Shimla, October 29
Upbeat over the success of its vulture propagation programme, the wildlife wing of the Forest Department has decided to increase the nesting sites in Kangra and the adjoining areas especially created for the winged creatures whose number has risen from a mere 18 to over 500 during the past six years.

The wildlife wing in a special campaign spotted eggs in 158 of the 190 nests that have been identified so far in the pine forests in Kangra district. In March-April next year the department intends to undertake another campaign to ascertain as to how many fledglings actually survived.

With one male and one female being there in every nest, there are 380 adult vultures and with the birds laying one egg each in 158 nests, the number is bound to be over 500, said wildlife experts.

“The creation of 27 nesting sites in the pine forests in Kangra district has brought about encouraging results with the number of vultures increasing to over 500, including fledglings, from a mere 18 in 2004-05,” said AK Gulati, Principal Chief Conservator, Forest.

He added that the department would create some more nesting sites by identifying new areas so that the number of vultures continued to register a healthy increase.

To ensure the success of the programme, the department has also decided to involve the locals in a big way and sensitise them about the importance of vultures and contribute towards their growth.

“We have created nesting sites spread over 5 to 10 hectares so that there is no human interference and vultures get ideal conditions to live in solitude under complete protection,” said Gulati.

The vulture sites are mainly concentrated in Parol, Salol, Chadevh, Daulatpur and Mastgarh as these areas have ample mother pine (chir) trees, which vultures find suitable for setting up their nests.

New sites are now being identified by the wildlife staff in the contiguous pine forests in Kangra itself so that the fledglings move to new territories and set up their nests in these areas.

Attempts are being made everywhere to save nature’s scavengers from extinction through captive breeding programmes.

Studies conducted by the Bombay Natural History Society attribute the decline of vultures to the overuse of anti-inflammatory veterinary drug diclofenac, loss of bird habitats, use of pesticides, competition for food among other scavengers and change in the livestock management.

Solan, October 29
A team of officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the state drug authorities, led by Drug Controller Navneet Marwaha, raided two pharmaceutical units - Accurate Pharmaceuticals and M Sea Pharmaceuticals - at Paonta Sahib late this evening.

The raids were part of the nationwide campaign conducted by the DRI, which is investigating an international drug racket involved in the supply of various psychotropic and banned drugs.

The DRI team had earlier raided another unit near Baddi on Tuesday from where large quantities of banned rugs were recovered.

Accurate Pharmaceutical, based in the Gondpur industrial area of Paonta Sahib, has been manufacturing tablets, capsules, pain killers and enzymes.

Marwaha told The Tribune that though no spurious drugs were found at the time of filing this report, various irregularities in violation of the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) norms were found at the Accurate Pharmaceutical unit, which included lack of hygienic conditions in the manufacturing area.

Marwaha added that even records pertaining to the purchase of ingredients for manufacturing drugs were not maintained and the unit management had failed to furnish required records.

He said the Drug Licensing Authority concerned Kapil Dhiman would issue a show-cause notice to the unit management as it was not adhering to the GMP norms, which were essential for any manufacturing unit.

Sea Pharmaceutical at Surajpur village in Paonta Sahib was also being raided.

In July, the drug authorities had confiscated spurious drugs manufactured by Himalaya Labs in Paonta Sahib and several drugs manufactured under the label of M Seal Pharmaceuticals were also found from that unit. The two units were adjacent to each other.

Solan, October 29
Drug controller Navneet Marwaha today issued an alert notice against the Bagvania-based Ten Star Pharmaceutical unit for banning the use of drugs manufactured by this unit after several banned and spurious drugs were seized from it by a team of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on Tuesday.

A copy of the notice was sent to the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to be circulated across the country.

A subsequent raid by the drug authorities from Baddi had revealed lakhs of illegal and spurious drugs, including veterinary and allopathic from the unit premises.

Since the drugs bearing the label of various units located in Uttarakhand and Gujarat had been recovered, the drug controller had written to the drug authorities of the two states to verify the authenticity of those units.

A communication had also been sent to the authorities in Punjab as drugs bearing the label of the Punjab Government had also been confiscated in the raid conducted by Marwaha. The drug inspectors had also been directed to withdraw the drugs manufactured by Ten Star from markets in Himachal.

Ten Star had figured in the list of drug firms that manufactured several banned drugs, including ketamine, ephiderine, amphetamine, asprazolam, carisomo and coringa, which were couriered to various destinations.

The DRI had conducted nationwide raids and it claims to have busted an international drug racket worth several crores.

DRI sleuths were conducting an in-depth probe to establish the role of manufacturers, distributors and other conduits in the racket and a Himachali youth too had been arrested along with nine others.

Though the DRI team had arrested the unit owner, Jasbir Singh Sodhi, the other partner Amrik Singh had failed to join investigations and did not turn up despite several messages being sent by the drug authorities, said Marwaha.

Investigations were underway by the DRI to establish the links of conduits in transporting drugs from this unit to various destinations.

The records pertaining to the purchase of salts used in the manufacturing of banned drugs were also not maintained in the unit and there appear to be chinks in the audit too as the violations were galore in each and every section.

Dharamsala, October 29
With infighting in the BJP intensifying, the Shanta Kumar group is likely to boycott the two-day meeting of the state executive that is scheduled to start tomorrow at Shimla.

Highly placed sources told The Tribune that leaders from the Shanta group had decided to boycott the state executive meeting as a mark of protest.

The move is also aimed at giving signals that the Shanta faction wanted to take its fight within the party to a logical conclusion. The Dhumal faction on the other hand is likely to take up the matter of public utterances by leaders of the Shanta group in the meeting.

Yesterday’s move in which the Kangra unit of the BJP openly adopted a resolution against the Dhumal loyalist, IPH Minister Ravinder Ravi, has added fuel to the infighting that has been simmering since long. The Shanta group has upped its ante against the Dhumal faction in the state on the issue of corruption.

With the BJP trying to project a clean image of the party across the country to take benefit of the sentiment created by the Anna Hazare movement and change of two BJP Chief Ministers due to corruption charges, Shanta’s men were feeling that it was an opportune time for them to strike against the Dhumal faction.

The Shanta faction has been opposing the installation of Dhumal loyalist Khimi Ram as the state president of the BJP. About a year ago, the Dhumal faction managed to retain Khimi Ram as the state BJP president despite strong opposition from Shanta Kumar and his men.

Now again the Shanta faction has started a campaign to replace Khimi Ram. They have proposed the name of Rohru BJP MLA Khushi Ram Balnatah for the post.

The Shanta group has maintained that the party needs a strong person as the state president in case it wants to repeat the government in the state.

However, with the elections to state Assembly elections due next year, the Dhumal faction also does not want to lose control over the post of state president that is instrumental in deciding party tickets.

The Dhumal faction has decided to put the name of Health Minister Rajiv Bindal whose Assembly seat has been declared as reserved for the SC category for the next Assembly elections, as the state BJP president. Meanwhile, Independent MLA from Nurpur Rakesh Pathania, who was also targeted in the resolution adopted by the Kangra unit of BJP yesterday, while talking to The Tribune refuted the charges levelled against him.

He said: “While the Kangra BJP unit has maintained that he was not a member of the party, I have letters to prove that I am a member of the BJP legislative group,” he claimed.

Pathania further alleged that he did not want a character certificate from BJP district president Ranjit Singh Pathania, who was facing many criminal cases.

Shimla, October 29
Senior RSS functionary Suresh Soni said today that keeping in view the escalating tension between India and China, the former must strengthen its strategic defence and develop cordial relations with its neighbours the way the Communist country was doing.

Speaking at a convention organised by the RSS, Soni said in the recent past China was building up its infrastructure along the border.

“Since it is an open secret that China has emerged as No 1 enemy for India, it is time we too develop friendly relations with our neighbours and be prepared for any eventuality,” he said.

He said corruption too was a major challenge before the nation and it was high time that the tempo against it be maintained and the issue be dealt with once and for all.

He said there had been similar movements against corruption in the past, including the JP Movement in 1974 and the anti-Bofors campaign, but both died a slow death.

Soni said other issues that were posing a threat to national security include conversion, Naxalism and divisions on account of vote-bank politics.

“All political parties must rise above these petty political considerations to ensure that there is no threat to the national integrity,” he said.

Vice-Chancellor of Himachal Pradesh University Prof ADN Bajpai also spoke on the occasion.

Shimla, October 29
Eminent academic and former Chairman of the UGC Professor Yashpal today voiced his concern over the mushrooming engineering and management institutes, which were not only corrupting education by charging exorbitantly, but also killing creativity of young minds.

Professor Yashpal delivered a lecture on “Developing Develop Scientific Temper, Humanism and Spirit of Inquiry and Reform”, organised by the HP State Legal Services Authority, Shimla chapter of the Public Relation Society of India, and the SEWA Trust, here today.

“What is far more precious than the millions that these private institutions are charging for dispensing poor quality education is the negative impact they are having by laying thrust on mugging and ignoring a multi-disciplinary approach to learning,” he remarked.

He was also candid in his abhorrence for certain advertisements like the ones for fair complexion.

“Something should be done to ban such advertisements which subliminally influence young minds, thereby ending their creativity and leaving a negative impact,” he stated.

The academic, who strongly advocates a multi-disciplinary approach to education, exhorted students not to focus only on science as one could not afford missing out the invaluable culture, music, languages and other such diverse knowledge contained in humanities.

Commenting on the present education system for which a committee headed by him has recommended several reforms, Yashpal said: “Unfortunately we have forgotten that knowledge has to be created and cannot be delivered.”

“We needlessly pressurise children to score well, whereas I feel that this will only destroy their creativity, and that is precisely what our present education system is doing,” he remarked.

He added that there was no absolute truth, and at times something useful could emerge even from something done wrong.

He also did not hesitate to express his disapproval for the information available on the Internet.

“Exposure to limitless information on the Internet is not a positive and healthy trend as it hampers your thinking, as you copy information and present it as your own,” he said.

Chief Justice of the state high court Kurian Joseph and Justice RB Mishra also spoke on the occasion, while Justice Kuldip Singh delivered the keynote address.

Shimla, October 29
Himachal will take up the issue of creating a high-altitude airstrip at Chaka heights above Kalpa village in Kinnuar district with the Centre.

This was stated today by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal at Kalpa in Kinnaur district after laying the foundation stone of a helipad, estimated to cost Rs 1.50 crore, and a polytechnic college campus to be constructed at a cost of Rs 10 crore.

“We will urge the Centre to get a survey done so that a high-altitude air strip can be developed to cater to the requirement of high-end tourists who can be flown to the valley direct from different destinations all over the country,” he said.

He said Kinnaur had gradually emerged as a major tourist destination and providing a reliable air connectivity would give a big fillip to tourism.

He said the proposed helipad at Kalpa would facilitate the landing of chartered helicopters, besides accommodating emergency helicopter flights during the winter season for the locals. He said the airstrip could also be strategically important as the district had an international boundary with China.

Dhumal said Chaka slopes had been found suitable by skiers for skiing and the state government would further be exploring the possibilities to develop these slopes to attract tourists during winter season.

The Chief Minister said the state government had also taken up the issue of opening an alternate route to Mansarovar through the Kinnaur area which would not only reduce the distance substantially, but also make the journey safer. “The existing route through the Kumaon area of Uttarakhand was far too long and tedious,” he said. He said this would also help in the revival of the old Silk Route which had been a traditional vital trade link between India and Tibet for centuries.

Tejwant Negi, local MLA, thanked the Chief Minister and said development projects worth Rs 50 crore had been dedicated to people during his two-day visit.

Bilaspur, October 29
A devastating fire engulfed the house of farmer Sukh Ram of Kudwani-Nog village under Binola gram panchayat, near here, last night and property worth lakhs of rupees was reduced into ashes.

Reports said villagers immediately gathered at the spot, but the massive flames spread so fast that no one could come near.

The fire tenders had to stop at a good distance away as the road leading to the village was in a very bad shape. So firemen rushed to the spot on foot and tried their best to help the villagers extinguish the fire, but all in vain.

Zila Parishad member Vijay Kaushal and gram panchayat president Anjana Devi mocked at the immediate financial grant of Rs 2,000 provided by the district administration to the family. SDM Sandip Kadam, Tehsildar Gariba Ram and DSP Madan Kaushal also rushed to the spot.

Earlier on Thursday, property worth Rs 2 lakh is reported to have been destroyed in two fires which engulfed two double-storeyed houses - one at Khudangal village under the Tanbol gram panchayat and the other at Deoth village under the Deoth gram panchayat in the Naina Devi constituency, near here.

Reports said the house of Ram Pal of Khudangal village suddenly caught fire and efforts by a large number of villagers to control it did not succeed. The fire destroyed the entire second floor and the property kept there.

Palampur, October 29
Revenue Minister Gulab Singh Thakur said today that the state government had discontinued the sale of land on the basis of the general power of attorney (GPA) or special power of attorney (SPA) in the state.

Addressing a news conference here today, the minister said the step had been initiated following the judgment of the Supreme Court, which had held sales of land through the power of attorney in the country as illegal and uncalled for.

He said all the registrars and sub-registrars in the state had been directed to desist from honouring the GPA or the SPA while registering the sales deeds of land or buildings.

Thakur said the state had decided to implement the judgment of the apex court in letter and spirit so that illegal and benami sales of land were checked.

He said sub-registrars and registrars had also been directed to desist from honouring even the old GPAs as the same were not tenable in the eye of law after the judgment of the court. Now, the personal presence of the seller had been made mandatory.

Thakur said earler the state had been losing lakhs of rupees every year on account of stamp duty and registration charges since no sale deeds were being registered in the state and immovable property was selling on GPAs.

Now, it was expected that there would also be an increase in the revenue of the state. Besides, sellers and buyer would not be cheated by the middlemen, who had been purchasing land in bulk through GPA and selling latter on higher rates.

The minister also warned the registrars and sub-registrars to follow the judgment of the apex court with immediate effect and reject the GPA/SPA if presented before them for sale of land.