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Power transmission to ‘overload’ states
Sportsmen await promised jobs
Contractors dictating terms to PWD?
District NSUI chiefs by July 25
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Downpour in Shimla
It was rainy and foggy in Shimla on Sunday. —Tribune photo by S. Chandan
Two DIGs promoted
Trees planted on 625 hectares
Himurja to promote solar energy
Road Projects
Century-old bridges cry for repair
The century-old Matoor bridge over the Manooni Khud which has outlived its life. — Photo by Ashok Raina
Power board staff flay SAT abolition
Biocarbon Project
Total cleanliness drive launched
Theft in CDPO office
Two killed in road mishap
Missing driver found dead
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Power transmission to ‘overload’ states
Shimla, July 20 The transmission system for evacuation of power from the 2,051-MW Parbati Project was planned in the 1990’s and finalised in 2003. It was also to provide 400 MW additional power, including power from the 192-MW Allain-Dhuangan Project and 100-MW Malana-II project. The arrangement finally took shape in 2007 when the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) published a Meanwhile, the ground situation changed completely. The Allain-Dhuangan and the Malana projects opted for additional 220-KV line in view of delay in setting up the Parbati Project transmission system. Moreover, the 750-MW Parbati-I project has been dropped due to environmental reasons. All these developments have reduced the quantity of power to be wheeled over the Parbati evacuation system to 1,320 MW only. The CEA, various state power utilities and the Power Grid Corporation (which is constructing the system in a joint venture with a private company) failed to take notice of these developments and did not review the proposed transmission system. A licence to set up a 2400-MW power-evacuation system was granted to joint venture firm Parbati Kodam Transmission Company. The company is working to set up a 2400-MW evacuation system, although the actual requirement is of only 1,320 MW. While a system has been put in place to evacuate 120 crore units from the Allain-Dhunagan and the Malana-II projects up to the state border and some distance beyond by spending Rs 160 crore only, the power-delivery mechanism for the Kol Dam and Parbati projects will involve a cost of around Rs 2,000 crore for annual generation of around 800 crore units. Obviously, the beneficiary states will have to pay for this huge redundancy by way of exorbitant wheeling charges. This will also lead to under-utilisation of the transmission corridors. The wheeling charges for the Allain-Duhungan and the Malana-II projects will range from 25 to 30 paise per unit, whereas the beneficiary state will have to pay 45 to 50 paise per unit in case of the Parbati project. Engineers in the CEA and the state power board say the situation can still be saved if the configuration of the 400-KV quad moose line from the Parbati pooling-up substation at Panarsa to Kol Dam is changed from two single-circuit lines to a double-circuit line. It will not only reduce the cost of evacuation, but also help improve corridor utilisation and curtail costs by around 10 per cent. It will also free the other corridor for a double-circuit quad line proposed for Chenab valley projects and help curtail the total cost of the system by about Rs 500 crore, which will substantially bring down the wheeling charges for the beneficiary states. |
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Sportsmen await promised jobs
Solan, July 20 They couldn’t get job during the tenure of the Congress government and the situation appeared to be no different even now. Some of the aspirants said here on Wednesday they tried to meet the Chief Minister, who also holds the charge of the Sports Ministry, to highlight their grievances, but failed to get a hearing. These sportsmen were interviewed for the posts of school lecturer on October 28, 2003, after their names were recommended for being inducted under the sports quota on October 17, 2003. Their certificates and testimonials were examined in the interview and they were assured a job soon. The candidates interviewed for the posts of trained graduate teacher on October 30 the same year were given jobs in September, 2004, while these sportsmen have been running from pillar to post without any success. Virender Singh, Sunita Shekhar, Rajni Sharam, Anil Kumar, Anoop Singh, Varinder Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Samiru Thakur and Dinesh Kumar were promised jobs for their exemplary performance in games like shooting, hockey, judo, basketball, handball, softball and chess. They said it was unfair to deny them a fair chance of procuring a government job as they fulfilled the laid criteria and fared high in the merit list. The students who appeared under the ex-servicemen category the same year had also been granted jobs. They alleged their appointments had been held up merely because one of the aspirants was an activist of the BJP-supported ABVP and the Congress government did not want to give a job to him. Now with the BJP government in place in the state, there was some hope of these sportsmen getting their due, they said. Since all of them have not done BEd, they feared they might lose the only opportunity of getting jobs since the service rules for the school-cadre lecturers had been changed. Earlier, a BEd degree was not compulsory for getting this post, but now it had been made mandatory, they said. |
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Contractors dictating terms to PWD?
Dharamsala, July 20 On June 30, PWD, north zone at Dharamsala, had floated tenders for six roads under the Prime Minister Gram Sarak Yojna in Una district. However, according to officials here, none of the contractors turned up for bidding. The contractors of the area allegedly formed a guild. They resolved not to take up the work to pressurise the department to get their unreasonable demands fulfilled. It would result in delay and cost escalation, as the tendering process would have to be redone. In Kangra district also many of the newly constructed roads have peeled off within months or even weeks of their construction. However, despite the poor quality of work and loss of crores, the department has failed to blacklist the guilty contractors. Officials of the department said it had become very difficult for them to deal with the lobby of contractors here. These contractors did not allow the outsiders to bid for contracts of roads here. The outsiders, who came for bidding, were beaten and forced to flee by them. Even the officials of PWD are now feeling insecure. They have no security, as the politically connected contractors can get them transferred to remote areas. The other constraint is that the contractors here have limited infrastructure. They cannot handle multiple works at a time. The condition of the Dehra-Ranital road, the work of which has been lingering for more than two years, is a clear illustration of the fact. The contractor, who was given the job, took multiple works. Later, he abandoned the work. Despite the fact that he did not complete the work for two years, the department had once again cajoled him to complete the work. |
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District NSUI chiefs by July 25
Shimla, July 20 She said all district presidents would be appointed by July 25 and the respective executive bodies would also be announced by month-end so that they could galvanise the cadres for the coming elections to the central students’ associations. Virender Diwedi, observer for the membership drive, said a month-long enrolment campaign would be launched in the state on July 31. |
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Downpour in Shimla
Shimla, July 20 Sundernagar recorded the maximum precipitation of 21 mm followed by Shimla which had received 17 mm of rain. The city remained enveloped in thick fog for most part of the day. Solan had 18 mm and Una 8 mm of rain. Kalpa in the tribal Kinnaur district also recorded 1 mm of rain. The city recorded a maximum of 20.9°C and a minimum of 16°C. Una was warmest with a maximum of 32°C and minimum of 20.1°C. Kalpa was pleasantly cool with maximum temperature of 17.9°C and minimum of 12°C. The local met office has predicted more rain accompanied with thunder showers over the next 24 hours with a warning of heavy falls at isolated places. |
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Two DIGs promoted
Shimla, July 20 The transfer of R.L. Sood, DIG, prisons, who was posted as DIG, Police Training Institute (PTI), Sakoh, has been cancelled. As a result J.R.Thakur will continue as the DIG,
PTI, Sakoh. |
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Trees planted on 625 hectares
Hamirpur, July 20 They said Rs 34 lakh out of Rs 95 lakh had been received for various activities in Hamirpur district till now. Plants bearing fodder and of medicinal values have been planted, besides carrying other activities like soil conservation etc. They said the FDA members had been demanding extension of plantation of trees on private land too, and in the second phase trees would be planted on 215 hectares during 2008-09. Forest officers said no plants are being purchased from outside and all good-quality plants are supplied from the nurseries of the Forest Department. |
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Himurja to promote solar energy
Shimla, July 20 Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, while reviewing the progress and achievements of the agency at a meeting held here yesterday, said the state would hold a ‘conference on hydropower policy’ in September to provide a platform to the independent power producers and the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Confederation of Indian Industry to get their doubts cleared. As all related authorities of the state would be available to respond to any related query. The Chief Minister said the solar energy was gaining popularity as it had low-recurring costs and was safe for domestic and commercial use. Many people were opting for solar-powered devices for their daily use. He said five mini and micro hydroelectric projects were successfully executed in the state, which were meeting the local power requirements and generating annual revenue of Rs 54.25 lakh. He said power was being made available to 446 consumers in the Bara Bhangal valley through the mini projects and generator sets. Two more projects of 1.3 MW at Sach and Billing were likely to be commissioned in the near future. Dhumal said MoU was signed for the execution of 259 mini and micro hydel projects having capacity of 829.35 MW. Chief Secretary Asha Swaroop said there was a need to utilise the capability of the Himurja manpower for speedy implementation of the projects. She said the agency was instrumental in meeting the power requirement of the consumers. |
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Road Projects
Shimla, July 20 Under the Rs 1365.43-crore World Bank-funded project, 435 km state highways and major district roads are being upgraded, besides carrying out periodic maintenance of 2000 km of existing roads. Flowering bushes will be planted along the roads to add to the natural beauty of hills. The state will receive 90 per cent of the amount as a grant from the Government of India. Minimum disturbance will be caused to wildlife of the area and existing plants species will be preserved under the project for which world-class engineering practices will be adopted in respect of grades, cambers and crust thickness. Computerised machinery will be used for proper up-gradation of roads and providing bituminous carpet. The roads to be upgraded include 44.82-km Mehatpur-Una- Amb road, 106.19-km Una- Agahar-Barsar-Jahu-Bhambla- Kalkhar road, 80.68-km Theog-Kotkhai-Hatkoti-Rohru road, 41.95-km Sarkaghat-Ghumarwin road, 39.17 km Ranital-Kotla road, 71.74-km Kumarhatti-Sarahan-Nahan road, 24-km Draman- Sihunta road and 26.80-km Bhawarana -Lambagaon road. Payment to contractors will be made after certification by independent supervision consultants appointed by the World Bank. The existing bridges on the final alignment of the road will be upgraded to the double-lane standard with footpaths. The project is to be completed in a time -bound manner for which 32 to 36 months have been allowed for various works. In all periodical maintenance of 2000 km of roads is to be carried out in the next four years. The project will go a long way in ensuring smooth flow of traffic and provide much respite to the vehicle owners who have to contend with traffic jams. It will also help boost the local economy by facilitating self-employment.
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Century-old bridges cry for repair
Kangra, July 20 The authorities woke up and the constructed a new bridge only when Bathu bridge, which was constructed by the British in 1895 on the National Highway 88, collapsed. Bridges on the National Highway 20 are also unsafe to take the burden of the heavy traffic. D.R. Choudary, superintending engineer, national highway, said the ministry of surface transport, GOI, was approached for the permission to appoint consultants to design new bridges at Manooni khad, Matoor and Manji khad, Gaggal. The permission were awaited. He said the consultants would be appointed only after the permission was received. Choudary said work on 100-year-old Kotla bridge would start after the rainy season. The work on the Chambi bridge was already in progress and it would be completed within two years. He said the newly constructed causeway diversion, which was washed away in the floods few months ago, would be reconstructed within two months after the rainy season. The work on the Kholi bridge, which was damaged near Kholi on Friday last, was also in progress, he said. P.R. Agnihotri, retired executive engineer, said the department was delaying the constructions of these century-old bridges that could prove to be dangerous. |
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Power board staff flay SAT abolition
Shimla, July 20 The main objective behind the decision was to deprive the employees the opportunity to seek legal remedy against the transfers being ordered by the government in blatant violation of the rules and regulations. A large number of employees who were the victims of vindictive transfers had been granted stay by the
tribunal. The union pointed out that more than 5,000 transfers had been ordered in the board itself over the past few months. Activists of the union who were fighting against the unbundling of the board had also been victimised. Even those who had just one year left for superannuation had not been spared. Thousands of service matters were pending with the tribunal and its abolition would certainly delay justice. The State Non-gazetted Employees Union had also condemned that decision and termed it as an act of betrayal. The federation rued that the government did not consult the employees before taking a decision on such an important matter. It maintained that only some employees’ leaders at the state secretariat who could not be transferred were hailing the decision which was outrightly against the interests of employees. |
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Biocarbon Project
Shimla, July 20 An indication to this effect came during a meeting between Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and a World Bank team headed by Norman here last evening. The team comprising Ranjan Samantaray, senior natural resources management specialist, T.C.Jain, senior agriculturist and Michele Bruni, development communication specialist, arrived here after inspecting various World Bank-funded watershed development projects in different parts of the state. Dhumal said the World Bank had agreed in principal to finance the bio-carbon project for which modalities were being chalked out and the necessary preparations made to implement the project. The biocarbon project design document was being prepared by experts in consultation with the World Bank. He said the government was framing an integrated policy for medicinal plants to be implemented by the departments of agriculture, horticulture, ayurveda, forest and animal husbandry. The state had been executing the watershed development projects effectively which had motivated the financing agencies to finance the state in other such activities more liberally. He said externally funded projects required to be given top priority and assured that there would be no dearth of funds for carrying the developmental activities and the government was making concerted efforts to raise maximum resources under externally funded programmes. Forest and Environment Minister J.P. Nadda said the state was concerned about preservation of its environment and no anti-environment activities were being permitted. He said the government was committed to protecting the environment to maintain ecological balance in the Himalayan region. The state expected more cooperation from the bank in its future endeavours as well. World Bank team leader Norman said the bank was satisfied with the quality of work in various World Bank-funded projects under execution in the state. However, he emphasized the need for speeding up work on projects and expressed concern over cost escalation.
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Total cleanliness drive launched
Nurpur, July 20 Urban development and transport minister Kishan Kapoor said here in the municipal council yesterday. He said the government had formulated a strategy for better sanitary system in the local self bodies in which public participation would play a vital role. He said due to fast growing urbanisation, sanitation had become a challenge for the municipal council. and citizens.should extend their cooperation in keeping cities and towns neat
and clean. |
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Theft in CDPO office
Kangra, July 20 Sita Ram, Dehra sub-divisional police officer, said driver Tilak Raj was remanded today. The accused has confessed to the crime and Rs 2.34 lakh has been recovered from him. |
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Two killed in road mishap
Rekong Peo, July 20 The vehicle, carrying three persons of the HPSEB, was returning from the Bhawanagar headquarters to its sub-division Kutgoan when the driver lost control over the vehicle and fell into the Bhawa Khud, the police said. The driver of the vehicle was missing and feared to have been washed in the gushing water of the khud while bodies of the assistant engineer and labourer have been recovered, the police said. Efforts to search the body of the driver was on, it said. Local MLA, Tejwant Singh Negi, rushed to the spot, along with senior officers of the district administration, and announced the ex-gratia amount of Rs 25,000 to the bereaved families. The cause of the accident was not know immediately. — PTI |
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Missing driver found dead
Bilaspur, July 20 The upper portion of the body has not been found yet. It is suspected that the body got torn into pieces after hitting rocks in the rivulet. The body was handded over to the relatives after a post-mortem examination. |
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Shimla, July 20
Kangra, July 20
