 |
Sunday,
October 28, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
|
Central
aid for power sector reforms Palace in
need of govt attention Blood bank
‘loses credibility’ 4 BJP
activists join Congress ‘Vikas
yatra’ demoralising Cong: BJP |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Ex-minister
flays lathi charge on devotees Juice
bar opened in HP varsity Punjabi
folk dominates Bollywood: Hans
|
|
Central
aid for power sector reforms Chamba, October 27 Mr S.K. Dodeja, executive Director of the National Hydroelectric Power corporation (NHPC), stated this while presiding over a function organised by the NHPC on the occasion of the Multimedia Mass Awareness Campaign on Energy Conservation at the local Bachat Bhavan here today. He said the Union Government had already enacted and notified the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 and introduced an Electricity Bill 2001 in Parliament in August. He said a Central Electricity Regulatory Commission and 17 State Electricity Regulatory Commissions had been set up to help in tariff rationalisation. Mr Dodeja said the Union Power Ministry had prepared a time-bound action plan to cover 80,000 additional villages by 2007 under the Rural Re-electrification Programme, adding that 18,000 more remote villages would be electrified through renewal sources by 2012. He said since 1947, five lakh villages had so far been electrified in the country. He said the Power Ministry had decided to generate an additional 1 lakh MW power by 2012 as against 1 lakh MW of power at present being generated in the country from various sources. Mr Dodeja said the Power Ministry had also drawn up a “detailed capacity addition plan” for the 10th and 11th Five Year Plans under which an additional capacity of power generation of 46,500 MW had been fixed for the Central sector, 41,800 MW of Power for the private sector and state electricity boards, 6,400 MW through nuclear power and 10,700 MW through non-conventional energy by sources 2012. He said the annual losses of the state electricity boards had reached Rs 26,000 crore. Consequently they were unable to make payments to the Central Power Sector Undertakings for the purchase of power and coal. As result, their outstanding dues had reached Rs 40,000 crore. Mr Dodeja said prevention of theft alone could mobilise over Rs 20,000 crore annually. He said that the toughest area for power sector development had been the poor financial health of the state electricity boards. Out of the total revenue generated, 55 per cent was billed and only 41 per cent was realised and the gap between average revenue realisations and the average cost of supply had been constantly increasing. |
|
Cong threatens stir against power
tariff hike Shimla, October 27 Criticising the BJP for the proposed hike in the electricity tariff in the state, a spokesman of the PCC, Mr Kuldeep Rathore, today warned of a statewide agitation. Mr Rathore, who was addressing mediapersons here, has alleged that the government has already increased the power tariff twice during the past few years. The poor were being burdened with hikes and taxes, he added. Meanwhile, the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat of the Democratic Youth Federation of India has strongly condemned the proposed tariff hike and the frequent power cuts in the state, especially in Shimla. The federation has stated that even the hospitals have not been spared from these power cuts. As a result, the emergency services, including operations of the patients, had to be postponed in the premier institute of the IGMC and Kamla Nehru Hospital, Shimla. |
|
Palace in need of govt attention Chamba The palace retained its grandeur until the fifties with the building remaining closed to the public. The state government bought the palace from the former Raja of Chamba in 1955. A degree college has been running there since then besides the District Library. The Education Department has failed to save it from vandals with the result that Akhand Chandi Mahal and Zenana Mahal, both remarkable for their elegance, are now in bad shape. The complex has 11 big halls, 28 high-ceiling large and small rooms with galleries, long corridors, fountains, well laid-out lawns and parks and a water tank besides two double-storeyed outhouses. One of the rooms in the palace has exquisite mural paintings in the Pahari style. The Chamba chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has been pressing the government to save the building from further deterioration. Taking a serious view of the government’s laxity in taking any initiative to save the palace, INTACH has suggested the preservation of the complex in its entirety by converting it into a “heritage hotel”. The palace is ideally located on the upper plateau of the town. Whereas the Shah Madar and Bannu hillocks overlooking Chamba provide a fine backdrop, the Chowgan on the lower plateau blends harmoniously with the palace and adds to the beauty of the town. It was during the reign of Raja Umed Singh (1748-64 AD) that the present complex was constructed. Other rulers later made changes in the palace . Raja Sham Singh (1873-1904 AD), a connoisseur of art, renovated it extensively. He rebuilt a large part of it with the help of British engineers. This landmark is an amalgam of the features of Mughal and British architecture. The Durbal Hall, the spacious Banquet Hall (now the District Library) and the Music Hall were specially decorated during the visits of Lord Mayo and Lord Curzon to Chamba in 1871 and 1900, respectively. |
|
Blood bank ‘loses credibility’ Dharamsala, October 27 A resident of the Shamnagar area of the town, Ms Kanta Verma, had to be rushed to Ludhiana in a critical condition after she suffered severe reaction after blood transfusion at the hospital here. She was admitted to the hospital on October 25 as her haemoglobin count was very low. The son of the patient, Mr Harish Kumar Verma, has made a written complaint to the Health Minister, Mr J.P. Nadda, and the Deputy Commissioner demanding action against the hospital authorities for their negligent attitude. “Within half an hour after blood transfusion, my mother’s condition became critical and not even a single doctor in the entire medical college attended to here for three hours,” he said. Mr Verma said doctors in the hospital told him that during the past one month about eight patients had reaction after blood transfusion. Some of the doctors in the hospital, who did not wish to be identified, confirmed such cases of reaction. Mr Verma, whose mother is struggling between life and death at Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, said had some doctor attended to his mother immediately, her condition could have been prevented from deteriorating. The Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Rathore, was not available for comments, while the Deputy Superintendent was on leave. |
|
4 BJP activists join
Congress Chamba, October 27 Talking to media persons here today, Mr Thakur Singh disclosed that the activists included Ms Rano
Devi, Pradhan, Gram Panchayat, Tundah, Mr Kunj Lal, Pradhan, Gram
Panchayat, Badgran, Ms Khino Devi, member, Panchayat Samiti, Tundah, and Mr Subhash Kumar, member, Panchayat
Samiti, Durgathi. Mr Thakur Singh said the new members pledged their support to the Congress and expressed full faith in the policies and programmes of the Congress under the leadership of Congress Legislature Party
(CLP) leader Virbhadra Singh. |
|
‘Vikas yatra’ demoralising Cong:
BJP Shimla, October 27 In a statement here today, Mr Dutt ridiculed the Congress leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, for having accused the state government of spending money for the party’s “vikas yatra”. He claimed that not even a single penny had been spent from the government funds for the party function. It was during the Congress regime that the government money was misused for the party matters, he alleged. Mr Dutt said what the BJP government, led by Mr P.K. Dhumal had done in the field of development in 42 months, the successive Congress governments failed to do that in 45 years. He dared the Congress leaders for a public debate on the issue. He said the posters, banners and all other material for the “vikas yatra” had been prepared out of the BJP funds. Mr Dutt claimed that a large number of Congress activists had joined the BJP at various places during the yatra as they were impressed with the all-round development of the state. Meanwhile, Mr Deepak Sharma, councillor of the Shimla Municipal Corporation has in a statement said many development works had been carried out in Shimla during the BJP regime, whereas the project reports used to gather dust during the Congress regime. He said the Horticulture Minister, Mr Narendera Bragta, was maintaining the tempo of development in the town. |
|
Ex-minister flays lathi charge on
devotees Kulu, October 27 Residents of the town say the use of police force at religious functions showed the administration in a bad light. The police resorted to lathi charge when there was a dispute between the devotees of two deities of Banjar valley about standing on the right side of the chariot of Lord
Raghunath, the chief deity of the district. The police personnel were seen lathi charging the devotees near the chariot indiscriminately. They were boarded the chariot of Lord Rama with their shoes on. There was a widespread resentment among the devotees who had reached here from various parts of the district to participate in the festival. Mr Suraj
Bhan, Governor of Himachal Pradesh, described the lathi charge as “unfortunate” and said “politics” should not be brought into religious functions.” People complained that police force was used to such an extent that the Dasehra ground were the look of a “police cantonment”. Some senior citizens said the sanctity of Kulu Dasehra should be maintained and the administration should avoid overreacting. The administration said the situation had turned so grim that they had no option other than to use force. |
|
Juice bar
opened in HP varsity Shimla, October 27 The minister said the corporation had won various awards, including the Udyog Rattan and the Bharat Jyoti, for its excellent performance and quality production. Later, Mr Bragta visited boys’ and girls’ hostels of the university and directed the authorities to sort out the water problem and maintain link roads to these hostels. He asked the I and PH authorities for the immediate repairs and maintenance of the Van Vihar water supply scheme. He visited the Chandra-Bhaga hostel. The Student Central Association (SCA) submitted a charter of demands to the minister. Meanwhile, the Students Federation of India (SFI) submitted a charter of demands to the Vice-Chancellor of the university. The main demands include plea to increase in the number of M.Phil seats, construct hostel for tribal students, provide computer facility with Internet and hold students’ council election. |
|
Punjabi folk
dominates Bollywood: Hans Kulu, October 27 Answering a question regarding the difference between folk songs and the songs in the films, Hans said, “We have realism in folklores whereas film music is based on mechanism”. He, however, stressed that he would never detach himself from the realistic world of folk songs. “Sangeet di koyee jaat jann majhab nai hunda (music does not have any caste or creed) and it always reflects a message of love and affection,” he added. He claimed that his song “Tote tote ho gaya” had fetched a good response both in India and abroad because it carried a message about peace and was anti-drugs. He bowed his head towards his guru Puran Shah with whose blessings, he claimed, he had attained his present stature. He also described Lata Mangeshkar to be a pole star in the film industry. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
