Soon after assuming charge of their respective departments, the various ministers have started taking decisions that are likely to elicit appreciation from various quarters. Decisions have been taken by the Urban Development department, Sugar Cane Development and Sugar Industry department, and Soldier Welfare department which are likely to resolve some of the pending issues of various sections of society.
The Urban Development and Housing minister Banshidhar Bhagat informed that a government order had been issued to suspend the authority of regional development authorities to pass building maps in areas brought under their jurisdiction after 2016. Bhagat said that the people had for long been facing problems caused by long duration and cost incurred in getting maps passed by the authorities especially in rural mountainous areas. With this order issued a few days after it was approved in the first cabinet meeting under the newly sworn in CM, the building map approval in the areas concerned will be done as per the system followed before 2016.
In another decision on the directions of the State minister for Sugar Cane Development and Sugar Industry, Yatishwaranand, the department has directed that the sugar mills will not issue orders for the end of the sugar cane crushing season till all the produce of the farmers is purchased. In addition to this, the payment for the sugar cane should be made on time. This order was issued after it came to light that the sugar mills were contradicting the government policy and shutting down, and ordering closure of the crushing season before purchasing all the sugar cane cultivated by the farmers. Due to this, the farmers were facing unnecessary problems in selling the remaining produce.
In the third decision, the order terminating the services of outsourced employees of Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Nigam Limited (UPNL) was withdrawn on Wednesday. In a written communication to all the departments, the deputy general manager of UPNL, Manoj Rawat directed the departments not to terminate the services of the employees as decided in the meeting with the Soldier Welfare minister Ganesh Joshi.
On this, Kushagra Joshi, the president of the UPNL Employees Union which had been protesting against the termination orders, said, “We have been protesting for 24 days and though the government has annulled the termination order, we will not return to our jobs till the government has a dialogue with us.”
Thursday, 18 March 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
