Sundernagar, April 13
Brushing aside the grievances of residents regarding the setting up of a cement plant in the Khatrwar-Chambi area, next to Sundernagar town, the local administration today conducted a joint inspection of land at various sites in a secret manner without intimating the public representative of the area. The inspection was conducted to install a cement industry there.

The residents had opposed the move, as the plant would pollute the town.
The SDM, Sundernagar, had circulated the letters to various departments and asked them to be present today at Bari village. This was being done so that the departments may issue no objection certificates to the plant owner.

M/s Harish Cement Ltd., the company, which was proposing to set up the plant there, was shown black flags on March 19, when they visited Khatrwari and were forced to abandon the site. The residents were opposing the decision of the government to set up the plant there. No representatives of the public were given information regarding the joint inspection.

Without seeking the no-objection certificate from the residents, the government and the company had signed the mining lease, (although the no objection certificate was mandatory). The lease was still signed keeping aside all legal norms.

It was confirmed from official sources that the team from different departments had inspected sites at Keran, Maloh, Ghangal, Khatrwari Kangar, Bari Bara and Chambi today.

When the Mining officer Puneet Guleria was asked about joint inspection he said he had no knowledge about it, however, he was found missing from the office today without any intimation to the field staff and was also present with the team at the site.

The team comprising tehsildar, Sundernagar, mining officer, representatives of PWD, I.P.H, forest and electricity departments were present at the site. The official sources said the inspection was carried out in a secret manner. SDM, Sundernagar, was not present at the site.

Nachan Congress MLA Tek Chand Dogra has lodged a protest that the cement industry should not be setup at the present site.

The panchayat upper Behali, where the site of the plant is, has already passed a resolution against setting up of cement plant, president of gram panchayat upper Behali Keshari Lal said.
President of Khatrwari Sangarh Samiti Surinder Singh said officials had vested interests and were not acting as public servants but were a part of the cement lobby.

The residents have planned to start a chain-hunger strike from May 1.

Churah (Chamba), April 13
There are about 20 hydroelectric projects, which are either under construction or ready for execution on the rivers and rivulets, but some of these projects do not have the administrative clearance of the state government.

The government land utilised by these projects has not been legally leased out to them. Therefore they do not have any legal status.

Confirming these lapses, sources said the government land encroached, occupied and covered for the ongoing construction activities of certain projects was being used without the land-use permission of the competent authority. This was a violation of government law.

As per Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, it was mandatory for the hydropower enterprises executing the hydropower projects to get approval from the District Collector for the use of land. But in certain projects the cases of permission were pending with the revenue authorities, despite the fact that these hydropower projects were almost nearing completion.

After getting all clearances such as environment, pollution, water bodies departments and other concerned agencies, it was also obligatory for them to seek final approval from the District Collector for acquiring the land on lease.

McLeodganj, April 13
‘Dreaming Lhasa’, the controversial feature film on Tibet, has been released in seven cities across the United States of America today, despite Chinese working against its release behind the scenes.

The Chinese authorities have been trying to prevent Dreaming Lhasa being shown in major film festivals worldwide, but still the film has already been screened at a number of international film festivals. The film has received accolades for its delicate handling of the theme worldwide.

‘Dreaming Lhasa’ is the first internationally recognised feature film by a Tibetan, in partnership with his Indian wife, to explore the contemporary reality of Tibet and the plight of exiles.

The film is made by husband and wife team Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam. The executive producer of ‘Dreaming Lhasa’ is actor and activist Richard Gere.

Richard Gere, the Hollywood actor, who is here at McLeodganj, says that the film has wonderfully highlighted the perspective of exiles of the Tibetans. Although the protagonists' story is fictional, it is an authentic rendering of the passions and concerns of Tibetan exiles and political prisoners. 

Shimla, April 13
The peak capacity of the 1,500-MW Nathpa-Jhakri project will be more than doubled and its operation smoothened considerably with the raising of the height of the diversion dam at Nathpa by 5 metre.

The engineers of the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam ( SJVN) have constructed a protective wall and a 1,400-m tunnel at a cost of Rs 34 crore to save the power house of the 126-MW Bhabha Project located upstream from submergence. The tunnel will carry the water form the tailrace beyond the dam the height of which has been increased to 62 m. The reservoir, which is filled up to a maximum of 1,485 m (from the sea level), could now be safely topped up to 1495 m. The reservoir will be filled to the maximum level over the next two weeks.

The country’s largest hydroelectric venture has not been in a position to provide peaking power because of lack of adequate storage. By raising the height of the dam, the capacity of the reservoir has been enhanced from 158 hectare metre to 343 hectare metre and in the process, its length will be increased from the existing 3.5 km to 7.3 km.

The additional storage capacity will enable the SJVN to provide peaking power for the northern grid for three-and-a-half hours as against one-and-a-half hours at present. The SJVN had originally planned to have a 62-m dam, but during construction of the project, it became evident that the tailrace will be submerged. The height of the dam was thus restricted to 57 m with a provision to increase it.

The elongated reservoir will help in combating the problem of excessive silt as the water of the turbulent Sutlej will slow down considerably before reaching the intake point at the dam allowing more particles to settle down. The project was designed for a silt level of 5,000 ppm.

The country’s largest hydroelectric venture has not been in a position to provide peaking power due to lack of adequate storage. By raising the height of the dam, the capacity of the reservoir has been enhanced

Nahan, April 13
Chief Minister of Punjab Parkash Singh Badal today visited Baru Sahib Gurdwara, around 126 km, from here.

Addressing the gathering at a function organised by the Kalgidhar Trust of Baru Sahib, he demanded industrial package for Punjab on the pattern of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. He urged the Union Government that in the present circumstances it was essential to create a new environment of development in the state.

He said the anti-people policies of the Congress governments had pushed Punjab from the top position to the 15th in the country. He said his government was not following politics of vendetta as was being charged by the opposition. He said in his political life he had never worked with political enmity in mind and he could assure that no innocent would be harassed.

He paid obeisance in the gurdwara and took part in the bhog ceremony of akhand path of Guru Granth Sahib.

Replying to a question, he said Punjab and Himachal had common interests in many fields and there were possibilities of joining hands for various development projects.

He announced that a separate department would be created for the welfare of youths and focus would be to create self-employment avenues for them. He also announced that special schools would be opened in the Punjab to provide quality education to the brilliant poor students on the pattern of reputed schools working in Chandigarh and Dehra Dun.

He praised the welfare programmes being carried out by the Kalgidhar Trust in the field of education, social, economic and religious uplift of society.

He announced if trust wanted to open academies in every development block of Punjab, the government would allot 10 acres of land in each block to the trust. He also said the government would extend every possible help to the trust for its welfare programmes in Punjab. He announced a grant of Rs 10 lakh from the government and Rs 5 lakh from the SGPC for the welfare activities being run by the trust.

Earlier, Himachal Vidhan Sabha speaker G.R. Musafir welcomed Badal and said Punjab was elder brother of Himachal Pradesh. He hoped that both the states would extend hand of cooperation and help each other to ensure better development of the area.

Member of the trust Ravinder Singh read out a report on the activities of trust and Sant Iqbal Singh presented a “siropa” to Badal and G.R. Musafir. Several persons involved with welfare programmes of trust, including Wg Cdr G.S. Bindra (retd) were present on this occasion.

Hamirpur, April 13
One person was killed and 30 were injured today evening when a private bus plunged into a gorge and hit a tree.

The accident occurred near Bassi on the Hamirpur-Mandi road around 6 pm when driver of the Green Line private bus (HP-67- 9990) reportedly lost control on it near Bailgah, around 33 km from here.

Lekh Raj, an employee of Health Department and resident of Ropri, died on the spot. — TNS

Shimla, April 13
Despite the possibility of UGC granting extension to the Institute of Integrated Himalayan Studies (IIHS) at Himachal Pradesh University, the five-year term of which expired last month, a new controversy has hit the institute as its director Y.S. Verma has expressed his desire to quit the post.

It is reliably learnt that Y.S. Verma has requested vice-chancellor Anil Wilson to relieve him of the additional responsibility. With Y.S. Verma under whose directorship the IIHS has done exemplary work wanting to quit, the very fate of the institute could face uncertainty as a six-member team of the UGC is scheduled to arrive here for evaluation and deciding the future of the centre.

Though Y.S. Verma, who also holds the post of director, Academic Staff College, has cited workload as the reason for his desire to step down from the post, it is learnt that it is the behaviour of research associates that has hurt him and compelled him to take such a step.

The 13-member research staff employed at the institute, a UGC centre of excellence at HPU have been pleading their case for being absorbed permanently in the institute. 

McLeodganj, April 13
Taking a serious note of the change of land use to construct a hotel instead of developing a parking lot on reserved forest area here, the conservator of forests (central) of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (northern region) has issued a notice to the state through its chief conservator of forests to submit a report in that regard.

The project was being constructed by the state Transport Department under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) scheme through the Prashanti Surya Constructions, a local company.

Earlier, Kangra district magistrate Bharat Khera had also served a notice under Section 39 of the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act, 1977, on the local divisional manager of the Transport Department to restore the land in its original condition within one month.

However, the illegal building is still standing tall even after one month of the notice.