SC verdict on Hotel Alaknanda in 3rd week of this month
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 11
The apex court is likely to deliver the verdict about the fate of Hotel Alaknanda in Haridwar in the third week of this month. The hotel is owned by Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department while Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) is constantly demanding its transfer to UTDB.

District Tourism Officer YS Gangwar said: “Like all other properties related to other departments which once belonged to UP government were smoothly transferred to Uttarakhand, once the state was carved out of united UP, this property should have been handed over to us as well.

Rather all other guest houses or hotels, too, were handed over to Tourism Department of the state. But in the matter of Hotel Alaknanda, UP still has control over it. ''When we insisted on its transfer, then UP government moved the Supreme Court.”

He said the Tourism Department was not willing to part with the property, which was doing flourishing business in Haridwar, renowned town of Hindu religion. “The UP government had been asserting that

the property of a corporation of a particular state could be built or operated in other states, while citing examples to support its contention. However, we argued that like transfer of other properties, this too should be given to Uttarakhand. There is no denying the fact that the hotel is earning well on account of the popularity of the place where it is situated, which is always full of devotees and tourists as well. This is the reason UP does not want to lose revenue. Hence, the state is making all efforts to save this property. Nonetheless, we are confident that we will win the case in Supreme Court,” he said.

This magnificent hotel is built near the banks of Ganga and is endowed with beautiful lawns. It is quite popular among the visitors of the town.

BSP plans workers' convention on Oct 19
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 11
With Bahujan Samaj Party failing to open its account in the 2009 parliamentary election of the five constituencies from Uttarakhand, the party now hopes to win its maiden seat from Haridwar constituency. As a step the party had earlier this month replaced its official Lok Sabha candidate Antriksh Saini with Hazi Rashid Ali.

Now the party is organising a mega party workers' convention in Roorkee on October 19, which will boost the party candidates' stature, if the convention draws substantial number of party workers and supporters. While in a meeting at Landaura, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind state president Mufti Riyasat Ali has urged people to vote for Bahujan Samaj Party, owing to its secular credentials.

State party in charge Meghraj Jaravare, former Uttar Pradesh transport Minister, visited Haridwar twice in this fortnight ,taking party workers' meeting and giving tips to new candidate Hazi Mohammed Islam.

In a meeting held at party office in Shivalik Nagar today, Jaravare urged party activists to work hard in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, as the maximum number of party MPs win from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand ,the more the chances of party supremo Mayawati’s prime ministererial candidature will go up.

He also urged party cadre to start working for Lok Sabha elections from now onwards only as the party had already announced a majority of Lok Sabha candidates' names.

While Haridwar candidate Hazi Mohammed Islam said that as party high command has reposed faith in his capabilities, he will try hard to make the BSP stronger in the region. Mufti Riyasat Ali said that in the wake of Muzaffarnagar riots, Samajwadi Party’s real image has been exposed and its claim of being pro-minority has fallen flat.

As Congress has been using minority and Dalits as vote bank, only Bahujan Samaj Party has catered to the interests and issues of the minority community.

“Only Bahujan Samaj Party is an option left for the minority community which has been pro-minorities and Dalits. Under the able leadership of Mayawati, non-secular forces' nefarious designs will not be allowed to succeed. So people should vote for BSP only,” he added.

Dengue fever: Residents accuse administration of laxity
Tribune News Service

Residents and opposition ward councillors express displeasure over the preventive measures being taken by the civic body and Health Department in controlling dengue virus during a meeting in Haridwar on Friday. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur

Haridwar, October 11
With dengue virus inflicting more than 500 persons in the district, the residents in panic have expressed their concern over the laxity being shown by the district administration, the Health Department and the civic body in controlling the spread of the disease.

Residents, opposition ward councillors and organisation Rashtriya Krantikari Manch expressed displeasure over the preventive measures being taken by the authorities concerned to contain the dengue virus spreading across the district.

Under a joint forum, the residents would stage protests at various wards from October 17 onwards and seek explanation from District Magistrate Dr Nidhi Pandey, Mayor Manoj Garg and the health officials.

Leader of opposition councillors Upendra Kumar said the civic body and Health Department had failed to take preventive measures and ensure fogging, cleaning and generating awareness among the local people.

Rashtriya Krantikari Manch co-founder Murali Manohar sought explanation from the District Magistrate on not calling a joint coordination meeting of the concerned departments and local people in ensuring implementation of preventive measures on a large scale.

Councillor Lakhan Pal pointed out that Mayor Manoj Garg had not even vacated the official residence for Mukhya Nagar Adhikari Vipra Trivedi and was busy installing air conditioners at the said residence but had failed to take steps to clean the city.

The joint forum has also sought immediate intervention from Haridwar parliamentarian and Union Minister for Water Resources Harish Rawat on this issue, urging him to direct the officials concerned to take appropriate steps to provide the district relief from dengue and scrub typhus.

Aam Aadmi Party, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and Communist Party of India-Marxist district representatives also blamed the district administration, the Health Department and Municipal Corporation for failing to control the dengue menace in time.

Get ready for panchayat elections, says EC
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 11
Asking officials to get prepared for the panchayat elections in the state, State Election Commissioner Suvardhan in his Kumaon tour has sought reports of all preparations till October 31 this year. “ This includes the reports on personnel, material, force and vehicle requirement of the districts,” said the Election Commissioner.

Speaking to mediapersons at the last leg of his Kumaon tour for the purpose of gearing the state machinery for the panchayat elections at Champawat yesterday, the EC said that three-layered panchayat elections that are scheduled in the month of December will be held in time. “The entire preparation for the purpose has to be completed by November 15 at any cost,” he said.

Taking a meeting of district-level officers of various districts of the region, Election Commissioner has ordered that latest electoral tally, duly signed by SDMs be made available to block officers within a week from the day of the shortage.“After that the District Election Officer will provide these rectified electoral roles to the Election Commissioner,” he said.

The election officer has told DEOs that they should identify sensitive and highly sensitive polling booths and polling centres with the help of police officers, get repaired the track routes which come on the way to election booths and link all the developmental blocks with Internet facility. “We have asked the DEOs to send applications of their requirement of force thereafter,” said the Election Commissioner.

The DEO in Pithoragarh district informed the election officer that according to latest prepared electoral rolls in the district, the district has 3,09,195 voters, including 1,58,735 female and 1,50,460 male voters which have been divided into 689 polling booths. “Compared to the last panchayat elections, 7 polling booths and 5 polling centres have been added in the district,” said DEO Anand Srivastava.

RLEK seeks Champion's detention
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 11
The Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), a voluntary organisation, has come out openly against Congress legislator and Chairman of Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation Kunwar Parnav Singh Champion and demanded his detention under the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA).

In a statement, RLEK said Champion had been acting as if he was above the law of the land and believed only in muscle and gun power. He had been behaving like a terrorist and was terrorising not only the common man but also the bureaucrats and ministers of the state.

The time has come that he should be immediately arrested under the TADA and a CBI enquiry be instituted on the working of Forest Corporation, said Chairperson, RLEK, Avdhash Kaushal.

Kaushal said it was a known fact that the Forest Corporation of Uttarakhand deforested worth more than Rs 400 crore every year and deposited only Rs 250 crore in the treasury. Moreover, the recent agitation by the corporation employees against the new mining policy in the state was also motivated, said Kaushal.

To remove him from the Congress is the internal matter of the party and the decision on him will decide the fate of the Congress in the coming Parliament elections, added Kaushal.

Tanakpur-Jauljibi project report sent for final approval

Pithoragarh, October 11
The possibility of an early start of the construction work of 135-km-long motor road from Tanakpur to Jauljibi by the Kali river at the Indo-Nepal border of Champawat and Pithoragarh districts came closer today when the final detailed project report was sent to the Central Government by the nodal agency for the final approval.

According to the sources, the final report was sent after the Pithoragarh District Magistrate approved that the land required to compensate for the land being taken by the road was available with the district. "After the assurance that the district administration will be able to compensate for the required forest land, the possibility to start the construction of the road soon has increased," said a source from the PWD. The final project report of the proposed road had been submitted to the PWD last week by a private agency which was assigned the work prepare it. — OC

New office-bearers of Rajiv sangathan cell

Dehradun, October 11
The Uttarakhand Congress has announced office-bearers of party's Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan Cell. Neenu Sehgal was appointed Dehradun city president of the cell, while Shoorveer Singh Rangad president of Uttarkashi Ganga Valley region, and Pyare Lal Himani president for the Uttarkashi Yamuna Valley region.

Lakshmi Prasad Bhatt for the Tehri Garhwal region, Rama Ballabh Bhatt for Deoprayag, Virendra Singh Aswal for Rudraprayag, Hayat Singh Bisht for Chamoli, Naveen Bhatt for Pauri Garhwal and Alok Rawat for Kotdwar district were made presidents.

Joth Singh Bisht state president of the sanghatan cell said the new office-bearers were expected to redress the problems being faced by the people and strengthen the party for the forthcoming panchayat elections in the state. — TNS

Ice factory gas leak triggers panic
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 11
A gas leakage at an ice factory in the Vikasnagar Police Station area this evening triggered panic because the ammonia had spread all over, causing irritation in the eyes of people residing near the factory.

The gas leaked from an ice factory, owned by Gaurav near Shakti Canal in Vikasnagar and fire tenders were rushed to control the leakage.

Chandan Singh Jeena said we had sent two fire tenders to control the situation and water was being poured on the area from where the gas was reportedly being leaked because ammonia get diluted in the water.

He told The Tribune that the area was being cleared and the situation was under control.