Gajendra Singh Negi | Dehradun
Commission’s callousness
The huge protest and expression of outrage by the students and unemployed against the purported leak of the question paper of the graduate level examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) has made the Pushkar Singh Dhami government uneasy. The government has appointed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) monitored by a retired High Court judge to investigate the case. One hopes that the authorities will also investigate the role of the examination conducting agency which is UKSSSC in this case.
The alleged installation of the outdated jammers, choice of the examination centres, the ease with which Khalid –the alleged mastermind as per police- succeeded in carrying mobile phone into the examination centre and a dubious past where question papers of many examinations were leaked under the influence of the mafias such as Hakam Singh, put the UKSSSC under cloud. The Uttarakhand Competitive Examination (measures for control and prevention of unfair means in recruitment) Act -2023 aka the Anti-Copying act enacted by Dhami government in 2023 also has a provision to register cases against the officials of the examination conducting agencies.
Nakal Jihad
Amid agitation of the unemployed and widespread anger on the paper leak and role of copying mafia, the president of Uttarakhand unit of BJP Mahendra Bhatt gave a new dimension to the unsavoury episode by conjuring up the ‘Nakal Jihad’ sobriquet for those involved in paper leak of UKSSSC.
Ostensibly Bhatt who is known for putting his foot in the mouth made the comment after the police arrested the main accused Khalid and his sister in the case and averred that after Land, Love and Spit Jihad, the State of Uttarakhand is now witnessing Nakal Jihad. The statement of the State BJP president evoked strong criticism from the intelligentsia of the State and the students who termed it a heinous tactic to divert the attention from the real issue of paper leaks and their effect on the future of the students.
Elevated worries
The recent natural disaster triggered by heavy rains in Dehradun and the devastation caused by surging waters of rivers and rivulets has created concern among people of Doon valley about the safety and prosperity of the ambitious Rispana- Bindal Elevated Corridor (RBEC) project. The Rs 6,200 crore project envisages construction of a 26 km long elevated road over the Rispana and Bindal rivers flowing through the densely populated areas of Dehradun city and aims to decongest traffic flow in the city.
From the inception of the RBEC project, the environmentalists were up in arms against it and warned that it would devastate the valley’s ecology. Some geologists also expressed apprehensions on a mega project which involves erecting massive concrete pillars on an unstable riverbed. Now in the wake of the recent flooding and disaster, it is advisable that instead of rushing through the project, the authorities should thoroughly examine all safety and environmental aspects of the mega project.
