Kangra, January 9
Himachal Pradesh Government is contemplating to open a sub-tehsil at Chidiyar in this district to provide people administrative facilities near their homes.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said this while addressing a public meeting at Chidiyar in Rajgir Assembly segment of district Kangra last evening.

The Chief Minister said that revenue authorities of the district would carry out the initial spade work required for opening of a revenue administrative unit and submit the same to the state government for taking a final decision in the matter. He personally favoured setting up of a sub-tehsil in the Changer area, which was likely to be brought under the administrative control of Jaisinghpur subdivision.

He said that the state had been successful in maintaining its identity not only within but outside the national boundaries as well and added that a few years ago the state was one of the lesser known states where development was at its lowest ebb. He attributed progress of the state to the Congress-led Central governments.

He said that parameters for development for hilly areas needed to be measured differently and could not be compared to the plain areas. The state was spending more money on construction of roads per kilometer as compared to the plains areas where one-kilometer road construction was feasible in a few lakhs. Despite odds, the state had succeeded in creating vast road network of over 27,000 kilometer and was committed to connect every gram panchayat with motorable road by March, 2008.

Education system was being revamped and new academic curriculum was being added at both lower and higher levels. The government would add new courses in the educational curriculum in a phased manner so that the state could maintain its pace with the modern trends. This would open new opportunities to the educated youth of the state.

He said the state would emerge as a centre par excellence for learning where internationally recognised courses would be available to the students.

The Chief Minister inaugurated the FRU Chidiyar and inspected the new building. He said his government had upgraded the local hospital to FRU where medical services would be available round the clock. He said that specialised medical services would also be provided to patients.

He laid foundation stone of PHC at Tinbar to be constructed at a cost of Rs. 53.08 lakh.

The Chief Minister announced taking over of Kanwar Durga Chand Memorial Degree College, Jaisinghpur, by relaxing the norms to facilitate students get higher education nearer their homes.

Announcing this at a public meeting at Tambar village in this district, he said the college would be named after Kanwar Durga Chand and added that the state government would take over the college with immediate effect.

He dedicated the Juman Malehar Augmented Water Supply Scheme constructed at a cost of Rs 47.97 lakh and newly upgraded senior secondary school, Tambar, to the people.

Mr Virbhadra Singh announced upgradation of government high schools at Kona and Nahliyan to senior Secondary school, government primary schools at Uttarpur and Bhalundar to middle schools and opening of a veterinary dispensary at Tambar.

Shimla, January 9
Travel expenditure borne by patients suffering from AIDS as well as their attendants will now paid by the state government, which today started the scheme for persons undergoing treatment at the lone anti-retroviral (ART) centre of the state at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) here.

At present a total of 138 patients are undergoing free anti-retroviral drug therapy treatment at the centre opened at the IGMC. Medicines, free of cost, are being provided by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) to full-blown AIDS cases in the state.

A total of 210 patients are registered for pre anti-retroviral drug treatment at the Department of Medicine at IGMC, which is running the ART centre. However, with only those patients whose CD4 count falls below 200 are entitled to free ART treatment as their infection is at a very advanced stage. The CD4 count is taken at least twice a year to assess the condition of the patient and the spread of the infection.

The Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, had announced on World AIDS Day on December 1 that patients undergoing treatment at IGMC would get to travel free of cost as the government would bear their travelling expenditure. This facility was extended to the patients from today. Besides the person afflicted with AIDS, one attendant accompanying him will also have his/her travelling expenses paid by the state government.

The drop-out or loss to follow rate is 10 per cent of the total patients undergoing treatment. Some of the people do not continue treatment for various reasons like lack of money, death or other reasons. The IGMC has now sought the help of the volunteers of a NGO, Ashadeep, to keep a track of these patients to ensure follow-up treatment.

Out of the 210 AIDS patients registered at the ART centre, the largest number 75 hail from Hamirpur district, followed by 40 from Mandi and 32 from Bilaspur. In fact almost 80 per cent of the AIDS cases in the state are from the districts of Hamirpur, Mandi, Kangra and Bilaspur.

As per the latest figures available with the State AIDS Control Society there are a total of 397 full-blown AIDS cases in the state as compared to a figure of 319 last year. The number of HIV cases has also gone up this year from 1,474 last year to 1,930 this year.

Two drop-in centres, being run by patients afflicted with the AIDS infection, are being run in the state. While one of them has been functioning at Paonta Sahib for the last over one year, another one has been sanctioned by NACO at Barmana.

Shimla, January 9
Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal today said Mr Virbhadra Singh had no right to comment on the age or lack of experience of the newly elected state BJP chief as it only reflected his own annoyance with the Congress high command.

In a statement issued here today, the BJP leader said the age was not a criterion for being elevated to such posts and at least the Congress must not forget this. “When Mr Rajiv Gandhi became the Prime Minister of the country he was only 40 and Mrs Gandhi on becoming AICC chief was only 41 years old,” he quipped.

Mr Dhumal said the Chief Minister was in the habit of making such comments whether it his own party chief or the BJP’s. “It appears that since the Chief Minister does not have a say with his own high command and state Congress chief, he is using the BJP to convey his feelings,” he commented.

He said the Chief Minister and Congress legislators had reacted strongly when the state Congress chief, Mrs Viplove Thakur, had sought details of the property from them.

Mr Dhumal said the Chief Minister should learn to fight his battle within his own party and not use the BJP as a medium to convey his sentiments.

Banala (Mandi), January 9
Local farmers have pledged their support to the proposed Rs. 560 crore Gas Insulated (GIS) Pooling station to be set by the Powergrid Corporation of India in this village here, but periphery villagers, mainly the banner of Mahila Mandal have raised a banner of revolt against the project, citing hazards of transmission lines and damage to environment as reasons for their opposition.

Banala village in Kingus panchayat, located on the National Highway-21, has been selected out of six other sites - Hansu, Nau Doghri, Gharad, Kotadhar, and Govindpuri - surveyed for the 400/220kv pooling station to store the power generated by the 2051 MW Parbti project, 800 MW Kol Dam, 192 MW Allian Duhangan, 100 MW Malana project. The corporation needs seven acres of land out of which 4.5 acre belongs to Banala farmers and 2.5 acres is the forest land.

Pardhan, Kingus Panchayat, Bhagwandas, who lives in Banala, said that 12 house owners, including he himself, had given their consent for acquiring land for the project which will generate local employment. "The outside villagers are opposing the project as they lost polls last year", he claimed.

Supported by the Snor Valley Bachao Andolan, Banala Mahila Mandal leaders Leela Thakur, Bhawani Devi and Pabana Devi claimed that the project would ruin local ecology as trees would be cut for it. "The gram sabha has not given its NOC. We will lose their TD, firewood and grazing rights in the area", they alleged.

Snor valley Bachao Andolan’s Sesh Ram, Gulab Singh and others claimed that pooling station would expose them to the danger of radiation and electrocution as all transmission lines would come here from all directions.

They charged that the Pardahna and supporters of the project were playing in the hands of contractors eyeing "hot money".

Panarsa Forest Ranger Officer Laxmi Chand said that over 643 trees - out of which 500 are smaller-sized chil trees- would be cut for the pooling station in an area of 1054 hectares.

Naib-Tehsildar-Aut- Panarsa-Banala S L Bansal said that notification under section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act was issued on November 28. 2006 after Banala villagers gave their consent for the project.

The Chief Manager Powergrid Corporation G L Prasad said the villagers' fears were unfounded as Powergrid colony in Nalagarh was within the grid.

Solan, January 9
Several industrial units will have to pay penalty of crores if the rates approved by Cabinet become applicable. Rates for various offences like initiating construction without seeking permission, not leaving adequate diversion from the approved maps were cleared by the Cabinet in September last year. These however were exorbitant and industrialists had objected to the revision of penalty rates.

The Town and Country Planning department is yet to notify the revised rates of penalty. As per the proposal penalty of initiating construction without permission drew penalty of as much as Rs 200 to Rs 300 per square metre against the earlier rate of Rs 100 per square metre. This will make some units to pay crores in penalty. The situation arose due to delay in the change of land use permissions. A number of units began constructions without waiting for the permissions.

This haste attracted penalty from the department. Since the defaulters are bigger units penalty in crores would now be charged for such violations. The department, however, had no fixed rates for charging penalty earlier. The process of collection was, therefore, delayed in the absence of clear instructions.

Problem arose due to an overwhelming rush of investors, who bought land without ascertaining its type. Moreover the TCP department failed to coordinate with the Revenue Department to enable the sale of only commercial land.

Officials in the department said though such rates existed for small-scale units but it is perhaps the first time that violations have been made by the larger units.

The investors rued the matter had been hanging fire since the past year and a half and they had been running from one official to another to resolve the matter. The department has seen six secretaries in the past three years making it difficult for the investors to find a quick solution.

While defending the delay in granting such certificates officials said the objections raised at various stages created the delay. The investors who are in a haste to avail the incentives of the central industrial package said since it took months to procure the permission they couldn’t wait for months to begin construction.

Kangra, January 9
The Himachal Pradesh Government is contemplating to develop another ski village in the state at Chamsal in Rohru. A survey has been undertaken by some international consultants for an airfield at Chamsal.

Disclosing this at a press conference at his residence here today, Transport and Tourism Minister G.S.Bali said that a sum of Rs 3 crore for the development of Chamsal and a grant of Rs 2.5 crore for Sarahan Rampur have been sanctioned by the Government of India.

He said that for the convenience of the pilgrims visiting Bajjreshwari temple here the Tourism Department had sanctioned Rs 33.5 lakh for constructing a transparent roof from Nehru Chowk till the temple gate along the Mandir Bazar. He said that Rs 10 lakh had been sanctioned for parking near the municipal building but alleged misappropriations in these funds.

Mr Bali said that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had ordered the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Bharat Khera, to inquire in the alleged misappropriations of these government funds.

He further said Rs 8 crore was sanctioned by the Central Government for the temple circuit in Kangra district. Under this program the basic infrastructure of Bajjeshwari temple at Kangra, Jawali and Chamunda would be further developed. He also announced Rs 5 lakh for the development of the Jayanti Mata temple on a hillock near famous Kangra Fort.

He said in Kangra district Rs 10 lakh was sanctioned for the development of the Himani Chamunda temple.

The minister said that a ropeway had been proposed for connecting Manali with Rohtang pass in view of the increasing traffic in Manali. He said that Rs 5 crore had been sanctioned for the development of various places in the 50-km radius around Dharamsala.

He said due to better facilities being provided to the tourists in the state there was a record arrival of the national tourists to the state which touched 72 lakh this year.

The minister said that number of national tourists was likely to go up by 18 per cent next year. He said that this year there was 20 per cent increase in the number of the foreign tourists visiting the state. He said that last year 2.3 lakh foreign tourists had visited this hill state while this their number increased to 2.9 lakh.

The minister said that in order to boost tourism in the state the Tourism Department would organise a package for tourists to visit Dharamsala, Chamunda, Baijnath, Badoh, Jawalamukhi, Pong Dam and back to Dharamsala on one ticket besides organising joy rides for the tourists between Kangra-Kullu and Shimla .

He said that HP Tourism Development Corporation would also provide special package to the senior citizens and pensioners visiting the state. He added that the HPTDC had earned Rs 66 crore as profit.