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Monday,
March 11, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Dalai Lama
reiterates need for talks
HP move
will delay Rampur unit Cover 6 HP
dists under growth plan: CM |
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Effluent
treatment plant near Baddi Energy meters in ETPs
to check pollution
Tibetans
hold peace march
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Dalai Lama reiterates need for talks Dharamsala, March 10 The 14th Dalai Lama, who was addressing his people on the occasion of the 43rd Tibetan National Uprising Day, at Mcleodganj today said he was confident that the Chinese leadership will find the courage, wisdom and vision the Tibetan issue through negotiations. “I truly believe that one day, there will be chance for dialogue and peace because there is no other choice for China and for us,” he stated. The Dalai Lama said his position on Tibet was straightforward as he was not seeking independence. “As I have said earlier, what I am seeking for the Tibetan people is the opportunity to have genuine self-rule in order to preserve their civilisation, Tibetan culture, religion, language and the way of life to grow and thrive,” he stated. Focussing on the issue of global terrorism, the Dalai Lama said there was an urgent need for joint efforts to combat it. “What is required is a well thought out, long-term strategy to promote globally, a political culture of non-violence and dialogue. The international community must assume a responsibility to give strong and effective support to non-violent movements committed to peaceful changes,” he remarked. He went on say that otherwise it will be seen as hypocrisy to condemn and combat those who have risen in anger and despair but to continue to ignore those who have consistently espoused restraint and dialogue as a constructive alternative to violence. The Dalai Lama said under the present tense political
atmosphere in Tibet, the Chinese continued to subject the Tibetan to violations of human rights, including religious persecution. “I believe that many of the violations of human rights in Tibet are the result of suspicion, lack of trust and true understanding of Tibetan culture and religion”, he opined. The Dalai Lama remarked that the global trend today was towards openness, freedom, democracy and respect for human rights. The Dalai Lama said that it was unfortunate that Buddhist culture and way of life were under threat of extinction. He said that most of the Chinese development plans in Tibet were designed to assimilate Tibet completely into the Chinese society and culture and to overwhelm Tibetans demographically by transferring large numbers of Chinese to Tibet. The Dalai Lama unveiled his bust made by Chinese dissidents, residing in New Zealand. The Tibetan Prime Minister, Samdhing Rinpoche, also addressed the Tibetan community, who had assembled in large numbers at the main temple, outside the palace of the Dalai Lama to observe the National Uprising Day. Later, the Tibetans, including monks, runs and school children took out a procession from Mcleodganj to Dharamsala, braving heavy rain and hailstorm. They carried placards and banners demanding a free Tibet and release of the Panchen Lama and raised anti-China slogans. |
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HP move will delay Rampur unit Shimla, March 10 As such, the moot question is what will be the status after the setting up of the proposed undertaking. The government has only indicated that the NJPC and other central agencies will be associated in the joint venture. While the NHPC and the NTPC have surplus funds to have equity participation in the new undertaking, the same is not the case with the NJPC which is struggling to complete its first project. In case the Centre has to provide the share of central agencies, then it could do so through the NJPC. Thus, the move to set up the new corporation has added to the worries of the NJPC. It was hoping to improve its financial position by executing the Rampur project, which is the easiest and most economical. It was in the best position of building the project as big companies engaged in the construction of the Nathpa-Jhakri project would have virtually taken up as its extension. According to sources in the NJPC, the cost of the Rampur project will come to around Rs 5 crore per MW as against over Rs 6 crore per MW in case of the Nathpa-Jhakri project. This will not be the case if another corporation takes up the project. It will have to start from scratch and create the necessary infrastructure. More importantly, it will have to enter some agreement with the NJPC to utilize the tail race water of the Nathpa Jhakri project. The cost of the Rampur project is lower as the expenditure on main works, like raising a dam to impound water and desilting chambers, will not have to be incurred. The Nathpa Jhakri project has already taken care of these most expensive components of the project. The Dhumal government finally decided to retain its 25 per cent equity participation and execute the Rampur project on the same pattern. The opposition Congress had been critical of the government’s earlier move to dilute its equity. However, the decision has been taken after taking a view of the financial picture that would emerge after the commissioning of the project. The Nathpa-Jhakri project will annually generate 6732 Giga units of electricity in a 90 per cent dependable year and the state will get 798 Giga units out of these at free of cost as royalty. If it is sold on a nominal cost of Rs 3 per unit, the returns will be around Rs 240 crore. Besides, by retaining its share, it will be entitled to dividend from the NJPC, which will come around to Rs 125 crore. Further, after 10 years, the rate of electricity will increase, but the cost of generation will remain the same. Thus the return from sale of free power and dividend will increase significantly. The returns will be enough to pay interest on loans, which the government will have to raise to contribute its equity share and the equity of the Rampur project to be taken up after the completion of the Nathpa-Jhakri project. The total cost of the Rampur project is estimated at Rs 2500 crore and a debt equity ratio of 70:30 which means the Centre and the state together will have to contribute about Rs 800 crore. The state’s share will be around Rs 200 crore and thus it will not have to contribute more than Rs 50 crore during any year. This, retaining equity is not only financially beneficial but also a viable option for the state. |
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Cover 6 HP dists under growth plan: CM New Delhi, March 10 Mr Dhumal who met Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee told him that at present only Kinnaur and Lahaul Spiti Districts had been included under the programme while the ground realities warranting the implementation of programme were similar in the left out districts. The Chief Minister requested that incentives and facilities provided to the North-Eastern States under the new industrial policy should be extended to Himachal Pradesh as the state had also been classified as hilly along with other hilly states. Mr Dhumal requested that income tax and excise duty should be waived for new industrial units for 10 years. Saying that the Centre had released Rs 60 crore under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna to construct 250 road schemes in the state, he requested additional Rs 10.60 crore during the current year and demanded that the minimum contract package size of Rs 1 crore should be lowered to Rs 25 lakh keeping in view peculiar geographical problems in the state. The Chief Minister requested the Centre to sanction projects worth Rs 15.15 crore under the Border Area Development Programme in three border and snow-bound blocks of the state. He sought sanction of special projects worth Rs 4.5 crore under the Desert Development Programme and development of 10 micro water sheds in Lahaul block.
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Effluent
treatment plant near Baddi Solan, March 10 Board chairman Rajiv Bindal told mediapersons here yesterday that the proposed plant, which was expected to cost about Rs 5 crore would be set up in the cooperative sector. The state government would provide Rs 2.25 crore in cash and another Rs 1 crore by way of land. The balance would be raised from among the would-be beneficiary industrial units which discharged hazardous wastes into public drains or nullahs. The project was finalised after receiving the report of a survey got conducted by the board with Australian help. Dr Bindal expressed concern almost large-scale extermination of fish and other aquatic fauna in Sarsa at Kenduwala village near Baddi on Wednesday. He said a team of senior scientists of the board which had been rushed to Baddi had collected samples emanating from certain Baddi-based industrial units suspected of discharging untreated hazardous waste into the Sandholi nullah that finally ended up in Sarsa. He said the samples had been sent to the laboratories of the Central Pollution Control Board, New Delhi, to the laboratory of Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture & Forestry and also to its own testing facility. |
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Energy meters in ETPs
to check pollution Baddi Pollution has become a cause of major concern of environmentalists of this industrial belt, which comprises about 600 big and small units. With the installation of these two measures, officials of the Pollution Control Department hope that a substantial improvement in controlling pollution will be achieved. In case the ETPs are shut down by the industrial units, the production of these units will also be stopped and, hence, it will check the tendency of the units who do not run the ETPs for the entire duration of production, explained the officials. In addition to this, periodic and surprise checking of the log books is also being carried out by officials, and in case a laxity is adopted by any unit in running the ETPs, violation can be immediately detected. After determining the efficacy of these measures for the larger industrial units, similar measures will also be made mandatory for the smaller units in order to check pollution in the area, stated the officials. The severely-affected Sandholi Nullah, where a number of industrial units discharge industrial liquid waste, has been a cause of major concern for environmentalists and the Pollution Control Department alike. In order to deal with this problem the department has prepared two projects. They include setting up of a common effluent treatment plant and also a treatment, storage and disposal facility plant in the area. These projects have been prepared after recommendations from an Australian-based company and conducting a thorough survey in the affected area. A site of about 30 bigaas has also been earmarked for setting up of the plant. The project has been submitted to the Revenue Department and is awaiting sanctions. Setting up of this project will contain the pollution related to liquid waste from the units, opine the officials. The officials, however, lament that the problem of domestic and sewage is acquiring an alarming proportion in the region due to the ever-burgeoning labour problem in the region. There are as many as 20,000 labourers in the region engaged in various industrial units across the region. With no proper housing and sanitation facilities, the domestic waste and filth spread in the open has become a breeding ground of diseases. Large chunks of this waste can also be seen flowing downstream. Officials feel that this problem needs immediate attention. |
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Sepoy Pavan Singh cremated Hamirpur, March 10 Pavan Singh was killed during a search operation in the interiors of Assam where he fell to the bullets of ULFA militants. He was recruited in the Indian Army seven years ago. He is survived by his wife and two children. A large number of persons thronged the house of the martyr as his body reached the village. Subedar Dilbag Singh represented the Indian Army at the cremation. SDM, Barsar, and ASP, Hamirpur, were among those who attended the cremation and represented the state government on the occasion. A contingent of Himachal Pradesh police reversed their arms and fired shots in the air. Mrs Sheela Dhumal, wife of the Chief Minister, visited the house of the deceased and consoled the bereaved family. |
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Tibetans
hold peace march Paonta Sahib, March 10 Over 2,000 Tibetans from the four Tibetan settlements and Tibetan School at Paonta Sahib commemorated the 43rd anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against the Chinese Government’s illegal and forcible invasion of Tibet in 1959. |
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