Shimla, January 30
Alarmed by the spurt in benami property deals in and around the state capital, the government has ordered a confidential inquiry into such deals.

It is learnt that private builders have constructed multistoreyed structures and sold out flats to outsiders in contravention of Section 118 of the State Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, which debars non-agriculturists from acquiring property in the state. Most of these structures have come up in the outskirts like Fagu, Kufri-Chail road, Naldehra, Baldian, Mashobra, and Durgapur and the Kandaghat -Shimla belt.

According to official sources, about 400 flats have come up in Mashobra alone, which is nothing more than a small hill village. The sale of flats have been effected on power of attorney and affidavits to circumvent the Act. The illegality of property transactions apart, the main concern of the government is that if such large structures are allowed to come up in the rural areas how will it provide basic civic amenities in such areas.

Unregulated growth will spell doom for the hill environment and lead to a plethora of problems like water scarcity and waste disposal.

The issue also came up during a recent Cabinet meeting after which Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh asked the district authorities to look into the matter.

Now, Revenue Minister Sat Mahajan has asked the Deputy Commissioner to initiate an inquiry into all such transactions and prepare a status report. In his order, he has specifically mentioned the locations where buildings have been constructed in contravention of the Town and Country Planning Act and sold out illegally to outsiders on power of attorney.

He has expressed concern that there is negligible reportage of such transactions, indicating a nexus between property dealers and rich non-agriculturists. While the government is losing stamp duty in such benami transactions, poor agriculturists are being lured to part with their ancestral lands.

Shimla, January 30
Tributes were paid to Mahatma Gandhi on his 59th death anniversary here today. Mr V.S. Kokje, Governor, garlanded the statue of the Father of Nation on the historic Ridge.

He recalled the contribution of the freedom fighters and martyrs and paid rich tributes to them. Mr Gangu Ram Musafir, Speaker, Mr Singhi Ram, Horticulture Minister, Mr Harbhajan Singh Bhajji, MLA, Mr Sohan Lal, Mayor, Shimla Municipal Corporation, Mr Tarun Kapoor, Deputy Commissioner, Mr A.P. Singh, Superintendent of Police, Mr Shekhar Gupta, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, and other leaders paid floral tributes to the Mahatma.

A session of patriotic songs and bhajans was held on the occasion.

Solan, January 30
Villagers of five panchayats in the Nalagarh sub-division are up in arms against the pollution of air, water and earth caused by a leather unit located in Rajpura gram panchayat. Representatives of five panchayats have requested the Deputy Commissioner to direct the unit to stop this pollution.

Five panchayats include Rajpura, Dhang Nihli, Majra, Manjholi, Plasi Kalan have formed an action committee to take up this cause. The committee’s pradhan Dayal Chand said toxin-ridden water released by the unit every evening passes through fields and finds its way into the nullah. It has damaged fields and the crop yield has reduced considerably. skin disease has also been caused to men and cattle. Water emanating from the tannery is highly polluting and has affected water quality of lift irrigation schemes and wells in the area.

Mr Sham Lal Negi, committee’s co-secretary says, water of four wells has been rendered unfit due to contamination. Water has become unfit for drinking and is foul odour is major concern for the nearby habitations. The nearby lift irrigation scheme has been contaminated with this polluted water. The IPH Department has put up boards declaring the water from these wells was unfit for consumption.

Fields have become less fertile with maize and wheat crops giving less yield compared to previous years. Since fields remain irrigated by polluted water crops so produced are contaminated, rued Mr Dharam Singh Saini, adviser of the action committee.

They also lamented though the case was presented before the SDM about a year ago and the unit was directed to change the course of water but these directions had not been implemented. Even a written agreement arrived at between the unit and Dayal Singh pradhan Rajpura panchayat, directing the unit not to release polluted water in the open had not been adhered to.

Senior executive of the unit A.R. Singh said though the water emanating from the unit was mal-odorous but it was not toxic. He said they were seized of the problem and experts from IIT Roorkee had conducted an in-depth study of the problem. New machinery worth Rs 83 lakh would be installed to control the problem. Help from a Chennai-based institute had also been sought to resolve the problem. Denying allegations of water quality deteriorating, he said it had neither increased nor decreased but had remained as it was. Quality of water was being monitored regularly and untreated water was not being allowed to be discharged he maintained.

He regretted that as per the decision of the SDM when the unit tried to change its course of water villagers of the other side protested and did not allow them to follow the instructions. This acted as a deterrent for the execution of the order.

Hamirpur, January 30
Mahatma Gandhi was remembered at a function organised here today. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, led the State in paying tributes at the statue of ‘Bapu’ at the State-level function at Gandhi Chowk to observe the 59th death anniversary of the father of the nation.

Mr G.S. Bali, Transport Minister, Ms Anita Verma, MLA, former MLAs, Mr B.R. Rahi, Chairman, H.P. Board of School Education, Mr Susheel Rattan, Vice Chairman, State Freedom Fighters Welfare Board, Mr Balak Ram Sharma, President, District Congress Committee Hamirpur, prominent people of the town and people from all walks of life joined the Chief Minister in paying tributes to freedom fighters who won nation independence.

Devotional and patriotic songs were sung with mass prayers held by various Gandhian societies and organisations to remember the Father of the Nation. 

Hamirpur, January 30
A sub-tehsil would be opened at Galod in Nadaunta Assembly for people’s convenience and Nadaun sewerage scheme would be constructed on priority, new bus stand to be built with Rs 1 crore and Pahari Cultural Festival to be revived in the town.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh stated this at a gathering at Nadaun in Hamirpur district on the fourth day of his five-day long visit to the district today, after he laid the foundation-stones of sewerage scheme for Nadaun town estimated to cost Rs 6.5 crore, primary health centre building at Sera to be constructed at a cost of Rs 42 lakh besides dedicating PWD Rest House at Sera completed at a cost of Rs 16.60 lakh to people of the area.

The Chief Minister said that Medical colleges would be opened in Hamirpur and Mandi districts where quality medical facilities and education would be available to the students. He said the proposal was being given final shape after observation of the codal formalities, which were nearing completion. He said that Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla and Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Kangra at Tanda had emerged centres of excellence. He said new medical colleges would also be developed.

Shimla, January 30
The Himachal unit of the All-India Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Federation on Sunday submitted a list of 30 persons to the local Deputy Commissioner who wish to reconvert to Hinduism after having become Christians.

The president of the federation, Mr Tarsem Bharti, said these 30 persons had been lured to covert to Christianity during the past one year. "Under the Anti-Conversion Act enacted by the HP Legislative Assembly we have to give one month's notice which we have done," he said. All the 30 persons who want to reconvert belong to Jutog and Tutu area of the town.

Demanding a White Paper on conversions, he said despite a law against atrocities on the SCs and STs, these underprivileged people were still suffering at the hands of the upper castes. "We demand that the government order a high-level inquiry into the total number of conversions that have taken place from Hinduism to Christianity," he demanded.

He said a proper ceremony would be held in the second week of February when these 30 persons would be taken back into the fold of Hinduism. A spiritual leader would be present on the occasion to ensure that their reentry was as per religious norms, he added. He alleged that a large scale conversions to Christianity were taking places in the state, including remote villages like Chrigaon in Rohru.

Shimla, January 30
While inaugurating a two-day workshop on ‘Scaling-up rural sanitation in the state’, the Principal Secretary, Rural Development, Mrs Rajwant Sandhu, has stressed on the need for making people aware of the improved hygiene practices, including the use of toilets. She said this could only be achieved if the entire community adopts the improved sanitation behaviour.

The workshop was organised by the Department of Rural Development in collaboration with the World Bank’s water and sanitation programme, South Asia, here today.

She said the state through its community-led total sanitation approach had succeeded in creating open defecation-free communities across the state.

The state had nominated about 33 gram panchayats for the Nirmal Gram Purasakar 2006-07, compared to none last year.

Recent studies of the statewide sectors assessments in India showed that most of the people continue to defecate in open not due to the lack of toilets, but primarily because they could not change their behaviour as awareness about the health risks were limited or ignored.

She said the water would be checked periodically and the test kits would be provided to the panchayat representatives for the purpose.

The two schools in every block would be associated with the project and science teachers would be involved in it.