Shimla, November 15
With power generation plummeting sharply due to the early onset of winter, the country’s largest hydroelectricity project, Nathpa-Jhakri, which has achieved record generation for the last three consecutive years, is likely to miss the target of 7,000 million units (MU) for the current financial year.

The generation in other big and small hydroelectricity projects has also declined, forcing the state power board to procure more power through banking to bridge the growing gap between demand and supply.

The 1,500-MW Nathpa-Jhakri project has generated 5,801 MU of power so far compared to 6,564 MU during the corresponding period last year, when it generated a record total of 7,610 MU. The generation is already short of the target of 5,892 MU.

The delayed and inadequate monsoon has ensured that the generation remains lower than last year all through. The project generated only 2,091 MU in the first quarter of the current fiscal compared to 2,650 MU last year.

The gap increased further over the next three months as the total generation barely touched 5,250 MU up to September 30 compared to 5,876 MU in 2011-12. It was still more than the target of 5,212 MU.

The early onset of winter caused a sharp decline in discharge in rivers and streams in October and as a result, the generation fell behind the target.

Less melting of snow brought down the discharge in the Sutlej to 114 cumecs last month compared to 137 cumecs last year. The project generated only 413 MU during the month against a target of 511 MU.

It further came down to 92 cumecs yesterday compared to 114 cumecs last year, making it obvious that the gap between generation and target would increase progressively till March 31.

Keeping in view the performance of the project in the last three years, the Union Ministry of Power had enhanced the target from 6,600 MU for 2009-10 to 6,700 MU for 2010-11 and it generated 7,140 MU. The target was raised to 6,900 MU for 2011-12 and the project generated a record 7,610 MU.

The generation from the state electricity board’s own projects has declined to 31 lakh units (LU) , about 25 per cent of normal generation. Small projects have been providing 20 LU compared to the normal of 66 LU.

The board is availing of 19 LU of government power and 110 LU from the Central pool. It is also drawing between 38 LU and 40 LU though the banking arrangement to bridge the gap due to the increase in demand to 245 LU.

It will have to go in for increased forward banking to meet the gap up to March, which means that it will have less power during summer or will have to impose power cuts.

Dharamsala, November 15
An embezzlement case in the Dharamsala government college in which six officials were found guilty by an inquiry report submitted in 2004 is an illustration of how tardy the government proceedings can be in certain corruption cases.

The government took eight years to frame the charge sheet against the accused employees on the basis of the inquiry report submitted in 2004. To add to it, three of the six officials in the case have already retired and now, no action can be taken against them legally.

The case pertains to 2002 when it was found that a clerk in government college, Dharamsala, Karan Thapa, had embezzled Rs 8 lakh from the fees of students of the institution.

A case was registered against Thapa, who has eloped since then and has not been traced yet.

While a criminal case was registered against the accused, an inquiry was also initiated by the Education Department to fix responsibility for dereliction of duty on part of other officials of the department.

The probe was conducted by the then Joint Director, Colleges, DC Katoch. In the probe report that was submitted in 2004, and a copy of which was available with The Tribune, six officials of the college - the then Principal SL Anand, Nand Lal Thakur, the then bursar of the college, Kamala Kapoor, the then superintendent of the college, Subhash Kumar and Sudhesh Awasthi, senior assistants, and Puran Singh, clerk, were indicted for dereliction of duty.

Though the report into the case was submitted in 2004 and it indicted the Principal and bursar of the college for dereliction of duty, the then Principal Secretary, Education, had exonerated both officials in 2003 and 2002, respectively, even before the report was submitted.

Officials of the Education Department kept sitting on the probe report for about eight years.

It was now in June 2012, eight years after the report was submitted, the indicted employees have been framed in the chargesheet.

The chargesheet is not likely to have impact on three of the six indicted officials as they have already retired.

The three employees who were indicted in the inquiry report and have retired since then are Kamala Kapoor, superintendent of the college, SL Anand, Principal, and Nand Lal Thakur, the then bursar of the college.

Three of the indicted employees who are still serving in various colleges of the state are Subhash Kumar, Sudesh Awasthi and Puran Singh, all from the clerical cadre.

While no action was taken against Subhash Kumar and Sudhesh Awasthi, Puran Singh, the then clerk, has been at the receiving end in the case from officials of the Education Department.

Palampur, November 15
The health services in the rural and tribal areas of the state have adversely been hit following an acute shortage of MBBS and postgraduate doctors in the state. No doctor is willing to serve in the state. A large number of PG and MBBS doctors posted in these areas have left the job within six months of joining because of unhealthy working conditions, increasing political interference and low salary.

At present, the MBBS and PG doctors appointed in the state on contract are being paid Rs 26,000 and Rs 40,000 per month, respectively. No earned leave or medical leave is allowed to these doctors. Even they were also not entitled for medical and other allowances. They are allowed only two holidays in a month.

However, all these doctors have to work at par with their regular counterparts. The PG doctors who have been posted in zonal, district or sub-divisional hospital are worst affected. Besides, their normal duties, they had to perform emergency duties and attend the night calls also, but at the same time they are not compensated by the government for such extra duties. They are only paid only Rs 40,000.

A spokesman of the HP State Medical Officers Association said the state government should not compare the health services at par with other departments, it should immediately stop the contract appointments of doctors, if it was really keen to fill up the 500 vacant post of doctors in the state and also to meet the norms laid down by the Union Government for spending the NHRM funds. He said last year, state government failed to spend a major part of the NHRM funds because of vacant post of doctors in the state.

There is an acute shortage of PG doctors in the state. Eighty per cent of the sub-divisional hospitals in the state were without medical specialists, gynaecologists and surgeons. Because of defective policies of the state government and poor emoluments, no PG doctor wants to serve in the state.

Another factor is that these doctors are posted in the far-flung areas where there was no infrastructure worth the name. In private sector, a PG doctor easily get a salary of Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh per month with other facilities, why should he opt for the state services?

Shimla, November 15
Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has urged UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to use her good office and help the state secure an additional financial assistance of Rs 5,214 crore to bridge the gap left by the 13th Finance Commission and also provide the details of the “unutilised” funds, which she and other senior Congress leaders repeatedly referred to during electioneering.

In a letter to Gandhi, the Chief Minister said repeated requests had been made to the Centre to provide additional assistance of Rs 5,214 crore to the state to meet the emergent financial committed liabilities but to no avail. He requested Gandhi to deliver justice to the state by making recommendation to the Union Finance Ministry for release of funds on priority.

Dhumal also requested her to provide details of the “unutilised” Central funds amounting to Rs 10,000 crore, which she mentioned in her speeches during electioneering. He said they could be pursued at the appropriate level and funds utilised for the specific projects, if details were revealed. He said Rs 9,597.25 crore were received under the State Plan from 2008-2009 to 2011-2012 from the Centre and a plan size of Rs 11,400 crore was approved for the period. The actual expenditure by the state was Rs 11,507.17 crore, which was 100.9 per cent of the approved plan size.

The state had implemented each and every programme of the Government of India holistically and utilised the funds fully under the specific programme, which earned it top position in the 20-point programme and recently it was awarded the Best Performing State of the Decade by India Today Group.

He urged Gandhi to support the genuine demand of the state and provide details of “unutilised” Rs 10,000 crore.

Bharmour, November 15
Residents of 21 non-tribal panchayats in the Bharmour constituency of Chamba district will continue to raise their voice for the setting up of sub-tehsil headquarters at Dharwala so that their revenue-related problems are resolved.

These panchayats are Kilod, Kuned, Radi, Preena, Baloth, Khundel, Dulara, Gurad, Choori, Mehla, Bandla, Darwin, Bakan, Sunara, Lothal, Brehi, Gehra, Lech, Piyuhra, Chhatrari and Kunr.

The residents rue the non-availability of various amenities. They have been demanding the opening of health institutions in all non-tribal panchayats. They want a transport depot of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation in Bharmour.

They have been seeking the construction of a tunnel from Kugti to Lahaul, which will reduce the distance by hundreds of kilometres. They have also been demanding the opening of judicial courts in Bharmour and Pangi.

They have been seeking science blocks and classes of science streams. They have also been urging the government that all posts of teacher in class-XII government schools be filled.

Hamirpur, November 15
Though the construction work of the Jahu-Kalkhar portion of the Una-Kalkhar Highway had been left incomplete by a contractor and no work had reportedly been undertaken for many months on the road, the state government has failed to take action against the contractor.

The state government had been terming this highway as one of the first express road being constructed in three stretches from Una to Kalkhar. While the work on the two stretches from Una to Badsar and Badsar to Jahu had already been completed, but the work on the Jahu-Kalkhar patch is still at digging stage at a few places.

The government had been attributing importance to this road since this would provide an alternative route from Una side to Mandi and Manali. Work on this patch, which had started about four years ago and was to be completed within 33 months, is incomplete and dust and potholes make journey miserable.

Govind Ram of Dhalwan said, “The construction of this patch of road has been left incomplete and it is terrible for the travellers and houses and shops of local residents are filled with a lot of dust daily.” While irked residents and travellers had been complaining about tardy progress on this road the State Project Director and Executive Engineer, CMU, Hamirpur, had been talking of taking action and penalising the contractor.

However, residents said, “The state government has not been able to exert pressure on the contractor or impose penalty on him due to his political connections.”

The State Project Director, Naresh Sharma, said, “This work has been delayed due to a few reasons and we have asked the contractor to start the work within two weeks.”

Chamba, November 15
Two persons of the Salooni area in Chamba district have been booked under the Cruelty to Animal Act. The police has recovered three buffaloes from their possession.

It is learnt that yesterday, when the police had erected a barrier on the Chamba-Pathankot Highway, stopped a pick-up van for checking and recovered three buffaloes, which were being taken to Amritsar.

It was found that these persons were violating the Cruelty to Animal Act. A case had been registered under the relevant sections of the IPC and the Cruelty to Animal Act.

Bilaspur, November 15
Differences between BJP leaders in the Ghumarwin Block here have deepened further and have come to open as block president Krishan Singh Thakur has differed with BJP candidate Rajender Garga and his supporters that there was any betrayal by some party leaders in his election and that any leaders worked against him to ensure his defeat.

Reports said Krishan Singh had not only denied any such “rumours” of betrayal by any leader, but has also dissolved the so called “probe committee” formed for probing into such incidents and role of some party leaders.

This decision was taken during a workers’ meeting of the entire constituency under the name of “dhanyavaad sammellan” called by Garga at Ghumarwin yesterday.

Krishan said: “The Election Management Committee” was formed for conducting elections and its tenure ended as soon as votes were polled on November 4 and this committee does not exist now and it has no right to constitute any probe committee for this purpose.

He said any formation of such probe committee was illegal and unconstitutional.

He said if someone gets proof of such anti-party activity, then he could report the same to the disciplinary committee for suitable action against the accused. He said he had now constituted the disciplinary committee under his chairmanship with four other members Vjay Sharma, Dharam Dass, Amar Nath Bhardwaj and Rajeshwari Devi.