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State transport running into huge losses
Doubt raised on poll officer’s honesty
Cold, ‘bukharis’ cause respiratory diseases
SC stays Central funding
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Zonal, dist hospitals to have small incinerators
Development plan for Shimla on the anvil
Power panel selection panel meeting begins
Admission to JBT course as
per test: HC
Projects to ease traffic congestion
BSNL yet to restore cable network
Attorneys seek official accommodation
Closed tea units to
be revived: CM
Memorial park to be expanded
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State transport running into huge losses
Shimla, January 12 Thus, despite an enhanced grant in aid of Rs 48 crore, accumulated loss will shot up by whopping over Rs 30 crore. The grant-in-aid was increased from Rs 27 crore to Rs 48 crore on the condition that the corporation will implement a voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to cut down the staff by about 500 and reduce the number of buses to 1,600 by March, 2006, and to 1,500 in the following year. However, so far 200 employees have been retired under the VRS and the bus fleet has a strength of 1,675. The steps taken by the corporation to downsize its set-up and curtail overtime has for the first time reduced the establishment cost nominally by Rs 1 crore in the first seven months of the current financial year. However, the hike in diesel prices has put an additional burden of Rs 4 crore per month and expenditure on diesel is exceeding the establishment cost for the first time. As against the establishment expenses of Rs 49.20 crore, the expenditure on diesel came to Rs 55 crore up to October, 2005. The White Paper brought out by the Transport Department recently to underscore the need to revise bus fares put the current liabilities at an alarming Rs 100 crore and the cumulative loss exceeding Rs 350 crore. The losses are mounting up as the government has not revised the bus fares since April, 2003. The prices of diesel have since gone up by Rs 9 per litre. The corporation needs an immediate grant of Rs 100 crore to clear the liabilities. The annual grant from the government, which has been pegged at Rs 48 crore, will not suffice unless the bus fares are increased by 22 percent to break even. To keep the bus fares at the current level, the government will have to increase the grant to Rs 75 crore. |
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Doubt raised on poll officer’s honesty
Solan, January 12 The ballots were stamped in favour of the losing candidate, Mr Baba Ram, who lost the poll by mere two votes. The recovery of these ballots has raised a finger of doubt at the role of Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) Sandhu Singh. Mr Baba Ram had contested unsuccessfully for the post of panch in the Della panchayat. The ballot papers, which were recovered by school students about two days ago, has stunned the villagers. They are now demanding the cancellation of the poll result. The BDO, Nalagarh, Mr Sachin Kanwal, when contacted, said since the ARO had failed to furnish his ballot paper account, which enlists details of total ballots used and empty ballots left, the same day it had cast doubt on his working. The ARO not only presented this account after 15 days, which was as late as January 6, but it was ambiguous and not precise as required. Taking note of these irregularities he had been directed to explain his position within seven days. The BDO added that the ARO had also failed to inform that some ballots had been left in Government Primary School’s polling booth while the rest had been sealed and deposited in the strong room under police guard. The agitated villagers produced photo copies of fake votes before media persons and demanded strict action against the erring ARO. |
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Cold, ‘bukharis’ cause respiratory diseases
Reckong Peo, January 12 According to statistics available from the health authorities, more than 35,000 persons had visited government-run dispensaries/hospitals here during the past two years complaining of respiratory diseases. In a population of just over 78,000 as per the 2001 Census, the figures of patients who had suffered from respiratory diseases in Kinnaur district during the past two years are shocking. During winters when most parts of the district are covered with snow, the increase in respiratory infections is due to freezing temperature at nights and heating of rooms with “bukharis”, firewood based heating systems. The threat to health remains high with the combination of severe cold and cramped living conditions leading to respiratory infections, say doctors posted in the district hospital here. During a visit to many traditional houses in the nearby villages of Reckong Peo district headquarters of Kinnaur, this correspondent found that almost all rural people use “bukharis” for heating their rooms. A “bukhari” is a simple appliance, which has an aluminium or iron cylinder with aluminium/iron pipes, coated with gompa mitti (a locally available mud), going out through the roof and fire is lit inside the cylinder. The heat from the cylinder and pipes radiated to the whole room. The continuous heating with a “bukhari” on one hand decreases the level of oxygen and on the other hand the leakages (though very less) of smoke increases the content of carbon monoxide in the air. This traditional practice of heating rooms have been going on for the past many decades posing health risks to the locals but the health authorities had so far not come out to educate the tribal people about its ill effects. |
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SC stays Central funding
New Delhi, January 12 The interim order on stay till January 20 has been issued by a Bench of Ms Justice Usha Mehra, Mr Justice B.N.
Srikrishna, Mr Justice Dalveer Bhandari on an appeal of Union Government, challenging the High Court’s December 12 order directing the Centre to release the money within four weeks to establish Monkey Sterilisation Centre (MSC) at Shimla. The court issued notice to the petitioner Kanwar Rattanjit Singh, on whose public interest litigation (PIL) on monkey menace in Shimla, the direction was issued by the High Court. Since the next hearing of the Centre’s special leave petition (SLP) was fixed for January 20, the apex court granted interim stay till that date. The main ground raised by the Centre was that it had no role to play in the matter as it was purely a state subject and that too a problem to be handled by the civic authorities like the Municipal Corporation of Shimla. The Centre further said two instalments of Rs 11.35 lakh and Rs 10 lakh had already been released to the Himachal Pradesh Government on January 5, 2004 and December 27, 2005 under an action plan, proposed by a committee appointed by the Union Urban Development Ministry. Himachal Pradesh Forest Department had prepared a pilot project of 1.32 crore for controlling the monkey population with 100 per cent funding by the Centre and sought the release of the same. It was also the stand of the state government before the High Court.
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Zonal, dist hospitals to have small incinerators
Shimla, January 12 Main drawback of bigger incinerator is not just the problem of pollution. They are meant to handle huge quantities of bio-medical waste, which if not disposed properly can be very hazardous. Moreover it is being felt that the government need not waste money in installing big incinerators when the waste from most of the hospitals is not much. Deep burial method is our concept of bio-medical waste disposal. “This is the most cost effective and effective way of disposing of medical waste and seeing its effectiveness there is a possibility that we might resort to this method,” said Dr R.N. Mahanta of Health and Family Welfare Department. The medical waste of Bilaspur district hospital is being buried in four trenches, 100 metres from the institute. Sanitary staff of the hospital segregates and transports the waste to the dumping site for burying. “The State Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board too favours deep burial method and if it is successful it might not install incinerators at certain places,” says Dr Mahanta. Bigger incinerators also pose maintenance problem. After sale service is done by the company people from Mumbai and in case of a break-down the incinerator remains out of order for quite some time. Most of the 200-bed hospitals generate less medical waste and installing a big incinerator which costs between Rs 25 lakh and 30 lakh would be a waste. Smaller hospitals having a 200-bed capacity generate only 10 kg waste and the Din Dayal Upadhyaya Hospital here, housing the Gynaecological wing of the state medical college also falls in this category. |
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Development plan for Shimla on the anvil
Shimla, January 12 Heads of departments concerned like Transport, Tourism, Housing, Irrigation and Public Health, Municipal Commissioner and Town and Country Planning met here to chalk out the priorities. Each department will spell out its priorities, to be taken up at the earliest for inclusion in the ‘city development plan’. The ‘Queen of Hills’ has been included in the list of 63 cities in the country, which will get special funding under the National Urban Renewal Mission, launched by the Union Ministry of Urban Development. Being a major tourist destination, which has remained the summer capital of the British empire, the town is plagued with problems like traffic congestion, water shortage and rapid urbanization which has not only converted it into a concrete jungle but has put tremendous strain on the civic amenities. The government is keen that construction of four tunnels, aerial ropeways and byepasses should be taken up under this project as this will greatly ease traffic congestion in the town. Besides, creation of additional parking space is one of the top priorities of the Tourism Department as during the peak tourist season thousands of vehicles enter the town. The government proposes to have parking lots and elevators at Lakkar Bazar, bus stand to Ridge near
Snowdown, Cart Road to Lakkar Bazar and from Bemloe on the Cart Road to the Mall. “We are keen that a new water supply scheme for the capital town be taken up so that we can cater for a target population 20 years from now,” said Mr Mohan Chauhan, Municipal Commissioner. He said the scheme could be the one from Satluj or the gravity run from Chanchal. Along with this importance will also be given to improve the water distribution system in the
town. |
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Power panel selection panel meeting begins
Shimla, January 12 The meeting was presided over by Mr Justice Roop Singh Thakur at which the two other members, Mr S.S. Parmar, the Chief Secretary, and Mr Rakesh Nath, Chairperson of the Central Electricity Authority, were present. The committee is expected to give its recommendations to the government over the next few days. It will recommend six names in all, two for each post, in accordance with the provisions of the Electricity Act 2003. According to sources the names of Mr Yogesh Khanna, Additional Chief Secretary, Dr Kewal Ram of the Indian Economic Service who at present a member of the Forward Marketing
Commission, Mumbai, Mr H.S. Thakur, a former member of the board were prominently discussed. Besides Mr Khanna, three other IAS officers from the state, Dr A.R. Basu, Dr V.P. Gupta, and Mr Brijender Kumar, are among the applicants. Several serving and retired engineers of the state electricity are also in the race. The names of Mr P.T. Singla, adviser to the board, and Mr I.C. Sharma, a member of the board, also figured among serious contenders. Although the Supreme Court declined to stay the retirement order of Mr S.S. Gupta, the outgoing Chairman , the committee may wait for further developments in the case which is come for hearing tomorrow. The special leave petition of Mr Gupta on which the apex court had stayed the order of the high court quashing his appointment as chairman is also pending adjudication. |
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Admission to JBT course as
per test: HC
Shimla, January 12 While quashing the selection process a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta and Mr Justice Deepak Gupta directed the state government to grant admission to the candidates on the basis of the written test. The court further observed that the state should also be entitled to allot 10 marks, to be awarded on the basis of marks secured by the candidate in class XII examination. In addition to the allotment of these 10 marks, the candidate with the higher qualification should be allotted three to five additional marks according to their qualifications. The court also observed that if the state government was keen that extra marks be given for extra co-curricular activities it should formulate specific guidelines with respect to the allocation of marks. While passing these orders the Bench directed the government to complete the entire selection and admission process according to its directions before February 28, 2006. The court directed the government to publish the list of successful candidates in at least two newspapers having wide circulation in the state. The court passed these directions on a bunch of petitions filed by candidates challenging the entire selection process. |
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Projects to ease traffic congestion
Shimla, January 12 The projects include four road tunnels and an express highway connecting Una and Dharamsala, besides three special economic zones. The road and tunnel projects will cost about Rs 2500 crore. The longest tunnel, about 7.5 km, will be bored under the Swarghat hill to reduce the distance between Chandigarh and Bilaspur by about 16 km. The project will also involve construction of 6.5 km of road to connect the two portals with the existing highway. The total cost has been estimated at Rs 800 crore. Three tunnels, with a total length of 4 km, will be constructed in Shimla to ease traffic congestion on the circular road. The three tunnels will cost over Rs 130 crore. Given the importance of the project for the state capital, the government will consider the option of “viability gap funding” to make it a reality. |
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BSNL yet to restore cable network
Reckong Peo, January 12 As a result of which, telecom services in the tribal district are badly hit affecting both the landline as well as mobile telephone services. No matter, the telephone services at the district headquarters here and upper regions of Kinnaur were immediately restored with a satellite link in an emergency situation, but the services remained very poor as it, by and large, depends on the mercy of weather, which mostly remains worse, particularly during the winters. As on date, the Internet service of the BSNL is totally dead with virtually no efforts made by the BSNL to enhance the capacity of satellite transmission or restore the OFC network. The present capacity of satellite transmission link at Reckong Peo is 2MB that is quite insufficient to download and transmit data. Efforts were made to increase the satellite transmission capacity to 8MB a couple of months back, but the idea was dropped immediately after the proposal forwarded to the higher authorities at Shimla.
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Attorneys seek official accommodation
Dharamsala, January 12 Mr Ashok Sugyan, Assistant District Attorney, Kangra, said the need for computers to all the prosecution officers and earmarking of accommodation for all the attorneys and filling of vacant posts and creation of new posts of District Deputy Attorney were taken up with the Chief Minister. The delegation, headed by its president, Mr
N.K. Sharma, sought implementation of the already accepted demand of providing vehicles at the district level and to the joint directors. The delegation also demanded non-practising allowance on the lines of the provision for medical officers, Veterinary Officers and ayurvedic officers. Mr Kusal Singh Thakur, Joint Director (Prosecution), North Zone, and Mr Sanjeev Katoch, Assistant District Attorney, Dharamsala, demanded provision for official accommodation for the prosecutors working at
Dharamsala. |
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Closed tea units to
be revived: CM
Palampur, January 12 This was disclosed by the Chief Minister while presiding over the fourth meeting of the Himachal Tea Development Board yesterday. He said he was conversant with the problems being faced by the tea industry and tea planters and his government would do everything possible to bail the tea industry out of the present crisis. |
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Memorial park to be expanded
Dharamsala, January 12 This was declared by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh while addressing the seventh meeting of the State Gorkha Welfare Board here yesterday. |
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3 tunnel projects for Shimla likely
Dharamsala, January 12 |
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