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Less sale of power hits new projects
Govt to protect dhaba owners, villagers at
Marhi, Rohtang: CM
HLP seeks swift action in corruption cases
Cong sees landslide win in Mandi bypoll
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Ghost image system to check fake passports
Phones of BJP leaders being tapped: Dhumal
Kashmiris air experiences at IIAS seminar
400 examined at heart check-up camp
EC issues instructions to ministers
List of leaders for campaigning ready
Cong leader flays BJP for failure to utilise funds
Two bikers injured in road accident
Vijay is SC, ST Corpn Director
Linesman hurt at work
Investors face delay in getting single-window clearance
KCC bank gets RBI’s nod for inter-bank ATM facility
Residents block traffic, seek regular HRTC bus service
Residents of Jutog area block traffic near Totu in Shimla on Monday. Photo: Amit Kanwar
HLP chief accuses Dhumal of hijacking BJP
Narcotics seized, one held
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Less sale of power hits new projects
Shimla, June 3 There is a shortage of 27.58 million units (about 1,100 MW) in the northern region but the rates fell further as fund-starved state distribution utilities preferred to impose cuts instead of procuring power. The average volumes of sale continued to be far below at 4,400 MW as against the availability of 6,320 MW. The maximum cut had been effected in Uttar Pradesh. As a result, the rates of power in the Energy Exchange of India further slipped below Rs 2 per unit today hurting revenues of the major power projects, which have been commissioned over the past one year. The rate hovered beween Rs 1.90 and Rs 1.95 per unit. The downslide is hitting the new projects the most as their generation cost range is relatively higher from Rs 4 to Rs 5 per unit. With no long-term agreements, these projects have no option but to dispose of their power during the peak generating season in exchange. While the 70 MW Budhil project and 192 MW Allain Duhungan project are selling their entire power through the exchange, the 1,000 MW Karcham Wangtu project, the country's biggest private sector hydropower plant, is disposing of 840 MW. The huge gap in the sale price and generation cost during summer, when 70 per cent of power is generated, will affect the financial viability of projects. The revenue of the state government from free power is also taking a hit as it is disposing of over 250 MW through the exchange out of the total of 975 MW of power available as royalty and equity share. The situation will improve from June 10 after which it will supply 120 MW to Punjab and 25 MW to Delhi. It is negotiating with Chandigarh for the supply of another 65 MW of power. The situation will further worsen as 12 more projects with an aggregate generation capacity of 2,185 MW are slated to be commissioned during the current financial year. These include the 520-MW Parbati project, the 412-MW Rampur project, the 800-MW Kol Dam project, 150 MW Sorang project and the 65-MW Kashang project. |
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Govt to protect dhaba owners, villagers at
Marhi, Rohtang: CM
Kullu, June 3 Buoyed by the support for his public meetings at Patalikuhal and Jagatsukh in support of Congress candidate Pratibha Singh for the Mandi bypoll, the Chief Minister said the company had won the case in the high court for the ski village proposed to be set up in Manali, but it had not approached the government so far. Referring to a recent demolition drive launched at Marhi and the Rohtang Pass on the direction of the high court, he told a gathering at Patlikuhal that the intention of the government was to settle the people in the state, not to dislodge them. The government would protect the interests of dhaba owners and villagers who had set up their stalls at Marhi, Beas Nullah and the Rohtang Pass as the case was pending in the high court. The villagers, who went there, did not spoil the environment, but it was everybody’s responsibility to take care of environment, he added. Bhuveneshwar Gaur, president, Manali Block Congress, claimed that the BJP regime had made false promises and did nothing for Manali. Harsh Mahajan, vice-president and in charge of Kullu district, said Pratibha Singh was a strong candidate while the BJP candidate was forced to contest the election. She had nursed the Mandi constituency when Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was Mandi MP and Steel Minister. Congress leaders claimed that the 8.84-km Rohtang tunnel became a reality as it was allotted Rs 1,400 crore when Pratibha took the matter with UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. The Congress leaders said Dhumal had allowed dubious private universities in the state which were even involved in selling degrees. “We request the Chief Minister to take action against them,” Mahajan demanded. District president Budhi Singh Thakur, chairman, Kullu Zila Parishad, Harichand Sharma, MLAs Balbir Verma, ID Lakhanpal, Sanjay Rattan and Harinder Thakur, former member electricity board Uma Gaur and others were present.
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HLP seeks swift action in corruption cases
Shimla, June 3 Tikku Thakur, a spokesperson of the HLP which held its two-day state executive meeting at Hamirpur, said it was disappointed with the Congress regime for failing to take action in various corruption-related issues. "The priority of the Congress should have been to punish those involved in various acts of corruption whether it involved the land mafia, pulses scam or the issue of phone-tapping," said Tikku Thakur. He said the decision of the government to give skill development allowance only to those registered in the employment exchanges for the past 10 years was also disappointing. "The allowance should have been given to the unemployed educated youth above 18 as promised by the Congress before the Assembly poll," he said. Thakur said HLP leaders had already met the Chief Minister and expressed their dismay at the slow pace of investigation on various fronts. The HLP also urged the government to come out with some tangible policy to tackle the problem of unemployment. "It must be ensured that 70 per cent jobs are given to Himachalis not only in industrial units but also in hydropower projects," said Thakur.
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Cong sees landslide win in Mandi bypoll
Shimla, June 3 The people of the state had five months ago thrown out the BJP government and the Congress had revived the development activities which had come to a grinding halt. The Congress had already started fulfilling its promises made to the people. The party manifesto had been adopted as a policy document of the government and was being implemented in totality. It had started giving skill development allowance to the unemployed youth and free travel facility to the students in state roadways buses. Para teachers and PTA teachers were being regularised by making a policy which had already been approved by the Cabinet. State party chief Sukhwinder was trying different strategies to ensure that the party delivered during the 2014 poll. Instead of merely deputing leaders and workers to various assembly segments, the effort was to assign a specific number of polling booths to each so that they could concentrate in an area. Chauhan said the party had deputed several senior leaders for campaign and they were getting an overwhelming response from the people.
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Ghost image system to check fake passports
Shimla, June 3 The facility was launched here today on the occasion of the completion of one year of the Passport Sewa Kendra at Panthaghati in the presence of Muktesh K Pardesi, Joint Secretary, Consular Passport and Visa (CPV), Ministry of External Affairs. Since the opening of the passport office on March 16, 2007, a total of 1.30 lakh passports have been issued. Pardesi said with the launch of the ghost image system, the passports would have a letter screen image of the photograph of the passport holder. This image would contain all details about the passport holder, thus eliminating the chances of bogus passports. “Tenders have already been floated to invite global companies making chip used in bio-metric passports, a facility to be offered soon,” said Pardesi. It was in June 2012 that the passport office launched its digitised services in public-private participation (PPP) with Tata Consultancy Services at the Passport Sewa Kendra. “This facility has made the process of obtaining a passport very simple while completely eliminating the ordeal of making repeated visits to the office,” he said. The facility now enables people to apply for a passport online and then seek an appointment. One can also monitor the status of one's application anytime. A total of 19,000 passport have been issued by the Passport Sewa Kendra since the launch of the facility in June last year. About 25,000 to 30,000 passport applications are received in the state annually out of a total of 73.80 lakh applications received from the entire country. Passport Officer Rajesh Sharma and Somya S Kumar, regional head of Tata Consultancy Service were also present on the occasion.
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Phones of BJP leaders being tapped: Dhumal
Hamirpur, June 3 Talking to mediapersons here today after inaugurating the BJP office, Dhumal said, “Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh is adopting double standards and attending programmes of those private universities which he used to oppose while in the Opposition.” He said, “The state government is victimising its opponents, and Anti-Corruption and Vigilance Bureau officers are being made scapegoats.” Dhumal accused the state government of deceiving unemployed youth under the garb of unemployment allowance and claimed that the skill enhancement allowance scheme for them was started by the previous BJP government. He said, “The transfers of employees have become an industry during the present regime and it is the first time in history that the HP High Court has sought explanation from the state government for the transfers of employees on the recommendation of certain MLAs.” Commenting on the decision of HLP leaders to oppose the BJP candidate in the Mandi parliamentary byelection, Dhumal said, “Support or opposition during elections by any political person matters and makes a difference.” Earlier, Dhumal inaugurated the local office of the BJP. District BJP chief Vijay Agnihotri among others was present on the occasion. |
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Kashmiris air experiences at IIAS seminar
Shimla, June 3 In his inaugural address, Peter Ronald deSouza, Director, IIAS, underscored the unique character of this seminar, which moved away from the theoretical deliberations about conflict and touched upon the human dimension. “This is a seminar with a difference. It helps us understand how a society like ours responds to the tragedy of Kashmir. It is time now to realise that old formulations are not going to work, and ordinary voices have to be articulated in public domain for healing and plural futures,” deSouza said. Reading out the concept note, Dr Anupama Vohra, Fellow, IIAS, and convenor of the seminar, brought out the significance of testimonies and personal narratives in comprehending not only the present conflict, but also the writing of an alternate history. Iftikhar Geelani, Chief of the National Bureau of DNA, in his paper “Empowering Kashmiri Voices” shared his experience of being a Kashmiri Muslim in Delhi in the post-1989 turmoil. How the police and even the judicial system had been a disappointment for an ordinary Kashmiri in the Capital came across through On the other hand, how life changed for Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir during the days of turmoil formed the core of Dr KL Chowdhary’s paper. Sharmishtha Kaul, civil services officer and creative writer from Dehradun, in her paper “Revisiting Existence within a Tent: Labelling and Loss of Childhood” discussed the changing contours of childhood in a conflict zone, particularly on those displaced. Muhammad Ibrahim Wani, research scholar, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, narrated an incident, calling it “The Funeral Procession” that he had witnessed. Wani explored various connotations of the incident in his paper. Maqbool Sahil, Associate Editor, Urdu weekly Pukaar, in his paper “Kashmir, the most Dangerous Place to Live on Earth”, spoke about the suppression of journalists in the Valley, with himself having been implicated in a false case. Ashraf Bhat, a post-doctoral fellow at the Institute of Technology, Delhi, in his presentation “Internalising the Narratives of Haunting Memories”, discussed how his growing years were different from children in other parts of the country and how he carried with him to
other parts of the country a Kashmiri identity. As many as 24 participants from across cultural and religious communities are attending the seminar, the objective of which is to bring ordinary people
on a platform to share their experiences, communicate and reflect upon the Kashmir conflict. |
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400 examined at heart check-up camp
Palampur, June 3
Butail advised people to keep themselves away from the use tobacco which was the main cause of heart disease. He said modern lifestyle and less exercise were also responsible for the increase in the cases of heart disease in the country. Dr Vijay Mahajan, a heart specialist and Head of the Tagore Health Care Centre, Jalandhar, addressing a gathering, said one should go for a regular health check-up once a year so that disease inside the body could be diagnosed at the initial stage. He said in most of the cases, it was seen that there was 100 per cent blockade in the arteries as a patient went to the doctor at the last stage. He said it was a matter of serious concern that the young generation was also prone to heart attack because of their food habits. Junk food was also responsible for this disease. He said it had already been established that the excessive use of liquor could cause heart ailment. Therefore, the new generation should take care and avoid the use of liquor.
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Mandi Bypoll Tribune News Service
Shimla, June 3 Chief Electoral Officer Narinder Chauhan said here today that as per the instructions, ministers would not undertake any official visit to any constituency for which election had been announced until the process was over. They would not summon any election officer of the constituency to a place or office or guest house in or outside the constituency for any official discussions. Chauhan said the ministers were entitled to use their official vehicles in their headquarters from their place of residence to the office, provided such commuting was not combined with any electioneering or any political activity which would include a visit to party office even if it were on the route. No pilot car with beacon lights of any colour making the presence of dignitary conspicuous should be used by any minister during his visit to the constituency.
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List of leaders for campaigning ready
Bilaspur, June 3 A meeting of the DCC under the chairmanship of district president Santosh Dhiman welcomed the decision of the party high command to field former MP Pratibha Singh as a candidate from this seat and said Pratibha Singh would certainly win. The meeting criticised BJP leaders for their hostile attitude on major problems of Bilaspur district, including repairs of the National Highway No. 21 and drinking water in scarcity in villages in summer. District vice-president Rajender Pal Thakur, general secretary Gopal Sharma and other office-bearers Narendra Billoria, Himmat Singh Chandel, Nikka Ram Mehta, Hem Raj Thakur, Navin Varma and Pratap Kaundal were also present at the meeting.
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Cong leader flays BJP for failure to utilise funds
Chamba, June 3
Addressing a press conference here today, Chander Kumar, who is also coordinator of the Mandi bypoll, stated that the previous BJP government had been unsuccessful to start even the eighth phase of the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), whereas the Centre had launched the 16th phase of the RIDF in the country. Chander Kumar sought a probe into the working of the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) which was initially launched in Chamba district, alleging that the BJP government could not strengthen the electrification network. Answering queries about an information obtained under the RTI Act about the diversion of the Local Area Development Fund (LADF) of the NHPC for the construction of a school in his hometown, Chander stated that the information was "absolutely incorrect" and asked the reporter to supply him the evidence of such RTI information so that he could contest. Chander questioned the BJP to name any landmark development which it had made in Chamba district during its rule, claiming that it was the Congress government which had initially identified the district taking into account its backwardness and launch the MGNREGA and RGGVY in the district.
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Two bikers injured in road accident
Bilaspur, June 3 Both riders fell several feet away after being dragged by the tanker. The bike was totally damaged. Reports said the driver of the tanker did not stop after the accident, but fled from the spot. The police started a hunt for him as soon as it arrived on the scene on being informed. Nearby people rushed both the injured to the Regional Hospital here, from where they were referred to the IGMC, Shimla. The police has registered a case. — OC |
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Vijay is SC, ST Corpn Director
Chamba, June 3 At present, Vijay is the chief organiser of the district unit of the Congress Sewa Dal. Meanwhile, expressing his gratitude to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and HPCC vice-president Harsh Mahajan for recommending his name to the state government for nomination as Director of the corporation, Vijay said he would work wholeheartedly for the well-being of the poor and downtrodden of the state. |
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Linesman hurt at work
Bilaspur, June 3 Reports said he suddenly fell on the ground due to the powerful shock. His other colleagues working with him rushed him to nearby Bharaadi Community Health Centre where his condition was stated to be stable. This accident resulted in power failure in large areas there and it was restored after several hours. Failure to stop power supply in one section of the power source is said to have caused this accident. The matter has been reported to the police. |
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Investors face delay in getting single-window clearance
Solan, June 3 With the Central industrial package having expired in March 2010, investors undertaking expansion or opting for new investment had declined drastically. Officials of the Industries Department had, therefore, been directed to facilitate the investors by speeding up clearances, including the foremost single-window clearance. A Nalagarh-based investor was undertaking expansion and had applied for clearance under the single-window clearance agency in February. But despite a lapse of more than three and a half months, the case was yet to be cleared. Inquiries from the Directorate of Industries revealed that the file pertaining to this case had been cleared by the sub-committee in April after two months, but was yet to be cleared by the single window. Mohan Chauhan, Director, Industries, said six to seven cases cleared by the sub-committee would be put up in the next meeting of the single-window clearance agency which is convened along with the state Cabinet meeting. But since the model code of conduct was in force in the state owing to byelection for the Mandi Parliamentary The model code of conduct will further delay this clearance by a month, thus putting investments on hold. The affected investor rued that his plans had been unduly delayed and he was forced to bear the high interest on loans availed from banks. He said it was surprising that on one hand the state government was making strategies to woo investors and on the other hand investors were being made to bear such inordinate delays. The Industries Department is working out the nitty-gritty of a common application form which will curtail delays involved in availing permissions from various departments.
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KCC bank gets RBI’s nod for inter-bank ATM facility
Nurpur, June 3 Talking about the ongoing shortage of banking staff in KCC bank branches, he said he was aware of it and efforts were being made to solve this problem. He asserted that none of the bank employees would be victimised and employees would preferably be deputed near their hailing places. He said he would endeavour to grant KCC bank soft loans to unemployed youth with an objective to generate self-employment opportunities among them. Sapaiya said after becoming bank Chairman he had restored the pension facility of bank employees which had been withheld during the previous BJP regime. “The bank management recently released a sum of Rs 9 crore to clear outstanding arrears of employees and these will be cleared by January next year,” he said. On the occasion the Chairman also listened to problems of local bank employees working in 26 bank branches in Nurpur and Indora zones.
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Residents block traffic, seek regular HRTC bus service
Shimla, June 3 A large number of locals, including women, blocked the highway in the morning demanding regular HRTC bus service to the area. They said there was only one HRTC bus service to Jutogh, while the number of private buses was large. They alleged that this had been done deliberately by HRTC officials to give benefit to private bus operators. Vehicular movement was restored after the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Shimla (Rural), along with HRTC officials, assured the residents that HRTC bus service would be pressed into service at regular intervals. The residents demanded that the old bus route from Jutogh to Sanjauli be restored.
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HLP chief accuses Dhumal of hijacking BJP
Hamirpur, June 3 Talking to mediapersons here yesterday, he said, “Dhumal after hijacking the state unit of the BJP has sidelined or ousted many founder members of the BJP to implement his personal agenda.” He said, “The HLP state unit is not fielding its candidate for the Mandi parliamentary byelection due to financial constraints and has decided to oppose the BJP candidate, but it will not support the Congress candidate.” He said, “The party has also taken a decision to expose corrupt policies of the previous BJP government.” The HLP leader also criticised the state government for not giving allowance to the unemployed persons and demanded a solution to the monkey menace. He came down heavily on the functioning of the Board for Cricket Control in India (BCCI) in the context of reports of allegations of spot-fixing during IPL matches. “There are a few honest leaders left in the state unit of the BJP who are welcome to join the HLP,” he added. HLP leaders Babu Ram Mandial, Khushi Ram Balnatah, Mohinder Nath Sofat and Dulo Ram were present on the occasion.
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Narcotics seized, one held
Bilaspur, June 3 Reports said a truck was blocking traffic at this spot and the police on patrol duty stopped there. On seeing the shopkeeper behave in a suspicious manner, it searched his shop and found an envelope containing 390 gm of poppy dust (choora post) and 22 gm of charas. The police also found petrol and diesel kept in cans in the shop for which he had no valid documents. A case was registered against him under the NDPS Act. — OC |
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Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said the Himalayan Ski Village Company had not approached the government so far and the government would watch the interests of dhaba owners and local villagers who go to Marhi and Rohtang Pass during the summer season.
Residents of Jutogh and Totu today blocked the National Highway No. 22 for almost three hours in protest against inadequate bus service of the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) causing inconvenience
to commuters.
