Ambrish Kumar rejoins Congress
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 27
Former Haridwar MLA Ambrish Kumar, along with his supporters, here today rejoined the Congress in the presence of Chief Minister Harish Rawat and state Congress chief Yashpal Arya.

A veteran politician from Haridwar, Ambrish Kumar had quit the Congress in 2012 and unsuccessfully contested as an Independent candidate from the Ranipur-BHEL segment in the Assembly polls.

Welcoming him into the party fold, Rawat said Ambrish Kumar would give strength to the party in the state, particularly in Haridwar district. He said under the joint leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, the UPA government would certainly come to power at the Centre.

He said fundamentalist forces were trying to mislead the country. The CM called upon the people to defeat these forces in the state.

Arya said Ambrish Kumar had a good following in Haridwar and his induction into the party would definitely help the Congress get favourable electoral results in Haridwar.

Addressing a gathering, Ambrish Kumar said he had joined the Congress so as to ensure that peace and prosperity remained indivisible in Uttarakhand.

He said he had always stood to his commitment for secularism.

Earlier, Ambrish had left the Congress in 1985 to join the Samajwadi Party. He become legislator in the then combined Uttar Pradesh in 1997.

However, owing to some differences with some state party leaders, he quit the SP and subsequently joined the Congress. But in the 2012 Assembly elections in the state, Ambrish again left the party.

Cabinet ministers Dinesh Agarwal and Pritam Singh, party vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana, party spokesperson Surendra Kumar and other senior leaders were present.

Homecoming

Ambrish Kumar had quit the Congress in 2012 and unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls from the Ranipur-BHEL segment as an Independent candidate.

Former Haridwar MLA’s entry boost for Harish Rawat
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Ambrish Kumar, who joined the Congress, being welcomed on his arrival in Haridwar on Thursday. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaur

Haridwar, March 27
Former legislator from Haridwar Ambrish Kumar returned to the Congress after having a topsy- turvy political career. His return to the Congress has strenghtened Chief Minsiter Harish Rawat’s postition in the Haridwar constituency. of which he is the sitting parliamentarian.

Ambrish Kumar is a veteran politician, who still has mass grip among voters, particulary the minority community which are vital to political permutations and combinations of any political party.

Denied ticket in the 1985 Assembly electiosn in the erstwhile Uttar Pradesh, Ambrish Kumar had revolted against the Congress and contested the elections against party candidate Mahavir Singh Rana. Along with many Congress leaders he had then formed Rashtriya Krantikari Manch and given a tough fight to Rana, losing by just a 42-vote margin as Independent. In 1991 Kumar as Janata Dal candidate lost to Jagdish Muni (48,728) in a close contest bagging 38,994 votes. Again the same contest was witnessed in 1993 election, with Kumar losing by 14,000-odd votes.

Later he joined Samajwadi Party, contesting the 1996 election, wherein he got elected from Haridwar segment bagging record 64,016 votes. His style of working, deep legislative knowledge and political stature earned him best legislator award in Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

During creation of separate state of Uttarakhand, Kumar vociferously opposed the inclusion of Haridwar into the new state, which later proved fatal for him as soon people of Haridwar realised the benefits of being in the hill state.

In the first Assembly election of Uttarakhand held in 2002, Ambrish came fourth garnering 9744 votes losing to BJP candidate Madan Kaushik.

In 2004 Lok Sabha election, Ambrish pitched in for Samajwadi Party candidate Rajendra Badi,who won the election from Haridwar constituency,which again stamped the hold of Kumar in the constituency. Then he himself contested 2007 Assembly election from Haridwar segment again, but lost to BJP’s Madan Kaushik by 28,640 votes, which was the highest margin in all the 70 seats of Uttarakhand.

But by 2009 Kumar saw thelowest ebb in his political career, when he contested on SP ticket ,losing badly, getting just 36,773 votes as compared to winner Harish Rawat’s 3,32,235 votes. After this he left Samajwadi Party, forming Rashtriya Krantikari Manch again but prior to 2012 Assembly poll, he again joined Congress, with assurance from Harish Rawat of party ticket from Ranipur-BHEL Assembly segment. But as ticket was given to Balwant Singh Chauhan, Kumar again left Congress to contest Independent from the very Assembly segment.Though he gave tough fight to both BJP and Congress candidates, securing second spot with 19,769 votes to his credit, yet he lost the election.

Talks of him joining the BSP and the Aam Aadmi Party also did the rounds a few months back, but now his rejoining the Congress has boosted the party’s postition in the constituency surely. Reaching Haridwar in the evening, Kumar said that he had been Gandhian always and will work to strengthen Congress as well as ensure communal parties get defeated in the election.

Pants’ bastion Nainital a Cong stronghold
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, March 27
The Nainital parliamentary seat, a traditional Congress bastion, has seldom seen an anti-Congress wave in the Lok Sabha elections since Independence. The seat, which has witnessed the political rise and fall of the family members of former Union Home Minister Bharat Ratna Govind Pant, has also seen ND Tiwari lose the parliamentary elections in 1991 when he was being considered to be the next Prime Minister of the country.

“Except in 1977, 1991 and 1998 when the Bharatiya Lok Dal, and the BJP won the Nainital seat due to Emergency and the Ram Mandir movement, the Congress won it in every election since 1952,” said Rajiv Lochan Shah, a senior journalist based in Nainital.

The Nainital seat was once considered an undisputed base of the Pant family. The Pants retained the seat for over three decades as CD Pant and KC Pant continuously won five elections from here after Independence. “While CD Pant, a close relative of Govind Ballabh Pant, won the Nainital seat in the 1952 and 1957 elections, KC Pant, Govind Ballabh Pant’s son, won it in 1962, 1967 and 1971 on the Congress ticket,” said Shah.

While Bharat Bhushan won the seat on the Bharatiya Lok Dal ticket in 1977, ND Tiwari won the seat in the 1980 parliamentary elections. However, due to his engagement in the Uttar Pradesh politics Tiwari managed the Congress ticket from Nainital for his close aide Satendra Guria in the 1984 elections and retained the seat. 

Nishank, Kaushik campaign jointly
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, March 27
BJP candidate Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank finally succeeded to convince three-time Haridwar city legislator Madan Kaushik and campaigned jointly in Haridwar today.

Madan Kaushik, who was also a ticket aspirant, was keeping distance from all party meetings, election campaigns and even did not attend BJP Uttarakhand election in charge Uma Bharati’s meeting on Tuesday.

Speculation of his joining the Congress after Pauri Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj defected to the BJP was doing the rounds.

But today his coming out in the open at the roadshow of party candidate Nishank put an end to all the speculations and rumours.

The roadshow which commenced from Desh Rakshak Square to Lakshar rural belt, saw Kaushik’s supporters in large numbers. Seeing Kaushik, party activists’ enthusiasm touched a high as slogans of “Jeetega bhai jeetega Nishank jeetega,”' “Abki baar Modi sarkar'' and ''Kaushik zindabad” reverberated the whole atmosphere.

Talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the road show, Madan Kaushik said that there is no resentment or issues from his side; it was just some communication gap and Opposition parties that were creating such nuisance.

“We will win the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat by a huge margin. People are irked by ill-governance of Congress-led UPA and also of the lack of development done by local parliamentarian Harish Rawat in his five year tenure, despite being Union Water Resources Cabinet Minister, and now Uttarakhand Chief Minister,” said Kaushik.

Hugging Kaushik at Desh Rakshak Square, Nishank said he was a veteran party leader, who holds a mass appeal and his presence will surely motive party workers.

The former Chief Minister said that as Cabinet minister Kaushik had done mass development works and his hat-trick of Assembly election wins are ample proof of his political stature. The roadshow passed through Jagjeetpur, Pherurpur, Missirpur, Ajeetpur, Dhanpura, Katarpur, Panjanhedi, Padartha, Ambuwala, and finally reaching Lakshar belt.

As part of intensifying his election campaign, Nishank also held a meeting with all the BJP councilors, Mayor Manoj Garg and district office bearers, village pradhans, zila panchayat members and other influential local representatives both at Haridwar city and Lakshar.

MLAs used to luxurious life oppose Gairsain as capital
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, March 27
"Most of the legislators and administrators from Uttarakhand are opposing a permanent capital at Gairsain in Chamoli district as they prefer luxurious facilities available at big cities like Dehradun,” said Govind Singh Kunjwal, Speaker of the state Assembly, while speaking to mediapersons at Karnprayag yesterday.

Kunjwal returned to Dehradun after inaugurating a Umesh Dobhal felicitation programme at Gairsain.

Kunjwal said though on his persuasion the government had agreed to set up the permanent capital of the state at Gairsain, the luxury-seeking legislators and administrators refused to give up the lure of facilities available at Dehradun and got a proposal of another Assembly building at Raipur, near Dehradun, passed. “When the government has sanctioned Rs 25 crore for the construction of an Assembly building at Gairsain where is the need to construct another Vidhan Sabha building at Raipur,” asked Kunjwal.

He said his aim was to bring officers and legislators to Gairsain to make them aware of the problems of the hill state so that planning could be expedited. “Hill villages in the state have continuously been neglected after the formation of the state as successive governments did not take interest in making Gairsain as permanent capital,” said Kunjwal.

He reiterated his stand that he was ready to give up politics for the sake of making Garisain the permanent capital of the state. 

CPI (ML) condemns statement by Kunjwal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 27
The CPI (ML) has condemned the statement issued by Vidhan Sabha speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal in which he said Gairsain would be made the permanent state capital.

Indresh Makhuri, General Secretary CPI (ML), Garhwal Circle, said during the Umesh Dhobal Smriti program organised at Gairsain, Kunjwal said measures were on to make Gairsain as the permanent state capital.

“Whatever the Speaker said in his address is not true and far from the ground realities. The claims made by Kunjwal that he alone took up the matter of making Gairsain as the permanent capital of Uttarakhand instead of any party or group is completely baseless. I want to remind that it was during the tenure of Congress that women agitationists were beaten up for demanding Gairsain as the state capital,” said Makhuri.

“It is shameful that despite being on an important and respectful chair, the speaker is giving such misleading statements. Our party strongly condemns the same,” he added.

CPI candidate: Congress, BJP anti-people parties

Dehradun, March 27
Terming the Congress and BJP as anti-people parties, Shiv Prasad Deoli, the Communist Party of India candidate from the Tehri Lok Sabha constituency, said that the parties had done nothing for the welfare of common man in the state.

Addressing a public rally at Naya Gaon and Sahaspur, Deoli said: “Both the parties, during their tenure in the Centre and state, have done nothing but fulfilling the whims and fancies of the business tycoons.''

Taking a dig at BJP sitting MP Mala Raj Lakshmi, Deoli said that she had never visited the people in her constituency both before and after the elections. The issues pertaining to the commoners in her constituency were never raised by during her entire tenure. ''Our party has always considered the people as most important and would continue to fight for their cause,” he said. — TNS

India Votes 2014
EVMs develop snags
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 27
Well before Uttarakhand goes to the polls on May 7, around 500 ballot units and 1,500 control units, which together comprise the electronic voting machines (EVMs), have developed snags.

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) detected the snags in the EVMs provided by the Election Commission while making advance preparations for the May 7 parliamentary elections. These would now be sent to Electronic Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), Hyderabad, for repairs.

The Election Commission had provided around 17,790 ballot units and 17,000 control units for the poll and more would be supplied depending on the requirement. “The defective EVMs will be sent for repairs and spare EVMs will be used in their place. The EVMs develop snags during transportation and sometimes due to mishandling. They are constantly checked and rechecked by the staff on election duty. These can even develop a snag on the polling day and the election officer has to compulsorily carry spare EVMs,” said Radha Raturi, Chief Electoral Officer.

“The control units do not electronically transmit their results back and work as a central processing unit (CPU), storing information for future use. The machine records five votes per minute and can record a maximum of 3,840 votes,” said Raturi.

The EVMs are being used in the parliamentary and Assembly elections to implement electronic voting. The EVMs reduce the time involved in casting votes and declaring the results compared to the old paper ballot system. The EVMs are also approved under the Election Rules 1961. Interestingly, along with the highly advanced EVMs, ballot papers too will be used exclusively for serving defence personnel and those engaged in the election duty.

“The Chief Electoral Officer is still awaiting instructions from the Election Commission on the latest Supreme Court order allowing the members of the defence and paramilitary forces to cast their votes at polling stations located in peace areas. Until such time, the election office will continue to register such voters for voting through ballots,” said Raturi. 

CPI(M), CPI, SP not to field candidates against each other
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 27
In a major development that could give a tough fight to the national parties, including Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress in the forthcoming general elections, the Communist Party of India (M), Communist Party of India and Samajwadi Party have decided not to field candidates against each other in the five Lok Sabha constituencies.

In a joint press conference organised here yesterday, Samar Bhandari, secretary, CPI, said that the decision was taken during the meeting held recently. ''The decision was taken jointly to give a tough fight to the Congress and BJP. CPI would be contesting from Pauri, CPI (M) would be fielding candidates from Tehri and SP would be fighting from Almora, Haridwar and Nainital,'' said Bhandari.

''We would also be supporting each other wherever possible and be part of active campaigning for the elections. Both Congress and BJP have ruined the country as well as the state during their respective tenures. We do not wish to get the history repeated and spoil the fate of this state further,'' he added. 

poll pot
AAP opens election office on Chakrata road

Dehradun, March 27
Aam Admi Party (AAP) opened its election office at Chakrata road, Dehradun. The office was opened by an auto driver as a symbol of AAP's commitment to work for a common man.

AAP's Tehri Lok Sabha seat candidate Anoop Nautiyal said the AAP is receiving commendable response during the campaigning. ''I myself have interacted with people in Dehradun, Tehri and Uttarkashi districts and have found large scale resentment among the people, who complain that the incumbent MP has not visited their area,'' Nautiyal pointed out.

Nautiyal said as AAP candidate for Tehri Lok Sabha seat, if elected he was committed to ensure transparent and accountable governance to the people. He said the people are no more in favour of royals but rather inclined to elect a commoner as their representative. — TNS

Defence officials can vote in places of their posting

More than 40,000 serving officials posted in Uttarakhand will benefit from the recent decision of the Supreme Court that allows defence personnel posted in peace stations to get themselves registered as voters in the constituency of their posting.

Uttarakhand has a lot of serving personnel who will be benefited from the decision of the apex court. It houses a division, two brigades, the Indian Military Academy (IMA) and three training centres.

The Haridwar constituency covers the Bengal Engineers Group and Centre (BEG) at Roorkee, besides a cantonment having various units. It also has the support of the 14 division situated in the Dharampur Assembly constituency that is part of the Haridwar seat. — TNS

RUP announces candidates
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 27
A new party has been formed with the name of Rashtriya Uttarakhand Party (RUP). Not to be left behind, the RUP has gone ahead and announced its candidates for the five seats.

Naveen Kukreti, party’s spokesperson said: “We have shortlisted five candidates to contest for the elections. They are Navneet Gusain (Tehri), Jaswant Singh Randhawa, (Haridwar), Janak Singh Daswani (Nainital) Naveen Kukreti (Pauri) and Surjeet Singh (Almora),” said Kukreti. 

Villagers agitated over not getting relief for their damaged watermills
Ajay Ramola
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, March 27
Residents of Sadab village in the Jaunpur development region are agitated over not getting compensation for the damage to their watermills in the mid-June natural disaster last year.

They rued despite the tall claims of the government of doing the needful, nothing had been done so far.

Villagers told mediapersons that nearly 20 watermills (gharats) were damaged in the disaster. At least 2,000 residents of Kando, Melgad, Sadab, Parogi, Thal, Buradi, Dwargad and Garkhet villages were dependent on these watermills for wheat and millet flour.

They said despite former Chief Minster Vijay Bahuguna’s directions of distributing the claims, nothing had been done so far.

Gram pradhan of Sadab village Jaipal Singh said villagers were forced to tread several kilometres on foot to process their wheat into flour as their watermills were lying damaged.

Watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour widely used in the hilly state of Uttarakhand.

The villagers alleged the government had received huge funds from across the country and abroad for the disaster-affected victims but where the amount had been spent remained a big question.

When contacted, area patwari Surdas said the Revenue Department had conducted a survey of the damaged watermills in the area but had found only one watermill eligible under the norms for distributing disaster relief, which had been given to the affected person.

When asked about the distribution of relief to other affected persons, he said they should contact the higher authorities for the same.

SDM, Dhanaulti, Devanand Sharma said he would look into the matter only after the model code of conduct was removed.

Reckless politicians ‘bad example for kids’
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, March 27
Children in Mussoorie are picking up derogatory language being used by various politicians during election rallies and being telecast on news channels.

This has upset parents who are agitated that politicians are using a foul language on various news channels without considering its adverse impact on the viewers, particularly children.

A worried parent, Mahesh, said it had become difficult for them to watch news channels that were showing such verbal spats and telecasting them daylong.

Suman, a housewife, said his three-year-old son used unpleasant words after hearing politicians use these on a news channel.

Jot Singh Gunsola, two-time MLA from Mussoorie, said he had been in politics for quite long but had never seen politicians use unparliamentarily language during the election campaign.

He urged the politicians to show restraint to ensure that children did not pick up unsavoury language being used by them on the news channels. Senior citizens are also miffed at politicians crossing all limits while levelling charges against each other during the election campaign.

Municipal Council member Arvind Gusain has urged the politicians to show restraint. He has also urged the Election Commission to direct the news channels to expunge unsavoury remarks. 

Police to prepare rape case report for CBI
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 27
After the Chief Minister Harish Rawat has announced a CBI enquiry into the sensational Pherupur rape and murder case, the police have come into action and the concerned police station in Haridwar has been directed to prepare a report on the case.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Garhwal Range, Amit Sinha, who has been spearheading the investigation in the case till now, told The Tribune: “The directions have been given to the Pathri police station, under whose jurisdiction the incident occurred, to prepare a detailed report about the investigation in the case along with a report to refer the case to the CBI.”

It is to be noted that police station report will be sent to the Home Department, which will finally transfer the case to the CBI. The Tribune has learnt through police sources that the whole process might take around a month before CBI finally takes up the investigation in the case.

It is worth recalling that the Haridwar police had sent the DNA samples of 62 persons to Gujarat Forensic Science University at Ahmedabad to match with the DNA sample found on the body of the victim schoolgirl, who was raped and later brutally murdered on January 7 at Pherupur village in Haridwar district, which triggered a public outcry across Haridwar. During the investigation, 11 suspects also underwent a polygraph test in Delhi in the month of January though the results could not provide any breakthrough to the police.

“The DNA samples have been sent for matching in the case and it takes around 8-10 months for the final results in the DNA matching process but the government has decided to refer the case to the CBI on demand of the family members of the victim girl,” one senior police officer familiar with the ongoing investigation in the case told The Tribune.

The investigating team interrogated over 100 persons in connection with the case but still could not come close to nab the culprits. 

Class X student caught cheating on day 1 of board exams
Tribune News Service

Girls come out of the examination hall on the first day of the state board examination of class X at MKP Inter College in Dehradun on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

Dehradun, March 27
A class Xth student was caught cheating on the first day of the Uttarakhand State Education Board Examinations that started here today.

The boy appearing for English examination was caught from the Patel Nagar-based Rajkiya Inter-College.

District Education Officer CN Kala said a flying squad headed by Chief Education Officer SP Khali caught the boy copying from chits brought by him.

“Ten flying squads have been formed. Police team have also been deployed at sensitive and extra-sensitive centres,” said Kala.

A total of 32,703 students, 18,150 of class X and 14,553 of class XII, are appearing for the examinations in the district. As many 132 centres have been set up.

Nine centres, including Herbertpur (Rajkiya Inter-College), Babugarh (Saraswati Vidya Mandir Inter-College, Karanpur (DAV Inter-College) Rishikesh (IDPL Inter- College), Vikasnagar (Asha Ram Vaidik Inter-College), Dehradun (MKP Inter- College), Dharampur (Govardhan Shishu Vidya Mandir Inter-College) and Chidderwala (Rajgiya Inter-College) have been declared sensitive.

Rajkiya Inter-College at Bhatad, Kalsi, Tyuni, Langha, Lakhamandal, Chakrata, Sahiya, Mehuwala and Kachta have been declared extra-sensitive centres. 

Annual fest of SelaQui academy begins

Visitors look at a model during the annual fest of SelaQui Academy of Higher Education in Dehradun on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

Dehradun, March 27
The annual 'Sahe Fest 2014' of SelaQui Academy of Higher Education started in full swing at the institute’s campus here today. The two-day annual fest will include technical event ‘Laqshya 14’ and management and law event ‘Agarata 14’.

The first day saw a colorful and energetic atmosphere with a huge participation of students from various colleges and institutions from all over North India.

The event started with Laqshya 14, which comprised all the technical events such as quiz, bridge DOM, crack-D shell, house making, paper presentation, death race, cyber fiesta and reveal and roadies.

The Electronics and Communication Department conducted a robotic event, named death race.

Over 250 students participated in the event. The Management and Law Department conducted an event named ‘Ranbhoomi’ in which students performed and showcased their skills. — TNS

One held with 1 kg of charas
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 27
The Sahaspur police today arrested a drug peddler and seized 1 kg of charas from his possession.

Arvind Kumar from Champaran in Bihar was arrested near Canal Road. SelaQui chowki in charge Arvind Kumar said Arvind Kumar, during his interrogation, said he would supply drugs in Sahaspur, Dehradun and Rishikesh.

Arvind Kumar has been booked under the NDPS Act and sent to jail.

Petroleum varsity enter cricket semis
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 27
Petroleum University and ICFAI University have confirmed their semifinal berths after winning their quarterfinal matches in the ongoing Shiwalik Tewnty20 Cricket Tournament played at Rangers College Ground here today.

In the first quarterfinal match, Petroleum University defeated the Dehradun Institute of Technology (DIT) by eight wickets. After losing the toss and being put into bat first, DIT made 134 runs in 20 overs.

Anshul Dhiman made highest 57 runs and Vikrant scored 25 runs. In reply, the Petroleum University chased down the target easily at the loss of just two wickets. Sagar made highest 31 runs followed by Sooraj’s 28 runs.