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GMVN staff press for regularisation of 700 employees
Demand for second language status to Urdu
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School staff attend workshop
Swanky umbrellas dot Doon market
Nainital Diary
Doon Civic Blues
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GMVN staff press for regularisation of 700 employees
Dehradun, July 10 The vice-president of the organisation, SP Pant, said the issue of regularisation of around 700 employees of the GMVN had been hanging fire for a long time. The Chief Minister’s announcement of regularising the daily wage earners or contractual employees in the state had not materialized yet, he said. He stressed expediting the matter. Five high-level appointments had been cancelled by the GMVN but still there are three officials who had been given out-of-the-turn promotions. A computer operator, who had no knowledge of accounts, has been promoted as Chief Accounts Officer; a retired employee having no background in audit has been appointed Chief Audit Officer and a tainted officer was given promotion instead of being removed, he alleged. As far as the dilapidated tourist rest houses are concerned, Pant said, the board concerned had been taking decisions on the renovation of these rest houses ever year, only to postpone these to the next year. The condition of these buildings was deteriorating day by day, and was affecting the business of the nigam. The members have decided to make the issue their top priority and press the management to take concrete action on it after the rains got over, he stated, adding that the association was pursuing these demands with new Managing Director Ashish Joshi. Joshi said he needed time to go through these issues in detail. As far as the questionable appointments are concerned, he assured the employees of ordering an inquiry into the matter soon. And as regards the rest houses, he said the detail about the repair and expenses, etc, had been sent to the state government.
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Demand for second language status to Urdu
Dehradun, July 10 Addressing the convention, its chief guest, Uttarakhand Disaster Management Minister Khazan Das, however, announced the constitution of the Arbee Farsi Board in the state within a month. He also announced that vacancies of Urdu teachers would be filled in the state. Khazan Das reiterated the Uttarakhand Government’s commitment to promoting Urdu in the state. Earlier, the speakers at the conference showed concern over the pathetic state of Urdu as a language in the country. Dr Aslam Jamshedpuri, Head of the Urdu Department, Chowdhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, said Urdu as a language was limited to madarsas and asserted that those getting education outside madarsas had no means to learn Urdu language. Dr Mulana Furkan Nadvi from Lucknow too highlighted the sorry state of Urdu language in the country. He said governments in power have not undertaken proper efforts to promote Urdu in the country. Sagar Berni, Urdu Department Head at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, said it was a wrong notion that Urdu was just a language of the Muslims and asserted that a large number of non-Muslims too speak Urdu in the country.
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School staff attend workshop
Dehradun, July 10 Exercises and team-building games were organised on the first day of the workshop. Dean (activities) Trilok Singh Bist said: “All of them felt very light after three rounds of the exercise. The workshop will continue till July 14.”
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Swanky umbrellas dot Doon market
From veiling pretty damsels to kids, the swanky umbrellas and the raincoats are attracting people with its different patterns, designs as well as colours to fully enjoy the season. Forget unimpressive black umbrellas but go in for the trendy stuff instead. Try out with floral prints, geometrical shapes, polka dots, and lacey circumference. “There is really no need for you to take those clumsy and big umbrellas which cannot be folded conveniently. You can buy the compact umbrellas that are handy and can easily fit in handbag,” says Arvind, salesman at Art Home. “Many kids come to us demanding umbrellas and raincoats with their favourite cartoon characters and super heroes printed on them. From Mickey Mouse to Henna Montana, they have a wide range to choose from,” he asserted. Earlier, there were a few choices in umbrellas and raincoats available in the market in the rainy season, which is now seemed to be quite old-fashioned and outdated. But at present with the imported quality material, various designs for men, women and children are available to add style as well as protect them from unpredictable downpour. “We used to import raincoats from Kolkata previously, but now most of the stuffs are brought from Mumbai which are not only genuine in quality, but are also 100 per cent waterproof,” said Harbhajan Singh, a raincoat supplier at Macchi Bazaar. “The pant-shirt styled raincoats are specially made for men while the long coat style are kept for women and kids in bright-bold colours,” he added. However, the raincoats of Duckback are available at the price range of Rs 700 and above, the Chinese quality raincoats come within Rs 200 to Rs 600 with an array of design and colours. Similarly, the indispensable umbrellas are now can be purchased within a range of Rs 60 to Rs 400.
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Nainital Diary POLITICS has gradually become a family profession. Dynastic rule is not just confined to one family that is often accused of promoting it. This phenomenon can be seen in almost all the states and Uttarakhand is no exception. The interesting aspect of the phenomenon being witnessed in the state which is among the youngest in the country is the rapid pace at which it is spreading. It is interesting to look at the ‘political families’ that have grown in the state over the last one decade. It is not something that is confined to one political party. Be it the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), the phenomenon is visible across the spectrum. The Congress has recently witnessed the ‘sonrise’ in case of two of its prominent leaders. While Anand Rawat, who is the son of Union minister Harish Rawat, was recently elected as the president of the state unit of the Youth Congress, Sanjeev Arya, who is the son of the state unit president of the party Yash Pal Arya, has been made the media in-charge for Kumaon after being made a senior functionary in a Mandi Samiti. Harish Rawat’s wife Renuka Rawat has already been into active politics. Chakrata legislator Pritam Singh’s father Gulab Singh had been a minister in Uttar Pradesh and Congress leader Nav Prabhat’s father Brahm Dutt had been a Union minister. The Bahuguna family has a long political legacy. While Vijay Bahuguna is the sitting Lok Sabha member from Tehri, his sister Rita Bahuguna is the Congress chief in Uttar Pradesh. Their father Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna was a former Chief Minister of UP and a Union minister. Similarly in case of the BJP, a political force that claims to be a party with a difference and ironically emerged as a party with differences, things are no different. The state unit chief of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Vinod Kandari is the nephew of Cabinet Minister Matbar Singh Kandari whose son Rajiv Kandari too is eyeing a prominent political post. Similarly, Vinod Bhagat, who is the son of Cabinet Minister Bansidhar Bhagat too has held a senior position in the BJYM. The BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Tehri Jaspal Rana’s father has also been a former minister. KC Pant, who is the son of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Gobind Ballabh Pant, has crossed over from the Congress to the BJP. In case of the BSP, the sitting legislator from Sitarganj Narayan Pal’s brother Mohan Pal has been announced as the party candidate for the forthcoming polls from the Bhimtal seat. Senior politician, who has moved from one party to another, Munna Singh Chauhan too has successfully helped his wife Madhu Chauhan get a foothold in the state politics. Late Capt Mehra remembered
July 6 was a special occasion for Champawat. The town not only remembered but paid a befitting homage to its Ashoka Chakra winner late Captain Umed Singh Mehra. It was on this day in 1971 that Capt Mehra had proved his mettle while fighting against Naga rebels. It was while remembering the lone Ashoka Chakra winner from the district that the District Magistrate, Dr Pankaj Kumar Pandey, announced the establishment of a photo gallery of the soldiers who have laid down their lives and those who have won medals for their bravery on the Sainik Welfare Department premises. Sainik Welfare Officer Colonel Amitabh Negi (Retired) said Capt. Mehra had been commissioned to the 19 Rajputana Rifles in 1967 and was a part of the Operation Orchid in Nagaland in 1971. Having come to know of a rebel camp on July 4, he had volunteered to be a part of the raiding team and after a 12-hour long effort, the party was able to encircle the rebel camp. The camp was attacked from two sides under his leadership. He had killed the leader of the camp after fighting, but had sustained major injuries himself. While he had carried out a successful raid, he had to pay with his life. For people of Champawat, he became an ideal by making the extereme sacrifice in the line of his duty. Besides him, there is one Kirti Chakra winner, three Vir Chakra winners, six Shaurya Chakra winners and 11 Sena Medal winners from the small district. At present, there are more than 2,500 personnel from the district enrolled in the Indian armed forces.
Crying over spilt milk
The saying goes that there is no use crying over spilt milk. But in case of Nainital it appears that the administration prefers to let the milk spill and then carry out a ‘facade’ of trying to wipe it. The case in example here is the controversy over allowing parking of tourist vehicles in the Flat Grounds while the tourist season was in full swing recently. To the horror of hundreds of sportspersons who come to the field on daily basis, the vehicles were allowed to encroach upon the playing area. Observers say that this would not have been possible without the functionaries of the local Municipal Council being hand in glove with
This was met with resistance by not only the sports persons, but also the general public as well. They further got a shot in the arm when a Judge of the Uttarakhand High Court made a public statement saying that the administration should ensure that the vehicles do not encroach upon the playing area. An embarrassed and cornered Municipal Council had no option left than to order a probe into the matter. But the issue being raised by the people of the town is that what is the use of ordering a probe when the tourist season is over? Observers say that it is nothing but an eyewash to convey to the masses that the violation of laws is being taken seriously. As it is the administration that has drawn public ire for gross mismanagement during the tourist season. Barring, police personnel who were visibly doing their duties, no other department could be seen working proactively. Observers point out,” Should we believe there is absolute Ram Rajya in Nainital? There has been no fleecing of tourists and no littering on the roads. This appears to be the case as the administration never carried out any raids in hotels and the illegal guest houses to check whether the tourists were being fleeced. Neither was the Food and Civil Supplies Department active to check whether the food served was up to the mark or not. (By Rajeev Khanna)
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Doon Civic Blues
Dehradun, July 10 Area councillor Santokh Singh Nagpal also rued the same problem. He said the Municipal Corporation had turned a blind eye to the problem being faced by the people due to the presence of the fish market. “I had made a proposal for the relocation of the market many times, but the authorities did nothing and kept on ignoring saying the file is under process,” he said. He added that such a market should not be located near residential colonies.“Moreover, tourists who throng Kali Ka Mandir and the gurdwara are also upset due to the presence of the fish market nearby,” Nagpal added. The BJP councillor further said works related to the construction of roads and tubewells had been completed so far. An overhead tank was under construction. “I have spent Rs 50 lakh on various development works so far. A sum of Rs 35 lakh more has also been sanctioned under the MLA fund,” he added. Sangeeta Grover, a local resident, said: “My husband runs a coaching centre. However, due to an overpowering smell of fish, students are not ready to come here.”
Another resident, Sanjeev Vij, echoed similar views. He said: “Due to the presence of the fish market, the area is losing its beauty. Shopkeepers are the worst affected as customers avoid coming to the market here.” Raman said: “Waterlogging and the absence of sewerage are major problems being faced by people here. Water gets stagnated on roads making it difficult for us to even walk. There is no sewerage at LIC staff quarters. Though we brought the matter to the notice of the Mayor several times, to no avail.” Deepak said: “Though the councillor takes personal interest in getting the area cleaned, drains are not cleaned on a daily basis and silt gets deposited in it, thus making the lives of residents miserable.”
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All-India Urdu Conference has stressed efforts to promote Urdu in the country even while urging the Uttarakhand Government to accord second language status to Urdu in the state.
Dehradun, July 10
An overpowering smell from the fish market situated near Kali Ka Mandir Marg in Ward No 18 has made the lives of its residents miserable.Though the ward is famous for Kali Ka Mandir and a
gurdwara, its residents are facing problems due to the presence of the fish market nearby. The ward is located near the capital city’s busiest
Paltan Bazaar.
Dehradun, July 10
