Shimla, February 13
The new policy of the Centre, under which consumers requiring more than 1 MW of power have to be categorised as deemed “open-access” (OA) consumers and accordingly excluded from the regulated tariff regime, will not be implemented from 2013-14 in the state.

The policy mandated that the deemed OA consumers will make arrangements from their own sources on mutually accepted terms and rates and the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) will not be required to determine tariff for them. It will determine only the wheeling tariff and cross-subsidy surcharge, including additional surcharge, if any.

SERC had put in place necessary regulations, but the state electricity board, in its tariff application for 2013-14, expressed helplessness in providing OA due to infrastructural constraints. It will have to carry out much spadework and make arrangements for metering and providing other infrastructure to cater to OA consumers.

Further, the capacity of the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) will have to be enhanced to handle the additional work of open access as it will have the main role of scheduling power every 15 minutes for 236 OA consumers.

“SERC, as a part of the exercise to determine power tariff for 2013-14, has invited objections from stakeholders regarding the non-implementation of the policy from the next financial year,” Subhash Negi, Chairman, SERC, said. Consequently, the deemed OA consumers would not be excluded from the regulated regime and the tariff determined by the commission would also be applicable to them, he said.

There are only 236 bulk consumers in the state with a loss of 871 MVA and an annual consumption of over 4,000 million units, which is almost 50 per cent of the total annual demand of 8,200 million units. Under the new policy of the Centre, OA consumers are required to draw power from sources other than their local distribution company. If this is not possible, the rate for the power supply will have to be negotiated with the existing distribution company.

Moreover, industrial consumers have challenged the legal validity of the policy in the high court. They said consumers requiring more than one MW power could not be forced to become an OA consumer.

With OA policy not to be enforced from the next year, the SERC will not have to prematurely close down the current control period (2012-14) for the multi-year tariff.

Shimla, February 13
Despite having signed an agreement with Punjab for the execution of the Anandpur Sahib-Naina Devi ropeway, it appears that Himachal is likely to go ahead with the ambitious project alone as a high-powered committee has been constituted to have a re-look at the project.

The state government today constituted a high-powered committee headed by Chief Secretary Sudripta Roy to assess whether the project is in the interest of the state in the present form. The other members of the committee, which will submit its report to the Cabinet, include Secretary, Tourism and Law and representatives of the HP Infrastructure Development Board and the State Ropeway Authority.

Highly placed sources said the matter had been discussed at length and studies had already been undertaken by some private parties about the feasibility of the project being undertaken from within Himachal area only. The MoU was likely to be terminated by the Cabinet once the committee headed by the Chief Secretary submitted its report.

With barely 274.58 m of the 3,751-m span of the ropeway falling in Punjab, it is being felt that the sharing of the earning on a 50-50 basis is lop-sided and not in the interest of Himachal. As was the plan initially, the ropeway is likely to be executed by making Kola Wala Toba, falling in Himachal as the take off point.

The main plea being put forth is why Himachal should share the profit from the project equally with Punjab, in which barely 300 m of the ropeway will fall. “Moreover, the main paraphernalia will be in Punjab at the take-off point where most of the business will be generated even though Toba is one of the junctions. So why not have the take-off point in Himachal,” an official explained.

Himachal and Punjab had signed the MoU in the presence of former Himachal Chief Minister PK Dhumal and Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal on July 26 here last year. The cost of the project is Rs 85 crore and the completion time of the project is three years.

The project, which has been delayed for several years, will have connected the two shrines Anandpur Sahib and Naina Devi. As per the agreement, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) is to be set up. This SPV will pay for all the land acquisition and the compensation accruing to land owners.

Of the 70 lakh pilgrims who visit the Naina Devi temple in Bilaspur district every year, 90 per cent are from Punjab.

Shimla, February 13
The state has underlined the need for making a provision for supplying adequate pulses and cooking oil at subsidised rates under the National Food Security Bill (NFSB).

Food and Civil Supplies Minister GS Bali, while speaking at a conference of Food Ministers on National Food Security Bill in New Delhi today, said the state was already providing three pulses, cooking oil and iodised salt at subsidised rates through the Public Distribution System (PDS) despite financial constraints.

He demanded that the entire population of the state be covered under the NFSB as against the present proposal of covering 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population.

He said the hill state was not able to produce sufficient foodgrains due to the topographical constraints and as such at least 7 kg food grains per person per month be provided under the Bill, instead of the existing provision of 5 kg per person per month. He also demanded that 25 kg rice and 10 kg wheat, instead of 15 kg rice and 20 kg wheat be provided to people.

Bali stressed upon the need for enhancing the foodgrain storage capacity of the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and the State Civil Supply Corporation to help store at least three months’ requirement to meet any eventuality. The total storage capacity in the state was only 46,160 tonne. He said liberal financial assistance be 
provided for enhancing the storage capacity.

He also requested the Centre to provide maternity benefit of Rs 1,000 per month for expecting mothers and fortify flour and iron-rich diet for adolescent girls to meet their nutritional requirements and iron deficiencies.

He sought assistance of Rs 19.42 crore for ‘end-to-end’ computerisation project and also requested 100% financial assistance for implementation of e-PDS, establishment of CCTV cameras and GPS system.

Shimla, February 13
Speculative reports regarding appointment of a “working Chief Minister” have upset ministers of the Virbhadra Singh’s Cabinet.

“The Congress government has just taken over and reports that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh will be going abroad for treatment are not only false but also mischievous and an attempt to create confusion in the minds of the people,” said seven of the nine ministers in a joint statement.

There was no move to appoint a “working Chief Minister” and there was not even an iota of truth in such reports, they said.

The government was strong and stable and functioning efficiently and effectively to fulfil the aspirations and expectations of the people. In a short period of one-and-a-half month, it had initiated many pro-people programmes in the state, bringing respite to the people from the ‘misrule’ of the BJP regime, they said.

It was gaining popularity day by day, which had “baffled” the political opponents and adversaries who were resorting to “malicious and mischievous" propaganda, they said.

The statement was issued by Vidya Stokes, Irrigation and Public Health Minister Sujan Singh Pathania, MPP and Power Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri, Forest Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, Industries Minister Sudhir Sharma, Urban Development Minister Prakash Chaudhary, the Excise and Taxation Minister and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil. However, names of Health Minister Kaul Singh and Transport Minister GS Bali did not figure in the statement.

They said the Chief Minister was hale and hearty and working for over 16 hours a day to serve the people. There was no truth that he was going abroad for any treatment.

Meanwhile, Virbhadra Singh, who is in Delhi, held a meeting with AICC general secretary Birender Singh Chaudhary, who is also the in charge of party affairs in the state.

Dharamsala, February 13
Former Minister for IPH and BJP MLA, Dehra, Ravinder Ravi has threatened to launch a state-wide agitation if the present government failed to protect the interests of Pong Dam oustees.

While addressing a press conference here today, Ravi said about 30,000 Pong Dam oustees had settled in areas around the lake when their houses and lands were submerged under the lake. The Union Government had converted the entire area around the lake into a wildlife sanctuary. The oustees, who had been living in the area for the past many years and already been uprooted from their homelands, were being issued eviction notices by the Forest Department. “The state government should protect the interests of the oustees or else the BJP will launch a state-wide agitation in the state over the issue,” Ravi said.

He also added that the present Congress government had not taken any constructive decision after assuming power in the last two months. Instead, it was just reversing developmental decisions taken by the previous government.

Ravi also said the BJP would launch an agitation in case the present government decided to reverse the decision of the Union Ministry for HRD to establish 70 per cent campus of the Central University of Himachal Pradesh at Dehra.

Solan, February 13
The deadline for seeking a licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2011, has been extended by one year till February 4, 2014.

There had been several representations from food business operators and nutraceutical industry representatives seeking extension of the deadline.

However, investors, including dairy units, vegetable oil processors, slaughter houses, meat processors, food processing units, including export-oriented units producing various items like honey, glucose, chocolates, sweets, etc, and food catering service providers, had to seek a fresh licence after the notification of this Act from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Earlier, this licence was granted by the Medical Officer, Health, of districts at a nominal fee, but now a fee of Rs 25,000 per product is being charged.

With the Delhi-based office of the authority catering to five northern states, including Himachal, Delhi, Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir, there is an immense rush of applications.

Industry executives had to make several trips to the Delhi office to first seek a licence and then product approvals. Terming it as a time-consuming exercise, an industry executive said they would request the authority to open an office at Chandigarh. Since the drug licencing office too had its sub-office at Chandigarh, they would press for the demand.

Since 12 Acts had to be implemented under the new Act, it had become a tedious procedure for state health officials to implement the Act as no staff or additional infrastructure had been provided to adhere to its guidelines, which included online reporting.

With a lone food inspector looking after two districts of Solan and Sirmaur and there being only Composite Testing Laboratory at Kandaghat catering to the state, the implementation of the Act was a tall order. More so as each food inspector had to take at least 10 samples from each district in a month, and the lab also received scores of samples of drugs from all over the state.

With little upgrade in infrastructure vis-à-vis requirements of this Act, its implementation had remained a mere paper formality. 

Hamirpur, February 13
Behind the curtain, confabulations are on for the election of Hamirpur district BJP president, which is scheduled for February 15. All the aspirants for the post are looking towards former Chief Minister PK Dhumal for his nod for election to the post of the district president.

Hamirpur being the home district of Dhumal, his concurrence is being seen as quite significant in electing a new district BJP president here. More so, since his son, Anuarg Thakur, who represents the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha, is likely to contest the next parliament election from here.

Names of several BJP leaders are doing rounds for the post, including Nadaun MLA Vijay Kumar Agnihotri, former Badsar MLA Baldev Sharma, and district BJP media convener Vijay Pal Soharu.

Though it is being said that present incumbent Desh Raj Sharma may be re-elected after an amendment in the BJP constitution giving two terms in continuation for a new president, sources in the party said Sharma was not keen on getting a second term.

Since the next parliament elections are due in 2014, which will be crucial for the BJP leadership in the state in general and Hamirpur district in particular, the party will also like to maintain a caste balance by electing a Brahmin president in the district.

Under the caste combination, names of Brahmin leaders like Vijay Agnihotri, Baldev Sharma or Pyare Lal Sharma may be cleared. Agnihotri, who had defeated the present Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president from the Nadaun constituency in the last Assembly election, had been active in the ABVP organisation, besides being a youth leader.

Baldev Sharma and Pyare Lal Sharma had remained district BJP presidents in the past. Soharu is also active in the party for quite some time. 

Shimla, February 13
The mega mock drill exercise on earthquake, carried out jointly by the National Disaster Management Authority and the state government here today, exposed gaps in the preparedness of the disaster management machinery at the field level.

Major problems were encountered in communication during the entire exercise with designated helpline telephone number not responding and ambulance, machinery and rescue workers not being able to reach many of the 15 spots from where emergencies were reported. The mock incidents included collapse of one of the two secretariat buildings, a school in Lal Pani, Victory Tunnel, house collapses in the cemetery area and three fire incidents, one of which involved a petrol pump, which required a special team.

The state team, headed by the Chief Secretary, rushed to the control room located in the safe basement of the Ellersllie, main secretariat building, and took charge of the situation as soon as the sound of the siren indicating an emergency was heard. The exercise lasted about three hours.

Chief Secretary Roy said efforts were made for ensuring active participation of the local people to deal with an eventuality and to take preventive measures in case of an earthquake. It would go a long way in awakening the people as how to respond during natural calamities and also the administration, for initiating measures for mitigating the disasters and make further arrangements accordingly.

Lack of coordination among various departments and confusion over the role of the district administration, deployment of police and Home Guards, shortage of blood in hospitals, chinks in communication system were some of the areas and issues which needed attention, as per the impediments faced in carrying out the relief and rescue operations during the exercise.

A detailed report would be prepared on the basis of the feedback from the five observers of the National Disaster Management Authority who monitored the exercise and the required steps would be taken to improve the preparedness for such calamities. Such programmes would be made a regular feature, he said.

PP Shrivastva, Member, North-East Council of National Disaster Management Authority, said students needed to be sensitised towards disaster preparedness by organising safety programmes in schools. He stressed upon the need of participation of representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies in such awareness activities. 

New Delhi, February 13
The two 11-year-old students of the Convent of Jesus and Mary, Nav Bahar, Shimla, who died unnaturally on September 24 last, were exceptionally bright and very social. They were bubbly, cheerful and top scorers in class.

Speaking to The Tribune today, VK Tikoo, Member, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), who is pursuing the complaint filed by parents of the deceased, said, “The girls used to score 9 grades on an average. Their class teacher Ambika Nagpal also told us that they were bright. Police files also bear testimonies of schoolchildren who say the girls were very social. Their loss is a grave tragedy, made graver by state apathy.”

The NCPCR which had summoned the erring teacher, along with Himachal’s police and education department officials on January 3, said it would seek personal appearance of the Himachal DGP if the state police didn’t investigate the deaths soon. “They have 45 days to report back action,” Tikoo said.

The commission also expressed absolute displeasure at the Himachal Education Department’s lack of knowledge of the difference between registration of a school and its affiliation.

“We had summoned Director, Elementary Education, Himachal, Rajeev Sharma who didn’t come. Joint Director-level officer ML Azad came. He had no clue about the law, rules, did know if corporal punishment was banned in Himachal. The Centre banned it under the Right to Education Act three years ago. The officer had not read the orders of the ban which had passed his hands,” Tikoo said adding he simply showed a certification for the school as a minority institution and had brought no registration document.

“Minority institutions have the protection of Article 30 of the Constitution which says they can administer their affairs. But they don’t have the licence to kill,” Tikoo said.

The NCPCR has also demanded that the police invoke Section 23, Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, in the FIR of the case. This section provides for punishment in case of cruelty to a child. 

Manali, February 13
In an effort to change the image of the five-day-long National Winter Carnival from its “local mela tag”, tourism experts, hoteliers, travel agents and artistes want to market the carnival with a “brand ambassador of Himachal Tourism”. It has suffered a jolt from “desi” slogans in the past like “Ek Gaon Ki Kahani” and “Har Ek Gaon Kahata Hai”.

The carnival has failed to attract tourists. “We need to change the image of the carnival linking it with snow festivities and snow sports as is the case with popular winter carnivals around the world,” said hoteliers.

“If Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi can rope in Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan as its brand ambassador to promote tourism, why Himachal should not rope in its own Bollywood stars like Preity Zinta (Shimla) and Kangana Ranaut (Mandi),” said Sanjay Kumar, a local.

Tourism experts say the state tourism has suffered from “desi” slogans like “Har Ek Gaon Kuch Kahta Hai” and “Ek Gaon Ki Kahani” as these slogans remained “populist and political” rather than professional.

“These slogans are perhaps not even understood and noticed by domestic tourists, leave alone foreigners like me,” said Paul Gentlemen, a tourist from England.

“The carnival can attract tourists if it is marketed and popularised in metros and abroad as a special and different attraction and has a proper infrastructure for skiing and snow sports,” said foreign tourists Daneuve and Robert.

“The winter carnival can add snow sports like skiing, ice hockey, snow carving, ice carving, horse and yak races, sledging and a host of other events,” they said.

AR Thakur, president, Manali Hoteliers Association, said branding and marketing of the state tourism were essential and so were proper venue and infrastructure for tourists.

Dharamsala, February 13
Tibetans in exile celebrated 100 years of Tibetan Proclamation of Independence here today. On this day Thubten Gyatso, 13th Dalai Lama, had declared independence for Tibetans.

He was forced to take refuge in British India from 1910-1912 following the Manchu invasion of Tibet.

When the Manchu dynasty collapsed in 1911, Tibetans expelled the Manchu forces from Tibet, paving way for the 13th Dalai Lama to return and exercise political authority.

For more than three decades following the proclamation, Tibet enjoyed complete independence, till the occupation of Communist Chinese forces.

Today conferences were organised by the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) and the Tibetan Women’s Organisation (TWO).

After holding a series of similar conferences in Europe, Taiwan and North America, the conference in India was planned as a build-up to an international Rangzen (Independence) Conference.

The TYC has also organised an exhibition of documents, artefacts and photos corroborating Tibet’s nationhood.

The TWA said their group “stands firmly for the undeniable truth that no one can rewrite and remake history.”

In the exile headquarters of Dharamsala, the centennial celebrations were marked by a day-long programme organised by the Students for a Free Tibet, India.

The group organised a “Tibet Independence Exhibition: Reclaiming History” at the Tibetan Children Village Day School followed by a talk on the topic, “His Holiness the 13th Dalai and Independence of Tibet.” In the evening the “Tibetan Independence Day Concert” was held at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts.

Tibetan singer Karma Emchi, who shot into fame with his song ‘Shabhaley’, performed at the concert.

“At this time when the Chinese government is doing everything in its power to crush the Tibetan resistance, we believe that a commemoration of the 1913 Tibetan Proclamation of Independence will strengthen the struggle to achieve freedom for the Tibetan people,” the group said.

Chamba, February 13
A driver of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) was beaten up by a private bus operator at the main bus terminus here yesterday, the police said.

The clash occurred on the issue of bus timings. The police said HRTC driver Musadi Ram had received injuries.

A case has been registered against the private bus operator. — OC