Dehradun, June 30
Despite the inquiries ordered against police personnel this year in the state Police Department indicting them, officials are preferring to remain tight-lipped about the issue.

According to sources, the CB-CID investigation has found 20 police officials guilty in a recruitment scam. The report has also named two IPS officers. However, senior police officials are tight-lipped on the matter and also refused to have received any investigation report in this regard so far.

A written examination for the post of sub-inspector was held on January 23 in different districts of the state. However, at Tehri and Pithoragarh districts, questions were raised over the fair conduct of the examination.

It was alleged in a compliant to DGP Jyoti Swaroop Pandey through an anonymous letter that four to five candidates had used cellphones in the examination held at Pithoragarh.

It was also alleged that in Tehri, seven candidates were made to take the exam in a separate room. Preliminary inquires into both the cases found the allegations true. Later, the DGP ordered CB-CID probes into it.

Seven candidates, who were from the department only, two Circle Officers and the Tehri SP were also transferred so that investigations could be conducted without any obstacle. However, even after months of inquiries, the police has taken no action so far.

“I have not received any report of the CB-CID inquiry into the recruitment scam. As soon as we receive the report, we will initiate action,” the DGP said.

In another case where cricket fans were lathicharged while they were celebrating India’s victory at Clock Tower in April nothing has been done so far despite the fact that SP (Rural) GC Dhyani had handed over the investigation to SSP, Dehradun, Ganesh Singh Martolia.

In this case also, Kotwali police station inspector Kailash Panwar was sent to the Police Lines, but no action was taken against any of the police official named in an inquiry report, sources said.

Last week, the SSP, Dehradun, was served a notice by the Human Rights Commission to reply on the lathicharge incident within a month.

Dehradun, June 30
The state forest authorities in assistance with a local wildlife NGO today arrested a man and recovered three star tortoises from his possession.

Uttarakhand Anti-Poaching Cell head Paramjeet Singh said acting on a tip-off, forest officials, along with a team of EFFECT, an NGO, arrested the person, who was trying to sell three star tortoises to a decoy customer sent by EFFECT.

His motorcycle bearing the registration number of Delhi has also been impounded. All the three tortoises were subsequently handed over to the Dehradun Divisional Forest authorities.

Sources said star tortoises were generally found in south India and not in north. During interrogation, the accused told police officials that he had sold one tortoise yesterday only. 

Dehradun, June 30
Rajinder Semwal, state president of the Uttarakhand Ministerial Collectorate Karamchari Sangh, said today that they would carry on their 24-hour fast till the next month after which they would decide the next course of action.

“We will be holding the state executive meeting on July 2 in Dehradun to discuss the next step of the agitation. The district presidents from all over the state along with the secretaries will attend the meeting. After the meeting we would intensify our protest,” he added.

Employees of the tehsil and SDM/DM offices all over the state have been on strike since June 1 to press for their demand for the restructuring of the Collectorate. They started a chain fast on June 20 with two persons sit on fast every day.

According to the agitating employees, the government had backtracked on its promise made to the representatives of the employees in 2008. Recently, they had talks with Revenue Minister Diwakar Bhatt. The employees had locked the doors of a Janadhar Centre on Wednesday.

To support the demands of the employees, the District Bar Association held a one-day protest yesterday.

Owing to the protest of the employees, all the works related to revenue, like the sale of stamp papers and the issuance of various documents, are not being done. People visiting the collectorate to get their work done have to go back empty handed.

Mussoorie, June 30
Resentment is brewing against the liquor vends located near the statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Library Bazar and at Picture Place, a few yards away from Hebron Elementary School-cum-Union Church, here.

The local residents and the staff of the school have demanded immediate relocation of these liquor vends so that women and children can walk freely in the area.

The residents of the Library Bazar area have alleged that the liquor vend (selling country-made liquor), which is located a few yards from the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the bazaar, is being run in violation of the norm prohibiting the presence liquor vends within 200 yards from any educational institution, religious centre or statue of national leaders. The vend, apart from selling liquor, also provides a safe place adjacent to the shop where people consume liquor and create ruckus, without any fear of the administration.

Recently, two youngsters, after getting drunk at night, desecrated the statue of Mahatma Gandhi by breaking one of its hands and the stick, leading to an uproar in the town that subsided only after the Municipal Council got the damaged statue replaced with a new one.

The Headmistress of Hebron Elementary School at Picture Palace, Manjula Mani, while speaking to The Tribune, said the liquor vend was located a few yards from the school. The parents of the students and churchgoers often encounter drunken people who even misbehave with them, specially during the Sunday Church service.

The caretaker of Hebron School, Gagan Singh, said on several occasions, drunken persons lie down at the gate and urinated in front of the parents (mostly women). When confronted, they hurled abuses and were willing to enter into a fight. He demanded that the administration should get the liquor vends situated close to churches and schools relocated, so that their sanctity is maintained.

Mussoorie Nayab Tehsildar Matadin said he would investigate the matter and direct the authorities concerned to remove them from the existing site. No violation of law will be tolerated, added Matadin.

Nainital, June 30
District Magistrate of Udham Singh Nagar Dr BVRC Purshotam has ordered attachment of the block education officer (BEO) at Gadarpur Shiv Narayan Verma to the district headquarters for not showing interest in the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

While Purshotam has asked district education officer RC Arya to attach Verma, he has also ordered that tehsildar Vivek Prakash and BEO Kailash Shakya be given certificates for doing a good job with regards to the implementation of the RTE Act.

Purshotam said the future of children coming from the marginalised sections of society was linked to the RTE and officials must remain proactive with regards to its implementation.

He was speaking at a meeting held at Rudrapur today.

He told the officials to ensure that proper steps were taken to make people aware of the RTE. Stating that the performance of the Rudrapur and Gadarpur blocks has not been satisfactory, he asked the officials concerned to ensure that an improvement in the functioning would be recorded within the next week. The officials had also been told to facilitate the admission of children from the marginalised sections of society whose admission forms were duly filled. 

Dehradun, June 30
The state BJP government has failed to fulfil its election promise of 2007 of providing jobs to the youth of the state, according to the Uttarakhand Youth Congress. Addressing mediapersons at a press conference, Jasvinder Pal Singh, president of the organisation, said in the past over four years of the BJP government’s regime, it did not provide job opportunities to youths. 

Singh also slammed the government for failing to provide allowances to unemployed youths. It was only exploiting youths mentally and financially. Citing an incident, the Youth Congress said over one lakh candidates had applied for the 1923 positions of gram panchayat vikas officers but even after three years the posts have not been filled.

In the name of examination and post ticket over Rs 1 crore were fleeced from the candidates. People of the state have seen the real face of the BJP and the Nishank government should apologise to the people, the party demanded. While state vice-president of the organisation Jyoti Rautela said the government had failed to provide 70 per cent jobs to state youths in the private sector. The party has also demanded to the state government to come clean on the alleged scams in the South Asian Federation (SAF) Winter Games and the disaster management works. The Games were held in January this year in two phases in Dehradun and Auli. There were allegations on the state government of misappropriation of crores of rupees at that time in building the ice-skating rink and organising the Games.

While the same was alleged in the disaster management works which were carried after the rain fury last year. — TNS

Dehradun, June 30
The city-based first multiplex Glitz Cinemas, located at the City Junction shopping mall near the ISBT, is going to present a wonderful treat to the cine buffs with the launch of 3D cinema from July 1.

For the first time in the state capital they are introducing the latest technology with the release of the movie “Transformer: The Dark Moon” on Friday. Talking to The Tribune, Sanjay Rana, in charge (administration), Glitz Cinemas, claimed, “The experience would be totally international as we have bought the 3D technology from the US.”

“It is a proud moment for us as the Glitz Cinemas are going to use the 3D technology for the first time and we have chosen Dehradun as our first preference to launch it,” he lamented. “At present, we are introducing the technology in just one auditorium, which has the seating capacity of around 228 persons and if we get positive response from the audience we would introduce this in other auditoriums also,” Rana said.

Regarding the ticket price, he said they would not put extra burden on its audience as happened everywhere.

“The ticket price will remain the same but we would charge an additional Rs 50 as service charges for providing the 3D glasses, which the audience need to wear while watching the movie. The glasses had been imported from the US and these glasses need to be returned to the authorities after watching the movie,” Rana affirmed.

Movie lovers are seemed to be excited over the development. They said this would be a good step for people like them as they had never thought of getting this kind of experience at least in Uttarakhand. Monika Rathore, a student of Doon International School, said: “It would be a wonderful experience watching the 3D movie here. I had an experience of watching the same in Delhi and used to think when would it be launched in Dehradun and it seems the dream come true.” “I would surely love to see the first show of the movie,” she stated elatedly.

Dehradun, June 30
The boundary wall of a residential colony on the Sahastradhara road collapsed due to heavy rain today. However, no one sustained any injury in the incident.

Residents alleged that the authorities had failed to repair many such boundaries and buildings that were on the verge of collapse. “A major tragedy was averted,” said Ram Mohan, a resident of the locality.

The incident has exposed a lack of preparedness of the Municipal Corporation, Dehradun, ahead of the monsoon. 

Dehradun, June 30
Bengali settlers from Shaktifarm in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand today held a protest march to the secretariat here demanding removal of encroachments.

Led by Paritosh Biswas, president of the Shaktifarm Kisan Sabha, the protesters said five years ago there were efforts to remove encroachments on the land belonging to Bengalis at Shaktifarm but the process had stopped ever since the BJP government came to power in Uttarakhand.

“The Shaktifarm land was given to a total of 1,300 families of Bengali settlers who came to the region from Bangladesh after Partition. But, gradually all the land has been taken over by influential and powerful powerful persons through fraudulent means,” Ranjit Mandal, secretary of the sabha, said. The protesters also submitted a memorandum to the official concerned. Gangadhar Nautiyal, Virendra Bhandar, Indu Naudiyal and Anant Akash were prominent signatories to the memorandum. 

Dehradun, June 30
A team of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) today demolished an illegal wall that was constructed at Brahmawala.

Talking to the media, a DMC official said as roads were narrow, they could not take the JCB machine and the wall was demolished manually by workers. He said the area councillor had complained that one Gulzar had blocked the way by constructing the wall. 

Dehradun, June 30
Vijay Cantt rained goals to humble The Rangers Mothrowala 5-0 during the 60th Lala Nemi Dass Memorial District Football League held at the Pavilion ground here today. Arya netted two goals for his team. He scored in the seventh and 35th minutes of the game while Ankur (16th, 50th, 52nd) struck three goals for the winning team. On the other hand, The Rangers seemed nothing more than a spectator in front of the tough side and could not score any goal throughout the match.

The second match ended in a draw as Sarvodya Club and Gypsy Club were locked at 1-1 in the stipulated time. Uday Pal (40th) and Abhisehk (62nd) scored a goal each for Sarvodya Club and Gypsy Club, respectively.

Meanwhile, XI Star is scheduled to meet Dehra XI and City Young will battle it out with Thakurpur tomorrow.