Solan, January 29
With an influx of migrant labourers in the state’s industrial hub of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN), containing crime has become a herculean task for the police.

A large number of outsiders are engaged by contractors in various construction activities and besides this, outsiders also visit the BBN area for tending to do various jobs in industries.

Though no accurate figures are available about their actual numbers, over one lakh migrants are working in the BBN and the majority of them reside in jhuggis. Conflicts over minor issues often lead to heinous crimes among these migrants and their involvement in thefts has also been alarming.

Several cases come to light from time to time when migrants flee the area after executing crimes. Many a times the police faced issues in tracing culprits due to the absence of their addresses and other details.

Though the police has made registration of migrants compulsory at respective police stations and has directed employers to ensure its compliance, but ensuring cent per cent compliance is hard to come through.

Though legal action is envisaged in the HP Police Act against those failing to register their employees, registration is far below the expected level.

Fighting paucity of staff, the police had its own tale of woes as it had been often observed that policemen belonging to various states did not take the verification task seriously and despite several reminders from the BBN police they either fail to verify the antecedents of the migrants or take too long to respond back, confided local police officials. With no dedicated wing to tend to the verification work on an everyday basis, this task has further added to the task of the police.

Another issue being encountered by the police in enforcing this norm was the fact that paucity of labour in the BBN owing to the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Scheme had drastically reduced the availability of workforce. Under such circumstances if contractors try to verify their antecedents, labourers go elsewhere for work. This is serving as a big deterrent for the police in implementing compulsory verification of migrants.

The probability of criminals taking refuge in the BBN, therefore, remains high and there have been cases where proclaimed offenders have also been found working in the area in the absence of any verification.

There is an urgent need to set up an exclusive wing dedicated to verification of migrants to ensure upkeep of law and order in the BBN area.

Manali, January 29
With winter’s good spell of snowfall, the Solang valley, 13 km from here, has become a major winter attraction among tourists. Hundreds of winter sports lovers and tourists are thronging the valley everyday to enjoy the snow and snow-related activities.

The valley is not only famous for its scenic beauty but is also one of the most spectacular ski slopes in the western Himalayas. It has also become popular for its ropeway-cum-ski centre and different adventure activities.

Although the Solang valley is abuzz with visitors throughout the year, with the onset of winter, the craze for skiing, snow boarding, riding on snow mobiles, sledging and paragliding increases tremendously.

The valley that offers one of the most spectacular ski slopes in the western Himalayas with an extensive view of the mighty Pir Panjal ranges has the distinction of hosting a number of national and state-level ski competitions and also The Alpine Premier League.

Many local youths have taken to this winter sport with enthusiasm and have risen to fame on the national as well as international arenas.

Nowadays, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, is also conducting different skiing courses at the Solang ski slopes.

The ropeway-cum-ski centre at the Solang valley has also become an attraction with hundreds of tourists and winter sports lovers swarming the area.

The ropeway-cum-ski centre connects the main slope to the top of Mount Phatru at the elevation of 3,200m from where one can enjoy the extensive views of snow-capped peaks and the Pir Panjal ranges. Nowadays, it is also a hot spot among tourists and adventure sports lovers both in winter and summer.

“As a promoter of ski and winter games, centre provided more than a hundred ski passes to young skiers free of cost for the promotion of skiing among the youngsters,” said Amitabh Sharma, Managing Director, Ski Himalayas.

He also expressed keen interest in organising ski competitions done in the past in association with the local ski clubs and winter games association. This will create a lot of enthusiasm among the local skiers and popularise ski sports in the state,” added Sharma.

Nurpur, January 29
The inhabitants of the tiny Kukhera village of Baari gram panchayat under Fatehpur development block have been leading a miserable life as this village has no school, no electricity, no water pipelines, no road and no health facility.

Even after 42 years of getting statehood status, no successive state government so far has undertaken any development work or any step to rehabilitate the hapless families living in this island village situated in the Pong reservoir in lower Kangra.

Inquiries reveal that this island is owned by the BBMB after it acquired the Pong Dam land. Around fifty families were reluctant to shift to any other place. A population of around 250 is still living in this island with an area of over 3 kms.

The electorate of this island village exercise their franchise in every election right from gram panchayat to the Lok Sabha elections. The Election Commission has set up a polling booth at the local Peer Baba temple in the island.

Agriculture and fishing are the main vocations of the inhabitants. They have their own boats to travel around 2.5 km to reach nearby Dhameta town for their daily needs. Village children use traditional boats to reach their schools at Dhameta. They use only candles or kerosene lamps as a source of light. The village has only one hand pump from where inhabitants meet the daily need of potable water.

Sarita Devi, the pradhan of Baari gram panchayat, said that this island village was the first ward of the panchayat. “The residents of this village are living in this island on their own and no development activity or basic amenity like water, electricity, school or health institution is possible here as this land belongs to the BBMB. The BBMB authorities are allowing these villagers to stay in the Pong lake island on humanitarian grounds,” she asserted.

She said that some of the families of this village had purchased lands outside but were reluctant to shift there and were keen on continuing a risky and deplorable life in the Pong Lake island.

Bilaspur, January 29
All necessary steps will be taken to ensure that genuine demands of four-lane express highway oustee families are met and they are not harassed and their rights are protected. This assurance was given by Bilaspur Sadar MLA Bambar Thakur to hundreds of oustees of four-lane of Badole Dhar areas across the Gobind Sagar right from Kohina to Bhagedh villages at Auhar, 30 km from here, recently.

Four-lane Express Highway Oustees Committee convener Ram Singh said here that earlier a number of village representatives presented in detail the difficulties they were likely to face and which they wanted to be settled before any work of this Rs 2,200-crore mega project was started by the Central government.

Ram Singh said the oustees stressed that they must first be properly rehabilitated before they were uprooted. They sought that proper agricultural land be provided to them and also constructed houses, along with all facilities, which they were presently enjoying.

They said hundreds of families would lose their houses and almost total land in this project. They would all be left in the lurch after this project was completed as agriculture and cattle rearing were their present main stay means of livelihood. They said mere giving them money as land compensation, which hardly lasted long enough, would make them hapless oustees without anything to support their families.

Bambar Thakur said he would soon bring their plight to the attention of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. He would also personally meet Central leaders, including the Surface Transport Minister, Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, and there was no reason why their problems were not solved before this project was actually implemented.

A large number of gram panchayat representatives including presidents, vice-presidents, prominent village leaders like Vijender Chandel, Capt Prem Lal, Sada Ram Sharma, Capt Balak Ram, Bali Ram Garga, Dev Raj Sharma, Madan Lal Sharma, Bhag Singh Dhiman, Lekh Ram, Subedar Krishnu Ram, Ved Prakash Sharma, Brij Lal Sharma, Subedar Shrawan Kumar, Sher Singh Chandel, Lekh Ram Thakur, Bhagat Ram, Sandhya Devi, Santosh, Soma Devi, Gyan Chand Sharma, Dina Nath Chandel and Nambardar Munshi Ram etc were present.

Mandi, January 29
Private hospitals and clinics across the state are dumping hazardous medical waste either in municipal bins or burying the same, violating pollution norms under the very nose of the State Pollution Control Board and the Health Department as these are yet to be brought under the Clinical Establishment Act (CEA).

Hazardous bio-medical waste from private clinics was not being collected category-wise by private collectors. The hospital must make entry of bio-medical waste item-wise so that the pollution control board authorities could monitor them properly, said experts.

Even major private hospitals, which are empanelled for reimbursement with the state government, are violating environment norms. Many hospitals do not hand over the bio-medical waste to private collectors and are making false entry in their registers, hoodwinking the authorities.

In Mandi and Kullu districts, major private hospitals like - Mandav hospital, Hari Har hospital, Sanjeevan, Suket Hospital - and Kullu Valley hospital and Lady Willington Hospital, Manali, - are supposed to hand over the bio-medical waste to the Eagle Services and Environ, an NGO, every third day. But most of these hospitals are allegedly are making false entry in their registers regarding the waste generated by their hospital each day.

Violations like these were rampant in the state as no private hospitals and clinics were brought under the Clinical Establishment Act. This Act provides for legal action against such establishments in case they violate medical and pollution norms, said health experts.

Bio-medical waste treatment plants in Kullu and Shimla were not being run properly, however, the authorities at these plants claim they sort out the medical waste and dispose of as per norms.

Convener, Eagle Services and Environ, HR Thakur claimed that they were collecting the bio-medical waste from government and some private hospitals in Kullu and Mandi districts every third day and dispose it of at the bio-medical plant as per norms. The government must challan erring private hospitals for violation of pollution norms, he added.

Director, health services, Dr DS Chandel, however, said they have no legal provision to challan erring hospitals or clinics.

“We have started registering private hospitals and clinics under the CEA and will take action for violations under the Act once they are registered,” he added.

Dharamsala, January 29
Rahul Gandhi’s elevation to the post of AICC vice-president has raised the expectations of youth congress leaders in the state of active participation in party matters. The youth Congress leaders who enjoy a marginal share in state politics are now optimistic of a greater role in the coming parliamentary elections.

The elevation of Rahul Gandhi had led to unprecedented celebrations across the state. The youth congress leaders gathered at various places in the state and distributed sweets and burst crackers. The posters and banners of Rahul Gandhi have popped up at various places.

Interestingly, as per the usual practice, the posters did not carry photos of senior party leaders from the Centre or the state. It was just Rahul Gandhi who was projected as their sole leader.

Interestingly inquiries by The Tribune revealed that none of the senior leaders of the party pitched in finances or organisational support for the celebrations. Barring the Transport and Food And Civil Supplies Minister’s son RS Bali, who is also the vice-president of the State Youth Congress, none of the prominent leaders associated themselves with the celebrations.

Sources here said that celebrations by youth leaders were held on the directions of national youth leaders. The national Youth Congress leaders keep video-conferencing with their leaders in the state on a regular basis. Some Youth Congress leaders claimed that sometimes even Rahul Gandhi joins the call conference with them.

Direct contact with Rahul Gandhi has kindled hope among the Youth Congress leaders of the state to gain entry into active state politics to cast away dynastic rule.

Heirs of prominent political leaders from the state have been flexing their muscles in the past. In the last Youth Congress elections, the Chief Minister’s son Vikramaditya fought a direct election against Transport Minister GS Bali’s son.

Vikramaditya won the election convincingly and was elected as the state Youth Congress president. However, his election was set aside by FEMA, the controlling agency for Youth Congress elections.

However, RS Bali who was second to Vikramaditya in the elections remained as vice-president of the organisation. Later, elections for the state president of Youth Congress were held again and both Vikramaditya and RS Bali did not participate in the elections.

Monika Bharti, daughter-in-law of former Congress MP from Kangra, Chander Kumar, and wife of Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Neeraj Bharti, was then elected as the state president of Himachal Youth Congress with a thumping majority.

With Rahul Gandhi at the helm of affairs, the Youth Congress leaders of the state who got a raw deal in the allotment of the recently-concluded Assembly elections in the state, are hoping that atleast one out of 4 MP seats would be allotted to them.

However, it remains to be seen if the youth leaders of the state can cut a pie in the state government with Rahul Gandhi at the helm of affairs. Heads and members of various boards and corporations are still to be appointed by the new Congress government in the state.

Palampur, January 29
Brij Behari Lal Butail, state Assembly Speaker, has requested Union Railway Minister Pawan Bansal, for the speedy completion of all railway projects going on in the state.

Butail, who recently called on the Railway Minister at New Delhi, urged for the allocation of more budget for the Nangal Talwara railway line that is under construction since 1977.

He also sought early clearance of other pending projects in the state.

Butail also demanded the conversion of the Pathankot Joginder Nagar narrow gauge rail track into a broad gauge line and also link the same with Leh via Manali, keeping in view the defense requirements of the country. This rail track was laid by the British in 1932. Since then no expansion of this line was made by the government of India. In the rest of the country, all narrow gauge lines had already been converted into broad gauge lines.

He said if this rail track was extended up to Leh, it would be an alternate route for the Army to carry its goods. He told the minister that during the Kargil war in 1999, the entire Army supplies, guns and heavy equipment were carried through this route to Leh, therefore if this rail track was laid, it would be an all-weather track and the government of India would save crores of rupees.

At present, the entire supplies were lifted to Leh and Ladakh by air from Chandigarh and Delhi in the country.

He informed the minister that China had already expanded its rail network in the border areas in Tibet, therefore th egovernment of India should also strengthen its rail network in the areas of Himachal bordering China and Pakistan.

Butail also brought into the notice of the Railway Minister that there would be no need to acquire the land up to Joginder Nagar as the Railways already had sufficient land to lay the track.

In rest of the parts, the state government would acquire the land for this project, he added.

Nurpur, January 29
In order to render emergency speciality health services in government hospitals in the Kangra district, the Health and Family Welfare Department has started exploring the possibilities of private public partnership (PPP).

For this purpose, private hospitals have been approached.

This was stated by Dr Shashipal, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Kangra, after reviewing health services being rendered in the 100-bedded civil hospital here recently.

He said he had also submitted a proposal to the Health Department to harness the services of paramedical staff deputed in the rural health institutions by shifting it in nearby civil hospitals, as most of the health employees were without work in rural areas.

The CMO also said he had ordered alternate services of two radiologists on deputation basis in the Nurpur civil hospital at least once a week where ultrasound machine had been lying idle for the past many months.

Apart from this, he was also ordering deputation duties of doctors of the Gangath health block twice a week here for night duties to strengthen emergency health services.

He added that he had directed the hospital in charge to purchase at least two inverters to ensure lighting during power failure in the hospital.

Nurpur, January 29
The Central Board of School Education (CBSE), during its two-day long special training workshop at Delhi on January 24 and 25, honoured 40 CBSE-affiliated public school managements across the country for their performance in carrying out a campaign to inculcate teachings of Swami Vivekananda. The workshop was held to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Vivekananda.

Noorpur Public School (NPS), Nurpur, was the only school from Himachal Pradesh, which had been selected for the workshop.

The workshop was organised jointly by the Delhi Public School and Rama Krishna Mission, Delhi. Chairperson of the CBSE Vinit Joshi and secretary of the mission Swami Shantamanandji jointly honoured the school managements for their outperforming activities and projects in the schools for imbibing teachings and ideas of Vivekanand among the students.

Arvind Dogra, Director, NPS Nurpur, was among the 40 school management heads, who was conferred the Vivekananda School of Excellence Award along with citation and Rs 10,000. He said the CBSE had evaluated various projects and activities initiated by the school management to inculcate teachings and ideas of Swami Vivekananda among schoolchildren. Two students of the school also took part into the workshop and made presentation on the issues like gender sensitivity, values of love, tolerance, cooperation, respect for other’s views and communication skills.

Dharamsala, January 29
The Statehood Day of Himachal Pradesh and Republic Day was celebrated at Dhauladhar ND Senior Secondary School, Chalali, Bharwain, in Kangra recently. Nehru and Tagore houses got the first and the second positions, respectively, in an inter-house general knowledge quiz competition conducted on the occasion.

Principal Ashok Kumar Bhardwaj give away prizes to winners of the quiz competition.

Later, the Principal hoisted a national flag and students presented various cultural programmes.

Kangra, January 29
The BJP has come out in open against the decision to shift a polytechnic in the town to some other place and establish an engineering college at its place.

Former MLA Sanjay Choudary said recently that it was unfortunate that the state government was planning to establish a new engineering college in the town at the cost of the polytechnic. He said it was ironical that the government was planning to shift the established polytechnic to some other place and set up an engineering college in its place here.

Choudary said due to the contribution of the BJP government, the polytechnic was set up here, which had the strength of 650 students. He said the engineering college was a welcome move but not at the cost of the polytechnic.

He said he had made a proposal of establishing an engineering college during the BJP rule but never supported the theory of shifting polytechnic from here. He said as it was an issue related to the common people, the state government should seek public opinion in this regard.

The polytechnic in Kangra was established by the PK Dumal-led BJP government by eliminating the well-established Junior Technical School here in 1994 in view of development of the area in right perspective.

Dr BK Pawa, known physician of the town, said, “If the engineering college is established here, it will be great. To shift the polytechnic to a nearby area in the radius of 10 to 15 km will by no means affect the students studying there. The majority of the students were from outside and they have to live in a hostel in this town.”

Ajay Gupta, a flour mill owner, said an engineering college was a better proposition and had a wider scope and polytechnic shifting was immaterial. He said that when for the DRPGMC Tanda, TB Sanatorium could be shifted, then why not a polytechnic for an engineering college?

Some intellectuals asked that when the BJP eliminated Junior Technical School for good from here and established a polytechnic, then why not an engineering college for the town by shifting the polytechnic to a nearby place?

Technical Education Minister GS Bali was not available for his comments regarding the BJP’s reaction on the engineering college issue.

When I got on the 19th of this month, I saw the entire town under a heavy sheet of snow and the sun was about to rise on a clear blue sky.

I took the shovel and cleared the balcony of my house so as to enjoy the warmth of the sun. I have been witnessing snow in Shimla for the past 76 years, but I feel refreshed and enchanted after every snowfall. Its feels like being in a different world. No wonder, many poets have sung hosanna for it . James Russell Lowell sings: “I stood and watched by the window, the noiseless work of the sky, and the sudden flurries of snow-birds like brown leaves whirling by.”

This year, the snow in Shimla was a speedy affair. It snowed 38.6 cm in 24 hours in January and had broken the earlier record of 33.2 cm for the same duration in January 2005. The days were good because of the shining sun, but the nights horrible. There was no electricity, no heater, no TV, no broadband. My innumerable brethren also faced the same harsh music. When some were busy in Jaipur in the “Chintan Shivir”, we Shimlawallas were forced to undergo the ‘chinta shiver’. It was not the case of a night, the blackout continued for “three nights and four days”, as if it was a privilege provided to us by the administration. When I asked the linemen working hard in the cold to what had happened, he informed me that the wires had snapped at 25 places due to the falling branches of trees or the uprooted ones. I really admire them for bringing life of the people back to normal in three-four days. I overheard a passerby claiming: “For us‘mango-people’, these linemen are the real government; not those who sit in the Secretariat.”

The roads remained blocked for quite a few days and walking on the descending portions of those with snow frozen on these was like slipping on glassy path. I, on the risk of breaking my bones, trudged my way to Jakhu. Tourists were enjoying the scene and even the falling scene of a girl who slipped on her bottoms on the solid ice and her companions punned: ‘Bum, bum, Bholi’. Hanuman, true to his name Pawan putr (son of wind), was weathering the blizzard in Jakhu amidst the trees cladding the snowy feathers (See Photo). The lord also remained in the dark for a couple of nights as the electric flash that falls regularly was missing. The God that enjoyed the benefit of light was an instant Ganapati made of snow on the Mall (See Photo).

The district administration and the municipal corporation did try to rise to the occasion but my question is why we do not plan at the appropriate time. Here I want to remind those in chairs that there exists a ‘Snow Manual’. Its Rule 2.1 reads that the Deputy Commissioner shall hold a meeting with the officials concerned about the arrival of snow in October. Rule 2.2 directs the officials of the PWD and MC to roam around the town much ahead of the intending snow and get lopped off the dangerous branches of the trees or the trees that might fall. The power to purchase huge quantity of salt beforehand to be sprinkled on likely to be slippery roads has also been mentioned in the manual. Rule 2.3 reads that the IPH Department shall, in advance, maintain water pumps at Gumma, Jagroti, Chher and Churud and cover all open pipes with jute so that water supply continues unabated. Rule 3.1 asks for establishing a control room in the office of the corporation and the Rule 3.2 demands that all roads be opened within 24 hours by the PWD and the MC. Rule 3.10 declares DC to be the overall in charge of the operation.

Passing through the dark shivery nights and walking on slippery roads, I felt that this manual had remained buried under the monolith of files and the administration only fire-fights when the glitch with its jaw opened arises. All expect the administration not only to work better but also to work smarter.

Tailpiece
A man in Chandigarh: “Is it snowing?”

“No, it is your dandruff.”

Palampur, January 29
A small culvert on the narrow Palampur-Dharamsala highway near the SSB chowk has turned into a death trap as the state PWD has failed to enhance the width of the culvert.

Despite repeated requests made by the local residents, neither the PWD enhanced the width of the culvert nor constructed a retaining wall. The PWD even failed to put up a sign board here to alert the vehicles. A number of fatal accidents have taken place at this point in the past two years but the PWD is apathetic to the situation.

It may be recalled that the Palampur-Dharamsala highway is one of the busiest roads of the town, which is used by thousands of light and heavy vehicles daily. Local residents told The Tribune that the matter was brought to the notice of the Executive Engineer of the Palampur PWD number of times in the past three years. They said they also met the Executive Engineer personally in his office in 2011 and 2012 in this regard. He deputed the Assistant Engineer (AE) to visit the spot and submit an estimate for the widening of the culvert.

Though the AE visited the spot and assured the local residents that the width of the culverts would be enhanced, a retaining wall would be constructed and speed-breakers be installed on the highway to check the accidents, all remained confined to papers.

KB Rahlan, spokesperson of the Palampur Welfare Forum, while criticising the PWD said, “Things have moved from bad to worse in the department in the past few years. It has failed to complete a number of development projects of the town for which the government has already provided funds.” He quoted that Shanta Kumar had given Rs 25 lakh for the construction of a road leading to the Nala Mandir cremation ground a year back. Construction for this road was yet to be taken up, he said.

He also said that despite directions of the principal secretary of the PWD, local officials had failed to construct a new culvert in front of Santoshi Mata Temple.

Chamba, January 29
The residents of the Mindra area in the Durgathi narrow valley of the mountainous Bharmour tribal subdivision of Chamba district are living at the back of beyond.

Set in the steep hillsides, the residents of the area have to climb the vertical hill slopes. The area is difficult to trudge for the pedestrians and school students. The topography of the area is such that it is arduous to bring patients for medical treatment. The area continues to remain deprived of the road facility since Independence. Though the stretch of the area is hardly four-five km away from the main lifeline of Chamba-Bharmour highway, yet its location is on the steep hill slope passing through the rugged path from the highway. It lacks healthcare facilities.

The electricity network has gone haywire as the power transmission wires are hanging from the green trees in the absence of electric poles in this terrain. Taking into account that the residents of the undulating hilly area are facing problems, a delegation of the inhabitants met the state Forest Minister recently.

Kangra, January 29
The ‘Chinmaya Organisation for Rural Development’ (CORD) has been helping villagers living in the Kangra hinterland through its ‘Sidhbari project’ to come out of the abyss of social and economic ignorance.

CORD national director Padamshri Dr Kshama Metre said that to harness human resources and to enable the poor to transform their lives through programmes driven by them was the vision CORD was working for. A paediatrician, Dr Kshama Metre, has dedicated her life to the mission.

Dr Metre said that with a goal to work comprehensively for the betterment of society, Chinmaya Mission began to closely engage with rural communities in and around its Sidhbari Ashram at Tapovan in this hill state. There was no shortage of obstacles, she added.

The Chinmaya Rural Primary Health Care and Training Centre, popularly known as "the Sidhbari Project", was established in 1985.

Critical healthcare issues were inextricably intertwined with the harsh reality of rural Himachal’s poverty, illiteracy and gender discrimination, all of which hinted at the formidable walls of social and economic disparities to be overcome.

The Sidhbari project recharged and reshaped its approach to be more holistic and development oriented, focusing first on the empowerment of women. The project took on and succeeded in developing various training programmes that tackled hard-hitting issues like healthcare and nutrition, micro-banking and income generation, rehabilitation of specially-abled children and natural resource management.

She said that CORD- Sidhbari has touched the lives of over 55,000 beneficiaries directly, and over 2,75,000, indirectly, in over 500 villages of Kangra district, through its comprehensive integrated rural development programme.

She said that the thrust of the programme was on working with village women through several village-level structures. The programme was demand-driven, truly participatory, and holistic in its intrinsic approach and it integrates every aspect of life through Mahila Mandals, Yuva Mandals, Gram Sabhas, micro-credit through Self-Help Groups, Balwadis and Balvihars, Metre added. CORD has launched new similar rural development projects in other parts of the country as well.

THE hill state has not been getting an opportunity to showcase its rich cultural heritage and progress at the Republic Day function at Rajpath as its tableaux were rejected more often than not.

In fact, it never got a chance in the past consecutive seven years, so the selection of its tableau for the prestigious parade on the Rajpath was a big achievement. Conceptualised and designed by Him Chatterjee, Chairman, Visual Arts Department, Himachal Pradesh University, the tableau was thoughtfully based on the theme of a marriage in tribal Kinnaur, which is a very unique and colourful ceremony. It gave ample display to the beautiful handicrafts of the tribal area. Apart from the typical costumes of the tribal people, the heavy silver jewellery the women wear on such occasions added glitter to it.

The first half of the tableau was represented by a big 16-feet torso of a bride decorated with unique silver jewellery and the typical Kinnauri-designed shawls and flowers. The yak-hair covered devta (deity) was installed in an open pedestal in the centre of the tableau with Kinnauri musicians and dancers performing their ritualistic dances around the deity.

A Kinnauri temple representing the unique heritage of wood-carved panels, verandahs, doors and pillars stood in the backdrop. It provided a glimpse of the fascinating tribal architecture.

Hamirpur, January 29
Dhola Sidh hydroelectric project management is holding a mega medical camp at Sujanpur on February 3under the aegis of Satluz Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) Foundation.

The camp is being organised in association with BBC Heart Care Pruthi Hospital Jalandhar and Himachal Head Neck, Hospital, Hamirpur.

SK Mahajan, the project head said medical specialists of Cardiology, Ortho Surgical Gastroenterologist, Eyes, ENT and Dental will be available for free consultation. ECG and other tests will be done free of cost in this camp, besides giving free medicines, he said.

In the camp five expectant women from the project area will also be given a cash assistance of Rs 5, 000 each and a nutritional gift worth Rs 1,000 under the Women and Child Development Scheme.

Cleft lip and cleft palate patients registered during the camp will be operated free of cost in the camp by Himachal Head and Neck Hospital, Hamirpur. Mahajan said the SJVNL under its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) has taken up many initiative like conducting iodine deficiency survey and its remedial measures. Under the CSR activities an eye camp was also organised at Nadaun, where 10 patients from the weaker section were sponsored for operation.

Under Self employment through skill development, SJVN Ltd. Foundation has sponsored candidates in various trades in the ITIs of the State and in recently few youths from the project area were sent to CIDC Faridabad for short term training.

The project management has also kept Rs 50 lakh for infrastructural development in the project affected panchayats out of which Rs 7.2 lakh was distributed to panchayat heads.