Shimla, July 18
Going all out to woo the powerful employees’ lobby with an eye on the forthcoming Assembly poll, the fund-starved government today announced a “bonanza of financial benefits” for various categories of staff which will further burden the already strained state exchequer.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal announced the sops at a meeting with the State Employees Joint Consultative Committee in which representatives of various employees’ unions and associations were present. The most important announcement was the acceptance of the long-pending demand of time scale with jumps after four, nine and 14 years of service. It will benefit 3.37 lakh regular, contractual, part time and daily wage employees of different departments, boards and corporations.

The tribal allowance has been raised from Rs 200 to Rs 300 per month, which will benefit about 35,000 employees.

The employees recruited on a contract basis through the State Public Service Commission and the State Subordinate Services Selection Board will now be entitled to 10 days of medical leave in addition to 12 days of casual leave annually and will be eligible to seek a transfer after three years instead of five years as applicable earlier. Further, they will be eligible for the regularisation of their services on the completion of six years of service instead of eight years and will be covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme. The 80,000-odd Class IV employees have been given one special increment.

The government also decided to adopt a uniform policy for providing employment to kith and kin on compassionate grounds, which will also cover the contractual employees. Part-time water carriers will be made daily wage employees on the completion of nine years of service and on the regularisation of their services designated as water carrier-cum-sewadar. Eligible water carriers will be absorbed against vacancies available in the Education Department.

Employees will be entitled to a housing loan on the basis of the basic pay, without the upper limit of Rs 7.5 lakh and the budgetary provisions for repair of government residential accommodation at the district level will also be raised from Rs 10 crore to Rs 13.85 crore.

The Chief Minister said the government had provided financial benefits worth Rs 6,296.84 crore to the employees during its present term. It had paid the entire arrears on account of the pay revision.

Shimla, July 18
With the contentious issue of imposition of property tax on the new unit-area method still hanging fire, the fund-starved Shimla Municipal Corporation is trying to build a consensus in favour of the move not only among the councillors but also various residents’ welfare associations in the state capital.

In this regard, Ahmedabad-based consultants Planning and Resource Mobilisation for Urban Development Authority (PRUDA) made a presentation before the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor and all 25 councillors today. Efforts were made to allay the fears of councillors with regard to the implementation of the unit-area method for imposing property tax.

It is reliably learnt that the issue of charging property tax on the unit-area method, which is pending, was discussed by Mayor Sanjay Chauhan and Deputy Mayor Tikender Panwar with the Secretary, Urban Development. “Considering the geographical constraints and the socio-economic condition of the people, we feel we are still not prepared to implement the unit-area method. We will have to rethink the issue,” said the Mayor. He said the House would take the final call on the issue.

The issue of a switchover to this new system of property tax calculation has been pending for quite some time even though an amendment has been made to the Act. “We will have to start charging on the basis of this new system from February 20, 2012; so efforts are being made to place the matter before the House, which is scheduled to meet on July 27,” said MP Sood, Commissioner, MC.

The task of preparing a software for dividing the town into zones has already been accomplished. The tax will be charged depending on residential or commercial use, age of the building and its location. “We also held a workshop today for representatives of residents’ welfare associations so that any fears and apprehensions they have in their mind can be addressed,” said Sood.

The financial health of the MC is also an area of grave concern. It is being felt that the implementation of the unit-area method will help rake in some extra money that is needed to meet the bulky salary bill of the MC.

Shimla, July 18
The state Cabinet today approved a proposal for amending the hydropower development policy to allow independent power producers (IPPs) to transfer the ownership of projects six months after commissioning. It also gave its nod to a scheme for providing netbooks to 4,000 meritorious students of Class XI free of cost.

The meeting, presided over by Chief Minister PK Dhumal, decided that students who passed matriculation from government schools in the state would be granted the gadget on the basis of merit in the school board examinations. The netbook would enable them to assess the latest global technologies and equip themselves with knowledge. It will cost the government Rs 6.50 crore.

The Cabinet decided to amend the hydropower development policy to permit the IPPs to transfer the ownership of projects by way of selling their equity stakes beyond 51 per cent after allowing a stability period of six months from the date of achieving commercial operation of the plant instead of the current two years. The provision will be applicable to projects of all sizes.

The Cabinet also decided to allot the 3.5 MW Chhoo project in the Pangi valley of Chamba to M/s L&T Power Development Limited for meeting the “construction power requirement” of the 149 MW Sach Khas project on the condition that the allottee would pay an additional royalty as per the bid for the main project over and above the base rate of 6 per cent, 15 per cent and 24 per cent, and abide by other terms and conditions of the present policy for projects up to 5 MW. It allowed the development of the 200 MW Bara Bhangal project in two stages keeping in view the fact that the area falls in a wildlife sanctuary. It also decided to provide the dilution of 26 per cent shares from Himachali to non-Himachalis for small projects at any stage after allotment instead of restricting it to construction.

It decided to grant 5 per cent concession in the power tariff to industrial units which have come into operation after April 1, 2012, and purchase 27 more vehicles to increase the strength of 108 ambulances under the Atal Swasthya Sewa to 135. It allowed opening of imported timber sale depots in rural areas to meet the specific requirement of the local area.

The other decisions taken by the Cabinet included setting up of a permanent police post at Taklech village in Rampur, granting the letter of intent to the Abhilashi Education Society for starting the BAMS course at Chail Chowk in Mandi with the condition that a 100-bedded hospital will be constructed first and the construction of a parking-cum-commercial complex at Bilaspur.

Kangra, July 18
The Kangra valley was today lashed by rain bringing down the temperature and giving relief to residents from the heat the valley had been experiencing during the past one week.

Reports of rain were also received from Dharamsala, McLeodganj, Chanumda, Nagrota Bagwan, Gaggal, Shahpur, Charri, Palampur, Maranda and Paror areas of the valley.

Dharamsala, July 18
With the state Assembly elections due in a few months, the race for the ticket has started in Kangra, the politically most significant district of the state.

Many new leaders have starting making political moves to stake their claim for the ticket of the BJP and the Congress.

Supporters of Manoj Kumar, district president of the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan, today held a press conference and demanded the party ticket for him. They claimed that Manoj Kumar was the most suitable candidate for the Congress from Dharamsala keeping in view the Gaddi vote bank in the area. The Dharamsala Assembly constituency is being represented by Kishan Kapoor, Minister for Industries, in the present government. He also belongs to the Gaddi community.

Congress MP from Jodhpur Chandresh Kumari used to represent the Congress from the Dharamsala Assembly constituency. Sources said Chandresh Kumari would try to secure the party ticket for one of her family members from Dharamsala. Chandresh Kumari has increased her presence in the area over the past few months.

From the Jwalamukhi Assembly constituency, Narinder Singh, a Youth Congress leader, is staking his claim for the party ticket. He recently completed a padyatra of the Jwalamukhi Assembly constituency and has claimed to have touched almost every village of the area.

At present, the Jwalamukhi Assembly constituency is being represented by Ramesh Dhawala, Minister for Food and Civil Supplies. However, after the reconstitution of the Assembly constituencies, Minister for Irrigation and Public Health Ravinder Ravi is also staking his claim for the Jawalamukhi Assembly constituency. His constituency, Thural, has been reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates after the delimitation process.

In Kangra on Sunday, former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh virtually announced the candidature of Surinder Kaku from the Kangra Assembly constituency. This ruffled the feathers of some young aspirants who were eying the party ticket this time. Dr Rajesh Sharma, son of former Congress leader from Kangra Balkrishan Sharma, held a press conference at Dharamsala and announced that he would contest the elections from the Kangra Assembly constituency irrespective of the fact that the Congress gave him the ticket or not. Dr Rajesh also claimed that he had already started campaigning in the Kangra Assembly constituency.

In the Nurpur Assembly constituency, internal strife in the BJP is quite evident. Rakesh Pathania, sitting Independent MLA, enjoys the support of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. However, BJP national vice-president and party strongman from Kangra Shanta Kumar is against giving Rakesh Pathania the party ticket. The Shanta faction has projected Nikka Pathania, a leader of the stone crushers’ association from Nurpur.

From the Palampur Assembly constituency, Sudhir Sharma, Congress MLA from Baijnath, is likely to be the candidate of the Virbhadra faction in the Congress. However, former Congress MLA from the area Brij Behari Butail enjoys the support of HPCC president Kaul Singh and Union Minister for Industry and Commerce Anand Sharma.

From the BJP, though Minister for Irrigation and Public Health Ravinder Ravi is staking claim from Palampur on the plea that his house is located there, Shanta Kumar has thrown his weight behind sitting BJP MLA Parveen Kumar.

Nurpur, July 18
The BJP is a cadre-based party and will give the party ticket to candidates with a clean image and having a mass appeal and capacity to win, after consulting with the party’s rank and file in the coming Assembly elections.

Talking to mediapersons at Jawali today, state BJP co-in charge and national BJP secretary Shyam Jaju said the party’s parliamentary board would soon announce the party ticket in the state.

He claimed that the BJP was ahead in its “mission repeat” and the party would not take any risk while selecting its candidates for the poll.

“However, the party has undertaken a survey as a part of exercise to select its candidates but other aspects will also be taken into consideration before finalisation of the same,” he claimed.

He said the BJP had been organising training camps across the state to rejuvenate its cadre.

Talking on the issue of indiscipline in the party, Jaju asserted that it was not a major issue as it was prevailing in every political party and the BJP was trying to bring dissidents into party’s mainstream.

He was categorical that there was no place for the third political front in the state and people had neglected such fronts in the past.

“People have even rejected leaders like Kalyan Singh and Babu Ram Marandi, who had deserted the BJP. In Himachal, the HLP is a group of opportunists with no political future,” he maintained.

He claimed that the BJP would certainly repeat its government in the state.

Later, Jaju opened a training camp for party workers of the local unit at Labh by lighting a lamp. State BJP vice-president Kirpal Parmar, local former MLA Harbans Rana, Kangra district BJP president Ranjit Pathania and HRTC Director Rajiv Bhardwaj were among those present.

Jammu, July 18
Keeping in view the coming Assembly elections in the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh, the Congress high command has decided to give important assignments to party leaders of Jammu and Kashmir as they are well aware of the topography and political situation of the state.

The party leadership has already assigned important jobs to three Congress leaders of Jammu and Kashmir. They have been made in charge of three districts of Himachal to strengthen the organisation structure and prepare the ground for the Assembly elections.

Former Minister and Member of the Legislative Council Jugal Kishore Sharma has been given the job of looking after the crucial Hamirpur district, which is the native place of Himachal Chief Minister PK Dhumal.

Minister of State for Power Shabir Ahmed Khan has assigned the job of Mandi district, while former Minister and sitting MLA Ghulam Ahmed Mir has been made in charge of Kangra district.

Sharma, a loyalist of Ghulam Nabi Azad, has already started work in Hamirpur district.

“I have already convened a meeting of Congress leaders and workers of Hamirpur district,” Sharma told The Tribune, adding that on July 20 he would again visit Himachal to formally start the work as per the directions of the party high command.

Buoyed over response received by the party in Himachal Pradesh, Sharma claimed that there was a strong incumbency wave against the present BJP regime headed by Dhumal.

He said in the last Assembly elections the Congress had won only one seat from the district but this time the party would sweep the poll in the district because people were fed up with the wrong policies of the BJP regime.

He claimed that the BJP was a divided house in Himachal, while the Congress was united to unseat the present regime.

Sources in the Congress said more leaders of the party would be deputed in Himachal to start the groundwork so as to ensure victory of party candidates in the poll.

Leaders from Bhaderwah and Doda areas would be assigned the job to work in neighbouring Chamba belt.

Bhaderwah and Gandoh areas of Doda district are bordering Chamba belt of Himachal Pradesh.

Mandi, July 18
CPM and Himachal Lokhit Morcha (HLM) leaders today claimed that a wave is spreading across the region in favour of the HLM as people are disillusioned with the ruling BJP government and the Opposition Congress as both parties never fulfilled their promises.

The ruling BJP had failed to fulfil its election promises in Jogindernagar and other parts of the district. Earlier, the Congress did the same by making promises during elections and never bothered to fulfil these after forming government, they alleged.

CPM state secretariat member Kushal Bhardwaj, who will contest from the Jogindernagar Assembly seat, said: “The present term of the BJP turned out to be a disappointment for residents of Jogindernagar and Ladbharol.”

The CHC building at Bharol was constructed after farmers and CPM workers launched a year-long stir.

The BJP is ready to inaugurate it but its not having a single doctor and the HLM will oppose it.

HLM leaders Ranjit Singh and Tek Singh said the government had promised a government college, an ITI and an employment exchange at Ladbharol, but till date these were not implemented.

Residents of Khuddar, Khaddi and Tulah villages have been seeking compensation for their land and damages done by the 105-MW Uhal project, but their cries have fallen on deaf ears of the government-run corporation as the ruling BJP and the previous Congress governments had remained as silent spectators, the HLM leaders added.

Bilaspur, July 18
All arrangements have been finalised for the orderly conduct of the 10-day annual Shravan Ashtami Navratra fair at the Naina Devi shrine from July 20 to 29, 95 km from here, in this district.

This was stated by Deputy Commissioner-cum-Temple Commissioner Ritesh Chauhan after holding a meeting of district officers and non-officials at Naina Devi yesterday. He said this fair was visited by lakhs of devotees from all parts of the country and even from abroad and attracted huge crowds during auspicious days.

Chauhan said all district officers had been assigned duties regarding the maintenance of peace, law and order, cleanliness and hygienic conditions, 24-hour medical and health services and supply of power, drinking water and essential commodities on reasonable rates, traffic control and parking and running of additional HRTC buses.

He said no heavy vehicles like tempos, trucks and tractors loaded with devotees would be allowed after Toba. Five police barriers would be set up at Toba, Kainchi ka Mode, Ghwandal, Ropeway and Kohni ka Mode, and all roads leading to the shrine would have 24-hour vigilance by the police and other staff.

The Deputy Commissioner said Section 144, CrPC, would remain enforced in the Kot police station area during the fair and no weapons, arms and ammunitions, explosives or any type of arms would be allowed to be possessed or carried by anybody under any excuse. Begging, playing of mikes and loud music and any other instrument like drums, DVD players etc would remain totally banned in mela premises and offering of coconuts and halwa prasad to the deity would not be allowed.

The mela premises had been divided into nine sectors and each would be supervised by a sector magistrate and a police officer. The traffic would be regulated by allowing devotees in groups of 200-250 at a time on the narrow steep hill path to the shrine.

Kullu/Sainj, July 18
The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), a category-I mini ratna company, is in the dock as its 520 MW Parbati (stage-III) project is also running three years behind schedule and the 731 MW (stage-I) project of the prestigious 2,051 MW Parbati project remains as good as scrapped on environmental grounds.

The NHPC’s 2,051 MW Parbati project was billed as Asia’s biggest project, but it will have to remain content with a capacity of 1,320 MW only. The fate of the 731 MW Parbati (stage-I) project was sealed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, which rejected it on environmental grounds as it lies in the ecologically sensitive upper Parbati valley, which is home to small streams and the Mantalai glaciers and would have threatened the flora and fauna of the area.

The Parbati (stage-III) project faces a ticklish problem even though the NHPC has set a target to commission it in October 2012. The 30-km-long tunnel of the stage-II project has been delayed for uncertain period of time. The stage-III project seeks to utilise the water of the Parbati river to be taken through the 30-km-long head race tunnel to a powerhouse of the Parbati (stage-II) project at Siund.

With the Parbati (stage-II) project already running over 10 years behind schedule, the NHPC has “burnt its fingers” in the 520 MW Parbati (stage-III) project as well and it may suffer further delay due to the delay in the constriction of the stage-II tunnel.

The Parbati (stage-III) project was scheduled to be commissioned in 2010. However, the NHPC is set to revise its schedule for the second time now.

Interestingly, despite the Parbati (stage-III) project running almost three years behind schedule, its cost has not escalated from Rs 2,304.56 crore as estimated in 2005.

General Manager, Parbati III, AK Trikha said they were hoping to commission the project in October 2012. “It is set to be the first project in the country to be completed in less than its estimated cost,” he added.

The work on the stage-III project began in 2005 and the NHPC had set a target to complete it at a cost of Rs 2,304.56 crore in 2010 and to generate 1,963.29 million units of electricity in a year at 60 per cent plant load factor. Unlike in stage-II, the NHPC did not face any big challenge in stage-III.

Shimla, July 18
“Contemporary Indian art is flourishing globally as never before in the new liberalised environment. However, people are largely ignorant of this important development due to the ‘galloping art illiteracy’ in the country,” laments well-known scholar, art critic and writer Sadanand Menon, who is also a member of the Lalit Kala Akademi.

“Over the past 15 years, the cultural image of the country has undergone a sea change in the eyes of the world community, thanks to the emergence of a new brand of artists who have through subtle adaptations lent a contemporary flavour to traditional art in almost every sphere. Not less than 50 Indians pursuing various forms of arts have made their mark on the global art scene,” Menon told The Tribune. He was in the city to deliver a lecture on “The Time and Work of Chandralekha in Contemporary Choreography” at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) here.

Paintings and other works of Indian artists were selling like hot cakes across the world and exponents of various forms of performing arts were getting more invitations to exhibit their talent at global platforms than ever before. The art scene had undergone a revolution of sorts, which was almost unnoticed as the media, both print and electronic, had drastically cut down the art coverage.

However, this was not the case in the developed world and most respected newspapers were daily devoting a full page to art and culture. Being an art critic and teacher of journalism, he felt quite disillusioned over the declining coverage at a time when art and related activities were witnessing phenomenal growth. For instance, the number of art gallerias in Delhi had shot up from 41 to over 100 and more shows were taking place but there was a virtual blackout in the media. It did not augur well for a coutnry which took pride in its rich tradition of art and culture, he said.

Shimla, July 18
Satish Loomba of the Indian Audit and Accounts Service took over as Principal Accountant General (Audit), Himachal Pradesh, here today.

He took up the new assignments on return to his parent cadre from the Union Ministry of Finance where he served as Custodian, Special Court (Trial of Offences), Department of Financial Services.

He has also served as Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and remained as Financial Adviser of the Bhakra Beas Management Board from 1996 to 2001.

Kangra, July 18
A 48-year-old migrant labourer succumbed to his injuries at the DRPGMCH in Tanda today. He was injured last evening at Maranda when he chased a monkey and fell from the roof of the house.

The police said was identified as Summer Singh of Nepal. He was rushed to the Civil Hospital, Palampur, from where he was referred to the Tanda hospital in a critical condition. His body after postmortem was handed over to his relatives. The police is investigating the case under Section 174, CrPC. 

Dalhousie, July 18
It was for the first time that a six-day inter-school rifle shooting coaching camp-cum-competition was held at Dalhousie. As many as 60 schoolchildren from Dalhousie Public School, Guru Nanak Public School, Hilltop Public School and Government Senior Secondary School, Banikhet, participated in the camp.

The prize distribution function was chaired by Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Dalhousie, Madhu Chaudhary in which Director, Dalhousie Public School, Dr (Capt) GS Dhillon was the chief guest.

The founding of this colourful event was done by Executive Director, NHPC, Banikhet Region, SC Sharma. Students and staff members of various schools and local residents requested the District Rifle Club, Chamba, organiser of the event, to continue to hold such shooting events at Dalhousie in future too.

Dalhousie Public School with four gold, four silver and two bronze medals bagged the best school trophy followed by Guru Nanak Public School that bagged the second best school trophy by winning three silver and three bronze medals. Government Senior Secondary School, Banikhet, with three bronze medals got the third best school trophy. Rattan Chand of the same school was declared as the best shooter.

Giving details here today, general secretary of the club KL Shah said the chief objective for organising such an event was to give exposure of rifle shooting to school students and others and create awareness that a few 10-metre indoor ranges were urgently required to be constructed to carry on rifle shooting as a regular sport for school students.

Accordingly, Dalhousie Public School has decided to construct one 10-m indoor range in the school complex by August this year. Hilltop Public School gave an assurance to complete the construction work of such a range by the end of the current year, Shah revealed.

Shimla, July 18
The over 150-year-old Bishop Cotton School (BCS) here today added yet another feather to its cap by becoming the first school in the country to start confined scuba diving for its students in the school pool.

Not only has the school achieved this feat, scoring over many other schools located near the coastline, but two of its students, Pranav and Ayush, have got themselves a place in the Limca Book of World Records by being the youngest scuba divers. The two brothers, studying in Classes VII and VI in the BCS, along with another student, Yuvraj, today gave a dexterous performance with the school staff and students applauding the rare accomplishment.

The three students, in the presence of their four instructors, displayed their skills in the art that they have mastered.

“The BCS has again done a first of its kind by offering this rare opportunity to its students as trained scuba divers have taught students to undertake scuba diving, something which even schools closer to the coastlines could not achieve,” said Principal RC Robinson amid applause from the students who had gathered around the school pool, a rarity in the cool climes of Shimla.

Robinson said learning scuba diving was not easy as the opportunity was rare. Now that the facility would be available in the school, he was keen that both students and staff make the most of it. The “Discover Scuba Diving Course” has been made mandatory for all with the four trainers - Archana Sardana from Panchkula, Johann Bharucha from Port Blair, Samantha Nunes from Goa and Rajpreet Warna from Kolkata - all set to help the students to master the art.

“Once you get hooked to scuba diving, you love the underwater world which these students can enjoy much more in the open sea as in school they will master the art of confined scuba diving in a pool,” says Archana, who has many feats, including sky diving from 15,000 ft, to her credit. In fact, Pranav and Ayush are her sons, who are following in the footsteps of their daredevil mom.

She explains that scuba diving has three parts - theory, where one learns about the technique to breathe underwater and communicate, confined scuba diving like in a pool and then the final stage of open sea scuba diving, which only those above the age of 10 can undertake.

“We are all very excited to learn scuba diving so that when out on a holiday in a coastal city, we can show our deftness in the adventure sport, which is very popular among the youth,” say students of Class IX and Class X.