Shimla, September 18
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has urged Union Minister of State for Forest and Environment S.Raghupathy to withdraw the “un-gazetted” notification of 1952 bringing all wasteland under the demarcated protected forest (DPF) category to enable the state government to carry developmental activities unhampered.

The issue came up for discussion during a meeting of the two dignitaries here today. The Chief Minister pointed out that the entire wasteland and uncultivated land had been classified as DPF and not much land was available for developmental works like construction of roads, buildings, transmission lines and other infrastructural facilities. He said the process to obtain permission for diversion of forest land was time-consuming and hampered the pace of development and as such needed to be withdrawn.

He said that his government was environment savvy and had banned green felling, waged a war against the forest mafia and initiated effective steps to help regeneration of the natural forests. It had introduced carton boxes to replace wooden boxes, thereby saving legitimate felling of over 80,000 trees for fruit packaging annually.

Virbhadra Singh said the union ministry needed to fix standards for the minimum and maximum widths of all transmission lines since a number of hydroelectric projects were coming up. He said that transmission lines being laid by the projects required permission of the ministry which should be given promptly so that power generation could benefit the consumer states.

Further, a policy must be evolved to either consider budgetary support to the extent of net present value of forest area involved or request the Supreme Court to exempt the state, especially in respect of government projects. The decision would bring additional income to the state exchequer for developmental activities.

The ministry should adopt the earlier pattern of supporting the eco-task battalions employing ex-servicemen to undertake massive afforestation and soil conservation activities. There was one such battalion in the state and two more were likely to be raised in the near future which would open employment avenues for ex-servicemen. The state was spending Rs 2.5 crore on each such battalion.

He also sought support to check monkey menace and said that the Centre should help establish at least six more units to carry out the sterilisation of monkeys as only one such unit was operational at the moment. He said small and marginal farmers were being affected by monkey menace which required immediate steps to check it.

The government was committed to the permanent rehabilitation of 700 identified nomadic Gujjar families dispersed all over the state. He said that a majority of the area identified for settlement was covered under the definition of forest land and required clearance from the ministry. The Chief Minister urged the visiting minister to clear the proposal for the Larot-Dodra road through the Chanshal pass in Rohru subdivision of Shimla district to connect the landlocked valley. The road construction had been carried by the Forest Department and the widening of the road would be possible only after forest clearance was obtained.

Raghupathy assured that he would take up the issues at the appropriate level and put in best of his efforts to provide relief to the state. He said the union government would be liberal in granting forest clearance for developmental activities.

Shimla, September 18
A Central team will be visiting the state on September 22 to assess the damage caused by rains so that a relief package can be given to Himachal to undertake the relief and restoration work in the affected areas.

The eight-member team will arrive here on September 20 and will visit the affected areas during its three-day stay here. The state government has already sought a package of Rs 1,260 crore on the basis of the damage caused by rains and cloud burst.

The timing of the Central team visit is being considered important as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to visit Shimla on September 30. Besides launching the “Aam Aadmi Bima Yojna” from here, he is expected to make some other important announcements in view of the Assembly elections due in February next year.

The state government is keen that the central team on its return submits its report at the earliest so that the relief package can be announced by the Prime Minister during his visit to Shimla. Infact, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had raised the issue so that the real extent of damage could be assessed.

“The Central team will visit Nurpur, Bilaspur, Sangla and Ghanvi to assess the damage and prepare their report for announcing a relief package to Himachal,” Daljeet Dogra, secretary, revenue, said. More than 50 persons were killed due to cloud burst in Ghanvi as the entire village was washed off.

The team will visit Ghanvi and travel through Kinnaur district which was one of the worst affected district. Though the possibility of the Central team submitting its report before the Prime Minister’s visit is unlikely but Virbhadra is hopeful that the PM will make certain announcements and dole out some concessions to the state. This is a part of the Congress strategy as both Himachala and Gujarat will be going to polls next year.

Shimla, September 18
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today that the Education Department must incorporate moral values in the curriculum so that students are disciplined and patriotic.

The Chief Minister was speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Rs 60-lakh science laboratory to be constructed at the local Government Senior Secondary School, Lalpani, here today. He said students were the future of the nation and it was a very big responsibility on the teachers to groom them into responsible citizens. “Besides being disciplined the students should be ambassadors of rich cultural tradition and play a pivotal role in its preservation,” he emphasised.

“The state has witnessed a silent revolution and today the hill state has been ranked first in the country in the field of education,” he said. He said as compared to 331 educational institutions at the time of its formation in 1948, Himachal today has a vast network of 17,000 educational institutions with the private players also playing a key role.

He said the government was committed to strengthening educational infrastructure in the state. “Free education to girls up to the highest level and scholarships and other incentives were being provided to the deserving and needy sections,” he informed.

Virbhadra Singh said no programme could be a success without the participation of the public and the people of the state should be given credit for this as Himachal had been ranked first in the poverty alleviation programme in the country,” he said.

Himachal was the only state which was allocating half of its budgetary provisions to the social welfare sector.

Dharamsala, September 18
The one-man O.P. Garg committee constituted to probe the birthday party of former tourism minister G.S. Bali, has asked two IAS officers - Subhash Ahluwalia and T.C. Janartha to appear before him in the court of district Magistrate, Kangra, on October 8 and 9. Both the IAS officers were reportedly present at the birthday party in which five dance girls were hired from Delhi to entertain guests, the sting operation of which was telecast by Star News, following which Bali was asked to resign from the Cabinet. Assistant commissioner Amrit Lal Sharma said Justice Garg would reach here on October 7 to hold the second round of inquiry. He would record the statements of witnesses from October 8 to October 11. The sitting would be held in the court of the district Magistrate at 11 am everyday, he said. On the first day, BJP leaders Hindveer Kohli, Chander Bhushan Naag and former MLA Ram Chander Bhatia have been summoned along with Subash Ahluwalia to record their statements. BJP MLA Ramesh Dhawala, Ramesh Kumar and one woman who had filed an affidavit have been asked to appear before Justice Garg along with T.C. Janartha on October 9, the second day of the hearing. Chief executive officer of Star News has been asked to present himself along with his correspondent Jagwinder Patial on October 10.

They have been asked to produce CD’s of the original unedited recording of the controversial party and as well as the copy of the edited recording that they had telecast on their news channel. The owner of the hotel where the dance party was organised have also been summoned on the third day along with the CEO and correspondent of Star News. Justice Garg has fixed the last day of the sitting for witnesses and arguments if any.

Shimla, September 18
Governor V.S. Kokje said refresher courses in “pooja paddati” (method for performing worship and rituals) was being started in temples to ensure that proper prayers were conducted. Inaugurating the Ist Vedic Conference organised by the Aadi Shankar Sewa Samiti and the local unit of Indian Heritage in connection with the Shri Kanchi Mahaswamigal Panirohan Shatabadi function at Tara Devi today, he said Himachal was the land of saints. He said historic temples in the state played a vital role in preserving traditional values.

He said Vedanta was held in high esteem in present times and one should follow the path shown by Aadi Shankaracharaya. Earlier, the Governor offered prayers at Tara Devi temple and participated in havan.

He also went around the 'Sanskrit and Science' exhibition organised on the occasion. Founder of the samiti, Kirti Vasan, announced that a 'Gosadan' would be set up at Shimla soon. Scholars from various parts of the country are attending the conference.

Dharamsala, September 18
In a case of gross violation of land use on a reserve forest land for the construction of a parking-cum-hotel on a BOT basis in McLeodganj, the Central Empowered Committee of the SC will inspect the controversial site on September 27 and September 28.

A Dharamsala-based environmentalist Atul Bhardwaj and Samir Mehta of the Bombay Environment Action Group had filed a petition before the CEC few months back demanding to demolish the illegal construction and punish the guilty officials who gave permission to construct the parking-cum-hotel on a reserve forest land without seeking permission from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has already cancelled the forest clearance of that site.

However, the state government did not demolish the structure. However, the construction work on the site was stopped by the district administration. The former Kangra DM was also asked to appear before the CEC in this regard in its last hearing at New Delhi.

Besides the parking-cum hotel structure there were five other local projects awaiting final clearance. The specified forest lands had been illegally transferred or leased to the HRTC by the Tourism Department.

The HRTC had in turn leased the land to Himachal Pradesh Bus Stand Management and Development Authority who had further leased it to Prashanti Surya Construction Company for developing the bus stand and hotel-cum-car parking on a BOT basis.

In this case filed before the CEC, it was stated that a 0.48 hectare land was diverted by the Forest Department for constructing a bus stand, the permission of which was given by the Union Ministry in 2001.

However, the company instead of sticking to the construction work of the bus stand and the car parking had also raised a multi-storey building above the parking space without the permission from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for the change of land use.

Nurpur, September 18
State BJP spokesperson Rajinder Rana in a press note released here today demanded a high-level probe into the road accident in which Sandeep Kaushik had lost his life and his wife and son were seriously injured.

He said the police had failed to nab driver of the pick-up van who fled after committing the crime even after three days of the accident. “Moreover, the vehicle used in hitting Kaushik’s car is bearing a fake registration number and its real owner is still a mystery for the police which leads to an impression of foul play in the road mishap,” he added.

Rana said Kaushik who had contested a number of PILs in the state high court against anti people policies of the state government and a member of the fact-finding committee constituted by the high court to investigate the birthday bash of former transport minister G.S. Bali.

He suspected that Kaushik might have become a victim of a planned conspiracy. He claimed that only a high-level probe or an inquiry by a sitting high court judge could bring the truth before the people.

Solan, September 18
Acting on the directions of the state high court, the seven-member committee under the chairmanship of the deputy commissioner, today decided to review the pollution scenario of a Nalagarh-based leather unit on September 25.

The committee will inspect the site after making a field visit and submit a report to the high court. The committee constituted on August 24 is headed by the deputy commissioner and comprises representatives of the Science and Technology Council, the Department of Environment, Pollution Control Board, the Industries Department, deputy directors of agriculture and animal husbandry departments.

A leather unit was ordered to shift its premises from Nalagarh following a PIL by local people, who had rued that its fowl smell created environmental problems in it’s vicinity. The committee will now take into account various aspects, including cessation in the pollution level after the shifting of the unit, whether the treatment plant installed by other units of the factory were effective in dealing with the pollution emanating from the unit and what impact the unit’s pollutants had on the environment of the place, including the nearby fields and water sources.

The committee members said they were concerned about how the residual material of the unit was dumped and if it polluted the environment, including air, water or ground then it was a matter of concern. DC Mohan Chauhan said the committee would submit a report to the high court. The case is listed for October 10 before the court.

The villagers had earlier made a number of representations regarding pollutants discharged by the unit which they rued had led to a number of skin diseases in both man and cattle. The unit effluent system lacked the tertiary treatment which was considered a pre-requisite for units of such nature which fell under the red category. 

Shimla, September18
The district consumer forum has directed the H.P. State Civil Supply Corporation, Indian Oil Corporation and Oriental Insurance Company to pay Rs 6 lakh to the complainant, Davinder Singh, for providing defective LPG gas cylinder to him.

While passing the order, the forum headed by D.K.Sharma observed that they all are jointly and severally liable for this act. The forum also imposed a fine of Rs 3,500 as cost on all of them.

According to the complainant, he is having LPG connection at his residence at Kotli, Sirmaur. The H.P State Civil Supply Corporation supplied a filled cylinder to him on October 2004. When his wife was fixing the cylinder with the gas stove, the gas leaked and resulted in a blast and fire in the house of the complainant. The mishap occurred due to manufacturing defect in the cylinder. The complainant suffered losses due to this incident.

The forum specifically observed in its order that on account of defective sale of cylinder by the H.P State Civil Supply Corporation, distributors of Indian Oil Corporation , the liability to compensate the complainant for the loss suffered fell on all of them. Oriental Insurance Company was not able to make a case and that was a breach of policy condition. So, they all were jointly liable.

Shimla, September 18
Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College at Tanda has finally been completed almost 11 years after its foundation stone was laid. It will be formally dedicated to the people shortly.

The college started functioning in March, 1997, but the first batch of 50 students was admitted only in January, 1999. Till date three batches have passed out. While all 100 doctors of the first two batches have been employed, the 3rd batch is undergoing internship. The state government had to strive hard to seek recognition and create the basic infrastructure in the college at a huge cost. During the past four years Rs 160 crore was released for various construction works, which was a record in itself. The college was accorded permanent recognition by the Medical Council of India (MCI) in 2004.

Patients from the lower areas of Himachal Pradesh will no longer have to undergo the ordeal of travelling to Shimla for treatment. Kangra, the largest district of the state, did not have any modern hospital providing specialised medical services so far. Besides Kangra, the medical college hospital will also serve Chamba, Hamirpur, Una and parts of Bilaspur and Mandi districts. It has all modern diagnostic facilities. Apart from a blood bank, the hospital has a well-equipped central laboratory with the facilities for conducting tests related to microbiology, pathology and biochemistry.

The Radiology Department is equipped with the MRI, CT scan, ultrasound and doppler X- ray facilities. The college hospital will soon have the super specialty of cardiology with two basic requirements of tests like ICU and CCU, echoholter, angiography and other required facilities.

Hostels can house 240 boys and girls while 40 residential quarters have also been provided at a cost of around Rs 10.50 crore. The para-chemical block cost Rs 9.62 crore and the library building Rs 2.93 crore. The highest expenditure of Rs 54 crore was incurred on the construction of a 500-bedded 
hospital building. The government has spent around Rs 260 crore on the project. 

Una, September 18
Hari Dutt Sharma, former associate member of the Congress, and Kanta Sood, former state president of INTUC and about 48 party workers of various political parties including, zila parishad members, BDC members and panches jointed the BSP in a rally organised by the BSP at Amb, 32 km from here yesterday.

Vijay Singh Mankotia, former minister and convenor of the state BSP, Vijay Joshi, former state minister and state general secretary, BSP, and national general secretary of the BSP, Man Singh Manhera, were present on the occasion.

Speaking on this occasion Mankotia said before the forthcoming election of the Vidhan Sabha in the state the BSP would expose corrupt ministers of the state before the public.

He said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had no right to continue as the Chief Minister after the CD scam in which he and his wife were found demanding money from officials and others.

Joshi while addressing the gathering, said the people of the state were fed up with both the BJP and the Congress, who were forming the government in alternatively and said that the BSP would form the next government in Himachal Pradesh.

Sharma said lawlessness prevailed in the Chintpurni constituency and people were fed up with the local MLA.