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Amend monuments Act, Dhumal urges PM
Silt trouble for farmers of Sundernagar
It’s a war against Dhumals now: Virbhadra Singh
Finally, Shanta relents; to campaign for BJP
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Engg colleges have required infrastructure: Assn
Property worth Rs 20 lakh destroyed in fire
Solan constituency being neglected: HLP
Ministry nod to set up 3 industrial clusters in state
231-MW Chamera-III commissioned
3 more panchayats to get water from Phina Singh project
Panchayat president suspended
BJP misleading people on projects: Cong
Dalai Lama’s birthday on July 6 to be low-key affair
BJP has a dig at Virbhadra
Farmers to be encouraged to grow willow, sandalwood trees
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Amend monuments Act, Dhumal urges PM
Shimla, July 1 In a letter to the Prime Minister, he pointed out that the Act and rules have been passed without holding prior consultation with the state government. “The seemingly innocuous provisions of the Act have proved to be self-defeating for people whose heritage these intend to preserve as they act as a barrier in the day-to-day living of the people who are major stakeholders,” he said. He cited provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, the National Monuments Authority Rules, 2011, and the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Rules, 2011, “which have been passed with the objective of protecting and preserving the heritage but are turning out to counter-productive”. He said it was not possible to undertake any civic activity like creating a drainage or repairing a school or hospital within the 100-metre prohibited area around a monument and the 200-metre regulated area without the permission of the central authority. He said in HP there were more than 4,000 temples and 40 protected monuments under the Act in eight districts. “In some places in the hills, the 300-metre radius covers the entire town and there is hardly any area left for any civic activity as is the case in Mandi, Chamba and Tabo,” he said. Dhumal said the Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution on December 21, 2011, seeking an amendment to the rules for HP. He urged the Prime Minister to take immediate steps to redress the genuine concern of the state.
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Silt trouble for farmers of Sundernagar
Sundernagar, July 1 In order to supply silt-free water to the 990 MW Dehar powerhouse, a balancing reservoir was constructed here to allow the silt to settle down and to store water. Every year, the BBMB dredges silt which flows into the Suketi khad. The silt flows directly into the fields of farmers who have landholdings on the banks of a 20-km stretch of the Suketi khad, which passes through the Balh valley in Sundernagar and Sadar subdivisions of Mandi district, and ultimately it lands in the Beas at Mandi town. Farmers say the Balh valley was among the most fertile valleys of Himachal Pradesh and was known as a mini-Punjab. However, the silt was turning it into barren land. They have demanded that the dredging work should be stopped immediately. Yudh Chand Saklani, president of the Himachal Kisan Union, said the problem of silt was being faced by farmers of the Balh valley since the start of the project. Even though more than three decades had passed, the authorities had done little to solve this problem. Earlier, the BBMB used to dredge the silt throughout the year. However, later as per an environment management plan formulated and approved by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur, the silt disposal was restricted to three months. The BBMB used to compensate farmers for the loss of crop as assessed by the civil authorities. ML Sharma, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court and resident of Mandi town, says the BBMB authorities are violating provisions of the Forest Conservation Act as they have been throwing silt into the Suketi khad, which is a forest area, without permission from the Ministry of Enviorment and Forests.
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It’s a war against Dhumals now: Virbhadra Singh
Solan, July 1 Virbhadra said he had been embroiled in a false case by the DGP at the behest of Chief Minister PK Dhumal and it was a virtual war against the Chief Minister and his family now. People would give a befitting reply to the “corrupt” BJP regime in Himachal in the coming Assembly poll. He received a rousing welcome at the Parwanoo barrier where he arrived this morning from Delhi after resigning as the Union Minister for MSME following framing of charges against him in a case relating to corruption. He said the DGP had been given an out-of-turn promotion by Dhumal barely to frame him in a false case. Dhumal had earlier, too, “been creating such nuisance”. He added that though he had been ignoring him so far, all limits had been crossed now. Virbhadra evaded media queries on whether he would become the Chief Minister if the Congress won the elections and instead said he had been entrusted with the task of bringing the Congress back to power in Himachal by the high command and would successfully accomplish this task. Among those present to welcome Virbhadra were several MLAs and former MLAs, including Sujan Singh Pathania, Mukesh Agnihotri, Yog Raj, Sudhir Sharma, Prakash Chowdhary, Nand Lal, Subash Manglet, GR Musafir, Chander Kumar and Ram Lal, and INTUC state president Hardeep Singh. SHIMLA: Virbhadra Singh on Sunday announced that he would turn the tables against Chief Minister PK Dhumal as he would not only be absolved of the charges levelled against him but would also ensure the victory of the Congress in the Assembly poll. Virbhadra, who came to the state for the first time today after charges were framed against him by a special court, was accorded a warm welcome all along the route from Parwanoo to Shimla. He addressed a public meeting at Shoghi on the outskirts of the town. “I am highly indebted to AICC chief Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi for entrusting me with the important task of ousting the BJP regime and bringing the Congress back to power,” he said. Launching a scathing attack on the Chief Minister, he said today Dhumal was having the last laugh but the time was not far when he would come out clean and the BJP leader would be in the dock. “I will campaign in the entire state to ensure the ouster of the “most corrupt” and anti-people regime,” he said. Virbhadra left for Kullu to attend a meeting with Rahul Gandhi after the public meeting. He was accompanied by several legislators, party office-bearers and supporters from all over the district.
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Finally, Shanta relents; to campaign for BJP
As a sequel to this successful meeting in Chandigarh, it has been decided to hold a rally at Kangra on July 8, where the two arch rivals, Shanta and Dhumal, will share the dais in the presence of party chief Nitin Gadkari. It will be after a span of almost two and a half years that Shanta will be part of the campaign as he had decided to keep himself aloof from the party and government affairs in Himachal. The marathon meetings held during the past two days in Chandigarh could finally herald unity in the party, which has been ridden by factionalism with some of the leaders even floating a separate political outfit. The crucial closed-door talks were attended by Chief Minister PK Dhumal, Shanta Kumar, Kalraj Mishra, JP Nadda, Shyam Jaju, state BJP chief Satpal Satti, ministers and senior party functionaries. “Shanta ji will attend the rally at Kangra on July 8 and later be part of the crucial BJP state executive meeting to be held at Mandi,” said Satti. He said the party was fully united and geared up to take on the Congress whose campaign was being headed by a person facing serious charges. He added that district-wise rallies would be held by the BJP in the coming days to take on the Congress and Virbhadra Singh. Even though it is after a lot of persuasion and several rounds of meetings that Shanta Kumar has finally agreed to campaign for the party, it is not certain for how long as the main issue of corruption which he had raised is yet to be addressed. Sources said there was unanimity at the meeting over taking strict action against Kangra MP Rajan Sushant for his errant ways. While Sushant was likely to face the music in the coming days, Rohru MLA Khushi Ram Balnatah could get away as a majority of the leaders were of the opinion that this was the first time he had erred. The issue of creation of districts was also broached at the meeting and it was felt that it would be dealt with at an appropriate time. The demand for creating Mahasu district in Shimla along with more such districts in Kangra was also raised.
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Engg colleges have required infrastructure: Assn
Dharamsala, July 1 In a press note issued here today, president of the association Abhilashi said the required infrastructure for running engineering institutions had been created by all engineering colleges in the state. The engineering colleges had already received approval from the AICTE after going through prolonged inspection procedures. No engineering college in the state was running without the mandatory approval of the AICTE, he said. Naresh Thakur, general secretary of the association, said all engineering colleges in the state had a minimum 12,000 sq m built-up area and about 110 kanals of land which was much more than many technical institutes in the adjoining areas. He claimed that engineering colleges in the state had received compliments from various inspection teams from the AICTE and the HPTU regarding the infrastructure created by them. The association said colleges were already facing a problem regarding admissions due to an overall declining trend towards technical courses. In such a scenario, statements on the part of officials of the HPTU that the institutes lacked proper infrastructure would further hit their admissions.
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Property worth Rs 20 lakh destroyed in fire
Bilaspur, July 1 Reports said a large number of villagers immediately gathered on spot, but could not control the flames. The police has registered a case and is investigating. The district administration has provided Rs 10,000 as immediate grant to the family while the actual loss is being assessed by revenue authorities. |
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Solan constituency being neglected: HLP
Solan, July 1 Addressing mediapersons here on Friday, HLP’s general secretary OP Kant outlined their organisational set-up and dwelt on the abject neglect of various public issues. With no major allegations having been levelled against the ruling BJP contrary to the party’s initial fiery outbursts, political observers said rapprochement could not be ruled out and some seat-sharing adjustments appear to be round the corner. This was especially so as BJP state president Satpal Satti had reportedly held talks with HLP’s state president Maheshwar Singh on Thursday. Kant said contrary to assertions of the ruling BJP, development in the Solan constituency had been far less than the progress made by the political cohorts while many rural schemes could not progress beyond foundation stones. Illustrating his point, he said no progress had been made in the case of sabzi mandis announced by the BJP government during its first tenure at Vaknaghat and Sadhupul and Kandaghat-Karol road was still incomplete despite lapse of four years. He said farmers were forced to purchase quality seeds from people having political connections as the same were not available in government-run depots and societies. He dwelt on several such issues relating to monkey menace, schools running in dilapidated buildings and the non-functional Tourist Information Centre constructed after abandoning an ambitious hospital project. The tardy pace of work to complete the crucial Giri Potable Water Scheme also drew flak from the HLP.
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Ministry nod to set up 3 industrial clusters in state
Solan, July 1 This is for the first time that the state had applied for assistance under this scheme. The ministry at its recent meeting convened to approve industrial clusters for various states has now directed the state Industries Department to prepare a pre-feasibility report for three areas so that the possibility of setting up these clusters could be explored. The MSME Ministry, GoI, has adopted the cluster development approach as a key strategy for enhancing productivity and competitiveness as well as capacity building of micro and small enterprises (MSEs) and their collectives in the country. Clustering of units also enables provision of various services to them, including banks and credit agencies, to provide their services more economically, thus reducing costs and improving the availability of services for these enterprises. A six-to-nine-month period has been granted to prepare this report, which will take into consideration various factors, including setting up of skill development and research and development centres, provision to provide latest designs and technical know-how to enhance competitiveness of the local produce, provision of markets and easy availability of raw materials. Dr Rajinder Chauhan, Adviser, Industries, state government, said after the pre-feasibility study, identification of various interventions would be carried out so as to derive optimum utility from these clusters. He added that they were in the process of identifying such clusters in other parts of the state as well. Funds provided by the Union Ministry under this scheme enable resourcing of technology, facilitating transfer of technology from producer to end user, setting up of common facility centres, organising workshops, trainings, seminars and study visits for quicker diffusion of technology across these clusters. It also enables infrastructure development for facilities like power distribution network, water, telecommunication, drainage and pollution control facilities, roads, banks, raw materials, storage and marketing outlets, common service facilities and technological backup services for MSEs in the new/existing industrial estates/areas. |
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231-MW Chamera-III commissioned
Choori (Chamba), July 1 NHPC’s Banikhet Region Executive Director (ED) SC Sharma on the occasion said all the three generating units of 77 MW each of the Chamera project stage-III were running full load and 231 MW of power generated was flowing to the grid. The ED congratulated all the engineers, workforce of the project and people of Chamba for their support and hard work. On the occasion, Chamera-III Project General Manager (GM) AK Malhotra said the NHPC was a leading “mini Ratna” company in hydropower sector in the country and had commissioned many projects ranging from 60 MW to 1,000 MW capacity. The NHPC had also commissioned Chutak hydropower project in Leh district of Jammu and Kashmir. This is the fourth hydropower project commissioned by the NHPC in the district, which included 540-MW Chamera-I, 300-MW Chamera-II and 198-MW Baira Siul. With the commissioning of the Chamera-III project, the combined capacity of the four projects in Chamba district had now increased to 1,269 MW, GM Malhotra added.
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3 more panchayats to get water from Phina Singh project
Nurpur, July 1 Stating this during his mass contact programme in the Bhadwar panchayat last evening, local MLA Rakesh Pathania said the overflow water of the project would provide irrigation to Nagni, Khel and Bhadwar gram panchayats. He said as many as 11 check dams would be built from the project’s overflow water and provide irrigation to three additional panchayats of the area. “Initially, this project was to provide irrigation to around one dozen gram panchayats of the area,” he asserted. He threw open the newly built Tika Nagrota-Bharmolli link road on which Rs 55 lakh has been spent. |
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Panchayat president suspended
Bilaspur, July 1 A notification here on on Wednesday said the step had been taken after a complaint was received against her from a member of the panchayat and consequent consideration of her reply to a notice issued to her on this account and later an inquiry by the Development Officer ordered by the DC. It was found that she did not obey orders of the District Panchayat Officer under which she was asked to deposit with the Development Officer Rs 2 lakh given to her earlier for the construction of a panchayat ghar. |
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BJP misleading people on projects: Cong
Bilaspur, July 1 Talking to mediapersons here yesterday, Hoshiar Singh said the BJP government had not deposited its own share of Rs 30 crore till the last date in the first phase of the Bhanupali-Bilaspur Broad Gauge Railway line, resulting in the lapsing of all legal notifications and notices given to villagers regarding the acquirement of their land for this purpose and blocking this project. He said state government leaders had been trying to mislead people of Bilaspur and the state by repeatedly alleging from public platforms that this project had been “abandoned” by the Central government due to the “hostile attitude” of the Centre towards the state. He said they also had been alleging that though three years ago the Prime Minister had said it would be completed “within the next three years,” yet the Centre had taken no interest in its start and completion. He provided documentary evidence, a letter written by Deputy Chief Engineer (Construction) of Northern Railway, Chandigarh, dated March 6, 2012, addressed to the Advisor, Planning, Himachal Pradesh, which asked the state BJP government to deposit its own share of Rs 30 crore for this Bhanupali-Dharote section of this Railway line. The letter specifically warned that in case this amount was not deposited immediately, this project would be delayed as the notification of land acquirement lapsed on May 12, 2012.
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Dalai Lama’s birthday on July 6 to be low-key affair
The Dalai Lama’s birthday used to be a major event for the Tibetans living in exile, especially in Dharamsala, the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile. On the day, Tibetans used to host events to highlight the Tibet issue from their own perspective. However, sources said the Dalai Lama’s birthday was likely to be a low-key affair this year. No foreign leader or dignitary was likely to visit the Dalai Lama on the day. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) had sent an invitation to the Chief Minister of Himachal to attend a function to be organised on the occasion. The programme was yet to be finalised. CTA officials have maintained that they will concentrate on local participation during the event. As per the schedule being worked out by the CTA, the birthday will be celebrated in two different shifts - morning and evening. Cultural items will be presented by the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, while monks and nuns will hold prayers for the long life of the Dalai Lama. The sources said there won’t be any major celebrations on the Dalai Lama’s birthday due to the continuous spate of self-immolation by monks in Tibet. During the past one year, about 40 Tibetans have reportedly committed self-immolation. Though the Dalai Lama had given up his political and administrative authority over the Tibetan government-in-exile last year and handed it over to an elected leadership, Tibetans in exile will still be looking forward for his message on the birthday. Since giving up his powers over the Tibetan government-in-exile, the Dalai Lama has seldom issued political statements from his headquarters in Dharamsala. He also did not participate in political events, including the cremation of Tibetan youth Jampel Yeshi who committed self-immolation in Delhi. He, however, created a flutter in an interview given in the UK by stating that China had been training Tibetan women to poison and eliminate him.
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Poll on mind, Rahul begins Kullu visit today
Kullu, July 1 Rahul Gandhi will give tips to party men in a bid to help the Congress win the Assembly elections in the state. Despite smog here, Rahul Gandhi has reasons to cheer. He will savour the cool breeze and the gushing waters of the Beas at an ITBP camp. Rahul Gandhi will be accompanied by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, Minister for Surface Transport and National Highways CP Joshi, Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Mukul Wasnik and Bollywood actor-turned-politician Raj Babbar from New Delhi. They will head in an SPG security convoy straight to Dev Sadan, the venue of the Kullu Dasehra celebrations, for three training-cum-interactive sessions. Though engineers are working overtime to rid the road of potholes, Rahul Gandhi and the ministers will get a feel of a bumpy ride from the airport here to Kullu town as repair work remains unfinished. According to party sources, Rahul Gandhi will address officer-bearers of the Pradesh Congress Committee, the District Congress Committee and the Block Congress Committee to boost their morale for the coming Assembly elections. Rahul Gandhi will deliver talks in six sessions on programmes launched by the UPA government, including MNREGA, the National Rural Health Mission, the Right to Education Act and other central schemes. As Rahul Gandhi will be accompanied by Mukul Wasnik, he will deliver a talk on social justice and empowerment programmes and how to take these to
the common man through the panchayats. Chairman of the Congress campaign committee Virbhadra Singh, Union Minister Anand Sharma, Leader of the Opposition Vidya Stokes and state party president Kaul Singh Thakur were likely to discuss the party affairs with Rahul Gandhi during his visit, the sources said. Kaul Singh told reporters at Kullu today that all arrangements had been made for Rahul Gandhi’s visit.
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BJP has a dig at Virbhadra
Shimla, July 1 In a statement issued here today, state BJP spokesperson Ashok Kapatia questioned the Congress move to appoint Virbhadra as the chairman of the campaign committee. “How can a person against whom charges have been framed attack the BJP on the issue of corruption,” he said. |
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Farmers to be encouraged to grow willow, sandalwood trees
Shimla, July 1 In case the experiment of the Forest Department succeeds, Himachal will become the second state in the country after Jammu and Kashmir to provide English willow wood for sports equipment manufacturing as it is in high demand for making cricket bats. Besides willow, there is also a proposal for popularising sandalwood cultivation in the state for which 10,000 plants have already been procured from the Horticulture and Forest University, Nauni, near Solan. The Forest Department has made arrangements to get 500 salix (English willow) plants from Kashmir and distribute these among farmers as an experiment. Certain areas in Chamba, Kangra and Mandi districts could provide the required moist conditions where willows grow. “The Bhattiyat area in Chamba is one such example and we feel that rather than planting saplings on government land, it will be better to encourage private land owners to take to its commercial cultivation in view of the good returns,” says RK Gupta, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests. He says with better personal care by private land owners, the survival rate of the pants will certainly be higher which will be planted during the monsoon in Jogindernagar and Palampur forest divisions. If the experiment succeeds, sandalwood could also become a major produce from the state as 10,000 plants of improved species are to be planted this monsoon. Though sandalwood is found in some parts of Kangra like Jwalamukhi, the quantity of wood and oil that one gets from the plant is very less. With a lot of demand for sandalwood, both for perfume and in the cosmetic industry and for making artifacts, the farmers could get good returns. “Scientists at the Nauni university have provided us with plants which are of superior species; we are hopeful that the good returns that the farmers get will help them take to sandalwood cultivation on a commercial scale,” said Gupta. He said besides the plantation of specific species like willow and sandalwood, the Forest Department had set a target of plantation on 20,000 hectares for 2012-13. The endeavour was to shift towards having a farmer-friendly mixed forest with emphasis on planting broad-leaved species along with wild fruits. Besides, 45 lakh medicinal plants would also be distributed among people, which would “help enhance their livelihood opportunities” and help in conservation efforts, he added. Willow cricket bats l
There are essentially three types of willow used today to make cricket bats: English willow, nurtured abroad, English willow and Kashmir willow. l
English willow of the genus Salix Alba Caerulea is the traditional material used in the manufacture of cricket bats and grown exclusively in the UK in low-lying wetland areas, along river banks and in coppices. l
English willow, nurtured abroad, is exactly the same genus as English willow, but the trees are not grown in the UK. These are grown in Kashmir, parts of Pakistan and now recently in Australia. |
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Former Union Minister Virbhadra Singh, who is the head of the Congress campaign committee, today said he had been given 100 days’ time to bring back the Congress to power in the state.
Shimla, July 1
Dharamsala, July 1
l Many types of wood are used in the manufacture of cricket bats, but history has proven that only willow provides the necessary springiness, strength and compression liabilities to make the perfect cricket bat.