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Adopt sericulture for more income
Silkworm farmers rue falling cocoon prices
New chief secy takes charge
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Bamsan-Mewa Water Scheme
Chakki diversion bridge embankment washed away
Notices served on 15 polluting units
Tibetans remanded
Bus mishap: Driver blamed
CM: Himani Chamunda temple to be upgraded
BJP meeting turns out to be Dhumal affair
No favour to builder, says BDO
Delay in OBC status rued
Nathpa fully functional
Two days on, this langur awaits succour
Woman’s body found
Woman’s Torture
Pong Dam area gases biogenic
Shoolini fair begins
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Adopt sericulture for more income
Manjra (Hamirpur), June 20 Balwant and Kuldeep Kumar, residents of Manjra, were so delighted while showing silk cocoons from which they would earn about Rs 10,000 in a short span of 20 days by planting 600 trees and now advocate that every farmer should adopt it. Balwant said, “Though we were not very keen of adopting sericulture initially, now we feel that sericulture could give assured income to every farmer within few days after adopting it at a minuscule cost.” Though sericulture had been traditionally known in the area, the cluster development project for mulberry sericulture in the state started by the Central Silk Board about two years back had given an impetus to tree plantation and adoption of sericulture. At present 16 families have planted 33,500 Chinese white varieties of mulberry trees in Manjra, Sai, Batran, Jol Sappar and Ghalun area of Naduan and developed 50 such clusters. Scientist of the Central Silk Board Dr Sardar Singh said, “Through this project we are not only motivating farmers, especially weaker section of the society, for diversification and value addition but also providing technical support for supplementing their income.” He said, “We are providing plants which would pay them for the next 40 years at very little cost, subsidy for constructing a separate house for worms and marketing support.” Sericulture experts said climate of the Nadaun area is most suitable for production of bivoltine variety of silk and the cluster development of mulberry trees are becoming models for other areas too.
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Silkworm farmers rue falling cocoon prices
Nurpur, June 20 Over 100 silk cocoon producers-cum-farmers from Nurpur, Jawali and Fetehpur tehsils recently refused to sell their produce to the cocoon buyers from West Bengal in Bhadwar Silk Centre, near here, recently owing to fall in the government’s scheduled sale price with every passing year. As many as 118 farmers thronged the silk centre to sell their produce to the traders but they received a setback to know the buying price of the silk cocoons scheduled by the state Industry Department for the current crop. It is pertinent to mention that the sale price of silk cocoons had been falling invariably since 2006. Grade-A cocoons scheduled for Rs 300 per kg in 2006 had come down to Rs 235 to 250 per kg in 2008. Similarly, the grade-B cocoons scheduled for Rs 284 to 299 per kg had fallen to Rs 220 to 234 per kg. The cocoon producers, who boycotted the sale, said the government was indifferent for the promotion of sericulture in the state. Some progressive silkworm farmers Jagdev Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Sardar Singh and Sudharashan Singh lamented that the cost of rearing silkworms had increased manifold in the past few years but continuous fall in the selling price of cocoons had made this job fruitless. They demanded to re-fix sale price of the silk cocoons in larger interest of the farmers. Meanwhile, Tilak Raj, in charge of the Bhadwar Silk Centre, confirmed that the silkworm farmers had not sold their produce to the traders from West Bengal for want of remunerative prices. He clarified that the state Industry Department used to fix the selling price of the cocoons every year by reviewing prevailing market rates of silk and calling quotations from other parts of the country. He also added that the recession in the silk market in the country had attributed to the fall in its selling prices being fixed by the state Industry Department. |
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New chief secy takes charge
Shimla, June 20 Outlining her priorities soon after taking over she said environment was a major concern and its adverse fallout is already visible in the shape of excessive silt which is affecting the operation of country’s largest hydroelectric venture, Nathpa-Jhakri project. It was quite obvious from such developments that the catchment area treatment plans (CAT) were not being accorded the due priority. Development projects were a necessity but in an ecologically sensitive state like Himachal Pradesh it was essential to reconcile the environmental concerns with the developmental needs. It was imperative to focus on CAT plans in case of hydroelectric projects and these should be accorded the same importance as tunnels, dams, powerhouse and other components of the projects. A 1973 batch IAS officer Asha Swaroop was holding the important post of secretary information and broadcasting before repatriation to the state. She is all set to take over as the new chief secretary of the state. She replaces Ravi Dhingra whose services are being placed at the disposal of the Centre. She will be the second women incumbent to the post after Rajendra Bhattacharya, who is currently holding the post of state election commissioner.
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No probe under way, says IPH dept
Dharam Prakash Gupta Tribune News Service
Hamirpur, June 20 It is pertinent to mention here in the opposition the BJP while had been demanding a thorough probe into the implementation of this mega drinking water scheme. After assuming power, the BJP government had also given an indication on several occasions that an inquiry was under way. Sharma clarified that “global tenders were invited. Five companies participated in technical bids and two in financial bids. One of the bidders withdrew his bid and the present company carrying the work, being the lone bidder, was awarded the work by the state government.” Clarifying the issue of escalation of project cost to Rs 75 crore from Rs 67.4 crore Sharma said “the present work on this scheme was put to tender for Rs 67.4 crores but Rs 3.5 crore was later added for its maintenance for five years while Rs 4.25 crore was provided for automation.” Sharma said “ this scheme is already operational and the department is supplying 60000 litres of water daily to people”. Sharma said “this scheme is part of the Kanda-Patan drinking water scheme which was planned to supply drinking water in Dharampur, Mewa and Bamsan assembly constituencies and inaugurated by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal during his last term. It was later converted into the present scheme, restricting it to Hamirpur district by tapping water sources in the district itself.”
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Chakki diversion bridge embankment washed away
Nurpur, June 20 With the washing away of the whole embankment on the Punjab side, the chances of restoring traffic on the Pathankot-Mandi national highway (NH) through a diversion bridge during the current rainy season are remote. According to S.P. Sharma, assistant engineer, about 150-meter-long stretch of the embankment of the diversion bridge, including a few meters on the Himachal side, was washed away late last evening following flash floods in the Chakki rivulet. This Rs 32-lakh diversion bridge built using 270 pipes was thrown opened to traffic on January 15. This 90-metre diversion bridge was built as an alternative to the 118-year-old inter-state Chakki bridge washed away on August 9 last year. Hindustan-Tibet road opened SHIMLA: Vehicular traffic on the Hindustan-Tibet road, which was closed due to heavy landslides at Jhakri, near Rampur, on June 18, has been resumed. It was around 11 a.m. today that the massive landslide near Jhakri was cleared, paving the way for vehicular traffic. It was on Wednesday that the road was closed following a massive landslide triggered by rain. Most parts of the state were lashed by heavy rain during the past 24 hours. According to the local meteorological office, there will be rain or thundershowers at many places in the state during the next 24 hours. Shimla recorded the maximum rainfall of 30.5 mm, Dharamsala-7mm, Sundernagar-7 mm, Mandi-10mm, Nahan- 18 mm and Solan - 2mm. The maximum temperature in Shimla was 22.1°C, Bhuntar-32.2°C, Kalpa- 23.1°C, Dharamsala-28.8°C and Manali- 25°C. The minimum temperature in Shimla was 14.9°C, Bhuntar-18.8°C, Kalpa- 10.5°C, Dharamshala-18.3°C and Manali-14°C. Trees have been uprooted at many places in the capital, causing damage to retaining walls.
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Notices served on 15 polluting units
Solan, June 20 These units which comprise textile and paper mills have been directed to submit an action plan about switchover to an alternative fuel. The board has also directed these units to keep rice husk and the ash so generated under sheds. The board had received complaints that ash was being thrown either in water bodies or in the fields. This led to widespread pollution and created problems for the villagers. Though after such complaints the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority (BBNDA) had earmarked a site in the Katha industrial area along the banks of the Balad river to dump ash but it served little purpose. Board officials said this ash found its way into the houses of villagers whenever strong winds blew over the area. The units served with these notices included Winsome Textiles, Bhandari Deepak Industries, Nirmal Spinning Mill, Auro Dying and Auro Textiles, Birla Textiles, Shri Ganesh fats, Haripur Paper Mills, C.M.Fibres, Raj Industries, Siddhartha Group of Spinning Mills, Rupana Paper Mill, Sebbacuss distillery and Sara Textiles. Officials said rice husk was preferred as a fuel as it was a cheaper option though on the environmental front it proved hazardous. With as much as 15 to 17 per cent ash being generated directly from rice husk it was considered highly pernicious to the environment. Its use also increased the amount of suspended particulate matter in the air, deteriorating air quality.
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Tibetans remanded
Shimla, June 20 The 21 Tibetans arrested at Rekong Peo yesterday were remanded in judicial custody for five days. DIG (south) Pradeep Kumar said the police would ensure that no Tibetan is allowed to violate the law or hold any demonstration. The Shimla and Kinnaur police will ensure that no Tibetan is allowed to enter the inner Kinnaur circle without valid permission. The Tibetans in Himachal have been trying to hold protests and demonstrations against Beijing Olympics. |
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Bus mishap: Driver blamed
Shimla, June 20 A three-member committee comprising divisional manager (Technical) R.K. Gupta, deputy divisional manager (Technical) B.S. Dogra and works manager (Taradevi depot) K.C. Azad in its report indicted driver, Kewal Ram, of indulging in rash driving at a narrow curve. The statement of a surviving passenger also confirmed this. The committee also reported that at the site of the accident the road curve was too narrow and required widening. The matter was being taken up with the PWD authorities for widening of the narrow stretches of the road, including the hairpin bend, where the accident occurred. A spokesperson of the corporation said instructions had being issued to print the mobile phone numbers of the concerned regional and works manager in every bus along with HRTC helpline number 0177-12666 so that the passengers could immediately inform them if a driver indulged in rash driving.
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CM: Himani Chamunda temple to be upgraded
Palampur, June 20 He was addressing a public meeting at Kharti in Palampur subdivision of Kangra district today. He dedicated the Capt Vikram Batra Government Degree College building constructed at a cost of Rs 765 lakh at Palampur, besides the bridge over Baner Khad on the Balla-Barsar-Jeeya-Hardi-Jugehad road constructed at a cost of Rs 120 lakh to people of the area. Dhumal said Rs 5 crore had been sanctioned for Palampur bypass and construction work would be started soon. The World Bank aided Rs 1,365 crore ambitious project for construction and maintenance of the state roads had been launched in the state and added that the Palampur-Dharamsala road would also be upgraded under the project. He said Capt Saurabh Kalia Van Vihar would be developed from tourism point of view and participation of private sector would be ensured in the same. The Chief Minister said the present government had taken various decisions for the welfare of the common man during the past six months. He said Rs 22.5 crore would be spent on upgrading 9 ITIs of the state and Rs 2.5 crore would be spent on upgrading Palampur ITI. Dhumal said the state government had decided to provide free soil testing facilities to all 12 lakh farmers of the state and added that one-lakh farmers would be provided this facility during the current financial year and rest of the farmers would be provided this facility in the coming five years. He also announced the upgrade of Bhawarna police post to police station. Local MLA Praveen Sharma welcomed the Chief Minster and detailed out the developmental activities of the area and said the pace of development had been accelerated after the present government came into power.
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BJP meeting turns out to be Dhumal affair
Mandi, June 20
Though the party insiders revealed that the BJP state council members would discuss both achievements and failures of the government and would suggest remedies for the same gearing up the cadre for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls in the state, nothing of that sort came up in the meeting signifying that the Dhumal-Son duo has emerged stronger than ever before in the state BJP. State BJP general secretary Khushi Ram Balnatta said achievements of the government were discussed and nobody talked about its failures, as there were none. The Congress had been wiped out and it had not even behaved as a responsible opposition in the Vidhan Sabha and outside, he claimed. The Chief Minister also briefed mediapersons about the achievements of the state government in its five months long rule. But there were no voices within the BJP who beg to differ with Dhumal inside the meeting hall. 
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No favour to builder, says BDO
Chandigarh, June 20 In a communication to The Tribune, the officer has added several villages were to benefit from the laying of the road. A proposal in this regard was forwarded by the gram panchayat, Jangeshu, and was sanctioned by the Solan Deputy Commissioner's office. The officer asserted that he was not at fault, if the road touched the builder's plot. He maintained that the BDO, by virtue of being the executing agency, was competent to move the case for diversion of forest land. Moreover, the BDO functioned as the "user agency" on behalf of the gram panchayat, which had forwarded the matter for obtaining the approval from the Deputy Commissioner's office under the "Vikas Mein Jan Sehyog" scheme. The BDO further added that the question of irregularity did not arise as the scheme was still at the "inception stage", and the work order had not been issued to the gram panchayat. The project was yet to start as no objection certificate had not been received from the IAF, Kasauli. The issue of axing 97 trees was to be considered by the "forest authorities". The amount mentioned as the net present value was deposited through the gram panchayat, Jangeshu, for the project. "We had no option, but to deposit the money at once further to the office of the DFO, Solan, by bank draft”. Claiming that his only interest was to help the gram panchayat execute the scheme duly sanctioned in November 2006, he added that the proposal had not been forwarded by him. The Tribune correspondent adds: The news-report was filed after seeking information under the Right to Information Act. The project was cancelled in February, but the BDO continued to pursue it. The Deputy Commissioner concerned has already ordered an inquiry into the matter on the basis of the news-report. |
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Delay in OBC status rued
Shimla, June 20 President of the society Naseem Muhammad Diddan said here yesterday that the demand of Muslims in Himachal for being granted OBC status had been accepted and only the notification was awaited. However, the government is simply using delaying tactics as it had now asked the Other Backward Classes Commission to undertake a fresh survey, he said. Diddan accused the OBC Commission of intentionally delaying the whole exercise. “Even the announcement by the government that Urdu teachers will be appointed in 100 government schools has not been fulfilled which is causing resentment among the people,” he said. He lamented that the 15-point programme announced by the Prime Minister for the minorities had been implemented in the entire country but it was after much delay that committees were constituted at the state and district-level but no non-governmental representative had been nominated. |
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Nathpa fully functional
Shimla, June 20 The rest two units of 250 MW each were also made operational today after the silt level came down to permissible limit of 4,400 particle per million (PPM), Deputy General Manager of SJVN Vijay Kumar Verma said.
— PTI |
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Two days on, this langur awaits succour
Shimla, June 20 The langur was severely injured after he got entangled in live electric wires while jumping from one roof to another. Onlookers said it was with great difficulty that he managed to crawl a few metres to seek protection under a flight of steps. Despite the conservator, wildlife, and the DFO, Shimla, having been intimated about the condition of the langur yesterday itself, nobody has bothered to extend help to the ailing animal. Moved by his plight, shopkeepers on The Mall have left water and bread for the langur but being in a state of shock he is unable to move or eat. He hides behind the water tank with great difficultly when children throw stones at him. Having sought refuge behind a water tank, the langur is looking at every passerby for help. The DFO said it was better to leave the langur there to recover from the shock than shift him elsewhere. Surprisingly, the forest staff has not yet taken the pain of seeking medical help from a veterinary doctor. Despite the suggestion to shift the langur to the wildlife rescue centre at Tuti Kandi, he has been left to suffer. Despite projects worth crores being run by the government for wildlife protection, the plight of the langur has failed to move anybody, highlighting the insensitivity and casual approach of those entrusted with for animal care.
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Woman’s body found
Solan, June 20 The body, found clad in undergarments, was stinking which alerted the labourers residing nearby who informed their contractor who, in turn, informed the police. The body was sent today to the IGMC, Shimla, for a post-mortem. After the receipt of the post-mortem report information would be flashed to the neighbouring states to look for missing persons matching the physical profile of the deceased.
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Panel chief visits Haran village
Tribune News Service
Mandi, June 20 She also asked the Mandi SP, who also visited the village today, to take strict action against all 17 persons, who tortured Vimla publicly. After hearing a large public gathering at Bhamla, Krishna Tandon said the commission questioned the boy and the girl and found that both had an affair and Vimla had no role in the whole story that led to her public torture on Sunday. Police investigation, meanwhile, revealed that the feuding families have a land dispute and the incident added fuel to the fire. Tandon said the mother of Rita, who talked to the boy using Vimla’s phone, a pologised before the commission. Even village women came in support of Vimla and condemned the incident, she added. Tandon said the commission had summoned the accused to appear before the commission in Mandi shortly to further reprimand them, as they are public figures.
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Pong Dam area gases biogenic
Dharamsala, June 20 Locals made a lot of hue and cry after villagers near the lake witnessed flames coming out of the earth in certain areas. Department of Industries officials also witnessed that in certain areas gases coming out of the earth caught fire if flamed. The ONGC scientists from Dehra Dun collected gas samples from the area. The sources said the theory given by the ONGC officials is that the gases seemed to be formed due to deposition of organic waste in the area. The general biogenic gas formed in such areas is methane that catches fire instantly if flamed. The ONGC officials also said they got suspicious about the gas being of commercial value while collecting the sample. Though the gas coming out of the ground caught fire, it did not have enough pressure, as is generally the case with natural gases. The report of the ONGC had put to rest all speculations in the area that some natural gas might be available in the region. The speculation of natural gas stock in the Jawalamukhi temple area is already there and the ONGC had established its permanent office in the area. District mining officer Madal Lal admitted that the ONGC experts have confirmed the gases coming out in the Pong dam lake area were just biogenic.
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Shoolini fair begins
Solan, June 20 The fair began with a traditional puja of Mata Shoolini at the temple located at Old Court Road. It was attended by prominent citizens of the town .A large number of devotees turned up to seek blessings of the deity. With the main idols of Mata Shoolini getting stolen about two months ago, the traditional puja was performed with the remaining idols of the goddess. Later, a procession accompanying the bedecked palanquin of Mata Shoolini was taken out from the temple, which passed through various areas of the town. The three-day fair culminates with the return of Mata Shoolini to her own abode located at Shilli Road.
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The adoption of sericulture by a group of farmers in Nadaun block of Hamirpur district has not only supplemented into their income but they have also become role models for other farmers.
Protecting the fragile hill environment and improving the quality of education and health services will be the main priorities of the new chief secretary Asha
Swaroop, who took over charge today.
Shimla, June 20
