Shimla, April 19
The involvement of large tracts of forests and private land may ground the ambitious plan of bringing water from the Pabbar river to quench the thirst of the “Queen of Hills”.

WAPCOS (water and power consultancy services), a government undertaking, is in the process of finalising the detailed project report for the gravity scheme. The gravity scheme will not involve any pumping as water will be tapped from the source at an altitude of 2800 metres and flowed down to Shimla (2200 metres) located at a lower level.

According to sources, despite financial and technical viability implementation of the scheme may not be an easy task. The Rs 716-crore scheme involves laying of about 180 km double pipeline a major portion of which will pass through virgin forest areas and private land. It is being designed to bring 45 million litres of water daily to the state capital.

As much as 65 km of the pipeline will have to be laid through thick forest areas right from Narkanda, Baghi, Sungri, Moral Danda, Deodhar and other places up to Janglik. The pipeline will require a 5-metre-wide corridor which would have to be created by felling thousands of trees. Further, 35 km length will pass through private land. Forest clearance and acquisition of private land will be major hurdles which could delay the implementation of the project, leading to cost escalation.

At present the IPH Department is spending about Rs 45 crore annually as electricity charges for pumping water to Shimla from various sources. The proposed gravity scheme will help save this amount and its financial viability is being worked on this basis. However, maintenance of 180-km-long pipeline through a difficult hill terrain will be a problem.

The government now plans to present the scheme before the 13th Finance Commission for funding as the huge funds required will not be available under the urban renewal mission. It is of the view that availability of sufficient water will help boost the economic growth of the Shimla-Solan belt. Lack of drinking water had had been a major constraint hampering the growth of the area.

Shimla, April 19
With the model code of conduct coming into force for the Hamirpur Lok Sabha by-election the government will not be able to announce any financial grants or make promises of any kind.

Chief Electoral Officer Manisha Nanda said no foundation stones of projects or schemes of any kind could be laid. Promises to construct roads, provide drinking water facilities and other such acts which could influence the electorate would be deemed as violation of the code. No ad-hoc appointments in government and public undertakings could be made which could have the effect of influencing the voters in favour of the party in power.

She further said the Election Commission of India had directed that there would be a total ban on the transfer of all officers and officials connected with the conduct of the elections.

Under section 28 A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, police officers connected with the management of election, who have been deputed to the commission, could not be transferred.

The transfer orders already issued in respect these officers prior to the date of announcement, but not implemented till date, should not be given effect to, without obtaining specific permission from the commission.

No fresh release of funds under the Local Area Development Fund Scheme of MPs and MLAs would be made where the model code of conduct is enforced. No fresh release of funds under these schemes would be made till the completion of the election process.

The CEO, however, said there would be no ban on the release of payments for completed works. 

New Delhi, April 19
Himachal Pradesh has raised the strength of high court judges from nine to 11 to speed up justice delivery. Besides, six new courts of civil judges (junior division) have been created in the state in the past two years to clear pending cases, said Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal while addressing the Chief Ministers’ and Chief Justices’ Conference at Vigyan Bhavan here today.

Dhumal said the state had placed a requisition for filling 15 posts of civil judge (junior division) with the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission and the process of conducting the exams was on. The conference looked at the possible solutions to expedite clearance of cases in courts.

Besides, the state was taking other steps to augment and upgrade infrastructure in the courts. The Himachal high court has already been computerised. “We have taken up with the Ministry of Home Affairs and e-committee of the Supreme Court the matter for computerisation of district and subordinate courts in the state,” Dhumal said after the conference ended.

He also said Rs 25 crore had been spent on the construction of court complexes and residential houses of judicial officers during the past financial year. The state would set up the video-conferencing facility in four subordinate courts and four jails for speedy disposal of court cases, said the Chief Minister.

This is apart from the state judicial academy the state had set up to provide judicial education and training to officers at the time of their induction into service. To grant autonomy to the high court, the state had already delegated power of appropriation and re-appropriation of funds to the Chief Justice within the sanctioned budget of the judiciary.

Solan, April 19
With virtually no concrete clue in the idol thefts case even after 48 hours, the Solan police is groping in the dark. Police teams have been sent within and outside the state to nab the culprits.

Sources said the police was concentrating on other temple thefts executed by professional gangs in the state. Teams had been constituted to trace the whereabouts of those involved in the previous thefts and their movements in and around the town in the recent past so as to establish any links.

With the police failing to maintain proper records of all migrant labourers residing in and around the town, there was little that could be achieved in zeroing in on the role of this workforce. The role of locals who had been involved in such thefts in the past was being thoroughly probed.

The most surprising part, however, was the fact that despite the presence of eight idols at Shoolini temple only two had been taken away. Similarly, a small Ganesha idol was taken away from the Kali mata temple located at Khleen here though there were more valuable idols there. Similarly, an attempt was made to take away the cash chest from the Shitla mata temple while other valuables were left untouched.

The police was, therefore, exploring certain local angles in the thefts. Since the takeover of the temple about three years back, some popular traditions like visits of the ruling deity to houses of locals on request had been done away with.

A dossier relating to the whereabouts of idol thieves across the state has been prepared and the police was now trying to draw links form it. Police teams sent to Chandigarh and Delhi were on the lookout for leads from the markets of such idols.

DIG Pradeep Kumar, who was overlooking the investigations, said the police was hopeful of achieving a crucial breakthrough.

The series of thefts in the recent past has put a question mark over the security of temples across the state. While a majority of the temples, especially in villages, were in dilapidated state these housed antique and precious idols.

Meanwhile, the house of Puran Pandita, an employee of United India Insurance Company, in Pawan Vihar here was found broken into. Since Pandita left for his native village along with his entire family on April 17, it was not clear what exactly had been stolen though a complaint has been lodged with the police by the Pawan Vihar Colony Sudhar Sabha. 

Shimla, April 19
Scholars participating in a two-day seminar on “Recognising Himalayan Diversity” being held at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, here, deliberated on the subject of “gender and diversity” and “religions of the region”.

In her paper ‘Women and Development in Arunachal Pradesh’ Jarjum Ete argued that all tribal societies were not egalitarian and society in Arunachal Pradesh remained patriarchal. The tribal women continue to remain marginalised in their own society. Yogesh Snehi described the customary practice of reet in Himachal Pradesh, which was used in different ways by various sections of people. It also caused diverse reactions amongst social reformers and colonial administrators.

Dwelling on differences in religious practices Dinesh Saklani talked about the diversity of the Ramayana tradition in Garhwal. In some areas of Garhwal, Ram was the principal deity of worship whereas in other areas Sita or Lakshman took this place.

In his presentation on ‘Bonpos of the Western Himalayan’, Laxman Thakur pointed out that many of the rock carvings of Lahaul-Spiti could actually be associated with the Bonpo religion on the basis of the artistic symbols used in these carvings.

Mushtaq Kaw discussed at length the pluralistic traditions of Kashmir. He suggested that multiple influences resulted in the creation of a pluralistic liberal tradition in Kashmir.

The session on ‘Community, Ethnicity and Society’, had two papers by Ram Chhetri and Hari Bhattarai. Both papers dealt with different aspect of cultural diversity in Nepal. Ram Chhetri was of the opinion that in terms of its social and religious structure, contemporary Nepal is a country of many minorities.

During discussion on ‘Politics and Polities’ P.D. Rai described the long term, socio-political changes that took place in Sikkim, especially after its merger with the Indian Union. He said large amount of Central funding had resulted in social fragmentation. Hari Sharma discussed the current political movements in Nepal.

Bilaspur, April 19
Randhir Sharma, BJP state spokesman and MLA from Kot-Kehloor constituency, here in district has strongly criticised former forest minister and prominent Congress party leader Ram Lal Thakur for issuing baseless statements regarding rising prices and holding the state government responsible for this unprecedented phenomena.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Randhir Sharma said Ram Lal Thakur was misleading none else but himself by such baseless charges as even the most illiterate villager knows that the price rise was only due to wrong financial policies of the Central Government and this phenomena had nothing to do with the state government.

He said the Central Government led by the Congress party had increased the prices of petrol and diesel five times during its four-year rule. Whenever, there is an increase in the oil prices, it triggers a spiralling price increase in all consumer commodities.

He gave a strong rebuff to former forest minister on the issue of non-availability of a pulse at a government ration depot. He said this happened as the contractor, which was signed by the former Congress government, broke his contract and fled after the price of this pulse increased. He added that the contractor had not fulfilled his obligation of pulse supplies and the present difficulty is the result of wrong contract of the former Congress government and not due to the present BJP government.

Hamirpur, April 19
The police has seized 15 bags of grains from a jeep which were being transported illegally near Bhota this morning.

Hamirpur SP Asif Jalal said the seized grain seemed for the food-for-work programme and was sold illegally in the market by the Bajuri panchayat president.

The panchayat president claimed that since the labourers were not keen on taking ration under the food-for-work programme so he was selling it in the open market.

Though the police was investigating the matter, it smells of a bigger scam related to the sale of grains meant for the food-for-work programme in the open market.

The grains provided under this scheme were supplied to the workers at Rs 4 to 5 per kg whereas in the open market it is sold at Rs 10 to 15 per kg.

Nurpur, April 19
A flying squad of the Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department today nabbed two secretaries of cooperative societies for supplying kerosene for sale in the black market. According to information Sohan Lal, secretary of the Unoh Baniara Cooperative Society, was allegedly caught with 236 litres of kerosene.

In another case, Balbir Singh, secretary of the Dah Agriculture Society, was nabbed with 56 litres of kerosene being carried in a can. The Indora police has registered a case in this connection.