Broke Himachal slashes jobs to avoid financial emergency

Ashwani Sharma

Shimla, April 30: THERE is good news and bad news for Himachal Pradesh. While the bankrupt state may yet escape having to declare a financial emergency, it will have to introduce some severe austerity measures.

First on the list is a freeze on government jobs, followed by the abolition of several higher administration posts, besides the usual curbs on expenditure by government departments and cutting back the number of official vehicles.

Prem Kumar Dhumal’s government plans to carry out several major structural reforms. At least 50 posts in various services, including the IAS, IFS, Himachal Administrative Service, Himachal Police Service and State Forest Services, have already been abolished. The state has also asked the Centre not to allocate it more than one IAS officer. In future, only Panchayati Raj institutions and local urban bodies can recruit people as per their administrative needs.

Outlining his plan to tackle the fiscal crisis, Dhumal today invited all political parties to evolve a consensus on how to save the state from bankruptcy. He also warned the main Opposition, Congress, against using the problem for political purposes.

Dhumal told mediapersons that Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee had offered to help the state find a solution to fiscal problems. On the issue of imposing a generation-tax on hydel projects in the state and problems with Punjab and Haryana. Vajpayee had agreed with him, Dhumal said.

‘‘I propose to invite Om Prakash Chautala and Parkash Singh Badal for talks on these issues, he said, adding: ‘‘In fact, we have taken initiatives to resolve the issues so that we can enter into some tie-ups on hydel generation.’’