and suggestions with regard to draft development plan for Nahan Planning Area and Kulu-Bhunter-Agglomeration of Kulu valley could be sent to the Director, Town and Country Planning Shimla, Town and Country Planners of Nahan and Kulu district and President of Nahan and Kulu Municipal Councils, respectively, within 30 days. |
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Plan to construct tunnel to link Chamba with Shimla
Chamba, July 17 Sating this here today, Mr Kuldip Pathania, Chairman, Himachal Pradesh Finance Commission, said the tunnel would be constructed from Rathiar village, situated at 2,000 feet, near Chamba, to Devi Dehra village, near Chowari, the headquarters of Bhattiyat subdivision. The 5-km tunnel would be excavated beneath the Jot pass. “Efforts are on to invite reputed enterprises to draw up plans for the construction of the tunnel with equity participation of the state government to the tune of Rs 300 crore,” Mr Pathania stated. A proposal for the construction of alternative highway along the left bank of the Ravi had also been put forth to avoid congestion of traffic, he said. This highway would be an alternative bypass for the benefit of the people residing in the tribal belt as there was already an existing Chamba-Bharmour highway on the right bank of the Ravi, Mr Pathania said. Speaking about the Sikridhar cement plant in the district, the Chairman said the government was keen to undertake the setting up of the plant soon with a view to generate direct and indirect employment for the local people. He said the government was aware of the sentiments of the people and would do its utmost best to provide livelihood to local residents at their doorstep by taking up the cement plant. |
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Chamba needs professional colleges
Chamba, July 17 The issue related to professional education is very important for the people of Chamba. In the past 50 years, a lot of progress has been achieved in this region in the form of infrastructure, hydroelectric projects, road, bridge etc, but there is still one significant sphere in which the people are lack as compared to other parts of the state and that is education. Chamba is rated among the most backward areas in the field of education. It has 63.73 per cent literacy rate which is the lowest among all other districts of Himachal Pradesh. There is a total lack of awareness among the majority of people including students and the parents, regarding the professional education options in engineering and medical fields. There is a lack of adequate information and communication in this regard. Many people do not know how to apply for these professional courses. The main reason for this is the non-existence of any professional institutions like engineering and medical colleges and polytechnics in this region. Chamba too is also deprived of any university’s regional centre and no combined entrance test (CET) for engineering and medical disciplines is conducted here. The nearest professional institutions are in Kangra and Hamirpur districts that are almost more than 250 km away from most of the parts of Chamba district. |
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Biotechnology, IT to be promoted
Shimla, July 17 In the IT sector the policy aims at six objectives which include education, employment, entrepreneurship, e-governance and equity. An official spokesman said employment generation would be the key objective of the policy wherein the youth will be provided facilities, including financial assistance, for creating self-employment opportunities. The spokesman said as for bio-technology was concerned it had been clubbed with IT for better and efficient results. Bio-technology had a vast potential for income and employment generation. This can be achieved by adopting activities such as diversification of crops, organic cultivation of high value herbel and aromatic plants and other activities like issue culture, bio-chemicals and bio-pharmaceuticals. The spokesman said a bio-technology park spread in 134 acres is coming up near Solan. It was close to the H P University of Horticulture and Forestry for closer coordination between the two institutions.
— UNI |
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Minjar Fair from July 24
Shimla, July 17 Originally linked to the maize crop, the local Minjar Fair has over the years assumed cultural and historical importance and achieved the status of a national fair. There are various beliefs regarding the origin of the festival. Some believe that it is celebrated to worship Varuna, the God of water. Legend has it that in the 10th century, the Ravi river flowed through Chamba town with the Champawati temple on the right bank and the Hari Rai temple on the left. A saint, who lived in the Champawati temple, used to swim across the river every morning to perform worship at the Hari Rai temple. The Raja of Chamba urged the saint to make arrangements to enable everyone to visit the sacred Hari Rai temple. The saint arranged a yajna for seven days with the assistance of some Brahmins who prepared a cord of seven different colours and named it minjar. When the Yajna was completed, the river changed its course enabling everyone to visit the Hari Rai temple. As per another story, an old woman wanted to meet the king of Chamba to pay her regards. She was too poor to offer anything to greet the king, so she took minjar (maize flower) with her. The king was very pleased at the affection shown to him by the woman and celebrated the occasion in the form of Minjar Fair. Prayers are offered in the Lakshimi-Narain temple and Malhar recited. During the week-long celebrations, people wear a silken tassel with stalks of minjar symbolising prayers for a bountiful harvest. Minjars are also sent to friends and relatives alongwith with fruits, sweets and money. The immersion ceremony, which is the most important part of the festival, is preceded by a colourful procession, which starts from the Raghunath temple in the ancient Akhand Chandi-Mahal of Raja of Chamba. The idols of Raghuvir Verman and various other Gods and Goddesses are taken out in palanquins from the palace. The chief guest performs the immersion ceremony amid chanting of mantras. Besides, minjar, a rupee, a coconut, and flowers are also immersed in the river as an offering to the rain God. All those present also offer minjars to the river. After the ceremony, the idols of Gods and Goddesses and shahi flags are taken back to Akhand Chandi Mahal. |
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Shortage of water in Palampur
Palampur, July 17 Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that official machinery of the IPH Department remained busy during the past two days to attending the Irrigation and Public Health Minister Thakur Kaul Singh who was in the town in connection with the inauguration of drinking water supply schemes. Therefore, none was present in the office to attend the complaints which resulted in serious drinking water crisis. The Executive Engineer of the IPH Department, when contacted by this reporter, expressed his ignorance about the drinking water crisis in the town. Meanwhile, local residents have threatened to come out in the streets if the water supply was not restored without any delay. |
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Day 21: Kinnaur dist still cut off
Shimla, July 17 There was no loss of life as the residents had vacated the houses before the gushing waters swallowed the area. The Hindustan-Tibet National Highway was blocked near Sainj last night, disrupting vehicular traffic. The blockade was cleared today and traffic was put through up to wangtoo. However, the tribal Kinnaur district remained cut off for the 21st day today as the road was breached at a numerous points due to flash floods. The train services on the narrow gauge section were resumed on fourth day today after clearing the track near Summer Hill, 5 km from here. The region had intermittent rain during the past 24 hours and a thick fog engulfed the area, reducing visibility to a few metres. Five of the six units of 250-MW each of 1500-MW Nathpa-Jhakri power project remained closed for the 22nd day as power generation could not be resumed due to heavy silt content.
— PTI |
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BJP threatens stir over ‘inadequate’ relief work
Shimla, July 17 Addressing a press conference here yesterday, Mr Tejwant Negi, president of the district unit of the party, said compensation of Rs 2,250 per bigha for peas crop was inadequate. He demanded that either the government should procure the produce at Rs 25 per kg or make arrangements for airlifting it to the market. He said the party would start a hunger strike at Rekong Peo from July 18 if the demands were not met. He alleged that the work on the restoration of roads was progressing at a very slow pace and it might take years to complete. He also alleged that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and other Congress leaders only carried out aerial surveys and did not meet the affected people. Mr Negi urged the government to take deterrent action against J.P. Industries for releasing water from the Baspa dam without warning as a result of which a large number of houses were washed away, leaving about 50 families homeless. He said the company should be asked to compensate the affected people and also restore the damaged infrastructure at its own cost. |
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Pensioners seek cut in age limit
Chamba, July 17 Leave travel concession (LTC) and other concessions are base on the age limit and while going on pilgrimages or otherwise senior citizens are facing a lot of problems. In a memoradum to the state Government, Mr P.C. Oberoy, president, district unit of the sangh, has requested to concede their demand. He also urged that the basic pension of the retirees might be enhanced by 5 per cent after 65 years of age and 10 per cent after the age of 75 years on the pattern of Centre and Punjab Governments. Likewise, medical allowance should also be enhanced from Rs 40 to Rs 250 per month from 1995. Mr Oberoy also sought the merger of dearness allowance (DA) into the basic salary of pensioners and further demanded the release of two DA installments due from July 2004 and January 2005 at the rate of three per cent each. |
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Cops educate schoolchildren
Shimla, July 17 The Director-General of Police said yesterday that from January to May 440 gazetted police officers visited various schools for educating children in the relevant field as against 371 during the corresponding period last year. Almost 10,000 children visited various police stations till May this year and efforts were afoot to make the scheme more popular, he added. He said adequate funds were being made available to the department and all necessary items were being provided to police
stations. |
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Ambedkar Scholarship
Shimla, July 17 The morcha which met here on Saturday under the chairmanship of Mr R.D. Kashyap, a former minister, alleged that the government was pursuing anti-weaker section policies, and atrocities on Dalits and the downtrodden were on the increase. The meeting was also addressed by
Mr Randhir Sharma, party spokesperson, and Mr Damodar Dass, SDM. |
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