 |
|
Snag in Nathpa turbines Chamera II tested Construction activity in
quake-prone areas goes on Award of works partisan, says BJP |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
BJP councillors demand change in leadership Effigies of Dhumal, Katwal burnt Insurance firm told to pay damages The Zonal Consumer Forum, Mandi, headed by its President, Mr R.L. Raghu, yesterday directed United Insurance Company to pay Rs 45,852 along with interest @ 9 per cent per annum with effect from January 8, 2001, (the date of the repudiation of the claim), besides Rs 2,000 as compensatory damages and costs to Mr Mangat Ram of Mohal in Kulu district on account of damage caused to his vehicle. Hamirpur, December 21 Students of the Polytechnic here have been on strike for the past three days and observing relay fast ended their stir last evening at the intervention of local MLA Anita Verma. Mrs Verma offered juice to the fasting students and assured them that she would take up their case with Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh at Shimla tomorrow. Courts function from shabby wooden structures Judicial complex in the second largest district of the state here having courts of district judge, additional district judge, chief judicial magistrate and three sub-judges has dilapidated run-down wooden structures raised by the erstwhile rulers of the Mandi State. 4 killed, 36 injured as bus falls into gorge Four persons were killed and 36 were injured when a private bus from Harnoda to Ghumarwin fell into a 300 feet deep gorge, near Dehar, 24 km from here. Three of the 36 injured were referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. Body of BSF officer’s son found from nullah Mr Munish Kumar Sharma, a son of BSF Commandant J.K. Sharma was found dead in a nullah near veterinary hospital here yesterday. Superintendent of Police Chander Shekhar said he had received a phone call regarding the place from where the body had been found. Woman dies for want of medicare A 24-year-old Banti Devi died during delivery for want of medical aid at Chalot village in Somgarh panchayat of the Chachiot valley, according to a delayed report. The nearest Primary Health Centre from her village is 35 km, including a difficult trek of 10 km. Hamirpur, December 21 Three dogs killed a six-month-old leopard cub in the Bhalwani village area of the district on Friday last. Though no injury marks were found on the body of the cub, youths of the village told their elders that they saw the dogs run after a leopard cub and kill it.
|
|
Snag in Nathpa turbines Shimla, December 21 The first 250 mw unit of the 1,500-mw project was commissioned with much fanfare on October 14.The second unit was to be made operational by November 30 and all six generating units were to be commissioned by July, 2004. However, the commissioning of the second unit could not take place on schedule because of a mechanical fault. Engineers of the Eucona, the company executing the major electric works, could not synchronise the unit as the fault triggered off very high vibrations in the 250 mw turbines even when it was generating only 150 mw. The company then tried to synchronise the third 250 mw unit but encountered the same problem. The company requisitioned the services of the world’s top experts who pinpointed that faulty bush and couplings were responsible for the vibrations. The unit was dismantled and the faulty parts have been sent to Faridabad for rectification. The commissioning schedule of the project has already gone haywire. It is very unlikely that the project will be fully commissioned by July 2004. It has already fallen behind the original completion schedule by 54 months. Meanwhile , the company and the Satluj Jalvidyut Nigam are embroiled in a dispute over the payment to be made for the synchronisation of the units. The company initially demanded Rs 350 crore more in view of the delay but Mr Yogendra Prasad, the then Chairman -cum- Managing Director, laid down certain principles on the basis of which the amount payable worked out to be Rs 75 crore. The decision in this regard was taken at a meeting held on October 25,2002, which was attended by the joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Power, and the Finance Secretary of the state. However, after the exit of Mr Yogendra Prasad, the two officers disputed that any payable amount was worked out during the meeting. Subsequently an amount of Rs 49 crore was approved in the meeting of the board. The corporation has so far paid Rs 67 crore to the company but the project was not commissioned as per schedule. There is a move to release another Rs 15 crore even though the delay in commissioning of project will cause a loss of Rs 1.25 crore per day. Mr Tarun Kapoor, Director (Personnel), however, maintained that there would be no real loss of generation during the lean winter months when there was not enough discharge to run one or two units. The company had been asked to expedite the commissioning of all units and ensure that the project became fully operational by July 2004. It had doubled the manpower to complete the work within schedule. Mr Kapoor asserted that in case all six generating units were not commissioned in time the corporation would impose damages on the company. |
|
Chamera II tested Chamba, December 21 According to Mr Yogendra Prasad, Chairman and Managing Director of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was expected to dedicate the project to the nation in the near future for which the preparations were on the full swing. The 300 mw Chamera Hydroelectric Project (Stage-II) with three generating units of 100 mw each is being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,700 crore on the Ravi in the district. |
|
|
Construction activity in
quake-prone areas goes on Palampur, December 21 But it is surprising that hundreds of buildings including houses and multi-storeyed complexes in the district have come up without the approval of Town and Country Planning authorities. There seems to be no check on such illegal construction. Private parties, semi-government and government agencies have not followed norms laid down for the construction by the Town and Country Planning Department. Several buildings constructed by Municipal Councils and the Public Works Department and other government agencies have openly flouted the norms laid down by the Town and Country Planning Department. In various cases the courts have granted stay orders on the construction of buildings also. The Dhauladhar Ranges in Himachal falls in Zone five for which experts of the Seismology Department of Roorkee University has recommended earthquake-proof constructions. But neither the Town and Country Planning Authorities nor the state government followed these recommendations and measures suggested by experts. Most of the buildings maps approved by the Town and Country Planning Department particularly for Palampur and Dharmsala towns are sans such norms and concrete jungles have come up here which can result in tragedy. Civil Engineers and other senior officers of the state have been trained for the construction and designing of
earthquake-proof structures in the state. Workshops for this were also organised by the government at various level. Senior officers like Chief Engineers and Superintending Engineers attended these programmes. Huge funds were spent on these. But their services were never utilised and several such officers retired in the past two years. The towers constructed by the cellular telephone companies on the roof of buildings in various parts of the district is in violation of norms laid by the Town and Country Planning Department. But no action has been initiated against these companies by the authorities concerned or Municipal Councils. Nobody in the administration knows who permitted erection of these towers which can collapse since the roofs of the buildings can not bear the load of these structures. |
|
Award of works partisan, says BJP Shimla, December 21 Mr Ganesh Dutt, spokesperson for the party, said today that the Congress came to power by misleading people on the issue of corruption and after assuming office it was committing all sorts of irregularities to favour its supporters in the award of works. He cited the example of the work currently underway for the widening of the road around the Vidhan Sabha complex. He alleged that the contract was split into small work orders to oblige some contractors. The situation was no different in Rampur division where the contract was being awarded to favourites in the same manner. He said it was a serious issue as the portfolio of public works was with the Chief Minister. If irregularities could be committed in a department directly under him, one could not expect fair play and justice from the government headed by him. He demanded an inquiry into the award of works in the Vidhan Sabha complex and Rampur. He also alleged favouritism in the appointment of lecturers trained graduate teachers. He said the interviews conducted for selection were mere an eyewash. The Congress had been all along indulging in favouritism and it had been confirmed by Katwal audio tapes in which the conversations of its leaders recommending candidates for selection had been recorded. BJP Senior Vice-President Suresh Bharadwaj, MP, had charged the government of having taken the state’s clock of development backwards during the past nine months in office. In a statement issued here today, Mr Bharadwaj said the chief minister with some ulterior political objective had wasted precious time of the state in witch-hunting and doing nothing else. |
|
BJP councillors demand change in leadership Hamirpur, December 21 Following the failure of the Congress to move a no confidence motion against Mrs Roshni Devi and Mr Deep Kumar last week due to the leakage of information to the BJP, the crisis has now deepened in the BJP camp itself. The BJP led by its district president, Pyare Lal Sharma and general secretary Vinod Thakur has undertaken a damage control exercise to keep its flock together. There are reports that six out of the eight BJP members have told their district-level leaders that they have no faith in the present council leadership and it should be changed. Leaders of the BJP and the Congress held separate meetings on the issue yesterday and today as well. Mrs Anita Verma, Congress, MLA, told the party members to be vigilant and not allow any chance to grab the council leadership go waste. She was, however, pained to note that the last week attempt in this connection was foiled due to the leakage of information to the BJP by one of their members. The district unit of the BJP also held a meeting with Mr Sharma in chair to discuss the ongoing crisis in the BJP-led council. The meeting was also attended by the party councillors, who expressed their views on the issue. Though the BJP refused to say anything about today’s meeting, insiders in the party told The Tribune that it decided to wait for the arrival of the senior BJP leader, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal from Shimla after the current session of the Vidhan Sabha. There were reports that Mr Dhumal had directed its district-level leaders to remain in touch with their members and try for reconciliation. However, Mr Vinod Thakur, general secretary of the district unity of the party, said all of its eight members were with the BJP and there was no question of anyone crossing over to the Congress. Meanwhile, people of the town are anxiously matching the new developments in the council. They alleged that the council had failed to solve the main problem garbage dumping. |
|
Effigies of Dhumal, Katwal burnt Nahan, December 21 After this, a meeting of the District Congress Committee, attended many workers was addressed by 12 party leaders and chaired by Mr Harsh Wardhan Chauhan, MLA from Shilla-I.
— OC |
|
Insurance firm told to pay damages Sundernagar, December 21 The vehicle of the complainant, a Mohindra Utility, met with an accident on May 25, 2000, at Chowki village in Kulu district and the matter was reported to the police and the claim was filed with the insurance company. The complainant spent Rs 62,420 on repair of the vehicle. However, the insurance company repudiated the claim of the complainant on January8, 2001, for the reason that driver of the vehicle Tek Chand, was not possessing a valid driving licence at the time of accident. Mr Mangat Ram lodged a complaint before the Consumer Forum claiming damages along with amount spent by him on repairs of the vehicle. The insurance company in its reply stated that the claim had been repudiated rightly and there was no deficiency in service while rejecting the claim, It was further stated that the driver of the vehicle was holding a licence for light motor vehicles, while the vehicle in question was a goods vehicle and not a private one. The forum held that the driver was holding a valid driving licence as per the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act and the claim of the complainant was wrongly rejected by the insurance company, which amounted to deficiency in service as provided under the Consumer Protection Act. The forum relied upon a decision of the Supreme Court while allowing the complaint. While passing the final order the forum directed the complainant to deposit the salvage of damage parts of the vehicle with the insurance company within a month from the date of the order. |
|
Students end relay fast Hamirpur, December 21 She announced that two leaders of the students would accompany her to Shimla and to meet the Chief Minister and discuss their demands. The students have been demanding that 20 students who were barred from taking part in the ongoing examination be allowed to take the test. A spokesman of the students said here today that they had only suspended the strike and not called it off. He said that the strike would be called off completely only when all of their demands would be met. |
|
Courts function from shabby wooden structures Mandi, December 21 The complaint cannot accommodate a large number of lawyers, litigants and others Balroom is too small. There are no toilets for advocates as well as litigants. The complex is in a virtual mess. Over 100 vehicles parked in the court premises add to the congestion. The court complex looks like a parking yard. Modern judicial complex here is a necessity. New mini-secretariat has been built here, but a new court complex has been eluding over the past five decades. In July this year need for
modern judicial complex was pleaded before the state high court through a public interest litigation (PIL) plea in a case “Abhay Deep Singh advocate and others vs the State. Admitting the plea the Himachal Pradesh High Court directed the state government to take up the construction of the complex. According to Mr V.K. Ahuja, District and Sessions Judge said the high court had approved one of the four drawings submitted by the Deputy Commissioner Mandi. It envisages the construction of a five-storey building with a basement for housing courts, malkhana, judicial lock-up and a record room in the basement. |
|
|
4 killed, 36 injured as bus falls into gorge Sundernagar, December 21 The bus (HP-24-3003) was going to Ghumarwin (Bilaspur) from Harnoda in Bilaspur district. On getting information SDM Sundernagar, along with other officials, rushed to the spot. All four who died in the accident were from
Bilaspur District and have been identified as Rachana (Harnoda), Ravi Kant (Bhatoli), Rama Devi (Malyawar) and Surjeet Singh (Bhatoli). Three injured Hem Raj, Ajay Kumar and Sanju, were referred to PGI, Chandigarh in a serious condition. The other injured persons were admitted to Zonal Hospital Bilaspur. They were later discharged. According to the SDM Rs 10,000 had been given as compensation to the next kin of the deceased and those who were seriously injured. The other injured were given Rs 500 each. The police has registered a case under Sections 279, 337, 338 and 304A of the Indian Penal Code against the driver of the bus. |
|
|
Body of BSF officer’s son found from nullah Bilaspur, December 21 The father of the deceased said that he had no reasons to believe that his son had committed suicide. He added he had sent his son to deposit Rs 10900 in a bank but he had been missing since then. A search for him for the past eight days was to no avail, he added. The Superintendent of Police said Rs 10600 in cash, a bank Pass-book and six bottles of pesticide “nayuva gold” were found from near the body. He said all aspects including suicide and murder were being looked into. The board of doctors who conducted the post-mortem examination said that it appeared to be a case of “death due to poison.” |
|
Woman dies for want of medicare Mandi, December 21 The nearest Primary Health Centre from her village is 35 km, including a difficult trek of 10 km. Snow during the labour pain made it difficult to take her to the health
centre. Banti was in pain for hours as the local “dai” and members of the family looked on helplessly. And finally she
died. Banti had two daughters. Earlier too, her two issues did not survive for want of medical aid. Due to pressure on her for begetting a male child the fifth delivery proved to be fatal. |
|
Three dogs kill leopard cub Hamirpur, December 21 Mr Kripal Singh, vice-president of the local gram panchayat, had informed the police and the Department of Forests about the presence of the cub body in a bush near the village. The body had been taken into custody by the Department of Forests for the post-mortem examination. Further investigations into the death of the cub were still on, according to an official spokesman here today. |
|
|
One jailed for life for keeping charas Mandi, December 21 He was caught by the police on November 17, 2001, from a waiting room of the HRTC. On search 2 kg charas was recovered from his bag.
— OC |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | National Capital | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Shimla’s
ice skating club losing its charm. 
(