|
|
|
|
|
Uma Bharti may contest LS poll from Haridwar
Design of cricket stadium approved
Police told to adhere to
juvenile age cap
|
|
|
BJP workers show black flags to CM
69 species spotted during bird-watching camp
Counselling for B.Ed course
UKD (P) opposes Raghuram Rajan panel report
Parties lock horns over flag-hoisting on Gandhi Jayanti
Geologists to probe causes of flood fury
Dehradun diary
|
||||||||||||||||
|
Uma Bharti may contest LS poll from Haridwar
Dehradun, September 29 “I have told my party president Rajnath Singh that I will abide by the decision of the party,” Uma said. She added a high-level delegation of the BJP would shortly meet President Pranab Mukherjee for starting combing operations in hills in proximity to Kedarnath as a large number of bodies were still lying there though the state government had called off all operations. Uma said local priests and other grass-roots representatives were not being allowed to take part in relief activities. She would shortly organise an open discussion in all disaster-affected districts of Uttarakhand to highlight the problems being faced by the affected population, she added. Uma was in Dehradun as part of the Save Ganga campaign. She said she planned to set up Ganga chowkis from Gaumukh to Gangasagar to safeguard and conserve the Ganga. “The Ganga must be protected at all costs,” she added. BJP legislator from Rishikesh Premchand Agarwal was also present at the press conference. |
|
|
Design of cricket stadium approved
Dehradun, September 29 The design of the stadium was approved at the meeting. It was also decided that the work would begin on the stadium from November 9, on Uttarakhand day. The process is underway to select the construction agency. Besides approving the design and the master plan, discussions were also held on engineering and construction works of the stadium project. The company that had prepared the design of
the stadium gave a detailed presentation. The stadium would be built at Raipur with
the help of the ONGC. The foundation stone of the stadium proposed to be built on 22 acre
was laid on November 15, 2012. The Chief Minister said the stadium would of the international standard and would bring Dehradun on the global sports map. It would prove to be a big step in the promotion of sports in Uttarakhand. Other sports would also be organised in the stadium and its associated sports complex. It would prove to be a major platform for grooming the sport talent in the state. The Chief Minister promised that IPL and Ranji Trophy matches would be played at the venue. He instructed the Additional Chief Secretary to ensure tree plantation in the area surrounding the stadium to increase its natural beauty. Sports Secretary Ajay Pradyot said the design had been prepared according to the ICC specifications to accommodate 25,000 spectators. It would also have a sports complex and a club house. The most modern amenities would be provided to players, spectators and mediapersons. To make it functional year long, activities would be held regularly at the ice skating rink and the sports complex. CMD of the ONGC Sudhir Vasudeva, Additional Chief Secretary Rakesh Sharma and Resident Commissioner SD Sharma were present at the meeting. |
|
|
Police told to adhere to
juvenile age cap
Dehradun, September 29 Setia was here to preside over a review meeting at Roshanabad yesterday. Directing the police officers, he said teenagers should be presented in the juvenile courts and not in civil courts. He told health officials that the age identification of the teenagers in any case should be taken seriously and it should be made sure that no juvenile is shown to be above 18 years of age, as it would bring him under the punishment criterion. Setia also directed the Education Department officials to ensure the implementation of Right to Education Act across the district. He also made it clear that the schools flouting the RTE provisions would be strictly dealt with. On this, chief development officer BS Dhanik said the schools not adhering to RTE provisions had already been given notice, replies to which had been sought till September 30. To Labour Department officials, Setia said they should inspect various areas across the district on routine basis to check child labour cases and sought information from them on the number of rescues in the past few months. “Children are openly working in hotels, restaurants, eateries, dhabas and households but no action is being taken by the Labour Department. The taskforce formed in this regard in the district should hold a meeting every month and a solution should be evolved,” said Setia. He also visited the Haridwar prison and found four prisoners to be less than 18 years of age. Senior Superintendent of District police Rajeev Swarup, circle officers, officials of social welfare, juvenile court, child welfare committee and other related departments of the state government were present at the meeting. |
|
|
Guru-shishya tradition pious, say sants
Haridwar, September 29 the saints associated with Shri Nirmal Panchayati Akhada paid tribute to Mahant Raghubir Singh and Mahant Baba Gurbachan Singh, who were also associated with the akhada. Mahant Pyara Singh said Mahant Raghubir was a epitome of meditation and sainthood. His ideal disciple, Baba Gurbachan Singh, who came from Barnala, Punjab, to Haridwar started the Nirmal sect at Raghubir Bagh, following in the footsteps of his guru, he said. He said both Mahant Raghubir and Gurbachan Singh would be remembered for following the guru-shishya tradition. Mahant Mohan Das said revered Sikh guru Nanak Dev had established the sant tradition of the Nirmal sect, which was being followed by Shri Panchayati Nirmal Akhada and other related organisations. Raghubir Bagh is one such Nirmal sect organisation. Mahant Mahendra Singh, head of Shri Panchayati Nirmal Akhada, said both Mahant Raghuvir Das and Mahant Baba Gurbachan Das followed the ideals and sermons of Guru Nanak. Maharaj worked towards creating communal harmony and did social service in society. He added that in Haridwar the akhada was associated with several social works, including education, health and religious activities.” Mahant Gyan Dev, Baba Bhola Singh, Parmeshwarnand, Nomi Das, Basant Das, Vishwabharati, Bhagwant Bhajan and Khem Singh, among others, were present at the function. |
|
|
BJP workers show black flags to CM
Dehradun, September 29 They alleged that the state government had failed to serve the poor and the needy in the state. They also showed black flags to the Chief Minister. On the other hand, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, while addressing a gathering, said in Uttarakhand, nearly 61 lakh people would be benefitted due to the Food Security Bill. He asked party workers to take this beneficial scheme of the Centre to every nook and corner of the state. He also made a number of announcements for Rudrapur on the occasion. Union Minister of Water Resources Harish Rawat said the Bill was the historical decision on part of the Centre. He said both party organisation and the government were working in excellent coordination in Uttarakhand. President of the state unit of the Congress Yashpal Arya, Cabinet Minister Indira Hridyesh and other senior Congress leaders were present on the occasion. |
|
|
69 species spotted during bird-watching camp
Dehradun, September 29 Chief guest Manju Tolia distributed certificates to the participants. A total of 69 bird species were spotted, including Mrs Gould's Sunbird, Streaked Laughing Thrush and Streak Breasted
Scimitar Babbler, during the camp. The camp, which was part of the Ecotourism Wing’s Uttarakhand Bird-watching
Programme, was meant to promote bird tourism in the state by linking rural tourism destinations with the
bird-watching activity and also developing bird-watching skills among local forest staff and
nature guides. The camp was sponsored by the Uttarakhand Council of Science and Technology and was conducted by Ashish Kothari, author
of guidebook ‘What Is That Bird?’ and Sanjay and Anchal Sondhi from Titli Trust. In all, there were 28
participants in the camp, including the highest number of 10 women participants. The participants included three nature guides and
10 home stay operators from four villages, forest staff and two families
of tourists from Chennai and Bangalore. The programme consisted of a combination of
lecture and field trips to nearby forests. Sanjay Sondhi said the camp had an impressive local participation. Ashish Kothari found this to be a good sign for both raising awareness and generating livelihood opportunities. |
|
World Heart Day
Haridwar, September 29 “Any kind of physical activity helps prevent blockages in the arteries of the heart. Obesity can be prevented by doing workout everyday and avoiding junk food,” said Dr Shah, who is also associated with Ram Krishan Sewashram Hospital, Kankhal. Dr Shah said smoking and tobacco and liquor consumption had side effects on the heart. “The consumption of nicotine not only invites heart ailments but leads to cancer," says Dr Shah. Dr Shah suggested that tea was good for heart as it contained anti-oxidants, which protect heart arteries from oxidation impact. “Indulge in some sort of physical exercise, do household chores and change your lifestyle. It will surely help making your heart healthy and stronger," suggested Dr Shah. He said even in the hilly districts of Uttarakhand, the number of patients suffering from heart ailments was on the rise. He said the government had failed to realise the penetration of heart diseases in rural and hilly regions. |
|
Counselling for B.Ed course
Dehradun, September 29 According to the association, the university is not conducting counselling in government as well as private B.Ed colleges. It has instead given the onus to the colleges which is creating confusion among the students. “For the past two years, the university has not conducted counselling for its affiliated B.Ed colleges, except three colleges. This is creating confusion among the students as they are not able to decide whether the it is the college or the university that will conduct counselling for their admission in the course,” Sunil Agarwal, president of the association, told The Tribune. He also said October 20 was the last date of admission in the B.Ed course and university must take steps to clear the confusion so that students start taking admission within the stipulated time. On the question of private colleges charging exorbitant fees from the students, Agarwal said all private colleges would charge
fees that had been decided by the university and students must not pay extra money for admission in the B.Ed course. |
|
UKD (P) opposes Raghuram Rajan panel report
Dehradun, September 29 Party spokesperson Manmohan Lakhera called it a well thought conspiracy. He said if this report was enforced the state would have to face heavy cuts in Central assistance. Lakhera said the state was reeling under the aftereffects of the natural disaster at present and required more monetary assistance for development. |
|
Parties lock horns over flag-hoisting on Gandhi Jayanti
Mussoorie, September 29 Workers of the BJP, enraged at the comments of MC ward member Ramesh Bhandari that MC president Manmohan Singh Mall would be given the opportunity to hoist the national flag at a public function at a library, opposed it vehemently and said the flag hoisting should be done according to the precedence being followed in the past where the MLA Mussoorie, in this case Ganesh Joshi, was assigned the task of hoisting the flag. The workers from both the BJP and Congress entered into an argument and stopped only after they were pacified by the SDM Mussoorie. Breaking the deadlock, president of the MC Manmohan Singh Mall said the incident of August 15, where he was seen haggling with Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi to hoist the flag and had drawn flak from all quarters, had left the town in shame and such incidents should not be repeated. Intervening, Mussoorie SDM Sonika said the flag would be hoisted according to the protocol and all parties should adhere to it. She also said the administration would be present at the function to avoid any untoward incident. The public dignitaries present at the meeting said the incident of the past had maligned the town and the two political parties should decide in advance as to who will unfurl the flag. |
|
Encroachments removed from highway for hot-mix work
Pithoragarh, September 29 JCB machines were used to remove encroachments from the highway, which passes through Pithoragarh town and is maintained by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), in the presence of BRO officers and police force. The administration team faced no resistance when temporary sheds as well as permanent structures were removed. “We have removed 300 encroachments from Siltham Chauraha to the Rai Bridge in two days of the operation and regained 40 feet of the road, which belongs to the BRO,” said Naresh Durgapal, SDM, Pithoragarh, and in charge of the anti-encroachment drive. Durgapal said the drive would continue till all encroachments from the national highway were removed. “The BRO is at present constructing a hot-mix road from Aincholi to Satsiling (10 km area on the highway) for which it needs to remove encroachments,” he said. The SDM added shopkeepers and house owners were given notices a month ago to remove encroachments from the road but only 24 people had voluntarily complied with the orders. |
|
Geologists to probe causes of flood fury
Pithoragarh, September 29 The committee would investigate the geological reasons, besides human factors, behind the disasters occurring in the Himalayan region every year, Dr Shamsher Singh Bisht said after returning from the conclave. He said it was also decided at the meeting that a memorandum would be submitted to the state government on the occasion of the 19th anniversary of the Muzzafarnagar firing incident of October 2, demanding issuance of an enactment implementation of the Forest Rights Act of 2006 in the state. “If the government refuses to accept this, a dharna will be staged in Dehradun on November 7, two days ahead of the state raising day. Social activists, politicians and intellectuals will participate in it,” said Dr Bisht. Dr Bisht said the delegates were of the view that denying traditional knowledge in the construction of developmental projects and residential buildings was the main reason behind the disasters in the Himalayan region. |
|
Free eye camp concludes
Dehradun, September 29 He also reiterated state government’s commitment to ensuring better health services to the people of the state. President, Doon Sikh Welfare Society, Amarjeet Singh Bhatia, has been regularly conducting free eye camps. He claimed that a total of 3,000 cataract operations had taken place in these camps. The Doon Sikh Welfare Society also honoured social worker Indrani Pandhi on the occasion. Founder president, Doon Sikh Welfare Society, Kripal Singh Chawla, convener of the camp Surjit Singh and an eye specialist, Dr RN Singh, were present on the occasion. |
|
Dehradun diary
Speculation about the change of guard in Uttarakhand has led to confusion not only among the ruling Congress but also the state bureaucracy.
Such rumours are affecting the performance of the state government at a time when the state needs a focused leadership for relief and rehabilitation to be undertaken in the wake of the mid-June disaster.
The relief and rehabilitation work was hit by incessant rains that continued till the end of September. A large number of roads, pathways, bridges and culverts are still damaged and the work could have picked up after the rains but political uncertainty has hit the efforts. For the past one month, rumours are afloat that the party high command has been mulling about a change in the state leadership. It was argued that the Central party leadership was not happy with the way Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna handled the relief and rehabilitation efforts after the natural disaster. The speculation became rife following a visit by a team of legislators owing allegiance to Vijay Bahuguna to New Delhi to show their solidarity with the Chief Minister. Since then with every visit of Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna to the national capital, which are quite frequent, there are rumours of his exit. His rival group led by Union Minister of Water Resources Harish Rawat has been working overtime to discredit the leadership of Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna. Harish Rawat and his group of legislators had revolted when Bahuguna was made the Chief Minister after the 2012 Assembly elections. While the party high command placated Harish Rawat by making him a Union Cabinet minister, but the discontent has continued. Both rival groups had been meeting Central leaders regarding their point of view. Interestingly, a six-member group of the BSP, Independent and the lone Uttarakhand Kranti Dal legislators, who are supporting the Bahuguna government, have become the most important players in the tug of war among the rival Congress groups. The Chief Minister, who has four ministers out of these six legislators in his ministry, has been able to keep them in good humour. These legislators have written a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi regarding their concern about the speculations of the change of guard. They requested her that the group known as the Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) should be consulted in case of any possibility of change in the state leadership. Uncertainty and drift has been the hallmark of the state Congress government and infamous bureaucracy of the state has also started waiting for any proposed change following such rumours affecting the relief and rehabilitation works. It is a fact that Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has "failed" as far as public relations efforts are concerned. The state Information and Public Relations Department has remained defunct since the formation of the state and failed to highlight the achievement of the successive state governments. Despite having huge budgets, the department has been marred in inefficiency and corrupt deals and only focused on distributing advertisements. In the past 12 years, the department has failed to produce press releases of the state government in English. Facing the media flak following the handling of the natural disaster, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna went into overdrive and started giving huge full page advertisements in newspapers. His daily engagements and programmes are telecast on local television channels as advertisement, spending huge amount from the state exchequer. Perhaps nobody has informed the Chief Minister that such media overdrives are counter productive and common people who are suffering get annoyed on the splurge of government funds. The state government has indulged in the rhetoric of restarting the Char Dham Yatra than caring about the suffering of the masses. Schools, colleges and roads are damaged, health services are in tatters and normal life is yet to return in the hilly areas. The need of the hour for the state Congress government is to do concrete works rather than indulging in rhetoric or the writing is on the wall in the coming Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held in May 2014. |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
