The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Himachal Pradesh Edition

CM’s recipe for growth: Power, herbs, citrus fruits
Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Sarkaghat, January 25
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today came out with a new mantra of ‘self-employment, prosperous and self-dependence’ for the people of the state. He said, the government would generate 12,000 -MW power by 2012 and strengthen infrastructure of link roads, while the people would be stakeholders in this new mantra of development.

They will now be diversifying into new areas of medicinal herbs, citrus fruits and floriculture, which has an export potential worth Rs 15,000 crore in the state.

Significantly, Dhumal arrived here at a low-profile welcome ceremony, but he was greeted by a huge publicity billboard listing new initiatives of the government put up by the state public relations department in the town.

Addressing a gathering after he unfurled the national flag and inspected the colourful parade presented by the police, home guards and students on the occasion of the 38th Statehood Day here today Dhumal said, the government would provide free testing of soil and technical know-how to unemployed youth and open a hydro power-based training institute that will offer job-oriented training courses.

The higher education will be vocation oriented at the school and college levels, which will provide job-oriented courses as per the needs of industries in and outside the state, he added.

Dhumal gave an example of apple prosperity in the upper areas and urged the farmers and unemployed youth in the lower areas to switch over to income-generating cash crops of citrus fruits, floriculture and medicinal herbs.

“They will get free soil testing and technical assistance from the government. Government jobs in all departments have limited scope for employment, but these will be filled up by new policy of 50 per cent batch wise and 50 per cent through merit and tests conducted by the commission, he added.

The CM said that the government would encourage religious, rural and adventure tourism that would help solve unemployment problem in the state.

Dhumal said he met and has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to expedite efforts to complete the railways lines - Baddi-Chandigarh, Bhanupallu-Beri (Bilaspur), Nangal-Talwara and further extend the Bhanupalli-Beri broad gauge railway-line to connect the Jogindernagar narrow gauge line in a time bound manner. He has also urged extension of industrial package for Himachal.

Dhumal later lauded the cultural programme performed by the cultural troupes and schoolchildren and announced Rs 70,000 as award for the participants. The policemen from the Droh training institute, also performed acrobatics on motorcycles.

Medical college for Mandi

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today announced the opening of a medical college in Mandi and said the

government would advertise it shortly seeking bids as many parties had shown interest in the project.

Dhumal, addressing the gathering on the statehood day today said, “I also direct the district administration to start the process to identifying the land for the same as may parties have shown interests in the project, he added.

Earlier, the Congress government had also issued a notification on October 8, 2007, that the government medical college would be started at Mandi for which the district administration had identified 150 bighas of land in the town.

The government had appointed Dr Jaayhsree Sharma, as the nodal officer, revealed sources.

Out of the 150 bighas of land some of the land falling in the forestland and had sought permission from the

Ministry of Environment and Forests for the diversion of land and was awaited so far, sources disclosed.

Apple Plantation Scam
Four-day police custody for accused
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, January 25
Horticulture extension officer Prakash Chand, who was arrested by the State Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau yesterday for his alleged involvement in the apple plantation scam in the Bara Bhangal tribal area, was today remanded in four-day police custody by a sessions’ court here.

Some tribal families of Bara Bhangal, in connivance with officials of the Horticulture Department, had fraudulently availed themselves of the subsidy benefits amounting to lakhs in the name of planting rootstocks of apple trees and constructing water storage tanks under the Horticulture Technology Mission (HTM) implemented by the state government in assistance with the Centre.

More than 100 families of the village had opted for plantation of apple saplings in 2003-2004. The department had provided more than 14,000 rootstocks of royal, golden, spurs and dwarf varieties of apple to the panchayat for distribution among the tribal people.

During the preliminary inquiry, the bureau had found that some families that demanded more rootstocks were given less and some of them did not even get a single rootstock but those who did not plant even a single rootstock had also got subsidy benefits in accordance with the demand put forth by them.

PG entrance exam to hit health services
Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 25
The health services in the state are likely to be affected due to the holding of the entrance examination for the postgraduation course for doctors, the majority of whom are serving as general duty officers (GDO) all over the state.

It is for the first time that the PG entrance examination is being held on a working day rather than on a holiday, as has been the past practice.

Since the examination centre is only at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) here, most of the doctors serving as GDOs in the rural areas will leave for Shimla a day earlier.

As such services at the health centres are likely to remain affected partially on January 29, 30 and 31.

About 300 doctors, who have done their PG degree are serving as registrars at the IGMC or the Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda.

As per figures available with the Health Department, normally about 1,000 doctors appear for the PG entrance examination.

Show-cause notices served on 15 firms
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, January 25
As many as 15 industrial firms had been served show-cause notices by the Industries Department in Kangra district for having failed to set up their industrial units within the stipulated time period of two years.

Sources in the department revealed that these firms were allotted industrial plots at Sansarpur, Nagri, Dhaliara and Nagrota Bagwan industrial hubs and they were eligible to get special economic benefits under various schemes of the Union and state government.

These industrial firms had been asked to explain their position within one month. Such notices were also served on 30 industrial firms in the district earlier following which more than 12 plots were cancelled

Meanwhile, hundreds of industrial plots that were allotted more than two years back were still lying vacant in Una district also. At Mehatpur 16, Tahliwal 14, Gagret 30, Amb 10, Jeetpur Behri 34, besides, many other places plots were lying vacant without any industrial setup.

Snow in higher reaches intensifies cold
Asthmatics suffer the most, sale of inhailers up
Tribune Reporters

Shimla, January 25
Even as the tribal areas and other high reaches had a fresh round of snowfall today,the state continued to reel under extremely cold conditions.

Kalpa, Sangla valley, Nichar, Narkanda, Kharapathar, Chanshal slopes and Rohru are having intermittent snow since this morning. Kalpa had recorded 15 cm of snowfall by the evening, while Rohru and Khara Pathar had 10 cm.

Lower areas of Kinnaur and adjoining Rampur subdivision were having light rain. The people of the tribal areas groaned under subzero temperatures with Patsio recording a minimum of -25°C, Keylong -15°C and Kalpa -11°C.

Shimla was slightly warmer with a minimum of -3.5°C as compared to -4.4°C yesterday. Dhundi in Kullu had a minimum of -15°C. Una was the coldest in the lower areas with a minimum -2.8°C Sundernagar shivered with the minimum -1.4°C and Bhuntar also recording a low of -0.4°C.

Water supply in most of the areas was affected as water in pipelines was frozen. The springs and other natural sources of water were also frozen in many areas. According to the met office, the region will have widespread snowfall and rain over the next 24 hours and the cold wave will continue.
SOLAN: With the temperature dipping to an all-time low of -2.2°C in the town and its surrounding areas, there was no let-up in the cold conditions prevailing since the past few days. It was the second consecutive day today when the temperature had dipped below zero with yesterday’s minimum temperature being 2.6°C.

Earlier, it was in 2005, when the lowest temperature of -5°C was witnessed on December 24. According to the weather bulletin released by the metrological cell of Dr Y. S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, there was little scope of the weather conditions improving for the next two to three days.

Old timers recalled that it was the coldest winter they had experienced. Residents of various places like Chail, Barog, Basal, Kather by-pass and Kasauli confirmed that the water pipes had frozen at some places.

The roads wear a deserted look in the evenings as people prefer to remain indoors. The inclement weather The weather is particularly tough for asthma patients, who are having a difficult time coping up with the cloudy weather conditions.

The sale of inhalers used by the asthma patients had also increased considerably confided a local chemist.

The sales of woollens especially gloves, scarves and leather jackets was also on the increase though shopkeepers rued that the number of people visiting the markets in the evenings had decreased considerably.

It was a testing time for the students appearing in the board examinations as all schools were in the process of taking pre-board examinations.

Sundernagar Cement Plant
Company seeks more relaxations
Mahesh Chander Sharma
Our Correspondent

Sundernagar, January 25
On one hand the residents of Sundernagar and adjoining area have been raising voice against installation of the cement plant near Sundernagar but on the other hand Harish Cement Ltd with whom the government has already signed an MoU for setting up the plant wanted further relaxation in environmental norms imposed by the ministry of environment and forests. In this regard a team of experts from the Wildlife Institute Dehra Dun visited here.

The ministry has given a clearance to the present project in 2005, and has further imposed the condition that the mining zone will be 800 meters away from the Demarcated Protected Forest (DPE), Trambri, which is spread over 204.98 hectare and is touching Sundernagar. This area is known for the habitat of protected species of wildlife and in past it was converted into the Nature Awareness Centre.

Harish Cement Ltd did not liked the environment condition levied by the ministry and applied to the state government to relax this condition up to 200 metres, meaning thereby that they would start mining operation just 200 metres away from the Nature Awareness Centre, Trambri. The state government further recommended the case for relaxation of the safe distance conditions (i.e. relaxing the distance from 800 to 200 metres) to the ministry of environment and forests. The ministry further referred the case to the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun for fresh inspection and to report thereon.

On January 19, 2006, a team from the Wildlife Institute visited the site of the proposed cement plant. Interestingly, the field staff was given information just one day prior and the DFO wildlife under whose jurisdiction the Nature Awareness Centre, Trambri, falls was given no information regarding the site inspection by the team.

None of the expert from the Wildlife Institute was available for comments but it was confirmed that they would submit report to the ministry soon.

Bhim Singh Ragwa, president, Paryavaran Sangarsh Samiti said Harish Cement Ltd has presented the facts wrongly before the ministry that is why the environment clearance was accorded to the project. It was further stated that they would request the ministry to review the environment clearance given to the cement project.

Meanwhile, the Khatrwari Sangrash Samiti requested the Chief Minister to shift this project away from the present site. It is said thousands of bighas of fertile agricultural land would be destroyed in this project and the most fertile Balh Valley would also be affected due to installation of the cement plant near Sundernagar.

Dhumal shuns travel by chopper to help needy
in tribal areas

Shimla, January 25
Touched by the problems of the people of the high altitude tribal areas suffering due to heavy snowfall, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal in a kind gesture has ordered to press the state government helicopter for his use in the services of needy of tribal areas.

The CM has ordered the state helicopter be used for needy of the tribal areas and he himself will travel by road during the period, Arun Sharma, principal private secretary of the CM said today.

And as per this decision, the CM travelled to Delhi on Monday last by road and also returned by road and train, Sharma said.

Instead of using a helicopter, Dhumal travelled by road to Sarkaghat in Mandi district from his native Samirpur village today to attend the statehood function. Likewise, he would return to the capital from there by road to be present for the Republic Day function tomorrow, he said.

The CM personally directed the officials to cancel all his tours by helicopter and press the chopper in the services of the tribal areas of Lahaul-Spiti, Bharmour and Kinnaur, Sharma said.

The CM’s kind gesture has come as a welcome relief for the people of the tribal areas, as they were facing a lot of hardship because of the helicopter usually engaged in services there has gone for repair for over past 10 days. With roads under thick snow cover, movement by road is impossible.

Resumption of chopper services saved life of a 16-year-old girl from the snow-bound Lahaul, Radhika, who was transported to a hospital at Kullu on Tuesday last after her health began deteriorating because of her being stranded in Lahaul. — PTI

Stadium work stalled
Our Correspondent

Nurpur, January 25
The ongoing construction work of the Brijraj Stadium here, at Chogan, has been stalled on technical grounds. Local MLA Rakesh Pathania and Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) president Anurag Thakur today visited the site alongwith officials of the PWD, the executing agency.

Both expressed their displeasure on the manner in which the proposed stadium was being built. The requisite dimension of the stadium has not been covered by the executing agency. The HPCA president offered to takeover the construction of the stadium if the state government transferred the site land in the name of the HPCA.

Local MLA Rakesh Pathania said the ongoing construction of the stadium was stalled, as the required dimension had not been taken before starting its construction.

Oustees: Meeting on Feb 2
Tribune News Service

Shimla, Janury 25
PWD minister Gulab Singh Thakur, who also holds the portfolios of Revenue, has said that a ministerial-level meeting would be convened at Jaipur for February 2 to sort out the Pong Dam oustees issue with the government of Rajasthan.

Prior to the meeting at the ministerial-level the principal secretaries of both states would meet February 1.