Shimla, March 17
Ruling BJP and Opposition members in the Assembly today had heated exchanges over the issue of granting permission to JP company for setting up of cement plant at Bagga in Solan as both accused each other of having given concessions in violation of norms.

The issue came up for discussion during the debate on Budget proposals when Congress legislator Mukesh Agnihotri suggested that rather than the government bearing the expenditure for extension of rail line, cement companies like ACC, Ambuja and JP must be made to pay as they would be the real beneficiaries.

Intervening on the issue, Chief Minister PK Dhumal said it was during the Congress regime that JP company had been given various permissions. “The NDA regime had spoken of cost-sharing by the beneficiaries but UPA regime in April, 2007, decided that the Centre and state would bear 75:25 cost, so it is not us but the Congress who has done this,” he said.

It was later when Industries Minister Kishan Kapoor informed the House about permissions granted during the Congress regime to the cement company that the situation became acrimonious.

“By regularising violations done by the JP company, the government is only encouraging entrepreneurs to take Himachal for a ride and give a complete go by to rules and regulations,” said Agnihotri.

Agnihotri said it was the failure of the state government in presenting its case properly that the 13th Finance Commission did not accept their recommendations, resulting in financial loss of Rs 7,500 crore.

Participating in the debate, Vipin Parmar said despite the Centre giving a raw deal to Himachal, the Chief Minister had presented a Budget in which interest of farmers, employees and youth had been taken care of.

“We should be undertaking a ‘Adhikar Yatra’ to fight for Himachal’s rights,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sukhwinder Singh said no relief had been given in the Budget to the people and on the contrary VAT had been increased. “If the state government is really serious about giving relief, then daily wages, old age, widow and handicapped pensions must be enhanced substantially,” he said.

Khushi Ram Balnatah said it was on account of efficient fiscal management that there had been no overdraft in the past two years.

“The Congress is blaming BJP regime for failing to present its case but I want to remind them of their inability before the 9th Finance Commission which resulted in the state losing special category status,” he said.

Capt Atma Ram, Renu Chaddha and Sujan Singh Pathania also participated in the debate.

Shimla, March 17
The new entry tax that the government proposes to introduce to raise additional resources will help raise over Rs 55 crore annually. However, it will not affect the common man or local dealers as it will be imposed only on goods procured in bulk from outside the state for construction of selected category of projects.

There will no double taxation of items on which VAT is paid, except pan masala and gutka with tobacco, cigar, beedi and tobacco refuse which are harmful for health.

Under the Himachal Pradesh Tax on Entry of Goods into Local Area Bill, to be introduced in the Vidhan Sabha, 2010, in the current session, entry tax will be charged only on goods imported into the state on C-form without paying any VAT for construction of thermal, hydropower, transmission, generation and distribution, telecommunication and other turnkey projects.

The main items of bulk-use on which entry tax is to be levied include iron and steel, diesel, cement, machinery and equipment, explosives and other such item of industrial use brought into the state on mass scale by paying just 2 per cent central sales tax (CST). The tax will be levied at different rates on various items ranging from 4 to 7 per cent. 

Shimla, March 17
Food and Supplies Minister Ramesh Dhawala said today that the government was providing subsidised ration to 15.98 lakh ration card holders in the state to provide relief to the common man in view of unprecedented price hike.

Replying to a query by Mukesh Agnihotri, Roop Singh and Kuldeep Singh Pathania during the Question Hour in the Assembly, the minister said some changes had been made in the norms and the ration was being provided according to the number of members in each family.

He said there were 3.01 lakh two member family card holders, six lakh card holders with three or four members and 5.66 lakh with five or more members. Since bigger families received more ration, the change in norms would only help in promoting the joint-family system.

In a reply to another question by Prakash Chaudhary regarding making new ration cards for those who had misplaced them, Dhawala said the family could write an application to the food inspector and get a new card on payment of Rs 5. 

Shimla, March 17
The induction of Shanta Kumar and forest minister J.P. Nadda at the national level may have brought cheers to many but it could compound the problems of the chief minister as filling the ministerial berth after the latter’s resignation could become a ticklish task for Dhumal.

With Nadda, who has been made National BJP General Secretary in Gadkari’s new team announcing that he would quit from the Cabinet shortly, the long list of aspirants for the post have already started lobbying for the lone cabinet berth in anticipation. “Under the one-man one-post 
principle I have decided to devote full time to the organisation and as such I will shortly resign from the Cabinet,” said Nadda.

Nadda’s certain exit from the Cabinet in the near future has rekindled hopes of many who had failed to get inducted into the Cabinet in the earlier expansion. “One can understand Dhumal’s predicament as he has so far not even filled posts of chairmen of boards and corporations and now the vacancy in the Cabinet will only add to his woes,” said an MLA.

Keeping the long list of aspirants in mind the chief minister could make changes and induct some more chief parliamentary secretaries (CPS) and parliamentary secretaries (PS) despite the party being opposed to these appointments when the Congress was in power. At present there are two CPS.

The list of aspirants for the Cabinet berth is long with names of Harinaraian Saini from Solan, Randhir Sharma from Bilaspur, Roop Singh Thakur from Mandi, and Gobind Thakur from Kullu doing the rounds. Even though Rikhi Ram Kaundal is already holding the post of Deputy Speaker but he too would like to be inducted into the Cabinet after Nadda’s exit. On the other hand Randhir being a staunch Dhumal loyalist is hopeful of being rewarded.

With Kullu district being un-represented in the Cabinet, Gobind Thakur could also be in the race for the ministry even though Khimi Ram has been given the important post of state party chief. “Another person who has a very strong case is Harinarain Saini who has been very unhappy on being left out and now he will leave no stone unturned to ensure that he does not miss out on this golden opportunity,” admitted a Dhumal loyalist.

Unlike in the past when the chief minister filled three vacancies in the Cabinet almost 18 months after the formation of the government, this time there would be more pressure on him to fill the vacancy in the Cabinet and also make chairmen of boards and corporations. 

Solan, March 17
Tall claims of Himachal being a power-surplus state notwithstanding, the upcoming industrial units are forced to run from pillar to post to get power connections. With the Central industrial package expiring on March 31, the unavailability of power is delaying the operations in various industrial areas.

Since these units have to become functional before March 31, scores of such units have now applied to the board to use diesel-run generator sets. While permission for as many as 25 cases was pending in the Kala Amb industrial area in Sirmaur, several such cases were awaiting nod in the state’s industrial hub of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) area.

The investors wonder why power availability certificates (PAC) were issued to them when the board had failed to provide power at this crucial juncture.

An investor, who had submitted his case to the board, said he was setting up a cemented pipes unit but the unavailability of power of 19.5 KW had put a question mark on the execution of his project. The investor was told that since the concerned transmission line was already overloaded he could not be given power.

The board lacks basic equipment like meters and though the investors were advised to buy them from the open market, but their unavailability even in the market led to delay in operations.

Failure of the board to augment its supply and set in place the requisite infrastructure vis-à-vis PACs granted had exposed the board’s poor planning.

The inordinate delay in commissioning of Uparla Nangal-based 200 MVA sub-station despite the initial deadline of December 2009 had added to the woes of the investors.

The Nalagarh industrial area is short of almost 30-40 MVA of power and the board was compelled to grant either partial load to the investors or they were asked to operate at night so that they could become functional before March 31, confided an official in the transmission wing.

Gauging the emergency of situation, the Commissioner Industries has now directed the Pollution Control Board and electricity board to facilitate the new units by avoiding such delays in lieu of the fact that the package was expiring by the month-end.

Mandi, March 17
Consumers here are at the receiving end as the shopkeepers and traders do not issue them bills on the plea that they would have to pay value-added tax (VAT) and that would increase the cost of items they buy. Activists on Monday underscored the need to form a consumer group that would take care of the interests of the consumers.

Participating in a debate on consumer-related issues on the Consumers Day, organised by the RTI Bureau, Mandi, president of Progressive Writers Association Dinu Kashyap said it was a moral responsibility of the shopkeepers to issue bills to the buyers. It was the right of the buyers to get the bills for each item they purchase in the market, he added.

The activists said the shopkeepers should display the rate list of items and update it everyday. “It is the duty of the district administration to ensure that shopkeepers and traders display and update the rate list otherwise they must be punished under the law,” they said.

RTI Bureau president Lawan Thakur said need of the hour was to form a consumers’ rights group who could take up the issue of the consumers. He said the consumers were being fleeced by the shopkeepers.

The participants also highlighted the concern that deceptive advertisements too had added to their woes. “There are only four consumer courts - Mandi, Shimla, Dharamsala and Una - that cater to the entire state and they are too technical for the common man,” they said.

Dharamsala, March 17
A gang of poachers seems to be active in Kangra district. Forest officials have recovered two decomposed bodies of leopards in different parts of the district in the last few days.

According to information, forest range officer of the Baijnath area Balbir Singh Yadav reported to the police that some unknown persons had killed a leopard on March 12 in the Machhenee area and had fled away with its skin.

The police registered a case under the Wildlife Act against unknown poachers.

Yesterday, a forest guard of the Baroi beat informed the police that some unknown persons had killed a leopard near Salik village forest.

The Dharamsala DFO said the body of the leopard was found in a highly decomposed form. It seemed that it was killed about 15 days back. However, the cause of death could only be ascertained after the post-mortem report.

However, the death of two leopards in the Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary area within a week had raised doubts that a gang of poachers might be active in the area.

The shortage of staff and difficult terrain were major handicaps for the wildlife and forest officials who were manning such a large area of the sanctuary.

The forest department officials had also recovered skin of leopards from other parts of the state in the recent past.

However, the forest officials had failed to crack the gang that was involved in poaching of leopards in the state as yet.

Mandi, March 17
Forest officials have claimed that there was no change in timber distribution (TD) right holders’ rights under the new TD policy and they would get timber at nearby depots to be opened by the DFOs in the respective areas.

The TD right holders have been asked to apply for timber for house construction or repairs by March 31 under the new TD Policy.

Talking to The Tribune, Mandi Forest Conservator BD Suyal said the DFOs in each division would set up a temporary sale depot as per the demands of the right holders.

The state government has bailed out TD right holders from difficult situation after the high court imposed a blanket ban on green felling in the state. The high court has asked the state government to devise a new TD policy as there was no fixed criteria to disburse timber, top officials clarified.

Though farmers questioned that the increase was more than 12,000 times in TD rates and it was not affordable to them, the forest officials claimed that the right holders could not have the same luxury as they used to have 10 years ago as the availability of timber had decreased over the years.

Allaying farmers’ fears that they would have to pay high price for timber, Suyal said the cost appeared to be on the higher side because the rates had been revised after 120 years when the high court asked the government to devise the TD policy.

Suyal further said the BPL families would be charged 10 per cent of the market rate and the above poverty line (APL) right holders would be charged 30 per cent of the market rates.

“The head of TD right holders’ family will get timber as was the case earlier as there is no change in his entitlement under the new TD policy,” Suyal said.

Kangra, March 17
One Manju Bala, married a year back at Ichhi village on the outskirts of this town, alleged torture by her husband and in-laws and said she was made to sign her divorce papers fraudulently.

Kangra District Police Chief Atul Fulzele said today that the Kangra police station had received an application under section 156 (3) of the IPC from the local JMIC-II court in which Manohar Lal, a resident of Ichhi village, had stated that his daughter Manju was married to Ajay Kumar on February 26, 2009.

He, in his, statement alleged that his daughter was tortured by her husband and others, including in-laws Shakuntala Devi and Vijay Kumar, for dowry and on November 18, 2009, she was allegedly forced to sign the divorce documents at Dharamsala.

The police has registered a case under section 498, 464, 470 and 471 of the IPC and has started investigation. No arrests have been made in the case, the police added. — OC