The rate for small capacity vehicles up to 1 tonne has been raised to Rs 1,000 from Rs 900 and for tractors to Rs 2,000 from Rs 1,700.

Shimla, July 26
Chief Minister PK Dhumal paid tributes to the 52 brave sons of the state who made supreme sacrifices during the Kargil conflict on the “Vijay Diwas” and reiterated the resolve of the state government for the welfare of serving solders, ex-servicemen and their families.

He said there were 1.21 lakh serving soldiers and over 1.01 lakh ex-servicemen in the state. Out of the four Param Vir Chakra awarded during the Kargil aggression, two were given to brave soldiers of the state — Captain Vikram Batra (posthumously) and rifleman Sanjay Kumar.

Dhumal said he was one of the few first persons who visited Kargil during the conflict to inquire about the welfare of soldiers.

He said an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh was given to each family, Rs 2.5 lakh each to those with serious injuries and Rs 1 lakh each to other injured soldiers.

One person each from 40 families had been provided employment and in case of the remaining 12 families, the children were still minor.

They would be given jobs on becoming eligible. Besides, nine wards of seriously injured soldiers had also been given employment.

Further, families of 267 other soldiers who lost their lives or got injured had also been given the financial assistance.

For martyrs Rs 3 lakh each had been given, seriously injured Rs 1 lakh each and other injured Rs 50,000 each to those who got less than 50 per cent injuries.

As many as 39 cases pertaining to Kargil were recommended for sanctioning of petrol pumps and LPG agencies, out of which 24 had already been sanctioned.

The government had enhanced the annuity of Param Vir Chakra awardee from Rs 4,500 to Rs 1.25 lakh, Ashok Chakra awardee from Rs 3,600 to Rs 1 lakh, Kirti Chakra awardee from Rs 3,300 to Rs 1 lakh and Vir Chakra awardee from Rs 2,400 to Rs 50,000. The annuities of all other gallantry and distinguished awardees had also been doubled, he added.

MANDI: “Kargil Diwas”, the occasion to remember country’s war heroes who laid their lives 10 years ago, turned out to be nothing more than 20-minute long ritual. As many as 10 Kargil war heroes from Mandi district had laid their lives.

Addressing the ceremony organised by the MC here today, Mandi DC Onkar Sharma laid garlands on the portraits of the war heroes and urged residents to keep their sacrifices alive and supreme.

However, things seemed to be tilted the other way round. Health authorities in Himachal will have to tighten noose around these centres in the state to check the dwindling sex ratio, especially in border districts of Una and Kangra.

Palampur, July 26
The nation today celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Kargil War as “Vijay Diwas”. The state government also remembered its martyrs who had laid down their lives for the integrity of the country.

However, it is unfortunate that families of these martyrs are sidelined throughout the year and remembered only on such occasions.

The state accounted for the highest causalities as 41 soldiers from Himachal were killed in the Kargil War.

However, it is a sad state of affairs that most of the families of these martyrs are in a state of neglect.

Many projects named in the memory of soldiers killed in the war have been left half way by the succesive governments for wants of funds and other official bottlenecks.

Though the BJP had assumed power in the state in December 2007, no headway has been made for the early completion of these projects.

Parents of martyr Yoginder Singh, who died while fighting with Pakistani intruders on July 25, 1999, are deeply shocked over the attitude of the state government for not completing the road named in the memory of their son.

Kuldip Kumar, father of the martyr, said the Chief Minister had visited their house immediately after the sacrifice of his son and announced that Amb-Pathiar Road, leading to their village, would be named as “Shaheed Yoginder Singh Road”.

He had also assured them that the road would be completed in six months. He said the 3-km road had been left half completed by the HPPWD for reasons best known to the state government.

In yet another case, the construction of Sorabh Van Vihar, named in the memory of Capt Sorabh Kalia, who was the first from the state to make a sacrifice in the Kargil War, is in state of neglect. During the five years of Congress regime, not even a single brick was added to this project.

Parents of Captain Sorabh are also deeply hurt over the attitude of the state government. They said a statue of their son had already been installed in the project area, but the road leading to the Van Vihar was in a state of neglect.

Most of the jawans killed were below the age of 30 years, and had left behind young widows, small children and aged parents.

They were sole earning members in the family. Despite repeated requests from various organisations, panchyat and social bodies, the state government had failed to form any long-term policy to help these families.

Mandi, July 26
Hopes and aspirations of “35 potential would-be medicos”, who wished to make to the prestigious Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, during the forthcoming academic session, have been dashed as the state government has failed to get 35 more seats for the IGMC sanctioned.

According to sources, ego hassles among top politicians who put up a “fractured front” before the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to increase the seats from the present 65 to 100, was the main reason behind it.

The move to increase the MBBS seats has been doing the rounds for the past four years. But the successive state governments failed to click the right button before the health department and the Medical Council of India (MCI).

The government had approved the increase of 35 seats for the IGMC at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal a few months ago at Shimla.

Health Minister Rajiv Bindal, here for the “Beti Anmol Hai” campaign today, admitted that it appeared “very difficult” to get the sanction for medical seats for the IGMC for the current academic session despite the best efforts put by the state government before the Centre.

Though Bindal claimed that he took up the matter three days ago with the central government, sources told The Tribune that Bindal could not meet the Union Health Minister. On the other, wards of “MBBS hopefuls” blamed the Centre for giving a step-motherly treatment to Himachal.

Meanwhile, Deepak Shanan, Principal Secretary, Heath, said the letter of approval regarding increase of 35 seats for the IGMC had been sent to health department.

Mandi, July 26
Health Minister Rajiv Bindal said round-the-clock casualty emergency services would be started at the zonal hospital here shortly and plans were afoot to start six more tertiary care hospitals--- JP-run Palampur Vivekanand Trust hospital, ESIC-run hospital at Ner Chowk and one at Kasauli.

Three others would be finalised soon, he added. Talking to mediapersons here after launching “Beti Anmol Hai” campaign, Bindal said the casualty services would be rendered by the general duty doctors (GDOs) and specialists would be available on call as per need of patients.

The casualty services had already been started at Deen Dayal hospital, Shimla, district hospital, Solan.

Round-the-clock ambulance services would be made available for patients on a toll-free number, he added.

The government had recruited 350 doctors and 650 nurses so far and there was a move to recruit 500 doctors on contract for various hospitals in the state, he said.

Bindal dismissed queries on the regular recruitment of doctors stating that the commission took years to recruit them.

The government had hired them on a contract basis and they were being paid handsome salaries.

The minister also warned doctors having nexus with certain private diagnostic centres. “We will give Rs 10,000 prize money to one who gives specific information as to which ultrasound centre is conducting sex-determination tests,” he added.

Shimla, July 26
The hype created by the government over the proposed ban on polythene bags and other plastic wares notwithstanding, the environemtntally-sensitive hill state has a dismal track record in solid-waste management.

Hundreds of tonnes of garbage, generated daily by the 56 urban habitations in the state, is dumped on hill slopes and find its way into streams and rivers, which are getting more and more polluted with each passing day.

The gravity of the situation can be judged from the fact that out of the total 350 tonnes of urban waste generated everyday, only about 70 to 75 tonnes is being collected for disposal.

Only nine towns have the waste disposal facility and it is properly functioning only in five towns.

Local authorities have miserably failed to make proper arrangements for collection of garbage even in towns which have the waste disposal facility.

For instance, Shimla generates about 70 to 80 tonnes of waste but only about 50 per cent is being collected. Baddi, which generates the maximum waste after Shimla, has no urban waste disposal facility though, of late, one for industrial waste had become functional.

Waste-disposal system in another major town Solan is virtually non-functional and that of Mandi woefully inadequate.

In such a situation, banning a few more disposable items will be a futile exercise as evident from the repeated choking of the intake of Larji projects by tonnes of non-biodegradable waste.

Studies available with the pollution control board reveal that 55 to 60 per cent of the waste is biodegradable and the rest non-biodegradable.

However, polythene and plastic account for only 3 to 4 per cent of the total waste and, as such, if a ban is imposed on some items like carry bags, disposable cups and plates, it will not serve much purpose.

The remaining 35 to 45 per cent of non-biodegradable waste comprises all kinds of plastic wares, packaging material, electrical and electronic hardware and metal waste, which include batteries, CFL lamps and several other harmful items.

Collection and segregation of biodegradable and non-bio-degradable waste is the first step towards scientific disposal of waste but the government is least concerned about it.

A sensible approach will be to start segregation and collection of non-biodegradable waste like disposable cups and plates, mostly used by juice, coffee vendors and fast food joints, banquet halls and other commercial establishments. These bulk users could be asked to collect waste in separate plastic bags for recycling.

Shimla, July 26
The violation of ban on the use of polythene carry bags and plastic items having one-time use being imposed from August 15 will attract penalty ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 25,000, depending on the quantity of prohibited material recovered.

The criteria for compounding offences under the State Non-Biodegradable Garbage (Control) Act, 1995, provides for penalty of Rs 500 up to 100 gm, Rs 1,500 for 101 to 500 gm, Rs 3,000 for 501 gm to 1 kg, Rs 10,000 for 1 kg to 5 kg, Rs 20,000 for 5 kg to 10 kg and Rs 25,000 above 10 kg quantity of prohibited variety.

In addition, a fine of Rs 5,000 would be imposed on littering of plastic waste by any institution, commercial establishment, including educational institutions, offices, hotels, shops, restaurants, sweetshops, dhabas, temple complexes, industrial establishment, banquet halls and on roads, streets, hill slopes, drains, forest areas, public parks and public places.

All district magistrates, additional deputy commissioners, additional district magistrates, sub-divisional magistrates, superintendents of police, additional superintendents of police and sub-divisional police officers, commissioner and assistant commissioner of the local municipal corporation, all chief medical officers, deputy and assistant excise and taxation commissioners and excise and taxation officers, territorial divisional forest officers, range officers and deputy range officers, tehsildars and naib tehsildars, assistant tourism development officers, district food and supplies controllers, environmental engineers, assistant environmental engineers of the State Pollution Control Board, executive officers of municipal councils and secretaries of nagar panchayats, have been authorised for inspection and compounding any offence under the Act.

Shimla, July 26
The Himalaya Niti Abhiyan (HNA), a forum of non-government organisations (NGOs), has cautioned the government that water sharing among five states will be a major issue among states concerned if the Renuka Dam project is allowed to come up.

Representatives of the HNA met Union Minister for Steel Virbhadra Singh, Union Minister of Environment Jairam Ramesh and Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit in Delhi and urged them to review the Renuka Dam project on humanitarian grounds.

They drew their attention to declining availability of water in the Giri on which the dam was proposed.

The river was already providing drinking water to Shimla and Solan and as the demand of the local rural areas was also increasing, there would be a need to further tap the already scarce resource.

There was no other source in the area to cater to the local needs and, as such, the water sharing was going to become a major issue of conflict among the five states, they added.

They suggested that the cost effective and feasible alternatives to meet the water demand like water recycling, ground-water recharge and rainwater harvesting should be considered.

The issue of environmental impact of the project was discussed with Jairam Ramesh and it was brought to his notice that 749 hectares of forest land, including 49 hectares of the Renuka Wildlife Sanctuary which had dense Sal forests and a wide rage of biodiversity, would be destroyed. The minister assured them that the issues would be looked into.

Issues of indiscriminate felling and diversion of forests for hydropower and cement plants without the implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, was also brought to his notice.

The issue of cement plants and hydropower projects, coming up in the state at various places, was discussed with Virbhadra Singh with a focus on the rehabilitation of those affected by Jaypee’s cement plants at Baga and Chamera-II, and Bhakhra and Pandoh dams.

Chamba, July 26
The international Minjar fair of Chamba got off to a colourful start today. Vidhan Sabha Speaker Tulsi Ram inaugurated the fair by hoisting the ‘Minjar flag’ amidst the singing of ‘kunjari malhaar’ (seasonal folk songs of this alpine region), at the Chowgan in Chamba.

He said fairs and festivals go a long way in preserving our cultural heritage, which is the identity of the state.

Celebrations like Minjar fair not only uphold our traditional values but also strengthen the spirit of fraternity and communal harmony among the people of all walks of life, he added.

The Speaker also declared the Minjar sports tournaments open. Later, he inaugurated the exhibition installed by various government departments and non-governmental organisations, displaying their developmental activities.

Earlier, officers of the district administration, dignitaries and citizens of Chamba offered holy minjars (golden hue of maize blossoms) at the local historic Lakshmi Narayan and Raghuvira temples.

Renowned playback singers like Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Krishna, Himani Kapoor and Lakhvinder Wadali and other artistes would also perform during the cultural nights during the fair.