Shimla, October 12
The Himachal Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has pulled up the state power board for its failure to act on the highly “watered down” recommendations of its own committee which inquired into the huge cost and time overruns in the 126-MW Larji project and directed it to fix the responsibility for various irregularities in the project within two months. 

The four-member committee has mostly endorsed the findings of the inquiry that got conducted by the commission at its own level and pointed out large-scale irregularities and managerial lapses. 

However, while asserting that the officials during whose period the irregularities had occurred could not escape the responsibility, the committee maintained that it was not possible to pin-point any individual for the lapses.

The committee came to the conclusion that there was a time overrun of 45 months for which there were no valid reasons. The completion cost of the project was Rs 796.98 crore as approved in January 2000, whereas it had been commissioned at a cost of Rs 1272.93 crore. 

Besides financial irregularities, lack of proper monitoring, absence of unified control, posting of unsuitable staff and frequent changes at the top level, the committee also pin-pointed award of major civil works to inexperienced contractors, who further sublet it to petty contractors neither having resources nor the know-how to accomplish the job. 

The committee rejected the plea that fragile strata led to excess cost of de-sanding chambers and tunneling as it found the rocky strata “sound and competent”. 
Further, components on which excess expenditure had been made included, traffic tunnel, dewatering, excess establishment, extra lead, grouting, construction of additional coffer dam, substitution and extra items and regularisation of excessive over breaks. 

What irked the commission was that the management had not responded to most of the points raised in the inquiry report and only provided few explanations here and there to suit its convenience. 

The commission had indicted the management of the board and held the chairman, members and the concerned chief engineers responsible for the huge cost and time overruns. The board had challenged the decision of the commission to order inquiry in the high court and subsequently in the appellate tribunal, which directed the board to institute its own inquiry.

Shimla, October 12
Had it not been for the announcement of holding of early elections in the state, about two-lakh government employees and 10-lakh unemployed youths in Himachal would have benefitted by way of enhancement of retirement age and an unemployment allowance, as election sops.

These are the two biggest sops that the government had proposed to announce close to the elections. Infact, the proposal to enhance the retirement age from 58 to 60 years was to be placed before the Cabinet shortly. The government was planning to lay the foundation stone of a government medical college in Mandi during the navratras. 

The unemployment allowance which would have directly benefitted about eight-lakh unemployed youths and was a part of the budget proposals presented by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in March this year. 

“The Chief Minister felt that since public memory was very short lived it would be more appropriate to announce the unemployment allowance close to the elections,” admitted a senior official.

The exact number of unemployed youths registered in unemployment exchanges is 7.63 lakh. “The government had proposed an allowance ranging between Rs 300 to Rs 500 for the unemployed graduates and matriculates, who are over seven lakh in number,” admitted finance officials.

As far as enhancing the retirement age of employees was concerned, this decision alone would have indirectly benefitted 10-lakh persons. “It is a fact that the employees constitute a very important segment of the electorate and play an active role in politics in Himachal,” admitted a senior Congress leader.

There are a total of 2.78-lakh government employees in Himachal out of which 1.71 lakh have regular jobs.

The Congress regime in the state was planning to get the foundation stone of the two mega projects, central university and IIT laid by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh by the end of this month. The district administration of Kangra and Mandi had been asked to look for an appropriate site for the central university and IIT respectively in the two districts. 

“After his return from USA, the Chief Minister would have literally gone on a foundation stone and inauguration spree all over the state and the announcement of early elections has come as a major relief to us,” admitted a senior BJP leader. 

He admitted that these announcements would have definitely benefitted the Congress. The Chief Minister had planned to inaugurate a number of schemes, besides opening of a number of educational institutions and medical colleges in the private sector in practically all parts of the state.

Shimla, October 12
The Himachal Pradesh High Court today confirmed the stay on the state government’s order regarding the reappointment of former chief secretary Shamsher Singh as chairman of the State Electricity Board for a further period of two years. His present term is due to expire on October 19.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice V.K. Gupta and Justice Rajiv Sharma, while confirming the stay, granted liberty to the government to appoint a suitable person as the chairman of the board.

The order was passed on a PIL filed by Praveen Sharma in which he alleged that Shamsher Singh was appointed as chairman of the board in violation of Section 5 of the Electricity Act. As per the Act, the board had to be reorganised in such a manner that properties of the board were to be vested with the state for further reorganisation. As such there was no requirement of any chairman.

Shimla, October 12
Chamurthi horses from the tribal Pin valley will be the main attraction at the four-day Lavi Fair to be held from November 11 to 14 at Rampur.

Deputy Commissioner Tarun Kapoor said the fair would be preceded by a Chamurthi horse exhibition from November 4 to 6. Last year, 450 horses were registered and horses worth 15 lakh were traded during the fair.

Reviewing the preparations for the fair at a meeting here , he directed the officers concerned to maintain transparency in the allotment of stalls to traders and ensure that there was no subletting. He said a separate Kinnauri market would be set up in the fair for traders from the tribal district.

Sundernagar, October 12
One person was killed and one was injured when a car and a tractor collided near Naresh Chowk this morning. As per the information, both car and the tractor collided near Naresh Chowk on the National Highway 21 and occupant of the tractor, Sohan Lal (40), resident of Luna Pani, died due to grievous injuries. The driver of the car, Vineet, a resident of Chandigarh, was injured in the accident and was subsequently admitted to Civil Hospital, Sundernagar . 

A case was registered against the driver car under Sections 279, 337 and 304-A (rash and negligent driving) of the IPC. The vehicles involved in the accident were impounded. The body of the deceased was handed over to the family after a postmortem examination was conducted.

Mandi, October 12
The Department of Industries has issued notices to over 95 industrial-plot owners and cancelled three plots asking them as to why their plots should not be cancelled in view of the rampant violations using industrial plots for non-industrial purpose.

According to the sources, the director, industries, has sent the two-member team to assess the allotment of plots in the industrial area, Saulikhad after The Tribune had highlighted how certain plot owners were violating the industrial norms turning the industrial area, phase-III into service stations and store houses.

Certain influential owners had constructed small “khokhas”, in more than 10 cases, plots were being used as stores and it was allegedly being done in connivance with some officials in the department, thus violating terms and conditions of the state industrial policy, revealed insiders.

The department held the meeting of the Industrial Area Development Authority (IADA), which comprises industrialists and officials, who suggest as to how to improve facilities in the area and minimize violations.

The industrialists pleaded that the violations should be checked and more facilities like water, approach roads, clear and clean drains should be maintained so that a healthy industrial environment prevailed in the area.

Mandi DIC General manager Satish Chaudhary said “The department had served notices on over 95 plot owners and had cancelled the allotment in three cases so far. We have given them 90 days time to explain their position. If we do not get the satisfactory reply from them, we will cancel their allotment”.

He added that the IADA would maintain the roads, drains and other facilities with cooperation with the industrialists. 

Dharamsala, October 12 
A week-long writers’ workshop will be organised at Writer’s Home here from October 25 for young writers under the aegis of ‘Iravati’, a literary journal published from Dharamsala. 

According to Rajendra Rajan, Editor of ‘Iravati’, the workshop envisages identifying, encouraging the budding talent in creative writing like short story, poetry, one-act play writing etc. Eminent Hindi writer Chitra Mudgal will train the participants. — TNS

Shimla, October 12
A sum of Rs 14 lakh was stolen from a Parwanoo-based businessman during his stay at a resort in the Mashobra area last night.

An FIR was registered at Dhalli police station in this connection today. According to the police, Jagdish, a Parwanoo-based businessman, checked into Cedar Heights, near Mashobra, as he had come to strike a land deal. 

Though the hotel is no longer functional and does not even have an electricity connection, he was staying there as he is known to the owner of the resort. He arrived at the resort late in the night and went out for about 20 minutes to have dinner. When he returned he found that the bag containing Rs 14 lakh was missing. He was carrying this amount as he was to purchase land near Alampur, below Koti resorts.

He reported the matter to the police immediately. Police sources said that barring Jagdish and a person who accompanied him from Parwanoo, only the caretaker was present at the resort. Moreover, as the resort is located in a secluded place, the presence of another person is unlikely.

Kullu, October 12
A week-long Dasehra festival will start on October 21 this year. Dasehra in Kullu mirrors Himachal culture in its entirety. The folk dance competition, which has now become an annual feature during the festival, is a blend of rich cultural heritage and vivacity of the people of the state. The participation of almost all states with their folk cultural troupes also position the Kullu Dasehra as a ‘national integration camp’. 

The festival attracts hundreds of businessmen and industrial houses from other parts of the country to sell and display their products. During the week-long festivities, transactions worth crores of rupees will take place for handicrafts, Kinnauri and Kullu shawls, carpets and local items of daily use.