Solan, August 2
Even as the Jay Prakash Associates (JPA) has moved an application for seeking environment clearance of a captive thermal plant at Bhagheri, villagers have joined hands to oppose it tooth and nail.

Coming forward to register their protest a local NGO, Himparivesh, has openly denounced any such move and has given a call to hold a mahapanchayat on August 9 to elicit public opinion against the plant.

The NGO, which met at Bagheri today to chalk out their future strategy, opined that since an earlier move to set up this plant had been opposed by locals during an earlier public hearing there was no rationale in allowing it now.

General secretary of the NGO Balkrishan said they would also seek support of politicians, both from opposition and ruling, to support their cause. Interestingly, local MLA HN Saini had earlier opposed the plant while he was in opposition and now since he was an MLA of the ruling BJP it remains to be seen what stance he would adopt.

The NGO contended that the plant had already bore 5 pits of 14 inches diameter, which would be used to draw water for the plant. While this huge quantity of water consumption would deplete their natural sources, it would also adversely affect small farmers having their fields in the vicinity.

It also asserted that the JPA were misleading masses by stating in the Environment Impact Assessment Report that the 10 panchayats of Punjab, which would bear its impact, were located at a distance of 10 km while in reality at least five panchayats were located within a radius of 200 to 400 m and all 10 panchayats were located at a distance of 2 km from the plant site and they all would be adversely affected by the air, soil and water pollution.

Panchayat pradhans from Punjab, including Surjit Singh from Behni, Jarnail Singh from Massewal, Diwan Chand from Chikna and Balmeet Singh from Maura also lend their support to the NGO at the meeting.

Interestingly, the JPA had now enhanced the capacity of this captive thermal plant from its earlier 25 MW to 30 MW and had, therefore, moved an application for its environment clearance.

The public hearing of this plant had been fixed for September 7, which would help finalise its terms of licence for environment clearance.

Dharamsala, August 2
As the state has been declared drought hit, the government has decided to give a surcharge tax waiver on agriculture as compensation to farmers.

However, according to the data collected by the Revenue Department, the loss due to drought in Kangra district had been Rs 199 crore, including loss of Rs 165 crore on account of crops and Rs 34 crore on horticulture.

Last year, when there were ample rains in the area, the total surcharge tax collected in Kangra was just Rs 5 lakh. The amount comes to less than 0.1 per cent of the loss caused to the farmers. Though, the state acknowledged such a huge loss to the farmers, but it decided to do away just with the surcharge tax.

Most of the farmers in the lower areas of Kangra district had termed the compensation by the state government as a “joke”. They maintained that most of them never paid the surcharge tax on agriculture, as the income generated from the crops was not enough for their own consumption. It might only be the big farmers or horticulturists, who were paying the surcharge tax.

Kangra is one of the biggest districts in terms of agriculture in the state. The farmers of the district have suffered huge losses due to drought-like condition in June and July. In lower areas, the farmers had to sow the maize crop twice due to lack of the rains.

The Nurpur area of Kangra district, which is known for its mango and lichi production, has suffered a total loss. As per the data, damage to crops had been 36 per cent in Kangra, 60 per cent in Dharamsala, 15 per cent each in Palampur and Baijnath, 75 per cent in Dehra, 100 per cent each in Thural and Baroh, 80 per cent in Khundian, 75 per cent in Rakkar, 100 per cent in Jaswan, 90 per cent in Nurpur and 100 per cent in Jaisinghpur.

Though, according to sources, the loss calculated by the Revenue Department might be exaggerated to claim compensation from the Union Government.

Shimla, August 2
Buoyed by the return of the UPA government at the Centre, the Congress in the state is likely to adopt aggressive posture during the 25-day monsoon session of the Vidhan Sabha commencing on August 3.

The party has been lying low after its defeat in the Assembly elections, but with a Congress-led government at the Centre and two ministers in the Union Cabinet the party men are in a mood to take on the Dhumal government which has completed 19 months in office, long enough to assess the performance on various fronts.

Moreover, a number of issues have cropped up in between and some controversial decisions like change in eligibility criteria for issue of “bona fide Himachali certificate and benami land deals”, alleged dilution of Section 118 of the Land Reforms and Tenancy Act and CFL scam, providing enough ammunition to attack the government. The U-turn by the BJP on the appointment of chief parliamentary secretaries will also be raised to whip the government.

The House is also likely to discuss the drought situation and the government, which has already declared the entire state as drought-affected, is likely to come out with a suo motu statement on the issue on the opening day. With both rabi and kharif crop severely hit, it is the most important matter concerning people but with Chief Minister PK Dhumal already stating that Centre is not giving a fair deal to the state in providing relief, the House is likely to witness a blame game between the ruling and the opposition.

Senior Congress leader and state party chief Kaul Singh said the ruling party was already on the back foot on the issue of domicile certificate and it had increased the eligibility period of stay in the state again from 15 to 20 years.

Since Khimi Ram has resigned as deputy Speaker after taking over as the state BJP chief, the election for new incumbent will also be held. In all probability Rikhi Ram Kaundal, who had earlier also held the post, will the choice of the ruling party. Nominations will be filed on August 3 for the post and if required elections will be held on August 4.

There will be 17 sittings in all and three days have been set apart for private member’s business. Important legislative business will also be transacted during the short session and bill to replace the anti-ragging ordinance and some other bills are also likely to be introduced during the longest monsoon session in the history of the state.

The government opted for a long session because the budget session had to be cut short because of the Lok Sabha elections. Under the rules of business a minimum of 35 sittings are mandatory in a year.

Mandi, August 2
The HP Congress Kisan Sabha and Kheti Mazdor cell today accused the state government of not implementing the “loan waiver for farmers, pension scheme and repairs of roads damaged by the private companies while laying down the optical fibre cables”.

Convener of the sabha Surinderpal Singh at a press conference here charged that the state government had failed to issue certificates to farmers, now hit by drought, to avail the loan waiver scheme. Even the government failed to give relief to drought-hit farmers, he said here after assuming charge.

He warned that the kisan sabha would organise a kisan samellan at Shimla soon that would take up issues of farmers with leaders from across the country. The Congress Kisan cell would also stage protest as the BJP failed to protect farmers in the state, he charged.

He claimed that farmers in the state faced fodder crisis, but “turi” was made available only in Hamirpur, the home district of Chief Minister PK Dhumal. However, farmers in other parts of the state continue to suffer as they are neither getting relief for drought nor certificates for the loan waiver, he claimed.

He said the central government had declared pensions for all-handicapped, widow and old age persons. However, the state failed to implement it, he alleged.

He further charged that private telecom companies have deposited funds for compensating the digging of roads for laying cables with the PWD. But funds are not being used for repairing roads and contracts were being given on political basis for retaining walls, he charged.

On the other hand, the BJP government had been accusing the Centre for not giving any relief to the farmers in the state. The state had been declared drought-prone, but the Centre is not releasing funds. The pension is being released regularly, the government claimed.

Shimla, August 2
The state has achieved the “two children per couple” target set under the National Population Policy even before the deadline of 2010.

Himachal is amongst the 10 states that have achieved the total fertility rate target (TFR), as per the report released by the Union Ministry of Health. In the report it has been pointed out that 75 per cent villages have access to the facility of a health sub-centre within a distance of 3 km and 95 per cent of the villagers have access the a primary health centre within a range of 10 km.

The report has specific mention of the high-level of awareness both in the rural as well as urban areas about the health programmes. “More than 90 per cent women are aware about family planning, minimum age for marriage, education and the risk of HIV/AIDS,” the report reads.

The government has already launched “Beti Anmol Hai” campaign to save the girl child and create awareness against female foeticide. One major reason attributed for people adopting small family norm is the high-level of literacy.

Sundernagar, August 2
Five persons were killed and four vehicles were damaged when a speeding truck dashed against the car of victims in the Bhojpur market here on Friday night.

The four deceased belonged to one family and were identified as Ravinder Singh (57), Amarjeet Kaur (56), Kamal Preet (23) and Harpreet Singh (27), residents of Bhojpur locality, and the fifth Sohan Lal (55) was from Ghumarwin, Bilaspur.

According to the information, all victims were going to BBMB Colony from Bhojpur Bazar last night and a truck bearing no HP-11- 1837, which was loaded with cement bags hit from the rear side and struck against three vehicles, which were parked by the side of road. It crushed the car of victims. One more car was completely damaged by the truck, which ultimately stopped as it dashed against a wall of a building.

Hundreds of residents assembled on the accident sight, but the bodies could not be taken out as these were mutilated in the crushed car, which was under the truck.

It took the about two hours to take out the bodies of the victims. The district administration official asked the BBMB authorities for services of a crane so that the truck could be lifted but the crane never reached the spot. Meanwhile, recovery vans were arranged by a resident and another by the police and with the help of residents the bodies were taken out. I

A case has been registered under Section 279,304 A of the IPCagainst the absconding driver of the truck, who ran away from spot after the accident. Mandi SP Sonal Agnihotri said soon the driver of the truck would be arrested. 

Hamirpur, August 2
A drug inspector (DI) has been able to get a chemist convicted and imprisoned from a court for carrying illegal sale of allopathic drugs through a fake outlet.

Owner of Suryal medical store Manoj Kumar, running a fake chemist shop at Chak Sarai has been found guilty under Section 18 (c) and 18(a) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 and has been convicted with rigorous imprisonment for one year with a fine of Rs 5000 by Judicial Magistrate (first class), Amb, on July 29, 2009.

Giving details of this case DI Nishant Sareen told The Tribune, ‘ the premises of the chemist was raided by him on June 6, 2006, and large quantity of allopathic drugs were sealed from there which were being exhibited and sold without any licence required for sale of drugs.’

“Not only this the chemist was selling these drugs without any bills and large quantities of allopathic drugs were recovered from there,” he added.

The chemist has also been convicted and imprisoned for another three months with a fine of Rs 500 under Section 18 ( a) of this act. 

Kangra, August 2
Classes of the first batch, comprising of 150 students in five trades, will start in the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) at Chaib near here from tomorrow.

Director of NIFT’s Kangra centre Dinesh K Rangra said the PWD had handed over all buildings to the institute on July 31. “An executive engineer of the PWD will take care of the construction work of the permanent campus. It will be completed by the end of next year,” he added.

This year classes of textile designing, fashion designing, accessories designing, knitwear designing and apparel production would start, with 30 students in each trade. Rs 58 crore had been contributed by the state government and Rs 42 crore by the central government for the project.

Rangra said Union Minister for Textile Dayanidhi Maran and Chief Minister PK Dhumal would visit the centre for its formal inauguration on August 5, in place of Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal as scheduled earlier.