Haridwar, November 5
The issue of Jamait-e-Ulema-e-Hind boycotting the song, Vande Matram, at it’s recent convention at Deoband is also reverberating in the pilgrim city here. Various political, religious and social organisations have protested against the decision.

The BJP has strongly reacted and termed it an insult not only to Vande Matram, but also to the nation and sentiments of citizens of India. The city unit today raised slogans against the fatwa and sought resignation of Home Minster P Chidambaram and other ministers who attended the convention.

The Shiv Sena has, too, condemned the move.

District vice-chief of Shiv Sena Mukesh Bharadwaj has termed these people disrespecting Vande Matram as national traitors.

The Hindu Kranti Dal also has taken a strong objection to the Home Minister and other national leaders taking part in the convention and not reacting to the insult done to the national song.

Terming the fatwa as an act of ignorance and immaturity, Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha national president Harimohan Tiwari said the national song was a worship of the mother and the fatwa was issued without going into the details.

Saints, too, have come against the fatwa. Shankaracharya Swami Raj Rajeshwaram said political parties tried to take political mileage from the Muslims and so to please them. Even the Home Minister, who was also present there, didn’t object to it. He also sought Chidambram’s resignation.

Notably, Jamiat-e-ulema-e-Hind had decided not to sing Vande Matram at the national convention meet in Deoband.

Meanwhile, Yog Guru Swami Ramdev, who attended the convention, tried to justify his visit. He said he had gone there to give message of yoga to the Muslims. But he added that he strongly protested against the decision of the Jamiat-e-ulema-e-Hind.

Haridwar, November 5
With less than two months to go for the first Maha Kumbh of the century in Haridwar, the administration has got active to deal with encroachments. Acres of land is to be cleared of encroachments to ensure a smooth flow of traffic in the city. As the city has encroachments all over free space and traffic congestion has severely affected the city life, concerns are being raised over the failure of the administration to tackle this issue.

In the past six months, anti-encroachment drives had been carried out in the mela areas of Rodi Belwala, Pantdeep, Bairagi Camp, but those had to be stopped amid political pressure. Allegations were also raised against local legislator and state Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik for getting these drives stopped keeping in mind the then scheduled general elections in May to gain political mileage.

But now, with the Maha Kumbh nearing and he being denied party ticket, he had recently talked of starting an anti-encroachment drive, stating that how can a state think of hosting the Maha Kumbh without clearing encroachments on the mela area.

Earlier, the minister had accepted that encroachments on main city markets, chowks and commercial residential areas needed time.

At Rishikul, where one of the biggest temporary bus stations will be built for the Maha Kumbh, the administration carried out an anti-encroachment drive. Illegal shops and roadside temporary constructions, which have encroached on the main road and the ground area, were targeted.

At Bhalla Intermediate College, only temporary housing accommodation is being provided to state police personnel as well as paramilitary forces. The construction work is already in full swing and after the drive it will gain momentum.

An encroachment drive was also carried out simultaneously at Tibdi today. Here, too, a mela police line is being raised. CO (Mela) Mani Kant Sharma said all work was being monitored and was going on at right pace.

Dehradun, November 5
Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment and Haridwar MP Harish Rawat has expressed concern over the delay in the start of the 600-Mega Watt Kishau Dam Project.

Expressing concern to the Union Power Minister, Rawat said while the responsibility for the dam had been given to the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation, due to the delay on the part of the Uttarakhand government towards signing the Memorandum of Understanding, the project was hanging fire.

Rawat further held that Union Power Minister Sushil Shinde had promised to take up the matter at his level.

Shinde had also disclosed that now the Uttarakhand Power Corporation, along with the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation, would be responsible for the work at Kishau Dam Project.

Dehradun, November 5
Members of the Youth Congress protested and blocked the road at Nashville Hall here today demanding a fair probe in the Kaladhungi incident.

They burnt tyres on the road and raised slogans against the government. The protesters also blocked the road for sometime. This also caused traffic jams.

The Station Head Officer of the Kotwali police station denied that the police had failed to stop the protesters torching tyres on the roads.

According to the police, the protesters, who were about 25 in number, tried to block the road but the police didn’t let them. The protesters alleged that there were a large number of BJP workers behind the Kaladungi incident and the state BJP was trying to protect these leaders.

The protesters demanded a CBI probe in the matter.

The Kaladhungi area of Nainital district had seen large-scale violence a month back when Head Constable Puran Lal Sharma was stoned to death by an irate mob after a political leader was stabbed inside a police station.

Roorkee, November 5
Alarmed at the manner in which three miscreants carried out a robbery here yesterday by posing as 
cops, the police authorities have raised doubts about the involvement of former or suspended policemen in crime.

“We are preparing a list of former and suspended cops, as one of the three robbers was wearing the uniform of Sub-Inspector. The confidence, with which the robber posed as a cop, raises doubts about the involvement of some cops,” said SP (Rural) Ajay Joshi.

After the preparation of the list, the activities of such cops would be checked, he added.

Notably, three miscreants had robbed vice-president of Intectus Group of Companies AK Majumdar when he was on his way back to Delhi near Uttam Sugar Mill, Liberherri, last evening.

One of the three robbers, who chased the victim’s car, was wearing the uniform of an SI. They allegedly stopped Majumdar, who was accompanied by his driver Ajay Kumar, on the pretext of police checking.

Majumdar, too, never doubted that they were robbers in the garb of cops as they were bundled (Majumdar and Ajay) into the car at pistols point. The robbers looted them in the car, which was then diverted to a nearby deserted road along the Gang canal, said Joshi while quoting the victim.

The miscreants fled away with the victim’s car, two mobile phones, one laptop and Rs 2,000.

Talking to The Tribune, the SP said the police of neighbouring states had also been alerted.

“We are investigating the matter. Very soon, the miscreants will land in the police net,” assured Joshi.

Dehradun, November 5
Canes, wheel chairs, hearing aids and other implements were all arranged in rows for distribution. The minister and officials too were present, but the main beneficiaries were missing. At the Physically Handicapped Assessment Camp held at Doon Hospital here on Tuesday, the Social Welfare Department’s efforts to distribute implements to the physically handicapped went in vain. There weren’t any beneficiaries till late in the afternoon.

From the very beginning, the presence of Social Welfare Minister Matbar Singh Kandari proved to be a distraction. Right from officials to the hospital staff vied with each other to catch the attention of the minister, who then took a whirlwind tour of the hospital.

If one tour was not enough, the officials again got busy with the arrival of the Secretary, Social Welfare. In between doctors from Doon Hospital, especially from the Orthopaedic Department, made an appearance for a few seconds and then disappeared.

Officials and staff from the National Institute of Visually Handicapped and the Bajaj Institute of Learning were there waiting in vain for the beneficiaries to turn up to conduct mental and other physical tests so that handicap certificates could be given.

“More beneficiaries should have turned up for the camp. As the hospital is centrally located, it would have been of immense help if the venue was publicised,” said Jagdish Lakhera, Placement and Training Officer (NIVH).

Under the Central government scheme, implements costing around Rs 6,000 are distributed free of cost among beneficiaries displaying different disabilities.

The NIVH had set up a special counter for checking mental retardation in persons, “We undertake Alexander Pass, along with other tests, for ascertaining the IQ of patients,” Surinder Dhaliwal, Clinical Psychologist, NIVH, said.

At the end of the assessment camp, 10 hearing aids, seven wheel chairs, 15 walking sticks and 20 arm crutches and only five certificates were distributed among the physically handicapped.

Nainital, November 5
The city is all set to host its first festival of parallel cinema this weekend. The festival titled “Pratirodh ka Cinema” is being organised by well-known local cultural group Yugmanch in collaboration with the Jan Sanskriti Manch.

The films scheduled to be screened comprise internationally famous feature films and documentaries that have made a mark in the realm of parallel cinema.

These include MS Sathyu’s “Garam Hawa”, Majid Majidi’s “Children of Heaven”, Charlie Chaplin’s “Modern Times” and Vittoria De Silva’s “Bicycle Thief”.

There will be special screening of children’s films for three hours.

Dehradun, November 5
Member of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee (DRUCC) Anil Kumar Gupta yesterday highlighted the problems of commuters in the Moradabad Railway Division.

Talking to mediapersons here Gupta, who has been recently appointed as a member, said there were lack of facilities for railway users at various railway stations.

“We have presented a memorandum to the regional head of the Railways stating the problem of no reservation counters made on the stations of Doiwala and Harrawala putting the users to inconvenience. They have to go to either Dehradun or Haridwar to get their tickets booked,” he said. He even focused on the issue of no stoppage of Mussoorie Express at the Moradabad Railway Station.

“Requisition of special trains and additional bogies for the devotees coming from the far-flung areas for Maha Kumbh, have also been mentioned in the memorandum,” he added.

He said a demand for early construction of railway over bridges to solve the traffic congestions was also made in the memorandum.

Dehradun, November 5
An Uttarkhand policeman in his early 40s died after a vehicle hit his motorcycle near Hotel Midway here yesterday morning. He was taken to a government hospital in Rishikesh in a critical condition, but he died during treatment.

According to the police, he was going to his office when an unidentified vehicle knocked him down from behind. The deceased was working as a wireless operator and has been identified as Ramesh Chander, a resident of Pauri Garhwal.

A case under Sections 279 and 304-A of the IPC has been registered in the Raiwala police station.