The Sanyukt Kisan Manch (SKM) today apprised the Supreme Court appointed five-member high powered committee for talks with agitating farmers of problems being faced by apple growers in Panchkula today.

The growers highlighted several problems that had adversely affected apple cultivation.

One of the major issues flagged by the growers was the cheap imported apple finding its way into Indian markets and hurting the interests of domestic growers. The growers suggested that import policy needed to be reviewed as it favoured foreign farmers and importers instead of the domestic growers.

The growers said the import policy for apple could be aligned with that of tea or spices, which has higher import duty or minimum import price.

The import duty on apple is 50 per cent and the minimum import price is Rs 50 per kg. The growers further suggested that the APMC-controlled markets were for Indian farmers and no foreign farmers’ produce should be sold there.

A massive fire erupted at a pharmaceutical unit, Smarth Life Sciences at Manakpur, Baddi this morning around 4.04 am. No loss of life has been reported as the unit was not operational when the fire broke.

The fire department rushed to the spot to douse the blaze with eight fire tenders having been used comprising 4 from Baddi, two from Nalagarh and one from Vardhman textiles to control the blaze.

The fire was yet to be brought under control despite intensive firefighting operations since the last several hours.

Santosh Sharma Commandant Home Guards informed that the fire staff was on their toes since 4.15 pm and efforts were afoot to control the fire.

The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.

Black plumes of smoke could be seen rising in the sky as the fire spread within no time due to the presence of inflammable material in the unit.

Eight years after receiving funds from the Centre, the state’s first drug laboratory, equipped with the state-of-the-art testing facilities, became functional at Baddi on Wednesday.

The functioning of the lab will give a boost to high-quality drug manufacturing as the drug inspectors will now be able to step up the sampling of drugs. Earlier, such samples were sent to labs in Chandigarh, making the task time-consuming.

Its work has been outsourced to Panchkula-based ITC Labs, who will be paid Rs 6 crore annually by the state government to operate this lab. It has deputed 30-40 technicians and 10 administrative officials while the state government has provided two government analysts to oversee its functioning.

The Rs 32 crore lab will cater to 650-odd industrial units. Earlier, only limited drug testing was undertaken in the absence of a lab. With 15 sophisticated HPCL machines and other paraphernalia, the preliminary testing was undertaken on 70 drug samples on Wednesday.

State Drugs Controller Manish Kapoor, while confirming the news, said, “The drug inspectors have been directed to step up drug sampling for regular testing, which will also help maintain a check on the drug quality. The lab has a capacity to test 8,000-10,000 drug samples annually.”

Despite housing Asia’s biggest pharmaceutical hub in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) industrial belt, the state lacked a fully equipped drug-testing laboratory till now.

The need to set up such a lab assumes significance as the drug samples from the state’s drug firms repeatedly fail quality parameters.

“With the Central Drug Standard Control Organisation imposing stringent conditions such as bio-equivalence and stability data for every product, the absence of such a lab forced the industry to outsource such tests to private labs. The creation of a stability chamber and related facilities is a costly affair for small manufacturers,” said a pharmaceutical manufacturer, who welcomed the setting up of the lab.

The Union Government had provided Rs 30 crore to the state Health Department in 2017 to set up this lab under the 12th Five-Year Plan. Remaining funds were pooled by the state government as part of its share.

A building was purchased from the HP Housing and Urban Development Authority for this lab in 2017, but the setting up of the lab was hanging fire for nearly eight years. Public-sector enterprise HCL had set up the lab.

Though the lab was inaugurated in April last year, it could not be made functional as the state had to seek permission from the Centre to run this lab as it lacked the requisite mandate to operate such a lab

The Lahaul and Spiti administration has announced that the Manali-Darcha, Sumdo-Losar and Tandi-Kadu Nala roads are now open for light vehicle traffic. This development comes after light snowfall in the region this morning.

Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar, along with other district officials, reviewed the road conditions and traffic management after the snowfall.

Additionally, the Deputy Commissioner provided an update on the road restoration efforts following the snowfall last week. Out of the total 134 connecting roads in the Lahaul sub-division, the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) have cleared 90 roads for light vehicle traffic.

Work is ongoing to restore the remaining roads, with progress being made on a war footing, the Deputy Commissioner added.

He has urged both locals and tourists to exercise caution while travelling in these areas as slippery road conditions, which persist after the snowfall, could lead to accidents.

He recommended the use of 4×4 vehicles or vehicles equipped with snow chains for safer travel. He also advised travellers to avoid driving at night, emphasising the risks posed by black ice, which could be extremely hazardous in dark.

The Deputy Commissioner further advised the public to remain calm and follow the instructions of the police in case of traffic jams. To ensure smooth traffic management, the police have been deployed at key points such as Atal Tunnel, Koksar and Sissu. The people have been encouraged to reach out to the police for any assistance.

Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry (UHF), Nauni, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Insecticides Limited (HIL) to promote natural farming across India.

The MoU facilitates the joint implementation of the Global Environment Facility and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) Regional Child Project, which focuses on reducing and managing agrochemical use through the Fostering Agrochemical Reduction and Management (FARM) initiative in India.

HIL, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers manufactures agrochemicals, seeds, and water-soluble fertilizers.

This collaboration marks a pioneering effort by a company traditionally involved in the production of agrochemicals and fertilizers to actively promote natural farming practices in the country.

The MoU was signed by Prof RS Chandel, Vice Chancellor of UHF, and Kuldeep Singh, Chairman and Managing Director of HIL. The primary goal of the FARM project is to offer safer alternatives to chemical pesticides and promote Integrated Pest Management practices, including natural farming, among India’s farming communities.

The initiative aims to transition 1.5 million hectares of farmland from conventional chemical farming to organic/natural farming methods and protect 1.5 million people from exposure to harmful pesticides.

Prof Chandel termed the occasion as “historic” for the university, emphasising its role as a pioneer in natural farming and agroecology.

He expressed happiness about the partnership with HIL, noting that the collaboration would contribute significantly to reducing chemical use in agriculture and developing pilot models for nationwide implementation.

The industrial cluster of Baddi was rated as the fourth most-polluted city of India next only to Byrnihat in Meghalaya, Delhi and Noida with the air quality index (AQI) hitting the “very poor” level of 366.

As per the bulletin issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Baddi recorded an AQI of 366 which was marginally lower than 389 of Byrnihat, 378 of Delhi and 376 of Noida.

This industrial belt figures among 11 cities nationally where the AQI level exceeded 300 at 2:05 pm today.

After maintaining a moderate AQI in December 2024, this sudden movement above 300 indicated a steep deterioration of air quality which will trigger health concerns, especially in the sensitive population.

From 289 AQI recorded yesterday at 4 pm, this steep rise indicates how the air has deteriorated in quality in the past 24 hours. Respiratory illness on prolonged exposure is expected under such circumstances, claim health experts.

Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 has been indicated as the prominent parameter with its maximum level climbing to 500. Its minimum was as high as 237. Its average level was noted to be at 366. Vehicle emissions, industrial boilers, burning of wood etc contribute PM2.5 to the air.

PM10 has been identified as the other prominent contributor to the hazardous AQI. Its maximum level too was as high as 500 and its minimum stood at 144. So, its average stood at 304.

Construction work, industrial emissions, burning of wood add PM10 to the air. With four-laning work underway on the Baddi-Nalagarh national highway, the roads abound in dust and cause discomfort to the sensitive population.

Taking a serious note of the alleged embezzlement in the deployment of water tankers in the Matiana and Kasumpti divisions of the Jal Shakti Vibhag (JSV), the state government has suspended five officials of the department posted in these two divisions and ordered suspension of another five officials on the basis of a preliminary inquiry.

“We will not tolerate any lapse or corruption. Strict action will be taken against people found guilty of any wrongdoing,” said Jal Shakti Vibhag Minister Mukesh Agnihotri. Besides, the minister gave directions to blacklist contractors, who were involved in the alleged water supply scam, in the Theog area of Shimla district.

“We have written to the ADGP and the State Vigilance and Corruption Bureau to conduct a detailed inquiry into the matter and take appropriate action,” said Agnihotri.

Rakesh Singha, a former MLA from Theog constituency, had flagged an alleged scam in water distribution in his constituency a few days ago.

On the basis of information gathered through the RTI, Singha had alleged that the registration number of vehicles used for water supply turned out to be those of scooters, motorcycles and cars, including a vehicle belonging to a senior government official, instead of water tankers.

The former MLA had further alleged that tankers were shown to have distributed water in villages which had no approach road. “Every year, around Rs 10 to Rs 12 lakh are spent on water supply in Theog and surrounding places via tankers.

The amount reached Rs 1.13 crore in 2024,” said Singha, while alleging massive irregularities in water supply.

Following revelations by Singha, All India Congress Committee spokesperson and Theog MLA Kuldeep Singh Rathore also asked the state government to conduct an inquiry into the matter and take strict action against those found guilty.

While stating that corruption would not be tolerated at any level, Rathore said prima facie there seemed some irregularities, but full facts would emerge once the investigation was complete.

A police constable was arrested and another placed under custody for allegedly killing a hotel manager at a New Year’s party in Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district, officials said on Friday.

The accused, Anoop Kumar and Amit Kumar, were posted as constables in the Chamba district, while the victim was identified as hotel manager Rajinder Kumar.

According to police, the incident occurred during a New Year’s party when three police personnel visited a hotel in Banikhet, Chamba. Anoop and Amit got into a heated argument with Rajinder and Sachin, a hotel employee.

In the heat of the moment, Rajinder, Anoop and Sachin fell from the hotel’s elevated parking space and suffered injuries. While Anoop and Sachin suffered fractures, Rajinder Kumar succumbed to injuries.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Yadav said that Amit had been arrested while Anoop will be formally placed under arrest after getting discharged from the hospital. The involvement of the third police personnel is under investigation.

Rajinder’s family members earlier held a protest and demanded action against the accused. They blocked the Pathankot-Chamba National Highway for a few hours which disrupted vehicular movement. They withdrew the protest after the SP assured them of stern action.

Yadav said that the accused were posted in Chamba and were sent to Dalhousie for duty.

“While they were returning from their duty, they headed up to the hotel where the incident took place. We have also checked CCTV footage in which we can see that a scuffle had taken place” he said.

Further investigation into the matter is under way, he added.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu yesterday said that the state government would soon allocate 22 new hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 828 MW.

The projects ranging from 6.5 MW to 400 MW were located across Kullu, Chamba, Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Shimla districts. He said that the largest allocation comprising nine projects with a total capacity of 595 MW was planned for the Chenab river basin. Additionally, eight projects totalling 169 MW were earmarked for the Sutlej river basin, four projects (55 MW) for the Ravi basin and one project (9 MW) for the Beas basin.

Sukhu said for the first time the state government would allot these projects to other states, union territories and central and state undertakings. The projects would be assigned on a 40-year lease with an upfront premium of Rs 10 lakh per megawatt.

A letter has already been issued by the Energy Directorate to secretaries of states and central undertakings, offering these projects. Apart from this, advertisements were also being released to ensure wide promotion and publicity.

The allotment of these 22 hydel projects would help harness the vast hydropower potential in the state and usher in economic prosperity of the area where they are set up.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, on Thursday, flagged off the 13-day educational and recreational tour for 22 orphan children adopted as ‘children of the state’ under the Sukh Aashray Yojana.

Sukhu flagged off the bus carrying the first group of 22 children, marking the start of the scheme. “The state government enacted a law for orphaned children and had adopted 6,000 children under the law. The government had launched the Sukh Aashray Yojana to ensure their welfare and provide for their educational needs,” he said.

Sukhu said, the scheme aims to empower these children and support them in becoming self-reliant. As part of the initiative, children were taken to places such as Chandigarh, Delhi and Goa for exposure and learning.

The children include 16 girls and 6 boys. Their plan includes visiting Chandigarh from Jan 2 to 4, a stay in Delhi, before flying to Goa on Jan 8. In Goa they will stay at a three-star hotel and visit key tourist and historic attractions. The group is scheduled to return to Chandigarh on Jan 14, 2025.

Agriculture Minister Chander Kumar, Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, MLA Harish Janartha and Mayor MC Shimla Surinder Chauhan, were also present during the flag off.

A devastating fire swept through Tandi village in Kullu’s Banjar subdivision, reducing around 20 houses, fodder, and cow sheds to ashes.

The fire, which started from a fodder shed, spread rapidly due to strong winds and the predominantly wooden construction of the houses.

According to Banjar SDM Pankaj Sharma, the primary loss is estimated to be around Rs 10 crore, with ornaments and jewellery in the ‘kothi’ (store) of deity Gadpati Sheshnag also destroyed in the blaze. Fortunately, there were no casualties or livestock losses reported.

The fire tenders from Banjar, Largi, and Kullu were rushed to the scene, but the flames were not fully doused until the filing of this report.

The SDM said the district administration has provided relief materials, food, and shelter to the affected families, with temporary tents to be pitched if required.

Kullu district has witnessed several major fire incidents in recent years. The villages in the district primarily consist of wooden houses built in the traditional ‘Kath-Kuni’ architecture, which are often adjacent to each other.

To mitigate the risk of fires, Kullu District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has identified locations in remote villages to construct RCC and prefabricated tanks.

These tanks will be connected to pipelines and fire hydrants to tackle fires in rural areas with limited road access and far from fire stations.

The district administration plans to install large water tanks in areas with dense populations, traditional ‘Kath-Kuni’ style wooden houses, and high fire risk. Although this proposal was initiated a couple of years ago, progress has been slow.

The exact cause of the fire is still unknown, and a magisterial inquiry will be conducted.

Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla has extended his wishes to the people of the state on the New Year’s Eve.

The Governor expressed hope that the coming year would bring abundance of good health and happiness in the lives of the people and Himachal Pradesh would witness more progress in all spheres.

“I am confident that with the hard work and dedication of the people, Himachal would make rapid strides in all spheres of development and would achieve new heights in 2025,” he said.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu also extended his warm greetings and best wishes to the people of Himachal for the New Year.

“I hope that the New Year would bring happiness, peace and prosperity to everyone’s lives while propelling Himachal Pradesh to new heights of progress and development,” he said.

The Chief Minister reflected on the achievements of the past year, stating that with the blessings of the deities and the steadfast support of the people, all challenges of 2024 were successfully overcome.

Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Pathania and Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri also extended their greetings on the New Year.