June 2011 Uttarakhand News

U'khand taking part in JK Police Martyrs' Memorial Football

As many as 48 teams are participating in the 13th edition of the Jammu and Kashmir Police Martyrs' Memorial football tournament to be played in Srinagar from June 22- July 6. "For the 13th edition of the police martyrs' memorial tournament, we have a record number of 48 teams participating this year," state's Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda said.

He said Railway Coach Factory Kapurthala, West Bengal, Punjab Police, Uttarakhand Police and CRPF XI are among the prominent teams from outside the state taking part in the tournament this year. Jammu and Kashmir Bank, JK Police, Food and Supplies and Forest XI are the leading teams from the state taking part in the annual tournament, Khoda said. He said the tournament will be played on knock out basis at two prominent venues of the valley -- the Pologround and Bakshi Stadium. The DGP said the tournament will provide an opportunity to budding players to showcase their talent. "We will be looking out for outstanding young talent during the tournament and sponsor their training at a reputed coaching centre outside the state," he said. The tournament, which was started in 1998 in memory of Inspector Musthaq Ahmad, who was killed in a militant attack at Regal Chowk in the city. Later, it was dedicated to all police martyrs. "This tournament is dedicated to the memory of all those brave police officers and jawans who laid down their life to integrity and security of the country," Khoda said.

Top official treks state areas bordering China

It was an official tour with a difference when a top bureaucrat of Uttarakhand took to trekking to visit the "strategically sensitive" areas of state bordering China. Uttarakhand chief secretary Subhash Kumar, who embarked on the official tour this week, told PTI that "This is my endeavour to ascertain the ground realities as well as difficulties of the people in general and that of our forces who are guarding the borders."

Kumar has already visited the tough terrains of Gunji, Raunkag, Nabi, Napalchu, Nabidhang, Lipulekh, Kalapani, Garbyag and Boondi in Pithoragarh district bordering China. Kumar yesterday visited Garbyag region where he took note of public-grievances and also monitored the progress of various developmental-works being run in the region.

"It is for the first time that some Chief Secretary has toured these border areas of the state. Being border areas, these regions are strategically sensitive in terms of the security of the state as well as of the country," an official spokesman said. But Kumar used to trek when he held the post of the Garhwal Commissioner. "When I was Garhwal Commissioner in 2006-07, I had trekked in border areas of Chamoli district bordering China like Barahoti and Rimkhim," he said.

In Boondi, he held discussions with Indo-Tibetan Border Police officers and also monitored the developmental works. Kumar said the construction work of border roads has been undertaken with a cost of Rs 600 crore which would shortly be completed. The Chief Secretary said that the state government was committed towards the development of the border areas of the state and has fixed the target of connecting all the villages of Pithoragarh district by road by 2013.

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Centre to aid states for police modernisation

Union Minister of State for Home Gurudas Kamat on Tuesday said the Centre will provide all assistance for modernisation of police forces across all the states in view of the challenges before them. Addressing the 41st All India Police Science Congress at Forest Research Institute Campus in Dehradun, Kamat said the crime-scenario in the present age was changing rapidly and the police is facing the multi-dimensional challenges of combating the non-conventional high-tech cyber crimes to economic crimes to terrorism. "So, the modernisation of police is very important and the Centre would provide all assistance to states in this regard," the minister said adding that there is also a need to incorporate human values in the personnel. Earlier, inaugurating the three-day Congress, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank stressed the need for strengthening the security-system in the border districts of the state and said it is important for the internal security of the country also. Nishank also demanded for immediate initiation of National Identity Card Scheme in the border areas of Uttarakhand adjacent to China and Nepal.

The Congress was hosted by the Uttarakhand police for the first time and Union Home Secretary G.K. Pillai and police officials from various states took part in the deliberations during the three-day event that ended on June 23.

24-hour power supply promised

Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has directed the Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) to make arrangements to provide uninterrupted power supply to its consumers in the state. "We have made all arrangements for providing 24 hours electricity to our consumers," Managing Director of UPCL Anil Jain said, adding, the Chief Minister had issued clear instructions to the power distribution company to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the state. There is surplus power in the state these days as the availability of electricity is 31.0250 million units against the demand of 28.9378 million units, Jain said. In this regard, he said the state is carrying out energy banking with Punjab and Haryana by giving 100 MW of power to each of them. When the electricity production will be less and its demand will increase from September onwards, the same amount of energy will be taken back from them, he said. Besides, Jain said, UPCL has also entered into a power purchase agreement with a Haridwar-based cement company for 50 MW of power. Jain, however, admitted that the consumer services in the hilly areas are poor because the transmission lines trips easily. He said the UPCL is working on a project of using insulated wires to overcome the problems of tripping in the hilly areas.