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Delhi sharpshooters were hired to kill jailer
State, UP bus row resolved as of now
Punish ex-CM for graft, says Harish Rawat
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Kumaon villages celebrate traditional ‘Khatarua’ festival
‘Latecomer’ cops not allowed to take promotion exam
CM urges Mayawati to nab culprits
Anniversary of Great Landslip of Nainital
UPP slams UKD for third front initiatives
Small power projects not UJVNL’s priority
Cultural event contest for Sanskrit schools begins
Doon valley school, RIMC enter quarter finals
Official for social audit of works by public servants
Pachvadoon clinch volleyball title
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Delhi sharpshooters were hired to kill jailer
Haridwar, September 18 As per intelligence input, informer’s clues and Delhi police cellular interaction interceptions, the sharpshooters hailed from Delhi and were given contract by Sunil Rathi after the unsuccessful car bomb blast attempt on Narendra Singh, just 12 days before he was shot dead early in the morning just outside the prison premises. Special operation group officials carrying out investigation in the murder case, which has shocked the police as well as public, said in a day or two the case would be solved and a special team has been sent to nab three assailants. “Help is also being taken from the Delhi Police as well as the Uttar Pradesh Police in this high-profile murder. All clues are being put together and we will be putting it before the public the sequences of the murder and the people involved in this murder case” said one of the police officials. According to SSP Haridwar Kewal Khurana, it has come to light that Rathi, currently in Roshanabad prison, had access to cellular set and as per call details, he had given instructions to his aides to finish the deputy jailer. As the Roshanabad prison doesn’t have a cellular phone jammer, hardcore criminals easily communicate with their aides or run crime network, particularly extortion from the prison itself. But now the prison administration has demanded a jammer, additional hi-fi technical equipment, including CCTV installations on the premises. Security cover has also been provided to the wife of the deceased Narendra Singh and one of the prison security guards who has also been threatened by Sunil Rathi owing to disobeying his demands. |
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State, UP bus row resolved as of now
Derhadun, September 18 A meeting between officials of both departments had been postponed for the next week. It was on Saturday when buses of the Uttrakhand roadways were impounded at Saharanpur, Moradabad and Mujaffarnagar in Uttar Pardesh by drivers of the UP roadways, the buses of the UP roadways were also impounded at Dehradun, Haridwar and Roorkie in reaction to that. Officials of the UTC filed a case against the UP roadways in the Chhutmalpur police station. The buses bound for Delhi and other destinations from the ISBT here had to ply via Himachal Pardesh and Haryana which prolonged the journey time by three hours and cost more to consumers. But the matter was finally resolved. According to the UTC, the UP roadways had been plying more number of buses than it had been allowed. General Manager Deepak Jain said, “The UP roadways is plying 100 buses in the city, though it is permitted only 38. It is running 25 per cent more buses throughout the state.” Both sides had been fighting over this issue time and again because of which a meeting at the Chief Secretary level was also held in 2009-10 and the number of buses to ply by both corporations in the corresponding states were fixed. Managing Director, Uttarakhand Transport Corporation, Ranjit Sinha said, “The UP State Transport Corporation had been violating the terms of the agreement and plying more buses in the state, whereas we have stuck to the minutes of the agreement. If they want to ply more buses, they should have a fresh agreement with us. There is no option for us now but to take this matter to the Supreme Court now for final solution.” He made it clear that the legal case slapped on the UP roadways at Chhutmalpur will be pursued. |
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Punish ex-CM for graft, says Harish Rawat
Dehradun, September 18 Addressing a series of public meetings in the Dharampur Assembly constituency in Dehradun, Harish Rawat said the people of the state were fed up with the BJP style of governance that believed in frequent changing of Chief Ministers. He accused Uttarakhand Chief Minister BC Khanduri of bringing development to a standstill in the state. He held that the BJP was in the habit of changing Chief Ministers in Uttarakhand and the latest change had been done in the pretext of waging a war against corruption. “As the BJP has now admitted that corruption has taken place in the state, it must punish the former Chief Minister who led a corrupt government in the state”, he said. Referring to the achievements of the UPA government at the Centre, Harish Rawat asserted that the Centre had decided to ensure that their was no Below Poverty Line family in the country by 2020. “We are working in this direction and want to ensure no BPL family in the country by 2020”, Rawat pointed out. He said the Centre was also bringing Food Security Bill to ensure food security to all sections of society in the country. Earlier addressing the gatherings, Congress MLA Dinesh Agarwal pledged to work for the betterment of the region. He targeted BJP Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli accusing him of doing little for the development of the region. He said Dehradun today suffered on all counts as far as civic amenities were concerned. He appealed the people to support the Congress in the coming Assembly elections in a big way. |
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Kumaon villages celebrate traditional ‘Khatarua’ festival
Pithoragarh, September 18 “The villagers, celebrate this festival from ages in the region as a festival of pet and milking animals, remembering the time when the people of these hills were dependent on animals for their living,” said Padma Datt Pant, a local cultural historian. According to the rituals of the festival, the owner of each household cleans his cowshed at early morning and arrange green and soft grass for their animals in the shed instead of sending them to graze in pastures. “Village women also erect a grass-made statue of “Buri” or evil old lady and decorate it with local flowers and erect it in front of their cowsheds. At the time of dawn, this “Buri” is burned across the road from where the pet animals enter forest to graze daily,” said Pant. According to legends, it is the festival of ancient cowboys in Kumoan hills which had drawn it from the Mathura and Braz regions where at the time of birth of Lord Krishna, local economy was based on the cow rearing. “The ‘Buri’ represents demoness ‘Putna’ who had come to kill child Krishna by feeding him with her breast milk but instead was killed by Lord Krishna and thrown in pieces away to the border of the village where most of the cowsheds were located. The cowboys burnt her in pieces, the remembrance of which is still practised in the Kumoan region on ‘Ashwin Sankranti’ day every year from thousands of years,” said Pant. “The households representing pastoral economy prevalent in the Kumaon region from ancient times, also make fun of that evil lady before burning her effigy and offer her eaten local fruits like cucumber at the pyre,” said Pant. “We can see the remains of other pastoral economy in many customs prevalent in the tribal areas of Uttarakashi, Chamoli and parts of tribal areas of the Kumoan region,” said Dr Ram Singh, a regional historian of the Kumoan region. The festival also indicates the dawn of the autumn and harvesting season in the region as the villagers start harvesting their Kharif crop from the day. “It also indicates the beginning of 6-month long period of the festivals as Dusshera and Deepawali and last up to Holi in the month of March,” said Padama Datt Pant. |
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‘Latecomer’ cops not allowed to take promotion exam
Haridwar, September 18 Though the examination was scheduled to be held from 11am to 1 pm, around 10:40 am the police personnel who were not allowed to enter the examination venue started a protest. Despite their repeated appeals, the higher police officials didn’t allow them to take the examination. The protesters resorted to sloganeering and laid a siege to the main gate of banquet hall, demanding either they be allowed to take the examination or it is cancelled. They alleged that they were not apprised properly about being inside the venue before 10:30 am, as the papers relating to the examination guidelines reached the respective police stations late in the evening. Most of the protesting employees were on night duty. Though some of them had reached the venue by 10:30, the gates were not opened for them. “What can we do when we had a night shift duty from 9 pm to 9 am and have to come from Khanpur straightaway. The police officials conducting the examination say they had sent cables to the respective police stations late evening but it was not clearly indicated to be inside the examination hall by 10 am itself. Normally, if the UPSC or any other examinations are conducted, just when half an hour is left for the examination then only the participants are allowed to enter the examination hall. So how come our police department make new rules and deny us an opportunity in our careers,” said a constable who even had a verbal duel with Circle Officer Pankaj Bhatt. At least 12 women constables too were disallowed to take the examination. Many of them were in tears as they said they had prepared for the examination during the past one year and their parents had high hopes of them making it to a higher grade. “This is not a friendly police face but the one of a tyrant. They expect us to be labourers and keep head down to any of their orders. This was an inter-departmental examination so a few minutes’ relaxation could have been given as its 10:50 am and still 10 minutes are to go before the commencement of the written paper. But, no one is listening to us,” complained a woman constable. When the protesting police personnel started saying that the step has been taken to benefit some of the fellow police personnel, SSP Khurana allowed The Tribune team to enter the examination hall to put an end to the allegations of favouritism. “We had informed every one of strict adherence of time limit for the today’s examination. The examinees were to be in by 10:30 am as necessary instructions and distribution of the OMR sheets take time. A departmental inquiry can also be ordered if reports of misbehaviour by certain personnel come to light but it’s not apt to point fingers at the officials who were conducting the examination to hide one’s fault,” said the SSP. Many of the protesting police personnel warned that if the examination was not cancelled in a day or two then they would be taking the legal course, applying for stay from the Nainital High Court. Meanwhile, 1,000-odd police personnel from the Uttarakhand state police, Provincial Armed Constabulary, Local Intelligence Unit and Indian Reserve Battalion took the examination.
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CM urges Mayawati to nab culprits
Dehradun, September 18 Khanduri said the Sikh community in Uttarakhand was quite enraged over the incident and urged the UP government to immediately nab the culprits to do justice with the community. He also described the incident as very unfortunate. Khanduri in course of talks also demanded solving the long standing disputes between the two states. Mayawati congratulated Khanduri for assuming charge of chief ministership in the state and assured action on the issues raised by him. Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri also directed Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar to work for the redressal of roadways transport impasse between the Uttar Pradesh Roadways Corporation and the Uttarakhand Roadways Corporation to serve larger interests of passengers of both states. |
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Anniversary of Great Landslip of Nainital
Nainital, September 18 Just 130 years ago, it was in 1880 that the town of Nainital had experienced what is known as the Great Landslip in which 151 persons were killed and it had redrawn the topography of the Lake City. What stands out as the Flats Grounds and the Field today is in fact the debris of the landslip that had accumulated in the Naini Lake. To mark the anniversary of the Great Landslip, the people held various programmes dedicated to the wellbeing of residents and the upkeep of the town. A group of residents accompanied by students from different schools participated in a cleanliness drive to mark the day as Nainital Swachta Divas. The practice dates back to a few years when a visiting Australian, Remco Van Santen, had come up with the idea to mark the day in this manner. The then Kumaon Commissioner S Raju had come out in support of the initiative in a big way. In the evening, a memorial service was held at St John’s Church - in “the-Wilderness”. This Church memorialises the landslide in several ways, “the enlargement of the chancel in the church, including the provision of an east window, alabaster structure and a carved altar table. Around the sanctuary, on a brass ribbon are inscribed the words, “To the Glory of God and in memory of those who perished in the Great Landslide - 18th September, 1880. They died according to the Word of the Lord and He buried them in this valley”. The names of those who perished are inscribed on two brasses, one on each side of the alabaster structure. In fact, sometime back, Patrick Harris, an engineer from New Zealand, had come with his wife Diana Harris to Nainital as the couple was on a tour of North India trying to trace Patrick’s roots. In a brief interaction with this correspondent Patrick had related that he was born in Mussoorie in 1939 which he had revisited now. He was in Nainital to gather material about Hotel Victoria, which, according to him, was owned by his grandfather. The couple had gone around the town collecting all sorts of material available on the history of the town. They went to the oldest church in the town, St. John’s Church, and even went to the Durga Lal Sah Library in search of the material they had sought. At the cemetery, they paid respects to those who had died in the devastating landslide that had struck Nainital in September 1880. It is believed that Hotel Victoria had also perished in it. Historical accounts suggest that on September 18, 1880, a massive landslide, mentioned as the landslip of 1880 occurred at the north end of the town, burying 151 persons. The first known landslide had occurred in 1866, and in 1879 there was a larger one at the same spot. It is related in the Gazetteer and also in other books that “Two days preceding the landslip there was heavy rain, ... 20 inches (508 millimetres) to 35 inches (889 mm) of rainfall recorded during the 40 hours ending on Saturday morning, and the downpour still lasted and continued for hours after the slip. This heavy rainfall naturally brought down streams of water from the hill side, some endangering the Victoria Hotel, ... (which) was not the only building threatened ... Bell's shop, the Volunteer Orderly Room and the Hindu (Naina Devi) temple were hit the streams. At a quarter to two the landslip occurred burying those in and around the buildings mentioned above." The total number of dead and missing was put at 108 Indian and 43 British nationals. The Assembly Rooms and the Naina Devi Temple were both destroyed in the disaster. A recreation area known as The Flats was later built on the site and a new temple was also erected. To prevent further disasters, storm water drains were constructed and building bylaws were made stricter. |
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UPP slams UKD for third front initiatives
Dehradun, September 18
Addressing a press conference in Dehradun, president of the UPP PC Tiwari said both the BJP and the Congress had promoted mafia culture in Uttarakhand and had least worked for the betterment of the common man. He even accused the UKD of being an opportunist. “The UKD after sharing power with the ruling party now talks of a third front, which is unacceptable,” Tiwari said.
He even questioned the changing of the guard at the chief minister level in Uttarakhand. “If the BJP has changed the Chief Minister in Uttarakhand because earlier Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank was corrupt, then the party should conduct a probe against him,” he said.
Earlier, a convention of the party was held in the city which was attended by a large number of people. A large number of youngsters joined the UPP at the convention. Jaiprakash Uttarakhandi and Prabhat Dhyani were the other prominent speakers at the convention. |
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Small power projects not UJVNL’s priority
Dehradun, September 18 Managing Director, Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL), GP Patel said these hydroelectric projects fell in the category of Small Hydroelectric Projects (SHP) and did not matter much in the overall reckoning of the hydroelectric projects which contribute significantly to power generation in the state. He said: “We are already doing very well, generating power far beyond the set targets and breaking all our previous records. In such a scenario, if a couple of SHPs remained nonfunctional for sometime, it does not affect the cumulative power generation at all”. In the rainy season, such type of occurrences were predictable where SHPs, which had become quite old and were equipped with jaded machinery, were bound to suffer severe damage. He also expressed his inability to deviate his attention from the bigger hydroelectric projects and shift the manpower from those sites to the affected SHPs for damage-control exercises. He, however, gave directions to the officer concerned to speed up the repairs at both the projects. It was found that in case of the Pilangara project, the channels of the power house were not closed for the timely flushing out of the silt or debris and excess water from the gates which caused the serious damage to the machinery and resulted in the closure of the power house. In case of Harsil, the power channel had broken down earlier also which could be set right with the collective efforts (shramdaan) of the people of the three villages in the vicinity and residents of the cantonment area. Since it has once again been damaged, the people of these localities are not ready to pitch in for one more time. Now, they are looking at the grid for the solution of their problem. Patel also talked of arranging electricity from the grid till the channels at the power house were repaired. |
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Cultural event contest for Sanskrit schools begins
Haridwar, September 18 The event was inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor of Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, Prof Mahavir Aggarwal, by lighting a lamp. Haridwar District Education Officer Anil Kumar Bhoj was also present. On the first day, the events of Sanskrit vocal group, speech, slok recitation, antakshri and debates were organised for both senior and junior categories. Dr Manju Nath, Dr Shailesh Tiwari, Dr Prakash Joshi, Kusum Sharma, Neelam Dhiman, Dr Harish Gururani, Rakesh Madhwal, Keshav Baliyani, Prakash Chandra Patn, Ram Chandra Baizapur, Priyadarshini, Naveen Pant, Bhairav Pantola, Dr Vijendra Singh and Chandra Prakash Pandey will be the judges. |
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Hawkers, vendors seek licences
Dehradun, September 18 He said they would organise a one-day protest against their exploitation. Chopra said the state government had failed to implement various schemes launched by the Central Government. He said most of the nagar palika parishads, nagar panchayats and municipal corporations were charging money from hawkers and vendors on a daily basis. Instead they should register all of them and provide them with licences. The members also insisted that the government should prepare a hawker safety policy according to the orders passed by the High Court. Chopra said those officials who forced them to bribe them in order to put their rehris at various places should be punished. The officials should inform vendors in advance if they are going to remove their rehris from a particular place and a receipt of their things that are seized should be given to them. Chopra also mentioned that it would be better for them if the related department identifies a particular area for them to put up their rehris. They also demanded the facilities of shed, lighting, water and toilets at the places where weekly markets are held. |
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Doon valley school, RIMC enter quarter finals
Dehradun , September 18 In the first match, Doon Valley Public School defeated Army Public School, Clementown, 2-0. It was Jeet Bahadur who scored in the 44th minute followed by another goal by Harish in the 53rd minute. Army Public School, Clementown, could not score any goal. In the second match, RIMC defeated Summer Valley School via a tiebreaker as both teams remained goalless in the stipulated time. It was Vinaryam Wilson, Mohit, Tamdin and Prateek who scored goals while Abhishek failed to score through his penalty. From Summer Valley School, only Aman, Abhishek and Saurab could score goals while Akash and Devjeet failed to convert their penalty shoots
into goals. |
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Official for social audit of works by public servants
Mussoorie, September 18 He was addressing members of the Uttarakhand Shramjeevi Patrakar Union on the occasion of the sixth annual convention of the Mussoorie unit on Municipal Council
premises today. He said government officials should be felicitated for their good work.
This kind of social auditing will encourage honest diligent public servants to work with more enthusiasm, he added. Earlier, members of the union felicitated five persons for their exemplary services to the town. Dr Sandeep Tandon was presented a citation and an award for health service. Gopal Bhardwaj,
Upendar Panwar, Anuj Tayal and Ajay Bhaskar were also felicitated on the occasion for their contribution towards
society. Municipal Council president OP Uniyal, president Shramjivi Patrakar Sangh Manmohan
Lakhera, general secretary Biswajeet Negi and others were present on the occasion. |
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Pachvadoon clinch volleyball title
Dehradun, September 18 Meanwhile, District Sports Officer Dharmendra Bhatt gave away prizes to the players.
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Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Food Processing and Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat today said the people of Uttarakhand had made up their mind for a change.
Haridwar, September 18
Dehradun, September 18
Dehradun , September 18
