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Race begins for DGP's post
Crashed copter airlifted from Harsil, brought to Doon
Big blow to Asaram's image in Haridwar
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Ex-CM opposes Sept 11 prayers at Kedarnath
36 bodies recovered from Kedarnath
area cremated
Rudraprayag villages still cut off: Bhatt
Government unable to control belligerent bureaucracy: Nishank
Champawat to benefit from LPG scheme
Anganwadi workers stage protest at DM’s office
Bachi Rawat to claim ticket from Nainital for LS poll
State seeks clarifications
on Central relief funds
Chairpersons plan protest against order on ZP
CM given proposal on construction of small bridges in remote areas
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Race begins for DGP's post
Dehradun, September 4 Sources said officers sitting in districts, range headquarters or the police headquarters were busy figuring out who would be the ultimate choice of the Chief Minister, who is at present busy supervising post-disaster rehabilitation work. As of now, the state has only one DG-rank officer apart from the present DGP. BS Sidhu, 1979 batch officer, who presently holds the position of Director General, Rules and Manuals/Prosecution, at the police headquarters is considered to be a contender. Another probable candidate for the post is Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) SK Bhagat, who is a 1982 batch officer, presently working as Director,Vigilance, in the state. Subhash Joshi is another Uttarakhand cadre DG rank officer, who holds the position of Director General, National Security Guards (NSG), in Delhi. However, there is little chance that his name will come up for the post as he has already served as DGP of the state from 2008 to 2010. Police sources said BS Sidhu was the front-runner for the post though the recent land deal fiasco, in which his name was raised, could act as an obstacle in htis regard. SK Bhagat’s name is doing the rounds for the top post in case BS Sidhu is not made the DGP. The Tribune also learnt through well-placed sources that last minute efforts were being made at the highest level to get the extension for the incumbent DGP though there is little possibility for the same. As per rules, a committee headed by the Chief Secretary sends the names of three senior-most officers in the state to the Chief Minister, who selects the candidate for the post. However, with less than a month left for the incumbent DGP's retirement, the process of selection for the coveted post is yet to begin.
Probable candidates
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Crashed copter airlifted from Harsil, brought to Doon
Dehradun, September 4 According to Ministry of Defence sources, Indian Air Force’s Mi-17 V5 helicopter airlifted the damaged Pawan Hans helicopter through a slung. The damaged Pawan Hans helicopter was taken from Harsil to Dehradun through
Dharasu. Fortunately, no lives were lost in the crash. Three helicopters crashed in the rescue operations in Uttarakhand during the recent rain disaster. Apart from Pawan Hans, a private helicopter and MI-17 helicopter crashed during rescue operations. In MI-17 crash, 20 defence personnel lost their lives. |
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Big blow to Asaram's image in Haridwar
Haridwar, Septemeber 4 This can be gauged by
the deserted look his Haridwar-based ashram wears, situated adjacent to the Ganga river. On normal days, this ashram is abuzz with his followers, devotees and tourists, who want to see the ashram from inside and also want to know the timing of the coming of Asaram to the city. Notably, Asaram Bapu has a special liking for the Kumbh city of Haridwar, as he holds every year a three-day sermon in which lakhs participate. Asa Ram Bapu has made
a beautiful ashram in the Saptsarovar-Haripur Kalan area. He stays in this ashram during his religious discourse, with hismfollowers coming from around the country to hear him and have a glimpse of the saint. But now with allegations by a teenager devotee of sexual molestation and his being in judicial custody, his image has taken
a beating. Rarely can one see devotees and tourists at his ashram. Ashram employees are also making it sure that they have less of interaction with outside people. Apart from workers, ashram officials are not willing to talk to the media, and it seems the security guard is the only person who is managing the affairs. Local Haripur Kalan resident Uday Ram said that prior to the allegations on the saint, there used to
be quite a buzz at the ashram, but now there is a haunting silence. As speculations were rife that Asaram Bapu could arrive at Haridwar ashram when the police was searching him, now ashram officials do not even come out. On the condition of anonymity an ashram sanitation employee said that it was true that due to the recent controversy, the number of devotees visiting the ashram had decreased and ''local people to look at us with suspicion.'' ''We hope Asaramji comes out clean and the ashram regains its reputation once again,'' added. |
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Ex-CM opposes Sept 11 prayers at Kedarnath
Dehradun, September 4 "The government seems to be in a haste to start the prayers even as there are bodies lying underneath the river muck. People want to know how many bodies are still lying buried at Kedarnath, Rambara and Gaurikund?" he said. Ajay Bhatt questioned the move saying since ancient times, saints had followed the system of closing all doors in case a death occurred within the precincts of the temple. —
TNS
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36 bodies recovered from Kedarnath
area cremated
Dehradun, September 4 The team has made Panchgudi as its base camp and is searching for bodies around the ridge of Goamkura Mountain. In the second phase of the search operation, the team is focusing on Jungle Chatti and
Rambaara. In the past two days, it has cremated 57 bodies. Meanwhile, DGP Satyavrat Bansal reached Kedarnath on Wednesday and reviewed security arrangements at the Kedarnath temple, where prayers will resume on September 11. During a meeting with the SP
Rudraprayag, the DGP assured him of providing additional forces to the district for the prayers at the shrine.
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Rudraprayag villages still cut off: Bhatt
Dehradun, September 4 “I implore upon the Chief Minister to take a reality check by visiting the devastated villages of Rudraprayag and Chamoli on foot and see for himself that several villagers remain cut off and how the villagers are being forced to trek 10 km to procure medicines for fever and skin rashes,” said Ajay Bhatt, while addressing a press conference. He said in Rudraprayag district, even after over two months of the calamity, several villagers were still cut off. In Tutgaad Patti, Kali Patti and Baigar Patti, around 70 villages were still cut off. “Since the tragedy occurred in mid-June, not a single emissary from the government has ventured to look up 25 villages falling under
Kalimath. It is only now that the Army has begun making a road,” said Bhatt who returned after touring the flood-affected parts of Chamoli and
Rudraprayag. He said against the sanctioned posts of 140 doctor, only 27 were deployed in Chamoli district. “Where is the concern for the people of the state? The ministers seem to be living in another world. In Meeng Gadera
(Chamoli), villagers of 27 panchayats launched a sit-in for ration. They were ready to foot the bill for ration, but it was not available in the shops,” said Bhatt. He also urged the government to put on hold its decision to give tenders to private companies for undertaking mining in the state. “The mafia is already having a free run in the realty sector and now with its decision to invite private companies for mining, the mafia’s stranglehold would be complete in another key sector,” alleged Bhatt. |
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Government unable to control belligerent bureaucracy: Nishank
Dehradun, September 4 Nishank was responding to reports about cabinet ministers complaining to the Chief Minister that bureaucrats were disobeying their instructions,
during the cabinet meeting yesterday. “There are complaints that they are not being heard. The Governor, the Speaker, cabinet ministers and MLAs have been complaining this to the Chief Minister but it seems his orders, too, are not being followed. In such a scenario, it remains to be seen who will issue orders for following the Chief
Minister’s orders," said Nishank, while addressing mediapersons. He said the
BJP, which is the main opposition party, was worried as when no was being heard, an officer who had donned the role of a "super chief minister" was being heard in the government as well as in the administration. “This super chief minister was playing an active role in all controversial decisions like opening up of the mining sector to private players, sale of prime land to private players in SIDCUL at throwaway prices etc,” he said. He said the government was not worried about people who were at a crossroads and were looking for help. “After a brief show, the government has recalled the Relief Commissioner, when there is a need to station a permanent commissioner for a year. Instead of a senior bureaucrat, the government has stationed a junior IAS officer, who has just come out of the IAS Academy,” Nishank said. He said in the name of providing relief and rehabilitation work, the Uttarakhand Government was inviting all the blacklisted companies to work in the state. “It seems Uttarakhand is giving refuge to blacklisted companies in the state. We urge the government to hand over the affected areas to the Army and will urge the Governor to recommend imposition of the President’s Rule in the state,” he said. |
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Champawat to benefit from LPG scheme
Dehradun, September 4 The scheme has already been launched in 54 districts of the country covering 21.9 million LPG consumers and a Rs 222-crore subsidy has been transferred through 5.3 million transactions into the
bank accounts of the consumers so far. The UPA government aims to include 235
more districts, including Champawat, under the scheme. These districts will be included in different phases. The scheme will be implemented in Champawat in phase VI of the project, which will cover a total of 105 districts and is proposed to be launched on January 1, 2014. Under the scheme, the cash subsidy for cylinders is transferred directly into the bank accounts of LPG consumers while the sale happens at the market price. In order to avail the subsidy, the Aadhaar Card number of the consumer has to be linked to his
LPG consumer number and bank account.
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Anganwadi workers stage protest at DM’s office
Dehradun, September 4 The anganwadi workers said that their main work is to take care of children under the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), but they were being burdened with other tasks, like doing livestock census, economic census, health scheme etc, due to which their main task was getting compromised. They said the Congress, in its election manifesto, had promised to increase the wages of anganwadi workers along with dearness allowance commensurate with rising inflation. They are planning to organise a massive rally on September 25 in which workers from across the state will participate.
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Bachi Rawat to claim ticket from Nainital for LS poll
Pithoragarh, September 4 Talking to media persons at Almora today, Rawat said though the decision of selecting candidates was the work of the party high command, he would claim the party ticket from the Nainital Lok sabha seat at the appropriate time. “It is the right of every party worker to make a claim for ticket, but awarding it to a particular candidate is the work of the leadership,” said Rawat. Rawat said that he had helped the party candidate gain comfortable position from the Nainital assembly seats despite the Congress wave during the 2012
elections. Bachi Singh Rawat, who was minister of state for defence in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government at the Centre, said due to diplomatic failure of the Congress-led UPA government, the morale of the defence forces had gone down as the government had not taken any step despite the Chinese having entered into the Indian territory several times. “The government at the Centre should have sent a strong message to the friendly neighbour that we are not weak, like in 1962,” said Rawat. On the leadership of Narendra Modi for the BJP in the Loka sabha elections scheduled next year, former union minister said it was the decision of the party high command. |
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23 officers join ITBP
Mussoorie, September 4 IG and Director (ITBP) Harbahjan Singh was presented the guard of honour on the occasion.
Six officers are from Bihar, one West Bengal, two Haryana, five Uttarakhand, one Delhi, one Jharkhand , one Jammu and Kashmir and three each from Rajasthan and UP. The chief guest congratulated the officers for successfully completing the tough course and expressed confidence that under their alert surveillance, the borders of the nation would be safe. He asked the newly inducted officers to serve the country in accordance with the rich tradition of the force. He also highlighted the specialities of the academy in the field of training and its operational achievements. The overall best trainee award was won by AC/ GD Prashant Kumar Sinha while the best indoor trainee award went to AC/GD Mahaveer Singh and the best outdoor trainee to AC/GD Sumit Goswami. The passing-out parade concluded with a karate demonstration, PT display and a performance by the ITBP marching band. |
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State seeks clarifications
on Central relief funds
Dehradun, September 4 According to the riders attached by the Central Government, the Uttarakhand government would have to comply by the directives and complete the works within the span of 36. “We have sought clarification from the government regarding the conditions attached. Though the government has said that the work has to be completed within 36 months, it is still to be ascertained from which month/year the period would be counted,” said a senior official. In the last few years, there has been a constant quibble by the state government about the Central Government not relaxing norms for the state which would help it not only access funds but improve the quality of work. “Some of our contentions about relaxing norms in view of our geographical conditions have been accepted by the government,”said a senior official. Meanwhile, the funds have been allocated by the Central Government for the rebuilding activity in Uttarakhand, under Additional Central Assistance Reconstruction (ACS-R), Centrally Sponsored Scheme (Reconstruction) and under the Externally Aided Projects (Reconstruction). These funds have been allocated over and above the yearly allocations made by the government to the state under the annual plan. Despite the disaster, the Uttarakhand government is maintaining that the progress of works under the annual plan have been on course. “In comparison to the last financial year, both our expenditure and sanctions have been on a higher side for the month of July,” said a senior official. |
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Chairpersons plan protest against order on ZP
Pithoragarh, September 4 Zila panchayat elections have been postponed due to the natural disaster for three months. Zila panchayat chairpersons from the state, who attended a meeting at Nainital in this connection, contended that as the Panchayat Act provides that an elected executive hand over charge to another elected executive only, the decision of the government to appoint administrators will be contrary to these provisions. ''We have decided to take the matter to High Court if the government does not agree with our contention,'' said Sunita Devi, chairperson of Pithoragarh zila panchayat, after returning from the meet. According to Sunita Devi, the state government has decided to postpone the election of Panchayat Raj bodies keeping in view the natural disaster which devastated the districts of Rudraprayag, Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh. ''We want to keep the existing representatives on the posts till new elections are held,'' said Sunita Devi. The five-year tenure of panchayat bodies is completing in the month of September this year. The meeting was attended by chairpersons from Rudraprayag, Dehradun, Almora, Uttarkashi, Tihri, Pauri and Bageswar and Pithoragarh districts.
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CM given proposal on construction of small bridges in remote areas
Dehradun, September 4 The Director, DRDO, Guru Prasad, told
Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna that two bridges of sizes 10 metres and 20 metres length would be designed and installed
for demonstration purposes. These designs would be based on the ready designs of 35 metre bridges. After this, five more such bridges would be built with the help of local fabricators. The Director, DRDO, Guru Prasad, said on the occasion that several small bridges could be constructed in the far-flung areas of the state. This would resolve the road connectivity problems. He also apprised Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna about the project IRDE, Pune, he has been working on, and informed him about the organisation's contribution to the state during the disaster. Present along with the Director, DRDO, Guru Prasad, was the founder of HESCO Anil Joshi. |
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The ill-fated Pawan Hans that crashed on Harsil helipad on June 28 while conducting relief and rescue operations in disaster-torn Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand was airlifted on Tuesday.
With self-styled godman Asaram Bapu in judicial custody due to his alleged involvement in a sexual molestation case in Rajasthan, the saint has suffered a huge blow to his image.
