Tourist killed in mishap
Mussoorie, February 3
One person was killed while three others sustained serious injuries when the car they were travelling in fell into a gorge near Batagad on the Mussoorie-Tehri bypass today.

Illegal slum colonies a scar on Mussoorie
Mussoorie, February 3
The mushrooming of illegal slum colonies and rampant encroachment has not only left permanent scars on the face of the Queen of Hills but is also damaging its pristine beauty.

Dehradun, February 3
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna today inaugurated Lachchiwala overbridge on the National Highway-72 on the Dehradun-Doiwala road.

In his address made on the occasion, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said the new overbridge would help in unhindered movement of vehicles from Dehradun towards destinations of Doiwala, Jolly Grant, Rishikesh and Haridwar. The Chief Minister also disclosed that overbridges would also come up at Jogiwala, Bhandaribagh and the Inter-State Bus Terminus areas of Dehradun.

Reiterating his commitment to the development of Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said his government was working to develop the backward areas of the state. He said laying of foundation stone at Gairsain was part of same commitment.

He said taking forward the aspirations of the state agitationists, the government was working for all-round development of the state. He said pension of state agitationists had also been increased.

Bahuguna reminded that efforts were also in progress to connect the Jolly Grant airport with Raipur. He disclosed that a cricket stadium was also coming up at Raipur.

Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat stressed on collective efforts towards ensuring comprehensive development of Uttarakhand. He said development should be kept away from party politics. He said national highways infrastructure had been strengthened in Uttarakhand.

Former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and MLA Subodh Uniyal were also present on the occasion. The bridge has come up at a cost of over Rs 42 crore. It has a total length of 1.12 km which includes bridge approach roads.

Dehadun, February 3
Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said today that the culture of the Jaunsar Bavar region had enriched the cultural heritage of the state. He was speaking as the chief guest at the Jaunsar Bavar Mahotsav organised at the ONGC auditorium here today.

He said such cultural and traditional festivals showcased the rich cultural heritage of the state. He eulogised the people of the state to rise above petty caste and regional considerations to work for the development of the state as well as the country.

He also announced to give a grant of Rs 5 lakh every year for holding the Jaunsar Bavar cultural festival and promised to provide land for the office of the Jaunsar Bavar retired employees’ association. He further said the people of the Jaunsar area had always supported him and he would try to fulfil their expectations as the Chief Minister of the state. He said the state government had been trying hard to solve the problems of the common people. He said money has been released for the delayed drinking water schemes and efforts were on to restart the hydropower projects to meet the growing power needs of the state. He said the Centre had given permission for the Lakhwar Vyasi and Dhauli Ganga hydroelectric projects.

Cabinet Minister Pritam Singh said Bahuguna had been trying to fufil the dreams of his late father Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna. He said during the 11 months of the Congress rule in the state, the Lakhwar Vyasi project had been sanctioned besides upgrading of the sub-treasury at Tyuni and start of a polytechnic at Kwasi. He assured that all roads in the Jaunsar area would be carpeted soon.

The Chief Minister also released a souvenir on the occasion. 

Dehradun, February 3
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna inaugurated the Northern India International Trade Fair-2013 at Parade Ground here today. Speaking on the occasion, he said such trade fairs help in showcasing the development of Uttarakhand outside the state.

He said that Uttarakhand is “Veer bhoomi” and “Gyan Bhoomi” and an excellent atmosphere existed for investment by industries and many industrial houses were eager to invest in the state.

The Chief Minister further said opportunities in tourism, health and horticulture sectors existed in the state and a spice and textile park would also help entrepreneurs.

Harish Chander Durgapal, Uttarakhand Minister of Small Scale Industries and Khadi, said many schemes were being started to help weavers and entrepreneurs in the state.

BS Negi, Chairman of the Indian International Trade Organisation said the trade fair would continue till February 10.

Mussoorie, February 3
One person was killed while three others sustained serious injuries when the car they were travelling in fell into a gorge near Batagad on the Mussoorie-Tehri bypass today.

The police said the tourists were returning from Dhanaulti when the accident took place. The driver lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a sharp curve and the car fell into a gorge.

The deceased has been identified as Aditya Tyagi (23) and the injured as Rahul (22), Pankaj Tyagi (21) and Laden (24), all residents of Ghaziabad.

Mussoorie, February 3
The mushrooming of illegal slum colonies and rampant encroachment has not only left permanent scars on the face of the Queen of Hills but is also damaging its pristine beauty.

An illegal slum colony in Mussoorie.

The residents of the town believe that if the increase in the illegal colonies and cropping up of tin sheds around the town is not controlled, it would result in a major sanitation and security problem in near future.

The residents, critical of the lackadaisical approach of the authorities concerned, are of the view that this web of illegal slum colonies and illegal construction on the encroached public land can be stopped but the authorities concerned, instead of checking the mushrooming of such activities, were paying mere lip-service that was leading to defacing of the town.

The resident of the town said under anonymity that over the past couple of decades, the Mall Road had born the major brunt of such illegal encroachment activities as tin sheds could be seen at every nook and corner of the town suggesting that the encroachers did not have any fear of the authorities.

The Kingcraig area, which had only few shops a decade ago, has seen flooding of illegal kiosks that are seen selling various consumer goods freely. The illegal encroachment activities have also increased on the sides of the road from Kingcraig to Picture Palace.

The modus operandi of such encroachers is that first they dig a small area and following that start selling few goods at the place and later convert into a kiosk, covering it with plastic cover. The same situation prevails at the bus stand where a tin shed has come up on the Municipal Council land.

The Mussoorie-Kempty road has also not remained aloof from such illegal encroachment activities, showing the neglect of the authorities concerned.

In addition to this, the slum dwellers from outside the state have illegally usurped the land belonging to the Municipal Council, namely at the Barah Kainchi road on the hillocks near the Lal Bhadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) block on the Kempty-Mussoorie road, posing serious sanitation hazards, as most of the slums areas do not have adequate arrangements of disposal of garbage and sewage. They are not recognised by the administration. However most of the slums have obtained water and electricity connections though illegal means.

The cropping up of illegal slum colonies has also resulted in giving air to mafia culture. Influential persons are involved in renting out such kiosk slums to the dwellers on monthly basis.

S Pundir, a senior citizen of the town, said all such illegal activities were occurring right under the nose of the authorities concerned in this case. The silence of the officials in the matter is a cause of concern.

The eminent sociologists attribute this increase in slums and encroachment activity to rampant urbanisation of the hill town that began from 1990. They believe as the urban activities increase in any town, the number of slum dwellers also increases proportionately and the government should have considered the problem well in advance.

The other aspect of such slums is that they also pose health hazards, as most of the slum dwellers do not have access to the health services. The sociologists also believe that the need is to construct more housing for economically weaker section in the town so that a check can be kept on such slums.

The other major concern is that of security, as the identity of the slum dwellers remains a big issue who come for a short while and transfer their slum houses to others in waiting.

When contacted, Mussoorie police station in charge BS Rawat said that verification drives were being conducted in such colonies from time to time in search of any anti-social element residing in such areas.

Executive officer of the Municipal Council PS Rawat said they were concerned about the issue and several housing projects were proposed where the slum dwellers would be shifted once the houses under the EWS schemes were constructed.

He also said the action would be initiated against the illegal encroachers and the slum dwellers after a detailed meeting with the Mussoorie SDM 
in future.

Dehradun February 3
Members of the Uttaranchal Sanyukt Sarv Samaj Sangathan held a peaceful march from Parade Ground to the barricades before the Chief Minister's residence where president Ompal Rathi said he got the positive response from the Chief Minister regarding enforcing the decision of the High Court on the issue of permanent residence (PR).

Many representative groups of 56 castes whom Rathi claimed to enjoy their support on the matter congregated in Parade Ground for the rally. The leaders addressed the gathering.

Rathi rued that the notice board outside Janadhar Kender on the premises of the District Magistrate's office mentioned about the requirement of property document of the year 1950 in order to obtain caste certificate (CR) or PR certificates.

He stated that the state governments across the nation had been granted rights to formulate policy on permanent residence under the Constitution but in Uttarakhand two kinds of certificates were issued for people of plains and hills, which was unconstitutional.

He said as per the directions under the Uttar Pradesh Re-organisation Act 2000, people of the state were getting all facilities which they had enjoyed while living under undivided Uttar Pradesh, for six years after the formation of the state. The facilities came to naught during the BJP regime in the state without releasing any Government Order in this regard. This situation continued to prevail till date, he said.

He also drew attention towards the recommendation of the Kaushik Committee, which was constituted to prepare a report on the issue of CR and PR saying the state government must enforce the recommendations, which were in the interests of all sections of the society.

He also talked of a High Court decree in acknowledging November 9, 2000, as the cut-off date for PR and said the High Court had issued defamation notice against the state government for delaying action on it, about which the state government had to furnish its reply by February 18.

Rathi said, he was satisfied over the positive response of Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and pinned hope that he would take concrete action on the matter before February 18.

Chief Minister Vijay Bahguna assured the leaders of Uttaranchal Sanyukt Sarv Samaj Sanghthan that the state government was committed for the welfare of every section of society.

He said the demands, placed by them before him, regarding permanent residence would be

debated in the Cabinet. He said his government had initiated various schemes to benefit all sections of society. He also urged that since their's was a peace loving state so all the contentious issues must be resolved after mutual deliberations and not by any taking

steps which might ruin the harmonious atmosphere in the state. 

Dehradun, February 3
The Inter-Company Cross-Country Championship-2013 was organised here today. Maj Gen Bobby Mathews, Vishisht Seva Medal, Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor, Indian Military Academy, flagged off the event from Nizam Pavilion in the morning.

Gentlemen Cadets had practised day and night for the event. A total of 19 teams participated in it.

The overall championship was won by Kohima Company of Cariappa Battalion, Poonch Company, Cariappa Battalion, finished second and Zojila Company, Manekshaw Battalion, secured the third position. Among the Companies of Siachen Battalion, Kargil Company secured the first position while Bogra and Nubra Companies stood second and third, respectively. Gentlemen Cadets ran a total distance of 12 km. Battalion Cadet Adjutant JS Aswal of Zojila Company secured the first position by completing the distance in 37 minutes 38 seconds.

Battalion Under Officer Ashutosh Yadav of Naushera Company stood second and completed the route in 37 minutes 39 seconds. — TNS

Mussoorie, February 3
The Under-25 team for the District Uttarakhand Cricket Association Championship to be held in Srinagar, Garhwal, was announced in Mussoorie today. This was announced after the trial procedure being completed in Mussoorie under the aegis of the Mussoorie Cricket Association at a press meet in Mussoorie.

According to the coordinator of the trial event Roop Chand, Mukesh Kumain has been named as the captain for the under-25 team selected here. Narendar Melwal has been selected as the coach for the team.

The other selected members for the team are Vijendar Rawat, vice-captain, Pratap Singh Kandari, Ankit Kaintura, Sahil Sonkar, Tikam Rawat, Saurabh Sonkar, Satish Bhatt, Mustakim Salmani, Ravi Bhandari, Amit Mehra, Vinod Thapli and Shubam Kaintura.

The selected members of the team will participate in the district cricket championship to be held in Srinagar soon.

Dehradun, February 3
A friendly cricket match was played between Forest Research Institute University and Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy on the IGNFA Ground, Dehradun. The IGNFA won the match by 6 wickets.

Batting first, Forest Research Institute University scored a total of 162 runs losing 5 wickets in the process. Atul Chauhan scored the highest 69 runs followed by Yogesh, who scored 29 runs.

The IGNFA easily managed to get to the victory score losing just 4 wickets. Soni scored highest 90 runs. Director, IGNFA, RK Goyal handed over the awards to the winners.