Dharamsala, April 8
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh met Vijai Singh Mankotia at his residence in Tiara today. Mankotia has been sulking after he was not invited to a meeting of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi with ex-servicemen in Kangra in March last month.

Mankotia had openly expressed his displeasure and alleged that he was being ignored in the Congress. Ever since he expressed his displeasure many leaders, including BJP candidate from the Kangra parliamentary seat Shanta Kumar and AAP candidate Rajan Sushant, met him. He had also been maintaining that his supporters were very unhappy at the treatment being meted out to him by the Chief Minister.

Mankotia had also maintained that he would take a decision regarding remaining in the Congress or not after a meeting with his supporters. However, for the past one month, Mankotia has been weighing his options with respect to the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Speculation is rife that Mankotia was contemplating joining the BJP. When The Tribune contacted him telephonically, Mankotia said he received a call from Virbhadra Singh today morning. The CM said he wanted to come and have breakfast with him.

"In a two-hour interaction with him, I conveyed to him that I had resigned and stayed away from active politics for about five years. During the last Assembly elections, it was at the special request of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh that I had decided to join the Congress," he said.

"However, for the past one-and-half years, I was completely ignored. The party and state government were apathetic towards me. Some petty leaders and undesirable elements 
are being given undue importance in Shahpur,” Mankotia alleged.

Mankotia said he conveyed to the CM that the party remembered him only during elections. He said the Chief Minister maintained that there had been a communication gap between them.

Sources said Vikramaditya, Chief Minister's son and state youth Congress president, played a crucial role in the meeting of Virbhadra Singh and Mankotia.

Vikramaditya had visited Mankotia a few days ago. After meeting Mankotia, he had issued statements in his favour in the Shahpur Assembly constituency.

Mankotia when asked if he would support Congress candidate Chander Kumar in the forthcoming Lok Sabha poll, he said he would take a decision after meeting his supporters in a couple of days.

Mankotia had left the Congress owing to his differences with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. In 2007 Assembly elections, Mankotia joined the BSP and allegedly released a CD having conversation between Virbhadra Singh and a senior bureaucrat. A case was registered against Virbhadra Singh on the basis of the CD. Virbhadra also filed a defamation case against Mankotia. Both leaders continued to ridicule each other in media for many years.

However, during the last Assembly elections, both of them buried their hatchet. Virbhadra withdrew the defamation case against Mankotia. However, Mankotia was expecting an important position in the present government, but when he was not invited for important functions, including President Pranab Mukerjee visiting the Central University of Himachal Pradesh and Rahul Gandhi’s programme in Kangra, he expressed his displeasure openly.

Now that the CM has met him, it remains to be seen what strategy Mankotia adopts in the coming days.

Shimla, April 8
What happened to the Rs 10,000 crore which UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh claimed was given to the then BJP government during 2007-12 and remained unspent and would be given to the state if the Congress was voted to power?

This question has been raked up again by former Chief Minister PK Dhumal who has accused Congress leaders of telling lies and misleading people that the money given to the BJP government during 2007-2012 under various schemes, remained unspent.

“People of the state are keen to know how much funds which Central leaders of the Congress had promised during the election campaign in 2012 have been received by the state and why the money has not been given when the state is passing through acute financial crunch,” he asked.

He said the situation was so grim that universities were seeking grants to pay salaries and HRTC employees awaiting pension. Under these circumstance, either the CM should get the amount released or publicly accept that Congress leaders told lies to derive political mileage during the Assembly elections.

Taking a dig at Congress leaders, BJP general secretary Randhir Sharma said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and other Congress leaders in the state were suffering from Modi and Dhumal phobia and filing of cases against BJP leaders, including former Chief Minister PK Dhumal and his MP son Anurag Thakur, after enforcement of the model code of conduct, exposed the conspiracy being hatched by the Congress government.

Claiming that the performance of the UPA and the state government had been dismal with no achievement to count, he said the Congress was making false allegations against BJP leaders just to divert the attention of masses from mega scams such as 2G, 3G, Coalgate, Railgate and Commonwealth scams during the UPA regime.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Ganesh Dutt said people were all set to repeat 1977 when the Congress was wiped out from the political arena and race among Congress leaders to desert the party and join the BJP was an evidence of strong Modi wave sweeping the country.

Shimla, April 8
Asking 46.74 lakh voters in the state to reject the Congress and defeat the BJP, the Communist Party of India (CPM) today released its manifesto.

CPM state secretariat member Tikender Singh Panwar, Himachal Kisan Sabha state president Dr Kuldip Tanvar, CPM leader Sanjay Chauhan and Shimla Lok Sabha candidate Jagat Ram released the 25-point manifesto here saying that they would fight for the restoration of Himachal’s due claims and rights from the Centre.

They said CPM members, if elected, would fight for making Himachal a self-reliant state and would ensure 5 bigha land to each landless and Rs 10,000 as minimum salaries along with wages and pensionary benefits to all categories of employees. They said the CPM was the only party that had come out with its manifesto, as neither the BJP nor the Congress had released its state-specific manifesto so far.

They said: “Congress and BJP MPs in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have failed to restore state’s rights and claims from the Centre in respect of special category state, 7.19 per cent share in BBMB projects and due share in water and forests.”

The CPM proposed to make Himachal self-reliant by fighting for the release of Rs 70,000-crore loss that it had suffered on the account of the reorganisation of states.

"The CPM stands for the redistribution of wealth and production that has allegedly ended up in a few hands due to the neo-liberal policies implemented by both the UPA and NDA governments over the years," Tikender said.

The minimum salaries of all employees would be Rs 10,000 and they would be entitled to get pensionary benefits, they promised.

Tikender said: “Corruption in the UPA and BJP’s communal and divisive agenda has disillusioned the voters in the country. The third alternative has a bright chance in the Lok Sabha elections. The mega scandals-2G Spectrum, auction of coal blocks, Commonwealth games scam-have further widened the gap between the rich and the poor and inflation rate has multiplied during the UPA regime.”

About 80 per cent of rural population and 64 per cent of urban people were not getting required nutrition and a majority of them were malnourished in the state, he claimed.

Tikender charged that services were being outsourced and the subsidies and other benefits had been withdrawn from the common man, while the Centre gave benefits worth Rs 21 lakh crore through commodity trading to big houses.

“The Gujarat model of development is crony capitalism, as the BJP gave overdue benefits to Adani company there,” Panwar claimed.

CPM leaders said the BJP and the Congress were the two sides of the same coin, as they gave crores of subsidies to Adani in Himachal to set up controlled atmospheric stores, in which farmers got no benefits.

“The company is selling apple for Rs 200 a kg in the markets, while it buys the same at Rs 40 per kg from farmers,” Tanwar said.

The leaders claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress had failed to solve wildlife menace, which has affected 2 lakh hectares of agricultural land in the state as the Centre had not lifted the ban on the export of monkeys.

The Rs 3,000-crore apple industry was in crisis as farmers were not prepared to face the WTO free-trade regime this year, he further added.

“The CPM stands for bridling of land mafias and regulation of private universities. The CPM will ensure that Himachal gets its due from the Centre, all shares of 7.19 per cent in the BBMB and royalty on forests and water cess on hydropower projects,” they promised.

Shimla, April 8
From what politicians are up to, it seems charity which begins at home remains at home. A majority of the youth is under the impression that the self-serving mindset of politicians has given birth to dynastic politics, corruption and concentration of money in a few hands.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and former Chief Minister PK Dhumal are facing corruption charges and, unfortunately, there is no third choice in the state, says Ajit Sharma (32), a practising lawyer at the HP High Court. The lawyer represents a segment of the public that supports issue-based politics.

Nitish, a student of MBA at Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), says apart from students who are strong supporters of political parties, the general classroom debates are issue based and neutral voters are inclined to issues such as security of the nation as well as women, corruption and black money, fiscal policies and economic growth, health, infrastructure and employment.

Hailing from Solan and working in a software company Neelaksh (25) wants to vote for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), but is in a dilemma as he sees no scope for the party in the state.

Renowned singer Kanak Joshi feels that the mindset of politicians of all hues is the same, but Narendra Modi should get a chance this time.

However, party supporters are going by the loyalty and NSUI state president Rimple Chaudhry says both issues and leaders are equally important and they are banking on the achievements of the UPA and the state government as well as the promises made in the manifesto.

Issues lend significance to leaders and it is the non-performance of the UPA government during the past 10 years, of which Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has been an integral part, that the youth is attracted by the charismatic and dynamic personality of Narendra Modi, says ABVP state secretary Ajay Thakur.

For the SFI, issues are of prime concern and its leader Piyush Sewal says people-oriented policies, keeping in view the welfare of all sections of society is need of the hour as leaders with no faith in ideology cannot make the nation strong.

“We are not opposed to the privatisation of education, but there should be an effective regulatory mechanism to ensure the quality of education and common people can afford it, but the health sector should be under the control of the government,” he added.

Interestingly, a majority of the youth, especially first-time voters, are against "none of the above" option. "It makes no sense in going to the polling booth and wasting your vote by opting for NOTA," says Bobby, a first-time voter.

Una, April 8
BJP candidate from the Hamirpur constituency Anurag Thakur today said the party would create a separate development policy for Himalayan states after coming to power at the Centre.

Anurag Thakur, Hamirpur BJP candidate

Addressing a series of public meetings in the Gagret Assembly segment, he said the decision was taken by the party’s apex body since the geographical constraints of the entire Himalayan region were similar.

Anurag said Himachal Pradesh had a difficult terrain as compared to the plains and, therefore, more funds were required to keep the pace of development at par with the other states.

He said the BJP had also promised the formation of a Himalayan regiment in the Indian Army, where the youth of the Himalayan states would have an opportunity to serve the country. He appealed to the voters to support the BJP if they wanted state’s development.

Trying to hit local issues, the BJP leader questioned why the present Congress government proposed to shift the sanctioned depot of the Indian Oil Corporation to some other segment of the district when the Dhumal government had decided to set it up at Jeetpur Baheri village in Gagret segment.

Anurag pointed out that even local Congress MLA Rakesh Kalia had levelled allegations of step-motherly treatment being meted out by the Congress government towards Gagret segment on a number of occasions.

Gagret BJP leader Sushil Kalia and block party president Ram Murti Sharma accompanied Anurag to the public meetings in Bhadrakali, Pirthipur, Gondpur Banehra, Bhanjal, Jeetpur Baheri, Ghanari, Ambota, Chatehar and Badheda Rajputan panchayats.

Palampur, April 8
Senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar, who is contesting the parliamentary elections from the Kangra Lok Sabha seat, said the vote for the BJP would be a vote for the stability and prosperity of India.

Addressing election meetings at Kandwari and Dehan on the outskirts of Palampur town, Shanta said in the present political scenario, the country needed a strong and stable government which could properly handle problems such as price rise, unemployment, corruption and internal security of the country.

Shanta told the gathering that the country was passing through a critical period facing external as well as internal threats such as terrorism, infiltration on the LoC and killing of innocent person by maoists in many states, if the NDA-headed Narendra Modi was voted to power only then these problems could be solved and people could usher in a new era.

While criticising the present UPA Government, Shanta said, in 10 years' rule of the UPA, things moved from bad to worse. He alleged the wrong economic policies of the UPA had brought the nation on the verge of bankruptcy which resulted in price rise and unemployment.

He said when the NDA left the office in 2003, the prices of petrol and diesel were at Rs 35 and Rs 25 per litre, respectively, the value of rupee against the US dollar in the international market was Rs 32. Shanta said in the past 10 years, the prices of petrol had gone up to Rs 80 per litre. Likewise, the value of the rupee against a dollar had also crossed Rs 62.

He appealed to voters to come out in large numbers, vote for the BJP and strengthen the hands of the NDA at the Centre. Earlier, Vinay Sharma, district president, BJP, said if Shanta Kumar was elected to Parliament, he would be a senior minister in Modi's Cabinet, therefore, everyone should support Shanta Kumar which would also be in the supreme interest of the state and residents of Kangra.

Palampur, April 8
Senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar today criticised the state government for its refusal to provide security during the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches at Dharamsala.

He said the decision had led to the cancellation of all three IPL matches at Dharamsala.

Addressing mediapersons at his residence here, Shanta said the decision of the state government had resulted in a big setback to the state’s tourism industry. He said despite the fact that the BCCI was ready to hold IPL matches at Dharamsala in May, the refusal of the state government to extend the security cover had forced the BCCI to cancel the matches.

He termed the decision of the state government as politically motivated. He reminded Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh of the IPL matches that were telecast all over the world which gave vast publicity to the state and its tourism industry. Because of regular IPL matches being held at Dharamsala for the past few years, the state had come on the global tourism map, said Shanta.

He said during his visit to Dharamsala yesterday, members of the Kangra Valley Hoteliers Association called on him and expressed their unhappiness over the decision of the state government.

Shanta said the tourism industry was already passing through a serious crisis because of poor infrastructure such as bad roads and rising pollution, and cancellation of IPL matches had given another blow to it.

He said there could be political differences of the Chief Minister with leaders, but it should not be at cost of interests of the state.

Shimla, April 8
Former Union Minister Satpal Maharaj, who recently quit the Congress to join the BJP, is the most sought-after leader for campaigning in the state. The party units from Rohru, Jubbal, Kotkhai and Chopal in the Shimla parliamentary constituency and Ani, Nirmand and Kullu in the Mandi segment want him to address election rallies.

As Himachal will go to poll on May 7, a score of star campaigners and national leaders, including Narendra Modi, BJP president Rajnath Singh, eminent veteran leaders LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari, Balbir Punj and star faces Hema Malini, Smriti Irani and Navjot Singh Sidhu, are expected to descend on the state to campaign for party candidates.

Besides, state leaders like former Chief Ministers Shanta Kumar and PK Dhumal and party general secretary JP Nadda and state BJP president Satpal Singh Satti would also campaign in the state, said Ganesh Dutt, party spokesperson.

The Kangra BJP is keen to have rallies addressed by Gen VK Singh, Rajnath Singh and Sushma Swaraj, besides Modi, who is in demand in all four Lok Sabha seats, including the Hamirpur seat, where he had already addressed a rally at Sujanpur on February 16.

Narendra Modi is likely to address at least three rallies in Himachal on a single day and efforts are being made by the party to include the fourth rally in the itinerary.

The party has already constituted the state election campaign committee headed by Ganesh Dutt to focus on the preparation and distribution of publicity material, deal with complaints regarding violation of the model code of conduct, arrangement of rallies, legal matters and media management and members have been assigned specific tasks.

HN Kashyap will deal with complaints of violation of the model code of conduct, Anshul Bansal will look after the legal affairs, Trilok Jamwal will deal with rallies, Dr Chaman Gupta and Sikender Kumar will take care of the literature while Ganesh Dutt will manage the media.

Hamirpur, April 8
Rajender Rana, Congress candidate from the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, has accused BJP leaders of emotionally blackmailing voters.

Addressing election meetings at Matahni, Dabaraili, Neeri, Khagal, Bagarti, and Nalti in Hamirpur Assembly segment today, Rana said the BJP could sense defeat in the forthcoming elections and were resorting to emotional blackmailing of voters and making emotional appeals instead of speaking about their achievements and work done during their tenure.

Rana said Hamirpur voters did not want a representative who remained busy in Mumbai and Dubai, but people want a public representative who would remain with them and understand their problems.

He said the present MP from Hamirpur could spend Rs 3 crore from the MPLAD fund, while the rest of the funds remained unused. The MP was busy either with film stars or in the world of cricket, he said. Rana said he had nothing to explain about his achievements as an MP and just enchanting name of Narendra Modi, but voters of the area were well aware of the truth.

He said the dictatorial tendency of Narendra Modi had already resulted into parting of ways by a section of leaders from the BJP and the dream of the BJP to form the next government at the Centre would not be fulfilled.

Dharamsala, April 8
The Kangra police have slapped a land grab case on the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA). An FIR registered under Section 447 of the IPC states that the HPCA has encroached upon around 2,000 square metres of government land belonging to the education department.

Shimla, April 8
Dharamsala has been left out as one of the venues for holding IPL matches due to the indifferent, callous and politically vindictive attitude of the state government.

In a press statement here today, Mohit Sood, press secretary of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), said the government was launching a vilified and false campaign against HPCA president Anurag Thakur and other office-bearers to shift the blame on others.

“It is so unfortunate that one of the most scenic stadiums in the world has been deprived of hosting the IPL matches, which in the past had brought spotlight on Himachal,” Sood said.

He said the role of the leaders, government and state authorities was to facilitate and improve the infrastructure and hold such mega events which brought tremendous benefits to the state.

“On the contrary, the government after assuming power has unleashed vendetta against the HPCA simply because its president belongs to the Opposition party,” he alleged.

He said the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) and the HPCA had approached the Director General of Police (DGP) for providing security and administrative support for hosting the matches.

“The BCCI wrote to the DGP on March 14 to which he did not reply nor expressed his inability to provide security,” he said.

He added that the HPCA president again wrote to the DGP on March 18 and April 8, but did not get any response.

He said the HPCA vice-president and chairman of the construction committee, along with other office-bearers, met the DGP twice asking him to expedite the security permissions, but no assurance was given to them as well. “It was due to this non-committal and non-cooperative attitude of the government that ultimately Dharamsala has been left out as the IPL venue,” he said.

He urged the people of the state to rise against such powers, which were hell bent on killing cricket in the state by unleashing a false and vilified campaign.

Una, April 8
An office to issue toll tax passes to daily commuters has been opened at the Mehatpur inter-state barrier.

US Rana, Una Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner, today said toll-lease owner Dilbagh Singh Rana had set up the office, where official Gurdial Singh would be the contact person.

Rana said: “In case a person faces difficulty in getting the pass, he can contact the Excise and Taxation Officer in charge at the barrier or refer the complaint to the AETC office in Una.”

Inter-state commuters make use of the facility to get toll-tax concessions for a fixed period. Since barriers were re-auctioned for the new financial year, the commuters were paying the full toll tax for the past one week. — OC

Shimla, April 8
The Himachal Kisan Sabha (HKS), Himalayan Nitti Abhiyan and farmers' NGOs have sought a compensatory 25 per cent green bonus or cess on protection of forests from the Centre as demanded by the state.

"Out of 19 lakh cubic metre salvage timber available for felling, the state is removing 2.5 lakh cubic metre while the rest of the timber worth Rs 3,800 crore is rotting or decaying in the forests as the state has imposed a blanket ban on green felling since 1983," says the demand. It comes in the light of a 14th Finance Commission memorandum submitted to the Centre in August 2013. Details of this memo have been accessed by The Tribune.

The commission report says the state has 19 lakh cubic metre salvage timber that can be removed or harvested from the forest every year, and Himachal is exploiting 2.5 lakh cubic metre every year.

"Even if Himachal sells this timber at the prevailing rate of Rs 28,388 per cubic metre, it can fetch Rs 3,800 crore every year. Even if it is compensated at the rate of 25 per cent as demanded by the state, we can fetch a revenue of Rs 1,000 crore that can make Himachal self-reliant," said the NGOs, raising the pitch for forest compensation from the Centre.

"The blanket ban on green felling in the state has put the state at an economic disadvantage since 1983," said Dr Kuldip Tanvar, president of the HKS.

Forest wealth conservation is acting like a watershed conservation for the neighbouring state of Punjab for which Himachal does not get even a single penny from the Centre, said Dr Tanvar.

HNA president Kulbhushan Upmanyu said the NGOs had been raising a demand for the green bonus and royalty from the Centre for both jal and jungle which the state had been protecting over the years. The government should give fuel-efficient chullahs as 65 per cent rural population in the state burns fuelwood, he added.

Illegal smuggling should be stopped and the state should implement the Forest Rights Act and give all TD rights to the right holders' community to make them stakeholders in forests. People have been alienated from forests because of blanket ban or felling, claimed Upmanyu.

Dalhousie, April 8
Lantana, locally known as 'phulnu', is an exotic dangerous weed, which does not allow any other species to come up below its shade. It has spread on vast stretches of forests in Dalhousie, Chamba and Churah divisions of Chamba forest district.

Pangi and Bharmour tribal forest divisions are apparently free from this dangerous forest weed. These weeds not only pose potential fire danger, but also they degrade soil and grass used for grazing cattle. Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) ARM Reddy stated this here today.

To reduce the deleterious effects of lantana on animals, including cattle, rehabilitation schemes had been started in Chamba district since 2010, particularly in the lower reaches, to mechanically uproot the lantana by adopting cut root stock method, said the CCF.

The CCF said the lantana areas being treated had been categorised as less than 25 per cent, up to 50 per cent and 100 per cent, based on their density and spread in a particular forest area.

A recent survey conducted by the field functionaries of the Forest Department in the Chamba forest circle revealed that out of 192 beats in the district, the lantana had its presence in almost 65 beats stretching over an extent of 15,562 hectare and their extent varied from 25 to 100 per cent.

Area to the extent of 355 hectare had been tackled during the last year. So far, areas over an extent of 909 hectare had been tackled in the Chamba forest circle, the CCF said, adding that even lantana uprooting was being carried out under MNREGA schemes.

Some of the areas where the uprooting was undertaken in Haripur demarcated protected forest (DPF), Mehla, Bhalei and Sahoo, would be planted with forest wild fruit species like kainth, chulli, jamun, anar and mulberry to meet the requirement of fruits in the forest areas for monkeys, other wild animals and birds, the CCF stated.

“The efforts are quite encouraging and the “HP Forest Ecosystems Climate Proofing Project” which is in the offing in Chamba and Kangra districts is likely to address the problem to a great extent as it has a component to rehabilitate the lantana-infested forest areas,” claimed Reddy.

Una, April 8
In an effort to revitalise the rural eco-system and educate people about preserving natural resources, the Una Forest Department has rejuvenated two water bodies in Kangar and Panjawar panchayats. Locally available material has been used to create these structures on existing ponds which had dried up over the years and walking tracks have been created around these for strollers.

Divisional Forest Officer RK Dogra said the floor lining of these structures had been created by puddling fine clay, making it almost impermeable. The pond-age capacity of the structure at Kangar was about 15,000 cubic metres, which meant it could store about 1.5 crore litres of water, he said, adding that the structure at Panjawar had a little less storage capacity.

Kulwant Singh, an elderly resident of Kangar, said ponds had a great relevance for villagers about four decades ago as these were meeting places for cattle grazers, women coming to wash clothes or children splashing around during summers. He added that the thick vegetation around these ponds was sanctuary for birds and small animals.

Another resident Ram Pal said ponds had now vanished in almost every village and so had the vegetation and wildlife around these pockets that had dried up. He opined that rejuvenating ponds was a novel idea and some of the villagers had now decided to constitute a committee for fish rearing, while unemployed enterprising youth could also set up food kiosks or earn by providing boating facilities to attract visitors.

Dogra said a sum of Rs 30 lakh had been spent on creating the water body at Kangar, which amounted to spending 50 paise per litre. He said the water bodies had also been connected to a lift irrigation scheme for recharge during peak summer season and to ensure fish rearing.

Meanwhile, the local youth, particularly those aspiring for recruitment into the police, paramilitary or armed forces, have begun to make use of the pond periphery as a jogging track.

Shimla, April 8
As the Department of Horticulture and Agriculture is busy in the blame game, spurious chemicals are flooding the market, attracting the ire of farmers. The department has failed to keep a tab on the companies that are not registered with the Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC).

The CIBRC has banned the use of spray oils, fungicides and insecticides that are not tested and registered with it under the Insecticides Act. However, the authorities have failed to check the sale of spurious chemicals.

"The board has publicised their harmful effects on crops, human health, water bodies and on the environment," said many scientists here.

“All the companies who want to register with the board will have to send samples of chemicals for testing to labs of the Horticulture and Agriculture University in the state and if they are found fit for use, they will be sent to the board for registration ”, said Dr Vijay Thakur, Vice-Chancellor, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry.

“We have recommended only tested products for use in orchards so that plants and fruits are not harmed," he added. "No unauthorised chemical can be used in apple orchards," Dr Thakur said.

No university or institute, government or private agency can procure spray oils, fungicides and insecticides without getting the mandatory registration certificate from the CIBRC. The company must have the certificate to sell its products in the market.

"The CIBRC’s directive aims at checking the rampant sale of banned chemicals by some private companies that work in collusion with certain government agencies and retailers," alleged farmers.

"Himachal needs about 20 lakh litres of spray oil every year. The CIBRC regulations are a welcome step as unauthorised chemicals have poisoned the orchards and water bodies," claimed farmers.

Denying any nexus, Dr Gurdev Singh, Director, Horticulture, said they had allowed the use of the products, which were tested and registered with the CIBRC in the new spray schedule. The licence and check on the sale was the prerogative of the Agriculture Department, he added.

He said they had a committee of scientists from the horticulture university, which recommended the spray schedule. “We procure and recommend only tested chemicals," Singh added.

Shayam Lal, Deputy Director and in charge of the Directorate of Agriculture, said the department had changed the agricultural and horticultural practices. "To check the sale of fake and untested products in the market, samples of insecticide and fungicide are taken and if these fail the test, we ban them," Shayam Lal said.

Nurpur, April 8
The Health and Family Welfare Department organised awareness workshops on preventing vector-borne diseases on the occasion of World Health Day yesterday in health blocks at Indora and Dadasibha bordering Punjab.

According to Kangra Chief Medical Officer BM Gupta, these workshops have been organised under the National Vector-Borne Diseases Control (NVBDC) programme, an umbrella project of the National Health Mission.

“These workshops are aimed at generating awareness for prevention and control of vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue and leishmaniasis carried by mosquitoes, flies, ticks and other vectors,” he asserted.

The workshop-cum-review meeting at Indora near here was presided over by RK Sood, Kangra district NVBDC programme officer.

Addressing the workshop of field Health Department staff, Dr Sood said vector-borne diseases accounted for more than 17 per cent of all infectious diseases and vectors were living organisms that could transmit infectious diseases between humans or from animals to humans.

“Vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis and yellow fever are preventable, but these have the biggest impact on some of the world’s poorest people, particularly where there is lack of housing, safe potable water and sanitation," he said.

Under this campaign, an Inter-sectoral Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) workshop was conducted for Ayurvedic Medical Officers at Dadasiba, where local block medical officer Gautam talked about the roles and responsibilities of the masses in malaria surveillance for effective control and elimination of the disease.

“Simple, cost-effective interventions like insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor spraying have already saved millions of lives,” he asserted.

Border areas are considered prone to vector-borne diseases owing to poor living conditions. A large number of industrial labourers reside in these areas.

Kangra, April 8
HIV and AIDS with tuberculosis (TB) are so deeply connected that they are often described as a "dual epidemic". Each of these diseases can hasten the course of the other. HIV infection is the strongest risk factor for latent tuberculosis turning into an active disease, while TB bacteria accelerates the progress of AIDS infection in the patient.

Dr RK Sood, District Programme Officer, stated this while addressing people with HIV AIDS from Hamirpur and Kangra, during a programme organised by Gunjan, an NGO, under the anti-TB campaign in which TB control staff participated. He cautioned that a major reason for death in TB patients was late diagnosis.

He said getting to zero AIDS-related death meant having to deal with tuberculosis too. He said people living with HIV often needed to be properly screened for tuberculosis. He said they required preventive treatment where necessary and they too needed to be treated fast and effectively in case of active disease.

According to a global plan called "Time to Act" by WHO, UNAIDS and the Stop TB Partnership, a million lives could be saved by dealing with TB and HIV co-infection more effectively, said Dr Sood.

He said the designated microscopy centre under the TB control programme should be contacted in case symptoms of TB, including cough, fever, significant weight loss, blood in sputum or any abnormality in chest radiograph, are noticed.

He told the participants that those in contact with bacteriologically confirmed TB patients should be regularly screened for signs and symptoms of TB. All children in homes of TB cases needed to be tested for TB through Mantoux test, and if the result was negative, INH preventive treatment should be given for six months.

He emphasised that diagnosis and treatment for the disease was free, and underlined the the importance of ensuring completion of treatment in every case put on treatment to prevent emergence of resistance.

He appealed to people to spread awareness about the symptoms of this disease, need for early test and regular treatment in case of HIV infection.

He said in over 9.3 lakh Indians with the world's most dangerous air-borne disease — tuberculosis, the disease was currently going undetected — mainly among marginalised communities. A person with TB infects about 10 people in a year and without treatment, half the people with TB die.

A film on TB was screened on the occasion. Kishan, Kuldeep and Sureshta of positive network Zindagi Zindabad expressed their views on barriers to service utilisation, including knowledge gaps, careless attitude and unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking.

Sundernagar, April 8
The five-day Devta Mela concluded here today. Mandi SP RS Negi was the chief guest.

He first performed a puja at the Mahamaya temple. He then led the procession of hill gods, which first visited the Palace of Royal Family, where the deities were given a warm welcome and members of the royal family performed puja of the hill gods.

Later, the procession started from this place. After taking a round of Sundernagar town, it reached the community centre.

The chief guest first performed the puja of girls (kanyas) at the community hall and then of hill gods.

He offered them nazrana, along with "chadder" (cloth sheet), at Jawahar Park in keeping with traditions.

Sundernagar SDM and Devta Mela Committee Chairman HS Rana presented a memento and shawl to the chief guest.

This year, about 200 devtas attended the five-day fair, which is popular among residents of middle Himachal Pradesh.

Shimla, April 8
Baldev Sharma, former Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Badsar in Hamirpur district, accused of sexually assaulting a 44-year-old woman of his constituency, was questioned by the police here today.

A case under Sections 354 and 377 of the Indian Penal Code was registered against Baldev after the victim alleged that he sexually assaulted her on March 25, 2012, at his residence in the Vidhan Sabha complex in Shimla, when she approached him for her husband’s transfer.

Shimla SP Abhishek Dullar said Baldev was summoned on April 6, but he failed to appear before the investigative officer and instead approached the police yesterday evening. He said he finally joined the investigations today.

The former MLA from Hamirpur had been granted an anticipatory bail from the High Court till the next hearing fixed for April 17.

Sharma had reportedly denied all charges and termed it as a politically motivated case to malign his image.

Kangra, April 8
The Kangra police today booked the husband of a 24-year-old woman, Sapna Devi, who died after consuming poison at the DRPGMC, Tanda.

Kangra Additional Police Chief Shiv Kumar said Sapna was married to Ravinder Singh of Sakoh village one and a half years ago.

On a complaint of the victim's father, the police had registered a case against her husband under Sections 306 and 198 of the IPC. The complainant alleged that his daughter was being harassed by her husband, which had led her to commit suicide.

Una, April 8
Two youths were killed and one was seriously injured in a road accident that took place at Tapa village on the Chowki Maniar-Baduhi road here yesterday. Police sources said the three were riding a motorcycle (PB-08CD-9867).

The deceased were identified as Sunny of Nangal village in Nurpur subdivision of Kanga district and Sumit of Dangoh Khas village under Gagret block of Una district. Arun Kumar of Chowki Maniar village in Una district is under treatment at the district hospital.

The police said the three were seen lying badly injured on the roadside by a local person who informed the police. A case has been registered against Sunny, who was driving the bike.

Solan, April 8
Nearly 50 per cent of the 2,063 units operating in the state are working without valid consent, thus adding to pollution in industrial areas.

As per a report compiled by NGO "Him Dhara", the State Pollution Control Board has rarely issued any show-cause notices to violators and in cases where these are issued, there is virtually no follow-up. About 60 per cent of the units do not have effluent treatment plants and the ground water is severely polluted. These findings were revealed at a public hearing conducted by Him Dhara, Environment Research and Action Collective and Him Parivesh at Baddi on Saturday. As many as 200 persons affected by industrial pollution in Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh area aired their views before a panel.

As many as 60 written submissions were received by the panel and 25 oral testimonies recorded. These included problems of illegal discharge of effluents, air pollution and dumping of hazardous waste along riverbeds in farms and open spaces. Poor role of the board in monitoring and regulating industrial pollution was a concern.

Shweta Narayan of Community Environment Monitoring, Chennai, presented findings of ambient air samples taken at Bagheri and Baddi. DK Sharma, senior scientific officer, Pollution Control Board, said Central Pollution Control Board had not yet raised any objections about the monitoring methods used by the state board.

Anil Gupta of the PSI said communities would have to take on the responsibility of the environment and bring the violators to book.

Rakesh Lohumi said community monitoring and transparent sampling could go a long way.