Shimla, December 13
Taking IT-enabled police services a level higher, the state police has introduced a new mobile phone-based system for challaning vehicle drivers and compounding traffic offences to save time and prevent harassment of motorists, particularly tourists.

Traffic police personnel on field duty will carry mobile phones in place of challan books. The police has designed a special software module with the help of the local Nation Informatics Centre (NIC) for the purpose, which has been installed on GPRS-enabled mobile phones provided to the field staff of the traffic wing.

The module helps access from the national database the complete details of a vehicle and its owner by feeding the registration number. The module also contains a complete list of traffic offences and the police official will only have to click at the section applicable.

The software will automatically generate the amount of penalty to be paid for compounding the offence and provide the options of making the payment on the spot or at the office of the officer designated. The challan will be conveyed through a message to the mobile of the person concerned.

In case the payment is made on the spot, a receipt will be sent through an SMS instantly. To began with, 60 mobile phones have been provided to the Shimla city police on a pilot basis and the scheme will be gradually extended.

Director-General of Police ID Bhandari said the main objective of the service was to change the face and functioning of the police by using technology.

“Our democracy is mature enough and it no longer required a police force to instil the fear of khaki in the minds of the people. It requires a citizen-centric friendly police service to maintain order and peace. With a small population, high literacy rate and state-of-the-art IT infrastructure, the state can take the lead in bringing about the transformation,” he said at a public interaction organised to dedicate the web-service portal ‘Kanoon Vyavastha’.

Inspector-General of Police Ashok Sharma said with all police stations going online, senior officers could monitor the functioning in real time as details of cases registered and daily diary reports were available online. He said supervising officers could intervene, if required, and issue directions to the ‘thana’ staff to ensure proper action on complaints.

From January next, information about complaints converted into first information reports would also be available online and the status of complaints could be ascertained online.

This year, over 4,000 complaints were lodged online and 90 per cent of those had been disposed of. The feedback obtained revealed that 80 per cent of the complainants were satisfied with action taken.

To make the web-portal more useful, e-services offered by other departments concerned had also been integrated, which included vehicle data of the Transport Department and land records of the Revenue Department.

Solan, December 13
With the winter chill pushing up the usage of heating gadgets, HP State Electricity Board Limited is now imposing power cuts to deal with excess power load on the feeder here.

Official sources said the power usage had registered a rise owing to the declining temperature and as against the usual demand of 22 Mega Volt Ampere (MVA), an added demand of 4 MVA was being witnessed in Solan.

Since the existing feeder at Kather was unable to withstand the excessive load, officials had worked out a schedule to impose power cuts in parts of Solan and its surrounding areas.

While the officials claimed that there was no power shortage, it was lack of infrastructure that was affecting the power distribution. Since timely augmentation of power vis-a-vis the increasing power load had not been undertaken, the existing feeder was overloaded.

As per the norms, all commercial ventures need to install their own transformers but there was adherence to the norm. With scores of palatial commercial complexes, housing projects and as many as five private universities, besides various private educational institutes having sprung up in the periphery of Solan in the last few years, the demand of power had gone up immensely. According to an estimate, about 600 to 700 KVA load was consumed by these commercial ventures.

Since such private projects often avail the load in a piecemeal manner they conveniently bypass the norms, thus overloading the main feeder.

This mismatch between the demand and supply has put the common man under hardships and, besides power cuts, the problem of low voltage was also been witnessed in Solan, Dharampur, Dagshai, Kasauli, Kandaghat and Subathu.

Superintending Engineer, HPSEBL, Anup Dhiman, when quizzed said power augmentation was underway and a 7 MVA new sub-station was coming up at Oachghat.

He said the power availability certificates were issued on the basis of the available power to all commercial ventures and they were directed to abide by the stipulated norms while availing it.

Officials said the work to enhance the capacity of the Kather-based sub-station by 10 MVA was also underway and it would be accomplished by the next year which would considerably help to improve the power scenario.

Kangra, December 13
The Kangra police and the municipal authorities today swung into action against encroachments on different roads of the town, especially in the Mandir Bazar, and removed 11 encroachments.

A shopkeeper, who managed to take away the confiscated material from the municipal council complex, was challaned. The encroachments were removed to provide convenience to the local residents and pilgrims and tourists visiting this temple town.

SDM, Kangra, Ajeet Bhardawaj said today that last week shopkeepers in the Mandir Bazar were warned by the authorities that they should remove encroachments from the front side of their shops.

He said encroachments were removed by the authorities with the help of the police as despite the warnings the violators failed to remove the same.

The SDM said this temple town, where lakhs of pilgrims visit the Bajjreshwari temple, encroachments by shopkeepers in the main market in general and the Mandir Bazar locality in particular had created a mess for pedestrians.

He said during a meeting of the municipal authorities, led by its chief Suman Verma, Beopar Mandal chief Ved Prakash Sharma police officers, it decided to take certain measures to check the issue.

The municipal authorities and the police removed 11 encroachments and the entire goods were confiscated.

He said one of these shopkeepers who, dared to take his confiscated material from the municipal council complex, was challaned by the authorities and other violators were also fined.

The SDM said shopkeepers from the Tehsil Chowk area to the Mandir Bazar entry point were also told to remove encroachments within two days. Otherwise the authorities would remove the same and the confiscated goods would be auctioned.

Local residents appreciated the step taken by the authorities to check encroachments.

Nurpur, December 13
The state Health and Family Welfare Department has deputed the gynaecologist posted at the local 100-bedded Civil Hospital here to family planning camps in Chamba district and the lower Kangra area for 17 days this month. As a result, there has hardly been any free institutional delivery under the Janani Suraksha Yojna at the hospital in December.

Of the 25 working days at the hospital this month, the gynaecologist has been given extra duties for 24 days. Expectant women are being referred to the Tanda medical college. There is resentment in the area over the non-availability of the gynaecologist at the hospital for days together.

Dr SP Singh, Chief Medical Officer, said he had cancelled the emergency and post-mortem duties of the gynaecologist with immediate effect. Dr DS Chandel, Director Health Services, could not be contacted as he was on leave.

Shimla, December 13
Departmental examinations for all categories of gazetted and non-gazetted officials who are serving under the Himachal Government will be held from April 4, 2013, to April 12, 2013.

An official spokesman for the Himachal Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) said the Board of Departmental Examination would also conduct the examination at Dharamsala and Mandi for the convenience of candidates taking examination only in Paper No. 1 (Financial Administration), besides the State Public Service Commission, Shimla. 
He said applications on the prescribed form along with an attested passport size photograph sent through the respective Heads of Department should reach the Secretary, Himachal Pradesh Board of Departmental Examination, Fairlawns, Shimla-171012 by February 28, 2013.

An advance copy of application can be sent direct to Secretary, Board of Departmental Examination, latest by February 28, 2013. The application form could also be downloaded from the website of HIPA at <http://himachal.nic.in/hipa>.

Shimla, December 13
Maintaining that the assertions of PK Dhumal that he will not allow foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail in the state are unwarranted, state Congress general secretary Kuldeep Rathore today claimed that the Chief Minister was trying to mislead the people on the issue.

Addressing a press conference here, Rathore said no town in the state had a population of 10 lakh, which was a prerequisite for FDI in retail, and there was no need for Dhumal to make the assertion on FDI.

Rathore said Dhumal’s allegation that FDI was being imposed on the country was false as the resolution against it had been defeated in both Houses of Parliament.

Rathore refuted the charge that states were not consulted on the issue as the decision to allow FDI in retail was taken after prolonged consultations and deliberations.

He asserted that the state government had not rejected the scheme and the Chief Secretary had, in a letter to the Centre, raised some apprehensions.

He pointed out that the government had left the decision on allowing FDI in retail to states, which were free to pursue their own policies in this regard.

He added that the Congress was for it as it was in the interests of farmers and fruit growers, who would get better returns due to the elimination of middlemen and the availability of modern post-harvest infrastructure and technical knowhow for increasing production.

He said vegetable growers and those engaged in floriculture or growing cash crops like mushroom would benefit greatly. He further said apple growers were already taking the advantage of companies like the Adani Group, which had entered the state a couple years of ago.

Rathore stated that it was a win-win situation as consumers would get quality products at reasonable rates. He added that retailers would source their requirements from big stores, which was taking place with many traders getting their procurement from outlets of major chains like Big Bazaar.

He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was a party of traders and middlemen and it did not want the farmers to be freed from the clutches of commission agents.

Shimla, December 13
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Virbhadra Singh has sought the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in expediting the payment of arrears on account of the state’s claim in the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) projects in accordance with the verdict of the Supreme Court.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, he said the state had moved the apex court in 1996 to secure its claim of 7.19 per cent share on the basis of transferred population as provided under the Punjab State Re-Organisation Act.

The court granted relief to the state by allowing 7.19 per cent share in power of all hydropower projects executed by the BBMB from the date of commissioning on September 27, 2011.

It also directed the Centre to work out the details of the amount to be paid to Himachal in lieu of the short supply all these years that would be charged to Punjab and Haryana along with 6 per cent interest from 1966 in case of Bhakra and from the date of commissioning in respect of the Beas I and II projects within six months to enable the court to make the final decree.

It is understood that a high-powered committee headed by Joint Secretary (Hydropower) had conveyed to the Himachal Government that the amount of Rs 4,250 crore due as compensation to Himachal had been reduced to Rs 3,400 crore, which was not acceptable.

The unilateral cut by the Centre without taking Himachal into confidence ran counter to the court verdict which must be implemented without any riders.

Himachal had no liability to pay this amount of Rs 850 crore. The water of the Pong Dam was used for irrigation by Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, while 1,50,000 Himachalis were uprooted from their homes and had to pay a heavy price in terms of human suffering. Many of the uprooted oustees were still awaiting rehabilitation.

Virbhadra said this compensation amount of Rs 4,250 crore was payable to the state as the apex court had already turned down the plea of Punjab and Haryana on March 29, 2012.

He requested the Centre to record its acceptance of Himachal’s share in the Supreme Court so that the entire amount of the claim, for which it had been fighting for the past 45 years, was paid to it.

Hamirpur, December 13
Deputy Commissioner Rajender Singh Thakur today said the renewal of ration cards of above poverty line (APL) families in the district would begin shortly.

He said new ration cards would be issued after proper verification and efforts would be made that no ineligible person was issued a ration card.

He said all panchayat assistants and secretaries had been given instructions to complete the formalities regarding the renewal of ration cards with care. — TNS

Hamirpur, December 13
A joint front of trade unions has decided to organise a protest demonstration and dharna at Hamirpur on December 18 to oppose the “anti-worker policies” of the Central Government.

Leaders of three trade union organisations - the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and the Bharatiya Majdoor Sangh have decided to organise a joint protest here after holding a meeting today.

State general secretary of CITU Dr Kashmir Singh Thakur, district CITU secretary Joginder Kumar, joint secretary Pratap Rana, district secretary of BMS Ajmel Verma and BMS press secretary Hem Raj Dhiman were among those who attended the meeting.

Kangra, December 13
The authorities today closed the track leading to the ‘killer point’ on the Banner khud near the old town, which had claimed 102 lives in the last few years. Two JCB machines were used for the purpose.

Subdivisional Magistrate Ajeet Bhardwaj said Battan Kumar, alias Kalu, a local contractor, helped them free of cost. The track leading to the ‘killer point’ was blocked by raising a retaining wall and the khud was filled with boulders.

Bhardwaj said the dumping of boulders was going on for the last four days. He said, “We hope to achieve the target of no casualties in the future.”

Nurpur, December 13
The construction of as many as 17 rural roads in Nurpur circle of the Public Works Department (PWD) in lower Kangra district has been impeded due to land disputes or the non-availability of land. The highest number of roads which can not be started due to the reluctance of local villagers has been reported in Dehra division of the PWD comprising Dehra, Pragpur and Jaswan Assembly constituencies, whereas all rural roads linking villages have been built in the Indora constituency in Nurpur PWD division. The rural metalled roads under the Centrally-sponsored scheme the Prime Minister Gramin Sarak Yojna (PMGSY) are to be connected to all villages with a populace of 250 or above, subject to the availability of land or provision of land free of cost by beneficiaries to the executing agency PWD.

According to BS Thakur, superintending engineer, PWD circle, Nurpur, the department has fixed display boards on all proposed village link roads left in the lurch due to the reluctance of villagers to transfer the ownership of the requisite land for the construction of the pucca roads depicting that roads were sanctioned, but could not be built due to non-availability of land. “As a sequel, barring 17 villages, residents of seven villages have been motivated to offer free land to the department, and after completing land transfer formalities, Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of these roads have been prepared to execute the construction of the roads,” he asserted.

Gulab Singh Thakur, PWD Minister, said efforts were being made to persuade beneficiaries to offer voluntary land transfer to the PWD in the state to ensure the early construction of pucca roads in the villages where work could not be executed due to land disputes. He said the department had been directed to solve this problem by taking local gram panchayats into confidence. He exhorted villagers to come forward and support the department in this connection.

Nurpur, December 13
Ashok Sridhar, Chief Engineer (Projects), Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department, today visited the construction site of the Rs 205-crore Phinna Singh irrigation project.

He inspected the ongoing construction of the 4.5-km-long underground tunnel at Lahru, on the border of Kangra and Chamba districts.

Expressing satisfaction over work on the first phase of the project, he directed the project authorities to ensure efficacy and complete it in time. He was accompanied by SK Sangrai, Executive Engineer for the project, and Raghubir Chowdhary, Superintending Engineer, Nurpur IPH circle.

Sangrai said Rs 46 crore would be spent on the construction of the tunnel in the first phase and a 1,100-metre-long diversion weir would be built in the second phase.

“The construction of the tunnel will be completed in three years. The project will provide irrigation to 4,225 hectare through distribution channels. After commissioning, the project will benefit the 30,000 persons in 70 villages of the Nurpur area,” he said.