Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Thursday witnessed uproar over high cement prices in Himachal Pradesh than the neighboring States like Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir with both ruling and Opposition trading charges on the issue.
The commotion between the two sides started, when Food and Civil supplies Minister GS Balli said he has no information about the cost of production per cement bag to the company and added that due to high transportation cost, price of cement is high in the State.
This led to fierce sloganeering from the Opposition. Speaker Brij Bihari lal Butail’s intervention into the matter to pacify the agitating MlAs further infuriated them, when he said that if a Minister does not want to answer a particular question, then he cannot force him.
BJP MlA Rajiv Bindal asked what was the use of zero hour when MlAs can’t even get answers from the State Government.
He alleged that the Minister has been misleading the House by not informing the cost of production of cement per bag to the company.
“When they (ruling benches) were in Opposition, they stalled four sessions of this House and now they are refraining from answering the question, asked by MlAs,” alleged Bindal. Balli countered the allegations and challenged the Opposition to bring privilege notice against him.
However, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh intervened and conceded that cement prices are undoubtedly high in the State and assured the House that Government is taking all possible steps to bring the prices down.
Earlier, Balli in the written reply to the question of independent MlA Rajendra Singh Rana and Congress MlA Bambar Thakur had said that prices of cement is based on production, manufacturing cost, transportation cost, local tax which is not controlled by the Government.
HP likely to extend time limit of installing 5 mega cement plants
Meanwhile, the State is all set to extend the time frame for the commissioning of five mega cement plants whose MoUs are expiring on March 31, but the companies have failed to start their operations in the schedule time limit agreed with the State Government.
Replying to a question asked by BJP MlA Ravinder Singh Ravi, State industries Minister Mukesh Agnihotri said that all the five plants have failed to start their operations and the Government is considering to extend the time limit of the these companies.
In his reply to the written reply given to the House, Agnihotri said that these companies have failed to start the operations due to court cases related to land acquisition or delay in getting environmental clearances from Ministry of environment.
The cement companies which have entered into agreement with the State Government are Jaypee Himachal Cement ltd, a subsidiary of Jaiprakash Associates group, Harish Cement limited, a subsidiary of Grasim Cements limited, lafarge India and India Cements ltd.
Three years back Jaypee group had entered into an agreement with the State Government for setting up two facilities — one in Solan district and other in Chamba district for which agreement was done seven years back.
Harish Cement had entered into agreement with the State Government 18 years back but failed to start the operation due to court case on land acquisition at Sunder Nagar of Mandi district.
Similarly, lafarge cements have entered into agreement to setup cement plant at Mandi and have been allotted limestone mines in Karsog tehsil but the environment clearance granted to the company have been nullified by National Environment Appellate authority.
One other company India Cements which had entered into agreement with the State Government to set up plant at Chopal of Shimla, has failed to start its operations.
Agnihotri said that nine more companies have applied for license to setup cement plants in the State and added that currently the facilities operating in the state have been producing 11 lakh million tonnes of cement annually.