Upadhyay was real public leader: Nadda

Raipur, February 11, 2011

Pt Deendayal Upadhyay was real public leader who had sundry qualities. He was the pioneer of ‘ekatma manavvad’ and BJP became strong political party in the country following his principles. The words about Upadhyay was expressed by BJP’s state incharge Jagat Prakash Nadda during a tribute programme on the occasion of his death anniversary before his statue at Telebandha Ring Road chowk on Friday morning.

Nadda said Upadhyay was skillful organiser, uncontroversial public figure and best administrator. “Usually, an individual becomes expert in any particular field but Upadhyay was all-rounder and had expertise in multiple fields,” Nadda said.

Over 200 illegal banners, posters removed

Raipur, February 11, 2011

Under its Budhapara road widening project, the municipal corporation on Friday removed over 200 illegal banners and posters that were pitched indiscriminately along the road on trees and electric poles. The RMC has already demolished the boundary wall of about 100-year-old Madhav Rao Sapre School and started construing new wall some 20 away from its existing location.

The municipal’s demolition squad has also removed its offset printing machine room on Friday. The room had been evacuated recently.  

The building of veterinary hospital, Karmachari Bhawan Aanganbadi centre and Bharat Scouts and Guides office will also be soon shifted several feet away from the main road, the officials informed.

The civic Commissioner Om Prakash Choudhary said that the 60 feet wide road from electricity office chowk to Budhapara sulabh toilet will reduce the traffic pressure on Kotwali chowk, Mahila Thana chowk, Kalibadi chowk, in inner streets of Budhapara, at Lord Ganesha temple triangle Budhapara and near Budheshwar temple.

After removing illegal banners and posters from Budhapara road, the municipal is also planning to take similar action in other parts of city as well.

The civic officials admit that the illegal hoardings, banners and posters at roadsides cause inconvenience to the commuters.

The advertisers and the people who put up banners, hoardings illegally or stick handouts on electric poles without municipal’s permission not only violate the civic law but also obstruct city beautification works, the officials said.

They said the advertising agencies and different political parties and social organisations lack civic sense owing to which they first pitch posters and banners and erect hoardings in city disregarding municipal warnings during some event or programmes, but never remove such publicity materials.

Cong demand for Balod by-poll postponement baseless: BJP

Submits memorandum to Chief Election Commissioner

Raipur, February 11, 2011

Scrapping the demand of Congress to Election Commission of India (ECI) pertaining to postponement of by-poll in Sanjari-Balod Assembly constituency on grounds of irregularities during election campaign, the BJP has termed the allegations baseless. “We urge that the Commission should not precipitate action without seeking our response to the allegations,” requested a delegation of BJP led by its national vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi to the Chief Election Commissioner by giving a memorandum to him in this connection at New Delhi on Friday.

“We have learnt that the Congress party has raised allegations about violations of model code of conduct. Till date, no notice has been served on either our party or our candidate. In the absence of any such notice, it would be unfair to adjudge us on the basis of unwarranted complaints against us,” said the BJP leaders.

They said the allegation were politically motivated and should be ignored in the broader interest of the necessity to conduct full and fair election.

They charged that the BJP too had lodged complaint to the Returning Officer as well as the poll observer regarding certain violations of the model code of conduct by the Congress but the local authorities did not take any action.

The BJP leaders further complained against the poll observer K Devanand and alleged that he was adopting biased attitude. “While he is refraining to take any action against the Congress party whose leaders are using more than 40 vehicles without permission or authorisation, he did not hesitate in restraining the common man from using any conveyance to reach and participate in the public meting organised by the BJP. Such orders and instructions are smack of arbitrariness,” they said.

The BJP delegation was comprised of national general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan, national secretary Bhupindra Yadav, Convenor, Election Cell R Ramakrishna and party's Headquarter Incharge Shyam Jaju.

Kumari Sahu, Paikra write letter to CEC

Raipur, February 11, 2011

The BJP’s candidate at Sanjari-Balod Kumari Sahu, the spouse of late MLA Madan Sahu from the constituency and party’s state unit president Ramsewak Paikra have also sent letters separately to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Friday.

Sahu has sent a letter to the CEC regarding complaint lodged before the Chief Election Officer against AICC treasurer Motilal Vora and Union Minister V Narayanasamy for violating model code of conduct during the poll campaign at Balod while Paikra had alleged that the Chief Election Officer and poll observers deputed to conduct the by-election were reluctant to take action against Congress leaders who had violated model code in Balod.

The duo their letters said that in spite of several oral and written complaints by the BJP to poll observers and the Chief Election Officer against the model code violators, the responsible officials remained mum. They alleged that the poll observers were behaving like agents of Congress by not discharging their duties with loyalty.

RMC to intensify anti-encroachment drive

Raipur, February 11, 2011

The municipal corporation will intensify its anti- encroachment drive. The civic Commissioner Om Prakash Choudhary has issued necessary directives to the zone commissioners in this connection on Friday. He said the recently constituted flying squads should be engaged to vacate the illegally occupied lands. Choudhary who has constituted the zonal flying squads to prevent increasing encroachments in wards has categorically said that the lethargic attitude of the officials in taking action against the encroachers would not be tolerated.

Urging the officials to expedite the revenue collection from the wards, he said regular appeal should be made to the residents to submit their property tax of the current financial year before March 31, 2011.

Expressing his concern over likeliness of water scarcity in some of the wards during summer, he asked the officials to take proactive action and list out all the areas that face water crisis and depend on water tankers.

He further directed the zone commissioners to launch awareness campaign for Census 2011. He said people should be urged to take part in the second phase of the Census by giving correct information to the enumerators.