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State mulls Act to regularise unauthorised structures
Congress, BJP two sides of the same coin, says Brinda Karat
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Plan to set up virology dept at IGMC, Tanda hospital
Pratibha at PM’s door for liberal aid
Don’t mislead people, BJP MLA told
Nurpur MC demands restoration of streetlight power supply
Plan to install Doppler VOR at Kangra airport
Baddi gets Intellectual Property Rights Cell
40 posts of vet to be filled soon, says minister
Tibetan admn refutes Chinese leader’s remark
Drinking water taps in Bilaspur areas go dry
Speaker seeks funds for bridges
Satti bats for Bindal
Man booked for suicide attempt
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State mulls Act to regularise unauthorised structures
Shimla, July 10 The government is exploring various possibilities to regularise these structures which are illegal as these have either come up on forest land, or on encroached government land. Since it will not be possible to demolish a large number of illegal structures, efforts are on to come out with a one-time settlement policy which can also include amendment to rules. There was a proposal to follow the example of Tamil Nadu which has come up with an Act to regularise all illegal constructions. Since a large number of houses will not qualify for regularisation even if a retention policy is brought about, it is felt that legislation may be mandatory so that the matter is settled once and for all. Another suggestion to tackle the issue was to amend the Rules of the TCP Act. In September last year, the government had proposed amendments to the rules and public objections and suggestions had also been invited. The hearing of these objections was done in February this year and the final draft is ready, awaiting government nod. As per government figures, there are a total of 60,911 unauthorised constructions in the 22 planning areas of the state. In 7,765 cases, action has been taken under Section 83-A where water and power connections have been disconnected. These structures had been declared unauthorised by the government due to various violations in the construction norms under the Town and Country Planning Act. Despite their illegal status, most of these structures have already been provided water and power connections against government norms, but for all practical purposes they will be treated as unauthorised. The main hitch being faced by the government is that it had filed an affidavit in a court that it will not come up with any further policies. If the status of these structures remains illegal, the government cannot claim property tax and other charges from their owners as this would give them right to seek
regularisation. ray of hope
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Congress, BJP two sides of the same coin, says Brinda Karat
Shimla, July 10 Karat was here to preside over the National Convention of SFI delegates. "Gujarat has implemented an unbridled pro-corporate model of development which just can't be replicated in other part of the country," she asserted, addressing a press conference. Karat said notwithstanding the claims of Narendra Modi and the BJP, there was severe malnutrition in the saffron-ruled states which was even worse than in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. She added that the dropout rate in educational institutions too was very high. She asserted that people would have to look beyond the Congress and the BJP which were the two sides of the same coin. "It is neither Modi and the NDA nor Rahul and the UPA which can protect the interests of the country, and it is only a third alternative which can steer the nation in the right direction," she said. On the question of forging a Third Front, she said Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav had said he would make an announcement only after the elections. "The unifying force should not be an individual leader or party name, but a common policy which should bring the like-minded parties together," she remarked. Karat said the CPM would join hands with parties based on the state specific issues. She criticised the UPA regime for failing to place the Lokpal Bill in Parliament despite the recommendations of the Select Committee. "The Supreme Court has upheld the supremacy of Parliament to decide the actual contours for the CBI so that it is independent of government control," she said, stating that it was unfortunate that the court had to give such directions. The CPM leader said her party would oppose any move to usher in foreign direct investment (FDI) as stated by the Prime Minister. "We will oppose FDI in retail, pension, insurance and banking as it is not in the interest of the nation," she stated. Karat accused the Congress regime in Himachal of giving a red carpet welcome to real estate ventures just like the BJP had done in the past. "The disaster in Uttarakhand should be a warning to Himachal not to allow hydropower projects mindlessly as these damage the fragile hill ecology," she said. She said in Uttarakhand too, unregulated tunneling and blasting had been done which added to the misery of people. She said nobody was opposed to development, but there should be strict adherence to norms by private power producers. |
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Plan to set up virology dept at IGMC, Tanda hospital
Shimla, July 10 This was stated by Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh Thakur, while presiding over a meeting of the National Vector-Borne Diseases Control Programme here today. “Gambujiya fish is larvicidal and a project is being prepared to introduce it in the state as it kills the larvae of vectors in the stagnant water where vectors breed,” he said. The Health Minister said a weil felix test had been made available for the detection of scrub typhus disease at all district-level hospitals and confirmatory Elisa test at the IGMC and the DRPGMC, Tanda. The availability of doxycycline in health institutions had been ensured for the treatment of patients. He said for the treatment of dengue, the platelet concentrates were available at the IGMC and the DRPGMC, Tanda, where blood separation units had been established. Kaul Singh directed the Health Department to start a comprehensive Information Education Communication (IEC) campaign to make people aware about vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, scrub typhus and kala azar and motivate the community to adopt preventive measures under vector control. He said funds had been provided to all Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) to print the IEC material and organise awareness camps, besides undertaking surveillance activities. Kaul Singh directed all CMOs to convene a meeting of all officials to take appropriate measures for controlling vector and water-borne diseases. He directed the PWD and Urban Development Department to make necessary arrangements to cover the water drainage system and maintain these periodically to avoid mosquito breeding in stagnant water. He asked the Irrigation and Public Health Department to ensure a supply of safe drinking water. Sudhir Sharma, Urban Development Minister, said thermocol balls could be used for covering stagnant water to control vectors. He said the Urban Development Department had taken many initiatives to check the growth of various vectors. |
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Ropeway for Himani Chamunda temple to boost tourism
Dharamsala, July 10 However, attracting an investment of Rs 200 crore for the project will be a challenge for the department concerned. Earlier also, many such ambitious projects planned by the state government had failed to find investors. A ropeway project to Triund, a trekking paradise near Dharamsala, was planned long ago. The foundation stone for the project was laid by former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar in 1991. Sources here said no investor came forward for taking up the ropeway project due to lack of viability under the terms and conditions placed by the state government. The previous government also tried to launch heli-taxi service for the Himani Chamunda temple. Former Chief Minister PK Dhumal inaugurated the service by boarding the maiden flight to the temple. However, later the service could not take off. The sources said the company that was entrusted the task of starting the service backtracked due to lack of viability. Since Dharamsala received maximum rainfall during the peak tourist season, the number of days during which the heli-taxi service could be operated here was very limited. The previous state government also tried to launch heli-taxi service to various parts of the state, but it also failed to take off. The state government had also announced tunnels, including the one connecting Kangra district with Bharmour subdivision of Chamba district and two tunnels connecting Una and Hamirpur districts. The sources said studies for the projects were conducted by companies hired for the purpose. However, the projects could not go beyond paper work as experts doubted their financial viability. The Himani Chamunda temple is located along the snowline at an altitude of about 12,000 feet in the Dhauladhar range. Presently, there is no road to the temple. People who visit the temple have to trek an arduous mountain terrain of about 12 km. The area in which the temple is located is forest land. In case the present government wants to create a road or ropeway to the temple, it will have to seek forest clearance from the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests. The clearance for the Rs 200-crore ropeway project in principal by the state government has gathered accolades for new Congress MLA of Dharamsala and Minister for Housing and Urban Development Sudhir Sharma. In a press statement here today, even the former Chief Minister and senior leader of BJP Shanta Kumar, who belongs to Kangra district, have congratulated the state government for clearing the Himani Chamunda ropeway project. |
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CPI asks govt to take over Baroh college
Kangra, July 10 He said according to university rules, working of the college was passed over to the executive managing committee superseding the CSSKP and as such the CSSKP had no right to pass any resolution to close the college. Himal Chand said the Himachal government had illegally issued an NOC for the closure of this college on the basis of an unauthorised resolution bypassing the rules framed under HP University Ordinance. About 23 panchayats, along with other social organisations and NGOs, had already made their positions clear through different resolutions, the memorandum added. He demanded that the college spread over 29 kanals with a huge infrastructure should be taken over by the government failing which the CPI would launch an agitation. |
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Pratibha at PM’s door for liberal aid
She told him that according to initial estimates, a loss of Rs 2,575 crore had been estimated and 25 persons had lost their lives in flash floods. She said 1,000 houses and 2,120 roads had been badly damaged. Crop on 50,000 hectares had also been damaged. She requested the Prime Minister to expedite the construction work on the Rohtang tunnel to provide all-weather connectivity to Lahaul-Spiti district. She added that this tunnel was also an important link to Leh which has international border with China. She asked him to declare Baddi-Kalka and Bilaspur-Leh via Manali railway lines as projects of national importance keeping in view the economic importance of these railways lines. She also sought adequate budget for early completion of Nangal-Talwara and Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Beri railways lines. She also sought a special industrial package for the state up to 2020 like other special category states. Assembly Speaker Brij Bihari Lal Butail also met the Prime Minister.
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Don’t mislead people, BJP MLA told
Bilaspur, July 10 This was said by State Planning Development and 20-Point Implementation Committee Chairman Ram Lal Thakur while addressing mediapersons at Naina Deviji, 75 km from here, last evening. Joining issue with local BJP MLA Randhir Sharma, who had said the Congress had stopped all development works in that constituency, Ram Lal said the Chief Minister had sanctioned Rs 4.63 crore for the Naina Deviji constituency while more schemes were in the pipeline. Ram Lal said some workers of a political party had been indulging in illegal mining in the Changar area. But now this illegal activity would not be allowed. He said Randhir Sharma was also trying to mislead people by raising issues of a sanctuary area of Shri Naina Deviji and opening of a new toll tax barrier at Sella Ghodha in this constituency. He said it was the former BJP government which was responsible for these “anti-people" decisions when Randhir was an MLA. |
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Students protest against suspension of bus service
Dharamsala, July 10 About 100 students, including a large number of girl students, raised slogans against the HPRTC management. The students were protesting against the stoppage of the HPRTC bus service in their area. They alleged that earlier two buses used to ply between Nagrota Surian and Dharamsala in the morning hours. However, now the HPRTC management had stopped one bus. The students coming from the area hardly had any other public transport system to reach Dharamsala. Since the bus service had been stopped, they were not able reach their college in time, the students alleged. The protesting students also tried to barge into the office of the Regional Manager of HPRTC, but their attempt was thwarted by employees. The HPRTC authorities, while speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the bus service had been stopped due to lack of viability. |
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Nurpur MC demands restoration of streetlight power supply
Nurpur, July 10 It was presided over by its chairperson Krishna Mahajan. The MC passed a resolution to criticise the snapping of power supply to only Nurpur MC in Kangra district under the pretext of old liability power bills. The MC appealed to the state government to restore the power supply keeping in view the larger public interest. The MC also demanded the waiving off of around Rs 35 lakh penalty imposed by the HPSEB on the actual power liability of Rs 32 lakh and agreed to release the outstanding amount in instalments to the board. It also stated that 90 per cent of the government grant was being spent on the salaries of the MC employees. It urged the state government to sanction extra funds to the MC to cope with such an embarrassing situation. In the meeting the local SDM and officials of the HPSEB were also present. Meanwhile, local MLA Ajay Mahajan said he had taken up the matter with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh who assured him of solving it on priority. |
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Plan to install Doppler VOR at Kangra airport
Kangra, July 10 Sharma said the Kangra airport received two flights daily and more than 100 passengers arrived and many departed from here. He said security had been tightened at the airport with 10 more Home Guard jawans posted here. Besides, 26 policemen were already on the job. He said CCTV cameras would be installed here. Expressing satisfaction over the passenger traffic potential of the Kangra airport, Sharma hoped that more airlines would start flights for this destination. He said despite an expenditure of Rs 40 lakh a month with least income from this airport, the AAI was committed to providing air connectivity to the people visiting the Kangra valley. |
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Baddi gets Intellectual Property Rights Cell
Solan, July 10 It will be the seventh such cell in North India and given the concentration of industries in the BBN belt and its surrounding areas, it will go a long way in promoting the cause of industries. Immediate past president of the BBNIA Arun Rawat, who had been pursuing for the grant of this cell with the MSME ministry since last year, said the ministry would contribute about Rs 60 lakh in a phased manner in a span of three years, while the total project cost was pegged at around Rs 79 lakh. The industry would contribute about Rs 19 lakh for this project. Rawat said the nitty-gritty of this project was being worked out now. As per the terms and conditions laid down by the ministry after the three-year initial period, the cell would be managed by the industry on its own. Such cells were usually granted to industry associations which could cater to a large industrial area. This announcement was made by the then Union Minister for MSME Virbhadra Singh at Barog in June 2012. This cell will help investors in filing patents and verifying trade names in Himachal itself, thus saving the hassle of going to Delhi. Others issues relating to copyrights, artwork, brand names registration and their search etc too will be facilitated. The industry in Himachal which is spread in various districts, including neighbouring Bilaspur, Sirmaur, Una and Kangra, will be benefited from this cell. About 38,000 small-scale units have been registered in the state after the 2003 Central industrial package which have provided employment to about 2.6 lakh youth. It will help boost MSME sector and compete with bigger firms on a global level. The Ministry of MSME has set up various facilitation centres for creating awareness about the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) all across the country. The IPR is vital for competitiveness in the industry, especially the MSME. Its relevance has increased after India signed the World Trade Organisation Agreement in 1995, thus increasing the need for Indian industries to adapt to the emerging requirements of the global trading. |
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Demand for Dadour bypass gets louder
Sundernagar, July 10 A large number of persons held a rally, raising slogans against the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and submitted a memorandum to Oscar Fernandes, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, through Sub-Divisional Magistrate. Under the banner of the Joint Action Committee, more than 200 persons, including delegates of the Himachal Kisan Shabha, Beopar Mandal, Mahi Samithi, Yuvak Mandal and Mahila Mandal and people of four panchyats, Dadour, Bhour, Kanaid and Chowk, took out a procession to lay stress on their pending demands. They alleged that the proposed alignment was passing through a thickly populated area and was having 20,000 population residing on either side of the existing road. As many as 500 houses and more than 200 shops were existing on both sides of the road and the proposed height of the fenced road would be raised up to 12 feet which would affect their business. A Joint Action Committee demanded that the proposed road should be made
Ner-Chowk bypass with new alignment. The protesters also burnt the effigy of project Director of the NHAI in front of the SDM office. |
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40 posts of vet to be filled soon, says minister
Palampur, July 10 Sharma was addressing veterinary graduates, teachers and scientists of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences on the 23rd passing-out ceremony of veterinary graduates and postgraduates on the HPAU campus here today. He said in the current financial year, the state government had proposed to spend Rs 260 crore on the expansion and development of animal husbandry and veterinary services. He said under this programme, special stress would be laid on the higher production of milk and milk products. Besides, new breeds of cows would also be developed so that the farming community was benefited, he added. The minister appreciated the role of scientists working in the college for their services in research and extension. He stressed that milk producers and farmers must be benefited with the new techniques developed by the univeristy. He said special efforts should be made to make cattle disease-free in the state. He said veterinary experts had done a commendable job by holding mobile veterinary camps in tribal and far-flung areas of the state in the past three years. Earlier, Dr SK Sharma, Vice-Chancellor, received the minister on his first visit to the university. He apprised the minister of various activities being held in the animal sciences department of the university.
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Tibetan admn refutes Chinese leader’s remark
Dharamsala, July 10 Yu reportedly said China would bring lasting stability and prosperity in Tibet by accelerating the improvement in people’s livelihood. He said, “The Dalai Lama’s middle-way, aimed at achieving so-called high degree autonomy in Greater Tibet, is opposite to the Constitution and the country’s system of regional ethnic autonomy.” The Secretary for Information and International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration here today said the Chinese government’s repressive policies and reality in Tibet were contrary to assertions made by Yu. “The CTA reiterates that the Chinese leadership should bring change in its policies on Tibet as per the wishes of the Tibetan people, if it genuinely wants to bring lasting stability in Tibet. Political freedom is the issue and not the livelihood,” Secretary Tashi Phuntsok said. He rejected Yu’s allegations that the middle-way approach contravenes the Chinese Constitution and the system of regional ethnic autonomy. The CTA remains firmly committed to the middle-way approach and believes that the only way to resolve the Tibet issue is through dialogue. Dr Lobsang Sangay, political successor of the Dala Lama, has maintained that the substance is primary and the process secondary and that the Tibetan leadership is ready to engage in meaningful dialogue anywhere anytime.
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Drinking water taps in Bilaspur areas go dry
Bilaspur, July 10 Some families were seen carrying big containers in vehicles to fetch water from other sector house taps or nearby fresh water streams. The IPH authorities said this situation had arisen as the only drinking water supply scheme of Nalyan Ka Naun had developed some snag in its pumping sets. Efforts were being made to restart these pumps, they added. They also said it could take at least two more days to restore a normal water supply to these areas. Drinking water was lifted in this scheme from the Nalyan Ka Naun fresh water stream of the old Bilaspur town. This lift scheme is an engineering feat in the entire state as its well is insulated against the polluted water of the Gobind Sagar, despite this well going under water for six months every year, with only its top remaining out of the river. Lifting pumps are set up in this deep well, which collects water at the lower level from the fresh water stream.
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Speaker seeks funds for bridges
Shimla, July 10 He requested the Union Minister to provide funds for the construction of 30-m span bridges over the Pun Khad on a link road from Padhiarkhar to Sarswan and from Aweri village to Lachun.. He said the Detailed Project Reports of both the bridges had been sent to the Union Minister with the request for an early sanction of a grant and budgetary provisions for the bridges.
— TNS
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Satti bats for Bindal
Shimla, July 10 Satti said the Congress government was pressurising the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau to expedite the case against Bindal. "Why is the Congress government silent over 4,000 jobs given on chits?" he asked. The BJP chief said Virbhadra Singh in his previous regime gave jobs without following a procedure, for which action must be taken against him. "Virbhadra Singh indulged in nepotism and gave undue favour to people close to him," he said. Virbhadra had no moral right to take action against Bindal, he added.
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Man booked for suicide attempt
Chamba, July 10 The report said the man identified as Thakur Dyal, resident of Satlog village of remote Churah sub-division of the district, had asked a woman Pano of Danoon village of Salooni tehsil to get her daughter to marry him. But on the refusal of Pano’s daughter to marry him, he started talking about committing suicide and started activities to this end, the report said, adding that further investigation in the case was on.
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Shimla, July
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