H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Expert for storage dams to tide over lean season
Shimla, November 6
The Himachal Government’s new water policy which makes it mandatory for the hydroelectric projects to maintain a minimum “environmental discharge” in the river for the needs of downstream users, could have serious ramifications as it goes against the water treaties signed by India with the countries like Bangladesh, cautioned Mr M. Gopalakrishnan ,a water management expert and Secretary-General of the International Commission on Irrigation and Design.

Manikaran to Kulu road a hazard
Barshaini (Kulu), November 6
With two major bus accidents that had killed over 25 persons this year tourists visiting Manikaran and locals commuting on the Barshaini-Manikaran-Jari -Kulu road brave the narrow curves, craters, the pointed boulders, potholes and plumes of dust while taking the back-breaking bumpy rides on this road everyday.

Gaddis being denied Scheduled Tribe status: BJP
Shimla, November 6
Mr Suresh Bhardwaj, Himachal BJP Chief, today alleged that the government was not treating the Gaddis of Kangra as Scheduled Tribe to deny them the right to contest panchayat elections.

BJP’s tirade against Bali continues
Dharamsala, November 6
BJP leadership’s tirade against Transport and Tourism Minister G.S. Bali on the corruption issue continues.

Approval to set up 23 industrial units
Shimla, November 6
The state-level Single Window Clearance and Monitoring Authority granted approval for setting up 23 new industrial units involving an investment of Rs 395 crore here last evening.

HP Cabinet to review austerity measures
Shimla, November 6
The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet would review government and administrative expenditure with a view to cut down the unproductive expenses.

Fluctuation damages electric items
Solan, November 6
A snag in an electricity supply line at staff quarters of Dr Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, has cost scientists dear. At least 15 scientists rued that electric appliances, including television sets, fax machines, telephone adaptors, etc were damaged in a sudden voltage fluctuation on Thursday night.

Fire destroys two houses
Mandi, November 6
Property estimated to be over Rs 10 lakh was reduced to ashes in two different fires in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh yesterday, the police said today.

Society’s gesture to poor girls
Dharamsala, November 6
As many as 20 girls from economically weak families were provided ration and other commodities for their marriages at a function organised by the Sarv Kalyankari Society in Patlander, near Sujanpur.

CM elected patron-in-chief of school
Shimla, November 6
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Himachal Chief Minister, was elected patron-in-chief of the first chapter of the Bishop Cotton School by the Old Students Association of the school which met here today.

Expert for storage dams to tide over lean season
Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 6
The Himachal Government’s new water policy which makes it mandatory for the hydroelectric projects to maintain a minimum “environmental discharge” in the river for the needs of downstream users, could have serious ramifications as it goes against the water treaties signed by India with the countries like Bangladesh, cautioned Mr M. Gopalakrishnan ,a water management expert and Secretary-General of the International Commission on Irrigation and Design.

While the international agreements like the Mahakali treaty provide for a minimum environmental discharge of 10 per cent, the policy framed by the states insists on maintaining a minimum flow, of not less than 15 per cent of the total available discharge in the river at any given time. If this policy was implemented within the country, countries like Bangladesh could also make a similar demand, explains Mr Gopalkrishnan who was here to attend the conclave of hydropower producers of the Sutlej basin.

He maintained that eco-system needs had to be established by conducting scientific studies, which could be different as per flows, and not a purely arbitrary percentage. More so, because biotic need were still being investigated.

The condition of minimum discharge would lead to reduction in overall generation, which in turn would push up generation cost. It would have a cascading effect. A balance had to be struck between eco-gains and economic losses. The environment sector also has too had to share cost. Environmental flow assessment should not be unilateral .All sectors competing for water had to establish their reasonable demands by way of dialogue, involving the stakeholders based on objective back-up studies.

He suggested that storage dams should be introduced to augment lean season flows. Even otherwise India lagged far behind the developed countries in storage capacity. The per capita storage capacity of Russia was 6103 cubic metre , whereas in case of India it was a meagre 262 cubic metre. Even countries like Brazil had a per capita storage capacity of 3145 cubic metre.

There was a strong case for more storage projects to be constructed on a war footing as the country had 16 per cent of the world’s population and only 4 per cent of the global water resources. Such projects would not only enhance water and food security but also improve environmental status by way of enhanced lean season flows. Dams also help in minimising the problem of silt.

Manikaran to Kulu road a hazard
Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Barshaini (Kulu), November 6
With two major bus accidents that had killed over 25 persons this year tourists visiting Manikaran and locals commuting on the Barshaini-Manikaran-Jari -Kulu road brave the narrow curves, craters, the pointed boulders, potholes and plumes of dust while taking the back-breaking bumpy rides on this road everyday.

What makes the journey all the more hazardous are the loose rocks hanging over the road at three road stretches between Jari and Shaat and between Kasol and Manikaran, where the huge rock caved in on a private bus early September this year and killed 15 persons, including three foreigners on the spot.

While the PWD has began patch-work from the Bhuntar side, but there are no PWD workers repairing the Jari-Barshaini road, which remained almost littered with potholes and boulders, making the journey all the more risky for both locals and tourists.

Thousands of tourists including foreigners and pilgrims, who visit the historic gurdwara and hot-spring baths at Manikaran have many complaints.

“I have seen boulders falling from the hillside on the road. We got scared, but we took a chance and crossed the spot”, said Mr Satnam Singh, who along with the his family had come for pilgrimage to Manikaran from Amritsar here yesterday. “The 20-km long road stretch between Shaat Nallah and Manikaran is very bad”, he rued.

“Even the 7-km long Shaat nallah-Jalugram link road abounds in boulders and potholes,” said Mr Rahul Behal, a resident of Jalugran.

Even the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), which is executing the 2051 mw Parbati project here is least concerned about the condition of the road. The NHPC play’s trucks, and other vehicles daily on the road, but it has not contributed its bit to maintain the road, rued the villagers.

The PWD’s Superintending Engineer, Kulu, who maintains the Kulu-Manikaran-Barshaini road, Mr B.S. Rajpal, said the tarring of the road would be done next season as they were repairing the road with patches. “We have sent an estimate of Rs 30 lakh to the NHPC for approval for repairing the road between Manikaran and Barshaini, he added.

Mr Rajpal said that they would check the loose strata on the steep hillside and repair the narrow stretches.

Gaddis being denied Scheduled Tribe status: BJP
Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 6
Mr Suresh Bhardwaj, Himachal BJP Chief, today alleged that the government was not treating the Gaddis of Kangra as Scheduled Tribe to deny them the right to contest panchayat elections.

Addressing a press conference, here today, he said that the Gaddi community, earlier included in the other backward classes, was accorded the status of a Scheduled Tribe by the NDA government in 2002. However, the Congress government, which failed to secure the tribal status for the community all these years feared that they would support the BJP was not considering them as tribal.

He said in the situation the Gaddis would not be able to contest elections as the Revenue authorities would not issue them other backward classes certificate as they had been already granted the status of Scheduled Tribe by the Government of India.

He also alleged that reservation of seats had not been notified just to keep the opposition in the dark. The ruling party had already been informed unofficially about it so that it could decide candidates and plan its electoral strategy in advance.

BJP’s tirade against Bali continues
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, November 6
BJP leadership’s tirade against Transport and Tourism Minister G.S. Bali on the corruption issue continues.

After launching statewide campaign to gather public support, the BJP has now alleged that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, known to be very image-conscious, was patronising Mr Bali.

Topping the BJP’s list of allegations is the mess-up in the Mumbai Musical Blast held in Kangra and the alleged misuse of government machinery in the rally organised by Mr Bali in his constituency on October 28.

Senior BJP leader J.P. Nadda here alleged yesterday that even the Congress Ministers were curious to know why the Chief Minister had turned a blind eye to the alleged corruption by the Transport and Tourism Minister.

Mr Nadda said that his party was hopeful that the Chief Minister would, at least, take cognizance of the statewide campaign against Mr Bali and take some action. However, he said, not even an ordinary inquiry had been ordered in the Mumbai Musical Blast case.

Even though the BJP had furnished proofs of corruption against the Minister, said Mr Nadda, the Chief Minister preferred to give him time to make necessary corrections in government records to remove alleged aberrations.

Mr Nadda added that he was curious to know why the Chief Minister appeared helpless in taking action against Mr Bali even though he had been promising a corruption-free government to the people. The corruption issue, he said, had been reduced merely to handle against the opposition.

Approval to set up 23 industrial units
Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 6
The state-level Single Window Clearance and Monitoring Authority granted approval for setting up 23 new industrial units involving an investment of Rs 395 crore here last evening.

The new units will generate employment for 3,320 persons. Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, who presided over the meeting of the authority, said that since the announcement of the industrial package, 6,012 new units with a total investment to the tune of Rs 14,818 and potential to provide employment to 2,07,784 persons, had been registered.

The Chief Minister said the state government would soon select suitable sites for developing information technology and biotechnology parks in the state. He said the state had over 12 per cent of the total biotech resources of the country which had to be exploited with environmental safeguards. He said the parks would be “self-contained” and meet the requirements of entrepreneurs.

The state government would encourage sugar industry in the Una area, which had a good scope for cultivation of sugarcane. He said the government wanted new industry to come up in backward areas where all basic infrastructural facilities were available.

HP Cabinet to review austerity measures

Shimla, November 6
The Himachal Pradesh Cabinet would review government and administrative expenditure with a view to cut down the unproductive expenses.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said that although the government had taken measures to curtail and cut down such expenditure, the situation would be reviewed.

He said in light of the guidelines received from the AICC president Sonia Gandhi, the Cabinet would discuss afresh the measures adopted in this regard. In reply to a question, Mr Virbhadra Singh said the guidelines issued by the AICC President were being studied and soon the Cabinet would take up the issue. He said the letter written by Ms Gandhi only suggested to cut down the unproductive expenditure wherever possible to save money for development works.

He said the high command and the AICC President were already aware of the measures being adopted by this government. — UNI

Fluctuation damages electric items
Our Correspondent

Solan, November 6
A snag in an electricity supply line at staff quarters of Dr Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, has cost scientists dear. At least 15 scientists rued that electric appliances, including television sets, fax machines, telephone adaptors, etc were damaged in a sudden voltage fluctuation on Thursday night.

Dr K.K. Sharma, whose television set was damaged, said the electricity voltage suddenly dropped to zero volts on Thursday evening and it kept fluctuating till about 5.30 the next morning. He rued that despite repeated efforts officials of the electricity department could not be contacted that night. It was by 5.30 am on Friday that the voltage became normal.

The officials of the electricity department said a fault developed due to falling of a tree on the supply line. They added that it was repaired later in the morning after complaints were received from the university scientists.

Fire destroys two houses

Mandi, November 6
Property estimated to be over Rs 10 lakh was reduced to ashes in two different fires in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh yesterday, the police said today.

A three-storey house in Boching village in the remote Chuhar valley, five km from Barot, in Jogindernagar sub-division was burnt completely, but no loss of life was reported in the incident.

Villagers battled with fire but failed to extinguish it as the entire structure was made of wood.

The police said property estimated to be over Rs 6 lakh was gutted in the fire, adding that investigations were on to ascertain the cause of the fire.

In another incident of fire in the district, a two-storey house belonging to Parvati Devi of Kasmela village of the Sarkaghat sub-division was gutted in a fire yesterday, causing a loss of Rs 4 lakhs.

A case has been registered in both the cases. — UNI

Society’s gesture to poor girls
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, November 6
As many as 20 girls from economically weak families were provided ration and other commodities for their marriages at a function organised by the Sarv Kalyankari Society in Patlander, near Sujanpur.

Mr Ravinder Ravi, MLA from Thural was the chief guest and Mr Nand Lal, Accountant-General, Punjab and Chandigarh presided over the function.

Mr Rajinder Rana, Chairman of the society said that besides helping organise marriages of poor girls, it had also adopted children to help them in their studies. The society would soon carry research to suggest lucrative farming to families in the area.

CM elected patron-in-chief of school
Tribune News Service

Shimla, November 6
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Himachal Chief Minister, was elected patron-in-chief of the first chapter of the Bishop Cotton School by the Old Students Association of the school which met here today.

Mr Narinder Chauhan was elected president, Captain R.S. Thakur, secretary. The Chief Minister happens to be an alumnus of the school.

Addressing old students Mr Virbhadra Singh said that the school had glorious traditions and old students need to work for the promotion of the institution.