Tight security for Rahul’s election rally at Dehradun
Cong gen secy launches formal campaign today
Tribune News Service

Dehradun , December 22
Rahul Gandhi, Congress general secretary, will launch the formal election campaign of the party at a rally to be held at the historic parade ground here on Friday. Elaborate security arrangements have been made by the state police and the Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel as Congress leaders from all over the state are making efforts to mobilise people for the rally.

The entire parade ground has been divided into four zones and SPG commandoes sanitised the ground with the help of sniffer dogs. G.N. Goswami, Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), personally supervised the security arrangements at the rally venue. Most of the senior Congress leaders, including Uttarakhand Congress chief Yashpal Arya, is camping at the venue site for the past two days to oversee arrangements.

The Uttarakhand Congress, which is making a serious bid to capture power from ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the forthcoming Assembly elections, does not want to take any chances with the rally. A huge turnout would definitely give the party a psychological edge in the election campaign. Interestingly, the earlier rallies by veteran BJP leader L.K.Advani during his “Rath Yatra” did not receive the desired response from the general public.

According to Congress leaders, most of the people for the rally would be mobilsed from Dehradun and nearby Haridwar districts as intense cold wave conditions could prevent people from the hilly areas to come down to Dehradun. The “Parivartan Yatra” started by the Congress from Haridwar would also reach Dehradun tomorrow.

Rahul Gandhi is expected to reach Jollygrant airport at around noon and would fly to the rally venue in a helicopter. A helipad has been made at the parade ground.

The rally to be addressed by Rahul Gandhi is also being taken seriously by party bigwigs. Earlier, Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi, who was supposed to address a rally on the occasion of laying of foundation stone for the Rishikesh-Karanprayag railway line at Gauchar in Chamoli on November 9, 2011, could not make it due to ill-health, disappointing state Congress leaders.

All the party ticket aspirants have been directed to bring in maximum number of people for the rally. “I am hopeful that the response of the rally would be the beginning of the end of the BJP regime in the state,” hoped Yashpal Arya, state Congress chief. 

Cong promises allowance for jobless in Uttarakhand
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 22
The Uttarakhand Congress has promised unemployment allowance for the unemployed in the state.

Addressing a press conference in Dehradun, Uttarakhand’s Leader of the Opposition Harak Singh Rawat said Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who will be visiting Dehradun tomorrow, will be making an announcement towards providing unemployment allowance to the unemployed in the state. He accused the Khanduri Government of Uttarakhand of failing to come with a policy for unemployed, which, he said, numbered around 5 lakh in the state.

Rawat also said the Congress had done all preparations for tomorrow’s Rahul Gandhi rally. “I myself have conducted meetings in Pauri and Doiwala regions of the state and party workers from as far as Dharchula will be coming to Dehradun for the rally,” he said.

Referring to anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare, Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat said he would like to invite Anna Hazare to Uttarakhand and expose the wrong doings of the state BJP Government. “The Uttarkhand BJP Government had committed 419 scams in its five-year rule. Anna Hazare must come to Uttarakhand and wage a war against this corruption”, he said. He also asked Hazare to welcome the Centre’s lokpal Bill as it was most effective to end corruption in the country.

He also pointed out that it was strange that when the BJP joins hands with Himachal Pradesh political stalwart Sukh Ram, the latter becomes honest, but when the Himachal leader is in the Congress, he was the most corrupt politicians in the eyes of the BJP.

Base hospital’s bhumi pujan by Pant draws flak
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, December 22
In what can be termed as an election sop for the people of Pithoragarh district before the model code of conduct comes into force, Uttarakhand Drinking Water Minister Prakash Pant performed the “bhumi pujan” ceremony of the proposed base hospital, near Chandak, here today. “The 200-bedded base hospital will be in addition to the main hospital in the district and will cost Rs 35.69 crore. The construction of the hospital will be completed in two years’ time,” claimed Pant.

According to the Chief Medical Officer of Pithoragarh district, the hospital will have super special facilities and after the hospital project is completed, the poor people of the district will not have to travel to distant private hospitals for specialised treatment. “The medical department has received a sum of Rs 200 lakh for starting construction work of the hospital,” said HC Pant, Chief Medical Officer, Pithoragarh.

Interestingly, the stone-laying ceremony for the hospital was performed by former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank during his tenure four months ago.

The Congress has termed the “bhumi pujan” as a mere gimmick of the ruling BJP and said if the BJP had really wanted to provide medical facility to the poor people of the district, it would have constructed it by now and the inauguration ceremony would have been taking place today. “They are trying to fool the people by performing ‘bhumi pujan’ after laying the foundation stone four months ago with an eye on the Assembly poll,” said Mathura Datt Joshi, a spokesman for the Congress.

In a hurry to fulfil all the assurances given to the local people, Pant, local MLA and cabinet minister, has been on an inauguration spree since last month inaugurating engineering college, nurses’ training centre and trying to start commercial flights from the district to New Delhi by bringing in the managers of private airlines to the district. “For the past five years, we have been making preparations regarding the assurances we have made to the people during the last elections, and today we are in a position to fulfil them. As funds have been sanctioned for various projects, we are inaugurating them,” claimed Pant.

Cong in disarray: Bahuguna

Dehradun, December 22
Chairman of the State Media Advisory Committee Maheshwar Prasad Bahuguna today said the Congress was in complete disarray in the wake of development works initiated by the Khanduri government.

“The Congress had failed to take any development activity during it’s rule and is, therefore, cannot digest the fact that we have been able to achieve so much. \The BJP has made bus stands hi-tech, took several steps in the area of health, education and providing drinking water,” said Bahuguna in a statement.

He said during the previous Congress government rule in the state, only 11,290 km road was covered, while under the BJP rule 16,149 km road was constructed. — TNS

CM promoting corrupt people: UKD (P)
Tribune News Service

Dehradun December 22
President of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Panwar) Trivender Singh Panwar slammed the government for promoting a few corrupt and privileged people on the posts of higher position in the state.

He specifically named Durg Singh Chauhan who has been appointed as Vice-Chancellor of Uttarakhand Technical University and for according Ajit Setia the status of state minister and positioning him as the Chairman of the Bal Vikas Board.

Panwar said, on one hand, Chief Minister BC Khanduri talked highly of eradicating corruption from the state and on the other hand appointed corrupt people on the prestigious posts.

Ajit Setia, whose appointment as Information Commissioner was earlier opposed for being an outsider by the UKD which was eventually cancelled, has once again been given the entry as state minister and chairman of the Bal Vikas Board.

Panwar said by giving favourable positions to the corrupt ones, the BJP government was doing injustice with the talented and capable natives of the state which, he said, their party would not tolerate at any cost.

On the issue of the rickety situation of the Uttarkhand United Regional Front, where differences between him and TPS Rawat, president of Uttrakhand Raksha Morcha, were spoiling the prospects of the front, he said, he would clear his party’s position on this issue in the two-day meeting of the Executive Committee to be held at Haldwani on December 24.

Meanwhile, other UKD leaders, district president NK Gusain and president of women cell Promila Rawat met Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar on the issue of expulsion of 300 police trainees who had cleared

the test and completed training of constables in the state this year. He assured them of taking a concrete action on this issue. 

Music programme in Girda’s memory today
Tribune News Service

Nainital, December 22
In an effort to bring the original folk music of Uttarakhand before the people, the Mahila Samakhya will organise a programme on Friday at Nainital. The offering of “genuine” folk music comes under the name of “Maati se Manch Tak” and the programme would be dedicated to the folk poet and cultural activist Girish Teawri who is fondly remembered as Girda.

According to Dr Basanti Pathak of the Mahila Samakhya, “The programme will see the women from rural areas who have never performed on stage present the songs which talk about the day-to-day agony of their lives, their small joys and sorrows.” Besides women coming from the rural areas of Nainital, the programme would also have participants from Tehri, Uttarkashi, Pauri and Udham Singh Nagar.

Girl students create ruckus in Haridwar college
Police called to check unruly behaviour
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 22
Though Shravan Nath Math Jawahar Lal Nehru College (SMJN) is one of the biggest colleges of the city, in the past few years the educational environs have suffered tremendously, owing to student politics and interference of outsiders, particularly of student outfits.

Today, it was the turn of a group of postgraduate girl students who created ruckus in the college, misbehaving with teachers and fellow students.

These girls alleged misbehavior from a fellow classmate, who refuted the allegation, but on the directions of college principal AK Ghildiyal sought apology from the girls.

After this college classes were going on smoothly when a group of boys from outside the college, who were called by these girls, violently entered the college premises and created commotion by gheraoing the principal.

The college management instantly called the police, but by then these girls tried to intimidate the college management in the presence of the outsiders.

They even misbehaved with the faculty members and demanded resignation of college union president Prerna Kainthola, as she opposed entry of outsiders.

For two hours the atmosphere remained tense and when it came to light that a majority of the outsiders called by these girls were not of the college, they went on the back foot and left the premises.

The college management has now decided to check the identity cards of all the students to make sure anti- social elements don’t spoil the studious atmosphere of the college.

“I have never seen such rude behaviour from girl students, and everyone is miffed that such a bad image is being created of our college, which has a name of its own for the past 40 years,” said Prerna, college union head.

Villagers lathi-charged at inauguration function
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, December 22
The police had to resort to a lathi charge today after a dispute between BJP workers and the protesting villagers broke out at the inauguration function of the newly constructed science faculty building of the local intermediate college by state Water Resources Minister Prakash Pant today.

“The police had to resort to the major to enable the minister to inaugurate the newly-constructed science building in the government intermediate college, Bans, 15 km from the district headquarter. The villagers were opposed to inauguration by the minister,” said Manoj Khatri, a former pradhan of the village.

The minister inaugurated the building under police protection.

According to the villagers, the science faculty building has been constructed in 2007 after the previous Congress state government sanctioned a sum of Rs 16 lakh for it. The villagers were waiting for the appointment of the science faculty in the college. “The minister who could not manage the financial sanction for the science staff for the college in the past five years has no right to inaugurate the building. It would be useless until the science teachers are appointed, “said Kharti.

According to the villagers, the state Education Secretary has written to the Parents’ Teachers Association of the college that the financial sanction for the science faculty in the college could only be approved after the new government comes to power after the Assembly elections. “When the financial approval to the college can be given after polls, then why the minister has come to take the credit of the building sanctioned by the previous Congress Government,” said the villagers. 

Awareness drive against social evils
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 22
With a major population residing in the rural areas and social malpractices still prevalent on a large scale, girl students today generated awareness among villagers under the National Service Scheme project.

Students of Saraswati Vidya Mandir, Mayapur, via skit, street shows and home-to-home campaign urged villagers to shed social malpractices, be it untouchability, making women stay in veil, population control, female foeticide and other misnomers.

Led by project coordinator Arjun Singh, the students visited Jagjeetpur village, 7 kms from Haridwar city, visiting more than 50 houses. With awareness pamphlets also in their hands, the girl students conveyed the message via skits and ‘nukkad natak’.

Dance and music with inputs of problems of local people made their presentations much more effective and villagers too found these interesting.

Alok Kumar said seeing the positive impact of social awareness in future, more such awareness drives would be carried out by the students. Nupur, Vibha, Akanksha, Archana and Preeti of Class XIIsaid they were quite happy to be associated with such a social cause and got a glimpse of the real India.

Truck overturns due to fog
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 22
A major accident was averted today when a goods truck overturned early in the morning here today when fog was very dense. Luckily both the truck driver and the conductor escaped with minor injuries and no vehicle collided with the overturned truck.

The truck was coming from Saharanpur. The driver couldn’t see an unlevelled rumble strip due to dense fog, just near Pt Narayan Dutt Tiwari Youth Hostel, 1 km from Jwalapur, and the speeding truck overturned. The driver of a car, which was coming from the opposite side, swerved his vehicle to the nearby open area.

Local shopkeeper Sunita Kumari pointed out that many accidents had occurred at the rumble strip while two wheelers skidded almost daily at this point.

The traffic had been disrupted on the stretch for more than two hours.

Demolition of ashram building begins
Ajay Ramola

Mussoorie, December 22
The district administration, acting on the orders of district court, finally began the demolition of the encroached building on the government land by the Pilot Baba Ashram at Sainj village, 20 km from Uttarakashi today.

The ashram is owned by a trust formed by Hindu saint from Haridwar Pilot Baba. The district administration officials, accompanied by large number of police personnel, demolished several structures built illegally on the government land. The demolition exercise will continue till the whole area is cleared of any illegal construction done by the ashram management on the government land.

Earlier, the district administration in its investigation had found that several acres of land encroached by the ashram management. It had also levied a fine and served a notice for the demolition. The ashram management then had taken shelter in the court orders but the district court found the ashram guilty of the encroachment on government land on Wednesday, and in its order directed the administration to demolish the illegal construction and clear it of any encroachment.

According to SDM, Uttarkashi, VS Dhanik, the ashram had constructed several gates, sidewalls and guard rooms that were demolished today and the rest of the encroached area will be cleared in the exercise that will continue tomorrow.

Protest against hostel construction on pasture

Pithoragarh, December 22
Villagers of more than 12 villages near the town held a protest at the District Magistrate’s office today, opposing the construction of a tribal hostel in what they described as pasture land meant for grazing of their cattle and the catchment area for the lone drinking water source for these villages.

Later the villagers sent a memorandum to the Chief Minister of the state demanding the cancellation of the construction of the tribal hostel on their village land

According to the villagers, if the hostel building would be constructed on the spot, it will not only deprive the surrounding villages of fodder for their cattle, but also the perennial drinking water source of these villages will be affected.

The villagers of Paun, Papdev, Gankot, Badoli, Huneti, Syanbara, Takari, Darimkhola, Bajeti and Jujauli depend on this land for grazing of their cattle and the newly developed colonies of Saraswati Vihar and GIC depend on the source of water down the hill. If the hostel is constructed, the villagers as well the people living in the nearby colonies will lose the water basis, said Deeewan Singh Waldia, coordinator of Gramin Sangharsh Samiti, the organisation that protested. — OC