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Rly line project triggers war of words between BJP, Congress
Yamunotri shrine closed for winter
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Nizamuddin, Ambrish Kumar join Congress
Night curfew lifted at Rudrapur
BSP steps up efforts to garner hill votes
Haridwar BJYM chief sees greater role for youth
Angling
Contest on Saryu
Three killed in mishaps
CD on Harak Rawat released
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Rly line project triggers war of words
Dehradun , October 28 The announcement by the Congress that UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi will lay the foundation stone of the ambitious Rishikesh-Karnprayag railway line at Gauchar in the Garhwal region in the first week of November has unnerved the ruling BJP. Senior BJP leader, Rajya Sabha member and former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari first tried to take credit for the project by circulating a reply by Planning Commission Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on the project to a letter written by Koshiyari. But Congress stalwart and Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha MP Satpal Maharaj, who had been pursuing the project that falls in his constituency since 1996 when he was a Union Minister of State for Railways, was quick to condemn the effort by Koshiyari to take credit for the project. Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, who is in charge of the BJP state election committee, then attacked the Congress for inviting Congress President Sonia Gandhi to lay the foundation stone of a national project for political gains. He said it smacked of politics and was against propriety. However, the Congress responded by reminding the BJP that the Atal Khadyaan Yojna started by the state BJP government under the leadership of former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank was launched by BJP President Nitin Gadkari last year. The political significance of such an important rail project has not been lost on both warring political parties. The Uttarakhand Congress wants to start its election campaign with a bang with the laying of the foundation of the Rishikesh-Karnprayag railway line, giving a clear message to the hill people that it stands for the development of the area. The BJP finds itself on the back foot as it has no major of achievement to its credit in the past four years. The past four and a half years of BJP rule in the state were marred by controversies. There were allegations of corruption, inefficiency, red-tapism and political instability. While the previous Congress government led by Chief Minister ND Tewari was not clean either, it has to its credit the starting of industrial development of the state, attracting huge investments from big industrial houses. The Congress wants to project itself again as a progressive, development-oriented political outfit. The Rishikesh-Karnprayag railway line has the potential to change the entire socio-economic profile of the hilly Garhwal region that has suffered due to the apathy of the state government due to its marginality and inaccessibility. The move by the UPA government to lay the railway line within five years could greatly influence the voters of the Garhwal region. The BJP by bringing in Maj-Gen BC Khanduri (retd), a senior politician hailing from Pauri Garhwal district, was hoping to fare better in the Assembly elections in the region but the railway project has put a damper on the BJP strategy. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Khanduri is banking on the measures taken by him against corruption and initiatives to bring good governance in the hill state. From setting up a new department of corruption eradication and public service to formulating a new transparent transfer policy, Khanduri has taken these measures to brush up the BJP government's image after alleged controversies surrounding the Citurgia land deal, allotment of hydroelectric projects and spending during Mahakumbh. To give an impetus to his efforts on corruption, Khanduri has called a special session of the state Assembly on October 31 to introduce a new bill to strengthen the office of Lokayukta. He had been in touch with members of Team Anna after taking over the reins of the state for the second time and making efforts to turn the tide against the Congress on the issue of corruption. However, his political opponents believe that mere legislation and no action will not help him much in the elections as people are not impressed by mere rhetoric but want action on the ground. Khanduri has failed to take action against even a single corrupt person or penalise any politician. He has been presiding over the same government, with the same set of ministers and bureaucrats.
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Yamunotri shrine closed for winter
Mussoorie, October 28 According to vice-president of the Char Dham Vikas Parishad Surat Ram Nautiyal, the religious rituals of closing the shrine had begun at the temple since yesterday morning. The chief priests performed the traditional rituals and after performing the cleansing rituals early morning today, they performed the last prayer in honour of the Goddess. The deity was moved to Kharsali only after the Palanquin of Lord Shani reached here. Nautiyal said the shrine had witnessed the arrival of a record number of pilgrims despite several roads having been blocked due to the rains.
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Nizamuddin, Ambrish Kumar join Congress
Dehradun, October 28 Harish Rawat, Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Food Processing and Parliamentary Affairs, who is also the Lok Sabha member from Haridwar, has been instrumental in bringing the two leaders to the Congress fold. He has been working for the past two years to bring the two stalwarts into the Congress. He got success in the Lok Sabha elections in May 2009 when he was able to win over Qazi Nizamuddin and Chaudhary Yashvir Singh, both BSP legislators from Mangalore and the Iqbalpur Assembly segments of Haridwar, respectively. Both of them reportedly worked for the electoral victory of Harish Rawat and were later suspended from the party by UP Chief Minister Mayawati. After their suspension from the party, both these legislators were allotted seats in the state Assembly as unattached members. Qazi Nizamuddin belongs to a respectable political family of Mangalore and had won the Assembly segment in the 2002 and 2007 Assembly elections. His father, Qazi Mohiuddin, was a member of the Uttar Pradesh state Assembly and also of the Uttarakhand interim Assembly. Ambrish Kumar, a former legislator of the Samajwadi Party, was also a member of the UP Assembly and later became a member of the Uttarakhand interim Assembly in November 2000. However, he lost both the 2002 and 2007 Assembly elections as the Samjwadi Party candidate from the Haridwar seat. A powerful orator, Ambrish Kumar was adjudged the best legislator in the UP Assembly. Two years ago, he left the Samajwadi Party and formed his Uttarakhand Krantikari Morcha. Both leaders are expected to fight the Assembly poll on the Congress ticket. The fate of the Chaudhary Yashvir Singh is still undecided but he is expected to join the Congress sooner or later.
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Night curfew lifted at Rudrapur
Dehradun, October 28 Rudrapur town had witnessed communal riots on October 2 in which four persons were killed and over 70 shops were burnt. Since then, night curfew had been clamped on the town. District Magistrate, Udham Singh Nagar, PS Jangpangi said as normalcy had returned to the town and the festival of Diwali also went off peacefully, they decided to lift the night curfew. Meanwhile, DIG Abhinav Kumar has suspended two more policemen, Hemchandra Joshi and Ganga Singh, for dereliction of duty. A total of 30 policemen have been suspended for dereliction of duty and indiscipline since October 2. In another case, two policemen, Hemchandra Joshi and Ganga Singh, who were allegedly involved in attacking the son of another policeman have also been suspended and sent to jail.
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BSP steps up efforts to garner hill votes
Pauri Garhwal, October 28 With the BSP having all the legislators from the plain districts of Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar only, the party high command now feels the necessity to open its account in the Assembly segments that fall in hilly districts. So the party is presenting itself as a viable third front option in the state with its leaders confident to bag a handful of seats in the 10 hilly districts of the state. Confident that neither the BJP nor the Congress can form the next government without help from the BSP, party’s Uttarakhand general secretary Sheeshpal Chaudhary told The Tribune that as voters were perturbed over the working of the respective governments of both the Congress and the BJP they were looking towards the BSP to give the state a true governance. “The graph of the BSP has surged in terms of votes in both Garhwal and Kumaon divisions. Hilly voters feel cheated as despite 10 years of separate statehood all the successive state governments of the BJP and the Congress have failed to cater to the needs of the hilly people. Now, they are looking towards the BSP, as party supreme Mayawati has single-handedly changed the face of Uttar Pradesh,” said Chaudhari while on a visit to Pauri and Tehri Garhwal districts. Citing the affection that Mayawati has for the people of Uttarakhand, Chaudhari pointed out that be it the issue of division of state properties between Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand or special grant provided to this hilly region during her tenure as Chief Minister in the late nineties, Mayawati has always given due attention to the state. With the BSP also naming all the Assembly candidates in the hilly districts too, veteran party leader Pramod Uniyal lashed out at the BJP Government for failing to control migration and unemployment in the hilly districts. He questioned that the BJP wanted to save its face by running its election campaign on the issue of corruption but in hills this was not a big issue as was development, employment and infrastructure. The BSP candidate from Pauri, Bhagwan Singh Tamta, said he was hopeful of victory in the home town of Chief Minister Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri as people were unhappy with the BJP governance in the region.
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Nishank upbeat over BJP poll prospects
Pauri Garhwal, October 28 While earlier his statements used to be revolving around mission 2012 in Uttarkhand only, now Dr Nishank is also focusing on mission 2014 when the parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held. Speaking to The Tribune at his residence in Pauri town, Dr Nishank seemed to be in no mood to take some rest, as he is still having regular meetings with party workers, listening to the grievances of the people and when he gets some time off he pens down his thoughts. When questioned that is replacing him just five months before the Assembly elections was a faux pas by the BJP high command, Dr Nishank refused to comment but added that the party might have taken the decision taking into various considerations. “I believe we are first grass-roots workers and then office-bearers. When the party comes first for any worker then it grows. Posts and personal motives hold no significance for me as the ideology and discipline of the party should be put foremost” said Dr Nishank who hails from Pinani village in Pauri Garhwal district. Recently during a tragedy at his ancestral village, Dr Nishank was seen accompanying Chief Minister Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri which created ripples in political circles. “We were there to express solidarity with the people, as Pauri is home district of both of us so this is not first time that we were together. Be it elections or several other programmes we have been actively working for the cause of the party and the people of the state,” he said. Denying the fact that he is in dilemma on contesting from Srinagar or Karanprayag, the former Chief Minister and three time MLA from the Karanprayag Assembly segment said it’s the decision of the party high command and the election committee led by Bhagat Singh Koshiyari to decide candidate’s name. Though he accepted that as his Assembly segment Thailisain had now been alienated in the Srinagar (Garhwal) seat the people of the region wanted him to contest from this seat only. When questioned that Khanduri could also opt to contest from Srinagar, as his home seat Pauri is now a reserved one, Dr Nishank just said his focus at present was to mobilise the party workers for the elections so as to ensure that the BJP won maximum seats in the state and also performed better in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. |
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Haridwar BJYM chief sees greater role for youth
Haridwar, October 28 Sharma was addressing a press conference at the party office in Mayapur today. He was accompanied by all the office-bearers of the BJYM District Committee. He said during a meeting with state party chief, he was given the assurance that the young activists would be given a major role to play in the coming Assembly elections be it allocation of party tickets or important campaigning responsibilities. Sharma hoped that at least in a couple of Assembly segments in Haridwar, the party would be fielding young candidates. “The youth has a pivotal role to play and the BJYM has been donning the role of a major active working party cell in the district for the past four years. Be it the Assembly elections campaigning, zila panchayat elections, rallies, processions or other protests, we have been at the forefront, so its in the interest of the party to give representation to the youth in the elections,” said Sharma who has been reappointed the district chief of the BJYM. Avoiding any reply on the alleged criminal background of Haridwar district BJP chief Sushil Chauhan and allegations against local legislator Madan Kaushik relating to
the Kumbh funding, Sharma took a diplomatic stance, saying that he is too young to comment or verify such allegations. |
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Didihat District Notification Issue
Pithoragarh, October 28 “Dinesh Arya, a resident of the Pungrau Patti area of the proposed district, has started an indefinite fast. If the administration tries to break his fast forcefully, another volunteer of the samiti will start a similar agitation,” said Jodh Singh Bora, the organiser of the agitation. “More than 70 days have passed since the announcement of the separate district of Didihat but we are still waiting issuance of the notification for the same. This situation is creating a confusion among the residents,” said Bora. State BJP chief and MLA from Didihat Bishen Singh Chufal termed the agitation as a politically motivated move and said his government was contemplating issuing the notification for the district on the occasion of State Formation Day on November 9. “Some people are misguiding the local public on this issue despite clear assurances about the date of the issuance of the notification,” said Chufal. Meanwhile, the members of the samiti alleged that by not giving financial sanction to the lift potable water scheme for the town, the Uttarakhand Government had deceived the people of Didihat. “When the town is facing an acute crisis of potable water, the government is playing cheap games by giving false assurances to the people of Didihat,” said
Bora. |
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Angling Contest on Saryu
Pithoragarh, October 28 According to the organisers, a total of nine anglers, including two British citizens, took part in this competition. “A total of 108 pounds of fish, including a mahseer weighing 17 pounds, had been caught during the festival,” said Das. Meanwhile, the anglers demanded basic infrastructure and facilities in the area to make the competition more popular in India and abroad. “We want the 36-km stretch of the Saryu river between Pancheswar and Purnagiri to be declared as a mahseer protection zone and the basic infrastructure such as roads and tourist huts be developed there,” said
AK Das. Drishtikon has been organising the competition for the past five years. “Before that the Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) had organised the competition for five years and later discontinued the practice due to the lack of the infrastructure. We revived the sport with the intention of drawing people’s attention towards the protection of mahseer, the cold water fish found only in the Himalayan rivers,” said Das. |
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Three killed in mishaps
Pithoragarh, October 28 According to information, a truck carrying sand fell into a deep gorge killing Mahendra Singh Negi (27) and Hari Ram(40) on the spot. In another incident, the driver of a Roadways bus was killed when the bus, which was its way to Dwarahat from New Delhi, fell into a gorge near Chatgulla village. There was no passenger in the bus when the mishap took place. According to the revenue police, the bodies have been handed over to their kin after a post-mortem examination.
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Dehradun, October 28 Pratap Singh Parwana who has written the songs was also present.
— TNS |
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Mussoorie, October 28
Dehradun, October 28
Haridwar, October 28
