Shimla, March 29
The Vidhan Sabha today passed the Budget for 2013-14 and adopted the connected Appropriation Bill, authorising the government to spend Rs 23,349.87 crore from the consolidated fund.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh presented the Budget on March 14 and proposals were scrutinised by departmental committees concerned during the five-day recess from March 23.

Demands pertaining to education, urban development and public works were discussed, The Speaker applied the guillotine and remaining demands were passed without discussion.

Members in the opposition withdrew cut motions after the replies of ministers concerned and the Budget was passed by voice vote. Of the budget of Rs 21,767 crore, Rs 6,956 crore would be spent on salaries of employees, Rs 2,839 crore on pensions, Rs 2,431 crore on interest payment and Rs 1,714 crore on loan repayment.

Revenue receipts were estimated at Rs 17,700 crore and revenue expenditure at Rs 17,646 crore. Capital receipts were estimated at Rs 3,540 crore and capital expenditure at Rs 4,120 crore. The fiscal deficit of Rs 2,324 crore, which was 2.85 per cent of the GSDP, would be bridged by raising loans.

During discussions on demands for the Public Works Department earlier, members raised the issue of maintenance of roads and delay in forest clearance for new roads.

They demanded more funds for maintenance of national highways and asserted that the matter shoulf be taken up with the National Highways Authority of India.

The Chief Minister assured members that their suggestions and demands would be given consideration and efforts would be made to properly maintain road construction under NABARD and PMGSY as roads were lifelines of the state.

He said people’s reluctance to give land was a major hurdle in construction of roads and acquisition of land was a time-consuming process.

Replying to the debate, Urban Development and Housing Minister Sudhir Sharma said the government would not bring in the amended Town Planning Act in haste and incorporate recommendations of the select committee of the House.

He said a $100 million Asian Development Bank loan for development of urban areas was in the offing and it would go a long way in improving civic amenities in such areas.

Referring to the acute parking problem in Shimla, he said more funds would be provided for setting up additional parking lots.

He said the government would sympathetically consider the demand of people from merged areas under the municipal corporation for a policy to regularise unauthorised houses.

He said the government would give priority to building plans in which a provision for parking had been made. He added that the government would address problems of Bhakra oustees who had been allotted plots in Bilaspur.

Shimla, March 29
Shimla, Sirmaur and some parts of Solan were lashed by a hailstorm today.

The city and the surrounding areas were covered with a white sheet by the hailstorm, which lasted for more than an hour.

The strong icy winds brought down the temperature considerably further prolonging the cold wave.

The sky remained overcast in most parts of the state and many other areas also reported mild rain and snow over the past 24 hours. Kalpa in Kinnaur had 4 cm snow and Keylong in Lahaul-Spiti had 1 cm snow.

Banjar recorded the highest 19 mm of rain, followed by Seobagh and Pandoh (3 mm each), Karsog and Palampur (12 mm each), Bhunter (11 mm), Bajaura (10 mm), Baijnath and Dalhousie (9 mm each), Mandi (8 mm), Rampur, Shimla and Kufri (7mm each)

According to the local met office, the weather would clear tomorrow. A fresh western disturbance would appear on April 1, but it would not have much impact.

Shimla, March 29
The Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Foundation on Tuesday made an advance payment of Rs 15,92,765 for infrastructure development to panchayats to be affected by the Luhri hydroelectricity project.

The amount was paid to panchayat pradhans during a function at Bithal in the project area. Of the 28 panchayats to be affected in Shimla, Mandi and Kullu districts, 21 had signed the memorandum of understanding.

It had been stated in it that the SJVN would provide funds for works such as school grounds and toilets, community halls and paths.

Project head SK Sharma said maximum public participation was being ensured for the first time. He said village development advisory committees had been set up to ensure transparency.

He said the committees were headed by Additional General Manager DP Kaushal and each comprised four members from the project and three from panchayats.

Kaushal said various schemes were being run to provide technical education to the youth. He said technical knowhow in horticulture, agriculture and veterinary science was being imparted to farmers.

He said they were supporting cultural and sports activities. He said other measures were free consultancy and medicine and benches and wheelchairs at public places and hospitals.

BSNL workers repair the main telephone cable at Sundernagar. Photo: Mahesh Chander Sharma

Sundernagar, March 29
Thousands of telephones in the town remained out of order for six days as the main telephone cable was reportedly damaged by a contractor with the Irrigation and Public Health Department while laying a sewerage line with the use of a JCB machine.

More than 400 broadband lines and large number of leased lines were damaged. Customers of various banks were inconvenienced. A majority of ATMs remained out of order. Thousands of visitors to the Nalwari fair complained about non-functional ATMs.

According to BSNL SDO Aswani Sharma, they lodged a complaint against the contractor and prepared a bill for more than Rs 1 lakh. The police said they had received the complaint and an FIR had been registered. Residents demanded immediate action against the person concerned. The lines were restored this morning.

Shimla, March 29
The government will take action against Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board chairperson Hardeep Bawa, arrested in connection with a case under the Arms Act, only after collecting facts from the Haryana Police.

Stating this in a statement in the Assembly, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the case pertained to 2003 and two co-accused who had faced trial were acquitted.

He said Bawa did not get the summons and he surrendered in court at Kalka. He said the government was gathering from the Haryana Police information regarding the case and action would be taken after ascertaining facts.

Ravinder Singh Ravi of the BJP raised the matter as soon as the House assembled for the day. He urged the Speaker to allow his adjournment motion to discuss the issue as, according to him, it reflected the state of law and order.

He said an MLA had been arrested in a murder case and the chairperson of a board taken into custody. He wanted the government to sack Bawa as he had spent more than 48 hours in judicial custody.

Speaker Brij Bihari Lal Butail did not allow the motion on the grounds that sufficient time was not given and he was not aware of the issue. He said the Chief Minister would give a statement after Question Hour and then proceeded with the business listed for the day.

There were heated exchanges over shortage of doctors in Chamba between Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur and former Health Minister Rajiv Bindal during Question Hour.

The question was put up by BJP member BK Chauhan. Kaul Singh blamed the previous government for the dismal state of affairs. Bindal interrupted him and claimed that he had appointed over 900 doctors during his tenure.

Kaul Singh claimed that almost 50 per cent of the doctors did not join as they were recruited through Rogi Kalyan Samitis and paid just Rs 26,200 per month.

He said the Congress government had increased the remuneration of degree holders to Rs 40,000 per month and of postgraduates to Rs 50,000 a month.

Replying to Ajay Mahajan’s question, Kaul Singh said the government was aware of the discrepancy in salaries of patwaris in Kinnaur. He said the government had decided in 2008 to make appointments on contract, but the Deputy Commissioner had issued to six patwaris letters of regular appointment.

He said the government had taken corrective action, but the patwaris had moved court and the matter was sub judice. He said the government would fill all 513 vacant posts of patwari.

Shimla, March 29
The government has decided to provide training in four disciplines from Class IX to Class XII in the first phase of the National Vocational Education Qualification Framework (NVEQF), a new initiative for sector specific skill enhancement, which will help improve employability of pass outs.

Vocational education will be started in 100 identified schools from the ensuing academic session across the state. Each selected school will provide vocational education in two disciplines. Information Technology (IT) will be introduced in all schools and they will have option to choose the second discipline from automobile, retail and security. More disciplines will be introduced in the next phase. An amount of Rs 40 crore will be spent on the implementation of the new initiative.

Director of Education Dinkar Burathoki said the vocational training programme would be introduced for two batches from Class IX and Class XI. The curriculum would be designed in such a way that students who start from Class IX would complete the course in four years and those from Class XI in two years. The schools were being selected keeping in view the availability of required infrastructure and proximity to technical institutions like polytechnics and industrial training institutes. There were 25 schools where facilities had been created for vocational education during an earlier initiative.

The new initiative will virtually add a fourth stream, in addition to the existing humanities, science and commerce streams in the education system right from the high school to the university level. After passing out from the school, students would have option to pursue a degree in any discipline under the vocational stream.

The government also proposes to start community college, which would offer degree courses in vocational stream along with the traditional education. The Centre plans to open 100 community colleges in the first phase and the state is hopeful of securing at least one.

The main objective of the NVEQF is to formally integrate vocational education together with the current conventional educational streams across schools and institutions of higher education.

It will provide an opportunity to students to explore space and facilitate cross mobility of standards and their absorption in industry with certain skill gained over a fixed period of time.

Chamba, March 29
Additional Sessions Judge Mukesh Bansal has sentenced Sanjay Kumar of Arwan village in Chamba to life imprisonment for raping his minor niece. The judge has also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the accused.

In 2009, when the victim aged 9 years visited her grandparents’ house, the accused, who was her uncle, took the girl inside a room and raped her.

The minor victim was again raped after a gap of 10-15 days.

Thereafter, about two months when the victim again visited her grandparents’ house, the accused again raped her.

The girl continuously suffered since December 2009 and did not disclose this fact to anyone till she suffered severe pains in back, legs and other parts of the body. She was taken to a hospital by her mother for a check-up. Doctor told her mother that the girl had been sexually assaulted and raped.

Chamba, March 29
The much-awaited recruitment of forest guards in Himachal Pradesh started with the publication of an advertisement in this regard on March 18 and the Forest Department has started receiving applications in various circles of the 
state at their respective headquarters from eligible candidates with a 
minimum qualification of matriculation.

The closing date of receiving applications is April 16 and for tribal areas it is April 23. The applications already submitted by many candidates have been rejected and they will have to submit these afresh.

The advertisement in this regard was published in leading newspapers for 205 posts of forest guard. This was revealed by RK Gupta, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, recently. Gupta is the head of the HP State Forest Force.

The recruitments will be made on contract basis, initially for one year and extended thereafter by two years or more. The forest guards will get a consolidated salary with a minimum start of Rs 7,910 which will be increased by 3 per cent every year, if their services are extended.

The physical tests will be carried out strictly under the supervision of senior officers of the department with videography from May 15 to 30 comprising minimum physical standards and physical efficiency tests, including 100m and 800m race (400m for women candidates), high jump and broad jump.

The cutoff date for counting the age is January 1, when the candidate should be minimum 18 years and maximum 27 years, with age relaxation to SC, ST, OBC and wards of freedom-fighters by five years.

As per the schedule drawn by the Forest Headquarters in Shimla, the written test will be held on June 30, and interviews from August 1 to 14. The result will be declared on August 20.

Candidates in the SC and ST category will be paid a travelling allowance to attend the selection process for more than 32 km from their home.

Shimla, March 29
Expressing dissatisfaction over the issue of widening the 80-km-long Theog-Kotkhai-Jubbal-Rohru road, the HP High Court has directed the state government to commence the construction of the road between Theog and Rohru within six months to mitigate hardships being faced by the public.

The court directed the state to maintain the road between Theog and Rohru till the tendering process was completed.

The court said it would be the responsibility of the Chief Engineer-cum-project director to ensure that the condition of the road did not deteriorate even during monsoons.

This order was passed by a Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice RB Misra and Justice Rajiv Sharma on a public interest litigation filed in this regard.

During the course of hearing, Narinder Chauhan, Principal Secretary, PWD, and Naresh Sharma, Chief Engineer-cum-project director, Himachal Pradesh Road and Other Infrastructure Development, were present in the court and Chauhan told the court that the matter had been taken up with the World Bank (WB).

The Principal Secretary said a team of the WB had visited the state between January and February 2013 and once the green signal was given by the WB, tendering process would commence in May/June 2013.

After hearing the officials, the court directed the authorities to commence the work on this road within six months.

The court also directed the state to commence the construction work of the Batta Bridge within four months after completing all the formalities, including tendering process. 

Manali, March 29
The Manali Hoteliers Association, under the chairmanship of its president Anup Thakur, recently organised a meeting to discuss issues related to problems and for the promotion of tourism in Himachal.

The executive committee formed sub-committees to check the progress in tourism sector. A sub-committee will map the issues related to roads and transport, another will check the improvement in infrastructure, the third will establish coordination and publicity in all sub-committees. All the sub-committees will report to the president to take the further action.

Members decided to organise a meeting with all unions and associations of Kullu district like the Taxi Operators Union, Beopar Mandal, Manali and Kullu, Luxury Coach Association, Snow-dresses Union, Paragliding Union, Snow Scooters Union, Skiing Union, River Rafting Union and all other associations linked to the tourism sector.

Recently the Manali Tourism Development and Help-group was constituted with the coordination of the Kullu police. In a meeting, a strategy was made to take up issues like the improvement of National Highway-21, state highways, resuming flight services, providing services like toilets at various places between Manali and Rohtang, mobile medical facilities during the peak summer tourism season with the government. It was also discussed that facilities should be provided at the Solang valley and between Manali and Rohtang for the better treatment of garbage to maintain pollution-free standards. The next meeting will be held in Manali on April 10.

The association also organised a health camp for its members, taxi operators and drivers. 

Mandi, March 29
Abhishek Awasthy, an officer in the Australian Board of Education and Rural Development Department, said the Higher Education and Students’ Engagement and Transition Department was looking for partnership at the school, college and university levels for future leadership enterprise in the state.

Awasthy, a student of DAV School, Mandi, who hails from local Kotli town, was holding an interactive session with the media, school and college managements for empowering students for sustainable future in education.

He said he was an education officer associated with Latrobe University and was looking for professional development projects, conflicts management and empowerment of students in the field of education.

He said the state needed a paradigm shift the way students were taught. “The teacher-centric education model needs to be changed to make the education system student-centric bringing out their creativity and critical abilities,” he added. 

Chamba, March 29
“Preparations are going on in full swing for a three-day legendary Suhi Fair commencing from April 11 in Chamba.” This was stated by Anita Thakur, president of the Municipal Council, Chamba, here on Monday. The fair will conclude on April 13.

“We are expecting a significant festive celebration with more devotees’ participation this year”, said Anita, adding that the local municipal council had decided to make all the arrangements to provide drinking water, lighting etc to the Suhi Mata temple.
She said the staff had been directed to embellish the idol of the Suhi Mata in its temple.

The annual fair is celebrated on the premises of a palanquin-shaped Suhi temple, located on a hillock above Chamba town. It was the queen’s quietus, which brought drinking water to Chamba town and quenched the thirst of her subjects at a time when there was an acute scarcity of water in the town.