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Power panel introduces new
Govt failed to deal with floods: Dhumal
NHPC fails to release grant for hospital
States to have NCC nagars
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Afforestation gets top priority
Small farmers victim of bureaucratic apathy
Prospectus not available in engg colleges
7 DCs shifted
Shiv Sena (Hindustan) flays Cong for neglecting Hindus
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Power panel introduces new tariff order
Shimla, July 3 The path-breaking tariff order which will serve as a beacon for other regulators has several innovative elements like a blueprint for the reorganisation of distribution circles to replace the existing vertically integrated field units by a horizontally disaggregated set up, a comprehensive policy for transfer and posting of employees and productivity-linked incentives for staff of the generation wing. The state electricity board will have little option but to comply with the directives as failure to do so will deny it the reform surcharge of Rs 50 crore which is a huge amount given its poor financial health. The commission came up with this novel idea as the board had not complied with most of its earlier directives. The commission has sent a clear message to the board and the government “reform or perish”. The directives are part of the road map developed by the commission for the next 10 years for a turnaround and pull the board out of the debt trap. If these are implemented, the financial health and efficiency of the board will improve and it will emerge as an autonomous commercial organisation. Under the reorganisation plan, the existing distribution circles will be treated as independent areas each controlled by a Superintending Engineer or Deputy Chief Engineer (Manager) who will function as the Chief Executive Officer. He will not have any Chief Engineer as the controlling officer and will report directly to the chairman of the board. Various functions like operation and maintenance (O and M), planning, design and construction (P, D and C), customer services, general administration and engineering resource management will be looked after by Executive Engineers (Deputy Managers) under the supervision of the area manager. The existing operation subdivisions will be restructured and renamed as O and M divisions, customer services divisions and P, D and C divisions. At least one O and M division and one P,D and C division will be located at the existing divisional headquarters. The board will get Rs 37.5 crore as incentive for reorganisation on these lines and Rs 2.5 crore for setting up training academy raised through 5 per cent reform surcharge. All transfers and postings will be monitored by an independent committee to be set up by the commission to ensure that there was no external influence. No officer or employee will be shifted in less than three years unless proved inefficient or involved in corrupt malpractices. The tenure shall not exceed two years in revenue sensitive circles and divisions to be identified by the board before August 1. They shall not be re-posted in such areas on the same post. Proposals for transfers within the circle will be submitted by the area manager concerned and for inter-circle postings by the heads of department directly to the committee. Inter-wing transfer proposal will be submitted by the secretary of the board to the committee. Those who have completed their posting in a tribal or hard area will not be posted in these areas again. |
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Govt failed to deal with floods: Dhumal
Nurpur, July 3 Mr Dhumal also flayed the government for hiking electricity tariff and added that the people who were reeling under the burden of professional tax, Value-added tax and hike in petrol and diesel prices had been burdened with electricity tariff. “The BJP government after coming into power will revoke professional tax in the state and reinstate the suspended employees of the state electricity board,” he asserted. Mr Dhumal alleged that the Virbhadra Singh government was anti-farmer, anti- fruit grower, anti-worker and anti-youth and its real face had been exposed in the budget in which every section of the society was burdened by imposing Value Added Tax and ‘Professional’ Tax. He said the government through its agency HIMFED, had provided spurious fertiliser, ineffective insecticides and defective potato seed to the farmers. He alleged corruption was rampant in the allotment of land by the industries department to the entrepreneurs for setting up units in the state. He demanded a CBI probe into the complaints of industrialists in this connection. He accused the government of making the Service Selection Board at Hamirpur defunct and termed the selection of parateachers in the state a big scam in which the interests of a particular area had been watched by making backdoor appointments. “Owing to the anti-people policies of the state
government, the Congress will face wrath of the people in the elections of the panchayati raj institutions,” he claimed. |
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NHPC fails to release grant for hospital
Kulu, July 3 In this tussle between the government and the NHPC patients are a suffered lot, who are not getting proper hospital facilities as the phase II of the zonal hospital, which was supposed to be funded by the NHPC has been hanging fire over the years. Under the provision the NHPC, which is executing the 2051 MW Parbati valley project in the Kulu valley has either to constrict a 150-bed hospital or fund the phaseII of the Kulu zonal hospital, revealed the sources. During the BJP-HVC regime in the state, when the project was inaugurated by then Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee the NHPC had agreed to fund the phase II, of the Kulu zonal hospital, the sources informed. The patient load has multiplied in the hospital as the labourers working in the hydro projects in the
district come for treatment here daily, said Dr BC Kapur, Chief Medical Officer, Kulu zonal hospital. “The NHPC has not released funds for the construction of the phase II so far, hitting the patient care in the hospital as patient load has increased here”, he informed. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had said that the NHPC was not obeying the environmental clearance norms, and other condition in the
MoU.” They have bypassed the norms and we would not allow them to work unless they take view of the state in getting clearance for the project”, he added, while responding to queries here last month. Director Health and Family Welfare, Dr RN Mohanta said that the NHPC has to construct the 150-bed hospital in the Kulu district or fund the phase II of the zonal hospital. “But the matter is hanging fire as the
promise is yet to materialise”, he said. Commenting on the issue the NHPC’s Parbati project, stage III, General Manager VK Sharma said that the company had agreed to give assistance of Rs. 2 crore for the constriction of the hospital, but the company can not release funds as the stage III is not been cleared by the state government. “The moment they get the approval they would release the funds for the hospital, he added. |
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States to have NCC nagars
Shimla, July 3 Stating this at a press conference here today, Lt-Gen Mohan Bhandari, Director-General of the NCC said as part of the modernisation programme, 50 Super Demona aircraft were being acquired from Australia. The Latest weapons had already been acquired and the training infrastructure was being upgraded. There were plans to expand the activities of the NCC by involving trainees in AIDS awareness and water harvesting programmes. The cadets would go to villages and educate the people about these programmes. The United Nations had sanctioned $ 5.5 million for the AIDS awareness programme to the organisation. At present, only about 4 per cent students had opted for the NCC which was quite low. In all, 13,800 educational institutions in the country had an NCC wing and another 4,000 were keen for it. Over 13 lakh students were undergoing NCC training out of which 17 per cent were girls. In Himachal 27 per cent girls had joined the NCC. Over the next four years a target to raise the percentage of girls to 33 had been fixed. The Central budget for the NCC was Rs 325 crore whereas states contributed Rs 300 crore. The Himachal Government was giving Rs 4.30 crore annually despite severe financial crunch. He said that to encourage students to join the NCC, the Himachal Government should reserve seats in medical, engineering, paramedical colleges and the police.
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Afforestation gets top priority
Solan, July 3 The Deputy Inspector-General of Forests, Mr Sanjay Kumar, who was here to attend a one-day workshop at Pinewood Barog, told The Tribune on Friday that as per the mandate of the national forest policy the hill and plain areas should have 66 and 33 per cent forest cover, respectively. He said concerted efforts of the department had enabled it to regenerate an area of 17 million hectares across the nation. This, he emphasised, had been made possible with the active involvement of the common people. Ruing the funds constraint he emphasized the need for direct investment from public and said more policy interventions were required to focus on this crucial aspect. Referring to the forest development agencies (FDAs) scheme, he said it would fetch self-employment opportunities to the people. With a budget of Rs 1115 crore, it would generate work worth 104 million mandays. |
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Small farmers victim of bureaucratic apathy
Mandi, July 3 “We have urged the bank authorities, which along with the State Cooperative Bank has a wide network in rural areas, to provide draft and pension facilities to farmers and pensioners,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Mandi district R.S. Gupta, who is also one of the member the eight-member board. Mr Gupta said farmers of Karsog were demanding draft and pension facilities from the bank. “The nationalised banks have branches in the remote areas. Rural banks can increase their customer base by giving various banking facilities to rural clients, he added. The urban clients are getting banking and credit facilities through anywhere banking, but the rural small farmers and pensioners squander their hard-earned money on travelling to towns and paying recollection charges”, bankers said. The chairman of the bank, Mr Gurdial Singh, said “pensioners can avail pension at branches where it is paid through the state treasuries.” |
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Prospectus not available in engg colleges
Sundernagar, July 3 According to parents, the prospectus which are printed by the Directorate of Technical Education, have been out of the stock since June 26 whereas the last date
of the submission of the applications was July 4. The counselling will be held in the second week of July. Same is the case of students who intend to seek admission in engineering colleges outside the state. The Directorate of Technical Education, Sundernagar, is sole controlling body of technical education in the state. It has its own website but still using traditional method for supplying prospectus, parents rued. If the directorate is unable to print prospectus in sufficient numbers it should upload it on its website and these forms along with
requisite fee could be taken from students, parents said. They urged the Chief Minister to extend the last date for filling forms of various engineering colleges and initiate an inquiry against guilty official. |
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7 DCs shifted
Shimla, July 3 Mr Rakesh Kaushal, Special Secretary, Public Works Department, has been transferred and posted as Director of Land Records. Mr Chamel Singh takes over as Deputy Commissioner, Kulu, relieving Mr Hans Raj Chauhan, Additional District Magistrate, Kulu, of the additional charge. Mrs Anita Tegta, Director, Ayurveda has been posted as Deputy Commissioner, Una, in place of Mr Rajneesh who is now posted as Deputy Commissioner, Hamirpur. Mr Maneesh Garg, Special Secretary, Industries and Information Technology, takes over as Deputy Commissioner, Bilaspur, in place of Mr Subhashish Panda, who has been posted as Deputy Commissioner, Mandi. Mr Devesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, Hamirpur, is now Director, Information Technology. He will also hold the additional charge of the post of Managing Director of the State Electronics Development Corporation. Mr Pushpendra Rajput, Deputy Commissioner, Lahaul and Spiti, has been transferred and posted as Deputy Commissioner, Chamba, relieving Mr Chaman Singh, Additional District Magistrate, Chamba, of the additional charge. Mrs Nandita Bajaj, Sub-Divisional Officer, Solan, has been posted as Settlement Officer, Kangra division at Dharamshala and Mr R. Selvam, Sub-Divisional Officer, Kangra, will be the new Deputy Commissioner of Lahaul and Spiti. Mr Deva Singh Negi, Joint
Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, is the new Joint Director of Panchayati Raj and Mr Arun Kumar Sharma, Sub-divisional Officer, Mandi, has been posted as Sub-Divisional Officer, Nichar. The transfer of Mr Inder Singh Bhardwaj, Sub-Divisional Officer, Kulu, has been cancelled. |
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Shiv Sena (Hindustan) flays Cong for neglecting Hindus
Palampur, July 3 Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, Mr Pawan Kumar said the UPA government had failed to watch the interests of the majority community. He said in the past, the Congress had suffered a lot and a number of its leaders were killed by those whom the Congress had given shelter. He said the terrorism in Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and other Northeastern states were the creation of the Congress. Mr Gupta said in Punjab, the Congress pampered Bhindranwale and later extreme steps were taken to eliminate him when the Army was called in Golden Temple. In reply to a question, he said the Shiv Sena (Hindustan) had parted its way from Bala Saheb Thackeray two years ago because of his interests limited to Maharashtra only. |
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Anti-encroachment drive hits only poor: BJP
Shimla, July 3 Mr Khusli Ram Balnatah, senior party leader, said those who had raised apple orchards on government land had not been evicted and only small farmers had been targeted by the administration. The approach was discriminatory as evident from the fact that all those ejected from Baghi to Sungri in the Shimla district were poor. The time of action was also wrong. The encroachments should have been removed before the sowing or after harvesting of crops. There was no point in axing apple trees or uprooting potato plants at this stage.
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Girl missing
Nalagarh, July 3 |
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