Dehradun, July 21
To press for their demand for the promulgation of an ordinance that guarantees their safety, the government medicos all across the state boycotted the OPDs and threatened that they would intensify their stir from Monday if the government failed to table the ordinance at the coming Cabinet meeting.

The doctors today vowed to continue their agitation and formed a united front that would spearhead the movement. “Our one-point programme is: bring in the security act or we will intensify our stir. The other issues, too, will be taken up, but for the moment we are focusing on this one,” said Dr SD Joshi, president of the Provincial Medical and Health Services (PMHS), Uttarakhand, while chairing a meeting today.

He said the security act is for all the employees who were discharging duties at hospitals, nursing homes and other medical establishments. “We will continue to boycott the OPDs till Saturday and if the government fails to take a decision in our favour, a boycott of the emergency wards and national programmes, too, will be started,” said Dr DP Joshi, general secretary, PMHS.

Meanwhile, the doctors also said compensation of Rs 50 lakh should be paid to Dr RP Khanduri, who was attacked yesterday by an assailant and has been admitted to District Doon Hospital.

On the second day of the boycott, the patients who had come from far-off places were a disappointed lot as the empty OPDs greeted them this morning.

Students, who had gathered in large numbers at the administrative block to get medical certificates, too went back home empty-handed and were seen enquiring as to how long the boycott would continue.

In a surprise move, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank too visited the ailing doctor, but the PMHS members were not present to receive him at the hospital.

Today’s meeting was attended by members of the Indian Medical Association, the Nurses Association of Uttarakhand and the Diploma Pharmacists Association of Uttarakhand.

Dehradun, July 21
A few police personnel, headed by an Inspector, forced the security guards of St Joseph’s Academy to shut its two gates on the Subhash Road, ostensibly without any authority or a notice in writing to the school here yesterday.

The cops believe that the mass exodus of students at the closing time hampers traffic movement on the road. The police team even towed away some cars parked outside the school and some of the car drivers were challaned too.

Interestingly, the police authorities did not consider it necessary to serve any notice on the school authorities directing them to close the gates. The police action created an unprecedented chaos at the school. Many hassled parents took offense at the action of the police and had heated arguments with the personnel, after which the police quietly withdrew.

One of the parents said: “The traffic problem arises on this spot for the Secretariat and the police headquarters are located close to the school. Numerous processions by statehood agitators and other disgruntled sections of society are held at the two government buildings regularly.”

“The academy had existed here for nearly 80 years and the state administration should have thought hundred times before constructing multi-storied buildings for housing their offices here,” she added.

Dehradun, July 21
The Uttarakhand Government’s rotation policy has cast a shadow on the ongoing population stabilisation fortnight under way at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Coronation Hospital.

The hospital is relying on the services of a lone surgeon to conduct family planning and other surgical operations. In these circumstances, the hospital’s target of conducting 150 sterilisation surgeries seems far fetched.

In the past, Dr Mahesh Bhatt had been handling surgical cases, but after he was sent on rotational duty outside Dehradun, Dr Anshika Arora was brought in from Doon Hospital to fill the slot on roatation. But the exercise has generated a controversy, with a patient now undergoing treatment for a severe infection that he said had suffered after the operation.

Battling severe infection, Ravinder Prasad, a resident of Raipur Gaziawala, is ruing his decision to get a vasectomy operation done at Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Coronation Hospital during the ongoing population stabilisation week.

“I have developed a severe infection after the operation. The attitude of the doctor, too, was not helpful as she refused to attend on me,” alleged Ravinder. However, Dr Anshika Arora denied the charges and said that she could not remember the case.

Dr AS Rawat, Chief Medical Superintendent, said the patient, who was operated on July 11, had come to him with a complaint of severe infection on July 19. “We do not have adequate staff, I have just one surgeon at my disposal. So the patient was advised to go to Doon Hospital for further treatment,” said Dr Rawat.

Besides the hospital has also been slow in making payments to the beneficiaries. Ravinder, along with other patients, was paid the incentive days after the operation. As a result, a few beneficiaries are turning up for the operations and in a day only three to four operations are being performed. As a confidence-building measure, each man gets Rs 1,100 and a woman Rs 600 as incentive from the state government for undergoing family planning operations.

In Dehradun district for the financial year 2008-2009, 481 operations were conducted on men and 4,676 on women. In 2009-2010, 427 operations were conducted on men and 4,839 operations on women. While in 2010-2011, 388 men and 4,335 women underwent operations.

Pithoragarh, July 21
Villagers living in remote areas of Danda and Medar in Champawat district have threatened to boycott the assembly poll, which is due next year in the state, if a road in their area, proposed in 2004, is not constructed.

“People are disappointed after the central zonal office of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests refused to give clearance for the road, citing incomplete information in the proposal by the Forest Department,” said Prakash Joshi, a resident of the area.

“The 46-km-long road that will benefit nearly 7,000 people of 24 villages cannot be constructed beyond Taliaban due to the lack of clearance by the Union Environment and Forest Ministry. The road was inaugurated during the Congress government in 2005,” said SP Singh, District Forest Officer, Champawat.

According to the DFO, the central zone office of the Union Environment and Forest Ministry had sought the information about the land to be provided by the Forest Department for alternative plantation to farmers in lieu of the 18 hectare land to be given for this road.

“We hope that by the next meeting we will be able to furnish the required information and this long-awaited road will get clearance,” said the DFO.

According to the residents of the area, if this road gets constructed, the villages of Talia Banz, Mathia Banz, Danda and Kaknai, situated at a distance of 35 km from the national highway and district headquarters Champawat, could be provided with essential facilities like education and health but their local products like milk, vegetables and fruits could get better returns, improving the economic conditions of poor villagers.

“The villages of the area are rich in milk and fruit production while the district has a shortage of milk and seasonal fruits,” said Prakash Joshi.

Dehradun, July 21
A Chandrabani-based agent, who had sent an ex-serviceman to Afghanistan reportedly for a job, is allegedly absconding. Retired Naib Subedar Ravinder Singh Thapa complained to the SSP, Dehradun, in this regard yesterday.

Thapa, after returning from Afganistan, claimed that persons who were sent to the foreign country for jobs were still jobless. Some of them were in jails while some were spending sleepless nights on roads, he said.

Panditvadi native Thapa told the police that a local promised him a job there a few months ago. An agent told him about a security job in the country and demanded Rs 3 lakh for getting him the work.

He gave the amount to the agent and was sent to Afganistan about two months ago. However, after reaching the country, he was not given a job.

The company where he was told to go informed him that it did not have any contact with any such agent or agency in India.

Thapa contacted his agent who reassured him of a job but nothing happened. Following this, Thapa started searching for the job there on his own. Meanwhile, his visa expired and he had to stay in jail in Afganistan. He contacted his family and asked them to send him money. Besides this, he also contacted the Indian Embassy.

After a long ordeal, he returned from Afganistan about 10 days ago. He said like him several ex-servicemen from Doon and other parts of India were there.

SSP Ganesh Singh Martolia asked the Clement Town police to probe the matter.

Dehradun, July 21
Stepping up his campaign against senior Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Harak Singh Rawat, Senior BJP leader Raghunath Singh Negi today met Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar and sought a high-level probe into Rawat’s alleged role in facilitating unlawful possession of 8.209 hectares at Sahaspur near Dehradun.

Submitting a memorandum to the Chief Secretary, Negi said Rawat, as the Revenue Minister in the earlier state Congress government, used his influence to prepare a fake power of attorney to take the possession of 8.209 hectares in the Shankarpur area of Sahaspur on the outskirts of Dehradun. He said while 4.663 hectares of this land was transferred in the name of Dipti Rawat, wife of Harak Singh Rawat, the rest of 3.546 hectares had been transferred in the name of Lakshmi Rana, a resident of Rudraprayag and close aide of the Leader of the Opposition.

Negi said the entire land issue needed to be probed by a high-level authority as Rawat could use his political clout to suppress the matter. He said the entire land transfer procedure had been done on forged documents. He alleged while a fake power of attorney was used to show the sale of land, the witnesses were also fake.

Dehradun, July 21
Chairman of the Uttarakhand Safai Karamchari Ayog Bhagwat Prasad Makwana praised the state government for ushering in many reforms for the betterment of sanitation workers. He also pulled it up for abolishing Group D posts.

Speaking at a press conference held today, Makwana said it was the state government which floated the Safai Karamchari Ayog last year. The number of permanent sanitation workers deputed in various local bodies would be increased from 3,445 to 6,679.

“The Chief Minister, while speaking at Nirmal Nagar programme, announced that the allowance of sanitation workers would be increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000 and salary of daily wagers up to Rs 180 per day,” he said.

Makwana said he had hiked the salaries of daily and contractual workers in various local bodies, including those of Harbartpur, Muni-ki-Reti, Rishikesh, Pauri, Nainital, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar.

Health camps were also held. Efforts had begun to construct a new Maharishi Valmiki hostel and training centre at Dehradun for which the Municipal Corporation was ready to give two bighas and the Social Welfare Department was being roped into for its construction, he said.

He cautioned the department heads to cooperate with the commission or face action. St Joseph’s Academy was made to pay as per the 6th pay commission to sanitation workers and those working at Engineering College, Pauri Garhwal were given a raise in salary from Rs 3200 to Rs 4200. Makwana also said 16 vacant positions of sanitation worker at various police posts would be filled.

Dehradun, July 21
A month-long placement drive at Dolphin (PG) Institute ended today. As many as 151 students were offered lucrative jobs by 30 reputed companies, including Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, Avon Beauty Products India Pvt Ltd, Elder Pharmaceutical Ltd, IPCA Laboratories Ltd, Marico Ltd, Oasis Laboratories Ltd, Planet Herbs Life Sciences Pvt Ltd, etc.

The chairman of the institute, Arvind Gupta, congratulated the students for their accomplishment and urged them to outshine others in the career ahead too.

More companies would visit the institute in the coming days for campus interviews.

Dr Shailja Pant, Principal of Dolphin (PG) Institute, Dr Arun Kumar, Vice-Principal, and Dr Ashok Kumar Singh were also present.

Dehradun, July 21
As part of its initiative on “Industry for Society”, a blood donation camp was organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Blood Bank of Uttarakhand here today.

The purpose of the blood donation camp was to help save lives of many people who needed blood transfusion and to support patients being treated for a range of serious ailments, including cancer, sickle cell anaemia, severe burns, traumatic injuries, and for those undergoing surgery.

“The effort is expected to encourage people, who have shown extreme enthusiasm in donating blood, to heighten their responsibilities as good citizens and to be active participants in such activities, especially those of humanitarian and social nature. Corporates should ensure that we should give something back to the community in which we exist," said Dr S Farooq, Chairman, CII Uttarakhand State Council.

Underlining the importance of blood donation, Dr Umang Sahai, Managing Director, IMA Blood Bank of Uttarakhand, lauded the efforts of the people who volunteered to donate blood and presented them with mementoes.

Dr Sahai said: “Donating blood helps improve the health of the donor and at the same time also gives a sense of satisfaction that comes from helping save someone’s life.

Dehradun, July 21
The Uttarakhand chapter of the All-India Consumers Council has shown concern over the rampant digging of Dehradun roads, saying that such roads were causing a lot of inconvenience to the people and could lead to accidents.

In a statement issued today, Brig KG Behl (retd), president of the All-India Consumers Council, Dehradun, said the consumer council had received a large number of complaints about the poor state of the roads in Dehradun.

He said it had been seen that the roads that were recently dug up for various purposes now had potholes. “While this has made these roads dangerous for driving, the splashing of dirty water on the pedestrians is a routine occurrence,” Brigadier Behl said.

He said in different localities the dug-up area has sunk badly. Vehicles often get stuck at these soft points. The council is getting a number of complaints of vehicles getting damaged due to the poor shape of the roads.