Dehradun, August 9
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank has urged Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman, Union Planning Commission, to sanction special central assistance to the tune of Rs 1,195 crore for various schemes and projects pertaining to the infrastructure development in the state.

“With a view to enable the state to tide over the difficult financial situation as a result of recession and implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission, the Centre must liberally provide financial assistance to Uttarakhand,” the Chief Minister requested Ahluwalia during his meeting at Beejapur state guest house here today.

Dr Nishank apprised Ahluwalia that several schemes pertaining to irrigation, power, transport, medical and medical education, water supply, forest and environment and education were facing unprecedented fund crunch.

He also informed Ahluwalia about the recent cloudburst in Pitthoragarh district. For providing relief and rehabilitation to the affected people, the CM asked for special natural calamity package, adding that norms under disaster management should be relaxed for hill states.

Expressing gratitude for sanctioning additional Central assistance of Rs 400 crore for the Kumbh Mela, Nishank apprised Ahluwalia that stress was being laid for the construction of permanent nature within the deadline of October.

“The state government has been chalking out a long-term project for making the Ganga clean,” he told the Deputy Chairman.

Ahluwalia has assured the CM that he would sympathetically consider the proposals. Chief Secretary IK Pandey, Principal Secretary to CM Subhash Kumar, Secretary to CM Shatrughna Singh and other senior officers were present in the meeting. 

Dehradun, August 9
A day after landslides hit the border district of Pitthoragarh, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today presided over a high-level review meeting to discuss rescue and relief operations.

The Chief Minister directed the commissioner of Kumaon division to speed up relief work and the district magistrate of Pitthoragarh to camp himself at the site.

He said the participation of the ITBP, the PAC and the local police must be ensured in the conduct of operations.

Expressing grief over the deaths, he urged better coordination for prompt results. As part of disaster preparedness, Nishank called for identification of areas affected by the landslide and measures to rehabilitate the victims.

Dehradun, August 9
The Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee today launched ‘Gaddi Chhoro’, a massive agitation against the present BJP state government.

Protests were staged by Congress activists in all districts of the state. In the capital, a dharna was organised under the headship of UPCC president Yashpal Arya at Gandhi Park.

Addressing partymen, Arya came down heavily on the BJP government.

“The present government has derailed the wagon of development of the state set up by the previous Congress regime.

“Funds, which were sanctioned by the Union government under NREGA, are not being utilised. The Special Component Plan (SCP) had lapsed because of the casual attitude of the state government.

“Even schemes like JNNURM are not being pursued in a proper manner by the Uttarakhand government,” Arya said exhorting the Congress activists to expose the failures of the state government at the grassroots level.

Arya added that many districts of the state are grappling with drinking water scarcity but the state government has so far not taken any measures to deal with the problem.

He added that the power situation in the state is grim and a majority of districts are facing the problem of unscheduled power cuts.

“The law and order situation in the state is continuously deteriorating and the crime graph has gone up.

“The police administration has miserably failed to perform its duties diligently and it seems the government too has failed to play its role in ensuring the safety of the people,” he rued.

Arya also took up the matter of the step-motherly treatment being meted out to the minority communities by the state government.

He said that all welfare schemes started for the minorities by the previous Congress government had been discontinued by the BJP government. This reflects the anti-minority attitude of the BJP.

“Under the prevailing circumstances and also the fact that people of the state had rejected the BJP in the last general elections, the BJP has no moral grounds to continue enjoying power in the state,” he asserted.

Leader of Opposition in Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly Dr Harak Singh Rawat said that the BJP government is busy in sorting out its internal strife rather than paying attention to the crucial issues pertaining to the state.

“The entire state is in a drought-like situation but the state government is not at all serious about dealing with the problem,” he said while accusing the BJP government of surrendering the interests of the state.

Prominent among others present at the dharna included MLA Dinesh Aggarwal, MLA Jot Singh Gunsola, Women Congress state president Shanti Juwantha and senior Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana.

Meanwhile, the general secretary of district unit of the Samajwadi Party Rudresh Sharma, along with his supporters, joined the Congress during a function held at the Congress headquarters in Dehradun today. 

Dehradun, August 9
Members of the Uttarakhand Khiladi Sangharsh Samiti today took out a rally for the protection of trees in the city. People from various walks of life, including doctors, children and members of various social organizations, took part in the rally. The rally began from Gandhi Park.

Organisations such as Indian Medical Association (IMA), Citizens for Green Doon, Friends of Doon and school children of St. Joseph Academy gathered under the banner of Uttarkhand Khiladi Sangharsh Samiti and took out the rally with an aim to apprise the masses about the importance of trees. They demanded that the government should immediately stop axing trees.

After completion of the rally, children expressed their concern for the environment by tying ‘rakhis’ on trees and praying for their long life.

Later, while addressing mediapersons president of the Samiti Jasvinder Singh said they would carry on the protest against felling of trees as they had done for the last one month. He expressed his happiness over the support received from eminent persons from various walks of life.

General secretary of the Samiti Anant Prakash Mishra said the government should focus on broadening roads at places where traffic congestion is high such as the Paltan Bazar.

IMA’s Dr Nitin Pandey said hundreds of trees have already been axed in Doon, but now people here have realised its harmful repercussions.

He said a team of doctors from the IMA along with the general public is determined to raise their voice against this.

Principal of St. Joseph Academy AJ George said while lauding the Samati said other schools should also come forward in support of the cause. He termed the government’s decision to axe trees as wrong.

Former city Congress president Lal Chand Sharma also took part in the rally.

The workers of the Khilari Sangarsh Samiti submitted a copy of the application given to the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee to the District Magistrate here on Friday.

The workers have asked for the committee’s intervention in the recent chopping of trees at Parade Ground.

President of the samiti, Jasvinder Singh, said that the Parade Ground falls under partial open spaces. Open spaces should have 12 per cent green cover.

Parade Ground has only four per cent green cover and even then, Mayor Vinod Chamoli has issued orders to cut trees to widen the road.

Dehradun, August 9
A small gathering listened in rapt attention to Indrani Talukdar, who read out excerpts from two chapters of her e-book - “When the lamp was lit” - during a function held under the auspices of the Doon Library and Research Centre, here yesterday.

The novel is set in Allahabad in 1984 after the assassination of Indira Gandhi and the anti-Sikh riots that followed. It runs into 30 chapters and is now posted on the website www.4indianwomen.com.

Indrani read paragraph after paragraph in a measured voice from the two chapters titled, “The riots” and “The first discotheque”.

Later, there were several queries from the gathering, which Indrani calmly answered. The only couple that quietly sat through the reading was her parents - Monica Talukdar, an eminent artist and chairperson of Doon Art Society, and SN Talukdar, a former director in ONGC.

Doon Library’s director Dr BK Joshi congratulated Indrani on her wonderful writing skills.

Earlier, introducing Indrani Talukdar, Ruby Kumar, a known artist herself, described many facets of the writer’s persona and her multi-lingual skills.

Talukdar had been a journalist in Australia and has travelled widely. She had also taught at the Welham Boys School for a short period of time.

Dehradun, August 9
The state unit of the Shiv Sena today burnt an effigy of Dehradun Mayor in protest against the illegal slaughterhouse at Enamullah Building. They also threatened to intensify the stir if the slaughterhouse was not removed from the place immediately.

State vice-president Amit Jain said the Shiv Sena would always stand up for the cause of Hindus and protest against anything that went against the sentiments of the community. He warned that if the slaughterhouse was not closed soon they would hold a protest at Enamullah Building.

Jain also raised the issue of removal of meat shops outside the Kali Mandir to which many Hindus have objected.

State spokesperson Ajay Verma said if the government turns a deaf ear towards their demand, they would launch a massive protest.

Sulthan Bathery (Kerala), August 9
Sabu's poor parents and the entire village were grieving, waiting for his coffin. When it arrived, the smell of putrefying flesh inside filled them with anger. How could the Army send back one of its dead in such a manner, they are asking.

Villagers in the small hill town of Ambalavayal in Wayanad district are upset over the "disrespect" shown by the Army to the body of 23-year-old Sabu Varghese, a gentleman cadet at the IMA, Dehradun, who was found dead in a swimming pool of the academy on Monday.

Sabu's father is heart-broken over the condition in which the body was sent.

"On Monday morning I got a call from my son's officer saying that my son had met with a mishap. I asked him if anything needed to be done. I was told that my son was dead,” said Varghese

"Our endless wait began. The body arrived late Wednesday evening and I was shocked to see the box in which it was kept.

“A few Army officials advised me not to open the box.

“I insisted on seeing the body of my son and opened the box. All I could see was his teeth. None was able to stand the stench.

"Is this way the Army treats its men," asked Varghese, sobbing.

A neighbour and a political worker, 73-year-old KR Unnniry saiD: "We were first told that the body would arrive on Tuesday, and we sent an ambulance to the Karipur airport (near Kozhikode). Later, we were told that the body would arrive on Wednesday."

He said when the body arrived on Wednesday it was smelling and “we were shocked because we found out that the body had not been embalmed".

"It was a horrible sight. The body was wrapped in a plastic sheet with a cloth placed on top of it. This is an unpardonable act by the Army," said Unnniry.

As the news spread, over 1,000 people gathered to share the family's sorrow and anger.

According to locals, Sabu was a bright student and after working in the Army for nearly four years as clerk was selected to join the IMA.

"We are poor people and I our joy knew no bounds when he told us he would be an officer soon. But what I got was this... ," said a sobbing Varghese.

Wayanad Lok Sabha MP MI Shahnawaz (Congress) said he had taken up the issue at the highest level.

"If there is any lapse on the part of officials, it will be seriously dealt with," said Shahnawaz.

The villagers have placed all their hopes on defence minister AK Antony, who belongs to the state. — IANS

Dehradun, August 9
To control and prevent pneumonia, which is the leading cause of death among children under five years of age, the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) has suggested the use of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine under the National Immunisation Programme.

As of now, the routine immunization programme is for DPT, measles, BCG and polio. At a conference held here today, the association members said half of the pneumonia cases and subsequent deaths are caused by pneumococcus, and almost 40 per cent of these deaths can be prevented if the child is breast-fed or by use of the vaccine.

Dr AJ Chitkara, head of paediatrics department, Max Hospital, said pneumonia is a life-threatening disease and needs to be controlled. “Unhygienic conditions, overcrowding and zinc deficiency are some of the reasons that cause pneumonia,” he added.

He said the disease could be controlled through the vaccination.

“In India, doctors generally use antibiotics to treat children with pneumonia, but increasing incidence of drug-resistant pneumococcus is a cause of concern,” said Dr Yatish Goel, president of IAP, Dehradun chapter.

Notably, India has set a millennium goal of reducing mortality rate of children under five years of age to 66 per cent by 2015.

Dehradun, August 9
As a precautionary measure, the state health department has asked the students of educational institutions across the state to avoid travelling to foreign countries.

The step has been taken after a student from IIT Roorkee had tested positive, while students from two schools had reported swine flu-like symptoms. They had, however, tested negative.

As Uttarakhand has large number of residential schools, several students have just returned home after vacations and reported sick.

“As a precautionary measure, we have asked school, college and university authorities to restrict travelling abroad and immediately report for tests at the government hospitals in case of any symptoms of swine flu,” said Dr PL Joshi, DG Health. In Uttarakhand, three patients have tested positive for swine flu so far. Most of the students suspected of carrying the virus were treated in special isolation wards in the respective school itself.

“We have asked private hospitals to keep us informed about suspected cases of swine flu and residential educational institutions have been asked to immediately isolate children with the slightest symptoms of influenza,” said Dr Joshi

Dehradun, August 9
Expressing strong reservations over encroachments encircling the statue of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal founder Inder Mani Badoni, the UKD has threatened action against the state government if encroachments were not removed at the earliest.

UKD leader Latafat Hussain today said the party will be submitting a memorandum to the Governor on Tuesday on the issue.

He said the municipal authorities were not taking adequate care of the statue installed at the Clock Tower.

“We have been repeatedly issuing appeals to municipal authorities and the state administration for proper upkeep of Inder Mani Badoni’s statue. But our appeals have failed to yield any results,” Latafat said. He also sought adequate protection for the statue.

The UKD leader said the issues of identification of state agitationists and facilities due to them were still to be resolved. 

Haridwar, August 9
To gain lost ground after the 5-0 debacle in the general elections and with an eye on the 2012 assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has begun focusing on its membership drive.

In a series of meetings with party workers in Haridwar city and Roorkee, state party president Bachi Singh Rawat, who lost from Almora-Pitthoragarh parliamentary seat, urged party workers to intensify the membership drive so that the party’s message can be communicated to the people.

In Haridwar district, the party is targeting 50,000 new party members and has started a series of meetings in this regard. Rawat urged party workers to try and induct as many members as possible in the party.

He said that district membership incharges would be appointed soon. District head of the party Mayank Gupta has also urged workers in the district to intensify the 
membership drive.

Dehradun, August 9
Nilesh beat Rohan in the under-10 boys category at the 9th District Badminton Championship that got underway at Parade Ground here today.

Among u-13 girls, Anushtha beat Ishika in three games 24-22, 18-21, 21-10 while Deepty got the better of Katayani 21-19, 11-21, 21-13.

In the u-19 singles category, Tushika dismissed the challenge of Srishti in two games and Sarabora thumped Trapti 21-3, 21-4.

Sarabora then went on to beat Ayushi 21-19, 21-14.

Results: u-10 boys: Nilesh beat Rohan 21-6, 21-7; Avi beat Swastik 21-15, 21-7; Vaibhav beat Paumpeera 21-15, 21-7; Sanidha beat Anirudh 21-10, 23-21; S Kandh beat Prashau 21-9, 21-6; Nilesh beat Chetanya 21-16, 14-21, 21-19; Kanishk beat Aryan 21-4, 21-7.

U-13 girls: Anushtha beat Ishika 24-22, 18-21, 21-10; Deepty beat Katayani 21-19, 11-21, 21-13; Isha beat Arya 21-18, 21-18; Stuti beat Vrinda 21-11, 21-8.

U-19 girls singles: Tushika beat Srishti 21-11, 21-6; Sarabora beat Trapti 21-3, 21-4; Ayushi beat Sarita 21-5, 21-7; Sarabora beat Ayushi 21-19, 21-14.