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

BJP MPs, Dhumal to meet Modi for special package
Dharamsala, June 29
Veteran BJP leader Shanta Kumar gets a warm welcome at the core group meeting of the BJP at Palampur on Saturday. The core group of state BJP that met at Palampur last evening condemned the alleged vendetta politics of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

Veteran BJP leader Shanta Kumar gets a warm welcome at the core group meeting of the BJP at Palampur on Saturday. Photo: Ravinder Sood

Rs 10 crore earmarked for HPMC plant makeover
Shimla, June 29
The Himachal Pradesh Horticultural Produce Processing and the state marketing corporation-run Parwanoo plant is in for major makeover. The plant will double its capacity and produce the best quality apple juice concentrates to make HPMC products globally competent that will benefit farmers. The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has sanctioned Rs 10 crore for modernisation of the Parwanoo fruit processing plant. The plant will also have an ultra-modern filtration and cold storage units for HPMC products.


YOUR TOWN
Dharamsala
Shimla


EARLIER STORIES

Will invite big hotel chains to invest in state, says CM
June 29, 2014
4 Kangra youths return from Iraq
June 28, 2014
Shimla train develops snag, road traffic hit
June 27, 2014
Dept to get more power to check illegal mining
June 26, 2014
Unesco heritage status for GHNP draws residents’ ire
June 25, 2014
Balh residents in Iraq cry for help
June 24, 2014
Bodies of 4 students found
June 23, 2014
Govt orders probe into role of load dispatch centre
June 22, 2014
Centre mum on why Larji project was told to cut load on June 8
June 21, 2014
Govt’s updated report blames ‘carelessness’
June 20, 2014


'Stringent conditions' for admissions
Private colleges, varsities fear low student enrolment
Dharamsala, June 29
After 16 polytechnic colleges were disaffiliated by the state, other engineering colleges and private universities are expecting low admissions this year. Reason: The government has laid the condition to allow admissions to only those students who have appeared in AIEEE entrance test or the state-level entrance test.

Forensic lab sets up Disaster Victim Identification Cell
Shimla, June 29
As the bodies of the six missing students from Hyderabad run a high risk of getting decomposed or putrefied in the Beas-Pandoh riverbed since June 8, the state Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL), Junga, has set up a Disaster Victim Identification Cell (DVIC).

VIGNETTES
Exotic vegetarian cuisine from Kangra
I have shared many platforms with Sarita Sud from where she will speak with gusto on women empowerment, child rights, domestic violence, etc. But I did not know that she was a chef-de-grandeur in giving finger-licking tastes to traditional dishes of the Kangra valley. This talent of her’s was revealed to me recently when her husband Captain Ved P Sud handed over a coffee-table book “Flavours from the Kangra Valley: a traditional, exotic, vegetarian cuisine from India” compiled by his daughter Divya Sud Qureshi.

ESIC to hand over colleges to Centre
Mandi, June 29
The Employees State Insurance Corporation ( ESIC), running several medical colleges in the country, including the upcoming ESIC medical college at Ner Chowk in Mandi district, has mooted a proposal to hand over these institutions to the Centre or the state government.

Swami Vivekananda’s teachings more relevant today: Shanta Kumar
Kangra, June 29
A week-long Yoga Shivir organised by Vivekananda Kendra Kanyakumari in Paprola concluded here today. Participants from different parts of the country participated in the shivir. Shanta Kumar, MP Lok Sabha, was the chief guest on the occasion. While addressing the gathering, he said the teachings of Swami Vivekananda were more relevant in the present scenario than 125 years ago when Vivekananda was himself preaching the gospel.

Shanta Kumar, MP, and Rekha Davey, joint general secretary of Vivekananda Kendra Kanayakumari, on the concluding day of the Yoga Shivir in Paprola on Sunday. Photo: Ashok Raina

State introduces project to infuse new life in apple production
Shimla, June 29
The government would introduce high-yielding varieties of apple and strengthen the marketing network, with active co-operation of the growers, to boost the apple economy in the state.

Women stand up against power project
Holi (Chamba), June 29
About hundred women from Holi region are fighting a battle against GMR Company, that is executing the 180 mw Holi Bajoli power project in the area. Everyday, about six women sit in a make shift tent to protest against the execution of the power project. They said most of the women remain busy in their daily chores and only a few of them manage to sit on a dharna.

A policeman watches heavy machines constructing a road. Photo by writer

Laying of underground cables
Engineers allay residents’ fears
Shimla, June 29
Residents of the city have expressed concern over the high-voltage underground cables being laid between Khalini and Brockhurst as they fear that portable IPH water supply line and communication cables run in the same drain and the risk of leakages and electric shock is high.

Work on to connect all panchayats by roads
Shimla, June 29
The state is all set to achieve the target of providing road connectivity to all panchayats. As many as 3,017 out of the 3,243 panchayats have already been connected by roads.

Shimla MC bats for gravity water scheme
Shimla, June 29
Engineers of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the Irrigation and Public Health are supporting the Chanshal gravity water scheme rather than the lift-water scheme from the Kol Dam on the ground that the MC will have to pay 60 per cent cost of the water bill as electricity charges, if the scheme was not implemented.

Diary throws light on hazards of self-medication
Shimla, June 29
Sending across a clear message that ignoring symptoms and indulgence in self-medication can lead to serious health hazards, “Some pages from Doctor’s diary” – a compilation of 10 short stories from 25 years of personal experience of Dr Sushma Kaushal — throws light on social evils such as sex determination, drug abuse and ragging.

Direct recruitment to higher posts in schools sought
Kangra, June 29
The Forum of Educationists for Improvement in School Education (FEISE) today urged Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to directly fill up 25 per cent posts of deputy directors of education and school heads on the analogy of various other departments, including colleges.


Participants take part in a marathon against drug abuse organised by the Himachal Pradesh Police in Shimla on Sunday. Tribune photo

Farmers stage protest
Palampur, June 29
Residents of the Sagur area of Baijnath yeaterday staged a dharna in front of the officer of the Assistant Engineer Irrigation and Public Health Department (IPH) at Panchrukhi in protest against unavailability of water for the irrigation of their fields.

Maize sowing begins in Una
Una, June 29
Farmers of the district have begun sowing maize crop. Besides being a major cash crop, maize is also the second staple crop of the locals here after wheat. It is cultivated on 35,000 hectares in the district, while the remaining about 10,000 hectares are brought under paddy, sesame and mash cultivation during the monsoon season.

Firm awarded tender to complete road, bridges
Una, June 29
The state government has awarded the construction of six major bridges on the Mehatpur-Amb road to an Indian private firm, SP Singla & Company. The construction work was hanging fire for the past many years. Longjuan, a Chinese firm, was earlier entrusted with the construction work under the World Bank project, but failed to complete it.

Rs 12.7 crore to be spent on education
Bharmour, June 29
The state government will spend Rs 12.7 crore on the education sector in the mountainous Pangi tribal valley of Chamba district during the current financial year. This was stated by Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri while inaugurating a newly constructed building of Government Middle School at Kwas village in the tribal valley. He said the school building was constructed at a cost of Rs 11 lakh.

Rs 24 crore for development work in Pangi
Bharmour, June 29
Around Rs 24.19 crore will be spent on various developmental schemes in the Pangi tribal subdivision of the Chamba district, under the tribal sub-plan during the current fiscal year. Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri said today that the amount also included Rs 90 lakh as special central assistance provided by the Union Government for the development of the areas in Pangi.

Arts academy employees seek regular job
Shimla, June 29
The plight of four class-IV employees of the Himachal Academy of Arts and Culture has worsened over the years. Three peons and a driver of the academy do their duties round the clock, but are paid a meagre wage of Rs 170 per day.

Man’s body found by roadside
Kangra, June 29
The police recovered the body of 57-year-old Vijay Kumar at Bohdarbala village, on the outskirts of this town, yesterday. Mohinder Singh Manhas, SHO Kangra, today said the police was informed that a body was lying by the roadside at Bohdarbala. Vijay Kumar was a resident of Rehan and was working in the Town and Country Planning Department. The police contacted his family members and his brother reached Kangra and identified him. He told the police that Vijay was suffering from some ailment. The police said the body was sent for a postmortem. The exact cause of death would be established only after the viscera report was received. There was no external injury on the body, the SHO said. The police have started investigations under Section 174 of the CrPC. OC

Kangra man among top 10 CEOs in country
Palampur, June 29
State lad Rajesh Thakur, vice-president & head, India Business, HCL Technologies Limited, was awarded the India’s top 10 MD/CEO award for the year 2014. Rajesh hails from Baijnath in Kangra district. The award was given by the Haryana Transport Minister at a function held in Gurgaon yesterday. Earlier, Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda were to preside over the function, but due to the Parliament and Rajya Sabha members’ training programme at Surajkund, the function was re-scheduled. Son of HP PWD retired official BS Ajad, Rajesh was the first from the state to share this top honour of the country. OC

3-day health camp begins in Una
Una, June 29
A three-day health camp based on the Kerala ayurvedic system began at the District Red Cross centre here today. Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Jain, while inaugurating the camp, said alternative medicine was gaining ground in the country. The managing director of the Ludhiana-based Kerala Ayurvedic Centre, which is organising the camp, said free medicines were being given to patients. Besides, he said facilities for the free bone-density check-up were provided at the camp. OC

Book fair in Shimla
Shimla, June 29
The National Book Trust today organised a book fair at the Gaiety Theatre here to encourage the young generation towards developing reading habits. The fair provided an opportunity to buy low-priced books on literature, arts, science and religion, said an NBT spokesperson. The fair would also be organised in other towns in the state soon, he added. OC





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BJP MPs, Dhumal to meet Modi for special package
Core group criticises Chief Minister for ‘vendetta politics’
Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 29
The core group of state BJP that met at Palampur last evening condemned the alleged vendetta politics of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. It was also decided that all four MPs from Himachal and Prem Kumar Dhumal would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seek a special package for development.

It was the first core group meeting of the BJP that was held after the Lok Sabha poll. It was attended by all senior BJP leaders from the state, including former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Kangra MP and former CM Shanta Kumar, former state presidents of the BJP and former ministers Surinder Bharadwaj, Randhir Sharma, Jai Ram Thakur and party in-charge for the state Balbir Punj.

State president of the BJP Satpal Satti, briefing mediapersons about the meeting, said the present Congress government was registering false cases against BJP leaders. The development had taken a back stage and the Chief Minister was unleashing vendetta against the political opponents.

The BJP core group had discussed the issue at the core group meeting and decided to oppose the government move, he said.

Satti further alleged that the sand mafia was ruling the state under the protection of those in power.

He said the core group of the BJP thanked the voters of Himachal for giving a historic mandate in favour of the party during the last Lok Sabha poll. The BJP got 53 per cent votes. This was the highest percentage of votes for a single party. The Congress got just 37 per cent votes. There was a swing of 16 per cent in favour of the BJP. This was due to the Modi wave, he said.

Another important decision that was taken during the core group meeting was that all four MPs from Himachal and Prem Kumar Dhumal would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seek a special package for development.

The BJP also decided to target the weak booths where the party did not perform well.

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Rs 10 crore earmarked for HPMC plant makeover
Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 29
The Himachal Pradesh Horticultural Produce Processing and the state marketing corporation-run Parwanoo plant is in for major makeover. The plant will double its capacity and produce the best quality apple juice concentrates to make HPMC products globally competent that will benefit farmers. The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has sanctioned Rs 10 crore for modernisation of the Parwanoo fruit processing plant. The plant will also have an ultra-modern filtration and cold storage units for HPMC products.

“We expect the plant will be ready by December. It will double its crushing capacity from the present 120 tonne per day to 250 tonne per day and its operational cost will be less”, said Prakash Thakur, vice-chairman, HPMC. The Parwanoo plant has lived its life as it was set up in 1982, when Horticulture Minister Vidya Stokes was the vice- chairperson of the HPMC, he added.

The plant would improve quality and quantity of juice concentrates. The new plant would produce 1 litre of juice concentrate from 7-8 kg of apples as compared with a litre from 13 kg apples, Thakur said.

The HPMC was forced to sell the culled fruit procured from the growers in gunny bags in the markets as the processing facility had a limited capacity, Thakur added.

But the modernised plant would crush all fruit and the culled fruit would never enter the market, Thakur added. The new plant would crush more than 50,000 tonne of the culled fruit every year, he said.

The new plant would increase juice recovery to 85 per cent while the old plant gave 78 per cent juice and would slash the operation cost by 10 per cent, said SS Saini, assistant general manager, HPMC.

New plant offers

  • The plant will double its capacity, extracting 1 litre of apple juice concentrate from 7 to 8 kg of apples.
  • The plant will also have an ultra-modern filtration and cold storage units for HPMC products.

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'Stringent conditions' for admissions
Private colleges, varsities fear low student enrolment
Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 29
After 16 polytechnic colleges were disaffiliated by the state, other engineering colleges and private universities are expecting low admissions this year. Reason: The government has laid the condition to allow admissions to only those students who have appeared in AIEEE entrance test or the state-level entrance test.

Sources in the private engineering colleges maintain that just about 6,000 students have appeared in the AIEEE test from the state this year. Not even half of them would opt for admissions in engineering colleges of the state. The state colleges have about 6,000 seats. In addition to that, the private universities also have similar number of engineering seats. This means there are about 12,000 engineering seats in private and state engineering colleges.

The condition laid by the government would render more than 50 per cent seats vacant.

Educational trusts and charitable societies running engineering colleges and private universities in the state have been lobbying with the state government to waive off the condition. Their delegations have met Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and Minister for Technical Education GS Bali.

The managements of private colleges maintain that the engineering colleges in Punjab were allowed admissions just on the basis of 10+2 marks. Since the Himachal government was not allowing admissions to even state students in engineering colleges here, they would take admissions in colleges of Punjab.

The worst hit are the colleges and private universities located in border districts of Kangra and Una as the students easily opt for colleges in adjoining districts of Punjab.

The chairman of a private engineering college in Kangra, while talking to The Tribune on condition of anonymity, said they had suggested the state government to lay a condition that students who do engineering from colleges in other states shall not be eligible for government jobs in Himachal. However, since the condition shall not be legal, the state government cannot announce it.

By putting restrictions of all kinds, the state government would just impede the growth of educational institutes, said the vice-chancellor of a private university, on the condition of anonymity.

The state government had been criticising the previous BJP government for allowing a large number of private universities and engineering colleges to come up and resorting to commercialisation of education. The government is not in a mood to take any decision that would project them as favouring the private educational institutes.

The decision might be politically right but it might prove a death knell for many private educational institutes that have come up in the state. It is a fact that the private institutes have provided direct and indirect employment to thousands of youth. Most of the private institutes have also developed better infrastructure than many government institutes, like the Regional Centre of Himachal Pradesh University at Dharamsala is running from a dilapidated building for the past more than two decades and is entirely on guest faculty.

The state government should ensure quality of education in private institutes. It should also treat these colleges as an investment in the state, that is generating employment for local youth and try to help them establish vis-a-vis competition from institutes in other states.

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Forensic lab sets up Disaster Victim Identification Cell
Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 29
As the bodies of the six missing students from Hyderabad run a high risk of getting decomposed or putrefied in the Beas-Pandoh riverbed since June 8, the state Forensic Science Laboratory (SFSL), Junga, has set up a Disaster Victim Identification Cell (DVIC).

The cell will coordinate with forensic experts from Hyderabad to identify the victims by generating the DNA profile of their parents.

Generating the DNA profile will save the affected parents the hassle of covering a long journey to the state for the samples. On the other hand, the HP SFSL experts will generate the DNA profile after collecting the samples of the bodies and then match with the DNA profile of the parents, said Dr Arun Sharma, Director, SFSL, Junga (Shimla).

As many as 19 bodies have been pulled out from the Pandho dam so far. But the six bodies remain still missing.

The rot sets in the human body if it remains under water for days, making it difficult to identify individual from the decomposed remnants of the body. In such cases, the DNA profiling help establish the identity of the victim, Dr Sharma said.

The DNA sample collection kits are ready and stored at the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, Mandi. The SFSL will generate the DNA profile of the body and compare it with the DNA of the parents, says Dr Sharma.

This comparison helps establish the identity of a person and the body will be handed over to the true biological parents, he adds.

A Sharda, Director, Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory, Hyderabad, said they would create the DNA profile of the parents of the missing students and coordinate with the HP experts.

In Action

  • In a pro-active step, DVIC will come in handy to meet the challenges in future as well.
  • DNA of the parents of the victims will be generated that can be matched with the DNA of the samples collected from the decomposed bodies.
  • Once the DNA profiles are matched, the identity of a missing individual can be established.

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VIGNETTES
Exotic vegetarian cuisine from Kangra
Shriniwas Joshi

I have shared many platforms with Sarita Sud from where she will speak with gusto on women empowerment, child rights, domestic violence, etc. But I did not know that she was a chef-de-grandeur in giving finger-licking tastes to traditional dishes of the Kangra valley. This talent of her’s was revealed to me recently when her husband Captain Ved P Sud handed over a coffee-table book “Flavours from the Kangra Valley: a traditional, exotic, vegetarian cuisine from India” compiled by his daughter Divya Sud Qureshi.

She writes in Preface, “For years, I have had my heart asking me to give shape to my mother’s dreams of compiling our family recipes into a book. Each time, I will savour food from our community or whenever I will consult her hand-written recipes notes that voice will get louder. I am glad that I was finally listening to it and am able to present this book.”

The book was released by Brij Bihari Lal Butail, Speaker of the state Vidhan Sabha, on September 29, 2013, almost four years late because ever-smiling Sarita (See photo) had left us for heavenly abode on the September 4, 2009. Ved told me that she was a lavish host and so their house was a known joint for get-together.

Whenever there was change of season, a ‘kheerpu’ party was held in their house. Kheerpu means kheer and patore were served in the party. Patore is a dish of almost all hills but Kangra gives it a special flavour. Divya names patore as colocasia rolls (Arbi ke Patte) and gives the recipe for preparing these rolls. Well-ground chana dal and rice is bet till the mixture was light and fluffy and a thin coat of this mixture plus the required spices was applied on the leaves. The ready leaves are steamed and finally shallow frying is done in the mustard oil. After the recipe she writes Mom’s tip: “Some locals make great patore by substituting chana dal with split-skinned green gram”.

Meethe chawal or sweet-spiced fragrant rice is a common dessert in Kangra. The book reads: “A contrast to the spicy curries of Kangra is meethe chawal. A sweet variation to a typical savoury rice recipe, it has rice cooked with sugar and flavoured with cardamom, cloves, and kewara essence, garnished with dry fruits. Sweet and mellow, the aromatic rice dish, absorbs the finest flavours of its ingredients and leaves behind a delicious aftertaste.” Sarita’s tip for it was “serve it with fresh cream and mango pickle”.

Kangra is known for its dham (See photo), i.e. sitting together on ground and eating together using fingers, no forks or spoons. The food, coming from the cooking-pot, is served in pattals (broad leaves of a tree); rice first and then starts a course of items, mandra (spiced vegetable and yoghurt curry), mahni (spicy sweet and sour curry), rainthla (date and spinach curry), chana dal (split Bengal gram with fennel seeds), telia maah (spiced scented black lentils) and mitha (potatoes dry fruit sweet). Mitha is a divine culmination to the perfect Kangra meal. The book defines dham: “It is a traditional meal prepared by botis (a clan of Brahmins) and is served on special occasions such as wedding, pujas and festivals.”

“Flavours from the Kangra valley” is a hard-bound coffee-table book having five sections. The first section is of main course comprising 27 recipes; Kangri Dham comes next followed by six sweets, including babroo and post ka halwa. Pickles form the next section and the last one covers 13 types of beverages.

At the end of almost each recipe, there is a footnote “Mom’s tip” which adds additional aroma to the dish. Photography of various delicacies of Kangra has been exquisitely done by Israr Qureshi. Published at Andheri, Mumbai, there is no price tag attached to it. Captain Ved, however, told me that it is priced at Rs1,800 which appears fitting when weighed against the excellent get-up of the book. It could be an ideal gift for the visitors who come to the State of Himachal Pradesh.

Tailpiece

There is recipe for khatta kaddu, khatti bhujji, khatti dal, khatti pakori, khatta in Kangri dham,khatta aam garamba, khatta ambua and khatte lasoore besides nine varieties of pickles. Why is the palate of Kangra people so fond of sourness?

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ESIC to hand over colleges to Centre
Dharam Prakash Gupta
Tribune News Service

Mandi, June 29
The Employees State Insurance Corporation ( ESIC), running several medical colleges in the country, including the upcoming ESIC medical college at Ner Chowk in Mandi district, has mooted a proposal to hand over these institutions to the Centre or the state government.

The ESIC, facing financial crunch to run medical institutions, had formed a sub-committee, which had not found it practical to run these institutions and transfer these.

The transfer of the ESIC medical institutions has been included in the 100-day action plan announced by the NDA government at the Centre.

The ESIC is running medical colleges in Gulbarga, Bihta, Alwar, Bhubneswar.

The ESIC sub-committee has also prepared a white paper on the medical institutions and as per its finding, about ~600 crore each is being spent on these institutions.

The committee further said running the institutions were capital intensive and it would be difficult for the ESIC to meet expenses beyond 2016-17 after which its funds would squeeze.

For running the medical colleges, the ESIC would require funds and as per the ESIC Act, it can’t enhance tuition fee or charges in the hospital.

However, the ESIC has proposed to run 100-bed hospital at Gurbarga, 300-bed hospital at Bhubneswar, and 100-bed hospitals in Alwar, Mandi and Bihta and expand the bed capacity later till transfer of medical colleges.

The committee has also recommended recovering full cost of infrastructure built and money invested on these institutions.

Director General of the ESIC Anil Kumar said, “We are working on the recommendations of the sub-committee and the decision to transfer the medical colleges to the Centre or the state government will be taken after consultation”.

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Swami Vivekananda’s teachings more relevant today: Shanta Kumar
Our Correspondent

Kangra, June 29
A week-long Yoga Shivir organised by Vivekananda Kendra Kanyakumari in Paprola concluded here today. Participants from different parts of the country participated in the shivir. Shanta Kumar, MP Lok Sabha, was the chief guest on the occasion. While addressing the gathering, he said the teachings of Swami Vivekananda were more relevant in the present scenario than 125 years ago when Vivekananda was himself preaching the gospel.

Shanta stressed on adopting the path of righteousness shown by Vivekananda to have better tomorrow for India. He stressed on self transformation.

“The teachings of Swami Vivekanada is close to our cultural roots and religion. It is unfortunate that corruption has penetrated deep in to the nerves of every section of society,” said Shanta.

“India is suffering from poverty, corruption, crime against women, hunger and terrorism. Vivekananda had dreamt of a different India, in which such problems never existed. We need to get up and fight till the goal is achieved,” he added.

He was also hopeful that Prime Minister Narinder Modi has the capacity to convert dreams of Vivekananda in to reality.

Rekha Devay, joint general secretary of Vivekananda kendra, said the mission of the kendra focused on man-making and Nation-building.

Ashok Kumar of Vivekannada kendra welcomed the guests and said the Indian Independence would have been delayed if Swami Vivekananda had not awakened the Indian masses for achieving freedom.

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State introduces project to infuse new life in apple production
Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 29
The government would introduce high-yielding varieties of apple and strengthen the marketing network, with active co-operation of the growers, to boost the apple economy in the state.

Revealing this in a press release issued here today, a government spokesperson said the guidelines for the ‘Apple Rejuvenation Project’ have been simplified to enhance the fruit’s production. The project is being implemented under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna, under which old apple orchards are being rejuvenated and replaced with the new, improved and regular bearing spur varieties.

About 1,500-hectare area is being brought under the project during 2014-15.

The farmers are being encouraged to plant 30 per cent pollenisers and micro irrigation facilities. An additional area of 1,000 hectares is being covered under micro-irrigation, the government claimed.

To protect fruit crops, especially apple, from hailstorms, the state has enhanced subsidy on anti-hail nets from 50 per cent to 80 per cent, out of which 30 per cent is being borne by the government. An area of 23.5 lakh sq meters was covered under anti-hail nets during 2013-14.

During 2014-15, an additional area of 15 lakh sq meters is being brought under protection from hailstorm by providing quality anti-hail nets to the orchardists, the spokesperson added.

To ensure remunerative price for the crop, 34,229 MT ‘C’ grade apple fruit, valued at Rs 22.25 crore, was procured under Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) in 2013-14. The procurement price of apple has been increased by 50 paise per kg under MIS over the previous year.

Apple contributes around Rs 3,200 crore to the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and constitutes about 49 per cent of the total area under fruit crop and about 87 per cent of total fruit production. Area under apple has increased from 3,025 hectare in 1960-61 to 1,06,440 hectare in 2012-13.

The production of apple has also increased from 4,59,492 MT in 2003-04 to 2,75,036 MT in 2011-12 in the state.

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Women stand up against power project
Lalit Mohan
Tribune News Service

Holi (Chamba), June 29
About hundred women from Holi region are fighting a battle against GMR Company, that is executing the 180 mw Holi Bajoli power project in the area. Everyday, about six women sit in a make shift tent to protest against the execution of the power project. They said most of the women remain busy in their daily chores and only a few of them manage to sit on a dharna.

The local residents are protesting against the project and are alleging that the company planned to dig a 14 km tunnel, that would go through two or three mountains in the region.

“Due to the tunnel, water in the mountains will percolate into it. The natural water sources in the mountains will also dry up. The apple plantations raised by the villagers on the mountains will also dry,” said Sham Singh, a local resident.

Ram Piari, a local resident, said in another project in the area, the tunnel build by a private project collapsed and the entire village was shifted due to landslides caused as an after effect.

“Similar accident could also happen in our area also,” she said.

The villagers are demanding that the GMR project authorities should shift their tunnel to mountain on the other side of Ravi river.

They said the area near Ravi river had no plantations or habitations and it would not disturb the locals or ecology of the area.

The company’s stance

Sanjay Gupta, DGM HR of GMR company, said the concerns of the locals were imaginary. Most of the locals had sold their land to the company at market prices. The company was also ready to give an undertaking that they would compensate the loss in case some trouble occurs.

When asked about the assertion of people that tunnel should be brought up on the other side of the mountain, Gupta said the issue had already been settled in Himachal High court.

“We are now seeking police help to execute the work. The company is suffering losses worth crores of rupees due to delay in the execution of the power project. The project is expected to be completed by 2017. However, it is likely to be delayed,” he added.

The 180 mw Holi Bajoli power project would construct a dam in Holi region, where Ravi river enters the Chamba district. The water from the dam would be brought through a 14 km tunnel to Holi area, where the power project is being brought up.

The sources here said in case the tunnel was built on the other side of the hill, the cost of the project would increase. The project authorities however, alleged that the locals were being egged by outside NGO’s that have vested interests.

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Laying of underground cables
Engineers allay residents’ fears
Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 29
Residents of the city have expressed concern over the high-voltage underground cables being laid between Khalini and Brockhurst as they fear that portable IPH water supply line and communication cables run in the same drain and the risk of leakages and electric shock is high.

Engineers of HP State Electricity Board Ltd (HPSEBL), City Division, said they were replacing the overhead transmission lines, mainly in forest areas, to give city dwellers a hassle-free and dedicated voltage supply under the Rs 83-crore Accelerated Power Supply Scheme.

They said the 3.5-km-long insulated 33-kV high-voltage cables were safe, tested and risk-free and were being laid only between Khalini and Brockhurst and the overhead lines would be dismantled.

Apart from the insulated underground cables, the board is also setting up six sub-stations at Tara Devi, Summer Hill, Idgah, Bhatta Kufar, Sanjauli and Bada Gaon, that will add 70 mega volts to the city, saying goodbye to low voltage and load shedding, said the HPSEBL engineers.

But residents claim otherwise. “I received an electric shock as the old cable connecting the transformer and the line is leaking,” said Shayam Singh of Kasumpati.

Allaying the fears of the residents, Rumel Singh, senior Executive Engineer, HPSEBL, in charge of the project, said, “The high-voltage cables have been tested and laid in highly populated areas in metros before and run no risk of leakages. Even if the line leaks, in the remotest of chances after years, it gets tripped at the starting point and runs no risk of electric shock.”

Talking about the safety features, Rumel said the cables were cross-linked, poly-ethylene insulated and had strength up to 51 kV. The cables had a single-insulated core, but a separate core for all the three cables was encased in high-density insulated pipes, that made the cables risk-free, he claimed.

The underground cables along the Ridge, laid by the British, were also to be replaced. All the areas where overhead lines ran the risk of criss-crossing the trees would be replaced by underground cables, the engineers added.

The underground cables last for over 35 years, but cost Rs 1,000 per metre, which is 6.5 times more than the overhead lines costing Rs 150 per metre, said the engineers. “The insulated cables that connect the transformers to the line will also be replaced and will take care of the leakages being reported in some areas in the city,” added Rumel.

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Work on to connect all panchayats by roads
3,017 out of total 3,243 panchayats are already connected
Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 29
The state is all set to achieve the target of providing road connectivity to all panchayats. As many as 3,017 out of the 3,243 panchayats have already been connected by roads.

At present, the road density is 60.16 km per 100 sq km and the total road length is 33,491 km, while work is in progress to connect 176 panchayats, a spokesperson for the state government said recently.

Apart from connectivity, the government is ensuring that proper sign boards depicting diversions are installed in adequate numbers on all roads.

Also, efforts are on to accelerate the construction work on the Kiratpur-Nerchowk and Shimla-Parwanoo national highways. To expedite work on four-laning of the Kiratpur-Nerchowk national highway, the government has appointed Assistant Commissioner to DC, Bilaspur, as Land Acquisition Officer (LAO) for Bilaspur and Mandi districts and the process has already been completed.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has given clearance and work has been expedited to complete the project within a stipulated period.

Further, the SDMs of Shimla and Solan were appointed as LAOs for the four-laning of the Shimla-Parwanoo national highway. The construction of the Mehatpur-Una-Amb road is in full swing and efforts are being made to complete it by October. Five bridges are also being constructed on this road. Work on seven more bridges has been on in full swing.

Efforts are being made to construct tunnels at important and feasible places as tunnels are a viable option in the difficult geographical terrain. Also, they provide all-weather connectivity to hard and inaccessible areas.

The pre-feasibility report on Chamunda-Holi and Tissa-Killar tunnels has been assigned to the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) and the report is likely to be submitted by the end of July.

While International Competitive Bid would be invited on build, operate and transfer basis from private parties for the construction of Bangana-Dhaneta tunnel, Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Bhubujot-Kullu tunnel is being prepared by consultants.

Concerted efforts are being made to improve the black spots on all roads and the Public Works Department has already initiated setting up of a Road Accident Data Management System (RADMS). Consultants have been hired for the purpose.

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Shimla MC bats for gravity water scheme
Kuldeep Chauhan
Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 29
Engineers of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the Irrigation and Public Health are supporting the Chanshal gravity water scheme rather than the lift-water scheme from the Kol Dam on the ground that the MC will have to pay 60 per cent cost of the water bill as electricity charges, if the scheme was not implemented.

“Electricity charges form 60-80 per cent of the water bill as a lot of electricity is required during the lifting of water from pumping houses every day,” claimed Mayor Sanjay Chauhan. “We have written to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and IPH Minister Vidya Stokes to sanction the Chanshal gravity scheme as the British-built gravity scheme in the city needs a little maintenance and saves from power cuts,” he added.

The MC is yet to pay Rs 161.74 crore as water charges to the IPH Department. Electricity charges form a major part (60 per cent) part of the water bill. “The water bill shot up as the pumping houses consume a lot of electricity,” said Chauhan.

The MC had paid Rs 80 lakh as water bill in 2013-14 and Rs 36.21 lakh in 2012-13. Rupees 1.24 crore was paid as water bill 2011-12 while the MC had to shell out Rs 54.89 lakh in 2010-11. The MC had paid Rs 1.64 crore in 2003-04 and it did not pay a penny for five years from 2004-2009, said sources.

The water bill shot up from Rs 11.21 crore in 2004 to Rs 93 crore in 2010-11. “The SMC’s water bill used be Rs 17.88 lakh 
in 1983-84, which has now shot up to Rs 27.15 crore as the population of Shimla has gone up,” said some officials.

The Mayor said the water from Chanshal was clean while the Kol Dam was contaminated and required purification. The gravity-lifting water scheme is awaiting approval from the Centre, but the IPH engineers rooted for it as it is cost-affective.

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Diary throws light on hazards of self-medication
Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 29
Sending across a clear message that ignoring symptoms and indulgence in self-medication can lead to serious health hazards, “Some pages from Doctor’s diary” – a compilation of 10 short stories from 25 years of personal experience of Dr Sushma Kaushal — throws light on social evils such as sex determination, drug abuse and ragging.

In her book released on June 14, the doctor has quoted real-life experience of how casual approach of diabetes and hypertension patients landed them in trouble and ignorance of throat infection of a kid turned into rheumatic heart disease in the absence of proper treatment.

She said it was important for patients to understand that little knowledge was dangerous and self-medication from the internet which had become a common practice among educated people today could lead to serious consequences.

Quoting the example of an educated woman from Bengal pursuing her PhD, she said during her pregnancy rather than visiting a doctor, she counselled herself from the material available on the internet and resultantly, the child was born weak and could not survive.

The 120-page book, written in the form of novel, also talks about evil practice of sex determination for want of a male child and the agony a daughter-in-law compelled for abortion had to undergo leading to separation and finally raising her daughter as a single mother. Inspiring the youth to adopt a healthy lifestyle, it also touches issues of alcoholism and drug abuse.

The inspiration to write a book came from All-India Radio which invited her to share experiences with the audiences in a programme titled “Doctor ki Diary”. “I started writing my experiences for the radio show and finally decided to assemble these in the form of stories to spread a socio-medico message, says Dr Sushma Kaushal, author of the book.

The book with a forwarding note from former Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is translated in English by Vijay Chopra.

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Direct recruitment to higher posts in schools sought
Our Correspondent

Kangra, June 29
The Forum of Educationists for Improvement in School Education (FEISE) today urged Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to directly fill up 25 per cent posts of deputy directors of education and school heads on the analogy of various other departments, including colleges.

RK Prashar, president of the forum, today said once the policy of direct recruitment through the state public service commission to the administrative posts of headmasters, principals and deputy directors is framed, it would revolutionise the system and bring about drastic changes in the functioning of administrative set up of school education. The step would also boost the morale of capable in-service teachers of the categories concerned.

The forum suggested to revive direct recruitment policy for the post of headmasters from TGT cadre and carve out provisions for a minimum of 25 per cent direct recruitment to the post of school principals from its feeding cadres. The posts of deputy directors should be filled from school cadre principals while the remaining posts should be filled up on the basis of departmental promotion.

Those on top in the seniority list felt let down because of skewed ratio of feeding categories while juniors got pitch forked by dint of wrong set of rules as a sequel such stuff turned out to be an administrative failure, the forum rued.

What the forum says

  • Once the policy of direct recruitment through the state public service commission to the administrative posts of headmasters, principals and deputy directors is framed, it will revolutionise the system and bring about drastic changes in the functioning of administrative set up of school education
  • The step will also boost the morale of capable in-service teachers of the categories concerned
  • The forum suggested to revive direct recruitment policy for the post of headmasters from TGT cadre and carve out provisions for a minimum of 25 per cent direct recruitment to the post of school principals from its feeding cadres

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Farmers stage protest
Our Correspondent

Palampur, June 29
Residents of the Sagur area of Baijnath yeaterday staged a dharna in front of the officer of the Assistant Engineer Irrigation and Public Health Department (IPH) at Panchrukhi in protest against unavailability of water for the irrigation of their fields.

Men, women and children assembled in the office of Assistant Engineer (IPH) and raised their demands for immediate restoration of water channel feeding their fields. Lavjeet Kumar, a panchayat pradhan of the area, said despite repeated reminders, the department had failed to restore the supply of water, causing inconvenience to hundreds of the farmers of the area.

Agitated farmers said over 3000 kanals in Sagur had gone barren in the absence of water. They said water pipes of the local channel were damaged three years ago but despite repeated requests, the IPH Department initiated no efforts to replace the damaged pipes and make the water channel functional.

Sanjay Thakur, Assistant Engineer, said he had recently joined and it was not in his knowledge that the water supply was non-functional.

He said he had assured the farmers that water channel would be made functional within a week.

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Maize sowing begins in Una
Our Correspondent

Una, June 29
Farmers of the district have begun sowing maize crop. Besides being a major cash crop, maize is also the second staple crop of the locals here after wheat. It is cultivated on 35,000 hectares in the district, while the remaining about 10,000 hectares are brought under paddy, sesame and mash cultivation during the monsoon season.

Rainfall during the last one week has been sufficient for germination, said farmer Mohan Lal from Khurd village, adding that overcast skies promised more rainfall during the coming days. Jagdish Ram, another progressive farmer from Malangar panchayat, said he had sown hybrid variety of maize since this gave better yield as compared to the heirloom variety.

Deputy Director of the Agriculture Department MS Rana said adequate quantities of fertilisers and herbicides were available at the village level primary agriculture cooperative societies and at the block-level sales outlets of the Agriculture Department.

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Firm awarded tender to complete road, bridges
Our Correspondent

Una, June 29
The state government has awarded the construction of six major bridges on the Mehatpur-Amb road to an Indian private firm, SP Singla & Company. The construction work was hanging fire for the past many years. Longjuan, a Chinese firm, was earlier entrusted with the construction work under the World Bank project, but failed to complete it.

Industry Minister Mukesh Agnihotri in a press statement said yesterday that a sum of Rs 62 crore had been sanctioned for the construction of new bridges, including a bridge over the Una khud in the heart of the city.

He said the pending issues of payment between the government and the Chinese company were also settled.

It may be mentioned that the Mehatpur-Amb and Una-Bhota roads were part of the World Bank-funded Express Highway projects, work on which began in 2008.

After the global tenders, work on the Una-Bhota road was awarded to an Indian firm and on the Mehatpur-Amb road to a Chinese firm.

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Rs 12.7 crore to be spent on education
Our Correspondent


Forest Minister TS Bharmouri inaugurates a school building at Kwas village in the Pangi tribal valley on Sunday.

Bharmour, June 29
The state government will spend Rs 12.7 crore on the education sector in the mountainous Pangi tribal valley of Chamba district during the current financial year. This was stated by Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri while inaugurating a newly constructed building of Government Middle School at Kwas village in the tribal valley. He said the school building was constructed at a cost of Rs 11 lakh.

The minister said to generate self-employment in the tribal subdivision, the government would promote a trout fishery among local residents.

For this, around 10,000 trout fish seedlings would be developed in various rivulets and brooks of the Pangi valley in the near future, Bharmouri said.

A grant of Rs 1 lakh would also be given for this venture to local residents by the government, Bharmouri added.

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Rs 24 crore for development work in Pangi
Our Correspondent

Bharmour, June 29
Around Rs 24.19 crore will be spent on various developmental schemes in the Pangi tribal subdivision of the Chamba district, under the tribal sub-plan during the current fiscal year. Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri said today that the amount also included Rs 90 lakh as special central assistance provided by the Union Government for the development of the areas in Pangi.

Speaking about different development works undertaken in the Pangi tribal subdivision, the Forest Minister said the officials of all the government departments had been asked to speed up the works, so that these could be completed in time.

It may be mentioned that the Pangi subdivision remain cut off from the rest of the state due to heavy snowfall for about six to seven months during the winter season, thereby bringing the development work to a halt.

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Arts academy employees seek regular job
Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 29
The plight of four class-IV employees of the Himachal Academy of Arts and Culture has worsened over the years. Three peons and a driver of the academy do their duties round the clock, but are paid a meagre wage of Rs 170 per day.

Narrating their tale of woes here today, the employees rued that the academy did not regularise their services nor did they increase their salaries, despite serving the academy for the past six to nine years.

“It is difficult to feed our families and educate our children by just Rs 170 per day,” they said.

“The departmental promotion council meetings are held for other employees, who enjoy good salaries. But, nothing is being done for us,” they added.

They also demanded that the government should regularise them.

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