|
|
|
|
Chaos prevails at Haridwar MC Board meeting
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Agitation by shelterless ends on getting assurance
Civic bodies need more funds: Finance panel chief
Jal Sansthan to overhaul water supply, sewerage system
Open school results today
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
Chaos prevails at Haridwar MC Board meeting
Haridwar, June 8 As was expected, as soon as the board meeting commenced, differences of opinion arose among the BJP ward councillors. Under solid waste management scheme in the board agenda, there was specification of levying user charges on citizens on which ruling municipality councillors came face to face. While one was led by vice leader of the ruling municipality Anil Arora and a dozen odd members were against the levying of user charges arguing that user charge is a proposal of the Central government and, thus, would have serious political implications in the upcoming state assembly elections for the BJP government. But on the other side, pro-user charge councillors argued that the delay in the commencing of solid waste management was hampering the development and cleaning of Haridwar city which didn’t bode well for the city and could prove counter productive if it was not regulated. Chairman Kamal Johra expressed unhappiness over the House proceedings and said until common consensus was arrived at he couldn’t do much in the municipality. State Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik also expressed concern over the delay in the implementation of solid waste management project in Hardiwar. While the municipality meeting was going on, there was an outside intrusion too as small vendor traders burst into the House well in lieu of their demands. Traders were unhappy over no decision taken by the municipality regarding the registration of all vendors, hawkers and allocation of a separate hawking-vending zone for the traders. Under the Small Vendors Association, a large number of traders disrupted the meeting and sought direct answer from the municipal chairman and Executive Officer (EO) BL Arya. Johra assured the protesting traders’ representatives of taking their demands on priority basis and directed the EO to seek a proper trading zone for small vendors. “We had given a memorandum to the municipality chairman umpteen times, yet no action has been taken. Even the Maha Kumbh has got over, yet a majority of us were displaced from main city areas. So where do we go. It’s better that the municipal allocates a separate hawking zone which will fulfill the demands of traders as well as the need of the consumers,” said Sanjay Chopra, traders association state chief. |
|
|
Mussoorie dispute triggered by dog finally resolved
Mussoorie, June 8 Vishal Sharma, senior BJP leader, acted as mediator on the behalf of state minister Khajan Das and brought the adamant parties at one table. After a closed-door meeting at the Palika premises, Manoj Kumar and OP Uniyal came out and informed the agitating employees that the matter had been resolved and it was only a case of misunderstanding between the two. But the situation again became tense when Palika employees president Mahavir Rana announced that the SDM had sought pardon from Uniyal to which Manoj Kumar immediately objected. He said the question of pardon did not arise as he was not at fault at any place in the whole dispute. The announcement was then stopped by mediator Vishal Sharma. The SDM said this whole dispute was unfortunate and development work which he and the Palika had planned came to standstill due to it. He, however, said he would act in future without any bias or malice towards anyone jointly with the Palika President in the larger interest of the people of Mussoorie. With this amicable settlement, the SDM stands vindicated that he was innocent in the whole dispute. The Palika President has called off the whole agitation seeking the ouster of the SDM from Mussoorie. According to Uniyal, the whole issue was blown out of the proportion and some trade union members and anti-social elements were bent upon destroying the fabric of the peaceful town. |
|
|
Professor reveals US success story of watershed management
Dehradun, June 8 “When the environment agencies were calling for pouring in billions of rupees for establishing a mechanised water-filtration system in the city,
the watershed model came handy,” said Professor Germain. While delivering a talk on “New York city Watershed Campaign” at Doon University, Professor Germain said it was the largest supply system in the world supplying 90 per cent water to New York city and the water’s taste is far better than the bottled water. Though the downside of the exercise was flooding of several homesteads and houses due to the creation of 19 per cent of reservoirs and three controlled tanks. “I would say forestry is the preferred land use for
achieving high degree of water quality, though we do not know how long it will go because there is pressure from the environment agencies that keep checking the water quality and development too is degrading the environment,” he said. He also presented a case study of from North America that has achieved a model of sustainable forestry management practice at Thwaits Wood Lot. “No plantation is
undertaken here and only natural regeneration is promoted. “We have managed to create a
balance between growth cut ratio. I must add that perhaps the US is the only country where 90 per cent of the housing needs are met through the forests,” he said. |
|
|
Women hold protest outside police station
Haridwar, June 8 Incidentally, these aggrieved women who were cheated had gone to the police station for complaining against fraudster Mohammed Qazi, a resident of Jwalapur and belonging to a regional political outfit, who had deceived them by pretending to be a bank employee and on the pretext of providing loans with a huge concession on interest rate accumulated more than Rs 2 lakh from about a dozen odd women. He collected the fees of Rs 10,000 from each woman and promised them to give them cheques within a week. Women in traditional burqas and veil gathered at the police station and raised slogans against the police for not taking any proper action on their complaint which they had put in a week ago. But today, these aggrieved women called media personnel too and informed them about the whole episode and apathy from the police side. Speaking to The Tribune, most of the aggrieved protestors had the same story to tell with Qazi luring them to provide hefty loans at minimum interest rate. Asspana Khan, a resident of Kotarwan mohalla said when the perturbed women went to Qazi’s home they were misbehaved by the family members and were warned not to go to the police regarding this matter. “We will not sit back until we get our money back and the impostor is put behind bars, he cheated us in the name of community, religion and illiteracy. That’s why it’s said education is important and hopefully people will learn from this incident,” said Aashma Khan, representative of the protesters. Apart from Kotarwan mohalla, complaints against the accused are being receiving from Peethbazar, Beliwala and even from Raiwala. Meanwhile, Jwalapur police station official said a complaint had been lodged against
the accused. However, the family members of the accused term the allegations totally baseless but failed to give satisfactory answer about his whereabouts. Ali Nawaz, brother of the accused, said his brother was innocent and the charges levelled against him were politically motivated and termed them as a part of conspiracy. Aggrieved women have also decided to give a memorandum to district police chief in
this matter. |
|
|
Agitation by shelterless ends on getting assurance
Haridwar, June 8 The protestors were also handed out a list of 1,433 of people from the lower strata of society coming in the ambit and being considered for various housing schemes under Central and state housing schemes. BL Arya, EO, Municipality, reached the agitation spot at about 6 in the evening and gave an assurance in writing of considering the protestors’ demands. The EO also assured them of repairing the dilapidated and temporary homes of such poor people of which a list was being made. “A list was given by the protestors of whom 1,423 are being enlisted for repairmen process, while the rest of the list will be available by the end of this month while the demand letter of the protestors is being forwarded to the state government” stated BL Arya. Thanking the municipality and administration for their intervention, Murslein Qureshi, chief of the Hind Rashtriya Awami Hukook (HRAH), which had been running the protest, said he had full hope that soon the poor who did not have shelters and were forced to live in the open, would get roofs. “We stop our agitation here as we have got the EO’s letter and the district administration’s assurance. Our aim has been to provide roofs to shelterless and repair of houses of those poor who can’t afford the expenses,” said Qureshi. Late in the evening, the protestors left the agitation spot at the Municipality premises wherein for the first week a hunger strike had also been observed by three women protestors. Union Minister of State for Employment and local parliamentarian Harish Rawat too had visited the agitation spot assuring them of taking their
matter further. |
|
|
Now, sanitation workers demand regular jobs
Dehradun, June 8 In a new turnaround, they shunned charges against Assistant Mukhya Nagar Adhikari Harak Singh Rawat for making them to lift garbage from each household after Rawat left the task to their willingness. Despite that, the workers continued their strike to put pressure on officials of the DMC to regularise them. For workers’ demand to regularise them, Rawat said, the MNA had made it clear that this matter could be solved only by the state government. The MNA had entrusted Rawat to handle the situation. The ones who were associated with the strike seemed to be playing with numbers of strikers. The President of the MSSS honestly admitted that they had not been able to convince others till now, which was why they were not meeting higher officials. Whereas some of the supervisors whom Rawat blamed for being the main spoilsport claimed that all 650 members were waging the strike. Said Hari Om, supervisor, “All of them are not seen on the forefront in the strike, but otherwise all 650 members are on strike. The other groups of daily wage and temporary sanitary workers are working in their wards”. Refusing the charges levelled by Rawat, he said they were not joining the sanitation workers in their strike. But he accused Rawat of forcefully implementing the scheme of garbage collection from household without caring much about the requirements saying that they had no place to store six big dustbins, six small dustbins and six hand carts given for each ward for the purpose. |
|
Civic bodies need more funds: Finance panel chief
Pitthoragarh, June 8 “The 10 per cent amount being allotted to these bodies after the recommendation of the Second Finance Commission has become insufficient for these bodies and this point is being taken into consideration by the Third Finance Commission of the state,” said Pandey. The State Finance Commission chief is touring the state and taking stock of financial needs of municipal and panchyat bodies through a questionnaire prepared by the commission to find their financial needs. “First of all we want to know about the area, population, sources of income and financial needs of these local bodies and after that the commission will submit its recommendation to the government about the mode of financial allocation,” said the Finance Commission chief. Pandey also related the flow of additional finance to the local bodies with the income of the state and said at present if only strict administrative measures could be taken, the pilferage in the present structure of taxation could be removed and more than 20 per cent income of the state could be increased. The Finance Commission Chairman said some local bodies in the state were in dire need of finance as their financial needs had increased in the past years compared to their income. “The Municipal body of Dogadda, Bhawali and Almora are in worst financial condition whereas the municipal body of Kotdwar, Kashipur and Rudrapur and Mussorrie have reached in surplus condition by using their resources properly. The Municipal Corporation of Dehradun is anyhow pulling up and needs help,” said Pandey. |
|
GMVN bus damaged in landslide at Kempty
Mussoorie, June 8 The JCB of the Zila Panchayat was called immediately to remove the fallen boulders and debris from the vehicles. The Kempty police and 108 Ambulance also rushed to the spot immediately. No casualty has been reported so far, but the falling of the debris was continuing till the filing of the report. According to tourists on the GVN bus, the landslide began immediately after the vehicle was parked under a proposed parking by the Zila Panchayat where cutting work was on for several months. Tourist Rajesh Kumar from Gujarat said they were heading towards the Kempty Falls for bathing when a heavy downpour caused a major landslide to their bus. He further said, “It was by the grace of God that we were saved, for if we had returned earlier from the falls, it could have led into a major tragedy”. According to driver of GMVN Surjan Singh, “If the tourists had returned in the stipulated time, there could have been some casualties”. The locals, however, are of the view that the Zila Panachayat was solely responsible for this situation as many complaints had been made not to start a parking at the vulnerable location. Not only this, the construction being undertaken by the PWD had no No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Mining Department and the work was stopped a few months back. Nautiyal also said the situation aggravated due to unnecessary cutting of the rock for parking and theft of unchecked sheets from the location. The situation is critical and if the landslide continues, it can stop the traffic movement on the Yamnotri route on a permanent basis. According to the Nayab Tehsildar, no loss of life has been reported so far and work to clear the road was on at the site. |
|
Jal Sansthan to overhaul water supply, sewerage system
Dehradun, June 8 Under the aegis of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) City Development Programme (CDP), the project will be carried in three tranches and by the end of the project in 2016 70 per cent of Dehradun will be under the sewerage network, besides the upgradation of water supply chain. “In all, three cities of Uttarakhand have been selected comprising Nainital, Haridwar and Dehradun. The project will be taken in three tranches and the tendering process is on. Soon we will be able to start work,” said DD Dimri, Chief General Manager, Jal Sansthan. In the third tranch more cities will be added. The ADB has selected towns and cities that are expected to improve the quality of life of 3.8 million urban residents projected to be living in Uttarakhand in 2016. Recently, the ADB had decided to supply to adjoining villages of Dehradun that too have urbanised. “The water supply yardstick has been changed to suit the needs of this segment of the population and villagers have been asked to contribute,” said Dimri. |
|
| 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 | |
