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Wednesday,
August 1, 2001,
Chandigarh, India  
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Another power tariff hike on cards HP yet to
introduce Punjabi in schools Flood
protection steps for hydel project Himachal
lifts ban on khair export Sino-Indian
talks ‘must involve’ Tibet |
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Time-bound
plan drawn up for Ram Temple Refresher
course for teachers Minister
orders closure of bottling unit BADDI DIARY
Inquiry
office being run by Class IV man Jeep
driver killed in accident
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Another power tariff hike on cards Shimla, July 31 The ruling BJP circles are also worried over the move of the government. They fear the step would not be relished by the public at large and badly hit their party’s poll prospects. The BJP-HVC combine government has already come under severe criticism for having given a heavy dose of increase in water tariff to the consumers and imposing service charges in hospitals. The Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board
(HPSEB) has filed a petition before the newly set up electricity regulatory commission for increasing the power tariff. Interestingly, it has sought to increase the domestic tariff between 28 per cent to 114 per cent in three different slabs of consumption which is bound to affect the budget of the salaried class and the poor. An increase of tariff for agriculture and irrigation pumping has also been sought by the
HPSEB. The agriculture pumping rates are proposed to be hiked by 170 per cent. The domestic consumers will have to tighten their belts in case the commission accepts the claim of the HPSEB to increase the tariff for the slab of over 300 units per month to Rs 2.90 per unit from the existing Rs 2.25. Although the BJP-HVC combine government has been blowing the trumpet of being a well-wisher of the poor the HPSEB has proposed to increase the tariff for the small consumers of up to 45 units per month from the existing 70 paise per unit to Rs 1.25 paise per unit. In a bid to pacify its critics during the previous hike the government had claimed that no increase in tariff for those consuming up to 45 units was made. With a few lakh consumers falling in this category the government is bound to come under severe criticism in case the hike in tariff is done. The tariff is proposed to be more than doubled from the existing Rs 1.05 per unit to Rs 2.25 per unit for those consuming between 46 to 150 units per month and from the existing Rs 1.50 per unit to Rs 2.25 per unit for those using 151 to 300 units. For the commercial establishments, the hike has been sought to Rs 3.45 per unit from the existing Rs 2.50 and for medium and large industries a hike of 55 paise per unit has been sought. A senior BJP activist, who was critical of the proposed increase, said party activists would meet the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar
Dhumal, to persuade him to postpone the hike in power tariff. He said people in the rural areas had not relished the earlier two hikes in power tariff and increase in drinking water supply rates. The imposition of service charges in hospitals has also been criticised by the public as well as employees of hospitals. |
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Daily wage of unskilled workers
increased Shimla, July 31 The Industries and Labour Minister, Mr Kishori Lal, said here today on recommendations of the state, the Minimum Wages Advisory Board, the state government had decided to enhance the minimum rates of unskilled workers in all 24 schedule employments under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. He said the proportionate increase of minimum rates of wages had also been allowed to semi-skilled, skilled, highly skilled and other categories of workers in the schedule employments. Mr Kishori Lal said the labourers working inside the tunnel construction would be allowed 20 per cent increase over and above the minimum wages and 25 per cent increase over and above the minimum rates of wages in the tribal areas. He said the present government had fixed the uniform minimum rates of unskilled workers Rs 51 per day or Rs 1,530 per month from January, 1999, in all employments under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. He said prior to 1999, the minimum rates of wages of unskilled workers in the scheduled employment of agriculture were only Rs 26 and in scheduled employment of tea plantation were Rs 36 only. |
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HP yet to
introduce Punjabi in schools Chandigarh, July 31 It was on September 4, 1998, that the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, in the presence of his Punjab counterpart, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, announced the introduction of the teaching of Punjabi in schools of the state from the 1999-2000 academic session. The announcement was made at Paonta Sahib during the Khalsa tercentenary celebration function there. In May, 1999, the Himachal Pradesh Government also notified that Punjabi would be introduced in all those schools where the number of students was 20 or more. As a sequel to this decision, the Himachal Pradesh School Education Board conducted an examination in Punjabi for Class IX students during the 1999-2000 session and the Classes IX and X during the 2000-2001 session. Unfortunately, the state government is yet to employ a Punjabi teacher. According to Mr Paramjit Singh Chanana, general secretary, Shiromani Akali Dal, Himachal Pradesh, the Punjabi community in general and Sikhs in particular have been struggling for more than three decades for the introduction of Punjabi in schools in the state. The September, 1998, announcement brought cheer to the Punjabi community. But in the absence of trained Punjabi teachers, the decision has remained only on paper. Mr Chanana says that the SAD has suggested a number of measures to effectively implement the 1998 decision. He says that all those who have done their Gyani course should be straightway employed as Punjabi teachers. They can be asked to attend some orientation or refresher course for a short duration before their formal induction into service, says Mr Chanana. Otherwise, he says, it will take more than five years for the state government to cover 150 schools in five districts of the state where the teaching of Punjabi is to be introduced. At present, the state Education Department has sent a batch of 30 freshly recruited Punjabi teachers to Patiala for a 10-month refresher course. Once they complete the course, they will be inducted as Punjabi teachers. Next year another batch of 30 teachers will go to Patiala. In this process, to get 150 teachers it will take five years, adds Mr Chanana. In some schools, including a few at Paonta Sahib, volunteers have started conducting Punjabi classes. Mr Chanana wants that under its Vidya Upashak scheme, the state government should encourage those who are well-versed in Punjabi to conduct classes on a voluntary or contract basis as per the provisions of the scheme. In this way the implementation of the decision will be faster. Mr Chanana says that a delegation of the state unit will soon call on the Chief Minister in Shimla to impress upon him that the Vidya Upashak scheme should be introduced in the state for Punjabi teachers and those with the qualification of Gyani recruited. |
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Flood protection steps for hydel project Shimla, July 31 The Satlej disaster, which struck on July 31 last year, had left a trial of misery and devastation in the tribal Kinnaur and Rampur areas. The under construction 1500 mw project on the river had suffered the maximum damage as the water had washed away heavy construction machinery, roads, offices, workshops, stores and other infrastructure and inundated the underground powerhouse. Consequently, the project, which was scheduled to be commissioned by March 2002, would now be delayed by at least 18 months. While the approach roads, bridges, stone crusher unit, batching plant and other facilities had been restored, the heavy electromechanical equipment at the powerhouse, buried under the silt, was still being dismantled. The engineers had a hard time flushing out about 4 lakh cubic metre of flood water which had entered the 49m-high underground powerhouse. It took about six months to remove the 60,000 cubic metre of the silt which had been deposited in the powerhouse. The engineers plugged the outlet of the tail race tunnel from which the bulk of flood water found its way into the powerhouse. A huge masonry and reinforced concrete wall had been erected in the outfall complex to permanently plug the outlet. The temporary plug at the outlet had been removed for carrying out carrying out certain works in the outfall complex when the disaster struck. The adit-II portal at the Nathpa dam site had also been provided with steel bulkhead at the entry point. Similarly, the adit to pressure shaft had
also been plugged and the exploratory drift from which the water first entered the powerhouse had also been blocked before the start of the rains. At present, the erection of gates in draft tubes was in
progress, which on completion would prevent the possibility of flood water entering the underground works of the project. The corporation had fixed a deadline to complete the civil works by October 2002. The engineers and workmen had toiled for seven months to bring the project back to the pre-flood state of execution and now the work had been speeded up to ensure completion of the project by the revised schedule of December 2003. In fact, a world record was created when a 1387m portion of the 30m-diameter head race tunnel was concrete-lined within one month from June 26 to July 25. In all 55 per cent of the 27m-long tunnel had been concreted. While the concreting of intake tunnel was almost complete, about 70 per cent concerting work was yet to be carried out at the intake works at the dam site. Similarly, 90 per cent of work on the surge shaft had been completed. The excavation of machine hall and transformer hall and the concreting of tail race
tunnel had also been completed. The extensive damage due to the action of flood water and abrasive silt which inundated the powerhouse complex had necessitated the dismantling of the electromechanical equipment. The four damaged generating units were being dismantled to assess the exact extent of the damage to carry out the necessary repairs. The installation of 19 single-phase transformers package was in progress. As many as 16 transformer tanks had been fixed on their plinths and the erection of accessories was in progress. The flood disaster had significantly pushed up the cost of the project. As against the revised cost of Rs 7,663 crore, it was now likely to be completed at more than Rs 9000 crore. The overall loss would be much more if the delay in power generation was also taken into account. |
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Himachal
lifts ban
on khair export Shimla, July 31 The Cabinet meeting was presided over by the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal. The Cabinet approved a proposal for 5 per cent quota for Home Guards in the direct recruitment of police constables, provided such candidates put in at least three years of unblemished service in the Home Guards and fulfil the prescribed education and physical standards as per rules. However, relaxation in upper age limit up to three years would be admissible to such candidates. To bring transparency in the working of the Transport Department and to reduce discretion, it was decided that the quantum of penalties for the late payment of token tax and late renewal of permits would be prescribed in the rules as amended from time to time and the penalties would be charged strictly in accordance with such rules and there would be no discretion with the authorities concerned to impose penalties in a subjective manner. In order to promote the small family norms, the Cabinet approved a proposal to extend the two-child eligibility norm with respect to candidature for seeking election to municipal corporation, as applicable to candidates for election for nagar parishads and nagar panchayats. To comply with the Centre’s directions on uniform floor rates on sales-tax, the Cabinet decided that Himachal Pradesh would implement the same rates in line with the action being taken by the neighbouring states. The proposal involved the implementation of uniform floor rates of sales tax on various commodities in all states of the country. The Cabinet also approved a proposal to adjust 14 surplus employees of the H.P. Academy of Languages, Art and Culture in various departments of the H.P. Government. The Cabinet decided that in order to bring more professionalism and specialisation in the rural development, a one-year diploma course in rural development would be started in Himachal Pradesh. To begin with these diploma courses would be started in the two Panchayati Raj Training Institutes at Baijnath and Mashobra and panchayat sahayaks who acquire a diploma in rural development would be given an honorarium of Rs 1,000 per month instead of Rs 600 per month. The Cabinet also decided that henceforth recruitment of panchayat sahayaks would be based purely on merit to be decided through a laid down criteria of selection. It was also decided to allow panchayat samitis to recruit Kanisht Lakhapal in such development blocks where there was a shortage of ministerial staff. The Kanisht Lakhapal would look-after the work of the maintenance of accounts. He would be an employee of panchayat samiti. The Cabinet further decided the zila parishads would be permitted to appoint assistant engineers in such districts where there was a shortage of assistant engineers in the Rural Development Department. The assistant engineers appointed by the zila parishads would be the employees of the zila parishads and would perform such jobs like test checks, technical sanctions and technical supervision for works being executed by the Panchayati Raj Institutions and Rural Development Department. |
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Sino-Indian talks ‘must involve’
Tibet Dharamsala, July 31 The Chairman of the Tibetan Parliament, Mr Thupten Lungrik, said the border talks being held between India and China in Beijing today were unlikely to yield any results. “If China and India sincerely wish to solve the border problem and improve bilateral relations, the most practical solution is to accept the Dalai Lama’s middle path approach for a genuine autonomous Tibet,” he observed, adding that it was imperative that the Indian Government initiated a dialogue between Tibet and China without any preconditions. Condemning the Sino-Indian border talks, Mr Lungrik said historically and geographically, there was no such border between China and India till China invaded Tibet in 1949. Mr Lungrik, said India must understand that the border issue could not be solved without the participation of Tibet. |
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Time-bound plan drawn up for Ram
Temple Solan, July 31 He said the construction would be started latest by March 19, 2002. Atleast 600 master craftsmen engaged by the Parishad six years ago had completed garving stones and images for the first two floors at special workshops set up at Ayodhya and Pindwara in Rajasthan. These would be moved on to the temple site at the appropriate time. He said the Parishad had chalked out a programme for creating mass awareness and support throughout the country. Batches of VHP activists would start a ‘pad’ yatra from 3 lakh different villages and perform “jal
abhishek” at all Shiv temples under the supervision of Hindu priests from September 18 to October 16. He said the Parishad had planned to enroll 30 lakh members in the Bajrang
Dal, including 16,000 from Himachal Pradesh. The Bajrang Dal would be entrusted with the task of ensuring peaceful construction of the Ram Temple. They would also carry out Dharam
Yudh, which was the Parishad’s response to the “Jehad” of Kashmiri separatists. Mr Sharma said the VHP would ensure safe return of the displaced Kashmiri Pandits to their home places. Mr Sharma further said the constitutional statute providing for a secular state was unfortunate adding that India should be a “Hindu
rashtra” only. He, however, hastened to add that all minority communities would be given the requisite protection in keeping with the dharma’s traditions, and would be governed under common law. |
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Refresher
course for teachers Shimla, July 31 He was inaugurating a three-week refresher course started in Academic Staff College, Himachal Pradesh University, here today. In the inaugural address, Professor Kapoor highlighted the role of academic staff colleges in improving the teaching skills and making the teachers aware of the latest knowledge in their subjects. He pointed out that the refresher courses could generate a spark in the participating teachers, which could continue in the form of developing of faith within and willingness to learn more so that they could excel in the profession. He gave important keys for the teachers to be successful viz drawing interest in the process of teaching-learning, always preferring the company of good scientists and scholars and making good books their best friends. Professor Kapoor suggested that one should keep abreast of the latest technology. He said only academicians could take the lead in improving the present education system by developing faith in themselves. The interaction with the students should be so effective that it trickled down to the level of the heart from the brain and motivated them for self-study. Supporting the views of Professor Kapoor, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof S.K. Gupta, said mathematics was the core discipline and could be applied in other disciplines. There was need to improve the present education system by the academicians which required a lot of soul-searching. Dr Kiran Rekha, Assistant Director, ASC, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, conducted the stage of the inaugural function. Dr Kulwant Pathania, Deputy Director, ASC, informed that 45 teachers of the colleges and universities belonging to Himachal, Punjab, Haryana, MP, Rajasthan, Chandigarh and Uttranchal were participating. During the programme about 15 eminent resource persons from different fields of mathematics had been invited for an interaction. |
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Minister
orders closure of bottling unit Shimla, July 31 The minister ordered immediate closure of a bottling plant, which was not operating its effluent treatment plant. He also held a detailed discussion on environmental issues of the area, especially the monitoring and surveillance mechanism in operation and the steps the board was taking for enforcing these. The minister was apprised of the survey model developed by the state Pollution Control Board and the monitoring of the river Sirsa and the Sandholi nullah, the Sitomajri nullah, the Housing Board nullah and the Gullarwala nullah in the catchment in which the industry by and large is located. He expressed concern over the issue of non-point sources of pollution like civic waste, sewage and hospital waste, besides point sources of pollution, mostly industrial units. He emphasised on the need for involving local “stake-holders” in environment protection activities. He said no “red” and “orange” category industry would be allowed to function in the state until and unless these had installed energy meters for effluent treatment and interlocking devices. |
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BADDI DIARY Baddi This is the third incident of this kind in less than a year, and has put a question mark on the functioning of the Pollution Control Board. The residents of the area allege that every time such incident is brought to the notice of the board, it issues notices to the offending units but hardly any further action is taken. The report, however, says that action is contemplated against a dozen polluting units. The Assistant Engineer of the board who has his office at Baddi, says that periodic inspection and sampling of the industrial units is done, though he admits that such mishaps also take place. *
* * The agriculturists of Mandhala village, about 12 km from Baddi, complain that although this village happens to be the highest revenue yielding region of the district, it still depends mainly on rain for irrigation. The state government had sanctioned two tubewells for the village but despite assurances no work has been done on this project. The villagers feel that the area has an immense growth potential only if underground water is tapped for irrigation. According to the Executive Engineer of the Irrigation and Public Health Department, they can do little till funds were released for this work. *
* * Civic amenities, particularly water and electricity played hide and seek with the residents of Basanti colony here throughout the last week. Water supply remained suspended because of a fault in the pumping motor but electricity itself developed a snag on Friday. Students had to miss their school and college to fetch water for their families. Though a tanker visited the area on two days, it was unable to provide water to all the residents. With the snag in electricity supply and the pumping motor sent to Nalagarh for repairs, the restoration of water supply remains uncertain though the authorities maintain that normalcy will be restored soon. |
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Inquiry
office
being run by
Class IV man Shimla, July 31 Students who want to know their results or make other inquiries do not get proper response as it is difficult for the man to answer their queries complete in all respects. At least one section officer, a senior assistant and two clerks are required at the inquiry. The section officer who was handling the inquiry has been promoted and sent somewhere else. The senior assistant has been on leave for the past one month and the two posts of clerk are also lying vacant. Moreover, the PRO at the inquiry section is not
traceable most of the time. |
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Jeep driver killed
in accident Kulu, July 31 |
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