H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

More rain, snow dip temperature

Shimla, March 11 Temperatures continue to drop in Himachal Pradesh after receiving more snow and rain in the state during the past 24 hrs, the MET office said today.

A view of temporary houses of Gujjars covered with fresh snow near Prashar Lake in Mandi district on Sunday. — Photo by Mahesh Chander Sharma

Rising wage bill a matter of concern
Shimla, March 11
The mounting wage bill of employees continues to be a matter of concern for the debt-ridden state government. There has been much talk of fiscal reforms, but not much has happened on the ground. The expenditure on salaries is set to increase from Rs 2,350 crore (27.64 per cent) in 2005-06 to Rs 2,710 crore (28 per cent) in 2007-08.

Virbhadra out to woo Mankotia
Visits Shahpur MLA’s constituency
Dharamsala, March 11
Learning lessons from the outcome of the Punjab and Uttarakhand assembly elections, chief minister Virbhadra Singh has initiated a move to win back the confidence of senior leaders of his party.

Himachal Chief Minister is honoured with a memento by Shahpur MLA Vijay Singh Mankotia (centre) at Sinhwa in Kangra district on Sunday.

Espousing Tibetan cause in blood
Dharamsala, March 11
Blood campaigner for Tibet and founder convener of the Mahatma Gandhi Free Tibet Movement, Mahesh Yadav, who is on a nationwide campaign to drum up support on the Tibet issue among Indians, today wrote letters to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh using his blood seeking support for Tibet freedom struggle.

Attempt to steal power cables costs youth life
Bilaspur, March 11
An attempt to steal electric wires by a youth cost him his life. Jagdish, about 20 years of age, was found dead near an electricity pole with several power lines lying cut beside his body early in the morning.

Truck driver killed in mishap
Kumarhatti, March 11
Jagat Pal, driver of a truck (HP 24B 5288), was killed after an iron hook of another crossing truck pierced his neck near Nalagarh last night. The incident took place at Jogon on the Nalagarh-Swarghat road around 1 am.

Probe sought against Bali, HPTDC chief
Shimla, March 11
A suspended Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) employee today demanded a CBI inquiry against state tourism and transport minister G.S.Bali and HPTDC managing director Tarun Sridhar for their alleged involvement in several cases of corruption.

Ban on non-tribal contractors sought
Chamba, March 11
The vigilance committee, Bharmour has urged the government to assign petty contract works to local tribal people and ban non-tribal contractors from outside the tribal areas who are busy grabbing works in the ongoing hydropower projects in the Bharmour and Pangi in Chamba district.

BJP Mahila Morcha office-bearers
Shimla, March 11
The following have been appointed office-bearers of the state BJP Mahila Morcha by Roopa Sharma, chief of the organisation: senior vice-president — Ambika Sood; vice-presidents — Veena Srivastava, Sarla Doger and Kamlesh Bharti; general secretary — Ritu Sethi; secretaries — Pawana Chaudhary, Bhubneshwari, Urmila Kumari and Bhabna; and treasurer — Lata Bhardwaj. A 25-member executive committee has also been put in place besides 15 special invitees.

More rain, snow dip temperature

Shimla, March 11
Temperatures continue to drop in Himachal Pradesh after receiving more snow and rain in the state during the past 24 hrs, the MET office said today.

The tribal districts of Kullu, Chamba, Kinnuar, Lahaul-Spiti received a mild snowfall, while light rain lashed the lower areas of these districts, reviving cold wave conditions in the entire state, it said.

The MET office said a mild snowfall was reported at several high-altitude areas of the tribal districts with the Rohtang Pass, situated at over 13,050 feet, recording about 10 cm of snowfall.

More snow clouds were hovering over the tribal districts and the MET office said there was every possibility of snow in the higher reaches and rain in the lower areas anytime now.

The lower and mid hills, including Shimla and the adjoining areas, were under a thick cover of clouds since afternoon, forcing people to sport their woollens during the day.

Temperatures in the mid and lower hills of the state had risen appreciably during the past few days after a continuous spell of dry weather during the first week of the month.

The night temperatures at Sundernagar in Mandi, Bhuntar in Kullu district and Kalpa in Kinnuar district dropped to 4.4, 7.8 and -4° celsius as against yesterday's low of 9.5, 9.7 and -2.2° celsius, respectively, the MET office said.

The minimum temperature recorded in the state capital, however, increased by a few notches to stand at 4.4° celsius as against 4° celsius recorded yesterday.

The MET office said Bhuntar recorded 13.2 mm of rainfall, followed by 7.2 mm at Kalpa in Kinnuar, 3.5mm at Sundernagar and 2.9 mm at Shimla during the past 24 hrs till 8.30 a.m. — UNI

Rising wage bill a matter of concern
Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 11
The mounting wage bill of employees continues to be a matter of concern for the debt-ridden state government. There has been much talk of fiscal reforms, but not much has happened on the ground. The expenditure on salaries is set to increase from Rs 2,350 crore (27.64 per cent) in 2005-06 to Rs 2,710 crore (28 per cent) in 2007-08.

The financial burden on account of pensions is increasing even more rapidly. It will jump from Rs 718 crore to Rs 880 crore and account for 9.09 per cent of the budget. The interest burden will increase from Rs 1,563 crore to Rs 1,777 crore over the period, while another Rs 1,182 crore will go towards the repayment of the principal amount.

Thus, the committed expenditure of the government on wage bill and debt servicing together accounts for 68 per cent of the total budget. The plan expenditure constitutes only 21 per cent of the total government spending. The situation will worsen with the grant of 5 per cent interim relief announced in the budget and the implementation of the sixth pay commission report due next year.

However, there has been some improvement on the debt front. The net loan increased by Rs 779 crore during the current year as against Rs 1,000 crore in the preceding year. The state's own income has been rising at an impressive rate mainly due to the implementation of VAT and royalty from power projects. The receipts from tax and non-tax revenue that stood at Rs 2,184 crore in 2005-06 are set to reach Rs 2,753 crore in 2007-08 with royalty from hydroelectric projects registering the maximum increase of 65 per cent, followed by VAT (57 per cent).

The total debt liability of the state stood at Rs 18,023 crore on February 15. However, with economy growing at 9.3 per cent, the borrowings, as a percentage of the gross state domestic product, have declined from 68.6 per cent in 2005-06 to 64.4 per cent in the current fiscal.

The state is looking for a debt-restructuring facility of Rs 900 crore from the World Bank to retire its high-interest debt to bring down the interest liability. A team of the bank visited the state last month to finalise the modalities in that regard.

Virbhadra out to woo Mankotia
Visits Shahpur MLA’s constituency
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, March 11
Learning lessons from the outcome of the Punjab and Uttarakhand assembly elections, chief minister Virbhadra Singh has initiated a move to win back the confidence of senior leaders of his party.

Adopting a soft posture, the chief minister today went to the Shahpur constituency of Kangra district on a one-day official tour and had a formal handshake with Major Vijay Singh Mankotia, a former minister and local MLA, to give an impression of unity within the party. He laid foundation stones and inaugurated five schemes in the Shahpur constituency, boosting the morale of Mr Mankotia.

Major Mankotia had confronted the Chief Minister on the issue of giving a separate political identity to people of the Kangra region. he alleged that the state government was paying less attention to development of this region.

The regional divide got blurred after his resignation from the state Cabinet about two years ago. At that time he had levelled serious charges against Virbhadra Singh for undermining the political power of Kangra district that has 16 of the state’s 68 assembly constituencies.

The formal handshake between the two Congress leaders in Mankotia’s constituency assumes political significance, feels political observers.

The regional factors came into play after the hill areas of Punjab were merged into Himachal during the re-organisation of states in 1966. As leaders from old Himachal continued to dominate the ruling Congress, discontent started brewing among partymen in the merged areas who felt ignored. In a bid to upstage the established leadership of the party, leaders of the new areas raised the issue of discrimination on regional considerations.

UNI adds: The Chief Minister said today the steps taken at the state and the national level to check prices of essential commodities would yield results in near future.

Addressing a public meeting at Sinhwa in Kangra district of the state, he said steps had already been taken at the administrative level to check rising prices of essential commodities and positive results were likely in the near future.

He said the state government had decided to provide social welfare pension to 25,000 persons during the next financial year. The effort would be to provide benefit to every eligible person in the state, he added.

The social welfare pension scheme would provide succour to the elderly, widows and the physically challenged in the state. The scheme was being replicated in other states as a social welfare measure, he added.

He said his government was spending Rs 54 crore every year on 2.12 lakh persons under various welfare schemes.

He also inaugurated the Lift Water Supply Scheme, Dadambh-Dhanotu, completed at a cost of Rs 75.36 lakh, and the Primary Health Centre, Chari, completed at a cost of Rs 53.70 lakh, besides laying the foundation stones of a government degree college complex at Manjh Gram, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 8.30 crore, and a motorable bridge at Lanjini over Banoi Khad, which is estimated to be constructed at a cost of Rs 112.90 lakh.

Espousing Tibetan cause in blood

Dharamsala, March 11
Blood campaigner for Tibet and founder convener of the Mahatma Gandhi Free Tibet Movement, Mahesh Yadav, who is on a nationwide campaign to drum up support on the Tibet issue among Indians, today wrote letters to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh using his blood seeking support for Tibet freedom struggle.

With his unique and self-sacrificing campaign style of drawing portraits of Indian freedom fighters Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and Subhas Chandra Bose and by sending letters written with his blood to world leaders for the past 11 years, Yadav has mobilised wide support for the Tibet cause.

As part of his national campaign, he wrote separate letters to the President and the Prime Minister.

In his letter to the President that he wrote with his blood in the presence of mediapersons, he urged him to take strong foreign policy measures on the issue. He also reminded him of China’s hostile policies towards India.

In a separate letter to the Prime Minister, he urged him to take up the issue with his Chinese counterpart.

He also urged the PM to invite Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to address a joint session of Parliament on the issue. — PTI

Attempt to steal power cables costs youth life
Our Correspondent

Bilaspur, March 11
An attempt to steal electric wires by a youth cost him his life. Jagdish, about 20 years of age, was found dead near an electricity pole with several power lines lying cut beside his body early in the morning.

Jagdish is believed to have climbed the power pole near Kothipura, near here, at night and cut three wires with a cutter. But the pole lost balance due to the cutting of these wires, making it collapse on the ground, leading to instantaneous death of the youth.

The deceased belonged to Tharu village in the Jarol area of Mandi district.

The police has registered a case. The police suspects the involvement of more persons in this theft case.

Truck driver killed in mishap
Our Correspondent

Kumarhatti, March 11
Jagat Pal, driver of a truck (HP 24B 5288), was killed after an iron hook of another crossing truck pierced his neck near Nalagarh last night. The incident took place at Jogon on the Nalagarh-Swarghat road around 1 am.

He was reportedly involved in a conversation with the truck driver of a truck coming from the opposite site. The driver of other truck started his vehicle while the conversation was on, giving no time to Jagat to pull his head in.

A hook used to tie rope hit Jagat Pal on the neck and slit it severely. The accused driver fled from the spot. Jagat Pal died on the spot. The deceased hailed from Chauntra village in Hamirpur district. 

Probe sought against Bali, HPTDC chief

Shimla, March 11
A suspended Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) employee today demanded a CBI inquiry against state tourism and transport minister G.S.Bali and HPTDC managing director Tarun Sridhar for their alleged involvement in several cases of corruption.

Addressing a press conference here, HP Employees Confederation Corporate Sector president Om Prakash Goel alleged that he was suspended from service for raising his voice against several financial irregularities in the tourism department.

Levelling serious charges of corruption against the two, he urged the chief minister to intervene and set things right. — UNI

Ban on non-tribal contractors sought
Our Correspondent

Chamba, March 11
The vigilance committee, Bharmour has urged the government to assign petty contract works to local tribal people and ban non-tribal contractors from outside the tribal areas who are busy grabbing works in the ongoing hydropower projects in the Bharmour and Pangi in Chamba district.

In a memorandum to the Chief Minister, Moti Ram Sharma, chairman of the vigilance committee, sought a probe into the alleged violation of MoU signed by the state with the private party executing the 70-MW Budhil hydroelectric project near Bharmour.

Sharma revealed that sub-contractors engaged by the company and its main contractor were from outside Bharmour tribal subdivision whereas as per provisions laid down in the MoU, the petty contract works were to be given to local contractors.

BJP Mahila Morcha office-bearers
Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 11
The following have been appointed office-bearers of the state BJP Mahila Morcha by Roopa Sharma, chief of the organisation: senior vice-president — Ambika Sood; vice-presidents — Veena Srivastava, Sarla Doger and Kamlesh Bharti; general secretary — Ritu Sethi; secretaries — Pawana Chaudhary, Bhubneshwari, Urmila Kumari and Bhabna; and treasurer — Lata Bhardwaj. A 25-member executive committee has also been put in place besides 15 special invitees.

All 12 district presidents will be ex-officio members of the morcha.