Cloudburst near Manali
Several footbridges washed away; people taken to safer places
Kuldeep Chauhan/TNS

Mandi/Manali, August 3
A cloudburst in the Seri Nullah area near the south portal of the strategic 8.82-km-long Rohtang tunnel washed away most of the footbridges in the Solang khad downstream in the late evening hours today.

The administration had to evacuate people from Nehru Kund, Palchan and Bahang villages, besides SASE camps as the blockade at the Army's transit camp bridge has diverted the surging water on the Manali-Leh national highway near Palchan village, posing threat to life and property downstream.

The evacuation was coordinated by Manali SDM Balbir Thakur with the help of a team of Army and police personnel at the Palchan camp. Huge boulders in the surging Solang river blocked the transit bridge, thus diverting the surging water towards these villages, snapping the highway at many points.

No loss of life has been reported so far. "A large number of tourists have been evacuated safely and the exact loss would be assessed tomorrow," said Ved Thakur, Shanag panchayat pradhan, who was leading a rescue team along the swelling river.

Kullu SP Ashok Kumar said they had sounded in advance the people living downstream along the Beas, including the Larji project.

Shimla, August 3
Apparently in undue haste to favour certain officers before the enforcement of the model code of conduct for the Assembly elections, the government today promoted 13 Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers to the post of Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF).

This is the second bonanza for the IFS cadre in less than a month. The government had elevated 12 Chief Conservators of Forests (CCFs) to the post of APCCF on July 11 last.

With this, the total number of officers in the department in the rank of APCCF and above has increased to 32. Now, almost all territorial divisions, which are headed by DFOs, can be manned by an officer of the rank of APCCF. After the latest cadre review, the Centre had approved a strength of 114 officers for the state IFS cadre, including two posts of PCCF and seven of APCCF. Not surprisingly, eyebrows are being raised over the latest promotions.

Of the 13 CCFs promoted today, six officers, who were on deputation, have been given “proforma promotions”. The most interesting part is that two CCFs have got the second promotion in less than a month. They were promoted as CCF only on July 11 and today they were elevated as APCCF. Last month, officers up to the 1983 batch were promoted and today all officers up to the 1985 batch have been promoted.

It normally takes five to six years for promotion from the post of CCF to the post of APCCF. However, in this case, most officers have been promoted in less than two years. Four officers have been granted promotions in situ.

Those promoted are Arvind Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Rakesh Kumar, Tejinder Singh, Surinder Kumar, AC Sharma, Vineet Kumar, Ramesh Chand, Nigin Nanda, Chandresh Sharma, VRR Singh, Savita Sharma and SK Sharma.

The government also shifted some APCCF-level officers. Avtar Singh has been posted as the APCCF, MHWDP, Solan, Arvind Kumar as the APCCF, CAT Plans, Ajay Kumar as the APCCF, FCA, Tejinder Singh as the APCCF, Working Plans, Mandi, Surinder Kumar as the APCCF, Finance and Planning, Chandresh Sharma as the APCCF, Protected Area Network, Savita Sharma as the APCCF, HRD, and SK Sharma as the APCCF, M&E.

Shimla, August 3
Despite cent per cent electrification, introduction of cooking gas and other steps to reduce pressure on forests, a majority of the people continue to use firewood as fuel in the hill state.

The household data generated during the latest census has revealed that the percentage of families using firewood as fuel decreased only marginally from 64.6 per cent in 2001 to 57.5 per cent in 2011, which is very high given the persistent efforts being made by the government for the past over three decades to discourage its use. Further, at the national level, the percentage of families using firewood as fuel is only 49 per cent and it is one of the few areas where Himachal is lagging behind.

The percentage of households having cooking gas has gone up from 28.1 per cent to 38.6 per cent, compared to 28.6 per cent at the national level. However, the dependence on forests has not decreased. The percentage of families using kerosene as fuel has declined from 4.9 per cent to 2.1 per cent, which is slightly higher than the national average of 2 per cent.

A workshop organised by the census department to analyse the data for decadal changes here today revealed that the percentage of mobile phone users has taken a quantum leap from 16. 5 per cent to 82.3 per cent against the national average of 63.2 per cent. Similarly, the percentage of households having television sets has gone up from 53.3 per cent to 74.4 per cent, which is much higher than the national average of 47.2 per cent.

The percentage of households owning cars has shot up from 2.6 per cent to 8.3 per cent, almost double the national average of 4.7 per cent. The percentage of households having scooters has also doubled from 7.4 per cent to 15.5 per cent. It is still less than the national average of 21 per cent.

The total housing stock has increased from 24,08,922 to 29,33,663 over the decade. The percentage of families living in good houses has increased from 61.2 per cent to 72.4 per cent, higher than the national average of 53.2 per cent. The families living in dilapidated houses has fallen from 2.7 per cent to 1.6 per cent. The percentage of vacant houses has increased in urban areas from 13.9 per cent in 2001 to 17.6 per cent and in rural areas from 9.9 per cent to 11.1 per cent.

The population density has increased to 123 from 109 persons per sq km with Hamirpur at the top (406 persons per sq km) and Lahaul-Spiti (two persons per sq km) at the bottom. Other high-density districts include Una (338), Bilaspur (327), Solan (298) and Kangra (263). Kinnaur (13), Kullu (79) and Chamba (80) are among the districts with low density.

Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy, who presided over the workshop, said the data indicated that there was a marked improvement in the quality of life in the state and it was doing better than most states in the country. The household data was indicative of growing prosperity and going by the current trend, soon there would be hardly anyone living in a dilapidated house.

Shimla, August 3
The hill state is likely to have the Assembly poll in two phases. The poll is likely to be held in the three tribal segments in the first phase and the rest of the state in the second phase.

Officers involved in talks with the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the issue said as per indications, polling in the Kinnaur, Lahual-Spiti and Bharmour constituencies could be held before Diwali (around November 5) and in the remaining 65 segments after Diwali (around the third week of November).

The polling is likely to be held in November and the results are likely to be declared in mid-December after the completion of polling in Gujarat.

The main reason behind advancing the poll in the tribal belt is that the high mountain passes linking these areas are officially closed by November 15 after which the area is cut off in case of snowfall.

The Congress has been demanding that the elections should be held in a single phase. Former Union Minister Virbhadra Singh had even met the Chief Election Commissioner and urged him to hold the elections in the state before November 5.

Shimla, August 3
Announcing the plans of the BJP Kisan Morcha to launch a countrywide protest against the increasing prices of fertilisers, its national president OP Dhankar today demanded that farmers be given direct subsidy instead of the money going to manufacturers, exporters and retailers.

Addressing a press conference here today, Dhankar demanded that accounts of all farmers should be opened and subsidy should be directly deposited in their accounts. “Till the framework of this is not readied, farmers should be provided fertilisers through the Control and Indicative Price Policy, 2010,” he suggested.

Dhankar demanded that the Centre should immediately release an interim instalment of relief to all states without any prejudice.

“In drought-hit areas, the interest on agriculture loan should be abolished and loan repayment should be stopped till the next crop,” he demanded.

He demanded that free seeds should be provided in areas where sowing had failed or had got delayed.

“In the drought-hit areas, farmers should be paid Rs 10,000 per acre and a special package should be given to drought-hit states as well,” he said. He said between August 3 and August 8, the Kisan Morcha would hold agitations at all district headquarters in which all senior leaders would take part.

Shimla, August 3
Vice-Chancellor of Himachal Pradesh University ADN Bajpai today said he was not against student politics, but any kind of violence or indiscipline, which vitiated the academic atmosphere of the campus, would not be tolerated at any cost.

Chairing a meeting of all heads of departments here today, he said he had no problem with the student poll provided there was no violence. “The manner in which student outfits indulge in a war of words and put up posters against each other is bound to vitiate the atmosphere of the campus, which will not be allowed,” he warned.

Bajpai said the student poll was one aspect but the first and foremost priority of the student community should be to study and do good research. “The increasing protests being indulged in by the students will not be tolerated and action will be taken against those indulging in it,” he warned.

He said the examination process in the HPU as well as colleges would be completed within one month and results would be declared at the earliest.

Mandi/Kullu, August 3
Pear growers are in tears as their markets have crashed. The two main imported varieties, wartlet and red wartlet, have been infested with an unidentified virus, causing rusting on the fruit and making it appear out of shape and coarse.

Apart from facing tough times due to Chinese varieties, the new virus has hit pear-growers hard. The infection catches up during the flowering and fruit-setting stage. There is no chemical spray that can check it.

“It appears that bad climate conditions during the flowering stage and less rain in May and July made the environment conducive for the virus to take root. Farmers who raised the ‘moti dandi’ and ‘william’ varieties were spared,” said progressive orchardist Nakul Khullar of Baragarh in Naggar.

Selling at Rs 60 a kg last month, pear crashed to Rs 11 a kg in Mandi, Kullu and Shimla markets. Retailers were finding only low-rung consumers, said farmers.

“Last month, we sold a 10-kg box for Rs 800. The same-quality box, harvested from higher areas, was being sold for between Rs 250 and Rs 450,” rued farmer Prem Kumar of the Kharal valley in Kullu, the largest pear-producing area in the district.

“Wartlet and red wartlet varieties look out of shape, rusted and thick-skinned. There is no market for the fruit now. It costs more than what it fetches. Pears are rotting in orchards,” said Laxman Thakur of Nandpur in Shimla district.

Farmers had a bleak future as neither the department of horticulture, nor scientists at Dr YS Parmar University, came out with a strategy to deal with the virus. The department expected 5,000 metric tonne of production in Kullu district.

The associate director at the fruit research centre of the university said only wartlet and red wartlet pears were infested. “This infection has been noticed in an epidemic form for the first time. There is no spray or medicine to cure it even for human beings,” he added.

Shimla, August 3
With an exceptionally high savings rate, people of the state have almost Rs 50,000 crore in various banks, with hydro-power, cement industry and crop diversification bringing good returns.

They have registered a growth in savings of almost 15 per cent. This rate may be the highest in the country, with other hill states like Uttarakhand and Sikkim way behind.

The 2.7 lakh employees, who constitute almost 3 per cent of the total population of the state, the highest in the country, help in adding to the huge savings.

An interesting fact, in contrast to other states, is the further one goes to interior areas, the higher the level of prosperity is. The district of Lahaul-Spiti has the highest per capita income in the state, followed by Kinnaur.

“An amount of Rs 49,194 crore has been deposited by people of the state in banks,” said Srikant Baldi, Principal Secretary, Finance.

“Good returns from the horticulture-agriculture sector, coupled with income from off-season vegetables and tertiary income from indirect employment generated from power projects and cement industry, have made people prosperous,” he explained.

The coming up of industry, though confined to border areas, had also ushered in prosperity, he said. He pointed out that the national savings average was between 32 and 36 per cent while the state had a savings average of almost 75 per cent.

A cursory look at financial figures indicated that deposits were Rs 26,083 crore in rural areas and Rs 23,110 crore in semi-urban areas.

In a state where tax receipts were low, Rs 6,300 crore was spent on the salaries of employees and Rs 2,300 crore on pension.

While there were 1.9 lakh permanent government employees, the total number of employees, including those working in public-sector undertakings and local bodies, was 2.7 lakh.

The percentage of employees was 3 per cent in Himachal Pradesh while it was 1.5 per cent in Punjab and close to 2 per cent in Uttarakhand.

Shimla, August 3
The four-day 11th International Conference on Early Modern Literatures in North India, which began at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) here today, mainly focused on the works of saint poets on the first day.

Heroko Nagasaki from Osaka University gave a detailed presentation on the language and style of famous Hindi poet Raskhan. She covered all the aspects of devotional poetry written by a Muslim, who was an ardent devotee of Krishna.

Peter Ronald de Souza, director, IIAS, inaugurated the conference in which 35 international scholars from the US, Japan and Europe will be participating.

Devendra and Dr Neha Baid of Jai Narayan Vyas University, Jodhpur, and Dr Sudha from Udaipur threw light on the contributions of Kabir, Ravidass and other Sufi saints in spreading the “Nirgun” tradition in various parts of the north India. Heidi Pauwels from the University of Washington spoke at length on the joy of pilgrimage and referred extensively to Brindaban.

A fellow from the IIAS, Om Prakash , who is working on Dalit literature, asserted that Nirugn saints opposed casteism and social hierarchy in every manner and repudiated the culture of temples, mosques or image worship in any form.

However, Convener of the conference Rajvinder Singh said the Nirgun saints were influenced more by the Sufism in which temples and other symbols of worships had no place.

Earlier, in the opening session on “Re-imagining the world of Nirgun saints”, Tyler Williams of Columbia University delved on genesis of ‘Niranjani’ sect in Rajasthan which epitomised “Nirguan” tradition of the times.

Arthur Dudney of Columbia University spoke on facets of Persian literature in India and how the study and use of Sanskrit by Persian scholars reflected confluence of two cultures in India during this period.

Luther Obrock of the University of California and Samuel Wright of the University of Chicago addressed the contours of literary and devotional exchanges during the period.

The conference is aimed at reassessing the valuable cultural and artistic contributions of the period between 1400 and 1800.

Palampur, August 3
The Zonal Project Directorate of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) at Ludhiana and the Directorate of Extension Education of the Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University jointly organised a state-level review workshop of farm science centres here today.

Addressing programme coordinators, subject matter specialists and scientists, Dr SK Sharma, university Vice-Chancellor, potent district-level farm contingency plans could be of help in dealing effectively with losses due to the erratic monsoon.

He asked farm science centres to guide farmers so that crop production targets were met. “Due to global warming, climate changes have largely affected agriculture. Special crop varieties resistant to drought are needed in specific areas,” he added.

Dr AM Narula, zonal project director, said the situation arising from the erratic monsoon was alarming and the cost of production was bound to go up.

He said there were drought-like conditions in some districts of the state and the ICAR was monitoring the situation. He expected less production of food crops and fodder.

Dr Desh Raj, director of extension education, said farm science centres had taken some steps in view of the erratic monsoon. He said there was an urgent need to conserve natural resources.

Bilaspur, August 3
The block development committee (BDC), Ghumarwin, near here, has taken strong exception to the refusal of long-route bus drivers coming inside the Ghumarwin bus station.

Passengers have to get down at a distance on the road outside, thereby depriving other passengers waiting for these buses at the bus station from boarding these buses.

A meeting of the BDC held under the leadership of chairperson Anisha Sharma on Wednesday drew the attention of the HRTC management towards “the deplorable condition” of the bus station and the “failure” to repair the same.

Members said there were huge potholes filled with muddy water in the bus station causing inconvenience to passengers.

The meeting adopted unanimous resolutions demanding that the HRTC management should ensure that the bus station was immediately repaired and well maintained and long-routes buses should be allowed to come inside it.

It also demanded provision of suitable Shulabh Shaucalaya there. The meeting urged that a block development officer be posted as this post was vacant since long.

Solan, August 3
Managements of 21 private polytechnics in the state are reeling under losses, with a majority failing to get enough students for various courses. Each institute has five or six courses, each with about 60 seats.

After the final round of counselling, completed on July 23, a majority of the institutes have failed to admit students in double figures. Each government institute has about 600 seats.

The state Takniki Shiksha Board had conducted counselling for nine government and 21 private polytechnics in two sessions for those who qualified the polytechnic admission test (PAT) and one round for non-PAT students.

Managements of several private institutes rued that they had failed to get even 10 students despite depositing a fee of Rs 1 lakh.

The chairman of an institute in Una district said, “It has become difficult to meet recurring expenditure, including staff salaries. A majority of institutes had taken loans worth crores and the interest alone was a huge amount.”

Students preferred to take admission in government institutes as the fee was less and the number of institutes in this category had been increased.

Expressing the need to restrict new institutes, Green Hills Polytechnic Institute principal SK Malik said the number of students turning up for admission had decreased by between 20 and 25 per cent this year.

Nalagarh AIT chairman Chandershekhar Awasthy said with more than 100 seats lying vacant, running an institute had become financially unviable and it had become difficult to meet recurring expenditure.

Hamirpur, August 3
The news of shooter Vijay Kumar winning a silver medal in the Olympics today made his parents and relatives ecstatic as his ancestral village Harsour, in the Badsar division of the district, burst into celebration.

Vijay’s relatives and friends, glued to television, started dancing and distributing sweets. His proud father Subedar (retd) Banku Ram told The Tribune, “I am delighted on his success and thank God for it.”

He added, “It is a great achievement that the son from a small family at a remote village in Hamirpur district has won laurels for the country.”

He further said, “He has done me proud. Not only the people of the state, but of the nation are very happy. I thank the people of the country for their good wishes.”

Congratulating Vijay, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Kumar said, “We are proud that he has won a silver medal for the country. He has not only done the state proud, but the nation as well.”

He added, “The state government will give Vijay an award of Rs 1 crore and honour him with Himachal Gaurav Sammaan on Independence Day.”

Nurpur August 3
The state Congress has raised eyebrows over the construction of a cricket stadium here being executed by the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA). In a press conference here today, state Congress general secretary Ajay Mahajan, who had contested the last Assembly election from Nurpur, alleged misuse of public funds and irregularities in the initial construction of the stadium.

He said the previous Congress government had earmarked Rs one crore for the proposed multi-sports stadium here, out of which Rs 36 lakh had been spent on its construction.

“The PWD after taking over the lease of the proposed site of the stadium by the HPCA had demolished the structure without inviting dismantling tenders. Now, when the entire responsibility for executing the construction of the stadium rests upon the HPCA, the PWD is utilising remaining previous allocated funds of the stadium by raising retaining wall around the stadium ground. It has violated the e-tendering rule of the department by splitting construction work worth Rs 30 lakh into three fractions with a motive to ‘benefit’ some political favourites. Whereas the department is supposed to resort to e-tendering up to the work to the tune of Rs 25 lakh,” he said.

He demanded a high-level probe into the alleged irregularities, misuse of government funds and violation of department rules.

While refuting the charges, YP Samyal, executive engineer, HPPWD, Nurpur division, said there were no irregularities committed in the construction of the stadium as the old structure had been demolished by inviting conditional tenders. 

Bilaspur, August 3
Additional Sessions Judge, Fast Track Court, Ghumarwin, yesterday sentenced Rajiv Sharma of Badgaon village in this district and his paramour Reshma Devi of the same village to life imprisonment for the murder of her husband Balak Ram on May 20, 2011.

Balak Ram was a part-time worker at Ayurvedic Dispensary, Doohak, and had the habit of drinking too much.

Both accused were also awarded an additional fine of Rs 3,000 under Section 302 of the IPC. They were also sentenced under Section 201, IPC, for destroying evidence to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment and an additional fine of Rs 3,000 and an imprisonment for two months additionally for both offences if fines were not paid. The sentences were, however, ordered to run concurrently.

Earlier, Public Prosecutor RK Barwal told the court that Rajiv Sharma had illicit relations with Rehma Devi. They planned to get rid of Balak Ram and drowned him in the Gobind Sagar lake on May 20, 2011.

The prosecution presented 30 witnesses to prove the charges.