H I M A C H A L   P R A D E S H

5-point plan to give power sector a fillip
Shimla, January 22
A five-point priority action plan has been prepared by the Minister of Power, Mr Suresh Prabhu, to add one lakh MW capacity in the country by 2012 so as to provide power on demand.

User charges for water schemes must: CM
Hamirpur, January 22
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has said the government was doing its best to bring maximum area under irrigation so that people may increase yield of various crops.

BJP flays Virbhadra’s statement
Shimla, January 22
Mr Jai Krishan Sharma, President of the state unit of the BJP, has condemned the statement of Mr Virbhadra Singh, Congress Legislative Party leader, criticising the Kainthla Commission report and said his utterances only indicated that he had lost faith in the judicial system.

No factionalism in Congress: Stokes
Kangra, January 22
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Vidya Stokes has denied factionalism in the party. She said former Chief Minister and CLP leader Virbhadra Singh was absent from the yesterday’s Congress rally here because he received the invitation on a short notice.

TB centre faces uncertain future Kumarhatti, January 22 The Dharampur Tuberculosis Sanatorium, which has been plagued by staff shortage, inadequate infrastructure and encroachments, faces an uncertain future as the Central Government has launched the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP).

• Banikhet town in bad shape
• CJ to be sworn in tomorrow

5-point plan to give power sector a fillip
Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 22
A five-point priority action plan has been prepared by the Minister of Power, Mr Suresh Prabhu, to add one lakh MW capacity in the country by 2012 so as to provide power on demand.

According to a communication to all related with the power sector, the other points in the action plan are to make the power sector commercially viable and self-sustaining, to provide reliable and quality power at affordable price besides promoting general awareness to achieve consensus on reforms.

The minister has also listed 11 points at the top of his agenda in the blue print which he has prepared for achieving the goal. These include accelerating development of hydel projects and augmenting the generating capacity.

He said a separate action plan for adding 51,000 MW of fresh generating capacity by 2007 had been formulated. The share from the Central undertakings under the Ministry of Power shall be around 22,000 MW, while the balance would be contributed by projects under the state and private sectors, Nuclear Power Corporation, Neyveli Lignite Corporation and renewable sources.

A power project monitoring committee had been set up to monitor the progress.

Mr Prabhu said although discussions were going on with the Planning Commission for sufficient allocation of funds to achieve the planned generation capacity, a separate committee had been set up to identify alternative sources of funds through innovative mechanism.

A preliminary ranking study of about 400 hydel schemes had been prepared for basin-wise development of hydel capacity. The policy thrust was to improve the hydel-thermal mix so as to optimally meet the peak and base load requirements. Rules were under finalisation to give effect to the Energy Conservation Act.

Mr Prabhu said the plight of most of the state electricity boards could not be ignored as they were on verge of financial collapse with outstanding dues of more than Rs 41,000 crore to the Central power utilities.

User charges for water schemes must: CM
Our Correspondent

Hamirpur, January 22
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has said the government was doing its best to bring maximum area under irrigation so that people may increase yield of various crops. He said the government would provide maximum funds to such irrigation schemes in the state where people would opt for paying user charges.

Addressing a public meeting at Kangoo village last evening, he said the government was spending Rs 1.3 crore annually on the maintenance of the water supply schemes and was getting the income to the tune of Rs 6 crore. No new schemes were possible without the formation of user committees as the schemes were to be funded by the World Bank and the Central Government, he said.

He said the decision of the state government regarding returning of ownership rights to farmers of shamlat land by deleting the entry of “khudro darkhtan, malkiyat sarkar”, was a landmark work done by the government.

He said out of the four national highways sanctioned for the state, two passed through Nadaun area of this district and Rs 8 crore had so for been spent on this project during the current fiscal year.

He announced a grant of Rs 20 lakh for the completion of the Nadaun degree college building.

Later, addressing a public meeting at Tipper village, he said the government was considering the proposal to open the sale of resin within and outside the state to help the farmers.

Earlier, the Chief Minister inaugurated two bridges over Mutard khud and Maan khud costing about Rs 1 crore in the Nadaunta Assembly constituency of the district.

He stressed the need for a maize-based industry in the state. He said with the setting up of these industries, the farmers would be able to sell their produce and earn good profit. He said the state government had asked the Central Government to procure maize from the state.

He called upon women to take active part in the trainings of the HPMC at various places in the state.

BJP flays Virbhadra’s statement
Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 22
Mr Jai Krishan Sharma, President of the state unit of the BJP, has condemned the statement of Mr Virbhadra Singh, Congress Legislative Party leader, criticising the Kainthla Commission report and said his utterances only indicated that he had lost faith in the judicial system.

In a statement here today, he said if the report of the commission had been in favour of Mr Virbhadra Singh he would have used it for political propaganda as he did with the so-called “clean chit” given by the CBI.

However, since the report had indicted him, he was casting aspersions on its integrity and imputing motives.

Mr Sharma said Mr Virbhadra Singh who had also been terming the irregular transfer of land in his name as a bona fide mistake, should quit politics on the issue.

He also came down heavily on Ms Stokes, Pradesh Congress Committee chief, for blaming the present government for unemployment.

He said the present government had been able to secure Rs 800 crore as special assistance from the Centre and got several projects like four national highways.

No factionalism in Congress: Stokes
Our Correspondent

Kangra, January 22
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Vidya Stokes has denied factionalism in the party. She said former Chief Minister and CLP leader Virbhadra Singh was absent from the yesterday’s Congress rally here because he received the invitation on a short notice.

Ms Stokes stated this while addressing a press conference here last evening. She claimed that there was no misunderstanding in the party. She maintained that Mr Virbhadra Singh was not deliberately absent from the rally. She said Mahila Congress chief Chandresh Kumari and party MLAs, Mr B.B.L. Bhutail and Mr Chander Kumar, had expressed their inability to attend the rally due to personal reasons.

She claimed that the rally was largely attended and expressed confidence that the Congress would form the next government in the state. When asked who would be the Chief Minister if the party came to power, Ms Stokes said AICC President Sonia Gandhi would decide on that. In response to another question, she said, “I have no right to support or oppose the candidature of Mr Virbhadra Singh for the post of Chief Minister if the Congress is voted to power”.

Regarding the Kainthla Commission report, she said they were awaiting the Supreme Court decision.

TB centre faces uncertain future
Our Correspondent

Kumarhatti, January 22
The Dharampur Tuberculosis Sanatorium, which has been plagued by staff shortage, inadequate infrastructure and encroachments, faces an uncertain future as the Central Government has launched the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP).

Under the programme, it has been proposed to provide door-to-door medical facilities to TB patients rather than give them indoor treatment. The patients can live with their families and get medicines from nearest health centres.

Due to this programme, it seems that the Dharampur sanatorium, situated 4 km from here and regarded as a premier TB institute of North India, would lose its importance. A staff member, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the RNTCP was not possible in a state like Himachal Pradesh where most of the population was scattered. He said there had been a considerable increase in multi drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB) cases where intensive medical care was required and it could be done only through indoor treatment.

The RNTCP had also ignored the isolation of TB patients from normal persons as it was likely that the affected person could transmit the TB infection if he or she was not treated in a sanatorium, the staff member maintained.

He said TB patients used to come from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and even from foreign countries like Nepal to this sanatorium, which was set up in 1913, and efforts to degrade its status or close it would cause harm to patients.

At present, the sanatorium has 160 as the average inflow of patients in summers and 90 in winters.

Dr R.P. Kaushal, Medical Superintendent of the sanatorium, was not available for comments. His juniors expressed their inability to comment on the recent developments about the future prospects of the sanatorium. They, however, said it was proposed to open a TB training research and demonstration institution here.

Besides the uncertainty over its future, several problems are dogging the sanatorium. More than 40 per cent of the sanctioned posts are lying vacant. The available infrastructure in the sanatorium, including laboratory equipment, is not up to the required standard. The non-availability of a culture sensitivity laboratory is a pressing problem, especially for MDRTB patients, as they have to go Delhi for undergoing tests.

The sanatorium laboratory building need immediate repair as cracks has appeared in its walls. There is not adequate space to conduct various tests. The condition of the residential complexes is also poor.

The state PWD, which was supposed to deal with the repair and maintenance of residential houses, has not done its job, rued staff members. In the absence of fencing around the sanatorium, large-scale encroachments are gradually eating into the sanatorium land.

Class IV employees have not got their uniform despite order in this regard by the Secretary, Health, alleged Mr Kuldeep Singh Kanwar, president of the Dharampur block NGO. The lack of a heating system and quilts in patients’ wards are some other problems of this sanatorium.

Meanwhile, an MDRTB society has been set up under the chairmanship of the DC, Solan. The main aim of this society is to provide financial help to MDRTB patients.

Banikhet town in bad shape
Our Correspondent

Dalhousie, January 22
Banikhet, the gateway to the famous hill stations of Dalhousie and Chamba is in bad shape. There are insanitary conditions and the nullah flowing along the township is full of filth.

There is no proper bus stand here. The Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) has only a booking office which is in bad shape.

CJ to be sworn in tomorrow
Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 22
Mr Justice Wungazan Awangshi Shishak will be sworn in as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court here on January 24.