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Saturday,
May 11, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Power
generation: HP to involve private sector ‘Single
file’ system marginally better Postal
traffic down by Rs 2 crore Water: HP
seeks 20-cr Central aid |
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Kandi
project progress satisfactory : WB Remit
fees, give more facilities: students Plea to quash appointment of rights panel member Closure
of stone crushers: notices to HPSEB, others Drive
against drug smuggling Miscreants
attack IPS officer Panel
to study anomalies in wages Right to environment stressed LIC
workers hold rally 3 held
on charge of raping minor
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Power generation: HP to involve private sector Shimla, May 10 Mr Dhumal said the conference would be organised in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Power. Mr Suresh
Prabhu, Union Minister for Power, will also participate in the seminar. This seminar will be attended by participants from neighbouring states. He said that possibilities would be explored to take steps to harness the hydel power potential available in the state with the involvement of private sector and neighbouring states. The Chief Minister said the government had given special priority to harness the hydel potential and started work on a number of projects. He said that the state aimed at harnessing over 10,000 MW power by year 2008 and earn annual income of Rs 1800 crore to the state exchequer. He said that it could be made possible only due to the personal involvement of Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee. He said private sector was being involved in hydel power generation in the state in a big way. He said that MOUs on eight hydel power projects were signed recently with different industrial houses. He asked the engineers of the HPSEB to make Himachal “Power State of India”. He directed the officers to ensure billing of electricity on monthly basis to the urban consumers and bi-monthly billing to rural consumers. He said that loss of power in transmission needed to be checked and supply system improved so that the power did not go waste. |
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‘Single
file’ system
marginally better Shimla, May 10 The study, which evaluated the functioning of the state government and the directorates and the inter-relationship to compare the performance of the two systems, revealed that the single-file system only reduced the scrutiny at the section level in the secretariat. The main problem of insufficient delegation of administrative and financial powers, which led to unnecessary movement of files and proposals between the secretariat and the directorates, was not addressed by this system too. It has recommended a performance-based system in place of the existing procedure-based relationship between the secretariat and the directorates to achieve the goals of the government and bring efficiency in governance. There was need to clearly define the role of the secretariat and the directorates, the former should concentrate on policy-making and the latter on the implementation. There should be complete delegation of administrative and financial powers to the
directorates commensurate with the service delivery responsibility entrusted to them. The study carried out under the guidance of Prof P.N. Gautam of the Public Administrative Department of Himachal Pradesh University has been submitted to the government for consideration. In financial matters the directorates be given the freedom to formulate the budget in consultation with the Administrative Department and the Finance Department may issue general guidelines regarding how the budget is to be utilised by the directorates. Policy-making on financial management is the prerogative of the secretariat, but it would not be substituted by direct control on financial matters requiring sanctions and approvals in individual cases as is the case today. Once the budget is approved by the secretariat, the directorates should have full powers to spend within the overall budget after adhering to the guidelines issued by the secretariat. To achieve the goals and get the best results from the available resources, a performance measurement system which highlights the achievement in terms of output and outcome, be devised and enforced in place of present performance based on spending of inputs. The key to relationship between the secretariat and the directorates should be the annual performance agreement between the Secretary and the Director. Sufficient accountability should be built in the system to ensure the right use of Autonomy proposed in the new system and the Comptroller and Auditor-General should move from procedure audit to “value-for-money” audit and should be concurrent. The secretariat and the directorates should be linked through the administrative information system for better and meaningful interface. Actual cases of the Rural Department and the Education Department were studied to compare the two systems. In personnel matters, 53 per cent of secretaries and 59 per cent of directors felt that the directorates did not have sufficient delegations, 73 per cent of secretaries and 47 per cent of directors were of the view that directors should be given full powers of appointment and disciplinary action. Significantly, 86 per cent of secretaries and 94 per cent of directors wanted the power of transfer to be vested in the directors. |
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Postal traffic down
by Rs 2 crore Shimla, May 10 According to Mr Vijay Bhushan, Chief Post Master-General of the Himachal Pradesh circle, the postal system is facing the challenge of courier and other modern techniques throughout the world. The mail traffic is expected to decline further. Mr Bhushan said the postal services were being modernised and the speed post and the express parcel service were doing exceedingly well here. He said the post offices at
Kasauli, Chhota Shimla and Chaura Maidan had been declared as heritage buildings. The 19th century Anglo-Indian architecture GPO building in Mandi was the first in the country to be declared a heritage building followed by the British period GPO in Shimla. Except Delhi, among the northern states, Himachal was the first state to computerise the postal system. Most of the post offices have been computerised and money transactions are being done through the satellite link, particularly in the remote and tribal areas. The state speed post centre in Una was proposed to be upgraded to the national network during the current financial year. He said snow-clad tribal areas were being delivered mail through helicopters during winters when the Rohtang Pass got closed due to heavy snow. |
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Water: HP seeks
20-cr Central aid Shimla, May 10 This year the crisis has hit much early before the peak summer. Reports of the shortage of potable water have been pouring in from many areas, including
Sarkaghat, Mandi, Una, Hamirpur, Kangra, Solan and Sirmaur. Certain areas of the town have also started feeling the pinch of water shortage although the authorities have been claiming that adequate water was available here. Meanwhile, an official spokesman said here today that the FCI had opened four wheat procurement centres at Paonta Sahib,
Nalagarh, Una and Thakurdwara. |
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Kandi project progress satisfactory : WB Shimla, May 10 The mission headed by Mr Manish Bapna and comprising subject specialists Dr Peter Branney, (forestry), Dr T.C. Jain (Agriculture) Dr M.P.G. Kurup (livestock), Mr Barry Deren (economist), Mr A.K. Roy (environment), Dr Tround Vedeld (social development) and Ms Manvinder Mamak (finance) complimented the state government and the project staff for their commitment to the project. Presiding over the review meeting Mr Roop Singh, the Forest Minister, appreciated the agreement reached in principle to include some of the left out adjoining watershed areas and reiterated the commitment of the government to extend full support to the project. He also informed the mission about the gradual but sure shift of forest management to participatory mode involving the constitution of village committees with adequate representation of women, cost sharing and raising of maintenance funds. |
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Remit fees, give more facilities: students Shimla, May 10 The students have alleged that their department was being given step-motherly treatment by the university authorities as no proper infrastructure and facilities had been provided to them. During the first semester, Rs 10,000 had been deposited by these students as fees, but no computers were available at the department during the first semester. They alleged that again, in the second semester, they had been told to deposit Rs 10,000. They have urged the authorities that the fees of second semester should be remitted as the department was being running without the basic facilities. The students of the E-Commerce department yesterday submitted a charter of demands to the Pro vice-Chancellor, Prof N.K. Sharda. They also staged a dharna for about two hours in front of the Pro Vice-Chancellor’s office against the non-fulfilment of their demands. They said at present, they were facing various problems as there was no proper arrangement for the classes. They said the library did not have the latest books and there was no proper lab for them. The other demand include a proper arrangement for the classes, purchase of more books for the library and Internet facility etc. Student Central Association vice-president Sudershan Sakhyan said they would move the consumer court if their demands were not accepted. The association threatened to launch an agitation if the fees of second semester were not remitted. |
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Plea to quash appointment of rights panel member Shimla, May 10 He has claimed that the appointment of Mr Justice Vaidya as a member of the commission was an act of
favouritism. The Supreme Court has sent notices to the state government on the
issue. Mr Virender Kumar, a former school principal, in his petition before the Supreme Court, has said the appointment of Mr Justice Vaidya was in violation of the provisions of the sub-section (3) of Section 11 of the HP Administrative Tribunal Act,1985. Prior to his appointment as a member of the commission, Mr Justice Vaidya was the chairman of the Tribunal. He retired from the Tribunal in October last year and was appointed a member of the commission two months later in December . Mr Virender Kumar has pointed out that Mr Justice Vaidya was ineligible for the appointment under the Section 24 (3), which provides that on ceasing to hold office as Chairperson or member of the Tribunal, he shall be ineligible for further employment under the government of the state or under the government of India. The commission had earlier come in the news in December when its two members, Mr
K.S. Patial and Ms Neeru Vaid, had passed a resolution declaring the appointment of Mr Justice Verma as “null and void”. They had passed the resolution when Mr Justice Verma was on tour. However, the resolution was later rejected by the commission. |
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Closure
of stone crushers: notices to HPSEB, others Shimla, May 10 These notices were issued by a Division Bench comprising Ms Justice Kamlesh Sharma and Mr Justice Arun Kumar Goel. Mr Rajeev Sharma contended on behalf of the petitioner that there were about 300 stone crushers in Kangra district, of which those in and around Damtal area were operating without legal sanction. He stated that except 10 owners of stone crushers, no owner had obtained the mining lease as per the provision of the Himachal Pradesh Mineral Revised Rules, 1971, and none of them were paying royalty to the state as per the law. |
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Drive against drug smuggling Mandi, May 10 He said in 85 cases detected over the past four months in the range, over 240 kg of charas had been seized and the persons arrested included 18 foreigners. Mr Negi said a mass movement had been launched by the police to generate awareness among the people about the dreaded consequences of drug addiction and added that stress was being laid to save youths from falling victims to the menace. He described the suggestion that timber was to be taken to Manali, where some police officer was constructing a house, as “absurd” and added that question of carrying timber from Mandi to Manali did not arise. |
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Miscreants attack IPS officer
Dharamsala, May 10 Kangra District Police Chief Sanjay Kundu said the probationer with rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police was taken to the Rajindra Prashad Medical College Hospital here where he was administered first aid. He was discharged later. The police registered a case and arrested two persons in this connection. The demolishing squad was removing illegal encroachments.
UNI |
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Panel to study
anomalies in wages Shimla, May 10 This was announced by Mr Kishori Lal Vaidya, the Industries Minister, while presiding over a meeting of the State Minimum Wages Advisory Board, here yesterday. The suggestion for increasing wages in backward areas was being considered. Representatives from the Chambers of Commerce and Industry suggested the introduction of trainee scheme in the industry under the Apprenticeship Act. |
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Right to environment stressed Shimla, May 10 He was interacting with students of the Law Department of Himachal Pradesh University here yesterday. Mr Justice Yacoob said the right to environment is an indivisible right. Earlier, he spoke to the participants of a four week orientation programme being organised by UGC Academic Staff College, Himachal Pradesh University. As many as 56 teachers of colleges and universities from 14 states participated in this programme. |
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LIC workers hold rally Shimla, May 10 The strike call had been given by the All-India Insurance Employees Association, which was also opposing the brokers Bill on the ground that it was against the interest of the public in general and employees in particular. The protesting employees held a rally here, in which Mr A.C. Chauhan, secretary of the northern zone Insurance Employees Association, condemned the Union Government for pursuing anti-people policies. He said separating the GIC from its subsidiaries and making the subsidiaries independent companies was a conspiracy of the government to destroy the GIC. The brokers Bill would only encourage corrupt and unfair practices in the insurance industry, he alleged. |
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3 held on charge
of raping minor Solan, May 10 According to a report lodged by the victim’s mother, her minor daughter went missing on Wednesday evening. She came to know that her daughter was allegedly confined and raped by Harjit and
Chetan. Deepak was alleged to have arranged a room. |
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Woman killed Nahan, May 10 |
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Headless
body found Nahan, May 10 The vehicle driven by Jai Pal was found at Andheri village. On May 4, Som Dutt, brother of Jai Pal, reported at Rajgarh police station that his younger brother had been missing since April 27 last when he carried three passengers, including the accused Mohan Singh, who has been arrested. |
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Coop employees
call off stir Shimla, May 10 |
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