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Board’s free power rate violates panel’s
order
Lawyers strike in
Hamirpur
Dalits' bail pleas rejected
35 more cases of leprosy
detected
SP lays stress on community policing
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Urban cooperative bank
Manager suspended
Tibetans celebrate New
Year
Doctors seek avenues of promotion
Boycott of classes enters 2nd day
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Board’s free power rate violates panel’s
order
Shimla, February 9 A dispute had arisen between the board and the nigam over the rate of free power. The nigam maintained that it could supply power only at Rs 2.35 paise per unit , the rate fixed by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC). The board on the other hand asserts that it is bound by the power tariff order in which the commission fixed the rate for free power at 70 paise per unit on an ad hoc basis. Arrears on account of sale of free power mounted to over Rs 15 crore as the board refused to pay the nigam at CERC rate. Under the Act, the board could purchase and sell power only at the tariff fixed by the commission. In the meantime, the government asked the nigam to stop selling its share of free to power to the board if it refused give an undertaking to pay at the CERC rate. However, the board informed the government that it will be forced to impose severe power cuts during peak winter if it was deprived of 7 lakh unit of free power being supplied by the nigam. Subsequently, it was decided that the board will continue to get free power for February and March at Rs 2.35 per unit. By agreeing to buy power from the nigam on the directions of the government, the board had contravened the provisions of the Act. The commission could initiate penal action against the board under section 142 for purchasing power in contravention of the Act. In the tariff order, the commission had made provision of Rs 30 crore to take care of any likely increase in the tariff for free power but the government has so far not filed application despite specific direction from the commission in this regard. The state has 25 per cent equity in the project. It is also entitled to 12 per cent free power as royalty and another 3 percent being the state of the region in the 1500 Nathpa Jhakri project. Until October, the nigam was selling the entire power generated from the project to various power utilities across the country and making payments to the state in lieu of its share at the rate of Rs 2.35 per unit approved by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC). However, the state government asked the nigam to sell its share from November onwards to the board to enable it to meet the winter shortfall. |
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Lawyers strike in
Hamirpur
Hamirpur, February 9 Normal working in all judicial and other courts came to a near standstill following the strike. Worst affected were the litigants who had come to Hamirpur for hearing in their cases despite bad weather. These persons returned home after they were told that no court work was possible today due to the strike. Traders of Hamirpur town also took part in the strike. Most of the shops in the upper bazaar area of the town remained closed. Traders expressed full sympathy with the lawyers and demanded the construction of a separate complex near the present courts. However, hotels remained open. They also rejected the new site claiming to be inaccessible for the common man. The lawyers also held a meeting with its district president, Rajeev Soni and demanded the acceptance of their demand for housing the new complex at one of the three sites suggested by them. The meeting strongly denounced the decision of the government agencies to have the complex at Krishna Nagar, which according to them was 3 km from the town. Meanwhile, there are reports that the state government has decided to hold talks with the agitating lawyers and listen to their view point once again before going ahead with the construction work of the separate judicial complex. Another report said that the Registrar of HP High Court had invited the members of Hamirpur District Bar Association for talks on February 21, when the court re-opens after winter vacations. |
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Dalits' bail pleas rejected
Una, February 9 The incident occurred while the police was carrying demolition of a structure raised by the Dalits where they had placed idol of Guru Ravidas. The judge has mentioned that the case was already decreed in the favour of landlords. The appeals filed with the High Court, Shimla, and the Supreme Court has also been dismissed. The judge observed that while the decree was being implemented by demolition the Dalits started throwing bricks and stones on police team as well as bailiffs. —
OC |
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35 more cases of leprosy
detected
Solan, February 9 As many as four, five, 10 and 20 cases have been reported each from Nalagarh, Parwanoo and Baddi, respectively. This takes the total number of leprosy cases in Solan district to 67. The zonal leprosy officer, while explaining the tendency of migrant workers to acquire leprosy, said labour from these five states, comprising 90 per cent of the 35,000 cases of leprosy found nationwide, were more prone to the disease. This increase in the number of leprosy cases has taken the district leprosy elimination rate to 1.1 per 10,000 of population from the earlier 0.7. He said the new cases had now been put under regular medication spanning six months to one year. They had been given blister packs. Emphasising the support provided by the family members and regular intake of medicines, he said the disease could be eliminated after some months. The earlier surveys conducted by the Health Department had detected 11 and 17 cases in 2002 and 2003, respectively. Nine cases were already under treatment in the Zonal Leprosy Hospital, Mandhodaar. Despite being cured from this bacterial disease the social stigma attached to it discouraged the families to accept these patients back, he explained and added that many of them suffered only from complication of leprosy after received regular treatment. |
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SP lays stress on community policing
Dharamsala, February 9 Mr Singh, who took charge on February 6, said here today that he had directed all police stations to keep their doors open in the night. "Even if the staff is on duty, a woman would think twice before entering a police station alone at night," he said. "Besides delivering his duties as per the rulebook, it is also important for a policeman to make sure that he enjoys the right public opinion. Accessibility, impartiality and transparency shall be our motto to achieve this," he said. He said he was already looking into the spate of thefts in the district, especially in the Gaggal area. "Proper verification of foreign tourists and tackling the issue of drug abuse at different levels by involving NGOs would also be on priority," he said. |
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Urban cooperative bank
Manager suspended
Mandi, February 9 According to sources, Mr Vaidya faces two charges against him. “In the first case it was found that the manager misused the ‘one time settlement’, policy of the bank in eight cases without taking the MUCBL Board of Director’s approval”, the sources revealed. He also flouted the bank’s rules under the same policy by sanctioning loans those, who names now figure in the defaulters’ list, an official said. In the second case, Mr Vaidya issued overdraft by flouting bank’s rules”, the sources said. When contacted Mr Vaidya said he would give the reply to the charges pending against him within three to four days. “I do not want say more on this issue”, he added. The MUCBL’s administrator, Mr Pankaj Lalit, said the manager had been suspended. “He has been asked to reply before disciplinary proceedings are initiated against him”. In another development Mr Bhup Singh Sharma, assistant manager, MUCBL, today resigned from the post on health ground. “He has resigned last year also on the same ground and his resignation has been accepted”, Mr Lalit added. The Assistant Registrar of the Cooperative Society, Mandi, has already constituted an inquiry into the role of the BoD in bank’s affair. “We expect that the inquiry will soon be completed”, Mr Lalit added. The Mandi District Pensioners’ Welfare Association has requested the Union Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, to ease restrictions imposed by the Reserve Bank of India on MUCBL in December 2004. “The depositors, who are mainly pensioners would be allowed to withdraw their money as the bank is allowing a weekly withdrawal of Rs 1,000 only”, said Dr K.C. Malhotra, president, MDPWA, while referring about the memorandum addressed to the minister. Mr Lalit said the bank had decided to release the list of all defaulters, who have got loans between Rs 1 lakh to 10 lakh on February 15. “The bank has already released the list of 12 big defaulters and efforts are on to recover the dues from them”, he said. The three defaulters, whose properties are fixed for auction early this month had got the stay orders from the court, thus stalling the recovery process, the officials said. |
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Tibetans celebrate New
Year
Dharamsala, February 9 A special dish, gutuk, is prepared on the occasion, which signifies removal of evil elements and bad tampers from society. Prayers were held at the main temple in McLeodganj and Tibetans took part in different traditional events. |
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Doctors seek avenues of promotion
Dharamsala, February 9 Dr Naresh Gupta, president, and Dr Ajay Dutta, general secretary, of the association said that in most cases senior surgeons kept serving as medical officers and retired at the same post due to lack of promotional avenues. All this is a reflection of a step-motherly treatment meted out to doctors in the state by the government,” said Dr Dutta. He added that there was an acute shortage of beds and other infrastructure in most government hospitals and due to lack of adequate staff, doctors had to work round the clock to ensure that the general public did not suffer. Despite this, doctors were caught in frequent transfers, inquiries and court cases. We want that the long-pending demands of the association should be looked into by the government and fulfilled at the
earliest,” said Dr Gurdarshan Singh, vice-president. |
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Boycott of classes enters 2nd day
Kangra, February 9 Despite cold wave conditions in the town and heavy downpour, the students gathered at the college gate and said they would not attend classes till February 10. Mr R.D. Panwar, Director of the Technical Education said the boycott by students was unjustified. The regulations of the H.P. Technical Board were to be amended in this connection and the matter was under process, he added. |
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