Budgets for development works in Doon dist passed
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 25
Budgets for various proposals relating to the Public Works Department, the Irrigation Department, the Power Corporation, the Jal Nigam and the Jal Sansthan were introduced and sanctioned at a meeting of the District Planning Committee at the office of the District Magistrate here today.

Panchayati Raj Minister Preetam Singh chaired the meeting. Besides the District Magistrate and the Chief Development Officer, MPs and MLAs participated.

The budgets sanctioned are Rs 11.37 crore for the PWD, Rs 11.60 crore for the Irrigation Department, Rs 4.60 crore for the Power Department, Rs 9.2 crore for the Jal Nigam and Rs 6 crore for the Jal Sansthan.

Preetam said, “The district plan is an important plan. A copy of the proposals, which are being included in the district plan, must be forwarded to the public representatives.” He directed the officials concerned to prepare proposals in such a manner that these could be accomplished in one year. He discouraged them from chalking out lengthy plans, which take years to complete and hence deprive the villagers of benefits of various schemes.

The minister said they should also not include the proposals of small development works as these could easily be taken up under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. He added, “Before including proposals related to roads, bridges etc, the evaluation of expenditure must be drawn up first. On the basis of the expected expenditure, the officials should include proposals for the district planning schemes,” he said.

Preetam added, “Officials at times do not inform the public representatives about the works done with regard to their proposals. Hence, they must ensure that they update the public representatives about the progress on the works so that they remain well informed and could check the quality of the works as well.”

The minister also directed District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam to invite the Flood Control Department to the District Planning Committee meeting. He said Dehradun district too witnessed a lot of damage due to the natural disaster and it was through the officials of the Flood Control Department that they could know the magnitude of the damage and gather information about the schemes enforced in this regard.

He also directed the District Magistrate to include all those proposals, which were left out last time, in the ensuing District Planning Committee meeting.

The District Magistrate said, “I have directed the officials concerned to discuss the proposals, which were left out at the previous District Planning Committee meeting, with the MLAs and other public representatives and then forward these to the next District Planning Committee meeting for the final approval.”

Tehri Garhwal MP Mala Raj Luxmi Shah, a representative of MP Harish Rawat; MLA, Rajpur Road, Rajkumar, MLA, Raipur, Umesh Sharma; MLA, Mussoorie, Ganesh Joshi; MLA, Sahaspur, Sahdev Pundir; MLA, Rishikesh, Prem Chand Aggarwal; and representatives of Planning and Sports Minister Dinesh Aggarwal and MLA Harbans Kapoor were also present at the meeting.

Restoring public trust in ‘khakhi’ vital, says SP
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 25
With Haridwar among the top crime prone city in the state, the police administration has laid emphasis on manoeuvring the resources at its disposal and has also involved common public in its day-to-day crime management.

Surjeet Singh Pawar, Superintendent of City Police, has earmarked his priorities. He said the aim was to make police personnel interact with the public.

SS Pawar said beat policing had been intensified as it had been giving good results, be it in the Uddham Singh Nagar or in Dehradun.

The beat constables directly engaged the local people which proved handy in gathering the whereabouts of the criminals.

“I have given strict directions to all the Station House Officers (SHOs) and the deployed police staff in all the 13 police stations that they have to be cordial and receptive with the complainants. Restoring public confidence in "khakhi" is of paramount importance as without taking public into consideration, the police can’t control or unravel criminal acts effectively,” said Pawar.

He said the police was already burdened with additional responsibilities. Cooperation would be sought from local residents, traders, social-political organisations regarding vehicle parking, following of traffic rules, helmet wearing and smooth flow at major intersections.

Pawar pointed Haridwar had also expanded in the field of industrialisation by the SIDCUL at Roshanabad, but the flow of heavy commercial vehicles needed to be addressed.

“Already Haridwar is a world renowned pilgrim city, so vehicular pressure is already there. The commercial vehicles that supply and ferry goods from 150 odd industrial units situated in the industrial zone, needs to have a comprehensive traffic policy for which cooperation of all the concerned segments of the society will be taken,” he added.

He said workers, employees and tenant verification drive would also be carried out at the SIDCUL based Integrated Industrial Estate as it had come into light that most of the criminals arrested in recent times had either worked or were working in the factories.

“Without proper registration and identification procedure, landlords will be liable to legal action. Such laxity comes handy for criminals as later it becomes difficult for police to catch them,” he added.

Six gamblers arrested, Rs 22,000 recovered

Dehradun, October 25
The Dalanwala police here today arrested six gamblers and recovered Rs 22,000 from their possession.

After getting a tip-off, a team led by Karanpur chowki in charge Naresh Rathore raided a house and arrested six persons.

The police said all the arrested persons, namely Amit, Sanjay Kumar, Jaspal, Indra Singh, Rupesh and Mahesh, are involved in property business.

Police oficers believe that the gamblers got the information about the raid in advance and the major amount of the gambling was taken away by a lady who fled the scene before the raid.The police is trying to establish her identity. — TNS

Clean India Day
‘Waste Warriors’ holds cleanliness awareness activities at Jakhan market
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 25
To celebrate ‘Clean India Day’, Waste Warriors, a local NGO, conducted clean-up and awareness-raising activities at Jakhan market here today.

People were informed about numerous initiatives undertaken by Waste Warriors and appealed to the public to support them in making the city clean.

The volunteers informed the public about the importance of cleanliness and emphasis was laid on advising children against littering. Posters were coloured by local children with the message “Please use a dustbin” and “Keep Jakhan clean”, which were then distributed in local shops. Waste Warriors volunteers also raised awareness about not putting food waste in plastic bags. Passersby admired an anti-littering mural painted by Kasia Drobner, an artist from Poland.

Waste Warriors staff member Karma clean the market and the Jakhan area everyday as the NGO is trying to create a clean zone in the area. Dustbins have been ordered for Jakhan and will be emptied daily by Waste Warriors staff.

The co-founder and CEO of Waste Warriors, Jodie Underhill, said, “We would like to see ‘Clean India Day’ become a national event. Cleaning up and spreading awareness about a cleaner India should not be limited to just one day a year.”

Relief team leaves for disaster-hit Chamoli
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 25
With the winter season approaching fast, Shantikunj management, taking cognizance of reports of flash flood affected residents of Chamoli district living in tents, has decided to provide them with pre-fabricated homes.

A 12-member disaster management team which includes skilled labourers was dispatched to Chamoli to undertake the arduous task by Shantikunj head Dr Pranav Pandya here today.

A fleet of trucks carrying building material was flagged off from Shantikunj main gate. The inhabitants of Jetimalli, Sarigwad and Nagdada villages will be provided pre-fabricated houses. After the completion of work at these villages, a new set of villages will be provided houses in a phased manner.

Shantikunj family has been running two free food eateries for the affected people and pilgrims at Kedarnath and Licholi village in which on an average 500 people avail of the food services.

Gauri Shankar Sharma, coordinator of the team, said a dozen odd villages had been identified in Kedar Ghati valley where a 12-member team will erect pre-fabricated houses.

At a workshop at Shantikunj, 18x22 feet structures, pillars and sheets of the pre-fabricated houses had been made. Foundation will be laid at the respective village sites, where these structures will be erected.

“We pray to the Almighty that the wounds of the disaster-hit people are healed soon. Providing pre-fabricated houses by Shantikunj is a part of our commitment made a few months back after our teams provided relief to the people of the affected region. With winters approaching fast, it is imperative that we speed up the work of providing the pre-fabricated house shelter to the needy,” said Dr Pranav Pandya.

Meanwhile, Shantikunj is also carrying out relief work at the cyclone-affected villages in Orissa. At Ganjam, Bhadrak, Baleshwar and Jagat Singhpur in the state, Shantikunj activists are providing relief aid like food, clothes, blankets and other essential commodities to the needy. Odissa relief work is being going on under Odissa zone Shantikunj in charge Ganga Dhar Chaudhari.

Dakrani agriculture centre adjudged best
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 25
Dakrani Agriculture Science Centre of GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Dehradun, has been adjudged the best agriculture science centre in the country. The award was presented at the three-day 8th National Agriculture Science Centres convention in Bengaluru that concluded today.

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Panwar handed over the award to Dr SS Singh, In charge officer, Dakrani Agriculture Science Centre.

A cheque of Rs 4 lakh and a citation was given to Dr SS Singh. The centre had been actively engaged in promoting horticulture among the farmers.

The award had been instituted by the Indian Council of Agriculture Research, New Delhi. Karnataka Chief Minister and large number of dignitaries were also present on the occasion. Dr SS Singh expressed gratitude to GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology for their constant support towards ensuring efficient working of science centre.

52nd Raising Day of ITBP celebrated
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 25
The ITBP force celebrated its 52nd Raising Day on Thursday. An impressive parade and cultural programmes were organised in all the three battalions of the ITBP situated in Pithoragarh and Champawat districts.

The security force was raised after the war with China in 1962, to protect our northern borders. It was initially started with mere four battalions, which has now reached at a strength of 52 battalions.

“Not only our numbers have increased, but we have met all the challenges successfully," said an ITBP officer of the 14th battalion.

According to the ITBP sources, the force had not only climbed the Mount Everest successfully for four times, but had also won over 140 invincible Himalayan peaks in the last five decades. Besides this, the force had also successfully accepted the challenges given to its personnel at the Naxalite infested areas. “Right from the day of its establishment, the ITBP is fulfilling its duty at the most tough and rugged terrains of the Indo-China border," said AS Yarso, an ITBP commandant.

Officers and jawans of the force also paid tributes to the jawans who had sacrificed their lives for the country.“The jawans who have sacrificed their lives for our country, are a source of constant inspiration to the jawans serving the force at present,” said AT Borkar, an ITBP officer of the 7th battalion at Mirthi near Didihat in Pithoragarh district.

Beautification of Lakhamandal, Mahasu temple discussed
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 25
District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam convened a meeting of the officials concerned to discuss the beautification of regional tourist sites — Lakhamandal and the Mahasu temple — which are being developed under a Tourism Development plan.

Purushottam said these projects were being financially supported by the Asian Development Bank. The aim was to develop tourist places and provide amenities to tourists and job opportunities to the locals.

Community Development Officer, Tourism Department, Himani said Lakhamandal, the Mahasu temple in Hanol, Tigerfall and Devban had been selected under the beautification project worth Rs 5.20 crore.

The District Magistrate informed that the project envisaged building an impressive entrance door at Varnigaad for the development of infrastructure for Lakhamandal so that the tourists bound for Yamunotri could easily spot it. He also suggested a milestone providing details about the history and significance of Lakhamandal.

He directed the officials to upgrade the budget of the project in order to add facilities at the caves near Lakhamandal. He gave the responsibility of electricity supply and the payment of electricity bills of the temple area to the Archaeological Department employees, who lived inside the temple area.

An official of the Archaeological Department was asked to build a museum in Lakhamandal. The DM said the works such as repair of connecting road to the temple, installation of solar lanterns, underground parking in 200 meter area of the temple and construction of pre-fabricated toilets have been allotted.

While reviewing Mahasu temple project, he said it was important to undertake repair work of small drains, sewer lines and solar lights in Hanol village as well as temple along with landscape, underground parking and bathroom within the precincts of the temple.

Besides, further additions such as kitchen, area for public to take meals, community toilet complex, drain network, bathroom and changing room in 100-150 meter area of the temple were also suggested. He also directed construction of a helipad, connecting road and a dharamshala near temple to the Tourism Department.

DM miffed at sanitation condition
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 25
District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam held a meeting regarding the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission projects running in the city.

CM Pandey, XEN, Public Works Department, provided information about the projects related to the beautification of crossings in the city which comes under the JNNURM scheme. He said the work related to the widening and beautification of three of the five crossings in the city had been completed.

Purushottam also directed for swift action against the people who were not vacating the area near Ballupur crossing. The cases of other two crossings were stuck in the High Court. He also reviewed the sewerage works which were being taken up by the Jal Nigam and directed the officials concerned to complete the work on priority.

He was miffed at the Doon Valley Waste Management projects under the JNNURM. He said the sanitation condition of the city was poor as the garbage heaps could be spotted at various places in the city. He directed the DMC officials to pay special attention to the sanitary condition and ensure timely and regular disposal of garbage from the crossings and houses of the city.

Guv mourns Manna Dey's death

Dehradun, October 25
Governor Aziz Qureshi has mourned the death of renowned singer Manna Dey. He described his death as an irrecoverable loss for the world of music.

The Governor said the songs sung by Manna Dey would live on in the hearts of people. — TNS