Protests mark Chetna Yatra entry in Kumaon
Agitating workers of Congress, UKD rounded up
Tribune News Service

Senior BJP leader LK Advani addresses a rally during his Jan Chetna Yatra at Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar district on Saturday; and (right) members of Left parties hold a demonstration against the yatra at Haldwani.

Nainital, November 19
The Jan Chetna Yatra of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Lal Krishna Advani did not get the expected response from the people in Kumaon and its arrival in the region was marked by protests by workers of various Opposition parties.

Advani’s yatra was greeted at various places across the region by the BJP cadres and leaders who were competing with each other for having brought more number of supporters. His public meeting at the Medical College ground in Haldwani did not get the desired response on account of his reaching the venue quite late at night. It was around 9.15 pm on Friday night when he had begun to address the people and this was pretty late by Haldwani standards in winter.

In his speech at Haldwani and even Rudrapur on Saturday afternoon, Advani attacked the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the Centre for having promoted corruption and once again played up the commitment of his party to bring back the black money stashed in foreign banks when voted to power. He once again held the Congress-led government squarely responsible for burdening the common man with its inability to check the price rise.

“The BJP will raise the issues of corruption, black money and inflation with all its might in the winter session of Parliament,” the BJP stalwart announced.

He trained his guns on the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.He said while a scam after scam was coming to light, Dr Singh had been speaking in favour of the erring ministers. He questioned why Sonia had not spoken on corruption till date.

In Rudrapur too, observers put the tally of those attending his rally at 4,000 people. It is being said the crowd was nothing when compared to the one that had been witnessed during his earlier yatras, particularly the one during the “Ram wave”. However, Advani claimed that this sixth yatra had given him maximum satisfaction.

Meanwhile, a large number of Congress workers were rounded up by the police before they could execute their programme of showing black flags to the yatra.

Party leader Sanjeev Arya said: “We want to know the source of Rs 150 crore that has been spent on this yatra across the country. This is the biggest example of political corruption.”

A large number of UKD workers too had been taken into custody before they could proceed with their pre-announced protest.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist)/ CPI (ML) held a rally at Ambedkar Park in Haldwai in protest against the yatra. In his address, state in charge of the party Raja Bahuguna described the yatra as a farce and held the erstwhile BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre equally responsible for promoting corruption in the country.

Adavni’s yatra meaningless, says Harish Rawat
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 19
Harish Rawat, Union Minister for Agriculture, Food Processing and Parliamentary Affairs, Uttarakhand, while launching a scathing attack on senior BJP leader Lal Krishan Advani on the concluding day of his Jan Chetna Yatra in Uttarakhand, alleged that the senior BJP leader had been suffering from “selective amnesia” regarding corruption in the BJP-ruled states in the country.

Addressing mediapersons here today, Rawat said Advani’s yatra on the issue of corruption and bringing back black money stashed in foreign banks to India was completely “meaningless”. He said Advani while spewing venom on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on the issue of corruption had failed to recollect the cases of corruption in the BJP-ruled states in the country, whether it was Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat or Karnataka. “While he has been mentioning about the CAG report on Commonwealth Games and 2G Spectrum issues to floor the Central government, he has forgotten about indictment by the same CAG of the BJP-Uttarakhand government on spendings on Mahakumbh and disaster relief works. “The people of Uttarakhand have a right to know from him, his “locus standi” on corruption indulged in by the state-BJP government. Interestingly, the BJP has changed the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand a few months ago amid charges of corruption,” added Rawat.

Moreover, he questioned the steps taken by the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government during which many scandals of corruption erupted. “It is on record that the Lokpal Bill was dumped by that government. It was the UPA government that brought the Right to Information Act and was committed to check corruption through legislative and administrative measures,” he said.

On the issue of bringing back black money stashed in foreign banks, Rawat said the Central Government had signed treaties with 48 countries on black money and the process was on to have such treaties with 42 other countries. “The government is in possession of the names of the people having black money in foreign banks but could not divulge the names due to International Law. The legal process is on in this direction,” he said.

Regarding Jan Lokpal Bill, Rawat announced that besides the Bill incorporating the opinions of concerned parties, nine other bills would be tabled in Parliament during the coming winter session, including a stringent money laundering Bill, a Bill on benami properties, Public Grievances Bill, Judicial Accountability Bill, Food Security Bill and Seeds Bill.

On the passage of Lokayukta Bill in Uttarakhand Assembly without any opposition by the Congress, Rawat replied that the party did not want to fall in the trap laid by the Khanduri government to portray it as “Anti-Lokayukta”. “Chief Minister Khanduri, who wanted to use Lokayukta for political purposes in the forthcoming Assembly elections, will not be able to reap its’ perceived benefits,” he concluded.

Kuthalia Boras elated over inclusion in list of OBCs
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, November 19
The members of the Bora Utthan Samiti based in the Ganai Gangoli area of this district have expressed happiness over the inclusion of their community in the Union Government’s new list of the OBCs by the Cabinet recently.

The hard-working community of Kuthalia Bora has finally got its due,” said Joga Singh Bora, president of the community.

The Kuthalia Bora community that has settled in the almost barren mountains of the Ganai Gangoli area of Pithoragarh district and its adjoining areas of Almora and Bageshwar districts has its separate socio-cultural identity. According to Union Minister and Congress Parliamentarian from Haridwar, Harish Rawat, the community was included in the OBC category at a recent meeting of the Union Cabinet. “The total number of castes included in the new list of the OBCs of the Union Government has now gone up to 48 from 20 states,” said Rawat while talking to this correspondent over the phone from Haridwar.

The Kuthalia Bora community had been included in the state list of the OBCs in Uttarakhand in 2004 during the ND Tiwari regime.

According to the Union Minister, after its inclusion in the list, the members of the Kuthalia Bora community, which has hitherto been cut off from the mainstream of Kumaoni life, will now be able to get Union Government jobs like the members of the other OBCs are getting.”

The Congress represented the case of this community to be included in the list as it was socially and economically backward compared to the other castes of the region,” said a communiqué released by the Congress here today.

According to the Social Welfare Department of Pithoragarh district, the community of Kuthalia Bora, mainly living in the Borani area of the district, has been known for its skill in making bags of hemp plant and carving stone grinders. “They have nominal land to cultivate as they live mostly in the mountainous region,” said the Social Welfare Officer of the district.

The population of the Kuthalia Bora community is 25,000 spread over Pithoragarh, Almora and Bageshwar districts. “The Kuthalia Boras live in 58 villages in these three districts but the maximum number of the members of the community live in 23 villages of Pithoragarh district,” said Narain Ram, former Congress MLA from the Gangolihat area.

According to Narain Ram, who has been chairman of the State SC and ST Commission, the community is well acquainted with various cottage industries like knitting and spinning besides agriculture. “The women of the community can be termed as one of hardest working lots in the hill region,” said Narain Ram.

Birth Anniversary of Indira Gandhi
Cong women hold awareness march

Dehradun, November 19
The Women’s Congress members today hold an awareness march here to mark the birth anniversary of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The march was aimed at sensitising people about the social evil of female foeticide.

The Women Congress members, led by Dehradun Mahanagar Congress president Kamlesh Raman, took out the march which started from the Gandhi Park and culminated at the Clock Tower. The activists also carried a portrait of Indira Gandhi. They recalled her role in woman empowerment.

Later addressing the gathering at the Clock Tower, Women Congress leader Deepali Mahal said the contribution of Indira Gandhi in the development of the country had been unparallelled. She said Indira Gandhi would continue to inspire women of the country. —TNS

Women Congress leaders Premlata Negi and Payal Behl were among prominent workers who participated in the march.

Assembly Poll
UKD holds meeting
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 19
As part of preparations for the coming Assembly elections, the local unit of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) today met at their party office situated on the Kutchery Road.

The meeting asked the workers aspiring for ticket to submit their claims latest by November 30.

Presiding over the meeting, UKD president, Dehradun, NK Gusain, called upon the party office- bearers to take the UKD’s policies and programmes to the people. He said the party workers must go for a door-to-door canvassing and apprise people of the commendable work done by the party for the betterment of the state.

Gusain also asked the party workers, who aspire for a ticket from constituencies falling in Dehradun, to submit their applications along with a demand draft of Rs 5000 latest by November 30. He also took opportunity to announce appointment of KP Topwal as the officiating president of the party for Dehradun district.

General Secretary, Dehradun, Lalit Negi said the people of the state were unhappy with both, the BJP and the Congress, and were now in a mood to give the UKD a chance. He asked the UKD workers to highlight the misdeeds of the ruling-BJP government before the people.

BJP workers perform yajna, Cong men purify rally venue
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, November 19
The BJP and the Congress activists were once again at loggerheads today. The Congress workers went to the Rishikul ground where a BJP rally was held yesterday. In retaliation, the BJP workers went to the stadium at BHEL Sector-3 where the “Bhanda phor” rally of the Congress was organised yesterday.

The activists from both the parties performed rituals at both the venues. The BJP workers, led by divisional chief of the party Manoj Garg, performed a ‘buddhi shuddhi’ yajna, as they felt the place had been made impure by the presence of several Congress ministers who were involved in corruption cases.

Garg, addressing the party workers after the yajna, said: “Several Congress cabinet ministers are in prison. Their national president, Sonia Gandhi, is against Jan Lokpal Bill and bringing back black money to India from foreign bank. So by holding a rally against the anti-corruption drive of Advani, they have made impure the soil of the stadium”.

In retaliation, the Congress workers thronged Rishikul Ground (venue for Advani’s rally) and went a step ahead as they cleaned the venue with water and cow dung.

Elated at the act, the Youth Congress activists reasoned that the holy place, where students had been learning Sanskrit and Ayurveda, the very presence of Advani, involved in Ayodhya incident, Hawala scam, and Madan Kaushik, who gulped crores while being the Mahakumbh Mela in charge, had affected the sanctity of the sacred place.

Other political parties condemned the retaliation shown by both the parties. Uttarakhand Kranti Dal district leader Uday Ram Semwal remarked, “ Since both the leaders of the parties don’t have a vision and development-oriented thinking, we can only expect such rotten acts from their workers.”

While, Bahujan Samaj Party’s former district chief Madan Lal expressed shock to the degrading tactics opted by the two national party activists, adding that the BSP activists had never resorted to such negative acts.

BJP leader should speak on CAG report, says MP
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, November 19
Congress MP from Almora Pradeep Tamta said here yesterday that LK Advani, during his tour of the state, should speak on the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) which had taken cognizance of Rs 300 crore scam during the Mahakumbh at Haridwar and Rs 250 crore scandal in disaster relief by the BJP state government.

”The BJP is keeping double standard on the CAG report, whereas it has stopped the parliament session on the CAG report on the Commonwealth Games but has kept mum on the scandals of their own government in Uttarakhand,” charged Tamta.

The MP alleged that the BJP government in the state had been involved in various corruption cases over last five years of its misrule in the state and its ministers had been befooling the people on the issue of increasing the infrastructure facilities in the rural areas, while the entire money for the rural infrastructure had come from the Union Government.

“Till date, we can identify nearly 419 cases of corruption in five years, which will be the focal point of our election issues,” said Tamta.

Tamta further said his party would contest the coming Assembly elections in the state on development, employment generation and self- sufficiency of villages of the hill areas of the state besides the issues of corruption indulged in by the state BJP government in last five years.

The Almora MP said Congress president Sonia Gandhi had promised to get a green signal to the construction of railway line from Tanakpur to Bageshwar and Jauljibi on a priority basis.

City-centric web portal launched

Dehradun, November 19
A web portal, www.datelinedehradun.com, was launched today at a function held here today.

Dr S Farooq, president of Uttarakhand Chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Director- General of Police, Aloke Lal, launched the portal with a brief Power Point Presentation. The function was attended by students from various institutions and colleges.

The city-centric web portal is the brainchild of Raj Kanwar, a veteran journalist and a prominent citizen. Dateline Dehradun is a unique web portal which will highlight almost everything about the city, its people and its main institutions and schools that have made Dehradun the most talked about city in the country.

Kanwar told mediapersons that history would be a strong point of the content of the portal. The origin and growth over the years of Dehradun’s leading institutions such as ONGC, FRI, Indian Military Academy, Survey of India, RIMC, The Doon School, the two Welham Schools and 50 other reputed organisations would be its main feature. According to Kanwar, the portal will also have exclusive modules on prominent citizens and leading families, schools and colleges, hotels and restaurants, places of tourists’ interest in general and adventure sports in particular. Special stories of valour by Doonites and others in the armed forces will find a pride of place in the portal.

Other modules will showcase the achievements of Doon’s many women of substance. It will also underscore the achievements of its residents in fields such as academic, sports, music and entertainment. In short, the portal will be a show-window of its people and their contribution in diferent fields. — TNS

Value education on age care stressed
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 19
Helpage India organised a convergence meeting today with different segments of the Education Department, Uttarakhand, to explore the possible interventions to include “Value education on age care” in the state curriculum here.

Chief guest Chandra Singh Gwal, Director, Education, Uttarakhand, inaugurated the programme with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp. In his address, he said the inclusion of value education on age care in the curriculum was necessary. Values must be inculcated in the children through different co-curricular and cultural activities, he stated.

Dr HS Bakshi, National Director (Advocacy), HelpAge India, said there was an increasingly growing unrest and deterioration in values, quoting the lines from Mathew Arnold’s famous poem Dover Beach. He further informed about the national and international initiatives for mainstreaming the age-care values.

Also, Dr Aapga Singh, State Head (Uttarakhand), Helpage India, shared the ageing scenario of the country. Few short documentaries were also screened o the occasion

Participants from the Education Directorate, State Council for Education Research and Training from Narendra Nagar, State Institute of Educational Management and Training, Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and Principals of different government inter-colleges were present at the meeting.

During the workshop, it was unanimously agreed upon that through different co-curricular activities like exhibitions, plays and various other activities could be increased among the younger generation.

The programme was conducted by Dr Aapga Singh and Madhuri Negi, Deputy Director, Education, Mudit Dabral and Krishna Avtar coordinated it.

Revenue village status sought for Bindukhatta
Tribune News Service

Nainital, November 19
Under the leadership of Union minister Harish Rawat, Congress men have approached state Governor Margaret Alva on the plight of residents of the Bindukhatta area of Nainital district.

Nearly 70,000 persons of this area have been struggling for basic amenities over the past three decades. They have been trying to get the status of a revenue village for their area.

Congress men have brought to the notice of the Governor that the area was a Kham land till 1966 when it was declared a reserved forest by the then Uttar Pradesh Government through a gazette notification despite the fact that it was reserved for settling the victims of natural disasters in the hills and the landless people. It was known as Bindukheda and the Hans Prem Ashram of Satpal Maharaj existed since the decade of fifties.

It was in 1980-81 that the landless people formed the Bhumihin Sangathan Avam Vikas Samiti to put forth their grievances and needs before the administration.

They claimed that it was during the regime of former Chief Minister ND Tiwari that the development was witnessed in the form of electrification, the opening of a primary health centre (PHC), Government Inter-college, the installation of hand pumps and the metalling of roads. But the dream of getting the status of a revenue village has continued to be a mirage.

The Congress men have told the Governor that in the absence of being a revenue village, the people are not getting the benefits enshrined under the institution of the Panchayati Raj despite their being voters of the Lok Sabha and the state Assembly. It was underlined that people have to run from pillar to post for small things like obtaining a birth or death certificate along with other documents.

They said several meetings regarding this had taken place both at the Central and state levels and surveys were carried out in 1993-94 by the Uttar Pradesh Rajasva Parishad. But nothing concrete has been done to resolve the problems of the people.

It was brought to the notice of the Governor that a large number of people across the state are residing in small Khattas and earning their livelihood through subsistence farming and dairy activities.

They said despite the Centre calling for proposals from the state government for making these Khattas proper revenue villages, the state government has failed to respond in the desired manner.

The Congress men demanded Alva’s intervention on the matter. According to Rawat, the Governor has stated that the required information will be obtained from the state government in the next 15 days and steps would be be initiated for the constitution of revenue villages.

Science exhibition held
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 19
The annual art, craft and science exhibition was organised at The Heritage School here today. The Principal of the school B Gill inaugurated the event.

The students exhibited their talent through flower baskets, decorative diyas, scrap books, wall hangings, tray and cushion covers, lamp shades, block paintings and many more. The exhibits were excellent and showed the hard work put in by the children and the teachers. Science models of human heart, security system, know-your-luck, Newton’s disc, solar cooker and many more have been displayed.

Probe sought into killings of tribesmen

Dehradun, November 19
After previous day’s gunning down of two Tharu community members at Khatima in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand, the Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Mahasabha today sought a judicial probe into the incident.

Dispatching a memorandum to Governor Margaret Alva, the mahasabha held both BJP and the Congress responsible for the shootout. Mahasabha President Purshottam Sharma said a long dispute between Tharus and non-Tharus exist in the Terai region of Udham Singh Nagar but there had been no sincere efforts to find a solution to the dispute. — TNS