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Maharaj preaches communal harmony
VIPs flock to Kumbh city
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IPS probationers learn the ropes at Kumbh
City sways to different tunes
Anti-Hoarding Drive
DMC employees go on strike
Hydel Project on Gori River
Farmer bodies oppose pact
150 migrants found staying in Mussoorie sans verification
Women Quota Bill
Minister calls for collective efforts for development works
Residents demand construction of road, meet Mayor
Govt medical staff to be vaccinated against H1N1
Hearing aids distributed among disabled
Foresters seek promotions, hold protest at HQ
Residents may be challaned for overflowing sewers
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Maharaj preaches communal harmony
Haridwar, April 12 All roads leading to Sadhbhawna Sammelan were jampacked with Maharaj’s followers coming from various parts of the country. It was a fair-like scene at Premnagar Ashram, the venue of convention. At the inaugural session of the convention, Satpal Maharaj, along with his wife Amrita Rawat and several other noted orators, saints and delegates, spoke on various religious aspects. The three-day convention is also being attended by delegates, followers from foreign countries, including the UK, the US, Australia, South Africa, Mauritius, Nepal
and Bhutan. Emphasising the need of communal harmony, Maharaj cited the example of the sky, fire, air and water saying that when the God had made all these elements in one form and when these elements didn’t differentiate with anyone on the basis of religion, caste or colour, who were humans to do so?. “If one fights with one’s brother, then it means he hasn’t understood the true sense of religion. Lord Rama, Krishna, Mahatma Buddha, Mahavir Swami, Guru Nanak and Jesus Christ gave knowledge of peace, harmony, unity and enlightened people with the knowledge of the God and the truth,” said Maharaj. On the communal violence and hatred that has spread like a virus, Maharaj said: “Whether one is Hindu, a Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Jain, Parsi or Jewish, all are the flowers of the universal God who is omnipresent within all of us in equal parts. The need of the hour is to learn the truth with the help of spiritual guru. When one will understand the internal conscience and knowledge then he will never hate anybody. It’s for sure,” added Maharaj. While Amrita Rawat focused on the importance of having a spiritual-religious guru, saying that whether it be worldly or spiritual fields, people need someone who could guide them to right path. “The guru is like a powerhouse who enlightens the disciple from darkness,” she added. |
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VIPs flock to Kumbh city
Haridwar, April 12 While most of them are coming on personal-religious visits with many coming to ashrams of their respective family spiritual-religious gurus, if anyone is on government assignment he too is maximising the chance of being in Haridwar during Maha Kumbh time. Goa’s Chief Minister Digambar Kamat with his whole family took part in Chetan Jyoti Ashram rituals. Here the Kamat family took part in the Bhagwat week verses and Rudra Bhishek. CM Kamat termed the ongoing Maha Kumbh as the world’s biggest fair where traditions and faith meet on the Ganga ghat. He also termed Uttarakhand as a tourism potential state with vast natural resources. Kamat met Chetan Jyoti Ashram Peethadhisear Swami Rishiswaranand, city Congress chief OP Chauhan, Dehradun city chief Harish Veermani, Sanjay Chopra, Tej Sahu, Rajesh Rastogi and several other Congress leaders. Former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Vasundhara Raje Scindia too came to Haridwar to take holy bath in the Ganga. Raje took the holy dip at the VIP ghat and seemed calm and composed enjoying the serene atmosphere of Haridwar. She was welcomed by District Magistrate AR Meenakshi Sundram, Manohar Kant Dhyani, BJP district head Om Prakash Jamdagni, Naresh Sharma and several other party workers. Raje kept silent on party issues and felt blessed to have holy bath in Haridwar during the ongoing Maha Kumbh. She was given a rousing welcome by party workers. From among Bollywood stars it was Chandrachur Singh who had made his debut in films by starring in Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL) production “Tere Mere Sapne” in 1996. Chandrachur with his long beard was by most people identified a bit later which can be attributed to his long hiatus from the silver screen. But as soon news spread of the actor of films such as “Maachis”, “Josh”, “Daag-The Fire”, “Silsila Hai Pyaar Ka” etc, people began to throng the ghat to get a glimpse of the actor. Due to VIP ghat restrictions his fans didn’t have an easy access to meet him, but the actor after performing the rituals didn’t let down the fans. Among others who thronged Haridwar were former Union Minister Suresh Pachauri, who currently is the in charge of Uttarakhand. He was welcomed at Jolly Grant Airport by Leader of Opposition Harak Singh Rawat and head of Jai Ram Ashram, Braham Swaroop Brahamachari among others. He also took a holy bath at the VIP ghat and paid obeisance at Kankhal-situated ashram of Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati. |
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IPS probationers learn the ropes at Kumbh
Haridwar, April 12 These fresh recruits are undergoing training at the Indian Police Academy, Hyderabad, and are from the 62nd batch numbering 130. Briefing them, Chief Officer, Kumbh Mela Administration, Anand Vardhan laid stress on the mutual cooperation and coordination between the mela administration and the mela police, without which, he said, the mela arrangements would falter. Informing the probationers that in this Kumbh more than 12 departments and nodal agencies were assigned various projects to the tune of more than Rs 500 crore and it was another major task to see to that the projects were completed in time. Quality was maintained and these projects helped pilgrims in making their Kumbh journey a more comfortable one. The Kumbh Mela chief police in charge, DIG Alok Sharma, focussed on the security aspects related with the mega fair during which crores of people were present in an area of less than 135 sqkm spanning in Haridwar and Rishikesh. He said: “Problems, expectations of local people, local traders and brahmins are of paramount importance and their solution or a midway is essential otherwise a successful hosting of the Kumbh will be severely affected”. He added that the behaviour towards the local people also played a big role and if the mela police did not understand their woes and views, unrest would prevail and their coordination would not be available to the administration which was a vital chord in the Kumbh hosting. As till date approximately four crore pilgrims and tourists have visited Haridwar, crowd management assumes a greater proportion. To meet this aspect, the mela police specially focusses on the psychology of crowd, pilgrims, normal people, locals and tourists as this helps them chalk out strategies and behaviour in accordance with the situations. The IPS probationers listened carefully to Additional Police Superintendent Yogendra Singh Rawat, who also dwelt on the crowd management. OSD, Kumbh, PN Ojha informed the probationers about the Kumbh history, its mythological and religious significance, akhadas and their role in the Kumbh, Shahi Snans and other traditions. The training programme’s closing session was presided over by DGP Subash Joshi, who exhorted the probationers to focus on becoming mentally as well as physically stronger and said the Kumbh duty experience would definitely be helpful in their future course of duties. He said after one had managed millions then it became a bit easier in carrying out normal duties. On the occasion, mementos were presented to all distinguished speakers.. |
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City sways to different tunes
Haridwar, April 12 At the Swar Ganga cultural show, which is being organised by the Cultural Department as part of the mega fair, popular Uttarakhandi singers - Gajendra Rana and Sangeeta Dhaundiyal - made the crowd dance to folk Garhwali tunes. Before them, at the same stage, internationally renowned classical vocal artiste Pandit Udhal Kumar Malik, with his raga-laced bhajans, made the audience sway in religious fervour. Pandit Udhal showcased his unique talent when he sang ‘Ma Durga’ bhajan on three ‘taals’ and 16 ‘matras’ and raag Addana having 10 ‘matras’ with elan. He is a recipient of several national and international awards and has performed in Germany, France, Switzerland and other European countries. The second performance of the evening was by the popular Garhwali singer and a name to reckon with specially among youth i.e. Gajendra Rana who was aided by Sangeeta Dhaundiyal and troupe. They lent a Garhwali flavour to the Kumbh cultural centre. Gajendra’s first number ‘Pushpa chori pauri khaal ki’ rocked the auditorium. The song set the trend and gauging the mood of the audience, Gajendra sang back-to-back hits like ‘Kya dan lagdi tu’ and ‘Furki band’ to name a few among more than half a
dozen presentations. When it seemed that Rana had stolen the limelight, another Garhwali folk singer Sangeeta Dhaundiyal with her sonorous renditions upped the level of the performance. It was a double treat for the audience. Dhaundiyal lured the audience with ‘Devra Mohan teri gmo gaadi’, ‘Timro hamro maaya’, ‘Mohana tumhir mero man taki gayoo’ and other popular folk hits and drew massive applause. Kalpana Chauhan’s ‘Man bharme gai merie sudh budh khwai gyai’ and non-stop Garhwali renditions were just the icing on the cake and made the evening more memorable. Himachal-based folk singer Surendra Rana sang Jaunsari folk songs besides Himachali ones bringing the two hill neighbours closer. Kishan Mahipal and Mahendra Singh Chauhan sang songs like ‘Oh re sangli’, ‘Kushna oh kushan’, ‘Sar meri Radha le Rukmani’ and a non-stop mix of Bajuband Garhwali-Jaunsari songs. The troupe was aided on musical instruments by artistes - Sanjay Kumola, Subash Pandey, Ranjeet Verma and Rukmesh Nautiyal. |
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Govt, Mayor at loggerheads
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, April 12 The matter came to a head after the state government raised questions about the powers of the corporation and whether it was empowered to bring changes in a policy, thereby bypassing the government. In fact, Dr Devinder Bhasin, Chairman, Media Advisory Committee, had recently issued a statement saying that the corporation could not bring amendments or introduce a new policy without the approval of the government, forcing the Mayor to seek legal advice and rush to the door of the Chief Minister for clarification. “I have held discussions with the Chief Minister as the issue is only harming the reputation of the government and as the local bodies are empowered to function independently as per the 74th Amendment of the Constitution. The draft of the new hoarding policy was shown to then Principal Secretary Shatrughan Singh while the board meeting was on. The campaign to remove illegal hoardings will continue,” said Chamoli at a press conference today. The illegal hoarding campaign removal had received a setback after Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Indudhar Badoi brought in place of former CEO NK Joshi, who was unceremoniously removed under pressure from the advertisement campaign companies owned by a powerful section of the BJP leaders refused to carry forward the campaign saying that he was asked to discontinue the campaign and was taking orders from the government. Incensed by the attitude of the CEO, Chamoli charged that he was deliberately brought in to derail the hoarding campaign and was working hand in glove with the advertisement companies, that are most affected by the campaign. “The officer’s functioning is not proper. On his own he is issuing statements about not carrying the campaign. He is under the corporation and should have held discussions on the issue with me before going public. I have held discussions on the behaviour of the CEO as well,” asserted Chamoli. Clarifying his position on the removal of the government hoardings that too were removed during the campaign from traffic intersections, the Mayor said the hoardings put up by the firm, which was not a registered firm, thereby deserved to be removed. “The Information Department should have followed the guidelines while hiring the firm. The hoardings were illegal and removed,” said Chamoli. Explanation from Mayor sought
The state government today demanded an explanation from the former for changing the hoarding policy without the consent of the state administration. Anoop Wadhawan, secretary, Urban Development in a letter to the Mayor has not only questioned his moves in amending the hoarding policy, but also termed it illegal as per the law. |
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DMC employees go on strike
Dehradun, April 12 The strike call was given after Ramesh was issued suspension orders by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Indudhar Badoi for his role in the anti-hoarding drive launched a few days ago. In a huge set-back to Mayor Vinod Chamoli, the CEO today ordered the suspension of an employee who had been part of the illegal hoarding removal campaign and responsible for removing government hoarding from the ISBT and other places. With the Mayor and the CEO divided on the issue, the anti-hoarding drive has come to a standstill. The CEO’s actions who has all along been maintaining that he is getting orders from the government have clearly put a big question mark on the validity of the new advertisement policy for which a gazette notification has already been issued. Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana said the differences between the Mayor and the CEO would lead to chaos. “Common people have nothing to do with the internal wrangling of the BJP. Instead of paying attention to the condition of the city, the BJP leaders are settling personal scores,” said Dhasmana. Several organisations have come in support of the DMC’s campaign. In a press conference organised by RTI Lok Sewa, a voluntary organisation, members extended support to the campaign. President of the organisation Manoj Dhayni said the haphazard hoardings were not only a safety hazard, but were also spoiling the beauty of the city.
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NTPC signs agreement with villagers
Our Correspondent
Pitthoragarh, April 12 “The rest of 217 hectares fall in the forest area which needs clearance from the Ministry of Forest and Environment, for which we have already applied,” said Vijay Kumar Singh Bankoti, Deputy General Manager of the project. “Under the agreement, every 742 land holders of all 16 villages will get Rs 1 lakh per 0.02 hectare of land. Besides, the landholders will also be given a separate ‘relief and rehabilitation package of Rs 1 lakh’ under which the small landholders, who lost less than 0.02 hectare of land, will be facilitated to get not less than Rs 1 lakh at least. These small landholders number 459,” said NS Negi, District Magistrate, Pitthoragarh, who was present at the agreement signing. The hydroelectric project, named Rupaciabagar, Kasiabara Hydroelectric Project, on the Gori river, flowing 130 km north of Pitthoragarh district headquarters, will generate 261 MW of electricity after completion. “After getting no-objection certificate for 217 hectares falling in the forest area, the project authorities will apply for hydro mechanic package to the NTPC headquarters and after getting that package the construction is likely to start after one year,” said Bankoti. The agreement between the villagers and the NTPC officials mediated by the the District Magistrate could be arrived at after the Gram Vikas Salahkar Samiti organised a meeting of both parties at Munsiyari today. “An MoU for the project was signed between the Uttarakhand government and the NTPC on November 21, 2005, under which the state government will receive 12 per cent electricity generated by the project free of cost and according to the implementation agreement the technical and non-technical workers of the project will be recruited from among the landholders,” said Bankoti, citing para number 9 of implementation agreement.
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Farmer bodies oppose pact
Dehradun, April 12 They claimed that at the meeting of the Village Development Advisory Committee (VDAC) held in Munsiyari and chaired by Narender Singh Negi, District Magistrate of Pitthoragarh, more than 300 men and women, including elected people's representatives, led by the Parvatiya Kisan Sabha, entered the meeting hall despite the presence of the police and administration officials. They demanded that the agreement between the state and the NTPC be scrapped, environmental clearance granted to the NTPC be revoked and a fresh public hearing be held in place of the fraudulent public hearing held on June 11, 2008. The protesters also burnt an effigy of the state government and raised slogans against the NTPC, the Chief Minister and the state administration. Jagat Singh Martolia of the Parvatiya Kisan Sabha, who coordinated the protest, said local politicians and contractors had attempted to sell out everybody else just so that they could earn a few rupees. Already the administration had interfered in the internal affairs of panchayats, as evident in the stagemanaged elections to Sarmoli-Jainti Van Panchayats. “We will give up our lives but not our land or forests or water,” declared Prahlad Singh of Paton village. Mallika Virdi, whose election as Sarpanch of Sarmoli-Jainiti Van Panchayat was cancelled, allegedly at the behest of the NTPC and its contractors, claimed: “The NTPC has enough money to pay bribes but not enough to provide compensation.” Basanti Rawat from Maati Sangathan, said it was a sad day for the people of this country where yet again ordinary people had to fight for their basic rights. For the past five years people from several villages in Munsiyari tehsil have been protesting proposals to build eight large and 15 smaller hydro electric projects on the pristine Gori Ganga river. Jagat Singh Martoliya claimed that a public hearing attempted on June 11, 2008, also had to be cancelled due to similar protests. Villagers allege that the administration and NTPC officers later fraudulently declared the meeting valid. |
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150 migrants found staying in Mussoorie sans verification
Mussoorie, April 12 The campaign began early morning and lasted several hours. According to Joshi, more than
150 workers are identified and their details recorded in the process. The drive has been initiated to keep a check on these migrant workers and watch their movements closely. Joshi also said such drives would be carried out in the near future also to keep the town safe from any terrorist and criminal activities. He was flabbergasted at the ease with which these workers could obtain ration cards, electricity and water connections without showing authentic documents. Electricity Department officials said since there were no clear guidelines on obtaining such connections it was difficult to refuse them the essential services. The drive would be carried out at other slum dwellings very soon, added the Mussoorie police authority. |
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Muslim clerics seek 17 pc reservation
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, April 12 A delegation comprising Maulana Riyazul Hasan and Maulana Akbar Qasmi of the council, Fareed Ahmed, president, Uttarakhand Educational Welfare Council, Hafiz Mohammed Kamil, president Backward Classes Welfare Committee, Uttarakhand and Mohammed Masoom, member Deeni Taleemi Council submitted the memorandum to the state Governor. A memorandum says the community believes in emancipation and empowerment of women but the Bill in the present form, if passed, would not empower all the women politically. They argued that the facts and figures speak about the ground situation about the Muslim and other Dalit women. They contended that only 14 Muslim women out of total 7,906 MPs have been elected in the 15 Parliamentary elections held since 1952 till 2009, a miniscule 0.17 per cent only. These Muslim Women MPs form only 2.5 per cent of the total 542 women MPs elected from 1952 till 2009. As far as political parties are concerned, the Congress has sent only nine Muslim women to the Lok Sabha while the Bahujan Samaj Party only two and the Samajwadi Party, the National Conference and Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) only one each since independence of the country. Interestingly, these women represented only six states. The memorandum addressed to the President of India and the Prime Minister demanded at least 17 per cent reservation for Muslims, other minorities and Dalit women within the Reservation Bill before it’s passed in Parliament.
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Minister calls for collective efforts for development works
Nainital, April 12 Speaking at the Block Development Council meeting today, he asked the participants to rise above party politics and work collectively for the development of the area. District Magistrate Shailesh Bagauli called for the immediate release of funds to the Gram Sabha for repairing the drinking water supply pipeline at Baret village of Ramgarh block that was damaged during the construction of a road. The orders were given when the matter was brought to light by the pradhan of the village. Bagauli also directed the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Nainital, to do an on-the-spot evaluation and grant permission for cutting of trees so that the road between Chafi and Belwal villages can be constructed at the earliest. The issue of water scarcity dominated the meeting. The participants also raised the issue of providing water and power connections to resort owners in Nathuakhan. The District Magistrate asked the Block Development Officer (BDO) to investigate the matter and submit a report. On being told by people about the shortage of doctors at the Community Healthcare Centre at Malla Ramgarh, Bagauli ordered the Chief Medical Officer to transfer back the doctors who were sent to Bhawali from Ramgarh. The Chief Development Officer Dr Pankaj Pandey told the participants at length about what jobs could be undertaken at the village level under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). |
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Residents demand construction of road, meet Mayor
Dehradun, April 12 The road about 3 km long is to be constructed from the Kanwali road to Balmiki Basti, Patelnagar. However the work hasn’t started as yet. Sharma said they had made several efforts to bring the matter to the notice of the authorities, but they hadn’t paid heed towards it. He said if the work was not started in two days, they would go on protest and further intensify their stir by going on hunger strike. Vinod Chamoli today gave them assurance of helping them in the cause. |
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Govt medical staff to be vaccinated against H1N1
Dehradun, April 12 The Health Department has received 22,100 vaccines from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) that will be administered to 9,216 staff members in two doses. “Initially staff members of five districts comprising Dehradun, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Nainital and Haridwar will be administered the vaccine at government hospitals and health centres free of cost,” said Dr Pankaj Jain, State Surveillance Officer. At a meeting of coordinating committee chaired by Dr CP Arya, Director-General, Health and Family Welfare, today, monitoring of the vaccine and other issues were discussed. The vaccination will provide immunity against the deadly virus that has caused 13 deaths in the state. The trials for the vaccine by the name Sanofi Panenza India have already been successfully carried in the country, with no side-effects reported so far. So far 135 H1N1 positive cases have been reported in the state, with no cases in March. Significantly, with the virus on the wane, doctors fear once the vaccine is available for public use, there may not be many willing customers. “As there is no real danger of H1N1, people may not be keen to take the shots,” said a
senior doctor. |
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Hearing aids distributed among disabled
Dehradun, April 12 Hearing aid machines, sticks, callipers, tricycles, spectacles and wheelchairs were distributed to needy people. These instruments were given under the leadership of NIVH’s senior technical officer Dr Jagdish Lakhera. The patients were examined and according to their respective problems implants given to them. The initiative was appreciated by the locals. In the success of the programme, Dr SK Govil, Dr NS Virdi, CA Tarun Agarwal, Samim K Khani, Madhu Malhotra, Poonam Nagliya, Tansushree Gupta, EVC Saini, Dr Rajiv Bansal, ERS Sehgal, Niraj Nagliya, Shalender Gupta, Brig KG Bahal, Gagan Gulati and E Lajpat Satiza gave their valuable contribution. |
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Foresters seek promotions, hold protest at HQ
Dehradun, April 12 The agitators also threatened to start an indefinite protest from April 16 if the higher authorities failed to address their demands. “We have now started a dharna and will be boycotting work from April 16 if our demands are not accepted by the authorities,” Painuily
pointed out. Damodar Joshi, Inder Singh Bisht, Arvind Dobhal, JP Anthwal, Mahendra Singh and Surendra Singh Khati were prominent among those who took part in the protest. |
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Residents may be challaned for overflowing sewers
Nainital, April 12 He was speaking at a meeting of the LDA to take stock of the implementation of projects and policies related to lake conservation. It was stated at the meeting that all works under the first phase meant for the Naini Lake have been completed. However, Raju directed the employees of the Jal Nigam to expedite the works related to the sewage treatment plant and ensure that it became functional by June. He also asked them to prepare a blueprint for the maintenance of various drains falling into the Naini Lake so that the work could be completed in the second phase of the project. At the meeting, the participants, which included opinion makers from various sections, expressed concern over the problem of sewerage in the town following which the Commissioner directed the officials to undertake a survey of various sewers and rectify the faults. He said the residents whose sewers were overflowing should be given
a notice and if they failed to get these sewers cleaned, they should be
challaned. Along with the Naini Lake, four other lakes are a part of Mission Butterfly, a solid-waste management project being executed through the Lok Chetna Manch. The manch was granted an extension of one year for running this project. It was found that cleanliness committees had been formed in all wards and localities of Nainital. Raju said such committees should also be formed at Sattal, Naukuchiatal and other localities. He assured that the money to
be received for setting up a recycling and compost plant would be used for making Mission Butterfly a self-reliant project. Since the start of the project, a sum of Rs 43 crore against the allocated Rs 47.96 crore has been received for the Naini Lake. A sum of Rs 11 crore out of allocated Rs 16.89 crore has been spent
on the other lakes identified under the project. Earlier in the day, a meeting of the LDA Board was also held under the chairmanship of Raju. |
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After half a million people participated in the religious procession of renowned spiritual guru Satpal Maharaj yesterday, today it was the turn of his religious sermons and it seemed a mini-Kumbh was going on.
Haridwar, April 12
Haridwar, April 12
Haridwar, April 12
Dehradun, April 12
In a surprise police verification campaign, it was revealed that more than 150 migrants were living without any verification on the 12 Scissors Road here. Mussoorie police station in charge MC Joshi reached the location with full force, including PAC, for a verification drive and found that migrants from
Bijnor, Nepal, Bihar and some parts of UP were residing in a makeshift slum dwelling with full amenities.
Residents of Gandhi Gram under the banner of the Gandhi Gram Sangharsh Samiti,
Dehradun, met Mayor Vinod Chamoli in regard with the long delay in the road construction in their area and submitted a memorandum of their demand.
General Secretary Manoj Sharma said it had been over three years that the work had yet to be started, but there hadn’t been any headway in this.
Seeking better promotion prospects and revised pay scales, the Uttarakhand Forest Guard Association today started dharna at the State Forest Department headquarters here.
Led by state president MM Kandwal and general secretary Rishiram Painuily, the forest guards asserted that they had been suffering from stagnation with little promotional opportunities. They said there were a large number of posts lying vacant.
