Shimla, May 7
The mismatch in hydro power policies of the Centre and the state is likely to create problems in their implementation particularly regarding the free power to be provided for the Local Area Development Fund (LADF) corpus after commissioning of hydroelectric projects.

As per the policy of the Centre, the developer will provide 1 per cent additional power for the LADF corpus, besides 12 per cent free power as royalty to the state. It also lays down that the state will provide a matching share from its share of royalty for the LADF corpus.

Letters from the Union ministry to the state government regarding the allocation of power from the 231-MW Chamera-III project and the 520-MW Parbati-II project have clearly mentioned that the state will have to contribute 1 per cent from its share of 12 per cent to the corpus which will be available as annuity over the life of the project.

As per the Central policy, 100 units of electricity per month are to be provided by the developer to each project-affected family for 10 years from the date of commissioning of the project.

On the other hand, as per the state policy, 1.5 per cent of the total cost of the project has to be contributed by the developer for the LADF corpus during the construction period for undertaking various activities and 1 per cent free power after commissioning which will be transferred to project-affected families as cash benefit.

The state government does not make any contribution towards the LADF corpus. About 60 independent power developers have moved court against the state policy. They maintain that there was no such provision when the projects were allotted.

One per cent additional power to be provided as royalty to the LADF corpus will be a ‘pass through’ in the tariff. There is no clarity about the next two slabs under which developers have to provide 18 per cent (after 12 years) and 30 per cent (after 30 years) free power as royalty which is already high.

They are not willing to shell out 1 per cent additional power. There is only one slab of 12 per cent throughout the 40 years in the Central policy. The state government will have to fine-tune its policy to iron out the mismatch as it will not be possible to implement two different policies with financial implications for developers.

Central versus state policy Centre says developer to provide 1% additional power for LADF Central policy includes giving to state 12% free power as royalty Centre lays down state to provide 1% out of 12% royalty share Central policy gives 100 units a month to project-affected families State says developer to contribute 1.5% of project cost for LADF State for 1% power as cash benefit for project-affected families State govt policy makes no mention of contribution to LADF corpus State says additional 1% royalty to LADF will be a ‘pass through’ in tariff No clarity between policies about next two slabs for developers Developers of projects not willing to shell out 1% additional power

Shimla, May 7
Accusing the government of using the Congress charge sheet to tarnish the image of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former Chief Minister PK Dhumal today demanded that all allegations should be probed by a sitting Judge of the High Court (HC) in a time-bound manner.

In a letter to the Governor, he pointed out that ever since the Congress had come to power, its leaders and at times officers were feeding the media reports regarding inquiries being conducted into the charge sheet submitted by the Congress to the President.

He alleged that it seemed that there was no government in place and some political persons and officers who were out to settle personal scores were dishing out concocted stories.

He said to put an end to this malicious propaganda and bring out the truth, an inquiry by a sitting HC Judge should be ordered into the allegations which would not only help bring the guilty to book but ensure that those making false charges were held accountable as well.

Releasing the letter to mediapersons, party spokesperson Ganesh Dutt claimed that there was no substance in the charge sheet and it was being used to malign the previous BJP regime.

He said the Congress had alleged that thousands of bighas had been given to private universities, but had stated in the Assembly that no land was allotted to those.

He said the Congress had raised a hue and cry in the Assembly over the Apartment Act and demanded its scrapping.

He said the matter was referred to the select committee which recommended that the Act should be repealed. He said the previous BJP government had accepted it, but the Congress government had not taken any action to repeal the Act.

He alleged that extra-constitutional authorities had emerged during the four months in which the present government was in office which was evident from transfers being effected without the knowledge of the Chief Minister.

He alleged that the transfer industry was blooming and corruption was rampant. He claimed that governance had been the first casualty under the Congress which had been exposed on all fronts. He claimed that it seemed that there was no government and a free-for-all was prevailing.

Hamirpur, May 7
The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has decided to open five new polytechnics in the state in the government sector from this session.

The polytechnics will be set up in Bilaspur, Kinnaur, Sirmaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Kullu districts under the HRD Ministry-sponsored scheme of 'Sub-Mission of Polytechnics under Coordinated Action Plan for Skill Development in Unserved and Underserved Districts'.

The state government has completed the formalities for setting up the new polytechnics. Classes will begin this session. The admission process will be undertaken along with other polytechnics.

The polytechnics will be set up at Kalol village in Jhandutta tehsil of Bilaspur district, Kalpa in Kinnaur district, Dhaula Kuan in Paonta Sahib tehsil of Sirmaur district, Udaipur in Lahaul-Spiti district and Seo Bag in Kullu district.

The government has decided to have classes for students admitted to the new polytechnics at existing polytechnics till infrastructure is developed. The classes for students of the polytechnic in Bilaspur district will be conducted at the Government Polytechnic College in Hamirpur.

The classes for students of the polytechnic in Kinnaur district will be conducted at the Government Polytechnic College at Rohru. Students of the polytechnic in Sirmaur district will study at the Government Polytechnic College in Una.

Students of the polytechnic in Lahaul-Spiti district will be taught at Jawaharlal Nehru Government Engineering College in Sundernagar. Students of the polytechnic in Kullu district will have their classes at the Government Polytechnic College in Sundernagar.

HPTU Vice-Chancellor Shashi Dhiman said, “The admission process will begin along with other polytechnics and classes will begin from this session.”

Shimla, May 7
Activists of the state Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) today staged a protest against rampant corruption in the UPA government at the Centre and also launched a signature campaign.

Morcha president Sunil Thakur, while addressing the protestors, said the affidavit filed by the CBI Director in the Supreme Court had fully exposed Law Minister Ashwini Kumar, but the Congress government was still defending him. There was no political morality left in the Congress. This was the only conclusion one could draw from the brazen manner in which it was coming out in the defence of its “corrupt” minister.

Instead of acting against those indulging in corruption, it was resorting to lathi charge and arresting people who were staging protests.

He said the BJYM would observe “Besharm Saptah” in the state over the next seven days to expose the misdeeds of the Congress.

The government had also failed the country in dealing with hostile neighbours like China which had sent its troops and set up posts several kilometres inside the Indian territory. The brutal murder of Sarabjit Singh in Pakistan had also not evoked a befitting response from the meek government.

Manali, May 7
A joint inspection team, headed by Deputy Commissioner, Kullu, Sherab Negi, today took stock of illegal dhabas, vendors, snow scooters and multi-terrain vehicles (MTVs) in the Beas Nullah, Marhi and the 13,050-ft-high Rohtang Pass to chalk out a strategy to regulate tourists in the region as directed by the high court in its recent order.

There is panic among make-shift vendors that dot the whole stretch from Kothi to Rohtang Pass, which otherwise turns chaotic during summer with heaps of trash and junk here and there. Carbon and vehicular aerosols paint a thick black coat on the snowy mountain.

The team found the task tough as dhabas, vendors, scooters, pony walas, para-gliders, snow boots and winter dress walas, including local mahila mandals, have started dotting roadsides on the way from Gulaba to the Beas Nullah, Marhi, Rani Nullah and Rohtang Pass though the entire route still has snow.

Dhaba owners at Marhi, who have been running the vends over the decades on forest land here, have moved a case in the district courts and their future hangs in the balance. Many of them are searching for labourers and operators from Bihar to run the vends during the season.

The district administration is caught in a vexed situation as local vendors claim that the summer season is a source of earning for them. There are locals who rent out spots to outsiders for business in the season and in turn leave behind trash and junk on high spots.

The police has put up a barrier at Kohti to regulate traffic disallowing outside tourist vehicles from that point. Only local taxis and private vehicles are allowed beyond the barrier, said the officials.

Negi told The Tribune that they inspected the Beas Nullah-Marhi-Rohtang area which still has snow to implement the high court verbatim. “We are assessing each spot as to how many stalls or food courts are required to cater to tourists. We will remove all encroachments on the highway as per the court order and constitute teams involving officials of all departments viz SDM, Manali, PWD, Tourism, Forest, HPTDC, police, RTO, Border Roads Organisation, which maintains the 473-km-long Manali-Leh highway, and others,” he added.

Negi said they needed time and machinery for the purpose. “We will erect structures as per the court order and rehabilitate vendors as per their local rights,” he said.

He said snow scooters and MTVs would be registered under the Motor Vehicles Act or by urging the government to make such a provision, he said.

He said to take care of the trash and junk they were calling tenders in which the local mahila mandal could also compete. The high court has given June 10 as the deadline for the district administration to comply with the order of making proper arrangements for tourists who go to the Rohtang Pass.

Bilaspur, May 7
Led by School Management Committee office-bearers, including president Dinesh Patial and prominent leaders Mahender Singh, gram panchayat president Vijay Luxmi, Sapna Devi, Prakash Chand, Prakasho Devi, Preetam Singh, Balwant Singh, Santu Ram, Vandana Kumari, Rama Nand Sharma, Kesari Devi, Kehar Singh Rana, Ajay Kumar, Rakesh Kumar and Rajiv Kumar, a large number of villagers staged a dharna and raised slogans at the main gate of Government Senior Secondary School at Gaaliyan near Jhandutta, 55 km from here, yesterday.

They were protesting against the failure of the Education Department in starting science and commerce classes in this school despite the fact that these classes were to be started from the 2007 session when the school was also upgraded.

They demanded that these classes be started from the coming new session, failing which the entire area would gather here to force the government to listen to their long-pending demand.

The village leaders said their wards had to go to far-off schools for studying these subjects and there being no buses in this backward area of Karlotti gram panchayat, students were facing immense problems.

They lamented that several of their representations and requests had been falling on deaf ears of the department during the former BJP’s five-year rule and now they were taking up the issue afresh.

They threatened to even boycott the coming Parliamentary election if the department did not take steps to start these classes here.

They also demanded the filling up of vacant posts of teachers of English, history, Sanskrit and LT in this school at the earliest.

Hamirpur, May 7
The Kangra Central Cooperative Bank (KCCB) Pensioners’ Welfare Association has condemned the statement of newly appointed chairman of the bank regarding the pension scheme of the KCCB.

In a joint press statement, office-bearers of the association Rajender Singh Mandial and Roshan Lal Patial have accused the bank chairman for “misrepresenting the decision of the 68th general house of the bank regarding pensioners”.

They said the bank management had stopped the pension of retirees in 2010 saying the bank had no funds in the pension funds after which the pensioners had approached the high court and obtained an order in their favour.

The court had also asked the bank management to hold a joint meeting with the pensioners to settle the issue.

The pensioners said the bank had about Rs 42 crore in the pension fund and 286 retirees could be given pension from the interest on this fund, which was reiterated by the delegates in the general house meeting.

The pensioners have urged the bank management to implement the decision of the general house meeting before starting the pension scheme.

Shimla, May 7
Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) has reduced the prices of complex fertilisers, providing substantial relief to farmers.

An IFFCO spokesman today said the price of Grade-I fertiliser (NPK 10:26:26) was reduced from Rs 1,085 to Rs 1,020 per bag (with state subsidy) and Grade-II (NPK 12:32:16) from Rs 1,090 to Rs 1,025 per bag (with state subsidy).

He said bags on which old prices had been printed would be sold at the revised reduced rates with immediate effect. He said farmers should pay the reduced rates and not purchase bags at old rates.

There is no change in the rates of fertilisers like urea and CAN. Besides farmers, complex fertilisers are used by fruit growers in huge quantity. They will also benefit from the decision of the Centre to reduce the prices.

Kangra, May 7
Despite repeated complaints the National Highways Authority of India for nearly five years, tourists and pilgrims were facing inconvenience due to official apathy. At last, the signboard was corrected today.

A signboard was installed near the Kangra bus stand on National Highway 88 connecting Dharamsala and Hoshiarpur. It indicated a right turn for Una and Chintpurni and going straight for Shimla, Nadaun and Jwalamukhi.

Pilgrims visiting the Kangra valley for the first time used to turn right which led them to Zamanabad and connected them to the Pathankot-Mandi national highway at Icchi.

The signboard was supposed to be put up at Ranital, 17 km from here. A report in this connection had been carried in these columns recently.

Kangra Subdivisional Magistrate Ajit Bhardwaj directed the Public Works Department Subdivisional Officer to immediately make corrections on the signboard which were carried out today.

Mandi/Tihra, May 7
Shilpa of Naliana village in Sarkaghat topped the science stream of Class XII of the Himachal Pradesh School Education Board (HBSEB) after securing 97 per cent marks. The result was declared yesterday.

“I will pursue my BSc in agriculture from Agriculture University, Palampur,” she said. “I will sit for the IAS exams as I want to eradicate poverty and corruption from the system,” she said.

Students of Senior Secondary School, Tihra, were all cheers when the news of Shilpa topping the board examinations came.

Second among four siblings, her father suddenly went missing from home in 2001. But the incident only fired a mission in the minds of the three sisters and one brother. Her twin sister, Ati, who secured 90 per cent marks, wants to pursue a career in defence services.

“Now, the mindset of people regarding the girl child has changed even in remote villages. However, more change is required in society,” she said.

Their mother, Santosh, who works as an anganwari worker, said, “I am proud that I have talented daughters. I will try my best to assist my daughters to pursue careers of their choice”.

Dr JK Azad, a social worker from Sarkaghat, said he would take up the matter with the Chief Minister so that the three sisters get the best facilities to pursue their career.

Dharamsala, May 7
The National Book Trust (NBT) of India will be launching an e-format for its 17,000 title publications in 32 languages. Coordinator for the NBT Shekar Sarkar gave this information while talking to mediapersons here today.

He said the country was witnessing a sea change in reading habits. The younger generation was shifting from paper reading to online reading. In the process of going digital, the NBT, the autonomous publication house which works under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, has put its publication on web-store of online sale of books.

Besides, the NBT is also using social networking site Facebook to promote and develop reading habits in the country.

“Outreach is one of the problems which we are facing in India. So we are using various platforms to reach out to the maximum number of readers. The NBT is already on Facebook, has its webstore and soon we will be coming out with e-books of our title publication,” Sarkar said.

He said the NBT was facing the problem of suitable application to go completely digital. The government required better coordination in different departments to develop an universal application which could work with different operating systems, he said.

Concerned over the declining reading habits in children, Sarkar said students these days were overburdened with textual curriculum.

“Children need freedom. The emotive quotient of children is also overshadowed by the rapid digitalisation,” Sarkar said.

“The meaning of intelligence quotient is also taken in a wrong way. It is used to measure disability of student from average intelligence, while the emotional quotient has never been given importance which is very necessary,” he added.

He stressed the need for teachers and parents to inculcate reading habits among children and said the National Centre for Children Literature was also working on reviving reading interest among young students by organising various activities.

“We organise participative activities to inculcate reading habits among children. This can be called surrogate reading as we involve children in the activity through which they develop reading habits,” Sarkar said.

Meanwhile, deputy director (Exhibition), NBT, Pradeep Chhabra, said the apex body was organising a week-long book fair in Dharamsala in collaboration with the district administration to promote reading.

Starting on May 8, the book fair will showcase a range or literary events for promotion of reading habits which includes “Meet the Author” programme with eminent poet Prof Kedarnath Singh.

“Besides, an exhibition-cum-sale of books by over 50 publishers from various parts of the country, we have also planned various children-centric activities,” Chhabra said.

The book fair will conclude on May 14.

Kangra, May 7
A team from the Medical Council of India (MCI) today completed a two-day inspection of Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical (DRPGM) College, Tanda. However, shortage of staff as per the norms of the MCI was reportedly pointed out by the team.

Two MCI inspectors, Dr Bharat Chander Choudary, Professor, Department of Pathology, Government Medical College, PRPV, Uttarakhand, and Dr JG Bhatt, Professor, Department of Surgery, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Medical College, Rajkot, Gujarat, on the second day of the inspection completed the documentation work in order to submit the report to the MCI.

On the first day, the team visited all the departments, hostels, laboratories, casualty wards, operation theatres in the college. They also visited the Urban Medical Centre of the college at Nagrota Bagwan and rural medical centres at Shahpur.

According to sources, the MCI team expressed satisfaction over the facilities and infrastructure in the college for the intake of the new batch of 100 students. However, the team pointed out the shortage of faculty members and resident doctors as the college requires 130 faculty members and more than 120 resident doctors as per the MCI norms. They said the college needed additional doctors, paramedical staff and technicians.

Shimla, May 7
Umang Foundation, a charitable trust, has urged the government to include those suffering from thalassaemia in the category of disabled so that they could avail various facilities and concession being provided to physically challenged persons.

Chairman of the foundation Ajai Srivastava met Health Minister Kaul Singh and submitted a memorandum to him on the eve of World Thalassaemia Day demanding various facilities for thalassaemic children.

He said the government should initiate a screening programme for the detection of thalassaemic children and frame appropriate policy to make their life easier. He said they deserved to be included in the category of disabled persons as they could not lead a normal life due to blood-related incurable disease. They had to undergo blood transfusion after a few weeks.

He drew the attention of the minister towards the fact that the state did not have facilities for testing of thalassaemia and it was urgently needed. He told him that poor parents could not afford costly medicines and they also faced problems during blood transfusion.