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Contractors suspend development works
Striking govt employees hold march to Secretariat
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Chakrata Road traders threaten to intensify stir
Bahuguna has challenged President’s authority: BJP
Regional parties gearing up for panchayat poll
SP hopeful of winning five Lok Sabha seats in state
Haridwar MNA saves money pilferage in name of fuel cost
MC members seek action against erring builders
ST body to hold protest on November 11
Virasat 2013: Enthralling show by folk singers
Nainital accident death toll rises to 17
One killed in road mishap
2 held with leopard skin
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Contractors suspend development works
Dehradun, October 21 Mukhya Nagar Adhikari Ashok Kumar said the DMC would soon receive funds as part of the stamp duty collection after which he would be able to clear the payment. Contractor Shiv Kumar said, “We have not received payment from the DMC for the past one year. We are made to undertake development works such as the construction or repair of roads, small bridge-like structures (puliya), drains etc by councillors of various wards. Contractors, too, go ahead and spend money from their own pockets. However, they will not carry out any work this time till their payment is released.” Another contractor, Sanjay Kumar, said: "The festival season has begun and they are not able to enjoy it. We are even finding it difficult to pay school fee of our children." Contractor Sunil Goyal said DMC officials had done the same thing last year also. It was after that they had suspended work and refused to take part in the tender process that the DMC had released the pending payment of Rs 1.80 crore last year. MNA Ashok Kumar said, " The DMC is facing an acute financial crunch. We have not been compensated for carrying out construction and repair work in various parts of the district post the flash floods. We are hopeful of receiving Rs 8-10 crore as stamp duty collection. Out of this amount, I will clear the payment of contractors. Before Diwali, their payment is likely to be cleared." |
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Striking govt employees hold march to Secretariat
Dehradun, October 21 Employees from the Department of Irrigation, the Department of Health, the Department of Revenue, Woman Empowerment and Integrated Child Development Scheme, the Department of Horticulture, the Department of Agriculture, work charge employees and the Husbandary and Fisheries Department marched in unison from the Parade Ground, Kanak chowk and the Secretariat, where a memorandum was submitted to Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna. Earlier, addressing the striking employees at the Parade Ground, council president Thakur Prahlad Singh, said, "Their victory is in sight as the government will soon issue a government order regarding promotions and the implementation of the Assured Career Progression. However, we will end our protest only after the government order is issued," he said. He said by October 25, the government would issue the orders regarding their main demands. " So far, most of our demands have been met and it is a record of sorts for any union to achieve this in a span of 15 days," said Thakur. After a unanimous decision is reached regarding allowing employees in the Department of Health to carry on emergency duties in the hospital, employees will return to perform their duties from tomorrow. "The employees will be working on humanitarian grounds and will not sign the attendance register," said Arun Pandey, spokesperson for the council. The council office-bearers said they would undertake surprise inspections of offices and in case employees owing allegiance to the council were found performing their duties, strict action would be taken. On November 23, the employees plan to undertake a similar march to Congress Bhavan. |
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Chakrata Road traders threaten to intensify stir
Dehradun, October 21 They submitted a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna in this regard. The protesting traders have decided to observe a bandh on Wednesday.
Mandal president Vipin Nagliya said, “They have been doing business here for decades. Traders are ready to resort to self-immolation if the government does not desist from its stand to acquire land on Chakrata Road as part of its re-development plan.” He said the wives of traders would hold a dharna at Gandhi Park on the occasion of Karwa Chauth tomorrow and had decided not to open the fast till Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna assured them of withdrawing the re-development plan. Anil
Goyal, president of the Prantiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal, said, “It is unfortunate that the state government has rejected its own order passed on December 2 two years ago, wherein officials and traders had reached a consensus on the issue related to the widening of Chakrata Road and development activities. Despite the fact that Nazul traders had deposited 25 per cent of the total amount to attain the status of freehold in 1999, the government is yet to accord freehold status to their land.” Acting president of the mandal Umesh Aggarwal said officials of the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority allegedly harassed the traders by sending notices to them when they tried to revive their business by repairing their semi-dismantled shops.
Shashikant Goyal, president of the Chakrata Road Traders’ Organisation, said, “MDDA officials and some anonymous people are making all attempts to create rifts among traders on this issue. They are alluring some small time free-hold traders. They are serving their nefarious purpose of dismantling the shops on Chakrata Road and letting big builders to take over land to build a multi-storied building.” |
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Bahuguna has challenged President’s authority: BJP
Pithoragarh, October 21 Joshi, who briefed mediapersons at Rishikesh before leaving for a tour of the Garhwal region, said though the Chief Minister had been a judge of the high court, he had surprisingly made such a statement. “Has he been an ordinary political activist, we would not have been surprised. He had been a high court judge, hence his statement was deplorable,” said the BJP leader. Joshi added the President gave his consent to the Bill well knowing that it was passed during the BJP regime in the state. But the Chief Minister unfortunately termed it as unconstitutional. “This state government does not deserve to continue as it has shown contempt for the top constitutional posts and organisations of the nation,” said Joshi. Dehradun: Uttarakhand BJP spokesman and former Member of Parliament Balraj Passi has said Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna was showing disrespect to President Pranab Mukherjee by making anti-Uttarakhand Lokayukta Act utterances. In a statement issued on Sunday, Passi said the President has given its consent to Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill which, after his consent, has become Uttarakhand Lokayukta Act 2013. “But the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna is now making statements portraying as if the President has done something unconstitutional, which is a disrespect to the President”, Passi pointed out. He said by opposing Uttarakhand Lokayukta Act 2013, the Chief Minister is only promoting corruption. He said it was a matter of concern that while there was general atmosphere against corruption in the country, Uttarakhand Chief Minister was showing disregard to that popular sentiment. |
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Regional parties gearing up for panchayat poll
Dehradun, October 21 Uttarakhand in charge for the BSP Ramesh Kumar Burman said, “The BSP had started preparations for the Panchayat and Lok Sabha elections one and a half years ago only. Our aim was to spread our network to the booth level and select candidates and we have successfully achieved that.” He said widespread corruption, the non-performance of the state government during and post disaster and ground-level issues would be their poll prank. Besides, they would also target the previous governments for allegedly dividing the state and its people. He said they would make people realise that it was BSP President Mayawati who had brought development in a period of six months, which no previous government could do after the state formation. Vice-president of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal
(Aeri) Narender Rawat said, “Being the only regional party, the UKD (Aeri) enjoys good reputation in the interiors of the state. However, I admit that our party also suffered due to infighting. We are trying to retrieve our position and win the confidence of the people of the state.” He said they would raise the issue of the recent disaster and poor management in its aftermath, the brunt of which was being borne by
Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar, Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh. The party had also chalked out a plan for a statewide campaign to be launched from October 26. President of the women’s wing of the UKD
(Panwar) Promila Rawat said party leaders were touring the state to reach out to the masses. She said, “The Panchayat poll is a good opportunity for us to get close to the people. We are hopeful of winning some seats this time.” President of the Uttarakhand Parivartan Party
(UPP) PC Tiwari said, “Our party will make its presence felt in the Panchayat elections this time. Corruption will be our main issue. We have been unearthing corruption scams. In
Almora, a gram pradhan was removed because we exposed him. In Dhola Devi also, a block development officer and a pradhan were suspended in corruption cases." Meanwhile, the state unit of the Samajwadi Party is yet to decide on contesting the panchayat election. |
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SP hopeful of winning five Lok Sabha seats in state
Dehradun, October 21 Shivpal said, “The SP will work for the uplift of the backward classes in Uttarakhand as the cause of social justice is being ignored in the state.” Asked about the probable formation of the next government at the
Centre, he said, “The third front is going to form the government at Centre this time. Our party is preparing to win the maximum number of seats in the Lok Sabha elections so that our leader Mulayam Singh Yadav becomes Prime Minister. We are preparing to win 60 seats in Uttar Pradesh and more in other states like Uttarakhand and
Maharashtra.” The SP leader said his party would deploy its top leadership in Uttarakhand for elaborate canvassing as it did in Uttar Pradesh to ensure a resounding victory in the Lok Sabha elections. Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav may also visit the state next month. Asked about Gujarat Chief Minister Narender Modi’s prospects of becoming the Prime Minister, he said Modi had no following in Uttar Pradesh and people would not vote for him due to his communal
image. Shivpal said the ticklish issue of division of properties between Uttar Pradesh and
Uttarakhand, as the former was still having control over several properties that exist in
Uttarakhand, would be resolved soon. He blamed the Vijay Bahuguna government for the delay in this regard. He said the SP government in Uttar Pradesh provided the maximum help immediately after the natural disaster hit Uttarakhand in June. “Hence we have all the right to know whether the money is being used properly. We have reservation in the regard. The state government has wasted a lot of money on advertisements,” he added. He said he would not comment on the functioning of the state government but would like to advise it to pay heed to the public grievances and ensure transparency in its working. Asked about the tardy response of his government with regard to the Muzaffarnagar communal riots which claimed several lives recently, he said, “Unlike previous governments in Uttar Pradesh the response of our government was the quickest. We contained the riots within two days. It was the Congress and the BJP that flared up the communal riots.” |
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Haridwar MNA saves money pilferage in name of fuel cost
Haridwar, October 21 Trivedi has saved lakhs of rupees that were being siphoned off on account of
cost of petrol and diesel for MC vehicles, tractors and garbage-collecting
vehicles. She had carried out an impromptu inspection of these vehicles at
petrol pumps and ordered the Transport Department to check the meters and the
average mileage of these vehicles. A huge difference was found in the mileage and the fuel consumed. Now, owing to Trivedi’s stern directions not only faulty meters are being checked, MC employees accompany these vehicles every day when they go for petrol filling. Thus, the crisis-ridden civic body is saving lakhs of rupees on account of fuel cost of its 27-odd vehicles. Trivedi told The Tribune that though the civic body had been upgraded as a municipal corporation it still had limited revenue generation resources. She talked about a staff shortage in the MC as well as unpaid dues of contractual sanitation employees even for the period of Mahakumbh of 2010. She said she was trying hard to ensure that all dues of the employees were paid before Diwali. “We have limited financial resources and cases relating our major revenue sources are embroiled in legal battles. The case of the two ropeways of Mata Mansa Devi and Mata Chandi Devi shrines where the operating agency is still to pay crores of rupees of tax is sub judice. Also, a case regarding commercial hoardings considered to be a major revenue generating source is also pending in court as local advertisers have objected to the tender process adopted by the civic body,” said Trivedi. With dengue afflicting more than 750 persons in the district, she assured the people that the civic body was taking adequate steps in this direction. “We are carrying out mass cleaning, fogging and filling of potholes on roads,” she added. “Petrol is being sprayed on potholed roads and at places where water stagnates. A mass awareness drive is being conducted though our employees face problems when they go out to check air-coolers, refrigerators and open utensils, which are the primary source of dengue larvae in the district,” she said. Streetlighting in the city periphery is also on Trivedi’s priority list. “We have already distributed five LED lights each in 30 wards. Sodium lights have been installed on many stretches in Ranipur, Devpura, Jwalapur and Har-ki-Pauri. Soon, we will procure more lights to ensure that the whole city remains illuminated at night,” she said. Trivedi is also focusing on planting saplings to make Haridwar greener with the help of local people and
organisations. |
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MC members seek action against erring builders
Mussoorie, October 21 Anuj Gupta and Ramesh Bharti, ward members, warned the executive officer that if no action was initiated soon against the perpetrators they would be forced to boycott the Municipal Council meeting. The Tribune had highlighted the issue of the railings installed by the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) and Municipal Council to safeguard the roads at Mall Road and Barlowganj area.The roads were being cut to pave the way for residential and commercial complexes under construction without any prior permission of the authorities. The ward members met Executive Officer PS Rawat and apprised him of the matter. They alleged that some builders had even placed pre-fabricated sheets and covered the area by removing the railings belonging to the Municipal Council at Barlowganj just near the blind curve resulting in accidents on several occasions. PS Rawat Executive Officer, when contacted, said he would investigate the matter and if found guilty, action would be initiated against the perpetrators. |
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ST body to hold protest on November 11
Dehradun, October 21 President of the committee and former MLA Gopal Singh Rana said all five tribes in the state were facing a lot problems. The state government had preferred to look the other way when it came to the welfare of tribes of the state. He criticised the government for failing to nominate any tribe member to the proposed Schedule Tribe Advisory Council and for not allotting the promised Rs 10 lakh for the Schedule Tribe fair, which was to be organised annually. “The backlog of the posts in the ST quota should be filled on a priority basis and a separate Schedule Tribe commission should be set up in the state”, said Gopal Singh Rana. — TNS
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Virasat 2013: Enthralling show by folk singers
Dehradun, October 21 The programme began with a prologue in which all the musical instruments along with the artistes from different state came together on the stage. There was folk singing from Rajasthan, Manipur, J&K, Punjab, UP, MP, Jharkhand, Haryana, Gujarat and Punjab. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the performance which made them aware of different folk forms in just one programme. The second performance was a musical evening with Sawanand Kirkire. He was born in 1970 and is a famous Indian lyricist, playback singer, writer, television serial writer, assistant director as well as a dialogue writer, both in television and Hindi films. He won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics twice - first in 2007 for the song "Bande Me Tha Dum...Vande Mataram" from the film Lage Raho Munna Bhai and second time in 2009 for the song "Behti Hawaa Sa Tha Woh..." from the film 3 Idiots. He also received the Filmfare Award nomination for Best Lyrics for the song "Piyu Bole" in Parineeta (2005). Sawanand had written a song during his theatre days - “Bawra mann dekhne chala ek sapna”. Sudhir Mishra heard the song and decided to use it in his film Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. Music composer Shantanu Moitra decided to record it in Swanand's voice. The song was released and it became instant hit. In the show, he was accompanied by Jasleen Royale, she was a semi-finalist in the TV show India’s Got Talent. He has also won MTV Video and Music Award 2013. She is known as one-women band as she can play three instruments together- guitar, tambourine and mouthorgan. She sang her own composition today ‘Panchi o java’ and also ‘mai-ne’ which is a song in collaboration with Sawanand Kirkire. They were accompanied by Gavin Pacheco on Base, Harshit Jain on keys and Amrish on Percussion (Drums). |
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Nainital accident death toll rises to 17
Pithoragarh, October 21 “The open canter which was carrying more than 45 persons of the marriage party collided head on with a road pillar as the driver could not negotiate a bend there and rolled into the george,” said a police officer from Nainital. According to the police, the deceased were returning after taking part in nikah of Reshma, daughter of Usman Shah of Nainital with Azeem, son of Sajil of Mir Saray Amroha in UP. Those injured were being treated at Shusheela Tiwari Hospital. The Chief Minister has announced a relief of Rs 50,000 to the next of kin of those dead and Rs 20,000 to those injured in the accident. |
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One killed in road mishap
Dehradun October 21 According to eyewitnesses, the truck driver fled after the mishap leaving the truck behind. The police has taken the truck into custody. The body of the victim had been sent for post-mortem examination
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2 held with leopard skin
Dehradun, October 21 The accused have been identified as Darshan, resident of Bhiwani, Haryana, and Jaipal, resident of Haridwar. Both the accused were arrested after an informer tipped off the police about them. According to the police, both the accused were going to sell the skin which was given to them by a resident of Tehri. The police also claimed that the two accused were arrested in June this year in Haridwar along with their friends for carrying leopard skin. “Their friends are still in Haridwar jail. But, these two fled away and now they are finally arrested,” said a police spokesman. Ameerjeet Singh, in charge, Rajpur Police Station, said both had been arrested under Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act and would be presented before the court tomorrow. |
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Opposing re-development plan for Chakrata Road, members of the Doon Udyog Vyapar Mandal and other traders' organisations held a march from Chakrata Road to the District Magistrate's office here today.
The first woman Mukhya Nagar Adhikari (MNA) of the Haridwar Municipal Corporation, Vipra
Trivedi, has in a short span put the civic body back on track. Trivedi has saved lakhs of rupees that were being siphoned off on account of cost of petrol and diesel for MC vehicles, tractors and garbage-collecting vehicles. She had carried out an impromptu inspection of these vehicles at petrol pumps and ordered the Transport Department to check the meters and the average mileage of these vehicles.
A total of 150 artistes from nine states of India presented a breathtaking folk dances on the third evening of Virasat festival today. The show was choreographed by North Zone Cultural Center
(NZCC) which is under the Ministry of Culture.
The Dehradun police has arrested two poachers-cum-carriers and recovered a leopard skin from their possession during a checking at the Kothal gate on Mussoorie road here today.
