Dehradun, January 6
It has become difficult for Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) to match up the requirement of the capital city.

The UPCL generated 8.8 MU (million unit) on January 3 while it produced 8.45 MU through power sharing. The city requires 25.30 MU on an average to meet its demands.

Besides its own production, the UPCL is producing 0.22 MU from its hydro-projects such as Vishnu Prayag and 9.70 MU from the centre sector, including the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).

Despite taking assistance from these sources, it still falls short of 6-9 MU, which it is trying to make up by taking power from other states.

It is taking 1.5 MU from Punjab on every day basis for January. The UPCL will return the same amount of power to the state from April 15 to May 15. From West Bengal, it has been taking 0.89 MU every day from November 2009 to January.

The corporation will have to return it in April, May and June when West Bengal needs power the most during its paddy season.

Uttarakhand, which is facing the power crunch since last summer, will have to return the borrowed power to these states even if it continues to face the same dilemma in the coming summer.

Such is the rigidity of the agreement the states undergo with each other for power sharing. Delhi, from which Uttarakhand was expecting help in times of crisis, could not do as it is struggling to meet its own requirement.

The UPCL is also spending to buy 0.95 MU from Adani Power and for overdrawing 3.25 MU from the Northern Grid. Luckily, since the power frequency which is stable, such as 49.9 MU on January 1, 49.6 MU on January 2 and 49.8 MU on January 3, so the UPCL is able to overdraw from the Northern Grid. But in case it goes down from 49.5 MU, it will not be able to get even that from the grid.

Officials are crediting it to strictness on bill payment and control on power theft that they are able to keep things under control.

But they also admit that despite all efforts of generating power through hydro projects, borrowing and buying, the corporation still lacks the required supply of 1.37 MU, because of which it has to cut the supply area-wise for fixed duration.

The corporation has been in a shaky condition for its heavy dependence on water resources for power generation.

In the 2007 summer, when heavy snowfall was melting and replenishing rivers of the states, the UPCL, which generated 8.8 MU, took it up to 20 MU with the help of its hydro projects.

The centre sector strengthened it further by contributing 9 MU. The state, which comprises mostly hilly areas and does not need AC/coolers in summers, was having a ball by generating 30 MU every day and able to save the surplus.

It was in such a strong position that it lent surplus 370 MU to Delhi and Punjab at that time. Last summer, it had mere 130 MU because of scant rainfall in plains and snowfall in higher reaches.

Though the UPCL has decided to conserve surplus supply for its lean times rather than lending it, it is also seriously thinking of viable alternatives of power generation to reduce its dependence on water resources.

Gas is emerging as potent alternative for the power generation. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) already has its head office in Dehradun.

The UPCL is also considering of sharing pacts with the states which have coal belts to generate power from this natural source. The third alternative of nuclear power plants, which can be set up in the state under surveillance of the central government, will come into operation when decks between India and the USA will clear off on the Nuclear Power Treaty.

Insiders also signal that the state needs to act in emergency and work on these measures as it will in any way take its own course of, at least, two years to materialise.

Dehradun, January 6
Many BSNL customers are in tizzy on either not getting their phone bills or getting them quite late from December.

The delay has been caused due to the shifting of the BSNL billing system of Dehradun to the Chandigarh-based BSNL headquarters from December 19 and, as a result, prolonging the process of cross-checking of bills.

This minor hiccup is worth taking if the new system, as being proclaimed by high officials, revolutionises the efficacy of phone lines and speeds up broadband connections.

Dehradun is among the first cities, including Bhopal and Hyderabad, to get connected to Chandigarh. The entire North Zone comprising nine states from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh to Jammu and Kashmir has now been linked to Chandigarh since December 19, 2009, through CDR (call record system).

Similarly, the states of the East Zone have been linked to Calcutta, West Zone to Pune and South Zone to the Bangalore headquarters. In a year, all branches of the BSNL will get connected to their respective headquarters.

The delay in the bills is only for the first month after the launch of this new system and officials said that would not be repeated.

General Manager Balraj said, “Since the procedure is in its initial stage, we want to remove all teething problems at this stage and if they crop up, devise a fool-proof solution. For this, we are crosschecking the bills so that customers do not face any problem. The delay is only for this month. Henceforth, it will be regular and smooth.”

The system has been evolved to expedite and streamline the whole process of billing. The unit-based billing will give way to second-based detailing. For this, all 103 exchange lines comprising 62 landlines and 41 CDMA lines in the city have been connected to Chandigarh BSNL.

Earlier, each exchange individually had to work out call details after 24 hours. Now, these lines will automatically transfer the full information about each user’s calls on an hourly basis. This will not only make it speedy but also transparent.

All 355 SSA (Secondary Switching Area), BSNL offices district-wise, have been connected with Chandigarh. BSNL Dehradun took three months to complete the linking process.

Along with easing the cumbersome system, the new system will provide added advantages.

Balraj said, “The customer will be able to get their bills and pay them anywhere, be it a single bill or collective bills in any of the nine states of North India once they get connected with the Chandigarh-based headquarters.

“In this manner, 1 lakh landline users and 4 lakh mobile users of Dehradun will be able to avail this facility. Even now, as Dehradun is already connected with Chandigarh, BSNL users of Dehradun will be able to get or deposit their bills in Chandigarh also.”

He added, “Users will get quick broadband connection with password without any hassles. They will no longer need to write applications or wait to get broadband connections.”

He was also happy that the new system would lessen the workload on the corporation where the recruitment of lower staff has already been banned for the past 25 years.

Dehradun, January 6
The severe cold conditions prevailing in the state for the past three days have completely put life out of gear, causing suspension of flights, delay of trains and even affecting work at government offices.

The government offices that opened today after a break reported a thin attendance. Even at the Secretariat, most of the sections wore a deserted look with clerks and officials missing from their seats, reporting late at work while a few decided to remain at home only.

The flights have remained completely suspended, leading to postponement and rescheduling of programmes. Only chartered planes made it as region is engulfed in thick envelop of fog.

“I have to carry important transactions in Delhi today, but looks like I will have to spend another day in Dehradun as the situation of flights seem grim today,” said Kishore Singh, a business executive.

Late arrival of trains saw rush at the platform that was overtaken by passengers who were forced to spend night over there while waiting for the trains.

However, peanut sellers seemed happy with the extreme weather conditions and have done a brisk business in the past three days.

There was some respite for schoolchildren, with the district administration announcing two-day break in government schools. Today, people had some respite from gloomy weather as sun came out of thick cover of fog later in the afternoon.

Dehradun, January 6
Owing to prevailing cold wave and a sudden decrease in the temperatures, the state government yesterday announced to close schools till January 15. Under the instructions of State Education Minister Govind Singh Bisht and Education Secretary Rakesh Kumar, the government and the semi-government authorities were instructed to close schools for classes I to IX till January 15. Students for classes X and XII were given orders to continue with their regular schedule.

Taking note of this issue, District Magistrate Senthil Pandian also announced to close private city schools on January 6 and 7 and asserted that in case of any carelessness a strict action will be taken.

For the past few days, various areas of the state have been in the grip of extreme cold weather, causing difficulty to schoolchildren. However, as per the earlier orders, the government and the semi-government schools were supposed to reopen from January 6.

Shedding light on this issue, Education Director Pushpa Manas said: “Due to a sudden fall in the temperatures, under the instructions of the Education Minister and the Secretary we have decided to close schools till January 15. As compared to senior secondary students, junior and middle-level students are more prone to illness in extreme cold due to less resistance power. In case the weather condition won’t improve, we might extend the holidays.”

Roorkee, January 6
Extreme cold weather has been a cause of worry for the local roadways depot here.

The depot has been losing no less than Rs 50,000 per day these days as the number of passengers has gone down drastically due to prevailing cold wave.

RP Bharti, Assistant General Manager of Roorkee Roadways Depot, said against a daily sale of tickets worth about Rs 2.75 lakh (estimated) in normal weather, the income had come down to Rs 2.25 lakh these days.

“A drastic fall in the number of passengers has been noticed these days. Nobody wants to come out of their homes in such a foggy and chilly weather. We are losing around Rs 50,000 daily of late,” said Bharti.

Last year also the depot had seen a revenue loss in similar weather conditions but it was a bit lesser than that of this year. “Last year, the figure ranges between Rs 10,000 and 15,000 during this period,” maintained Bharti.

The Roorkee depot has as many as 33 buses, which ply daily on different routes, including Delhi, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Rishikesh and Dehradun.

Haridwar, January 6
As a matter of pride for the college, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has granted Rs 7 lakh to Dr Tejveer Singh Tomar for carrying out extensive research.

Dr Tomar has been selected from Uttarakhand for his research in the Garhwal region for the development of industries by the UGC and the whole research will be funded by the commission only. Dr Tomar will add on newer aspects and information on the allocated subject in the next two years.

Haridwar, January 6
Dev Sanskriti University (DSU), Haridwar, renowned for its moral education, has got a new Registrar in Sandeep Kumar who took the office yesterday itself.

Sandeep is a postgraduate in physics and has been associated with the Shanti Kunj for the past 24 years. He has also been Head of the Foreign Department and the EMD and manager of Gayatri Vidyapeeth.

Add to this, the new Registrar has served as a scientist at Brahmavarchas Research Institute, apart from various other university posts.

The outgoing registrar Dr RP Karmayogi has been appointed Director, School of Education, DSU, itself. At the outgoing ceremony, Vice-Chancellor Dr SP Mishra, Dean Dr OP Mishra and other staff members lauded the role of Dr Karmayogi as Registrar. Dr Karmayogi expressed hope that he would be able to bring newer ideas in the administrative, examination and other procedures of the university in his tenure.

Dehradun, January 6
Pitthoragarh lifted the football trophy of Panchayat Raj Yuva Kaliyan Games here today.

In the final, it defeated Udham Singh Nagar by 3-0. Meanwhile, Dehradun team won the match for the third position against the Haridwar team.

Both the teams were locked at 0-0 till half time. Udham Singh Nagar displayed a good game in the first half, but its forward line proved too lethargic to take advantage of the scoring opportunities.

They missed on the scoring in the 17th minute of the match as its forward misdirected the shot. The second opportunity came two minutes latter, but the team failed yet again.

On the contrary, Pitthoragarh capitalise on the scoring in the second half. It gave Udham Singh Nagar first jolt in the 40th minute. It was Gaurav for the team who scored the goal.

After the first goal, Pithoragarh struck again seventh minute later through Jitendra making it 2-0.

Gaurav came up with his second goal for Pitthoragarh team in the 49th minute of the match making the final goal 3-0.

Meanwhile, in the match for the third position, Dehradun team defeated Haridwar in a tiebreaker.

Dehradun team had a good beginning in the match and scored the first goal in the 5th minute through Nikhilesh.

Team maintained its one goal lead throughout the first half. But in the second half Atul scored an equaliser in the 82nd minute making it 1-1.

A 16-member football team was also selected on the occasion from the tournament that will represent state at the national competition to be held in Bhopal.

Dehradun, January 6
The LMCC and RCA team will clash in the final of the Banke Lal Memorial Cricket Tournament underway at Rangers Ground here today.

Outstanding batting display by Mukesh helped LMCC team registered a 17-run victory over Amritsar team. LMCC team piled 163 runs in 20 overs. Batting first, LMCC team began on a strong note in the match. Mukesh paved the way for his team victory by playing a knock of 94 runs. In his innings he hit nine fours and a six.

Dhananjay supported him well on the other end as he contributed 35 runs. First down batsman Manish scored 12 runs whereas Amit scored nine. For Amritsar team Lovepreet was the only bowler to take a wicket.

Chasing the victory target of 164 runs, Amritsar team could only managed to score 147 runs in allotted overs. Amritsar openers gave a poor start to the innigs. The team lost both its openers at the score of eight runs. First down batsman Harkishal helped his team revive form the early set backs and scored 48 runs.

Shiddhart supported him well on the other end to make 12 runs. The lower order batsmen Sarang scored 37 runs, whereas Lovepreet scored 31. For LMCC team Shekar took three wickets.

While in the second semifinal match, RCA team defeated VCA team by six wickets. Batting first VCA team scored 83 runs. Bagesh was the highest run scorer for the team with 19 runs, whereas Mani made 16 runs. Middle order batsman Sahil scored 15 runs. For RCA team, Parvesh and Mohit took two wickets each.

In reply RCA team achieved the target with six wickets in hand, Shubhandu was the highest scorer for the team with 48 runs. For VCA team Aditya took two wickets.

Dehradun, January 6
Udham Singh Nagar has emerged victorious in the finals of boys’, girls’ and team events of a state badminton competition organised by the Panchayat Raj Yuva Kaliyan Games here today.

In the boys final, Mohit (Udham Singh Nagar) defeated Rachit (Udham Singh Nagar) in straight sets. Rachit failed to match the skill of Mohit throughout the match. In the first set Rachit lost to Mohit 21-17 while he lost the second 21-15.

In the girls’ final, Monica (Udham Singh Nagar) defeated Shweta (Udham Singh Nagar) in a tough fight that continued up to three sets. Monica won the first set 21-17 but went down fighting in the second set 16-21. In the final set it was a close fight between the two. But, it was Monica who excelled in the final set to defeat Shweta 21-19.

Meanwhile, in the team event final, Udham Singh Nagar emerged victorious. In the first singles match Anil (Pitthoragarh) defeated Suriyant (Udham Singh Nagar), while in the doubles pair Mohit and Rachit (Udham Singh Nagar) defeated Suriyan and Deepak of Pitthoragarh. In the second singles, Mohit (Udham Singh Nagar) beat Himanshu (Pitthoragarh).

Dehradun, January 6
The PCA registered nine-wicket win over Vikas Nagar team at the 58th District Cricket League underway at the OFD ground.

Batting first, Vikas Nagar team scored 120 runs. Opener Sadusman contributed 23 runs and in 34 balls, whereas Shiva contributed 25 runs in 19 balls.

After these two, it was Ravinder who scored 15 runs in 19 balls. For PCA team Prashant and Rohit claimed three wickets each.

In reply, PCA team reached the target with ease. Its opener Ashish scored 70 runs in 62 balls hitting 11 fours in his innings. Another opener Pankaj scored 23 runs in 39 balls.

Haridwar, January 6
In the finals of the Central Public Works Department Sports Club regional badminton tournament, Manoj Chauhan emerged winner with an impressive win. Manoj Chauhan defeated Yash Mathur in three sets 15-12,12-15,15-11.

In the doubles event, Manoj paired with Hitesh Kejriwala to defeated the pair of Surendra Pratap Singh and Swastik Bhatnagar in straight sets. They won by 21-12,21-10.

The match was coordinated by executive officer Shashi Kant Tyagi while Poonam Chandrika Tyagi presented the awards to the winners.