H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

7,800 posts of teacher vacant, admits CM
Shimla, August 8
The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, today admitted that about 7800 posts of teaching and non-teaching staff were vacant in the Education Department as on March 31, 2005, but asserted that the government was finding it difficult to fill the posts because of unending litigation by vested interests.

New power tariff shocks industrialists
Kumarhatti, August 8
The new power tariff policy has shocked state industrialists. A petition seeking review of the tariff for commercial, small, medium and large industries has already been filed with the HP Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Kangra tea industry facing crisis
Palampur, August 8
The tea industry of Kangra valley is passing through serious crisis these days. Thanks to the apathy of the state government, the area under tea is decreasing year after year.

HP to buy 4 helicopters for commercial use
Shimla, August 8
The Himachal Pradesh Government will acquire four helicopters for operating commercial air services in the state.

SP, LJP to form third front
Kangra, August 8
In a bid to forge a third front in Himachal Pradesh to provide a viable alternative to both BJP and Congress, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) have joined hands in the state.

No trace of missing Australian
Kulu, August 8
No trace was found of the missing Australian national (Israeli descent) who was reported missing on August 2 near Chhalal village in the Manikaran area of the district after an intensive search by a helicopter today in the Parbati valley.

Unanimous election to employees’ union
Mandi, August 8
The election of the Non-Gazetted Employees’ Union (Mandi unit) has once again exposed the pro-government leaning of employees’ as over 350 employees elected the new body unanimously.

Notice to defaulting traders
Dalhousie, August 8
The Labour Inspector of Chamba and Dalhousie through a notice recently has asked owners of shops and commercial establishments of the area to get the registration certificate of their establishments renewed every year under the H.P. Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 1969. However, if the registration certificate already stands renewed, a xerox copy of the same may be sent to his office for correcting the record.

337 shops raided
Bilaspur, August 8
To check the misuse of polythene bags the district authorities have raided 337 shops and other trading complexes in Bilaspur district.

7,800 posts of teacher vacant, admits CM
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 8
The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, today admitted that about 7800 posts of teaching and non-teaching staff were vacant in the Education Department as on March 31, 2005, but asserted that the government was finding it difficult to fill the posts because of unending litigation by vested interests.

The issue was raised by Mr I.D.Dhiman, a former Education Minister, in the Vidhan Sabha today during question hour. The Chief Minister said certain people had a vested interest in getting the process for filling the posts stalled as they did not want the government to get credit for it. They move the court on one pretext or the other. He said the state did not agree with the High Court’s view that selection for admission to the JBT training course be carried out purely on the basis of written examination as those selected were given employment after completion of training. If jobs were to be given without an interview there was no need to have a public service commission.

There was also a stay on the recruitment of college lecturers as result of which the government was forced to deploy teachers purely on a temporary basis through the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). He rejected the criticism of the BJP on this account and said if appointments were not made through the PTA teaching in colleges would have suffered.

In a written reply the Chief Minister informed Mr Satpal Satti of the BJP that Punjab Technical University had withdrawn the permission granted for four courses as a distance education centre to the Shoolini Institute of Life Sciences and Business Management, Solan , after it published a misleading advertisement. Earlier it was functioning as a distance education centre of the Narinder Dev University of Agriculture and technology (NDUAT).

As against the fees of Rs 25,000 fixed by the NDUAT for B.Tech, biotechnology, the institute charged Rs 70,000 for the 2004-05 session. Similarly, for M.Sc, biotechnology Rs 75,000 was charged whereas the university had fixed the fees at Rs 15,000. For the MBA course the fee fixed by the university ranged between Rs 12,000 and Rs 25,000 but the institute charged Rs 65,000. Besides tuition fees the institute also charged development fund, equipment fee, health care fee, students welfare fund, placement fee, library, magazine, guest faculties and amalgamated fund, Internet fee and house tests and reading material fee.

New power tariff shocks industrialists
Our Correspondent

Kumarhatti, August 8
The new power tariff policy has shocked state industrialists. A petition seeking review of the tariff for commercial, small, medium and large industries has already been filed with the HP Electricity Regulatory Commission.

The new tariff is reportedly based on wrong calculation of weighted average loss, point out industrialists. The weighted average loss for sales at 132 KV and at 66 KV and above would work out to be 3.59 per cent instead of 3.68 per cent. It would affect the calculation of loss at other voltages also, thereby affecting the cost of supply and the tariff calculations, maintain industrialists.

The principles laid down under Sections 61 and 62 of the Electricity Supply Act, 2003, have not been strictly followed for all categories, they say.

Under the new policy, the average cost per unit for commercial, small, medium and large industry working on single shift or three-shift basis, works out to be very high. Such abnormal increase ranging from 4.1 per cent to 30 per cent as against the projected figure of 2 per cent to 13.5 per cent, is likely to affect a majority of consumers under the above three categories.

Kangra tea industry facing crisis
Our Correspondent

Palampur, August 8
The tea industry of Kangra valley is passing through serious crisis these days. Thanks to the apathy of the state government, the area under tea is decreasing year after year. Tea has been cultivated and manufactured in the valley since the middle of the 19th century. It was first introduced between 1830 and 1840 by Nissan Tea Company. The valley grows hybrid variety of China tea which has the best flavor and compares favorably with the tea grown in other parts of the world. The tea garden of Kangra valley is 100 to 130 years old and is situated at a height of 900 to 1500 metres above sea level.

In a number of villages, people have uprooted tea bushes. Under provisions of Land Revenue Act, there is a blanket ban on the sale of tea gardens. However, the state government is liberally granting permission for sale of tea gardens through the back door. The orders of the Himachal Pradesh Government in the past five years to grant permission for sale of over 3000 kanals under tea to different parties has caused widespread resentment among residents here.

Section 6 and 7-A of the HP State Land Revenue Act prohibit the sale of tea gardens in the state but till date the government has granted permission for the sale of tea gardens in dozens of cases. The main objective of imposing the ban on the sale of tea gardens was that owners of a number of tea estates had availed the benefits of the HP Land Ceiling Act 1970, and were allowed to retain excess land as their tea gardens were kept outside the purview of this Act. It may be recalled that farmers other than tea growers could only retain 300 kanals and excess land was vested in the government under the HP Land Ceiling Act 1970.

Therefore, those who had availed the benefits of the HP Land Ceiling Act and had retained excess land , could not sell their holdings but it was surprising that they also managed to sell their tea gardens by tampering with the revenue records in gross violation of law.

Under the provisions of the law, permission could only be granted in special cases of utmost importance like setting up of defence units, and other government establishments but in the past five years, the government has virtually misused these provisions and a number of persons have managed to secure permission for sale of tea gardens. Many outsiders particularly from Delhi and adjoining states, and a number of religious organisations have also succeeded in buying tea gardens and other landed property in the region. Residents of Kangra valley are worried over these developments. This step of the government has also posed a serious threat to the environment as most of the tea gardens are being replaced by a concrete jungle.

Most of the tea gardens sold in the valley have been converted into housing colonies. The Palampur Citizens’ Council, Palampur Bachao Samiti and Save Palampur have strongly condemned the largescale sale of tea gardens through the back door.

Mr Ravinder Thakur, senior BJP leader and local MLA, criticized the state government for granting permission for the sale of tea gardens.

It may be recalled that lush green tea gardens of Palampur attract lakhs of tourists every year.

HP to buy 4 helicopters for commercial use
Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 8
The Himachal Pradesh Government will acquire four helicopters for operating commercial air services in the state.

This was announced by Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, in the Vidhan Sabha while replying to the debate on the resolution thanking Dr Manmohan Singh for granting an economic package of Rs 4,000 crore to the state. He dispelled all apprehensions of the Opposition regarding the package and said that it was not a pipedream but a concrete assurance, which had already started translating into reality.

He said out of the 10 tourism projects worth Rs 97 crore submitted to the Centre in pursuance of the package, three projects had already been sanctioned. While Rs 8 crore each had been approved for the development of Chamba and Mandi-Bilaspur tourism circuits, a Rs 5-crore project had been to sanctioned for the proposed Rohru-Chanshal destination.

He said the Centre, as part of the package, give Rs 1 crore per helicopter to meet the operational losses for three years. The commercial helicopter services would go a long way in boosting tourism.

The Chief Minister said the BJP members should not have any doubts regarding the Rs 1200-crore Bhanupali-Beri rail line as it would be taken up as a national project to be fully financed by the Railways. Similarly, Rs 400 crore would be given for completing the Nangal-Talwara line over the next two years.

The state had been promised Rs 200 crore over and above the normal allocation for providing road connectivity to 257 panchayats, though the government had submitted schemes amounting to Rs 366 crore for the purpose. Further, Rs 518 crore would be provided under the package for providing drinking water facility to 6000 partially covered and non-covered hamlets.

However, the most significant was the assurance that the Centre would give full support to the state in availing the debt-mitigation facility for financial restructuring. It would enable the state to reduce the burden on account of debt servicing.

He said normally the state had been receiving special assistance from the Centre only to tide over the financial crisis and it was for the first time that a comprehensive economic package in the shape of “special development initiative” had been approved for the hill state.

Earlier, initiating the debate, Mr P.K. Dhumal, former Chief Minister, said his party would welcome financial assistance to the state from any quarter but the economic package announced by the Prime Minister appeared to be more of jugglery of figures and he had doubts if it would exactly lead to a financial benefit to the tune of Rs 4,000 crore as was being claimed. There were discrepancies in the figures quoted in the statement given by the of the Chief Minister in the House and the press note released while announcing the package.

He said some components were part of the Bharat Nirman Yojna of the Centre which would cover all the states. The Prime Minister had only assured to take up the Bhanupali-Beri line with the Railways but its cost of Rs 1200 crore had been included in the package to inflate the package.

Mr Sukh Ram of the Congress said no one should have any doubts about the package as Dr Manmohan Singh was an internationally acclaimed economist who spoke in measured words and meant business.

Though some members expressed reservation about the package, the resolution was passed unanimously.

SP, LJP to form third front
Our Correspondent

Kangra, August 8
In a bid to forge a third front in Himachal Pradesh to provide a viable alternative to both BJP and Congress, the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) have joined hands in the state. They have also invited alliance from different regional and national parties, including the BSP.

In a joint press conference, Mr Ramel Singh Badyal, national general secretary of the LJP, Mr Ram Swroop Shandel, state president of the SP and Mr Deepak Misra, member of the national executive of the Samajwadi Yuva Jan Sabha, said today that only the BJP and the Congress had been contesting elections on most seats in the state. They said both parties had disappointed people of the state and people were in search of a third alternative.

Mr Badyal said the Virbhadra government came to power on the poll promises of eradicating rampant corruption and providing jobs at least to one unemployed youth from every family. However, the party had forgotten both promises, he alleged.

He alleged that corruption had flourished and had penetrated to the grass-roots level during the regime of the present government. He said the new taxes had broken the backbone of common people of the state.

The three leaders demanded a white paper on the appointment issue saying the government should come clean on how many people were appointed and to which area they belonged.

No trace of missing Australian
Our Correspondent

Kulu, August 8
No trace was found of the missing Australian national (Israeli descent) who was reported missing on August 2 near Chhalal village in the Manikaran area of the district after an intensive search by a helicopter today in the Parbati valley.

Mr Anand Pratap Singh, Superintendent of Police, said here today that the sister of the missing Australian national had come from Israel to search for her brother and a chopper was brought from Delhi to make an aerial survey to spot him.

Mr Daniel Mount Whitten was on a visit to Himachal Pradesh and Leh along with four others and reached Kulu from Leh on July 31. One of his companions, Mr Auri Amte, an Israeli national, reported at a police post in Manikaran on August 2 that his companion had gone missing.

The police chief said a police party along with a dog squad had been deployed in the area for search of Mr Whitten but no trace of his was found till today.

He said a DSP accompanied the sister of Mr Whitten during the helicopter reconnoitring, while an intensive search on foot by the police party in the area was also being done. He said the possibility of his being in places like Kheer Ganga, Pulga, Tulga or Malana, where many foreigners are residing, were also being looked into. 

Unanimous election to employees’ union
Tribune News Service

Mandi, August 8
The election of the Non-Gazetted Employees’ Union (Mandi unit) has once again exposed the pro-government leaning of employees’ as over 350 employees elected the new body unanimously.

The IPH Minister, Thakur Kaul Singh, held sway as two of the top four elected leaders belong to Drang, his home constituency and enjoy his blessings.

The ministers in the district have political stakes as the union has emerged as a pressure group in the state politics, but it has always played to the tunes of the party in power, revealed employees. This strategy is understandable as the ministers pamper the employee leaders to manipulate them for votes. On the other hand employees support them to get maximum advantage from the ministers in power, commented certain employees.

Though dissent is growing within the union, the employees prefer to play it down as the present government is expected to last for three more years.

Two of the leaders Mr Lal Singh and Mr H.S. Thakur, elected as president and general secretary, respectively, belong to Drang. The others, including senior vice-president Puran Chand, also toe the pro-Congress line.

Notice to defaulting traders
Our Correspondent

Dalhousie, August 8
The Labour Inspector of Chamba and Dalhousie through a notice recently has asked owners of shops and commercial establishments of the area to get the registration certificate of their establishments renewed every year under the H.P. Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 1969. However, if the registration certificate already stands renewed, a xerox copy of the same may be sent to his office for correcting the record.

The Labour Inspector has also asked the dafaulters to explain in writing the reasons as to why the registration certificates of their shops and establishments were not got renewed in time.

Surprisingly, the shops and commercial establishments, which were closed down long ago with proper intimation to his office, were also served with notices. 

337 shops raided
Our Correspondent

Bilaspur, August 8
To check the misuse of polythene bags the district authorities have raided 337 shops and other trading complexes in Bilaspur district. Deputy Commissioner Manish Garg said here today that raiding parties had recovered Rs 16,000 as fine from these shopkeepers and has warned against the use of polythene bags in the state.