Dharamsala, September 28
After getting a share of 7.19 per cent in power generated by the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) on account of areas of Punjab merged with Himachal, the state will now also claim its share in water. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said this while talking to The Tribune here today.

He said Himachal had been claiming its share of 7.19 per cent in all assets of the BBMB though the court had at present just awarded it a share in power.

Most of the areas of Bilaspur and Una districts that lost their land for the construction of the Bhakra Dam and the 84 sq km Gobind Sagar Lake face an extreme shortage of drinking and irrigation water. The state government has been repeatedly asking the BBMB authorities to allow it to install lift irrigation schemes for providing water to these areas of Himachal. However, the BBMB authorities have not yet obliged, he said.

So pathetic is the condition that even Bhakra village, after which the dam has been named, has not been provided any facility by the BBMB. Similarly, areas of Kangra district surrounding the Pong Dam lake are also facing an acute shortage of irrigation water, the Chief Minister said.

He said, “Now since the court has established that Himachal is entitled to 7.19 per cent share in the BBMB power projects on account of areas of Punjab merged with it, we will also claim our share in water.”

He said the state government would consult its legal experts to pursue the matter.

The Chief Minister said the UPA government had filed an affidavit against Himachal in the present case that was decided in favour of the state.

The Chief Minister also visited the Brajeshwari temple in Kangra on the first Navratra and paid obeisance.

He also initiated the work of silver-lining the walls along the inner area of the temple.

The temple administration has decided to use to silver stocks lying with it for the silver-lining.

Shimla, September 28
The availability of 111 MW of additional power from the BBMB projects will enable the state power utility to manage the shortage without resorting to power cuts.

The state faces an acute power shortage during the winter months from November to March when the hydropower generation declines due to a reduction in discharge in various rivers and streams. According to the Supreme Court verdict, the state will start getting the enhanced share from November, which will help ease the power shortage. The state will get 90 MW from the Bhakra project, 56.90 MW from the Dehar project and 10.72 MW from the Pong Dam project as against 46.39 MW it has been making do with so far. About 550 million units of additional power will be available.

However, during the winter on an average 7 lakh units to 10 lakh units (LU) will be available daily. The additional power will help mitigate the impact of the sharp increase in demand due to more industrial units coming into production since last winter. As against the peak daily demand of 218 LU last year, the consumption has already crossed 225 LU. The demand is likely be cross 240 LU during the peak winter. The winter shortfall has been estimated at 1,500 million units, 300 million units more than last year.

The government provides all free power available to it as royalty to the state power utility to help meet the winter shortfall which will range from 110 LU to 125 LU. Last year it provided 50 LU and the figure will go up to 70 LU this winter. The quantum of free power has gone up with the commissioning of the 1,000 MW Karcham Wangtu project. The remaining gap is met through banking and contra-banking with Punjab.

Shimla, September 28
The government has set the ball rolling for the preparation of its Climate Adaptation Action Plan, with vulnerability assessment right from the district to the sub-tehsil level and strengthening of data bank emerging as the focus areas.

Even though not placed among the high-risk states which would be impacted immensely by climate change, yet an exercise has begun to gear up to tackle the adverse effect of climate change and global warming. Reduced snowfall, glacial melting, shifting of the agro-climatic zones and erratic rain are some of the visible effects of climate change which the hill state is already witnessing.

“We need to undertake vulnerability assessment and the impact will obviously not be just negative but there will also be something positive,” said Principal Secretary (Power) Deepak Sanan, who also holds the additional charge of Forest and Environment. He chaired the meeting. He added that one area where more efforts needed to be made was preparing a data bank so that a proper assessment could be made based on the record.

Heads of several institutes and experts, including the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, the GB Panth Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Kullu, the Institute of Himalayan Bio-Technology, Palampur, Himalayan Forest Research Institute and the vice-chancellors of the horticulture university, Nauni, and the agriculture university, Palampur, today deliberated upon various aspects of climate change adaptation.

Even though data compilation is done by various agencies, including the World Bank-funded Hydrology project being run by the Irrigation and Public Health Department, is was felt that much more needed to be done on this front. “Even though there are conflicting views about shrinking of glaciers, since the issue could have far-reaching implications for Himachal, which is majorly into hydro-power generation, we need to take a closer look and prepare a data bank,” said Sanan.

“In Himachal we have eight agro-climatic zones and even a slight change in the climate will bring about a shift, but will at the same time increase our options,” said KR Dhiman, Vice-Chancellor of the horticulture university. He added that an assessment would be made about the impact on various resources during the next 20 years and the developing strategy to tackle it.

He added Himachal was the first state in the country which is inching closer to becoming a carbon-neutral state and it would also take a lead in the formulation of a climate adaptation action plan.

Bara Bhangal (Kangra), September 28
As the helicopter of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal appeared over the sky, residents of Bara Bhangal, a village set in a small valley surrounded by steep mountain peaks, were elated. Almost the entire village, with a population of about 600, had come dressed in their traditional attires to welcome the Chief Minister, who became the first politician, let alone a Chief Minister, to visit Bara Bhangal village.

While men were dressed in their traditional Gaddi attires with dora (a rope woven out of black sheep wool) around their waists, women were laden with their tradition silver jewellery. The men were also wearing headgears with decorations of the monal bird’s (kalgi) feathers. They were also carrying “nagaras” that were played at full pitch to welcome the Chief Minister.

While adults shook hands with the visiting dignitary, the young ones touched his feet.

Katkuran, a village elder, was emotional when he said that at last somebody in power had visited the village.

The Chief Minister, who visited the area at the insistence of Trilok Kapoor, chairman of the Wool Federation of Himachal, was moved at the welcome accorded to him by the local residents. He accepted all the demands raised by village pradhan Chuni Ram.

The pradhan had demanded, among other things, that the middle school in the village should be upgraded to a high school. Residential accommodation should be provided to teachers who are posted here in this difficult area. Besides, road connectivity should be provided to area.

The Chief Minister, while addressing the villagers announced to upgrade the middle school to a high school despite the fact that there were only 20 students in it. He also announced Rs 5 lakh for the construction of a residential accommodation for four teachers posted in the village and Rs 2 lakh for the repairs of the primary school building.

He assured the villagers that they would get power free of cost from a 200 MW power plant being set up in the vicinity of the village.

Bara Bhangal is a tribal village located in the remote area of Kangra district at an altitude of about 11,000 ft. One has to trek about 40 km through the Thumbser Pass, located at a height of 17,000 ft, to reach the village on foot.

It has a population of about 600. While most of the population migrates to the Bir area during the winters, about 50 elders do not leave the village. They are provided ration by the district administration through helicopter.

Shimla, September 28
The BJP has said it is the decision of the security agencies to provide security cover to any dignitary and Congress criticism of providing pilot to MP Anurag Thakur, who has been receiving threats, amounts to politicisation of the issue.

In a statement here yesterday, state BJP spokesperson Ganesh Dut said though security had been provided to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, the BJP did not oppose it.

“We do not want to endanger life of any person who has been receiving threats as this is the job of security agencies and not political parties,” he said.

Dut said Anurag had also been receiving threats after he became the national chief of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and as such a pilot and escort had been provided to him.

Solan, September 28
The Lawrence School, Sanawar, is gearing up to celebrate its 164th founder’s day where a gamut of cultural and sports events, spread over three days between October 2 to 4, will be held.

With the silver and diamond jubilee batches being of 1961 and 1986, respectively, a special chapel service will be held in their honour. Other events include annual athletic meet, football and basketball matches, school concert, tattoo, founder’s parade and exhibitions.

General VK Singh, Chief of the Army Staff, will be the chief guest on the occasion. Other dignitaries who will grace the occasion include Anshu Vaish (IAS), Secretary, Department of School Education, Government of India.

With distinguished personalities being part of the school’s rich lineage of alumni who have made a mark in all walks of life, the school had a special place for its students.

Names like Omar Abdullah (Chief Minister of J&K), Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat (retd) former CONS, Arun Maira (Member of Planning Commission), TP Chopra (former CEO of General Electric) and Ajit Bajaj, first Indian to ski to the North pole, are among those who have carved a niche in the society.

Prominent old students of the diamond and silver jubilee batches include Jai Singh Gill (former Chief Secretary, Punjab), Naveen Chawla (former CEC), Atul Sobti (former CEO of Ranbaxy International), Sunil Ahuja (former Chief Secretary, Haryana), Dr Meenakshi Mahapatra (renowned anaesthetist, UK), Apoorva Lakhia (film director), Vikramjeet Kanwarpal (film actor), Owais Hussain (son of MF Hussain), etc.

Hamirpur, September 28
The Hamirpur police has booked the secretary of the Khandera Krishi Sewa Cooperative Society (KKSCS) for allegedly committing financial irregularities to the tune of over Rs 1 crore.

The police action has been taken on a complaint of the block inspector of the Toani Devi cooperative department, against Pritam Chand, secretary of the KKSCS.

In his complaint, the block inspector has alleged that after an audit of the accounts of the KKSCS pertaining to 2009-10, Pritam Chand, in the capacity of secretary of the society, obtained a loan in his name and that of his wife amounting to Rs 6,58,733 through different transactions, illegally.