Dehradun, February 9
Showers of the rain could not wash away the enthusiasm of the striking Ministerial Services employees as they continued with their dharna under their umbrellas in support of their demands at Gandhi Park here today. The state government has warned the protestors of the Uttaranchal Federation of Ministerial Services Association to go back to their work or else they will have to suffer severe legal action.

The meeting between the striking employees and the administration was again called off today as no decision could be taken into the association’s account. The Chief Secretary of the Chief Minister has convened the next session of the meeting tomorrow.

As per the public notice appeared on Sunday, in one of the newspapers, the government had promulgated that two of the association’s demands had been agreed by the administration while the third of pay hike from Rs 4,500-Rs 7,000 to Rs 5,000-Rs 8,000 has been rejected. The administration has also made an appeal to the employees who are on strike for the past 30 days to resume their respective jobs till February 8, else the administration would invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).

“The administration has failed to implement the agreement reached in November 2009 that compelled us to go on an indefinite strike. But now we are ready to whatever legal action will be taken by the administration. We have raised our voices against the state government and will combat till our demands are met,” said Deepakchand Gudla Koti, state spokesperson.

About a month-long strike has paralysed the entire work of the department affecting right from block level to the state administration. A meeting of all district presidents of the association was organised on Sunday where they decided not to resume their duties till their demands were met.

Dehradun, February 9
The Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) today approved a new project, Dehradun Sewerage Scheme (Phase-I) for Zone L, in Dehradun.

The project envisages extension of basic services of the sewerage system network to all developed areas of the city under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

The total cost on the project is Rs 62.83 crore with the Central share of Rs 31.415 crore.

Peyjal Nigam had submitted a DPR of Rs 80.14 crore.

“In the second project, we will be taking up 45 per cent area to be covered under the sewerage facility beginning from upper areas of Rajpur and extending right up to the Rispana river with the 20 mld Solid Treatment plant to come up at Motherawala in LBK zone. In the first project, the sewerage system was laid in 25 per cent of the area of the city,” said Bahajan Singh, Managing Director, Peyjal Nigam. The project will be implemented by Uttarakahand Peyjal Nigam and AHS to be completed in next months (March 2010 to August 2012).

It may be mentioned that for Dehradun Sewerage, under the stimulus package the Central government has released Rs 13.66 crore against the total sanctioned amount of Rs 54.66 crore. Out of the Rs l3.66 crore, only Rs 92 lakh has been spent. At Indira Nagar zone, 250 meter sewer line has been laid.

Dehradun, February 9
It was a sheer embarrassment for Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Harish Rawat when two senior party workers started fighting in his presence at a press conference called here today.

The occasion was a function held to announce the joining of the Congress by Bhagat Ram Joshi, a leader of the Chakrata region. Joshi was a close political associate of former legislator Munna Singh Chauhan who joined the Congress here today.

However, two party workers namely Rajeev Jain, an aide of Rawat, had a verbal duel with another party worker Rajinder Shah. When the war of words escalated in front of the entire media, Rawat shouted at them. But, it did not deter his workers, who left the conference hall of the hotel, but continued to argue outside.

There was a scuffle between Jain and Shah during which the latter fell on the ground. Other party workers intervened to stop the two from fighting.

Meanwhile, Rawat announced that a function would be organised at Chakrata to celebrate the joining of the Congress by Joshi.

Dehradun, February 9
Uttarakhand Irrigation, Social Welfare and Khadi Gramudyog Minister Matbar Singh Kandari today said the public representatives must take public issues on topmost priority while calling for extending the reach of welfare schemes to the poorest of poor in the society.

Kandari was inaugurating Union Information and Broadcasting Ministry’s Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign at Chinyaleesoin in Uttarakashi district of Uttarakhand.

Appreciating the Union government’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Kandari said the scheme was definitely beneficial for the rural sector, but also sought more concessions for the hill state under the scheme. The minister asked the villagers to get maximum information of various schemes during the campaign.

He also inaugurated exhibitions of as many as 25 departments on the occasion.

Uttarakhand District Panchayat president Narayan Singh Chauhan said such public information programmes were of immense advantage to the village folk. Earlier, Dr Prakash Thapliyal, Deputy Director, Press Information Bureau, Dehradun, informed the gathering of the aims of the Public Information Campaign. He said such a campaign helped the rural masses understand various social schemes of the Central government meant for the welfare of rural masses.

Uttarkashi Panchayati Raj Officer DP Devrari, District Magistrate Saurabh Jain and other district officials were also present on the ocassion.

The three-day campaign is being held under joint efforts of the Press Information Bureau, Dehradun, Department of Field Publicity and other sister concerns of the Info mation and Broadcasting Ministry. 

Roorkee, February 9
The Samajwadi Party (SP) today criticised the Nishank government alleging the misappropriation of Kumbh funds and ill-preparedness for the ongoing mega fair in Haridwar.

Vinod Barthwal, state president of the party, alleged that BJP ministers and other leaders of the party here were involved in the misappropriation of Kumbh funds, which had been allocated by the Central government to the state for a successful conduct of the first Maha Kumbh of this century.

“The BJP has been using the funds for the promotion of the party at the congregation. One can see at every place in Haridwar the BJP promotional material, policemen and administration officials while the rush of pilgrims is missing due to a lack of proper facilities here,” said Barthwal, adding that most of the Kumbh works were yet to be completed even after the start of the mega fair over a month ago.

The Central government had allocated a whopping Rs 511 crore just for Kumbh works, but where the money had been ‘draining’ nobody knew, added Barthwal while addressing mediapersons at the party’s office in Chau Mandi here.

Lashing out at the Centre for rising inflation, the SP leader held both the Central and state governments responsible for rising prices of essential commodities.

“Both the Centre and the state government are responsible for high inflation. They have failed to control the inflation which is bound to increase further after the hike in petrol and diesel prices shortly,” said Barthwal.

He also condemned the Roorkee administration’s drive against encroachers. “The administration is targeting just the poor. Many rich and influential persons of the area also have encroached on huge chunks of government land, but the administration just turns blind eye to them,” alleged Barthwal, adding that if the vendors and rehriwalas were not given a proper place immediately to run their business, then the party would start an agitation.

Nainital, February 9
The Nainital police has alerted the personnel of the Seema Surakha Bal (SSB) deployed at the Indo-Nepal border to watch out for a person who had duped three on January 26 and managed to take away their vehicles to Nepal.

In an incident that had left both the residents and the authorities in the town stunned, three men were duped of their cars after being drugged on January 26. Two of the car owners were from Doiwala in Dehradun and the third was from Kaladhungi.

The prime accused, posing as Ajay Gupta of Mumbai, who claimed to be from Mumbai had advertised for his requirement of three cars for the purpose of shooting of a Hollywood film. It was on the basis of this advertisement that a resident of Rishikesh, Sagar Dutt Chandola, along with Sandeep and Kamal Singh Bisht of Doiwala, had come to Hotel Welcome Park on January 24, where Gupta was staying. In a similar manner, Amit of Rajpura also came with Sajid of Kaladhungi to meet Gupta in the latter’s vehicle. While Chandola had returned, on January 25, Gupta had allegedly offered the remaining five a beverage along with cashew nuts and almonds following which they lost consciousness and dozed off only to recover their senses partially by the morning of January 26 only to find their vehicles missing.

Sources in the police disclosed that the three cars were taken to Nepal in the garb of transporting marriage processions. While one car had crossed over from the Gorakhpur border, the remaining two had crossed over from Bahraich border.

A team of the police had also visited Nepal to trace the stolen vehicles, but to no avail. It is also confirmed that Gupta has crossed over to Nepal. The SSB personnel have been shown his picture and asked to be alert about his entry into India. It is being assumed that he is involved in a big racket of car thefts.

“His identity has proved to be false and the documents like the driving licence that he presented along with those of one of his accomplices Mansoor at the Nepal border near Bahraich have also proven to be fake as they have led us nowhere. While Gupta got a licence number of Basti, Mansoor had given the number of Dehradun,” said an official. There is no clue about the driver of the third vehicle as no entry was made at the post on the Gorakhpur border.

Interestingly, the incident has also exposed two hotel owners of Nainital with regards to their greed for making a quick buck. While one hotel owner had been told by Gupta that his hotel would be required for to full month on a payment of Rs 50 lakh, the second hotel owner had been told that his hotel would be required to lodge junior staff involved in the production of the proposed film for a payment of Rs 4 lakh.

The police is peeved at the fact that none of the hotel owners had informed them about such a proposed deal despite the fact that they are regularly sensitised on such issues.

The police officials informed that Nepal has become a hot spot for selling stolen vehicles and some of the armed insurgents there purchase the vehicles at comparatively very low prices.

Dehradun, February 9
Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has called upon industrialists from Mauritius to invest in Uttarakhand. In a meeting held with top honchos of the industry, Nishank made a strong case for the state, saying that it has the climate for investment, especially in areas such as education, tourism and herbal sectors.

Nishank, who is in Mauritius on a three-day visit, sought cooperation of the industrialists for popularising Uttarakhand as a tourism destination state as it offers opportunities in the area of religious tourism, adventure sports and yoga and meditation.

According to government officials, the Chief Minister held discussions about ways and means in which Mauritius could invest in the herbal sector in which the state is taking rapid strides. He also spoke about the pharma city that has come up in the state. The Chief Minister said Uttarakhand was fast emerging as an educational hub and sought cooperation of the industrialists.

Those who participated in the meeting included the Deputy Prime Minister of Mauritius and top industrialists of that country. 

Dehradun, February 9
Uttarakhand has appointed eight PCS officers as Zonal Magistrates for the ongoing Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.

According to a government press note, Chief Executive Officer, Udham Singh Nagar, UC Kabadwal, Additional Secretary BS Manral, ADM, Uttarkashi, Atul Kumar Gupta, MDDA Secretary Sushil Kumar, General Manager, GMVN, Yugal Kishore Pant, ADM, Almora, Rajeev Gupta, Deputy Secretary, Uttarakhand Administration, SM Nautiyal and ADM, Udham Singh Nagar, Vijay Chandra have been appointed Zonal Magistrates for the Kumbh Mela on a temporary basis.