Shimla, May 21
The fate of controversial ‘selling’ of two power projects -- 1,000-MW Karcham-Wangtoo and 300 MW Baspa -- in Kinnaur district has run into a fresh row as the state government has given a no-objection certificate (NOC) to Jaiparkash Power Ltd to raise loan worth Rs 7,000 crore.

The owner of the company, however, remained non-committal on the sale deal with TAQA, an Abu Dhabhi-based company.

The JP Group has kept the state government in the dark about the exact sale deal with TAQA. “The company has given nothing in black and white about the sale deal in its reply filed to the government’s notice shot off to the company after the deals came to light in March through media reports,” revealed official sources.

With the change of guard at the Centre, the “sale deal” of the power projects has hit another road block. The company pleaded that the deal with TAQA has not been finalised as the negotiations are still on. Also, the approval for preliminary negotiation from the Commissioner of India is pending due to the code of conduct,” sources said.

Though the company has agreed to pay pending liabilities before the projects are sold, it has obtained a fresh NOC from the government to raise loan in excess of Rs 7,000 crore on the two projects, the sources revealed.

But the Kinnaur-based Himlok Jagriti Manch has asked the government to exclude the Rs 15.35-crore environment management fund from the Local Area Development Authority (LADA) fund which the company has refused to do. The Rs 15.35-crore environment management fund would be included in the Rs 103-crore LADA fund and not be excluded, revealed officials.

Residents lambasted the company for selling two projects without taking any NOC from the gram sabha which was mandatory under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, said Ranjit Negi. “The company also violated the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996, and tribal laws and the sellout to a foreign company poses security risk in the border areas,” he charged.

Shimla, May 21
Residents are facing a harrowing time with traffic snarls plaguing the town, resulting in traffic jams for hours on the Cart Road, especially during school and office hours.

With the entire burden of vehicular traffic being on the Cart Road, there is a traffic congestion on the roads practically throughout the day. With thousands of tourists visiting the Queen of Hills to escape the heat in the plains, additional vehicles are further compounding the problem.

Police personnel remain mute spectators to traffic rule violations by three youths on the College road in Dharamsala on Tuesday. Photo: Kamaljeet

It was on the directives of the HP High Court that a Shimla Traffic Plan had been prepared by the district police to regulate traffic movement and ensure that there were no bottlenecks. Even though the plan exists on paper, it is not being implemented in letter and spirit. Vehicles can be seen plying to and fro on most of the roads which had been declared one way to ease out the congestion.

Loading and unloading of trucks near the Sabzi Mandi and Ganj Bazaar near the Lift well beyond the permissible limit of 8 am is resulting in traffic jams during morning hours. With the morning timings of most of the public schools being between 8.15 to 8.30 am, the entire stretch near the Victory Tunnel, bus stand and the Lift is choked.

To make matters worse, taxis and tourist vehicles parked outside the hotels along the Victory Tunnel towards Kaithu too hamper the free flow of traffic. Commuters taking u-turns even at prohibited pressure points further compound the traffic congestion.

Superintendent of Police, Shimla, Abhishek Dullar said efforts were being made to ensure the smooth flow of traffic. "We will ensure strict adherence to the time of 8 am fixed for loading and unloading of trucks and other goods carriers at various points on the Cart Road," he said. He said additional traffic police personnel would be deployed to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

The parking of vehicles along roads in the absence of adequate parking lot also adds to traffic chaos. The problem gets aggravated during May-June when number of tourists are visiting the town. Unauthorised parking of trucks on both sides of the road between Khalini and New Shimla not only poses a threat to the safety of commuters, but also hampers traffic flow.

Unless and until there is strict adherence to traffic rules by commuters themselves so as to assist the traffic policemen, traffic woes of the town will continue to bother commuters.

Biased penalisation by traffic cops protested

Dharamsala: Traffic policemen here yesterday came in for criticism for alleged biased penalisation of two-wheelers on the Jail road. Traffic personnel started challaning two-wheelers for violating traffic rules such as not wearing helmets.

However, the situation took an ugly turn when traffic policemen fined some and allowed a few others to go scotfree despite the fact they were not wearing helmets. Those who were fined protested the biased attitude of traffic policemen and warned them of complaining to the higher authorities. — TNS

Shimla, May 21
The state government today granted a six-month extension to Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) Vice-Chancellor ADN Bajpai even as cries for his removal became shriller and the Students Central Association (SCA) organised a rally for his ouster.

The three-year term of Prof Bajpai is due to expire on May 24, 2014, and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had earlier said he would not be given a second term, but the Governor today issued a notification allowing Prof Bajpai to continue in his office for a period of six months or till the appointment of a new Vice-Chancellor.

About 500 students under the banner of the SCA today sought his immediate removal and threatened to intensify the agitation in case the government did not remove him. “We will be forced to sit on a dharna in front of the Governor and the Chief Minister’s residences in case our voice is not heard,” the students said.

SCA leaders put the entire blame for the “mess” in the university on the VC and said “time and money is being wasted on organising seminars which are an exercise in futility”.

The SCA leaders said that his claims were “hollow” and an exercise in “image making”. While the performance of the university in academies was “dismal’, appointments made so far were purely on political grounds, the SCA leaders alleged.

The student leaders rued that the university had failed to meet the bare minimum requirements such as hostel and library facility, filling of vacant posts of teacher and beautification of the campus. They accused the university authorities of using repressive measures and intimidating students raising their voice against wrongdoings of the university and said the students were being framed in false cases in connivance with the police.

The academic atmosphere in the university has been vitiated under the leadership of ADN Bajpai due to his arbitrary and democratic actions.

In his first year as VC, he delayed the oath ceremony of elected SCA officers for nine months, dissolved the SCA prematurely in May in 2013 and again dissolved the SCA on April 25 this year as students were raising their genuine demands, said SCA secretary Piyush Sewal.

Dharamsala, May 21
The encroachment of forest land on the McLeodganj-Dharamkot road has become a threat to reserve forests and rare deodar trees.

Encroachers have been carrying out a systematic procedure to do away with deodar forests for raising illegal buildings in the area. They remove the earth from edges of the hill, especially when heavy rain is expected in the region.

This makes deodar trees weak and ultimately leads to their felling. Sources said in many cases, trees are felled in the night, despite a total ban by the Department of Forests.

This has reduced the width of the road on many stretches. At the initial end of the road from McLeodganj, Tibetans have raised high-rising building. Almost all buildings are illegal and have been raised on the reserve forest area. However, the authorities concerned have failed to act.

Sources said respective departments had issued notices to encroachers and legal activity to get the land vacated had been going on at a tardy pace for the past many years. While the legal procedure for removing encroachments is going on, many more illegal buildings have come up in the area. The complacent attitude of the authorities concerned was further encouraging encroachers who are taking control of the government forest land at the cost of rare trees.

The Tibetan government had taken up the matter of encroachments with the state government. They are for the transfer of land in the name of the Dalai Lama Society so that it can further be given on lease to Tibetans living in exile.

The previous Congress government had decided to give special relaxation under Section 118 of the Land Tenancy Act to regularise encroachments by Tibetans. However, the present government has not taken any decision on the matter.

Officials of the Department of Forests were not available for comments.

Sources said for raising any construction on the said road, the person concerned had to take permission from the local Municipal Council and Town and Country Planning Department and no objection certificates (NOC) from the Department of Forests and PWD.

Officials of the said departments are right up to the extent that they had not given any permission for raising any building along the road.

Solan, May 21
Caring two hoots for the Himachal Pradesh High Court's directions, private vehicle operators have been using pressure horns with impunity.

Though the high court has strictly directed the government to check such violations and discipline the private bus operators, little is being done to deter such violators.

After the HC's intervention, the state government had issued a notification in 2003 banning the use of pressure horns in vehicles after observing that noise pollution was a grave social menace that adversely affected the quality of life, and the issue of controlling it needed to be handled carefully.

The court had referred the case to a committee of experts for suggestions on the issue of controlling noise pollution, consequent to which, the state government had issued a notification for implementing Section 5 of the Environment Protection Act 1986 and the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000.

Despite strict directions, private buses were not only seen using high-decibel pressure horns which honked at a high pitch while crossing through habitations, but also disturbed ailing patients and the elderly.

The police have failed to challan such drivers, and private buses continue to violate the high court's directions. Some state-owned Volvo buses also have pressure horns.

People residing along the state highways and main district roads are the worst sufferers as these private buses use these routes frequently and their drivers honk these pressure horns continuously.

Una, May 21
The Una municipal garbage management plant, which was made functional for a short time at Malahat village, 4 km from here, has been shut down. Like in the past, waste is being discarded on open land near the Swan river at Rampur village in utter disregard of pollution norms.

Constructed at a cost of about Rs 80 lakh, the Malahat plant supposedly has facilities for manual segregation of degradable and non-degradable waste, besides for conversion of organic matter into manure. It never got functional. The organic compost processed at the plant failed to qualify the quality checks.

Since the plant reportedly generate foul smell, locals have prevented municipal vehicles from entering the village.

Consequently, contractual work force deployed for waste management has also abandoned the plant.

For the last many years, the Una MC had been dumping city garbage on a plot of land adjacent to the Swan river at Rampur village. After the Malahat plant closed down recently, the garbage has again been directed to Rampur in utter disregard of pollution norms.

Here again, drivers and MC staff on the dumpers have to face the wrath of local villagers. The dumping site is teeming with foul smell, insects, pests, stray dogs and cattle as some of the light material, including plastics, finds its entry into the river when swept away by winds.

When efforts were made to contact municipal officers, it was found that the post of Municipal Executive Officer was lying vacant for a few months and the Tehsildar, Una, was holding the additional charge. The Assistant Municipal Engineer had retired and there was no replacement. Besides, numerous posts of sanitary workers are lying vacant.

Consequently, the garbage collection points in the city are overflowing with waste material. These points, which stink, are home to insects and cause infectious diseases, particularly during the summer season. Junior Municipal Engineer Madan Kumar said despite labour constraints, the sanitation ward was being streamlined.

Meanwhile, DC Abhishek Jain said he would talk to municipal and senior departmental officers in Shimla. He said pollution norms would not be allowed to be flouted.

Kullu, May 21
A Class XII student from Government Senior Secondary School, Manali, Jaya Sagar, won a prestigious award at this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) held at Los Angeles in the US recently.

Jaya Sagar

ISEF honours most promising student entrepreneurs, innovators and scientists in the world. The finalists are chosen annually from over hundreds of affiliated fairs held in several countries.

Jaya won the fourth award of $500 (US) in plant sciences category, along with $500 (US) savings bond by the Ashtavadhani Vidwan Ambati Subbaraya Chetty (AVASC) foundation for her project “Brassica juncea (mustard) flowers to attract pollinators for better malus domestica (apple) yield.”

Jaya had put up a model of planting spring mustard crops in apple orchards so that the two crops attain a flowering stage at the same time. Her observations revealed that the flowering of mustard plants increases insect and bee activity, which facilitates in achieving better pollinating results in cash-rich apple crop.

Jaya’s guardian GR Thakur hoped that her achievement would stimulate the Education Department in supporting outstanding achievers with some financial assistance.

This year’s Intel ISEF featured more than 1,700 young scientists selected from 435 affiliated fairs from more than 70 countries.

In addition, more than 500 finalists received awards and prizes for their innovative research. The foundation also awarded a $1,000 grant to each winner’s school and the Intel ISEF affiliated fair they represent.

Other winners from India were Abhishek Verma and Daksh Dua who secured first place in animal sciences category among the 17 Best of Category awards of $5,000 each. Kopal Gupta, Shreya Nandy, Debapratim Jana, Deeksha Hebbar, Animesh Tripathi and Amrit Sahu were also conferred with the awards in various categories.

Mandi, May 21
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mandi, is introducing new courses, including Bachelor of Technology (BTech) in civil engineering, from the current session keeping in view specific needs of hilly areas.

The courses will be useful for future engineers to build different projects in hilly areas, in general, and Himachal Pradesh, in particular.

The BTech course has been specially designed by academicians of the institute keeping in view specific needs of the state such as the topography, development pattern, climatic conditions etc.

To give this course a hill orientation, planners have studied the pattern of development in the state after discussing various problems being faced while undertaking different projects.

Through this course, an effort is being made to improve construction work, reducing construction cost and such other things.

During the BTech course, students will have an option to do specialisation in road construction in hills, specialisation in building projects in the Himalayan region and new techniques of construction in hills.

Since the state is focusing in tapping hydro-potential here and a large number of hydro projects are coming up in Himachal Pradesh presently, this will be also be an area of specialisation in the Civil Engineering course.

The IIT is also starting Master’s course in Chemistry offering specialisations in physical, organic and in organic chemistry and nano science. Master of Technology in energy material is also being introduced from this session.

Dr Ramesh Aringti, Dean, Academics, IIT Mandi, said, “The institute is introducing several new courses from the current session offering specialisations.”

“The BTech course in civil engineering has been developed keeping in view the specific needs of hill areas, and students studying the course will have options to specialise in areas like hydro projects, road construction in hills, which would be main areas of development in Himachal Pradesh in the future,” he added.

Dalhousie, May 21
A week-long camp on environment education concluded here yesterday. It was held for students of Gujarat near Punjpulla here by an Ahmedabad-based organisation ‘Anala Outdoor’.

Students of Gujarat during a camp in Dalhousie

Its managing director Chandresh Lodhiya has been organising such camps in Dalhousie hills for the past 19 years. Moreover, he is well conversant with the flora and fauna of the hills.

The objective of the camp was to impart detailed information with analysis about the flora and fauna of the Himalayan ranges to students. The campers also studied the species of medicinal herbs and their properties during the camp.

Lodhiya said the students had trekked for about 11 km in forests and mountain cliffs of the hill town.

Solan, May 21
The Baddi police today registered a case of cheating and forgery against a couple and manager of the Baddi branch of the Indian Bank for misappropriating Rs 15 lakh from the bank in 2012.

A case has been registered under Sections 420, 476, 468 and 471, IPC, against Naresh Kumar, his wife Shanta Devi and bank manager Rakesh Kumar Tomar who was posted in this branch in 2012.

According to initial investigations, Shanta Devi had applied for a loan of Rs 15 lakh in 2012 against a private enterprise Kailash Enterprises, shop number 11, Jharmajri, located in Baddi, for which her husband Naresh Kumar had given a guarantee. Not only was the procedure laid out bypassed, but also no such enterprise existed against which loan had been sanctioned. The branch manager had connived with the couple in applying, approving and sanctioning such a loan. No re-payment schedule had been worked out for this loan, causing financial loss to the bank.

Superintendent of Police, Baddi, S Arul Kumar said since the bank had failed to recover the amount, an internal inquiry had found that the money was misappropriated in connivance with the then branch manager and he had been placed under suspension while further investigations are underway.

Bank's senior manager Sat Pal Singh Yadav lodged an FIR with the police today.