Visa clampdown on Chinese affecting Himachal projects: Chief Minister

By Prashant Sood, New Delhi, Nov 23 : Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has urged the central government to take an early decision on granting employment visas to Chinese workers as they have had to leave road projects in Himachal Pradesh after a visa clampdown.

"We have requested that the centre take an early decision as these road projects are vital to the state," Dhumal, who had made a stopover in Delhi on his way back to Shimla after an Israel trip, told IANS.

Dhumal said the Chinese workers - mostly semi-skilled - were working on World Bank-approved road projects after the tender was awarded to a Chinese company on the basis of international competitive bidding. The central government's visa clampdown came last month amid reports that thousands of Chinese workers in India had applied for business visas instead of employment visas.

Dhumal admitted that these workers were in India on "visit visas and did not have work visas". He said he had urged the central government to either grant work visas to the Chinese workers or allow the state government to float a fresh tender for the projects.

While one of the roads being constructed runs through the apple belt between Theog and Rohru, another project is in Una district. Reports say around 200 Chinese were working on these projects and most have had to go back.

Dhumal, who heads a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, also expressed unhappiness over the centre's decision to reduce the term of a special industrial package under which tax concessions are given to the state.

He said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee had sanctioned the package till 2013, but the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government reduced it to 2010.

"The special package should be extended till 2020 as the state is rendering environmental services to the country," he said.

Dhumal said there was a total ban on the felling of trees in Himachal Pradesh, with over 50 percent of its area under forest cover.

Referring to Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, both of who are Congress MPs from the state, Dhumal urged them to exert pressure on the central government to extend the special package. "People of the state have high expectations from them."

Dhumal refused to speak on the churning within the BJP to choose a new party president. "I will speak if my views are sought by the party's national leadership," said Dhumal, who became chief minister for a second time in 2007.

On the outcome of this month's by-elections in the state where the Congress and the BJP won one seat each, Dhumal said his party would look into the reasons for its defeat at Jawali in Kangra district.

"I was asked by state party leaders to go to Rohru," he said. The BJP won the Rohru seat which was represented by former chief minister and Congress heavyweight Virbhadra Singh for many years.