Mandi, September 10
The Construction Workers Federation of India (CWFI) and CITU today warned the state and the Central governments that if all persons, involved in the killing of three CITU leaders at the Chamera III project at Bakhog, were not booked, and compensation worth Rs 5 lakh each to their families was not paid till September 25, they would stop all construction activities in the state. They also demanded that a “false” case against CITU leader Kashmir Singh Thakur be withdrawn.

Addressing a rally of workers after the inauguration the 3-day CWFI’s 6th national conference here, in which 450 Indian and foreign delegates are participating, CITU national president and Rajya Sabha MP M.K. Pande alleged that the state and the UPA governments were wreaking a “reign of oppression” on the working class in league with the multinational companies like HCC.

“If all killers in the Chamera episode were not booked and the HCC company not blacklisted, CITU would paralyse work in the state”, he warned.

Lambasting the UPA government’s “anti-workers globalisation policies”, Mr Pande said the common-minimum programme was sidelined and the government was creating a pro-America agenda despite opposition from “63 Left MPs”. “Over 150 special economic zones in the country are for protecting the interests of the multinationals, which will run their agenda at will as no labour laws, no trade unions will function”, he claimed.

“The rising cost of living and pathetic working conditions of working class find no mention in the government agenda. We oppose it and all workers will paralyse work in all companies in India during a general strike on December 14”, he warned.

General secretary of CITU Chiterbratta Majundar and the CWFI president R. Singaravelu said the UPA government had failed to provide both job and social security to working class in the country as the Prof Arjun Sen Gupta Commission’s recommendations remained by and large ignored.

“The All-India Labour Act is implemented in seven states only while 14 crore people are either underemployed or unemployed. The National Rural Employment Guarantee programme is implemented in 200 districts only, but the UPA government has made no provision for the urban poor”, they pointed out.

State CITU leaders Rakesh Singha and Kashmir Thakur also addressed the rally.

Reckong Peo, September 10
Illegal mining has threatened to become a grave ecological hazard in Kinnaur. There have been reports of widespread mining and quarrying across the district.

Since the tribal belt is witnessing increasing demand for construction with the coming up of many hydro-power projects, this means brisk business for providers of construction materials.

In order to feed developers and local contractors, business of quarrying sand and stone boomed with hardly any regard for the environment.

Thus, development in the form of income generation for the people who need it the most, even if haphazard, has come out at the cost of environmental degradation. The locals have to live with noise pollution, narrowing and deepening river systems, increasing vehicular traffic carrying sand and gravel to the construction sites, road damage and rising dust pollution.

The most disgusting situation is that the entire tribal belt of Kinnaur stands on very unstable and uneven tectonic plates adding to the fragility of its environment. Undoubtedly, quarrying has an adverse impact on the stability of the ground and slopes. The recent incidents of recurrent landslides along the Hindustan-Tibet Road and other parts of the district are an eye-opener for the policy makers.

Jaiprakash Associates Limited (JAL) and its associate companies had been caught red-handed on many occasions transporting illegally extracted sand. As per the official records, the district mining officer had caught 11 truck loads of illegally extracted sand belonging to the Jaypees during the past couple of months and imposed a fine of Rs. 5,000 for each truck on the company.

In Bhabha valley, the gram panchayat of Kafnu had passed a resolution against the illegal extraction/smuggling of sand and stones and recommended to the district magistrate to initiate action but so far nothing has been done by the district authorities in this regard, says Digvijay Singh, deputy chief of the gram sabha of Kafnu.

Senior authorities of the mining department here admit sand digging along the riverbed that is hazardous for the ecology of region but contend, saying that measures were being taken as a continuous effort to curtail it. 

Dharamsala, September 10
It would take some more time for the dream project of having a 48-seater aircraft service to Gaggal Airport in Kangra to materialise.

A Central team of the Director General, Civil Aviation, in its inspection of the airport, has pointed out that the thick tree cover was cutting short the length of the runway and it wouldn't be safe to land a big airplane.

Introduction of this service was being anxiously awaited by people from the region as it will bring down air fare to almost half of what passengers pay for a Delhi-Kangra flight in present 18-seater Dornier service.

Airport sources said that Deccan Airways has already offered to introduce service of a 48-seater plane as soon as the Civil aviation Department gives it a nod.

Sources said the case of cutting these trees had been sent to the forest department and the district administration was waiting for a go-ahead in this regard.

An official, who attended a meeting with the seven-member team of the security team of the Civil Aviation Department, told The Tribune that the team conducted an extensive survey of the airport and the project has been put on hold till the time the tree cover is pruned.

The security of the airport, which at present with the state Police Department, might be handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force after the expansion

At present Jackson Airways offers a Delhi-Bhuntar (Kulu)-Kangra flight thrice a week and a Delhi-Kangra ticket costs Rs 5,043. But once 50-seater service begins, the fare is likely to be reduced to half of it.

Nahan, September 10
The BJP would reverse all the appointments made under the para-teacher and Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) schemes by the state government after coming to power in Himachal Pradesh. This was announced by Mr P.K. Dhumal, former Chief Minister, at a press conference here today.

Mr Dhumal alleged that the Congress government in the state had ignored seniority and merit while giving jobs to relatives and workers, especially in the Education Department under these schemes. He termed these recruitments as the biggest fraud.

Mr Dhumal said the Congress government would be known as one of the most “incompetent and corrupt” governments in the history of Himachal Pradesh.

He demanded a CBI inquiry into the links between persons in power and mafia groups operating in the state.

The BJP leader claimed that development had come to a halt in the state.

Sundernagar, September 10
The HP Administrative Tribunal has directed the Forest Department to pay death-cum-retirement gratuity to Jodh Singh, a retired dupty ranger, within two weeks. The order was passed by Mr M.R. Verma, Chairman of the tribunal, on the concluding day of the five-day tour of tribunal to Mandi division on Friday.

Jodh Singh was posted in the Chabuan beat in Mandi forest division. When a deodar tree was felled in the forest, the applicant seized the timber and reported the matter to the higher authorities. He retired on August 31, 2002.

The DFO, Mandi, deducted Rs 9,547 from the retiral benefits of Jodha Singh telling him that as per an inquiry conducted by the department he had seized less quantity of timber of the felled tree, causing loss to the department.

Jodh Singh had contended that he was never associated in the inquiry and his version was not heard. The tribunal hold that the withholding of amount without proper inquiry was wrong and against the principals of natural justice

Mr Verma directed the department to release the withheld amount of the applicant within two weeks, failing which 9 per cent interest had to be paid on it.

During its tour of Mandi division the tribunal disposed of 101 service matters.

Solan, September 10
Power cuts have become routine in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial belt with supply lines bearing excessive load. The problem has become more acute with a number of new units coming up in the area and the power department failing to erect the required transmission lines.

The severely effected are the continuous process industries which suffer machinery damage due to frequent power cuts.

Though the industrial units drawing more than 2 KW load have been directed to set up their own sub-stations and draw power from the 66 KV transformer, its compliance is still awaited.

Investors said so sudden were the power tripping that they had to manage their critical processes through diesel-run generator sets. These have been kept as a stop-gap arrangement in most of the units, revealed an official.

There were as many as six steel mills in the Export Promotion Industrial Park at Baddi which had put an immense load on the 11 KVA lines. Using 5 MW power each, they had put immense load on the existing lines. Though they were granted a year’s period to set up their sub-station but nothing substantial has been done by them.

The 11 KV transformer has been bearing excessive load because of several steel mills and other heavy power consuming units in the export promotion park, investors said. This has severely hampered the working of medium and large units.

Officials in the board said initially these units had been granted some months to construct sub-stations. A final six-month period had now been granted to them now. Any failure in compliance would lead to power disconnection.