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Harish Rawat, BS Koshyari have secret meeting
Koshyari sees BJP win in Tehri as vote against ‘corrupt’ Cong
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Cartography a must for sustainable growth: Qureshi
RLEK members interact with Police Complaints Authority
State foundation day to be simple affair
Now, sanitation project to focus on rural women
Champawat villagers demand electricity connections
Shortage of Teachers
Leopard fear grips Nepal village
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Harish Rawat, BS Koshyari have secret meeting
Haridwar, October 11 Four-time MP from the Congress and Union Minister of State Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat today met former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and BJP national vice president Bhagat Singh Koshyari at the state guest at Damkoti in the morning for about
20 minutes. In the wake of the Tehri bypoll results, to be announced two days later, the meeting of both leaders fuels speculation of reaching out to each other to meet their political ends. Both the leaders remarked that not much should be taken out of their closed-door meeting, terming it as a ‘routine, normal gesture.' “We both enquired about each other as we do normally with our party leaders. Tehri bypoll figured surely, but we both feel that our respective parties are in a winning position,” said Rawat, just after coming out of Damkoti guest house. Bhagat Singh Koshyari also tried to play down the volley of questions, saying that he and Rawat shared a good camaraderie not only today but since the 70s when both entered political circles in Uttarakhand (then Uttar Pradesh). As Harish Rawat is quite unhappy over Congress high command’s decision of making former Tehri parliamentarian Vijay Bahuguna as Uttarakhand CM, many a time BJP leaders had been making claims that a section of the Congress was in touch with them. Notbaly, just after the appointment of Vijay Bahuguna as CM, Harish Rawat had a meeting with former BJP CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, which had not gone down well with the party high command and the pro-Bahuguna faction. Last year, too, both Harish Rawat and BS Koshyari had met at the same Damkoti guest house for half an hour, which also created a political furore in the state when Koshyari had ousted BC Khanduri from the Chief Minister's post by supporting Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. Later, realising that his meeting with rival Harish Rawat was not going down well with party insiders, Koshyari said that the visit was an impromptu one and as both the leaders were in the same guest house, Rawat insisted on meeting him. He again stated that the BJP would win the Tehri bypoll, saying that Congress prospects had been marred by corruption and party infaction. Taking a dig at Haridwar parliamentarian Harish Rawat, Koshyari said that CM Vijay Bahuguna had to face major resistance from his own party (Harish Rawat group ), and also related this with the low voting percentage. |
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Koshyari sees BJP win in Tehri as vote against ‘corrupt’ Cong
Haridwar, October 11 The Rajya Sabha MP was here today to attend various programmes. He exuded confidence that the victory of the BJP in Tehri would be viewed as a parameter for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He criticised Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna for propelling family members into politics and misusing official machinery. Koshyari said it was Tehri Garhwal not Sitarganj where he (Bahuguna) misguided the voters. “People in Tehri, Uttarkashi or Dehradun have resentment and anger against the ill-governance of Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and Bahuguna-led government in Uttarakhand. “Corruption, scams, scandals and inflation were the only gains of the past eight-year rule of the UPA government while in Uttarakhand no development work had been initiated during the past six months,” said Koshyari. He criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his remark that “mass development is resulting in more corruption” and sought an apology from him. “If a Prime Minister says that corruption is occurring due to more development, it is his failure also to control the menace. In the hindsight it is also a fact that the Congress now doesn’t see corruption as a social evil but as a necessity. That is why its Cabinet ministers and even relatives of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi are involved in corrupt practices,” said the BJP national vice-president at the party city office. Koshiyari paid tribute to social reformer Jaiprakash Narayan on his 109th birth anniversary and said during the next fortnight the BJP would celebrate the occasion nationwide with a wide array of programmes. He emphasised on the need to follow Bharat Ratna Jaiprakash Narayan’s ideals and philosophy which paved the way for a non-Congress government in 1977 under the Janata Party. “Leaders like Morarji Desai, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna, Lal Krishan Advani, Biju Patnaik, Farooq Abdullah, George Fernandes, Babu Jagjeevan Ram and Chaudhary Charan Singh were Cabinet ministers in that government. They all got united to oust the corrupt Congress government. The same is required to be replicated today,” said Koshyari stressing the need of having a stronger National Democratic Alliance led by the
BJP. |
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Low voter turnout baffles BJP
Dehradun, October 11 On the face of it, the BJP chief BS Chuphal has said the low voter turnout will go against the Congress. “Despite the exceptionally low turnout, the BJP voters did come out to vote and the results on October 13 will go in our favour,” said Chuphal. However privately, BJP leaders are quite apprehensive about the low voting percentage in several assembly segments of Uttarkashi and Tehri Garhwal, in which they had a stronghold. “The BJP candidate had garnered more votes than the Congress candidate in the Purola (SC), Yamnotri and Gangotri assembly segments where the voting percentage was very good. It is difficult to say if the situation would go in our favour this time,” said a BJP leader. The drop in voting percentage even in the Rajpur Road (SC) and Raipur assembly segments is worrying the BJP leaders, as the two seats are held by the Congress MLAs who had ensured that the voters came in large number. “There was so much at stake for these MLAs and it is quite likely that their supporters might have come out to vote. If this is the case, then it can be assumed that the issues of inflation and cap on subsidised cylinders had little impact there. These areas are inhabited by slum dwellers,” pointed out a BJP leader. Besides, certain sections in the BJP are also claiming that the desertion by Matbar Singh Kandari may have gone in favour of the Congress due to the large voter turnout in the Tehri assembly segment where Kandari has a sizeable influence. However, the 43 per cent turnout in the byelection has indeed become a talking point for the politicians. According to the state electoral office, in the last 60 years, this is the lowest percentage of vote cast in any election. Prior to this, in 2004, the voting percentage was 48.74 in the general election. |
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Increase kerosene quota for state: CM
Dehradun, October 11 Bahuguna told the Union Minister that the Centre had earlier reduced the kerosene quota, citing reason that Uttarakhand had more LPG connections. He also expressed his objection to the verification process launched by the oil companies for LPG connections. Bahuguna said in the verification process, about 1.50 lakh connections had been blocked which had posed a lot of difficulty for the people and problems relating to law and order were on the rise. Citing census 2011, Bahuguna said there were 18,93,237 gas connections as against 30,47,001 families in the state, which was just 48 per cent only. Rest 52 per cent families were depended on traditional fuel sources like wood and kerosene oil. He pointed out that limiting the connection and blocking 1.5 lakh live connections would have a bearing on forest and wood. |
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Navy’s preparedness not China specific: Admiral
Dehradun, October 11 Admiral Joshi stated this while addressing a press conference in his home town Dehradun today. He was here to attend the Cartographic Congress being organised by the National Hydrographic Office. Asked about the level of threat perception from China taking into account its growing influence in the Indian Ocean, he said the preparedness of the Navy was not country specific and it was capable enough to safeguard its maritime boundaries. Without naming China, he said the Navy was powerful enough to protect the sovereign interests of the country. Admiral Joshi said a naval airbase had come up at Indira Point, the southernmost tip of Andaman and Nicobar islands. On the Sir Creek survey, a contentious boundary dispute between India and Pakistan, he said negotiations were in progress with the neighbouring country and the areas of disagreement were being fast ironed out. He said a delegation of the Navy visited Pakistan last year and the two sides committed to finding a solution to the vexed issue. The Naval chief said the Navy was today the fifth largest navy of the world and efforts were being made to further modernise the force indigenously. He added it was a matter of great achievement for the country that 42 out of 45 ships under construction were being manufactured in our country. He admitted that delay in commissioning of ships was a matter of concern and said though the Navy had witnessed rapid progress since Independence, loopholes needed to be plugged. Admiral Joshi expressed happiness at being in his home town and said the inclination of the youth of Uttarakhand towards joining the Navy as career had increased tremendously in the past few decades. He added a recruitment drive of the Navy in the Ramnagar region of Kumaon recently received a good response.
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Cartography a must for sustainable growth: Qureshi
Dehradun, October 11 Qureshi said sustainable development was not possible without assessing hazards, minimising risks and then maximising awareness which could only be done through cartography. He said it was a proud moment of his life to be among “the bravest sons of India who guard our seas at the cost of their lives.” He said the history of the Navy was one of valour, sacrifice, bravery, courage and nationalism . “During the two World Wars, and particularly in our conflicts with Pakistan and China, we have seen the true spirit of the illustrious tradition of the Indian Navy. I salute them and bow my head and pay my deepest regards to their valiant services,” he added. The Governor also released a souvenir in the conference besides two other publications of National Hydrographic Office. He has awarded the students of St Xavier, Patna, who had excelled in the map quiz organised by the office. He also honoured Capt NS Rawat (retd) for his contribution to the cartography in the country. In his keynote address, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral DK Joshi said cartography had been used in India since ancient times. “Even in the Indus Valley Civilization, hand cartography instruments have been found during explorations amply revealing that maps did exist even at that time,” he pointed out. He also referred to Babylonian expertise in cartography across the globe. The Chief of Naval Staff said Digital cartography is being used in the present day times. He said the role of cartography for graphical depiction of coastal changes and geomorphological change help people in better understanding the various phenomena and thereby its management. Vice-Admiral and Chief Hydrographer SK Jha disclosed that the Indian National Cartographic Association (INCA) was an interdisciplinary institution originally between geographers and cartographers which was now shared by a host of premier public and private bodies. He said the INCA was a professional body of more than 3,000 life members. Cdr Vinay Badhwar earlier welcomed the guests. Surveyor General of India Dr S. Subba Rao was also present on the occasion. |
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RLEK members interact with Police Complaints Authority
Dehradun, October 11 The interaction was attended by Chairman of the PCA Justice JCS Rawat, former state DGP JS Pandey, along with Avdhash Kaushal, Chairperson, RLEK, and representatives of the CHRI. The objective of the interaction was to facilitate a working partnership between the complaints authority and the other principal stakeholders, namely the police leadership and select representatives of civil society. The aim of the partnership is to ensure that the PCA does not continue to work in isolation. The presence of select civil society representatives will enable the authority to tap the expertise of lawyers, academicians and activists who are in touch with public concerns related to policing and accountability. The involvement of the police is necessary for the police department to get familiar with the authority and regard it as a body which is not antagonistic but is here to improve policing. The Uttarakhand Police Complaints Authority was set up in the state in 2007. It is presently chaired by Justice JCS Rawat (retd) and additional member Kamla Negi. The guiding principle of the authority is to serve as an external oversight body over the police. As independent bodies, the PCAs were envisaged as easily accessible, trusted and reliable bodies to seek redress against police wrongdoings. As such, they were to serve as the link between the police and people in overcoming distrust and gradually improve the performance of the police. However, despite being functional for five years, the authority is still to make an impact on police accountability. Till date, no rules of procedure have been formulated for its functioning. The Chairman of the authority has drafted a set of rules and has forwarded this to the government. Nothing much has come out of it. The absence of rules is leading to numerous difficulties, constraining the efficiency and service delivery of the authority. Accessibility of such a body is vitally important for its success. The fact that the authority is located only in Dehradun makes it inaccessible to most of the people living outside Dehradun. The idea behind setting up these authorities was that they be created both at the state and district level. Only then it would be able to reach out to people. The group strongly recommended that the government consider setting up authorities at the district level or appoint additional members to the present authority which could then travel to the district to hear complaints. Kaushal raised a very important point pertaining to the independence of the authority. Presently, the authoritiy’s funds are borne out of the police budget. Even with a plethora of powers, oversight bodies are constrained in their ability to hold the police accountable without sufficient financial resources. Shortage of funds is a serious limiting factor. Financial independence can only be ensured when budgets are approved by state legislatures, not the executive, and then administered by the authorities themselves without interference. Kaushal emphasised that the funding for the authority must be independent and not part of the police budget. The budget should be approved by the state legislature and then administered by the authorities themselves with an obligation to report their spending to the state legislature. |
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State foundation day to be simple affair
Dehradun, October 11 A core committee headed by Principal Secretary, Industry, Rakesh Sharma, has been formed to look into organising of programmes at the state, district and tehsil headquarters. The Governor will review the parade on November 9. All the main buildings will be lit on November 8 and 9. Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna will pay tributes to martyrs of the statehood movement at shaheed sthal in the morning. Exhibition of handicrafts and other local products would be organised at the Parade Ground. Saras Mela will also be organised from November 2 to 12. The Sports and Youth Welfare Department will organise a marathon November 9. Besides, various state-level sports tournaments will also be organised. The Chief Minister will release 'Vikas Pustika' published by the Information Department. |
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Health, meditation camps for jail inmates
Dehradun, October 11 The camps had been running concurrently for the men and women in the Dehradun prison since October 2 daily between 7.30 am and 9.30 am which culminated in a grand satsang today. It was attended by more than 1,000 prison inmates. The chief guest in the satsang was Rajesh Tandon, member, State Human Rights Commission and ex-Judge, Nainital High Court. The camp began with the inmates learning meditation and pranayam for a relaxed and stress-free mind. They were also made aware of the importance of healthy living, cleanliness, good hygiene along with the values of caring for the environment. “We laid importance on pranayam and meditation as it brings health to the body and calmness and alertness to the mind. The Art of Living firmly believes that all sections of society need love and respect and once they learn how to relieve stress, they can also start contributing to the society," shared Art of Living teachers Tarun and Subodh, who conducted the camp for men. Further, Nidhi, Alka, Supriya and Anju, who conducted the camp for women, said, “It was great to see these women laugh and become vibrant during the camp. They now appear set to restart their life after they come out from prison.” Many participants shared amazing stories of relief during the camp and said had they attended this camp earlier, they would never have committed the crime. This camp was held under the “Peace and Health Week” initiative of the Art of Living launched nationwide on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. Going with Mahatma Gandhi's vision of peace, non-violence and health for the country, prison programmes, yoga camps and shramdaan activities have been organised all across the country and also in Uttarakhand. |
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Now, sanitation project to focus on rural women
Dehradun, October 11 For making Uttarakhand free of open defecation, the Total Sanitation programme (TSP) funded by World Bank and the Central government is being implemented by the project management unit of Swajal in the state since 2006. Despite having a high literacy rate even among rural people, Uttarakhand has been slow in making the rural areas free of open defecation. As the practice of open defecation affects the dignity of women and girls the most, the focus now is on women to bring about a behavioural change. Though women heading households belonging to the BPL category are given subsidy as an encouragement to curb the age-old practice, to achieve the target of total sanitation by 2014. Significantly, around 3,925 primary and junior schools have been covered under the TSP. In these schools, toilets have been built in association with the Department of Education and Swajal has taken care of the incentive component. |
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Champawat villagers demand electricity connections
Pithoragarh, October 11 “The Electricity Department had laid an electricity line in the village six years ago. But we haven’t been given electric connections so far,” said
Lalit Mohan Kunwar, a student leader. According to villagers, after the department laid electricity cables in the village, eight of the villagers applied for the connection. However, they were not given connections even when the electricity cables passed from the corridors of their houses. “Despite having electricity line in the village, we are using candles in our houses and our children are facing a lot of difficulties in their studies,” said Kunwar. The villagers have threatened to launch an agitation at the district headquarters if the administration fails to provide them with electricity connections within a week. “We will be compelled to fight the negligence of the department towards the villagers,” said Pano Devi, a protester from Pundil village. Local MLA Puran Singh Phartiyal said he would provide money from the MLA’s local area development fund to finance the connections if the department had no money for the work. “I have asked the executive engineer of the electricity distributing unit to provide estimated expenses for the
work within three days,” said Phartiyal. |
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Shortage of Teachers
Pithoragarh, October 11 The bridge remained closed for two hours and transportation remained suspended. After two hours, the SDM of Dharchula along with the circle police officer succeeded in persuading the students to lift the blockade from the bridge. “We have assured the students that we will send their demands to higher officers,” said Pramod Kumar, SDM, Dharchula. The protesting students said the college had no teachers of history, geography, home science and Sanskrit since it was established 10 years ago. “We also want an office of sub- registrar of Kumaon University here as the students have to travel a long distance to visit Nainital for every small work at the university,” said Rakesh Tiwari, Kumaon region convener of the ABVP. Before closing the bridge, the students also held a rally at Baluakot town and demanded that their 17-point charter of demand be accepted. Their demands include appointment of teachers at Baluakot degree college, repair of the building of the local intermediate college and strengthening of education infrastructure from primary to higher level. “We have given an ultimatum to the administration that if our demands are not met, we will resume our agitation from October 22 at this international bridge,” said the ABVP leader. |
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Leopard fear grips Nepal village
Pithoragarh, October 11 “All 400 families of the village are now living in the terror of the carnivore which has mostly killed schoolchildren,” said Gokarn Dayal, a villager from one of the panic-stricken villages. The Nepal district-level officers have camped in the village since the leopard preyed on a 5-year-old girl Priyanka Chand two days ago. “We have deputed 20 personnel of the forest department of Nepal, the armed police and the Nepal army but could not succeed,” said Hariraj Bisht, assistant chief district officer of Baitari district of western Nepal. “The leopard killed Champa, (8 years) 20 days ago and also killed Priyanka two days ago in the area which has a cluster of five villages of Vishalpur, Pancheswar Kulao, Aamchor and Girgara,” said a Nepal villager. The villager added that due to the terror unleashed by the leopard, the villagers had even stopped cutting their crops and grass fearing sudden attack of the man-eater during even day time. |
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