Mandi, January 14
The government has assigned power projects worth 1500 MW capacity, including 700 MW Luri and 402 MW Shongtong -Karcham, on Satluj to the newly created nine-member Himachal Power Corporation Ltd (HPCL), which has 60:40 equity participation between the government and the HP State Electricity Board (HPSEB).

Sources said today the HPCL’s new Board of Directors would have four permanent Directors— Director (Civil), Director (Electrical), Director (Finance) and Director (Personnel), all professionals. “The corporation will have four nominee Directors— two each, Principal Secretary, Power and Finance Secretary from the state government and chairman and member, civil from the HPSEB”.

The government has in principle also decided to merge the HPSEB’s subsidiaries companies—Pabbar Valley Power Corporation (PVPC) and the Jal Vidyut Nigam and the Kinner Kailash Corporation (KKC) with the HPCL, headed by the chairman-cum-managing director (CMD), to be appointed soon, said sources.

Confirming this, Principal Secretary, Power, JP Negi said all projects allotted to the PVPC and other sister corporations would automatically be transferred to the HPCL. “The HPCL has 60:40 per cent equity participation between government and HPSEB. The bank will finance 70 per cent, while government will invest 30 percent in the HPCL”, he added.

Mr Negi said the government was advertising the posts for the nine-member HPCL soon. As of now projects worth 1500 MW capacity have been allotted to the HPCL and more are in the offing”.

Currently the PVCP has been allotted the 111 MW Sawra-Kudu, 70 MW Dhamvari-Sunda and 46 MW Chirgaon-Mazgaon projects in Rohru and Jal Vidyut Nigam (Beas Valley Corporation) has been allotted the 105 MW Sainj project in Kulu district on which the work is to start.

Mr Negi clarified the 700 MW Luri and 402 MW Shongtong-Karcham have been allotted to the HPCL, which will start its operation before March. Officials clarified the projects under execution-100 MW Uhal in Mandi would continue to be under the HPSEB’s special purpose vehicles (SPVs). “The Board will executive project not exceeding 25 MW capacity each in the future under the new power policy”.

On who will be the HPCL’s CMD, a bureaucrat or an engineer Mr Negi said the CMD would be appointed by the government and would hire engineers from the market to make up for the shortage of engineers in the HPCL.

Shimla, January 14
It has been a year sans academic activity at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), which has been without a regular head since April last.

The session 2006-07 is coming to a close but so far not a single seminar has been organised and no scholar has visited the institute to deliver lecture. Even the annual Dr S. Radhakrishanan Memorial Lecture organised every year on September 5 was held belatedly on December 29 in New Delhi. Normally, about 12 seminars are held from April to November and the institute plays host to about 20 visiting professors and scholars.

Dr Bhalchandra Mungekar, chairman of the governing body of the institute, had during his visit to the institute in October announced that the new director would take over by December 15. However, 2007 has dawned but the institute continues without a director.

The three member search-cum-selection committee comprising Dr S.K.Thorat, Chairman of the University Grants Commission, Dr U.R. Ananthamurthy, former Chairman of the Sahitya Akademi, and Dr D.L. Sheth, Director, Centre for Studies of Developing Societies, held its meeting on November 15. Initially, there was no consensus but later it was learnt to have recommended a three-member panel for the post, which included Dr Rajeev Bhargav from the Political Science Department of Delhi University, and Dr Amitabh Kundu from the Economics Department of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

According to sources, the panel has been forwarded to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Department. The matter is now pending with the Cabinet Committee on Appointments (CCA).

The only worthwhile development has been that the institute completed the process for selection of Fellows. Of the 20 Fellows selected only 15 have joined, taking their number to 28. The Dr Bandopadhyaya committee, which probed the affairs of the institute, has in its report recommended that the total number of Fellows should be increased to 55 and the number of national fellowships be doubled from five to 10.

It has plans to organise a seminar on "Buddha and his Universe" in the later half of March but is doubtful whether it would be held unless a regular director takes over.

Shimla, January 14
Over 300 deodar and oak trees in Shimla town will face the axe for the construction of four parking sites in the town proposed by the Municipal Corporation to ease out the traffic congestion.

Cabinet approval is being sought for felling these trees as there is a ban of cutting of green trees in the state. The Shimla Division of the Forest Department has prepared the case for the felling of these trees and submitted it to the Urban Development department. The necessary clearance from the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment has already been obtained for these four parking sites near the Lift, in Chotta Shimla, near Cancer Hospital and near Indira Gandhi Medical College. The four proposed parking sites are along Circular Road. The forest authorities are also working out the compensation that the Municipal Corporation will have to pay for feeling these trees. The government has fixed the compensation amount, which is different for each species.

It is the parking site below the Lift on Cart Road where the maximum number of trees are to be cut. Interestingly, the plot measuring 6430 sq mts falls in the green area where there is a complete ban on construction and as such special Cabinet permission will have to be obtained for undertaking construction.

"Besides three huge deodar trees, over 100 trees of different species will have to be cut to pave the way for the construction of a seven-storeyed building, out of which four will be for commercial purpose and three for parking.

The Cabinet subcommittee last month approved five parking sites despite the Town and Country Planning Department's opinion that the construction would hamper smooth movement of traffic on Circular Road and require a number of relaxations with regard to construction in the green and core area. The High Court has set a deadline for the creation of additional parking sites in the state capital. "We are in a haste to meet the deadline set by the court, so the felling of the trees will be done immediately after the Cabinet approves it," said an official.

Nahan, January 14
A boy of Bhantanwali village under Paonta Subdivision who had been abducted, was found murdered today at Lal Tappar, 6 km from Kulhal in Uttarakhand.

As per reports Ashok (20) of Bhatanwali village had gone to drop his grandmother at Kulhal Subzi Mandi (Uttaranchal) on last Thursday but did not return home. On Friday his mother informed Paonta police after she reportedly received a mobile call from the abductor who had demanded Rs 10 lakh for the release of Ashok Kumar.

The Gujjars grazing cattle around Lal Tappar noticed human blood on the road and saw a boy tied with Motor cycle lying in Yamuna canal. They informed panchayat president of the area who called Uttarakhand police. On information received from the Dehra Dun Police DSP Paonta Padam Chand and Superintendent of Police Sirmour D.K. Yadav along with the SHO Paonta and a police party left for Lal Tappar where body which tied with the motor cycle with ropes was pulled out from the canal.

After inspecting the body it appeared Ashok Kumar was murdered by abductors. His throat and neck were slit with sharp-edged weapon. He had at least eight deep wounds of sharp-edged weapon at different parts of the body including head.

After murdering him the abductors tied his body with his motor cycle and threw it into Yamuna canal.

Murderers made a call for a ransom from the mobile of Ashok Kumar on Friday and Saturday to his mother Brij Bala and threatened her not to inform the police.

They demanded Rs 10 lakh as Ashok Kumar belonged to a marginal farmer’s family which had not the capacity to pay this huge amount.

S.P. D.K. Yadav said Ashok Kumar belonged to a poor family and the story of abduction for ransom did not seem true.

Meanwhile, angry villagers blocked traffic on the Paonta-Shimla highway at a petrol station near the Bata bridge this evening to protest against the murder of Ashok Kumar.

Mandi, January 14
Burglars broke in a house of a government employee at Chipnu village, near here, and decamped with cash and jewellery worth Rs 1 lakh, while the police seized a leopard skin from a Bengali in town today.

In the first case, burglars struck last night breaking the locks of a house as the owner, Mr Kuldip Raj Sharma, a government employee, who works in the Agriculture Department, was out of station. The thieves stole cash and jewellery worth Rs 1 lakh and absconded, said the police.

The neighbours found the lock of the house broken today and informed the police. The police has registered a case.

In the second case, the Mandi Sadar police arrested Ambia Ram, a Bengali labourer in the town, under the Wild Life Act after a leopard skin was seized from his possession.