2011 January news Uttarakhand

Maneater to be shot

The Uttarakhand forest department has issued orders to shoot the tiger, which has killed three women during the past one and a half months in the Corbett Tiger Reserve area. Chief Wildlife Warden Srikant Chandola said the orders regarding shooting the "man-eating tiger", which is active in Sundarkhal, Garjia and Dhikuli ranges of CTR, have been issued. A hunting team has been sent to the jungles of Corbett reserve to kill the wildcat. Meanwhile, three forest teams have been pressed into service to look for the body of the woman, who was devoured by the tiger at Garjia area when she was returning after fetching fodder for her cattle last evening, he said. On November 12 and 18, the tiger devoured two other women in the area in separate incidents.

Doon DM takes Sturdia land

The Dehradun district administration has taken the possession of the entire 50.47 acres of industrial land on the banks of river Ganga in Rishikesh meant for a housing project. The administration took the land in its possession on the direction of Dehradun District Magistrate in compliance with an Uttarakhand High Court order, B B Painuli, Tehsildar of Rishikesh, said. A two-member bench of High Court comprising Chief Justice Barin Ghosh and V K Bist on Dec 28 quashed a controversial government order allocating industrial land to Sturdia Developers for housing purpose, directing Dehra Dun District Magistrate to take it in his possession. The issue of change of land use pattern of Citurgia Biochemicals, a sick industrial unit, sparked a controversy in March this year with the Opposition led by Congress disrupting the Assembly proceedings, accusing Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank of giving undue favour to Sturdia Developers in violation of laws. Though the government rejected the demand for a CBI probe and maintained that the land use pattern was changed as per the recommendations of Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR), an NGO had moved the court which cancelled its order.

UKD suspends minister

Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), which recently withdrew support from the state BJP government, today suspended its lone minister Diwakar Bhatt for not resigning from the cabinet. A show-cause notice has also been served to Bhatt, asking him to reply within three days, UKD president Trivendra Singh Panwar told reporters here. "If Bhatt fails to give reply to the notice within the next three days, the party would decide next course of action against him," Panwar said. UKD on December 27 withdrew of support from Ramesh Pokkhariyal Nishank-led government and asked Bhatt to step down, but he refused to do so. Bhatt, who holds revenue and food and civil supplies portfolio, termed the decision as an individual move by the party president. Panwar said UKD withdrew support from the government as it failed to fulfil its nine issues like checking migration from hills, making Gairsain as permanent capital and bringing changes in forest laws and delimitation of constituencies on the basis of geographical area.

Pak team arrives for winter SAF games

Pakistan's 27-member ski team is in the town to take part in the first-ever South Asian Federation (SAF) winter games, scheduled to begin here on January 10. The team also includes four women skiiers. The Pakistan team, which would participate in ski events, to be held in Auli in Chamoli district, was accorded a warm welcome on its arrival last evening, said Brig (retd) S S Patwal, president Winter Games Federation of India (WGFI). Due to security reasons, the Pakistan team's accomodation has been arranged at Bijapur guest house, while other teams have been put up in city hotels. Teams from Nepal, Maldives and SriLanka have already arrived for the meet.