Drug peddling on the rise in Mandi, Kullu Kullu, July 8 Mandi and Kullu districts have, of late, witnessed a surge in the cases of drug trafficking, which indicates that more youths are taking to drugs in the area. Rampant poverty among farmers, loopholes in the laws, absence of coordination among the police, revenue and forest departments and protection for poor farmers for growing opium and cannabis plants have emerged as major factors contributing to this rise.

Students take part in an anti-drug rally at Kala Kendra in Kullu. — Photo by the writer

Apple boom Hamirpur, July 8 It all started 103 years back when the first apple tree was planted at Thanadhar in Himachal Pradesh and a new concept of apple orchards emerged, which has not only transformed lives of a sizeable population of the hill state but has also boosted the economy of the state.

Flouting norms of ecosystem Dalhousie, July 8 The ongoing construction of the Lahar-Sangrehan road under the Prime Minister Gram Sarak Yojna (PMGSY) has been doing immense and irreparable destruction to the landscape that includes grasslands and private farms in the Lahar and Tritha panchayats falling in Dalhousie tehsil of Chamba district. Traffic often comes to a standstill on the Lahar-Sangrehan road due to the falling debris and rock boulders. — Photo by the writer

Fashion designing comes of age at Hamirpur Hamirpur, July 8 The fine display of dresses designed by the students of International Institute of Fashion Design, Hamirpur in a six-day exhibition has once again proved that this tiny town is fast catching up with rest of the country in fashion designing. An exhibition of clothes designed by students of International Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD), Hamirpur. — Photo by the writer

Parents’ penury puts son’s life at stake Nurpur, July 8 After 11-month-old Abhimanyu from Gangath, who had a hole in his heart and whose heart surgery was undertaken with the financial aid by donors following his plight published in The Tribune in March this year, a 16-month-old, who is also suffering from the same disease, too, needs Good Samaritans to come to his rescue. Sanjay Kumar (right) with wife and son Rahul.

shimla diary No consensus on historic Shimla Convention venue Shimla, July 8 The Trans Himalayan Parliamentarians Forum and Himalaya Parivar have recently organised a function to commemorate the 94th year of the Shimla Convention where the McMohan line was drawn to demarcate the international boundary between India, Tibet and China, but they failed to locate the venue where this historic event took place.

PTA teachers sit in a dharna in Shimla.

vignettes Shimla’s forgotten singing prodigy I knew Master Mohan, clad in black achkan, churidar and a turban, vocalist and an ace violinist, the elder brother of Master Madan. I repent now that I never talked to him about ‘sangeet samrat’ Madan, the child prodigy, whose ‘soul lives forever’ in the two ghazals of Saghar Nizami – “Yun na reh reh ke hamein tarsaiye” and “Hairat se tak raha hai jahan-e-wafa mujhe”, set to music by Amarnath, who was the brother of music directors Husanlal-Bhagatram.

A view of house where Master Madan once livedin Lower Bazaar in Shimla — Photo by S. Chandan

Subsidy for farm equipment
Shimla, July 8
The Agriculture Department is encouraging mechanisation of farm operations and providing new implements to improve productivity in the hill terrain where the small size of holdings is not conducive to the use of heavy machinery.

N-deal in favour of nation: MP
Nurpur, July 8
The lok sabha MP from Kangra parliamentary constituency and senior congress leader Chander Kumar has claimed that the proposed Indo-US civil nuclear deal is in favour of the nation and it would not harm country’s interests in any way.

Special Schemes
Benefits should reach deserving people: MP
Kullu, July 8
Lok Sabha member Pratibha Singh presided over the “vigilance committee” meeting at the Bachat Bhawan here. She said the benefit of special schemes started by the Centre should reach the deserving people and called upon the district authorities to keep a watch on the implementation of the schemes.

CITIZEN FIRST
Mobile tower menace
Mobile towers have been flooding Sajla since 2000. Despite the fact that six towers are already functioning, one more tower of Vodafone is being installed in the same quarter. The generators sound very harsh to ears. The noise is more than 50 decibel that is enough to deafen anyone easily.