Shimla, August 5
The plea of the state government for redesigning of the Parwanoo-Shimla highway four-laning project to save the structures along the road in Dharampur bazaar has been ruled out due to its proximity to the Shimla-Kalka heritage rail track.

The issue had been raised by people, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had changed the alignment in some portions under the redesigned project for its four-laning to avoid large-scale demolition of commercial and residential structures along the 250-m stretch in the main bazaar. It opted for eccentric (one-side) widening instead of concentric (both sides) that would save almost 60 to 70 per cent of the structures, which earlier faced demolition.

The government had again taken up the matter with the NHAI and urged it to work out a new alignment to save the structures.

Sources in the NHAI said with the heritage rail track in the valley, it was not possible to avoid widening on the hill side and given the narrow bazaar even a flyover could not be constructed.

Under the eccentric widening, the left side, while approaching from the Parwanoo side, would remain undisturbed. The left side had the maximum structures which would be saved. On the right side, the entire stretch along the road was government land and most of the structures built on it were also illegal. There was enough room on the right side for widening of the highway.

Moreover, undertaking any exercise to redesign the project would delay the project which was ready for submission to the appraisal committee for Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The mandatory requirement for completing the process of acquisition under Section 3(A) of the National Highways Act and acquiring at least 60 per cent of the land under Section 3(D) of the Act would be over within a month, after which, the NHAI would invite tenders for the project.

As per norms, for the feasibility of four-laning of highways in the hills on the PPP mode, it requires a daily vehicular traffic count of 11,000 passenger car units (PCUs) and the count has been found to be over 13,000 PCUs on the section. As such, the project is feasible under viability gap funding scheme. The cost of the combined project has been pegged at Rs 2,293 crore.

The NHAI had clubbed the four-laning of the Parwanoo-Solan and Solan-Shimla sections into a single project. The 39.138-km stretch from Timber Trail to Chambaghat will cost Rs 808 crore, while the cost of widening the 50.60 km stretch from Chambaghat to the Mashobra-Kufri bifurcation near Dhalli (outskirts of Shimla) has been estimated at Rs 1,486 crore.

The combined project will have five tunnels with a length of 3.78 km, five railway overbridges, 12 major bridges with an elevated road section at Kandaghat where the four lanes will pass over the rail track. The Solan-Shimla lane will have a new alignment from Kaithlighat, running along the Shoghi and Tara Devi hills to join the Junga road. The 89.70 km highway will reduce the distance by about 16 km. 

Solan, August 5
Notwithstanding the poor occupancy in hotels and resorts in the Kasauli Developmental Area, new hotels, which are coming up, are putting pressure on the scarce natural resources.

A survey conducted by the Town and Country Planning Department reveals that the existing resorts and hotels barely have an occupancy of 30 per cent throughout the year and the tourists visit during summers.

"These hotels not only stretch the scarce natural resources like water, but also lead to environmental degradation as hill sides are recklessly cleared for the construction," opined Gurpreet Singh, general manager of a resort in Kasauli.

He added that this had made the fragile hills prone to landslides and the area had been witnessing higher temperatures for the past several years with hotels even installing air conditioners now.

Though schemes like homestay had been provided by several people in the area, the limited occupancy of the hotels had made it difficult to maintain these resorts, said another hotelier.

In such a scenario, new hotels and resorts were not only a wasteful exercise, but would also generate a lot of unemployment too in the coming days, said Gurpreet Singh, adding that the staff would be laid off due to lack of work and high operational costs.

This year has proved to be a lean season where fewer tourists visited the area after the destruction due to floods in Uttarakhand.

Tourists preferred other destinations fearing a similar plight after a large-scale destruction there, opined Rajkumar, another hotel executive, who faced a large number of cancellation of bookings.

An old-timer Ramesh Kumar, who resides near Kasauli, said there was a time when they would occasionally see wild animals after dark, but now one saw heavy earth-clearing machines such as JCBs in the area.

The natural resources were suffering the worst impact as these resorts had installed hand pumps. This led to the depletion of the ground water and several hand pumps already installed in the area became defunct barely after a few months.

With no policy to regulate the construction of new resorts, the area is being transformed into a jungle of concrete with scarce natural resources and little regulation on their use.

New Delhi, August 5
The Supreme Court (SC) has set aside two Himachal Pradesh High Court orders closing down mining operations relating to the leases executed after February 27, 2012, without any environmental clearance. The High Court had also restricted to one-year the mining leases executed prior to this date and made it clear that licence renewal would be subject to environmental clearance.

A Bench comprising Justices KS Radhakrishnan and AK Sikri, however, sent the case back to the High Court for fresh consideration in the light of the new rules framed by the state government on the recommendations of the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests and the Ministry of Mines.

The Bench passed the order after hearing advocate Rishi Malhotra, who argued for the affected mining lease holders, questioning the logic behind the need for environment clearance from the Centre even for mining operations in less than 5 hectares.

The HC had passed the order after taking suo motu action on the basis of a letter received by the Chief Justice. The HC subsequently extended the time for environmental clearance till August 31, 2013.

The SC Bench noted that the state government had filed an affidavit explaining that the new rules had been framed prior to the February 27, 2012, order of the apex court in the Deepak Kumar case.

The SC had then allowed the continuance of mining activities till the currency of the lease period in less than 5 hectares.

The state government also clarified that “due weightage is given to environmental, geological, geo-morphological and technical consideration in the working-cum-environmental management plan. Thus, it is not proper to allege that the areas granted on mining lease below 5 hectares have been allowed to work without any regulatory measures.”

The SC observed that “all these aspects were not properly brought to the notice of the Division Bench of the HC by the state government. Over and above, the appellants who are lessees were also not made parties before the HC. In such circumstances, we are included to set aside both the orders passed by the HC and remit the matters to the HC for fresh consideration.”

Shimla, August 5
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has directed the government to initiate action against officials responsible for giving nod to the submergence of the habitat of the endangered cheer pheasant in the Kol Dam water and identify 22 habitats for the highly protected bird within two months.

Taking a serious cognizance of the proposed submergence of the cheer pheasant habitat once water is released from the 800-MW Kol Dam in Bilaspur, Himachal has been asked to identify alternative habitats, while setting a deadline of two months.

With Union Environment Minister Jayanti Natrajan taking a serious view of the issue, a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy was held here last week to take immediate steps.

The meeting was attended by officials from the Forest, Wildlife and Revenue Departments and it was decided to identify 22 areas which could be developed as a habitat for cheer pheasants.

About 9 sq km of the 39.38 sq km Majathal wildlife sanctuary area, considered the birthplace and of cheer pheasant, is likely to be submerged in the dam waters.

The state government is also contemplating action which should be initiated against those in the Forest Department who gave the nod to the submergence of the Majathal wildlife sanctuary. "We are likely to issue warning to the officials who gave the approvals and intimate the action to the Union Environment Ministry," admitted a senior official.

The Ministry of Forest and Environment has also directed that 500 hectares should be identified and handed over to the Forest Department to develop as a habitat of the pheasants. "We have identified four sites near Chail where we can recreate the ideal habitat desired by the winged creatures," revealed a forest official. He added efforts to get land clearance from the Deputy Commissioners were afoot so that a compliance report could be sent to the Ministry of Forest.

It has also been made clear to the Himachal government that there should be no further delay on the issue as there can be no delay in releasing water from the Kol Dam project. As such, all directives will have to be followed soon.

Notwithstanding the furore by wildlife experts and environmentalists over the submergence of the habitat, the government went ahead and gave its nod to pave way for the 800 MW hydro-project being executed by the NTPC.

rescue efforts The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest for action against erring officials who gave nod to submergence of cheer pheasant habitat A deadline of two months has been set for identifying 22 new habitats Himachal asked to hand over 500 hectares for recreating habitat

Shimla, August 5
The first-ever training camp for mountain biking organised by the Himalayan Adventure Sports and Tourism Promotion Association in Kufri, near here, concluded today.

The participants were imparted training in both practical and theoretical aspects of mountain biking with the help of audio-video sessions, theory lessons and demonstrations. The trainee riders were then guided on to some jeep tracks and single tracks around Shimla. Finally, they were made to peddle through a 40-km section of the regular mountain biking rally track on the Bekhalty road. It included sections of steep ascent and descent which tested the bikers' skills.

Ace mountain riders Devender Thakur, along with other experienced riders, explained the finer nuances of the sport and the safety aspects, which was very important for adventure sport in testing and terrains. Portuguese rider Luis Canto Moniz also had a technical session though video-conferencing.

Mohit Sood, president of the association, said more such camps, to be called MTB Himalaya training camps, would be organised to promote the environment-friendly adventure sport. Such camps would provide the much-needed impetus to the world’s most popular adventure sport. The training camp also enlightened the riders about the benefits of cycling for environment.

There was enthusiasm among riders, but they were often found lacking technical knowledge and support required for such a sport and the association aimed to bridge this gap.

Chamba, August 5
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said today that a new Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) would be constructed at Chamba, and directed the administration to provide adequate land for the purpose to fulfill the long-pending demand of people of the district. The Chief Minister was speaking at a prize distribution function of the Minjar Fair here today.

The Chief Minister said by constructing a new ISBT, better facilities would be made available to local people, besides those visiting from other parts of the state. He said continuous bus service would also be made available at the new ISBT, adding that a taxi stand would also be constructed near it to provide parking facilities for private vehicles. He directed Deputy Commissioner Kadam Sandeep Vasant to ensure the construction of a government degree college building in a time-bound manner and provide additional land for the extension of the college campus.

He said people of Chamba had preserved the rich tradition and cultural heritage and deserved appreciation for it. He said the rich handicraft, Chamba Rumal and painting had a unique identity in the country and abroad.

The Chief Minister said during his previous tenure Chamba had witnessed its millennium celebrations, which was a matter of pride for any town.

Virbhadra gave away prizes to winners of exhibitions and games organised during the International Minjar Fair. He also released a souvenir on the occasion.

Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner welcomed the Chief Minister and presented him a Chamba Rumal as memento.

Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri, MLA Asha Kumari, HP Pollution Control Board Chairman Kuldeep Singh Pathania, HP State Forest Corporation Vice-Chairman Kewal Singh Pathania, former MLA Surinder Bhardwaj, Advisor to CM TG Negi, Chamba Marketing Committee Chairman Neeraj Nayyar and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.

Palampur, August 5
Brij Bihari Lal Butail, local MLA and Speaker of HP Assembly, along with a delegation of local citizens, called on Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh at his office in Shimla today to present him a cheque of Rs 2.51 lakh for the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

During the meeting with the Chief Minister, the Speaker urged Virbhadra Singh for liberal funds for the development of Palampur town. He also requested the Chief Minister to implement all pending projects like the parking of vehicles in town and the early completion of a flyover which had been under construction since 2005.

Butail told the Chief Minister that Palampur was one of the beautiful and fast-developing towns of the state, therefore, the state government should initiate special steps for its expansion and development.

Later, Butail said local residents had collected this amount for the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

Hamirpur, August 5
Residents have expressed concern over the unavailability of stamp papers of Rs 50 and Rs 100 denominations in Hamirpur.

These stamp papers have been out of stock at government sales depots for many months despite their demand.

Suresh Kumar, a resident of Kuthera, who had come here for some registration work in the District Courts, said, “We have not been getting stamp papers of Rs 50 and Rs 100 denominations for the past several months and have taken up this issue with the district administration several times.”

Another resident Daleep Singh rued, “As stamp papers of the denominations are out of stock, we are forced to purchase stamp papers of Rs 500 for our work.”

A stamp vendor said, “We have sent the requisition for stamp papers to suppliers many times, but to no avail.”

Deputy Commissioner, Hamirpur, Ashish Singhmar, said, “We have taken up this issue with the authorities but the supply of stamp papers of Rs 50 and Rs 100 denominations is not coming from the government press in Nasik, where these are printed.”

Bilaspur, August 5
The Sarva Chandpur Kshetra Vikas Samiti, an organisation devoted to the cause of development of the area, has urged Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to consider a proposal for constructing a wall underneath the Ali Khud bridge here between Bilaspur town and Chandpur area for the formation of an artificial lake.

Addressing mediapersons here today, along with a number of village elders, samiti president and former gram panchayat president Krishan Lal Thakur, said back waters of the Gobind Sagar could be kept trapped in this lake for several months and when lake water would begin to recede with Gobind Sagar depletion, this collected water could be kept trapped by the closure of sluice gates in this wall.

The samiti opined that this project would not be very costly, but would be of tremendous use for the development of the entire region as it would not only recharge all depleting natural water sources on both sides and provide drinking water to several villages till the Ghaghas, but would also become a major source of irrigation, bringing prosperity to thousands of farmers.

This artificial lake would provide fishing, boating, swimming and water sports facilities all the year round and be a main source of attraction for tourists which would change economy of the trading community and provide employment and occupancy in several hotels here.

The samiti has pleaded that the government should send an expert committee for looking into this project and order its implementation at the earliest for helping oustees of the Bhakra Dam. 

Palampur, August 5
Chaudhry Sharvan Kumar (CSK) HP Agriculture University will seek the help of the government and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to establish two more agriculture colleges in the state. This was stated by Vice-Chancellor Dr KK Katoch at a press conference here today.

He said there was a huge rush for admissions in the university and new colleges in Kullu and Sirmaur districts would cater to the ever-growing demand of farm graduates. He also disclosed that Union Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari had offered a grant of Rs 4 cr for setting up a science museum in the university.

Dr Katoch said farmers, students and other trainees from development departments would get preferential treatment and exhorted employees to deliver the best possible services.

He said efforts would be made to support inter-institutional research and extension on the consultancy mode. Hybrid seed production of various crops would be taken up in public-private mode. Distance education in agriculture would be started so that the rural youth could also be imparted education.

He also asked employees to come forward in solving disputes related to their service matters through in-house reviews. An effective grievance cell had been proposed to redress service-related issues and office problems. The Vice-Chancellor also offered to transfer employees with their consent, but asked them not to seek headquarters postings only and volunteer to serve all eight Krishi Vigyan Kendras and 12 research stations in the state.

The university will also try to set up a solar power plant of 50-KW capacity on the campus at Rs 1.30 crore with 90 per cent subsidy from the Union Ministry of Non-Conventional Sources of Energy. 

Hamirpur, August 5
The district unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken a strong exception to the statement of Congress spokesman Deepak Sharma, demanding the resignation of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) president Anurag Thakur after the registration of an FIR against the HPCA in a hotel lease case.

In a statement here, Ajay Sharma, district president of the media department of the party, said, “The demand for Anurag's resignation, raised by Deepak Sharma, is not only irrelevant and baseless, but also devoid of facts.”

The BJP leader has clarified, “The Congress leaders issuing statements against the HPCA should know under the proviso of law, any organisation has the right to promote sports, and instead of demanding Anurag's resignation, they should demand resignations of Subhash Ahluwalia and VC Pharka, both working in the CM's office at present, who were Director and Secretary of the Sports Department, respectively, at that time.”