Dehradun, September 30
The Uttarakhand LPG Association has deferred strike for one week. President of the association Chaman Lal said the Petroleum Minister in his talks with the National Federation of India LPG Distributors had sought one-week time to think over their main demands. So they had postponed their decision to go on strike. He said if the ministry did not accept their demands after that, then they would go on an indefinite strike.

The demands of the association included enforcement of the unsubsidised rates on all kinds of cylinders, subsidy benefits to be put into the bank accounts of consumers and proper sealing of cylinders.

President of the association Chaman Lal said it would be difficult for LPG distributors to keep tab on the number and kind of cylinders used by the consumers, hence the Ministry of Petroleum should make it mandatory for consumers to pay the non-subsisised rate of Rs 763.50 on all cylinders they booked.

The ministry should ensure that the consumers get the due amount on having subsidised LPG cylinder in their bank accounts later on.

He said the distributors did not want to be pulled into any controversy over the weight of the delivered cylinders, hence the cylinder packing should be such that they could be opened only before the consumers.

Lastly, he said it was getting difficult for the distributors to manage the increasing expenditure with regard to their staff. He demanded to alter home-delivery charges, which had remained static on Rs 8 for a long time. He said the charges must be increased on every kilometre after five kilometer, taking cues from the guidelines of the Himachal Pradesh government.

Dehradun, September 30
Consumers are at the receiving end over the Centre's decision to fix the quota of subsidised LPG cylinders.

On the other hand, LPG distributors are doing everything possible to protect their interests at the cost of consumers. They are demanding that Rs 763.50 be charged on all cylinders whether subsidised or non-subsidised.

President of the Uttarakhand LPG Association Chaman Lal said distributors could not maintain the record of subsidised LPG cylinders used by consumers in a year. He said many distributors did not know how to use computer and maintain the record.

Chaman Lal said: " Distributors charge Rs 400 for a subsidised cylinder, Rs 1005.50 for non-domestic use and Rs 1,470 for commercial use. Now this new category of non-subsidised has also been introduced. People will keep fighting with us over the issue of subsidised and non-subsidised. So we don't want to get into this problem."

The distributors do not want to take the responsibility of keeping the record, thus forcing consumers to pay double the price on all cylinders used by them.

Many consumers are not even aware of a verification drive "Know your customers" launched by LPG distributors. Under this drive, they are making consumers fill a form to give their personal details. However, distributors claimed that they had pasted a notice outside their outlets about the verification drive.

Multiple gas connection in one name and the same address are also being blocked. Surprisingly, affected consumers are not even conversant about it.

Chaman Lal said 3 lakh such connections had been blocked across the state with 1.25 lakh connections in Dehradun only.

Deepak Barthwal, a distributor, however, said the entire exercise regarding blocking LPG connections was being managed by the Indian Oil Corporation through their own software and even distributors had no knowledge of it.

Dehradun, September 30
New Director General of Police (DGP) of the state Satyavrat Bansal formally took charge from outgoing DGP Vijay Raghav Pant here today.

Bansal made it clear that prevention of crime in the state, especially in the city, would be his first priority. He said he would first advise, then warn and finally take action against the erring officials in this regard.

He emphasised on using thorough scientific investigation and criminal intelligence in the detection and prevention of crime. He said station officer (SO) of each police station would be responsible for crime related activities in his region. "SOs must be aware of all criminal activities, including old or new criminals gangs active in his area. Be it drug peddling, traffic problem, crime or coordination with his juniors, SO will be wholly responsible," he said.

He admitted that the police could no longer use blatant force to rein in criminals these days as it would do in the past, but with the help of criminals' investigation and collection of strong evidences, the police could give results.

He said he would not tolerate activities of any mafia, be it liquor, real estate or crime. He also stressed on the maintenance of law and order, including control over petty crimes, which later develop into big crimes.

"I normally go on round and see boys having liquor in their vehicles on road sides or in park, or people driving without number plates or helmets, drug being sold near schools or people handling traffic policemen badly. These may come across as petty crime but if ignored such incidents turn into big crimes or people associated with them become big criminals later on. So the police is required to be equally strict about controlling such incidents as well." 

He also showed his abhorrence with regard to eve-teasing and said the treatment to women in the police stations should be given as per the set rules. He also advised the media not to pull up the police by passing remark on its slogan "Mitr Police" every now and then.

On the issue of modernisation of the state police, he said, he would gather required information about this field. "The purpose is to bring efficiency. If modern gadgets, weapons or vehicles add to the efficiency, it must be promoted."

About complaints arising in discrepancies with regard to transfers of police personnel or officers, he said, there should be transparency and honesty behind transfers as it affected the morale of the police force.

He also talked of strengthening the Special Task Force (STF) and streamlining the traffic during peak hours with the help of police personnel from nearby police stations. On the issue of uneven distribution of police stations under each of four ranges, he said the state government and his predecessors would have taken the cumulative decision after lots of deliberations but if felt required, he would propose to reconsider or reorganise the range structure.

Taking a jovial parting shot from the press conference, he said the media must ask him how he was feeling after taking charge and his answer would be, "very heavy". 

Dehradun, September 30
Uttarakhand Governor Dr Aziz Qureshi today inaugurated the “Meley Saath Tumhara – Kala Mahotsav” in the Raj Bhavan auditorium where differently abled persons from several organisations performed.

The Governor admired their determination and courage and said such persons needed love and encouragement and not our sympathy. “We should collectively work for their happiness.”

He greatly appreciated the work being done by various organizations for the welfare of the differently abled.

The Governor thanked Satpal Maharaj, MP, and Amrita Rawat, Uttarakhand Tourism Minister, for supporting the Samarpit, an organisation working for the differently abled.

People of various ages from the Bajaj Institute of Learning, the Cheshire Home, the YWCA and the Hopes performed in the function.

Dehradun, September 30
Members of Waste Warriors today removed posters from the walls of the Survey of India's building on EC Road here today.

The idea is to preserve prominent buildings of Dehradun and to take an initiative to stop the defacement of public property. City Magistrate Harak Singh Rawat joined the team and congratulated Waste Warriors and volunteers for making remarkable efforts to clean the city.

He extended support to 'Let's clean Doon together' campaign. Personnel of the Survey of India also participated in the activity.

Earlier also, the team had removed posters from a large section of the walls of the Survey of India. Soon, wall mural with environmental theme will come up on the walls. The team has also approached different government bodies, which have the authority to ensure maintenance.

The team includes Jodie Underhill (founder) Tashi Pareek (project manager), Sudarshan Bisht (project assistant) Ali, Muzzaffar and Abu (waste workers) and Surinder Negi (supervisor). Some of the volunteers who participated include Sujata Paul, Javier Graco (Spain) Rashmi Alevoor, Gordon (England), Ina Bahuguna, Richard and Akib .

Tomorrow on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti, a clean up drive has been planned to promote public involvement. A number of fun and interesting elements will be added to the drive. It starts from Gandhi Park and will cover the area from Clock Tower to Ashley Hall. Locals, students and national and international volunteers will be joining hands for this event.

Haridwar, September 30
More than 8,000 students appeared in the preliminary examination for the Uttarakhand Judicial Service Civil Judge held here today.

The examination is being conducted to fill eight posts of PCS (J) across the state. Haridwar, Dehradun and Haldwani were made examination centres. A total of 15 examination centres were set up in Haridwar.

Examination controller of the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission SN Pandey said the examination was conducted peacefully. Heavy police force was deployed at all centres. Sunil Rawat, an aspirant, said this year's paper was quite tough and an indept knowledge of legal aspects was needed to crack it.

Mussoorie, September 30
St Lawrence Inter-College was declared the overall champion in the 12th Regional Athletics Meet that concluded here today.

Results:

Mini girls' race category: first: Nirmala Inter-College; second: Sanatan Dharm Inter-College; third: Mussoorie Girls Inter-College.

Sub-junior boys' category: first: St Lawrence Inter-College; second: Ghananand Inter-College; third: Nirmala Inter-College.

Girls' sub-junior division: gold: Sanatan Dharm; silver: St Lawrence and Mussoorie Girls Inter-College; bronze: Mussoorie Girls Inter-College.

Senior division boys' category: gold: Nirmala Inter-School; silver: Ghananand Inter-College; bronze: Rama Devi.

Senior division girls' category: gold: Mussoorie Girls Inter College; silver: Sanatan Dharm Inter College; bronze: Rama Devi.

The Major AP Dhyani Memorial Trophy was won by St Lawrence Inter-College in the primary boys' section. The Lalit Sonkar Memorial Trophy was won by Nirmala Inter-College in the sub-junior boys section and the Anoop Goyal Memorial Trophy was won by Ghananand Inter-College in the junior girls' division.

Chief Education Officer Shiv Prasad Khali, who was the chief guest on the occasion, gave away the prizes to the winners. 

Dehradun, September 30
In the Dehradun District Football League being played at Rangers Ground, Sarvodaya Club and Cantt Blue emerged winners in their respective matches.

In the first match, Sarvodaya Club defeated Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan 1-0. Kulbhushan scored the goal for Sarvodaya Club.

Further, Cantt Blue defeated Khalanga 1-0 in the second match. Manish Gurung scored the goal for Cantt Blue in the 60th minute of the match. As of tomorrow's matches, Bajrang Club will take on Garhwal Boys.

Dehradun, September 30
Akranta Club defeated Uttarakhand Tiger Club 3-1 in a match during the Lala Nemi Dass Memorial Football League here today.

Satbir scored the first goal for the Akranta team in the 9th minute followed by Sambhu who scored the second goal in the 11th minute.

Asif Ali scored the third goal in the 51st minute of the match.

For the Uttarakhand Tiger team, Pawan scored the sole goal in the 55th minute of the match.

Dehradun, September 30
Dehradun district emerged the overall champion in the state school-level badminton tournament that took place here today.

In the under 19 boys' final, Amritpal of Dehradun beat Raghunath of Udham Singh Nagar 21-4 and 21-17. In the under 17 boys' category, Budhi of Almora beat Himanshu of Udham Singh Nagar 27-25 and 21-15. In the under 14 boys' category, Pawan of Nainital beat Sagar Bisht of Dehradun 21-9 and 21-18.

In the under 19 girls' category, Megna of Pauri beat Manisha of Udham Singh Nagar 12-21, 21-12 and 21-17. In the under 17 girls' category, Varsha of Udham Singh Nagar beat Priyanka of Nainital and in under 14 girls' category, Aparna of Udham Singh Nagar beat Kavita from Udham Singh Nagar.

Chief guest Ashok Kumar, Medical Superintendent, AIIMS, Rishikesh, gave away the prizes. District coordinator, Sports, Ravinder Rawat, conducted the tournament.

Dehradun, September 30
In the second semi-final of the 4th Ram Bahadaur Chettri Memorial Football School-Level Tournament, Army School, Clement Town, defeated SGRR, Vasant Vihar, 2-0.

Army School, Clement Town, will clash with Doon Valley Public School tomorrow in the final match. In the match today, the Army School beat SGRR in a tie-breaker after both the teams failed to score a goal by the end of the stipulated time. For the Army School team, Rajat and Mohit scored the goals.