Shimla, July 7
All four Lok Sabha members from the state met Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Harshwardhan today and sought his intervention in the restoration of MBBS seats in two state-run medical colleges to 100 each.

The Medical Council of India (MCI) has not renewed the number of seats at Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla, (from 65 to 100) and that at Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda (Kangra) (from 50 to 100) in 2014-15. As a consequence, the admissions to 85 seats at the two colleges have not been conducted, whereas the counselling has been held for 200 seats.

The BJP MPs, including veteran BJP leader Shanta Kumar, Anurag Thakur, Virender Kashyap and Ram Swaroop, impressed on the minister that the twin medical colleges had adequate infrastructure and faculty as compared to the private medical college at Kumarhatti (Solan), which was permitted to admit 150 students in its first MBBS batch.

BJP MPs said the Union Health Minister told them that the state government was asked to meet certain requirements but it was not done despite writing to the state twice. He assured that the seats would be restored immediately after the state government removed the shortcomings pointed out by the MCI.

The state government had conducted the counselling for 200 seats in two medical colleges, but only 115 seats were filled, whereas 85 students, who had appeared for the counselling, were left in a quandary.

The state government has pinned its hope on the crucial internal meeting of the MCI slated for tomorrow, where there are chances that the case of states whose MBBS seats have been cut would be considered.

Meanwhile, state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti has asked the chief minister to refrain from misleading the people on the issue of industrial package. He said Virbhadra Singh, who was then a Union minister kept mum when the UPA government curtailed the package from March 2013 to March 2010 and now, he was pleading that the package be restored and extended up to 2020.

He accused the CM of betraying the people by making false promises and not safeguarding the interests of the state and asked him to apologise to the people.

New Delhi, July 7
The Supreme Court today rejected the plea for making Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh as a party to the case relating to the controversy over the Dharamsala cricket stadium and other properties of the HP Cricket Association (HPCA).

A Bench comprising Justices HL Dattu and AK Mishra, however, allowed HPCA headed by BJP MP Anurag Thakur to withdraw the petition and raise “all issues” at the time of the final hearing of the case pending in the HP High Court.

Appearing for the HPCA, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) PS Patwalia argued at length, explaining the need for involving the CM and the Registrar of Societies in the petition challenging the takeover of the association’s properties.

The properties stand restored to the HPCA as the HC has ordered status quo ante as of October 26, 2013, while the state government also reverted the Cabinet decision for the takeover.

Patwalia argued that impleading the CM was necessary for substantiating the contention that the decision to dispossess the association of its properties was purely a political decision and as such was mala fide.

As the Bench expressed unwillingness, Patwalia read out relevant portions of the HC and SC orders, observing that the case had political overtones.

Despite his contentions, the Bench said it was not inclined to pass an order dragging the CM and the Registrar into the case. The HC had given reasons for rejecting the HPCA’s plea, it noted. Patwalia then offered to withdraw the petition, contending that its dismissal would nullify the charge against the CM.

Allowing the association to withdraw the petition and raise such issues in the HC, the apex court also extended by 10 days the HC deadline for the HPCA for filing an amended petition in the case, slated for hearing tomorrow.

Earlier, the state government had opposed the plea for making the CM as a party. “It is absolutely unnecessary to implead the Chief Minister or any other person. The Chief Minister would be in no position to justify the correctness or propriety” of an order passed by the Registrar of Societies on October 28, 2013, on the issue.

The state had filed an affidavit in response to a notice issued by the SC on February 7 on a petition by the HPCA, challenging the HP High Court order of January 8, 2014, refusing to make the CM as a party to the case. On October 26, 2013, the state government had taken over the stadium and other properties of the HPCA, but the HC undid this on November 26 by ordering status quo ante.

Shimla, July 7
State Congress president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu today tried to mollify presidents of the 37 dissolved Block Congress Committees (BCC) by appointing 10 of them as general secretaries in the district unit of the party and making simultaneous fresh appointment in their place.

Having removed presidents of 37 BCCs, Sukhu is trying to pacify not only the removed BCC chiefs, but also the MLAs and ministers of the 37 blocks which faced dissolution due to poor performance in the Lok Sabha poll. Rajya Sabha MP Viplove Thakur and AICC secretary and MLA Asha Kumari termed the move unjust and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had lambasted Sukhu for this decision.

There is a possibility that 12 BCC chiefs of other Assembly segments, who have completed two terms, could be removed to honour the party constitution which debars more than two terms. The possibility of about five of the 37 removed BCC chiefs being reappointed could not be ruled out as their term so far has been less than six months.

“Ten of the removed BCC chiefs have been appointed as general secretaries in the District Congress Committees and new appointment made in their place,” confirmed Naresh Chauhan, spokesperson of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC).

He said more BCC chiefs would be adjusted either as general secretary, vice-president or even made observer in other Assembly segments depending on their experience.

Party sources hinted that presidents of all 37 BCCs were likely to be appointed shortly in a phased manner and the BCC bodies be constituted while limiting their size to 31 or less.

Interestingly, an effort is being made to keep the caste composition of the Assembly segment in mind while appointing the BCC chief. “If the PCC delegate from the area is a Rajput, we will try to give the post of BCC chief to the other dominant caste,” said a senior leader.

Effort is also being made to give due representation to women, OBCs, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes so that every section of society is involved in party affairs.

Sukhu’s move to remove BCC chiefs of 37 of the 68 blocks where the BJP got a lead of more than 5,000 votes had upset many Congress leaders. While Sukhu termed it measure of fixing responsibility and making everyone accountable, majority felt that the BCCs hardly had any say or powers to make much of a difference in the outcome of the polls.

There is a possibility that 12 BCC chiefs of other Assembly segments, who have completed two terms, could be removed to honour the party constitution which debars more than two terms. The possibility of about five of the 37 removed BCC chiefs being reappointed could not be ruled out as their term so far has been less than six months.

Shimla, July 7
People of the state are hoping that with the BJP being in power at the Centre, Himachal will finally get justice as the Rail Budget is presented in Parliament tomorrow.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had been in-charge of BJP affairs in the state twice, is aware of the fact that Himachal has the limited rail network with negligible expansion since Independence. During the last over six decades, only 44-km rail line has been added.

The state has for long been demanding laying of the Bhanupali-Bilaspur-Beri rail line but there has been little progress due to the Centre not according it much importance.

Himachal is also pinning its hope on the strategic Manali-Leh rail line being included in the budget. It is not only former Chief Minister PK Dhumal who has been seeking this rail line, but Modi has also supported it during his election campaign.

The rail line which can act as an important link for providing supplies to the Army posted on the border is being viewed as a necessity keeping in view the infrastructure build-up in its border areas by China. The BJP has demanded that the Manali-Leh project should be declared as a project of national importance.

Though the Railways had agreed to provide an additional sum of Rs 27 crore for the completion of the remaining portion of the Nangal-Talwara broad gauge rail line, not much has been achieved so far.

Himachal has also been pleading the case for connecting Baddi with a rail link from any feasible point and has even agreed to contribute 50 per cent of cost project. In fact, a proposal for providing rail link for Himachal from Surajpur side in Haryana has also been pending with the Railway Ministry.

Though the survey of almost six rail projects for Himachal have been undertaken in the past, none has taken shape with the Centre showing preference towards bigger and politically more significant states. With the BJP now being in the saddle, it remains to be seen how much preference the party would give to the pending projects.

• Laying of the Bhanupali-Bilaspur-Beri rail line
• Manali-Leh rail line
• Completion of the Nangal-Talwara broad gauge rail line
• Connecting Baddi with a rail link

Una, July 7
Residents from Una and Hamirpur, besides parts of Kangra and Bilaspur districts, have high hopes from the Rail Budget, to be presented in Parliament on 8 July.

The reason being that one of the main election promises by Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur was on strengthening the rail network in the segment if voted to power in the elections.

Una has the only broad gauge rail line, which provides rail connectivity to Chandigarh, Ambala and the National capital besides the shrines of Haridwar and Nandhed Sahib in Maharashtra. The work on the 88 km Nangal-Una-Talwara line began five decades ago to link it with the Jalandhar-Pathankot-Jammu section.

However, the project, started from the Nangal side, is complete only till the Amb station. Inordinate delays and lack of fund have further delayed the progress of work on the remaining 39.5 km track till Talwara.

According to a senior Railways engineer, the 20 km section from Amb to Daulatpur Chowk is in Himachal Pradesh, while the rest is in Punjab. He said the construction of 10 major and 15 minor bridges for the remaining track in Himachal were complete and heavy machinery was now being moved in to begin the soil filling work for the raised rail tracks. He added that about Rs 125 crore was required to complete the track till Talwara.

In the last Rail Budget, there was a provision of Rs 10 crore, while the interim rail budget, presented by the outgoing UPA government, had made a provision of Rs 20 crore for this track. People look forward to a one-time budget allocation for the early completion of the project.

Rajiv Bhanot, spokesman of the Una Janhit Morcha, said the demand of increasing the reservation counter timings to two shifts had not been met. Similarly, the electrification of the Una-Amb section is also pending, he said, adding that there was still no work on a proposal to set up a coach washing facility at Amb, due to which trains have to be shunted back to Nangal after every trip for washing.

President of the Una Beopar Parishad Sumesh Sharma said their long pending demands of a goods train to Una had not been met. Besides, he said the survey work for the Una-Hoshiarpur and Una-Jaijon tracks, announced by the Railways Ministry had not begun.

Una Municipal Committee chairperson Mamta Kashyap said the demands of the people from Himachal Pradesh that the trains presently terminating at Nangal from Ambala and Saharanpur to be extended to Una or Amb have not been acceded to. She also demanded the upgrade of the facilities for passengers at Una, Chururu and Amb stations. 

Nurpur, July 7
The local Municipal Council (MC) has failed to get a playground-cum-children’s park vacated of vehicle parking. This ground, known as ‘talab ground’, is being used for round-the-clock parking of vehicles.

In order to restore the ground to its old condition and give it a facelift, the MC had decided to get it vacated before July 1. A notice had been displayed on the entry wall in the last week of June.

In this notice, vehicle owners who park their vehicles in the ground had been asked to shift their vehicles to some other spot. But some unidentified persons defaced the public notice by blackening it just 24 hours before the deadline of vacating the playground.

The MC has failed to provide a parking space here in the past two decades. Over three decades ago the MC had converted a big chunk of the state government land (khasra number 545 in Rampuri) into this playground-cum-children’s park. The ground is also being used for social, religious and individual functions by the residents, for which they pay hefty rent to the MC.

Inquiries revealed that in revenue record the possession of this land has been recorded as ‘tabbe hakuk bartandaran’ (can be utilised by the general public for common cause).

Earlier, in April 2011, the MC had made an unsuccessful attempt to violate a mandatory provision by converting this ground into a commercial parking lot. The House had even passed a resolution to charge Rs 500 per month as parking fee from every vehicle owner who intends to park his vehicle here. The MC had also proposed its own parking lot near Hanuman Temple over a decade ago but failed to procure funds from the successive governments.

Recently, it again prepared two proposals of parking lots in the town and submitted detailed project reports to the government for which Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had given his nod.

Meanwhile, R S Verma, executive officer of the MC, refused to comment but said the elected body of the council would take further action. 

Kullu, July 7
A Mahindra Bolero Pick-up (HP-34B-4503) was crushed under a landslide on the Sultanpur road here today. The occupants- Kishan (30), son of Ranjit Singh from Khargran village, and Jagdish (23), son of Sunder of Khaarga village near
Raison, managed to escape unhurt.

The police said both the youths rushed out of the vehicle as stones fell on the front bonnet. Soon after, large boulders crushed the vehicle.

Earlier, frequent cases of landslide in this region, especially during the rainy season, had resulted in fatal mishaps. The residents of the area rued that despite such a threat, the authorities had never tried to find an amicable solution to prevent the landslides. Even some of the houses on the hills had reached the brim due to undercutting and were under in constant danger of sinking.

The seeping in of water had further loosened the strata and the commuters were under a threat while crossing over. Even the buses halt under this loose portion of the hill and a catastrophe is waiting to happen. The road connects the main town with the Sultanpur area, having temple of the chief deity of Kullu and houses of Kullu and Banjar MLAs as well.

The experts opine that shotcreting the loose stratum and applying metallic net can be preventive. Rishab Kalia, president, Municipal Committee Kullu, said the project required huge investment and was beyond the scope of the meagre resources held by the Committee. He had urged the Congress MLA of Banjar to take up the matter with the Chief Minister so that government can provide appropriate remedy for the threat faced by the commuters, he added.

Photo: A Mahindra Bolero crushed under the landslide on Sultanpur road, Kullu, on Monday.

Chamba, July 7
Despite repeated requests by the Chamba Welfare Association to upgrade the existing Government Millennium Polytechnic College, Sarol in Chamba district, the state government has recently sanctioned an engineering college for Kangra district, to be set up at Nagrota Bagwan, bypassing the long-pending demand of the Chamba residents.

Association president RK Mahajan and general secretary SK Kashmiri through a press note issued here today expressed their resentment about the neglect of the Chamba district.

The association was sore at the apathy of the state government overlooking the interests of the Chamba district. So far, there was only one polytechnic college in the district, the association office-bearers regretted.

They lamented that this was a grave injustice with the poor and helpless educated youths of the district. They urged the state government to wipe out the backwardness of the district.

Strongly pleading for the upgradation of the existing Government Millennium Polytechnic College at Sarol to a full-fledged engineering college, they stated that the polytechnic was having a sufficient infrastructure and fulfilled all the conditions required to run an engineering college.

They also demanded to introduce additional trades in the polytechnic from this session which had already been sanctioned.

Shimla, July 7
Dry weather conditions prevailed in most parts of Himachal for the third day today as monsoon remained weak and people in the lower hills reeled under hot and humid conditions.

Barring Nahan, Khadrala and Manali, which recorded 18 mm, 5 mm and 3 mm of rain, weather remained dry and rain eluded the region.

The mercury rose to 38.3 degree in Una while Sundernagar and Bhuntar recorded 34.2 degree, followed by Kangra 34 degree, Dharamsala 31.8 degree, Solan 30.7 degree, Nahan 29.8 degree, Shimla 26.6 degree, Manali 26 degree and Kalpa 25.8 degree, a fluctuation of one to two degree since yesterday.

Keylong in tribal Lahaul and spiti district was the coldest in the region with the minimum temperature at 10.4 degree while the key tourist resort of Manali recorded a low of 11 degree, followed by Kalpa 13 degree, Shimla 16.6 degree, Solan and Nahan 18.0 degree, Palampur 19.5 degree, Sundernagar 20.2 degree, Bhuntar 20.5 degree, Dharamsala 20.8 degree and Una 21.5 degree C.

The local Met office has predicted dry weather over next four days with no significant change in mercury. 

Shimla, July 7
The craze among dairy farmers to go against nature and crossbreed their indigenous animals with exotic ones for “higher milk yield” has led to infertility among milch animals adding to the population of stray cattle in the state, feel experts.

KS Pathania, director, Animal Husbandry Department, said: “There is a direct ratio between crossbred and stray animals as the former are less resistant to diseases, require nutrient-rich quality fodder and are not easily adaptable to the environment and thus turn infertile.”

He said the body systems of high-yielding animals were sensitive and improper feeding could lead to hormonal problems.

He said: “A large number of farmers took to crossbreeding to increase milk yield of animals in Kangra, which is a plain area and has sufficient fodder. As a result, the Kangra district has the maximum number of stray cattle (10,812), which accounts for 33 per cent of the total stray-cattle population in the state.”

However, there are no stray cattle in Lahaul and Spiti, where the number of crossbred animals was negligible due to harsh-climatic conditions and tough topography.

As per the data of the Animal Husbandary Department, there are nearly 21.54 lakh cattle in the state, which includes 11.70 indigenous and 9.84 lakh crossbred cattle, 7.18 lakh buffaloes, 8.02 lakh sheep and 11.19 lakh goats. Out of these, the number of stray cattle is above 32,100.

To increase the ratio of indigenous cattle, efforts were on to identify breeds of desi cattle and conserve them in some pockets to save them from becoming extinct.

On the other hand, to increase the yield of animals and keep them disease-free, the ratio of foreign blood in crossbred animals is kept at 50 per cent in higher hills, 50-75 per cent in lower hills and 80 -87.5 per cent in plains, where progressive farmers are equipped with technical skills, ability and resources.

The mindset of people to feed milking animals and abandon the non-milking ones is responsible for stray-cattle menace. The NGOs working in rural sectors feel that tackling stray cattle is a collective-social responsibility and the Panchayati Raj Institutions should be serious about the registration of stray cattle and identify the owners.

Even the sale and purchase of cattle from within and outside the state should be recorded as it is crucial for identification of owners of stray animals to bring them to book.

Solan, July 7
A kiosk owner was reportedly found murdered at his rented accommodation at Barotiwala today morning. Those residing in the same building, found Ramjidass (42) lying in a pool of blood with injury marks on his head.

S Arul Kumar, the Superintendent of Police, said Daleep Pandey, who resides in the same building, called his landlord Jaspal Singh to inform him about the mishap, who in turn informed the police.

Ramjidass belonged to Chalola village in Una district and was running a small kiosk in Barotiwala. He had hired a room in the top floor of Jaspal Singh’s house at Barotiwala bazaar opposite to the UCO bank.

The SP said a small knife, which was supposedly used to execute the crime, had been recovered from the spot.

A team of forensic science laboratory from Junga also visited the spot to collect the evidence. A case under Section 302 of the IPC has been registered and further investigations were underway.

Heinous crimes, including murders, over petty issues have become the order of the day in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial belt.

It is a Herculean task for the police to trace the victims or criminal due to a large population of migrant labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Chattisgarh.

Palampur, July 7
A patient, who went missing from Civil Hospital Thural on June 1, was found dead at a forest near Kona village, 40 km from here, today.

The police said Salig Ram (52) of Kona village was admitted to Civil Hospital Thural on May 29, but was found missing from the hospital on June 1. A report was lodged at Thural police post.

Salig Ram’s son moved from pillar-to-post in search of his father, but failed to trace him. Later his family members and residents of his native village staged a dharna in front of Thural hospital against the negligence of hospital authorities. The police had to intervene to pacify the villagers and persuaded them to lift the dharna.

The police too made efforts to trace Salig Ram for a week. But, it was yesterday that a few villagers, who were grazing their cattle in the forest, saw a body. The family members later identified it to be that of missing Salig Ram. — OC

Solan, July 7
Acceding to the demand of four truck unions to enhance freight charges for transporting cement for various government agencies, the Food and Civil Supplies Department today increased the freight rate to Rs 8.35 per ton per km as against the earlier rate of Rs 6.80.

The state government had initially enhanced this rate to Rs 7.75 per ton per km, but the four truck operator societies, including Baghal Land Losers, Golden Land Losers, Ambuja Darla Kashlog Mangu Union and Solan District Transport Operators (SDTO), had not accepted this rate and were demanding a rate of Rs 8.35 per ton per km.

Though the cement companies had been paying freight charges of ~8.89 per ton per km, the state government failed to revise its own rate of Rs 6.80 per ton per km since the past three years and this, had become the bone of contention among truckers and the state government.

Confirming the news Sanjay Murthy, Principal Secretary, Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, said the state government had enhanced the freight rate to Rs 8.35 per ton per km as per the truckers’ demand.

Truckers transport 30,000 to 40,000 metric ton of cement every month for various government agencies in the state. They had given a week’s ultimatum to the state government to either accede to their demand or face suspension of transportation of cement for government agencies from today.

Truckers also convened a meeting at Darlaghat to chalk out their future course of action today. The government, sensing trouble, acceded to their demand and enhanced the freight rate.

Welcoming the step, Rattan Mishra, SDTOU president, said: “This hike should be made from time-to-time as and when the price of diesel is revised. This is also in accordance with the agreement chalked out in 2011 between the government and the truck operators.”

He said since the price of diesel, which stood at Rs 38.32 per litre in 2011, had now increased to Rs 57.10, there was a nearly 40 per cent hike. He said implementing timely hike in freight rate would put less burden on the state government. 

Palampur, July 7
A double-storey house was destroyed in fire at Rakh village, 10 km from here, last night. The fire was noticed at midnight by the occupants of the house, who were sleeping inside. Later, the blaze spread to the entire building.

Villagers reached the spot and rescued the family.

Fire fighting engines were called in from Palampur but before they reached the spot, most of the building was destroyed.

Bhupinder Attari, SDM, Palampur, visited the spot and provided immediate cash relief to the victims. He asked revenue officers to prepare a detailed estimate of the loss so that necessary relief could be sanctioned as per the relief manual of the state.

Brij Behari Butail, speaker of the state Assembly, expressed shock over the incident and assured all possible help to the fire victims. In a press statement, he said he had asked the district administration to extend all possible help the victims. — OC

Mandi, July 7
The state government is taking measures to improve the quality of technical education in the state, privately run engineering and other professional institutions are finding them at a disadvantage.

The state government’s directive to admit students only on the basis of entrance tests have left these institutions irked as many students are not seeking admissions in these institutions.

The state government has not conceded an appeal made by the private technical institutions to admit students in the Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) and diploma courses. Even during the last session the state government had issued instructions that admissions to the B.Tech courses should be made on the basis of Joint Entrance Exams and for Master of Technology courses on the basis of GATE conducted on all-India level.

Similarly, admission to bachelor and master courses in pharmacy, diploma courses in engineering and MBA courses are also to be made through the entrance tests conducted at national or state level.

Since, almost 50 per cent seats in private technical institutions were not filled up during the last few academic sessions, one time relaxation was given to the institutions to admit students to BTech and diploma courses on the basis of merit without entrance tests.

The state government had also imposed a penalty of ~13,500 per students on each private polytechnic college for admitting such students to diploma courses and derecognised 15 colleges for not paying the penalty.

The institutions have been arguing that technical institutions in Punjab and Haryana are admitting students to BTech and diploma courses without appearing in entrance test and many students from the state are rushing to these institutions. The private technical institutions are seeking relaxation in admissions norms from the state government, this year too, but the state government has asked them to follow admission norms.

The Himachal Pradesh Technical University (HPTU) has also asked the private institutions to improve infrastructure like laboratories, books, and appoint regular faculty to improve quality of education.

Dr RL Sharma, Vice-Chancellor of the HPTU said, “It is the duty of the HPTU to maintain quality of education and watch welfare of students. We had formed an inspection committee which has suggested to improve infrastructure and faculty, which is in their own interest to attract more students.”

He said, “Till now we have not taken tough measures and giving them ample time to improve infrastructure and faculty but from the next session we would take strict measures and even disaffiliate the institutions not adhering to norms.” 

Palampur, July 7
People’s Voice, a voluntary social organisation, fighting against drug and liquor addiction in the state today criticised Industry Minister Mukesh Agnihotri for launching a new brand of country made liquor in a public function held at Una yesterday and also highlighting the same in print and electronic media.

Executive committee of the organisation today said by advertising a brand of liquor in a public function by a minister of the state was uncalled for as it would give wrong message to the new generation and further encourage the consumption of liquor in the state.

Addressing media persons K B Ralhan, Daleep Sharma, Neelam Sood, senior members of the organisation said government of India had already imposed a ban on the advertisement of liquor in electronic and print media, therefore before launching of new brand of liquor in a public function, senior minister of the state should have aware of the facts and had avoided his participation in such functions.

They said officials of General Industries Corporation (GIC), a state government undertaking, who had organised the launching ceremony were equally responsible who misguided the minister and invited him to preside over the function. “They should have not invited the minister for the release of brand liquor since the advertisement of such product was already banned,” a member of the NGO added. 

Chandigarh, July 7
A unique approach towards greening barren muck dumping sites in remote mountainous regions has been developed by the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT).

Planting and maintenance of saplings in a designated manner after carrying of technical analysis of the affected areas over a period of two years has resulted in a survival rate of 85 per cent in an otherwise infertile ground.

The IHBT, a laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research located at Palampur, had been approached by the NHPC for greening muck-dumping sites at its Parbati Hydro Electric Project in Kullu.

Due to steep slopes of the dumping sites, a network of low retaining walls of stacked stones restrained by mild steel wire-net were erected for soil stabilisation. Chemical analysis of surface soil revealed that the soil was nutritionally poor to support healthy plant growth.

Instead of plantation directly in the dumping sites, planting of suitable species was carried out in gunny bags enriched with a planting medium prepared by mixing forest or garden soil with well-decomposed compost, manure and peat moss in a specific ratio.

A consortium of selected plant growth promoting rhizobacteria formulated by the IHBT was also applied to the saplings before transferring these to the dumping site, where pits of the appropriate size were dug and the gunny bags were fixed in these pits. Apart from saplings of trees, seeds of selected shrubs and herbs were sown in furrows on the surface soil at the dumping site.

Eleven tree species were selected for plantation along with the shrubs and herbs to form an under-canopy. Initially, watering was done every alternate day after plantation, thereafter, it was carried out as per the weather conditions.