6 SFI students arrested
SHIMLA, Dec 18 — Tension gripped the Himachal Pradesh University campus following the arrest of six activists of the Students Federation of India here today.

School lecturers seek security for staff
SHIMLA, Dec 18 — School lecturers have demanded immediate action against the miscreant who murdered a teacher who was on examination duty at Arsoo in Kulu district.

Town planners' threat
SHIMLA, Dec 18 — Town planners of the Town and Country Planning Department have threatened to launch an agitation if their colleague, Mr Sandip Sharma, was not reinstated within a week.

HP bank to launch credit card scheme
NURPUR, Dec 18 — Mr S. C. Anand, Chairman, Himachal Pradesh Gramin Bank, at a press conference here yesterday revealed that the bank, which had 105 branch offices in Kangra, Mandi and Kulu districts, was shortly launching a Himachal credit card scheme to benefit its customers.

Mahajan flays govt for teacher, doctor shortage
CHAMBA, Dec 18 — Mr Harsh Mahajan, Vice-President of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, has flayed the Himachal Pradesh BJP-led coalition government for its failure to fill the vacant posts of doctors and teachers in hospitals and schools in Chamba district.

Steps to revive coop societies
NURPUR, Dec 18 — The Himachal Pradesh Minister of State for Co-operatives, Mr Rikhi Ram Kaundal, expressing concern over the functioning of forest cooperative societies in Kangra district asserted that the state government would revive the dormant cooperative societies in the state.

Six SFI students arrested
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 18 — Tension gripped the Himachal Pradesh University campus following the arrest of six activists of the Students Federation of India here today.

The students were arrested in connection with the forcible entry into the office of Pro-Vice-Chancellor during a protest by the federation against the rescheduling of the semester examination yesterday.

The members of the federation held a rally to express their resentment against the arrests. Tension mounted as the protesters reached the Vice-Chancellor's office. Activists of the rival Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad were already sitting on an indefinite dharna in support of their demands.

The two groups raised slogans against each other. However, the police, which was present in strength, intervened to avert a clash.

The federation has criticised the administration for its "partisan" role. It has alleged while no action was taken against members of the ABVP who indulged in "hooliganism" inside the office of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor and also disconnected telephone lines, the activists of the federation had been arrested.

The NSUI has also condemned the university authorities and the administration which, it alleged, were acting at the "whims of the Dhumal government". It urged the Governor to intervene.

The Himachal Pradesh Non-Teaching Employees Union also staged a protest in the university campus against the decision of the authorities to check late-coming.

The union termed the decision to close the main gate at 10.10 am as "undemocratic" and said such an action was unwarranted as the employees usually not only worked after office hours but often attended office on holidays.

The union demanded an inquiry into the death of one of the employees, Mr Chet Ram, a heart patient, who it said was compelled to attend office on Sundays and holidays.

It also sought action against a daily-paid clerk who "misbehaved" with a woman employee on December 9.

Himachal to have department adalats
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 18 — The Himachal Pradesh Government has decided to constitute adalats in important departments for providing greater transparency and a responsive administration to the people.

The departments are Agriculture, Cooperatives, Excise and Taxation, Food and Supplies, Forests, Health Home, Police, Horticulture, Industries, MPP and Power, Public Works Irrigation and Public Health, Rural Department, Revenue, Tourism, Transport, Tribal Development, Urban Development, Welfare and Primary Education.

According to a notification, these adalats will look into cases relating to policy gaps or inadequacies, inappropriate or inadequate provisions in Acts and rules, improvement in organisation and institutions and non-implementation of instructions and individual grievances of serious nature.

Ministers heading various departments will be chairmen of the adalats and Secretary, Development and heads of department, boards and corporations members of the adalat. The Joint Secretary or Additional Secretary of the department concerned will be secretary.

The adalat will meet once in a quarter at the secretariat or district headquarters.

Any person can apply to the department adalat in writing and also give an oral presentation. Employees associations application can also be entertained provided these do not relate to recruitment, promotion and service conditions but are predominantly aimed at improving services to the public.

Work on to rebuild hydel project
From C.M. Kumbhkarni

Rampur Bushahr: Virtually wiped out by floods caused by a cloud burst, the 2,500 KW Nogli hydel power project located on the right bank of the Nogli khud near Rampur Bushahr in Shimla district is waiting for a rebirth.

HPSEB engineers and technicians and labourers are working on war footing to rebuild the devastated project. The project was built by Himachal Engineers in early sixties. It has been the first gift of expertisation in hydro power engineering to Himachal engineers, who consider it as a monument.

The project has two power units of 250 KW each and four 500 KW each. The first two units were commissioned during 1963 while two more units were installed in 1969, and two other units were added in 1974. All these machines used to be run in parallel with the grid through 22 KV line connected to 66/22 KV sub-station at Kumarsain. In the event of failure of the grid, the power house could also run in isolation to feed the local areas of Rampur Bushahr and other surrounding villages.

Even before the cloud burst and the consequent flash flood did the damage the performance of the power house had been far from satisfactory for the past many years. The actual generation achieved during 1995-96 was just 23.85 per cent of the designed potential. The water conductor system had been damaged at a number of points by floods, including flash floods, heavy silt in the Nogli river, and continuous use of the system.

The 2.3 km power channel — the water conductor system, was designed for carrying carrying a discharge of 160 cusecs, but it was actually a discharge of 120 cusecs.

While the HPSEB had proposed to improve the production system at the project, the August, 1997, flash floods caused extension damage to the hydro power project, involving civil super structure and electrical and mechanical equipment. The water conductor channel of about 260 metres in a stretch along with intake diversion weir and gates were totally washed away. The Nogli rivulet had changed its course from left bank to the right along with the power channel was existing.

But for the natural hurdles of subsequent frequent floods, work for the restoration of all damages and renovation and modernisation of the Nogli power house would have been completed before the scheduled date. Despite heavy odds, the HPSEB engineers are struggling to see all the six power units become operational by March next.

According to Mr S.K. Sood, Superintending Engineer, HPSEB, Rampur, who is in charge of the project, the reconstruction work includes replacement of all obsolete electrical and mechanical equipments with modern technological equipment. When fully recommissioned, the project is estimated to generate 147 lakh units of power annually which in terms of money, after adjusting all expenditure on annual repair and maintenance, and also interest on capital and depreciation on machines, may annually fetch for the HPSEB an income of nearly Rs 60 lakh.

School lecturers seek security for staff
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 18 — School lecturers have demanded immediate action against the miscreant who murdered a teacher who was on examination duty at Arsoo in Kulu district.

In a statement here yesterday, Mr Kamaljit Singh Thakur, President of the Association of Lecturers, demanded security for the staff on examination duty in sensitive areas and an insurance cover for them.

HP bank to launch credit card scheme
From Our Correspondent

NURPUR, Dec 18 — Mr S. C. Anand, Chairman, Himachal Pradesh Gramin Bank, at a press conference here yesterday revealed that the bank, which had 105 branch offices in Kangra, Mandi and Kulu districts, was shortly launching a Himachal credit card scheme to benefit its customers. A card holder would avail the facility of loan from the branches other than the issuing bank branch.

Mr Anand also presided over the inaugural ceremony of the new premises of the local gramin bank.

Town planners' threat to go on strike
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 18 — Town planners of the Town and Country Planning Department have threatened to launch an agitation if their colleague, Mr Sandip Sharma, was not reinstated within a week.

A meeting of the HP Town Planning Association was held here yesterday to discuss the issue of delay in the reinstatement of Mr Sharma, who was placed under suspension allegedly for not demolishing a building at Parwanoo belonging to a Congress activist.

They justified the action of Mr Sharma of not demolishing the structure for which the owner had a stay order from the court.

They decided to expose the authorities who were instrumental in allowing unauthorised constructions.

Mahajan flays govt for teacher, doctor shortage
From Our Correspondent

CHAMBA, Dec 18 — Mr Harsh Mahajan, Vice-President of the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC), has flayed the Himachal Pradesh BJP-led coalition government for its failure to fill the vacant posts of doctors and teachers in hospitals and schools in Chamba district.

Mr Mahajan said the health services and the teaching department were in a state of total neglect in the district.

Quoting instances Mr Mahajan said a primary school at Kuriana having a strength of 83 students was being run by a part-time water carrier while a high school at Kunr was functioning with a single teacher. Teachers had been transferred from Chamba district without substitutes.

Mr Mahajan said the civil dispensaries at Chhattari and Drada and primary health centres at Kohladi and Chaned had been locked as there was no doctor and paramedical staff for the past several months. Similarly nine posts of physician, including specialists, in the district hospital, Chamba had been lying vacant for a long time.

He charged that the BJP-led government of not allocating funds for the ongoing development schemes of the area resulting in almost all the development works being held up and labourers not getting their wages for a long time.

Steps to revive coop societies
From Our Correspondent

NURPUR, Dec 18 — The Himachal Pradesh Minister of State for Co-operatives, Mr Rikhi Ram Kaundal, expressing concern over the functioning of forest cooperative societies in Kangra district asserted that the state government would revive the dormant cooperative societies in the state.

He was addressing a press conference here today after touring Kangra district. He pointed out that 80 forest societies had become dormant in the district.

He said a revival-committee headed by Mr Subhash Ahluwalia, Additional Registrar, Co-operative Societies, had been formed, which would submit its report within one month.