BJP creates history, wins Shimla Municipal Corporation

Counting of votes for the 34 seats of the Shimla Municipal Corporation took place on Saturday, election officials said here.

Since the beginning of the vote count, candidates supported by the BJP stayed ahead in the 34-member house of the Shimla Municipal Corporation.

According to a report, of the total 34, the BJP won on at least 17 seats whereas Congress-supported candidates trailing closely by winning on at least 12 seats.

Three seats have been won by independents, while one has been bagged by the CPI-M.

Here's the result:

- BJP's Brij Sood won from Ward no 34 at Kanlog

- BJP candidate Puran Mal won from Ward no 33 at Khalini

- Congress candidate Kusum Lata won from Ward no 32 at New Shimla

- BJP candidate Asha Sharma won from Ward no 31 at Patyog

- BJP candidate Renu Chouhan won from Ward no 30 at Kangnadhar

- Independent candidate Rachna won from Ward no 29 at Vikasnagar

- BJP candidate Vidushi Sharma won from Ward no 28 at Chota Shimla

- Congress candidate Rakesh Chouhan won Ward no 27 at Kasumpati

- Independent candidate Rakesh Sharma won Ward no 26 at Panthaghatti

- Congress' sitting councillor Kuldeep Thakur won Ward no 25 at Malyana

- Congress' Meera Sharma won from Ward no 24 at Sangti

- Cpongress candidate Rita Thakur won from Ward no 23 at Bhatta Kuffar

- Independent candidate Sharda Chauhan won Ward no 22 at Shantivihar

- BJP candidate Shailender Chauhan won from Ward no 21 at Lower Dhalli

- BJP candidate Kamlesh Mehta won from Ward no 20 at Upper Dhalli

- BJP's Satya Kaundal won from Ward no 19 at Sanjauli Chowk

- BJP candidate Aarti Chouhan won from Ward no 18 at Engine Ghar

- BJP candidate Kimi Sood won from Ward no 17 at Benmore

- Congress' Archana  Dhawa won from Ward no 16 at Jakhu

- Congress' Inderjeet Singh won from Ward no 15 at Lower Bazaar

- Congress' Sushma Kuthiala won from Ward no 14 at Ram Bazar

- BJP's Bittu Panna has won Ward no 13 at Krishna Nagar of Shimla

- BJP candidate Jagjit Bagga won from Ward no. 12 at Phagli

- Congress' Simmi Nanda won from Ward no. 11 at Nabha

- Congress' Anand Kaushal won from Ward no. 10 Tuttikandi

- Independent candidate Sanjay Parmar won from Ward no. 9 at Kacchighati

- BJP's Kiran Baba won from Ward no 8 at Boileaugang

- Congress' Diwakar Sharma from Ward no 7 at Majiath

- BJP candidate Vivek Sharma won from Ward no 6 at Tutu

- CPI(M)'s Shaili Sharma won from Ward no 5 at Summerhill

- BJP's Kusum Sadrek won from Ward no 4 at Annadale

- BJP's Sunil Dhar won from Ward no 3 at Kathu

- BJP's Sanjeev thakur won from Ward 2 at Ruldu Bhatta

- Congress' Tanuja Chaudhary won from Ward no 1 at Bharari

Three independent candidates Sharda Chauhan, Kusam Lata and Sanjay Parmar announced their support to the Congress. This means the Congress has the support of 15 candidates, still short of the BJP`s 17 winners.

"We are going to take control of the Municipal Corporation with the support of an independent," a senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader told IANS.

Fourth independent winner Rakesh Kumar is a BJP rebel and he`s likely to extend support to the saffron party for getting a simple majority.

In 2012, the CPI-M won the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, who were elected directly unlike this time. It thus ruled the civic body with its three members in the 25-seat house -- the majority of the councillors were from the BJP.

Nearly 58 per cent of over 91,000 electors exercised their franchise in the voting held on Friday.

-->

MC Shimla wards

Ward No	Ward  Name
1	Bharari
2	Ruldu Bhatta
3	Kaithu
4	Annadale
5	Summer Hill
6	Totu
7	Majath
8	Boileauganj
9	Kachhi Ghati
10	Tutikandi
11	Nabha
12	Phagli
13	Krishna Nagar
14	Rambazar
15	Lower Bazar
16	Jakhoo
17	Benmore
18	Engine Ghar
19	Sanjauli chowk
20	Upper Dhalli
21	Lower Dhalli
22	Shanti Vihar
23	Bhatakufar
24	Sangti
25	Malyana
26	Panthaghati
27	Kasumpti
28	Chotta Shimla
29	Vikasnagar
30	Kangna Dhar
31	Pateog
32	New shimla
33	Khalini
34	Kanlog

Shimla goes to poll today

Around 91 thousand residents of Shimla, the erstwhile capital city of Britishers, would cast their vote on Friday to send their elected representatives in the Shimla Municipal Corporation for next five years.

Deputy Commissioner and State Election Commissioner, Rohan Chand Thakur on Thursday said that all the preparations for the elections had been completed.

He said that 153 polling booths had been made for polling in 34 wards of the city. Polling will start at 8 am and conclude at 4 pm on Friday.

The district administration has declared 23 booths as hyper-sensitive and 56 booths as sensitive.  Thakur said 1500 employees had been detailed to conduct the poll process.

He said the arrangements for the counting of votes have also been done. Administration has set up two counting centers for counting of votes on June 17. Counting of wards from 1 to 18 and 27 to 34 would be done in Bachat Bhawan in DC office.

SDM, Urban Hemis Negi would preside the process of counting there. The counting for wards from 19 to 26 will be done in DC Court room, where SDM, Rural Gyan Sagar Negi will preside.

As the Shimla Municipal Corporation has again returned to indirect election for the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, the polling will be conducted for election of 34 wards this time as the number of wards was increased from 25 to 34. While ruling Congress has fielded its candidates on 28 wards, the main opposition BJP is contesting the MC elections on all the wards.

The CPM, which had won the coveted posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the last direct elections in 2012, has fielded its candidates on 21 seats.

Riding on the Modi wave, BJP is trying to wrest the Shimla Municipal Corporation for the first time, ruling Congress has made sincere efforts particularly in the last three days, when Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh himself sweated while campaigning for the Congress supported candidates.

CPM, after a strong presence in the last MC house, is looking to improve its position.

-->

Over 90,000 voters for Shimla Municipal Corporation elections

The Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) elections on June 16 will witness 91,000 voters casting their votes. Voters can vote even without a voter ID and the ones whose names are registered in electoral rolls will be able to cast their vote by showing any valid ID card which mentions the voter's name, father's and husband's.

In all 34 wards of Shimla there are 153 polling booths in which 23 are very sensitive, 56 are sensitive and 74 are normal." We have checked the proper functioning of all Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) through trial runs. We appeal to Shimla residents to maintain law and order while casting their vote," said Shimla election officer and Shimla deputy commissioner Rohan Chand Thakur.
On the voters whose details are missing from the electoral rolls, he said, "Their query is relevant as this has happened in some cases. I would tell all of them that whose names are in the electoral rolls are eligible to vote." he added
He said that for voters' identification, voters name, father or husband's name will be asked. For the identification requirements, they will allow voters to carry any of the 15 or more types of identity cards and passes other then voter id card. Permitted ID cards includes- driving licence, passport, income tax id card, bank/farmers/post office if card, sc/st/obc card, students id card, property registration/lease card, weapons licence, conductor licence by transport authority, pension card, x serviceman card, railway/ bus pass, disability card, adhaar card and others.
Meanwhile on the last day of campaigning on Wednesday, all three parties BJP, Congress and CPI(M) remained active. The candidates were allowed to do propaganda through street plays, speeches and rallies till 4 pm after which they were allowed to do only door-to-door campaigning. Some political parties even broke norms with the BJP posters pasted on the newly-painted walls of HP University even when sticking posters are strictly prohibited.

Courtesy:TNN

-->

Amid water woes, Shimla civic body set to go to polls

The Shimla civic body, one of the oldest in the country, is set to go to polls on Friday.

Unlike earlier elections, when residents elected the mayor and his deputy, this time voters will only elect councillors. The party with the maximum councillors will have internal polling for mayor and deputy mayor.

For the Congress, the ruling party in the state, and the BJP, which has largely been out of the corporation in the past 31 years, winning the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) elections is a prestige issue. The CPI-M is fighting anti-incumbency.


Stakes are high for six-time Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh as he is trying to prove he is still a mass leader and can lead the party in the forthcoming assembly polls also, while BJP`s two-time Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal is fighting a "survival battle".

Dhumal is mainly challenged by his bete noire and Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, who is trying to return to state politics ahead of the assembly elections.

Both Dhumal and Nadda are seeking votes for the BJP, generating a buzz among the voters.

The CPI-M, which came to power in 2012, rules the civic body with just three councillors in the 25-member House. The majority of the councillors are from Congress.

CPI-M Mayor Sanjay Chauhan and his deputy Tikender Panwar blame successive governments for eroding the autonomous character of the civic body. They say the corporation has been reduced to a "waste collector".

Interestingly, the age-old issues of water shortage and the spread of waterborne diseases continue to be the main complaints, besides shortage of parking lots, traffic jams and unscientific disposal of solid waste.

But political observers say the main issue in the poll this time is Shimla`s failure to grab the Smart City tag which lost the city a lot of revenue. Both the BJP and CPI-M blame the ruling Congress of playing politics in the selection of Smart City.

Deliberately keeping the issue of Smart City on the backburner, as it is the BJP`s main poll plank, Virbhadra Singh said his government has evolved a World Bank-funded Rs 1,000 crore scheme to end the city`s water shortage issue at least for the next 50 years.

"We have started work on pumping Satluj river water from Kol Dam to end water shortage in Shimla," the Chief Minister said at the launch of party`s manifesto "Shimla-Sankalp-2017" here on Wednesday.

For the city`s beautification, he said the government has got funding from the Asian Development Bank for resorting and preserving the British-era Town Hall and developing The Ridge and The Mall areas.

Attacking the Congress and the CPI-M, BJP`s Dhumal has said the voters would punish both the parties for playing with the lives of people by supplying unsafe drinking water. A jaundice outbreak last year claimed over 30 lives which was caused by mixing of sewage from a nearby sewerage treatment plant with the natural water supply.

Countering Dhumal`s claims, CPI-M Deputy Mayor Panwar said Shimla has been seeing a jaundice epidemic every alternate year since 2007.

"In fact, the corporation has helped better the water supply and sewage treatment during our tenure. Now every drop of water that is lifted from the river and every drop of sewer that is treated and released into the river is the responsibility of the civic body. This has brought a qualitative change in water and sewerage management," Panwar told IANS.

B.D. Sharma, a local and former Press Secretary to the Chief Minister, however, blames the corporation and successive governments for deteriorating civic conditions.

"Though political parties have been promising the moon but no one has said a single word about ensuring systematic and planned development of the city," he said.

Planned for a maximum population of 16,000, Shimla is home to 1,70,000 people as per the 2011 census and generates 30.09 million litres of sewage per day.

-->

LED to light up 5 wards in 2 months: Mayor

Mayor Sanjay Chauhan today said the corporation was replacing 1,500 streetlights with LED light in five wards in the city and the replacement would be completed within two months.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Mayor said the old lights in ward no one to ward number 5 would be replaced with LED lights. As many as 700 LED lights installed on The Ridge and The Mall had added to beauty of the city, he added.
Chauhan said the corporation had asked a private firm to complete the work within two months. The company would maintain these smart LED streetlights for seven years as per the contract condition, he added.

C.M. Launches Android based mobile App of M.C. for grievance redressal

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh launching android mobile app of Municipal Corporation Shimla for grievance redressal at  Shimla on 19 Sep 2016

Mobile app consists of information regarding tourist places, parking rates, HRTC time table, etc.
Jute bags/ car bins to be provided to the tourists entering Shimla

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh launched the Android based mobile Application (App) of Municipal Corporation (M.C.) Shimla, for grievance redressal and also launched ‘car-bin’ scheme under ‘Swatch Bharat Mission’ here today.

Under the Scheme, jute bags would be provided to the tourists entering the State including the locals to maintain cleanliness in the town.  Besides, the Municipal Corporation would also disseminate the information through ‘jingles’ on mobile vehicles regarding cleanliness.

District Administration Solan in association with Excise and Taxation Department would be distributing the car-bins to the tourists at Parwanoo barrier as soon as the Chief Minister launches the scheme here at Shimla.

The tourists entering Himachal Pradesh would be handed over the jute bag (car-bin) at nominal cost of Rs. 30 each only on voluntarily basis along-with an information brochure containing details of parking facilities in Shimla and ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ regarding garbage disposal in the city.

The Mobile app of Municipal Corporation is bi-lingual to facilitate the  people to file their grievances with photos, track status of their grievances, notifications, alerts along with important  contact numbers of the Corporation.  Besides, the mobile app will also have information regarding tourist places in Shimla, Hotels in M.C. area, parking rates, HRTC taxi time table, Labour rates, etc.

Chief Minister lauded the efforts of the Municipal Corporation and said that every citizen should be responsible and not litter anywhere on roads and other public places and should make maximum use of these jute bags and dustbins.  He also lauded the android mobile application for having all details of Shimla which will facilitate the visitors and the locals as well, he said.

The mobile app can be downloaded from Google Play Store, or http://shimlamc.org, http://himachal.nic.in and  http://egovmobilesapps.nic.in

Mayor Municipal Corporation, Shimla Sanjay Chauhan, Vice-Chairman HIMUDA, Yashwant Chajta, Additional Chief Secretary Manisha Nanda, Commissioner, MC Pankaj Rai, Councilors and other senior officers of the State Government were present on the occasion amongst others.

-->

Pay your bills here

Why are you standing in queues to pay yours bills when you can do it online. Most of govt. departments are now giving benefit of paying their bills online.

Online payment is the easiest and smartest way to pay your bills anytime, anywhere. So do away with writing cheques or standing in queues to pay all your bills. Make all your bill payments from the convenience of your home/office with online payment.

H.P. State Electricity Board 

You can register for H.P. State Electricity Board  Ltd Online Services for various sub-divisions (mainly Shimla and its surrounding sub-divisions), and you'll be able to pay your electricity bills online, anytime.

 It enables you to :
1. Pay bills without stepping out of your home or office.
2. Link multiple bills (KNo) to your account.
3. Fast, Convenience & Hassle free
4. Access to all major banks.

Update: Now you can pay your Electricity bills without any registration.

Visit here for pay online your Electricity bills

• Consumers bearing KNO Please click here

(List of Subdivisions with K.No.)

• Consumers bearing CONSUMER ID Please click here

(List of Subdivisions with CONSUMER ID)

Convenience Charges will be charged extra in addition to bill amount but with you can choose HDFC gateway for NIL charges.

HDFC Bank Gateway
Net banking - NIL
Debit Card - NIL
Debit Card - NIL

ICICI Bank Gateway
Net banking - Rs. 3.70 per transaction +Applicable Taxes
Debit Card - Rs 0.75% of Transaction Value (Up to Rs.2000)+Applicable Taxes. Rs 1% of Transaction Value (beyond Rs.2000)+Applicable Taxes
Credit Card - Rs 1% of Transaction Value +Applicable Taxes

PayUmoney
Net banking - Rs. 3.70 per transaction +Applicable Taxes
Debit Card - Rs 0.90% of Transaction Value +Applicable Taxes
Debit Card - Rs 0.90% of Transaction Value +Applicable Taxes

You may also contact HPSEBL Toll free no. 18001808060 or 1912
info@hpseb.in

Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited

Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) is a jointly promoted company of Shimla Municipal Corporation and Government of Himachal Pradesh. SJPNL is solely responsible for the water and sewerage services in the greater Shimla area. The SJPNL operates in professional environment with focus on the customer orientation and performance delivery of services.

• Pay Bill for Property Tax
• Get Duplicate Receipt

Irrigation and Public Health Department

Now you can also pay IPH department water bill by online payment.

• Pay IPH Water Bills Online
• View IPH Water Bills Online

-->

Impure water led to Shimla jaundice outbreak: MC

Shimla: With a large number of jaundice cases reported in Shimla, a municipal corporation team on Saturday reached the conclusion that the outbreak was likely the result of untreated water from sewerage treatment plants mixing with water from Ashwani Khud pumping station, which supplies water to 30% population of Shimla.
On December 31, a six-member committee formed by the MC had visited the sewerage treatment plant at Malyana and concluded that the sewerage treatment plant was in disrepair and was discharging raw effluents. The committee had also found that effluents were not being chlorinated properly.
The committee had also observed that the bleaching powder used for chlorination was manufactured in September 2014 and was stacked in torn bags. It also found that as there was no power backup, the plant stopped functioning in case of a power outage, and untreated water was again allowed to flow.
But when a team headed by mayor Sanjay Chauhan visited Ashwani Khud pumping station on Saturday they found that there was clear-cut mixing of untreated water from sewerage treatment plants in water of the pumping station. "There is no treatment of water for virus-causing Hepatitis either at the sewerage treatment plant or at the source and pumping stations at Ashwini Khud," said Chauhan. "The team is of the view that quality of water in Ashwani Khud is not good, which is causing repeated epidemic in Shimla." He said that the irrigation and public health department had now been asked to act immediately.

20 e-toilets to be set up in Shimla

In a first-of-its-kind initiative under the Swachh Bharat Mission, the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) will be setting up 20 e-toilets (electronic) at different locations in the town for the convenience of both locals as well as tourists.
Besides providing quality services to the users, the endeavour is also aimed at making the state capital defecation-free. The state capital, which remained the summer capital of the British, attracts a large number of tourists, including many foreigners.
It is for the first time that the e-toilet facility is being provided anywhere in the state and the funds for it will be provided under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Considered as a major innovation in the public health and sanitation sector, the e-toilet can be used by inserting a coin, which will open the doors of the toilet for the user. The lights of the toilet, requiring a space of barely 5X5 feet, will switch on the moment the doors open and it will also have the facility of audio commands for the convenience of the users.
The e-toilet is a portable toilet that costs about Rs 6 lakh each and is user-friendly.
“We are constructing the e-toilets near the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), Chaura Maidan, near the State Secretariat, Chhota Shimla, The Mall and The Ridge,” said Pankaj Rai, Municipal Commissioner. He added that the sites were being identified in other parts of the town as well so that the facility is provided in the entire town.
The e-toilets are programmed to flush 1.5 litres of water after three minutes of usage or 4.5 litres if the usage is longer, said the SMC engineers.
Other initiatives under the Swachh Bharat Mission include subsidy to the poor shack owners and others who don’t have toilet facility and funds for constructing toilets for complete sanitation. “In all, there are about 152 sanitary latrines, most of these located in the Krishna Nagar locality. These will be linked directly to the sewerage line to make Shimla open defecation-free under the mission,” Rai said.
The e-toilet ensures sustainable sanitation that integrates electronic, mechanical and web-mobile technologies. It controls the entry, usage, cleaning, exit and does not require deployment of manpower, said the SMC engineers.

What is an e-toilet

Can be used by inserting a coin, which will open the doors of the toilet for the user
The lights of the toilet, requiring a space of barely 5X5 feet, will switch on the moment the doors open
It will also have the facility of audio commands for the convenience of the users
The e-toilet is a portable toilet that costs about Rs 6 lakh and is user-friendly
Can flush 1.5 litres of water after three minutes of usage or 4.5 litres if the usage is longer

Source:Tribune News Service

Centre pats Shimla MC for Swachh Bharat campaign

With the redressal of over 250 ‘swachhta’ complaints, the Shimla Municipal Corporation’s (SMC) Swachhta helpline 1916 and Swachhta Vahan service have found recognition from the Ministry of Urban Development and been published in the ministry’s newsletter in its November issue.
Launched by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on the anniversary of Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2, the SMC has redressed 250 complaints.
The ministry has appreciated the MC’s step to make Shimla litter-free, giving its residents a platform to redress their “swacchta complaints” through this helpline, said Municipal Commissioner Pankaj Rai.
The newsletter mentioned that the MC had been putting in efforts to promote this helpline more through various channels so that the people of the city get benefited from this and join their hands with the MC to keep the city clean.
“The recognition of the efforts at the national level has given a wider reach to the initiative”, said Rai.
The MC appeals to residents to use this helpline to keep the city clean and green, particularly in view of coming New Year’s celebrations, said Mayor Sanjay Chauhan.
“We have launched heritage walks in all wards to carry out the mission among the common man and the response is good as we are involving local residents welfare associations, ward councillors and other NGOs in the mission”, he added.
Chauhan said the appreciations were welcome. The mission is a cleanliness drive that focused on construction of toilets for residents.

Shimla MC to move court over exclusion from smart city list

Alleging fudging of record by the state government to ensure inclusion of Dharamsala in the smart city list instead of the state capital, the Shimla Municipal Corporation today said it would leave no stone unturned to fight for Shimla and would approach the High Court.
Talking to mediapersons here today, Shimla Mayor Sanjay Chauhan said, “We wrote a letter to the Chief Minister in this regard, but nothing has been done.”
He said Dharamsala, which did not have a municipal corporation and had a population of 22,000 and an annual budget of Rs 2.74 crore, had been selected, ignoring the claim of Shimla, which had the only municipal corporation in the state with a population of 2.1 lakh and a budget of Rs 150 crore.
He said Dharamsala was given 87.5 points out of 100 for inclusion in the smart city project due to fudging of record while Shimla secured 85 points.
He alleged that the Mayor and Deputy Mayor were not even consulted by the high-powered steering committee which sent the proposal.
Claiming that the move was politically motivated, Chauhan said he would approach the High Court for seeking justice for Shimla as an individual and Mayor of Shimla.
Giving details of the allegedly fudged record, Deputy Mayor Tikender Singh Panwar said Dharamsala was given five points out of five in online grievance redress and monthly e-news letter while the truth was that there was no such facility in Dharamsala.
He said the budget of the Dharamsala Municipal Council was Rs 2.31 crore in 2012-13, Rs 4.04 crore in 2013-14 and Rs 2.74 crore in 2014-15 while the monthly salaries of employees amounted to Rs 22 lakh per month.
He asked how the Dharamsala civic body could generate between 35 and 50 per cent capital assets, for which it was given 10 points, when 96 per cent of the budget was spent on salaries.
He said there was no double accounting in the Dharamsala Municipal Council under the JNNURM for which 10 points had been given.
He said streetlights were not as per prescribed norms and there was no facility of door-to-door garbage collection, adding that Dharamsala secured 24.5 points and Solan and Mandi were better than Dharamsala.

He said funding of the smart city project had 50 per cent share of Centre, 30 per cent of state and 20 per cent of urban local bodies.
He said the inclusion of Dharamsala in smart city list would put an additional burden on 5,000-odd households who would have to pay an extra Rs 2,500 per month for water.
He said it would not be possible for the Dharamsala civic body to generate resources to meet the 20 per cent share and the liability would be passed on to consumers.

Source:Tribune News Service

Now, pay water bills, tax online in Shimla

The Chief Minister today launched the online facility for the payment of water bills and property tax, but the facility has failed to cheer residents of the town.
They said they would not pay the tax as the Shimla Municipal Corporation had failed to provide them basic amenities.
Mayor Sanjay Chauhan said the civic body had launched its website mybill.shimlamc.gov.in to facilitate the residents, adding that they could also pay bills at the counter of the corporation or Lok Mitra Kendras.
Assistant Commissioner, MC, Prashant Sirckek said the residents could pay the bills through their credit and debit cards. “They will be charged Rs 5 per transaction and Rs 4 if they pay the bills at the Lok Mitra Kendras,” he added. Even as the corporation has set June 30 as the deadline for the payment of property tax, the residents, under the banner of the UpNagriya nagrik Sabha, have opposed the payment of tax saying all wards should be transferred from the corporation as it had failed to improve the civic amenities.
“The tax will add to our burden. Why should we pay the taxes when we are not getting the basic amenities,” said Bhupender Kanwar and Jianand and M Mehta, representatives of the sabha. “The sabha is holding an open house next week,” they added. “The Congress and BJP are mum over the issue. They have done nothing to regularise buildings in merged areas,” they said.
The civic officials said there was no opposition to the property tax.
“The MC has improved the condition of roads and other civic amenities in the merged areas,” they claimed.

Draft electoral rolls for MC Shimla

A Spokesman of State Election Commission said here today that the Commission had directed the district administration, Shimla to prepare draft electoral rolls of Municipal Corporation Shimla, which would be prepared as per the up-to-date data based on 1st January, 2015 of Election Commission of India (ECI).
He said that in this process registered new voters of ECI would be included in their concerned Municipal Corporation ward or polling booth besides the names of deceased and migrated voters would be deleted from the list of MC area. He said that photo identity card numbers of all the voters would be displayed in the voter lists.
The Spokesman further said that district administration would give an option to those electors who had registered their name in more than one ward or registered in panchayat or urban local bodies other than municipal corporation Shimla. He said that they should register their names in one place for which notice would be issued for registering themselves within seven days.
He said that district administration, Shimla would prepare draft electoral rolls upto 10th June, 2015.

Golf carts to ply on Shimla's restricted roads soon

After the successful trial of Golf Carts in hill queen, Shimla residents and tourists would soon be able travel on restricted roads leading to historic Mall Road through these battery operated eco-friendly public transport.

As per reports, Golf Carts for travelling on restricted leading upto Mall Road would soon be reality with the Shimla Municipal Corporation on Thursday completing the trial run of the battery driven public transport successfully. The Corporation, interestingly, is looking for the women drivers for the golf carts to make it more graceful.

Shimla MC Deputy Mayor Tikender Panwar said that the hill station would be the second town (first hill station) in the country to have this kind of public transport, which neither involves sound, nor pollution. Panwar said that eight persons can travel on a Golf Cart on identified restricted routes i.e Willow Bank to Chotta Shimla, Diplomat (Lakkar Bazaar) to Sanjauli, US Club to St. Bedes’ and CTO to Summerhill.

“The trial run of Golf Cart was conducted to see the challenges of driving it in hill town and Jalandhar based firm, who was a single bidder for the Golf Carts would supply these to Shimla MC,” he said, adding that the Corporation has taken this up with the state government and they are hopeful that the government would clear the project soon. Panwar said that launch of Golf Carts may be as soon as by the end of this month and Himachal Chief Minister may launch the transport service.

He added that Shimla MC would outsource the plying of golf carts in the hill town and the fare is likely to be fixed at Rs 15. Earlier, some low fare taxis were plying on the sealed/restricted and other roads in the town for the convenience of senior citizens. But the whole project, which was outsourced by Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), was handled badly with scuffles common for boarding the taxis at different points, with young people pushing asked the claim of the senior citizens to board first. Often the drivers and the passengers indulged in altercation over this. The taxis were recently withdrawn after court order.

“Anybody can board the golf cart. To avoid anarchy, we are looking for women drivers to drive the golf carts. This will help in running the service with decency,” Panwar said.
Source: North Gazette News

HC asks SMC to recover house tax within four weeks

Shimla, Mar 5 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh High Court today asked the Chief Secretary to instruct all the concerned departments to make payment of house tax within four weeks and also directed the Shimla Municipal Corporation to make the effective recoveries within the said period.

Source: PTI

Transfer urban forest area to civic body: SMC

Demanding transfer of the urban forest area within the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) limits to the civic body, a delegation met chief minister Virbhadra Singh on Tuesday.

A deputation of the SMC was led by mayor Sanjay Chauhan along with the councillors. The deputation urged the chief minister to transfer the urban forest area within the corporation limit to the Shimla MC as it was being maintained by the MC since its inception as a municipal body.

They apprised him that the state government had partially handed over the urban forest area measuring 842.13 hectares to the Shimla MC in 2011 keeping the balance forest areas measuring 1,038 hectares and no rights were given to the MC as it had prior to 2006.

The recent cabinet decision on September 25 had decided to transfer the urban forest area from the Shimla MC to the HP state forest department.

Chauhan said the income accrued from urban forest within the municipal corporation limits had not been shared with the SMC by the forest department.

The forest department has earned a revenue of `10.38 crore since 2011 till now from these forests. He said the SMC was paying salaries to the employees of the municipal forest department, who were on deputation or secondment basis with the SMC which sums to `6.36 lakh per month.

Chauhan said the urban forest was the constitutional right of the civic body as enshrined in the 12th schedule of 1974 Constitutional Amendment that states that the urban forest management was required to be under the control of the local body.

Besides, the civic body is required to control over the forests also because this is one of the mandates under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), he added. The delegation also urged the chief minister to enhance their honorarium.

Chief Minister reviews proposals under JNNURM

Chief Minister, Shri Virbhadra Singh reviewed the status of proposals submitted for executing various development projects under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM) for Shimla Municipal Corporation area. He was presiding over the State Level Steering Committee Meeting under JNNRUM here today. Shri Virbhadra Singh said that road improvement, widening and strengthening from Old Barrier near Tourist Information Centre on Ciruclar road via Victory Tunnel upto Bemloie with estimated cost of Rs. 50 crores should be incorporated for Government of India (GoI) funding under JNNURM. Chief Minister also reviewed the proposals to the tune of Rs. 68.74 crore for improvement of storm water drainage system and improvement of roads in Shimla town during the meeting. Shri Virbhadra Singh directed the Engineer–In-Chief, Public Works Department to prepare the estimates as per requirements of JNNURM for further submission to GoI within 15 days. He also reviewed the status of proposals prepared for other Urban Local Bodies amounting to Rs. 269 crore for nine water supply schemes and sewerage schemes amounting to Rs. 112 crore. He directed the Urban Development Department to ensure that the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) submitted to the GoI were processed at earliest. Urban Development, Housing and Town & Country Planning Minister Shri Sudhir Sharma, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Shri V.C. Pharka, Secretary Urban Development and Town & Country Planning, Shri K. Sanjay Murthy, Engineer-In-Chief Public Works Department were present in the meeting. Via: Department of Information & Public Relations, Himachal Pradesh.

Shimla faces water shortage due to siltation

Even with incessant downpours and ample groundwater reserves, Shimla residents have been facing shortage of potable water due to excessive siltation. Water supply has been hit since Monday evening as siltation has increased in Giri and Ashwani rivers, from where water is lifted, while leakage in the main Giri water pipe on Tuesday added to the problem.

According to irrigation and public health department (IPH) officials, accumulated silt at the pumping sources and leakage in the main line reduced water supply to nearly 12-15 MLD on an average, contrary to 37-38 MLD required in the township. Shimla MC commissioner Amarjeet Singh said, "We are only distributors of water that we receive from the IPH department. Giri, Gumma and Ashwani water schemes have been down since past two days. The IPH department may be having its own limitations, but at our end we have been informing residents about lack of supply and we are trying to cater to the population through the MC reservoirs. However, these reservoirs too are fast going empty, he added.

According to MC estimates, the daily requirement of Shimla is around 38-40 MLD of water and it increases during tourist seasons due to rise in floating population. The five major sources from where water is pumped to the city include Churat Nullah, Ashwani, Giri, Gumma and Chair. Since past two days, water crisis has deepened in Chotta Shimla, Kasumpti, Chaura Maidan, Tutu, Boileauganj and other areas.