Manali, August 4
The manager of a hydro-power company and four policemen have been booked for alleged molestation and bid to rape three women of Vashisht village who were offering prayers at Narol in the holy shrine of Goddess Jogini, about 5 km from here, yesterday.

According to an FIR registered in the Manali police station on a complaint lodged by the three women, the manager of Water Miller Power Company, Hari Babu, and four policemen allegedly outraged their modesty by tearing their clothes and attempted to rape them when they were offering prayers at the holy Jogni fall yesterday.

They raised the alarm follwing which some women and men, approaching the Jogni fall for rituals, rushed to the spot and saved them.

Eyewitnesses Mani Ram, Sham Lal, Prem Lal, Juri Devi and Naina Devi said when they reached the shrine, the manager of the company and four policemen were trying to outrage the modesty of the three women.

Villagers said after this incident women were feeling insecure even in religious places. They said on June 27, they had lodged an FIR against the company when in the presence of its owner, its employees had broken the holy “pindis” and “charan padukas” of Goddess Jogni.

A Kullu-based Water Miller Power Company has been allotted a 1 MW small hydro-power project on the stream of the Jogni fall near Vashisht village. Villagers have been opposing this project since the beginning. 

Shimla, August 4
Notwithstanding the public outrage and campaign against the imposition of property tax according to the per unit area method, a notification regarding an amendment to the HP Municipal Corporation Act has been made for a switchover from the existing system of ratable value to the new method in the state capital.

Henceforth, property tax within the municipal limits will be determined by the unit area method and the merged Special Area Development Authority (SADA) of New Shimla, Dhalli and Totu will also be covered under it. Though the notification in this regard was issued on July 29, being a very exhaustive and tedious exercise, it may take at least one year before the new taxes come into effect.

The town will be divided into at least six zones for working out the property tax and the existing exemption in tax on 100 sq m for personal use will cease. Besides, five factors - location, occupancy, age of building, use and the type of structure - will be used to determine the tax. The tax, depending on the zone, is likely to range between 1 per cent and 25 per cent.

A Delhi-based consultancy has been entrusted with the task of undertaking a survey to compile the complete data base of the number of structures and their use in the town.

“Once the consultant submits the report, including the zoning of the town, we will discuss the matter in the House and then bring the new taxes into force,” said AN Sharma, Municipal Commissioner.

Several organisations in the town had come under the banner of the Jan Kalyan Upnagariya Samiti to oppose the imposition of property tax on the unit area method. These had also resented the move regarding the imposition of tax on property which was being put to personal use and also in the merged Special Area Development Authority of New Shimla, Totu and Dhalli on the pretext that the MC had yet to provide the basic facilities in these merged areas.

“Authorising the MC to determine and impose user charges is a step towards making the MC self-reliant and a truly autonomous body, which will help us meet our expenses,” said Sharma.

The MC has been in poor financial help and owes over Rs 100 crore to the Irrigation Department for the water supplied to it and another Rs 6 crore to the Electricity Department for the power for street lighting. The new system is likely to double the income of the MC from the present Rs 9 crore to at least Rs 18 crore.

Those spearheading the campaign against the imposition of the property tax on the unit area method had met the Governor and the Chief Minister and had demanded that the issue be reconsidered by the government. 

Shimla, August 4
Having emerged as a leading research and development (R&D) organisation in the country in the field of silt management, the public sector Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) will provide expertise to the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) to tackle the silt problem in the Salal project in Jammu and Kashmir.

The NHPC has sought consultancy for setting up an in-house hard-coating facility at the Salal project on the pattern of the Nathpa-Jhakri project which faced operational problems in the initial years as excessive silt in the Sutlej caused extensive damage to turbines.

The 1,500 MW project had to be shut down repeatedly during the peak season as the machines broke down. It took over five years for engineers to come out with a workable solution to the problem and the expertise gained in the process has made the SJVN a top R&D organisation in silt management.

Working in collaboration with experts of the Central Power Research Institute, Bangaluru, and the National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur, the engineers of the SJVN have developed hard-coating solutions to help extend the life of vulnerable parts of turbines, which are fast eroded by the silt-laden water. The high velocity oxy fuel (HVOF) process used to coat the parts with tungsten carbide-based material ensured that the machines, which broke down after passing 2.5 to 3 lakh cubic metres of silt, could pass up to 8 lakh cubic metres of silt. The dam height was increased by 5 m and the spillway crest level raised so that the reservoir could be safely topped up to 1,495 m (from the sea level) as against the original level of 1,485 m, to improve sedimentation.

Recently, blanking panels have been installed at the intake to ensure that water only from the top of the reservoir flows into the de-silting chambers. It has reduced the live storage of the reservoir by 3 m but the machines can now pass up to 11 lakh cubic metres of silt and thus last the full generating season, says General Manager of the project NC Bansal.

With the contrition of 100 MW Karcham Wangtu project upstream, the silt problem has eased further and the SJVN authorities have decided to operate the project at a silt level of 5,000 ppm (parts per million) as against the permissible limit of 4,000 ppm. If the turbines withstand the higher level, there will be fewer shutdowns due to excessive silt.

Mandi, August 4
The Satluj Bachao Jan Sangharsh Samiti (Karsog, Kullu and Shimla) today said it would move the high court as the state pollution control board, the district administration and the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SVNL) were firm on their August 9 deadline for a public hearing on the 775 MW Luhri project on the Sutlej.

Convener of the samiti Shayam Singh Chouhan said the samiti had sent a legal notice to the pollution control board asking it that unless the over 8,000 families to be affected by the 38-km-long head race tunnel and other tunnels of the project were included in the Environment Impact Assessment report of the SJVN, they would boycott the public hearing fixed at the Parlog panchayat in Mandi district on August 9. “Even the transmission line plan is not included in the report, that is bound to affect the villagers,” he claimed.

He said they had not received any assurance from the board so far. “We have decided to move the high court tomorrow, seeking a stay on the public hearing,” Chouhan said.

“People are aware how the 1,500 MW NJPC project and the JP project at Karcham Wangtu wreaked havoc, drying up water and irrigation sources, orchards and agricultural land, and damaging houses in Natha and other villages in Kinnaur,” the samiti said.

“We object to the public hearing unless the SJVN includes all affected villagers in the three districts family-wise,” said Hemraj, pradhan, Parlog panchayat.

The bone of contention is that the SJVN claims that only 468 families will be affected by the project, but the samiti claims that over 8,000 families will be affected.

SJVN General Manager, Luhri project, SK Sharma said the EIA report had been made according to the terms and conditions of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and it included all affected panchayats of the three districts.

“As many as 468 families will be directly affected by the project. We will pay compensation if any damage is recorded during the construction of the project and have earmarked Rs 75 crore for local area development,” he added.

Member secretary of the pollution control board SP Singla said they would videograph the project area and record the villagers’ objections during the public hearing. They would send all recordings and documents to the Ministry of Environment and Forests as the board was only a facilitator.

“We have forwarded the objections raised by the samiti to the SJVN,” he added.

Mandi DC Devesh Kumar said the public hearing had been fixed for August 9 and would be held as per the schedule.

Shimla, August 4
Harinder Hira, Additional Chief Secretary (Industries), has urged industrialists to ensure 70 per cent employment to Himachalis in industrial units.

Listening to problems of entrepreneurs at Una today, she said procurement of an NOC from the Labour and Employment Department was mandatory before employing non-Himachalis, in case of non-availability of Himachali candidates fulfilling the eligibility conditions for employment.

She also held a meeting with officers of the Industries Department to take stock of the industrial development in Una district. “The condition of 70 per cent jobs to Himachalis should be implemented strictly and the government can seek a report in this connection from the industrial units anytime,” she stated.

She asked the managements of industrial units to provide appropriate transport and accommodation facilities to their employees. She said an investment of Rs 1,010 crore had been made by setting up of 2,019 industrial units in the district. Employment to 13,999 persons had been provided in these units of which 11,825 were Himachalis, she added.

She said investments worth Rs 451.24 crore through five large-scale industries, Rs 247.64 crore through 16 medium, Rs 240 crore through 96 small scale and Rs 71.83 crore through 1,974 micro industrial units had been made in the district so far.

She also visited various industrial units and interacted with workers, who apprised her of the facilities being extended by the managements.

Shimla, August 4
Himachal today requested the Union Agriculture Ministry to sanction various incentives to apple growers of Himalayan states and declare hailstorm as a natural calamity to cover the losses suffered by growers on this account.

The demand was made by a high-level delegation led by Horticulture Minister Narinder Bragta, who called on Sharad Pawar, Union Agriculture Minister, at New Delhi today. Jammu and Kashmir Horticulture Minister Shyam Lal Sharma, and BJP MPs Anurag Thakur, Virender Kashyap and Vimla Kashyap, accompanied the delegation.

Bragta demanded that hailstorm should be declared a natural calamity and the loss suffered by the fruit growers be compensated under a central scheme. He said the state had suffered a loss of Rs 900 crore due to hailstorm during the past three years and though the Centre had identified hailstorm as one of the natural calamities under the water and climate-related disasters, it was not for determining the loss to crops.

He also sought enhancement of import duty on apples from China and other countries as this was adversely affecting the apple growers of the Himalayan states.

Bragta demanded that the entire apple produce should be brought under the market intervention scheme (MIS) and added that at present the Centre shared the burden of only 25 per cent of the procured fruit on a 50:50 basis for Himachal Pradesh while the sharing formula of 75:25 basis had been implemented in case of north-eastern states.

The Union Agriculture Minister assured the delegation that the Centre would provide all assistance to apple-producing states so as to safeguard the interests of apple growers.

Shimla, August 4
To maintain a good educational atmosphere on the Himachal Pradesh University campus, the HP High Court today directed that no unauthorised person should be allowed to stay in the hostels of the university and summoned the university Chief Warden for September 5.

After getting information that unauthorised students were staying in hostels and were indulging in violence, the court observed that the university administration, with the help of the police, must raid the hostels and check the illegal practice.

The order was passed by a Division Bench comprising Justice RB Misra and Justice DD Sud on a petition filed by a PhD student, Anjana Chauhan, wherein she alleged that protests and violence spoiled the academic atmosphere on the campus. She had prayed that protests be banned on the university campus.

The Bench further directed the Registrar of the university to invite suggestions from all concerned to check violence on the campus and maintain high standards of education.

The court observed that students must raise their demands in a proper manner and representatives of students’ organisations can submit a representation to the Registrar of the university.

The court also directed the Registrar to apprise it of the demands received from students’ organisations and steps taken for the redressal of these.

Kangra, August 4
A week-long NSS camp concluded at Government Senior Secondary School, Rakkar, yesterday. Fortyseven volunteers participated.

Shayam Kumar, NSS programme officer, said NSS volunteers were imparted training in yoga in the morning hours, besides physical exercises which were a part of the curriculum of the camp. He said Banda village of the Rakkar area was also adopted and the volunteers cleaned the village, made proper drainage, took steps to improve sanitation during the camp.

Guest speakers Supreme Court advocate Vinod Sharma, research scholar Seema Rana, social activists Pt Veshvanath and Joyti Minhas, artists Kuldeep Rana and Munish Sharma, Headmaster Dinesh Sharma and Principal Rakesh Kumar delivered lectures during the camp. — OC

Dalhousie, August 4
The incessant widespread rain which on the one hand is beneficial for the bountiful maize crops and the apple fruit crops in the Chamba region, on the other has affected the public in outlying areas of Chamba district.

Heavy rains at many places have caused damage to the public and private property, besides cultivable land.

Massive landslides triggered by heavy rains have caused excessive destruction to the roads at many places in the district, but the situation is worse in Bhattiyat sub-division where the roads are blocked due to landslides and passers-by have to wait for hours together.

Kaali Ghaar on the Chamba-Pathankot via Jot-Chowari road is one such point where even a little spell of rain triggers massive landslides from the hillside thereby tumbling down the mass of earth and piles of debris.

Officials, however, maintain that bulldozer and JCB had been placed at landslide-prone points to cope with the issue of landslides. The workforce of the PWD also keeps on repairing potholes and other damaged points caused due to rains.

Dharamsala, August 4
The state government has sanctioned special grants for the development of various urban areas under the Municipal Corporation (MC). Special focus has been laid on providing basic facilities like parking, 24-hour water supply, solid waste management etc to the public.

A grant of Rs 25 lakh has been sanctioned for the Jwalaji nagar panchayat, Rs 8 lakh for Kangra nagar parishad and Rs 29 lakh has been provided to Dharamsala MC in order to provide basic facilities to the residents of these areas, Kangra Deputy Commissioner RS Gupta said here recently.

An action plan is being prepared for the purpose and efforts are being made in providing 24-hour water supply to residents of the Palampur nagar parishad area.

A team of specialists from Hyderabad had visited and examined the water sources in the area. Measures regarding solid waste management were also discussed for the Dharamsala area. The DC said: “It is the duty of the public to stop the use of plastic/polythene to keep the environment clean and green.”

The government has also sanctioned budget for creating parking sites in Palampur.

Bilaspur, August 4
Three young lives were lost in two separate incidents as two boys were drowned in a water tank and one girl was bitten by a snake during the past 24 hours in the district.

Reports said some 150 devotees were on their way to the Shri Naina Deviji shrine from Karakora village, Dera Bassi, Punjab, when three of their boys went to take a bath at Kaulan Wala Toba on Wednesday evening. But they got entrapped in the mesh formed by lotus flowers growing in the water tank and were drowned.

Water divers appointed by the gram panchayat pulled out one youth Inderjit (20) and his life was saved, but two others Mandip Singh (18) and Devender Singh (20) could not be saved.

In another incident, Shivani (20) of Bhated village near Barmana was bitten by a snake while she was asleep in her home at night. She was rushed to the local ACC Hospital, then to the Regional Hospital here and finally to the IGMC Hospital, Shimla, but she died on the way near Dadlaghat.