H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

HP approves IT policy
SHIMLA, Sept 29 — The Himachal Pradesh Government today approved the information technology policy providing incentives for the IT industry. The policy was approved by the Cabinet which met here under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal. The policy has been formulated on the recommendations of Nasscom.

Notices unnerve Barog settlers
CHANDIGARH, Sept 29 — The Himachal Pradesh Government’s decision to evict hundreds, if not thousands, of settlers at Barog in Solan district has caused a flutter among them. These people had settled there several years ago because of the climatic conditions and the serene beauty of the Barog valley.

Govt-lawyer row over Revenue Act resolved
SHIMLA, Sept 29 — The two-month old stand-off between the agitating lawyers and the government over the amendments to the state Land Revenue Act was resolved with the government accepting some of the suggestions made by the former to prevent misinterpretation of the new law. 

RSS not opposed to J&K’s trifurcation
SHIMLA, Sept 29 — Mr Indresh, a senior leader of the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh and in charge of Kashmir affairs, today said the sangh was not opposed to the demand for the trifurcation of the Jammu and Kashmir state and was studying the issue in totality. 

2 more projects may go to NHPC
CHAMERA (Chamba), Sept 29 — The Himachal Pradesh Government is contemplating assigning the execution of two hydroelectric projects — the 260 mw Kuther and 231 mw Hibra projects — in Chamba district to the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation. 

HP approves IT policy
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 29 — The Himachal Pradesh Government today approved the information technology policy providing incentives for the IT industry.

The policy was approved by the Cabinet which met here under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal.

The policy has been formulated on the recommendations of Nasscom.

The policy intended to take the state into the new millennium considerably simplifies the process of acquiring land for IT units as compared to the other industrial units. It also allows these units to be set up on residential plots.

All IT industries will be entitled to “industrial status” with consequential benefits thereof. It was also decided to keep the IT industry out of the purview of the inspector raj, including most of the labour laws.

A special provision has been kept in the IT policy for giving an even more attractive package of incentives for units with total investment of more than 10 crore or where a Fortune 500 company is implementing the project mega projects exceeding 100 crore can be given specially attractive package.

A venture capital fund of Rs 20 crore to be shared by the state government, Cooperative Bank and SIDBI would be set up for promoting small and medium enterprises and IT startup companies. A software technology park will be set up by the end of the year here where modern high-speed communication facilities will be provided and is likely to be co-located with High-Tech City to be built near Shimla later on with private sector participation.

The state aims to achieve an annual target of IT software and services export of Rs 2000 crore from this STP by 2005. In addition, there is a plan to set up hi-tech habitats in Shimla, Solan, Hamirpur, Baddi, Parwanoo, Kulu, Mandi and Dharamsala. The state government would also facilitate the building of two knowledge corridors — Baddi-Parwanoo-Solan-Shimla and Shimla-Hamirpur-Dharamsala-Chamba. Across these corridors, high density Internet/telecom connectivity will be provided for schools, colleges, industries etc.

The Cabinet approved setting up of a sub-directorate for Railways in the Planning Department and approved creation of necessary posts for expediting the construction of broad gauage railway line from Bhanupalli to Bilaspur-Beri.

The Cabinet approved the enforcement of HP Town and Country Planning Act, 1977, in two of the important areas frequented by tourists in Himachal Pradesh i.e. Rohtang and Solang by constituting special area development authority in each of these areas.

It was approved to provide technical adviser by the Panchayati Raj on a part-time basis to oversee and supervise the construction of various civil works in the rural areas at the rate of one adviser for every two-three panchayats.

In its endeavour to promote the area of biotechnology in Himachal Pradesh, the Cabinet decided the formation of a Biotechnology Department with 16 posts, including four divisions.

With a view to give further impetus to the spread of IT in the state, the government decided to give in principle clearance for setting up of an open university for IT by the Manipur Academy of Higher Education.

Through this measure, IT education would be possible even in the remotest areas of the state. It was also decided to procure eight lakh more telescopic cartons for apple growers.

The Cabinet agreed in principle to provide subsidy for the higher costs involved in transportation of steam-coal to Spiti and Kinnaur on account of natural calamities which occured this year.

In an effort to provide relief to the apple growers of Kinnaur district, the Cabinet decided to provide transport subsidies on carriage of packaging material (cartons, wooden boxes) to Kinnaur district and export of apple boxes from Kinnaur via Kunzam and Wangtu.

Notices unnerve Barog settlers
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 29 — The Himachal Pradesh Government’s decision to evict hundreds, if not thousands, of settlers at Barog in Solan district has caused a flutter among them.

These people had settled there several years ago because of the climatic conditions and the serene beauty of the Barog valley.

The state government has now served notices on them under Section 118 of the Tenancy Act asking them to leave the place. Their grouse is that when they had come to Barog, it was an undeveloped area. Over the years they prevailed upon the government and got it developed.

In a joint representation Mr Harpal Singh Dhillon and other residents reminded the Chief Minister of his promise that the government would be liberal in granting them permission to build their houses. However, Revenue Department officials had now denied such permission.

They alleged that the revenue officials had adopted a discriminatory policy. While those who had settled there many years ago had been denied such permission, those who came there recently had been granted it.

Mr Dhillon said the residents were being “harassed” by the officials.

The residents urged the Chief Minister to get an inquiry conducted into the actions of the revenue officials. They also urged him to grant them permission to settle there.

Govt-lawyer row over Revenue Act resolved
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 29 — The two-month old stand-off between the agitating lawyers and the government over the amendments to the state Land Revenue Act was resolved with the government accepting some of the suggestions made by the former to prevent misinterpretation of the new law.

The decision to incorporate the suggestions was taken following talks between the representatives of the lawyers and the a Bhartiya Kisan Sangh and Dr Rajan Sushant Himachal Revenue Minister, here last evening.

Dr Sushant said that in the amended Act matters pertaining to question of title of land ware not taken out from the purview of civil courts and only the cases of correction of entry was to be referred to revenue court. However, the lawyers wanted it to be made more specific by adding in the sub-Section 3 the words but will not include matters pertaining to the question of title. Similarly, in Section 33 settlement Collector would be substituted for settlement officer.

The government, he said had also agreed to reduce the fine for indulging in encroachment for the first time from the present Rs 5000 to a reasonable level and accepted the demand of the Kisan Sangh that encroachment upto five bighas should be regularised. Besides, it had assured that rules for regularisation of encroachment would be framed as early as possible.

Mr Devinder Chauhan, general secretary of the Advocates Action Committee, said the minister appreciated the view point of lawyers and agreed to make the necessary changes to remove ambiguities in the amended law, which would have created more problems for the farmers. The committee decided to call off its agitation.

RSS not opposed to J&K’s trifurcation
Tibune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 29 — Mr Indresh, a senior leader of the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh and in charge of Kashmir affairs, today said the sangh was not opposed to the demand for the trifurcation of the Jammu and Kashmir state and was studying the issue in totality.

Talking to reporters here he said the demand for carving out a separate state of Jammu and a union territory of Ladakh had been gaining momentum and people of all three regions including the militancy-hit Kashmir valley, were raising their voice on the basis of geographical, cultural and political factors.

While the people of Jammu and Ladakh feel that they were being neglected, those of Kashmir were deprived of government for six months due to the annual “darbar move”. He said other factors like regional imbalance in development which had provided impetus to the demand.

The RSS leader was of the view that reorganisation of the state would considerably reduce the operational area of the Pak intelligence agency, the ISI and enable the government to fight terrorism more effecitively. Moreover, the government had limited options for finding a permanent solution to the Kashmir problem. It could launch an all out offensive against the militants and destroy the training camps in Pakistan. However, the apprehension was that it could escalate into a full scale war. Alternatively it could abrogate Article 370, which had been the main hurdle in the integration of Kashmir into the country. This required a strong political will which the government seemed to be lacking. In the situation trifurcation of the troubled state was a possible way out.

Various organisation demanding trifurcation of the state have joined hands under the Jammu and Kashmir Natonalistic Front (JKNF) which was organising a dharna at Jammu on October 2. It would be followed by dharnas in district and tehsil headquarters on October 31.

2 more projects may go to NHPC
From Our Correspondent

CHAMERA (Chamba), Sept 29 — The Himachal Pradesh Government is contemplating assigning the execution of two hydroelectric projects — the 260 mw Kuther and 231 mw Hibra projects — in Chamba district to the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) .

This was stated by Mr S.K. Dodeja, Executive Director, Region-II of the NHPC, while presiding over a meeting of the Voluntary Coordination Committee on Environment for Chamera Hydroelectric Project (stage-II) here yesterday.

Mr Dodeja said the NHPC authorities headed by Mr Yogendra Prasad, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the NHPC, had recently held talks with the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, and the top brass of his government on the execution of the two projects.

Mr Dodeja said the Chief Minister had already given the nod to the NHPC proposal.