|
|
|
|
Sanskrit students join protest against mela admn
Doon to send 25 pc police force for mega fair |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Chamoli refutes Oppn claims on encroachment
Pant best legislator
Centre gives ventilators for Kumbh
Black bear scare in Pitthoragarh villages
Ban on trade with Nepal
Non-performing officials shifted
Education minister on inauguration spree
Chemists told not to use Red Cross sign
Teachers feel evaluation system unfair
Man caught stealing chain
|
|
Sanskrit students join protest against mela admn
Haridwar, December 18 Lashing out at the mela administration and the state government, the students termed the corruption and low quality work being done in the Kumbh projects as a blow to the Hindu religion as the Maha Kumbh was associated with religious feelings of the Hindus. Sanskritacharya and student leader of Sanskrit College Pankaj Upreti said that its high time that people show integrity and sought answers from mela administration as otherwise their’s monopoly may result in a major tragedy. “Crores of people will throng the mela area in Haridwar and yet the authorities concerned are apathetic to low-grade work being carried out and the corruption prevalent in mela nodal agencies,” said Upreti. Protest organiser Varun Baliyan pointed out that Sanskrit students coming out against the corruption prevalent in mela works proved that their protest was in right direction. Students from various colleges have started a drive against the mela administration to expose the corruption in mela works and are holding demonstrations at all colleges of the city. The movement has gained support from SMJN College too. SMJN College Union president Shakti Tyagi said the drive would help in exposing corruption in government organisations. “Bhagat Singh and Chander Shekhar Azad laid down their lives for us and we owe something to them too. By starting this movement, we are doing something substantial for our country,” said Tyagi. Among those who addressed the protesters were students of Sanskrit Panchpuri Ishwar Suwal, Madhukar Upadhyay, Hemant Joshi, Ganesh Joshi, Deepak Joshi, Govind Sharma, Pradeep Uniyal, Bhagwan Tiwari, Hemchandra Nelwal, Ashish Sharma, Harshit, Vikram, Kuku, Mani Kant Dhyani, Sridhar Upadhyay and Darshan Lal. |
|
|
Doon to send 25 pc police force for mega fair
Dehradun, December 18 The force will be sent at the end of this month and it will remain there till the completion of the fair. The Dehradun police had earlier estimated that it will have to send 40 per cent of its force but now the number has come down as the Uttar Pradesh government and the Centre are sending their forces for the mega event. Inspector General of police MA Ganpathy (Garwhal region) said, “We had earlier estimated that 45 per cent force would be sent for the Kumbh but with Centre and UP police sending their forces only 25 per cent cops would be sent from Dehradun.” The IG added that that total number of police in the district was 1,200, including the senior police officials and out of them 300 would be sent for the Kumbh Mela. Uttar Pradesh is sending 15 companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) to the state for deployment during the Kumbh Mela. Beside this 1,000 civil police personnel, 40 mounted police, 20 inspectors of civil police and 60 sub-inspectors would also be provided by the UP for the fair. This announcement of sharing of police forces was made by UP Chief Minister Mayawati during the meeting with Uttarakhand CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in Lucknow early this month. |
|
|
Chamoli refutes Oppn claims on encroachment
Dehradun, December 18 Verma, along with Congress councillors, had given a memorandum to the SDM today for the Chief Minister for taking cognisance of encroachments on the DMC land. Chamoli claimed that he had taken swift action on all cases of encroachments on the land of DMC. He rued the apathy of administration in approving his demand for the constitution of a task force comprising of all departments concerned to prevent cases of land grabbing. “I have been demanding for a task force, which was also built during the reign of the Congress so that all departments concerned can take synchronised and effective action on such matters, but I did not get any positive response till now.” The Mayor also took out his anger on administration saying that, “The state government is yet to understand the difference between Municipal Corporation and Municipality. It hesitates in accepting Dehradun as capital for the fear of raking up agitation in hilly regions and desists from precipitating developmental projects. But even if the city do not become capital, it will continue to be the mirror of the state and deserve proper attention and upkeep.” He also blamed acute shortcoming of manpower in the DMC, inaction of the police force for not prioritising encroachment cases, cumbersome legal system for delaying disposal and increasing hold of land mafia due to commercialisation of property in the state. Ashok accused the DMC of being harsh on poor and inactive in taking action on rich invaders. Showing a file of such complaints, made by councillors under the present board, Verma said, “When it comes to influential people, DMC lets them complete construction and then take fake action, after which the land grabbers take stay in courts.” Verma, who suggests DMC to build buildings of public welfare on the DMC land to properly utilise the land and earn revenue in the process, said, “It is ironical that the projects of making a hospital and cyber café on the DMC land, which were approved in the board meeting, are in cold storage because of inaction of administration.” Councillor Subhodini Sharma complained of many cases of infringement to tune of crores of rupees. She said, “I have been complaining for the past one and a half year of steady encroachment near the Doon University, where the prices of land have shot up after university came up. Similarly, encroachment in the Kunj Vihar area are going ignored.” Another councillor Nisha Rana also blames the police for running away from the spot of encroachment. “The officers of related departments do not have guts to face the fury of invaders, as the police leaves them high and dry. The builders are openly usurping the MCD land in Baliganj. On the Saibaba road, they are narrowing down the nullah to grab even that piece of land.” The board meeting proved useless, said councillor Uday Singh Kaka. “I apprised 18 times about land encroachments in Khala Basti, Ganesh Vihar, Sarasvati Vihar, but nothing happened. I am totally disheartened now,” he said. No development in state: Uniyal
Alleging the state BJP government of being neck deep in corruption, Uttarakhand Congress Committee’s vice-president and former MLA Subodh Uniyal has sought a probe by a civil judge into the underhand dealing of the state government. Presiding over a meeting of party workers in Rishikesh, Uniyal accused the state government of resorting to rampant corruption. He said while development had come to a standstill in the state, bureaucracy was all prevailing. |
|
|
Pant best legislator
Dehradun, December 18
This honour had been given to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prakash Pant. “Such honour is very rare in the state assemblies and it is the Jharkhand Assembly and the parliamentary that honours such parliamentarians, who found good in performance and excellent conduct during the proceedings of the House,” Kapoor said. He also reminded that it had been for the first time ever since formation of the state that the current House felicitated the election of vice-chairman. Referring to agenda for the forthcoming winter session beginning from December 21, the Speaker said ratification of 109th Constitutional amendment linked to extension of reservation of deprived section for another 10 years is in the offing. Further replacement Bills to bring certain posts out from the purview of office of profits and Bill for increasing salaries for legislators would also come up in the ongoing session. Uttarakhand Assembly session secretary Mahesh Chand was also present at the conference. |
|
|
Centre gives ventilators for Kumbh
Dehradun, December 18 “We will make use of the unutilised equipment dumped in stores and health centres to fulfil our requirement for completing the ICU ward. As agreed upon, the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT), Jolly Grant, will also allow the staff to use its ICU wards that are equipped with two ventilators,” said Keshav Raju, Principal Secretary, Health. The ventilators are being provided to the state government on the condition that these be returned in the same functioning condition. Besides, 45 Ambulances would be pressed into service along with 14 EMRI ambulances during the mega fair. |
|
|
Black bear scare in Pitthoragarh villages
Pitthoragarh, December 18 Harish Singh Dhami, a member of Zila Panchayat from the Madkot area, said these black bears would enter villages in groups and destroy everything coming on their way, including fruit and root-based vegetables. The women folk of these villages have stopped going to the forest to collect fodder due to fear of bear attack. In some villages of the area, where people are mostly dependent on water flour mills for grinding grain, these bears are also attacking these mills for stored grain. “In the Khunkhunia village in the Nachni area, Pan Singh was badly injured in a bear attack when he was grinding his grain at a water mill near his village on Wednesday,” said Bhagat Singh, a social worker from the area. Bears also eat up grain stored in the mills for grinding. Pitthoragarh forest officers confirm bear attacks in some parts of Dharchula and Munsiyari, which fall in the central Himalayan region where these bears are mostly found. “It is a general tendency of these bears to come down when their higher habitats are covered by snow during winter. Besides, the bear habitats are surrounded by a number of villages in this region,” said Mahipal Singh Sirohi, Assistant Conservator (Forest), Pitthoragarh Forest Division. He cited an incident when a man was attacked by a bear in the Dharchula area last month when the man had gone to the forest looking for his cattle. “The female bear was with her two cubs when the man was attacked,” added Sirohi. The villages of Bona, Tomik, Bui, Pato, Ringo and Chilkot in the Talla Johar area are badly affected by the attacks by these wild bears. “The fruits like gauva, papaya and root vegetables have been destroyed by these bears in our villages. This tendency is frequent since the past five years,” said Madan Sanyal, a social worker from Shilling village in the Talla Johar area of Munsiyari. Forest officers said for the villages and wild animals in this high Himalayan region, the source of survival is the same. “These bears also depend on wild fruits and roots and when these are taken away by villagers, hungry bears turn to the fruit and grain crops grown in the villages,” said Sirohi. |
|
Ban on trade with Nepal
Pitthoragarh, December 18 The traders of Jhulaghat, who had downed their shutters against the move, opened their shops on Tuesday after the agreement. Dharama Nand Nariyal, president of the Traders Association, Jhulaghat, said that the SSB and Custom officials have banned the sale of consumer items like rice, flour, sugar, and sugar candy to Nepali citizens and made it essential to pay custom duty on clothes and shoes above Rs 25,000. “With the agreement, Nepali customers from all five district of Nepal will be diverted to other markets and Jhulaghat town will lose more than 25 per cent of its business,” said Dharama Nand Nariyal. |
|
Drive Against Power Theft Akash Ghai Tribune News Service
Roorkee, December 18 From the Roorkee circle only, as many as 16 transfers have taken place so far. A total of three Xens, three junior engineers, six AEs and as many officials from clerical wing have been transferred by the authorities. On the issue, DGM (Roorkee), UPCL, Madhu Sudan Chandola said the message was clear that those who could not perform would be transferred. “The main motive behind this large-scale transfers is to give boost to the campaign against power pilferage in the state,” said Chandola. According to department sources the estimated distribution losses in Roorkee circle is around 40 per cent of the total power, being supplied to the region. In the Roorkee Mandal, which is reportedly topping in the number of power theft cases in the state, around 15 million units are being stolen every month, which causes a loss of Rs 75 crore per month to the department. In the state, which has also known as ‘Urja Pradesh’, has been reeling under severe power shortage problem of late. Where in rural area the span of power roasting is between six to 10 hours, the urban areas witness three to five-hour power cuts daily. “A large part of the power supply has been stolen by the miscreants, which causes great loss to the department. The ongoing transfers are also a part of the campaign to curb the menace,” said Chandola.
|
|
Education minister on inauguration spree
Nainital, December 18 The minister also inaugurated four new classrooms at a school in Babiyad constructed at a cost of Rs 10 lakh. He then went on to lay the foundation stone of a bridge on Gilla ravine that will be constructed at a cost of Rs 15.74 lakh. While inaugurating the school building at Ukaljar, the minister laid emphasis on strengthening the primary education setup in the state. Assuring the teachers that the government was trying its best to address their issues, he asked them to do their job with dedication. He said that the government will reward the teachers and students of the schools that deliver the best results. He also announced a grant of Rs 50,000 from his development fund for construction of a boundary wall of the school. While laying the foundation stone for a pedestrian bridge on Gilla ravine, he said that roads are the first step towards development. He claimed that once an area is connected by a road network, development follows. The minister claimed that the state government was doing its best to improve road connectivity in the remote areas of the state. Bisht also inspected the works going on at a tunnel on Pokhri, Nigoniya and Devidhar stretch and asked the Public Works Department to ensure its completion on time. |
|
Chemists told not to use Red Cross sign
Dehradun, December 18 The volunteers distributed stickers that gave information about the correct use of the
symbol and asked motorists and chemists not to use the symbol that has been mandated for the Red Cross. “Wherever vehicles or chemist shops were found using the symbol, we
told them that action would be taken by the Red Cross and the Indian government. “They are liable to be prosecuted under the Geneva Convention Act 1960, Chapter 4, Section 12 and 13 and fined Rs 500,” said Navneet Kumar Raman, Uttarakhand Branch Development Officer. The volunteers also removed the symbols from shops and vehicles. Earlier, the campaign was flagged off by Dr IS Pal, General Secretary, Red Cross Society, Uttarakhand Branch. |
|
Teachers feel evaluation system unfair
Dehradun, December 18 Most of the teachers feel that the evaluation system in Uttarakhand is unfair compared to other universities. Studies carried out in the past say if you divide the method of the number of answer sheets by the number of examiners and the divide the resultant figure by the number of days and hours spent on evaluation, you will find generally examiners gave only a cursory glance to the answer sheets. The problem is generally more acute in board exams, undergraduate classes and in the social science stream. Shedding light on the issue, senior lecturer of chemistry and former controller of examinations at Srinagar Garhwal University OP Sati said: “The main reason for examiners’ casual attitude is primarily a large number of private students compared to regular ones, putting extra burden on the limited number of teachers of the social science stream that includes subjects of sociology, history, political science and Hindi. “Also, private students opt for such streams as they are allowed to choose non-practical streams only”. Interestingly, while the work of best students get neglected for no faults of theirs, the ones who are on the verge of flunking get passed on the basis of good handwriting, cleanliness or due to sheer negligence on the part of evaluator. “Yes, this is very true that the best of students, in spite of burning midnight oil, get average results whereas the backbenchers or weak students pass without any efforts. The less number of teachers compared to a large number of students appearing for exams in one or the other way definitely affects the quality of evaluation,” said OP Kulshetra, physics professor at DAV (PG) College and president of the Federation of University and College Teachers Association (FUCTA). “More teachers should be recruited and like private universities other universities should also take a strict stance regarding student attendance and follow a semester pattern, which has better transparency,” said Pooja, a student. Under the norms of Garhwal University, on a monthly basis for an undergraduate course, a teacher is allowed to check 300 copies and for postgraduate courses 200 copies. For per copy an examiner of the social stream is paid Rs 12 (PG) and Rs 10 (UG), which is very less compared to the amount paid to science lecturers. Examiners of the social stream tend to check as many copies as they can stretching themselves beyond capacity to earn more. Recently, it has been observed that teachers, in order to earn more, take more copies from other universities for which they are not answerable to the college they are working for. This is the scenario in most of the government universities of the country and particularly in the social science stream as in medical and other technical universities the payment per copy is much better. “Back in 1982, when there was a re-evaluation system in place at Garhwal University, it was observed examiners had made it a mode of earning more money. Ultimately, the re-evaluation system was done away with. After all it’s a fact that less payment for answer sheets of social stream forces the examiners to check more and more copies in the given time,” added Sati. “In Garhwal University more then 80 per cent students appearing for exams are not regular,” said KD Purohit, professor of physics. To overcome the problem of careless checking of answer sheets, the government should open more open universities so that private students get themselves enrolled for distant learning and other vocational courses. Recruitment of teachers and staff members should be done from time to time and lastly teachers who are contributing for the welfare of society should take the responsibility and think before committing any sort of mistake as it might ruin the careers of students who are the future of nation. “The Evaluation system has been questioned time and again and one might question the moral values of examiners. “But, unless and until the government intervenes, nothing constructive can take place. More open universities should be opened so that students get enrolled in professional courses and the ratio between student and examiners gets balanced,” asserted LJ Singh, Officer on Special Duty, Garhwal University. “As a teacher I feel that teachers should always think wisely before getting lured by monetary gains as it can affect the careers of innocent students,” said Shrishti, a teacher. |
|
Man caught stealing chain
Dehradun, December 18 The incident happened at New Verma Jewellers. The police said the culprit posed as a customer and asked the salesman to show ornaments. While looking at the ornaments, he stole a sliver chain and started leaving from there. The shop owner noticed him and along with other shopkeepers caught him there only. The culprit, Salim told the police that he had come from Gaziabad with some of his friends. Meanwhile, on a complaint of Saurbh Verma, the owner of the shop, a case under Sections 379 and 411 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered in the Kotwali police station. Man duped of 1.5 lakh
Four persons duped a man of over lakh. They were booked for allegedly duping a resident of Raiwala of over Rs 1 lakh on the promise of getting him a job abroad. The victim, Ilam Singh Rana, complained to the police yesterday against the four
persons. He alleged that he had given Rs 1.5 lakh to the four persons by cheques in Mumbai and Bangalore for they had promised to get him a job abroad. However, they got him a tourist visa instead of a working visa as was promised to him at the time of the payment. Bharat Singh, Umesh, Brijesh, a resident of UP, and Santosh Kumar, a resident of Bangalore, have been booked. —
TNS |
|
SP members meet IG
Dehradun, December 18 The party members today met with MA Ganpathy, Inspector General (IG) of Police, in this regard. Vinod Barthwal, president of the state unit, said the policemen came with a big force to remove encroachment and that caused fear among traders. —
TNS |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Classified | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Haridwar, December 18
Dehradun, December 18
Dehradun, December 18
Pitthoragarh, December 18
