BJP starts damage-control exercise
Nainital, November 24
Scared of the political fallout of the recent lathi charge on the protesting Basic Training Certificate (BTC) trainees in the state capital, the senior leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has started a damage-control exercise on the issue.

Mussoorie, November 24
The High Court, Nainital, after hearing the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Vinod Thapliyal accusing the Mussoorie Municipal Council and its President OP Uniyal of indulging in corruption, nepotism and financial irregularities, yesterday ordered to stay all the powers of the council except for those relating to meeting the day-to-day expenses, including payment of salary, till further orders. The next hearing in the case would be held on December 8.

According to A Rab, the petitioner’s lawyer, the hearing that began on November 21 continued for three days. Yesterday, when Uniyal failed to give a satisfactory answer the two-bench court of Chief justice Barin Gosh and Justice UC Dhyani, taking a stern view of the matter, directed that functioning of Municipal Council, Mussoorie, should remain stayed till further orders of the court. The final hearing in the matter has been fixed for December 8.

Thapliyal, a citizen of Mussoorie, had filed a PIL pointing out corruption prevailing in the MC and accusing Uniyal of favouring his brother-in-law to provide him certain benefits misusing the powers bestowed upon him as the Municipal Council President. It was also alleged that the Municipal Council had flouted all the norms while awarding contracts, including those pertaining to the construction of Clock Tower and a rope way, and arrangements for Autumn Festival.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Council contractors looked a worried lot after the court decision and were seen discussing its implication on the working of the council.

When contacted, Uniyal said as the matter was in the court he would not comment on it. But, he said, he would honour the decision of the High Court.

The local Congress MLA, Jot Singh Gunsola, said if whatever has been alleged was true then it was very unfortunate for the town and the state government should initiate strict action even to the extent of suspending the Council till the completion of the case. He said the decision of the court was supreme and all should accept it humbly.

Dehradun November 24
The protest by trainees of Basic Training Certificate (BTC) in Education for employment continued for the fourth day as 201 members, who were arrested yesterday by the state police for attempting to cross over the barricade set up before the Secretariat too, joined them after they were set free late last night.

Among those arrested were 80 women trainees.

Vipin Garg, state in charge thanked leader of the Opposition Harak Singh Rawat for facilitating the release. Garg said after the high-handedness of the police, they had become more resolute on their demands now and would further intensify their agitation.

Nainital, November 24
Scared of the political fallout of the recent lathi charge on the protesting Basic Training Certificate (BTC) trainees in the state capital, the senior leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has started a damage-control exercise on the issue.

Senior party leader Ajay Bhatt stated in Nainital on Thursday that the lathi charge on the BTC teachers was a “sad incident”. He claimed to have talked to the Chief Minister, Major-Gen Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri (retd), and other senior leaders in the government on the issue and pointed out: “The leaders of the BTC teachers had an interaction with the government and their concerns were addressed while a solution had been reached at during the talks. I want to say that the decisions taken during the talks which include acceptance of their demands will be duly implemented. They are our children and we are very much concerned about their future,” said Bhatt. He added that the protesters who had been taken into custody would be released.

Referring to the lathi charge, Bhatt stated it would be investigated thoroughly how and why the barricading was broken by the protesters and what led the law enforcing agencies to resort to the lathi charge. He did not rule out action against the police officials if found to have ordered the lathi charge without proper reasons.

However, just minutes after Bhatt had made this statement before mediapersons, the state BJP president Bishan Singh Chufal refused to acknowledge that a lathi charge had taken place. He said the law and order enforcing agencies had taken action once the barricading had been broken by the protesting teachers.

Demanding direct recruitment in the state government service during their third semester hundreds of protesting teachers undergoing training across the state were lathicharged on November 22 and many of them were arrested. At least 12 protesters were injured in the lathi charge while one fainted during the police action.

A large number of BTC teachers had gathered at the Parade Ground in Dehradun and had then marched towards the secretariat. The police had put up barricades in front of the secretariat. When they were stopped there, they staged a dharna there for the entire day. Later in the evening, when they “broke through the barricades”, a strong police force present there had lathi charged them. The protesters had reportedly burnt their clothes to register their protest against the alleged step-motherly attitude of the administration.

Sources within the party related that such an event ahead of the Assembly poll would not augur well for the party. They said a similar lathi charge in 2002 had played a role in the party’s ouster from the government during the poll held that year.

Dehradun, November 24
Pauri Garhwal and Dehradun district teams of women won the State-Level Badminton and Table Tennis Tournaments organised by the Youth Welfare Department here today.

A total of 13 teams from all districts of the state participated in the tournament.

Mukesh Bhatt, coordinator of the tournament, said the state-level tournament in badminton and table tennis were organised to motivate rural girls to take up sports activities.

Dehradun, November 24
Deputy Inspector General Sanjay Gunjiyal reviewed the incidents of sedating passengers by gangs at various railway stations in the state and expressed dissatisfaction over little progress in solving such cases. He discussed this subject with SSP Dehradun and SSP Haridwar in his office.

In the month of October, 11 such cases had been registered in Haridwar and two in Dehradun. In both the cases, a charge sheet was filed from each district in the district court.

Gunjiyal said, ”Since all the incidents have occurred at the railway stations, it shows that particular gangs are active at these spots. After offering people sedatives eatables, they run away with the victims’ valuables. It is important to curb such incidents urgently.”

He directed the officials concerned to take effective steps to check such incidents, which include keeping vigil on the suspected eatery items’ sellers on the platform, to alert the railway department, regular checking by the police at every halt, police post officials to prepare a strong information network to tighten their grip over the gangs and to exchange information and photographs of the gangs if nabbed in other states.

Such incidents must be reviewed from time to time, he said.

Pithoragarh, November 24
Residents of the plain areas of Champawat district, consisting of Tanakpur and Banbasa blocks, have demanded that the funds allocated under the Central Government-sponsored scheme, Backward Areas Grants Fund, be made on the basis of population density instead of the present criterion of the backwardness of the region.

The panchayat representatives from the plain parts of the district, in a memorandum sent to the government, said that despite being highly dense from the population points of view, they are being allotted less funds under the scheme, and the planners were depriving the people of their areas from the benefit of the scheme. “We have also written to the government that if the government discriminates with the villages in plain areas of the district under the scheme, we will start an indefinite agitation in the Tanakpur subdivision,” said Kamala Chand, a gram pradhan of a village near Tanakpur.

“The plain areas of Tanakpur and Banbasa in Champawat district consists of more than a dozen gram sabhas. But our projects are not being given priority under the scheme as we are not being considered backward,” said Chand.

According to him, more than six gram sabhas of the Tanakpur area have written to the Chief Minister that if the funds under the projects, running in Champawat, Tehri and Chamoli districts of the state, were not allotted on the basis of population, they will start an indefinite agitation.

A Zila Panchayat Raj official said that it was the district Planning Committee that alloted the budget under the scheme, for which not population but the backwardness of the region had been made the main criterion. “According to the directions given in the scheme, the main criterion to get priority in the scheme is backwardness of the region from the infrastructure point of view that helps create employment in the area,” said SR Arya, Zila Panchayat Raj Adhikari, Champawat.

“On the basis of backwardness, the district planning panel has selected 190 projects for employment generation this year with the budget of Rs 334.65 lakh for the Champawat town area and villages around,” said the official.

Dehradun, November 24
Delhi University will meet Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, in the final of the North Zone Inter-universiy Cricket Tournament being organised by Uttarakhand Technical University here.

Delhi University defeated CSJM University of Kanpur by eight wickets to enter the final of the tournament. It was a brilliant unbeaten century by Gaurav Kochar of Delhi University that made their win look easy.

Chasing a score of 191 runs posted by Kanpur University, Delhi University were 56 for one at the draw of the stumps last evening. Gaurav and Dhruve Shaurya started their innings cautiously but went from strength to strength towards victory. Gaurav scored 102 not out with the help of 16 hits to the fence while Dhurve scored 77 runs with 14 boundaries. The Delhi University team scored 192 runs for two wickets in 40.4 overs to win the semi-final match. For Kanpur University team only Pramod could take two wickets for 39 runs.