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Nathpa Jhakri powerhouse flooded
Centre okays Chamera-III project
Melting glaciers may spell doom
Bhuntar airport expansion plan hits roadblock
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British PM to reach Shimla on Sept 8
World Bank nod to forestry project
111 make it to IRB
Rajgarh fire case takes new turn
High Court notice to Asha Kumari
Students celebrate Teachers’ Day
Primary sports marks Teachers’ Day
5 teachers get state awards
Nursery teachers on JBT posts to be regularised
Bear mauls woman
Gohana arson condemned
Row over entry tax
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Nathpa Jhakri powerhouse flooded
Shimla, September 5 The accident occurred at 10.30 pm when the labyrinth pipe of the fourth generating unit burst. The pipe evacuates leakage water from the turbines during operation. The bursting of the pipe led to backflow of water from the tail pool submerging the lower portion of the powerhouse. There was no loss of life as water entered slowly. Two storeys of the seven-storey cavern housing the powerhouse have been submerged. The engineers could do nothing as the pumping machinery installed at the bottom was first to be submerged. The lower portion of the turbines has also been submerged. However, the electrical parts are safe. Engineers of Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam started pumping out water to ensure that the water level did not rise any further. Mr H.K. Sharma, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, and other senior functionaries of the Nigam, rushed to Jhakri immediately. It will take quite some time to make the project operational again. The water will have to be pumped out of the powerhouse to assess the damage to the machinery. The labyrinth pipes of all the units will have to be inspected and corrective measures taken to ensure that there is no recurrence of such a mishap. The project when operating on full capacity generates 37 million units of power daily. Thus, the financial loss to the Nigam due to closure of the project will be over Rs 9 crore per day. The power crisis in the northern states, particularly Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, which are supplied power from the project, will further worsen. There has been a shortfall of about 1600 million units till date during the current year and the Nigam has already suffered a loss of Rs 380 crore. The accident has taken place at a time when the level of silt had come down and the Nigam was hoping to make up for the lost generation during September and October. In fact, the project started generation at full capacity only yesterday morning when all the six units were put into operation after a gap of more than two months. The countries biggest hydropower project has been facing problems from day one. It has been repeatedly shutdown because of excessive silt over the past two years. The turbines have been suffering extensive damage due to silt forcing the Nigam to spend crores of rupees on repairs and maintenance. The project has been mostly operating below its installed capacity of 1500 MW. |
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Centre okays Chamera-III project
Chamba, September 5 In an official communique issued here today, Mr A.K. Gangopadhyay, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), said the work on the construction of access roads and infrastructure facilities of the project were in full swing. The project was estimated to cost about Rs 1,405.63 crore and would be completed within a period of five years, the CMD said. The project is located on the Ravi in Chamba district, 145 km away from Pathankot, the nearest railhead. It envisages diversion of the Ravi into an underground powerhouse at Dharwala village and discharging the tail water into the same river course. The project envisages construction of 68m high concrete gravity dam at Tundah, 15.93 km long headcare tunnel, 18 m dia and 110 m high surge shaft, 125 m long tailrace tunnel and underground power house with three units of 77 MW each at Dharwala village. The project will generate 1,108.17 million units annually in a 90 per cent dependable year. |
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Melting glaciers may spell doom
Keylong (Lahaul), September 5 The Bara Shigri Glacier that runs for 25 kms from Batal in Lahaul across the Pin-Parbati Pass in Parbati valley has retreated by 3 kms from the bank of the Chandra river, says adding Mr Norbu Paans, President, Layul Mountaineers and Skiing Association (LMSA), Keylong. “In 1985, it was about 500 mtrs away from the Chandra river. But today, it has receded and lies about 3 kms away from the river”. Rahu-Ketu glacier in Chandra valley and Kang-La glacier that feed Chenab river have also shrunk over the years. “In a month, Kangla glacier melted on an average by nearly two feet”, he observes. Almost all of Lahaul’s over 250 small and big glaciers are receding. “By August 25, all the nallahs flowing from the snout of the glaciers used to clear up. But today, most of nallahs flow, carrying silt and morain from the glaciers, which shows that glaciers are still melting”, reveal the LMSA members. Mr Chering Dorjee, a local mountaineer, who guides mountaineers in the Himalayas says: “Tino and other smaller glaciers that feed the Bhaga river have receded by 1 km to 2 kms during the last 7 years. The Mulkila mountain and Lady of Keylong peak now have lesser snow cover as the valley is experiencing lesser snowfall since 1998”, he observes. The mountaineers blame drastic rise in local temperature and a decrease in snowfall during winter months as the reasons behind retreating glaciers in the valley. “The temperature is shooting up. Until 5 years ago, Lahaul’s peak summer temperature used to be between 20°C to 22°C. But this summer, it has gone beyond 25°C”, says Mr Paans, a mountaineer, who trains local children in adventure sports and rescue operation in avalanches and glaciers. Giving the reasons behind the rising temperature, he says: “Over 1000 tourist and army vehicles move in and out from the valley almost every day. Army vehicles plied on the Manali-Leh national highway after the Kargil war. They release smoke and cause pollution here”. Another main reason for rising the temperature is the tin-roofed concrete houses — a trend that the government stared in the valley in its government buildings. “It has ruined local architecture of eco-friendly mud and brick houses. The houses reflect the heat, increasing the temperature in the valley”, observes Mr Dorjee. The receding glaciers will hit the state’s ambitious 21000 MW hydro power generation as the rivers depend on melting waters from the glaciers. Besides, the rapid melting can trigger flash floods, says Mr Dorji. The receding glaciers will hit local economy badly. The water from the glaciers irrigate the cash crops like seed potatoes, peas and other vegetation, says the local villagers. The lean snowfall is another major factor why the glaciers are receding, “In the pre-1998 period, even villages used to record 7-10 ft. of snowfall. But except for last year, which recorded over 4-5 ft of snow, the valley has been experiencing lesser snowfall since 1998”, they inform. |
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Bhuntar airport expansion plan hits roadblock
Kulu, September 5 The expansion plan has been put on hold for the time being as the government has neither allocated funds for the project nor given its nod to the Centre to extend the present runway, which extends right into the Beas. Even if the runaway is extended from the current 800m to 1500m on the bridge across the Beas, the airport will be operating only the 42-seater ATR aircrafts, revealed the officials. “We have to chop off the Larji hill facing the Bhuntar airport to let the big aircraft land here as the hill acts as a natural barrier to the big aircraft. It further involves huge cost and environmental concern, thus the plan to chop off
the hill has been shelved for the time being”, the sources said. Though the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Rurkee, has done the feasibility study of the expansion plan of the airport and submitted the same to the government few months ago, but the government is still apprehensive. The state officials revealed that the government was concerned about the extension across the Beas as the runway might face fury of the floods, which had been striking the Beas over the years. Apart from environmental concerns, the fund-starved government is also bothered by the huge cost involved. Mr K.M. Nehra Senior Manager, ATC, Bhuntar Airport, said. “The present runway operates 21-seater dornier aircraft, but it if can also accommodate the 42-seater aircraft provided it does not take the full load. The runway needs to be extended across the Beas through a bridge to operate the bigger aircraft”, he informed. |
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British PM to reach Shimla on Sept 8
Shimla, September 5 The two leaders are scheduled hold a luncheon meeting at the Wildflower Hotel, near here, to discuss bilateral issues. The official delegations of the two countries are also likely to hold talks. Mr Blair will be accompanied by his wife Mrs Cherie Blair. The couple will land at Kalyani helipad and drive straight to the hotel. The Blairs will arrive at New Delhi on September 7. Security arrangements are being made for the visit. The entire forest area between Kalyani and Chhrabra is being combed by security forces. |
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World Bank nod to forestry project
Nurpur, September 5 Addressing a press conference at Jawali last evening, Mr Chander Kumar, MP from Kangra, said under the project the departments of Forest, Horticulture, Agriculture and Wildlife would be incorporated as components and all 12 districts in the state would be covered under it. “The Conservators of Forest will function as nodal officers of the project at all district headquarters,” he added. He said the state government had mooted the project when he was the Forest Minister. He said a Rs 1600 crore integrated tourism development project for Kangra and Chamba districts was also in the pipeline. |
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111 make it to IRB
Mandi, September 5 Mr Thakur, who is the Chairman of the recruitment board, said in a press note that of the 9,927 candidates who turned up for recruitment, 1,712 were rejected as they did not fulfil the criteria. As many as 4,472 candidates failed to clear the physical tests. Mr Thakur said of the 3,743 candidates who qualified these tests, only 1,485 cleared the written test, and were called for interview. “Twentyfive vacancies of the total 136 will be filled from the ex-servicemen and sports quota”, he said. |
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Rajgarh fire case takes new turn
Nahan, September 5 Yesterday, on specific information provided by local residents of Sarva village, a police party started the search for a body reported in the nearby forest. The police was surprised to find the body of Bal Bahadur, an employee of the HP Forest Corporation Limited, who was reported to have been burnt alive in the fire, which destroyed his hut on the night of Wednesday last along with his wife Raj Kumari (52). Superintendent of Police S.R. Sharma this evening confirmed the new turn in the fire case and added that a case under Section 302 of the IPC had been registered in this regard. He said that preliminary investigations in this case had revealed that Bal Bahadur (56) was murdered with a Khukhri in the jungle, about 1.5 km from his hut adjacent to Sarva village. Deep injuries of Khukhri had been found on his neck and a Khukhri cover had also been recovered along with the body from the spot. Mr Sharma said the whole case was now being investigated with a new angle. Bones recovered from the gutted hut of Bal Bahadur were being sent for forensic examination, he added. |
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High Court notice to Asha Kumari
Shimla, September 5 A Division Bench, comprising acting Chief Justice L.S. Panta and Mr Justice Surjit Singh, issued the notice on the reference sent by a former Special Judge, Chamba , Mr P.D. Goel, to the court for initiating contempt proceedings against the former minister. The court also directed Ms Asha to file her reply within six weeks. The reference sent by Mr Goel, who has framed charges against her in a land grab case, stated that she had caused interference in court proceedings. |
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Students celebrate Teachers’ Day
Dharamsala, September 5 Rakesh Kumar Sharma, executive member of the ABVP, said teachers should go beyond the books and focus on overall personality of students. Members of the SCA also distributed sweets among teachers and students on the occasion. An award was instituted on the occasion of Teachers’ Day by the Government College of Teachers’ Association here today. It was also decided to begin golden jubilee celebrations of the college, which would complete 50 years next year. Mr S.N. Sachar, a retired principal of the college and Mr Lehmber Singh, a retired lecturer from the college, were presented the award for this year. Mr Shashi Bhushan Sekhri, college principal, said that the award would be given every year to honour college teachers who have made significant contribution in the field of education. The students of the college to celebrate Teachers’ Day presented a cultural programme. |
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Primary sports marks Teachers’ Day
Solan, September 5 Students from 24 schools in Solan took part in the competition. Mrs Satya Sharma, Deputy Director, Primary Education, Solan was the chief guest on the occasion. The headmaster, Mr Bhajan Singh, said the school has always
been known for both curricular and extra-curricular activities. The students, led by physical education teacher Raja Ram, stood in a long queue for quite some time to receive the chief guest. The school has an excellent orchestra. |
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5 teachers get state awards
Shimla, September 5 While Mr Durga Dass of Hamirpur, Mr Subhash Chand and Mr Ranvir Singh of Kangra district, Mrs Shashi Duggal of Sirmaur and Mr Prakash Chand Rao of Bilaspur were presented cash awards of Rs 25,000 each , national awardees — Mr Kailash Sharma and Mr Santosh Singh of Sirmaur and Mr Sunder Lal Chauhan of Shimla — received a cash prize of Rs 50,000 each. Mr Virbhadra Singh, Chief Minister, presided over the function. Addressing, the gathering Mr Kokje gave a clarion call to the teaching fraternity to dedicate itself to the cause of education and said emphasis should be on inculcating moral values in students, besides imparting quality education. He said Himachal Pradesh had achieved the distinction of being the leading state in various sectors, education being one of
them. The state was bound to emerge as a centre of excellence in learning as it had the best educational network in the country. Mr Virbhadra Singh said the state had emerged as a role model in many sectors and recently it had been awarded for achieving the top position in education. He said there were less than 300 educational institutions at the time of the formation of the state and the number had increased to about 15,000 now . Emphasis was being laid on consolidation of the existing infrastructure and to bring a qualitative improvement in education. He said today educational facilities were available even in the remotest corner of the state. |
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Nursery teachers on JBT posts to be regularised
Shimla, September 5 This decision was taken at a meeting of the state Cabinet under the chairmanship Chief Minister, Virbhadra Singh, here today. It also approved the amalgamation of the category of gram Vidya Upask with the assistant primary teacher cadre. The Cabinet decided to take over assets and liabilities of 13 grant -in-aid schools and the services of the staff in the minimum pay scale of their respective cadre. The services of those who did not fulfil the requisite qualifications would be taken over on contract against a lower post. The services of the staff of the Sant Dhangowala college in Santokhgarh were also taken over. Creation of three posts of assistant district attorney at Kasuali, Shimla and Sundernagar in the converted courts of special judicial magistrate was approved. It gave its nod for opening a homoeopathic Medical College at Chamabghat in Solan in the private sector and a judicial academy at Harvington Estate in Shimla. A proposal to enhance the training period of patwaris from one year to 18 months ,which will include settlement training school in Mohal, was approved. It allowed home town LTC to employees even outside the state. So far it was restricted only within the state. As per another decision the minimum size of apple to be procured under the market intervention scheme was reduced from 60 mm to 51 mm in diameter. The rules under the State Apartment and Property Regulation Act were approved. |
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Bear mauls woman
Mandi, September 5 Raju, a teenager from the Pandoh area, lost his eyes after he was attacked by the bear last month. Tinkri Devi has been referred to IGMC, Shimla. Villagers have voiced concern over the rising incidents of bear and wild boars attacking human beings and domestic animals. The villagers saved the woman from the bear after hearing her screams. The victim was still in a state of trauma at the IGMC, said her relative. Soaring armies of wild boars in low-lying villages in the Mandi-Bilaspur-Hamirpur-Solan belt have wreaked havoc, damaging standing crops of maize, vegetables and pulses, according to reports here. In the Jogindernagar, Sundernagar and Gohar areas, wild boars are giving sleepless nights to farmers. “Wild boars come in large numbers from the surrounding jungles and eat and damage maize and vegetable crops every night”, said Mangat Ram, a resident of Dhron in Jogindernagar subdivision. |
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Gohana arson condemned
Dharamsala, September 5 Mr S.S. Kagra, president of the action committee, said that they had demanded a time-bound CBI inquiry into the incident. They also demanded compensation for the families whose houses were torched and that they be given adequate security to avoid such untoward incidents in future. |
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Row over
entry tax Parwanoo, September 5 This caused disruption in traffic on the highway for half an hour. A police personnel deputed at the barrier threatened me with dire consequences if I did not pay the tax, Mr Beri alleged.
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Keylong (Lahaul), September 5
Solan, September 5
