Complete projects in time: CM
SHIMLA, Dec 18 — Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, has stressed the need for time-bound completion of development projects with a view to achieving results and urged MLAs to set their priorities keeping this in view.

Patient injured in hospital
DHARAMSALA, Dec 18 — Besides getting treatment at the Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College here, patients admitted to the hospital, also get a taste of life’s frailties.

Virbhadra blamed for fiscal crisis
SOLAN, Dec 18 — The General Secretary of BJP, Himachal Pradesh, Mr Khushi Ram Balnahata, yesterday singled out the former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, for being solely responsible for Himachal's current financial crisis.

Ministry asked to work on Rohtang tunnel
SHIMLA, Dec 18 — The Ministry of Surface Transport has been asked to take steps for construction of Rohtang tunnel on Manali-Leh road at the earliest.

Two drowned in Ravi
DALHOUSIE, Dec 18 — Two brothers were drowned in the Ravi. They were taking bath in the river near Khairi, 35 km from here yesterday. The by-standers pulled the bodies of these youths out of the river.

220 kg walnut bark seized
MANDI, Dec 18 — One person was arrested and a Maruti van carrying 10 bags of walnut bark, weighing 220 kg and valued at Rs 35000, was impounded by the Forest Department staff last night.

Complete projects in time: CM
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 18 — Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, has stressed the need for time-bound completion of development projects with a view to achieving results and urged MLAs to set their priorities keeping this in view. He said he was surprised that some schemes started long ago were still incomplete. He was presiding over a meeting with MLAs for preparation of the annual plan for 2000-2001 here today.

The Chief Minister said the guidelines for the MLA local area development plan announced by him recently would be issued within a fortnight to ensure that MLAs could utilise the funds at their disposal by the end of this financial year. He urged MLAs to send new schemes at the earliest so that their feasibility could be ensured by consulting all related departments.

He reiterated his government’s resolve for accelerating the pace of development in the state and added the suggestions and recommendations of the public representatives would be given utmost consideration, irrespective of their party affiliation, as the government wanted them to make them an active part of the development process.

Though crores had been spent on development under the plan so far, the development was not visible as more stress was laid on the quantum of money spent than on achieving physical targets. In future, in would have to be ensured that every rupee meant for development was properly utilised.

To ensure early completion of development projects in the state, the government had introduced a new concept of efficiency-linked incentives, which was giving good results. He urged officers to work with devotion and dedication for the development of the state. Every department would have to send a report regarding implementation of various schemes to the government from time to time and any lapse on this account would not be allowed.

Mr Mohinder Singh, Public Works Minister, said construction of roads in the state had been accorded utmost priority with special emphasis on connecting more and more areas with roads.

Mr Narinder Bragta, Minister of State for Horticulture, stressed the need for augmentation of Shimla water supply scheme, developing parking lots, construction of residential houses for employees and connecting all wards in the municipal corporation by road so that ambulance services could reach them.

Mr Roop Dass Kashyap, Minister of State for Urban Development, called for boosting tourism in the Kasumpti area. He also stressed on providing more irrigational facilities in the area.

Mr Ral Lal Markandey, Minister of State for Rural Development, and Ms Shyama Sharma, Deputy Chairperson, State Planning Board, also spoke.

In the forenoon session, MLAs from Shimla, Sirmaur, Kannaur and Lahaul-Spiti participated in the meeting.

Initiating the discussion on Shimla district, Mr J.B.L. Khachi, MLA and former minister, complemented Mr Dhumal for associating the elected representatives in the development process and stressed that on going schemes at the final stage of completion should be completed first.

Mr Yogendra Chandra, MLA, stressed on construction of roads in difficult areas like Chopal on a priority basis.

Mr Gangu Ram Musafir, MLA and former minister, called for setting up ginger-based industry in the Sirmaur areas to benefit ginger growers.

Mr Harshvardhan Chauhan, MLA, called for posting of staff in educational and health institutions in the Shillai area.

In the afternoon session, MLAs from Mandi, Solan and Kulu participated in the meeting

Patient injured in hospital
From Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Dec 18 — Besides getting treatment at the Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College here, patients admitted to the hospital, also get a taste of life’s frailties lives to risk due to the sub-standard construction by the Public Works Department.

In a glaring example of the poor quality of work a chunk of plaster fell in the Operation Theatre wing at the local zonal hospital, now part of the Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, injuring a patient. The injured patient, Mr Vijay Kaundal, who also happens to be the OT Assistant here, had been admitted after he complained of bleeding ulcers.

The slab of plaster, weighing over 3 kg, fell on the legs of Mr Kaundal, who was lying on a bed in his duty room, adjoining the OT at around 11.30 a.m. today. His wife, Mrs Sunita Kaundal, had gone out to buy medicines for her husband at the time. Mr Kaundal, who was writhing in pain from the injury, said the cement sheet on the ceiling broke and a big stone fell on his legs. One of the hospital employees, sent up to inspect the roof said that due to openings in the roof, monkeys had entered and shaken stones in the loose wall .

The OT’s in the hospital have been constructed recently to fulfil the requirements of the Medical Council of India, as a condition for recognition for the Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, which is still pending. There are openings in the roof of the OT, which allow easy entry to monkeys, and the poor quality of construction means stones can be prized loose.

Some of the doctors and hospital staff present expressed concern over the sub-standard construction and said they too were at risk. Surprisingly even two hours after the incident, the Medical Superintendent and the Principal of the Medical College were unaware of it.

The OT, which has been constructed by the PWD, had become operational only a month ago.

Barrenness — price of prosperity
From Ravinder Sood

PALAMPUR: The recent decision of the Himachal Pradesh Government to allow a cement company to axe over 20,000 trees in the Darlaghat area has worried environmentalists. It is felt that if this cement unit is allowed to go ahead with this proposal, it would upset the ecological balance in the state. It is a well-known fact that cement plants in the state have already caused irreparable damage to the human environment, particularly in Solan and Bilaspur districts.

The Darlaghat valley, which at one time used to be covered by lush forests and was rich in flora and fauna, has now gone barren because of reckless mining, large-scale deforestation and unchecked industrialisation. The air in these areas is being polluted by poisonous gases, dust from industrial plants and automobile exhaust. A majority of the population living in these areas has been suffering from various diseases like asthma, skin disease and TB. It seems that there is none to take care of the people living here. Even the state pollution board has also failed to take cognisance of public complaints in this respect.

It is a sad state of affairs that though government officers as well as Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal is aware of the situation, they have become silent spectators.

The cement plants have been enjoying complete tax holidays granted by the government causing a loss of crores to the state exchequer year after year. The state does not expected any tax from these plants in the next 10 years as per the agreement signed with these industrial houses. The state has even allowed these companies to export clinker (the raw material for making cement) to the adjoining states, evading state taxes, causing a further loss to the government. The taxes on the sale of this raw material are being collected by the Punjab Government, at Ropar, where it is manufactured, refilled and sold.

A number of environmental organisations of the state have strongly opposed this decision and urged the state government to withdraw the sanction granted to the cement companies to axe trees for easy extraction of limestone from these forests. They say this would not only destroy the valuable forest wealth of the state but also affect reserves. Besides, the state would also lose its rich wildlife. These organisations assert that if no early measures are adopted, the state government would have to pay a heavy price and create an imbalance between the man and nature.

The state had at one time rich, dense forests. But the rate at which deforestation of the forests has been going on, the country may not be left with any forest cover in 10 years. Reckless rampant industrialisation and the setting up of hydel power projects in the state have been responsible for shrinkage of the forest cover in the state. The destruction of forests, particularly in the Darlaghat area has led to the extinction of many rare species of wildlife and turned land into fallow wasteland.

The data provided by the US spacecraft Landsat, is quite alarming. It is revealed that India's forest cover declined from 16.9 per cent to 14.1 per cent in the early eighties. The deforestation has already resulted in a change in the rainfall pattern in Himachal Pradesh. In the past 10 years the state has seen the worst flash floods in which over 200 persons lost their lives.

Conservation of forests is indispensable. Science and technology must be used to serve humanity, not to disturb the delicate ecological balance. The state government should not forget that conservation of natural resources is as important as its exploitation and these resources should be used to a certain limit. The Himachal Pradesh Government must come out with an environmental policy which should have mass support. Environment being a question of survival of the human race, it should have to be over and above politics. It should also be on the agenda of political parties.

The state government has appointed a number of chairmen and vice-chairmen to head various corporations and boards in the state. Likewise the state government should also appoint environmental advisers to guide the government in this crucial subject from time to time. The under

lying purpose is to help in proper decision-making, which should be scientifically and technically accurate, environmentally sound, economically viable and politically acceptable.

Virbhadra blamed for fiscal crisis
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Dec 18 — The General Secretary of BJP, Himachal Pradesh, Mr Khushi Ram Balnahata, yesterday singled out the former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, for being solely responsible for Himachal's current financial crisis.

Mr Balnahata, who addressed a press conference here yesterday, traced the fiscal problems of the state to its exclusion from the list of special category states by the Ninth Finance Commission. He alleged that Mr Virbhadra Singh treated the Commission Chairman, Mr N.P.K. Salve, shabbily during the latter's visit to Shimla to assess the financial needs of the State in 1994.

He said Mr Virbhadra Singh had also slighted Mr Salve by declaring that the financial matters of the State had already been sorted out by him with the then Central leaders his statement preceded the chairman's visit. This he said made Mr Salve to delete the State from the special category list. Thereby ending special Central grants to the State for non-Plan expenditure.

The H.P. Marketing Board Chairman and District President of the BJP, Mr Virendra Kashyap, said the grant of Rs 400 crore to the State, sanctioned by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, during his recent visit to Kulu, represented a new chapter of understanding between Himachal Pradesh and the Union Government.

He said the BJP membership drive would begin on January 12 and close on January 23.

Ministry asked to work on Rohtang tunnel
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 18 — The Ministry of Surface Transport has been asked to take steps for construction of Rohtang tunnel on Manali-Leh road at the earliest. This follows a request by the Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal to the Union Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes for construction of the tunnel which, besides being important for the people of Lahaul, is also important from the national security point of view.

Mr George Fernandes, in a communiqué of the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal has informed him that following consultations between the Ministry of Finance, the Planning Commission, the Ministry of Surface Transport and the Defence Ministry, appropriate action was to be initiated urgently by the Ministry of Surface Transport on the tunnel.

He said an investment decision would be taken after examination of the feasibility study drawn up by Konkan Railways, which suggested a revised and cost-effective methodology for the project.

Two drowned in Ravi
From Our Correspondent

DALHOUSIE, Dec 18 — Two brothers were drowned in the Ravi. They were taking bath in the river near Khairi, 35 km from here yesterday. The by-standers pulled the bodies of these youths out of the river.

According to police sources, both of these youths have been identified as Tek Chand (22), and Om Prakash (19), both sons of Beli Ram, a resident of Dikala village in Churah subdivision of Chamba district.

The police has registered a case.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner of Chamba, Mr K. Sanjaymurthy, has sanctioned Rs 10,000 each for the kin of the deceased.

220 kg walnut bark seized
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Dec 18 — One person was arrested and a Maruti van carrying 10 bags of walnut bark, weighing 220 kg and valued at Rs 35000, was impounded by the Forest Department staff last night.

Announcing this to mediapersons Mr Vineet Kumar, DFO, said the two Maruti vans were coming from the Kulu side. Forest guard Sanjay Kumar posted on the Brindavani checkpost signalled them to stop. The drivers of the vans ignored the signal and drove past the barrier.

Mr Kumar said the forest guard and his assistant showed exemplary courage by chasing the vans on scooter and overtaking one of them. The other van escaped.

The walnut bark was seized and driver Subhash Kumar of Sarwari Kulu arrested. A case under the Indian Forest Act has been registered.

Besides, during a campaign, the Forest Department has seized six vans and two trucks carrying illicit timber. Two vans and one truck have already been impounded.