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Himachal Pradesh
Herb dealers
Twenty-eight year old Preetum Singh of Kharongcha village in Tirthan valley has been going into the park since he was 14 to collect herbs and graze his cattle. I found him about 500 metres inside the park. Initially reticent (he thought I was from the Forest Department), he then …
Crusaders of science
a piece of inspiring information was in store for the 1,000 delegates who assembled in Shimla during the second week of October 2003 to be a part of the latest biennial conference of the All India People's Science Network (aipsn). They came to know that a recent conclave …
What caused the landslides in Uttaranchal?
On the night of September 24, residents of Uttarkashi in the Garhwal Himalayas were jolted by rumblings of rocks and boulders hurtling down the Varunavat parvat (hillock). Landslides have ravaged this ancient pilgrimage town ever since. Many buildings including high-rise hotels and houses have come under a steady stream of …
In Short
hc cracks whip: Reprimanding the state-level committee over its inability to find zones for stone-crushers, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has ordered the closure of all such units. The owners of the state's stone-crushing units may, however, approach the court for a vacation or modification of the order. Announcing that …
HP snubbed
the Union ministry of environment and forests (mo ef) has taken strong exception to Himachal Pradesh's (hp) decision to denotify a part of its forestland. Under a notification issued in 1952, hp declared all wasteland and tracts on which the state government had proprietary rights …
Forest states want money in lieu of felling
on august 1, 2003, Madhya Pradesh (mp) made a plea in the Supreme Court (sc) seeking a fund-generating mechanism for forest protection. Earlier, in June, Himachal Pradesh (hp) and Arunachal Pradesh (ap) asked the Union government to provide them annual reimbursement amounting …
Toxic taint
the state pollution control boards of Kerala, West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh (hp) have detected the presence of cadmium in sludge supplied as fertiliser to farmers by soft-drinks makers.
Cadmium levels in excess of those allowed by the Bureau of Indian Standards were found in the sludge of …
Cadmium levels in excess of those allowed by the Bureau of Indian Standards were found in the sludge of …
HP village plugs hydel project
in an unprecedented development, the members of a gram sabha in Himachal Pradesh (hp) exercised rights conferred on them under the fifth schedule of the Constitution and disallowed the Rs 7,759-crore Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric Power (hep) Project. Permission was denied on the ground that the authorities …
HP mulls blanket ban
Himachal Pradesh, the first state in the country to regulate the manufacture and use of plastics, is now contemplating a complete clampdown on polythene bags. The state's Council of Science, Technology and Environment is behind the proposed move. "At present only coloured, recycled polybags are banned in Himachal. But we …
Trout threat recedes
Good news for trout lovers, especially Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. A mysterious viral disease that left thousands of trout dead in the Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh has been identified and controlled, assert a group of Norwegian scientists.
About 15 metric tonnes of rainbow trout died in the state's …
About 15 metric tonnes of rainbow trout died in the state's …