Shimla, March 25
The state government will get a fresh survey done of the exact number of Himachalis who had been employed in industrial units and power projects so that strict action, including withdrawal of incentives, can be taken against the defaulters.

This was stated by Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal while replying to the cut motion moved by Harshwardhan Chauhan, Kuldeep Pathania, Mukesh Agnihotri, G.S. Bali and Gangu Ram Musafir in the Assembly today.

“To ensure a minimum of 70 per cent jobs to local youth, we will shortly make it mandatory for the industrial units to give jobs only to bona fide Himachalis,” he said. He also said the government was willing to provide land to the industrial units so that housing facility can be provided to the labour and other working class.

Dhumal lamented that despite the special industrial package, Himachal had failed to derive maximum possible benefit. “Other states like Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand are way ahead of Himachal as they have benefited from the package,” he said. He said out of the investment proposals of Rs 29,000 crore received by the government, so far actual investment of only Rs 3,374 crore had been made.

Earlier, Harshwardhan said that despite 70 per cent condition of giving jobs to Himachalis, industrialists were imposing conditions to make locals ineligible. “While on paper these units show 70 per cent employees as Himachalis but in reality many of them have already left due to difficult service conditions,” he said.

Kuldeep Pathanai said the government should identify mining zones where this activity can be undertaken scientifically without causing environmental damage and keeping in mind the survival and economic needs of the people.

Participating in the debate on the cut motion Mukesh Agnihotri said there was an urgent need to check the land mafia, which was very active in the industrial belts. “Development works like road and building work being made done by panchayats was suffering due to non-availability of sand and gravel, so the government must find a way out,” he said.

G.S. Bali drew the attention of the government towards traffic congestion, which was a major hurdle in industrialisation. “The government can explore the possibility of having steamers on the Sutlej basin so that there is better connectivity,” he said.

Gangu Ram Musafir suggested that a survey be done to assess the needs of the industry and accordingly train manpower by opening more ITIs. Satisfied with the reply of the chief minister, the opposition members withdrew the cut motion.

Shimla, March 25
The Himachal government has decided to implement the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Forest Rights Recognition) Act, 2006, in the tribal areas.

A spokesman of the Tribal Development Department said here today that the exercise would be started on April 6 by holding a meeting of gram sabhas to create awareness about the new law. He said the main objective of the Act was to determine the forest rights enjoyed by scheduled tribes and other forest dwellers who had been living in forests since generations but whose rights had not been recognised and registered. As a result they were subjected to grave injustice for all these years.

He said it would be the preliminary session of gram sabhas for achieving three main objectives. In the meeting, the members would be made aware about aims and objectives of the Act, its salient features, rules and procedure for determination and vesting of the rights. The gram sabhas would elect the chairman and secretary of the forests rights committees during the meeting.

Besides, dates for receiving claims would also be decided in the respective gram sabhas.

The Act would be implemented in tribal areas comprising districts of Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti, Pangi and Bharmour areas of Chamba in the first phase. He said any member of scheduled tribe, community and other traditional forest dweller, who was dependent on forests for livelihood and had in possession forest land before December 13, 2005, and continued ownership till January 2, 2007, could present his claim before the gram sabha within the period of three months from the date fixed for the purpose.

Shimla, March 25
Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal said today that the Centre should provide financial assistance of Rs 1,000 crore to the state so that it is able to implement the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission without any delay.

Talking to newspersons here, he said the state government would implement the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission without any delay. “The state government is willing to implement the recommendation right away but the Centre should come to the rescue of the state so that it is able to meet this additional burden on the exchequer,” he said.

Dhumal said the state will have to bear an additional burden of Rs 1,000 crore on account of the recommendations of the Sixth pay Commission. “I have already pleaded with the Centre to provide this money to the state, especially in view of the poor financial health of the state,” he said.

Terming the announcement of the recommendation of the Sixth Pay Commission by the UPA regime as a ‘political stunt’ he said that even in 1998, it was the NDA government, which had implemented the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission. “Even now the UPA regime is on its way out and the Congress has already lost in Himachal so ultimately it will become the responsibility of the NDA regime to meet this additional financial burden,” he said. 

Shimla, March 25
CM P.K. Dhumal today said the government had not taken any decision with regard to winding up of the state administrative tribunal (SAT) or strengthening it as all aspects were still being looked into.

Replying to a query by Kuldeep Pathania of the Congress and Mohinder Singh of the BJP during the question hour he said the matter was under consideration of the government and an appropriate decision would be taken after taking into account all aspects.

Pathania had sought details from the Chief Minister about the move to set up benches at Dharamsala and Mandi and the pendency due to vacancy of a judicial member.

In reply to another question by Prakash Chaudhary, Des Raj, Rikhi Ram Kaundal, Rajesh Dharmanai and Yog Raj, Dhumal said the state government would approach the centre to include crop damage due to frost in the relief manual so that help could be extended to farmers hit by this problem.

Forest minister J.P. Nadda informed the House that in order to ensure effective implementation and use of the money received under the catchment area treatment (CAT) plan, photo monitoring had been started. “Now videography of the entire area is done at an interval of six months to monitor the progress and proper utilisation of the money received under the CAT plan,” he said.

Bilaspur, March 25
A police party led by sub-inspector Rajinder Singh of Naina Devi Police station in this district, has caught a Punjab Police head constable named Paramjeet Singh, son of Sadhu Singh of Phagan Majra village, Patiala, along with fake currency notes worth Rs 32,900. All currency notes were of Rs 100 denomination.

Addressing mediapersons here this evening, SP K. K. Indoria, said the police had also impounded a Maruti car number TV-10S-5001 of Paramjit Singh, who had confessed to being in the illegal trade of circulating fake currency notes.

The SP said earlier last week, the police had arrested two persons, Ranjit Singh and his wife Paramjit Kaur of Nabha, Patiala, along with fake currency notes worth  Rs 3,900.

The police succeeded in nabbing Paramjit Singh while trying to crack down on the gang involved in the anti-social activity.

He said the couple was still on police remand till March 27. Indoria said both Ranjit Singh and Paramjit Singh had spilled the beans and had said they had got these fake currency notes from one Lala Satpal, alias Pala, of their village. They said Pala was a computer expert and had been giving them these currency notes for circulation in the market.

The police had raided the village of Satpal yesterday and had also sought help of the SSP, Patiala, but the accused could not be arrested.

He said the police would succeed in nabbing the accused at the earliest. Indoria thanked the people of Naina Devi who cooperated in this case and helped them in arresting the culprits.

Nurpur, March 25
Susheel Kumar, a patwari with the Revenue Department, was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 1,500.

Susheel, posted at Kandwal patwar circle in Nurpur tehsil, and had demanded Rs 4,000 for effecting mutation of a piece of land belonging to Bindu of Baranda. Bindu paid him Rs 2,500 in advance and then informed the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Dharamsala.

A trap was laid and the accused arrested under Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act today. The accused was already facing a trial under the same Act.

Balichowki (Mandi), March 25
More than 70 applicants in Dhalwan panchayat in Seraj block, who had applied for work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) since August, 2007, had threatened to move a public interest litigation (PIL) in the high court, demanding both 100 days work and allowance for not given work as per provision of the NREGP Act.

The ‘workless workers’, who have neither got any work nor allowance under the NREGP Act over the months have gathered under the banner of the NREGP Mazdur Samiti to project their grievances threatening to take the matter to the high court.

Indira Devi, resident of Gharshal village in Dhalwan panchayat, rued that she had applied for work under the NREGP in August last year, but nobody has bothered to provide here work so far.

Convener, NREGP Mazdur Samiti, Sant Ram said, “There are over 500 people in the block who have no work under the NREGP so far. Over 70 people have applied for work under the Act since August last year, but they have got neither work nor allowance under the Act.”

Project director, DRDA, Mandi, NREGP’s implementing agency, Tashi Sandup said, “They have not submitted the documents to claim allowance. We have asked for the report on this. We will provide them work within a week’s time.”

Kullu, March 25
About 100 Buddhist monks along with 400 Tibetans, holding Tibetan flags and placards marched through Kullu, Mohal, Shamshi and Bhuntar covering more than 15 km in protest against the alleged atrocities on their fellow protesters in Lahsa and other areas of Tibet.

The protesters were shouting slogans against China and asking the UNO to wake up for their cause. They said the UN could be the best agency to solve the Tibet issue peacefully. They condemned China for the alleged violation of human rights and called upon the world community to press upon China for an amicable solution. The protest march remained peaceful.

Shimla, March 25
Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal has said that the government is committed to protect interests of the fruit growers so that they can compete in the global market.

He was addressing people from the Jubbal-Kotkhai area of Shimla district yesterday. “The government will explore the possibility of creating required infrastructure to make byproducts from the fruits grown in the state,” he said.

He said efforts would be made to set up cider wineries in public-private partnership so that fruit can be brewed for making wine. He said efforts had been made to change the old rootstock of apple by importing high-yielding varieties.