H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

HPTDC gives tough time to tourists
Mandi, September 1
Over 30 tourists on board a Volvo bus being run by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) to provide a hassle-free transport to the high-end tourists from New Delhi to Manali faced a harrowing time on the eve of the HPTDC’s foundation day yesterday.

Heli-taxi service to take off with thrust from hotels
Shimla, September 1
Not willing to take a financial risk, the tourism department has now roped in select top end hotels in order to make viable the heli-taxi service that it intends starting even though only Jagson Airlines is the only airline to have shown interest in taking up the project.

Demand for Manimahesh yatra trust
Kangra, September 1
Swami Virendranand Giri, president of the Himachal Pradesh Math Mandir Suraksha Samiti, today demanded that a Manimahesh yatra trust be set up with the Governor as its head on the pattern of the Amarnath Yatra Trust in Jammu and Kashmir in order to provide better facilities to the pilgrims visiting Manimahesh every year.

Woman gets maintenance in coins
Solan, September 1
The manner in which Shiv Kumar, a sewadaar working at Haripur Gurudwara, has been giving maintenance allowance to her divorced wife Meena and son, has made a mockery of the very justice which facilitated this arrangement.

Three Manimahesh pilgrims killed
Chamba, September 1
Three persons were killed, including two died of cold, while one person fell down from a steep hillock and rolled down into a 300-metre-deep gorge near Hadsar en route to the Manimahesh lake in Chamba district last night.

5 trees felled for firewood
Bilaspur, September 1
Five big broadleaved trees were felled without prior permission from the Forest Department on the premises of Government Senior Secondary School, Nalti in Ghumarwin block, about 60 km from here, in the district.

HPTDC gives tough time to tourists
Tribune News Service

Mandi, September 1
Over 30 tourists on board a Volvo bus being run by the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) to provide a hassle-free transport to the high-end tourists from New Delhi to Manali faced a harrowing time on the eve of the HPTDC’s foundation day yesterday. The bus was halted for more than two hours at the Swarghat barrier by the Regional Transport Office inspectors to pay tax.

Ultimately, the tourists paid the tax to get out of the hassle and reach Manali.

Narrating their ordeal to The Tribune, the tourists rued the bus reached the Swarghat barrier around 3 a.m., the RTO inspector asked the driver to pay the tax of Rs 20,000 due for the day. But the driver did not have the required money, they added.

The RTO inspector was adamant and asked the driver that he would not let him go till he paid the tax. “The passengers, including foreigners, witnessed the drama for nearly two hours,” complained Ms Sarika, a local resident, who had boarded the bus at New Delhi for Mandi.

The major shock came to the passengers when the driver of the bus asked them to pay the money and promised to refund it at Manali. “We had already paid Rs 815 per seat as the bus tariff and the driver asked for more just because of the mismanagement on the part of the HPTDC’s transport wing,” said the two Italian tourists, who were visiting Himachal Pradesh for the first time.

Adding to the misery of the tourists was that the rainwater was leaking through the roof of the bus, passengers said. “If they are charging Rs 815 per seat, then they should provide the facilities of that level also.

The HPTDC Manager, Transport, Mr Inder Bhardwaj, said they had paid the tax at rate of Rs 24,000 per day to the transport authority for plying six buses. “We have paid tax for 30 days for this month, but missed to pay for today as the month had 31 days. But we have refunded the amount to the passengers at Manali.”

Heli-taxi service to take off with thrust from hotels
Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 1
Not willing to take a financial risk, the tourism department has now roped in select top end hotels in order to make viable the heli-taxi service that it intends starting even though only Jagson Airlines is the only airline to have shown interest in taking up the project.

The Principal Secretary, Tourism, held a meeting with the representatives of these hotels here last week so that they could give an assurance that certain number of seats would be availed of by their clients on a regular basis.

With only one airline having put in its expression of interest for the heli-taxi service, the government is now planning to re-advertise it but with commitment from a handful of top end hotels here that they too will guarantee a minimum number of seats.

Besides, the government intends to relax the terms and conditions in the tender, while at the same time exploring the possibility of buying its own chopper or taking it up as a joint venture model. Last time the government had laid the condition that only new choppers could be used but now one-year-old choppers would also be acceptable.

A large number of tourists staying in these high end hotels prefer to fly as it reduces travelling time and makes the journey more comfortable. “Some of our real high profile clients, including foreigners, cancel their visit to Shimla when they get to know that there is no regular air link within the state, so the heli-taxi service would certainly give a boost to tourism in the state,” said hoteliers.

Jagson Airlines is the only airline to have shown keenness to take up the project but on its terms and conditions. This has made the tourism department very cautious and fresh tenders will be floated, with certain changes. The Jagson Airlines had asked for a minimum of 40 flying hours at the rate of over Rs 2.25 lakh per hour. The 26- seater helicopters are likely to be used in Himachal by Jagson Airlines.

“We decided to rope in the top end hotels, who would stand to benefit in case heli-taxi service is started, so that the financial gap can be filled in case there is poor response to the service,” said Mr Tarun Shridhar, Director, Tourism. He added that it could take some time for the service to actually take off and be marketed at commercial rates.

The government has been keen on starting the heli-taxi service in the state in order to give a boost to tourism but the project has failed to take off and even Centre has not come to the rescue of the state. In case there isn’t enough traffic, the tourism authorities may have to bear huge financial loss as they will have to pay the airlines as per the guaranteed flying hours.

Demand for Manimahesh yatra trust
Our Correspondent

Kangra, September 1
Swami Virendranand Giri, president of the Himachal Pradesh Math Mandir Suraksha Samiti, today demanded that a Manimahesh yatra trust be set up with the Governor as its head on the pattern of the Amarnath Yatra Trust in Jammu and Kashmir in order to provide better facilities to the pilgrims visiting Manimahesh every year.

Swami Giri said the pilgrims should be registered on the pattern of the Amarnath yatra so that infiltration of militants and other undesirable elements could be checked. He said the registration of the pilgrims should be done either at Baniket, Chamba or Danoh.

Swami Giri expressed concern over the death of a person in a blast at Barmour who could not be identified till date by the authorities.

He demanded a high-level inquiry into the blast.

Meanwhile, the DIG, Northern Range, Mr P.L. Thakur, who is stationed at Chamba, said that a team of the forensic experts had reached Barmour from Shimla and it was found that the blast was due to the leakage from a gas cylinder.

Woman gets maintenance in coins
Ambika Sharma

Solan, September 1
The manner in which Shiv Kumar, a sewadaar working at Haripur Gurudwara, has been giving maintenance allowance to her divorced wife Meena and son, has made a mockery of the very justice which facilitated this arrangement.

Entitled to receive Rs 750 per month as maintenance allowance after she had filed a case in the local court, Meena has been receiving this amount in way of 25 paise, 10 paise and at times 50 paise coins.

She received another instalment of this money on Monday in the local court which was in the form of 50 paise coins. Terming it as a mockery of law a shattered Meena told The Tribune that it was disgusting to get maintenance this way.

First it was the ill-treatment meted out to her by her in-laws soon after marriage and now this humiliation in the form of coins.

A bewildered Meena said she had no means of sustaining herself and her small son. “It is painful and insulting to make repeated visits to the court and then receive coins as her maintenance allowance. “I am surprised why he is not being punished for not appearing regularly before the court and how his actions have not attracted any punitive action from the courts?” asks Meena.

Accompanied by her father, she visits courts on each authorized date to receive the compensation.

Three Manimahesh pilgrims killed
Our Correspondent

Chamba, September 1
Three persons were killed, including two died of cold, while one person fell down from a steep hillock and rolled down into a 300-metre-deep gorge near Hadsar en route to the Manimahesh lake in Chamba district last night.

Officials said that the deceased had been identified as Uma (25), wife of Shanker Dass, Krishan Lal (38), a son of Paras Ram of Doda in Jammu and Kashmir, and Kaka Ram (22) of Pukhri (Banikhet) in Chamba district.

After an autopsy, the bodies of the deceased have been sent for handing over to their kin. With this, the death toll of devotees has risen to 20 during the fortnight-long Manimahesh pilgrimage.

Meanwhile, nearly one lakh devotees of Lord Shiva, including tourists from different parts of the country, had a holy dip in the Manimahesh lake at an altitude of 4,170 metres and offered their prayers to the image of Mount Kailash (the abode of Lord Shiva) in the Bharmour tribal valley despite sleet and rainy weather today. 

5 trees felled for firewood
Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Bilaspur, September 1
Five big broadleaved trees were felled without prior permission from the Forest Department on the premises of Government Senior Secondary School, Nalti in Ghumarwin block, about 60 km from here, in the district.

According to sources, the trees have been cut into smaller pieces to be used as firewood by the school management during the upcoming district-level tournament to be held at the school from September 24 to 27. “It has made mockery of the school-based eco-club and greening of school premises.”

The felling of trees has come as a blow to the government’s drive launched by none other than the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, and the Forest Minister, Mr Ram Lal Thakur, who belongs to this district. The Forest Department is dithering as Mr Ram Lal Thakur holds charges of both Forest and Sports Ministry.

The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) pleaded that it had no alternative for the firewood that would cater to over 500 students participating in the sports meet in September.

The school Principal, Mr R.K. Sharma, when contacted, said the trees were cut after the PTA passed a resolution and they had sought permission from the Forest Department on August 14, but it is awaited. “The two trees were drying up, posing danger to the schoolchildren and the devotees visiting the temple near the school,” he claimed.

The Range Officer, Ghumarwin, Mr Tirthraj Dhiman, said that five trees had been felled without any sanction from the department by the school management.

“A team of officials has been sent to the spot. It will seize the wood and take suitable action in the matter,” he claimed.