Shimla, June 3
Microhydel projects are being allotted in an indiscriminate manner by the government ignoring the traditional rights of the local people and the environment.

The indiscretion of authorities could be judged from the fact that five to 10 projects each are proposed to be set up in small rivulets and nullahs.

If such large number of projects is allowed to come up, these rivulets, which are vital to the local ecosystem, will be virtually wiped out.

As a result, the people will lose their traditional sources of water which cater to their need for drinking, irrigation, livestock and even running the water mills.

For instance, as many as eight projects are being set up on the highly turbulent Neogli Khad in Shimla district, which frequently experiences flash floods.

The state power board, which already has a 2.5-MW unit on right bank of the rivulet, plans to replace it by a 10-MW new project on the left bank.

The Independent Power Producers (IPP’s) have been already assigned the Rajpur (3 MW), Jongini (5 MW), Sartu (2.4 MW), while Sartu-I (4 MW), Kareri (5 MW) and Neogli-II (3.5 MW) and Kasha (3MW) have been advertised recently for allotment.

Some self-identified projects are also in the pipeline. Similarly, five projects are proposed in Chanju Nullah in the geologically fragile Tissa area of Chamba district.

These include, Chanju-I (2.5), Chanju-II (3 MW), Chanju-Deothal-V (5 MW), Chanju-Diyothal-IV (5 MW) and Chanju-Mehad (5 MW).

Applications have been invited for four projects of 5 MW each in Chobia nullah in the Bharmour area of the same district. In Sachi khad, a tributary of the Sutlej, the 3-MW Sachi, 5-MW Sachi-II and 5- MW Sumedh projects have already been allotted, while 3-MW lower Sumedh project has been advertised.

Besides these, the IPPs have also submitted applications for self-identified projects. The faulty power policy of the state is mainly responsible for the concentration of projects in selected nullahs.

Hydropower expert R.L.Justa suggests that the cost of transmission lines beyond the interconnection point should be borne by the board as microhydel projects fall in the category of non-conventional energy and are meant to promote eco-friendly generation for which subsidy is being given by the Centre.

The state should give incentives instead of commercialising the small hydro-sector. Further, keeping in view the fragile hill strata, particularly the erosion-prone banks the government should be very selective and should not allow more than three or four projects in one stream.

Dharamsala, June 3
The authorities concerned of the Kangra district government library based at Dharamsala have dumped thousands of rare manuscripts and books in various buildings being used as storehouses.

For the lack of maintenance and proper care, many books have been destroyed due to humidity or eaten by insects.

But, the district administration seems to be least bothered about the upkeep of these manuscripts and books.

There were 38,000 rare books in the possession of the district library that came into existence in 1954-55.

Out these, 22,000 books and manuscripts had been partially damaged due poor upkeep over the past 50 years.

The district library was shifted from its original location in the main bazaar in 2005 after its building was declared unsafe.

No proper alternative arrangement was made before shifting the library.

After demolishing the old library building, the government is developing a parking lot there.

The administration has not ensured the proper storage of books till the new building is constructed.

The books have been dumped in three buildings belonging to the Education Department, the Literacy Mission and the Cooperative Department.

All these buildings are in poor condition with roofs leaking at many places. The books have been dumped in gunny bags there.

The old building of the Cooperative Department, which is being used as library for daily visitors, was also declared unsafe a few years back.

The land on which the new building of the library is proposed to be constructed earlier housed the residence by the assistant registrar of cooperative societies.

It was “compulsory acquired” by the district magistrate for the construction of library building.

There are 16 green trees standing on that piece of land and these need to be felled before the construction is started.

As the Ministry of Environment and Forests has not granted permission for the same so far, the construction is likely to be delayed further.

Nahan, June 3
A fire has been raging in the forest around Nahan for the past one week. Forest wealth worth crores has been destroyed in the fire so far.

People say the need is to check activities of miscreants if the forest cover is to be saved. The MC is governed by the local people and they will never like to annoy anybody by initiating any strict action them, sources say.

This local politics is encouraging people bent upon destroying the valuable pine and Sal forests, they maintain.

Nahan, June 3
The 50-bedded hospital at Rajgarh in the Pachhad constituency, which is represented by president of the Himachal Vidhan Sabha Gangu Ram Musafir, is in a poor state.

With X-ray and ultrasound machines lying non-functional, the patients have to go to Solan, Shimla or Chandigarh even for minor treatment.

Interestingly, Musafir is aware of the problems being faced by the people of Rajgarh.

The sanitary conditions in this referral hospital are beyond acceptance.

Curtains, bed sheets are usually dirty and toilet cisterns have been lying broken for months.

During the last visit of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to this town, the problem of staff shortage was brought to his notice, but nothing has been done in that regard so far.

Deputy Commissioner Rajinder Singh Negi had promised to provide an X-ray machine through the Rogi Kalyan Samiti, but the promise has not been fulfilled yet.

The much-hyped scheme of Rashtriya Gram Sawasthya, which aimed at providing medical aid at the doorstep of the people, has proved to be a mirage.

If the facilities at the hospital are made up to the mark, it could serve the masses of 30 more gram panchayats in Shillai, Chaupal and Renuka areas.

Chief medical officer R.K. Gupta says he had sent many requisitions to Sirmaur DC Rajinder Singh Negi for appointing a radiographer on contract basis at the hospital, but nothing consequential has emerged so far.

Chamba, June 3
It is a matter of great concern that there is an acute shortage of doctors at the Regional Hospital, Chamba.

Very few like to be posted here as it is a far-flung corner of the state.

It is learnt that either the doctors get themselves transferred or are done at the behest of ministers and MLAs.

Dharamsala and Pathankot (Punjab) are the nearest towns providing health services to the people here.

Likewise, Chamba is about 450 km from Shimla, and about 400 km from Chandigarh.

Thus patients are referred either to Dharamsala or Shimla and Chandigarh which offer better medical facilities.

The regional hospital being accessible to all parts of the district should have better medical facilities so that people could get better medical facilities.

There have been instances of death on the way, while carrying patients to Dharamsala, Chandigarh or Shimla for treatment.

It is pertinent to mention that Chamba has been identified as a ‘backward district’ and figured on serial number 50 on the list of backward districts in the country.

The district having a population of 4,60,499 (as per 2001 census) is mainly being looked after by the regional hospital.

Out of the 23 sanctioned posts of doctors at the hospital, 11 are lying vacant.

The vacant posts include the medical specialist (MD), gynaecologist, ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist and an anaesthetist.

Surprisingly, the medical specialist and the gynaecologist have resigned from their posts.

This has further aggravated the problem as patients suffering from various ailments are now a worried lot.

It is also learnt that more than 40 per cent posts of other categories of staff are also lying vacant since a long time.

Not only this, the hospital is also without physiotherapists, operation theatre assistants and X-ray assistants.

The hospital is having three safai karamcharis against the sanctioned strength of 17.

Agreeing to the prevailing staff position in the regional hospital, Dr Nagesh Verma, chief medical officer, points out that despite the fact that they were burdened with the work due to the dearth of doctors, they were doing their best to run the hospital.

He said it was not possible for any other doctor to fulfill the duties of specialists dealing with particular diseases.

However, the position of the regional hospital has been brought to the notice of the State Health Department, he said.

Nurpur, June 3
An X-ray plant donated by a philanthropist a few years back to the Community Health Centre (CHC) at Rehan in this subdivision has been gathering dust for the past over one year for want of a radiographer to run it.

Ex-pradhan of the gram panchayat noted philanthropist Narsingh Dayal (100) had donated the plant to the health centre.

The plant has been lying unused for over one year now as there is no radiographer to operator it.

Patients of the area are facing inconvenience as they have no option but to go to private clinics for X-ray examination.

CMO J.S. Chandel said he had directed the Gangth block medical officer to send a radiographer to the CHC, Rehan, at least twice a week so that patients did not suffer.

Mandi, June 3
Rana Arjun Singh, a freedom fighter-cum-revolutionary of the INA, a dedicated social worker and a veteran Congressman, died at his native village Ner Chowk in Balh valley last night following a brief illness.

Mandi, June 3
Even flashfloods, cloudbursts and landslides wreaked havoc in several areas in the state every year, the state government has yet to take up disaster management on priority basis as per the new Disaster Management Act.

Chief coordinator and reader, Department of Geography, Karorimal College, New Delhi, Kaushal Kumar Sharma said here today: “We sent a proposal to the government six months ago on a strategy to deal with disasters in the state, but government has kept mum on it so far. It does not consider disaster management a priority area.”

He said the state needed a scientific micro-zoning map prepared using GIS method.

“Database and research are required to identify hazard-prone areas in the state. Only then we can ensure disaster management in a proper way as per provisions of the said Act,” he added.

He said the funds would be no problem if the state government took initiative. State loses crores dues to these disasters every year, but there is no scientific strategy to deal with these.

“Resources like water, forest and soil are dissipating and villagers remain dependent on aid given from time to time,” he added.

Divisional commissioner, Mandi KJBV, Subrhamanyam said the government had already put in place a state disaster management committee headed by the CM and a district committee headed by the DC.

Contingency plan was ready and relief manual had been upgraded, he added.

Coordinator of the workshop S.K. Badooni said experts and environmentalists would sensitise participants on various methods and techniques of disaster management.

Mandi MP Pratibha Singh will inaugurate two-day workshop tomorrow.

Solan, June 3
The Labour Department has failed to enforce the mandatory norm of providing identity cards to all industrial workers even after almost one year though the exercise was was to be completed within three months.

The step was necessitated to ensure implementation of the H.P. Employment Policy, 2004, providing for mandatory recruitment of 70 per cent Himachali youth.

This measure was supposed to provide actual figures of the number of Himachalis employed.

Ideally an employee should be issued such a card within three days of his joining a unit.

A cursory survey of the industrial units in Parwanoo, Baddi and Nalagarh showed that quite a few units were yet to issue such cards.

“Inordinate delays often occur due to lack of staff in the Labour Department. When the ill-equipped labour officer’s office can barely accommodate him how is he supposed to ensure time-bound services”, questions a personnel manager of a Nalagarh-based firm.

Another senior manager of an MNC said: “I had submitted the requisite data of nearly 150 employees to the Labour Department about two months back. I am yet to receive their identity cards.”

The industrial units are supposed to submit the data to the Labour Department after depositing the fee with the State Industrial Development Corporation.

The non-provision of these cards makes a unit liable for action under various Acts.

Though seven new posts of labour officer, besides an additional one for Baddi, had been created, the lack of additional facilities had hampered the completion of the drive in time.

Deputy labour commissioner R.K.Sandhu said that the process of making identity cards was a continuous one as new units kept on adding to the workload.

As many as 74,000 identity cards had so far been issued while the estimated labour force was 1.36 lakh.

Fresh instructions had been issued to issue identity cards to new employees within three days.

Shimla, June 3
The Shimla International Summer Festival began on a melodious note here last evening with Bollywood singer Alka Yagnik regaling a packed house.

The inclement weather, failed to dampen the spirits of the crazy fans who danced to their choicest numbers.

She enthused the audience with hits like ‘Dekha Tum Ko Jabse’, (Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gum) ‘Dekha Hai Pehli Bar’ (Sajan), ‘Kisi Roz Unse’ (Pardes), and ‘Tum Paas Aye’ (Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai).

Earlier, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh inaugurated the festival and released a souvenir.

About 100 representatives of different NGO’s, including the beneficiary children participated in the programme.

Vice-chairman of the Trust Col M.G. Sharma presented the vote of thanks.