Shimla, July 5
Public sector enterprise Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) has acquired 100 per cent equity in Buxar Bijlee Company and it has been allotted a coal block in the Deocha-Pachami belt in West Bengal for its upcoming 1,320-MW power plant at Chausa in Bihar.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in January for the joint venture between SJVN and Bihar Power Infrastructure Company. Based on supercritical technology, the project will have two generating units of 660 MW each and these will produce 9,090 million units of electricity annually.

The Buxar Bijlee Company had been working on the project since 2007 and had done all spade work such as identification and acquisition of land, preparing a detailed project report, obtaining various mandatory clearances after conducting public hearing, sourcing water linkage and pursuing the case of allotment of the coal block.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be around Rs 6,891 crore and it will to take about four years to complete.

SJVN is a joint venture between the Central Government and the Himachal Pradesh government. The company owns and operates the country’s largest Nathpa Jhakri hydroelectric project and has nine hydropower projects in hand in Himachal, Uttrakhand, Bhutan, Arunachal Pradesh and Nepal. It is making a foray into the thermal power sector for the first time. It has already diversified into the solar and wind energy sector and its first wind power plant of 47.6 MW is coming up at Khirvire in Maharashtra.

Mandi, July 5
The CBI has completed the probe into the infamous digital telephone exchange equipment purchase scam in the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and found irregularities worth Rs 1.20 crore.

The then Chief Engineer (Deepak project), Brig J K Narang, and Lt Col Chanchal Jhamb, a key official in the BRO, who were allegedly involved in the scam, were already booked, CBI sleuths revealed.

The CBI had registered the case after receiving a complaint last year. The complaint has alleged that the BRO committed huge irregularities while setting up 14 digital telephone exchanges in the BRO’s different field offices in Lahaul-Spiti, Kinnaur, Shimla and Uttarakhand during 2007-2009. Then Chief Engineer JK Narang and Chanchal Jhamb was the key officers in the BRO.

Subsequently, the CBI had raided the house of Brigadier Narang and detected his investment worth crores of rupees, showing that the official had allegedly amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, revealed the CBI. The CBI also raided the house of his immediate successor ID Mathur who had taken charge from him, but it could not find anything against him so far, sources said.

The CBI investigation found that the BRO officials misused their official position and bought equipment at higher rates. “They benefited a firm and did not invite open tender violating the BRO norms”, the CBI said.

The BRO had set up 14 digital telephone exchanges in different locations in Himachal and Uttarakhand, each costing around Rs 20 lakh, the CBI found. “The equipment of lower rates were available in the markets, but the BRO officials bought them at higher rates deliberately”, the CBI probe claimed.

The total loss caused to the Central exchequer worked out to be at Rs 1.20 crore, claimed the CBI. The case was registered at a Shimla police station in February last year after the CBI verified the allegations in the case.

CBI Superintendent of Police R Upasak confirmed that the probe was complete in the case involving Narang and Jhamb booked for the misconduct of public office.

Shimla, July 5
In a landmark judgment, the HP High Court today held that the transfer of a government employee at the instance of a person, who had no role to play in the government, would not only be extraneous consideration, but against the public policy.

This was held by a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice A M Khanwilkar and Justice Kuldip Singh while quashing the transfer orders of four government employees who had alleged that they had been transferred on the instance of political persons and on political considerations and not in public interest.

The Bench further observed, “It shakes the confidence of the people and creates an impression in the mind of a common man that the centre of power is somewhere else and not the government. In order to curb this tendency, it is necessary that no one should get an impression that employee can be transferred for asking at the instance of a person, who has no concern with the government.”

It further observed, “This, if goes unchecked, is bound to affect the morale of the employees and their independent working. There is, however, one caveat. That, any person has a right to make a complaint against an employee regarding his conduct to his superior or the Chief Minster and even request for his transfer. It is, however, only for the competent authority to consider the request and take appropriate action in accordance with law.”

The court passed this observation while dealing with a case wherein the petitioner specifically alleged that he had been transferred on the reference of Chandershekher, a politician having affiliation with a particular political party, who had contested the election from Dharampur Assembly constituency, Mandi, but lost. It has been stated that about 400 transfers have been made at the behest of Chandershekher.

Expressing concern on this issue, the Bench further observed, “It is unfathomable that such large number of transfers could be made at the instance of a person who is neither in the government, nor people’s representative. Issuing transfer orders at the instance of an outsider, who happens to be a party worker, cannot be a co-incidence, but a concerted effort of duty holders, who were otherwise responsible to preserve the rule of law. Such action shakes the conscience of the court.”

While allowing all four petitions filed in this regard, the Bench observed, “In the facts and circumstances which have come on record in all petitions, the transfer orders of all four petitioners are not sustainable, being arbitrary and vitiated because the same are issued under dictation.”

Mandi, July 5
The Ministry of Surface Transport and National Highways Authority of India have rejected the construction of the Dadour-Naulakha bypass in the 84.38-km Kiratpur-Ner Chowk fourlane project as demanded by the Sangharsh Samiti and instead recommended the construction of a service road in the area. The samiti has decided to launch an agitation on July 10.

The Chief Engineer in the Ministry of Surface Transport inspected the Dadour-Naulakha section and submitted his report to the ministry.

After examining the report, the ministry had rejected the samiti's proposal but recommended a service road there that would cater to the residents.

The ministry has asked the NHAI to explore the possibility of providing a service road to address the grievances of the residents. The fourlaning of the highway will go in the same alignment as recommended by the NHAI, said Satish Kaul, general manager, NHAI.

He said, "The width of 24 metres acquired earlier by the NHAI for the Dadour-Naulakha section is enough to construct four lanes, a divider and two footpaths on both sides of the highway", Kaul asserted.

On the other hand, president of the Sangharsh Samiti of the residents Joginder Walia said the NHAI never tried to address the grievances of the residents. "We will launch a stir against the move on July 10 to raise our demands", he added.

Meanwhile, the NHAI has started acquiring land as the work has been awarded to ILFS firm of Mumbai at a cost of Rs 1,847 crore. The company will complete project in three years and the highway will reduce the Chandigarh-Manali distance by 40 km.

The samiti claimed that the alignment from Dadour, Bhour, Kanaid to Chowk was being kept 24-metre wide while the rest of the highway's width was 45 metre. This anomaly would affect the livelihood of over 20,000 people as the proposed height of the existing road was to be raised by 3ft to 12 ft and the road was being built with fencing, the members claimed.

Shimla, July 5
Irked by the move of the government to amend the State Agriculture Market Act to impose a fee at the rate of 1 per cent of the sale value, apple growers have sought the intervention of Horticulture Minister Vidya Stokes to get the proposal dropped.

A deputation of the Himalayan Apple Growers Society led by Rajeev Chauhan and Balwant Justa, founder president and president of the society, met Stokes here today and said if implemented, the move would increase the market fee by 5 to 7 times.

At present, a fee of Rs 2 per box is charged and if the fee is imposed on the sale value, it will come to anything between Rs 10 and Rs 15 per box. It will further reduce the returns to the growers and make the produce costly which is not in their interest. The society also drew attention of the minister to the arbitrary decision of the local commission agents to pay 20 per cent less for the small-sized apple (called pittu). The pittus comprised 35 per cent to 50 per cent of the produce and as a result of which the growers were getting 7 or 8 per cent less returns.

Stokes immediately directed the State Agriculture Market Board authorities to ensure that the growers were paid the full amount and there was no reduction in price for pittus. She said the arhtyas, who refused to comply with the directive, should be black listed. The society also took up the issue of duty-free imports of apple being allowed from neighbouring countries like Afghanistan under the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA). It urged her to take up the matter with the Centre as the facility was being misused by traders to channel apple produced in Iran and other countries through Afghanistan. Apple was being exported to India even from the countries like Sri Lanka which did not produce the fruit.

Stokes assured the growers that she would take up the matter with the various ministries concerned to ensure that they did not suffer due to duty-free imports.

Bilaspur, July 5
Shrawan Ashtami Navratra fair will be held at the famous shrine of Shri Naina Devi from August 7 to August 16 this year and all arrangements have been finalised for smooth and peaceful conduct of the fair.

This was said by Deputy Commissioner-cum-Temple Trust Commissioner and also Mela Management Committee chairman Ajay Sharma while presiding over a meeting of district officers and non-officials at Naina Deviji, about 95 km from here yesterday.

Sharma said uninterrupted electricity, clean drinking water, cleanliness and sanitation, lavatories at suitable places, food articles at reasonable rates, transport facilities, parking places for vehicles, mob control and movements on narrow path to the temple, lost and found announcements, etc have been arranged.

The mela area has been divided in to nine sectors, each having a magistrate and a police officer as in charge with sufficient police force while traffic barriers would be placed at Toba, Kainchi Mode, Ghwandal, Ropeway, and Kohni Mod 
and no truck, tractor or tempo would be allowed to carry devotees as passengers after Kiratpur Sahib and Toba.

Additional District Magistrate Pradip Thakur has been appointed Mela Officer while Additional Superintendent of Police Vinod Sharma would be the Police Mela Officer with SDM ML Mehta and local Deputy Superintendent of Police their deputies.

Nurpur, July 5
The National Students Union of India (NSUI), while terming the enforcement of the Rashtriya Uchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) in government colleges in the state as a revolutionary step to bring quality in college education, has urged Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh make some amendments in its implementation.

Talking to mediapersons here today, national secretary of the NSUI Amit Pathania said certain amendments in the implementation of RUSA was necessary to secure the interests of students as enforcement of its present form had deprived a large number of deserving students from taking admissions in government colleges across the state.

He said the state NSUI was launching a campaign “Lead Your Campus” in all the government colleges across the state in collaboration with the local campus of NSUI units. 

Solan, July 5
With a little infrastructure upgrade in the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), it failed to abide by norms laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to monitor air quality in industrial areas.

This is not only leading to air pollution but also the laid norms are being violated with a little monitoring.

The CPCB had notified revised ambient air quality norms in November 2009 and these were supposed to be adopted by all the states.

As per the revised norms, various ambient air quality parameters like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, particulate matter of varying sizes, ozone, lead, carbon monoxide, ammonia, benzene, benzo pyrene, arsenic and nickel are supposed to be monitored by the SPCB.

However, despite the notification, the State Pollution Control Board is yet to upgrade its infrastructure and its existing infrastructure failed to monitor all the norms. This has not only defeated the purpose of the notification, but also a violation of norms.

Expressing concern at the 'lax' attitude of the SPCB, Balkrishen Sharma, general secretary, HimParivesh, an environmental NGO, said since air pollution in various industrial areas was becoming a cause of concern for the people residing in its periphery, the SPCB should upgrade its infrastructure to ensure that the ambient air quality norms were abided by it.

Vineet Kumar, who took over the reins of the State Pollution Control Board yesterday, said the board would ensure that the prescribed norms of the CPCB were abided by and the ambient air quality was maintained by suitably upgrading the required infrastructure.

With the state government having received a loan of $100 from the World Bank to adopt green and clean technologies in industries, it had become imperative to keep industrial pollution under control. This was especially crucial as the state had only received the first installment of this loan and the second would depend on the utility of the first one.

However, the board has no dearth of funds to upgrade its infrastructure as it is paying income tax worth crores every year.

However, there is a dearth of technically trained manpower as several senior officials are due to retire in the next year and sufficient recruitment has not been made vis-à-vis increase in the workload. 

Dharamsala, July 5
The organic farm of CSK Agriculture University, Palampur, has achieved the distinction of being the first certified organic farm in the state. Sources in the university said the model organic farm of the agriculture university had been certified by Biocert India Pvt Ltd under the National Programme for Organic Production standards.

Biocert is a leading certifying agency for organic farming in India. Vice-Chancellor of the university SK Sharma said the organic farm had the distinction being the first government research institute in the state to be certified as nodal centre for organic farming.

He congratulated Dr JP Saini, head of the department of organic farming, and his team.

Though much is being said about promoting organic farming, the fact is that no certified organic farming was taking place in the state. Many farmers with small land holding are producing fruits and vegetables without using any chemical fertiliser or pesticide.

Their produce can fetch very high price in the market. However, since it is not certified as organic, the produce is being sold at ordinary prices. An effort was made by the university to form a society of farmers so that they could get a mandate for certifying the organic produce of the farmers. About 900 farmers were contacted for forming the society. However, the effort remained on the papers and the society could not come up, the sources said.

For getting the produce of a farm certified as organic, a complex procedure has to be followed. The farmers have to maintain a record of their organic produce. It is not possible for small farmers to get their produce certified as organic as it is also an expensive procedure. However, had a cooperative society got the status of organic produce certifying agency, farmers of the state could have benefited from it. In Kangra district, many small tea farmers also do not use any pesticide or fertiliser in their small farms. In case, their tea is certified as organic produce, it can fetch a high price in the market and help the farmers in doing sustainable agriculture in their small land holdings. 

Dharamsala, July 5
The changed merit list for admissions to MSc courses in Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, in Solan district, has left the students fuming.

Many students, whose positions were changed in two merit lists displayed on the university website within 24 hours, are planning to lodge a complaint with the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Many students gathered at Una today and said in case the error was not rectified by the university, they would move court.

Talking to The Tribune, the affected students alleged that a merit list was displayed on the website of the university at 5 pm on July 3. However, the entire merit list was changed the next morning. In the new list, the numbers scored in the entrance test by many students were changed. In some cases, even the names of students against the roll numbers were changed.

The students gave two merit lists to The Tribune.

A few anomalies in the two merit lists that were noticed include Aarti Dhiman, who had scored 41 marks in the first merit list. However, in the new merit list, her numbers rose to 72. Abhishek Pathania scored 42 marks in the old list and 73 marks in the new list, Abhishek Thakur scored 38 marks in the old list and 67 marks in the new list, Ankita Sen scored 40 marks in old list and 61 marks in the new list, Ankush Thakur scored 43 marks in the old list and 64 marks in the new list, Anuradha Thakur scored 36 marks in the old list and 66 marks in the new list, Baidyanath Kumar scored 29 marks in the old list and 48 marks in the new list, Bharti Gautam scored 40 marks in the old list and 74 marks in the new list, Cherry Nalwa scored 37 marks in the old list and 52 marks in the new list.

In some cases, even the names of candidates against their roll numbers were changed. In the old list, Kulvinder Singh’s name has been displayed against roll number 1,105, who has scored 31 marks, while in the new list, his name and roll number are missing. Instead, roll number 1,104 has been displayed in which Kriti Sunta’sname has been displayed, who has scored 31 marks. The roll number 1,104 was missing in the old merit list.

Students have detected 53 errors in the merit list of 195 students displayed by the university.

The affected students are not ready to accept the version of the university that a computer programmer had initially displayed a dummy result to check software. “How a computer programmer got more than half of the merit list right with his imagination,” the students claimed.

A clerical error, say varsity officials

Solan: The officials of the university have denied having approved two lists and have termed it a clerical error.

As many as 197 students had appeared for the entrance test conducted on July 1 for admissions to various MSc courses in the university.

Rupali Thakur, registrar, said only one list had been prepared by the coordinator of MSc admissions and this was approved and given to the in charge of the university’s computer centre for being uploaded on the university’s website on the evening of July 3.

She added that before uploading the approved list, the computer programmer had prepared a dummy list to check the programme.

It was this dummy list, which had been uploaded by mistake initially, but as soon as the error was brought to their notice by the students, the dummy list was removed and the approved list was uploaded the same evening.

While denying any attempt to adjust favourites in various MSc courses by changing the first list, Thakur said there was only one approved list and no such exercise was underway.

She added that comments had been sought from the programmer to explain the goof-up and a report had also been sent to the university’s acting Vice-Chancellor, Principal Secretary, Horticulture.

She said the eligibility to MSc admissions was based on 50 per cent score of undergraduate classes and 50 per cent of the examination conducted by the university.

Hence, any change in the list would not have helped any student, she said.

Chamba, July 5
“People helping the police and the bankers in detecting the fake currency will suitably be rewarded and no legal action will be taken against them”, the Superintendent of Police, Chamba, BM Sharma said this while presiding over a district-level bankers’ security meeting, here today.

The Superintendent of Police called upon the banks to strengthen their security system and follow the do’s and don’ts in the area of internal security.

He said the awareness camps would be organised to help the government officials, traders and general public explaining ways to detect the counterfeit currency.

He further said all the police stations of the district would be covered under such awareness camps to sensitise the officials and the public about detecting the circulation of fake currency notes.

The SP requested the bankers to have proper security system at unmanned cash delivery units, like ATMs.

The Issues relating to the security at bank branches, currency chests, night patrolling, fake currencies, fire safety measures and others were discussed in the meeting.