Shimla, November 25
The state government has decided to move court against the decision of the Centre to cancel the coal block allotted to Himachal EMTA Power Limited (HEPL), a joint venture of the state-owned Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) and Eastern Minerals and Trading Agency (EMTA), for setting up pit-head thermal power plant at Raniganj in West Bengal.

The Union Ministry of Coal conveyed the decision taken on the recommendation of the Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) yesterday. JSW Steel Limited, which has 50 per cent share in the estimated coal reserves of 131.7 million tonnes, has on the basis of the recommendations of the IMG already moved the Delhi High Court, which has passed an order according to which the decision will come into effect only after seven days.

Additional Chief Secretary (Power) Deepak Sanan said the company would file a petition against the order before November 30.

The coal block has been de-allocated on the grounds that progress on the project is unsatisfactory, but the state has valid reasons as out of the reserves allotted in the A, B and C blocks, almost 50 per cent of the area (falling under the B block) is densely populated where mining is not possible.

The state had been pleading for allotment of an alternative block in its place so that it could have at least a 500-MW plant if not 660 MW, as planned earlier to make use of the supercritical technology.

The original allotment was made in 2009, but the Centre agreed to delete the B block only last year as a result of which the work could not be started.

The Managing Director, HPPCL, said keeping in view the uncertainty over coal reserves, the project had been planned in two stages with a 250-MW unit to be set up in the first stage and the second unit at a later stage. The state would be entitled to 70 per cent power from it. In the meantime, the state would pursue matter with the Centre for allocation of an alternative block for the second unit.

If nothing came out, efforts would be made to have coal linkages from other sources, but the aim was to have a 500-MW plant ultimately to meet the winter shortfall of power in the state.

The corporation had decided to set up a project on a Build-Operate-Own-and-Transfer (BOOT) basis and tenders for the same would be invited.

The bid document would be submitted to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission for clearance shortly.

The state government had invested about Rs 2 crore in the project in the form of equity and a bank guarantee (BG).

As per the decision of the Centre, 50 per cent of the BG, about Rs 6.67 crore, will be deducted.

Dharampur (Mandi), November 25
Mining mafias catering to local contractors and stone crushers have plundered the local Soan and Bakhr khads, streams and the Beas robbing the rivers of minerals.

This, in turn, has triggered a water crisis in several areas in the Sarkaghat-Dharampur belt where the mafia prevails under the nose of the Mining Department.

The large-scale illegal mining unleashed by the mining cartel run by owners of stone crushers has depleted drinking water sources. It has already triggered a drinking water crisis in Sajao Piplu, Dharpa, Sadhot, Barchwar and other areas in the Sarkaghat-Dharampur region due to the prolonged dry spell.

Water crisis for locals was bound to multiply in the coming lean winter and dry summer months, said villagers. There was nobody to check the mining mafias and illegal operation of stone crushers here, they added.

Illegal mining has plundered boulders and sands in the Soan and Bakhr khads, mainstay of the Dharamur belt that feed the Beas.

Mining mafias under the patronage of a local minister who runs a stone crusher, along with three influential persons, have rendered the khads stone less as the entire area wears a deserted look.

Dozens of tractors operated by local residents can be seen plundering boulders and sand in the khads in broad daylight.

Though the high court has banned mining in the khads, these influential operators run their writ large in the area.

President, Dharamour Kisan Sabha, Suresh Sharma said they had been opposing illegal mining in the Soan and Bakhra khads over the years, but nothing had been done to stop it.

The water crisis had become acuter and threat of flash floods looms large in the monsoon season as had happened last year, said Bhupender Singh of Dharwar.

Tractors carrying extracted minerals cater to stone crushers, including local contractors, building retaining walls around the Dharampur bus stand that has come up along the Soan khad.

The Mining Department had failed to check the mining activity going on in full swing in this belt.

The modus operandi of stone- crusher owners was simple. They run the unit on private land and take advantage of the readily available cartel of truckers, which flourish on illegal mining, said residents.

However, state mining officials claim that they lack patrolling staff to check illegal mining. They also do not have vehicles for the purpose.

Shimla, November 25
A deputation of the District Congress Committee, Shimla (Urban), led by Pradeep Singh, met Union Minister Anand Sharma, AICC general secretary Birender Singh and other Central leaders in Delhi yesterday and took up the matter of expulsion of lower-rung leaders by HPCC chief Virbhadra Singh.

Terming the action as unwarranted, unjustified and illegal, the deputation impressed upon the leaders that the expulsion of district general secretary Sanjeev Kuthiala and his councillor wife Sushma was the handiwork of coterie surrounding Virbhadra.

They pointed out that the state leadership was using double standards and action was being taken on factional considerations.

The coterie headed by Harsh Mahajan was calling the shots in the Virbhadra camp as a result of which the entire party was suffering.

Pradeep and other leaders drew attention to the fact that no notice was served and the leaders were expelled straightaway.

There were other leaders who openly worked against the official party candidate during the Assembly poll, but no action was taken against them.

Pradeep said Anand Sharma assured them that he would take up the matter at the appropriate level and justice would be done.

He said the BJP had started preparing for the 2014 Lok Sabha poll and it had already appointed the in charge for the four seats and trying to bring back those who deserted the party. However, certain leaders in the state Congress were keen to settle personal scores rather than taking steps to strengthen the organisation.

They did not even have the patience to wait for the declaration of the poll results and had started throwing out dedicated workers and leaders out of the party. They also met AICC secretary Asha Kumari and Union Minister Chandresh Kumari, who also extended support to them and assured to take up the issue.

Shimla, November 25
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) president Virbhadra Singh has expressed concern over the safety of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and expressed apprehensions that the ruling BJP may indulge in foul play in violation of the model code of conduct.

In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), he pointed out that the EVMs had to be stored in a secure custody for nearly seven weeks across the state. Though the Election Commission had made elaborate arrangements to keep the EVMs under CCTV vigil and guarded by central paramilitary forces, these arrangements were not satisfactory to ensure proper security and safety.

He said the places for storage of EVMs must not have more than one entry point. If there were any other doors or windows in the warehouse, they should be sealed using brick-masonry or concrete.

Given the long interval between the polling and the counting, frequent and surprise visits by officials of the Election Commission to the state overseeing the security arrangements of the EVMs in the presence of candidates and their representatives would go a long way in restoring confidence among candidates.

He expressed unhappiness over the use of official vehicles, beacons and flags by ministers and other political dignitaries belonging to the BJP while the model code of conduct was still in force in the state.

The HPCC chief also expressed serious concern about the fact that the Chief Minister and other ministers were frequently visiting melas and other functions as chief guests in utter violation of the code of conduct.

He asked the CEC to issue immediate instructions to the state government to stop misuse of official position and machinery.

Nurpur, November 25
Residents of Mazra village of the Indora Assembly constituency bordering Punjab have been living under constant threat of mining being undertaken by JCB machines.

As many as 100 houses of this remote village are facing repercussions of the ongoing rampant mining of the Chakki and Nalwa rivers surrounding the village in lower Kangra district.

Despite hundreds of hectares have been affected by mining, the authorities concerned have failed to check this menace.

Even this village has lost the approach road linking to the Indora tehsil headquarters. A visit to the village on Friday revealed the sorry state of residents.

Bachan, Maskeen, Noor Hasan, Ilamdeen, Shamu, Kaludeen, Hussain Ali, Ravina, Kala and Saifudeen, all residents of the village, said forcible mining around 50 houses in the village had been done.

The residents were threatened by the mining mafia when they objected. They alleged that hundreds of acres of fertile land had turned barren due to soil erosion and depleting underground water level during the past seven years.

They said during the monsoon this year, the Chakki river had changed its course and its water entered their houses forcing them to shift to safer places.

Rekha Devi, pradhan of the Mazra panchayat, said a signed memorandum on behalf of residents of the village had been submitted by the panchayat to the Chief Minister and the Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, a few months ago demanding to stop mining in the area, but no action was taken so far.

However, Ashok Sharma, District Mining Officer, Kangra, said he had not received any complaint in this regard, but he was asking the mining inspector and other officials to visit the spot and he would also inspect the ongoing mining to check the issue.

Hamirpur, November 25
The District Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (DFCSCA) Department, Hamirpur, has sent samples of wheat flour taken from five private mills supplying flour for the pubic distribution system (PDS) to a laboratory to verify the quality of the same.

The samples of wheat flour drawn from private flour mills at Nadaun, Galod, Bhavroh, Tal and Kot have been sent to the State Scientific Laboratory, Kandaghat, for analysis.

The state purchases wheat flour from these mills to supply subsidised ration to consumers through PDS outlets in the district.

Nearly 58.16 lakh quintal wheat flour is procured from these mills every month in the district.

Fingers had been raised in the past over the quality of wheat distributed to consumers and a few complaints were also been made with the district administration.

Zila parishad member Promila Kumari had raised this issue in the zila parishad meeting earlier saying, “blackish wheat flour is being supplied through PDS outlets” and had demanded action in the matter.

The state government had made it mandatory for the DFCSCA Department to carry periodic sampling of articles supplied under the PDS to maintain and verify the quality of the ration.

District Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Controller PS Kanet said: “We have been carrying periodic sampling of ration items supplied under the PDS scheme to verify quality of these items and the drawn samples of wheat flour from five mills of Hamirpur district have been sent to the State Scientific Laboratory, Kandaghat, for scientific analysis.”

Shimla, November 25
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) not to utilise forest land for non-forest activities for the Integrated Kashang Project (Stage I and II) in Kinnaur district till further orders.

An interim order has been passed on a petition challenging the forest clearance filed by Devi Gyan Negi, a representative of the Paryavaran Sanrakhshan Samiti, a local organisation opposing the diversion of forest lands for the project.

The key issue raised is the threat to the already endangered chilgoza pine forests, which are being felled for these projects, besides the ecological fallout of the indiscriminate diversion of forests for hydropower projects in the entire region in the past 10 years.

The NGT also directed the corporation not to fell the trees standing on disputed lands for the 120-MW project funded by the Asian Development Bank.

The petition was filed on the grounds that the forest clearance had been given in violation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and that it had serious ecological consequences.

Another critical issue raised was the “piecemeal” clearances granted to an integrated project being developed in four separate stages.

The project proponents first applied for diversion of 18.71 hectares of forest land in 2006 for Stage I and then applied for diversion of 17 hectares of forest land for Stages II and III. Its application for Stage IV is still pending. The HPPCL has also applied for a separate forest clearance for the transmission line component. The petition claims that the impact of the entire diversion should have been assessed cumulatively by the Ministry of Environment.

“We welcome the interim order of the NGT that recognised that there are substantial environment issues related to the forest diversion,” president of the samiti SS Negi said.

The order comes in the wake of another important judgment by the NGT in relation to forest clearances passed early this month, which laid down that subsequent to the grant of clearance by the Ministry of Environment it was incumbent upon the state to pass a reasoned order for allowing the land in question for being used for non-forest purpose.

The order goes on to say that “bereft of such order no forest lands can be put to use for non-forest purpose. Further, all forest clearances could be challenged in the NGT after the forest clearance order by the government. Prakash Bhandari of the Himdhara Environment Research and Action Collective said now, any non-forest use of land being carried out for any project in the absence of the state order was liable to legal challenge.

Secondly, as and when the state government does pass the orders of forest clearances, even projects that were approved earlier could be challenged in the court within 90 days of the issuance of order. Clearly, a window had been opened for legal recourse for those aggrieved by the grant of forest clearances, especially forest dependent communities whose forest rights or access to forests have been compromised or yet to be settled and recognised under the Forest Rights Act. He said the Ministry of Environment was under pressure after the Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Kishore Chandra Deo wrote a letter to Environment Minister Jayanthi Natrajan regarding granting of forest clearances in contravention of the Forest Rights Act, 2006.

Mandi, November 25
The Employee Service Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has told the authorities at private technical and educational institutes to cover their employees under the ESIC Act, which was mandatory, so that they could get free health services at its 500-bedded multi-speciality hospital and medical college coming up near here.

An ESIC survey has revealed that the ESIC cover in the region is negligible as there is no significant industry in and around Mandi. Those running private institutions have been ignoring the ESIC Act, which is in violation of labour laws, say officials.

Three major technical institutes, the MG Group, the Abhilashi group and SIRDA, and private Bachelor of Education colleges are doing brisk business in the area, but none has covered employees under the Act.

Employees of several technical institutes, the MG Group in particular, have gone on record with the charge that they are not paid salary regularly. They have complained against the management to the Mandi Deputy Commissioner recently.

The employees complain that they are being exploited by the management. They point out that only the top rung gets good salaries and other benefits.

They resent that the rest of the staff has to be content with low pay and diktats of private managements which take the advantage of rampant unemployment in the state as the state government does not have a policy to govern the salary structure of private institutes.

Private managements have been saying the state government has not asked them to cover employees under the ESIC Act so far. The ESIC has sped up efforts to cover all employees at these institutes.

ESIC Medical College and Hospital Dean Dr DS Dhiman says they have told the authorities of private institutes to enrol their employees under the ESIC scheme so that they get free treatment at the hospital once it is functional next year.

ESIC Regional Director PS Negi says they have started the exercise to cover all private institutes under the Act as it is mandatory. “We are seeking the help of the health and labour departments so that each employee benefits,” he adds.

Solan, November 25
The manner in which an injured stag was left to die without any medical treatment for more than two hours after falling from a hilltop at Barog has put a question mark on the working of the wildlife authorities in Solan.

The staff of the HP Tourism Development Corporation-run Pinewood informed the forest staff about the injured stag after it landed at their main gate around 9:30 am today.

A visit to the site by this correspondent revealed that the staff of the Forest Department was preparing to transport the injured stag to a zoo at Tutikandi in Shimla around 11:30 am and no veterinary doctor had been arranged to treat the injured animal even after two hours.

The animal was injured in the leg and was suffering from severe internal injuries as it had fallen from a height of more than 40 ft.

DFO Ashok Chauhan, who is also the Wildlife Warden, said the stag succumbed to its injuries later in the day and they were preparing to dispose of his body after conducting a postmortem.

Chauhan added that the stag appeared to have been chased by wild dogs and had fallen off the hill. The stag was around four-five years old. 

Dharamsala, November 25
The number of students opting for science and vocational subjects in schools of Himachal is abysmal. As per the results of the Himachal Pradesh School Education Board (HPSEB), just 15 per cent of the students opt for science subjects.

Last year just 15,500 students opted for science subjects in all the schools functioning under the education board, out whom only 11,539 passed out.

In vocational subjects, the condition is even worse. Not even 1 per cent of the students are opting for vocational subjects. This year only 795 students opted for vocational subjects against about 1 lakh students who appeared in the class XII examinations. Only 596 managed to pass.

In vocational subjects, the education board is offering accounting and auditing, computer technique, electronic technology, maintenance and repair of electric appliances and food sciences subjects. These subjects can prove handy for students to get employment in the industry coming up in Himachal.

Sources in the board also attributed lack of facilities and teachers of vocational subjects in government schools as one of the reasons.

According to board officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, most of the industries coming in Himachal are finding it difficult to get local skilled labour. Every industry coming up in the state is bound to recruit 85 per cent Himachal residents. The vocational courses being offered by the board can help students take up jobs in the industry. However, very few students are opting for these subjects. The result is that industry here has to look towards other states for skilled labour.

In contrast to science and vocational subjects, the number of students opting for arts and commerce subjects is 63,000. Most of these students generally go for basic courses in college and end up doing BEd. While the trend of opting for basic courses is on the decline in other states, students in Himachal are still going in for these.

The sources here also attribute the low percentage of students opting for science subjects to the failure of teachers to motivate them to do so. From the results of class X it can be inferred that most of the students do well in science subjects. The pass percentage of students in science subjects in the results of class X declared this year was 84.99 per cent. In mathematics, however, the percentage was a bit lower at 67.21.

Officials, when asked about the steps the board was taking to motivate more students to take up science and vocational subjects, said the matter would be discussed with the higher authorities of the Education Department.

Shimla, November 25
Students of Dayanand Public School formed a human chain while taking out an awareness rally, stressing the need for conserving water, here yesterday.

Anuradha Panda, consultant, Himachal Pradesh Voluntary Health Association, flagged off the rally. The main objective of the rally was to create awareness among people about conserving water and its proper use.

Poster-making, paper-reading, model-making and painting competitions were also organised to mark the day. Teachers and students of the school went from door to door highlighting the importance of conserving water so as to save the human race from an inevitable water crisis. They also distributed pamphlets titled “Water Conservation —Need of the Hour” among the public.

Solan, November 25
A three-day writers meeting, under the aegis of a writers conglomerate Sangman, began at Barog today where writers from Himachal, Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh etc gathered to discuss various nuances of the power of word.

SR Harnote, state in-charge of this meeting, said the meeting began this evening with a series of discussions on the power of word and other topics like impact of e-books on society, devaluation of language and distortion of word in today’s modern communication modes, including advertising.

Writers, including Dr Vinod Shahi, Bhibas Verma, Hrishikesh Sulabh, Prem Bhardwaj, were among those present in today’s sessions.

They dwelt on the degradation of language due to the increasing use of internet where the language had undergone a sea change and its impact on the society.

Harnote said the writers would be taken to Dagshai tomorrow where they would be shown the British era jail where freedom fighters had been jailed during the struggle for independence.

Shimla, November 25
Nearly 1,000 trekkers from Himachal, Uttarakhand, UP and Haryana converged atop the majestic Churdhar peak at a height of around 13,000 ft on the auspicious occasion of Devthan Ekadashi, yesterday.

Festivities and campfire continued at the highest peak of the Shivalik mountain range throughout the night.

President of the All-India Trekking Federation CRB Lalit said this annual event was a mix of adventure and faith in which youth participated with enthusiasm.

The Shirgul Devta temple at Choordhar has special relevance for people across the country, particularly Sirmaur and Shimla districts.

The rhymes of Devtas’ valour were sung and participants danced to the tune of local orchestra at the campfire.

In the morning, the Churdhar peak experienced a mild snowfall and the Shirgull Devta proceeded to its winter abode at Sarahan where he rests for the next six months annually in the holy temple of Lord Vrajeshwar Indra, locally known as Devraj Vijat.

The State Chooreshvar Seva Samiti made entire arrangements for food and stay of the trekkers.

Harinand, president of the samiti, and Dr Arun Bhandari, manager of the Devta fair, said the event organised with a great pomp and show was attracting more and more visitors every year.

Sundernagar, November 25
In the absence of a “gene pool and a biodiversity bank or repository”, scientists grope in the dark over the status of microbial and flora-faunal biodiversity in the state as all agencies involved in research and extraction are working at cross purposes.

Scientists call for combined efforts and a government policy for the preservation and propagation of biodiversity, which promises a goldmine for research and development and for agricultural and industrial uses in the state.

From the freezing climate of -40°C of Lahaul-Spiti to the boiling 80°C hot water springs of Manikaran, Himachal promises extreme climes for biodiversity. But nothing concrete had been done by different scientific agencies to leverage farming and industry to save the environment from decadence in the state, scientists said.

Researchers were not involved in the cutting-edge research on biodiversity, but they were involved in a piecemeal academic pursuit to produce academicians or working for individual industrial houses, said sources.

These gaps in research and development and preservation and promotion of biodiversity came to light at a seminar organised at MLSM College, here, in collaboration with the University Grant Commission (UGC). The seminar was inaugurated by Anish Garg, senior Judge, Sundernagar.

“Biodiversity is a fad among academicians as Himachal has no gene pool and repository or bank of biodiversity, the scientists said.

Dr Arvind Bhatt, associate professor with the Department of Biotechnology, HPU, Shimla, delivered a key lecture during the seminar. While talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the seminar he said: “We do not know how much of microbial biodiversity is available in the soil or microbial loss in the soil. We can develop bio-fertilisers and vermi-compost for farmers and extract medicinal plants. But we have no dedicated research and technology policy to accomplish the task.”

Dr Bhatt said they had made a start towards the entrepreneurship development programme and vermi-compost. But they have miles to go. The pooling efforts of different agencies should be involved in the task.

He said they could use biodiversity, raising eco-friendly microbes for agricultural and industrial uses. But they need a clear policy on biodiversity bringing it under the ambit of the National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority.

The scientists say there is a repository of Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur, a herbarium, at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry. Some ground work has been done to develop a “microbial germ plasm” at the ISBT, Palampur. But they need to pool efforts and need more funds for coordinated and targeted research.

Former, PSO, State Council for Educational Research and Training, Dr Subhash Gupta, Dr MC Thakur from Biosciences Department, Principal, MLSM College, Dr Ashok Sharma, Convener of UGC, committee of the college, PC Rana and coordinator, career and counseling cell Dr CP Kaushal also underscore the need for a coordinated effort to preserve and propagate biodiversity.

Sundernagar, November 25
The Himachal Pradesh Football Association will hold a special camp for 30 players who will be participating in the Santosh Football Trophy in 2013.

Addressing a press conference here, Deepak Sharma, general secretary of the association, said 30 players from 12 teams, who were participating in the 2nd Club Football state-level championship which would be concluding on November 27 at Mandi, would be selected and given special training at Chamba from December 1 onwards.

He said the association had already appointed Sudhir from Kerala who was a coach of international standards and would take charge in May 2013.

He said the association was making all efforts to make football popular in Himachal Pradesh. It had already requested the Education Department to introduce girls football at the school level so that good players could participate in national tournaments.

He said communication with the government regarding providing exclusive ground for football was going on.

He said there was a lot of talent in Himachal Pradesh, but there was lack of coaching facilities in this hill state.

Other members of the association and newly appointed coach Sudhir were present on this occasion.

Una, November 25
US-based NRI VK Sood has alleged the misuse of funds he provided for scholarships at the Government Senior Secondary School in Amb.

In a communication to the Education Department, Dr Sood alleged that the donation of Rs 45,463 he gave in 2003 and Rs 52,227 in 2010 were misused by the school authorities. Dr Sood added that inquiries from the principal revealed that he distributed the money among students and used the rest for the construction of a computer laboratory.

He further wrote that the principal did not give the names of the beneficiary students, which raised the suspicion that the money might have been misused.

Dr Sood added that even using the amount for a computer laboratory or any other purpose also amounted to misappropriation of funds.

The Directorate of Higher Education wrote to the principal, directing him to explain his position with regard to the funds, failing which disciplinary action could be taken against him.

Dr Sood expressed disappointment that the school authorities had failed to utilise the grant for poor students. He said he could have got more funds for poor students of his native place from NRI friends if funds were used properly.

Solan, November 25
The issue of voltage fluctuation that has been severely affecting the lifting of water through the Giri Potable Water Scheme is likely to be over by March next year if the task of setting up an independent substation is completed as per its deadline in March.

The setting up of this substation was delayed by nearly five years and the scheme was made functional in 2008 on an ad hoc arrangement by drawing power from a 33-KV line at Solan.

This had, however, deprived quality power availability for the scheme, thus leading to water scarcity every now and then.

The work to set up an independent substation had been earlier awarded to a contractor who had backed out, forcing the transmission wing of the state power board to invite fresh tenders.

This had delayed the setting up of the substation by four years, despite the fact that the IPH Department had deposited its cost of Rs 14 crore in 2008 itself.

SE (Transmission), VK Singh, while admitting the delay, said they were hopeful that the work would be completed by February end and the substation would be in place By March 2013.

He said since the work was going in a full swing since May when the new contract was awarded, they were hopeful that there would be no further delay.

Officials had claimed in May that the work would be completed in December this year.

The IPH Department had suffered immensely due to this delay as its machinery developed snags several times due to abrupt high voltage, leading to costly repairs worth lakhs.

The electricity board was not only charging the due water bill from the IPH Department but it had also not given concession despite earning lakhs on the Rs 14 crore deposited with it since 2008.

Another reason which delayed setting up of the substation was the fact that the earlier proposed 132/33 kV 25 MVA substation could not be set up as a bridge connecting the scheme could not bear load in excess of 10 tonnes.

Bilaspur, November 25
Thirtysix persons, including women, donated blood at a day-long blood donation camp organised by the Nagar Uthhan Samti in collaboration with the HP Pharmacists, Chemists and Druggists Association at Shah Talai, 72 km from here, on Friday.

Reports said Mahant Rajender Gir inaugurated the camp by donating blood first.

Those who donated blood included Banku Ram, Kamal, Manmeet Parmar, Naresh Sharma, Dev Raj, Rajender Thakur, Pankaj, Raj Kumar, Amit Sharma, Mukesh, Ajay Kumar, Sita Thakur, Ranjit Singh, Naresh Kumar, Mahender Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Hemant Sharma, Vineet Kumar, Surender Kumar, Kuldip, Rajesh, Gaurav, Prakash Chand, Marut Kapil, Vanita Bhardwaj, Rajiv, Pramod Kaushal, Suresh, Shiv Kumar, Sunil Kumar and Som Dutt etc.

Present on the occasion were office-bearers of the samiti and the association and prominent citizens and village leaders, including Pyare Lal Soni, Kashmiri Lal Soni, Madan Lal, Chaman Lal Soni, Vishwa Nath Bhardwaj, Chuni Lal, Manohar Lal, Krishan Soni, Hem Lata, Ravi Varma, Komal Soni, Kamlesh Kumari, Anjana Kumari, Mahender Singh , Kali Ram, Himal Bhardwaj, Anil Puri, Desh Bandhu, Baldev and Shiv Kumar.