The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

SHIMLA STRESSED OUT
The tourist season has just begun but the chronic problems of water shortage and traffic jams are plaguing the Queen of the Hills, says Rakesh Lohumi

The tourist season has just begun and the chronic problems of water shortage, traffic jams and paucity of parking space have started manifesting in the “Queen of Hills” with more ferocity. The number of tourists visiting the hill station and nearby resorts has been increasing with each passing year but the basic tourist infrastructure has not seen any worthwhile expansion. As a result the civic amenities are coming under increasing stress, creating a plethora of problems for the resident as well as the summer visitors.

Water rationed

The Shimla Municipal Corporation is already finding it hard to ensure regular supply of water even to the local people what to talk of tourists. Water shortage has been a regular feature of summer for the past few years but this year situation is likely to turn worse due to abject lack of snow during the winter in the catchments of various natural sources catering to the city. The fact that corporation has resorted to “water rationing” at the very outset of the season provides an indication of the impending crisis. A majority of the localities are being supplied water on alternate days. The hoteliers have deployed tankers to fetch water from natural sources located 10 to 15 km away.

The demand has already risen to 35 million litre per day (mld) whereas the water available is only 27 mld. The shortage will be acute during peak season towards the middle of June when demand will cross the 40 mld mark and availability plunge further to around 18 mld.

Mr Mohan Chauhan, Municipal Commissioner, admits that it was a serious problem but asserts that there will be no scarcity next summer as the Rs 40-crore scheme to augment the water supply will be completed by March 2007. It will bring an additional 20 mld of water, enough to bridge the gap between demand and supply. As an immediate measure new pumping machinery is being installed at the Ashwini Khad to bring more water.

Traffic blues

Irritating traffic jams, particularly during peak morning and evening hours, have become a common sight. The bus stand, Lakkar Bazar, Sanjauli ,Dhalli Tunnel, Khalini and SDA complex are the major bottlenecks. The city has over 12,000 vehicles and there is only a narrow circular road skirting the main town to carry the huge volume traffic. During peak season upto 2,000 vehicles arrive in the town daily and the number of vehicles goes up by almost 50 per cent. . As the city does not have adequate parking space vehicles are parked along roads, which make things worse. There are about a dozen parking lots with a capacity of about 1100 vehicles and six more are planned to double the capacity. However, even this will not suffice, as during peak season parking space is required for 3,000 to 4,000 vehicles. The district administration opens certain restricted roads like the Chaura Maidan -Vidhan Sabha section for parking vehicles to ease the situation. The hoteliers rue the fact that the queen of hills is fast losing its charm due to haphazard growth. Its once salubrious environment has degraded to such a level that it can hardly be called a hill station. Besides there is not much for the tourists and extending their stay is a challenge.

Beware the touts
Rakesh Lohumi

The tourists encounter touts at every step in the garb of porters, hotel guides and taxi drivers who intercept tourist vehicles entering the city at vantage points near the railway station, bus stand and victory tunnel. They virtually mob the visitors and more often than not succeed in taking them to hotels of their patrons. In return for their service they get a hefty commission, at times up to 50 per cent of the room rent.

Touts masquerading as tour operators could be seen at the Scandal Point on the Mall, the Ridge and near by resort of Kufri looking for gullible tourists. Their network extends across the state and they offer complete packages to take the tourists around famous hill resorts like Manali, Dharamsala and Dalhousie. Those who fall in their trap mostly repent as they end up paying more for taxi and accommodation in hotels. On many occasions the harassed tourists are left in lurch by the taxi drivers midway during the tour.

There are over 300 hotels in and around the city and they are at the mercy of touts because of cutthroat competition.

Touting is indeed a problem agrees Mr Tarun Sridhar, Director of Tourism, but asserts that his department is on the job to contain the menace. A multi-pronged strategy is being adopted and the emphasis is on educating the tourists so that they do not fall prey to devious designs of unregistered guides photographers and tour operators. Pamphlets containing do’s and don’ts will be distributed to tourists at all the entry points and main tourist destinations. Besides, list of unregistered hotels will be put on the web.

Puffing Up!
Vintage steam locomotive on the Kaithalighat-Shimla track is a major tourist attraction, says Pratibha Chauhan

Having remained off the track for almost three decades, the vintage steam engine puffing its way on the serpentine narrow gauge Shimla-Kalka rail track to the once summer capital of colonial India is now a major attraction with the foreign tourists, especially the British.

Inaugurated by British Viceroy, Lord Curzon in 1903, the steam engine now runs on a much-reduced stretch of 31 kms between Kaithalighat and Shimla, as a chartered train service, which can be hired by anyone. Popularly known as the toy train, it was considered an engineering marvel when work on it began in 1889. For most of the tourists from England, traveling on the steam engine is a nostalgic experience as they have heard about the exhilarating journey from their forefathers while a few fortunate ones have faint childhood memories of the journey, which they wish to relive.

This year itself the steam engine, which is run only as a chartered service has had four runs, thrice for British guests while on one occasion it was for Polish visitors. It was in the year 1996 that the Railways reduced the tariff of the train making it more affordable with the intention of popularizing it and promoting tourism in the hill state. Now a single journey on the steam engine costs Rs 28,000 while the round journey costs Rs 54,000. Two coaches are attached to the steam engine with a capacity of 20 passengers.

Before being phased out in 1971 the steam engine used to run on a 96 kms stretch between Kalka and Shimla, rising to a height of almost 7,000 feet from about 2100 feet from its starting point at Kalka. During those days it passed through 103 tunnels, 969 bridges, 919 curves and 21 railway stations.

Hoping to save the famous Himalayan toy train from extinction, a proposal has been sent to the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) by Indian Railways and preservationists to grant the train world heritage status. It was in 2000 that similar status was granted to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways, the world’s first ever hill railway built in 1888. The London- based north British Locomotive Company, the KS-520, manufactured the present engine being used in the steam train. It was in the 1970’s that the steam engines made way for the powerful but less polluting diesel engines.

The steam engine was temporarily suspended after a mishap took place while a Canadian film crew was shooting the train in 2001. fields. It was later that the government decided to resume the steam charter service as part of the centenary celebrations of the Kalka-Shimla narrow gauge railway section.

Ticket to the West
Tibetans at Dharamsala are tying the knot with foreign tourists as a ticket to the West, reports Vibhor Mohan from McLeodganj.

Wed locked: A Tibetan boy with his foreigner wife

Age no bar, nationality no bar. For some Tibetans, absolutely no conditions apply when it comes to marrying. Among the 36 marriages of Tibetans with foreigners registered during the last one year, the latest is between a 21-year-old Tibetan school student and a 47-year-old American woman, who reportedly runs a hospital. The couple has given in the application on April 18 and would soon tie the knot.

The would-be bride, Nancy, says she was fascinated by Buddhism and hopes to learn more about the religion after her marriage with Asang, who is a student of the Tibetan Community Village School. In a similar case, 23-year-old Lobsang Dhondup married 44-year-old Heiki Romanowski of Germany on September 3, 2005. The huge age difference between the couple didn’t seem to be a problem.

Rakesh Sharma, Marriage Registration Officer-cum-Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Dharamsala, says the trend among Tibetan boys marrying foreigners is on the rise and in some cases, the couple seems to have nothing much in common. Even though the life of such marriages remains a big question, many Tibetan youngsters admit that this is seen as an easy ticket to go abroad.

“This is the easiest arrangement to go to the West in search of greener pastures,” says Lobsang Wangyal, director of Miss Tibet pageant and a local Tibetan.

“Many Tibetan youth feel they would prosper much more if they get entry into a western country and marriages with foreigners come handy for them. Most of such marriages don’t last long,” he says.

Since there are organized Tibetan communities abroad, the parents of the Tibetan groom know that he would easily get absorbed there and thus have no apprehensions of his losing his identity after settling in a foreign country.

Sharma says that most of these couples go abroad and it is rarely seen that the foreigner bride stays with her Tibetan in-laws in McLeodganj, unless the bride is too keen to experience the Tibetan lifestyle.

“In some cases, these marriages are virtually fake and only on paper. It could be a family friend or an unmarried foreigner couple wanting to help a youngster through common friends. The marriage is limited to helping the Tibetan boy or girl go abroad and there is no long-term commitment,” says Wangyal.

“The Tibetan youth going abroad so far have continued to stick to the Tibetan cause. In fact, they feel their demonstrations would get more limelight if staged in a western country. However, the next generations might have an entirely different perspective on this,” he adds.

Says Tenzin, another local Tibetan, “A Tibetan couple needs no formality to get a divorce and so breaking up is not a big issue. That is why parents and elders do not object to such marriages.” Sharma says after a couple applies for marriage, a notice is sent to the country of the foreigner to seek any objections to the marriage. However, in most cases, no response is received from the country concerned.

In sharp contrast to the Tibetan-foreigner marriages, only two marriages of Indians with foreigners have been registered in Dharamsala during the last one-year.

HIllside view
Look out for the diving hands!
by Vepa Rao

My guests from the plains are often impressed with the effusive way people wish and greet each other on Shimla’s social stage — the Mall. From the drawling namashkaaar and “ohhh , maharaaaj “ , to long generous pumpimg of hands (you may call them handshakes or bodyshakes). At times warm, clinging hugs and thumping of backs. But feet-touching takes the cake.

The stretched hands go right down, as the figures arch gracefully at the bottoms, irrespective of gender, size and shape. Over the last two decades, I have watched this gesture pass through an evolution of sorts among Himachal’s urban, educated classes. Only our genuine rural folk, or those well versed with its deeper significance do it with a pure heart and reverence for the wise and the elderly.

These days, only one hand ‘points’ towards the feet from a distance, with a pranaam that sounds more like a muffled yell. Some people touch the knees, instead of feet. Some bend a bit, pretending to do pranaam. If you are wise, you too pretend, ‘stop’ the guy midway , shake his hand , or even hug , and save your own izzat !

But beware of the fellow who dives at your feet, and stares with a faint smile — as though you are a divine soul detached from the heavens. He has a hidden agenda! He will make you pay through the nose one day for that cheap thrill of ego-massaging. Don’t feel like a messiah on the mall just because someone touches your feet elaborately in full public view.

You can read a man by observing the way he does pranaam in public.

There is this gentleman who touched my feet every day for a decade but suspended the privilege (!) twice — when I rebuked him for neglecting his work, and later when his rival colleague ridiculed his chamchagiri to me . I should deal with him firmly when his arms glide towards my knees again when he declares his need for my ‘blessings’.

I have this worthy acquaintance who touches my feet, only if nobody is watching! His furtive glances tell me the tale. People, especially the ‘important ones’, are so self-conscious these days. They prefer a simple namaskaar while in a group. I too have begun the mind-game— guessing how an approaching fellow would greet me!

But there is this aspiring leader who bends well towards my shoes, only when there are people around. He knows, it’s good publicity to appear humble and rather ‘spiritual’ among the god-fearing janata here.

If this evolution of feet-touching, knee-touching , thigh-touching moves up like this , we will soon have to guard our vital installations against such invasion . Sages said it long ago — ati vinayam dhoorta lakshanam! (show of over-politeness is a trait of rogues).

From funerals to flowers

He has come a long way in life — from cremating the dead to tending to flowers and plants in a nursery. Mela Ramji, a chubby six-footer in his fifties, has a smile that glows at once, but soon dissolves into harmless indifference. You have to really egg him on to speak about the fiery farewells he gave to bodies decades ago.

“Not many pundits were willing to conduct funeral rites those days. This work, considered inferior, had a strong stigma attached to it. Such pundits had difficulty marrying off their own sons and daughters into good families. So, I did it as a social service for a few years.” Sleepless nights, funny feeling from the pit of the stomach, and depression were daily features of his life. A dead face about to be shrouded amidst wailings would haunt him, along with the scent of a burning body.

That’s when he turned to the scent of roots puffing in freshly watered earth , and floral fragrance wafting in like unexpected peace . “ While I help seeds and saplings to breath better, I feel as though I am dealing with questions about life that troubled me while cremating the dead.”

This horticulture officer of a public institution regrets that residents of Shimla and other big towns of Himachal are missing out on the great benefits (especially relaxation) of gardening. “Tourists from big cities like Delhi show a deeper interest in gardening and exotic flowers. Himachal’s natural abundance probably makes our people take these things for granted . That’s sad “.

Silly Point!

At a recent public meeting, a big leader was waxing eloquent about how he had brought safe drinking water to the town . Like other worthies on the stage, he too was drinking from a branded mineral water bottle. Someone whispered about it. A loyalist sprang to the leader’s defence : “ Yaar , now he is showing how to conserve that water …’

Something fishy
Vishal Gulati

Is fish in man-made reservoirs of Himachal Pradesh in trouble? Is the overall population of aquatic fauna declining? To know the answers to these questions and much more, the Fishery Department has sanctioned a project to the Department of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh.

A team of zoologists is studying the breeding patterns of commercial fish species in Pong and Gobindsagar reservoirs.

These reservoirs are home to Indian major carps and a few exotic carps. The exotic species include the common carp and the silver carp.

Though Indian major carps like the rohu, the mrigal and the catla are stocked in the reservoirs from time to time, exotic carps are also introduced occasionally.

Experts feel that pollution, water management practices, channelisation of rivers, etc are responsible for the decline of aquatic fauna.

The Director, Fisheries, Mr B.D. Sharma, says the fish fauna has declined massively during the past three years. He says the decline in population is not restricted to any specific area, but it is a widespread phenomenon.

“Global warming and loss of flooding areas have forced the fish in nature to either pre-pone or postpone the spawning periods.

Moreover, the Indian Fisheries Act, 1897, is no more valid today and it needs amendment. When the Act was enforced, there was no idea of cold-water fish species. It is only applicable to Indian major carps of the plains,” explains Prof M.S. Johal, who is studying the breeding periods.

The fish of hill streams live under different ecological conditions that are different from those of plains. In this region there are three categories of spawners — pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon.

In order to get sustained yield from the cold water and to maintain the endemic fish diversity, there was a need to study the spawning periods, size of the fish when they are able to spawn and areas preferred by the fish for spawning, says Professor Johal.

This three-pronged approach will be able to know the size of the fish when they attain the sexual maturity and the period when the fish spawn. This will also be useful to determine the “close season” in the reservoirs.

Earlier, the fishable size of the golden mahseer had been enhanced from 30 cm to 50 cm on the recommendations of Professor Johal. This step has increased the fish population.

Flower Power
Phulech or the Festival of Flower is a major festival of the tribesmen of Kinnaur which reflects their fondness for dance and music, reports Kulwinder Sandhu from Reckong Peo

NATURE’S OWN: Tribals of Kinnaur celebrates life keeping in sync with the nature.

The tribal people of Kinnaur are very fond of dancing and singing. They have several annual festivals that they celebrate with great happiness. One among them, the festival of flowers traditionally known as Phulech, Mentiko or Ukhyang in different dialects is perhaps the most important and widely prevalent seasonal festival of Kinnaur that is celebrated with great enthusiasm in all parts of the tribal district in Himachal Pradesh from September onwards till the advent of winters.

Festival timings vary greatly over the length of the Sutlej valley, spreading out over two months, from the pleasant days of early September in places like Kalpa, Sangla, Pangi, Kamru etc, to the frosty nights of November in the Bhaba valley and many other adjoining areas. The actual celebrations at any one place generally last from three to seven days.

The festival begins in the first week of September every year when flowers are in full bloom in Kinnaur. On September 4 (19 Bhadon) villagers comprising at least one person from each household leave their village and ascend hill tops near their dwellings in the morning to collect wild flowers. These flowers after plucking are kept safely in a cave locally known as udeoro, just above the mela ground of the village.

Then the flower collectors gradually reach the village singing the ukhyang songs. At some places the festival is also called by the name of ukhyang that is a combination of two words- U means ‘flower’ and Khyang means ‘to look at flowers’ meaning thereby ‘the delight of flowers’.

Next morning the villagers, old and young, again climb on the hills and reach there in their summer residences locally known as dogris. They take their lunch with them. According to a traditional custom, they remember their ancestors here offering gifts of food and drinks.

In the Kamru area, the entire population of the village gathers together on the mela ground. By about mid-day the kardars (disciples) of Badri Nath and the local musicians reach there and the deity of Badri Nath is taken in a procession to the ground.

On reaching the designated place where the people are already assembled, the mouth piece (oracles) of the deities Badri Nath and Mahasu then get possessed by the respective deities and the procession proceeds towards the mela ground. There, a he-goat is sacrificed as an offering to goddess Kali and Mount Kailash on behalf of the entire population of the village.

The kardars of Badri Nath then go to a nearby spring while on the other hand the dance programmes on the mela ground are held till their return. The dance ceases on the arrival of kardars.

After the return of kardars, the grokch (priest) goes into trance. He then selects two persons from the flower collectors to bring the flowers from udeoro. The selection of men is made by the mystic process of giving mustard seeds.

Flowers brought from the hill tops are then woven into garlands. These garlands are offered to the local deities. It is believed that with the flowers the spirit of Kali Goddess comes to the fair. In order to give a farewell to this spirit a small goat is sacrificed in the name of Goddess Kali.

Afterwards, the grokch utters cheroning and forecasts about crops, change of season etc. Thereafter, the gathering takes their seats and joins in various other rituals. In the meantime, people jokingly smear each others face with yud.

The flower gatherers bow to the deity singing ukhyang song. Then the dance starts in which the ark of the deity is swung with the dancers.

The grokch then distributes some flowers to the villagers. As per the tradition, in the erstwhile kingdom of Bushaher (Kinnaur was a part of the kingdom), the King used to be the first person to receive flowers followed by his Wazir (minister) of Puari (name of a place near Reckong Peo) and then others. Immediately, after this ritual, the people accompany the goddess back to the village adorned with flowers. The people sing and dance on the return journey.

According to Mr V. Verma in his book- Kanauras of Kinnaur: A scheduled tribe of Himachal Pradesh, in Pangi village, four selected persons go to fetch Losken and Zomar the flowers. And, they ensure to spend that night outside the village.

On the following morning, the flowers brought by them are offered to the local deities with local rituals followed by general participation in the community dance, interestingly the songs are obscene.

The fair runs for two days in the circular courtyard of the temple, everyone dancing, singing, drinking and merry-making.

In Moorang, people cook traditional food in the name of their ancestors and host a community lunch. Members of the bereaved families are garlanded with flowers. On the third day, young boys and girls go to the hilltops to collect wild flowers.

These flowers are offered to the local deities as per rituals. The community feast, having dance programmes, is funded by the temple’s treasury. Here too vulgarity is displayed assumingly to shock the evil spirits.

In Hango, young men and women on horses go to Hangla Pass passing the night at Shimchalang and offer dishes favourite to their ancestors’ spirits.

Grassroots
Total solution
Rakesh Lohumi

At a time when qualified professionals have been running after hefty packages within the country and abroad, two brilliant scientists embarked on an unusual course. They opted to serve the rural people by setting up a non-government organisation to help utilise their scientific knowledge and training for their economic up lift.

That was exactly a decade ago. Today the Himalayan Research Group (HRG) is the only non-government organisation in the state, which is engaged in hi-tech research and also working for the betterment of rural people through scientific innovations and effective transfer of technology. During its decade-long existence the organisation has successfully implemented several programmes to bring economic prosperity, ranging from the conservation of biological diversity to community empowerment. In fact, by reducing scientific technology to simple applications, it is bringing about a silent revolution in the empowerment of rural people in Seraj and Chachiot blocks of the Mandi distirct.

The highly motivated team, comprising Dr Lal Singh and Dr Maninderjeet Kaur (both botanists) which forms the core of the HRG, has been instrumental in introducing mushroom cultivation, medicinal and aromatic plants cultivation, vermi-composting and rural entrepreneurship activities in interior pockets. The team has put its scientific experience and training to good use by venturing into highly specialised areas like forest pathology, screening of micro organisms, particularly fungi, and development of know-how for propagation of the highly endangered species like Taxus wallichiana (Himalayan Yew) which is exported in large quantities for taxol required for making cancer drugs.

HRG has a well-equipped research lab at its head office in Shimla and a regional station at Dhangiara village in the Mandi district to carry out field activities.

A compost unit for mushroom has also been established along with a distillation unit for the extraction of oil from aromatic plants. It produces 200 tonnes of compost, enough to produce 40 tonnes of mushroom worth Rs 30 lakh annually. It also generated 3000 mandays. The 120-odd farmers engaged in mushroom cultivation together earn about Rs 15 lakh. The lab has facilities for tissue culture, microbial isolation for the production of bioactive compounds like taxol and disease control in apple orchards. Till date it has provided training in mushroom cultivation, vermi-composting and the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants to over 1000 families in different parts of the state.

Aromatic plants for which cultivation and processing technology and planting material is being provided include a Lavender, Geranium, Rose and Valeriana.

All these activities have been supported by different national and international funding agencies. Starting from a meagerly Rs 4 lakh the annual budget of the organisation has swelled to Rs 35 lakh and the activities have also spread to more villages.

Keeping in view the grassroots initiatives taken by it for the development of rural communities, the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, has selected the HRG for long-term support under its prestigious Core Support Programme last year. It will receive a grant of Rs 8 to 10 lakh per annum for selected programmes under the scheme on the basis of annual evaluation of work to be carried out team of experts.

“Success of the initiatives is mainly attributed to the unique efforts in bringing technology refinement component to the domain of a non-government organisation. The HRG is the only organisation which is having its own research and development facilities and a well-established technology extension network at the community level,” says Dr Lal Singh who heads the organisation.

The HRG offered a ‘total solution’ right from providing training to farmers and supply of inputs to marketing of produce. Equally important was its self-sustainable model, which not only supplemented the incomes of farmers but also generated some revenue for the organisation.

Go hybrid
The results of lab research is finally trickling down to farmers at Palampur, reports Vibhor Mohan

Whatever is achieved in the labs of the CSK Agricultural University, Palampur, is now being promptly transferred to the fields under a unique scientist-farmer collaboration programme. This has helped a large number of farmers see their income spiral.

As part of this novel initiative, a dozen task forces constituted by the farm university are playing teachers to farmers across the state to help them adopt new methods of scientific farming for better returns. Hybrid varieties of peas and radish are already a hit with farmers.

It may be advising the farmers to switch over to high value cash crops, take up mushroom farming or use rain harvesting, a group of four or five scientists in each task force do all the planning for a group of farmers in the selected village so that others could see the benefits and follow suit.

Dr S.C. Sharma, Director, Research, says the process starts by selecting a village having a group of progressive farmers, willing to innovate. Then the village panchayat and mahila mandals are approached to help in conducting a benchmark survey of resources available and the farming methods being used.

The task forces then chalk out the entire procedure for the farmers, from the choice of the seed to the final harvesting methods. The allied farming practices like bio-fartilizers and bee keeping are also demonstrated to the farmers.

One key objective of the task forces is to convince farmers to do away with the use of age-old farm tools and implements, especially with the power availability per hectare in the state being only 0.5kW/ha, which is very low for timely sowing of the crops as compared to neighbouring states.

By switching over to using power tiller rotavator for soil pulverization from tractor and bullock ploughing, farmers in the two villages of Bayara and Purba in Kangra district, were able to save 75 per cent time and labour and 41 per cent cost in ploughing as compared to the traditional system.

Similarly, the shift to mushroom cultivation has done wonders. The farmers trained by the task forces are growing about 500 bags of Dhingri for the first time. Mushroom cultivation is a highly lucrative agro-industry and a sudden spurt in the production of mushroom has been witnessed

Dr Sharma pointed out that Himachal Pradesh was the pioneer state in Mushroom cultivation and it has a vast potential because of low temperate and high humidity for most part of the year. As many as 2600 farmers in the state have been given training in mushroom cultivation so far.

To take stock of the project’s progress, the varsity has recently prepared detailed performas so that the exact difference in profit of the farmers and time consumed in the operations after shifting to using modern technology could be ascertained.

Conservation for Kinnaur
Kulwinder Sandhu

The tribal district of Kinnaur having an area of 6,401 square kilometers situated on the north-eastern side of Himachal Pradesh in the western Himalayas encompass one of the most fragile eco-systems in the country.

Of late, the region has been witnessing serious deterioration in the quality of its environment. The problems of resource degradation, natural hazards like floods, landslides and water scarcity have become common. A need has been felt for initiating measures to check the environmental degradation.

The construction of roads has been one of the most serious problems of Kinnaur. Almost 60 per cent of landslides occur along the road network. Millions of rupees are lost annually due to failure of transport and communication network.

The incidence of landslides in this tribal district has increased by many folds in the recent past due to unbalanced and haphazard construction activities. Drilling and blasting techniques are extensively used in the construction of roads, thereby, making the rocks more vulnerable to landslides.

The common technology used for the construction of roads in the district is a combination of labour and machines. According to an estimate each kilometer of road leads to displacement of 40 to 80 thousand cubic metres of debris.

The destruction of roads due to the landslides caused by the flash floods in Sutlej and its tributaries and further extensive use of blasting material to reconstruct the roads in the already fragile mountains of Kinnaur has also eroded away thousands of acres of forest cover that once used to bind the slopes preventing landslides.

According to figures available from the forest department Kinnaur boasts only 9.5 per cent of the forests of the total geographical area, the second lowest forest cover among all the districts in the State.

The legally classified forest area in the district is 5,093 square kilometers while the dense forest cover is 365 square kilometers. The open forest cover in the district is just 248 square kilometers.

According to a recent survey of the Forest Survey of India Kinnaur has lost more than 35,000 hectares of forest cover during the past five years, which is obviously an alarming situation.

Interestingly, the Union and State Governments have both initiated the work on restoration of road networks in district Kinnaur after the havoc played by Sutlej and its tributaries in the last week of July this year but no comprehensive policy has so far been formulated to revive the forest cover that was lost in the flash floods.

Environmentalists are of the view that the biodiversity conservation in Kinnaur is essential not only for ecological and environmental rejuvenation but also for a
sustainable economic development.

Therefore, it’s essential to look closely at the physical geography of the area, take into account the socio-economies of the local community and then involve the natives to develop strategies for the protection of ecosystems.

Cranes in danger
Sarus crane, once seen roaming freely in villages in Una, has now come under the endangered speciaes, reports Kiran Deep

BIRD IN DANGER: One has to be lucky to spot a Sarus Crane in the in Una these days.

As you move along the Swan rivulet passing through the village Santoshgarh in Una district, you can witness a loud far-reaching call made by the world’s tallest flying bird-pair Sarus Crane. But the task is not easy, to locate this long-legged, necked gray bird with a red head on the 10 Km stretch of both sides of the rivulet.

These birds, which were found in large numbers about ten years ago, even seen roaming freely in the village here, have witnessed a sharp decline due to lack of protection in the past years.

Only 10 pairs of Sarus cranes were recently spotted in the wetland areas and the forests along Swan by a bird watcher. But that too after spending several days to trace their whereabouts.

The population of these birds has declined rapidly in past years due to the destruction of their natural habitat in the wetlands and forest areas, increase in the human population and agricultural activities, besides poaching. A continues use of the pesticides has further led to destruction of their habitant.

When The Tribune correspondent joined the two bird watchers, Prabhat Bhatti and Jaspreet Singh, to trace cranes in the area, it took about ten hours along the rivulet and open forest area, to discover a pair of Sarus crane.

A visit of the area shows a neglect of wetland and forest cover. The wetland area and forest area here has witnessed much of activities, much of the area along both sides of rivulet has been converted into agriculture land. Besides locals, many families have migrated from Uttar Pradesh have settled along the river and are involved in the cultivation of vegetables for the past many years. The migrants living here in Kachha houses built along the rivulet.

Cutting of wild grass (Shirkanda) along the rivulets is also putting more misery to the cranes. The birds are facing tough time to protect their lives in the absence of thick wild grass. Villagers blame the authorities for the neglect of the area and also poaching of cranes for decrease in their strength.

“Cranes has suffered a rapid population decline in this area due to the lack of care of birds and conservation of their natural habitant. If the situation will continue, then we would lose such birds here. The government should declare the areas as protected areas under Forest Conservation Act,” said Parbhat Bhatti, a bird-watcher who is making effort to spread awareness among the villagers to protect the cranes.

“The decline in the population of the cranes has sounded alarm bells to protect the wetland area here. Disappearance of one specie from area, would led to destruction of the ecology of the area,” said another bird watcher, Mr Jaspreet Singh.

When the sun goes down
Illegal mining in Kangra is posing a threat to important structures like bridges and temples, says Vibhor Mohan

Despite the ban, illegal mining continues to be done blatantly in different parts of Kangra district. It poses a major threat to bridges, irrigation schemes and even concrete structures in the area.

The historic Shiv temple in Baijnath is under the threat from the unlicensed mining in the adjoining Binwa khud. The flying squads constituted by the district administration find it difficult to keep a round-the-clock check.

Sources in the Mining Department say the problem is most severe in the Chakki khud in Nurpur sub-division, where illegal miners cross over from Pathankot in Punjab with machinery for large-scale mining of sand and bajri. Illegal mining is also being done on the beds of Beas River in Jaisinghpur, Nugal khud in Palampur, Chanbi and Baner khuds in Kangra and Gaj khud in Dharamsala.

Flying squads headed by the SDMs concerned conduct raids and challan the accused in these areas from time to time but illegal mining is so widespread that they find themselves short staffed.

A piquant situation develops for the local administration every time it carries out a drive against illegal mining as the squad has to take back scores of horses impounded during the crackdown.

After such an action on illegal miners last year, the local administration had to deal with the task of attending to the nearly 60 horses taken in custody during the drive. Nearly a dozen challans were issued and as many as five horses were impounded from each defaulter.

A member of the temple committee of the Shiv temple in Baijnath said the Kir Ganga Ghat of the temple, where devotees take a holy dip, was located very close to the site of illegal mining. A sum of Rs 30 lakh had been sanctioned for the construction of the ghat and the water level would get lower drastically in case illegal mining is not stopped immediately, he said. Since mining is being done on the foothills of the landmass where the temple is located, it poses a threat to the temple itself. One long-term solution could be restricting the entry in the prohibited area by putting up barbed wires and deploying guards at the entry points, he suggested.

“Where there is also a humane aspect of the problem as scores of economically weak locals are dependent on sale of construction material taken from these khuds for there livelihood, there is no doubt that the large-scale machanised illegal mining be dealt with sternly,” said an official.

Officials of the Irrigation and Public Health Department point out that the illegal mining is responsible for drying up of irrigation schemes in parts of Palampur and Baijnath, leading to water scarcity in summers.

As per the guidelines, even the licenced mining has to be carried out at a specified distance from bridges and irrigation schemes but this is hardly being followed as no checks are conducted in far-flung areas. The guidelines also call for use of scientific methods is mining so that mining does no irreparable loss.

Considering the ground realities, Revenue Minister Sat Mahajan has given directions to the Deputy Commissioner to monitor the steps being taken to stop illegal mining and chalk out a comprehensive plan to stop it.

Sources in the district administration, however, say this would bring no relief to the over-burdened sub-divisional level committees as they will still have to do all the action on the ground. Many cases of joint inspection are pending before the committees.

At the meeting of the district grievance committee held this week, it was also highlighted that the same people were being given licences to carry out mining by overlooking the other applicants.

The SDMs in the district say illegal mining is usually done late in the night or in the wee hours, which makes it very difficult to keep a continuous check.

Shimla Diary
Living in style
Pratibha Chauhan

The 12 former Chief Parliamentary Secretaries and Parliamentary Secretaries in the state might have lost their position due to a High Court verdict, terming their appointment illegal but the desire to live in ministerial bungalows still continues.

Following a request from some of these Congress legislators the Cabinet in its last meeting granted them the permission to retain these bungalows at subsidised rate of Rs 2,200 only, which is much less than the market rent for such plush accommodation. While holding the office of CPS and PS they were paying Rs 1,100 for these houses and now they have been asked to pay double of this amount only.

It is a different matter that the bureaucracy wished to differ and suggested that the MLA’s be asked to vacate the bungalows as they were not entitled to occupy them any longer. The officialdom advised them to shift to the smaller flats meant for the MLA’s as later on recovery could be made from them at market rate.

Destination Shimla

Shimla and its suburbs have emerged as the favoured destination for holding of summer camps for children studying in elite boarding sand other schools from all over the country. As the mercury is soaring in the plains one can see these students enjoying cycling on the serpentine roads in the hilly terrain as they take time off their daily schedule.

Students from Sanawar and Doon school take the arduous trek from Sarahan to Sangala in Kinnaur as they stay in the town while on their way to the tribal areas of Kinnaur. In fact, with the concept of summer camps getting popular, people connected with the tourism industry in the state are more than happy. Some people have put up camping sites near Mashobra, Craignanao, Potters Hill, Naldehra, Tatta-Pani and Pandoha.

Colleague’s envy, owner’s pride

It is the newly acquired Esteems cars of the Mayor and Commissioner of the cash- strapped Shimla Municipal Corporation, which have become the cause of envy for many.

Though not willing to resent the luxury car acquisition publicly, some of the Councillors have been heard complaining in private. “When we are practically begging before the government for more funds every time then the MC too must observe little austerity,” commented one of them. He said the Mayor and the Commissioner could have managed with their old vehicles and there was no need for this wasteful expenditure.

Notwithstanding the murmurs of resentment the Mayor and the Commissioner went ahead with the purchase. It’s a different matter that the MC is awaiting the magnanimity of the government in the form of a one time loan to pay off the crores that it owes to the Irrigation and Public Health Department and electricity for services rendered to it.

Himachal ready for Corporate Marriage
Anandita Gupta

Himachal CM innaugrating the Hindustan Levers plant at Baddi. — Photo by Manoj Mahajan

Mist-wrapped mighty mountains, twisting passageways, flurries of snow and whistling winds humming through stately Pines and Oaks. Mention the word Himachal and all these images will start cascading down the memory lane. After all, Himachal has been known for its breathtaking natural beauty and enchanting tourist destinations for decades. But as they say that in the hills, a new vista opens up at every bend of the road, Himachal hills have also charmed everybody with the unexpected. Yes! The land of cascading brooks and fragrant Pines is fast donning the cloak of an Industrial hub.

Wipro, Colgate, Palmolive, Dabur, Cadburys, Cipla, Dr.Reddy’s laboratories, Hindustan Levers, Ranbaxy, MBD and the list seems endless. Baddi in Himachal is fast emerging out as the industrial belt by housing all these major industries. Besides, many industries are also centered in Parwanu, Kala Amb, Nalagarh and Pontasaab.

What’s more, industries are also being set up at Una, Amb, Gagret, Chamba and Hamirpur. Informs Sanjay Bafna, MD, Crest Steel and Power, the upcoming steel plant at Amb, “Being a hilly state, Himachal does pose a challenging bevy of problems in setting up an Industrial plant. But the amount of incentives being given are quite lucrative. Also, the Government’s response has been very positive.”

With almost all major Industrialists of India eyeing the state for their plant installation and production, the Government seems all smiles. Beams the state’s present Industries’ Minister Kuldip Kumar, “We are preparing the blueprint for industries with an eye on future. Besides providing the Industrialists with cheaper rates of electricity, Sales Tax deferment, excise exemption, Income Tax exemption and capital subsidy, we’ve also formed a single window clearance and monitoring authority. First of its kind in India, this will ensure ending the red tapism involved in getting clearance for Industries.”

Besides all major Indian Industries having evinced a keen interest in joining hands with the Himachal Government, an investment of 17,000 crores has already been made in the state.

The state, that was dubbed as ‘backward’ a couple of years back, is making its presence felt in the national Industrial arena. Who knows that very soon, the footprints of the state may also be felt on the global Industrial arena?

Grounded in reality

What has suddenly made Himachal a golden pot for the industrialists? Here’s a tete e tete with the Industries Minister Kuldeep Kumar, an ardent fan of The Tribune himself.

What are the major incentives you are planning for the industrialists in the future?

Oh, many. As you know, according to the new Industrial policy of the Central Government, the Industrial plants set up and operational in Himachal from 2003 to 2007, will get an Income tax exemption for 10 years, besides sales tax concessions, capital subsidy and excise exemption (2003-2013). Plus, we’ve also categorized our districts into zones—A, B and C. The C category has the most backward areas and tribal parts of Himachal like Kinnaur and Birmaur. We have made them totally tax-free.

And how about the infrastructure?

We’ve categorized Una, Kangra and Chamba as Special Economic Zone and are making special efforts to develop infrastructure here. Like we’re planning to build an Airport at Una. The Haryana Nalagarh highway is also being revamped and widened. We’ve also got Rs. 2.5 crores sanctioned for building of roads, bridges and sewerages. By all this, we plan to put Himachal on the road to growth.

How do you vow to protect the environment against getting abused to death?

Industrialization in our state is quite challenging as a lot of resistance comes up from environmentalists. But we are being very cautious. We’ve put all the major pollution causing industries in our negative list and discourage their sanctioning.

Any message for the people?

Laughs. We appreciate the role of a newspaper like the Tribune of acting as a medium for writing on such issues and triggering of national development. I’d like to make just a request to the Central Government. We are very thankful to the Government for announcing an excise duty exemption for industries being set up and operating in Himachal till 2007.Our request is to extend the period till 2013.We are already doing very well and promise to take the state much higher if this benefit is given.

CITIZEN FIRST
Stop illegal vehicular activity

I wonder why government vehicles are still being allowed to ply on road stretches banned by the H.P. High Court in the vicinity of Shimla. One good example is the road which stretches from the parking at Yodha Niwas till the Ritz Cinema.

The road is full of school children, old people and everyone else. There have been numerous occasions when these vehicles have almost ran-over local people on such roads. During the peak hours, there is not enough room for people to walk on it, whereas govt.

Vehicles can be seen speeding on the same road 24 hours/7 days a week. Can the Traffic Police Director give directions to the traffic policemen posted in such areas, not to allow such illegal vehicular activity?

Sanjay Gupta, Shimla

Travellers’ woes

I am proud to say that I am living in the green mountains of Himachal, but I am sorry to say that the road which I use for my daily work and which is a prestigious road of Himachal is in the worst condition. There is no sign that it will get better. If you are travelling from Baddi to Nalagarh, it is little good and wide also but as you cross Nalagarh and go forward on this road it is unbelievable, that seems like a village road. It is now almost 20 years that the condition of the road has been the same. On top of it encroachment on both sides has narrowed it down considerably.

Shiv Pal

Streamline traffic

There is a regular traffic jam on the Baddi-Nalagarh road at the toll tax point. The entry points are required to be increased by 4-6 points so that the traffic moves without much delay. The regular vehicles with clearance passes also requires streamlining.

R. A. Sakuja

Not reliable

I have purchased a prepaid telephone from Reliance World Web Express, The Mall Shimla, on July 18, 2005, and have been allotted phone no 3297827 for use in Mashobra village, Shimla.

The phone does not get signals from Shimla but gets connected to Theog from

only my apartment and hence does not work. My house falls outside the

jurisdiction of the area for which the phone is sold to me for Rs 2,300. I have written several letters to Reliance office in Shimla but have not got any reply. The dealer has been promising for the past 10 months to get the fault

corrected. To keep the phone working, I have to spend Rs 300 every month.Kindly assist me to get the phone commissioned.

Iqbal Singh, Shimla