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Eventful stint that lent charm to Governor's post
Guard of honour for outgoing Governor
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UTC suffers massive loss of revenue
Govt hospitals without night shelters; patients suffer
Traders to oppose plan on eco-fee collection centre
Drinking water crisis in Mussoorie
Cases filed by teachers in courts
Charter of demands submitted to Ayush director
Rural women get jute bag-making training
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Eventful stint that lent charm to Governor's post
Dehradun, May 10 “The time that I spent here was a learning experience as for the first time I switched from an active political career over to a gubernatorial post. The quietude allowed me to recharge my batteries and even spare some time for working on my biography. The opus would be an insight on the contemporary history that unfolded before me. I had the privilege of working under former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi and Narasimha Rao,” she said while speaking with The Tribune. While the biography will be out only after she retires, Alva is tightlipped about the contents of the book that is expected to even delve on the emergency period when her husband was also jailed. Not content to lead a gilded life, Alva’s passion for art and conservation saw her pursue the commissioning of the restoration work at the Governor House in Nainital, which she visited during her summer retreat. “I am satisfied with the way things fell in place. The assistance by the Central Government of Rs 11.35 crore sanctioned under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) will bring back Raj Bhavan to its old glory. The services of a restorer have been enlisted but it will take at least two-and-a-half years for the restoration and conservation work to be complete. But, once complete, it will be worthy of the efforts that saw me going through piles of junk stored in the sooty almirahs of Raj Bhavan and arranging important artifacts,” revealed Alva. But her other project of a cultural centre in Dehradun taking shape any time soon is uncertain despite the announcement made on the 10th anniversary of the state. “I had visualised a society running a centre with the Governor as an ex-officio chairman on the lines of India International Centre but the then BJP government was hesitant and wanted to have a complete government control,”
said Alva who will be sworn in as the Governor of Rajasthan on May 12. Despite her numerous run-ins with the BJP government Chief Ministers, the desire to do her bit for the people of the state saw her playing an active role in the social arena. “In fact, after I was told that 70 per cent of the women in Uttarakhand suffered from prolapsed uterus, I requested the authorities of the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust to conduct a study and hopefully they would also generate awareness and provide outreach care,” said Alva. This project and night shelters for street girls to come up in Dehradun with the help of the ONGC are the parting gifts of
Governor Margaret Alva who deftly navigated through the rough and tumble of Uttarakhand politics with a practised ease of a pro.
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Guard of honour for outgoing Governor
Dehradun, May 10 The Governor spoke to mediapersons on the occasion and said she had enjoyed every moment of her tenure in Uttarakhand and would carry memories of the place with her. “Uttarakhand is a very beautiful and peaceful state and should be kept that way. A lot has yet to be done as far as development is concerned. I hope that the government will ensure development and make it an ideal state,” she said. Alva said though she was known for working for women issues, she worked for all people. I am not only a Governor for women but for all,” she said. Alva prayed that the Devbhumi be always blessed by God. Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain, Governor’s Principal Secretary Ashok Pai, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests RBS Rawat, Governor’s Additional Secretary Sachin Kurve and Minister for Planning and Youth Welfare Dinesh Aggarwal were among those present on the occasion. The Governor and her family left for the railway station where she was given the guard of honour by the PAC. Many senior officers, politicians and eminent citizens were present at the station to bid her a warm farewell.
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Brief stopover at Haridwar
Haridwar, May 10 Alva, who is now appointed the Governor of Rajasthan, halted for 20 minutes as her special coach was linked with Ahmedabad mail. A large number of Congress workers and with local residents thronged the railway station to greet and see the Governor. Speaking briefly to mediapersons, Alva said her tenure as Governor of Uttarakhand was a memorable and fruitful one. She pointed out that she got to learn a lot in her tenure and was all praise for the local people support. On social issues such as child labour, dowry, foeticide and corruption, she said the mass awakening was needed to curb such practices, urging the respective state governments to look into such aspects. Several mementos were given to Alva by various organisations for which she expressed deep gratitude. In view of high-profile visit of Alva, a special security cordon was
placed on the station premises with SSP Arun Mohan Joshi himself moniotoring the whole proceedings. A bomb disposal squad was in place with elite commandos deputed at strategic points, while frisking of the passengers at the entrance was being done since morning.
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UTC suffers massive loss of revenue
Dehradun, May 10 Rajasthan Transport Corporation (RTC) plying in the state has exceeded much beyond 34, a number mutually decided by both the corporations under an agreement signed in 2006. RTC is expected to be plying around 70 buses in the state and has proposed for further approval of 100 buses. UTC has opposed the move. General Manager, UTC, Deepak Jain, said: “UTC has lodged it's protest to RTC over the increased number of buses RTC had been plying in the state but of no avail. Gradually, they have taken the number from the permissible 34 to 70, whereas we had been plying only 14 buses in Rajasthan as per the terms of the agreement.” He said a fresh controversy which RTC had set off by putting a proposal of 100 buses had been vehemently turned down by UTC. “RTC had already made enough dent in our revenues by boarding our consumers bound for Haridwar and Delhi in their buses. UTC cannot afford to lose further business by allowing them to ply more buses,” he added. UTC also comprehends that permission for 100 buses would mean a relaxation to ply double the buses in the state. It is not only RTC but Uttar Pardesh Roadways Transport Corporation (UPRTC), too, that had been behaving arrogantly and arbitrarily when it came to plying it's buses in the state. It has crossed the 100-mark, whereas the permission has been granted only for 38 buses in the state. The simmering anguish between both sides led to major ruckus in September last year, which could be temporarily solved with the involvement of state governments. The buses of the UTC were impounded at Saharanpur, Moradabad and Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pardesh by the drivers of the UPTRC. In it's reaction, UTC also impounded their buses at Dehradun, Haridwar and Roorkee. Officials of the UTC had also filed a case against the UPRTC in the Chhutmalpur police station. The UTC buses bound for Delhi and other destinations from the ISBT had to ply via Himachal Pardesh and Haryana, which prolonged the journey time by three hours and cost more to consumers. The drama continued for three days. The cause of the altercation was the violation of the agreement of 2009 whereby the UPRTC was plying more than 100 buses in the state and was arm-twisting the drivers of UTC in it's own state.Higher-ups of UTC were to follow it up and bring it to a logical end with successive deliberations over the matter. Jain said no such efforts had been made since then to solve this matter as the Managing Director of the corporation had changed thrice since then. Not surprising, that it is only UTC which seems to be at the receiving end vis-à-vis other states, as neither the bureaucracy nor the state government has the will power and time to take up the serious issue.
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Govt hospitals without night shelters; patients suffer
Dehradun, May 10 After the night shelter at Doon Hospital was pulled down a couple of years ago, the hospital authorities have failed to come up with an alternative arrangement where poor people coming from far-flung areas with the patients could spend the night. In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling, it is mandatory for all hospitals to construct night shelters in and around the hospitals in order to protect patients and relatives from the cold. While the paucity of space is preventing the hospital from constructing a permanent structure, the authorities say for the time being, a temporary tin shed behind the blood bank would be put up. “This would work as temporary measure. However, there is a need to construct permanent night shelters complete with water and electricity supply at the Hospital. In fact, we are even planning to ask the Municipal Corporation to build a night shelter on the land adjacent to the Deen Dayal Upadhayay Park, near the hospital. It could even transfer the land to us for building the night shelter,” said Dr BC Pathak, Principal Superintendent, Doon Hospital. Adding that poor people in need of special treatment came to Dehradun from all over the state, he said, “Their woes compound in the absence of night shelters at the hospital, especially during the winter months,” he said. While the government hospitals had built in provisions to house night shelters at the hospitals, apathy by successive governments ensured their demise. At Women’s Hospital, the night shelter has been in a state of disrepair for a long time and no efforts have been made to refurbish it even though many new constructions are coming up in the vicinity. Similarly, at the Coronation Hospital too, there is no provision for a night shelter.
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Traders to oppose plan on eco-fee collection centre
Mussoorie, May 10 Members of traders and youth organisations told mediapersons at a press conference here today that they would oppose any such move to award the contract for the eco-fee collection centre at Kholhukhet for one year to a private firm. The president of the Mussoorie Yuva Sangarsh Samiti, Megh Singh Kandari, and the president of the Mussoorie Traders Association, Rajat Agarwal, alleged that the MC was trying to award the tender for the eco-fee collection centre to private contractors on May 15 by dubious means. The MC move would be opposed vehemently as it would render the MC employees managing the process jobless. Besides, the tourists would have to pay more in the form of fees and chances of local residents getting involved in fights with the employees of the contractors at the collection centre could lead to a law and order problem for the already stressed out administration during the peak tourist season, they added. Kandari and Agarwal also said the awarding of the contract to private parties would give rise to the practice of commission and other corrupt practices. They added the MC was setting a wrong precedence by awarding the contract for its property to private players that, otherwise, it could manage easily. If the MC was interested in increasing its revenue, it should work towards improving the monitoring system so that there was minimal pilferage at the collection centre, they added. Agarwal and Kandari demanded that the administration should stop the tendering process for the eco-fee collection centre scheduled for May 15. They said if the MC was not able to manage the centre, the government should suspend it and appoint an administrator in its place. The leaders said the MC had already auctioned the ropeway project, which had lead to increase in ticket prices. A similar thing could happen here, thus forcing the tourists to head for other destinations than Mussoorie. The protesters threatened that if the MC went ahead with the tendering process on May 15, they would oppose it through all non-violent means and
could even lock the MC premises. MC president OP Uniyal said there was immense pressure on the council to increase its revenue and they had no option but to award the contract for the centre to private players. He added some people were opposing the
move only to take a political mileage out of it.
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Drinking water crisis in Mussoorie
Mussoorie, May 10 Dwijendar Bhaguna, resident of Landour Bazaar, alleged that the Jal Santhan officials open the supply for only five minutes, leaving the residents thirsty the whole day. He also said that due to acute drinking water shortage, they were being forced to walk for around 5 km at the hand pump installed near Woodstock School in order to quench their thirst. When contacted Executive Engineer GP Gairola said that the the problem has arisen due to repair works on at storage tanks situated at Gun Hill and the situation would improve soon when the task is completed. He also said that in case of an emergency, they would use the water stored in the reservoirs so that residents do not have to suffer in the coming tourist season.
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Cases filed by teachers in courts
Dehradun, May 10 After failing to get any response to their complaints, the teaching and non-teaching staff of the Primary Education Department has been seeking a legal course. As a result, 26,000 (till date) cases are pending in the courts in which the department is also a party. “The teachers have been seeking a legal recourse even for petty complaints when these could have been addressed at the department level. To discourage the practice, I have asked officials to respond to complaint within seven days. This will save time of teachers and the education department officials who have to appear before the court. These cases relate to pension, transfer, gratuity etc,” said Naithani at a press conference today. Further the minister said to streamline the Primary Education Department, appointments would be made against vacant posts. “During the previous government’s tenure, the Departmental Promotion Committee was constituted. We expect to fill 1000 posts through promotions,” said Naithani. He said along with improving standards of education at the primary level, moral and spiritual education would be introduced as a compulsory subject in the primary classes. “The plan is in the pipeline and will be introduced under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan shortly. Some other steps will also be taken to improve the curriculum,” said he.
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Charter of demands submitted to Ayush director
Dehradun, May 10 Some of the main demands include regularisation of senior assistants in the department, those ministerial employees who have completed three years be made permanent, the vacant ministerial posts be filled on the the
basis of seniority, a room be allocated at the Directorate for the association. DC Budlakoti, general secretary of the association, said in view of the important role that the ministerial employees played, it was important that there demands were met. “The ministerial employees play an important role in the functioning of the departments and offices and were also an
important link between the government and the people as such a patient hearing should be given
to our demands,” he said.
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Infighting in INTUC to the fore
Haridwar, May 10 President of the district women cell of INTUC Seema Arora led an anti-Reddy protest here claiming that Ambati Krishna Moorty was the new democratically-elected national president of the union, which had been in existence since Independence. The protesters burnt an effigy of Reddy at Valmiki Chowk. Arora said a case for misusing the name of INTUC against Reddy was in the high court where he had been charged with forming a labour organisation with the same name. “Reddy is misguiding labourers by claiming to be the national president of INTUC while Ambati Krishna Moorty had been elected president. Reddy has the support of capitalists and anti-labour voices and we want to expose his real face that he has been indulging in anti-union activities,” said Seema. City chief of INTUC Saurabh Shivpuri termed the upcoming INTUC convention at BHEL to be presided over by Reddy as fake as no executive member of INTUC would participate in it. He expressed shock that Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna was scheduled to be the chief guest of the convention. Dinesh Pehelwan, state chief of INTUC, told The Tribune that they would be holding a statewide protest against Reddy’s illegal convention. They had already apprised Oscar Fernandes and labour leaders of the Congress of the situation.
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Mothers Day celebrated
Dehradun, May 10 The mouth-watering recipes invited great appreciation from the panel of judges which included Chaya Bedi, Mrinalini Chawla and Aparna Sinha. Besides this, the campus was abuzz with plethora of activities. Children made cards and photo frame for their mothers to express their gratitude and love. The school also organised a choir-singing competition. Principal Sanjay K Singh appreciated the enthusiasm of the mothers. The programme was coordinated by the team of teachers, including Shivani Thapliyal, Deetpi Bist, Sangeeta Malik, Menaka Tomar and Anusuya Gusain.
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Rural women get jute bag-making training
Dehradun, May 10 Speaking on the occasion, chief guest Subodh Uniyal, MLA from Narender Nagar, said: “The hand-made jute bags are proving handy as they not only promote the use of natural products but are an alternative to polythene bags.” He said these bags that were environment-friendly should be used extensively on the Char Dham route.
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