Dharamsala, December 14
The Opposition caught two ministers of the ruling BJP on the wrong foot today while replying to queries raised by them on the first day of the winter session today.

Congress MLA from Nagrota GS Bali had raised a query regarding charges for various medical tests conducted at the IGMC, Shimla, and Tanda medical college in Kangra district.

From the reply that was placed at the table of the House, Bali later pointed out gross disparity in the rates charged for CT scan and other medical tests at both medical colleges. It was pointed out that while CT scan charges for general ward patients at the IGMC was Rs 300, Rs 800 was being charged for the same test at Tanda medical college. The Minister for Health, instead of justifying the rates, alleged that different rates prevailed during the Congress regime too.

Meanwhile, Minister for Transport and Urban Development Mohinder Thakur was also caught on the wrong foot. He spoke on accidents happening in the state and steps that should be taken to prevent them. He proposed a number of steps, including ban on mobiles carried by drivers.

Following his statement, HPCC president Kaul Singh pointed out that till an amendment in respective Acts were made, a simple suggestion would not make any difference.

He also questioned if any amendment in the Act had been made by the government.

To this Thakur said amendments had been placed before the House. However, after objection from Opposition benches that no such agenda was placed, the minister retracted his statement and said it had been placed before the Cabinet.

Kaul Singh also brought up a call-attention notice regarding the death of 15 labourers at Rohtang Pass this year. He alleged that Union Minister for Steel Virbhadra Singh had taken up the matter of people trapped in rural areas with the Union Ministry for Defence. The ministry had agreed to provide a helicopter. However, the state government refused to take the services of an Army helicopter.

To this, Chief Minister PK Dhumal replied that offer from the ministry came on November 26. By then the state had already employed a private helicopter.

Congress leader Vidya Stokes raised the issue of making Himachal a carbon-neutral state. She alleged that though there had been a lot of talk on carbon credits, nothing had reached the actual beneficiaries. 

Dharamsala, December 14
The government failed to answer a query regarding the condition of labourers working as daily wagers in the state. Hamirpur MLA Yog Raj had posed a question to the Finance and Pensions Department, asking if daily wagers, who were engaged in various government departments and had attained retirement age, were given any pension or retirement benefits.

The government’s answer to the question was that information regarding the matter was being collected.

As reported earlier in The Tribune, in a gross violation of the EPF and Gratuity Act, officials of various Industrial Area Development Agencies (IADAs) in the state were exploiting labourers. Sources available here said in many such agencies across the state, officials did not deduct the EPF of labourers serving under them. The result was that despite putting in over 30 years of service in many cases, poor labourers were unlikely to get any retirement due.

According to the PF Act, IADA officials should have deducted at least 12 per cent of the basic pay and also contributed an equal amount. A portion of their salary should also have been sent towards the ESI that would have created the provision of pension for labourers after retirement.

It is the duty of the principal employee that, in the present case, are the chairmen of various IADAs.

The government also found itself in a defending position regarding the Maricula temple issue in Lahaul and Spiti. The question regarding the poor state of temple was raised by Kaul Singh. However, Lahaul BJP MLA Ram Lal Markandae supported the issue and said nothing had been done regarding the temple despite repeated assurances in the House.

Chief Minister PK Dhumal said the temple was under the control of the ASI and the state government had written to the Union government to expedite renovation work of the temple.

Dharamsala, December 14
Independent MLA from Nurpur Rakesh Pathania, a BJP rebel, and who is now willing to extend unconditional support to the present BJP government, found himself in an embarrassing situation on the first day of the winter session of the Assembly today.

He was at the centre of questioning from Congress leaders and mediapersons. The situation arose due to a statement issued by acting state president of the BJP Khimi Ram.

Khimi Ram, while talking to newsmen, had stated that Rakesh Pathania was not an associate member of the BJP.

Due to the statement of the BJP state president, the Congress leaders asked Pathania to become their associate member.

Rakesh Pathania, when asked to comment, said he had been extending unconditional support to the BJP.

“In the last session also, I was at the forefront in defending the BJP. Still if they do not consider me an associate member, it is for them to decide,” he said.

Pathania is being targeted by a section of BJP leaders who feel that the Chief Minister was giving more importance to him. Kangra MP Rajan Sushant, in the recently held Jawali by-elections, had openly alleged that Pathania was opposing the party candidate. Sushant went up to the extent of stating that the Chief Minister would have to choose between him or Pathania in future.

Shimla, December 14
Encouraged by the success of the pilot project, the state government has decided to utilise plastic waste for surfacing of roads on a large scale to help find a cost-effective and lasting solution to the problem of non-biodegradable waste disposal.

Plastic waste, littered across the state, will be collected during a six-day campaign “Polythene hatao, pariyavaran bachao” from December 21 in which panchayats, urban local bodies, schools, youth clubs mahila mandals, beopar mandals and other institutions will be involved.

The waste, thus collected, will be kept at a convenient place for use in road surfacing in consultation with field functionaries of the PWD. The deputy commissioners will prepare an action plan for the campaign which will be formally launched by Chief Minister PK Dhumal from here.

Under the pilot scheme, three stretches of 300 m each were tarred on the outskirts of the city with plastic-asphalt mix without seal coat, plastic-asphalt mix with seal coat and conventional asphalt for comparative performance in the hill environment. The results have been good and over the past three months there has been no stripping or other damage to road on the portions using plastic-asphalt mix. Experts of Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Tamil Nadu, which has patented the technology, are guiding the pilot project. They maintain that plastic blend not only brings down the cost of tarring, but also enhances the durability of roads because of higher binding strength of plastic.

If the seal coat could be done away with, the cost of tarring will come down from around Rs 7 lakh per km to Rs 6 lakh per km. Further, plastic waste can be mixed up to 15 per cent which will lead to saving of equivalent quantity of asphalt, reducing the overall cost. One kilometre stretch of 3.05 m wide rural road requires about 10 tonne bitumen and, as such, plastic waste will result in saving 1.5 tonnes. As bitumen and plastic are both petro products with similar chemical properties, the mix is homogenous and provides more durable surface.

Naresh Sharma, superintending engineer, PWD, said in case the life of road is extended, it would prove to be more economical. So far, the tarring looks good but the real test will be during the rainy season when the roads suffer maximum damage.

The National Rural Road Development agency has already laid down norms and guidelines for plastic-bitumen mix roads.

Shimla, December 14
The Himachal Pradesh High court today reserved its verdict on a issue pertaining to illegal felling near Malana-II power project in Kullu district. The matter had come to the notice of the court by a news item published in these columns ‘Forest dept’s role under scanner’.

After taking cognisance on the issue, the high court had constituted a two-member commission to visit the spot and submit its report.

It was reported that hundreds of trees in a stretch of less than half a kilometre on both sides of the access road to the reservoir were damaged. The report further revealed that it was not a natural corollary but done on purpose.

The report also indicates that there had been infraction of environment rules. Excavation has been done in unscientific and indiscriminate manner causing colossal loss to the forest wealth and environment. However, in its detailed reply, Everest Power Private Limited submitted before the court that it had taken permission from the competent authorities for felling the trees and had also deposited the requisite amount with the department concerned in lieu of the felling.

After perusing the report of the commission and reply filed by the company, division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ram Bhawan Misra and Justice Rajeev Sharma reserved the judgement on this matter. 

Shimla, December 14
With the Railway Ministry opposing the grant of construction work of the strategic Manali-Leh rail line to a private firm, chances of the ambitious project, which could herald an economic revolution in Himachal, being delayed cannot be ruled out.

Despite the Prime Minister keen to grant the status of a national project to the rail line, the project is stuck in the Railway Board of the Railway Ministry. Terming it as a strategically very important project, the Railway Board has literally put its foot down over entrusting the task to a private company.

Even though the estimated cost of the rail line is likely to cross Rs 55,000 crore, seeing its importance from the Defence point of view, the Centre too seems to be keen to take it up. The need for an alternate route for Leh-Ladakh and other border areas was felt during the Kargil operation when the Pakistani army had targeted the Army convoys taking supplies to the border areas.

Considered to be an ambitious project whose completion could take over a decade, a private company, ICC Holdings, had shown interest in executing the project and had even submitted blueprint to the state government. They are even wiling to submit the detailed project report of the project within the next two years in case they are granted work.

“The project will not only help usher in economic revolution in Himachal but more importantly it is essential also from India’s security point of view as China has a rail link right inside Tibet,” Chief Minister PK Dhumal said.

The India Railway Transport Service (IRTS) has already submitted the feasibility report of the project, which will connect Jogindernagar-Manali-Keylong-Pangi and finally Leh.

The rail line will be made across the high mountain passes, including Tanglangla, Lachalangla, Baralachala and Rohtang, to assess the feasibility of the project, which has been given nod by the Centre.

The 460 km rail line will have over 200 tunnels. About 245 km of the rail line will be either on surface or on elevated rail track and the remaining 215 km will pass through tunnels.

The state has been pleading the taking up of the project so that the inland areas get rail connectivity which help in giving a major boost to tourism, agriculture and horticulture. So far the rail line is only up to Jogindernagar in Mandi district and its extension will connect Kullu-Manali and Lahaul-Spiti district.

Mandi, December 14
Pushed to brink by the rocketing prices of food items, farmers in the state have come out with a noble way of fighting the price rise. They are consuming wheat flour after they buy the “chemically treated subsidised wheat seeds” procured from the government. This in turn jeopardises their health. Even the subsidised wheat seeds pilferage to flour millers, who make a good profit.

The farmers are now turning to the subsidised wheat seeds as they come cheaper at half a price than what they get from the market. “Poor farmers flour wheat seeds for domestic purpose. Some make profit by selling it to flour millers as it is cheap and clean,” sources revealed.

The demand for wheat seeds have rocketed this year after the government announced 50 per cent subsidy on wheat seeds to the farmers.

The farmers, who know the hazards of chemically treated seeds, wash the consignment twice or thrice before consumption.

“But many use it straight jeopardising their health as seed is fumigated and treated with fungicides,” officials state.

Many politicians and organisations, including the kisan sabhas, have raised hue and cry demanding more seeds.

As a result, we have to procure more seeds for farmers, they admitted.

The Deputy Director (Agriculture) has expressed concern over the increasing demand for the seed. “We have no mechanism to check the use of seed for consumption as we get demand from the block levels.”

Mandi, December 14
In an unsuccessful joint police and forest operation today, the team recovered 54 illicit deodar sleepers. However, the team could neither arrest the timber smuggler nor could it track down the vehicle in which the sleepers were being smuggled out.

Timber mafias have become active mainly in the deodar-rich belts of Jatingri-Barot, Balh-Tikkar area in Chauhar valley, and the Katola-Kandi-Chetigarh area, giving a tough time to the forest department.

Though the police has registered a case under Sections 41.42 of the Indian Forest Act and 379 of the IPC, the escape made the role of the team doubtful.

Acting on a tip-off, Bhoop Singh, a forest guard at Paddar beat, sounded ASI Deep Chand at the Paddar police station this morning that some unknown persons were unloading deodar sleepers at Chamah village near Paddar.

The team rushed to the spot and seized 54 deodar sleepers, including some frames, worth Rs 1.5 lakh.

Deep Chand said before the team could reach the spot, the smugglers had fled.

They unloaded the consignment near Chamaj. “We are trying to ascertain the identity of timber smugglers and the vehicle used for the purpose,” he claimed.

Though the joint team seized the illicit timber, it has yet to zero down the forest areas from where the timber was being smuggled.

Conservator of forest BD Suyal said, “The timber was either being smuggled from Chauhar valley or the Jatingri-Barot area.”

Meanwhile, Mandi SP stated that the police was investigating the matter.

Hamirpur, December 14
Major trade unions of the state have joined hands to protest against the economic policies of the state and central governments. They would hold a dharna outside the State Secretariat at Shimla on December 16 to highlight various problems related to workers and also demanding immediate action on their five-point demand charter.

The protest is corollary of joint convention of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the Bhartiya Majdoor Sangh, the All-India Trade Union Congress and the Indian National Trade Union Congress held at New Delhi on September 14 to highlight the issues of working class through a country-wide agitation.

CITU general secretary Kashmir Singh Thakur said thousands of workers from across the state would participate in the protest demonstration.

The issues that these trade unions would highlight include price rise, retrenchment due to economic recession, violation of labour laws, amendment in the unorganised sector and workers social security bill.

Talking to The Tribune he said: “While prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed, workers and poor sections of the society are feeling the pinch and the Central and state governments are not taking effective steps to check prices. The second issue that is most pressing is violation of labour laws. While the government has become moot spectators to the plight of the workers in the state, labour laws, too, are not being implemented.”

The trade unions are also opposing non-issuance of appointment letters and not providing provident fund, ESI and other facilities to workers in the private sector.

They are also demanding to make it mandatory for the industry not to retrench workers while giving bailout packages. “Though the industry has been given a bailout package worth Rs 40,000 crore, as many as 30 lakh workers have been left to fend for themselves.”

The trade unions are also demanding removal of below poverty line clause from the Unorganised Sector Social Security Bill- 2008 for covering the workers under this bill, besides stopping disinvestment in Navratna public sector undertakings. 

Chamba, December 14
In the wake of skyrocketing prices of eatables, the CPM and the CPI have castigated the government for its failure to curb rising price index of eatable commodities, resulting which the common masses have to face grinding penury.

To register their concern over the manifold price rise, the Left today held a rally in the town to draw the attention of the government and mustering support of the public in the area.

State secretariat member of the CPM Kuldip Singh Tanwar demanded putting embargo on hoarding and black marketing and reinforcing public distribution system in the country.

He also accused the government of reducing subsidy on edible articles and providing huge packages to big businessmen, merchants and brokers ignoring the poor masses.

The CPM leader demanded imposing restriction on hike in prices of petroleum products and appealed to the government for providing at least 15 kg flour, 15 kg rice, 3 kg pulses and 2 kg edible oil to every citizen per month from government depots.