Shimla, March 13
Normal life in the hill state remained affected as snow and rain continued to lash the region for the third consecutive day today.

With a cold wave sweeping Himachal Pradesh following rain and snow for three consecutive days, shopkeepers huddle around a bonfire in Shimla on Tuesday. — Tribune photo by S. Chandan

Dhundi in Kullu recorded 120 cm of snowfall over the past 24 hours, taking the total snowfall during the current spell to 330 cm. The tribal areas of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti are also having incessant snow and by the evening Keylong had accumulated 80 cm of snowfall followed by Patsio (90 cm) and Kalpa (110 cm) and Udaipur (95 cm).

The Churdhar, Haripurdhar, Chanshal slopes and other higher reaches have recorded the heaviest snow fall of the season. Traffic on the Hindustan-Tibet road remained suspended as a large stretch of the road near Narkanda came under heavy snow. The roads leading to Chopal and Rohru were also blocked due to heavy snow. Narkanda has recorded 80 cm of snowfall over the past two days.

Shimla and the surrounding areas were lashed by a severe hailstorm accompanied with lighting and thunder this afternoon. It was followed by a mild snowfall. The high-velocity winds brought down the temperature to the freezing point. People huddled around bonfires to beat the cold.

The tourist resort of Manali had some respite from snow in the morning. However, the weather deteriorated by the afternoon and its started snowing in the evening. Several parts of the area remained without power.

The lower areas of the state are having widespread rain. Gumber (Kangra) had 71 mm of rainfall over the past 24 hours, Nadaun (40.5 mm) and Bhuntar 24 (mm).

DHARAMSALA: Dharamsala recorded the heaviest rainfall in the state on Tuesday. Incessant rain, accompanied by lightning and hailstorm threw life out of gear in the hill town and its surrounding areas.

Till evening, Dharamsala has recorded 71.8 mm rain during the day and the downpour was on. The downpour recorded at Dharamsala was 6.4 mm on March 10, 11 9.8 mm on March and 24.4 mm yesterday.

All flights from the Kangra airport had been cancelled. Train service from Pathankot to Jogindernagar was also partially affected. The far-flung Bara Bangal area in Baijnath subdivision was also cut off by road link due to a heavy snowfall.

KANGRA: Incessant rain in the Kangra valley and heavy snowfall on the Dhauladhar range and on its foothills crippled the life in the valley on Tuesday.

It had been raining heavily in the valley since Saturday. During the past 24 hours, 74 mm rain was recorded here. Cold wave conditions persisted in the valley. There were reports of traffic disruptions on some of the link roads.

MANDI: The district administration in Kullu-Lahaul-Spiti districts today sounded a high alert for residents and put in place its disaster management committee to be ready for meeting an emergency situation that could arise due to the continuing spell of snowfall in higher regions and widespread rain in lower regions for the fourth day today.

Kullu district DC Chamel Singh said they had sounded a high alert for residents and put in place its disaster management committee to be ready for meeting an emergency situation that could arise due to the continuing snowfall.

Meanwhile, National Highway-21 remained intermittently blocked due to landslides and falling boulders at three points between Swarghat-Bilaspur and between Raison and Manali town till it was cleared for traffic in the evening today.

The vehicular traffic remained suspended beyond Manali as more than 2.6 feet of snow had been recorded in the Bahang and Nehru Kund areas uphill of Manali for the past three days.

DALHOUSIE: Fresh snow and widespread rain on the third day on Tuesday continued to disrupt normal life in Chamba district. Traffic was badly affected in the interior Bharmour, Churah and Bhattiyat areas, according to reports.

The high hills of Chamba district, including the tribal belts of Bharmour and Pangi, have been experiencing a heavy snowfall. The Dalhousie hills had 10 cm of snowfall, plummeting the temperature. Roads linking the interior tribal regions had been blocked by landslips.

Shimla, March 13
The issues of corruption and the charge sheet issued by the BJP dominated the debate in the House today. There were heated exchanges between the treasury benches and the opposition members.

It was a reference made by animal husbandry minister Harsh Mahajan to the letter written by ministers and MLAs during the Dhumal regime against their own government that irked the BJP members. Mahajan said the BJP members had no right to talk about corruption or regionalism as they had created history by pointing fingers at their own government in that regard.

Having placed the letter written by them before the Speaker, he said the ministers in the Dhumal government had written about regional discrimination and appointments being made from one district besides the issue of corruption. “The Virbhadra regime has ensured uniform development of all parts of the state and the Budget presented this time is pro common man as interests of all sections have been taken care of,” he remarked.

He said Himachal had been adjudged the best in the country in the field of education, social sector, health and good fiscal management.

“He said 65,577 persons had been provided employment, while over 33,000 more jobs would be provided this year,” he said. Mahajan said all 140 pass outs from Palampur veterinary college had been appointed as veterinary doctors, while appointments of 775 pharmacists had been done in one go.

BJP legislator Mohinder Singh said the government must issue a white paper on the employment scenario in the state. He regretted that despite the special industrial package being given to Himachal, the state had failed to reap benefits.

He alleged the unemployed youths were being denied micro and mini hydel projects. All good power projects had been allotted to a Hyderabad-based company, he further said. “Foodgrains and other items meant for children studying in anganwaris in the Bhara Bhangal area had gone missing, which indicated the pilferage in the public distribution system,” he said.

Food and civil supplies minister Singhi Ram said an FIR had already been registered against the panchayat pradhan, secretary, head master and the supplier of the food items after an inquiry was conducted into the case.

Shimla, March 13
Former communications minister Sukh Ram said today the ministers should be given more powers and freedom to take decisions.

Participating in the debate to discuss the budget proposals, he said being a member of the Congress he could not oppose the budget but there were certain issues that he would like to raise. "Seeing the grim unemployment scenario in the state, the government should convene a special session so that a strategy can be chalked out to take effective steps to tackle this problem," he said.

He said the government should try to harness the state’s vast hydro power potential . "I do not know whether it is BJP or the Congress which responsible for the debt-trap the state has fallen into but the fact remains that the debt has now crossed Rs 18,000 crore," he said.

He cautioned the government about cement plants as these very harmful for the environment of the state. "I urge the government not to create a 'cement mafia' like the cola mafia in Bihar as there is hardly any benefit that the state draws from the setting up of cement plants," he opined.

Welcoming the announcement about setting up of a medical college in Mandi , he lamented that no budgetary provision had been made in  this regard in this year's  budget.

Shimla, March 13
The state government has cancelled the interviews held recently to fill 447 posts of guard in the Forest Department. The process to fill the posts will start afresh.The recruitment will be carried out on the pattern as that of police constables.

The official reason being given out for the cancellation is that the 214 additional posts of forest guards have fallen vacant since the process of recruitment got underway. The government wants all 661 posts to be filled at one go. Like the police pattern, the candidates will be first required to clear a physical test, then they will undertake a written test.

According to sources, the procedure adopted for recruitment was not sound and too much importance was given to interview. The apex court has laid down that the marks of interview should not exceed 15 per cent. The department had allocated 20 out of the total 40 marks for the interview. The state high court in the case of recruitment of JBT teachers had directed the government to limit discretionary marks. The new format for the interview is being finalised keeping in view the high court verdict.

The interviews were cancelled after the completion of the recruitment process. Only the results were to be announced. The Conservator of Forests, Dharamsala, has already appointed six forest guards under the ex-servicemen quota. The results of the interviews for other categories had not been declared.The appointments were made in accordance with the instructions of the General Administration Department that appointment letters to ex-servicemen be issued within 15 days of selection.

Over 55,000 candidates had applied for 447 posts. The number of applicants is likely to increase. The direct recruitment of forest guards is being carried out for the first time since 1992. 

Mandi, March 13
In two incidents, a school boy was killed when a boulder fell on him and an Italian tourist died in a road accident on the Swarghat-Mandi-Manali National Highway-21.

The boy was killed on the spot near Manav village in Janauta teshil, Bilaspur, when a boulder triggered by landslide from the steep hillside hit him. The boy was going back home after attending school.

In another case, an Italian tourist was killed on the spot after the motorcycle he was driving was hit by a speeding truck near Kalar, 20 km from Bilapsur town on the Swarghat-Mandi-Manali highway.

The Italian national, identified as Ghislandi, was going to Manali on his two-wheeler, along with his co-national, who was driving a separate motorcycle.

The police has impounded the truck (HP-24 A-2513) and booked the driver under Sections 279, and 304 A of the IPC.

Parwanoo, March 13
Residents of Sector 1 here are sore over the mushrooming industrial units near the area. Around 12 units have been set up on the land belonging to Taksal panchayat, adjacent to the sector, in the past few years.

The industrial activities have shattered the peace in the area, laments a resident. “Heavy vehicles kept making rounds till late night to pick or drop the materials,” he added.

Trucks remained parked on the road. There was no proper management to check dumping of industrial waste in the area.

They had repeatedly complained to the authorities concerned, but to no avail, lamented residents.

Meanwhile, Municipal Corporation officials said the units had come up on the panchayat land. The MC had nothing to do in the matter.