Shimla, April 29
After much delay, the state Tourism and Civil Aviation Department has finally invited proposals from operators for launch of the ambitious heli-taxi services targeted at attracting high-end tourists in the state while keeping its own stakes at the minimum.

It was only two days back that the Tourism Department invited proposals from airline operators who were keen to run these services in the hill state. Keeping the procedure very simple, the only condition that has been laid down is that the operator will have to obtain requisite clearances from the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Even though the Planning Commission has been approached for providing viability gap funding, nothing has been specified with regard to this, so far, in the notice. The heli-taxi scheme, which has been under active consideration of the government for long, has been delayed for one or the other reason.

The government is keen that the operator obtains all necessary clearances from the DGCA on its own. “We are keen that operators have their own helicopters which are at least five-seater. The bigger the carrier the better it would be as the service would work out to be relatively cheaper,” said a senior official.

The state government has approached the Planning Commission to provide 75 per cent viability gap funding on the pattern of North Eastern states for take-off of heli-taxi project. Even though three companies had sent in their bids in response to the expression of interest floated by the Tourism Department some time back, the government has decided to start afresh now.

The Tourism Department has identified 57 helipads all over the state which will finally be linked by heli-taxi service. To begin with, the department intends to start flights connecting Delhi, Chandigarh, Shimla, Kullu-Manali, Dharamsala, Chamba and tribal areas of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti.

The launch of the heli-taxi service will come as a great relief to hoteliers whose business gets affected due to the problem of poor accessibility and limited air connectivity.

The absence of reliable and regular air services to Himachal has been a major impediment in tourism promotion. High-end tourists are not too keen to travel here as a lot of time is spent on travelling by road which most people avoid. Five-star hotels in and around the town had been urging the government to start heli-taxi service so that travelling for high-end tourists was easy.

Solan, April 29
Move of the HP State Electricity Board (HPSEB) to seek almost 70 per cent upward revision in its tariff revision petition put up before the State Electricity Regulatory Commission, has become a cause of concern for the industry.

Terming this move as fatal, convener of power reforms panel for CII, Himachal, and general of Parwanoo Industries Association Rakesh Bansal said this would lead to exodus of industry from the state. Since it was cheaper power and tax incentives which had lured the industry to invest in Himachal, any such move at a time when the incentive package had already expired, would prove to be fatal for the industry.

Investors opined that every year the tariff revision petition singled out industrial consumers to meet their revenue shortfall. While the petition was never in line with the main objective of the Electricity Act and Tariff Policy which said cross-subsidies amongst various segments of consumers had to be phased out over a period of time, such petitions had been anti-industry year after year. This was despite the fact that it was nearly a decade since the regulatory framework had come into force.

The investors opined that the proposal for financial year 2010-11 was also on the same lines and a huge increase had been proposed by the HPSEB.

Bansal asserted that the government seemed to be all set to withdraw the advantage of cheaper power in the state with such tariffs petitions every year.

It is worth mentioning that the state has a free share of 12 per cent in hydroelectric power plants set up in the state. The government gets this share in the form of royalty for setting up projects in the state. Ealier, this share of power used to be handled by the HPSEB for the government. However, the government expressed that it wanted to trade its share at much higher prices in the open market. 

Dharamsala, April 29
Students taking technical courses through distance education mode would not be eligible for government jobs. The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), in a public notice issued recently a copy of which is available with The Tribune, has clarified its position over technical courses being offered through distance education by various universities.

As per the notification, it has been clarified that the technical education programmes, which fall under the preview of AICTE, include the fields of engineering technology, including MCA, architecture, town planning, management, pharmacy, hotel management and catering technology, applied arts and crafts and other such programmes.

The notification states that it has been the policy of the AICTE not to recognise qualifications acquired through distance education mode at diploma, Bachelor’s and Masters’ level in the above said technical education fields.

The AICTE has the policy to consider only MBA and MCA through distance education mode and that also after joint approval by three governing bodies, including the UGC, directorate of distance education and AICTE, the notification states. In case joint approval is not there, even the said degrees would not be valid for central government jobs, the notification states.

In another list available at the website of the AICTE, it has declared the list of just nine institutions from across the country that have been approved for offering MCA course through distance education mode. The universities recognised by the AICTE for offering just MCA course through distance education mode include G Ram Reddy Centre of Distance Education, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Guru Jambeshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, GITAM Centre for Distance Learning, GITAM University, Vishakapatnam, Padamshree Dr DY Patil University, Navi Mumbai, Karpagam University, Coimbatore, Karpagam University Coimbatore, St Peters University, Chennai, Allahabad Agriculture University-Deemed University, Allahabad and Jaipur National University, Rajasthan.

However, despite clear information being provided by the AICTE and UGC through different notifications, newspapers in the region are full with leaflets in which local centres opened in various shops are offering technical courses to local students.

A large number of students, especially from rural backward areas, are getting themselves enrolled with such centres. People operating the centres are charging hefty fee from them for degrees that are not valid.

The local administration is, however, waiting for a complaint from students to act in the matter. However, they are not ready to take cognisance of open fraud being committed with the students.

Dharamsala, April 29
Chief Minister PK Dhumal has expressed suspicion that certain agencies might be tapping his phones. When asked to comment about the recent outrage in Parliament over phone-tapping, Dhumal said, “When phones of senior Congress leaders like Digvijay Singh are being tapped, I suspect that even my phones might be under observation. I also suspect the CD released by the Congress against me was also a result of phone-tapping. The forensic examination of the CD has also established that it was cut and paste work of some conversations,” he said.

When asked if he suspected that central agencies were tapping the phones of senior leaders, Dhumal said only the UPA government might know about it.

The Chief Minister arrived here this evening to participate in the “Thanks Himachal” event being organised by the Tibetan government-in-exile from tomorrow onwards.

Dhumal also alleged certain officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry posted at Gaggal airport deliberately did not allow flights from the air strip on April 19 when distinguished guests and cricket teams were to return back. He said it might be a conspiracy to give Dharamsala a bad name.

“I will take up the matter with Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel,” the CM added.

He also flayed the Congress for levelling baseless allegations on the issue of the IPL. Regarding the association with suspended IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, the CM said it was during the Congress regime that Modi was given representation in the BCCI from Himachal. The then office-bearers of the HPCA had allegedly taken about Rs 14 lakh from Modi for the same.

While responding to a query regarding the industrial package, Dhumal said he was waiting for a meeting with the Prime Minister before drawing any further strategy over the issue.

“The PM has assured to meet us after the SAARC summit. In case the PM fails to help the state by getting the industrial package extended till 2013, we will approach both people’s and judicial courts,” he added.

Shimla, April 29
Considering scanty rain and a drought-like situation in many parts of the state, all deputy commissioners have been directed to submit weekly information on drinking water, fodder availability and status of crops.

Ravinder Ravi, Irrigation and Public Health Minister, said here today that the government was giving priority to providing potable drinking water to the people of the state. “Nodal officers have been appointed to monitor the drinking water supply schemes, especially in drought-hit areas and added that they would send their reports to the office of Engineer-in-Chief, IPH, at Shimla daily,” he said.

Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Harinder Hira also directed all DCs to constitute task force and monitor the situation on a weekly basis. Officials said so far only the districts of Mandi, Bilaspur, Una and Hamirpur had faced water shortage. The recent rain has helped in easing out the situation considerably.

Ravi said keeping in view the summer season and scarcity of drinking water, the government has urged people not to carry out the construction work during this period.

He said the campaign would be carried out during the entire summer season up to July 15 and water tankers would be pressed into service for the convenience of the people. He said drinking water was also being provided through 112 water tankers in Sirmour, Solan, Shimla and Mandi districts. 

Shimla, April 29
To keep the city clean and beautiful, the local Municipal Corporation (MC) today launched “Door-to-Door Garbage Collection Scheme” for the state capital.Chief Minister PK Dhumal launched the scheme from his official residence here today. The scheme has been launched by the Shimla Environment, Heritage Conservation and Beautification (SEHB) Society under the aegis of Shimla Municipal Corporation to implement it in 20 wards of the town.

Dhumal said ward-level committees had been constituted to oversee implementation of the scheme by registering every household as its member. Every household would be provided a yellow dustbin for non-biodegradable waste like plastic, metal and stone while a separate green bin for biodegradable waste like raw and waste food stuff and paper.

An amount of Rs 50 would be collected from them as security against the dustbins. “Every household would be required to store the segregated waste in the designated dustbin for proper disposal for which they would have to pay Rs 50 per month,” he said. The MC staff would collect garbage from every household before 9 am every morning.

He said separate fee structure would be applicable for commercial establishments, educational institutions and industries. “Biodegradable waste would be used for preparation of organic fertiliser while non-biodegradable waste, after being sorted, would be dumped into the land field sites,” he said.

The Chief Minister said Shimla was a historically important town and known as “Queen of Hills” for being prominent tourist destination for visitors from all over the world. “We have envisioned various schemes to preserve the heritage status of the town and keep it clean and beautiful so that it emerges as an international tourist destination,” he said.

He said special plantation campaign — “Revival of Deodar” — had also been launched to increase green cover in the town in association with various local and volunteer organisations. He appealed to residents of the town to adopt eco-friendly lifestyle and protect the town from environmental hazards.

AN Sharma, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, said 40,000 houses would be covered under the scheme. “The society has employed 200 persons to collect garbage which will be disposed off scientifically by the MC at the Darni Ka Bagicha plant,” he said.

Sharma said the scheme would initially cover 20 wards and the remaining wards of Dhalli, Chamiana, Maliana and Patyog had been outsourced till October.

Shimla, April 29
With the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri project running in full swing and 10 major projects in hand, the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) now plans to diversify into solar and wind power. It will also explore the possibility of setting up nuclear power plants in joint venture.

Stating this at a press conference, coinciding with the opening of the IPO of 415 crore equity share to raise Rs 1,080 crore, SJVN chairman-cum-managing director HK Sharma said here today that since thermal power was not the mandate of the company, it had decided to venture into solar and wind power to help meet the growing demand for power in the country. It was not only a major player in the hydropower sector in the country but also emerging as an international organisation after taking up power projects in Nepal and Bhutan.

The company had three projects each in Himachal and Uttarakhand and it was executing the 1,500 MW Tipaimukh hydropower project in the north eastern state of Manipur in partnership with the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC). Two more projects were in Bhutan.

The Nathpa Jhakri project was generating a profit of over Rs 450 crore annually and the company already had a surplus of Rs 1,500 crore. Despite a delay of one year due to geological problems, the 412 MW Rampur project would be completed by September 2013, bringing an additional revenue of Rs 200 crore.

The 775 MW Luhri project would involve construction of the world’s longest 36 km hydropower tunnel. The company had successfully bored a 27.4 km tunnel for the Nathpa Jhakri project.

Shimla, April 29
Army Chief General VK Singh arrived on a two-day visit to the Army Training Command (ARTRAC) here today. He was accompanied by his wife Bharti Singh and received by Lt-Gen Arvinder Singh Lamba, GoC-in-C, ARTRAC, and Sabinder Lamba, president, Regional Family Welfare Organisation, at Annandale helipad.

The Army Chief also called on Chief Minister PK Dhumal and various issues, including the overall security situation, were discussed during the meeting.

Dhumal reiterated the demand for reviewing the existing Recruitable Male Population (RMP) formula for recruitment to the armed forces which severely restricted quota to the hill states like Himachal Pradesh. He said youth were willing to serve in the armed forces voluntarily but the RMP formula was coming in their way.

The Chief Minister also apprised the General of the strategic importance of the proposed Bilaspur-Bhanupalli-Mandi-Manali-Keylong-Leh railway line which would not only save the environment, but facilitate carriage of both men and material. He assured the General that the state would not lag behind in facilitating ex-servicemen in construction of housing colonies under “Jai Jawan Awas Yojna” in different places in the state. — TNS

Chamba, April 29
Three persons were killed on the spot and the driver of the vehicle was seriously injured when a Mohindra pick-up van swerved off the road and plunged into a 180-m-deep gorge near Sukiani village, 75 km from here, yesterday.

According to a police report, four persons, including driver, were travelling in the vehicle which was on its way from Tissa to Jassaurgarh.

The deceased had been identified as Suni Ram and Rajdeen, both residents of the nearby areas of the accident site, while Samsher Singh, a teacher at Government Primary School at Damtal, belonged to Jindwa village in Hamirpur district, the report divulged; adding that the bodies of the deceased had been handed over to their kin after a post-mortem examination.

A case of rash and negligent driving has been registered against the driver.