BJP to contest all 70 seats: CM
Lays stones of projects worth crores in Pithoragarh district
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October17
Chief Minister BC Khanduri has said that his party will contest all the 70 seats in the coming Assembly elections and will have no alliance with any political party in forming the government. At present, the state BJP government is having a faction of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Diwakar Bhatt) as alliance partner in the government.

“The party is united and all the top leaders of the party are now on campaign trail to ensure the victory of the the BJP in the Assembly elections,” said Khanduri while inaugurating a six-day autumn festival in Pithoragarh town today. However, he decided to ignore the question as to who will lead the party if the BJP comes to power.

Before inaugurating the festival, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone of various projects which are to be executed at a cost of Rs 20 crore in the district. These included roads and water schemes.

“The BJP government is committed to giving corruption-free administration in the state and after the elections are over, the party will not only enforce the citizens charter bill but also come with a strengthened Lokayukta, which will have powers to enquire into corruption charges even against the Chief Minister,” said Khanduri.

When asked about corruption charges levelled against former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Khanduri said those were political accusations but if any court took cognisance of any charge against him, he would be unsparing. Before landing in Pithoragarh, the Chief Minister addressed a public meeting in Didihat town of the district and assured the people that the administrative machinery in the newly formed four districts of the state would be functional before the election code of conduct came into force.

The Chief Minister inaugurated development schemes worth Rs 10.87 crore for Didihat subdivision, including drinking water schemes for Narayan Nagar, Rathi, Jumma and Selmali villages. He laid the foundation stone of the Thal-Baltir road.

Complaints of Sexual Harassment
Only 7 govt depts have formed panels
Neena Sharma/TNS

Dehradun, October 17
Thirteen years after the Uttar Pradesh government (then Uttarakhand was a part of UP) issued an order for the creation of Committees Against Sexual Harassment (CASH) in compliance with the Supreme Court directive (1997), only seven departments have formed such committees in the state and wherever these committees have been formed rarely any complaint has been received.

After the Supreme Court directive, the state and district-level committees came into being to tackle the instances of sexual harassment but the state has failed to ensure that these committee are formed at the offices (departments) where there is a large work force of women.

Some years back, after a single case of sexual harassment was reported, the government again swung into action forcing the departments to set up committees and the first to follow the order was the Information Technology Development Agency (ITDA), where the incident had occurred.

“Not only is the government disinterested there is also a lack of awareness even among women about CASH,” said Geeta Gairola, a social activist.

So far, the committees have been formed only at the Uttarakhand State Seed Certification office (Dehradun), PWD (Rishikesh), the GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (Pantnagar), Executive Engineer’s office-2, PWD (Nainital), ITDA (Dehradun), Electricity Department (Dehradun) and the Animal Husbandry Department (Dehradun).

“We have been reportedly asking the government to ensure that these committees are created but the government seems to be disinterested. It responds only when an incident occurs. Most of the cases pertaining to sexual harassment come to us. It will be better if these are tackled by the committees. Recently a hue and cry was raised after a case of sexual harassment came to light but no effort was made to ensure that the department concerned is made to comply with the court order,” said Sushila Baluni, Chairperson, State Women?s Commission.

Even various universities have not been able to set up such committees. When The Tribune contacted the HNB Garhwal University authorities, the reply was: “We have no idea if these committees have to be formed in the universities, but we will look into the issue and get back to you,.”

These committees are formed to deal with complaints of sexual harassment in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court. The definition of sexual harassment includes physical contact and advances, demands or request for sexual favours, sexually coloured remarks (verbal or non-verbal) and conduct of a sexual nature.

Docs suspect roundworm-infested boar
meat behind 10 deaths
CM announces relief of Rs 1 lakh each to next of kin of deceased
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 17
Doctors of Doon Hospital said today that the 10 deaths that have been reported in three villages of Pauri this month might have been due to Trichinellosis disease.

Residents of three villages of Pauri had consumed the meat of a wild boar in the first week of August and fell ill in the months of September and October, as this disease takes some time to spread. While ten persons died, two persons are under treatment at Doon Hospital supervision of a team of doctors, including Dr NS Bisht and Dr KC Pant.

“As these persons had consumed the meat of a wild boar, they were infested with Trichinella, a kind of parasitic roundworm found in pigs and other animals. The symptoms of the disease take some time to register. In this case, as the persons had consumed the meat in August, the disease manifested very late. Complications begin to develop when the worm starts damaging the spleen, liver and later the brain,” said Dr KC Pant, a senior physician, Doon Hospital.

Meanwhile, the disease has spread in the three villages falling in Pauri with some of the patients being shifted to District Hospital, Pauri. “The survival of the patients depends on the extent of the damage caused to the vital organs of the body,” said Dr Pant.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister BC Khanduri has expressed grief over the incident. He has announced a relief of Rs 1 lakh each to next of kin of the deceased.

He has also ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. He has directed district officials to ensure proper medical care to those who are under treatment.

Cong workers, Ramdev’s supporters clash
Tribune News Service

Nainital, October 17
A clash took place between the workers of the Congress and the supporters of yoga guru Ramdev at Lal Kuan railway station here last night. The cause of the clash was said to be the protests launched by the Congress against Ramdev and the latter’s supporters coming out in support of him.

Over the past few days Ramdev had been holding a series of yoga camps across Kumaon. These camps were marked by issuing of political statements by the yoga guru who kept on raising the issue of black money to embarrass the Congress.

On the other hand, the Congress workers had been holding protests wherever Ramdev goes. They have been demanding that Ramdev should reveal the name of the minister in the Uttarakhand Government who, according to him, had demanded a bribe of Rs 2 crore from him during the first tenure of BC Khanduri as Chief Minister.

The protests had continued till the end when Ramdev was to board a train from Lal Kuan to Lucknow. Right from Tikoniya in Haldwani to the railway station at Lal Kuan, Ramdev was shown black flags.

However, it was at Lal Kuan station that Ramdev’s supporters, along with his security personnel, attacked the protesting Congress workers and went on to thrash them.

The Congress workers later lay on rail tracks, leading to a delay in the departure of the Nainital Express by about 40 minutes. They later staged a protest at the local police station seeking action against those who had attacked them.

UKD (P) to oppose Advani’s Rath Yatra
Tribune News Service

Nainital, October 17
The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Panwar) has announced that it will oppose the ongoing Rath Yatra against corruption being undertaken by senior BJP leader LK Advani.

UKD (P) president Trivender Singh Panwar told mediapersons here that the UKD cadres would greet Advani’s yatra with black flags when it came to Uttarakhand.

“Advani has no locus standi and right to talk about corruption in Uttarakhand when the government of his own party have been involved in one corrupt deed after the other, whether it is the scam related to the Citurgia land use, allocation of 56 mini hydro-power projects or various other scams,” Panwar said.

Panwar also attacked Yoga Guru Ramdev for his political statements. He said, “Ramdev must go and formally join the BJP as he has been acting as the party’s agent in Uttarakhand. He should not misguide the people of the hill state under the garb of a yoga teacher.”

Replying to another query, he said his party was gearing up for contesting the coming state Assembly poll. He attacked both Congress and BJP for failing to address the concerns of the people of the state and doing anything for their good.

Training programme on forest, climate change held
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 17
Director General of the Indian Council of Forest Research and Education (ICFRE) Dr VK Bahuguna, on the inaugural session of the training programme on ‘Forest and Climate Change’ at Forest Research Institute (FRI) here today, said climate change was a major challenge for India and other developing countries.

The programme was organised for the officials of the India Forest Service. He said countries like India faced climate variability and were exposed to enhanced risks of climate change. “With nearly 1,73,000 villages classified as the forest fringe villages, there is obviously large dependence of communities on forest resources. Issues related to water and food security are important in relation to climate change adaptation,” he said.

Dr Dharmendra Verma, head of the Biodiversity and Climate Change division of the ICFRE, said the division was proactive in the forest and climate change related issues at national and international level and was engaged in the capacity building programmes for officials of the Indian Forest Service and scientists and technologists working in the government sector.

The ICFRE, Dehradun, is organising a five-day compulsory course for officials of the service from October 17 to 21 on 'Forest and Climate Change: Opportunities and Challenges of Adaptation and Mitigation'.

About 35 officials from forest departments of 21 states of the country are participating in the training programme. Dr Anita Srivastava conducted the inaugural session while VRS Rawat of the council gave a vote of thanks. Dr SS Negi, Director, FRI, was present on the occasion.

The compulsory course is a part of the Government of India's scheme for short-term courses for IFS officials in the premier institutions of the country for updating the knowledge, skills and change in the attitude for managing the natural resources of the country by organising specialised courses.

Sood Director of Rishikesh AIIMS

Dehradun, October 17
Dr Rita Sood has been appointed the Director of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) by the Central Government.

The AIIMS, which is coming up at Rishikesh, is being built as a centre of excellence and will cater to residents of western Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The institute is also expected to be a boon for residents residing in the adjoining villages.

The chief secretary, Subash Kumar, today said the state government was committed to provide electricity, water and road facility for the institution. — TNS

Kumbh Scam
Manch chief asks minister to quit
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 17
A day after facing humiliation on the Kumbh scam during the visit of Chief Minister BC Khanduri in Haridwar, now Ambrish Kumar, a two-time Haridwar legislator and founder of the Rashtriya Krantikari Manch, has lashed out at Uttarakhand Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik for keeping silent on the multi-crore Kumbh scam.

Ambrish Kumar, who is now set to join the Congress, sought resignation from Madan Kaushik for doing little development in the state.

He even flayed Khanduri for adopting double standards regarding corruption as while on the one hand he was propagating anti-corruption as his main agenda, on the other he was keeping silent over Kaushik’s role in the Rs 755 crore Kumbh fund misuse.

“The public wants a clear stance regarding Kaushik. If Nishank can be removed on this issue, why not the minister in charge of the Kumbh mela?” said Ambrish who is keen to contest from the Congress and is confident of opening the Congress account in the Haridwar city segment.

Citing an example of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna, Ambrish said the 1974 Kumbh was organised with Rs 5 crore only. It was well-planned. But the Nishank-led BJP government had failed to organise it meticulously despite multiple resources at its disposal.

On the contentious issue of domicile certificate-permanent residential certificate, the former Samajwadi Party legislator adopted a cautious approach.

Some politicians were trying to adopt a divisive approach on this issue which would not be allowed. People who were residing for more than 15 years should be issued the certificates after intense verification as there were other issues like unemployment, lack of development in hills and disaster management which should be given priority, opined Ambrish.

Expressing solidarity with the families of the deceased killed in the Rudrapur riots, he said barring this incident, people in Uttarakhand had been living with harmony which had been an example for other states to follow.

TPS Rawat accuses govt of corruption
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 17
Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha convener and former minister TPS Rawat has said the ruling BJP government is the most corrupt that forced him to resign from the party.

He was speaking at a rally organised by the Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha at Didihat town in the district today.

“The party has changed the Chief Minister in the state just before the Assembly elections only to cover up corruption during the time of former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank,” said Rawat.

According to him, the morcha has been formed in the state only to root out the corruption from the state. “We have decided to contest all seats in the Assembly elections. In case, we are not able to find suitable candidates to contest on the Raksha Morcha ticket, the morcha will support honest candidate among the contestants”, he said.

‘Tughlaq’ actors present mesmerising performance
Tribune News Service

Nainital, October 17
“Tughlaq”, a prominent play, staged by theatre artistes from the Baba Sanskriti Vikas Samiti, Nainital, held the audience spellbound at the local Chalet Hall.

The artistes involved in the production of the play did justice to the modern day classic penned by an eminent literary, theatre and film personality, Girish Karnad. It was later translated into Hindustani by yet another big name from the world of Indian theatre and films, Babukodi Venkataramana Karanth. The presentation in Nainital that was held over the past three days was directed by a young theatre artiste, Ritesh Sagar.

Undertaking the play with scarce resources at hand was not an easy task. The play justifies the perception that Mohammad Bin Tughlaq was undeniably the most brilliant King on the throne of Delhi. However, at the same time, he was a big failure whose career, spanned by a series of decisions that went horribly wrong, ended in bloodshed.

One can easily draw a parallel between the scenario depicted in the historical play and the present day politics. The play depicted the conflict between Tughlaq within and the world without. Although symbolically historical, it lashes out at the modern day politics that too is marked by scheming characters, sycophancy, whimsical decisions and the game of outdoing the other no matter what the cost involved.

Mithilesh Pande played the lead role in the play and came out with an excellent performance, particularly when it came to delivering soliloquies. The other actors who gave the greatest performance included Rehan Akhtar in the role of Najib, Sanjay Kumar (Barni), Dharamvir Singh Parmar (Aziz) and Anwar Raza (Shamsuddin). The actors in other roles also came up with a commendable performance.

The only drawback visible at some places was the pronunciation of Urdu. Another suggestion coming from the audience was that it could have been made a bit tight by tying up certain loose ends. The performance was well-received and appreciated by all. What is the most commendable is that in the absence of an auditorium and a place to rehearse in the entire town owing to government “apathy”, the artistes have not given up and coming up with one good performance after the other at regular intervals.

New DIG (Garhwal Range) takes over
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 17
Sanjay Gunjiyal, new Deputy Inspector General of Police (Garhwal Range), today took over the charge. He replaced DIG Deepam Seth who has been posted at the police headquarters, Dehradun.

The 1997 batch IPS officer was earlier posted at the PHQ prior to which he was serving as SSP Haridwar.

Gunjiyal today told reporters at his office that he would sit with SSPs of all districts and would try to chalk out a plan to streamline traffic. He in the same breath added that the problem of traffic was not only limited to cities now, but is also being faced in the hilly areas of the state due to an increase in the population.

He said he would ask SHO-level officers to study the cause of deaths in every accident to prevent them in future.

Efforts would also be made to identify the bodies of unidentified ones, he further added.

The DIG stressed on strengthening the basic policing in the region. He also said the efforts from the police would be to take preventive measures.

Corruption Issue
SP to hold protests on Nov 2

Dehradun, October 17
Members of the Samajwadi Party will hold protests in front of various district headquarters on November 2 on the issue of inflation, corruption and anti-people policies.

This was stated by state president of the party Vinod Barthwal at the party office here yesterday. He also flayed action taken against innocent people by the Rudrapur administration in the aftermath of the communal riots.

“A party delegation had visited Rudrapur on October 14 and found people complaining against the alleged highhandedness of the police. We will meet the CM in this regard soon,” he added. — TNS

Abducted girl rescued

Nainital, October 17
The police claims to have recovered a six-year-old girl who had been kidnapped from a place close to her home while she was playing.

A resident of Bihar has been arrested in this regard.

It is learnt that Nancy had been kidnapped from Rajpura of Haldwani on Saturday evening. Her father approached the police and during questioning it was come to light that a tenant had left their house just 10 days back. Based on the details given about the tenant, the police launched a hunt in the area. Following a tip-off, they nabbed Kailash Majhi of Bihar from Pantnagar on Sunday evening. They also rescued the child from him. — TNS

Gurukul Kangri varsity cricket tourney begins
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 17
An inter-stream cricket tournament of Gurukul Kangri University began at Dayanand Stadium here today. Six teams of the varsity are taking part in the tournament.

In the first match played today, the Life Science team won the toss and opted to field first. Its Captain took the decision to field first keeping in view the early morning windy conditions.

The decision proved to be right as the opening bowlers, particularly Monu Tyagi, used the conditions perfectly to swing the ball considerably. He took three wickets.

In the stipulated 20 overs, the B Tech team bundled out for a meagre 83 runs.

Chasing the target, the opening batsmen of the Life Science team thrashed the opening bowling duo scoring 50 runs in just seven overs.

Monu Tyagi again showed his cricketing skill, notching a quick-fire 18 runs. He was declared the Man of the Match. The Life Science team won the match by 9 wickets with 43 balls to spare.

In the second match played between BPEd and BPharma, after winning the toss the former opted to bat first. The BPEd team scored 104 runs for the loss of 6 wickets as their batsmen found it hard to negotiate the extra bounce. It was only in the power play that Sachin Nayanwal scored 27 runs of 18 balls and team Captain Pradeep Rana (20), to take the total score past 100 runs.

The batsmen of the BPharma team had no answer to the seam and spin by the bowlers of the rival team, who were aided by a superb fielding.

Four wickets fell on a paltry 20 runs and the whole team bundled out for 58 runs giving their opponents a 46-run win.

Tapan Tiwari took four vital wickets conceding just 18 runs while spinner Raghvendra Rana claimed three wickets conceding just 10 runs.

The umpires were Ajay Manral, Deepak Bisht while the score sheet was maintained by Manish Kumar and Rohit Mamgain.