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Army uses aerial ropeways to ferry bridging equipment
No takers for timber
at auctions
NTPC charge-sheets 8 more workers
New power
tarrif:
industrialists move tribunal
Congress a house divided,
says BJP |
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Crackers market goes up in flames
Welfare fund for oustees only: minister
Tributes paid to Indira Gandhi
New transfer policy soon: minister
Kokje, CM greet people on Divali
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Army uses aerial ropeways to ferry bridging equipment
Chandigarh, October 31 The equipment is being ferried to Khab even as the Army has started reconstruction of the bridge that had collapsed near Kharo, killing 34 army men, including two officers. The bridges lie on National Highway 22, the lifeline of Kinnaur and Lahaul Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh. Khab lies ahead of Kharo while proceeding towards Puh from Shimla. The 18 Engineer Regiment, tasked with rebuilding the bridge at Kharo, has mover 51 vehicle-loads of stores and equipment across the Sutlej so far for the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The BRO is launching the bridge at Khab. The regiment is also assisting in ferrying bridging equipment through aerial cableway for the PWD for construction of a bridge at Apka. Aerial cableways are also being used to ferry apple crop and other essential commodities across the Sutlej. About 195 tonnes of load has been ferried through cableways so far. It may be recalled that six bridges across the Sutlej and large tracts of the national highway were damaged or washed away after water levels in the Sutlej increased significantly in June. As the reconstruction of the bailey bridge at Kharo was nearing completion, it collapsed, killing 24 personnel form 18 Engineers, who were working on it. As a tribute to the martyrs, the same unit is re-launching the new bridge. |
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No takers for timber
at auctions
Shimla, October 31 The Forest Corporation, the sole agency for felling of trees, is finding it difficult of dispose of timber as contractors are boycotting auctions in protest against the decision. No contractor participated in the auctions held at Mantruwala, Nurpur and Bhadroya over the past one month. As a result the corporation has not been able to sell timber worth over Rs 9 crore and is lying unsold at its depots. The contractors are demanding that timber should be taken out from the negative list so that they were eligible for input tax credit at various stages. However, the Excise and Taxation Department maintains that allowing input tax credit will cause a huge tax loss to the government. Timber, limestone and some other items had been purposely put in the negative list. Before implementation of VAT, sales tax was charged at the rate of 30 per cent. However, under the new tax regime there are only two slabs of 4 and 12.50 per cent. The government has put timber in the 12.50 percent slab, which was far lower than the earlier rate of 30 percent. Thus, it decided to put it in the negative list so that there was no significant loss to the state exchequer due to the implementation of VAT. If the demand of the contractors was accepted they could go in for inter-state sales to avoid tax. |
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NTPC charge-sheets 8 more workers
Mandi, October 31 The KDWU today held a protest rally at the Kol Dam and demanded the withdrawal of charge-sheet issued against over eighty workers for the last three days. “We will not budge from our demands of wage hike. The NTPC should revoke suspension order against 14 workers,” they asserted. “The ITDC-NTPC had suspended 14 workers without any reason,” said Mr Raj Kumar. “The demand for the 48 per cent hike is justified as the workers have lost over 80 per cent they used to get from the contractor earlier,” he claimed. Though the Labour Officer, Mandi, has called workers, the NTPC and the ITDC authorities on November 2 for talks, but the NTPC had demanded one additional police battalion for protection. It had already alerted the 150 men from the Industrial Security Force at the site. The ITDC’s General Manager (HR), Mr D.D. Pandey, said workers reached the work around 9.45 am, one and half hour late from the schedule time of 8 am on Saturday after the gate meeting. “We have issued show cause notice to some workers, who provoked other workers to slow down work output illegally,” he claimed. The NTPC General Manager, Mr R.B. Pathak, said the workers had to resume work during the scheduled 8 am to 5 pm daily for day shift. “The workers were suspended as they tried to intimidate other workers to join the protest and slow down work illegally,”
he added. “We had offered them 10 per cent hike, the highest in the government sector. But they demanded 48 per cent, which is unjustified in a government sector.” he said. Mr Kumar said that they had not slowed down the work and they were working as per the NTPC norms of “speed and over-speed”. |
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New power
tarrif: industrialists move tribunal Parwanoo, October 31 The new tariff, as per the associations, was based on wrong calculation of weighted average loss. The weighted average loss for sales at 132 KV and at 66 KV and above would workout to be 3.59 per cent instead of 3.68 per cent. It would affect the calculation of loss at other voltages also, thereby affecting the cost of supply and the tariff calculations, claimed the associations. “The principles lay down under Sections 61 and 62 of the Electricity Supply Act, 2003, have not been strictly followed for all categories. Under the new policy, the average cost per unit for commercial, small, medium and large industry working on single shift or three-shift basis works out to be very high. Such abnormal increase, ranging from 4.1 per cent to 30 per cent as against the projected figure of 2 per cent to 13.5 per cent, is likely to affect a majority of consumers.” Earlier, the HPERC has rejected the review petition to seek amendments in the new power tariff policy.
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Congress a house divided,
says BJP Kangra, October 31 Mr Kapoor said this while addressing a press conference at Dharamsala. He said infighting in the state Congress came to the fore when senior Congress leaders from Kangra district challenged Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for indulging in regionalism and ignoring the merged areas. He said HPCC chief Viplove Thakur did not attend the Congress public meeting at Nagrota Bagwan, which was attended by the Chief Minister. He alleged that the government had become the den of corruption, forcing its own party MLAs
and senior leaders to raise the issue before the people and the party leadership. He said that HRTC employees were not paid salaries but the HRTC buses were pressed to bring people to the rally site free of cost. He accused the Chief Minister of selling the prime state land to foreign companies or to his own blue-eyed boys.
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Crackers market goes up in flames
Shimla, October 31 While there was no loss of life, most of the 90-odd stalls were destroyed in the blaze. Some children received minor injuries. One child was taken to hospital for treatment. Panic gripped people, particularly in the adjoining Mall Road and Lower Bazar, as bursting crackers lit the evening sky. The deafening sounds of crackers and a huge column of smoke which rose into the sky menacingly made the people run helter and skelter. However, the police arrived in strength in time and controlled the situation. There was no water in the fire hydrant which initially hampered fire-fighting operations. Mr Jog Raj Thakur, SP, said that though most of the stalls were affected by blaze, a good part of stocks was saved. However, the vendors maintained that the everything was destroyed as water jets used to quench the flames had soaked the crackers and they could not be sold. The total loss ran into lakhs of rupees. |
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Welfare fund for oustees only: minister
Nurpur, October 31 Talking to mediapersons here last evening, Mr Mahajan alleged that the previous BJP government had misused the fund. Mr Mahajan who is also president of the Pong Dam Oustees Rehabilitation and Advisory Committee, said that the oustees who were having an annual income below Rs 10,000, would get a special financial assistance which would be decided by the advisory committee. “The oustees suffering from the dreaded disease like cancer would also get financial help for their treatment,” he added. He expressing satisfaction over the report submitted by the 12-member panel of Pong Dam oustees, which had visited Rajasthan in September to know the problems of the oustees who had been rehabilitated there. |
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Tributes paid to Indira Gandhi
Shimla, October 31 Mr Virbhadra Singh, the HP Congress Committee chief, Mrs Viplove Thakur, ministers, MLA’s and other party office-bearers paid tributes to Indira Gandhi at her statute here. Mr Virbhadra Singh said the real tribute to Indira Gandhi would be to spread the message of peace, universal brotherhood and communal harmony. He said the hill state had a special place in the heart of Indira Gandhi, who had visited the tribal areas of Kaza and Tabo only a month before her assassination. “She was extremely considerate towards the problems of the poor, needy and the weaker sections, for which she did a lot,” he said. He also addressed party leaders and workers at the Congress office on the Mall. The Chief Minister said the people of Himachal would always remain indebted towards the Nehru-Gandhi family, who did a lot for the state. |
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New transfer policy soon: minister
Shimla, October 31 This was stated by the Irrigation and Public Health Minister, Mr Kaul Singh Thakur, who is the chairman of the new transfer policy committee, here today. Mr Thakur said a meeting of the representatives of the associations, NGO organisations and the corporate sector would be held so that suggestions and views could be invited and incorporated to ensure transparency. |
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Kokje, CM greet people on Divali
Shimla, October 31 In his message, Mr Kokje said the festival of lights symbolised journey from ignorance towards knowledge. He expressed the hope that it would bring happiness and prosperity in the life of the people. |
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