|
|
|
|
Power utility runs into huge overdraft
Unbundling: CM allays fears of employees
Ahluwalia’s suspension revoked
Lt-Gen Jaswal calls on Rau
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Steel team to explore feasibility
Youth killed
Nod to poly houses
Trees hinder expansion plans of IGMC
Paper Leak
Virtual clean chit to coaching centre
Police asks rural banks to beef up security
Youth posing as CBI officer held
Army man duped
Rohtang Pass experiences snow
|
|
Power utility runs into huge overdraft
Shimla, June 17 Its cash-flow position has worsened as under the contra-banking arrangement surplus power supplied to deficit neighbouring states during summer months will be returned during the lean winter months. It is not receiving the usual revenue from sale of power during summer. The financial health of the utility has not improved despite annual increase in tariff by the state electricity regulatory commission over the past five years. The employees have been claiming that consumers will have to pay more after unbundling as electricity will become dearer. However, the fact was that successive tariff hikes have increased the average sale price of power from Rs 1.90 paise per unit in 2003 to Rs 3.70 paise in 2008. The government has been paying a subsidy of Rs 140 crore annually to the 16 lakh domestic consumers which means that on average every consumer is receiving a subsidy of Rs 900 which was a huge amount. Worst, the financial health of the board is not improving due to ever-increasing employee cost and reluctance to carry out unbundling and other reforms. The employee cost of Rs 1.05 per unit is the highest in the country. With the impeding revision of pay scales, an additional burden of Rs 150 to Rs 170 crore will further increase the employee cost to around Rs 1.30 per unit. In the tariff application 2009-10 the aggregate revenue requirement (ARR) has been projected at Rs 2853 crore as against the expenditure of Rs 2021 crore in 2008-09, an increase of over 40 per cent. Even if the commission allows a hike of 20 per cent the average tariff will shoot to Rs 4.60 per unit, major brunt of which will have to be borne by the domestic consumers as the power subsidy has been frozen at the level of Rs 140 crore under the agreement signed by the government with the World Bank for availing Rs 900 crore development policy loan. |
||
|
Unbundling: CM allays fears of employees
Shimla, June 17 Addressing the seventh general conference of the ministerial employees association of the board at Vidyut Bhawan here today, he said all service benefits would be delivered to them as per prevailing practice and the government would make all possible efforts to uphold the entity of the board. Unbundling of the board under the provisions of Electricity Act, 2003, was inevitable and the government had carried out exhaustive exercise to protect the interests of its employees. He said efforts would be made not to permit privatisation of the board and instead take effective steps to improve its functioning by bringing about efficiency in delivering services to the consumers and minimise transmission and distribution losses. He said the board would carry on with its regular operational and functional activities, rather its efficiency would improve. He urged the employees to prove their mettle by discharging their duties with even greater dedication and devotion, underlining the need to inculcate work culture at all levels and maintain self-discipline which were the basic ingredients for the success of any organisation. He complimented the employees for successful implementation of the Atal Bijli Bachat Yojna under which energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) were given to domestic consumers free of cost. The power saved with switchover to CFL would generate revenue to the board. Dhumal directed the management to take effective steps to fill the post of member, technical, and promote 22 superintendents to section officers. He said compassionate appointment cases would be considered on merit and the services of work charged workers regularised in a phased manner.
|
||
|
Ahluwalia’s suspension revoked
Shimla, June 17 The government also placed at the disposal of the Centre the services of two IAS officers- M. Sudha Devi, a former deputy commissioner, Kullu, and Pushpender Rajput who had also
completed his stint as deputy commissioner. The vigilance had registered a case with regard to disproportionate assets case against the officer who had remained private secretary to former chief minister and now
union minister for steel, Virbhadra Singh. After the BJP assumed charge, Ahluwalia had been posted as managing director of the Backward Classes Commission, Kangra. He had some time back approached the government to revoke his suspension but it was only today that a decision in this regard was taken. |
||
|
Lt-Gen Jaswal calls on Rau
Shimla, June 17 Rau said that a meeting of the Rajya Sainik Welfare Board would be convened next month to take stock of the sainik welfare activities being carried out in
the state. |
||
|
Steel team to explore feasibility
Shimla, June 17 A decision can be taken only after the central team submits its report. Union Minister of Steel, Virbhadra Singh, says the communication from the steel ministry, did not issue any warning to “steel mafias and blackmarketeers” during his last visit to the state and as reported in the newspapers including The Tribune. The Minister made no such statement, claimed Mohanty who also said that the Minister made no reference to canceling licenses since “ steel prices are neither fixed by the Government of India nor any license is required for retailers.” The ministry spokesman also pointed out that public sector steel companies, SAIL and RINL, will be expanding capacity at an investment of Rs 70,000 crore. But the Union Minister never said that the plan would be implemented in 100 days as reported in the newspaper.
|
||
|
Youth killed
Hamirpur, June 17 Police sources said Arun Gautam (24), a resident of Kudsai (Ukhali), who was on his way to appear for an interview for the post of sub-inspector in the police department at Hamirpur on motorcycle (HP-36-7132), was hit by a truck (HP-22-8941) coming from the opposite direction and later, as an impact of this collision, was crushed under another truck (HP 67-5919). The youth died on the spot and the police has registered a case in this matter.
|
||
|
Nod to poly houses
Hamirpur, June 17 Addressing a workshop on Pandit Deen Dayal Bagwan Samridhi yojna here on Tuesday, he asked specialists, agriculture development officers and other persons involved in the construction of poly houses, to ensure that all these poly houses were constructed as per norms and quality work was undertaken. He urged the farmers not to be contended with the initial financial and physical gains but work to get the maximum results from this scheme and make it a great success. Jain also directed the officials to prepare an informative literature about this scheme for the benefit of the farmers. Dr AS Rana, deputy director, Agriculture, while speaking during the workshop, said the department had helped 80 farmers in obtaining training from the Palampur Agriculture University for setting up poly houses and construction was being undertaken under the supervision of experts. |
||
|
Trees hinder expansion plans of IGMC
Shimla, June 17 With serious space limitation, expansion plans of the premier medical institute have been put on hold, hampering growth of super-specialties, more operation theatre (OT) and wards, to meet the pressing demand of the already overburdened hospital. Health Minister Dr Rajiv Bindal today discussed the matter with senior officials of the health department, IGMC, Municipal Corporation, Forest and Town and Country Planning, here today. The land falling between the Government Dental College and D-Block of the IGMC has to be put to use but the presence of about half-a-dozen trees is causing problem. With a ban on felling of trees, it has been decided that the IGMC would approach the High Court to seek permission in view of its urgent needs. Even though medical and educational institutions can be granted permission for raising structures in the no- construction green area, but court permission is still necessary. The government had recently appointed a consultant to examine the possibility of shifting the Kamla Nehru Hospital (KNH), housing the gynaecology wing, near Oak Over, to the IGMC. With the paediatric and neo-natal facilities located at IGMC, patients face great inconvenience as the mother and new born are kept in two separate hospitals almost 8 km apart. The IGMC is keen to have a separate administrative block, guest house for visiting doctors, Red Cross Bhawan, more wards and OTs, but paucity of space is creating obstacles. “We are exploring the possibility of expanding so that by having separate administrative block, more space can be created for wards and OTs which is essential in view of the burden on the hospital,” said Dr SS Minhas, medical superintendent, IGMC. The hospital has drawn flak for failing to develop super-specialties as a result of which patients have to be referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, even in case of common complications.
|
||
|
Paper Leak
Mandi, June 17 Coming out in open support, Lawan Thakur, president, RTI Bureau, Mandi, said the government inquiry had given an impression that the complainants had done some crime by filing a complaint with the Vice-Chancellor, raising doubts about the “alleged paper leak”. “The matter should be probed seriously as a series of events has indicated that there are some weak links in the whole episode which can be exposed only by fair and proper investigation,” he asserted. He demanded that the government should hand over the probe to the CBI as the inquiry was targeting the complainant through the media rather than getting to bottom of the racket. Thakur further charged that the PMT result was declared on May 30, a day before the scheduled date. A lecturer, teaching in the university, was a partner in a private coaching centre, and the Vice-Chancellor’s visit to foreign country after ordering the inquiry into the matter, had raised more doubts not only among aggrieved parents, but also among general public at large, he added. Vice-Chancellor SK Gupta had said that the university would wait for the inquiry before declaring the final merit list of the exams. On the other, ID Bhandari, ADGP, CID, assured that he would look into the matter and see the probe is fair. The guilty would be taken to task, he added.
|
||
|
Police asks rural banks to beef up security
Mandi, June 17 Even the state police has sounded an alert to the HGB on laxity in security, asking the latter to beef up its security so that no law and order problem was created in the state, sources revealed. The issue of security cropped up as robbers had struck at different HGB branches, mainly bordering Punjab, in places near Pathankot, Majhain, Milua, Tihra and even deep inside Himachal at Dalwan in Sarkaghat, Jagatkhana in Kullu, Mataur and Bharwa branches, revealed sources in the HGB. According to insiders, the HGB has opened more than 111 branches in many districts in the state over the years but it has yet to put in place a proper security system. “The cash is brought to various branches in a bus by a babu without any security cover,” they revealed. Meanwhile, Jai Pal, AGM, RBI, passed the buck on the chairman of the HGB, stating that all issues related to banks were dealt by the chairman HGB chairman Dr Phool Singh admitted that banks needed trained security guards, but the board had not cleared the proposal of beefing up the security system in all branches.
|
||
|
Youth posing as CBI officer held
Kangra, June 17 Kangra SDPO Jeet Singh Thakur said Manul Gupta was putting up in a rented accommodation near Kangra bus stand. He was here to marry a girl from Palampur. During investigation, the accused told the police that he had met a girl from Palampur in Ajmer and came here to marry her. When the brother of the girl met the youth and inquired him about his profession, he told him that he was an inspector in the CBI. The former got suspicious and reported the matter to the police. |
||
|
Army man duped
Kullu, June 17 The officer believed them and revealed the pin number. The smart dodgers expressed their helplessness is withdrawing money after trying on the card and apologised to them. They cleverly handed the Army man another card. The officer came to know about the change in the card only when he reached State Bank of Patiala ATM at Patlikuhal, a nearby village. He was taken aback when the screen splashed the name of one Krishan Chand. He smelt foul play and immediately informed the police. He came to know that Rs 40,000 had been withdrawn from his account. Police sources claimed that the accused would soon be nabbed as their photographs were captured by the CCTV at the ATM. |
||
|
Rohtang Pass experiences snow
Kullu, June 17 More than 400 vehicles, including the army supplies to Kargil, were stuck due to the untimely snow on both sides of the Pass since Tuesday evening. But it was cleared today by 4 pm. The lower region, including Kullu, Bhuntar and Banjar towns, had widespread rains yesterday bringing down the day temperature around 20 degree Celsius. The rains would prove blessings to the farmers in the region and would allow farmers to sow maize and off-season vegetables.
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
