Shimla, December 14
A one-man commission constituted by the government to look into land violations in the hill state since 2003 has sought extension for another six months to be able to complete its work as the time given to it is coming to an end on December 20.

The commission, headed by a retired High Court Judge, Justice DP Sood, was constituted in June mainly to probe benami land deals. At that time the commission had been given six months to wind up its work and submit the final report to the government.

The request for extension of time is pending with the government and is likely to be accepted. It is reliably learnt that the commission has looked into over 800 complaints pertaining to violations of Section 118 of the Tenancy and Land Reform Act, 1972, and the Himachal Pradesh Apartment and Property Regulation Act, 2005.

Sources said that though the commission had looked into a majority of the complaints under Section 118, cases coming under the Apartment and Property Regulation Act were yet to be examined. Even though the state government is considering scrapping the Apartment Act as a select committee of the Vidhan Sabha has made this recommendation, all such cases which are violative of the Act will be inquired into.

The commission has toured the state except the two tribal districts and accepted complaints from individuals and organisations with regard to land violations, mainly benami, in view of restrictions on the purchase of land in the hill state by outsiders and even Himachalis who do not own agricultural land.

The issue of benami land deals in the state is a politically hot topic with both the Congress and the BJP accusing each other of having given prime agricultural land to outsiders. While the Congress has accused the Dhumal regime of virtually putting Himachal on “sale”, the BJP presented figures to show that during its tenure it had approved far fewer cases than the Congress had in its five-year term.

The commission will look into all land purchase cases by outsiders that have been approved from March 2003 to March 31, 2011, which will cover both Congress as well as BJP rule. Initially, the complainants had been asked to submit an affidavit along with details of the case but when very few persons approached the commission, complaints on simple paper were also accepted.

The Congress has, however, refused to bring cases before the commission and had said that it would rather include them in the charge sheet it was preparing against the BJP regime.

Bilaspur, December 14
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat today opposed foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail stating that it will wipe out retailers and result in large-scale unemployment in the country. He urged people to root out corruption.

Addressing a gathering of khaki-clad RSS workers from four regions here today, Bhagwat said because of their greed to make more money, multinational companies would wipe out small investors and retailers, that would create more unemployment in the country.

In his hour-long speech, Bhagwat cited a recent survey on how corruption had become a cancerous disease plaguing the psyche of the youth in the country. “More than 38 per cent youngsters say they have to give a bribe to get work done,” he said.

To stem this rot, they needed to stand together, he said.

He said because of “wrong divisive polices”, the country was losing its natural resources and the rupee had been devalued.

Bhagwat said the RSS did not propagate sectarian policies and believed in pluralism and diversity. “We disapprove of superpowers like the USA and China,” he added.

He said India was predominantly a “Hindu rashtra” and no group was bigger than national interest. The government had been pursuing anti-national and anti-democratic polices to appease its vote bank, he said.

He warned that Pakistan and China were making the borders of the country insecure.

Chief Minister PK Dhumal, Education Minister ID Dhiman and Rural Development Minister Jai Ram Thakur were among those present on the occasion.

The RSS function drew the ire of the Opposition as two government schools were used for it.

Shimla, December 14
The current economic slowdown in the country may be more severe as compared to that in 2008 but in states like Himachal and Uttarakhand, where a large number of industries have come up only in the last five years after the grant of a central package, the incentives available will help moderate the impact.

This is the general view of industrialists and their representative bodies but they also feel that Himachal should come out with a state package on the pattern of Uttarakhand to retain industries. The negative IIP numbers for October make it evident that industrial output has started declining due to the slowdown which may last from six months to two years. While the entire industrial segment has been hit , the steel , consumer goods, textile and packaging industries have been the worst affected with production declining by 10 to 15 per cent. In the pharmaceutical segment, which is less affected, the companies engaged in contract manufacturing have been affected the most.

The problem is more serious this time due to a number of domestic factors like the high rate of inflation, free fall of the rupee, deteriorating balance of payments situation and the rising deficit ,which were not there during the 2008 slowdown, explains Chairman of the state chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Rajiv Malhotra. This time companies are also defaulting on the repayment of loans and banks have started exercising tight controls to add to the financial woes of industries already reeling under spiralling interest rates. Uttarakhand had offered 5 per cent interest subvention up to a maximum of Rs 5 lakh in backward areas and up to Rs 3 lakh in less backward areas.

In Himachal industries came up only over the past five years and they were still enjoying the benefit of exemption in excise duty , income tax and other incentives and as such those who have units in other states too, which is mostly the case with major industrial houses, would like to maintain a relatively higher level of production. However, the state must come out with its own package of incentives like Uttarakhand , he observed.

President of the Baddi Barotiwala Nalagarh Industrial Association Arun Rawat drew attention to the shortage of unskilled manpower due to the implementation of the MNREGA. The textile sector was facing competition from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, where labour was much cheaper. He maintained that if the slowdown continued the industrial output in the state would come down by 15 to 20 per cent.

Director of Kamdhenu Ispat Sunil Agarwal, a leading steel products manufacturer, said the demand for steel had come down by 15 to 20 per cent in the current year. Controversies surrounding the mining sector had affected the availability of iron ore, pushing up prices, and as such the margins would take a beating.

Vice-Chairman of the state chapter of the CII CN Dhar said the slackening of the demand for steel was a definite indication of slowdown. The weakening of the rupee should have given a fillip to exports, particularly in textiles, but that was not happening because of the sliding economies in Europe and other parts of the world.

Shimla, December 14
Ice skating enthusiasts were elated at the sight of a capsule-shaped red balloon hovering majestically atop the Municipal Corporation building this morning, signalling the start of a belated season at Asia’s oldest natural ice skating rink here.

Over 50 young boys and girls literally skated on thin ice as it will take two more days to have an ice layer of the requisite thickness. However, the ice sheet was impeccable and shone like a mirror. Youngsters were thrilled to skate on it, said secretary of the Shimla Ice Skating Club Bhavnesh Banga.

He said though it had been a delayed start, it was a promising one as the ice sheet had covered almost the entire rink and with not a trace of cloud in the sky, evening sessions would also be possible.

Normally, ice skating commences around November 25 with trial sessions, but this season protracted dry spell and high temperatures made it impossible for water to freeze naturally. The dry spell was broken only last week when the region had snow and rain, bringing down a sharp fall in the mercury.

The delay in the start of the season has not dampened the spirits of lovers of the fascinating sport and over 500 members, including 350 children, have enrolled with the club for the season. The membership fee has been raised for children from Rs 650 to Rs 700 and for senior members from Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,400.

Banga feels that despite the delay, 50 to 60 sessions could still be possible during the season if the weather god obliges. Last year the city experienced a snow-less winter but the clear weather provided ideal conditions for ice skating and there were 86 sessions in all. The 2009-10 season was also good with 77 sessions, whereas in the preceding year only 27 sessions were possible. There were times in the 1960s when more than 150 sessions were held and the season extended up to 15 weeks.

With snow becoming increasingly scarce, ice skating is a major attraction for winter revellers. Apart from tourists, residents also eagerly await the two main annual events, the carnival and the gymkhana. Ice hockey matches are also a big draw.

Mandi, December 14
In a bid to save a 145-year-old school building in this temple town, alumni of Vijay High School have embarked upon a signature campaign to garner support for its restoration as a heritage building.

A meeting of the school alumni was held here after a Supreme Court judge, Justice Swantra Kumar, visited his alma matter earlier this year and expressed the desire that the building, a remnant of Pahari wooden architecture, should be restored.

The school has produced professionals, including doctors, engineers and academics, for the past more than 14 decades.

Anil Sharma, president of the alumni association, said the building was in a dilapidated condition. The school was established in the name of Anglo Vernacular Middle School in 1866 and was upgraded as a high school in 1921 and named Vijay High School as a tribute to the then ruler of Mandi state and founder of the school, King Vijay Sen, he added.

He said the association had taken up the issue with the Chief Minister a number of times, but in vain. “All of us are emotionally attached to this building as numerous luminaries have studied here,” he added.

“We have been trying to save this building, but so far nothing concrete has emerged,” said Dr C Parmar, an alumnus of the school and horticulture scientist.

Vallabh Government College Principal MS Jambal said he had visited the old building of Vijay High School along with a team, constituted by the local administration, to verify the condition of the building. The wooden structure had been damaged partially, but its basic structure was still intact and repair could save it, he said.

Dr Raju, an agriculture scientist, said any delay in protecting the building may prove disastrous. The association had started a signature campaign to awaken the alumni and people of the town to come forward and join hands to save it.

All residents should pool in resources to save it, he added.

Dharamsala, December 14
Following a bitter experience with political leaders during the inauguration of the Shahpur Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), the Army today kept its programme of inauguration of the ECHS polyclinic at Dehra a low-key affair.

The Army authorities did not invite any political leader from the state for the function with a view that it may lead to a war of words to claim credit for the facility.

The Army had planned to get its polyclinic at Shahpur inaugurated from the GOC-in-C Western Command a few months ago. The dignitary had arrived for the function at Dharamsala. However, the inauguration was cancelled at the last moment due to the intervention of the Union Defence Ministry.

Later after about a week the Union Minister of State for Defence inaugurated the polyclinic. Similarly, the inauguration of the broad gauge railway line in the Amb area in Una also got involved in a controversy.

The ECHS polyclinic was inaugurated this morning at a simple ceremony by Major-Gen VK Yadav, Chief of Staff, Rising Star Corps. The General handed over this 10th ECHS polyclinic of the region to a large gathering of ex-servicemen, Army officials and dignitaries present at the venue.

The General said the welfare of ex-servicemen was high on the Army’s priority.

The eldest Army veteran, 83-year-old Havildar Rulia Ram of Garli village, who was present at the venue, said: “Now I do not have to travel to Yol for minor ailments and the facility has come as a godsend”.

Shimla, December 14
The HP High Court has stayed the process of acquisition of 1,305 bighas by the state government for the Ambuja Cement Factory for mining purposes in six villages of Solan district.

The interim order was passed by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Rajiv Sharma on a petition filed by villagers alleging that no public hearing was offered before issuing the acquisition notification under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act.

The petitioners have challenged the state government notification of March 2, 2011, whereby the government has proposed to acquire 1,305 bighas in six different villages for mining by the factory.

Petitioners Jagarnath and two others have alleged that the state government has issued the notification for the acquisition of land of private owners for mining purposes.

They mentioned that the government is not acquiring the land for any public purpose as mentioned in the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act. The petitioners added that the government would hand over the land to the Ambuja factory for the extraction of clinker.

The cement company is not performing any public function but is purely a commercial establishment, they said.

Shimla, December 14
The Shimla Nagrik Sabha today threatened that in case the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) does not implement the new traffic plan notified by the Deputy Commissioner, it would resort to a Shimla bandh, keeping in view the inconvenience faced by the public.

In a statement issued here today, Vijender Mehra of the sabha alleged that the HRTC authorities, under pressure from the company running the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT), had still not enforced the new traffic plan. “Commuters are facing inconvenience and the decision to start all buses plying within a 40-km range from the old bus stand between 8 pm and 8 am has still not been implemented,” he said.

He sought the intervention of the Transport Minister in the matter and said the HRTC authorities should be asked to follow the notified traffic plan. “In case this is not done, we will be forced to resort to a chakka jam and declare a Shimla bandh,” he threatened.

Shimla, December 14
Resentment prevails among veterinary doctors employed on a contract basis in the state over the “indifferent” attitude of the government towards their demands.

They said the government was even reluctant to implement the orders of the high court which had observed that with no regular appointments of veterinary officers being made since 1999, keeping contractual vets devoid of the NPA was against natural justice. A spokesperson of the contract veterinarians said that even after the completion of eight years of service, a batch of contractual vets was awaiting the regularisation of services. The contract vets urged the government to come out with a rational policy for the regularisation of the services of various categories of employees. — TNS