Efforts on to upgrade passenger amenities at railway station
Dehradun, March 25
To upgrade passenger amenities, efforts are on at the Dehradun railway station these days. Though the station authorities rue delay in fund releases by the department for upgrading the infrastructure, the installation of electronic display system at several places of the railway stations has.

An electronic display board being put up at Dehradun Railway station. A Tribune photograph

Dehradun, March 25
In a bizarre incident, 6 labourers died and 18 others were injured when an under-construction bridge caved in at Chauras near Srinagar falling in Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand early morning today.

The incident happened around 4 am. The labourers were taken by surprise by sudden caving-in of the under-construction Chauras brige on the Alaknanda river resulting in the immediate death of six labourers. The other 18 injured were rushed to base hospital, Srinagar. One of the seriously injured was later airlifted to Combined Medical Institute Hospital, Dehradun, on the orders of the Chief Minister.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who himself visited the site of mishap along with Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Food Processing and Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. He has also directed for speedy relief operations.

The Chief Minister has also announced an ex gratia of Rs 1 lakh for the family of the deceased from his discretionary fund. He also announced Rs 50,000 for seriously injured and Rs 25,000 for others injured in the mishap. Bahuguna also directed for strict action against those responsible for the incident. The Chief Minister has also ordered for a review of the quality of construction of the bridges in the state.

According to District Magistrate, Pauri, MC Upreti, relief works have been started on a war footing and adequate medical assistance is being provided to the injured. He said the reasons behind the mishap were still to be ascertained. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Governor Margaret Alva has expressed deep shock and grief at the loss of lives in the Chauras Bridge mishap incident. The Governor has prayed for the peace of the departed souls and also for the speedy recovery of those injured in the accident.

Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj had described the Chauras bridge mishap incident as the most unfortunate.

Expressing his condolences to the bereaved family members of the deceased, Maharaj has sought immediate relief to the affected. Harish Rawat, Uttarakhand Cabinet Ministers Indira Hridyesh and Mantri Prasad Naithani have also expressed grief over the incident.

Mussoorie, March 25
The campaign to demolish an illegally erected tin shed on the property of Waqf Board no 22 to 29 at Butcher khana resulted in a brawl in which four persons were injured in Mussoorie yesterday. One person injured grievously was rushed to Doon Hospital where he is recuperating from the attack on him by Waqf Board members, who had come to demolish the illegal construction here.

The residents of Butcher khana also alleged that the Waqf Board members were demanding graft amount in lieu of the tin shed constructed in Butcher Khana a year ago and when refused, they attacked them with sharp weapons, resulting in injury to four persons. The police rushed to the spot and calmed down the situation and took both sides into it's custody to avoid any untoward incident further. Three persons were admitted in hospital in Mussoorie.

The resident, Arshad Ahmed, informed the media that while he was eating in his house, a few members from Waqf Board came at the site where the alleged tin shed was erected by him a year back and started demanding Rs 1 lakh. They threatened demolition of the structure. Arshad Ahmed also alleged that Waqf Board members, showing him a fake notice, began the demolition exercise, and when his brother Zulfikar Ahmed protested, the board members, hurling abuses, attacked him with sharp weapons, injuring him grievously. He further said that hearing the clamour, the family rushed out to ascertain what was happening but the board members, who were accompanied by several goons wielding sticks, did not spare them and thrashed them sporadically with the intention to harm them physically. They saved their lives only after the other residents around the area gathered and somehow pacified the Waqf Board members and summoned the police.

Arshad Ahmed and his family demanded strict action against the members involved in the act from the higher authorities in the state Waqf Board. They also alleged that the Waqf members, instead of repairing and maintaining the Waqf property that has been donated for the poor by good Samaritans, were harassing the poor residents in the name of rent and other taxes from time to time.

When contacted, Arshad Ali, the secretary of the Waqf Board, Mussoorie, said that he had reached the site after receiving several complaints and notice that was served through proper channels in this case by the SDM. He also informed the media that the said resident had refused to pay the taxes and the due rent to the board and was indulging in illegal construction without any prior permission of the board, forcing them to carry out the demolition exercise yesterday.

Refuting the claims of demanding graft, Arshad Ali further said that on the contrary they were attacked by the residents of Butcher khana and they had to run for their lives.

He also said that the some encroachers had ignited the issue due to vested reasons and he had sent the report to the higher authorities on the whole matter. He also said that the property was meant for poor and not for the encroachers who failed to even pay petty water and electricity bills to the board.

Mussoorie, March 25
It took one death to awaken Pey Jal Nigam, the department assigned with the task to lay sewerage pipeline in the town, to finally remove the mud debris accumulated on the road from Picture Palace to Landour Bazaar today. The residents of Mussoorie had blamed the erratic work of the nigam as main reason for the untimely death of the dhaba owner, who was crushed to death under a speeding vehicle in Mussoorie yesterday.

The Pey Jal Nigam, under immense public pressure, got it's act together and began the cleaning of mud debris from the sides of road at a frantic pace, beginning late night until today evening from the where the fateful accident occurred that lead to loss of one life yesterday.

However, the department was yet to remove the mud debris that has been accumulated at the other roads, namely at Landour Bazaar,Bala Hisar, Municipal Council Road, Chaman Estate, Camel's Back Road, Tehri Bypass Road etc.

The agitated residents of Mussoorie lamented the fact that they had been warning about the possibility of an untoward incident occurring due to the strewn debris in several meetings, that were presided by DM, Dehradun, and SDM, Mussoorie, in the past but their plea fell on deaf ears.

The secretary of the trader’s association Javed Khan, saddened by the whole incident, informed the media that his organisation had warned the local administration about the imminent dangers due to the strewn debris just a day before the incident occurred but no action was initiated.

Surendar Rana, president of Garden Welfare Association, rued the fact that maximum roads of the town had been damaged due to the sewerage project but there was no authority to monitor the work being carried out under Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) amounting to around 60 crores.

Rajat Agarwal, the president of the traders' association, said that when "we were raising the issue the concerned department took it lightly as if it had to take a death of one person to awaken them from the slumber which was really unfortunate." He further said that the role of Mussoorie Municipal Council was under question as it was frontrunner in taking mileage from the sewerage project by displaying it's name on the signboards at the project sites in the town but backed out from any responsibility after the occurrence of any such untoward incident.

It is worth mentioning that one life has already been lost due to the erratic work on the sewerage project in the past where a woman had lost her life near Kingcraig Road under similar circumstances.

Meanwhile, when the Pey Jal Nigam officials were contacted they said that the incident that led to loss of life of one person yesterday was due to fault in the vehicle and not the debris strewn at the road.

However, they have removed the debris from the area and instructed their contractors to stop all the work and remove the debris from all the roads in the town so that Public Works Department (PWD) can begin the work of paving the road in the largest interest of the people of Mussoorie.

On the other hand, the grieving members of the family cremated the body of the deceased, who was the victim of the fateful incident at Haridwar today.

Dehradun, March 25
The development work is progressing fast in Gobindgarh (ward 57) under councillor Surender Singh Kukreja, who gets strong support from former Speaker and senior BJP leader Harbans Kapoor in executing development project in the area.

Ten new tube wells and sewerage lines laid down by the Asian Development Bank, new electricity poles, carpeted roads and a footpath costing Rs 52 lakh in most of the area vouch for the work done by the councillor.

However, the big challenge for him is to get 250 m nullah, stretching from Rajiv Colony to Shanti Vihar, widened. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 70 lakh. Kukreja said, “A lot of work regarding the widening has been done under the project, barring a part which will cost Rs 30 lakh.

The tender process of the nullah work worth Rs 10 lakh has been initiated by the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC). A sum of Rs 10 lakh will be contributed by Harbans Kapoor and Rs 10 lakh more will be needed to complete it. I am hopeful that I will be able to get this project completed within a year.”

The nullah has made life a hell for the residents. Madan Sharma, a resident, said, “The water from Mussoorie overflows in the nullah and reaches dangerous levels during the rainy season. It was last year that a section of the nullah broke due to the mounting water pressure and the water spilled over the roads. It looked like a gushing river and it had become dangerous to wade through it.”

Subhash Bhandari, another resident, complained of congested bridge between Gobindgarh and Khudbuda, which had become a cause of nuisance for the residents. He said, “Vehicles are parked in the narrow bridge all day. In evening, the fish sellers sit here and throw the discarded piece of meat. The place stenches awfully and it becomes so dirty that it gets difficult to commute here.” Kukreja said since the bridge fell between two wards, he could not interfere beyond a point. CK Verma complained of blockage of water from Chakrata to Rajiv Colony. “There is no drainage system between Chakrata to Rajiv Colony because of which the water gets blocked and creates myriad problems for the residents. Now the project has been taken over and we hope this problem will solve now forever.”

Bhagwan Sharma, a resident, demanded for a community hall in the area. He said, “We have two community halls in the ward area but they are situated in slum colonies, Azad Colony and Chander Shekhar Colony. Therefore, we need it in our area so that we can organise social functions on the premises.”

THE newly formed Congress government led by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna faces an uphill task to govern the state in the coming days. Apart from the political instability that has cast a shadow since the very beginning on the state Congress government, it will be facing host of problems to fulfil its election promises.

The Congress has mustered a majority by getting the support of three Independents, three Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) members and the lone Utarakhand Kranti Dal ( Panwar) legislator. In the bargain to grab power, two Independents, one UKD (P) and one BSP legislator have been made ministers in the Bahuguna ministry.

The rebellion by a powerful faction led by Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Food Processing and Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat has added to the woes of Chief Minister Vijay Bahguna. The political developments and events since Vijay Bahuguna took oath as Chief Minister do not augur well for the Congress as well as the state government.

Since the announcement of the state Assembly results on March 6, the senior Congress leaders have been seen fighting for the post of Chief Minister and then for ministerial berths as the governance was severely hit. The entire state has been reeling under a power crisis with long power cuts in the capital city of Dehradun.

People across the state are worst sufferers. But none seems to be worried in the ruling Congress. The people of the state watched the drama enacted by the state Congress leaders where 17 party legislators owing allegiance to Harish Rawat sat on a dharna for the past 10 days in New Delhi as the helpless Congress high command watched.

The development works in the entire state had come to a halt in the last week of December 2011 following the imposition of the model code of conduct prior to the state Assembly elections held on January 30, 2011. But the people of the state who voted for a new government were greatly disappointed at the turn of events after the poll.

A truce has been called between warring Congress factions as a compromise has probably been arrived at the distribution of offices under the new dispensation. The Congress is also expected to win the vote of confidence on the floor of the state Assembly in the coming days but has lost credibility in public.

Dehradun, March 25
The tender process for power banking for the next financial year has begun at Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL). Anil Kumar, Executive Director (Commercial), UPCL, said: "The corporation has invited tenders to buy 100 MW for the month of April, 50 MW for the month of May and 50 MW for June."

The corporation, which gets surplus power generation during monsoon, is intending to give 100 MW each for three months during July, August and September on banking. It is also liable to return 150 MW to Sri Cement Company and 150 MW to Punjab. Besides this, it will also return 50 MW to West Bengal next month.

Kumar said the corporation would also buy 50 MW for the month of October, 150 MW for November, 250 MW for December, 300 MW for January, 200 MW for February and 150 MW for March.

Keeping the steep increase in demand during winter, when the power generation from Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL), a state government undertaking for hydroelectric projects, becomes as low as 9 million units per day, a drastic reduction from 20-22 MU during rainy season, power banking or purchase from private sources becomes a necessity.

Kumar said the UPCL management was also intending to begin bidding for long-time purchase entailing two to three years.

UPCL had made unprecedented expenditure of Rs 117.15 cr on power purchase from the open market which added to the total expenditure of Rs 302.18 cr on the power purchase only in January.