SPECIAL COVERAGE
CHANDIGARH

LUDHIANA

DELHI



THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS
50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS
H I M A C H A L    P R A D E S H    E D I T I O N

IAS officer serving with IMF may lose job
Shimla, July 1
Having failed to resume duty today, the 1996 batch IAS officer Rahul Anand, currently serving with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, could lose his job as he has been away from the state for over eight years.

Rain damages property worth Rs 72 cr in Una
Una, July 1
Heavy rain in the past 15 days has caused damage to public and private property worth about Rs 71.72 crore in Una district.

Equipment sent to restore power in Kinnaur
Shimla, July 1
Electrical equipment have been sent to Sangla and Pooh in Kinnaur district to help restore the damaged power infrastructure and in turn to supply electricity in the areas where the main electric cables have been snapped due to massive landslides.

BSNL plans VRS for employees
Dharamsala, July 1
A large number of employees and high establishment expenditure has been hitting the profitability of BSNL.

BJP to review defeat in Mandi tomorrow
Shimla, July 1
The top brass of the state BJP will meet here on July 3 to ponder over the reasons for the drubbing received at the hands of the Congress in the Mandi Lok Sabha bypoll and prepare a road map for gearing up for the poll next year.



YOUR TOWN
Dharamsala
Shimla


EARLIER STORIES

The Krishna Nagar locality in Shimla where houses collapsed due to heavy rain, on Monday.
The Krishna Nagar locality in Shimla where houses collapsed due to heavy rain, on Monday. Photo: Amit Kanwar

Cong’s vote share jumps 14 pc in Mandi bypoll
Mandi, July 1
A swing of 14.52 per cent in votes in the party's favour in the Mandi Lok Sabha byelection has come as a new arsenal for the Congress ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha poll. The BJP has suffered a drastic drop of about 8.62 per cent in its vote share as compared to the 2009 Lok Sabha poll. In 2009, the Congress vote share was around 47 per cent while the BJP’s was 45.85 per cent.

Congress leaders greet Pratibha
Hatli (Chamba), July 1
Former MP of the Kangra Lok Sabha constituency Chander Kumar and HRTC Vice-Chairman Kewal Singh Pathania, Congress observer for the Bharmour tribal Assembly constituency, have congratulated Pratibha Singh on her being declared victorious in the Mandi parliamentary bypoll.

Work on Bathu bridge at a snail’s pace
The under-construction and (right)  the old Bathu bridge in Kangra district. Dharamsala, July 1
The Bathu bridge on the Kangra-Ranital road is haunting commuters this monsoon also. The bridge that has outlived its life and is in a poor state is still a lifeline for commuters on the Kangra-Ranital road.

The under-construction and (right) the old Bathu bridge in Kangra district. Photo: Kamaljeet.

Apple imports hit state orchardists
Shimla, July 1
Though aimed at promoting economic ties, the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) is being misused by traders to export apple and other commodities not produced in their country into India to take advantage of the exemption in customs duty.

A water channel seen choked with polythene bags in Palampur. Despite ban, polythene use continues unabated in Palampur
Palampur, July 1
Despite a complete ban on the sale and use of polythene in the state, it can be seen in most of the markets of the Palampur region.


A water channel seen choked with polythene bags in Palampur. Photo: Ravinder Sood

HC stays ban on chips, biscuits packed in polythene
Shimla, July 1
In a major relief to industries and traders, the HP High Court today held in abeyance the notification issued by the state government banning the sale and stocking of 25 food items, including chips, kurkure and biscuits, in plastic and non-biodegradable packaging with effect from July 1, 2013.

Silt thrown into the Suketi Khad from the Balancing Reservoir in Sundernagar. Photos: BBMB throws silt into Suketi khad
Sundernagar, July 1
The authorities of the Bhakra-Beas Management Board (BBMB) here have started throwing silt into the Suketi khad from the Balancing Reservoir as they had been doing in the past during monsoons.



Silt thrown into the Suketi Khad from the Balancing Reservoir in Sundernagar. Photo: Mahesh Chander Sharma

Unscientific muck disposal damaging Kasauli roads
Solan, July 1
With a little check on the disposal of muck, builders are recklessly dumping muck in various nullahs in various parts of the Kasauli Development area.

20 senior IAS officers shifted
Shimla, July 1
In a major administrative reshuffle, the government today transferred 20 senior IAS officers, including five Additional Chief Secretaries, three Indian Forest Service officers and nine State Administrative Service Officers.

Prof Vir Bala Aggarwal HPU professor gets Bharat Nirman Award
Shimla, July 1
Prof Vir Bala Aggarwal, chairperson, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), has been honoured with the Bharat Nirman Award for her outstanding contribution in the field of mass communication.



Prof Vir Bala Aggarwal

Panel for 3 more streams at Chamba polytechnic
Chamba, July 1
The executive committee of the Chamba Welfare Association has reiterated its demand of introducing three more streams at Government Millennium Polytechnic College, Sarol, Chamba.

Members of the Rotary Club with the Rotary district governor after receiving an award at Pathankot on Sunday. Palampur Rotary Club adjudged best in North
Palampur, July 1
The Palampur Rotary Club has been adjudged the best club in Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. The club has secured the first position among 110 clubs of three states.


Members of the Rotary Club with the Rotary district governor after receiving an award at Pathankot on Sunday.

District faces dearth of senior women cops
Chamba, July 1
There is not even a single policewoman of the rank of an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) in the entire district to deal with cases of crimes against women.

Afforestation drive on anvil in Chamba
Chamba, July 1
The half-yearly nursery stock assessment of the Chamba forest circle submitted recently to the state forest headquarters, Shimla, reveals that the circle is fully equipped with enough planting stock to take up massive afforestation targets for the current monsoon.

Kewal Singh Pathania presents the ONGC All-India Football trophy to the  winners of the final at Kangra on Monday. Una lift football trophy
Kangra, July 1
Kewal Singh Pathaina, Vice-Chairman, HRTC, today said to encourage and support rural sports in the state was the priority of the Virbhadra government. He expressed anguish that hockey, football, kabadhi, kho kho and other rural sports were ignored by the previous BJP government and funds pumped into cricket.

Kewal Singh Pathania presents the ONGC All-India Football trophy to the winners of the final at Kangra on Monday. Photo: Ashok Raina

Maximum youth should participate in sports: Guv
Shimla, July 1
Governor Urmila Singh has stressed the need for ensuring the maximum participation of the youth in sports to boost their confidence and help inculcate a sense of discipline among them.

Officials told to apprise farmers regarding advancements in agriculture
Bilaspur, July 1
All the departments concerned with the Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) should ensure that efforts are made to propagate their schemes through holding kisan melas and workshops in various parts of the district at regular intervals.

Gauttam is School Lecturers Assn chief
Bilaspur, July 1
Vijay Gauttam of Hamirpur district was unanimously elected president of the state promoted School Lecturers Association in a largely attended general house presided by over by Principal Sita Ram Negi at Ghumarwin last evening.

One arrested in fake currency notes case
Kullu, July 1
The Kullu police today arrested Purshotam Negi (30), a resident of Bharian village, at Gandhi Nagar here in connection with a case of fake currency notes worth Rs 60,000 paid to a farmer at Sabzi Mandi in Bandrol.

52 containers of resin seized, one arrested
Nurpur, July 1
The police today seized 52 containers of resin hidden in the tool box of a truck.

Man arrested, 11 stolen laptops recovered
Mandi/Kullu, July 1
The police today arrested Balbir Singh Bila, a resident of Peej, Kullu. He is a suspect in a case of burglary worth Rs 4 lakh in a computer shop in Kullu town.

10 injured in bus-truck collision
Kangra, July 1
Ten passengers were injured, three of them seriously, when an HRTC bus collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction on the Balu Gloa Bridge today.

Man dies in freak accident
Bilaspur, July 1
Tapan Kumar (25) of Kolkata, working at a goldsmith's shop in the Ghumarwin bazaar, died at his rented house at Ghumarwin, near here, on Friday, following a freak accident last week.

A clarification
Chandigarh, July 1
A news item under the headline, "Jwalamukhi seat causing rift between two BJP ministers", written by Lalit Mohan, in the Himachal edition of The Tribune was published due to a technical mistake. The error is regretted.





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IAS officer serving with IMF may lose job
Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 1
Having failed to resume duty today, the 1996 batch IAS officer Rahul Anand, currently serving with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington, could lose his job as he has been away from the state for over eight years.

Anand, who had sought time till June 30 to return to the state, was expected to join duty today. This was the last chance that had been given to Anand, who had been seeking extension. The file, recommending termination of his services, has been put up by the Department of Personnel before the Chief Secretary.

“Since he has failed to join, we will request the Department of Personnel and Training at the Centre to terminate his services as his plea for further extension cannot be entertained,” confirmed Sushil Negi, Principal Secretary, Personnel and Power.

Anand, hailing from Bihar, has been away from the state for the past eight years, including the initial study leave that he had availed.

He was served a show-cause notice in December 2011 to which he replied in August 2012. With his reply having been found unsatisfactory, he had been given one last chance to report back on July 1, which he failed to do. Anand has served as Deputy Commissioner in Chamba and Sirmour and Additional Deputy Commissioner in Kangra.

Anand has been away from his home cadre for almost eight years since he proceeded on a study leave in 2005 for three years. He remained on extraordinary leave between 2009-10.

In August 2010, he wrote to the state government seeking permission to join the IMF, which was turned down. Following this, he was asked to resume duty, but he further sought three-year extension for taking up international assignment with the IMF.

Despite the Himachal government’s refusal to grant him three-year leave on the condition that as per the All-India Service Rules he would have to report back after being away for five years, he proceeded with his IMF assignment.

The most recent resignation of an IAS officer was last year when Manisha Sridhar quit the service following a disagreement over grant of leave during the BJP tenure.

There have been several other IAS officers who have quit the civil services to join prestigious assignments with international agencies like the World Bank, the IMF, the UNDP. Those who have quit in the past include Pradeep Monga (1980 batch), Vivek Srivastava (1979 batch), Sandeep Madan (1979 batch) and Ashish Dev (1977 batch).

job shock
Rahul Anand was expected to join duty today
The file, recommending termination of his services, has been put up before Chief Secretary
He has been away from the state for the past eight years

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Rain damages property worth Rs 72 cr in Una
Tribune News Service

Una, July 1
Heavy rain in the past 15 days has caused damage to public and private property worth about Rs 71.72 crore in Una district.

Deputy Commissioner, Una, Abhishek Jain, said the amount had been worked out on the basis of a report submitted by district revenue officials.

He said roads and bridges in the district had suffered Rs 52.25 crore damage in Una district. Damage to various water supply schemes was about Rs 15 crore. The government educational institute buildings have suffered damage worth Rs 1.70 crore.

As per the report, rain damaged 211 houses in the district. Revenue officials have been asked to assess the damage to houses, the DC said.

He also said the crop on 250 hectares had been damaged due to rain in the district.

Una district has a number of rivulets that receive flash floods during monsoon and cause extensive damage to public and private property.

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Equipment sent to restore power in Kinnaur
Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 1
Electrical equipment have been sent to Sangla and Pooh in Kinnaur district to help restore the damaged power infrastructure and in turn to supply electricity in the areas where the main electric cables have been snapped due to massive landslides.

An official spokesman said here today that sufficient fuel had been sent for the machinery involved in clearance of roads in the district. However, as per the Border Roads Organisation, the road repair between Malling and Chango will take a month. He said ration was being sent to the affected areas to meet the requirements of the people.

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BSNL plans VRS for employees
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, July 1
A large number of employees and high establishment expenditure has been hitting the profitability of BSNL.

Chairman-cum-Managing Director of BSNL RK Upadhaya gave this information while talking to mediapersons here today.

He said most of the other telecom companies spent just 2 per cent of their total revenue on paying salary. “However, BSNL that has 2.77 lakh employees spends about 52 per cent of its revenue on paying salaries,” he added.

He said to cut its establishment expenditure, the BSNL was planning to offer voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to its employees. The average age of employees in BSNL was about 50 years that was more than other telecom companies in the country, he said.

He said presently the BSNL had no plans to send back employees of the Department of Telecommunications to their parent department. A Large number of employees of the Department of Telecommunications are working in BSNL.

He said since the BSNL was not allowed to purchase new equipment in the last four years, it had slipped down to number three position in terms of subscribers. However, now the Union Government has allowed it to purchase new equipment. “We hope that with new equipment, the BSNL will be able to regain number one position in terms of subscribers in India,” Upadhaya said.

Pradeep Kumar, chief general manager, BSNL, Himachal, said they had decided to install microwave towers in tribal areas of the state, including, Bharmour, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti.

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BJP to review defeat in Mandi tomorrow
Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 1
The top brass of the state BJP will meet here on July 3 to ponder over the reasons for the drubbing received at the hands of the Congress in the Mandi Lok Sabha bypoll and prepare a road map for gearing up for the poll next year.

BJP bigwigs, including former Chief Minister PK Dhumal, Rajya Sabha MP Shanta Kumar, national BJP general secretary Jagat Prakash Nadda and state BJP president Satpal Singh Satti, are expected to attend the meeting. Senior leaders, along with the state office-bearers and heads of all frontal organisations, will deliberate on the reasons why the BJP could manage a lead only in one of the 17 Assembly segments under the Mandi Lok Sabha seat.

The landslide victory by over 1.36 lakh votes that Pratibha Singh, wife of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, registered has rattled the BJP which was expecting it to be a close contest.

“We will discuss the reasons for the poor performance of the party in the bypoll so that we can overcome the shortcomings and do well in the Lok Sabha elections due next year,” he said.

The BJP has been taken by surprise by the huge victory margin of the Congress. “It has been the history of every bypoll in Himachal that the voters back the ruling party, so the result was a foregone conclusion,” said a senior BJP leader. He added that with the Congress having formed the government in the state shortly, the BJP voter did not turn out in large number to exercise their right to franchise.

The BJP leaders attribute the landslide victory to the fact that Pratibha had the complete backing of the Congress and all ministers and legislators campaigned to ensure a good lead from their Assembly segments.

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Cong’s vote share jumps 14 pc in Mandi bypoll
Kuldeep Chauhan/TNS

Mandi, July 1
A swing of 14.52 per cent in votes in the party's favour in the Mandi Lok Sabha byelection has come as a new arsenal for the Congress ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha poll. The BJP has suffered a drastic drop of about 8.62 per cent in its vote share as compared to the 2009 Lok Sabha poll. In 2009, the Congress vote share was around 47 per cent while the BJP’s was 45.85 per cent.

The mood of voters is understandable as it is the second largest constituency in the country and influences voters in six districts - Mandi, Kullu, Shimla (Rampur), Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba (Pangi and Bharmour).

The voters have given a massive mandate to ruling Congress candidate Pratibha Singh, wife of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. She defeated her BJP rival Jai Ram Thakur by 1,36,704 votes that has pressed a virtual panic button for the BJP in the state.

The Congress has increased its vote share and the BJP lost its four Assembly seats - Nachan, Sarkaghat, Jogindernagar, Manali - to the Congress and its vote share dropped by 8.62 per cent.

Pratibha Singh got 60.09 per cent of the votes polled, which is the highest for any Congress candidate in the last three Lok Sabha elections.

Virbhadra’s 22-day campaign again demonstrated that his mass base remained unchallenged in Mandi. The BJP that fielded its best candidate has almost exhausted its “Modi card" and the poor performance of Pratibha Singh as the mood of voters indicated that they followed the ruling party in the state, observers said.

Virbhadra made the Congress sweep 16 Assembly seats - eight out of nine seats in Mandi, all four in Kullu and all three tribal seats. Jai Ram led only in Seraj by 2,556 votes.

Pratibha secured a lead of 48,543 votes in Mandi district, 32,946 votes in Kullu district and 33,674 votes in three tribal segments - Bharmour (16,117 votes), and the flood-hit Kinnaur (11,566 votes) and Lahaul-Spiti (5,991votes) against Jai Ram.

Virbhadra united all local factions and even detractors like Kaul Singh Thakur campaigned in his Darang.

Pratibha Singh improved the Congress victory margin and percentage of votes polled in 2004 as well. She had got 53.41 per cent of votes polled in 2004, while then BJP candidate Maheshwar Singh had secured 43.47 per cent. The total polling was 62.91 per cent then.

number game
BJP suffers a drastic drop of about 8.62 pc in its vote share
BJP loses Nachan, Sarkaghat, Jogindernagar, Manali to Congress
Pratibha Singh gets 60.09 pc of votes polled
Cong sweeps 16 Assembly seats

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Congress leaders greet Pratibha
Our Correspondent

Hatli (Chamba), July 1
Former MP of the Kangra Lok Sabha constituency Chander Kumar and HRTC Vice-Chairman Kewal Singh Pathania, Congress observer for the Bharmour tribal Assembly constituency, have congratulated Pratibha Singh on her being declared victorious in the Mandi parliamentary bypoll.

The Congress leaders said it was a victory of the common man and the credit went to people of the Mandi constituency. 

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Work on Bathu bridge at a snail’s pace
Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, July 1
The Bathu bridge on the Kangra-Ranital road is haunting commuters this monsoon also. The bridge that has outlived its life and is in a poor state is still a lifeline for commuters on the Kangra-Ranital road. The PWD authorities have failed to get the bridge completed in the last more than six years now, despite the cancellation of one contract and re-allotment to another contractor.

The use of old technology in the construction of the high-level bridge on the national highway is one of the reasons for the delay in the project. The tentative cost of the bridge is Rs 4.82 crore and it is expected to be completed within two years.

However, now about six years have passed since the allotment of the first contract for the bridge, but the contractors have just managed to construct pillars. A visit to the area by The Tribune revealed that work on the bridge had totally come to a standstill.

The contractors earlier had used just small concrete-mixing machines for the construction of the bridge that led to the delay.

At that time, the contractor’s work force was using four small concrete-mixing machines for the construction of the bridge. The pace of the construction due to the use of these machines is generally very slow.

The delay in the construction had led to an escalation in the construction cost. A few years ago, the bridge got washed away during the monsoon and the entire traffic had to be diverted on the longer alternative road routes.

PWD officials said as per the agreement clause for the construction of the bridge, the modern technology of using batching plants was not being used for the construction of the Bathu bridge. The batching plant technology is used for bigger bridges.

Regarding the delay in the completion of the project, they said non-availability of labour was causing the delay.

The Superintendent Engineer, National Highways, said the work on the bridge would resume when the monsoon would slow down. The design for shuttering the bridge had now been approved by the authorities concerned and hopefully work would be completed soon, he said.

The authorities also allayed fears regarding the strength of the bridge due to the use of old technology.

However, sources here said if work progressed at the same pace, the bridge was not likely to be completed in the near future.

The issue has brought to the fore the failure of the PWD National Highways Department of the state to rope in companies that can deploy modern technology for the early construction of bridges in the state.

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Apple imports hit state orchardists
Rakesh Lohumi /TNS

Shimla, July 1
Though aimed at promoting economic ties, the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) is being misused by traders to export apple and other commodities not produced in their country into India to take advantage of the exemption in customs duty.

The data available from the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) reveals that the import of apple has increased from 1,34,576 tonnes in 2010-11 to 1,99,262 tonnes in 2012-13, an increase of 50 per cent. In terms of value, the increase comes to almost 90 per cent from Rs 622 crore to Rs 1,151 crore over the past two years.

China tops in volume accounting 77,560 tonnes, almost 30 per cent of the total imports, followed by the US with 67,059 tonnes in 2012-13. However, in terms of value, the US is at the top with Rs 427 crore and China is at the second place with an import of apple valued at Rs 402 crore.

A notable feature is that imports of apple had increased significantly from the neighbouring countries like Afghanistan, Myanmar, Iran and even Sri Lanka, which is not known to produce the fruit, and the process has started only over the last two years. For instance, imports from Iran commenced in 2011-12 with a small consignment of 186 tonnes and it jumped to 5,555 tonnes in 2012-13. Similarly, over 1,100 tonnes of apple had been imported from Sri Lanka over the past two years and it is going to affect the local growers as it is exempted from customs duty under SAFTA.

Apple from other countries attracts import duty at the rate of 50 per cent and with Rupee depreciating sharply, imports have become uneconomical and do not have any impact on local growers. This is the main reason for the decline in imports from Chile from 25,465 tonnes to 20,401 tonnes over the past two years.

The growers of Himachal have been urging the Centre to designate apple as a special product on which livelihood of the people depends so that its import could be banned. However, SAFTA has added to their woes and the domestic market is now being flooded with duty free apple from the neighbouring countries. If the problem is not addressed immediately, the growers will be deprived of remunerative returns.

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Despite ban, polythene use continues unabated in Palampur
Our Correspondent

Palampur, July 1
Despite a complete ban on the sale and use of polythene in the state, it can be seen in most of the markets of the Palampur region.

In the local wholesale vegetable and fruit market, shopkeepers are seen using polythene bags with impunity. Besides, most of the vegetables from outside the state are also brought in polythene bags.

In many areas, local water channels have been choked with polythene bags. Official sources revealed that in the last one year, only 12 cases of violations of polythene ban were registered in various courts. A senior police officer said executive officials like SDM and tehsildars should exercise their powers and punish defaulters.

KB Rahlan, head of an NGO, said in the absence of an ‘administrative will’ there was nobody to implement the notification issued by the state government in this regard. 

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HC stays ban on chips, biscuits packed in polythene
Legal Correspondent

Shimla, July 1
In a major relief to industries and traders, the HP High Court today held in abeyance the notification issued by the state government banning the sale and stocking of 25 food items, including chips, kurkure and biscuits, in plastic and non-biodegradable packaging with effect from July 1, 2013.

The interim order was passed by a Division Bench comprising Justice DD Sud and Justice Sanjay Karol on petitions filed by the Sanyukt Vyapar Mandal, Khalini, Indian Biscuits Manufacturers Association, Noida, and the Haroli Block Industries Associations, Tahliwal, Una.

While passing the order, the Bench has held in abeyance the notification till September 3, 2013.

In its earlier order passed on January 10, 2013, the court had directed the state government to ban the said items in plastic packaging from April 1, 2013, but had extended the time limit to implement the orders for three months on the request of the state government citing far-reaching consequences and multiple stakeholders.

In view of the time limit, the state government’s notification banning plastic packaging have been challenged by traders as well as manufacturers before the court on the ground that due to the ban on the sale of identified food items, thousands of workers directly employed in various industrial units would be rendered unemployed.

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BBMB throws silt into Suketi khad
Our Correspondent

Sundernagar, July 1
The authorities of the Bhakra-Beas Management Board (BBMB) here have started throwing silt into the Suketi khad from the Balancing Reservoir as they had been doing in the past during monsoons.

The BBMB has been using the Suketi khad as a dumping yard, which has virtually turned the Balh Valley into a barren land. The board authorities started dredging out silt from the reservoir in the '80s. Later, as per the Environment Management Plan, which was formulated by the National Environment Engineering and Research Institute, Roorkee, dredging was restricted only during monsoons. Now, the BBMB authorities have again started dredging from today and it will continue till the next three months. The board authorities said during this monsoon, a total of 12 lakh cubic meters of silt would be thrown out from the Balancing Reservoir into the khud. They said dredging was being done as per the orders of the HP High Court, which were passed in 2004, adding that they did not find any violations of law in this.

However, the BBMB, in a writ petition filed earlier before the High Court, had said the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act were not applicable to it, but this petition was dismissed by the High Court and the BBMB was directed to apply for permission as per the Act for the disposal of silt. Afterwards, the BBMB preferred an SLP before the Supreme Court vide which the operation of the order of the High Court was stayed and the BBMB again started the dredging.

Though through the order, the Supreme Court has given relief to it, thousands of farmers are still facing the agony caused to them by the throwing of silt into the khud.

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Unscientific muck disposal damaging Kasauli roads
Ambika Sharma
Tribune News Service

Solan, July 1
With a little check on the disposal of muck, builders are recklessly dumping muck in various nullahs in various parts of the Kasauli Development area.

Since several commercial and housing projects are underway in the precincts of Kasauli, scientific disposal of muck has become a major problem for the authorities.

It was observed that private land owners usually allowed muck to be disposed of on their land and when it rained the muck either flowed down into nullahs or on roads.

This not only damaged the side lanes but also damaged parapets and made roads vulnerable to damage as there was no scope of water seepage.

However, the Public Works Department (PWD) has registered an FIR in one such case where a resort was coming up near Garkhal.

It had damaged not only side drains but also the parapet, which had created slush on the road, thus making it vulnerable to accidents.

Another private builder had collected a huge amount of muck at Sanawar, which was being collected from a site where excavation work was underway.

With various departments failing to identify their role in checking this menace, builders are flouting norms and dumping muck at every possible site. Even panchayat pradhans at times allowed muck to be dumped on village land for lure of money.

While the PWD officials did register an FIR in one case, forest officials said they usually identified sites where muck disposal was allowed, but if muck was disposed of on the private land, they could do little to check it.

Officials of the State Pollution Control Board also failed to check such violations, thus builders continued to play havoc with the fragile hills.

DFO Prem Mahajan said they usually identified sites where scientific disposal of muck was allowed.

Deputy Commissioner Meera Mohanty said she would direct officials to take corrective steps as and when such cases were brought to their notice and added that necessary steps would be taken to check that no unscientific disposal of muck was allowed in the area. 

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20 senior IAS officers shifted
Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 1
In a major administrative reshuffle, the government today transferred 20 senior IAS officers, including five Additional Chief Secretaries, three Indian Forest Service officers and nine State Administrative Service Officers.

P Mitra, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Urban Development, Housing and Town and Country Planning, takes over as ACS, Home, Vigilance and Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, while Deepak Sanan, ACS, Animal Husbandry, has been posted as ACS, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry. Ajay Mittal, ACS, Transport, goes as ACS, Training, and Dr PC Kapoor, ACS, Industries, as ACS, Social Justice and Empowerment. Vineet Chawdhry, ACS, Irrigation and Public Health, as ACS, IPH and Horticulture.

Upma Chaudhry, Principal Resident Commissioner, New Delhi, takes over as Principal Secretary, Labour Employment, relieving Maneesh Garg, IAS, of the additional charge.

Narinder Chauhan, Chief Electoral Officer, who is holding the additional charge of FC (Appeals), HP and Chairman, Appellate Tax Tribunal, Dharamsala, will also hold the additional charge of the PWD.

Tarun Shridhar, Principal Secretary, Home, Vigilance, Horticulture and Fisheries, has been posted as Principal Secretary, Revenue and Industries and Fisheries.

PC Dhiman, Principal Secretary, IT, Social Justice and Empowerment, takes over as Principal Resident Commissioner, New Delhi, and Sanjay Gupta, Principal Secretary, Training, as Principal Secretary, IT and Transport.

RD Dhiman, Principal Secretary, Agriculture, goes as Principal Secretary, Education and Technical Education, vice K Sanjay Murthy, who takes over as Secretary, UD, TCP, Housing and Cooperation.

Onkar Chand Sharma, Managing Director, State Road Transport Corporation, Shimla, as Divisional Commissioner, Mandi, JS Rana, Managing Director, HP General Industries Corporation, Shimla, as Divisional Commissioner, Kangra, at Dharamsala, vice BR Verma, who has been posted as Managing Director, HP General Industries Corporation, Shimla.

Dr RN Batta, Secretary, HP Public Service Commission, Shimla, goes as Managing Director, HP Road Transport Corporation, Shimla. Dr Sandeep Bhatnagar, Special Secretary, Education and Technical Education, as Secretary, HP Public Service Commission.

SC Negi, Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, takes over as Settlement Officer, Shimla, Meera Mohanty, Deputy Commissioner, Solan, as Director, UD and TCP, and Prlyatu Mandai, Deputy Commissioner, Sirmour , as Director, Food Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs.

JS Walla, Managing Director, HP Financial Corporation, will hold the additional charge of the post of Managing Director, HP Forest Corporation, vice Vineet Kumar, who takes over as Member Secretary, HP Pollution Control Board, in place of Sanjay Sood, who has been repatriated to his parent department for further posting.

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HPU professor gets Bharat Nirman Award
Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 1
Prof Vir Bala Aggarwal, chairperson, Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), has been honoured with the Bharat Nirman Award for her outstanding contribution in the field of mass communication.

The award was given to Professor Aggarwal at the 20th annual award ceremony held at Kolkata recently. The professor has been honoured by the Kolkata-based Bharat Nirman Organisation which bestows honours on various talented personalities and record achievers from diverse disciplines and careers.

Professor Aggarwal had founded the department of journalism at the HPU in 1986. Since then, she has made a remarkable contribution towards the growth of the department.

She has more than 27 years of experience in teaching and developing the curricula of various universities and 15 years of experience in research and innovations related to the field of mass communication.

She has published numerous research publications which have been widely accepted and appreciated in the academic community.

Dr Aggarwal has authored several books on journalism. Her books include “Essentials of Practical Journalism”, “Handbook of Journalism and Mass Communication”, “Media and Society: Challenges and Opportunities”, “Media Policies and Nation Building: Select Issues and Themes” and “Role of Media in National Crisis”. She has earned many awards and is a member of several prestigious organisations throughout the world.

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Panel for 3 more streams at Chamba polytechnic
Our Correspondent

Chamba, July 1
The executive committee of the Chamba Welfare Association has reiterated its demand of introducing three more streams at Government Millennium Polytechnic College, Sarol, Chamba.

The committee in its detailed letter submitted to the state government through the Deputy Commissioner, Chamba, stated that the introduction of civil engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering was required at the polytechnic being one of the remotest area of the state taking into account its geographical topography.

At the same time, the introduction of these three streams would pave the way for the upgrade of the polytechnic into an engineering college like Sundernagar in Mandi district and other parts of the state too.

Speaking to mediapersons here recently, association president RK Mahajan and general secretary YR Sehgal sought the opening of ayurveda and veterinary science universities in the district.

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Palampur Rotary Club adjudged best in North
Our Correspondent

Palampur, July 1
The Palampur Rotary Club has been adjudged the best club in Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. The club has secured the first position among 110 clubs of three states.

At a simple function held here last evening, Upkar Singh, district governor, Rotary International, presented an award to Manoj Kanwar, president of the club.

He appreciated the role of the club in the field of community service, organising blood donation and medical camps, seminars on different subjects in schools and colleges. Besides, he also lauded the efforts of the club in the service of physically disabled persons. He said Rotary must reach to the poor of the poorest and serve him at his doorstep.

Upkar said a high-level committee constituted by the Rotary International had evaluated the performance of all the Rotary clubs falling in the three states and selected Palampur at No.1.

Speaking on the occasion, Rotary Club senior member Sunil Nagpal said the club was committed to the service of society. He said it had also launched a massive campaign for the collection of relief material for Uttarakhand flood victims. He said soon the relief would be delivered by the club members personally in different places of flood-affected areas. 

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District faces dearth of senior women cops
Our Correspondent

Chamba, July 1
There is not even a single policewoman of the rank of an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) in the entire district to deal with cases of crimes against women.

Many women walked into various all-women police stations yesterday, explained their problems and sought relief.

Due to the shortage of women personnel, several police stations in the district have no women force.

“A woman inspector has to be posted at the police headquarters and in the office of the Superintendent of Police,” they said.

Paucity of women officials is a major stumbling block in the way of operating women help desks at various police stations. Meanwhile, official sources also confirmed the dearth of senior women police officials in the district.

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Afforestation drive on anvil in Chamba

Chamba, July 1
The half-yearly nursery stock assessment of the Chamba forest circle submitted recently to the state forest headquarters, Shimla, reveals that the circle is fully equipped with enough planting stock to take up massive afforestation targets for the current monsoon.

The circle has about 79.65 lakh plants which include tree saplings, shrubs, herbs and even bio-engineering saplings.

“To meet with the vast jurisdiction and area of operation catering to forests of around 4.62 lakh hectare of forest area in Chamba, we have set up 134 nurseries distributed across the entire length and breadth of the district,” said an official of the State Forest Department here on Sunday. — OC

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Una lift football trophy
Our Correspondent

Kangra, July 1
Kewal Singh Pathaina, Vice-Chairman, HRTC, today said to encourage and support rural sports in the state was the priority of the Virbhadra government. He expressed anguish that hockey, football, kabadhi, kho kho and other rural sports were ignored by the previous BJP government and funds pumped into cricket.

He was speaking on the closing of the five-day ONGC All-India Football Festival organised by the Himachal Pradesh Football Association in the municipal stadium here. The state government was planning to provide jobs to those who got medals at national and international levels, without undergoing examination of the Public Service Commission and State Services Subordinate Selection Board.

He distributed prizes among the winners of the football festival. In the final today, Una defeated Hamirpur by 2-1. Twelve teams from 11 districts except Kinnuar participated in the football festival and 30 players were selected.

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Maximum youth should participate in sports: Guv
Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 1
Governor Urmila Singh has stressed the need for ensuring the maximum participation of the youth in sports to boost their confidence and help inculcate a sense of discipline among them.

Presiding over the concluding function of the All-India Maharaja Padam Singh T-20 Cricket Championship at Rohru today, she said it was a matter of pride that many national and international cricket stars, including captain of Indian cricket team Mahender Singh Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and other prominent players, had participated in the past in the tournament organised in the memory of Maharaja Padam Singh.

The Governor said such tournaments provided an opportunity for upcoming players to exhibit their talent.

She hoped that the tournament would provide an opportunity to the budding players to excel themselves and be a part of the Indian team.

The Governor distributed prizes among the winners of the tournament and released a souvenir. Eight teams participated in the tournament and the team of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, New Delhi, won the tournament.

Earlier, Vikramaditya Singh, president of the association, welcomed the Governor.

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Officials told to apprise farmers regarding advancements in agriculture
Our Correspondent

Bilaspur, July 1
All the departments concerned with the Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) should ensure that efforts are made to propagate their schemes through holding kisan melas and workshops in various parts of the district at regular intervals.

This was stated by Deputy Commissioner Ajay Sharma while presiding over a quarterly review meeting of the officials of various departments to ensure progress of programmes launched under ATMA here yesterday.

He said farmers should be apprised regarding new ideas and advancements in their fields so that they could take maximum advantage of the knowledge to bring faster transformation in agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, forests and animal husbandry.

He exhorted officials to take full advantage of a large number of poly houses set up by farmers in the district.

He said farmers should be provided guidance and proper advice regarding inputs and fertilisers, seeds, pesticides and fungicides, while stress should be on diversification of produce according to the local climate.

The meeting also approved a draft proposal for implementation here, which was presented by the Indian Bio-technology and Environment Science Institute, Neri, Hamirpur. It also approved a Rs 83.75-lakh working plan for the district.

Those who were present in the meeting included Additional District Magistrate-cum-vice chairman, ATMA, Pradip Thakur, project director Dr LR Dhiman, Dr KS Varma, director, Indian Bio-technology and Environment Science Institute, DRDA project officer RS Chandel, deputy director of Animal Husbandry Dr RK Dutta, deputy director of Agriculture Dr GC Lakhanpal and regional sericulture officer VS Chauhan.

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Gauttam is School Lecturers Assn chief
Our Correspondent

Bilaspur, July 1
Vijay Gauttam of Hamirpur district was unanimously elected president of the state promoted School Lecturers Association in a largely attended general house presided by over by Principal Sita Ram Negi at Ghumarwin last evening.

The election was conducted under the supervision of state observers, Principals Pyare Lal Sharma, Gyan Chand Dhiman and Raj Kumar Gauttam.

SP Sharma from Mandi district was elected state working president, Mohan Lal Kanwar of Kangra district senior vice-president and Raj Kumar Sharma of Bilaspur district treasurer.

Bihari Lal Parashar of Kangra district was elected state general secretary. More than 450 members drawn from all parts of state participated in the election meeting.

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One arrested in fake currency notes case

Kullu, July 1
The Kullu police today arrested Purshotam Negi (30), a resident of Bharian village, at Gandhi Nagar here in connection with a case of fake currency notes worth Rs 60,000 paid to a farmer at Sabzi Mandi in Bandrol.

SP, Kullu, VK Dhavan said the SIU team of the police rounded him up when he was travelling on his motor bike in Gandhinagar. — TNS

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52 containers of resin seized, one arrested
Our Correspondent

Nurpur, July 1
The police today seized 52 containers of resin hidden in the tool box of a truck.

DSP Rajiv Atre said the police, led by chowki in charge Ajit Kimar, had set up a naka at the Kandwal barrier here this morning. The police intercepted a truck and during search two fake vehicle number plates were found in it. The truck was on its way to Punjab from Kangra district.

Resin containers were recovered from the tool box of the truck.

The police impounded the truck and arrested driver Rashpal Singh of Daulatpur Chowk, Una. A case under has been registered.

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Man arrested, 11 stolen laptops recovered
Tribune News Service

Mandi/Kullu, July 1
The police today arrested Balbir Singh Bila, a resident of Peej, Kullu. He is a suspect in a case of burglary worth Rs 4 lakh in a computer shop in Kullu town.

The police recovered 11 laptops concealed in a dustbin of a hotel resort.

Complainant Het Ram said he had locked the shop last evening. But today he found that somebody had broken into the shop through the fan ventilator the previous night and decamped with laptops and electronic goods worth Rs 4 lakh.

A team of forensic science experts from the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, led by Dr Rajesh Kumar and Dr Rakesh Rana, took foot and fingerprints from the shop to match and corroborate with those of the suspect.

SP, Kullu, VK Dhavan said the police rounded up Bila after he was caught carrying one of the stolen laptops. His arrest had led to the recovery of all the 11 laptops. The investigation was on as they awaited the report from the forensic science lab under the Evidence Act, he added.

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10 injured in bus-truck collision
Our Correspondent

Kangra, July 1
Ten passengers were injured, three of them seriously, when an HRTC bus collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction on the Balu Gloa Bridge today.

The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals. But the three seriously injured were taken to the DRPGMC, Tanda.

The traffic on the Kangra-Shimla national highway got disrupted for nearly an hour following the accident and resumed only after the affected vehicles were removed from the bridge. The Jwalamukhi police has registered a case against bus driver Uttam Singh under Sections 279 and 337, IPC, and arrested him.

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Man dies in freak accident
Our Correspondent

Bilaspur, July 1
Tapan Kumar (25) of Kolkata, working at a goldsmith's shop in the Ghumarwin bazaar, died at his rented house at Ghumarwin, near here, on Friday, following a freak accident last week.

Reports said Tapan had slipped on the ground and an iron rod had pierced his body, injuring him seriously.

He was rushed to the Ghumarwin Civil Hospital, from where he was referred to the Regional Hospital here and then to the PGI, Chandigarh. Though he was relieved from the PGI, he died at his house the next day.

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