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Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial hub
Uniform charges of land use
Protest over delay in LPG agency opening
Kerosene supply cut due to lack of demand: RTI
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Govt to create post of chief engineer (irrigation): Ravi
Roads top priority, says Gulab Singh
Separate irrigation zone on cards
Taps go dry in Palampur region
Govt staff submit charter of demands
College teachers oppose new circular
Hail ruins apple, peas, wheat crops
High command keen on smaller HPCC
MLA summoned for running hotel without licence
Accident Relief
40 coaches to train players: Anurag
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Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial hub Ambika Sharma
Solan,May 6 The two squads, led by Dr TB Singh, senior scientific officer and Dr Madhu Soni, senior project consultant, found the effluent treatment plants (ETP) of eight industrial units non-functional while one plant, whose ETP was found non-functional, was not in operations at the time of conducting these raids last week. Apart from this six other units Dr Reddy’s Lab, Brooks Lab, HRI Cosmetics, Hindustan Unilever Limited , Vaishnavi Kosmeticos Industries and Torrent Pharmaceutical were found violating Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling) Rules. The toxic sludge had not been dispose of scientifically through the Hazardous Waste Management Plant, but was openly dumped, thus increasing the probability of toxic chemicals finding way into the soil. The units, whose ETPs were found non-functional while the plants were running, included Bhandari Deepak Paper Mill which was interestingly inspected twice by the squads in two hours, but its ETP was found non-functional on both occasions. Two reports have been submitted about this unit by the squads. Other units whose ETPs were non-functional while the plants were running included Sukam Power Systems Limited, Mark India, Pioneer Pesticides, Spanker Biotech, Theon Pharmaceuticals, Eleena Cosmetics, Hill Craft Pharmaceutical and Gogia Flavours and Fragrances. Their effluent samples, which were being let out in the drains or adjoining nullahs, have been lifted and sent to the board’s Parwanoo lab for analysis. Member Secretary of the board SK Singla, while confirming the news, said the squads had been especially directed to conduct surprise checks so that the erring units could be brought to book. He added that the board was serious in pollution in the BBN and this step was aimed at instilling discipline among the erring units, especially the habitual defaulters. He added that they were now awaiting the lab reports consequent to which an appropriate action as per the Water Act and Hazardous Waste (Management and Handling ) Rules would be taken against the defaulters.
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Land holders in small towns losers
Lalit Mohan/TNS
Dharamsala, May 6 By this formula, any resident of the state will have to deposit Rs 3 lakh per kanal with the department to get his land converted for commercial use on paper before even conceiving any project. The investment is too high for poor farmers who have their land adjoining small towns such as Una, Kangra or Nagrota Bagwan, where the cost of land in some areas is equal to charges of getting its use converted. The charges imposed all over the state is a bane for small land holders wanting to develop some project in smaller towns of the state. The department has imposed development charges of Rs 300 per sq m for commercially viable areas such as Shimla and Baddi as well as smaller towns as Nagrota Bagwan, Mehatpur or Una. Equating Shimla or Baddi with other smaller urban areas of the state in terms of imposing development charges tax was illogical. It was leaving the smaller land owners at the mercy of rich investors who had the capacity to pay huge taxes before conceiving the development projects, they alleged. The government had decided to exempt village areas adjoining urban areas for town and country planning rules. However, the exemption would be limited to allowing villagers from raising house on their agriculture land. The villagers would not have to get their land use changed in case they wanted to construct a house on their agriculture land.
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Protest over delay in LPG agency opening
Hamirpur, May 6 The residents marched to the SDM office in a silent procession and also submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister PK Dhumal through the Nadaun SDM. They had been raising this issue for quite some time as they were facing a lot of problems in the absence of a LPG agency. Nadaun Nagar Panchayat president Reena Kumari, other members of the panchayat, social activists, led by RK Puri, members of retired employees association, members of beopar mandal etc participated in the march. Through the memorandum the residents have urged the Chief Minister to prevail upon the IOC authorities to remove the impediment in opening the LPG agency at Nadaun. Puri said, “We have also served a month’s ultimatum to open the LPG agency at Nadaun failing which the residents will be forced to start a hunger strike.”
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Kerosene supply cut due to lack of demand: RTI
Mandi, May 6 According to Sant Ram, an RTI activist, who had sought RTI information on the supply of kerosene to these panchayats, the corporation claimed that there was no demand of kerosene from these panchayats over the months. Hence, they did not supplied kerosene there. However, Thata gram panchayat passed a resolution recently over the non-supply of kerosene in the panchayat and demanded that kerosene be supply to them. Sant Ram charged that kerosene meant for these panchayats was being black-marketed by local agents under the nose of the corporation. “We have met the Mandi ADC today and demanded supplies be restored and guilty be brought to book,” he added.
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Govt to create post of chief engineer (irrigation): Ravi
Dharamsala, May 6 Minister for Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Ravinder Ravi gave this information while talking to The Tribune here on Tuesday. He said till date emphasis of the IPH Department had been on providing drinking water to residents. However, now stress would also be laid on developing irrigation schemes to tap the natural water resources of the state. “The office of the chief engineer (irrigation) that is being created in the state will be dedicated towards planning and implementing the irrigation schemes,” he said. The minister said in the past three years the present government had laid emphasis on developing various irrigation schemes, including the Shah Canal scheme and canalisation of the Swan river in Una. The department had evaluated that about 3.35 lakh hectare of land in the state could be brought under the canal water irrigation. Already schemes had been formulated to irrigate 2 lakh hectare of land. New schemes were also being planned for Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi districts. Ravi said the state government would lay emphasis on taping the water of streams flowing in the state to create small irrigation schemes for small farmers. When asked to comment about the recent controversy in which the IPH Department allegedly blocked the way to Kangra BJP MP Rajan Sushant’s house through its rest house in the Jawali area, Ravi said the department had been receiving complaints regarding the misuse of rest house. Some people had even dumped wheat husk that was used as fodder for domestic animals in the rest house. “The orders were issued to raise a wall so as to block the free passage to the rest house. The rest house was not being put to use by the department. Now the department is mulling over converting it for office use, Ravi said. Ravi added that many rest houses brought up in the state by various departments were not being put to any use. This was leading to sheer wastage of funds and now the government had decided that no new rest house would be brought with the prior clearance of the state Cabinet, he said.
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Roads top priority, says Gulab Singh
Shimla, May 6 He was presiding over a meeting of PWD officers of to review the work of metalling and tarring of roads damaged after unprecedented rains during the last season. He said, “The department has identified the roads to be taken up for restoration and maintenance on priority, including the Parwanoo-Wangtoo national highway”. |
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Separate irrigation zone on cards
Shimla, May 6 Irrigation and Public Health Minister Ravinder Singh Ravi said this at the review meeting of the department here recently. An amount of Rs 27 crore had been allocated to augment various schemes under the National Rural Drinking Water
Programme. |
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Taps go dry in Palampur region
Palampur, May 6 Several parts of the Palampur region for the past one week are facing acute drinking water shortage as most of the water supply schemes have failed to meet the requirements. The upper areas of Baijnath are adversely affected. In the Sehal area of Baijnath the taps have gone dry. Hundreds of village women marched to Baijnath town and lodged their protest before the IPH authorities demanding immediate restoration of drinking water to the affected villages. Likewise, a number of villages in the lower area of Palampur are also facing drinking water shortage. In many areas of the changer belt the IPH Department is providing drinking water as level in the water sources has gone down. Frequent power failures have made the matter worse in the case of lift drinking water supply schemes. A senior officer of the department said if power supply was disrupted even for an hour the entire distribution schedule was disturbed causing drinking water crisis.
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Govt staff submit charter of demands
Kangra, May 6 The federation said the sewerage scheme of this temple town, for which the foundation stone was laid on January 17, 2004, was yet to be completed. In its charter of 21 demands it raised minor and major issues. The federation demanded that the roof of the laboratory and X-ray section of the Civil Hospital be replaced and the building of the health sub centres at Zamanabad, Rajiana and Galian villages repaired. |
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College teachers oppose new circular
Bilaspur, May 6 Association state general secretary Suresh Kumar Soni, state secretary Prof Ashok Thakur, local unit president Prof PC Chauhan, Ghumarwin College president Prof Anil Jamwal, general secretary Nittam Chandel, Jhandutta College president Prof Kuldip and Jukhala college president Prof Satya Rattan said all association units of Government Postgraduate College Bilaspur, Swami Viveka Nanda Government Degree College, Ghumarwin, Government Degree College, Jukhala, and Government Degree College, Jhandutta, have opposed the departmental orders in this matter and said they would continue to stick to the UGC norms as earlier. Other resolutions are that all recommendations of the UGC be implemented at the earliest, all withheld cases of selection grades (pay band four) of the teachers be released immediately, and all pending promotion cases be decided at once. — OC
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Hail ruins apple, peas, wheat crops
Mandi/Kullu, May 6 Though horticulture officials have yet to assess the total loss inflicted by the hail on the fruit crops in the region, farmers said the loss was above 80 per cent, right from the bloom time. The hailstorms have already destroyed apple crop on the 7,299 hectare area in the district. The loss to the apple crop is yet to be assessed as the hail hit the entire Tirthan valley again. The hailstorm lasted for 20 minutes pounding the fruit orchards in the Kalvari-Shilli-Batahad-Jhibhi belt in the Thirthan valley. The fruitset was not more than 20 per cent this time. The hail dashed the rest of the crop to the ground, rued Mian Ram Singh, former pradhan, Kalvari panchayat. The hailstorm also smashed the Arsu-Shani-Nirmand belt in Ani subdivision and the Janjheli-Churag-Kamrunag belt and the Sanor valley in Mandi district. It was for the second time that Churag, Mahunag, the Janjehli-Bagshiad belt had been hit by hails, said farmers. BD Sharma, a member of the Karsog valley farmers group, said there were not even leaves on trees in the Mahunag area. The most hit areas were Churag, Bakhnot, Bhrindi, Kamrunag, Dharmour, Sapnot and Bakshiad, he added. Deputy Director, horticulture, Joginderpal told The Tribune that hail had destroyed apple crop on over the 7,299 hectares area in the district. “The fresh report has been called from the fields to assess the total loss”, he added. Similarly, the rain that lashed the region for the past 10 hours till this morning damaged the harvested wheat crop in the Balh-Sarkaghat area. The grains turned black and were not edible and the yellow rust had already damaged more than 30 per cent crop earlier, resented farmers. Talking about the losses in Kullu district, Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, BM Nanta said the hail damaged the fruit crop in the Tirthan valley and parts of the areas in the Nirmand-Arsu belt in Ani subdivision.
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High command keen on smaller HPCC
Shimla, May 6 It is reliably learnt that the list of the new state officer-bearers will be finalised next month as in charge of the party affairs in Himachal Birender Singh will hold a meeting here on May 15 with senior leaders. It is expected that the issue of finalising the state body will be discussed at the meeting, as it is almost seven months since HPCC chief Kaul Singh’s second tenure started. “The high command has already conveyed that the state body should not be too huge as was the case last time when there were over 50 persons holding the posts of vice-president, general secretary and secretaries,” said a senior leader. He said the new body this time was likely to be half of the number last time. As such Thakur will have to accommodate leaders owing allegiance to Union ministers Virbhadra Singh and Anand Sharma Vidya Stokes and his own loyalists. With the inclusion of former Education Minister Asha Kumari in the AICC, she too would want to see her loyalists get a place in the office-bearers list. Earlier party in charge for Himachal Mohsina Kidwai could not take out much time, but now Birender Singh is keen that the body is in place at the earliest. He held a meeting with all the AICC members from Himachal, former PCC chiefs and CLP leader at Parwanoo, last month.
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MLA summoned for running hotel without licence
Mandi, May 6 He was released on a bail of Rs 5,000 and summoned to appear in the court on June 24. He was also summoned by Judicial Magistrate Praveen Chauhan to appear in the court in connection with two other cases of food adulteration registered under the Prevention of Adulteration of Food (PAF) Act against his hotel in the town. In two similar cases of food adulteration booked against him in 2008, Chauhan had summoned him to appear in the court on June 24. Mandi Food Inspector LD Thakur said they found that Anil Sharma was running his hotel without the mandatory PFA licence. The food inspector said they had taken the samples of red grape wine and chicken masala and sent these to the composite testing laboratory at Kandaghat in 2008. The report confirmed that red wine was adulterated and misbranded. The chicken masala was also adulterated, he added. Anil said, “It was a motivated case as I was not informed by the manager about this and have changed the entire management now. The sample of red grape wine was taken from a sealed bottle and not an open bottle and the colour in the masala chicken was more”.
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HRTC told to set up funds
Legal Correspondent
Shimla, May 6 While passing this order, Justice Sanjay Karol observed that exemption granted to the HRTC under Section 146 of the Motor Vehicle (MV) Act was not in consonance with law as the HRTC had not established any fund for such kind of situation. It observed that the accidents of vehicles owned and run by the HRTC were taking place and to protect the public interest the HRTC must establish fund as per the requirement of the Act. This order came on a petition wherein the HRTC had fixed the liability of compensation amount on the driver of the bus that met with an accident.
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40 coaches to train players: Anurag
Shimla, May 6 Addressing a press conference here today, MP and General Secretary of the HPOA Anurag Thakur said the selection of 40 coaches would be done on contractual basis for a period of three years at a monthly remuneration of Rs 5,000. “With an estimated budget of almost Rs 50 lakh for the task, we have sought funds from corporate houses and the response has been more than satisfactory,” he stated. Thakur, also the chief of HP Cricket Association, said the HPOA would also bear the expenditure to get talented sportspersons trained under reputed coaches both at the national and international level. |
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Farmers claim 80% loss
