Shimla, December 5
The state electricity board has proposed an increase in the power tariff, ranging from 7.5 to 11 per cent, for various categories of non-domestic consumers.

The tariff for non-commercial, non-domestic consumers is proposed to be increased by 7.5 per cent and for bulk consumers by 10 per cent. The maximum increase of 10.5 per cent has been proposed for the commercial category. The tariff for public water supply is to be raised by a nominal 2.5 per cent.

The board has filed an annual revenue requirement (ARR) of Rs 1,718 crore for 2006-07 before the state electricity regulatory commission. The income from existing tariff is estimated at Rs 1,449 crore, projecting a revenue gap of Rs 269 crore. The proposed hike will help recover only Rs 70 crore. Enhanced government subsidy will bring another Rs 46 crore. A revenue gap of Rs 151 crore has been left uncovered

The board has pleaded with the commission to approve the creation of a regulatory asset for the balance of revenue gap to be recovered over subsequent years. Similar pleas by the board in previous two tariff applications had been turned down.

The cost of supply will remain at Rs 3.40 per unit whereas the average realisation will improve from Rs 2.86 per unit to Rs 3.01 per unit. While the commission has been pestering the board to bring down the employees cost of Rs 1.34 per unit, which was highest in the country, the ARR reveals that it was bound to go up further. The employee cost has been projected at Rs 468 crore as against Rs 422 crore approved by the commission for 2005-06.

The total availability of power has been put at 6,140 million units, including the board’s own generation of 1,721 million units. The requirement within the state is projected at 4,973 million units. The board’s generation will increase by about 400 million units over the previous year with the commissioning of the 126 MW Larji and the 16 MW Khauli projects.

The board had submitted an ARR of Rs 1,446 crore for 2005-06 but the commission approved only Rs 1286 crore.

Shimla, December 5
For the first time in the 53-year-old history of the Himachal Vidhan Sabha, an Assembly session will be held outside Shimla.

A notification issued by the Raj Bhavan here today said that the winter session would be held at Dharamsala in the “Prayas Bhavan” of the local Government Degree College from December 26 to 29. There will be four sittings in all and one day has been earmarked for private member business.

Holding of session at Dharamsala is a tactical move of the Congress to blunt the opposition criticism that lower Himachal areas were being discriminated. The BJP had been demanding winter capital status for Dharamasala and by holding Assembly session, the Congress had given an indication that it was serious about developing the divisional headquarters of Kangra as the second capital of the state.

The Chief Minister Mr Virbhadra Singh had earlier started the winter move to focus attention on development activities in the Kangra region. The move will also enable him to silent his detractors within the party like Maj Mankotia who had been alleging that Kangra was being ignored.

Shimla, December 5
The issue of holding a session of the state Assembly at Dharamshala has been embroiled in controversy as the BJP today termed it as violation of the model code of conduct and made a formal complaint before the state Election Commission.

Accusing the Chief Minister and his ministerial colleagues of violating the code of conduct in view of the ensuing panchayat elections, the BJP today made a formal complaint before the commission. It sought action against these acts of violation to ensure free and fair elections.

Four BJP MLA’s Mr Harinarain Saini, Mr Vikram Thakur, Mr Satpal Singh and Mr Virender Kanwar — today brought to the notice of the state election Commissioner, various acts of violation of the code of conduct. They made the complaint with clippings of various newspaper reports in this regard.

Stating that the BJP was a party which respected democratic traditions and norms they demanded that action should be taken for violating the code of conduct which came into force from November 21.

They said the Chief Minister on World Disabled Day again violated the code of conduct by stating that 3 per cent vacancies reserved for the disabled would be filled at the earliest.

The BJP legislators said these announcements were clearly made to woo the people of Kangra. They also accused the government of tampering with the electoral rolls.

Citing other examples, they said action should be taken immediately so that the government did not make more announcements. They also pointed out that the Chief Minister and all his ministerial colleagues were using their official vehicles and staff and campaigning in favour of the party-backed candidates.

Karsog, December 5
The villagers are gearing up for the panchayati raj elections in the state, but the villagers in Mashogal Panchayat in Gohar block are restlessly “cool” for many reasons.

The panchayat is reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC), although it has just 12 SC votes, claimed the villagers. “It has only one SC family in the entire panchayat”, claimed Mr M.S. Malik, a resident of Mashogal.

The villagers rue that the authorities have created more problems for them because of wrong delimitation process over the years. Since the panchayat has no link road and no dispensary, the villagers have to travel on foot to carry the sick patients.

The irony of the situation is that the panchayat falls in the Gohar block, but its tehsil headquaters is Sundernagar, which is another sub-division. The villagers have to go to tehsil work to Sundernagar, but for block work to Gohar.

The panchayat falls in Nachen, reserved constituency, being represented by the Congress MLA, Mr Tek Chand Dogra. “But for all practical purposes, we depend on Karsog town for selling and buying of goods as it is nearer to the panchayat area”, the villagers said.

The villagers told The Tribune that nobody had listened to their grievances. “We have given many resolutions to solve our problems, but the problems created by politicians have kept the panchayat backward linking it with different subdivision. The panchayat should have been included in Karsog block. But all has fallen on deaf ears, said Mr Malik.

What is more interesting is that there is only one SC male candidate, Pawan Kumar (20) who is available for the contest, but he is not eligible, being under 21.

The District Panchayat Officer, Mr Sohal Lal Sahani, said the panchayats are reserved on the basis of rotation as per the provisions in the Panchayati Raj Act. If there is no candidate with a minimum age of 21 for the election, the post would remain vacant, he said.

Mandi, December 5
Residents of the Notified Area Committee (NAC), Riwalsar, today boycotted the nagar panchayat poll and submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner through the assistant returning officer here.

The NAC Riwalsar did not file any nomination, the last date for which ended today.

The seven-member NAC Riwalsar today convened the meeting chaired by Mr Surinder Kumar, Chairman, and attended by ward members and residents and decided that they would boycott the poll.

They demanded the restoration of the status of the gram panchayat, Riwalsar, from the NAC declared in 1988.

The ward members rued that over 60 per cent of the population in the NAC, were farmers. “The residents are paying house tax, water tax, electricity and other indirect tax without getting any facilities”, they complained.

Mr Kumar said: “We have sent the memorandum to the DC, announcing the reason for the boycott”.

The residents cited examples of Sarkaghat, Karsog, Ner Chowk and other gram panchayats and the NAC area, where residents had all facilities but many continued to be gram panchayats. “Either the government should provide all facilities or the NAC should be denotified and be restored as a gram panchayat”, the residents said.

Solan, December 5
The BJP today charged the Congress of letting loose a reign of terror to secure victory in the ensuing elections to the panchayati raj institutes in the state. The state spokesman and local BJP MLA, Dr Rajiv Bindal, today alleged that the son of a zila parishad (ZP) member not only attacked a doctor with a sharpedged weapon, but also threatened him after calling him to his house last evening.

Addressing mediapersons, he said it was disturbing that the doctor who had merely attested the forms of a BJP candidate contesting for the post of a panchayat pradhan had to put up with this.

He produced copies of an apology letter reportedly written by the ZP member, wherein he admitted that the doctor had been manhandled.