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Villagers threaten stir over jumbo intrusion
Drive to enforce traffic rules |
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Definition of poor man by UPA draws
ire
Now, outsiders can own 12.5 acres of farmland in state
Cong seeks reasons for Nishank’s exit
Tripura minister for fungi cultivation in rural areas
Haridwar gears up to receive millions
Pilgrims plant saplings for ‘Mansarovar van’
Unrest over ill-treatment of de-addiction centre inmates
Shraadh for Punjabis killed during Partition on September 25
Martyr cremated with full honours
FRI to treat decaying orange trees in Tripura
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Villagers threaten stir over jumbo intrusion
Haridwar, September 22 Jumbo intrusion is being reported on daily basis at several villages, particularly in Jagjeetpur, Missirpur, Panjanhedi, Jeopata, Katarpur, where crop on several hectares of land has been ravaged by elephants. The villagers have reported the forest officials but no action has been taken. They have warned the forest officials and guards to look into the matter or they will start an agitation. Raj Pal Chauhan and Asim of Panjanhedi village complained that for past few days, elephant intrusion in their agricultural fields has increased. This has instilled fear among the villagers. “Its quite dangerous to venture out in the fields early in the morning and in evening. Our families are confined to houses. It is quite dangerous to move out late at night,”said Bobby Saini, a Jeopata villager. While in the Jagjeetpur area, jumbo movement was reported on the main road by villagers and school students. Their movement has raised security concerns among parents and school management as thousands of students take this route towards the city by auto-rickshaws. Tibdi range, falling in Rajaji National Park, officer MS Negi said they have been getting information about the jumbo movement and vigil has been intensified in these areas. Noted forest scientist Dr Ritesh Joshi termed the jumbo movement owing to change in climatic condition and the ripening of paddy crops which is attracting elephants towards villages. Divisional forest officials have urged people to inform the department of any movement of elephants and also to take precautionary measures. |
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Definition of poor man by UPA draws
ire
Nainital, September 22 UPP president PC Tewari has stated that this submission under the signatures of none other than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is an insult to the poor of the country. He has suggested that the ministers, bureaucrats and legislators must be paid their emoluments with this figure as the base index. The UPP has accused the Prime Minister and the Planning Commission of trying to mislead the country and demanded action against them for filing a false affidavit before the SC. In a statement issued at Almora on Thursday, Tewari has stated that the affidavit shows the outlook of the top brass of the country towards the masses. He has pointed that if the Prime Minister thinks that the figures mentioned are correct, then his government should provide basic amenities while keeping in mind these very same figures. — TNS |
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Now, outsiders can own 12.5 acres of farmland in state
Nainital, September 22 Talking to The Tribune, advocate VK Kohli, who was representing petitioner Jaswant Singh in the matter, said: “Following this judgement any person who is a citizen of India can purchase 12.5 acres of agricultural land (the permissible limit under the Land Ceilings Act). What is wrong even if a person from outside the state wants to carry out agricultural activities here.” The petitioner had contended that the existing norms were very much against the residents of Uttarakhand itself. “Suppose on September 12, 2003, a person while being a resident of Uttarakhand did not possess any agricultural land. He and his coming generations were prohibited from purchasing more than 250 square metres of agricultural land. On the other hand, if any one whether a resident or an outsider possessed even 100 square metres of agricultural land on the given date, he was eligible to purchase 12.5 acres. Our contention was against this discrimination,” said Kohli. According to the information, it was former Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari who had put the ceiling pertaining to the purchase of agricultural land by those who were not in possession of any such land on September 12, 2003, at 500 square metres. This had subsequently been reduced to 250 square metres by Major-General BC Khanduri (retd) during his previous tenure as the Chief Minister in 2007. The main issue that is bound to crop up following the judgement is whether the government manages to monitor and ensure the implementation of proper land use norms. It needs to be ensured that the sale and purchase of agricultural land in the days to come must not lead to agricultural land being put to any other use. The previous government led by Tiwari had been facing a flak over the past few years for allowing rich tracts of agricultural land, particularly in the Terai belt, being handed over for industrial use. |
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Cong seeks reasons for Nishank’s exit
Dehradun, September 22 Addressing a press conference in Dehradun today, Hriyadesh said it was strange that while the central BJP leadership had been repeatedly reposing its faith in Nishank’s leadership for the past several months, the reasons which led to a sudden change of mind resulting in Nishank’s unceremonious exit had not been revealed to the people of the state. Hriyadesh said development would be a big issue in the coming Assembly elections and asserted that the state was lacking in all sectors of development. “The state is devoid of basic amenities like potable water, power and roads and the people are suffering the most,” she said, adding that the condition of roads across the state was pathetic. Responding to queries, Hriyadesh raised her apprehension that the state BJP government could try to rake up the issue of 56 scams out of ill will a few months before the elections. “The Congress has not committed any scam during its rule and these 56 scams are just a farce,” she pointed out. Referring to Uttarakhand Congress charge sheet against the state BJP government, Hriyadesh said the charge sheet had been submitted to the Centre and the latter too had given its recommendations to the state. She, however, denied having details of these recommendations. |
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Tripura minister for fungi cultivation in rural areas
Dehradun, September 22 Inaugurating a two-day national seminar on “Recent Advances in Fungal Biotechnology” at the Forest Research Institute (FRI),
Dehradun, today, Chaudhury said fungi such as mushroom was a nutritious food item and could be taken up for cultivation in the rural areas. He emphasised the role of fungus in balancing the environment and appreciated the role of the Forest Research Institute in researches on biotechnology and developing diseases resistant varieties. Dr VK
Bahuguna, Director-General, Indian Council of Forest Research and Education,
Dehradun, too appreciated the work done by Forest Pathology Division on the fungal conservation, its biotechnological applications and the works on medicinally important fungi. Dr SS
Negi, Director, FRI, in his address stressed the need for constant endeavours in this direction. Dr NSK Harsh, Head of Forest Pathology Division welcomed the delegates. The first session of the seminar began with the lecture of the lead speaker, Dr Amit
Pandey, Scientist, Forest Pathology Division, FRI, Dehradun. |
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Birth centenary function of Gayatri Parivar founder
Haridwar, September 22 A wide range of programmes will be organised with preparations and temporary infrastructure being put up on the lines of the Kumbh fair. The two-month long celebrations have kicked off with a three-day national seminar for mediapersons concluding last week only. The main function will be held from November 6 to 10 in which millions of Shankti Kunj members spread across the country and abroad will be participating. Titled “Yug Srijan Mahakumbh” a mega event of 1551 Kundiya Yajna will be organised with mantras being chanted by millions participating in the yajna. As per Shanti Kunj yagna organisers, this will create spiritual energy that will be concentrated through sadhakas for social and national causes. A Yog Mahotsava will also be one of the major attractions with 500 yoga experts, practitioners and gurus from 16 countries participating in it, which will be organised by Dev Sanskriti University and the Uttarakhand Tourism Department. For the grand function, eighth temporary bridges are being constructed at the Kumbh mela zone which are being built at main programme venue Laljiwala, Gauri Shankar Deep and the Daksheshwar Deep-Bairagi camp. While Shanti Kunj activists are at the helm of affairs, assistance is also being provided by government departments and nodal agencies. Experts of these agencies, aided with the enthusiasm of Shanti Kunj activists, have already done almost 30 pc of the work as tents at Bhooptawala have been erected while bridges are half way from completion. Activists from the host state Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Orissa and other parts can be seen working in laying platform for the mega event. Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik has assured Shanti Kunj Gayatri head Pranav Pandya and Shail Jiji of full support of the government and had held a high-level meeting of the department concerned in the presence of District Magistrate R Meenakshi Sundaram to ensure the success of centenary function. Born on September 20, 1911, Pandit Shri Ram Sharma Acharya devoted his life for social causes inculcating moral values among people. He had compiled, edited and translated all four Vedas, 108 Upanishads, six Darshans, 18 Puranas, 20 Smritis, the Gita with lucid commentaries to enable the masses understand these scriptures. He founded Shanti Kunj in Haridwar and following in his footsteps Dev Sanskriti University was also established adjacent to Shanti Kunj in 2002. |
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Pilgrims plant saplings for ‘Mansarovar van’
Pithoragarh, September 22 “The plants of oak, Bhojpatra and other Himalayan varieties have been provided by the forest department under the technical guidance of leading environmentalist of the Kumoan region, Damodar Rathor, an Indira Gandhi Virkshamitra awardee for his contribution in plantation in the Kumoan region,” said Vishva Mitra Anand, commandant of the Indo-Tibetian Border Police (ITBP) at Gunji. According to the commandant, the initiative began in 2007, with the help of the state forest department and some the ITBP officers. Under the initiative, every pilgrim going to Kailash Mansarowar was given a plant by the ITBP at their Mirthi camp. “The plants were selected on th basis of the ecology of the high Himalayan region, above 10000-feet, where every plant of lower valley can not survive, the planted saplings of Oak, Surai, and Bhojpatra are now growing and their rate of survival is above 90 per cent,” said the ITBP officer. ”A patch of two hectares of land in Gunji has been covered by this plantation by the Kailash Mansarowar pilgrims, and by next 10 years, it is bound to be a rich forest of different varieties of plants,” said Vishva Mitra Anand, the ITBP officer. According to the ITBP officers, the saplings, collected from different nurseries of the forest department are gathered at the Mirthi camp of the ITBP every year before the beginning of the yatra . “The saplings are then sent to Gunji camp of the ITBP and handed over to pilgrims when they leave Gunji to next camp on their way to Kailash Mansarowar,” said the commandant. |
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Unrest over ill-treatment of de-addiction centre inmates
Nainital, September 22 The issue came to light when an inmate from Chandrapur village, who had been admitted to the centre, related to his son that the authorities were actually ill-treating the other persons who had got admitted to the centre for getting rid of their habits of drinking and drug addiction. He said the inmates of the centre were being kept hungry and were being repeatedly thrashed by those managing the centre. According to the reports, several people had got the members of their families admitted to the centre for getting them treated and were paying anything from Rs 2,000 per month to Rs 7,000 per month for their treatment. The centre was being run near Bandarjuda village by Bharat Sharma of Jahangirpuri in Delhi. The villagers are now demanding action against Sharma and are agitated over the fact that he had been let off after the preliminary rounds of questioning by the police. The villagers are also seeking a probe into the possibility of drugs being sold or stored at the centre. Sharma was reportedly thrown out of his rental accommodation by his landlord and is learnt to have rushed to Gabua where his in-laws reside. Besides the people of the village, public representatives have also demanded a thorough investigation into the entire episode. They have also called for tracing and verification of Sharma’s antecedents airing aspersions that he might have been involved in illegal activities in Delhi. There were eight inmates at the de-addiction centre at the time of the incident. |
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Shraadh for Punjabis killed during Partition on September 25
Dehradun September 22 Informing more about the occasion to mediapersons in the city today, patron of the organisation Jagatguru Ramanandacharya Swami Hansdevacharya Maharaj said, “The shraadh ceremony will start in the early morning with Sikh religious rituals such as ‘Sukhmani Sahib ka path and mass ardas’ followed by vedic ritual, including 108 havan kund and 10 lakh diyas to be floated in the Ganges.” He said a congregation of Punjabi people numbering between 50,000 and 1 lakh was expected to arrive for the event from all over the country for which 4,000 rooms had been booked in Haridwar. This had been the fourth shraadh performed by the organisation since 2008. He said, “Eighty per cent of the total killed during the Partition were people of the Punjabi community. Their family members could not give them proper homage in the form of shraadh, so we decided to perform the mass shraadh each year. First three years, we held it in Kurukshetra. In 2010, we wished to do it at Haridwar but due to a calamity triggered by rain fury, we were engaged in relief work and provided fodder to animals, besides other charity work.” Founder president Ram Murti Vir Kapoor said the organisation would also establish memorials in Haridwar and Kurukshetra and hold fairs in remembrance of the martyrs Besides, he said they were coming up with two big projects, each at both places, where structures such as a Punjabi academy, a medical college, a museum, a temple, a gurdwara, an old-age home, etc would be built. For this 100 bigha land had already been bought in Kurukshetra and similar efforts were being made at Haridwar as well. |
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Martyr cremated with full honours
Dehradun, September 22 Rana’s body was brought to his native place Saket Colony, Dharampur, Dehradun via Chandigarh by road this morning. A large number of his relatives, locals and pubic representatives, including Chief Minister BC Khanduri, paid their last respects to the martyr at at his residence in Dehradun. Later the body was taken to to Haridwar for cremation. Earlier in the morning when the body reached his residence, heartrending scenes were witnessed. Most of the people waiting to pay their last respects to the departed soul bowed in respect while some gave a military salute and could not help crying. The SI was survived by his wife Madhu, two young daughters Neha and Nidhi and son Subham who broke down as the BSF truck carrying the body reached their residence. Rana, who was leading a petrol team, suffered serious injuries in a burst of gunfire from across the international border with Pakistan near south Jammu on Tuesday. He was immediately rushed to a hospital in Samba but was declared dead by the doctors there. His elder brother, Alam Singh Rana, also sacrificed his life for the country while fighting terrorists in 1999. Meanwhile, among the dignitaries who paid last respects to the martyr include Cabinet Minister TS Rawat, Vijaya Barathwal, MLA Dinesh Agarwal, former Congress minister Hira Singh Bisht and former Dehradun Mayor Manorama Sharma. The Chief Minister laid a wreath on the body and consoled the bereaved family. Khanduri said such incidents which were being continuously perpetrated by Pakistan were a matter of concern. He stated that the state government was with the martyr’s family in this hour of grief. He added the state government would extend all possible assistance to the family. Khanduri further said he would himself talk to senior officials of the BSF and try to get more assistance for the martyr’s family. Haridwar: With moist eyes and patriotic feelings martyr Ram Chandra Singh Rana’s last rites were performed here this morning. His cremation took place at the Khadkhadi ghat with the martyr’s relatives and the local people turning in large numbers to pay tributes to Rana who hailed from Pauri Garhwal district. Martyr’s son Shubham and daughters Nidhi and Neha were consoled by relatives Ajay Rana, Rajendra, Bhandari, Gabbar Singh and others. No higher administrative official was present at the cremation ground except SHO Haridwar Kotwali Mahendra Singh
Negi. |
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FRI to treat decaying orange trees in Tripura
Dehradun, September 22 The FRI authorities today assured Tripura Rural Development Minister Jitendra Chowdhary of sending a team of experts to the Jampui hills to study the causes behind decaying of orange trees. “Initially, it looks to be a fungal infection on roots but the exact reason will be known after the studying the affected orange trees”, SS Negi, Director, FRI, pointed out. Referring to Tripura oranges, Jitendra Chowdhary said these citrus fruits, growing in Tripura for over hundred years, were known for its juicy and sweet contents and was preferred over Nagpur oranges aboard. — TNS |
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A spurge has been noticeble in a past few days in the activities of elephants in the residential areas of the outskirts of Rajaji National Park and alongside Ganga canal.
Uttarakhand Congress Media in charge Indira Hriyadesh has sought an explanation from the BJP for the reasons behind unceremonious exit of Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank from chief
ministership.
After the successful completion of the Mahakumbh and the Kanwar fair, Haridwar is gearing up for hosting a grand birth centenary function of Gayatri Parivar founder Shri Ram Sharma Acharya to be organised by the Shanti
Kunj.
In order to make the Kailash Mansarovar region free from the effects of global warming, pilgrims have planted more than 4,000 saplings at Gunji since 2007. For creating a “Mansarovar van”, every batch of pilgrims took part and planted one sapling each.
Dehradun, September 22
