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Illegal mining thrives in Baddi area
Benami land deals
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Khajjiar inspires them to paint
Yak: Backbone of tribal economy
Vignettes
Minister seeks role of parents, teachers in curbing drug habit
Staff shortage hits Agriculture Department
HP Central varsity forms Red Ribbon Club
Rural artisans get training in bamboo craft
Himachal diary
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Illegal mining thrives in Baddi area
Solan, October 11 The Baddi police has recently unearthed large-scale illegal quarrying at Sheetalpur village in Baddi by impounding 42 trucks and four JCB machines involved in quarrying activities. It was a surprise checking of two trucks at the Baddi barrier, which were carrying quarry material, that led to the exposure of the illegal operation. The drivers of the two impounded trucks told the police that they were directed to carry the material, comprising sand and gravels, from Sheetalpur to Panchkula and Dera Bassi in Punjab. Each truck is being sold at a price of Rs 10,000. While this is indicative of a large-scale illegal mining operation in the riverbeds in the BBN area, it is surprising how tractor-trailers carrying quarry material move past the barriers. Many a times, vehicles used in the transportation of such material are not even registered and yet manage to escape the eye of the authorities. It is merely the lax attitude of various authorities which has been emboldening the illegal operators. Even the loss worth crores has failed to force the authorities to keep a check on the wrongdoers. An illustration of this fact is the case of Chinki bridge, which collapsed in August 2007, but its restoration work could not begin even after a lapse of two-and-a-half-year as the estimates have been revised time and again due to excessive loss owing to indiscriminate and unchecked mining. Though initially an estimate of Rs 7.73 crore was prepared, this was revised to Rs 8 crore after a team of officials from the Centre remarked that in lieu of abnormal receding of the river bed, deep foundation of 15 to 16m would be required to construct a sustainable structure. It is common knowledge that about 24 stone crushers located on the Swarghat-Ropar Road in Punjab are being fed by stones transported from the riverbeds in BBN. Despite the lease period of the stone crushers having expired years ago, there is no check on illegal mining. Though the state government in a bid to effectively check mining has delegated powers to various officials besides mining officials, including forest guards, SHOs, SDM, JEs of the PWD and IPH Departments, this has failed to ensure their participation in keeping tabs on this illegal activity. Suresh Bhardwaj, mining officer, while enlisting the department’s limitations, said the area was so vast that
they could do little besides challaning tractor-trailers occasionally. He, however, added that they were conducting surprise checks to deter illegal miners. New barriers had been proposed at Ratiyor, Navgaon, Bagheri and Mandhala so that a check could be kept on the escape routes. Him Parivesh, a local environmental society, which had filed a PIL in the High Court in 2004, is disheartened with the way illegal mining is thriving in the state. Its president Jagjit Singh Dhukiya, secretary Balkrishen Sharma and others said it was surprising as to how mining was being allowed when the lease had expired long back. They added that more was needed to be done to check this illegal activity or else open plundering of the state’s minerals would continue.
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Benami land deals
Palampur, October 11 Talking to The Tribune at Jaisinghpur recently, the Chief Minister said the state government had already appointed a one-man commission headed by retired Judge of high court Justice DP Sood to probe the benami land deals, if any, in the state. He urged the Congress leaders to come out with facts and help the commission in punishing the guilty. Dhumal said he had also written personal letters to
senior Congress leaders, including PCC president Kaul Singh, leader of opposition in the state Assembly Vidya Stokes and Union Minister Vir Bhadara Singh, to file the details and names persons involved in benami land deals, if any, in their knowledge. He said till date, no such details of persons involved in benami land deals were submitted before the commission by the Congress leaders. The Chief Minister said the state government was opposed to benami land deals and wanted to punish those who were involved in such illegal act. He said during the Congress regime, the provisions of Section 118 (which permits the purchase of land by
non-Himachalis) of the HP Land revenue was misused. The Congress government allowed Tibetans and foreigners to buy land in Kangra district and granted permission for the sale of holdings of tea garden in the Palampur area in gross violation of rules.
Dhumal said his government had given new dimension to the development activities in the state in the past three years. The fact that they had fulfilled expectations of the people was evident from the BJP winning the recently concluded municipal and panchayat elections in the state, he added.
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Rare idol found in Chamba
Chamba, October 11 The stone image of artistic merit represents Balarama canopied by hooded snakes and flanked by two female serpentine figures in half human and half serpent form. Balarama in his four arms is seen holding Vaishvanite emblems. His pestle and plough symbolise cultivation in an agricultural society like Chamba. In Chamba, there is hardly any village or hamlet where he is not venerated as a Naga deity, the symbol of water, earth and fertility. The pestle (musal) indicates his physical prowess which is sought by the village people for their pastime games like wrestling (chhinj) etc. In this idol, Balarama is seen standing with a gentle stance. The pedestal on which the image is standing shows classical mouldings. Though constant exposure to weather and harsh climate of the mountains has led to the erosion of many salient features of the image, one can easily recognise a long garland, ear-rings and the lower garment, dhoti. Stylistically, the image dates back to the 12th century as per its plasticity and marked characteristics, bearing strong Kashmiri influence, says Vijay Sharma, a noted artist and art critic. The sculpture makes valuable addition to the already existing images of Balarama because of its varied iconography.
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Khajjiar inspires them to paint
Khajjiar (Chamba), October 11 Famous painters like Shobha Singh used to visit Khajjiar to capture its exceptional beauty. Recently, a group of contemporary artists organised an international art camp here. Under the banner of “WE”, these artists devoted one week in creating their works inspired by Khajjiar’s beautiful environs. “WE” is a group of Indian Contemporary Women Artists, Chandigarh, which has been organising shows and workshops since 2003 to promote art in this region. The group has been working for the past eight years for bringing experienced as well as budding woman artists into the limelight. It has now turned into a national group with members all over the country. Like previous year, this year also, “WE” is sharing its experience with some renowned male artists. The camp even saw the participation of artists from Maldives. Besides annual art shows, “WE” organises interactive sessions, workshops and also attempts to promote young budding artists. This year, an international painting and sculpture workshop was organised at Khajjiar recently. As many as 20 artists of national and international repute participated. On the concluding day function, SDM Chamba Rohit Rathore was the chief guest. He applauded the efforts of the artists who created beautiful works inspired from the magic of this enchanting valley. He inspired the budding artists and promised them to provide every possibly help in the future art camps. Prof Sadhna Sangar, president of the group, presented a painting to the chief guest. Vijay Sharma, a renowned painter of Chamba, addressed the artists and stressed on continuity and change in the Indian art. Mirza Asghar Beg and Hansraj Dhiman were also present on the concluding day of the workshop.
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Yak: Backbone of tribal economy
Kugti (Bharmour), October 11 Among the livestock, yak is one of the most remarkable domestic animals adapted to living in high-altitude mountain terrains of the state. Yak is inherently associated with cultural and social life of the inhabitants of highlands for their food and livelihood security, officials of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) reveal. Yaks are usually reared under the free-range system by the highlanders. It is a multipurpose animal and highly valued by people in the Himalayas because of its contribution to economy in the shape of milk, meat, wool, leather, dung for fuel and manure and as a pack animal. The officials further state that 83,080 yaks are found in the hilly tracks of the country, including a population of over 2,000 in Himachal Pradesh. Yak milk is one of the richest sources of fat. Products prepared from the yak milk are normally butter, ghee, wet cheese, paneer etc. Yaks are also used for riding and carrying luggage in the snow-bound areas. The tourists enjoy riding on the yak. The yaks can tolerate very low temperatures and are the only large mammals able to graze at an altitude of 6,000 m even at -40°C.
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Vignettes
When I went to Korea and China as head of a cultural delegation in 1986, I carried the recorded voice of Ela Pandeya (see photo) on which a beautiful and talented Sangeeta Sharma, bubbling in her teens, danced Kathak to the hearts of thousands of Chinese and Koreans. After every show she was loaded with flowers from the audience for her excellent performance. She returned, met with an accident at Sundernagar and died.
I was sad at the loss of a great talent of Himachal Pradesh and Ela Pandeya disclosed to me that she had put on “ghunghrus” to dance on The Gaiety once again in 1993 in memory of Sangeeta, one of her best students. Ela informed me that she had left dancing on stage after her marriage in 1964 to Dr Romesh Pandey of Nahan. But was quick to add that it was not because of her in-laws, it was because of the voice of her heart. Her passion for dance, however, is still very much alive when at the age of 66, she runs Thirkan Natyashala at Sanjauli where 95 students are learning music and dance and she follows a rigorous regimen of classes from 10 am to 6 pm. She has chiseled many a raw stones into living idols. No wonder Neena Sud, Poonam Sharma, Rita Gupta, Richa Sharma, Purnima and many others are teaching Kathak to students in different schools of Himachal. All credit to Ela. Ela was born at Nahan on September 5, 1945 in a Rajput Gorkha (Chettri) family. Her father Capt (Dr) Bhagat Ram was a serving Army officer and mother Annapurna Devi was a renowned artist of AIR Jalandhar. She had her schooling at different places wherever her father was posted - Armed Forces Children School, Ambala, and AP Mission School, Dehradun. When she, at the age of six, joined Krishna Kala Institute at Nashvilla Road in Dehradun and found a capable guru in Shankar Dev Jha of the Jaipur gharana, she developed liking for Kathak. Fine-tuning in the style was achieved at Muzzafarnagar as a “shishya” of Guru Bishan Lal Mishra. Her quest to know about the Lucknow and Benaras gharanas of Kathak was satisfied at Mumbai in 1983 as a disciple of Pundit Chobe Maharaj. She still cherish the proudest moments of dancing in the presence of Jawahar Lal Nehru at Sapru House New Delhi in 1955 and at Haridwar in 1960 where Dr Rajendra Prasad had come for Ganga Nehar opening. She would have been a famous Bollywood actor had her father allowed her to join films when she was offered a role in a movie “Saarthi” after her performance at Ashoka Hotel in 1962 where she was acclaimed by connoisseurs, including Hema Malini and Shivaji Ganeshan. It was not to be and she joined Government Arts College at Nahan in 1962 as lecturer in dance and moved to Shimla in 1968 with the college. Her desire to be well-rounded in performing arts made her hone talent in the three components “gayan”, “vadan” and “nritya”. She, therefore, continued study from Allahabad University and acquired M.Mus. and Praveen equivalent to MA in Kathak; B.Mus. (Prabhakar), equivalent to BA in vocal music; and B.Mus. (Prabhakar), equivalent to BA in Tabla. She, perhaps, was the only woman in the region to play tabla with full gusto in those days, the art that she had learnt from her maternal uncle Bir Singh Rawat, a renowned tabla player. She had been the nominee of Himachal Pradesh in the Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi, and a member of the State Art, Language and Culture Academy. She feels that, today, the parents are interested to make their wards learn Kathak or classical music, but the government is rather sleepy on the matter. She says, “I have no place to run the academy and where I am working, at present, the residents dislike the constant sounds of tabla and the steps of dancers. I understand their hiccups. If the government gives us a piece of land at a discount, we might construct a building to suit our needs”.
Tailpiece
The smile is the dance of the face and the dance is the smile of limbs
— Valois, a dance teacher.
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Minister seeks role of parents, teachers in curbing drug habit
Bilaspur, October 11 This call was given by Education Minister ID Dhiman while presiding over district-level competitions for school students on the subject of “Prohibition and Drugs Control” organised by the Department of Information and Public Relations at the Government Girls Senior Secondary School here recently. Dhiman said 90 per cent of the road accidents were a result of these bad habits which destroyed the peace of family and society, besides being a cause of untimely death. Deputy Commissioner Ritesh Chauhan, Additional District Magistrate Darshan Kalia, Superintendent of Police Santosh Patial, District Public Relations Officer Amar Singh Thakur and school Principal Mahima Lakhanal also addressed the function. Aarzoo of GGSSS, Ghumarwin, Vishal Sharma of Government Senior Secondary School, Panjgain, and Aastha Thakur of GGSSS, Bilaspur, stood first, second and third, respectively, in a declamation contest. They were given prizes of Rs 1,000, Rs 700 and Rs 500, respectively. In a poster-making competition, Aastha Thakur and Ambalika Patial of GGSSS, Bilaspur, came first and second, while Aman Rana of Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Bilaspur, got the third prize. They were presented cash prizes of Rs 2,000, Rs 1,000 and Rs 500, respectively.
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Staff shortage hits Agriculture Department
Nurpur, October 11 Inquiries reveal that 10 out of 12 posts of different categories have been lying vacant for a long time, causing hardships to the farming community in the area. Only two employees are shouldering the responsibility of 56 gram panchayats. The agriculture block has one post of subject matter specialist that has been lying vacant. There are two posts of agriculture development officer (ADO) at Rehan and Nurpur. While the post of ADO at Rehan is lying vacant, the officer has gone on a long leave soon after joining the duty at Nurpur. Hence, both stations are without development officers. Similarly, there are eight posts of agriculture extension officer (AEO) in this block, out of which seven posts have been lying vacant. Barring Rehan, there is no AEO at Talara, Jassur, Jonta, Chowki, Pargana, Sadwan and Panjara. Consequently, government schemes meant for the welfare of farmers are falling flat in the area as there is no sufficient staff for the implementation of such schemes. Farmers from far off places are forced to travel to the block office here to collect seed, fertilisers and pesticides. Progressive growers and farmers in the area have urged the state government to fill the vacant posts of field staff so that government schemes and benefits reached the beneficiaries.
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HP Central varsity forms Red Ribbon Club
Dharamsala, October 11 Earlier, Dr Saurabh, HOD, pathology, Medical College Tanda, pinned a red ribbon on the Prof Agarwal appreciated the zeal of the youth and appealed to them to make it a mass movement and use the platform to channelise their energy for a healthy future. On the occasion, Dr RK Sood, district AIDS programme officer, stated that the club would serve as a platform to encourage a dialogue among the youth and empower them to be leaders. He added that as open discussions could help in addressing the Equipping the youth with knowledge and life saving skills would help prevent the spread of HIV and build self-confidence for a better tomorrow, Dr Sood added. An interactive discussion on myths and misconceptions related to blood donation was also held in which Dr Saurabh emphasised on the importance of voluntary blood donation. As many as 85 youth donated blood in a camp organised jointly by the Blood Bank of Medical College, Tanda; Social Work Society, Central University of HP; in collaboration with the Prof Yogender Verma, dean, School of Business Management, inaugurated the camp, and Prof Agrawal led as role model for the youth by donating blood. Shabab Ahmed stated that the club would partner with the HP State AIDS Control Society for spreading awareness on life saving skills and HIV testing through various programmes. “It is also important that we encourage mutual respect and responsible and healthy relationships among the youth as well as create an environment that is free of discrimination against young people affected by HIV and AIDS,” he added.
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Rural artisans get training in bamboo craft
Hamirpur, October 11 Through this 15-day workshop, bamboo craftsman from CIBART taught different techniques to rural craftsman, especially women, to locally manufacture different items from bamboo. The resource persons from CIBART also explained various efficacies of bamboo products and how bamboo can be used for generating self-employment and supplementing income. “Since bamboo plants are available in abundance in Hamirpur and the Forest Department is also undertaking a project for commercial cultivation of bamboo, the local craftsmen can reap a rich harvest from this profession,” feel organisers of the workshop. Vijay Negi, DDM of NABARD, said “The main aim of this workshop was to create awareness about the uses of local produce through value addition by craftsmanship and people from 25 self-help groups attended this workshop”. “Through this workshop, an effort was made to prepare the rural people by putting local potential to industrial use for self-employment “he added. NABARD would also help the rural people desirous of taking up this activity by arranging loans from banks. On the demand of the locals, NABARD also plans to hold an extensive three-month training programme through CAPART in the coming days.
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Himachal diary The eight-day Hercules MTB 2011, mountain biking rally, provided an opportunity to Ashadeep, a Shimla-based NGO, to take its environment conservation awareness campaign to the interior areas of the hill state. It was in 2004 when the Ashadeep first got involved in environment protection campaign with the support of pioneers of Chipko and Maiti movements - Sundar Lal Bahuguna and Kalyan Singh Rawat, respectively. It has been organising various campaigns since then and trying to promote cycling as an environment-friendly mode of transportation in the hills. It was the common cause of promoting cycling that brought the Himalayan Adventure Sports and Tourism Promotion Association, the organiser of the rally, and Ashadeep together to campaign for protecting the fragile hill environment. The innovative idea of Ashadeep president Sushil Tanwar to use the street plays along with distribution of pamphlets made the campaign leave an impact on the rural folks. The pamphlets carried Ashadeep’s song spreading the message of the government’s nine-point environment awareness programme. The slogan ‘Eco-Ride, Smooth Tide’ was also coined to reflect the absolute support for cycling as a mode of commuting in Himachal Pradesh. The four-member Ashadeep team led by its programme coordinator Mukesh Guru Aazad accompanied the rallyists all through and performed street plays (see photo) and interacted with the local people enroute. It covered over 40 villages of Shimla and Kullu districts, including tiny hamlets like Sarog, Kiara, Tani Jubbad, Urtu, Shamshar and villages like Kotgarh Nirath, Nirmand and Theog.The street plays were highly appreciated by the children and youth. The team performed before small audiences in schools, like in Government Primary School in Gavech having just 28 students, as well as for larger audiences, like in the Senior Secondary School, Theog, with strength of over 1,200 students. New bus stand proves cost-effective The shifting of the Shimla main bus stand to Tuti Kandi may have been causing problems for the locals, it is making operations of bus services economical for the loss-incurring state road transport corporation. The long-route buses from the state capital no longer have to go around the city up to Dhalli for parking and as a result over 260 buses daily save the empty haulage of 11 km per bus. If one takes into account the operational expenditure of Rs 29 per km per bus, the monthly saving comes to Rs 30 lakh and thus the corporation will benefit to the tune of Rs 3.5 crore annually. The buses are now parked in and around the new bus stand on the bypass road. The corporation has also introduced three new spacious buses which have just 20 seats, but enough space for luggage to ply between the new and the old bus stands. There are only two rows of two seats in the buses, the bodies of which have been fabricated by the corporation in its workshop at Parwanu. However, there is huge rush at the point on the national highway from where the bypass for Tuti Kandi takes off as the city-bound commuters do not want to go to the bus stand and get down there to take a local bus. It has become a new traffic bottleneck and presents a chaotic scene during the peak hours. The problem could be solved if the nullah passing through the tourism reception centre is reclaimed by raising retaining structures as enough space will be available for buses, taxis and private vehicles for dropping and picking up passengers. The site could be handed over to the state bus stands management and development authority for the purpose.
Endless wait for ministerial berths The wait for ministerial berths among the aspirant MLAs in the cabinet expansion seems to be never-ending, causing frustration among them. More than a year has passed when Chief Minister PK Dhumal had talked of filling up ministerial berth created after the resignation of JP Nadda on his elevation as national general secretary of the BJP. The hopes of aspirants have been dashed once again. Every time any election is held in the state, there are talks of the Chief Minister ‘rewarding a performer’, but the announcement has not been translated into reality. Dhumal has been assuring MLAs that he would take up the matter with the party high command, but nothing has actually happened. The aspirants were hoping that the much-awaited expansion would take place during the current Navratras, but the auspicious days have also passed. The rumour has it that the cabinet would be expanded after by-elections for Renuka and Nalagarh seats. With only 15 months to go for the next Assembly poll, the tenure of a minister inducted now will be too short and there will be little time for the incumbent to show his achievements on the development front. (Contributed by DP Gupta
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Khajjiar (Chamba), October 11
Taking into account the local economy of the mountainous areas of the Pangi tribal region and the Kugti area of the Bharmour tribal region in Chamba district as well as the adjoining districts of Lahaul-Spiti and
Kinnaur, there is a need to improve and conserve yaks for higher productivity and profitability through innovative research. For this, infusing fresh life into yak husbandry is a must.
Hamirpur, October 11
The eight-day Hercules MTB 2011, mountain biking rally, provided an opportunity to
Ashadeep, a Shimla-based NGO, to take its environment conservation awareness campaign to the interior areas of the hill state.
It was in 2004 when the Ashadeep first got involved in environment protection campaign with the support of pioneers of Chipko and Maiti movements - Sundar Lal Bahuguna and Kalyan Singh
Rawat, respectively. It has been organising various campaigns since then and trying to promote cycling as an environment-friendly mode of transportation in the hills.
