Mussoorie, December 14
What can be termed as the blackest day for one of the richest municipal councils in the state, an Uttarakhand High Court Bench comprising Chief Justice Baren Gosh and Justice UC Dhyani today ordered a CBI probe against the Mussoorie Municipal Council president OP Uniyal, other officials and members in response to the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by petitioner Vinod Prakash Thapliyal, who had levelled charges of financial embezzlement, nepotism and rampant corruption against the council and its president.

Speaking to The Tribune, the lawyer of petitioner A.Rab said that the High Court had also extended its previous order of restraining the MC from exercising its financial powers, except day-to-day work till six more months.

A.Rab also informed that the High Court in its order also said that the decision of suspending Mussoorie Municipal Council had been left to the state government.

The allegation of corruption and nepotism against the Palika began from the day when it awarded advance tenders benefiting a few individuals, including his own brother-in-law Manish Mamgain.

The issue of clock tower demolition and then its reconstruction also became the basis for such charges.

The raising of the price of the ticket at the ropeway at Gunhill point without providing any benefit to the council was also one of the issues in the PIL filed by the petitioner.

Dehradun, December 14
Excise officials of Dehradun nabbed an alleged liquor smuggler from Haryana and seized 25 boxes of Indian-made foreign liquor from his possession.

Prashant Kumar, Excise inspector, said, on a specific information, a Tata Indigo car was signalled to stop last night on the Rispana bridge but the driver sped away.

The team nabbed the fleeing vehicle driver at the Jogiwala bypass road by putting a barrier on the road.

Ravinder, a resident of Kalanaur in Rohtak district of Haryana, was arrested with 25 boxes of IMFL.

He was on his way to Pauri Garhwal district to sell the liquor. A case has been registered.

Dehradun , December 14
Physical training teachers of non-government-aided schools staged a demonstration in front of the state secretariat to press their demands here today. Raising slogans against the state government, physical teachers alleged that they were duped by the Education Department. Janardhan Joshi, state president of the Physical Teachers Sangh, charged that the Uttarakhand Cabinet at it’s meeting held on October 29, 2011, has approved a pay of Rs 7000 for physical instructors but the department had made April 10, 2006, as cut-off date for getting the said pay scales. Only those teachers who had been recruited before the cut-off date would be entitled to get the new pay scales.

The teachers demanded that the Cabinet decision should be implemented in letter and in spirit.

Haridwar, December 14
With the state government regularising the services of hundreds of contractual revenue employees who had been working with the department for the past 25-30 years, the Uttarakhand Rajasva Sangrah Amin Sangh has expressed happiness over the decision.

Expressing gratitude, sangh members today met state Revenue Minister Diwakar Bhatt at his residence.

District chief of the sangh Dharmendra Kumar Rathi thanked the minister on behalf of the entire union members of the state.

He said by regularising the services of these employees, who were from the plain areas of the state, the government had put an end to the division that was being created between hill and plain region revenue employees.

Suresh Prasad Semwal of the sangh also urged the minister to resolve their other demands and at the same time gave an assurance to the minister that from now onwards all employees would be working diligently and end their agitation.

Diwakar Bhatt said owing to various governmental procedures, the decision in this regard was delayed.

Among others who were present at the minister house were Girija Shankar Chaturvedi, Deepak Bhandari, Ashok Thakur, Tauseef Ahmed, Pradeep Chaudhary, Sunil Valimik and Dhirendra Singh.

Mussoorie, December 14
Hundreds of striking class IV employees of the state government today shut down St Mary’s Government Hospital by locking the gates in Mussoorie today.

They raised slogans in protest against the state government and in support of their demand of revising the pay scales and providing similar wages to all the employees.

The employees arrived at the hospital gates around noon and after raising slogans, they stopped the work by putting locks at the gates, thus hindering the work at the various wards of the hospital. The employees said the state government, instead of acceding to their demands, was following the policy of discrimination. Sunil Kumar, the leader of the employees also said they were holding the strike from past 18 days but the government had turned a blind eye to their problems He said if the state government does not ay heed to their demands, they would continue with the agitation.

Medical officer at the hospital Dr Sandeep Tandon said the patients were affected by this lockout and had to go elsewhere for treatment, thought the emergency services remained opened despite the protest.

The strike has also affected the sanitation condition at the hospital due to the strike call given by class IV employees in Mussoorie.

Dehradun, December 14
Uttarakhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forests RBS Rawat has hoped for a better performance from the state Forest Department contingent in the All-India Forest Sports Meet beginning in Dehradun from December 16. Addressing a press conference, Rawat said Uttarakhand Forest Department players had been coached at the Haldwani training camp for the past many months and he was hopeful for better performance in the games this time.

“I am very much hopeful that Uttarakhand will be placed among the first 10 in the overall medals tally”, he said.Rawat disclosed the state was all set to host the All-India Forest Sports Meet from December 16 to 20. He said a total of 13 committees had been constituted for smooth conduct of proceedings at the meet. He said around 3,000 participants and supporting staff would be participating in the various events that would take place at the venues of the FRI, the IMA, the Jaspal Rana Academy, the Central Academy of the State Forest Service College and Parade Ground.

He also held that that Uttarakhand Chief Minister BC Khanduri would be inaugurating the meet at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, Dehradun, at 11.30.