Accidents claim nine more lives in Kumaon
Tribune News Service

Nainital, December 19
Fatal accidents continue to take place across Kumaon. Nine more persons have lost their lives over the past 24 hours in various road accidents in Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital districts.

In the first instance, 76-year-old Soban Singh of Simayal Quarail was killed when the car in which he was travelling from Mauna to Nathuakhan in the Bhimtal area of Nainital district fell into a gorge. Four others were injured in the accident who were sent to the Base Hospital in Almora for treatment.

On Sunday evening, a speeding minibus going from Jaspur to Thakurdwara overturned in Kashipur killing two passengers.

Those killed have been identified as Sabir Husain and Noor Hasan of Sarvarkheda village.

Both of them are learnt to have died on the spot. In another accident in the Sultanpur Patti area of Udham Singh Nagar district, 37-year-old Rajesh Kumar was killed when the motorcycle on which he was riding pillion collided head-on with a truck.

He was going to Bazpur along with his relative Soni for distributing the latter’s marriage invitation cards.

In yet another instance reported from Kitcha, two persons were killed when the tractor trolley in which they were travelling collided with a truck making it to overturn on the Haldwani road. The deceased have been identified as 20-year-old Durga Prasad of Anandpur Mod and 18-year-old Sanjay of Shantipuri.

Meanwhile, a cyclist was crushed to death in Gadarpur by a speeding bus. It is learnt that 42-year-old Babu Lal Biswas was run over by a

bus near Bhakhra bridhe killing him on the spot.

In a similar incident reported from Sitarganj, 42-year-old Sunita Devi was crushed by a speeding mini truck.

The accident took place on the cardboard manufacturing unit premises where she was employed.

In yet another accident involving a tractor trolley, 30-year-old mechanic Joga Singh was run over when he was repairing another tractor. 

Johra takes over as chief of Haridwar Municipal
Committee
Corporation administrator Pendiyan quits
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 19
After the Nainital High Court order of reinstating the abolished Haridwar Municipal Committee, today administrator of the erstwhile Municipal Corporation Senthyl Pendiyan resigned from the post, handing over the charge once again to elected chairperson of the committee Kamal Johra.

With this once again the city got its municipal committee status back, which was elevated to municipal corporation a few months back. Also, the abolished committee started working under the palika norms and procedures.

Taking over charge, Kamal Johra termed it as a victory of truth, thanking the legal court for assuring that the democratically elected committee’s tenure was not curtailed midway.

Johra blamed Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik for deliberately trying to hamper the smooth working of the committee. “Kaushik had no support from the palika councilllors, including the BJP ones,” said Johra. He also lamented that though Kaushik was a local legislator and having an important portfolio of urban development, he had been the main hurdle in the development of Haridwar, due to his “anti-committee stance.”

Meanwhile, with taking of charge, the atmosphere in the municipal committee building was jovial, with councillors coming with musical bands and their supporters raising slogans of victory and against Madan Kaushik.

Ashok Sharma, councillor from Kankhal, distributed sweets, terming the court’s decision as landmark, and on this point sought the resignation of. Co-administrator of Municipal Corporation Jyoti Yadav said that now the whole structure of the corporation would 
be revived again as municipal committee.

Ambulance staff go on indefinite strike
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 19
More than 500 field employees of the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Emergency 108 Ambulance services today went on an indefinite stir protesting against the non-fulfillment of their six-point charter of demands, paralysing emergency services in the state.

Expressing inability to fulfil the demands, the state government has cited budget constraints.

“We have tried to reason out with the employees but they are refusing to budge from their stand.

As a result of the strike, the services were badly affected in the state. “Out of the total 310 calls received today, we were able to attend to only 90 emergency cases,” said Manish Tinku, the state Head, 108 Emergency Ambulance Services.

The main demands of the employees include pay parity with the state government employees, food facilities at the site of work, reduction of working hours and their union demands recognition by the government.

As a last resort, the management has issued warning to the striking employees to call off their stir and report by morning or face suspension.

Due to the strike, the management had to run 10 ambulances manned by the reserve staff.

Haridwar: The entire field medical staff of the popular 108-EMRI on wheel ambulance went on an indefinite strike from today, affecting the medical services in the district.

Particularly in the rural and tough terrain regions, the impact of the strike was evident as patients were seen being ferried on private vehicles to the hospitals.

108-mobile ambulances remained stationed at CCR towers, general hospital and Jwalapur with field staff employees protesting just in front of these ambulances.

Sunil Bidla, vice-chief of the Dev Bhoomi EMRI Employees Welfare Society, said they had earlier also submitted a six-point demand letter to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister but no action was taken on the assurances by the government.

As a result, the field employees decided to stay away from their office though they accepted that this would have an impact on the medical services in the district.

Secretary of the society Pradeep Bisht blamed the state government, saying that they worked in tough conditions, round the clock so its the government’s duty to provide them best of facilities and listen to their woes.

Former EMRI CEO Anup Nautiyal said its unfortunate that the field staff had to resort to agitation but hoped that soon their demands would be met and they be back to their work.

Saint starts agitation in support of quarrying

Haridwar, December 19
In a major twist in the ongoing pro and anti-quarrying issue, Saint Baba Balak Das Nirmohi today started an agitation at the district general hospital by confining himself in one of the wards in support of quarrying.

Nirmohi said he would be agitating for the cause of the villagers whose livelihood was getting affected due to the anti-quarrying prohibitory notification issued by the state government.

Notably, the saint was forcefully shifted from the agitation site on Saturday night to the hospital citing medical reasons. He, however, submitted in writing that he was well, as per the doctor’s report. When the administration did not allow him to leave the hospital, he started an agitation by locking himself in one of the wards.

Meanwhile, another set of villagers and saints are agitating at the venue alongside Ganga canal under the banner of the Chugan Kholo Sangharsh Samiti.

Earlier, the state Union Minister for Agriculture, Harish Rawat, and former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had also met the pro-quarrying agitators, agreeing with them that a legalised manual quarrying was imperative while assuring them of taking the matter at the higher level. — TNS

Panwar lashes out at BJP
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 18
The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Panwar) held its district-level convention here today where party president Trivender Singh Panwar lashed out at the BJP.

He said: “The BJP is using different ploys to show the UKD in bad light but the public has decided to give power in the able hands of the UKD (P) this time. The BJP has lost out on the issues of domicile certificate, migration and unemployment. The stalwarts of the BJP, Chief Minister BC Khanduri and former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank are dreaming to contest from the plains as they have failed the people of the hill regions. The public has learnt their lesson and decided to vote in favour of the UKD.”

District president NK Gusain said the presence of a big gathering at the convention had indicated the strong credentials of the party. 

3 food processing units okayed
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 19
Out of a total of nine proposals pertaining to the setting up of food processing units, three proposals were given a go-ahead by the state steering committee on Horticulture.

Among the proposals that were given a go-ahead include Cocksure Frozen Food Private Limited (Nainital).

The unit would be set up at Kotbagh in Nainital at the cost of Rs 12.70 crore. The Centre is expected to provide funds to the tune of Rs 4 crore.

A total of 100 individuals are expected to get indirect employment and 25 would be able to get direct employment.

Besides, the proposal to modernise the fruits and vegetables market (mandi) at Haldwani at the cost of Rs 651.46 lakh was also approved. Also having got an approval is a market at Haridwar to be set up a the cost of 799.19 lakh. 

Sink differences, minister tells Cong workers
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 19
Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat said today that if party men shed their personal interests and help the party candidate win rather than opposing him and creating hurdles for him, the party would make a clean sweep in the Haridwar Assembly segments. He also urged party men to stop promoting factionalism.

Rawat stated this during the ‘Parivartan pad yatra’ at Jwalapur today, where hundreds of party workers were present.

Rawat was accompanied by a large number of party activists and probable candidates during the on foot yatra that was flagged off from Pull Jatwada in Jwalapur. Party leaders of the respective colonies welcomed the procession by organising meetings at important intersections of the yatra route. The party leaders were seen actively taking part in the procession and also motivating each other to tread as much as one can.

Rawat urged party workers to concentrate on the rural segments as a substantial percentage of voters reside in these areas and the issue of the lack of development during the BJP-led state government could be raised there.

Former legislator Ambrish Kumar said the yatra would pass through Shyampur Rishikesh and conclude in Dehradun, where party national general secretary Rahul Gandhi would be addressing a mega rally on December 23.Peasant’s wing chief Poonam Bhagat, former municipal chairperson Satpal Brahamchari, Youth Congress chief Anand Rawat and his sister Anupama were also present.

BSP, SP take lead, announce candidates
Rajeev Khanna

Nainital, December 19
While the two major parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are witnessing turmoil with regard to the allocation of party ticket to potential contestants for the coming Assembly poll, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) have taken a lead of sorts by having already announced candidates for several seats and proceeding ahead with their campaign.

Showing better organisational skills as compared to their political counterparts, the BSP and the SP have devised a strategy for contesting the poll. While the SP is aiming to get a firm foothold in the state by changing the mindset of the voters, particularly those residing in the hill areas who view the party as a force opposed to the very creation of Uttarakhand, the BSP, after having done considerably well in the previous two elections in the plain areas of the state, is now aiming to climb up the hills. In fact, the BSP has demonstrated the best political foresight with regard to the coming poll. It has been the first party to have started announcing candidates for the poll. These announcements had come almost a year back, thus giving maximum time to the ticket holders to devise their campaign strategies and start executing it.

It was way back in August last year that the party took serious note of the fact that although its rallies and public functions were very well attended, the numbers do not convert into votes. Senior party leader and a member of the Mayawati Cabinet in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh, Ram Achal Rajbhar, had sat down together to come over this hurdle.

Interestingly, the BSP leadership has shown the inclination for having a centralised structure in place in the party. Its leaders are of the opinion that greater the number of wings of a political party, greater are the chances of infighting. Upbeat over the party’s performance in the political arena over the last 25 years since its inception, the leaders are using this as an instrument to boost the morale of its workers.

The party leadership had already started analysing the demographic profile of various Assembly segments several months back in the view of the scenario emerging after delimitation. In the outgoing Assembly, the BSP has eight legislators from Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts.

The SP too has been quick to decide upon its candidates for the poll. According to a senior party leader, “Instead of focusing on contesting more seats, we want to concentrate on seats where we have a strong winning chance.”

Party heavyweight and its candidate from Haldwani Abdul Mateen Siddiqui told The Tribune, “We are aiming for the role of a kingmaker and want to have 10 to 15 members in the next Assembly.”

Party leaders claim that the new delimitation has provided the party with a chance to make its presence felt in the next Assembly.

Both the BSP and the SP have been strongly taking up the issues pertaining to their voter base that is mainly concentrated in the plain areas of the state. An example of this is the decision of the state government to repeal a government order (GO) that had made one of the three regional Pahari languages mandatory for those seeking employment in the class IV category.

Apart from these, the two parties have been coming out with criticism of the manner in which the BJP and the Congress have ruled the state in the past 11 years.

Didihat woman’s body found in Bihar hotel
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, December 19
The body of a woman, who had disappeared from her home in a village of Didihat subdivision, has been found at a hotel in Hazipur district of Bihar. “The Bihar police has said her body was found hanging from a ceiling fan in a room of a hotel. It had some injury marks,” said Rajiv Mohan, circle officer of Didihat.

According to the police, the 21-year-old woman, Tanuza Kanyal, who was a daughter of an ex-serviceman, had disappeared from her home on November 17. Her relatives received a telephone call from her that she had eloped along with Rakesh Kumar, a jawan of the SSB, deputed in Didihat, and had got married in a temple near Almora. “When the members of her family reached the spot they found the couple had already fled from there. Her father lodged a FIR with the Didihat revenue police about her disappearance on December 14,” said the police.

The Hazipur police has also informed the Didihat police that the room in which the body was found was booked in the name of Tanuza and Rakesh who claimed to be husband 
and wife. 

3 held with leopard skins, bear bile

Pithoragarh, December 19
The police today arrested three youths near Wadda town and seized three leopard skins and two bear bile from their possession. They have been arrested under the Wildlife Protection Act.

The Pithoragarh SP said this was the second such incident in the past two days. Earlier, two youths were arrested with a leopard skin. The SP said on a tip-off that some persons were trying to smuggle three leopard skins and other organs of wild animals, the police alerted its special operation group to arrest the culprits. The accused were arrested near the town after the police intercepted their vehicle in which they were carrying the leopard skins and other organs of wild animals. “All accused are locals and have confessed to have killed the animals,” said the police.

The police added that it was now taking the help of the Wildlife Control Bureau and had invited teams of the bureau along with a team of the Intelligence Bureau to keep tabs on the network of animals’ organs smugglers. — OC

Providing education to labourers’ children
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 19
In this era of costly school education even at the kindergarten level, it’s quite an uphill task for the below-poverty-line people and labourers living in slum colonies to provide eduction to their children.

But, in Haridwar, a society has taken an initiative to provide primary schooling free of cost to such children who otherwise in normal circumstances would not even have seen the face of school or even touched notebooks.

At Kankhal, a forum of people, including teachers, retired educationists, ex-servicemen and house makers, have joined hands to start a school for children from such neglected sections of society.

Under the name of Ayushman Jan Kalyan Society, the members of the forum have started teaching children at a rented house in Kankhal.

Initially, it was quite tough to even bring these children to school even for playing purpose only, as a majority of the labourers clearly stated that when they didn’t even have money for two meals a day, how can they sustain education of their children.

Madhu Chaudhary, chief of the society, told The Tribune that initially they tried to groom the children and later started educating them.

“Now, we have more than 24 minors who all are from very poor families, mostly of labour class. But, now seeing the change in their children’s lives, they happily send them to our school,” said Madhu.

Former deputy director of the agriculture Department, Rajasthan, AP Singh said Chaudhary’s idea to open such a school for labourers’ children looked fascinating to them and now they were planning to have a full-time high school for this segment only. A social activist, FK Hashmi, is also assisting them in this noble work.

The efforts of this society were also appreciated by former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, who also assured it of allocation of government land. The administration has almost finalised a piece of land for this school.

House makers Chaya Khushwaha, Pratibha, Geeta Devi, Neena and teenager Ganga Sharan, all from the nearby colonies, are voluntarily contributing their services for four or five hours for the school.

Seeing the efforts of the forum, several local citizens are themselves coming forward to support the school cause in whatever way they can.

When we can spend 100 bucks on just a pizza then surely we can provide pencils and other stationery to these poor children, said Rajat Aggarwal, a youngster associated with this social cause.