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Finally, CM's son is Cong nominee from Tehri
Tehri bypoll: First political family vs royal family
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Saket Bahuguna gets rousing reception at Haridwar
Rajpur MLA garners support for Saket
Prayers offered, rituals performed for disaster victims
Acting UKD chief slams state govt
Harak Rawat visits affected villages
Morcha holds meeting with CM
Renovation work on Pavilion Ground stalled
Watchtowers at Rajaji park in need of repairs
80 examined at health camp in Dehradun
Film actor Himani Shivpuri meets Guv
United India Insurance to adopt one disaster-prone village
Woman, daughters held for shoplifting
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Finally, CM's son is Cong nominee from Tehri
Dehradun, September 16 His nomination marked the entry of the third generation from the Bahuguna family into politics. His grandfather Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna was a former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and
Union minister. The Tehri Lok Sabha seat was vacated by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna following his election to the Uttarakhand state
Assembly from the Sitarganj assembly segment. Vijay Bahuguna, a Lok Sabha MP from Tehri, was chosen by the Congress high command to become the Chief Minister after the Congress won a razor thin majority in the state Assembly elections in March 2012. As per constitutional requirement, the Chief Minister has to enter the state legislature within six months, which Bahuguna did by making Kiran Mandal, a BJP legislator from the Sitarganj Assembly segment in Udham Singh Nagar district, resign from his seat. The nomination of Vijay Bahuguna by the party high command as Chief Minister was opposed by Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Food Processing and Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat. The nomination of Saket Bahuguna was also opposed by the Harish Rawat faction. However, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who vacated the seat, managed to get the party nomination for his son despite opposition. According to Congress sources, although Vijay Bahuguna got the nod for the nomination of his son from the party high command, party general secretary in charge Birender Singh had some reservations. Birender Singh arrived in Dehradun and held talks with the Chief Minister and state Congress president Yashpal Arya. Probably, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna was able to convince him paving the way for the formal announcement of the name of Saket Bahuguna as Congress candidate from Tehri. Birender Singh left Dehradun in the morning for the national Capital. Later, Uttarakhand Congress president Yashpal Arya made a formal announcement about the candidature of Saket Bahuguna. Yashpal Arya unconvincingly tried to explain to mediapersons that Saket Bahuguna had been a Congress member who had been involved in the election of his father. He denied that there were any differences in the party on the name of Saket Bahuguna. “It was a unanimous decision in which all senior party leaders, including Harish Rawat, were consulted,” he said. He hoped that Saket Bahuguna would continue the winning streak of the Congress in the state by winning the Tehri Lok Sabha byelection. Later in the afternoon, Saket Bahuguna, along with his wife Gauri Bahuguna, reached Dehradun from
New Delhi and was accorded a warm welcome by party workers at the railway station. He was also welcomed by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and
Yashpal Arya. Talking to mediapersons, Saket Bahuguna claimed that politics was in his
blood and was sure of getting support from every section of the society. He said he would be working to highlight the problems of common people.
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Tehri bypoll: First political family vs royal family
Dehradun, September 16 Mala Raj Laxmi, daughter-in-law of last maharaja of Tehri state Manvendra Shah, who is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, will oppose Saket Bahuguna, the third generation of the Bahuguna
family. Although, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna belonged to Pauri Garhwal district, he joined politics from Allahabad. But he fought one of the most challenging political battles after quitting the Congress from the Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha seat and won in the 1980. He never returned to Garhwal after that historic victory. His son Vijay Bahuguna entered politics after quitting as a judge of the Mumbai High Court during the Uttarakhand statehood agitation in 1994. However, his first cousin Maj Gen BC Khanduri (retd) also entered politics and became a Lok Sabha BJP MP from Pauri Garhwal in 1991. Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna was a maternal uncle of Khanduri. Vijay Bahuguna, who fought the 1998 Lok Sabha polls from Pauri Garhwal, and lost to his cousin Khanduri later shifted to the Tehri Garhwal Lok Sabha seat and fought and lost two consecutive parliamentary elections to the sitting BJP MP Maharaja Manvendra Shah in 1999 and 2004. Maharaja Manvendra Shah, who represented the Tehri Lok Sabha seat eight times, died in 2007. In the bypoll held after his death, Vijay Bahuguna tasted his first electoral victory by defeating Manujendra Shah, son of the deceased Maharaja. Bahuguna again won the Tehri Lok sabha seat in the 2009 general elections. This time his son will be challenged by Mala Raj Laxmi Shah, wife of Manujendra Shah and daughter-in-law of Manvendra Shah. Despite being in power, the Bahuguna family will be facing a tough electoral battle due to the prevailing circumstances in the state. A powerful section of the state Congress will oppose Saket Bahuguna internally. None of the senior Congress leaders from the constituency was present during his first visit to Congress headquarters
here today. The natural disaster that brought devastation in large areas in Uttarkashi and Tehri districts and the resultant resentment against inadequate relief and rescue will weigh heavily against the ruling Congress along with the lackluster overall performance of the state Congress government during its first six months of rule. The Congress government tenure since the beginning has been marked by dissensions, controversial decisions, lack of control over the corrupt bureaucracy, inefficiency and lack of direction. The strike by state government employees and the decision to roll back the Employees Transfer Act will also go against the Congress. The overall atmosphere of resentment against the Congress led Union government due to Coalgate scam, rising inflation and the recent decision to rise in diesel price and curtailed subsidised LPG cylinders will also be going against the ruling Congress government. Moreover, the Tehri royal family also has a sizeable diehard following among the hill folks. It will be an arduous uphill task for Saket Bahuguna to
give another victory to the ruling Congress in Uttarakhand. |
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Saket Bahuguna gets rousing reception at Haridwar
Haridwar, September 16 Saket Bahuguna said that although he himself would be fighting election for the first time, he had been managing his father's election campaigns since 1998. “I have politics in my blood as my grandfather, the late Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna, had been former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Union Finance Minister, Unioan Petroleum Minister and the one who won three dfferent Lok Sabha elections, from Pauri Garhwal, Lucknow and Allahabad. Apart from this I worked day and night in Sitarganj, coming closer to voters and their problems. The same will be the case with Tehri Garhwal, where development is my first priority," he said. |
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Rajpur MLA garners support for Saket
Dehradun, September 16 Addressing a meeting of Congress office-bearers from the Rajpur Assembly segment in Dehradun to garner the support for Congress Tehri Parliamentary bypoll candidate Saket Bahuguna, the Congress MLA reiterated his commitment to work for the development of Rajpur and sought a big victory for Saket in the Tehri Parliamentary bypoll. He also exhorted the Congress office-bearers to bring the achievements of the Bahuguna government to the knowledge of the people. “We must pledge to ensure that the Congress candidate from the Tehri Parliamentary bypoll gets the maximum number of votes from the Rajpur Assembly segment of the constituency”, he asserted. Rajkumar said as soon as the Congress government took charge in Uttarakhand, it had started fulfilling its poll promises. He said he had even taken up the issue of quota of LPG gas cylinders and was hopeful that the Chief Minister would try to sort it out at the state level. Senior Congress leader Pramod Kumar Singh said the Congress was facing a challenging time as some parties were trying to defame it at the national level. He said the Tehri bypoll was not like the Sitarganj assembly byelection and party workers needed to pull up their socks and work for ensuring the resounding success for the Congress in Tehri. Dehradun Municipal Corporation Councillors Ashok Kohli, Anoop Kapoor and Vijay Pratap Mall, former Mahanagar Congress president Lalchand Sharma and former Deputy Mayor Ajit Rawat were among participants at the meeting. |
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7 die in another cloudburst in Rudraprayag
Dehradun, September 16 Five deaths have been reported from Kirara village, two from Timli and two from Dungar village. Disaster Management officials have not ruled out the recovery of more bodies in the incident. Meanwhile, the death toll in the Ukhimath cloudburst in Rudraprayag has risen to 45. Twenty-three persons are still missing and are feared to be buried under the debris. A total of 460 families have been affected by the calamity and 48 houses have been damaged. Army, ITBP and disaster management teams continued with relief and rescue operations at Ukhimath today. However, inclement weather conditions are hampering the works. Power supply in the affected villages is yet to be restored. Ninety of the affected families today took refuge in Bharat Sewa Ashram. State Disaster Management Minister Yashpal Arya said today that he was constantly monitoring the relief and rescue operations in the affected villages. "I visited the affected villages in Ukhimath. The district authorities have been asked to take care of the victims," said Arya, adding that an instant assistance of Rs 10 crore from Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna had come as a big relief. Meanwhile, president of the state unit of the BJP Bishan Singh Chufal has accused the government of being insensitive towards the concerns of the cloudburst victims. He said instant relief must be given to the victims. |
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Harish meets bereaved families
Haridwar, September 16 Rawat will be visiting the major affected villages due to cloudburst and will also be providing voluntarily collected relief aid by party activists. Prior to leaving for Rudraprayag, Rawat said the state had been facing natural disaster for which a comprehensive management strategy needed to be drawn. He said the state government was carrying out relief work on a war footing adequate compensation was being paid to the affected people. Citing his previous visit to the disaster-hit Uttarkashi region, Rawat emphasised the need of having youths trained on disaster management in every district and village so that first aid could be provided to people at the time of natural calamities. Earlier, attending various functions in Haridwar, he expressed hope that the Congress would win the the Tehri bypoll. He said he was unhappy with Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna’s son being named as the party candidate. He said Tehri was the constituency of the Chief Minister and it was his prerogative to have a major say in the decision. “Our wishes and support is with Saket, who is making his political foray from his father’s constituency and the BJP will suffer the same fate as the Sitarganj Assembly elections,” said Rawat while leaving with his cavalcade to Rudraprayag. |
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Prayers offered, rituals performed for disaster victims
Haridwar, September 16 People from various walks of life came together to offer tributes to the victims by observing a two-minute silence and offering rituals at the holy Ganga river. Organised by Uttarakhand Vikas Manch, residents demanded increase in compensation to the family members of the deceased, free medical aid and residential facility to those who have lost their houses in the disasters. Social activists Sanjay Chopra urged people to donate for the relief aid for the disaster-hit regions as government help was inadequate. He also urged all the 70 legislators of Uttarakhand Assembly and five parliamentarians to donate at least Rs1 lakh each for the relief aid, and if need be divert other funds for disaster relief. Pandit Ravindra Kirtipal said that people of Haridwar and the whole Uttarakhand were with the affected people. A two-minute silence was also observed at Alaknanda ghat with prayers for the peace of the souls of the deceased being offered, and rituals performed at the holy river. Among others who offered tributes were Bhoopendra Rajput, Sarfaraz Gaud, Mohan Lal, Chotelal Sharma and Mahendra Saini. |
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Acting UKD chief slams state govt
Dehradun, September 16 On fielding the candidate for the Tehri byelection, he said the matter remained undecided as president of the party Trivender Singh Panwar had to go to Rudraprayag after the catastrophe struck the area. He said that was also the reason they could not start their statewide campaign against reservation in promotion yesterday. AP Juyal demanded Rs 5 lakh for the family of each deceased and 10,000 per family as a relief measure in the affected area. He said those who lost land or house must be compensated likewise. The acting president also emphasised distribution of kerosene, food items and other required things. |
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Harak Rawat visits affected villages
Dehradun, September 16 While expressing condolences to the bereaved families, Harish Rawat said the state government was taking all necessary measures to work for welfare of victims. Harish Rawat assured all necessary assistance to the affected families. Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat, too, visited Rudraprayag
and met the affected families. He expressed grief over the incident. — TNS
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Dehradun, September 16 Convener of the morcha Suman Singh Waldia said the deliberations with the Chief Minister would be put before the employees at tomorrow's meeting at Sangh Bhawan in Parade Ground, Dehradun. " The employees' decision will be final will. Only then we will decide on our future course of agitation," Waldia pointed out, desisting from going into the details of the meeting with the Chief Minister today. Meanwhile, sources reveal that the Uttarakhand Adhikari Karamchari Shikshak Sangharsh Morcha is now in a mood to suspend the ongoing agitation after taking a written assurance from the government about protection of interests of general class employees. The Uttarakhand government has announced creation of ex-cadre posts for SC and ST employees to ensure better promotional opportunities for them.
— TNS |
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Renovation work on Pavilion Ground stalled
Dehradun, September 16 The Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) and the Sports Department had taken the responsibility to financially support this project. A budget of Rs 81 lakh was also approved. However, the working agency, Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam, is awaiting the funds to resume the renovation work on the stadium. The project was announced in September last year. The Sports Department had given Rs 25 lakh as
the first instalment for the project. Out of the remaining amount, Rs 25 lakh was to be given by the DMC and Rs 31 lakh by the Sports Department. However,
the second instalment is yet to be released by both authorities. Sources in the nigam said they had spent Rs 65 lakh on the Pavilion Ground on their own till date. However, they had now stopped the work in the absence
of funds. On the other hand, both departments are asking each other to make the payment first. According to sources,
the Finance Department has raised objections on some of the points and stopped the payment to be sent by the Sports Department. Mayor Vinod Chamoli, however, said: "The DMC cannot release funds beyond Rs 10 lakh. We have sent a proposal to the Urban Development to release the rest of the amount. As soon as we get the money, it will be sent to the working agency." Dehradun does not have any stadium for multipurpose activities with all facilities. A huge chunk of area in the Parade Ground is also lying neglected. When Sports Minister Dinesh Aggarwal had removed rehries, kiosks, vegetable vendors, private vans, local buses, liquor sellers and squatters from this area, hopes had rekindled that this vast land situated in the middle of the city could now be developed and utilised for
sports activities. However, nothing happened after that. The multipurpose sports centre situated in one corner of the ground is also yet to
be upgraded. The ground is now being used by employees who are protesting against reservations in promotions. A mammoth crowd and their vehicles could be seen parked inside the ground. |
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Watchtowers at Rajaji park in need of repairs
Dehradun, September 16 Spread over the area of 744 sq km, the Rajaji National Park is one of most vulnerable protected areas of the state. Poaching and illegal felling of trees have been a major challenge before the park authorities due to park’s porous borders and thickly-populated villages in its surroundings. Thus the watch towers are the most effective mechanism to keep an eye on the park ranges. The park has 12 watch towers. While four watchtowers are in the Chila range of the park, three are in the Kansro range, two at Chilawali and one each at the Motichur, Dhaulkhand and Haridwar ranges. Except three, all other watchtowers need urgent repair. Only the Mundal compartment tower in Chila, the Mohand compartment tower in Chilawali and Jaamumkhatta compartment tower in Kansroo are in better conditions. Rest all towers are in poor condition. These watchtowers which are crucial for the park’s security not only help the staff to keep a watch on any anti-forest activity but it also assists the staff to escape elephant attacks in the forests. Further, watchtowers efficiently deal with forest fires. A damaged watchtower could be a potential threat to the safety and security of both forest staff and the tourists.Deputy Director of the park Shravan Kumar said the authorities tried strengthening the watchtowers to ensure security arrangements inside the park. It conducted repairs of the watchtowers that faced tough weather conditions. |
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80 examined at health camp in Dehradun
Dehradun, September 16 A steady stream of patients, including men, women and children, gathered at the Rotary dispensary to avail of the health checkup from an experienced panel of six doctors. By the time camp drew to a close in the afternoon, as many as 80 patients had been examined and given free health consultations and medicines. Those from the medical fraternity who extended their services at the camp included Dr Swadesh Bansal, Dr S L Gupta, Dr BK Endley, Dr Arun Kumar and Dr Anjum Aggarwal, Dr Mishra (Drishti Eye Institute)and Dr Ranjindra (Himalaya Drug Co). Apart from general ailments, the patients were examined for eye and dental problems. For those believing in alternative medicine, Dr Rajindra provided ayurvedic treatment and gave an advice for healthy lifestyle. The students of Hilton school and members of the Interact Club provided services by registering of patients in a smooth fashion. The patients, mainly hailing from the nearby localities of Shastri Nagar, Rajiv Nagar and Deep
Nagar, appreciated the Rotary Club's efforts and requested the organisers to hold camps more
frequently. The Rotary Club, Dehradun, plans to hold the next health camp on September 23 at the same venue, where apart from general health, free diabetes detection, cardiac, gynaecological and ophthalmological check-ups will be done. |
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Film actor Himani Shivpuri meets Guv
Dehradun, September 16 Himani Shivpuri told the Governor that on September 26, on the occasion of the first death anniversary of her father – well known writer Haridutt Bhatt 'Shailesh' – a play based on his story “Sunehre Sapne” will be staged in Dehradun. Former Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand and Chancellor of ICFAI M.Ramachandran, State Public Service Commission member Manjula Rana, Gurukul Kangri University VC Swatantra Kumar and a delegation of CPI(M) under the leadership of Vijay Rawat also met the Governor
today. — TNS
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United India Insurance to adopt one disaster-prone village
Mussoorie, September 16 Srinivasan, speaking to agents and employees during the regional meet, said that his company was planning to adopt one disaster-prone village in Uttarakhand soon. More than 400 agents and workers of the company participated in the regional meet held here where the chairman reviewed the progress of the company and commended the efforts of the employees in ensuring stable growth of the company. Later, speaking to mediapersons, G.Srinivasan said that the insurance sector was poised for a great leap and would grow speedily in years to come. Shedding light on the growth of his company, he said that United Insurance Company came into being in 1938. This government-owned company had grown with the premium income of around 8179 crore. The company in the last few years had increased it's market share from 13 to 15 per cent, thus recording the highest profit in the last four years. The first quarter profit after taxes was around Rs 191 crore, 21 per cent higher with solvency rate of around 2.84 points. Highlighting the objective of the meeting here, he said that the company was focusing on financial inclusion with a target to achieve premium income of Rs 10,000 crore. He also said that the company was planning to take the message of insurance across India and remotest parts of Uttarakhand by opening one-man offices in all 13 districts of the state and recruiting business correspondents at the village level in association with nationalised banks, thus generating employment in the process. He also said that the company was planning to adopt 75 schools in the country and ensure 100 per cent literacy to mark the platinum jubilee celebrations this year. The company was also planning to open 400 micro offices in the country and achieve the target of Rs 122 crore . He said that the company would involve various self-help groups and assist them in raising awareness towards insurance through customer meets. G.Srinvasan said that considering the disasters occurring in the state, the need was being felt to raise awareness towards disaster-related insurance that was the lowest at in the country. Srinivasan said that the period of settling the claims had been reduced from 60 to 34 days and 20 officials had been placed just to settle the claim-related issues. However, Srinivasan, being critical of the present government policy regarding motor accident claim cases, said that the need was being felt to ratify the present Motor Vehicle Act and establish an upper limit on the claim awards so that the losses can be decreased in the near future.“Crop insurance, health insurance under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana will be the focal projects for the company in the current year," added Srinivasan. Chief Regional Manager SN Saxena and others were present on the occasion. |
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Woman, daughters held for shoplifting
Dehradun, September 16 Savita Devi and her three daughters Sapna, Barkha and Anjali were caught after they stole three hair colour packets, the footage of which helped manager Rajiv Tyagi to nab them. A boy who came with them was also involved in the theft.The same woman had committed the theft at the same retail store a few months ago. Tyagi got alert when he saw them entering into the shop and kept an eye on the video footage. The woman broke camera of a scribe for taking her picture. She almost slapped a policeman who held her hand. She shouted blaming the police for demanding bribe from her. She said she had come to visit the city from Delhi. She is staying separate from her parents and husband. She gave the contact number of her brother, who did not answer to police calls. The police is suspecting her to be involved in criminal activities. |
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After dithering over for days, the Congress finally announced the candidature of Saket Bahuguna, son of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna from the Tehri parliamentary constituency.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna's son Saket Bahuguna, who has been named as the official Congress party candidate from Tehri Garhwal parliamentary constituency, and who was on his way to Dehradun in the Shatabadi Express train, was given a rousing welcome by Congress workers at Haridwar railway station.
