Shimla, February 23
Notwithstanding tall claims of the government about ensuring planned growth of the "Queen of Hills", the Shimla Development Plan submitted almost five years ago is still awaiting approval as the situation has reached beyond redemption.

Even 30 years after the Interim Development Plan (IDP) for Shimla was made initially for six months, the growth of the statye capital is still based on the three-decade-old document. Submitted in its final shape to the government for approval in May, 2005, the Shimla Development Plan (SDP) has still not been approved either by the Congress or the present BJP regime.

The SDP, prepared painstakingly by the Town and Country Planning Department after holding 32 deliberations with all major stakeholders, both government as well as private, has been gathering dust. It is probably the stringent regulations proposed for the betterment of the capital and the people living here from the point of view of planned growth and environment protection that the political bosses are hesitant in granting approval to the document.

What is even more shocking is that consultants are being engaged to prepare the City Mobility Plan and undertake other studies for heritage conservation, which have already been dealt with in detail in the SDP. "It is beyond our comprehension as to why consultants are being engaged for all such tasks which have already been deliberated upon in the SDP with everyone's consensus," said BS Malhans, convener of the State Chapter of INTACH.

The SDP proposes declaring the Kufri, Naldehra, Mashobra, Annadale and Glen area as eco-sensitive as all construction activity needs to be regulated in this zone which is important from the tourism point of view. It is proposed that the built-up area in such zones would be only 10 per cent up of the total plot area.

The SDP also proposes increasing the number of green belts from the current 17 to over 180 so as to protect forests and greenery. Since there is a blanket ban on all kinds of construction activity in the green belts, these green patches act as lungs of the town.

Environmentalists and other social organisations had supported the move for declaring more areas as green belts as this would automatically put a check on haphazard construction.

With the growth of the town still based on the IDP, areas like Panthaghatti, Maili, Jubbarhatti, Kufri and Naldehra are witnessing a spurt in unregulated construction. Most others areas in and around the capital are already over-saturated. Though the town has been divided into core and heritage areas violations abound even here as there is poor monitoring and implementation.

To make matters worse the successive governments have brought in retention policies, regularising violations thus encouraging people to flout norms. By the time the government decides to approve the SDP and bring it into effect, extensive damage would have already been done, rendering the document redundant.

Palampur, February 23
With the setting up of over 100 mini hydropower projects in Himachal Pradesh, easy money has flown into the state in the past three years ever since the government has liberalised the rules in this regard and allowed the outsiders to come and invest money in these projects.

In the absence of any check and lack of administrative will, these companies have played havoc with the nature and virtually ignored all rules and regulations in the past few years. They have been openly flouting environment rules, involving in large-scale illicit felling, dumping debris in local khuds and reserve forests, causing extensive damage to drinking water supply and irrigation schemes. Besides, hundreds of acres of forest and agricultural land have turned barren in different parts of the state because of the reckless cutting of hills and unscientific mining.

It is unfortunate that most of the state government agencies like the SDM, the HPSEB and forest officials responsible for the proper implementation of MoU signed with the government by the companies have become a silent spectator and the companies have been allowed to go ahead

with the destruction of the precious natural and forest wealth of the state.

The recent arrest of RS Jasroita, SDM, Tissa, with a cash amounting to Rs 11.90 lakh allegedly received as bribe from a company executing micro hydel project in lieu of issuing them the NOC for setting up of a project has exposed the nexus between corrupt officials of the Revenue Department and owners of these companies at the cost of the environment of the state. There are a number of such cases where NOCs were issued overnight setting aside all norms.

In fact, SDMs, tehsildars and other revenue authorities play a vital role in the grant of permission for setting up of such projects as most of the NOCs for the transfer of land, marking of dumping sites, construction of roads to project site, etc., have to be issued by the SDMs, which were later approved by the district magistrates.

In Dhauladhar Hills of the Kangra valley, six such micro hydel projects are coming up. In the past three years, these companies have flouted environment norms damaging over 36 drinking water supply and irrigation schemes of the IPH Department. Besides, they have also damaged acres of forestland. In the Baijnath and Palampur area, hundreds of acres of agricultural land have turned barren in the absence of water for irrigation.

In Palampur, Baijnath and Kandbari areas, local residents have lodged strong protest against the illegal act of these companies and had come on the streets. In the Kandbari area, several houses were damaged because of the reckless blasting.

Likewise in Baijnath, Luni Kuhl feeding several panchayats was damaged. Despite several meetings held with the SDM, Baijnath, and the SDM, Palampur, no efforts were made by the companies to restore the water sources.

In Palampur, Om Power Corporation executing 15MW hydel project had flouted environment norms. It had damaged as many as 12 water supply schemes and six water channels causing net loss of Rs 5 crore to the IPH Department. Because of the reckless cutting of hills and dumping of debris in water sources, over 100 villages in the Palampur region were facing acute drinking water crisis.

Ratten Gautam, SDM, Palampur, said a meeting was held with the officials of these companies and they were again directed to repair the damaged water channels and water supply schemes.

Mandi, February 23
Instead of taking a clue from Kerala in eco-friendly “ayurvedic panchkarma health tourism”, Himachal Pradesh is still to do a lot in this regard. The forest and tourism departments have yet to come out with concrete plans for private and public-private-partnership players to develop health spas and resorts in different tourist destinations in the state.

Ayurvedic scientists have underscored the need for developing ayurveda-based health tourism that cannot only give additional incentives and income to the local unemployed youth, but also it can revolutionise eco-friendly tourism in the state as never before.

Himachal Pradesh, in fact, receives over 1 lakh foreign tourists and lakhs of domestic tourists round the year. The tourism and forest departments talk about promoting eco-tourism, yet they have failed to tie-up it with traditional ayurvedic health tourism.

The Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Postgraduate Ayurvedic College (RGNPGAC) and Vivekanand Research Centre Ayurvedic Hospital at Palampur have yet to come out with comprehensive plans for the development of health tourism. The Vivekanand Centre offers panchkarma treatment and other therapeutic treatment, but it still remains controversial after the state government handed it to JP company.

The scientists say ayurveda has become a buzzword in the US and around the

globe. Since Himachal Pradesh is home to a vast reservoir of herbs and medicines, the state should tap its natural beauties and ayurvedic resources packaging them as selling points for tourists, they added.

They cite the examples of Kerala which attracts almost 90 per cent of health tourists round the year from India and abroad. The state offers panchkarma therapy and herbal oil and other therapies for health high-end tourists.

Kerala has set up its ayurvedic marketing centres in major cities in the country marketing its ayurvedic health tourism. On the other hand, Himachal, being home to Charak, the ancient physician, has not even single tourist destination which offers health tourism to tourists.

Dr Piyush Chaudhary, an ayurvedic doctor at RGNPGAC, Paprola, who presented his study at a national seminar on the role of Ayurveda Present Scenarios at Mandi recently, observes that Himachal is the land of ayurveda, but it is sitting on the vast potential of ayurveda-based health tourism. The state has clean and dust-free environment that can help open pores of body to maximum making it most receptive to herbal oils and therapy. All we need to upgrade basic infrastructure to meet the demands of tourists,” he adds.

He says that stress should be laid on developing infrastructure that offers detoxification therapies of ayurvedic medicines.

Dr SK Sharma, advisor, Ayush, says there is no dearth of funds as the Central government gives an annual budget of Rs 1,000 crore for the promotion of alternative medicines and treatments in the country.

“We can train manpower for ayurvedic health tourism and treatment, but the state needs to take initiative,” he adds.

The department has set-up herbal gardens at Paprola, Rohru, Jogindernagar and Chitkul, but there is no tourist destination in the state, which is taping its vast ayurvedic health tourism potential, the scientists observe. The locals need to be educated on how to make the use of herbal gardens by starting their own spas or ventures, they add.

The Gaiety Theatre (earlier Town Hall) is the focus of the citizens and the visitors. Its three stages, including the open air one, are a challenge to the performers to display their histrionics. The art galleries invite artists to exhibit their talent. The building has been excellently restored with a fusion of Gothic and contemporary styles of architecture by a known conservation-architect Ved Segan of Mumbai. There are many critics of the building but 'criticizing is easy, art is difficult'. Has a statue ever been erected to a critic? No. The aesthetically restored Gaiety was opened in June, 2009, after six years.

The Municipal Committee of Shimla enjoys the status of being the first in Punjab along with Bhiwani and was constituted in 1862 but it had no Town Hall. Probably it used to function in 'the Assembly rooms' where the present old subzi mandi is and 1852 onwards from nearby building Abbeville owned by a Frenchman.

The MC passed a resolution on October 21, 1880, for erecting on The Ridge a large public building which shall serve all the purposes that a Town Hall does in towns in England or Europe.

The resolution further reads: "Any other town in the world of the same size or importance as Simla, and a seat of the government, would not be absolutely without a public hall as Simla now is. There is no room in any building in Simla where His Excellency the Viceroy or the Lieutenant Governor can hold even a small durbar, or where public meetings or gatherings can take place with safety or without overcrowding or inconvenience."

Mr. Tyndall, Superintendent Engineer of second Circle, Punjab, provided the plans of a large public building having a Town Hall for public meetings, banquets, concerts etc., including the annual exhibition of the Simla Fine Arts Society. Shimla then had the Fine Arts Society formed in 1865. It used to arrange exhibitions at different venues, the Bishop Cotton School or the Auckland House or Oakover, the present residence of the Chief Minister.

The proposed Town Hall was to have a station library; a library and reading room for United Service Institutes; a Masonic hall; accommodation for Local Volunteers (After 1857 the British had police and military local volunteers who used to parade in the open space on The Ridge), a metrological observatory, a theatre and three shops and a restaurant in the basement.

Major RP Nisbet, Deputy Commissioner of Shimla, sent the resolution to JW Macnabb for his approval on November 25, 1880, seeking permission of the GOI for erecting a Town Hall. It was also proposed that Tyndall would be supported by Brassington, Executive Engineer in Ajmeer College. The proposal of Tyndall underwent changes when Henry Irwin, Superintendent of Works, Shimla, stepped in as the architect of the Town Hall covering an area of 1602 square yards and costing Rs.1,50,000 that was three-fourths of what was estimated by Tyndall and the building had space for kotwali too.

The entire money for the project was to be raised as a loan from Alliance Bank. FB Hebbart, Executive Engineer of the Shimla Imperial Circle, was to assist Irwin. The construction of the Town Hall began on October 22, 1884. A tramway was positioned from Lakkar Bazaar to Sanjauli for carrying the debris. The construction was a difficult job, especially when Hebbart and Irwin starting blaming each other for the faults in design and actual building work. The whole work was hurriedly done in time for Queen Victoria's jubilee celebrations in the summer of 1887. It resulted in a defective structure.

The cracks in the building appeared by 1902, which widened by 1911 and in 1912 a committee of experts decided to dismantle the upper floors and the remains were preserved as The Gaiety Theatre.

Hamirpur, February 23
Joining the campaign against the increasing use of intoxicants in society, students of Hamirpur district expressed their concern through their thought-provoking ideas, painting and slogan-writing skills to create public awareness on the issue.

The students participated in district-level competitions organised by the Public Relation Department for building public opinion against the social evil on the increasing use of intoxicants and drug abuse.

Diksha and Sahil of Government Senior Secondary School, Bara, bagged the first prizes in the senior and junior categories, respectively, of declamation contest.

Dolly of Government Senior Secondary School, Galod, and Reena of Kuthera School bagged the second and third position in the senior category, while Shailja of Kharwar and Shubham of Sohari schools won the second and third prizes in the junior category.

In painting competition, Kushal Kumar of Garli and Ravi Chaudhary from Karot School got the first and second prizes in the junior category, while Madan from Amroh and Sonia of Chauri obtained the first and second prizes in the senior category.

In slogan writing event, Payal of Thana Dhabdiana got the first position and Aashish of Nalti School was declared the second in the junior category, while Sapna of Badsar and Sunni Kumar of Pansai and Diksha of Lamblu got first, second and third prizes, respectively, in the senior category. Appreciating the efforts of the students, Col. Manik Manna, director, Army recruiting office, Hamirpur, who presided over the function, told the students to be disciplined and not to fall prey to any intoxicant.

Hamirpur SP Aasif Jalal, who was the chief guest on the occasion, also urged the students to keep themselves away from intoxicants and drugs and said the IQ level of every person was almost equal, but the success of a person depends more on attitude and behaviour and drugs play havoc with both the traits of human beings.

Since the students portrayed perilous impact of drugs on young mind, the general consensus was that awareness and sustained campaign against the use of intoxicants was most important to keep youths away from this evil.

The main nullah passing through the rural township of Rajgarh in Sirmour has been a perennial source of problem for the residents, particularly those in the lower bazar and downstream areas (See pic). The increasing load of silt and garbage had drastically reduced its carrying capacity as a result of which slush and garbage starts overflowing every now and then. Even a light rainfall makes life difficult for those living nearby.

Unhygienic conditions prevail as waster water from the nearby hospital also flows into it. The nullah has been cleaned more than once but it has not helped and the residents want a permanent solution to the problem. The schoolchildren, who have to walk thorough slush, are the worst sufferers apart from those living in its immediate vicinity.