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RS Nomination
Sixteen top bureaucrats shuffled
All clear for railway overbridge
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Faulty lights signal chaos
The traffic lights in Dehradun have been non- functional for the past many weeks. Tribune photo: Anil Rawat
Three held with rare turtle
Beginning today, cops on beat duty
Filth stains holy city
Garbage piles up at Vishnu Ghat in Haridwar
Govt prepares for state
Foundation Day
Sports
Women seek direct polls for ZP chief post
Making handsome hats
Annual festival held at Jwala Devi Temple
Park to open for tourists
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RS Nomination
Dehradun, October 31 However, there are many claimants from the state as well as outside, say sources. A section of the party feels that former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, who had raised a banner of revolt with the support of party legislators, should be the candidate as this will stem dissidence. But it is believed Koshiyari is not much inclined to moving to the Centre and wants to play his role in state politics. Moreover, he will have to quit his Kapkot assembly segment, necessitating a byelection. The most formidable candidate seems to be Uttarakhand state BJP chief Bacchi Singh Rawat. He represents the Almora Lok Sabha seat but since the seat has been reserved for SC candidates for the next General Election, he will not be eligible to fight from the home constituency. With the backing of the Chief Minister, Rawat could well get the approval of the party high command for the Rajya Sabha nomination. As a state party chief, nominationRawat has stood by the Chief Minister in the political crisis. Khanduri would like to send him to the Rajya Sabha to convey a message that he is fair to the Kumoan region from where Rawat hails. Khanduri is from Garhwal. The names of former defence minister K.C. Pant and RSS ideologue Tarun Vijay are also being mentioned. |
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Sixteen top bureaucrats shuffled
Dehradun, October 31 N.S. Nachapliyal, additional chief secretary, has been relieved of the home, vigilance, revenue, disaster management and chief revenue commissioner charge. He is now left with the department of reorganisation. Subhash Kumar, commissioner, Garhwal region, takes his place. Kumar will continue to be principal secretary to the CM and commissioner, Garhwal region. Vinita Kumar, principal secretary, urban development, has been given the charge of minor irrigation, agriculture and agriculture education. Keshav Desuraju has been given the additional charge of principal secretary, science and technology and biotechnology. P.C. Sharma, secretary, civil aviation and industry, has been relieved of the department of science and technology and bio-technology. Subroto Vishwas, secretary, has been relieved of forest and environment, technical education, training and planning. He has been given the housing department. Parbhat Kumar Sarangi, secretary to the CM, has been giventhe additional charge of programme implementation. The department of housing and information technology has been taken from power secretary Shatrughan Singh. He has been made in charge of personnel and reorganisation. Anoop Wadhawan is secretary, urban development, forest and environment. He has been relieved of the departments of Panchayati Raj, cooperatives and rural development. Rajiv Chandra will give up the department of census but will hold the rest. Om Parkash will be the new secretary of rural development, Panchayati Raj, cooperatives and information technology. He was looking after agriculture and school education. Anjali Prasad will now look after departments of labour and higher education. Umakant Panwar, who was secretary, transport, will be secretary, school education and protocol. Vinod Phonia will no more head the department of minor irrigation and rural engineering but will remain, secretary, horticulture. Dilbagh Singh has been made secretary, rural engineering and census. Rakesh Kumar who was earlier district magistrate, Dehradun, is secretary, women empowerment, child development and transport. He will be the new transport commissioner. |
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All clear for railway overbridge
Dehradun, October 31 The Uttarakhand Public Works Department (PWD) will jointly construct this four-laned bridge at an estimated cost of Rs 38 crore in association with the Railways. The Railways will undertake the major construction at a cost of Rs 8 crore while the PWD will be responsible for the approaches connecting both sides. Pre-qualification bids have already been invited and approval of the land transfer proposal from the ministry of forests and environment is expected any time. “Hopefully, the work will start by January next,” informed AK Bisht, superintending engineer, National Highways Circle, PWD, Uttarakhand. The existing almost century-old underpass is not wide enough for even two cars to pass and its height barely allows passage of a bus or truck. Traffic here often gets held up for hours. The absence of a water disposal system during the rains is another headache. As per a technical appraisal, the round-the-clock two-way commercial vehicle density (CVD) apart from passenger cars at this point has been worked out at 1,875 vehicles. The overbridge proposal was part of the four-lane project of NH-72. But the NH-72 project failed to take off due to procedural wranglings. Upset over this, especially as the state is gearing up to meet the rush of pilgrims for the Kumb Mela in 2010, the Chief Minister took up the matter with the ministry of road surface transport. On completion, the overbridge will be connected with NH-72 as and when its four-laning is undertaken. |
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Faulty lights signal chaos
Dehradun, October 31 There are as many as 24 traffic lights in the city, with 16 being managed by the MC while the rest are with the Uttarakhand police. Chief executive officer of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, Sushil Kumar Sharma, refuses to accept blame for the malfunctioning lights. “ We no more look after the traffic lights and it is now the responsibility of the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority,” he says. Death of an engineering student by electrocution at one such light point during the recent rains has raised concerns over the poor upkeep of the lights in the city. It was after much hue and cry that the MC had handed over responsibility for upkeep of the traffic lights to the Mussoorie Dehra Development Authority. But the authority too does not want to be held responsible for the non-functional lights. It admits being approached by the Dehradun MC for the same. “ Yes we have been approached with the task of ensuring better management of the city’s traffic lights. We are in the process of conducting a survey before undertaking repairs,” said Shyam Mohan Sharma, spokesperson for the MDDA. The appropriateness of lights at certain crossings have been time and again questioned. Traffic lights meant to introduce discipline on roads have proved counter- productive at certain places. On the other hand, improper lights are causing unnecessary jams at certain other points. Traffic has always been a problem in Dehradun on account of its narrow roads. The Mumbai police was once contacted for a solution to the problem, but in vain. |
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Three held with rare turtle
Dehradun, October 31 The Haridwar bypass police picket in charge, Yogindra Gosain, received a tipoff that some persons were carrying with them a rare turtle weighing 20 kg in Deep Nagar area. The police reached there and began searching vehicles. They stopped a blue Indica (UA 08 K 1666) and found the turtle in a bag. Except the car driver, who had nothing to do with the deal, the officials arrested the three car occupants. During questioning at the Nehru Colony police station, the accused confessed to have taken the turtle from the Ganga canal in Roorkee. They said they planned to sell it to Prem Bahadur. Subsequently, Prem Bahadur was arrested from his Deep Nagar residence. “During interrogation, Prem Bahadur, who hails from Pokhra, Kathmandu, Nepal, confessed he intended to sell the turtle in Nepal”, said police officials. The accused may have links with a gang of international wildlife smugglers. |
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Beginning today, cops on beat duty
Dehradun, October 31 According to top police officials, beginning tomorrow the system will come into force in two districts each of Garhwal and Kumaon. Uttarakhand DGP Subhash Joshi said as part of community policing, they had decided to constitute 300 beats in Garhwal and 200 in Kumaon. “In Garhwal, Dehradun and
Haridwar districts and in Kumaon, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts have
been selected for introduction of the new system,” he said. The DGP said on every beat, there would be two policemen of the rank of head constable and constable. “Every beat officer will look after three or four areas and emphasis will be to meet the people and make efforts to solve their problems.” The beat officer would convene meetings with area residents, the watchman, officials of panchayat and municipal corporation every three
months. Likewise, a meeting of labour unions, student organisations and representatives of political parties would be convened. Dehradun SSP Amit Kumar Sinha said there would be 15 beats under every police station in the city. Police officials said as part of community policing, community liaison groups (CLG) would be constituted soon. |
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Filth stains holy city
Dehradun, October 31 On the one hand there is the holy water of the Ganga and on the other heaps of waste lying bang next to the ghats where devotees come for bathing. This is the case despite the ongoing Clean Ganga drive. The main ghats, including the Vishnu Ghat, have been affected. Thousands of tourists visiting Haridwar daily only aggravate the situation. Executive engineer Prahlad Singh said: “For a dumping yard, a piece of land near Sarai village has been identified. In future this will significantly help in clearing the city of all garbage .” Under Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNRUM), Haridwar has been allotted Rs 27 crore for beautification, a compost plant, cleaning equipment, garbage disposal equipment and creation of dumping yards. But the Haridwar Municipal Corporation has held only two board meetings since the new members were elected in April this year. The JNNRUM proposal hasn’t even been tabled yet. Sanjay Sharma, leader of the opposition in the MC, said the development of Haridwar is of utmost importance and the proposal should be passed at the next board meeting. When contacted, municipal president Kamal Johra said he would try to get the proposal approved at the next meeting. But many in the city feel if each citizen realizes the importance of cleanliness, then half the problem could be solved. “At least the ghats should be cleaned and people should be made aware of not dumping garbage here and there,” said Namrata Jha, a social activist. |
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Govt prepares for state
Foundation Day
Dehradun, October 31 As part of the preparations, an air show has been planned at the Police Lines for the large number of people expected to turn up for the function. Following a request by the Chief Minister to the defence minister, a team of Air Force officials led by Group Captain Ravi Sharma today held a meeting with the principal secretary, civil aviation, P.C. Sharma, to work out modalities. The key attraction will be various formations by fighter planes Jaguar and helipcopters, besides para-dropping and daredevil acrobats during the event lasting
about half hour. The final details, including the number of planes and rehearsal, will be fine-tuned at another meeting, informed principal secretary, state Civil Aviation
P.C. Sharma. The event is also aimed at motivating the youth to join the Air Force. For the purpose, pilots hailing from the state are expected to be picked for the show. Their names will be announced before the show to strike a common chord with the spectators, he added. |
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Sports
Dehradun, October 31 On the inaugural day, 13-league matches were played at multi-purpose halls at the Parade Ground and Police Lines. In the first league match of Group-C, Tamil Nadu overpowered Jammu & Kashmir in straight sets. It was a cakewalk for M Ravi of Tamil Nadu, who defeated Pawan Parihar of Jammu & Kashmir 21-14. Ravi played extremely well with his full tosses and strong smashes that were good enough to break the poor defence of
Parihar. In the doubles, Tamil Nadu beat Jammu & Kashmir with ease. M.K.Jha paired with Sanjay Arora crushed their opponents Pawan Parihar and Sanjay Bhagat of J&K. The score was 21-13. The main feature of the match was the strong smashes by Tamil Nadu players. In Group B, the Uttarakhand Police A team lead by IG of Garhwal Ashok Kumar came back strongly after losing their first singles match to the BSF. They won their doubles and second singles against the BSF in style making it 2-1 in Uttarakhand’s favour. Making a comeback after losing the first singles to the BSF by 16-21, the Uttarakhand Police defeated the BSF 20-13 in the double match. In the singles between Ashok Kumar of the Uttarakhand Police and BSF’s Praveen Kumar, Ashok outclassed his opponent 21-11. In the Group A match between the Uttarakhand Police-B team and Punjab, the latter thrashed Uttarakhand 2-0. |
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Women seek direct polls for ZP chief post
Dehradun, October 31 In Dehradun to attend a meeting of the Open Forum, Hira Rawat, panchayat member from Domi, said they would raise the demand at the forum meeting tomorrow chaired by union minister for panchayat Raj Mani Shankar Aiyar. “In fact, if direct elections are held it will be less time- consuming and the role of politicians will be cut.” What has come as a shock to most elected members is the claims by political parties, especially the ruling BJP, that they have won the maximum number of seats in the recently held panchayat elections. “These elections are not held on any party symbol and political parties cannot claim credit for our success. They began wooing us only after we had won several seats. “ The claim by the BJP that it had bagged nine Zila Parishad Adyaksh seats is wrong as none of the political leaders did the ground work for the candidates,” informed Avdesh Kaushal, chairperson of the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), Panchayati Rule and Gender Awareness Training Institute (PRAGATI), an NGO engaged in providing training to women and organisers of the Open Forum. Altogether, 750 elected Panchayati Raj women functionaries from all three tiers of 12 districts (excluding Haridwar) will participate in the interface. A book titled “Panchayat Praveshika” to impart literacy to semi-literate panchayat members will also be released. The total number of women in the state who won in all three tiers of Panchayat Raj institutions, including ward members, is 30473. Women have been elected unopposed on 520 seats. |
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Making handsome hats
Dehradun, October 31 He has been in this business for the last 25 years, making hats for premier regiments of the armed forces. Karke is the lone man in Dehradun who gets raw material from the Indian Military Academy, Assam Rifles, Kumaon Regiment, Garhwal Regiment and Gorkha Brigade. And the final product that comes out of his 8x6 shop is a wonderful hat. Karke, who served the Army as a sepoy for eight years, said: “After leaving service, I learned tailoring and since 1983 I’m into making hats for various premier regiments of the armed forces.” Karke, who also made hats for former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Narain Dutt Tiwari, says he feels immense pride when high-ranked officials of the forces wear hats made by his hands.
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Annual festival held at Jwala Devi Temple
Mussoorie, October, 31 A new idol of goddess was also established at the temple amidst huge celebrations. Thousands of devotees from Mussoorie and nearby areas took part in the festivities. Uniyal said that the temple also had immense tourist potential. “More efforts are required to place the temple on the tourist map of Mussoorie,” he said. Uniyal was hopeful that such festivals would lead to increasing the popularity of the temple. It must be mentioned that being situated in the dense forests and forming a part of Benog Sanctuary, the picturesque location of the temple has a great potential to attraction tourists. Nagar Palika members Kedar Singh Chauhan, Jasbeer Kaur, Kanta Bisht along with Harbhajan Singh and R.K. Rahi of the Temple Committee were present on the occasion. |
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Park to open for tourists
Dehradun, October 31 Rajaji Park authorities have already started undertaken repair work of forest tracks and the culverts at both the parks. According to warden, Rajaji Park, Gangeshwar Pandey, here in Dehradun, kutcha tracks and small culverts that usually get damaged during the monsoon inside the park have been repaired. Preparations are also afoot to spruce up the rest houses which are most sought after accommodation for the tourists. Meanwhile, preparations are also in progress for other engagements linked to Park’s Silver Jubilee celebrations, which were flagged off early this year. Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand is spread over an area of 820.42 sq. km. in three districts of Dehradun, Haridwar and Pauri Garhwal. The park was created in 1983 by amalgamation of three sanctuaries- Rajaji sanctuary, Motichur sanctuary and Chilla sanctuary. The park is a home to tiger, leopard, Himalayan bear, cheetal, hog deer, barking deer, Sambar, wild boar, antelopes such as the Nilgai, and Jackal. |
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Dehradun, October 31
Dehradun, October 31
Dehradun, October 31
