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Tuesday,
November 13, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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HP power panel has second thoughts Dhumal shifts blame onto HVC Copter misused for BJP rally: Cong BADDI DAIRY |
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PARWANOO DIARY Anti-encroachment drive in Chamba Sat Mahajan meets Sukh Ram
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HP power panel has second thoughts Shimla, November 12 The general impression was that the commission had put an additional burden on domestic consumers and provided relief to large industrial consumers. Apparently, the officers of the board had not studied the implications of the order and decided to file a review petition in haste. After a detailed study of the order and discussions, the board offices have realised their folly and are more or less convinced that the tariff for large industrial consumers has not be reduced. They now admit that the introduction of KVAh based tariff in place of the existing KWh system will not lead to reduction in the per unit rate after taking into account the power factor and load factor. In effect it might fetch up to Rs 20 to 25 crore as most industries would find it difficult to maintain the power factor at 0.9 and load factor around 50 per cent in the first installed new equipment and may revamp their electrical systems to attain the prescribed level of efficiency in energy usage. If some industries are able to achieve it, the board will gain in the form of reduction in distribution losses. It has also become clear that the board had committed a blunder by presenting a wrong projection of income from the sale of power to other states. It had in the petition indicated a sale of 778 million units to earn a revenue Rs 189 crore. However, uptill September 30 it was able to sell only 416 million units, which fetched Rs 101 crore. The state is deficit in power from October to March and, thus, no sales are possible in the remaining five months. The board is short of revenue by almost Rs 90 crore on this account. The board’s plea that the decline in sale was due to a shortfall in generation did not hold water as it had shut down the Bhabha power house and smaller plants for capital maintenance in a planned manner. Moreover, the actual sale figures were available by September 30. In fact, the government informed its view point on grant of subsidy to the board to the commission only on October 27. The board should have done the same. Experts are of the view that there is no case for a review petition as the commission has passed an order on the basis of income and expenditure figures presented before it by the board. Had it provided the actual figures, the average cost of power could have been increased by at least 33 per cent instead of 15 percent. A review petition could be filed only if commission errs in fixing tariff, which is not the case. |
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Dhumal shifts blame onto HVC Shimla, November 12 He said the state government was competent to get these issues investigated by its own agencies even after the opinion of the CBI. Mr Dhumal, who was talking to mediapersons, said the CBI was only an investigating agency and it was a wrong terminology that it had given a “clean chit” to Mr Virbhadra Singh. The highest court of the country only could give a “clean chit”. He said the HVC’s “charge sheet” was different and the state government was now trying to bring the facts before the people by getting certain matters enquired by the enforcement wing, the Revenue and the Forest Department. Certain records of the Revenue Department and documents received from the Centre in 1994 by the state government were missing, he reiterated. He said his government was neither in a hurry and nor would indulge in witch-hunting against any individual, but the truth would be brought out and the interests of the state would be protected. Mr Dhumal alleged that certain judgements of the Supreme Court and the Lokayukata were misinterpreted by the previous regime to create a psyche that the cases had been settled in its favour. He said the just concluded “vikas yatra” of the ruling BJP had provided useful feedback about the functioning of the government and the people’s expectations. The “vikas yatra” had succeeded in explaining the fact to the people that they should take up self-employment projects as the government was not in a position to provide white collar jobs to all nearly 9 lakh persons registered with the employment exchanges. They should divert to bio-technology projects and off-season cultivation of vegetables and floriculture. Mr Dhumal alleged that the Congress was trying to mislead the people on the issue of hike in the electricity tariff after having itself created a mess in the power sector whenever it came to power. There would have been no need to increase the tariff in case Mr Virbhadra Singh had not got scrapped the agreement for the Parbati project which was signed during the BJP regime and delayed the power
purchase agreement for the Baspa (300 mw) project. |
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Copter misused for BJP rally: Cong Shimla, November 12 The spokesman for the Congress, Mr Kuldeep Singh Rathore, today alleged that the ruling BJP had misused official machinery during its “vikas yatra”, which was a political exercise. He said the rallies of the BJP at Solan and Nurpur, which were addressed by Ms Sushma Swaraj and Mr Modi, respectively, were a poor show despite mobilisation of the government machinery. He said Mr Modi’s visit to Nurpur was not liked by a large section of the party which had made the BJP high command remove him from the Himachal scene. |
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BADDI DAIRY Baddi Recently a motor cycle was lifted from the colony in broad daylight. The vehicle was not insured and the owner is left in a piquant situation because the police has refused to register an FIR. In another case, a brief case containing some cash and documents was stolen from a car belonging to a doctor when the car was parked outside his house in this colony. Efforts to lodge a complaint proved unsuccessful and the police advised him to advertise the loss of his brief case in a newspaper. In yet another case the wheels of a car parked in the colony were stolen during the night and the car was left resting on bricks. The residents complain that the police neither visits the area nor does it undertake any patrolling because of which thefts have been on the increase . The residents are alarmed at these incidents while the police maintains that no such incident has been reported, and denies any laxity in patrolling.
*** The Nalagarh Journalists Union has decided to boycott all public meetings addressed by the Town and Country Planning Minister, Mr H.N. Saini, as a protest against his outburst against the media at a public meeting. The union has alleged that the minister made objectionable comments against journalists at a public meeting at Bahli Mastanpur village in Nalagarh tehsil. The secretary of the union, while condemning the behaviour of the minister, said that the decision to boycott the minister’s meetings had been conveyed to the District Journalists Union, Solan, the SDM of Nalagarh and the Public Relations Department.
*** The librarian of Government High School, Ghrer, was robbed of Rs 70,510 at Bhatoli Kalan when he was returning to his school from Nalagarh after withdrawing the salary of the staff from the State Bank of Patiala. The cashier, who was on his scooter, was stopped by four unknown young men who threw chilli powder in his eyes and fled with the cash on a motorcycle without a number plate. The librarian, Mr Jaipal, informed the police who started checking all vehicles crossing the Baddi-Barotiwala Derowaal barrier. In the evening two young men were held at the barrier who were riding a numberless motorcycle. Cash worth Rs 70,000 was found on them. They were, however, let off after interrogation by the police. |
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PARWANOO
DIARY Parwanoo The industrialists also point out that the concept of time-of-the-day tarrif has been introduced for the first time. Cheaper rates of power supply at night will benefit the HPSEB and also reduce the load during peak demand hours. The industrialists, however, are not happy with the increase in the advance consumption deposit which has been raised to Rs 500 per KW of connected load. The industry is also not happy with the winter surcharge of 20 paise to 25 paise per unit. The residents, on the other hand, are sore at the tarrif hike, which has put an extra burden on domestic consumers. The residents say that they are already groaning under the burden of increasing prices and the raise in power tariff will add to their woes. *** The National Small-Scale Industry Corporation held a seminar on “development of small-scale industries” where the Senior General Manager of the corporation advised small industrialists to get their units registered with the corporation so that they could take advantage of the benefits offered by it. Mr Rajeshawar Goyal, General Manager of the District Industry Centre at Solan, informed the participants that the town of Parwanoo would be expanded up to Masulkhana village, about 5 km from here. Mr Rakesh Bansal, General Secretary of the Parwanoo Industries Association, highlighted the problems faced by the local industry. *** About 250 Himachali domicile and caste certificates were issued at a Khula Darbar held in Taksal village, near Parwanoo to hear the complaints of the villagers of Taksal, Jabli, Jangasu and Bansar Panchayats. Revenue officials also helped the villagers in preparing papers regarding sale or purchase of land. Pension papers were also prepared for handicapped persons, widows and old persons. The Khula Darbar was held under the chairmanship of Mr L.R.Zamta, the SDM of Solan. About 1000 villagers attended the Khula Darbar. |
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Anti-encroachment drive in Chamba Chamba, November 12 In his recent orders to all Subdivisional Magistrates and Executive Magistrates in the district, the District Magistrate, Mr S.C. Mehta, had directed the removal of encroachments in the township with immediate effect. The District Magistrate had also asked the authorities to initiate legal action against the defaulters who had covered roads and public paths causing inconvenience to the general public. He had also ordered to remove illegal kiosks. He had warned of drastic action against the offenders. The District Magistrate categorically denied reports that these directives had been issued at the behest of ministers. |
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Sat Mahajan meets Sukh Ram New Delhi, November 12 Though the Congress leader said he had gone to convey Divali greetings to Mr Sukh Ram, “an old friend,” political meaning is being attached to the meeting. Mr Sukh Ram, of late, has been critical of some of the decisions of the BJP-led government in the state. Meanwhile, Mr Mahajan also met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and senior Congress leaders, including Mr Motilal Vora, Ms Mohsina Kidwai and Ms Ambika Soni. |
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SFI activists boycott
classes Shimla, November 12 The BJP-backed ABVP was being sheltered by the state government and spreading hooliganism in educational institutions, it alleged. Addressing the rally, Mr Sanjeev Patta alleged that students were suffering due to privatisation of education. |
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Team
leaves in search of bodies Shimla, November 12 Mr L.R. Chauhan, Additional Deputy Commissioner, said the rescue team would cross the 15,500-ft-high Kunzam Pass to locate the bodies. |
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‘Anti-terrorism day’ on Nov 17 Shimla, November 12 It will be followed by district-level functions on November 18. |
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