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Illegal plying of taxis by outside operators resented
Assembly
session at Gairsain |
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Before leaving, Alva freed 19 prisoners
Tenure of Swajal scheme extended
Govt criticised on domicile certificate, corruption
Damand
of Separate State
Women also bid for liquor shops in Pithoragarh
Provide power connections to 3,000 BPL families: ADM
Kisan sabha calls off strike
Sharma is High Court Bar Association president
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Illegal plying of taxis by outside operators resented
Haridwar, May 11 Though state Transport Cabinet Minister Surendra Rakesh had assured of stringent action against such violators and DIG, Dehradun, Sanjay Gunjiyal, also gave directions to the concerned police-traffic officers, outside tourist vehicle operators are openly flouting the norms. This is having a direct bearing on the local commercial vehicle operators, who wait for more than six months for commencement of the Char Dham yatra to benefit from the huge pilgrim rush in the state, particularly on Char Dham yatra route. Now city-based local tour-taxi operators have brought this matter to the notice of Regional Transport Office, urging them to crack down on such illegal operators, who are plying their vehicles in the state wothout permission. Under the aegis of Panchpuri Tempo Travellers Welfare Association, a delegation met the ARTO, Haridwar, at Roshanabad office, apprising him of the blatant violation by outside state vehicle operators. Ravindra Kumar, chief of the PTTW, said that private taxi operators from nearby states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan are operating their commercial vehicles for Char Dham yatra as well as in Haridwar-Rishikesh-Mussorie tourist circuit, without getting transport office's requisite licence. “We are getting badly hit by such vehicle operators as it is having a direct impact on our livelihood. Without having to pay for Char Dham yatra tax as well as not having to wait for rotation, a number these outside operators are also charging hefty amounts from pilgrims. For the entire six months we wait for Char Dham pilgrim tourist season to make sure bank loans of our vehicles are paid but these outside illegal operating of vehicles in Char Dham and local routes is severely impacting our business,” said Sonu Chauhan, vice chief of the association. Association members also pointed that when they try to stop such vehicle drivers, they misbehave with them. They warned the authorities that if no action was to taken curb these illegal activities, a major clash may take place, and this will be the responsibility of the Transport Department and the state government only. ARTO Dwarika Prasad assured the delegation of appropriate steps as well as apprising the higher authorities about this matter. He also said that impromptu checking drive, penalties and even seizing of the vehicles will be done if violations by such outside vehicle operators are detected. |
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Assembly session at Gairsain
Haridwar, May 11 Activists of the BJP, the Congress and the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, besides local people welcomed the government move. Various programmes were organized and sweets were distributed in the city as the activists of the parties said Bahuguna had honoured the sentiments of the people of the state as well as the martyrs of the agitation for the separate state of Uttarakhand. The Uttarakhand Kranti Manch welcomed the announcement of holding a session of the Legislative Assembly at Gairsain, which is equidistant from both Garhwal and Kumaon divisions. A veteran leader of the statehood movement JP Pandey thanked the Chief Minister for not adopting delaying tactics like earlier Chief Ministers, who only formed commissions to explore the possibility of Gairsain as capital. The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal too held a meeting where members hailed Bahuguna’s decision that was tantamount to giving Gairsain its due. Uday Ram Semwal, central secretary of the labour cell, said since the formation of the separate state of Uttarakhand 12 years ago successive state governments and even the Opposition did not show seriousness towards Gairsain as the capital, but now the sentiments of those who took part in the statehood movement and the local people were being recognised. Avdesh Shivpuri, Congress spokesperson, said the people wanted a separate state of Uttarakhand and Gairsain as its capital so that the Garhwal and Kumaon regions could see large scale development and Bahuguna’s decision to hold Assembly session at Gairsain was a step towards fulfilling that objective.
—TNS |
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Before leaving, Alva freed 19 prisoners
Dehradun, May 11 She issued the orders under the right given to her by Article 161 of the Constitution. Among the prisoners to be released are men above 75 years of age and women above 70 years who have completed one-third of their term of imprisonment. Among those who will be released are 93-year-old Govind Ram (Pauri), 90-year Dodharam (US Nagar), 89-year Kushal Singh (Uttarkashi), 82-year Lakshman Singh (Champawat), 80-year Anandi (USNagar), 81-year Khushal Singh (Pauri), 77-year Kundan Singh (Almora), 76-year Shobharam (Haridwar), 75-year Mahendra Singh of (Haridwar), 75-yearBhanumati, (US Nagar), 75-year Nandi Devi (Almora), 71-year Kabutri Devi (Rudraprayag), 71-year Hira Devi (Dehradun), 70-year Haru Devi (US Nagar), Lal Bahadur, who had completed more than 34 years in prison, Christina Chakchubak, who had been sentenced to 6 years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25,000. Unable to pay the fine, she was sentenced to 6 months more of imprisonment. But this fine and six months term have been waived. Of the 19 prisoners, 14 are housed in Haridwar prison and 5 in Dehradun prison. |
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Tenure of Swajal scheme extended
Dehradun, May 11 At a review meeting held with World Bank officials on Friday, Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain said in view of the success of the project, an extension had been given till 2014. The Chief Secretary said about 4,000 villages were being supplied clean drinking water through Swajal and there had been significant improvement in sanitation in villages. He said public toilets were being constructed for BPL families and the APL families were being encouraged to construct their own toilets. The Chief Secretary said training for engineers and other technical staff of the Jal Nigam and the Jal Sansthan should be conducted on a regular basis. |
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Traffic management plan for US Nagar
Nainital, May 11 The new plan has been prepared by District Magistrate Brajesh Kumar Sant and SSP Nilesh Anand Bharne in consultation with the representatives of various civil society organisations with a view to streamlining the traffic management in the town and to prevent road accidents. This was announced after a meeting was held on the issue today. As per the new arrangement, the entry of all kinds of vehicles, including hand-driven carts, would be prohibited from near the Bata showroom to the main market. The prohibition would be in effect even in case of the alleys that
lead to the main market and the violators of the rules would be forced to pay a fine of Rs 200. Besides, no truck or other vehicle would be allowed to be parked near the main road. It has been decided that the trucks would only be allowed to enter the town from 10 pm to 6 am. No heavy vehicle would be allowed to ply between Deen Dayal Chowk and Gaba Chowk. Trucks transporting essentials would be exempted from the norm and the remaining empty trucks would have to be parked in the grounds of the Food Corporation of India (FCI). It has also been decided that cuts be made only at a few important places on the national highway running through the town. The authorities have worked out a plan to remove the encroachments from Sabzi Mandi, Gol Market and gurdwara. Sant has ordered Vir Singh Budhyal to start an anti-encroachment drive in these areas at the earliest. He has further related that the main cross roads in the town would be beautified and concerns like Radisson Blue and Idea have given their approval for the same. At the time when prohibition is in force for entry into the market, vehicles would have to be parked at Gandhi Park and Ambedkar Park.
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Govt criticised on domicile certificate, corruption
Dehradun, May 11 President of UPKM, Kunwar Jupinder Jit Singh, said the state government had ditched people of Uttarakhand by filing a petition in the Supreme Court against High Court's order which had nullified the cut-off date of the year 1950 and approved year 2000 as the basis for sanctioning the domicile certificate. He said the Congress government was playing dirty politics by dividing people of hill and plain areas in the state. He also backed the small hydroelectric projects in the state, saying that such projects did not degrade environment, rather they provided employment to local people. He said the state governments and other political parties advocated big projects because they involved huge money and spread widespread corruption at all levels. Spokesperson of URM, PC Thapliyal, said the Congress had failed in arresting corruption and reining in the belligerent bureaucrats. He said both URM and UPKM were committed to eradicate corruption from the state and would hence fight it out together in the state. |
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Damand
of Separate State
Pithoragarh, May 11 “We have staged a demonstration in support of the ongoing agitation in all nine districts of far western Nepal for the demand of a seperate state consisting of the districts which have remained most backward in that country despite the repeated changes in governments in our country,” said Mahesh Baral, organiser of the protest. The migrant students and other Nepali working in the Indian territory have also opposed the proposed formation of districts on caste and ethnic lines by the constituent assembly of the country. “The draft adopted by the assembly wants to separate Kailali and Kanchanpur districts of far western Nepal from the proposed state and include these in the proposed Tharuwat province of Terai, which will not be tolerated,” said Prem Joshi, general secretary of the organisation. The speakers on the occasion also demanded the preparation of the constitution of the country on the set date of May 27 this year as, according to them, more delay would cause more troubles for the committee. “The constituent assembly declared the possible formation of seven new states in Nepal, but the formation of the separate state of western Nepal without including the districts of Kailali and Kanchanpur in that state sparked off the agitation in all nine districts of far western Nepal to include these two districts into the proposed far western province,” said Mahesh Baral, the organiser of the protest.
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Women also bid for liquor shops in Pithoragarh
Pithoragarh, May 11 In Champawat district, where a women organisation is continuing an agitation against the proposed liquor shops in Pul Hindola, Chalthi, Sukhidhank, Lohaghat and Champawat areas, 69 women have applied for 15 liquor shops to be opened in the district. Of 1,073 applicants for
the 15 liquor shops 69 applications were from women, said the district excise officer. People protesting against liquor shops said due to liquor consumption the development of the district and social and family atmosphere had been affected. The youth, who once were considered fit for armed forces, their number in the Army was dwindling due to liquor addiction, said Sankar Dutt Joshi, supporter of the anti-liquor agitation at Chalthi. According to the district excise officer, most women bidders applied for liquor shops at Lohaghat and Chalthi while only two women applied for the shop at Pulla. Members of these women’s families were actually bidding in their names in order to form a syndicate, said Basanti Samant, leader of the anti-liquor agitation at Pul Hindola in Lohaghat subdivision of Champawat district. For 23 liquor shops in Pithoragarh district, 67 of the 1,738 applicants were women. “We have not received any application for country-made liquor shop at Pithoragarh and Didihat as these places have been the hotspot of the anti-liquor agitation,” said Alok Pandey, excise officer, Pithoragarh.
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Provide power connections to 3,000 BPL families: ADM
Nainital, May 11 At a meeting with the representatives of ICOM Company, ADM Rajiv Sah expressed his displeasure over the fact that the task entrusted to the company remained incomplete even after seven years of its commissioning. The meeting was organised by Sah on Tuesday at the instance of District Magistrate Akshat Gupta, who had reviewed the performance with regard to power in the district on May 2. Sah said only 97 villages had been electrified against the target of 103. Similarly, the problem of irregular supply of power had been resolved in 87 of the 105 villages identified for the purpose, he stated. In case of villages where expansion of power network was to be done, the work has been executed in 1,134 of the 1,325 villages. He said a total of 25,000 families of the BPL category were to be given power connections but till now, 22,000 had been provided with it. He ordered that the connections to the remaining 3,000 families be provided till June 15. Executive Engineer (Distribution) of the Power Department DS Bisht has assured the Almora administration that he would take stock of the matter and would get the things done in the stipulated time. Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal had also expressed concern over the matter when he was questioned during his recent visit to Nainital. He had stated that the private company entrusted with the job of rural electrification has not worked to satisfaction. He had underlined that the company had been asked to install the power infrastructure in all villages by June this year following which it would be taken over by the Power Department that would ensure that all villages are electrified and get a proper power supply. |
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Kisan sabha calls off strike
Dehradun, May 11 Rajesh Verma, president of the organization, said they had decided to go on strike on May 16 and stop the milk supply after holding a demonstration before the office of the Milk Producers Federation (MPF) on April 27 on their demand to increase the prices of milk and dairy products. General Manager of the MPF CD Tyagi had sought the intervention of the State Dairy Development Minister who solved the crisis by assuring the members of the organisation that their demand for a special package on the lines of Maharashtra and Karnatka would be seriously looked into.
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Sharma is High Court Bar Association president
Nainital, May 11 Sharma polled a total of 385 votes while his nearest rival TS Fartayal came second after having polled 271 votes. Although Sharma was tipped to be a clear winner in the battle, Fartayal managed to give a fight in the fray. While Lokendra Dobhal has been elected as the senior vice-president, Narendra Bali and Bindesh Gupta have been chosen as the vice-presidents by the members of the association. Qurban Ali emerged victorious in the electoral battle for the post of general secretary after he polled 360 votes. His nearest rival Chetan Joshi polled 295 votes. Sandeep Tewari was declared the winner for the post of joint secretary (Administration) while Anil Kumar was elected as the joint secretary (Press). Bhuvnesh Joshi was elected the treasurer. A total of 681 members had exercised their right to franchise to elect their office-bearers yesterday. There are 961 members in the association. The voting that was initially scheduled to be held till 4 pm had been extended till 6 pm as the initial response of voters to the exercise was not very encouraging. The counting of votes started today morning and continued till late in the afternoon. A total of seven rounds of counting were held. This was the 12th poll that was held for choosing the office- bearers of the association since the High Court came into existence after the inception of the state. |
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Exhibitions mark National Technology Day
Dehradun, May 11 At the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, a special exhibition was organised which showcased the recent scientific and technical achievements made by various the divisions of the Institute which were useful to the general people. Director, FRI, Dr PP Bhojvaid, accompanied by the Registrar and head of divisions interacted with scientists and appreciated the research being carried out by various divisions of the institute. Bhojvaid instructed scientists and officers to continue with their efforts towards disseminating the research findings to the user groups, including the general public, so that the nation could benefit from these. The main attractions of this exhibition were the varieties of medicinal plants from the non-wood forestry products division, natural dyes and colours from chemistry division and other exhibits by the entomology division. Seeds of forest trees were also put to display by the silviculture division of the institute. All museums of the institute were open for the general public for the day and were visited by people. The Uttarakhand Council of Science and Technology (UCOST) today organised a lecture on National Technology Day at its Vasant Vihar office. Prof SJ Chopra, Vice-Chancellor, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, said the rising demand of energy could lead to global energy crisis in the days to come. He said looking for alternative sources of energy other than conventional energy was needed. Director General, UCOST, Dr Rajendra Dobhal referred to the history of National Technology Day. |
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After a strike by Char Dham Joint Rotation Yatra Committee, the city-based tempo travellers have now resented the flouting of transport norms by outside tour-taxi operators, who do not register their vehicles at the transport office for Char Dham pilgrimage route operation.
Haridwar, May 11
Dehradun, May 11
