Gushaini (Kullu), April 8
The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) pleading for the UNESCO’s world heritage site for the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) has come as a shot in the arm for local villagers and NGOs who have launched a mass movement to protect the trout-rich Tirthan river and its tributaries.

The protesters asserted that they would never allow any review of the hydel project on the Tirthan and its tributaries, the Plachan, the Jhibhi, the Ghiagi, the Hidag nullah, the Sheel and the Kalvari khud as being contemplated in the corridor of power under the influence of some vested political interest.

The villagers and NGOs opposing projects on the Tirthan river hail the MOEF’s decision to declare the GHNP as UNESCO’s world heritage site. This will save the GHNP and the Tirthan from the onslaught of builders, project companies and other real estate sharks. The 20-km-long valley forms the ecozone of the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) and it is being protected as the Tirthan Wild Life Sanctuary.

A former Banjar MLA, Dile Ram Shabab, hailed the GHNP as world heritage site. The trout in the Tirthan was introduced in the early 20th centuries and the government did not bother to consult the notification of 1925 and 1976 about the fish life in the Tirthan before contemplating projects here, he resented.

Shabab said the state government had banned projects in the Thirthan valley in 2004 as locals opposed it. “The high court upheld it. But we suspect that the present government may review the decision, which we will oppose tooth and nail”, he asserted.

He added that the Trithan valley was an exclusive hub for eco-tourism, camping and angling. Over a dozen small home stay eco-tourism units have come up here. The GHNP world heritage site will boost eco-tourism and the trout that will provide sources of employment to the youth, who so far have been ignored by the successive governments”, he added.

Rajiv Bharti, member, Indian Fish and Wildlife Conservancy (IFWC), an NGO, who runs his eco-resort here said the Plachan, the Kalvari, the Sheel and the Jhibhi nullahs fed the Tirthan river and were vital for the trout habitat in the valley. The GHNP will bring in more tourists who care for nature and scenic beauty, he added.

Director, Fisheries, Dr BD Sharma, said they were promoting fisheries in a big way in the Tirthan, the only natural habitat left in the state.

Shimla, April 8
The Vidhan Sabha today unanimously passed the Himachal Pradesh Electricity (Taxation and Generation) Bill providing for the imposition of tax on hydroelectric energy to help raise resources.

It provides for taxing hydroelectric generation at the rate of 25 paise per unit of energy to help raise a revenue of Rs 675 crore annually. Leader of the opposition Vidya Stokes pointed that a similar Bill was passed in 1995 but it turned out to be a futile exercise as the President of the India withheld the assent to it. Power was on the Concurrent List and any such law could not be implemented without the consent of the Centre.

Kaul Singh said the assent was not granted as other states opposed it. States like Punjab and Haryana not only opposed the Bill but also the grant of industrial package to the state.

Chief Minister PK Dhumal said under Article 288 (2) of the Constitution of India, the special category states can impose tax to raise resources and even the Rangarajan Committee had made a positive recommendation in this regard.

He appealed to the Congress to not only lend support to the Bill but also join hands with the government to put pressure on the Centre so that it became a law.

The House also passed the Himachal Pradesh Hindu Public Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act providng for conversion of 50 per cent of the gold offered in temples into gold biscuits or coins for sale to devotees on the current prevailing market price. At present, 70 per cent of the gold stock is kept as reserve which is a causing huge monetary loss to temple trusts.

Shimla, April 8
The government today decided to increase the honorarium of part time water carriers in the education department from Rs 1000 to Rs. 1200 per month from April 1, 2011.

The decision was taken by the state Cabinet which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister PK Dhumal. It also approved the grant of salary during leave period to teachers, lecturers, primary assistant teachers, gramin vidya upasaks and para teachers appointed on a contract basis from the academic session 2011-12. As many as 12,385 teachers will benefit from this decision which will cost the government Rs 24 crore annually.

The Cabinet decided to fill 150 posts of doctor on a regular basis and also gave approval to fill another 100 posts on a contract basis through interviews. It gave the nod for renewal of contract of 64 dental doctors for the next six months appointed in 2007 and filling 11 posts of assistant professor in the IGMC, Shimla, and one post of associate professor and six posts of assistant professor in Dr. Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Tanda, by direct recruitment through the HP Public Service Commission.

The approval was given to continue the existing nine Fast-Track Courts. It decided to cancel the allotment of small hydroelectric projects, including 1 MW Parvati project in Kullu district, 1.5 MW Bhent Sanghni and 1.80 MW Panchpul, both in Chamba, 2.80 MW Chhatri-I and 3 MW Chaini, both in Chamba, for not complying with requirements of MoU.

It decided to issue Letter of Intent in favour of Kot Ghai Winery Private Ltd, Jhandewala Extension, New Delhi, for setting up of the fruit-based wine and cider manufacturing industry in Jaisghati in Theog.

It also approved the proposal for rationalisation of tax structure under the Himachal Pradesh Passengers and Goods Taxation as per which car and other vehicles up to 1000 CC will be charged Rs 1350 per annum, above 1000 CC and up to 1500 CC Rs 2400 per annum and above 1500 CC Rs 2,800 per annum.

It gave a nod to start BBA, MBA, B.Tech, BBA and LLB courses by ICFAI University in Atal Shiksha Kunj, Kalu Jhanda, Baddi. 

Shimla, April 8
There has been an alarming deterioration in the financial position of the state during 2008-10 due to increased borrowings and decrease in non-tax revenue pushing it from a surplus into deficit state, indicating worsening of the fiscal and debt stability parameters.

The state had a primary surplus during the 2005-08 period but it turned into a deficit of Rs 384 crore in 2008-09 which further increased to Rs 828 crore in 2009-10, mainly on account of payment of DA and revised pay scales.

As a result, the state failed to get the benefit of debt waiver of Rs 65.75 crore under the Debt Consolidation and Relief Facility due to non-reduction of revenue deficits as per norms.

The 13th Finance Commission (FC) has recommended a target to achieve a debt stock of 25 per cent of the GSDP (gross state domestic product) by 2014-15. However, the state has faltered in achieving the target of 31 per cent, recommended by the 12th FC, and its debt stock stood at 56 per cent by March 2010.

These disturbing facts have been revealed in a report of the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) for the year ending March 2010 presented in the Vidhan Sabha today. The state’s revenue receipts grew only 11 per cent in 2009-10 whereas the revenue expenditure shot up 18 per cent.

The fiscal deficit stood at 6.58 per cent of the GSDP as against the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act target of 3 per cent. The state achieved only five out of the eight targets under the FRBM, indicating the reasonable prospects of returning to the fiscal correctional path if efforts were made to increase tax compliance, reduce tax administration costs, collect revenue arrears and prune unproductive expenditure, it observed.

The non-plan expenditure accounted for 85 per cent of the total expenditure and the expenditure of salary alone was 61 per cent as against 35 per cent recommended by the 12th FC.

The fiscal liability increased by 9 per cent. The report also pointed out that there was no single agency to monitor the funds directly transferred by the Centre as a result of which Rs 923.48 crore remained to be verified by the audit.

The state had an increasing trend in capital expenditure up to 2008-09 but in 2009-10, it decreased by Rs 136 crore, with less priority to social and economic services.

The report suggested that a monitoring organ should be put in place for effective budgetary system and keep a vigil to ensure prudent utilisation of funds. It disapproved of parking of funds in deposit accounts and personal deposit accounts to avoid lapse of budget, which was fraught with risk of misuse.

Hamirpur, April 8
A three-day international conference on “Advances in Computing and Communication” began on the National Institute of Technology (NIT) campus today.

This conference was inaugurated by Prof. Timothy A Gonsalves, director of the IIT Mandi in the auditorium of NIT. In his inaugural address, Prof. Gonsalves exhorted institutes to develop indigenous technology in every field as prosperity of Indians could be designed by Indian engineers alone.

Emphasising the need for developing indigenous technology he said, “By borrowing technologies, our country is helping the advance countries to earn huge profits with low investments while we can develop such technologies ourselves.”

He said, “Even by borrowing technologies like 2G, 3G and 4G, our country has been paying huge royalties to companies like Google etc and our technology institutes should lay great emphasis in developing indigenous technology through which can save huge money.”

In his paper on “Design in Engineering Education”, he also shared his experiences of developing rural technology at Chennai and designing a voice-controlled wheel chair at Mandi.

A bilateral agreement to share research and advances in the field of computing and communication was also signed between Laura University, Finland, and NIT Hamirpur on this occasion.

The objective of this MoU is to facilitate international academic exchange and student mobility, to develop academic and scientific relationships and collaborate research activities.

Earlier, addressing this conference, NIT director Prof RL Sharma said the meaningful discussion in such august gathering would definitely lead to enrichment of teachers, scholars and student community.

Prof, RC Joshi from IIT Roorki, Prof Saraoj Kaushik from IIT Delhi and other scholars also spoke on this occasion. 

Kangra, April 8
The teaching and non-teaching staff of MCM DAV College here held a dharna and demonstration outside the principal office today demanding their salary for the last month.

Naresh Kumar Sharma, president of the local unit of the HP Non-Government College Lecturers Association, said 60 employees had not been given the salary of March 2011 as the state government had failed to grant 95 per cent grant-in-aid to the college. They raised slogans in support of their demand.

Prof. RK Ohri, principal, said the state government had been irregular in providing grant to the college since 2002. He said during the 2009-2010, a partial grant was disbursed and during the 2010-2011 financial year, the government had not given a single penny to the college.

He said he had approached the Chief Minister Prof. P K Dhumal time and again for help but of no avail. — OC

Shimla , April 8
In support of Anna Hazare’s indefinite fast against corruption, members of the Shimla Bar Association today organised a peaceful procession from the district court complex to the Ridge near Mahatma Gandhi statue via Lower Bazar and Mall Road.