HP proposal on
hydel projects
SHIMLA, Sept 7 — The HP Government has floated a new proposal which will enable the state to get more power from hydel projects executed in the central sector without making any investment.


Drive against illicit
felling of trees
MANDI, Sept 7 — A vigorous campaign has been launched by Mandi Forest Division against illicit felling of trees and smuggling of timber. Timber valued at lakhs of rupees has been seized during the past fortnight in a number of raids and checking of trucks and tractors.

HP seeks clearance
of farm projects
NEW DELHI, Sept 7 — The Himachal Pradesh Agriculture Minister, Mr Vidya Sagar, today urged the Indian Council for Agriculture Research to expedite sanction of projects worth Rs 10 crore submitted by the State Agriculture Department.

Doctor held for negligence
BILASPUR, Sept 7 — The police has arrested a doctor of the district hospital under Section 304 A, IPC, for allegedly "causing death by negligence" following a complaint by Hari Singh of Guirehada village in Hamirpur district.

Scribes criticise Punjab police
KASAULI, Sept 7 — The Himachal chapter of the Freelance Journalists Association of India in a press statement issued here today criticised the Punjab police for threatening the family members of Mr Vishwanath, Editor of the Delhi Press Group of Publications.

HP proposal on hydel projects
From Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 7 — The Himachal Pradesh Government has floated a new proposal which will enable the state to get more power from hydel projects executed in the central sector without making any investment.

Under the existing norms, the state in which a hydel project is located is entitled to 12 per cent free power as royalty. The rest of the power generated is shared by the Centre and the state or partner states in proportion to the investment made by them. However, Himachal has now proposed that instead of giving power proportionate to investment, the Centre should grant it the first right to purchase a substantial quantum of power at generation cost.

The proposal was put forward by Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, Chief Minister, during his meeting with the Union Energy Minister, Mr P.K. Kumaramangalam, in Delhi last week. The new proposal, he said, should be implemented in the 2051-MW Parbati project which the Centre had already agreed to execute.

The Union Energy Ministry is not averse to the new proposal but a final decision on the matter would be taken only by the Cabinet. The proposal, if accepted, will go a long way in ensuring an expeditious execution of big hydel schemes like the Parbati project which had been hanging fire because of the inability of partner states to spare the requisite funds.

Meanwhile, Mr Dhumal has written letters to the chief ministers of four partner states to break the stalemate on the Parbati project. Taking into consideration the overall resource position of the states and the Centre, it would be a better alternative to hand over the project to the latter, he has suggested.

He has also pointed out their inability to fulfil the commitment of providing funds for even investigations which had considerably slowed down work on the project. The fate of the project will depend on the response of the partner states.

Work on the 300-MW Chamera project is likely to commence soon. The National Hydel Power Corporation has informed the state that tenders would be finalised by the end of this month.

The Centre has also indicated its willingness to take up the 300-MW Nathpa Rampur project. It could be assigned to the Nathpa Jhakri Power Corporation which is executing the 1500-MW Jhakri Project upstream of the Rampur project, it said.

Drive against illicit felling of trees
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Sept 7 — A vigorous campaign has been launched by Mandi Forest Division against illicit felling of trees and smuggling of timber. Timber valued at lakhs of rupees has been seized during the past fortnight in a number of raids and checking of trucks and tractors.

Mr Vineet Kumar, DFO, Mandi Division, told reporters that over 200 scants and planks of precious deodar and kail timber were seized during the campaign.

A team of forest officials headed by the Range Officer, Panarsa, recovered 42 scants of deodar from Nota Ram of Lot village. The cost of timber was over Rs 52,000. A fine of Rs 15,000 was recovered on the spot.

The same team intercepted tractor No. HP-34-2111 and seized 62 planks of deodar and kail.

During at-random checking, the DFO seized 42 scants of deodar in Panarsa range which bore no mark of hammer of the department.

Another consignment of 25 sleepers of deodar costing over Rs 70,000 was intercepted and seized while being smuggled out from the Kataula area via Kannauj village of Panarsa range.

It is alleged that TD timber, which the right-holders get at a nominal price, is being misused and smuggled by mafia gangs which enjoy political patronage.

HP seeks clearance of farm projects
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Sept 7 — The Himachal Pradesh Agriculture Minister, Mr Vidya Sagar, today urged the Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR) to expedite sanction of projects worth Rs 10 crore submitted by the State Agriculture Department.

Mr Sagar also informed the ICAR Director General, Dr R.S.Paroda, that a krishi vigyan kendra, sanctioned for Kangra, had not been set up. He urged the council to give the sanction at the earliest as this would help in disseminating the latest technology to the needy farmers.

The minister also took up the issue of fixing separate norms for fundings to hill states like Himachal Pradesh so that the overall development of hill and mountain agriculture could be taken up effectively.

Mr Sagar said that in Himachal Pradesh the cost of construction, material and transportation was comparatively higher than in plains. He urged the ICAR to consider to providing 30 per cent higher norms for funding to Himachal Pradesh.

Doctor held for negligence
From Our Correspondent

BILASPUR, Sept 7 — The police has arrested a doctor of the district hospital under Section 304 A, IPC, for allegedly "causing death by negligence" following a complaint by Hari Singh of Guirehada village in Hamirpur district.

Hari Singh alleged in an FIR that the doctor had locked his room and gone off to sleep on the night of September 1. He said the condition of his wife had worsened after delivery and the doctor did not wake up in spite of persistent knocking on the door. She died in the morning due to the doctor's negligence, he alleged.

The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination and the doctor released on bail.

The Chief Medical Officer has ordered an inquiry.

Meanwhile, leaders of various political parties and senior citizens have demanded immediate steps to streamline the functioning of the hospital.

Scribes criticise Punjab police
From Our Correspondent

KASAULI, Sept 7 — The Himachal chapter of the Freelance Journalists Association of India (FJAI) in a press statement issued here today criticised the Punjab police for threatening the family members of Mr Vishwanath, Editor of the Delhi Press Group of Publications.

The FJAI body at its meeting said armed policemen on August 18 kept the doors of Mr Vishwanath's house bolted for 2 hours and did not allow the family members to move out. The police party, headed by Rajpura police station in charge Manmohan Sharma, did not, however, make any arrest.

The scribes said the Punjab police action was a blatant threat to the freedom of the Press. The journalists body also demanded action against the erring police officials.