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26,000 mulberry trees face axe
Resentment over rising prices
FIRST FLIGHT
Rs 2.35 cr for Hamni fish farm
Myths keep forest fires burning
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Theatre, Suhi festivals conclude
Model village to get national award
Rs 6 cr allotted for 2 industrial areas
SHO’s transfer stayed
Georgian car rally reaches Dagshai
HRTC driver beaten up
Rs 5 cr for Manimahesh
Cycle yatra against MNCs
Sarai for poor patients
Air Marshal gets PVSM
Rajgarh Shirgul fair begins
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26,000 mulberry trees face axe
Kangra, April 14 According to Lieut-Col Shakti Chand (retd), president of the All-India Defence Personnel Welfare Association and state president the OBC Mukhya Sangh, he has apprised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and UPA president Sonia Gandhi on the issue. The oldest sericulture farm, which now has more than 26,000 mulberry trees, was established in 1957 on the instructions of Jawaharlal Nehru, but now it was facing destruction. He has alleged in the letter that it is on the instructions of transport minister G.S. Bali that axe was falling on these trees. The government decision will make it difficult for around 3,000 OBC, SC and ST persons, who depend on the sericulture, to make both ends meet. The farm provides around 1.5 lakh saplings of mulberry plants to other farms in order to boost sericulture in the state. The Central Government provided Rs 13 crore for the development of sericulture in the state last year, but now there was a plan to axe mulberry trees in thousands, he maintains. According to him, the people are not against establishing a college here, but why to axe threes when around 200 kanals of barren land at Matiari village under the Ghorah panchayat is available just 1 km from Nagrota Bagwan for this purpose?, he says. |
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Resentment over rising prices
Dharamsala, April 14 Retail shopkeepers and wholesale dealers in the district, particularly at the district headquarters in Dharamsala and other townships of Kangra, Palampur, Nurpur, McLeodganj, Baijnath, Paprola, Jawalaji and Dehra are not complying with the Himachal Pradesh Commodities Price Marking and Display Order-1977, which aims at securing the equitable distribution and availability of articles for controlling prices. As per the orders, it is mandatory for shopkeepers and wholesale dealers to display the hours of business, list of prices and opening stocks in Hindi at the entrance of the shop. Further, in the case of any commodity which is out of stock, instead of writing the price thereof in the list, the words 'out of stock' should be written in bold letters against that commodity. However, no one complies with these orders. The state government has also made certain provisions giving powers to the district magistrates to fix the rates of meat, chicken, fruits, vegetables, meals in dhabas and all other essential commodities after reviewing the profit margins from time to time. Unfortunately, for the past over two years, the district magistrate has not notified the rates of such commodities. When contacted, Bharat Khera, district magistrate said: “It is an open market and everybody has the right to sell things on his own rates keeping in view his profit.” On the other hand, the food and civil supplies department instead of controlling the prices of essential commodities, is just monitoring the prices of 27 identified essential commodities and sending a report to the head office in this regard daily. The daily report of prices is also sketchy as the shopkeepers provide false rates to the food and civil supplies department while they sell things at higher prices. Most of the vegetable sellers, fruit sellers and grocery shopkeepers do not display the rates of essential commodities. Thus, the consumers are paying for the inconsistency of the authorities concerned. Dhaba owners in Dharamsala are charging between Rs 40 and Rs 75 per vegetable thali while the rates of meals in the dhabas in Kangra, Nurpur and Baijnath are much lower. The district administration has for the past over two years not notified the uniform rates of meals in the dhabas as in the case of other districts in the state. The rates of chicken and mutton also vary from place to place within the district. Ishwari Devi, a housewife of Dharamsala, has alleged that the district administration has not notified the rates of essential commodities even as there are clear instructions in this regard to review and fix/notify the rates of essential commodities after every three months. |
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Government keen on heli-taxi service
Tribune News Service
Shimla, April 14 He was speaking at a function organised on the occasion of the inaugural Delhi-Shimla flight of Air Deccan at the Jubbarhatti airport near here. “Having good road, rail and air connectivity is a must not just for tourism promotion, but also for the economic prosperity of the state,” he said. Air Deccan will be operating its 48-seater ATR 42 500 aircraft on alternate days on the Delhi-Shimla route. The flight would be on alternate days with a fare of around Rs 2,500. He said after starting of Air Deccan flights from Shimla, Kangra, Kullu and Pathankot, the government was now keen that some air operators came forward to provide the much needed heli-taxi service connecting various destinations in the state. “I request Air Deccan to explore the possibility of connecting air service within the state as this will help promote the unexplored tourist destinations in remote tribal areas,” he remarked. He said the government was exploring the possibility of extending the runway at Shimla and Kullu, for which even the estimates had been received. He said an estimate of Rs 917 crore had been prepared for undertaking extension of the runway at the Jubbarhatti airport. He said the government was keen on having a big airport at Balh Valley for which preliminary survey and other investigations had already been completed. Tourism and transport minister G.S. Bali requested managing director of Air Deccan G.R. Gopinath to explore the possibility of starting heli-taxi service. Gopinath said on the request of the government, the Delhi-Shimla flight would now also connect Kangra. “In case the government is able to provide night landing facility at the Jubbarhatti airport, we would want to have a morning and evening flight,” he said.
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Rs 2.35 cr for Hamni fish farm
Banjar (Kulu), April 14 Tirthan river is being developed as an exclusive preserve of the brown trout for angling. The government has banned construction of any hydropower project in the Tirthan river to ensure that river rears brown trout, revealed officials. The district administration has already acquired 8 bighas from villagers at Hamni to make way for the setting up of the modern brown trout fish farm along the banks of the Tirthan river, a tributary of the Beas. The anglers chase their prized catch in the river till Larji, the meeting point of both rivers. Sub-Divisional Officer-cum-Land Acquisition Officer, Banjar, PR Verma, told The Tribune here today that compensation to the tune of Rs 13 lakh had been paid to seven farmers for their land acquired for the fish farm. “We have transferred the land to the fisheries department.” Director Fisheries BD Sharma said brown trout farm will have the capacity of producing 3 lakh fingerlings a year. Once the seed production starts, the fingerlings will be re-introduced in Tirthan river for angling, he added. Tirthan river is one of the few rivers in the country which supports the rare brown river trout, the favourite haunt for the anglers, who come from across the world for the angling competition held here every year. But the furious flood in the Tirthan that destroyed the trout farm at Nagni in Banjar two years ago robbed the anglers of the thrill experienced in the river sport. Angling in the Tirthan has been as good as dead for the past two years.
Though the river trout has started showing signs of revival, its existence has remained shaky, say fisheries experts. |
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Myths keep forest fires burning
Mandi, April 14 The forest department sounds its customary alert for its "inadequate and an ill-equipped field staff over the threat of forest fires every year the summer and winter. But the department is yet to involve villagers in fire-prone forests, addressing to the “actual factors that trigger forest fires.” The scourge of forest fires looms large in the fire-prone chil and kail pine forest areas as the fire-catching needles litter the forest floor during the dry summer months, robbing thousands of hectares of forest areas of its growing tender species of trees, plants and herbs every year in the state. Myths abound among villagers about the forest fires, more particularly during prolonged dry summer months as awareness about the losses remains poor. “Even resin smugglers torch the chil forest under a myth that fire increasing the resin output,” experts revealed. Even PWD labourers leave behind burning charcoal 'bhatis' on the roadside that sometimes results in forest fire mainly in the chil and kail-rich forests in the lower parts in Mandi, Hamirpur, Kangra, Solan, Shimla and other chil-rich areas,” revealed forest officials. Farmers torch the grasslands and the harvested crop fields to create clouds of the smoke under a belief that the fire smoke draws clouds and then rains and fosters good growth of fodder in the next season. But in many instances fire engulfs the nearby forest area that in turn, destroys thousands of valuable small species of trees, plants and herbs, explained forest experts. The pickers of "guchi", a valuable forest delicacy cherished for its taste in five-star hotels, leave behind a trail of burning "camp fires" within the forests during the "guchi- picking season in April that spreads around and results in major forest fires in many areas in upper hills of Mandi, Kulu, Shimla and Chamba districts. Latest department figures showed that the fire destroyed 386 hectares of forest areas in 64 fire cases in Mandi division, about 699 hectares of forest area in 68 fire cases in Dharamsala forest division, 1478 hectares in Bilaspur in 99 fire cases, 1411 hectares in Nahan in 78 fire cases, and 176 hectares in Shimla division in 17 fire cases. Even wildlife sanctuaries have become fire-prone. Conservator of Forests CS Singh said the department had identified over 57 fire sensitive spots in the Mandi division and had cleared over 35 fire lines in the area. |
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Theatre, Suhi festivals conclude
Kangra, April 14 The society was recently revived by a group of intellectuals of the district after having remained defunct for over 20 years. The event was aimed at promoting art, culture and literature. Performances were made by three drama groups Lucknow, Amritsar and Mandi. The event was sponsored by the North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala. Rajender Rajan, convener of the festival, said the play “Princess Nagfani verses Prem Journey” based on a satire of Harishankar Parsai was performed by the Himachal Culture Research Forum and theatre academy of
Satohal, near Mandi, on the first day. The play was directed by Uttpal Jha. “Saiyan Bhaye
Kotwal” was also staged on the first day by the Manch-Rangmanch, a theatre group of Amritsar. The play was an adaptation of a Marathi play in Hindi by Keval Dhaliwal. On the second day today, ‘Saleem Shervani ki Shaadi’ was performed by the
Yayawar, a theatre group from Lucknow. The play was based on a novel of famous French writer George
Fedio. It was directed by Jitender Mittal. The performances had the audience riveted with the help of lyrics and explanations. The actors made direct communication with the audience. The event was engaging and absorbing. Meanwhile, a seminar on national scenario of the Hindi theatre and its possibilities in the future was also organised by the society. Divisional commissioner of Kangra division B.K. Aggarwal presided over the
seminar. Jitendra Mittal a theatre expert from Lucknow read a paper on the present existence of Hindi theatre and suggested ways and means for preserving this art. Aggarwal also released the fifth issue of a Hindi literary magazine “Irawati” being published and edited by Rajender Rajan, a noted literary figure of the state. Chamba, April 14: The three-day Suhi fair concluded here today with songs commemorating the sacrifice of Rani Sunayana who sacrificed herself for the cause of her subjects. Harsh Mahajan, Animal Husbandry and Urban Development Minister, also graced the occasion. The fair is celebrated on the premises of the palanquin-shaped Suhi temple, located on a hillock above Chamba town. The fair also reminds us of the days when the new capital of Chamba might have come into existence. The 1000-year-old Suhi Mata temple at Chamba is an inseparable part of Chamba’s cultural heritage. The temple was erected in the memory of Rani Sunayana.
— OC |
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Model village to get national award
Solan, April 14 The panchayat comprising eight villages has not only won the Panchayat Nirman Puruskaar worth Rs 2 lakh, but has also been chosen for the national award which will be given to it in the first week of May. The President will confer the award on the village panchayat. Being a new panchayat, which came into existence on January 23, 2006, development projects and new schemes were in nascent stages here. The villagers were dependent on agriculture and a few did local jobs to supplement their income. The absence of toilets in the village forced people to use open fields and forest areas for defecation. It was an opportunity to attend a three-day workshop on total sanitation organised by a voluntary organisation called the Knowledge Links, which for the first time gave the people an insight into the ill-effects of lack of sanitation. As part of its campaign on community-led total sanitation
(CLTS), the Knowledge Links motivated the panchayat representatives to adopt total sanitation. “What motivated me to adopt total sanitation was a talk by Dr
Kamalkaar, convener of the campaign, on our prevailing unhygienic system of defecating in the open. His bitter comments on our prevailing system made me sit up and think,” said Baldev. He said it was an illustration given by Dr Kamalkaar on how the system, which was adopted by a small country like Bangladesh, had brought about a mass change. “We have no sweeper in the village as each of us ensures no garbage is thrown in the open. The biodegradable waste is added to the soil and the rest is burnt.” A small beginning was made when Budh Ram made a temporary toilet with the help of available material, including wooden basket and old tent. The effort was laudable since it was the first step towards adopting sanitation. Devi Singh Thakur was another man who used an old rubber equipment to construct a makeshift toilet. These two acted as motivators and their efforts were emulated by others. “A fine ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 500 is imposed on anyone violating the norm and even the landlords are strictly directed to check their tenants. Even farm labourers working in the nearby Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry have been directed to keep the village clean.” The women of the village, Neelam Sharma, Sharda Kaushik, Sumitra, Kamlesh,
Rina, Bimla Devi, Rupi Devi and Radha, represent a group of aware villagers. While facing maximum problems in coping with the earlier system, these women are now a happier lot. “Now we saved from taking our children to the forest. Besides saving time, it makes the village more clean and hygienic,” echoed these women. |
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Rs 6 cr allotted for 2 industrial areas
Bilaspur, April 14 Addressing a meeting at Nange Thakur after inaugurating a high school building some 95 km from here last evening, the forest minister declared that the government had also sanctioned Rs 4.39 crore for setting up a government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) at Suharghat which would provide trained technical personnel for the three industrial areas. Ramlal Thakur said the first phase of the Rs 76 -crore Medium Irrigation project for the area had been completed while work was continuing on war footing for the remaining five phases of the project in which Rs-23 crore would be spent during the current financial year. Thakur said this would help farmers grow vegetables and other cash crops, including flowers and herbs and improve their economy by dint of hard work. Ramlal Thakur said Rs 53.50 lakh has been released by the government for construction of school buildings that have been recently upgraded in the constituency. |
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SHO’s transfer stayed
Shimla, April 14 According to the transfer order, Sharma was transferred to Una from the Boileauganj police station. The petitioner has alleged that as per the latest ruling of the Supreme Court, “police officers on operational duties in the field like the IGP, the DIG, the SP and the SHO shall also have prescribed minimum tenure of two years unless it is found necessary to remove them prematurely following disciplinary proceedings against them or their conviction in a criminal offence or in a case of corruption or if the incumbent is otherwise incapacitated from discharging his responsibilities”. Passing the interim order, a Division Bench observed that in the case none of the above parameters had been shown to us by the state government counsel. |
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Georgian car rally reaches Dagshai
Solan, April 14 The participants belonging to various military schools of Ajmer,
Belgaun, Bangalore, Chail and Dholpur reached here this afternoon from Chandigarh where the second leg of the rally was flagged off by Haryana Chief Minister B.S. Hooda. Educating the masses about conserving water the Georgians (former students of military schools) have chosen this as the rally’s theme. They emphasized that the world was heading for a fresh water crisis largely due to it’s mismanagement. While only 2.5 per cent of the water was fit for drinking, three-fourths of it was frozen in the ice caps and glaciers, and barely a quarter was left for meeting the requirements. The rally aims at generating awareness by motivating people and mobilizing resources to manage this scarce commodity in a sustainable manner. A number of Georgians residing abroad, too, made it to the rally. The rally took off for their last leg towards Chail where it will culminate tomorrow. |
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HRTC driver beaten up
Kumarhatti, April 14 Raj Kumar, who hailed from Bilaspur, was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, after being given treatment at the Civil Hospital, Nalagarh. The conductor of the HRTC bus also had to face the fury of Charan Singh and Gulab Singh, driver and conductor of the Kundlas Bus Service vehicle. The arguments started over picking up passengers. Charan Singh and Gulab Singh got enraged over picking of passengers by Raj Kumar. The HRTC bus of Una Depot was going to Una. The scene took an ugly turn when Charan Singh and Gulab Singh started thrashing Raj Kumar. A case has been registered and the private bus impounded. |
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Rs 5 cr for Manimahesh
Chamba, April 14 In his keynote address on the occasion of civic reception organised in his honour at a hotel here last night by the Chamba Welfare Association, animal husbandry and urban development minister Harsh Mahajan said the state government had constituted a public trust with a view to conserving and preserving the invaluable religious heritage of the famous shrines of Manimahesh.
— OC |
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Cycle yatra against MNCs
Chintpurni, April 14 He started the yatra on April 7 from Parthal village in Jammu and Kashmir. He will passing through 500 villages in six states of North India before reaching Dehra Dun on April 22. |
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Sarai for poor patients
Chamba, April 14 It was constructed with the donations given by his family members in collaboration with the government’s ongoing programme, ‘Vikas Mein Jan Sehyog’. It is for the first time in the state that a sarai was providing lodging facility, free of charge, to the poor sick and their attendants. |
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Air Marshal gets PVSM
Solan, April 14 Air Marshal Padamjit Sigh Ahluwalia (PVSM, AVSM and Bar VM VSM ADC) has around 4,000 hours of flying experience on all types of fighter aircraft.
— OC |
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Rajgarh Shirgul fair begins
Nahan, April 14 On the occasion, a special pooja was performed in the traditional Shirgul temple. After paying obeisance, Sirmaur deputy commissioner Rajender Singh Negi inaugurated the shobha yatra of Lord Shirgul. The ancient idol of Shirgul Devta was taken into a procession around the Rajgarh market and thousands of devotees welcomed the palanquin of Lord Shirgul in the Nehru ground. Devotees performed the traditional dance by singing devotional songs in the procession. |
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It’s A Dog’s World
Stray dogs are everywhere, menacing people in the street. The local authority should be responsible for the collection and keeping of strays. What’s your view? What should be done to manage strays so that people can move about freely at public places?
Send your views in not more than 300 words to: It’s A Dog’s World,
A Tribune Debate, c/o The Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh 160 030 or email at
himachal@tribunemail.com by April 22, 2007
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Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said the government was keen to start heli-
taxi service so as to provide better air- connectivity to various destinations in the state.
Stray dogs are everywhere, menacing people in the street. The local authority should be responsible for the collection and keeping of strays.
