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Changes in state Cong fuel factional fight
Power board staff stage dharna
‘Inauguration’ of Incomplete Bus Stand |
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Dhumal keeps up inauguration drive
Kaul Singh takes on Virbhadra, Dhumal
SJVN to enter thermal power sector
RP Singh, MD of SJVN, addresses mediapersons in Shimla on Tuesday. Photo: Amit Kanwar
Project engineers stake claim to MD’s post
Civil Hospital sans specialists
Devotees throng Vashisht Rishi temple
Devotees throng the Vashisht Rishi temple and hot water springs near Manali on the occasion of “Bees Bhadon” on Tuesday. Photo by writer
Fissures in BJP over rally venue
2 Nepalese workers killed in blast
Three-day Hamir Utsav ends
Arshpreet Kaur performs on the concluding day function of Hamir Utsav in Hamirpur on Monday night. A Tribune photograph
Praveen is chairperson of Central excise board
Minister opens Rangers’ college
Forest Minister Khimi Ram lays the foundation stone of the administrative block of the Rangers’ college in Sundernagar on Tuesday. Photo by writer
Proclaimed offender held
Forensic lab Director’s appointment hailed
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Changes in state Cong fuel factional fight
Dharamsala, September 4 Some of them now fear that since they have been fighting against Virbhadra Singh, who is known to hit back at his detractors, he may promote dissidents in their constituencies. Withdrawing into a shell
The Kaul Singh faction expected him to be made Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader, which would have made him a member of the screening committee for ticket allotment, but the Congress leadership did not make any such move. They were alleging that after taking over as HPCC chief, Virbhadra Singh had accommodated only leaders his faction. No Congress leader was taking on the state government. Many expected Virbhadra Singh to remove certain block Congress presidents owing allegiance to Kaul Singh. Leaders of this rival faction were playing the lower Himachal card in support of their case. Many were alleging that the entire top leadership of the state Congress was concentrated in Shimla district, making it a case of eight Assembly seats against 60. Virbhadra Singh, CLP leader Vidya Stokes and Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Dhani Ram Shandil were from Shimla district. The BJP would take up the issue in the elections, they said. The fears of Congress leaders from lower Himachal were not unfounded. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal had set the agenda for the party campaign by saying it seemed that the Congress leadership did not have faith in lower and central Himachal leaders of the party. Previous Assembly elections showed that the BJP had been voted to power whenever it bagged the maximum seats in lower Himachal. While all Congress Chief Ministers had been elected from Shimla district, both BJP Chief Ministers were from lower Himachal. While Shanta Kumar belonged to Kangra district, Dhumal was from Hamirpur district. Congress factions had started evaluating the winning prospects of their respective candidates. Both the Virbhadra Singh and Kaul Singh factions had collected lists of leaders who could prove the best bets for the Congress in the elections. They were submitting the lists to the senior party leadership through their respective channels. Virbhadra Singh’s supporters were planning a rally in Kangra to express solidarity with him and display their strength. |
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Power board staff stage dharna
Shimla, September 4 The focus of the union was on recruitment of commercial and technical staff at the induction level to cope with the increased workload and effective steps to improve the financial position of the board, including amendments to existing energy policies. The union alleged that the government had never taken the deteriorating financial position seriously and there was false propaganda of excess staff in the board. Union president Kuldeep Singh Kharwara said the expenditure-revenue gap had widened sharply in the last two years and it had become difficult for the board to run its day-to-day operations. He said it had assets worth Rs 5,000 crore while borrowings had reached Rs 3,300 crore, including short-term loans amounting to Rs 2,000 crore. The high-interest loan being procured to bridge the gap was making things worse and the cumulative loss, which was Rs 384 crore on March 31, 2010, had crossed the Rs 1,500-crore mark. The state electricity regulatory commission had disallowed about Rs 2,900 crore to the board in the last 10 years and this shortfall was managed through short-term borrowings. Its recommendation to the government for the release of Rs 295 crore as special grant to the board had not been carried out so far. The staff strength had reduced from 43,000 to 19,000 while the number of power consumers had increased from 6 lakh to 20 lakh, with a proportionate increase in distribution lines, transformers, substations and powerhouses. Thousands of posts had been abolished over the last decade while 6,000 posts in various categories were lying vacant. Before concluding the dharna, office-bearers of the union submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the Chief Secretary and held talks with him on their demands, which included the immediate release of Rs 295 crore as special grant, conversion of the amount of Rs 700 crore payable by the board to the government into an investment grant, effective steps to recover Rs 468 crore on account of expenditure on survey and investigation of projects allotted to various agencies, providing BBMB share and waiving royalty being charged from the project. |
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‘Inauguration’ of Incomplete Bus Stand Vijay Arora
Shimla, September 4 This order was passed by the court on a petition filed by Laxmender Singh, president of the Shopkeepers’ Association, Indira Market, Mandi, alleging that only 20 per cent work of the bus stand has been completed till today and the government is in hurry to inaugurate the same. The petitioner added that the bus stand was to be constructed at a cost of Rs 12 crore. It was alleged that a local daily has reported that Chief Minister PK Dhumal would inaugurate the bus stand on September 6. The petitioner added that as per the sanctioned plan, the HP Bus Stands Management and Development Authority had to construct a car parking, an ISBT, a local bus stand, commercial hall, including other works. He alleged that the incomplete building was being handed over to the public and the same might cause inconvenience to the people. The petitioner has urged the court to direct the respondents to complete the construction of the bus stand in a time-bound manner and not to open the incomplete bus station by allegedly inaugurating the same on September 6. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice DC Chaudhary directed the state, HP Bus Stands Management and Development Authority to file reply within a week.
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Dhumal keeps up inauguration drive
Karsog (Mandi), September 4 On a foundation stone-laying spree, he appealed to party workers to be ready for elections at a public meeting in Karsog. He also listened to public grievances. He laid the foundation stones of the 33/22-KV electricity subdivision at Batala Balhi and the augmentation of the Karsog water supply scheme. He inaugurated the Rs 6.08-crore 60-bedded Civil Hospital building, the Rs 22-lakh Suket Satyagrah Shaheed Memorial and the Rs 14.21-lakh Government Degree College canteen. Dhumal further said each marketing yard would have two shops for the sale of organic produce. The government had created quality infrastructure in rural areas, curtailing migration to towns, he claimed. He elaborated on the Rs 353-crore Pandit Deen Dayal Kisan Baagwan Samriddhi Yojna, the Rs 300-crore Doodh Ganga Yojna, the Rs 321-crore crop diversification and organic farming scheme and the Rs 85-crore apple plantation and subsidised ration scheme. Dhumal appealed to the people to check female foeticide and said the financial grant for two daughters per family under the Beti Hai Anmol Scheme had been enhanced from Rs 5,100 to Rs 10,000. He said he had maintained cordial relations with employees and criticised the previous government for not implementing Pay Commission recommendations. Local MLA Hira Lal thanked the Chief Minister for his support to Karsog. Local BJP mandal president Pitambar Lal Gupta thanked Dhumal for providing nagar panchayat status to the town and funds for development programmes. Himachal Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Vice-Chairman Ram Swaroop Sharma and Mandi Deputy Commissioner Deevesh Kumar were present. |
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Kaul Singh takes on Virbhadra, Dhumal
Mandi, September 4 Apart from attacking the state BJP and terming it the most corrupt government, a sulking Kaul Singh minced no words in taking a dig at Virbhadra Singh, saying the expulsion of certain workers was not in the party’s
interest. Kaul Singh reached his hometown for the first time after being replaced by Virbhadra Singh. Addressing a press conference here, Kaul Singh gave a one-line reply to media queries on party issues, saying he had left everything to Sonia Gandhi. “A regional and political balance should be maintained,” he said, hinting that both Leader of Opposition Vidya Stokes and Virbhadra Singh were from Shimla district. Accompanied by district party president Puran Chand and Drang Congress leaders, Kaul Singh said he tried to bring forth a second line of leadership in the party. “I have decided not contest elections after 75 years of age as I feel that the youth should be given responsibilities in the party,” he added. He attacked the PK Dhumal government, charging it with being the most corrupt and inefficient government. It sold 1.5 lakh bighas of cultivable land to outsiders, violating Section 118, and IRDP families were not spared, he said. “We cornered the government in the Vidhan Sabha on the Apartment Act and tabled a no-confidence motion in the monsoon session,” he added. He said the government was protecting those involved in the fake certificate scam. Forest and liquor mafias were ruling the roost, he added. LETTING IT OUT
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SJVN to enter thermal power sector
Shimla, September 4 The Rs 9,000-crore project based on super-critical technology will come up at Chaunsa on the Bihar-Uttar Pradesh border. It will have two units of 660 MW each and its capacity will be expandable up to 2,000
MW. SJVN Chairman-cum-Managing Director RP Singh said talks with the Bihar Government were on and a memorandum of understanding was likely to be signed shortly. The SJVN had also diversified into wind and solar energy with projects to have an initial capacity to generate 50 MW by June next year. The SJVN was also making a foray into power transmission with its maiden project to erect a 310-km 400-KV line from Dhakebar in Nepal to Muzaffarpur as a joint venture partner in a cross-border transmission company. This line would help transmit power from the 900-MW Arun hydroelectric project being executed by it in Nepal. With 10 projects in Nepal, Bhutan, Arunachal
Pradesh, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the SJVN was on its way to realise the dream of having an installed capacity of 6,000 MW by 2020. With diversification into other sectors, the vision for 2030 was to have a capacity of between 10,000 MW and 12,000 MW. The year 2011-12 was exceptionally good with 1,500-MW Nathpa Jhakri hydroelectricity plant generating a record 7,610 million units of energy compared to the MoU target of 6,900 million units. It generated 1,000 million units of energy for five consecutive months, taking the cumulative generation to 50,000 million units. The plant availability factor during the year peaked at 104.26 per cent compared to the average of 82 per cent. The total revenue jumped to Rs 2,136.79 crore in 2011-12 from Rs 1,979.16 crore the previous year and the net profit to Rs 1,068 crore from Rs 912
crore. The company paid Rs 389 crore as dividend compared to Rs 334 crore last year. The earning per share increased to Re 0.94 from Re 0.80 the previous year. |
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Project engineers stake claim to MD’s post
Shimla, September 4 The association has submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister PK Dhumal in this regard. The association has welcomed the decision to appoint a full-time MD, but resented the process of shortlisting candidates. They point out that a number of experienced engineers with the state electricity board have been left out and engineers from outside having no experience in hydroelectricity have been
shortlisted. Two of the applicants shortlisted have resigned from the board and joined private companies, but have been called for interview. The competence of project engineers can be judged from the fact that they head the Tala Hydroelectric Project Authority in Bhutan and the Nathpa Jhakri Power Corporation. Many of them occupy senior positions in the private hydroelectricity companies. HPSEB project engineers feel that all power utilities in the state should have a common cadre of engineers and other staff, including Directors and MDs, as the size of utilities was small. They have also resented that two yardsticks have been used for appointment to the posts of Director and MD. Officers from the
IAS, HAS and IFS are appointed without interview and without asking them to resign from their parent cadres. In case of an HAS officer with a Central public-sector unit, the entire tenure period has been allowed in contravention of service rules. Engineers also rue that no technical expert is present during the interview for the post of MD as all four on the panel are bureaucrats. |
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Civil Hospital sans specialists
Karsog (Mandi), September 4 Chief Minister PK Dhumal today dedicated the building to the public and blamed the delay on the previous Congress regime. He said they would get specialists, but was non-committal on a deadline. The cost of the building had gone up by Rs 2.9 crore due to a five-year delay in completion of work. It still did not have a blood storage unit. The Health Department failed to depute staff despite upgrade. A Civil Hospital needed 14 doctors, including specialists, but it had six doctors and two dentists. Chief Medical Officer AB Gupta said the department was in the process of appointing specialists. “We have 11 staff nurses and six doctors,” he added. Hospital in charge Kishan said the new building had two operation theatres, a casualty and a labour room. “We have a 40-bedded old building and are starting a blood storage unit,” he added. After the foundation stone was laid in September 2002, it took the Public Works Department 10 years to complete it as the contractor quit. “We had to invite the tender again. The cost went up from Rs 3.84 crore to Rs 6.7 crore,” said Executive Engineer RK Kashyap. |
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Devotees throng Vashisht Rishi temple
Manali, September 4 Besides being considered an auspicious day, residents believe that the water in these kunds and high-altitude lakes have great medicinal values and can cure diseases. The Himalayan meadows and slopes during this month ripen with medicinal herbs add to the medicinal value of the water. Devotees also took a dip at the confluence of the Beas and the Parvati rivers at Bhunter today. The Nehru kund, a favourite tourist spot on the Manali-Rohtang road, wears a deserted look today. The spring was named after former Prime Minister late Jawaharlal Nehru when he visited Manali in 1958. He found the water extremely refreshing. Nehru was instrumental in bringing Manali on the international map. |
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Fissures in BJP over rally venue
Solan, September 4 Those led by Avtar Saini, late MLA HN Saini’s brother, today claimed that they met the Chief Minister last evening. They said the rally would be held at Bhatiyan on the afternoon of September 3. The group led by retired official KL Thakur was preparing to join the BJP at a rally in Sobenmajra the same afternoon, which would be addressed by the Chief Minister. The Saini faction today chalked out its strategy at Chowkiwala after putting up a show of strength where senior leaders opposed the party ticket to Thakur, who had not joined the BJP yet. Police officials did not have confirmation of the venue till this evening, creating suspense over the issue. Various ticket aspirants, including Avtar Saini, Zila Parishad Vice-Chairman Hardeep Thakur and Hemraj Thakur, asserted that they would not accept an outsider. The venue issue had virtually created a split, with old-timers pressing for the removal of mandal president Baldev Thakur, who had been siding with KL Thakur. There was no solution in sight with both factions refusing to budge. |
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2 Nepalese workers killed in blast
Mandi/Sainj, September 4 The workers have been identified as Nima Lama and Sonam Sherpa. Nima’s body was torn into pieces and Sonam died on the way to a hospital. Pasan Sherpa was under treatment at the Regional Hospital and was reported to be out of danger. Workers resented that the HPCL had failed to provide safety to workers at the site. Even doctor was not available, except a pharmacist, at the site. HPCL site manager CS Chauhan said they were loading the explosive material when the accident took place. There might be some leakage in the detonator that triggered a short-circuit, which caused the explosion. Chauhan said, “We provide immediate first-aid to victims in such accidents.” |
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Three-day Hamir Utsav ends
Hamirpur, September 4 IPH Minister Ravinder Ravi was the chief guest, who inaugurated the cultural evening by lighting a traditional lamp. In the beginning of the cultural evening, schoolchildren and artistes of local musical groups also gave their presentations. The final bouts of a wrestling competition were also held in which Surender Kumar of Ajnala won the first prize of Rs 5,100 and Lakki of Hamirpur the second of Rs 3,100. The minister also gave away prizes to winners of various sports and other competitions. The minister talked about the progress made in different fields during the past 40 years. He said Hamir Utsav was organised to commemorate the formation of Hamirpur district. Addressing the audience Deputy Commissioner Rajinder Singh Thakur thanked people for rendering support in organising the
utsav. |
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Praveen is chairperson of Central excise board
Chamba, September 4 People of the state, especially Chamba district, conveyed gratitude to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram for giving this opportunity to Praveen. Praveen, who is the first woman in the country to head the CBEC, joined the Indian Revenue Services in 1976 and held many important assignments in the department, including Member (P&V), from August 1, 2011, before the present assignment. For her distinguished services, she has also been conferred with the presidential award. She did masters in history in April 1975 and English in April 1978 from Panjab University. She also holds a diploma in International Economics Relations from the International Institute of Public Administration, Paris. She is a keen sportsperson and plays tennis
and badminton. She won a bronze medal in shooting at the national level. She represented her college and university in tennis and badminton. |
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Minister opens Rangers’ college
Sundernagar, September 4 He formally inaugurated the Rangers’ college, the classes of which were started last week. While addressing the gathering, he said it was the first Rangers’ college in the state and sixth in the country. He said MLA Roop Singh had raised the demand of opening a Rangers’ college at Sundernagar before Chief Minister PK Dhumal in October 2011 and the government worked on it and provided all infrastructure and started the classes of Range officers within a period of less than nine months. He said at present 30 Range officers from Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala were undergoing training in the first batch. He said the BJP government opened the Forestry Training Centre at Sundernagar in 1993 for training of the frontline staff (FLS) of the Forest Department in forestry and related disciplines. The minister was accompanied by local MLA Roop Singh Thakur and forest officials. |
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Proclaimed offender held
Chamba, September 4 The DSP said Ganesh had been declared a PO by the court for his non-attendance of the court. A case against him had already been registered in a road accident at Pangi police station and he was wanted by the police. Ganesh belonged to Kuddal Chor village in Nepal, the DSP added. |
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Forensic lab Director’s appointment hailed
Mandi, September 4 In a press statement issued here today, the association stated that Dr Sharma was also the deputy director of the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL), Central Range, Mandi, from 2009 to 2011. During his tenure, the RFSL was allotted land in the heart of the city and got additional budget sanctioned for
the building, which is nearing completion. |
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Shimla, September 4
On the occasion of “Bees Bhadon”, the 20th day of the Bhadon month, hundreds of devotees thronged the Vashisht Rishi temple and hot water springs today
to take a dip. The “Bees Bhadon” holy dip holds a special significance for residents of the Kullu valley. On this day, devotees also visit the Bhrigu Lake, Dashaur Lake, Chandertal Lake, Beas Kund and Beas Rishi situated at an altitude of 14,000 ft to 15,000 ft to take a dip, while the elderly take a dip in the
Beas, Nehru Kund and Manikaran.
Hamirpur, September 4
Praveen Mahajan has been made chairperson of the Central Board of Excise and Customs
(CBEC) of the Union Ministry of Finance.
A native of Chamba, Praveen is a daughter of late Padma Shri Kailash Chand
Mahajan, an illustrious ex-chairman of the HP State Electricity Board. People of the state, especially Chamba district, conveyed gratitude to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram for giving this opportunity to
Praveen. Praveen, who is the first woman in the country to head the CBEC, joined the Indian Revenue Services in 1976 and held many important assignments in the department, including Member (P&V), from August 1, 2011, before the present assignment.
Sundernagar, September 4
