Chandigarh, May 10
Consumers can expect better power supply during the summer this year as the state power utilities have arranged sufficient power.

An official spokesman said here today that arrangements had been made to supply power for 20 to 22 hours a day to industries and urban domestic consumers and for 12 to 14 hours to rural domestic consumers.

The utilities planned to give power to tubewells for eight hours a day during the paddy season, which would commence on June 15.

He said due to better management, the utilities would be required to purchase a lower quantity of power and at a cheaper rate. This would result in saving of Rs 1700 to Rs2000 crore compared to the amount the utilities had been spending on purchase of electricity on a short-term basis during the summer earlier. The cost of purchase of power would be lesser because of judicious banking of power, lesser procurement from short-term sources and unscheduled interchange. The utilities saved over Rs 1200 crore on accounts of lesser purchase at cheaper rates during 2010-11.

As per the projected load demand, about 4400 MW would be required during May for which power had been arranged. During the first fortnight of June, the requirement was projected at 4500 MW-5000 MW for which arrangements had been made.

The load demand projection for the second half of June was 5500 MW-6000 MW against which proper arrangements had been made.

For July about 1300 MW would be arranged through banking arrangements. The utilities had already planned to procure about 1200 MW through banking in August and about 900 MW power in September to ensure adequate power for the agriculture sector.

Chandigarh, May 10
Less than 10 days before her scheduled appearance before the CBI special Judge, Justice Nirmal Yadav’s attempts to get relief from the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the cash-for-judge scam proved to be a bootless exercise.

Her petition, seeking the quashing of sanction order dated March 1, was referred to another Bench in the morning itself; and did not come up for hearing throughout the day. The petition will now come up for hearing before Justice Permod Kohli tomorrow.

Around 10.15 am, the petition came up for hearing before Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia. As a battery of lawyers led by renowned Supreme Court lawyer KTS Tulsi appeared before the Bench in a jam-packed courtroom, Justice Ahluwalia refused to hear the case and referred it to another Bench.

What followed was a long wait for Tulsi and other lawyers representing Justice Yadav. Just before lunch, they requested the acting Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, to place the matter before another judge. A request was also made to fix the case for hearing on May 20, two days after she has been directed to appear before the court.

After hearing counsel, Justice Goel made it orally clear that the court could not fix the matter for a particular date.

Justice Yadav’s counsel has claimed that the “sanction for her prosecution was granted by the President of India without there being any fresh material placed before the competent authority by the CBI requiring review of the earlier order declining such sanction”.

Going into the background of the controversy, counsel said the then Chief Justice of India had directed the closure of investigation against the petitioner and refused to grant sanction for her prosecution.

Elaborating, counsel said DR Meena, then Secretary, Ministry of Law and Justice, had addressed a letter on December 7, 2009, to then CBI Director Ashwani Kumar.

Meena wrote the case of the petitioner was discussed by the Minister for Law and Justice with the then Chief Justice of India. He observed no action was required and the case papers relating to the petitioner be returned to the Department of Personnel and Training.

But, “to the utter surprise of the petitioner, on March 1, sanction for her prosecution was granted by the President of India”.

Her counsel added: “It is well-settled that the request for sanction to prosecute once rejected upon due application of mind by the authority competent to grant or advise sanction cannot be reviewed/ re-considered, unless there is any fresh material necessitating such fresh look at the earlier order”.

Chandigarh, May 10
Lt-Gen DP Vats (retd), a former Director and Commandant, Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune, was administered the oath of office and secrecy as Chairman, Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC), by Governor Jagannath Pahadia here today.

General Vats was born on April 16, 1950, at Thurana village in Hisar district. A graduate of Pt. BD Sharma PGIMS, Rohtak, he was commissioned into the Army in August, 1975. He did MS (ophthalmology) from the AFMC, Pune in 1982, and received training in anterior segment surgery at the AIIMS, New Delhi, in 1992 and in eye banking at the LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, in 1998.

A highly decorated officer, General Vats was awarded the Param Vishist Seva Medal in 2011, Sena Medal in 2003, Vishist Seva Medal in 1999, COAS commendation cards in 1996, 2005 and 2008 and the GOC-in-C (WC) commendation card in 2001 for exceptionally meritorious service and contribution towards patient care.

He held various prestigious positions at the AFMC, Pune; Command Hospital, Western Command; Army Hospital (R&R), New Delhi; Command Hospital (Southern Command), Pune, among others.

Jind, May 10
Residents of Gatauli village, 15 km from here, blocked traffic on the national highway connecting Jind with Rohtak for over an hour here today.

The residents were protesting against the acute shortage of potable water supply in the village. The protest came to an end after the intervention of the officials of the department concerned.

The villagers alleged that there had been a shortage of water supply for the past two months, but the authorities concerned had failed to address their problem, despite complaints and reminders. They said a majority of the households had not been getting potable water, as the main supply line was damaged. — TNS

Faridabad, May 10
House owners and shopkeepers today called off their nine-day-old agitation after the general body of the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) passed a resolution in favour of reducing the rates for changing the status of their dwelling units to the commercial category.

However, the Faridabad Beopar Mandal, which was spearheading the agitation, asserted that the agitation would be started again if the government failed to consider the resolution passed by the MCF. As per the norms, the resolution passed by the MCF’s general body has to be ratified by the government. The house owners, who were running commercial ventures from their dwelling units, had received notices from the MCF to change the status of their land to the commercial category.

The MCF, at its full house meeting today, passed a resolution in favour of reducing the CLU rates. It recommending Rs 1,000 and Rs 5,00 per sq metre.

Chandigarh, May 10
The state government has transferred five IAS officers.

Pankaj Yadav, Director and Joint Secretary, Primary Education Department, has been posted as Director, Consolidation, Holdings and Land Records, Special Collector (Headquarters) and Special LAO. SS Phulia, Additional Managing Director, Tourism Corporation, goes as ADC-cum-CEO, DRDA, Ambala.

Vinay Singh, awaiting posting orders, has been posted as Director and Deputy Secretary, Primary Education. Chander Shekhar, awaiting posting orders, has been posted as Director, Supplies and Disposals, and Mrs Renu S. Phulia, awaiting posting orders, has been posted as Director and Deputy Secretary, Women and Child Development Department and MD, Women and Child Development Corporation.