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Monday,
December 10, 2001, Chandigarh, India
  
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Chinese apple juice concentrate floods market
Plan for SCs yielding results Dhumal favouring home dist: Virbhadra
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Infighting hits panchayat works Distracted unto death on road BSNL service worsens Hand over health scam
case to CBI: YC HVC not to stake claim to RS seat: Sharma Vintage steam engine
sets forest ablaze
Steps to beautify Chamba chowgan
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Chinese apple juice concentrate floods market Shimla, December 9 The juice concentrate has flooded the market over the past six months as a result of which its prices have plunged from Rs 42 per kg to Rs 25 per kg. In fact, the price at which the Chinese product is landing at Kolkata is even less than the cost of production of the HPMC juice concentrate. The landed cost of Chinese juice concentrate is Rs 30 per kg and after the imposition of import duty and other charges it is available in market at a price ranging between Rs 45 and Rs 50 per kg. The apple juice concentrate produced by the HPMC is being sold at a rate of Rs 55 per kg. The wide difference in the price is likely to squeeze its market. Last year, it exported a record 780 tonnes of juice concentrate at a reasonable rate of Rs 40 per kg and sold another 900 tonnes in the domestic market. The exports allowed it to clear all unsold stocks. The situation has changed with the entry of the Chinese product and the corporation has not been able to bag the export order this year. The pinch will be felt in the domestic market in due course as the imported juice concentrate reaches more and more areas. The corporation is left with no alternative but to cut down the cost of production. However, there is not much scope for it as the corporation has to procure apples for processing at a very high rate of Rs 2.25 per kg as against 80 paise per kg in Jammu and Kashmir and even less in some other countries. It cannot do much as far as purchase price was concerned as the government has been procuring apples at a rate of Rs 3.75 per kg under the market intervention scheme and supplying these at the rate of Rs 2.25 per kg. Thus, it decided to take steps to bring down the cost of processing. Last year, the cost of production was Rs 39 per kg. The corporation replaced the light diesel oil with the furnace oil, which is cheaper by about Rs 5 per litre, as fuel and made some changes in the processing system to increase the recovery of juice from 76 to 80 per cent. These steps have brought down the cost of juice concentrate from Rs 39 to Rs 34.50 per kg. This will enable the corporation to compete with the Chinese product, at least in the domestic market. This year, the corporation could not get sufficient fruit to process due to lean crop. As such it processed only 6,500 tonnes of apples as against over 12,000 tonnes last season. The corporation has also geared up to face competition from imported apples. It has improved the storage technique to enhance the life of fruit in cold storage. By increasing humidity from 80 to 95 per cent, maintaining temperature between 1°C and 3°C and replacing harmful carbon dioxide and ethylene gases with nitrogen gas during storage, it has been successful in increasing the life of the fruit from 4 to 8 months. Besides, the time gap between plucking the fruit and taking it to the cold storage has been reduced to under three days and the fruit is plucked when the starch content is high to ensure high quality of stored fruit. This season, the corporation has stored 3000 boxes at Oddi in Shimla and Patlikuhl in Kulu. These will be sent to market from March onwards when imported apple from Australia starts landing in the domestic market. The price of imported fruit ranges between Rs 100 and 120 per kg and the corporation hopes that its apple will also fetch almost the same price, which will be double the normal price during the season. Mr S.K. Baldi, Managing Director of the corporation, is confident that the strategy to stock fruit in cold storages will prove a boon for the apple growers. The corporation has five cold stores in the apple belt, which were never used in the past. In all 5,000 boxes of apple can be stored at present which can be increased if the experiment is successful, he says. He said the corporation could set up more cold stores with controlled atmosphere facility to completely change the present marketing system. With the modern cold storage facility, apples could be preserved upto 12 months without any deterioration in quality or taste. The corporation would store the produce of growers at a nominal cost, he added. |
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Plan for SCs yielding results Shimla, December 9 A sum of Rs 189 crore is being spent under the plan in the state, which is about 11 per cent of the total annual plan. During last year, more than 34,077 SCs were benefited under various schemes aimed at their socio-economic uplift. The emphasis is on generating sustainable income for the SC families. Until last year the government used to earmark only 11 per cent outlay and the remaining funds used to be allocated to different administrative departments, which used these as per their discretion. To ensure that the benefits of development and welfare schemes percolate down to the needy and deserving, it introduced fundamental changes in the process for formulating the special component plan from last year. Under this change, 11 per cent of the state plan is allocated to districts based on an objective formula. While 60 per cent of the allocation is made on the basis of SC population, 30 per cent on the basis of families living below the poverty line and 10 per cent for the areas with high concentration of SCs accounting for 50 per cent or more of the total population. This will go a long way in achieving tangible results as compared to the earlier system due to the nature of distribution of SC population in the state. Besides, for optimum and realistic utilisation of funds, norms for spending the funds,under this plan have been fixed. Quality education to the SC students is being given top priority. An amount of Rs 52 crore has been earmarked for education under the special component plan. In addition, the government has launched various scholarship schemes to ensure that the meritorious SC students can pursue higher studies. Under the Ambedkar Meritorious Scholarship Scheme, 2000 students from this community are being provided annual scholarship of Rs 11,000 at plus one and plus two level. Similarly, under the Maharishi Valmiki Scholarship Scheme, annual scholarship of Rs 9000 is being given to the girls, whose parents are engaged in cleaning job, after matriculation examination for further studies. The SCs are also being provided job oriented training under the “Dalit Varg Vayavsaik Prasikshan Yojna”. The trainees are being given a monthly scholarship ranging from Rs 500 to 750 during the training period. As many as 1,600 youth belonging to the community were given professional training under the scheme in the last three years. A hostel is also being constructed for the SC students at Nalagarh in Solan district at a cost of Rs 120 crore. Similarly, a girls’ hostel has been constructed at Senior Secondary School, Potmore, at a cost of Rs 91.53 lakh. Hostels will also be constructed at degree colleges in Hamirpur, Mandi and Sirmour. Under the Guru Ravi Dass Public Amenities Upgradation Scheme, civic amenities such as drinking water, electricity, sewerage and communication facilities are being provided in high concentration SC population areas. |
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Dhumal favouring home dist: Virbhadra Shimla, December 9 Addressing a rally at Totu, near here, he said while corruption had become an integral part of the BJP’s style of governance, it had taken politics to abysmal depths by using state investigating agencies to harass opponents. He said the government was mounting pressure on various investigating agencies to register cases against him eversince the CBI gave him a clean chit on the charge sheet submitted by it. He said those who were setting up this unhealthy tradition of harassing the political opponents should be prepared to face the music when the time for it came. He also criticised Mr Dhumal for bringing the political culture of Punjab to the hill state and discriminating against people on the basis of political and regional considerations. People from Punjab were being given jobs at various levels ignoring meritorious local candidates, he alleged. He said Hamirpur, home district of Mr Dhumal, which had the highest density of roads in the state, had been given more funds than other districts under the rural infrastructure development fund scheme of NABARD. He said the decision to take out 59 villages from the Shimla Municipal Corporation and put these under nagar panchayats was a retrograde step, which would affect development of these areas. He said no safeguards had been provided to state while assigning various hydel power projects to central agencies like the NHPC, NTPC and private companies. These agencies already had surplus staff and as such the local youth would not get employment. Mr Kaul Singh, former Speaker, charged the Dhumal government with spreading regionalism and casteism. He said corruption was thriving under the protection of the government. No member of the local Congress Block Committee was seen at the rally. Those present included Mr Dharam Pal Thakur, MLA, Mr Shaunkiya Ram, ex-MLA and Mr Adarsh Sood and Mr Manoj Kumar, both former Mayors of the Shimla Municipal Corporation. |
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Infighting hits panchayat works Hamirpur, December 9 There is a feeling among the masses that developing in the town has suffered much due to the infighting. The Nadaun Nagar Panchayat is in the control of the ruling party and Mr Tarsem Kapil is its, President. He has failed to keep his flock in tact. No meeting of the Nagar Panchayat has taken place without walkouts and sharp exchange of words between members of the ruling party and Opposition benches. There are indications that Congressmen are trying to bring a no-confidence motion against the Nagar Panchayat Pradhan once he completes one year of his tenure. They are optimistic of support of ruling party members in their mission of oust Mr Tarsem Kapil. The Nagar Panchayat is suffering for want of finances from the state government. It has failed to get even a single paisa from the state government for development works. The government gives grants for the salary of the staff the minor expenses. The Nagar Panchayat meets the rest of expenses from the rent of shops and other taxes like house tax. The overall condition of inner town roads is deplorable. No repair work has so for been made neither by the Nagar Panchayat nor by the district administration. People blame their elected representatives for their sufferings. Nadaun is the only town in the state that is without proper drainage facilities. Scanty rain is enough to create waterloging in the town. An estimate for the construction of the drains was made a few years ago after the matter was highlighted in the press, but without any results. There is controversy on the sub-letting of shops and the Nagar Panchayat is divided on this issue. It cannot shunt out new allottees as they have political and administrative links. The Nagar Panchayat is in the grip of another unsaviour controversy over the diverting of funds given for the Rain Basera project to other schemes framed by the members themselves. The district administration is upset on this issue and may call for an explanation of the Nagar Panchayat on this issue, according to an official spokesman. A sum of Rs 1 lakh was reported to have been diverted from this funds to the projects. Though the Nagar Panchayat is facing fiscal problems it has failed to rent out nine shops in the town constructed for, those selling mutton in the town. Mutton sellers have yet not responded to the letters of the Nagar Panchayat to take over the possession of the new shops. |
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Distracted unto death on road Kasauli Various advertisers seem to be engaged in a competition to fix such hoardings along the road.The use of bright colours and catchy slogans compels vehicle drivers to cast a glance at the hoardings distracting them. The hoardings have been fixed unmindful of the directions issued by the traffic engineering cell of Himachal Pradesh. According to the guidelines, no hoarding of more than 16 sq m can be fixed on the National Highway. Often, a number of large hoardings are juxtaposed at curves. The Public Works Department, which grants permission for putting up hoardings, is supposed to consider a number of factors while giving clearance. This includes taking into account the fixing of hoardings outside the controlled width of roads. Disallowing a clutter of hoardings, particularly on the curves, ensures smooth traffic. Once a hoarding is put up, it is rarely removed even though it may be in violation of the guidelines. Many times hoardings are fixed without getting permission from the authorities. These are usually put up haphazardly. Besides,the government loses revenue. Recently the government had banned further fixing of hoardings on the highway and had directed the PWD to remove those put up haphazardly. However, the officials concerned said they were not aware of the new directions. It was also notified that hoardings bearing the picture of a man or a woman were not to be displayed as these were a source of distraction. Even this direction had been ignored with impunity, particularly by several garment, alcohol and vehicle companies. The stretch of the highway between Kandaghat and Shimla has hoardings fixed on hill slopes. Many road curves between Solan and Parwanoo have a number of hoardings which are an eyesore. In addition to the hoardings a number of small and big boards with advertisements can be seen nailed to trees contrary to the directions of the High Court. These harm the trees. Though forest officials say they have confiscated a number of such boards, every now and then new ones are found fixed to trees. |
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BSNL service worsens Kulu Earlier, new telephone connections were available on demand, whereas now the waiting list has touched 1,000. Internet connections are not given; even applications are not entertained. Internet subscribers, particularly cyber-cafe owners, lament over their investment in opening such shops. One cyber-cafe owner said the connectivity was either “impossible” or “very slow”. He says the prevailing system may force him to close shop. A number of foreign nationals living here, who have Internet connections, say the system was “so bad for the past one month, that it hardly worked.” They said “a team of experts from Shimla or elsewhere, should be invited here to fix the system”. They were of the opinion that the local officials were not given proper training on the Internet. The technical manpower at Kulu should be given training, they added. The Telecom District Manager (TDM), when contacted, refused to comment and said he had been barred from speaking to the press. Instead, he suggested the Chief General Manager (Telecom) at Shimla be contacted to know about the situation at Kulu. Mr N.S. Gill, CGMT, when contacted, said there were no instructions barring him from talking to reporters. He assured the reporter that a team of experts would be sent to Kulu from Shimla and problems of Internet subscribers would be solved within “two or three days.” Foreign nationals, some of them are experts in the electronic and telecommunication field, have also offered free services to the BSNL authorities here and also at Shimla. They urged the authorities to have a complaint monitoring office, where complaints could be registered 24 hours a day. The local BSNL office does not have any system for registering Internet complaints and that was why it had claimed that the system had been working well. The BSNL, now a commercial organisation, should look into those operations where there is loss of revenue. The failure of the system, even for a minute, means a loss to the BSNL and accountability should be fixed to get better results, subscribers say. |
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Hand over health scam
case to CBI: YC Shimla, December 9 Addressing a press conference, Mr Naresh
Chauhan, spokesperson for the Congress, said the state Vigilance Department was in no position to investigate the alleged involvement of high-ups in the scam. He said the Director of Health Services and subordinate staff had been arrested in connection with the case but the politicians involved had not been held accountable. He said there could not be an impartial investigation into the scam as long as Mr
J.P.Nadda, the Health Minister, was in office. He said the BJP had back tracked from its poll promise that its legislators would declare their assets within three months of their election. The legislators had not done so even four years after the election, he
alleged. Mr Chauhan came down heavily on the government for hiring a private company for hospital security at a time when unemployment was increasing at an alarming rate. He said the home guards who had been performing the job would be rendered unemployed and the fundstarved state would have to shell out a huge amount to the private company. |
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HVC not to stake claim to RS seat: Sharma Mandi, December 9 Talking to mediapersons at the local Circuit House, he said people of the Sadar constituency were aware of the development done by Mr Sukh Ram in that area over the past 40 years. Mr Sharma said reports that the HVC would again stake claim to the Rajya Sabha seat, election for which would be held during the first quarter of next year, were mere speculation. The HVC would not contest the seat. He however, asserted that the HVC would contest all 68 seats in the next elections. To a question, he said the HVC would decide at an appropriate time whether or not to enter into an alliance with any party. He admitted that due to court cases, Mr Sukh Ram had to remain in Delhi, but that did not mean he had neglected the constituency. “In his absence I am devoting much of my time to the area and solving the problems of the people”, he said. |
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Vintage steam engine
sets forest ablaze Solan, December 9 Preliminary investigation done by revenue and forest officials put the loss at several lakhs, with 20 hectares of pine forests and over 200 bighas of grasslands belonging to Birni, Tahal, Kohari Kanoh, Bisha and Kanjreli villages of Kandaghat subdivision being severely affected. A Canada-based company, PRIMESCO, has come for location shooting in the Shimla hills for their documentary, “Kingdom of the Tiger”. The steam locomotive was requisitioned to shoot certain scenes. These vintage engines were withdrawn and replaced by diesel electric locomotives in 1970. Since then, residents living in villages situated along the tracks have stopped taking routine fire prevention precautions. Eyewitnesses said the fire caused by engine sparks fanned out at great speed as the rotors of the helicopter used by the camera crew caused a virtual storm. The Divisional Forest Officer, Mr S.K. Sharma, has ordered his staff to prepare a damage report immediately. |
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Steps to beautify Chamba chowgan Chamba, December 9 Mr S.P. Dhall, president of the council, said here today that despite poor fiscal health of the council, the chowgan had already been covered with ‘anarkali’ railing and floodlights replaced. Mr Dhall said the chowgan had been closed for public early this month and would reopen in April next year as it would regain its glory by then. He said the council had decided to install ‘anarkali’ railing around chowgan three, which had already been levelled to give it a new lease of life before spring season. Mr Dhall claimed that cleanliness was being maintained despite shortage of employees and financial resources. He said the council had already requested to state government to provide funds for undertaking schemes relating to ecological and sanitary conditions. Meanwhile, Major S.C. Nayyar, vice-president of the local Progressive Citizen Council, has urged the president of the municipal council that a meeting of senior citizens of the town should be convened to invite their suggestions for better upkeep and improvement of the chowgan. |
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