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Ridge sinking; cracks appear
Haphazard housing poses threat to sanctuary
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Swollen Soan khad endangers upcoming bus stand
Expansion of municipal limits
Use of solar-passive technology highlighted
Book on Chamba peeps into past
Technology to mitigate impact of changing weather
Fragile HRTC buses upset commuters
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Ridge sinking; cracks appear
Shimla, August 24 The Ridge, which has a huge water reservoir under it, started developing cracks due to sinking of the area under it almost two years ago in 2008 when a portion of the Tibetan market was damaged. The fresh cracks on the Ridge two days ago have prompted the local Municipal Corporation to issue a public alert to warn people against the possibility of any further damage which could cause damage to life or property. Even though the MC got extensive studies by various agencies, including the Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee and the Geological Wing of the State Industries Department, to assess the stability of the strata, but so far no major restoration work has been undertaken. Only minor repair work was undertaken. Municipal commissioner AN Sharma confirmed that the Ridge had once again started developing cracks due to heavy rain. “We are seeking the opinion of consultants and architects to see what needs to be done so that a restoration plan can be prepared and executed to save the Ridge from any further damage,” he said. He said during the past two days, minor patchwork had been done to prevent the cracks from widening. While studies by the central agencies had indicated that the area around the Ridge be declared a sinking zone and plantation be undertaken, but the State Geology Department in its report had said only the topsoil is a loose strata, otherwise underneath, there is hard rock which is stable. However, all of them had suggested against construction of heavy structure in and around the Ridge. Though the MC was keen to shift the Tibetan market with about 75 shops to a new location, but with the matter pending in the Supreme Court, no steps could be taken in the regard. The MC had in fact identified sites in Sanjauli and between New Shimla and Vikasnagar to relocate the Tibetan market to which the shopkeepers opposed. Sources in the MC said engineers had indicated that the gap between the ADC Club on the lower side should be filled up by constructing some lightweight structure, as this would stabilise the sinking area. The area has been sinking and in fact in 2008, a portion of the Tibetan market had been damaged along with a nearby building, claiming two lives. With fresh cracks developing on the Ridge, the MC has expedited the process of preparing a restoration plan that will ensure permanent solution to the problem.
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Haphazard housing poses threat to sanctuary
Khajjiar
(Chamba), August 24 The famous Khajjiar lake, the main source of water, falls in the sanctuary area where wild animals used to come at night to quench their thirst since time immemorial. Several works done in the name of development in and around the Kalatop-Khajjiar wildlife habitat have totally disturbed the movement of wild beasts as well as the ecosystem, the naturalists observe. Provisions of the Wildlife Conservation Act must be taken into account while going for some development activity. Haphazard housing, if not curbed, can spoil the beauty of Khajjiar. So far about 24 notices have been served on encroachers by the wildlife wing of the Forest Department, reveals divisional forest officer (wildlife) Surjit Kumar Mehra. It is not known whether the designated area of Khajjiar is having a guide map to serve as a base map for visualising the gravity of the problem or not? The state government has already constituted a Special Area Development Authority comprising of all concerned government departments for the planned development of Khajjiar considering the stringent provisions of the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act to ensure an orderly way of development. Officials, however, maintain that the authority is doing well whatever is required under the law to conserve and preserve the charms of this hill resort apart from eco-tourism society. But, it is allegedly stated that the HP Town and Country Planning Act, though quite stringent, lacks political and public support. Simultaneously, it is also advisable that while undertaking development schemes within the Kalatop-Khajjiar Sanctuary, no barricade like barbed wire and iron sharp-pointed railing should be raised in the way of free movement of wild animals. Situated at an altitude of about 2,150m, Khajjiar has picturesque setting surrounded by deodars on hill slopes. Here is a beautiful lake amid a verdant glade and alongside is an ancient temple of Khajji Naga which dates back to the 11th century. This hill resort, accessible by a metalled road, is 24 km from Dalhousie and 22 km from Chamba, the district headquarters.
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Swollen Soan khad endangers upcoming bus stand
Dharampur (Mandi), August 24 The Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) and its executive agency, HIMUDA, claim that they have raised the retaining wall to protect the bus stand from flash flood in the khad. But the residents charge that the bus stand is being constructed on flood plains of the khad as the water level can swell to 30-40 ft in the river during flash flood. The residents say they support the coming up of the bus stand, but the HRTC and HIMUDA should consider its safety as well. There are others who say the bus stand is being constructed hurriedly under pressure by Mohinder Singh Thakur, Transport Minister and Dharampur BJP MLA. Lawan Thakur, president, RTI bureau, Mandi, says they have complained to the chief secretary as the bus sand raises questions about the safety as it lies within the reach of the Soan khad. “Even the HRTC has not bothered to get NOC from different departments for the bus stand”, he alleges. Kushal Chand, HIMUDA in charge of the bus stand, claims that the bus stand lies about 6 m from the highest flood level of the khad. “We have got approval for the project from the HRTC,” he says. He blames the HRTC for considering whether or not bus stand is at the safe site or not. He adds that retaining wall has been raised to protect it from flood. The bus stand will provide parking facility for eight buses at a time and it will be ready in 2011, he says. Raj Kumar, regional manager, HRTC, Sarkaghat, says the bus stand site was selected after considering all aspects. The NOC and other formalities are done by the higher ups and the bus stand lies at a safe distance from the khad, he claims and denies any pressure from the minister.
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Expansion of municipal limits
Palampur, August 24 It may be recalled that the Palampur Municipal Council was set up in 1955, since then its limits were never extended. At present, it has the population of only 3,910 with a radius of 1 km. The council has only seven councillors. Since Palampur is one of the fast expanding towns of the state, residents of the town were demanding for the extension of municipal limits for the past 15 years. But public demand remained confined to official files because of political considerations. At present, over 40,000 people are residing in the adjoining panchayats. There was unplanned and haphazard development. Several housing colonies came up outside the present municipal limits, which had no amenities like streetlights, disposal of garbage, metalled roads, sewerage, water drainage and cemented footpaths. In the absence of proper planning, the newly developed housing colonies were day by day turning into slums, as panchayats were unable to manage the affairs. Heaps of garbage was seen in all part of the town emitting a foul smell. Most of the roads and streets developed potholes making it difficult to move. The Palampur Welfare Forum, a voluntarily organisation of the town, took up the issue with the state government in the past seven years. The forum also organised public debate and invited IPH Minister Ravinder Thakur and local MLA Parveen Sharma who were apprised with the situation and convinced by the members of the forum for the immediate extension of the municipal limits. A deputation of the forum, headed by its president R. Sood, also called Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal who finally accepted the demand of the local residents and got this matter cleared in the state Cabinet. As per the new plan of the government, HP Agricultural University, Holta, Marnada, Bundla and Chimbalhar areas would be the part of the new Municipal Council of Palampur. Ten new municipal wards would be created after abolishing the present panchayat setup in these areas. In the first phase, the state government is likely to release Rs 10 crore for the development of the new Palampur Municipal Council. Besides, the IPH Department has been asked by the government to prepare estimate for lying sewerage system in the merged areas so that necessary funds could be sanctioned. Additional funds would also be sanctioned for proper streetlight facilities. New Municipal Council would also get funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Development Mission Programme. As per the policy of the state government, no new taxes would be levied in the merged areas for five years till these areas are fully developed and all facilities are extended. The state government has already advised the residents of the town to not to get mislead regarding new taxes in the merged areas.
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Use of solar-passive technology highlighted
Solan, August 24 Participants included Meera Mohanty, CEO, BBNDA, AN Gautam, state town planner, technical staff of TCP offices, Solan, Nahan, Parwanoo, BBNDA, and municipal councils of Solan, Parwanoo, Nahan, Paonta-Sahib and Nalagarh. Officials of the department explained how solar water geysers and solar lights were economical options and stress was laid on solar house/building designs which incorporate a suitable selection of passive solar systems such as solar windows, double glazing, solar walls, thermal storage roofs, etc. Illustrating their point with the help of buildings, which have put passive solar technology to use at Shimla like Him Urja Building, MLA block and Nirman Bhawan, officials dwelt on the need for its increased adaptability. Concept of Green Buildings, which were gaining popularity in metropolitan cities, elicited keen responses from the participants. Since they help improve the micro-climate through better green cover, cooler ambient temperature, shading and minimise the electricity and fuel consumption, their concept was catching up. With a view to increasing its adaptability, the state government has also notified its designs. The provisions were also explained in depth. These include a map for proposed building giving details of specifications of solar passive heating and cooling system, day lighting features, solar photovoltaic panels, energy efficient and other renewal energy devices. One of its key plus points was the use of local building materials, including stone, slate and mud, so as to meet the heating and cooling requirements by storing warmth and keeping the building cool. Dr RK Aggarwal, assistant professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, Dr YS Parmar, University of Horticulture and Forestry, explained various features of solar passive buildings. State town planner advised the professionals to ensure the implementation of the state government policies with regard to Solar Passive Building Technology.
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Vignettes The style of temple at Slaish village, 6 km from Shimla on the Bharari-Bhont road, has travelled all the way from Kullu. It is a freestanding pagoda with three superimposed slated roofs directly over the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum) (see photo). There are quite a few temples made in the style in Kullu district of which Adi Brahma at Khokan, Tripura Sundari at Naggar and Hidimba Devi at Manali are the prominent ones. The effect of the temple at Slaish is, therefore, imposing as its style for the area is distinct and unique. The story of the birth of this temple here is that Tek Chand Sood from the clan of Diwana Mall, a business fraternity of Shimla, desired peace and tranquility in life that everybody longs for. Tek Chand had a driver, Madan, who was a devotee of a devi in Kullu. He requested his master to accompany him to Kullu and pay obeisance to the devi who was protector and benefactor. Tek Chand along with his wife and son, Sumit, went to the shrine of the devi near a bridge on the Sarvari where they met KS Kapoor, former deputy director, horticulture, a great devotee of the devi, who lived at Loren Estate in Dhalpur. He would often go into trance and utter oracular words. When I wanted to contact him on telephone, he was lost praying the divine mother, so we could not converse. The devi at Dhalpur is the image of Bhuwaneshwari or Jagannathi Devi at Bhekli village at an altitude of about 1,800 m. Like many gods and goddesses, the devi at Bhekli is also linked with a legendry fable. A shepherd boy at Bhekli once noticed that two beautiful girls always appeared and danced to the tune of his flute. He ran after them and caught hold of one of them. The girl revealed her identity as goddess Jagannathi and agreed to settle at Bhekli. Since then the temple of Jagannathi or Bhuveneshwari stands there. Goddess Bhveneshwari is said to be the sister of Lord Vishnu and does not visit the ground at Dhalpur where all gods and goddesses from the Kullu valley assemble and take part in the annual Dasehra festival. The goddess Bhuveneshwari revealing a representation of Kali, is the goddess of the three worlds (bhuvan). Both Kali and Bhuveneshwari are intimately connected as representing time and space, which made creation possible. Kali arranges the timing of the cosmic dance while Bhuvaneshwari stands for the original space before creation in which Kali's cosmic dance takes place. Goddess Bhuvaneswari is a symbol of beauty and grace. She represents knowledge and intelligence. She is the giver of wealth, health and happiness. She is “jnana swaroopa”, the highest form of wisdom. Tek Chand informed me that it was KS Kapoor who prophetically selected the site for the temple of the devi. They owned three bighas of land at Slaish and wanted to construct a house for themselves, but to fulfill the wish of the devi, the temple was constructed there with enough space left for their house too. The construction of the temple started in 2004 and was completed in 2006. Sumit, who often visits Slaish, emphasised upon it that it was a personal and not public temple and that they were on the lookout of a priest who could perform daily pooja of Ashtbhuja (eight-armed) devi idol that they got sculpted at Jaipur. Tek Chand since then has been leading a peaceful life happily attending to the chores of the business. Truly said, if you believe in goddess, she will open the windows of heaven and pour blessings upon you.
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Himachal diary A normal monsoon has after years of deficient rain has become a source of misery for the people. Roads have been hit the most with numerous landslides leading to long blockades affecting traffic. Movement of vehicles not only on the poorly maintained rural roads but even the main highways has been affected causing great inconvenience to the commuters. The ongoing widening and upgradation works on main roads has added to the woes of the people. The huge excavations being carried out for widening and construction of new roads has not only rendered the hills prone to landslips but have also become a major source of pollution, causing the level of silt (See photo) in almost all water sources to rise appreciably. This, in turn, is affecting water supply and power projects. The high level of silt has been affecting power generation and also disrupting water supply schemes as pumping of water is not possible. The water supply to Shimla is hit every other day as pumping is disrupted from one source or the other due to silt. The total loss on account of damage to roads in and around Shimla has been over Rs 25 crore and the tentative figure for the entire state has already crossed Rs 200 crore. Some of the roads are being blocked by landslides repeatedly. The slides are taking a heavy toll of trees. The overall precipitation in the state has been just about normal but some districts like Shimla (+ 20 per cent), Kulu (+98 per cent) and Kinnaur (+171 per cent) had indeed received excess rain so far while some others like Sirmaur (-15 per cent), Kangra (-16 per cent), Lahaul-Spiti (- 9 per cent) and Una (- 8 per cent) have received slightly less rain. According to the local Met office the overall precipitation by the end of the monsoon, which is still quite active, will be higher than normal. In the service of special children
After Udaan, which has been declared the state nodal agency by the National Trust for Welfare of Persons suffering from autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities, another NGO ABHI ( Action for Barrier -free Handicapped
Integration) has come forward to help the special children by starting a rehabilitation centre
in Shimla. It is essentially an organisation of professional, trained and experienced in the field of special education and in the rehabilitation of the mentally challenged. With eight special educators as members ABHI is making efforts to make up for the lack of readily available expertise in the state,which is a major constraint in the state. "The non-availability of occupational therapists, speech therapists and experts in autism or cerebral palsy compounds the problem for the parents, who feel quite alone, helpless and unable to cope with the responsibility of providing for their child's special needs. Our organisation has been inviting experts in these areas to assist in planning programmes for children not only in Shimla but also the adjoining areas", says Neerja Shukla, general secretary of ABHI. The core objective behind the formation of the organisation was to create a group of experts, who would work together along with the parents towards evolving a sustainable model for the rehabilitation and integration of the mentally challenged. In all services we extend, we work in close conjunction with the parents as no rehabilitation is possible unless the parents are proactively involved. ABHI runs a counselling and therapy centre for children with severe/profound disabilities-autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities. We have a full-time physiotherapist for the children along with two special educators and two helpers. For most of their school day the children work and play together. Prayer time, yoga, PT, games/puzzles, dancing and meal time training, form a part of their daily schedule. Transporting the children to the centre is also the responsibility of the organization, which has deployed two taxis to ferry kids from different parts of Shimla.
BJP adopting double standards: Rahi
Former chairman of the HP Board of School Education BR Rahi, who had been the target of the present state government and is still facing a vigilance case, has accused the BJP of adopting double standards while alleging misuse of the CBI by. Provoked over the BJP's recent protest over alleged misuse of investigating agencies he said: "the BJP leaders alleging misuse of the CBI by the UPA government should not forget that whenever their party had been in power at the centre or in the state they had misused the investigating agencies like the CBI and the Vigilance Department to the hilt to settle personal scores with their political opponents." Rahi accused the state government "of using the Vigilance Department for tarnishing the image of their political opponents". He has also expressed his serious concern over the politics of political vendetta unleashed by the state government since this is not good in the interest of healthy democratic traditions. Since Rahi is at the receiving end and had harrowing time during investigation by the Vigilance Department his reaction seems quite natural. (Contributed by
Rakesh Lohumi)
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Book on Chamba peeps into past
Chamba, August 24 The Himalayan mountain ranges Dhauladhars, Pir Panjal, Zanskar and Hathi Dhar of Shiwalik make Chamba a natural fort. This preserved the world’s sixth longest surviving Suryavanshi Moshun dynasty that reigned Chamba from 548 AD till April 15, 1948, the author depicted in the book. The author, who unveiled the historical accounts of the state, can make anyone to be a part of this rich cultural heritage. Geological and other events of Chamba starting from 250000 BC to 1971 AD, which remained a mystery for the world, has been described in the book for the first time. The former Education Minister of Himachal Pradesh Asha Kumari, who belongs to the Suryavanshi clan of the erstwhile Chamba state, released the book a few months ago.
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School helps preserve Kangra style of paintings
Dharamsala, August 24 The sources available here said some NRIs are funding the school. With funds being provided by them, a stipend of Rs 1,500 is given to 10 children who opt to learn Kangra paintings. These days due to vacation in schools, a good number of students are coming to learn the art of Kangra paintings. The Language and Culture Department of the state has hired the services of two local artists to teach the students. The curator of the museum, under whose supervision schools are being run, claims that many students have shown their interest in learning Kangra paintings. The unique style of Kangra paintings was developed under the aegis of Kangra and Guler states. The paintings are done in 19 natural colours, typically associated with the Kangra form of art. They are created from stones and plants found in the Kangra Valley. It takes about a year to create required colours as they can be generated only from natural sources existing at the particular time of the year. Besides natural colours, gold is also been used. It gives required shine to the paintings. Another unique feature of this art is the use of natural poison, which protects the paintings from decay. The poison is prepared from smoke that gathers at the roofs of religious places where holy fire burns continuously. The natural paper is created from the waste of pine trees. Even the brush used in the paintings is prepared from the wings of local birds. However, the children learning the Kangra style of paintings are not being taught the said intricacies. Preparing colours for typical Kangra paintings is a time-consuming and tedious job that cannot be taught in short duration for which children attend the school, said one of the teachers. "We just tell them the basic style and they paint in Kangra style using watercolours. In Kangra style of painting, one side of the face is painted. To some extent, the Kangra style is close to the Rajasthani paintings," he added. Orthodox painters, however, disapprove the way Kangra paintings are being taught. They are of the view that till the students are taught the basic intricacies as using locally available resources for preparing colours and other material used in making the paintings, it cannot be termed as Kangra paintings. However, despite reservations of orthodox artists, the school is a good beginning in creating the interest of younger generation in Kangra paintings.
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Technology to mitigate impact of changing weather
Shimla, August 24 The worst hit victims of the vagaries of weather are the farmers, whose lives have been oscillating between drought and deluge. With only 20 per cent of the total cultivated land having assured irrigation, the bulk of the farmers are at the mercy of the weather god. It is for this reason that the growth of agriculture sector has not exceeded 2 per cent despite heavy investments. However, the success of the Watershed Development Project implemented by the scientists of the Dhaulkuan Centre of the State Agriculture University in association with the Agriculture Department in the Sarhan area in Sirmour district has brought hope to farmers of the rain-fed area. It was due to the efforts by a team of scientists comprising RS Rana and Manoj Gupta, who worked on the project for five years, and demonstrated to farmers that by using appropriate water harvesting techniques, they could reap a rich harvest even in the rain-fed areas. It took an outlay of just Rs 30 lakh to change the fortune of farmers of five villages of the catchment of the Giri, spread over 517 hectare, where water scarcity was a major problem. Farmers of Chadech, Sarahan, Chamoda, Chowki and Badyana used to bring water on mules from sources which were 2 to 3 km away to irrigate their off-season vegetable crops. Area under these crops was less than 20 per cent of the holding and farmers wanted to increase acreage under them, but for lack of irrigation facilities, they were unable to do so. The scientists opted for silpaulin-lined tanks in the fields of the individual farmer for rainwater harvesting to enhance the availability of irrigation water in complete rain-fed areas. Wherever small streams were available in the lower areas, pucca brick-lined and reinforced cement concrete community water storage tanks were built with the community participation. Blue coloured UV stabilised, multilayered cross laminated sheets were used for lining the tanks. In all 36 silpaulin-lined tanks with capacity ranging from 26,000 to 2,38,000 l, six cemented pucca tanks and 27 roof-top water harvesting tanks of 8,000 l each were constructed. The water storage tanks had a positive impact on the area under the cash crop, increasing the same by 18.76 hectare. Economic gains apart, the major positive impact of harvesting the run-off are reduction in floods and soil erosion as peak discharge of rivulets during monsoon declines significantly. The project has made the farmers realise the value of stored water and they make judicious use of it with improvised drip and sprinkler irrigation techniques.
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Fragile HRTC buses upset commuters
Hamirpur, August 24 Due to improper maintenance coupled with inferior quality of spare parts, including tyres etc, many buses break down on the way quite often. Tyres in most of the depots of the corporation are in short supply for almost a year now. Similar is the case with other spare parts. The HRTC buses get flat tyres several times during a single journey, which causes harassment to passengers. Talking about his experience of travelling in an HRTC bus of Baijnath depot some time back, Ramesh Chand says, “I boarded the bus to Shimla from Hamirpur at 12 am and its tyre flattened thrice on the way and the bus took four hours to reach Ghagas against the normal time of two hours, which upset my entire schedule”. This is not a stray incident and many buses of Hamirpur depot can be seen halted mid way with its tyres deflated or for some other technical snags. Meanwhile, marginal farmers, who supply flowers, vegetables and fruits to New Delhi and other places, rue that state buses lack tarpaulin, which is an essential accessory in such vehicles. Vijay Kumar, a farmer from the Badsar area, says, “We have been transporting our produce through HRTC buses on a daily basis to New Delhi and other markets, but our produce gets spoiled due to rain as HRTC buses do not have tarpaulins to cover them. Due to this we have suffered losses several times”. Biri Singh, divisional manager, HRTC, says, “There is a short supply of tyres for quite some time. The buses are now having plastic sheets instead of tarpaulins. I would inquire into the matter of other shortcomings”.
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Permanent
measures must to restore Ridge
Dharampur (Mandi), August 24
Vignettes
Himachal
diary
The recent decision of the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet to extend the municipal limits of the Palampur Municipal Council has been welcomed by the citizens of the town, including over 40,000 residents living in the adjoining 10 panchayats.