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| Thursday, August 10, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Central team to give report in a week Sales Tax Act to
be amended Centre’s
weakness exposed: Mahajan Mamata grants aid to victims’
kin College students intensify stir |
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Kisan Sangh wants
ban on katha trade lifted Pensioners demand revised pay scales Man commits suicide
Central team to give
report in a week SHIMLA, Aug 9 — The nine-member Central team headed by Mr Gobindan Nair, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Agriculture, will submit its report on the damage caused by flashfloods in the Sutlej early this month within a week. Stating this while talking to newspersons after visiting the affected areas here today, he said the floods had caused severe damage to infrastructure like roads, bridges, power lines and other public and private property in Kinnaur, Shimla, Kulu and Mandi districts. He said the immediate concern was restoration of road line, maintenance of supply of essential commodities to the cut off areas of Kinnaur and transportation of apple to the market. Even the power transmission and distribution network had been severely damaged. He said he was quite impressed by the relief measures taken by the state so far, particularly the manner in which the PWD was working for the restoration of roads. Answering a question, he said keeping in view the importance of the national highway from the security point of view the team would recommend that the old Hindustan-Tibet route should be developed as an alternative motorable road. It would also suggest the damaged national highway should be realigned to prevent damage from floods in the future. Besides, it would also stress the cause of floods should be thoroughly investigated. The team visited Rekong Peo, Pawari, Rampur and Nogli and met the affected people. Meeting were held with officers. Later, it also called on Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, and discussed various issues concerning relief and rehabilitation measures. Earlier, the state government submitted an interim damage report to the team as per which the total loss on the basis of preliminary estimates was Rs 1,466 crore. In all, 126 persons had either died or were missing and 1,673 head of cattle perished. The maximum loss of Rs 1,083 crore has been caused on account of damage to power projects followed by roads and bridges (Rs 261.18 crore). In all, 5,383 private houses were damaged and the loss on this account was assessed at Rs 15.82 crore. The loss due to damage to crops was Rs 55.34 crore and washing of cultivated land Rs 31.92 crore. This did not include loss caused to the portion of the national highway which was under the Border Road Organisation. |
Sales Tax Act to
be amended SHIMLA, Aug 9 — Continuing its tax reform programme the Himachal Government today decided to amend the State Sales Tax Act to pave way for single registration of dealers instead of the three types of registration at present. The decision was taken at the meeting of the Cabinet held under the chairmanship of Mr P.K. Dhumal, the Chief Minister, here today. In a major step towards simplification of tax administration, it decided to allow sales tax
assesses to deposit the tax through any scheduled bank. The cabinet observed two minutes silence as a mark of respect to the victims of recent flashfloods in the Sutlej basin and expressed grief over the huge loss of life and property. It exhorted the administration to take effective steps for providing relief to the affected families to normalise the situation. He decided to impose complete ban on the parking of vehicles near
the church and State Library on the Ridge. There would be no traffic crossing on the Ridge towards Lakkar Bazar from Ritz, including access to Taka Banches. Strict enforcement of speed limit and use of distinct lights will be done, only ambulances of the Civil Defence Department will be allowed to ply on the Ridge which would be checked to ensure that only patients were carried. Police vehicles would also not be allowed to ply on sealed roads without permission. Effective steps would be taken to ensure regular checking. The Cabinet decided to restrict use of vehicle on the sealed portion of the Mall with immediate effect, in view of the fact that the pedestrians enjoy the first right to use The Mall and motorists should pay due regard to them. No vehicle beyond Shimla Club towards the Lift except vehicles of MLAs residing in Metropole would be allowed to bring only one vehicle and parked it between Oberoi Clarks and Metropole. The Cabinet also decided that the military service of ex-servicemen after they acquire the minimum essential educational and professional qualifications for the posts to which they were appointed would be counted towards seniority. It approved the draft H.P. Municipal Amendment Bill which among other things has provisions for facilitating elections to municipal bodies. The new Act also would have a clause for restricting candidates having more than two children from contesting elections. The clause would be operated after one year from the date of commencement of the amendment like the Panchayati Raj Act. The Cabinet decided to freeze construction in Dalhousie and McLeodganj for a period of three months. The Cabinet also decided to increase the sales tax on auto parts from 4 to 8 per cent in view of the decision taken by the Finance Ministers Conference. The Cabinet decided to approve a draft amendment providing for lumpsum payment of excise duty on cable TV, leviable in future in place of
ad valorem duty and a new pattern of florescent traffic jackets for traffic police in place of long coats and rain coats. |
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Centre’s
weakness exposed: Mahajan SHIMLA, Aug 9 — Mr Sat Mahajan, Pradesh Congress Committee chief, today said the failure of talks with the Hizbul Mujahideen had exposed the “weakness” of the Centre and caused irreparable damage to the image of the country. Addressing a press conference here he said the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, had crossed all limits by passing the constitutional
framework. He said it was a grave mistake and serious impropriety on his part as he had to authority to make such on offer. He could not bypass the Constitution under which he was elected Prime Minister. The government had fallen into the trap of militants who managed get the much-needed respite from the pressure of security forces by announcing unilateral ceasefire. They had got time to regroup and reorganise their activities. The gains of the Kargil victory had been frittered away and the security forces had been demoralised. Mr Mahajan said the Congress government at the Centre had not yielded to terrorists even during the days of militancy in Punjab. He was critical of Mr L.K. Advani, Union Home Minister, who had failed to visit the valley after the massacre of Amarnath pilgrims. Mr Advani had assured the safety of pilgrims before the commencement of “yatra”.
The Congress chief lamented that the administration had failed even to provide shrouds for bodies of flood victims recovered from Gobind Sagar. The bodies were cremated even without carrying out identification or informing the relatives of missing persons. He said fruit crops worth Rs 300 crore might rot because of the failure of the government to reopen roads blocked due to heavy rain in upper
Shimla.He suggested that in view of the recurring flashfloods the government should prepare a comprehensive disaster management plan so that official machinery could be activated without any delay in such an eventuality. He alleged that the relief material airlifted to Kinnaur has been dumped at helipads and had not reached the affected people. He also accused the government of ignoring the interests of Pong Dam oustees who were not being paid interest on compensation and 35 per cent solatium by the BBMB. The government should have moved the Supreme Court and secured justice for the oustees. Mr Mahajan asked Mr Shanta Kumar, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, not to behave like a moral preacher by harping on “zero tolerance of corruption” and act as a crusader by coming out openly against the corrupt. |
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Mamata grants aid to victims’
kin NURPUR, Aug 9 — Ms Mamata Banerjee, Union Minister for Railways, has sanctioned an ex-gratia payment of Rs 15,000 each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 5,000 each to the seriously injured passengers of a private bus carrying a marriage party which collided with the Jogindernagar-Pathankot train at Raja-ka-Bagh, near here, on March 7. Ten members of the marriage party were killed and 30 others injured in the mishap which occurred on the unmanned railway crossing. Mr Ranjit Bakshi, a former MLA, took the matter with the Railway Minister and Mrs Chandresh Kumari, Rajya Sabha member, and President, All-India Mahila Congress, revealed that the Railway Ministry had not shared the responsibility of this tragedy yet sanctioned the grant to the victims. Mr Bakshi lamented that the Chief Minister had announced a grant of Rs 50,000 to the next of kin of the deceased, but so far only three families had got the payment while others were given only Rs 25,000 each. The state government had not released any grant to the injured. He demanded a probe into the “misutilisation” of Rs 5 lakh deposited by the state government with the Railway Ministry in 1992 for the construction of a manned railway crossing at the mishap place. He alleged that the Railways,
instead of installing a manned crossing, built staff quarters with the deposited money which had been lying deserted there ever
since.
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College students intensify stir PALAMPUR, Aug 9 — Over 2,000 students of the local Vikram Batra Government Degree College started their agitation today as five students started indefinite hunger fast in front of the college. The students, who were on indefinite fast for the past 10 days told mediapersons that they had now decided to intensify their agitation since the state government had failed to accept their demands. Mr Arvind
Mehta, president of the local unit of the Students Federation of India told mediapersons that the agitation had been launched jointly by the SFI and NSUI. He said their major demands included the construction of college complex immediately and provision of adequate funds for the same by the government, appointment of qualified teachers and other non-teaching staff. He said the college had been opened in the town about six years ago and since then it had been functioning in a small old rented building. The government had made no efforts to construct a building for the college, even land had not been acquired so far. Mr
Mehta regretted that Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal had named this institution after martyr Captain Vikram Batra (PVC) last year and had promised to make this institution one of the modern colleges of the state, but nothing had been done so far. Students today boycotted the classes for the 10th day and took out a march in the town. They raised anti-government slogans. Later, they held a rally in the town where several student leaders deplored the non-cooperative attitude of the state government towards their just and genuine demands. Meanwhile, Mr Brij
Butail, local Congress MLA and senior Congress leader, urged the state government to sanction adequate funds for the construction of college building and for the acquiring land. He said this was a public institution and no politics should come in its way. He regretted that despite his best efforts state government had failed to sanction funds in the past two years. |
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Kisan Sangh wants
ban on katha trade lifted KANGRA, Aug 9 — The All-India Kisan Sangh, an off-shoot of the Rashtriya Svyam Sevak Sangh (RSS), today criticised the state government for not lifting ban on the katha trade. The Sangh has demanded that the ban be immediately lifted. The demand was raised by the organising secretary of All-India Kisan Sangh of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, Mr Joginder Partap Singh, here today. Mr Singh hailed the decision of the government for setting up revenue courts in the states. He disclosed that the Kisan Sangh would send four trucks loaded with essential commodities to the cloudburst affected areas of the state next week. |
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Pensioners demand revised pay scales MANDI, Aug 9 — The Himachal Pradesh Pensioners Association yesterday demanded that the revised pension scales should be notified by the state government without further delay as per recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission. Briefing newspersons, a former SP, and the senior vice-president of the state unit of the association, Mr Desh Raj Sharma, regretted the evasive attitude of the Himachal Pradesh government pointing out that the Central and the Punjab governments had already notified the revised scale. He attributed the delay to bureaucracy which, he alleged, was influencing politicians. He also participated in the meeting of the district wing of the association. |
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Man commits suicide MANDI, Aug 9 — A 55-year old Jhabe Ram of Jachh village in the Karsog valley of this district ended his life on Monday, a late report received here today said. He woke up before dawn, sharpened his scythe and struck it on his neck. He failed to severe his head and bled profusely for three hours and died in pain. He was a “Gur” of a local deity. The “Gur” in a spiritual frenzy makes forecasts and answers questions of devotees. Before dying he is claimed to have written a note that none should be held responsible for his death. |
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