Dehradun, May 9
The State Illness Assistance Fund, created to provide monetary assistance to poor patients suffering from serious diseases, has no money to disburse and over 75 patients who had applied this year have been left high and dry.

The scheme also continues to be beyond the reach of the poor residing in the hill districts of the state.

The corpus fund created with the aim of providing relief to poor patients has both the Uttarakhand and Central Governments pooling in their resources, but the latter has not allocated its share of Rs 1.25 crore, following which several cases are pending.

“The Centre had allocated Rs 4 crore for the State Illness Assistance Fund for 2006-2007, which was then deposited. We had set right all objections raised by the Centre, but again the fund allocation has come to a standstill,” said the DG (Health and Family Welfare), Dr Asha Mathur.

In 2008-2009, a total of 79 patients belonging to the general category had availed the funds with the Health Department spending Rs 93.14 lakh. In the same period, the Health Department had spent a sum of Rs 1.32 crore on 108 persons.

In 2009- 2010, a total of 98 patients belonging to the general category and 22 members from the SC were benefited from the scheme.

From 2010 -2011 onwards, more than 75 patients have applied, but the government has no funds to cater to their needs. Besides, a lack of awareness at the district level is creating problems for the rural population, which continues to remain oblivious of the scheme.

“The number of patients who are availing the fund seems to be more from Dehradun and Haridwar. Several patients from the hills come down to Dehradun and apply for the scheme. We want that the Chief Medical Officers in the district should play a proactive role in making the scheme popular,” said Dr Mathur.

Patients requiring treatment and surgeries for cancer, AIDS, bone marrow transplantation, heart disease, brain tumour, hip and knee replacement and kidney transplantation can apply for assistance. “Most of these procedures are costly. The government has set a limit of Rs 1.5 lakh for assistance. Patients requiring surgeries can do so at government-empanelled hospitals in Uttarakhand and other states,” said Dr BC Pathak, Chief Medical Superintendent, Doon District Hospital.

Dehradun, May 9
The resignation of 11 officials in recent times, nine in the past one month, has given a blow to the already weakened Uttarakhand State Infrastructure Development Corporation (USIDC). The management of the USIDC claims to have stepped up the appointment process for the posts of six assistant engineer and 11 junior engineer, keeping in view the seriousness of the matter.

In the first week of April, the Board of Directors had decided to fill the vacancies to strengthen the depleting staff of the corporation. At that time there were only 56 employees against a requirement of 187. Soon after the decision, seven engineers, one accounts officer and one General Manager, (Civil) quit the corporation, giving a setback to the entire exercise to reinvigorate the USIDC staff.

Col Dinesh Chandra, General Manager (GM), blamed the ad hoc system for precipitating the staff crisis. He said: “All the employees have been appointed on contract. The senior officers, whose contracts are about to expire, are leaving the USIDC for better opportunities. Four Resident Engineers (REs) have joined the Jal Sansthan on a permanent basis and, with much better salaries. An Accounts Officer, too, has joined the Institute of Chartered Accountants. Similarly, other Junior Engineers too have got lucrative placements outside.”

The GM (IT) and the GM (Finance) resigned in December while the GM (Civil) quit the corporation in May.

Navnit Ramola, a Resident Engineer, who has now joined the Jal Sansthan, said the insecure employees looked for secure future. “Those who are near the age of 35 will like to try for state jobs as they have already lost chance to apply to for the Central Government jobs, for which the age limit is up to 32. Moreover, unless the USIDC promises permanence of jobs after a period of three years, then it is unlikely to hold on to people.”

Aware of the predicament at hand, Managing Director, USIDC, Lalit Mohan expressed helplessness, saying: “In the corporation, we can not employ people on a permanent basis. The employees in the USIDC are under acute strain because of a lack of adequate work. They have a sense of deep insecurity whether the USIDC will be able to sustain itself or get closed down. Therefore, the state government must allocate enough projects and funding to the USIDC to keep it in a profitable position otherwise the employees would continue to leave it high and dry for better avenues.”

Dehradun, May 9
The government has failed to set up swadhar centres for women hit by domestic violence in the state.

In 2010, six NGOS had applied for the setting up of these centres, but only one project by the Mahila Bal Uthan Avam Kala Manch, an NGO, for establishing the swadhar centre in Dagadhara village (Almora) was sanctioned. These proposals are forwarded by the Department of Women Empowerment and Child Development under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS).

“Most of the centres could not come up as they failed to fulfil norms of the Central Government. We have proposed three more centres to be set up by NGOs in Dehradun (1), Haridwar (1) and Udham Singh Nagar (1). However, these are awaiting the nod from the Centre,” said Vijaya Barthwal, Minister for Women Empowerment and Child Development.

“The swadhar has been designed with a more flexible and innovative approach to cater to the requirement of various types of women in distress. Besides looking into the primary need of food, shelter and clothing, these centres are supposed to ensure that women are socially and economically rehabilitate. We have to cover a lot of ground and should be able to set up centres where the women get the necessary legal aid,” said Ramindri Mandarwal, District Protection Officer.

However, in the absence of such centres, women who are facing difficult circumstances are usually alternatively placed at nari niketans and short-stay homes.

Dehradun, May 9
Aggrieved over the “absence” of security for women in the city, the members of the BJP, Ambedkar Nagar Mandal Mahila Morcha, under the leadership of municipal corporation councillor, Babita Sahotra, gave a memorandum to the SSP here today.

Affirming the incident that took place with a girl at the city’s busiest market, Dilaram Chowk, two days back, Sahotra asked the SSP to take strict action against the culprits and catch them as soon as possible. She stated that this was the worst episode as the spot from where the young girl was kidnapped and raped was close to the residence of the SSP where CCTV cameras were fitted. Despite that, the police failed to arrest the offenders.

She requested the SSP to take the matter seriously and get hold of the criminals as soon as possible so that the other women in the city could feel safer. “If the police failed to take action immediately, we would be forced to come on the roads to agitate,” Sahotra mentioned. 

Dehradun, May 9
Members of the Mahanagar Congress Committee, Dehradun, held a protest outside the office of the Dehradun District Magistrate here today.

Talking to DM Sachin Kurve, Harish Virmani, president of the committee, alleged that public schools were violating court orders regrading fee hike. The court has passed the rule that any school can increase the fee by 10 per cent only. However, most of the schools have increased the same by 30 per cent to 40 per cent.

The other issue was related to the interview of students, along with their parents, seeking admission to nursery. “According to the guidelines issued by the state government, none of the school is supposed to interview a kid as well as his parents, but many private schools are still doing so,” Virmani said, adding that most of the schools were charging a huge amount in the name of building funds, tuition fee etc.

Meanwhile, the committee also submitted a memorandum to the DM regarding their demands.

Dehradun, May 9
Concerned about the youngsters of Uttarakhand, who are moving out of the state in search of job opportunities, members of the Shiv Sena under the leadership of Virender Singh Rawat, district president, today submitted a memorandum to the Dehradun District Magistrate (DM) for the Uttarakhand Chief Minister.

All members blamed both the Congress as well as the BJP for the situation. Talking to the media outside the office of the DM, Rawat said they were acting on the orders passed by the state president of the Shiv Sena, Gaurav Kumar. Rahul Chauhan, district president, Yuva Morcha, exclaimed that the Sena worked in order and they were prepared for action. He further stated that as many as 42 people had sacrificed their lives during the statehood agitation and they would not let these go waste.

In their memorandum, the Sena had mentioned that not even 50 per cent people were provided jobs in the industrial institutions and they were forced to move out to other parts of the country. It further stated that out of 13 districts, only four fell in the plains category and were getting developed but the remaining were getting deserted day by day.

They said that if the government failed to take action within 15 days, they would halt working all over the state. 

Dehradun May 9
The cutting of a tree for the preparation of the golden jubilee celebrations of the local DBS PG College has enraged the neighbouring DAV School teachers and ended up as a bone of contention between them today.

The DBS PG College that has been funded by HNB Garhwal University to construct its new academic building for the celebration of completing 50 years of its inception was certainly the reason behind the scuffle. The college and the school share the same compound where a gulmohar tree grew. In order to start the construction, the management of DBS PG College chopped it off that led to an argument among the teachers.

The school authorities claim that the tree was its asset and have raised a question over the permission given by the Forest Department for its cutting. Whereas the Principal of the college affirms that he had taken prior permission by the Forest Department as they have to start the construction of a new building over that part of the land.

While addressing the media, OP Kulshrestha, Principal of DBS PG College, maintained that the cutting of the tree was done as a preparation for the golden jubilee celebrations of the college. “We had taken prior permission from the Forest Department for cutting down a gulmohar tree and for pruning a neem tree for the construction of our new academic building. Nothing has been done illegally or without permission,” he asserted.

However, the school authorities blamed the degree college authorities for taking over their chunk of property by unfair means. The Principal of the school has also demanded from the Forest Department as well as the city administration an immediate probe into the matter.

Dehradun, May 9
Workers of the Parivartankami Chhaatra Sangathan held a protest at Gandhi Park here today. A large number of protesters from Dehradun and Pauri gathered at the venue to demand the release of the seven villagers who had been accused of burning a leopard alive.

While addressing the protesters, Nitin, president of the sangathan, said: “The seven villagers, who have been accused of burning a leopard at Dhamdhar in the Rikhnikhal area of Pauri, have been charged under the Wildlife Act 1974. After the wild cat had injured four villagers at Dhamdhar, they complained the forest guards to trap the leopard but they failed to take effective action”.

“When the villagers again complained to the department to trap the leopard, they rigidly refused and asked the villagers to do whatever they feel like. The irresponsibility of the foresters led to the burning of the leopard, which was an act of self-protection by the villagers,” he added. 

Dehradun, May 9
Dehradun downed Nainital 42-10 on the inaugural day of the 10th Aspen Crew Uttarakhand State Junior (Under-18) Basketball Championship at Welham Boys’ School here today.

Arpit scored nine points to help the winning team register a comfortable win.

In another match, Dehradun outplayed Tehri 43-7 with Pooja striking 
10 points.

Haridwar city beat Rishikesh 27-15. Sagar was the top-scorer of the match. Udham Singh Nagar also defeated Tehri 27-22 in a close contest.

Dehradun, May 9
Ordnance Factory Dehradun (OFD) became the second semifinalists of the government employees’ welfare committee cricket tournament underway at Survey cricket stadium. The OFD beat the NHO in the second quarterfinal by 30 runs, here today.

NHO won the toss and opted to field first. Ordnance set a target of 135 runs in 20 overs. Chirag (30) and Vipin (29) were the principal scorers to help their team score a good fighting total.

In reply, NHO was bowled all out for 104 in 18 overs. The bowlers of the OFD didn’t let the rival team batsmen stay on the pitch for much time. None of the batsmen of the NHO could score a respectable number.

Meanwhile, in the third quarterfinal tomorrow, the Survey of India will play against OLF. Instruments Research & Development Establishment (IRDE) has already entered the semifinals.