Lokayukta Bill tabled in Assembly
Cong walkout over Speaker’s refusal to discuss Rudrapur riots
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 31
The BC Khanduri government today tabled the highly publicised anti-graft Lokayukta Bill 2011 at the special Assembly session here today. It is expected to be passed on Tuesday after the debate.

The Bill was tabled by Chief Minister BC Khanduri soon after question hour. While there were no protests inside the House, Leader of the Opposition Harak Singh Rawat said the government should have tabled an amended to the existing Act, instead of bringing a new Bill.

“They are out to score political points and are behaving as though the Bill is being tabled for the first time. They should have brought an amended Bill, as Uttarakhand has adopted the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta Act,” said Rawat.

Besides the Deen Dayal Upadhaya Uttarakhand University Bill 2010, which was returned without the Governor’s assent, was again tabled in the House.

As soon as the House convened in the morning, the members of the BSP reached the well of the House demanding immediate discussion on the ownership rights to the Bengali farmers of Kashipur. Taking their cue from them the Congress members too demanded discussion on the Rudrapur riots during zero hour. However, the request was turned down by the Speaker, Harbans Kapoor, who urged the members to participate in question hour.

But, as soon as question hour was over, BSP members Surender Rakesh, Hari Das and Shehzad were again on their feet demanding discussion on the ownership rights to the Bengali farmers of the Shakti Farm (Kashipur) area. They raised slogans against the government terming it anti-SC/ST.

Meanwhile, after the Speaker refused to hold discussion on the Rudrapur riots under rule 310, Congress member Tilak Raj Behad and other members of the party staged a walkout.

The Speaker also accepted Harak Singh Rawat’s demand for the inclusion of 61 gram panchayats that fall under Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh in Uttarakhand for discussion.

Question Hour
Plan to raise retirement age of medical teachers
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 31
After raising the age of serving government doctors from 60 years to 62 years, the Uttarakhand government is also planning to raise the age of medical faculty deployed at government medical colleges.

In a reply to a question posed by Jot Singh Ghunsola of the Congress during question hours, Parliament Affairs Minister Prakash Pant said the proposal to raise the retirement age of medical teachers from 60 years to 65 years was being deliberated upon.

He also said 392 medical students had availed the government scholarship of Rs 15,000 (fees during the course of study) since 2008 when the scheme was launched at Veer Chander Singh Garhwali Medical College (Srinagar) for the MBBS course.

A total of 478 students have availed the scholarship scheme while undertaking the MBBS course at the Medical College, Haldwani.

High tension wires

In another question raised by MLA Ganesh Joshi on the issue of removal of high tension wires passing over residential buildings, Parliament Affairs Minister Prakash Pant said in certain cases, residents were inviting trouble by ignoring guidelines of not building houses where 11 KV and 33 KV high tension wires were passing. He said in the recent Herbertpur accident, the government had paid a compensation of Rs 6.72 lakh to the affected persons.

Plans by Gadkari

For the second time the question pertaining to details regarding the plans and programmes inaugurated by BJP national president Nitin Gadkari during his Char Dham Yatra in June 2011 raised by Congress MLA Amrita Rawat was not taken up.

Master plan

Congress MLA Dinesh Agarwal today raised questions about the validity of the master plan (2005-2025) and asked the government to disband it as no permission had been taken by the Environment Ministry for changing land use in the Doon valley. The issue came up when the BJP’s Ganesh Joshi wanted to know if the Dhoran Khas area in Dehradun that was acquired by the government was now made free of acquisition. The old Dhoran Khas area was include in the 2025 master plan.

Vidhan Sabha’s entrance blocked
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 31
Members of the BSP and the Congress today staged a protest at the entrance of the Assembly when the demand for discussion under Rule 310 on the Rudrapur riots and ownership rights for Bengali farmers was turned down by Speaker Harbans Kapoor.

The BSP members, led by Mohammed Shehzad, Surender Rakesh, Hari Das and Narayan Pal, blocked the gallery demanding a CBI inquiry into the riots.

“The government has failed to punish the perpetrators of the riots. A conspiracy was hatched to disrupt the peace in the city,” said Shehzad. They also criticised the government for ignoring the interests of members of the SC and ST communities.

“We have been demanding land rights for the Bengali communities who have been farming the land in Kashipur,” said Hari Das.

The Congress members led by Tilak Raj Behad also demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter.

“The riots in Rudrapur were unprecedented. The government should get down to the bottom of things so that such incidents do not recur,” said Behad.

Both BJP and Congress protesters continued to block the gallery and the Speaker of the House and other MLAs were made to exit from the emergency door.

Issue of interim capital rocks House
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 31
The issue of interim capital once again rocked the state Assembly today after Uttarakhand Kranti Dal MLA Pushpesh Tripathi raised objections to the building of new premises for the Uttarakhand Assembly in Dehradun when it continues to be an interim capital of Uttarakhand.

During Question Hour, Congress MLA Amrita Rawat asked the government about the pace of the construction of the new premises for housing the Uttarakhand Assembly for which the Centre has already allocated funds.

Replying to the starred question, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prakash Pant said the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha Committee constituted for the selection of a suitable spot for locating the new Vidhan Sabha had not presented its report so far.

He said only the Vidhan Sabha and not the government could ask the committee to present its report within a specific time frame.

He said Rs 88 crore had been sanctioned by the 13th Finance Commission for the new Assembly building which had to be utilised within five years. The delay could automatically lead to a lapse of funds.

Intervening in the matter, Pushpesh Tripathi expressed surprise how money could be spent for a new Assembly building when Dehradun has not even been accorded the status of a permanent capital. In protest, he walked out of the House.

Indira Gandhi, Patel remembered
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 31
The state Congress committee commemorated the death anniversary of late Indira Gandhi as Sankalp Divas and birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel in the party office here today.

Senior leader Lal Chand Sharma said Indira Gandhi was a strong, decisive and brave warrior.

Former minister Narender Singh Bhandari said she was the most powerful woman of the world who never felt scared of dying for the nation.

The members also celebrated the 136th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and remembered his contribution in building the political unity and unique administrative structure of the country.

On this occasion, party spokesman Surender Arya, Anil Negi, former councillor Sunder Lal Morya, Arun Chamoli and Sudha Shukla were also present.

Haridwar: On the 28th death anniversary of the late Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, various memorial functions were held in Haridwar district today. Simultaneously Iron Man and first Home Minister of independent India Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel was paid floral tributes on his 136th birth anniversary.

At the city Congress office, a tribute programme titled “Shraddhanjali” was organised, where apart from the workers of the party the public also participated in large numbers. Addressing the party workers, city Congress unit chief OP Chauhan shedlight on Indira’s personality as Prime Minister as well as the impact she made at the national and international levels.

Terming Indira as a politician of the masses and the one having a future vision, Gandhivadi Ekta Manch founder Sanjay Chopra said she had shown her leadership skills during pre-Independence time itself. “She joined the Independence movement after she had returned from Oxford University and assisted her father Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India”.

State Kisan Wing women chief Poonam Bhagat said from being the Minister of Broadcasting in the Lal Bahadur Shastri government she reached the top post of Prime Minister four times and despite emergency turmoil she returned to power with a landslide victory in 1980, which showed her popularity as well as sheer determination.

Social activist Kiran Singh linked her success to woman empowerment in India. “She was and is the symbol of feminism in India which is a male-dominated society and still in the rural and urban areas people, specially women, think of Indira when the Congress is referred to,” said Saroj.

“It’s quite unbelievable today that Patel united around 500-odd princely states and used aptly diplomacy with force as last resort,” said veteran literati Kamal Kant Budhkar.

Wild animal menace hits Champawat farmers
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 31
The wild animal menace, lack of rain at appropriate time, spread of the wild bush lantana and the small landholdings have led to a decrease in the interest of the hill farmers in agriculture in Champawat district over the past decade. This fact came to light during the “Kisan Rath Yatra” taken out in all 24 Nyay Panchayats by the state Agriculture Department.

“The farmers of the Chaurakot, Bagoti and Madlak areas of Champawat district have complained that the increasing size of lantana has provided a natural shelter to wild animals near their farms and resulted in increased attacks on crops as well as on people,” said AK Upadhyaya, District Agriculture Officer of the district.

According to the agriculture scientists travelling with the “Kisan Raths”, the farmers at almost every meeting raised this problem of wild animal menace. “The herds of pigs and monkeys are becoming the main enemies of the farmers in the hilly areas while elephants are destroying the crops in the plains,” said Upadhyaya.

“It does not mean that the farmers are not interested in the agriculture but they only want to get rid of these wild animals which are destroying their standing crops,” he said, adding that the farmers have purchased agriculture inputs worth Rs 9 lakh during the yatra in the district. “Not only they purchased inputs but also more than 4,500 farmers participated in ‘Kisan Goshthis’ (meetings) which were held at various places during the yatra,” the agriculture officer said.

The menace of elephants destroying crops has been reported in the Tanakpur area of the district where almost every village is affected by this problem. “Mostly in the villages situated on India-Nepal border, the menace is more pronounced as elephants come from the Nepal forests and after destroying standing crops of the Indian farmers go back to Nepal,” he said.

“The farmers in the villages of Champawat district are habitual of sowing the crops according to the very old time period. But owing to changing weather pattern in the hills, they are being deprived of timely rain and moisture essential for farming,” he said.

“At every meeting, the farmers have complained of decreasing agriculture yield and the lack of timely rain,” said Upadhyaya.

5 months on, road yet to be cleared of debris
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 31
More than a month after the monsoon period, a population of 12,000 of at least six villages situated in the Talla Darma area of Dharchula subdivision on India-Nepal border is still facing difficulties due to the non-clearance of the roads blocked by landslide debris.

“The road from Tawaghat to Gala and Jipti was damaged five months ago after a large quantity of debris was dumped at Raksa Tal but despite the end of the monsoon period, it is still to be cleared,” said Nanda Bisht, Gram Pradhan of Tankul village.

According to the villagers, owing to the closure of this road, the villagers are compelled to tread an 8-km steep track from the Tawaghat market to reach Jipti village which is the gateway of the area. “Though the agency working on this road has opened the road up to Garva Dhar from Tawaghat, the debris which has damaged the road at Raksa Tal, ahead of Garva Dhar, is still lying there,” said Nanda Bisht, Gram Pradhan.

A delegation led by Bisht last week met the officers of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and apprised him of their problem and sought the immediate removal of the debris. “We all the gram pradhans from five villages of Gala, Jipti, Simkhola, Jaikot and Tankul met the BRO officers last week and requested them to make the way worth plying vehicles up to Jipti. The officers assured the villagers of removing the debris soon,” said Bisht.

Rly Minister expresses concern over misuse
of Tatkal Seva
Tribune News Service

Nainital, October 31
Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi has expressed concern over gross misuse of the Tatkal Seva offered by the institution.

He said if the number of complaints pertaining to the seva did not come down in the future, the Railways would be left with no other option but to close it down and look for a viable alternative.

Talking to mediapersons while returning from the Dhanachuli area of Nainital where he had come on a personal visit, Trivedi said the Railways was mulling initiating a probe into the misuse of the seva by a premier investigating agency like the CBI.

He said it was important to unmask the persons responsible for misusing the facility extended by the Railways for passengers needing to travel in emergency situations.

To a query on the issue of the security of passengers, he said the entire security set-up of the Railways was being streamlined and there were plans to bring the entire rail security network under the ambit of the Railways Protection Force.

He once again reiterated the commitment of the Railways to improve the facilities for the passengers travelling by the general class. He said since 90 per cent of the people travel by this class on a daily basis, it was pertinent to ensure that they received proper basic facilities for their travel. He said focused attention would be paid to the needs of these general passengers.

He himself got a first-hand experience of the people travelling in the general class when he entered the general bogey of Doon Express at Kathgodam station last evening.

A delegation of those in the tourism industry in Nainital met the minister seeking a direct rail connectivity to Mumbai from Kumaon. The minister said this could only be done once the basic infrastructure was improved for which work was under way.

During his two-day visit to the region, the minister has hinted at starting a Shatabadi link between Kumaon and New Delhi soon. It is learnt that the officials have got down to the business of preparing a proposal for the same. The introduction of a Shatabdi between Kathgodam and New Delhi will go a long way in promoting tourism and other business in the region.

Effigy of opposition leader burnt
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 31
District President, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Panwar), NK Gusain burnt the effigy of Leader of the Opposition Harak Singh Rawat at Clock Tower here today for proposing the incorporation of villages falling under Bijnor district in Uttar Pardesh with Uttarakhand. Gusain said earlier too, they had opposed the assimilation of Haridwar except the Kumbh area but the BJP managed to hoodwink them.

But this time, he said, they would not let incorporation of single inch from outside within the territory of the state. He warned against tempering with the borderline of the state.

The others who joined him included OP Vashisht, Jai Prakash Upadhayal, Shailash Chauturvedi etc.

Cong to expose Nishank
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 31
While Chief Minister BC Khanduri is contemplating exposing 56 alleged scams that had surfaced during the tenure of the ND Tiwari-led Congress government in Uttarakhand, Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly Harak Singh Rawat went a step ahead today.

Rawat said if the Congress was voted to power in the state, a time-bound probe would be carried out into numerous “scams” that had occurred during the tenure of former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank

Rawat said he would himself look into the matter so that corrupt “politicians” could be brought before the public.

Talking to TNS, Rawat, legislator from the Lansdowne Assembly segment, Pauri Garhwal, claimed that: “If voted to power, the Congress will not only provide corruption-free governance, but will also expose the wrongdoings of the BJP-led government.”

He also expressed his willingness to contest from the Doiwala Assembly segment in the coming Assembly elections.

Mystery shrouds priest’s death
Tribune News Service

Nainital, October 31
The death of a priest of a temple in the Kotabagh area of Nainital district in mysterious circumstances has sent shock waves through the area.

The body of Mahant Khim Giri Maharaj of the Teeteshwariya temple was found hanging from a hook in the dharamshala of the Devi temple in Bajuniya Haldu village.

It is learnt that the mahant was an original inhabitant of Nepal and had been serving at the Teeteshwariya temple located at a remote site on a hill top for the past 20 years.

Sources said he had been keeping unwell for the past few weeks and was being treated by a private doctor in Haldwani.

He had been residing in the dharamshala for the past fortnight.

The discovery of the body by the priest of Devi temple and his followers on Sunday morning sent shock waves through the area. A large number of villagers gathered at the spot.

It is being assumed that the mahant might have committed suicide following his prolonged illness. However, foul play is also not being ruled out. His body has been sent for a post-mortem examination. Investigations are on in the matter.

Indo-Tibet trade comes to close

Pithoragarh, October 31
The Indo-Tibet border trade from the Lipulekh pass situated in Pithoragarh district of the state came to close today as all Indian traders, who had gone to Tibet for trade, have come back into India today, according to Trade Officer and SDM of Dharchula.

According to the trade officer, a total of 231 Indian traders and 359 helpers had gone to Tibet for trade this year, of which 29 traders and 57 helpers remained there till last date assigned for the trade. “The trade pass we issue in Dharchula is the only trade pass by which the traders can remain in the Chinese territory up to four months,” said the trade officer.

Though the final figure of the trade this year has yet to be calculated, the Indian traders this year have imported mostly the Pashmina wool from their counterparts in Tibet, in exchange with 2000 quintals of jaggery and 1222 quintals of sugar candy, besides readymade garments and tobacco. — OC

Sadhvis take out silent march
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 31
Hundreds of sadhvis took out a silent protest march expressing resentment against the proposed Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence-Access to Justice and Regulations Bill-2011 in Haridwar.

Clad in their traditional saffron outfit, the sadhvis resorted to the Gandhigiri mode of agitation by taking out a silent protest with placards and banners depicting their protest and terming the proposed Bill as ‘black law’.

Under the Sadhvi Shakti Council, the sadhvis termed some clauses of the Bill biased, hurting the sentiments of a specific community. Divisional coordinator of the council Sadhvi Mahant Ganga Das termed the new Bill an infringement of freedom of expression of the Hindu religion and the one which hurt the culture of the country.

Divisional coordinator of the Durga Vahini Sandhya Kaushik accused the Congress-led UPA government of playing with the sentiments of the Hindus and by this way sowing seeds of communalism among different religious groups in India.

She added that Central Government by taking the shield of prevention of communal violence was trying to pass a Bill that will have long-term repercussions on the secular outlook of the country where followers of diversified religions-sects had been living peacefully for centuries.