Shimla, October 28
The Cabinet today gave its nod for enhancing VAT on diesel by 1 per cent, which will help the government get a revenue of Rs 26 crore annually.

The Cabinet, which met here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, took the decision to increase VAT on diesel. The state government had earlier enhanced VAT on petrol from 25 per cent to 27 per cent which helped generate about Rs 25 crore revenue. After this increase, the VAT on diesel will still be 0.12 per cent less as compared to the rate in Punjab.

The Cabinet also decided to constitute the Fifth State Finance Commission for one-and-a-half year which will submit its report by April 30, 2016. It was decided that the commission would have a chairman and two other members and the terms of reference for the constitution of the State Finance Commission would be the same as were of the Fourth Finance Commission.

The Cabinet also gave the go ahead for creation of six posts of Deputy Inspector General of Police (Deputy IGP) and Superintendent of Police (SP). The proposal will now be sent to Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for increasing the strength of the IPS cadre of Himachal from the existing 89 to 100.

The Cabinet approved the bid documents for 37 hydro projects on the Build Own Operate and Transfer basis.

It agreed to attach eight temples in Bharmour under the Manimahesh Trust. These temples are Har-Har Mahadev, Ganpati Temple, Dharmeshwar Temple, Lakhna Mata Temple, Narsingh Maharaj Temple, Bharmani Mata Temple Malkauta, Maha Kali Temple Banni and Shiv Temple at Manimahesh.

The Cabinet also amended the House Allotment Rules, 1994, for government accommodation under general pool. The government residences allotted to an officer can be retained for bonafide use on the payment of normal licence fees if the serving officer is transferred to tribal areas.

The approval for Kendriya Vidyalaya at Saloh in Una was also given.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to amend the existing schedule (Input tax restricted goods) appended to Himachal Pradesh Value Added Tax Rules, 2005 by inserting a new clause to prevent the loss of VAT due to huge difference in rate of tax on the commodities in comparison to other states. It was decided to give concession in Value Added Tax in Backward Panchayats and Tribal Areas in the state.

It was also decided to fill vacant posts of around 112 multipurpose health workers in the Health Department. 

New Delhi, October 28
The Himachal Government today urged the Centre for an enhanced financial assistance under the Special Central Assistance scheme for tribal areas in the state.

The plea was made by the Himachal Pradesh Chief Parliamentary Secretary Nanad Lal at a meeting with Tribal Affairs Minister of the states convened to fix national priorities to evolve a pan-India strategy to empower tribal people. Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram presided over the meeting.

Presenting Himachal’s case at the meeting, Nand Lal made a pitch for enhancement of the assistance by reverting to the earlier pattern of allocation of funds which was based on geographical area, backwardness and difficult terrain of the state. This was abandoned and the present pattern is based on the Scheduled Tribes population.

He also urged that infrastructure development should be treated as an integral part of the assistance.

Nand Lal said the tribal areas constituted more than 42 per cent of the total geographical area in the state. It has tough, mountainous terrain, inhospitable weather and harsh living conditions which the Centre must factor while making allocation.

He stressed that the state government was committed to boosting infrastructure and civic amenities in tribal areas, including road connectivity to all villages.

He said the allocation of funds to Himachal Pradesh must be on the pattern of the North-eastern states as it had similar geographical conditions. Moreover, the state is located on the border.

He also urged the ministry to release the aid in one instalment in first quarter of the financial year.

Mandi, October 28
An 18-year-old girl was killed and her parents injured when the pick-up van they were travelling in, fell into the Suketi Khud near here last night.

Sources said the mishap took place when driver Ram Lal (41), a resident of Banjar in Kullu district, lost control over the vehicle (HP65-4182).

Ram Lal, his wife Jaswanti Devi and daughter Charu were on their way to Banjar from Sarkaghat after meeting a relative.

The police said Ram Lal and his wife sustained injuries in the mishap and they were admitted to the zonal hospital here.

The girl’s body, however, was recovered from the rivulet today morning.

Una, October 28
Kuldip Kumar, Chairman of the state Finance Commission and MLA, Chintpurni, laid the foundation stone of a bridge over the Chakki khud, a tributary of the Swan river, at his home segment Thathal panchayat here today.

The bridge, to be built at a cost of Rs 1.92 crore, will provide all-weather road connectivity between Thathal, Beher-Jaswan and Takarla panchayats.

Kuldip said all the Swan river tributaries in Chintpurni segment were being channelised under the Union Government-funded Rs 922-crore Swan river tributaries embankment project.

He said works on a majority of the tributaries in Chintpurni segment had already begun and the channelisation work would be completed by the next three years.

The MLA said funds amounting to Rs 4.38 crore had been sanctioned to the Public Works Department for the construction of a link road from Takarla to Badoh-Basuni villages.

He informed the gathering that Rs 30 lakh had been sanctioned by the government for the construction of a science block building and Rs 1.5 lakh for repairing the existing classrooms of the Thathal government school. 

Mandi, October 28
To develop world-class infrastructure at Jawaharlal Nehru Government Engineering College (JNGEC) at Sundernagar, it was decided to acquire additional land for the institute at a meeting with the Director, Technical Education, Vocational and Industrial Training.

JNGEC Director Lalit Kumar Awasthi, Executive Engineers, PWD and HP State Electricity Board, tehsildar, Executive Officer, (Municipal Council) and officials from various departments were present.

Technical Education Director Rajeshwar Goel also reviewed the ongoing construction work of the block D, E and Open Air Theatre and directed the officials to speed up the construction work and further deadlines for completion of these works were fixed.

The matter of construction of boys hostel was also raised in the meeting and it was decided to have a solid waste disposal system in the institute in collaboration with the municipality. Beautification and the ways to beautify the institute were also discussed.

It was also decided that a centralised lecture hall complex would be constructed in the institute. Apart from these issues, the matter of high tension wire transfer and widening of roads at narrow ends were also discussed.

Solan, October 28
The police today requisitioned the help of forensic experts to ascertain the cause of fire which had destroyed Dabur’s cosmetic manufacturing plant here yesterday.

Baddi DSP Narinder Kumar said a team of forensic experts from Junga had took scrap samples from the remnants of fire to know the exact cause of fire. A case has been registered and investigations were under way.

Subhash Thakur, HR official, while denying any shortcoming in the fire-fighting system, said they had sought fire certification from international agencies, including the ISO and the OHSAS last week only, and five fire hydrants were in working condition which had been put to use to douse the fire.

Since there were chemicals present in the factory, the fire failed to be controlled. Apart from this, the unit had 2 lakh gallons of water to deal with fire.

He said the management has decided to adjust all 150 employees in the remaining 12 units of Dabur located in Baddi and no one would be rendered jobless. He added that efforts would be made to set up the new unit within three months while some premium products, manufactured in this unit, would be shifted to the other sister concerns to ensure minimise the loss of production.

With no apparent cause of fire coming to the fore and foul play too being ruled out by the police, all focus now shifted to the report of the forensic science which could throw light on the cause of this fire.

Solan, October 28
BJP state general secretary Dr Rajiv Bindal today questioned the move of the state government to restart the lottery system in the state as it was inimical to the interest of the common man.

Addressing mediapersons here today, he said the BJP government had banned the lottery system in 2000, when it was in power as people had become habitual of indulging in this game which only led to loss of money.

Bindal asked the CM as to who would gain from the proposal and how much money the state government proposed to earn from this venture and what was the motive behind restarting the lottery system, which was detrimental to the interest of the common man.

He said the poor people and employees in the state invested their hard-earned money in the lottery as it was like a fatal disease which couldn’t be controlled.

He said the state government should not allow it to be restarted at any cost, adding that the BJP would oppose it tooth and nail.

Solan, October 28
The state government has failed to approve an ambitious masterplan devised to bring about planned development in the state’s industrial hub of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) even after a lapse of seven years.

The plan was devised by the BBN Development Authority in 2007 to streamline development at a time when the Central industrial package was available and industrialisation was at its peak.

The package lapsed in March 2010, thereby reducing the flow of new industries to a trickle.

An area of 318 sq km was supposed to be brought under the purview of this plan, where the provision for developing green areas, streamlining haphazard constructions, traffic management, among other things had been planned.

Interestingly, public hearings were held in the last two years to invite objections from villagers at a time when industrial activity was at its lowest ebb with less than 2 per cent existing units planning expansion and hardly any new investment coming through.

The masterplan was not only reduced to an activity bringing villagers of BBN area under the purview of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) norms, but it defeated the very purpose of undertaking any planning in the state’s industrial hub.

This has led to mixed land use, where industrial units have been constructed amid habitations and stone crushers amid educational institutions thereby leading to problems of low voltage as no separate lines could be laid for domestic and industrial consumers.

Even the pollution problem has become a routine with villagers, who complain of industrial effluents finding way into their fields thereby affecting crops.

The BBNDA in a delayed move had sent the masterplan to the state government for approval nearly two months ago, where issues such as undertaking changes in the TCP to accommodate public objections and demands were yet to be finalised.

State town planner Sandeep Sharma said the plan was likely to be approved soon as requisite changes had been made and this would pave way for its implementation now.

Sources in the BBNDA said once approved, they would work on sector-wise requirement of staff to implement this plan and another proposal to seek the required budget would then be sent to the state government.

The state government has failed to post a regular Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the BBN development Authority since the last two years and its charge is being held on additional basis by the Deputy Commissioner. 

Dharamsala, October 28
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has expressed displeasure over the non-functional rogi kalyan samiti of the Tanda medical college. After he was told that the meeting of the Rogi Kalyan Committee of the Tanda medical college had not been held for the past more than one-and-a-half years, the Chief Minister directed the authorities concerned to hold the meeting within one week.

The Chief Minister also warned the officials concerned that disciplinary action could be taken against them if the meeting of the Rogi Kalyan Committee was not held in time.

He said the state government was committed to providing quality health services to the people at their door-steps and 50 new health institutions had been either opened or upgraded in remote areas of the state during the tenure of the present government.

The Chief Minister stated this while speaking at the annual day function of Doctor Rajinder Prasad Government Medical College and Hospital (RPGMC), Tanda, on Monday evening.

He said three more medical colleges were being opened in the state in Chamba, Sirmaur and Hamirpur districts for which a provision of Rs 567 crore had been made by the Centre.

Listing the achievements of the present government in the health sector, the Chief Minister said steps had been taken to fill all the vacant post of doctors in the remote and far-flung areas and adequate staff and modern equipment had been ensured in these institutions.

He said around 165 bighas of land had been identified for separate campus of IGMC, Shimla.

Virbhadra expressed gratitude towards former Union Health Minister Gulam Nabi Azad for making it a super-specialty hospital. He said the matter would be pursued with the Union Health Minister for required machinery and equipment, which was already sanctioned.

Referring to the delay in construction of two hostels for the PG students, the Chief Minister said the construction of the hostels might be handed over to the PWD. Regarding maintenance of buildings on the RPGMC campus, he said Junior Engineers of the IPH, PWD and Electricity Department would be appointed, who would work under a single division to look after the maintenance works.

The Chief Minister assured to look into the matter regarding providing one seat in MBBS to family members of those whose land was taken over by the government for construction of the institution.

He also distributed prizes to students excelling in academics.

Technical Education and Food and Civil Supply Minister GS Bali said the RPGMC, Tanda, had come a long way in serving the humanity and it was one of the pioneer institution of the country.

He urged for providing adequate funds for the constructions of hostels besides providing jobs to those who had given away their land for the construction of the RPGMC. He also urged the Chief Minister to absorb about seven to eight persons working as electricians in the institute from the last 12 years as regular employees in the college.

Students Central Association president Prashant Dhatwalia placed the demands before the Chief Minister.

Dharamsala, October 28
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh accused the previous BJP government of starting ad hoc appointments in government departments. He was speaking at the state-level meet of the Panchayat Takniki Sahayak Sangh here today.

The Chief Minister said the government had started regularising the services of ad hoc and contract employees who had completed 6 to 8 eights on ad hoc basis. The time limit, set by the present government for regularisation of the services, would benefit the youth who were working in various government departments, he said.

He further said the Panchayat Takniki Sahayaks were contributing a lot towards the development of the state by completing various projects. He said the government would consider their demands and the decision would be taken soon which would benefit them.

Earlier, Bhuvnesh Kumar Sharma, president of the union, honoured the Chief Minister and other guests. Apprising the Chief Minister of their demand, he said there were 1,200 Panchayat Sahayaks out of which 840 were in continuous service for the last 12 years and the rest were engaged for the last five years in the department.

The union demanded regularisation of those who had been serving for more than eight to 10 years. They also demanded that new technical assistants should be made daily wagers and the practice of commission on work basis should be stopped.

Earlier, Ashwani Kumar, district president of the union, welcomed the Chief Minister and other dignitaries.

Sudhir Sharma, Urban Development Minister, Jagjeevan Pal, CPS, Sanjay Rattan, Ajay Mahajan, Manohar Dhiman, MLAs, Jagdish Sapehiya, Chairman, KCCB, Kewal Singh Pathania, Vice-Chairman, HP State Forest Corporation, Panchayats Sahayaks from all over the state were also present.

Shimla, October 28
State Cabinet Ministers Vidya Stokes, Mukesh Agnihotri and Sudhir Sharma today refuted the charges of former Chief Minister PK Dhumal that the state was passing through a serious financial crisis and resorting to emergency measures, including hike in fee and not paying DA to state employees.

They said the Congress government inherited “bad financial situation” due to mismanagement by the previous BJP government.

In a joint statement issued here, the ministers said, “Himachal had been following the pay structure recommended by the Punjab Pay Commission, but the previous BJP government flouted the established norms to increase pay scales of government employees based on the recommendations of the Cabinet sub-committee of the Punjab government, which were adopted by the Punjab government on the eve of their Vidhan Sabha elections just for electoral gains.”

“The enhanced pay structure, which was followed by the BJP government in Himachal on the eve of the last Assembly elections, caused burden of over Rs 1,000 crore annually to the state exchequer,” they said.

Accusing the previous BJP government of not presenting the case of the state before the 13th Finance Commission logically, the ministers said while an average increase recommended by the commission was 126 per cent as compared to the 12th Finance Commission, Himachal got an increase of only 50 per cent. Had the state got 126 per cent increase, the additional fund transfer would have been to the tune of Rs 10,725 crore, they added.

Defending loans raised by the government, the ministers said these had been raised in accordance with the authorisation affected by the Centre.

Referring to the appointments of chairpersons and vice-chairpersons of boards and corporations, the ministers said the appointments were essential for better delivery of services to citizens. 

Palampur, October 28
MP Shanta Kumar today urged Chief Minister Virbhadhra Singh to get ban imposed by the Centre on the export of monkeys vacated.

He said the state government should take up this matter with the Centre immediately as the situation in the state was quite alarming.

In a letter addressed to the CM, Shanta apprised him that the matter was of serious concern for farmers and fruit growers as herds of monkeys destroy standing crop worth Rs 500 crore every year. He said monkeys had become a big nuisance not only in rural areas, but in urban areas as well.

“Villagers, however, feel that the problem has become more acute because monkeys have been provided over protection under the law such the prevention of cruelty to animals and the Wildlife Protection Act,” Shanta said.

He appreciated the previous BJP government’s efforts allowing the killing of monkeys in the state in 2010. But a few organisations got stay from the state High Court and farmers were restrained and the problem still persisted.

He said in the past five years over 500 people had been bitten or clawed by aggressive monkeys particularly school-going children, women and senior citizens.

Shanta said thousands of acres of land in the state had turned barren in the past 10 years because farmers had abandoned their fields and stopped cultivation in view of damage being caused to their crop by monkeys.

Meanwhile, People’s Voice, an NGO, appealed to the state to declare monkeys as vermins so that the menace could be controlled.

Kangra, October 28
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the state government will do whatever was possible to complete the Bachat Bhawan project in Kangra.

Shanta Kumar had laid the foundation stone of the said project on November 28, 1992, at Tehsil Chowk in Kangra, when he was the Chief Minister. The CM also asked Shanta to come up with financial help from his MP fund.

Virbhadra said it was an old incident dating back to 1992, which he came to know through The Tribune report. He said the BJP government was in power in the state for two terms since 1992. He said the BJP government should not have ignored the project of which a senior BJP leader Shanta Kumar as Chief Minister had laid the foundation stone.

He said Shanta, who as a Lok Sabha MP had Rs 25 crore for development projects, should contribute some funds for the project and the state government would do whatever was possible.

He said he would be looking into the matter personally and would see how the project for the public interest could come up because the development in public interest was a priority of his government.

Earlier, Shanta had alleged that Bachat Bhawan project was being ignored for the past 22 years and was an insult to democracy. Transport, Food and Civil Supplies and Technical Education Minister GS Bali had also come out in support of Shanta Kumar and assured that the project would come up soon. 

Dharamsala, October 28
Soon after Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said that he was in favour of a consolidated campus for the Central University of Himachal Pradesh (CUHP), officials have started hunting for a new site.

So far the present Congress government and the previous BJP government had proposed two campuses for CUHP. The present Congress government was in favour of having a majority of the campus in Dharamsala, while the previous BJP government wanted a majority of the campus in Dehra.

CM’s statement for a consolidated campus has come after the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests rejected the site proposed by the present government in Dharamsala.

The CM had said he was in favour of a consolidated campus of CUHP anywhere in Kangra district. He also accused BJP MP from Hamirpur Anurag Thakur for trying to take CUHP to Dehra.

The CM’s statement has set the ball rolling and officials have become busy in finding a new site for the campus.

Kangra Deputy Commissioner C Paul Rasu said: “Now that the CM has explicitly clarified his position over the matter, we will look for a place that has a least number of trees and where a consolidated campus of CUHP can be brought up.”

When asked if the government was trying to find out non-forestland for the campus, the DC said: “It is very difficult to find such a huge chunk of non-forestland in Himachal. However, we will try to find a chunk of land that has the least number of trees.”

Meanwhile, demands have starting coming up from various parts of Kangra district for the institute’s location. Various organisations have demanded that the institute be set up in Nurpur or Palampur.

The Union HRD Ministry has sought a fresh proposal from the state government for locating the CUHP campus. Now, it was on the discretion of the state government to propose the location of the prestigious institute.

Town and Country Planning Minister Sudhir Sharma, who represents the Dharamsala Assembly constituency and is a close aide of the CM, is making all out efforts to retain the CUHP campus in his constituency.

BJP MLA from Dehra and former minister Ravinder Singh welcomed the stance of one campus for CUHP. “Such a huge chunk of land is available only in Dehra and the entire university campus shall be brought up here. I will oppose any move to shift the university from Dehra,” he said.

There has been a delay of four years already in constructing the CUHP campus and frustration was creeping in among senior faculty members of the university due to inadequate facilities at the temporary campus. Sources said six senior faculty members of the university have already left the institute.

The university authorities want an early resolution to the land allotment problem for their institute so that the construction of permanent campus could be started.

Una, October 28
Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Jain today said a list of blood donors, along with their blood groups, addresses and cellphone numbers would be put up on the official website of Una district soon so that people in need could contact these persons.

He was speaking at a function organised in the district hospital to felicitate organisations which hold blood donation camps.

Jain said no amount of money could compensate the loss of human blood, adding that only a human being could help the ailing at that time. He said donating blood also created harmony and goodwill in the society. He appealed to the younger generation to be a part of the blood donation movement.

The DC announced the installation of two additional dental chairs with X-Ray facility at the dental department in the district hospital. He also announced Rs 2 lakh for laying interlocking tiles in the parking lot in front of the hospital complex.

Chief Medical Officer Dr GR Kaushal, Blood Bank in charge Dr Nikhil Sharma and District Programme Officer Dr Mukesh Panhalkar, Senior Medical Officer Dr Ashok Daroch and Rogi Kalyan Samiti member Vijay Dogra were also present. 

Nurpur, October 28
Residents of as many as 25 gram panchayats in Jawali sub-division have demanded to shift the sub-divisional Ayurveda hospital from Raja ka Talab to Jawali, for which it was sanctioned over 15 years ago.

As per the information, the hospital has been running from Raja ka Talab in the neighbouring Fatehpur Assembly segment due to “political reasons”.

The signboard of the hospital still mentions Jawali as the name of the place for this health institution being run in a dilapidated and small building.

It was sanctioned by the then Virbhadra Singh government following the efforts of former MLA Chander Kumar.

Ravi Kumar, pradhan of Jawali gram panchayat and Ravinder Kapila president of Jawali beopar mandal lamented that the hospital was sanctioned for Jawali and also being run at Jawali in government’s record, but the previous Dhumal government opened it 20 km away from Jawali causing a lot of inconvenience to the people of Jawali and Nagrota Surian belts.

The pradhans of beneficiary gram panchayats of Jawali area have appealed to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to intervene and order shifting of this hospital at its sanctioned place in Jawali.

Local MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Neeraj Bharti said he would inquire about the status of the hospital and approach the CM for its shifting to Jawali. 

Sundernagar, October 28
A five-day state-level rally of the Bharat Scouts and Guides started here today.

Sohan Lal Thakur, Chief Parliamentary Secretary and MLA, Sundernagar, was the chief guest on the occasion.

As per officials, around 1,700 participants from various parts of the state were taking part in this rally, which included various categories of scouts, such as robbers, bulbul, guides and supervisory staff.

It was for the first time that each district had sent its participants to attend the rally. As many as 15 types of competitions would be held during the rally. Every district has displayed an exhibition on the school ground of Government Senior Secondary School (Boys), Sundernagar.

The chief guest was given a warm welcome on his arrival at the venue. At the opening function, contingents of scouts and guides from different districts displayed a march past and presented cultural programmes.

Speaking on the occasion, Sohan Lal said the government was committed to providing quality education in the state and had kept sufficient budget for the promotion of the Scouts and Guides scheme.

Solan, October 28
Baddi-based Elin Appliances has bagged the National Safety Council of India’s top-level Sarva Shreshtha Puraskar Award in the MSME sector in safety management for 2013 last evening at Mumbai.

The award was presented to the unit’s team comprising Surinder Gondi, HR head, Rohit Gathania, production and safety officer, and Parminder Kaur Kang by Narender Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Steel, Mines, Labour and Employment.

The unit has also bagged other safety awards, which include the Greentech Safety Award-2011, NCSI Safety Award-2011 and 2012.

Factory manager JS Kang said they ensured that all safety equipment were in workable condition and regular training, mock drills and awareness campaigns were undertaken to train the staff in dealing with emergencies.

He said maintenance of occupational health and safety was their prime concern and the receipt of this award had further strengthened their resolve to maintain high standards of safety on their unit premises.

“Employees have been made aware about basic emergency handling of a situation by chalking out emergency plans through regular trainings in hazardous waste, chemical handling, firefighting and first aid. An accident reporting, investigation and analysis system has also been set up to ensure that mishaps do not recur,” Kang said. 

Nurpur, October 28
Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nurpur, Dr Abira Basu today convicted Pradeep, alias Bantu of Bhaloon, and Manoj Kumar of Amroha (UP) in a robbery case registered against them on September 1, 2013.

They were awarded seven-year imprisonment and also fined Rs 20,000 each for committing the crime.

Assistant District Attorney KS Jaryal said the convicts, had hired the car of the victim, Ganga Ram of Bhaloon, and a convict Pradeep was known to him. On reaching Sadwan, Pradeep started driving the vehicle. On reaching Suliali, the duo hit the victim with a stone on the head left him injured on the road. The victim who fell unconsciousand was rushed to the Nurpur Civil Hospital. Later, he lodged a complaint with the police. — OC