Oct 1, 2013
International
Day of Older Persons October 1
Parbati-II power project 10 yrs behind schedule
Tardy pace of tunnel work, scams double project cost
In the past seven years, the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) could bore just 33 m of the 31-km tunnel of the 800-MW Parbati-II project. The project cost has doubled from Rs 2,700 crore in 2007 to Rs 5,693 crore.
As per the NHPC’s revised schedule submitted to the Central Electricity Authority, the project will be commissioned in July 2018, if all goes well.
Besides the problem in boring in the “shear, weak and loose rocks zone”, a series of cement, steel and other scams, which are being investigated by the CBI, have doubled the cost of the project from Rs 2,700 crore in 2007 to Rs 5,693 crore till July 2018.
The water ingress and silt discharge in the zone of the Parbati mountain at 25 km inside the tunnel was 7,000 litres per minute in 2007; now it has been reduced to 1,000 litres per minute. “Though we had expected the water ingress when we prepared the detail project report, we never expected it to pose such a challenge,” said Sharad Bhatnagar NHPC geologist.
The NHPC expects seven more shear zones in the remaining 4.8-km tunnel. “The tunnel boring machine (TBM) work has resumed. It takes time to first treat the loose layers and proceed further in the tunnel,” he added.
It took the NHPC almost five years to award the fresh contract to Gammon India Ltd for the boring work in the 4.8-km tunnel. The corporation had cancelled the contract given to Satyam Company after it could construct 25-km tunnel till 2007 and failed to complete the work as it got stuck in the shear zone.
The tunnel, once complete, will take the Parbati water from Pulga dam to its power house at Siund in the dam of the 520-MW Parbati-III, which would be used to run all four units at Bihali, said engineers.
The NHPC claimed that 87-m-high dam on the Parbati at Pulga was ready. It was only the boring of the 4.8-km tunnel that remained, said JK Sharma, Chief Engineer, Parbati-II. “As per the revised schedule, the project will commission in 2018,” NHPC managers said.
The Parbati power projects, which started in 2001, will produce 3,160.66 million units every year. The state will get 12 per cent as free power from the projects as per the pact signed with the NHPC.
Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) president Maheshwar Singh
Oct 4, 2013
Pinto is overall champion
World number 9 Luis Leao Pinto from Portugal emerged as the overall champion of the 9th Discovery Montra MTB Himalaya-2013 which concluded here today
Prime
minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Dr Lobsang Sangay
Sea buckthorn to check soil erosion in Lahaul-Spiti
The government has drawn a 10-year plan to bring 1,000
hectares of land under sea buckthorn in Lahaul and Spiti district to check soil
erosion.
Krishi Vishva Vidyalaya, Palampur, will raise 50,000
saplings of the Drilbu variety of
the plant annually. The Drilbu variety has 10 times more Vitamin C as compared
to the Russian variety and it is rich in three omega acids.
Hidimba
temple at Sarahi Chiuni in the Seraj valley – Mandi
Kaul for extension
of Swedish health prog
Shimla,
October 8Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said he had requested the Swedish government to extend the ongoing health programme for adolescents in Shimla, Mandi and Chamba to the remaining nine districts of the state.
Kaul Singh has returned after a visit to Sweden on the invitation of the University of Lund, which is providing technical cooperation in many Indian states in various fields. “The ongoing project for improving health facilities and awareness among adolescents and youth in the three districts will be complete by December this year, but we have requested them to extend it to the remaining nine districts,” he said.
Kaul Singh said an analysis of good practices in Sweden would be made to implement these in the state.
During the visit, the delegation interacted with Swedish public officials both at the national and provincial levels. The delegation also visited a number of health facilities, including the Swedish Institute of Public Health, Institute of Communicable Disease, Primary Health facilities and a Youth Clinic.
Raja of Bilaspur dies at 75
Kanwar Kirti Chand (75), crowned by the Chandel clan with a title of “Raja of Bilaspur” and the younger son of the last ruler of the princely state of Bilaspur late Raja Anand Chand (later MP), died at his residence in Chandigarh last evening. He was ailing for the past some time.
Neugal- tributary of the Beas, Palampur
Oct
10, 2013
SJVN wind power plant to be commissioned
soon
The Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) is all set to
announce its entry into the wind power sector with its 47.6 MW project at Khirveri in Maharashtra to be commissioned
within a fortnight.
The SJVN had awarded the contract for execution of the
project to Spanish company Gamesa Wind
Turbine. The project is estimated to cost Rs 300 crore. As the plant
availability factor is much lower in case of wind power plants, the cost of
generation will be on the higher side and the feed in tariff for will be Rs
5.67 per unit.
Oct
12, 2013
Govt to intensify fight against drug
addiction
To rope in police, education dept; prepare database
To rope in police, education dept; prepare database
Shimla,
October 11
With alarmingly high incidence of drug addiction among youth in the state, the Health Department has decided to launch a joint campaign with the police and education department. Even though no comprehensive state-level survey has been held so far to ascertain the extent of the drug menace, but with several youth — including girls — hooked to drugs, the government has decided to step in. Several cases of youth having lost their lives due to drug overdose have also been reported.
With alarmingly high incidence of drug addiction among youth in the state, the Health Department has decided to launch a joint campaign with the police and education department. Even though no comprehensive state-level survey has been held so far to ascertain the extent of the drug menace, but with several youth — including girls — hooked to drugs, the government has decided to step in. Several cases of youth having lost their lives due to drug overdose have also been reported.
“Seeing
the gravity of the situation, the Health Department will launch a campaign
jointly with other departments so the youth can be saved,” said Kaul Singh
Thakur, Health and Family Welfare Minister. He said a comprehensive database
would be prepared by involving teachers, parents, voluntary organisations and
the police before preparing a multi-pronged strategy to tackle the problem.
The
government has opened 12 de-addiction centres at each district headquarter.
Efforts are on to depute psychologists, counselors and other trained staff to
guide and treat youth. “We will not only generate awareness among youth through
trained health personnel, but will also step up surveillance and check sale of
drugs and other such products so they are not easily available,” said Thakur.
A
survey by the Himachal Pradesh Voluntary Health Association (HPVHA) on
consumption of tobacco and its other products among children up to the age of
17 revealed that 50 per cent of school-going children were into drugs. “The
situation is already very grave and there is need to take some major
initiatives immediately to arrest the problem,” said Narender Sharma, executive
director of the association.
Alarming numbers
- A survey by the Himachal Pradesh Voluntary Health Association on consumption of tobacco and other products revealed that 50% school-going children (up to the age of 17) were into drugs
- The survey also found half the students and 22% girls were into smoking or consuming tobacco in some form
- The government has already opened 12 de-addiction centres at each district headquarter
Experts bat for new apple, peach varieties
In a workshop organised by the Directorate of Extension
Education of Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni, farm
experts deliberated on various issues of fruit and floriculture crop
cultivation.
Experts suggested use of new apple and peach varieties.
They suggested scarlet spur variety for
apple and suncrest and Masshoori nactrine variety for peach.
Students to appraise teachers from current
session
Students will now have a role in improving academic
standards in institutions of higher education, with the state government making
“evaluation of teachers” by students
mandatory from the current session under the Rashtriya Uchchtar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA). The basic objective of
the move is to seek feedback to strengthen the quality of teaching-learning
environment and to look for opportunities to improve teacher performance in
classroom engagement with students to bring excellence in teaching and learning.
However,
the initiative will also have a bearing on the career graphs of teachers. The
University Grants Commission (UGC) has made it obligatory for teachers to get
the feedback proforma filled from students and the same could be produced at
the time of submitting their academic
performance indicator (API) scores. Universities and other higher education institutions are required to have accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in which the “teachers' evaluation” by students is one of the essential components.
Teachers will be rated on the five-level Likert scale — below average, average, good, very good and excellent — on six broad parameters pertaining to their performance in the classroom. Only students with a minimum 75 per cent attendance will be eligible to give feedback on the performance of teachers.
Evaluation points include punctuality and regularity in taking classes, coverage of syllabi, self-confidence, communication skills, use of teaching aids and innovative methods, transparency in evaluation of answer books, ability to address inappropriate behaviour of students and delivery of structured lectures.
Feedback will be provided on 41 points for objective evaluation of performance of teachers covering all relevant areas. Himachal Pradesh University has already approved the feedback proforma, designed by its internal quality assurance cell.
Oct
13, 2013
Suresh Rana wins 15th Raid de Himalaya
Nine-time winner Suresh Rana hailing from Manali was
today crowned winner of the 15th Maruti Suzuki Raid de Himalaya which concluded
at Leh yesterday.
Mount Shitidhar in Manali.
The
Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun
The
Great Himalayan National Park is one of the few places in the world supporting
a substantial population of endangered western tragopan.
Oct
14, 2013
Baijnath town never celebrates Dasehra
Dasehra was celebrated with fervour across the country
today. However, in Baijnath town in Kangra district, 60 km from here, people do
not burn the effigy of Ravana, symbol of evil. Even the markets remained closed
both in Baijnath and Paprola today.
A strong belief that celebrating the festival will
bring the wrath of Lord Shiva on them keeps residents of the town away from
burning the effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhkaran and son Meghnath as per
the tradition on Dasehra. Residents said Ravana was a great devotee of Lord
Shiva.
The belief of people that keeps them away from the
festival is also associated with the famous Shiva temple located in the town.
As per the legend, it is believed that during the Treta
yug, Ravana to have invincible powers worshipped Lord Shiva in the Kailash
mountains. He even offered his 10 heads in the hawan kund. Impressed by his
extraordinary deed, Lord Shiva not only restored his heads, but also bestowed
him with powers of invincibility and immortality.
Ravana
also requested Lord Shiva to accompany him to Lanka. Shiva consented to his
request and converted himself into a ling. Shiva asked him to carry the ling
and told him that he should not place the ling down on the ground on his way.
Ravana started moving in the southern direction and reached Baijnath where he
felt the need to answer nature’s call. On seeing a shepherd, Ravana handed him
the ling and went to relieve himself. On finding the ling very heavy, the
shepherd kept the ling on the ground and the ling got stuck there. Another interesting thing about Baijnath is that there is no shop of goldsmiths. However, nobody knows the reason for it.
State bird - Western Tragopan
Oct
16, 2013
Ghumarwin-Sarkaghat
road gets WB nod Shimla, October 15
The work on the 42-km Ghumarwin-Sarkaghat road repair project, which has been hanging fire for over two years, will finally get under way with the World Bank (WB) granting approval for the award of work for a 24-km stretch after re-tendering.
The project was split into two parts due to a problem in the acquisition of land, and fresh tenders were invited only for the 24-km section of the road from Ghumarwin to Jahu. The work on the remaining 18-km stretch from Jahu to Sarkaghat will be taken up after sorting out the land issue.
The project will be awarded to Panchkula-based MG Construction.
Oct
16, 2013
CM on inauguration spree in Nalagarh
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said the state
would bear 25 per cent cost of
Bilaspur-Bhanupalli Broad Gauge Railway Line and the construction cost of a
new railway line connecting Baddi would be shared with the Centre, as per an
agreement signed with the Ministry of Railways.
Oct
16, 2013
MC offices to vacate Town Hall for repair
The
Town Hall building will be the second British era heritage structure after the
Gaiety Theatre to undergo an exhaustive restoration project with the help of
conservation architects.
Oct
21, 2013
Verifiers from Germany to quantify carbon
credits in state
Dharamsala,
October 20Verifiers from Germany will visit Himachal to quantify the carbon credits generated under the mid-Himalayan project being run under the aegis of the World Bank.
Sources said a team of verifiers would arrive in Himachal on October 24 and visit various spots developed across the state, including 14 spots under the Dharamsala circle, developed as per the directions under the carbon credit earning scheme, under the mid-Himalayan project.
Director of the project at Dharamsala Pavnesh Sharma said if the areas developed under the carbon credit scheme were approved, it would be the first such successful scheme in the country.
Under the scheme, any kind of earning made from the scheme would be passed on to the stakeholders or the villagers who have participated in maintaining the green areas developed under carbon credit scheme.
The carbon credit scheme was much publicised during the stint of previous BJP government in power.
The people who are involved in the project will earn about Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per acre per annum for maintaining the plantations and helping in generating carbon credits for six years. After six years, the verifiers will again verify the state of plantations.
About
the scheme
Any
industry coming up in developed countries will have to buy carbon credits in
developing countries. The carbon credits are to be generated in the form of
plantations to be developed in the specific areas under the guidelines of the scheme.The scheme based on the concept that industrial houses add carbon dioxide to the environment. The industries that add carbon dioxide to the environment should also help generate plantations in any part of the world to neutralize the carbon added by them in the environment.
Himachal Pradesh under the mid-Himalayan project has developed green areas in various parts of the state under guidelines under the carbon credit earning scheme.
Oct
22, 2013
Kuldeep
Kumar, MLA from Chintpurni, Chairman of the 4th State Finance Commission (SFC)
in the rank of a Cabinet minister
Gangu
Ram Musafir, ex-Speaker, as Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Board in the
rank of a Cabinet Minister.
Oct
23, 2013
Mansa Ram sworn in as CPS
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh administered the oath of
office and secrecy to MLA from Karsog Mansa Ram as Chief Parliamentary
Secretary (CPS) here today.
HPSSSB Chairman - JK Chauhan.
Oct
25, 2013
CM lays stone of Rs 922-cr Swan flood
control project
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today laid the
foundation stone of the Rs 922-crore Swan river distributaries canalisation project in Una district. He claimed that it was the biggest flood
control project in the country and had been sanctioned by the Union Government
for the district.
The
Union Government will give 90 per cent grant for the project while 10 per cent
will be contributed by the state government. The canalisation work will be
completed within four years as per the project report. The canalisation of 70
tributaries of the Swan river will help in reclaiming 7,000 hectare agriculture
land in Una district.
Almost the entire district will be a major beneficiary
from the project. With the project, the entire Swan river along with its
tributaries will be canalised. The Swan
was once called the sorrow of Una district due to massive flash floods in the
river during monsoons.
Three highland motorable passes, 13,050-ft-high Rohtang, 17,480-ft-high Tanglang La and 16,043-ft-high
Bara Lacha, located on the 473-km-long Manali-Leh national highway
Jakhu ropeway- The
promoters of the ropeway, Jagson
International Limited
