H A R Y A N A

700 cr earmarked for power transmission
Yamunanagar, December 28
To strengthen the power transmission and distribution system in the state, works worth Rs 700 crore will be implemented. The proposed works will be completed in 15 months facilitating quality power supply to the consumers.

Govt move on power arrears welcomed
Fatehabad, December 28
The yesterday’s announcement of Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala to waive off surcharge and interest on the power bill arrears of those consumers who start paying their current bills has been welcomed here.

Power crisis in southern Haryana
Faridabad, December 28
Several districts of southern Haryana are in the grip of a power crisis these days. Unscheduled power cuts ranging from three to six hours daily have become frequent, leading to the short supply of power to both urban and rural consumers.

Govt ‘politicising’ Dec 13 attack
Panipat, December 28
Accusing the Central Government of having failed on all fronts, the AICC General Secretary and in charge of Haryana affairs, Ms Mohsina Kidwai, today alleged that the government was politicising the December 13 terrorist attack on the Parliament building in view of the Assembly elections in four states to be held in February next year.

PGIMS operation theatre closed
Rohtak, December 28
The operating theatre of Pt B.D. Sharma Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), the only government owned medical college in the state, has been closed amid reports that a dog was operated in it a few days ago.

Hathnikund barrage costs Rs 194 crore
Yamunanagar, December 28
The Hathnikund barrage here has been constructed at a cost of Rs 194 crore as a replacement of the 125-year-old Tajewala head works. Mr Rajiv Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, today said the barrage had been constructed for a water discharge of 7,76,900 cusecs. It has 18 bays of 18 metre each.

Recognition for Karnal DC
Chandigarh, December 28
Mr Devender Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Karnal was today given the first prize by the Governor, Babu Parmanand, for raising the maximum funds for the welfare of the hearing impaired.

Rs 1 cr grant for National Youth Festival
Chandigarh, December 28
The Union Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry has sanctioned Rs 1 crore to the Haryana Government to organise the five-day seventh National Youth Festival from January 12 at Hisar on the theme of ‘‘Youth against Terrorism’’.

Pension scam: 3 MC clerks held
Rohtak, December 28
The police here has arrested three clerks of the city Municipal Council in connection with the old-age pension disbursement scam.

• 2 recommended for promotion to IAS

700 cr earmarked for power transmission
Our Correspondent

Yamunanagar, December 28
To strengthen the power transmission and distribution system in the state, works worth Rs 700 crore will be implemented. The proposed works will be completed in 15 months facilitating quality power supply to the consumers. In this district alone, the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam will spent Rs 2,626.76 lakh for setting up three new substations. Besides, the nigam will also spent Rs 395.40 lakh for the augmentation of four sub-stations in the district and Rs 214.94 lakh has already been spent for the installation of new transformers, meter service connections and distribution lines, so that better facilities can be provided to the consumers.

The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rajiv Sharma, said here today that a 220-KV sub-station worth Rs 1740.88 lakh would be established at Jorion (Yamunanagar) and another station would be set up at Gulabnagar in Jagadhri at a cost of Rs 353.83 lakh. The third 66 KV sub-station would be established at Talakaur, near Jagadhri, at a cost of Rs 532.03 lakh.

Mr Sharma said four sub-stations would be augmented at a cost of Rs 395.40 lakh. The sub-station at Bilaspur would be augmented from 16 MVA to 32 MVA and the Basantpur sub-station would be augmented from 15 MVA to 23 MVA. Besides, the Radaur sub-station would be augmented from 29.5 MVA to 39.5 MVA.

The Deputy Commissioner said the department had performed well during the current financial year. It had spent Rs 132.23 lakh for releasing 4,921 general, 116 industrial, 194 tubewell and seven public water works connections. The department had laid a 23 km line of 400 volts and also replaced 51 transformers to meet the problem of overloading.

He said by spending Rs 14.75 lakh the nigam had laid up to 8 km of an independent 11 KV feeder line from the Sadhaura sub-station to Udyog Kunj at Rasulpur village. The Deputy Commissioner said the existing 33 KV sub-station at Bhudkalan had been augmented from 4 MVA to 8 MVA at a cost of Rs 3.98 lakh. A 246 KV connection had been given to the Irrigation Department to meet the requirement for controlling floods at the Hathni Kund barrage.

Giving details of the work executed for improving the quality of power supply and consumer service with the help of a World Bank-aided programme, the Superintending Engineer, Mr O.P. Bansal, said the defective LT cables had been replaced at a cost of Rs 145.57 lakh and the nigam had also replaced 348 km of worn-out cables of the main and services fields at a cost of Rs 24.48 lakh so that uninterrupted power supply could be ensured.

Mr Bansal said 629 cases of power theft were detected and a fine of Rs 124.74 lakh was imposed out of which Rs 88.27 lakh had been recovered as penalty. Besides FIRs had been lodged against 39 consumers.

Govt move on power arrears welcomed
Our Correspondent

Fatehabad, December 28
The yesterday’s announcement of Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala to waive off surcharge and interest on the power bill arrears of those consumers who start paying their current bills has been welcomed here. The people feel that the announcement, if implemented honestly, can settle the problem of pending arrears of power bills.

The farmers have been given the liberty to pay the arrears in 10 to 20 instalments and the Deputy Commissioners have been empowered to make the instalments.

The issue to power bill arrears has been a bone of contention between the state government and the farming community. It led to a series of agitations by the farmers.

Though the INLD government has been able to persuade a large number of farmers to pay these arrears, a considerable amount is yet to be paid. According to officials sources, the government has been able to recover Rs 700 crore from the farmers as arrears, but an almost equal amount still remains unpaid. This amount includes the surcharge as well as interest due on the arrears.

Through his recent announcement, the Chief Minister has offered to waive the surcharge and interest on the arrears of power bills. The Deputy Commissioners have been empowered to fix the instalments for the farmers after looking into the paying capacity of the farmers. The move, according to some of those farmers who owe sizeable amount of arrears to the HVPN, will go a long way in addressing the problem of power bill arrears.

They feel that most of the farmers never wanted to go in for a standoff with the government over the issue. But their problem is the arrears along with the surcharge and interest accrued thereon have accumulated. The situation is particularly grim with most of the farmers having small holdings.

They maintain that the earlier practice of sending the power officials to recover the arrears and threatening to disconnect the power connections in case the arrears were no paid was totally impractical. 

Power crisis in southern Haryana
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, December 28
Several districts of southern Haryana are in the grip of a power crisis these days. Unscheduled power cuts ranging from three to six hours daily have become frequent, leading to the short supply of power to both urban and rural consumers.

The district, which requires 55 to 60 lakh units daily, is getting 50 to 53 lakh units, according to Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) sources. Increasing demand of power by the agriculture sector and lack of rainfall in the region had led to the crisis. Farmers of southern Haryana, comprising Faridabad, Rewari, Mahendragarh and Jhajjar districts depend heavily on irrigation through power-operated tubewells as canal water is hardly available. The demand for power is at peak during this period when the sowing of rabi crops is on. According to nigam sources, the demand which was around 23 lakh units in Rewari district on any normal day goes up to 42 to 45 lakh units in winter. A similar situation is observed in other districts also when demand of agriculture sector goes up by 10 per cent to 40 per cent. Experts feel that normal spell of rainfall in this season could have a good impact as far as power supply is concerned.

Although the nigam officials have been claiming that power supply position is normal, some of them do admit power cuts in various areas.

Govt ‘politicising’ Dec 13 attack
Tribune News Service

Panipat, December 28
Accusing the Central Government of having failed on all fronts, the AICC General Secretary and in charge of Haryana affairs, Ms Mohsina Kidwai, today alleged that the government was politicising the December 13 terrorist attack on the Parliament building in view of the Assembly elections in four states to be held in February next year.

Ms Kidwai, who was here to address a rally at the nearby Ugra Kheri village in connection with the Congress foundation day, said the party did not favour the launching of attack by India on Pakistan. However, India should repulse any attack by Pakistan, she maintained.

Terming the attack on the Parliament building on intelligence failure after the serious lapses in Kargil. she said war was no solution to any problem as it had far-reaching consequences. The Sangh parivar and top government functionaries were raising war slogans to draw political mileage out of the current situation,” she said, adding that the Congress would back any attempt to crush terrorism.

She said the party would go it alone in the UP Assembly poll.

The HPCC chief, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, informed that a membership target of 20 lakh had been set for the party in the state for the next year. The party candidate for the Yamunanagar Assembly byelection would be decided soon, he said.

Later, addressing the rally at Ugra Kheri village, Ms Kidwai said the BJP was a capitalists’ party, alleging that the party had never launched an agitation for the poor, Muslims and farmers. She accused that the RSS, whose foundation was based on two-nation theory was running the government.

Mr Hooda said while the Om Prakash Chautala government was demanding a “kisan pradesh” for western UP, the condition of farmers in Haryana had gone from bad to worse. He demanded a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for those injured in the police firing at Kandela village in Jind district recently. 

PGIMS operation theatre closed
Jatinder Sharma

Rohtak, December 28
The operating theatre of Pt B.D. Sharma Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), the only government owned medical college in the state, has been closed amid reports that a dog was operated in it a few days ago.

According to reports, the operation on the broken jaw of the dog was performed at the operating theatre on December 16. The dog is reportedly owned by a senior member of the PGIMS faculty.

The PGIMS has not denied the incident. The in charge of the operating theatre reportedly convened a meeting of surgeons on December 24 and conveyed to them that the theatre would remain closed till January 1, 2002, “for repairs”.

A dog being operated in a theatre calls for complete sterilisation of the entire room.

The PGIMS authorities do not appear serious about the incident and efforts were being made to hush up the matter.

The Director, PGIMS, has reportedly advised the in charge of the operating theatre to inquire into the incident. He has reportedly declined the offer and suggested the name of Dr B.P. Dass of Radiotherapy Department for the inquiry.

Dr Dass has reportedly excused himself by saying that he would be going to his home state Orissa during vacations beginning from December 28.

Hathnikund barrage costs Rs 194 crore
Our Correspondent

Yamunanagar, December 28
The Hathnikund barrage here has been constructed at a cost of Rs 194 crore as a replacement of the 125-year-old Tajewala head works. Mr Rajiv Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, today said the barrage had been constructed for a water discharge of 7,76,900 cusecs. It has 18 bays of 18 metre each.

He said two head regulators on both ends of the barrage had been constructed to feed regular water supply to the existing western and eastern Yamuna canals in Haryana and UP.

It will be possible to take Haryana’s share of water through Western Jamuna Canal (WJC) link channel and water carrier system of hydel channel by March, 2002. The Tajewala head works will then be abandoned.

Mr Sharma said all gates of the Hathnikund barrage and regulators, including the regulation structures on the WJC link channel would be operated through sophisticated remote control system from centrally located control rooms.

He said out of 25,000 cusecs discharge of WJC link channel, 5,000 cusecs would return back to the Yamuna through silt ejector. A hydel channel of 7,150 cusecs capacity is under construction. This hydel channel will have a power house to generate 14.4 MW power. The hydel channel is scheduled to be completed by March, 2003 and the water carrier system will be operational by March, 2002.

Recognition for Karnal DC
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28
Mr Devender Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Karnal was today given the first prize by the Governor, Babu Parmanand, for raising the maximum funds for the welfare of the hearing impaired.

Mr D. Suresh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Sirsa, received the second prize while the person in charge of the Welfare Centre, Hisar, got the third prize for their contribution toward fund collection for the hearing impaired.

Babu Parmanand, who is also the President of the Haryana Welfare Society for Hearing and Speech Handicapped, presented the awards while participating in the annual general body meeting and the meeting of the executive committee of the society here today.

Rs 1 cr grant for National Youth Festival
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28
The Union Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry has sanctioned Rs 1 crore to the Haryana Government to organise the five-day seventh National Youth Festival from January 12 at Hisar on the theme of ‘‘Youth against Terrorism’’.

This was revealed at a meeting of the committee constituted by the State Government to organise the youth festival and which was presided over by Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala, here yesterday.

Mr Chautala said while Rs 50 lakh had already been released by the Central Government, the State Government would also spend Rs 1 crore to celebrate the festival in a magnificent manner.

It was decided to hold competitions in 18 events like folk dance, folk song, one act play, classical vocal (cernetic) classical vocal (Hindustani), Oddisi, Bharat Natyam Manipuri, Kutchipuri, Kathak, Guitar, Tabla, Mirdanghum, Sitar, Veena, Harmonium (light), flute and elocution contest (extempore). Apart from this, each of the participating states and union territories can present a non-competitve item during the festival.

The Chief Secretary, Mr L.M. Goyal, said that about 3,000 participants would converge on Hisar. They would commence rehearsals two days in advance, he added.

Pension scam: 3 MC clerks held

Rohtak, December 28
The police here has arrested three clerks of the city Municipal Council in connection with the old-age pension disbursement scam.

2 recommended for promotion to IAS
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28
The Departmental Promotion Committee of Haryana today recommended two HCS officers' names for promotion to the IAS cadre.

While the name of Ms Neelam Kasni was cleared by the committee, the recommendation made in the case of Mr Y. S. Kalia was provisional.

The next meeting of the DPC, scheduled for December 31, will reportedly take up the promotion of two non-HCS officers to the IAS cadre.