Dehradun, December 10
Members of the All-India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) gathered for a gherao of District Magistrate’s office here today. The problems raised by them at the office were about lowering the prices of ration and to put a check against women violence.

Jyoti Thakuri, district general secretary of the party, said: “The rise in the prices of eatables have made the people under poverty line starve. Today, we have gathered here to make a plea to our District Magistrate to do justice to people of the BPL category.”

“We have also put forth the major issue of acts of violence against women that are increasing every day. Protection and safety is our right and we have come together to fight for our rights,” she added.

Other members of the party present there were Indu Naudiyal, general secretary, Surji Chauhan, vice-president, and Shakumbhari Rawat, secretary.

Members of the Janwadi Mahila Samiti give a memorandum to an official in Dehradun on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

Dehradun, December 10
After announcing the highest support price for sugarcane in the country, the Uttarakhand Agriculture Ministry is facilitating a subsidy of Rs 70,000 on every tractor purchased by farmers.

Announcing this, Uttarakhand Agriculture Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said Uttarakhand was the first state in the country to provide a subsidy on tractors to such a great extent. He reminded that this subsidy was due to the deal struck between his ministry and the Mahindra company.

He further held that as an initiative towards protecting agricultural land in the state, Raipur in Dehradun, Pokhra in Pauri and Kotbagh in Nainital would be developed as Special Agricultural Zones. He said his ministry had been laying emphasis on the protection of the fast-shrinking agricultural land.

Rawat admitted that while there was incentive for industries, any industrial establishment should not come up on industrial land. He said depriving tax benefits to industries that come up on agricultural land could certainly act as a deterrent.

The Agriculture Minister said he was starting his tour of Garhwal from tomorrow and it will continue till November 17. The tour was aimed at consolidating land holdings in Dehradun, promote floriculture and explore promotion of vegetable cultivation.

Rawat said consolidation of land (chakbandi) held much of importance to increase agriculture production in hills and furthering the cause of food security. The chakbandi would also be done to protect the hill produce from animal attacks.

The minister disclosed that a Mega Food Park was coming up in Haridwar in collaboration with Patanjali Yogpeeth.

He also held that the Uttarakhand Krishak Mahotsavas had been frequently held in Uttarakhand since June, 2008, and termed them as highly successful. 

Dehradun, December 10
The Uttarakhand government will get 60 companies of Central paramilitary forces besides 20 companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh for the Maha Kumbh starting from January 2010 in Haridwar.

According to a letter received from the Ministry of Home Affairs, 60 companies of Central paramilitary forces and 20 companies of Uttar Pradesh PAC will be deployed in four stages during the mega fair. The 60 companies of Central paramilitary forces will include 20 companies of the CRPF and 10 companies each of the CISF, ITBP, SSB, and the RAF.

Besides, 2,000 jawans of Home Guards will also be deployed during the mela. Of these 500 each from Punjab and Rajasthan and 250 each from Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh will remain deployed in the city up to April 20, 2010.

The BSF will deploy eight bomb search and bomb disposal squads along with dog squads. In addition, six teams of commandos and snipers will also be deployed for a smooth conduct of the Maha Kumbh in Haridwar next year.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had been pressing the Centre for the deployment of Central forces for a smooth conduct of the Maha Kumbh where more than 5 crore people are expected to participate in the first six months of next year.

Dehradun, December 10
Senior journalist YW Datta died on Tuesday evening after a protracted illness. Datta had been ailing for the past four or five years, and suffered from Parkinson’s disease since 2006.It was a pity that neither any of Datta’s erstwhile professional colleagues nor anyone from the government bothered to visit Datta during his prolonged illness. Nor did anybody care to help with his mounting medical expenses.

Datta was Editor of the Frontier Mail, Dehra Dun’s oldest newspaper. Frontier Mail had begun publication in 1935 in Peshawar, in then North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Paper’s owner-editor Amir Chand Bombwal himself was a freedom fighter of considerable reputation, and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and other leaders of the freedom movement.

After Partition, the Frontier Mail resumed publication as a weekly in Dehra Dun in 1948, and was first English newspaper to have been published from Dehra Dun.

Haridwar, December 10
It seems that the Kumbh Mela administration is getting more criticism than appreciation.

After getting flak from the Chief Minister, Governor, parliamentarians, state cabinet ministers, chief secretary and various political parties and organisations, it is now the turn of students to flay the mela administration.

Students were quite perturbed that despite the Maha Kumbh budget exceeding Rs 400 crore, the works were unfinished, way behind schedule and have been causing problems to the local public for the past few years due to the apathetic attitude of the departments and nodal agencies concerned.

Terming the Maha Kumbh-related works as slow and of low quality, college students yesterday protested at Ranipur Mod and burnt effigies of the mela administration.

Holding placards and banners depicting slogans against the mela administration, students gathered at Ranipur and blocked traffic.

Led by Shravan Nath Math Jawaharlal Nehru College student president Shakti Tyagi, the protesters also forwarded a memorandum to the mela administration in this regard.

“From roads, sewer lines, street lights to bridges, all works being carried out by the mela administration are way behind schedule,” said Tyagi.

Girls were also seen in large numbers at the protest and said that though it was quite late to protest, yet with Kumbh funds amounting to hundreds of crores, major works could be completed on priority basis.

Dehradun, December 10
The ongoing Khadi Mahotsava, being organised by the Uttarakhand Khadi and Gramodhyog Board (UKGB), has turned out be a profitable business platform for the small-scale entrepreneurs, who have gathered at the Parade Ground here from near and far-off locations.

Products of 70 khadi and 130 village industries, articles worth Rs 4-5 lakh are sold at the mahotsava daily. From 10 am to late in the evening, people from varied stratas throng stalls to purchase their favourite items.

“Our sale target for this year is Rs 4 crore and daily we are selling items worth Rs 4-5 lakh.

“Moreover, compared to last year, this year the participation of Uttarakhand’s entrepreneurs has been to almost 50 per cent, which in itself is a sign of development and prosperity,” said Arvind Khanduri, Additional Chief Executive Officer, UKGB.

From tangy chutneys, murabbas and namkeens to healthy pulses, rice and flour, which are grown in various hilly locations of Uttarakhand, there are numerous stalls being run by dedicated self-help groups.

Tasty rajma, bangeera, mandua (coarse grain), goath (pulse) jangoora (rice) and soyabeans are purchased in large numbers by visitors to the mahotsava due to their medicinal values.

“As my children are very fond of pickles and namkeens, I purchased authentic namkeens of Kumaon and pickles from the Rajasthani Stall,” said Jyotsana.

Not only this, woollen clothes made out of sheep wool are apt to cover from head to toe and save one from nail-biting cold.

Roshini Negi from Dunda village of Uttarkashi district, who is running her Dunda Handloom cluster, feels: “It’s my second time at the exhibition and I have no words to express my gratitude to the state government which is constantly guiding us and providing us the facility of food, lodging and marketing.

“Earlier, where nobody recognised us, surprisingly today my last year’s customers are coming and giving me orders to knit woollen clothes. I am excited to participate in the next exhibition too”.

Women fond of designer khadi items are thronging boutiques displaying fashionable suits, kurtis and Kashmiri pashmina shawls and jackets displayed by entrepreneurs of Jammu and Kashmir.

Dehradun, December 10
The bail plea of five Dehradun policemen, who were allegedly involved in the infamous Ranbir encounter case, was rejected by the Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court today.

Their plea was cancelled on the basis of the CBI report that found that they were present on the spot at the time of the encounter while they had told the court that they had not been present there.

The five cops who had applied for the bail plea included Rajesh Bisht, Nitin Chauhan, Neeraj Yadav, Chandermohan Singh Rawat and Ajit Singh. On December 1, the case was postponed by the court for today.

Already, the bail pleas of the then Dalanwala police station in charge Santosh Kumar Juyal and the then Ara Ghar police post in charge GD Bhatt have been rejected by the CBI court on November 18 by the CBI.

With this decision, all seven policemen, who were allegedly involved in the encounter, have lost their chance of getting bail.

Dehradun, December 10
Four thieves broke into a jewellery shop at Navada Chowk and decamped with cash and ornaments worth over Rs 2 lakh early this morning.

The police claimed that ornaments worth over Rs 1.5 lakh have been recovered. The ornaments got dropped from thieves’ possession when they were being chased by the policemen.

The cops, who were on night patrolling when the thieves were making their way back after committing the theft, gave the miscreants the chase. However, the police failed to nab them.

“There were around three to four men whom we saw running after the incident,” said Arvind Shah, Station Head Officer (SHO) of Nehru Colony police station.

“They fled to the jungle area through the lanes situated in Navada. As it was dark, it was difficult to trace them,” added the SHO.

The incident happened at about 3.30 am at a jewellery shop owned by Harvansh Lal. He later registered a complaint at the Nehru Colony police station. A case under Section 457, 380 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered.

Dehradun, December 10
The police had to resort to cane charge after a group of persons blocked the Haridwar road at Dharampur and created ruckus for a girl who allegedly eloped with a boy here late this evening.