Dharamsala, June 20
The failure of the bureaucracy to draft rules of the New Municipal Act adopted by the state government in 1994 is going to trouble people living within municipal limits in towns across the state.

Sources here told The Tribune that on the advice of the legal department of the state, the government had recently passed an order to all districts against allowing removal of any dead or drying tree from areas within municipal limits without the prior approval of the Himachal High Court.

With this order, district officials had stopped giving permission for removing dead of dying trees to the people living within municipal limits. The problem had become grave as during monsoon many dead trees threatened infrastructure of residents of towns. Besides, it was also hampering the further development in many cases as permissions were not been given for removing trees for raising houses or commercial buildings.

The sources here said the situation had arisen due to the bureaucratic failure. Earlier, the removal of dead and dying trees within municipal limits was governed by the Old Municipal Act of 1968. However, the state government repealed the Act in 1994 and brought a new Act 1994.

Though the new Act was passed in the Himachal Assembly in 1994, the state bureaucracy has taken 16 years to draft the rules to implement the new Act. The officials were earlier using the rules under the old Act of 1968 to carrying out the routine works.

However, now it seems that the legal department of the state has detected the anomaly that the orders for removing such trees were being passed by officials concerned under the repealed Act.

It advised the state government to stop the usage of the repealed Act as it could lead to legal complications in many cases. After the advice, the government has circulated the orders to the implementing agencies.

However, the real sufferers in this entire bureaucratic maze are people who want permissions under the Act to remove dead or dying trees from their backyards.

The sources here told The Tribune that the rules to implement the new Act are now being framed by the department. Secretary dealing with municipal councils and panchayats Manisha Shridhar was not available for comment.

Minister for Transport and Urban Development Mohinder Singh was also not available for comment despite repeated calls on his mobile phone.

Shimla, June 20
With the state electricity board refusing to implement the High Court order, directing it to consider the appointment of the junior engineers (JEs) on batch-wise basis in relaxation of the upper age limit, the aggrieved candidates have decided to initiate the contempt of court proceedings in the matter.

The order was passed by the court on November 23 last year and the board was directed to complete the process within two months. Though more than six months have passed, the board has not taken any steps to implement the order. The candidates of general category, who were denied the appointment on the basis that they had crossed the maximum age limit, moved the court on the ground that the board had given appointment to some ex-servicemen, who were on the verge of attaining the age of superannuation (58 years). The government had also raised the upper age limit to 45 years and subsequently to 48 years and granted further relaxation up to 50 years in case of the ayurvedic doctors.

Chairman of the board RD Dhiman admitted that there had been a delay in taking action in the matter, but the board had decided to file a review petition after seeking legal opinion. The maximum age limit for the general category candidates was 38 years as per the rules under which the process of the recruitment was carried out and as per the legal-opinion relaxation could not be granted, retrospectively.

However, the fact remains that the government has been allowing relaxation in the age for various posts in a selective and arbitrary manner to suit its convenience. The State Subordinate Services Selection Board has advertised various posts with the maximum age limit of 45 years recently. However in case of the pharmacists, it has been specifically mentioned that the persons who possess diploma in pharmacy prior to September 12, 2001, and have become overage can also apply.

Hamirpur, June 20
The withdrawal of promotion orders to 15 assistant engineers (AEs) by the management of Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) just within 15 days and reverting them to their old posts of junior engineer (JE) have left them embarrassed.

Fifteen JEs, having AMIE and B Tech degrees, working with the board at different places in the state, were promoted and given the charge of AEs without any financial benefits keeping in view their graduate degrees.

They were even posted against vacant posts of AE at different places. But making a retreat from its earlier promotion orders, the HPSEBL management reverted them to the posts of JE on June 6, 2011.

It has been learnt the promotion orders have been withdrawn under the pressure of the rival diploma engineers association of JEs.

Embarrassed by this faux pas of the HPSEBL management, these JEs had recently met the Chief Minister and requested him to intervene.

One of the JEs has told The Tribune, “Since no financial implication was involved in our promotions, these orders have been withdrawn under pressure,” he added.

Executive Director (Personnel) of HPSEBL MP Sood said, “These JEs were given charge of AEs, but as this order had created administrative and legal complications, so the board had with-drawn the promotion orders.”

Bharmour, June 20
Keeping in view the ensuing Manimahesh pilgrimage commencing on the auspicious occasion of Janamashtmi on August 22, Chamba DC Devesh Kumar has issued directives to the Divisional Forest Officer, Bharmour, to invite tenders with regard to the setting up of a ropeway linking the base camp at Hadsar with the sacred Manimahesh lake atop as early as possible.

The DC hoped that on completion, the ropeway would go a long way in facilitating pilgrims during their pilgrimage when their luggage would be transported by the ropeway and they would be able to climb the steep hill easily.

The Kailash Mount, the abode of Lord Shiva and situated at an altitude of about 5,656 m, is clearly visible to devotees, pilgrims and tourists from the Manimahesh lake, which is nestled at an altitude of 4,170 m in the mountainous hilly region of Bharmour in Chamba district.

“A serai bhawan is also in the pipeline for the stay of pilgrims, who especially come from Jammu and Kashmir on foot passing through the Khundi Maral area of Chamba bordering J&K,” the DC added.

Nurpur, June 20
Students of the Government High School, Kotpalari, near here, had a narrow escape on Monday morning when roofs of three classrooms were blown off following a gale that struck just before the students entered their classrooms. The school administration temporarily shifted classes in the primary school premises.

According to information all five rooms of this school building are in a dilapidated condition and the school administration had already written to the Public Works Department to declare them unsafe.

The local panchayat pradhan after visiting the damaged school rooms met local MLA Rakesh Pathania for taking up the issue of re-construction of classrooms with Chief Minister PK Dhumal.

Shimla, June 20
Horticulture Minister Narender Bragta today said Himachal had urged the Centre to include hailstorm as national calamity so that fruit growers did not have to face financial hardships on account of damage.

In a statement issued here, Bragta said the officials of the department had assessed the loss suffered by orchardists due to hailstorm and the Centre had been asked to provide compensation to the growers.

“The Congress is trying to play with the sentiments of the growers by politicising the installation of anti-hail gun, which has been done in their interest,” he said.

The guns had been set up at three places in the areas having apple orchard after holding consultations with experts, he said. — TNS

Shimla, June 20
The Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Produce Marketing and Processing Corporation (HPMC) is considering setting up a mineral water plant at Patlikuhl in Kullu district so that the bottled water could be sold along with its other processed fruit products at various hotels and outlets of the Himachal Tourism and other government agencies.

The HPMC, which has been in the red for quite some time with its accumulated losses touching over Rs 50 crore, is proposing to take several steps which could rake in some money and reduce its losses.

The proposal to set up a mineral water plant at an estimated cost of about Rs 3.50 crore has already received the approval from the HPMC Board, but the final nod from the government is still awaited.

“The mineral water plant proposal is in the pipeline and we are keen to enter the market so that we can sell bottled water along with our other products,” said Narinder Bragta, Horticulture Minister and Chairman, HPMC. Water testing and other formalities have already been completed and it is felt that when many other companies are making profit by selling pure Himalayan water, the HPMC should also enter the field.

“Setting up a mineral water plant is a profitable proposition as water is one commodity which everyone consumes and the HPMC already has its marketing setup, including kiosks, to sell it,” assert officials. They say that the cost on the projects would be recovered within two years, as it is a very viable project.

“We are not only trying to improve the quality and range of our products, but also providing packaging material like trays at very competitive prices,” said Mohan Chauhan, MD, HPMC.

The HPMC is also trying to acquire a new tetra packaging machine costing about Rs 3 crore through the Agricultural Produce Export Development Agency (APEDA) so that it can enhance its production and at the same time improve quality of packaging.

Sundernagar, June 20
Acting on the online complaints filed by consumers against Sheetla Gas Agency, Sundernagar, regarding the faulty distribution of LPG cylinders, Surinder Singh Pathania, District Controller of Food Civil Supply and Consumer Affair, Mandi, has issued a seven-day notice to the agency to clarify its position.

Earlier this month, residents of various villages filed online complaints through the official website of the Himachal Pradesh Government alleging that the supply of gas in various parts of Sundernagar was defective. Even the gas vehicle did not stop on the roadside in front of the consumer’s house and they had to chase the vehicle for a long distance.

It was further alleged that the supply of gas cylinders to dhaba and hotel owners was creating shortage of cylinders in the area.

The complaint was forwarded by the portal of the Himachal Pradesh Government’s e-Samadhan for comments and action to DCFCS&CA, Mandi.

The District Controller said he had received online complaints through e-Samadhan and issued a seven-day notice to the agency to clarify its position. He further said action would be initiated against the agency after receiving its reply.

Meanwhile, consumers have also filed a separate complaint with the HP Upbhokta Sangh, a consumers’ association based at Mandi, for the defective supply of gas in the area.

AC Verma, general secretary of the sangh, also said action against the gas agency would be initiated as per the Consumer Protection Act.

Shimla, June 20
Punjab National Bank (PNB) will soon set up a centre in the state for providing training to farmers to boost the agriculture sector for which it has advanced maximum credit.

Stating this at a press conference here today Chairman-cum-Managing Director, PNB, KR Kamath said as against the 18 per cent lending to the farm sector at the national level, the bank had advanced 33 per cent credit to farmers in the state. The proposed training centre would help keep farmers abreast of the latest advancements in the farm sector.

With 259 branches and 125 branches of Himachal Gramin Bank sponsored by it, the bank accounted for over 25 per cent of the banking network in the state. Besides, it also had 159 ATMs.

Kamath, along with senior officers of the bank, met Chief Minister PK Dhumal and discussed plans for setting up a training centre in the state. Dhumal assured him that the government would make adequate land available for the training centre and directed the authorities concerned to identify suitable land for the purpose.

He added that the state had small and marginal holdings and it was essential to improve productivity to make farming economical.

Shimla, June 20
The State Electricity Board Employees Union has expressed resentment over the decision of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) to declare the employees taken on secondment from the board as surplus. The employees have decided to hold protest tomorrow.

The union said the staff was not only being declared surplus, but also relieved and placed at the disposal of other government departments. It demanded the immediate withdrawal of the orders declaring the staff surplus and said the matter should be settled between the board and the corporation.

The union also demanded enhanced grade pay and revised pay and allowances on the pattern of the Punjab Power Corporation and immediate restoration of 956 posts of various categories transferred to the HPPCL, which were abolished by the board recently as it would affect the service conditions of the employees.

It demanded a tripartite meeting involving the representatives of the board, corporation and union to settle the pending issues and holding of quarterly meetings between the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam and the board to resolve the outstanding matters.