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Set up units in remote areas, CM tells entrepreneurs
200 stranded for want of chopper
50 pc DA to be merged with basic pay
Dhumal lambasts govt over Thind
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Ayurveda director removed
Court: Slap molestation charge on doctor
A ray of hope for ailing child
Multi-storeyed parking complex soon
Doc’s transfer sparks off protest
Tribune employee bereaved
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Set up units in remote areas, CM tells entrepreneurs
Dharamsala, December 30 He said entrepreneurs were being encouraged to set up new units in remote areas where they would be provided additional benefits besides the central industrial package. Mr Virbhadra said while exemptions under the industrial package were available throughout the state, the exemptions within the SEZs would be provided in the specified areas both by the union as well as the state
government. However, with scarcity of land in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh areas, the cost of land had escalated and the entrepreneurs were being asked to set up their units in other areas of the state also,
he said. The Chief Minister said under the Punjab Re-organization Act of 1966 only the hilly areas of Punjab were merged with Himachal, hence, the neighbouring states should not complain that the industries were only being set up in the plain areas of the hill state taking advantage of the central package extended to the hill states. Earlier, replying to the main question of Vijay Singh Mankotia of the Congress, Industry Minister Kuldeep Kumar informed the House that the union government has provided in principle approval for setting up three SEZs in the state. The union government had granted in principle approval to DS Construction Limited for setting up multi-product SEZ in Kangra to be spread over 1,000 hectares on April 4 while SKIL Infrastructure Limited was granted airport based multi-product SEZ at Gagret in Una district to be over 3,230 hectares on October 26, the Minister said. The Industry Minister further said the union government had also approved a mutli-product SEZ to be spread over an area of 800 hectares at Waknaghat in Solan district of the state on November 4. Vijay Singh Mankotia of the Congress and Hari Narain Singh Saini of the BJP demanded from the CM to frame a specific policy so that productive agricultural land with irrigation facilities should be not acquired at the sacrifice of the farming community in order to 'avoid possible future unrest among the farmers of the state'. Mankotia was also of the view that SEZs should be given priority in the interior areas of other districts so that the hill folk could get actual benefit in terms of employment and business from them. |
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200 stranded for want of chopper
Mandi, December 30 According to reports received at this divisional headquarters here today, official sources said the passengers remained stranded at Baring near Jalma, Udaipur and Keylong, the district headquarters of Lahaul-Spiti for the third day today as the GAD has yet to confirm the helicopter flights to the valley for tomorrow. The Superintendent of Police Asif Jalal told The Tribune on the phone from Keylong that a patwari, working in the IPH department, Rup Chand, suffered a heart attack yesterday and died at the district hospital last night. “He is a resident of Banjar in Kulu district. His body after postmortem awaits transportation to his native place, but there is no flight coming to Keylong since December 28,” he added. The district officials said they had apprised the GAD that passengers were awaiting transportation from the valley to Bhuntar airport. “But so far they have received no confirmation regarding the flight for tomorrow,” an official disclosed. According the sources in the GAD, the state chopper was under repairs and the government was trying to the make alternative arrangements to transport the passengers. The 13,500 ft high Rohtang Pass, the only land route to Lahaul valley, has been closed down for movement of people and vehicles following intermittent spells of heavy snowfall since November. The state chopper is the only means of transportation from the valley to Bhuntar airport in Kulu district, revealed passengers. The passengers rued that the there was no dedicated helicopters services to the Lahaul valley in the winter months when the valley remained cut off from the rest of world for five to six months.
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50 pc DA to be merged with basic pay
Dharamsala, December 30 The state government will also regularise the service of the daily wage employees completing the prescribed daily wage service period. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh stated this while presiding over the 73rd meeting of the board of directors of the HPEDC at the Vidhan Sabha complex here last night. He congratulated the corporation for achieving a record turnover of Rs 31.13 crore. He said the objective of the corporation was to play a promotional role in elaboration of electronics and information technology. He said eminent houses in the information technology sector had come forward to invest in the state. He said the state was providing the best environmental conditions for setting up of pollution-free industries. He said the corporation had been a facilitator in promoting such activities and it was the need of the hour to keep pace with global technological advancements. He said the government was committed to safeguard the interests of employees. He said contractual computer operators of the corporation would also be eligible for getting 50 per cent enhanced emoluments. He said daily wage employees who had completed the minimum service of eight years as on March 31, 2004, would be regularised. He stated that the government had adopted an open door policy with regard to the revival of public sector undertakings running into losses and extending those all possible help to diversify to come out of the red. The Chief Minister was presented a draft for Rs 51,000 as contribution towards the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. |
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Dhumal lambasts govt over Thind
Kangra, December 30 It has failed to reply and discuss the issue on the floor of the House, he said while talking to mediapersons at the Bajjreshwari temple here last evening. He said the government was not prepared for a reply and discussion regarding the issue, which he described as unfortunate. He expressed shock that Chief Minister Virbhdra Singh had lost his cool when the issue was raised in the Vidhan Sabha time and again. Mr Dhumal alleged that Mr Thind had committed certain irregularities during the tenure of the Congress government, detected during a special audit. He alleged that the services of the ADGP had been used for vested political interests by the government and for harassing its political opponents. Expressing concern over the growing unemployment in the state, particularly of TGTs, at least 50,000 of whom had been awaiting appointment, the former Chief Minister said the government must stress on the establishment of need-based technical institutions in the state in order to provide jobs to technically trained youths. He was critical of the Chief Minister for claiming that 63,000 youths had been appointed during the tenure of the present government. |
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Ayurveda director removed
Baijnath, December 30 He was presiding over the annual convention of state ayurvedic doctors here. The state government would constitute a high-level committee to probe irregularities and review the functioning of the department, the report of which would be submitted to the state government within two months, he announced. He also announced the removal of the ayurveda director and directed secretary Narendra Chauhan to take additional charge as the head of the department. The Chief Minister warned doctors who indulged in politics after duty hours, quoting service rules in this context. He announced a stop to the process of recruiting 80 pharmacists in the department. He said the state government would constitute a committee to have a relook into the viability of these posts, after which a decision would be taken on the recruitment. Regarding certain demands of doctors, he asked Mr Chauhan to prepare a detailed report on the issue of irregularities in pay scales and allowances of ayurvedic doctors and lecturers and submit a report before the next cabinet meeting. He said the state government was considering holding entrance tests to state ayurvedic colleges along with combined medical tests to streamline the admission process. He said the ayurvedic college at Paprola was being developed as a centre of excellence. He said a new hospital complex was coming up at the college to admit indoor patients and facilitate research in ayurveda. He said top professional teachers would be engaged to teach at the Paprola college.
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Court: Slap molestation charge on doctor
Sundernagar, December 30 The Chief
Judicial Magistrate, Mandi, had discharged Medical Officer D.K Arora vide order dated June 12, 2006, on the ground that no sanction was taken by the prosecution from the government to prosecute the doctor who allegedly molested a woman patient. As per the chargesheet filed by the police, the complainant, who was suffering from headache and pain in the neck visited the doctor who admitted her in the ENT ward in the afternoon. In the evening, the doctor asked the father of the woman to bring medicines. Once alone with the victim, he molested her. The doctor later apologised and allured the complainant with free
treatment. The Chief Judicial Magistrate discharged the accused on the plea that the prosecution has not taken government sanction to prosecute the accused. The state filed a revision petition against the order before the Sessions Judge, Mandi. The Sessions Judge in the 12-page order said no sanction to prosecute the doctor was required as per the law as. |
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A ray of hope for ailing child
Palampur, December 30 The local panchyat has been moving from pillar to post to collect funds for treatment of the child and has accumulated over Rs 1.5 lakh. The child has been brought back from the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital, New Delhi, as the hospital authorities have asked for Rs 4 lakh. Member of the village panchayat today called on Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and local MLA Brij Behari Lal Butail. They urged them to make money available and the Chief Minister assured them that the government would meet the cost of treatment.
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Multi-storeyed parking complex soon
Palampur, December 30 He said parking of vehicles had become a major problem as over 100 vehicles were being added to the town every month. Most areas for parking were occupied by heavy vehicles and there was no space for parking light vehicles, he added. He said local MLA Brij Behari Lal Butail and he had recently met Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and informed him about the problem, in response to which the Chief Minister had agreed to provide funds.
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Doc’s transfer sparks off protest
Nurpur, December 30 When contacted, the local MLA and Revenue Minister, Mr Sat Mahajan, said he would get the doctor’s transfer order cancelled on priority basis.
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Tribune employee bereaved
Kangra, December 30 He would be cremated tomorrow at his village. |
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