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Friday,
April 4, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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HP rating
in power sector slips Restrain
govt, BJP urges CEC CM ‘not
influencing’ probe Dhumal
charged with vendetta 4-year-old
killed, 45 pilgrims hurt in mishap Posts in
schools to be filled soon Army school investiture
ceremony held |
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HP rating in power sector slips Shimla, April 3 The assessment of the power sector in respect of 26 states was got conducted by the ministry to benchmark these on a common platform for preferential allocation of funds under the Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme and granting other incentives. The assessment was carried out on the basis of various parameters mainly concerning the state government, the state electricity board and the State Electricity Regulatory Commission. Himachal Pradesh has been assigned a score of only 49.4 out of the total 100 as against 71.5 for Andhra Pradesh and 68 for Karnataka. Even the northern states of Haryana (64),
Rajasthan (64) and Delhi (52.5) are placed higher than the hill state. The state scored only 6.8 out of 20, mainly because of its failure to implement the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by it with the ministry in March 2001. The assessment report observes that only a modest degree of success has been achieved in hitting the targets fixed in the MoU. There has been no specific legislation on power sector reforms apart from the setting up of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC). Moreover, during the hearing of the first power tariff order, the government had expressed its inability to give budgetary support to the state electricity board. In the parameters concerning the SERC, the state scored 11.5 out of 20 mainly because of the failure of the government to provide the requisite infrastructure for the smooth functioning of the commission. Reports points out that it was a single-member commission and understaffed and underfunded. So far only one tariff order has been passed in October 2001 and the Annual Revenue Requirement (ARR) for 2002-03 has not been filed. The commission’s tariff philosophy is satisfactory with targets for reduction of transmission an distribution (T&D) losses, gradual move towards elimination of cross-subsidies and rationalisation of tariff slabs. The assessment describes the T and D losses of around 20 per cent over the past three years as moderate. While the progress achieved with respect to interface metering is satisfactory, the state electricity board is yet to undertake energy audit. The board has a high proportion of in-house hydel energy available at low costs. Further, the cost of purchase of energy is also low and the tariff levels are adequate in relation to the cost of energy purchases and generated. However, despite all these positive factors, it is incurring losses because of overstaffing as reflected in the exceptionally high employee costs. During the year 2001-02 there was an increase in the cost of purchased power without any commensurate increase in tariff. This could affect profitability and its financial performance will depend mainly on its ability to reduce its costs and increase tariffs. The state government had advised the commission to roll back the increase in tariffs for domestic consumers and as such it was unlikely that the board will be able to effect any significant improvement in its financial position. |
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Restrain
govt, BJP urges CEC Shimla, April 3 Mr Ganesh Dut, spokesperson of the party, said the government had decided to hold the state-level Himachal Day function on April 15 at Rekong Peo, in Kinnaur district, one of the three constituencies where polling was yet to take place. He said there was every possibility of the Chief Minister making some populist announcement at the function to woo the people of Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Bharmour, the constituencies where elections were to be held in June. He said the Chief Election Commissioner had issued directions to the Himachal Pradesh Government against making any announcement on January 26 in view of the elections. Elections were held in 65 constituencies on February 26 while elections in the three snow-bound tribal segments were scheduled for June 8. Mr Dut asserted that the BJP government had paid special attention to the development of tribal areas and the Congress government should try to maintain the tempo of development instead of making new populist announcements. He said the Congress government could only make hollow announcements as it had no funds to implement them. |
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CM ‘not influencing’ probe Shimla, April 3 The two leaders said the statement of Mr Baldev Sharma, the BJP spokesperson, in this regard was full of lies and distortions. It was preposterous to say that the state government was pressurising investigating agencies. Mr Virbhadra Singh had directed the agencies to probe the cases impartially and without any fear or favour. Not only that, he had declared on the very first day after assuming office that he would fight the cases registered against him in the court of law on his own. |
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Dhumal charged with
vendetta Shimla, April 3 In a statement here, he said Mr Dhumal "misused" office to fabricate false cases against rivals and transferred as many as 1.20 lakh employees on political consideration. There was large-scale government interference in elections to the state Non-Gazetted Services Federation and employees were forced to undertake RSS training. The Dhumal government even got a road constructed to please an NGO leader for which trees were felled. Mr Verma urged Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, not to hold any meeting with the state Non-Gazzeted Services Federation until the election of its new office-bearers. He urged him to keep the tainted employee leaders who had allegedly been taking money for transfers at an aim's length. |
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4-year-old killed, 45 pilgrims hurt in mishap Kangra, April 3 The district police chief, said today that the truck carrying 48 pilgrims from Kapurthala in Punjab overturned when the driver could not negotiate a curve near Daliara. The injured pilgrims, 16 in all, were admitted to the Dehra subdivisional hospital and 29 passengers were discharged soon after they had received first-aid. The pilgrims were visiting Jwalamukhi in connection with Navratras. They had earlier paid obeisance at the Chintpurni shrine. |
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Posts in schools to be filled soon Shimla, April 3 He gave this assurance to a deputation of Government Teachers Union led by Mr Roshan Lal Sharma, its president, which met him. The deputationists urged the Chief Minister to appoint teachers as during his last tenure so that posts did not remain vacant for long in schools. |
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Army school investiture
ceremony held Chandigarh, April 3 Following the tradition of the school, the students were divided into five houses. A few among them were selected to carry out certain administrative responsibilities. Smartly dress in school uniforms, the boys and girls were sworn in by the school Chairman, Lieut-Gen Harwant Singh (retd), a press note issued by the school said. In his address, the Chairman advised the students to work hard and put in their best in any task. He assured of improvements in facilities in hostels, dining halls and
laboratories. |
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