Shimla, July 19
With zero-energy buildings becoming a reality, the developing world and advanced countries need to focus on energy-efficient structures to help reduce carbon footprint crucial for combating climate change, according to Robert Angioletti, an expert from the French Environment and Energy Management Agency.

“Zero-energy buildings, that produce as much energy as they consume, are now a realistic option with the state-of-the-art energy-efficient construction and solar, wind and other renewable energy systems in place. In fact, structures producing an energy surplus are now possible and being encouraged in European countries. India should not repeat the mistakes committed by the western world and adopt green technology at the outset,” Angioletti, who was here in connection with a meeting convened by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, told The Tribune in an interview.

France had set a target to switch over to zero-energy buildings by 2020 and in case a structure generated more energy than it consumed on-site, the surplus was fed in the public grid. The surplus energy was purchased at six times the rate at which the consumer was charged for the energy supplied from the grid as an incentive to encourage energy-efficient buildings. A unit of energy saved on-site actually resulted in saving of 2.58 units, taking the plant-load factor, transmission and distribution losses from the generation plant to the building into account, he explained.

Apart from incorporating solar architecture in the building design, measures like energy-efficient electrical devices and reduction in standby power enable to bring down energy consumption drastically to achieve zero-carbon level. In standby mode computers, printers and other peripherals, TVs, set-top cable boxes, re-chargers and various audio-visual equipment are big energy guzzlers. By switching off the devices, precious energy could be saved.

Angioletti saw a vast scope for collaborative research and development efforts in the field of energy-efficiency in the state and was already working with Dr SS Chandel, head of the energy and environment unit, NIT, and the State Council for Science and Technology, for formulating a project. French funding agency could consider providing soft loan, besides technical expertise, for the proposed project.

Shimla, July 19
Excavation work on the 8.9-km long traffic tunnel under the 13,050 ft Rohtang pass will commence shortly.

The mega project to provide all weather road-link to the landlocked Lahaul valley has been hanging fire for the past more than five years. The 30-m diameter tunnel will help reduce the distance between Manali and Koksar in Lahaul valley by about 46 km.

Public Works Minister Gulab Singh said all necessary documents had been obtained and the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) would start excavation of the tunnel soon.

Work on approach roads to both the portals measuring about 26 km had already been completed. To ensure that snow and avalanches do not block the approach roads, construction of snow galleries was being proposed for the first time in the country.

The foundation of the project was laid by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002 and last year Rs 200 crore was provided in the Budget but work could not start for want of permission.

The tunnel was initially estimated to cost Rs 1,410 crore and it was to be completed by 2014.

However, the delay 
in starting work has increased the cost which is now likely to be over Rs 1,700 crore.

The project is important from the defence point of view as Manali-Leh road provides a secure link to Ladakh and most of the supplies to troops in the forward areas are carried through this route.

Kangra, July 19
Education Minister ID Dhiman today made it clear that there was no dual stand regarding the PTA policy between him and Chief Minister PK Dhumal as alleged by PTA teachers.

Dhiman, while talking to The Tribune on phone, however, did not clarify about the policy adopted by the government regarding the PTA issue.

He said, “The Chief Minister has assured PTA teachers that they will not be sacked and I have nothing more to add.”

When asked what would be the fate of those PTA teachers who were ousted following promotion of regular teachers, the minister refused to comment.

When asked about those PTA teachers who had crossed the age limit of 45 and were facing a threat of ouster, the minister, expressing his ignorance, said he was not aware of the fact and would seek clarification from the department in this regard.

He said the state government was eager to help the PTA teachers but that was possible only under rules.

Meanwhile, Dr RD Sharma, state president, HP Educational Consultants’ Forum, today demanded that the government should not change the recruitment and promotion policy with the change of state governments. He sought allowance for unemployed youths in the state according to their qualifications.

Dr Sharma also demanded closure of all BEd colleges in the state to curb the increase of unemployed TGTs.

Shimla, July 19
All 2,98,291 below poverty line (BPL) families in the state will be covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme from the current financial year.

The government has decided to extend the scheme, which was introduced in Kangra and Shimla districts last year, to remaining 10 districts from 2009-10. The scheme is being implemented through the Swasthaya Bima Yojna Society of the Health Department, which has been made the nodal agency for the purpose.

Under this scheme, a beneficiary will be insured for Rs 30,000 per annum on a family floater basis. The BPL family unit will comprise maximum five members irrespective of age. It will not be required to pay any premium for the insurance cover.

However, the beneficiary will be required to pay Rs 30 per annum as registration and renewal fee. Each beneficiary will be issued a smart card. Insurance money will be payable only if the beneficiary gets indoor treatment in hospitals empanelled by the state government. The scheme provides cashless coverage of all health services in the insured package.

In the first phase, 1,00,547 families were covered in the two districts when the scheme was launched last year. The New India Insurance Company, the insurance provider, has issued 80,242 smart cards--- 54,511 in Kangra and 25,731 in Shimla. Till date, 310 BPL patients, 82 in Shimla and 228 in Kangra, had received medical treatment free of cost from the empanelled hospitals under the scheme. A provision for pre and post hospitalisation expenses has also been made and the scheme also covers the services of surgical nature, which can be provided on a daycare basis, apart from covering all pre-existing diseases. The transportation cost of patients to the hospital has also been covered to a maximum limit of Rs 100 per visit and overall limit of Rs 1,000.

The Centre will spend Rs 491.13 per family per annum and the state Rs 143.70. A provision of Rs 19 crore has been made for the implementation of the scheme in all 12 districts. The state has submitted a proposal for covering critical-illness expenses under which an additional coverage of up to Rs 1 lakh for meeting expense of hospitalisation and surgical procedures treatment of heart ailments, transplant surgeries, spinal surgeries and neurosurgery, will be provided. The insurance for maternity expenses will provide an additional cover up to Rs 10,000, covering normal deliveries, C-section deliveries and newborn cases.

Hamirpur, July 19
While the state government is finalising restructuring of the HP State Electricity Board (HPSEB), the employees’ union of the board has condemned the move to strike down the pension liability and other clauses giving benefits to them and even threatened to launch a joint struggle on this issue.

The meeting of the union held recently expressed its shock on the state government’s notification dated July 15 under Section 131(1) and 133 of the Electricity Act, 2003, through which the state government had struck down its interests, liabilities, assets etc.

President of the HPSEB employees’ union Kuldeep Kharwara said, “The union, which had voluntarily vested all its interests and liabilities with the state government, had submitted a draft model on reorganisation of the HPSEB and expected that the state government, while watching their interests, will include these provisions in the notification, but has failed to do so.”

He said, “Through this move the government has disowned its responsibility of funding of pension and other terminal benefits and entrusted these with the newly formed company.”

Solan, July 19
With incidents of looting, stealing and robbery on the rise in the state’s industrial hub of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN), curbing crime has become a major challenge for the police. In fact, it has been found that the police failed to nab the accused in most of the cases.

What has shocked residents is the abject lack of fear of law which exists in the minds of miscreants. For instance, the alarming increase in the incidents of stealing cash from cars parked outside banks has shocked all. The miscreants not only dared to break car windows in crowded markets, but also disappeared with the cash leaving little clue. At least two such incidents in the past one week bear testimony to this.

The most alarming thing is however, the sharp rise in the incidents of attacks on innocent people where the use of country-made pistols was on the rise. This lent credence to the fact that such illegal arms were readily available. Several such murder cases have come to the fore where bodies have been found dumped at places, including bridges, roadsides, villages, etc., Interestingly, even a policeman was found in a sub-conscious condition dumped on a roadside in Nalagarh subdivision a few days back and the culprits, whom he was taking for a court appearance, had conveniently disappeared.

An analysis of the crimes occurring in the BBN revealed that gangs from the bordering Punjab, including Ropar and its precincts, were frequenting the area on bikes and got away after committing crimes.

Though the police blamed it on the prevalence of porous border, nothing worthwhile has been done to evoke a sense of security here. With incidents of workers being attacked while going home late also increasing, a palpable fear is seen in those going for night shifts.

Though the government, on its part, had enhanced the staff strength by adding as many as 52 new policemen, sparing nearly two additional reserves, posting two DSPs as against one post existing earlier and even posting an independent SP in the area, but the impact of effective policing is nowhere to be seen.

Nurpur, July 19
Ranju Devi (29), wife of Rajiv Pathania of Bassa Waziran village, near here, set herself on fire by sprinkling kerosene today.

She was rushed to the Civil Hospital here in a serious condition from where she was referred to the Tanda Medical College, but her family shifted her to a private hospital at Pathankot.

According to the police, she in a statement had alleged that she had taken this step due to harassment by her husband, father-in-law Kushal Pathania, mother-in-law Yamuna Devi and sister-in-law Seema Devi.

She was married to Rajiv six years back and had two kids. Battling for life, she reportedly sustained about 80 per cent burn injuries.

The police has registered a case under Sections 498 (A) and 34 of the IPC against her husband and other members of her in-laws’ family in this connection.

Dharamsala, July 19
The government is dithering over ordering an inquiry into the misuse of the Pong Dam Oustees’ Development Agency (PODA) funds.

Despite disclosures under the RTI Act that the funds meant for the welfare of Pong Dam oustees were blatantly misused, till date the present government has not ordered an inquiry. Interestingly, the government, after taking to power, had tried to project itself as crusader against corruption by filing cases of corruption against former Congress ministers and various bureaucrats. However, in case of PODA funds, the BJP government has not cared to inquire as misuses have even been reported during its stint in power from 1998-2003.

The PODA was constituted in Himachal under the Societies Act, 1860, by the state government. The basic motive of the agency was the welfare of the Pong Dam oustees who had lost their houses and land to the Pong Dam project.

However, information procured under the RTI has revealed that PODA, instead of a development agency for oustees, has become source of luxuries for bureaucrats and politicians managing it. They have been found to be using the funds for purchasing luxury vehicles, making unjustified purchases of spare parts of those vehicles and also purchasing luxury registration numbers from the funds meant for welfare of destitute oustees.

Information sought under the RTI by one of the oustees Ashwani Sharma has revealed that till date five vehicles have been purchased using PODA funds. The vehicles include Sumo, Maruti Gypsy, Scorpio, Innova and Balero.