Dehradun, June 26
The Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India-Markist (CPM), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) criticised the government for the hike in the prices of petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG and burnt effigies to register their protest against the hike.

BSP workers hold a protest in Mussoorie. Tribune photos

State Secretary of the CPI Samar Bhandari said the hike was absolutely unnecessary and would add to the burden of the public. He targeted the Centre for adopting a biased approach for individual exporters by exempting them from the hike.

State Secretary of the CPM Vijay Rawat, District Secretary Surinder Singh Sajhwan and City Secretary Jeet Singh addressed the public during the protest. They termed the hike as anti-people and announced carrying out a campaign against it throughout the country.

The ones who participated in the protest included Lekhraj Lalita Prasad, Deepak Bhatt, Indu Naudiyal, Anant Akash.

The BJP too burnt an effigy and slammed the Central government for making a hole in the pocket of the common man. BJP City President Punit Mittal said, “On the one hand Congress leader Rahul Gandhi eats food at a poor man’s hut and expresses his party’s concern for them, but on the other the same party makes their lives miserable by raising the cost of fuel”. On the occasion, party activists Sanjay Gupta, Sachin Sarin, Harish Arora and Sanjiv Verma were present among others.

The UKD too vehemently opposed the price hike and demanded an immediate roll back. UKD leaders Latafat Hussain, Manoj Mamgai, Atul Rana, Harish Chauhan, Pushpa Mamgai, Asha Sharma and Champa Devi burnt the effigy with other party activists at the Drone crossing.

BSP workers burn PM’s effigy

Mussoorie: BSP workers raised slogans against the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and burnt an effigy of Prime Minster Manmohan Singh to oppose the rampant increase in fuel prices, namely kerosene, LPG, diesel and petrol.

Tehri Lok Sabha President Sunil Sonkar said the Congress had completely forgotten the common man and was bent on making his life miserable. He also said the hike would have a cascading effect on other commodities and raise the inflation level to an all-time high. Sonkar also lamented the fact that the Congress begged for votes of the poor, but was working for its capitalist masters, who supported the party in the Lok Sabha elections.

Activists of the CPI, led by Devi Godiyal and Satish Kumar presented a memorandum addressed to President demanding revoking the hike.

Dehradun, June 26
On the eve of completion of one year in office, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today went all out against the Congress party that has been trying to attack his government on various fronts, besides highlighting achievements of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state government.

Chief Minister Nishank was aggressive in hitting out at the opposition Congress that has been trying to run down his government. “The Congress has been crying hoarse about development, but the facts prove that more developmental works have been done in the three years of the BJP rule than during the previous Congress regime from 2002 till 2007,” he asserted.

Giving comparative figures of money spent during the five-year rule of the Congress and the three-year stint of the BJP under various heads, Nishank said the BJP government was way ahead in initiating development projects in the state. “Even on inviting industrial capital, our government has done much better than the previous Congress government. During the Congress regime a total industrial investment of Rs 8,195 crore came to the state, while during three years of the BJP rule a total of Rs 17,566 crore of investment came to the state,” claimed Nishank.

The agitated Chief Minister demanded an apology from the Congress for defaming his government on developmental front. “They are lying and owe an apology to people of the state for spreading such baseless canards against our government,” he said.

Nishank claimed that the development rate of the state had gone up from 2.9 per cent in 2000 to 9.3 per cent now. “The state is ranked third in the country on development index and the per capita annual income has also increased from Rs 14,000 in 2000 to Rs 42,000 per annum,” he said.

Nishank denied all allegations of any wrong deal in giving permission to Citurgia Chemicals for land use change at Rishikesh. “Every decision has been taken as per the decision of the Bureau of Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR). We will be taking legal action against those maligning the state government,” he added.

Nainital, June 26
The recent incident of fracas between police personnel posted at the Jyolikote police post and some high court lawyers is yet another instance in the state of the police morale taking a beating and hitting an 
all-time low.

Several questions are being raised by police personnel at various levels regarding this incident. To begin with, it is being asked as to why were five police personnel and one home guard suspended straight away and arrested and what prevented the police from registering a counter cross case against the lawyers? The police personnel said, “If there was a fight, there should have been a cross case also. But somehow the officers buckled under pressure”.

The police is trying its best to pacify the lawyers. Investigating Officer (IO) Aruna Bharati in this case of alleged manhandling of lawyers by police personnel on Monday has gone on record to term the incident as “unfortunate”. Bharati, who is also the Circle Officer, said on Thursday, “The incident is unfortunate. Proper investigations will be carried out into the matter in accordance with the law”.

Nainital had come to a standstill by agitating lawyers who had resorted to a road blockade near the high court on Tuesday causing inconvenience to tourists and local people.

Four lawyers Ravi Babulkar, Yogesh Pachaulia, Sushil Vashist and Anil Bisht were reportedly stopped by the police at the check post and asked to furnish the papers of the vehicle in which they were travelling. The lawyers allegedly protested against the singling out of their vehicle, while the other vehicles were being allowed to go. This resulted in a heated exchange of words with police personnel allegedly thrashing them.

A case under various sections, including an attempt to murder, was registered against Sub Inspector DS Fartyal, Constables Ramesh Singh, Mahendra Palni, Harsh Vardhan and Daya Kishen Sati, along with Home Guard Harish Rawat and they were arrested.

Terming the developments in the case as one sided, some traders’ organisations issued a statement which has now again been countered by the lawyers in the form of a resolution against the statement.

The lawyers involved in the incident appear to be pacified with the action taken against the police till now. Referring to the road blockade, one of them said, “We agree that there was a lot of inconvenience to the public on the day we blocked the road, but it was inevitable”.

Police personnel simply appear to be demoralised over the past three days. They could be seen doing their duties like managing traffic without the normal enthusiasm. It is being pointed out that this is yet another instance of police personnel being humiliated through a one-sided action.

It is also being pointed out that if the lawyers involved in the fracas were drunk, why did the police not get their medical examination done instead of entering into a physical scuffle with them.

It is being said the morale of the Uttarakhand police is at an all-time low as the force has experienced “humiliation” on various occasions over the past three years. Last year, it was police personnel who faced suspension and action when a mob had attacked the police station in Kaladhungi and gone on to burn a head constable alive.

It is being recalled that in early March 2007, a police official was removed from his post after he had “taken action against some students creating trouble” in Dehradun. This was followed by incidents of alleged tearing off of uniforms of traffic police personnel and subsequent humiliation by BJP leaders in Dehradun in 2008.

There was another alleged incident of a police official being made partially blind by some ABVP activists at Haridwar. Another recent incident was the Ranvir encounter in which 14 police personnel have been booked and the matter is being investigated by the CBI.

Dehradun, June 26
Dismayed at the drying up of rivers, rising temperatures and destruction of natural resources, environmentalists and social activists have called for popularising methodologies that help in restoring a natural balance.

At a workshop held at Shuklapur today, famous environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna said rivers that were our biggest assets had proved to be our undoing. “They have become the most exploited resources and only way we can protect them is by providing a green cover of ethnic trees,” he said.

In the same vein, Dr Anil Joshi said over-exploitation of rivers would pave the way for scarcity already being witnessed in many villages in the state that were crying for water.

“Our national water policy clearly states that water should be used for drinking, irrigation and then for generating power, but things have come to such a pass that dams are being built in areas that are witnessing an acute water shortage. Instead of promoting environment friendly water mills, big dams are being promoted as models of development,” asserted Dr Joshi.

Stressing on the role that rivers played in the life of villagers, Vijay Jhardari of the Beech Bachao Andolan said the problem was acute. “Small rivers are intrinsically linked with the livelihood of villagers, but that link has been snapped after the mad rush for economic exploitation of rivers began.

Things have come to such a pass that in Tehri 174 villages are being provided water through tankers. We should encourage villagers to protect the traditional sources of water,” he emphasised.

Critical of the role played by activists who failed to raise their voice against the manner in which 771 power projects were awarded, social activist NB Bhatt said no one objected when 14 projects were awarded to one family.

The activists decided to mark September 9 as a day dedicated to the Himalayas every year.

Dehradun, June 26
Delay in payments, tyranny of Chief Development Officers and lackluster performance by gram pradhans is turning workers against the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), defeating the purpose of the programme that is a safety net against poverty and hunger.

In Tehri, Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Udham Singh Nagar districts, workers are turning against the scheme because they have not been paid for months. Despondent women workers are demanding compensation for the delay.

“The compensation should be paid when wages are paid beyond the mandatory limit of 15 days. It is a major issue and should be given the priority it deserves. Besides funds should be available to gram panchayats so that wage payments are not held up,” said Pooran Bartwal, Coordinator, Uttarakhand Jan Karavan Manch, while sharing details of the intensive study at a workshop here today.

The workshop organised today to assess the progress of the NREGA in Uttarakhand saw representatives from NGOs, government officials and gram panchayat members thrashing out issues acting as a stumbling block in the implementation of the programme.

“Much can be done to streamline the disbursement of payments so that wage payments reach the workers. Banking facilities should be increased and post offices should have clear timelines and norms and be held accountable for them,” he said.

The study also pointed a startling fact putting to pale the government’s claims of providing guaranteed 100 days work to villagers. “During our study, we found out that 10 per cent of the families had only work for the period between 50-80 days, 80 per cent had worked between 25-40 days and remaining 10 per cent were employed for less than 25 days,” said Lakshman Singh, member of the study group.

He reiterated that despite lack of work, none of the villagers had been paid unemployment allowance and advocated the creation of labour union of NREGA workers in the state.

The participants also rued at the lack of initiative and creativity in presenting projects at gram panchayat meetings. “No good projects are proposed at the gram panchayat meetings, leaving enough room for the Chief Development Officer (CDO) to come up with unrealistic projects not suitable for the villages. For example, check dams are required in very few areas, but these seem to be proposed at all places.

Lack of awareness about the programme is also one of the reasons for making people dependent on government officials who take them for a ride,” said Kavita, a participant from Pokhar village in Bhilangana block.

The issue of lack of transparency in social audit of the programme also came up for discussion and the villagers said it was an exercise in futility and proving to be ineffective.

They also rued that the jobs were given in May and June when the villagers usually go on their farmland, and suggested that the proposals be passed well in advance and also wages be raised from Rs 100 to Rs 200.

State Coordinator AK Rajput, who was also present at the meeting, said as the programme was demand driven. Jobs would be created as per demand, and if there were hurdles in the implementation, it was mainly due to lack of staff, he added.

Nainital, June 26
A case of gang rape of a 17-year-old girl has come to light from the Bhimtal area of the district.

According to information, a resident of Rampur has told the police that his daughter had come to Nainital with her mother and had taken a room near the Indra Market.

On June 16, a distant relative, identified as Adil, along with his friends Sumit Shankar and Shiv

Sharma, persuaded his daughter to accompany them to Bhimtal.

On the way they made her take a cold drink that was laced with some narcotic substance following which they allegedly raped her turn by turn.

They also allegedly clicked her photographs and threatened to post them on the Internet.

The girl was left on the Rampur road in an inebriated state where she was recovered by her family members who had been searching for her.

The matter was brought to the notice of the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) MS Bangyal who ordered the registration of a case of rape.

Dehradun, June 26
To mark the International Drugs Day on June 29, members of the Uttarakhand Battalion NCC, under the aegis of the NCC Directorate, Uttarakhand, took out a rally here today. The aim of the rally was to spread awareness about the ill-effects of drugs.

Cadets of the NCC from DAV (PG), DBS and Sri Guru Nanak Inter College participated in the rally. With anti-tobacco slogans in their hands, the cadets seemed determined not to use drugs and dissuade others from using it.

The ill-effects of drugs were also highlighted through street shows.

The rally, which started from DAV College, Karanpur, passed down the Eucalyptus Road, Rajpur Road, Gandhi Park, Cross Road, EC Road, SVY Chowk, Karanpur Road and finished at DAV College.

Dehradun, June 26
Dr Bihari Lal Jalandhari was awarded the Dr Shivanand Nautiyal Award here today for his research work on regional language. The occasion was the celebration of the 74th birth anniversary of Dr Nautiyal. It was organised by the Dr Shivanad Nautiyal Foundation.

Hari Bhandari, Indu Naudiyal and Shweta Galoni also received awards for their social work.

The awards were distributed by environmentalist and Maiti founder Dr Kalyan Singh Rawat, social worker and former IAS officer Surinder Singh Pangti, journalist and former president of the Badri-Kedar Mandir Organisation Kishore Nautiyal.

A former Uttar Pradesh Minister Dr Shivanand Nautiyal was an eminent literary personality of the state. He was a famous writer as well as social worker. To provide recognition to people who were doing well in their professions, which also helped in the development of the state, the foundation was formed. It presents awards to such people every year.

Dehradun, June 26
Upender Singh Thapli, Chairperson of the Krishi Utpadan Mandi Samiti, released the CD of Garhwali album “Ho Suva” sung by Sushil Rajshri at the Hindi Bhawan here today. This is Rajshri’s second album. He is the winner of the music competition “Uttarakhand Ki Aawaj”.

There are eight songs in the album and the title song “Ho suva tera pyar maa...” has already hit the chartbuster.

Shooting for the video of the songs was done at Banitaal, Karanprayag, Gwaldam, Thrali Gochar Aerodrome, Rudrapryag and Gopeshwar.

The album released by Rama Company had been directed by Kanta Prasad. Sanjay Kumola is the music director and the lyricist is Manoj Shah. Singer Meena Rana has also given her voice to a song in the album.

Film actor Balraj Negi, film director Pardeep Bhandari, music director Santosh Khetwal and Roshan Dhamsana, general secretary of Garhwal Sabha, were chief guests at the launch.

Uttarakhandi film director Parveen Bisht, along with actors Rachita Kukreti, Sandhya Dabraal, Geeta Negi, Bhawna Barthwal, Ankita Negi, Aayushi Pant and Arvind Negi, were also present to mark the occasion.