HP to seek foreign expertise
SHIMLA, May 7 — The Himachal Government will formulate a comprehensive policy for the management and control of forest fires in the state with the help of Australian expertise.


Directive to DCs on water supply
HAMIRPUR, May 7 — The Himachal Government has issued instructions to all deputy commissioners to ensure that drinking water is easily supplied to people.

Rs 2.20 crore for drinking water
SHIMLA, May 7 — The state government today placed a sum of Rs 2.20 crore at the disposal of Deputy Commissioners for providing drinking water in draught-hit areas.

Governor opens Eureka '99
SHIMLA, May 7 — Ms V.S. Rama Devi, Governor, today inaugurated Eureka '99, an exhibition on educational aids organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Rani Jhansi Park here.

Land feud leads to murder
PALAMPUR, May 7 — A family feud over a landed property led to the murder of 33-year-old Laxmi Devi in Tipari village in Dehra sub-division of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh today.

• HP transfers

Forest fires

HP to seek foreign expertise
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, May 7 — The Himachal Government will formulate a comprehensive policy for the management and control of forest fires in the state with the help of Australian expertise.

Stating this at a press conference here today, Mr S.K. Pande, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, said here today that the policy would be evolved under an Australian aided project for capacity building for protection of forests from fires. In the first phase, for which the Australian authorities had already approved a grant of $ 60,000 care would be taken of all aspects — from causes of outbreak of forest fires, their prevention, suppression and finally rehabilitation of the affected forests. Australia had been most prone to forest fires and had over the years developed the necessary technical expertise on fire behaviour and its management.

Australian experts would help the state in developing master trainers who in turn would impart training to the field staff of the Forest Department. Besides, an action plan would also be finalised under the one year project which would form the blueprint for the second phase of the project.

The forest training school at Kotla would be developed into a specialised centre for providing training in fire prevention control. Apart from the staff of the Forest Department, villagers would also be imparted training.

Mr Pande asserted that fires were a global phenomenon and an integral part of the forest ecology. Their intensity, frequency and duration largely depended on weather conditions. In western countries these were managed on scientific lines but still these at times continued for months. Only two years ago a forest fire in Indonesia raged for 96 days and the smog reached as far as the Andaman Nicobar Islands.

He said so far 1110 fire incidents involving a forest area of 23,605 hectares had been reported from the state. Fortunately, there had been no crown fire and the ground fires only affected young trees. Since most of the pine trees regenerated during the monsoons, the exact loss could be assessed only after six months.

The Centre had constituted Khosla committee after the devastating forest fires of 1995. The committee after touring all affected states estimated the loss due to ground fires for pine, sal and other forests at Rs 150, Rs 100 and Rs 50 per hectare, respectively.

Last year there were 44 fire incidents involving 5,491 hectares and the total loss was Rs 26 lakh. In 1995 the, worst year, as many as 1669 incidents affecting 55, 174 hectares were reported and the total loss came to Rs. 3.5 crore.

The department carried out control burning over an area of 38,656 hectares and created 960 km of fire lines as part of preventive measures. This year the incidents had been on the higher side mainly because of the prolonged dry spell, which had reduced humidity to under 45 per cent, and the unusually hot summer. Normally, such conditions developed around mid-June.

Directive to DCs on water supply
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, May 7 — The Himachal Government has issued instructions to all deputy commissioners to ensure that drinking water is easily supplied to people.

The Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, said this while talking to this reporter at his native village here last night.

The Chief Minister said the water shortage was due to constant drought conditions in the state arising out of scanty rainfall and snowfall, He, however, said the government would do its best to help affected people and water would be provided to them at all costs.

The government had already released Rs 5 crore to the Department of Irrigation-cum-Public Health for carrying out water supply operations, including the digging of new hand pumps in the scarcity-hit areas of the state. Funds would not come in the way of water supply, the Chief Minister said.

He said the state government had demanded Rs 100 crore from the central government to cope with natural calamities. He was hopeful that the Centre would help the state solve its problems and difficulties.

Prof Dhumal assured farmers that the government would help them solve their fodder problem and would give them subsidy on the transportation of fodder from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh mandis to Himachal Pradesh.

He said the state government had approached the Union Agriculture Ministry to include Himachal Pradesh in the list of those districts where a comprehensive crop insurance scheme was going to be launched this year. The state government had already sanctioned Rs 1 crore for the purpose from its own funds and if adequate help was made available from the Centre, the entire state would be covered under the scheme.

The Chief Minister said the BJP would contest all four Lok Sabha seats in the state this time. The party was sure to win all seats.

Asked whether the party would have seat adjustment with the HVC, he said that it was for the party high command to decide.

He said the main plank of the party during the next elections would be the one-year performance of the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state.

Musical evenings at Kangra Fort
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, May 7 — To woo tourists and give a boost to local folk culture, the Tourism Department will organise musical evenings at Kangra Fort and the War Memorial, every week, during the tourist season.

To begin with, such musical evenings will be held once a week. Later, the authorities plan to include a few other spots like McLeodganj, for the cultural bonanza, which will be a special treat for tourists and the locals.

Not only will the evenings provide an insight into the local folk culture it will offer an excellent opportunity to the young budding artistes to perform on stage. Some known folk artistes living in obscurity, will be specially invited to perform during such evenings. The entire focus of such evenings will be on the local art, and folk culture.

These musical evenings will be held by the Tourism Department and the Art and Culture Department, with the help of the district authorities. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr B.K. Aggarwal, has constituted a team to oversee all arrangements, and the District Tourism Officer, District Language Officer and the District Public Relations Officer are the members of the committee.

A meeting was held at Kangra Fort today, to draw up the details. The Tourism Department had recently undertaken the illumination of the fort, at a cost of Rs 18 lakh. The fort located, is presently under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The War Memorial, at Dharamsala which is a picture of neglect is likely to come alive with such cultural evenings.

Some of the officials here pointed out that they had started this kind of experiment about five years ago at McLeodganj. All this is being done to promote the place as a popular tourist destination, but unfortunately there is no cooperation from the local hoteliers lamented an officer. The practice was discontinued despite the fact that it had attracted big crowds, including foreigners.

The district administration is also holding regular summer festival in the first week of June. Famous artistes are invited to give performance during the festival.

Govt 'curbing' powers of
panchayat bodies
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, May 7 — The Himachal State Panchayat Parishad has expressed resentment over the decision to withdraw power of the chairpersons of panchayat samitis to write the annual confidential reports (ACRs) of Block Development Officers which, it alleged, violated the provisions of the Panchayati Raj Act.

Mr Budhi Singh Thakur, president of the parishad, said in the new proforma for the annual confidential report (ACR) issued by the department the authority had been vested in the Project Officer, district Rural Development Agency and the Additional Deputy Commissioner. The chairpersons of the samiti would only fill one column in the ACR.

Earlier, the reports were initiated by the chairpersons of samitis and they used to write in detail regarding the performance of the Block Development Officers. it was a retrograde step particularly in view of the demand of the Panchayati Raj institutions that the power to write ACRs of village level officers be vested in them. However, instead of asserting the demand the government had snatched the powers already vested in them.

He alleged the government had dissociated Panchayati Raj institutions from the process of selecting beneficiaries under the Gandhi Kuteer Yozna. It had also taken away the work of construction of school buildings from panchayats and entrusted it to education committees and withdrawn vehicles placed at the disposal of the Panchayati Raj institutions in the name of economy measures.

He said the parishad would draw up its future course of action at the meeting on May 12.

Rs 2.20 crore for drinking water
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, May 7 — The state government today placed a sum of Rs 2.20 crore at the disposal of Deputy Commissioners for providing drinking water in draught-hit areas.

A sum of Rs 20 lakh each has been provided to Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur, Bilaspur, Una, Kulu and Chamba districts while Kangra district has been provided Rs 30 lakh and Hamirpur and Mandi districts Rs 25 lakh each.

Besides, Rs 2.14 crore have been provided to Deputy Commissioners for installation of handpumps. A sum of Rs 23.50 lakh had been provided for Shimla district, Rs 18.50 lakh for Solan district, Rs 10 lakh for Sirmaur district, Rs 22.50 lakh for Kulu district, Rs 25 lakh for Mandi district, Rs 27.50 lakh for Hamirpur district, Rs 14 lakh for Bilaspur district, Rs 14.50 lakh for Chamba district, Rs 32.50 lakh for Kangra, Rs 15.50 lakh for Una district, Rs 7 lakh for Kinnaur district and Rs 3.50 lakh for Lahaul-Spiti.

The irrigation and Public Health Department has taken up the work on a war footing. The Deputy Commissioners have been asked to keep a strict vigil on forest fires and send reports so that assessment could be made on losses and the centre asked to provide assistance under the Natural Calamity Relief Fund.

Governor opens Eureka '99
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, May 7 — Ms V.S. Rama Devi, Governor, today inaugurated Eureka '99, an exhibition on educational aids organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry at Rani Jhansi Park here.

The Governor went round the stalls put up by various government, semi-government and private organisations and evinced keen interest in the exhibits displayed.

She said such exhibitions were useful in creating awareness among the youth about career opportunities and help them in planning their careers, besides generating interest among children. She said such exhibitions should be held regularly. She suggested holding exhibitions in rural areas also for facilitating students residing there.

Earlier, Mr R.D. Kashyap, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Mr Manoj Kumar, Mayor, Shimla, and Mr Ashok Khanna, President of the PHDCCI, welcomed the Governor. Ambassadors and High Commissioners of some African countries were also present.

Land feud leads to murder

PALAMPUR, May 7 (PTI) — A family feud over a landed property led to the murder of 33-year-old Laxmi Devi in Tipari village in Dehra sub-division of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh today.

According to the SSP, Kangra, Mr K.C. Shadyal, the husband of the deceased, Rachhpal Singh, was working in the Police Department at Shimla. She had an altercation with her brother-in-law Karam Chand who allegedly attacked her with an agriculture implement, killing her on the spot.

The police has arrested Karam Chand, his wife Kanta Devi and father Nathu Ram under various Sections of the IPC.

In another case, Chandra Shekhar, a plus two student at Jivali, committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling last night.

HP transfers
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, May 7 — Mr Sanjay Gupta, Settlement Officer, has been appointed Director, Transport, in place of Mr Ashwani Kapoor, who was holding additional charge of the post.

Mr Tarun Kapoor, Special Secretary, will hold additional charge of Special Secretary, Power. Mr Kashmir Chand, Secretary, Public Service Commission, has been posted as Settlement Officer, Shimla. Mr P.C. Jassal, ADC, Shimla, has been appointed Secretary, Public Service Commission.