Shimla, June 3
The government today said contrary to misconception that existing industrial units were closing down, many pharmaceutical companies had submitted fresh proposals for expansion of their activities within the hill state.

An official spokesperson said here today that it was wrong to suggest that many existing units in the state were closing down as the Single Window Clearance and Monitoring Authority had approved many new projects. “A Rs 57 crore expansion project of the Servotham company and Rs 5 crore of Micro Labs had been approved at the recently held meeting,” he said.

He said the Cabinet at its last meeting had approved extension of incentive of concessional rate of central sale tax (CST) at the rate of 1 per cent for all industrial enterprises beyond March 31, 2009 or till the time the CST is phased out by the Centre.

He said 152 medium and large-scale units and 240 small-scale units with an estimated investment of over Rs 3000 crore and employment potential of 25,000 persons had been approved so far. “Big names like Ranbaxy, Dr Reddy’s, Dabur, Wallace, Cadila, Alkme, Hellos, Cipla and Life Health have set up their units in Himachal which is an indication of the industry-friendly environment existing in the hill state,” he said.

He said reduction of excise duty from 16 to 8 per cent and later to 4 per cent had not decreased the interest of entrepreneurs as this was not the sole motivational force to set up units in Himachal. “Several other factors like uninterrupted power supply, improved infrastructure and connectivity are still attracting investors,” he said.

He added that the state governemnt had time and again taken up the matter regarding restoring the special industrial package till 2013 with the Centre. 

Shimla, June 3
Flawed norms for allocation of funds under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY) are affecting flow of funds to states with higher plan spending on the agriculture and allied sectors.

Under the existing norms, 50 per cent of the funds under the scheme are allocated on the basis of percentage increase effected in plan spending on agriculture and allied sectors every year. The provision hurts the interests of states already making a higher allocation and some of them are rendered ineligible for funding. The objective apparently was to encourage states to increase allocation for agriculture. However, in case of Himachal Pradesh, the allocation was already on the higher side and it could not be increased any further. As such, it will not be able to secure higher allocation on this account under the existing norms.

The state has allocated Rs 299 crore for agriculture and allied sectors in a plan of Rs 2,700 crore (about 11 per cent), whereas the national average was only 4.17 per cent. Even major agriculture states like Punjab are spending only 5 per cent on this account.

Secretary, agriculture, Ram Subhag Singh has already taken up the matter with the central ministry concerned and drew its attention to the anomalous system of fund allocation. The state could not increase the allocation any further as it would have to curtail funds for some other important sectors.

The ministry is convinced with the state’s plea and it has agreed in principle to take up the matter with the Planning Commission, which has evolved the norms. The state has been allotted Rs 24 crore for the current year, but it wants the norms reviewed so that it is not rendered ineligible for funding next year and made to suffer for higher plan spending.

Similarly, 30 per cent allocation is made on the basis of expected growth rate of agriculture. In case of Himachal Pradesh, the projects’ growth rate is only 0.9 per cent and as such it does not qualify for higher allocation. Further, 20 per cent funds are allocated according to the percentage of the un-irrigated area, which is quite large but fades into insignificance when compared with large states.

Under the present norms, 1 per cent increase in plan spending brings over Rs 15 crore of additional allocation, but a state has been reached where no further increase can be effected. With the Union Ministry of Agriculture appreciating and endorsing its viewpoint, the state hopes that the Planning Commission will review the norms.

Mandi, June 3
Dispute over distribution of water supply between two villages under the Balh police station yesterday took a political colour as Rajvari villagers accused the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department and the police of listening to interests of BJP-minded contractor and Naitla villagers, thus ignoring the water problem being faced by them. The dispute between the warring villagers took a political colour, as the Rajvari villagers are led by Jagriti Rana, sister of Congress president Kaul Singh Thakur, and the Naitla villagers enjoyed the support of scheme’s contractor Vijay Kumar, son of a local BJP leader Adan Kumar.

The Rajvari villagers charged that the IPH and police departments were siding with the contractor as he enjoyed political shelter ignoring the root cause of the problem. The present water scheme of 1.6 inches pipeline to Naitla village would starve them to death as the entire water source just had that capacity and Rajvari village also depends upon this water scheme, they rued.

The issue hot up after the police registered a case yesterday under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act against four Rajvari villagers, including Jagriti Rana, charging them of damaging public property by breaking pipeline of the water supply scheme.

On the other hand, the Naitla villagers pleaded that they were demanding enhancement in water supply as the village has been facing water shortage. But certain political elements within both villages do not want to settle the dispute amicably, some villagers contended.

Executive engineer, IPH, Baggi, ND Vaidya claimed that he had not called the police to the spot and passed the buck on the contractor. “I have no verbal idea about the exact nature of the scheme, I will check-up papers,” he added.

Mandi SP Sonal Agnihotri said the police was sent to the spot as it apprehended some law and order problem as the villagers were stopping work by pulling the pipeline being laid by the IPH department. “The police has no role to play as it is the IPH Department which is executing the scheme”, the SP said.

Mandi, June 3
The Mandi Municipal Council (MMC) has locked horns with the town’s RTI Bureau as well as district dalit Congress cell on over demolition notices issued by the council to 57 town residents, most of them dalits. The issue has assumed political overtones after the BJP dalit cell pledged its support to the council.

“MMC has acted in a “partisan manner and selectively choosing easy targets by issuing notices to the residents. This has been done to save its skin from the high court order asking the council to take action on unauthorised structures and report compliance on the matter”, charged RTI bureau president Lawan Thakur.

Citing a copy of the high court order, he claimed MMC was “beating about the bush as the court order has asked the council to furnish a list of all violators and take action against them. However the council has adopted a pick and choose policy, targeting only soft targets to save its skin from the high court”, he said.

The RTI bureau had claimed orders to demolish encroachments was not the duty of MMC but that of the revenue department as the council had no land in its name in the town.

Threatening to move court if the town & country planning department did not give them relief, Thakur said there was no policy for rehabilitation of poor residents. “It’s a pity the council has failed to protect such residents and has instead begun targeting them, while the big fish go scot-free”, he remarked.

Dalit Congress cell president Chaman Rahi blamed the BJP s well as the Himachal government for “targeting Dalits”. In response BJP dalit cell president Balak Ram accused Rahi of “misleading people as it was a court order and the government and party don’t come into the picture”.

On the other hand MMC president HR Vaidya claimed the council has issued notices to 57 violators under section 211 of the Municipal Act asking them demolish unauthorized structures. “The affected residents can appeal in the court. The council has not adopted any ‘pick and choose’ policy in issuing the notices as the violators have encroached on government land. Notices to violators in 288 other cases will follow suit”, he added.

Kangra, June 3
Tension prevailed at Dr RP Government Medical College, Tanda, last evening when a youth whose both legs were trapped in a power tiller was referred to the PGI, but no driver was available for the ambulance to shift him to Chandigarh.

According to report, Santosh Kumar (28), a resident of Shungal village, near Palampur, met with an accident in the agriculture field when a power tiller attached to a tractor penetrated into both his legs damaging bones and blood vessels. He was rushed to the Tanda medical college where doctors said it was an ‘unmanageable case’ and referred to the PGI, Chandigarh.

There were number of ambulances available at the Tanda hospital, but no driver was available, which infuriated the relatives of Santosh who raised anti-government and anti-hospital management slogans. They held a demonstration against the government.

Ravindra, Santosh’s sister, alleged that they had been hankering after the authorities for a driver for two hours, but to no avail. “My brother is sinking carrying a heavy power tiller in his legs but no driver is available to drive him to the PGI,” shouted Ravindra.

After the demonstration, the hospital management arranged a driver and the patient was shifted to the PGI.

Medical superintendent Dr Bhano Awasthi said there were three regular drivers, one driver on contract, one home guard driver and two on deputation. He, however, said two drivers were sick, but within half-an-hour a driver was made available to the patient.

He said the patient was discharged at 8.10 pm and the driver was available at 8.50 pm.

Shimla, June 3
She might excel in casting a spell with her typically folk and catchy foot-tapping numbers, but it is the soothing and comforting Tibetan and Chinese music, which helps famed singer Himani Kapoor to relax and unwind.

Himani who made a beginning by participating in in various musical programmes on television like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa was the star attraction of the Shimla summer festival on the opening day on Tuesday night. Making big name in the field of playback singing she had the audiences dancing to her tunes as she presented a mix of folk and popular Hindi film songs.

“I enjoy all kinds of music but it is the calming Tibetan and Chinese music which I tune to when I want to unwind,” she says. Having performed in Dharamsala and now in the “Queen of Hills”, she says breathtaking scenic beauty of the state brings out the best in an artist.

She made an appearance on stage around 9.30 pm and regaled the audience with songs like “samajh gaye ne main”, “tujhe dekh dekh sona” and many other numbers. Locals as well as tourists started dancing as she rendered one song after the other.

Himani said she never aspired to be a singer as she had set her eyes on being an interior designer. It was the participation in various television contests that paved her way to the Bollywood. “I am indebted to my fans who helped me make a place for myself by sending SMS in my favour,” she says.

She has already done playback singing for six Bollywood films while three are in the pipeline.

Prior to Himani’s programme local artists, including Amit Gautam who presented ‘pahari naatis’ and the Ankur Kala Manch from Mandi with their special presentation of “Duluri” folk dance enthralled the audience. The presentation by the Palavi Musical group and ghazal singer Pravesh Nihalta was also greatly appreciated. Children from local schools also presented their items.

Even though great effort has been made to improve the stage, lighting and sound system but the acoustics were not up to the mark.

Shimla, June 3
The National Museum, New Delhi, will provide 50 rare Pahari miniature paintings to the state for displaying them at the Kangra Arts Museum, Dharamsala.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Dr Daljeet on behalf of the Centre and Director of the Art, Language and Culture Department Prem Sharma for the state at New Delhi.

Prem Sharma said the state had taken up the matter with the Union Ministry of Culture in 2002 and persistently followed after the present government came to power. “The rare paintings are specimen of miniatures from Kangra, Basoli, Bilaspur and Chamba. The Kangra Museum will be enriched by these paintings and provide an added attraction to international tourists visiting the valley,” he added.

The paintings would be brought here soon and displayed in the museum by September. All paintings would be got insured and galleries illuminated properly with adequate lighting system for display of paintings. A temperature of around 22°C would be maintained in the museum to provide protection to paintings from moisture. Relative humidity would be maintained between 50 and 55 per cent.

The National Museum would provide all conservation and restoration services for these art objects. A national seminar would be organised at Dharamsala in September on miniature paintings in collaboration with the National Museum.

Sharma said the department had signed an agreement with the Janjatiya Akadami, Baroda, under which a research centre on Himalayan studies would be set up at Jamta in Sirmaur district. The government had already transferred 50 bighas for the research centre that would conduct studies on Himalayan folk, arts, culture, music, folklores and other related issues.

He said that Indira Gandhi National Open University would provide degrees and certificates to the students of the research centre and it would be developed as a centre of excellence of the Indira Gandhi National Open University for which enrolment of students would start from June, 2010.

Shimla, June 3
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has urged the Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to address the issue of “generation tax” on hydro power, which has been hanging fire for the past over three decades, in the regular budget for 2009-10.

In a letter to him he pointed out that the Rangarajan Committee had accepted the demand of the state and specifically recommended imposition of generation tax on hydel power. The report had also been accepted by the Planning Commission as well. He reminded the minister that he supported the legitimate claim of small states for levying tax on hydro power generation under Article 288(2) of the Constitution of India.

He said that the state had negligible mineral resources and hydel power potential and forests were the major natural resources available. The state had been getting 12 per cent free power only on the hydropower projects commissioned after September 7, 1990 and not from the projects completed earlier, which included all the Bhakra Beas Management Board projects. He said equating generation tax with 12 per cent free power or the rate of royalty on minerals was unjust, illogical and unfair. He said the revenue which would accrue to the state on account of the proposed tax would be simply insignificant compared to the royalty on minerals being disbursed to the mineral rich states.

Dhumal said the state had suo motu imposed a ban on felling of green trees in the larger interests of the country as a result of which it was losing substantial forest revenue. The state’s total forest wealth was valued at about Rs 1.50 lakh crore and it had never been adequately compensated for this recurring loss. He said that the state was committed to protect the environment and it had also banned use of polythene bags and from August 15 this year use of plastic bags of all kinds.

The 12 per cent free power from hydroelectric projects was for the distress caused due to submergence of land and dislocation of population. Additionally Article 288 of the Constitution of India provided a source of income for the states where hydroelectric power projects were located. It was estimated that the generation tax would fetch additional revenue to the tune of Rs 150 crore.

Shimla, June 3
The government has decided to computerise the functioning of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department so as to ensure greater transparency, accountability and efficiency in the process of granting approvals for building plans.

The decision was taken at a meeting held under the chairmanship of the Principal Secretary, Town and Country Planning and Urban Development, last evening. Officers of all departments concerned and the local municipal corporation were present in the meeting.

In the first phase, the entire process, right from submission of application to approval, will be computerised. It will enable applicants to ascertain the status of their applications and know about objections, if any, through the Internet.

The entire process of issuance of “no objection certificates” for setting up mobile towers, monitoring of unauthorised constructions and court cases will also be computerised. A personnel management information system, a budget and accounting system and a grievances redressal system will also be put in place.

Geographical information system (GIS)-based solution for development plans will be implemented in the next phase. Similarly, citizen-centric services of the Municipal Corporation, Shimla, will also be computerised. The model will be replicated in case of other municipal bodies to improve the public services delivery mechanism.

The data regarding violation of building plans and encroachments will also be made available on the web and it will be linked to the planning permissions for proper monitoring and ensuring accountability.

In the final phase, the building maps will be digitised and the applicants will also be asked to submit computerised building plans.

Khera (Nalagarh), June 3
Eight persons, including a fire brigade official and a home guard jawan, were killed and over 20 injured when a massive fire broke out in an air-condition manufacturing unit, Adventec Coils Private Limited, at Khera-Dadi village, near Nalagarh, last night.

Unit employees said, “The fire broke out around 1.30 am on the first floor of the building where packaging material was stored. A sudden blast in a cylinder caused the fire to spread rapidly. It was followed by two more blasts and those inside the factory got little time to run for safety.”

The exact cause of the fire could not be ascertained so far. HR manager of the unit Vijay Matthews said there were around 100 employees working in the unit at the time of the mishap. While eight persons were killed in the incident, one employee of the unit still remained missing.

Successive blasts on the unit premises led to collapsing of the rear wall of the building, killing firemen Joginder Pal (50) and Ghanshyam (22) and injuring home guard personnel Rajinder. He was rushed to the PGI Chandigarh.

Fire engines from all over the district were rushed in to douse the fire. However, it could not be completely dowsed till evening.

Those killed included Ghanshyam (22) of Gummu village in Kasauli tehsil, Joginder Pal (50) of Bated village in Hamirpur district, Sachidanand (25) of Kharwara village in Nalanda district of Bihar, Anil Joshi (25) of Rohini in Delhi, Dharminder Singh (25) of Balia in Uttar Pradesh and Sanjiv Sahu of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh and Deepak. One of the deceased could not be identified so far.

Those referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, were: Sanjay Sahu, Shubham, Madan, Rajesh and Anil. Other injured included Mohinder Kumar, Kashmir Singh, Naresh Kumar, Kamaljeet and Tek Chand.

Deputy Commissioner Amandeep Garg announced an immediate relief of Rs 15,000 to the kin of those killed and Rs 5,000 to those injured. Health Minister Rajiv Bindal also visited the spot and inspected the rescue and relief operations. He also visited those receiving treatment at the First Referral Hospital, Nalagarh.

Baddi SP Sumedha Divedi said the police had registered a case of negligence against the unit management under Sections 336, 337 and 304-A of the IPC. ADGP (home guards) Ashok Sood also visited the spot in the afternoon.