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Port Blair, March 19: TheSuryachakra Power Corporation Ltd., (SPCL) Hyderabad had established a 20 MW Power plant at Bambooflat encountering various hurdles and difficulties being the remotest area with high logistic problems and commissioned in April 2003. Though the Project was commissioned in April 2003 and even after submitting all the relevant documents relating to project expenditure by the company in November 2003, the complete project cost has not been finalized till date, 10 years completion of the project, said the Executive Director, SPCL Shri K. Vijay Kumar in a communication today.
Giving a brief summary of the cost involved Vijay Kumar explained that the Project Cost approved as per TEC in 1997 was Rs.63.14 Cr while the actual incurred Project Cost in 2003 is Rs.85.10 Cr and the project cost as per audit certificate amounts to Rs.83.66 Cr.
As the quantum of the Project Cost could not be finalized by the A&N Administration till October 2012, the SPCL has filed Petition bearing No. 89/2012 in November 2012 with Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) for fixing the final completed project cost at Rs. 83.66 Cr issued towards the actual expenditure incurred for completion of the project.
After hearing arguments from both the sides in 3 hearings, the JERC has issued orders vide letter dtd. 18.02.2013 directing the A&N Administration for releasing the various amounts flowing from provisional cost of Rs.77.595 Crs, the presently monthly tariff being paid to the SPCL. Inspite of above orders issued by JERC, the Administration is reluctant to release the arrears amounting to Rs.101.00 Crs as per signed PPA with Chief Secretary, A&N Administration on one pretext or other thus delaying the payment, Vijay Kumar explained.
“At present the present Electricity Department, A&N Administration is disowning the earlier written commitments given by their earlier senior officials including the Chief Secretary. As a result of delay in approval of Project Cost, as well as not releasing the various arrears withheld and due to the company in the last 10 years, the Company was compelled to spend more than what it is receiving from the A&N Administration”, said the Executive Director.
Considering the attitude of the Administration, the SPCL had made its submissions to the Administration wherein it has made it clear that it is highly impossible for a company to operate with the total provisional due amount of more than Rs. 101.94 Crs and other pending payments like density difference etc. for a project costing Rs. 77.595 Cr. However, the company has been pumping money from other resources, which shows our commitment to provide reliable power to the A&N Administration and in turn to the people of A&N Islands. But this is no longer possible as the group has exhausted all surplus resources and landed itself in deep liquidity crisis due to the above delays. Due to the alarming state of affairs the company is facing Bankruptcy.
Attacking the Administration for unreasonably delaying the payments and for favouring other competitors, Vijay Kumar said, “The Administration is biased towards SPCL. The escalation in the completed project cost is only of 21% from the TEC project cost i.e. from 1997 to 2003 (6 Years), when compared to the contract awarded to the Power Grid Corporation for laying underground cables in the Municipal area and connecting all Power stations of South Andaman in 2007 at Rs.100 Crs as Project cost, has now escalated to Rs.297 Crs which is 300% of the original cost and project cost is yet to be completed though the scheduled date was 2010 (6 Years).
Inspite of providing quality power to the Islanders in the last 10 years and removing from the minds of the Islanders what is load shedding and not having continuous power was there prior April 2003, the A&N Administration is giving us step motherly treatment, concluded the Executive Director, SPCL.
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Port Blair, March 17: The Lt. Governor, Lt Gen (Retd) Bhopinder Singh, today visited Kamorta, Katchal and Teressa, the three remote Islands in the southern group of Islands. The Lt. Governor took stock of various developmental works and interacted with tribal leaders and local population to have firsthand knowledge of the difficulties being faced by the people living in these remote islands.
The LG has directed the Heads of Departments of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries, Rural Development, Electricity, Shipping, Police, Revenue, APWD and Health to regularly visit these islands to interact with local population and to address their day to day needs in a time bound manner on fast track. He has also directed the departments to position their vehicles along with drivers for these three islands to improve the delivery of services in these islands.
He also commended the different wings of the administration for creating storage facilities of petrol and diesel up to the requirement of three to seven months and commissioning of petrol pumps at Katchal, Kamorta and Teressa, which will go a long way in mitigating the long pending demand of availability of petrol/diesel at uniform rates in these remotely located islands.
Directions have been issued by the LG to the departments concerned on the specific island related issues.
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Port Blair, March 18: National Rural Drinking Water Programme, a Flagship Programme of Government of India was launched in the North and Middle Andaman District by the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration Shri. Anand Prakash by distributing field water testing kits to the Pradhans of Mayabunder Samiti Area.
Speaking on the occasion, Smti. Punya Salila Srivastava, Commissioner-cum-Secretary (PWD) requested the general public to utilize the Kits for their own benefit. She also emphasized upon keeping records of all the tests to be conducted by the Village Water and Sanitation Committee and assured full support of the Administration to ensure potable drinking water to all individuals.
Shri P.K. Singh, Chief Engineer-cum-Secretary (PWD) in his address briefed about the programme of the Government of India. He informed the gathering that the main aim of the programme is to provide every rural person with adequate water for drinking, cooking and other domestic basic needs on sustainable bases. The basic requirement should meet certain minimum water quality standard and readily and conveniently accessible in all times and in all situations. He further informed that the village has to prepare its water security plan for which a Village Water and Sanitation Committee has been constituted. The Committee constitutes of JE of APWD, PRI, ANM, Anganwadi workers and Panchayat Secretary headed by the Pradhan.
Shri Jose P. John, Director, ANSWSM welcomed the gathering while Ms. Shaksi Mittal, Assistant Commissioner, Mayabunder proposed the vote of thanks.
Similar programme was also held in Diglipur for the PRI members of Diglipur wherein Shri P.K. Singh, Chief Engineer-cum-Secretary (PWD) distributed the Field Water Testing Kits to all Pradhans of Diglipur Panchayat Samiti Area. Shri Jose P. John, Director, ANSWSM briefed about the programme and Shri K.M. Mathai, Executive Engineer, APWD proposed the vote of thanks.
The ‘Andaman Nicobar State Water and Sanitation Mission’ had also organized a workshop on ‘Community Involvement in NRDWP’ for the PRI’s, Engineers of APWD & PRI’s, Panchayat Secretaries and Health Workers.
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Port Blair, March 18: The 26th Convocation of IGNOU is scheduled to be held on 12th April 2013 at IGNOU New Delhi simultaneously at Regional Centre. The eligible student’s upto Bachelor and Master’s Degree Programmes of June 2012 TEE would be invited for the award of Degree certificate in the 26th Convocation.
A communication from headquarters has also been sent to the eligible students informing about submission of registration fee (Rs.400/-) to receive degree certificates at Headquarters as well as at Regional Centers. The same is also available on IGNOU website. For further queries students are requested to enquire with the Regional centre during working hours and submit their registration fee at the earliest
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Port Blair, March 18: Altogether five hotels have been booked by the Central Crime Station, CID Branch of A&N Police for not submitting the ‘C’ Form of the foreign tourists who check in to the hotels. Cases have been registered against the hotels under non-bailable section 14 of Foreigners Act.
The move by the A&N Police has created an uproar among the hoteliers, who condemned the move and believe that they are being targeted.
Addressing a press conference, the Superintendent of Police (South Andaman), Shri Manjeet Singh Rahdhawa today tried to clarify that the police is not targeting anyone in this regard. He said that the hotels have violated the rules and have to face the consequences.
Explaining what such small issues can lead to, Rahdhawa said that such small issues if being ignored may lead to a major crime in future.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Andaman Chamber of Commerce and Industry today called upon the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, Shri Anand Prakash and told him that the move by the police is creating a bad image of the islands’ hotels. Having discussed the issue threadbare, wherein new cases have been lodged against four hotels, the delegation warned that, if delay in submission of ‘C’ Form is such a major crime committed, then the hotels would stop entertaining foreign tourists once and for all.
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Port Blair, March 18: The Non-Gazetted Government Officers’ Association has drawn up a year-long programme in connection with the Diamond Jubilee Celebration of the Association. The Association is going to complete 60 years of its formation.
In a largely-attended meeting held at Hotel ACC, Port Blair on 16th March 2013, it was decided to conduct various programmes throughout Andaman and Nicobar Islands from July, 2013 to February, 2014. Presenting the blue-print of the programme in the meeting today, Shri D. Ayyappan, General Secretary of the Association said that the inauguration of the Diamond Jubilee Celebration will be formally held sometime in August, 2013 while sport and games competitions, seminars on various topic, photo exhibition, etc. will be carried out from July, 2013 onwards till February, 2014.
Speaking on the occasion, former General Secretary of the Association Shri KG Das recalled the glorious past of the Association under the leadership of late veteran leader PKS Prasd. Referring to various anti-working class policies being pursued by the central government, Das said that the public sector undertakings built up with the help of former Soviet Union by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Smt Indira Gandhi are being sold out one by one at throwaway prices.
Addressing the gathering, Shri P. Banerjee, former President of the Association recalled the famous struggle launched by PKS Prasad against demolition of huts constructed on government land by government employees in which hundreds of government employees were suspended and jailed in the Cellular Jail. Due to this agitation, the Administration had to go for construction of residential accommodation for government employees at various parts of Port Blair and other areas in the islands.
Addressing the gathering, Shri B. Chandrachoodan, General Secretary, CITU A&N State Committee called upon the government employees to continue their agitation and struggle on their various issues.
Former leaders of the Association, Shri N. Ravindran, Shri A. Ramesan Nair, Shri M. Mohammed, etc. who participated in a number of movements, narrated the victimization they had to face at the hands of bureaucracy in the Administration during the 1960s and 1970s for participating in the Association’s activities.
The meeting elected a 100-Member Diamond Jubilee Celebration Committee with Shri KG Das as Patron, Shri B. Chandrachoodan as Chairman and Shri TS Sreekumar as Secretary.
Shri Sadanand Rai, President of the Association who presided over the meeting welcomed the gathering while Shri H.L. Prasad, Vice President proposed a Vote of Thanks.
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Port Blair, March 17: ThePCC President, Shri Kuldeep Rai Sharma led a delegation and met the Director General of police I/c Shri Balaji Shrivastava on 14th March 2013 and requested him to consider suitable action for the welfare and security of the Rohingyas under the provision of Law of our Country. The Rohingyas had recently fled from Burma due to their internal problems and are now in Andaman.
The PCC President requested the DGP to find out all possible ways to repatriate these Rohingyas as early as possible so that they can return to their country safely and till such time they are here, they may be given all possible help with love and affection under humanitarian ground as they are not intruders.