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Remove encroachments on forest land: CM
Erring revenue officials endanger forest land
MC dithers again on forest issue
Stone crushers wreak havoc in |
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Carnival time for people of Kinnaur
Naturopathy centre to be opened on Nov 3
Doctors threaten to resign
NAAC team visits college
Students impress at annual day function
People tarnishing Congress’ image identified: Mankotia
Make road stretches traffic-worthy, Chief Secys told
Records to be computerised
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Remove encroachments on forest land: CM
Bilaspur, October 29 Mr Virbhadra Singh said the previous government tried to mislead the people of the state in the name of regularisation of encroachments and creation of new districts massive green cover was lost due to encroachments. He said that the Forest Department had to work hard to get the encroached land vacated so that the same could be utilised for the future development needs of the people. The Chief Minister said that denuding of forests had resulted in drying up of traditional water resources besides causing many other harmful climatic drastic effects landless and houseless deserve the land for their house-building. The Forest Department had to gear up its machinery and check illicit felling of trees. It should make use of the magisterial powers given to them. Mr Virbhadra Singh said that 430 posts of the forest guards and 27 posts of forest rangers would be filled soon to strengthen the forest protection activities. He said the foresters had to adopt scientific temperament which was the need of the hour keeping in view the new methods of forest protection and conservation. The Chief Minister said that state government would make it mandatory for all forest wealth exporters to export “khair wood” in log-size and shapes to that the same could be identified wherever required. The state government was contemplating a policy to give out-of-turn promotion to the deserving people so that sincere workers were rewarded suitably. The Chief Minister gave away prizes to the winners and participating teams on the occasion. He also released the souvenir brought out by the organisers and later laid the foundation stone of district language office building here to be built at a cost of Rs 77.51 lakh. Mr Ramlal Thakur, Forest Minister, said that Rs 15 crore had been spent on creation of sports infrastructure and maintenance of the sports complexes in the district here. As many as 40 coaches had been recruited recently to train more sportspersons in the state. |
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Erring revenue officials endanger forest land
Sundernagar, October 29 The members of village forest development committee, Kajuidi, urged the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, to initiate action against these erring officials. The problem started more than three decades ago. Saroa residents had then formed a committee to raise and protect forest cover at Kajuidi in Pandoh Range of Nachan forest division in the year 1972. They raised plantations of chil and Deodar there, which remained under the control of the committee. But, in the year 1974, out of the plantation area, five bighas of land were allotted to Karam Singh, hailing from Tilli, by Subdivisional Officer ( Civil), Mandi, for cultivation. The members of village forest committee objected to the sanction of land to him in the name of ' Nautore land' and appealed to the Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, who vide his order, dated March 31, 1977, held that since the site was being used by the villagers for plantation and no possession of the land was given, some alternative site be given to Karam Singh. But the orders of the DC was challenged before the
Divisional Commissioner, Kangra, who upheld the order and observed that some suitable land be given to Karam Singh in whose favour the 'Nautore land' was awarded. Interestingly, when case pertaining to 'Nautore land' was pending before DC, Mandi, Tehsildar Chachoit attested mutation in favour of Karam Singh on January 5, 1975, although no possession of land was given to him. Even after two decades, the wrong revenue entries are still continuing. With the passage of time, the site of Kajuidi developed thick forest cover with thousands of trees of deodar and chil but the orders of DC, Mandi, and Divisional Commissioner, Kangra, were never implemented. The controversy once again surfaced when Karam Singh took the demarcation of land, which is now a forest area, and tried to take possession of land by cutting the trees But the members of forest development committee did not allow him to take possession of land. A written complaint was filed before DC, Mandi, but no action was initiated against the guilty revenue officials. The DFO, Nachan, also visited the spot and submitted his report to Conservator, Forest, Mandi, with the finding that thick forest consisting of deodar and chil trees was standing over the disputed land. Interestingly, the revenue officials were showing this portion as cultivated land, he noted. |
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MC dithers again on forest issue
Shimla, October 29 A sub-committee had specially been set up to take a final decision on the issue of handing over the forest area with the MC to the Forest Department for better management. The sub-committee had to prepare its final report within a week and a special house was to be convened for this purpose. Sources said though majority of the councillors were not in favour of handing over the forest area to the Forest Department but they were reluctant to get into a confrontation with the government over the issue. The state government has already issued a notification for handing over the forest area with the MC to the Forest Department. Another issue, which generated a lot of heat at today’s meeting, was the hike in water charges ordered by the MC from October 1. The BJP and CPM councillors opposed the hike and demanded that it should be withdrawn. Some of the councillors also raised the issue of framing a proper policy for settlement of the vendors. At present, there are more than 2,000 vendors in the town whereas only 162 are registered with the MC. The councillors resented that in the absence of a proper policy for vendors, it was the MC which stands to lose. The councillors also expressed concern over the non-implementation of decisions taken earlier for income generation. They said at this pace the MC would not be able to meet the target which had been set. |
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Stone crushers wreak havoc in Mandi-Kulu belt
Mandi, October 29 Ironically, these ministers preach citizens on ecology and environment at workshops and seminars. The most owners are running the crushers without a mandatory clearance from the Central Forest and Environment Ministry (CFEM), as per the provision under the IFC Act. “They have to pay Rs 5.85 lakh per hectare and Rs 1 lakh for re-afforestation of site to the CEFM, but most of them have got no clearance so far”, revealed insiders. “Some crushers are shown as ‘closed’ as a ploy not to pay royalty worth Rs 10,000 per hectare to the state government”. In Mandi town, the IPH Minister, Mr Kaul Singh Thakur, runs his crusher has rapped the hill sides that rain down fly ash in the Bhiuli locality. “It triggers landslides during rains that blocks the Bhiuli-Saroh road. The loose stones from the steep hillside pose life hazards to school children and Saroh villagers”, rued helpless residents. Another crusher below the gurdwara along the Beas river is shown as “closed” by Mr P.C. Anand, a local contractor, but he runs a “sand-railing making business at the site. The armymen and NCC camps at transit camp at Pandoh complained that they face “dust and noise pollution from a crusher”, which is run by the Mandi Municipal Councillor, Mr Pushp Raj. Four crushers — one run by Excise and Taxation Minister, Mr Rangila Ram Rao, a Gopalpur MLA at Takoli, two at Rati one at Dadhor village — have multiplied miseries for villagers in the Mandi Sadar. Even the former BJP ministers and MLAs, are not far behind. The former BJP Forest Minister Mr Rup Singh Thakur of Sundernagar runs a crusher nearby Aut on the NH-22, while Mr Mohinder Thakur, the former BJP PWD minister runs a crusher at Sandhol in his Dharampur constituency. “Ever since the crushers and project work started here, water sources have dried up over the years, but nobody listens to us”, rued the villagers at Aut, who face plumes of dust and noise daily from five crushers, four at Larji and one at Bihali, all catering to the 126 MW Larji project. Besides ministers’ other three are owned by Mr Balbir Malhotra, Mr Nihal Chander, Mr Durga Das — all influential men. The Bihali crusher is run by a construction company, which has no formal clearance. Though no crusher can be run within a distance of 500 mtrs on the highway as per norms, three crushers at Aut and one at Ropa, which is run by Mr Gopal Sharma, a local contractor, are crushing environment just nearby by NH-21. In the Sarkaghat subdivision, five crushers have been wreaking havoc on local villagers. The two are at Bhanvla village, one at Dharampur, which is run by a retired forest ranger, Mr O.N. Hazri. The villages complained that three crushers, two at Maloh village including the one run by the BJP leader Mr Ajay Rana at Kangal village near BBMB reservoir, have been giving them sleepless nights. Similarly, three crushers in Jogindernagar subdivision and two in Karsog subdivision continue to be a source of nuisance in the areas, the villagers rued. The district mining officials are hapless lot as they neither have enough inspectors or nor a vehicle to check illegal mining carried out by the big fish in the vast area. A state geologist, Mr Arun Sharma, said that the crushers on private land need clearance from the committee set up for the purpose, while those on the government land need clearance from CEFM. “Over 100 stone crushers in the Mandi-Kulu-Shimla-Sirmaur in old Himachal areas have been closed as they await mining lease clearance under the act as all wastelands fall in its preview in these areas”, he clarified. |
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Queen of hills enamours Mauritius PM
Shimla, October 29 “I like the solitude and pristine environment of the hill town so much that I will like to come back here every year,” said Mr Ramgoolam, while taking a stroll on the Mall and historic Ridge, here. He is here on a three-day private visit, along with his wife and other family members. A renowned economist, doctor and lawyer, Mr Ramgoolam was forced to a plunge into politics after the demise of his father, who was the first Prime Minister of Mauritius. It was in 1991 that he took over the reins of the Labour Party, earlier headed by his father. His party swept the polls in 1994 and he became the Prime Minister for the first time. After the next elections, he remained the Leader of the Opposition before assuming power once again in July, this year. “Large number of Indians travel to Singapore and Malaysia and I would want that they visit our beautiful country,” said the Prime Minister. Mr Ramgoolam said a deal for the purchase of helicopters and a coastal vessel from India was also being finalised. I am glad that the Indian High Commissioner in Mauritius asked me to visit Shimla as it was a beautiful place, he said. “I just hope the people of the town keep the environment and the surroundings as clean as they are today,” he said. “I am not too sure about the place from where my forefathers migrated to Mauritius, though I am keen to trace my roots,” he said. He said majority of the people in Mauritius, having Indian origin, migrated from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Mumbai and Gujarat. During my next visit here, I would try to trace my roots, he added. |
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Chamba heritage to be notified
Shimla, October 29 After making a beginning from the state capital here, which remained the summer capital of the British empire, the government intends identifying all the heritage features in various towns of the state. The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has already identified 329 heritage structures in Shimla. INTACH has already identified these buildings here and the TCP will undertake a heritage survey at its own level. “During the course of this six-month survey, if need be we might include some more structures having heritage value or even delete some from the list prepared by INTACH,” informed TCP officials. Infact the entire stretch from the Secretariat here till the Indian Instiute of Advanced Study has been declared a heritage zone. In the second phase, the TCP is shortly notifying the heritage features in Mandi and Chamba towns, having similar layout and pattern. The various towns in Himachal Pradesh have been categorised into indigenous and British time towns. The indigenous towns includes Kullu, Mandi, Sujanpur, Rampur, Nalagarh, Arki, Nahan and Paonta Sahib. The townships which were basically a creation of the
British include Dalhousie, Shimla, Jutogh, Kasauli, Dharamsala, Dagshai, Subathu, Yol and Bakloh. The main objective behind identifying the heritage features all over the state is to conserve and project them from the point of view of heritage. “Of course, preserving them for posterity is an essential ingredient, but it will also help give a fillip to tourism as many visitors, especially those from England, come here looking for graves or houses where their forefathers lived during British rule,” point out officials. In Mandi town the important heritage features being notified include the palace, temples, hierarchical socio-cultural spaces, Paddal ground and central courtyard houses. “The town has a typical street pattern developed during the reign of the kings, with the width varying from 2.5 to 5 metres at different points,” said an architect. Another very important heritage feature in the town are the multi-panel stones located at Mangwai, near Saketi bridge, on the Sundernagar road. These are stones of international fame dating back to the 16th century, commemorating women who became “sati” and also the concubines during the reign of the king. Another interesting heritage feature in many houses in Mandi are the signs which are mostly idols of Lord Ganesha or even the ancestors. |
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Carnival time for people of Kinnaur
Reckong Peo, October 29 Interestingly, there are no serious socio-religious festivals in the area. Be it
Divali or Dushera, Holi or Lohri one hardly looks forward to celebrate them. Phulech, the festival of flowers that was once considered as the most popular celebration in the rural areas, is fading in the changing times. The only festivity that comes alive in Kinnaur is the tribal festival held at its district headquarters in Reckong Peo sponsored by the district administration with support from the Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department of the state government. As the countdown to the tribal festival has begun, the people of the area are eagerly waiting for the show which provides an opportunity to the local tradesmen and horticulturists to sell their products. For the school and college going teenagers, it is an event that gives them a lot of time for freaking out with friends. Earlier, when the trade with Tibet was open, the people of the border areas used to bring Chinese goods here to sell in the Lavi fair. However, for the past few years, trade links with Tibet in the border areas of Kinnaur had been snapped. Subsequently, local items from Delhi, Ambala, Panipat and Ludhiana have started coming here. For Geeta Negi, a middle aged housewife, it is a time to meet old friends, relatives and a lot of other people. The latest fashion trends adopted by the younger generation grabs attention. Local people say that every coming year the tribal festival turns out to be more appealing to them. A variety of cultural events from other parts of the country give a chance to the people of this remote area to know more about their own nation. No doubt, television has intruded into the lives of tribal people living in the rural areas here but not to the extent as in other parts of the nation. Such festivals provide an opportunity to the tribal people to know more about the diversity of cultures that exists in different parts of their country. |
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Naturopathy centre to be opened on Nov 3
Palampur, October 29 This centre has been constructed by the Vivekanand Medical Education Trust, a private institution. Mr Shanta Kumar, former Union Minister and chairman of the trust, said the centre was equipped with the latest facilities and it was one of its own kind in the country. The main objective of the centre was to teach people the art of healthy living and provide treatment for various ailments. Mr Shanta Kumar said this was the only centre in India which would treat ailments through yoga, nature cure, physiotherapy, ayurveda panchkarma, acupressure and meditation under one roof and in one complex. He said the latest equipment worth Rs 2 crore had been installed at the centre. The total cost of the centre had come to over Rs 10 crore. The centre had the capacity to accommodate over 85 patients at one time. It had four types of accommodation, single-bed room, double-bed room, cottages and dormitory. The charges and tariff had been fixed with a view to making this institution self-sufficient. The centre had well-trained staff who had been imparted training in
Bangalore and other parts of country. Palampur was one of the most beautiful towns in the state and it provided a pollution-free atmosphere, which would further help the patients in their speedy recovery. He said with this, the first phase of the Vivekanand Medical and Education Trust had been completed. In the next phase, a super-specialty hospital would be built. |
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Doctors threaten to resign
Kangra, October 29 Dr Munish Saroch, general secretary of the Resident Doctors Association, in a statement today demanded immediate release of increments to regular HPHS doctors. He said there was a difference of Rs 9,000 in pay between specialists and MBBS doctors on a contract basis whereas there was no difference in the pay scale of regular MBBS and specialist doctors in the HPHS cadre. He said the state government was giving a step-motherly treating to regular doctors in the state. He deplored the orders to post doctors with postgraduate degrees from the IGMC, Shimla, to rural areas for three years. He said the resident doctors who are specialists had decided to resign if their demands were not met. |
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NAAC team visits college
Solan, October 29 The team inspected various aspects, including the infrastructure, staff, laboratories, library, community hall etc., It held discussions with students and teachers to access its state of affairs. The college has about 2,800 students on its rolls. It is without a regular principal. An officiating principal has been holding charge ever since the former principal retired three months ago. It receives a grant of Rs 11 lakh from the UGC every five year, which is considered too meagre to upgrade its facilities. The state government looks after the salary component of the staff. With a poorly maintained laboratories, the college doesn’t have much to boast of. At least 11 lecturers out of the total 58 are contractual appointees. Despite being the oldest college in the region, lack of funds has been a major constrain in upgrading its facilities. Poor class attendance and dominance of student politics on the campus are its other features. The NAAC team was not available for comment. It will continue its inspection tomorrow. |
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Students impress at annual day function
Kumarhatti, October 29 The celebration started with great pomp and show. The children presented a parade with the school brass band playing tunes like ‘Sam Bahadur’ and ‘Sare Jahan se Accha’. The pupils also put up a commendable display of gymnastics, girls’ pipe band and boy’ bugle band. The display was followed by bhangra along with other cultural items. The one-act play “The Monkey’s Paw” was highly appreciated. The science, arts and crafts exhibitions were also inaugurated by the chief guest. |
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People tarnishing Congress’ image identified: Mankotia
Dharamsala, October 29 “I have received hundreds of letters from the public identifying politicians, bureaucrats, power brokers and contractors involved in various scams under the present government,” he said, while addressing a press conference, here. Mr Mankotia had, a fortnight ago, urged the people to write to him about the politician-bureaucrat-contractor nexus that was tarnishing the party’s image in the state. Mr Mankotia said he would spell out their names during a press conference on December 1 and would submit that list to Mrs Gandhi for further action. — UNI |
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Make road stretches traffic-worthy, Chief Secys told
Shimla, October 29 This order came on a public interest litigation filed by Trisha Sharma in this regard. While passing these directions, a Division Bench comprising Mr Justice L.S. Panta and Mr Justice Surjit Singh directed the Director-General (Road Development), Government of India, to ensure that the aforesaid directions, were complied with in letter and spirit and within the timeframe. The court also directed the states of Punjab and Haryana to take up the matter with the Union Ministries of Environment and Forests for obtaining clearance for the widening of the road.
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Records to be computerised
Hamirpur, October 29 He directed all department heads to ensure that the work was completed on schedule. The Chief Minister inaugurated e-kiosks and e-Vikas Schemes aimed at making official records available to the people. The government was committed to making the administration accountable to the people, he said.
— UNI |
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One dead in factory accident
Nahan, October 29 The accident took place when an iron chain of the crane lifting the iron girder broke. The girder fell on the three workers. |
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