Shimla, April 26
The state government today did a partial rollback on the issue of professional tax as all non-income taxpayees and those having an income up to Rs 1.02 lakh have been exempted from paying this tax.

The state Cabinet, which met here today under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, took this decision. In view of the confusion being created about imposition of professional tax on MLAs and ministers, the Cabinet decided that the tax will also be levied on the Chief Minister, ministers, chief parliamentary secretaries, parliamentary secretaries, MLAs and chairmen and vice-chairmen of boards and corporations.

An official spokesperson said state, district and subdivisional journalists would also have to pay professional tax according to the latest criteria of income tax fixed by the government.

The Cabinet also gave approval for sale of 12 per cent free power available from the Nathpa Jhakri project through the Power Trading Corporation (PTC), bringing an additional income of Rs 18 crore to the state till October 31. Earlier, this power, available to the government as royalty, was sold by the HP State Electricity Board through the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam at the rate of Rs 2.35 per kwh. The Cabinet also decided to regularise the services of 628 contract teachers, working against the posts of JBTs in the Primary Education Department on completion of eight years of service on December 31, 2004.

After the latest Cabinet decision to sell the 12 per cent free power through the PTC on a competitive basis of Rs 2.653 per kwh, the payment shall be made directly by the PTC to the state government. The Cabinet also reviewed security deposit for signing of MoU for small hydro-electric projects up to 5 MW being executed by Himurja by reducing it from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per MW in the shape of bank guarantee and from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 1 lakh in the shape of demand draft. The Cabinet also approved the HP Apartments and Property Regulation Ordinance to regulate and promote construction, sale, transfer and management of apartments on ownership basis. This has been done with a view to ensuring systematic and planned development of housing colonies and to safeguard the interests of both owners and developers.

The Cabinet also gave approval for making a society for the three museums in the state, located in Shimla, Dharamsala and Chamba, to ensure their proper management and maintenance. Since these museums do not have any source of income, charges will be taken from visitors.

The Cabinet also gave approval for giving the licence for setting up a brewery at Jawali in district Kangra to M/s Tefeil Breweries Ltd and gave approval for entering into an MoU with M/s Himalayan Ski Village Pvt Ltd for the implementation of a ski resort in Kulu.

It was also decided that the Urban Rent Control Act would also be applicable in the Special Area Development Authorities of New Shimla, Dhalli and Tottu.

Chamba, April 26
People of the district as well as tourists have flayed the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) and private bus operators for poor services in the region. The top brass of the state transport should take cognizance of this fact, they asserted.

Drivers did not follow any timetable about the arrival and departure of buses. The private bus operators were often found quarreling with each other. They worked without the prescribed uniforms and there was hardly any check by the authorities on the service and safety aspects of the old buses which plied jampacked with commuters.

Buses were neither cleaned properly nor maintained. Due to this the interiors of buses stank.

The new routes of buses were introduced without any publicity, which caused a lot of inconvenience to the passengers. The complaint book was not made available to the aggrieved passengers en route.

Residents of Dalhousie were especially agitated over the failure of the state transport authorities to introduce direct buses from Dalhousie to other important cities of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir. There was hardly any deluxe bus service from Dalhousie and Chamba to anywhere at the moment.

The residents of the area also demanded that bus services should be introduced to Shimla via Chandigarh, Jalandhar and Ludhiana. They wanted that the buses should start in the early hours of the day for the convenience of tourists and passengers.

The people also demanded the opening of a regional depot of the HRTC at Chowari, subdivisional headquarters. The only regional deport workshop at Chamba could hardly look after the maintenance of a large fleet of about 80 buses which ply on the hilly roads.

A report on Chamba accidents, submitted to the state government by the experts, said that the main cause of accidents in this alpine area was the faulty construction of roads from the engineering specifications point of view.

Dharamsala, April 26
Working in government schools, particularly primary schools, is bound to be affected as most of the teachers have been put on economic census duty.

With the session already on for most classes, the worst affected will be the schools in rural areas having not more than two teachers as one of them will now be forced to teach up to five classes per day.

The census work will be on from May 1 to 22 and nearly 1,400 government schoolteachers from Kangra district have been put on the job. While the primary schoolteachers will be doing invigilation work, those from high and senior secondary sections will act as supervisors.

Talking to The Tribune, Mr Roshan Lal Sharma, president of the Himachal Pradesh Government Teachers’ Association, said it was a departure from the past practice when only 30 per cent of the staff involved was teachers. This time, nearly 85 per cent of those appointed for the census work beginning from May 1 are teachers, he said.

These teachers are presently being given training in Bilaspur and Shimla and they will be away for nearly 15 days for field work, besides doing processing of the data collected, which will take another five days. All this time, studies of students in government schools across the district will suffer,” he said.

“We would have had no problems if only a small number of teachers were put on the census duty along with patwaris and gram sevaks, as was done in the past. “We have already written to the Chief Minister and plan to meet him tomorrow to request him to withdraw the orders. We will also highlight the possibility of students shifting to private schools after finding the teachers missing for nearly three weeks at the very start of the session,” he said.

The teachers chosen for the work are not happy either. A local schoolteacher said in 2001 the Education Department had directed the Deputy Commissioner not to involve teachers in the exercise of issuance of voter-ID cards after the teachers had protested against the move.

Now those orders have been violated by putting nearly 200 teachers from 87 government schools from the Dharamsala block itself on census duty. There is no government school in the Kangra district from where a teacher has not been involved in the economic census work,” she said.

Kulu, April 26
The literacy rate in Himachal Pradesh has crossed the 77 per cent, mark which is above average in the country. This was stated, by Mr Kaul Singh, Irrigation, Public Health and Urban Development Minister today at Bajaura, about 15 km from here, while addressing a gathering at a school.

Mr Kaul Singh said 14,535 educational institutions were functional in the state and Rs 1,054 crore havd been earmarked for education and literacy mission. Mr Kaul Singh said a Rs 7.5 crore sewerage system, including a treatment plant, has already been completed at Manali and Rs 14 crore had been spent on sewerage scheme here and more funds would be allocated to complete the system by 2006. He added that Rs 2.35 crore had been spent on sewerage scheme in Bhuntar.

He said the state government was committed for all round development of this district. He lashed upon opposition leaders of Himachal Pradesh for misinterpreting VAT and said traders would not be affected.

He further emphasised that the revenue collected through the profession tax imposed by the state government would be utilised for the social reforms and upliftment of the downtrodden.

Gulzar Mohammad Bharti, state chairman of the Minority Financial Commission and Principal of Crescent Moon School, also spoke on the occasion. 

Palampur, April 26
The Palampur Welfare and Environment Protection Forum, a voluntary social organisation, has expressed concern over the declining sex ratio in the state.

It said nothing worthwhile had been done in this field and the situation was moving from bad to worse. It seemed that measures taken by the state government in this regard were confined to files alone.

In a press note issued here today, Mr K. B. Rahalan, president of the organisation, said though there was a provision under the law for imprisonment of six months for those found of having done sex determination tests, defaulters had not been brought to book in the region. He said in Palampur subdivision alone, a large number of women were visiting ultrasound scanning centres for sex determination test, which were being done secretly by charging huge fees.

He disclosed that before the enactment of the law to deal with this menace, private radiologists were charging Rs 300 only, but now the rate per ultrasound scanning test had gone upto around Rs 3,000.

He said the alarming decline in the sex ratio in the state, particularly in Palampur subdivision, had caused concern not only among the health authorities but also social organisations.

Meanwhile, according to a recent survey conducted by the state Health Department, the sex ratio has come down to 840 female per 1,000 males in the Thural and Changer areas of this region.

Shimla, April 26
Senior Congress leaders from both the Virbhadra as well as Stokes camps have left for Delhi as the incident of some party workers misbehaving with the Chairman of the State Election Authority, Mr K.C. Lenka, has been brought to the notice of the Congress high command.

While the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, is expected to be in Delhi tomorrow in connection with a meeting, the Power minister, Ms Vidya Stokes, is also leaving, along with her supporters. Mr Sukhwinder Singh, MLA, who has already aired his displeasure for not being made the Parliamentary Secretary, will be accompanying her.

Loyalists of the Chief Minister, including Transport Minister, Mr G.S. Bali, are leaving for Delhi to placate Mr Lenka, who left the state capital in a huff after party workers misbehaved with him here on April 24. “What has happened is certainly unfortunate but now we have to break this deadlock and complete the election process, so we will request Mr Lenka to fulfil the responsibility given to him by the high command,” said a senior leader.

Some of the senior party leaders who have been in touch with Mr Lenka maintained that he was waiting for the PCC to identify and take action against those who misbehaved with him outside the party office here on Sunday. Being the nominee of the high command, entrusted with the task of conducting smooth and fair elections he has taken the matter very seriously.

On the other hand, Congress leaders here are adopting a policy of wait and watch as they have yet to hear from any central leader on the issue. Political analysts feel that with the entire scene shifting to Delhi it is with the intervention of the high command that the matter is likely to be sorted out.

The entire process of party elections has been stalled following the incident. The elections of the 12 District Congress Committees, earlier scheduled for April 30, have been postponed indefinitely.

Hamirpur, April 26
The outbreak of jaundice in the district has necessitated chlorination of water from open water sources. Nadaun subdivision has registered the highest number of cases and seven persons are admitted to hospital.

Taking cognizance of the recent cases of jaundice, the district administration has now launched a drive to ensure clean drinking water. Besides chlorination, awareness is also being spread so that people in the rural areas approach their nearest health centre instead of going to quacks.

The Health Department is also monitoring the cases of jaundice in different districts and a report is being prepared on a regular basis.

Talking to The Tribune, Devesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, Hamirpur, said the problem arose due to untimely rain last month which led to the contamination of the open water sources in the rural areas. “The initial samples were detected to be of hepatitis-B and the situation has been brought under control following a massive chlorination drive in the district,” he said.

The worst-affected by jaundice was Nadaun subdivision, which also reported some deaths due to infection. Subdivisional Magistrate Rakesh Dhiman said most of the cases aggravated because patients preferred to visit quacks instead of going to government health institutions.

“We immediately swung into action and a contingency plan was formulated for the district to bring the situation under control,” he said.

Block Medical Officer Baldev Verma added that seepage of sewage into drinking water in Hamirpur and non-chlorination of the open water sources, including wells and shallow hand-pumps, were the two reasons for spread of the disease. “But it was never an epidemic like situation and the cases reported so far have been from different parts of the district,” he said.

Another health official said at several places the pipes of potable water were passing through drains. It could also be the reason of contamination leading to the spread of the infection. “We have asked the Irrigation and Public Health Department to lay these pipes out of the drains so that there is no seepage into drinking water. Work has begun at several places,” he said.

Kumarhatti, April 26
Even as the world heritage status to the Kalka-Shimla narrow-gauge rail section is pending with UNESCO for approval, the Railway officials are hopeful that this status will help in turning the fortune of this track, which has remained a source of losses running into crores of rupees for the Railways.

The world heritage status to this track would not only attract foreign tourists but also facilitate fund inflow from UNESCO for the better upkeep of the track, opined Railways officials.

The 100-year-old rail track, connecting Kalka and Shimla, takes the travellers through lush green meadows, dense pine forest and breathtaking scenic beauty. The track has enough potential to be declared as a world heritage site, pointed the officials.

The track was a rare specimen of engineers’ skill. The complete line had been constructed without disturbing the beauty, serenity and the grandeur of the mountains. On the way one encounters countless tunnels, viaducts, multi-arched gallery bridges, beautiful stations and buildings.

The tunnels are fully lined. The Barog tunnel, the longest tunnel, was a marvellous example of engineering feet. The tunnel and the place were named after Colonel Baorg, who killed himself after failing to meet both ends of the tunnel. The Saint Bhalkhoo from a village, near Chail, was the man who engineered the construction of the tunnel. This tunnel is 3752 feet long. Other important tunnels are; Koti tunnel (2276 feet), Tara Devi (1615 feet), and Inverarm tunnel (1135 feet).

There are a total number of 864 bridges, which include historically important ones like the Arch Gallery Bridge between Kandaghat and Kanoh. The panoramic view of deep valley from the bridges leaves one spell bound.

There are rest houses and institutes that catch one’s attention.

Like Northern Railways Safety Institute was built in rich taste at Dharampur, the Crow-Brough officers’ rest house at Shimla was constructed with ornamental stone with wonderful workmanship. The Wood Bank rest house at Shimla was made of wooden panels with mud plaster behind it. 

Nahan April 26
The Health and Family Welfare Department of Sirmour today closed 48-year-old Leprosy Hospital of Nahan. Al the rooms of the hospital were locked except the (one room in which nine agitating leprosy patients were sitting.

On Saturday last the Himachal Government had issued a press statement at Shimla conveying its decision not to close down three leprosy hospitals in the state.

Mr M.L. Gupta, Medical Superintendent of Nahan hospital, has denied receiving any such order in which government had deferred its earlier decision to close Leprosy Hospital of Nahan. He confirmed that officials had gone with a police force to close Leprosy Hospital. He said that no force was used to vacate the hospital.

He added that all the nine leprosy patients admitted to the hospital had been discharged. They had been referred to Mandodhar Leprosy Hospital in Solan district and a vehicle was also provided for them but they refused to leave the hospital.

It may be recalled that leprosy patients had launched an agitation against the closure of Leprosy Hospital. Similar agitations had been launched at Mandi. As per sources, the discharged patients would not be served food from today by the hospital as per rules.

Shimla, April 26
The Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) has asked the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), Hyderabad, to keep a track of the Sutlej and its tributaries through satellite so that there is prior warning in case of a Parechu-like situation.

Disclosing this here today, the Chairman and Managing Director of the SJVN, Mr Y.N. Apparao, said though regular watch was being kept on the situation through satellite imagery but the NRSA had been requested to monitor the situation on the Sutlej and its tributaries for landslides or lake formation, which could be a possible threat to the 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydro-Electric Project.

He said irrespective of the Parechu incident, the NRSA would keep track of all possible threats like landslides or artificial lake formation on the Sutlej, which cannot be ruled out. “If we can get timely advance warning we can be better prepared to tackle such situations,” said Mr Apparao.

“As of now there seems to be no threat from the artificial lake formed on the Parechu river, still efforts can be made to break the blockade and remove the obstacle,” said Mr Apparao. He added that as per information provided by China to the Indian delegation that visited Beijing recently, the depth of the Parechu was about 40 metres, which had also been confirmed by the digital elevation modelling.

With the formation of an artificial lake on the Parechu last year, there were apprehensions that in case of a flood, there could be extensive damage to the Nathpa Jkahri project, as the entire area would be flooded.

He said the SJVN had already started investigations in the case of 450-MW Rampur-II and 650-MW Khab projects as the Himachal Pradesh Government had shown willingness for giving the projects to the nigam though the agreements were yet to be signed. He said besides this the nigam had taken up the execution of three power projects in Uttranchal. He confirmed that it had been agreed to give Himachal Pradesh 30 per cent equity in the 400-MW Rampur project, which the nigam would execute.

Mr Apparao, also ruled out concern by environmentalists that the discharge flow of water beyond Rampur would be reduced considerably. “So many streams and nullahs join the Sutlej after the dam site that there are no chances of adverse impact on the ecology,” he said. He added that studies undertaken by Rorkee University in this regard too had indicated that there was no cause for concern on this account.

Mr Apparao said the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, was likely to inaugurate the fully commissioned 1500-MW Nathpa Jhakri project any time after May 10. He added that the UPA Chairperson, Ms Sonia Gandhi, would lay the foundation stone of the 400-MW Rampur project on the same day.

Bilaspur, April 26
Saint Baba Kalyandass, popularly known as “Kala Baba”, passed away at Fortis Hospital at Mohali last evening after a brief illness. He was 90-year-old. His body was brought to his Solag village, about 30 km from here, last night.

Thousands of devotees paid tributes to “Kala Baba” at Solag today, while his body will be brought here tomorrow morning and will be kept for “darshan” at his cottage. He will be cremated on the bank of the Sutlej in the afternoon according to his will.

Meanwhile, news of his death has shocked the region.

Prominent among those who paid tributes are HP Forest Minister Bamlal Thakur and MP Suresh Chandel.

Nalagarh, April 26
A minor LKG class girl was crushed to death when she came under the rear wheels of her own school bus while alighting at her home, Jagatpur on the Nalagarh-Swarghat road, about 15 km from here, today. Aman was alighting from bus when she lost her balance as her bag got stuck in the bus door. The bus driver could not notice it and she was run over by the bus. Injured Aman was rushed to local Civil Hospital where she declared brought dead.

The deceased was enrolled in Sunrise Public School, Baruna. A case has been registered against bus driver.