Shimla, March 9
The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, today announced that the government had decided to hand over the inquiry in the Deoli fire incident, in which six family members were burnt to death in Una, to the CBI.

Mr Virbhadra Singh made this announcement in the Assembly today after former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition P.K. Dhumal sought permission from the Speaker for discussion on important issues, including the Deoli incident.

The Chief Minister said the incident where Mr Malkiat Singh, a patwari, his wife and four children were burnt to death in their house was serious. The matter was being investigated by the police. “It was yesterday after Mr Kuldeep Kumar, Industries minister, discussed the matter with me that we decided to refer the matter to the CBI,” he informed the House.

Speaking to mediapersons later, BJP leader P.K. Dhumal, welcoming the decision to hand over the matter to the CBI, expressed concern over increasing political interference in administrative and police matters in Una district. Mr Dhumal said all relevant documents and crucial evidence in the case should be handed over by the police to the CBI.

“Even the dying declaration of the patwari, Mr Malkiat Singh, that somebody had set his house ablaze is not being taken seriously. Nobody bothered to record the statement of his wife Sunita who died after struggling for life for many days at the PGI,” he said.

The government had wasted precious time in handing over the matter to the CBI, he said.

Mr Dhumal further said the State Patwari and Kanungo Union was holding agitations and dharnas, demanding a proper probe into the matter. “It apprehends that the investigating agencies are under political pressure and so none of the accused have been arrested so far”.

Mr Dhumal also demanded that in view of the spurt in crime in the state, the government should bring in legislation during the current Assembly session for proper checking of the antecedents of migrant labour from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Shimla, March 9
Mr John Corder, a conservation-breeding expert from the World Pheasants Association, has expressed concern over the declining population of pheasants in the Himalayan region and called for effective steps to reverse the trend.

While the species like the western tragopan was already on the verge of extinction, the cheer pheasant, monal and some others were high on the list of highly endangered ones. Unless timely measures were taken these gorgeous birds would be lost to the posterity forever, Mr Corder, who was in the state to review the progress of the conservation efforts being made in the state , told The Tribune.

He visited the pheasantry at Sarahan, where a Rs 4.93-crore project for “parent rearing” of western tragopan is being implemented. The Sarahan pheasantry has as many as four birds, three male and a female, in captivity. The state Wildlife Department has been pursuing a breeding programme for the past 15 years, but without much success.

The programme is being carried out under the guidance of Mr Corder for the past two years. He also visited Kulu district to find a suitable site for captive breeding of monal.

The core group for conservation breeding, of which Mr Corder was a member, met under the chairmanship of Mr Ashok Thakur, Principal Secretary, Forests, and approved the design of big enclosures required for parent rearing. In all seven enclosures each spread over an area of 300 sq m will be constructed.

It also cleared a Rs 4-crore project for conservation breeding of cheer pheasants on the pattern of western tragopan. It will involve the parent rearing technique.

Dr Lalit Mohan , Conservator of Forests and Member Secretary of the core group, has already achieved success in breeding cheer pheasants using the technique at the Chail pheasantry. The proposed project will be started at Chail after the mandatory approval of the Central Zoo Authority.

Shimla, March 9
The state government will take up the matter regarding ban on mining of river-beds and nullahs with the Centre and if need be move the Supreme Court as this is not only creating hurdles in development works, but also encouraging illegal extraction.

The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, in reply to a question by Mr Karamdev Dharmani of the BJP during question hour in the Assembly today, stated. “Ever since the notification of the Forest Conservation Act, 1952. In the state, no mining and extraction work, including lifting of sand and gravel from the river-beds and nullahs can be undertaken in most districts of the state,” he informed.

He said permits for lifting of sand and gravel had been given mostly in districts like Kangra, where the notification was not applicable as these areas were merged with Himachal after 1966.

Mr Virbhadra Singh said this was a serious matter and the government would take it up with the Centre and if need be move the SC. “No doubt it is creating hurdles in execution of development works like road construction and is, obviously, encouraging illegal mining,” he remarked.

The Chief Minister, however, added that the government policy was to restrict mining and there would be a complete ban on extraction wherever it was adversely affecting water supply schemes.

“Directions have already been issued that there should be no use of heavy machinery and trucks should not be allowed to go to river-beds so that there is no damage to environment and ecology,” he added.

To another question by Mr Jai Ram Thakur of the BJP, the IPH Minister, Mr Kaul Singh Thakur, said the area given on lease to the Congress for construction of their office below Cart Road did not fall in the “sliding zone”. He informed that a total of 759.20 square metres of land had been given on lease for an amount of Rs 77,019 per annum.

The BJP legislator wanted to know whether a similar request for land by other political parties would also be entertained. “Such applications will be decided on merit by the Municipal Corporation and the government”.

To another question by Mr Surinder Bhardwaj and Dr Prem Singh, the Animal Husbandry Minister, Mr Harsh Mahajan, informed that 116 posts of veterinary doctor and 736 of pharmacist were vacant in the state.

Shimla, March 9
Mr Kuldeep Kumar, Industries Minister, today said the government would withdraw various incentives available under the industrial package and disconnect power supply to industrial units in case they failed to fulfil the condition to recruit 70 per cent manpower from within the state.

Addressing a press conference here in connection with the completion of two years of the Congress government in the state, he said providing employment to youth was one of the promises made in the election manifesto of the party and the first thing it did after assuming office was to make it mandatory for industrial units to employ at least 70 per cent Himachalis.

He said industrial houses were making a beeline to the state to take advantage of the package of incentives and the government had approved projects involving an investment of over Rs 8,500 crore with potential to create employment for 1,60,000 persons.

It was, thus, important to ensure that the clause to employ local people on priority was implemented in letter and spirit.

Mr Kuldeep Kumar, who is also Pradesh Congress Committee chief, said the party had demonstrated its will to fulfil the promises by implementing some important ones over the past two years, despite the financial crunch.

The election manifesto had been adopted as a policy document by the government and a Cabinet sub-committee was monitoring its implementation. The government had inherited a heavy debt and empty coffers from the Dhumal regime, but it followed prudent fiscal policies and did not allow paucity of funds in the way of fulfilling the promises.

A relentless drive was on to expose corruption in recruitment and other places during the BJP regime as promised. Investigations had been completed in several cases pertaining to the state Subordinate Services Selection Board and Himachal Pradesh University.

Listing the achievements of the government, he said as many as 136 new veterinary institutions, 490 middle schools, 111 high schools, 123 senior secondary schools and a degree college had been opened and hundreds of functional posts in the Education, Health, Veterinary and other departments filled.

The minimum daily wage had been increased to Rs 65 and several schemes launched for the benefit of the poor, the under-privileged and farmers.