Govt has given max to Uttarkashi victims: CM 
Saket Bahuguna quietly leaves rally to file papers for Tehri byelection
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 21
Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna today said his government had sanctioned maximum relief for the Uttarkashi cloudburst victims.

The Chief Minister was addressing a public rally at Parade Ground here in favour of his son and Congress candidate for the Tehri Lok Sabha byelection Saket Bahuguna. He said his government had given maximum relief funds for the cloudburst victims. Meanwhile, Saket filed his nomination papers for the byelection today.

“No previous government of Uttarakhand had given such a relief amount to the victims of natural calamities as was done in case of the Uttarkashi cloudburst,” he said.

Bahuguna said even US President Barak Obama had admitted that while the world economy was facing a crisis, India was maintaining a steady growth rate of 6 per cent. He added the rise in diesel price in the country was a fallout of the rising global oil prices and the Congress could in no way held responsible for it.

The Chief Minister appealed to the people to vote for Saket and said he himself had represented the Tehri parliamentary seat as MP twice. He understood the concerns of the Tehri people and was committed to their betterment and welfare.

In-charge of Congress affairs in Uttarakhand Birendra Singh said the outcome of the Tehri byelection would also have a bearing on the forthcoming Assembly elections in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh. He added Tehri should give a message to the country that the people of the hill state were totally behind the Congress.

Uttarakhand Congress president Yashpal Arya said the people of the state had given repeated electoral successes to the party since 2009. He added he was hopeful that the Uttarakhand people would again give a massive mandate to the Congress in the byelection.

Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat said Uttarakhand had always voted for the Congress in the parliamentary elections, whenever the party needed it the most.

Saket sought the blessings of the people and asserted that he was no novice to politics as he belonged to a political family and had been actively participating in his father’s electoral campaigns for the past 15 years. He assured the people that if elected as MP he would make extra efforts for the development of the Tehri region.

Saket said he was open to a public debate with the BJP on the issue of development. Cabinet ministers Indira Haridyesh, Harak Singh Rawat, Pritam Singh, Dinesh Agarwal and Congress MLAs Rajkumar and Umesh Sharma also addressed the gathering. Vice-president of the Uttarakhand Congress Suryakant Dhasmana coordinated the programme.

Interestingly, while the rally was in progress at Parade Ground, Saket quietly left the venue for filing nomination papers at the collectorate office and later returned. 

Kandari joins Cong, vows to work for Saket’s victory
Tribune News Service

Former state minister Matbar Singh Kandari, who joined the Congress, gives blessings to Saket Bahuguna at a public rally in Dehradun on Friday. Tribune photo: Vinod Pundir

Dehradun, September 21
In the run up to the Tehri parliamentary byelection, the Congress today received a shot in the arm when senior BJP leader Matbar Singh Kandari along with his supporters joined the party.

Kandari, a former Uttarakhand Cabinet minister in the BJP government, announced at an election rally at Parade Ground here that he was joining the Congress. He said it was like homecoming for him as he had been an ardent Congress man two decades ago.

He described the BJP as an autocratic party with scant respect for a committed party worker. Kandari, who lost the Assembly election from Rudraprayag recently, blamed BJP leaders Bhagat Singh Koshiyari and Trivendra Singh Rawat for his exit. He said these leaders repeatedly sidelined him despite the fact that he was one of the senior-most MLAs in the state.

Kandari said he had joined the Congress without any allurement from the party. He, however, expressed gratitude to Congress MLA from Narendra Nagar Subodh Uniyal for facilitating his entry into the Congress.

He added he would wholeheartedly work for the success of Saket Bahuguna, Congress candidate for the Tehri parliamentary byelection. He would also ensure that Saket gets maximum votes in the Rudraprayag Assembly constituency.

Kandari’s son Rajev Kandari and other BJP leaders from Rudraprayag also joined the Congress.

Koshiyari, Trivender blamed

Matbar Singh Kandari said a conspiracy was hatched by former Chief Minister BS Koshiyari and former Agriculture Minister Trivender Singh Rawat to isolate him in the party, forcing him to quit the BJP and join the Congress.

The former cabinet minister said, “It was Koshiyari and Rawat who conspired against me during the finalisation of ticket for the Tehri parliamentary seat. It was already pre-decided that the ticket would go to Mala Raj Laxmi Shah, but they made a farce of selection procedure by sending a 10-member panel for one parliamentary seat to the Parliamentary Board,” he charged.

Kandari said there was no democracy in the BJP and he felt suffocated.

Meanwhile, former Agriculture Minister Trivender Singh Rawat denied the charges levelled against him and said: “We had tried to address the grievances of Kandari but he had already made up his mind to quit the party. It was the BJP who gave him ticket and his political career took off only after he joined the BJP in '91. I do not understand how far Kandari would be successful in strengthening the hands of the Bahugunas when not long ago he himself was eager for the BJP ticket,” said Rawat.

During the 2012 assembly elections, Kandari’s son too raised a banner of revolt along with his supporters after he was denied ticket from Sahaspur and even resigned from the party but was brought around by the party office-bearers. “At that time, the party had explained to Kandari that in the BJP father and son seldom got ticket at the same time,” added Rawat.

Though, it is too early to speculate if Kandari’s political ambitions would find fulfilment in the Congress. As such, there seem to be limited options. A position of a cabinet rank may be conferred by the Chief Minister on Kandari after the Tehri bypoll.

UKD (D) nominee files papers for Tehri bypoll

Dehradun, September 21
Candidate of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (D) Yogi Rakesh Nath filed his nomination papers for the byelection in Tehri. The procession of the party which was attended by former president Diwakar Bhatt, president BD Raturi and spokesperson Satish Semwal, went through Gandhi Park and Clock Tower and culminated at the District Magistrate office.

Diwakar Bhatt said the party selected Yogi Rakesh Nath for the Tehri election as he was originally from a hill area and carried a clean image. He fought for the Badrinath temple when people of the Jain community alleged that the temple belonged to them. Yogi Rakesh Nath is a social activist who remained at the forefront, be it calamity or any other issue in the state. He said the party would back him to win this prestigious seat.— TNS

Street kids’ homes planned for Doon, Haridwar, US Nagar
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 21
Street children’s homes will be constructed in Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar. Task forces chaired by District Magistrates will also be formed to check child labour in the districts. Residential or non-residential education will be provided to the children of labours engaged in agriculture, mining, brick kilns, beggars, rag pickers and nomads to connect them to the main stream of the society.

A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting chaired by Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain at the Secretariat here today. To execute this projects, Children Homes will be set up in Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar.

These homes will be run by the Social Welfare Department and arrangements of education will be made by the Education Department. These children will be provided food, uniforms and study materials free of cost.

Alok Kumar Jain directed the officers concerned to identify the children not attending the school with the help of the Labour Department. He said help of NGOs engaged in this field could be taken. He said the work ought to be completed in three months by all means.

Jain passed instructions to form task force chaired by DMs in all districts and include in it officers from Labour, Social Welfare, Women and Child Development and Police departments.

He also directed to identify the children engaged in rag picking and bagging, counsel their parents to encourage them for education. These children be admitted in the residential and non-residential special training centres.

Children of labours who came for seasonal work should also be issued certificates when they left and informed the State Project Director of their states. Jain stressed on developing a system to track such children.

Expressing his grim concern over child labour, Chief Secretary Jain laid emphasis on curtailing this practice. He directed the District Magistrates to launch campaign against child labour and effectively check it with the help of Education, Labour, Social Welfare, Women and Child Development Departments. He instructed them to regularly monitor the progress.

Haridwar dips in colours of Ganesh utsav
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, September 21
Ganesh utsav is being celebrated with greater enthusiasm in pilgrim city like never before. Various religious organisations have put up huge pandals while temples, muths, ashrams and dharamshalas have been decked up to celebrate the festival.

Big statues, idols and replicas of Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiva and goddess Parvati have been put up at various places.

The Ganpati Seva Sangh, Panchpuri, has installed a mega Ganesh statue at Rishikul ground, which is drawing a large number of devotees. Special pujas are being performed in the morning while artists are performing bhajans in the evening.

The Ganpati Yatra Sangh has set up a huge pandal having several idols made by sculptures from Mumbai at Shravan Nath Gyan Mandir.

The Chetan Bhawan, Shravan Nath Nagar, is organising the fifth Ganpati Mahotsav where the Ganpati Seva Mandal activists are performing rituals and offering prasad to the devotees.

At Nirmal Sarai, legislator Madan Kaushik participated in the festival with the rendition of hymns and bhajans. The Maa Vaishno Navyuvak Sangthan is organising the Ganpati Mahotsav in which state Cabinet minister Surendra Rakesh and former Municipal Corporation chairperson Satpal Brahamchari also performed prayers.

A statue of Lord Ganesh has also been installed at Daksh Prajapti Temple. Notably, Daksheshwar Mahadev Temple at Kankhal is regarded as the home of goddess Parvati, and hence devotees attach importance to it.

All Ganesh idols will be immersed in the Ganga on September 28 on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi.

Rains caused Rs 15 crore loss to infrastructure in Pithoragah
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, September 21
Rains have damaged the basic infrastructure, including water supply schemes, electricity and roads, in Pithoragarh district this year causing an estimated loss of more than Rs 15 crore, District Disaster Management Officer RS Rana said.

“Besides public infrastructure losses, 15,000 persons have suffered losses to the tune of Rs 60 lakh. While Rs 30 lakh has been distributed as relief among the affected people, the remaining amount is being released by the officials concerned,” said Rana.

He added as rain between July and September was more than average this year, it caused extensive damage to the infrastructure, especially in Dharchula and Munsiyari subdivisions. The Thal to Munsiyari road was totally damaged. “The average rainfall between July and September 21 was 430 mm while the average rainfall between June and August was 276.2 mm,” said Rana.

He added 72 roads, including national and state highways, had been damaged due to rain. “Besides these roads, 26 drinking water schemes, 37 irrigation schemes and 18 schools were damaged in the district during the monsoon,” said Rana.

“Most of the damage has been caused in Didihat, Munsiyari and Dharchula subdivisions where seven persons also lost their lives in landslides, rock falls and thunderstorms. Of 1,500 direct and 15,000 indirectly affected villagers in the district, 118 farmers lost their prime cultivable land in the natural calamity,” he said.

Of the 72 roads damaged in the district, 30 were fully closed and these would be opened by October 15, he said.

Haridwar SP inspects bank branches
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, September 21
In view of increasing number of theft cases at various banks in the city, SP Kiran Lal Shah made an impromptu inspection of such branches here today.

During inspection he found various irregularities in the security measures at these branches.

SP Shah said CCTVs at many branches were dysfunctional. He directed the concerned branch managers to immediately install the new ones.

It was also found that fire extinguishers placed in these branches were outdated.

“In many robberies carried out at banks in the recent past, we have noted that there were inadequate security measures because of which many incidents were robbery took place,” said Shah.

Meanwhile, the Haridwar police has started a service for bank customers in which those who want police protection while carrying a large amount of money from a bank to their homes will be assisted by a cop.

For availing this service, the customer has to inform the respective police station or dial 100. A cop will accompany the person ferrying the cash amount.

Animal sacrifice banned during fair
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, September 21
In the wake of court orders, animal sacrifice has been banned during the three-day annual Kot Bhramari Devi fair which began at Bageshwar today.

District Magistrate, Bageshwar, V. Shanmugham said, “We have deputed force to prevent animal sacrifice on the temple premises. If anyone found guilty, action will be taken against him/her.”

The District Magistrate refuted the reports that the administration had allowed animal sacrifice in secret during the fair. “Our administration will follow the court orders strictly,” he said.

According to villagers, more than 100 animals are sacrificed every year during the fair.

Indian Idol participant Devender felicitated
Tribune News Service

Indian idol fame singer Devender Pal being felicitated by the Sarv Pradesh gurdwara Managing committee at a function held at Saharanpur on Friday.

Dehradun, September 21
President of the Sarv Pradesh Gurdwara Management Committee (SPGMC) Jagdish Singh Jhinda today felicitated ‘Indian Idol’ participant Devender Pal, who recited shabad kirtan at Gurdwara Amar Kutiya, Saharanpur.

At a meeting, Jhinda said the network of the SPGMC was expanding with its offices situated in 14 states. He, however, expressed concern that in some states like J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra, the minority communities were not getting justified treatment on political and social levels.

He said they had urged the Central Government to give legal sanctity to the SPGMC, which had given a positive response to their demand.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Harjit Singh, president of the Punjabi Avam Alapsankhyak Morcha, while talking to mediapersons, said the state government had assured them that land would be earmarked for religious places in new colonies in Dehradun city, where displaced people from Tehri Dam were settled. However, the government had failed to introduce any new project or scheme for the welfare of the minority communities, he alleged.