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Steep hike in power tariff from July 1
HFCL sacks 13 employees
Road repair, rescue work top priority: Patil
A view of the Christ Church, Kasauli. |
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Nadda for high-level probe against Bali
Leftists oppose move to hike bus fares
Judicial remand for taxation officer
3 labourers buried under lintel
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Steep hike in power tariff from July 1
Shimla, June 29 As per new tariff announced by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission the rate for the Antyodaya families (which consume up to 45 units per month) has been increased from 70 paise per unit to Rs 1.55 per unit. The BPL families would also be charged at the same rate. A reform surcharge at the rate of five per cent will be imposed on all categories of consumers on the total bill , exclusive of electricity duty. The commission has determined the tariff strictly in accordance with the new power policy announced by the Centre as per which the subsidised categories will have to pay at least 50 per cent of the average cost of supply. The average cost of supply works out to Rs 3.10 per unit, including employee cost of Rs 1.34 per unit which was the highest in the country. For other domestic consumers the new tariff for the first 45 units will be Rs 1.75 per
unit (as against the existing 85 paise per unit), from 46 to 150 units Rs 2.10 ( existing Rs1.30 per unit) and for 151 units upwards to Rs 2.75 per unit (existing Rs 2.40 per unit) To encourage domestic consumers to install pre-paid metres a special flat rate of Rs 1.75 per unit has been fixed for pre-paid category. The government had issued a directive to the commission not to hike the tariff for domestic categories consuming up to 150 units, agriculture, irrigation and water pumping supply under section 9 of the Electricity Act 2003.However, the commission held that under the section 65 of the Act no subsidy was admissible unless the amount was paid upfront by the government and in a manner to be decided by the commission. To keep the tariff at the existing level for domestic consumers alone the government will have to give pay Rs 126 crore. The subsidy on account of latest tariff order works out to Rs 86 crore and by taking into account the subsidy of Rs 40 crore pertaining to the previous order the total amount comes to Rs 126 crore. There is a marginal increase in the tariff for the non-domestic non-commercial
supply. The new rates will be Rs 3.65 per unit (existing Rs 3.50 per unit) up to 20 kW load and Rs 2.65 per kVAh (existing Rs 2.30 per kVAh) for loads above 20 kW. For commercial supply the new rate will be Rs 4 per unit (existing Rs 3.50 per unit) up to 20 kW. The rate for large supply Extra-High tension has come down marginally from Rs 2.15 per unit to Rs 2.10 per unit but demand charges had been increased from Rs 150 to Rs 165 per month. For High Tension the tariff will be Rs 2.22 per unit against the old tariff Rs 2.20 per unit and the demand charges will go up from Rs 150 to Rs 240 per month. The tariff for water pumping supply goes up from Rs 2.20 per unit to Rs 2.60 per unit up to 11 kV and from Rs 1.85 to Rs 1.90 per unit for 11 kV and above. The rate agriculture pumping supply has been increased from Rs 2.85 per unit to Rs 2.95 per unit and for bulk supply Low tension from Rs 2.50 per unit to Rs 2.70 per unit and for high tension from Rs 2.10 to Rs 2.15 per unit. The board had put up the annual revenue requirement at Rs 1446 crore with a projected gap of Rs 292 crore for the 2005-06,The commission has approved Rs 1264 and the revenue gap from the existing tariffs has been determined at Rs 111 crore. The overall increase based on the approval comes to 10 per cent. The commission has expressed deep concern over the high employees cost of Rs 1.34 per unit but still allowed merger of 50 per cent dearness allowance to create a healthy industrial environment knowing full well that board could not afford it. It also noted that the board was deep in a debt as evident from the fact that its investment plan included Rs 238 crore for repayment of earlier loans. Against the proposed loans of Rs 570 crore it only approved Rs 156 crore and directed the board to approach the commission separately for approvals of investment plans for its subsidiaries the State Jal Vidyut Nigam and the Pabbar Valley Corporation. It demarcated a 10 year road map for the board with year-wise milestones. It allowed a reform surcharge of Rs 50 crore for the implementation of its advisory directives which shall be reviewed on regularly basis. In case of failure to carry out the directives the commission could order refund of the surcharge to consumers. The main advisory directives include reorganisation of three circles , setting up of a training academy and implementation of a transfer policy laid down by the commission. A committee will be set up and without the approval of the committee no transfer of employees will be allowed. |
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HFCL sacks 13 employees
Solan, June 29 Intriguingly HFCL officials handed over the termination letters to these employees at their respective homes around 11.30 p.m on Sunday. Those employees who were not available at home on account of a local fair on Sunday were debarred from entering the unit premises on Monday morning. They were handed over the termination letters at the HFCL gate. The irate employees told The Tribune that the termination was not only illegal but it tantamounted to victimisation. Not only this, no internal inquiry had been constituted against any of the terminated employees. Facing an uncertain future they said it was also contrary to the recent statement of their Chairman Mahendera Nahata made on the unit premises a few days ago. The Chairman, while addressing the workers, had said: “ As long as a drop of blood is there in my body none of my employee/family member can be harmed by any of my senior employees.” A section of the employees opined that more terminations were in the offing because the management wanted to adjust some favourites. Vice-president D.P. Gupta was not available for comment and his cell number did not respond. The Chairman, too, was not available for comment. An executive in the Delhi office, when contacted, said she was not aware of any such termination being executed at the Solan unit of the HFCL. A perusal of a copy of the termination letter available with The Tribune revealed that the company has cited formation of a single equipment business division, HFCL Wireless and Wireless Division, as the reason for the termination, adding that this was a restructuring process. This had made the commercial area staff surplus and hence the middle members of this cadre had been phased out. The employees had also been furnished cheques in lieu of their three or one month basic salary as laid down in their contract, while the settlement of the other dues was promised. The employees lamented that on the one hand they were declared surplus and, on the other, the company had just opened a sister concern on the same premises here. They added that if they were considered surplus here they should have been adjusted in the other unit. |
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Road repair, rescue work top priority: Patil
Shimla, June 29 Mr Patil, who surveyed the flood-hit areas along with Mrs Sonia Gandhi, Congress President, said today that the restoration of the infrastructure like roads and bridges and evacuation of stranded persons were the top priority. Soon after his return, he held a meeting with the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, which was attended by Union Home Secretary, Mr V.K. Duggal, and other senior officers of the Centre and the state. He told mediapersons that the flood-warning system put in place by the state worked well as a result of which no human life was lost in the disaster, which played havoc with public and private property. The people were informed in time and they moved to safety before floodwater arrived. The latest satellite pictures had revealed that most of the water had drained out from the lake formed due to blocking of Parechu river by a landslide. The nightmare was over and the threat of flash flood subsided. The relief and restoration works would be carried out in three phases. The instant focus would be on evacuation of stranded persons and making arrangement for transportation of apple, peas and other farm produce. If required, the produce would be airlifted and services of Army and BSF helicopters would be provided. The rebuilding of bridges, roads and other infrastructure would be taken up in the second phase which could last up to three months or more. Finally, in the third phase, the state government had suggested that the old Hindustan- Tibet road should be revived as an alternative route to national highway. Mr Virbhadra Singh said although the state government had started repair of damaged roads and providing relief to the affected people, much more was needed to be done. He said main task was to restore the road communication in the area, construction of bridges where these had been washed away and resettle the people who had been evacuated from the danger zone. The Chief Minister said the state government would have to spend Rs 4 crore extra on transportation of peas from the area and Rs 5 crore on transportation of essential commodities and the Central Government should reimburse the amount to the state government. |
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Christ Church waits for healing touch
Kasauli, June 29 And yet, despite this historical status, the Church today is like a lonely on-looker, watching life go on from the sidelines, crying for attention and waiting for the “healing touch”. The most beautiful stain glass windows showing off intricate works on robes and gowns and benches that are over two centuries old, the red and black carpet below the altar and the clock overlooking the mall——all are beginning to age. While the church is looking at the Himachal Government to fund its facelift, which doesn’t seem to be happening as of now, individual efforts to “save the church” continue to pour in. It’s the silver lining that’s helping Christ Church to survive year after year. A Delhi-based company has come forward to donate glass windows to replace the broken panes and a team from England is arriving shortly to restore the glory of the stain glass windows, damaged at several places by a monkey who managed to finds its way inside the church. “Some British came as usual tourists last season. On learning that the stain glass windows, as old as the church, are damaged, they volunteered to help. The latest correspondence from them states that they are arriving in September to restore the works. We are very excited about this since the windows are a treasure worth preserving,” Rev. Khalil Massih, the priest, states. Meanwhile, on his part, he has arranged finances to back up the stain glass windows with a wire mesh to prevent further damage from the monkeys which abound in the premises as temporary relief. However, with a paltry sum of Rs 2000 a week coming in only for three months a year from tourist inflow to maintain and manage the church the entire year, the priest is a worried man. “We can’t last long like this. Everything in the church from the windows to the grounds is waiting for a makeover. We have approached the Himachal Pradesh Government a number of times but they can’t seem to arrange Rs 5 lakh to 7 lakh to preserve this ancient church. Our only source of income comes from the donations of tourists,” Rev Massih maintains. From over a 100 Christian families at this weekend getaway for residents of Chandigarh and around, the number has dwindled to only 10 families at this hill station. The rest of them have moved out to Delhi and Punjab, leaving the church poorer by their donations as well. Through this rough and tumble of life, magnanimity continues to be the hallmark of Christian families left behind. They pool in resources to arrange for a fresh coat of paint, whitewash and routine chores. Thanks to them the church has recently been able to fund the construction of a toilet. “I came a year back to this church and the first thing I did was to set the clock time right. It had developed a snag and had stopped working 30 years ago. Though it has started working, it is running fast. It will need more work, also more money but we are game for it,” the priest stated.
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Nadda for high-level probe against Bali
Palampur, June 29 At a press conference at the press club here today he said that he was ready to face a defamation case, by Mr Bali in a court. He said his statement in past few days to the media was based on facts. He said his charge of hiring of buses from a Gujarat transporter and later giving it on lease to the HRTC and the HPTDC have documentary evidence and he had his possession registration papers of these Volvo buses. He said in this deal the state exchequer suffered a loss of over Rs 20 lakh. Mr Nadda said the way Mr Bali attached private buses with the HRTC was highly illegal as no rules and regulations were followed. Even Bali allowed these private buses to have colour of the HRTC and later all lucrative routes to these private transporters. Mr Nadda said it was most unfortunate that the Chief Minister Vir Bhadra Singh had become a silent spectator to all illegal activities and deals of Mr Bali and had initiated no action. He said a judicial probe was ordered, all official records would be to bring out scrutinised the truth before the public. Mr Krishan Kapoor former Transport Minister who was also present at the conference said that the Bali had issued threats to BJP leaders who had made serious charges of corruption against him. He said Mr Bali should behave like a Cabinet Minister and not like anti-social element. |
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Leftists oppose move to hike bus fares
Kangra, June 29 In a statement here today, Mr Himal Chand , member state secretariat and district secretary CPI, said that it was unfortunate that the bus fares in the state were already overburdening the common people of the state and now the proposed move of the Transport Minister to increase it by 25 per cent more was fatal for the people. He suggested that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh should intervene and save the people of the state from ‘ fatal bus fare hike”. Mr Himal Chand threatened that if the move to hike the bus fares was not checked, the CPI and the CPM would launch struggle against the move. The Left parties demanded that the UPA government should withdraw the hike in the petrol and Diesel prices which has hit hard the common people. Both the parties condemned the violation of the Common Minimum programme by the UPA govt. |
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Judicial remand for taxation officer
Kangra, June 29 Chouhan could not be produced before the Additional District and Sessions Judge’s court at Dharamsala on health grounds today. However, the Vigilance Department opposed the bail and the court remanded him to judicial custody for two days. Mr Ashok Kumar Sharma, SP, Vigilance, said today that Chouhan complained of uneasiness last evening and was immediately taken to the Dr R.P. Government Medical College and Hospital, Dharamsala, where he was admitted. He said that on medical advice, he was not produced in the court today. |
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3 labourers buried under lintel
Una, June 29 This incident took place at about 7 p.m. All three persons died on the spot. According to police sources, names of the deceased are Atma Ram Meson (65) from Amlehar, Pawan Kumar (18) and Satish Kumar (45), both of Bane Di Hatti. A large number of villagers from the nearby area gathered there and helped administration to dig out the dead bodies and injured. Resentment prevailed among villagers over this incident. The casualty would have been much more as 10 or 12 labourers were working on the spot. Deputy Commissioner Rajneesh Kumar and SP Dinesh Yadav and SDM Nanda reached the spot immediately after getting the information of the incident. The DC immediately provided a relief of Rs 10,000 each for the deceased and Rs 1,000 each for the injured. The DC said though yesterday there was a resentment among the people of area, yet the position was now peaceful and under control.
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Sadhu murdered
Nurpur, June 29 |
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Justice Verma retires
Shimla, June 29 On his retirement, a full court reference was held on the court premises. |
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Kasauli, June 29
