Shimla, May 9
Known for hydro power and apple, the state is set to become the cement bowl of the country as well with the government giving its nod for setting up the largest cement project in the Chopal area of Shimla district for which Reliance Cementation Private Limited of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group has been granted a prospecting licence.

The company has been assigned 25 square kilometres at Kura Khera, Sugarthi, Thangar, Pauli Kheram Kandal and Bedera villages for prospecting of deposits. The company has proposed a 5-million-tonne plant based on limestone, shale and quartzite.

The government generally allows a 2-million-tonne plant at the first instance and the second is allowed later as part of an expansion plan. The new plant will be located about 20 km from the plant being set up by India Cements near Gumma. This is the second project for which a prospecting licence has been granted.

The previous government had issued a licence to Dalmia Cements Limited for the Kariyali-Kothi-Sal-Bagh area of Sunni tehsil in Shimla district. The deposits are in the probable category and a detailed geological investigation will be required to assess the exact quantum. Other earlier projects were based on proven deposits and no prospecting was required.

The ACC, Lafarge, JK Cements, Laxmi Cements, Ambuja, ABG Group, Abhijit Group, Dalmia and Atha Mines were in the race and had proposed a 2-million-tonne plant. Most lost out when the government decided not to allot the project to a company which had a cement project in the state. Reliance outscored competitors on technical and financial parameters.

Normally 130 million tonnes of proven deposits are enough for a 2-million-tonne or a 3-million-tonne plant with a life of 60 years. According to preliminary estimates probable deposits are more than 150 million tonnes and a 5-million-tonne plant is possible with a life of around 40 years.

The four big cement projects are at Barmana (ACC), Darlaghat (Ambuja), Rajban (CCI) and Bagha (Jaypee) having an aggregate capacity is 12.06 million tonnes. Four projects are in the pipeline at Sundernagar and Al Sindi in Mandi district, at Broh-Shind in Chamba district and at Chopal. Those will produce an additional 7.27 million tonnes of cement.

If one takes the two projects for which prospecting licences have been issued the total capacity to produce clinker will touch the 28-million-tonne mark from which 37 million tonnes of cement can be produced.

As most of the companies have set up grinding units outside the state the government has imposed the condition that 50 per cent of the cement will have to be produced within the state.

Solan, May 9
With the Town and Country Planning Act, 1977, being applicable only in the notified areas of the state, scores of multi-storey structures extending up to six to 10 storeys were coming up in the rural areas.

The trend was particularly noticeable in the case of private universities which had come up in various rural areas of the district, including the Sultanpur and Waknaghat areas.

Though the state government had enacted the Town and Country Planning Act, 1977, to regulate constructions, it was applicable only in 21 planning areas and 34 special areas of the state.

The buildings raised in the rural areas like the Sultanpur area of Solan district were neither covered under the Act nor was there any regulation to control either the number of storeys or norms like setbacks and floor area ratio.

Even the fast developing Barog area, where several commercial constructions, including flats were coming up, had no regulation and builders could raise four plus one storey for parking according to the ad hoc rules of the TCP Department.

According to the TCP Act, only three plus one storey was permissible in the planning areas while in the rural areas, builders, including private universities, were raising six to 10 storeys as there was no norm to regulate the constructions there.

AN Gautam, State Town Planner, said they were exploring the possibility of addressing this concern in a new Act whose modalities were being worked out.

He, however, agreed that unplanned high-rise buildings were a matter of concern to the local environment.

With virtually no control on builders, cases of builders violating norms on the Dharampur-Kasauli Road, which is part of the Greater Kasauli Planning Area, were also becoming common. A visit to the area revealed that several resorts coming up in the area were raising structures which were four to six storeys high.

However, officials in the TCP Department said they were working on the development plan for the Barog area and the possibility of extending the Act to the rural areas where high.

Kullu, May 9
Ten passengers are feared to have been washed away in the Beas while the accident toll remains at 39. According to the police five passengers have been washed away.

The Regional Hospital, Kullu, was crowded with mourners as they came in large numbers to take 
home the bodies of their killed relatives. The bus had 69 passengers.

Most victims belonged to Anni, Takoli, Kalka, Banjar, Seraj and Balishowki, the police said.

"My grandfather Ram Singh from Seraj is still missing," said Sanjay.

Three passengers from Anni and two children from Gautam's family of Kalka were still missing. Ashoka Bus Service owner's son Ankush, who was driving the bus, today surrendered at the Aut police station.

He was booked under Sections 304-A, 279 and 237 of the Indian Penal Code under which offences were bailable. The driver of the bus, who was injured, was sitting on the bonnet when the mishap took place, the police said.

Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur visited the 20 injured passengers at the hospital. Efforts were on to search missing passengers' bodies and the Larji barrage would be emptied to trace the bodies, he told mediapersons.

"The investigation is on and the government will take action," he asserted. He assured assistance to the victims. Two seriously injured patients were referred to Indira Gandhi Medical College in Shimla.

The driver was referred to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Chandigarh. The conductor died on the spot, sources said.

Mandi Superintendent of Police RS Negi said Mukesh and Nihal, students of the Industrial Training Institute at Shamshi, Krishan Devi of Takoli and the two children from Kalka were missing.

"We deputed a search team along the Beas to spot the bodies," he added. He said Ankush was in police custody and had been medically examined.

"We will recommend whether or not his licence should be cancelled. Eyewitnesses say he was driving while talking on his mobile phone," he said.

Bodies were handed over to the families after post-mortem examination, he added.

Shimla, May 9
With several eyewitnesses confirming that the driver of the bus was talking on his mobile phone when the bus mishap took place near Kullu, the police are trying to recover the handset so that statements of passengers can be corroborated from call details and the timing in the mobile phone.

Even as a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the mishap which has claimed 39 lives with six persons still missing, the police has handed over the inquiry to experts from its Tourism, Traffic and Railways (TTR) wing to ascertain the cause of the accident.

A team of experts headed by Additional Inspector-General of Police Rajesh Dharmani reached Kullu last night. The team visited the spot on the Mandi-Kullu national highway to ascertain the cause of the accident and assist the local unit in investigations. Dharmani said he had visited the spot and taken evidence into account.

“The Kullu police apprehended the driver of the ill-fated bus this morning,” said Director-General of Police B Kamal Kumar. He said Inspector-General of Police with the TTR wing would supervise the investigation on a day to day basis and all field units were directed to take steps to prevent such mishaps in the future.

The police had recorded the statements of passengers to prepare a full-proof case that the mishap took place due to rash and negligent driving and use of mobile phone by the driver. Some students of the Industrial Training Institute at Kullu had given statements that the driver was talking on the mobile phone when the mishap took place.

Police sources said the mobile phone would be recovered from the driver so that call details could be obtained and the location taken from the cell tower at the time of the mishap.

“If the number is in someone else’s name and not the driver, we will be able to nail him by establishing the location and timing of the call which will coincide with the timing of the mishap,” said a senior police officer. The police had linked the chain of events. “We have recorded the statements and will recover the mobile phone to establish that the driver was using it which resulted in such a major accident,” said Mandi Superintendent of Police RS Negi.

Palampur, May 9
The rise in the number of road mishaps in Himachal Pradesh has again put a question mark over the functioning of the Transport Department and the Traffic Police.

At least 75 lives have been lost in accidents in the state in the last one month. Despite tall claims of the government nothing much has been done to ensure passenger safety.

The state government is aware of the fact that 96 per cent of the population of the state is dependent on road transport but passenger safety has still been neglected.

There has been a manifold increase in the number of both light and heavy vehicles in the state and inter-state traffic has increased but the width of most roads is what it was 20 years ago.

The condition of internal roads is the worst and those are where frequent bus accidents take place. Travelling on roofs of buses and trucks has become common.

Government agencies have turned into mute spectators. The rate of accidents in the state is high because of topography and narrow roads.

A senior official with the Transport Department said 85 per cent of the accidents occurred because of human failure while 15 per cent are due to other reasons like mechanical failure, landslides and bad roads.

He said the accident near Kullu yesterday took place because of human error as the driver was talking on his mobile phone due to which the bus rolled down into the Beas.

He said 85 per cent of the accidents in the state could be avoided if sincere efforts were made by the Traffic Police and the Transport Department. Transport Minister GS Bali had initiated steps to check the occurrence of road mishaps and ensure passenger safety but the Traffic Police were yet to implement his instructions.

He had issued instructions for the removal of music systems from all buses, not allowing travelling on roofs of buses and switching off of mobile phones of drivers while they were driving.

Kullu, May 9
Reacting to the accident at Jogni near Jhiri that claimed 39 lives, Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) Managing Director-cum-Transport Director Onkar Sharma today issued a directive to regional transport officers (RTOs) to impound buses of drivers using mobile phones while driving and who did not have valid driving licences.

"We have decided to ban the use of mobile phones while driving. Drivers caught doing so will be punished and their licences may be cancelled. We have decided to impound buses of drivers who do not comply with standing instructions," he said.

The police booked Ankush Kumar, son of the owner of the bus. There is cut-throat competition among private operators to have as many passengers as possible to rake up profit. HRTC drivers are given targets, giving public safety the go-by. RTOs are told to achieve targets instead of ensuring safety, say insiders.

RTOs and the traffic police are engaged in a blame game. RTOs say traffic police staff are posted at places and can check the menace. The traffic police point out that powers like issuing fitness certificate and licence are vested with RTOs. They say the number of vehicles has multiplied.

RTOs are targeting Volvo buses to achieve targets. Flying squad RTO Krishna Kumari said they needed more staff as she has to take care of four districts. Kullu RTO Ashwani Kumar said RTOs could not be on roads round the clock and drivers should understand not to use mobile phones while driving.

He added, "We challaned 17 at Shadabai on May 3 and collected Rs 21,000 as fine. We do not have a list of drivers. We issued a fitness certificate for the 42-seater bus on March 31 which is valid till 2014."

Shimla, May 9
Terming his demand for a probe into the Congress chargesheet by a sitting Judge of the high court as completely valid, former Chief Minister and the Leader of Opposition PK Dhumal today sought a time-bound inquiry into the charges contained in the chargesheet against his regime.

In a letter written to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Dhumal said his demand before the Governor was absolutely valid as this would bring the truth before the public. “It is only an inquiry by a sitting Judge which can put an end to the speculation and misinformation campaign,” he said.

He also lashed out at the Congress and the Chief Minister for justifying every act of theirs and dismissing any suggestions by him or others. “If it was valid for the Congress to submit the chargesheet to the President, then why is it not acceptable when I seek such a probe by requesting the Governor,” he said.

Dhumal said the remarks of the Supreme Court on the CBI were well known to all and as such it was only a judicial probe which could bring forth the truth. “I am of the firm opinion that anyone who is found guilty must not be spared and at the same time, those spreading misinformation campaigns must also be dealt with,” he said.

He said a fair probe was a must to put an end to statements coming out in the media. “Some politicians as well as officials are making such speculative statements with vested interest, which must be stopped,” he said.

Dharamsala, May 9
SK Montu, who was accused of selling IPL tickets in black yesterday, has been remanded in five-day police custody by a court here today.

He was remanded in the police custody on the plea of the Vigilance and the Anti-Corruption Bureau. The vigilance officials said they wanted to extract information from the accused regarding the racket involving the sale of IPL tickets in black in the Dharamsala region.

Vimal Gupta, SP, Vigilance, said the Vigilance and the Anti-Corruption Bureau believed that the arrested person was just a small player in the racket. The real operators were yet to be arrested, he added.

“Sources have told the Vigilance that people have invested up to Rs 3 lakh in buying tickets in advance for selling them in black later,” Gupta said.

Meanwhile, Arvinder Singh, chief operating officer of the Punjab Kings XI Team, while talking to The Tribune, said it was unfortunate that certain people were indulging in black marketing of tickets for the IPL matches.

He said in case somebody among the organisers was found to be involved in the racket, the team would hand him over to the police.

The Vigilance and the Anti-Corruption Bureau had yesterday claimed to have busted a racket in which tickets for the forthcoming IPL matches were being sold in black in Dharamsala town. In the racket, the person arrested was allegedly demanding Rs 2,500 for tickets valued at Rs 800.

A case under Section 420 of the IPC has been registered against the person.

Kangra, May 9
Those employees who retired before 2006 will benefit from the revised pension. A decision to this effect was taken by the state government.

Sudhir Sharma, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, today welcomed the decision and said with this revision 1.17 lakh pensioners would get benefits of higher scale of pension.

He said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had bridged the gap of upper and lower Himachal, besides those politically created on the basis of regionalism and casteism and had ensured development at par with all regions of the state.

The minister said the employees were the backbone of the government. The Chief Minister was keen to provide succour to the pensioners and was providing them with financial benefits through his decisions.

Sudhir Sharma said the establishment of a cement plant of Reliance Company in Chopal tehsil of Shimla district would provide job opportunities to the unemployed youth of that region. Under the Kaushal Vikas Bhatta too, unemployed youth would get benefits.

Shimla, May 9
The State Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission has issued a notice to Arni University for imposing unreasonable fine for late payment of fee.

The action was taken on the complaint filed by the ABVP which brought to the notice of the commission that the university issued a circular on January 29 that those who failed to deposit fee by January 31 would be charged late fee at the rate of Rs 100 per day. It maintained that issuing such a circular at the 11th hour was a ploy to fleece students. They came to know about the decision to impose penalty only a day before the last date.

Further, the fine at the rate of Rs 100 per day was unreasonable and the university, which was already charging a high fee.

State assistant secretary of the parishad Rahul Prasher said the university in 2011 started charging Rs 5,000 as fine for failure to deposit fee in time.

Shimla, May 9
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said the government was mulling an alternative mode of transport for Shimla and Dharamsala.

He was presiding over a meeting of the Town and Country Planning Department, the Himachal Urban Development Authority and the Urban Development Department here today.

He said the feasibility report to set up personal rapid transit (PRT) pods had been prepared. He said the PRT required only a 2.1-metre track compared to a 10-metre track required for monorail. He said an automated pod was battery powered driverless vehicle with between four and six-seats on an elevated guide-way.

He said the Urban Mobility Transport Authority would be established to enable alternative modes of transport such as the PRT and rope-ways. He said an Act was being framed as it would help decongest urban areas.

He said the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act, 2013, was being finalised by amalgamating the Himachal Pradesh Apartment and Property Regulation Act, 2005, and the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act, 1977.

He said the Himachal Pradesh Regularisation of Deviation and Unauthorised Construction Act, 2013, was being drafted to regularise deviation and unauthorised construction for a specific time.

He said 300 houses would be constructed at Krishna Nagar in Shimla and the Centre had sanctioned Rs 34 crore in February. The Centre had released Rs 9.2 crore, he added.