Shimla, August 27
Following fee hike and delay in the Students Central Association (SCA) elections by the Executive Council (EC) of Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), members of the SFI, ABVP and NSUI today constituted a Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) and served a one-day ultimatum on the university authorities to roll back its decisions.

Students warned the authorities that if their demands would not be fulfilled by tomorrow, they would hold statewide protests, block roads, go on hunger strike for which Vice-Chancellor ADN Bajpai would be responsible.

The call to constitute the JCC was given by the SFI state committee in the interest of the students. SFI members said discontinuation of student elections would increase the dictatorship of the government and university administration in the university following which anti-student policies would be implemented.

Balwinder, Baburam and Puneet Dhanta representing the NSUI, ABVP and SFI stated that if the elections to the student body were not held, it would lead to incidents of ragging and violence on the university campus.

The students, who protested in front of the university library, alleged that the VC was playing politics by infringing the democratic rights of the students and at the same time hiking the fee beyond the reach of the common man.

Members of Students Central Association (SCA) on the HPU campus, said they were not afraid of cane charge or police repression and would continue to register their protest till the decisions were withdrawn.

Members of the NSUI campus unit of the HPU also submitted a memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor. NSUI campus president Hukam Singh said if the hike in fee was not rolled back, students would burn the effigy of the Vice-Chancellor.

Shimla, August 27
The uncertainty over the proposed site of the AIIMS-like institute in Himachal has deepened further with the Union Health Ministry asking the state government to provide at least 1000 bighas for the medical institute. It has rejected the possibility of upgrading any of the two government medical colleges at Shimla and Tanda.

Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur today confirmed that the Union Health Ministry had rejected the proposal sent by the government for upgrading either Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla or Tanda Medical College in Kangra to an AIIMS-like institute. He added that none of the district hospitals can be converted into AIIMS and a new site will have to be chosen.

“The Centre has clarified that neither can a medical college nor a district college be made into an AIIMS-like institute. So a new site will have to be decided,” said he. He said the possibility of having AIIMS at Mandi, where the ESI hospital and medical college is located, was still open.

Kaul Singh said Dr Harshwardhan, Union Health Minister, during his recent visit to Delhi, had asked him to identify almost 1,000 bighas of land for developing an AIIMS-like institute.

Shimla, August 27
The Cabinet is likely to give the go-ahead to an ordinance for the proposed amendments to the Lokayukta Bill and the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Bill which could not be placed in the Assembly during the monsoon session which was adjourned abruptly.

The recommendations of the Select Committee of the Vidhan Sabha on the Lokayukta Bill were placed before the Cabinet at its last meeting. Since the issue was deferred, it is now expected that the Cabinet will give its nod to an Ordinance. The Cabinet had earlier approved the recommendations of the Select Committee on the proposed amendments to the TCP Act which will pave the way for regularising the unauthorised constructions.

“We will seek the approval of the Cabinet for an ordinance on the proposed amendments to the Lokayukta Act,” said Kaul Singh Thakur, Health and Law Minister. He was also the Chairman of the Select Committee which has given its recommendations to the government. The Lokayukta Bill will be introduced in the Assembly as and when the House meets within the next six months.

He said Himachal would probably be the first state which would give powers of contempt of court to the Lokayukta. “So far, this provision has been made only in the Jan Lokpal Act passed by Parliament and we will be the first state to do it,” said Kaul Singh.

Sources said another change was the inclusion of the Vidhan Sabha Speaker in the Select Committee for appointment of the Lokayukta, as has been done under the Lokapal Act by Parliament. Till now the Select Committee consisted of the Chief Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the Chief Justice of the High Court.

Even though the Lokayukta Bill, which was introduced during the budget session in February, had provision for making the body multi-member, but the committee had recommended that keeping in view the limited number of complaints received by the Lokayukta, one member was more than sufficient.

As per the data provided by the Lokayukta which came into being in August 17, 1983, 2,018 complaints had been received till the end of July last. Of these, 1,980 complaints had been taken and addressed, while 38 were still pending.

A provision had also been made in the Lokayukta Bill for having a separate inquiry wing, prosecution wing and its own special courts to undertake trial to contain corruption charges against Chief Minister, Ministers, MLAs and all other public servants.

Amendments Himachal will probably be the first state which will give powers of contempt of court to the Lokayukta Inclusion of the Speaker in the Select Committee for appointment of the Lokayukta

Shimla, August 27
More than 300 tribals from the scenic Pin valley today staged a solidarity march with India and the state and rejected “China chalo” remark made in a huff by two members of Sagnam and Kungri gram panchayats.

They were remanded to the police custody till August 29 by the sessions court of Reckong Peo on the charge of sedition.

The tribals, estimated to be more than 300, converged at Kaza, a hub of Spiti subdivision of Lahaul-Spiti, in front of the office of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate today. They apolozised on behalf of Lobsang, former janjatiya salakar (tribal adviser) of Sagnam and Udong Dorje, pradhan, Kungri gram panchayat.

“The people of the Pin valley disapproved of any pro-China slogan and stand by the nation and Himachal Pradesh,” Aungmo, a janjatiya salahkar told The Tribune from Kaza on the phone. Even family members of Lobsang and Dorje participated in the solidarity march, she added.

She said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had visited the area last year and directed the administration to lay a jhula and a bridge.

In a written statement addressed to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and the DGP, CID, submitted through the SDM office, Kaza, the tribals expressed solidarity with Himachal Pradesh and the country, asserting that they had been part of India and would remain so forever.

The Pin valley has developed under the state government as all villages have the road connectivity and electricity and only problem is that the bridge on the Keer rivulet that was washed away in 2011.

“The government has laid a jhula this year and 90 per cent of the pea crop have been transported and it is facilitating the movement across the rivulet”, said Jagan Thakur, SDM, Kaza. As much as Rs 1.63 crore had been sanctioned for the bridge across the Keer on a higher elevation, linking the Attargu-Mud road with Kaza for which tender had been announced, he added.

He said the people had apologised for their pro-China remark made to some TV reporter during the three-day Ladarcha fair that ended on August 19 at Kaza.

The police have deputed a high-level team under the IG Central Range to submit the detailed report to the government as the Central Government has also sought a report from the state, said a senior official here. 

Shimla, August 27
The Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) has sought its share in the 10 per cent luxury tax being charged from hoteliers in the city, on the ground that the corporation is providing all civic amenities to the hoteliers, guest houses and restaurants but the tax, worth Rs 14 crore, is going to the state’s kitty.

“We are providing all services, including water, electricity, streetlight, garbage and sewerage facilities and maintaining paths, roads and streets for the hoteliers and restaurant owners in the city,” said Tikender Panwar, Deputy Mayor, Shimla.

“But the luxury tax is going to the state’s kitty and the SMC is getting nothing”, he asserted.

The fund-starved SMC has threatened to move public interest litigation (PIL) in the High Court seeking its pie in the tax.

“We have no other option than seeking court’s intervention,” Panwar told The Tribune.

But the Excise and Taxation Department termed SMC’s PIL move misplaced. They said the corporation’s job was to provide the civic amenities to the residents, including hoteliers and it collected property tax and user charges from the house owners and hoteliers for all service.

KK Sharma, Joint Commissioner, Excise and Taxation Department, said it was the mandate of the department to collect luxury tax while the mandate of the corporation was to provide civic amenities.

As per the figures, the state Excise and Taxation Department collected luxury tax worth Rs 14 crore from hoteliers and guest house owners in the city in 2013-14. The tax collection remained on the lower side as there were over 10 per cent guest houses and other units which did not pay luxury tax as under the HP Tax on Luxuries (in hotels and lodging houses) Act, 1979, as these were not registered with the Department of Tourism and Civil Aviation, revealed sources.

The revenue from the luxury tax collected from hoteliers has been hovering between Rs 90- Rs 60 crore a year. The collection can go up to Rs 300 crore or so if all the guest houses and other home stay units, which are being run as full -ledged hotels, are taken care of, revealed officials.

There are about 2,076 hotels registered with the DTCA in the state. Out of these, about 300 are in the capital city.

“We expect that revenue from the luxury collection be around Rs 300 crore per annum, but collection remains poor as hoteliers are not paying as per the room tariff,” tax officials said.

If the SMC gets luxury tax, it can produce a chain reaction as the municipal councils and nagar panchayats can stake claims for the same.

In Manali, the luxury tax collection was Rs 6.24 crore till August in 2013, while it was about Rs 9.91 crore in 2012.

Tourist and student groups stay in tents, over 800 home stay units, sarais, gurdwaras, government rest houses, flats, corporate and bank guest houses and pay no luxury tax, said the hoteliers.

Tax matters The state Excise and Taxation Department collected luxury tax worth Rs 14 crore from hoteliers and guest house owners in Shimla in 2013-14. The revenue from the luxury tax has been hovering between Rs 90-Rs 60 crore a year. The collection can go up to Rs 300 crore or so if all the guest houses and other home stay units pay up. In Manali, the luxury tax collection was Rs 6.24 crore till August in 2013, while it was about Rs 9.91 crore in 2012.

Shimla, August 27
Former Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has ridiculed the statement of state Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma blaming the previous BJP government for financial mess in the state. He has, in turn, accused the present Congress government of making false allegations against the BJP government to cover up its abject failure on the economic front.

“The statement of the Congress minister is false, misleading and contrary to the fact and issued with a design to malign the previous BJP government and cover up its own failures”, he said.

“It is a paradox that on one hand, the Congress government is projecting itself as a benefactor of the employees and on the other it is criticising the BJP government for extending financial benefits to them,” he said.

The state government should apologise to the employees for dubbing the financial benefits given to them as “additional burden on state exchequer”, Dhumal added.

The benefit of time scale (4-9-14) from 2004, given to employees by the BJP government, is being seen as a burden on the state exchequer by the state government, which has plunged the state into a complete financial mess by indulging in wasteful expenditure on appointing 30-35 chairmen and vice-chairmen and purchase of luxury vehicles from empty coffers, he alleged.

The former CM said chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of autonomous bodies appointed by the government were undue burden on the finance and have no work except making accusations and insinuations against the BJP government.

“The state government has not only misused people’s money for purchasing luxury vehicles for chairmen and vice-chairmen, but even purchased vehicles for pilot and escort purposes, which is a cruel joke with the people,” Dhumal said.

The BJP government raised loans amounting Rs 6,672 crore during 2008-2012 while the Congress government raised loans of Rs 8,032 crore from 2003 to 2008 and Rs 4,000 crore during the past 20 months, from January 2013, Dhumal added.

Shimla, August 27
A delegation of Himachal Pradesh Administrative (Allied) Services Officers’ Association today urged Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to withdraw the notification (dated 20.1.14) vide which supernumerary posts have been created and decided to be filled in future among the 8 per cent quota assigned to 12 categories.

The association said the 8 per cent quota has been embarked for officers belonging to 12 departments having strength of more than 300 officers, while the remaining 42 per cent quota has been distributed among tehsildars and block development officers’ (BDOs) categories in the ration 25 per cent and 17 per cent where as the strength of these categories was 132 and 112, respectively.

President of the association Garish Sumra requested the CM to scrap the quota system saying promotions to HAS may be effected through combined seniority having all categories of posts, including tehsildar and BDO.

Claiming that the move was discriminating and unjustified, they said the 12 categories constitute posts of district panchayat officer, manager industries, section officer of secretariat, district welfare officer, district treasury officer, assistant registrar cooperative society, excise and taxation officer, electoral officer, district employment officer, district food and supplies controller, assistant controller weights and measurers and principal panchayati raj.

Shimla, August 27
Former Horticulture Minister Narender Bragta today blamed the Rs 400 to Rs 600 per carton crash in the apple market on the failure of the Congress government, Horticulture Minister Vidya Stokes and Jubbal-Kotkhai Legislator and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Rohit Thakur to open the procurement centres in time.

In a statement issued here today, Bragta said the procurement centres in the apple belt had been reduced to half from 328 during the BJP government. Even those announced had not been made functional in several panchayats. The procurement centres should have been opened in July when the season started. But many centres remained non-functional, despite announcements by the government, he said. He said in 2011, when the state produced a record 5 crore cartons, the then BJP government had opened 328 centres and no low quality fruit had entered the markets. Both horticulture minister and the CPS had failed to deliver the goods to farmers this time, even as the crop was estimated to be on lower side, he said. — TNS

Una, August 27
The state government has accorded approval for permanent absorption of 32 surplus officials, posted in the establishment of Una district, on secondment basis. This was disclosed by Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, in an official press release today.

Agnihotri said the employees, including two junior assistants, a private secretary and a clerk, besides 28 peons, were presently working on secondment basis in the country liquor manufacturing and bottling plant of the state government, situated in Mehatpur industrial area of Una district. The plant is being run by the General Industries Corporation.

The minister said there were various lending departments of these employees, including the departments of Consolidation of Land Holdings, HIMURJA, HP Forest Corporation, State Handicraft and Handloom Corporation and Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Agriculture University, Palampur. The Una DC has been directed to absorb them. — OC

Shimla, August 27
Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Mansoor Ahmad Mir launched a website of the HP State Legal Services Authority (HPSLSA) in the High Court here today.

Anyone can access information with regard to various schemes, lok adalats, legal aid counsel, para-legal volunteers, panel of advocates and the projects undertaken by the HPSLSA by visiting the website: www.hpslsa.nic.in.

Judges of the High Court — Justice Sanjay Karol, Justice Rajiv Sharma, Justice Dharam Chand Chaudhary, Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, Justice PS Rana and Justice Sureshwar Thakur were also present. All judicial officers of the state witnessed the event through video-conferencing.

This year, HPSLSA organised 865 lok adalats, in which 22,628 cases were amicably settled. The HPSLSA has also set up 522 legal-aid clinics across the state, for imparting legal aid, especially to people facing geographical, social barriers for access to legal service institutions. The HPSLSA has provided legal aid to 12,285 people till July 2014.

Una, August 27
Four persons suffered burn injuries when the private bus by which they were travelling rolled over and caught fire near Rakkar Colony at Jalgran village, 5 km from Una, today.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Anupam Sharma said the bus (HP 72-1371) was plying from Gondpur Jaichand in Haroli segment to Una. The Fire Brigade had to be summoned to douse the flames.

It is learnt that the steering wheel of the bus ceased to function and the vehicle hit a divider, which resulted in its toppling to one side. Soon after, the bus caught fire. While all other passengers were removed safely, four persons, including bus driver Sohan Lal, resident of Kotla Kalan village, received burn injuries.

The other three injured include Dehlan residents Prem Singh (60) and his sons Manpreet (20) and Jaspreet (9). They are being treated at the Una district hospital, said the SP, adding that a case had been registered and investigations were on. 

Mandi, August 27
The issues of power and sanitation led to heated arguments in the General House meeting of the Municipal Council (MC) here yesterday.

The House decided to lodge a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner against the electricity board and the IPH Department for not coordinating with the MC.

It also debated the issue of subletting shops in the Indira Market. Councillors said the MC should have a fresh agreement with the shopkeepers of the Indira Market Complex so that better facilities could be provided in the complex.

Councillors Vidya Devi and Dinesh Kumar raised the issue of poor condition of public toilets in the town.

On shortage of electricity equipment, MC executive officer Ajay Prashar informed the House that a show-cause notice had been issued to the officials concerned and if they failed to file a reply within three days, they would be suspended.

Una, August 27
With the district administration getting tough on illegal miners of construction material from the beds of the Swan river network in Una district, the police have imposed fines amounting to Rs 2.1 lakh during the past two days.

Anupam Sharma, Superintendent of Police (SP), said police teams were constituted to check excavator machines engaged in illegal mining and to intercept tippers, trucks and tractor trolleys transporting minor minerals like sand, gravel and stone. All vehicles without valid documents, like M forms issued by the Mininig department, were being challaned, he said.

Sharma said Rs 88,640 was recovered as fine on Monday, while another Rs 1,21,360 was received as fine from owners of erring vehicles on Tuesday. Fines, as high as Rs 25,000, were being charged from excavators and tippers.

Meanwhile, Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who is also in-charge of the Mining Department, said the Himachal Pradesh Mining Act was being modified to provide for more penalty on vehicles involved in illegal mining. Besides, provisions will also be made to allow more teeth to authorities such as officials from Mining, Police, Forest, Public Works and Revenue Departments under the Act to tackle violators, he added.

Una, August 27
To check illegal mining of construction material, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abhishek Jain yesterday chaired a meeting of all officers concerned in his chamber. He directed the police, transport, mining, forest and revenue officers to intensify raids in and around water channels from where the material was being mined.

Jain said during the current calendar year, 620 instances of illegal mining were reported from different parts of the district. Of these, 520 vehicles were challaned and Rs 38.26 lakh had been recovered as fine. He said the documents pertaining to the vehicles involved in mining should be properly scrutinised.

As for ambiguity regarding the inter-state borders of the Swan river and its various tributaries with Punjab, the DC directed the Revenue officers to demarcate the riverbed when the water recedes. Superintendent of Police Anupam Sharma, Sub Divisional Magistrates Dhanvir Thakur and Manohar Lal, District Mining Officer Paramjit Singh were also present.

Industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri yesterday said the Mining Act was being modified and that a revised schedule for challans was being worked out. He is also in-charge of the Mining Department. Talking to The Tribune, he said the fine for a tipper or a truck, illegally carrying sand would be enhanced from the present Rs 4,600 to Rs 25,000 per trip. He said the authorities would be given more teeth to deal with the mining mafia, adding that provisions would be made under the law to confiscate vehicles involved in illegal mining. He said directions had been issued to officers to ensure that documents of all vehicles carrying construction material outside the state should be properly checked.

Nurpur, August 27
In order to mount pressure on mining mafia in border areas of this subdivision, the Nurpur, Jawali and Indora police jointly launched a pre-dawn exercise at the Khanni, Pail, Batrah and Haryal areas of Chakki and Jabber rivulets today. Nurpur and Jawali Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) led the raiding exercise in which a special reserve force from Dharamsala had also been requisitioned.

The areas of Chakki and Jabber rivulets, where illegal mining was suspected, had been cordoned off by the police force. The exercise was so secret that even the police force had no information about its mission.

The raid continued for around five hours. But the mining mafia was so alert that it remained away from riverbeds due to the continued police pressure being mounted for the past few days.

Nurpur DSP Manoj Joshi admitted that it was a routine police exercise to check mining activity on riverbeds in the area and would continue in the future too.

Palampur, August 27
The police today arrested six persons for ransacking the Civil Hospital, Thural, and misbehaving with doctors and paramedical staff on duty on June 1. The six persons are Swarna Devi, Manjit, Rajni, Amit, Ichhya and Salochna Devi.

The police said Salig Ram, a patient from an adjoining village had disappeared from hospital on May 29 under mysterious circumstances. Later, residents of his native village lodged a protest over the functioning of the Thural hospital and the missing of Salig Ram from hospital bed.

The police had registered a case against the villagers under different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for ransacking the hospital, misbehaving with the doctors and staff on duty and creating hurdles in the smooth functioning of the hospital.

The police said later the body of Salig Ram was recovered from a forest near Garh Jamula.

Later, all arrested persons were released on bail by the police. Daya Ram, in charge of the Thural police post, said more arrests were likely to be made \as investigation was in progress. He confirmed that a first information report under Sections 451, 147, 149, 353, 427, 504, and 506, IPC, had been registered against the accused.

Kullu, August 27
The widow of Constable Hira Lal, who died on May 20 while performing his duty in the Thaunor jungle near Neuli village, was presented a cheque of Rs 83,000 today.

Superintendent of Police, Kullu, Surender Verma presented the cheque to the deceased’s wife. Hira Lal was a resident of Prini village near Manali and is survived by his wife Kamla Devi, parents, a four-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter.

DSP, Kullu, Sanjay Sharma said the gesture was an exclusive contribution of the district police, while the aid from the department and the government had been provided to the family and further compensation process was underway.