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Bad roads cause concern to apple growers
Bahra group to sign MoU with Virginia University
Heli-taxi bids to be finalised soon
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Students, HRTC driver lock horns
Richard Gere to shoot film in Leh
Rains expose MC’s hollow claims
State to develop new industrial area
Bus
Accident
Kachroo Ragging Case
Construction of check dam sought
Workshop on climate change
Aman trust formed
Held for molesting woman
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Bad roads cause concern to apple growers
Shimla, July 29 With the met department forecasting good monsoons and conditions of roads worsening due to rain at the very outset, transporting the record crop of over 3 crore boxes is going to be a big challenge. as more than 1,500 trucks will be required daily for the purpose during peak harvesting season. The season has just begun and already 31.06 lakh standard boxes of apple have been exported to various markets. Last year, when the state had a lean crop, only 1.63 lakh boxes were sent out and even during the 2008 bumper year, 20.38 boxes were marketed. The recent spell of rains did create problems for the growers as truck operators from plains are not keen on plying vehicles on slushy hill roads, more so because narrow link roads frequently got blocked due to landslides. The ongoing widening work on the Theog-Hatkoti Highway, which passes through the heart of the apple belt, has been a major concern as large patches of road have been transformed into pools of slush and deep ruts are making things worse. There are at least six very bad patches virtually serving as traffic bottlenecks. As a result, it takes three hours more to travel from Shimla to Rohru. DC JS Rana said teams had been sent to neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and the Kangra region to contact truck unions to arrange sufficient number of vehicles for transportation of the fruit. They had promised to provide 1,800 trucks, he added. The administration had drawn up a plan for transportation of 2.80 crore boxes. A new market was being set up at Pandranu on the Uttarakhand border so that a major portion of the produce from Rohru and Jubbal areas could be transported out via Tiuni to reduce the traffic burden on the Theog-Hatkoti road. |
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Bahra group to sign MoU with Virginia University
Solan, July 29 The team was led by Dr Roop Mahajan, an NRI, who is now Director Institute of Critical Technology and Applied Sciences in Virginia Tech University. Dr Mahajan originally hails from Gurdaspur. He had permanently migrated to the US where he had a successful career spanning 30 year as a mechanical engineer. Roop Mahajan joined Virginia Tech University in 2006 as Director of the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, and Tucker Chair Professor of Engineering. He also holds a joint appointment as tenured professor in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science and Mechanics. The visiting team of Virginia University appreciated the infrastructure being created by the group and the upcoming university. They have shown keen interest in collaborating with the education group in engineering streams and research in the upcoming university. The chairman of the Rayat Bahra group Gurvinder Singh said the group in collaboration with Virginia Tech University aimed to help the imminent industry in India in research and technological innovations. He said, “Our institutions would be approaching corporate houses in the country to request them for outsourcing their research projects in our institutions.” Elaborating their proposals, he said, “We have strong faculty of over 2000 technocrats in our educational groups who are keen to undertake research. We are especially keen to collaborate with Virginia Tech University in engineering fields to help us develop unique designs for the automobile and car industry. “Besides the Virginia university we are holding discussions with business management schools of the US. The idea of collaborating with foreign business schools is to provide degrees to students that were acceptable internationally. |
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Heli-taxi bids to be finalised soon
Shimla, July 29 Even though 12 operators had expressed desire to run the heli-taxi service in the hill state, only five firms have quoted the rates at which they will offer the service. It is reliably learnt that prominent operators, including Pawan Hans and Mesco Airlines, have also sent in their bids. Sources in the department said even though rates quoted by the firms were on the higher side, with no financial liability on the part of the government involved, the authorities are keen to go ahead with the scheme. “The moment we are able to decide on either one or more operators, we will seek the Cabinet’s approval so that the service can be launched after the monsoons,” the sources added. The government is keen that more than one operator is entrusted the task of running the heli-taxi service so that there is competition and one company does not have the monopoly. Initially, 12 companies had sent in their bids and it was after holding personal meetings with each one of them that the government had invited them to give in their bids along with the rates for the service. In fact, most of the big hoteliers in places like Shimla and Manali had been demanding launch of the heli-taxi service especially in view of poor air and rail link that Himachal has. They had even agreed to guarantee a minimum number of seats to ensure viability of the scheme which is aimed at attracting high-end tourists. With time being a major constraint, often high-end tourists avoid visiting Himachal because of the gruelling road journey. The state has only three airports at Kullu, Dharamsala and Shimla. However, flights on these circuits too are very erratic and unreliable. Linking all districts by way of heli-taxi service would ensure swift mobility as there are a total of 57 helipads all over the state. |
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Students, HRTC driver lock horns
Dharamsala, July 29 Since a large number of students come to Dharamsala from the adjoining areas everyday, buses carrying them are mostly overcrowded. Most of the college students have subsidised passes for travelling in government buses. Hence, they prefer travelling in such buses that leads to overcrowding, especially in the morning and evening hours. In the recent past, traffic police at Dharamsala challaned an HRTC bus for overcrowding. The bus was carrying about 70 passengers against sanctioned capacity of 40 passengers. Today, when a large number of students boarded an HRTC bus to go to Shahpur area, the driver resisted and parked the bus before the Dharamsala police station. However, the students sat on a dharna outside the police station and started stopping HRTC buses. They alleged that since the government had issued them passes for HRTC buses, it did not make sense travelling in private buses. The matter was resolved with the intervention of local officials. |
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Richard Gere to shoot film in Leh
Dharamsala, July 29 However, now he will be shooting the film in the Leh and Ladakh region which is likely to start next month. However, the name of the film has not been announced as yet. Keeping in mind Gere’s strong affiliation to the Dalai Lama, it is expected that main theme of the film would be Tibet. Gere is considered to be one of the high profile disciples of the Dalai Lama and regularly visits McLeodganj. During his visits here, Gere generally confines himself to meditation under the guidance of his spiritual guru. He mostly stays in Chonor house located near the Dalai Lama’s residence. Gere is known for his performance in films such as Pretty Woman, Runaway Bride and An Officer and a Gentleman. He came in contact with the Dalai Lama in 1982-83 and became his disciple. Thereafter, he embraced Tibetan Buddhism as his religion. Most of his teachers are from Gelupa school of Tibetan Buddhism, the sources added. He visits McLeodganj
at least twice a year and is a strong advocate of Tibetan freedom. He is also the chairman of board of directors of the International Campaign for Tibet and runs Gere Foundation for welfare of Tibetans. Born on August 31, 1949, in Philadelphia, he started as a musician in school and later won gymnastics scholarship at University of Massachusetts. Later, however, he shifted to theatre and then became one of the most sought after Hollywood actors. |
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Rains expose MC’s hollow claims
Mandi, July 29 The MC pressed into service its inadequate force of labour and machineries to bring respite to the rain-hit families since morning today. Other houses faced danger from landslips triggered by the downpour. However, residents blamed the council and encroachers who have been dumping construction debris into the nearby nullahs in Tarna, Palace Colony, Hospital Road, Jail Road, Mangwani, Ramnagar, Sakiodi khud, Khaliar, Old Mandi, Dangsidhar and Suketi river. The surging Sakiedi khud has endangered safety of over 50 houses that have come up along this khud right from Jail Road downstream till the point where the khud merges with the Beas. Most of the houses belong to poor dwellers. The MC has spent funds from the HIMUDA-sponsored project, improving drains, streets and nullahs. However, the rains have exposed the shallow claims of the council. “There is no outlet for water from my house as the neighbour has protected his house and water turns back each time it rains,” rued Tara Devi, a resident of Palace Colony. A tree fell on the roadside, damaging two houses in Ramnagar, said Vinod, a resident of upper Ramnagar. There are no proper drains and nullahs are not properly channelised with concrete structure, he added. HR Vaidya, president, MC, said they have covered all houses affected by the rains and surging nullahs. We have sounded alert to residents along the khud and have asked them to remove encroachments, he added.
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State to develop new industrial area
Shimla, July 29 Kapoor said the pace of industrialisation had picked up during the past two years in the state. “More than 3,157 industrial units, with an investment worth Rs 12,585 crore, have been sanctioned and this is likely to create over one lakh jobs for Himachali youth,” he added. He said the process of transferring the acquired land at Dawni to the SIDC was in its final stages on which plots would be developed and alloted soon to entrepreneurs. Tenders for 23 plots were being invited in this area, which also included nine plots returned by entrepreneurs, he added. The minister said plots were being allotted to investors as per their requirements so that both small and large industrial units could be set up by them. He said the government was providing ample facilities to industrialists in the state and added that big industrial houses were also coming up to make investment in industrial sector at
Baddi, Barotiwala, Nalagarh and other areas. |
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Three bodies recovered
Tribune News Service
Shimla, July 29 According to officials, the bodies of a 12-year-old girl, Halima from Chopal, and a woman hailing from the Shillai area in Sirmour and Mathi Devi were recovered from the wreckage of the ill-fated bus. The body of another victim Suresh Kumar of Deothi village was spotted in the water near Chamradi barrier, about 10 km from the accident site. One person is still reported to be missing. The wreckage of the bus was also pulled out with the help of a crane from the water. Meanwhile, four cement-laden trucks met with an accident near Naughty Khud in the Basantpur area as the bridge gave way, killing two persons on the spot. According to police the mishap took place around midnight, as the weight of the cement-laden trucks proved to be too much. The body of one victim, Prem, has been recovered while the other is still buried under the vehicles. Two others have received serious injuries.
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Accused surrender to sessions court
Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, July 29 The accused were granted bail by the fast-track court earlier this month. They were granted bail after spending about 16 months in jail. The bail order, however, evoked strong reaction from Aman Kachroo Foundation formed by parents and kin of the deceased medical student. The state then moved an appeal against the bail in the same fast-track court. Meanwhile, the High Court took suo moto notice of various news reports regarding the matter and later cancelled the bail of the accused. The High Court has also ordered for speedy trial in the matter and against allowing any adjournments to either side. The next date for hearing in the case has been fixed on August 2.
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Construction of check dam sought
Bilaspur, July 29 General Secretary of the association Attar Singh said here today that the association had presented a memorandum and report to the Chief Minister in this matter. The association said, “For about six months the Gobind Sagar attracts large number of tourists from the adjoining states, but during summer months when lakhs of tourists travel through this route to various destinations the place hardly gets any attention.” If this artificial lake was constructed, it would give several benefits to the adjoining areas and people as it would the provide facility of fishing, house boat industry, water sports, easy water transport to various stations. |
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Workshop on climate change
Solan, July 29 In his inaugural address, Vice-Chancellor Dr KR Dhiman said scientific reports indicated that global average temperature of the earth space had risen by 0.70°C during the 20th century. Dr Parvinder Kaushal, regional coordinator/director, Regional Centre, NAEB, stressed on the need to create mass awareness about change in climate and environment degradation.
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Kangra, July 29 Kangra Sub-Divisional Magistrate Neeraj Kumar said the trust was registered and attested here today through its five trustees — Chief Secretary, Vice-Chancellor (HPU), Principal Secretary (Health), Secretary (Education) and principal of Tanda Medical College.
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Nurpur: The local police arrested Rishu, son of Chain Singh of Suliali village, on Wednesday allegedly for molesting a married woman when she was alone in her house on Tuesday afternoon. According to the police, a case under Sections 354, 323 and 452 of the IPC has been registered against the accused.
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Dharamsala, July 29
