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Snow blocks Mansarovar route
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Char Dham Yatra Nears
Traffic pylons to check jams in Haridwar
Police gears up to tackle tourist rush
Mahant Sudhir Giriji shot dead Mahant Sudhir Giriji Maharaj
Rain exposes tall claims of civic body staff
Frequent transfers of DMs irk people
Filth on Road
Restart work on power project or face stir: NGOs
We are waiting for notice, say Congress leaders
Sumit, Meenaxi win marathon
CM assured of additional foodgrain supply
Gusain flays Panwar for expelling him from party
5 held for selling liquor illegally
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Snow blocks Mansarovar route
Pithoragarh, April 15 Besides the route to this yatra, other mountains beyond the height of 11000 feet have also witnessed mild to heavy snowfall during this season, which otherwise used to be considered preparation time for the forthcoming yatra, scheduled from June1
this year. Due to severe cold waves in the lower valleys, people have to take out woollen clothes which had been dumped by them. Weather officials in the district said the temperature remained two degree below normal in the district. “Due to fast blowing winds in the valley from last one week, the village of Samkot in Munsiyari is facing electricity shortage as the electric poles have been uprooted,” said Sher Singh Pawar, a member of the block development, Munsiyari. The ITBP weather office has said due to rain and cold winds on Friday night, the villages of Kuti, Jolingkong, Gunji and the Himalayan pass to China at Lipulekh, have been covered under snow. “The way between Nabhidhang and the Lipulekh pass has witnessed nearly 6 feet snowfall during April,” said Anupreet Borkar, a senior officer of the ITBP. Almora, which witnessed 8 cm of rain in the last three days, has also witnessed a dip in the temperature.
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Char Dham Yatra Nears
Haridwar, April 15 Heaps of garbage could be seen at many places, thus giving a bad impression to the pilgrims and tourists. In the past three days, the city witnessed twin festive bathes in which lakhs of people thronged the city to take a holy dip in the Ganga and attend the annual Sadbhavna Sammelan organised by spiritual guru Satpal Maharaj. The sammelan witnessed a huge gathering of devotees from across the country. However, no additional steps were taken by the authorities to make sure that the city remains clean. Core mela zone, Har-ki-Pauri, Ganga ghats, inner roads, colonies like Kankhal, Gobind Puri, Moti Bazaar, Ranipur and suburban colonies like Jwalapur are filled with garbage. Even the railway station, the bus station, CCR tower, the MC office area and other important sites have not been cleaned properly. Trucks meant for the disposal of the garbage on the outskirts of the city could be seen dumping it at Bhimgoda and Pantdeep open areas and burning it there only. The city health officer, Dr Anil Tyagi, said owing to lakhs of people thronging the city in the past few days, it was not possible for a "limited strength" of employees to dispose of garbage fully. He added that sanitation employees had been roped in on contract and the city would be cleaned in a day or two.
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Traffic pylons to check jams in Haridwar
Haridwar, April 15 Already more than a kilometer stretch has been covered by these thermoplastic pylons the results of which are visible. Normally the highway stretch from Shankaracharya chowk to Deen Dayal Upadhyay parking lot opposite CCR tower witnesses massive traffic congestion. As there is no midway diversion lane, most of the vehicle drivers, in trying to overtake, used to get in the opposite lane which many times used to cause accidents or jams as this highway stretch is single lane. Further more, as this stretch is near the important spots of Brahamkund, Har-ki-Pauri, VIP ghat and Deen Dayal Upadhyay multi-storey parking lot, the traffic congestion is
more here. However, with the setting up of reflectors, a sharp dip in traffic congestion, accidents and jam is being noted in the past few days. Talking to the TNS, Traffic Superintendent of Police Dr Kiran Lal Shaw said as the four-lane work on NH-72 would take some time, they had decided to place these traffic pylons to ensure smooth flow of traffic. Traffic Inspector Devendra Dabral said they approached the Era Infrastructure private firm which had been interested with the four-lane work. “Taking into account the impact of these pylons, we have decided to place more of these at other congested stretches in Haridwar,” said Dabral. |
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Police gears up to tackle tourist rush
Nainital, April 15 It was decided that like the previous years, the Upper Mall Road would be closed for vehicular traffic from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm from May 15 onwards. It is around mid-May that the maximum numbers of tourists start arriving after the schools in the plains declare summer vacations. As of now the Upper Mall Road remains closed from 6 pm to 8 pm. It was further decided to implement a one-way traffic plan on the Nainital Club Road from May 1 onwards. This is being done to decongest the traffic on the narrow road. Meena has also ordered that the Traffic Police and Jal Police get activated to meet the summer rush. He announced that a control room would be set up for ensuring proper traffic management during the summer months. Joshi on the other hand committed that the local municipal body would get boat men and horse owners to display their rate cards for the convenience of
the public. It was further decided in the meeting to get the defunct CCTV cameras repaired so that surveillance can be increased in the busy areas of the town. It is learnt that additional number of police personnel would be deputed at Nainital during the tourist
season. This was the second meeting in a week to make preparations for the tourist season. The earlier one had been held under the chairmanship of the Kumaon Commissioner Kunal
Sharma. |
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Mahant Sudhir Giriji shot dead
Haridwar, April 15 Hearing the sound of bullets, the nearby residents arrived on the spot. Wounded Mahant succumbed to bullet injuries in the car. The link of land-builder mafia is being seen with the murder of the Akhada saint though the police is looking into various angles of this murder. Superintendent of Police Roshan Lal Sharma said only after getting some concrete clues, they would arrive at a conclusion and it's too early to point fingers on any one. Sources close to the Akhada hint at the dispute over immovable property of the ashram as the probable reason behind this murder. Mahant Vinod Giri "Hanuman Baba", spiritual guru of Mahant Sudhir Giri, alleged the land mafia behind this murder and even pointed out that a close insider associated with the akhada's working was behind this murder. He added that various ashrams in Haridwar, hotels, commercial complexes had come up either on the existing ashram's vacant land and as 1500 bigha of land is in Belda village where the late Mahant Sudhir Giri used to live. A land dispute case is in a court which may be the probable reason behind this murder. Furkan Ahmed, Cabinet-ranked state minister, has expressed deep shock of the murder of the mahant and assured people of a high-level probe in this matter. |
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Rain exposes tall claims of civic body staff
Nainital, April 15 Barring the Mall Road and a couple of other main roads, the town is marked with heaps of rubble that came down with the first spell of a heavy shower. The rubble mainly comprises pebbles and mud and the construction material that had been dumped along the roads despite several orders being passed at the level of the district administration to remove it. The rains have once again exposed the claims with regard to the sanitation of more than 60 drains around the town. The drains had not been cleaned over the past several months. Even at present, one sees rubbish of all kinds littering these drains. Apart from the those maintained for the tourists and the high ups of the administration, the remaining areas call for an immediate large-scale sanitation drive. It is an apology to the mere concept of Nirmal Nagar and ironically it happens to be one of the towns chosen under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Chairman of the Nagar Palika Parishad Mukesh Joshi has been underlining the need for a strict implementation of the 73rd and 74th amendment of the Constitution that would give more resources and powers to the civic bodies. He has been maintaining that with more resources, the civic bodies can function in a much better manner. He has also been pointing out that certain structural adjustments being made with regard to handing over of responsibilities under the sanitation programme Mission Butterfly have led to short- term lapses. The administration has once again ordered an immediate cleaning of drains in the town. The orders were recently issued at a meeting held last week to make preparations for the forthcoming tourist season. The meeting had been chaired by Kumaon Commissioner Kunal Sharma. |
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Frequent transfers of DMs irk people
Pithoragarh, April 15 "The development of the district hinders as administrative officers are changed so frequently and due to these frequent transfers, the priorities set by the earlier officers also are also changed," said Dinesh Pandey, a senior citizen of Champawat. The citizens said the government was merely using the new and backward districts as training ground for the IAS officers rather than to pay heed to their development. According to the citizens of the district, Naveen Chandra Sharma was made the first District Magistrate. The citizens had pleaded to then Kumaon Commissioner not to change the District Magistrate early as he should be given chance to understand the district and its remote parts completely so that he could fix his priorities in favor of balanced development of
the district. "But the governments did not heard us and kept on changing the top district officer frequently even after the state was created," said Pandey. Most of citizens, who are not satisfied with this transfer of the District Magistrate in six months, say that if the District Magistrates would be kept on changing so frequently, the district would not be able to get the pace of development it needed. "Our district neither has sufficient medical facilities, medical staff and medicines in rural dispensaries, nor carpeted roads to connect to the rural areas and required number of teachers and other village level workers. How the district can go ahead when the responsible officers are changed before they come to know the problems of the district," asked Satish Chandra Joshi, a social activist
in the district. |
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Filth on Road
Nainital, April 15 The minister was so angry that he called officials of the local municipal body and the Irrigation Department to the spot and ordered them to put things in order in the next two days. He also called up the District Magistrate of Nainital and underlined that long-term measures be taken to check the menace. It was in the afternoon that Durgpal was going to Haldwani when he was appalled by what he saw at Teen Pani near
Halduchaur. He ordered his convoy to be stopped. No sooner than he had halted, the people of Teen Pani and Nayagaon rushed to the spot and pointed out that the filth coming from Haldwani had made their life miserable for them as the water from the overflowing sewer quite often reached their doorsteps. They further related that repeated pleas made to the officials had gone unheard. This led to Durgpal summoning the Executive Engineer of the Irrigation Department MC Pande and Executive Officer of Haldwani Municipal Corporation BS Hyanki to the spot and taking them
to task. He ordered that things should be rectified within the next two days. He stated that public interests would not be overlooked and the officials would have to mend
their ways.
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Restart work on power project or face stir: NGOs
Dehradun, April 15 Dhirendra Sharma, a veteran scientist of international acclaim, said in the times of technology and science when people are reaching out to Mars and moon, "we can't afford to be stuck in such mythological beliefs. Logical thinking and progress of state has to be considered." Members from CII and other academicians were of the opinion that matters of national interests should not be compromised and these projects on which so much of investment has already been done should immediately be started. The meeting also announced that if National Ganga River Basin Authority does not take the decision to restart Lohari
Nagpala, Pala Maneri and Bhairo ghati and the other closed hydel projects, the Paripunand Panoli freedom fighter and ex-MP, Avdhash
Kaushal, chairperson, RLEK, and Dhirendra Sharma will sit on fast unto death along with other senior
citizen. |
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We are waiting for notice, say Congress leaders
Haridwar, April 15 City chief OP Chauhan said that in fact he was present at the Damkoti state guest house where Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna was felicitated by party workers as it was the official party programme during the maiden tour of the CM to the
city. Chauhan added that as is being made out, the function at Jai Ram Ashram organised by Braham Swaroop Brahamchari was not an official party function and so it is not imperative for party office- bearers to remain present at the function.Chaudhary Rajendra Singh said that this notice is being served by party leaders and seems a deliberate ploy to harass them. Notably both Chaudhari Rajendra Singh and OP Chauhan are deemed to be close confidants of Haridwar parliamentarian Harish
Rawat, who is at loggerheads with new CM Vijay Bahuguna. |
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Sumit, Meenaxi win marathon
Nainital, April 15 The event had been organised by the Runners 365 sports organisation along with the Nanda Devi Mahotsava Committee. In the boys' section, Veerendra Singh of Satbunga in Ramgarh and Mahendra Tamta of Bhimtal bagged the second and third positions. In the girls event the second and third positions were bagged by Babita Bisht of Satbunga and Kirti Rawat of
Bhawali. In the event for boys under 14 years of age, the top three positions were bagged by Rohit Kumar, Bhupendra Singh and Gajendra Singh of LP School in Bhimtal while in the girls event, it was Meenaxi Mehr followed by Kirti Rawat of Bhawali and Bhagwati Bisht of Nathuakhan who bagged the top three positions. Vijay Chaudhary won the 200 metres race for veterans and was followed by Kundan Singh and Navin Chandra Joshi in the second and third place. The prizes were given away by the local legislator Sarita Arya who promised to take up the matter pertaining to the playground in
Bhawali. |
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CM assured of additional foodgrain supply
Dehradun, April 15 The Chief Minister took up the issue of lack of storage facilities for foodgrains allocated by the Centre to the state and said Uttarakhand would set up its own godowns. Thomas assured Bahuguna of all possible assistance from the Centre in this regard. He said the state government could set up godowns under various subsidy programmes of the Central government. Thomas assured the Chief Minister of taking into account his request for considering the Census 2011 while allocating foodgrains to the state. It may be noted that the Centre had already approved additional foodgrains to the state in view of the Char Dham Yatra. On the issue of the inability of the state government to lift foodgrains allocated by the Centre, the Chief Minister assured Thomas of lifting the
foodgrains.
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Gusain flays Panwar for expelling him from party
Dehradun, April 15 “Panwar is felicitating the members of the other group of the party headed by Diwakar Bhatt. He has even appointed one member among them as a district president,” he said. He called the members of the breakaway group opportunist, who are flocking back to the UKD (P) as its member Preetam Panwar has now been elevated to the position of minister in the state government. Quite interestingly, Gusain too, who kept mum after his expulsion, has also become vocal now. He is now expressing shock over his expulsion, which took place immediately after the Assembly
elections.
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5 held for selling liquor illegally
Nainital, April 15 The arrest came during a special drive to enforce orders pertaining to the closure of liquor vends in the area on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti. Those nabbed include Jaspal Singh of Bannakheda, Soma Kaur of Khammari, Dilip Singh, Phul Singh and Mobin
of Rajpura.
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Haridwar, April 15
The murder of Mahant Sudhir Giriji Maharaj, Shri Panchayati Mahanirvani Akhada, Kankhal, late last night at Haridwar-Roorkee road near Belda village has created a sensation in the city. Mahant Sudhir Giri was travelling in his car and was just a kilometre away from his ashram, when some assailants on other car obstructed his way and then fired at him from a close range.
Nainital, April 15
