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Satluj Vidyut
Nigam plans more projects
Power supply
scheme for Palampur Need for
generating employment, says CM HRTC launches
plan to cut down losses |
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Chhota Bhangal in
grip of gastroenteritis HC notice to
Health Secy Lightning kills
40 sheep, goats Former selection
board member held Horticulture
varsity impasse continues Engineering
college students end stir Duststorm,
showers lash HP areas Kashag
congratulates Manmohan Singh
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Satluj Vidyut Nigam plans more projects Shimla, May 25 Mr Y.N. Apparao, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the nigam, told mediapersons at a press conference that the nigam was set to become the highest profit earning hydel power corporation in the country in the very first year of the commissioning of its maiden venture. The project was likely to earn a profit of over Rs 465 crore in 2004-05. He said executing the country’s largest hydroelectric project was a big challenge to engineers as almost 90 per cent of the works were underground. The four underground desilting chambers, each of 525m x 16.31m x 27.5m, were the largest in the world and the underground powerhouse complex was the biggest in Asia. Though there were time and cost overruns, given the magnitude of the underground works and the extremely fragile strata, it was a job well done. With a generation cost of Rs 2.48 per unit ,it was still a very economical proposition. The nigam set a record of sorts by commissioning 250 MW units within six months. It would be used as a benchmark for judging the progress of hydel projects in future. Further, the 27.39 km-long headrace tunnel was also one of the longest in the world. The final cost of the project was likely to be Rs 8,600 crore and it would generate about 7,000 million units annually. The total revenue for the current year would be Rs 1,517 crore and it was likely to increase to Rs 1,670 crore next year. Referring to the future plans, Mr Apparao said while the Himachal Government had in principle agreed to assign five projects in the Satluj basin, the nigam was also considering to take up execution of two projects in the adjoining Uttaranchal. The nigam has already started work to develop infrastructure for the 439 MW Rampur project, which would utilise the tailrace water from the upstream Nathpa Jhakri project. The other projects in the pipeline were the 450 MW Khab the 1,418 MW Jhangi-Topan, the 400 MW Topan Powari and the 400 MW Shongtong Karcham. The main objective was to have an installed generation capacity of about 4,000 MW to become the country’s leading hydelpower corporation. He said the nigam had improved the designs to ensure that the a flood of the magnitude of the one which devastated the Nathpa Jhakri project in August, 2000, did not affect it. The flood safety level for future projects had also been increased accordingly. The Government of India had taken up the matter of flash floods with China and during a recent visit of the Chinese Minister for Water Resources, it was agreed to have a regular exchange of information regarding precipitation and flood data so that adequate measures could be taken in advance to cope with such exigencies. |
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Power supply scheme for Palampur Palampur, May 25 Speaking on the occasion of the inauguration of a lift drinking water supply scheme at Ghar village, near here, he said under a new power supply improvement plan 32 new transformers would be installed in
Palampur. He said after the completion of the project, there would no problems of power-shedding and low voltage. Besides, it would also help the HPSEB in controlling transmission losses. He said 32 points had been identified for the setting up of transformers and at five points the transformers would start functioning soon.
Mr Butail said in the past one year, the IPH Department had completed six drinking water supply schemes in
Palampur. He claimed that with the completion of Ghar drinking water supply scheme, the drinking water crises in the region would be over. He said in the second phase Rs 47 lakh would be spent for the augmentation of this water supply scheme. |
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Need for generating employment, says CM Shimla, May 25 In his inaugural address at a meeting convened to seek suggestions from legislators for finalising priorities for the Annual Plan- 2004-05, Mr Virbhadra Singh stressed the need for additional resource mobilisation. “The strategy should include additional resource mobilisation through externally-aided projects and sponsored schemes,” he said. The Chief Minister today held discussions with MLAs from Shimla, Solan, Sirmaur and Bilaspur districts. During the next two days, he will hold discussions with MLAs from the remaining districts of the state. Mr Virbhadra Singh disclosed that the state had an annual target of 8.9 per cent growth rate during the 10th Five Year Plan, for which increase in capital formation was a must. He said some of the areas which needed to be addressed included checking the increasing fiscal deficit. He said there was need for harnessing the immense hydel potential, improving the tourism infrastructure and remodelling the industrial policy. He said he would soon take up the matter regarding providing maximum funds for road construction and reviving the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund. The Chief Minister said that the Forest Department should set a separate cell so that speedy forest clearance could be obtained for road construction in the state. He pointed out that during his visit to various places in the state, he had found that some hamlets were still not electrified, which should be done on a priority basis. |
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HRTC launches plan to cut down losses Shimla, May 25 Under the proposed scheme, smaller buses and other vehicles like vans and jeeps will be introduced on the loss-making routes. The HRTC has already identified 400 such routes all over the state where for a handful of passengers the HRTC is plying 44-seater buses, resulting in huge losses. “Transport being the social responsibility of the government we cannot withdraw our buses from the uneconomical routes but to cut down on the losses we will give our own vehicles to youth who will ply these buses either under the supervision of the village panchayat or the government school functionary of the area,” informed Mr G.S. Bali, Transport Minister. “Under the scheme the HRTC will provide a vehicle to an individual, bear the cost of diesel, maintenance and provide Rs 5,000 per month for the salary of the driver,” explained Mr Bali. The panchayat will be asked to pitch in about Rs 75,000 as cost of the vehicle, while the earnings would go to the HRTC. Apart from smaller buses, Tata Sumo and Tempos will be the preferred vehicle for these uneconomical routes, mostly in the remote and rural areas. The HRTC, which suffered a loss of almost Rs 75 crore in 2002-03, has to bear the burden of providing free and concessional travel facility to students, employees, freedom fighters, war widows, physically challenged persons, press correspondents, police and jail staff and MPs and MLAs. Though there was a revenue increase of Rs 30 crore during 2003-04 but providing concessional travel facility and operating on loss-making routes has prevented the HRTC from breaking even. At present the HRTC with a fleet of 1,711 is plying vehicles on 1,784 routes with the fleet utilisation being at a high of 98 per cent. The Comptroller and Auditor-General report too had pointed out that there was a need to rationalise route permits in accordance with the traffic needs. |
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Chhota Bhangal in grip of gastroenteritis Palampur, May 25 Reports from tehsil headquarter Multhan said Dhiman, Nergaon, Kuran and Ulchar villages are the worst hit where every family has been affected. According to Dr Tilak Raj, owner of a private medical clinic, 12 persons were serious and were referred to government hospitals at Joginder Nagar and Palampur, while the remaining were receiving treatment from the civil dispensary at Multhan and Barot. A medical team from Baijnath has already started relief operations. The SDM, Baijnath, told reporters today that water sources would be chlorinated. Village panchayats had also been involved in the operation, he said, adding that medicines had been made available to the medical team. |
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HC notice to Health Secy Shimla, May 25 Issuing the notice, Mr Justice R.L. Khurana also directed the Secretary to be present in person in the court on June 22, 2004. The petitioner contended that the respondent has not reconsidered the revision of rates of stipend payable to the postgraduate students of the IGMC as directed by the court on June 30, 2003. The court earlier directed the state government to reconsider the matter of revision of the rates of stipend with in three months. But till date the government did not reconsider the matter. |
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Lightning kills 40 sheep,
goats Chamba, May 25 According to the owner, Munshi Ram of Sachuin village, the loss has been estimated at about Rs 1 lakh. Meanwhile, the state government has directed the officials of the Revenue and Animal Husbandry Department to carry out relief operations in this regard. |
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Former selection board member held Shimla, May 25 He is the main accused in the recruitment scam along with Mr S.M. Katwal, a former chairperson of the board. The Special Judge, Hamirpur, rejected his bail application on May 21 and he had gone underground. Mr Vidyanath was on the interview panel along with Mr Katwal which selected 62 lecturers in commerce. Out of these names of 39 were found in the list of candidates recommended from the office of former Chief Minister, P.K. Dhumal. The recommendations formed part of the deleted data, which was retrieved from hard disks of the computer installed at Mr Dhumal’s office by the Central Forensic Laboratory, Hyderabad. Mr Katwal was granted interim bail by the court in the case. |
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Horticulture varsity impasse continues Solan, May 25 The Vice-Chancellor was greeted with slogans by angry students when he returned this afternoon from
Shimla. Apprehensive of violence, he went straight to his residence and remained there throughout the day. The university has turned into a virtual cantonment with the deployment of a heavy police force on the campus. The Superintendent of Police, Mr Abhishek
Trivedi, while terming the situation as tense but under control, said more force had been requisitioned from the state headquarters, which would be deployed till the stalemate continued. He said it was the second occasion in less than two months when the police had been deployed on the campus to maintain peace and avert any untoward incident. The Subdivisional Magistrate, Mr Lokender
Chauhan, and the Additional SP, Mr Prem Thakur, visited the campus to bring the university administration and the agitating students to the negotiating table. No success was, however, achieved, with the Vice-Chancellor showing little keenness to talk to the
SCA. The students were adamant on their demand of making public the K.K., Jindal Committee report, which probed the March violence on the campus. The National Students Union of India
(NSUI), meanwhile, has lent support to the agitation and has served a 24-hour notice on the Vice-Chancellor to end the stalemate or face the consequences. With less than two weeks left for the semester examinations to begin tension prevails on the campus. |
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Engineering college students end stir Kumarhatti, May 25 Amit Singh Thakur a student of Mechanical Engineering was rusticated from the college this morning allegedly for his role in the agitation against the management’s decision to charge fine. Yesterday almost all students boycotted the examination. Later 15 students went on fast demanding review of fine’s issue. According to agitating students the college management had assured them to reconsider fine’s issue. The college management has denied agitation by students and maintained that a few drug-addicts were creating nuisance by misguiding students. According to the management fine was charged. Around 60 students of Mechanical Engineering met the college principal to seek withdrawal of Amit’s rustication. Amit Singh Thakur told The Tribune that he was victimised. The college management decision to charge Rs 1.25 lakh as no-dues fine was an act of highhandedness, he said. It was learnt that the college management has decided to send letters to the parents of 25 students who had participated in the agitation. |
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Duststorm, showers lash HP areas Palampur, May 25 |
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Kashag congratulates Manmohan Singh Dharamsala, May 25 The Kashag expressed the hope that under the leadership of the new Prime Minister, India would continue its march on the road to peace, prosperity and stability. The Central Tibetan Administration thanked the Government of India and its people for their support to the Tibetan cause. |
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