Manali, February 10
Even after a gap of more than 20 years, the winter carnival here continues to be nothing more than a local mela as it has failed in its prime objective of attracting tourists in the off-season winter months. The reason is that neither does hoteliers offer special packages, nor the carnival committee offers any special attraction for tourists, which continues to be dominated by politicians and lack of publicity.

Hoteliers here revealed that occupancy rate in hotels have remained as low as 2 to 5 per cent for the last two days. Manali has received over three feet of snow and carnival is in full swing, but hotels remained almost deserted, they added.

Even few tourists roaming around the venue of the carnival, were not interested in going there as venue was dominated by local residents.

“We come to know that carnival was on. We went near the venue but found that people standing around the venue were looking down the Mall Road. So we decided not go there,” said Tarun Sharma, a tourist from New Delhi.

Few tourists, who had gone to Solang Nala for winter games and snow rides, said skiing competitions during the carnival should be free for the walk-in tourists as it would a thrilling experience for them.

There were hardly any foreign tourists in Manali. Members of the Manali Hoteliers’ Association (MHA) said: “We need to change the way the winter carnival is being held over the years. Winter games, introduced this year, are a welcome step as it will promote tourism. But these should be introduced for the walk-in tourists. The ministers should be confined to be as participants during brief opening and closing ceremonies so that tourists participation is encourage in carnival.”

President, MHA, Gautam Thakur said the carnival has failed to attract tourists over the years. “In big hotels occupancy rate is not more than 10 per cent these days. In smaller hotels it is not more than 5 per cent while carnival is in full swing,” he added.

Thakur said they were working out a new strategy to rope in tourists. “Hoteliers and travel agents and the Tourism Department need to offer special packages to tourists in lodging and traveling during the winter off-season. We are convening meeting and chalk out a strategy to rope in more tourists in off-seasons.”

Shimla, February 10
The cold wave sweeping the state continued unabated even as weather cleared and major highways which were closed owing to a heavy snowfall fours days ago reopened.

The Chamba- Pathankot highway was reopened and regular traffic was plying through it. However, the Chamba-Bharmour road was opened for light vehicles only.

The Hindustan-Tibet highway was also reopened and bus services were resumed for upper areas in Shimla district and Kinnaur. The snow-related incidents have claimed nine lives since January 9 in Kinnaur which was hit the most. The total loss to public property has been estimated at Rs 6.30 cr and to private property at Rs 33 lakh so far.

Kalpa was the coldest with a minimum temperature at -10°C, followed by Manali (- 6.4°C. Shimla was slightly warm with a minimum of 1.3°C.

In lower hills Sundernagar and Bhuntar were the coldest with a minimum of 1°C, followed by Una which recorded a low of 3°C. As per the Met office the cold wave is likely to continue for the next 48 hours.

Shimla, February 10
The 1,500-MW Nathpa Jhakri project has become the first single hydro power station of the country to generate more than 6,000 million units of electricity in a financial year.

It is a big achievement for the country’s largest hydroelectric venture as the highest generation has been achieved despite all odds like adverse hydrology, flash floods and high-silt contents, which the plant faced.

The project has been designed to generate 6,950-million units, but it never achieved the full generation as the high-silt content forced repeated shutdowns.

The high silt caused extensive damage to the turbines as a result of which the Union Ministry of Power reduced the permissible levels for operating the project from 5,000 to 4,000 ppm (parts per million).

Accordingly the generation target was revised to 6,400 million units. At present, the project is generating 6 to 7 million units per day.

The state receives 12 per cent power as royalty and 25 per cent of the remaining power on account of its equity share in the project. In the last financial year it generated 5,941 million units.

Kullu, February 10
Accusing the state government of being unable to monitor the illegal construction of Rs 12 crore ropeway and restaurant project at Solang Nallah, the prestigious ski slopes near Manali, by a private company. Ganesh Bhardwaj, director of Gurukul Bahumukhi Shiksha Sansthan, a NGO, working in this district to bring awareness among school and college children about the importance of saving environment, said in a media conference here yesterday that the ‘A Ski Himalaya’ project had damaged the environment and done extensive damage to the forest and water sources of the famous ski resort.

Ganesh alleged that the company had reached the completion of the project without seeking any clearances from the Forest Department and the state pollution control board. He said the Company Power Himalaya Limited had signed a MoU with the state government to establish an Aerial Ropeway cum Ski-Centre and two restaurant buildings at Solang in January 2003.

He said that any project costing above Rs 5 crore has to take Environment Impact Assessment before executing the project under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification but the company in question never sought that as was evident by the reply from the Ministry of Environment on being asked under the RTI Act by the NGO in December 2007. He also supplied the copies of the reply of the Ministry of Environment and Forests to the mediapersons indicating the Ministry has not received any such proposal seeking clearance under the Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006.”

He told that the NGO had filed a complaint with the Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board and thereafter the board ordered stopping of the construction on January 9, 2008. He expressed his surprise over the indifference of the pollution board authorities that no action was taken against the company. It is noteworthy that the company did not ever stop its construction work despite of the orders of the pollution board, he alleged.

He said that the project was coming up on 1.87 hectares “forest land” without the required legal permissions and the government remained indifferent. He said the NGO would also approach the court of law by filing a PIL against the government and the company.

Mandi, February 10
Flying squad of the Forest Department, Mandi, has detected a timber racket worth Rs 13.98 lakh. As many as 12 deodar trees were allegedly cut down in the demarcated protected forest (DPF) of Pandar, Dabarlu and Darli beats under the Pandar forest range. The racket involves a deputy ranger of the block.

Conservator of Mandi has order suspension of deputy ranger Dinesh Kumar after the department made a prima facie case against him after the flying squad recovered 14 cubic meters illicit timber worth Rs 4.5 lakh from his official residence in a raid. No FIR has been lodged so far.

Acting on a complaint registered on January 30, the flying squad raided the residence and ceased the timber.

The flying squad also raided an unauthorised saw mill allegedly run by Dinesh Kumar at his native village of Gehru on the Durgapur-Riwalsar Road. His wife refused to give documents of the mill, which raised suspicion that the mill was being run illegally.

The squad has detected 12 big deodar trees cut down without proper sanction from the competent authority. It was found that two big deodar trees in DPF Pandar range were felled allegedly at the instance of the said officer, who sold timber worth Rs 2.63 lakh. The squad recovered 10 logs from the spot, sources revealed.

The flying squad further detected that the said officer exceeding his power issued permits for felling of five more trees worth Rs 4.18 lakh in DPF Dharli forest on January 20, 2008.

The squad also found that five more trees worth Rs 3.68 lakh were sanctioned for the building purpose but Dinesh allowed the felling of five oversized trees worth Rs 7.17 lakh instead.

The squad also detected that the officer has been running a furniture shop in his wife’s name. The firm has shown a purchase order and paid Rs 1.65 lakh in each to the Durgadas Dhanotu, a private deport, revealed the investigation. DFO, flying squad, A.K Bali, said the interim report would be submitted shortly to the government for further action. The team has to halt combing of entire forest range duo to snow there as they suspect more illicit felling has taken place in the area, he added.

Conservator of forests, Mandi, B.D Suyal, said the deputy ranger has been put under suspension after prima facie case was made against him. “We will hand over the case to the police if the need be after the departmental inquiry. We are investigating the involvement of the other staff in the case,” he added.

Shimla, February 10
The prolonged spell of extreme cold in the hill state is likely to affect the rabi output and it may not be able to achieve the foodgrain target of 16.50 lakh tonnes for the current year.

The current rabi target has been fixed at 7.28 lakh tonnes as against the last season’s production of 6.45 lakh tonnes. In addition 4,000 tonne of oilseeds, 35,000 tonnes of potato and 4.20 lakh tonne of vegetables will be produced.

However, the lack of adequate rain in lower hill areas until the beginning of January and extreme cold conditions have affected crops in a majority of the areas. As such the possibility of achieving the rabi target was bleak. Further, the kharif output was also likely to be around 9 lakh tonnes as against the target of 9.22 lakh tonnes. 

Kullu, February 10
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has dedicated new accommodation of zila parishad building, completed at a cost of Rs 21 lakh, and laid foundation stone of a residential colony for zila parishad officials, estimated to cost Rs 53 lakh, at Kullu today. He addressed members of the zila parishads and panchayat samities of Kullu and said they should complete developmental projects before the scheduled time, save public money by proper utilisation of funds and get reward for meritorious services rendered by them.

Chief Minister said in his earlier tenure, he had introduced the scheme of publically honouring the officials who had completed developmental project before the scheduled time and saved public money by upholding the construction norms ensuring quality control in all such projects. He stated that the state government would promote work culture in its functioning and deliver the best services. He said all-out efforts would be made to release the ‘gram swaraj’ dream of Mahatma Gandhi.

Dhumal said efforts would be made to promote cash crop cultivation, especially herbiculture, to cultivate medicinal herbs, which could boost the agro-economy of the farmers of the state. He said scientific and environmentally safe exploitation of natural wealth would be given added attention and ayurveda health facilities would be introduced to attract visitors. He said the farmers would be encouraged to cultivate herbs at commercial level to strengthen the economy of the state.

Chief Minister said the state government was committed to strengthen the Ayurveda Department and a new ayurvedic hospital would be constructed at a cost of Rs 1.26, which would also contain a ‘panch karma’ health facility and help maintain health tourism in the state.

Dhumal said Rs 4 crore had been granted to zila parishad, Kullu, and panchayat samities, gram panchayats for the current financial year and various water supply schemes were being executed in the district under the panchayati Raj budgetary provisions.

Chief Minister said the state government had decided to grant 50 per cent reservation to women in Panchayati Raj institutions and urban social bodies with a view to encourage maximum representation to the women. He said the state government was committed to make best of the opportunities available to women to get them socio-economically strengthened.

Ses Ram, chairman, zila parishad, Kullu, thanked the Chief Minister for increasing the daily wages and social security pension in the state.

Chamba, February 10
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Yojna (NREGY) has succeeded in curbing the migration of rural people towards towns, Bharat Bhushan Gupta, national analyst of the yojna, said while addressing officials of the Rural Development Department engaged in executing the scheme here recently.

Gupta said the NREGY was a unique endeavour of the Government of India, which provided legal right of employment to the rural people; adding that the Government of India had a proposal to implement this scheme all over the country.

Even the observers at the world-level were keenly watching the effective implantation of this yojna, Gupta stated. Gupta, who is here on a nine-day visit to the district to assess the working of the scheme launched by the Government of India, would take stock of the situation. He will gather information about the difficulties coming in the way of its implementation.

Detailing about the yojna, H. S. Rana, project officer, district rural development agency, said an income of Rs 20 crore had so far been fetched by 250 units engaged in the production of off-season vegetables in the district.

He also gave information about the progress made in the field of floriculture and total sanitation drive. He said 800 government schools were identified to be covered under the total sanitation campaign. Funds were released for 316 schools at their respective development blocks. So far, under the programme, 175 toilets had been constructed.

Bilaspur, February 10
Sanjay Kumar (34), son of Hans Raj of Tattar village in Mandi district, was killed and Rajesh Kumar (31), son of Aminhand of Karni village in Mandi district, was injured when their car skidded off the road and fell down about 200 feet into the gorge near village Panaul yesterday.

Villagers extricated the occupants from the vehicle and took them to Ghumarwin hospital where Sanjay Kumar was declared brought dead and Rajesh Kumar was referred to regional hospital, Bilaspur, from where he was further referred to the PGI, Chandigarh.