IEP Dehradun September 28

On the occasion of World Tourism Day, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India has awarded Uttarakhand first prize in two categories, for the best adventure tourism destination and all-around development of tourism.

The State’s Tourism and Culture minister Satpal Maharaj received the awards from Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar during the presentation of National Tourism Awards 2018-19 in New Delhi. Maharaj congratulated the people of Uttarakhand and stakeholders in the tourism industry. Invited domestic and international tourists to visit Uttarakhand, he said that Himalaya Darshan by helicopter has been launched recently in Mussoorie.

The minister said “The Tourism department is working on multiple projects to attract tourists to Uttarakhand. Both the awards received by Uttarakhand prove that the popularity of the state is increasing consistently among the tourists. Himalaya Darshan service will further increase the inflow of tourists in the State, who will be able to enjoy the high peaks of the Himalayas and the natural beauty of Uttarakhand from a helicopter.”

He further informed, “Uttarakhand Tourism has also launched an attractive scheme for travel influencers across the country, under which the influencers making videos, in any language will be empanelled with the Tourism department. Once empanelled, they will be invited to introductory tours to different places in Uttarakhand, which will be sponsored by the State government. Folk arts, rural culture, adventurous geo-ecology, homestays, unique spiritual experiences and nutritious cuisine will be showcased through these curated tours,” he said. Among the many programmes being organised to encourage winter tourism, the major events include Trek of the Year – Pindari Glacier in Bageshwar district from October 1 to November 15 and the Bagchi Bugyal trek in Chamoli district from December 1 to January 15, Winterline Carnival in Mussoorie and Nainital during December, rafting championship in Champawat from December 2022 to January 2023, national skiing championship at Auli in February 2023 and International Yoga Festival to be held in Rishikesh in March 2023, added the minister. Meanwhile, to encourage tourism a photography and videography contest was also launched on the occasion of World Tourism Day. Interested participants are invited to participate online. Winners will be selected in five categories with the total prize money being Rs 25 lakh.

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The murder of Ankita Bhandari by a resort owner in Gangabhogpur area of Yamkeshwar in Pauri district has renewed the long standing demand for abolition of the old system of revenue police in Uttarakhand. In more than 60 per cent of the territory of the State the revenue Patwaris are also given police powers. Vidhan Sabha speaker Ritu Khanduri sent a letter to the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in which she requested that the system of revenue police should be abolished with immediate effect and police posts and stations should be set up in place of revenue police posts.

“ VS speaker writes letter to CM on the subject ” She said that the old practice of revenue police is still prevalent in many areas of the State. Khanduri said that in Ankita Bhandari could have lived had the normal police been functioning and the general public would not have been so much agitated as they are today.

She said that in today’s time when victim can file zero FIR from any part of the country and register his or her complaint one is pained to observe that revenue police personnel which lack modern arms and no training to deal with criminals are operating in an area which is only 15 kilometres away from the Rishikesh city.

Khanduri requested that police stations and posts should be set up in the areas which are under the jurisdiction of the revenue police so that the repetition of such incidents is prevented.

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Following allegations being leveled by some media outlets and citizens on social media about the government conspiring to destroy evidence of Ankita Bhandari’s murder by demolishing the resort she was working in, the police have clarified that the necessary evidence has already been collected. DGP  Ashok Kumar said that the police have already collected necessary evidence from the resort. “We have the evidence we need. The demolition of the resort resulting in destruction of evidence is very unlikely,” he said. The police have clarified that they had already collected all forensic and electronic evidence from the resort before its demolition was started. Noted advocate Atul Pundir said that the collection of evidence depends on the origin of offence. “From what is known so far, the crime occurred near the canal. Plus, these days electronic evidence is also crucial and useful. Google location too can provide usable information,” he said

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By taking a series of swift actions in less than 24 hours in the backdoor appointments in Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha and Ankita Bhandari murder case the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has tried to give a clear message on governance to the people of the State. On Friday the Assembly speaker Ritu Khanduri sent a proposal to the State government that 228 backdoor appointments in the Vidhan Sabha secretariat should be cancelled.

 Acting promptly on the proposal the CM immediately accepted the proposal. He congratulated the speaker for the prompt inquiry in the case. Within hours of taking this decision, Dhami on late Friday night ordered demolition of the resort owned by Pulkit Arya, the son of the BJP leader Vinod Arya. Pulkit is the prime accused in the murder of Ankita Bhandari.

On Saturday Dhami ordered the removal of Ankit Arya from the post of deputy chairman of the Uttarakhand Other Backward Caste Commission. Ankit is the brother of Pulkit Arya. Acting on the suggestion of CM the president of the Uttarakhand BJP, Mahendra Bhatt removed Vinod Arya and his son Ankit Arya from the BJP. It is pertinent to mention here that on the backdoor appointments in the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha, Dhami had requested the speaker to get the case investigated and cancel the appointments if found illegal.

 This stand of CM assumed significance in the wake of the allegations that relatives and acquaintances of the senior BJP leader and RSS functionaries figure in the list of 72 appointments done during the tenure of the Speaker Prem Chand Agarwal. Incidentally Agarwal who holds the Finance, parliamentary affairs and urban development portfolios has been consistently claiming that all the appointments done by him were legal. In the Ankita Bhandari case, CM acted as per the public aspirations and ordered the demolition of Vananatra, the illegal resort of Pulkit Arya.

 On the orders of the CM, the bulldozer of the Pauri administration demolished the resort of the accused in murder of Ankita Bhandari. The prompt decisions taken by CM taken one after another show that Dhami wants to give a clear message that the policy of Zero tolerance on corruption adopted by him would continue and he would compromise on governance. These steps are also being viewed as an attempt to salvage the image of his government which has taken a beating in recent times due recruitment scams and the charges of improper handling of law and order situation.

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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) P Renuka Devi in the Ankita Bhandari murder case which will investigate every aspect of the case. Dhami has also directed officials to check all the tourist resorts in the State. Interacting with media persons at his residence.

The CM said no one, whosoever he may be, would be spared if guilty. He said that the government would make an effort to ensure that the case is heard in a fast track court. Expressing deep anguish at the murder of Bhandari, the CM said that it is very sad and added that the government has taken every necessary action promptly. He said that the Patwari who showed laxity in the case has been suspended, the resort has been demolished and the culprits are behind the bars.

He added that the father and brother (Vinod Arya and Ankit Arya) of the prime accused Pulkit have been removed from the BJP and Ankit Arya has been removed from the position of vice chairman of the Uttarakhand OBC commission. Making an appeal to the people, Dhami said that they should not cast doubt on the intent of the government and police. The CM said that he has asked the administration to check all the resorts constructed on government or forest land. He said that the action would be taken against the illegal resorts in the State.

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A day after taking an unprecedented decision of removing 228 ad hoc workers of Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha, the speaker Ritu Khanduri met the governor Lieutenant General ( Retd) Gurmit Singh at Raj Bhawan.

In the meeting she apprised the governor about the report submitted to her by the expert committee and its findings.

The governor praised the expert committee for completing its investigation before the stipulated time period and expressed satisfaction on the decision taken by the Speaker Khanduri. He suggested that necessary steps should be taken for improving the system and work culture in Vidhan Sabha. Acting on the recommendations of the expert committee constituted by her to investigate backdoor appointments in Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha, Khanduri had decided to cancel 228 appointments in the Vidhan Sabha.

 The committee in its report said that no selection committee was set up for making the ad hoc appointments, no advertisement was issued, and no competitive examinations were held to select the candidates. It found all the appointments illegal and recommended that 150 appointments done in the year 2016, six in the year 2020 and 72 done in the year 2021 should be cancelled. Incidentally these appointments were done by former speakers Govind Singh Kunjwal and Prem Chand Agarwal.

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IEP Dehradun September 24, 2022

Uttarakhand Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has welcomed the Vidhan Sabha speaker Ritu Khanduri’s decision on the recommendation of the high level committee to cancel ad-hoc appointments made in the Assembly from 2016 to 2021. Dhami said that the Assembly and State government are united against corruption. It will be recalled that earlier when the questionable appointments to various posts in the Vidhan Sabha had come to light, the chief minister had clarified the stand of the government and had requested the Assembly speaker for a probe into the questionable appointments. Khanduri then formed a high level committee and directed it to complete its inquiry in a time bound manner. In its report, the committee recommended that 150 appointments in 2016, six in 2020 and 72 in 2021 should be cancelled. The CM said that the government is working with a commitment to ensure good governance and that no type of corruption will be tolerated. He said that after irregularities were found in Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) and other recruitment exams, the government transferred these exams to the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission (UKPSC) to ensure transparency. The examination process is underway with focus on maintaining transparency with the commission having issued the calendar of examinations in the first stage. Dhami took stern decisions after receiving complaints about malpractices in exams organised by UKSSSC for various class C posts. In the UKSSSC paper leak case, 41 accused persons have been arrested so far while chargesheet has been filed against 18 accused. Further, judicial remand of 21 accused under the Gangster Act has also been approved. Dhami stressed that the government will not allow injustice with the State’s youth. He exhorted them to work hard and prepare enthusiastically for recruitment exams.

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September 24, 2022The findings of the expert committee set up by the Assembly speaker Ritu Khanduri on the controversial backdoor appointments in the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha have put the role of former speakers of the Vidhan Sabha under a cloud. On the recommendation of the committee, the speaker Ritu Khanduri has cancelled the ad hoc appointments made during the tenure of her predecessors Prem Chand Agarwal and Govind Singh Kunjwal. Interestingly both Agarwal and Kunjwal were consistently claiming that the appointments made by them in Vidhan Sabha were as per the rules which the expert committee has rejected after conducting an investigation. Out of the two, Agarwal and Kunjwal, the former is now the cabinet minister holding Finance, Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development portfolios in Pushkar Singh Dhami cabinet. Pressure is now mounting from all quarters on Agarwal to leave the cabinet position on moral grounds. The minister is currently on a study tour of Germany with a team of officers of Housing and Urban Development department. Sources state that CM Dhami, who has maintained a stand of zero tolerance for corruption and has ordered STF probe into the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) paper leak case which is successfully unearthing the case, is also under pressure to act against Agarwal. As per the findings of the committee 78 appointments were made by Agarwal during his tenure. Out of them 72 appointments were made in December last year just ahead of the imposition of Model Code of Conduct (MCC) due to Assembly elections. Citing the GO of department of Personnel on ban on ad hoc appointments, the then Finance secretary Amit Singh Negi had refused to release the budget for the new appointments in Vidhan Sabha. Interestingly the salaries of these employees were released on March 30 this year, a day after Prem Chand Agarwal took charge of the finance portfolio. Both Agarwal and Kunjwal had claimed that the Uttarakhand High Court (HC) had approved these appointments. The fact however is that the HC had issued a stay on regularisation of the employees appointment on an ad hoc basis in Vidhan Sabha. The Pioneer in its edition of September 4 had carried a report- ‘Former Speakers claim on clean chit by High Court on VS appointments false?’- on this claim of the former speakers and had mentioned that the HC had not approved the appointments in Vidhan Sabha.

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September 24, 2022Ordering an inquiry to investigate the role of the secretary of Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha Mukesh Singhal in the whole issue, the speaker Ritu Khanduri has suspended him. The Vidhan Sabha secretariat had issued an advertisement in the year 2021 to recruit 32 employees to various posts. A written examination was held on March 20 last year but its result has not been declared yet. For this examination the selection of Lucknow based agency RSM Technosolutions was made. Interestingly this agency is under scanner for its role in the paper leak case of UKSSSC. The committee found that a payment of Rs 59 lakh was made to this company within two days of submitting bills last year. Singhal’s role has been found suspicious in making this payment. He has also been accused of getting undue promotions during the tenure of Prem Chand Agarwal as speaker. Khanduri said that she would undertake many reforms in the Vidhan Sabha secretariat which include right sizing of the employees, e – office and e-Vidhan Sabha. She said that necessary changes in the process of promotions and service rules would be made in the Vidhan Sabha.