News Analysis India

Tag: Uttar Pradesh

  • Uttar Pradesh releases reservation policy for upcoming panchayat polls

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday released the reservation policy for the upcoming three-tier panchayat polls in the state.

    Reservation by rotation will be implemented in the panchayat elections, Additional Chief Secretary, Panchayati Raj, Manoj Kumar Singh said.

    The reservation system in place for the elections from 1995 to 2015 will be taken into account in the new policy, he said.

    The order of Scheduled Castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and women in the previous election will be taken into account in the reservation policy, the ACS said adding that preference would be given to seats which have never been reserved till now.

    Last week, the Allahabad High Court asked the State Election Commission in Uttar Pradesh to ensure the rural civic body elections are held by April 30, rejecting the poll panel’s undertaking to hold the polls by May.

    At present, the state has 826 vikas khands (development blocks), and 58,194 gram sabhas.

    There are 7,31,813 wards in the gram sabhas, and 75,855 wards in kshetra panchayats and 30,051 wards in 75 zila panchayats.

  • Persuade consumers pay bills as UP power corp losses mount to Rs 90,000 crore: Minister Shrikant Sharma to officials

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: With the UP power corporation running into losses to the tune of a whopping Rs 90,000 crore, state Power Minister Shrikant Sharma on Thursday asked officials to persuade consumers to pay their pending bills.

    Alarmed over the mounting losses, Sharma, however, maintained that the snapping of power connections is not a solution.

    “In such a situation, powermen should knock doors of consumers, whose bills are pending, and persuade them for payments. Snapping connection is not an alternative, this should be kept in mind,” the minister said according to a statement.

    At a meeting with officials, the minister directed them to ensure uninterrupted power supply to consumers in summer and make necessary preparations by March 31 in this regard.

    He asked the officials to work on a 100-day plan for improvement.

    Sharma asked senior officials to review the “summer plan” and work on proposals from people’s representatives.

    He also directed to give the facility of bill payment to people in their villages and localities through Jan Suvidha Kendras, self-help groups and ration shops.

  • Woman, daughter end lives by jumping in front of moving train in UP

    By PTI
    FATEHPUR: A 40-year-old woman and her 18-year-old daughter allegedly ended their lives by jumping in front of a moving train here on Thursday, police said.

    Rajrani and her daughter Pooja jumped on the tracks near Hardo village under the Khaga Kotwali police station limits in the morning, Station House Officer (SHO) R K Singh said.

    Rajrani’s husband Suresh Raidas, a labourer, told police that his wife and his daughter were upset as he had objected to the frequent visits to their house by a young man of the same village.

    Pooja and the man were supposed to get married in some time, the police said, quoting the father.

    The bodies have been sent for a post-mortem examination, and a probe was launched, the SHO said.

    (If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call AASRA’s 24×7 Helpline: +91-9820466726 for assistance.)

  • Enforcement Directorate arrests former Uttar Pradesh Minister Gayatri Prajapati; sent to 7-day custody

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: A special PMLA court here on Wednesday sent former Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Gayatri Prajapati to a seven-day Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody after he was arrested by the agency in a money laundering case linked to disproportionate assets, officials said.

    The agency had sought at least 10 days’ custody from the court to “dig out details of funds and 59 immovable properties worth Rs 20.90 crore” allegedly amassed by Prajapati and his family members using purported proceeds of crime earned from illegal mining and other avenues.

    Prajapati was booked last month by the agency in a fresh money laundering case after analysing an Uttar Pradesh Police vigilance FIR filed against him on charges of possessing alleged disproportionate assets, sources said.

    A special court for hearing cases filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) sent him to ED custody for seven days, beginning Thursday, they said.

    Prajapati, who held the mining portfolio in the Samajwadi Party government led by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, is also accused of raping a woman and attempting to molest her minor daughter along with others.

    In this case, he was arrested and sent to jail on March 15, 2017 and has been in judicial custody since then.

    The ED had raided a number of his premises and those of his associates at Lucknow, Kanpur and Amethi in December last year.

    The agency had then said that during the raids it seized Rs 1.42 lakh cash, demonetised currency valuing Rs 11.50 lakh, stamp papers worth Rs 5 lakh, some property-related documents and computers.

    “During the search, more than 100 registries of different properties spread across Lucknow, Kanpur, Amethi, Sitapur and others were unearthed.

    “In addition, allotment letters of four villas in Mumbai, valued at Rs 2.5 crore each, belonging to the family members of the former minister were also seized,” it had said in a statement.

    The agency added its probe found that “after the arrest of Prajapati in March, 2017 in a rape case, his sons have clandestinely sold off some of the properties for personal gains and influencing key witnesses in the trial case against him.”

    It had claimed that “cash deposits in the bank accounts of Prajapati family members and companies were found to be non-commensurate with their income tax filings”.

    “It was revealed that during the period the accused (Prajapati) remained minister in the UP government his company rose exponentially in net worth which he could not explain satisfactorily during his examination,” the ED had said.

    The ED added that his family members “had paid substantial tax on undisclosed income” under the Union government initiated Income Declaration Scheme (IDS) or the black money declaration scheme of 2016.

    It said the probe against benami asset holders of Prajapati “revealed that they were daily wage earners from humble backgrounds and incapable of owning or acquiring the properties found during investigation”.

    “Twenty-three properties ranging between Rs 3-36 lakh in the name of a single benami, and whose residence was also searched, have also been found,” the agency had said.

    The ED is also probing his role in connection with the renewal of sand mining leases in Fatehpur district between 2012-2016.

    It has been alleged in this case that Prajapati, “in collusion with other government officials and private persons, got the mining leases renewed without following proper process of e-tendering and thereby aiding and abetting illegal mining in the district.”

  • Two youths, including minor, booked under Uttar Pradesh anti-conversion law

    By PTI
    BAREILLY: Two youths, including a minor, were booked in separate cases under provisions of the Uttar Pradesh anti-conversion law apart from charges of rape on Wednesday in Nawabganj area here, police said.

    The FIRs were registered against the accused under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance.

    In the first case, the accused minor, who is a Class 12 student, has been admitted to a hospital in Bareilly and will be sent to a juvenile home after being discharged, SP (Dehat) Raj Kumar said.

    He said the minor youth had taken away a 15-year-old girl from the same village to Jaipur and promised to marry her.

    The girl, who studies in Class 9 and belongs to another community, was fooled as the boy had given her another name once she reached Rajasthan’s capital, he said quoting the complaint given by the victim’s father.

    When the girl objected to the ‘nikaah’ ceremony, she was held hostage, raped and later left outside her village by the youth who escaped from the place, the police officer said.

    When the FIR was lodged and the police started searching for him, the youth reached a private hospital and got himself admitted there, the SP further said.

    After reuniting with her family in Bareilly, the girl was sent for a medical examination that confirmed she was raped, he said.

    In another similar case, Bareilly SSP Rohit Singh Sajwan said a youth from the same Nawabganj police station area had eloped with a Class 10 student to Bhilwara in Rajasthan on February 2.

    The youth asked her to convert before marriage and was raped upon refusal, according to the complaint by the girl’s father.

    The Bhilwara police in Rajasthan arrested the youth on suspicion of possessing a country-made weapon when he was caught.

    After he was interrogated, it came to light that he had eloped with the girl and Bareilly police was informed.

    He is currently lodged in Bhilwara jail and the Bareilly has booked him under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance in UP aside from rape charges based on the complaint by the girl’s father.

  • Prostitution racket in spa parlour busted in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr, five held

    By PTI
    BULANDSHAHR: Police on Monday busted a prostitution racket allegedly being run under the guise of a spa parlour here and arrested five people including three women, a senior officer said.

    Acting on a tip-off, police raided the spa centre at MMR Mall in Kotwali area, Senior Superintendent of Police Santosh Kumar Singh said.

    In addition to the women, two men were arrested, Singh said, adding that one of them was a customer while the other was operating the racket.

    However, two customers managed to escape, he said.

  • Uttarakhand glacier burst: 55 UP labourers missing at Tapovan power project site

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: Around 55 labourers from Uttar Pradesh have gone missing at Tapovan power project site following the glacier burst in Uttarakhand. 

    The Uttar Pradesh government has set up around the clock emergency control room and has released two helpline numbers — 1070 and 9454441036 — to facilitate distraught families lodge the detailed information about their near and dear ones stranded or missing in the hill state. 

    UP is also extending help to Uttarakhand in carrying out the rescue and relief operation.

    ALSO READ: Abrupt snowslide, not glacier burst, might have caused the calamity, says Uttvarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat

    “Till Monday evening, we had a list of about 40 people from UP who went missing in the incident. The relief commissioner’s office is in touch with the government of Uttarakhand and also with district magistrates of various districts for a list of people who are missing or need help or rescue. Details arebeing verified from each district,” said a senior government official.

    Relief commissioner Sanjay Goyal said that his office was in the process of compiling a list of people from UP who have been impacted by the tragedy.

    “Those who want to report missing persons should register their names on either 1070 or 9454441036. We are coordinating with the Uttarakhand Government to provide relief to affected persons as soon as possible,” he said.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand glacier burst: Scientists leave for Joshimath for surveillance, reconnaissance

    Meanwhile, those who have gone missing include 33 labourers from Lakhimpur Kheri, five from Meerut, eight from Shravasti, five from Amroha and three from Saharanpur district of UP. Those, who hailed from the Lakhimpur Kheri, were working in the severely-affected Tapovan power project site.

    The relatives of the workers have been unable to contact them, however as of now, there has been no information of their whereabouts.

    Of the 33 labourers who hailed from Lakhimpur Kheri, bodies of two have been recovered. One of the labourers, who survived the tragedy, told his family that he survived but over 15 of his companions were either swept away or were still trapped in the tunnel.

    EXPLAINED: How glaciers can burst and send floods downstream

    Eight labourers from Shravasti are also traceable, They had been working on Rishi Ganga project in Chamoli. They all belonged to Motipur Kala village of Shravasti.

    Those who hailed from Amroha included Rohit, 28, Mahipal, 35, Kavenidra Singh,25, Than Singh, 45, and Sunny, 24, are still missing with no trace. They all belonged to village Saunth under Nagli police station area in Hassanpur tehsil of Amroha district.

    Those five who had gone from Meerut had been working on the installation of a Jio tower at Saraisoat, 18 km away from Tapovan power project site. They had been engaged in the project for the last four months. Similarly, the kin of the three missing persons who belonged to Saharanpur is inconsolable.

    Those from Saharanpur had reportedly talked to their families last time on Sunday morning. Since then, there has been no trace of them with their mobile phones going switched off.

    All those who hailed from Meerut had left home on February 4 and had reached Uttarakhand on February 6. They all were taken by a contractor named Saurabh Prajapati who was entrusted to get the manpower by HFCL, the firm looking after the installation of Jio mobile tower.

  • Uttarakhand glacier disaster: Over 30 workers from Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri missing

    By PTI
    LAKHIMPUR KHERI: Over 30 people from Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri who worked at a hydro project in Uttarakhand’s Tapovan are missing after flash floods triggered by the breaking off a glacier caused extensive damage there.

    The missing people belong to Nighasan tehsil of Lakhimpur Kheri district.

    The glacier burst at Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district had triggered an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system that washed away hydroelectric stations on Sunday.

    ALSO READ: Abrupt snowslide, not glacier burst, might have caused the calamity, says Uttvarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat

    The report of them going missing surfaced when some of the rescued workers contacted their family members and informed them about the tragedy.

    According to the kin of those missing, at least 34 people from various villages — 15 from Ichhanagar; eight from Bhairampur; four from Babupurwa; three of Tikonia; and one each from Bhulanpur, Kadiya, Singahi and Mirjapur — are missing.

    Nighasan Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Om Prakash Gupta had said on Sunday that the administration was not in a position to confirm the number of missing people till communication with the Uttarakhand government.

    EXPLAINED: How glaciers can burst and send floods downstream

    On Monday, Lakhimpur Kheri DM Shailendra Kumar Singh, along with SP Vijay Dhull, met family members of those missing.

    The DM assured them of all aid and assistance.

    Meanwhile, the office of the relief commissioner in Lucknow said that it has started a state-level emergency operation centre to enable family members of the missing persons to speak to them.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand glacier burst: Scientists leave for Joshimath for surveillance, reconnaissance

    People can register information about their missing family members on helpline 1070 and on WhatsApp number 9454411036.

    Later, a statement by the information office of Lakhimpur Kheri district said the district magistrate and the superintendent of police visited Babupurva, Bhairampur, Ichhanagar and other villages, and met family members of the missing people.

    They said, that the administration was working on identifying such persons who have been unable to contact their family members, and making a list.

    The relief commission officials of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are being informed about it and more information about them is being gathered, the officers said.

    Both the officials spoke to labourers in Chamoli with whom contact could be established and enquired about their well being, according to an official statement.

  • High alert in Uttar Pradesh as glacier breaks off in neighbouring Uttarakhand

    By PTI
    LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday put on alert the authorities in all districts on the banks of the Ganga and asked them to continuously monitor the water levels in the river after a glacier broke off at Joshimath in neighbouring Uttarakhand’s Chamoli, triggering a massive flood there.

    The glacier burst triggered an avalanche and a deluge in the Alaknanda river system that washed away hydroelectric stations, leaving at least seven people dead and 125 missing who are feared dead.

    In a disaster alert issued to district magistrates in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, the relief commissioner said, “Reports of breaking off a part of the Nanda Devi glacier in Uttarakhand have been received. The districts on the (banks of the) Ganga river need to be on a high alert and the monitoring of water level needs to be done 24×7.”

    “If required, people should be taken to safer places. The NDRF, SDRF and PAC Flood Company have been instructed to be on the highest alert,” the statement added.

    ALSO READ: ‘Nayi zindagi mili’ – ITBP rescues workers stuck in flash-flood hit tunnel

    In a tweet in Hindi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, “To tackle the natural disaster in Uttarakhand, the Uttar Pradesh government will extend all possible help.”

    In another tweet, he said, “Feel sad by the news that many people are feared dead in the disaster which took place after breaking off a glacier. I pray to Lord Ram to give peace to the souls who have passed away, strength to the aggrieved family members to bear the loss and speedy recovery to the injured.”

    Later in a statement, the chief minister said in case of an increase in the water levels, people residing close to the the banks of the Ganga should be shifted elsewhere.

    He appealed to people not believe in any rumour.

    “People should exercise caution and not venture towards the river banks. In case of any adverse circumstances, cooperate with the district administration. The UP government is taking all necessary steps,” he said.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand flood – 2019 study warned Himalayan glaciers melting at alarming speed

    Interacting with reporters in Ayodhya, Adityanath said as the Ganga covers almost 1,000 kilometres in the state, they are exercising full caution.

    He said the the Jal Shakti Department was alerted soon after the incident.

    “The Home Department is keeping a watch,” he said, adding that water in the Alaknanda river is fast receding.

    “Our supposition is that the water will take time to reach lower areas. After Haridwar, we will absorb this water at the barrages in Narora and Bijnor, and there will be no problem in the downstream areas,” he said.

    “Despite this, all 25 districts in the state where the Ganga flows have been alerted. The emergency and home departments and the SDRF are on alert,” the chief minister said, stressing there is no need to fear.

    ALSO READ: Glacial burst in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district grim reminder of 2013 Kedarnath deluge

    In Kannauj, District Magistrate Rakesh Kumar Mishra convened an emergency meeting of officials.

    Divers and revenue officials of villages located on the banks of the Ganga have been told to remain on alert.

    Mishra inspected the Mahadevi Ghat in the district and said in case of rise in water levels, villagers will be taken to safer places.

    In Ballia too, the district administration alerted people, according to District Magistrate Shrihari Pratap Shahi.

    Irrigation officials said the department is on alert and the Ganga is flowing almost five metres below the danger mark.

    ALSO READ: Uttarakhand glacier burst – Army deploys four columns, medical teams for rescue operations

    In Shahjahanpur, people on “kalpvaas”(a peiod of austerity observed by devotess in the month of Magha near the river banks) are being taken to safer places while others have been told to remain alert.

    District Magistrate Indra Kumar Singh told PTI, “During the month of Magha, ‘kalpvaasis’ stay for almost one month on the banks of river Ganga, take bath and offer prayers. Almost 100 ‘kalpvaasis’ are being shifted to safer and higher places.”

    Superintendent of Police S Anand said they told villagers to go to safer places.

  • SC permits felling of over 4,100 trees in Taj Trapezium Zone for new Mathura-Jhansi railway track

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Friday permitted felling of 4,108 trees in the Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) for laying of a new railway track between Mathura and Jhansi.

    TTZ is about 10,400 sq km, spread over the districts of Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Hathras and Etah in Uttar Pradesh and Bharatpur district of Rajasthan.

    The application filed by Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) came up for hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian.

    Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for RVNL, told the bench that the proposed railway track is about 274 km, of which a stretch of 80 kilometre goes through the TTZ.

    ​ALSO READ | Over 54,000 trees cut for Goa’s upcoming Mopa international airport: CM Sawant

    He told the bench that central empowered committee (CEC) has given its recommendation and said that felling of trees for laying the railway track can be allowed subject to conditions, including compulsory afforestation.

    He said the authority will comply with all the conditions as stipulated by CEC.

    “We are of the view that it will be appropriate to permit 4,108 trees to be felled by Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd for the purpose of laying down railway track,” the bench said.

    The apex court said it is granting permission for felling of trees subject to conditions imposed by the CEC.

    In its application seeking permission to cut trees, RVNL has said that laying of a third railway track in the stretch is necessary as the existing track is totally choked and results in hours long delay due to non-availability of railway track.

    The apex court is hearing the matter related to protection and preservation of the iconic Taj Mahal at Agra and its surroundings.

    The top court has been monitoring developments in the area to protect the monument, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal in 1631.

    The mausoleum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.