Shimla, April 6
With no takers for the collection of the green tax in the first attempt, the local municipal corporation (MC) will invite fresh bids. The MC intends to impose the green tax on all vehicles entering the “Queen of Hills”.

Surprisingly not even a single company sent in its bid for which March 30 was the last date. It is on the lines of Manali that the local MC intends to impose the green tax so that revenue can be generated, especially in view of its poor financial health.

It is probably the miscalculation and fixing of the base price at Rs 6 crore per annum that has kept bidders away from taking up the contract for the green tax. “Within a week, we will invite fresh bids so that we can start the collection of the green tax and get additional revenue,” said MP Sood, Commissioner.

MC officials pointed out that the complete details of the revenue being generated through imposition of the green tax in Manali had been taken. Manali was the first town in Himachal to impose the green tax, which generated a sum of Rs 3.25 crore last year.

With Shimla attracting a large number of tourists, especially on weekends, it is expected that the green tax will rake in a good amount of money. “This time again we have kept the base price of the green tax at Rs 6 crore per annum, but have simplified the conditions which we felt were a bit too stringent,” said Sood.

The conditions imposed on bidders last time included depositing of a sum of Rs 1.50 crore as security and a minimum experience of three years in handling a similar project worth Rs 10 crore. These conditions are likely to be relaxed slightly though the base price will remain Rs 6 crore, said officials.

It was after a lot of effort that the MC has been able to get approval from the government for the imposition of the green tax. With this additional money, the MC can undertake a lot of works, which it is unable to do otherwise. In fact, the MC owes over Rs 110 crore to the Irrigation and Public Health Department and the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board for the water and power supplied to it over the past few years.

Repeated requests by the MC to the government to give it a one-time grant to settle these dues has also not been acceded. As such the MC is hoping that the additional Rs 6 crore will ease out its position to some extent.

Shimla, April 6
The Himachal Pradesh Lokayukta Bill was finally passed by the Vidhan Sabha in an amended form after incorporating an additional clause empowering the Lokayukta with powers under the Contempt of Court Act to make it a more effective institution.

The Bill was passed in the absence of the Congress members, who staged a walkout earlier during question hour and did not return to the House. There was not much debate and only two BJP members, Suresh Bhardwaj and Khushi Ram Balnatah, spoke on the Bill, which was passed after Chief Minister PK Dhumal’s reply.

Dhumal said it was a momentous day and the Congress by not participating in the debate missed an opportunity to become part of the history. It would have been better if the Opposition was present in the house. He said it was the best Bill as it was an improvement over the one passed in Uttarakhand and in consonance with the provisions of the Constitution. In fact, the Uttarkhand Bill had not been given assent by the President due to legal hitches.

The proceedings of the Lokayukta will be conducted in open court and deemed as judicial proceedings with powers under the Contempt of Court Act for which an amendment had been moved. Regarding Khushi Ram Balnatah’s suggestion that cooperative societies, non-governmental organisations and sports bodies be brough under its ambit, he said these could be brought under its ambit by a notification for which there was a provision in the Bill.

He clarified that a penalty of Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment of one year was provided for only in case someone filed a false complaint against the Lokayukta and not other complainants who were only required to file an affidavit.

Besides suo motu powers, the Lokayukta had been provided investigating and prosecution wings and he could review, amend and even cancel contracts, agreements, lease deeds and other accords if corruption was found to be involved in these. Tainted companies could be blacklisted on the Lokayukta’s recommendations. Not only that, the Lokayukta was empowered to recommend changes in the procedures and conditions for awarding contracts and the transfer of an officer under investigation for causing obstruction in his inquiry, which would be binding. It also provided protection to whistle-blowers.

Earlier, Bhardwaj said by bringing a strong Lokayukta Bill, the BJP government had shown its commitment to fight corruption and appreciated the transparent process for appointment of its members which involved public scrutiny at two stages. Balnatah said cooperative societies, sports bodies, non-governmental organisations, hydropower projects and private universities should also be brought under its ambit to make Himachal a model state.

The Bill will replace the Lokayukta Act, 1983.

Shimla, April 6
The Congress today justified its decision to stay away from the debate on the Lokayukta Bill on the grounds that it was not taken into confidence by the government before introducing it.

Leader of the Opposition Vidya Stokes said the Bill was put on the web, but the Opposition was kept in the dark. It was the responsibility of the Chief Minister to evolve a consensus by taking the Congress, the main Opposition party, into confidence. However, he made no efforts in this direction, making it evident that he was not interested in seeking the cooperation of the party.

Given the attitude of the ruling party, the Congress had no option but to stay away from the debate. However, on coming to power the Congress would make all necessary amendments to make the Lokayukta a powerful instrument for combating corruption.

Senior leader GS Bali said the mere passing of the Lokayukta Bill would not serve any purpose. It was not only a weak Bill but the ultimate power rested with the Chief Minister and as such it served no purpose.

The Congress had been boycotting Health Minister Rajeev Bindal, who had resigned in the wake of corruption charges against him, but Dhumal rejected his resignation. The session had ended and the Congress was deprived of an opportunity to take up many important issues pertaining to the Health Department as the Chief Minister did not make any effort to resolve the deadlock. Instead of Bindal, he should have himself answered such questions.

With Dhumal persisting with Bindal, the Congress had no option but to stage walkouts whenever a question or any other matter pertaining to the Health Minister came up in the House.

Shimla, April 6
The Himachal Lokhit Party today said the government had passed the “weak” Lokayukta Bill in a haste without taking into consideration the suggestions that had come in from various quarters.

In a statement issued here today, HLP leaders Shyama Sharma and Mahender Singh Sofat said the government should have referred the Bill to a select committee of the Vidhan Sabha rather than passing it in a haste.

They said the Act was very weak and ineffective, which would only provide shelter to the corrupt.

Shimla, April 6
The 29-day Budget session of the Himachal Vidhan Sabha concluded today after the House passed the important Lokayukta Bill and Bills seeking to raise the salaries and allowances of the Chief Minister, Speaker, Deputy Speaker, ministers and MLAs on the final day.

There were 21 sittings in all during the session which saw several walkouts and protests within the House by the opposition Congress, which boycotted Health Minister Rajeev Bindal all through.

The four amendment Bills provided for an increase of over Rs 23,000 per month in the emoluments of MLAs, which included a hike in the salary and constituency allowance of the members from Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 to Rs 20,000 and Rs 35,000 per month, respectively, water and electricity charges from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 and travelling allowance from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per day. The minimum pension of former MLAs will be raised from Rs 14,000 to Rs 18,000 per month.

The salary of the Chief Minister will be increased by Rs 5,000 from Rs 34,000 to Rs 39,000, that of ministers from Rs 31,000 to Rs 36,000, that of the ministers of state from Rs 28,000 to Rs 33,000, that of the chief parliamentary secretaries from Rs 18,000 to Rs 23,000 and that of parliamentary secretaries from Rs 17,000 to Rs 22,000 per month.

The salaries of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker will go up from Rs 31,000 and Rs 28,000 to Rs 36,000 and Rs 33,000 per month, respectively. The hike will entail an additional burden of Rs 3.30 crore per annum on the state exchequer.

Shimla, April 6
The march started by 10 persons of the Theog-Kumarsain area on March 31 under the banner of the “nyaya yatra” to highlight the lack of development in the area concluded here today with a rally in front of the Vidhan Sabha.

Led by former state president of the NSUI Atul Sharma, the protesters covered 195 km during the seven-day march. The main demands include opening of a college at Kumarsain and a tehsil at Kotgarh, construction of a bus stand and the expansion and modernisation of a vegetable market at Theog, a cooking agency at Matiana and starting of work on the Pralla-Sanai and Raill lift irrigation schemes.

Sharma said a 25-point memorandum was submitted to Chief Minister PK Dhumal, who assured that their demands would be considered and efforts would be made to start work on some irrigation schemes within two months.

Palampur, April 6
Maheshwar Singh, former MP and president of the Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP), today demanded a high-level probe into benami land deals by a sitting judge of the high court in Kangra district.

He alleged that high-ups of the ruling BJP were involved in this land scam.

He said the one-man commission appointed by the Dhumal government to look into the benami land deals, which had submitted its report, was a mere eyewash as the commission had overlooked the beanmi lands in which BJP leaders and ministers were involved between 2008 and 2011.

Addressing a press conference here today, he said the HLP had gathered information under the RTI Act that land measuring 850 kanals was purchased only on agreements by ANS Construction Company through an office-bearer of a cricket body.

According to the documents, the construction company, owned by a BJP leader, entered into agreements with 45 persons of Mohal Rajpur, Palampur tehsil, for the purchase of this land.

However, till date only two sale deeds were registered and in the remaining 43 cases, the land was simply purchased on an agreement from locals through benami transactions.

He said the Himachal Lokhit Party would soon release detailed documents pertaining to this land scam to expose Bharatiya Janata Party leaders.

Shimla, April 6
The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has completed investigation and filed charge sheets in the cases registered against Sher Singh, former State Drug Controller, and HAS officer Raj Dev Singh Jasrotia under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The charge sheet in the case of former State Drug Controller Sher Singh was filed in the court of Special Judge (Forest) here on March 31 last week. Sher Singh faces a case pertaining to owning of disproportionate assets beyond known sources of income. The case against Sher Singh was filed on March 5, 2008.

“His income from all known sources of income between 1995 and 2008 was found to be Rs 76.52 lakh while the expenses insurred and assets acquired were found to be to the tune of Rs 1.74 crore,” said Himanshu Mishra, DIG, Vigilance. He added that a number of assets were found to have been acquired by his wife, Neelam Thakur, during this period.

According to Vigilance officials, the assets of the couple include Rs 19.42 cash, a flat/house in Strawberry Hill and Solan, an industrial plot, a house in Mohali, a bank balance of Rs 12.71 lakh and fixed deposits worth Rs 12.15 lakh.

The Vigilance Bureau has also filed a charge sheet in the case of Dev Singh Jasrotia, an HAS officer who was at that time posted as the SDM, Churah, in Chamba district. On February 11, a Vigilance team had seized Rs 11.90 lakh and an LG plasma television from the car he was travelling in near the Tunnu Hatti police station.

Mishra said during investigation it was established that the cash and the TV was allegedly a bribe he had received from a firm engaged in hydroelectric work. The case against him was filed in the court of the Special Judge, Chamba.

Besides filing a case against Jasrotia, the project in charge and the GM (Technical) of the project were also booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and destruction of evidence.

Shimla, April 6
Failure to meet targets under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act coupled with increasing committed liabilities and declining plan expenditure, the report of the Comptroller Auditor-General (CAG) paints a “far from rosy” picture of state finances but with a “reasonable prospect” of retuning to the fiscal correction path.

The report presented in the Vidhan Sabha today pointed out that the state missed on five out of the eight targets set under the FRBM Act as per which the consolidated debt (including guarantees) were to be brought down within 49.70 per cent of the of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) but it stood at 58 per cent of the GSDP as on March, 2011. The revenue deficit increased by 53 per cent from Rs 805 crore to Rs 1,235 crore and revenue deficit as percentage of the GSDP from 1.9 to 2.4 during 2010-11.

However, the state could still return to the fiscal correction path provided efforts were made to improve tax compliance, reduce tax administration costs, collection of revenue arrears and pruned unproductive expenditure to curtail deficit. The tax revenue increased from Rs 1,656 crore in 2006-07 to Rs 3,643 crore in 2010-11 by 22 per cent but the non-tax revenue declined by 5 per cent from Rs 1,784 crore in 2009-10 to Rs 1,695 crore in 2010-11. The capital expenditure decreased by 7 per cent in 2009-10 and by 8 per cent in 2010-11. The committed liabilities almost doubled from Rs 5,981 crore (2006-07) to Rs 10,445 crore (2010-11), with salaries accounting for Rs 5,951 crore, pensions for Rs 2,105 crore and interest payments Rs 1,950 crore.

The performance audit of the Public Distribution System revealed that during 2006-11 period, the state covered 2.32 lakh BPL families more than identified in the survey and did not address the problem of ghost ration cards, leading to unnecessary burden of food subsidy on the Centre. There was deficiency in quality control as a result of which 2,066 tonnes of substandard pulses and 1,167 tonnes of substandard foodgrains were supplied to consumers. 

Palampur, April 6
Hundreds of villagers of Jiya and Gopalpur areas today came out on the streets and protested against the anti-people attitude of a private company executing a small hydel project on the Jia river, a tributary of the Beas, in Palampur subdivision.

The villagers gathered at the project site and stopped the construction activities in protest against the anti-people employment policy of the project management. They also complained that the project had caused extensive loss to the natural resources, including local water channels, drinking water supply schemes, pastures and roads causing hardships to them.

Despite specific orders and rules laid down by the state government, the project management was not giving employment to local youths and recruiting staff from outside the state. Though local leaders and administration time and again cautioned the project management to follow the law and recruit local staff but all in vain.

The villagers threatened that they would not allow the execution of project till the management amended its employment policy, repair the local water channels and other natural resources damaged by the project.

Six small hydel projects are coming up on different rivers in Dhauladhar hills. These projects have played havoc with nature, damaged water supply schemes, local water channels, roads and traditional pastures resulting in inconvenience to local residents. Most of the projects have also not deposited the Local Area Development Assistance (LADA) funds in the state exchequer and in the absence of funds, rehabilitation process is delayed.

In many areas, people came out on the streets and lodged protest but the district administration has become a silent spectator, unconcerned with the situation and shielding the projects’ management. The affected villagers have also met the Chief Minister, local ministers and MLAs but none of them have come forward to their rescue till date.

Sundernagar, April 6
The Consumer Forum, Mandi, headed by Rajeev Bhardwaj, yesterday penalised Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM) Sarkaghat along with a clerk of copying agency for delay in supplying certified copies of order. He has directed them to pay a compensation of Rs 10,000 (Rs 7,000 to be paid by SDM and Rs 3,000 by the clerk of copying agency) along with interest @9% per annum and Rs 3,000 as cost of litigation to the complainant Baldev Singh, former Army Captain and a resident of Bhadarwar village of Sarkaghat subdivision of Mandi district.

The complainant had moved an application before the copying agency at Sarkaghat on 6-5-2011 for getting a copy of order passed by Tehsildar on 20-4-11. He was not issued any receipt. When he did not get the copy even after four months, he filed a complaint under Section 12 of the Consumer Protection Act.

In their reply, the officials alleged that the application was not filed properly and when it was brought to the notice of complainant, the counsel for the complainant removed the objection after a long time and the copy could not be supplied in time. It was further alleged that the complaint was not maintainable in the Consumer Forum.

After hearing both parties, the forum held that the copying agency at Sarkaghat, which was being controlled by the SDM/SDO (Civil), was adopting its own procedure instead of copying agency rules notified by the government of Himachal Pradesh and was causing harassment to general public. The act of opposite parties amounts to deficiency in service as defined in the Consumer Protection Act, it said.

Mandi, April 6
The Himachal Pradesh Elected Representatives of Urban Local Bodies Association (HPERULBA) today demanded amendments to the Municipal Act to give them more financial and administrative powers and staff. They also urged Chief Minister PK Dhumal to frame a policy to give “one-time relief to house owners who have made unauthorised buildings in the municipal areas in the state”.

Representatives from Mandi, Shimla, Manali, Solan and Kangra today held its second meeting here. They demanded that the Department of Urban Development should either provide them staff or they should give them financial and administrative powers to recruit staff and raise funds.

Shimla Mayor and chief patron of the association, Madhu Sud said they had urged the government to frame a one-time settlement policy for the regularisation of “unauthorised houses in all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), including Shimla town.”

Chairman, HPERULBA, Kulrakesh Pant said they had submitted a memorandum of their 22 demands to Chief Minister and urged him to amend provisions of the Municipal Act to make it relevant to the geographical conditions of the hill state and they get more powers and funds. “The unauthorised houses should be regularised and people should get water and electricity”.

President, Mandi Municipal Council, Sushila Sonkhla, Naresh Kumar Sen from Sundernagar, Bansi Lal Thakur from Rewalsar, Rajkumar Nittu from Rohru, and Vivek Thapur from Theog said they welcome the government’s decision to hold direct elections to the ULB but the government has not amended the Act to give them powers as they were now directly responsible to residents of the local bodies.

They said the ULBs and the Shimla Municipal Corporation were reeling under financial crisis as they had no funds for the development. The Municipal Act should be amended and Mandi, Dharamsala, Palampur, Solan and Baddi should have Municipal Corporations for their development.

They also demanded that their monthly honorarium should be increased on the pattern of Punjab. 

Shimla, April 6
Chief Minister PK Dhumal said yesterday the government was considering limiting the number of private universities to be opened in the state to 20 and letters of intent (LoI) will be issued in future for setting up of these institutes only in the four districts of Mandi, Kullu, Chamba and Bilaspur.

The Chief Minister while addressing the issues echoed by Congress legislators Harshwardhan Chauhan, Kuldeep Pathania and Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu during a debate on private universities amendment Bill said the government was proposing to not allow more than 20 private universities in the state.

“To ensure that these universities are opened even in interior areas, we have decided that in future LoI will be issued only for the four districts we have identified,” he remarked.

He said it takes time for any institute to establish so it would take time for universities to get adequate number of students.

“The Congress had only kept a minimum time period of 15 years whereas we increased it to 25 years to ensure that there are serious players who set up universities in the state,” he said. He said the Private Universities Regulatory Commission was being strengthened so that quality education was provided to students.

Harshwardhan said all the 12 universities were concentrated in Solan and the total enrolment in these was over 11,000.

“While big states like UP and Rajasthan have 22 and 18 private universities, a small state like HP would soon capture the top rank at this pace,” he remarked.

He said some of these universities were acquiring excess land than required and there were reports that their degrees were being sold in other states.

He said the Congress was not opposed to private universities, but only established names in the field of education should be allowed to enter the state.

Sukhu suggested that the government must make provision for exit law or safe clause so that those who wish to surrender before 25 years could do so with some penalty and their assets vesting in the government. He added that if schools with less enrolment were being closed, then why not the universities where there were no takers.

Manali, April 6
In a revolutionary step, glaciologists of Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) have cracked a secret of “snow harvesting”.It can prove to be a “panacea for protecting fast-melting glaciers” and solve water problems in the Himalayan cold deserts.

It is for the first time that SASE scientists have broken the ice in snow harvesting in the world. Till date, nobody has developed the technology to harvest snow in the high-altitude region, said SASE scientists.

In snow harvesting, snow is retained for a longer time by delaying its melting, says Dr PS Negi, a glaciologist, who is heading the SASE team. “The snow harvesting structures are put in place in the glaciated region”, he adds.

The snow is lost after the avalanche debris brings it down and soon the glacier starts melting, says Dr Negi.

“We troop the avalanche debris in the snow harvesting structure and delay its melting process for a longer time”, he observes.

The scientists are keeping the technology of snow harvesting a guarded secret so that it gets a patent first and then acclaim worldwide. Once the snow harvesting technology is developed, glaciologists can come to term with the climate change and receding glaciers.

The glaciologists have made a promising start in the Pooh and Spiti and Kargil region in the cold Himalayan desert.

The tribals in cold desert region face an acute shortage of water from May to October as the only source of fresh water is spring water.

The scientists say the accumulated snow can be harvested at key locations by putting check dams, surface dyke and gabion structures. In 2500 sq km area in Kargil, it was found that the spring water shows a higher discharge and did not help in recharging the existing groundwater sources and aquifers, they added.

A team of researchers in Kargil found that the four snow harvesting structures can tap 21,400 cubic metres of water.

This water can be utilised for recharging groundwater and other needs, says Negi.

The spring water is the only source of irrigation and drinking needs in the cold desert. The snow harvesting structures can recharge the springs and underground water and solve the water problem there, he adds.

Dr Ashvaghosh Ganju, Director, SASE, who was here for the international symposium on climate change and cryosphere and workshop at SASE, near here, said they had a project on the snow harvesting. “We are identifying the technology and have made good work in this new field,” he added.

Dharamsala, April 6
In a landmark decision that will help in improving the income and infrastructure of temples in the district, Commissioner, Temples-cum-Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, RS Gupta has rationalised the share of Baridars (hereditary priests) in the income of temples.

Earlier, hereditary priests used to get 40 per cent of the income of temples. However, the Commissioner has now fixed it at 28.31 per cent under a new sharing formula devised as per the directions of the Himachal High court.

The order will be applicable to famous temples of Kangra district, including Jawalamukhi Temple, Bajreshwari Devi Temple, Shiv Temple in Baijnath, Mahakal Temple and Nandikeshwar Temple Chamunda.

All the famous temples of the state were taken under government control under the HP Hindu Public Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, 1984. The temples were earlier being managed by the hereditary priests or local management committees. However, since hereditary priests’ families were wholly or partly dependent on the income of temples, an understanding was reached to share the income of temples between the temple trusts controlled by the government and the Baridars.

The then Commissioner, Temples, issued an order in 1988, under which 20 per cent of the cash offerings in danpatras (golaks) was kept for committed expenses of the temples, including expenses on salaries of employees and puja, while the remaining 80 per cent was distributed equally between the temple trust and Baridars. By the said order, that was applicable for 15 years, the Baridars kept collecting 40 per cent of the total income coming through pilgrims’ offerings.

Though the time period for which the order was to be implemented lapsed in 2003, the practice of giving 40 per cent share to the Baridars from the income of temples was continuing till March 31, 2012. The practice continued as the authorities failed to decide the matter.

Present Commissioner RS Gupta, in an order delivered recently that would be applicable from April 1, 2012, has held that in a case filed against the temple administration of the Chintpurni Temple as decided on May 9, 2005, the Himachal High Court has allowed the temple administration to deduct charges on committed liabilities before sharing the income between the temple trust and Baridars.

He has said in the Jawalamukhi Temple, the committed liabilities come to about 43.38 per cent. These include 2.57 per cent of total income on puja and Navratra fair, 29.22 per cent on pay and allowance of staff, including Sanskrit Vidyalaya, 3.75 per cent on running the degree college at Jawalamukhi, office expenses 3.96 per cent, repair and maintenance 3.31 per cent and other expenses .57 per cent.

He has held that the remaining 56.62 per cent of the income of the temple will be divided equally in shares of 28.31 per cent each between the temple trust and Baridars. The order has brought down share of Baridars in temple offering by about 12 per cent.

The Baridars have been complaining that the committed liabilities, especially the salary of employees, has been increasing leaving very little money for the development of the shrines. However, sources here said Baridars’ share had also been increasing with the increase in the flow of pilgrims to the temple. 

Dharamsala, April 6
The coming two-day visit of Union Minister for Industry, Commerce and Textiles Anand Sharma to Kangra district from April 9 has started grumblings in the district Congress. Sharma is visiting Kangra, the politically most significant district of the state have 16 MLAs, for the first time since he took over as the Union Minister. Officially, he will be here to lay the foundation stone of an office of the Regional Tea Board at Palampur, which will be constructed at a cost of Rs 4 crore.

The visit also assumes significance in view of the fact that recently Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Virbhadra Singh also organised a political rally in the Jawali Assembly constituency of Kangra district.

Sources said the programme of Anand Sharma will be dominated by the anti-Virbhadra faction, which would try to display its political strength vis-a-vis the Jawali rally. GS Bali and Brij Behari Butail’s supporters have already issued statements that they and their supporters will attend Anand Sharma’s programme in full strength.

Chander Kumar, former MP and close aide of Virbhadra Singh, said he had no information regarding Anand Sharma’s programme at Palampur. It was the responsibility of the Union Minister visiting the state to inform the party rank and file about the visit.

Virbhadra Singh’s supporters said on condition of anonymity that Anand Sharma’s programme at Palampur was being organised to counter the Jawali rally.