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| Tuesday,
May 15, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Drought relief to be monitored in HP Expansion at cost of pine trees Teachers object to changes in holiday
schedule Expose corrupt officials, says minister Plan to ‘simplify’ taxation system |
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HC orders release of labourers CM for higher duty on imported fruit Dumping charge denied Panchayat poll dates notified Three die as truck
falls into gorge
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Drought relief to be monitored in HP Shimla, May 14 Presiding over the high-level meeting to review the progress of drought relief work in the state, here today. Mr Dhumal, said keeping in view the seriousness of the matter each minister should monitor relief measures in districts for effective management of relief with immediate effect. It was informed at the meeting that the government had taken various effective steps to solve problems of water and fodder scarcity being faced in various parts of the state. A high-level committee headed by the Chief Secretary was monitoring the progress of relief works daily and adequate funds had been made available to all Deputy Commissioners for this work. The Chief Minister directed that weekly report be submitted to him regarding the relief works being carried out by the district authorities. Mr Dhumal further directed that Deputy Commissioner and all other district level officers to give full cooperation to the minister-in-charge in their respective district. District officers of all department concerned and would be personally responsible for ensuring quantitative and qualitative implementation of relief works expeditiously as per directions of the minister. The Chief Minister also appealed to people of the state to use of drinking water properly and ensure that it was not wasted. All government departments and officers in the state had been directed not to use drinking water for construction purposes for which alternative sources be used in case of any necessity. He has assured people that the government would take all possible steps to ensure availability of drinking water and fodder in the state and added that paucity of funds would not be allowed to come in its way. Mr Kishori Lal, Himachal Industries Minister, will be in charge of Shimla district, Mr J.P. Nadda, Health Minister of Bilaspur district, Mr Mansa Ram, Food and Civil Supplies, of Solan district, Mr Roop Singh, Forest Minister of Mandi district, Mr Ishwar Dass Dhiman, Education Minister, of Hamirpur district, Mr Vidya Sagar, Agriculture Minister of Sirmour district, Mr Kishan Kapoor, Transport Minister of Kulu district, Mr Ramesh Chaudhary, Irrigation and Public Health Minister of Kangra district, Mr Mohan Lal, Minister of State for Ayurveda of Chamba district, Mr Parveen Sharma, Minister of State of Excise and Taxation of Una district. |
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Expansion at cost of pine trees Hamirpur The continuous deforestation of pine forest for the construction of college buildings for the past over 15 years, has endangered the ecological balance. During the past 10 years, over 1250 pine trees have been felled for the construction of different buildings apart from a stadium, an open-air theatre and a swimming pool. Officials of the construction wing of the college revealed that there would be four times more felling for the construction of new buildings of the deemed-university campus. Presently, of 1535 acres of the college area, 475 acres has been converted into a built-up area. According to records available with the Himachal Pradesh State Forest Corporation, Hamirpur, the area witnessed a massive felling of pine trees in the past 10 years. The corporation authorities disclosed that 1278 full-grown pine trees had been felled since 1991. The felling of 205 trees was permitted by the corporation in 1991-92. After a gap of two years, 323 trees were again felled. In 1995-96 the college authorities further axed 50 trees. Again in 1998-99, 191 trees were felled for the construction work which was followed by a massive felling of 509 trees in 2000-2001. The college authorities recently felled 250 trees on a piece of land, earmarked for the construction of a swimming pool. Besides, 250 trees were also chopped off for the construction of a stadium. Twentyfive trees were felled for an open-air theatre last year. The college authorities, however, admitted the felling of trees but said it was not in violation of the Forest Conservation Act. The area might witness a massive felling of pine trees in case the government gave the college a status of the deemed university, the Executive Engineer of the college construction wing said. He said the trees were removed for the construction of buildings of different wings including civil, mechanical, electrical, computer, administrative block, library. Besides, a guest house, principal’s residence and separate hostels for boys, girls and for the faculty members. The college had a proposal to construct a hostel and a faculty house in future. For this a number of trees standing over 6000 square meters will be felled on the permission of the Forest Department, he added. Meanwhile, resentment prevails among the residents of the town on the continuous felling of the trees. They have criticised the Ministry of Environment as well as the state government for allowing this. “If the area was to witness a massive felling of pine trees, the government should have selected alternative site for setting up of the college”, said Mr Tilak Raj, a local resident. Medical experts are of the view that the massive felling of pine trees has become a cause of concern. They said as the area was tuberculosis prone and the pine trees help in controlling the disease, reckless felling of trees could multiply the TB cases here. The government should have kept all the aspects in consideration while planning the engineering college and subsequently a deemed university, commented a doctor of a local hospital. |
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Teachers object to changes in holiday schedule Bilaspur, May 14 Addressing mediapersons here today after the union’s state executive committee meeting, union state president Roshan Sharma, senior vice-president Ranvir Arya, general secretary Shivdyal Chaudhary and head office secretary Subhash Chandel said that some years ago, holidays in schools had
been reduced to 52 days from 72 due to the longer syllabi introduced in various classes. Since then the department had been inconveniencing teachers by making changes in the holiday schedule, the union alleged. The office-bearers said the union had now decided to urge the government and the department to abolish holidays in schools in the interests of students. Presently, only 200 to 220 teaching days were available in schools in an academic session while at least 300 teaching days were required to complete the syllabus, they said. The union claimed that one post of Additional Education Director, three posts of Joint Director, nine posts of Deputy Director, 16 posts of Assistant Director and nine posts of District Education Officers were lying vacant while 33 per cent senior secondary schools were without principals. |
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Expose corrupt officials, says minister Mandi, May 14 Speaking at a session of the Irrigation and Public Health Mazdoor Sangh at Sarkaghat, he said the government was trying to weed out corruption and provide a transparent government. He said the IPH Department had a large network of about 17,000 regular and 18,000 ad hoc employees. The minister sought the help of delegates in exposing corrupt elements in the department. He warned that corrupt persons would not be spared. Mr Dhwala said potable water would be provided to all villages by 2004. Earlier addressing a series of public meetings at Nachan, Balh, Gopalpur and Chachiot constituencies, the IPH minister said Rs 27 crore would be spent on 126 minor irrigation schemes in this district during the current financial year. Addressing a meeting of officials of Sundernagar sub division last evening, he said Rs 17 crore would be spent on drinking water supply schemes for 86 villages.  |
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Plan to ‘simplify’ taxation system Mandi, May 14 Talking to mediapersons at a local hotel, he said during the previous financial year there had been an increase of 30 per cent in sales tax and 23 per cent in excise duty. This had been achieved by refurbishing the working of the Excise and Taxation Department to make it more efficient. He said the most paramount task was to educate the people about the collection of tax from customers honestly in the supreme interest of the state and human approach of the department towards the assessees. Replying to a question, he said the government had initiated steps to bridle the mining mafia so that the ecology of the state was not further degraded. He said although he did not hold the portfolio of mining, he was aware of the steps being initiated to check the illicit mining and the government would permit only scientific mining ensuring that no pollution of any kind was caused. He said the government had also made it obligatory to seek the approval of the concerned panchayats before granting mining permission. When asked if huge tax arrears were outstanding against the tax defaulters, Mr Sharma said a sum of Rs 64 crore was to be recovered of which Rs 24 crore had been recovered by the BJP government. He evaded the question whether it was a fact that huge tax arrears were outstanding against a cabinet minister or his son saying that in business sometimes a person was not ina position to make the payment of taxes for many reasons, including losses. |
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HC orders release of labourers Shimla, May 14 The court had earlier directed SP, Mandi, to produce detained before the court to record their statements. The order was passed on a habeas corpus filed by their co-worker Mukesh Kumar in which he had alleged that the owners of the brick-kilm had compared the petitioner and detainees and their families at the brick-kiln. After recording the statements of the labourers, today the court directed that the labourers were at liberty to go anywhere. |
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CM for higher duty on imported fruit Shimla, May 14 Mr Dhumal told The Tribune here today that he would seek undoing of the wrongs done against horticulture industry while signing the WTO agreement during the Congress regime at the Centre. He said that the agreement could not be rejected totally now, but he would seek increasing in customs duty on fruit, gambier, resin and rosin to prevent their imports. Large scale import of gambier was hitting the katha industry in the state. |
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Dumping charge denied Shimla, May 14 The owner of the petrol station claimed that approval for the petrol station had been obtained from the authorities concerned. He said there had been no damage to any part of the structure as alleged by the society in a section of the press. The structure was absolutely safe and well designed to meet the norms of hill constructions. He said no debris had been dumped on any land or approved road. |
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Panchayat poll dates notified Shimla, May 14 Filing of the nomination papers would start on May 24, 25 and 26 between 10 am to 3 pm for the office bearers of gram panchayats, panchayat samiti and zila parishad. These papers would be scrutinised on May 27 and the last date of withdrawal is May 29. Polling, if necessary, would be held on June 8.
PTI |
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Three die as truck falls into gorge Shimla, May 14 Sanjeev Kumar (Mandi), Pawan Kumar (Uttar Pradesh) and a Napali died in the accident. The injured has been shifted to the district hospital. The SDM, Kalpa, Mr Manmohan Sharma, the DSP, Mr Ajay Bodh, and the Home Guard commandant, Mr T.C. Negi, rushed to the spot and supervised the rescue operation. The police and Home Guard jawans extricated the bodies.
PTI |
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Tourist drowned in nullah Manali, May 14 |
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Boy buried alive Shimla, May 14 The deceased has been identified as Baboo Ram (17). The injured was admitted to the local Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital.
UNI |
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