DMC to invite fresh bids for 42 shops
Dehradun, December 10
The Dehradun Municipal Corporation has decided to invite fresh bids to give 42 shops on lease. Only five bidders have deposited lease money with the DMC while 15 others have paid nothing to it.

Dehradun, December 10
The Uttarakhand police today let loose it's anger on the protesting shiksha mitras, who were lathi-charged when they tried to break the barricade erected at the south ward entry of the Uttarakhand Assembly. In the ensuing lathi charge, several shiksha mitras, including women, were injured and were rushed to Doon Hospital for first aid. The Uttarakhand government has now announced a judicial inquiry into the matter.

Agitated shiksha mitras, who were brutally beaten up by the police, talk to Dehradun SSP Kewal Khurana in front of the state Assembly in Dehradun on Monday.  Tribune photo: Vinod Pundir

Since the start of the Assembly session the police had managed to tame the agitating shiksha mitras but today the police lost it's cool, especially when SSP Kewal Khurana was on the spot, and let loose it's brutality on the shiksha mitras.

"We were kicked by the policemen and some of our members were mauled by horses. The police used brute force to quell the protesters who wanted to reach the Assembly," charged Ravinder Khati, general secretary of Uttarakhand Shiksha Mitra Maha Sangh.

However, City Magistrate Harak Singh Rawat said that the shiksha mitras pelted stones on the policemen, injuring those standing near the barricade.

"We had even approached the shiksha mitras with the offer of talks with the Uttarakhand Education Minister, Mantri Prasad Naithani. But they turned down our offer," said Harak Singh Rawat.

Later, the matter was raised in the Uttarakhand Assembly by the Opposition as soon as it convened after the lunch break. The Opposition members raised slogans of " shame, shame" as soon as they entered the House, forcing Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal to adjourn the House till 3 pm.

During the recess, the BJP leaders led by Opposition leaders in the Uttarakhand Assembly Ajay Bhatt, former Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik, BJP MLAs Dilip Singh Rawat, BS Chuphal, Surinder Singh Jena, Rajkumar Thukral and Rajesh Shukla then reached the site of the camping shiksha mitras and sat on dharna, to lend support.

"The Uttarakhand police has set a bad precedent and should not have used excessive force on the agitating shiksha mitras. Women agitators were also not spared," said Ajay Bhatt.

As soon as the House convened, the Opposition members raised the demand for an enquiry into the matter and the Uttarakhand Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Indira Hriyadesh, on behalf of the government assured the House that a judicial enquiry would be conducted into the matter.

Meanwhile, the shiksha mitras said that they would continue with their agitation until their demand of raising honorarium to Rs 20,000 and other demands were met.

Atrocities

Victims say they were kicked by cops and mauled by horses

Opposition leaders flay police action, sit on dharna

The govt orders judicial inquiry

Dehradun, December 10
The Dehradun Municipal Corporation has decided to invite fresh bids to give 42 shops on lease. Only five bidders have deposited lease money with the DMC while 15 others have paid nothing to it.

The first tender for these shops situated in front of the DMC were held three months ago. The lease money ranged from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh considering the position of the shops. Only five of the 20 bidders had deposited the lease money with the DMC while others dilly-dallied on the matter. DMC officials themselves did not seem to be keen on the payment.

Mukhya Nagar Adhikari Ashok Kumar said he and other officials had been busy with the President’s visit to the city and other pressing matters. However, the issue had been pending for about two months.

Now, Ashok Kumar had asked his staff to formulate fresh guidelines with regard to these shops. He said, “Earlier no timeline was fixed for the payment of the lease money. Under the rules, there is a meagre penalty for those who default on the payment of the lease money after obtaining tenders of the shops.”

Therefore, these anomalies should be addressed and a new draft framed before the second tender. Those who hire these shops would have to pay a paltry sum as monthly rent because they had already paid handsome lease money. The lease rates have been fixed in such a way that they fully recover the construction cost.

There is also confusion on the issue of renewal of rent contracts. Ashok said soon he would issue directions for holding another tender for the shops with new guidelines, including the rental contract period, rental amount and penalty for default in the payment of the lease money.

Dehradun December 10
It was on the directives of SSP Kewal Khurana to station police officers to solve old cases as early as possible, the Clement Town police today cracked an old case of April 10 when the wife of Pradeep Rathi, an accountant with a Palm City firm, Madhu Rathi, was badly wounded by a woman and three others who ran away with jewellery, silver items, laptop worth Rs 2.50 lakh and Rs 70,000 from their house on Turner Road.

The police arrested Pooja Sharma, resident of Delhi, Yunus alias Anu and Anuj Maheshwari, both residents of Saharanpur. Two revolvers, cartridges and gold and silver jewellery and silver articles worth Rs 1.50 lakh recovered from them. Other accused Kishan Singh, resident of Ghaziabad, Deepak and another accomplice are still absconding.

It is the first-ever incident of loot in the city in which a woman was involved.

It was Pooja Sharma, who had gone with accused Yunus to their house posing as employees of the Census Department. They sought entry into the house by asking Madhu Rathi for a glass of water. Soon two other accused also followed them into the house.

They not only ransacked the house but also beat up Madhu Rathi after tying her and went away with the valuables and cash.

Anuj Maheshwari emerged as the kingpin of the whole plot. Maheshwari, who is the husband of Madhu Rathi’s sister and property dealer at Saharanpur, had a debt of Rs 2.5 lakh to pay.

He said he masterminded the whole plot to be able to pay his debt. He came to know that Pradeep Rathi made Rs 8 lakh by selling his old property. He then hatched a plan to commit the loot. He took along Yunus and others and decided that he would keep half the amount of Rs 8 lakh and distribute rest among other accused.

Maheshwari, however, remained in the background.

Pooja Sharma, who had soured relations with her husband, left her house with her son and came to stay at the house of her friend, Shivani, a journalist at Saharanpur.

Shivani also have a house in Teacher’s Colony in Dehradun as well.

Shivani talked to Maheshwari for a job for Pooja. Maheshwari convinced Pooja to accompany the accused and earn Rs 30,000.

Neither Shivani, nor Pooja were taken into confidence about the gameplan.

Maheshwari was had been booked at Kotwali Mandi, Saharanpur for cheating people under Sections 420, 467,478, 471.

Dehradun, December 10
A group of 25 students from Jammu and Kashmir met Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna at his residence here today.

The students belonged to Bhadarwah Degree College, Doda district. Most of the students had come out of J&K for the first time.

The students were introduced to the CM by team leader Maj Mayank Prabhash of the Indian Army.

Bahuguna, lauding the efforts of the Army, said visits to other states helped students know different cultures and lifestyles. He said the geographic condition of J&K and Uttarakhand were identical as like J&K, the natural beauty of Uttarakhand also attracted visitors. He hoped that the children would return back home with sweet memories and experience. He also hoped for their bright future.

It may be noted that the Indian Army organises tours for students from remote areas of J&K under its project ‘Sadbhavana’ every year. Maj Prabhash said the students would be taken for visits to Mussoorie, Haridwar, Rishikesh and Lansdown after Dehradun.

The team also comprised of two teachers of the college Ashiq Hussain and Raj Kumar Gupta.

Haridwar, December 10
Swami Poornanand Saraswati, a disciple of Matra Sadan founder Swami Shivanand, today started an indefinite fast in Jagjeetpur village for the cause of the Ganga.

The fast is being observed to demand a ban on the ongoing quarrying on the Ganga riverbed and no new road construction along the river on the Kumbh land area.

They are also objecting to the logging by the Forest Department to carry out construction activities in Haridwar.

Matra Sadan has also written a letter to Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna citing their objection to the cutting of trees for the construction of road from Kankhal to the Ganga.

Swami Poornanand said he was just carrying on the tradition initiated by Swami Shivanand and the late Swami Nigmanand, who had also observed an indefinite fast for the cause of the Ganga.

"I was not forced to begin the agitation. It is my own decision," said Swami Poornanand Saraswati.

Matra Sadan saints also accused the government and the district administration of not abiding by the directions of the High Court regarding a ban on quarrying on the Bishanpur-Bhogpur riverbed here.

Swami Shivanand has also decided to skip the Allahabad Maha Kumbh which begins in January next year in view of the anti-quarrying agitation.

Haridwar, December 10
Residents living in the vicinity of the Indira Gandhi bridge (Chandi Ghat bridge) staged a protest against the dumping of garbage by the local municipal body here today.

Local people had resented the dumping of garbage in this area owing to which the Municipal Corporation had stopped the dumping activity. But for the past few days, trucks of the MC have again dumping the garbage in the area.

The residents have again resented in the move and have written a letter to the Executive Officer of the MC.

Under the aegis of the Uttarakhand Kranti Manch (UKM), the aggrieved residents staged a protest at the Bhoomanand intersection, raising slogans against the MC’s move.

Led by manch chief Suresh Kewat, protestors said the corporation had made the residential area a dumping site. JP Pandey, founder of the UKM, said foul smell of garbage was causing inconvenience to the residents.

Women activist Meera Raturi said if the corporation did not stop the dumping activity, then they would take to agitation route.

We have also submitted a memorandum to the MC officer, apprising him of the woeful condition. The MC should look out for to a secluded vacant site for dumping garbage.

Chaudhari Afzal Alvi, Roshni Kalipan, Rita Verma, Rajesh Sharma, Meena Yadav, Urmila Devi, Dulari Devi and Rambha Devi were among the protesters.

Dehradun, December 10
The District Magistrate (DM) convened a meeting of officials of the district administration, PWD and Traffic Department today to discuss the survey report over the widening of crossings and T-points or roundabouts in the city. Besides this, the DM, BVRC Purushottam, has also directed the concerned officials to submit their report regarding clearance of encroachments from the city in the next 15 days. He asked the officials to earmark the places plagued by encroachments and the suggestions to clear them.

The city has been divided into four zones to conduct the survey in order to identify the bottlenecks in traffic around these crossings and the measures to remove them. The discussions took place only on first two zones today. Suggestions were made in each respective case where the action plan was prepared to undertake works in the first, second and third consecutive months. Suggestions were made such as shifting of electrical poles, transformers, police pickets, felling of trees, relocation of shops or acquisition of land, wherever they were felt required, in order to widen the area and facilitate smooth flow of traffic.

The areas which were discussed under first zone are Clock Tower to Chukhuwala, Binda Crossing to Kishan Nagar Crossing, Kolagarh Marg, Garhi Cantt crossing, Ballupur Crossing to Balliwala, Prem Nagar to Nanda ki Chowki, Bhaowala, Selaqui to Sahaspur and Harbertpur.

The area enlisted under second zone are Survey Crossing, Kanak crossing, Sports College, Raipur, Raipur Marg, Sahastardhara Crossing, Curzon Road T-point, Municipal T-point, Cross Road T-point, Dwarika Store, Araghar Crossing, Dharmpur Mandi, Nehru Colony, Dharampur Crossing, Rispana Crossing, Jogiwala Crossing, Ring Road T-point and motorway from Jolly Grant to Rishikesh. 

Dehradun, December 10
The 66th birthday of Congress president and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi was celebrated in the state yesterday.

The main function was held at the Congress bhawan here. Addressing the gathering, state Congress vice president Suryakant Dhasmana recalled Sonia’s role in strengthening the party. “Sonia Gandhi has given strength to the Congress and the party today keeps sizeable presence in every nook and corner of the country,” he said.

Dhasmana reminded that Sonia could have become the Prime Minister after the Congress rode to victory in the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections. “But she refused prime ministership both the times, giving out a supreme example of sacrifice. She even refused prime ministership for his son Rahul Gandhi and rather made Manmohan Singh the Prime Minister,” he added.

Senior Congress leader Heera Singh Bisht, District Dehradun Congress president Deen Mohammed, Ramkumar Walia, Sudha Shukla and Jagdish Dhiman were other prominent speakers on the occasion.

In another programme, the Uttarakhand Women’s Congress cell held a seminar in Dehradun. Addressing the participants, state Women’s Congress president Sarojini Kainthura asked the women Congress workers to take the party policies and programmes to the people. Kamlesh Raman, Mamta Gurung and Meena Rawat were the prominent speakers.

Meanwhile, a large scale bursting of crackers took place at the Congress bhawan to mark the occasion. Sweets were also distributed to the party workers.