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ONGC gives up oil hunt Implement proposals on
stone-crushers: HC
Project to train panchayat representatives 4 convicted of woman’s death |
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IGMC doctors seek probe Board fails to find site for township Students may move
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ONGC gives up oil hunt Mandi, May 20 The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation is currently winding up its operations after having drained over Rs 100 crore. No oil could be found even after digging up to the depth of 5,000 ft, sources said here today. The spudding of the first oil well at Dhaban village, which began on December 10, 2003, ended in a whimper. A budget of Rs 42 crore had been set apart for digging the well up to the depth of 5,100 metres, but due to inordinate delay in its execution the project cost escalated to about Rs 100 crore, sources said. The ONGC would soon shift its machines to Hamirpur for carrying out exploration there. Meanwhile, the villagers and workers at Dhaban are not allowing the ONGC to shift the machines and other infrastructure. Workers are protesting against their retrenchment while villagers are demanding higher price for the acquisition of their land and are sitting on dharna on the premises of the ONGC at Dhaban. The CITU and other trade unions are backing the workers. The efforts of the district administration to end the statement have yielded no results so far. Disappointment is looming large among the people of the Balh valley, which was humming with activity on the arrival of a large number of ONGC engineers and scientists who were engaged in oil exploration since past over three years. The spudding had been launched after a year-long underground exploration which, according the ONGC scientists, had indicated positive results. The geological and geophysical surveys and seismic assessment had indicated oil deposits of about 5,050 metres down in the earth. On the eve of spudding hundreds of scientists, engineers and state dignitaries had been invited to celebrate the occasion. There was lot of optimism and enthusiasm among the ONGC officials and scientists who had converged here. The upgraded electric rigs-2000-VIII had been requisitioned from Bangladesh to carry out the drilling on a war-footing. All seems to be over now. An official of the ONGC, when contacted, maintained that it was an uphill task to predict the definite presence of oil deposits. Despite advance techniques it was a sort of “hit and trial” that engineers had to adopt after assessing positive results of the rocks in the bottom of the earth. “Of the 10 wells drilled, there were oil strikes only in two or three”, an ONGC scientist said. The search for the hydrocarbons in the Himalayan foothills had been launched since the very inception of the ONGC in 1965. The gas seepage at the Jawalamukhi temple since centuries had indicated the presence of hydrocarbon potential. The first well was drilled there in 1957-60. Gas was found, but it was not commercially viable to harness it, an ONGC official said. |
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Implement proposals on
stone-crushers: HC Shimla, May 20 A Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Vinod Kumar Gupta and Mr Justice M.R. Verma, observed: “Its is a paramount constitutional obligation of the state government to ensure that in Himachal not even a single stone-crusher unit is allowed to operate, which is causing environmental pollution or pollution of any other type”. The Advocate-General, Mr Malkiat Singh Chandel, stated: “The government is actively considering the report and it needs at least three months to complete the entire action as proposed in the report”. The committee in its report has suggested that there are three type of crushing units functioning in the state. The one those complying the procedural process but have a few remedial deficiencies. The second includes those units which have noticeable procedural violations and operational deficiencies, which can be complied with. The third category includes highest number of stone-crushers, which have deficiencies to such an extent that their operation would be in total violation of existing provisions of the law. The committee has recommended to stop both mining and stone-crusher activities in the Damtal area of Kangra district. The committee also indicated that the situation in Nalagarh subdivision has also become worse. The Bench directed the Secretary (Industry) to file compliance report by August 18.
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Project to train panchayat representatives Dharamsala, May 20 Mr Mahajan said the training programme was being financed by Germany and a sum of Rs 7.5 crore had been received by that Union Government. While Rs 1 crore has been already earmarked for it, the Union Government is being approached for additional Rs 5 crore. Giving details, the minister said panches would be given training at block headquarters while panchayat pradhans and panchayat samiti members would be provided training at the district headquarters. Training programme for the zila parishad chairmen and vice chairmen will be organised at Shimla. Mr Mahajan said steps were being taken to provide meaningful employment to rural unemployed. For the purpose 44 rural markets are being set up in the state out of which nine will be in Kangra district. He said youths would be given shops to set up their business based on local produce. He said a scheme to provide crash vocational training to matriculate and plus two pass youths was under consideration. He said another dairy project
costing Rs 13.5 crore been started in Kangra to benefit 20,000 farming families. The amount would be spent on training of farmers in dairy, improvement of livestock through imported artificial insemination. |
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4 convicted of woman’s death Hamirpur, May 20 In case of default of payment of the fine, the accused would have to further undergo three months more imprisonment on each count. According to Mr P.K. Hajri, public prosecutor, Rajni Bala of Barin Mandir was married to Pawan Kumar in 1977. Pawan Kumar and other family members used to torture her as a result she committed suicide. In another case, the Sessions Judge, Mr T.N. Vaidya, today sentenced Inderjeet of Neri village to undergo five years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 under Section 307 of the IPC. According to Mr Kushal Singh, public prosecutor, on February 10, 2001, Inderjeet fired at Pratap Chand, who was badly injured. On the complaint of Pratap Chand, the police had registered a case against Inderjeet. In case of default of payment of the fine, the accused will have to undergo six months more imprisonment. |
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IGMC doctors seek probe Shimla, May 20 The association, which held an emergency meeting here today, also demanded security to resident doctors and threatened to resort to harsh measures if no steps were taken in this direction by May 27. The association also decided that the resident doctors would not examine female patients unless female employees were deployed in the Out Patient Department (OPD). Dr Rahul Bhargav, president of the association, said the woman who had levelled the charges, wanted to get her x-ray done out of turn. In fact, she misbehaved with the doctor when he refused to oblige her as there were about 50 patients in the queue waiting for their turn. She got furious and even snatched the pen from the hands of the doctor and threw it away. There were a large number of patients and also some employees when the incident took place and an immediate inquiry would bring out the truth. The association criticised the college administration for its failure to provide security to resident doctors and said they were under constant threat in the prevailing environment. |
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Board fails to find site for township Solan, May 20 The visit was undertaken following a letter from the Deputy Commissioner here pointing out the inability of the district administration to hand over about 109 bighas of land falling under the common pool. While this has reduced the chances of availability of prime land in the region for the construction of the township it was learnt that the officials of the housing board were not keen to go in for another piece of land which is quite at distance in the valley. It was also learnt that since the villagers had grazing rights over the earmarked land and it included common village purposes like community paths and water resources. It was not easy to divert this land for the township. Officials expressing their doubts about the project getting the required nod said a meeting slated for May 24 would decide the fate of the township. |
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Students may move court Solan, May 20 The students, led by the Munish Thakur, the expelled Students Central Association president, who met the Vice-Chancellor, Dr S.S. Negi, today were refused re-admission. The Vice-Chancellor, while supporting the action, said it had been taken as per rule 37-A of the academic regulations of the university which required all students to register themselves at the beginning of each semester. |
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