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Rehabilitation of manual scavengers still incomplete
Bhatt was running party like pvt firm: Panwar
UKD splits for third time
Two die as car skids into gorge near Mussoorie
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Foundation Day of Personnel Below Officers Rank Assn held
Labour unrest continues at Avalon Resort
Menace of stray cattle now comes to hilly terrains
Cut down on losses, DM tells sugar mill managers
Ministerial services body suspend work for 3 days
ND Tiwari releases book on common lifestyle
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister NDTiwari releases a book in Dehradun on Sunday. A Tribune photograph
Horticulture project launched
Provide state with better telecom services: Satpal Maharaj
Woman-eater Tigress
Shiv Sena burn effigy of govts
Shiv Sena workers burn an effigy of the Centre and the state government in Dehradun on Sunday. A Tribune photograph
SDMs told to remove non-eligible candidates from BPL list
Custodial Death Case
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Rehabilitation of manual scavengers still incomplete
Dehradun, January 16 The practice of carrying night soil on the head from dry latrines by scavengers has been in existence for centuries in India. It was felt that the abolition of manual scavenging was essential to restore dignity among the scavengers and the states were asked to rehabilitate them. Manual scavenging was prohibited by legislation only in 1993. “According to the survey, the number of scavengers in the state was 1,031, but a closer scrutiny revealed that there were some errors in the survey. Some of them had inserted double names, others had become over age or migrated from the state, while some were absorbed in government jobs,” said principal secretary, Social Welfare, Vinita Kumar. The Integrated Low Cost Sanitation Scheme (ILCS), along with rehabilitating the scavengers, was introduced in the areas where the practice of dry latrine was prevalent. The Employment of Manual Scavengers and Construction of Dry Latrines (Prohibition) Act came into force 46 years after Independence. The scheme with Central subsidy of 75 per cent, state subsidy of 15 per cent and beneficiary share of 10 per cent was confined to urban areas with a population less than five
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Bhatt was running party like pvt firm: Panwar
Nainital, January 16 “The party was being run like Diwakar Bhatt Private Limited. There is no question of Bhatt’s return to the party now. Other parties normally suspend a person for six years, but we have set a new precedent by suspending him for life,” said Panwar during a visit to Nainital today. Responding to a query regarding Bhatt causing a split in the party and launching his own unit, Panwar accused Bhatt of trying to divide the party on two previous occasions at the behest of the Congress and now doing the same at the behest of the BJP. “He is now resorting to petty moves and is arm twisting people to join his outfit. The less said about him the better. The BJP has back-stabbed us,” he said. The UKD president said by withdrawing the support from the Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank-led BJP Government, the party had tried to justify the aspirations of its cadres, who were demanding the withdrawal for over two years. “We had given support to them to save the state from instability and a possible mid-term poll. But they never adhered to the coalition dharma. Though on the government letterheads they mentioned that it was a BJP-UKD combined government, the BJP never pursued the nine-point programme charter handed over by the UKD to them. There was no point in continuing support,” he said. When asked about the future prospects of the party, which is undergoing a split at a time when hardly one year is left for the Assembly polls, Panwar said, “We will try to win back the support of the people that we have lost. We never pursued the issues aggressively. We will take 2012 polls as jan aadesh and accept the verdict given by the people.” He said even today the UKD was the only force that could rise up to the expectations of the common people. “The two national parties, the Congress and the BJP, are busy robbing the state of its resources, as they have to fill the party coffers in Delhi. We have no such intentions. We are responsible towards the people of the state,” he said. “The present state government is indulging in several corrupt practices, while letting down the people of the state,” he added. |
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UKD splits for third time
Dehradun, January 16 Bhatt also appointed the new members of his party. President of the UKD Trivender Singh Panwar slammed Bhatt for engineering the split in the party on directions of the BJP and misusing his position as a minister in distributing money to slum dwellers to build a crowd in the convention to show his clout. Both the factions have been claiming their right on the name and symbol of the party, a matter that has to be decided by the Election Commission of India. Earlier, the party also witnessed splits in 1995, when Diwakar and a few others dished out their own versions like the present scenario and 2003, when Diwakar expelled the senior most leaders like Kashi Singh Aeri and Trivender Singh Panwar from the party and raised his own faction, as the UKD(D). In all these three instances, Diwakar remained in the centre of the altercations. In the convention, Bhatt expelled Panwar for six years and dissolved the central committee, working committee, all sub-committees, cells and the district committee of the party. Panwar ridiculed Bhatt saying that Bhatt appointed himself as the president of the party and split the party on the directions of the BJP, since he had been pressing for the revocation of the withdrawal of support to the state government. Panwar also made a point that by spending Rs 50 lakh on the outsiders to throng the venue as party workers, he misused his position as a minister in the state. The UKD office turned into a fort with the police personnel surrounding it from all side, as some of the office bearers at the convention venue announced of barging into the UKD office. The fight was eventually put off with the denials coming from Bhatt and spokesperson Satish Semwal from doing any such thing. Bhatt called it his compulsion to become the president and overhauled the party with a new set of members, blaming Panwar for his undemocratic and illegal actions, be it withdrawal of support or expulsion of the senior members and him. He said he would talk to the State Government on the two points out of nine, which remained to be worked upon, the issue of delimitation and declaration of Gairsain as the capital of the state. He reiterated his determination to strengthen the party and do well in the Assembly elections of 2012. Bhatt said he would introduce the proposal for amendment in the Forest Act to facilitate development in the state. He also showed confidence in getting the ban revoked on three major hydro-projects in the state. Among the new position holders in the party, Capt Luxman Singh Chufal has been appointed as acting president, Avtar Singh Rana, Virdner Bhatt, Ashok Sidhu, Bina Bahuguna as vice-presidents, Basant Joshi, Vir Chand Ramola, Mahinder Singh Rawat as general secretary, Sivananad Chamoli as treasurer and Satish Semwal as chief spokesperson. Besides, names for the position of secretary, joint secretaries, organisational secretary, publicity secretary and members of working committee were also announced.
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Two die as car skids into gorge near Mussoorie
Mussoorie, January 16 According to the police, the first accident occurred near the zero point where the driver of a Santro car was heading towards the Kempty Fall. As the vehicle reached near a bend, it skid on the road covered with sleet and frost and plunged into a deep gorge injuring five persons, including the driver. The 108 Ambulance service and the police rushed to the spot and rescued the commuters. They were let off after receiving first aid from the Government Hospital here. In another incident, an Alto car (HP17B1120) plunged into the deep gorge just a few yards from the previous incident, due to similar circumstances, resulting in two deaths. The car was returning from the Kempty Fall and the driver could not control the speeding vehicle. The owner and driver of the vehicle Vivek Gupta, 32 years, resident of Modinagar, Ghaziabad, escaped with minor injuries, but his wife Pooja, 27 years, and their five-year-old son Arnab succumbed to their injuries. According to the Mussoorie police station in-charge, the recent spell of sleet and hail has aggravated the situation on the Mussoorie-Kempty-Yamnotri road. Two Himachal Transport buses carrying schoolchildren from Bilaspur on a Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan exposure tour were also stuck on the same road, but due to the good sense of the driver returned without reaching the Kempty Fall. The driver of the bus said plying on such a road was risky as the tires of the bus were losing grip on the surface. It was not sensible to risk so many children’s lives. Many two-wheelers slipped on the road, and in one case a motorcyclist rammed his head against a tree as he could not control the vehicle. According to local hotelier Jitendar Chauhan, the slippery condition has existed for the past one month and resulted in minor injuries earlier too, but today’s tragedy has led to two deaths. He lamented that police personnel had not been deployed there to guide commuters about the danger. Instead locals were doing the job. Station in charge Parikshit Kumar said the condition of the road was extremely dangerous for commuters and they should head with extreme caution towards the Kempty Fall. He also said police had been deployed at both ends, but commuters were speeding ahead despite warning. However, the locals believe as the sky clears, more frost will aggravate the situation further.
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Foundation Day of Personnel Below Officers Rank Assn held
Dehradun, January 16 The other important guest, Health Advisor Rakesh Kumar Jain stressed on the need to link former Army personnel with the society. He said, “The soldiers of Uttarakhand had always played a significant role whenever the country needed them to tackle terrorist attacks or natural calamities. Therefore, they must also be absorbed in the society with full grace and dignity after they retired”. President of the PBOR Shamsher Singh Bisht brought attention to the inadequacies of the policies, which were made for the welfare of ex-Army personnel. “It has been seen that the policies which are made for the welfare of Army personnel are more focused on the interests of officers in defence services. Those below officers rank who have to live in villages due to poor financial conditions do not avail the actual benefits. So it is necessary that every ex-defence personnel should benefit from the policies formulated for their welfare and rehabilitation without any bias”. Shiv Om Ram, member of the association, appreciated the work of their organisation in spreading awareness among ex-soldiers regarding the facilities and benefits extended by state and Central government for their welfare. On the occasion, senior advocate Gurmail Singh and Sandip Sharma from Chandigarh, legal advisor of the organisation KK Goyal, general secretary Sherjung Thapa, patron SS Rana and others spoke on the occasion.
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Labour unrest continues at Avalon Resort
Mussoorie, January 16 The protesting employees agitated at the move called an emergency meeting and flayed the role of Urban State Minister Madan Kaushik who was stalling the process of talks with the management at the behest of presumably his close relative Dhruv Sharma who was also a senior official at Avalon. Officials of the Hotel and Restaurant Karamchari Union Mussoorie criticising the role of Kaushik said he was playing in the hands of the management and pressurising the departments like labour and local administration, including the District Magistrate, not to agree to the justified demands of the Avalon Resort employees. They also took out a procession and raised slogans against Kaushik. Police station in charge Parkishat Kumar refuted the claims of any kind of pressure and said they acted in accordance with the law. The agitating employees are now planning to meet the Chief Minister Nishank and plead in front of him soon. The labour unrest situation is not new at Avalon Resort and, according to the employees, it began the day General Manager Dhruv Sharma arrived in the resort. Bhagwan Singh, a protesting employee, said since the arrival of Sharma, first as GM and then as advisor to the resort, came as a death blow for them. The resort management in November 2010 resorted to retrenchment drive of the employees working for 14 years and not only that, the other 85 employeess who were supporting them were also shown the gate. The trade union leader said they went against this move at the Labour Court and the court decided that status quo would be maintained. But the management shunted out the rest of employees without notice. When the employees resorted to mass protest, the management fled away on December 26, 2010, early morning leaving the agitating employees in the lurch. The management then shut down the resort completely, said the agitating trade union leaders. Union leaders Darmyan Singh Meher, Bhagwan Singh, Samsher Rawat, Bhagwan Singh Chauhan, Biloo Balmiki, Sohan Thapliyal, Rajesh Rana and others were present on the occasion.
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Menace of stray cattle now comes to hilly terrains
Nainital, January 16 Cattle heads, once they are rendered useless, are being abandoned by their owners and this is leading to the menace of stray cattle just like in several other parts of the country. The protestors were demanding that the government should initiate steps to take care of such cattle which people were being dumped on the roads and in the wilderness. They wanted that the farmers be given some kind of incentive to take care of these cattle heads or the government set up cattle pounds where
these bovine animals could be kept. According to reports, the residents of the region have already undertaken a drive to collect money for sending some of such animals to the existing cattle pounds called Gau Sadans. They handed over a memorandum on the issue to the legislator
who promised to look into the matter.
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Cut down on losses, DM tells sugar mill managers
Nainital, January 16 At a meeting held in Rudrapur yesterday, District Magistrate BVRC Purshottam said, “The officials concerned will be held responsible for the flaws and action must be taken against them. Similarly, they need to take action against the firms supplying faulty spare parts that leads to technical faults in the mills”. He said the payments to these firms must be stopped and in case, these payments had already been made they must proceed for recovery against them. “The managers need to ensure that the sugarcane producers are paid well in time,” he said. The meeting had been convened to discuss the procession issues related to various mills in the district. Dr Purshottam said the managers were free to procure sugarcane from outside also on the prices fixed for the purpose provided. This would help increase the mill profits. In case there were no gains, the manager would stand responsible for such procurements. He warned the managers posted at Gadarpur and Kitcha sugar mills to improve upon their utilisation of the existing mill capacities. Deputy Commissioner (Sugarcane) RV Verma said till now 4,37,145 quintal sugar had been processed from 51,55,400 quintal sugarcane in the mills falling under the government and the co-operative sector in the district. He said the mills located at Nadehi, Bazpur, Gadarpur, Kitcha and Sitarganj had made the payments to the sugarcane producers.
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Ministerial services body suspend work for 3 days
Dehradun, January 16 Addressing the meeting, district general secretary Sunil Dutt Kothari said they had to take the decision of suspending the work following a notice they gave to the state government two months back regarding their long-pending demands. “Since, neither we had been given any assurance, nor called in any such meeting to fulfil our demands,” he said. President of the Medical Health Ministerial Association RP Juyal said because of the lack of Model Service Rules, the promotions in all the government departments were not taking place. Many talks with the government representatives failed to do anything in this direction, due to which they had braced themselves to wage a decisive war, he added. General secretary Deep Chander Budlakoti said if the government did not wake up despite their strike, then they would siege the Secretariat on February 15 and on that day, they would take their final
decision. — TNS |
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ND Tiwari releases book on common lifestyle
Dehradun, January 16 The introduction of the book is written by journalist Trinender Joshi who has compared the character of this book with Ique (a character written by Chinese writer Lyushin). He stated that it is character that is dedicated to social issues. Talking to The Tribune, Dr Bartwal said his book also criticised on many social as well as political issues. This is the fifth book by the writer who was born in Chamoli in 1948. Earlier, he had written “Low Vision Aid Devices”, “Role of Optometrist in Prevention of Blindness”, “Yayavar Yayati ki Chitiya” and “Netradan”. Other than this, he has also presented many programmes on
Aakashwani.
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Horticulture project launched
Pitthoragarh, January 16 “The project launched on January 10 this year will be a boon for farmers in remote areas of the state, as out of the Rs 93,500 construction cost of each poly house, the government will bear 50 per cent subsidy on each poly house,” said joint director, Horticulture, Dehradun, IA Khan. According to the project, the farmer will have to assign 100 square metre of land for each poly house to get subsidy under the project, which mainly aims to promote the production of vegetables and flowers in the hilly region of the state.
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Provide state with better telecom services: Satpal Maharaj
Dehradun, January 16 He said broadband facility was almost non-existent in the Shrinagar, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Tehri and Ramnagar areas of his constituency. Maharaj said there has been large scale resentment among the people and the Union Communication Minister should intervene in the matter soon.
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Panel for better communication with villagers
Dehradun, January 16 Deputy Director, Corbett, CK Kavidayal said the committee would have the villagers and the foresters as their members and was aimed to check people from going deep into the forests, while ensuring that a constant communication was maintained between the villagers and the forest officials. The committee would have more of women members taking into account the recent incidents involving women who went into forest areas in search of fuel wood and fodder. — TNS
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Shiv Sena burn effigy of govts
Dehradun, January 16 Talking to the media, Gaurav Kumar, state Head of the Shiv
Sena, stated that they wanted to carry on the protest regarding the government failing to give the status of a permanent capital to Dehradun and also because of lack of facilities the youth was shifting to other parts of the country. Taking both the Congress and BJP party to task, he claimed that both of them had hurt the sentiments of residents of the city. He said it should not have taken 10 years to give it the permanent status. Both the parties were just trying to grab people’s money and this was the reason that corruption was increasing here. He further said due to lack of facilities in the hills, the youth was moving to other places and the government had failed to provide employment to youngsters. |
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SDMs told to remove non-eligible candidates from BPL list
Nainital, January 16 At a meeting held at Rudrapur yesterday, Dr Purshottam asked the SDMs to convene meetings at the tehsil level for the purpose and warn the village development officers
(VDOs) that they would be held responsible if the names of people, who were not eligible, were found in the list of the BPL candidates for the district. The SDMs have been asked to constitute teams for carrying out fresh surveys on the issue across the district. |
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Two cops held
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, January 16 The Bageshwar police rounded up victim Ritesh Singh, a resident of Kajar Basti, some days back. The victim’s dead body was found today on the banks of the Saryu. This infuriated the local villagers, who staged a gherao of the Bageshwar Kotwali and sought action against the policemen responsible for torturing Ritesh to death. Meanwhile, the two policemen have been arrested and booked under Section 302 of the IPC. The body of the victim has been sent for the post-mortem examination.
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Dehradun, January 16
Dehradun, January 16
