Class X students come out of an exam centre after appearing in Hindi paper conducted by the Uttarakhand Education Board in Haridwar on Monday. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur

Japan team meets Chief Secy for setting up industry
Dehradun, March 4
Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain said here today that there was great scope for IT industries in the state. He said this at a meeting with representatives of the Japanese Embassy at the Secretariat here today.


Chief Secretary Alok Jain meets a Japanese delegation in Dehradun on Monday.

Nursing student pushed off moving bus, injured
Dehradun, March 4
A nursing college student was injured after being pushed off a moving state transport bus allegedly by its conductor, as she refused to purchase a ticket saying she had a pass.

Forest corpn staff launch chain fast today
Dehradun, March 4
Members of the Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation (UFDC) Employees' Association today announced to launch a chain fast from tomorrow.


Employees of the Uttarakhand Forest Corporation hold a protest in support of their demands in Dehradun on Monday. Tribune photo: Vinod Pundir 

Finally, shops near DMC find takers
Dehradun, March 4
The jinx that 47 shops in the complex adjacent to the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC), which had been lying vacant for several years and had no buyers, was finally broken as three shopkeepers finally began their business from here.

People should be aware of rights, says minority panel chief
Mussoorie, March 4
The newly elected Uttarakhand minority commission president Narendar Jeet Singh Bindra in a function organised by the Mussoorie Punjabi Mahasabha here today said the minorities should remain alert towards their rights and the commission was formed to safeguard their rights in the state.

President of the state minority commission Narendar Jeet SIngh Bindra (in white turban) at a function in Mussoorie on Monday.

Maintain law and order in state: DGM
Dehradun, March 4
Director General of Police Satyavrat Bansal today held meeting with police officials of all four ranges with regard to controlling crime and maintaining law and order in the state.

Dehradun, March 4
National president of the SP Mulayam Singh Yadav has summoned former state party chief Vinod Barthwal and present chief SN Sachan following a clash between the supporters of both leaders here today.

Barthwal’s supporters Hema Bora and Suresh Yadav got incensed to see their nameplates removed from the city party office this afternoon. They alleged that their nameplates were removed by city party unit president Pradeep Chaudhary. Fiery former city unit president Hema Bora and former president of the labour wing of the party Suresh Yadav then got engaged in a verbal duel with Chaudhary over the issue. Bora called Barthwal to the party office and a scuffle ensued. Posters of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav were torn during the scuffle and the supporters of both leaders blamed each other for the incident. They then manhandled each other even in the presence of the electronic media and policemen who had reached there by that time. Barthwal too reached the party office. Both Barthwal and Sachan exchanged hot words. Sachan left the place saying it was unfortunate that Barthwal’s supporters ransacked the office, tore the posters of the party leaders and thrashed office-bearers. “I will report the matter to Mulayam Singh Yadav,” he added.

Meanwhile, Barthwal called his other supporters to the party office. He also talked to bringing the issue to the notice of Mulayam Singh Yadav. Bora said Sachan did not want to see loyal party leaders and workers and Chaudhary removed their nameplates at his behest.

Sachan said he had given a room in the party office to the city unit to carry out its activities as the SP had started preparations for the parliamentary elections due next year.

However, it is learnt that fresh tension arose after Barthwal and his supporters did not attend the party working committee meeting at Kotdwar yesterday. In-charge of the party affairs in Uttarakhand Aslam Khan too attended the meeting.

Sachan said he personally sent invitation letters to all of them but they did not come. He accused Barthwal of trying to foil the meeting by calling mediapersons and giving distorted views about the party at Kotdwar on last Saturday.

He said Mulayam Singh Yadav himself called him up to enquire about today’s incident and he brought the issue to his notice. 

Haridwar, March 4
The examinations for Class X, conducted by the Uttarakhand State Board, commenced today. In Haridwar district, a total of 74 examination centres have been set up in which more than 2,50,702 students in Class X and 17,869 students for Class XII are taking exams.

With today being Hindi language paper, students faces were seen quite bright and smiling as they came out of the examination venue at 1:30 pm. A majority of the students stated that the Hindi paper was quite easy in accordance with syllabus.

Tania, Anushka, Deepa, Simran, Prerna, Meena Saini, Rahul and Ravindra Negi, taking examinations at BHEL centres, said they expected to get high grade in this paper, but as it's a language based paper, they couldn't predict.

District Education Officer Ram Krishna Uniyal said in view of the peaceful completion of the board examinations, five flying squads had been formed, which were headed by higher district education officers only. The deployment of the police has also been ensured through the district administration at all examination venues. — TNS

Dehradun, March 4
Violinist R Kumaresh enthralled the students of Dehradun with his performance here today. R. Kumaresh, a child prodigy, started his career when he was four and gained expertise in raga pravahan which is music without lyrics.

Tutored by his father TS Rajgopalan, R Kumaresh learnt the violin along with his elder brother Ganesh. "It is natural for us kids to follow in the footsteps of our father who also worked full time," said Kumaresh. Thrilled to see children showing interest in classical music, Kumaresh said SpicMacay was providing opportunities for the young to learn about classical music.

"Though carnatic music is appreciated much more in south, but we have never failed to attract the audience in the northern part of the country. Music is rarely without lyrics but we have tried to bring music beyond words and songs," said R Kumaresh. Always at the side of his brother, Kumaresh performed a solo at Welham Boys' School.

Dehradun, March 4
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is likely to visit Dehradun to take stock of party affairs in the state on March 8. After he was elevated as the party's vice-president, It will be his first visit to Uttarakhand.

“Rahulji is likely to visit Dehradun on March 8 and return to New Delhi the same day,” said Uttarakhand PCC president Yashpal Arya.

Rahul Gandhi will address the party members and ask them to prepare for the coming Lok sabha and civic body poll in the state.

Dehradun, March 4
Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain said here today that there was great scope for IT industries in the state. He said this at a meeting with representatives of the Japanese Embassy at the Secretariat here today.

Jain said Haridwar, Dehradun, Vikasnagar and Selaqui had been earmarked for creating a Japanese Electronic Cluster in the state.

He said the government would give all possible support to the IT industry in the state.

The Chief Secretary said investment in the state would increase with the establishment of industries and would create an identity for Uttarakhand in the world industry.

Principal Secretary (industry) Rakesh Sharma said 50 acres of land had been identified in Haridwar which would be shown to the Japanese delegation tomorrow.

He told the representatives of the Japanese Embassy that educated and technically skilled manpower was available in the state. Secretary (Economics Division) of the Japanese Embassy Tomofyumi Phukamiya and Deputy Director General of Japan External Trade Organisation Kenchiro Toyophuku discussed at length about the Japanese Electronic Cluster. They praised the natural splendour of Uttarakhand and they found the environment conducive for setting up industries.

Dehradun, March 4
A nursing college student was injured after being pushed off a moving state transport bus allegedly by its conductor, as she refused to purchase a ticket saying she had a pass.

Mangi Devi (25) fell from the moving bus on Friday morning and was admitted to a hospital here, the police said, adding that she registered a complaint after recovering.

According to the complaint, the incident occurred on Friday morning when Devi and her classmate, Anita, boarded a Delhi-bound Uttarakhand Roadways bus at Jwalapur to go to their college at Shantershah in the Bahadrabad area.

After a while, the conductor of the bus asked them to show their tickets. The students showed him the passes they had been issued by the state government. The bus conductor refused to recognise the passes and insisted that they buy tickets for their travel.

This led to an argument between them and the conductor asked them to get down from the bus instantly. He then pushed them and Devi fell from the moving bus, the police said.

The police is trying to trace the bus and the conductor. — PTI

Dehradun, March 4
Members of the Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation (UFDC) Employees' Association today announced to launch a chain fast from tomorrow.

They are demanding the cancellation of the state government's decision to hand over the land of the Selaqui timber depot belonging to the UFDC to Barsar University for plantation purpose.

The association has also threatened to boycott work on March 12 if their demand was not addressed by that time.

Association president Santosh Rawat said the corporation had taken the land from villagers on rent in 1985 to build a timbe depot. They had been paying rent since then.

The department had spent lakhs of rupees on creating infrastructure. When villagers filed a case against the corporation in the district courts and the high court, the latter decreed the land as government land while cancelling the patta.

He said the government had then decided to give the land to the UFDC.

The Chief Minister had also made directions in this regard on April 19 last year.

Rawat said the university was earlier offered 12 hectares at Rampur which it declined calling it infertile. It then managed to get control of the depot land in documents on February 2.

However, with the intervention of the president of the UFDC, the Chief Minister gave an assurance to give the land to the UFDC and the Chief Secretary also endorsed it.

He said they would not be convinced until a letter was issued in their favour.

General secretary Lalit Sharma said the UFDC had fought a long legal battle to retain the land which now Bharsar University was hankering for. He also questioned the state government's move of disowning one department from the land which it owned for 27 years and giving it to the other department.

Dehradun, March 4
The jinx that 47 shops in the complex adjacent to the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC), which had been lying vacant for several years and had no buyers, was finally broken as three shopkeepers finally began their business from here.

Four others too are getting their shops whitewashed and construction of further additions and furnishing are going on. There are 11 others too who have got the tenders but not yet paid the instalments.

The shopkeepers, who have taken the shops, are complaining on many fronts. The most disturbing one is the soiling of those shops, which had not yet been sold, by beggars or destitute at nights.

Anil Goyal, shopkeeper, said, "Earlier an NGO used to run night shelter home here. The beggars and destitutes spent night there. But now also, they slip into those shops which do not have any shutter and defecate in them. The DMC has not done any arrangement to ensure security or cleanliness of those shops." He said they could not check the intrusion of unwanted elements and their nuisance without the support of the DMC in it.

Another shopkeeper OP Bhardwaj said the DMC left the rubble of wasted building material inside the premises and did not remove it despite all their requests.

He showed the cracks on the walls saying that the cracks in the buildings were suffice to prove the kind of building materials used in the construction. All of them complained of lack of facility of the water and toilet in the building. There is not a single toilet in the entire shopping area. The shopkeepers have to go out to fetch water in buckets and bottles from a public tap.

DMC officials, on the other hand, blamed shopkeepers. They said they had bought shops at cheap price on prime locations. As per the location and size of the shops, these had been priced at Rs 20 lakh, rent for which is Rs 1,500. The second category is Rs 17.50 lakh, rent for which is Rs 750. The third category is Rs 9.25 lakh, the rent for which is Rs 550.

The shopkeepers have to either pay the total sum in one go or in instalments for three months with the variation of interest value. After which they will be handed over the shops on the rental rate. The rent will increase by 25 pc after every two years.

Mukhya Nagar Adhikari Ashok Kumar said the shopkeepers had bought land at a much cheaper rate from the DMC on the prime location, which was the centre area of the city.

He said those who had not paid instalments had already run out the mandatory three months' deadline and still threw tantrums on the DMC. The others who took possessions too made unnecessary demands. However, he said, he would consider the construction of a toilet in the complex.

Mussoorie, March 4
The newly elected Uttarakhand minority commission president Narendar Jeet Singh Bindra in a function organised by the Mussoorie Punjabi Mahasabha here today said the minorities should remain alert towards their rights and the commission was formed to safeguard their rights in the state.

Narendar Jeet Singh also attended a Kirtan Darbar in which the Ragi jathas from around the country recited Gurbani at Gurdwara Singh Sabha in Library Bazaar.

Later, the Uttarakhand Minority Commission president was felicitated by the members of the Punjabi Mahasabha on the occasion.

Narendar Jeet Singh addressing a gathering at the felicitation function said the minority commission was formed to inculcate the feeling of equality, safety and security among the minorities where the minority commission would assist them in this endevour.

He also said the commission was also planning to launch a website where through e-filing, the grievances of the community members would be addressed on a priority basis.

He also said the main drawback with the minority communities was that they were not aware about their rights and a change in this attitude was being felt by all in the state. He also stated that the minority commission would also assist community members with genuine grievances in the court and necessary directions had been given to the officials concerned in this regard. He also said the commission would also ensure that awareness was created towards the programmes launched at the state and Central Government level for the larger benefits of the minorities. Bindra said he would work towards safeguarding the rights of the minority people despite being nominated as the president recently. The minority community members from all walks of life also aired their grievances in front of the president. Bindra assured them of speedy justice in each case here.