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MC seeks restoration of urban forest
Resort to promote Himachali culture
Probe into price scam sought
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Conservation Drive
Return money to fans denied entry despite tickets: Anurag
Villagers oppose hydel projects
No restriction on GPF withdrawals
3 cr grant for IPL ties
‘Politicians in sports main cause of corruption’
Hot March-April spells doom for farmers
Education director’s move irks DPEs
Rain brings relief
Excellence: Hamirpur races past other districts
BBMB workers hold protest
Ignored panchayats seek CM’s help
Moth attack worries apple farmers
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MC seeks restoration of urban forest
Shimla, April 19 The meeting is likely to take a holistic view of various aspects involved in handing back the forests of Shimla to the MC. The Chief Secretary will preside over the meeting here tomorrow which is likely to be attended by senior officials of the Forest, Urban Development, Revenue, MC and other departments. Citing legal wrangles and hurdles being faced in undertaking development works, the local MC had presented its case before the state government, seeking restoration of the control over urban forests, which were transferred to the Forest Department in 2006. In fact, the MC had adopted a resolution urging the government to hand back the control over urban forests in the state capital to it. AN Sharma, Commissioner, MC, had pleaded that since the task of urban forestry, protection of environment and promotion of the ecology was entrusted to the Urban Local Bodies under Chapter 20 of the HP Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, forests could have been handed over only after an amendment in the said Act. “The handing over of control of the urban forests to the Forest Department is violative of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, where tasks like forestry and fire services are to be managed by local bodies and this is also mandatory under the agreement signed by the state with the Centre for undertaking reforms,” emphasised Sharma. “In case the MC is given control of the forests, we intend getting an enumeration of trees done so that we actually have the head count as every single tree is very precious,” he added. The MC had also cited day-to-day problem being faced in undertaking development activities like creating parking slots, dumping sites and creation of children parks as reasons for restoring the urban forests back to it. The Forest Department, on the other hand, had claimed failure on the part of the MC in scientific management and protection of the forests as the main reason for takeover. |
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Resort to promote Himachali culture
Shimla, April 19 The fair will begin on May 1 and continue for the next three months during which artisans and artists from various parts of the state will showcase their skills. A special destination village is being developed in the sprawling complex spread over 14.5 acre to create bucolic settings and lend a rustic charm
to event. The village is dotted with thatched-roof houses, a typical village well and other structure which typify the hill villages. “The objective is to afford an opportunity to the high-end tourists to experience the thrill of village life. The location of the resort on the national highway, midway between Shimla and Solan, was ideal for promoting such activities,” says Manju Seth, executive director of the resort. Since the hill state was known for adventure tourism the resort was also being developed as a centre for adventure activities, including horse riding, camel riding, rock climbing and mountain hiking, she added. The project was being implemented as private venture and the government had not provided any funds or other support. However, the Tourism Department would be providing publicity to the fair while promoting the state. |
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Probe into price scam sought
Shimla, April 19 “The government must take such steps with immediate effect to put a check on hoarders, black marketeers, corporate manipulators and profiteers so that the common man can get some relief from unprecedented price rise,” he remarked. He said statement of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh that the nation was heading towards a double digit GDP rate also seemed contradictory and conflicting. “While India has the highest inflation rate at 16.1 per cent in the world, the PM is talking of a very good growth rate which is quite contradictory,” he opined. |
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Conservation Drive Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service
Shimla, April 19 It was just two days back that staff at the Kufri nature park was pleasantly surprised to see a cub trailing his mother when the duo ventured out of their night shelter for the first time since birth. “The cub appears to be over a month old but it is only now that she stepped out of the night shelter along with the cub, who appears to be healthy and fit,” said KS Thakur, conservator (wildlife). There are only three brown bears, one female and two male, at Kufri kept under the breeding and conservation programme started almost three years back. Though a cub was born earlier also, it could not survive. A team of the Wildlife Department along with veterinary experts visited the zoo today to ensure that this time all goes well and the cub survives. “We are exploring all options to keep the cub safe and for this we are likely to segregate the mother and the cub from the two male bears as there are chances of quarrel as the mother gets aggressive at times,” said Thakur. The procedure would have to be carried out very cautiously after tranquilising the animals so that no harm comes to the cub. Though there is no estimation of the exact number of brown bears in Himachal, their number is not too large. As such it was almost three years ago that the brown bear breeding and conservation programme was launched with Himalayan Nature Park, Kufri, being made the coordinating zoo. The other participating zoos include the ones at Nainital in Uttarakhand and in Jammu and Kashmir. Brown bear is normally found at a height of above 9,000 feet. Black bear, which is far more common, is found at an altitude lower than this. The funds for the breeding programme of the brown bear are being received from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and the state funds. “Though funds are not a problem, once the master plan for Kufri zoo awaiting central approval is cleared, ample amount of money will be received from the CZA,” Thakur said. The Wildlife Institute of India has also been entrusted the task of undertaking a survey to find out the number of brown bears in Himachal.
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Return money to fans denied entry despite tickets: Anurag
Dharamsala, April 19 It seems that the Kings XI team was not clear about the seating capacity of the cricket stadium. They allegedly sold the tickets in excess that left many valid holders lurching outside the stadium during both the matches. The police had to resort to mild lathi charge during both the matches to disperse those who were protesting against not being allowed into the stadium despite having valid tickets. The police justified their move against allowing all ticket holders into the stadium. They maintained that they had to stop people from entering the stadium after its seating capacity was exhausted. The lack of seat or row numbers on the tickets sold also created confusion as those who entered the stadium were not sure about where to go. Caterers hired by the Kings XI management inside the stadium also duped spectators in violation of the Consumer Protection Act. They allegedly sold packed water and other eatables at prices higher than the MRP. Meanwhile, HPCA president Anurag Thakur urged the Kings XI management to refund money to those who failed to enter the stadium despite having valid tickets. He said role of the HPCA was limited to providing the stadium to Kings XI Punjab management. However, till the filing of this story, there was no communication from the Kings XI team regarding returning of ticket money to people who were denied entry into the stadium. Role of the police also came under scanner as they failed to control the crowd which led to traffic jams in various parts of the town. Influx of about 25,000 people into the small town like Dharamsala choked most of the restaurants and hotels in the area. As it is being projected that more international matches might be held at Dharamsala in future, the challenge of improving the infrastructure lies ahead before the state government and local entrepreneurs. |
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Villagers oppose hydel projects
Shimla, April 19 A joint conference of project-affected people held a meeting at Akpa village in Pooh subdivision of Kinnaur today organised by the Him Lok Jagriti Manch, Kinnaur District Joint Action Committee and local groups. They passed a 20-point resolution highlighting the negative impact of the hydroelectric projects on environment, rights of the local people, livelihoods and gross violation of tribal, environment, forest and revenue laws. Ringchen Negi, president, Akpa Sangharsh Samiti, raised the issue of environment degradation due to diversion of the river and building of dams in fragile mountain strata close to international border. He also touched on the issues pertaining to provisions of tribal laws, environmental laws, rights of forest dwellers, Forest Conservation Act and TD rules. It was pointed out that 50-km stretch of the Sutlej would be completely dammed if the proposed Kashang-I (66 MW), Shorang (100 MW), Tidong (100 MW) Jhangi-THopan Powari (960 MW) Khab (960 MW) and other smaller projects were constructed. |
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No restriction on GPF withdrawals
Shimla, April 19 An official spokesperson has said that there is also no proposal to restrict or ban GPF withdrawals even in future and the employees should not have any apprehensions in this regard. There was no shortage of funds and on the contrary the government has sufficient cash balances with the Reserve Bank
of India. The financial management of the state is sound and the government is committed to manage its financial affairs in a prudent manner. |
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3 cr grant for IPL ties
Shimla, April 19 In a statement issued here today, IPH Minister Ravinder Ravi and Industries Minister Kishan Kapoor said the allegations were totally baseless, false and misleading. “The money was sanctioned for improving civic amenities and infrastructure at Dharamsala so that people visiting the town did not face inconvenience when such a big event was taking place there,” they said. The government wanted the visitors from all over the world to carry a good impression about the place which we wanted to promote nationally and internationally, they added. “The Union Minister is in the habit of making an issue out of non-issue with ulterior motive which does not behove a politician of his stature,” they remarked. They said holding of IPL matches at Dharamsala had given the place international exposure, which everyone appreciated, but on this issue too Virbahdra Singh had critical comments. They added his statements would not cut ice with the people who knew the truth. BJP MLA from Kinnuar, Tejwant Negi, also lashed out at the Union Minister for making misleading statements on grant of money for IPL matches. |
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‘Politicians in sports main cause of corruption’
Shimla, April 19 The party blamed both the Congress and the BJP for commercialisation of sports and said they were not keen on reforming the mess in sports administration as their leaders were the main beneficiaries. It was shocking that the fund-starved government spent over Rs 3 crore for IPL matches in Dharamsala even as the BCCI and the state cricket association are flush with funds. The economic reforms pursued by the Congress and the BJP had blurred the distinction between business and politics, it said. — TNS |
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Hot March-April spells doom for farmers
Shimla, April 19 The impact is more severe in the hill state as almost 80 per cent of the cultivated area is rain-fed and the farmers are totally dependent on rains. There has been only one good spell of rain during February in the entire winter and the deficiency has been more than 70 per cent. The impact of heat has been so severe that wheat crop has suffered 15 to 20 per cent damage even in irrigated areas. The damage in rain-fed areas ranged from 30 to 50 per cent. As a result the rabi production is likely to be around 4.50 lakh tonnes as against the target of 7.25 lakh tonnes. Agriculture director JC Rana said the temperature was 6 to 7°C higher than normal during March and 8 to 10°C higher in April consistently in both lower and mid-hill area, affecting grain development. The lack of moisture in soil also affected intake of nutrients. Harvesting was usually carried out in the first fortnight of May. However, this season it has already started in the lower hills, he added. The last rabi crop production was only 4.15 lakh tonnes as against the target of 7.15 lakh tonnes. The farmers received insurance claims to the tune of Rs 4.46 crore for the loss of production. It was followed by a lean kharif season as the monsoon was erratic as a result of which the region received inadequate rains too late in the season. The production came down by half against the target of 9.25 lakh tonnes and the overall loss came to 52 per cent. The dry and exceptional warm weather also ignited forest fires across the state which not only aggravated the heat conditions, but also caused air pollution. The pine forests, which virtually transform into tinder box at high temperature, were mainly affected by fires. |
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Education director’s move irks DPEs
Mandi, April 19 Talking to The Tribune, the protesting DPEs rued that the education director had issued the directive in March last asking the deputy directors and school principals to comply with it. This would prove to be very hectic as they were already engaged in organising sports meets and
tournaments round the year, they said. Meanwhile, Dr Dinesh Jhagta, president, HP DPEs’ Association, said they had sought intervention of Chief Minister PK Dhumal in the case. On the other hand, director education OP Sharma, in his directive, stated that this was being done to promote basic physical education and other
related activities in schools in the state. |
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Rain brings relief
Kullu, April 19 Horticulture experts said the rains would prove a blessing to apple, pear and other fruits while it might not help in revitalising vegetable crops. More than 50 per cent vegetable crops were damaged due to the dry spell but the rains might help farmers to get a good crop from the remaining standing plants. Additional Director, Horticulture Research Centre, Bajaura, Dr SS Bhardwaj, said the rains would minimise the dropping of raw apples besides the size and shape would also be improved. Meanwhile, the water-level of the Beas had gone up by more than 10 feet in the last 24 hours due to heavy to moderate rainfall in the valley. |
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Excellence: Hamirpur races past other districts
Hamirpur, April 19 Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Jain said by securing 100 out of 100 points in implementation of 20 point- programme, Hamirpur district had stood first in the state. In implementation of the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna this district has made excellent achievement and within one month of launching of this scheme around 98 per cent enrolment of below-poverty-line families have been done and the district has not only stood first in the state but also attained top position in the whole country among all districts in India. Considerable progress had been achieved in disposal of various revenue cases like demarcation, mutation, correction, partition, encroachment and ejectment of warrants etc in the district and about 99 per cent of such cases pending for less than a year have been disposed. Hamirpur has also got the distinction of being the only rural district in India selected for study of implementation of New Pension System by the Union Ministry of Finance and Asian Development Bank and total number of beneficiaries of this scheme in the district is second highest in the country. Hamirpur is the only district having online and web-enabled SDM courts in the state, first district nearing completing cent per cent open defecation through total sanitation campaign and almost all 229 panchayats of the district would be made ODF by the end of this month. It is the first district in Himachal Pradesh to release a directory of PIOs, APIOs and appellate authorities under the RTI Act and the district also tops in the implementation of the Right to Information Act in the state, besides setting up RTI centres at panchayats and patwarkhana level. When ground water-table has been receding in the country, Hamirpur district has got the distinction of registering an increase of 2 ft in ground water through successful implementation of watershed development schemes. |
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BBMB workers hold protest
Sundernagar, April 19 They held protest in support of demands of daily-wage workers of the BBMB demanding round the year job for them. The agitating workers did not allow anyone to attend the offices of chief engineer BBMB, workshop and XEN township, for about four hours as they gathered outside these offices and raised slogans against the BBMB. The sangh had also started a relay fast on March 10 in support of their demands, which today entered into its 40th day. According to BMS state president Balbir Sharma and national secretary DC Sharma, the BBMB was not allowing 319 daily-wage workers to work for whole year and due to this these employees were unable to maintain their families. President of the sangh Sukh Ram Thakur said the agitation would continue till their demands were not accepted. Though BBMB officials admitted that the agitating workers did not allow the office to function for about four hours, no complaint was registered pertaining to the incident.
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Ignored panchayats seek CM’s help
Bilaspur, April 19 Manch president Om Parkash Sharma and general secretary Onkar Chand Katna said here today that the manch had presented a detailed memorandum to the Chief Minister at Samirpur earlier day and demanded that a government multi-faculty technical institute be opened at Kutheda, offices of IPH subdivision and HPSEB subdivision be located there to solve these problems, apart from starting a government-run women training institute. The deputation also pointed towards persisting complaints of non-availability of cooking gas cylinders in these gram panchayats and urged that a gas agency be started at Kutheda to help save forests and trees of the area. The Chief Minister is said to have assured to look into all genuine demands and do the needful at the earliest.
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Moth attack worries apple farmers
Mandi/Kullu, April 19 Farmers in many areas are in a panic state due to the moth attack and are resorting to heavy chemical sprays to save an otherwise good crop this year. Though the farmers in upper valley in Kullu and Gohar-Janjheli belt say the drizzle for the last 24 hours has eased up the situation, lower Kullu valley and Ani-Dalash-Nirmand in Kullu district and Churag and Karsog in Mandi district are still braving with the moth attack. “The damage caused by drought and moth attack can result into fruit dropping up to 20 per cent in Dalash, Jaban, Khanag, Arsu, Bingul, Soidhar, Remu, Ani and Nirmand in Kullu district,” said orchardist Maninder Jishtu in Dalash. Similarly, the farmers in the lower belt of Chopal, Rohru and Kotgarh-Kumarsain and Pulzara in Rampur reported good fruit crop, but rued that the moth and borers have started attacking the orchards. The drought is taking toll on cherry, stone fruits and apple fruit, said Anup Balaik, an apple farmer at Kotgarh. President upper Kullu valley association Prem Sharma said the upper valley had not been affected by the drought as rains had eased up the situation here. Farmers are happy as the fruit crop is good in the valley, he added. Senior scientist at fruit research station Bajaura Dr SS Bhardwaj said farmers need not panic as problem was in orchards near the fenced areas or near jungles or those exposed to south sunny face. “We advise farmers to do the plant-wise insecticide spray in the evening when insects eat the fruit,” he added. He said the overall crop was good and weather forecast bode well as they expect rains in April and May. The natural fruit drop will be good as crop is good this time in most parts of the apple belt, he observed.
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Shimla, April 19
