State government to effect transfers as per 2008 policy
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 9
Failing to come up with its own transfer policy for the second consecutive year, the Congress-led state government has decided to effect transfers according to the 2008 government policy.

However, it remains to be seen how the transfers would be effected in the Departments of Health and School Education, where an exercise was taken to thrash out the contentious issues of earmarking accessible and inaccessible areas.

Already, the Department of Medical, Health and Family Welfare is under immense pressure to come up with its own transfer policy and charting out a complete career progression of medical officers in order to access funds under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

“A separate transfer policy for medical officers has already been prepared by the department and is now before the minister concerned for approval. The policy has charted a complete career progression of medical officers and in case it is approved, the policy will be implemented during this session,” said Piyush Singh, Additional Secretary, Medical, Health and Family Welfare. According to officials, the policy has tried to earmark accessible and inaccessible areas in the state on the basis of the nearest railhead rather than on the basis of the terrain.

Similarly, the Department of School Education has been working for the past one year on the transfer policy and it remains to be seen how the transfers would be effected in the new academic session as the contentious issue of earmarking of inaccessible and accessible areas has still not been worked out.

After repealing the Transfer Act brought by the government of former CM BC Khanduri, soon after it took office in 2012, the government had effected the transfers according to the 2008 policy, but it had not gone down well with the Department of School Education as teachers had demanded the implementation of the Transfer Act. Once again, the government order issued on May 8 has decided to follow the same policy.

Airstrip expansion-hit families seek jobs
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, May 9
Demanding employment to one person from each family affected by the expansion of the Naini Saini airstrip in Pithoragarh district, residents of surrounding villages demonstrated at the airstrip today and resolved to not let the construction start until their problems were resolved.

“We have started the agitation as despite the assurances given by the principal secretary, civil aviation, in the state, Rakesh Sharma, during his visit last month, of solving the problem, nothing has been done,” said Diwan Singh Kharayat, a leader of the agitators.

Besides employment to a member of each affected family, the villagers are demanding the construction of a 6-m wide road linking adjoining villages, giving three passes to downside fields of villagers through the airstrip and sharing drinking water of a well dug in a village of the area before the construction of the airstrip with the other villages too.

“Our slogan is: construct the airstrip but give us employment too,” said Kharayat.

CM announces power cuts
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 9
The people of Uttarakhand have to suffer long power cuts during the ongoing summer season due to acute power shortage in the state. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna today announced that rural areas of Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar districts would be subjected to four hours of power cut daily from 5 am to 9 am.

The smaller towns of Garhwal region would be subjected to two hours of power cuts from 1 pm to 3 pm while power cut in the smaller towns of Kumoan region would be from 3 pm to 5 pm.

The entire hilly areas of the state, except the Char Dham yatra route, would be subject to power cuts for two hours from 1 pm to 3 pm.

Chief Minister Bahuguna said the capital city of Dehradun and the hill resorts of Mussoorie and Nainital had been fully exempted from power cuts. The industries have also been spared of the proposed power cuts.

He said the state has been reeling under power crisis and needs 3 milion units electricity per day and has to buy power worth Rs 2.5 crore each day to meet the power requirement of the state. “We also need permission from Electricity Regulatory Authority to buy extra power, ” he added.

Bahuguna said that he had talked to Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav on the opening of the gates of the Kalagarh dam to use the water for power generation. “We could generate 100 MW of power from the Kalagarh dam reservoir,” he said.

He hoped that with the melting of ice with the rise in the temperature, the water flow in the rivers would improve, thus improving the power generation in the state. 

BJP protests against power tariff hike
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 9
Protesting against the hike in electricity tariff, scores of leaders and party workers from the city unit of the BJP today burnt the effigy of the state government at the Clock Tower.

The leaders first gathered at the Parade Ground office and then marched up to the Clock Tower, raising slogans against the state government and Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited.

“The hike has come at a time when the people of the state are battling with inflation. Food items have become very costly and to top it all, the UPCL has gone ahead and announced a hike in electricity fares,” said Neelam Sehgal, president of city unit of the BJP.

She said the debacle in the civic body elections should have alerted the Congress government.

“The anti-people measures taken by the government proved the party’s undoing. But, it seems, the Congress has not learnt any lesson,” said Sehgal.

Those who participated in the protest against the hike in tariff included Neelam Sehgal and Harish Narang, president of the Ambedkar Mandal.

Hike minimal, defends Cong

Meanwhile, in a statement issued today, state Congress spokesman Dhirendra Pratap flayed the BJP for protest. He said the government had gone for a minimal power tariff hike after taking into consideration total power consumption in the state and the cost incurred in its generation. He said the power tariff was quite high in all BJP-ruled states.

Harak Rawat resigns as Chairman of TDC
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 9
Uttarakhand Agriculture and Sainik Welfare Minister Harak Singh Rawat, fearing an adverse court judgment in a case related to his holding offices of profit, resigned from the position of Chairman of Uttarakhand Seeds and Terai Development Corporation today.

The opposition has been raising the issue of Harak holding offices of profit in and outside the state Assembly and a case has been filed in the Nainital High Court.

The Congress-led government in the state and the minister himself had been adamant on the issue. The state government had even passed an ordinance with retrospective effect to take out these offices from the purview of the offices of profit. Harak Rawat had even initiated proceedings to change the statues of the corporation to hold on to the position.

However, he today resigned from the chairmanship of Terai Seed Corporation on the ground that he was overburdened with work and had not been able to do justice with the post. He also argued that since the headquarters of Terai seed Corporation was at Haldwani he had not been able to devote much time to its affairs.

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna at a press conference here today announced Harak’s resignation from Terai Seed Corporation. He said Harak resignation from the chairmanship of the corporation had been accepted. BP Pandey, a senior bureaucrat of the state government, has been appointed as the new Chairman of the corporation.

The Chief Minister also announced that Harak had also asked him that he may be relieved of the charge of UPNAL, a state government corporation working for the welfare of ex-servicemen in the state. “We will take a decision about UPNAL soon,” he said.

Asked about the ‘change of heart’ of the minister on the issue, the Chief Minister reiterated the reason cited by the minister of being overburdened with work. On the question of legality of Harak holding various offices of profits, Bahuguna said the state government had already issued an ordinance taking these posts out of the purview of the office of profit but the court had to finally decide on the issue. “We are ready to face the legal consequences of the court judgment,” he added.

On the issue of change of Chief Secretary by the state government, Bahuguna said it was the prerogative of the Chief Minister and both present and earlier Chief Secretaries are competent officers. “We have given an important assignment to former Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain,” he said. 

Minister quit under BJP pressure, says Nishank
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 9
The Uttarakhand BJP today said Agriculture Minister Harak Singh Rawat resigned from the post of Chairman of Uttarakhand Seeds and Terai Development Corporation (TDC) under pressure from the BJP. It was first to raise the issue and had even filed a case against the minister in court. Former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had aggressively raised the matter by pointing out the anomaly in Harak’s appointment. He had said Harak occupied the post while he was ineligible according to the Company’s Act.

The BJP had made it into an issue of policy and moral propriety that Harak Rawat violated. Then in order to accommodate the minister the government made changes that could not escape the scrutiny of the court. “We have already filed a petition in the court and this has forced the minister to tender his resignation,” said Nishank.

He said the party would appeal in the court to terminate the membership of Harak Rawat as MLA of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly. “In the fitness of things, the minister should also resign as MLA and also from the post of chairman of Uttarakhand Poorv Sainik Kalyan Nigam Ltd (UPNAL). He has usurped the rights of ex-servicemen and has only created confusion in the organisation,” said Nishank.

On the other hand, Teerath Singh Rawat, president of the BJP, also termed Harak’s resignation from the post of Chairman of TDC as the victory for the party.

“The minister took the drastic step only after we approached the High Court. Fearing action, the minister preferred to resign. For quite some time now, the minister has been fooling the public by putting up wrong facts about the issue. In the entire episode Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna too cannot wash off his responsibility. As he continued to protect Harak Rawat and took measures that were not at all in consonance with the law,” said Teerath.

Leader of the Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly Ajay Bhatt too said right from the beginning the Chief Minister had been acquiescing to the unjustified demands of the minister. 

Poll win in Karnataka can’t hide failures of UPA govt: Nishank
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, May 9
Former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has said the results of the Karnataka Assembly elections do not hide the failures of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre.

During a brief stopover in the city, Nishank said as the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections were fought on different issues, much should not be read into the Karnataka poll results. He claimed that the Congress was sure to lose the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Nishank said anti-incumbency may be one of the major reasons for the defeat of the BJP in Karnataka and the party would introspect and concentrate on the reasons that led to the poll debacle.

He also referred to the Supreme Court’s harsh comment on interference by the Central government in the functioning of the CBI.

He said the CBI should be made independent, otherwise, it would further lose credibility and the Congress would continue to use it to conceal its numerous scams and the involvement of its tainted ministers.

Nishank said the Vijay Bahuguna-led Uttarakhand government had failed on all fronts. “A weak Chief Minister is running the government in which the number of dissidents exceeds the number of his supporters,” he added.

“Vijay Bahuguna has failed to give proper governance and his Cabinet ministers are catering to personal interests only. No one is brave enough to accept defeat in his home district but when it comes to hogging media limelight, the Congress leaders are the first to appear,” said Nishank.

He evaded questions about his contesting from the Haridwar Lok Sabha constituency. He said this was for th party high command to decide. 

UP migrants demand permanent resident status
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, May 9
The Deshaj Samaj has expressed faith in Soni Koli, newly elected Mayor of Rudrapur town, and demanded fulfillment of their long standing demands like the permanent resident status and representation for the community in all social, educational and cultural bodies of the state. The samaj comprises those who had migrated from parts of Uttar Pradesh to the Terai region.

At a function organized to felicitate Soni Koli, leaders of the Deshaj Sarvodaya Sanskritik Samiti today said while other settlers of the Terai region had become strong enough to get their rightful dues in the state, the Deshaj Samaj members were still leaderless. “We want all people, who are residents of the state, be given the status of permanent residents. Our community members should be given representation in all social and educational bodies like being given to the Punjabi and Bengali communities,” said BC Singhal, convener of the function.

The Deshaj Samaj members comprised of nearly 30 per cent of the 1.4 lakh population covered by the Rudrapur Nagar Nigam. “We are old settlers of the Terai region. Our ancestors had come to this region more than a century ago to provide daily need goods to local farmers of the Tharu community,” said Jamuna Prasad, an active member of the samaj.

The samaj members presented a 12-point demand memorandum to the Mayor and requested her to lead them to various forums of the state government so that they could get justice. “Besides due representation, we want the permanent residency law amended in the state and demand a right to settle all owners of nazul (government) land on the basis of the circle rates of November 9, 2000, the date of the formation of Uttarakhand,” said Singhal.

Koli assured the samaj members that she would try to solve their problems falling under the purview of the Nagar Nigam and forward other issues to the government. “Besides the Deshaj Samaj, we will try to solve the problems of all settlers of Rudrapur town as per my capacity as Mayor,” he said.

Men’s Right Protection Forum protests at police HQ
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 9
Members of the Men's Right Protection Forum held a protest outside the Uttarakhand police headquaters against the "biased" attitude of the police force towards men in cases related to women. They charged that whenever any common man is implicated in a dowry or harassment case, the police promptly registers a case. However, when such allegations are levelled against senior police officials, the police fail to take action.

They cited the recent case of a woman who has been demanding action against a senior police officer but was sent to Nari Niketan by the police without taking any action. They wanted an end to the discrimination against men in the cases related to women.

Red Cross to help in Rajjat yatra
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 9
During the upcoming Nanda Devi Rajjat Yatra, mobile teams of First Medical Responders (FMR) trained by the Uttarakhand Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) would be stationed at the disaster prone villages in the Chamoli district.

The society has already begun the task of identifying volunteers from the villages who would be provided FMR training and these volunteers carrying first aid bags would be part of the mobile teams.

The Uttarakhand Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) will provide first aid bags containing 32 items which would be carried by the FMRS. “These first aid bags would prove useful as the FMRs would be able to tackle the medical emergencies. Besides, the FMRs are not only equipped to give first aid but are also trained public health activists and even provide psycho social support to families hit by disasters. As such their contribution during the yatra would be of immense help,” said IS Pal, general secretary, Uttarakhand IRCS.

The IRCS has trained around 4,815 certified FMRS as part of the pilot project in the districts of Nainital, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Almora, Tehri, Uttarkashi, Udham Singh Nagar, Dehradun and Haridwar. 

Badri Kedar Festival in last week of May
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 9
After a gap of one year, the Badri Kedar Festival that celebrates the culture of panch prayagas would be held in the last week of May.

Encompassing the five prayagas comprising Devaprayag, Rudraprayag, Karanprayag, Nandprayag and Badri Vishal, the festival is closely identified with Uttarakhand’s ancient culture.

“We will be staging the festival at the panch prayags and Srinagar in which artistes from Uttarakhand will participate.The date is still being finalised but it will be held in the last week of May,” said Beena Bhatt, Director, Department of Culture.

The highlights of the festival would be classical, semi classical dances from different parts of the country and Uttarakhand’s Chakarviyu, to be staged at Srinagar, Shiv Tandav dance, Rakat Beej from Pithoragrh and dance dedicated to Ma Nanda Devi to be staged at different venues.

Renowned artistes like Sonal Maan Singh, Malini Awasthi and Kavita Krishnamurthy have given their consent to participate in the festival. 

Educational institutions should focus on character building: Guv
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 9
Governor Aziz Qureshi, also Chancellor of Doon University, has said that building the character of the youth and providing them with professional skills should be the main objective of any educational institution.

He was speaking at the second court meeting of Doon University held on the university campus here last evening.

He said Dehradun was famous for its excellent school education and must strive to build an identity for itself in the sphere of higher education.

He said educational institutions were temples of learning and should be respected.

The Governor said teachers must be given due importance and regard. There should be no irregularities in these institutions.

Doon University’s annual report for 2011-12 was presented by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Vinod Kumar Jain. He gave information about the existing and new courses proposed.

Finance Controller DC Lohani presented the financial report for 2011-12. Several suggestions were given by members of the court. All of them appreciated the green initiatives taken by the university.

They said the university should bring out a research paper regarding the eco-sensitive zone in the state. The Governor assured the meeting that all measures would be taken to ensure the safety of women on the campus.

The members praised the university for having successfully hosted and conducted the first Uttarakhand Inter-University Youth Festival at the Governor’s behest. University Registrar BM Harbola, a member of the court, conducted the meeting.

Prof AN Purohit, Dr YN Sharma, Prof IS Chauhan, Dr Rajesh Kumar, Dr RN.Sharma, Shikha Ahmed, Jaskiran Chopra, Dr Kusum Arunachalam and Udita Negi were present on the occasion.

NSUI members protest against private schools
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 9
Members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), led by state representative Swati Negi, held a protest against private schools in front of the District Magistrate’s office here today.

Negi also submitted a memorandum to District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam. She said: “Private schools continue to hike fee and other emoluments and insist on buying books, stationery and uniform from particular shops.”

She said if private schools did not stop this practise, NSUI members would hold protests in schools.

2 die as truck falls into Yamuna
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 9
Two persons were drowned in a mishap in Uttarakashi district. A truck that left Naugaun for Vikasnagar around 9 am today, half an hour later fell into the Yamuna near Hathiyari village, resulting in on-the-spot death of driver Shamshad.

Two others, Ankit and Anjali, both children of Dhan Bahadur, were also in the truck. While Ankit died, Anjali escaped with minor injuries.