Shimla, Dec 16 (IANS) From the death of a student due to ragging to some notable political upsets and green moves, the hill state of Himachal Pradesh was in and out of news. Here are 10 landmark events of 2009 from the hill state:
1. Ragging law: A law to curb ragging in educational institutions was implemented by the Himachal Pradesh government after the death of student Aman Kachru of the Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda town due to ragging.

Kachru died March 8 after allegedly being ragged by four final year students who are facing murder charges under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. Tanda is 20 km from the district headquarter of Kangra.

2. The Himachal Pradesh High Court Oct 7 cancelled the allotment of a multi-million dollar hydropower project to Dutch firm Brakel Corp on a petition filed by Reliance Infrastructure Ltd (RIL).

RIL, which was one of the bidders for the 960 MW Thopan-Powari-Jangi hydropower project in Kinnaur district, had challenged the state government’s decision to allot the project to Brakel.

3. For the first time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Shimla parliamentary seat - a known Congress bastion - in the May general elections. Having been unlucky 10 times in electoral politics, BJP candidate Virender Kashyap defeated two-time Congress MP Dhani Ram Shandil by a margin of 27,327 votes.

4. The BJP won the Rohru assembly seat, a stronghold of former chief minister and current union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh, for the first time in a by-election held in November, thanks to infighting within the Congress party.

The seat fell vacant after Singh was elected to the Lok Sabha. In the past two decades, Rohru voters had sent him to the state assembly five times. Khushi Ram Balnatah (BJP) defeated Congress greenhorn Manjit Singh.

5. The curtains went up at the 122-year-old Gaiety Theatre in Shimla June 25 as the famous British-era building reopened after five years of renovation.

The exteriors and interiors of the theatre have gone through an extensive makeover, though the original design has not been tampered with. More than Rs.11 crore (Rs.110 million) was spent on the restoration work.

6. The state government imposed on Oct 2 a total ban on the production, storage, use, sale and distribution of all types of polythene bags made of non-biodegradable material. The government is also planning to include all plastic materials like disposable plates, cups and glasses in the ambit of the ban.

7. The government in November launched an insurance scheme for apple growers in view of the adverse weather conditions that hit production of the fruit.

The pilot insurance scheme was launched in Shimla and Kullu districts to safeguard the Rs.1,500-crore (Rs.15 billion) apple industry. The Agriculture Insurance Co of India, incorporated in 2002, will insure the crop.

8. The state in August launched a community-driven plantation scheme that will not only boost its depleting green cover but also see the hill state go herbal. Under the scheme, the government plans to plant over 10 million saplings of medicinal species by involving local communities in all 12 districts within one year.

9. The landlocked Dodra-Kawar area in Shimla district was connected with the rest of the world June 15 with the opening of the 61-km Larot-Kawar road. The area is home to 6,000 people living in half a dozen villages who never before had road connectivity.

The construction of the road from Larot to Kawar was a difficult task due to a tough terrain and geographical conditions. It was completed at a cost of Rs.27 crore.

10. Making a new beginning to strike cooperation among Himalayan states on environment and climate change, a two-day chief ministers’ conclave was held in the state capital in October. It adopted a 12-point agenda for action — the Shimla Declaration — and announced the setting up of the Himlaayan Sustainable Development Forum.

The declaration was finalised after days of deliberation on issues of livelihood and global warming that are affecting the local communities.