Mandi, September 3
Over 400 students enrolled in Government Senior Secondary School, Serachi in Thunag teshil, are facing hazards to their lives as the school building and playground have been declared unsafe since August 16, but the district administration has yet to shift them to the Luhridhar temple premises.

Talking to The Tribune after a delegation of 50 villagers, led by the president of the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) and the sarpanch, met the Mandi DC, they resented: “The school building has sunk and big cracks have appeared in the building and the ground as water is sipping into the foundation of the building since August 14-15 when it rained heavily there,” said Sule Ram, president, PTA.

The PWD inspected the school on August 16 and declared it unsafe. “We have requested the administration to shift the school to nearby Luhridhar temple sarais and bhawan to avoid a mishap, but the government has done nothing so far,” said Kesar Singh, former president of the PTA.

The school has a strength of over 400 students, but teachers can not run the classes when it rains.

“We cannot allow students to sit inside as the PWD has declared the building unsafe,” teachers said.

School Principal Bhag Singh said they had not received a formal order from the government to shift the school to the suitable site so far.

“When it rains we declare it a holiday and when it does not we make the students to sit in the open as the ground has developed big cracks as the site lies in the sinking zone,” the teachers said.

Devesh Kumar, DC, Mandi, said a joint team would inspect the school building and shift the school to some other safer site nearby immediately as suggested by the locals.

Hamirpur, Septmber 3
The second night of the cultural programme of the Hamir Utsav was devoted to folk artistes and Himachali singers Geeta Bhardwaj and Sunil Chauhan.

Artistes from eight districts of the state, namely Mandi, Chamba, Kangra, Kinnaur, Shimla, Sirmour, Kulu and Bilaspur, in their traditional dresses presented folk dances and also displayed musical instruments of their areas.

Artistes from NZCC, Patiala, presented Kalia Bol folk dance from Rajasthan.

The star attraction of the night was Himachali singer Geeta Bhardwaj and Sunil Chauhan.

Geeta was an instant hit with the audience and regaled them with the choicest folk songs from Mandi, Chamba and Shimla region. She also presented popular songs from Hindi films.

Sunil Chauhan also sang Himachali and Hindi film songs.

Education Minister ID Dhiman was the chief guest in the second day programme.

Addressing the audience he appreciated the district administration’s initiative to invite traditional folk dancers. He talked about the progress made by Hamirpur district during the past 40 years, since its inception in 1972, in different fields.

He also narrated various achievements made in the field of education in the state during the present regime.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion DC Rajinder Singh Thakur said by organising folk dances, the district administration had tried to present a picture of cultural diversity of the state. 

Apple growers sell their apples at a Bhatta Kuffer mandi in Shimla on Friday. Photo: Amit Kanwar

Health Hazards

l The apple being imported to India is unhealthy as growers in the USA use Gibberellins and other hormones and resort to double waxing to lend it a better shape and colour.

l In India, no such standards have been laid down and all kinds of fruit and vegetables are being imported.

l The Chinese apple is much cheaper, but its quality is not comparable with the local fruit and is fetching 200 to Rs 400 per standard box less.

Dharamsala, September 3
A lot of hue and cry was raised in the recently concluded monsoon session of the state Assembly regarding the loss caused to people of Kangra district after the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) released extra water from the Pong Dam.

However, the loss to property of people also brought to the fore the fact that there have been increased encroachments on the Beas river bed. It also illustrated that the state government has turned a blind eye towards encroachments on the river bed and it has posed a threat to their lives.

People have brought small chunks of land on the Beas river bed and encroached upon the government land surrounding the area. The fertile lands of the river delta has have gone dry as no water was released from the Pong Dam in the past 10 years that has lured farmers of the area into the Beas river bed.

Today large tracks of the river bed have been converted into fertile fields having paddy. Though the connectivity to the area is still poor, farmers of the area claim that they produce very good crops in the area.

“We are no less than the farmers of Punjab in terms of the producing paddy,” they said while talking to The Tribune.

Farmers, however, alleged that they did not have a proper mandi to sell their produce. They had to sell their produce to middlemen due to lack of mandi, who generally did not give adequate price of their produce.

For the Gujjar tribals, the vast pastures inside the river bed and constant supply of water is ideal for dairy farming that they have practising for generations.

However, farmers who have settled in the area also risk their lives and property for the fertile land they occupy on the river bed.

The Tribune team visited the affected areas due to the release of water from the Pong Dam. Most of the areas are located along the river bed of the Beas.

The villages are generally referred as “mand” (areas that are located between two streams of river) areas.

The data collected from the BBMB authorities also revealed that the Dam authorities released about 60,000 cusecs of water from the Pong. Out of this, about 10,000 cusecs is diverted to the the Mukerian hydel canal. Just about 50,000 cusecs of water was released in the natural course of the Beas downstream the Pong Dam.

Sources in the Department of Irrigation said the water carrying capacity of natural course of the Beas river bed was about 2 lakh cusecs.

So it would be unjustified to say that the release of just 50,000 cusecs of water caused flood. The release of water just filled the streams of the Beas that had been dry for years due to lesser rainfall, they said.

They were of the view that the government should impose a ban in constructions inside the river bed. The farmers who have land on the river bed, can be allowed to carry out farming there.

Solan, September 3
The historical and religious Renuka fair will be held from November 5 to 10 this year at Renukaji with the holy dip in the Renuka Lake scheduled on Akadashi (November 6) and Purnima on November 10.

The Deputy Commissioner gave this information while presiding over a meeting of the Renuka Development Board. Various officers and members of the board discussed arrangements for the fair where lakhs of devotees pay obeisance to Bhagwan Parshuram and Mata Renukaji.

She asked officers of the PWD and the IPH to ensure proper maintenance of roads and safe drinking water to the devotees during the fair.

It was decided that the Health Department would put up a transitory medical dispensary in the mela area. Food and Civil Supplies would also open a fair-price shop during this time. Special buses would be plied from different parts of the district to carry devotees to and from from Renukaji.

Liquor, non-vegetarian food and plastic are prohibited during this time in the mela area. ADC Lokender Chauhan and SDM Himesh Negi were also present on the occasion.

Baddi, September 3
A case of negligence has been registered against a private hospital at Baddi after doctors of the hospital dumped a newborn baby boy into dustbin declaring it dead after injecting the mother with an “abortive injection”.

Baddi SP Gurdev Chand Sharma said the case came to light when the aggrieved couple from Bihar lodged a complaint with the police today that the woman had been advised to abort the baby after an ultrasound test done yesterday had detected some problems. She was in the seventh month of pregnancy. She was admitted to the hospital yesterday.

She was given an injection and the baby, which was subsequently delivered, “was thrown into the dustbin in the belief that it was dead”.

The baby boy, however, started crying and he was picked up by his father from the dustbin. Afterwards, the mother-baby duo were admitted to the hospital.

They were admitted to PGI, Chandigarh today.

The SP said a case under Section 336, IPC, has been registered against Gupta Hospital where the incident took place.

The incident had shocked the couple who were working as migrant workers and had approached the private hospital in the belief of getting better treatment.

Kullu, September 3
The usual modus operandi of the accused, particularly politicians and senior officers, of getting themselves admitted to a hospital to evade police custody during their police remand will no more be that easy due to the RTI Act.

KK Indoria, a suspended AIG and an accused in a graft case, was discharged from the Regional Hospital here today after an NGO, RTI Bureau, pressurised the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to confirm the reason for his admission. CMO Naresh Mehta confirmed that Indoria had complained of chest pain and was admitted to the hospital at 10 pm last night.

Shimla, September 3
Himachal Pradesh Bus Stand Management and Development Authority has taken steps to regulate the traffic and facilitate commuters by providing bus connectivity to the newly constructed inter-state bus terminus (ISBT).

An official spokesman said here today that private buses plying from Upper Shimla and Kinnaur towards Ani were still being operated via Lakkar Bazaar to avoid inconvenience to residents of the area.

A control room had been set up in the ISBT at Tutikandi (Ph No. 0177-2656326).

Buses were plying between the ISBT and the old bus stand from 6 am to 10.45 pm and the shuttle bus service was available every five minutes.

The New Shimla and the ISBT had also been connected by the shuttle bus service today and buses would be available on this route from 6 am to 11 pm every hour. The Mehli-Panthghati-Vikasnagar areas had also been connected to the ISBT. The shuttle bus service would operate in addition to the existing fleet.

Long-route buses plying on 10 routes through the town had also been extended in the wee hours.

These buses will ply between Garu-Tutikandi via Bodhan at 8.45 am, Malyana-Tutikandi via Mehli-Vikasnagar-Kanlog at 8 am, Dhali-Tutikandi via Malyana-Mehli-old bus stand at 8.15 am, Dhali-Tutikandi via Malyana-Mehli-Vikasnagar-Kanlog at 5.45 am, Dhali-Tutikandi via Malyana-Mehli-Kanlog at 6.15 am, BCS-Tutikandi via Kanlog at 5.15 am, BCS-Tutikandi via old bus stand at 5.30 am, Panthaghati-Tutikandi via Kanlog at 5.30 am, Nav Bahar-Tutikandi-Sanjauli-Lakkar Bazaar at 5.30 am and Dhalli-Tutikandi via Malyana, Mehli-Kanlog at 7 am.

Bilaspur, September 3
Students of the National Service Scheme (NSS) of Government Senior Secondary School, Rishikesh, across Gobind Sagar, near here, planted more than 200 saplings in their school premises and Samletta ward of the Damli gram panchayat yesterday. They also took a pledge to protect these plants in future.

NSS Programme Officer Surender Singh said 95 student volunteers participated in this tree plantation campaign. They also organised an impressive rally in and around the villages with a view to spread awakening among villagers to plant and save as many trees as possible.

Solan, September 3
The driver of a utility van (HP-15-6722), carrying children of the Government Senior Secondary Secondary School, Kot Beja, lost control on the vehicle and rammed it into a hill thereby injuring its occupants on the Nalagarh Road near Kunihaar this evening.

DSP Ashok Sharma said it was surprising that schoolchildren were travelling in a utility van. He said the children, along with their physical education teacher, had hired the van after they failed to get a vehicle to return to Kot Beja after participating in a sports tournament at Koti. — OC