The "Show Topic Tools Area" switch at Admin Panel -> Settings -> Switches controls whether the topic bit shows all of the tool links to vote, post, email, etc. With the switch on, all those topics appear. With it off, they disappear.

The "Show Topic Tools Area" switch should normally be on if "Indirect Linking" is off, because otherwise there'd be no way for the user to reach all those pages. If indirect linknig is on, however, they can click through to the details page to find the same options. In that case, it's just a matter of personal prefernce whether you find the topic tools links to be useful or clutter.

Note that the hits count is also in the topic tools area in the standard template. If you want more fine-grained control, go to Admin -> Themes -> Manage Templates -> Topic Bit and search for {SWITCH_LINKTOOLS} to find the area.