Connect with us

HW Community

Our experience with the present government and its departments

Published

on

Based on the interaction with various government departments and the public, HW shares the experience with its readers

We consider it our honor to be able to provide even a fraction of the point of view that the public hold regarding the development work and services of the present government. Almost for the past one and half years, HW has regularly been forwarding the public grievances and complaints to various responsible government departments and officials. With every complaint, we provided images and video clips to emphasize the need of immediate attention to the mentioned grievance. We exchanged many statements regarding these complaints with various government departments. Based on our interaction, these government departments and officials enjoy a reputation in our opinion. We would like to share it with you before you cast your vote tomorrow. We would just talk about the Shimla city, as it’s the capital of the state.

The Roads

Most of the complaints, which we officially communicated with the MC Shimla and PWD, were regarding the poor condition of the roads. No surprise, most of them are pending, others were either done with a poor patching work or disposed off saying it doesn’t belong to their department. In the case of Sangati-Summerhill road, the HPWD even replied that they could not locate the road in Shimla. However, now the department claims to have awarded the contract of resurfacing of the Sangti road to a private contractor.

feature-dhali-sanjauli

Parapets and Protective Railings

HW regularly wrote to HPWD regarding the need for protective railing, especially, on the bypass road. We mentioned a few accidents, which could have been averted, if there would have been proper parapets, or any strong protective railing on the spots of accidents. Already many lives had already been lost on the bypass road and in most of the accidents, sharp curves or narrow road space were the common factors. We even begged asking them to take immediate steps so that any further loss of a life could prevent. It was after months of complaint that PWD provided railings on the bypass road, but only at a single spot. The railing didn’t cover the whole curve and the job was done half heartedly. Still, the many spots at bypass road remains as a risk to life. But, that doesn’t bother the government.

hppwd-solan-NH22

Environment

The government boasts that Himachal has been rated as diamond state in terms of environment. We would better apologize later, but at least once, we would say that the government and the public, both are dumb and idiotic when it comes to caring about the environment. Himachal Electricity Board has a great taste for torturing the trees with their stay-wires, iron rods and mails. Have a look at the images yourself. If you notice carefully, only in Shimla city, you would wonder how many trees are in the same condition. Now assume the situation all over the state. HW forced HPSEB to remove some of the stay wires and rods, but there are numerous ready to die.

save-trees-from-hpseb

On the part of the present government in the state, the tree massacre at the site of DLF Luxury Villas in Shimla is a sufficient evidence of the very good care that it took of the forestland

bjp-congress-dlf-shimla

Well, that’s not it. Near Sankat Mochan, about 450 trees, which are to be chopped down to construct a new 33 KW substation, have already been marked. The villagers of the nearby Panchayat, who dependents on the forest for some of the basic requirements like fire wood, food for the domestic animals and a nearby natural water resource, requested the government to shift the location to a place where less trees would be chopped off. The villagers even called the media to put some pressure, but it didn’t work. Similarly, 50-60 trees have been marked for the construction of the new complex of Public Health & Irrigation on the Shimla bypass road. HW had requested the government to find a location with a lower density of trees. In nutshell, the government did not listen to its people at all.

bhadai-village-sankat-mochan-taradevi

Health

Have a look at these images, which were sent to us by a reader, narrating the conditions in the Kamala Nehru Hospital, the biggest lady reading in Himachal.

knh-general-ward

A few other images of KNH Shimla sent to us by our other readers.

Transportation Facilities

The government, somehow succeeded in getting rid of open doors of private buses, but overcrowding problem has worsen, especially, on Sanjuali, Tutu, Summer Hill routes. The bus accident, in which 53 people died, in the Chamba district a few months ago is a sufficient proof that the bus fasciitis does not meet the requirement in many parts of Himachal. Even after the accident the issue remains the same in rural areas.

overcrowded-bus-shimla

Shimla is the capital city and a great tourist spot on the world map and that makes the roads of Shimla busiest in the state. The government failed to tackle the problems of insufficient parking spaces in the Shimla. The frequent traffic jams, most of which causes due to vehicles parked on the already congested roads, has become a frequent scene. BCS, Sanjauli and Boileauganj, Lakkar Bazaar are the most common places which suffers due to the unavailability of the parking spaces.

E-Samdhan, Online portal for public grievances started by Prem Kumar Dhumal

Hide dhumal-himachal-on-sale

Present Chief Minister, Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal launched the E-Samdhan in 2008 and made a great noise. It is an online portal where public a citizen can submit grievances. Mr. Dhumal claimed that the process of attending to the public grievances would become easier and faster. HW tried to use the services in a hope for some actions from the particular departments regarding many sensitive issues. However, in terms of speed, it takes more time than flying to New York, spend couple of weeks there and return to Himachal. Recently, E-Samdhan took 17 days to forward a complaint to traffic police Shimla. That’s not the best way the services of the Internet can be utilized. Online service means ease and speed, but unfortunately, not in Himachal.

Public Infrastructure

Please have a look at the condition of the public toilets, rain shelters, footpath, streetlights etc yourself. A very few of them were attended and most of them are still pending.

Hide public-toilets-shimla

Our experience with MC Shimla

Somehow, we managed to fix a few problems by submitting complaints to the MC Shimla. The damaged footpaths, poor waste management, leaking sewerage pipes, damaged roadside drainage system, public paths in poor condition, leaking water tanks, stinking public toilets etc. are a few of them. Most of them are still waiting to be attended. In case some of them were attended, then only the mentioned locations were dealt with and in general, the problems were ignored. Majority of the complaints submitted to the MC Shimla are ‘in progress’ and likely to remains the same in the future too. The story of Rajhana Panchayat is one considerable example of the ignorance of the MC Shimla towards the public grievances.

Fortunately, the MC Shimla seems to have put some efforts to tackle the issue of unauthorized placement of billboards and hoardings. However, HW has been writing regarding the same to MC Shimla from the past one year.

unauthorised-hoardings-shimla

To The Public

In a state with a literacy rate above 90%, the public equally contribute towards polluting the environment, mishandling public property with their unwanted routine habits that affect the social environment around them. Improper garbage disposal, unwillingness to co-operate with traffic rules, wasting drinking water, setting the jungles on fire are common, but the lack of raising voice against any public or social issue stands as the greatest problem that encourages corruption and development of the state.

Our Himachal is still beautiful and peaceful. HW requests the public to participate and contribute in any cause that matters for the sustenance of the natural beauty and the peace of our state. It doesn’t matter which party comes to power. That will not solve the problem. The public needs to know the power of their rights that they can use to correct the government. The Union Is Strength. The political parties still uses the ‘dive and rule’ trick and we still fall victims of it. Being a party sympathizer is not an issue, but following any ideology blindly is the dumbest thing the public of a nation would do. Just imagine that there are thousands of political parties in India and each one of them have their own supporters. This grouping is keeping the public from getting together and question the government. We don’t need a third front to take charge of the government. To keep the government responsible, we need to stand united and aware.

Madan has studied English Literature and Journalism from HP University and lives in Shimla. He is an amateur photographer and has been writing on topics ranging from environmental, socio-economic, development programs, education, eco-tourism, eco-friendly lifestyle and to green technologies for over 9 years now. He has an inclination for all things green, wonderful and loves to live in solitude. When not writing, he can be seen wandering, trying to capture the world around him in his DSLR lens.

HW Community

PIL Filed in HP High Court Re-Ignites Quest for Recognizing Pahari (Himachali) as Hill State’s Official Language

Published

on

By

pil in hp high court for himachali pahari language 3

Shimla- November 10, 2021, Himachal Pradesh High Court on Monday passed an order concerning a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to recognize Pahari (Himachali) as an official language of the state. The petition also sought effective steps on the part of the government to preserve and promote the Pahari language in the State as its culture and language give it a distinct identity. 

The Public Interest Litigation was filed by Arsh Dhanotia with a prayer that the state be directed to declare Pahari (Himachali) as one of the official languages in the State of Himachal Pradesh in any script and also promote further research towards a long-term formal Pahari (Himachali) nuclear language structure and nuclear Tankri script.

Bhawani Pratap Singh Kutlahria, the advocate for the petitioner, argued in the court that the State Government be directed to promote Pahari (Himachali) and other local languages as the medium of instruction in primary and middle-level schools as per the New Education Policy, 2020. On behalf of the petitioner, he also prayed the court to direct the state government to include Pahari (Himachali) language as a separate category for the 2021 Census and simultaneously undertake an awareness campaign to create awareness amongst the masses, especially the youth of the State who speak Pahari (Himachali), to get it marked as their mother tongue in the upcoming Census.

A bench of Chief Justice Mohammad Rafiq and Justice Sabina while disposing off the PIL stated,

“The direction as has been prayed for, cannot be issued to the State Government until and unless it is established on record that the Pahari (Himachali) language has its own script and that a common Pahari dialect is spoken throughout the State of Himachal Pradesh.  We, however, set the petitioner at liberty to approach the Department of Language Art & Culture to the Government of Himachal Pradesh with his demand for undertaking research to promote a common Pahari (Himachali) nuclear language structure and nuclear Tankri script. If the petitioner approaches the respondents-State through its Additional Chief Secretary (Language Art & Culture) to the Government of Himachal Pradesh) for the prayer made in the Civil Writ Public Interest Litigation, it would be for the said authority to consider the same in accordance with the law.”

Additionally, the petition had emphasised that Sanskrit, which is the second official language of the state, had only 936 speakers according to the 2011 census and Pahari (Himachali) dialect chain which is spoken by more than 40 lakh people was being neglected and has not been made an official language even after having so many speakers.

The petition also highlighted works of Former Chief Minister Late YS Parmar and Former Education Minister Late Narain Chand Parashar towards the promotion of the Pahari (Himachali) language.

What’s Pahari (Himachali) Language, How Many Districts It Covers

It is to be noted that according to the petitioner, Pahari (Himachali) is a combined term used for the Western Pahari dialect chain spoken in Himachal Pradesh and majorly includes Kangri, Mandeali, Chambeali, Kulvi, Mahasu Pahari and Sirmauri. According to him ever since the creation of Himachal Pradesh, there has been a demand for recognition of Pahari (Himachali) under the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and it is also officially listed with 37 more languages as a language which is in significant demand to be included in the scheduled languages category.

In his plea, he also stated that the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha in 1970 and 2010 have also passed resolutions concerning the promotion and development of Pahari (Himachali).

Continue Reading

Environment

Himachal’s Snow Covered Area Has Decreased, Poses Big Threat to State Economy’s Lifelines: Report

Published

on

Himachal Pradesh's Snow Covered area decreasing

Shimla-The area under snow cover in Himachal Pradesh has declined by 18.5% according to a recent report published by State Centre on Climate Change (SCCC) and Space Application Center (ISRO) Ahmedabad. The report revealed this decreasing trend for the five major river basins in the State.

As the report points out, the high altitude regions of Himachal Pradesh receive precipitation mainly in the form of snow during the winter season. One-third of the geographical area of ​​the state is covered by a thick blanket of snow during the winter season. Rivers like Chenab, Beas, Parvati, Baspa, Spiti, Ravi, Sutlej and its tributaries flowing through Himachal are dependent on snowfall in winter. These rivers mainly feed into the Indus water system and a decline at this rate rings a death knell for water and also food security for millions of people from Himachal to Kashmir, the plains of Punjab, the food bowl of the country.

Using images and data received from satellites, the report states, that the winter precipitation was mapped in all the basins from October 2020 to May 2021 (a period of two years). The findings indicate that there has been an average decrease of 8.92 percent in Chenab basin, 18.54 percent in Beas basin, 23.16 percent in Ravi basin, 23.49 percent in Sutlej basin compared to last year. The ice covered area of ​​Chenab basin was 7154.11 sq km in 2019-20, which has come down to 6515.91 sq km in 2020-21. Similarly, Beas basin was reduced from 2457.68 to 2002.03 square kilometer, Ravi basin from 2108.13 square kilometer to 1619.82 square kilometer and Sutlej from 11823.1 square kilometer to 9045 square kilometers. Overall, the snow covered area was reduced from 23542 square kilometer to 19183 square kilometer in the entire Himachal.

basin wise snow cover in himachal pradesh

Figure Source: Hindustan Times

Sutlej Basin covers 45 per cent of the total geographical area of Himachal and it is the longest river of the state. It flows for around 320 kms here, passing through Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Solan and Bilaspur districts, along its course. The above study shows that the maximum reduction in snow cover has occurred in the Sutlej basin. An area of ​​4359 square kilometers under snow cover has decreased for the whole state, of which more than half of the Sutlej Basin.

Just two years ago another study had indicated that more than half of glaciers in Sutlej Basin are set to vanish by 2050. Yet another study also showed that the Sutlej basin has the highest 562 number of glacial lakes. These lakes stand the risk of sudden outbursts, which then causes flash floods downstream as the valley has already experienced. So, while the crisis that is unfolding, be it deglaciation, lake formation or reduction in area under snow cover, it seems that the Sutlej river basin is more vulnerable to these changes.

Prakash Bhandari, an environmental researcher and activist and member of Himdhara Collective expressing his concern states that the situation in the Sutlej river basin is certainly indicative of a serious climate emergency and it is critical to look into the drivers of this both local and global.

“The Sutlej basin catchment is the largest and so the changes visible here are more significant. Many factors have worked together to create this crisis which should be studied closely. There is no doubt that global warming is contributing to these changes. But the local conditions also play a role in reducing or increasing its impact”, he says.

The upper reaches of the Sutlej Valley, especially areas like Kinnaur are geologically fragile, with sharp gradients and loose soil strata. Vegetation is in a very small area so the proneness to erosion. We have seen the catastrophic impacts of flashfloods and landslides over the last decade and a half, where crores worth of property has been damaged. This year saw a spate of landslides where lives were lost. “In such a sensitive and also strategically important area, changes in the landscape will have far reaching and irreversible impacts. More construction activities will lead to more deforestation, more erosion”.  

Construction of dams has been rampant in the Sutlej valley, a phenomena that started post independence and continues today. If all of the planned dams are built the Sutlej will be cho-a-cloc with more then 150, large and small projects. At the bottom of the valley in Bilaspur is the Bhakra Dam, built almost 6 decades ago, which has a size of 168 sq km and a storage capacity of 9.340 cubic km. Is. This is followed by the Kol Dam which extends for 42 km up to Sunni, which has a total storage capacity of 90 million cubic metres. Nathpa Jhakri Project which is 27.394 kms. is long. When a dam is built, a huge amount of water is stored. The debris of many villages, trees etc. also gets absorbed inside the dam. When water is stagnant, it receives heat from the Sun to form mist in the surrounding area by evaporation and simultaneously generates methane gas. The experience of the lake formed by the Kol dam at Tattapani in Mandi district shows that the area is experiencing heavy haze which was not there earlier.

“In the 30s and 40s, Shikari Devi and Kamrunag used to have snow on the peaks for about 6 months, which now could barely stop for only 2 months. The air route distance of Shikari Devi and Kamrunag is only 26 to 30 kms from Tattapani lake. At the same time, their distance is not much from the cement factories of Darlaghat, Sundernagar”, the elders in the area say. “Today, fog is prevalent and this has also made the area warmer”.

Due to the warming of the weather due to the clouds formed from the mist, the snow has started melting quickly. Apart from this the local crop patterns are affected. Post the 1990s, the Sutlej became a site for run of the river hydroelectric projects using extensive underground tunneling. This involves massive use of explosives for blasting through the mountains. Of the 23,000 MW worth of projects to be constructed in Himachal more than 10,000, a third are from this valley alone. Kinnaur continues to be a hydel powerhouse with 10 run of the river projects in progress and 30 more to be set up including two mega projects of 1500 MW and 1000 MW each. This paints a scary picture.

Interactive Sutlej River-Basin Map indicate Hydropower Station location

It is not just the hydro-electric dams but unplanned tourism and other development activities like mining, cement plants, road expansion and mindless construction across the high Himalayan regions have also add to the shift in local weather patterns, land use changes and thus the ecological crisis. But the reason why we should put the limelight on hydropower is that this is being pushed as “Green Energy”, in the name of climate change mitigation. As opposed to other forms of generating power, hydropower projects are said to cause lesser carbon emissions, which is why there has been a global push to shift to renewable resources. But the climate emergency in the Himalayas has put a question mark on ‘water’ as a renewable resource.

The question then arises that with all this data indicating a steady decline in river discharge and snow cover have our planners and policy makers not considered what will happen to these projects? Will they be able to generate the power they propose to? The people of Himalaya have to wake up to this wastage of public resources. Scarce funds should be diverted to better planning for securing local livelihoods by protecting the forest ecosystems and water sources for the future.

Author: Gagandeep Singh-From Himdhara (Environment Research and Action Collective)

Feature Images:  unsplash/@raimondklavins

Continue Reading

HW Community

Himachal: Warnings of Delta Plus Virulence Fall on Deaf Ears, No Restriction on Visitors from Affected States  

Published

on

By

Delta plus in himachal pradesh

Shimla-Yesterday, the Centre government directed the state governments to take immediate measure in wake of the spread of more infectious Delta Plus variant.  As the Delta Plus variant is posing a threat of the third wave, the states were told to take steps like preventing crowds, increase testing, more focus on surveillance, contact tracing and put boosting vaccine coverage on a priority basis. Following it, Himachal Pradesh Government might have announced an alert over Delta plus variant, but there wasn’t any follow up on instructions passed by scientists and health experts to take strict restrictive measures ahead of the impending third wave. 

To make it worse, high rank officials and political leaders were seen flouting Covid-19 SOPs on several occasion, which sent wrong messages to the masses. The pictures and videos showing flouting of Covid appropriate behavior by Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and Directorial General of Police, Sanjay Kundu, alongwith other staff for Anupam Kher is the most recent to mention. A group photograph and video of the same were widely circulated on social media and invited huge criticism from the people.  

So far, the state has not reported any case of the Delta Plus variant. But the neighboring states – Punjab, Haryana, and Jammu & Kashmir – reported their first cases yesterday. This puts the boarding areas, like in Una district, at a higher risk. Chief Secretary to HP Government, Anil Khachi, yesterday said samples have been sent for genome sequencing. 

Despite repeated warnings of Delta plus variant (B.1.617.2.1.), Himachal Pradesh has thrown its borders open to all and lifted all restrictions for inter-state travel in just one go. From June 23 onwards, the state government removed the condition for registering on the e-pass portal for visitors intending to enter the state. In the Cabinet meeting held on June 22, 201, the government first decided that e-pass restrictions would be removed from July 1, but later it changed the decision and instead implemented it immediately.

This haphazard decision is said to have come under huge pressure from the hospitality industry – the worst-hit sector, leading to financial crisis and mass unemployment among its stakeholders. Related associations had been approaching Chief Minister Jairam Thakur with their pleas to provide relief, but mostly faced disappointment. The stakeholders say the state government didn’t provide any significant relief, which is making the survival of the industry difficult.

Also Read: Read Eight Reliefs That Himachal’s Devastated Tourism Industry Seeks from HP Govt  

Also, stakeholder of the industry, especially hoteliers, had been demanding the removal of restrictions and conditions on the entry of tourists to Himachal so that they could fetch the remaining peak tourist season.

With its inability to offer relief, the HP Government took the chance to waive off restrictions in a haste.

At the same time, the state government has decided to conduct offline examinations for the undergraduate classes starting from July. A section of the students had been condemning the HP government for scheduling exams without vaccinating students. Some student bodies had been asking the government as to why online classes were possible but not online exams. 

The state government also waived off restrictions on timings for the opening of markets/shops.

As scientists and health experts warn of the virulence of the new variant and with neighboring states already on alert after reporting cases of the new variant, the HP government hasn’t even mentioned any intention to at least put a check on the visitor from the states where cases of Delta Plus are being reported. Carrying an RT-PCR negative report for visitors from such states/cities would have been a wiser step. 

Officially, the state is on alert, but no measures have been announced to check the entry and spread of the variant into the state. The state government does speak of preparing for the anticipated third wave, but there is hardly any long-term preventive strategy. The Covid appropriate behavior is hard to adopt when markets and tourist places are crowded with visitors.

Why Delta Plus is a Big Concern

The World Health Organization (WHO) has labelled the Delta variant as ‘Variant of Concern’.

The Centre and scientific/medical institutes in India also agree with that Delta Plus as a variant of concern and could be the cause of impending third wave. Last Tuesday, based on the findings of INSACOG, the Union Health Ministry had alerted and advised Maharashtra, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh regarding the Delta Plus variant of COVID19.

INSACOG had warned that the Delta Plus variant has increased transmissibility, stronger binding to receptors of lung cells, potential reduction in monoclonal antibody response.

“Delta variant is more resistant to medication, treatment and vaccination. Therefore, people who have been vaccinated can still be affected by this variant and can go on to get a clinical illness, Archana Dhawan Bajaj, director, Nurture IVF, told a national English Daily.

“Neutralising antibodies against this variant post-vaccination seem to be nearly five times lower in people who have already been vaccinated than the other variants,” she said.

Further,  Dr Raman Gangakhedkar, ex-Head Scientist of Epidemiology and communicable diseases, ICMR, has also expressed concern over the reports that Delta Plus has reported pathophysiologic change and affecting different organs.  Dr Raman says that it could transfer from cell to cell and would more likely produce neurological symptoms as a common manifestation.

So far India has reported 51 cases of the Delta Plus variant.

Delta Plus variant is a variant of Delta with an additional mutation -B.1.617.2.1.

Continue Reading

Trending