Shimla, September 26
To check pilferage of subsidised food items being provided to consumers, the government has decided to undertake computerisation of ration cards as a pilot project to be started from Una district.

It is under a centrally sponsored scheme that the government has decided to issue computerised ration cards to people.

Being a small and compact district where the process of preparing adhaar cards has already been completed, Una has specially been chosen to start the project.

As of now, Una has a total of 1.09 lakh ration cardholders who avail the facility of subsidised food items and other items from 285 fair price shops.

“The process of computerisation will prevent pilferage and ensure that the deserving cardholders are availing the facility,” said Ramesh Dhawala, Food and Civil Supplies Minister.

He said following the successful completion of the project in Una, it would be extended to other districts. The decision to undertake the project had been prompted because of a gap between the actual population of 68.50 lakh and the estimated number of about 74 lakh people availing the facility.

Though the Food and Civil Supplies Department has cancelled about 8,900 ration cards that were either bogus or held in addition to another card, there is still scope for pilferage. Out of a total 16.31 lakh ration cards, 11.17 lakh are held by above poverty line (APL) persons, 3.16 lakh by below poverty line (BPL) and 1.97 lakh by Antodaya Anna Yojna families.

The Food and Civil Supplies Department has also started the process of making new ration cards and one lakh have already been printed and sent for distribution to panchayats.

Besides, a print order for getting 12 lakh cards has also been placed so that the process of issuing new ration cards can be accomplished at the earliest.

The gap between the actual number of population and an inflated number getting ration cards is being attributed to sizeable population of Tibetans residing in the state who were also being provided ration on a permit basis. Over 30,000 Nepalese residing in the state have also been demanding the facility of subsidised ration cards, but so far the government has not acceded to their demand.

Shimla, September 26
Terming the charge of the Congress that there were 3.2 lakh bogus ration cards in the state as misleading, the state government today claimed that there were no such cards and if any found to be “bogus” after inquiries made from time to time were cancelled forthwith.

An official spokesperson for the government said the Food and Civil Supplies Department was aware about it and it had not only cancelled bogus ration cards but also registered FIRs against offenders for the same.

He said during the past four years, 12,857 ration cards of APL families were found bogus and cancelled with immediate effect. So far as the matter regarding below poverty line (BPL) and Antodaya Anna Yojna (AAY) families was concerned, the Centre had fixed the target of 3,16,900 BPL and 1,97,100 AAY families for the state against which 3,00,818 BPL and 1,95,857 AAY families were being provided ration.

As per the inquiries made by the department, no BPL and AAY families ration card had been found bogus.

He said the allegation of embezzlement of Rs 1 crore every month in allotment of pulses was also wrong.

The spokesman said strict action was taken against the two officers allegedly involved in the case and inquiry had been entrusted to the Vigilance Department.

He further said ration was being supplied to 16,77,264 ration cardholders in the state, besides Tibetans, migrated labourers, NCC camps, students of hotels and orphanages and shelter homes were also being issued permits from time to time.

Mandi, September 26
Apple and vegetable farmers welcome the contentious foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail with a pinch of salt, saying that the “FDI will help create infrastructure like controlled atmospheric stores (CAS) and cool chains that will result in remunerative prices for farmers”.

But the government must ensure remunerative prices for the culled and B-quality vegetables and fruits, which accounts for over 30-40 per cent of the produce every year in the state, they demand.

Keeping aside the politicking going on among the Congress, the BJP, Left parties and regional parties on the issue of the FDI in retail, farmers say: “The FDI will result in mechanisation of horticulture, floriculture and vegetable growing in the state where they are reeling under intensive crisis wreaked by labour crunch, uncertain weather and wildlife menace”.

No city in the state has a population of 10 lakh, which is a criterion for opening of a FDI multi-brand store in the country.

Still, the state produces fruits and vegetables that can attract CAS and FDI stores in other parts of the country to facilitate free trade in 2014 under the World Trade Organisation.

Laxman Thakur, chairman, Ecohorts, Nandpur, said: “We have no option other than welcoming it. We hope it will benefit farmers. But the big question remains: will CAS and wallmarts buy our B-quality fruit.”

The president of the Kullu Fruit Growers’ Association, which has 2,000 members, said the FDI would benefit farmers of all shade.

“It will eliminate middlemen. On an average, a farmer gets Rs 30 per kg for apple while a retailer is selling the same for Rs 60 to Rs 100 a kg to consumers, rest is gobbled up by middlemen,” he added.

The Adani group buys from farmers and stores in its CAS, but they sell the fruit in Delhi and other markets in the country, using the chain of commission agents.

But Dr Charanjit Parmar, a horticultural scientist here, says, “The FDI will benefit farmers and eliminate the chain of middlemen and encourage quality control and stabilise fruit and vegetable markets in the country in the long run.”

Shimla, September 26
The State-Level Nodal Agency under the Integrated Watershed Development Programme (IWDP) today approved 21 detailed project reports of watershed development projects for various districts in the state.

The projects to be implemented in Bilaspur, Kangra, Kinnaur, Mandi, Solan and Una districts were approved at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary S Roy. The Chief Secretary said the projects involving an expenditure of Rs 260 crore would help cover 1,06,596 hectare area.

The agency also approved a proposal to create district-level Project Implementing Agencies (PIA) for Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti to bring the left-out areas under the IWMP.

Roy said the state submitted a proposal to the Centre for the treatment of 1 lakh hectare under the IWDP in 2012-13. In 2008-09, the state had sent projects worth Rs 4,668 crore for approval out of which projects worth Rs 1035.08 crore were sanctioned to cover 6,90,112 hectare area in various districts.

The Chief Secretary underlined the need for undertaking more livelihood generation activities to strengthen the economic well-being of the masses. He also stressed on the evaluation of the projects by using geographic information system (GIS) application and also to increase the ambit of the watershed development programme.

Shimla, September 26
While the state recorded 11 per cent deficient rainfall, Dharamsala town, once famous as the second Cherrapunji, received the second highest rainfall in 110 years during the current monsoon that finally withdrew today.

The overall precipitation in the state during the season was 697 mm against the normal of 785 mm marking a deficiency of 11 per cent.

However, Dharamsala recorded 3,660 mm of rain, the second highest rainfall in 110 years. The highest precipitation of 4,153 mm was recorded in 1958 and the earlier second highest of 3,604 mm (1978) has now been pushed to the third place.

Some other towns like Hamirpur (1,214 mm) and Kullu (405 mm) had excess precipitation. Nahan with 1,145 mm was deficient by 29 per cent and Mandi 1,058 mm (-10 per cent).

Out of the total 12 districts, three districts had excess rain, four were deficient and the remaining five more or less experienced a normal monsoon. Kangra district was the wettest with 1,889 mm of rain, 23 per cent higher than the normal of 1,539 mm. It was followed by Kullu, which had 667 mm against the normal of 552 mm, 21 per cent excess, and Hamirpur, which received 1,183 mm, 11 per cent more than the normal of 1,038 mm.

The two tribal districts were the most deficient, Lahaul-Spiti district had with just 129 mm against the normal of 440 mm (-71 per cent) and Kinnaur 117 mm, 33 per cent less than the normal of 175.5.

Other deficient districts were Sirmaur that had 987 mm against the normal of 1,371 mm (-28 per cent) and Chamba 632 mm against 861 mm (- 27 per cent).

The remaining five districts had a normal monsoon. These districts included Mandi (1,122 mm), Solan (894.9 mm) Una (807 mm) and Bilaspur (783 mm).

During the four-month season from June to September, August was the wettest month having 311.9mm of rainfall that was 14 per cent over the normal.

Bharmour (Chamba), September 26
Woolly aphids are threatening apple plantations of the Bharmour area in Chamba district. According to agricultural experts, woolly aphids have attacked large tracks of apple plantation in the area. If not cured in time, woolly aphids can lead to death of apple plantations and cause great financial loss to farmers.

Dr Anita, research associate, CSK Agricultural University project in the Bharmour area, told The Tribune that apple plantations in Khani, Sachui, Dharkota, Holi and Dayal villages were adversely affected due to woolly aphids. In most of these villages, about 30 per cent apple production loss was reported this year due to woolly aphids.

Dr Pawan Pathania, principal investigator in the university project, said woolly aphids could be cured with insecticides and pesticides. In case pesticides were used, these could lead to a slow death of plants and drastic decrease in production, he added.

In many cases, the apple plants were affected so badly that they were advising farmers to uproot old plants and grow fresh ones, he said.

Raj Kumar, who has an orchard in Dharkota village, said experts were telling them that insecticides and pesticides had to be sprayed to get rid of woolly aphids, but they were not getting the pesticides in the area. The Department of Horticulture should supply the insecticides required to save apple plantations of the Bharmour area, he added.

Surinder Singh, an apple farmer in Malkota village, said woolly aphids were spreading to apple plantations of the entire area. The government and departments concerned should take concrete steps to check the menace, he added.

Dr Pathania said apple had contributed in a big way to change the economy of the Bharmour area and had also helped change the nomadic lifestyle of Gaddi tribals of the area.

He said the average production of apple in the area was between 80 and 90 quintal per farmer and farmers earned between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 4 lakh per annum from the apple crop, depending on the size of their land holdings.

Gaddi tribals used to migrate across the mountains along with their sheep earlier, but now, they had taken to apple and pulses farming, he said. Steps should be taken to protect apple plantations of the Bharmour area, he added.

Woolly aphids are sucking insects which can have a big impact on apple trees. They can feed on leaves, buds, twigs and roots, causing poor plant growth and even death of plants.

Shimla, September 26
The CPM today sought the intervention of Green Bench of the high court (HC) and the Election Commission to prevent the state government from extending undue benefits to big industrial houses, especially the Jaypee group, which had been granted permission for expansion of its cement plant at Bagga.

In a statement issued here today, member of the state secretariat of the CPM Tikender Panwar said the latest permission granted by the Cabinet in its last meeting has raised many questions. He urged the special Green Bench of the HC to take suo-motu notice of the decision that was bound to cause immense environmental degradation.

“What was the need to allow expansion of the cement plant when the Jaypee group has failed to start operation in the Chamba plant that was allotted to it in 2006,” Panwar quipped.

He said despite the fact that the high court had fined Rs 100 crore on the Jaypee group, the state government was blatantly trying to extend undue benefits to the company.

The CPM leader said: “Allowing expansion of the existing cement plant will only lead to serious ecological and environmental issues, which cannot be allowed to happen,” he said.

Mandi, September 26
Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) supremo Maheshwar Singh today claimed that the third front would field its candidates on all the 68 seats in the coming Assembly elections and each of its constituents would prepare its own manifesto and share a common minimum programme.

Addressing the press conference here today, Maheshwar said there was a lull before the storm in the state as people were silent, exploring possibility of electing an alternate third-front government.

They had covered all parts of the state and the party had got a good response from people, he said. Replying to queries, Maheshwar said: “We will release the list of candidates and manifesto soon after the BJP and Congress does the same,” he added.

He said the party had been registered and a party symbol would be allotted by the Election Commission soon after the notification was issued and model code imposed. The HLP and its third front partners - the CPI and the CPM - and Dulo Ram’s manch would contest on all the 68 Assembly constituencies on the basis of a seat adjustment, he said.

He said the party would hold its rally on September 28 in Mandi.

But party workers from Mandi Sadar, Balh, Nachan and Drang in Mandi and Banjar and Manali in Kullu district would mainly attend the rally, he said.

Shimla, September 26
The CPM today announced its candidates from four of the eight Assembly constituencies it would contest in the forthcoming Assembly elections. The decision was taken after a meeting of the CPM district committee held here today.

The party announced candidature of Deputy Mayor Tikender Panwar from Shimla (Urban) seat.

Other three candidates are Rakesh Singha from Theog, Kuldeep Tanwar from Kasumpti and Rajeev Thakur from Shimla (Rural).

The party will contest the election in the state jointly with the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) under the banner of Himachal Lok Morcha. Though the two parties, along with the CPI, have decided to have seat sharing arrangement, no such formal decision has been taken so far.

The CPM created history by winning the seats of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC) and it is hopeful of doing well in the Assembly elections as well. The party has a good vote bank in Shimla (Urban), Kasumpti and Shimla (Rural) seats.

Singha won MLA seat from Shimla in 1993. Present Mayor Sanjay Chauhan was the runner-up candidate in the last Assembly polls in 2007, thus pushing Congress nominee to the third position.

Solan, September 26
Unscheduled power cuts have severely hit production in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial belt for the past one week.

The industry which was already reeling under losses due to low industrial output, these power cuts have further aggravated the plight of investors here.

Various industry associations have decided to register their protest with the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Industries Association by holding a peaceful protest march against the state electricity board at Baddi tomorrow.

The Nalagarh Industries Association too has decided to gherao officials of the board on Friday. The association will hold a meeting to chalk out its strategy tomorrow.

Prem Sharma, president, Nalagarh Industries Association, said it was a dismal scenario as HP State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) had not declared any schedule for executing power cuts and abrupt and unscheduled cuts were leading to wastage and losses in production.

Another investor said the HPSEB was selling power while starving the domestic industry of it.

YS Guleria, general secretary, Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Industries Association, said if there was power shortage the board should impose scheduled cuts so they could plan their industrial operations accordingly.

Plant head of an electrical goods manufacturing unit said they were running double shifts to complete orders it being the peak season as abrupt power cuts had offset their operations.

They were forced to use diesel generator sets, thus incurring extra costs for meeting the orders that added 15 to 30 per cent to the cost of production, he said.

A board official said floods disrupted various power projects in the past few days which resulted in a shortage of 12-15 lakh units (LU) of power in the state. An abrupt plunge in temperature in the past three to four days further led to a decline in power production from 104 LU to 71 LU in the state, he added.

Bilaspur, September 26
Martyr Prem Lal (42) of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) was cremated with full military honours at the cremation ghat at Kaseh-Vijaypur village, near here, today in front of hundreds of village representatives, political party leaders and others.

Earlier his body, draped in the Tri-colour, arrived at the village from some interior part of Leh in Jammu and Kashmir where he was posted and had laid down his life while performing his duty during some operation.

A contingent of the ITBP force reversed arms and saluted the departed soul before firing several volleys in the air and sounding the Last Post as a mark of respect.

Inspector Om Parkash, SHO of Bilaspur Sadar police station, represented the police, along with HC Naseeb Khan.

The deceased was recruited into the ITBP in 1992 and has left behind his elderly father Ram Dass, wife and a son and a daughter.

Shimla, September 26
The Himachal Pradesh Pensioners Welfare Association today threatened to oppose the BJP in the forthcoming Assembly polls if their demands were not met with as they felt betrayed by the “indifferent attitude of the state government”.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the association held here today under the chairmanship of its president Jiwanand Jiwan and secretary general Hari Chand Gupta.

“All those present at the meeting expressed deep resentment at the indifferent attitude of the state government which during its last three Cabinet meetings has not accepted our genuine demands on the Punjab pattern,” said Gupta.

“It has been decided that in case the demands of 1.40 lakh pensioners and 70,000 family pensioners are not accepted, the association will oppose the present government in the forthcoming Assembly polls,” he said.

The major demands of the pensioners include grant of 5, 10 and 15 per cent additional hike for pensioners after attaining the age of 65, 70 and 75 years, respectively, on the Punjab pattern.

Other demands include enhancement of fixed medical reimbursement from Rs 100 to Rs 500 per month, revision of pension and family pension of pre-2006 pensioners at the rate of 50 and 30 per cent of the initial pay on the Punjab pattern.

Mandi, September 26
Residents of Palace Colony in the town accused a private Hotel Comfort of creating nuisance by playing music round the clock, disturbing their sleep. Harsh Goel, Ashok Kumar and Jivan Lal said the owner had been claiming that he had permission from the SDM’s office.

SDM, Mandi Sadar, Rajesh Kumar said, “We will take action in this regard.”

Sundernagar, September 26
Acting on a criminal complaint filed by Sohan Singh of Darbyas village against two policemen for beating him in custody, Judicial Magistrate (court No. 2), Mandi, Rajesh Chauhan has summoned ASI Lachhi Ram and constable Vijay Kumar of the police post, Rewalsar, to court on November 5.

As per the complaint, Sohan Singh and his brother Hem Raj had filed complaints against each other before the police at the police post, Rewalsar, regarding some dispute pertaining to property.

On March 27, 2011, the accused, ASI Lachhi Ram and constable Vijay Kumar, called Sohan to a place at Darbyas village and put him in lock-up.

The accused officials allegedly gave a merciless beating to the complainant and further demanded Rs 400 for his treatment.

The complainant borrowed the amount from Dr Rajinder who was residing near the police post. When the complainant failed to reach his house, villagers visited the police post. The police told them that the complainant had been arrested and would be produced before the Magistrate next day. Next day, the complainant was produced before the SDM, Mandi, and was bailed out. He was again beaten to the extent that he was unable to walk.

The complainant was taken to the Zonal Hospital, Mandi, where he was medically examined and injuries were found on different parts of his body. Later the victim filed a criminal complaint before the court praying that the accused be convicted and sentenced for the offence.