Shimla, November 7
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has asked the Kol Dam project authorities to reduce the height of the dam to help avoid submergence of a large part of the forest area under the Majathal wildlife sanctuary in Solan district.

The ministry has withheld the clearance to the project midway during implementation and directed it to come out with a fresh proposal to save the area under the sanctuary to the extent possible.

It will have serious implications for the project as reduction in height from the originally planned 163 m-high will reduce the installed generation capacity of the 800 MW project.

It will make financial restructuring inevitable for the project already behind schedule by almost two years and likely to cost over Rs 6,300 crore as per the revised estimates. The dam authorities are working on various options like curtailing the height by 3 metre or 4 metre.

Principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) A.K.Gulati confirmed that the ministry had asked the project authorities to reduce the height of the dam and said further action would be taken only after demarcation of the forest area based on fresh proposal and enumeration of trees.

The clearance has been obtained for the diversion of just 954 hectare of forestland, whereas the land actually to be submerged is about a 130 hectare more with around 44,000 trees worth over Rs 2.5 crore standing on it.

The lapse on the part of the department was highlighted by the media but the department maintained that no wildlife area was to be submerged. A fresh survey confirmed that 130 hectare, including 124 hectare falling in the sanctuary, had been left out but it ignored it and still did not seek clearance under the Act.

As a result, the protected area was leftout from the diversion plan that was submitted to seek mandatory clearance. The case was reopened after a non-government organisation filed a PIL on the basis of news reports and after which the Central-empowered committee of the Supreme Court had ordered to stop work on the project and asked the authorities to seek clearance for the leftout area.

The demarcation by the Revenue Department confirmed that an additional area of 124 hectare falling in the sanctuary will be submerged. It includes 23 hectare of the thickly wooded Harshang forest that is completely overlooked. Other forests accounting for a total of 102 hectare include Mandrech, Majathal, Chilla and Kiari. The fate of these areas will depend on the revised proposal.

Dharamsala, November 7
The Tanda medical college is known as superspeciality and trauma hospital for lower Himachal. Many politicians from the ruling party have been making statements to elevate the status of the college on a par with the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

However, these days when people from the far-flung areas come to the college for consultation with experts, they have to return dejected. The specialist doctors are seldom available in the medical college. The reason is the decision of the Ministry of Health, directing the specialist doctors from the medical college to hold camps in the rural areas.

As per the information collected by The Tribune, the state Ministry of Health has directed the specialist doctors of gynaecology and medicine departments to hold a camp at Dehra every Wednesday. Doctors from gynaecology, medicine and radiology departments have been directed to hold camp at Baijnath every Saturday.

Doctors from gynaecology, ENT and Medicine have also been directed to hold camps twice a week in Chamba district.

The basic motive for holding camps in the rural areas is to take specialists at the doorsteps of rural population.

People from the entire lower Himachal, including Kangra, Chamba, Mandi, Una and Hamirpur district, come for consultancy and emergency treatment at the medical college.

However, now since the doctors are away on camps, they have to return dejected. By organising camps, the doctors can give consultancy to just a section of people coming to the camp. In the camp, they also do not have access to medical equipment that can be at their disposal in the medical college.

The camps are causing troubles for patients as the medical college is facing acute shortage of specialist doctors.

The doctors are also criticising the move to send them to camps. They are alleging that in case “we have to go to Chamba, it will waste three days. They have to waste two days for travelling (one day to go and one day to return) to give one-day consultancy to patients. Chamba already has a zonal hospital and the government should post specialist doctors there rather than deputing doctors from the medical college for camps there.

The specialists doctors in the medical college, besides giving consultancy to patients, also have to teach medical students. This year, 10 MD seats have also been sanctioned for medical college. Congress MLA from Nagrota Bagwan GS Bali, who represents the area in which the Tanda medical college has been set up, has already alleged that the practice of sending the specialists for camps is severely affecting working of the institution.

Solan, November 7
Even as the Ambuja Cements has failed to accede to the month-long demand of truckers to affect a freight hike at their Darlaghat-based plant claiming losses, its reported 20 per cent growth in the latest report on growth in the cement industry has left the truckers high and dry.

The quarterly report released by Motilal Oswal Financial Services has conversely stated that Ambuja Cements reported growth to 1.75 mt (v/s est 1.6mt), benefiting from recovery in north India post heavy rains and flooding in September.

Disheartened by the indifferent attitude of the unit management in resolving the issue Divali remained a low-key affair among 4,000 truckers with celebrations coming to a halt.

President of the high-powered committee, comprising representatives of four truck unions, Jagdish Thakur said the unit had deceived the truckers as they had given away their land for a song on the pretext of securing employment but all they got was such indifferent treatment.

The truckers pointed out how the unit management was adopting double standards as the price of clinker was evaluated at Rs 1,591 per tonne before the government for paying taxes while it was modified to Rs 3,661 per tonne while charging penalty from the truckers for any loss during transportation.

They added that they demanded an inquiry into this differential rate as it meant loss of revenue to the government and cost the poor truckers dear.

With the truckers strike extending for over a month now and even the high-powered committee constituted by the state government under the chairmanship of the financial commissioner revenue failing to chalk out an amicable solution, the truckers were left to fend for themselves.

The four truck unions are now waiting to meet the unit management tomorrow to resolve the freight hike issue which will decide their future course of action.

Though the Chief Minister has directed his officials to chalk out a policy for clinker transportation, the exercise will take quite sometime as the prevailing rates and various factors, including recurring expenditure of truckers, fuel prices, etc, will have to be worked out. Once finalised it will help resolve the recurring issue of transporters and investors coming to a tiff over freight hike.

Shimla, November 7
The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) has termed the attempts of the UPA government at the Centre to link the organisation with terrorism as a conspiracy to consolidate the Muslim vote bank and asserted that it would fight it at all levels.

Top functionaries of the RSS and its associated organisation in the state, including senior leaders of the BJP, discussed the issue at a meeting here today and decided to hold protests at all district headquarters on November 10. They would also submit a letter addressed to the Prime Minister expressing anguish over the attempt to dub the RSS as a terrorist outfit and warn the government of its consequences.

Prant Sanghchalak (state head) of the RSS Col Roop Chand (retired) said the Congress and other alliance partners of the UPA were worried over the increasing inclination of Mulims towards the RSS in which leaders like Indresh had played a key role. He was being targeted and maligned by falsely implicating him with Ajmer bomb blasts only because the Forum for Integration and National Security (FINS) floated by him had attracted many Muslims.

The Congress and its partners had all these years been taking the support of Muslims for granted and they were not able to reconcile with the changing ground realities. They could not see the Muslims vote bank falling apart and could go to any extent, including hatching conspiracies to link the RSS with terrorist activities, to consolidate it.

Intriguingly, the investigating agencies had initially nabbed the activists of LeT and Huji in connection with the blasts but when some human rights organisations stepped in and accused these of targeting Muslims, they turned to the RSS.

He said the RSS was not associated with any political party but it would not take such blatant government attempts for granted and would launch countrywide campaign to expose the conspiracy. It was shocking that the government was granting recognition to separatist organisations of Kashmir by inviting them to talks as representatives of the people, whereas attempts were being made to paint a nationalist outfit like the RSS as a terrorist organisation. 

Shimla, November 7
A day before he was to retire officially, the principal of the medical college, where Aman Kachroo was allegedly ragged to death, was sent on compulsory retirement over his failure to check ragging.

Suresh Sankhyan, the principal of Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda in Kangra district, was compulsorily retired by the state government on October 30, just a day before he was to officially retire on October 31.

He was accused of negligence in checking incidents of ragging in the college when he was the principal.

Kachroo, 19, died on March 8, 2009, after being allegedly ragged by four final year students - Ajay Verma, Naveen Verma, Abhinav Verma and Mukul Sharma.

Principal Secretary (Health) P.C. Dhiman of the Himachal government confirmed the compulsory retirement today.

“Sankhyan has been sent on compulsory retirement before his actual superannuation. He was accused of dereliction of duty, including the failure to check ragging that led to Kachroo’s death,” Dhiman said.

He was placed under suspension after the magisterial inquiry into Kachru’s death concluded that he had died due to ragging and blamed Sankhyan for the lapses.

The inquiry had pointed out about 10 instances or complaints of ragging and acts of indiscipline in the college since 2001 but none of the complaints drew any disciplinary action.

“The government had suspended Sankhyan after the ragging incident came to the fore and his services were kept under suspension till he was sent on compulsory retirement,” Dhiman added.

The state government is expected to place before the Supreme Court information about his compulsory retirement. Sankhyan was suspended on the directions of the apex court March 30, 2009.

A bench of Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice Ashok Kumar Ganguly ordered Sankhyan’s immediate suspension after the Medical Council of India and the state government, in their separate reports to the court, disclosed that he had ignored the incidents of ragging despite being informed about these by the hostel security guards.

Soon after Kachroo’s death, the state government divested Sankhyan of the post of the college head, but let him continue as head of the department of forensic medicine in the college.

But infuriated over Sankhyan’s inaction, the bench ordered his suspension, saying: “Don’t let him even enter the college premises.”

The bench observed that deaths and suicides by students “due to ragging is a national tragedy”. A trial court in Dharamsala, hearing the Kachroo ragging-to-death case, had reserved its order October 30.

The court recorded the statement of 38 witnesses, among them doctors, police personnel and the victim’s father Rajendra Kachroo.

After hearing the arguments, Additional District and Sessions Judge Purinder Vaidya said the judgment would be pronounced November 11. — IANS

Solan, November 7
With the Ministry of Commerce and Industry yet to give its nod to the Rs 11-crore transport nagar project for the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial area, the hopes of setting up transportation facility to over 7,000 trucks are still there.

Though the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Industrial Development Authority had submitted a Rs 11 crore project to the ministry in February, they were yet to receive nod for its approval.

Land measuring 70 bigha had been earmarked for the project at Sandholi and Central assistance was sought under the Assistance to States for developing Export Infrastructure and Allied Activities scheme. A sum of about Rs 7.5 crore, out of the total Rs 11 crore, had been sought from the Centre while funds worth Rs 4 crore comprise the land component.

The project, which was considered crucial to decongest the state’s industrial hub, had also incorporated revenue generation as a crucial factor to make it feasible. This was considered crucial as an earlier project of setting up a transport nagar at Jharmajri had failed to attract bidders and it failed to take off. Despite this, the ministry had not shown any keenness to fund the project.

With nearly 50 export-oriented units in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area, the need to improve infrastructure was considered crucial. It was for this reason that the need to set up a transport nagar where trucks could be parked along with the provision of related facilities was being felt.

The proposal would also help decongest the NH-21A where haphazardly parked hundreds of trucks created a traffic snarl. The present location of truck parking had also become a killer’s stretch on the NH-21-A as a number of accidents had taken place on the spot. Parking of trucks on the national highway was also a violation of laws.

There were nearly 7,000 trucks in the local transport union and an equal number of them daily entered the area from other states everyday.

Though the Baddi police had created a no-traffic zone in the town and specific zones had been identified for parking, its implementation was yet to come through as the parking space was inadequate.

Shimla, November 7
Veterinarians recruited by the Animal Husbandry Department on a contract basis have failed to get their dues despite specific direction from the high court.

As many as 58 veterinary officers moved the high court after repeated representations failed to evoke any response from the government. They even used the Right to Information Act to obtain various documents regarding the decisions taken by the government in violation of its own policy regarding the parity in matter of pay scales and allowances in respect of doctors and veterinarians.

They had sought in their petition non-practising allowance and 24 casual leave on a par with the contract medical officers. The high court, while disposing of the petition on August 6 early this year, issued direction to the petitioners to file fresh representations before the Principal Secretary (Animal Husbandry) with the supporting documents and a certified copy of the order within a period of two weeks.

Further, if necessary, after hearing the petitioners or their representatives, he would dispose of the representations by a speaking order within a period of six weeks thereafter.

However, the period stipulated by the court was completed on September 30 and the petitioners had also given a reminder to the Principal Secretary on October 8 but no decision had been taken till date.

If the government continued to ignore even the directions of the high court, the contractual veterinary officer will be left with no alternative but to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the government. This will certainly lead to ill-will and cause embarrassment to the authorities concerned, the petitioners point out.

They allege that the government is prejudiced against veterinary officers who are being denied non-practising allowance without any justification.

As per the information provided under the RTI Act, the contractual medical officers are being paid monthly emoluments of Rs 26,250, including a non-practising allowance of Rs 5,250, whereas contractual veterinary officers are getting only Rs 21,000.

This is a clear-cut case of discrimination as under the rules, the veterinary officers are also entitled to 25 per cent of the basic salary as non-practising allowance like the medical officers.

Shimla, November 7
A number of devotees in Shimla district participated in a unique stone-throwing festival this week. Thousands of people of the district congregated at Dhami village yesterday to celebrate the traditional ritual of throwing stones at each other.

It’s a centuries-old tradition that involves devotees hitting each other with stones to make them bleed. As per ritual, the blood is then offered to Hindu goddess Kali.

Ranjeet Singh Kanwar, one of the devotees, said this ritual was started by a queen to ban the earlier ritual of human sacrifice here.

“Earlier, there used to be a human sacrifice in this festival and that blood was offered to a Hindu goddess, Bhima Kali, at her temple. But a queen did not like the ritual of human sacrifice. Before performing “Sati” (women immolating themselves on the funeral pyres of their husbands), she asked that human sacrifice should be banned. Instead, a new stone-throwing tradition was started. It was decided that devotes will keep throwing stones until anyone is hit and starts bleeding. The blood will be then offered to Hindu goddess Kali,” Kanwar said.

In this ritual, devotees from different clans participate in a procession, beating drums and playing flutes. They form teams and pelt each other with stones.

“The age-old tradition is still alive by the devotees and it is still going on,” said Jagdeep Singh, the village head. — ANI