Communist leader Nautiyal dead
Tribune News Service

Dehradun December 26
State leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI) as well as the Communist Party of India Marxist(CPM) paid tributes to the communist stalwart Kamla Ram Nautiyal on his demise here today.

Member of the National Council, CPI, Samar Bhandari said, “Kamla Ram Nautiyal left a void which cannot be fulfilled. He had fought battle for labourers and poor people for four decades. He was a tall leader of public struggles.”

Secretary, CPI, Anand Singh Rana, said, “Nautiyal played a long innings in his political life. From president of the All-India Students Federation of Dehradun unit to building the party in Uttarkashi, he played a pivotal role in stirring of a historical mass movement, especially forest movement at Bayali. He later emerged the forefront leader in statehood struggle as well. He spent seven months in jail in Gharasu shootout case and was imprisoned umpteen times for fighting on social causes, but he never lost his mettle.”

State secretary, CPM, Vijay Rawat, said the contribution of Nautiyal for society, especially for the communist movement, could never be forgotten. He extended condolences for the departed leader’s family in mourning.

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has expressed grief over the death of renowned social worker Nautiyal. Bahuguna has prayed for the peace of the departed soul and strength for the bereaved family members.

Bahuguna, in his message sent from South Africa, said the late Nautiyal’s life and his philosophy was an inspiration for all. He had always raised the issues related to the hill region effectively. He had also played instrumental role in the statehood movement. Bahuguna described Nautiyal’s demise as a great loss for the state.

Former Chief Minister BC Khanduri has also mourned the death of Kamla Ram Nautiyal. In his message, Khanduri described him as a leader completely devoted to the welfare of the poor downtrodden and labourers.

  Three held in medical officer’s death case
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, December 26
The Pithoragarh police has arrested three persons, including two employees of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in the Didihat block, in the death case of a deputy chief medical officer. The body of the officer was recovered by the police two days ago, police circle officer NK Singh said.

“We have arrested an accountant and a junior assistant working with the NRHM in the Didihat block of the district in connection with the death of Dr Munna Singh Pangti (47), a deputy chief medical officer, whose body was found near the town two days ago,” said NK Singh.

He said the arrests had been made on the basis of a note, citing some financial dispute with the culprits, left by Pangti on the spot of his death. “We are looking for the fourth suspect, who is a block level project officer of the NRHM at Didihat,” he added.

The police has not ruled out suicide as the cause of Pangti’s death. It suspects that since Pangti had some dispute regarding NRHM funds allocated to the Didihat block with the accused, he might have committed suicide out of frustration. Pangti was the in-charge of the community health centre at Didihat till two months ago before he was transferred to Bhawali. The trio have been arrested under sections 306, 120 (b) and 301 of the IPC. 

 Sex education for girls
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 26
A programme on sex education for girl students as part of the Arsh Udaan campaign was organised at DBS College here today.

Subjects like pregnancy, family planning and balanced diet were discussed at the programme. Trainers Poonam Jakhmola and Madhvi Sharma held deliberations with the students. They also answered their queries. A quiz competition was also organised for the students. Shail Kulshrestra from the National Service Scheme of the college conducted the programme.

 DM assures new ration shop in Kumhar Mandi 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 26
District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam assured the agitating councillor Sachin Gupta and the public of Kumhar Mandi of opening a new ration shop in their area by January 31. Gupta, who led an agitation from the premises of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation to the DM office today on the issue, met Purushottam. He alleged that the allocation of a ration shop at Kumhar Mandi was cancelled on the complaint of residents about wrong doings going on in the shop. 

Later on, instead of allotting the shop to a new person, the card holders of the area were attached to another ration shop, which was situated in Yamuna Colony. With the load of public of two areas, the ration distribution system had almost crumbled under the pressure. Now the people did not get ration for days together, he added.

It was after he held several protests on the issue that the District Supply Officer (DSO) had given public notice in the dailies to seek applications from those interested in running 12 cancelled ration shops in the city on October 21. The DSO had also assured to allocate the shops by November 30, something which he did not do till date, and had no satisfactory reply to explain reason for that, he said.

He also insisted on sitting in the DM's office till he did not issue the order in this regard. The agitationints relented only when the DM assured them to open a ration shop in their area by January 31. 

 MLA visits Mazdoor Sangh building to monitor work
Our Correspondent

Mussoorie, December 26
MLA, Mussoorie, Ganesh Joshi, visited the Mazdoor Sangh building to take stock of the development work being done in the colony and solve the problems of family members here yesterday.

The family members apprised the MLA about the problems being faced by them since a long period and appealed to solve their problems on priority basis.

The dwellers complained about the Municipal Council, which was the owner of the houses here, and it's failure to repair the building, which was in dilapidated condition.

The families living here also said that the sewage from the Masonic Lodge was entering their houses, leading to health problems.

They said that the Municipal Council had promised new houses to them adjacent to the building but the work had been left half way since the past one year.

Ganesh Joshi immediately summoned the MC Executive Officer PS Rawat and directed him to resolve the matter urgently.

The executive officer informed that all the woes of the residents would be addressed soon.

 Talks on communication skills by Rotary Club
Our Correspondent

Mussoorie, December 26
A one-day workshop on leadership and skill development was held for students from various schools under the Rotary Youth And Leadership Awards (RAILA) in Mussoorie yesterday.

Several resource persons highlighted the need for communication skills and leadership development and how the students could benefit from it in their career.

Advocate Alok Malhotra in his opening lecture "Our Purpose Today" and Dr GK Thakral shared their experience on developing leadership skills among the students.

The past district president of the Rotary Club informed the students about the history of the club and its aims and objectives of serving society through various works conducting in the year.

Dr Sunil Sanon also apprised the students about the importance of the communication skills and how it can increase the working capacity of any student.

A group discussion session was also held on the occasion in which the students participated with enthusiasm.

The students were also given topic on the problems being faced by the town and finding the solutions. The students outlined the problems such as shortage of parking, water and electricity and polythene menace as the bane of the town and also provided solution to it in an effective manner.

The students said the residents should not use the vehicle on the Mall Road.

The director of the project Anmol Jain said the workshop would go a long way to develop team spirit among the students. He also saidthe project also tried to bring the students from schools under one banner so that they could interact positively with each other.

Later, the students also presented cultural programmes on the occasion.

 Jim Corbett park authorities wary of New Year revellers
Jotirmay Thapliyal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 26
The Jim Corbett National Park authorities have pulled up their socks to ensure that there is no infringement of wildlife conservation laws even as tourists continue to flock the famous tiger reserve in Uttarakhand to welcome New Year.

The Chief Wildlife Warden, Uttarakhand, had already put wildlife parks and sanctuaries in the state on alert, taking into account the flow of tourists to the state forest guesthouses, Dak bunglows and private resorts near forest areas for the New Year celebrations.

Only yesterday the Nainital district administration and the Corbett park authorities seized a sound system and sealed a venue in a tourist resort in Ramnagar for the violation of the noise pollution norms by Christmas revellers. This was evidently a subtle warning for New Year revellers, who have already started flocking to the Corbett park.

There are over 200 Forest Department rest houses and Dak bunglows in Uttarakhand and those in the Corbett park and the Rajaji National Park are particularly in a big demand. The bookings for rest houses in the Corbett and Rajaji national parks are already full till the first week of January. While the Dikhala rest house in the Corbett park is reserved till mid-January next year, all three rest houses of the Rajaji park at Ranipur, Chilla and Ranipur are packed to capacity.

Forest rest houses and bungalows in Uttarakhand have been in big demand among tourists in the recent times as those living in capital Delhi and other neighbouring metros prefer spending the year-end with their family in the sylvan surroundings of nature and the protected areas of Uttarakhand.

The forest authorities are taking no chances this time. Deputy Director, Corbett park, Saket Badola said they would not allow anybody to misadventure near the park. He added leaves of the staff had been cancelled so that the activities of New Year revellers could be monitored.

Badola said, “Patrolling has been increased in the park. There are 80 resorts that fall in proximity to the Jim Corbett National Park. These resorts continue to be the most sought after destinations for those planning New Year celebrations. Every resort owner tries to out do the other in ensuring that the celebration at its resort is a gala affair, coming up with special New Year packages. Most of these organise outdoor events to cater to the capacity crowd that turns up at these resorts to welcome New Year.”

Dr Hem Singh Ghelot, a wildlife conservationist at the Corbett park, said the use of high intensity lights with blaring music often served as a distraction to the wildlif. Offending resorts should be penalized in the interest of protecting wildlife, he added.

 ‘Rapists must get life term’
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 26
In the aftermath of the New Delhi rape incident, members of the Sambal organisation held a protest march, demanding stringent punishment for perpetrators of crime against women.

The members, among whom were college students, demanded that Section 376 under IPC be amended so that the rapists could get life sentence.

They also demanded presence of women cops who were trained enough to handle rape cases. “More and more police stations should be under women cops so that women feel confident to approach them and register their complaints,” said Richa, a student.

Despite the chilly weather, a large number of protesters arrived and raised their voices against the incident. 

 Vidhan Sabha building to come up at Bhararisain: Kunjwal 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 26
Bhararisain in Gairsain has been selected for the construction of a building of the Vidhan Bhavan. A total of 498 acres have been earmarked for the Assembly building, offices and accommodation for MLAs and bureaucrats and other staff.

“We had examined Saliyana, Kali Matt, Bhararisain, Rithiya-Sintoli, Nagarjuna Sain and Hargarh and found Bhararisain, which is 20 km from Karanprayag, suitable for the construction of the Assembly building and other accompanying paraphernalia,” said Govind Singh Kunjwal, Speaker of the Utrarakhand Assembly.

Kunjwal said aspects such as possibility of future expansion, availability of water, accessibility and views of scientists on safety were sought and Bhararisain clearly scored over other sites. Pindar and Aata Gaad, two natural water sources situated 10 km from Bhararisain, would take care of the water needs. Above all, what worked in favour of Bhararisain was the availability of government land for the construction of infrastructure. “We will be saved the trouble of acquiring private land,” he added.

The Speaker said the 13the Finance Commission had sanctioned Rs 87 crore for the construction of the Assembly building. Out of this amount, Rs 22 crore had been released as first installment during this financial year and would be utilised for the construction of the building at Bhararisain.

Depending on the requirements, the state government would sanction additional funds once the construction starts. “Once the building is complete, we will be able to regularly hold one session of the Uttarakhand Assembly at Gairsain every year,” said Kunjwal.

The Speaker clarified that under the 13th Finance Commission the money was allocated for the construction of the House building and it should be utilised in the next two years. 

Search for new Assembly site in Doon 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 26
The Speaker of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly, Govind Singh Kunjwal, today said a search committee comprising the Principal Secretary, Revenue, the Principal Secretary, Information Technology, the Secretary, Department of Urban Development, and other members had been constituted to select a new site for the Assembly in Dehradun. 

“The team has been asked to present its report in a week after which a Vidhan Sabha committee will be formed to study the proposal and give its recommendations,” said Kunjwal, while speaking with mediapersons here. 

Merger of villages with DMC opposed
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 26
The representatives of panchayats and other villagers from the Vidhan Sabha area of Raipur, Mussoorie and Doiwala met District Magistrate (DM) BVRC Purushottam today to oppose the merger of these villages with Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) under the new proposal of delimitation policy. The villagers contended that their villages were agro-based but after merger with DMC, their agricultural land could be misused by land mafia.

The villagers, too, would come under the severe strain of taxes as well. They alluded towards other villages which were merged with DMC during the previous delimitation exercise, saying that those localities were lying negligent and under-developed.

They were of the opinion that they would have to make rounds of DMC for every small thing. They protested against the alleged forcible merger with DMC and demanded to let them be governed under the gram panchayat system. 

Finish water scheme in time, demand Gangolihat area residents
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, December 26
The people of the Gangolihat Assembly segment have demanded the construction of a long proposed lift drinking water scheme, which was to be completed this year.

The residents of Bel Patti, the most backward area of the Gangolihat Assembly, welcomed local MLA Narayan Ram Arya on his reaching the area and demanded that the work on the scheme be speeded up as they were totally dependent on open natural sources for drinking water. “The scheme, which was proposed to be linked to a source situated at eight km distance and constructed at a cost of Rs 12.79 crore, would benefit 15,000 people of 16 villages and 86 other hamlets in the Bel Patti area,” said Jeewan Dhanik, a resident of Bel Patti.

The residents of Gangolihat said the scheme got delayed due to objections to earlier proposal and revision of its estimates. Though Rs 12.79 crore was sanctioned for the scheme (Rs 10 crore was sanctioned earlier), it was not sufficient to complete it. “If the final approval is not received in time, the people of Gangolihat will have to suffer again due to the shortage of drinking water during the summer next year,” said Dhanik.

Engineers of Uttarakhand Jal Nigam, which is undertaking the project, said the construction of the scheme was in the last phase and would be completed by March next year. 

 Police helps recovery of dowry items
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 26
The city police has extended help to Indu, resident of Harrawala, in recovering the money and other items spent on her betrothal ceremony after her family broke ties with the prospective groom, who later demanded money from them. The boy, Bhupender Singh, taxi driver and resident, Shiv Puram, met with an accident after the ceremony.

His family demanded expenditure for his medical expenses from Indu's family. It was because of his accident that the marriage date was also postponed from November 27 to February 6. Indu's mother said the boy's family also demanded a car and cash of Rs 2 lakh from them. Unable to cope up with their greedy demands, they had no choice but to call off the alliance.

SSP Kewal Khurana said the police came to the rescue of Indu's family, when it came to him and facilitated recovery of cash of Rs 24,000, a cheque of Rs 10,000, a gold ring, clothes and utensils given in the betrothal ceremony to the boy's family.

The incident is a lesson for others who get entrapped in marital alliances with such greedy people and shirk away from breaking ties beforehand despite sensing the bitter reality, just for the fear of dejection in society. 

 2012 uttarakhand LOOKING BACK political
The year saw a change of guard in Uttarakhand 
SMA Kazmi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 26
The year 2012 saw a change of guard in Uttarakhand. In the third state Assembly elections held in Januray 2012, ruling BJP lost power to main Opposition Congress Party by a slender margin. The Congress managed to beat BJP by a single seat. The Congress bagged 32 seats against BJP's 31 seats. In the hung Assembly, the Congress managed to win over three-member Bahujan Samaj party (BSP), one Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) and three Independents to their fold to garner majority to form the government.

But the formation of the government and the nomination of Congress MP from Tehri Garhwal Lok Sabha seat Vijay Bahuguna as the next Chief Minister by the Congress Party high command led to an intense political drama, where party legislators led by Union Minister Harish Rawat raised a revolt. They sat on a dharna at the residence of Harish Rawat in New Delhi to register their protest against the decision of the party high command. It was after a lot of persuasion that Harish Rawat and his group of legislators decided to join the state government.

Harish Rawat, who felt ignored for the second time, was unrelenting. Earlier in the first-ever Assembly elections held in February 2002, Harish Rawat led the party to victory but veteran ND Tewari was preferred over him as the Chief Minister of the then new state.

But this time Harish Rawat got plum positions for his own men in the state and also extracted a promise of elevation as a Cabinet Minister in the Union Council of Ministers. Senior legislators belonging to his group were given important portfolios, while Mahendra Singh Mahra, another of his close confidants, was given a Rajya Sabha ticket. Another close associate, Govind Singh Kunjwal, was made Assembly Speaker.

After government formation, the first test for Chief Minister Bahuguna was to enter the state Assembly within six months of his elevation. In a clever move, Bahuguna persuaded Sitarganj BJP legislator Kiran Mandal to resign his seat. This reduced the strength of BJP in the Assembly to 30. Finally, Chief Minister Bahuguna won the Sitarganj Assembly byelection by a huge margin to consolidate his position in July 2012.

However, at a time when it was felt that Chief Minister Bahuguna had strengthened his position politically, the Tehri Garhwal Lok Sabha byelection gave a massive jolt to the ruling Congress Party as well as to Chief Minister Bahuguna personally. Bahuguna, who resigned his Tehri Lok Sabha seat after entering the state Assembly, was able to get party nomination from the seat for his son Saket Bahuguna. He initiated his son in politics with the hope that he would be able to enter the Lok Sabha during his tenure.

But a host of factors, including rising inflation, withdrawal of gas subsidy and non-performance of the state government, led to the defeat of Congress candidate Saket Bahuguna at the hands of BJP's Mala Raj Luxmi Shah belonging to the Tehri Royal family. The defeat gave an indication that it would be an uphill task for ruling Congress Party to repeat it's performance in the forthcoming 2014 Lok Sabha elections. In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, Congress had won all the five Lok Sabha seats of the state.

Bahuguna continued to face stiff internal dissensions from Harish Rawat camp and has been trying to strike a balance by giving positions of various government bodies to ruling alliance legislators. He has also appointed legislators as parliamentary secretaries. This also led to demand amongst party leaders to get such positions. Another major electoral challenge before the Chief Minister and the party organisation would be to face civic elections scheduled to be held early next year before the Lok Sabha elections in May 2014.

There is every likelihood that there will be a change in Congress Party organisation in the coming year. Harish Rawat camp has also been trying to get the position of the state Congress president.

In Opposition BJP, there has also been hectic lobbying amongst various factions to get the position of state BJP president. A new state president is likely to be elected in the coming New Year.

The 2012 Assembly elections also saw the decrease in the clout of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), third largest party in the state. The number of BSP legislators in the state Assembly was reduced from eight to only three in the Assembly elections. The Uttarakand Kranti Dal, the regional party which was in the forefront of statehood agitation, also lost touch with the electorate as only a single UKD legislator could win in the state Assembly polls. In the coming civic elections, all the major political parties are preparing themselves to test their strength before the major electoral challenge of Lok Sabha polls of 2014. 

game changer

* The BJP lost power to the Congress by a slender margin

* Sulking Harish Rawat got plum positions for his men in the Cabinet

* Parties gearing up for the coming civic poll and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections