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New townships to decongest Shimla
State is getting power surplus
Mercury begins to soar
Priyanka, husband visit Bekalti
Hotel Row
Raids continue, 378 more cases of liquor seized
100-MW Malana Project
Forest Dept seizes barbed wire from site
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Transporters defy HC order on dress
BJP gears up for byelection
Hamirpur awaits full ration quota
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New townships to decongest Shimla
Shimla, April 19 Talking to mediapersons after inaugurating a call centre here, he said all hill stations in the state were developed during British rule and the basic amenities there were already stretched to the limit. There was urged need to disperse development to the periphery. The capital was already bursting at the seams and the government was already working on a plan to decongest it. Initially, construction would be banned in the old Shimla areas. Once the third phase of New Shimla was completed, no more construction would be allowed in the area. He said satellite townships would be developed around the existing ones like Dharamsala, Chamba, Una, Kulu, Solan and Nahan. They would be self-contained with all amenities and capable of catering to the requirements of inhabitants for a long time to come. Reputed architects would be requisitioned to plan the new townships. Referring to the water problem in Shimla, he said there was no shortage. The municipal corporation had not rationed water supply, it had only rationalised the distribution to ensure equitable distribution. Leakages in the distribution system were being plugged to make more water available to the people. A Rs 400-crore scheme to bring water from the Pabbar river was being planned which would solve the water problem of Shimla for the next 100 years. In the meantime, another scheme was being implemented to augment the supply which would be completed within a year. |
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State is getting power surplus
Shimla, April 19 The generation in the 1,500-MW Nathpa Jhakri project, managed by the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), has almost doubled from 12 to 23 million units with discharge in the Sutlej shooting up from 125 cumecs (cubic metre per second) to 230 cumecs. SJVN’s chairman-cum-managing director H.K.Sharma said so far there was no problem of silt and the things looked well. However, everything depended on the level of silt that would start increasing towards the end of June. The 300-MW Baspa project is generating 26 lakh units as against 20 to 22 lakh units during the same period last year. The generation at the state electricity board’s own projects has also increased and it is generating 62 to 65 lakh units every day as against 30 to 32 lakh units last year. The commissioning of the 126-MW Larji project and 12-MW Khaulli project has also contributed. The total installed capacity of the board has increased to 466 MW and the two projects are together generating around 30 to 31 lakh units. However, the daily demand of electricity has also increased from 122 lakh units last year to over 150 lakh units. While the generation will increase over the next few months and the demand within state will come down. The board will have more surplus power than last year for sale outside the state. The board has already invited tender for the sale of surplus power. It plans to sell 500 to 700 million units, around 200 million units more than the last year’s figures, from May 7 to September 30. The availability of surplus power for sale will range from 45 MW to 120 MW in May and June, 285 MW to 330 MW in July and August and 90 MW to 185 MW in September this year.
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Mercury begins to soar
Shimla, April 19 Shimla registered a minimum temperature of 12.2°C today in comparison to 10°C yesterday, MET office sources said. Temperature increased by a few points at other places also. Dharamsala recorded a minimum of 16.1°C in comparison to 14.3°C yesterday, while Palampur registered 15.2°C in comparison to 14.6°C yesterday, MET officials added. The minimum temperature at some other places was as follow: Solan (13°C), Nahan (22.2°C) and Bhuntar (12°C). High-altitude areas of Kalpa and Keolong, however, remained cool recording temperature of 4.5°C and 5.5°C, respectively. Some areas of the state received mild rainfall, while Palampur recorded 4.6 mm rain. It was 12 mm at Jogindernagar and 19 mm at Rajgarh. —
PTI |
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Priyanka, husband visit Bekalti
Shimla, April 19 It was in the afternoon today that Priyanka, who is here on a family holiday, ventured out of Wildflower Hall resort and drove towards Bekalti.
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Construction firm serves notice
Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service
McLeodganj, April 19 Serving the notice under clause 3.4 (d) of the concession agreement, the company has asked the bus stand management and development authority to clarify about its authority. The prime moneylender had issued notice to the company for misrepresentation of facts and had threatened to withdraw the credit facility. Stating that the general impression was that the company was undertaking illegal construction at the site, the company had alleged, “We are being harassed and put to mental tension despite spending crores on the property which will ultimately be passed on to the government after the concession period.” The company has alleged that the commercial viability of the project was projected on the basis of returns from the commercial space, along with the returns from the bus stand. It was nowhere clarified in the agreement that the government had got permission only for constructing the bus stand and the parking, and not the commercial space. It seemed the facts were deliberately concealed, the company notice stated. The company has also alleged, “It seems that your office misrepresented the facts regarding the status of the land and its usage not only to us, but also to the public at large. This induced our company into the project and now it is being dragged into a financial mess.” The company has further alleged that this misrepresentation has also brought the prime lender, State Bank of Patiala, Kangra branch, in a situation where their lending might become bad.
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Raids continue, 378 more cases of liquor seized
Dharamsala, April 19 The department has served a notice on the liquor baron to provide a detailed report of his stock and permits issued during March so that the evasion of excise duty on the left-out stock could be computed. After sealing the liquor baron’s storehouse at Rakkar village, special teams of from Palampur raided two more liquor vends at Ghaniara and Darhnu villages. As many as 378 cases of liquor of various brands was seized from the Ghaniara and Darhnu liquor vends. The seized liquor has been placed under the custody of the excise department in its local office at Dharamsala. Deputy Commissioner of the excise and taxation department N.C. Beakta said that the preliminary investigation into the role of the excise inspector in the first raids revealed that he had not tried to protect the liquor baron and neither had any bad intentions while performing his duty. Since it was a huge stock of liquor, the inspector could not carry it to a safer place and thus handed over the stock to the liquor baron on ‘supurdari’ as a custodian of the stock by completing the necessary formalities, he said. He also said that raids were continuing on a few other liquor vends of the liquor baron in the periphery of Dharamsala. However, the exact details of the seizures were not available from the field.
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Villagers reach pact with Co
Kuldeep Chauhan Tribune News Service
Kullu, April 19 The hours long deliberation mediated by DC Chamel Singh here today exposed chinks in the world’s oldest democracy as the two opposing groups almost came to blows over their respective positions on the Malana project inside the meeting room. Talking to The Tribune after the meeting, Budh Ram, a former ward member and Deli Ram, pradhan, Malana panchayat, said the company would construct a hospital school buildings, give jobs to all boys, allot contract work to villagers . But on the other hand, the conservative group, which believes in purity of traditional Malana customs and unique culture represented by Kokia maintained that “Malana is the land of Dev Jamlu Devta and nothing can be constructed without his permission. “Thus the company should hand over the major work, including construction of tunnel and dam at least under the supervision of villagers”, they asserted. Progressive group maintained that they supported what the district administration had decided for them. The DC said both parties had agreed that they would allot all works except big works like construction of tunnel and dam to the villagers. “The company has to deposit the 1.15 per cent of the project cost money that comes to Rs 5 crore with the local area development fund committee headed by the DC,” he said. EPCL’s general manger M.V. Bhaskar, who attended the meeting, told The Tribune that the dispute had been resolved and work would be resumed tomorrow after five days.
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Forest Dept seizes barbed wire from site
Solan, April 19 Reacting to news item “Construction of Road on in Reserve Forest” published in these columns today, the Forest Department swung into action and dispatched a team to the site to take stock of the situation. A damage report was also prepared which estimated the loss on 55 metre of land. This large-scale seizure of barbed wire and poles indicated that the builder proposed to encroach upon the forestland in a full-fledged manner by erecting poles and later cordoning off the area with wire. While two buttress walls were constructed on the damaged site some deep pits were also dug up. This was supposed to act as a deterrent for further laying of the approach road. Pits were also dug up to initiate plantation to replenish the loss done to the forest area. |
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‘Yagyopavit sanskar’
of 32 youths held
Our Correspondents
Sundernagar, April 19 The sabha general secretary Bal Krishan Sharma had decided to organise the sanskar four years back and it was for the fourth time that this event was organised here in a traditional way. Brahaman Sabha, Himachal Sabha President Chander Sheel, Brahaman Sabha Mandi district president Om Parkash and other officer-bearers of the Brahaman Kalyan Sabha were present on this occasion. Nurpur: Presiding over Parshuram Jayanti celebrations here on Thursday, national president of the Brahmin Sabha Devinder Sharma demanded reservation in government jobs on economic grounds. He asserted that all economically weaker sections of society deserved reservation. He underlined the need for making education compulsory for all and called upon the sabha to play a key role in the field of education. He also demanded holiday on Parshuram Jayanti. Transport minister G.S.Bali, who was the chief guest, lauded the role of Brahmins in keeping society cohesive but time had now come to remove economic barriers among Brahmins so that economically weaker sections could be strengthened. He announced a monetary assistance of Rs 5,000 to the local unit of the sabha.
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Transporters defy HC order on dress
Nahan , April 19 The transport commissioner, on November 23, 2006, had directed the regional transport officer and district police chiefs for strict compliance of the high court order. The uniform stipulated the inclusion of dark-blue patron dress. Ajay Sood, regional transport officer, said he had challaned 24 private transport operators and after three consecutive challans, their permits would be cancelled. He said government transports, too, had been instructed by the directorate to comply with the court orders. Sanjeev Sharma, former president of the nagar parishad, said by wearing uniform dress, commuters would know the identity of the drivers and conductors, in case they wanted to voice their grievances about negligent drivers. Prithvi Singh, vice-president of the Lok Jan Shakti Party, recommended the adoption of uniform dress as the operators were not following the standing directives issued by the Transport Department and thus the public had to bear inconveniences while travelling. Madan Mohan Sharma, district president of the Private Bus Operators Sangh, said private operators were facing heavy losses and government’s wrong policies were misleading the public. He alleged the government was providing crores as compensation in case of deficit, but no relief had ever been given to private operators. The sangh would consult legal experts and never recommend uniform dress code, he added. |
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BJP gears up for byelection
Hamirpur, April 19 Attending a programme at Bhumpal, Dhumal criticised the working of the HP Board of School Education and alleged “the board authorities have decided seats in science classes in private schools to help some institutions.” He said after coming to power the BJP government would investigate into all such matters. He said the board should take all policy decisions before the examination so that private institutions could make their arrangements accordingly. Appreciating the role of private educational institutions, he said they were providing employment besides training students in self-employment. Criticising the opening of new colleges without staff and infrastructure, he said the practice was affecting college education. Addressing a BJP workers meeting at Tohni Devi, BJP state chief Jai Ram Thakur said the party workers had to rope in new activists through new plans to uproot the Congress government from the state. He also talked about the need for building a strong organisation.
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Hamirpur awaits full ration quota
Hamirpur, April 19 While the supply of salt has not been given anywhere in the district, only 9,000 litres of edible oil has been made available against the total quota of 1,11105 litres per month. Similarly, only 20,000 quintals of the most sought-after pulses have been supplied against the total requirement of 3,333 quintals per month. Interestingly, the available commodities have been lifted by only 96 of the 274 fair price shops catering to the population of over 400000 in the district. The man reason cited for the non-lifting of these subsided items by depot-holders is that they want to lift all commodities at one go to save on the transportation cost. Officiating district food and civil supplies officer Ramesh Mahashey told The Tribune that “April 17 was the target set by the government to make these subsidised items available to the consumers. As there are practical problems, we have taken up the issue with our head office since all these items are purchased by a high-powered committee”. He admitted that a few depot-holders are waiting for all items to reach to save on the transportation cost since the department reimburses the carriage cost once a month only.
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