Shimla, April 16
The State Electricity Regulatory Commission today revised the power tariff across the board, effecting an increase ranging from 10 paise to 20 paise per unit for various categories of consumers, including the domestic and below poverty line (BPL) categories.

However, as the government has already announced that it will continue to provide power to the BPL families, agriculture and domestic categories at subsidised rates, there will be no impact on the consumers of these categories. Consequently, the annual burden of subsidy on the government will shoot up from the existing Rs 101 crore to Rs 132 crore. The government has already made a provision for paying subsidy to the electricity board in the budget.

As per the new tariff order, the average cost of supply increased from Rs 3.26 to Rs 3.68 per unit. As a result, the tariff for the below poverty line (BPL) families, which has to be pegged at 50 per cent of the cost, has shot up from the existing Rs 1.65 to Rs 1.85 per unit.

In the domestic category, the tariff for consumption up to 150 units has been increased to Rs 1.90 from Rs 1.75 per unit and for consumption of 150 units and above to Rs 2.90 from Rs 2.65 per unit. The rates for prepaid meter consumers will go up from Rs 1.65 to Rs 1.90 per unit.

The tariff for non-domestic non-commercial category has been increased form Rs 3.65 to Rs 3.75 per unit for a load up to 20 kw and from Rs 2.95 to Rs 3 per unit for more than 20 kw.

In case of commercial category, the charges have been increased to Rs 4.10 from the existing Rs 4 per unit up to 20 kw, from Rs 3.20 to Rs 3.30 per unit for 20-100 kw and Rs 3 to Rs 3.10 per unit for more than 100 kw.

The tariff for small and medium industrial category has gone up from Rs 3.40 to Rs 3.50 per unit up to 20 kw and from Rs 2.75 to Rs 2.85 per unit for more than 20 kw. The tariff for extra high tension (EHT) supply has been revised from Rs 2 to Rs 2.15 per unit, along with an increase of Rs 15 per kva in demand charges and for high tension (HT) supply from Rs 2.10 to Rs 2.25 per unit with an increase of Rs 25 per kva in demand charges.

For power intensive units, the tariff for EHT supply has been revised from Rs 2 to Rs 2.40 per unit but demand charges have been reduced from Rs 250 to Rs 185 per kva. For power intensive HT supply, the tariff has gone up from Rs 2.10 to Rs 2.50 per unit and demand charges have come down from Rs 330 to Rs 225 per kva.

The tariff for water pumping supply has been raised by 20 paise per unit for LT and HT supply and 10 paise per unit for EHT supply. The charges for street lighting have been maintained at Rs 3.10 per unit, while in case of agricultural consumers there has been an increase of 20 paise per unit. The charges for bulk supply (LT and HT) have also been increased by 20 paise per unit and there is no change in the rate of temporary supply.

The state electricity board had projected an annual revenue requirement of Rs 2,065 crore, but the commission allowed only Rs 1831.43 crore, including the true-up cost for 2004-05 and 2005-06. The increase in power purchase cost is the main factor for the steep increase in average cost of supply of 42 paise per unit. A major part of the increased cost will be offset by profit of Rs 243 crore from sale of surplus power outside the state, while a gap of Rs 87 crore will be met through tariff revision.

The commission has given 13 directions in the tariff order to pave the way for the multi-year tariff regime from the next year. It has also advised the government to initiate the process for cleaning the balance sheet of the board in view of the impeding unbundling and re-examine the hydro policy to make it consistent with the Electricity Act and more investor friendly.

As the government has already announced that it will continue to provide power to the BPL families, agriculture and domestic categories at subsidised rates, there will be no impact on the consumers of these categories. Consequently, the annual burden of subsidy on the government will shoot up from the existing Rs 101 crore to Rs 132 crore.

Shimla, April 16
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the SDM, Sarkaghat, Mandi district, to file an affidavit about the encroachments in the area and what steps he has taken to evict the encroachers.

The court passed this order on a PIL wherein it is alleged that the land belonging to the community health centre, Baldwara, Sarkaghat tehsil, has been encroached upon and the local administration has not taken any action despite this fact having been pointed out to the authorities concerned.

A Division Bench comprising Mr Justice Deepak Gupta and Mr Justice Surender Singh further directed the SDM, Sarkaghat, to appear in person on the next date of hearing on April 27 and also produce the entire record of all the encroachment cases .

In its earlier order the court directed the SDM to file its reply and explain what steps they are taking to remove the encroachments on public land. Thereafter the reply was filed and the stand of the respondent was that action is being taken to remove the encroachments.

It was stated that in November, 2006, that the encroacher vacated the encroachment in July 25, 2006, but thereafter again encroached upon the same and constructed a house there. While perusing the report of the SDM the Bench further observed it appears that the SDM is trying to hoodwink this court. On the one hand, the SDM in his communication in November 28, 2006, states that the land had been vacated on July 25, 2006, on the other he states that the encroacher has again taken possession of the land.

The bench observed how did the SDM permit the encroacher to raise construction on the encroached land even after an order of ejectment was passed and this court was seized of the matter. The Bench directed the SDM to file a fresh affidavit dealing with all encroachments in the area and what steps he had taken to evict the encroachers.

Shimla, April 16
The state public service commission has announced the schedule for main examination for the Himachal Pradesh Judicial Services (HPJS).

The civil law-I paper will be held in the morning session (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and the Hindi paper in the afternoon (2p.m. to 5 p.m.) on May 4.

On May 5 the civil law-II paper will be held in the forenoon and English composition in the afternoon.

On May 6 the criminal law paper will be held in the morning session.

Manali, April 16
Himalayan Ski Village company’s proposal to pre-sell luxury chalets and condo hotel rooms in its proposed $300-million ski village in Manali valley to the bidders has stirred a hornet’s nest as the company’s detailed project report is still awaiting government clearance. Besides, the Jan Jagran Manch (JJM), Kullu, which is opposing the project, has stepped up its campaign against the project and threatened to file a public interest litigation against the project in the high court.

The company has invited applications for what it has called “pre-sale of condo rooms and chalets to commence by mid-2007” despite the fact that the government has yet to clear the project as the DPR is still pending before the government for scrutiny.

Even the Chief Minister had said the government would decide the fate of the project after studying its merits or demerits as per the DPR submitted by the company and would safeguard interests of the state.

Company director Ajay Dabra said all issues would be settled in the public hearing by August once the company got the go-ahead.

JJM members said the project would spell disaster in the area as hotels and chalets would be sold to outsiders that would ruin the fragile ecology. They said the manch would file a PIL in the high court, as the government had been siding with the company.

Dharamsala, April 16
The district police of Kangra had today received some phone calls from few persons from Punjab that they were coming over to Dharamsala tomorrow to identify the woman who was brutally murdered by two persons with a sharp-edged weapon on the intervening night of April 6 and April 7 in a private resort at McLeodganj.

Confirming this to The Tribune, Santosh Patial, additional superintendent of Police, district Kangra, said with this new development in the infamous murder case, there was a ray of hope for the investigating team to solve the blind murder case.

The police was planning to cremate the dead body today but after receiving the phone calls from Punjab, the cremation was postponed for few more days, the ASP said.

It may be mentioned that the head portion of the woman was chopped-off by the criminals. While fleeing away from the spot, both the criminals threw away the head portion of the body in the nearby khud from where it was recovered by the police in a partially mutilated condition.

Last week, the local police had also approached the district police of Gurdaspur to help in solving this case as few telephone numbers of that area were recovered from the polythene in which the head portion of the dead body was wrapped and thrown.

Earlier, the police had also released the sketches of the two suspected murderers. The sharp-edged weapon used in the gruesome murder had already been recovered by the police.

Meanwhile, sources in the police also revealed that samples from the dead body were also collected for DNA preservation. 

Shimla, April 16
Even as both Congress and the BJP are professing a sure victory in the Hamirpur Lok Sabha byelection, the fact is that both are faced with the problem of reluctant candidates unwilling to take on the plunge.

Keen to retain the seat after the disqualification of its MP Suresh Chandel, the BJP is not willing to take any chances and the names of probable candidates have been discussed at the highest level. It is not just the national party chief Rajnath Singh, who has taken a feedback from the state leadership and the party unit but even former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is learnt to have been briefed about the situation.

State party chief Jai Ram Thakur met former Prime Minister Vajpayee in Delhi on April 9 and discussed the names of probable candidates. With the former Prime Minister having had close association with Himachal as he has a house in Manali, the Hamirpur byelection was also discussed with him.

The situation in the Congress is no different as the party has had to extend the date for applying for the party ticket for the Hamirpur byelection from April 16 to 18. This was done as nobody had applied till today, which was the last date fixed by the HPCC.

“It is immaterial whether a leader from the Shanta or Dhumal faction gets the ticket as the only criteria for the high command is winnability as at no cost do they want to lose the Hamirpur election,” said a senior leader. The party in charge for Himachal affairs, Mr Sahib Singh Verma, former Delhi Chief Minister, is in constant touch with the state leadership as some names are being considered.

Till now former Chief Minister and leader of opposition P.K. Dhumal is being considered the strongest candidate that the party can field. “It is known that he is very reluctant to contest but that is immaterial as the party directive which will prevail,” admit senior leaders.

The name of former union minister Shanta Kumar is also being taken even though he has kept himself aloof from Hamirpur. Other names doing the rounds include MLA from Una Satpal Satti, former health minister J.P. Nadda and son of Dhumal Anurag Thakur.

The probable candidates in the Congress include forest minister Ram Lal Thakur and MLA Anita Verma and Mukesh Agnihotri.

Mandi, April 16
The private builders and government contractors engaged in construction of private houses and government works or buildings are dumping the debris and junk into the Beas river and its tributary, Suketi khad.

The unrelenting debris dumping in turn has endangered the aquatic life and has polluted the rivers, said residents. Even the debris is being dumped along the bypass of the National Highway-21 in Mangwai ward and in lower Kangni forest, opposite to Rani Ki Bai on the highway. The debris dumped along the riverside threatens bridges and roads as debris is washed away in flash flood during the rains into the rivers.

The tractors operated by the private builders and government contractors are dumping the debris and junk in the river along the national highway between Brindabani barrier towards Kulu side and Rani Ki Bainear Gutkar.

Even the debris dumping has become problem along the PWD roads, impending movement of traffic. Even the NH-21 dump the debris produced by the landslides in to the river, revealed residents.

Not only this, contractors constructing the marketing yard of the New Subji Mandi on the link road leading towards the right bank of the Suketi khud are dumping the debris in to the river.

Miscreants dump the debris not only during night odd hours but they have turned bold enough to do so even during daytime as well. The debris from petrol pump under construction and work site of an influential builder is also being dumped in to the Beas, revealed residents in Saulikhad locality.

Even as the district administration has allocated a dumping site near the Brinda bani barrier, but the builders are dumping the waste into the Beas. 

McLeodganj, April 16
The controversy over the illegal construction of a hotel in the name of developing a parking lot on reserved forestland here has further deepened with the Forest Department maintaining that the hotel was being constructed in violation of the actual plan.

The department had recently asked the conservator of forests (wildlife), Dharamsala, to visit the site and conduct an inquiry into the matter. The inquiry had been completed in this regard and a report sent to the forest department for further action.

A senior official of the department at Shimla said they had received the inquiry report in which it had been found that hotel was being constructed in violation of the actual plan. The report was being looked into and an action would be taken soon, he added.

Earlier, S.K. Sehrawat, conservator of forests (central) of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (northern region), had issued a notice in this regard to the state through its chief conservator of forests, last week.

Mumbai-based environmentalist Samir Mehta and local environmentalist Atul Bhardwaj had also filed a writ petition before the central empowered committee constituted by the Supreme Court to look into the violations of the forest act.