Dharamsala, April 17
Reacting to a news item “New excise policy to cost state dear” published in the Himachal Pradesh edition on April 5, a joint team of the excise and police departments today raided a storehouse of a well-known liquor baron and seized thousands of cases of illicit liquor that was the left-out stock of the previous financial year. The raids were still continuing at a few other places of the liquor baron at the time of filing of this report.

The Tribune had mentioned in its story that liquor vendors were selling the left-out stock of the previous financial year. As a result, no tax was being paid on the old stock being sold illegally. Excise inspector A.N. Sharma and SHO of the local police station R.P. Jaswal said after the first raid that 18,00 cases of IMFL, 650 cases of country-made liquor (CML) and 150 cases of beer had been seized from the storehouse of a local liquor contractor situated at Rakkar village, near Dharamsala. The excise inspector said that this liquor was from last year's stock. As per the rules, liquor contractors could not sell it after the new policy comes into force and liquor vends allotted for the next financial year.

The liquor contractor had not paid the excise duty as per the new excise policy of the current financial year and was selling it illegally, said the excise inspector. A case under the excise act had been registered against the accused liquor contractor.It may be mentioned that as per the new excise policy for the current financial year, the excise duty fixed on IMFL is Rs 1,080 per case, Rs 585 per case on CML and Rs 117 per case on beer.

As such, the total excise tax evasion calculated on the seized stock of liquor and beer comes to be Rs 19.44 lakh on IMFL, Rs 3.80 lakh on CML and Rs. 17.55 lakh on beer. Apart from the recovery of this excise duty, a penalty would also be imposed on the liquor contractor.

Most of the beer boxes seized by the excise department were expired and as such a case of adulteration was also applicable on the accused liquor contractor but the excise department has registered the case only under a compoundable offence.

It was pertinent to mention that the raided storehouse belongs to a known liquor baron of the area who enjoyed monopoly in liquor business for the past many years. 

Shimla, April 17
Work on the ambitious Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission to rejuvenate the Queen of Hills finally got under way with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh laying the foundation stone for a double-laned motorable tunnel near Auckland House here today. The tunnel along with a bridge at its eastern portal will cost Rs 11 crore. He also laid the foundation stone for a four-storeyed parking complex on Snowdon nullah, which would accommodate 250 light vehicles .

The Chief Minister said that all projects would be completed in a timebound manner to help reduce the distance and ease traffic congestion. . He said that the double-lane motorable tunnel would be 102-metre-long and 9.5 metre wide with a one-metre pedestrian footpath on both sides. The bridge over Snowdon nullah would be 70 metre long and 10.50 metre wide with a 1.5 metre pedestrian footpath on each side. The tunnel and bridge together would reduce the distance by 1040 metres.

He said one of the biggest multi-storeyed parking complexes would be constructed over the Snowdon nullah. He said that two more tunnels had also been proposed to be constructed in the town to connect inter-state bus sand with Lakkar Bazar and Snowdon with Chhota Shimla. 

Shimla, April 17
The Himachal State Electricity Regulatory Commission has come down heavily on the state power board for its casual attitude towards reforms and indicted the government for coming out with a hydroelectric policy that contravenes the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003.

“The power sector in the state has not been able to realise even a modicum of its stated potential. There is severe lack of focus and no effort has been made at the policy level to structure potential to the peaking power needs of the region. Investments in the sector are stultified by rigidity, uncertainty and the enunciation of policy frameworks which ostensibly encourage but, in actual practice, distort the process of operationalising new projects, retarding the government’s own resource potential. Even inculcation of required technical manpower has not been undertaken despite myriad interventions by the commission”, it observed while expressing anguish over the situation in the latest tariff order.

The board’s ability to manage efficiently and at optimum levels had come apart at the doorstep of political expediency. Reforms within the sub-structure had been undertaken listlessly and without enthusiasm and awaiting the ‘panacea’ of “unbundling”. The constant ‘waiting’ had created necrosis within a monolithic structure pandering to vested interests, unmindful of the need for focus and efficiency. Even a state of readiness on “unbundling” had not been achieved. In spite of numerous directives from the commission, extensive process disorientation is the order of the day in the utility, it lamented.

Coming to the hydroelectric policy it pointed out that it dealt with the issues which in the Electricity Act, 2003, were within the domain of the commission and, therefore, in contravention of the Central Act. In view of this it would be appropriate for the government to “renunciate” the policy.

Although 250 to 300 projects had been approved or were in the process of being approved, only six or seven had fructified largely because of uncertainty on the government policy, regulatory front on tariffs, open access, wheeling, transmission and third party sales. The investors were not ready to move in without the government, the commission and the board addressing these issues. The government must redraft its hydroelectric policy, which was “unfriendly” to investors, and set up a mechanism for speeding up the actual project implementation. Otherwise, the commission would have to intervene in the implementation process, it asserted.

Chamba, April 17
A 500-metre-long tunnel aligned with the Chamba-Bharmour highway, near Kharamukh in Bharmour rift valley, leading to Manimahesh was day-lighted last evening.

The tunnel connects the Bharmour tribal region with the outer world. It provides an alternative passage to a patch of road going to submerge in the dam waters of Chamera hydroelectric project (stage-III) along the course of the Ravi.

It is also the first flagship scheme of excavating a tunnel in any of the rugged hill terrains of the state that would also avoid recurring risk of landslides on the highway.

Chief engineer (in charge) K.K. Joshi said the construction of 1.5 km-long safe aligned portion of the highway, which included 500-m tunnel near Kharamukh, had been undertaken on priority as a patch of the highway along the Ravi bed that would be submerged in the upcoming dam waters of the Chamera project (stage-III).

“Moreover, taking into account the tough tribal terrain nestled in the Himalayan ranges being susceptible to heavy snowfall during the winter, the excavation of tunnel was essential to rid the persistent danger of triggering landslides from the unstable rocky slopes in the rift valley,” he said.

“In addition to it, the NHPC has already made advance payment of Rs 16.04 crore to the Public Works Department (PWD) for widening 46km-long Jarangala to Kharamukh tribal highway with a view to minimising the traffic hazard for lakhs of pilgrims and tourists visiting the famous holy place of Manimahesh every year,” he added.

Nahan, April 17
The forest mafia has made its presence felt in the forests of Renuka area. The mafia had chopped the barks of around 2,000 pine trees in the Deber Ghat-Garari forest beat for illegal taping of resin. It is a prohibited reserve-forest area and any activity in this area is strictly prohibited.

A forest conservation committee of local people comprising residents of Debar Ghat village and Garari reportedly tried to stop these illegal activities in the forest but they could not succeed and finally they decided to bring this matter into the notice of Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Virbhadra Singh.

In a letter sent to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, residents have requested to save their valuable pine forest from the clutches of the mafia.

In the letter the residents complained that labourers of mafia brutally chopped the bark of around 2,000 pine trees and put heavy amount of acid on the wounds of trees to get more resin out of it.

They said as per the forest experts, if quantity of acid applied on the blazes of pine trees was more than the recommended one, there was every chance that the tree would dry up. They said mafia men had unscientifically chopped the bark of trees causing irreparable damage to the trees. They have expressed apprehension that these old pine trees may die if action was not taken immediately.

The villagers had expressed their concern on the incident and alleged that officials of the Forest Department had become silent spectators in the matter. They have demanded legal action against all defaulters in this connection. They apprehended that if trees were damaged, it would prove to be the biggest environmental hazard in the area. They said some influential persons were involved in this case and a high-level inquiry be ordered to bring defaulters to books.

Office-bearers of the forest conservation committee said they would launch an agitation to save their forest if no action was taken in the matter.

Renuka divisional forest officer (DFO) R. S. Patial confirmed that this happening had occurred in the reserve-forest area. He said that it was a serious matter and he had ordered an inquiry into the matter. He said the office was seeking explanation from the forest guard and block officer of the area as how it happened despite their presence in the area. The DFO added that the field staff had been asked to prepare a damage report of the damage caused to the pine trees in the forest area.

Nahan circle conservator of forest Hari Singh Dogra, said till this evening the matter was not reported to him by the departmental officials. He said the matter was serious and he would seek a report from the DFO, Renuka, immediately and take appropriate action.

Dharamsala, April 17
The Himachal Pradesh School Education Board has granted a five-month relaxation till September 30 to all private schools to raise their infrastructure in accordance with their demand for allocation of science seats in the 10 plus two classes.

This relaxation was granted by chairman of the board B.R. Rahi after a meeting with a deputation of the private school owners association here today.

Earlier, in a bid to improve the quality of education in the private schools, the board had fixed the quota of seats in the science stream of 10 plus two classes in accordance with the infrastructure available in the institutions.

Dharamsala, April 16
There were reports of high-moisture content in the chana dal, which was recently supplied to ration depots of Kangra district through the Himachal Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited under the public distribution system.

People in the Nurpur and Dharamsala areas had refused to use the dal because of the high-moisture content. There were 3,30,290 ration cardholders in the district. The dal is distributed one kg per card per month to each of the ration cardholders on different rates to the APL, BPL and AAY families.

As per the official record, a total of 330.29 tonnes of chana dal had been supplied to the ration depots last week for the month of April. The total cost of the dal at the prevailing market value is about Rs 1.25 crore.

However, it is supplied on subsidised rates to the ration cardholders. When contacted, director of the Food and Civil Supplies Department Ram Swaroop Gupta said if the reports were true, it was definitely a matter of concern for the state government.

He said he had asked the officials of the department to collect random samples from the ration depots of the district tomorrow and send a detailed report in this regard for further action. Adding he said action would be taken against anyone who was found guilty of supplying or selling high-moisture content dal to the public. He further said the state government was committed to provide quality products to the public under the public distribution system.

Meanwhile, joint director of the Food and Civil Supplies Department Dr Raj Kumar Rakesh told The Tribune that the permissible limit of the humid content in the pulses was 14 per cent.

“The humid content exceeding this limit of 14 per cent in the pulses is not fit for human consumption”, he added. He said the authorities concerned of the Himachal Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Limited had been asked to ensure quality of all products that they were supplying to the depots under the public distribution system. 

Shimla, April 17
It will take more time to open the Manali-Leh road this summer because of the late heavy snow in the higher reaches in the middle of March.

This season, the snow clearance could take about two weeks more. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has set the target of May 20 to clear the road.

The Rohtang pass and the Baralacha pass are under 30 to 35 feet of snow. Brig K.P.Singh, chief engineer of the BRO, said the snow clearance operations started from the first week of March as usual and large portions of road were cleared in the first two weeks. However, a fresh spell of snow wasted the entire effort. The operation had to be started afresh.

The road has already been cleared up to Marhi, 34 km from Manali. However, the portion between Marhi and Koksar is the most difficult to clear due to steep gradient and glacier points.

From Lahaul side the road has been cleared up to Gondla. The road through the Baralacha Pass was also being cleared from both sides.

Palampur, April 17
A sewage treatment plant set up by the Irrigation and Public Health Department near the IPH Rest House here around 10 years ago has become a major health hazard for the residents of lower areas of the town. Since the plant has become almost non-functional, it emits foul smell all the times. It has made the lives of residents a virtual hell.

Despite the fact that the IPH Department is well-conversant with the situation, no effort has been made to repair or replace the machinery of the plant. The sewage overflow from the plant is regularly drained out into a local stream, which is a major source of drinking water in lower areas of Palampur.

No one in the administration is bothered to initiate action against the erring officials who have forced the people to use contaminated water. The residents of the areas have met almost all senior officials and political leaders in this regards, but to no avail.

According to official sources, the plant was set up at a cost of Rs 2.6 crore and it had the capacity to function 24 hours daily. It was planned that the compost prepared here would be supplied to the farmers. But all plans of the IPH Department remained confined to the files only and today it was not even in a position to treat sewer waste.

It looks the plant has lived out its life in a short span of just 10 years. This was mainly due to non-carrying out of regular maintenance over the past five years. Dense lantana growth has covered the plant.

Most of the tanks of the plants have got filled up with silt as there is no provision to the check the flow of silt into the plant.

Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that outdated equipment had been installed here that had no provisions to pump out silt and dry its bed; therefore it was not possible to run the plant regularly for 24 hours. In the absence of such facilities, the plant has failed to give required results causing hardships to the residents of the area.

Kangra, April17
Former agriculture minister and BJP leader Vidaya Sagar demanded today a high-level probe by a sitting high court Judge in organising the selection process violating the employment normsand finally cancelling the selection process of the appointment ofForest Guards for which interviews and physical tests were conducted.

Sagar raised the demand and said a specific number of the candidates were to be called for eachpost through employment exchanges but the government called more than 20,000 unemployed youths randomly against hundred odd posts for their selection in the district .He alleged that these youths were put to physical and other tests but ultimately their selection did not reach its logical conclusion. He said same way thousands of women were called for interviews for the posts of aanganwari workers and ultimately the process of selection due to violation of the employment rules could not benefit the deserving and suitable candidates.

Shimla: The BJP today demanded that the government should specify the reasons for cancelling the selections of anganwari workers and forest guards as this had led to a lot of frustration among the unemployed youth.

With the Finance Department according permission for the filling of six posts of statutory officers, there is much enthusiasm among faculty members of Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry. Since the charge for these posts was presently being held on additional basis, it was being felt that the responsibilities were not being discharged effectively.

The posts are that of the deans of colleges of forestry and horticulture, the director (research), the director (extension education), the estate officer and the librarian. While the post of estate officer had been lying vacant ever since the former official retired in March last year, the rest of the posts are being held on additional basis.

Registrar Rajeshwar Goyal confirmed the grant of approval. He said the posts would be advertised soon. Though an advertisement had been issued even last year, since there was no approval from the finance department, the interviews could not be conducted.

All these posts form the backbone of the university and the work was being done on additional basis by senior professors. They could not devote adequate time for these duties as they had to carry on with their main responsibilities of teaching and research as well.