Manali, January 18
After a good spell of snow and inclement weather conditions prevailing for three days, the upper Manali region witnessed sun for the larger part of the day today.

The sky in the upper Kullu valley was bright till afternoon, but again the entire upper Manali region experienced fresh snowfall.

The snow-clad Pir Panjal range overlooking Manali and apple and deodar trees covered with snow and the Beas presented a picturesque view.

However, despite sunshine and a relatively clear day till the afternoon, the entire region continued to reel under extreme cold.

Meanwhile, hundreds of tourists rushed to the Solang valley to see the fresh snow. After three days of continued snowfall and bad weather conditions, a jovial atmosphere prevailed at different places between Nehru Kund, Palchan and the Solang valley as tourists were seen enjoying skiing, riding yaks and horses, throwing snowballs at each other and having photo sessions.

The Deputy Director, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, Mahavir Thakur, said the ski slopes of the Solang valley also experienced fresh snowfall. He said the ski slopes recorded about 5 ft of fresh snowfall, which was good for skiing.

He said ski lovers who had come to the Solang valley from all over the country to undertake the basic and advance courses were happy to see the slopes covered with a thick layer of fresh snowfall.

Due to the fresh spell of snowfall again in the Manali region this afternoon, the day temperature dipped sharply as cold winds lashed the upper region.

Shimla, January 18
While the region got some relief from incessant snow and rain, there was no respite from the extreme cold and people in mid and high-hill areas of the state continued to groan under freezing temperatures.

It has been an extreme wet January so far and with the entire state recording snow and rain far above normal, the deficiency experienced in the post-monsoon period (October to December) has been made up for. The overall precipitation has been 107 mm against the normal of 43.5, 146 per cent excess, and Bilaspur with 117.5 mm received the highest 413 per cent excess rainfall, followed by Una (+356 per cent), Hamirpur (+320 per cent), Kullu (+266 per cent), Kangra (+255 per cent), Mandi (+245 per cent) and Shimla (+191 per cent). Only Lahaul and Spiti district had normal precipitation.

Weather remained mostly dry with traces of snow and sleet at places. The weather was clear in the morning, but clouds appeared in the sky in Shimla, Manali and some other towns by afternoon and there were traces of snow and sleet. However, the cold wave tightened its grip with the minimum temperatures dipping further over the past 24 hours across the state with Keylong, the district headquarters of the tribal Lahaul and Spiti district, being the coldest at -11.2°C and a maximum of 1.4°C. Kalpa in Kinnaur was also freezing at -6.7°C, followed by Manali (-2.8°C) and Solan (-0.5°C).

In the lower hills, Dharamsala recorded a minimum of 2.3°C, followed by Palampur (2.5°C), Bhuntar (3.4°C), Sundernagar (3.5°C) Nahan (3.7°C) and Mandi (4.7°C).

People shivered in the extreme cold as the city recorded a minimum of 0.2°C and a maximum of 5.2°C, 4°C below normal. Dark clouds gathered by the afternoon and the city remained enveloped in thick fog. There were some traces of sleet also.

Meanwhile, the Rampur and Kinnaur route was opened to vehicular traffic via Narkanda today and the state road transport corporation plied buses up to Kotkhai. However, the Rohru, Jubbal and parts of the Chopal area were still cut off.

Mandi/Kullu, January 18
The two recent spells of heavy snowfall have set the stage for a “near disease-free healthy environment” in the Mandi-Kullu-Shimla-Chamba-Kinnaur belt, the state’s fruit bowl, say farmers and a scientist.

The heavy snowfall in the apple belt will not only help recharge water sources, taking care of drinking water shortage in the summer season, but will also help the horticulture, hospitality and hydropower sectors.

“Pests and insects get depleted in a prolonged chilling atmosphere triggered by heavy snowfall,” said Dr ML Khan, Professor and Head, Department of Etymology, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry.

“We expect a disease-free environment in the apple belt this time due to the widespread snowfall,” he added.

Professor Khan said even if pests or harmful insects bred, these did not last long as their longevity was cut down by the prolonged snow cover. Pests, mites and aphids would be less and, hence, plants would be healthy and farmers would harvest a healthy crop, Professor Khan hoped.

Farmers said the two recent spells of snowfall were the heaviest in this decade. “The snowfall in January, locally called “makar snowfall”, kills diseases and the harvest is healthy,” said Narotam Thakur, a farmer from Kullu.

“We have received more than 5 ft of snow here and this is the heaviest in my memory,” said Pradip Banchta, an orchardist.

Even the chilling requirement of apple trees, 1200 hours, had been fulfilled, Professor Khan said. “However, there is no reason for farmers to be complacent on disease management in orchards as they have to be judicious in applying pesticides, fungicides and insecticides,” he cautioned.

Shimla, January 18
Plot owners who acquired land in the 17 green belts of the state capital before the notification designating these as a no-construction zone was issued in 2000 can now heave a sigh of relief as the government intends allowing them raising two-storeyed residential structures, provided not a single tree is felled.

The intention of the government to make a partial relaxation in the no-construction green belts is evident from the new regulations mentioned in the Draft Development Plan proposed for Shimla. The Town and Country Planning Department has invited objections and suggestions of the public on the Draft Shimla Development Plan till January 22.

About 80 plot owners are likely to benefit from this proposed move of the government. With the value of land in these designated green belts being exceptionally high, there was a lot of political pressure on the government to lift the ban on construction in this green zone. The partial relaxation that the government proposes is a step in the right direction as it will not allow construction in plots which were acquired after the notification in 2000.

Sources said the relaxation for building structures in the 17 green belts would be applicable only to the original plot owners. “The relaxation would not apply to any subsequent owner even on account of inheritance through succession as per clause (c) of Section 16 of the HP Town and Country Planning Act, 1977,” said an official. The permitted use of these new structures would be strictly for residential purposes only.

Though the government intends giving justice to the plot owners who bought land before December 7, 2000, this too will be done with very strict regulations which will be enforced stringently. Not even a single tree will be allowed to be cut and the maximum floor area ratio (FAR) shall be 1. A maximum of two storeys will be allowed and the built-in parking will be counted in the maximum permissible FAR of 1.

The plot owners who had purchased land in areas which were designated as green belts through a notification had time and again requested the government to allow them construct need-based structures for personal use. They had been pleading that since they bought the land prior to the notification, they must be accommodated based on the principle of natural justice.

The government also proposes to increase the number of these green belts from 17 so that the green areas can be preserved as “lungs” and the area under these can be enhanced. 

Shimla, January 18
The Congress has lambasted the state government for its failure to restore roads and power supply after snowfall as a result of which people are facing untold hardships, particularly in upper Shimla and interior of Kullu district.

General secretary of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Kuldeep Rathore alleged that most parts of the upper Shimla, Kullu and Chamba areas were cut off for the past 10 days as snow had not been cleared and roads were 
still blocked. This was causing great inconvience to the public.

Instead of taking prompt action on the ground, the government was making false claims that roads had been cleared, he said.

The failure of the state electricity board to restore power supply in parts of Chamba, Kullu and Shimla districts had added to the woes of people who were reeling under severe cold wave conditions.

In some areas where power supply had been restored, the low-voltage power supply was a cause of concern. Water supply was still disrupted in most areas of the state. Snow-bound areas had already started experiencing shortage of essential commodities.

The disaster management plans had come a cropper, the general secretary said.

Kuldeep Rathore advised BJP leaders not to make false statements regarding the restoration of basic amenities and make the administration accountable to bring efficiency in governance.

Didwin Tikkar (Hamirpur), January 18
Chief Minister PK Dhumal has said the state government was making every effort to control the monkey population in the state.

Addressing a public meeting here today, the Chief Minister said: “A population of 3.5 lakh monkeys has been estimated in the state, but the government has opened 25 sterilisation centres to contain their population and also taken steps to save crops and human beings from the monkey menace.”

He appealed to people in general not to leave their domestic animals astray, which had been a cause of destruction of crops in the state.

Chief Minister Dhumal said: “The state government will be considering four drinking and irrigation schemes costing Rs 247 crore for Hamirpur district. These projects have been submitted for funding to the Central Government and after approval, best drinking water supply and irrigation network will be created in the district.”

He said the four years of the present term had been testimony to the spectacular achievements made on all fronts that had bagged the state 52 awards of national and international standards and even international agencies like Asian Development Bank and World Bank had lauded the progress here.

The Chief Minister announced Rs 3 lakh for the construction of the Tikkar link road, Rs 1 lakh for a rain shelter at Tikkar, Rs 2 lakh for a link road to Kakkaryana, Rs 1.75 lakh for boring hand pump at Kakkaryana and Rs 1 lakh for a link road from Taal to Kapoti in the area.

Education Minister ID Dhiman and Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur were among those who addressed the meeting.

Dhumal also laid the foundation stone of the Rs 5.18-crore Lift Drinking Water Supply Scheme at Baloh.

Dharamsala, January 18
The Central University of Himachal Pradesh has delayed admissions to its PhD programmes till June this year. Sources told The Tribune that the delay was due to the non-availability of senior faculty in the university. Though the university started functioning two years ago, senior faculty is yet to be recruited.

The university had conducted the entrance test for 150 PhD seats in the institution in December last year. About 1,500 candidates had appeared in the entrance test. This month the list of selected candidates was released. However, the selected candidates will have to wait till June this year for admissions.

The recruitment of senior faculty was delayed due to inordinate lingering in the appointment of visitor’s nominees (nominees of the President of India) in the selection committees for recruiting faculty for various departments of the university.

Yoginder Verma, Controller of Examinations and spokesperson for the university, said the recruitment process for faculty had now been initiated. The university would conduct interviews for senior faculty for various departments in February. The process for the recruitment of senior faculty was likely to be completed by the end of March.

Thereafter the senior faculty would be given around three months for joining. Once the head of departments were in place, the process of recruitment of assistant professors would be started, he said.

Asked if admissions to the PhD programmes of the university had been delayed due to non-availability of senior faculty, he said this was one of the major reasons.

The affected students who have been selected by the university have rued the delay in their admissions. Some of the affected students while talking to The Tribune on condition of anonymity said they had cleared the Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) test conducted by the UGC. They were now entitled to fellowship from the UGC in case they pursued the research programme for a period of two years. However, the delay in admissions would delay their research and result in a loss of the fellowship period. Some students might also lose their fellowship by the time they get admissions, they alleged.

However, students who had taken admission to PhD last year and are still without a guide said the university had taken a wise decision by delaying the admission.

The students should not be allowed to take admission to the PhD programme till they are allotted guides. However, some in-service students who have taken leave from their institutions for doing PhD on a regular basis would lose valuable time due to the delay in the admissions.

Kangra, January 18
The Students Federation of India (SFI) today threatened to resort to a statewide agitation if any hike in the fee structure was imposed as proposed by the Resource Mobilisation Committee (RMC) of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU).

Vishal Deep, SFI state secretariat member and district secretary, said this in a statement here today. He said the university authorities were attributing the proposed fee hike to the financial crunch the university was facing. He alleged that despite the financial crunch, Vice-Chancellor ADN Vajpayee had not only spent Rs 1.10 crore on his personal travels and uncalled-for conferences, but had also spent Rs 35 lakh on the renovation of his official residence.

He said according to official figures, 26 per cent of the population of this state was living below the poverty line and 17 lakh youth were unemployed, and if the 10 per cent fee hike was imposed, it would deprive the youth belonging to this section from higher education.

He said the final decision on the fee hike would be taken by the Executive Council of HPU, where the ABVP was in a majority and the NSUI had one seat.

Dharamsala, January 18
Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Ramesh Dhawala has admitted to bungling in the purchase of pulses under the public distribution system (PDS) in the state.

The minister was here to clarify on allegations being levelled against his department by Congress leaders regarding supply of poor-quality pulses through the PDS in the state.

He said though the supplier of pulses had duped the government by supplying pulses at higher rates, at no point of time were people supplied poor-quality pulses.

The minister said the allegations of the Congress regarding the supply of poor-quality pulses in the state were baseless. If the Congress leaders had any particular complaint, they should bring it to the notice of the department and appropriate action would be taken against those guilty.

Addressing a press conference here today, he said the chairman of the purchase committee for foodgrains under the PDS, Ashok Kumar, and member Kashmir Singh Rana had been put under suspension for causing a loss to the government by purchasing pulses at higher rates.

A Vigilance case had been registered against both officials and the strictest possible action would be taken against them, the minister said.

He said according to the inquiry conducted by the Food and Civil Supplies Department, a tender was issued for the purchase of pulses on December 16, 2011. The said officials allegedly added a clause in the tender to favour a particular supplier. The other suppliers complained to the government that pulses that they were ready to supply to the government at Rs 523 per quintal were being purchased by the department at Rs 825 per quintal.

On their complaint, a departmental inquiry was conducted. It was found that the said officials had caused a loss to the government by purchasing pulses at higher rates.

Besides taking action against the officials, the government had also cancelled the contract for supplying pulses. Now a new tender had been issued on January 10 and good-quality pulses were being supplied through PDS shops.

Shimla, January 18
Una, one of the small districts of the state, has the highest number of 159 proclaimed offenders (POs) evading the police.

There are 737 POs in the state, excluding Shimla and Baddi police district, who are at large out of whom 279 have been on the run for the past over five years.

Information obtained by RTI activist Dev Ashish Bhattacharya said Kangra, the largest district of the state, had 155 POs followed by Solan (118), Mandi (88), Sirmaur (47), Hamirpur (37), Chamba (36), Kullu and Bilaspur (34 each).

The two tribal districts, Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur, had the lowest number of POs of (17) and (12), respectively.

The highest number of 99 POs who have been on the list for over five years were in Kangra followed by Mandi (42), Solan, Una and Sirmaur (23 each), Bilaspur (17), Kullu and Hamirpur (13 each), Chamba (11), Kinnaur (80) and Lahaul-Spiti (7).

The police authorities concerned failed to provide the information in respect of Shimla and Baddi even after filing appeals.

Bhattacharya maintained that for a small state like Himachal the number of POs was quite large, particularly those over five years old, and it reflected the lackadaisical approach of the police in apprehending culprits.

He said if the police could take prompt action and trace missing persons in cases of habeas corpus petition, there was no reason for not adopting the same approach and showing same urgency in nabbing POs, some of whom could be seen roaming around freely.

The RTI activist added that there was a need to put in place a mechanism for effective monitoring of efforts being made by the police to apprehend the POs as had been done recently in respect of unsolved murder cases after he raised a series of queries under the RTI on the matter.

Solan, January 18
Even as the government had authorised officials of various departments, including the PWD, IPH and Forest, to check illegal mining in the state, not a single case was detected by PWD officials in the past about a year.

These facts emerged in a recent meeting of the Industries Department where it was pointed out that despite the illegal mining causing damage to bridges constructed by the PWD, officials had not come forward to report any case in their respective areas.

Sensing the immense losses caused to various structures and the state revenue due to the lack of participation by PWD officials in checking illegal mining, state geologist Arun Sharma had taken up the matter with the Principal Secretary, PWD, following which directions had been issued to officials to detect such cases.

Gauging the seriousness of the matter, the Principal Secretary has now, directed officers to present details of such cases in their quarterly meeting.

The state had authorised officials of the IPH, PWD, Forest departments, SHOs, SDMs, apart from mining officials, to check illegal mining in 2008.

Earlier only the SDO and junior engineers were authorised to challan offenders, later executive engineers were also authorised to seize such vehicles and initiate appropriate action.

In a bid to check illegal mining from various khads of the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area, Nalagarh SDM Shubkaran Singh today convened a meeting where flying squads comprising officials from various departments would jointly raid such places.

The SDM said besides compounding the offence, it had been decided to initiate action under various Acts, including the Indian Forest Act if forest land was involved, and book the offender under Section 379, IPC, for theft.

Action under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act would also be initiated against vehicles transporting quarry material illegally.