Dehradun, June 9
As a month is left in the presentation of the state’s annual budget for 2009-10, which is most likely to be a deficit budget, the government is grappling with the problem of generating additional resources of revenue.

The problem is so acute that lack of funds is likely to cast a shadow on the size of the annual plan. It means that the government will not be in a position to start new development schemes.

The only hope in this regard is pinned on the prospective increase in central support. However, experts do expect any substantial increase on this count. So the projections indicate an impact on the plan expenditure in the coming budget.

The situation thus warrants financial acumen to shore up the depleted government kitty. With this in mind, Chief Secretary Indu Kumar Pande yesterday took a meeting of various departments to sensitise them on augmentation of resources in their respective domains.

“As the government will refrain from imposing new taxes, the focus is likely to be on identifying ways and means to generate more resources.

“It is possible that existing taxes may be revised especially in the cases where these were withdrawn earlier,” said top officials.

Sources said that this type of exercise will continue in the coming days. The finance department is working overtime to find ways to neutralise the impact of the fiscal squeeze.

It has prepared a note on the prevailing fiscal condition of the state which will be placed in the cabinet meeting to be held tomorrow.

It is learnt that the proposal of tax revision will be up for discussion. The main reason for the fiscal imbalance is the unprecedented increase in the non-plan expenditure. So there is a dire need of generating additional resources to fund plan expenditure.

The state finance department has already begun the budgetary exercise so that it is passed by the Assembly before July 31.

In view of the general election, the Assembly had, during the two-day session in February, passed vote-on-account worth Rs 5,209 crore to meet day-to-day expenditure of the government for four months.

Though the overall revenue collection in the last financial year has witnessed an average growth of about 10 per cent but this is not heartening news as compared to the extra burden in the committed non-plan expenditure due to salary and pension revision to the tune of 30-40 per cent.

Dehradun, June 9
Fissures in Uttarakhand BJP unit have come to the fore once again with senior party leader and MLA from Badrinath Kedar Singh Fonia raising a banner of revolt against Chief Minister BC Khanduri. Albeit party legislators had revolted against Khanduri in the past as well, this time it is the second attempt within just two weeks to dislodge the CM.

After BJP’s humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha elections, Khanduri took the moral responsibility, which led to speculations that Khanduri will be replaced.

What followed thereafter were lunch and dinner diplomacy by Khanduri and his bete noire Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, former CM and Rajya Sabha MP. While Khanduri claimed support of 24 legislators, Koshiyari camp kept reiterating that 17 MLAs were with them.

To assess the situation, BJP’s Central observers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Khevar Chand Gehlot also paid a visit to the state. And after hectic lobbying, on May 23, Khanduri claimed that party’s national president Rajnath Singh has asked him to continue as the CM.

Barely two weeks after, BJP is facing another crisis with Fonia demanding a change of guard in the state. Sources said the problem started after BJP state president Bachi Singh Rawat dissolved the party’s Dehradun and Chamoli units.

Extremely perturbed with dismissal of Harak Singh Negi as president of Chamoli BJP, Fonia has launched scathing attacks on Khanduri as well as other party leaders. According to Fonia, rather than adopting a pick-and-choose policy, action should have been initiated against all those responsible for the defeat.

Irked with the statements issued by Fonia, BJP leaders have termed the act as “unwarranted” and violation of party discipline. Bachi Singh Rawat has instructed all leaders not to issue any statement pertaining to party affairs to the media. State general secretary of BJP Tirath Singh Rawat said there was no question of replacement of Khanduri.

He said it was unfortunate that rather than taking up the matter at the party forum, Fonia issued a statement to the media. “The party will not tolerate any indiscipline and Fonia’s matter will be taken up. The decision to dissolve Chamoli unit was not taken just because of the defeat in Lok Sabha elections, but for other reasons as well. Assessment of reasons behind the party’s debacle is on and action will be initiated against all those who have indulged in any act that affected BJP candidates adversely in the elections,” he said.

Rawat also said it would be wrong to hold Khanduri responsible for the defeat in the general election.

“It is collective responsibility of all the party men,” he said while claiming that there is no threat to Khanduri’s chair.

Haridwar: With the state board examination results being abysmally low at 59.75 per cent for Class Xth and 66.76 per cent for Class XIIth, the district education department has sought justifications from the teachers and schools concerned for the poor showing.

Students of some schools have alleged irregularities in checking of copies and put the onus of failure completely on evaluation. Class XIIth students of Anand Mayi Sewa Sadan Municipal Inter-college who have failed today staged a protest and gheraoed the principal.

Students alleged that evaluation of papers, especially geography, led to the dismal result. All girl students submitted a written complaint to the principal and demanded revaluation. In some other schools of the state as well, there are reports of such protests.

However, at Anand Mayi the situation is grim. As many as 133 girls had given the intermediate exam, out of which 90 failed in Geography. “We are suffering for no fault of ours,” said Sonam, a student.

Aggrieved students first staged a protest at the school gate and later, accompanied by their parents, gheraoed the principal at her office.

Suman Sharma, school principal, said she had forwarded the complaint to the district education officer. She also did not rule out the possibility of mistakes in evaluation.

The principal advised students to wait for the final marksheets to arrive as there could be a possibility of errors on the website.

Meanwhile, district education officer Chandra Kanta Sharma said a review of the result in the district schools would be done in July.

“If grave loopholes are found, appropriate action will be taken against offenders. On the other hand, teachers who have done well will be felicitated,” she said.

Among those who took part in the protest were Kajal, Deepa, Shivani, Payal, Monika, Sanjana, Varsha, Deepika, Yogita, Vishakha, Varsha, Uma, Shrishti, Babita, Nandini, Sangeeta and Shrishti.

Dehradun, June 9
The district health authorities are just waking up to the problem posed by quacks who have flourishing medical practices and are playing with the health of patients.

Acting on public complaints against quacks and medical practitioners with fake degrees practicing in the district, the Chief Medical Office has prepared a comprehensive report against 24 quacks and submitted it to the district administration.

Whenever complaints are brought to the CMO’s notice, he undertakes a verification exercise and the reports are then submitted to the district administration for action. “The practice of quacks can only be curbed if the administration constitutes teams for conducting raids. It has been brought to our notice that even Bengali doctors, who have no connection with medicine, are treating patients with serious diseases like cancer and paralysis,” said Dr GS Baunthiyal, CMO.

The CMO office has suggested for the constitution of a team that would undertake surprise raids in the district in order to stop these activities. From time to time the authorities are tipped by the state intelligence agencies.

On the other hand, District Magistrate Amit Negi has said that the authorities are aware of the menace and would be taking action soon.

Dehradun, June 9
Disappointed with the lack of facilities at the newly constructed 50-bed Combined State Hospital at Prem Nagar, the residents today gheraoed the chief medical officer, Dr GS Baunthiyal, at his office in Chander Nagar.

The hospital is badly hit by lack of infrastructure, which creates problems for the local residents and for the villagers of adjoining areas. The hospital was constructed to provide succor to the rural population that could not travel to avail medical facilities at Doon Hospital.

Led by senior Congress leader Navin Joshi protestors raise slogans against the CMO and they apprised CMO about the problems being faced at the hospital. They later presented a memorandum to him.

“The 50-bed hospital was constructed keeping in view the needs of the residents of Prem Nagar and the adjoining villages. Though, the erstwhile Congress government had mooted the idea but the BJP government failed to provide adequate facilities at the hospital and run it properly,” said Navin Joshi, senior Congress leader.

The hospital has an operation theater but in the absence of surgeons it is of no use. “The hospital does not have any emergency officer, pathology laboratory, pharmacists and technicians to man the x-ray machines,” said Deepa Chauhan, Prem Nagar resident.

Roorkee, June 9
Owners of buildings are up in arms against the Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL). The UPCL had decided to make owners of buildings, which lie under electricity cables, bear the charges of their shifting.

The departmental orders stated that the owners of the buildings, which lie under the cables and were constructed after the cables were laid, would have to bear all expenses of the shifting.

However, in case the power lines were laid over already constructed buildings, the electricity department will shift the lines and bear all expenses.

According to a recent survey by the department, around 1,800 buildings in the town lie under power lines.

Though most residents, interested in shifting the power lines passing overhead, have been claiming that the lines were laid after the construction of their buildings, the UPCL survey results reportedly stated that no new line was laid after the buildings were constructed.

Madhu Sudan Chandola, Deputy General Manager, UPCL (Roorkee), said that the department would charge all expenses including labour charges and material from owners for relocation of the power lines.

A minimum expenditure on relocating one pole is around Rs 10,000, added the DGM.

Lashing out at the decision of the department, Amit Kumar said, “This is ridiculous. Why should we spend thousands of bucks in shifting the power lines? It is the responsibility of the electricity department.”

Another resident Sheila Kumari of Subhash Nagar said, “We are living under constant threat as high-tension wires pass over our houses. We have approached the authorities many times to address the problem but no body ever paid heed.

“With these new orders, we have lost all hope as nobody here will spend thousands of rupees to shift these electricity cables.”

Dehradun, June 9
Doon Valley and 6/8 GR team moved to the next round of the Ist Narandra Singh Kharola Tournament underway at Mahandra ground, here today.

In the first match, 6/8 GR team defeated City Young by a convincing margin of 3-1.

It was fast pace match played between the teams as both the teams were on the offensive right from the beginning.

City Young managed to take an initial lead in the first half by scoring a goal in the 25th minute of the match through Vishal.

But it failed to maintain the lead as 6/8 GR team bounced back to fetch an equaliser a minute later.

It was L Bahadur for 6/8 GR who scored the equaliser. At the end of first half score was 1-1.

In the second half 6/8 GR team came back stronger and with a better strategy to increase their goal tally to three goals.

L Bahadur scored the second goal for 6/8 GR team in the 48th minute of the game.

The lead was further increased in the 65th minute through Anand Thapa who scored the third goal for GR team.

In the second match, Doon Valley won the match in a tie-breaker against 1/5 GR team. Both the teams were locked at 1-1 draw during the match.

For Doon Valley, Manish scored a goal in the 34th minute of the match to help team take a 1-0 lead in the first half.

1/5 GR team failed to find an equaliser in the first half. In the second half 1/5 GR team managed to score a goal in the dying minute of the match to pull back equaliser.

But in the tie-breaker Doon Valley team converted all five shots, whereas 1/5 GR team could only manage to score four goals. The score at the end of the game was 6-5 in Doon Valley favour.