Ministerial staff strike hits common man
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 5
With 1200 members of the Ministerial Staff and Stenographers' Association across the state being on strike for four days now, it has severely impacted the common man, who is caught in the ongoing battle between ministerial staff and state government.

Empty chairs and tables of protesting staff members greeted the public that had come to the district collectorate in the hope of getting their work done. It may be recalled that on a call given by the Uttarakhand Ministerial Collectorate Karamchari Sangh, the staff had proceeded on a seven-day strike from December 2.

Even though the district has a mere 50 members that have gone on strike, it has affected the working of the collectorate to a great extent. Speaking to The Tribune, Rajendra Kumar, president of the commission, said: ''We are well aware that the general public is suffering a lot because of our strike but even we are helpless.'' ''The government even after accepting our demands way back in 2011 has failed to implement them. Before quitting the work we had been working wearing black badges for almost 15 days to show out protest. When that failed, too, we decided to launch a seven-day strike. In case the government still does not fulfil our demands we will proceed on indefinite strike,”he added.

The indifferent attitude of the state government towards the problems of general public can be gauged from the fact that nobody from the department has bothered to contact the protesting staff members or asked them to call off the strike.

Ranjana Sharma, a 42-year-old woman who had come to collect a certificate of her son, said: “My son is going to Australia for higher studies. I have come to collect a certificate that is required to complete the formalities. From the past three days I am coming here but these people have refused to heed to my request until their strike is over. The future of my son is at stake.”

As part of their demands the staff members are demanding the restructure of the administrative structure of the collectorate, 10 per cent reservation for the clerical staff for appointment of Naib Tehsildar and promotion of Chief Administrative Officer at a grade pay of Rs 5400.

CAG scare makes government issue guidelines for relief fund utilisation
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 5
While the Uttarakhand government was slow in responding to the mid-June natural disaster, it was equally slow in issuing government order guiding the administration of the affected districts on the utilisation of funds released by different agencies for carrying out relief and rehabilitation work.

The government woke up after the Finance Controller and District Magistrates of the affected districts during the review meeting today pointed out at the lacunae and the possibility of objections that could be raised by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) while carrying out auditing.

Similarly, it had taken almost a month for the government to notify the flood affected areas, which had put the state departments in a bind on spending of funds being received by the Central government for carrying out rehabilitation work.

Further, aftermath of the disaster, the Department of Food and Civil Supplies had not gone into the procedure of issuing government order for the procurement of food items through suppliers that formed part of the food packets that were then distributed among the flood affected people requiring immediate relief.

The overlook, had resulted in the opposition BJP accusing the Bahuguna government of a food scam in which the supplier had allegedly benefited due to the government’s largesse.

“The anomaly would be addressed soon. The government order will be issued on a back-date either today or tomorrow. Faced with a crisis, that required immediate action the government had act in “extraordinary circumstances” and provide succour to the people. We may have overlooked the bare details,” said Subash Kumar, Chief Secretary Uttarakhand.

Meanwhile, the officials from the Department of Finance said funds had come to the state through various channels. For greater transparency and proper utilisation of funds, the guidelines should have been issued before hand.

The Uttarakhand government has distributed funds to the district administration received through agencies including National Disaster Relief Fund, Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and soon funds would be released through projects under Asian Development Bank and Special Plan Assistance which have their own guidelines.

No takers for Amrita’s big talk on tourism development
The Minister inaugurates 40 new rooms of a guest house of GMVN
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, December 5
Uttarakhand Tourism Minister Amrita Rawat today said tourism in the state was growing as many projects had been approved and these would be initiated next year. However, she was quick to underplay the issues raised by president of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) Dinesh Dhanai about the shoddy construction of 40 new rooms of the guest house at Dhanaulti that she inaugurated.

Amrita said the government had approved many tourism development projects, namely the construction of ropeways at the Yamunotri shrine, the Surkanda Devi temple near Dhanaulti and the Poornagiri temple in the Kumaon region and at Tungnath and the Mata Anusuya temple were in the pipeline.

She added that the state was also planning to promote home stay and village tourism so that tourists could enjoy the panoramic view of the region, besides experiencing the local culture and cuisine, thus generating employment at the grass-roots level.

On the other hand, senior Congress leader and president of the Mussoorie Municipal Council Manmohan Singh Mall could not stop himself from criticising the tourism policy of the state. He said tall claims were being made about developing tourism in the state and bringing it on a par with Switzerland but nothing had been done so far.

He added that the non-functional tourism centre lying in a dilapidated condition at Kempty Fall was an example of the poor functioning of the Tourism Department. He said a tourism information centre was constructed at Kempty for the assistance of tourists during the tenure of former Chief Minister ND Tiwari in 2009, but it was still lying dormant.

Manmohan said there was a big scope for the growth of tourism in the region by developing trekking trails from Mussoorie to Kempty, Mussoorie to Bhadraj, Dhanaulti to Devalsari to Nag Tibba and other areas surrounding Mussoorie to attract tourists. But Tourism Department officials never took up such projects as they were only interested in projects which could be completed with ease near Dehradun.

The MC president said bird watching circuits could be developed at the Benog hill quail sanctuary, near Mussoorie, but due to the negligence of the Tourism Department nothing had been done so far. He added that till the time concerted efforts were made to develop tourism in the state the dream to bringing on a par with Switzerland would remain a distant dream.

A member of the Uttarakhand Tourism development Board, Sandeep Sahni, who also belongs to the Congress, said officials were not interested in developing the tourism infrastructure in the state and this was evident from the fact that very few meetings of the board were organized last year.

BJP legislator from Dhanaulti Mahavir Rangad said several tourism projects that were to be undertaken in Tehri district were not being initiated due to the lackadaisical approach of the Tourism Department. He stressed on developing the Moriana Top region in the Thauldhar region as an alternate hill station to Mussoorie.

Rangad said by developing Moriana Top as another hill station pressure could be eased on Mussoorie during the peak season.

Minister satisfied with construction of rooms, GMVN president unhappy
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, December 5
The Congress leaders were seen singing a different tune over the issue of shoddy construction of additional 40 rooms of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) guest house in Dhanaulti that was inaugurated by Tourism Minister Amrita Rawat today.

GMVN president Dinesh Dhanai after inspecting the newly constructed 40 rooms of the guest house showed his unhappiness at the shoddy construction work done there. He looked unsatisfied at the work of laying tiles on the gallery of the new block of the guest house and was unhappy at the work done on the railing for which around Rs 1.30 crore had been spent by the GMVN.

Dhanai was of the view that the quality of the newly constructed rooms at GMVN guest house was of sub-standard quality and he would be discussing the matter with the Tourism Minister and the Managing Director of GMVN and find out how such shoddy work was allowed in the first place at Dhanaulti guest house inaugurated today.

He said the state was dependent on tourism and if the services provided by GMVN were not of high quality as visible here, it would reflect poorly on the state that which is trying to increase the inflow of tourists. Dhanai said that after investigating the whole matter, he would try to find out the main culprit and initiate punitive action against the person involved in such shoddy work done here. On the other hand, the Tourism Minister Amrita Rawat brushing aside the issue said that the anomalies found during the construction of the upgraded rooms she inaugurated today were of minor nature and has directed the officials to rectify them without any delay. Amrita Rawat speaking to media persons on the occasion said that the newly constructed 40 rooms would help in bringing in more tourists to Dhanaulti in the next season, thus resulting in inflow of additional revenue to the GMVN.

The president of Vyapar Mandal, Dhanaulti, Kathat, speaking to mediapersons alleged that the Tourism Department had spent crores on constructing the facilities at the GMVN guest house but had made no arrangement for the drinking water which is always in short supply at Dhanaulti.

Elaborating further Kathait said that the drinking water supply was not available to the residents at Dhanaulti since the past one month and the situation worsened during the summer season. “Without making arrangements for the drinking water supply in and spending crores on construction of new rooms at the GMVN guest house was meaningless,'' said Padam Singh Kathait.''

JE, Jal Sansthan, Dhanaulti, Deepak Nautiyal, refuted the claims and said that the water supply was disrupted due to the fault in pumps and would be rectified within a day or two. Speaking about the drinking water problem in summer season, he said that as the natural springs dry up during summer, they do face some problems. However, adequate arrangements are made so that tourists do not have to face any trouble, added Nautiyal.

BJP in the driver's seat, claims Prakash Pant
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 5
With Bharatiya Janata Party leading in all the exit polls conducted by various agencies and media firms, the party has termed it as a proof of pro-BJP wave and acceptance of prime ministerial candidate choice of Narendra Modi.

This was stated by veteran BJP leader and ex-Uttarakhand Assembly Speaker Prakash Pant while on a visit to the district to oversee preparations related with Narendra Modi's rally, slated on December 15 at Parade Ground.

Referring to the exit polls and post-poll surveys ,Prakash Pant said that this heralds the new era of development-oriented politics in the country as people of five states have cast their votes in a record number opting for BJP's policies and vision.

''Now the way for Narendra Modi as Prime Minister is set and the days of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance are numbered.Modi has rejuvenated the party's rank and file as well as generated hope for billions of people ,who are perturbed by ''corrupt and vision-less Congress governments,'' said Pant, who had lost the Assembly election.

Addressing the party workers at various places across the district, Prakash Pant said that as Haridwar is the neighbouring district of Dehradun, where the rally is slated, the district party unit should make sure that record number of party activists and common folk arrive at the rally venue.

He said that the Modi wave will also be pivotal during 2014 Lok Sabha elections and BJP will regain all five parliamentary seats of Uttarakhand too.

''Bad loans'' have caused losses to banks, says union leader
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 5
Uttaranchal Bank Employees' Union today expressed concern over increasing ''bad loans'' in the banks of the country, holding them responsible over poor state of financial affairs in the banks.

Addressing a press conference in Dehradun today, Uttaranchal Bank Employees Union’s general secretary Jagmohan Mehndirutta asserted that there had been alarming increase in ''bad loans'' in the country pointing out that such loans today have touched a figure of Rs 1,94,000 crore.

Elaborating, Mehndirutta disclosed that while the banks today deal with the hard earned savings of the people, the deregulation of banking regulations in the name of reforms and liberations has led to increase in ''bad loans.'' While seeking stringent measures to recover the ''bad loans,'' Mehndirutta said the loans were basically the corporate loot of public money as the big borrowers mostly the corporate houses take loans from banks but do not repay. He revealed that out of Rs 1,94,000 crore worth of ''bad loans,'' Rs 1,40,000 crore loans are those that have even been written off in the last 7 years.

Jagmohan Mehndirutta also disclosed the Uttaranchal Bank Employees' Union under the aegis of All India Bank Employees' Association was today observing as All India Demands Day to highlight the issue of huge increase in the ''bad loans'' in the banks. Further, he said the bank employees will also be holding demonstration in Dehradun during parliamentary session on December 11 and 12.

Uttaranchal Bank Employees Union leaders RK Gairola, VK Joshi and Rajan Pundir were present at the newsconference.

Three arrested for making threatening calls
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 5
Dehradun police have arrested three men for making ransom threat calls to one Dehradun-based businessman here today.

According to SSP Kewal Khuranna, businessman Rohan Gupta received a ransom call from an unknown mobile number for Rs 7 lakh on November 28 last month, threatening him to give money within 8 days or face dire consequences. Consequently, Rohan contacted the police and registered his complaint on December 2, after which a special team was set up led by SP City, Navneet Singh Bhullar, and CO, City, Harish Chandra Sati, claimed the SSP.

Meanwhile, the police team found that the mobile number from which the ransom call was made is registered in the name of Harish Jain, resident of Arjun Nagar, Gurgaon. After reaching there, the police team found that the mentioned address was not correct. The team then started enquiring about the contact number mentioned in the identification form, which was registered on the name of Baghirath. When the police team reached Baghirath’s residence in Gurgaon, he told the team that the said mobile number is with Aneesh, who lives in New Colony in Gurgaon and is a teacher.

“After getting some important inputs from Aneesh, the police team zeroed in on a person Harish, who was nabbed from Gandhi Road in Dehradun on Wednesday night,” said SSP.

Power output disrupted in various stations
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 5
The electricity generation in several power stations remained disrupted or suspended today leading to power cuts in various parts of the state.

The power generation in the Kalagarh power stations remained suspended today while the production in the Kulhal power station was also disrupted due to a technical snag in one of its machines.

Further, machines in the Chibro and Dhalipur power stations developed technical snags resulting in the disruption of power generation.

To make matter worse, the power generation in the Dharasu power station was stopped for the next four months. The 160 MVA transformer in Rishikesh also shut down, resulting in three hours of power cut in Srinagar, Rishikesh and Jawalapur town today.

Further, more than five hours’ power cuts were imposed in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts while other small towns of Garhwal and Kumaon divisions faced a four-hour power cut. There was a power cut for three and a half hours in Rudrapur and Roorkee towns while Kotdwar and Haldwani cities faced a power cut for two hours and 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, as the 400 KV Muzaffarnagar-Roorkee transmission line remain closed, power supply will remain disrupted in parts of Garhwal division.

The total power availability in Uttarakhand stood at 29.26 million units against the total demand of 32.17 million units yesterday.

According to a press note issued by Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited, of the 29.26 million units available in the state, just 8.54 million units were generated in the power stations in the state and the remaining came from the central pool and other sources.

32 tool kits distributed among workers
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 5
Thirtytwo tool kits were distributed among the registered construction workers during a special drive organised by the State Labour and Employment Minister Harish Chandra Durgapal.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that worker is considered to be the most resourceful person for any construction. ''It is the duty of the state government to fulfil their basic requirement. In order to ease the registration process, new guidelines have been formed under which the process instead of taking one year gets completed within three months. Till now more than 8000 workers have registered themselves with the department,'' he said.

The minister also asked the Labour Department to publicise the various welfare schemes launched for the workers by the state government.

''The registered workers above the age of 60 years are entitled for monthly pension, loan for the construction of house, medical treatment for ailments, free medical treatment and education allowance for the children. The registered workers are also entitled for drawing Rs 10,000 as a loan for purchasing the tool kit and for the marriage of up to two daughters,'' he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Principal Secretary, Labour Department, Ranvir Singh, said: ''Despite the implementation of the Labour Welfare Fund (Amendment) Act, 1994, there were a lot of problems being faced by the workers. However, now the obstacles have been removed and work is on to provide maximum welfare to the labourers.''

Those present on the occasion included Suraj Prasad, Mahendra Kumar, Ramesh Kumar, D Lal, HC Lohani and NC Kulashri.

No anomalies in master plan: MDDA
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 5
The Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) has refuted media reports that there were large scale anomalies in the just released amended master plan 2005-2025.

In a release issued today, the MDDA authorities held that all concerns regarding amended master plan 2005-2025 can be addressed under the Urban Development Plan Formulation and Implementation guidelines.

Introduction of mixed land use in zonal regulation has been done to make land use more elaborate. While the entire Dehradun city under amended plan has been divided into eight land uses, mix land use is also applicable in each usage zone.

Twenty clusters of habitations have been kept under residential land use. Even in case where forests are shown in residential areas, the aggrieved can clear matter with forest department and can get other land use which is in close proximity.

Process of death certificates issuance complete
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 5
The process of issuance of death certificates by the state government to persons belonging to Asaam, Jammu and Kshmir and Puducherry, who went missing in the mid-June natural disaster is complete. The remaining certificates of persons from 19 states are in the various stages of completion.

The government will issue these certificates soon as the formalities from the government of the parent states were completed.

Verification of names and matching of details was posing a huge problem for the agencies due to slow response from the parent states. In the coming days, the government hopes to issue death certificates to nearly 2,517 persons.

These include 755 certificates for persons who went missing from Uttar Pradesh, around 482 certificates for persons from Madhya Pradesh, 482 certificates for persons from Rajasthan, 143 certificates for those hailing from New Delhi.

The government had already released an amount of Rs 48 crore as ex-gratia aid for the next of kin of persons who went missing in the disaster.

Qureshi pays tributes to noted literati
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 5
Uttarakhand Governor Aziz Qureshi today offered Hindu rituals at the holy Ganga ghat here, praying for peace to the soul of Gyanpeeth awardee the late Mamoni Raisom Goswami, who used to pen her name as Indira Goswami.

Governor Aziz Qureshi while paying tributes to noted literati said that Goswami was one of her close family friends and though she died in November 2011 ,he thought it better to immerse ashes in the holy Ganga in Haridwar,Uttarakhand.

As literature transcends boundaries,Qureshi said he felt it from his heart to also offer rituals for her soul and hoped that her literature and social works will keep her alive in the hearts of the people.

Referring to Goswami's social works,Qureshi cited donation of Rs 62 lakh which she had got as award from a Netherland-based organisation to an Indian village so that a hospital could be built there. Goswami was conferred Gyanpeeth Award in 2001 and Sahitya Academy Award in 1983.

Relatives of Indira Goswami and her husband Teerth Raj Sharma were also present at the VIP ghat.Vice Chancellor, Uttarakhand University, Professor Mahavir Aggarwal, Uttarakhand Public Service Commission member Chaya Shukla, Haridwar District Magistrate Nidhi Pandey and SSP, Haridwar, Rajeev Swarup, were also present at the ritual function at the VIP ghat.

Madkot villagers to get first road post-Independence
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, December 5
Thousands of villagers gathered around the cutting and drilling machines requisitioned to start the construction of a five-km road in the Madkot area of Dharchula subdivision. Villagers said it would be the first road in the area since Independence after it was taken out of the jurisdiction of the Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary by the Uttarakhand government last month.

“With the beginning of construction work on this long proposed road, thousands of villagers living across the Gori river will get the road facility for the first time after Independence,” said Harish Dhami, Congress MLA from Dharchula.

Dhami said he had to go on a fast for four days for this road and get these villages taken out of the jurisdiction of the sanctuary as the laws governing the sanctuary prohibited the construction of a road or other assets in the area. “After a long struggle we could get this five-km road which will prove to be the lifeline for residents of 13 villages in the area,” he said.

According to sources, the construction of the road was being delayed due to the absence of a bridge on the Gori. However, the construction agency decided to start the work of road cutting with the help of machines till the bridge on the river comes up. “When the road is completed not only villagers will stop migrating from the area but also their agriculture and horticultural produces could be easily transported to the nearby market,” said Dhami.

Revenue to be shared with workers: Khan
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 5
In a bid to ensure the 20 wards with the Dehradun Municipal Corporation that are sparkling clean, a proposal has been drafted to share the revenue generated from the user charges with the workers.

The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Principal Secretary (urban development) MH Khan. Health Inspector Dr RK Singh said the 20 wards that have been taken away from the Doon Valley Waste Management would now be solely operated by the DMC.

“To encourage the sanitation workers to work efficiently and keep the area under them clean, we have decided to share the revenues with them. Of the total user charges that are collected from the area residents, 50 per cent will be spent on the purchase and maintenance of the equipments and the remaining will be distributed among the employees as a bonus in addition to their salaries,” he said.

Earlier, Mukhya Nagar Adhikari Ashok Kumar said the tipping fees given to the DVWM was proposed to be increased from Rs 350 per metric tonne to Rs 412 per metric tonne.

Hollywood film crew in Haridwar
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 5
Apart from desi Bollywood films, pilgrim city of Haridwar is also a much sought after destination for film shooting locales. Currently, the shooting of a Hollywood venture titled 'Best Chance' is being shot at different picturesque locales across the district.

A total of 25 foreign crew members from Germany are shooting various scenes of the film, which is being directed by short film director Rosy.

As per the film assistants, the story is based on the life of two sisters, who during their stay in India, got separated. In search of the younger sister, the elder sister arrives at the spiritual city of Haridwar.

Various scenes were picturised from Balawali-Lakshar station to Haridwar city station.

A few scenes have already been filmed in Rishikesh, Pauri Garhwal including the Ganga Aarti at Parmarth Niketan.

The shooting will take place at sanctum sanctorum of Braham Kund, Har-ki-Pauri on December 10.

Haridwar railway station superintendent SP Pandey said the co-production house ‘Focus India’ had applied for two special coaches on rent for shooting of the flick. The coaches were also provided to them last week.

Missing street vendor’s body found
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, December 5
The body of a 55-year-old street vendor, who was reported missing for the past four days, was found by a roadside at Chapda Gadehra, near Kandi Saud, in the Thauldhar block of Tehri Garhwal district today.

The deceased was identified as Satpal Singh, a resident of Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. The Dhanaulti revenue police have sent the body for a post-mortem.

The SDM, Dhanaulti, Santosh Kumar Pandey, said Satpal was a street vendor and used to sell goods in the area for the past several years. Passersby saw the body lying by the roadside near Chadpa Gadehra and informed the police in the morning today.

Meanwhile, Satpal’s family members have alleged he was murdered and demanded a thorough probe into the case.

The SDM said he had directed the police to conduct a complete investigation in the matter.

Lab assistants demand contractual appointments

Dehradun, December 5
Demanding contractual appointments, state lab assistants today staged dharna at the Parade Ground, Dehradun. They are presently working for an honorarium in various laboratories of state schools.

Addressing the protesters, Sohan Singh Negi, accused the state government of ignoring their genuine concerns. He said the lab assistants were working on a meagre honorarium for the past many years and had been demanding that they at least be given contractual appointments. “But the state government was completely ignoring their concern,” he pointed out.

KN Bhatt, Bhavesh Jagudi, Sunil Singh, Vijay Saklani and Ruchika Baluni took part in the protest. — TNS

sports
Doon Combined, Rao Cricket Academy enter semi-finals
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 5
Doon Combined cricket team and Rao Cricket Academy entered the semi-finals of the 2nd Youth Cricket Cup 2013 after winning their quarter-final matches here today.

In the first quarter-final match, Doon Combined defeated Tanush Cricket Academy (TCA) by 53 runs. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Doon Combined showcased brilliant batting show and made 287 runs with Karanveer and Vaibhav Bhatt scoring 80 and 56 runs, respectively, for Doon Combined.

In reply, TCA openers got them a good start with Tanush Gusain and Siddharth Thakural scoring 50 and 72 runs, respectively. But the middle order crumbled under pressure and the team got bowled out 53 runs short of the target.

Rao Cricket Academy trounced The Asian School in the second quarter-final by 9 wickets. The Asian School won the toss and elected to bat first. The team’s lineup could not withstand the superb bowling of Rao Cricket Academy and the team managed to score mere 92 runs. Rao Cricket Academy easily chased down the target at the loss of just 1 wicket with Kiran Singh and Ganesh scoring 41 and 37 runs, respectively, for the academy team.

Tel Bhawan win football match 4-0
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 5
Two matches were played in the ongoing ONGC Inter-Departmental Football Tournament at the Ambedkar football stadium here today.

In the first match, Tel Bhawan defeated Institutional Warriors 4-0 with Pawan Negi scoring two goals. Sushil Kumar and Raj Kaisala also contributed one goal each for the team.

The Security team defeated the Blue Star football team 5-2 in the second match. For Security, Suresh Kumar and Ajay Malik scored two goals each while Pritam Tomar scored two goals for Bluestar.