Dharamsala, May 25
Rajya Sabha member and former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar has written to Indian Nursing Council chairman T Dalip Kumar to inquire into allegations levelled against Palampur’s Netaji Subhash Nursing College. He alleged that the council’s inspection team had ignored facts while granting approval to the college.

Shanta expressed surprise on how a college lacking in most basic facilities was granted approval by the Nursing Council of India. The college did not have laboratories and hostels and about 25 girl students were lodged in a hall in the name of hostel facility.

Even the college principal was found to be unqualified - he had a master’s degree in English and did not come from a nursing background. The college had been functional for two years. Last week, students of ANM Nursing Courses even levelled charges of sexual harassment against college authorities.

“Parents of the students met me and were concerned about the welfare of their children. The matter should be thoroughly investigated and action should be taken against the accused,” Shanta demanded. In the letter, he has also expressed concern over mushrooming commercial centres in the name of educational institutions that dupe poor students.

Interestingly, Shanta has written directly to the Nursing Council of India chairman even as a team from the state Medical Education Department has conducted an inquiry and is likely to submit its report to the government.

In the recent past, Shanta had urged departments to remove his name from foundation stones of projects that were not started for two years. He said that there was no point in wasting money on foundation stones.

Shimla, May 25
The government-proposed model for reorganisation of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board will create a host of problems and leave the unbundled entities worse off.

Except for designating the State Transmission Corporation as the State Transmission Utility (STU) and making State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) an independent entity (to be still manned by board’s staff) the proposed model goes against the spirit of the Electricity Act, 2003 and undermines the state’s long-term interests.

With only a fraction of transmission assets (19 lines) to be transferred to the State Transmission Utility, it will not be able to discharge its responsibility effectively. Further, the state will lose huge revenue as wheeling charges on power to be evacuated out as bulk of the transmission assets will remain with the distribution company, which is not entitled for it. Only a transmission licensee could get wheeling charges whereas under the law, a distribution company cannot be given a transmission license. It will also create problems in open access as it has to be controlled by the State Transmission Utility. Existing projects of 474 MW will also remain with the distribution company.

What is even stranger is that only a few high voltage lines will be given to the State Transmission Utility and that, too, without substations, which are integral to the system. It will not only cause functional and administrative problems but also affect maintenance. The strategy to cover losses of the distribution company by retaining assets and transferring liabilities in the shape of staff to the State Transmission Utility and state power corporation will only create financial problems for the recently set-up companies. A weak State Transmission Utility, bereft of assets, will discourage independent power producers from investing in projects as there will be no independent entity to ensure time-bound implementation of the Rs 4,500-crore Transmission Master Plan, which the Asian Development Bank is willing to fund.

A robust State Transmission Utility could earn a revenue of about Rs 200 crore annually at 15.5 per cent rate of return on equity by implementing the Master Plan and the government, which will get the amount on 90 per cent grant basis from Centre, will also secure an equal amount by charging 10 per cent interest from the State Transmission Utility.

Any move to get new lines constructed by the Power Grid Corporation and private parties will hurt the long-term economic interest of the state and create functional problems. More importantly, the state will lose control of transmission assets, rendering the state vulnerable to arm-twisting by private companies. The clause that the State Transmission Utility will make all recruitment on the behalf of the distribution company for one year only indicates that there is no real segregation of functions.

The government has signed an agreement with employee unions in this regard, which could create legal problems later since post-reorganisation, the companies will be governed by the Companies Act and will be directly accountable to the electricity regulator. Further, in case of conflict the law will prevail over any such agreement. 

Shimla, May 25
Terms and conditions of services, regulations and policies applicable to personnel of the unbundled state power utility will not be in any way be less favourable after reorganisation. An agreement to this effect was signed between the joint front of HPSEB employees and engineers and the government here last evening.

According to the agreement, salary, allowances and other pecuniary benefits including terminal benefits will be protected. All benefits of service accrued earlier will be taken into account for all purposes, including payment of terminal benefits. The HPSEB Limited will make appropriate funding arrangement for pension and other terminal benefits, including payment of retirement dues. The transferee will jointly and severely make arrangements for such payments and in the event of failure to do so, these obligations will be discharged by the government.

As per the agreement, all assets, rights and liabilities of the board are proposed to be transferred to HPSEB Limited except, Interstate Transmission Lines or Transmission Lines not being essential part of distribution system, which are proposed to be transferred to HPTCL, which will be the state transmission utility.

The HPSEB Limited will undertake the functions of generation, distribution and trading of electricity along with all undertakings, including residuary and miscellaneous assets, rights, interests and obligations, not been specifically transferred to HPTCL or retained by the government.

Shimla, May 25
With the mercury soaring high and possibility of a delayed monsoon, tourists are making a beeline for the Queen of Hills and other hill towns in the state to escape the scorching heat of the plains. Needless to say, the tourism industry is laughing its way to the bank.

Most hotels in the town, both private and those owned by Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation, have reported high occupancy, which is only expected to go up in the coming days.

The day temperature touched 31.1°C today, the second highest of the season so far. Kullu-Manali, Dalhousie, Kasauli and Dharamshala-Mcleodganj are also witnessing a high tourist turnout.

Government-owned Hotel Holiday Home is all booked till the end of the month and has reported over 80 per cent bookings for the first week of June. Similarly, most other Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation hotels have very high occupancy while the private ones, too, are doing good business.

“The temperature is likely to go up further with possibility of rain at isolated places in the high and mid regions on May 27 due to approaching western disturbance,” said Manmohan Singh, director of the Meteorological Centre here. He, however, said that the possibility of delayed monsoons was high and rains would hit the state only after June 15.

He said that the maximum temperature for May in Shimla till date was recorded on May 20, 2004 when the mercury soared to 31.7°C. The maximum temperature recorded this summer so far was 30.2°C on May 23.

The district administration will be organising the annual Summer Festival from June 2-6. Cultural evenings, concerts and performances by Bollywood stars and a medley of folk performances from Himachal and adjoining states will regale tourists and locals. Besides, a dog show, flower show, baby show, painting competition and food festival are also planned.

Dharamsala, May 25
Senior officials of the forest department have rallied behind the deputy forest ranger, Anirudh, posted at Jawali who was arrested by the vigilance yesterday on charges of graft. The officials have raised a question mark at the way the accused official was arrested.

While talking to The Tribune the conservator, forests, Dharamsala, Reddy said the accused officer was empowered to collect penalty amount from the JCB. As per the forest rules ‘we can impose a penalty up to Rs 2 lakh for damage to forest property. In the last one year we have collected a penalty of Rs 19 lakh for such offences.’

He said as per the information given to him the JCB machine had damaged a few trees while trying to make passage to land of Capt Bir Singh through forest on Saturday. The machine was confiscated and a penalty of Rs 15000 was imposed by deputy forest ranger for damage to forest property. Since next day was holiday, the accused JCB owner was called to the office by deputy forest ranger on Monday. The money was with the forest guard and beat officer who were bringing the accused JCB owner to office of deputy forest ranger for completing the formalities. However, the vigilance officials arrested the deputy forest range officer.

The conservator said though he was legally bound to suspend the accused forest official if he remained in police custody for more than 24 hours, but he would not give permission for his prosecution before the entire facts were verified.

The vigilance officials have struck to their stand and denied any wrongdoing on their part. The additional SP, vigilance and anti-corruption bureau, Tomar, said if the accused officer had asked for Rs 15000 as fine, where were the paper formalities.

Solan, May 25
The stoic attitude of the state government in checking irregularities of JP cement grinding unit and the newly functional thermal plant has put a question mark over the government agencies.

Though several environmental bodies, including Himalayan Abhiyan Niti, Him Parivesh, mahila mandals from the affected panchayats and sangharsh samitis, from as far as Gagret have resented the sly operations of the thermal plant, locals felt cheated as the no objection certificate (NOC) for environment clearance was granted by the State Pollution Control Board before the case was forwarded to the Ministry of Environment and Forests for final clearance. This was despite large-scale opposition to the plant at the two public hearings.

Ghuman Singh, convener of Himalayan Abhiyan Niti, said their demands included cancellation of environmental clearance to the thermal plant and lease granted to the plant which was a non-allot able common shamlat land, regulating dumping of clinker in Punjab, and control on the dust and sound pollution caused by the grinding unit.

Activists, including president of Him Parivesh Jagjit Singh Dhukia, said the grinding unit was running day and night creating noise pollution and spreading dust of cement in the absence of any preventive measures. Further, storage of clinker in the open led to air pollution among the nearby villagers, including a school in the bordering Punjab.

However, nothing has been done by the government. Plant’s vice-president KK Talwar said the 10.89 MW was a very small capacity for a thermal plant and since they had installed state of the art pollution control devices the pollution-level would be kept under control.

Shimla, May 25
Anguished at the deep crisis in the peasantry and government initiatives of coercing peasant agriculturist to go in for corporate farming, the CPM said today that it would take up all these issues after preparing an action plan.

A two-day state committee meeting of the CPM started here today, in the presence of A Vijay Raghwan, MP and in charge of Himachal. The CPM leadership would chalk out a strategy to fight the onslaught of the BJP government on the people. “Issues like bus fare, rampant opening of private universities, selling out of health services through Rogi Kalyan Samitis and converting cricket into a commodity and relationship of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) with Indian Premiere League (IPL).

Member, state secretariat, Tikender Singh Panwar said the government was shirking from its responsibility of subsidising the agricultural facilities. “Subsidies have been slashed substantially in carton, insecticides, seeds and transport, leaving the farmers and growers in the lurch,” he said.

He accused the government of failing miserably in protecting the interests of the apple growers. He said the issue of timer distribution (TD) rights and the government’s anti-peasant policy would also be highlighted by the CPM. “The issue of leasing out forests to forest mafia and big companies will be debated threadbare after which an action plan will be prepared,” he added.

Shimla, May 25
As part of initiatives to reassess groundwater periodically, the government has constituted a state-level committee under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary, Irrigation and Public Health (IPH).

The committee will estimate groundwater resources of the state in accordance with the Ground Water Resources Estimation Methodology. It will also estimate the status of utilisation of the groundwater resource and submit its report within year from the date of its constitution.

The last assessment of state-wise groundwater resources for the entire country was made in 2004 based on the methodology adopted by the Ground Water Resources Estimation Committee-97. Since then sharp changes in groundwater scenario in many parts of the country have been observed.

Engineer-in-chief (IPH), director (Industries, Urban Development and Agriculture), all chief engineers, superintending engineer (Hydrology) and nominee from the HP Water Management Board and general manager (NABARD) will be members of the committee.

The regional director, Central Ground Water Board, will be the member secretary of the committee. The committee will also co-opt any other members or special invitee, if necessary.

Bilaspur, May 25
Vinay Kumari (22), daughter of Gobind Ram of Baghed village, was killed on the spot and eight other passengers were injured, when a bus of Thakur Bus Service, on way to Ghumarwin from Rishikesh, suddenly fell off the road on a turn near Behna Jattan village, about 25 km from here, this afternoon.

Three persons who were seriously injured included Sukhan Devi, Hardev Singh and retired school lecturer Roop Lal of Behna Jattan village. Passengers said the bus conductor was driving the bus and both driver and conductor fled from the accident site immediately. — OC