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Snow damages orchards, but good for ensuing crop
A view of the snow-laden apple orchard at
Kotgarh.
Store pharma products under recommended temperature: DCGI
Constructions not as per national building code
Brig VK Khanna, national coordinator, National Disaster Management Authority, addresses mediapersons in Shimla on Tuesday. Photo: Amit Kanwar |
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2-day workshop on MNREGA
60-year-old woman dies of swine flu
More snow, rain from Feb 15 to 17 likely
Bio-meteric machines not disabled-friendly
HP seeks expansion of rail network
Data operators seek ‘tangible policy’
Kendras to give micro-insurance products
Two students found ‘under drug influence’
Jharta is Dean of Student’s Welfare
Jukaru festival begins in Pangi valley
Sangeet sammelan held Drive to enrol voters 3 trucks carrying herbal tree roots impounded Man killed in road mishap Helpline for women launched Chamba-Holi highway reopens Boars maul 2 in Mandi village
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Snow damages orchards, but good for ensuing crop
Shimla, February 12 Snow is considered white manure for the apple crop. But last week, it was too heavy and came within a short period. Some areas received 70 to 90 cm snow within 24 hours due to which trees were overburdened. Strong winds accompanying snow uprooted many trees. “Almost 25 per cent of trees have been damaged and 5 per cent have been uprooted in my orchard,” said Ranjit
Mehta, a grower from Kotgarh. The damage is much more in the Nankheri area, he said. The maximum damage had been caused in the middle belt as the snow was heavy and laden with moisture. In the higher elevation, the snow was powdery due to low temperature and did not stick to apple trees. While in the lower belt, snow was interspersed with rain, which saved trees. Gurdev Singh, Director, Horticulture, said the total loss on account of damage caused by snow to apple orchards had been assessed at Rs 105 crore. He said the report from Kinnaur was yet to be received. The growers will have to prune and mend damaged trees and apply protective paste like blytox (copper oxy chloride) on parts exposed due to injury to prevent fungal and bacterial infections. “Orchards in
Kotgarh, Nankheri and Chopal have been the worst hit followed by Kotkhai and
Jubbal. Trees infected by root borer and root rot have been affected the most,” said ID Gupta, Joint Director, Horticulture. The department had adequate stocks of blytox for supplying to the growers, who should take the required measures to protect the damaged trees as soon as the weather clears. “Snow augurs well for the ensuing crop,” said Rajeev
Chauhan, Chairman, Himalayan Apple Growers' Society, who has orchards in mid-hills and higher reaches. Apart from the required chilling hours, the snow will help maintain adequate moisture in soil till the summers due to which the intake of nutrients will be good and plants will be healthy. Also, the ambient temperature will also remain low and there will be no early flowering, which is good for proper fruit setting. Much will depend on the weather conditions during the time of fruit setting. The state had a record apple crop of 4.46 crore standard boxes in 2010, but in the following year, the crop failed totally and only 1.37 crore boxes were produced. Last year too, the crop failed and only about two crore boxes were produced. Thus, timely and more than adequate snow has raised the prospects of good harvest in the current year. |
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Store pharma products under recommended temperature: DCGI
Since a large number of cases of pharmaceutical products losing their identity due to non-adherence of recommendations, including maintenance of optimum temperatures are coming to the fore, these directions have come as a relief to manufacturers. These guidelines were issued by the DCGI in January following recommendations of the 59th Parliamentary Standing Committee. It had stated that deficiency in storage and transportation of these products often led to altering their identity and manufacturers should not be blamed in such cases as had been the normal practice. As per these guidelines, pharmaceutical products should be stored as per the recommendations of manufacturers and facilities for storing them under appropriate environmental conditions should be made available at various levels of transportation and distribution. Records of temperature controlling data should be maintained and such data should be available for review. There should be defined interval for checking data temperature and equipment used for monitoring should be checked at suitable predetermined intervals, besides maintaining such records for the shelf-life of such products plus one year, it said. Such directions were also required to be adhered to while transporting these products and persons engaged in this work should be made aware of the relevant conditions of storage and transportation so that the product identity was not lost in the transit stage, it said. Written procedures shall be in place to deal with deviation and it shall be reported to the distributor. Where necessary, the manufacturer of the pharmaceutical product shall be contacted for information about appropriate steps to be taken. Documentation relating to investigation shall be kept for a predetermined period. “Storage areas shall be temperature mapped under representative conditions and it should show uniformity of temperature across the storage facility. It is recommended that temperature monitors be located in areas that are most likely to show fluctuations. With a view to ensuring that the equipment functions properly, it shall also be calibrated at defined intervals,” it said. “Pharmaceutical products containing hazardous substances, such as toxic, radioactive material and other dangerous pharmaceutical products presenting special risks of abuse, fire or explosion shall be stored in safe, dedicated and secure areas and transported in safe, suitably designed, secured containers and vehicles and requirements of applicable national legislation shall be met,” the guidelines said. |
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Constructions not as per national building code
Shimla, February 12 “A majority of the constructions in the state do not confirm to the national building code and as such owners must be sensitised towards ensuring buildings which can withstand tremors,” said Srivastava. He also lamented the fact that people were giving up traditional forms of construction which could withstand major tremors as was evident from the Sikkim earthquake. “Most deaths do not occur due to tremors, but due to faulty constructions,” he said. Srivastava told people purchasing houses in real estate projects to ensure that the structures were built to withstand earthquakes, especially in areas which fell in the most susceptible zones. He said the right kind of construction could minimise loss to a great extent and it was keeping this fact in mind that the Disaster Management Authority had urged the Reserve Bank of India to direct the bank to give house loans only to those who were building earthquake-resistant structures. He said it was public awareness and sensitisation which could prove to be much more effective than pumping in funds towards disaster management. “The awareness must be brought about right from the school and college levels so that damage can be brought down by almost 70 per cent,” he said. “Brig VK Khanna, national coordinator of the National Disaster Management Authority, has stressed the need for setting up disaster management committees right up to village level, especially in view of the fact that most parts of the state falls in the seismic zone IV and V, which are prone to tremors,” he said. He said at present 10 battalions of the Disaster Management Force were functioning and two more were being constituted. Nandita Gupta, special secretary, Revenue, said Home Guards personnel would be trained as the Disaster Management Force. She said mahila and yuvak mandals would be trained to extend help during any kind of disaster. |
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2-day workshop on MNREGA
Solan, February 12 Directors, Rural Development, deputy commissioners and high-ranking officials of the Rural Development Department were among those who participated in the workshop. Dr Amandeep Garg, Director, Rural Development, said works under MNREGA had accelerated the pace of development in rural areas and had helped sustain and strengthen the basic infrastructure in the state. He said sufficient funds were available for development works under MNREGA at panchayat level and funding in this scheme ranged from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore approximately per panchayat in the state. The scheme had helped people in rural areas to devise and execute development works as per their requirements, he said. He said it was interesting to note that 60 per cent of persons engaged in MNREGA comprised women. Persons of weaker sections, small and marginal farmers had also benefited by it, he said. He stressed upon the need to have a long-term vision for MNREGA at panchayat level and added that persons with technical knowledge could be more effective in rural areas. Nitin Yadav, Director, Rural Development, Haryana, said border areas of Haryana had benefited considerably from MNREGA schemes. Prof ML Gupta of the National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, said the officials would share their field experiences and views on MNREGA during the workshop to make it more effective for future planning. Deputy Commissioner Meera Mohanty said encouraging results were noticed in works executed under MNREGA in Solan despite it being an industrial and cash crop growing belt.
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60-year-old woman dies of swine flu
Shimla, February 12 The Health Department has already sounded an alert after cases of swine flu have started pouring in. 3 more suspected cases in Kangra
Kangra: Three suspected swine flu cases have been detected at the DRPGMC, Tanda, during last week. One was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, another to the IGMC, Shimla, and the third was in the isolation ward here. Medical Superintendent, DRPGMC, Tanda, Dinesh Sood said today that a patient from Palampur was a suspected swine flu case and referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, by Dr GD Sharma. His sample was sent for microbiological testing to the IGMC, Shimla, as there was no swine flu laboratory at the Tanda hospital, despite an announcement made by former Health Minister Rajeev Bindal on December 11, 2009, that a swine flu laboratory would be set up there. Dr Sood said another suspected swine flu case, who was son of the patient referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, was referred to the IGMC, Shimla. Another patient was admitted to the DRPGMC, Tanda, in isolation and his sample was also sent to IGMC, Shimla, on February 5. Kamlesh Thakur, HoD, Microbiology, said the department was providing facility of packing the swine flu sample and its transportation was being done by the MS office. Principal Anil Chauhan said a building for swine flu cases was nearing completion, but had not been handed over to the medical college by the PWD as yet. He said the college management had approached the National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi for equipment for this laboratory, but it had refused as one state was entitled to one set of swine flu testing equipment and this had already been given to the
IGMC, Shimla. |
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More snow, rain from Feb 15 to 17 likely
Shimla, February 12 The in charge of local Met office Manmohan Singh said western disturbances over north-west India had been very active during February and the last disturbance brought heavy snow and rain from February 4 to 6 and the precipitation (99.6 mm) during the three days was more than normal precipitation of 92.5 mm for the entire month. A fresh western disturbance as an upper air system was approaching and it would affect the western Himalayan region from February 14 to 17 and its impact in the state wiould be felt from February 15 to 17. Under its influence snowfall would occur at many places over mid and high reaches in Chamba, Lahual-Spiti, Kullu, Kinnaur and Shimla districts from the afternoon of February 15 to the morning of February 17. Lower areas of the state would experience rain and thundershowers. Meanwhile, mid and higher hill areas of the state remained in the grip of sereve cold. Keylong was the coldest with a minimum of -8.4°C and Kalpa was slightly better at -7°C. The famous tourist resort of Manali was freezing at -0.2°C. Other places which recorded low temperatures included Solan (3.6°C), Bhuntar (3.8°C), Sundernagar (4°C), Salooni (4.5°C), Una (6.7°C), Palampur (7.2°C), Dharamsala (7.4°C) and Shimla (6.1°C).
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Bio-meteric machines not disabled-friendly
Shimla, February 12 Employees with visual disabilities in particular have been facing maximum problems. The matter has been brought to the notice of Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy by Umang Foundation, a non-government organisation engaged in issues pertaining to disabled persons. Ajai Srivastava, Chairman of the foundation, in a letter to Roy has reminded him that employees with visual disabilities had some months back explained to him the problems they were facing in marking the attendance and submitted a memorandum to him in this regard. However, his assurance to replace the existing machines with new disabled-friendly machines had not been implemented so far. He further stated that disabled-friendly bio-metric machines were easily available in the country for the last so many years. These machines had provision of auditory signals that were used in elevators. He said by not installing disabled-friendly bio-metric machines in the offices, the state was violating Section 46 (non-discrimination in the built environment) of the Persons with Disabilities Act, 1995. He urged Roy to take immediate steps to replace the existing machines with new disabled-friendly bio-metric machines and simultaneously, make these mandatory for all the government institutions so that only such machines were installed in future. |
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HP seeks expansion of rail network
Shimla, February 12 Dharmani said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had already taken up the matter with Union Railways Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal. He said the Chief Minister had sought the completion of the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri rail line as per the decision taken at the meeting held in the Prime Minister’s Office on August 8, 2007, where it was decided to share the cost of executing this project in 75:25 ratio by the Central and state governments,
respectively. Dharmani said the need for laying this broad-gauge rail line was necessary considering its economic and strategic importance. “With Himachal sharing an international boundary with China it is essential to extend the Pathankot-Jogindernagar narrow gauge rail line up to the border to strengthen its strategic position and as such the Centre must approve the Manali-Leh rail line,” he said. He said this would also help promote tourism and facilitate travelling to these areas. He said the request put forth by the Chief Minister for the early execution of Ghanauli-Baddi-Kalka and
Chandigarh-Baddi rail line would give a fillip to industrial growth. “Himachal has budgetary provisions for the early completion of these projects having national importance,” he said. |
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Data operators seek ‘tangible policy’
Chamba, February 12 In a press statement here today, press secretary of the union Paras Ram said the appointment of computer and data entry operators was being made on the outsourcing basis for the past over five years. He urged the government to stop this practice and make direct appointments. He demanded the government to post the computer and data entry operators in the different departments and grant them a pay scale of Rs 13,500 per month. He said 58 computer and data entry operators attended a meeting of the union today. A resolution passed at the meeting was submitted to the Chief Minister to concede to their demands.
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Kendras to give micro-insurance products
Shimla, February 12 Ajay Verma, Head of Rural Business, Future Generali India Insurance Ltd, said as per the national e-governance plan of the Centre, the kendras were proposed delivery points for government, private and social sector services to rural citizens under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. |
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Two students found ‘under drug influence’
Bilaspur, February 12 Reports said some passers-by informed the police, that took them to the police station. The police summoned their parents after admitting them to the Civil Hospital where they regained consciousness after several hours. Then the police recorded their statements and registered a case. Residents of the area complain that such incidents are becoming common and the police has failed to arrest even a single drug dealer till now. The reports further said some students, who had consumed drugs, were found in an unconscious state a few months ago. Recently, one student had even died due to this addiction. People have urged the police to take such drug addiction cases seriously and trace the drug dealers operating in the town. |
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Jharta is Dean of Student’s Welfare
Shimla, February 12 Dr
Jharta, who will be the 23rd DSW of the HPU, has held many administrative posts in the university in the past. He had been an elected member of the executive council and the university court (senate). He remained Chief Warden of hostels during 2003-2007. He has guided many students for their doctorate degrees. He has about 25 years of research experience and many research papers published in various journals. He has presented several research papers at national and international conferences and seminars. Besides this, Dr Jharta is a member of several academic bodies of various universities and also
on the editorial board of referred journals. |
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Jukaru festival begins in Pangi valley
Chamba, February 12 The Jukaru festival usually commences the very next day of the “amavas” of February and continues for the next 14 days. Jukaru in Pangwali dialect means to greet and wish the well being of each other. The traditional significance of the festival is enquiring the well being of the kith and kin who generally remain confined to their houses because of the heavy snowfall and chilly winters. |
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Shimla, February 12
Most of the constructions in the state, which falls in the most vulnerable seismic zone, do not confirm to the national building code.
Solan, February 12