Khanduri blames Centre for inflation
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 14
Uttarakhand Chief Minister BC Khanduri has accused the Central government of promoting inflation in the country. Addressing a public gathering at Chamba in Tehri district of the state, BC Khanduri said while the earlier Atal Bihari Vajpayee government at the Centre had kept prices of essential commodities under control, the inflation rate had risen all time high under the Congress led incumbent UPA government.

“Even prices of LPG, petrol and diesel have undergone a phenomenal rise,” Khanduri pointed out.

He said the Vajpayee government, taking into account backwardness in the hill region, had given industrial package to Uttarakhand uptill 2013, but the Congress, on assuming power, truncated the package uptill 2010.

Uttarakhand Sports Minister Khazan Das said the Khanduri government had taken several historical decisions to end corruption in the state. He said the ministers and officials had made their asserts public as a part of the commitment to transparent governance. He disclosed that several initiatives like Gender Budgeting, Nanda Devi Kanyadhan Scheme and Social Welfare Pension Scheme had been started by the state government.

Former Minister Lakhiram Joshi said Uttarakhand was developing under the leadership of BC Khanduri. Disaster Management Committee chairman Teerath Singh Rawat was also present on the occasion

Wants proper attention to farm sector
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 14
Chief Minister B C Khanduri has called for giving proper attention to the agricultural sector so as to avoid the possibility of dependence on other states for foodgrains. Addressing the gathering after inaugurating Krishak Mahotsava- Rabi 2011, under the “Sarkar Kisan ke Dwaar”, organised at the Guru Ram Rai College in the Sahaspur area of Dehradun, Khanduri said there was a great demand for organic products in the overseas market and an airconditioned environment was required for improved seeds, but Uttarakhand was fortunate to have such an environment for agriculture.

He said, ”Such an environment is favourable for producing seasonal vegetables and in the given environment, there is an ample scope of growing improved vegetable such as cauliflower, cabbage and potato, the seeds of which are also highly priced and are sold for Rs 8000 to 10,000 per kilogram. This will form the chief source of income, which will also go a long-way in making the farmers self-reliant and prosperous.”

The CM exhorted the agricultural scientists and farm experts to move ahead expeditiously so as to benefit the general public.

He also told the farmers to search for ways and means to derive maximum benefit from agricultural practices.

In his address, Uttarakhand Agriculture Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the number of farmers in the Kisan Mahotsavas had gone up from 10,000 in 2008 to 2 to 2.5 lakh now. 

Congress to invite Anna to state
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 14
Leader of the opposition in the Assembly Harak Singh Rawat today said he would invite anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare to Uttarakhand and request him to campaign against the BJP’s corrupt rule in the state.

Rawat added that the Congress workers in the state would send chargesheets against the BJP government to LK Advani, when his Rath Yatra reaches Uttarakhand.

“If LK Advani is serious about corruption, he must first take the corrupt Uttarakhand BJP government to task,” he added.

Rawat announced that if voted to power, the Congress will fulfill the demands of agitating Contractual Degree College teachers and the Anganwadi workers. He added his party was committed to the welfare of poor and unemployed. The Congress will gherao the Chief Minister’s residence over public issues on November 19, the birth anniversary of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

He also charged Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev with acting as a BJP agent. Rawat ruled out factionalism in the party. He said all party leaders stand united. He said it was or the party to decide on the CM’s name, if voted to power. 

Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail project cleared
Our Correspondent

Mussoorie, October 14
General Manager of the Northern Railways SK Budhalkoti, speaking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the annual athletic meet held here, said the Northern Railways had approved the Rishikesh-Karnprayag railway line project and a tender agreement had also been signed with the executive agency, Railway Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL).

Budhlakoti said survey of the area had also started in accordance with the geographical condition of the region as the area fell in the seismic-zone and for that the alignment of tracks was essential. He was, however, hopeful that the work would begin soon.

Speaking on the beautification of Dehradun railway station, he said the Northern Railway had released Rs 50 lakh for the purpose and plans were on to increase the number and length of the platforms in the near future. He further said the plans were also in the anvil to increase the number of coaches from 13 to 18 for the benefit of the commuters. He added that railway engine drivers had been provided with the fog device to avoid any inconvenience in commuting during winters.

Many manual crossings have been upgraded to automatic ones in the past one year and the Northern Railway was committed towards the passenger safety. When questioned about the appalling condition of the reservation counter in Mussoorie, Budhlakoti said he would look into the matter and direct the Divisional Manager, Moradabad, solve the problem on priority basis.

Guv: Bridging gap between rich, poor challenge for bureaucrats

Dehradun, October 14
Uttarakhand Governor Margaret Alva said today that the biggest challenge facing the country was the increasing gap between the rich and the poor and urban and rural.

“This gap can only be bridged when this situation is seen from the human angle and not from the angle of CAG reports and the Reserve Bank of India,” said the Governor.

“There is a lot of talk when we hear about the GDP growth rate and the industrial output. However, as I ask repeatedly, what is the objective of all this development process if a large section of the people does not benefit from it?” said the Governor while addressing IAS officers who have completed an eight-week mid-career training programme at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie. In her valedictory address to the participants today, the Governor said bridging the gap between the rich and the poor in the country was a challenge for bureaucrats.

India, Nepal officials hold meeting

Nainital, October 14
The officials of Champawat district and the adjoining district of Kanchanpur in Nepal met in Mahendranagar yesterday to discuss the issue of putting check on illegal activities in the border areas and that of border security.

Mahendranagr is the administrative headquarters of Kanchanpur district. The two sides have also stressed upon the need for a close coordination while dealing with issues that are of mutual concern. The meeting had eventually turned out to be a low-profile one since the District Magistrates of the two districts were not present. However, other administrative and police officials were present. With the Assembly polls approaching in both Uttarakhand and UP, the officials decided to increase vigilance on the border .

The officials have decided to meet again to formulate a joint strategy with regard to tackling the border-related problems. It was decided that joint operations would be carried out to keep the criminals and their activities under check. Officials present in the meeting related that the officials from the Nepalese side raised the issue of Nepalese citizens travelling back home from India being duped after being intoxicated by miscreants. Such instances have become almost a daily affair, particularly on the stretch between Delhi and Tanakpur.

Although several such accused have been caught by the Uttarakhand Police, the phenomenon continues to persist. The Nepalese authorities also raised the matter pertaining to increasing the timings of opening of gates at Banbasa barrage. Indian officials took up the matter of encroachments on the no-man’s land by Nepalese citizens that have been reported at regular intervals. —TNS

Two murder cases registered in Kumaon
Tribune News Service

Nainital, October 14
Two cases of murder have been reported from Kumaon over the past 24 hours. Amarpal Singh of Uttar Pradesh, a labourer in Haldwani, allegedly murdered his nephew, Pappu Singh, who used to live in the Kharakpur area near Lal Kuan.

According to information, Pappu allegedly had an illicit love affair with Amarpal’s wife Gyanwati, alias Bitto, for the past several years. Gyanwati had reportedly left her husband several years ago to marry Pappu. Gyanwati has four children from Amarpal.

Three of them live somewhere else while the youngest daughter had been living with her mother and Pappu.

Sources said on Wednesday night, Amarpal came to Pappu’s house and allegedly chopped his head off with an axe. When Gyanwati tried to stop him, he allegedly attacked her.

It was only when his daughter intervened that he left the place.

He has been arrested by the police. Gyanwati is under treatment at a Haldwani hospital. In another incident, Arjun Singh of Chaituakheda village, Udham Singh Nagar, allegedly murdered his wife Reena Singh.

According to information, the accused allegedly had an extra-marital affair with a woman belonging to Rudrapur a few years ago. This led to a strained relationship between the couple and they used to have frequent fights over the issue.

Yesterday, the couple had a spat on the same issue following which the accused allegedly hit her on the head with an axe. Later, he fled the spot. Arjun Singh is yet to be arrested.

Competitions held to promote Sanskrit
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 14
To spread the usage and popularity of Sanskrit, the second official language of Uttarakhand, a state-level cultural competition is being organised at the Rishikul College auditorium by Uttaranchal Sanskrit University. The winners of the district-level Sanskrit competition from across the state, will participate.

Being organised in two categories, senior and junior, the total cash prize in six segments is worth Rs 2,50,000, in which prize money for the skit competition is the highest one, wherein the winner will get Rs 60,000 in senior section. In junior segment, winner will get Rs 40,000.

The other categories are classical dance, debate, shloka recitation, choir song and impromptu lecture.

Inaugurating the two-day competition, Dr Sudha Rani Pandeym, vice chancellor of Uttaranchal Sanskrit University, emphasised the need of mass usage of Sanskrit in day-to-day life. Each team will be giving two performances in the six events.

Organising committee member Dr Prakash Pant the university said final results in all the events would be declared by tomorrow

Quarrying to begin from Oct 19
Tribune News Service

Nainital, October 14
The quarrying activity in the beds of Dabka, Kosi and Gaula rivers will begin from October 19. This was disclosed by the District Magistrate in Nainital Nidhi Mani Tripathi after a meeting of the Mining Committee held in Haldwani on Wednesday afternoon.

The quarrying operations can go on till April 7 next year. In case of the Nandhaur river bed, the operations will commence from November 1. Tripathi has told officials of the Forest Department and the Forest Corporation that illegal quarrying will not be allowed

Addressing the concerns of the population residing in the Gaula Par area and the parents of wards going to school, it has been decided that the entry of vehicles into the Gaula river bed will start after 7.30 am and there will be no exit of vehicles from the area between 9 am and 10 am and 3.30 pm and 4.30 pm when schoolchildren go to school and return, respectively.

Meeting held for wives, mothers of war martyrs
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 14
It was a blend of emotions today at the Bengal Engineer Group and Centre, Roorkee, where a meeting for “Veer Naris”, the wives, mothers and other family members of the soldiers who died in action, was organised by the Army authorities.

The meeting was organised to facilitate interaction between the “Veer Naris” and the Army. The Army expressed its gratitude towards the families and dependents of the soldiers who served the nation with utmost dedication and sacrificed their lives fighting for the motherland in various operations.

The families of soldiers who had died in harness were also present on the occasion. The families were informed of various welfare measures taken up by the Army.

Acknowledging the valuable service, loyalty and courage of martyred soldiers, the group honoured the “Veer Naris” with souvenirs.

A special medical camp was conducted by doctors of the station. Simmy Sharma, Senior Director of Family Welfare Organisation, Bengal Engineer Group and Centre, Roorkee, along with other functionaries interacted with the “Veer Naris”, where she said Ary was family for them.

Uttarakhand has huge cricketing talent, says Madan Lal
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 14
Down-to-earth, spirited, dynamic and willing to share experiences. These and even more lofty adjectives aptly describe Madan Lal Sharma, the 1983 Cricket World Cup winning team member. Lal was in Roorkee as chief guest at Montfort school for an inter-school event.

Lal said that young aspirants to cricketing glory can learn a lot by following the footsteps of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid. Both these layers, he said, concentrate on the game’s technical aspects. They also innovate according to the times.

He expressed concern over the fact that most youngsters wanted instant stardom. On whether, cash-rich leagues such as IPL, ICL or Big bash T-20 cricket tourneys were behind this, the champion was evasive. He agreed that it was important to hone one’s skills in domestic tournaments. Madan Lal bowled the first-ever ball in Cricket World Cup history when he made his debut in 1975 Prudential World Cup.

On tips for young players, he said there was no shortcut to fame and success, except hard work. On the issue of affiliation to Uttarakhand by the Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI), he said the delay was harming the future of cricket in the state.

“Infrastructure can be constructed, but the BCCI should look into the huge talent pool that the state has. Who knows if the state gets accreditation another international player may emerge from here” said Madan, who was accorded Arjuna Award in 1989. The cricketer awarded the winning team Montfort School. The School defeated Chandrasekhar Public School, Roorkee by 78 runs. Subham Chaudhary was accorded the Man of the Series and the Best bowler.

School Principal Brother Chacko, Sanjay Sharma, Piyush Walia, Jitendra Pal, Inder Mohan Barthwal, Anil Sood, Avtar Singh,Deepak Pal, Sunny Sharma, Jitendra Kamboj, and Bhoopendra Singh were present.

PFA concerned over wildlife security in national park
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 14
The People for Animals (PFA) has expressed concern over wildlife security in the Jim Corbett National Park in view of the forest guards of the park going on a strike from yesterday.

In a letter written to Uttarakhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forests RBS Rawat, PFA member secretary Gauri Maulekhi sought action against the agitating forest guards at the park, asserting that those behind the stir were mischievous people who keep a dubious history as far as wildlife conservation in the region was concerned.

She asked the PCCF to take disciplinary action against the leaders of the striking forest guards.

23 Health Department Joint Directors promoted

Dehradun, October 14
The Uttarakhand Government today promoted 23 Joint Directors of the Health Department to the post of Additional Directors. Most of the newly promoted Additional Directors have been sent to different districts of the state.

Similarly, the government has also withdrawn the additional responsibility given to nine Joint Directors. The ad hoc arrangement was affected at the level of Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Superintendent.

‘Industrial development not at cost of environment’
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 14
Newly appointed Member Secretary, Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board (UEPPCB), Jairaj has said while industrial development in the state is important for its economic growth, it has to take place without impacting the environment.

Interacting with the members of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) here yesterday, Jairam laid stress on environmental concerns while taking forward 
the work of industrial development.