DIG meets state, UP cops
Dehradun, January 20
Deputy Inspector-General, Garhwal range, Sanjay Gunjyal, convened an inter-state coordination meeting at Haridwar yesterday where district and police officers from the state and Uttar Pradesh were present to discuss the possibilities of mutual coordination over the law and order situation in the wake of Assembly elections to be held in both the states.

Advocates boycott work at Dist Courts
Dehradun, January 20
Advocates boycotted work at the District Courts today in protest against the proposed Higher Education and Research Bill to be tabled in the Lok Sabha by the Government of India.

Dehradun, January 20
State BJP’s catchy slogan “Khanduri hai zaroori” has been objected to by the Congress that finds the slogan advertisement, a fit case of the model code of conduct violation for the Assembly elections.

Seeking prompt Election Commission’s intervention, Congress Spokesperson Surendra Kumar today said the state BJP had put in large sum of money in advertisements that eulogises Chief Minister BC Khanduri through the slogan, which is finding ample space particularly in the print media of the state for the past one week.

“The advertisements are in gross violation of the model code of conduct for the elections as Khanduri was himself a candidate from the Kotdwar Assembly constituency of the state and thus, cannot exceed his poll campaign expenditures limit of Rs 11 lakh,” Kumar pointed out. He said a staggering amount of Rs 1 crore had already been spent on the advertisements.

Kumar disclosed that the Congress had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission asserting that as the voters from the Kotdwar Assembly constituency frequently visit Dehradun, these advertisements were not proper as it directly affected the Kotdwar elections and even infringed Section 77 of the Public Representation Act.

“The election commission must take strict action against the state BJP for this serious violation of code of conduct,” he said.

As a part of the strategy, the BJP’s think tank has recently started projecting Khanduri as the Chief Ministerial candidate of the saffron party in the state, taking into account the result of the internal surveys that have revealed that Khanduri’s growing popularity could reap rich electoral dividends for the party in the state. “Khanduri hai zaroori” advertisements are part of same strategy. Apart from these advertisements coming in Print and Electronic media, hoardings with “Khanduri hai zaroori” slogans along with solo portrait of him has come up in large numbers in Dehradun.

Dehradun, January 20
The electoral battle between the BJP and the Congress has become more intense with the two parties launching advertisement blitzkriegs on television and in print media.

Hamstrung by the absence of a credible leader, who could be pitted against BC Khanduri, the Uttarakhand Congress had taken to the “aam aadmi” campaign on television. “Our campaign conveys the problems being faced by the people of Uttarakhand like unemployment and migration. It emphasises on ‘apna Uttarakhand’ too,” said Surender Agarwal, Congress spokesperson.

The BJP was first to launch an advertisement campaign focusing on Khanduri and programmes of his government that had helped the people cope up with the price rise, with a jingle, ‘Khanduri hai Zaroori’.

BJP leaders say the advertisement campaign was devised in consultation with the central leadership. “Brainstorming sessions were held and local companies were hired to ensure that the campaign did not miss the local flavour,” said Satish Lakhera, BJP spokesperson.

The advertisement campaign of the Congress was also designed by a New Delhi-based advertisement agency. Both parties have tasked their leaders with managing publicity campaigns who in turn have hired local agencies to help them. Political observers say the Congress has scored a point over the BJP by launching the aam aadmi campaign, conveying the loss of jobs and lives. “I think it is a smart piece of advertising by the Congress as it does not want to project any chief ministerial candidate. The aam aadmi is doing a good job. It is pointing to things that most of us experience in our lives,” said Dr Saraswati Singh, a psychologist. The BJP has also put up giant-size billboards atop private buildings with Khanduri’s face looking down benignly. The Congress has restricted itself to a few billboards of the aam admi and its national leaders.

With the Election Commission keeping a close watch, the party leaders say they are following the rules and taking all precautions so that the hoardings were removed by the local administration.

Dehradun, January 20
Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma said today that by changing the face of the Chief Minister in Uttarakhand just before the elections, the ruling BJP could not brush aside the allegations of corruption and scandals involving the government.

Commenting on the BJP’s slogan, “Khanduri hai zaroori”, he asked if Khanduri was indispensable, then why was he removed in 2009.

Anand Sharma, who is on a tour of Uttarakhand to address election meetings, while talking to mediapersons, said the ruling BJP government should explain its performance to the people of the state.

“The state government is accountable to the people of the state and cannot brush aside its responsibility of explaining to the people that why it changed five Chief Ministers in seven years and still claiming to be providing a stable government. The people owe an explanation from them,” he said.

He further said Chief Minister BC Khanduri was silent when out of power and never criticised or pointed a finger at the allegations of corruption involving their government.

“Land mafia and mining mafias were active during the BJP rule. Is it only after he assumes office that he become concerned about the issues facing the state and its people?” he asked.

He said change was imminent after the state Assembly elections and the Congress, after coming to power, would provide a corruption-free, accountable and a stable government in the state.

Anand Sharma alleged that in the past five-year rule of the BJP in the state, the clock of development had reversed and the Congress had been highlighting it through a chargesheet submitted to the state Governor and the President. On the BJP slogan of “Khanduri hai Zaroori, Anand Sharma said for the overall development of the state, “Congress hai Zaroori”.

“We are not afraid of Khanduri as it was during his tenure that the Congress had won all the five seats in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections in the state”, he said.

On the reported plan of Team Anna to campaign with Ramdev in Uttarakhand, Anand Sharma said the people of the country know about the forces behind such elements.

He alleged that the RSS and allied organisations were behind all such movements and each and every organisation and person had right to campaign. “It is for the people to understand and make a judgement. Team Anna has already seen the public response in Mumbai. The yoga guru should do yoga and let politician do politics,” he added.

On the allegations of the BJP on the withdrawal of the industrial package by the Union Government, Anand Sharma denied that the package had not been withdrawn as capital and transport subsidies were continuing.

Haridwar, January 20
Rs 2 lakh was stolen from a railway station ticket counter cabin this morning. As per information, two youths arrived at the railway station counter area enquiring about the schedule of various trains.

Finding a few passengers on the railway premises owing to the fog and chill, one of the youths entered the cash counter cabin from the backdoor in disguise of a cleaning worker, while another remained stationed at the door.

There were only three women operators at that time and when they saw the disguised youth running away with a cash bag, they immediately raised an alarm.

Hearing the noise, Om Beer Singh, an employee, chased the youths. Near the auto stand, Singh nabbed a youth Gaurav Arora, while the other fled in congested lanes of the nearby market.

Gaurav, a resident of Hisar, confessed that he had connived with accomplice Vijay, a truck driver from ame state.

Circle officer J R Joshi also visited the railway station and took stock of the incident and directed the Railway Police to beef up security on the premises. A special team has been sent to Haryana to nab the second accused and a case has been registered at the GRP police station. 

Haridwar, January 20
Newly carved Assembly segment in Haridwar district, Ranipur-BHEL, has been drawing attention even before election dates were announced, owing to a record number of ticket aspirants from this segment.

A whopping 70 Congress aspirants had applied for ticket from this segment, while from BJP there were 20. Now a total of 20 candidates are in the election fray from this seat, with a quadrangular contest being witnessed.

Surrounded by Haridwar (city), Haridwar (rural), Jwalapur and Piran Kaliyar segments, this is mostly a posh segment with Shivalik Nagar-Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and industrial area of SIDCUL falling in this segment only.

Other prominent areas falling under this segment are Bahadrabad, Jwalapur, Ahmedpur Kadach, Salempur Mehdood, Annekikhetampur, Aurangabad of Jwalapur, Gurkul Kangri, Ward no 28 Mahila Mahavidyalaya and a dozen-odd villages.

Having a voter tally of 1,12,920, of which female voters account for 51,661 and male 61, 259, this segment is dominated by Kshatriya caste, which gets reflected in three prominent parties naming their candidates from this caste only.

Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded Aadesh Chauhan, while Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded Vikas Chauhan and Congress has given the ticket to veteran Balwant Singh Chauhan.

But with all these three candidates being Chauhan, the 15,000-odd Chauhan votes will not be going majorly to one single candidate.

This aspect may go in favour of former Congress and Samajwadi Party leader Ambrish Kumar, who is contesting as an Independent from this segment, after getting denied the party ticket by the Congress.

Being a legislator from Haridwar and a part of Jwalapur coming in this segment post delimitation, Ambrish has emerged of late as favourite.

With Muslim community also having a sizeable 20,000 voters presence and Dalits about 10,000, having a secular image will also benefit Ambrish making the contest quadrangular.

For Congress candidate Balwant Singh Chauhan, the road to the Assembly doesn’t seem easy as he is not known to be quite active in the region for the past five years.

While young-dynamic Aadesh Chauhan making good inroads among youths and owing to his dedicated party worker image, he is getting good support from all the sections of his party.

Bahujan Samaj party is eyeing this Assembly segment, putting the onus on Vishal Chauhan to sail through with the ‘elephant’ symbol from this city segment.

Door-to-door campaigning has provided BSP with a lead of sorts in comparison to his rivals.

Women candidate Sarita Purohit of Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) will also cut votes due to her clean, down-to- earth image. Particularly among women, Brahmins and hilly voters, she will be eyeing a major pie of votes.

Local issues include lack of basic facilities such as health, hospitals and non-availability of primary health medical staff, lack of higher school educational as well as technical institutes, bad roads, sanitation problem, no government-run transport facility despite the segment having 100-odd industrial units, including the prestigious public sector unit BHEL.

Flood factor is also playing heavily on the minds of voters, as villages such as Anneki, Aurangabad, Hetampur and Rewali Mehdood got submerged during the monsoona season. Demand of affected villagers for making of embankments has also not been met till date.

Till date the battle of ballots is reaching its zenith as all the major four contestants are intensively seen campaigning door to door.

Dehradun, January 20
The department of biotechnology, Dolphin (PG) Institute of Biomedical and Natural Sciences, Dehradun, in association with the Indian Institute of Patent and Trademark Attorneys, New Delhi, organised a two-day workshop on ‘the role of intellectual property in biotech and pharma industry’ here today.

The workshop has been primarily organised to impart knowledge and training to students by experts regarding the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), Copyrights and Trademarks, etc.

The importance of the intellectual property in the country is well established at all levels- statutory, administrative and judicial. India ratified the agreement establishing the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The agreement, inter alia, contain an agreement on the TRIPS, which came into force on January 1, 1995. It lays down minimum standards for protection and enforcement of the intellectual property rights in member countries, which are required to promote effective and adequate protection of the intellectual property rights with a view to reducing distortions and impediments to the international trade. The obligations under the TRIPS agreement relate to the provision of minimum standard of protection within the member countries’ legal systems and practices.

The Intellectual Property (IP) is central to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry and brings with it a dimension, facilitating collaborative activity, whether it is a drug discovery or clinical or market-related trials. The patent ownership is perceived to be an incentive to innovation, the basis for the technological advancement that contributes to economic growth.

The workshop would orient the students with the new knowledge economy leading to better career avenues. The workshop was presided over by Arvind Gupta, Chairman of the institute, Dr Shailja Pant, Principal, Dr Arun Kumar, Director, Kirtiman Sharma, Director IIPTA among others. Students from all disciplines attended the workshop. 

Haldwani, January 20
Haldwani that is better known as the gateway of Kumaon is witnessing a high-profile political battle to choose a winner who will represent this constituency in the next state Assembly.

The town is all set to witness a three-cornered fight between former minister and Congress heavyweight Indra Hridayesh, former chairperson of the Haldwani Municipal Board and BJP candidate Renu Adhikari and Abdul Mateen Siddiqui of the Samajwadi Party.

Just on the eve of the ticket distribution, the constituency had been a witness to a political drama that had seen Renu Adhikari defecting to the BJP. Till a few days back, she had been a Congress leader who was seeking the party ticket to contest from the seat. Observers say that ambition won over restraint and the result was her induction into the BJP at the party headquarters in New Delhi in the presence of state Chief Minister BC Khanduri.

She is hoping to cash in on the BJP cadre votes and the Congress loyalists that had been in her camp.

However, her entry into the BJP and her declaration as the party candidate from a seat where the BJP was searching for a heavyweight againt Hridayesh has led to heartburn within the BJP and the “genuine” aspirants, who have been in the party for years, are agitated over the developments.

Hridayesh on the other hand is looking towards a victory after the debacle she had suffered at the hands of the senior BJP leader Bansidhar Bhagat in 2007. She has a received a shot in the arm with former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Narayan Dutt Tiwari campaigning for her and particularly going to the minority pockets along with her.

She is remembered by the electorate for having spruced up Haldwani town during her earlier tenure. However, infighting within the Congress was the main reason that led to her defeat in 2007.

Siddiqui is a strong contender as he has a vast support base among the minority Muslim community. In his last attempt to win from the seat, Haldwani had witnessed him taking a strong lead from the Muslim-dominated areas of the town. He is the best bet for his party in the region. The BSP has also entered the fray with Rais-ul-Hassan contesting on the party ticket. He will be banking on the combined support from the Muslim and Dalit pockets of the constituency.

The minority votes will be a major factor in deciding the outcome of the result on this seat. With more than 20 per cent of the population

in the constituency belonging to the Muslim community, their say will count a lot. Haldwani is a key constituency for all political parties as it is the barometer of the region.

With the heterogeneous demography representing people from almost all parts of the Kumaon region, the mood of the voters in Haldwani is very often reflective of the one prevalent in other constituencies. People from the hilly terrain have been rushing to settle in this town once they acquire the required resources.

There is also a strong presence of Punjabi voters in the town who settled here after Partition. Over the last one decade, Haldwani has developed into a major residential town and an educational hub. The town is well-off in termsof facilities as compared to its counterpart in the hills.