The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Insurance schemes for weavers Our Correspondent Kulu, May 12 Mr Kuldeep Kumar, Industries and Cooperative Minister, today dedicated three schemes “Arogya Bima Yojna” (Health Insurance Scheme), “Mahatama Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojna” and “Ekikrit Hathkargha Vikas Pariyojna” (Integrated Handloom Development Project) to people of Himachal at a meeting at Bachat Bhawan here. The minister said the project would benefit three lakh weavers in the state. Under the Mahatama Gandhi Bunkar Bima Yojna, the weaver would pay Rs 80 against total premium of Rs 330 for risk coverage of Rs 50, 000 per year. The balance of Rs 150 and Rs.100/- would be paid by the government of India and the LIC respectively. Premium for health insurance would be Rs 1,000 of which Rs 800 would be paid by the Government of India and balance by the weaver. Under this scheme Rs 15,000 would be paid to the family of the weaver for meeting expenses during pregnancy and delivery, children’s health and O.P.D. And under Mahatama Gandhi Bima Yojna the children of weavers would get a stipend of Rs 100 per month from IX class to 10+2 class. Mr Satya Prakash Thakur, Chairman, Himachal Pradesh Marketing Board, told these schemes would be a milestone in the economic uplift of the weavers. Mr Thakur revealed that Rs 44 lakh had been earmarked for the rehabilitation of the 200 weavers affected by the acquisition of land and property by the NHPC constructing Parbati hydro electricity project in this district. He called upon weavers of the state to avail themselves the schemes and told that a special desk has been opened in the office of the district general manager of industries here this district. Mr Kuldeep Kumar also inaugurated an exhibition ‘craft bazar’ at Dhalpur Maidan here.
	Shilpa Sharma tops Class X exam Tribune News Service Dharamsala, May 12 The HP School Education Board here today declared the result of the Class X examination, conducted in March/April this year. The pass percentage in the examination was 63.35. Board Secretary K.D.Lakhanpal said 1,41,825 students took the examination, and of these, 89,122 were declared successful. Shilpa Sharma of Saraswati Vidya Mandir High School, Auhar (Bilaspur), has topped the merit list, followed by Parul Kathuria of Neugal Public Senior Secondary School, Bindraban (Kangra). The third position has been shared by three students — Parikshit of Government Senior Secondary School, Alampur, Hiteshwar Gaur of Him Academy Public School, Hamirpur, and Akshay Sharma of ST.D.R Public School Senior Secondary School, Gagret (Una). Nishtha Sharma of Blue Star Senior Secondary Public School, Hamirpur, got the fourth position. The fifth position has also been shared by three students, Sandeep Kumar of Him Academy Public School, Hamirpur, Madhuri Sharma of MVM Public High School, Una, and Shiwani Thakur of Project Senior Secondary School, Kinnaur. The sixth position has been bagged by Harsh Puri of DAV Public School, Chamba, and the seventh spot has gone to Apurav Chandel of Him Sarvodaya High School, Bilaspur. The eighth position has been shared by Divya Verma and Akanksha Gupta, both of Blue Star Senior Secondary Public School, Hamirpur. Ambika Sharma, also of Blue Star Senior Secondary School, Hamirpur, has stood ninth, along with Monika of Him Sarvodaya High School, Bilaspur. The 10th position has gone to Komal Kango of Him Academy Public School, Hamirpur. The results of the compartment examinations are also out. Out of the total 4,237 students who took the test, 3,021 were declared pass, with a pass percentage of 71.30. In case of examinations for English and improvement, 424 of the total 798 students who took the test were declared pass, with a pass percentage of 53.13. Board Chairman B.R.Rahi said as always girls had scored well in the exams.
	Rs 309 cr to be spent on development of tribal areas Tribune News Service Shimla, May 12 The Himachal Pradesh Government will spend Rs 309 crore on developmental activities in the tribal areas of the state during the current financial year. Stating this while presiding over the meeting of the state Tribal Advisory Committee here today, Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, said that while Rs 159.84 crore had been provided under the tribal sub-plan, an additional Rs 149.21 crore would be spent under the non-plan provisions. He said the government had earmarked 9 per cent of its annual budget for the tribal areas. There were clear directions to the authorities not to divert the tribal funds, and any such misdemeanour would be viewed seriously. Integrated tribal development project had been set up in all tribal areas and to monitor progress, the local MLAs had been involved. He said keeping in view the limited working season, all projects should be executed in a time-bound manner. The Chief Minister directed the authorities to complete the construction of the power line from Bhawa to Losar so that people in the valley were provided regular power. He urged the non-official members to encourage local enterprises to take up the execution of mini and micro hydro power projects. He also directed that helipad at Holi in Bharmour be completed on a priority basis besides undertaking the construction of the old Hindustan-Tibet road from Sarahan onwards by realigning the points wherever necessary. It was decided in the meeting to open book sale sub-depots at Kelong and Kaza and authorise the Forest Department to undertake the construction of the Bhawa-Mudh road.
	Groundwater depletion bodes ill Our Correspondent Solan, May 12 With rapid industrialisation in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh belt the availability of adequate water has become a matter of concern for the investors as well as the officials of the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department. The large-scale use of water has led to the depletion of groundwater which is an alarming signal for hydrologists. The fact that industries have failed to maintain an ideal distance of 200 meters between two hand pumps has increased the pressure on groundwater immensely. The absence of adequate recharging structures to replenish water sources has further added to the depletion of groundwater level. Though the investors are supposed to erect a water harvesting structure and also ensure its recharging, nothing concrete appears to have been done in this direction, said an official. He added that while the investors ensured that the drawings of all such structures were made available at the time of seeking a no-objection certificate, the structures actually put in place were unable to fulfill the requirement. This has created a situation where now it is hard to find water even at the depth of 350 feet where as it was earlier available at the depth of 250 feet. Prime industrial places like Sai Road in Baddi, Bhatoli Kalan, etc., have been so much overburdened due to influx of industries that groundwater level has declined by as much as 40 to 50 feet, estimated an official. In other places in the periphery of Baddi, including Malkhumajra, Manpura, etc, the groundwater level has gone down by 20-30 feet according to an estimate. Officials add that proper monitoring of such structures, keeping a check on excess withdrawals and limited use of ground water were the immediate measures required in this regard. Despite all such provisions being enlisted in the state’s water policy not much had been done to implement these, added the field staff. With thousands of residential flats coming up in the region and a population of nearly one lakh being added in the form of industrial workers, the availability of adequate water has become a prime concern for the local residents.
	Demolition drive throws traffic out of gear Our Correspondent Kangra, May 12 Life came to a virtual halt in this temple town in the afternoon today following traffic jams on almost all roads connecting the town, due to the mismanagement by the civil and police administration. The National Highway Authority today started a demolition drive against encroachers at Gurkhari Chowk, the nerve centre of roads connecting Pathankot, Dharamsala, Kullu, Kangra and other cities. The authorities, without any proper planning, diverted the traffic through Zamanabad and Gupt Ganga Roads connected with this town and this led to chaos. Hundreds of vehicles, including trucks, private and government buses, tourists buses, auto rickshaws carrying school children and hundreds of light motor vehicles and two wheelers were stranded in traffic jams on different roads in the town. The vehicles remained stranded from noon till about 4 p.m. on Dharamsala Road. Connecting the bus stand with the town; Tanda road connecting Palampur via Gupt Ganga; Zamanabad road connecting Gaggal with Kangra via Zamanabad. The Schoolgoing children, tourists, pilgrims and women besides aged persons were the worst sufferers. It took an HRTC bus (HP 34A 1336), bound for Pathankot, to nearly four hours to reach Kangra from Nagrota Bhagwan. As chaos ruled on the roads not even a single policeman was in sight. A police official said there were no cops here as everyone was busy on the demolition drive.When Sudha Devi, SDM, Kangra, too was caught in the jam near the Bank of Patiala, she decided to stop the demolition drive at Gurkhari and allow the vehicles to move towards the Pathankot-Mandi highway. At 4 pm an SHO alongwith some policemen managed to clear Dharamsala road and slowly traffic on other roads also started moving.
	BJP leaders seek relief for drought-hit farmers Bilaspur, May 12 The Bilaspur district Unit of the BJP Kisan Morcha and the District Unit of the BJP Yuva Morcha here condemned apathy of the Himachal government towards farmers and orchardists facing drought-like conditions here for the third year in succession. Addressing reporters here today. BJP Kisan Morcha District President Bhag Singh Thakur and District general secretary Roshan Thakur and Bilaspur Saddar Unit Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha President Roop Lal Thakur and Vice-president Brij Lal Thakur said failure of rains this season had destroyed most of the crops and now hailstorm accompanied with strong gale couple of days ago destroyed entire mango and citrus and stone fruit crops in the district resulting in loss to them. The leaders also said drinking water had become scarce and fodder was not available in most of the villages of district while the ration had vanished from government fixed priced shops, making things difficult in the villages. They named several areas where drinking water was not available. They demanded supply of clean drinking water in all scarcity-hit villages and subsidy for fodder, in all panchayat areas and supply of grains and atta to all government controlled depots. — OC
	BJP threatens to gherao MLA Our Correspondent Kangra, May 12 The BJP has threatened to gherao local MLA Surender Thakur for allegedly creating a terror among the people. Mr Rattan Jagatamba, member of the BJP state executive yesterday told The Tribune that it was unfortunate that Ms Mangla Devi, village head of Nandrul, was harassed allegedly by the Congress MLA at a public function. He said earlier a Congress worker asked Ms Mangla Devi, who is supported by the BJP, to leave the dais in the presence of the MLA. She was later pushed aside. Mr Jagatamba said when Ms Mangla Devi spoke and said that the BJP had contributed to the development of the area, the local MLA threatened her. He said some remarks about her husband too, were allegedly passed by the MLA.
	Over 3 lakh tourists likely to visit Chamba Our Correspondent Chamba, May 12 Almost all hotels in Chamba-Dalhousie tourism circuit are completely booked for the current tourist season. The tourist rush to the area has increased manifold due to the heat wave and conditions in the trouble-torn Jammu and Kashmir. According to reports more than three lakh Indian and foreign tourists were expected to visit Dalhousie, Khajjiar, Chamba and Bharmour hill resorts during the ongoing tourist season. Nearly 150 hotel establishments, including private hotels and the hotels owned by the government, are as a result expecting to do good business. According to sources the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) was a pioneer in the development of tourism infrastructure in the state. It had provided a complete package of tourism services, including accommodation, catering, transport, conferencing and sports activities having the largest chain of finest hotels and restaurants in the state with 53 hotels having 969 rooms with 2,072 beds. The HPTDC was also running 60 restaurants and cafes, serving a variety of cuisine, including Himachali delicacies, the sources disclosed. In Chamba-Dalhousie circuit, the HPTDC is running hotel Iravati, hotel Champak at Chamba, hotel Devdar at Khajjiar, hotel Manimahesh and Geetanjali at Dalhousie health resort with a total capacity of 72 double-bed rooms and 24 beds in the dormitories, sources added.
	Kol Dam work hits fish production Bilaspur, May 12 The construction of the 800 MW Kol Dam project on the Sutlej being executed by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has spelt doom for fish production in the state. The drastic drop in fish production has hit the livelihood of over 1850 fishermen involved in fishery along the dam here. Fisheries officials and fishermen blame the drastic drop in fish production on the construction of the Kol dam. “The construction work has cut the fish production in Bhakra Dam by more 50 per cent since 2001-2002, the year when the Kol dam work began upstream on the Sutlej”, they claim. The production was 1200 tonnes in 2001-2002. “This year it is just 656 tonnes, a drastic drop of nearly 50 per cent in five years”, said top officials. “A fisherman used to catch around 30 kg of fish daily, but now he cannot catch more 10 to 15 kg, rued Mr Mangal Singh, a fisherman. We survive mainly on fish to earn our livelihood. But fish breeding has dropped in the past five years”, the fishermen added. The Fisheries Department has taken up the matter with the NTPC seeking compensation of Rs 2 crore. — TNS
	4 die in mishap near Nalagarh Kumarhatti, May 12 Four persons died and one was injured when a private bus (HP-12-4175) met with an accident at a bridge near Kashmirpura Sandrola, 11 km from Nalagarh, today. The accident took place at 11 am on the Nalagarh- Bagheri road when the bus driver in a bid to pass the bridge lost control of it. The bus was overloaded and passengers were hanging from both doors of the it. The bus was on its way to Nalagarh from Bagheri. As the bus reached near the bridge the driver lost control of it due to high speed. The rear door of the bus hit the bridge railing. The bus dragged for a distance before the bus driver managed to stop the bus. The three persons hanging from the door received multiple injuries and died on the spot. Bus conductor Nirmal Singh, who was standing near the door, received serious injuries. He was taken to the Nalagarh Civil Hospital where after a few minutes he succumbed to his injuries. He hailed from Kalyanpura village near Nalagarh. A woman, Pairi with injuries most on her faces, was admitted to the Nalagarh hospital. She is out of danger. The bus driver fled from the spot and could not be arrested. Those who died on the spot were identified as Chander Mohan from Baruna near Nalagarh, Gurnam Singh from Baruna and Sunil from Bhogpur. As per Mr Sandeep Dhawal, DSP, Nalagarh, identification of the bus owner was not made. Verification of bus documents showed the bus belonged to Kaushal Bus Service who had sold it six months back. Though the route was legal but owner’s identification was still not confirmed, he said. The RTO was approached for help in the matter, he maintained. The bus had 42 seats and was carrying 60 persons, he added. — OC
	3 killed in separate accidents Our Correspondent Nahan, May 12 Three persons, including a minor school girl, lost their lives in three different accidents in the district today. An accident was reported from the Baldva Mine area near Kamrou village under Paonta subdivision, 75 km from here. As per reports, JCB driver Bahadur Singh, resident of Kamrou village and Nepali labourer Tara Singh, were killed after they got buried under debris which fell from the hillside while they were clearing the surface of the mine. In another accident, a bus (H.P. 18B-9001) owned by local Army Public School crushed a five-year-old girl student, Aparajita, to death. The victim was a student of local Carmel Convent School.
	One held for smuggling timber Our Correspondent Solan, May 12 A tractor driver Pawan Kumar was arrested near Kasot village in Nalagarh tehsil while trying to smuggle 12 beams of kikar, nine beams of shisham, two beams of neem and some fire wood. A police team led by Mr Mahender Singh seized this illegal beams during patrolling of the area. The driver hailing from Bhatiya village in Nalagarh tehsil could produce no permit or licence for carrying the wood. A case has been registered against him.
	Bailey bridges to be replaced at Kharo, Khab Tribune News Service Reckong Peo, May 12 The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has decided to replace the Bailey bridges of Kharo and Khab situated on the Sutlej in Pooh sub-division of Kinnaur district with concrete bridges. Commander Naresh Mittal of the 38 BRTF said that a sanction in this regard had been granted by the higher authorities and the construction work on these bridges would begin in the next couple of months. He further said that proposals to double-lane the Hindustan Tibet Road from Wangtoo to Pooh and replace the remaining Bailey bridges on the Sutlej in the area was also under the consideration of the BRO. The Commander said that after the restoration of traffic through the Akpa Bailey bridge, top on priority would be to go ahead with the metalling of the Hindustan Tibet Road, beginning from Wangtoo.
	BSNL services in Chamba Tribune News Service Dharamsala, May 12 The BSNL has launched mobile phone services in the far-flung areas of Chamba district, with an initial capacity of 1,500 connections from today. Mr Deepak Chaturvedi, General Manager, BSNL, said this facility would bring relief to the visitors to the Manimahesh temple, besides the local residents of the district. The service would soon be launched in Holi and Lill areas by putting up towers in nearly three months.