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Jamarani project to provide more power, water to state
HC turns down Balkrishan’s plea
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Doon set for presidential poll today
2 students hurt in late evening clashes
Admn prevents sacrifice of goats
Ruckus over hoardings
Owner breaks into rented TGMO union’s office
Cheema’s statement: UKD to hold dharna on July 21
Mishap-prone spots identified on Kumaon highways
Govt ‘failed’ to protect SC/ST quota in promotions
CPI, CPM to protest on July 30
State awaits project under urban renewal mission
Kiran Bedi immerses her sister’s ashes in Ganga
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Jamarani project to provide more power, water to state
Dehradun, July 18 Arya, chairing a meeting of his departmental officers, here today, directed the nodal officers to send the catchment area plan of Jamarani dam project by August. Describing the project beneficial for the people of Bhavar and Terai areas, Arya directed the officers to ensure timely completion of the project. He instructed the Revenue Department to provide land for the rehabilitation of displaced people at Udham Singh Nagar and prepare the rehabilitation plan according to the new rehabilitation policy prepared for Lakhwar-Vyasi Project. The 130 metre-high Jamarani dam project was proposed in 2005 on river Gola at Kathgodam with a budget of Rs. 927.93 crore in Nainital district. After completion, the dam would facilitate irrigation for 60,600-hectare land, including 12,993 hectares in Uttarakhand, and 47,607 hectares in Uttar Pradesh. It will provide drinking water to 5.80 lakh people and produce 19.5 MW power. The minister was told that the present budget of the project was estimated to be Rs.1400 crore. The meeting was attended by Secretary, Irrigation, NS Negi, Additional Secretary Vijay Dhaundiyal, Chief Engineer BK Tamta, Additional Chief Forest Conservator AK Mahajan, Under Secretary Sanjay Tolia and other officers. |
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HC turns down Balkrishan’s plea
Pithoragarh, July 18 A Single Bench of Justice Tarun Aggarwal also instructed Balkrishan to surrender by July 20 to a CBI court in Dehradun. "The court observed that the documents produced by the CBI have prima facie evidence that the accused had obtained the birth certificate by fraudulent means," said Arvind Vashisht, counsel for the CBI. The CBI has filed a case against Balkrishan under Sections 120B, 420, 468 and 471 for allegedly obtaining fake birth certificate to claim an Indian passport. |
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Doon set for presidential poll today
Dehradun, July 18 The electoral college for the elections in Uttarakhand comprises a total of 4,480 MLA and 5664 MP votes. The voting will take place through a secret ballot coordinated by Chief Election Officer Radha Raturi and presided over by the Principal Secretary, Vidhan Sabha, who will also act as the Assistant Returning Officer. Former Joint Secretary Suman Choudhury has been appointed observer. The ballot box will be transported to Delhi, where the counting will be held and the results will be announced on July 22. According to Radha Raturi, the voters will have to give their preferences and in case they fail to give first preference, the vote cast would be termed invalid. Meanwhile, both the BJP and the Congress held meetings with their legislatures and asked them to be present on the day of the voting. On the other hand, the meeting of Congress MLAs and MPs was also held at the Chief Minister’s residence. Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna will be casting his vote as an MP, as he has not resigned from his seat. “Under the provisions of simultaneous membership rules, he can vote as an MP because he can submit his resignation within 14 days of his election as an MLA,” said Raturi. Bahuguna had won the Sitarganj bypoll on July 11.
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Video Telephony Service launched
Dehradun July 18 VTS is a voice and video service over broadband where users can see the video of the person on the other hand to whom he is talking over landline phone. The BSNL is claiming to be the first one in the country to provide high-definition video calling service in the country. Uttrakhand has become the 10th state where the BSNL has launched this service. VTS is being projected as a revolutionary step in connecting villages to the cities for medical, agrarian and academic purposes. Chief General Manager, BSNL, PK Gupta said, "The students of different villages can be connected to a class teacher in the city and can take tuitions or lessons through VTS. Even the mid-wife in any village can seek consultation from the doctor in the city by showing the ultrasound report. Since the VTS instrument, which starts from Rs 13,000 and goes up to Rs 25,000 may be expensive for people of the rural area, so we seek intervention of the state government in providing subsidy to make this service available in villages of the state. Even District Magistrate in every district can avail this service to connect with the people in villages or blocks for a meeting. We are talking to the Chief Secretary on these issues." The BSNL is also planning to set up booths to facilitate VTS on the lines of PCO. "Since not all can buy the expensive VTS, so we will set up VTS booths all over the state where people will be able to make video call to their relatives for Rs 2.50/per minute," he said. Senior General Manager AK Shrivastav said VTS was four-time superior to 3G with screen size ranging from 4.3' to 10.2'. The other important feature includes an address book which will open with a push button. All three facilities of landline, Internet and now video call can be availed on one single system of broadband. |
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2 students hurt in late evening clashes
Dehradun, July 18 Sachin Rana, an NSUI activist, sustained a bullet injury and is recuperating in Doon Hospital while Shankar Rawat of the ABVP is critical as a dagger was thrust into his shoulder. He has been referred to Indresh Hospital. Meanwhile, the police has been deployed at Doon Hospital to arrest those injured who ran away from the scene of altercation for the fear of police action. The SP, city, and the CO, Dalanwala, held many boys of the ABVP group at Bindal police post. The ABVP activists had filed an FIR against the NSUI. The police is searching for the culprits of the other group as well. CO, Dalanwala, Swantartar Kumar, said the police was alert ever since the boys were released from jail. Meanwhile, the ABVP demanded the arrest of the members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) who allegedly indulged in hooliganism and violence in DAV College yesterday. While addressing mediapersons in the city today, vice-president of the ABVP Ramakant Shrivastav said, “The ABVP has always made efforts to provide a clean and educative environment on the DAV premises whenever their candidates won the students’ body election. But there are vicious elements who want to create terror to degrade it.” He said the way NSUI members roamed around the campus while brandishing their weapons openly in the presence of police yesterday showed that they were patronised by the state government. He said when the ABVP members were putting up posters on the DAV campus on Monday, some of the NSUI students, in an inebriated condition, attacked them on heads with liquor bottles. A case was registered at Nehru Colony police station. But next day, they attacked ABVP president Ashish Rawat with weapons in which he got injured and was admitted to Coronation Hospital. Shrivastav said the police arrested Rawat and other ABVP members whereas the NSUI members were moving around freely. He said the police seized a vehicle of the NSUI members with weapons as well but they were not arresting them. He demanded arrest of the convicts in the matter otherwise the ABVP members would start a statewide agitation, he said. |
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ABVP workers burn govt effigy
Mussoorie, July 18 The ABVP activists raised slogans against the state government and alleged that the National Students Union of India (NSUI) workers who had the patronage of the state government had unleashed a rein of terror in the DAV College, Dehradun, that resulted in violent clashes. The ABVP activists also alleged that the police, instead of catching the real perpetrators in this case, was targeting the ABVP activists due to the state government pressure. The ABVP district convener, Suraj Thapli, condemning the role of the NSUI workers, said that they had created an atmosphere of violence in the college by wielding sticks and sharp weapons at hapless students, but the police instead of apprehending the NSUI workers was bent upon harrasing the ABVP activists. He further said that if the police does not act against the NSUI members involved in the violent acts and release innocent ABVP workers soon, a massive agitation at the district level would be organised in the near future. Due to the forthcoming DAV College students' union election, the students' wing of the BJP and the NSUI had entered into violent clashes, leading to arrest of at least 21 students yesterday. |
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Tehri byelection: Punjabi morcha may field candidate
Dehradun, July 18 Addressing a press conference here, Kunwar Japinder Singh said it was strange that Punjabi and other no-hill communities were never given ticket by the two main political parties, the BJP and the Congress, from parliamentary constituencies. He said the morcha and the sangathan were contemplating fielding a candidate in the Tehri parliamentary byelection. Kunwar Japinder Singh also accused the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal of fuelling regionalism in the state. He said both the morcha and the sangathan stand for unity among the people of the state, irrespective of caste and religion. |
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Admn prevents sacrifice of goats
Pithoragarh, July 18 "After getting information that 150 goats have been brought to the temple for sacrifice, our team reached the spot and urged the devotees not to do this as it has been banned by court," said Bageshwar SDM Tirath Pal Singh. The SDM further said while some of the devotees agreed to them and left the temple leaving the goats behind, some were not ready to listen to them. However, when they threatened them of stern action, they, too, agreed to them. "We told them that if they sacrifice the animals, the administration will make a video recording of it and send it to the authorities," said the SDM. The tradition of sacrificing animals to deity Kal Bhairav is very old. On the fourth day of Krishna Paksha of Shravana month, devotees from the interior parts of the district sacrifice animals at Kal Bhairav temple. |
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Ruckus over hoardings
Dehradun, July 18 CEO Rajender Singh called it a conspiracy of Rajiv Mahrishi and Vinay Goyal, leaders of national parties in the city, who, too, have a major stake in the hoardings in the city, for deliberately spoiling his business. He was called by Mukhya Nagar Adhikari Ashok Kumar, who directed a DMC team to carry out a fresh survey of hoardings placed illegally in the city and give him a report on this by next Monday. Rajender Singh said all the hoardings put up by him were within the permissible area. He slammed DMC officials for being hand-in-glove with Mahrishi and Goyal, who, he said, had installed the hoardings on rooftops of the buildings. |
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CM for more rly projects in state
Dehradun, July 18 According to a press release of the state government, Bahuguna, who met the minister at Rail Bhavan in New Delhi, stressed on the extension of the Dehradun-Kalsi and Rishikesh-Dehradun railway lines, the electrification of the Lakshar-Dehradun railway line and the extension of all stations between Haridwar and Dehradun, so that 20-coach trains could be operated instead of 13-coach trains. The Chief Minister also discussed about the construction of the Khatima-Sitarganj-Kichha-Rudrapur railway line under Northern-Eastern Railway and requested for the expansion of railway services at Kathgodam and Ramnagar, besides the widening of the Tanakpur-Bareily railway line. The other points that were placed by Chief Minister Bahuguna included the construction of the Kashipur-Dhampur railway line, increase in the number of reservation centres at Uttarkashi, Tehri, Vikasnagar, Sitarganj, its adjacent areas and all cities in hill regions. He also laid emphasis on constructing railway crossings at nine prominent places in the state. Bahuguna, seeking present status of all proposed railway projects for Uttarakhand, urged railway officials to hold a meeting in this regard with officials of the state government. Minister Muniyappa apprised Bahuguna of the ongoing process of appointing adviser for the ambitious Rishikesh-Karnprayag Railway Project. |
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Owner breaks into rented TGMO union’s office
Mussoorie, July 18 The motor union had taken the space on rent to sell tickets for the bus service that they provided for the Garhwal region from the bus stand near Woodstock School. The TGMO accountant has alleged that the owner, Sohan Singh Kharola, in order to take the possession of the office, broke in the room and took away some cash. The owner, on the other hand, has counter alleged that the TGMO officials were trying to encroach upon his property and had even vandalised the property by breaking the sidewalls. On seeing the situation turning grim, the police made efforts to resolve the matter amicably. According to director of the TGMO's union Jeet Singh Negi, the rented space is in the union’s possession for the past 40 years and if the owner wanted them to evict, he should have given them a prior notice instead of forcibly entering the premises. He also said they were keen on stopping the bus service but had not done it so far as it was the only bus service for the people from Garhwal. He further said they would be forced to stop the bus service if they were not given the office. |
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Cheema’s statement: UKD to hold dharna on July 21
Dehradun, July 18 He has called upon members of all factions of the UKD and state agitators to participate in the dharna. Gusain said, “It is wrong on the part of Cheema to say that people of hills have become a burden on the Terai region. The natives of the state are free to go and settle anywhere. Given to the crunch of employment avenues and resources, they have no option but to look toward plains for settlement.” |
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Mishap-prone spots identified on Kumaon highways
Pithoragarh, July 18 “After identifying these sensitive spots, we are now installing the caution signboards at these places,” said the DIG. He said the information of 20 accident-prone places of Pithoragarh and Champawat district had been sent to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) which maintains the 280-km long Tanakput to Tawaghat highway which falls in these districts. “The information of the spots in Bageshwar and Almora districts is being sent to PWD officers,” said the DIG. “During our identification trail, we have found that most of the accidents are caused due to bad condition of the roads, especially the highways. We have also decided to lodge an FIR against the agency that maintains the road in case the accident occurs due to ill maintenance of the road," said the DIG. “We have laid emphasis on national highways as these are the lifeline of any region,” said the police officer. |
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Govt ‘failed’ to protect SC/ST quota in promotions
Dehradun July 18 Convener of the Dalit sub-committee of the CPM Lekh Raj said the way the state government fared badly in providing domicile and caste certificates and reservation to people belonging to the SC/ST categories showed its anti-Dalit policy. He said the government could still give the benefit of reservation in promotions to the Scheduled Caste and ST people by bringing an ordinance.
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CPI, CPM to protest on July 30
Dehradun, July 18 District secretary of the CPM Surender Sajwan and the CPI's Mahipal Singh Bisht stressed on the need of formulating the Food Security Bill in wake of increasing inflation and derailed Public Distribution System. They demanded to narrow the division between BPL and APL, effective disbursement of foodgrain 35 Kg/Rs 2 each family, negate the fake figures of poverty put up by the Planning Commission and enforce the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission with regard to giving price benefits to farmers over their crops.
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State awaits project under urban renewal mission
Dehradun, July 18 While the department is still awaiting guidelines from the Centre, the tentative proposals being worked under the second tranche loan will focus on improving the overall infrastructure of the city, building of over-bridges, sewerage and strengthening of the water supply system. However, during the evaluation of the projects recently under the first tranche of the JNNURM, the department was asked to meet the deadline. The work is underway for the construction of remaining tube wells and 24 pump houses. A total of 30 pump houses were to be constructed and of which 24 were complete, while the work on the remaining six was going on. A total of Rs 21.86 crore had been spent. Under the sewer system phase-2 improvement programme, a sewage treatment plant of 20 MLD and a 35.80 km sewerage line had also been laid. |
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Kiran Bedi immerses her sister’s ashes in Ganga
Haridwar, July 18 Religious rites were performed at Brahm Kund at Har-Ki-Pauri under the guidance of teerth purohits, with Rita's husband and son performing the rituals. Earlier Bedi along with her younger sister arrived at the VIP ghat and from there her family members were escorted in ambassador cars bearing blue beacons. She refused to talk to mediapersons saying it was a private visit, but the VIP treatment given to her raised eyebrows. Congress leaders remarked that while on the one hand Bedi preached simplicity and criticised parliamentarians for misusing public funds, in Haridwar she availed of all benefits available to a VIP even while on a private visit. She evaded the question and said it was an invasion of her privacy. She urged mediapersons to delete the video footage. |
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