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INLD: Probe power purchase pact
Bishnoi hints at new party after UP poll
Mobile courts for Haryana soon
Power cuts paralyse life
Independent transformers for consumers
Rural development agency on the cards
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Lohri celebrated for girl child
‘Regional imbalance in tech institutes’
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INLD: Probe power purchase pact
Karnal, January 14 The government reportedly agreed to buy power from Budhil Hydro (HP) and Amarkantak (Chhattisgarh) coal-based power projects, owned by the LANCO group, for the next 35 and 25 years. Senior INLD leader and former Finance Minister Sampat Singh said on Friday the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) had raised objections over the deal but the government was reluctant to reply. Demanding an independent inquiry into the irregularities, he said the LANCO company had agreed to sell power in UP for Rs 1.91 per/unit whereas the Haryana Government had clinched the deal for Rs 2.75 per/unit. He said had the government gone by the rules crores could be saved. Criticising Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who also holds the power portfolio, Mr Sampat Singh alleged the government had “intentionally” deviated from bidding to favour the company. He revealed recently the company failed to get coal purchase permission from coal companies at Dhanbad and Sehdol, near Nagpur. He said the government had not bothered to ensure coal linkage of the company before signing the agreement. Showing a copy of objections raised by the HERC (a copy of which is with The Tribune), he claimed the government had not followed the rules laid down by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) under the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). The INLD leader said the HERC document had mentioned the causes of coal linkage/transportation charges, handling losses were not provided in the PPA. He claimed the HERC had given several comments in writing against the PPA involving a private party, which was set up by a former Congress MP. Referring to the documents, INLD president Ashok Arora said the Amarkantak project neither fit into financial closure norm nor did other norms i.e. PPA filed before the policy notification etc. However, the Haryana Government’s stand “the state should safeguard its interests even if a deviation has to be made from the policy and asked for “serious consideration”, reads the HERC noting. Questioning the government’s decision to pay more than prescribed amount (i.e. four paisa/unit) to the power-trading corporation (PTC), he said the HERC had also objected to the government deciding to pay five paise (1- 12 years) and 10 paise (13-25 years). The INLD leaders said the agreement was also silent on fuel price adjustment (FPA) as prices of coal and oil used in the projects were mobile (upwards). |
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Bishnoi hints at new party after UP poll
Panipat, January 14 Categorically revealing about the meetings with their supporters in the state, Mr Bishnoi said consultations were being held to know the views of people in the state. After these were over an announcement regarding a new party could be made at a rally proposed to be held in Rohtak in May or June. "Mr Bhajan Lal was a synonym of the Congress in the state and the Congress in the state could be seen only where he was present," he said. Urging the leaders from all political parties not to participate in the Assembly elections of Punjab in the interest of the state, the MP said both parties, including the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal, in Punjab were working against the interests of Haryana by not giving the share of Haryana in SYL water. "Mr Bhajan Lal was asked by Ms Sonia Gandhi to participate in the Punjab elections to support the Congress, which he refused, saying that he could not support that government which had denied the rights of Haryana," claimed Mr Bishnoi. He alleged that Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had ignored his suggestions on SEZ with regard to the interests of people. He did not even bother to reply to a letter consisting of suggestions regarding the critical condition of farmers and unemployed youth in the state even after a month, he said. Producing copies of a letter written by him to the Chief Minister to the reporters, Mr Bishnoi said the Chief Minister was urged to call an emergency session of the Assembly and introduce a Bill to prevent the conversion or diversion of fertile land into that for industrial purpose. At present 60 SEZs were proposed to be set up in the state, he further said. |
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Mobile courts for Haryana soon
Chandigarh, January 14 According to information available here, the call for setting up mobile courts, particularly in the Mewat, one of the most backward areas of Haryana, was given by Justice Jain while inaugurating a permanent Lok Adalat pertaining to public utility services in Gurgaon yesterday. Mr Hooda, who was also present at the function, readily agreed to provide full cooperation for setting up the courts. Justice Jain said the common man was affected by the services of public utilities in his day-to-day life. He needed the immediate redressal of his grievances. The permanent Lok Adalat for public utility services in Gurgaon would provide speedy and inexpensive justice. He said there was a plan to set up two more permanent Lok Adalats at Ambala and Rohtak in the near future. The Chief Justice called upon the judicial officers to make rural Lok Adalats in Haryana an effective system of resolution of disputes so that rural population might get speedy and inexpensive justice at their door step. The member-secretary, Haryana State Legal Services Authority, Mr Shekhar Dhawan, said this was the second permanent Lok Adalat for dealing with matters relating to transport services, airlines, postal, telegraph or telephone service and the supply of power or water, sanitation, hospital services, and insurance services. The first such Lok Adalat was established in Hisar on April 1 last.
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Power cuts paralyse life
Kaithal, January 14 The consumers say that the present power crisis has been the worse. Industrialists, agriculturists, small manufacturers, shopkeepers and domestic consumers attribute it to the poor management by the government and demand immediate steps to improve the situation. A number of industrial and non-domestic consumers have taken strong exception to the principal of minimum charges imposed by power boards when the power is available for just seven-eight hours a day. They want the government to withdraw the condition of minimum charges till power is available for 24 hours regularly. They seek relief by way of refund of the amount charged from consumers. Generators have become a necessity but the noise and air pollution caused by them has aggravated the situation. Daily use of generators for long hours has increased the cost of manufacturing and all other services, increasing the burden of the consumers. Announcements by the government functionaries regarding setting up of power houses in the next three-four years to increase power generation have failed to console lakhs of power consumers. A section of the people believe that the Haryana Government is giving a share of power supply to Delhi at the behest of Central Government. |
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Independent transformers for consumers
Bhiwani, January 14 While stating this here today, a spokesman of power utilities said consumers of other categories were also being encouraged to take independent transformers. Industrial units having a load of 250 kw or more had been allowed independent feeders and transformers. The nigam has formulated a policy of increasing the length of high tension lines and reduced the length of low tension lines to ensure regular power supply to the consumers. He said the nigam was according the top priority to strengthening the power distribution network and had added 6,478 new power distribution transformers in the system during last one year, increasing the total number of transformers in its area to 73,441, adding that a damaged transformer in the area was being replaced within 48 hours. He said the DHBVN had initiated a massive programme of maintenance and renovation of the existing power distribution transformers under which each Sub-divisional Officer was maintaining and modernising at least two transformers every week. During renovation of the distribution system, all safety measures and load on transformers was being taken care of . He stated that the DHBVN was all set to reduce line losses and pilferage of power and had decided to bifurcate high and low voltage distribution system. The electricity meters of consumers were being brought outside the premises of the consumers. A large number of transformers of lower capacity were being set up so that there was minimum damage to the transformers and the minimum number of consumers were affected in case of damage of a transformer. He said the nigam had also started construction process of 22 sub-stations of 33 KV level, work of segregation of 17 feeders of 11 KV level and augmentation work of 13 sub-station of 33 KV level which were likely
to be completed within one year. |
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Rural development agency on the cards
Hisar, January 14 Disclosing this here today, Haryana Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Dharambir Singh maintained that the step was being taken so that residential localities could come up outside the periphery of the villages in a well-planned manner. "The Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has accorded top priority to rural development and 346 villages of the state have been enlisted for various developmental activities," he asserted. He said in another significant development, it had been decided to engage 20,000 persons for maintaining cleanliness in the state villages in April. These cleanliness workers will be engaged through the village panchayats, he said, adding that each worker would get a minimum salary of Rs 3,000. Reiterating the state government's resolve to develop Balsamand and Ludas villages of the district as model villages, the CPS said Rs 7 crore had been released for the development of the Balsamand area had been released after the Chief Minister's rally there. Mr Singh further stated that sports stadiums would be established in 130 big villages of the state by April, adding that Rs 50 lakh would be provided for purchase of sports equipment. |
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Lohri celebrated for girl child
Karnal, January 14 The National Integration Forum of Artists and Activists (NIFAA), a Karnal-based NGO, and the local police had jointly motivated the parents to come ahead and celebrate the function for a “social cause” with their baby girls below one year. Forum chairman Pritpal Singh Pannu said the function was aimed at spreading social message against female foeticide in the state. He said similar functions were held in various districts by the NGO where over 750 parents celebrated mass Lohri in support of welfare of girl child. At today’s function parents who came here from Karnal, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Panipat and Yamunanagar districts were honoured with a memento. Mr Balbir Singh Malik and Mr Sibash Kaviraj, DC and the SP of the district, respectively, were present at the 31st May Stadium at the Police Lines. |
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‘Regional imbalance in tech institutes’
Yamunanagar, January 14 Prof R.A. Yadav, Vice-Chairman, AICTE, was expressing these views while speaking at a seminar on “Opportunities and Challenges in Technical Education” organised at Seth Jai Parkash Mukand Lal Institute of Engineering and Technology (JMIT) at Radaur today. It was attended by over 50 academicians from Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Chandigarh. Prof Yadav emphasised that there was an immediate need to eliminate regional imbalances in terms of technical institutions and intake of students. He pointed out that there was hardly any technical education infrastructure in the north-eastern states. Earlier Dr K.L Johar, general secretary, board of
governors, JMIT, Radaur, welcomed the guests and delegates. Prof Prabal K. Chakravorty, Principal of the college, highlighted the importance of the seminar. |
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