Himachal seeks PM intervention to start IIT in 2008
Shimla, 22 July: The Himachal Pradesh government has sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention to start an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in the state from the current academic session.
In a letter Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said: 'The government is willing to provide all facilities to start an IIT at a temporary location till necessary infrastructure has been created. The government has already identified a piece of land in Mandi district for setting up of the IIT.'
The institute could be started temporarily at the National Institute of Technology, Hamirpur, he said.
The central government Thursday decided to set up an IIT in the state to start functioning from 2009 academic session.
Land banks to open new vistas for Himachal industry
Wednesday, July 23, 2008:
Running out of new plots to offer to the industry in the Baddi industrial belt, the Himachal government is scouting for land in Baddi's periphery as well as other districts. With the aim of developing a land bank for industries to come, state's Industries department is adopting a two-pronged policy of identifying government and private land for future development.
Sharing details with FE, a senior official of the Himachal industries department said, “Land banks including government and private land have been identified in districts of Kangra, Hamirpur, Solan, Bilaspur, Sirmaur and Una. The government land will be transferred to the industries department and then further plots will be issued for industrial use. But for the private land we'll act as facilitators between the industry and the land owners. Once the private land is identified, we'll invite the industry and land will be made available to them by the land owners. The basic infrastructure will be developed by us for the overall area.”
The industries department has also identified about 520 bighas belonging to about 100 private land owners in village Manpura near Baddi.
“Agreement for over 70 bighas has been signed after negotiations with the land owners. The rest of the land will also be acquired by us after reaching a consensus on compensation with the land owners. The topographical plan is ready and plots of different sizes ranging between 500 sq mt to 1,000 sq mt will be offered to the industrial units,” added the official.
The industries department plans to notify the land banks through an advertisement in the papers by next month and invite new industries to set up base in these districts.
As per information about 30,000 bighas of land have been identified in seven districts of the state which comprises of around 11,000 bighas of land under the private owners.
Denying the fact that industrial units are shifting base from Baddi with the industrial package nearing its deadline, the official said, “No industry is moving out of Baddi with the expiry of industrial package just two years away. A few cases where the existing units transfer their leased land to new companies have come into light. But this process is allowed by the government for further diversification or change of business etc.”
IAS officer grilled in Himachal Pradesh
Shimla, July 23: The Himachal Pradesh vigilance bureau has once again grilled Subhash Ahluwalia, a high-profile Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and former private secretary to ex-chief minister Virbhadra Singh, in connection with a disproportionate assets case, said an official here Wednesday. The bureau has asked details from Ahluwalia about any foreign remittances received by him from his children, who are working in the US, a top vigilance bureau official told IANS Wednesday.
The bureaucrat was asked to furnish details about expenditure on his children’s education in the US.
The bureau also questioned him about an orchard purchased by his close relative in Shimla district.
Vigilance department spokesman, deputy inspector-general Ashok Kumar Sharma, said Ahluwalia was questioned about bank accounts and assets.
Ahluwalia’s wife, Meera, is also under the scanner of the bureau.
She was accused of foreign jaunts at the expense of a private company which is setting up a cement plant in the hill state.
During the previous government, Ahluwalia was private secretary to the chief minister for over four years.
He is the third person who occupied influential position in the previous government who was grilled by the bureau.
Earlier, former horticulture minister Singhi Ram and former chairman of the state school education board were booked by the bureau in a forged marksheet case involving Singhi’s daughter.
When contacted, Ahluwalia refused to comment on the probe.
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