President assures Himachal of justice

President of India , Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, assured Prof. Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister of all possible help and justice with regard to all the issues relating to the state interest pending at the Government of India level. Chief Minister called on the President at her summer residence Retreat, near Mashobra here today to enquire about the stay as also present the written briefs to reiterate the issues raised by him during the Civic Reception organized in honour of her visit to the State for the First Time after being sworn in as the President of India.

Smt. Patil said that she was happy to be in Himachal Pradesh and enjoyed her stay here with her family members in the state. She appreciated the natural beauty of Himachal Pradesh which she advised to be exploited for tourism promotion. She assured that justice would be done with the people of the state with regard to the issues related to the President’s Secretariat by examining the same at appropriate level beside the remaining issues would be taken up with the concerned ministries with the recommendations to sort out the same by according top priority.

Prof. Dhumal said that the state had long list of pending demand with the Government of India which despite repeatedly reiteration positive outcome was still awaited. He said that among the top issue was the enhancement of recruitment quota for the youth of Himachal Pradesh. He said that Himachal Pradesh was not only known as the Land of Gods but also the Land of Warriors since the soldiers serving in military and paramilitary forces were rendering exemplary service to the nation. He said that the state had won large number of gallantry awards for their outstanding services rendered which included four Param Vir Chakras, 14 Mahavir Chakras, 17 Kirti Chakras and 63 Vir Chakras since independence. He said that keeping in mind the meritorious services rendered by the state the recruitment quota in the armed forces required to be enhanced suitably so that more youth could find opportunities in serving the nation.

Chief Minister said that the state had the ‘One Rank One Pension’ demand of the ex-servicemen of the state pending for long since the state government had been reiterating the same with the Union Government repeatedly.. He said that the state had large number of serving and ex-servicemen whose interests were required to be protected by implementing the scheme in their favour. He urged the President to get the matter decided in favour of the ex-servicemen of the state.

Prof. Dhumal urged the President to return the Annandale ground to the state to develop it into an international stadium since it was the property of the state government leased out to the Ministry of Defence which too had expired on 31st of March, 1982 without any further extension. He informed that the state had identified and proposed suitable alternate sites to the ARTRAC for its training purposes near to the Shimla. He said that the issue had been featuring in various agendas of civil and military liaison conferences. He urged the intervention of her good office and help the state get the ground back. He said that the above issues related to the Ministry of Defence and Her Excellency being the Supreme Commander of all the forces could help the state get justice in all such matters.

Chief Minister also requested the President to recommend the other issues like construction of Rohtang Tunnel, Bhanupalli-Bilaspur and other railway lines, accord top priority to the railway line to connect the border of the country with China border via Mandi, Manali, Keylong on the analogy of the Tibet Railway line which was strategically important to the nation; extension of special industrial package, state share in BBMB projects and as admissible under States Reorganization Act. He said that levying water cess was one of the pressing demand of the state where justice was long awaited to help state generate its own sources of income. He said that more national highways, expansion of the existing airports and construction of international airports, were some more genuine demands of the state which required to be considered sympathetically by the Government of India.

Prof. Dhumal said that one more demand of the state was that of compensating it for preservation of the environment and protecting the valuable forest wealth of the state. He said that in the wake of threat of global warming the protection of the forests had emerged the top priority. He said that state had adopted all required steps to check the degradation of the environment by completely banning green felling, unscientific mining and use of recycled polythene bags. He said that since the state had shifted from traditional fuel wood practice for domestic requirements to LPG use which had saved the forests resulting into increased green cover in the state. He said that in order to protect the same adequate compensation was required to be paid to the state judiciously.

Chief Minister also presented a shawl and Himachali cap to Her Excellency as a token of honour.

Shri Narender Bragta, Horticulture Minister and Minister in waiting to HE the President, Shri Diljeet Dogra, Secretary GAD, Shri K.R.Bharti, Special Secretary GAD and Shri J.R.Katwal, Director of Information and Public Relations were present on the occasion.