Protesting BTC teachers clash with police
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 14
Demanding permanent jobs, Special Basic Teachers Course (BTC) trained today staged a demonstration at the State Education Directorate in Dehradun. The demonstrators also had skirmishes with the police, resulting in minor injuries to some protesters.

BTC trained from all over Uttarakhand today reached Old Raipur stand in Dehradun from where they started a protest march to the State Education Directorate. Taking Subhash Road-EC Road-Survey Chowk route, the protesters reached the State Education Directorate.

Heavy police contingent prevented them from forcibly entering the State Education Directorate, which resulted in skirmishes between the protesters and the police. Some of the BTC trained protesters, however, managed to enter the office and gheraoed the Basic Education Director Anil Negi. The protesters also rented the air with slogans against the senior Education Department officials in the state.

Among the prominent protesters included Anup Jadli, Sushil Joshi, Anil Kotnala, Ramesh Mehra, Dharmendra Kathait, Pramanand Sati, Pramil Mamgain, Anita Negi and Chandra Prakash Uniyal.

Doon has 1,185 fake pension beneficiaries
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Bahuguna distributes FDs to girl students at a function.

Dehradun, June 14
The Department of Social Welfare, which was tasked with verifying the number of pensioners in the state, has found 1,185 fake beneficiaries in Dehradun.

Of this, 1,017 were fake beneficiaries of old-age pension, 139 widowhood pension and 29 of physically handicap pension. The highest number of ineligible pensioners continues to be in Dehradun city.

The number of total beneficiaries of old-age pension in Dehradun city is 3,669, of which 1,275 pensioners were verified. While 1,017 were found to be fake, 2,394 were found to possess incomplete papers.

Similarly in Dehradun city alone, there are a total of 3,571 beneficiaries of widow pension, of which the number of verified beneficiaries is 1,678. While 1,893 were found to possess incomplete papers, 139 beneficiaries were found to be fake.

As far as the beneficiaries of pension for handicapped persons is concerned, the total number of beneficiaries in Dehradun city is 2,681 and the number of verified beneficiaries is 1,875. A total of 806 beneficiaries were found to have submitted incomplete papers and 29 were found to be fake.

The Uttarakhand Government is disbursing old-age pension, widowhood pension and physically handicapped pension through the Department of Social Welfare.

“The weeding exercise will continue from time to time in all seven blocks of Dehradun district and steps will be taken to recover pensions paid to fake beneficiaries. We have even undertaken the scrutiny of papers and asked the beneficiaries to complete the requirements,” said Attar Singh, District Welfare Officer.

Further, poor bank coverage is also proving to be a hindrance to curb the pilferage of government funds. In Dehradun city, there are 1,531 beneficiaries who do not have accounts in either banks or post offices.

In Chakrata, Kalsi and Sahaspur, none of the beneficiaries of old-age pension, widow pension and handicap pension have opened a bank account for receiving pensions.

In the seven blocks of Dehradun, the preferred means of payment continues to be the post office that has a sizeable number of beneficiaries for the three pensions.

Govt committed to overall development of state: CM
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 14
Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has said his government has been working for the overall development of the entire state without any bias. He was addressing a Janta Milan and multi-purpose camp at Gadarpur Mandi in Udham Singh Nagar district today.

The Chief Minister said despite limited resources, no effort would be spared in the development of the state. Regarding the power situation, he said due to the stalling of big hydropower projects the government was buying electricity worth Rs 2 crore every day. He added that with the completion of 36 small hydropower projects the state would be in a much better position as far as power supply is concerned. He also unveiled development works worth Rs 11.62 lakh.

He said central funds for the development of the Scheduled Castes (SC) and the Scheduled Tribes (ST) would not be used for other purposes. The money would be used in the ST/ SC majority areas. Reservation for SC/ST and women would be ensured in all jobs, he added.

Bahuguna announced that an ITI Bhavan, a stadium, widening of Bhakra Bridge on the Rudrapur-Gadarpur route, appointment of specialist doctors in the community health centre, upgrade of a power house and the construction of a bus stop at Gadarpur. He said 10 km of roads would be constructed or improved in the Gadarpur Vidhan Sabha area.

The Chief Minister said the problem of water-logging in Gadarpur would be resolved. Adequate funds would be provided for madrassas, he added.

Six girls were given fixed deposits (FD) of Rs 25,000 each under the Kanya Dhan Yojana and 60 girls were given cycles under the Mukhya Mantri Kanya Shiksha Protsahan Yojana. As many as 173 applications were received and most of them were resolved on the spot.

Revenue Minister Yashpal Arya said several development works had been done in the last one year. He added the government had given farmers ownership rights, paid sugarcane arrears and set up SIDCUL Phase 2.

Former Member of Parliament KC Singh Baba, Municipal Board chairperson Anju Bhuddi, state Congress spokesperson Shilpi Arora, Gadarpu MLA Arvind Pandey addressed the meeting. They demanded development schemes for Gadarpur. Fomer minister Tilak Raj Behad, Gangotri MLA VPS Sajwan, DIG GN Goswami, District Magistrate BK Sant and Chief Development Officer DS Garbyal were present.

11 contractual docs posted in Bageshwar rural areas resign
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, June14
Eleven of the 12 doctors appointed by the Health Department on contract in hospitals in rural areas of Bageshwar district have given up jobs as they have not been paid salaries since February 28, when their last contract expired, sources in Bageshwar said.

“We have written to higher officers to renew the contracts of these doctors, who were giving their services in interior parts of the district. But the contracts could not be renewed till date which has led these doctors to resign from their respective hospitals in the interior parts of Bageshwar district,” said Dr Chandra Pant, Chief Medical Officer, Bageshwar. According to the sources, had the doctors been paid salaries in time and their contracts extended timely, they would not have left their Jobs. “We have not received salary since March this year. It is difficult to live without salary in interior areas for that long,” said Dr Narendra Singh, Medical Officer, deputed at the Dofaar hospital, who also intends to leave the job.

Sources in the office of CMO, Bageshwar, said there were 75 posts of doctor of different categories in 117 hospitals and health centres of the district but only 24 doctors had been posted there till date. “Most of these doctors prefer to serve at the district hospital and nearby community health centres. This has caused a shortage of doctors in rural primary health centres and sub centres in the district,” said Ghansyam Joshi, a social worker in Bageshwar.

CS tells power staff to withdraw strike call
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 14
Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar has appealed to power employees not to go on a strike as their genuine demands were being considered by the state government.

The Chief Secretary, who met a deputation of power employees here today, said the government had acknowledged fulfilling their time scale and other medical allowance linked demands.

He said the other demands of the power employees were also being considered.

He appealed to the power employees not to go on a strike and said the state government was committed to protecting the interests of the employees.

He urged them to withdraw their strike call.

Govt clears names of six doctors for directorship
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 14
The Uttarakhand government cleared the names of six doctors for promotion to the post of director during the departmental promotional committee meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Subash Kumar.

The doctors who were considered for the post of Director include Additional Director LK Gusain, Additional Director Deepa Sharma, Additional Director and CMO RP Bhatt, Additional Director JS Pangtey, Additional Director Gauri Shankar and Additional Director Dinesh Bhatt.

Out of the six posts of Director in the Directorate of Director General Health and Family Welfare, four posts are lying vacant and are expected to be filled from these promotions. Further two Directors too would be retiring in the coming months.

The government also gave postings to 68 specialists in the different parts of the state . These specialists were promoted few months ago but were awaiting promotions. However, the government has not announced the transfer of 139 senior medical officers who were also promoted at the same time.

BJP not luring disgruntled Cong MLAs: Bhatt
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, June 14
The BJP leadership has not tried to contact disgruntled MLAs of the Congress in the state as the party believes in political ethics, the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Ajay Bhatt, said while talking to mediapersons at Ranikhet today.

Bhatt said the Congress was facing a rebellion from within because it had always neglected public issues and tried to befool the common man in the state. This had resulted in the state lagging behind in respect of economic development. “Even persons occupying constitutional posts in the state have raised questions on the functioning of the Congress-led government,” he said.

The Leader of the Opposition said though the BJP did not intend to create an atmosphere of uncertainty in the state, if the situation demanded saving the state from a constitutional crisis, it would not remain a spectator. “What the Congress would have done in such a situation, we are not going to do as we have never believed in ethics-less politics in the state,” said Bhatt.

He added the crisis in the Congress had been caused due to its policy to give preference to notorious people in the party. “These Congressmen first take advantage of power to carry out mafia activities and later try to cover these using their political clout,” said Bhatt.

Blood storage units a non-starter in state
Patients forced to travel far during emergencies
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 14
The slow pace in setting up blood storage units at first referral units (FRUs) has proved to be a non-starter with patients still forced to go to distant district hospitals-located blood banks in case of emergencies.

To fulfil the requirements of providing blood in places that were far removed from blood banks and also lessen the burden on the blood banks located at the district hospitals, the blood Storage units were proposed at the Community Health Centres (CHCs) deemed as FRU places. But so far the Department of Health has managed to operationalise two blood storage units with the help of National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), Doiwala, and Vikas Nagar FRUs. The blood storage units sanctioned for Community Health Centres (CHCs ) located at Kichha, Joshimath, Jaspur and Agustmuni have not taken off.

“Absence of staff is proving to be a hindrance in expansion of the blood storage units. Where no facilities for blood storage exists, blood has to be arranged from nearest district hospitals during emergencies,” said YC Sharma, DG, Health. Though the availability of blood storage unit within the FRUs cannot be discounted, as with the availability of blood storage units, the Health Department aims to provide facilities to pregnant women. The main purpose of the FRUs provide uninterrupted and round the clock services to pregnant women, which includes surgery and C-section deliveries in remote areas of the state. “For this purpose, Department of Health had proposed strengthening of FRUs with blood storage units so that surgeries and life-saving operations could be undertaken,” said Yogesh Sharma.

Officials claim that deficient staff in the already existing two blood storage units and even blood banks had also affected the expansion of the blood storage units. Further, the department has to take sanction from Food and Drug Administration after the infrastructure of these centres is developed, confirmed an official.

Haryana confers Hindi Sevi Puraskar on Rattu
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 14
Literature can change society in modern cyber age. A comprehensive approach of the literature media and government literary bodies are a real tool to change society.

This was stated by Dr KK Rattu, a noted Hindi author and media expert, after receiving the Hindi Sevi Puraskar of Haryana Sahitya Academy, Chandigarh.

Dr Rattu is working as head (programme) in Doordarshan Kendra, Dehradun. A special function was today organised at Haryana Raj Bhavan, which was presided over by Haryana Governor Jagannath Paharia, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Education Minister Hariyana Geeta Bhukkal.

Dr Rattu was awarded a citation to honour his lifelong contribution to Hindi literature and the media. A senior officer of the Indian Broadcasting Service, Dr Rattu has won many national and international awards for his works in literary and the media.

He has authored more than 60 books on the media so far and is the first researcher on the language of television in the country.

Meat shop owners told to shift to alternate site
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 14
Dehradun district has ordered the shopkeepers of Macchi Bazaar to close their meat shops by Monday. The administration has given the orders of shifting of meat shops from the area on the persistent demands of the local residents, including the management of Kalika Temple located in the vicinity.

Harak Singh Rawat, Additional District Magistrate, along with SP, City, visited the market and ordered the meat sellers to close their shops by Monday and shift to the alternate site given by the administration. Rawat also ordered that the administration would start sealing the shops if found open on Monday.

The meat shop owners are agitated by the order of the administration to shift.

BJP workers resent poor condition of roads
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 14
BJP workers, led by Sahaspur party legislator Sahdev Pundir, held a dharna outside the office of the Chief Engineer, PWD, at Yamuna Colony, here today in protest against the worsening condition of roads in the Sahaspur Assembly segment. Pundir alleged that despite proposals sent by him no tenders had been called for the repair of the roads.

He further charged that wherever some work had been going on, it was very slow. He said the condition of roads, particularly village roads, would worsen in the coming monsoon season. The people of the area are fed up with the attitude of the state government and its officials, he said.

He threatened that if the road work was not speeded up, BJP workers would start an agitation against the PWD officials and the state government.

Trekker from West Bengal dies in avalanche

Uttarkashi, June 14
A trekker from West Bengal was killed when he was caught in a snow avalanche at Kedarkhark in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, the police said late last night.

Forty-year-old Biswajit Bose was swept away by the snow avalanche at Kedarkhark while on a trek with a 10- member team to Manda Parbat beyond Gomukh, the Uttarkashi Circle Officer, Mahendra Singh Rawat, said.

However, Bose’s body was recovered from under the snow yesterday, two days after the mishap occurred, Rawat said.

It is being brought to Uttarkashi where a postmortem would be conducted. Nine other members of the trekking team returned to the district headquarters, Mahendra Rawat said.

The team had started its trek to Manda Parbat on May 27. — PTI

First batch of Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims leaves for Sirkha
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, June 14
The first batch of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra pilgrims was today flagged off from the Dharchula base camp to the first track route camp of Sirkha by Nagar Panchayat chairperson Darsrathi Khair.

The 53-member batch, including 22 women, will enter Tibet from the 17,500-ft high Lipulekh Pass on June 20.

Beginning its pilgrimage from New Delhi on June 12, the batch had reached the Dharchula base camp from Didihat on June 13, where it was welcomed by ITBP officers.

“All members of the first batch are enthusiastic to reach the abode of Lord Shiva,” said Chandan Singh Bhandari, liaison officer of the batch.