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Larji Project
Relief Package
Overloaded trucks damaging roads
Navjot Sidhu calls for Jat unity
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Govt responsible for rising mishaps in state
Pathankot-Mandi
highway in bad shape
BJP takes Cong govt to task
Road network being upgraded to connect panchayats
Plea to withdraw joint-military action in Ladakh
Campaign against cement plant ends
Public Accounts Committee to visit Dharamsala
Virbhadra to visit Sirmaur
Ex-MLA and former chairman of the HPDTC Rakesh Pathania is weighed against coins at Nagni, near Nurpur, on Sunday. — Tribune photo
Land-Grab Case
Gram Sabha
BJP seeks CBI probe into beating up of cop
Plea to launch NREGA in urban areas
Cong refutes charges of malpractices
Lecturers to teach classes XI, XII only
Baman Dwadashi fair
Selection of lecturers
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Guilty of irregularities to face criminal liability: CM
Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service
Larji Powerhouse (Mandi), September 23 He said the probe was on and the government would not hesitate taking action against anybody found guilty. “It would be unfair to blame the electricity board for the delay and cost overruns,” he said in a public meeting later on. Power minister Vidya Stokes said the project had already generated electricity worth Rs 180 crore. “It generates over 32 lakh units worth Rs 1 crore every day and it has so far exceeded its target in generation and will recover its execution cost in seven to eight years,” she added. On delays, cost overruns and the generation cost per unit (roughly Rs 7 per unit), she said the project had cost Rs 1,293 crore due to geological considerations. Though the project has generated over 60 crore units of electricity since February 19, the board fears there may be fall in generation during the coming winter season as it needs over 250 cusecs of water discharge to run its three units daily. The state electricity regulatory commission was still in the process of freezing and fixing the cost of electricity per unit for the project as the board had yet to submit the actual cost overruns to the commission, HPSEB sources said. When the project was sanctioned by the Central Electricity Authority in 1999, its cost was put at Rs 797 crore. It shot up to Rs 1,293 crore when the project was finally completed in February 2007, sources added. Though the audit report has detected irregularities worth Rs 78 crore in the project, Larji chief engineer and in charge of 100-MW Sainj Project K.D. Sharma said the high cost of the project was due to the fact that the Beas had been diverted as project needed over 250 cusecs of water to generate 126 MW electricity. A surge shaft of 37-m diameter was also constructed, he added.
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Rs 800-cr premium from power projects
Thalot (Mandi): Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh while addressing a public gathering after he inaugurated the 126-MW Larji hydropower project here today, said the government had made a transparent power policy in the state and had earned Rs-800 crore as upfront premium from the companies which were awarded the projects1,200 MW recently.
“As many as 6,370 MW of power has been tapped, and others projects are in the process of being allotted,” he added. He said Himachal would be a power state making its contribution to power supply to the entire country. |
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State pins hope on PM
Rakesh Lohumi Tribune News Service
Shimla, September 23 The Prime Minister will visit the state capital on September 30 for the launch of the “Aam Adami Bima Yojna” but the ruling Congress is keen to make the best of it by getting some mega projects and other concession announced at the public meeting to be addressed by him at The norms for the grant of Central assistance do not provide much latitude to bestow special favours on a state but the government hopes to get additional funds on the basis of its performance, particularly in the fields of education, health and poverty alleviation, and pursuing fiscal reforms. If all goes on as planned, Manmohan Singh could oblige the state by sanctioning the Bhanupali-Bilaspur rail project, one or two new national highways, a central university and some other schemes. Various departments are busy working out different proposals to seek the best possible package for the state. On the top of the agenda is the Rs 1,140-crore Bhanupali-Bilaspur rail project that the state has been vigorously pursuing with the Centre for implementation as a national project for the past one year. The Centre maintains the policy on national projects was meant only for the troubled Jammu and Kashmir and northeast states, however, it is willing to take it up on cost-sharing basis with the state. The government has also taken up the matter for sanctioning two more national highways with total length of around 255 km. The top priority is for the Paonta-Shilai-Meenus-Hatkothi road that will provide better connectivity to the interior areas of Shimla and Sirmaur districts. Next in line is the Mubarakpur-Dehra-Rani Tal-Nagrota Bagwan road that will help connect three existing national highways. The state had been leading the country in school education and it now wants liberal help from the Centre to maintain the tempo at the higher level. Besides a central university, it is seeking funds for setting up technical and professional institutions. The economic growth rate has been hovering around 8.2 per cent and the government has assured the Planning Commission that it could be raised to 9 per cent provided it obliges the state by granting enhanced untied special assistance. And finally, the state has sought full compensation for the losses amounting to Rs 1,270 crore caused by heavy rain and floods during August.
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Overloaded trucks damaging roads
Palampur, September 23 There are no laws to deal with the situation and the state government has been helpless as the damage to roads is going on unabated. The Kiratpur- Bilaspur-Manali national highway and Simla-Hamirpur-Kangra state highways are the worst hit. The two cement plants installed in the state have further aggravated the situation as there is no check on the overloading of trucks carrying cement and clinkers from these factories and its retail outlets. Besides, causing large-scale pollution, the overloaded trucks have also resulted in widespread damage to roads and culverts which were not built for heavy capacity vehicles in Bilaspur, Solan, Mandi and Hamirpur districts particularly. Official sources say that 5,000 trucks belonging to Gujarat Ambuja cement factory at Darlaghat and 6,000 trucks and dampers (trucks used to carry loose cement) of ACC cement Ltd have been using the state roads daily. Whatever tax these vehicles have been paying to state government is quite nominal as compared to the loss being caused to the roads daily. Because of excessive and over use of Kiratpur-Manali national highway between Kiratpur anad Bilaspur, it has become pruned to landslides and soil erosion. Over one dozen small and big bridges have been damaged badly by these overloaded vehicles. Last rainy season, the national highway had remained closed for many days as heavy and overloaded vehicles had damaged a major bridge near Bilaspur. Besides, damaging the roads, there is regular traffic jam on this highway causing grate inconvenience to the common passengers and tourists visiting the state. A senior police officer told The Tribune, that adequate police force were deployed at many places near Swarghat and Ghambar Bridge, but heavy traffic flow of trucks on the highway had made the matter worse. He admitted that truckers were not following traffic rules and therefore it was resulting in traffic jams daily. The official source say that under the rules no vehicle can carry more than nine tonne load but in Himachal Pradesh there is no check on the overloading of the vehicles. An official of the state public works department said it was the duty of the state transport authorities and the state traffic police to check the plying of overloaded vehicles in the state. But in the past few years, both these agencies have remained a silent spectators and not even a single defaulter has been fined. At present, the state government is spending over Rs 1,000 crore on the repair and surfacing of its national and state highway every year. There has been manifold increase in the vehicular traffic in the state, particularly after the commissioning of cement plants in the state. In the past four years the accident rate in the state has also gone up. Despite the fact that the number of vehicles has increased, the state government has failed to raise the width of roads accordingly.
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Navjot Sidhu calls for Jat unity
Dharamsala, September 23 He was nominated as the president of the foundation last month after the sudden demise of former union minister and senior BJP leader Sahib Singh Verma who headed the organization. He said he would tour the country as well as other countries where the Jats were settled and persuade them to come on a common platform to fight for the rights of the community. He said a considerable number of Jats were living in Pakistan irrespective of the fact that they were Muslims. They had common roots if going by the historical background of the community, he said. He asked the community settled in different states of the country to turn away from all religious and demographical differences and unite on a common platform to discuss and find out ways and means of betterment of the community. Quoting examples from the history of the community, he said that the Jats had a golden legacy. He also vowed to bring back the lost glory of the community under his leadership and press upon the governments at the Centre and states to come out with policies and programmes for the benefit of the community. “I do not believe in castes but at the same time cannot escape from the fact also that a community is a larger family having common roots in our ancestors that needs to live together to further strengthen the nation by giving a message of peace and fraternity”, Sidhu said. Earlier, D.S. Tewatia, former Chief Justice of the High Court of West Bengal, who is the patron of the foundation, Colonel O.P. Sindhu (retired) and Kanwal Singh Sehrawat vice-presidents of the organization briefed about the organization and its future programmes and policies. President of the state-unit of the foundation Harnam Singh Gill claimed that it was under his leadership that the Jats had managed to get OBC status in the hill state for reservation in jobs and educational institutes. Former MLA Manjit Singh Dogra, Pratap Singh Malik, Sardar Tara Singh, Ram Nath Mahlawat were among the community leaders who gathered here from Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and addressed the delegates. |
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Govt responsible for rising mishaps in state
Palampur, September 23 In the present circumstances “an accident free day” is news while heavy casualties have become a routine matter. After every accident the government orders a probe, but no follow-up action is taken. Sometimes, such reports point out vital issues, such as improving a particular portion of the road, but such reports just remain confined to files. Despite tall claims by the state government to check accidents in the state nothing worthwhile has been done to ensure passenger safety. Though the state government knows that 98 per cent of the state’s population is dependant on road transport, still passenger safety has been neglected. There has been a substantial increase in the number of light and heavy vehicles in the state, which has led to an increase in the overall traffic, but still the width of most of the internal roads is the same as 30 years ago. Most of the state government projects have been hanging fire because of official bottlenecks and for want of funds. The condition of internal roads in the state is the worst and this is where frequent bus accidents are taking place. Corruption in the PWD has further aggravated the situation. Though the state government has created a new post, of chief engineer quality-control, it is yet to deliver the goods. Still inferior-quality material is used for construction of roads, retaining walls and culverts, which have been collapsing daily and resulting in fatal accidents. In past five years, over 750 persons in the state have lost their lives in different road accidents while over 2,000 have been injured. The state has a high rate of accident because of its difficult topography and narrow roads. Another factor responsible for an increase in the number of accidents in the state is corruption in the licensing wing of the Transport Department. Rules and regulations are not followed always while issuing driving licenses. At times the licenses are not issued, but sold through middlemen, by this wing of department. The annual passing of vehicles has become a mere formality and a fitness certificate can be easily obtained after bribing the concerned motor vehicle inspector.
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Pathankot-Mandi highway
in bad shape Palampur, September 23 This road was declared a national highway about fifteen years ago, keeping in view the defence requirements for supply of goods and other defence equipment to Leh and other borders areas. The Himachal Pradesh Public Works Department, which looks after the execution and maintenance of the highway has virtually neglected this road and funds provided by the Ministry of Surface Transport, from time to time are allegedly misused or diverted to other highways. With the opening of the Rohtang Pass, the Army authorities have resumed the defence supplies to Leh through this road, but the conditions of the road between Pathankot and Nagrota Bagwan, Joginder and Mandi has gone from bad to worse. The vehicles carrying heavy Army supplies and defence equipment find it difficult to move on the road. Many vehicles loaded with supplies are seen stranded at different points virtually everyday. Army officers, who have been looking after the movement of supplies to Leh are fed up with the non-cooperative attitude of the state PWD. They alleged that though the PWD authorities knew that the road was the loan route for carrying Army supplies to Leh, Kargil and other border areas before the closing of high passes like Rohtang and Baralacha, but it initiated no steps to repair the damaged portion of roads before the onset of monsoon. They said major portion of the highway at many places had developed big cracks.
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BJP takes Cong govt to task
Shimla, September 23 In a statement issued here chief whip of the BJP Ravinder Ravi and Harbans Rana said that the BJP had played its role well and a number of scams were exposed by the party. “BJP legislators and other leaders have raised various issues like corruption, price rise and unemployment effectively in the Assembly and outside,” he said. They took strong exception to the statements of Virbhadra Singh that the BJP had failed to play the role of a responsible and effective opposition. They said the four-and-a-half-year rule of the Congress was full of scams in purchase of fertilisers, scissors, construction of bus stand, HP-CPMT entrance examination and irregularities in appointments. “The BJP has placed all these facts before the Governor, seeking a high-level probe but no action has been taken or investigation ordered,” they said. The BJP leaders said that the Congress regime had been exposed with the release of an audio CD against the Chief Minister and his wife, the controversial birthday party of G.S. Bali and the missing money briefcase from the CM’s office. “While the BJP has played the role of a constructive opposition, the Chief Minister has tried to crush the voice of the BJP by holding a brief monsoon session of only two-and-a-half days,” they said. They added that when the BJP sought time to raise issues in the Assembly they were suspended from the House.
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Road network being upgraded to connect panchayats Shimla, September 23 In fact, roads are the only mode of transport and provide connectivity to remote corners. In order to strengthen and extend the road network the government is implementing the State Roads Project with the financial assistance from the World Bank. It envisages improvement, asset maintenance and management of about 2,500-km length of state highways and major district roads under two distinct components. The total size of the project is about Rs 1365.435 crore out of which the loan component will be Rs 990 crore and 90 per cent of the proceeds of the loan amount will be made available by the Government of India as an outright grant. The first component of the project will focus on core network improvement by way of upgrading works, including widening of formation, realignment, new structures and pavement strengthening over 447 km of road length. The roads being covered under the component include Mehatpur-Una- Mubarikpur-Daulatpur-H.P. boundary road (Mehatpur-Una-Amb), Una- Aghar-Barsar-Jahu-Bhambla-Mandi upto Ner Chowk road (Section Una-Kalkhar), Theog-Kothkhai-Hatkoti-Rohroo road, Jogindernagar-Sarkaghat-Ghumarwin road (Section Ghumarwin-Sarkaghat), Kumarhatti-Sarahan-Nahan (Dosarka) road, Shahpur-Sihunta-Chowari-Jot-Chamba-Bharmour road (Section Draman-Sihunta), Mubarikpur-Dehra-Ranital-Kotla road (Section Ranital-Kotla), Bhawarna-Lambagaon-Jaisinghpur road. The 2nd component will take care of maintenance and management of the core network. It includes periodic maintenance and minor rehabilitation of about 2,000 km of road in accordance with the agreed environmental measures set forth in a model environmental management. The periodic maintenance works will be implemented through four annual maintenance programmes and would accelerate the removal of existing backlog to allow the state government to reach a steady state of the renewals on its core network. The state has a network of 30,000 km of roads, including 1,236 km of national highways. Over the past four years, Rs 1,600 crore have been sanctioned under the Bharat Nirman Yojna for 1,348 road projects envisaging construction of 8,000 km of road to benefit 3,000 villages. In terms of connectivity out of 17,449 census villages 8,531 stand connected. In all out of 3,243 panchayats in the state 484 panchayats were yet to be connected by motorable road. Work is in progress to connect 412 panchayats and the remaining 72 panchayats will be connected in a phased manner.
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Plea to withdraw joint-military action in Ladakh
Dalhousie, September 23 Mann decried any military activity in the region with any foreign country. The five nations - USA, Australia, Japan, Singapore and India had conducted these exercises in the Bay of Bengal, whereby the political tension in South Asia had increased, Mann stated; adding that to put to rest any such tension Menon India's foreign secretary was on his way to China to clarify its stand on peace to the Chinese. “India's explanation is that these military exercises in Ladakh will make the Indian and British armies capabilities better in fighting terrorism in Afghanistan. However, our stand is that Afghanistan is already under the occupation of NATO troops and Britain is a part of NATO. India has taken a stand not be a participant in the post 9/11 military operations being conducted in Muslim territories because our largest minority population is Muslim, and training of British special forces for Afghanistan in Ladakh is contrary to this stand as it will expose us to Islamic animosity and increase Chinese suspicions of India's intentions,” Mann opined.
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Campaign against cement plant ends
Sundernagar, September 23 Various social organisations came together under the banner of Sundernagar Sangarsh Samiti in order to create public awareness about the environmental and social problems which the locals would face if the plant was set up. As per the campaign a group consisting of 20 to 30 persons from different walks of life formed a part of this gathering and addressed people at 12 sites, distributed leaflets and obtained signatures against the govt’s decision. According to Amar Singh Raghwa president Sundernagar Sangarsh Samiti the response of the public was good and many persons came forward against the setting up of the Plant near Sundernagar. Delegates of various environmental and social organisations took an active part in the awareness campaign. The Samiti will hold a rally on September 28 and hand over the memorandum to the govt against the decision which according to the locals was anti-people, and would cause environmental and social degradation of this hill state. The govt has already signed a MoU for setting up the plant and according to sources the notification for acquisition of land would be issued soon although the public has opposed this decision and demand that the site be shifted.
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Public Accounts Committee to visit Dharamsala
Dharamsala, September 23 The committee comprises Sudhir Sharma, Asha Kumari, Ramesh Chand, Harbans Singh Rana, Harbhajan Singh, Baldev Sharma, Jagjivan Paul, Thakur Surinder Pal, Sukh Ram and Rohit Thakur, all legislators. Five officials of the Assembly and two officials of the accountant-general’s office will also be here for the meeting. The committee will look into the action taken by various departments at the district level into the irregularities detected by the comptroller and auditor-general and remedial actions taken to check such lapses during 2001 to 2006. The committee had asked all departments to prepare detailed accounts reports and present 10 copies each to the
committee before the due date of the meeting through the district magistrate. Before coming to Kangra, the committee would also visit Bilaspur and Hamirpur districts for a similar exercise. |
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Virbhadra to visit Sirmaur
Nahan, September 23 Before presiding over the closing ceremony of the fair, the CM will dedicate a long-awaited new lift water supply scheme to the people of Pacchad tehsil. The scheme had been constructed with a cost of Rs 435 lakh which would cater to the drinking water needs of Sarahan and 18 adjoining villages. The water has been lifted from Badu area, the length of its rising main is over 4,800 meters and the length of gravity main is 10 km up to Sarahan tank. Officials of the Irrigation and Public health Department said the terrain of this scheme was one of the toughest in the district. Carrying machinery to the steep and areas was a challenging job which the department did by working day and night on the site. The foundation stone was laid in the year of 1996 but work was initiated in 1997. This scheme has been a main election plank during past three Assembly election in the Pacchad area. |
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36 Cong supporters join BJP
Nurpur, September 23 Panchayat representatives who joined the BJP include panchayat pradhan Kulbinder Singh, up pradhan Paras Ram, ward members Jaram Singh, Urmila Devi, Gorkhu Ram and Sunita Devi and BDC member Promila Devi. Addressing the meeting on the occasion Pathania alleged that the Congress party had duped the unemployed youths in the name of providing jobs to them and accused it of dividing the society on caste lines. He lamented that all development activities had come to a standstill in Nurpur Assembly constituency and gram panchayats. He claimed that during the previous regime, the policies framed by the then union food minister Shanta Kumar had kept rising prices in check and had brought about an overall development of the state in general.
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3 booked for forgery
Our Correspondent
Nurpur, September 23 The Rajasthan police recently registered a number of such forgery cases. Ravinder Guleria, son of Sunil Singh, a resident of nearby Bodh village has become a victim of a planned forgery which deprived him, his mother Suresh Devi and sister Anjana Devi of their valuable murrabba allotted to his father in Gharsana tehsil of Sriganganagar in Rajasthan. But according to an FIR lodged by the Gharsana police, three brothers of the deceased Ghugar Singh, Onkar singh and Taviat Singh, residents of Durana in Jawali sub division, had allegedly forged a death certificate of the deceased Sunil Singh in which his death had been declared on Januray2,1974 and transferred his land in their favour as legal heirs by means of a mutation. It is alleged that the same land was then sold to Prem Singh and Mahabir Singh, sons of Chuni Lal, residents of Lathubala village in Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan.
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Mahajan emphasises on self-help groups
Our Correspondent
Nurpur, September 23 Presiding over the meeting he said such meetings had been organized for the first time in the history of the state in 3,243 gram panchayats, which were aimed at women-related issues like female foeticide, dowry, domestic violence and their legal rights. He claimed that the government had fulfilled its promise by giving 33 per cent reservation in the three-tier panchayti raj system. He called upon women from BPL families to form self-help groups to generate self -employment opportunities. He also claimed that the government had upgraded 18 government schools in the last one year.
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BJP seeks CBI probe into beating up of cop
Bharmour, September 23 Describing the incident, as ‘quite unfortunate’ Mohan Lal, a former minister and district president of the BJP, today urged the CBI to investigate into the incident judicially so that the actual guilty could be punished and the law and order situation could prevail in the region especially in religious places. Mohan Lal demanded arrest of such people who were responsible for cruelly beating up of a police official while performing his traffic duties honestly thereby deteriorating the law and order situation during the Manimahesh pilgrimage. |
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Plea to launch NREGA in urban areas
Nurpur, September 23 Following its success in gram panchayats, a demand to launch similar scheme in urban areas is also being raised keeping in view hundreds of families living below the poverty line are living in the urban or municipal council areas in penury. Local MC president R.K. Mahajan had raised the issue with Virbhadra, local MLA and revenue minister Sat Mahajan, Lok Sabha MP Chander Kumar and MP Rajya Sabha Viplove Thakur and demanded to recommend requisite amendments in the NREGA to the Government of India so that it could be expanded in urban areas in the state. He informed that over 600 poor families enlisted in the IRDP were living within the local MC area and this Centrally-funded scheme would prove a boon for them. |
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Cong refutes charges of malpractices
Shimla, September 23 A joint statement of three legislators - Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Harsh Wardhan and Sudhir Sharma, said the Centre allocated foodgrains worth Rs 235 crore to the state every year and as such the question of a scam amounting to Rs 10,500 crore could not arise. They said the PDS was working satisfactorily in the state. They said by introducing new subsidy schemes for wheat, rice, pulses, edible oil and iodised salt, the government had provided relief to the people from price rise. The step had been hailed by the people, he added. |
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Lecturers to teach classes XI, XII only
Sundernagar, September 23 Press secretary of the association Suresh Pathania said the lectures would not obey the order of the government vide which they had been asked to teach students of classes IX and X. The association said the lecturers employed on contract shoule be regularised. |
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Baman Dwadashi fair
Nahan, September 23 Earlier, a shobha yatra of Lord Jaggan Nath and Baman Maharaj was taken out from the three and half century old Shri Jaggan Nath Temple situated at the Bara Chowk in the heart of the town. The fair will last till the wee hours tomorrow as religious discourses would continue during the night.
— OC |
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Selection of lecturers
Dalhousie, September 23 The appointments will be on contract basis on a consolidated salary of Rs 8,000 plus 50 per cent dearness pay per month, sources said. |
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Former cricketer-turned politician Navjot Sidhu had appealed to the Jat community living worldwide to unite on a single platform so as to strengthen the community that was presently passing through hard times.
