Haridwar, August 31
Though the Central government has scrapped the Lohari Nagpala hydroelectric project situated in Uttarkashi with environmentalists and saint community welcoming the decision, yet it has not gone down well with a cross-section of society.

Resentment has been pouring in regarding the Central government’s stance supported by the state government on the said hydel project. With statehood agitators observing symbolic fast registering their angst against the decision now, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) took to streets in Haridwar where Prof JD Aggarwal sat on a 36-day agitation against the Lohari Nagpala project citing environmental concern and the hindrance it poses in maintaining the sanctity and natural flow of the Ganga.

UKD activists came out in streets opposing the government as well as those who sat out on agitation in Haridwar against the hydel project. Though the activists showed respect to the saint community saying that they didn’t intend to disrespect them, yet Lohari Nagpala as well as other hydel projects would provide employment to hill people and prove a source of income for Uttarakhand in coming years.

Raising slogans of playing with sentiments of locals, the protestors voiced that they should be provided employment and other facilities in the hilly region of Uttarkashi, as those opposing the project sitting in plain areas didn’t know of the tough hill life, particularly in terms of employment and revenue.

District chief of the UKD Ajab Singh Chauhan addressed the activists at the Chandracharya Chowk and said the question was now also of development of hilly areas as the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) governments had failed to usher in development in the hilly districts despite 10 years of the formation of the state.

While lamenting that the hydel project opposers as well as the Central government didn’t realise that the Rs 650 crore spent on the Lohari Nagpala project in the past few years was only the hardearned money collected from Indian citizens in the name of varied taxes, JB Pandey of the Uttarakhand Kranti Manch remarked the decision as totally uncalled for.

“After spending such a huge amount, some scientists aided by a certain section of the society feel that the project is dangerous in every possible term. But do they realise that Uttarakhand being a primarily hilly state, employment opportunities are rare and so are the revenue generating options for the state to survive on its own. Living in plain areas and then talking about the hilly districts problems is quite different than actually knowing the positive impact that such hydel projects have on the state wholly,” said Pandey.

Dehradun, August 31
Agitated over the staffing pattern in the Collectorate, workers of the Uttarakhand Ministerial Collectorate Employees Union suspended a day’s work here today. All employees of tehsils as well as ministerial Collectorate gathered at the premises of the Collectorate and protested against the administration.

Talking to The Tribune, Rajender Singh Rawat, District Secretary of the union, said it had been two years that the employees were fighting for their demands. He affirmed that they went on an indefinite strike in December 2008 and the administration had then constituted a committee under the leadership of the Commissioner of Kumaon Division to look into their 11-point charter of demands and was also asked to submit a report related to the re-organisation of the Collectorate, revenue manual and Collectrate Ministerial Service Rules, 1980.

Rawat said in February this year, the Uttarakhand government passed the order regarding the staff pattern, which had been started in all departments other than the Collectorate who had been actually fighting for it.

He said the state government had made the post of a senior administration officer over 10 ministerial staff in all departments except in the Collectorate. “If action is not taken immediately, we will go on an indefinite strike,” Rawat said.

Dehradun, August 31
A high alert has been sounded in Dehradun district for H1N1 virus after reports confirmed that two patients died recently due to the deadly virus.

The medical authorities confirmed that the district had been put on alert though the authorities were never off guard. “Besides keeping a stock of injections and syrups ready, we have been carrying free vaccination at the Doon Hospital for our medical staff and general public,” said Dr DK Juneja, District Surveillance Officer.

Schools have especially been sounded to be alert and take necessary precautions like doing away with assemblies and tours.

Two persons have died due H1N1 within 15 days. A patient from Saharanpur died on August 18 at Jolly Grant Hospital. On August 25, Park resident Radha Devi was admitted to Jan Kalyan Hospital and she died on August 28. The authorities have administered medicines to the family members as well. 

Pithoragarh, August 31
Kumaon remembered one of its great sons and founder leader of the UKD Vipin Tripathi on his sixth death anniversary here today. A function in the memory of Tripathi, who was MLA from the Dwarahat Assembly constituency, was held at Dwarahat in Almora district today. “Many eminent social workers and political leaders are taking part in this function which is being organised by his son, present MLA from Dwarahat Puspesh Tripathi,” said Charu Tiwari, one of the organisers.

Tripathi, or Vipin Da, was a Socialist leader by ideology. Born on February 23, 1945, he joined the Samajvadi Yuvjan Sabha after being influenced by Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya and started journalism as an instrument of social change, said Tiwari, adding that starting with Yuvjan Mashal, a fortnightly from Haldwani, Vipin Da took up an active movement in the Terai region and was arrested for it.

After settling down in his hometown Dwarahat, Vipin Tripathi started publishing Dronachal Prahari, a fortnightly newspaper, and taking part in the Chipko movement during that era. “During the Emergency, Vipin Da was arrested under DIR and Press Act; his press was sealed and newspaper forfeited. He was jailed for 22 months, but this trauma did not deter him from his principles of Socialism and after being released from jail, he formed the Uttarakhand Jan Sangharsh Samiti in 1979 and later joined the UKD in 1980 to speed up the movement for a separate state,” said Charu Tiwari.

Puspesh Tripathi said his father went to jail seven times during the movement for a separate state and also remained president of the UKD.

Vipin Da was first elected Pramukh of the Dwarahat Block Development Committee and thereafter elected for the Uttarakhand Assembly in 2002. He died as an MLA on August 30 on 2004.

Dehradun, August 31
The Uttarakhand Employees Association elections took place today. A total of 833 employees voted out of a total of 980 eligible voters. The result of the polls was expected to be declared late at night.

Long queues could be seen at the Media Centre inside the Secretariat where the employees exercised their franchise.

Eligible voters include all Secretariat employees. These employees vary from clerks to peons to security staff. The key five posts include the one post of president, vice-president, two posts of general secretary and treasurer. Twelve working committee members that include various cadres of Secretariat employees are also to be elected in the polls.

The main contest for presidentship is between incumbent president GS Bhakuni and former president Suman Singh Waldia. LR Lekhwal is the third contestant. 

Haridwar, August 31
Haridwar is all decked up for the festival of Krishna Janmashtami falling tomorrow. Though September 2 has been declared as an official holiday, as per astrological calculations the pious time of the festival starts tomorrow at 10.50 am (tomorrow) and will continue till 10.42 am of the very next day. So those wanting to observe fast should take it tomorrow. As this year’s Janmashtami is having the same celestial, zodiac, day signs as were observed during the birth of Lord Krishna, thus, this year’s festival has more significance.

Informing about the coincidence falling after thousands of years, noted astrologer Vipin Parashar said tomorrow is the rare day that has all constituents that were observed during the birth of Lord Krishna 5,000 ago in Mathura city.

“As per the Srimad Bhagwad Gita, the birth of Lord Krishna took place on Wednesday at 12 midnight with Rohani Nakshatra being prevalent. Similarly, Sun was in its exact zodiac position, while Venus too was on a higher zodiac position. Besides, all other celestial aspects as well as astrological calculations are as per the kundli of Lord Krishna tomorrow”.

Meanwhile, the city is brimming with Janmashtami preparations with city temples beautifully decorated and lighted. Special puja and palki-jhankis will add to the attractions at major temples of the city with devotees thronging in large numbers.

Haridwar, August 31
The city police cracked the sensational murder case of a photographer arresting two persons in this regard. Both arrested persons were friends of the deceased and the murder took place for Rs 5,000 only.

On July 12, at the hill bypass road, a dead body of a youth named Nishant Vats, son of Uma Shankar Vats, resident of Jogiya Math Har-Ki-Pauri, was found. He had been absconding for a week before that.

From circumstantial evidence gathered from the murder site and on interrogating some slum children, who used to pick coins from the adjacent rivulet, it was found that three youths had a confrontation a few days back.

These children said they would even recognise the two youths who had accompanied the victim on that day.

Taking a clue from this, the investigating team enquired about the movement of the deceased that day getting information of his two friends being with him on that day.

Thus, the police arrested Rahul Kaushik, resident of Dehradun, and Anil, resident of Jogiya Mandi, Haridwar, both friends of late Nishant who worked as a shop photographer.

Presenting the accused at the City Kotwali late last evening, Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjay Gunjiyal said both arrested persons had confessed of their involvement in the heinous act. They even took the police team to the place where the murder had taken place.

Nishant had taken Rs 5,000 as debt from Rahul and used to take drugs, but when Rahul demanded the money back in a stipulated time period, Nishant declined to give them the money back saying he had consumed drugs with the amount.

Rahul then, in connivance with Anil, first forced Nishant to return the money and as it led to a confrontation, both killed him with sharp weapons.