Shimla, April 30
The government today decided to create new subdivisions with headquarters at Bangana in Una district and Sangrah in Sirmaur district for the convenience of local people.

The decision was taken by the state Cabinet which met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister PK Dhumal. Bangana subdivision will have 38 patwar circles and serve 73,054 persons of 40 gram panchayats under its jurisdiction, while Sangrah subdivision will cater to a population of 70,406 spread over 41 gram panchayats and will have 25 patwar circles under its jurisdiction.

It also decided to conduct a common entrance test annually to admit students to the two-year Junior Basic Training (JBT) Teachers Course through the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education.

It enhanced the “samman rashi” under the Himachal Pradesh Swatantrata Senani Samman Yojna - 1985 from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,500 per month to freedom fighters and from Rs 3,000 to Rs 3,500 per month to eligible wives and unmarried daughters with effect from April 1, 2012.

It directed all departments to adopt a uniform policy with regard to the regularisation of daily wage and “contingent paid” workers and contractual employees against vacancies available after the completion of eight years of continuous service as on March 31, 2012. The departments were also directed to adopt a uniform policy in respect of permanent absorption of surplus employees deployed on secondment with various departments.

It raised the consolidated salary of 100 casual patwaris working in the Settlement Department from Rs 4,828 to Rs 7,500 per month with immediate effect. It decided to appoint a consultant for conducting a pre-feasibility study for the development of a ropeway for the transportation of farm produce.

It cancelled the allotment of the 1 MW Chhor Hydroelectric Project in Kullu district for executing the project without obtaining the requisite NOC from all concerned gram panchayats. It gave nod for the construction of a parking-cum-commercial complex at Palampur under the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

It was decided to allow the BSNL to erect a mobile BTS and repeater tower in the Ram Chandra Chowk area of Shimla to improve the mobile signal in the area.

Key Cabinet Decisions

* The Cabinet decided to conduct a common entrance test annually to admit students to the two-year Junior Basic Training (JBT) Teachers Course through the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education

* The “samman rashi” for freedom fighters under the Himachal Pradesh Swatantrata Senani Samman Yojna - 1985 has been increased from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,500 per month

* The consolidated salary of 100 casual patwaris working in the Settlement Department has been raised from Rs 4,828 to Rs 7,500 per month with immediate effect

Shimla, April 30
As expected, Additional Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy, a 1978 batch IAS officer and senior-most serving officer in the state, has been elevated to the post of Chief Secretary.

He took over from Harinder Hira who retired today after a brief stint of one month at the top bureaucratic post. That Roy would be the next Chief Secretary became quite obvious when he was made OSD (Officer on Special Duty), Coordination and Monitoring, even as Hira was promoted to the top post despite her short tenure. The objective was to ensure that her short term in office did not disrupt continuity.

Roy is the fourth in the seniority list, but all the three officers senior to him are currently on central deputation. While S Vijay Kumar and Sutanu Behuria are of the 1976 batch, Ashok Thakur is of the 1977 batch.

Roy has held several important assignments at the Centre and state during his career. He remained Deputy Commissioner of Hamirpur and Kangra districts, Divisional Commissioner, Mandi, and held the charge of various departments as Secretary and Principal Secretary.

At the Centre, he was Regional Director, Ministry of Environment and Forests; Commissioner, Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, and Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textile.

Roy also had a three-year stint as Secretary General, International Jute Study Group, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 2007 to 2010. He took over as Additional Chief Secretary in March 2011.

He holds an M Phil degree in public administration from Panjab University and a post-graduate degree in history from Himachal Pradesh University.

Shimla, April 30
A strategy meeting of the Congress has been convened by the high command at Parwanoo tomorrow to chalk out the action plan for the coming Assembly poll. The main focus of the meeting will be on forging unity among senior leaders.

The internecine factional war attracted the attention of Congress president Sonia Gandhi after the rival camps headed by Virbhadra Singh and Kaul Singh held separate programmes at Shimla and Kangra early this month, further widening the factional divide. She immediately summoned top leaders, including Virbhadra Singh, Anand Sharma, Kaul Singh, Vidya Stokes and Viplove Thakur, and advised them to work in unison to bring the party back to power. She expressed displeasure over senior leaders giving statements against each other in the media and asked them to sit together and jointly work out a strategy for the poll.

Tomorrow’s meeting, to be presided over by AICC general secretary Birender Singh, is a sequel to it. Besides the top five leaders, GR Musafir, GS Bali, Chander Kumar, Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Harbhajan Singh Bhajji, Mukesh Agnihotri, Asha Kumari, Anita Verma and Dhani Ram Shandil have also been invited to the meeting.

Besides sorting out the irritants, a programme for holding joint public meetings of senior leaders is likely to be worked out to present a united face before the people and mobilise the grassroots workers ahead of the poll. The issue of taking back the leaders who were sacked for one reason or the other is also likely to crop up.

The much-awaited charge sheet against the Dhumal government will be given the final shape at the meeting, which will be followed by a meeting of the charge sheet committee. The issues to be raised by the party during the campaign will also be discussed.

The immediate attention will be on the Shimla Municipal Corporation poll for which a coordination committee comprising senior leaders and those of the Shimla urban and rural units of the party is likely to be constituted.

Shimla, April 30
The sudden outburst by Rajya Sabha MP Shanta Kumar on the state of affairs within the BJP and his sympathy for Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) leaders has caused considerable discomfiture to party leaders who feel such remarks from a senior leader made before the media would do more harm than good for the BJP, which is gearing up for the Assembly poll.

Chief Minister PK Dhumal tried to underplay the issue by stating that the senior leader would not just be consulted on important issues but his dream project of Vivekanand Hospital would also be fulfilled. On the other hand, state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti said the rule of not taking party matters to the media applied equally to all leaders, junior or senior.

Satti, who is trying to sort out the mess in the party, held detailed discussions with national BJP secretary Shyam Jaju, who is co-in charge of the BJP affairs in Himachal, here today. The two discussed the political scenario arising out of the unhappiness that Shanta Kumar has expressed over various issues in Himachal.

Reacting to the remarks made by the Rajya Sabha MP, who is also the national vice-president of the BJP, the Chief Minister said since the demand for the creation of districts had come from people in Shanta’s home district, he would definitely be consulted. “We are keen that his dream project of Vivekanand Hospital is completed at the earliest though we feel that adding a medical and nursing college to it would make it more viable,” he said.

“Shanta ji will always be consulted on important issues, whether it is concerning the creation of new districts or other aspects, but it would have been far better if he had expressed his views on the party platform rather than going to the media,” said Satti, when asked about the senior BJP leader’s remarks. Shanta had gone to the extent of stating that his opinion had not been sought on any issues, including the creation of new districts.

Satti said a special committee had been constituted to deal with the issue of the creation of new districts and Shanta Kumar’s opinion would definitely be taken.

Jaju went to the extent of saying that the former Chief Minister was equally responsible for the factionalism in the party. “Party chief Gadkari had assigned the task of holding talks with dissidents to Shanta ji, Nadda ji and me; so the former Chief Minister had an equal role to play. He cannot put the blame on others alone,” said Jaju. He added that the party was not the property of one leader but that of party workers.

Shimla, April 30
The newly elected body of the state Youth Congress will give top priority to the problem of unemployment and also launch a campaign to curb the growing use of narcotic substances among the youth.

Vice-president of the state Youth Congress Raghubir Singh Bali said here today that the policy of providing 70 per cent jobs to Himachalis at all levels was not being followed by industrial units and power projects as a result of which unemployed persons were being denied job opportunities. There were hardy any Himachalis in managerial posts.

He said 90 per cent of the people lived in rural areas and the state Youth Congress would pitch for policy changes to encourage setting up of industrial and tourism units in villages. The state had huge scope for agro-based industries which would not only create jobs for rural youth but also ensure remunerative returns to farmers.

The BJP government had not made any effort to frame policies to attract investment in rural areas and it had killed the prestigious Himalayan Ski Village project which would have brought foreign direct investment of over Rs 3,000 crore in the Kullu valley.

The state Youth Congress was not against genuine private educational instutions but it was opposed to those using it as a grab for acquiring huge chunks of land in the state. Besides, seats must be set apart for poor students who were in no position to pay the exorbitantly high fees of private universities and other institutions.

Shimla, April 30
The Himachal Power Engineers Association has rebutted the charge that project engineers are being handed out a raw deal and has asserted that their role in the HPSEBL has considerably reduced after unbundling.

The association pointed out that after unbundling, major civil works relating to the execution of hydel projects had been transferred to Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) and the HPSEBL was looking after the power distribution work. No injustice had been done to the project engineers as evident from the fact that there were 17 chief engineers from the civil engineering cadre in the HPPCL, the HPSEBL, the SJVN and the Directorate of Energy. Further, in the HPPCL as many as 11 chief engineers from the project wing had been posted against a sanctioned strength of six, whereas there was only one Chief Engineer from the electrical cadre.

The demand that the post of Chief Engineer (Planning) should be manned by a project engineer was not justified as more than 90 per cent of activities pertained to electrical works. The under-construction Ghanvi (Stage II) project would be completed this year after which the posts of Superintending Engineer and Chief Engineer (Projects) would not be required and should be abolished. Instead, a post of Chief Engineer, Tariff and Power Purchase (Electrical), should be created.

The work of the Energy Directorate was largely of electrical nature, but only two superintending engineers and one Chief Engineer from the electrical cadre had been posted. However, three superintending engineers and one Chief Engineer from the project engineers’ cadre were in place. The association urged the Chief Minister to post one Chief Engineer(Electrical) immediately.

At present there was no work with the Chief Engineer (Projects) and the Superintending Engineer (Planning), Mandi, and these posts should be abolished. The post of Director (Projects) in the HPSEBL should be re-designated as Director (Commercial) and manned by an electrical engineer instead of a civil engineer.

Solan, April 30
Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) spokesman and former BJP minister MN Sofat was today gheraoed by a section of the employees of the local municipal committee (MC) when he went to the office to seek a copy of the death certificate of the local MLA and Health Minister Rajeev Bindal’s father.

The employees got infuriated on seeing Sofat who, they alleged, had been demanding speedy filing of a challan in a case relating to irregularities in their appointments when Bindal was the chairman of the MC. They raised slogans against Sofat for his anti-employee stand.

Sofat, who had applied for a copy of the death certificate of the MLA’s father as supporting evidence for his defence in a case registered against him by the MLA, rued that both the executive officer and the dealing hand failed to furnish him the copy and they later vanished from the office. He had applied before chairman Kul Rakesh Pant for this copy and it was his right to obtain a copy.

Accompanied by party man Dharam Singh Guleria, Sofat said he tried to explain to the employees that he was not against them but it was his party’s policy to seek justice in such cases pertaining to corruption. This, however, failed to cut ice with the employees who also got into a verbal spat with him.

Failing to get a copy of the certificate, Sofat returned from the MC office after about half an hour.

The HP Urban Local Bodies Employees Federation has taken exception to this incident and said the HLP leader was issuing anti-employee statements in the media. Condemning it, state president Karam Singh Rathode said he should not target them and not indulge in politicising the issue of their appointments. He urged Sofat to abstain from issuing anti-employee statements in the media.

Sofat alleged that he was denied a copy of the certificate at the behest of the local MLA and the dealing hand and the executive officer deliberately vanished from the office.

Bindal had got a case of defamation and one pertaining to issuing false statements, harming his reputation, registered against Sofat recently and it was in this context that Sofat required the said certificate.

Hamirpur, April 30
Chief Minister PK Dhumal has said development and investigating journalism was important since it played an important role in highlighting the achievements of the government and raising issues in the media.

Addressing a gathering here last evening at a function organised by Hamripur-based mediapersons, the Chief Minister said, “The media has an important role in highlighting various issues like those pertaining to environment and health.”

He said due to rising competition between the pint media and the electronic media, journalists were required to discharge their duties under pressure. However, credibility was important and journalists must adopt a professional approach and adhere to ethics.

Dhumal said the state government had decided to bring mediapersons under the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna under which they would be provided a health cover of Rs 1.75 lakh, besides setting up a welfare fund for them.

Members of the media presented a draft for Rs 21,000 to Dhumal for the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

Member of the media advisory committee Vijay Pal Soharu thanked Dhumal for launching a health insurance scheme for journalists.

MLAs Urmil Thakur and Baldev Sharma, and Rajinder Singh Thakur, Deputy Commissioner (DC), were among those present at the function. 

Solan, April 30
Even as managements of various industrial units gear up to celebrate the International Labour Day tomorrow, the unhygienic dwelling places of hundreds of jhuggi dwellers in the state’s industrial hub of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh remain an issue of neglect.

With hardly any facility to get safe drinking water, labourers, who have migrated from various states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand etc, barely manage to make both ends meet while living in shanty accommodations.

The State’s Pollution Control Board may be professing about strictly regulating the collection of chemical-ridden drums from industries and related plastic waste, but burning such hazarduous waste is a common sight near jhuggis in the Marrawala area bordering Baddi. Jhuggi dwellers are not only exposed to toxic fumes when such hazardous chemical waste is set fire in the open, but are also exposed to acquiring skin diseases as they use water from the same Balad and Sirsa river where chemical drums are washed.

Employed through labour contractors, they generally fail to figure in the regular rolls of industries and face lack of employment rights like gratuity and ESI facilities. Even in case of accidental deaths, they do not get any compensation from the state government.

Though the state government is constructing labour hostels, they will not be able to use this facility as they reside with their families.

The Labour Day will pass like another routine day for migrant labourers whose quest for earning a decent livelihood starts every day and their only desire appears to be to spare a few bucks to send back to their families.

Hamirpur, April 30
Doctors, paramedical staff and other staff of Regional Hospital (RH), Hamirpur, observed a half-day strike today demanding security for the staff on duty and action against culprits, who had allegedly assaulted a doctor and a staff nurse on Saturday night and also broken glasses of doors of the emergency ward of the hospital.

The staff did not report for duty and assembled on the main gate of the hospital and stayed off duty for over four hours, causing inconvenience to patients. Doctors and paramedical staff only attended emergency cases.

The staff was demanding action against the culprits involved in assaulting the staff and damaging the hospital property.

A few relatives of a woman patient, who was brought in a serious condition to the hospital, after her death, in an inebriated condition had not only broken the glasses of doors, but had assaulted medical officer Dheeraj and a staff nurse on duty, accusing the staff of not providing proper medical care to the patient.

The doctor on duty had registered an FIR with the police in this regard. The medical, paramedical and other staff observed strike accused the hospital and police administrations for their failure in protecting the staff on duty and taking action in the case.

General Secretary of the Medical Officers’ Association Sanjay Jagota said: “We have demanded action against the culprits within 24 hours failing which we will go on an indefinite strike.”

CMO, Hamirpur, SK Soni, said: “An FIR has already been registered in the case and the police has assured to arrest the accused, besides taking measures to provide security to the hospital staff.”

DC, Hamirpur, Rajinder Singh Thakur had assured action in the matter.

Shimla, April 30
Keen to wrest control of the Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC) from the Congress, the BJP has started holding deliberations with party workers so that most suitable people are fielded and the party emerges victorious.

National BJP secretary and co-in charge of BJP Affairs in Himachal, Shyam Jaju, state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti, local MLA Suresh Bhardwaj and other party leaders today met party workers from the three BJP mandals which constitute the Shimla MC.

Jaju urged party workers to ensure BJP victory in the polls, the way people in Delhi and Mumbai had favoured the BJP. “Party workers must highlight the achievements of the BJP regime during the past four years and at the same time point out the failures of the Congress which has had control of the Shimla MC for the past 25 years,” Satti said.

Bhardwaj listed various works, including bringing a policy to regularise structures built in violation of norms, relaxing the ban on plots in green areas and other such decisions which were in the interest of people of the state capital.

The BJP is likely to finalise its candidates by May 5 for which a survey is also being done by an outside agency. 

Shimla, April 30
The state high court has directed IAS officers Narender Chauhan and Ajay Mittal to remain present in the court in a contempt case on May 2. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Dharam Chand Chaudhary observed in an open court that the affidavit filed by the respondent officers and the contents thereof prima facie shows a wilful disobedience of the court orders.

It observed that it was made clear time and again to the state that it could not sit over an order of the high court as the appellate authority, but of no avail.

This order came on a contempt petition filed by Lobhi Dod averring that the respondent officers have committed contempt and were liable for punishment under the Contempt of Courts Act.

The petitioner mentioned that the high court had directed the state to treat the petitioner as appointed under the ex-serviceman category with all consequential benefits. This order was also upheld in appeal before the Division Bench of the court.

It was alleged that the respondent officers - Chauhan, Chief electoral officer, and Mittal, Principal Secretary, PWD, had on their own restricted the benefit for three years. There was no such direction in the orders of the Single Judge or the Division Bench of the HC.

It found that this act of the respondents prima facie amounts to wilful disobedience of the orders of the court and directed them to remain present in the court on May 2 and charges would be framed against them.