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| Sunday,
October 15, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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HP spawns profitable hurdles Mohinder’s party named HVP Kulu Dasehra comes
to a close Navagaon panchayat
gets Ist prize Govt urged to
hike bus fares |
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HP spawns profitable hurdles SHIMLA, Oct 14 — After the forest and contractors mafia, it
is now the turns of the barriers mafia to mint money in Himachal Pradesh. The new ‘mafia’ has been created under the garb of the Panchayati Raj Act in which there is a provision for allowing all local bodies to put up barriers on the roads in their territories and charge entry tax from private motorists, taxis and loaded and unloaded heavy vehicles. The lobby of barrier contractors has now started wielding influence on their political bosses as well. As a result barriers are coming up on all national and state highways and have become major irritant with motorists having to stop at these barriers made by stringing a rope across the road every few kilometres. This has become a lucrative business for local entrepreneur and political pull and pressure in exerted for obtaining a contract. In the process, driving on the roads of Himachal Pradesh itself has become a nuisance. Only the recently set up barrier near here is officially manned by the Shimla Municipal Corporation. Almost all others in the state have been given on contract. Several complaints have been received that the barrier contractors are fleecing motorists by charging an entry fee of Rs.5 at each barrier. This is in violation of the orders of the government that a motorist has to pay the entry fee at only one point in 24 hours and will be free to cross all other barriers without paying any fresh fee. Motorists say they are forced to pay the entry tax at every barrier they cross. if they refuse the contractor and his musclemen step forward to extort payment. Motorists accompanied by their families do not want to be harassed and simply pay the fee at each barrier. Taxi drivers have complained that musclemen of the barrier contractors at Ghumarwin, Jogindernagar and Kangra roughed them up when they resisted paying the entry tax at each barrier. But complaints to officials have fallen in deaf
ears, it is alleged. Each unloaded heavy vehicle is made to pay an entry tax of Rs 10 and a loaded heavy vehicle has to pay Rs 15. The government had issued a notification again in March reiterating that entry tax once paid was valid for 24 hours throughout Himachal Pradesh. But this new order has had no effect either. Having come under severe criticism on the barriers issue, the BJP-HVC combine government is trying to shift the blame on the previous Congress government, which was voted out over 31 months ago, for having provided the clause of erecting barriers in the Act. It is worth mentioning that the barriers have started coming up only recently after the present government gave the green signal. Some time ago the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, had announced that the barriers would be wound up and some system formulated for paying the fee at the entry points of the state. But this has remained unimplemented. Up until a few months ago there were only a couple of barriers, but suddenly these have mushroomed. New barriers were recently put up in Shimla, Nahan, Ghumarwin, Kangra, Jogindernagar, Theog, Nurpur and several other places. The newly set up barrier at Nahan was auctioned for about Rs 7 lakh for one year. The barrier at Dhalli here has become an irritant for tourists as the road leads to the famous tourist spots of Naldehra, Kufri, Fagu, Narkanda, Mashobra and Chail. At times during peak season long queues of vehicles are build up to pay tax. Interestingly, the state government has allowed the barriers to be set up even on national highways which are the property of the centre and the maintenance of which is done by the Ministry of Surface Transport. This is in violation of the National Highways Act, an engineer pointed out. Besides this, motorists were also being made to pay Rs 20 for crossing the bridges at Kandror, Nadaun, Baddi, Poanta Sahib and several other places. Collections at the bridges is also made by contractors. The president of the Citizens Rights Protection Forum, Mr Desh Bandhu, criticising of these levies warned that besides corruption and inconvenience to the general public. The barriers would end up hurting barriers. |
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Mohinder’s party named HVP SHIMLA, Oct 14 — Supporters of the PWD Minister, Mr Mohinder Singh, today named their outfit as the Himachal Vikas Party (HVP), and decided to extend issue-based support to the BJP government of Mr P.K. Dhumal. Announcing this here the acting president of the HVP, Mr O.P. Rattan, said that the party would now approach the Election Commission for its registration and seek the symbol of ‘rising sun’ as first preference and “haldhar kisan” as second choice. He said that the HVP would continue to support the Dhumal
government, but would not endorse any of its ‘anti-people’ decisions. The party would go to the people and make its position clear in case any ‘anti-people’ decision was taken. These decisions were taken at the meeting of the executive committee of the party which met here this morning. Mr Rattan and the two general secretaries, Mr Kewal Ram Chauhan and Mr Baldev Sharma, who addressed newsmen after the meeting, said that the earlier president of the HVC (M), Mr Inder Singh had been left out to challenge in Supreme Court the verdict of the Election Commission in which the breakaway group of the HVC was not given recognition. A petition would also be filed before the Speaker of the assembly for early hearing of the review application of Mr Mohinder Singh with regard to the former’s decision of declaring him as an unattached member. A petition would be filed in the high court in case the matter was not heard within seven days, they said. They said that legal opinion was also being sought whether after having been expelled from the HVC by Mr Sukh Ram, Mr Mohinder Singh could join a political party, even as an unattached member. The anti-defection law was not applicable to him once he was expelled from the HVC, they felt. Mr Rattan said that with floating of the new party the speculations about Mr Mohinder Singh seeking a tie-up with some national party had been removed. The new outfit was floated last month, but it had not so far been given any name. Mr Kewal Ram Chauhan and Mr Baldev Sharma would be the general secretaries of the new outfit. Mr Rewal Singh Badyal and Mr Ranjit Singh Verma would be the vice-presidents and Mr Bhagat Ram Chauhan the organising secretary and treasurer. |
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Kulu Dasehra comes
to a close KULU, Oct 14 — The week-long internationally famous Kulu Dasehra concluded today with
‘Lanka dahan’ on the bank of the Beas and return of Lord Raghunath to the Raghunath Temple, Sultanpur, and Goddess Hadimba to Hadimba Temple, Manali. About 200 deities from Kulu valley participated in the festival this year besides cultural troupes from Russia and various parts of the country. Speaking at the concluding function of Kulu Dasehra, the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal, stressed the need for preserving the rich cultural heritage for which Himachal Pradesh, particularly Kulu valley, was known all over the world. He said that Kulu and Manali were also important from the tourism point of view and lakhs of tourists from within the country and abroad visited these valleys every year. He said the government’s endeavour was to maintain its importance besides upgrading the civic amenities. He said that work on the sewerage schemes in Kulu and Bhuntar was being done on a warfooting and Rs 16.5 crore was being spent for the purpose. For ensuring proper disposal of garbage in Kulu and Manali, Rs 2 crore were being spent. |
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Navagaon panchayat
gets Ist prize NAHAN, Oct 14 — Mr Jagat Prakash Nadda, Health Minister, Himachal Pradesh, presided over a state-level family welfare panchayat prize distribution function at the Zila Parishad Bhawan here yesterday. Navagaon panchayat of Solan district won the first prize and received Rs 20,000 as prize money. Usterh panchayat of Kangra district stood second and won Rs 18,000. Saraswati Nagar panchayat of Shimla district stood third, winning Rs 16,000. Kaza panchayat of Lahaul-Spiti won the fourth position with Rs 14,000 while Sarchi Gram panchayat of Kulu got the fifth position, winning Rs 12,000 as award money. Awards were also given to nagar parishad and nagar panchayats for their cooperation in family welfare programmes. Nagar panchayat Bhota in Hamirpur district was adjudged first and was awarded Rs 10,000 as prize money, nagar panchayat Mandi in Kulu district got Rs 8,000 as second prize, nagar panchayat Bhuntar received Rs 6,000 as third prize, Nahan nagar parishad got Rs 4,000 as fourth prize and Hamirpur nagar parishad stood fifth and received Rs 2,000. Three best performing districts under the family welfare programme were also selected. Bilaspur received the first prize while Kulu and Solan came second and third, respectively. Five panchayats in each district were selected for district-level awards. |
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Govt urged to
hike bus fares SHIMLA, Oct 14 — The Himachal Pradesh Private Bus Operators Association has urged the government to increase bus fares by 50 per cent in view of the hike in diesel prices. Mr Dev Raj Sharma, president of the association, said plying of buses had become unviable after the latest hike. Moreover, the government had increased the bus fares only by 10 per cent when the rates of diesel had been increased by 30 per cent last year. He said the daily expenditure on operation of a bus had on an average increased by Rs 300 to Rs 500. The illegal carriage of passengers by maxicabs and other private vehicles was adding to the woes of private bus operators. |
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