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HPSEB fails to recover dues from departments
Bank lodges FIR against
guilty officials
Scientists to study quake-prone Himalayas
Havan in memory of quake victims
Punjabi, Urdu in schools from this session
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Russia for joint ventures
in state
Roerich college to admit first
batch of students
Sewa tunnel completed ahead of schedule
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HPSEB fails to recover dues from departments
Shimla, April 2 Despite strict directions by the Himachal Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) to the HPSEB to issue final notices to these departments to either pay the outstanding amount or else face disconnection, has had little impact. Only an amount of about Rs 50 crore could be recovered during the past three months. The Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) department alone has outstanding dues of Rs 102.83 crore. Various Municipal Committees and local bodies owe an amount of Rs 5.21 crore to the HPSEB, with Shimla Municipal Corporation owing the highest amount. The other government departments owe over Rs 2.22 crore to the HPSEB. With the contentious issue of trifurcation of the HPSEB still hanging fire and the deadline of June 2005 set by the Centre approaching, efforts are being made to streamline the commercial functioning for the Board. The Commission has directed the Board to show firmness and determination in recovering the outstanding dues as committed by it. The HERC had set the deadline of March 31, 2005 for making recovery of the outstanding dues from various government departments. Expressing its displeasure, the Commission had warned that the Board must change its style of functioning, rules of business and procedures in line with the changed regulatory environment. This they pointed out was necessary to comply with the given directions within the stipulated time frame. The Board officials on the other hand point out that regular notices are being served on the defaulting government departments by the field units and all possible efforts are being made to recover the dues. “The matter regarding liquidating the outstanding dues of government departments was being pursued with the state government but no payment had been received,” maintained Board sources. The Commission also emphasised that all transactions between the Board and the government must be transparent as whatever has to be paid must be paid through draft or cheque and not through paper adjustment. As far as the total amount recoverable by the Board from the state government on account of roll back of tariff subsidy ending in December 2004 is concerned, the government has paid a sum of Rs 30 crore while Rs 4.59 crore is still due.
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Bank lodges FIR against
guilty officials
Mandi, April 2 Mr Vaidya is under suspension, while Mr Sharma was granted premature retirement last year. “They have been booked under Sections 406, 420 of the IPC for granting unsecured loans and one-time settlement facility in the bank”, sources added. The bank has served 800 notices on fresh defaulters and their guarantors and was in the process of preparing an audit report. Depositors demanded that the state government should appoint a regular administrator and an arbitrator for settling cases and an independent prosecutor for the bank. Earlier, the advisory committee of the MUCBL, constituted to bring about transparency in the bank, had submitted a memorandum to the Mandi MP, Ms Pratibha Singh, urging her to take up the issue with Mr Virbhadra Singh. |
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Scientists to study quake-prone Himalayas
Chandigarh, April 2 Mr U.K. Bassi, Deputy Director-General, Northern Region, Geological Survey of India, told reporters here that the seminar would focus on “Himalayan seismicity”. The seminar opens on April 4, which is 100 years to the day when the earthquake in 1905 occurred. That quake is seen as one of great quakes to have rocked the Indian sub-continent, said Mr Prabhas Pande, Director, Earthquake Geology. The Governor of Himachal Pradesh will inaugurate the seminar. A total of 30 papers will be presented in six technical sessions. Eminent earthquake scientists like Dr Harsh K. Gupta, Prof V.K. Gaur, and Prof A.S. Arya - all from India, Prof Roger Bilham, Dr Susan Hough and Dr Pradeep Talwani - all from the USA, Dr D.P. Robinson and Dr Samita Dass -both from the UK, Dr P. Suhedolc from Italy and Dr Bai Denghai from China will be among the paper presenters. Delegates will be taken to the field where vestiges of the 1905 earthquake are still preserved in sediments and monuments. Mr Bassi admitted that the country immediately needed laws laying down what should be the nature of construction in various seismic zones in the country. “ We can control the loss of property,” he said while adding that the GSI had send it recommendations several times to the Government on what should the type of construction in each of the seismic zones. The entire land mass in the country has been classified into five zones with Zone V being the most vulnerable to quakes and have the potential of generating massive earthquakes which can cause huge destruction. Kangra along with Sikkim, parts of Himachal and Uttranchal, the North-East region and Andaman Islands fall in Zone V. Cities like Delhi and Chandigarh fall in Zone IV. Mr Bassi said the GSI was trying to know what patterns earthquakes follow. This includes studying the Vedic texts for some hints based on constellation of the stars and planets.
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Havan in memory of quake victims
Kangra, April 2 Meanwhile, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) is organising a three-day seminar on “Himalayan seismicity” at Palampur from April 4. A GSI publication, comprising 45 research papers, will be released. During the seminar 30 papers would be presented in six technical sessions.
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Punjabi, Urdu in schools from this session
Shimla, April 2 Addressing a press conference here today, the Welfare Minister, Mr Rangila Ram Rao, said the two languages would be taught to students of class eight, nine and 10th. “These languages will, however, be taught in schools where there are a minimum of 20 students,” he clarified. The government had taken a decision to introduce these languages in areas where there was considerable Sikh and Muslim population. He added that efforts were being made to arrange teachers proficient in the languages. “We are also making efforts to settle down the nomadic Gujjars permanently so that their children, too, can join the school,” said Mr Rao. He informed that during the past two years since the Congress come to power in the state, a total of 376 persons had been given loans worth Rs 3.72 crore by the HP Minorities Finance and Development Corporation (HPMFDC). The beneficiaries include 135 physically challenged persons. “Today we have cleared loans worth Rs 28.69 lakh for people belonging to the minorities for self-employment,” he stated. He said there was no fixed target of extending loans to only a particular number of people as all those who approach the corporation were given assistance. The government had formed separate welfare boards for the minorities, Labanas, Gorkhas, Gaddis, Scheduled Castes, and had also constituted a Haj Committee. A 15-point charter had been prepared for the welfare of the minorities and for providing better job and educational facilities to their children, he added.
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Russia for joint ventures
in state
Shimla, April 2 Russian Federation Ambassador Vyacheslav I. Trubrikov, talking to newsmen here today, said hydro-power and roads are the other sectors where Russia was keen to set up joint ventures in the state. He said the state had vast tourism potential. A good
infrastructure and suitable environment would attract more foreign visitors towards the state, he added. He said he had discussed the possibilities of joint ventures with the Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh during the meeting with him. He said a delegation of Russian businessmen will soon visit Himachal Pradesh
for further deliberations. He said the USA should reconsider its decision to supply F-16 aircraft to Pakistan, as it would harm the fragile Indo-Pakistan peace talks. He said Russia had no reservations in supplying arms to India but instead of having a buyer-seller relationship it was keen for joint research, production, licensing and marketing, keeping in view the interest of both the nations. “We are very keen on economic cooperation with old and trusted friends like India which could not be possible in the last decade due to our internal problems and instability,” he stated. Mr
Trubnikov, said Russia would whole heartedly support India’s cause for permanent UN membership with veto power. The Russian Ambassador said unfortunately there was lack of information about the new Russian Federation in India and vice-versa. |
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Roerich college to admit first
batch of students
Shimla, April 2 This was stated by the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, while presiding over the 14th meeting of the board of trustees of the International Roerich Memorial Trust, here today. He said preparations were being made to admit students both from India and abroad so that the legacy of the Russian artist, Roerich, could be carried forward. The Chief Minister said recognised diplomas and degrees would be conferred on the students. A training programme was also being designed. A joint committee of the trust and the Russian Government would be constituted to prepare, evaluate and ensure the safety and security of the artifacts and the property at the Roerich art gallery at Naggar village. The village remained home to the Russian artist Nicholas Roerich for several years. Mr Virbhadra Singh, said the state government would provide additional land for the construction of an arts college at Naggar. “One hundred metre area around it would be declared a no-sound zone so that there is no distraction around the area,” he said. The Ambassador of the Russian Federation, Mr V. Trubnikov, said the Russian Government would provide all possible assistance to the trust for extending its activities to the international level. |
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Sewa tunnel completed ahead of schedule
Dalhousie, April 2 This was stated here today by Mr Arvind Garg, General Manager, Sewa Hydroelectric Project (Stage-II). The project work had been speeded up to complete the excavation of 10-km-long headrace tunnel at the earliest along with the work on various other fronts. The corporation had set the target of completing and commissioning the project by September 2007. |
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