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Govt doctors boycott OPDs across state
Reconduct MA economics exam on new syllabus: SFI
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Councillors oppose LED streetlight tender
St Thomas Church decked up
for first Xmas mass tonight
No snowfall in Mussoorie leaves tourists disappointed
Tourists enjoy snow at Dhanaulti on Monday. A Tribune photograph
AAP trying to win over BJP leaders
A vehicle participates in the Uttarakhand Adventure Car Rally in Garhwal hills. A
Tribune photograph
Doon police buy 10 alcometers to check drunken driving
2 yrs on, Una sewerage caught in blame game
Xmas spirit, profit motive grip Doon shopkeepers
A woman buys a Santa toy at Paltan Bazaar in Dehradun on Monday. Tribune photo: Abhyudaya Kotnala
Use of radio frequency
bands
BJP yet to remove hoardings put up for Modi’s rally
Jyoti case: Father had alleged threat to life
Central projects fail to benefit state
University students to propagate yoga, ayurveda in Nepal, Bhutan
Shantikunj president Dr Pranav Pandya interacts with students at Dev Sanskriti University in Haridwar on Monday.
Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur
Cultural event keeps audience spellbound
State cops win 7 gold in Police Games
Disaster-hit people meet Chief Secy
Doon Valley thrash DMK 3-1 Players in action during the Swami Vivekananda Memorial District-Level Football Tournament in Dehradun on Monday.
Tribune photo: Abhyudaya Kotnala Railway traffic remains suspended Teachers told to impart quality education Former PM Charan Singh remembered Workers of the Samajwadi Party pay tributes to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh in Dehradun on Monday.
Tribune photo: Abhyudaya Kotnala No road in Jim Corbett park being used for rally:
Official Statehood agitators hold
'budhi shudhi yajna'
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Govt doctors boycott OPDs across state
Dehradun, December
23 “We urge the state government to remove the minister as he has failed on all fronts. During our repeated meetings with the minister, we urged him to consider our demands, including the implementation of the direct assured career progression (DACP), when the government has already implemented it in other departments,” said Dr DP Joshi, a former general secretary of the
PMHS. Meanwhile, the PMHS president, Dr BS Jangpangi, said doctors would be forced to take drastic steps if the government did not consider their demands. “We will again boycott OPDs from January 6 to 8 next year,” he said. Their demands included a transparent transfer policy for doctors and the promotion of 2000 batch medical officers to Joint
Director. Meanwhile, all staff nurses in government hospitals also went on a one-day mass casual leave today in support of their demands. Barring the emergency services, all other services at hospitals remained
paralysed today. Further, due to the ongoing agitation by the Uttarakhand Medical Laboratory Technical Association, blood sampling of only indoor patients is
being undertaken.
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Reconduct MA economics exam on new syllabus: SFI
Dehradun, December 23 The students also submitted a memorandum to the principal of the college, Devendra Bhasin, to be forwarded to the examination controller of HNB Garhwal University, demanding that the examination
be conducted again. The students were taken aback when the question paper of MA economics (first semester) based on the old syllabus was given to them at DAV PG College on December
13. They brought the matter to the notice of the college authorities and demanded that the examination based on the
new syllabus be conducted again. “The university must rectify its mistake as soon as possible. It should establish a system where no such mistakes
take place in future, thus saving the students unnecessary problems,” said Devendra Singh Rawal, general secretary of the college unit of the
SFI. Left in the lurch Students were taken aback when the question paper of MA economics (first semester) based on the old syllabus was given to them at DAV PG College on December 13. They brought the matter to the notice of the college authorities and demanded that the examination based on the new syllabus be conducted again. |
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Councillors oppose LED streetlight tender
Haridwar, December 23 As per the 13th Finance Commission grant, the second phase of Rs 86 lakh was released a few months back to the civic body for the procurement of streetlights and the deadline of its expenditure will expire on December 31. Fearing lapse of money, the Mukhya Nagar Adhikari wants to pass the tender as early as possible, but the opposition by ward councillors has again stalled the process. Ward councillor Anil Mishra said the CFL would be cheaper in comparison to LED lights. Out of Rs 86 lakh, streetlights worth Rs 40 lakh will be purchased, while rest of the money will be utilised on its maintenance. Mishra said a single CFL light costs between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,200 in the market while the contractors have quoted Rs 2,450 as the price of one LED. Mukhya Nagar Adhikari Vipra Trivedi said ward councillors could contact her directly. The current tender process had only been initiated after a fair analysis of the market rates. Former Municipal committee chairperson Satpal Brahamchari has questioned the working of the current civic body saying that in Maha Kumbh 2010, crore of rupees were allocated for streetlights and high mast lights, but in just a short span of three years, another tender process has been initiated. Brahamchari has sought an inquiry into the matter. CFL streetlights mooted
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St Thomas Church decked up
for first Xmas mass tonight
Dehradun, December 23 Built in the gothic style, the church that has retained the old structure dons a fresh white paint and is decked completely with red lights for the celebrations that begin with the midnight mass on the Christmas Eve. Sumant Samuel, secretary of the committee looking after the church, told The Tribune, “There have been no Christmas celebrations at the church for the past 12 years. There were just four to five members who used to come and say their prayers on the Christmas Eve. That was the only celebrations held in all these years. No decoration work was done in the church.” “This year, we have around 45 to 50 members and some guests who would be coming for the mass and prayers tomorrow. We have made special arrangements for lunch and refreshments after the midnight mass and the main prayers. The function will start from 11 am on Christmas and the mass will begin at 11 pm,”
said Samuel. Work is in full swing to deck up St Francis Church, built in 1910, for the Christmas mass. The main features of the church are its paintings that were created by an Italian painter. Rajiv Kesari, a member of the church, said, “During the World War-II, Nino La Kavita, a war captive brought to India, had painted the walls of the church. Every year, we have a gathering of more than 2,000 persons, including members and the guests.” As part of the Christmas celebrations, besides the midnight mass, two prayers will be held on Christmas followed by a lavish meal. A barn has been set up outside the church depicting the birth and early life of
Jesus Christ. About the church
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No snowfall in Mussoorie leaves tourists disappointed
Mussoorie, December 23 On the other hand, tourists who headed straightway to Dhanaulti were delighted at finding seven inches of snow there. Rajwinder Singh from Phagwara in Punjab said they enjoyed a lot today. Ram Singh, a local businessman, said Dhanaulti had emerged as one of the most preferred tourist destinations. Earlier, tourists would visit Mussoorie to enjoy snow. But with the town now witnessing less snowfall, Dhanaulti had become popular among visitors. Local historians and environmentalists say the reason behind less snowfall in Mussoorie is continuous felling of trees by mafia. Local historian Gopal Bhardwaj said the hill town of Mussoorie would witness snow ranging from 2-15 ft. In 1841, the town had witnessed a record 15 ft of snowfall. In 1945, it had received nine feet of snow. However, since 2000, when the town had witnessed only 2 ft of snowfall, the volume had been decreasing and now one could measure it in a few inches only. He accused the Mussoorie administration of failing to take steps to check illegal felling of tress, thus leading to
less snowfall. Meanwhile, less snowfall in the town has also affected hoteliers. Tourist who would spent long time in Mussoorie hotels now prefer to visit
Dhanaulti. Alarming situation
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AAP trying to win over BJP leaders
Dehradun, December 23 Assisted by its central leadership in New Delhi, the local AAP unit has begun throwing the bait to the leaders who may not be in the reckoning for the Lok Sabha elections next year and fear their political careers would finish. Sources claim that the central leadership of the AAP is actively wooing Munna Singh Chauhan, who was rehabilitated in the BJP by former Chief Minister BS Koshiyari
last year. Chauhan said, “For now, I am firmly with the BJP, but nothing is certain in politics and one has to keep all options open. I have always taken my people in confidence and would do so if there is any need in the future,”
he added. Munna was brought back to the BJP with a promise that he would be given ticket to contest the parliamentary elections in 2014. But with Mata Raj Laxmi Shah, MP from Tehri, firmly in the saddle, it is unlikely that the BJP will go for a change and nominate him or
someone else. “Munna has been out of the electoral politics since his defeat in 2009. He may not be able to sit idle if denied a ticket by the BJP, which he had joined along with his wife Madhu Chauhan, former chairman of Dehradun Zila Panchayat, last year,” said a senior leader BJP leader. AAP leaders feel that the situation is fluid for them to exploit and bring around leaders, who are popular but have not got their due. The leaders maintain that they have extended an open invitation to all leaders belonging to different parties to join the
AAP.
Spelling its magic
Assisted by its central leadership in New Delhi, the local AAP unit has begun throwing the bait to the leaders who may not be in the reckoning for the Lok Sabha elections next year and fear their political careers would finish. Sources claim that the central leadership of the AAP is actively wooing Munna Singh Chauhan, who was rehabilitated in the BJP by former Chief Minister BS Koshiyari last year. |
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Rajesh, Jagmeet lead car rally on day 2
Dehradun, December 23 Yesterday, Rajesh Chalana from Sriganganagar and Jagmeet Gill from Chandigarh had the overall penalties of 30 seconds each. Satish Gopalkrishnan from Bangalore is closely following Jagmeet Gill in the
SUVs’ category, with the overall penalties of 36 seconds. Chalana is competing in the cars’ category and Jagmeet Gill in the
SUVs’ category. Now, the fight among the contestants is not just in their own category, but also to win the overall first, second and third prizes. Gill is driving for Team
Maruti. On the day one, the rally had halted for the night at the ski resort at
Auli. The rallyists had to drive through snow and ice on the descent from Auli to
Joshimath. The other competitors, who are scoring high in the SUVs’ category, include Vishnu Singh (navigator Adithya Anthony) and Sachin Singh (navigator
Chandrashekhar). In the cars’ category, Chalana is followed by Haldia’s Ajgar Ali (navigator M. Mustafa).
Jagmeet Gill said he was hoping to strengthen his lead. “When you are competing with the best
rallyists of the country, a close contest is expected. I am waiting to see how the results of the second day shape up,” he said. “A number of senior bureaucrats from Uttarakhand and the Centre as well
are participating in the rally,” said rally Director Vijay Parmar. Today, the Uttarakhand Adventure Car Rally came down from Auli to
Karanprayag. It proceeded towards Chaukhutiya and Kumerian to reach Garjiya on the east of the Jim Corbett Park. It covered about 280 km of country roads. The rally would go across some of the most picturesque roads in the state via Nainidhada and Kotdwar to culminate in Dehradun tomorrow. There are 31 teams in the rally. Himalayan
Motorsport, a premier Shimla-based motorsport club, is organising the car rally. It also organises the world-famous Raid De
Himalaya.
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Doon police buy 10 alcometers to check drunken driving
Dehradun, December 23 “The drive to check drunken driving will be carried out between 8 pm and 12 pm and strict action will be taken against those caught
driving under the influence of alcohol,” said Kewal Khuranna, SSP,
Dehradun. A breathalyser is a
battery-operated device that detects blood alcohol content in a person's body by sampling the breath on the spot. Under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act, a person driving a vehicle with alcohol level exceeding 30 mg per 100 ml in his/her blood is liable to face imprisonment up to six months or a fine up to Rs 2,000, or both. Moreover, the police are in no mood to let the errant drivers go by paying simple fine this time. “We are going to recommend the cancellation of the driving licences of those persons who are found driving in an inebriated condition. Action will be taken under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act against such persons,” asserted the
SSP. Besides purchasing alcometers, the police officials have also intensified an awareness drive against drunken and rash driving. Traffic policemen have been distributing pamphlets on road safety to sensitise the two-wheeler and four-wheeler riders and telling them to refrain from driving in an inebriated state. “Most of the accidents take place when people drive vehicles under the influence of liquor. The availability of more alcometers will help the police strengthen the
campaign against drunken driven with the primary objective of bringing down the number of accidents,” said a traffic official.
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2 yrs on, Una sewerage caught in blame game
Una, December 23 Work on Una's sewerage system began about a decade ago and the entire area was divided into four zones, namely A, B, C and D. Zone C, covering the most congested areas of the old city, was the smallest one and therefore, the first to be completed. The sewer runs into a septic tank here. Zone D covers wards 4 and 5 and has been designed to utilise 0.65 million litres of water per day
(MLD). It runs into a treatment plant situated in Chanderlok Colony. Zones A and B have the largest network of pipes and cover most parts of the city. These two zones run into a treatment plant situated in Rampur village, which has a capacity to process 2.53 MLD of sewer. In all, a sum of Rs 11.16 crores has been spent on the scheme, designed to cater to a projected population of 32,790 till the year 2029. According to IPH Executive Engineer Mukesh Hira, the sewerage treatment plant is capable of handling refuse from 6,500 connections, but a minimum of 1,500 functional connections are needed to make the facility operational. He said till date, only about 150 toilet seats had been given sewer connections, grossly insufficient to put the plant into operation. Hira said the department had made efforts to persuade people to make use of the facility, but the results had been disheartening. He added that as per the prevailing laws, when a sewerage system was in place, it was obligatory on MC's part to ensure that all private septic tanks were dismantled and household toilet seats were connected to the sewer system. However, he said, no such action had been initiated by the MC. Municipal Engineer Suresh Chauhan said most of the connections had been given in Zone C, but the lines were choked, resulting in overflowing sewer. "Such scenes are a deterrent to prospective consumers, who fear the system may not work for long," said MC president Mamta
Kashyap. Kashyap said the main reason for low rate of connections is that the IPH department does not have the staff and infrastructure to give connections on such a large scale. She said there had been instances when residents had dug up pits, but the department failed to give connections. Meanwhile, the sewerage treatment plants had been filled up with thousands of gallons of fresh water from adjoining water schemes. With not a single drop of sewer ultimately reaching the treatment plants at Rampur and Chanderlok, the facility has proved to be sheer waste of public funds.
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Xmas spirit, profit motive grip Doon shopkeepers
Dehradun, December 23 Rajat Kumar, a shop owner in Paltan Bazaar, said he had brought stuffed toys representing various things associated with Christmas like reindeers, sledges, Santa Claus. ‘Melting Moments,’ a famous bakery of the city, has added ‘Christmas special’ items to their menu. From making chocolates shaped as Santa Claus riding the sleigh to snowman and even the traditional Christmas tree to serving ginger bread and star and tress-shaped cookies to its customers, the bakery is certainly adding to the Christmas festivities. “Whether you are a Christian or not, the festival brings a feeling of joy and happiness for everyone. Unlike other Indian festivals like Diwali and Eid, people love to indulge in bakery items during Christmas,” said an employee of ‘Melting Moments’.
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Use of radio frequency
bands
Dehradun, December 23 The use of radio frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum is regulated by the Centre which allocates bands for the governments from the national grid for telecommunication for a certain fee. “Since the creation of the state, the state government has not paid the fee that has risen to Rs 13.40 crore. We have written to the Centre to waive the fees, but the reply has not been
favourable,” said a senior official. He said the exchange of letters was still on at the highest level between the state and the Centre and the state government hoped to achieve a
breakthrough. “The Centre has been generous all along, our communication systems had considerably damaged during the natural disaster and we hope that the government would consider our request,”
he said. Sources say that due to the geo-strategic location of Uttarakhand that borders Tibet (China) and Nepal, the radio frequency bands are providing vital communication linkages. A National Frequency Allocation Plan
(NFAP) for 2002 aimed at optimal utilisation of radio frequency spectrum was especially set up for the judicious allocation of frequencies which remains a limited natural resource.
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BJP yet to remove hoardings put up for Modi’s rally
Dehradun, December 23 However, Neelam Sehgal, president of the city unit of the BJP, said, “Our workers have removed all posters, banners and hoarding related to the rally from every place. But we will conduct a check once again to ensure that everything is in place.” District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam had recently written a letter to state BJP chief Teerath Singh Rawat and rally coordinator Harbans Kapoor directing them to remove all publicity material to avoid strict action against the party under the Prevention of Public Property Defacement Act, 2003. He had given the party two days for the purpose. CDO Jyoti Neeraj Khairwal said they would inspect all places in a few days. If the BJP again failed to remove the hoardings and other publicity material, action would be taken against it.
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Jyoti case: Father had alleged threat to life
Panchkula, December 23 A tailor by profession, Buti Ram ran from pillar to post for a fair probe into the case as an MLA from the ruling party in Himachal was said to be the main accused. Buti Ram had several times alleged threat to his life and to his family from the MLA’s aides. The Panchkula police had written to the Hoshiarpur police for providing him security. In the transcripts provided by the police, it was stated about Chudhary’s wife Nidhi talking to her maternal uncle. The transcript mentioned that the maternal uncle was talking about giving some money to the victim’s family and settling the matter. But Buti Ram gave up the battle today. In his statement before the court, he said he doesn’t know who Chaudhary was. Buti Ram was the complainant in the Jyoti murder case. Buti Ram was the key witness. His other daughter Ishu also formed a part of an important witness, but she failed to depose before the court today. Ram told the court that as his wife was unwell, she could not come. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted after Buti Ram had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court saying that the investigation by a single investigating officer (IO) was not fair. He had demanded a probe by an independent agency. However, Buti Ram started crying after he stepped out from the court. When asked as to why he turned hostile, he folded his hands and left the court premises.
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Central projects fail to benefit state
Solan, December 23 Among various projects under way in the Baddi industrial area is the Rs 34-crore hazardous waste management plant where 38-acre land has been provided by the state government on a nominal lease. The project is operational since July 2008 and its profitability is shared in the ratio of 49:51 per cent among the BBNIA: United Phosphorus Limited
(UPL). Ashok Sharma, CEO, UPL, however, claimed that the company was reeling under losses and was running on a bare 20 per cent capacity. He added that they were ready to surrender the project, but they were no takers. With the Memorandum of Understanding executed for all such projects failing to set aside any share for the state government, it would not accrue any financial benefit for it. Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) comprising state government nominees and investors, including equity holders and the executing companies, look after these projects where the state government provides free land worth
crores. A common effluent treatment plant (CETP) is also being set up at Baddi under the Centrally funded Industrial Infrastructure Up-gradation Scheme where the state government has provided Rs 5.5 crore out of its total share of Rs 7 crore. The industries are supposed to contribute Rs 9.22 crore, though till now Rs 5.41 crore has been collected. The Central grant is Rs 58.28 crore. A
SPV, Baddi Infrastructure, is executing this project, which has utilised Rs 49.94 crore till now and the project is slated to be completed by June 2014. The state government has contributed 96.17 bighas for it. Official nominees have also overlooked this crucial issue till now.
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University students to propagate yoga, ayurveda in Nepal, Bhutan
Haridwar, December 23 They would also organize social welfare programmes to further strengthen the bond of mutual harmony and love that exists between India and these countries. Besides, another batch of 50 students from the university left for Bihar, New Delhi,
Odissa, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh under the programme. President of Dev Sanskriti University,
Shantikunj, Dr Pranav Pandya, told the touring students, “A real social reformer is one who disseminates his earned knowledge to others. I expect all of you to follow this principle during the internship
programme.” He added that God via intelligence had given human beings a unique caliber, which should be used for world transformation. Registrar of the university Sandeep Kumar said while 20 students left for Nepal and Bhutan the other 50 had gone to other states of India.
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Cultural event keeps audience spellbound
Dehradun, December 23 Senior Congress leader Suryakant Dasmana was the chief guest on the occasion. He said the personality development of a student was as important as educational excellence and schools must promote extra-curricular activities. He informed that the state government would bear the expenses of one auditorium, which will be built in the memory of Late Hemwati Nandan
Bahuguana. Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi announced a financial aid of Rs 5 lakh for the development of the school.
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State cops win 7 gold in Police Games
Dehradun, December 23 They won 19 medals, including seven gold and five silver, in all sports categories. The Uttarakhand police team, which had 65 members, participated in wrestling, weightlifting, gymnastics, judo and boxing competitions. The secretary of the Police Sports Control Board, Deepam Seth, said constable Jagat Singh Belal and constable Kripal had won gold medals in boxing and gymnastics, respectively, for the third consecutive year. Moreover, the women sportspersons also proved their metal in the games, as the state policewomen team bagged the second position in the overall tally and won three gold, two silver and one bronze medal.
DGP BS Sidhu has congratulated these sportspersons for their exemplary performances in the Police Games and announced cash rewards for the medal winners.
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Disaster-hit people meet Chief Secy
Dehradun, December 23 The demands included drafting of a plan for the reconstruction of the devastated Kedarnath Dham, a survey of disaster-affected villages for the purpose of future rehabilitation, ex-gratia relief of Rs 50,000 to ponywallas whose animals were washed away in flash floods. "We apprised the CS of problems faced by the disaster victims. The ex-gratia relief is being sanctioned in four instalments for those persons whose houses have been fully damaged. This issue needs to be addressed immediately," said Ajender Ajay, president of the Kedar Ghati Visthapan Aur Punarwas Sangharsh Samiti.
— TNS
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Dehradun, December 23
No snowfall in Mussoorie disappointed tourists today, who had visited the town after hearing about the season's first snowfall. Lal Tibba was the only place that received one to two inches of snowfall yesterday. However, it also melted today.
Rajesh, a tourists from Saharanpur, said he had high hopes of enjoying snowfall along with his family.
Dehradun, December 23
Haridwar, December 23
In the first match, Doon Valley Football Club defeated DMK 3-1 with Navin scoring two goals for the Doon Valley team. The third goal was scored by
Tushan. Amit scored the lone goal for the DMK through a penalty shot. The second match was a one-sided affair with Cant Blue thrashing Tapovan Football Club 6-0.
In the third match, Dehra XI defeated Loco FC 3-1 with Prashant scoring two goals for Dehra XI and Ayush scoring one goal. Narri scored the only goal for Loco FC.
— TNS
Dehradun, December 23
