BJP’s Garhwal MP Anil Baluni is taking steps to use the topography of his state Uttarakhand to give a boost to Indian sports. The MP met Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya recently and requested him to set up a centre of sports excellence in Pauri. The town already has a stadium situated at roughly 6,800 feet above sea level — the second highest stadium in Asia — and Baluni wants a swimming pool and other facilities to be developed around it. The reason: the low oxygen levels at high altitudes help build the stamina of sportspersons practising there. Indian swimmers sometimes go to Europe to practice at higher altitudes. Similar facilities in the hill state can help Indian athletes perform better at international events, Baluni is learnt to have told the minister.
Minister’s Woes
WHEN REPEATED requests for prompt action elicited no response from a traffic police inspector, a Delhi minister approached the city Police Commissioner Satish Golchha with his grievance. During a recent visit to his Assembly constituency, the minister observed a huge traffic congestion due to unauthorised roadside parking of commercial vehicles, encroachment by street vendors and unregulated movement of e-rickshaws. He approached the traffic inspector concerned to take necessary steps to decongest the area. However, even after multiple reminders, no action was taken by the officer. In his communication to the Police Commissioner, a miffed minister asked him to instruct the DCP (traffic) to take swift action to streamline the traffic flow and submit an action-taken report within a week.
On-Spot Solution
TWO RETIRED Doordarshan camerapersons received long-awaited relief following a Cabinet briefing recently. Their pay-related issue, dating back to 1997, was resolved not because of a policy decision taken in the Cabinet meeting but during the post-briefing interaction of Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw with mediapersons on Wednesday. Devendra Sharma, one of the two aggrieved, approached Vaishnaw with his grievance and the minister directed the officials present to address the matter on the spot. The corrected pay orders of the two retired camerapersons were issued within hours the same day. The case involved proper implementation of Rule-8 of CCS (Revised Pay) Rules, 1997, which entitled both the former employees to an additional increment during the 6th Pay Commission transition.
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