Shimla, December 15
The new regulations for the determination of tariff for small hydropower projects (up to 25 MW) for the 2012-17 control period will be more realistic as compared to the existing fixed tariff and also provide an option to both the distribution company and independent power producers to exit the power purchase agreement (PPA) if the tariff increases beyond a certain limit.

The existing tariff of Rs 2.95 per unit (up to 5 MW) is applicable up to June 2012 after which the new control period will begin. The state electricity regulatory commission has already started the exercise of framing the new regulations for the determination of tariffs.

Chairman of the commission Subhash Negi said the generic tariff for the first year would be based on certain basic parameters like debt-equity ratio, the capacity utilisation factor, operation and maintenance (O and M) expenses, capital cost and interest. However, unlike in the past the levelised tariff so determined will not apply uniformly to all projects that come into operation during the control period.

The capital costs, interest rates and other such components would be indexed to take into consideration the escalation to de-escalation in costs on an annual basis. In case there was inordinate delay in commissioning the project and the cost increases beyond a certain limit creating problems for the distribution company, it would have the option to exit the PPA. Similarly, if the IPP finds the tariff too low, it could also withdraw from the PPA. The tariff will be applicable for the entire BOT (build, operate and transfer) period of 40 years.

The central electricity regulatory commission has already framed draft regulations as per which the normative cost has been fixed at Rs 7 crore per megawatt for projects up to 5 MW and Rs 6.30 crore per megawatt for 5 MW to 25 MW. The debt-equity ratio has been kept at 70 is to 30 and equity in excess of it will be treated as a normative loan.The capacity utilisation factor (CUF) has been pegged at 45 per cent for states like Himachal. The normative CUF is the net of free power to the home state ,if any, and any quantum of free power committed by the developer over and above will not be factored into the tariff. The normative O & M expenses will be escalated at the rate of 5.72 per cent per annum for the tariff period.

Shimla, December 15
The Himachal government has decided to amend the state industrial policy to incorporate provisions for promoting environmentally sustainable units and place polluting industries on the negative list.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister PK Dhumal here today. The step has been taken to promote cleaner production and adoption of an environmental management system, and encouraging public disclosure of pollution status at the unit and the cluster.

The Cabinet also decided to increase the term of the Benami Land Deals Inquiry Commission by three months up to March 31, 2012. This has been done to provide additional time to the people to bring cases relating to benami land transactions to the notice of the commission.

The Cabinet also approved to amend Rule 69-B of the Himachal Pradesh Motor Vehicles Rules, 1999, to reduce the “special registration fee” for choice numbers ranging from 0101 to 9999 from Rs 20,000 to Rs 5,000.

It was also decided to amend the First Schedule of the Himachal Pradesh Minor Minerals (Concession) Revised Rules, 1971, to revise the existing rates of royalty on minor minerals.

It has also been decided to grant concessions for extraction and exploitation of minor minerals in hill slopes to interested private parties in Sirmaur district.

The Cabinet also granted permission to issue a no-objection certificate in favour of the Albiet Educational and Welfare Trust in a non-preferred location of Lower Basal village in Una distrcit to admit 40 trainees in the BSc (Nursing) course.

It has been decided to de-reserve the post of Deputy Mayor in the Municipal Corporation, Shimla, as per the provisions under Section 36 of the Himachal Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1994.

It has also been decided to advance the date of the completion of the high security registration plates scheme in the existing vehicles from November 14, 2013, to June 15, 2012.

The Cabinet granted approval to fill 50 posts of fireman and four posts of company commander in the Department of Fire Services and Civil Defence, 39 posts of different teaching and non-teaching categories in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government Institute of Engineering and Technology at Pragati Nagar, Shimla district. It also approved two posts of geologist in the Industries Department on a contract basis, two posts of Professor in Ayurveda and one post of Reader in Rajiv Gandhi Government Ayurveda College, Paprola, from among retired teachers.

The Cabinet granted approval to the Himachal Pradesh Advocates Welfare Fund (Amendment), 2011, and an amendment to the Himachal Pradesh Public Premises and Land (Eviction and Rent Recovery) Amendment Bill, 2011.

Mandi/Kullu, December 15
In a night-long blaze, four labourers, identified as Prem Chand (26), Bir Singh (26), Rajesh (29) and Mohan Lal (18), were charred to death in a makeshift shack packed with dry cattle grass in Dungri village, about 2 km from Khopar village in the Lug valley in Kullu district, last night. A dog was also charred to death.

The bodies of the four labourers were completely burnt in the devastating blaze. It is suspected that the fire may have started from lighted bidi butts left near the grass which slowly caught fire after they went to sleep.

The police also suspects that they may have consumed liquor because of which they could not notice the fire.

The police recovered the charred bodies from the burnt shack and brought them for forensic examination and postmortem to the regional hospital, Kullu, today and later handed them over them to the family members of the victims.

The blaze was so massive that the dog could also not escape from the closed shack and it was also burnt alive.

The labourers belonged to Khopri village and were camping in an orchard for pruning apple trees, the police said.

Chuni Lal, owner of the shack, said he spotted the smoke in the Dungri skyline in the morning when he woke up and climbed the hill and saw that his makeshift house was burning. He called the villagers and the police, but it was all over by then, he added.

The SP, Kullu, Abhishek Dular, said the police did not suspect any foul play in the incident.

Shimla, December 15
Tributes were paid to freedom fighter Sher Jung on his 15th death anniversary today.

Members of the Himachal Pradesh People’s Progressive Group (HPPG) organised a meeting at which participants recalled the contribution of Sher Jung to the Indian freedom struggle.

Brig Harjit Singh (retd) said Sher Jung’s dedication in the service of the country had been unique. He joined the Jaito agitation launched by the Akalis in 1923, when he was just 17 years old, and pioneered the Praja Mandal movement in the then princely state of Sirmaur.

He suffered imprisonment for 14 years. He continued leading campaigns even after Independence and raised two battalions of the Kashmir National Militia and fought along with the Indian Army against Pakistani raiders in Kashmir. He was conferred the rank of Colonel for his military acumen in March 1948. From 1953 to 1961, he led guerrilla warfare against the Portuguese in Goa. Later, in 1967, he raised the Muktivahini and led guerrilla warfare against the East Pakistan army.

Shimla, December 15
Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Virbhadra Singh has urged the Centre to make Himachal Pradesh a member of the Bhakra Beas Management Board(BBMB) and carry out an exercise to calculate the arrears of the state’s share in the BBMB projects expeditiously.

In a letter to Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde he has pointed out that all three BBMB projects were physically located in Himachal Pradesh but the state itself was not a board member. It needed to be made a member of the board forthwith.

He drew his attention to the Supreme Court verdict as per which the arrears of the state’s share in respect of the Bhakra Nangal Project were to be calculated with effect from November 1 ,1966, till October 31, 2011, and other projects from the date of commissioning within six months. The Government of India was under obligation to make these calculations after associating the states concerned. Himachal deserved not only priority but also that the exercise be carried out without further delay so that the state had enough time to stake its rightful claim before the Government of India.— TNS

Hamirpur, December 15
The joint action committee (JAC) of the Association of BSNL Executives and Non-Executives of Hamirpur telecom district observed a strike today, demanding a financial package for the cash-strapped BSNL and to highlight other demands .

In a press release the convener of the JAC, VS Kanwar, said the strike call had been given to remind the Central Government about its commitment made to BSNL regarding the reimbursement of the licence fee and liberal subsidy from the universal obligation fund.

The JAC said these commitments were made by the Central Government to BSNL at the time of its formation for making it a financially viable unit but the reimbursements had been withdrawn under the pressure of MNCs and private players in this field .

He said BSNL had paid about Rs 50,000 crore to the government as dividend and in taxes during the past 11 years. However, the Central Government had taken away Rs 35,000 crore surplus with the organisation but was not compensating it.

The JAC demanded that the Central Government should refund notional loan and spectrum charges, etc, to BSNL and procure mobile equipment like broadband modems, cables and telephone instruments, besides paying bonus and DA to the employees.

Bilaspur, December 15
Sushil Kukreja, Special Judge-cum-District and Sessions Judge here, has found Prakash Chand of Chinakandi village and Mansa Ram of Masar village in Mandi district guilty under Section 20 of the NDPS Act and has sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment of 12 years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh each.

The accused were caught at a police naka at Barmana on June 19, 2010, with charas and opium which they had hidden near the mudguards of their vehicle. In case of default in the payment of the fine, shall have to undergo further six months’ simple imprisonment.

They were also sentenced to two years’ rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 20,000 each under Section 18 of the same Act and in case of default in the payment of the fine, they shall have to undergo further two months’ simple imprisonment.

Earlier, District Attorney Shamsher Singh Kaushal told the judge that the police had seized 750 gm of opium and 14 gm of charas from the accused.

Solan, December 15
The National Green Tribunal has admitted a plea filed by a section of the land owners affected by the Renuka dam seeking to vacate a stay on the land acquisition proceedings. The proceedings had been stayed in July this year. The tribunal has now listed the case for January 4.

The affected people, belonging to Dheer Baggar, Lana Macher, Lana Mashorr, Unger Kando and Rajiayana villages, had in their petition filed through local advocate Kanwar Madu Pal Singh pleaded that the stay had put on hold the announcement of award and this would cause a monetary loss to them. The award involved about 2,000 bighas of land belonging to these land owners.

According to the Land Acquisition Act, if the proceedings are stayed for any reason, the land owners fail to get the due 12 per cent interest during the stay period.

The petitioners have also emphasised that since no environmental loss would be caused to the project due to the mere announcing of the award, it should not be delayed.

It has been stated that no rehabilitation process could begin and the people could also not make use of their land. Since a majority of the people had to be rehabilitated to other places, any delay in the announcement of the award would delay their rehabilitation.

The National Green Tribunal had earlier passed an interim order directing Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) to stay the entire acquisition process under the Land Acquisition Act in July this year. The Rs 3,600-crore Renuka Dam project in Sirmaur had hit a roadblock following this stay.

The tribunal had also restrained the public sector undertaking from carrying out any construction activity in both non-forest and forest land and from announcing the award of compensation. The order was passed on a petition filed by Durga Ram, a local resident and project-affected person, challenging the environmental clearance awarded to the project in October 2009.

Shimla, December 15
Aimed at not just ensuring good health of the expectant mother and the foetus, the ambitious Mother Tracking Scheme to be launched by the Health and Family Welfare Department will help check incidents of female foeticide.

Addressing a press conference here, Health Minister Rajiv Bindal said the scheme had already been run on a trial basis in Sairi block but it would be launched by Chief Minister PK Dhumal at Shahpur on December 18.

“Female health workers (FHW) will be provided with a mobile phone and they would sms details about the pregnant woman and her health right up to to state level where through a software the date would be maintained,” said Bindal. He added that this would help ensure good health of the expectant mother and the foetus right up to delivery.

Interestingly, the scheme would also help check incidents of female foeticide, which result from the preference for a male child, still dominant in society. The FHWs would look into the reasons for abortion or miscarriage and it would be easy to determine whether the foetus had been killed.

During the entire pregnancy period the FHW would also guide women on the necessary diet and health tips that were important for them. “We hope to bring at least six districts of the state under the mobile tracking scheme and during 2012, hopefully, the entire state should be covered,” said Bindal.

The minister said the thrust of most of the schemes was to ensure timely detection and prevention through vaccination and proper treatment. “ A proper health check-up of students enrolled in all 15,045 government schools was done by holding 22,895 cluster camps,” he said. This, he added, helped in the detection of problems like anaemia, which 16 per cent children suffered from while 5 per cent, suffered from skin ailments.

Surprisingly, 0.18 per cent of the students were found to be suffering from cardio-vascular diseases. “Early detection of heart-related problems in 872 students and referring them to various hospitals has prevented their problems from getting aggravated,” said Bindal.

Kangra, December 15
Himachal Pradesh Government teachers today urged Chief Minister PK Dhumal to implement all decisions of the Punjab Government relating to the revision of pay grades of teachers, to pay arrears in lumpsum, revise the allowances being given since 1996 and release the instalment of DA due from July 2011.

The demands were raised by PC Kapoor and Onkar Rana, chairman and secretary-general of the Himachal Government Teachers Union, respectively, in a statement here. Both union leaders said a 25-point demands charter of the union was recently discussed with Education Minister ID Dhiman, who had “agreed” to amend the 1998 Recruitment and Promotion Rules of headmasters and provide adequate budget for travel and medical reimbursement and office expenses.

They claimed the Education Minister had also agreed to create the post of language teacher in those schools where at the time of upgrading from middle to high school, the post of language teacher was not sanctioned. They said he also agreed to get all pending pay order cases disposed of in the near future.

They further claimed that Dhiman had agreed in principle to allow 20 days’ causal leave for women teachers during a calendar year. They urged the state government to implement all decisions taken by the Education Minister during their recent meeting.