Minister directs DMC to increase revenue
Says present positive image of state to Mussoorie tourists
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 4
Uttarakhand Employment, Youth Welfare and Sports Minister Dinesh Agarwal has directed the officials of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation to increase it's revenue.

He instructed the concerned officers to identify 15 bigha land for a cemetery without displacing residents. He also asked them to complete public repair works of drainages before monsoon season.

Agarwal, holding a meeting with officers of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation at his office in Vidhan Sabha Bhavan, stressed on bringing the new areas under the house tax purview and said that the corporation ought not to rely only on 13th Finance Commission and state Finance Commission but to look for other means to increase it's income.

He observed that this would not only make the corporation self-reliant but also ensure public participation in the development works. Stating that the income of the corporation was only Rs 5 crore, he asserted that the recovery of house tax would help it earn additional Rs 10 crore. He also instructed the officers to make Parade Ground free of encroachments and take stringent action against big and powerful encroachers. He asked the Mukhya Nagar Adhikari (MNA) to furnish details about the land possessed by the corporation before the inception of the corporation in 2002.

Sushil Kumar, MNA, apprised the Minister that 15 bigha land was identified at Lohianagar which was later transferred to Brahmanwala, and only 4 bigha was made available for a Muslim graveyard, but so far it had not been constructed. Agarwal instructed him to identify 15 bigha land without displacing anyone.

The Minister expressed his dissatisfaction over the progress of solid waste management in Dehradun city and said that owing to lack of requisite progress on it, only Rs 6 crore had been disbursed to the corporation against sanctioned Rs 24 crore.

He also laid emphasis on developing an effective waste management system.

Agarwal said that the respective public representatives should be invited to corporation projects so that their experience could be utilised.

The Minister also instructed District Magistrate Ravinath Raman to do the needful for the proposed construction work of the new Multi-storey building in the court premises to ease congestion in the court complex. He also asked the officers to ensure better management and facilities in Mussoorie for the tourists so that they go back with a good image of Uttarakhand.

Motivate youth to join armed forces, says Negi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 4
State Health, Soldier Welfare and Rehabilitation Minister Surendra Singh Negi today asked officials to increase the number of recruitment training programmes to motivate the youth to join armed forces.

During a meeting at the Vidhan Bhavan auditorium, he asked the officials to conduct pre-recruitment training camps both in the Garhwal and Kumaon regions and to ensure that the number of trainees was increased to 500 per year.

The minister directed the officials to hold camps for not only recruitment to defence forces, but also to other vocations. He said training camps should be organised at school, college and block levels.

He said the process to redress pension matters of ex-servicemen be expediated. The minister said the dependents of soldiers must be made aware of various schemes and facilities.

Negi also called for the total utilisation of the funds received from the Centre, so that more funds could be sought.

He directed the officials to identify land in Kumaon and Garhwal for the construction of training centre building, training fields and other required infrastructures.

The minister said the purpose of Utarakhand Purv Sainik Nigam Limited should not be to make profit, but to ensure more job opportunities for ex-servicemen.

Secretary, Soldiers Welfare and Rehabilitation, Bhaskaranand, Director, UPNL, Brig AN Bahuguna (retd) and district soldiers welfare and rehabilitation officers of all 13 districts were present.

Rudrapur riots: BJP legislators stage protest,
seek fair probe
Tribune News Service

Nainital, May 4
Six BJP legislators from Udham Singh Nagar, accompanied by Ranikhet MLA Ajay Bhatt, today staged a protest at Gandhi Park in Rudrapur, demanding a free and fair probe into the communal riots that had rocked Rudrapur on October 2 last year.

The police had recently booked 18 persons, including BJP legislator Raj Kumar Thukral, in the case following the directions from a local court.

The BJP leaders, along with hundreds of supporters, gathered at Gandhi Park in the morning to protest in support of their demand. Addressing the party supporters, the BJP leaders said the Centre and the state might have the Congress governments in power, but in Udham Singh Nagar, the BJP was in a majority. As many as seven candidates from the BJP had won on a total of nine Assembly seats in the recently held Assembly poll. However, analysts and observers had stated that the communal polarisation that followed the riots did work to the advantage of the BJP.

The BJP leaders then handed a memorandum of demands to the state government through the local administration. The speakers also underlined that any attempts at political witch-hunt would not be tolerated.

The security had been enhanced in the entire district since Thursday, keeping in view the proposed demonstration by the BJP and the plan of party leaders to submit a memorandum.

District Magistrate Brajesh Kumar Sant had clarified on the eve of the programme that all cases registered in the context of the communal riots had been forwarded to the Criminal Investigation Department of the Crime Branch (CBCID) for further investigations. He had also clarified that there should be no act which could be termed as harassment and had pointed out that anyone feeling threatened on this account could contact him or the top-most police officials in the district.

An appeal was also made for maintaining peace and brotherhood in the district and also to help the administration perform its duties.

Sant said anyone trying to disrupt communal peace would be dealt with sternly in the larger public interest.

The security had been beefed up in the sensitive areas of Rudrapur town following the registration of a case against the sitting BJP legislator Thukral and several others in the matter pertaining to the communal violence that took place in the town last year.

Apart from the routine constabulary, the jawans of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) had also been pressed into service.

Four persons were killed and several others injured in the communal riots that had broken out on October 2 last year. There had been large damage to the infrastructure in the region. Above all, the series of events had left a deep scar on the social fabric of the town. The curfew that had been imposed for a few days after the riots had led to massive industrial losses.

Bahuguna ignored Dharchula constituency, says MLA
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, May 4
Congress MLA from Dharchula Harish Dhami has threatened that if the Vijay Bahuguna-led state government does not resolve the problems of the people of his constituency before the budget session, he will hold a protest in the House. In case his protest does not make any impact, he will resign from his seat.

“First, I will request the government to issue orders for solving the long pending demands of the people, and if it fails to do so I will boycott the House and protest by wrapping a black strip on the arm. I will even resign from the Assembly if the government does not listen to me,” says Dhami while addressing mediapersons here today.

The MLA alleged that during a recent visit to the district the Chief Minister did not pay much attention to the problems of the Dharchula Assembly. “The Chief Minister even did not take the file regarding the problems of my constituency and left it where I handed it over to him, said Dhami.

“We have demanded the OBC status to the people of the Dharchula area on the lines of the Rawain Jaunpur area of Garhwal. Besides the state government should approach the Supreme Court for the removal of the musk deer sanctuary limit from villages in the Gori river valley of his constituency,” he said.

Dhami, who had offered his seat to Harish Rawat in case the latter was appointed as the Chief Minister of the state, said he was no taken seriously by Bahuguna when he visited the district recently. The Chief Minister announced that the government would pursue only those schemes that were initiated by the ND Tiwari government during 2002 to 2007.

“By neglecting even our small demands for upgrading the community health centres at Madkot and Tejam to 30 beds each and relief for residents of Qurie Jimia and La Jhekla villages that were affected by natural disasters, the Chief Minister showed that he did not care about the problems of the common people of the state,” said Dhami.

CM annoyed at slow pace of road widening work
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 4
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna conducted a surprise inspection of the work for the widening of Chaktrata Road from Clock Tower to Prabhat Cinema here today. He expressed displeasure at the slow pace of the work.

The Chief Minister asked the officials of the undertaking agencies to complete the task in the stipulated time. He instructed them to hold a review meeting at the Civil Secretariat at 11 am on May 15 in this regard.

The Chief Minster ordered the officers to ask the undertaking agencies and the JNNRUM to be present at the meeting and prepare a report on the expansion of roads. He told them to complete the construction of roads before the monsoon.

The Chief Minister instructed the Chief Engineer, PWD, to regularly monitor the construction work and submit a report to his office on a daily basis.

Rajkumar, MLA, Rajpur, apprised the Chief Minister that the widening work was started six months ago and was yet to be finished. He urged the Chief Minister that the beautification of Clock Tower be maintained in view of its historical importance. He also suggested that the Saharanpur road to Dilaram Chowk be made a green belt.

The MLA also presented a 10-point charter of demand to the Chief Minister and informed him about the pathetic condition of the roads in the city. He demanded that the construction works be completed before the monsoon.

Minority cell seeks relief from Alva
Ajay Ramola

Mussoorie, May 4
DX Johny, incharge of Congress Party minority cell from Mussoorie, paid a visit to former Uttarakhand Governor Margret Alva's residence to bid her farewell at Raj Bhavan yesterday.

According to DX Johny, the former Governor was immensely pleased with her tenure in the state. DX Johny extended his best wishes to the outgoing Governor on the occasion.

DX Johny reminded the Governor that the previous government had turned a blind eye towards the plea of the people from the minority section in regard to seeking financial assistance from Chief Minister's relief fund and the needy were awaiting any kind of relief.

The former Governor, after hearing out the minority cell incharge, assured him that she would once again write to the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister in this regard so that the needy people are given immediate relief.

It is worth mentioning that DX Johny had written several letters during BJP rule seeking aid from the CM relief fund for more than five medically unfit persons but the previous government did not consider these.

Massive drive to check illegal quarrying

Haridwar, May 4
Taking seriously Finance Minister Indira Hriyadesh’s warning of severe action against illegal quarrying operators, the district administration is carrying out a massive drive against the violators in the district.

Subdivisional Magistrate Harbir Singh, taking impromptu action on seeing illegal quarrying being done at Neel Dhara riverbed adjacent to Indira Gandhi bridge, Chandi ghat, seized a couple of trolleys that were ferrying illegal quarrying material.

Seeing the cavalcade of administrative officer aided with police officials, the trolley drivers ran away from the spot, leaving behind the loaded vehicles.

The SDM then directed seizure of the trolleys and strict monitoring of the region in view of regular complaints of illegal quarrying being done in the region. — TNS