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Deviations in Karcham Wangtoo Project
Specifications
‘Information revolution a double-edged weapon’
Exodus of young IAS officers from state a cause for concern
Violation of Child Rights, Right to Education Act |
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Protest day dedicated to Malala Yousafzai at Baroh
Students protest at Baroh on Saturday. Photo: Ashok Raina
Authorities fail to get Baba Balaknath road cleared
Members of Vivekananda Kendra remove a landslide near the gate of Baba Balaknath Temple in Kangra on Sunday Photo: Ashok Raina
Pensioners urge CM to call meeting to solve problems
1,000 kanals identified for industrial units in Kangra dist
Sharpshooters set a trap for man-eating leopard
BJP’s youth wing to enrol one lakh members
International Minjar Fair kicks
off amid celebrations
Governor Urmila Singh addresses a gathering after inaugurating the International Minjar Fair in
Chamba on Sunday.
AAP to launch satyagrah on July 31
Samiti resents non-utilisation of funds for farmers
One gets 5-yr RI for firing at man
SJVN medical van service for project-hit people
Bring APL families under Food Security Act: Cong Rajnath Singh to inaugurate training camp on Aug 2 Thieves decamp with goods worth Rs 1.25 lakh
Mock drill held for managing disaster Truck carrying apples falls into gorge
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Deviations in Karcham Wangtoo Project
Specifications Rakesh Lohumi Tribune News Service
Shimla, July 28 A six-member committee headed by the Chief Engineer from the Directorate of Energy and having representatives from the CEA and the Central Water Commission had in its report said the turbines of 300-MW each, in place of 250 MW each, had been installed at the project. The state had signed an MoU for 900 MW and the CEA, while granting techno-economic clearance (TEC), pegged the installed capacity at 1,000 MW. However, the diameter of the head race tunnel was 10.48 m, which was in accordance with the approved specifications. Further, the machines can be operated only up to 300 MW given the volume of discharge. But it has also made an important observation that the continuous operation of the project at 1,200 MW can put stress on the civil structure, particularly the head-race tunnel, due to flow of water at a high velocity. Sources in the government said since the CEA was the authority for granting technical approval for big projects, the report would be sent to it. Further, action in the matter would be taken accordingly, they added. There was no provision for overloading the project at the time of granting the TEC, but in February 2007, the CEA allowed to run the machines at 110 per cent of the rated capacity to maximise the generation. Subsequently, the state government also put in place a policy for the regularisation of excess capacity, which initially allowed exemption from upfront premium for a deviation of up to 20 per cent from the installed capacity. In 2011, the exemption was withdrawn. Jaypee Company, which owns and operates the project, maintained that there was no deviation as the project would be operated only up to 1,200 MW, which was within the permissible limits of 10 per cent overloading. Its argument was that the base capacity would be virtually 1,000 MW as the project would not exceed 1,200 MW. However, the main issue that will arise if the CEA grants approval for the deviation is that whether the government should consider the original capacity as 900 MW or 1,000 MW. As per the prevailing policy, a company is required to pay Rs 20 lakh per megawatt as upfront premium for excess capacity along with 3 per cent additional free power as royalty for the power generated through additional capacity.
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‘Information revolution a double-edged weapon’
Shimla, July 28 Delivering the TM Whitmarsh Knight Lecture organised to mark the Founder's Day celebration of Bishop Cotton School (BCS) here, he said Internet-based web-applications like Facebook, Twitter, e-mails and Instagram, which provided real time communication, had made time irrelevant. One could connect anytime, anywhere and with gadgets like tablet PCs, one could even carry out official work while on the move. However, it had not only invaded the privacy of individuals but also of instituters and countries raising serious security concerns, he said. The good old telegram, which was the fastest mode of communication until recently, had been phased out. The service at its peak handled about two lakh messages a day, but the number of SMSes sent daily using the new information technology was a mind-boggling over six trillion, he said. The maximum impact of information revolution had been on the media with printed newspaper facing a big challenge from electronic newspapers. The advertisement revenue of the print media was fast shrinking with the electronic media and cyber media partaking a larger share with each passing day, he said. Chalk and blackboard will soon be replaced by electronic screens through which virtual teachers and virtual books could enter the classroom. The Google had become an instant source of knowledge and information. The information highway has already revolutionised the functioning of governments and governance, the Editor-in-Chief added. “E-mail IDs, dot com domains and Aadhar cards (UID) are replacing names of individuals as the identity. The day is not far when people will be better identified by a 12-digit code,” he said. The drones and unmanned air vehicles with the ability to hit targets on the ground were already in news and countries were forced to increase surveillance to safeguard against threat from the cyberspace, which was intruding the privacy of individuals, he said. He cautioned the youth to tread the cyberspace cautiously as the digital trail stayed forever and all their activity could be monitored. The uploaded pictures could be morphed to cause embarrassment and damage the reputation of individuals irretrievably, he said. However, the silver lining for the youth was that it offered limitless possibilities for them as evident from the fact that most of the important web-applications had been developed by young men in their 20s and early 30s and they had become billionaires, he said. The lecture was followed by an interactive session with H Kishie Singh as the moderator and a panel of experts. Earlier, Principal of the school RC Robinson gave a brief background of Whitmarsh, who religiously visited the institution every year till he died in 1998, after which a lecture in his memory was introduced. |
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Exodus of young IAS officers from state a cause for concern
Dharamsala, July 28 As per data collected by The Tribune, since 1996, 24 IAS officers have been posted in the state under the Himachal cadre. However, 50 per cent of these officers have got posted on Central deputation. Some have even managed to get their cadre changed to other states. As per rules, more than 40 per cent Himachal cadre IAS officers cannot be posted out of the state. The trend, which is more alarming for the state, is that many young IAS officers of the post-2005 cadre are seeking Central deputation or cadre change to other states. In 1996, two new IAS officers were posted in Himachal. One of them is on Central deputation. In 1997, two IAS officers were posted in the Himachal cadre and one of them is on Central
deputation. In 1998, just one IAS officer, Divesh Kumar, was posted in the Himachal cadre. In 1999, two IAS officers were posted in Himachal out of which one is on Central deputation. In 2000, no officer was allotted the Himachal cadre. In 2001, two IAS officers were allotted the Himachal cadre and one of them is on Central deputation. In 2002, just one IAS officer, Abhishek Jain, was posted in the Himachal cadre. He is presently serving as Deputy Commissioner, Una. In 2003, one IAS officer, Sudha Devi, was posted in the Himachal cadre and she is out on Central deputation. In 2004, three IAS officers were posted in the Himachal cadre. One of them is on Central deputation, the second, Mamta Chaudhary, has got her cadre changed to Jharkhand and the third, Paul Rasu, is Deputy Commissioner, Kangra. In 2005, two IAS officers were posted in the Himachal cadre. One of them has already applied for Central deputation. The other Ritesh Chauhan is from Himachal and serving as Director, Transport. In 2006, just one IAS officer was posted in the Himachal cadre. In 2007, one woman IAS officer was posted in the Himachal cadre and she had applied for getting her cadre changed to Kerala. In 2008, two IAS officers were posted in Himachal. Both of them have applied for Central deputation. In 2009 and 2010, three IAS officers each were allotted the Himachal cadre. One 2010-batch IAS
officer has already got her cadre changed to Uttarakhand. However, most of the IAS officers who are staying here are from Himachal or adjoining states of Punjab and Haryana, while those from far away states are either leaving on Central deputation or seeking a cadre change. While talking to The Tribune, some of the IAS officers blamed the service conditions that were forcing the young officers to leave the state. Most of the plum posts in the state, despite being of the IAS cadre, were being allotted to state cadre officers or IAS officers from the state. The IAS officers from other states were not getting perceived good posts. Alarming Trend
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Violation of Child Rights, Right to Education Act Kuldeep Chauhan/TNS
Mandi/Kullu, July 28 A NCPCR team will be visiting the state from July 29 to 31 to track down the cases of child rights violations in private establishments, hotels, including shelter homes and farms. The visit follows after a Kullu-based NGO, Himalayan Environment Protection Society (HEPS), lodged a complaint with the NCPCR in 2010 and later pointed out cases of child rights violations under the RTE Act. Since there is no state commission for the protection of child rights, these are overlooked and ignored, the NGO said. Children of ragpickers in towns across the state do not go to school. The NCPCR team's visit has been promoted by the fact that the Chandigarh Police exposed the child-trafficking racket run by a Ladakh-based person in the state in March 2012 and rescued 10 children from the clutches of certain hoteliers. The children less than 14 years are allegedly bought and brought here from Bihar, UP, Jharkhand and Odisha. They are kept as "bonded labourers" in hotels, restaurants, farms and orchards as their parents make a one-time payment for the same, alleged Abhishek Rai, president, HEPS, in the complaint to the NCPCR. Rai said they rescued two children of Bihar from Kullu recently through a child helpline. Such children are not enrolled in schools and kept as bonded labourers in hotels, restaurants, farms in Kullu-Manali and Lahaul-Spiti by wealthy owners, he claimed. He said over 150 cases of child rights violations could be tracked down in the region. The government and private schools were bound to enrol 15 per cent of children from the weaker sections of society, which they were not doing, he alleged. Senior police officials denied any child rights violations in the state saying that they had not received complaints regarding the same. Rai and representatives of other NGOs rubbished police claims and said they had visited several parts of the state and found child rights violations in hotels, farms and restaurants and even dhabhas. There are about 50 children of ragpickers in Mandi town who either pick rags or beg. There are 400 poor children of less than 14 years who work as labourers in farms in the region alone, NGOs claimed. In a communication to the NGOs, Shaishta Khan, technical expert, NCPCR, wrote that the team would visit Shimla and Kullu from July 29 to 31 and interact with officials and NGOs working in shelter homes, observation homes and government schools.
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Minister for maintaining green area in municipal councils
Dharamsala, July 28 The government would frame a policy to maintain a minimum green cover in urban areas that was very necessary for maintaining the fragile ecology of hills. He, however, added that in some cases people faced problems in felling trees that threatened buildings. The departments also faced problems in removing trees that acted as obstructions on roads. The government would also ease the norms for giving permissions for felling such trees by expediting the process. While talking to The Tribune later, Sudhir Sharma said the government would also consider the proposal of making water harvesting systems necessary in new constructions in towns. Places like Dharamsala received very heavy rainfall. Still people in many areas faced water shortage problems. Though the government had launched programmes for augmenting water supply schemes in urban areas, water harvesting systems could harness rain water in an eco-friendly manner. The minister also inaugurated a new branch of Punjab and Sind Bank in the Kotwali market area of Dharamsala. He toured around the constituency and met common people to redress their grievances. Forest division organises Van Mahotsav
Sundernagar: Suket Forest Division celebrated 64th Van Mahotsav at Slapper near here today. Sohan Lal Thakur, Chief Parliamentary Secretary and MLA, Sundernagar, was the chief guest on the occasion. He started a plantation drive by planting a sapling after performing puja on the spot identified in Kangoo Forest Range, by the side of National Highway No. 21. Later, officials of various departments, local residents and students of Government Senior Secondary School, Slapper, took part in the plantation drive by planting saplings. While addressing a gathering, Sohan Lal said the Congress government was committed to protect the forest wealth and environment of the hill state. He said for this Van Mahotsavs were being organised and plantation drives had been started throughout the state. |
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Protest day dedicated to Malala Yousafzai at Baroh
Kangra, July 28 of Baroh. The protesters said the foundation stone of the college was laid by the Chief Minister and he would certainly help in sorting out this much vexed issue. The protesters dedicated their protest to 16-year-old Malala
Yousafzai, an education activist from Mingora town, Swat district, Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, who is known for fighting for education and women’s rights in the Swat valley, where the Taliban had at times banned girls from attending school. The duo said the protest and dharna was held on the college campus and girl students carrying placards "I am
Malana" were part of the protest. Meanwhile, Trilok Raj Sharma, general secretary, Changer Shiksha Sanasthan Kalayan Parishad
(CSSKP), a registered body running the college, said an unauthorised unregistered ad hoc committee, which had granted admission to first-year students in the college, should run its activities outside the college. He said the CSSKP had issued a prospectus for second and third-year admissions only, but first-year classes were being run in the college illegally. The staff and the ad hoc committee would be responsible for the future of these first-year students. He said during the last 18 years, only 52 students had passed from this college and the college was a burden on the
CSSKP. So it was decided to close the college in a phased manner for which the state government had granted an
NOC. He said the CSSKP was facing a financial crunch to run the college. He, however, said there was a government college at Nagrota Bagwan and the area had road connectivity with the town with frequent transport services. When schoolchildren of the area could go to Nagrota
Bagwan, why not college students, he asked. He said the issue was pending before the Himachal Pradesh High Court too. |
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Authorities fail to get Baba Balaknath road cleared
Kangra, July 28 Seeing the apathetic attitude of the authorities, members of Vivekananda Kendra, a spiritually oriented service, resorted to ‘shram dhan’ to clear a part of the road so that the devotees could reach the temple. Swami Ram Das, who is looking after the shrine, said a week-long yoga training camp, organised by Vivekananda Kendra, was scheduled to start from August 1 on the temple premises, which had forced them to remove the landslide on their own. Swami Ram Das demanded that a good manpower be deputed by the local municipality to remove the remaining part of the landslide and expedite the repair work on the road near Chakar Kund. He demanded Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s intervention to mitigate the problems of the local residents. PR Agnihotri, a local resident, said on the wee hours of July 23, a massive landslide took place and blocked the gate of the temple. The temple holds special significance for thousands of people and despite repeated requests, the authorities concerned had not done anything in the regard till now, he added. The temple management requested the Kangra SDM to take an appropriate action and get the road opened, so that the pilgrims could visit the temple. The temple road was damaged a few months ago, but the work on the road was going on a snail’s pace. Local residents said in case of any calamity, neither a Fire Brigade nor an ambulance could reach the spot because of the damaged road and it could result in a major catastrophe. Kangra SDM Ajeet Bhardwaj said the JCB could not reach the temple site where the landslide had taken place last week because the road was damaged. However, he had directed the municipal authorities to send manpower to clear the landslide which they had failed to do. |
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Pensioners urge CM to call meeting to solve problems
Bilaspur, July 28 Hukam Singh Thakur, spokesman of the District unit of the Himachal Pradesh State Pensioners Welfare Association, while talking to mediapersons here today, said this unanimous resolution was adopted in a largely-attended meeting of the district unit. The meeting was presided over by Rama Nand Sharma. State senior vice-president JK Nadda and district general secretary Jagdish Dinesh also addressed the meeting. Another resolution said the government should immediately release at least 8 per cent dearness allowance (DA) instalment due since January this year. District president Rama Nand said all units in the district here had contributed Rs 1,62,221 towards the recent natural calamity in Kinnaur
and Uttarakhand. He said this amount was being sent to state president Jiva Nand Jivan through a demand draft, which would be forwarded to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh along with other such amounts collected by district units of the state association in other districts. The meeting was attended by leaders drawn from all parts of the district, including Jaswant Singh Chandel, Sohan Singh Patial, Birbal Dhiman, Sita Ram Sharma, Kala Chandel, Daulat Ram Chauhan, Lekh Ram Sharma, OP Garga, Bhag Singh, Udho Ram, Prem Lal Bina, Sohan Lal, OP Mehta, Thakur Dass Azad, Shankar Dass Sharma, Mahender Bakshi, Sada Ram Kaundal, Sada Ram Thakur, Bali Ram, Milkhi Ram, Sita Ram, Ravinder Bhatta, Dr Upender Gauttam, Kuldip Thakur and GL Sharma among others. |
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1,000 kanals identified for industrial units in Kangra dist
Kangra, July 28 Agnihotri was speaking at a function organised in connection with the birthday of Transport Minister GS Bali at Nagrota
Bagwan. He said 7,725 industrial units were permanently registered in the district in which Rs 650 crore was invested and these industrial units provided employment to 29,564 persons that included 24,106 Himachali residents. He said steps were being taken to set up 35 new industrial units in this district in which Rs 632 crore would be invested and it would provide employment to 1,500 youth. He said at
Indora, the construction work of Rs 105-crore project of the Steel Authorities of India was in the final stage. Earlier, Agnihotri inaugurated a blood donation camp on the second day of the Bal Mela organised at Nagrota Bagwan yesterday in which 101 youth
donated blood. He said the Bal Mela was a combination of entertainment, sports and service to humanity. Transport Minister Bali said more programmes of entertainment would be added to this fair in the future. He said he was eager to develop Nagrota Bagwan as a model
town. Agnihotri also inaugurated a free medical camp and planted a sapling on the campus of Government Senior Secondary School, the venue of the
mela, to inaugurate the Van Mahotsav. Yesterday, 5,000 patients were examined and 200 eye patients were advised surgeries that would be conducted at Rotary Eye Hospital,
Palampur, and the expenses would be borne by the organisers of the Bal
Mela. Local MLA Pawan Kajal, Deputy Commissioner, Kangra, C Palrasu and Managing Director,
HRTC, RN Bhata were among others present. |
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Sharpshooters set a trap for man-eating leopard
Mandi, July 28 The wildlife sharpshooters, armed with telescopic guns, missed the target last night as the technology came in handy for the leopard. It was alerted by a call on a guard’s phone. The leopard had come to prey on the cow killed by it on Friday. “We have tracked down the movement of the leopard. Three teams are guided by inputs from villagers and digital cameras. We have laid down two ‘machaans’ and four traps to capture the animal dead or alive,” said BS Rana, Conservator of Forest and the team leader of the mission in the Shikawari-Thunag belt. The leopard has killed two women and injured two others, besides killing a cow and a sheep in the last 10 days. Armed with searchlights, telescopic and tranquilising guns, the teams will camp at the locations where people had fallen prey to the man-eater. Radha Devi was the first victim of the leopard attack last week. The teams suspect that there is only one leopard on the prowl in the area. The second report is being examined to ascertain whether or not the second victim, Mani Devi, had also fallen prey to the same beast, Rana said. But the Lamba Thatch, Thunag and Bari Thatch gram panchayats continue to live in panic. “We close our shops and suspend outdoors activity at 6 pm every day,” said Nisha Devi, pradhan, Lambha Thatch gram panchayat. A female leopard was spotted with two cubs at the slate mine near Lamba Thach, Rana said. "There could be more than one leopard in the area, but we expect to hit the target tonight if all goes as planned,” he added. |
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BJP’s youth wing to enrol one lakh members
Nurpur, July 28 Addressing a press conference here today, state BJYM president Sunil Thakur said the organisation was getting encouraging response in its state-wide membership drive. He was here to launch the membership drive of the BJYM in Nurpur district. He said the BJYM was distributing pamphlets, putting up posters and banners and using social media networking to attract youngsters in all the 12 districts of the state. He said the BJYM would also form a team of 25 to 35 BJYM activists in every polling booth across the state adding that all efforts were being made to strengthen this frontal organisation of the
BJP. Sunil said state BJYM cashier Vishesh Thakur was leading the membership campaign of the
organisation. Lashing out at the Congress government, Sunil Thakur said its seven months’ performance was disappointing and directionless. He said: “This government has failed on all fronts and it has only single achievement, which is to alter the names of programmes and public interest schemes launched by the previous PK Dhumal government. The people of the state will give a befitting reply to this government in the Lok Sabha polls next year as the Virbhadra government has failed to fulfil its party’s promises made in the election manifesto.” |
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International Minjar Fair kicks
off amid celebrations
Chamba, July 28 The Governor said the fairs and festivals of Himachal Pradesh showcased the rich culture of the state and people should be praised for preserving their cultural heritage. She said such celebrations not only highlighted the unique traditions of the state, but also promoted brotherhood and fraternity. She said the festivals made the young generation aware of its culture and instilled in them a sense of pride and dignity. Urmila said the natural beauty and historical and cultural traditions of Chamba attracted tourists in large numbers and generated awareness about the culture of the state. There was a wide scope for tourism in the area, she said. Stressing the need for protecting environment, Urmila said it was extremely important to sensitise people to ecology. “Hill states are vulnerable to natural disasters. We all should contribute towards keeping hills clean, green and safe,” she stated. The Governor was honoured with a shawl and memento on the occasion. |
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AAP to launch satyagrah on July 31
Mandi, July 28 Party's national executive member and coordinator of the Mandi district Des Raj Sharma said the AAP would launch ‘satyagrah’ as a sign of protest against the Congress and BJP that had failed to provide shelter to the poor people. In a press statement here today, Sharma said the residents who had built houses in the town should be provided water and electricity. The government must bring in one-time settlement policy to regularise houses in the towns. The retention polices benefited the big builders while the common man was bearing the brunt of the Town and Country Planning Act (TCP), he claimed. The AAP would launch satyagrah in support of the one-time retention policy so that the common man gets justice. “The TCP Act should be amended to suit the needs of hill areas and the common man,” he demanded. He said lakhs of bighas of land was made available to private universities and several projects from outside, but the public had to face the bulldozers. |
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Samiti resents non-utilisation of funds for farmers
Bilaspur, July 28 These views were expressed by members at a meeting of the samiti presided over by Amar Singh Thakur at the Sadar Development Block headquarters, near here. They also demanded that responsibility be fixed and action taken for this serious lapse. The members also demanded that work on all development and MNREGA schemes must begin within the next 15 days so that all resentment in the entire area on these points was removed. They opined that this Development Block had lagged far behind in the implementation of MNREGA schemes and this situation must end. Some members also questioned the non-payment of the honorarium to panchayat technical assistants and rural employment assistants for the past three months. They demanded immediate payment of all these arrears.
Samiti vice-president Raj Kumar Chaudhary, Ajay Kumari, BDO, Suharghat Development Block, and all samiti members and officers were present.
— OC |
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One gets 5-yr RI for firing at man
Bilaspur, July 28 The incident occurred on January 9, 2006, after a dispute over Rs 500 broke out between the two. District and Sessions Judge Rajiv Bhardwaj has sentenced Yashwant to RI under Section 27, Indian Arms Act. In case of failure to pay the fine, the guilty will have to undergo a three-month imprisonment on each count. Earlier, District Attorney Shamsher Singh Kaushal told the court that Jagat Pal, brother of Satish Kumar, had taken a contract of Rs 5, 000 for demolishing Yashwant’s house. However, Jagat Pal had earlier got payment of Rs 5,500 from him. Yashwant still awaited Rs 500 from Jagat Pal. |
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SJVN medical van service for project-hit people
Hamirpur, July 28 Hamirpur Deputy Commissioner Ashish Singhmar, chief guest of the function, flagged off the van here. SK Mahajan, Head, Dholasidh Project, said the medicare unit had been established under its corporate social responsibility initiative for people living in the project-affected panchayats. He said the SJVN had signed an MoU with HelpAge India to provide free medical consultative services and medicines to the residents, for which Rs 89.91 lakh would be spent in the next three years. This mobile van will have a permanent doctor and paramedical staff. |
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Kangra, July 28
A massive landslide that took place on July 23 has blocked the gate of the ancient Baba Balaknath Temple and the authorities concerned have failed to take notice of the inconvenience being faced by residents.
Seeing the apathetic attitude of the authorities, members of Vivekananda Kendra, a spiritually oriented service, resorted to ‘shram dhan’ to clear a part of the road so that the devotees could reach the temple.
Chamba, July 28
