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Measures in place for counting: Raturi
Post-influenza, movement of horses curtailed
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Experts suggest more security for Kumbh Mela
Congress candidate Harish Rawat, SSP Sanjay Gunjiyal, DIG Alok SHarma, among others attend the seminar in Haridwar on Friday. A Tribune photograph
Hira Singh Bisht, president of Uttarakhand Cricket Association, addresses mediapersons in Dehradun on Friday. A Tribune photograph
Eight in fray for Kapkot bypoll
All set for Hindi theatre festival
Computerised property registration offices soon
Gandhians pray for stable govt
BSP leaders deny joining rebel Qazi
Bahuguna: Cong MLA behind libellous posters
Trials for football camp organised
Mayor mourns death of Sushil Jain
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Measures in place for counting: Raturi
Dehradun, May 15 While disclosing that all arrangements for the counting have been made, Chief Election Officer of the state Radha Raturi said all steps have been taken to ensure "free and fair" counting of votes. Speaking to mediapersons, Raturi said as per directions of the Election Commission of India, they have prohibited the entry of the vehicles inside the premises of the counting centres. She added that mobile phones wouldn't be used inside the centres and no person would be allowed entry without a valid pass issued by the competent authority. "The counting of postal ballots will start first. Fifteen minutes after their completion, counting of votes cast through EVMs will begin. Postal ballots that reach the counting centres after 8 am on May 16 will not be counted," she informed. The CEO also said that counting will be held district-wise and after every round, the Assistant Returning Officer of the respective constituencies will send details to the Election Commission of India. "For the purpose, a dedicated computer with broadband facility has already been installed at the counting centers," she added. Raturi informed that media centres have been made at all places and nodal officers to answer media queries have been appointed. She said in accordance with the instructions of the ECI, videography of counting process would be done by the officials. "Mediapersons will be shown the counting process, but photographs and videography of the counting won't be allowed," she said. Raturi said after the completion of the counting, all the EVM's would be sealed and placed in a strong room with a double lock. Meanwhile, employees, who were on election duty, enjoyed some rest on Thursday as they were given leave after the hectic schedule. The same employees will now participate in the counting process, as they were given special training regarding the conduct of polls. However, those posted on security duty cannot relax as yet. While the election results are less than 24 hours away, political parties are tight-lipped on the outcome. No senior leader from any political party was willing to make
any prediction. |
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Post-influenza, movement of horses curtailed
Dehradun, May 15 Further, an alert has been issued to all veterinary officers for standby arrangements in case of outbreak of the disease in new areas. So far, 33 horses and mules have died of influenza that struck the livestock 10 days back. The affected horses and mules were being used to ferry pilgrims from Gaurikund to the Kedranath shrine. “A total of 136 doctors are deployed in Gaurikund and the services of an additional 120 trainee doctors from Pantnagar University have been requisitioned to check the spread of the disease,” said Trivendra Singh Rawat, of the animal husbandry department. The minister said the situation was under control and things were expected to improve in the next few days. While veterinarians are struggling to check the spread of influenza, signs of the disease could be seen in the horses and mules on the Tungnath Chopta route. Chief veterinary officer Dr RK Verma said they had placed the the horses and mules in Tuganath area under strict observation apart from sending a team of vets from Pashulok, Rishikesh, to the area. The department has decided to ban the entry of horses and mules from neighboring Nepal and other states. The state of Madhya Pradesh had reported the outbreak of the disease recently. As a precaution, the animal husbandry department is letting horses and mules into the Valley of Flowers and Yamunotri after thorough examination and fitness certification. The monitoring of horses and mules in Tawaghat, Joljeebe, Dharchula and Banbasa is also on. Veterinary officials are on their toes in the hill resort of Mussoorie. The horses are frequently used to ferry tourists on The Mall. Samples have been collected from over 30 horses. However, no case of influenza has been reported here so far. Uttarakhand Chief Minister BC Khanduri also held talks with animal husbandry minister Trivendra Rawat to take the stock of the situation. Following the ban on use of mules and horses as means of transport between Gaurikund and Kedarnath, supplies have been hit in
Kedarnath. |
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Experts suggest more security for Kumbh Mela
Haridwar, May 15 Representatives from various political parties, administration and various walks of society participated in the seminar and put forth their views on development of Haridwar, especially in the context of Maha Kumbh Mela scheduled for 2010. Congress candidate from Haridwar Harish Rawat emphasised on having contributions from every citizen in the area. He said road widening is a must before the Kumbh Mela begins to avoid traffic congestion. “Better condition and connectivity of roads is a must with a stress on sanitation, as lakhs will be in the city during that time,” said Rawat. Counter attacking Rawat’s advice, city legislator and cabinet minister Madan Kaushik said the state government had already looked into the bypass concept, but as the mela area is spread over two kilometres the focus should be on this area only. He also cited Ardh Kumbh example when there was a dispute among saints and it was only due to intervention by locals that a major fight between the police and saints was averted. Representing the administration’s side, specially designated mela officer Anand Vardhan sought the views from all those present for a smooth conduct of the fair, which was a big challenge as it was Uttarakhand’s first mela since it was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in the year 2000. “Without peoples’ help and views it is not easy to conduct such a massive fair,” said Vardhan. With terror threat looming large in various parts of the country, DIG Alok Kumar spoke at length about the security aspect. “Serial attacks in Varanasi, Jaipur, Delhi and Mumbai suggest that terrorists mark those areas where the crowd is dense and with 5 crore devotees estimated to throng the city, special measures are needed to ensure their security. 'The police is chalking out every means for the peaceful conduct of the mela,” said the DIG. General secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti Swami Hans Das said cleanliness should be the prime concern during
the mela. Others who voiced their opinions were SSP Sanjay Gunjiyal, Samajwadi Party general secretary Mulri Manohar Gurukul, vice chancellor Swatantra Kumar, Press Club president Aadesh Tyagi, Manoj Saini, Santosh Chauhan and several other social activists and journalists. |
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U’khand Gold Cup tourney begins tomorrow
Dehradun, May 15 Addressing a press conference here, president of the Cricket Association of Uttaranchal and senior Congress leader Hira Singh Bisht said preparations for the mega event had been completed. He said matches would be played at three venues-Abhimanyu Cricket Academy, Maharana Pratap Sports Academy and Ranger College. The first match would be between the Indian Air Force team and Chandigarh XI. Bisht said owing to unavoidable reasons, a team from Pakistan would not be able to make it to the tournament. Among the participating teams are Air India, Sahara India, RI Chandigarh, FCI Delhi, B.C.A Patan, BCC Mumbai, Army XI, Hyderbad, and defending champions UPCA, Kanpur. The Uttaranchal Gold Cup Cricket Tournament has seen participation by famous names in Indian and international cricket like MS Dhoni, Virendra Sehwag, Piyush Chawla, RP Singh, Sanjay Sharma, Ajay Sharma, Chetan Sharma, Vikram Rathore, Noel David, Vijay Yadav, Pankaj Dharmani, Reetinder Sodhi, Bupinder Singh, MSK Prasad, Mohammad Kaif and Gyanendra Pandey. |
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Eight in fray for Kapkot bypoll
Dehradun, May 15
The Assistant Returning Officer for Kapkot Shivcharan Diwedi today disclosed that eight candidates are in fray and the administration has completed all arrangements for the smooth conduct of the byelection. He said election symbols to all the candidates have been allotted and counting of votes would take place on June 1. Notably, the Kapkot seat got vacant after former chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who represented Kapkot, resigned after he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha. The main contest for the Kapkot byelection is between Congress candidate Chamu Singh Gasyal and BJP's Sher Singh Garhia. Other candidates in fray include Kunti Parihar of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Umesh Rathore of Samajwadi Party (SP), Harish Pathak of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, a coalition partner of BJP government in the state and three independents - Ramesh Pandey, Kundan Korang and Kishan Ram. According to leaders of the Congress and BJP, election campaign for the by-election would begin in couple of days, after declaration of results of the five parliamentary constituencies on May 16. BJP's alliance partner Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) had already announced that after the results of the Lok Sabha elections, they would be taking a decision whether to withdraw support from the state government or not. Furthermore, Vikasnagar seat is also lying vacant after Munna Singh Chauhan's resignation from the post of legislator. Under these circumstances, BJP would be leaving no stone unturned to pocket the Kapkot seat in order to remain comfortable in the state assembly.
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All set for Hindi theatre festival
Dehradun, May 15 In all, 17 groups and 560 artistes from different states will participate. Bemoaning the lack of theatre facilities and financial support, president of manch, Laxmi Narain, said at a press conference here that with no support forthcoming from the government, he had to turn to voluntary donors for the yearly festival. “Due to the non-cooperative attitude of the government, we had almost given up on holding the festival this time. But help came from donors and patrons. This is the seventh festival in a row,” said Laxmi Narain. The manch has set aside a cash aprize of Rs 500 for the best actor and actress and a trophy for the best play. He said the festival would cost them around Rs 6 lakh. Several theatre-lovers would be chipping in. “While a major share of the funds would be borne by the organisation, we have got a good response from denizens, who have donated generously. Some have contributed towards food and accommodation for the artistes,” he said. On May 19, a “Rashtriya Rang Yatra” would be the key attraction.
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Computerised property registration offices soon
Dehradun, May 15 Rishikesh and Vikas Nagar are part of Dehradun while Laksar falls in Haridwar. As of now, as many as 10 have been computerised so far in Dehradun, Nainital, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts, which have a total of 16 offices at the sub-division level. These four districts account for as many as 90 per cent of the total revenue collection in the state. “Computerisation in these three offices will be completed in two months while work in Ram Nagar, Nainital proper and Dhari offices in the Nainital district will be taken up later. The larger purpose of computerisation is to make the process of registration transparent and quicker for the benefit of the public,” said AK Pandey, Additional Inspector General, Stamp Duty and Registration Department, Uttarakhand. The state government undertaking Hiltron is funding the project in the state, except in Udham Singh Nagar district where all the four offices have already been computerized with the funds provided by the Union government. There are total 47 sub-registrar offices in the state. |
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Gandhians pray for stable govt
Activists of Gandhivadi Vikas Manch Uttarakhand today held a prayer and performed rituals at holy Ganga ghats. They pointed out that only a secular party should emerge as a winner, as Mahatma Gandhi lived and fought for an independent nation where all sects and people of different religions could live harmoniously under one roof. Sanjay Chopra, convenor of the Manch, said this was a crucial phase for India in the context of terrorism and financial crisis. “Threat of terrorism is looming large in India and added to it is the unstability in governments of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. “Therefore, it is imperative that a stable government should be formed in the country,” said Chopra. Activists of the Manch gathered at the Birla ghat, lighted ‘diyas’ and immersed them in the holy Ganga River while praying for a single party mandate. Labour leader Bhupendra Rajendra said Congress-led United Progressive Alliance is the best coalition to lead a stable government. Among those who participated in the rituals were Hitesh Sharma, Sandeep Saini, Sandeep Gupta, Om Prakash Bhatiya, Tej Prakash, Chotte Lal, Prabhat Chaudhari, Khusi Ram, Rajesh Verma, Om Prakash Kaliyan, Mani Ram Jakhmola, Vijay Rawat, Kundan Negi, Ishwar Rana, Sanjay Chauhan, Rakesh Aggarwal, Vishal Makkad, among others. |
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BSP leaders deny joining rebel Qazi
Dehradun, May 15 Haji Tasleem Ahmed and Haridass, BSP legislators from Landhaoura and
Laldhang, have denied that there was any move by them to rebel from the party and they were in no way associated with Qazi
Nizamuddin. BSP, which has six legislators from Haridwar district, was in turmoil during the current electioneering as Harish
Rawat, the Congress candidate, managed to win over Qazi Nizaumuddin. It was rumoured that four other legislators were also in touch with Congress leader to switch sides.
Shahzad, party legislator from Bahadarabad assembly segment, is the party candidate from the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat. Qazi Nizamuddin had earlier said he had raised a banner of revolt since BSP Supremo Mayawati had failed to clarify her stand regarding joining hands with Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) in the formation of the government at the Centre. Meanwhile, refuting the stand taken by Qazi
Nizaumuddin, both BSP legislators today reminded Nizaumuddin that his father Qazi Moiuddin was a minister in Uttar Pradesh government supported by the
BJP. "It is totally false that four other BSP legislators were planning a revolt. We have full faith in the party and the leadership of
Mayawati," they said. |
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Bahuguna: Cong MLA behind libellous posters
Dehradun, May 15 The defamatory material was distributed just hours before the polling on May 13 in Vikasnagar, Uttarkashi and Dehradun. It included newspaper clippings of the period when Bahuguna quit as High Court judge in 1995 and a mock interview. When approached, Bahuguna said “the miscreant is a Congress legislator from one of the assembly segments within my constituency.” He said the party observer for his constituency had prepared a report that would be submitted to the top leadership. There is a keen triangular contest for the Tehri seat. Besides, Bahuguna, Jaspal Rana of the BJP and Munna Singh Chauhan of the BSP are the main contenders. |
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Trials for football camp organised
Dehradun, May 15 It is being organised by KB Sharma, former international who played for East Bengal team. Some big names of Dehradun football such as Narsingh
Gurung, GB Gurung, Vikram Bisht, Binder Singh, Ratan Thapa and Mahinder Thapa will guide to the children at the camp. |
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Mayor mourns death of Sushil Jain
Dehradun, May 15 While praying for the peace of the departed soul, Chamoli conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family members. In his message, Chamoli recalled Sushil Jain’s contribution towards development of Dehradun. He said Jain’s work for the welfare of the city and its surroundings is still valued by many. He added that his death is a great loss to the city and residents of Doon. Sushil Jan was the president of the Dehradun Municipality from 1967 to 1969. |
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Haridwar, May 15
She said elaborate security arrangements have been made at the counting centres in all 13 districts of the state.
According to officials, nomination papers of BSP candidate Karam Singh Danu was rejected on technical grounds. 
Haridwar, May 15