Shimla, March 16
Terming the clean chit given by Chief Minister PK Dhumal to Health Minister Rajeev Bindal as a “breach of trust”, the opposition Congress today hardened its stand in the House and staged a walkout, demanding a CBI probe into the charges against the minister.

Leader of the Opposition Vidya Stokes raised the issue as soon as the House assembled. She pointed out that Dhumal had, at a meeting held with Congress leaders yesterday before the start of the session, agreed to get the charges probed to resolve the impasse, but he betrayed them and not only defended Bindal but also gave him a clean chit. Kaul Singh said Bindal had resigned in the wake of the charges, but Dhumal rejected it without conducting any inquiry. He said only a CBI inquiry could bring out the truth.

However, Dhumal maintained that there was nothing like a “breach of trust” as during the meeting he had shown the inquiry report of 2007 which had exonerated Bindal and quoted from it in the House. He said he had asked the Congress leaders to provide documents regarding any new charges pertaining to the later period and he would get those probed.

However, they had not provided any documents so far. He said the government was open to investigating the charges not only against Bindal but any minister if documents were provided. Besides providing documents to him, the Congress members were also free to approach the Lokayukta. He said the current dilemma of the Congress leaders, who committed one thing and did another, reflected the lack of leadership and the members were not in the control of those at the helm.

Bindal said despite all clarifications and explanations by him, the Congress was continuing with the vilification campaign against him. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ravinder Ravi said he was in constant touch with the Congress leaders and the deadlock was not being resolved as they were not sticking to their stand. They failed to play the role of an effective Opposition for the past four years and now they were unnecessarily creating a bedlam in the House.

The Congress members raised slogans and staged a walkout for the fifth consecutive day. The Speaker proceeded with the business listed for the day in their absence.

Shimla, March 16
The economic survey for the current fiscal presented a “not-so-rosy” picture of the hill state economy with the growth rate set to decline from last year’s 8.8 per cent to 7.6 per cent but still being higher than the projected national growth rate of 6.9 per cent.

A poor apple crop (the fruit production took a plunge from last year’s 10.28 lakh tonnes to 3.29 lakh tonnes), which brought down the contribution of horticulture to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) from Rs 2,200 crore to Rs 900 crore, and the contribution of the industrial sector declining from 11.7 to 9 per cent due to recession, have been mainly responsible for the downtrend.

However, vegetable crops remained unaffected and their contribution increased from Rs 1,650 crore to Rs 1,800 crore. The contribution from the tourism sector increased marginally from 7.5 to 8 per cent despite impressive increase in tourist arrivals, which crossed the 1.50-crore mark in 2011.

On the positive side, the contribution of the construction sector increased from 15 to 17 per cent and the power sector from 8 to 11 per cent. The GSDP for 2010-11 increased to Rs 54,695, an increase of 8.8 per cent as against the estimated 9 per cent. The advanced estimates put the GSDP at Rs 63,084 for 2011-12, indicating a growth of 7.6 per cent. The per capita income increased to Rs 65,535 in 2010-11 from Rs 56,706 in 2009-10 and is estimated to reach Rs 73,608 in the current fiscal.

The growth rate for the Tenth Plan (2002-2007) has been 7.6 per cent, which is 2 per cent less than the national average, and the growth rate for the Eleventh Plan (2007-12) is estimated at 8.1 per cent , 0.2 per cent higher than the national average.

The credit deposit ratio in the state increased to 67.54 per cent and the tax revenue as percentage of the GSDP has been constantly increasing over the past four years from 7.98 (2008-09) to 9.67 (2011-12), while revenue expenditure as percentage of the GSDP declined from 24.47 to 22.26 over the period. However, the plan expenditure as percentage of the GSDP declined from 7.47 to 4.90 and capital expenditure from 7.92 to 4.23. The non-plan expenditure increased from Rs 9,609 crore to Rs 13,614 crore over the period.

Shimla, March 16
Having failed to acquire sufficient land to fulfil the demand of 70,000 plots and flats at various places in the state, the Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Authority (HIMUDA) has decided to return the booking amount deposited by people. While those still keen to have a dream house in the hill state could wait.

The decision to return the Rs 5,000 each that had been deposited by people will, however, be formally taken at the Board of Directors Meeting (BoD), to be held later this month. However, it has been decided that no land will be acquired in about 10 small stations like Ani and Karsog where the demand was negligible. As such the dream of many people of having a house in the hills will have to wait.

“Since we are facing a problem in getting ample land to fulfil the housing demand of people, we have decided to return the money and the decision will be taken formally at the BoD meeting,” confirmed Ganesh Dutt, Vice-Chairman, HIMUDA.

He said in case there were people who do not mind waiting till land could be made available, their applications would be kept on hold.

Dutt said at 10 smaller towns, including Ani, Karsog, Shillai, Renuka and Dadahu, a decision had been taken to return the money of 140 house seekers.

“Since the demand at these places is far below our expectations, we have decided not to build any flats here, so the money would be returned,” he said.

It was on the basis of a demand survey that HIMUDA had received 70,000 applications from house seekers. A sum of Rs 35 crore had been collected from people in this regard. The money had been collected in two phases between December 2010 and March 2011 with the condition that HIMUDA would pay them interest at the rate of five per cent after one year.

Sources said since HIMUDA had not been able to acquire sufficient land, especially at places like Shimla, Kasauli and Kullu-Manali where the demand was the highest, it had decided to return the money as the interest that the authority would have to pay would be huge.

Officials pointed out that at least 20,000 bighas would be required to meet the demand of 70,000 dwellings, with majority out of this wanting a plot and not flat. HIMUDA was already facing a financial crisis on account of the enhanced compensation, which it has had to pay following compulsory acquisition. In fact, it has now been decided that instead of going in for compulsory acquisition, HIMUDA would go for negotiation so that it does not have to pay money later on as land owners invariably move court.

Shimla, March 16
Chief Minister PK Dhumal today said the Union Budget had disappointed every section of society as no efforts had been made to reduce the galloping prices and rather than giving relief it had burdened the poor man further.

In his reaction to the Budget, Dhumal said it was anti-people, anti-poor, anti-farmers, anti-employees, anti-workers and above all directionless. “The increase in the service tax and the excise duty will result in further price rise, hitting the poor hard,” he said.

He said raising the income tax exemption limit from Rs 1.80 lakh to Rs 2 lakh was a mockery. He said the prices of almost all commodities would go up.

The Chief Minister said an indication by the Union Finance Minister about a cut in the subsidy for kerosene, LPG and fertilisers was also unfortunate as this would affect the farmers and people from all walks of life.

Dhumal said ignoring Himachal’s legitimate demand for the restoration of the industrial package was also unfortunate. “While non-UPA-ruled states are being given a stepmotherly treatment, the Union Minister on the other hand has proposed Rs 500 crore for the promotion of geo textiles in the North-East,” he regretted.

Bilaspur, March 16
The Gobind Sagar Ghats Sudhar Sabha here has pointed out the difficulty faced by thousands of people who have to cross the Gobind Sagar here daily to reach Bilaspur town, the district headquarters, for various works and have to return to their villages in the evening.

Sabha general secretary Vijender Singh Chandel, after an emergency meeting of the sabha here yesterday, said the meeting was presided over by its president Ram Singh.

He said the meeting adopted a unanimous resolution which said the silt lying on both sides of some 48 ghats across the district had been creating issues for employees, labourers, villagers, students, women and children due to slippery slush and tricky marshy points here and there.

The resolution said water of the Gobind Sagar being divided into various parts at several points had made plying of motorboats and boats hazardous.

It said treading distances from boats to the dry banks was a trying experience and had to be experienced to exactly gauge its freight.

The meeting urged the district administration to order immediate steps to provide safe passage to all these passengers of these ghats to this town.

It said it would not be possible for people to cross the Gobind Sagar and come here to participate in the state-level “Nalwadi fair’, which begins on March 17.

The meeting also demanded that the government should take steps to construct a bridge on the Gobind Sagar at Khairiyan to link Berry Dadollan with immediate approach to the district headquarters of Bilaspur.

Shimla, March 16
Chief Minister PK Dhumal today urged the Planning Commission to provide a special grant of Rs 62.42 crore on account of Punjab’s share in the Shahnehar irrigation project.

In a letter to the Vice-Chairman of the Planning Commission, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, today, the Chief Minister said the share of Punjab in the Shahnehar project had been pending for the past four years which had now been allotted to Punjab, but Himachal had not been given anything.

He said the special grant of Rs 62.42 crore was the remaining central assistance admissible to Himachal with effect from April 1, 2005, onwards. He said the current financial year of 2011-12, was the last year of the 11th Plan and the project was also nearing completion. “We have already raised the issue during a meeting held on March 2, but the allotment of the grant to Himachal is still awaited,” he said.

He said the state government had been providing funds out of its own resources for the completion of the Shahnehar project and it would be in the interests of the state and its people if a one-time special grant of Rs 62.42 crore was released immediately.

Dhumal said the Shahnehar project was one of the major irrigation projects under execution in the state, which had taken quite some time for completion due to paucity of funds. He said keeping in view the escalation in the cost of construction material and labour charges, the project had exceeded the estimated cost. “The one-time special grant will help clear pending liabilities within the current financial year and enable the completion of the project early to benefit farmers with irrigation facilities,” he said. 

Shimla, March 16
Accusing the Mayor, Madhu Sood, of acting with vested interest and indulging in petty politics, six BJP councillors in the local Municipal Corporation (MC) today demanded that she should own responsibility for the failure of the functioning of the MC.

Addressing a press conference here today, the six councillors - Gaurav Sharma, Rajesh Sharda, Anil Kashyap, Jaswinder Singh, Manju Sood and Manoj Kuthaila - said the Mayor was trying to settle personal score on the issue of inauguration of the parking lot in Phagli.

“Rather than allowing a much needed public facility to be created, she is trying to create hurdles in the inauguration of the parking for which the local legislator has given money,” they alleged.

They said it was due to the failure of the MC that there was a delay in completion of the parking lot, resulting in cost escalation.

“There has already been so much delay and now the Mayor was making it a prestige issue, creating further delay,” they said.

They said the Mayor was more keen on getting her name on the invitation card rather than letting the people avail the facility.

They also demanded that the Mayor should explain her position on certain illegal works for which she had granted permission.

Dharamsala, March 16
The common man, especially the salaried class, has termed the increase in the income tax slab from Rs 1,80,000 to Rs 2,00,000, in the Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today as insufficient. Raghav Guleria, lecturer in Government College, Dharamsala, while reacting to the Budget, said the raise in the income tax exemption limit by just Rs 20,000 was a cruel joke played on the middle class.

Solan, March 16
An administrative officer employed with an industrial unit has been booked for murdering his office peon who had attempted to kill him at the former’s residence at the Kailash Vihar Housing Colony, Baddi, last night.

The incident came to light when the officer, Kuldeep Sharma, hailing from Baijnath in Kangra district, called his plant head Sudarshan Jamwal around 3.15am and informed him that a murder had taken place in his residence and he was also grievously injured.

SP, Baddi, Gurdev Chand Sharma said Jamwal reached the housing colony and took the duo to a hospital at Baddi where Dileep, the peon, was declared dead while Sharma was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, after being administered preliminary treatment at the hospital.

The SP, who visited the spot, said a case of murder under Section 302, IPC, had been registered against Kuldeep Sharma and a case of attempt to murder under Section 307, IPC, has been registered against Dileep.

Dileep, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, had gone to sleep at the residence of Kuldeep after the latter’s family had left for his native village. The duo were sleeping on the same bed, Kuldeep woke up around 3am when he sensed that someone was trying to slit his throat. He woke up and saw Dileep trying to slit his neck. This led to a scuffle between the duo which resulted in Kuldeep killing Dileep with knife.

The SP added that they were investigating the case and more facts would emerge after the return of Kuldeep from the PGI.