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HPTDC sets the ball rolling to come out of red, on hunt for pvt partners
Country’s first canal irrigation project for hill areas to become a reality soon
No plans to shuffle Council of Ministers: Virbhadra
Shillai MLA ends 24-hr fast
Shanta hails Amit Shah’s decision
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Fishing ban in Pong reservoir lifted
Trucks carrying apples to have GPS
Lawyers have great role to play: Justice Kurian Joseph
Now, submit building plan approval online
Tibetan youth found murdered in Palampur
Vahini jawans destroy 9,195 opium plants
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HPTDC sets the ball rolling to come out of red, on hunt for pvt partners
Shimla, August 2 With only 16 hotels and restaurants of the HPTDC registering profit and that too very nominal, the ball has been set rolling to initiate steps which can help it come out of the red. The cafés that have been identified to be leased out as joint ventures with the HPTDC include Café Lalit (Kufri), Café Satluj (Rampur), Café Monal and Café Raft (Kullu) Café Shiwalik (Parwanoo), Café Bilapsur (Bilaspur), Café Neugal (Palampur) and Café Ravi View
(Chamba). “No final decision has been taken to run these cafés as joint ventures, but considering the loss and high cost of running them, we are contemplating to give them out to private parties,” a senior official said. However, with huge staff strength of 1,743, the first and foremost question was of adjusting employees, in case the cafés or other bigger properties are leased out. It was last month at the HPTDC Board of Directors’ meeting that Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who is also the Tourism Minister, stressed on the need to run the corporation professionally as a commercial organisation and not like a government department. As such, the HPTDC could consider leasing out its loss-making cafés and other units. Keeping in mind the fact that the HPTDC registered a loss of Rs 34.7 crore during 2013-14, efforts are being made to reduce the loss. “It has been decided to put all promotions on hold and rather make these performance linked and also undertake rationalisation of the staff as many places are overstaffed,” sources said. To attract more visitors to rake in profit, the HPTDC has also decided to make a major shift in its strategy by focusing more on the off-season. “Tourists come in hordes during the peak summer season as well as during the Christmas-New Year time. Hence, the need of the hour is to make the state an all-the-year round destination and market new places so that there is business throughout the year,” the officials pointed out. Many properties of the HPTDC are nothing short of white elephants, with lakhs being spent on their maintenance and footing the huge salary bill burden. The HPTDC, which came into being on September 1, 1972, was set up with an aim to provide accommodations and services when the private sector was almost missing from the scene. However, with the private sector now having a strong presence all over the state, the not-so professionally run HPTDC units seem to be lagging behind, resulting in huge loss. As such efforts will have to be made to make it viable and reduce the loss. |
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Country’s first canal irrigation project for hill areas to become a reality soon
Earlier, the department was planning to lay open channels to carry water to fields. This was resisted by farmers as it would have consumed their land. Not only this, laying open channels would have made passing of tractors and other machinery to the fields difficult. Just about 50 per cent of the 250 cusecs water coming through the Shah Canal was being put to optimum use. Ashwani Gupta, Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Public Health (IPH), when contacted, said: “Due to resistance from farmers, we have decided to use underground HDPE pipes to carry water of the Shah Canal to the fields. The experiment of carrying water to the fields through HDPE pipes has been successful and we will try to repeat it in the Shah Canal catchment areas too.” The Shah Canal that had recently been completed brings Himachal’s share of irrigation water from the Pong Dam. It was completed after a wait of nearly 50 years. The Shah Canal, the 45-km first canal irrigation project of the country for hill areas, has emerged as an engineering marvel. It has developed into a model concept for providing canal irrigation in hill areas. Sources said: “Before this, canal irrigation projects were developed in plain areas of the country only. However, now after Himachal, the Shah Nehar model is being duplicated in the other hill states of the country as well.” The Beas water that has been picked up from the Talwara barrage passes through tunnels and aqueducts of the Shah Canal before reaching the fields in hilly areas of Indora block of Kangra district. The Shah Canal water passes through 12-km aqueducts through its 45-km length. The aqueducts have been constructed at a height of 25 m from the ground level at various places using RCC pillars. It is also the longest aqueduct development for any canal irrigation project of the country. The Shah Canal is unique in design, which is developed by the department engineers for providing canal irrigation in hilly areas. Besides constructing the main canal, the department is also constructing RCC minor and sub-minor canals for carrying water to fields. However, now, they are being replaced by HDPE pipes. The canal water will provide irrigation facilities to 93 villages of the Indora area. The Irrigation Department is in the process of forming Krishak Vikas Sanghs at each village, which will give suggestions for laying pipes to farmers’ fields from minor and sub-minor canals. They will also decide on the water turns for farmers in their respective areas. The agreement for the construction of the Shah Canal was reached between Punjab and Himachal in 1983. The initial cost of the project was Rs 143 crore. While Himachal was to contribute 40 per cent cost of the project, Punjab had to contribute 60 per cent. The Punjab Government, however, contributed just Rs 66 crore for the project. Due to the delay, the cost escalated to Rs 392.85 crore. The Union Government contributed 90 per cent cost of the project under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), while the remaining 10 per cent has been contributed in 60:40 ratio by Punjab and Himachal. |
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No plans to shuffle Council of Ministers: Virbhadra
Amid speculative reports of an imminent reshuffle, several state Congress leaders and ministers are camping in Delhi, even as the CM met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi separately today. “I met Congress president and vice-president both and discussed matters related to the state among other issues,” the CM said during an interaction at his residence here today. The CM has been in the Capital since yesterday and had a round of official meetings with Union ministers besides party central leadership. On being asked how he interpreted the verdict in Uttarakhand, where the Congress wrested two Assembly seats from the BJP while winning all three bypolls, the CM said the Congress as a party cannot be written off. “It is a mass-base party,” he said, adding that the Lok Sabha verdict was a pro-Modi vote and not for the BJP. On his part, the CM said he felt the Congress party could strengthen itself by expanding the membership and throw open doors for new people to join. He said: “Only when the party expands its base and takes in people with new ideas, it will grow.” Virbhadra Singh also favoured the election of leaders from the block-level upwards thereby allowing leadership to come from the ranks. Talking of his experience, he said, often such leadership emerges by consensus and not necessary through a ballot. |
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Shillai MLA ends 24-hr fast
Nahan, August 2 District BJP president Sukh Ram offered him juice this afternoon and broke his fast. Other MLAs of the district, including Dr Rajiv Bindal and Suresh Kashyap, were also present. Tomar said he had given a month’s ultimatum to the state government to fulfill his demands or face a
more aggressive protest in the future. Lamenting the deplorable condition of roads, Tomar said his 10-point demands charter included the repair of link and main roads, including National Highway No. 72-A, re-opening of milk chilling plant at Kafota, opening of an ITI at Ronhat and a branch of state co-operative bank at Jakhna, upgradation of Kamrau sub-tehsil into a tehsil as it served a large population and immediate posting of an SDM at Shillai where, despite an announcement made before the Lok Sabha polls, no official had joined. |
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Shanta hails Amit Shah’s decision
Palampur, August 2 Addressing mediapersons here today, Shanta said with the directions of the party president, the MPLAD fund would be given on the recommendations of local party units now. He said it would check the misuse of funds and at the same time needy persons or local bodies would be benefited by the decision. Shanta said the MPLAD fund remained in controversy during the UPA regime, when it was either not utilised by MPs or spent for some other purpose beyond the guidelines of the Government of India. He said the party should also issue proper guidelines and convey priorities where such money was to be spent by MPs. |
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Fishing ban in Pong reservoir lifted
Nurpur, August 2 Fish species of rahu, katla and mahasheer, being produced in this reservoir, are in great demand in the inter-state fish markets. As many as 2,300 fishermen have been earning their livelihood by catching fish in this reservoir. In order to check the menace of fishing during the breeding season, the department had set up 17 check posts in the area surrounding the Pong reservoir and 24 employees of the department had been deputed there. Apart from this, the department had also a deployed Rs 45-lakh power motor boat, equipped with modern techniques, to check illegal fishing. Gurcharan Singh, Director, Fisheries Department, said the department was all set to boost fish production in the current year and planned to put 56 lakh fish seeds and expected 400 metric tons of fish production this year. “The department has launched a number of welfare schemes for the uplift of fishermen engaged in fishing in this reservoir. During fish breeding season, each fisherman is being paid Rs 1,200 per month as financial relief. The department is also providing free accidental insurance cover and quality fishing nets to them,” he said. He added that two months’ fishing ban during breeding season was must for better fish production and the department was very strict to check illegal fishing during these days. |
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Fish stocking day celebrated in Palampur agriculture university
Palampur, August 2 Dr Katoch said all check dams and artificial and natural ponds in the university had been handed over to the Department of Fisheries under the control of Dr GC Negi, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (CoVAS), for stocking, harvesting and feeding fish to enhance its production and increase domestic income. Dr Sanjit Katoch, Dean, CoVAS, said the department of fisheries would maintain all the water bodies on the main campus with fast-growing species of fish. Dr PK Dogra, Head, Department of Fisheries, said stocking of fish in these water bodies would serve twin purposes of irrigation and providing fresh fish to consumers. The department was also distributing fish fingerlings to farmers of the state to augment their income, he said. Dr HK Chaudhry, Head, Department of Crop Improvement, congratulated the vice-chancellor for implementing the recent vision of the Government of India for the blue revolution and expressed hope that the university would be able to make a major headway in this direction. Dr Katoch earlier inaugurated an experimental animal house in the veterinary college. It has been constructed at Rs 10 lakh and will house small laboratory animals. Dr SK Subhaiya, president, HPAUTA, Dr Shivani Katoch, president, VASTA, and Vimal Shekhri, president, NTEU, were also present. |
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Trucks carrying apples to have GPS
Shimla, August 2 Stating that elaborate arrangements had been made for the smooth transportation of apples to the markets and timely availability of packing material to growers, Stokes said identity cards would be issued to drivers to facilitate the growers. She said the state government had recently notified weight of apple boxes and cartons of different sizes. As per the amended provisions, apple cartons were not to weigh more than 22.5 kg and 11 kg when being transported for sale or auction in the yards of the HP Marketing Board of the state or outside. She said this provision had been made on the demand of growers and to avoid exploitation of farmers at the hands of middlemen. She directed all the implementing agencies to enforce these provisions and take strict action against the violators. Barriers would be set up at Tippa near Parwanoo in Solan district to check the specified weight of boxes, she added. The district administration had been asked to check profiteering and hoarding, she added. The minister also asked the PWD to undertake the maintenance of roads and make all necessary arrangements during the season. |
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Lawyers have great role to play: Justice Kurian Joseph
Shimla, August 2 This was stated by Justice Kurian Joseph, a Supreme Court Judge, at a felicitation function held in the HP High Court today to honour him on his visit to the state. Justice Joseph said he had immense love for the people of the state and he missed the period spent in the state. The programme was organised by the HP High Court Advocates Welfare and Charitable Society and the HP High Court Bar Association. Justice Joseph also inspected the under-construction lawyers’ chambers near the High Court building. He said the lawyers’ chambers in the vicinity of the High Court would facilitate the lawyers as well as the litigants. Chief Justice of the HP High Court Mansoor Ahmad Mir, Justice Sanjay Karol, Justice Rajiv Sharma, Justice VK Sharma, Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, Justice PS Rana and Justice Sureshwar Thakur were present. Chief Justice Mir said the Bar and Bench complemented each other. The quality of advocates determined the quality of justice rendered. Chairman of the Advocates Welfare Society Shrawan Dogra welcomed Justice Kurian Joseph and thanked him for his invaluable contribution in the construction of lawyers’ chambers. Earlier, a seminar on “Brain Stroke and Remedy”, addressed by Dr Sudheer Sharma, Assistant Professor, Neurology Department, IGMC, Shimla, was also organised by the society. |
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Now, submit building plan approval online
Shimla, August 2 A spokesman of the state government said today that the Department of Labour had decided to computerise the process of application approval. He said the software could be accessed on admis.hp.nic.in/ofris and the detailed guidelines regarding the application process could be accessed at http://admis.hp.nic.in/ofris/guidelines.aspx. He said the applications that were already registered manually should be applied online for renewal by September 15 to enable the department to process the application by October 31. “The software offers an automated and transparent interface for the approval of building plan and factory registration,” he added. |
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Tibetan youth found murdered in Palampur
Palampur, August 2 Puneet Raghu, DSP, Baijnath, said Tenjin’s body had injury marks which indicated that it was not a natural death. He said the police had sent the body for a post-mortem at DRPGMC, Tanda. A case has been registered at Baijnath police station. “We have questioned over a hundred Tibetan youth, but no clues have been found yet,” said Raghu. Local residents said Tenjin was earlier seen under the influence of liquor in Bir with friends. — OC
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Vahini jawans destroy 9,195 opium plants
Shimla, August 2 A police spokesperson said today that around 13 cases were registered under the NDPS Act. He said 195.958 kg charas, 457 gm opium, 214.791 kg poppy husk, 47,359 tablets, 18,979 capsules and 1,421 bottles of cough syrup were recovered in 2013. “Around 221.029 kg charas, 4.858 kg opium, 631.281 kg poppy husk, 20,285 tablets, 35,144 capsules and 13,107 bottles of cough syrup were recovered till June 30, 2014, by the police,” he added. He said around 101 more cases were registered under the NDPS Act in the current year.
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Dharamsala, August 2
New Delhi, August 2