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Nishank launches phase 3 of Antyodaya Vikas Yatra
Nanda Devi Mahotsava
Government plans border allowance for employees
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‘Firing’ at Roorkee Motel
Uttarakhand takes steps to promote adventure tourism
As dissidence rises, BJP to wait and watch
Villagers complain about non-issuance of ration cards
2 killed, 12 hurt as vehicle falls into gorge
Dismiss BJP govt, Cong to Governor
Elected women representatives attend training workshop
Law Dept to examine Mool Niwas issue
Raising day celebrated
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Nishank launches phase 3 of Antyodaya Vikas Yatra
Dehradun, September 5 The Chief Minister directed the Divisional Commissioner to conduct a block-wise review of all the welfare schemes being run by the Social Welfare Department. He said the nodal officers appointed for the Atal Adarsh Grams must have a night halt in the villages and should establish a direct dialogue with the local residents. He also directed the Superintendent of Police to station himself for two hours each at every police police station on a regular basis to listen to the public grievances. He also directed the Haridwar District Magistrate to ensure that the presence and attendance of teachers in the remote and far-flung areas of the district is maintained. On the occasion, the Chief Minister directed the transfer of patwari Hukum Singh posted at Bhikampur, after the local residents complained against him. Chief Minister Nishank interacted with the people and inquired about their grievances. Irfan Ali and Mohd Parvez Alam of Mubarakpur informed the Chief Minister that even after making prolonged efforts, they were not being able to get disability pension. At this the Chief Minister expressed his displeasure and sanctioned their disability pension on the spot, and directed the officials to deliver the pension to the applicants at their residences within 10 days. Suresh Kumar of Aghoragram said he did not have money for the treatment of his injuries sustained in a truck accident. He was immediately sanctioned an amount of Rs 50,000 from the Chief Minister’s Discretionary Fund. The Chief Minister also announced an amount of Rs 50,000 each for the treatment of three more residents. Nishank said the state government was fully committed to the redress of the problems of the people. He said the government had launched a number of welfare schemes for the people and the development of the state. He told the officials present on the occasion that in case there was a delay on the part of the government to release funds due to any reason, then the ground situation should be explained to the people. He said if any work was not possible to be done due to any rule, regulation or stipulation, then also the people must be clearly informed about the situation. It was informed during the programme that till March, 2007, 20,494 persons had been getting pension in Haridwar district, which has enhanced to about 63,000 at present. Similarly, an amount of Rs 8 crore has been disbursed among more than 3,000 girls in the district under the Gaura Devi Kanya Dhan
Yojana. |
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Nanda Devi Mahotsava
Nainital, September 5 The day saw thousands of devotees queuing up outside the temple to have a glimpse of the idols, a wonderful piece of art that are made every year from the shoot of a bamboo tree brought from a designated village from the vicinity of the town every year. This year the bamboo shoot had been brought from Bhagat Khamari village near Mangoli located at a distance of about 20 kilometres from Nainital. The shoot had been brought to the premises of the Nayna Devi temple amid traditional fanfare on Saturday evening. Thereafter, artistes given the responsibility of making the idols had started their job which took more than 24 hours to make the idols with every feature on their face made intricately. Locals say that the banana shoot is chosen while keeping two things in mind. The first is that banana has its own importance in Hindu mythology and the tree is said to be the abode of Lord Vishnu. Secondly, banana shoot is bio-degradable. Hence the immersion of the idols in the Naini Lake on the last day of the fair does not harm the environment, particularly the fishes in the lake in any way. The day saw both locals and people from the villages around Nainital thronging the temple to worship the idols and then move to the adjoining Flats Grounds to enjoy the annual fair. They could be seen making purchases from the stall set up there. The children in particular were seen purchasing traditional toys and heading towards the “Well of Death” for watching the stunts performed by motorcyclists. The day also saw a large number of goats being sacrificed adjacent to the temple. Till noon, around 150 goats had been sacrificed. Despite drives undertaken by social and religious organisations persuading the people to give up the age-old practice of animal sacrifice, the people still believe in offering the sacrifice. The Ram Sevak Sabha, which organises the event, has disassociated itself from the practice but people, particularly from the rural areas, still carry on with it. Various cultural programmes scheduled to be held in the evening are another major attraction of the event. |
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Government plans border allowance for employees
Dehradun, September 5 He also said a cabinet subcommittee had been constituted to implement the Chief Minister’s decision to make permanent the services of contractual employees in the state. The recommendations of the committee will be implemented once the report is presented to the government. For the benefit of state employees, the Chief Secretary said now the state employees could get treatment at any hospital if covered under the health smart cards. The government had taken several steps in the interest of the state employees, these included implementing recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. Staffing pattern was being implemented in all departments. A 50 per cent relaxation had also been given in service tenure for those in line for promotion. The Chief Secretary also acceded to the demand of a teacher delegation regarding allotement of land for building Sangh Bhawan for the Uttaranchal (Parvartiya) Karamchari Shikshak
Sangh. |
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‘Firing’ at Roorkee Motel
Dehradun, September 5 The MLA has been charged with attempt to murder for firing at the owner of Motel Polris on August 27. Dhruv Singh, owner of the Motel, had filed a case under Sections 307 and 505 of the Indian Penal Code against the MLA and three others. The FIR was lodged on September 27 at the Civil Lines police station, Roorkee. Later, the Congress MLA moved the Nainital High Court and obtained a stay on his arrest. The protest march was taken out by him from Manglore to Roorkee disrupting the Delhi-Haridwar national highway for hours together. Pranav Singh claimed that he was defamed by the state government with the aim of tarnishing his image in view of the forthcoming Assembly elections, as he is very popular among the locals. In his address, he warned the state government and the police administration that it should verify all the facts before coming to any conclusion in his case, as the consequences would be worse if he was arrested. Kanwar Parnav Singh, who belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Laksar, has been in the habit of allegedly taking the law into his own hands. He openly said customs were above any law and firing a bullet in the air is customary among Rajputs and the royal family he belonged too. He also demanded that a forensic analysis of his weapon and the bullet used in the firing at the motel should be conducted outside the state as he had lost faith in the state government and the police. “The BJP is scared of my popularity and to spoil my image they took this dirty step fabricating the drama of attempt to kill Dhruv, which he denies,” he said. “My husband is innocent and can never think of such a cheap act what the BJP has done against him. This is just a political rivalry,” said Divyani Pranav Singh, his wife, who is also Zila Panchayat President of Haridwar. She has demanded for the withdrawal of the case against her husband through an appeal to Uattarakhand Governor Margaret Alva. |
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Uttarakhand takes steps to promote adventure tourism
Dehradun, September 5 These are Asan Barrage for trekking and water sports, Auli for skiing, Bagheshwar for trekking and mountaineering, Bhimtal for water sports, Bhikiyasen (Almora) for trekking, Harsil for skiing, Raipur for ice-skating, Gochar in Chamoli for aero sports such as para sailing and para gliding, the Haripur lake in Udham Singh Nagar for water sports, Jauljivi in Pithoragarh for river rafting, Kotdwar for wildlife safaris, Mori for river rafting, Pancheshwar in Champavat for river rafting, Falsima in Almora for trekking and rock climbing, Mostmanu at Pithoragarh for aero sports, Chandok Parvat for aero sports, Mohan in Nainital for wildlife safaris, Pathari Ro, near Haridwar, for water sports, Kodiyala and Tehri for water sports. The UTDB has hired consultants with expertise in various adventure sports to assist the department in chalking out a strategy for the development of adventure tourism in these specific areas. The report will be ready in less than a month. AK Dwivedi, Joint Director, UTDB, said the Centre had agreed to give a financial assistance of Rs 5 crore to promote water sports and the related infrastructure at Koti close to the Tehri Dam lake. All the formalities regarding land allotment have been completed and the detailed project report prepared. According to Ram Chander Bhardwaj, Officer-on-Special Duty, the selection of the adventure spots was made keeping in mind the accessibility and potential of resources. He said: “Mori has a vast potential for water sports, especially rafting. It is also close to Har-ki-Dun, which is renowned for its beautiful treks, and Kala Pathar, the place known for mountaineering. Similar is the case with Bagheshwar which has been blessed with a magnificent glacier series such as the Pindari Glacier, Sunder Dunge Glacier, Nanik Glacier and the Kafni Glacier. These are ideal for trekking. “Then rafting in Sarya, in the vicinity, can be promoted. Auli too is highly promising in providing unique experiences in trekking, rock-climbing and most importantly skiing”. Bhardwaj clarified that even the small hamlets in these districts which had a reasonable scope for adventure sports too had been taken up under the project and would be developed as tourist spots known for their own distinct features. |
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As dissidence rises, BJP to wait and watch
Dehradun, September 5 Caught in a catch-22 situation, the BJP state unit is unable to decide how to check dissidence and maintain discipline. Even party leaders openly took potshots at the state government for failing to live up to the expectations of the people. With several dissatisfied BJP leaders attending the meeting, caution was thrown to the winds and the sorry state of affairs prevailing in the state was discussed. “We are aware of the meeting and the sizeable presence of leaders from the BJP, it is natural for the followers of former Chief Minister BC Khanduri to come in. So far we have not contemplating any disciplinary action. But anti-party activities will not be tolerated,” said BS Chufal, Uttarakhand BJP chief. Significantly, Khanduri’s speech was restrained as expected of a senior BJP leader, his supporters, after a while, lost control and openly aired their discontent. The leaders who attended the meeting included senior BJP leader Ravinder Jugran, Mahila Morcha Pradesh Adhyaksh Kusum Kandwal, former ministers Tirath Singh Rawat and senior leader Prakash Suman Dhyani. |
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Villagers complain about non-issuance of ration cards
Nainital, September 5 During an Ambedkar Chaupal organised in the presence of the Vice-Chairman of the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) Commission, Suresh Rathore, a large number of people made complaints related to the non-issuance of ration cards to them. He ordered Subdivisional Magistrate SS Jangpani to investigate the complaints. Rathore emphasised that the government was committed to inclusive development across the state and had started several welfare schemes for the SCs, the STs and women. He also ordered officials of the Social Welfare Department to send proposals for issuing additional Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards based on the eligibility of people of the area. Residents of Teela village raised the issue of waterlogging and the lack of a hand pump. Rathore asked the officials to send proposals for addressing the issue of waterlogging using funds received for disaster management and for the installation of a hand pump. —
TNS |
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Aathon festival ends in Soar valley
Pithoragarh, September 5 “The three-day festival is one of the oldest tradition of the Gaura worship in this part of the Kumoan region which has been drawn from the western part of Nepal and prevails in this society for the past 2000 years,” said Dr Madan Chandra Bhatt, a leading historian of the Himalayan region. Women are the main participants in this festival as it is considered related with the safety and security of their husbands and children as well as the productivity of their fields. “On the day of Saptami, the villagers tie a new sacred thread and discharge old one after being tied the new one with the idol of Gaura, considered to be the daughter of Himalaya. Seeds of five sacred grains and the local fruits are offered to the goddess with a prayer for the long life of their husbands. This “Dor” is tied on the right arm by the women till the next year’s “Anthon” festival,”said Padma Dutt Pant, a local cultural historian of the Soar valley. “On the eighth day, the village women gather to offer joint prayers before the idols of Gaura and Maheswar, which is prepared by village youths. On the next day, village women again offer a sacred thread as “mangalsutra”. This ritual is restricted to married women only as widows or unmarried women cannot offer this thread called “Dub Dhaga”, said Padma Datt Pant. After the worship of Gaura and Maheswar is over, the village folk collect the total offering of soaked grains seeds and fruits to the Goddess and divide them into five or seven parts. “After dividing it in parts, the able-bodied villagers throw it towards sky one by one and it spreads to every corner of the fields where the villagers gather to collect it as “Prasad”, said Pant. This year, the local Ramlila committee has organised “Aathon” at local Ramlila ground to offer facility of Gaura worship to those families which have been settled in the town. “We have tried to organise this oldest festival of the Soar valley with full cultural identity and all the forms of folk songs and dances have been performed by the local villagers,” said Jagdish Punera, secretary of the Ramlila committee,
Pithoragarh. |
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2 killed, 12 hurt as vehicle falls into gorge
Dehradun, September 5 Two persons died on the spot while 12 injured were sent to a local hospital. Among the injured, three were said to be seriously hurt. Some of them were discharged after being given treatment. Though the cause of the accident could not be established, the passengers said the vehicle was being driven fast. The area falls under the jurisdiction of the Revenue Department and till the filing of the news report, the officials were engaged in the rescue work. —
TNS |
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Dismiss BJP govt, Cong to Governor
Dehradun, September 5 The latest, he said, was the incident where the Chief Minister had got his name included on the list of statehood strugglers, whereas “during that movement, he was a Cabinet minister in the UP government and never participated in any of its activities.” Rawat also lambasted Nishank for giving stepmotherly treatment to a Congress MLA where he had been dodging Purola MLA Rajesh Juantha’s attempts to seek an appointment with him for a month and a half. Citing these ground and lack of development and underutilisation of funds, Rawat implored the Governor to dismiss the state BJP government. In its reply, the State Media Advisory Committee led by Devender Bhasin called the accusations of the Opposition leader “a misleading propaganda” and panicky reactions to the Chief Minister’s growing popularity in the state. Bhasin said, “Had the Congress leaders been serious about the development of the state and welfare of public, then they would have raised the problems of the state before the Centre. But they are not doing so. They are only defaming BJP government in the state. We don’t want to even give clarifications of their allegations.” |
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Elected women representatives attend training workshop
Dehradun, September 5 As Uttarakhand has 50 per cent reservation for women, the state has 59 per cent elected women representatives in the panchayats. Congratulating the newly elected women representatives, Avadhash Kaushal, Chairperson, RLEK, said: “It becomes all the more important to have capacity building measures for these women representatives under the current situation. To bring transparency in their working and to ensure effective functioning this training shall benefit them”. Recently the RLEK had organised several gram sabha mobilisation camps and formed vigilance committees to monitor the work of the Gram Pradhans. This workshop is first in the series of six such workshops that would be organised to promote community participation and gender equality in local governance for prosperity. The main objective of this training is to mobilise the gram sabhas and train the elected women representatives towards their roles and responsibilities. District Panchayat Officer, Dehradun, MM Khan, along with the RLEK trainers, were the speakers. In his address, Khan appreciated the efforts in the field of training of the elected women representatives and urged them to be more pro-active and participative in their approach, especially when the gram sabha meetings are held. Khan also gave a detailed insight on the various schemes and financial management. During the session on domestic violence, certain women pointed out that the State Women Commission did not cooperate with them when contacted and there was no response to their queries put up in writing. Under such situations, they wanted to know whom to contact. During the session the issue of irregularities in the making of below poverty line/above poverty line cards were also brought up by the members. Khan requested the members to give correct information to the persons who conduct the survey.
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Law Dept to examine Mool Niwas issue
Dehradun, September 5 At the meeting that was also attended by Chief Secretary Subash Kumar, Principal Secretary (medical education) Vinita Kumar and Secretary Administration Surinder Singh Rawat, it was decided to refer the matter to the department. Sources claim that the legal advice becomes necessary as the issue pertains to admissions. Several Supreme Court and High Court rulings regarding admissions in various institutions would be studied. The judgments given by the High Court in the Pradeep Jain case (1984) and the Surat Chand case (2003) have often guided the governments, while tackling the residency issue. The government is treading cautiously on the issue as some of the students have already approached the High Court. |
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Dehradun, September 5 The special guest was Col SM Gusai (retd). Among those present were Gulab Singh Bisht, Dhani Ram, Surender Singh Negi and Jagdish Singh Negi. — TNS
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Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank commenced the third phase of the Antyodaya Vikas Yatra and listened to public grievances and gave necessary orders to the officials on the premises of the Laksar.
A two-day training in leadership skills for the newly elected women representatives from Roorkee block of Haridwar district was organised on September 4 and 5 by the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra
(RLEK) with the support of Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) here. A total of 55 elected women representatives took part in the training.
