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Wednesday,
March 6, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
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HP supplementary Budget passed HP House passes motion of thanks Himachal Pradesh excise policy passed Shanta sulks over RS seat panel SFI allegations baseless: ABVP |
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Town taking shape of slum School for disabled may be closed 74,665 tonnes of rice,
wheat allocated to HP JBT applications date extended
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HP supplementary Budget passed Shimla, March 5 Earlier, during question hour, Mr Dhumal said there had not been a significant change in the crime graph of the state since 1990. He said the number of cases of crime against women had increased because of the opening of women’s cells in police stations and the help of women’s commission in the registration of cases. Mr Virbhadra Singh, Mr Kaul Singh, Mr Rangila Ram Rao and Viplove Thakur, all Congress members, expressed concern over the increasing number of cases of crime against women. Mr Dhumal said the suggestion of Mr Virbhadra Singh for creating a separate set-up for the prosecution of those involved in civil and criminal cases could be considered to speed up their trial. The Chief Minister informed the House that between April 1, 2001, and January 31, 2002, 104 cases of murder were registered in the state. Of these, 15 each were in Kangra and Mandi and 11 each in Kulu, Shimla and Solan. A total of 105 cases of rape were registered, including 16 each in Shimla and Kangra. Twelve cases of rape were registered each in Mandi and Kulu districts. Eleven rape cases were reported in Chamba and 10 each in Sirmaur and Solan districts. The tribal districts of Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur have reported two and three rape cases, respectively. Replying to supplementaries, Mr Dhumal said the police system was being modernised to tackle crime and the threat of terrorists from adjoining Jammu and Kashmir. A sum of Rs 3.88 crore has been spent for this purpose, he said. He said 863 cases of crime against women had been registered during the 10-month period during which Kangra led with 152 cases followed by 135 in Mandi and 105 in Shimla. Mr Dhumal said 488 thefts and four dacoities were reported. Shimla led by the registration of 148 cases of theft. Sixtyseven cases of atrocities against Harijans were registered. In written reply, the Transport Minister informed Mr Kaul Singh that 68 lives were lost in 183 bus accidents which took place in the state between April 1, 2001 and January 31, 2002. The Minister of State for Town and Country Planning informed Mr Gangu Ram Musafir (Congress) in a written reply that 4,001 cases of unauthorised construction in the state had come to the notice of the government during the past four years. He said 519 of these were in court and work in 463 cases had been stopped. In a written reply, the Minister of State for Urban Development informed Mr Harsh Mahajan of the Congress that 72 cases of unauthorised construction had come to light in McLeodganj area of Dharamsala. |
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HP House passes motion of thanks Shimla, March 5 In his detailed reply to the debate, Mr Dhumal, touched all issues raised by the Opposition and rebutted the charges. He repeatedly quoted comparative figures of the previous Congress regime to blunt the Opposition criticism, particularly regarding increase in the size of the state’s annual plan and the functioning of the Vigilance Department. He denied that the government was shielding the corrupt and asserted that more vigilance cases were registered and prosecution sanctions granted during the tenure of his government as compared to the Congress regime. Referring to the oft-repeated assertions of the Congress that corruption would be the main issue during the next Assembly poll in the state he said, of course, it would be high on the agenda along with development. However, it would be the corruption during the Congress regime and development during the present government which would dominate the poll campaign. He maintained that the annual plan size had been increasing every year and the most striking feature was that the component of the Central
assistance had also been increasing. Last year it was 73 per cent, the highest ever which provided a clear indication of the liberal assistance the state had been getting from the Vajpayee government at the Centre. He informed that the records of the state Subordinate Services Selection Board was being maintained only for three months because of shortage of space. This was being done as court cases could be filed by anyone within three months of the declaration of results by the board. The record would be maintained for longer duration once the Board moved into its building. Refuting the allegation that his government was not serious about curbing expenditure, he said over the past three years several important decisions had been taken. Besides, abolishing various posts, the LTC had been suspended and for the first time the ministers and legislators were paying house rent for the official accommodation. The number of state guests had also been reduced considerably.
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Himachal Pradesh excise policy passed Shimla, March 5 This has been provided for in the new excise policy of the state which was passed yesterday. The policy was presented in the Assembly by the Minister of State for Excise, Mr Parveen Sharma. Mr Sharma said most of the features of the current excise policy would remain unchanged. The overall financial gain due to the new initiatives is expected to be more than Rs 21 crore. The import of cheap brands of IMFS has been banned so as to bring in economies of scale in the cost of production of local bottling plants without adversely affecting the availability of a variety of brands for local consumers and tourists. There has been a substantial growth of revenue by the curbing of the consumption of illicit and smuggled liquor during the past two years. It has been decided to further rationalise the excise duty structure by bridging the differential that exists between Himachal Pradesh and the neighbouring states in the wholesale price of liquor so as to wean people away from unauthorised and smuggled liquor. In order to give a boost to exports and consequently fetch additional revenue, the licence fee of bottling plants has been reduced from 90 paise per bottle to 40 paise per bottle for IMFS. The bottling fee on country liquor exported from Himachal Pradesh has been reduced from 70 paise per bottle to 20 paise. There are 11 bottling plants in the state. It has been decided to open 70 new liquor vends and close five existing ones. A sum of about Rs 1.12 crore will be paid to panchayats through a levy of Re 1 per bottle sold. The excise duty on IMFS will now be charged in four grades — cheap, regular, premium and deluxe brands. Cheap brands have been defined as those which cost Rs 300 per case without any duties and levies. The excise duty on cheap, regular, premium and deluxe brands will be levied at the rate of Rs 21, Rs 23, Rs 31 and Rs 50, respectively. The excise duty on country liquor has been reduced from Rs 8 to Rs 7 per litre. The excise duty on rum for military personnel working in the forward areas has been slashed from Rs 20 to Rs 16 per proof litre. The financial gain in term of sales tax, permit fee, additional licence fee, etc due to the rationalisation of excise duty is expected to be Rs 3.92 crore against that of Rs 2.56 crore during the current financial year. It has been decided that out of the total quota of 115 lakh proof litres of country liquor, 52.5 would be earmarked for the HP General Industries Corporation and Himfed and the rest go to private manufacturers. In view of the reducing interest levels all over the country for the past few years, it has been decided to reduce the interest on delayed payment of licence fee to 15 per cent for the first month and 20 per cent per annum thereafter against the existing levels of 18 per cent and 24 per cent, respectively. The assessed fee of IMFS has been rationalised and it will now be charged in a graded manner for four kinds of brands, starting with Rs 38 per bulk litre. It has been decided to continue with the auction-cum-tender system for the allotment of licences of small groups of vends. However, a contingency plan has been drawn up if the optimum licence fee is not received in some units. |
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Shanta sulks over RS seat panel Shimla, March 5 There are indications that Mr Shanta Kumar, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, may not attend the meeting owing to his “preoccupation” due to the ongoing session of Parliament. However, insiders say that Mr Shanta Kumar is not happy with the manner in which the committee had been constituted and the short notice at which the meeting had been fixed. Sources close to the Union Minister pointed out that intimation was given only today, just two days before the meeting. The real “grouse” of the Shanta camp is that it has only two members in the 11 member committee. Originally, only the name of Mr Shanta Kumar figured in the committee. However, during the revolt by the dissidents last year it was reportedly agreed that the disciplinary committee and the state election committee would be balanced by giving due representation to the camp. Later, the name of Mr Dulo Ram was added to the election committee and that of Mr Krishan Kapoor in the disciplinary committee. In the emerging situation the selection of candidate for the Rajya Sabha seat will be an acid test for Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, who has been striving to project a united image of the party and buy lasting peace with the dissidents in the run up for the Assembly elections. Selecting a candidate by consensus, though difficult, will send the right message to people in general and the rank and file of the party in particular. Meanwhile, the race for the Rajya Sabha berth has hotted up with another party leader with RSS background, Mr Ram Das Thakur, entering the arena. So far, Mr Mohinder Pandey , who is associated with the Swadeshi Jagran Manch of the Sangh Parivar and Mr Mohinder Sofat have been the front runners. Mr Pandey, who worked as a whole timer of the RSS for about 12 years and also remained the All-India general secretary to the ABVP, is being supported by Mr Suresh Chandel, MP and former state party President, and Mr Praveen Sharma, Excise Minister and a close lieutenant of the Chief Minister. Intriguingly Mr J.P. Nadda, Health Minister and an arch rival of Mr Chandel, is also lobbying for Mr Pandey. On the other hand Mr Sofat is banking solely on the backing of the Shanta camp. Mr Chander Mohan, vice-president of the party, and Ms Urmil Thakur, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, are also in the race and they are depending on Mr Dhumal. The other serious contenders are Mr Suresh Bhardwaj, vice-president of the party, Mr Radha Raman Shastri, a former Education Minister, and Mr Ganesh Dut, a party spokesperson. The candidature of a retired IAS officer, Mr R.S. Negi, is also being pursued by a section of fruit growers. They are pleading his case on the grounds that he is a tribal and has made invaluable contribution to the horticulture economy. The choice will be crucial as it will have serious implications on the faction-ridden party in the election year. The party high command could use it as an opportunity to bridge the factional divide by selecting a candidate on merit and acceptable to both the camps. A wrong choice could shatter the fragile peace and spell doom for the party in the Assembly poll. |
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SFI allegations baseless: ABVP Shimla, March 5 Talking to mediapersons here today, the state secretary of the unit, Mr Kamal Nayan, said the administration would not keep mum over the irregularities made in any faculty. The Student Federation of India (SFI) had alleged that the ABVP and the SCA were behind the irregularities. Such allegations on the ABVP and the SCA are baseless, Mr Nayan said. He said the election for student council would be held on March 11. The nomination list will be released on the same day. The unit has demanded strict action against those involved in Gujarat riots. Meanwhile, the Students Central Association (SAC) vice-president, Mr Sudershan Sankhyan, has alleged that the SFI has created tension in the university campus. |
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Town taking shape of slum Hamirpur, March 5 Although there is an office of the Town and Country Planning Department at Hamirpur, yet hardly any building has come up according to the plan. So much so that government buildings like Hotel Hamir costing over a crore rupees has been constructed in violation of norms. The situation in the town has reached such a pass that it is difficult to cross over to the other side of the road due to narrow lanes and increasing traffic. At many places, people quarrel with each other over the flow of rainwater as well as the water that flows from one house to another. Lawbreakers are none else but the lawmakers themselves. Whenever and wherever a good piece of land is found, construction work starts and in a month or so the area sees a two or three-storeyed house there. The granting of powers to civic bodies for the sanctioning of buildings plans has added to the miseries of the Town and Country Planning Department. This has been done at the instance of those in power. Insiders in the administration say more than 2000 houses in the town are without any plan and cases against 500 persons have so for been filed in various courts during the past five years. The much-publicised retention policy of the state government aimed at regularisation of buildings constructed up to December 31,1996, has also shown negligible results. Under the scheme, house-owners were to pay a fee according to the size of their house to get the building regularised. However, this scheme has failed in the town as most civic councillors, who themselves have raised palatial buildings, have prevented others in doing so. Meanwhile, haphazard construction activity has led to parking problems. Townsmen find it difficult to park their vehicles and often become the target of the traffic police. Dozens of cars, jeeps and two-wheelers are seen parked near Gandhi chowk, where no parking board has been put by the district administration. Since most government and private offices are located in this
area, people working there are compelled to park their vehicles at the no parking zone. Most of the times their vehicles are challaned. Law-abiding citizens of the town find it difficult to cope with the present situation as a number of unauthorised buildings have come up near their houses and their various appeals to the authorities concerned have yielded no results. A number of aggrieved persons have also approached the civil courts, but have failed to get justice as land cases take time to the cumbersome legal system. |
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School for disabled may be closed Dharamsala, March 5 While the 25 inmates at the school had been looking forward to the shifting of the school to Sidhbari for improving the conditions, they might be in for a rude shock, as a team of government officials, after their recent visit , are considering the closure of the place. The official plea for the move is that since the school has a strength of only 25 against its capacity of 50, it should be closed down. Interestingly another excuse being given by the officials, who otherwise cry hoarse for paucity of funds, is that the grant given by the Central Government is not being fully utilised.” Since it is the Centre which is providing 90 per cent grant for the school, the state government, which is bearing 10 per cent of the cost, can have no objection,” said some of the parents of the students. Some of the parents who got to know of the government’s proposal to close down the school feel that the decision will be illogical as there is no reason to deny the facility to the students for no fault of theirs. The Principal of the school, Mr Vijay Sharma, while confirming the closure move said the team of state government officials felt that since the school was not fully occupied, the grant by the Union Ministry for Welfare was not being utilised fully. The HP State Council of Social Welfare runs schools for the deaf and dumb and the handicapped at Shimla, Sundernagar and Dharam -sala. There have been a lot of criticism of poor facilities at these schools. The School for the Handicapped at Sukoh , near here was opened in 1980 and has been running in a rented building since then. Children up to class V are taught here after which they have to go to schools located quite far off, which causes inconvenience in the absence of any conveyance. Some of the officials point out that since the government has greatly improved the medical facilities, the number of handicapped children has gone down. However, the fact remains that even today a large number of such children continue leading a difficult life in remote villages as they are unaware of the government homes for them. In fact, the authorities have even given out advertisements in newspapers to reach out to the families of such children. The parents of the children in the School for Handicapped here are a worried lot as they feel that it will be very difficult for the children to adjust in a new environment where they will not be given special facilities. They are sore over why should their children be denied the facilities if the entire grant is not being utilised for want of more inmates. |
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74,665 tonnes of rice,
wheat allocated to HP Shimla, March 5 Mr Mansa Ram said the allocation had been made on concessional rates, which would benefit the consumers to the tune of 25 crore. He said the consumers would get foodgrains amounting to 20 kg per month per family through fair price shops from this month and in all, each family would get 60 kg for three months. He said all consumers, including income tax payers, would get rice at the rate of Rs 6.90 per kg and wheat at the rate of Rs 5.30 per kg. |
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JBT applications date extended Dharamsala, March 5 Board secretary Vikas Labroo said the last date for the receipt of applications for the written test from the candidates of these two districts had been fixed for March 30. He made it clear that the last date for the candidates of the remaining districts would be March 15. The Board had also changed the date for the written test for the admission to the JBT course from May 12 to 26, he added. UNI
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Ban on carrying arms from
March 15 Hamirpur, March 5 However, the order will not be applicable to employees who will be put on mela duty. |
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Resolve issue of Tibet: NDPT Dharamsala, March 5 In a statement issued here yesterday, the president of the NDPT, Acharya Yeshi Phunstok, said the world was aware of the cultural, economic, religious and environmental destruction done to Tibet and its people. “We were an independent nation, illegally occupied by communist China,” he said. |
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