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Contract for CFL bulbs finally awarded
Dharamsala to have management
unit
Dhumal lays stone of water supply scheme
Fund Release
Waste disposal plant cause of concern
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Society benefited from govt decisions: CM
Education board to prefer ex-servicemen to cops
Child adoption to be simplified
Dhami resigns from BSP
Sewa Dal to highlight anti-people decisions
Security up for Diwali
Workshop for thalassaemic patients held
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Contract for CFL bulbs finally awarded
Shimla, October 25 The HPSEB today gave the contract for supply of 10 lakh bulbs to HPL Socomec for supplying a pack of four CFL bulbs at the rate of Rs 387 after the company agreed to bring down their quoted rate. The HPSEB today also decided to give the offer for supply order of 6.3 lakh bulbs to Phoenix which had quoted the second lowest rate. But the company has been asked to give its final word by Monday whether it accepts the government terms. Though HPL Socomec had quoted a rate of Rs 396 but the board negotiated and brought the rate to Rs 387. They will have to make the supply within 75 days from the day of placement
of order. The full board of the HPSEB, in the presence of the Principal Secretary, Finance, Arvind Mehta took a decision to give the offer for supplying the CFL bulbs of .85 power factor to HPL Socomec as it had quoted the lowest rate of Rs 396 among five companies who had qualified the technical and financial bids. However the board negotiated with the company a rate of Rs 387 as this was the rate quoted by them in their bid for the earlier tender, which was cancelled. The board gave the offer to the company that in case they were willing to bring the rate down from the present rate of Rs 396 to the earlier rate of Rs 387, they would be given the contract. The representatives of HPL Socomec tried to impress upon the board members that they had increased the rate from their earlier rate due to fluctuations in the value of dollar and with a lot of material to be imported the rate had been increased slightly. However with the board not relenting the company has agreed to make the supply of 10 lakh bulbs. The five companies which have qualified in technical bids includes Havels India, Surya, Asian, Phoenix and HPL Socomec. Two companies, including Philips, lost out in the race during the technical bids as they did not have Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certification. Under the the Atal Bijli Bachat Yojna a pack of four CFL bulbs are to be supplied to 16.5 lakh families all over the state. The initial controversy had caused much embarrassment to the government which was forced to invite fresh tenders after there were allegations that the four companies who had been awarded the contract had formed a cartel. |
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Dharamsala to have management
unit
Palampur, October 25 Thakur said the Centre was well conversant with the demands raised by the state government. The Ministry of Rural Development had requested the Ministry of Environment and Forests to allow relaxation in the net present value in the case of road projects being implemented under the PMGSY. He said Yadav informed him that a committee under the chairmanship of the principal-secretary, PWD, Rajasthan, would examine the issue of cost escalation of various road projects being implemented under the PMGSY and submit its report soon. He said services of various categories of the PWD employees were being utilised by the HP Road Infrastructure Development Corporation and added that the state government had also decided to set up a construction management unit of the corporation at Dharamsala. He said with this the number of such units would rise to four with already three units at Shimla, Una and Hamirpur. The newly set up unit would implement the construction works of Dhraman-Sinhuta, Ranital-Kotla and Bhwarna-Jaisinghpur roads. It would utilise the services of the executive engineer of the 14th circle, Rohru, besides one junior engineer each from Una, Hamirpur and Shimla construction management units. He said this would accelerate the pace of road construction work in the state. |
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Dhumal lays stone of water supply scheme
Bilaspur, October 25 This was stated by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal while addressing a public meeting at Kothi village. He was here to lay the foundation stone of Rs 1.25 crore Kothi Kamli lift drinking water supply scheme. Dhumal said the scheme would serve 22 villages and about 7,000 persons. It would reduce the paucity of drinking water in these villages. The Chief Minister criticised the former government for opening new schools and health institutions without an end and without providing any facilities. He said his government had now decided that already opened institutions would be provided with required infrastructure, staff and equipments before any new such institutions were opened. Dhumal said the government had appointed 100 doctors, while another 100 be appointed in the next few days. As many as 8,400 employees had been posted in various government departments in the past
10 months. He charged Congress party leaders that they had no guts to face the BJP politically and now they were instigating some sections of employees to start agitation against the government. He said no other government had done so much for government employees as the present government done during less than one year. The BJP government had fulfilled 80 per cent of its elections promises. Dhumal said the government had provided maximum benefits worth hundreds of crores of rupees to Himachal employees and increased interim relief by five per cent two times and gave them additional six per cent DA up till now. |
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Fund Release
Shimla, October 25 Dhumal has written letters to all MPs requesting them to pursue the matter so that the release of money could be expedited. He also requested the Centre today to release Rs 1,000 crore financial assistance for proper relief and rehabilitation following loss and damage due to heavy rains. He said he had already taken up the matter separately with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, union home minister Shiv Raj Patil and minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma. “I have urged that the assistance should be released at the earliest as the sate has suffered a huge loss of Rs 1540.62 crore and 43 human lives,” he said. “I have also brought to the notice of the Prime Minister that no budgetary provision has been made for the Chandigarh-Baddi and Bhanupali-Bilaspur-Beri broad gauge lines despite its inclusion in the railway budget,” he said. |
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Waste disposal plant cause of concern
Solan, October 25 Inaugurated by Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal in 1998 during his earlier stint the plant was designed to convert at least 25 tonne of municipal waste per day. It, however, ran into rough weather right from its inception when second hand machinery was installed to run the plant. Further, lacking of any in-house facility for testing the toxicity of the fertiliser so generated failed to be sold in the market. Sources added that at times animal parts and hospital medical waste were also being used in the plant contrary to its claims of being a bio-fertiliser plant. The plant, which was being funded by Norad, a Norwegian government aid agency, and being run by NGO Jan Seva Ashram, was supposedly designed to convert municipal solid waste into bio-fertilisers. However, the NGO had claimed that it would spray a chemical deodorant over the garbage to keep its stench away, but it remained a mere paper formality. Several notices had been slapped on the plant by the State Pollution Control Board, which directed it to erect an adequately high boundary wall to keep the stench away. The shoddy plant management was, however, reflected when heaps of garbage were found lying accumulated at the site waiting to be converted to bio-fertiliser. Worse still, this garbage which was lying in the upstream of Ashwani water scheme was polluting the water in the absence of proper treatment. Several letters were written by the IPH Department to the
NGO, but it failed to have any effect. To make matters worse the NGO handed over the responsibility to operate the plant to another individual who has now expressed his inability to run it. The municipal committee has been intimated about this problem. Executive officer Ajmer Singh while agreeing to the poor condition of the plant said efforts were afoot to make it functional and they were trying to relocate it. The district administration was now trying to relocate the plant and though several sites had been identified none could be finalised as the villagers refuse to have such a plant in their vicinity. In the absence of any effective move to streamline the plant functioning it continued to play havoc with the waste finding its way into the water bodies, especially after the rains. If left unattended the problem was sure to assume an alarming proportion soon threatening the health of the nearby villagers as well as beneficiaries of the Ashwani Water Scheme. |
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Society benefited from govt decisions: CM
Palampur, October 25 This was disclosed by Chief Minister P.K. Dhumal here today. He said the government had delivered financial benefits worth Rs 1,000 crore to the state employees and pensioners. Various promotional avenues were created and filled during the period. All major departments had been directed to fill the promotional posts in their departments. He said till date over 8,200 vacancies have been filled in various departments whereas 28,000 posts would be filled during the current year out of which 18,000 posts would be filled in the Education Department with a view to strengthen the teaching network in the state. Dhumal said the subsidised ration scheme would continue in the state for the benefit of poor section. He warned people to remain vigilant against anti-social elements who were supplying subsidised essential commodities to the neighboring areas illegally and indulging in black marketing. He said under the SC component plan in the previous year the state had received only Rs 231 crore. However, this year the same had been enhanced to Rs 594 crore, which was a record in itself and endeavour to carry out developmental activities in the SC concentrated villages. He advised the members of the community to take benefit of all such schemes of the state government and develop their areas to the best. |
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Education board to prefer ex-servicemen to cops
Dharamsala, October 25 The decision has been taken due to the reported connivance of cops in allowing mass copying at certain places during the last board examinations. Secretary of the education board Prabhat Sharma admitted that the board was thinking to prefer ex-servicemen to cops in order to control cheating. A letter in this regard had been written to the ex-servicemen cell of the state to provide the names of those who could be deployed for duties. He said the ex-servicemen deployed would be paid an amount of
Rs 100 per day. However, the amount could be increased in future. Cops would be deployed at only those examination centres where ex-servicemen were not available. Sharma said he had directed the committees going for the inspections of private schools to take the locals into confidence. It had been seen that the students
against whom cheating cases were made and barred to sit in examinations for two or more years, generally quit
education. The emphasis was being laid on checking copying rather than penalising students for copying, Sharma maintained. Asked if the board was contemplating action against teachers deputed in examination centres where copying was reported, he said there was no such move. |
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Child adoption to be simplified
Shimla, October 25 Addressing a press conference here today, the secretary of the council, Ritu Sethi, said there are several interested couples who wanted to go in for adoption, but owning to cumbersome procedure they are unable to do so. “During the last six months not even a single child has been adopted from our shishu griha, despite the fact that there are 10 children up to the age of six with the council,” she said. She informed that a total of seven couples had applied for adoption and the process was still on. “Since 1998 a total of 48 children from the council have been adopted by couples from very well-off homes,” she added. She said though childless couples from outside the state were also keen to adopt children from the council, but preference would be given to couples from Himachal. Sethi said the council had approached big industrial houses to adopt orphanages being run by the council in the state. “We have received positive response from the industrial houses and we are hopeful that decision in this regard would be taken soon,” she said. She said a medical team would visit the orphanages, balika ashram, old age homes and homes for destitute women once a month on a regular basis. She said proposals worth Rs 4 crore had been sent to the Centre for seeking grant. |
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Dhami resigns from BSP
Kullu, October 25 In a largely attended workers meeting at Seobagh today, Dhami took consent of the workers to resign from the BSP, who unanimously supported him. He said, “To continue with the BSP meant to support the communal forces.” The workers did have difference in opinion about joining of another party while the choice left was the Congress only. Dhami lamented that the purpose of his shaking hands with the BSP was to fight against the corrupt and communal forces, but the BSP opened way for the BJP to come in power in the state. Lashing upon the BJP, Dhami said they had not only marked new heights of corruption, but had also browbeaten the people in general. |
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Sewa Dal to highlight anti-people decisions
Shimla, October 25 Addressing a press conference here today the coordinator of AISD and in charge of Himachal Sewa Dal Susheel Prashar said that the workers would reach out to people right up to the village level to expose the anti-people decisions of the BJP government in Himachal. He also announced a 71-member state executive of the Himachal Sewa Dal. This includes 24 state organisers and 24 state organising secretaries besides one state chief instructor, four state instructors, 10 state women organising secretaries and eight state coordinators. He said as part of its national campaign, two Sewa Dal workers would be appointed at every polling booth in the country. “To give importance to women and ensure equal opportunities to them, one of the two workers to be attached at every poling booth will be a women,” he said. The state chief of the Himachal Sewa Dal, Lakhan Pal said training camps would be held at the block and district level so that the Sewa Dal workers were aware of the anti-people decisions of the state government,” he said. |
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Security up for Diwali
Kangra, October 25 She was here on the concluding day of the 16th inter-polytechnic sports meet. She lauded the participation of girls in sports. She said on the occasion of the Diwali, wages of Vidiya Upasaks, who have more than five years of service, had been increased from Rs 3,412 to Rs 4,000. She announced a hike of 10 per cent in the pension of the poor, which would be applicable from January 1, 2009. |
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Workshop for thalassaemic patients held
Shimla, October 25 Children suffering from the disease, their parents, doctors, blood donors and other socials activists attended the workshop. Head of the Paediatrics Department at the IGMC Dr R.K. Kaushal chaired the workshop. He said their is a need to prepare a database of children afflicted with the disease. “It is through the joint efforts of the government and society that better treatment, facilities,” he said. Deputy medical superintendent of the IGMC and a child specialist Dr Ramesh Chand said efforts would be made to ensure that parents of thalassaemic children did not face any problem in arranging blood. |
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