Solan, March 24
Acting on a complaint filed by a section of HP State Pollution Control Board employees pertaining to violations of Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) norms in granting permissions to over 110 industrial units by a key officer of the board, the Green Bench of the state high court has issued notices to the government and directed it to file their reply within four weeks.

Chief Secretary, secretaries of the departments concerned, State Pollution Control Board, and its former member secretary, State Geologist and Deputy Commissioners of Solan, Una, Kangra and Sirmaur were among those who had been made party in the case after the court accepted it as a PIL.

According to the complaint, an Indian Forest Services officer, who was a former member secretary of the board, had allegedly in connivance with some senior officers of the board, granted NOCs/consent/renewal to over 110 industrial units, including mining units, without prior EIA clearance, thus violating the EIA notification of 2006 of the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

A state Expert Appraisal Committee has been constituted to oversee the technical assessment of such projects while the final nod is given by the state EIA authority.

The working of this committee has come under scanner with this PIL.

The complainant has alleged that these units were located at the inter-state boundary of Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand and running illegally without EIA clearance, despite falling in the category B of the said notification for isolate storage of hazardous chemicals as per threshold planning quantity indicated in the notification.

They also include mining units where the lease area of over five hectares was involved and NoCs were allegedly granted on the basis of fake affidavits submitted by these unit managements.

Even housing, tourism and building projects involving area of over 20,000 sq m in Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, Una, Hamirpur, Kullu and Kangra have been allegedly granted NoCs and consent without the required EIA clearance as per the complaint.

A list of 110 units has been submitted to the court out of which the maximum of 40 units belong to Solan district while the remaining 22, 8 and 28 pertain to Una, Sirmaur and Kangra districts, respectively.

Regional officers of the board were now directed to submit their reply within three days to the head office at Shimla.

Dharamsala/Una, March 24
The state Congress launched a campaign in Kangra and Una districts, that are considered to be the stronghold of the ruling BJP, for the next three days.

While Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Virbhadra Singh will hold a political rally in the Jawali Assembly segment in Kangra district tomorrow, HPCC president Kaul Singh started his three-day visit to Una district today. Jawali Assembly constituency in Kangra is represented by the Virbhadra Singh supporter and Congress MLA, Sujjan Singh Pathania.

Kaul Singh received an impressive welcome at Mehatpur town of Una district this morning. He was welcomed by HPCC spokesperson OP Rattan and his supporters. Rattan belongs to the Mehatpur area.

Other prominent Congress leaders, including chairman of the media committee of the HPCC and MLA of Santokhgarh Mukesh Agnihotri and HPCC general secretary Ram Lal Thakur, also welcomed the HPCC chief.

Kaul Singh, while addressing a press conference at Una today, said he would be visiting three constituencies in Una, Kutlehar and Gagret held by the BJP in the district.

He alleged that ministers in the present government were facing serious charges of corruption. Even BJP leaders and MLAs were targeting the state government on charges of corruption.

Since the present government had not taken any action against Minister of Health Rajeev Bindal against whom documentary proofs had been presented by former BJP leaders, the Congress had decided to take the issue to people’s court. The Congress would be holding rallies to expose corruption in the present government and demand Bindal’s resignation, he said.

Kaul Singh also held rallies in the Kutlehar Assembly seat today.

The is the first exclusive political rally of Virbhadra in Kangra district since the past one year. His supporters would try to display their show of strength in Kangra district during the rally.

Virbhadra had not participated in a political rally organised by the Congress strongman from Kangra, GS Bali, during the winter session of the state Assembly. Since then, supporters of Virbhadra had been planning to display his show of strength to counter the influence of GS Bali.

A section of Virbhadra Singh supporters have also flayed certain Congress leaders for declaring the candidature of Ajay Mahajan from the Nurpur Assembly segment.

Shimla, March 24
With the electoral upset in Punjab and Uttarakhand still fresh in their mind, Congress legislators from Himachal have started pressing for party reins to be handed over to Union Minister Virbhadra Singh to ensure party’s victory in the Assembly elections.

Five Congress legislators from the state - Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, Subhash Manglet, Sudhir Sharma, Rajesh Dharmani and Rakesh Kalia - met AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi and Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma in New Delhi in the past two days.

It is learnt that the MLAs met Rahul Gandhi separately and also discussed the political scenario in the state.

Though it is being said that these legislators had met Rahul in connection with the UP elections where they had been appointed observers, they also impressed upon the high command that Virbhadra should lead the party in the elections for ensuring the return of the party in the state.

The legislators also met Anand Sharma in Delhi today, considering the fact that he has a major say not just in UPA matters, but also in the party affairs.

The MLAs said they were keen that all the senior party leaders in the state, including Virbhadra Singh, Anand Sharma, Vidya Stokes and Kaul Singh Thakur, sink their differences so that the Congress could regain power in Himachal. Though the BJP, marred by factionalism and dissidence is trying to put its house in order, it is hoping to gain from the groupism in the Congress with several leaders eyeing the post of CM.

With Assembly elections in the state likely to take place by October, Congress leaders do not want Virbhadra to be sidelined.

Chamba, March 24
Today’s massive Congress rally organised by the District Mahila Congress Committee under the leadership of its president Meena Dhall has indicated that the comeback of Congress stalwart and former Cabinet minister Harsh Mahajan to Chamba politics as imminent.

In view of the forthcoming Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh this year, this rally in Chamba is believed to be very significant in support of Harsh Mahajan.

The rally, which was largely attended, originated from residential premises of Dhall and after a round in the main bazars of Chamba culminated at the same location.

People participating in the rally were carrying Congress party flags and shouting slogans in favour of Congress leaders.

Dhall urged All-India Congress Committee President Sonia Gandhi to hand over the stewardship of the Himachal Pradesh Congress party to the Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Virbhadra Singh.

Dhall also appealed to Sonia Gandhi to field Harsh Mahajan in the fray in the ensuing Assembly elections as he was a high-profile politician and held sway in the entire district of Chamba.

She disclosed that the Congress was contemplating organising a mammoth rally at Chamba in the near future.

Though Harsh Mahajan could not be contacted, his family sources hinted at his coming back to Chamba politics.

Solan, March 24
Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), BJP’s youth wing, today urged youth to gear up for elections and step up their poll preparedness by ensuring larger enrolment of youth.

Addressing a rally at Dharampur, organised by the state BJYM, Anurag Thakur, its national president and Hamirpur MP, said today that more such youth rallies would be organised across the state.

He said new members who would be enrolled in the wing would be issued identity cards at these rallies. This would help assess the actual number of youth enrolled in the BJYM. He urged BJYM activists to step up enrolment campaign and ensure more youth joined its cadres.

Health Minister Rajeev Bindal, while addressing the gathering, gave figurative details of various developmental works undertaken by the state government.

Other MLAs of the district, including Govind Ram, Vinod Chandel, Dr Rajeev Sehzal and MP Virender Kashyap, were among those present.

Dharamsala, March 24
Deputy Ranger, Forests, Nurpur Forest Division, Baldev Chand has resigned after he was allegedly abused by Independent MLA from the area Rakesh Pathania.

In his resignation letter sent to the senior forest officials, a copy of which is available with The Tribune, Baldev Chand has alleged that on the night of March 22 he received information that wood logs were being smuggled to Punjab from the Nurpur border. He went to the spot, along with his staff, and caught a tractor carrying eight logs of shisham wood. Five persons sitting on the tractor failed to produce any valid document.

“While we were conducting the search, I received a call from the Nurpur MLA who abused me on the phone for stopping the tractor. He also threatened to eliminate me and my family. Discouraged by the behaviour of the MLA, I am submitting my resignation,” the Deputy Ranger has stated in his resignation letter.

While talking to The Tribune today, the Deputy Ranger said: “Working has become difficult for me due to constant political pressure to release wood smugglers in the area. I have just 15 months left for retirement, and so I decided to resign rather than work in such an atmosphere.”

Rakesh Pathania denied the allegations. He said the wood that was intercepted by the Deputy Ranger was felled by people from their private land. “I just asked him not to harass villagers,” he said.

“The Deputy Ranger was close to certain Congressmen who were hand in glove with the forest mafia. I have been consistently raising the issue of illegal felling and smuggling of khair and acacia variety trees from the forests of Nurpur into Punjab,” he said.

He said the ill intention of the Deputy Ranger was illustrated from the fact that he had written two different resignation letters to forest officials.

Pathania said he would demand an inquiry into the incident by senior officials of the Forest Department. He also said he would move a privilege motion against the Deputy Ranger.

Conservator, Forests, Dharamsala, ARM Reddy said till date the resignation of the Deputy Ranger had not been accepted.

“We will go into the details of the case before taking any decision. As per rules, the department can take a decision on the resignation of the Deputy Ranger within the next three months,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Union for Non-gazetted Forest Officers has condemned the incident and demanded action against the MLA. Dalip Singh Dhiman, president of the union, alleged that such acts of politicians discouraged government officials from discharging their duties.

Shimla, March 24
The Central Government has sanctioned a project for propagation of medicinal plants in the trans-Himalayan high altitude districts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti.

This was stated by Forest Minister Khimi Ram while presiding over the meeting of the third general body of the Himachal Medicinal Plants Society, here yesterday. The Rs 4.50-crore project would be implemented over a period of five years. The progress of the Rs 7.45 crore project to conserve the 47 threatened herbs of the Himalayan region and the ongoing project for propagation of medicinal plants in Chamba and Sirmaur districts was reviewed during the meeting.

It was revealed that technology for mass propagation of six endangered species had been standardised.

The meeting also discussed the proposed project for conservation of the endangered chilgoza pine on which a presentation was made by GS Goraya, Chief Conservator of Forests, Non-Timber Forest Produce and Biodiversity.

It was decided that chilgoza pine should be made the theme tree of Kinnaur as a protective measure and creating awareness among people to conserve it. A 30-year action plan had been prepared for conservation of chilgoza pine and work on the first phase, on which Rs 9.60-crore had to be spent, would be started shortly.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests RK Gupta underlined the need for linkage of medicinal plants projects with livelihoods of villagers.

He said the department had earmarked Rs 10 crore for eradication of weeds like congress grass, lantana and ageratum.

Palampur, March 24
A three-day annual group meeting of the all-India coordinated research project on soybean began at CSK HP Agriculture University here on Thursday. Dr BB Singh, Assistant Director General, Indian Council of Agricultural Research , said the country was importing edible oils and producing only 50 per cent of its edible oil requirement, out of which half was coming from soybean.

Dr SK Srivastva, Project Director, Directorate of Soybean Research, Indore, Dr SP Sharma, Director, Research, Dr JC Bhandari and Dr JK Sharma also spoke. — OC

Kangra, March 24
Goldsmiths from all over the district converged in this temple town today and took out a protest rally in support of their demands and against the UPA government. They also set ablaze Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s effigy at the Tehsil Chowk here.

The jewellers held a meeting here this morning and expressed concern over the UPA government Budget which was presented by the Finance Minister last week in Parliament which, according to the protestors, had doubled the Central Excise duty on gold from 2 to 4 per cent and increased taxes from 4 to 10 per cent on non-branded jewellery.

The protest was led by Kewal Malhotra, district president, Sarafa Association, Tilak Raj Soni, state president, Tank Surankar Sudhar Saba, Himachal Pradesh, and Ajay Verma, president, Kangra Gold Smith Association.

The protesting goldsmiths and their workers wearing black badges took out a protest march through the main market, college road and Dharamshala road before it converged into a rally at the Tehsil Chowk.

Soni, said goldsmith shops in the state would remain closed till March 31, demanding a rollback of anti-goldsmith steps in the Budget.

Meanwhile, Kewal Malhotra and Ajay Verma were critical of the government and said the present steps in the Budget would encourage the Inspector Raj in the country which was prevalent in 1963-1982 when the Gold Control Act was in force. They said goldsmiths in the country during this dark period suffered a lot and even committed suicide, and the situation was reeling back to that age now again.

Goldsmith shops remained closed in the town today on a call given by the National Goldsmith Association.

Shimla, March 24
The fourth ultra half marathon of 28.5 km and a separate 6-km run for those aged between 10 years and 70 years will be flagged off from the Ridge Maidan here on September 30.

The marathon will be co-organised by the state Department of Youth Services and Sports and the Delhi-based Running and Living Infotainment, a venture focused on promoting running.

VC Pharka, Principal Secretary, Youth Services and Sports, presided over a meeting held here yesterday in this connection. He said over 500 Shimla residents were expected to participate in the 6-km running event.

Rahul Verghese, CEO, Running and Living Infotainment, said apart from the Shimla Marathon, they had planned to organise the First Himalayan Running and Living Marathon in the state from June 28.

He said the event would have three separate legs. The first leg would comprise a rally, cycling, running and river rafting from Manali around June 20, which would enter Spiti to finally culminate at Sangla in Kinnaur district. The second leg would be an acclimatisation run of 5 km and 10 km on June 26, which would start from HPTDC Hotel, Kalpa, to Rogi village, followed by the last leg starting from Batseri village in the Sangla Valley to Rakcham, Chitkul, and back to Batseri.

Mandi, March 24
Students taking up the BA-I (Hindi elective) examination today created a stir inside the examination hall of the government college here as Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) failed to supply adequate quantity of question papers to the college.

As many as 450 students could not get question papers.

There were 1,750 students taking up examinations whereas the HPU had disbursed bundles carrying only 1,300 question papers.

Sensing trouble, the college administration swung into action and went on a “photostat spree”. It took 45 minutes to produce 450 copies of question papers before these were distributed among students.

“We were made to sit for 45 minutes extra just because of a blunder on the part of the university, which did not know how many students are taking up the examination,” students rued.

It is not for the first time that students ran short of question papers. Earlier also, BA II students went through the same ordeal as over 100 question papers fell short.

What has puzzled the college administration is that the HPU has no instructions for colleges as to how to deal with this kind of situation.

College Principal MS Jamval told The Tribune that they arranged photocopies of 450 question papers and gave students 45 minutes extra to bridge the gap. They had no option other than this.

Jamval said they had written to the university apprising it of the issue.

Hamirpur, March 24
An ex-Air Force personnel from Hamirpur district has accused a few Air Force officers of discharging him from job after a court martial for raising the issue of corruption in Air Force centres at Hindon and Bhusawal.

Former Lance Naik Kashmir Singh, who was court-martialled from the Air Force last year, has been fighting a legal battle and taking up the issue with top defence officers. He has written to the President to get justice.

Kashmir Singh’s wife had also sent a letter to the Prime Minister in 2007, when he was was court-martialled and jailed for 28 days at the Hindon Air Force station on flimsy grounds i.e. for exposing illicit cutting of trees and using it as firewood to save LPG cylinders used in the mess, which were allegedly sold illegally in the market by a few officials.

He has also sent a representation to the DDG, Army Headquarters, New Delhi, in this regard seeking personal interview with him to represent his case.

“I was continuously pressured by my superiors to take back the complaint and even a signed slip was sent to me saying that in forces only words of officers prevail and nothing else matters,” he alleged.

Kashmir Singh alleged, “While working at the Bhusawal station, I again raised the issue of illegal sale of LPG cylinders in the market when I was asked to go to the forest, along with six other personnel, to bring wood for the mess.”

“I was again court-martialled in December 2011 for fabricated absence from the duty and jailed for 28 days in New Delhi,” he said.

However, a Squadron Leader from the Bhusawal Air Force Station maintained, “Lance Naik Kashmir Singh was court-martialled for indiscipline during his duty, and the corruption charges levelled by him had also been investigated.”

Sundernagar, March 24
Once prized as North India’s biggest cattle fair, the rapid mechanisation of agriculture has spelt doom for the Nalwar Mela at Nagaun Khaud, its traditional venue.

There was a time when the Nalwar Mela used to attract over 60,000 bullocks and traders not only from different parts of the state, but also from Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. But this time Nalwar received not more than 20,000 bullocks for the fair in one week. “Small and marginal farmers in the hills still rear cattle for agriculture where tractors or tillers are not feasible and out of farmers’ reach,” said Paras Ram and Tola Ram, farmers from Jai Devi in Mandi.

For the past three days, the Nalwar fair has received poor response as traders and bullocks from Kangra, Una and Hamirpur have stopped coming. There is a sprinkling of bullocks and traders from Bilaspur and Kullu as well.

The fair now attract bullocks and traders from the nearby areas of Mandi and Bilaspur and a few traders from neighbouring Punjab and UP, said the farmers.

The rapid mechanisation of agriculture has spelt doom for bullocks and cattle in the region. Only farmers in the hill areas and poor pockets in neighbouring Punjab and UP depend upon bullocks for agriculture as tractors and tillers have replaced bullocks in farm lands in the region.

“Even transport of bullocks from village to the mela ground has become unaffordable for us,” rued Sita Ram, a farmer from Hara Bagh.

Senior veterinarian and in charge of the cattle fair Dr Sanjay said the fair was on decline due to the rapid mechanisation of agriculture in the region. Still traders and farmers continued to come for the fair as cattle were reared for manure and milk in the state, he added.

Mela committee president and SDM Sundernagar Vivek Chandel said they expected that cattle trade might touch 20,000 bullocks. “We provide free vaccination and give awards worth Rs 3 lakh for best bullocks breed during the competition,” he added.

Shimla, March 24
Seeking financial benefits on a par with Punjab, the Pensioner’s Welfare Association of Himachal Pradesh has recently said its members would hold protest rallies across the state on April 9 in case the government did not accept their demands.

Secretary General of the association Hari Chand Gupta said here recently that the outstanding demands of pensioners had still not been fulfilled by the government.

“Despite assurance by Chief Minister PK Dhumal, the state has still not implemented the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission in toto, despite Punjab, whom we follow, has gone ahead and implemented them,” said Gupta.

He said the main demands of the pensioners included grant of 5, 10 and 15 per cent additional quantum of pension on attaining the age of 65, 70 and 75 years on the Punjab pattern and giving additional one-month pension after every two years for pilgrimage.

Bilaspur, March 24
The Central Government has approved the Rs 3,700-crore annual plan for Himachal Pradesh proposed by the state. This was declared by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal here last evening after he came from Delhi after discussing the detailed plan draft proposals with Planning Commission Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and others. Dhumal said the plan sanction would help the state usher in another year of faster and phenomenal progress in all areas.

Earlier, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of Rs 22.56 crore modern sewerage scheme for Bilaspur, where the sewerage system was laid in the 1960s.

Dhumal also laid the foundation stone of Rs 1.60-crore office building of the IPH Circle at the Changar sector here.

He said this year, over 1.94 lakh population of the district would be provided drinking water through the Rs 65-crore Kol Dam drinking water scheme.

He declared the annual seven-day state-level Nalwadi Mela closed after he gave the Best Wrestler award to Malli Gurj (silver mace). Over 500 wrestlers drawn from 10 states of the country contested in the bouts.

A cash prize of Rs 61,000 was awarded to winner Johanny Chaudhary of Sundernagar, who downed wrestler Sunny of Laliya, Punjab, in the final bout. Runner-up wrestler Sunny was given cash prize of Rs 51,000. The third place was won by Satnam of Machhiwada, Punjab, who got cash prize of Rs 41,000, and Ram Pal of Una got the fourth place with cash prize of Rs 31,000.

In bouts of young wrestlers (up to 21 years), the coveted title of Him Kumar was won by best wrestler Pankaj Mankotia of Hamirpur. The Chief Minister presented a silver mace and cash prize of Rs 31,000 to Mankotia, who had pinned to the ground Gurbachan of Nalagarh, who got cash prize of Rs 21,000.

IPH Minister Ravinder Ravi, former Forest Minister and Rajya Sabha MP JP Nadda, MLA Randhir Sharma, Deputy Commissioner and mela management committee chairman Ritesh Chauhan and wrestling sub-committee convener and Superintendent of Police Santosh Patial were present on the occasion.