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Rain cheers up farmers
Growers heave sigh of relief
Unseasonal snow paralyses Lahaul-Spiti
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E-coli bacteria thwarts tragopan breeding plan
Kangra tea set for big boost
Ram Subhag Singh, secretary, agriculture, addressing the media at Shimla on Tuesday. A Tribune photo
Govt defends Monsanto seeds
Students advised to check credentials of pvt varsities
Processing centres fail to bear fruit
Rescue workers at a site where the under construction building collapsed due to heavy rain at Solan on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Amit Kanwar
Nathpa Jhakri overshoots target generation
Govt warns protesting JBT trainees
Guv visits Kangra temples
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Rain cheers up farmers
Hamirpur, June 8 The long dry spell had made it quite imperative to supply drinking water and in many areas water level in most of the drinking water schemes too had gone down to quite a low. According to surveys conducted by IPH Department in the catchments, very low water discharge was observed and about 70 per cent decline was reported. The situation had become quite alarming in some of the areas in Badsar division as 58 habitations catered by nine water schemes were badly affected, hand pumps had also dried up at many places and water tankers were pressed into service to supply drinking water. After this spell of rain much relieved Superintending Engineer of the IPH OP Chauhan said, “The present rain will recharge water sources and make up for 50 per cent deficiency of water and stop misuse of drinking water used for irrigation, construction activity etc.” “Now all hand pumps will get good recharge and our dependence on water tankers to supply drinking water will be reduced to minimum,” he added. The present spell of rain has also cheered up farmers as this will brighten prospectus of all crops and fruits and make up for deficiency of fodder to large extent. Due to worst draught last year the district administration had spent about Rs 75 lakh in the district to supply drinking water through tankers and Rs 80 lakh to bring fodder from Punjab to supply it to farmers. Terming this rain as very helpful in meeting demand of drinking water Executive Engineer IPH division Badsar Dharmender Gill said, “We were facing acute shortage of drinking water in nine IPH schemes catering to 58 habitations and had deployed 11 tankers and four tractors to supply drinking water but after the rain we hope to improve water discharge in all schemes, hand pumps etc and will withdraw water tankers from Wednesday.” KANGRA (OC): The Kangra valley was lashed with heavy rains today and the higher reaches of the Dhauladhar mountain range experienced snowfall giving relief to residents from scorching heat as the temperature dropped down considerably. A light drizzle was falling yesterday night and heavy rains lashed the valley this morning which lasted till afternoon. The valley was experiencing unprecedented heat wave conditions and drought-like situation had arisen due to the long dry spell but today's rains not only gave respite from the heat to residents but also proved as a boon for farmers as vegetable crops had been extensively damaged due to the long dry spell. The reports of rains were received from Jawalamukhi, Haripur, Shahpur, Dhraman, Nagrota Bagwan, Icchhi, Gaggal, Mallan , Palampur, Dehra and Ranital. Kangra also witnessed heavy rains. The National Highway 88, near the old bus stand, was flooded due to the chocked drains in the town and the water also entered shops in the locality. Reports of rains were also received from the hill town of Dharamsala and McLeodganj.
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Growers heave sigh of relief
Mandi, June 8 According to inputs gathered from farmers, agricultural experts and officials, the steady and continuous spell of rain that began in the region late last evening have recharged the moisture of the soil fulfilling its water needs. “It was drought-like conditions in the lower areas and we have no soil moisture to sow maize and cattle feed till yesterday. But the rains have changed everything and we are going in for sowing in a day or two,” said elated farmers - Paras Ram and Mansa Ram from Balh. “The water requirement has been fulfilled and we expect a good sowing season,” they added. Apple farmers said the apple trees looked like as if they were fading and fruit drop was increasing each day. “But the rains have stopped this and we expect a good apple crop this season as fruit size will develop fast,” said Sant Ram, a farmer from the Churag apple belt. Farmers in Kullu region also expressed similar views. “The hails have destroyed the fruit crop in the Lug valley, Beasar and upper Kullu valley, but we expect that it will heal up before farmers go for harvesting in July-August,” said Lekh Raj, a farmer from Lug valley. Deputy Director, agriculture, Dr Manmohan said rainwater was now stagnating on the soil surface in the Sarkaghat-Balh-Bilaspur belt showing that water requirement of soil had been fulfilled. The rain will benefit farmers who have already sown the paddy and maize and those who are going to sow it in now, he observed.
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Unseasonal snow paralyses Lahaul-Spiti
Shimla, June 8 The twin valleys of Lahaul and Sipti recorded heaviest snow for June for the past several decades. Keylong, the district headquarters, had received 10 inches of snowfall by the evening and it was still continuing. The Kunzum Pass and Kibber and other higher areas received even more. Prakash, a 50-year employee of the Public Relations Department, said he had not seen such heavy snow in June during his lifetime. The middle and lower hill, including Shimla, Solan, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, Mandi, Manali, Dharamsala and other towns are having intermittent heavy rain since last night. Shimla had recorded 139 mm of rainfall since last night. Snow in higher hills and strong icy winds which lashed the lower parts along with heavy rain caused mercury to plummet with Shimla recording a minimum of 11.3°C and maximum of 13.4°C, which was 11°C below normal. Sundernagar had a maximum of 18.2°C, Bhuntar 16°C, Solan 17.7°C, Kalpa 15.4°C and Una 22°C.
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E-coli bacteria thwarts tragopan breeding plan
Shimla, June 8 The decision was taken after random tests conducted in the wake of death of four precious birds, three of which succumbed to E-coli infection, turned out to be positive, making it evident that the infection was widespread. Since, the bacterial infection flares up during the
breeding process, the authorities decided to prevent it by using physiological techniques. Principal chief conservator of forests, wildlife, AK Gulati informed that method like “shortening the daylight hours” were being used to ensure that the breeding process was retarded. The breeding process is set in naturally when the days lengthen in summer as the birds feel more secure from predators and plenty of food is available, he added. The nine pairs of western
tragopan still available in the pheasantry had laid over 65 eggs so far in several clutches but the effort was to ensure that there was no brooding and hatching as of new chicks would
be in all likelihood to be infected with the bacteria. There are 11 males and nine females in the pheasantry and this is the only place in the world having the rare western tragopan in captivity. All birds have been treated for E-coli infection. The topsoil of enclosures has also been replaced. Gulati said bigger enclosures were being constructed at the pheasantry which would not only create natural environment for the birds but
also help in preventing spread of infection. He said the death of four birds would not affect the conservation breeding programme as only seven pairs were required for the purpose and the pheasantry still had nine pairs. Sarhan was put on the world pheasant breeding map when the rare western tragopan was bred in captivity for the first time in the world in 2005. The success of the programme would depend on the survival of birds. Much would depend on whether or not the birds recover from the infection before the onset of next breeding season. |
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Kangra tea set for big boost
Shimla, June 8 Revival of the ailing tea industry may seem an uphill task but once again concerted efforts are being made to introduce new strains, mechanise plucking to ensure quality and retain the distinct identity and character the Kangra tea was once known for. Gone are the days when Kangra tea won a gold medal at a London exhibition in 1886 but with 17,000 kg of tea fetching Rs 650 per kg in Germany there is still hope. “Having discussed various issues concerning the tea industry with the Tea Board of India and the Union Commerce Ministry, we are keen to increase the area under tea to 25,000 hectares, both in Kangra as well as in non-traditional areas to enhance production which will help us market it in a big way,” said Ram Subhag Singh, secretary (Agriculture). He added that thrust would also be on encouraging tea owners to go in for organic tea farming for which there was a huge demand. “A kilogramme of organic tea fetches almost Rs 400 against Rs 120 for normal grown tea, so we can impart expertise to our growers to go in for this area for handsome returns,” he said. As a part of the stimulus, a sum of Rs 4.5 lakh will be provided to the planters to replace their old plants with new and improved root stocks though of the same Chinese variety as it is climatically suited to Kangra and adjoining areas. “This will help production to go up from the current 8.5 lakh kg to 10 lakh kg as roughly 1,000 acres is under tea plants in the state,” said Singh. As per plans the existing tea gardens spread over 1,000 acres will be rejuvenated and an additional 12,000 hectares in parts of Mandi and Chamba will be brought under tea. Palampur Agriculture University will be setting up an organic tea farm on 150 acres. The state government has sent a complete package proposal to the Tea Board of India for seeking financial assistance. This includes rejuvenation and replantation, plantation in new areas, irrigation support, rehabilitation of tea factories, research and development and skill upgrade of tea planters. With Kangra tea losing its identity in the tea markets of Kolkata as it is sold as Darjeeling tea, efforts are being made to ensure that it is marketed as a product of Himachal with distinct aroma and colour of its own.
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Govt defends Monsanto seeds
Hamirpur, June 8 The state government said the hybrid maize seeds were procured from private sector because the Agriculture University at Palampur was yet to develop them. But in keeping with the demand for maize seeds, they were procured, tested and certified by the university before being distributed to farmers for cultivation. The seeds from Monsanto were conventional hybrid seeds and not genetically modified (GM) seeds, a government notification explained. The hybrid seeds were also notified by the Central Seeds Committee of the Union government and contrary to reports in the media, the state government had not yet allowed any GM seeds to be cultivated in the state. While there were allegations that the company had not submitted the ‘Breeder Certificate’ to the department, the state government claimed that it was in possession of the Breeder Certificate issued by P. Padmakar Reddy from the South Asian Corn Research Lead of the company. Meanwhile, Monsanto in a press release claimed that the seeds have been cultivated by 20 lakh farmers in 18 states of India. The company offers 14 high-productivity maize seeds customised to suit the country’s diversity, a spokesman said. The ‘Dekalb Double’ seeds were tested for more than six years at Palampur, the company pointed out. |
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Students advised to check credentials of pvt varsities
Shimla, June 8 Ashish Chauhan, organising secretary of the unit, pointed out that as per the information received from the official website of the University Grants Commission (UGC) only one out of the seven already functional private universities in the state has got affiliation from the UGC. Further, seven more private universities which start sessions shortly also did not figure anywhere. Only Jaypee University of Information and Technology had been duly inspected in 2004 and was approved by the UGC. Chauhan lambasted the decision of Eternal University, Badu Sahib, to debar male students from taking admission in the name of promoting education of girls. He said the only objective was to ensure that there was no stir against the management. It held the ABVP and student leaders of the university responsible for the agitation, which made government to intervene resolve the issues. Chauhan added that the university was a “shame” as its one college, Akal College of Engineering and Technology (ACET), is offering just two trades. The ABVP urged all parents, academicians and student leaders to guide the admission seekers and ensure that they check affiliation, faculty position, infrastructure, fee structure and placements of private universities and colleges. |
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Processing centres fail to bear fruit
Hamirpur, June 8 The training centres were established in 2000 during the previous regime of the BJP at Toani Devi and Nadaun in Hamirpur district, Nurpur and Dehra in Kangra district and Kinu in Una district, with a central office at Nagrota Bagwan. The basic purpose of these centres was to impart training to rural women from the areas where fruits were grown or were available in plenty for manufacturing pickles, jams, juices and such other products. However, many who were imparted training, have not taken up this activity as a profession, thereby defeating the very purpose of the whole exercise. According to sources in fruit-growing areas, lack of marketing support and cut-throat competition had deterred many from taking up the manufacturing activity as a profession for creating self-employment. Only rural women in Toani Devi area have successfully adopted this activity by forming self-help groups. Instead of making use of these training centres for adopting the activity as a profession, local people were just getting manufactured products for their own use and these centres had become manufacturing units lately, the sources added. DR Rana, food technologist, who is looking after training programmes in all five centres, said, “Though we have imparted training to thousands of rural people, many of them have not adopted this as a profession. In fact, no survey has been conducted to find out as to how many of these utilised the training for self-employment.”
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Building collapses at Solan
Solan, June 8 According to SDM Vivek Chandel, who rushed to the spot soon after receiving information, the flats were under construction and only roofs had been laid on four floors. Supervisor Sham Lal said the construction had been suspended following heavy rains occurring since yesterday night. It could have been a major tragedy as a number of labourers were deployed at the construction site. Though apart from the heavy rain no other reason was being attributed to the collapse of the building. A visit to the site found that the people residing in the neighbouring buildings were in a state of fear. They said the reckless digging undertaken by the contractor had become a point of concern. They added that they were fearful that it could lead to some mishap. The rain had left the foundation and breast walls of nearby buildings exposed and the residents were fearful about its consequences. The collapse of this building had exposed that the building was not being constructed as per regulations, as it was located in a valley having a steep gradient. While the construction along a slope of more than 45° was not permissible as per the by laws of the Town and Country Planning Department there seemed to be little adherence to it. DC AS Rathore, who also visited the spot, said he had directed the SDM to submit a preliminary report of the incident and following its findings an appropriate action would be taken. The police was ascertaining the cause of the building collapse till the filing of this report. |
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Nathpa Jhakri overshoots target generation
Shimla, June 8 A flagship project of the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL), the Nathpa project was given a target of generating 1,440 million units. The project had already generated 1,618 million units up to June 7, which was 282 million units higher than that generated last year during the same period. It was during 2009-10 that there was a record generation of 7,018 million units against a target of 6,600 million units. Power from the project was being supplied to nine northern grid states. This generation figure of 7,018 million units was 400 million units higher than the target given by the Union Power Ministry. The SJVN which recently came out with an initial public offer (IPO) of Rs 41.50 crore equity shares is implementing 10 hydropower projects in India as well as Nepal and Bhutan. The 412-MW Rampur project is in an advanced stage of completion and likely to begin generation by 2013. There are plans to enter wind power generation shortly. |
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Govt warns protesting JBT trainees
Shimla, June 8 The Director, Elementary Education, Rajiv Sharma, said today that even during the meeting of the representatives of the JBT trainees with secretary (Education) it had been made clear that they would be given appointment on contractual basis as per district wise vacancies in the department. The talks that the JBT trainees held with secretary (Education) on June 5 had failed and now the government had decided to act tough with them to end their agitation. “Moreover all other appointments, including that of college and school lecturers and trained graduate teachers (TGT), are also being made on contractual basis, so the JBT trainees should not make interpretations on their own that they will not get government jobs,” he added. He also clarified that the notification with regard to JBT training issued on June 21, 2008, clearly mentioned that there would be no job guarantee. “The demand of the trainees is totally unjustified as there is no reference of filling job guarantee bond in the notification,” he said. Sharma said keeping in view all these facts the government had decided to take action against those who do not join training by June 10. “The JBT trainees should end their fast immediately and join classes or else they will invite disciplinary action,” he warned.
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Guv visits Kangra temples
Kangra, June 8 The Governor, who was on the way to Palampur, visited temples at Jawalamukhi, Baglamukhi, Nandkeshwar Chamunda dam and Bajjreshjwari Nagarkot dam here today. She performed pooja and paid obeisance at the shrines.
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