Rohtang Pass, July 11
The 13,050-ft high Rohtang Pass, the gateway to snowbound Lahaul valley, has been closed for traffic indefinitely by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) today, as big boulders and loose sandy skeleton strata of the fragile 200 m stretch of Rohtang mountains have triggered a massive landslide near the Rani nullah.

The shooting boulders and loose rocky soil pose danger to commuters, including tourists and migratory shepherds who take this route daily.

As a result, thousands of vehicles carrying tourists and locals, including commuters from Lahaul-Spiti, are stranded on both sides of the Pass for the past 20 hours. The traffic to Manali-Keylong and Leh and Pangi, Kaza and Spiti have come to a standstill.

BRO commander SK Doon inspected the site of the landslide yesterday and monitored it today and decided to the close it for traffic. The BRO had alerted the district administration of Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti on the closing down of the Rohtang.

The landslides were triggered by rains and melting of snow on the higher slopes and the unscientific road cutting and dumping of debris on the roadsides.

The BRO and the district administration have issued advisory to tourists to not visit Rohtang, which has been closed officially for tourists till Tuesday. “We have taken up the matter with the District Commissioners of Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti to not allow tourists till landslides stop and road is restored for the traffic,” BRO commander SK Doon said.

Movement of more than 2,000 vehicles on this road daily further adds to the problem.

In charge at GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Kullu, scientist Dr SS Samant, who inspected the Pass recently, said the BRO was dumping debris along the sideways. The loose strata of skeletal soils and boulders at Rohtang have fallen apart and a large area is sinking as soon as rain and spring waters pass through the cracking zone, he observed.

Samant said the BRO could have taken care of 80 per cent of the damage had it erected proper retaining walls, drains and culverts side by side with the cutting and widening of road.

The BRO blamed the rains and heavy rush of traffic on the highway for the slow progress of widening and tarring. “We are putting crate walls and culverts to drain the water and trying to stabilise the slopes,” the BRO added.

Kullu DC BM Nanta said they had advised the tourists, travel agents, hoteliers and taxi operators not to send tourists to Rohtang tomorrow in the face of danger of falling boulders at Rani nullah.

Shimla, July 11
The Food Corporation of India (FCI) has not been able to ensure proper utilisation of its storage capacity even as huge quantities of foodgrain kept in open are being damaged every year.

Information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that the capacity utilisation of its godowns across the country was only 76 per cent. The total storage capacity was 286.2 lakh tonnes, 256.64 lakh tonnes covered and 29.56 lakh tonnes uncovered, as on March 15, 2010. The maximum utilisation of 88 per cent was in the south zone and the minimum at 67 per cent in the east zone.

The data provided by the corporation in response to applications filed by RTI activist Dev Ashish Bhattacharya seeking information about the total storage capacity and its utilisation over the past two years indicated that it was banking more on hired godowns in zones where maximum quantities of foodgrain were stored.

For instance, out of the total 127.48 lakh tonnes of covered storage in the north zone, the corporation’s own storage was only 57.12 lakh tonnes and the remaining 70.36 lakh tonnes was hired. Similarly, in the south zone corporation’s own covered storage was 27.92 lakh tonnes and hired godowns accounted for 29.47 lakh tonnes. Out of the total 218.35 lakh tonnes of foodgrain stored, 165.46 lakh tonnes was kept in these two zones.

In contrast, the corporation’s own storage capacity was more than that of hired godowns in the other three zones. In the west zone it was 25.41 lakh tonnes (hired 17.89 lakh tonnes), east 15.94 lakh tonnes (8.05 lakh tonnes) and north-east 3.3 lakh tonnes (1.18 lakh tonnes). However, the hired storage accounted for only 4.55 lakh tonnes (all in the north zone) out of the total 29.56 lakh tonnes of uncovered storage.

The data exposes mismanagement and malpractices by the FCI as evident from the fact that maximum foodgrain damage was in the zones where it was relying on hired storage, says Bhattacharya.

On one hand the corporation was hiring godowns and on the other renting out its own. Some instances of liquor and other goods being stored in the FCI godowns, highlighted by the electronic media recently, only indicated that officials were making money in collusion with unscrupulous traders at the cost of the common man. This was happening as no one was being held accountable for damage to foodgrain, he laments.

Kangra, July 11
The state government has decided to initiate prompt legal action, after verifying the facts, and register criminal cases against the government doctors indulging in private practice.

The government has also decided to hold the head of the departments in the medical colleges responsible whose faculty members were found indulging in the unlawful private practice.

This was disclosed by SS Guleria, Special Secretary, Health, while talking to media persons in Dr RP Government Medical College at Tanda today. He said it was unfortunate that doctors getting huge salaries were violating the law and indulging in private practice. He said facts would be verified and evidences corroborated before the criminal cases would be registered against the accused doctor.

Guleria further said surveillance to check such activities would be strengthened and the raids would be conducted throughout the state to curb this menace. He was replying to the queries of the mediapersons regarding the three doctors of the Tanda hospital indulging in private practice in a private hospital which was sealed by the medical authorities yesterday following a raid.

Guelria said in view of the new students joining the college anti-ragging committee was reconstituted and close monitoring would be done to make college ragging-free. He said measures had been decided to be taken to keep better interaction between the seniors and the new comers in this college and efforts would be made so that new medical students do not feel isolated.

He said a hi-tech medical institute with modern technologies would be set up at Tanda with super specialities in oncology, neurology, urology, nephrology, cardiology and gastronomy with digital class rooms and library.

He said the Chief Minister would lay foundation stone of this Rs 150 crore project by the end of this month.

He added a special treatment centre for the AIDS patients would be started at Tanda which was earlier available at Shimla only. He said in a phased manner all the posts of the doctors and other staff would be filled as per the norms of MCI.— OC

Shimla, July 11
Education Minister ID Dhiman lauded the contribution of Baba Kanshi Ram, popularly known as “Pahari Gandhi”, to the freedom movement and literature at a function held here today to mark his birth anniversary.

He said, “Baba waged a relentless battle against the British rulers through his poetic versions and patriotic songs in the pahari dialect.

His poems became very popular among the hill folk and his verses motivated the people to carry on the fight for freedom in the face of British atrocities.

He said it was a matter of immense pleasure to celebrate the birth anniversary celebration of such a great personality, who disseminated the message of “azadi”, through his inspiring poems.

He appreciated the efforts of the state, cultural and language academy in organising such functions from time to time to help make the new generations aware of the great sons of the state its, its history and culture.

Dharamsala, July 11
The state government has developed cold feet over granting autonomous status to Government College, Dharamsala,. The status hasn’t been granted to the college so far despite the fact that the UGC granted approval for making the college autonomous in October last year.

Besides, a grant of over Rs 1 crore was given by the UGC for improving infrastructure of the college and making it autonomous. The grant is lying unutilised with the government.

Government College, Dharamsala, had become the first college in the state to get autonomous status from the UGC. Had the government granted approval for autonomous status to the college, it would have been free from the control of Himachal Pradesh University under the policy declared by the UGC. It would have been able to draw its own curriculum as per the local needs and hold its own examinations.

The UGC has set a target to make at least 10 per cent institutions autonomous from affiliating structures by the end of current five-year plan.

The idea to form autonomous institutions has been mooted due to increasing number of institutions under the universities. Due to increasing numbers of institutes the universities are not being able to manage the colleges well. However, in case the colleges are declared autonomous it would decrease the burden on universities and improve the functioning of colleges too.

The colleges, despite being declared autonomous, would be free to take guidance and expert help from the departments of university.

The scheme intends to introduce a semester system, self-appraisal by the teachers, an internal grading and assessment system and students’ feedback in autonomous colleges.

Though the UGC team has approved autonomous status for the Dharamsala college, the institution needed concurrence of state government within 90 days.

After being declared as autonomous, the college would have to form a governing body. The UGC would have given liberal grants for improving the infrastructure and faculty in the declared autonomous college.

Sources told The Tribune that bureaucrats and politicians were apprehensive that they might loose control over the institution in case it is declared autonomous.

Shimla, July 11
Belatedly though, the government has started an exercise to restructure the department of education which is finding it difficult to cope with the increasing workload and effectively perform its regulatory functions.

With over one lakh employees on rolls, the education department has indeed become rather “unwieldy” and difficult to administer. Worse, the authorities have been pre-occupied with transfers as a result of which focus on academics, research training and regulatory functions has been missing. There has been a total confusion as different cadres in schools are controlled by different directorates. For instance, postgraduate teachers and classical and vernacular teachers in senior secondary schools are under the directorate of elementary education while school lecturers are under the directorate of higher education.

The proposal is to have an independent directorate to take care of higher education, which needs focus in view of opening of a large number of professional colleges, private universities and other institutions in the private sector. Entire education will be brought under one director-general of education, school, with two directors (one looking after classes VI to XII and the other will be in charge of primary education).

There will be decentralisation up to the district-level and redefining of district and state cadres to minimise transfers.

The school education cannot be split into elementary (up to class VIII) and higher education as class VI to VII require subject-specific teachers whereas JBT (junior basic training) teachers are engaged for teaching up to class V. More so, because schools are constantly upgraded from primary to middle to high and finally to senior secondary-level and are thus functioning on the same premises.

Academicians suggest that to have real focus on academics, a separate wing headed by a director be created to take care of functions like revision of curriculum, training, research, monitoring and regulatory affairs. The State Council of Education and Research, district education institutes and other such institutions engaged in training activities could be brought under it.

Shimla, July 11
Union Minister for Commerce Anand Sharma was today unanimously elected as delegate to the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) from Shimla district (urban) unit of the party.

The organisational poll for the district unit was conducted in a smooth manner and all the officer bearers were elected unanimously.

Pradeep Singh Bhuja was elected president, ex-mayor Sohan Lal as vice-president and Ashwini Sood as treasurer. As many as 137 out of the total 178 delegates participated in the election conducted by district returning officer Anil Thakur and assistant returning officer Devinder Kashyap.

The participants adopted a resolution to unanimously elect the new team and the result will be declared formally by the returning officer after completing all the formalities.

DHARAMSALA: Kewal Singh Pathania, a loyalist of Virbhadra Singh, has been unanimously elected as the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) delegate from Shahpur block of Kangra district. Other delegates elected include Dev Dutt Sharma, Bena Chaudhary, Baljeet Kaur, Janmej Singh, Nirmal Singh and Ajit Mahajan.

Sushil Sharma was elected as the block president from Shahpur block. The other office bearers of block Congress committee include Om Prakash Guleria and Amar Singh Chaudhary as vice-presidents and Ashok Bharti as treasurer.

Shimla, July 11
President of the Bahujan Sangharsh Party (Kanshi Ram), a breakaway faction of Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, Dalbara Singh, today formally launched his party in the state by appointing Karam Chand Bhatia as the state chief.

Making the announcement at a press conference here today, he said the state executive and district units would be constituted in due course and everything would be in place by the next Assembly poll which the party planned to contest.

Dalbara Singh alleged that supporters of Kanshi Ram were forced to set up a new party as Mayawati not only betrayed the founder but also undermined the cause of the “Dalits” by inducting all sorts of undesirable elements in the party. As a result, associates of Kanshi Ram, who had been fighting for the rights of the underprivileged for the past three decades, were quitting the party and joining the new outfit. Bhatia was one such leader.

“Mayawati is dreaming of becoming Prime Minister of the country but our party will ensure that she is thrown out of power in Uttar Pradesh during the next assembly poll,” said Singh. One of the objectives of forming a new party was to shatter Mayawati’s dreams and punish her for betrayal of Kanshi Ram by ensuring her party’s defeat in various states, added the president.

He said the BSP (Kanshi Ram) would contest the ensuing assembly polls in Bihar and West Bengal. While it was preparing to enter the fray on its own, it has kept keeping options of alliance with like-minded parties open too. The party has already been registered with Election Commission of India and allotted “road roller” as the poll symbol.

Palampur, July 11
Public Works Minister Thakur Gulab Singh said annual plan of Rs 982.39 crore had been approved by the Centre for various road projects in the state, including World Bank and special projects.

Addressing mediapersons at the PWD Rest House here yesterday, the minister said this was a record annual plan ever approved for the state. Last year, Rs 187 crore annual plan was approved by the Centre.

Out of this an amount of Rs 88 crore had been approved by the central government for periodical renewal of 259.5 km national highways in the state and this allocation would go a long way in further strengthening the road network in the hill state.

He said the central government had also agreed to consider upgrade of six national highways through the World Bank assistance with a total length of 639.12 km. Following which, 111 km Narkanda-Wangtu, 97 km Paonta-Gumma Cement Factory, 91 km Nagrota-Mubarakpur, 69.07 km Ghatta-Mandi, 147.5 km Shimla-Hamirpur and 124 km Hamirpur-Mandi roads will be upgraded, he added.

The minister said the National Highway Authority of India had also agreed to include 1.7-km-long tunnel near Swarghat.

Principal Secretary Srikant Baldi has already warned that the government would have no option but to cancel the elections in the universities and colleges if the situation further aggravates. Governor Urmila Singh, who is also the Chancellor of the HPU, has expressed great concern at the deteriorating law and order situation on the campus. — TNS