STUP appointed consultant for Naini Saini airport

The Uttarakhand government has appointed Mumbai-based STUP Consultants (Pvt) Ltd as the consultant for the expansion and modernisation of Naini Saini airport in the hilly Pithoragarh district and has agreed to pay Rs 3.51 crore as the consultancy fees.

An investment of Rs 46.25 crore is proposed for expanding and strengthening the runway and upgrading other related operational infrastructure and terminal facilities at the Naini Saini Airport, which was not operational for years now.

Uttarakhand State Infrastructure Development Corporation, the nodal agency for the development of the airport, invited bids in 2008 for hiring a consultant but after a roadblock, STUP was chosen last year.

Objections were raised over the consultancy fees. But the civil aviation department pleaded the fees of Rs 3.51 crore be paid in the wake of high inflation.

Centre May transfer UP's share in Tehri, says CM

The centre is mulling a proposal to transfer 25 per cent equity share of Uttar Pradesh in the multi-purpose Tehri project to Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has said.

A proposal to this effect has been sent to the home ministry by the union power ministry, he said. "We are hoping that the home ministry will take a positive decision," said Nishank after taking up the matter with Home Minister P Chidambaram in New Delhi.

Under the proposal, Nishank said the hill state would get 250 Mw of power from the project with immediate effect and also a profit of Rs 72 crore will be earned.

Faced with an acute shortage of power, the Uttarakhand government has been intensively campaigning for the transfer of the aforementioned equity share of the state in the Tehri project, the first phase of which is generating 1000 Mw of power.

During his last meeting with union power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde in New Delhi in June, the Chief Minister had strongly made the demand of the equity transfer under the provision of the Uttar Pradesh Reorganization Act 2000. There is a clause under the section 47(3) of the Act, under which investments made prior to the the creation of Uttarakhand should go to the state where the project is located. Uttar Pradesh is a 25 per cent shareholder in the Tehri project, while the centre’s share is 75 per cent.

Uttarakhand currently gets 12-13 per cent of free power from Tehri dam which has been built with an investment of Rs 9000 crore.

The Tehri project provides 1000 Mw peaking power to 9 beneficiaries — Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu & Kashmir, Chandigarh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. Apart from an annual generation of 2797 Mw power, the project also provides irrigation benefits to 8.74 lacs hectare area in Uttar Pradesh and drinking water facilities to Delhi (300 cusecs) and Uttar Pradesh (200 cusecs).

The power demand in Uttarakhand is growing by 10 per cent to 15 per cent every year which has now touched to 27-28 million units this year. After failing to make headway in the hydropower sector despite its tremendous potential, the government is exploring various new options to increase power in the state.

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U'khand to set up NIT for Rs 400-500 crore

Focusing on the education sector, the Uttarakhand government has announced setting up of a National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Pauri district at a cost of Rs 400-Rs 500 crore.

Stating this, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank told reporters that the government was looking for land in the district for the proposed NIT, which would be the first in the hill state.

Uttarakhand has the privilege of having an IIT at Roorkee. Besides the NIT, a couple of new medical colleges have also been proposed in the state. The government has decided to build two medical colleges at an investment of Rs 200 crore each. Dehra Dun will soon get its first government medical college for which a proposal has already been submitted to the Medical Council of India (MCI). For this purpose, the government is looking for 10-acre land in the city. Already, some possible sites have been identified in this regard. Another government medical college would be built at the hill resort of Almora in Kumaon region for which Nishank recently held “bhoomi pujan.”

Nishank also said his government was contemplating a move to take over the forest trust hospital at Haldwani. With this, the total strength of government medical colleges in the state would go up to four.

The government last year set up its first medical college at Srinagar in Garhwal region, which has already started operation.

Already, two private medical colleges – Shri Mahant Indresh Medical College and Jollygrant Medical College — are functioning in Dehra Dun district.

BS

Uttarakhand sets up expert committee on SAP

Uttarakhand government
Dehradun: The Uttarakhand government has set up an expert committee, comprising representatives of private sugar mills and other experts in the field to decide the SAP.

The committee was set up after private mill owners moved the high court challenging the government's State Administered Price (SAP)--the rate at which millers buy sugarcane from farmers--in 2007-08, saying it was done in an arbitrary manner as the cane board, mandatory under the act regulating supply and purchase of cane in the state, was not set up.

There are 10 sugar mills in the state out of which 6 are in the government and cooperative sector and rest in private hands.

The government brought in the Uttar Pradesh Cane Regulation of Supply and Purchase Act, 1953 Amendment Bill 2009, in the state assembly for setting up the committee, which will be headed by chairman of state cane development advisory committee.

It also comprises agriculture experts, representatives of sugarcane mills and cane growers. The committee is headed by additional secretary Vinod Sharma.

Corbett National Park to have Tiger Protection Force from January 2010

Uttarakhand Government

Dehradun, Sep 17 (ANI): The Uttarakhand Government has decided to set up a specialized Tiger Protection Force to prevent poaching in the Corbett Tiger Reserve.

The Field Director of Corbett National Park will head the force, which would be operational from January 2010.

The Corbett Tiger Reserve is considered as one of the most suitable habitats for tigers and other endangered species.

The Uttarakhand’s Chief Conservator of Forest, R.B.S. Rawat, said the Corbett Tiger Protection Force would assist existing staff keeping a close watch on poachers.

The impact of the pilot project would be assessed before expanding it to other tiger reserves, he added.

Earlier, in 2007, the Union Environment and Forest Ministry had asked all 17 tiger range states to form a specialized force to strengthen efforts to save the national animal.

The country’s tiger population has dwindled to about 1400 due to poaching, shrinking habitat and falling prey bases.

The 112-member force will consist of youth from the Van Gujjar tribal community, which lives near the park. (ANI)

Proposals regarding NIT being examined

Dehra Dun, Jan 28 The Uttarakhand government is examining proposals for land acquisition to set up a National Institute of Technology (NIT) in the hill state.

The centre has proposed to open NIT&aposs in hilly and backward areas under the 11th five-year-plan and asked the Uttarakhand government to provide 300 acres of land with a condition that it should have good rail, road and air connectivity, Technical Education Secretary Rakesh Sharma said.

In this regard, the state government has received several land proposals, which are being examined by Uttarakhand Technical University, he added.

Source: http://www.indopia.in/India-usa-uk-news/latest-news/488767/National/1/20/1

Uttarakhand extends pay panel benefits to teachers

Despite facing a financial crisis, the Uttarakhand government today extended the benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission to agitating teaching and non-teaching staff of its aided schools and provided a series of higher grades to all other 160,000 sulking employees.

The move is likely to compound the government’s worries in the face of the financial turmoil due to the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission report and the global recession.

Under the new pay revision, the government will have to shell out a total of Rs 4,000 crore till March 31, 2009, in terms of arrears and increased salaries to its employees. This has put a heavy burden on the state exchequer as the total budget of the state stands at Rs 5,600 crore in the current fiscal. Officials admitted that with the increase of non-plan expenditure, the new development projects would get badly affected.

The latest decision would benefit over 11,000 teaching and non-teaching staff of the government-aided schools as they had been earlier left out of the ambit of the Sixth Pay Commission. Besides this, the government today declared a series of higher grades and other benefits like Assured Career Progression (ACP) for its employees on the pattern of the Centre.

On the other hand, the list of pensioners is ballooning fast in the state with the addition of 114,000 more people during the past two years. Before the BJP government came to power in 2007, the total number of pensioners in the state was only 172,000. Top officials said all the new pensioners will now be entitled for the benefits of the new pay report as well.

The officials added that the government has now sought permission from the Centre to take additional market borrowings of Rs 750 crore to overcome the crisis.

Soruce: http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/uttarakhand-extends-pay-panel-benefits-to-teachers/00/05/346730/