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Power board in dock over burning of substation
CM asks forest dept to evaluate plantations
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Van Mahotsav
Mid-Himalayan project ushers in prosperity
Project to conserve water launched
Employees confederation splits
Himachal equipped to combat swine flu
Consumers bereft of bonus medicines: CPM
Land sold on forged papers
Mankotia for action against Virbhadra
Expert to present paper in Beijing
Fitness test from August 25
Teachers demand revised pay scales
Maruti Scam
Forum enhances compensation
Gau yatra from Sept 27
Meeting held
HPTDC offers special package
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Power board in dock over burning of substation
Shimla, August 9 The proposal for construction of the substation was sanctioned in February, 2000, and the Rural Electrification Corporation had provided Rs 3 crore in advance to the board to ensure that the project was completed within the stipulated period of two years. However, the board executed the project more than three years behind the schedule and with a changed configuration which eventually led to its destruction due to fire. Further, the board spent about Rs 40 crore on the project estimated to cost Rs 17.12 crore. The most glaring and deliberate lapse on the part of the board is in the change effected in configuration of the substation. As per the original sanction, two banks of three single-phase transformers each were to be installed and an additional transformer was to be provided as standby to ensure that there were no power outages in the industrial area for maintenance and sudden breakdown of a device. In fact, the configuration was in accordance with the Central Board of Irrigation and Power Manual as per which adequate provision had to be made for ensuring operational and maintenance flexibility, particularly in industrial areas where wear and tear is more. However, engineers of the board subsequently got the configuration changed and installed two three-phase transformers instead without any provision for standby device. A special audit carried out by the finance wing of the board in 2007 had pointed out this and warned that the unwarranted compromise on operational and maintenance flexibility could lead to breakdown. It also found that the 200 mVA substation was loaded up to 180 mVA and with a large number of new connections sanctioned over the past two years, overloading appeared to be the most probable cause of fire. Earlier, two more transformers were burnt in Solan. However, the senior engineers do not have any hope of the government clearing the mess as the board is being virtually managed at the behest of employees’ union. The consumers will continue to be at the mercy of the board as the government is not keen on unbundling of the state power utility. In the absence of competition, they will have to put up with regular hike in electricity tariff and inefficiency. |
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CM asks forest dept to evaluate plantations
Hamirpur, August 9 Presiding over the 60th van mahotsav on the NIT campus today, he said, “Though it is important to plant trees with increased importance of forests to protect our environment, we must also evaluate the fate for trees planted earlier in the light of decreasing forest cover.” He said, “While planting a sapling is quite important but its survival is equally important for increasing the forest cover. If proper care have been taken to protect the saplings planted earlier and even if 50 per cent of the saplings planted on such occasions had survived many of our hills would not have looked barren.” Dhumal said, “Hamirpur would soon get a forest circle office which will definitely help in increasing forest activity and give impetus to increasing green cover and better protection to our existing forests.” He said, “The Mid-Himalayan project has also been helpful in boosting the forest cover and economy in the Bhatyat area of Chamba district.” Talking about the ongoing “Beti Anmol Hai” campaign in the state, Dhumal said, “This campaign is very important to check female infanticide and can also not be made a success without the participation of people. To check this practice, the state government has announced various incentives like cash incentive of Rs 25,000 for the couple adopting family planning measures having a single daughter etc.” The Chief Minister also planted a sapling on this occasion and also laid the foundation stone of the forest rest house at Ser
Baloni. |
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Van Mahotsav
Mandi, August 9 Jai Ram Thakur planted plants in Seraj while Mohinder Singh planted plants at Sarkaghat and Dharampur. Kaul Singh planted plants at Drang, his home segment. They urged people to plant more and more saplings in the district to make it green and clean. The ministers urged residents to plant and participate in the “sanjivni van sanjha van” and “apna van and apna dhan” plantation schemes launched by the state government to make villagers as stakeholders in afforestation in the state. They said the government was giving plants of their choice for free from the nurseries raised by the Forest Department. “They will earn additional income and help supplement efforts at afforestation”, Jai
Ram added. He said the medicinal plants planted by villagers would find ready markets as the state government had tied up with the Patanjali Yogapeeth for marketing. Bilaspur: The Forest Department is making efforts to ensure direct involvement of all sections of society and villagers in greening the state and also protecting its environment by planting as many saplings of utility as possible. This was stated by Forest Minister JP Nadda while inaugurating a district-level van mahotsav at the town hall after planting a sapling on its premises today. Later, the minister also planted a sapling in the adjoining Pt Dinanath Park which has been adopted by the Himalaya Parivar and its members. Addressing a largely attended function organised by the Forest Department after launching “Harit Bilaspur town” campaign, the minister said a total of 400 saplings were planted in the town by a number of social organisations and NGOs and it should be the duty of the citizens to protect and save these plants. Nadda said the department had planted 25 lakh plants during the past one year under “Jan Jan Van Sanjivani Abhiyan” in the state and this was the biggest ever “herbal afforestation” taken and implemented by the department with the help of people. |
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Mid-Himalayan project ushers in prosperity
Shimla, August 9 The Rs 365-crore project has, over the past three years, increased returns from farmland and solved the problem of fuel and fodder to a
large extent. According to a report of the World Bank, the project has achieved the objective of enabling people to rediscover their innate potential and recharge their economy. After implementation of the watershed project, the average household income has increased by 50 per cent and crop yield by 75 per cent. Crop diversity too has improved from one and two to three and four crops, it added. Women of Sherpur village in Chamba district no longer have to trek long distances in treacherous hill terrain to collect fodder for cattle. This daily grind left them with little time to attend to other pressing domestic chores. The project unleashed activities touching almost every aspect of life in the state. Afforestation, soil conservation, water harvesting, horticulture, agriculture and various types of income-generating activities with community participation were taken up in a
big way. Saplings planted over 12 hectares of degraded forest area in Sherpur by a group of women in 2006-07 have grown into thick forest. The achievement earned Sherpur panchayat the first prize of Rs 4 lakh for bring greenery. The project has opened other avenues for women for now they have time to take up other activities like making paper plates and do knitting and poultry farming. The entire produce is sold through a cooperative store in Banikhet. |
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Project to conserve water launched
Hamirpur, August 9 The district administration will construct new ponds under this project and improve the existing pond-shelf in both government and private land in the district for putting these water sources to optimum use. The main motive of this project will be conservation and recharging of water and enhancement of moisture content of soil. Initially, a survey is being undertaken to identify these ponds by spot visits. Help of scientific data obtained from the Geological Survey of India will be utilised for the survey and approximately 40 ponds are likely to be covered under this project. While efforts will be made to link maximum ponds with check dams and maintain natural velocity and water level in check dams, emphasis will also be laid on natural water shelves. Talking about this project to The Tribune, Hamirpur Deputy Commissioner Abhishek Jain said, “Since rainwater harvesting and water conservation have been put on the top priorities by the Government of India for implementing NREGA scheme, we have chosen all ponds of the district for water conservation by infrastructure development and providing employment to local people. This work will be completed under NREGA in a time-bound manner.” All works related to ponds development will be executed by the government agencies, not leaving these to panchayats, for speedy completion. Once construction work on the ponds is completed, they will be handed over to panchayats, self-help groups, mahila mandals and yuvak mandals for creating self-employment through fisheries and other such activities. |
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Employees confederation splits
Shimla, August 9 The faction, headed by VK Kaul, expelled Vinod Kumar, general secretary of the confederation, who was functioning as the working president, and appointed Jai Singh, senior vice-president, as the working president. On the other hand, the Vinod Kumar faction has expelled VK Kaul and Jai Singh from the primary membership of the confederation. The newly appointed working president Jai Singh said the present arrangement would continue till November when the organisational election was due. He criticised the Dhumal government for reinstating leaders who were involved in corruption cases during the Congress regime. Not only that, those who raised voice against corruption and were terminated from services were still running from pillar to post for justice. He mentioned the name of Om Prakash Goyal who was the general secretary of the corporate wing of the confederation. Similarly, another victimised employee leader Raj Mal had been under suspension for the past 64 months and the change of the government in the state had not brought him any relief. He demanded immediate implementation of the Punjab Pay Commission report as the state was committed to follow the pattern of the neighbouring state.
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Himachal equipped to combat swine flu
Shimla, August 9 State surveillance officer Dr Vinod Mehta said all 12 district hospitals and two government medical colleges at Shimla and Tanda had been equipped for the purpose. Isolation wards had also been identified for any possible infected patient and arrangements had been made for sending blood samples to the NICD for analysis, he added. The Health Department has been on an alert to meet any eventuality and all necessary steps have been taken to deal with the epidemic, which include setting up of rapid response teams, stockpiling of tamiflu medicine, personal protective equipment, masks and other required items. Diagnostic facilities for confirmation of H1N1 infection are being created at Indira Gandhi Medical College Hospital (IGMC). Necessary equipment has been procured and the testing facility is likely to be made functional over the next few days. The field staff has been asked to keep a watch on suspected cases with symptoms of the disease.
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Consumers bereft of bonus medicines: CPM
Shimla, August 9 Member State Secretariat of the CPM Tikender Singh Panwar said no benefit of these bonus medicines is being passed on to patients. “Despite a chain of retail outlets of the Civil Supplies Department at various hospitals, first referral units and other health centres, the issue of bonus medicines is being hidden from the public,” he said. He said the government makes ample propaganda about the benefit of its retail shops as these remain open round the clock and provide medicines at discounted price from 5 to 30 per cent but the fact about “bonus medicines” have been kept a secret. He said large number of companies, including Cipla, Ranbaxy, Ostrageneticie, Alembic, Meyer, Rhonepoulenac, Parke Davis, Lupin, Aimil and Mankind supply bonus medicines from time
to time. He said during the summer the bonus scheme is on diarrhoea medicines while in winter it is on cough and cold medicines. He said in case the government does not take steps to provide the benefit of these bonus medicines to the common man, the CPM would stage demonstration in front of all civil supplies stores throughout the state. |
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Land sold on forged papers
Nurpur, August 9 The allotted land of a Pong Dam-oustee Milkhi Ram, resident of Rehan in this sub-division who had died in 2001, was allegedly sold with fake GPA. Suman Kumar, son of the deceased, has lodged a forgery case at the Raisingh Nagar police station in Rajasthan under Sections 420, 467, 468, 469 and 120(B) of the IPC by submitting documentary evidences against Shiv Raj Singh, son of Bidhi Chand of Raja Ka Talab village. The accused had allegedly sold murabha no. 171/385 allotted to Milkhi Ram in Raisingh Nagar tehsil (Sriganganagar district) in Rajasthan. The GPA had been prepared on April 4, 2009, by producing forged identification in favour of the accused. The accused had sold the land to one Lakha Singh. The complainant revealed here today that the forgery came to his notice when Lakha tried to take possession of the land after buying the same from the accused who had sold it through forged GPA. Inquiries revealed that
the GPA had been executed at Jawali tehsil in Kangra district. Meanwhile, Suman said he would lodge another complaint in the local police station against those who had assisted in preparing the forged GPA in connivance with the accused. |
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Mankotia for action against Virbhadra
Kangra, August 9 Mankotia was talking to The Tribune at his residence in Tiara village, near here, today. He demanded that AICC chief Sonia Gandhi, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh should take immediate action and oust him from the Cabinet on the same analogy as Natwar Singh and Shibhu Soren were dropped from the Cabinet. He said the government should order for the brain mapping and narco analysis test of Virbhadra Singh and his wife. He said, “I have been more than vindicated in my fight against corruption in higher places and have succeeded in exposing rather unmasking the ugly dealings of those whom the simple people of this state have entrusted their destiny to.” Mankotia said the couple had submitted a misleading affidavit before the high court, which was allegedly false, that amounts to the charges of perjury and demanded that action against the duo should be taken in this connection too. He denied that there was any conspiracy against him as forensic experts tested the CD and it was found that the voice in the CD was that of the former Chief Minister and his wife. |
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Expert to present paper in Beijing
Shimla, August 9 Dr Sharma will present a paper on “Analysis of profitability and risk in new agriculture by using dynamic non-linear programming model in a Himalayan watershed”. The work is related to costs and returns in newly introduced vegetable and flower crops and suggests optimum crop plans with respect to profits and risk. The study is relevant for adopting optimum crop plans in the changing agricultural scenario in Himachal Pradesh, especially when agriculture scene is changing fast with the adoption of intensive technology of poly houses and horticultural crop production, says Sharma. He is currently teaching economics at the local Government College for Girls and has already visited Norway and Kenya in connection with his research work.
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Fitness test from August 25
Bilaspur, August 9 Superintendent of Police Kuldip Sharma said here recently that all women candidates who have already applied for recruitment within the prescribed date to the office of the SP should come with three latest photographs, original and latest certificates of Himachali domicile, educational qualifications, IRDP, Schedule Caste, Schedule Tribe and Backward Classes and sports certificates etc. The SP said they should come for this test according to the schedule. Candidates from Bilaspur Sadar and Jhandutta tehsils would be tested on August 25, from Ghumarwin tehsil on August 26 and
from Naina Devi tehsil and wards of the ex-servicemen, Home Guards and sportspersons on August 27. |
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Teachers demand revised pay scales
Kangra, August 9 Onkar Rana, district president of the Government Teachers’ Union, Kangra, while raising this demand here recently, said before implementing the new pay scales, the government should extend benefit of increments to its employees when they complete 19 years of their service in order to protect the spirit of the 1970 agreement of the government with employees of the state. He demanded that ad hoc and tenure teachers should be brought at par in seniority and financial matters. He further demanded that posts of principal, headmaster and lecturer, who were promoted on ad hoc basis, should be regularised so that they were benefited financially too. |
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Maruti Scam
Palampur, August 9 A senior police officer, while talking to The Tribune, said the police had almost completed its investigation in the multi-crore car scam and the next step would be to impound all 60 cars which were sold in gross violation of rules, cheating about 106 persons. It had been established during investigation that before selling the cars, the agency failed to verify the ownership of demand drafts. It did not even bother to see the loan documents issued by the bank for reflecting hire-purchase entry on the registration certificates of the cars. He said the bank had issued necessary letters along with all demand drafts, mentioning names of the owners. But the company failed to notice these vital facts and hurriedly sold the cars to those persons who were not the rightful owners. District police chief Atul Phuljhule, who is personally monitoring the progress in this case, said no guilty would be spared. He did not rule out the possibility of more arrests in this case. Meanwhile, Mulakh Raj Mehata, spokesman of car-scam victims, demanded the arrests of officials of Competent Motors. The police had already arrested the agents but failed to initiate any action against the agency because of its high political connections, he added. |
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Forum enhances compensation
Shimla, August 9 The commission headed by Justice Arun Kumar Goel (retd) enhanced Rs 50,000 on an appeal filed by the complainant alleging that the forum had not given adequate compensation to him. However, the company contested this appeal on the ground that the appellant had been adequately compensated. It is pertinent to mention here that the District Forum had ordered the company to pay Rs 1,18,867 along with the interest of 9 per cent per annum from the date of presentation of the complaint till the whole amount was paid. While allowing the appeal, the commission observed that after having examined the complaint file, as well as after taking note of the bills which are on the complaint file, we are prima facie satisfied that compensation needs to be enhanced to some extent. Moreover, the insurance company is not aggrieved from this order as no appeal had been filed by it. |
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Gau yatra from Sept 27
Shimla, August 9 Convenor of the samiti Dr Dinesh Chandra told mediapersons here today that the yatra would pass through all states to collect 50 crore signatures in support of the demand for declaring cow as the national animal and culminate at Nagpur on January 17, 2010. The target was to collect 30 lakh signatures from Himachal Pradesh, he added. He said protecting cow was essential to safeguard the economic interests of farmers who were committing suicide due to poor returns because of the shift from cow-based agriculture. He demanded setting up of a separate ministry for research and development of various cow-based products. The yatra will enter Himachal from Nurpur on October 7 and exit from Parwanoo on October 9. The signature campaign is already underway in the state and some up-yatras are also being organised for the purpose. |
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Meeting held
Nurpur, August 9 The meeting, which was presided over by local MLA Rakesh
Pathania, resolved to ensure prescription of those medicines by doctors, which were available in the hospital’s chemist shop so that patients could get
cheap medicines. The RKS had also resolved to enhance daily wages of those employees engaged by the RKS as per minimum wages recommended by the state government. Apart from this, the RKS passed expenditure to the tune of Rs 7,92,915 spent during the period January 1, 2008, to July 15, 2009, and gave its nod to purchase portable x-ray machine, automatic ventilator, oxygen generator, heavy washing machine for washing hospital clothes and earmarked a budget of Rs 50,000 to purchase medicines for emergency for the end of current financial year. |
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HPTDC offers special package
Shimla, August 9 Stating this here recently, Chief Minister PK Dhumal, who is also the chairman of the
HPTDC, said the initiative is a part of social responsibility of the corporation. Guests accompanied by their daughters would get 30 per cent discount from September 1 to 10. Alternatively, guests shall be offered third night stay free of charge. “The third night stay shall be treated as one night stay free gift from daughters to parents,”
he added. |
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Jassur-Pinjore bus flagged off
Nurpur, August 9 According to HRTC information, the bus will leave from Jassur at 9.25 am daily and reach Pinjore via Talwara-Una-Baddi at 4 pm. It will start from Pinjore at 4.15 pm and reach Jassur at 12 am. While flagging off this bus service, the MLA said it would benefit those working in the Baddi industrial area and students studying in professional colleges there. He assured that he would raise the demand of residents to start and end HRTC’s long-route bus services from Nurpur to benefit the people of the area.
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