Bagheri (Nalagarh), September 7
Opposing the setting up of 30 MW Jaypee thermal plant on the Himachal-Punjab border near Nalagarh, representatives from nearly 14 panchayats from both states vociferously presented their objections at its public hearing held at Bagheri by the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) today.

About 1,500 persons, who had gathered there, were unanimous in opposing the plant, citing environmental hazard as its key reason.

As a rare gesture of unity, the 2 MTPA Cement Blending Unit and the 32 MW Diesel Generator-based power plant saw opposition from politicians across the party lines with local MLA HN Saini pledging not to get the plant through amidst such public opposition. Others who joined him included zila parishad chairman Ram Kumar who said the Congress was always opposed to it.

About 30 speakers highlighted its negative fallout on water, air, livelihoods and the ecology of the area. Jagjit Singh Dukhia, president of local NGO Himparivesh, questioned the rationale behind holding another public hearing for the same thermal plant which had been opposed two years back. He said a show-cause notice had been issued by the SPCB after withdrawal of permission to the plant as illegal construction had been carried in contravention of the Environment Protection Act, 1986, and Environment Impact Assessment Notification, 2006.

But the SPCB had failed to initiate any action against the company and now this public hearing was being conduced which made a mockery of people’s earlier verdict against the thermal plant.

Ghuman Singh of Himalaya Niti Abhiyan alleged that the land, on which the existing unit had been set up, had not been transferred in the name of the plant and an inquiry should be conducted as to how such a big unit was being constructed without proper land lease.

He also pointed out that if this thermal plant was allowed to come up, many others would follow suit and this would adversely impact the ecology. The government should, instead, pursue a proposal to set up a pit-head thermal plant in a coal producing belt.

Jagir Singh of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, said the people residing downstream would bear the maximum impact of this polluting unit and it would also tarnish the white historical gurdwaras of Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib.

Shimla, September 7
With clouds of uncertainty hovering over holding of the Pre-World Cup Paragliding event at Bir-Billing in Baijnath, there is a possibility that the Department of Tourism might withdraw from the event and leave it to the association to run the show.

It is reliably learnt that the Tourism Department is keen to confine itself to the role of a facilitator and let the Paragliding Association organise the event at its own level.

“The department invites unnecessary criticism every year so it is being felt that mountain biking, angling festival and rafting event and holding of the Pre-World Cup Paragliding event must be left to the concerned association,” said an official.

Notwithstanding the department’s commitment to promote adventure tourism, the holding of paragliding event in Baijnath has always been a very erratic affair.

Normally held in the end of October, the event has been a big attraction with foreign pilots who rate Bir-Billing as one of the best aero sports sites in the world.

Even though the Tourism Department has now approached the Paragliding World Cup Association to get the approval for holding the event, it is felt that the delayed action might not bear results. Prior to this, some individuals associated with the event, had also approached the association for holding the event.

Holding of hand-gliding event was started way back in the early 80’s. The event was once again organised in 1992 and then after a gap of seven years in 1999. It was after 2003 that the Tourism Department stepped in and started holding the event on a regular basis.

Though efforts have been made to promote adventure sports and an aero sports club has been established at Bir, but the sport has not really been able to promote tourism in the area.

It was the Tourism Department which had organised the Himalayan Pre-World Cup Paragliding event in October last year with participation from many foreign pilots. With uncertainty over holding of the event till now, it might become difficult for the foreign pilots to confirm their bookings.

Till the go-ahead from the association is not received, organisers cannot plan the schedule, which has to be put on the calendar so that all those interested can confirm their participation. 

Shimla, September 7
Inadequate procurement of apple under the market intervention scheme (MIS) during the current season will add to financial woes of the state-owned HPMC which is already in the red.

Although the corporation has not been able to utilise its full processing capacity of 22,700 tonnes for even once in the past three decades, the situation is worse this season because of lean crop.

Its processing plants have been virtually lying idle, so far, as enough fruit has not been available for processing. Only 62 lakh boxes of apple have been exported and a meagre 209 tonnes of fruit has been procured under the MIS till date. As the minimum quantity of fruit required to produce juice concentrate is not available, only fresh juice is being produced.

With even poor quality small-size apple fetching attractive prices in the market, the growers do not feel the need to sell their produce to government agencies.

The corporation has been, on average, processing 6,000 to 8,000 tonnes of fruit to produce 600 to 700 tonnes of apple juice concentrate (AJC) annually, However, it will not be able to achieve even 10 per cent of the normal output. Thin stalled capacity of its biggest processing plant at Parwanoo is 19,400 tonnes but average capacity utilisation over the past five years has been as low as 27.84 per cent. It will further come down this season and its accumulated losses, which have already crossed Rs 43 crore, will mount further.

Another negative aspect is that the corporation has been facing problems in selling whatever AJC it produces because of high cost of production. Last year it produced about 650 tonnes of AJC out of which over 450 tonne is still unsold. The cost of production is as high as Rs 70 per kg even though fruit is being provided to it by the government at a nominal rate of Re 1 per kg. AJC produced in J&K is available in the market at Rs 50 per kg and the Chinese product is even cheaper.

The state has taken up the matter with the Cnetre for imposing anti-dumping on the Chinese AJC, which has flooded the domestic market. However, to find a lasting solution, the government must encourage a large-scale commercial cultivation of processing grade varieties of apple which have higher acidic content and high TSS (total soluble sugar). 

Shimla, September 7
The HP High Court today issued notice to the Secretary (Home) and the DGP (Vigilance) on the petition filed by Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh and his wife Partibha Singh for quashing of the FIR registered against them in the CD case.

The court, however, declined to stay the further proceedings in this matter and directed the respondents to file reply by November 3.

While passing this order, Justice Kuldip Singh also issued notices to former IAS officer SM Katwal and the director, Central Forensic Science Laboratory, and also directed them to file their response.

Virbhadra and his wife had averred in their petition that trial of the present case would amount to abuse of law as the same had been registered after 20 years of the alleged offence.

They said the case had been registered on the basis of a CD whose origin was not known. It was alleged that the alleged communication had taken place in late 1989 and beginning of 1990. He added that at that time audio cassettes and not CDs were in use.

Former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh mentioned that he was elected as an MP for five terms and had remained the Chief Minister of the state for five terms. He had served the people in capacity of a central minister as well as the Chief Minister of the state and had gained the reputation with great hard work and the respondents had registered this case to malign his reputation, he added.

Virbhadra and his wife mentioned that nine talks were allegedly recorded and four of them were alleged to be made in between the petitioners. There was no evidence about the date and time of recording the alleged conversation.

The alleged offence pertains to 1990 where as the FIR was registered after almost 20 years.

The petitioners added that the forensic science laboratory had submitted the report on August 8, 2008, but the FIR was registered after a year’s delay. They further alleged that this FIR was politically motivated and the case was frivolous.

However, Virbhadra Singh and his wife have urged the court to quash the FIR registered on August 3 with the Anti-Corruption police station at Chotta Shimla.

Solan, September 7
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has mooted a proposal to open a new unit at the newly created Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) police district. The proposal follows creation of the new police district having an independent SP and other staff.

The creation of this unit would help the bureau keep tab on various government offices that had been created to facilitate industrial activity after the 2003 central industrial package.

Officials in the bureau said keeping in view the crime scenario and lack of regulation, as the area was under the purview of the Solan unit, it was felt that an independent office here would help keep surveillance on various departments.

While the bureau office has been receiving regular complaints about various corrupt practices underway in the area, the lack of staff has impeded speedier action. Since the Solan unit has four inspectors and a DSP who are already dealing with the routine work, the presence of another bureau unit here would help maintain effective surveillance.

Interestingly, the bureau had been receiving plethora of RTI applications where individuals after complaining about corrupt practices in the BBN area seek information about what the bureau had done in the case. This had created a tricky situation for the bureau that failed to attend to all such complaints in time due to paucity of staff.

The officials also said an independent unit would help them collect inputs about the working of various officials. With transactions worth several crores and presence of hundreds of industrial units and real estate dealers the area had become vulnerable and cases of officials being nabbed while accepting bribes were routine. With several revenue officers, a fire officer, drug controller, superintendent in SDM office, etc, being caught accepting bribe and even police officials facing inquires the area required more surveillance.

The industrial activity had led to the opening of various offices, including the BBN Industrial Development Authority, Drug Controller’s office, Assistant Excise and Taxation Office and SP office. Keeping in view the sensitiveness of the area even the Intelligence Bureau had opened its office here.

Bureau’s DGP Dr DS Minhas said a proposal had been put across to the government after the opening of a new police district and it was for the government to decide about it now.

Kangra, September 7
A three-member Medical Council of India (MCI) team today visited Dr RP Government Medical College, Tanda, in connection with pre-postgraduate inspection and was reportedly satisfied with the staff and other arrangements.

The team, headed by Dr Ram Prakash and comprising Dr Surjeet Singh and Dr BK Shardha, visited different departments, hostels, library, lecture theatre and the animal house.

It sought details of the faculty and was reportedly satisfied with its position.

The Centre had already given an approval for 21 postgraduate seats in 10 departments which included two each in medicines, surgery, paediatrics, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, community medicines, pharmacology, anaesthesia and skin and three in gynaecology.

All faculty members suited the norms of the MCI. Only three posts of professor were lying vacant for which advertisement was already placed, according to sources.

Principal Dr Anil Chauhan said the vacant posts of the faculty would be filled by promotions and through the Public Service Commission and remaining vacant posts would be filled through the RKS.

Meanwhile, the security staff went on strike today in the college and held a dharna outside the principal office.

A senior security official had allegedly slapped his junior which resulted in he crisis.

Dr Anil Chauhan, in a letter to the chairman-cum MD, HP ex-servicemen corporation cell, expressed anguish over the dharna and indiscipline and asked him to take immediate steps.

Shimla, September 7
The government will set up 12 new panchkarma centres to provide holistic ayurvedic treatment in the state by December.

Stating this while presiding over a review meeting of the Allopathy and Ayurveda departments here today, Health Minister Rajeev Bindal said six existing panchkarma centres would also be strengthened and health camps would be organised in various parts of the state for which a sum of Rs 35 lakh had been earmarked.

He said Rs 7.79 crore had been released to Rogi Kalyan Samitis for the maintenance and repair of hospital buildings and equipment. He expressed satisfaction over the progress of construction work being carried out by the health department and decided to release another Rs 1.75 crore to the samitis for purchase of new equipment.

The minister said Rs 55 crore had been released for the construction of buildings and directed health officials to complete the ongoing work in a time-bound manner.

Under the “Anaemia-Free Himachal” scheme, one block had been identified in each district to give impetus to this programme, he added.

The scheme was launched in Kangra and Hamirpur districts in October last year and, so far, samples of eight lakh persons had been tested. He said the scheme would be started in 10 blocks of the remaining 10 districts shortly.

Hamirpur, September 7
Congress leader Narinder Thakur has demanded a high-level probe and disclosure of names of high profile people allegedly found in the company of call girls in Shimla a few days back.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Thakur alleged, “A leader and an officer having links with Hamirpur district were found with call girls from Chandigarh in a hotel at Shimla. The police, despite having entered a note in its roaster register about this incident, has failed to act in the case.”

Accusing few BJP leaders of hushing this case, he demanded a high-level inquiry into it and disclosure of names of the people involved.

He said, “The Congress will take this issue to people and expose the ugly face of the leader involved in the incident.”

Coming down heavily against the BJP government in the state, Thakur alleged, “The present BJP government is sunk knee deep in corruption and most of the BJP leaders are making money by using the state power.”

Quoting an incident, Thakur said, “A private contractor was found installing GI pipes belonging to the IPH Department instead of angle iron in the construction work of a school at Utpad and I had informed the police to inquire as how the IPH pipes were being used by a private contractor on the construction site but no action was taken in this case.” He accused the district administration for allegedly removing panchayat presidents who had supported the Congress during the last Parliament election by registering fabricated cases of encroachment against them.

Manali, September 7
Waking up to the messy situation at Rohtang Pass highlighted in these columns, the District Tourism Council (DTC), headed by Kullu Deputy Commissioner BM Nanta, has declared Kothi-Marchi-Rohtang as “out-of- bound for tourist traffic on every Tuesday” beginning from September 8 in view of the slow progress of widening and tarring work on the highway between Gramphu-Kothi stretch being carried by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

The notification to this effect has been issued by the Kullu DC after taking stock of the situation prevailing on tourist spots at Rohtang Pass and Marhi.

The DTC took the decision at its meeting with the state government and got its nod to shut down the Kothi-Gulaba-Marhi-Rohtang area for tourist traffic on every Tuesday.

The BRO has been engaged in doube-laning of the Manali-Keylong-Serchu-Leh stretch of the national highway in view of the security concerns felt during the Kargil conflict. The BRO has been developing the highway as an all-weather road for both civilian and military purpose. Manali-Serchu stretch is managed by the BRO’s Deepak project while the Serchu-Leh-Kardungla strech is managed by the BRO’s Himank wing from Jammu and Kashmir side, BRO sources added.

The BRO has been widening the Gramphu-Kothi stretch over the years, but the work has been heading on a snail’s pace in view of the summer tourist traffic.

Nanta told The Tribune that every Tuesday had been declared as “dry day” for Rohtang Pass in view of problems being faced by the BRO in widening the tarring the highway between Rohtang and Gulaba. “The council has decided that only emergency vehicles will move on Tuesdays on the highway going to Lahaul valley,” he added.

Nanta said no tourist vehicle would be allowed beyond Kothi on every Tuesday between 9 am to 6 pm. After getting approval from the state government, the notification will come into force from September 8.

Only HRTC buses and other emergency vehicles will be allowed to cross the Rohtang Pass, he clarified.

He said other vehicles would go after 6 pm in the evening or before 9 am in the morning every Tuesday.