Shimla, April 15
The government proposes to raise a loan of Rs 2,500 crore from the World Bank to improve and upgrade the road network in the hill state.

This was stated by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh while presiding over the state-level Himachal Day function at Rohru today. He said roads were the lifelines of hills and improved road connectivity would give a fillip to development activities, besides boosting the local economy.

He said every gram panchayat in the state would be connected through a motorable road by the end of current financial year.

Record funds were being made available for road construction and improvement and Rs 2,000 crore were spent on these works during the last year.

A sum of Rs 54 crore was being spent annually on providing social security pension to around 2.12lakh widows, aged and handicapped persons and another 25,000 eligible persons would be added to the list. The total expenditure would increase to Rs 60 crore, he added.

Earlier, he unfurled the Tricolour and took salute from various contingents.

Power minister Vidya Stokes, food and civil supplies minister Singhi Ram, MP Pratibha Singh, MLA Ishwar Dass, chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of various boards and corporations were also present on the occasion.

UNA: A district-level Himachal Day function was held here on Sunday. It was presided over by transport, tourism and civil aviation minister G.S. Bali. The minister unfurled the Tricolour and took salute from contingents of the police, home guards etc.

NAHAN: Himachal Day was celebrated at the Chowgan Maidan here on Sunday. State forest minister Ram Lal unfurled the National Flag and took salute from various contingents.

He claimed the Congress had ensured all-round development in the state. He said the per capita income of people in state had crossed Rs 40,000. A cultural programme was also organised.

BILASPUR: Agriculture and employment minister Raj Krishan Gaur presided over the district-level Himachal Day function organised here on Sunday. He paid tributes to state’s first Chief Minister Yashwant Singh Parmar and freedom fighters.

He said a special employment generation project called Gold Mines Project worth Rs 8.45 crore had been launched in the district. The Rs 1.43 crore Baba Sahib Ambedkar Hastshilp Project had also been sanctioned for the district in an effort to provide employment opportunities to the rural youths.

KULLU: Excise and taxation minister Rangila Ram Rao was the chief guest at the Himachal Day function organised at Dhalpur Madain here on Sunday. He took salute from contingents of the ITBP, the police and the home guards. A cultural programme was also presented by schools children and artistes of the DPRO, Kullu.

HAMIRPUR: Himachal Pradesh irrigation and public health minister, Kaul Singh Thakur, presided over the Himachal day function at Hamirpur.

Shimla, April 15
In a major initiative to find a permanent solution to the perennial problem of water shortage and ensure proper disposal of sewage in Shimla, the government has decided to carry out mapping of the underground pipelines to help plug leakages and augment the system wherever required.

The Water and Power Consultancy Services (WAPCOS) has been asked to put a comprehensive geographical information system (GIS) in place for the purpose. Besides mapping the underground network of pipelines, it will also provide complete information about the availability of water at various points and the carrying capacity of the sewerage. Over the years, the system has been overburdened and there are missing links, both in the water distribution system and the sewerage.

It will also take care of the upcoming colonies in and around the state capital and work out the total requirement of water up to 2037 along with the sewage load. All this information will be used to prepare a detailed project report for the proposed Rs 540-crore scheme to bring water from the Pabbar river by laying a 180-km gravity pipeline.

However, availability of more water will not help unless the faulty sewage disposal and water distribution systems are rectified and upgraded. There are missing links in the sewerage that became evident only after the new scheme under which six treatment plants were set up in various localities of the state became operational. It was found that only 30 per cent of the total sewage generated was reaching the plants making the augmentation scheme an exercise in futility.

The city generates over 13 mld (million litre per day) sewage daily but only about 6 mld is flowing into the treatment plants. The new system is being grossly underutilised because it has not been properly connected to the old network and the treatment plants.

The treatment plant at Lalpani that has the highest capacity of 19.3 mld is receiving only around 3 mld of sewage. Some old lines are permanently choked, other burst frequently, indicating that these could no longer take the increasing load.

As per estimates, around 30 to 40 per cent of the water pumped from various sources catering to the city is lost due to leakage and pilferage. The situation is beyond redemption as influential residents, hoteliers and other commercial establishments have over the years managed to get water connections from the main pipes and even from fire hydrants.

The entire water distribution system has been distorted and stretched beyond limits. Equitable distribution is next to impossible in the present scenario. It is hardly surprising that people in some pockets have to go without water for days together even when there is no shortage.

The mapping of pipelines will enable the authorities to pin-point the trouble spots and take remedial action.

Dharamsala, April 15
In a bizarre case of ‘fraud’ by a government-owned company, the Himachal Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited has duped hundreds of families of the Baijnath and Jaisinghpur areas of Kangra district. The company had recovered double carriage charges for vested economic gains.

As per the details available from the audited accounts of the state government, for the distribution of food grains to the Above Poverty Line (APL) and Antyodaya Anna Yojna (AAY) beneficiaries, the FCI issued release orders to the company for lifting of food grains from Nagrota Bagwan, the nearest depot between February 2003 and July 2005.

The carriage charges of Rs 21.61 lakh paid by the company to the local transporters for carrying food grains from Nagrota Bagwan to Baijnath and Jaisinghpur during the above period was reimbursed by the FCI as freight subsidy.

However, the company also ‘fraudulently’ recovered carriage charges of Rs 9.01 lakh from the beneficiaries and Rs 12.60 lakh from the state government as subsidy for the same consignments of food grains during the same period. The government-owned company transports food grains to the declared principle distribution centres from the nearest depot of the FCI under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). The FCI reimburses the actual carriage charges on this account as freight subsidy to the company.

A senior officer of the Food and Civil Supplies Department on the condition of anonymity said the matter was in the notice of the state government, but no action had been taken against the authorities concerned in this regard.

Neither, the money recovered from the APL beneficiaries nor the company had so far returned the subsidy taken from the state government to them, the official further said.

It was also learnt that certain local transporters of the Nagrota Bagwan area were also financially benefiting from this double charging.

The district administration was not taking any legal action in this regard due to the pressure of higher authorities as many senior officials, including IAS and HAS officers, could be involved in the ‘fraud’. 

Nurpur, April 15
Dispelling doubt of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh about the efficacy and quality of ayurvedic drugs being produced by pharmacies of the state, Himachal Pradesh Ayurvedic Manufacturers Association clarified that about 80per cent pharmacies in the state were certified under Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) which were also testifying their products from state government’s Drug Testing Laboratory at Jogindernagar, before releasing them for government supply.

The Chief Minister in a press conference during his visit here, a few days ago, had raised eyebrows about the standardisation of the local products and advised pharmacies to set up ayurvedic testing laboratory to ensure efficacy of ayurvedic drugs being produced by them.

State general secretary of the association Upender Gupta in a press note issued here said today that the state ayurvedic department had been purchasing ayurvedic drugs, 70 per cent of the total earmarked budget from the pharmacies outside the state since 1992, because at that time state had no ayurvedic pharmacopoeia. “But now the things have changed entirely as about 80 per cent pharmacies are certified under GMP and are getting their products testified by the government ayurvedic laboratory,” he claimed.

It also claimed that the local pharmacies were in a position to compete with those based in other states, which were supplying drugs to the state ayurveda department through the state food and civil supplies corporation.

He lamented that a lion share of the total annual supply orders worth about Rs 4 crore was being floated to the pharmacies out side the state.

He urged the Chief Minister to intervene and stop such huge supply orders and divert it to the local manufacturers so that the ayurvedic industry could survive and render employment opportunities to the locals as per the policy of the state government.

Nahan, April 15
More than 24 days have passed since the inauguration of CT (Computerisedaxial tomography) scan machine at the regional hospital by the Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, yet the local authorities have failed to provide infrastructural amenities for the patients coming from far distant places in the Sirmaur district.

Authorities are yet to launch its operational start in a satisfactory way for want of basic amenities.

As Sirmaur district has been declared economically backward by the state government, the rates prescribed by the ‘Rogi Kalyan Samiti’ for the charges of CT Scan, ought to be cheaper than any other district in view of the economic status of its inhabitants.

The charges for scanning, have been fixed to minimum Rs 500, where as in the neighbouring district Solan, Bilaspur, patients are being charged Rs 300 only.

At present, no chairs have been made available for patients who come from far-flung areas and wait for their turns for scanning. At times due to heavy rush or the absence of single specialist doctor, patients have to go home unscanned or wait for days together elsewhere.

Enquiries by the Tribune team revealed that even the toilet annexe has not been made available.

On confirming about the alleged variations in the fee structures, medical superintendent G.R. Galfat said he had nothing to do with it as it was decided by the district administration. On pointing out about the exorbitant charges of Rs 1,500 fixed for special wards, which equated the market rates, he said these would be reviewed in the near future, if needed.

President Zila Parishad Manju Sharma said she had spoken to R.S. Negi, the chairman of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti, about the curtailing of the prescribed fee, which was discriminatory in comparison to neighbouring districts.

A cross section of patients also urged the local authorities to reduce the stipulated charges, which are inaccessible for the common man. 

Palampur, April 15
The local police station building is in bad shape. This is among important police stations of Kangra district looking after the security over two lakh residents.

The present 90-year-old police station building was built by the British in 1919 after the Kangra earthquake of 1905. Since 1919, not even a single brick was added to this building. According local PWD experts, the building has already exhausted its lifespan and needed total dismantling immediately to avoid any mishap. They had long back recommended for the construction of a new building here but no action was taken.

The staff of the police station feel insecure as most internal and external walls of the building have developed major cracks. The store room has already collapsed. There is no place in the police station to store seized items. All these items, including two wheelers, CGI sheets, phone cablesand steel pipes, are lying in the open in the police station.

Even the old record of the police station has been damaged by insects because of dampness and leaking of roofs. Almost all rooms of the police station leak in the rainy season with the CGI sheets there having developed holes.

The residence of the SHO, which was also built in 1919, is also the verge of collapse. Even a minor earthquake could raze this building to the ground.

Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that the Kangra SP had sent proposals to the governmenta number of times for the construction of a new building of the police station in the past five years but no funds had been released for the purpose so far.

Palampur DSP K.C. Sharma said that a new proposal was sent recently to the government for the construction of a new police station building under the police modernisation plan and funds were expected to be sanctioned for the purpose soon.

Mandi, April 15
For local artisans, the roaming groups of hookah-smoking Rajasthani silversmiths, who have almost made Himachal their home over the years, have spelt doom for traditional blacksmiths.

Himachali artisans, who traditionally are called Lohars, accused the government of protecting the roaming bands, despite the fact that they have hampered traditional craft and work.

But the deputy commissioner Mandi district, Subhasish Panda, claimed that the government is not protecting the Rajasthani blacksmiths and provides a slew of schemes for local blacksmiths for giving them assistance in upgrading their skills. "Industry, village and Khadi Board, rural development departments hold workshops for all such artisans and they should come forward,” he added.

However, the artisans plead that the roaming bands of Rajasthani blacksmiths are shrewd bargainers as they offer cheaper rates as compared to their local competitors, making and repairing the agricultural implements, utensils and sharp weapons and other items used by the farmers in the state.

"We can not sell our products in the local market as rent is high, but Rajasthani blacksmiths enjoy support from local politicians as they have made Himachal their home,” rued Bhimu Ram, a blacksmith from Chail Chowk in Mandi.

These bands of silversmiths are conspicuous for their typical hookah, which they consider their traditional status symbol, tracing their lineage back to the time of Rajput rulers of Rajasthan.

They complained that they do not get proper place in markets to sell their products. “Even during the major fairs like Kulu Dasehra, Shivratri in Mandi, and Minjar in Chamba, Lavi, Rampur and Nalwar mela, we can not market our products because we have to pay rent to the committee,” said Mast Ram, a silversmith from Ner Chowk.

But on the other hand, Rajasthani silversmiths said they make Drat, an agricultural implement used for cutting fuel wood or weeds, in 15 minutes while locals take four to five hours. "We sell it for Rs 70 a piece plus a knife, which is very cheap", said Shamsher Singh Kanwar, who also is an expert in making sword, head of the Rajasthani 'Tol' or band of 50 persons.

The Rajasthanis are shrewd sellers as they target the peak season in the state every year. "We will go to Dhari near Dharamsala for the next camp within two days", said Randip Singh, another leader of Rajasthani band, which has been coming to Jogindernagar, Banjar, Kulu and Bilaspur for past four years.

But they hold their "mobile workshops" for 15-20 days in different places like Mandi, Jogindernagar, Sarkaghat, Banjar, Kulu, Kangra, Solan and Una every year affecting the work of local artisans, complained locals.

"They are not accountable as they are a mobile group whereas we stay permanently here hence, guarantee good quality iron and implements", said Mast Ram. "Even if we charge more money but the quality is good".