Dehradun September 3
The rainy season is progressing unabated, but the Power Department seems unmindful of the danger the low-hanging High Tension Wire (HTW) are posing to the residents of 350 houses in a number of colonies in the town. The negligence has cost numerous innocent lives dear but the department has not come out of its deep slumber. The status quo forecasts the repetition of such mishaps for future as well.

It is in the past couple of months, death took place in Rajpur, Tapovan, where an employee of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) bore the brunt of laxity of his own department. Ladpur, Dilaram and Darshan Lal Chowk also witnessed such incidents of late.

Other than these areas, the colonies, which present this grim reality, are Rajiv Colony, Shanti Vihar, Ajabpur, Gobindgarh, Nai Basti, Bhandari Bagh, Vidya Vihar and Dhamavala.

Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Bhandari Bagh, says that umpteen times the residents approached officials of the UPCL in regard to the danger posed by these wires, but each time they were sent back with the assurance of speedy redressal of the problem, but all in vain.

The households, which come in direct contact with the wires on the rooftops, are more vulnerable to accidents. Pushpa Devi, a resident of Rajiv Colony, says that she had to keep an eye on her children when they sneaked on rooftop to play.

Shocking is the state of affairs in the places which witnessed deadly wires taking toll on human lives as the department did not show any promptness in setting them right, at least, in these locations. Replying to the gross negligence exhibited by the Power Department in this regard, Director, Operation of the UPCL, AK Johari, accepts the sluggish pace of the corporation in arresting this problem, but assures of looking into the matter on priority basis to do needful.

Dehradun, September 3
To enable local bodies access infrastructure and also help increase their income, the Uttarakhand government has launched three urban development programmes to be implemented in all towns and cities of the state.

As part of the Chief Minister’s 14-point programme, these schemes will focus on setting up sanitation, drainage and solid waste management systems along with construction of public toilets, and public amenities that will be run on public private mode.

“The schemes will definitely change the face of small towns and cities and also help local bodies be economically self-sufficient,” said S Raju, Principal Secretary, Urban Development, at the training programme launched for local body members and organised by the Department of Urban Development.

Apprising the members about the highlights of the pogrammes viz Chief Minister’s Urban Infrastructure Development Programme, Pandit Deen Dyal Upadhayay Parking Viability Gap Programme and Chief Minister’s Nirmal Nagar Puraskar Yojana.

Additional Secretary Urban Development Nidhi Mani Tripathi said these programmes would be partly funded by the state government and partly by the local bodies. “We will be allocating 70 per cent towards these programmes, while 30 per cent will be funded by the local bodies. Besides, towns and cities will also be evaluated for their performance and later awarded by the state government,” said Tripathi.

However, making a strong plea initiating reforms in local bodies and, Mayor of Dehradun Municipal Corporation Vinod Chamoli said they should make themselves economically viable. “I think local bodies should focus on increasing their income and tax collection is one of the important sources but unless there are reforms in tax assessment and more population is brought under the ambit, the earning is not going to increase. This will also make them independent and not force them to look on government for aid,” said Chamoli.

On his part, Chamoli said to bring in administrative reforms in the Dehradun Municipal Corporation, he had recommended for the creation of a post of Management Consultant who would be able to skilfully put his plan into action of dividing the Dehradun city into four zones for proper management. “The post can be outsourced, but it will help us a great deal as we will be able to utilise the skills of a professional manager as is being done in major cities of the country,” he said.

He also minced no words while declaring that the government interference in the functioning of the Municipal Corporation had proved costly, as most the plans announced by him have now been capped.

Dehradun, September 3
Regular monitoring and timely allocation of funds has considerably improved the spending on schemes earmarked under the Scheduled Caste Special Component Plan (SCSCP) and Schedule Tribe Special Component Plan (STSCP) in the state.

Last year, the state had earned criticism from the Central government for the poor implementation of the scheme, as the funds remained unutilised.

However, for this fiscal year, among 36 departments, the Sugarcane Development Department and the Integrated Child Development Scheme have shown cent per cent utilisation of funds under the SCSCP.

While under the STSCP, the departments that have shown full realisation of funds are the Sugarcane Department, Cooperative Department, Tourism and ICDS Department.

Against the budgetary allocation of Rs 62,158.4 crore, Rs 31,685.14 crore has been spent by 36 departments, under the SCSCP.

While Rs 8,030.67 crore has been spent for various schemes under the STSCP till July.

For the integrated development of the SC/STs, it is mandatory upon the states to allocate certain percentage of the annual plan for the communities.

These outlays are under the area-oriented schemes directly benefiting SC/ST villages having majority of SC/ST population. 

Dehradun, September 3
The Doon Savtantarta Senani Samiti expressed its gratitude to Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank for fulfilling some of their long-pending demands here today at a press conference.

The association also thanked Additional Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar, Principal Secretary (CM) DK Kotia and Additional District Magistrate Vinod Kumar Sunam.

The samiti members said their demands had been pending for 10 years and no government till now had fulfilled them, but the Nishank government had done it. There were about 18 demands of the association and the CM, according to them, has approved 10 of them and is likely to approve the rest too.

PK Khatri, general secretary of the association, expressed gratitude to the CM. Khatri added as many as 10 of the demands have been approved and the CM has promised them to do the needful in regard to the rest. 

Dehradun, September 3
The Uttarakhand Information Commission had made Rajaji Park authorities, Superintendent of Police, Pauri, and Senior Superintendent of Police, Haridwar, party to the incident of illegal entry of foreigners inside Rajaji National Park during the Haridwar Maha Kumbh.

The commission has asked them to give details of the action taken so far against these foreigners. State Information Commissioner Vinod Nautiyal has shot off notices to both senior Rajaji Park and police officials seeking an explanation.

This comes after one Bhupendra Kumar, a resident of Nehru Colony, under the Right to Information Act, sought details from Rajaji Park regarding the entry of foreigners inside the park and the action taken subsequently.

He subsequently went to the State Information Commission alleging lack of information in the reply provided to his queries by the Park authorities.

During Maha Kumbh Mela in Haridwar early this year, as many as 150 to 160 foreigners entered Rajaji National Park on April 6 where they installed their camps.

Park authorities could only know about the entry of these foreigners after a forest patrol party observed their movement near the Chila road. As these foreigners had taken no previous permission, Rajaji Park could not ascertain the identities of these foreigners.

They were evicted from the Park after much efforts on part of Rajaji National Park administration. A case could only be registered against a Naga sadhu Digambar Shivgiri, a resident of Belwala Gau Ghat, Haridwar, under the Wildlife Conservation Act 1972.

The Uttarakhand Information Commission has asked the Rajaji Park administration, SP Pauri and SSP Haridwar to provide details of the action taken report against the foreigners at the next hearing of the case.

The foreigner entry issue at Rajaji Park had also echoed in the Indian Parliament at that time and the Union Environment and Forest Minister was forced to give a statement on the matter. 

Dehradun, September 3
The Gorkhali Haritalika Teej Utsav Mela 2010 will be celebrated on September 5 at Shaheed Major Durga Mall Park, Garhi Cantt.

Members of the Gorkhali Samiti, at a press conference today, said that apart from Dehradun, Teej enthusiasts will come from Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh to participate in the programme.

The mela will include Haritalika Teej Queen, Haritalika Teej group dance and songs, Haritalika Teej Princess, honouring of elderly women and different Haritalika Teej competitions.

Gorkhalis will wear traditional clothes that day and will perform Gorkhali dances and songs. Uma Upadhaya, a member of the Gorkhali Samiti, said a large number of people are expected to participate in the mela.

According to press note issued by the samiti, Uttarakhand Governor Margaret Alva will inaugurate the mela by lighting a lamp. Samiti members - Meenu Chetri, Vinita Thapa, Meenu, Pooja, Ashu Lama, Sushma Pradhan, Seema Sahi, Manju Karki, Jamna Rana, Lakshmi Pathak, Shanti Pathak and Pramila Khatri were present at the press conference.

Dehradun, September 3
The last Friday of the holy month of Ramzaan, also known as Jumatul Vida, was celebrated in Uttarakhand with religious fervour and piety.

A large number of Muslim faithful gathered at various mosques in the state and offered Friday prayers.

Maulana Ahmed Qasmi led the prayers at Jama Masjid, Dehradun, where more than 5,000 offered prayers amid rain. Similar congregations were held in all mosques of Dehradun city and nearby areas.

Nainital, September 3
Kumaon region has been rocked by yet another murder of a senior citizen. Over the past two days, three aged people have been murdered in the region.

In the latest instance, a 65-year-old farmer was killed in Nagla Jogither village, near Nanakmatta in Udham Singh Nagar, yesterday night. The cause of the murder is said to be an old enmity.

According to the information available, the victim, Amar Singh, was returning home when he entered into an altercation with some village youths. Things came to such a pass that the youths allegedly picked up a stick lying close by and repeatedly hit the victim on his head causing the blood to gush out.

Amar Singh collapsed on the ground and died on the spot. The suspects fled from the spot.

On seeing the body of Amar Singh, people informed the police and his family members about the incident. Investigations are on in the matter.

Meanwhile, no arrests have been made in the cases pertaining to the murder of the two aged women on Wednesday at Ramnagar and Saligaon village of Banlekh area of Bageshwar.

More than 50 persons have been questioned by the police in the case of murder of Revati Pande, but to no avail. Teachers and employees in the town have handed over a memorandum to police authorities seeking early arrest of the culprits.

Revati had been living with her son Ashok Pande, his wife Vineeta and their two children in Panchvati Colony of Bhawaniganj area of Ramnagar.

Both Ashok and his wife are teachers and had left their home for duty on Wednesday morning only to find Revati’s body lying in a pool of blood on their return. Her throat had been slit with a sharp-edged weapon and the killers had ransacked the entire house.

It is being assumed that the cause of the murder was an attempted robbery as some jewellery and Rs 5,000 in cash is said to be missing.

In the second instance, one Dinesh Koranga, having enmity with his neighbour Meherban Singh, had killed Meherban’s mother Gopuli Devi when she tried to intervene as he was chasing her grandchildren and threatening to harm them.

Dinesh allegedly crushed her head with a stone killing her on the spot and fled from the spot after the incident. 

Dehradun, September 3
With the arrest of four persons the police claimed to have solved the murder case of a 75-year-old, a Guru Road resident in Patelnagar.

The police recovered an attaché containing FD of Rs 75,000 from their possession.

Madan Gopal Bansal, a retired auditor from Controller of Defence Accounts, was found murdered on August 26 with his house ransacked. He was staying with his paralysed wife, Nirmal Bansal, who was the only witness to the crime but could not speak anything due to her illness.

The police said three of arrested ones were the thieves while the fourth one was their informer who informed them of the cash in the house. Theft was the only motive not the murder since this was the third time the four had barged into the house to make away with goods.

The four have been identified as Rimpu Selwan, Amit, Rahul and Sandeep Pal, all New Patelnagar resident. All are working as labourer and were new entrant into crime.

Station House Officer of Patelnagar Police Station told Rahul was a carpenter and was also capable at doing electricity work.

He was called by deceased Madan Gopal for doing some electricity work at his house.

Rahul would come to house whenever there was some electricity problem in Madan's house. Once both sat on a drink and the elderly in the influence of liquor revealed to Rahul that he had some cash and an attaché with FD of Rs 75,000.

The latter informed three of the men about the cash and they all plotted the theft. And on August 26 they barged into their house to commit theft however, the elderly man confronted them and one of them pushed him while ransacking the cupboard.

Resulting this, Bansal fell on a sewing machine and injured his head grievously to die there only. The police has arrested the four accused getting leads on the basis of the information provided by the elderly man suspecting Rahul of the theft in his house.