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Cabinet Decisions
Selection of Kaul as HPCC chief |
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CM for speedy completion of Theog-Rohru highway
Entry tax on scrap reduced
Manali growing as tourist destination
Admn brokers peace at Eternal varsity
Infantry Day celebrated
High-altitude lakes begin to freeze
Sarus crane losing habitat in state
Extension for staff only in public interest: HC
Adulterated sweets destroyed
Judicial officers transferred
Strike called off
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Cabinet Decisions
Shimla, October 27
It decided to hold the winter session of the Vidhan Sabha at Tapovan, Dharamsala, from December 6 to 9 and approved an amendment in the procurement policy of medicines and other material for the Rogi Kalyan Samitis. It also decided that the samitis will provide medicines free of cost to the eligible categories of outdoor patients subject to availability of budget under disease pattern and actual evaluation of the demand to be determined by the respective samitis. Members of the BPL (below poverty line) families, accidental and emergency patients and patients without any attendant will be eligible to draw medicines as per the policy of the state government. It decided to deliver the benefit of land for house building in rural and urban areas and include member of the family eligible for allotment of two biswa of land in rural areas and one biswa of land in urban areas for construction of houses who are likely to inherit less than the above limit land from their ancestors to bring new eligible persons under the scheme. The date for receipt of applications from eligible persons has been extended from October 5 to December 31. It decided to carry mandatory reforms in the power sector by constituting the Himachal Pradesh Load Dispatch Society under the Power Department. It approved extension in the date of filing annual returns of VAT to November 16. It also approved amendments to the State Tax on Entry of Goods into the Local Area Act and extension to 64 dental officers appointed on contract basis.
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Selection of Kaul as HPCC chief
Hamirpur, October 27 The decision came as a result of months of intense lobbying with the Congress high command by different factions of the state Congress with each faction making moves and counter moves. As a result the correlation within the party would definitely witness some change in the state politics. Congress leaders from Hamirpur, who had been backing Kaul Singh Thakur are upbeat after his reappointment. These include leaders like Narender Thakur, who had obtained the Congress ticket to contest the last parliament election from Hamirpur solely on the backing of Kaul Singh Thakur, and state spokesperson Deepak Sharma, On the other hand, the groups, who had been pushing the candidature of other candidates to head HPCC with the party high command, are also redrawing their strategies. One such leader on the condition of anonymity said: “Though some of us had different perception about the appointment of HPCC chief, party high command had the final authority in this regard. We would work in close coordination with Kaul Singh Thakur”. Since the HPCC chief would play an important role in party organisation and the upcoming elections at different level, those who had opposed him are eager to change the equation with the new HPCC chief.
It’s a thorny path for Kaul
Mandi, October 27 Addressing reporters at his residence today, Kaul Singh said he was retained as the party chief as AICC chief Sonia Gandhi approved of his work he had done for the party in the last two years. But Kaul Singh’s opponents were quick to retort citing that the Congress had lost Rohru, the Congress stronghold, and three Lok Sabha seats except Mandi from where Virbhadra managed to win by a narrow margin, they said. Kaul Singh was said he enjoyed the blessings of senior Congress leaders like Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, Vidya Stokes, and Virbhadra Singh. “I would take them together and ensure that we win panchayats polls and then Assembly polls routing the BJP,” he asserted. Surprising, no senior Congress leader or former minister, including the sitting MLAs from 10-member Mandi district, have formally issued the media release pledging support to Kaul Singh’s appointment. More so, the Congress high command has given a much political importance to the Central zone of Mandi by retaining Kaul Singh and making Virbhadra Singh as the Union Minister, but ironically the support for Kaul has not come from all quarters. District president Puran Chand, who is the staunch supporter of Kaul Singh and his team issued a press release, thanking Sonia Gandhi for retaining him, but others chose to be quite. Though Kaul Singh has warned of any indiscipline in the party, his biggest challenge is winning over Virbhadra Singh, Stokes, younger camp and other opponents, including former Animal Husbandry Minister Harsh Mahajan, Sukhwinder Sukhu and supporters of Virbhadra Singh, who stand ignored by the party high command in selection of the new president, party workers said. |
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CM for speedy completion of Theog-Rohru highway
Shimla, October 27 Presiding over a meeting to review the World Bank-funded state road project here, he said the entire stretch of road had to be repaired and maintained to avoid inconvenience to commuters on the road length till the project was completed. He also stressed that environmental safeguards must be ensured in the widening process. He said the World Bank was funding 10 major state road projects for improvement and upgrade of 480-km road at a cost of Rs 1,365 crore in different parts of the state. It was a front runner state for which the bank had sanctioned maximum number of road projects. The road was the lifeline of the people as there were no other means for transporting men and material. The total road length had increased to about 31,000 km in the state and the target was to connect every gram panchayat with a motorable road by the year-end. The state was upgrading its main roads to accommodate increasing pressure of vehicular traffic. Public Works Minister Gulab Singh said he had personally inspected the works being undertaken under the project to ensure quality of road construction.
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Entry tax on scrap reduced to 2 pc
Solan, October 27 Commissioner (Excise and Taxation) Jagdish Sharma said the tax, thus, collected would be used for local area development. He said the entry tax on scrap and waste material had been scaled down to two per cent considering the demand of the steel industry. However, keeping in view the high cost of non-ferrous scrap, one per cent tax would be levied. Chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Steel and Alloy Association JP Jain said it was a partial relief, but had failed to provide the much-needed relief. He said the association would convene a meeting tomorrow to decide upon the future course of action. Megh Raj Garg of HM Steel said the double taxation was not acceptable as they had pleaded for the complete removal of the entry tax. He said it was unfortunate that the power tariff, which was Rs 1.75 cheaper than the neighbouring state of Punjab, was not costlier by Rs 1 per unit and since the excise rebate had been scaled down from the earlier 16 to 10 per cent due to changes in the policy of Central excise, their units had become uncompetitive. Hopes of the industry for seeking a complete removal of tax had been dashed with the government merely reducing it to 50 per cent. The Excise and Taxation Department was, however, optimistic of increasing its revenue by way of entry tax and it has increased the number of items on whom entry tax was applicable from the earlier three to 13. The Commissioner, while terming it as a revenue generating measure, said the department was exploring the possibility of increasing the possibility of adding more items after studying the existing tax structure and tax evasion on various counts. Prem Sharma, president of the Nalagarh Industries’ Association, said the partial relief had failed to help the industry that was trying to emerge from the recession after months of lean business. |
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Manali growing as tourist destination
Manali, October 27 This strategy is targeted to catapult Manali from its present second place to number one, toppling Mannat hill station of Kerala, which is considered number one hill station in terms of quality of services and hospitality in the country by a travel portal. This strategy, said MHA members, was thrashed out after the MHA and other hoteliers from Shimla and other places had an interactive session with country’s travel agents and tour operators in New Delhi on Sunday, which was chaired by Chief Minister PK Dhumal. Talking to The Tribune, president, MHA, Gajender Thakur said, “Manali has been on tourism map since 1944 and Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee popularised it as mass hill station around the world. Today, we have a capacity of 21,000 beds. We are second only to Kerala’s Mannat. Now, our efforts are to make it number one in the country”. Thakur said they had discussed the strategy with travel agents and the DTCA. “What we lack is quality of hospitality and feel-home kind of ambience that Mannat in Kerala gives. I personally visited Mannat and experienced this difference”, he added. Thakur said Mannat had no snow, no river and no deodar jungles and meadows, but all these could be found here. “We are promoting Manali and Himachal as a virtual Heaven of gods as we hardly find gods in Kerala, but we have devis and devtas in each village”, MHA members said. During the interactive session in New Delhi, the Chief Minister said the DTCA would work in tandem with the hoteliers and travel agents bringing in more tourists in the state, mainly during lean season. The DTCA organised a road show at Delhi Haat to popularise Himachal. “We have already started “Gaon Ki Kahani” initiative to promote village tourism and launched home-stay scheme, which is gaining momentum in Kullu”, said tourism officials. Thakur said, “We need to put our efforts together to make Manali and Himachal number one destination in the country”, said MHA. The principal secretary, tourism, Manisha Nanda, and director, tourism, Arun Sharma, were also present at the interactive session with the travel agents.
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Admn brokers peace at Eternal varsity
Solan, October 27 ADM Lokender Chauhan said the university had agreed to revoke the suspension of 10 students who had been suspended on the grounds of ragging after considering their written replies while another seven who had been served notices for indulging in ragging had been directed to join classes and their case would be decided in the high-level committee meeting of November 9. Considering the fact that the future of these seven students who were in the final semester was at stake, the university authorities had taken a lenient view and decided to amicably resolve the issue. Chauhan, however, added that the university had been directed to constitute an effective grievance redress mechanism and convene its meeting from time to time so as to ensure that such incidents were not repeated. He informed that the parents who had earlier abstained from the meeting were present today and were convinced about the amicable solution. It was also decided that the three faculty members who had allegedly indulged in the violence would not teach third and fourth semester classes as was demanded by the parents. The university was also directed to keep a check on the import of intoxicants into the university campus as they had complained that students were indulging in drinking and other such activities. Officials warned them that they could not absolve themselves of the responsibility of indiscipline and maintenance of discipline would be their responsibility. Additional SP Sanjeev Lakhanpal and SDM Rajgarh Rajesh Maria were also present on the occasion.
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Infantry Day celebrated
Shimla, October 27 Felicitating all ranks of the infantry here today during the celebrations marking the 63rd anniversary to commemorate the Army's first post-independence victory in driving out Pakistani invaders from the Kashmir valley, the Lt Gen said the role the infantry had played during the War had earned it the title of “Queen of Battle”. For their valour and sacrifice, the infantrymen had earned 17 Param Vir Chakra and 30 Ashoka Chakra out of 20 Param Vir Chakra and 32 Ashoka Chakra awarded so far. Chief of the Army Staff Lt Gen VK Singh, also an infantryman, in his felicitation message to the infantry fraternity, complimented all ranks for their outstanding contribution towards national security and nation building. “They would continue to inspire future generations of the soldiers and the country’s youth with their dedication and deeds of valour,” he added. The infantrymen guarded the frontiers at the heights of the Siachen Glacier to the impregnable jungles of the North-East and to the scorching heat of the Thar. Even in this age of hi-tech weaponry, it was an accepted fact that the foot soldier was the one who ultimately hoisted the national flag on the captured territory, he stated. Highlights of the simple celebrations included wreath-laying ceremony and a sainik sammelan followed by tea with troops. |
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High-altitude lakes begin to freeze
Shimla, October 27 In the high-altitude areas of Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Chamba and Kullu districts, the night temperature has been below the freezing point, said meteorological office director Manmohan Singh. “The high hills are registering the night temperature two to three degrees below the average for this time of the year,” he said. The Chandertal, Surajtal and Manimahesh lakes have started freezing with the appearance of a thick sheet of ice. While the oval-shaped Manimahesh lake is located in Chamba district, Chandertal or Moon Lake and Surajtal or Sun Lake are in Lahaul and Spiti
district. Keylong, the district headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti, Wednesday recorded a low of 1.7°C while it was 1.5°C in Kalpa in Kinnaur district. Sher Singh, an official posted at Keylong, told IANS on phone that in some areas of the district the minimum temperature plummets even more than minus 10 degrees. The Rohtang Pass located at the height of 13,050 feet and the Baralacha Pass at 16,020 feet on the Manali-Leh highway experienced heavy snow on October 22. However, Shimla and its surrounding areas have been experiencing sunny days but the nights were cool. The town recorded a low of 8.8 degrees Wednesday. — IANS |
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Sarus crane losing habitat in state
Dharamsala, October 27 Prabhat Bhatti, an amateur ornithologist, has been keeping a watch over the cranes visiting the Swan wetlands for the past many years. Talking to The Tribune he said about 16 pairs of Sarus used to visit the wetland areas of Swan near the Santoshgarh area of Una district. The pairs also used to breed here during the monsoon. The people of the area, after being sensitised to protect the bird species, were tolerant towards them. However, it is the loss of habitat that is endangering the cranes living in the wetland areas of the river. The government has initiated a project in the state for canalisation of the river. Already 15 Km stretch of the river from Jhalera to Tahliwal, has been canalised. Though it has helped save thousands of acres of agricultural land, it has also destroyed the natural wetlands created by monsoon floods in the river. To add to it, the government is allowing industries to come up on the banks of the river. In Una district, a paper industry is coming up right in the wetland area on the banks of the river. As the birds inhabit the area, when the unit starts functioning, the habitat is likely to be totally destroyed. Over the years the number of Sarus pairs has been declining. Present monsoon saw just four pairs in the wetland area. Though the canalisation of the river cannot be stopped as hundreds of farmers are being benefited, the government can help save certain spots where the cranes visit regularly. The Forest Department, with the help of NGOs working in the area, can identify certain spots in the wetland area of the river that are essentially, the habitat of the cranes. These areas can be protected from urbanisation. Sarus cranes, generally, breed in the wetland areas or paddy fields during monsoons. The bird is omnivorous eating anything from tubular plants and insects to small invertebrates and vertebrates.
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Extension for staff only in public interest: HC
Shimla, October 27 While dealing with this petition, the Bench comprising Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjay Korol observed that the state government had acted in an improper manner to grant extension to Rana. It said public interest could not have been decided without the concurrence of the Chief Justice and it was necessary to place on record the entire material before the Chief Justice. The court further observed that no consultation was done with the search committee and the note prepared by the Secretary (Home) was approved by the Chief Secretary without the concurrence of the Chief Justice. It also said a letter was sent to the Chief Justice by the state government on September 30, when HS Rana was to retire, with notification of extension already issued. According to the procedure for appointment of the Director (Prosecution), it is mandatory to take the concurrence of the Chief Justice of the high court concerned. The order came on a petition filed by Jawaharlal, Joint Director in the same department, who had challenged the order of grant of extension to the Director (Prosecution). The court found that the Chief Justice had consented with the rider that extension as proposed does not wholly mar the prospectus of next incumbent. This fact was not considered before issuing the extension. The court observed that though the search committee was constituted and matter was ordered to be placed before it, later the entire process was scrapped and Principal Secretary (Home) moved the case for extension. The court directed that fresh selection of the Director (Prosecution) be completed by November 30, 2010, failing which senior-most Joint Director shall hold the charge of Director (Prosecution). If the search committee finds that none of the officers in the zone of consideration are suitable for appointment, it can recommend for extension to the present incumbent, HS Rana.
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Adulterated sweets destroyed
Bilaspur, October 27 Kayastha said the sweets contained colours that were unfit for human consumption. He said samples were also taken from a shop and would be sent to the laboratory for analysis. If any adulteration was found, strict action would be taken and a criminal case would be registered against the defaulters. Kayashta also said the campaign had been started on the orders of the government to ensure adulteration-free sweets and other eatables in the festival season. He warned that the campaign would continue at several places in the district and no lapse would be tolerated.
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Judicial officers transferred
Shimla, October 27 CB Barowalia, District and Sessions Judge, Solan, has been transferred and posted as such at Mandi. AS Jaswal, presiding officer, Labour Court-cum-Industrial Tribunal, Shimla, will be the the new District and Sessions judge, Kinnaur at Rampur While KS Chandel, District and Sessions Judge, Kinnaur at Rampur, has been transferred to Solan as such, Arvind Malhotra, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Nahan, has been posted as District and Sessions Judge, Una. DS Khenal, Special Secretary (Law) has been transferred and posted at Labour Court-cum Industrial Tribunal, Shimla.
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Strike called off
Palampur, October 27 Bimal Shekhry, president of the non-teaching employees’ federation, said the Vice-Chancellor had accepted their demands that were in his purview, while certain matters needed clearance from the state government. A meeting to this effect would be held with the Secretary (Agriculture) soon. — OC
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While supporters of Kaul Singh Thakur are upbeat on his continuation as the president of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), those not siding with him till now are redrawing their strategy in the changed scenario.
