H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

Virbhadra: Budget growth-oriented
Shimla, March 1
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, has hailed the Union Budget as growth-oriented and said the Bharat Nirman Special Package for improving infrastructure in the rural areas was a welcome step.

Move to attract investors in Baddi’s remote belt
Baddi, March 1
The Department of Industries was now focusing on developing its remote sites for drawing investors after the Baddi-Barotiwala area was saturated with an influx of industries.

Hike in freight charges on anvil: minister
Solan, March 1
With hike in the prices of petrol, machinery parts and other equipment in the recent months, it has become imminent to effect a corresponding hike in the transport fare in the state.

Reserve money for 9 barriers pegged at Rs 5.62 crore
Solan, March 1
The Excise and Taxation Department has pegged the reserve money of as many as nine barriers in the district at Rs 5.62 crore.

Probe into attack on cops ordered
Solan, March 1
An inquiry has been ordered by the police into a shoot-out incident which injured a Himachal police security guard at Kalka on Sunday. 

BJP forms panel to nail govt failures
Shimla, March 1
The state BJP chief, Mr Suresh Bhardwaj, on Saturday constituted a committee to identify and pinpoint the failures of the Virbhadra regime during its two-year tenure and submit its report to the Governor on March 5.

Snow, rain in parts of HP
Shimla, March 1
The higher reaches of tribal areas in Himachal Pradesh experienced a moderate to light snowfall and the lower areas received widespread rain, effecting normal life.

Virbhadra: Budget growth-oriented
Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 1
Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, has hailed the Union Budget as growth-oriented and said the Bharat Nirman Special Package for improving infrastructure in the rural areas was a welcome step.

He said the new package would speed up development in the rural areas and enhance irrigational, roads, water supply, housing, rural electrification and telecom facilities.

The Chief Minister said the provision of more funds for health, education, drinking water was also laudable for ensuring the welfare of common man. He said for the first time the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes Development Programme had been introduced by making a provision of Rs 6,253 crore which would uplift weaker sections of the society. For the development of the backward areas, a provision of Rs 5,000 crore had been made by setting up of backward areas development.

The state would also benefit with the setting up of the National Horticulture Mission from April 1, for which a provision of Rs 630 crore had been made in the Budget. Setting up of Gian Kendras in every village for which provision of Rs 100 crore had been made in the Budget would benefit the rural people of the state immensely as 71 per cent population lived in the rural areas.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said the enhancement of Budget for defence from Rs 3,400 crore to Rs 8,500 crore showed the concern of the government for the security of the country.

Meanwhile, terming the Union Budget as a political compulsion, the state BJP spokesperson Randhir Sharma said yesterday that the only endeavour of the Finance Minister seemed to keep all alliance partners of the UPA government happy.

Move to attract investors in Baddi’s remote belt
Our Correspondent

Baddi, March 1
The Department of Industries was now focusing on developing its remote sites for drawing investors after the Baddi-Barotiwala area was saturated with an influx of industries. Efforts were afoot to develop new sites, especially those the national highways to encourage investors.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rajesh Kumar, said, “There was a vast potential to develop more sites in the remote areas to facilitate the industry.” A site at Narayani near Pinjore was being explored. Other sites like Banelgi, Katha Batholi, Majra, Gunai, were also being explored where the process of land acquisition and development of infrastructure was in progress. The land rates of these sites was kept much lower than the other prime sites. While prime sites like Baddi, Barotiwala, Chambhaghat were priced between Rs 1,000 and Rs 2,500 per sq.mt a similar site was available at a mere Rs 150 per sq.mt.

Though as many as 935 units had sought registration with the district industries centre but only 50 had come into production or had taken effective steps in the district after announcement of the new policy. Concerned at this slow rate of setting up units the government was now taking steps to ensure that the permissions of the units delaying their operations were cancelled according to officials of the Industries Department.

The Deputy Commissioner said efforts of the district administration had yielded results. A Rs 15 crore cotton yarn unit was coming up at hitherto undeveloped Banelgi in the district which was spread over 20,000 sq.mt. As many as 14 more proposals had been received by investors for the site, the Deputy Commissioner said. He said it was being ensured that the units gave first priority to the state’s youth in employment and any backdoor entry would be sternly dealt with.

The government had, however, given relaxation to employ those technical hands from the employment exchanges of other states which were not available with the state. A proposal to construct a labour hostel at Baddi had been approved by the Cabinet and the Himachal Housing and Urban Development Authority had been entrusted this task.

Hike in freight charges on anvil: minister
Our Correspondent

Solan, March 1
With hike in the prices of petrol, machinery parts and other equipment in the recent months, it has become imminent to effect a corresponding hike in the transport fare in the state. Hinting about a proposed increase in the freight and fare charges, the Transport Minister, Mr G.S.Bali, said an exercise was on to work out the various factors effecting the transporters and revised fares would soon be announced in Himachal Pradesh.

Talking to The Tribune, he said this become mandatory after rates of various commodities affecting the transport sector had increased in the recent past. Expressing concern at the arm-twisting tactics being adopted by truck unions in various industrial areas of the state, he said these would not be tolerated. He said it would be ensured that the investors coming to the state were not harassed by the transporters.

Warning the agitating truck unions at Kala Amb, which have vitiated the peaceful atmosphere due to prolonged agitation, he said the department would cancel the permits of such trouble creators if they did not adhere to the laid down directions.

While asserting that the transport policy was well equipped to handle the truck union issue he said as per the policy the Director had been authorised to check the illegal activities of the unions if they charged rates over and above as those fixed by the government. While assuring a free market, he said the investors could hire trucks from the neighbouring areas in case the local truckers failed to provide them the same.

He said the problem in Kala Amb was a law and order problem, which should be effectively handled by the local administration.

Reserve money for 9 barriers pegged at Rs 5.62 crore
Our Correspondent

Solan, March 1
The Excise and Taxation Department has pegged the reserve money of as many as nine barriers in the district at Rs 5.62 crore. These nine barriers, which have been divided into three units-Parwanoo, Baddi and Deerowaal, would be auctioned tomorrow by the Excise and Taxation officials here.

Earning revenue worth crores to the fund the starved state government, they generated revenue worth Rs 5.45 crores last year. The reserves money for the two barriers in Parwanoo unit has been fixed at Rs. 3.70 crores, while it is Rs 1.35 crore for the two barriers Barotiwala and Baddi, falling in the Barotiwala unit. A reserve money of Rs 57 lakh has been fixed for the five barriers of Deerowaal unit, including Deerowaal, Bagheri, Dhabota, Navgoan and Gullerwala.

The Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Ms Geeta Singh, informed that the state government had now decided to exempt all Central government vehicles as well as those belonging to the government of other states from paying this fee. State government vehicles are already exempted from this fee.

The existing provision of providing free passes to the permanent residents of the border areas, lying 5 km within the barriers also continues to exist.

They are required to get a certificate from the respective SDMs to be eligible for the facility, she informed.

Probe into attack on cops ordered
Our Correspondent

Solan, March 1
An inquiry has been ordered by the police into a shoot-out incident which injured a Himachal police security guard at Kalka on Sunday. The guard, Jagpaal, who was deployed to protect the state president of Indian National Trade Union Amarjeet Bawa, was later admitted to the PGI at Chandigarh. He received four pellets in the stomach and his legs while protecting Bawa.

The Additional Director General of Police, (law and order), Mr B.S. Thind, said the inquiry would ascertain whether Bawa had himself picked up a fight with the other group or whether there was an armed attack on him. Decision to provide another security guard to Bawa would be taken.

This attack has once again exposed the vulnerability of the Himachal police who are bearing the brunt of the bitter enmity of Bawa and Kalka-based lawyer M.K. Sisodia. 

BJP forms panel to nail govt failures
Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 1
The state BJP chief, Mr Suresh Bhardwaj, on Saturday constituted a committee to identify and pinpoint the failures of the Virbhadra regime during its two-year tenure and submit its report to the Governor on March 5.

The state vice-president of the party and MLA, Mr Jai Ram Thakur, will be its convener while the other members of the committee are Mr I.D. Dhiman, Mr Kishan Kapor, Mr Randhir Sharma, Mr Virender Kashyap, Mr Ganesh Dutt and Mr Ashok Sharma.

Snow, rain in parts of HP

Shimla, March 1
The higher reaches of tribal areas in Himachal Pradesh experienced a moderate to light snowfall and the lower areas received widespread rain, effecting normal life. Reports received here said that there was a moderate snowfall in Lahaul and Spiti, Kinnaur, Pangi valley and Dhauladhar ranges of Kangra district.