Shimla, December 14
The people of the hill state will be spared from the irritating power cuts during the lean winter months despite a steep rise in demand, thanks to increased availability of power and higher generation compared to last year.

The daily demand of power has shot up from 195 lakh units to 225 lakh units and the total requirement has gone up from 850 MW to 1,000 MW. The peak requirement has swelled to 1,170 MW from 1,000 MW last year. However, HPSEB Limited still has a surplus of 5 to 6 lakh units per day. The peak demand is expected to go up to 1,250 MW and the daily demand to 235 lakh units as the cold intensifies over the next two months but there will be no need to impose power cuts.

The main reason for this comfortable situation is that the Giri project is back into operation, providing 5 lakh units per day, and the small projects commissioned over the past one-year are also supplying about 10 lakh units per day. Last year a weak monsoon and the subsequent prolonged dry spell severely affected generation in both small and big projects. The daily availability from the board’s own projects and small projects was just 19 lakh units, which had increased to 32 lakh units this year.

Further, the state is daily receiving 110 lakh units from the Central sector projects and another 53 lakh units through banking arrangements with neighbouring Punjab and Haryana. In all, the distribution company will receive 395 million units during the lean period from November to March next year through banking. Besides, another 12 lakh units are available through bilateral arrangements and 5 lakh units as the share in various interstate projects.

The company has worked out that the total requirement during the five-month period will be about 2,500 million units whereas the availability will be over 2,600 million units. As such the demand-supply equation will be manageable without resorting to power cuts.

The new regulations framed by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission to check over-drawls have also helped as grid discipline has been maintained. The regulations restrict operations within a narrow band of grid frequency, which has to be maintained around 50. Over-drawls will cost dearly as the tariff at a frequency of 49.70 has been fixed at Rs 8.73 per unit which will further increase to Rs 12.72 per unit for decline in frequency to 49.50 and it will be a whopping Rs 17.46 at a frequency of 49.20.

Shimla, December 14
Taking exception to the manner in which the government has withdrawn the case against state BJP chief Khimi Ram, Pradesh Congress Committee chief Kaul Singh today pointed out that there was no provision for a compromise or compounding the case under the Prevention of Atrocities on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the Dhumal regime was adopting double standards in enforcing the law with the BJP workers and supporters being allowed to go scot-free even after committing serious offences and others, particularly Congress men, were booked under false cases.

He said making derogatory caste-related remarks was a non-bailable offence under the law and the accused had no option but to surrender before the court. However, in this case the matter had been settled in the Dhumal’s court by ensuring a compromise as both the complainant and the accused happened to be BJP leaders.

There were a large number of such cases in the state where the complainant and the accused had reached a compromise, but still the cases stood as the police maintained that there was no provision to settle the case without taking the matter to the designated court. The entire episode reflected anti-Dalit mindset of the BJP leadership. It had been handing out a raw deal to the community as evident from the fact that there was only one minister from the scheduled castes, ID Dhiman, whereas the previous Congress government had two ministers and two chief parliamentary secretaries and the important post of Speaker was also held by member of the community, he said.

The double standards of the Dhumal government could also be judged from the fact that the no case had been registered against the chairman and secretary of the state board of school education in connection with the fake certificates scam. Only lower rung staff like peon, postman and clerks had been booked. In contrast, seven cases were registered against the former chairman in an isolated case. It was another matter that he and been acquitted in five cases and the remaining two were under adjudication. The manner in which the BJP MP, who was caught on camera accepting money, was given a clean chit clearly indicated that BJP could go to any extent when it came to protecting the corrupt.

The Congress would make these issues as the main poll plank in the coming panchayats and urban local bodies polls. It would counter the BJP charge of discrimination against the state by the UPA regime by giving figures of funds provided under MNREGA, ADB loans and along with mega development projects sanctioned like central university, IIT, NIFT and ESIC medical college.

Shimla, December 14
The Himachal Power Engineers Association has expressed resentment over the move of HPSEB Limited to re-employ the engineers who have voluntarily left the company tendering resignations.

General secretary of the association Ram Prakash said engineers had lodged a protest with the chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of the company in September last, but the management was interested in obliging certain individuals due to some external pressure. Such a move was not in the favour of engineers who were serving the company despite odds since long.

He further stated that the engineers being considered for re-employment were lured by the pecuniary benefits of the private sector and they resigned to enjoy the perks and power of private companies. However, now sensing that HPSEB Ltd was becoming a strong entity financially, they wanted re-employment through a back door entry for which there was no such provision in the existing rules.

The association, through a written communication, had urged the Principal Secretary, Power, and the CMD not to consider such engineers. Moreover, one of the engineers reported to being considered for re-employment had resigned from HPSEB Ltd twice.

Some of the engineers just wanted to complete 20-year service to get full pensionary benefits and, thereafter, could again join the private sector.

Prakash alleged that the management was clandestinely helping these engineers and in case the management goes ahead with its nefarious plan, the association would be constrained to take appropriate legal measures.

Dharamsala, December 14
The state government has been working hard on providing pensions to all deserving under various pension schemes initiated by the state and the Central government.

The government has also mentioned in the Vidhan Sabha to cover maximum number of people under various pension schemes by early next year. But, there has been a section of employees who have been deprived of this facility at the twilight of their life.

Ashwini Sharma, a retired bank officer, said there were 40 widow pensioners among other pensioners of a government-run bank who had not been receiving pensions since May this year. They have been facing a lot of hardships in meeting their daily needs and have been forced into a legal battle, said Ashwini.

Vikrima Patarwal, widow of Pramod Singh, who was a bank employee, disheartened with her husband’s demise two years ago and now, being deprived of the pension said, “It has become very difficult to meet our daily needs. I have three sons but none of them have secure jobs in their hand. I used to get Rs 7,000 as pension which was more than sufficient to run the house. But now, I feel like a burden on my children. Pension has been the only hope for us but this has also been snatched from us at this period of life.

“We have been fighting for our right and all our hopes are with the court,” said grief-stricken Vikrima.

Shashi Sharma, a 52-year-old widow of a bank employee, said: “It has been very difficult to survive since my pension has been stopped. I don’t know the reason exactly but they (the authorities) say we can’t say what would happen.”

Shashi has four children - three daughters and a son. Two of her daughters and the son are still unmarried. Since she has not been receiving the pension, her only source of income, she is finding it difficult to run the house.

The state government has at present subscribed and participated the share capital of over 51 per cent in the bank, said Ashwini.

He added that at the strength of the share, the state had nominated four directors on the managing committee of this bank, one of whom is from the IAS/HAS cadre. Hence, the government had got deep and pervasive control over the management and the administration.

Shimla, December 14
The Congress has hailed the high court verdict quashing the environment clearance granted by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and said there was no justification for setting up a project close to township in one of the most fertile stretches of land.

State Congress president Kaul Singh said the previous Virbhadra Singh government had selected Nalti, a secluded place, surrounded by mountain ranges and far away from Sundernagar. An alternative road was also proposed to carry cement so that it did not add to traffic congestion on the Bilaspur-Sundernagar stretch. However, the private company was keen to set up plant near the town and the BJP government obliged it. The Congress was in the favour of setting up cement plant only in remote backward areas to boost the local economy and that too without harming the environment.

The Himalaya Niti Abhiyan (HNA), apex body of non-government organisations, which had launched coordinated movement against a number of projects in the state, has welcomed the court verdict.

Coordinator of the HNA Guman Singh demanded an in depth inquiry into all acquisition and violation of revenue and environmental laws, particularly violation of Section 118 of the State Land Reform and Tenancy Act, which debarred non-Himachalis or non-agriculturist from purchasing agriculture land in the state.

He said the HNA had launched campaigns against several mega projects, including the Lafarge Cement plant at Alsindhi, Renuka Dam in Sirmaur, Thermal Plant at Bagheri and various hydroelectric projects, besides the Sundernagar Cement Plant. Last year, it succeeded in stalling Ski Village at Manali and an SEZ in Gagret.

SUNDERNAGAR: The judgment passed by the HP High Court yesterday regarding quashing “environmental clearance and land acquisition notification” for setting up cement plant near Sundernagar was hailed by residents of Mandi district.

Various social and political organisations have come forward and termed it a historical judgment and termed it “green judgment” by the newly constituted Green Bench of HP High Court.

The general public of the town, including workers of both the BJP and the Congress, were happy with the judgment, but political leaders avoided the media.

According to local residents, they have given hundreds of representations to the various authorities, but no avail. Then they approached the court which quashed the clearances of the project.

Dharamsala, December 14
The registration to procure the Unique Identification (UID) number was initiated here today by Deputy Commissioner RS Gupta. He filed his papers at the nagar parishad office and kick-started the programme.

The DC chaired the meeting with officials of the department concerned for issuing the UID number and prepared the system under which the numbers would be issued district wise.

The UID number would provide an identification on national level to the citizens and people can use this number as identity proof at government and non-government offices. The number would be considered as an authorised document.

The DC mentioned that the representatives of the UID number programme would be available here at the MC office for two weeks and no fees would be charged as fees for providing the number. Citizens are requested to bring copies of ration cards, driving licence etc with them for the same.

Initially, 50 teams would be placed at the panchayats of all 15 blocks of the district and in February 2011, 75 teams and for March around 100 teams would be deployed in order to provide the UID numbers at the scheduled time, the DC said.

Hamirpur, December 14
The Health Department has stopped its vaccination drive for DPT, hepatitis and pulse polio throughout the state from the batch from which a child was administered vaccines and drops and had died 20 hours later at Jharnot village of the district on December 9.

The samples of DPT and hepatitis vaccines and pulse polio drops of this batch had already been sent for laboratory examination to the CRI at Kasauli and report of which would be available in about two weeks. Meanwhile, the Health Department had stopped the vaccination drive till the arrival of report from the laboratory for the vaccination and drops of this batch.

A two-month-old infant, Shubham, who had been vaccinated for DPT and hepatitis and given pulse polio drops under the government programme at the health subcentre at Bhota had suffered from acute diarrhoea and died 20 hours later.

The infant was vaccinated along with four other children in the health camp, who were doing fine.

Babita, mother of the deceased, said, “Subham was alright before the vaccination. But he started vomiting and suffered from diarrhoea after which his condition deteriorated.”

She said, “We did no know what to do but now feel that post-mortem should have been conducted on the infant.”

The batches of vaccines and drops from which the Health Department has stopped vaccination are DPT batch 14037B09 with manufacturing date of January, 2010; hepatitis 51AD10010 manufacturing June, 2010, and expiry June 2013; and pulse polio drops PU1002265 manufacturing February, 2010, and expiry January, 2012.

CMO Hamirpur Dr DS Chandel said, “There is a set procedure in such cases and we have sent a report to the health director after this incident and also sent samples of vaccines to laboratory. The report of which is awaited and till then vaccination from these batches has been stopped throughout the state.”