Political parties want Tehri bypoll put off
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 19
Different political parties, including those which are contesting the Tehri Lok Sabha byelection or those which are abstaining from these, have raised their pitch in their demand to postpone the election in the wake of the natural disaster triggered by cloudbursts in Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag in the state.

Candidate of Uttrakhand Raksha Morcha Kunwar Japinder Jit Singh said the Congress government in the state had deliberately forced the election on the people of the state. He said: “Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna wanted to avail of the benefits of his recent victory in Sitarganj polls. He was fully aware that his government’s dwindling popularity and angst among people over poor relief measures at disaster-hit places would only minimise chances of his son to score a win in the election.”

He said he visited Rudraprayag where many people were still buried under debris and rocks. The family members had no means to extricate them. The presence of the administrative machinery was negligible as they were all engaged in election-related work. He demanded the date of elections to be postponed so that the relief work at disaster-hit places could be expedited.

While making similar demands, president of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (D) BD Raturi said the way the Congress was besieged on the issue of price rise, corruption and FDI at the Centre, and intra-party rifts in the state, any further delay would have meant lean prospects for Bahuguna to weave another success story at Tehri byelection. This is the reason he showed a hurried approach for the elections. He seemed least bothered about those who were crying for relief in the disaster-affected areas.

State convener, Samajwadi Party, SN Sachan, said six Vidhan Sabha areas were badly affected in the natural calamity and, hence, they would not be able to exercise their franchise. Even the helicopter of Congress president Sonia Gandhi could not reach there. He said it was not justified to hold the election at this juncture and it must be deferred.

Left parties made the first call to demand postponment of the election.

Vijay Rawat, state secretary, CPM, said: “The election could be held in January. There was no constitutional obligation to hold it so soon, and that, too, when the lives of people at Uttarkashi, Bageshwar and Rudraprayg were badly affected by the calamity. The administration, which should have paid attention to provide relief and rehabilitate victims, had left them high and dry, and had fully immersed itself in election work.” He said the compulsion behind holding early elections seemed a desperate move to score over the disgruntled elements within the Congress, who were unhappy about selection of Chief Minister’s son as the candidate of the party. The other reason appeared to please the high command at the Centre with double victories.

Kuldeep Madhwal, candidate of Uttarakhand Parivartan Party, also accused Bahuguna government of imposing elections on people of the state at the time of disaster.

The Congress government has deliberately forced the election on the people of the state. Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna wants to avail of the benefits of his recent victory in Sitarganj polls. He is fully aware that the dwindling popularity of his government and angst among people over poor relief measures at disaster-hit places will only minimise chances of his son Saket Bahuguna to win the Tehri Lok Sabha byelection. — Kunwar Japinder Jit Singh, Candidate of Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha

The Tehri byelection can be held in January. There is no constitutional obligation to hold it so soon, and that, too, when the lives of people at Uttarkashi, Bageshwar and Rudraprayg have been badly affected by the calamity. The administration, which should have paid attention to provide relief and rehabilitate victims, has left them high and dry, and is totally busy in election work. — Vijay Rawat, state secretary, CPM

Kuldeep Madhwal of UPP files papers from Tehri
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 19
Candidate of the Uttarakhand Parivartan Party (UPP) and well-known theatre personality Kuldeep Madhwal today filed his nomination papers for the Tehri Lok Sabha byelection.

Party members congregated at Gandhi Park and proceeded towards Shahid Sthal at the Collectorate where they held a meeting.

Party president PC Tiwari said those who wanted to see a wave of change in the state must speak in favour of his party in election rallies.

He said the Congress and the BJP walked on the path shown by royals. As a regional alternative, he exuded confidence in registering victory in the election. Madhwal said the Congress had imposed Sitargang and Tehri Lok Sabha byelection on people of the state.

Earlier, the BJP had also done same with regard to Dhumakot and Pauri Lok Sabha election. He said the BJP and the Congress were consigning natural resources and power houses to outsiders or foreign companies.

He also targeted the SP, the BSP and the UKD saying these parties had joined hands with governments either at the Centre or the state, hence they must be taught a lesson.

UKD (P) chief to contest bypoll

Dehradun: The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (P) today announced the name of party president Trivender Singh Panwar as party candidate for the Tehri Lok Sabha byelection.

Party patron Kanshi Singh Aeri said he was likely to file nomination on Thursday. While talking about the issues on which the party was intending to fight the election, he said the party would stick to its issues such as declaration of Gairsain as the capital of the state, unemployment, need for development and issues related to jal-jungle and jameen (water-forest and land).

On the question of the party's bad performance in the state Assembly elections, he blamed the BJP for harming its prospects in the elections. He said his party would always continue to maintain distance from both BJP and Congress whom it had been extending support only to provide the political and administrative stability in the state. He said the party would withdraw support to the state government when deemed fit.

On the issue of the LPG subsidy cap, he pulled up the Congress government at the Centre saying that the decision would have cascading effects in the state where people used wood for fuel which would affect the environment. He said the Centre must reduce the diesel price hike and the state government should further lower the prices.

SP not to fight Tehri byelection
Party selects state president, awaits Mulayam's nod
Tribune News Service

Dehradun September 19
The state unit of the Samajwadi Party (SP) has decided not to fight the Tehri Lok Sabha byelection in the state. The party is concentrating on strengthening its base for winning two seats in the Lok Sabha elections.

While confessing to the shaky position of the party in the state, party convener SN Sachan said, "The SP is not in a good position to fight the election at present. The bad outcome in the Tehri bypoll could affect our prospects for the Lok Sabha poll so we are not taking any chance now."

He said his party was lending support to Left parties in their statewide bandh on September 20 and would also support their candidate for the Tehri byelection as well.

He said his party wanted to see party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to become Prime Minister of the country. So they wanted to win as many seats as possible in the next Parliamentary polls. The party was also focusing on other states such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal to take the party to the national level.

State in charge Mohd Aslam said they were eyeing two seats, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar, in the Lok Sabha polls and would provide justice to the 60 per cent population of the state that lived in the plains. He said he would rebuild party at the grassroot level.

The persons for the posts of president of district units except Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts had already been selected.

Similarly, office-bearers of the state committee and name for the post of state president had also been finalised which were awaiting the approval from Mulayam Singh Yadav, he said.

Bandh against diesel price hike, cap on LPG subsidy today
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 19
The state units of Left parties, the Samajwadi Party and the Janata Dal (Secular), have decided to observe a statewide bandh on Thursday against diesel price hike, reduction in LPG subsidy and move to legislate on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The Uttarakhand Parivartan Party (UPP) has also extended support to the bandh.

State secretary, Communist Party of India (CPI), Marxist, Vijay Rawat, said the anti-people decisions of the UPA government at the Centre with regard to price hike in diesel to the tune of Rs 5 a litre and subsidy cap on LPG would make life miserable for the common man.

He also pointed out that the way the Centre was taking steps for de-regulation of diesel and handing it to private companies, it did augur well for the economic health of the country.

He also talked of ‘well-orchestrated move" of the Centre to privatise the nine profit-making public sector units as well on the same lines.

State secretary, CPI, Samar Bhandari, spoke about Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). He said the Centre was all set to bring a legislation on FDI, which would render 4.5 crore people engaged in retail sector jobless. He said the government was facing opposition from its own allies at the Centre on FDI along with diesel price hike and limitation on LPG subsidy, which clearly proved that the UPA was left alone on these issues.

State convener, SP, SN Sachan said his party also opposed the UPA government on these issues. He said it was impractical to provide subsidy only on 6 LPG cylinders in one year and charging double the

price for cylinders bought after that. He reasoned, saying a family consumed at least one LPG cylinder in one month;this way Centre must free cap on 12 LPG cylinders on annual basis.

Spokesperson of UPP, Rajiv Kothari, said it had become very difficult for a poor or lower middle class family to survive in this time when inflation was rising constantly and the Centre was coming out with newer policies, only to add burden on people of these income groups. The diesel hike would further spiral transportation cost and prices of commodities.

Harjinder Singh of Janata Dal (Secular) agreed with the view echoed by the speakers and said the UPA government had made all the preparations to render people of this country who were involved in retail sector jobless and strengthen the hands of foreign companies in their place.

Old-age homes, crèches to be built under special plan assistance
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 19
Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain said today that old-age homes, hostels for working women, crèches, orphanages and shelters for labourers would be constructed under the special plan assistance (SPA) in the state. He was reviewing the proposed works under the SPA at the Secretariat.

Jain directed the officials concerned to keep in mind how the lives of the people could be improved. He laid emphasis on constructing low-budget houses for the poor and asked the departments concerned to prepare proposals in this regard.

Jain said the PWD would undertake the widening of Court McCanzy Road in Mussoorie till Hathi Pau with a budget of Rs 5 crore. A sum of Rs 2 crore for the construction of this 10-km- long road would be provided from the SPA. The widening of the Shimla bypass alternative road from Majra to Dhamawala would be undertaken with Rs 45.60 crore and this year Rs 5 crore would be provided for the purpose.

The Food and Civil Supplies Department would construct godowns at 54 places for which free land was available for 30 of them. A sum of Rs 5 crore would be provided by the SPA this year for the godowns that had to be constructed. Similarly, fire lines would be constructed to prevent forest fires for which a sum of Rs 10 crore would be provided this year. Jain said forest fires had to be taken seriously as these result in heavy losses.

He said it was necessary to make arrangements for fodders for animals of villagers. He laid emphasis on promoting commercial utility of pine needles and ensure the participation of Van Panchayats in it. Jain asked Forest Department officials to take safety measures for the villagers from wild animals. He said Rs 5 crore would be provided from the SPA for this purpose also.

Jain said the income of villagers could be increased through forestry and necessary measures ought to be taken to improve forestry. He said Rs 20 crore would be provided from the SPA this year for the construction of Rs 160-crore Forestry University, Bharsar.

He said the Estates Department would construct guest houses in Rudraprayag and Haridwar for which a sum of Rs 5 crore each would be released this year.

The Urban Development Department presented proposals regarding the construction of elevated roads and the improvement of the Dehradun city bus service with the participation of the private sector at the meeting.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, PWD, S Raju, Principal Secretary, Planning, S Ramaswami, Principal Secretary, Agriculture, Om Prakash, Principal Secretary, Higher Education, Rakesh Sharma, Secretary, State Asset, MH Khan, Secretary, Urban Development, Umakant Panwar, Secretary, Finance, Radha Raturi, Secretary, Food, Subardhan and other senior officials.

Ashram rescues 95 cows from slaughter house
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, September 19
Members of the Shri Krishnayan Desi Gau Raksha Gau Lok Dham Ashram rescued 95 cows from a slaughter house here on Monday night. The cows have been kept at Anand Van and will be taken care of by ashram members.

The founder of the ashram, Swami Ishwar Das, yesterday fed these cows with fodder and said it was a must to protect the cows.

He said cows had been given respect and worshipped since ages. However, he expressed concern that in the current scenario, the incidents of cow slaughter were on the rise.

He said the cows would be taken care of by the ashram and their milk would not be sold for commercial use. It would be used by devotees and saints only.

Appreciating the efforts of ashram members, Shri Mahant of Juna Akhada Vinod Giri Maharaj said the government should take action against the accused, who were playing with the sentiments of Hindus.

National spokesperson for the Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad Baba Hatyogi appealed to the people to come forward to protect the cows.

Sarita Sharma, a village sarpanch, Mahant Vinod Giri, Dheeraj Yadav, Durga Traders, social activists Satya Prakash Jakhmola and other saints and volunteers donated more than Rs 70,000 for the fodder of the cows on the occasion.

Bharat Bandh
Mussoorie shops to be shut till 3 pm
Our Correspondent

Mussoorie, September 19
Members of the Mussoorie Traders' Association, extending support to the Bharat Bandh call against the hike in the diesel price and allowing the FDI in multi-brand retail by the Centre, will shut their shops as a mark of protest tomorrow.

During a meeting held at a hotel in Kulri Bazaar today, the association members decided to join the nationwide strike and keep their shops shut till 3.00 pm tomorrow.

Talking to the media, association president Rajat Agarwal said as Mussoorie was a tourist town, the shops would remain closed till 3 pm. However, emergency services such as chemist shops would remain open.

The local BJP unit has also geared up to make the bandh call successful. BJP general secretary, Mussoorie, Kushal Singh Rana said party workers would gather at Landour Bazaar and ensure that the bandh was observed in the town.

He alleged that the Centre seemed hell-bent on harassing citizens and traders by hiking the diesel price and fixing the quota of LPG cylinders.

He urged schools and other institutions to extend support to the bandh call.

3 feared killed as avalanche hits Punjab Regiment expedition team
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 19
A Junior Commissioned Officer, a jawan and a porter were reported missing and supposed to be buried underneath snow after an avalanche hit a Punjab Regiment expedition team today while they were on way to scale Mountain Kedar Dome peak in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.

According to Uttarkashi-based Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre, the incident happened at Kedardanda at around 11 am today, when the expedition team was on the last leg to capture the 6830 mt Mountain Kedar Dome peak, when they encountered a sudden avalanche. An Army helicopter that has been pressed into service is still to locate the bodies.

The expedition was flagged off in Delhi early this August and was to take the Rishikesh-Uttarakashi-Harshil-Gangotri-Bhojbasa route to finally capture Mount Kedar Dome. The identities of the deceased are still to be known.

Detailed report on Tanakpur-Jauljibi road to be out by Oct
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, September 19
A detailed project report (DPR) on the proposed 151-km Tanakpur-Jauljibi road would be submitted to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs by October, said GS Pangti, superintending engineer (PWD), here today.

The road proposed to be constructed along the Nepal border would link 50 villages of Pithoragarh and Champawat districts with the mainstream, besides providing road connectivity to more than 20 border outposts of the SSB.

Pangti said the construction of the road had started from the Tanakpur area, as a 12-km portion of the 151 km had been cleared of forest obstacles.

He said the road would have 53 small and medium size bridges. “The ministry is evaluating the progress of the construction work every second month by summoning the officials involved in the project,” he said.

He said four divisions of the PWD—Champawat, Lohaghat, Pithoragarh, and Askote—would be part of the project for which the Centre had approved Rs 510 crore.

Rights panel chief meets Governor
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 19
The acting chairperson of the State Human Rights Commission, Justice Rajesh Tandon (retd), met Governor Aziz Qureshi here yesterday.

The Governor obtained information regarding the infrastructural development and proposed activities of the newly created commission from him. He expressed hope that the setting up of the commission would go a long way in protecting human rights of the people.

Dr Sudha Rani Pandey, Vice-Chancellor, Uttarakhand Sanskrit University, also met the Governor and presented the annual report of the university and a souvenir published on an international research seminar that was held in the university recently.

Boulder hits car, 6 hurt
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, September 19
Six persons had a narrow escape at the Bisa Bajer area near the town as a boulder fell on their car. They were going from Thal to Pithoragarh last night. Besides, 16 houses in Munsiyari and Dharchula blocks were damaged due to heavy rain in the last 48 hours in the district, disaster management office sources said.

“All six persons, who were returning from their relatives' house in Thal town of the district in their car, had injuries when a boulder hit their vehicle. They were trapped in the car. Later, with the help of hydraulic cutters, the injured were taken out and admitted to the district hospital where the condition of two of them was stated to be serious,” said RS Rana, District Disaster Management Oficer.

According to the Disaster Management Officer, the continuous rain also damaged 16 houses in different subdivisions of the district but the loss of life is not reported.

“Out of a total of 691 families affected in 34 villages of the district, we have distributed relief to 346 persons and a list of the rest is being prepared,” said Rana.