The Government of India has designated areas around Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Mandi district, as eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) to reduce the impact of urbanisation and developmental activities on the surrounding protected areas.

The sanctuary, which spans 29.94 sq km, came into existence in 1962 as an effort to conserve wildlife in the region.

The ESZ includes 43 villages of the Nachan Forest Division and the Karsog Forest Division. The Nachan division includes 34 villages, while Karsog division includes nine villages.

The ESZ was declared under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, to restrict human activities, except agriculture, in the designated areas.

According to Surender Kashyap, Divisional Forest Officer of Nachan and member secretary of the ESZ, the primary goal is to reduce deforestation and human-wildlife conflict.

The zone will be managed using a core and buffer model, aiming to protect wildlife while benefiting local communities.

The designated sensitive zone is defined from 50 m to 2 km around the sanctuary. If the zone had not been established, areas up to 10 km away would automatically have been included, affecting hundreds of villages.

Therefore, the authorities have pre-emptively included only those areas within a 2-km radius. All departments concerned have been asked to submit their plans by January 20.

“Future developmental activities in this zone will be strictly carried out as per the zonal master plan. Any project outside the master plan will not be permitted,” he said.

“Under the ESZ regulations, commercial mining, establishing pollution-causing industries, undertaking major hydropower projects, setting up hotels and resorts, and deforestation will be prohibited.

However, activities that are sustainable like organic farming and rainwater harvesting will be allowed,” he said.

“Furthermore, a special Zonal Master Plan is being developed to guide the future growth of the ESZ. A committee, chaired by the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) of Mandi, has been set up, with members from various forest and government departments, including DFO (Nachan), DFO (Karsog), District Panchayat Officer (Mandi), and District Planning Officer, District Tourism Officer, being a part of it.

The committee has directed all members to submit the detailed action plans for their respective areas by January 20. Without these plans, no further development will be allowed within the zone,” he said.

“The Central Government has directed states to prepare specific master plans for ESZs by February to avoid any disruption to wildlife habitats, and the failure to do so will result in the automatic designation of a 10-km radius as an ESZ,” the DFO said.

The local meteorological office on Monday predicted rain and snow in the middle and high hills of Himachal Pradesh from January 16-19, as a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from January 14 night.

Snow and rain were seen at isolated places since Sunday evening, with Gondla in Lahaul-Spiti district receiving 1 cm of snow, Kalpa 0.4 cm, while state capital Shimla witnessed traces of snow.

Bharmaur received 5 mm of rain followed by Nahan 4.1 mm, Poanta Sahib 3.2 mm, Rajgarh and Banjar 3 mm each, and Dhaulakuan and Dalhousie 2 mm each.

The tribal areas and higher reaches shivered under piercing cold wave conditions with Kukumseri recording a night temperature of -12.3°C, the lowest in the state, followed by Tabo at -10.9°, Keylong -8.7°, Samdho -7° and Kalpa -3.6°.

The minimum temperature hovered around the freezing point at most of the tourist destinations. Narkanda recorded a night temperature at -2.5°C, Manali -1.1°, Kufri -0.8°, Dalhousie 0.6°, and Shimla 2.4°.

Cold wave continued unabated in parts of Una, Hamirpur and Kangra districts.

Ground frost was observed in Shimla, Jubbarhatti and Bilapsur, while dense fog engulfed Sundernagar and Mandi saw moderate fog, the Met office said.

The winter season rain deficit from January 1 to 13 stood at 81 per cent as the state received 4.8 mm of rain against 25.5 mm normal rainfall seen during this period.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu laid the foundation stone of Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School (RGDBS) in Amlehar village of the Nadaun Assembly constituency, near here, on Sunday. The school would be built at a cost of Rs 25 crore on 125 kanal land.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the state government had planned big changes in education sector.

The government is considering creating three separate directorates of education — one for pre-primary to class second, second for classes up to XII and third for colleges. He added that the decision on restructuring of education directorates could be taken in near future.

He said that Rajiv Gandhi Day Boarding School would bring drastic changes in the field of education. The construction work of schools has been started in 10 Assembly constituencies.

Sukhu said, “It is the vision of the state government to provide quality education to the children studying in government schools in rural areas.

Hence, we are opening Rajiv Gandhi day boarding schools in a phased manner in every Assembly constituency, where all the modern facilities will be available under one roof”.

The Chief Minister said the previous BJP government opened 600 schools without making proper provision for staff.

“Our government decided that Rajiv Gandhi day boarding schools would not be opened until provision for adequate staff is made,” he said adding that due to policies of the previous BJP government, quality of education had gone down and Himachal Pradesh had reached the 21st position in the country.

Sukhu said the state government has sanctioned 11,833 posts in the Education Department in the last two years and over 3,196 teachers have been appointed so far.

He said the government is recruiting 6,297 Early Childhood Care Education Tutors, 5,291 TGTs, Shastris, JBTs and 245 Special Educators.

Sukhu said that state government is strengthening the rural economy. The state government has started procurement of cow milk at Rs 45 and buffalo milk at Rs 55 per litre.

The maize produced through natural farming was being purchased at Rs 30 and wheat at Rs 40 per kilogram. He added that government has procured 4000 metric ton of maize.

The Chief Minister said that MNREGA wages were raised from Rs 240 to Rs 300. The present state government is trying to provide quality facilities to the people of the state.

World class health care technology is being set up at the IGMC, Shimla, and Tanda, Hamirpur and Nerchowk medical colleges of Himachal Pradesh and AIIMS.

He announced construction of new building for Amlehar Gram Panchayat.

Congress leader Subhash Dadhwalia, Director of Higher Education Dr Amarjeet Sharma, SP Hamirpur Bhagat Singh Thakur and Additional District Magistrate Hamirpur Rahul Chauhan were also present on this occasion.

Higher reaches of Lahaul and Spiti received light snowfall today afternoon. Meanwhile, at most places in the state, the weather remained cloudy but dry.

As per the weather department, there is a possibility of light to moderate snowfall at a few places in the districts of Lahaul and Spiti, and Kinnaur tomorrow.

Meanwhile, light to moderate precipitation is likely at a few places in the districts of Shimla, Chamba, Mandi, Kullu and Kangra.

In the remaining districts of the state, there are chances of light to moderate rainfall at a few places. There is also a possibility of thunderstorm with lightning and hail at many places in the state.

With the weather turning cloudy, the average maximum temperature has slipped below normal in most parts of the state.

In a remarkable act of dedication and bravery, three employees of the Jal Shakti Department in Lahaul and Spiti district, Himachal Pradesh, have won the admiration of locals for their tireless efforts to restore drinking water supply to the remote village of Hinsa.

Despite facing extreme winter conditions, Sunil Pandit, Chattar Singh, and Jitender displayed unparalleled courage as they worked under freezing temperatures to ensure the supply of potable water to the village.

The trio faced the daunting challenge of repairing the water supply system in freezing cold, where the temperatures reached sub-zero levels.

The water they worked with was icy and stagnant, but they continued undeterred, even at the risk of their own safety.

Their determination has earned them widespread recognition, and videos of their work have gone viral on social media, garnering praise from the public.

Norboo Tsering, a local resident, expressed deep appreciation for the team’s efforts, remarking, “If every individual, whether from government or non-government sectors, worked with such honesty and dedication, not only Lahaul but the entire nation could flourish.

However, most people are preoccupied with personal gains.”

Social media users also weighed in on their extraordinary act of service. One user, Serizava, commented, “Though this work is commendable, it’s important to take care of one’s health as well.

Life is precious, and such extreme dedication is not recommended. However, I salute these unsung heroes of the Jal Shakti Department.”

Ashok Kumar, another netizen, echoed the sentiment of respect, stating, “We strongly demand that these hardworking individuals be honored on Republic Day, January 26, for their unrelenting dedication.

” Meanwhile, Tenzin Wangial Rumba suggested that the district administration should reward these employees and promote them for their exceptional commitment to duty.

Hira Lal, another observer, emphasised that these workers deserve official recognition, stating, “Such diligent employees should be honored on Republic Day. Risking their lives to restore essential services is as important as saving lives.”

Sunil Pandit, multi-task worker of Jal Shakti department, who came into spotlight, while working in the middle of a water stream, in sub-zero temperature, told The Tribune that “it was a harsh experience but, we felt contented, as we succeeded to restore the water supply to the village.”

Shivam Thakur, Junior Engineer of Jal Shakti department Udaipur stated that due to freezing temperatures, water pipes froze.

As a result, water supply got affected to the Hinsa village. These workers displayed exemplary courage to restore the water supply to the Hinsa village in Lahaul and Spiti district.

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.