HP's illegal constructions
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Jan 18 — Politics of vote and local pressures have virtually rendered the Town and Country Planning Act redundant, with no government in a position to take a firm stand on the issue of unauthorised constructions.

Instead of taking steps to enforce the Act effectively, successive governments have been encouraging illegal constructions. Over the past decade more than 10,500 buildings have been constructed in the state without the approval of the Town and Country Planning Department. The maximum number of 3949 unauthorised buildings is in Shimla district, followed by 3182 in Solan district.

Various government departments and corporations have also been constructing huge structures without getting plans approved by the Town and Country Planning Department. The Act does not distinguish between private and government constructions.

One hundred and seventy three government buildings have been constructed without approval all over the state. The maximum number is at Mandi which has 44 unauthorised buildings, followed by Shimla and Chamba districts where 31 such buildings each have been constructed and Kangra where the number is 24. Besides additions and alterations have been made in numerous government buildings unauthorisedly.

The Congress Government started a drive against unauthorised structures in Shimla in 1995. However, it buckled under pressure and suspended the drive after demolishing two structures in the Kachighati areas. The byelection to the Shimla Assembly seat and subsequently the Municipal Corporation poll not only forced the government to give up the drive but also to promise regularisation of all illegal structures.

Those who had constructed houses without getting the building plans approved were even given no-objection certificates for obtaining water and power connections. Just before the assembly poll, the government formulated a policy for the regularisation of illegal structures. The policy could not be implemented as the Congress was defeated in the assembly poll.

The BJP, while in opposition had also promised to regularise unauthorised constructions

Now Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, has announced that henceforth no government building would be constructed without the approval of the Town and Country Planning Department and in case of any lapse, the officers concerned would be held responsible.

Ministers flout CM’s order
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Jan 18 — The orders of the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, to his ministerial colleagues to remain present in the secretariat here on atleast five working days have apparently been shown the door as none of them was present at the headquarters today.

Not even a single Cabinet minister or minister of state was available in the secretariat. The Parliamentary Secretaries were also missing. There are 21 ministers and two Parliamentary Secretaries.

Later during the day, only one minister of state, Mr Karan Singh, arrived in his office after returning from his tour of Kulu.

To tighten his grip over his ministerial colleagues and also the administration, Mr Dhumal had recently asked them to be present on all working days in the secretariat.

The state Cabinet had itself last month decided that all ministers should attend office from Monday to Friday as they were keeping themselves away on one pretext or the other. The issue was reportedly brought up before the Cabinet by Mr Dhumal himself as he had been facing angry protests from party workers on this account.

It is learnt that taking benefit of the absence of the Chief Minister, who is on a tour to Dharamsala most of his ministerial colleagues opted to go on tour to their respective constituencies. Some of them were at Dharamsala to participate in the meetings of the BJP executive and also of state office-bearers.

The Cabinet had decided that the ministers should fix days for meeting general public, keep one day exclusively for meeting the MLAs and two days for holding departmental meetings.

The ministers were also asked not to leave on tour without the prior approval of the Chief Minister.

These decisions of the Cabinet were reportedly taken with a view to improving the functioning of the secretariat and also the image of the BJP-HVC combine government.

However, a minister recently said that they would prefer to be among their people in their respective constituencies rather than waste their time in the secretariat. Their absence from the constituencies would alienate them from their people, he added.

Virbhadra to stay CLP chief: Dhawan
From Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Jan 18 — The Virbhadra Singh group today got a shot in the arm with the Congress General Secretary, Mr R.K. Dhawan, ruling out the possibility of a change in the CLP leadership and the installation of a Congress government in the state.

Setting aside speculation in this regard, Mr Dhawan, who is here to address a state-level Congress workshop, said his party had certain principles and as such could not join hands with the Himachal Vikas Congress chief, Mr Sukh Ram, for the formation of a Congress government. "Our party President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, has made it clear that she is not interested in toppling either the central or the state government", he said, adding that if the governments at the Centre and the state were to fall on their own the Congress should not be blamed for it.

Mr Sat Mahajan and Mrs Vidya Stokes have been talking of the possibility of the formation of a Congress government in the state in the near future. The PCC chief, Mr Mahajan, had earlier stated that the issue of taking the support of Mr Sukh Ram for the formation of the government was open. However, with Mr Dhawan brushing aside all such possibilities, the stand taken by the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, has been vindicated.

Mr Dhawan also put an end to all rumours that the high command was considering to bring about a change in the CLP leadership. A lot of lobbying had been going on with some senior leaders trying their best to oust Mr Virbhadra Singh from the post of the CLP chief.

It is now expected that the hectic lobbying and political activities going on within the Congress would come to rest as Mr Dhawan has clearly stated the stand of Ms Sonia Gandhi. As indicated by him, some of the women leaders from the state could get important appointments in the party set-up. He said the Congress was in favour of 33 per cent reservation for women and that a monitoring committee had been set up by the party. He hinted that some women could be included in the Congress Working Committee at the discretion of Ms Sonia Gandhi.

Regarding the defeat of the Congress in the Baijnath byelections, Mr Dhawan said as per the trend, it was the party in power which generally won byelections. He alleged that the large-scale use of official machinery was one of the major reasons for the defeat of the Congress.

Certain sections in the party who had been advocating that someone from the new areas of the state should be projected as the future Chief Minister, also received a drubbing. He said the Congress was not bound by barriers of regionalism and it would take into account the popularity and capability of a person.

CBI move motivated, says Virbhadra
From Our Correspondent

JAWALAMUKHI, Jan 18 — Former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said the reported CBI move to inquire into the charges made against him would expose the "sinister designs" of the Himachal Vikas Congress President, Mr Sukh Ram, and prove to be a vain effort to tarnish his image.

He said the inquiry was essentially a political move by the ruling party to tell the people that "those parties who are accusing us of corruption are also corrupt".

He said the whole episode was politically motivated, without an iota of truth or whatsoever. "It is only those whose hands are soiled who should worry. I have proved that here is a person who upholds high morals in public life", he said and cleared that he had not claimed he was perfect or that he had not made any mistake. He was certainly a law-abiding citizen and always tried his best to do right, he reiterated.

He believed the future of the country was not bright as it was being ruled by a class of politicians which used any kind of illegal means to remain in power. To pull the country out from the current morass, the Constitution should be amended in a way that anti-social elements were hampered from coming to power through the ballot. Frequent amendments to the Constitution by the ruling party for protecting its interests should be banned, he added.

The former Chief Minister said, the major failure in our system is the absence of transparency. I would say the entire system encompassing politicians, the bureaucracy and others is not transparent". The nexus between politicians and the bureaucracy had increased. Earlier, bureaucrats used to point out ministerial decisions which were not in keeping with the few or against the interests of the nation. In other words, the nexus between them was mainly responsible for corruption in politics.

Mr Virbhadra Singh demanded a change in the electoral system of the country and said state funding of candidates was a must to make democracy more purposeful and put a limit of Rs 1 lakh on campaigning. But candidates spend several lakhs and even crores. Every candidate was compelled to file a false affidavit right from the day he or she plunged in the electoral fray. He admitted this was not an easy thing as the issue was tricky. He said all political parties could decide on how to streamline the whole system of election funding.

Election funding was in vogue in countries like Germany. He said we should work out a formula by which all recognised parties could each be given a certain amount of money for contesting elections. There should be a limit violation commissioner to ensure that nobody exceeds the limit, he said.

Dry spell causes anxiety
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Jan 18 — The continuing dry spell in the state is causing anxiety to farmers, particularly apple growers, whose crop is likely to be affected due to lack of adequate snow.

The weather condition has been unfavourable all through. There has been virtually no rain in the region since October 18 last year. The dry spell was broken by mild snowfall in the higher reaches in the second week of January. But it was too inadequate to make any material difference in the situation. Snow in the early winter is essential for a normal apple crop. In fact, it acts as white manure and ensures minimum chilling period required for a good crop, particularly in the lower hills.

With no immediate prospect of snow, the crop in the lower and mid hill areas will be denied the required chilling period of 1500 to 2000 hours, says Dr RP Awasthi, Director of Research, Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry. This in turn will lead to erratic flowering and may even wipe out the entire crop in the lower hills. Moreover, snow in the later part of winter is not all that beneficial as it does not last for long. It also affect flowering and fruit setting, he adds.

Normally, two to three feet of snow is ideal for the crop but this season so far only four inches of snow has been recorded in the upper hills and there have been only brief showers in the lower hills.

The soil was completely dry and the lack of moisture was affecting the normal physiological activity of fruit plants and the intake of nutrients. A good snowfall over the next two weeks can still save the crop, Dr Awasthi says.

The tribal belt is also reeling under the dry spell. Normally by this time of the year three or four good snowfalls are recorded and the area is buried under a thick cover of snow. There is hardly any snow this season and light vehicles are still plying within Lahaul and Spiti valleys.

While lack of adequate snow could dry up the sources of water in the tribal areas, belated snow creates much problems in the form of landslides and avalanches. It also damages trees and other vegetation upsets the migration pattern of wildlife which moves up and down along the snow line.

The natural regeneration of plants is also affected as seeds as well as nutrients in dry soil are blown away by strong winds and at times roots of plants are exposed.

Illegal mining on the rise
From Ravinder Sood

PALAMPUR: The large-scale illegal mining and quarrying in Kangra district is not only creating environmental imbalances but also causing huge loss to the state exchequer every year since the state government had discontinued the auction of these khuds long time ago keeping in view the interests of MLAs and ministers. It is estimated that in Kangra district alone the state government is losing revenue to the tune of Rs 35 crore every year.

It is most surprising that the persons involved in this illegal trade have no legal rights to extract stone, sand, bajri and other raw material from these khuds and quarries. It is revealed that most of the persons involved in this trade enjoy political protection of ministers and MLAs, and on their recommendations the officials of the state Mining Department have been issuing them casual permits from time to time by charging nominal royalty from them. Enquiries made by this reporter also reveal that even the present and former Chief Ministers had directed the Mining Department to issue permits to their party workers keeping aside all rules and norms laid down for the grant of such permits. An officer of the Mining Department says that the department alone cannot be held responsible for illegal mining in Kangra district since no-objection certificates are issued by the Forest Public Works Department and Irrigation and Public Health authorities. After the submission of the no-objection certificate from these authorities the permits are issued.

In Kangra district over 200 hectares of land has very seriously been affected by mining and other construction activities resulting in drastic reshaping of landscape. In Palampur subdivision the large-scale quarrying and mining has posed serious threat to the future of a number of irrigation and water supply schemes. The existence of Kirpal Chand Kuhal, feeding 18 panchayats comprising 100 villages is in danger because of reckless mining in its basin. A senior officer of the IPH department says despite repeated requests the Mining Department failed to stop the illegal mining. He says over one dozen water supply schemes which get water from Neugal khud will go dry in the next five years if the mining and quarrying in Neugal khud is not stopped.

It is an established fact that in the past five years the water level of a number of khuds like Neugal, Binwa, Awa, Bhiral, Baner, Bathu and Gajj has gone down. These khuds are major source of over 200 water supply schemes of Kangra district. Not only this a number of water sources have already dried up in the past few years because of reckless and unscientific mining in the district.

The Bhakra and Beas Management Board has already cautioned the Himachal Pradesh Government to stop all kinds of mining and quarrying in the catchment area of Pong Dam since the mining activities have been resulting in large-scale siltage in Pong Dam. It is most unfortunate that despite repeated warning from BBMB and other agencies dealing environment the state government has done nothing to check the illegal mining. The experts say that in the past five years the bed of Pong Dam has risen by 3 to 5 metres which is quite alarming. The experts also say that because of mining nearly three times more sediment was flowing to Pong dam when this was built, reducing its life to an average one third.

HP to organise package tours
From Our Correspondent

MANALI, Jan 18 — The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, has announced organisation of package tours for low and medium budget tourists visiting the state from next year.

He stated this while addressing mediapersons here yesterday after presiding over the closing function of the five-day annual winter carnival. He said the government would provide cheap accommodation for the medium-class visitors, including those availing LTC facilities, by providing cheap accommodation and food, whereas for the high-class tourists, the government would start a regular Indian Air Lines service by Dornier between Delhi-Shimla and Kulu from February next with cheaper air fare.

He said the government had identified about 26 points on national highways for capes toilets and other basic amenities for the visitors in state for which a sum of Rs 1 crore had been earmarked during the current financial year. Mr Dhumal said a water sports complex had been completed at Bilaspur and water sports equipment had been made available at Govind Sagar, Chamera Dam and Pong Dam reservoirs, which would help to solve the unemployment problem.

Mr Dhumal expressed concern over, haphazard construction activity at Manali.

Hang-gliding to resume at Bir
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Jan 18 — Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal today announced the opening of a sub-tehsil at Multhan in the tribal belt of Chota and Bara Bhangal, falling under the Baijnath constituency.

Mr Dhumal was addressing a rally organised in Deol village to thank the people of Baijnath for voting for the BJP candidate, Dulo Ram, during the by-election.

The CM announced that his government would make efforts to provide all facilities for the people of this tribal belt. He said the work to electrify the remote area of Bara Bhangal was likely to begin by April. He announced the opening of a senior secondary school at Lohardi.

Mr Dhumal said to promote tourism, the government would resume the holding of the annual hang-gliding event at Bir. He said the government would provide equipment on subsidised rates so that the youth could participate in adventure sports.

He said the decision of the central government to bring the thermal-hydel ratio to 60:40 would immensely benefit Himachal Pradesh in the speedy exploitation of hydel potential. He accused the previous Congress government of trying to stall the 2051 Parvati Hydel Project for which a MoU was signed during the BJP regime in 1992 . He said the Congress government had failed to tap the immense hydel potential in the state. He said the government was making efforts to get work on the 100 MW Uhl, stage three, started, for which the MoU signed by the Congress government had been cancelled.

Statewide stir by Cong from March 1
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Jan 18 — The Congress party today decided to launch a statewide agitation against the power tariff hike announced by the BJP government.

The AICC General-Secretary, Mr R.K. Dhawan, said a unanimous decision had been taken by Congress delegates at the state-level workshop to launch a statewide stir against the hike from March 1. "We have given some time to the government to withdraw the hike, but in case it is not done, the Congress workers will go ahead with the agitation from March 1," he stated.

After the conclusion of the workshop of Congress delegates at Palampur today, Mr Dhawan said there had been a consensus among the participants that the elected office-bearers must be given more importance than the nominated ones. He added that after the two-year term the organisational elections should be held.

Mr Dhawan said there had been unanimity over the fact that indiscipline would not be tolerated and all those indulging in it would be dealt with firmly.

He further said the delegates at the workshop felt that the formation of a Congress government was a must for the progress and prosperity of the state. "All participants expressed their opinion about strengthening the organisational set-up and there was no personal attack and criticism by anyone," he stated.

People disillusioned with BJP: Chauhan
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Jan 18 — Prof Vir Singh Chauhan, President of the District Congress Committee said here yesterday that the "nefarious designs" to tarnish the image of Mr Virbhadra Singh would be frustrated.

Talking to mediapersons, he alleged that the demand for a CBI inquiry against Mr Virbhadra Singh was part of a conspiracy.

He said people had been disillusioned with the BJP "misrule". The ruling party had failed on all fronts and the common man had been affected with the rising prices of essential commodities, he added.

Dharna by power board staff
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Jan 18 — Members of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Employees Union today staged a dharna in front of the "Vidyut Bhavan" in protest against the failure of the government to accept their demands.

Mr Chander Singh Mandyal, general-secretary of the union, said the management had not implemented even those demands which were accepted during negotiations held on September 16. These included risk allowance, shift duty allowance and the creation of more posts to cope with increased workload.

He also criticised the move to set up a "electricity regulatory authority" which would pave the way for the trifurcation of the board.

JEs meet Dhumal
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Jan 18 — A delegation of the Himachal Pradesh Graduate Junior Engineers working in the Irrigation and Public Health Department met Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal at Pandoh yesterday and called upon him to take immediate steps to end the prevalent stagnation.

The delegation urged the Chief Minister to fill the 150 vacant posts of Assistant Engineer without delay.

It expressed concern over the present pace of promotions as a result of which the graduate junior engineers were stagnating for our 15 years despite higher qualification.