Despite vermin tag, no monkey shot: Minister

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 24

Despite monkeys having been declared vermin within the Shimla Municpal Corporation area and 38 other tehsils in the state, not even a single monkey has been shot.

This information was furnished by Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri on a written reply to a query by Bikram Singh, Mahender Singh and Bikram Singh Jaryal during Question Hour today. The question could not be taken up as more than one-and-a-half hour was spent on resolving the issue of suspension of BJP MLA Ravinder Ravi.

In the written reply, the government admitted that despite declaring monkeys vermin in the Shimla MC on March 14, 2016, for six months and in 38 tehsils on May 25, 2016, for one year, not even a single monkey had been killed. It was also mentioned that no professional shooter had been engaged by the Forest Department to get rid of monkeys.

In reply to another query by Sanjay Rattan and Anirudh Singh on the expenditure incurred on foreign trips by chairmen, vice-chairmen and officers, the Chief Minister said Rs 56,11,324 was incurred by various government departments and Rs 1,13,13, 201 was spent by various boards and corporations.

He said two chairmen and 150 senior officers travelled abroad between December 25, 2012, and December 31, 2015. Besides this 214 officials also travelled abroad.

In reply to another query by Vijay Agnihotri on the losses incurred by various boards and corporations and the expenditure being borne on the staff and salaries of their chairmen and vice-chairmen, the Chief Minister said 11 of these public sector undertakings were running in losses.

As per information, the highest salary and travelling expenditure had been incurred by Vice-Chairman of the HP Forest Corporation with Rs 11.34 lakh being spent between 2013 and 2015. The money spent on salary of his staff stands at Rs 25.40 lakh. Similarly, the expenditure on salary and TA of Chairman and HP Pollution Control Board and Vice-Chairman of the HP Tourism Development Corporation is among the highest.