|
|
|
|
|
Incessant Rain
‘Corruption-free’ ladoos add sweetness to Anna’s victory
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Preparations for Nanda Devi fair in full swing
Govt for creating more tehsils
Recognition to residency certificate hailed
GMVN rest houses to be renovated
Need to popularise Hindi abroad, say scholars
Lakhs of devotees take holy dip in Haridwar
Govt teachers prefer pvt schools for own kids
More powers for panchayats sought
Dhyan Chand remembered on birth anniversary
Registration of domestic bovine animals ordered
|
|
Incessant Rain
Pithoragarh, August 29 “A fresh landslide on Sunday has worsened the situation on the spot,” said a Public Works Department (PWD) engineer working to open the road at Haradia. “The falling of boulders has continued at Haradia even today, affecting the reconstruction work of the road. PWD engineers and the local administration are working day and night to open the way as soon as possible,” said JS Rathod, SDM of Munsiyari. According to people of Munsiyari, schoolchildren are the worst sufferer as they are not in a position to reach their schools. “Besides schoolchildren, villagers of Hokra, Bhanskot, Dhami Gaon and Sainranthi can face food crisis soon as the ration supply to these villages has been blocked for the past four days,” said Jeewan Singh Danu, a resident of Banskot village. |
||
|
‘Corruption-free’ ladoos add sweetness to Anna’s victory
Haridwar, August 29 In a unique gesture to pay tribute to Hazare’s movement, special tricolour sweets are being made to give the people the taste of the success of the movement. Also in a satirical way, special “corruption-free” ladoos are being distributed among people, giving the message that their fight won’t stop on the Jan Lokpal Bill becoming an Act but the menace of corruption is to be eradicated in every possible way. The idea of making such sweets sprang in Uday Ram Semwal’s mind seeing the mass participation of people in Hazare’s movement. Semwal is the owner of a sweet shop at Bhagat Singh Chowk, Semwal, who is also active in the social field, told The Tribune that after the Jan Lokpal Bill became an Act the woes of the common man, who is suffering from corruption, would be redressed to a great extent. “I thought why not add some sweetness to the already jubilant atmosphere. All these sweets are made of pure ingredients so that the message goes that each and every one of us will have to ensure that there is no scope for corrupt or unfair means in our lives,” added Semwal, who has formed a Kisan Jan Hith Samiti that help out the farmers in Haridwar and Tehri Garhwal. Meanwhile, the “corruption-free” ladoos were distributed among people, particularly children, free of cost. Cheryl, a student of Delhi Public School, who came to the shop seeing Anna’s posters pasted all over it, revisited the shop later in the evening along with her father to buy the “corruption-free” ladoos. “My son urged me to visit the shop as he felt it’s imperative to be part of anything that involves Anna. We couldn’t buy these sweets as today these were being provided free of cost, but in the future we will surely buy these Anna-inspired sweets,” said Khem Chand Thakur, a local resident.
|
||
|
Preparations for Nanda Devi fair in full swing
Nainital, August 29 The Chairman of the Ram Sewak Sabha, the organisation responsible for holding the annual fair, Sudhir Sah, said all the markets in the town would be decorated and special emphasis would be laid on promoting the local arts and culture.
Begins on Sept 2
He disclosed that apart from the eight teams of Chholia dancers that would be performing during the event, artistes from the song and drama division of the Uttarakhand Cultural Department and others would be presenting folk songs and dances during the fair. A team from an akhara in Ramnagar would also display its mettle on the final day of the fair. “This year the trunk of the customary banana tree from which the idols of Goddesses Nanda and Sunanda are carved out would be brought from Bhagat Khamari village near Mangoli. For the procession that is carried out on the last day when the idols are immersed in the Naini Lake special arrangements have been made. Petals would be showered on the idols at eight spots as they move around the town. A special platform would be erected at the spot where the immersion would take place so that maximum number of people can participate in the event,” he added. A few days ago, District Magistrate Shailesh Bagauli had given instructions to various departments with regards to the arrangements to be made regarding the fair. He had called for repairs of the close circuit television cameras (CCTV) so that a watch can be kept on key points. He had also ordered that repairs of the high-mast lights be undertaken. Bagauli had particularly laid emphasis on the repairs of the potholed roads. In an order given to the Transport Department, the district administration has asked it to service additional buses from the areas adjoining Nainital so that the people coming from the adjoining areas do not face any problems. The officials have been asked to furnish a chart of the additional buses to the office of the District Magistrate. Bagauli has also ordered that proper arrangements be made with regards to sanitation during the event. Sah disclosed that 10 temporary toilets are being erected close to the Flats Grounds which is the venue for the fair. He also pointed out that the local Municipal Council would also deploy additional sanitation workers during the event. This fair is held across the region comprising Nainital, Bhawali and Ranikhet besides other places. It is held on the eighth day of the Bhadrapad month of the Hindu calendar. The day is known as Nanda Ashtami. Every year the festivities start from the fifth day of the Bhadrapad month with the making of an idol of Nanda and Sunanda from parts of a banana tree. The idols are adorned with jewels and placed inside the Maa Nayna Devi temple on the eighth day of the month. People turn up in large numbers to offer prayers and seek the blessings of the Goddess. At the stroke of midnight on the ninth day or Navami, there is a special Pooja and Mahabhoj. On the tenth or the Dashami, the goddesses are bid farewell.
On this day the idols of the goddesses are put in a palanquin and taken across the city. At sunset they are immersed in the famous Naini Lake.
|
||
|
Govt for creating more tehsils
Dehradun, August 29 On one hand the Revenue Department has begun the exercise of demarcating the boundaries of the new districts, the vexed issue of selecting the district headquarters for the new districts continue to get complex day by day. To top it, sources claim, the government is not averse to creating more tehsils. “The BJP government is in favour of creating smaller administrative units in the state and deliberations are also on for creating more tehsils for improving administration,” said the sources. It may be pointed out that former Chief Minister Narain Dutt Tiwari had also created a number of tehsils during his tenure. Meanwhile, Purola (Uttarkashi) MLA Rajesh Juwantha today met the Chief Minister and raised his demand for declaring Purola as the district headquarters for the new district of Yamunotri. “We are examining the issues threadbare. Along with creating new districts we would be setting up Atal Mini-Secretariats at each headquarters of Nayay Panchayat,” said the Chief Minister.
|
||
|
Recognition to residency certificate hailed
Dehradun August 29 The organisation also expressed concern over the insistence of the Health and Education Department on domicile certificate for the Uttrakhand Pre-Medical Test and Auxiliary Nurse Midwife Test. Convener Harish Narang said it was not right to demand two kinds of certificates in one state. He said, “There are a few people who are driven by their selfish motives and, hence, are misleading the public. They want to achieve their ulterior political motives by dividing the society.”
|
||
|
GMVN rest houses to be renovated
Dehradun, August 29 The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) have taken up the 16 most deserving rest houses which are promising but lagging due to deplorable infrastructure, on priority. It has given the GMVN the task to shortlist the names of these rest houses and their estimates.
Rs 100 cr approved The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board has been sanctioned Rs 100 crore by the 13th Finance Commission for the next five years and Rs 25 crore as its first instalment for this year. The board has decided to take up repair work on 16 rest houses in the first stage. The UTDB has been sanctioned Rs 100 crore by the 13th Finance Commission for the next five years and Rs 25 crore as its first instalment for this year. The board has decided to take up repair work on 16 rest houses in the first stage. There are at least 66 rest houses of the GMVN which had been incurring losses for various reason, either for being in bad condition or lacking facilities or being located at an odd location. “We are in the process of selecting 16 out of all. Almost all the 66 rest houses need small to large repair work. Many can be recommended for the complete renovation,” said a GMVN official. Managing Director Ashish Joshi has also begun a series of meetings with the managers/supervisors of these rest houses to make an assessment of the work needed to be done in their rest houses. The manager from Mussoorie, Rishikesh and Haridwar has already given their estimates. Whereas those from Dhanolti and Uttarkashi have been enlisted for the second round. Raghunath Negi, vice-president, GMVN, hailed the decision, saying, “It is unfortunate that despite clearance in each board meeting for the last two years, repair or renovation work of rest houses had been postponed for the lack of willingness on the part of GMVN officials and partly for financial reasons also. It is high time these rest houses should be provided with high-class amenities and better infrastructure so that these could compete with high-ended hotels/resorts in their surroundings.
Once they start earning revenue, then they can also bring the GMVN out of huge debts or losses.”
|
||
|
Need to popularise Hindi abroad, say scholars
Haridwar, August 29 Participants dwelt on the ways to make literature popular, be it in Hindi or other regional languages, to make sure that the Indian literature just doesn’t remain confined to the English language on the global front. At the concluding session it was pointed out that a high standard of translation of the Indian literature is needed. It was also decided to hold more multilingual programmes, translate the north-eastern states’ literature into Hindi and translate Hindi books as old as the 10th century into foreign languages in order to popularise the Indian literature among the youth. During the convention various sessions, including poem recitation, were held and the important works of the literati were presented. A veteran observer of the Hindi literature, Prof Kedarnath Singh, pointed out that the Sanskrit and English literature besides other languages, including Hindi, had not been |
||
|
Lakhs of devotees take holy dip in Haridwar
Haridwar, August 29 Since wee hours, people had started thronging Brahm Kund, Har-ki-Pauri and the adjacent ghats to take a dip in the holy Ganga. A huge number of devotees heading towards the city led to traffic jams on the national highway though the police personnel deployed on the road didn’t let the situation go out of control as was during the previous baths. At the bus and railway stations also a number of people were seen stranded. Assistant Regional Manager of the Haridwar bus depot Kranti Singh said additional buses were plied to cope with the rush of passengers. More than 1,000 police personnel were deployed in the mela zone with Senior Superintendent of Police Kewal Khurana, SP (City) Yogendra Singh Rawat, SP (Traffic) Kiran Lal Shaw, ASP Nivedita Kukreti, CO Pankaj Bhatt monitoring the security. “Till 6:30 pm more than 14 lakh devotees have taken a dip in the Ganga and the number is sure to increase as the bath will continue till late night. No untoward incident during the festive occasion has reported,” said ASP Nivedita Kukreti, nodal officer for the fair. On the occasion of Somwati Amawasya, teerth purohits too performed special rites known as “Kushotpatni Ekadasi’.
|
||
|
Govt teachers prefer pvt schools for own kids
Pithoragarh, August 29 According to information sought by an RTI activist of Gangolihat, Shamsher Singh Negi, out of nearly 24,000 teachers working in government primary schools of the state, only 1617 children of these teachers are studying in these schools. “If a teacher is supposed to have two kids than this number indicates that only 3 per cent of the total teachers employed in government schools are sending their children in government schools,” said Negi. “The number of teachers sending their children in government schools at the primary level is minimum in Bageshwar district where only 29 children of teachers working in government schools are studying in the same schools. This is followed by Rudraprayag (45) , Dehradun (95), Hardwar (115) , Almora (195) , Udham Singh Nagar (179), Chamoli (167) Pauri (177) , Pithoragarh (241) and Nainital (225),” said Negi, quoting the information received from the Education Department under the RTI Act. Teachers agree that they are not in position to take risk of their children’s future as the primary schools opened by the government are ill-equipped. First of all, government schools are mostly situated in interior parts of the state which lack essential facilities. Moreover, the teachers have now become economically capable enough to provide better education for their wards. “If the government could provide same facilities what the private institutions are providing, we are ready to enroll our children in government schools where we teach,”
said a teacher. |
||
|
More powers for panchayats sought
Dehradun, August 29 “Till date, the complete transfer of 29 departments to panchayats remain on paper. Despite the 2009 order of transferring of 14 departments to panchayats, partial devolution has taken place through block officer and District Magistrate,” said Mamta Nautiyal, pradhan, Bhilangana block. She was speaking today at a workshop on “Role and importance of panchayati raj institutions”, organised by the Association of Local Governance of India and the Institute of Social Science, New Delhi, and the Himalayan Environment and Education Organisation. Airing similar views, member, state Planning Commission, BP Maithani, said the government had failed to give legislating powers to the panchayats. “The panchayats have been reduced to an implementing body as the government does now want devolution of powers under the three-tier panchayat raj,” said Maithani. He further said 10 years had passed since the creation of the state but the state had failed to come up with its own Panchayat Raj Act. “The state government has adopted the Uttar Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act by bringing certain amendments. The Act is not in tune with the ground realities prevailing in Uttarakhand,” said Maithani. On the other hand, Suresh Bhai of the Himalayan Environment and Education organisation stressed on ridding the panchayats of corruption. “The pradhans should ensure that action is against officials who ask for bribes while undertaking development activities in their villages,” he said. The elected panchayati raj functionaries strongly recommended direct elections of the chairman of the Zila Panchayat and the block pramukh. They also made a strong plea for strengthening the nayay panchayats by redrawing the boundaries. These recommendations would be sent to the government for reference so that these suggestions could be used whenever the state government drafted the new panchayat raj Act. |
||
|
Dhyan Chand remembered on birth anniversary
Haridwar, August 29 A three-day district-level badminton championship also began today. More than hundred students are participating in it. Qualifying rounds were held on day one. Badminton coach Rajesh Malla said the winners would be given specialised coaching to prepare them for inter-district and national-level tournaments. TS Rana of the District Sports Department said a multi-even athletic and hockey championship is also being organised at Roshanabad. Meanwhile, tributes were paid to Major Dhyan Chand, fondly known as ‘Dadda’, at a function held at Gurukul Kangri University. The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Swatantra Kumar, said it was a matter of pride that the university had been associated with the national game for so many decades. He described Dhyan Chand as a humble person, who was still remembered by all. Dr Shiv Kumar Chauhan said three back-to-back Olympic Gold medals in 1928-1932 and 1936 and Dhyan Chand’s performance during the Berlin Olympics had impressed Adolf Hitler so much that he offered the post of Colonel to him. |
||
|
Registration of domestic bovine animals ordered
Nainital, August 29 At a meeting of the Committee for Preventing Cruelty to Animals held at Rudrapur today, District Magistrate BVRC Purshottam called for the strict implementation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. He said executive officers of various municipal bodies and nagar panchayats must ensure that awareness drives were carried out in their respective areas. Regarding the proposed registration of bovine animals, he said
besides the name and address of the owner of the animals, the animal’s description should also
be recorded. Executive officers have also been asked to carry out a survey, in
co-ordination with veterinary doctors, of shops selling meat. After the survey, they have been asked to furnish a list of the shops running with and without the required licence to the office of the Chief Veterinary Officer for further action. Additional Chief Officer, Zila Panchayat, BD Pandey has also been asked to carry out a similar survey in rural areas and prepare similar lists of shops running with or without the required licence. Circle officer of the police Jagdish Chandra informed officials present at the meeting that various laws with regard to preventing cruelty to animals were being implemented strictly. He said 29 cases under various such laws had been registered this year so far, of which 22 pertain to laws preventing the slaughter of bovines and seven to cruelty to other animals. He said while 52 persons had been arrested in these cases, 15 vehicles have also been impounded
by the police. |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Classified | E-mail | |
The border town of Munsiyari and adjoining 46 villages have been cut off from the district headquaters for the past four days as a 40-foot wide portion of road has been washed away at Haradia due to the incessant rain for the past four days.
Dehradun, August 29
Haridwar, August 29
Dehradun, August 29
