The tea industry of Kangra is in dire straits, thanks to the rising competition and the apathy of the state government, which has allegedly failed to initiate any steps for the revival of the century-old Kangra tea industry.

Tea growers are finding it very difficult to maintain their plantations, as there is no buyer for their produce. The prices of inputs, including labour, have almost doubled in the past three years, but the prices of tea in the national as well as international markets have dropped by 30-50 per cent. The prices also come under pressure after the central government singed the WTO agreement.

The Indian tea industry has failed to compete with that of Sri Lanka, China, and African countries. In these countries, the production cost is mush less as compared to India. Though in the past few years the tea growers in the valley have made several efforts to improve the quality, the high prices due to higher production costs kept the buyers away.

The area under tea is squeezing with each passing day. A large number of tea growers in the Baijnath, Bir and Chauntra area have already abandoned their tea gardens.

The cooperative tea factories set up by the state government in Bir, Baijnath, Sidhwari and Palampur have failed to save the interests of small tea growers. Political interference, rampant corruption and continuous irregularities have virtually ruined these cooperative units.

Despite the fact that the government provided adequate financial assistance, these units failed to come out of the red and accumulated losses in crores. The cooperative tea factories set up in Bir, Baijnath and Sidhwari in this district have already been closed. Political leaders had captured key posts in these units, which had made the matters worst. The remaining cooperative units have become a big liability on the state government.

The government had imposed a complete ban on the sale of tea holdings in Himachal Pradesh. This step was initiated because of the fact that big tea growers had availed the benefit of the HP Land Sealing Act 1970, and they were allowed to retain excess land than the prescribed limit of 30 acres. However, the government has imposed a ban on selling tea holdings of all growers, including those who had not availed any benefit and are having tea holdings less than 30 acres.

Under present circumstances, the tea growers are helpless and cannot sell even an inch of their holdings without the permission of the government. Though big tea growers have succeeded to get the permission, it is only small tea growers who are at the receiving end.

The areas that were under tea till yesterday are being replaced with housing colonies, hotels, tourist resorts, shops and other commercial complexes. 

The special economic zone (SEZ) proposed to be set up by a private company in Una district has been facing opposition of farmers of about 24 villages whose land is proposed to be acquired. The farmers have been holding dharnas at the district administrative complex regularly to oppose the project. Some of the farmers had even gone to the extent of assaulting company officials who were carrying out a survey in the Gagret area of the district.

Due to the agitation, the government has been forced to adopt a cautious approach over the SEZ, which also proposes to set up an international airport here. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has said Skil Infrastructure Ltd, which has got the project approved from the central government, would have to approach the farmers on its own to acquire the land. However, this approach of the government might hamper the project that can transform the economy of the district.

The SEZ requires about 8,000 acres of land. Company officials say they have selected the area by satellite imagery and it comprises mostly barren land along the Swan river, which has least habitations and is surrounded by hills that are mandatory for constructing an international airport.

To start with, the company needs about 4,000 acres. Out of the total area earmarked for the project, about 2,000 acres is government land, which is the bone of contention. Some of the farmers are illegally occupying the government land and they are now apprehending that the land would be acquired without paying them any compensation.

The international airport that the company proposes to build would have cargo operations for food items and agriculture products from the entire northern region. This would help the farmers of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, who can export their produce.

According to vice-president of the company G.S. Grewal, the airport would be at par with its counterparts in Bangalore and Hyderabad. The company also has plans to develop Una as an international centre for companies to hold seminars, exhibitions, meeting and other commerce-related activities. A chain of From page 1

hotels, seminar halls and rest facilities for company executives would also be brought up along with the airport.

Despite agitation and “attacks” on its employees, the company is hopeful that the project would go through. Grewal says only a section of farmers who are occupying government land are opposing the SEZ. Many farmers have approached the company to offer their barren land, he adds.

The company is awaiting approval for the transfer of government land and to negotiate with the farmers on land acquisition. The company says it is ready for tripartite agreement for purchasing land of farmers.

When asked if the farmers decline to give their land, the company officials say then they would have no option but to abandon the project. 

The irrational manner in which the cab scheme is being extended to various localities on political considerations, the state road transport corporation may not be able to continue the service for long. The corporation is incurring heavy losses on almost all routes and the aggregate loss for the month of March exceeded Rs 1.10 lakh. The highest loss of Rs 40,000 was on the New Shimla route. The corporation, which has already accumulated losses to the tune of Rs 450 crore, cannot afford indulge in such indiscretions.

Initially the scheme is introduced for the convenience of senior citizens so that they could be provided a comfortable mode of transport to commute through sealed, restricted and other roads where bus services could not be plied. However, with politicians coming into the picture the basic objective has been lost over the past few months and cab service has been introduced from places where bus services are available in abundance. Further, the fare has been kept at Rs 10 per head irrespective of the length of the route.

For instance, the cab service was required from Chungi Khana in Lower Kaithu, which is not connected by bus service, but the corporation introduced cab service from Annanadale from where it is already plying seven buses. The sole reason behind the irrational decision is that Annandale ward has a BJP councillor. The extent of mismanagement could be judged from the fact that buses and cabs ply at the same time and during the day for about three hours neither the bus service nor the cab is available. Since there is not much difference in fare, commuters prefer cabs as a result occupancy in buses has been affected. The cabs are packed with office goers, leaving no room for senior citizens.

Similar is the fate of cab service from New Shimla and Kusumpti from where buses are available after every few minutes. It is hardly surprising that the corporation is losing heavily on such routes. Moreover, the fare has not been fixed rationally and on some of the routes it equal to bus fare. Some of the routes are less than 5 km while others were more than 10 km but a uniform fare is being charged.

A cultural programme organised on Himachal Day at Kanjayan, Hamirpur, by folk dancers from different parts of the state was a true spectrum of Himachali culture.

The folk dancers from Kinnaur to Chamba, attired in their traditional dresses, presented the culture and tradition of rural life in an excellent manner. Folk dance "nati" by artistes from Shimla presented fine dance sequences to the tunes of Pahari songs.

The artistes from Chamba performed "gaddi" dance from the Bharmour area based on the lives of nomads. Dancing in their peculiar folk dresses, this dance troupe won the hearts of audience. The song sequence was a fine selection from Bharmouri folk songs.

A scene of marriage celebration in the rural areas of Hamirpur was presented by folk dancers of the district. The dance by the artistes of Kinnour also mesmerised the audience, even though there dialect is a bit difficult to understand, but people enjoyed the music.

Artistes from Mandi presented traditional "luddi" dances while artistes from Solan presented "mukhota" dance. The "nati" presented by the dance troupe from Sirmour was full of acrobatic actions.

The melodious tunes played by the band of the Himachal Pradesh police added variety to this programme.

Around 11 families of lower Ladoh had applied for "Swajal Dhara" scheme last year vide file no: HP/2006/5001/DTD 6/2/2007 to the executive engineer/superintendent vide letter no: 23482/23483 dated 15/3/2007 after completing all formalities. We have also deposited Rs 33,000 through the State Bank of India. Now, we came to know that the scheme has been closed for which we got no intimation. We have been requesting to the I&PH department for sanctioning the installation of water motor pump, but to no avail. Will the authorities listen to improve the lot of 20 families of lower Ladoh?