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Govt may take over municipal
Breached roads in apple belt hit transportation of fruit
Army for Manali-Leh highway as
Circular Railway to ease traffic congestion around Shimla
5 students hurt in clash between ABVP, SFI members
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Shortage of anaesthetists in civil hospitals
25 rendered jobless as
Hotel Alashia closes down
Woman murdered in hotel identified
DFO suspended in tree felling case
Police force to be modernised
Artificial lake created
Aid for poor students
Relay fast by Kinnaur BJP
Woman held for smuggling skin
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Govt may take over municipal forest: CM
Shimla, July 21 An indication to this effect was given by Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, during an informal talk with mediapersons. He said though Shimla was still one of greenest hill stations in the country it was also true that it had lost much of its forest cover. The corporation had not been able to preserve the green cover too well. Over the years a large number of trees had been cut and a big chunk of forest land had been encroached upon. No serious effort had been made to raise new forests. However, what concerned the government was the fact that the existing trees had completed their life spans and they were now degenerating. It would take a long time to raise species like deodar, which took decades to grow. Hence the need to bring the forest area under the control of the Forest Department which had a regular afforestation programme. The Chief Minister also expressed anguish over unregulated construction, particularly along the roads, which obscured the skyline and obstructed the view on the valley side. He said the government would ban construction above the road level on the valley side on all major roads, including the rural roads constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yozna and those funded by Nabard. He said such restrictions were imposed in construction bylaws in some municipal areas like Shimla but unfortunately these were being observed more in breach. The inability of the municipal bodies to enforce construction bylaws was one of the reasons for the haphazard growth of towns. Mr Virbhadra Singh lamented that misleading information about floods in the Sutlej affected tourism in the hill state. He said the floods were confined to the narrow banks of the river but the hype in media created an impression as if the whole state was under a threat. |
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Breached roads in apple belt hit
Mandi, July 21 Apple growers told The Tribune that the link roads were lifelines in the apple belt, but the recent landslides had breached roads in the Karsog-Jhenjheli in Mandi district, Sainj and Tirthan valley in Banjar subdivision and Chopal tehsil in Shimla district for the last one week or more. Though the Public Works Department have started reparking of breached roads, but the work is moving on a snail’s pace, hindering transportation of the fruit to the markets, rued growers, urging the CM to expedite work on the breached streches in the state. In the Karsog block the 2-km-long stretch of the Pangana-Jat Sarohi link road remained breached, giving tough time to the villagers and growers. The Masog-Kenchi Morh, the five km long strech of the 32-km-long the Chatri-Kalodhar road and the Sair-Bagra road to Tatapani roads remained breached, cutting off villages from the headquarters for the past five days. In the Sundernagar subdivision, the Thalot-Silibaghi road remained breached, hitting growers in the Jhenjheli tehsil, said a report here. In the Banjar subdivision in Kulu district, the several villages remained cut off as the link roads beyond Sainj, Gushaini and Bathar in Tithan valley remained breached even after two weeks after flood in the Sainj and Tirthan rivers damaged roads, washed away the fivefoot bridges and over 20 houses. In the Shimla district, the growers said that the Chopal-Jhiknipul road remained breached at a Okharnala and at strech near Jhiknipul, hitting transport of apple to the markets as the road cater to the Shantha-Dewat-Shilikain belt. Mr Nakur Khullar, an orchard owner near Naggar said that cloudburst and landslides had washed away link roads over the two weeks this month, but the PWD has no JCBs and other machinery to restore the roads. “The fruit has been packaged in lower orchards, and it may perish for a want of transportation to the markets in Chandigarh and Delhi”, said rued Mr Balbir Jhagta, an orchard owner from Bamta village in Chopal
tehsil. “The government has got relief funds, but the roads remained breached due to the landslides in several areas in Chopal constituency”, he said. Though the PWD’s Executive Engineer, Karsog block, Mr N.K. Sharma claimed that they were pressing into service the JCB and restore most link roads in couple of days, but the roads in Banjar are being cleared and restored by the NHPC and the PWD. But PWD engineers revealed that they did not have enough JCBs and other machinery to clear the blockades soon after the landslides took place. “We have to depend on the labour to restore the roads, which take time”, they informed. |
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Army for Manali-Leh highway as all-weather road
Shimla, July 21 The Army engineers maintained that construction of the proposed Rs 1600-crore tunnel under the 13,050-ft Rohtang Pass would be worthwhile only if the 485-km highway could be made an all-weather road. There were three more passes — Baralacha, Lachungla and Tanglagla — which were much higher and remained closed due to snow for about six months. These passes would have to be taken care of, they emphasised. The engineers have proposed a new alignment of the highway from Darcha, which will not only help bypass the three high passes but also make the road much shorter. The proposed road will take a left bifurcation from the existing highway and run through the Zanskar valley. It will cross through the 15,920-ft Shinkula pass and rejoin the highway at Padam. Since snow clearance to keep the road open during winters will be problem at the Shinkula pass, a second tunnel, about 3-km-long, has been proposed under the pass, explains Brig K.P. Singh, chief engineer of the BRO. A proposal has been already been submitted to the Ministry of Defence in this regard. The new alignment and the tunnel will reduce the distance by more than 100 km. However, saving travel time will be much more as the road will not pass through the high mountain passes. Meanwhile, the administrative approval for the Rohtang tunnel is awaited and the BRO expects to start towards the end of the current financial year. The 24-km approach road to the Dhundi portal has as many as nine avalanche points. The BRO proposes to construct snow galleries for the first time in the country to ensure safe passage. |
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Circular Railway to ease traffic
Shimla, July 21 The Town and Country Planning Department has requisitioned services of the Railway Institute of Technical and Economic Services (RITES) to conduct a feasibility study for the development of the proposed rail track skirting the Shimla planning area. The department has proposed a circular Railway and network of ropeways to ease traffic congestion. The development plan for the state the institute has been asked to conduct the feasibility study for a mass transit system through circular Railway and public motor transport via bypasses to give a concrete shape to the proposal. Besides, technical feasibility the institute has been asked to suggest the alignment of the circular Railway proposed track taking off from the rail-head at Shogi to link Kufri, Fagu, Naldehra, Ghannatti, Ghandal, Jubberhatti airport, Waknaghat and finally rejoining the Shimla-Kalka rail line near Kandaghat. The study will also include the financial package for the implementation of the project through
private-public partnership on build operate and transfer basis. To make Shimla a year-round attraction for tourists ropeways have been proposed for interconnecting seven peaks starting from Tara Devi-Kamana Devi- Peteroff-Grand Hotel- Jakhu-Dhingu Mandir-Kufri. Another ropeway has been envisaged to link Tara Devi- Kasumpti-Jakhu. Besides tourists, the ropeway network is also envisaged as a mode for mass transportation for local commuters. Further to solve the traffic congestion problems, four tunnels have also been proposed from Tawi to Barrier (measuring 0.7 km at an altitude of 1990 metre), Kanlong to Shanahan (measuring 2.2 km at an altitude of 1960 metre)
on Shimla bypass, Himfed Petrol Pump on Cart Road to Cancer Hospital Nallah at Snowdon (0.9 km. at an altitude of 2180 metre) and Bharari to Poabo Spur for northern bypass road. |
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5 students hurt in clash between
Kulu, July 21 The students affiliated with the SFI started shouting slogans against the ABVP demands. The slogan-shouting turned into stone-throwing and use of lathis, allegedly by the SFI activists. Four students of the ABVP were injured and taken to Zonal Hospital here while one of the SFI students also suffered minor injuries. The police reached the college and detained four members of the SFI for questioning. The president of the college unit of the ABVP said that there were a few activists of CITU who started throwing stones on them while they were holding a peaceful rally. He further alleged that a former president of the College Students Union, Mahender Rana of the SFI, was also among the attackers today. The AVBP and senior BJP leaders demanded that action should be taken against the CITU activists who were in the forefront in attacking the ABVP students. They further demanded that elements that hired “goondas” from outside should be expelled from the college. They also alleged that the Principal of the college, helped CITU and SFI activists to leave his office before the police reached the college. They said these people were detained in the office of the Principal with the help of the ABVP students. The college administration and the district police, at an emergency meeting held in the office of the Principal, decided that outsiders would not be allowed to enter the college premises in future to avoid such incidents. |
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Shortage of anaesthetists in civil hospitals
Dharamsala, July 21 The worst hit is the department of gynaecology of the Civil Hospitals in Dehra, Kangra, Nurpur and Baijnath, which does not have even a single anaesthetist and, therefore, no caesarian cases are admitted. Only the Palampur Civil Hospital has a full-time anaesthetist. Confirming the shortage of anaesthetists, Dr S.N. Sharma, officiating Chief Medical Officer, said besides caesarian cases, the doctors were also unable to treat cases involving surgery, such as accident cases. “The matter has been brought to the notice of the state government and there are plans to introduce a refresher course for the surgeons working in the civil hospitals so that they can give some anaesthesia themselves,” he said. Since there are only two medical colleges in the state, not enough anaesthetists pass out every year to meet the shortfall in the hospitals. Besides, many fresh pass outs prefer to go in for private practice. Even the district hospital in Chamba had to function without an anaesthetist for a long time, he added. Dr Anil Mahajan, officiating Senior Medical Officer, Dehra Civil Hospital, said the issue had been raised with the government several times but to no avail. Besides the anaesthetist, the hospital also did not have a blood bank or operation theatre assistant, depriving the patients of even the basic medical services. “All cases involving surgery have to be referred to other hospitals due to inadequate staff in the hospital, putting the local population to inconvenience,” he said. Dr Des Raj, Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Nurpur, said for operating cases of surgery, the hospital needed surgeons, anaesthetists and a blood bank. A spokesman for the Resident Doctors Association said the Kangra Civil Hospital couldn’t admit caesarian cases despite having two gynaecologists posted there due to the absence of an anaesthetist. “Even in accident and trauma cases, it depends on the surgeon in case he can make do by giving a spinal anaesthesia himself to conduct the surgery,” he said. Dr Ajay Dutta, general secretary, Himachal Medical Officers Association, said not just anaesthetists, there was a shortage of gynaecologists, psychiatrists and paediatricians in most of the civil hospitals in the state. |
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25 rendered jobless as Hotel Alashia closes down
Kumarhatti, July 21 The Hotaz Industries Limited which was running this British era hotel pasted a notice closing it outside the hotel on July 18 citing financial constraint behind the decision. The staff, was not informed before hand, it is alleged. The affected workers led by Hotel and Restaurant Workers’ Union were sitting on daily dharna outside the hotel seeking re-opening of the hotel. Half of the affected workers were provided quarter facilities by the hotel management. It is said the hotel management had asked the Electricity Department to disconnect power supply to these quarters following the closure decision. The Electricity Department went to disconnect power supply into the quarters yesterday but could not do it following intervention by the state unit of an All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC). The AITUC has asked the department to take an affidavit from these staying in quarters for paying the bills regularly to the department. Meanwhile Mr Jagdish Bhardwaj the state president of the AITUC has termed the hotel’s closure as illegal and illegal dismissal and illegal retrenchment of hotel staff. The decision to close down the hotel was a violation of norms as a charter of demands of the hotel union was pending for conciliation, he pointed. No decision has been taken on the charter which was served by hotel workers in 2003 seeking hike in salary and other non-monetary benefits, he maintained. In 2001 Labour Department officials visited the hotel. They asked the management to pay Rs 1 lakh to workers against their daily one-hour overtime, said Mr Bhardwaj. This case was also pending before the Labour Court, he asserted. As per section 33 of the Industrial Dispute Act no unit could be closed if any of labour welfare-related case was pending before conciliation authorities, Labour Court, Industrial Tribunal or National Tribunal unless the management gets permission from competent authorities concerned to shut down the unit, remarked Bhardwaj. While seeking a probe into the case Mr Bhardwaj has demanded cancellation of hotel licence by the state Tourism Department. Mr Anil Rohi of Hotaz looking after affairs of the hotel at New Delhi has denied the closure of the hotel. It was a temporary closure keeping in the mind the off-season, he clarified. The other main reason behind the short-term closure was to carry out renovation and other repair work, he said adding the hotel would reopen after the renovation. He did not reply whether the hotel workers would be paid for the period for which the hotel remains closed. |
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Woman murdered in hotel identified
Shimla, July 21 Yesterday the police recovered the body of a 45-year-old woman from Panchsheel Hotel of the town. Her 25-year-old companion, known only by the name Rajinder Singh, was also missing. The police identified the woman as Savitri Devi, a resident of the Ghora Chowki area of the town. She originally belongs to Bila village in the Theog area.
— UNI |
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DFO suspended in tree felling case
Shimla, July 21 As many as 385 trees of deodar, kail and rai were illegally felled in connivance with officials of the department in two different cases. In the first case, 259 trees, including 177 of deodar and 81 of kail were felled in the Guthan demarcated protected forest. In the second case 126 trees with a standing volume of 269 cubic metres have been illegally axed in Kehar, Challan, the Kehrali and Balali forests. Keeping in view the massive scale at which felling has taken place, the forest department has handed over both the cases to the enforcement department. Earlier, the Range Officer, Deputy Ranger and beat guard were suspended. |
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Police force to be modernised
Mandi, July 21 Speaking on the raising day of the 3rd battalion of the HP police here today, Mr Sharma said that the policemen would be trained to deal with the challenge of terrorism in the areas along the border with Jammu and Kashmir where terrorists were looking for soft targets. Mr Sharma said that the battalion was set up in 1986 and had been doing a yeoman’s service in the state. “They are patrolling the tough areas in Chamba district where terrorists strike soft targets. Mr Sharma said that all vacant posts in the police would be filled soon. Present on the occasion were the Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, Mr Subhasish Panda, and the SPs of Mandi, Kulu and Una districts, Mr Ajay Yadav, Mr A.P. Singh and Mr P.L. Thakur, respectively. |
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Artificial lake created
Nahan, July 21 The lake covering 1 km came into existence on Tuesday after the natural flow of rain water coming from the upper hills to Markanda river was blocked due to digging work in the area being undertaken by an industrialist. Yesterday, senior district officials from Ambala and Sirmour districts visited the spot and ordered the industrialist to install four pump sets to drain out the rain water. |
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Aid for poor students
Shimla, July 21 Speaking at function organised by the Chandigarh Coaching Centre, to honour toppers of the state pre-medical test, here, he said there was stiff competition for admission to various professional courses and coaching had become essential. |
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Relay fast by Kinnaur BJP
Shimla, July 21 The first batch of agitators was led by Mr Tejwant Negi, president of the district unit. |
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Woman held for smuggling skin
Chamba, July 21 According to police sources, acting on a tip-off a police party intercepted the accused when she was travelling in a Sanwal Chamba bus with the skin. The police registered a case and produced her in court which remanded her to police custody. |
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