Shimla, February 10
Hitherto confined to the urban areas, the problem of illegal dumping of polythene bags, plastic waste and other non-biodegradable material is fast spreading to the rural areas. In the process, not only the clean environment of villages is being spoiled but thick forests in their vicinity are also being damaged and degraded.

Himachal was the first state to enact a law to ban the use of polythene carry bags and the throwing of non-biodegradable waste in public drains and nullahs. However, such materials are being dumped with impunity in the environmentally sensitive forest areas, particularly tourist destinations.

Indeed, the indiscriminate grant of permission under Section 118 of the Tenancy and Land Reforms Act to outsiders to acquire land for building palatial buildings and flats in the eco-sensitive rural areas is taking a heavy toll on environment. Unlike the urban areas where municipal bodies take care of waste disposal and sanitation, the rural areas have no such structure in place.

The magnitude of the problem is apparent in Mashobra where one of the best forests of the state is fast turning into a massive open garbage dump. Discarded polythene bags, plastic ware and other non-biodegradable waste are being thrown in the forest in huge quantities. One comes across such dumps after every few metres while walking down from the Bekhalti road.

It is not only causing aesthetic degradation of lush green slopes but also rendering precious deodar, fir and spruce trees towards a slow death. These species are cleanliness-loving trees and dry up rather quickly if garbage is dumped persistently. In most cases, the domestic waste also attracts rodents who create a maze of burrows on slopes rendering the roots of trees hollow and they come down sooner or later during rains or windstorms.

Most of the villages in the Kullu valley, where tourism industry has flourished over the past decade, are also facing a similar problem. A large number of hotels, guesthouses, shops and other structures have come up in various villages along the Beas on the entire stretch from Aut to Kothi and with no garbage disposal system in place, all the waste is finding its way into the river.

In fact, the state electricity board authorities at the Larji project, located on the river downstream, have a hard time in removing the huge quantity of urban waste which often chokes the intake point. They are forced to periodically remove heaps of plastic and other solid waste which keeps piling up.

It is time that the government reviews its development policy and takes effective steps to restrict construction activity in environmentally sensitive higher hills over the altitude 6,000 ft to the bare minimum. Apart from eco-tourism projects and only need-based housing and commercial structures that too for the local people should be allowed.

Multi-storeyed flats being constructed by builders from outside are mainly responsible for problems like deforestation, environmental degradation, insanitation in the rural areas, which have no civic amenities to take the burden of such unplanned and unwarranted urbanisation.

The government has failed to ensure proper disposal of solid waste even in the municipal areas. Despite a ban, over 200 kg of polythene waste is collected daily in Shimla town and many times more is thrown along the slopes and in nullahs illegally. The authorities carry out drives to enforce the ban off and on but the problem persists as the municipal authorities have not been able to develop a proper system for collection and scientific disposal of urban waste. In fact, the sanitary staff of the local municipal corporation is often seen burning polythene, plastic and other waste material in the open at the dumpers in various localities which also causes air pollution.

Solan, February 10
With an overall slump in the economy, the much-awaited construction of a transport nagar at Baddi to facilitate thousands of truckers in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial area has been delayed.

Though the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority (BBNDA) had invited bids for the ambitious project, it attracted little interest from investors.

This has temporarily put on hold its construction. Though, the BBNDA has been contemplating inviting fresh bids, but foreseeing the market slump no immediate alternative appears to be coming forth.

CEO Mamta Chowdhary said other options like exploring other sites, where some trucks could be provided parking facilities were being worked out. Though, these options were not as large as the main site, they will help ease the problem to some extent. One such site has been selected at Sandholi and its nitty-gritty has been worked out so as to provide an early solution to the truck parking problem.

The BBNDA had earlier selected a site of about 28.164 acre at Jharmajri, where a truck terminal and a commercial facility had been proposed to be constructed on a built operate and transfer (BOT) basis. The ambitious plan also envisaged to construct rest rooms and a parking facility for nearly 846 trucks.

Once completed, this transport nagar would ensure an assured parking place to the trucks that at present remain haphazardly parked on the roadside. This has often created traffic chaos on the highways by obstructing the smooth flow of traffic. With no option available for their parking, even the police has remained a mute spectator. It had been the recession in the real estate sector that had deterred realtors from coming forward to bid for this project.

The manner in which the hundreds of trucks have been seen parked on both sides of the road near the truck union office on the national highway 21A has not been just a violation of the laws, but it has led to several accidents where precious lives have been lost. In a recent accident, an engineering student had been killed in an accident when a speeding truck hit a bike.

Several such accidents have come to the fore when the haphazardly parked trucks on both sides of the road have led to accidents. They not only reduce the road width but with hundreds of vehicles passing on the road, travelling has become a driver’s dilemma.

The transport nagar would also develop 80 to 100 petty shops for ancillary businesses that would have essential facilities like auto spare parts shops, garages, puncture shops and related facilities for the transporters.

Shimla, February 10
Ancient Buddhist manuscripts dating back to 1739 AD printed in Tibet and later setup in a library in Kanam village in Kinnaur could finally be saved from being lost to the ravages of time, as the ‘pothies’ will be preserved and protected by having proper archives with funding likely to come from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The rare manuscripts housed in the wooden stone library, which itself is 188-year-old will finally be saved as the ADB will be providing financial assistance for creation of proper library facility so that these priceless treasures could be conserved.

It was in the year 1827 that the Kangyur (Buddha Vachana) and sTangyur (Shastra Vachana) were brought from Tashi Lhum-Po, Narthang beyond Lhasa in Tibet to Kanam, as hundreds of mules, horses and yaks carried them through a 90-days journey. These are complete copies of the oldest translation from Sanskrit into Tibetan and setup in a two storeyed wooden-stone square structure.

Wazir of the erstwhile Bushahr state Loktus Kachen did the entire procurement of 108 volumes of Kangyur and 225 volumes of Tangyur with other liturgical instruments. It is the exhaustive and in-depth documentation of the monuments and traditional institutions under the work titled ‘Cultural Heritage of Trans-Himalayas (Kinnaur)’ by a former IAS officer, PS Negi that has helped in compilation of important information about the cultural and religious life of the rugged villages. “The funding will help us finally have proper archives so that these priceless treasures could be saved and preserved for posterity,” Negi said.

He said several of these ancient monuments have been becoming victims of environmental degradation, with the threat of these being lost forever. Even during his stint as the member -secretary of the National Scheduled Areas and the Scheduled Tribes Commission under the ministry of the tribal affairs, he had advocated that funds allocated for development works should encompass the cultural component as well, so that conservation projects could be undertaken.

Hamirpur, February 10
A former engineer has come out with an elaborate plan for managing water resources of the state. LR Sharma, a retired executive engineer of the irrigation and public health (IPH) department presented his idea in his research paper titled, “Managing Water Resources of Himachal Pradesh”.

Sharma says since the state has been endowed with water resources, its management can not only provide perennial water for all its needs, including power generation, but also feed its neighboring states.

As a first measure, he suggests, “Snowfall being a major water source in the state should not only be preserved and all sorts of tempering with snow should be stopped for feeding the rivers and other water sources”.

Rainfall being the most important water source (as state gets 1,435 mm rain annually) should not only be conserved but also tapped to the hilt through various means, suggests Sharma.

For harvesting rainwater different means should be adopted and stress should be laid in setting up harvesting structures in the forest areas and a pilot project around Shimla can of great use, he says.

While integrated plan for tapping water of five rivers and their 30 tributaries should be chalked out, more coordination is required among the departments involved in water management and tapping.

Laying stress on making the best use of water used for power generation, Sharma feels the need of using water after power generation for drinking and irrigation through multipurpose projects.

He also advocates the use of “hydrams” for lifting water for irrigation and potable water purposes by using modern techniques and proper maintenance of “hydrams”.

Groundwater should be used only at the places where other sources are difficult to access, Sharma says.

The retired engineer, who has a long experience while working with the IPH department, also suggests tapping of our traditional water sources like baolis, wells and springs etc, which can meet the water needs in many areas.

Nurpur, February 10
Bishesher Talaab, a historical pond of this town that once used to cater to the daily needs of local inhabitants, is in a state of neglect.

The natural water body is now struggling for survival. The people of the nearby areas are polluting it with impunity since no government agency or the administration is taking care of it.

Environment-friendly people of the area rue that the pond is of historical importance, but neither the people nor the government is serious to maintain its historical sanctity. Besides dumping garbage, residents use to wash clothes along its banks.

Interestingly, this gigantic pond is situated close to the office of the block development officer from where the total sanitation drive in the area is regulated. The office of the municipal council is also a few yards away from this water body which is shouldering the responsibility of proper sanitation in the town.

The successive state governments in the past have formulated a number of beautification plans to develop this historical water body as a tourist destination. While the Dhumal government during its previous regime (1998-2003) had earmarked Rs 10 lakh for the beautification of the pond, which were spent on the reconstruction of the supporting walls along its banks, the previous Virbhadra Singh government had also earmarked Rs 7.88 lakh, but the municipal council constructed iron grill fencing.

Nothing has been done to develop the historical pond as a tourist spot. The poor state of the water body indicates that now nobody is even interested in its maintenance or cleanliness.

Local MLA Rakesh Pathania said he would soon begin work for the revival of the pond in consultation with the municipal council.

Mandi, February 10
From the international Shivratri festival to the world-famous Kullu Dasehra, bajantris or traditional folk artistes play runny tunes and melodies, which are the lifeblood of fairs and festivals in this hill state.

However, their plight is deplorable, thanks to the apathy and indifferent attitude adopted by the mela committees and society towards them.

The major chunk of the mela budget is cornered by the so-called star artistes, brought from outside by middlemen, who are paid hefty commission by the mela committee for cultural nights during the Shivratri festival, Kullu Dasehra, Minjar or Lavi fairs or the like.

On the other hand, the bajantris, who play music and drums right from the door of the temple treasuries of devtas to the high-profile fairs for well over a week, are ignored. In fact, devtas and bajnatris are inseparable part of all folk festivals.

As there is little that the mela committee and the government are doing for their welfare and for the promotion of hill folk music, the bajantris are a dying breed. Time will not be far when there will be no bajantri left to play melodies during fairs and festivals.

The younger lot is shy of playing the traditional dhols, nagaras, karnal and shehnais just because these things are not recognised as respectable folk art, says Shayam Singh, a folk musician from Kulva devta, Shantha-Batewari village in Chopal tehsil.

“Shivratri and Kullu Dasehra committees give nothing to the bajantris. We do not get accommodation nor TA/DA or other incentives during the fairs,” rue Karan Singh and Chet Ram from the Balichoki area in Chachiot.

Convener of the Indian People Theatre Association (IPTA) Lawan Thakur, who has been championing the cause of bajantris in the Mandi-Kullu belt, asserts that one major reason for their woeful plight is that the bajantaris are mainly from the lower castes. “Due to the apathy of the government and society towards them, their number is decreasing and time is not far when we will crave for the sweet melodies played by them,” he cautions.

Thakur observes that earlier the bajantirs were given many facilities, including accommodation on the “jagir” of the respective deities adjacent to the temple, landholdings and share in foodgrains during the rabi and kharif crops in the form of six monthly alms.

Though in some parts of Shimla district this share has been restored, in the rest of the Mandi-Kullu belt, bajantris are battling for survival.

Now, the bajantris accompany the processions of devis and devtas not voluntary as they used to be, but because of the fear of the deities.

The IPTA observes in its survey that a hill orchestra consists of a minimum nine members, with two playing dhol, two nagara, two ransingha (s-shaped pipe-blowing instrument), two karnals (cone-shaped instruments) and one shehnai. Now, the strength has been reduced to just two or three members in one group. This is mainly because the younger lot does not want to take up this profession.

“Shehnai vadaks are the verge of extinction. Earlier, there used to be five to 10 shehnai vadaks in every block of 10 villages, but now we are unable to find even one”.

“The bajantris are working as “forced labourers” in the name of tradition. Traditions compel these artists to beat their drums but in turn none is prepared to take their cause.”

These bajantris spend six to 10 months a year with the deity away from their homes to keep the traditions alive. “But they have no independent means of income as they are not paid anything for playing their instruments and the time spent in the service of the deity,” the IPTA says.

The number of these folk artistes in the state is above 30,000. In Mandi-Kullu, these are called bajantris. In Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, they are called turris and dhakkis.

He is a child prodigy who has several firsts to his name. The latest feather in his cap is that he is the first student in Himachal who has been given special exemption to take class V examinations at the age of six.

Naitik Singta is a familiar face for many as this child amazes all with his brilliant memory and sharpness, unusual for a child his age. As per the relaxation given by the education department he will take the class V exam even though he was studying in class III.

Hailing from Khalabal village in the Kothkai area of Shimla, the six-year can tell you the capital of even the most unknown countries when children of his age are still trying their hand at poems and nursery rhymes. “Right from his birth he has had exceptional memory, as whatever he sees or hears once is literally gets imprinted in his mind,” says a proud father, Sanjeev Kumar.

It was not just education department officials but even the education minister was zapped when the child presented himself before him and rattles answers to general knowledge questions. His knowledge about religious “shlokas” and other spiritual matters is amazing.

His mother, Sunita, says it was in 2007 that permission was granted to allow Naitik to take the class one and two exams together while he was enrolled in the government school at Bagail. “Seeing his exceptional memory, he had been allowed to participate in programmes on AIDS awareness and agriculture,” says Sanjeev.

NGO to help women

Even though there are proper legislations to check domestic violence against women but considering the low awareness levels, women are not aware of their rights and the help they can seek to check it.

It is in this context that an NGO, Global Human Rights Council, has decided to pitch in and help the police in this regard. The council has got leaflets and other literature printed about the legal provisions and the agencies whose help can be sought.

The council covered not just Shimla but even Rampur, Narkanda and Theog areas in Shimla district. They also plan to cover other districts like Solan and Una where there are more cases of domestic violence.

As many as eight projects are under way, which are affecting the Rampur area in one way or the other. However, nobody is representing the Dattnagar panchayat of Rampur tehsil in local area development agency (LADA) meetings wherein decisions are taken to sort out grievances of the residents with regard to air pollution, uncontrolled blasting, disposal of debris/muck and assess the losses to crops and houses. We had requested the Shimla deputy commissioner to nominate representative from the district administration to the local area development agency of Rampur, but to no avail. The district administration of Kullu has already assessed the damages within its jurisdiction whereas the fate of damages of Dattnagar is not known. We request the authorities to look into the matter.