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Feb 25, 2007

DVC eyes power venture

Alarm bells have started ringing in the Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) as new players in the power sector gear up to give it a run for its money.

Following the footsteps of Tata Steel subsidiary Jamshedpur Utilities and Services Company Limited (Jusco), power utility Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), too, is keen to take up the distribution of power within its command area of the state.

The company floated tenders inviting bids from interested parties to have a joint venture with DVC for the distribution of power in its command areas in the state, including districts like Dhanbad and Hazaribagh.

"The bids would be finalised soon. We want to take up the responsibility of distribution of power in our command areas and provide quality services to the consumers," said DVC chairman Ashim Kumar Barman.

So far, the board used to buy power from the corporation and supply it to the consumers in these six districts.

But the new Electricity Act-2003 provides opportunities for other players to take up the distribution work, subject to green signal from the Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission (JSERC).

Some time back, JSERC had given its nod to Jusco, which had sought permission for power distribution licence in Seraikela-Kharsawan and now one-lakh customers of the district would have the choice to take supply either from the board or the private player.

However, once the commission allows DVC, similar choice would come to over 4 lakh consumers.

Seraikela-Kharsawan and Dhanbad are the two main revenue-generating districts for JSEB, provid- ing nearly Rs 35 crore to the board's kitty every month.

The total monthly collection of the board is about Rs 90 crore.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070223/asp/jamshedpur/story_7430171.asp

Staff crunch, graft floor board's drive

- Pilferage hits JSEB hard

Ranchi, Feb. 23: The "toothless" Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) continues to bleed profusely following rampant pilferage of power.

Of the Rs 80 crore deficit that the board suffers every month, more than a fourth is due to power thefts, especially by the unscrupulous owners of industrial units.

The monthly collection of the board is about Rs 90 crore.

But the irony is that even after finding "clinching evidence" during raids, the entrepreneurs walk free either seeking bail from court or managing the officials through different mechanisms.

Sample this: Of the over 30 cases lodged against different industrialists for power thefts ever since the creation of the board in 2001, just one had to go behind the bars. The rest are carrying on with hassle-free business.

Apparent political pressure, corruption among a section of officials, the absence of special courts and virtually defunct anti-power theft cell are draining the much needed revenue due to power thefts.

A few days ago, the anti-power theft cell raided the premises of a sponge iron unit in Hazaribagh district and cut off line for power pilferage. It also imposed a fine of over Rs 1.5 lakh. But the local board officials in Hazaribagh had to issue a letter for restoration of the power connection a couple of days later, courtesy local political leaders' pressure.

The unit owner has now moved the high court against penalisation and it is anyone's guess what would be the fate of the case. The Electricity Act, 2003, has provisions for setting up of special courts to deal with power pilferage cases. But the state government is yet to establish a court. This court, unlike normal courts, would have helped the board take the cases to logical conclusions in a much better way.

The act entails that any industrial premises could be raided and documents seized. The erring owner could be fined and imprisoned up to five years, the act states.

Sources conceded that the board's two arms — vigilance and anti-power theft cells — are skeletal-staffed and so raids are not being conducted at regular intervals.

While the vigilance cell has a senior official in the rank of inspector-general, the anti-power theft wing in the headquarters has four staff. Apart from keeping an eye on power thefts, the vigilance cell has to monitor activities within the board also.

In the board's turnaround plan prepared in October last year, it was suggested that at least 50 teams be set up to carry out raids on a daily basis. The teams were to be given a fixed quota of collecting dues.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070224/asp/jamshedpur/story_7435025.asp

Tribals protest against Tata steel plant

Raipur, Feb 25 (IANS) Tribals in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region have launched a massive protest against a proposed Tata steel plant, alleging the administration and the company were forcing them to give up their land.

The police have arrested Manish Kunjam, a former legislator and a Communist Party of India (CPI) leader, for fuelling the protest and warned the people and elected local bodies members to not "take law and order into their hands".

"We made some precautionary arrests Saturday and are searching for others who seemed determined to disrupt peace," a police officer of Bastar told IANS over telephone Sunday.

Tata Steel, India's largest private sector steel maker, signed a deal with the Chhattisgarh government in June 2005 to set up a steel plant with an investment of Rs.100 billion in the iron ore rich Lohandiguda area, 32 km from Jagdalpur town in Bastar district.

The company promised a "dream package" to the 10 villages to compensate for acquiring about 4,500 acres of land.

"In July-August last year the district administration forcibly got the consent of villagers to acquire their farm land. Now the villagers have decided they will go to any extent to prevent the Tatas from setting up the plant on fertile land," CPI leader Chitranjan Bakchhi told IANS.

http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2007/february/25/india_news/tribals_protest
_against_tata_steel_plant.html

On fast track to go all guns blazing

With time running out for chief engineer of the NH-wing, Hari Nath Chatterjee, there is much to do about the condition of highways in the state

"I have very little time left. There is so much to do," said Hari Nath Chatterjee, chief engineer, national highway wing of the road construction department. Even if you take the hackneyed element out of his statement, you couldn't help agreeing with him. Time, indeed, is at a premium for the 1967-batch civil engineering graduate from BIT-Sindri.

Chatterjee is due to superannuate on 31 October this year, having already put in nearly 40 years of service in nine roads divisions at Purnea, Muzaffarpur, Patna, Gaya, Madhepura, Madhepura, Dhanbad, Chaibasa and Ranchi. With time fast catching up on him, Chatterjee, troops down to his office at HEC, Sector-III even on Sundays and other public holidays, in a desperate bid to link all national highways, which cut across the state, to the Golden Quadrilateral and to link the state highways to the national highway.

Chatterjee candidly conceded that he has often been incurring the wrath of the building chowkidar, who, on holidays, is forced to open the locks of the main entrance to the engineer's hostel building, where the NH office is located, to let in the boss. After pursuing for nearly a month, Rudra Biswas, finally catches up with him at his office, only to find him engrossed in one of his endless meetings.

About an hour later, the man of the moment finally manages to excuse himself from official work to unfold his vision for the state wing of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

How many national highways (NH) are there in the state?

Thirteen national highways criss cross the state. They are NH-6, 23, 31, 32, 33, 75, 75 extension, 78, 80, 98, 99 and 100. NH-75 extension, which links Ranchi, Khunti, Chakradharpur, Chaibasa, Haatgamharia and Jayadgarh and traverses through the constituency of chief minister Madhu Koda, was taken over by the National Highways Authority of India in 2006 from the state roads division. Previously, this stretch was a part of the state highway. The NH-33, which links Bihar, Bengal and Orissa, may be described as the lifeline of Jharkhand.

Many of the national highways are in a bad shape. Driving down, for instance, from Ranchi to Ramgarh is tough as a major section of the highway is in a bad shape. So is the case with a large stretch of the NH from Ramgarh to Bokaro. Are things likely to improve?

The NHAI has taken over most of the current national highways from the state government. Most of these roads were constructed and laid more than 100 years ago during the British regime. Though they are repaired periodically to ensure that they remain motorable, the roads are not of the NH standard and are grossly incapable to handle the ever-increasing load and vehicular traffic. At a time when these roads were laid, they were made capable of bearing, say, 7 to 10 tonnes. Now, one truck carries nearly double the load. Besides, the number of vehicles on the roads has gone up by several 100 times. Accordingly, the roads are subjected to increased wear and tear. So far as the NHAI is concerned, we have a system of undertaking repairs of a particular NH every four years. Detailed project reports, which have not been repaired in the last four years, are prepared and sent to the Centre for budget allocation. The sanctioned budget is incorporated in the annual Union budget. Based on allocations and the availability of funds, repair jobs are undertaken. However, I would like to clarify that the state highways, like the Ranchi to Purulia road, do not fall under the NH purview.

Even a number of bridges on the national highways are in a bad shape.

As explained earlier, the roads, along with the culverts, minor and major bridges, are not equipped to take the present day load. Many of these culverts and bridges are of the arch type and are more than 100 years old. Here, there is a key stone at the centre.

In many cases, these key stones have either been damaged or have been dislodged from their central position. Most of these old bridges need to be replaced and widened to handle the increased traffic. However, all old bridges cannot be replaced at one go. Constructing a bridge takes around two years and is a costly proposition.

Besides, we cannot hold back traffic for two years on a stretch. There is no cause for alarm, however. Regular monitoring of old bridges is being undertaken to ensure their safety.

What does NHAI plan for Jharkhand at present?

The NH wing of the roads construction department acts as the agency of the Centre for the upkeep of all NHs passing through the state.

According to the National Highway Development Programme, Phase III, work is on at the Golden Quadrilateral i.e. NH-2 passing through Barhi in Hazaribagh. A four-lane highway from Barhi to Bahragora via Ranchi and Jamshedpur has been approved by the Centre.

All state highways are to be linked to the national highways and all NHs are to be linked to the Golden Quadrilateral.

The Barhi to Bahragora four-lane project has been on for a long time. Tenders invited have failed to solicit even a single bid. What is the fate of the ambitious project, since it would be the first such four-lane driveway in the state?

True, tenders were invited for the Barhi project twice. On both the occasions, not a single bidder turned up. However, reports indicate that technical problems, and not the extremist menace, were responsible for it.

The government has now promised all help in providing the required land for the four-lane highway.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1070205/asp/jamshedpur/story_7351466.asp

For computer teachers, salary = Ctrl + Delete

Kolkata, February 24: When computer education teachers of government schools came to Calcutta University for a training programme on Open Source software on Friday, some were left wondering whether the right to make changes in software is more important than the right towards a salary cheque every month.

Many teachers who came for the training programme have been working for as good as 'free' for the past two to four months. These teachers are employed by eight agencies that had bagged a contract in 2001 to spread computer education in government and government-aided schools.

The government claims the programme now covers 500 such schools.

Each student joining the course has to pay Rs 35 per month, of which the agency sets aside Rs 20 for the teacher, Rs 3.50 as electricity and telephone charges and Rs 5 for computer maintenance. It takes the rest — or, Rs 5.50 per student's fee.

The teachers' qualifications range from diplomas to a Bachelor's or Masters degree in computer applications.

Each teacher is paid between Rs 1,500 and 5,000 a month, said Mrinal Bhattacharjee, secretary of All Bengal Computer Teachers Association.

The ABCTA is part of the CPI(M)-controlled West Bengal Information Technology Services Association (WBSTA), the trade union that was formed with much hype in September last year.

"We don't have appointment letters, only offer letters," Bhattacharjee said. "Our salary is not commensurate with our qualification."

On the issue of salary, he said the association members recently met government officials and are expecting a positive response. According to him, the computer programme has not more than 300 schools taking part, as private institutions are not part of it.

Saumyabrato Das, secretary of the IIIM, a registered society responsible for all schools in North Bengal's five districts and some schools here, admitted that some teachers have not received salaries for the past two months. "This is because some schools did not send us attendance record of teachers," Das said.

Das said his association provides the best salary — around Rs 5,000 per month. "Part-time teachers in West Bengal get Rs 2,500 (so) our salary is better. This is a contract job, renewable every six months."

Partha De, the school education minister, said the government is looking at the problems of these computer teachers. "We will soon call all educational institutes that are part of the programme and seek an explanation."

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=223946

RGL's 12,000 mw Orissa power project in trouble

Bhubaneswar, Feb 23 Anil Ambani's proposed 12,000 mw mega power project in Orissa is in trouble.

The Vivek Patnaik Task Force has recommended against signing of the memorandum of understanding for the project with Reliance Generation Ltd (RGL) before the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group settles the contentious issues with the Orissa government.

Reliance Energy Ltd (REL), which owns three distribution companies----Wesco, Nesco and Southco---in Orissa, has defaulted in redeeming the Rs 400 crore bonds it issued in favour of the state-owned transmission company, Gridco, which owns 49% stake in each of the three distribution companies.

REL has not signed the share-holding agreements with Gridco after it took over BSES Ltd, which owned the three distribution companies before the takeover.

The Task Force headed by former bureaucrat Vivek Patnaik has recommended that the MoU should be signed only after REL redeems the Rs 400 crore bond and signs the share-holding agreements.

It was on July 21, 2006, that Anil Ambani in a joint communiqué with state chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced Rs 60,000-crore investment in the state to set up a 12,000 mw project, besides an IT institute and a health city.

Following the announcement, preparations were made for signing of the MoU for the power project.

Although the state signed MoUs with 10 other power companies on September 26, it postponed the MoU with Reliance Generation Ltd stating that the contentious issues be sorted out first.

Orissa had appointed the task force to study the contentious issues and recommend the government on signing the MoU with RGL.

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=155865

IIM-A grads come to Bihar's aid

Ahmedabad, Feb 24 A trip on a humble rickshaw, still the preferred mode of transport for negotiating the labyrinth of serpentine, overcrowded bylanes in cities and towns of India, may no longer be a bone-rattling ordeal. Thanks to an enterprising group of bright brains from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, rickshaw travel may be a style statement soon with facilities like music, newspapers and magazines, mineral water and even insurance for the hapless passenger thrown in for good measure.

Under a project brand named 'Sammaan', signifying respect for the illiterate, impoverished rickshaw-puller, an eco-friendly transport company has been set up in Patna to provide them with extra earning resources which would then be ploughed back to give them insurance, health services, education, employment and shelter. The project is one among several out-of-the-box ideas a motley group of IIM-A grads has conceptualised to convert Bihar Impoverished into Bihar Inc. An enthused CM Nitish Kumar inaugurated the project in Patna.

There's a growing number among what is undoubtedly the country's pick of best, agile young B-brains who are actually daring to tread roads less travelled. A handful among the IIM-A's PGP students are all set to re-design the destiny of one of the most under-developed of the BIMARU states—Bihar—as well as other lesser developed states.

Says Dr Bakul Dholakia, director, IIM-A: "It's a novel way of getting our students involved in grassroots development. What would be really wonderful is if some of them end up becoming entrepreneurs in their own states."

The seeds of the idea germinated following the CM's visit to IIM-A in November. Says Vaibhav Bhamoriya, one of the students actively involved in the project: "It was during one of our coffee-table and armchair discussions after the CM's visit that we realised that while Bihar boasted a huge intellectual capital resource, all of it was residing outside the state."

In an attempt to widen its base, the group has roped in students from other prominent schools, including the Institute of Rural Management, Anand. But what made them choose the state with the most dubious development record? "We realised that Bihar poses a challenge of the highest order. The need for development of economy is very high as is highlighted by the general state of law and order and lack of development. There is an urgent need for intellectual and knowledge-based inputs into the enterprise for development," argues Bhamoriya.

The group evolved a whole new approach to development based on social entrepreneurship with the aim of ensuring that the efforts and benefits arising out of the ventures "do not flow out but remain in the state itself". Recently, the students, led by professor of marketing at IIM-A, Piyush Sinha, presented these ideas to the CM .

For this student group, Bihar isn't just a passing fancy. Some students are even willing to set up their own enterprises in a state where few would risk their lives and investments. "We are basically looking at ideas and sectors and providing inputs to management, research and enterprise."

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=155956

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