Shimla, July 18
To ensure environment sensitisation right up to the village level, the state government has tied up with the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) to undertake environment audit of not just government schools but also their surroundings.

The CSE, headed by Sunita Narayan, has developed a module for Green School Assessment Manual which will gauge schools as well as their vicinity on various environmental parameters so that students can be made aware of environment conservation of not just their institution but also their surroundings. The Department of Environment and Scientific Technology will jointly undertake the audit along with the CSE.

The fact that two schools from Himachal won the national environment audit award from a total of 10 from all over the country has given an impetus to the initiatives being undertaken by the Department of Environment. The award was received by students of Government Senior Secondary Schools, Makred in Jogindernagar and Rewalsar, both in Mandi district, at a function held at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on July 15.

“The objective for extending the sphere and scope of environmental audit from the school to the vicinity is to generate awareness about protecting environment not just within the institution but also in the village,” said Sudipto Roy, Additional Chief Secretary, Forest and Environment.

“The schools will be gauged on parameters like land, water, energy, waste and bio-diversity which will help us decide on schools which have performed best in environment conservation,” said Nagin Nanda, Director, Environment and Scientific Technology. He said last year about 70 schools were brought under the ambit of environment auditing but this year the department proposed to raise the number to over 100.

There are a total of 1,693 eco-clubs in various schools in the state. To carry forward the message of environment protection to every nook and corner of the state, the number of these eco-clubs is likely to be increased to over 3,000. The state is receiving a sum of almost Rs 80 lakh from the Centre annually to provide funding to these clubs.

In order to ensure that there is uniform distribution of these eco-clubs, the Department of Environment has tied up with Centre for Environment Education to undertake gap-analysis of the eco-clubs under a scheme called Paryavaran Mitra. “We are keen that all areas should be represented. There should be uniform distribution of the eco-clubs so that no area is left uncovered and that is why we have launched the scheme for gap-analysis,” said Nanda.

Shimla, July 18
The plan to set up a storage dam at Khab has been pre-empted with the state Cabinet giving approval to Gammon India to shift the domain of the Yangthang-Khab hydroelectric project on the Spiti river downstream by 63 m.

Consequently, the capacity of the project will be raised from 261 MW to 285 MW, but the 1,020-MW Khab storage project planned downstream will have to be abandoned.

As per the decision the full reservoir level (FRL) has been shifted from the originally allotted 2,805 m to 2,763 m and the tail race water level (TWL) from 2,600 m to 2,537 m, increasing the gross head from 205 to 226 m. The domain has been shifted to address socio-economic and environmental concerns, local preference and technical suitability of sites.

The government had initially asked the company to explore the possibility of utilising tail race water of the upstream Chhango project which was opposed by the local people on the grounds that the river would go dry, affecting irrigation facilities, farm productivity and also the ambient temperature as flowing mass of water cools the environment.

According to the approved proposal, the diversion dam will be shifted downstream Leo village. There will be no room left for the 275-m-high storage dam at Khab with a capacity of 500-million cubic metre which was to come at an elevation of 2,524 m. The Khab dam site could not be shifted as it will overlap with the domain of the 960-MW Jhangi-Thopan-Powari project downstream. The storage dam was proposed by the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam to arrest the flow of silt in the Sutlej which was affecting the 1,500-MW Nathpa Jhakri project.

An expert committee set up by the government to examine the revised proposal has suggested that a separate project should be planned to utilise the head available in the Sutlej between Khab and the China border. The elevation of the river at the border was 2,880 m and at Khab 2,528 m, the available head of over 300 m will enable the setting up of a 360-MW project. However, the government may not be keen to take up a project so close to the border for security reasons.

The Cabinet also decided to implement the condition of 15 per cent release of water immediately downstream of diversion structures of hydroelectric projects. For the purpose of determination of minimum discharge, the threshold value of not less than 15 per cent of the minimum inflow observed in the lean season shall be considered.

Shimla, July 18
The state government has decided to open 259 centres for the procurement of apple from growers under the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) to protect them from exploitation by middlemen.

As per the MIS approved for the implementation in the current harvesting season by the state Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister PK Dhumal, here today, the “C” grade apple will be procured at Rs 5.25 per kg under the scheme, which will continue til October 31, 2011. The state undertakings - HPMC, HIMFED and HP Agro Industries Corporation - have been designated as the nodal agencies for the procurement.

It authorised Principal Secretary, Tourism and Civil Aviation, to sign the loan agreement on behalf of the state government with Asian Development Bank for availing the $95.16 million for developing tourism infrastructure in the state.

It also gave approval to the draft Himachal Pradesh Public Services Guarantee Bill, 2011, to be introduced in the state Legislative Assembly during the coming monsoon session to help ensure transparency, accountability and responsiveness on the part of the administration.

The proposed Bill seeks to provide delivery of basic public services to citizens within a stipulated time frame and puts in place a mechanism to ensure accountability in case of non-delivery of notified services.

The Cabinet gave nod for the regularisation of 219 Class IV daily wagers in the Irrigation and Public Health Department, who have completed eight years of service, with 240 working days in each year, by granting them one-time relaxation in educational qualifications.

It also decided to forward the proposal to amend the Himachal Pradesh Lease Rules, 1993, to the Cabinet sub-committee already constituted for the purpose of considering changes in the state Tenancy and Land Reforms Rules, 1975, for giving its recommendations. It also decided to provide electronic facilities to traders by amending the Himachal Pradesh Value Added Tax Rules, 2005, to facilitate hassle-free and speedy filing of their returns.

It sanctioned 30 posts of junior engineer (civil, mechanical and electrical) to be recruited through the State Subordinate Services Selection Board, nine posts of different categories in the Drugs Control Wing, a post of statistical assistant in the MC, Sundernagar, a post of principal, three posts of training instructor and two posts of clerks in the Panchayati Raj Training Centre being set up at Thunag in Mandi. The Cabinet also granted one-time relaxation in the prescribed age limit as a special case to nine applicants for the posts of pharmacist in the Health and Family Welfare Department.

Mandi, July 18
More than 40 per cent students enrolled in the Postgraduate Government Valabh College, a major centre for education in the central zone in this temple town, attend no classes and buy no books, reveals a college survey.

From May to August, students while away time as students unions rule the roost, turning the college campus into a violent playground for petty, issueless politics of show-of-strength and muscle power. They do this to influence newcomers for their support during elections every year.

Without sparing a concern about the plight of the study-conscious and career-conscious students, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) delays the students’ council polls till August or even September. This, in turn, gives students unions an excuse to vitiate academic atmosphere forcing students to boycott classes, says survey.

After council elections, the college manages to restore some semblance of academic atmosphere. But more than 40 per cent of the students do not care to attend classes or buy books, says the survey.

This year, the college has enrolled an all-time high 5,000 students. The college authorities are finding it difficult to keep it running as an educational institute because of its sheer number of students. Secondly, college becomes a thoroughfare for outsiders for bank purposes etc as it is near the bus stand, say lecturers. Moreover, the college has four entry gates and just two guards.

Though HPU has made attendance and 20 marks condition compulsory for house examinations, but the college authorities find it difficult to enforce them.

College Principal MS Jamval said the college had tried all tricks to persuade students, but the majority suffered due to waywardness of students coming to the college to kill time.

Mandi/Kullu, July 18
Students and teachers have hailed the “smart classrooms” as a handy new tool of fast learning in government schools. However, the Education Department and a private company, HCL, have failed to ensure hassle-free functioning of the smart classrooms in many schools even three months after the project was launched in 628 schools in the state.

Students allege that they get less exposure to the smart classrooms. “We learn faster from seeing audio-visuals on the LCD screen as compared to the conventional mode of teaching. However, often the projectors do not work, the broadband service is not available and computers develop snags,” they rued.

Students and teachers in many schools complained that the HCL had installed defective K-Yan projectors. “They do not have power backup and are useless as the electricity supply remains erratic in many schools,” they resented.

The HP State Lecturers Association, in a cursory survey on the functioning of the smart classrooms, found that 80 per cent of these had not started functioning properly. “K-yan projectors are defective, LCDs and computers develop snags frequently and 80 per cent of the schools do not have the broadband facility,” the association claimed, holing the HCL responsible for the whole problem.

President of the association Ashwani Sharma and its spokesperson Sachin Thakur alleged that the HCL had not paid TA/DA as per the terms and conditions of the MoU to teachers who were trained under the project in May last.

“We need more trained teachers in each subject so that students do not suffer. We have taken up the matter with the Secretary, Education, Srikant Baldi,” they said.

The smart classroom project was launched in 628 schools which offer science subjects for students from class IX to XII.

The Rs 110-crore centrally-sponsored project aims at improving the quality of teaching and making students computer-savvy so that they can compete with their public school counterparts.

The Education Department has assigned the project to HCL for five years. According to the MoU, the company has to set up a computer lab, a smart classroom, furniture, an LCD, a projector, unlimited broadband, subject content, a scanner and the fax facility in each school.

Shimla, July 18
The Cabinet sub-committee set up to recommend amendments to the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Rules, 1975, has made some proposals to enable non-agriculturist bona fide Himachalis to purchase land in the state.

The proposals were discussed at the meeting of the sub-committee held under the chairmanship of Revenue Minister Gulab Singh here today.

According to the proposal, a committee headed by the Principal Secretary, Revenue, and having two other secretaries will now recommend permission to buy up to 500 sq m of land but not less than 150 sq m for building a residential house in case of eminent persons in various spheres.

Gulab Singh said bona fide Himachalis residing in the state for generations together would be allowed to buy residential plot up to 500 sq m and commercial plot up to 300 sq m without obtaining permission in municipal areas.

The sub-committee also proposed that the bona fide Himachali be liberally given permission to purchase land in rural areas and the Himachali Padma Award winners and the gallantry award winners be allowed to purchase up to 500 sq m for building a residential house in the state.

For the purpose of industries, tourism, hydel projects, educational institutions, information technology/bio technology units, religious purposes and other such activities, the department concerned would make specific mention in the essential certificate that the proposed land was appropriate for the purpose and the proposed activities could not be done in a lesser area.

He added that this had been done to ensure optimum use of land. No changes or amendment had been proposed in Section 118 and only minor changes had been proposed in the Tenancy and Land Reforms Rules to make it more stringent and realistic.

It also proposed uniform rate for lease value and for land leased out for 99 years the rates would be enhanced by five per cent every five years, whereas for land leased out for 40 years the rates would be enhanced by 3.5 per cent every five years.

The recommendations of the sub-committee would be placed before the Cabinet in its next meeting for approval.

Shimla, July 18
The state Cabinet condemned the Mumbai blasts, which claimed 18 lives and injured hundreds others, and reiterated the resolve of the state government to fight terrorism with full force at its command.

The Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister PK Dhumal, here today, mourned the death of innocent people in the attack.

It expressed solidarity with the Governments of India and Maharashtra in fighting terrorism in the country.

The Cabinet also condoled death of Sohan Singh, Director General of Police (DGP), Jails, who had died after a prolonged illness and placed on record the services he had rendered to the state.

Governor Urmila Singh also condoled the death of Sohan Singh and conveyed her sympathies to the bereaved family.

Meanwhile, DGP (Jail) Sohan Singh was cremated at his native Mujaffara village close to Ambala City with full state honours this noon.

Haryana DGP Rajneev Dalal, Himachal Pradesh DGP Sumesh Goel, IG Ambala Range KK Sindhu, Deputy Commissioner, Ambala, Samir Pal Saro, SP, Ambala, Shashank Anand and several senior police officers of Himachal Pradesh laid wreaths on the body. The last rites of Sohan Singh were performed by his son Sumanth.

Sohan Singh was born at Mujaffara village on October 1,1951. He took primary education in the village school and later did postgraduation from Kurukshetra University. In 1974 he joined Himachal Pradesh as IPS officer. He was to retire in October, 2011. He was awarded by the President of India for his remarkable services in the Police Department. 

Hamirpur, July 18
As many as 24 employees of the Regional Hospital, Hamirpur, were found absent during an inspection conducted by the Joint Director, Health, Dr DS Chandel, today.

While 23 employees, including doctors and 10 employees working in the CMO’s office, had not reached the office, a pharmacist was found missing from duty last night. The inspection was conducted by the Joint Director during a field review of district-level hospitals.

Taking note of the dereliction of duty by doctors and other staff members, the Joint Director has asked the CMO to initiate action at the local level against those found guilty and send a report to the health directorate in this regard.

Talking to The Tribune, Dr Chandel said, “The state government has decided to carry out a review of all district hospitals. While Solan, Kullu and Mandi district hospitals have already been covered, during the inspection of Hamirpur district, 24 employees of the hospital were found absent.”

“Thirteen staff members of the hospital, including doctors, were found absent during the inspection, 10 employees of the CMO’s office had not reached while one pharmacist was found missing from night duty on Sunday night, despite having prior information about my visit ,” he added.

Shimla, July 18
National chief of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and Lok Sabha MP Anurag Thakur today said the utterances made by fellow parliamentarian Rajan Sushant against the state BJP regime were definitely harming the party and the issue of taking disciplinary action against him was pending with the high command.

Addressing a press conference here today, he said such kind of behaviour from Sushant was nothing new as his track record showed that he had always been erratic and belligerent.

“The very fact that he has been issued a show-cause notice by the central high command proves that his behaviour amounts to anti-party activities, which is proving to be damaging for the party,” he remarked when asked about Sushant’s crusade against corruption.

He announced that the BJYM would gherao Parliament on August 9, on the occasion of Kranti Divas to highlight the rampant corruption and the black money issue.

He said the only achievements of the UPA regime were corruption, price rise, failure on the internal security front and starvation with thousands of debt-ridden farmers committing suicide.

He also lashed out at Union Minister Virbhadra Singh for indulging in petty politics. “Being a Union Minister what has been his contribution to sports except for the controversial Sports Act and his statement that trees will have to be felled to pave the way for a cricket ground at Annandale only weakens our case,” he said.

Nurpur, July 18
The Jawali police during patrolling on Sunday night at Shahpur intercepted a motorcycle and recovered 144 capsules of Proxivon, a banned psychotropic drug, from the possession of its rider Sunil Kumar of Ladwara village.

In another case, the police conducted a raid in a tea stall and recovered 192 capsules of Proxivon from the possession of tea vendor Ajay of Nareti village. According to BS Negi, DSP, Jawali, the duo has been arrested and a case under Sections 22-61-85, NDPS Act, was registered against them. — OC