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Glaciers receding at fast pace
Gadkari summons Shanta, Dhumal to end feud
CM opens Rs 40-crore water scheme
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Virbhadra’s charges baseless: CM
Kiratpur-Manali Super Expressway
Residents hold protest against water shortage
Cut power supply to battery unit: Pollution board
Consortium to help accelerate farm development in hill states
Temple row: Army, Valmiki Sabha at loggerheads
Water scarcity: Cong threatens stir
Villagers allege contaminated water supply
Youth held on rape charge
Class X student commits suicide
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Glaciers receding at fast pace
Shimla, June 9 These observations have been made in the latest Compendium of Environmental Statistics, Himachal Pradesh, brought out by the Department of Economics and Statistics by putting together data collected from various agencies like the Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad, and the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, and the HP State Council for Science Technology and Environment.
The adverse affects of global warming and climate change are already becoming visible in various parts of the hill state. The study attributes the accelerated melting rate of glaciers to the fact that the maximum and minimum temperatures at almost all locations, including Losar, Kaza, Maling and Namgia, have risen. The Spiti valley, where apple cultivation was unheard of till a few years ago, is taking to commercial apple cultivation with people setting up orchards. The snow line, too, has been declining and agro-climatic zones have practically been redefined owing to global warming. “Our endeavour is to develop a database pertaining to environment, impact of human activities on environment and actions taken to minimise the impact,” explains Pradeep Chauhan, State Economic Adviser. The study took into account the monitoring of glaciers with the help of remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS) in order to estimate the retreat in terms of loss of area for the year 1962, 1993, 2001 and 2007. The comparison of the size of the glaciers during these years indicated that 5 per cent of the area was lost between 1962 and 1993, the pace of melting increased to 12 per cent by 2001, which further shot up to 13 per cent by 2007. The glaciers have been retreating, both in spatial as well as linear retreat in the Spiti sub-catchment. During the study, it was found that the glacial area of the 188 glaciers taken into account had reduced to 230.84 sq km in 2001 from 311.13 sq km area it had in 1962, thereby indicating an overall reduction of 25.80 per cent. While glaciers with an area of more than 10 sq km exhibited the maximum retreat of 65 per cent, the ones ranging between five and 10 sq km lost the area by 38 per cent while the smaller ones up to 3.5 sq km lost the area by 30 per cent. The smallest ones with an area ranging between one to three sq km retreated at 13 per cent. Data analysis indicated that the number of smaller glaciers with less than 1 sq km area had increased in the area mainly due to the fragmentation of bigger glaciers, triggered by climate variations over a period of time. The comparison of 812 glaciers between 2001 and 2007 indicated that a deglaciation of 11.04 per cent had taken place. |
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Gadkari summons Shanta, Dhumal to end feud
Gadkari, who met leaders of the rival Dhumal and Shanta camps in Delhi late last night, decided to hold talks with the two leaders heading the rival factions within the party to bring about truce. Sensing the deep chasm that has led to a virtual vertical split in the party right up to the grassroots level, he thought it wise to summon the two arch rivals to settle the bickering. As such it is being expected that after the meeting with the two leaders, a mutually acceptable solution might emerge, which will be strictly enforced on all loyalists. Shanta, has of late has been upset over the proposal of trifurcation of Kangra and alleged undue interference by Ravinder Ravi, IPH Minister and blue-eyed boy of the Chief Minister. Gadkari directed ministers Kishan Kapoor and Ramesh Dhawala from the Shanta camp and Ravinder Ravi and Rajiv Bindal from the Dhumal camp to put an end to unsavoury controversies which are damaging the party. He made it clear that everyone must avoid going to the media and raising issues only on the party platform. The party chief is also learnt to have told the four ministers that a final decision on the allotment of the party ticket for the Assembly elections will be taken only by the high
command. While Ravi justified his stake for the Jawalamukhi segment, Bindal said he was keen on contesting from Nahan as his segment had been reserved for an SC. The issue of carving out of new districts, especially in Kangra, which has caused much heartburn, also figured at the meeting with Gadkari. He, however, made it clear that a formal decision would be taken on the contentious issue only after taking everyone into confidence. The latest outburst by Shanta has forced the party high command to take some serious steps to end the bickering. With party MP from Kangra Rajan Sushant, who has already been suspended from the party, also adopting a defiant stand, the BJP will have to set its house in order in case it wants to keep the Congress out of power. |
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CM opens Rs 40-crore water scheme
Dharamsala, June 9 He also inaugurated the mini-secretariat of Dehra that has come up at a cost of Rs 4 crore. He said during the stint of the present government, nine new mini-secretariats had come up up in Kangra. A delegation of protesters, who have been demanding the district status for Dehra, also met the Chief Minister and submitted a memorandum of their demands. An impressive rally was organised at Machkund Mahadev, where the scheme was inaugurated. After a meeting with the party high command in Delhi, BJP leaders tried to put up a united face in the rally. All BJP leaders from the Dehra region, including Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Ramesh Dhawala and Minister for Irrigation Ravinder Ravi, both of whom and vying for the Jwalamukhi Assembly constituency ticket, were also present in the rally. The Chief Minister complemented officers of the department for completing the scheme six months before target. He announced that the government would publicly honour the officers completing development projects before the scheduled dates. He announced a cash reward of Rs 1 lakh for the officers who helped implement the Jaswan-Pragpur drinking water scheme. The Chief Minister addressed an impressive rally near Machkund Mahadev and countered the allegations levelled against his government by Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Virbhadra Singh. He said Virbhadra Singh knew that he would be forced to resign in case charges were framed against him in the CD case. He was not doing anything great by announcing that he would resign in case charges were framed against him. The Chief Minister announced that a Rs 6-crore Cage Culture Scheme under the Fisheries Department will soon be launched in the Dehra area. The government would consider sympathetically the demand for opening a degree college in the area, he said. He was presented a draft of Rs 9.61 lakh by officers of the IPH Department as contribution towards the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Anurag Thakur, MP from Hamirpur, Satpal Singh Satti, MLA and president, state BJP, Rakesh Pathania and Sanjay Chaudhary, MLAs, Joginder Verma, Chairman and Ghanshyam Sharma, Vice-Chairman, HP Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, Balram Sharma, Chairman, Board of School Education, RS Mankotia, Chairman, Kangra Central Cooperative Bank, KR Bharti, Deputy Commissioner and Diljeet Thakur, SP, were among those present on the occasion. |
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Virbhadra’s charges baseless: CM
Shimla, June 9 In a statement issued here today, Dhumal said the latest outburst by the former Chief Minister clearly indicated that he was perturbed over something, leading to his crossing all limits of decency. “Making baseless allegations of corruption against our government without proof is totally wrong, especially because it was during the Virbhadra regime that Section 118 of the Tenancy and Land Reforms Act was amended on five occasions,” he said. He added that the maximum cases that found mention in the report on benami land deals pertained to his regime. The Chief Minister said the contents of the CD on the basis of which a case was in court could not be changed and the people knew the truth. “I advise him to refrain from playing with the sentiments of the people of Kangra on the issue of creation of new districts as a decision will be taken as per the wishes of the people of the district,” he said. |
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Corruption another form of violence: Dalai Lama
Dharamsala, June 9 The Dalai Lama said corruption was another form of violence. He said, “I will dedicate my remaining life for the promotion of human values. China has absolute control over Tibet. Still visiting tourists state that Tibetan people are happier than the Chinese. This is the effect of the culture on the Tibetan people.” The conference is being convened by the Tibetan Cause, India. About 150 members of Tibetan support groups are participating in this three-day conference. The members will deliberate on wide-ranging issues, including the present situation in Tibet and China-India relations. They will also deliberate on the fragile ecosystem of Tibet and its impact on the neighbouring countries. RSS leader Indresh Kumar, Congress MP from Jodhpur Chandresh Kumari and Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Lobsang Sangay were among those present on
the occasion. |
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Kiratpur-Manali Super Expressway
Bilaspur/Hamirpur, June 9 Residents of several villages from Nauni to Barmana and those belonging to Kannaid and Bhour have filed their objections, apprehending disturbance to their life and property. The four-lane super expressway from Kiratpur to Manali is being developed on the existing NH-21. For widening the highway, land adjoining the existing highway is being acquired and some habitats are likely to be disturbed. One of the oustees of the Bhakra Dam project from Nauni, Hari Singh,says, “A large number of families were displaced during the construction of the Bhakra Dam in Bilaspur town and the adjoining area in 1958 and if our land is acquired for the expressway, then we will face displacement once again.” The residents of these areas are demanding a flyover in the Bilaspur area for the highway to exclude this area from inclusion in the expressway project. Similarly, residents of Bhour, Kannaid and other villages along the existing NH-21 have demanded a bypass from Naulakha to Dadaur to exclude the villages from this project. General Manager of the NHAI, Kirtapur-Manali super expressway, Satish Kaul said, “Acquisition of land is a natural process for any development project and we will take care of collective problems of the affected residents during the construction.” |
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Residents hold protest against water shortage
Palampur, June 9 Surekha Katoch, a leader of the area, led the procession to the IPH office and staged a dharna, raising anti-government slogans. Residents complained that despite their repeated requests, the IPH Department failed to restore the drinking water supply to their villages. Agitated villagers threatened to block the NH-22 if the department failed to initiate steps in this regard. Earlier, residents of Awari, Kukanna, Jhikli and Nori villages also lodged their protest with the Assistant Engineer, IPH, Baijnath, against the shortage of drinking water in their area. Meanwhile, Suresh Mahajan, Executive Engineer, IPH, Palampur, said the department was well-conversant with the problem of the villagers. |
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Cut power supply to battery unit: Pollution board
Solan, June 9 The issue pertains to Cecil Instant Power Company, which has been in operation since February 2010 in the Nalagarh industrial area on the Nalagarh-Ropar road. It was learnt that though the unit had applied for consent to establish in 2010, it had failed to submit the required documents and had been operating without the mandatory permission. Executive officer, SPCB, Anil Manuja, said they had directed the unit management to seek an NOC from the panchayat concerned but they never produced it and did not bother to pursue the case. The irregularity came to light when board officials in a bid to monitor the red units, which have the maximum pollution potential, visited this unit and the management failed to furnish details of consent. A further scrutiny of official records unearthed this irregularity. Consent to operate is supposed to be sought before commencement of any production activity and is granted after the unit is found capable of adhering to all environmental standards. Officials added that since Cecil Instant Power Company had purchased this unit in 2010, they continued to use its old electricity connection instead of changing its ownership and the unit, therefore, continued to operate without the mandatory consent. It was learnt that usually after preliminary registration with the Department of Industries, a unit applies for consent and after getting a permanent registration it applies for consent to operate before the SPCB. This mechanism helps to check bogus units from operating by ensuring that only units which have sought approval from the SPCB are given permanent registrations. It remains to be seen if this unit has sought any registration from the Department of Industries and has sought any incentive available under the 2003 Central Industrial Package. This revelation has put a question mark against the power board as they had failed to check that a unit was operating under a different name while its electricity bill was billed under a different name since the past over two years. |
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Consortium to help accelerate farm development in hill states
Dharamsala, June 9 Ayyappan said farm development issues and challenges of hill states were different than plains and a group of all those concerned with agricultural research, extension and education will be set up with the Director, Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute, Dehradun, as member secretary and one of the Vice-Chancellors of six farm universities from this region as Chairman. He said inter and intra-institution discussions and technology sharing could prove as a boon to the farming community of the region. The ICAR had begun a system to have one to one meeting in each state where the Chief Minister and his team of officers dealing with agriculture, ICAR institutes and farm universities discuss state specific issues to resolve them in a systematic manner. One such meeting was due for Himachal, he said. He also elaborated about the pertinent issues for the 12th five year plan with a direction to all institutions to take them up in a missionary spirit. HP Singh, Arvind Kumar, SK Dutta, KD Kokate, MM Pandey, AK Singh and B Meenakumari, all deputy director generals in the ICAR system, also spoke about their respective divisions and future plans. Dr Bengali Baboo, National Director, National Agriculture Innovative Project; Dr Arvind Kumar, Assistant Director-General; and Dr PK Mishra, Director, Central Soil; and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute, Dehradun; elaborated on the related topics. Dr SK Sharma, Vice-Chancellor of the host university, said only rivers separated the states of Himachal, J&K and Uttarakhand, but agro-climatic conditions of these states were similar. Hence, to avoid duplication of research, it was imperative to utilise and share farm research and technologies. He sought the help of ICAR to translate the understandings between institutions of these states into a reality that will immensely help the farming community. Dr KR Dhiman, Vice-Chancellor, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, said about the issues and prospects of hill agriculture. Directors of various ICAR institutions and heads of departments from these states also participated in the discussions. |
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Temple row: Army, Valmiki Sabha at loggerheads
Kangra, June 9 In a joint statement here today, Sudesh Sanhotra and Deepak Lahoai, district president and general secretary of the sabha, respectively, alleged that the Army authorities had locked the main entrance of the Valmiki temple premises on June 6 and stopped workers from fixing tiles in the temple for which a former MP, Chander Kumar, had provided Rs 3 lakh. The duo claimed that the Army was allegedly trying to grab the temple that was hundred years old. They said earlier also an attempt was made by the Army authorities to damage the temple but following a protest the Chief of the Army intervened in the matter after which the temple activities continued. Lakhs of rupees was spent on the construction of the temple which was funded by the Central and the state governments. They threatened that if the Army did not open the lock and hand over the premises to the temple management, the situation would take an ugly turn for which the Army and the civil authorities would be responsible. The Valmiki community had called a meeting tomorrow for chalking out a strategy in this regard, the duo said. A spokesman for the Army said today that this temple had been constructed illegally on defence land. He said: “Over the past few years, a small place has been converted into a large area and the Army will not permit any construction in the building and restricted entry for prayers will be allowed.” He added that, therefore, the only solution was to resolve the issue amicably by shifting the temple to some civil land and the Army would provide all possible help in this regard. |
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Water scarcity: Cong threatens stir
Bilaspur, June 9 Dharmani has threatened that the Ghumarwin Congress Committee would be constrained to start an agitation if the government fails to provide potable water to all affected villages in this constituency. He said he had been touring this constituency and had found that almost every third village was facing water scarcity due to the hot weather conditions and most of the women folk have to be involved for the whole day for fetching water and this had disturbed their daily chores. Ram Lal has said he had found areas like Chakoh, Soldha, Rattanpur dhaar and Kolwhin experiencing scarcity of water as they have to fetch drinking water from far-off places. Dr Gauttam said there was an acute water scarcity in Jamthal, Nehar Harnoda, Churaadi, Behal, Sindhar, Talyana , Sungal, Berry, Mandi Maanman, Mandi Bharaadi, Jabbali and Kunala areas. |
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Villagers allege contaminated water supply
Kangra, June 9 GC Dhiman, a resident of Sadwan, in a letter to Chief Minister PK Dhumal alleged that Sadwan and Maniala villages were being supplied with unhygienic water, which was having dissolved salt at 260 PPM whereas it should have been 35 to 60 PPM that is suitable for human consumption. Residents of these two villages were being discriminated as pure drinking water supply from the Kaloha water supply scheme was stopped to these villages and at present it was being supplied to Upper Kahloha, Rakkar, Garli and Upper Sadwan, he alleged. Residents demanded the restoration of the water supply from this scheme to the two villages also.
— OC |
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Youth held on rape charge
Bilaspur, June 9 The mother of the girl lodged an FIR at the Bilaspur Sadar police station that her minor daughter was accosted by the youth and persuaded to accompany him in his vehicle. He took her to a local hotel where he allegedly raped her. The girl managed to escape from his custody and narrated the incident to her mother. The police has got both the girl and the youth medically examined. The accused has been remanded in police custody till June 11.
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Class X student commits suicide
Kangra, June 9 The boy has been identified as Abhay, a student of Class X. In the morning, he took the newspaper into his room and locked it from inside. The police said when his family members asked him to open the door, he told them that he had taken poison. He started vomiting and was rushed to a Nadaun hospital from where he was referred to to the Tanda college. The cause of the suicide is not known.
— OC
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Shimla, June 9