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	UP Gujjars threaten to move SC (January 8, 1998) Tiwari's absence changes equations in U.P. hills (January 27, 1998) BJP, Cong are main rivals in UP hills (January 30, 1998) Steps taken for fair elections in Doon (January 31, 1998)		UP Gujjars threaten to move SC Times of India Service Thursday 8 January 1998 NEW DELHI: A proposal to notify the Rajaji National Park in the western Uttar Pradesh Hills may run into rough weather with the Van Gujjars, a pastoral forest- dwelling tribe, threatening to move the Supreme Court for settlement of a dispute raised by the Uttar Pradesh government over their centuries old land use rights. The move to approach the Supreme Court follows the ``sudden clampdown'' by the state forest authorities to prevent the tribals from using hired vehicles to ferry fodder for their buffalo herds, whose milk forms the main livelihood of the Gujjars, says Avdhash Kaushal, who heads a non-governmental organisation for marginalised communities. Mr Kaushal said his organisation, the Dehradun Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), was likely to bring a representative action on behalf of the Gujjars, who he alleged were being subjected to ``all types of arm-twisting methods'' by the state authorities to drive them out of their forest homes. According to Union forest secretary Viswanathan Anand, the Van Gujjars were in occupation of forest lands inside the proposed park only for about 60 years and therefore could not claim land use rights. But this contention is hotly contested by the RLEK which says it had evidence to show that the tribals were living in these forests for at least two centuries. The Gujjars have claimed that several heads of cattle had perished due to the ``inhuman attitude'' of the forest authorities in preventing the ferrying of fodder inside the proposed park area. A 120 year-old tribal, they alleged, had also died because forest authorities had denied them permission to bring in an ambulance. Mr Anand said the state action in preventing heavy vehicles into the forest area seemed to be ``very justified'' as it was primarily meant to prevent illegal felling of trees. Mr Anand said attempts were being made to rehabilitate and relocate the Gujjars in diverted forest land and the Centre was awaiting a concrete proposal from the state government in this regard for clearance. Over 10,000 Gujjars live in the forests of the proposed park for a period of six months and then migrate to the hills in summer. According to Mr Kaushal, the forest authorities cannot enforce park rules till the proposed park itself was notified. ``Even before the issue of the notification the land use rights of the Gujjars will have to be settled. This is why we are going to approach the Supreme Court to settle the dispute,'' he said. Mr Kaushal said he failed to understand why the Gujjar families were being discriminated against when heavy vehicular traffic was being allowed for state government offices located inside the park. Mr Kaushal said the RLEK had enough proof to show that the Gujjars had been living in the forests even before the forest department came into existence. There was also archival evidence. Mr Kaushal said the action of the state government and the stand of the Union forest ministry appeared to be contradictory to the declared policy of the government that it wanted forest dwellers to play a greater role in the management of forests. The government had also assured international conventions like the Rio Earth Summit that it intended to use the traditional knowledge of the tribals for better forest management. He said it was unfortunate that the Gujjars were being blamed for destruction of forest wealth when not a single case of poaching or tree-felling had been filed against them so far. Mr Kaushal said the government appeared to be violating world bank conditions that there should not be any involuntary dislocation of forest dwellers from their habitat if it had to fund eco- development projects.(PTI) Tiwari's absence changes equations in U.P. hills Date: 27-01-1998 :: Pg: 15 :: Col: e By Our Special Correspondent LUCKNOW: With Mrs. Ila Pant, wife of the former Union Minister, Mr. K. C. Pant, of the Congress(I) joining the BJP and being fielded in the prestigious Nainital seat represented by the Congress(I) leader, Mr. N. D. Tiwari earlier, the saffron party may find it easier to win it, particularly since Mr. Tiwari is disinclined to contest and keen on devoting his time as the PCC(I) chief to manage the party's campaign in Uttar Pradesh. A political light-weight, Mr. Balraj Pasi, had defeated Mr. Tiwari in Nainital in 1991, riding the saffron wave. But, Mr. Tiwari, who as Chief Minister and Union Minister, had nursed the constituency well, trounced his rival by a comfortable margin in 1996. Mrs. Pant, who had campaigned for the BJP in the last poll in New Delhi, is the daughter-in-law of U.P.'s first Chief Minister, Govind Ballabh Pant. Mr. Tiwari, who was associated with the socialist movement, was Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly when G. B. Pant was the Chief Minister, Mr. Tiwari and the Pant family did not hit it off. Mr. Tiwari joined the Congress after the demise of G. B. Pant. The distance between the two families, however, remained. The BJP would seek to cash in on the legacy of G. B. Pant. The BJP had won all the four Lok Sabha seats in the hills in 1991. But in the 1996 poll it lost the Nainital and Tehri Garhwal seats to the Congress (Tiwari). Tehri Garhwal returned Mr. Satpal Maharaj, then protege of Mr. Tiwari. Mr. Maharaj, who was made a Minister of State in the U.F. Government, had refused to resign his office or rejoin the Congress(I) along with his mentor. The BJP, which has fielded Maj. General B. S. Khanduri (retd), is poised to give a tough fight to him. Mr. Maharaj's image has taken a beating as he stuck on to office. The BJP had won all but two Assembly seats in the hills in the 1996 poll. The Samajwadi Party does not figure in the region, in the absence of Muslim or OBC population in sizable percentage. The same holds true for the Bahujan Samaj Party. The only party that can put up a challenge to the BJP is the Congress(I). Over the years, the Ayodhya issue and support to the demand for a separate hill state has given the BJP enough clout. On coming to power in 1991, the BJP had got a resolution passed in the Assembly, recommending to the Centre setting up of a separate Uttaranchal State comprising the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions. The failure of the U.F. Government to form a separate hill State, despite the repeated assurances by the then Prime Minister, Mr. Deve Gowda, only helped the BJP. The Congress(I) which had opposed this demand all along, was also being accused of betrayal of the cause of the hill people. Now, the BJP is telling the people that a separate State will come about only if it comes to power at the Centre and this line seems to be selling. The BJP made a clean sweep of all the four seats from the Local Bodies constituencies to the Legislative Council held on January 11. Never in the past have as many as four persons from the hills been included in the State Ministry. This added importance accorded to the region by the Kalyan Singh Government will sharpen the cutting edge of the BJP in its campaign. BJP, Cong are main rivals in UP hills The Times of India News Service (Jan. 30, 1998) DEHRA DUN: With the last date for nominations having ended on Wednesday, the battle lines seem drawn in the four Uttarakhand parliamentary constituencies. Apart from the BJP and Congress, candidates from the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party are in the fray. There are alsoothers with less well-known political identities. The main battle in three of the constituencies is likely to be between BJP and Congress. These are: Pauri Garhwal, Nainital and Almora. The Congress candidate in Tehri may not be able to give a serious fight to the BJP. At Nainital, N.D. Tiwari, UP Congress president, will be facing the BJP's Ila Pant, wife of former Union minister K.C. Pant. Harish Rawat, Cong Seva Dal vice-president will be pitted against sitting BJP MP, Bachhi Singh Rawat, in Almora. At Pauri, Vijay Bahuguna, son of the late H.N. Bahuguna and a former judge of the Bombay High Court, is fighting his first cousin and BJP MP, B.C. Khanduri. In Tehri, Hira Singh Bisht, a lesser known Congress leader is being fielded against the erstwhile maharaja of Tehri and sitting BJP MP Manvendra Shah. The nomination of Ms Pant at Nainital has caused among party workers, according to a TOINS report from Bareilly. ``Ms Pant has no idea of regional problems as she was never associated with the hill people,'' the workers told a panel sent by the BJP central leadership to pacify them. State minister for Uttarakhand development, Bansidhar Bhagat, who was part of the panel, tried to soothe the workers by increasing the quota for development in the UP hills. But the resentment simmers. The other well-known candidates in Uttarakhand, include the present Union minister of state for finance Satpal Maharaj, from Pauri. The last time he had fought on the Congresss(Tiwari) ticket and won. He was then given a ministerial berth in the United Front government. Mr Maharaj, however, refused to rejoin the Congress along with Mr Tiwari and the others. He recently launched his own party, the Congress(S), and is contesting as its president. Nav Prabhat, MLC and son of former Congress leader Brahm Dutt, is contesting from Tehri on the BSP ticket along with Gen S.R. Bahuguna who is contesting an election for the first time as an ex- servicemen's candidate. The Samajwadi Party MLA from Chakrata, Munna Singh Chauhan, also filed his nomination from Tehri as the United front candidate. In Almora, Jeevan Sharma, a former BJP MP is contesting on the BSP ticket. There are fewer than two per cent dalits in the 65 lakh population. Steps taken for fair elections in Doon January 31, 1998 - UNI DEHRA DUN: All steps are being taken to create an atmosphere conducive to holding free, fair and peaceful elections in the Doon valley next month. According to Mr Gian Singh, DIG (Garhwal Range), who has recently taken charge, the police headquarters of the Garhwal range had received special instructions from the Government in this regard. The main thrust is on ensuring that no law and order problems occurred during the elections in the valley, Mr Singh said. For this, the police will identify sensitive polling stations and take appropriate action. ``Gram Suraksha Samitis'' are being activated throughout the Garhwal region to identify beforehand people likely to cause law and order problems, he added. Legal action would be taken by these samitis against people likely to create trouble during the elections, Mr Singh said. Special steps are being taken by the police in the Garhwal region keeping in mind the Kumbh Mela being held at Hardwar even while the elections would be conducted, he added. The DIG, who has come here after a commendable performance in Punjab where he was actively involved in the elimination of militancy, said preventive measures would be taken against anti- social elements and all political parties would be taken into confidence by the police. Patrolling would be intensified in sensitive areas, he added. Quoting statistics from the various districts of the Garhwal region, the DIG said there had been a decline in the crime rate. There are 7,41,760 voters in Dehra Dun district. Pools in the district are to held on February 22 next. Seventy nine polling booths in the district have been earmarked as hypersensitive and 99 as sensitive.