Centre allows MoU route
SHIMLA, Jan 19 — The decision of the Centre to allow the memorandum of understanding route for assigning hydroelectric power projects up to 100 MW capacity will enable Himachal Pradesh to exploit its vast hydroelectric power potential expeditiously.

Congress "tried" to sabotage project
DHARAMSALA, Jan 19 — The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, has said work on Vivekananda Medical College and Hospital at Holta, will begin soon.

End copying and tuition: Dhiman
HAMIRPUR, Jan 19 — The Himachal Pradesh Education Minister, Mr Ishwar Dass Dhiman, has asked the district officers to provide timely justice to the people coming for getting their jobs done. He said in a democratic setup people were the real custodians of the nation and all-out efforts should be initiated to protect their interests.

Centre allows MoU route
From Rakesh Lohumi
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Jan 19 — The decision of the Centre to allow the memorandum of understanding (MoU) route for assigning hydroelectric power projects up to 100 MW capacity will enable Himachal Pradesh to exploit its vast hydroelectric power potential expeditiously.

The state's effort to get projects executed speedily in the private sector had received a serious setback in 1995 when the Centre directed the states to give up the MoU route and instead adopt the international competitive bidding (ICB) mode to assign projects. By that time MoUs for eight projects had already been signed with the private parties. These included the 300 MW Baspa II, 86 MW Malana, 70 MW Dhamwari Sunda, 100 MW Uhl-III, 1000 MW Karcham Wangtoo, 192 MW Allain Dhungan and 231 MW Hibra projects.

The state had done the spadework for assigning another 11 projects through the MoU route. However, it could not do so as the Centre made it clear that the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) would not clear any project proposal, which was not routed through the ICB route. Since the clearance by the CEA is essential for raising funds for the projects, the state had no option but to follow the directive of the Centre in letter and spirit.

The objective behind disallowing the MoU route was to bring in competitive element, which was essential to bring down the generation cost and weed out non-serious parties. As hydroelectric power sector was opened to the private sector for the first time not many parties came forward to take up projects initially. In fact, in some of the projects assigned through the MoU route, the parties did not show much interest in starting work. Firm agreement could be signed for only five of the eight projects assigned through the MoU route.

For instance the Uhl-III project for which the MoU was signed in February 1992, work has not started as yet. The government has now served notice for the cancellation of the agreement.

Since the international competitive bidding route took a lot of time and delayed projects, the states, particularly Himachal Pradesh has been pressing the Centre to allow the MoU route for smaller projects. Now that the Centre has exempted projects up to 100 MW capacity from the ICB route, the state will be in a position to assign about a dozen projects to the private sector shortly.

The decision of the Centre to include projects up to 25 MW in the category of mini projects will also go a long way in attracting the private sector. So far projects up to 3 MW fell in this category and the entrepreneurs were entitled to interest subsidy and other incentives. The power generated was to be purchased at a uniform rate of 2.25 paise per unit under the fixed tariff regime policy.

The Centre is in the process of finalising a similar policy for the projects falling in the range between 3 MW and 25 MW. Much would depend on the incentives the government offers to attract the private sector for such projects.

Meanwhile the state power board has intensified its efforts to prepare detailed projects reports for various identified project so that these could be offered to the private sector. Besides efforts are on to assign big projects like the Kol Dam and Rampur projects to central agencies.

Himachal Pradesh will raise the issue of generation tax and other interstate matters at the conference of Power Ministers of the northern states to be held at Delhi on February 2.

Congress "tried" to sabotage project
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Jan 19 — The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, has said work on Vivekananda Medical College and Hospital at Holta, will begin soon.

Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Dhumal said that the government would soon hold talks with the Apollo group so that the proposed mini PGI could come up at Holta, near Palampur, at the earliest. He said Rs 2 crore were already lying with the trust and even the land had been given to them.

He accused the Congress government of trying to sabotage the project so that the credit for the setting up the Apollo hospital did not go to the BJP, and as such they set up medical college at Tanda in a haste. It was during the tenure of the previous BJP government, headed by Mr Shanta Kumar, that the idea of setting up a medical college and hospital at Holta, was mooted.

The Chief Minister said after getting the issue of recognition of Tanda Medical College resolved, the government's endeavour would be to raise the basic infrastructure at the earliest. He disclosed that a sum of Rs 9.5 crore had been allotted for the medical college during the current financial year. "It is a pity that the Congress Government took populist decisions, without sparing a thought for the career of the students, enrolled in these institutions," he lamented. Tanda Medical College, too was a political gimmick, as it was opened just before the elections, without making any proper arrangements, he added.

To a question whether the first year of the students would be saved, the Health Minister, Mr J.P. Nadda, who was also present said that efforts were being made in this regard. It may be recalled that the Medical Council of India (MCI), granted recognition to the Tanda college, from January 1, this year, and as such there is still uncertainty about a year spent by the students here. When asked if the MCI would withdraw the case on this issue, from the Supreme Court, Mr Nadda said it depended on the MCI.

Mr Dhumal said in order to make Himachal self reliant and financially sound, emphasis would be laid on tapping of the immense hydroelectric potential in the state. He said negotiations were on for 319 mini and micro hydroelectric projects. "We have launched the efficiency linked scheme, so that various hydroelectric projects in the state can be completed at the earliest," he disclosed.

In response to the Congress decision to launch a statewide agitation against the hike in power tariff, Mr Dhumal said the rates were the lowest in the entire country. The Congress had proposed even a bigger hike in power tariff if it was voted to power, and today it was making an issue out of it, he stated.

Later, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of the office complex of the Additional Director, Horticulture, here to be constructed at a cost of Rs 63 lakh.

AHEC compiling hydel data
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Jan 19 — Small hydroelectric potential in Himachal Pradesh is being assessed for being fed into the global information system (GIS).

The data of more than 450 small hydroelectric project sites is being compiled by the Alternative Hydro Energy Centre (AHEC) of Roorkee University.

Mr Arun Kumar, head of the centre, told the TNS here today that the data would include vital information pertaining to the projects located in the far-flung areas. The information regarding snowline, land use, temperature and rainfall would be available worldover on the GIS.

He said much preliminary data regarding these projects had been compiled, but a detailed study would help provide vital information to the entrepreneurs on a single window.

Mr Arun Kumar said it was for the first time in the country that such data was being prepared for any state. The compilation of the data was expected to be completed by the year end.

He said that the AHEC was also preparing a regional flow estimation covering Himachal Pradesh and parts of Jammu and Kashmir and UP.

The regional flow estimation would be developed in two years and would provide basic information regarding the power project sites. Such an experiment has been very successful in identifying hydroelectric sites in Europe.

PWD felling deodar trees?
From Ravinder Sood

PALAMPUR: The green cover in this picturesque Himachal Pradesh town is under serious threat, especially within its municipal limits.

Over the past few years various government departments have taken forest laws lightly and a number of deodar trees have either been chopped off without the valid permission from the authorities. Recently over a half dozen deodar trees were felled by the Public Works Department in the heart of the town. These trees were considered an asset of town. Enquiries reveal that no permission was taken either from the municipal council in whose jurisdiction these trees fall or Forest Department to cut these trees.

According to the Municipal Act, it was obligatory on the part of Public Works Department to seek permission from the Municipal Council, which was ultimately granted by the Deputy Commissioner who is also District Magistrate. But the Public Works Department preferred to axe these trees in violation of all rules and regulations.

It is reliably learnt that the branches of these 70-year-old deodar trees had been causing an obstruction to houses and offices of senior PWD officers. In the recent past the state government has made forest laws more stringent to save the forest wealth of the state. In such cases permission to cut the trees is rarely granted. As far as the deodar trees are concerned, no one is allowed even to cut even one branch. But its most surprising that how the PWD authorities lopped of these trees which would later result in its decay. Many other PWD officers also stayed on this campus but they never dared to destroy the precious forest wealth in this manner for their selfish motives.

Thakur Balwant Singh and Surinder Sood, president and vice-president of the local Municipal Council, respectively, have expressed serious concern over the felling of the deodar trees. They say that this action of the PWD amounted to a serious crime. Every tree within the municipal limit was the property of municipal council under the HP State Local Self Bodies Laws. He says the municipal committee was conversant with the situation and the matter would be brought to the Kangra Deputy Commissioner notice.

Meanwhile various voluntary organisations and environmentalists have lodged a serious protest with the authorities for felling the deodar trees. These organisation have urged the registration of cases under sections 40 and 41 of the HP Forest Act against the culprits.

The Divisional Forest Officer says that in this case only the Municipal Council is competent to initiate action against the defaulters since the crime had taken place within the municipal limits. He says in such cases the high-powered committee constituted by the state government recommended only 30 p.c. lopping and that too in extraordinary circumstances. On the other hand, the PWD officials are tightlipped and none is ready to disclose who ordered the felling. But Mr U.N. Sharma, Superintending Engineer, says that these trees were PWD property therefore no permission was required to fell these trees.

A deodar tree takes as long as 70 years to attain its full size. Perhaps Palampur is the only hill station in the country where the deodar tree is grown at heights between 3,000 feet and 4,000 feet. And if no efforts were made to save these rare deodar trees the attraction and charm of this hill town will be a thing of the past.

End copying and tuition: Dhiman
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, Jan 19 — The Himachal Pradesh Education Minister, Mr Ishwar Dass Dhiman, has asked the district officers to provide timely justice to the people coming for getting their jobs done. He said in a democratic setup people were the real custodians of the nation and all-out efforts should be initiated to protect their interests.

Mr Dhiman was speaking at a "Administration at the doorstep" programme organised by the district administration here yesterday. As many as 607 cases were settled on the spot. Rest of the cases were sent to the departments concerned.

The minister expressed concern over the menace of tuition and copying in examinations. He sought the cooperation of the people and the teachers to end it. He said the deserving and the hard-working students were affected the most by the tuition menace. The government would deal sternly in this matter, he assured.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Manoj Kumar, gave details about the programme and appealed to the people to make full use of it. He said it was aimed at helping the downtrodden.

The minister announced a grant of Rs 5,000 for students of the local school who presented a cultural programme on the occasion.