Shimla, March 29
The Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) has now officially introduced water rationing in the state capital, announcing supply of drinking water every third day for an hour.

Though the corporation was providing water in the peripheral areas of the town every third day since the beginning of this month, the residents of the town, who were being provided water daily, would now be getting water on every alternate day.

According to sources in the SMC, the hill station with a population of 2,50,000 needs 40 -million litres of water daily, but it has only 30 million litres of water for distribution.

They said the shortage of drinking water was due to the depleting water sources at the Gumma, Churat, Ashwani Khad. With the onset of summers, the increasing demand leads to severe water scarcity.

SMC Mayor Narender Kataria confirmed the introduction of water rationing in the town, saying that the areas within the town would now receive water on alternate days only.

“Once the Giri water scheme starts, we will be able to restore regular supply of water in the town,” he added. The scheme was to be made operational on October 2, last year and since then several other dates announcing its launch have passed with the town remaining without supply of drinking water.

With no new additional drinking water sources and failure of the respective state government’s and local urban body to make arrangements for supply of water for more than 1.5 lakh people, the summers seems to be long and cruel. — UNI

Chamba, March 29
Irregularities in supplying the science kits to government schools in Chamba district under the centrally sponsored scheme - Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan’ (SSA) last year have recently come to light.

The SSA is implemented and monitored under the control of the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET). According to sources, the science kits had been supplied to various government primary and middle schools working under the SSA by certain enterprises till March, 2007.

These science kits had been sold at the rate of Rs 2,000 per kit and Rs 8,000 per kit to the newly opened primary and middle schools respectively under the scheme.

Finding lapses and irregularities in the supply of these science kits on the public complaints, the payments of about Rs 12 lakh towards the enterprises involved in the supply of these kits had been withheld by the authorities of the Department of Education, the sources divulged, adding that these payments were still pending following audit objections.

The inquiries made from the deputy director of education (elementary), J. S. Awasthy, who is also the district project coordinator of the SSA revealed that the then deputy commissioner of Chamba had also ordered an inquiry into the irregularities but the inquiry report was still awaited, thereby withholding the payments.

Shimla, March 29
The JM Institute of Speech and Hearing, Patna, will set up an institute of disability management and rehabilitation in the state capital.

Minister for social justice and empowerment Sarveen Chaudhary said the institute had been working in the field of disability for the past 25 years and was supported by the union ministry of social justice and empowerment.

“The opening of the institute would cater to the needs of disabled persons, besides promoting research activities related to therapeutic, diagnostic methodology, aids and appliances,” she said.

The organisation has requested the government to give them 10 acres of land in Shimla so that they can start their courses at the earliest. “The organisation is keen to start functioning from a rented accommodation till its own premises is ready,” she said.

Kangra, March 29
Two youth of Bilaspur district allegedly involved in a rape case were today remanded to the police custody for three days by the judicial magistrate I class (II), Palampur, who had raped a 23-year-old girl in a running car on Thursday, the police said here.

Kangra district police chief Dr Atul Kumar Phuljaly said the girl, resident of Paprola, was waiting for a bus at the Kangra bus stand on March 27, when two youths in a Maruti car (HP 15 A 8001) approached and asked her about where she was going. They gave her a lift to Paprola and on the way the girl was allegedly raped in the moving car.

Kangra SSP said the duo allegedly threatened her of liquidation if she disclosed about the crime. They instead of driving her to Paprola took the car to Tharul and left her there where the victim raised an alarm.

Dr Atul said residents of Tharul informed the police and nakas were set up. Both the accused, identified as Partap Chand and Dunni Chand, residents of Gumarwin of Bilaspur district, were nabbed and the car was impounded on the outskirts of Tharul falling under the Lambagoan police station. He said the doctors at the Palampur Civil Hospital medically examined the rape victim and confirmed it. A case has been registered against them.

Shimla, March 29
The Transport Department would initiate strict action, including cancellation of route permits, against private bus operators found charging lower bus fares than recently notified by the government.

Director (transport) Rajender Singh said here today that it had been noticed that some private bus operators were charging less bus fares and resorting to illegal practice of overloading so as to reduce their operational cost. He said this was a violation of Motor Vehicle Act.

“This is also causing an unhealthy competition between HRTC and private operators and leading to tax evasion as tickets were not issued many passengers in many cases,” he said. He said the department was launching a special drive to check that operators did not resort to such tactics. The bus operators must adhere to the fares fixed by the government, he added.

Sundernagar, March 29
The seven-day state-level Nalwar Fair concluded yesterday evening. MLA Roop Singh Thakur was chief guest at the function.

A procession was taken out from the PWD rest house. It was lead by Thakur. He watched wrestling bouts at Nagaun Khud. Later, the procession concluded at Jawahar Park.

Thakur gave away prizes to the winners. Soni of Ludhiana was declared Suket Kesari and got Rs 11,000 and a “gurj”.

Rakesh Kumar of Arthi was declared Suket Kumar and got Rs 4,100 and a “gurj”.

Mandi, March 29
Former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today that “certain party leaders” in the state, who had earlier misinformed the high command about giving wrong party tickets in the last Assembly elections, have once again become active and were misleading the party high command about him in New Delhi.

Talking to reporters here while he was on his way to Kangra for the party rally tomorrow and his first visit to Mandi after the Congress debacle in the Assembly elections, Virbhadra Singh said that the same chunk of party people, who were instrumental in allotting party tickets to wrong candidates, which led to the party defeat in the last elections, were once again misleading the high command about him.

He added that the he would take any responsibility given by the high command, as he was a soldier of the Congress party. “I am ready to share any responsibility as and when it comes from the high command,” he said.

Virbhadra Singh said the Dhumal government had nothing new to offer to the state in the budget as all work were started by the previous Congress government under him. The hike for daily wagers, subsidies on rations and other schemes were programmes of his government, he added.

Virbhadra Singh said the BJP got power in the state on the platter due to wrong allotment of tickets and there were no concerted campaigns by the Congress leaders from the Centre as compared with the BJP. Still I am alone enough for the BJP, he asserted.

Shimla, March 29
RSS activists today took out a protest rally against the high handedness and violent outbursts by CPM activists on their workers in New Delhi and in Kerala.

The RSS activists assembled at the deputy commissioners office and took out a protest March which concluded in a public meeting. The RSS activists made an appeal to the people to raise their voice against such acts of violence by the CPM activists not only in Nandigram in West Bengal but now even in Delhi.

“The manner in which the CPM activists used violence against peaceful protestors in Delhi is highly condemnable and intolerable,” they said. They demanded that the people should raise their voice against such fascist forces.

Nurpur, March 29
A large number of PTA teachers recruited during the previous Virbhadra Singh government from Nurpur subdivision today held a protest here against the inquiry and recommendation of Shanan committee constituted by the state government.

Rejecting the inquiry and recommendations of the committee they raised slogans and took out a procession in the town. Later, they submitted a memorandum to the government through the local SDM demanding framing of a clear and concrete PTA policy.

They also questioned the eligible and ineligible PTA teachers declared by the inquiry committee and alleged victimisation of the PTA teachers by the state government. In the memorandum they lamented that sacking sword of the government had been haunting them.

NAHAN: The teachers engaged under the PTA policy of the previous Congress government, today took out a protest march in Paonta against the dilly-dallying attitude of the state government on this issue.

Around 200 protesters assembled at Badripur Chowk and started a procession, which went up to the office of Paonta SDM. Protesters raised anti-state government slogans and demanded to stop inquiry in to the PTA recruitments. Raising their demand for the regularisation of their services in the education department, PTA teachers stressed that without going in to the process of their recruitment, government must treat them government employee.

Nurpur, March 29
In order to stack forest produce like timber sleepers, charcoal and khair logs, a number of central depots were opened by the HPSFC in the Nurpur area a decade ago, but it has failed to provide proper security to protect valuable forest produce.

Information from the HPSFC revealed that it had opened such depots on roadsides at Jonta, Bindravan, Gangath, Gurchal, Tipri and Minjgrah in the Nurpur area. However, the corporation has deputed timber watcher-cum-chawkidars in these depots, but no arrangement for light, water or fire extinguishers have been made. Nurpur HPSFC assistant manager said he had written many letters to the corporation officials demanding proper security arrangement in the depots, but so far, no action was taken.

A.C. Sharma, director, (north), HPSFC, Dharamsala clarified that these depots had opened to adjust surplus field staff of the corporation and there was no justification for opening of these depots.

He claimed that there was small quantity of forest produce lying in these depots. But the official information said at present, forest produce worth Rs 14 lakh was lying in these depots. Whereas, during the season, produce worth Rs 50 lakh was stacked in them.

Nandpur, March 29
As fears of the cataclysmic spring hail storms season looms large in the state, the apple growers have urged the state government to expedite the setting up of the anti-hail-guns demonstration centres at key locations to assess the feasibility of the anti-hail system in the state as the apple belt is fast heading for a full bloom of the season.

Farmers have been pinning their hopes on the government for import of the advanced technology to fight the hail storms that damage a large per cent of fruit and other crops in the state every year.

Farmers said they recognise the hail clouds using their “traditional wisdom”, but they remain mute spectators to the hails storms. At best, they invoke their ‘devis’ and ‘devtas’ and local rain gods-Kamrunag in Mandi, Bijjat Maharaj in Shimla and Bijli Mahadev in Kullu - offering them “Shaag”, oblation to quell hails storms, but with some “chancy success”.

Chairman, Himalayan Eco-Horticultural Society (HEHS) of farmers, Laxman Thakur, who along with Dr K.D. Verma, a former scientist from Nauni university, had visited Holland in October 2004, to know how the anti-hail guns had saved farmers from hail storms in Europe. He said, “The anti-hail guns and crop insurance are the only way out to save crops from hailstorms that damage large percentage of crops every year in state”.

Thakur said the seminar on anti-hail guns held on February 26 in Shimla had brought hopes for farmers and the government had promised to install the anti-hail guns on community basis to see its effectiveness in the belt.

“We have v-shaped valleys as compared to flat lands in Europe and the USA. The guns will work better here”, he asserted. Belgium horticulturalist-cum-owner of the anti-hail guns control system Marnix Van Praet, who gave a presentation to the state government on his system said, “The mixture of acetylene and oxygen is blasted off from the gun. This in turn sends up the “ionized shockwaves” that smash the hailstone up to a height of 16,000 meters, where hail storms are caused by the cumulonimbus cloud with temperature of -50 °C. Hails fall on the ground either as rain or as wet snow”.

But the farmers can not afford to install the system as a gun costs Rs. 97.50 lakh including an import duty of Rs. 20,000 a piece.

“Besides, operational cost of each gun comes to Rs. 30,000 for six hours in a year and it covers more than 90 hectare area”, Praet informed. The farmers said the central government should also expedite the setting up the Doplar Radar system proposed for Shimla.

“The anti-hail gun needs effective monitoring of weather conditions in the hail-prone areas as hail gun needs 30 minutes for ignition”. As per minutes of the February 26 meeting, experts from Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Forestry and Horticulture, Nauni, the Krishi Vishwavidyalaya, Palampur, the wheat Research Station and the Indian Meteorological Department have also suggested to import one anti-hail gun system for field trial in the state.

Horticulture minister Nardender Bragta said, ”The government is assessing the technical feasibility of the anti-hail guns system. Belgium and Switzerland experts gave their presentations to the government on this system. It has worked well in Europe and will first see how it works here. We will approach the central government to wave off import duty on guns once we are assured about its feasibility”.