Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur unfurled the flag and took salute of an impressive march past at the Dhalpur ground in Kullu on the occasion of the74th Independence Day, with functions across the state remaining a low-key affair in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thakur, while addressing the gathering on the occasion, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had provided strong leadership to the nation.

“Whether it is giving a befitting reply to our neighbours on the borders or fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Modi has handled the situation very well,” he stated, adding that the BJP regime always had a sympathetic view towards the problems faced by Himachal, considering its difficult topography.

He also paid tributes to the freedom fighters who laid down their lives in their fight against the British regime to attain freedom. He also honoured officials, doctors and artists from various fields for their valuable contribution in ensuring the state’s speedy development.

Governor Bandaru Dattatraya also unfurled the flag at Raj Bhawan.

Irrigation and Public Health Minister Mahender Singh was the chief guest at the function held here on the Ridge.

Chief Justice L Narayana Swamy unfurled the national flag and inspected the guard of honour at the function held at the High Court. Judges of the High Court — Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, Justice Sureshwar Thakur, Justice Vivek Singh Thakur, Justice Ajay Mohan Goel, Justice Chander Bhusan Barowalia, Justice Anoop Chitkara and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua were also present on the occasion.

Two-time World Cup-winning former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni retired from international cricket on Saturday, ending over one year of suspense and also an era during which his often unorthodox leadership and finishing skills became the stuff of legends.

“Thanks a lot for ur love and support throughout. from 1929hrs consider me as retired,” Dhoni posted on his Instagram handle.

Read also: Out goes MSD: ‘Greatest’ Indian captain of modern era

The announcement came a day after he joined his Chennai Super kings teammates in Chennai ahead of this year’s IPL in the UAE.

Within moments of his announcement, his CSK teammate Suresh Raina followed suit, also announcing his retirement on Instagram.

READ HERE: Suresh Raina follows Dhoni’s out, uses Instagram to announce retirement 

The 39-year-old’s last outing in India colours was during the lost World Cup semifinal against New Zealand.

One of the best runners between the wickets was run out following a hard-earned 50 in that tense game, shattering Indian hopes and leaving him in a state of disbelief.

The reticent man from Ranchi will, however, go down as one of the finest to have played the game for India, turning up for the country in a whopping 350 ODIs, 90 Tests and 98 T20 Internationals.

The last leg of his career was, however, marred by a drop in form, prompting several critics to question his resolve to continue.

But he nevertheless signs off as an ODI legend with 10,773 runs, averaging more than 50 despite batting between No.5 and 7 for a major chunk of his career.

In the Test format, Dhoni accumulated 4876 runs at an average of 38.09 and led India to more wins (27) than anyone else before him.

However, runs are not the parameter on which Dhoni’s career can be truly judged.

Considered a punter by some and a master strategist by several others, it was Dhoni’s captaincy, wondrous reading of match situations and the jaw-dropping hand-speed behind stumps that had the cricket world mesmerised.

A leader even after he gave up the official tag of the leader, Dhoni will be remembered as the nonconformist, who made risks look like well thought-out strategy.

Whether it was handing the ball to rookie Joginder Sharma in the final over of the 2007 World T20 or pushing himself ahead of man-in-form Yuvraj Singh in the 2011 50-over World Cup, Dhoni’s instincts rarely failed him.

For the record, India lifted the trophy on both occasions, propelling him to cult status in a country which remains hopelessly in love with all things cricket.

The IPL was also his happy hunting ground where he was the revered ‘Thala’, leading the Chennai Super Kings to three trophies.

The most significant of those titles came last season when the side made its return to the event after a two-year suspension for its official Gurunath Meiyappan’s role in the 2013 spot-fixing scandal. — PTI

Source: The Tribune

With 139 positive cases, the state today registered highest-ever single-day spike in cases, taking the state tally to 3,636, including 16 deaths.

In the highest-ever single day surge in Solan district, 47 cases were reported. The district houses the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial hub. Besides, 24 cases were reported from Chamba, 20 from Sirmour, 17 from Kullu, 15 from Una, 13 from Kangra and two from Mandi.

• Also read: Covid cases among migrants a concern in Himachal

In Solan, while 30 cases were reported in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) area, 12 cases were detected in Arki, six in Solan and two in Parwanoo. Among those found infected are four policemen.

Medical Officer (Health), Solan, Dr NK Gupta said six expectant mothers – two each from Arki and Solan and one each from Baddi and Nalagarh — also tested positive. Frontline workers from municipal committees with influenza-like infection and three health workers were also found infected.

20 cases in Sirmaur

Solan: Twenty persons tested positive for Covid-19 in Sirmaur. Deputy Commissioner RK Pruthi said eight cases pertain to Paonta Sahib while one case each was from Nahan and Shillai. Two women and eight men also tested positive. Three women and two men from Nahan also tested positive in Nahan.

In Paonta Sahib, a woman and seven men tested positive. The personal security officer of Vice-Chairman of HP Food and Civil Supplies Corporation Baldev Tomar was among them. Tomar, his family and driver had already tested positive. The 52-year-old wife and 25-year-old son of the naib tehsildar, Kamrau, were also found infected. The naib-tehsildar had already tested positive.

Others cases were from Aikta Colony, Parotha, Purruwala and Sahula and comprise the contacts of Power Minister Sukhram Chaudhary, who had tested positive on August 6. The Deputy Commissioner said all patients had been shifted to Covid care centres.

7 CRPF men among 24 infected in Chamba

Dharamsala: As many as 13 Covid cases were reported in Kangra district on Wednesday. Among those found infected are a 72-year-old woman and an 88-year-old man, both residents of Dehra, having a travel history of Mumbai, and a 33-year-old Army personnel with a travel history of Arunachal Pradesh.

Besides, a 48-year-old man from Pantehar village, near Baijnath, having a travel history of Maharashtra; two Army personnel with a travel history of Leh; a 60-year-old shopkeeper from the main bazar in Palampur; a 31-year-old health worker, a 45-year-old man, a 37-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl, a 10-year-old girl, and a 22-year-old man lodged at the Army institutional quarantine at the Yol military hospital were found infected. The Palampur market has been declared a containment zone.

In Chamba town, 24 persons, including seven CISF personnel, were found infected. Of these, 10 belonged to the Kihar block and 13 to the Pukhri block.

Una authorities to go strict on defaulters

Una: After 15 Covid cases were reported in Bhatoli panchayat of Una subdivision last night, the district administration on Wednesday summoned a meeting of officials. Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kumar presided over the meeting. He said he had issued directions to the officials concerned to register criminal cases against the defaulters. OC

Source: The Tribune

The Cabinet today gave its nod to fill 2,322 posts in the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department.

The posts of 718 para pump operator, 162 para fitter and 1,442 multipurpose worker, under the Departmental Para Workers Policy to manage 486 drinking water and 31 irrigation schemes will be filled. The Cabinet also gave its nod to open a new PWD division at Jhandutta in Bilaspur district.

With floriculturists suffering losses of Rs 15.77 crore between March and May 2020 due to non-transportation of flowers, the Cabinet has decided to provide them Rs 4 crore as compensation for which the guidelines were approved.

To ensure the smooth operation of National Ambulance Services-108, it was decided to make payment over and above the provisions of concession agreements as a special interim measure and stop-gap arrangement to employees of GVK-EMRI by enhancing the take home salary of its employees.

The Cabinet approved the amendment in Section 3 of the Himachal Pradesh War Awards Act, 1972, for enhancing the grant of war jagirs from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 annually for all eligible persons.

It also gave approval to constitute Nagar Panchayat, Shahpur, in Kangra district and upgrade Nagar Panchayat, Sarkaghat, in Mandi district to Municipal Council for better planning of the town.

It gave its ex-post facto relaxation in condition number 2.14 Clause 3 of Chapter II of Toll Policy 2020-21 for allowing those to participate in the auction-cum tender process for the allotment of toll leases who have cleared their dues.

Source : The Tribune

A 70-year-old man of Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh died of COVID-19 on Monday, a health official said.

The state recorded 62 fresh cases of coronavirus infections on Monday, taking the tally to 3,434.

A resident of Mandi’s Jawahar Nagar locality, the victim had been admitted to the Shri Lal Bahadur Shashtri Government Medical College in Nerchowk with a complaint of acute respiratory infection on Sunday but he died on Monday, Chief Medical Officer Devendra Sharma said.

His sample for testing coronavirus infection was already taken and his report came as positive on Monday evening, Dr Sharma added.

With this, the number of fatalities due to coronavirus in Himachal Pradesh has risen to 15.

The deaths include that of a 70-year-old Delhi woman who had been staying at a factory’s guest house at Baddi in Solan district since March 15. She tested positive and died at the PGIMER in Chandigarh on April 2.

The state health department initially showed her death in its record but it stopped doing so later stating that as per protocol, her death should be included in Chandigarh where she had tested positive.

On the contrary, Chandigarh authorities said her death should be included in the records of Himachal Pradesh from where she had been referred.

So far, 2,195 people have recovered from the disease, leaving 1,196 active COVID-19 cases in the state, Additional Chief Secretary (Health) RD Dhiman said. Twenty-six patients have migrated out of the state, the officer said.

Solan has the highest number of active cases in the state at 362, followed by 146 in Mandi, 129 in Chamba, 103 in Kangra, 97 in Sirmaur, 91 in Una, 70 in Kullu, 73 in Bilaspur, 62 in Shimla, 58 in Hamirpur and five in Kinnaur, the official added. PTI

Source : The Tribune

As many as 107 fresh Covid cases were reported across the state yesterday, taking the tally of the infected persons to 3,371. One more person succumbed to the deadly infection in Mandi last evening. The death toll now stands at 13.

• Also read: 4 tourists booked for forging Covid reports
• Three Paonta panchayats declared containment zones
• Covid stress leads to spike in suicide cases

The highest number of 27 cases were reported from Shimla, 23 from Chamba, 14 from Mandi, 13 from Hamirpur, 11 each from Sirmaur and Solan, nine each from Bilaspur and Kangra and five each from Una and Kullu.

The 74-year-old man who died of the infection at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Government Medical College & Hospital, Nerchowk, last evening had comorbidities. The deceased was identified as Balbir Singh, a native of Sardhar village in Hamirpur district.

He had tested positive on July 25 and was referred to the Mandi medical college on July 28. As his condition started deteriorating, the hospital authorities put him on a ventilator.

He died at 9:30 pm on Saturday. His last rites were performed here today.

Power Minister ‘better’

Power Minister Sukhram Chaudhary, who had tested positive for Covid a few days ago, had been doing fine, said MS, IGMC, Dr Janak Raj on Sunday. The minister was shifted to the IGMC from the DDU hospital, a dedicated Covid facility, after he complained of uneasiness and breathlessness on Saturday evening. His two daughters, who were also infected, were also recuperating.

23 positive in Chamba

As many as 23 cases were reported in Chamba district and nine in Kangra district.

In Chamba town, seven persons tested positive. They include four men and two women from the lower Julakhadi area of the town. They were secondary contacts of positive cases.

As many as 16 tested positive from Samote block of Chamba district, including three from Dalhousie, four from Banikhet, four from Devidhara, four from Mail and one from Simni. All three, who tested positive in Dalhousie, were the contacts of a patient.

Nine tested positive in Kangra include five of a family in Shahpur. An Army man of Joll village in Harchakian with a travel history from Jammu and another Army man of Badukhar village near Indora with a travel history from Pathankot were also infected.

7 infected in Solan

Seven persons, including a 20-year old pregnant woman, tested positive in Solan district. Five are from the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) belt, one from Arki and another from Solan.

Mapping the primary and secondary contacts of Power Minister Sukh Ram Chaudhary, who has tested positive for Covid-19, is proving to be a Herculean task for the administrations of Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts.

Chaudhary took oath as the minister at Raj Bhawan on July 31 and later took part in a press conference addressed by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and other ministers, MLAs and party leaders.

Kashyap, who was also present at the oath-taking ceremony and later at the press conference, tested negative for Covid last evening, but as a precautionary measure he home- quarantined himself. Former Speaker and Nahan MLA Rajeev Bindal, who was with Chaudhary today, tested negative, but he also preferred home isolation.

Since Kashyap, after assuming the office of the BJP president, had called on Shanta Kumar and Prem Kumar Dhumal, the two former chief ministers have been advised to remain in home quarantine. The threat of a possible virus spread can be ruled out only when Kashyap’s second report too comes out to be negative.

The health surveillance office has so far traced 21 primary contacts of Chaudhary, including his family members, secretariat staff, and driver. Their samples are also being taken. The possibility of this number rising is high. Chaudhary was accorded a welcome en route from Shimla to Paonta at Shoghi, Solan, Sarahan, Nahan and Paonta Sahib.

“We are in the process of tracing the primary contacts of the minister at Nahan, Paonta Sahib, Sarahan and other places he had visited,” said RK Pruthi, Deputy Commissioner, Sirmaur. He added that the exact number of his contacts was yet to be ascertained and the testing of the primary contacts was being done side by side that could take two to three days.

Chaudhary was shifted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) Hospital here last night while his two daughters were taken to the Covid care centre at Mashobra, near here. Chaudhary’s private assistant had tested Covid-positive, prompting the minister to get himself sampled and he was found infected yesterday.

Source : The Tribune

Hoteliers have urged the state government to relax the mandatory five-day stay condition for tourists as their losses continue to mount amid stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs).

As part of health and safety protocol, the state government has made it mandatory for tourist to have a Covid-negative report before entering the state, besides fixing the stay duration to at least five days.

Devinder Verma, president of the Chail Hotels’ Association, said, “A request has been made to the Government to curtail the five-day period to two days and three nights as tourists are reluctant to stay put at one place for five days.”

He said Chail witnessed tourist footfall after hotels reopened on July 10. Some hoteliers also managed to pay recurring expenditure such as power and water bills and some part of staff salaries. However, the business was far from satisfactory.

Another hotelier said some establishments along the Kalka-Shimla national highway had initiated a trial run for 15 days. However, only a few tourists were received and overall the business remained bleak.

Hoteliers from Kasauli said they were hopeful of the business picking up pace in October if the pandemic subsided.

“With popular festivities such as a music festival and other events that attract a large number of tourists having been cancelled, we are eyeing October to do some business,” said Rocky Chimni, vice- president of the Kasauli Residents and Hoteliers Association.

He said since interest subvention announced by the Centre would expire by the month-end, hoteliers were expecting some relaxation amid crisis.

He said staff of most hotels had shifted to other places. Whether they would return when hotels resume functioning was another cause of concern.

Source : The Tribune

The government today extended the lockdown in the state till August 31 though it allowed the opening of yoga institutes and gymnasiums from August 5. However, all educational institutions and inter-state public transport would continue to remain closed.

The Disaster Management Cell of the Department of Revenue today issued the orders extending the lockdown till August 31. All places of worship would open after the issuance of the standard operating procedure (SOP). Yoga institutes and gyms would be allowed to open according to the SOP to be issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare.

The Independence Day function at the state, district, subdivision and local level and ‘At Home’ would be celebrated by adhering to social distancing and other guidelines. Members of the armed forces and paramilitary forces could enter and pass through the state.

However, the inter-state movement of people would continue to be regulated through registration on the Covid e-pass software to monitor compliance with the quarantine requirements and facilitate contact tracing in case a person tests positive for the virus. People coming from high-load areas would have to stay in institutional quarantine except in exceptional and compelling cases.

All those coming from abroad would have to be institutionally quarantined, as per the Central Government guidelines.

Orchardists, agriculturists, contractors and industrialists could bring labourers from other states with the permission of the district administration but they would have to undergo the mandatory institutional quarantine. They would start working only after testing Covid-negative or completing the quarantine period.

The other conditions with regard to the entry of people belonging to the state, and the entry of tourists and weekend commuters working in the state would be as per the quarantine guidelines laid down by the Health Ministry. Similarly, hotels, restaurants and dhabas would function as per the existing guide.

Source : The Tribune

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur yesterday put an end to speculation about lockdown. He clarified that when the nation was moving towards Unlock 3.0, it would not be appropriate to impose a lockdown.

He said the areas from where cases were being reported had been declared containment zones and, as such, there was no need for a complete lockdown.

Meanwhile, with 73 Covid cases yesterday, the state’s tally shot up to 2,403, including 12 deaths.

The steep increase in Solan continued with 26 new cases. There were 13 cases from Kangra, nine from Kullu, eight Shimla, seven Mandi, five Sirmaur, three Kinnaur and two from Hamirpur.

Dharamsala: Thirteen persons, including eight members of family from Nurpur, who had come in contact with a coronavirus patient, tested positive in Kangra district.

Sirmaur: Five persons, including two from Govindgarh Mohalla in Nahan, tested Covid-positive in Sirmaur district on Wednesday.

Solan: Twentyfive persons, including two girls and three doctors from MMU Medical College, Sultanpur, tested positive. As many as 22 cases were from the BBN industrial area. The daughter of a former Health Minister from Kangra is among the three infected doctors. — TNS

Source : The Tribune

Shimla : The district administration has imposed a complete ban on the entry of tourists to Tanu Jubbar after the Jarol panchayat under Mashobra development block in the Narkanda area passed a resolution, seeking a complete ban on the entry of outsiders for fear of coronavirus.

This comes close on the heels of several panchayats in Manali passing a resolution to prevent tourists from staying in hotels in their area. Earlier this month, several panchayats like Jagatsukh, Buruwa, Shanag, Vashisht, Prini and Shalin in Naggar-Manali had passed resolutions, urging hoteliers not to open up their properties for tourists as the threat of Covid still loomed large.

The Kumarsain SDM today passed an order banning the entry of tourists to Tanu Jubbar, a tourist place which is frequented by many visitors, both from within and outside the state.

With a sudden surge in Covid cases these days, fear has gripped local residents, who are demanding a lockdown. Though the state government has allowed the opening of hotels for tourists, who carry a negative coronavirus report and have a minimum five-day booking, the locals are opposed to the entry of tourists to the state. The resistance from local panchayats comes at a time when the government has sought public opinion whether a lockdown should be imposed or not.

The problem of tourists roaming around freely has aggravated ever since the government did away with the e-pass system. Many tourists are trying to sneak into the state by taking link roads after the condition of obtaining an e-pass was done away with. A majority of the tourists, who are entering Himachal, are staying in guesthouses as hotels are reluctant to open up. The fact that some of the tourists have tried to enter the state on the basis of fake medical reports has also led to fear among people.

A majority of the hoteliers in Shimla, Manali and Dharamsala are yet to resume normal operations.

SDM passes order

• The Kumarsain SDM passed an order banning entry of tourists to Tanu Jubbar
• The Jarol panchayat under Mashobra had passed a resolution, seeking a ban on the entry of outsiders
• The problem of tourists roaming around freely has aggravated ever since the government did away with the e-pass system

Source : The Tribune

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur participated in a programme organised to mark Kargil Vijay Diwas in Mandi district through videoconferencing from Shimla yesterday.

On this occasion, he inaugurated a martyrs’ memorial built at a cost of Rs 15 lakh at the Indira Market in Mandi. The memorial has been dedicated to the martyrs of 1962, 1965 and 1971, besides those of the Kargil War of 1999. The names of all martyrs have been inscribed on the monument.

The Chief Minister said the work on the second phase of the memorial was being started.

“Himachal is known for the valour, gallantry and sacrifices of its soldiers. In Operation Vijay, soldiers of the state showed their valour. As many as 52 soldiers were martyred,” he said.

“To date, 1,096 brave soldiers of the state have received gallantry awards. As many as 1,246 soldiers sacrificed their lives while protecting their motherland. Major Somnath Sharma, who received the first highest gallantry award — Param Vir Chakra — was from Himachal Pradesh. In the Kargil War, Captain Vikram Battara was awarded Param Vir Chakra posthumously and Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, too, was conferred with the Param Vir Chakra for distinguished acts of valour during the war,” said the Chief Minister.

He said besides the financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of 52 martyrs, government job to one dependent of 44 martyrs had been provided. Financial assistance was provided to soldiers who were disabled in the war and employment was given to nine such soldiers.

“The state government has provided salary benefits to the ex-servicemen on the basis of service period in the Army. The government will also make necessary efforts to fill the backlog of ex-servicemen,” he said.

IPH Minister Mahender Singh Thakur and Mandi MP Ramswaroop Sharma were present. Himachal Pradesh Ex-Servicemen Corporation chairman Brigadier Khushal Thakur thanked the CM for setting up the memorial in Mandi.

Source : The Tribune

A proposal to dig the 3.2-km Bhubu Jot tunnel between Jogindernagar in Mandi district and Kullu through the Lug valley is still to see the light of the day.

Former Chief Minister PK Dhumal had announced its construction in 2009. Its tentative cost was approximately Rs 500 crore. The contract for the preparation of feasibility study and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the tunnel was awarded in 2011 to Bernard Ingenieure of Austria. Due to a difficult terrain and tough approach to the area, the study was delayed and the project has been lingering since then.

Bhubu Jot remains covered with heavy snow during winter and the proposed tunnel will provide all-weather road connectivity to commuters, especially Army vehicles.

Mandi MP Ram Swaroop Sharma had taken up the matter with the Union Surface and Transport Ministry in 2015 but nothing has been done so far. The NHAI authorities stated that a proposal had been sent to the ministry in 2018 and DPR would be prepared after the approval was received from the ministry. Both Congress and BJP governments in the state had maintained that the work on the tunnel would commence soon, but no progress has been made. There is discontent among the masses due to delay in the construction of the tunnel. They alleged that various leaders raised the issue only during elections to get votes.

Naveen, a resident of Kullu, said its construction would not only reduce the distance between Kullu and Jogindernagar, but also boost the tourism in the Lug Valley and other areas. He said the tunnel would also provide a better alternative to the Army to reach border areas of Ladakh.

To cut Pathankot-Manali distance by 63 km

• The tunnel is strategically important as it will reduce the distance from Pathankot to Manali by around 63 km and lessen the travel time by 2 hours
• Bhubu Jot remains covered with heavy snow during winter and the proposed tunnel will provide all-weather road connectivity to commuters, especially Army vehicles
• Former CM PK Dhumal had announced its construction in 2009

Source : The Tribune

The state government today put in place stringent measures to regulate the influx of people by seeking address proof, place they are coming from and destination.

• Also read: 46 of Baddi firm test +ve

After relaxation in the inter-state movement, almost 1.10 lakh persons have entered the state since July 3. One lakh more people, who have registered themselves on the portal, will arrive over the next few days.

The sudden spike in Covid cases has compelled the government to have a rethink on the issue. Though a person can come to the state through registration on Covid e-pass software, proof of residence and the place of start of journey and destination will have to be uploaded on the portal now.

To ensure their authenticity, the documents will be verified by Deputy Commissioners and if false information is furnished, the person will be booked.

These checks and balances are being put in place after the manner in which people have furnished negative Covid reports, besides citing marriage and deaths in family as reasons.

“There were several instances when people made on-the-spot registration on the inter-state border or furnished false information to enter Himachal, but now they will have to wait for a confirmation on the Covid portal site before being allowed to enter the state as the rise in positive cases is a cause for concern,” said RD Dhiman, Additional Chief Secretary.

When a person wants to enter Himachal as a tourist, for business or for any other purpose, he will have to provide address proof of his house in HP or the hotel, where he will be staying. People have entered Himachal clandestinely through forests, link roads and by furnishing fake documents which have compelled the authorities to initiate more stringent steps.

The Opposition Congress too has come down heavily on the government for opening its doors to everyone. A petition has also been filed in the High Court, challenging the government decision of giving easy access to people, which will come up for hearing on July 20.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has defended the decision by stating that people, who belong to the state, cannot be denied permission.

Relaxations on quarantine norms

• Students, appearing in competitive exams and accompanying parents, have been exempted from quarantine if they exit or re-enter within 72 hours. Similarly, taxi drivers too stand exempted if they return within 24 hours.
• Anyone who has an RT-PCR negative report for Covid, not older than 72 hours, can also enter without quarantine, even if from a high-load Covid city.

Source : The Tribune

With sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases, the Himachal Government today added 10 more cities to the list of high load infected cities and districts for Covid-19 to prevent spread of coronavirus.

The new areas which have been added are Surat (Gujarat), Palghar, Raigad and Nashik (all Maharashtra), Aurangabad (Bihar), Thiruvallur (Tamil Nadu), Ranga Reddy (Telengana), Madurai (Tamil Nadu) and Faridabad (Haryana) and Bengaluru (Urban). All entrants into Himachal from these 10 new places will have to undergo institutional quarantine or paid quarantine to prevent community transmission.

The earlier list issued on June 12 last month had 13 cities while the new revised list has 20 cities and districts. In the revision, the cities of Jaipur, Jodhpur (Rajasthan) and Indore in Madhya Pradesh have been excluded from the list in view of the reduction in number of Covid cases. There has been a steady increase in the number of cases in Himachal, especially Solan district which houses the industrial hub of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh. Several positive cases have been detected among the industrial workers, a majority of whom belong to places outside Himachal.

Moreover, opening of the borders of the state on July 6 has been a cause of major concern as tourists with scant respect for guidelines have been caught entering the state by submitting fake covid negative reports, hotel bookings and incomplete documents. A petition has been filed in the high court challenging the government’s decision to allow anyone to enter with certain conditions. The matter will come up for hearing on July 20.

Meanwhile, the recovery rate in Himachal has improved to 76.09 per cent as compared to the national rate of 63.01 per cent. Similarly, even with regard to mortality rate there is some solace for Himachal as this figure stands at 0.80 per cent against 2.3 at the national level.

With a relatively smaller population as compared to bigger states like UP or Maharashtra, Himachal has tested 13,610 persons per million. This figure at the national level stands at 8,271.

Source : The Tribune

Here’s some good news for apple growers. A box of spur variety went for Rs 4,000 in the Dhalli Fruit Market today. Even varieties such as tideman and red June, the first to hit the market, have fetched good prices — from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,200.

Pear, too, has not disappointed the growers. A box of the half-red variety has been fetching as high as Rs 3,000. “It’s not every day a box of apple goes for more than Rs 4,000,” said Harish Thakur, president of the Aarthiya Association, Dhalli.

It’s of course the beginning of the season and prices tend to remain high at this time. This year, however, orchardists were apprehensive about the prices of their produce because of the Covid-19 outbreak.

“We were not sure what prices we will get this time. The main concern was whether there will be buyers. Luckily, our fears remained just fears,” said Ram Swaroop Sharma, after each of his 40 boxes went for Rs 4,000.

“Last year, I had got Rs 3,500 per box for my early variety apple; this time I have earned even more. I was certainly not expecting this,” he said.

If orchardists were, and many still are, fearful, it wasn’t without a reason. Earlier, when the country went through successive lockdowns, vegetable growers, especially who grew cauliflower and exotic vegetables such as broccoli, coloured capsicum, etc, suffered massive losses. Due to low prices, many either distributed their produce or destroyed in the fields rather than sending it to the market.

For apple, despite the bright start, it’s still early days. The season will begin well and truly in another two weeks, and the prices could be a lot different that time.

“It’s just the beginning and the real price will play out once the season picks up pace,” said a loader from Varanasi. “If there are restrictions such as quarantine for loaders, many may not come and that may affect the prices,” he said. But for now, orchardists will not mind a promising start to the season.

Source : The Tribune