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Wednesday,
May 29, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Rollback
of power tariff hike against Act Virbhadra
sees poll in rollback Cong men
set stage for Sonia’s rally Shimla MC
holds last meeting HP Board
declares Class XI results Attack on
cops: 5 get bail |
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15-year-old
boy drowned A.P.
Singh is SP, Kinnaur Freedom
fighters’ conference held MBA
entrance test postponed
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Rollback
of power tariff hike against Act Shimla, May 28 Under the Act determining power tariff is the responsibility of the commission and it performs this duty after carrying out an elaborate exercise in accordance with the parameters laid down in the Act, besides taking into account the views of all concerned — the government, the state electricity board and various categories of consumers. As such the government can not take a unilateral decision to subvert the tariff order of the commission. If it wants to grant subsidy to any category of consumers, it has to follow the legal course and file a petition before the commission. Further, the government has to compensate the board for the loss of revenue on account of subsidy granted to any category of consumers. The subsidy has to be given in a transparent manner and it is for the commission to decide in what manner the subsidy has to be paid. It has to ensure that the board is not put to any loss on this account. Another important point to be noted is that the power tariff order passed by the commission on October 29 was valid up to March 31 last. The board was supposed to file a fresh tariff application for 2002 which it has failed to do so far. It is thus legally questionable whether the government can review an order, which is no longer valid. The right course would have been that the government should have asked the board to file a fresh application for determining the tariff. Moreover, the withdrawal of hike is an anti-reforms step and a blatant violation of the MoU signed by the state and the Centre. The clause of the Part “B” of the MoU clearly states that the tariff order of the commission will be implemented fully, unless stayed or set aside by an order of court. The board had relied heavily on the MoU while pleading its case for tariff revision. While rolling back to hike, the state Cabinet also directed the board to take various measures and formulate an action plan to improve its overall efficiency and reduce leakages, power theft and transmission and distribution losses. This was quite surprising as all these issues had not only been properly addressed in the MoU but a road map had also been laid down for achieving various milestones. The commission in its tariff order issued specific directions to ensure the implementation of the MoU in letter and spirit. However, the board had not been acting on them. Now even the government had violated the order making a mockery of the commission and the entire process of reforms. Among the various parameters and conditions laid down in the Act, the most important is that tariff has to be determined in accordance with Section 59 of the Electricity Supply Act. It lays down that a minimum return of three per cent has to be ensured to board on its fixed assets. Accordingly, the commission had given it an increase of Rs 27 crore. Besides, to make for the loss of revenue on account of delay in tariff revision, it allowed winter surcharge up to March 31, which fetched about Rs 25 crore to the board. Since the winter surcharge has already been withdrawn, the rolling back of hike would bring negative returns to the board to the extent of three per cent. Interestingly, Mr P.K. Dhumal, Chief Minister, and the BJP have been defending the power tariff hike for the past six months. But after the party’s humiliating defeat in the Shimla Municipal Corporation poll, it has made a sudden U-turn. Its decision may be politically sound but legally quite infirm. |
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Virbhadra sees poll in rollback Shimla, May 28 He demanded that the government should revert to the power tariff that was applicable for domestic consumers during the Congress regime before the
BJP-HVC combine came to power in March, 1998. The return to the November, 2001, status was a “partial” rollback and had been done in view of the coming Assembly elections. Mr Virbhadra Singh, who was talking to mediapersons here, said the Congress was unitedly making efforts to make the visit of Mrs Sonia Gandhi as a mega event. He said he had written letters and appealed to MLAs and Congress activists to mobilise a large number of people for the public meeting which would be held at Shahpur in Kangra district. Referring to the rollback on power tariff, Mr Virbhadra Singh said the Dhumal government had increased the power tariff thrice in the past four years. This had financially burdened the domestic consumers. The Congress government never increased the domestic tariff. He said the Congress had paid thrust during the Budget session of the Assembly on reducing the power tariff, but the government ignored their demand. However, the step had now been taken because of the coming Assembly elections. He said the Congress was committed to the withdrawal of the user charges that had been imposed in hospitals. Replying to a question regarding the decision of the state government to regularise three lakh encroachments, he said during its regime, the Congress had formulated a policy for regularising encroachments on government lands, but this was struck down by the court. Any such decision of regularising encroachments should not appear as if the government was trying to reward the offenders at the cost of those who are law abiding. Mr Virbhadra Singh thanked the prime minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, for laying the foundation stone of the Rohtang tunnel, but said the people of the state were grateful to the late, Indira Gandhi during whose rule the idea of constructing the tunnel was conceived and a survey of the area ordered. |
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Cong men set stage for Sonia’s rally Dharamsala, May 28 Senior Congress leaders, including Mr Sat Mahajan, Mr Kaul Singh Thakur, Mrs Viplove Thakur, Mr Raj Kishan Gaur and Mr Vijai Mankotia have been holding meetings with party workers at the district and block levels to mobilise a crowd of at least one lakh. “There is immense enthusiasm among the people, who will converge here not to listen to the AICC chief but to the Prime Minister in Waiting,” said Mr Kaul Singh. While claiming that the venue would be insufficient to accommodate the crowds, the leaders accused the state government of pressurising private bus and truck operators not to give them vehicles for the Congress rally. The Congress leaders said that the party was fully united and every one was working to make the rally an impressive show. “People are so fed up of the anti-people, anti-farmer and anti employees policy of the BJP-HVC regime that they are virtually waiting for the elections when they vote out the present regime,” said Mr Mahajan. Mr Mahajan, said that all MLAs, PCC members and office-bearers, DCC and block members had been directed to ensured participation form every corner of the state. They said that a memorial in the memory of Rajiv Gandhi would be raised at Shahpur. He had addressed a rally a week prior to his assassination there. The HPCC chief, Mrs Vidya
Stokes, will be camping here. Supporters of Mr Virbhadra Singh are working to make the rally a success. It will be one of those rare occasions when Mrs Stokes and Mr Virbhadra Singh will share the dais. Prior to this, it was during the visit of the AICC general secretary and in charge of Himachal, Mrs Mohsina Kidwai, at the Nagrota rally the two had shared the platform. Though the two leaders, had jointly campaigned for the Shimla MC elections, at the behest of the party high command but they have still not succeeded in ironing out their differences. With the Assembly elections in the state due within the next eight months, the high command in Delhi has directed the two leaders to bury the hatchet and work unitedly for the party’s success. With the AICC chief, addressing the rally at Shahpur on May 31 the Congress party hopes to start of its campaign. |
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Shimla MC holds last meeting Shimla, May 28 For the finalisation of the rates for self-financing scheme for the construction of car parking cum commercial complex on Cart Road near high court, the House has passed the resolution to sell the chambers with Rs 30,000 and later to be auctioned. |
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HP Board declares Class XI results Dharamsala, May 28 Rajat Sharma, DAV College, Baniket, was declared first scoring 462 out of 500 marks, while Parita Dixit of Blue Star Senior Secondary Public School, Hamirpur, with 460 marks and Akriti Sharma of Him Senior Secondary School, Hamirpur, with 454 marks were declared second and third, respectively. The Secretary of the Board Mr Vikas Labroo, revealed that the overall pass percentage stood at 40.18. Out of total of 70,756 students who appeared for the examinations 28,046 were declared successful while 4,369 had obtained compartment, he said. He said a total of 844 students who appeared as private candidates were declared successful while 319 candidates had obtained compartment out of a total of 4,196 students. The pass percentage in this case was 22 per cent. Sumit Puri of DAV College, Banikhet, Ankur Sharma of Him Academy Public Senior Secondary School, Hamirpur, Surichi Vohra of MCM DAV College, Kangra, Geetanjali Kampani, Government Senior Secondary School, Kulu, Richa Sharma of Silver Wells Senior Secondary School, Hamirpur, Sunny Kanugo of Him Academy Public Senior Secondary School, Hamirpur, and Tarun Gupta of Government Boys Senior Secondary School had obtained the first 10 positions. Mr Labroo informed that all those who had obtained compartment could submit their application forms for the supplementary examinations that were to be held in September with a fee of Rs 130 by June 30. |
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Attack on cops: 5 get bail Shimla, May 28 The attack was followed by police firing on an irate mob. In the incident four police personnel, including an ASI, sustained injuries when the frenzied mob pelted them with stones. |
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15-year-old boy drowned Solan, May 28 Abhishek had gone to Giripul along with friends. He was caught in a whirlpool while bathing in the river. Some local villagers who rushed to the scene on hearing the boy’s cries, extricated him from the waters. Abhishek was pronounced brought dead at the Zonal Hospital here. |
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A.P. Singh is SP, Kinnaur Shimla, May 28 Mr J.R. Thakur, Superintendent of Police, Mandi, goes to Police Training College, Daroh, in the same capacity. Mr G. D. Bhargav has been posted as Commandant, 2nd India Reserve Battalion, Jangal Beri. |
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Freedom
fighters’ conference held Shimla, May 28 Presiding over the function, Mahashya Tirth Ram lauded the martyrs and their families for making sacrifices for the country. He said that freedom had been achieved at a great cost and thousands of brave youth had laid down their lives for it. It was the moral duty of the countrymen to respect the martyrs, he said. Earlier, floral tributes were paid to the martyr. Over 300 freedom fighters from all over the state attended the conference. |
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MBA entrance test postponed Shimla, May 28 A spokesperson of the university said the venue and timings of the test would remain unchanged. |
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