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State plunges into darkness
Vidhan Sabha session to be held in college
Bali snubs political leaders over ski village
Snow in Shimla; 2 more die of cold
17 booked for disrupting vote count
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Panchayat elected unopposed
FLASHBACK 2005: CSK Agriculture University
Anti-Dalai Lama campaign: Tibet wants China to intervene
Fast-track courts hit slow lane
Kibber sanctuary to be extended
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State plunges into darkness
Shimla, December 23 Most parts of the state were severely affected by the collapse of the northern grid, leading to power failure for almost four hours. It was at about 6.50 am in the morning that power failure hit the state. A total of 200 MW power is made available from the northern grid to Himachal, which is itself a major power producing state. The state electricity board officials said immediately after the collapse of the northern grid, generation was started in some places where the facility was available, leading to some normalcy by 10 am. However, it was only by 11.30 am that power supply to all the affected areas was completely restored. Some parts of the state which are fed locally by power projects like Bhaba, Giri and Bassi remained unaffected by the power crisis. Meanwhile, generation at the 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Power project (NJPP)too has been hit badly due to less discharge. Out of the six turbines of 250 MW each, only one is functioning full time while the second one is in operation for only about 10 hours. As such the production has gone down to a mere seven million units daily. “Since we have water enough to run only one unit, we are undertaking peaking by running two units of 500 MW total in the morning and evening,” said Mr Tarun Kapoor (Personnel), Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN). He said that this was a regular phenomenon in the winters as there was less discharge. It is only by March when the water discharge due to melting of snow and rain increases that two units of the NJPP start generation. It is only in May that the 1500 MW NJPP is able to go on full generation as there is more water from the melting snow. The SJVN officials say that the average for the last 20 years indicates that only about six million units of power is generated daily during the lean winter season. These days the generation is ranging between six to eight million units per day. |
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Vidhan Sabha session to be held in college
Shimla, December 23 He termed the holding of the winter session of the Assembly at Dharamsala, as historic. At a press conference here today he said arrangements had been made for the four-day winter session, being held outside Shimla for the first time. On former Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal’s grouse that he had not been consulted on session at Dharamsala, decisions in a democracy were taken by majority and it was the government’s decision. He, however, refused to comment on Mr Dhumal’s statement. He said that Prayas Bhavan hall in the government degree college had been declared as the chamber for holding of ninth session of the 10th Vidhan Sabha. “The building has been modified to meet requirements of the House and the space adjoining the hall declared as the ruling and opposition lobbies. Mr Musafir said that not only Prayas Bhavan but the Law College building and the Tribal hostel along with the surrounding area had also been declared as the Vidhan Sabha precincts. He added that the Notice Office along with a Control room had been made functional at Dharamsala from December 20. Besides the visitors’ gallery, a press room had also been created for mediapersons in the Law College building. The Speaker said that a total of 231 Assembly questions had been received, including 195 starred and 36 unstarred. Apart from this, two notices under Rule-63, three notices under Rule-101, four notices under Rule-130 and two notices under Rule-324 had also been received. On allegations of sexual harassment against a senior Vidhan Sabha official, he said that the matter had been referred to the Sexual Harassment Committee of the Vidhan Sabha. |
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Bali snubs political leaders over ski village
Kangra, December 23 Mr
G.S. Bali was addressing a press conference at Dr R.P. Govt. Medical College here today. He described the statements of these political leaders, without naming them, as baseless, misleading and part of misinformation campaign. Mr Bali said the Rs 3000-crore project, of which the first phase would start with $135 million contribution by a foreign company, was aimed at giving boost to state tourism. He said the project would bring more tourists to the state, making it a hub for bigger investments. He said the state government had signed an MOU with the company on December 9, following receipt of a letter of interest from the company on the project on March 19, 2004, and approval of the same by the Infra-Structural Developmental Board
(ISDP) on February 22. He said of the 5,000 jobs on the project 70 per cent employment would be provided to Himachali youths. Mr Bali said following the signing of the MoU the company was asked to submit a preliminary project report within six months. The state government reserved the right to ask the company to amend the report and the government had the authority to terminate the MoU if things were not in the interest of the state. He said the company was also supposed to submit a detailed project report
(DPR) within a year of the signing of the MoU. Mr Bali made it clear that the state would earn a royalty of Rs 60 crore annually and half of it would be utilised by the Deputy Commissioner on the development of Kulu district where the Himalayan ski village in Manali would come up. The state government has identified 5 hectares after approval from the Forest Department. He said the company would purchase rest of the land from the locals at market rate. He asked leaders of the political parties to meet him to remove misunderstandings and suggested them not to mislead people. In reply to a question regarding the suggestion of former Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal to hold an Assembly session and shift capital to Mandi, Mr Bali stated that such utterances does not behold good for a former Chief Minister. |
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Snow in Shimla; 2 more die of cold
Shimla, December 23 Much to the delight of tourists and locals, it began snowing at 11 am for almost four hours. However, it was mild and intermittent and failed to cover the town under a white blanket. Only the Jakhu hill and deodar trees above it were covered with a thin layer of snow by evening. The day temperature in the town fell below zero degrees Celsius in the Jakhu area while it dipped to 3 degrees after snow in the lower parts. The minimum temperature in Sundernagar was 1.6°C and 1.3°C at Bhuntar. There was almost 20 cm of snowfall in Narkanda and Hatu till late in the afternoon. The snow was heavier in the Kufri area and vehicles skidded leading to a traffic jam. There was no snow in Kalpa and Keylong and the weather remained clear. About 1 cm of snowfall was recorded at Dhundi and Patsio in Lahaul Spiti during the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, a report from Hoshiarpur said two more persons died of severe cold in this district last night. The entire district is in the grip of intense cold and dense fog is affecting traffic. According to police sources, the cold wave claimed the life of an unidentified person aged about (60) at the bus stand at Talwara town, 80 km from here, this morning. Jasbir Singh Balmik was found dead due to severe cold near a tubewell at Tanda last evening. Train traffic was also disrupted due to fog and most of the trains were running two to five hours behind schedule, railway sources said. Many areas remained shrouded in thick fog, reducing visibility to zero at Chandigarh, Ambala, Bathinda, Suratgarh, Adampur and Halwara. Foggy weather is likely to continue in Punjab and Haryana with ground frost formation warning issued by the Met. Amritsar with 1.6°C was the coldest place in Punjab. In Haryana, Karnal recorded one degree below normal at 7°C while Ambala had a low of 6.7°C. |
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17 booked for disrupting vote count
Solan, December 23 The counting of votes for their ward began at 4.30 p.m. and ended at 5 p.m. As many as 12 votes were found invalid, while the two candidates polled 83 votes each. The supporters of the two candidates, led by their husbands, asked for a recounting. The results, however, remained unchanged. This led to some argument between poll agents Baldev and Devi Dutt outside the counting hall. The supporters of both the candidates refused to accept the results and shouted slogans and pelted stones on the hall. In the melee that followed the lock of the room was broke opened by about 10 to 15 people who forcibly entered the counting hall. The irate crowd roughed up the polling officials, while Baldev ran away with one ballot box and Namaaz Mohammed tore off some crucial papers lying on the tables. An additional police force had to be sent to the place as the situation turned volatile. |
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Panchayat elected unopposed Barotiwala, December 23 Similarly, the vice-pradhan and ward members were too elected unopposed. Besides Barotiwala, six other panchayats falling under Dharampur block have been elected unopposed. These panchayat were Banasar, Kot, Surajpur, Pratha, Krishangarh and Chammu. There was no polling at Mandhala and Kalu Janda panchayats near here due to boycott of election by them. The villagers boycotted the panchayat poll to show their resentment against the move of the Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Authority (HIMUDA) to acquire 900 bighas of land there.
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FLASHBACK 2005: CSK Agriculture University Vibhor Mohan Tribune News Service Palampur: Its focus on transfer of latest research to farmers, despite frequent protests by teaching and non-teaching staff, an acute financial crunch and change of the Vice-Chancellor, all these made it an eventful 2005 for CSK Agriculture University, Palampur. As Vice-Chancellor, Dr D.S.Rathore, put it, “The constitution of 12 task forces to give impetus to extension activities by taking research to farmers’ doorstep was definitely the highlight of the year.” If transfer of technology topped the university’s priority, its Scientific Advisory Committee also emphasised on the need for farmers to adopt new advancements as a solution to their agriculture and allied problems. The rather lukewarm response of farmers to the research activities continued to be a cause for concern for the university. Unlike in case of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), where farmers themselves approach departments concerned to know about the hybrid varieties of seed, farmers in Himachal Pradesh continue to be indifferent to the research activities, said the head of a department. Jobs were hard to come by for even PhD holders from the university this year. Postgraduate students criticised the state government for not sharing even 25 per cent of the budget for the post of research co-ordinator. Mr Gopal Katna, a student leader, said 75 per cent of the budget for each post to be shared by the ICR might be sent back as the state government has not approved over 40 posts for over a year. It wasn’t a smooth sailing for the authorities as protests and agitations by teaching and non-teaching employees kept them busy. A major controversy was sparked off when Dr Rathore shot off a circular to the faculty, asking them to furnish hourly account of their daily activities in the university. Taking exception to it, the teachers' union saw it as a question mark on the credibility of the teaching community. The Vice-Chancellor had to immediately withdraw the orders. Ad hocism continued to ail the top brass of the university with senior teachers doubling up at most of its top positions. On the brighter side, under a project sanctioned to Dr G.L.Bansal, Head, Department of Plant Physiology, tribal women of the area were given training to produce valuable compost from garbage. It helped in augmenting their income through setting up of small microenterprises and increased agricultural productivity. The farm university achieved the landmark of releasing over 100 improved varieties of different crops, including 14 of wheat, 18 of paddy, 18 of pulses, 12 types of fodder and two varieties of tea. The university also applied for patents in five different categories. An inter-disciplinary team of five scientists also gave impetus to the water management project. A watershed of 26 hectares was developed in the university for research and demonstration purposes. The study undertaken to rejuvenate the drying hill springs have shown that the rehabilitation of the area on the uphill proves very effective. But financial crunch held back the research and extension activities of the university. The campus scene was kept hot by the non-teaching employees over the demand for release of DA and other allowances. Mr Vinay Sekhri, president of the association, said agitation over the issue was still on.
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Anti-Dalai Lama campaign: Tibet wants China to intervene
Dharamsala, December 23 According to the Tibetan government-in-exile, monks and nuns were not only being made to sign a statement, accepting Tibet to be a part of China, they were also being made to denounce the Dalai Lama. Ms Gyari Dolma, deputy chairperson of the Assembly, said many Tibetans might not be happy with the stand taken by the Dalai Lama but nevertheless “any right thinking individual can clearly understand the magnitude and the influence of the Dalai Lama, being the legitimate authority in representing the Tibetans in and outside the country.” “We have written to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for protection of religious freedom and restoration of human rights in Tibet,” she said. The Assembly as also asked the Chinese government to ensure that the ongoing process to achieve trust and respect to find a mutually acceptable solution to the issue of Tibet could be found. |
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Fast-track courts hit slow lane
Mandi, December 23 “The Deputy District Attorneys (DDAs) and other clerical staff handling the FTCs have not got the salary for the last one month. The FTCs have no ‘nazars’ and ‘ahalmemads’ and office superintendents to handle the office files and other works as cases have piled up in the FTCs over the years, revealed inside sources. The fast-track courts at Kulu and Chamba have no judges for the last one and half months as the judges have been promoted to other district courts, added the sources. “The FTC at Mandi is operated from a private building and the Judge has no official accommodation, they added. Though the FTCs were created to speed up the disposal of the criminal cases but of lately the FTCs were functioning in the same way as other district courts in the state, added sources. At the FTC Mandi 900 cases are pending, said sources. The same is true at rest of eight FTCs in the state. The time of the date for next hearing now extends to six months or even more, they added. The Director-cum-Secretary Home and Prosecution, Mr Pramod Saxena, said the Central Government had extended the FTCs scheme till 2010. Earlier, the High Court used to handle funds now it had surrendered the FTCs funds allocated by the Central Government to the Prosecution Department. “We will disburse the salaries in a couple of days”, he added. Officials revealed that the Law Ministry was framing norms for the dedicated staff and other infrastructure to run the FTCs as directed by the Supreme Court. At present, these courts are run by minimal staff appointed on an ad hoc basis by the state government on secondment basis, they added. The High Court summons the list from all district courts and then allocates the cases to the FTCs, added the sources. Except for Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Sirmaur districts, the state government had launched nine fast track courts at Shimla, Solan, Mandi, Kulu, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Dharamshala, Chamba and Una in other nine districts in 2003. |
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Kibber sanctuary to be extended
Solan, December 23 Established in 1999 the sanctuary presently has an area of 1,400 sq mt under it. The enhancement of the sanctuary area was binding on the state government after an area of 20 sq km was diverted to set up a cement plant at Darlaghat in 1991. This enhancement was allowed on the pre-condition of later increasing a similar sanctuary area in the state. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rajesh Kumar, while confirming that the move to enhance the sanctuary area at Majathal had been dropped, said it would have adversely affected the rights of the people who had been residing there for generations now. It was learnt that a population of 727 persons inhabiting the eight villages of Banola, Chamrol, Chamrol Jeri, Kander, Sehnali, Matrech, Jandhoi and Seharli had 1612 head of cattle. While the people were dependant on agriculture and animal husbandry, an enhancement in the sanctuary area would have adversely hit their livelihood. The move would have adversely affected activities of a nearby National Thermal Power Corporation-run Kol Dam. The proposal was also inconveniencing the two cement plants — an existing and a proposed one in the area. The notification issued on December 5 further directs the wildlife warden to take further action to propose enhancement of the Kibber wildlife sanctuary in Lahual and Spiti. |
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