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| Thousands stranded in Chamoli (October 31, 1998)
Onset of winter brings large number of tourists (October 28, 1998) Majority of Udham Singh Nagar panchayat chiefs don't want inclusion in Uttarakhand (October 23, 1998) 41 killed in landslips in UP hills (October 23, 1998) Book reflects concern over rape of Gangotri's environment (October 22, 1998) UP hills get restive again; protests, bandhs held (October 21, 1998) Several ITBP jawans stranded in Garhwal (October 21, 1998) Civilisation takes its toll of Naini Tal (October 19, 1998) Rafting on Alaknanda upsets environmentalists (October 19, 1998) Experts call for immediate action for conservation (October 18, 1998) Season's first snowfall in Garhwal (October 17, 1998) Signature campaign launched by SATYA to save wildlife (October 17, 1998) Jim Corbett's famous classic in Hindi (October 14, 1998) Animal sacrifice continues in Kumaon (October 13, 1998) No volte face by Kalyan on Udham Singh Nagar (October 12, 1998) Rawat opposed to panel on US Nagar (October 10, 1998) Himalayan town hosts mountain environment symposium (October 10, 1998) Rare Siberian Tigers major attraction at Nainital Zoo (October 10, 1998) Fernandes to head panel on Udham Singh Nagar (October 8, 1998) Akalis defer decision on Udham Singh Nagar (October 7, 1998) The economics of the Terai (October 7, 1998) Uttaranchal BJP defiant (October 6, 1998) Delhi BJP in no-win situation (October 6, 1998) Uttaranchal unit of BJP sticks to its stand on Udham Singh Nagar issue (October 5, 1998) Sonia admits Uttarakhand BSP into fold (October 4, 1998) US Nagar: Cong for inclusion in Uttaranchal, says Khurshid (October 4, 1998) Uttarakhand women's appeal to President (October 3, 1998) Uttarakhand women seek action against policemen (October 3, 1998) BSP expels five members from Garhwal region (October 3, 1998) Akali threat may force BJP to reconsider merger of Udham Singh Nagar in Uttaranchal (October 3, 1998) Next war will be fought for water: Bahuguna (October 3, 1998) Uttarakhand another problem area for BJP (October 2, 1998) Uttaranchal creation may hit Uttar Pradesh tourism (October 2, 1998) 3 jumbos run over by train (October 2, 1998) Leopard gets trapped in kitchen (October 2, 1998) This minister doesn't forget his old role (October 1, 1998) |
Thousands stranded in Chamoli
The Times of India News Service - Saturday 31 October 1998 DEHRA DUN: At least 2,500 Bhutia people have been stranded due to snow and road blockades in some 25 villages in the Niti valley region of Chamoli district for the past fortnight. IAF helicopters dropped 88 quintals of rice and 45 quintals of dal along with other items two days back and more air-drops are likely on Saturday, divisional commissioner V M Vora said here on Friday. The stranded villagers usually come down to the lower attitudes before the onset of winter, but the unseasonal heavy snowfall this time took them unawares. ``No casuality has been reported so far, though some people were reported sick,'' Mr Vora said. Some days back, 41 people, including 10 Indo-Tibetan men, had died in avalanches and other incidents in the high-altitude regions of Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts. Some scientists in the sub- Himalyan region had to be airlifted out.
Onset of winter brings large number of tourists UNI - Wednesday, October 28 1998 DEHRA DUN: The Doon Valley, which experiences extremely pleasant weather conditions in October and November, attracts a large number of visitors from West Bengal, Delhi and the southern States during these months. Beginning from the Durga Pooja holidays, a constant stream of tourists and nature lovers flow into the valley as well as Mussoorie, `The Queen of Hills', to savour the beauty of the winter before the days of intolerable cold set in Diwali festivities including carnivals, fairs, crafts bazars and musical evenings set the tone for the winter tourist season in this region. Huge tourist coaches from several parts of the country can be seen crowding the narrow roads of the Doon as well as Mussoorie, causing great inconvenience to the locals as well as the visitors as there is no organised parking system, especially in Mussoorie. As the debate between advocates of ``development'' and those of environment conservation goes on, Mussoorie is fast becoming like any small town in the plains, constantly losing its natural splendour and unpolluted environs. But while conservationists regret the growing tourist traffic in the hills, hoteliers and other traders in Mussoorie and Doon have never been more satisfied. The recent spell of government holidays brought an unprecedented rush of tourists from Delhi and Punjab leading to hundred per cent occupancy in all hotels. Founder's days of the Doon School, Welham Boys' School and Welham Girls' High School, all of which fall in the month of October, add to the air of festivity in the valley. Celebrities who arrive here to attend these functions lend a sparkle to the Diwali celebrations of the Doonites. Parents of students of these schools from a large majority of the visitors occupying the valley's hotels. Cultural functions organised by the Dehra Dun Chapter of the SPIC MACAY and various theatre groups of the region are other highlights which the Doon Valley offers to the tourists looking for a change from the rush of life in the metropolitan cities. The well-known gardens of this Charming Valley begin to bloom with a variety of winter flowers and many a visitor who ventures to walk into the sprawling lawns of the ``circuit house'' is taken by surprise at the verdant splendour. These gardens seem to have retained the spirit of beauty which had endeared this place to the hearts of Pt. Nehru and Mrs Indira Gandhi. With the Indian Military Academy (IMA) having now been made a part of the tourist circuit of Doon, an increasing number of visitors have been coming to the academy to see the famous `Chetwode museum'' as well as the entire campus of this prestigious military training institution.
Majority of Udham Singh Nagar panchayat chiefs don't want inclusion in Uttarakhand By K K Sharma Business Times Bureau - Tuesday 27 October 1998 UDHAM SINGH NAGAR: About 84 per cent of the elected members and chiefs of the 336-odd gram panchayats of district Udham Singh Nagar have expressed desire for non-inclusion of their district in the proposed Uttarakhand state. They have urged the Centre to take all facts into consideration, examine them minutely and avoid any hasty decision in this matter. Residents of this district, while honouring the aspirations of the people of the hilly region, do agree to the original southern boundary of separating the mountain region from the plains as fixed in 1905. This is also cogent with the principle adopted by the Union government in fixing the boundaries of Himachal Pradesh 405 metres above sea level. As per this principle, the district Udham Singh Nagar, which is less than 215 metres above sea level, has to be clubbed with the plains of Uttar Pradesh. When contacted, A R Talwar, president of Janpad Udham Singh Nagar Raksha Samiti, mentioned that Haridwar district, which was till recently a part of district Dehradun and is a semi-hilly tract, has to be excluded from the proposed Uttarakhand state only because of the vehement opposition of its residents against inclusion in Uttarakhand. Thus, it seems quite strange that district Udham Singh Nagar, which is entirely in the plains, is proposed to be a part of Uttarakhand against the wishes of its population. Before 1950, the then administration tried several times to rehabilitate the residents of hilly districts of Kumaon in the plains, which is now Udham Singh Nagar, after providing them lucrative incentives. But every time, our brothers from hills retreated back to their homes in the hills, A P Rastogi, secretary general of the Samiti, said. What is more, the present residents of this district have made this area habitable and prosperous in agriculture, industry and commerce after facing the vagaries of nature and fierce wild animals for about half a century, Mr Rastogi remarked. A cross-section of residents of Kashipur town, interviewed by this correspondent, argued that before separating any part of any existing state to form a new state, it is essential for and incumbent upon the authorities concerned to see that there is cultural, geographical, historical, linguistic, social and administrative affinity amongst the constituent units, and the proposed new state is culturally unlike and dissimilar from the original state from which is it being separated. With the solitary exception of this district, there is a definite cultural affinity amongst the people of all the eight hilly districts of the proposed state. Living habits, customs, social manners, festivals, art and literature of the people of these eight districts are amazingly similar, but markedly different from that of the rest of UP. The panorama of Udham Singh Nagar district presents an entirely different picture, comprises a mixed culture, composed of the aboriginal Tharus and Bauxas, Sikhs and Punjabis, Haryanavis and Bengali refugees and a vast number of people who migrated from eastern UP and Rohilkhand division, which are akin to the rest of UP. Residents of Khatema town mentioned that on August 28, 1996, in a public meeting in Kashipur town, the then Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda made a public declaration that while carving the new state the new wisdom of local people shall not be ignored and their opinion and interests shall be taken into consideration. If the government is still keen to split UP into small states, a viable state of ``Greater Uttaranchal'' may be carved out consisting of the divisions of Kumaon, Garhwal, Moradabad and Bareilly and districts of Haridwar, Saharanpur and Lakhmipur Kheri, which is close to the Himalayas, residents of Jaspur town suggested. Talking to The Times of India, residents of Rudrapur made it clear that the residents of Udham Singh Nagar district bear no grudge against the those living in the hilly region and have, therefore, absolutely no objection if they form themselves into a separate state. Their only submission is that Udham Singh Nagar should not be included in it, but left as it is with Uttar Pradesh. If proper investigation is done, it will be found that the demand of for Uttarkhand as a separate state is a manipulated war cry of a few political vested interests. While the dalits and backward classes of Kumaon and Garhwal have always been against the formation of Uttarkhand as a separate state because of the inhuman treatment meted out to them by the upper classes. The public in general has never been in favour of such a state, both Mr Talwar and Mr Rastogi alleged.
41 killed in landslips in UP hills The Times of India News Service - Friday 23 October 1998 DEHRA DUN:Some 41 persons are said to have been killed due to extreme cold conditions, heavy snowfall and avalanches in the higher reaches of two districts of Uttarkashi and Chamoli last week, according to reports here. Ten more Public Works Department (PWD) road construction labourers were reportedly trapped by an avalanche last week on October 16 near Malari on the Joshimath frontier. Earlier, 15 Border Road Organisation(BRO) workers were killed in similar circumstances at the same place on the same day, according to an unconfirmed report here on Thursday. Besides, some eight Indo- Tibetan Border Policemen, who had gone to save the labourers, also met the same fate near the same place a day later. On Wednesday, four trekkers from West Bengal were killed at Kotma while on their way back from Kedarnath. Heavy snowfall and severe cold in the higher reaches of the central Himalayan region caused these deaths. A team of nine stranded Russians and two Indians besides two scientists of the Wadia Institute of Himlayan Geology(WIHG) were rescued by helicopters on Wednesday. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police helicopter also recovered eight bodies of the ITBP jawans besides lifting some injured labourers for hospitalisation. Some reports said incessant rains and snowfall last week have blocked the roads at many places and disrupted normal life. Sudden change in weather conditions, meanwhile, has brought down temperature substantially.
Book reflects concern over rape of Gangotri's environment UNI - October 22, 1998 There is an increasing pressure on the environment of the 'Gangotri Dham' in the absence of guidelines to accommodate the growing pilgrim traffic in conformity with the Himalayan ecosystem. This has been highlighted in Gangotri Dham Victimised, a book written by Vipin Kumar who runs the Self-Help Environment Programme, a Mussoorie-based non-government organisation which has been working to keep the famous hill resort free of garbage and reduce the use of polythene bags. Management policies and urban planning techniques need to be completely changed in order to check the increasing contamination through indiscriminate discharge of sewage and non-degradable waste into the Ganga river, says the author while taking a strong stand against the present policies. The 'Save Gangotri' campaign seems to have run out of ideas in the context of waste and its disposal. Gangotri today suffers from a multi-pronged invasion in the form of erosion, and degradable and non-degradable waste. The Gangotri conservation campaign used the idea of installing an incinerator to deal with the menace while incinerators are being gradually phased out even in developed countries, the book points out. The waste from Gangotri must be brought down to the plains where it should be handled by rag-pickers. For this, it is imperative that all transporters responsible for operating tours should be asked to ensure the collection of empty bottles, cans and other non-degradable waste being carried by the passengers. About the worsening water pollution in the Ganga, Kumar says that ironically, the water of the Ganga which was supposed to have magical powers has now itself become a part of the pathological cycle of bacteria and protozoans. Water pollution threatens the livelihood of millions who derive subsistence through fishing, he adds. The gushing sewage water from the septic tank at Uttarkashi which is supposed to have been built as a solution to prevent Ganga waters from contamination, has itself become a major polluter. ''In the inhospitable conditions of the Himalayas, the use of traditional cascading technology for the treatment of waste waters would have proved far more effective than the short-cut solutions resorted to by the Jal Sansthan,'' the author says. With increasing population pressure and a substantial rise in the number of tourists visiting Garhwal every year, it is very important to have extremely strict rules against contamination of the Ganga. The 'polluter pays' principle should be adhered to strictly by the local self-governments, the book says. Heightened human activity and construction has increased the incidence of active landslides, mudflows and erosion in general in the fragile Himalayas. The housing system in this region needs to be changed. Structures must be light with minimum possible use of concrete and stone dumping excavated soil into rivers should made a punitive offence and all construction activity must be regulated by the strictest of laws, the author recommends.
UP hills get restive again; protests, bandhs held JOSHIMATH, Oct. 20 (From Harlsh Chandola) A second Uttarakhand movement has broken out here in these hills. Bonfires are being lit of papers containing the 26 amendments adopted by the UP Assembly on the proposed hill State Bill, which whimsically changes the State name to Uttaranchal, deny it ownership of its resources and rob it of its share of assets. Protest strikes and "bandhs" are being observed; public meetings are being held to denounce them and even the BJP hill leaders, to save their face are declaring that they cannot accept them. A volcano of resentment is rumbling because of the bargain the BJP is trying to strike with the Akali Dal to retain its support in the Union Government by conceding its demand to protect the illegal large holdings of Sikh landlords in Udham Singh Nagar district by taking it out of the proposed hill State. It is also hard for the hill people to accept that the gateway to their land, the strip along the Ganga as it comes out into the plains, called the area of festivities ("mela"), be denied to them in the name of keeping Haridwar district out of the new State. Meanwhile, the BJP stock in the hills has sunk to a low ebb, because of their MLAs voting for the hurtful and harmful amendments in the UP Assembly. People here are now asking these MLAs if they wish the proposed State to be born a cripple, with its wealth in the hands of others? Nowhere have the resources of a State been placed in the ownership of another. Uttarakhand resources are only three: forests, soil and water. Its forests have already been robbed to meet the timber needs of UP, Delhi and others, landslides are sending its soil to the plains through the rivers, and water is the only resource left to it, which is being placed in the ownership of UP. The BJP has directed its MLAs to go out and defend the amendments. But those who have tried to do that have run into difficulty, with people asking them to first explain what was more important to them: the interests of their party or of their people? Confronted thus, all they are able to do is to allege that the other parties are responsible for creating the trouble over the amendments. It is true that both the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and the Congress have been able to regain some of their sagging popularity by opposing the unpopular amendments and standing up for the rights of the hill people. These parties which earlier had a good base in the hills are telling the people that the BJP leadership at heart was always against the creation of a separate hill State. Now, unable to stop its coming into being, it was trying to cripple it, by indirectly supporting the exclusion of Udham Singh Nagar district, which was a part of Naini Tal district three years ago and always a vital limb of Uttarakhand. How little does the BJP care for the hill people's interests is shown in the setting up of a high-power committee on the future of the Udham Singh Nagar. It did not include anyone from the hills in that committee, in which it put the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, fighting to keep the district out of the proposed State, and the UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh who had said he would abide by his party decision on the matter, as members. Its chairmanship was given to George Fernandes who has never expressed concern for the hill people. The low point in the BJP popularity became evident when people did not turn up at a public hearing of grievances, or a "Janata darbar", held on Monday by the Minister of State for Hill Development, Matbar Singh Kandari, in Dehra Dun, the largest Uttarakhand city bristling with problems. He sat in the secretariat throughout the day, in vain. Only his BJP partymen turned up to save his face.
Several ITBP jawans stranded in Garhwal The Times of India News Service - Wednesday 21 October 1998 DEHRA DUN: Several ITBP jawans, nine Russians and two scientists of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology are among those stranded in high altitude areas of Badrinath and Joshimath in the Garhwal Himalayas due to heavy snowfall in the region. Efforts on Monday to rescue the Russians from Bhojwasa near Uttarkashi, where they had gone for trekking, went in vain. Meanwhile, an Indo-Tibetan border police helicopter has been dropping rations for the past three days to the stranded jawans. In another development, bodies of eight of the 15 ITBP jawans who were trapped under under an avalanche on Friday are reported to have been rescued. On Monday, a ITBP helicopter rescued some jawans and labourers from the Mana and Malari areas near China border in Chamoli district of Garhwal.
Civilisation takes its toll of Naini Tal Date: 19-10-1998 :: Pg: 15 :: Col: d By K. Kannan (The Hindu) NAINI TAL, Oct. 18. Before the first British description of Naini Tal appeared in the Calcutta Englishman in 1842, the Naini lake in the vicinity of Almora was frequented by the ``puharees'' only on certain occasions. There was certainly no habitation and mountain tourism was virtually unknown then. Almost 157 years later, Naini Tal is saturated. Unplanned growth of the lake city, legal and illegal constructions without any regard for the geography of the hills, increase in population and traffic congestion have all whittled the charm of the Kumaon hills, which inspired hundreds of sages to retire to the mountains to worship and meditate. When Barren gave the first description of Naini Tal, he wrote : ``It would take a month to explore the magnificent scenery around the Naini Tal.'' He himself did explore another lake ``Bhim Tal''. This lake will probably witness in the coming years, the spread of a township around it - to reduce the congestion of men and material in Naini Tal, it is being proposed that all the offices be shifted to the vicinity of this lake. Bhim Tal is today less congested than Naini Tal, but its exploitation has already begun. If it was shifting worship sites for sages in the olden days, shifting cultivation for nomads and cattle grazer in the pastoral agricultural age, it is the concept of ``shifting township'' that is being mooted these days, with industrial development and expediency playing havoc with the environment. The master plan for Naini Tal which has chalked out the development trends of the region between 1995-2011 has a reference to ``Greater Naini Tal''. Bhim Tal, located about 10 km away is also a part of this conception. ``If efforts are not made to reduce the impact of congestion and environmental degradation, it might become too late,'' cautions, Mr. Rajnish Dubey, District Magistrate of Naini Tal. The erosion of the hill area in and around the town has indeed become a cause for serious concern. However, there is no policy of sustainable development of the hill townships and since mountain tourism is accorded top priority, places such as Bhim Tal cannot remain free from habitation for long. Since it has an outlet, the water of the lake appears clean at present. According to an estimate, there were around 60 lakes in the region originally. Reference to the Naini hills is found in the Manas Khand of the Skanda Purana wherein three sages - Angi, Pulasya and Pulah - are said to have passed through the ``Tririshi Sarovar'' and when they felt thirsty, they meditated at the Manasarovar lake. The Naini lake, according to myth, appeared as a result of this penance. Another reference is to the eye of Sati, Shiva's consort, falling in this peak, hence the name Naini. The other lakes in the region also have puranic names - Ram Tal, Bharat Tal, Nauchakiya Tal, Lakshman Tal. Probably there are many more lakes waiting to be discovered. In his first description of Naini Tal, Barren wrote: ``There are a number of other very pretty lakes within ten to twelve miles of Beemtal, but every one of them so inferior to Naini Tal, that on account of my having seen it, I was let off a visit to them''. Today, the situation is different. After seeing Nauchakiya Tal, a nine-sided lake a few kilometres from Bhim Tal, a large number of visitors say they do not want to go back to Naini Tal. If Barren found Naini Tal more beautiful than all the other lakes, a virgin lake like Naukachiya Tal presents a more scenic picture. ``Thousands of tourists visit Naini Tal each year. The maximum number of tourists came to the town in 1989 (7.68 lakhs). On an average, 5.14 lakh tourists visit the town every year. The influx certainly has had adverse effects on the environment of the town and the water quality of the lake,'' says Dr. Udyog Shukla, environmentalist. Mercifully, these statistics do not hold good for places such as Bhim Tal and Naukachiya Tal, at least now. The three lakes are a study in contrast. Naini Tal is dying and cries out for resuscitation, Bhim Tal has already started unfolding its bounties before tourists, while Nauchakiya Tal is still innocent. Obviously, the difference in the status of these lakes emerges from the fact that Naini Tal has been overrun by greed and Bhim Tal is following suit. Nauchakiya Tal keeps its fingers crossed.
Rafting on Alaknanda upsets environmentalists By R.P. Nailwal The Times of India News Service - Monday 19 October 1998 DEHRA DUN: The ever increasing water sport activity along the Alaknanda river upstream of Rishikesh has upset environmentalists. Over the last few years, there has been a sudden spurt in the rafting activity in the area. Several private firms have now come to the area offering rafting expeditions to the water sports enthusiasts. Earlier, only the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam(GMVN), a UP government undertaking was authorised to organise the sport in the ecologically fragile zone. ``We are very careful about the environment dimensions of the sport which involves participation in large groups,'' observed D.L. Shah, deputy general manager of the GMVN, in charge of the sport. Basically, the idea floated by the UP government was to promote adventure sports in the region in order to attract more tourists to the central Himalayan region where tourists usually came only to visit hill stations such as Mussoorie, Nainital, Ranikhet, Pauri, Gopeswar, Almora or Kausani. Pilgrim tourists also came only to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamnotri and some other lesser known pilgrim centres. But with the change of time, a strong need was felt at various tourism-related meetings, such as that of Himalayan Tourism Advisory Board (HIMTAB), that adventure sports must be promoted in the hilly region. Thus, skiing, trekking and river rafting were introduced in the Alaknanda. In fact, totally unspoilt new areas were opened to the tourists. With the increase emphasis on eco-tourism came the latent danger to the fragile eco-system of the region. It was only in the eighties that a serious attempt was made by the Union government under the Forest Conservation Act to check eco degradation. In some cases, the Supreme Court came to the rescue of the region. According to environmentalists and forestry experts, on the one hand, the state government is vigorously pursuing Himalayan watershed management programmes worth millions of dollars for the eco-treatment of the degraded area, on the other, permits are being given to people to enter hitherto unspoilt areas.
Experts call for immediate action for conservation UNI - Sunday, October 18 1998 RISHIKESH: An appropriate strategy for biodiversity conservation in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem requires immediate action at the international, national and local levels, says a paper presented at ``Mountain Meet '98'' held here recently. The paper, titled ``The strategy for biodiversity conservation in the Himalaya'', lays great stress on the issue of habitat conservation to save the specific species as well as the biotic community as a whole. Authored by Dr GS Rajwar, Mr Subodh K Gupta and Mr RV Singh of the Government Post-Graduate College, Rishikesh, it says that the government must take the lead in preparing a policy framework, allocating resources and integrating biodiversity into its planning processes. Important elements of biodiversity conservation include allowing the loss of biodiversity needs, greater understanding about the role of biodiversity in ecosystems and its importance for human existence, says the paper. According to another paper presented at the meet, some of the weeds flourishing in the Himalayas are playing havoc with the ecological balance. The overgrowth of water hyacinth in various Himalayan aquatic systems has resulted in a total drying up of a number of aquatic bodies, says this study authored by Mr Garvesh Kumar and Ms Neeti Rohtagi of the Botanical Survey of India, Dehra Dun. Lantana Camara, Argemone Mexicana and Mikania Micrantha are some of the other weeds which are taking their toll in Himalayan ecology. According to the Botany Department of HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar, Himalayan ecology was suffering greatly in the absence of strict measures to check the heavy exploitation of plant species for industrial use. This applies especially to the medicinal plants in the Garhwal Himalays. Medicinal herbs are regularly exploited by various pharmaceutical companies.
Season's first snowfall in Garhwal PRESS TRUST OF INDIA - Saturday, October 17, 1998 CHAMOLI, Oct 16: The higher reaches of the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttar Pradesh received the season's first snowfall last night, reports reaching here said today. The famous shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath were covered with a thick sheet of snow, reports said, adding temperature has gone down considerably with chilling winds sweeping across the region. The district administration has ordered the employees concerned to ensure no tourist is left stranded at isolated areas, reports added. Copyright (c) 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Signature campaign launched by SATYA to save wildlife UNI - Saturday, October 17 1998 DEHRA DUN: Save Tiger Youth Association (SATYA) has started a signature campaign to save the wildlife, especially tigers, in the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh which is under threat due to a number of factors. The SATYA, based in Pilibhit, requested the Prime Minister to take effective action to protect the reserve. A well-planned practical `action plan' for the reserve is required which cannot be left only to the park authorities, the association has urged. According to the recent issue of `tigerlink', a linkage of concerned people and organisations across the globe to save the tiger, the SATYA feels that the current state of wildlife and forest in Dudhwa is a result of 20-25 years of `mismanagement by the forest department and project tiger.' `Tigerlink' further says that the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) has launched a project in the reserve to study existing tiger habitats around the 490 sq km Dudhwa National Park as well as the human-animal conflict issues around the park. According to the appeal made to the Prime Minister by the SATYA, if stringent and urgent measures to protect the wildlife in Dudhwa were not taken, it would disappear over the next ten years. Meanwhile, wildlife experts conducting studies around the Corbett Tiger Reserve have reported `heavy poaching' in the Kathkinau area, in the oak forests between Talla Kote and Champawat and in the Tanakpur forests and suggested creation of a `Corbett Tiger Reserve Protection Committee'. According to Dr AJT Johnsingh of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and Mr AS Negi, conservator of forests, UP, predators (leopard and tiger) have already suffered a lot due to uncontrolled poaching that has been occurring for several decades. ``On our walk from Selargarh to Talla Kote, a distance of about 32 km, where Corbett shot a total of five man-eating tigers, we did not see a single tiger sign.'' Earlier this year, in April and May, several leopards, a sambhar and spotted deer were reported to have been killed and several other animals injured by vehicles on the newly-widened and metalled 20 km stretch of road running along the periphery of Corbett National Park. The forest department has asked the PWD to lay a series of speedbreakers along the road, particularly at the main points where the animals across to reach the Kosi river on the other side from the park. According to `Tigerlink', it is feared that not only will this road increase the volume and speed of traffic but it will also facilitate poaching during the periods when the park is closed to visitors.
Jim Corbett's famous classic in Hindi UNI - Wednesday, October 14 1998 DEHRA DUN: The thrilling and wonderful world of Jim Corbett will non come alive for Hindi readers with the recent publication of Hindi translation of Corbett's great classic `Man- eaters of Kumaon' in the Doon valley. First published in 1944, the book has had several subsequent editions and has now been brought out in Hindi, titled `Kumaon Ke Narbhakshi', by Doon's `Green Bookshop' to mark the completion of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Corbett Tiger Reserve. Sponsored by the Corbett foundation, a leading non-government organisation battling to save the tiger in India, the translation has been done by Mr Baburam Verma, a retired official of the forest Research institute the original flavour and atmosphere of the book have been retained in the Hindi version with the help of simple language. Jim Corbett's books on man-eating tigers are not only established classics but also almost in a separate literary category by themselves `The temple tiger' and `The man-eating leopard of Rudraprayag' are among other books by Corbett. `Man-eaters of Kumaon' is his best known work and has been used as a text book in schools for the past many decades. This book contains ten fascinating stories of tracking and shooting man-eaters in the Indian Himalaya during the early years of this century. The stories also contain incidental information of flora, fauna and village life of the Kumaon Himalayan region. Readers in the Doon valley and other parts of Garhwal and Kumaon have a special fascination for Corbett literature as most of them recognise the places mentioned by the author. This fact adds a new flavour to their imagination while reading Corbett's stories. In his introduction to these stories, Corbett wrote, `it is a popular fallacy that all man-eaters are old and mangy, the manage being attributed to the excess of salt in human flesh. ``I assert that a diet of human flesh, so far from having an injurious effect on the coat of man-eaters, has quite the opposite effect, for all the man-eaters I have seen have had remarkably fine coats.'' In defence of tigers, corbett writes a tiger's function in the scheme of things is to help maintain the balance in nature and if, on rare occasions when driven by dire necessity, he kills a human being or when his natural food has been ruthlessly exterminated by man he kills two per cent of the cattle he is alleged to have killed, it is not fair that for these acts a whole species should be branded as being cruel and bloodthirsty.''
Animal sacrifice continues in Kumaon Date: 13-10-1998 :: Pg: 11 :: Col: d By K. Kannan (The Hindu) GHORAKHAL(Nainital), Oct. 12. As a serious attempt is being made to dissuade the residents of the Kumaon hill region from slaughtering goats and other animals in temples to appease local deities, the ``sacrificial'' goat continues to be led to the sanctum sanctorum. In the just concluded Navratra, several such animals were sacrificed in various temples in different towns of this region. The Gola Mandir located in this region is witness to the sacrifice of goats any time of the day and this Navratra was no exception. It is purely a matter of belief and, therefore, the District Administration of Nainital finds it difficult to pass a blanket order. Yet over a period of time, people living in towns have stopped the ``abominable'' practice. In rural areas, however, people continue to lead these sacrificial goats to the sanctum sanctorum as this has been the way the ``debt'' of wish fulfilment has been redeemed for thousands of years. The Union Minister for Welfare, Ms. Maneka Gandhi, has taken a serious view of the situation and has asked the District Administration to put an end to this ``cruelty'' meted out to the animals. The District Magistrate, Mr. Rajneesh Dubey, says that he has been told that ``a Public Interest Litigation is coming in the matter''. However, since the practice is ancient and deep-rooted, fighting it is not easy. For example, the hill people believe in a local deity called Gwalla, also known as called Gorlla or Golla. He has a temple in this town which is located 25 km from Nainital. There are Gwalla temples at Champawat and Chitai as well. The story about Gwalla talks of a local king, who, while hunting, sent his servants to look for water. The servants disturbed a woman who was praying. The woman, in a fit of anger, taunted the king that he could not separate two fighting bulls and proceeded to do so herself. The king was very impressed by this deed and he married the woman. When this queen got a son, the other queens who were jealous of her, placed a pumpkin in its place and put the cage containing the child into the river. The child was brought up by a fisherman. When the boy grew up, he took a wooden horse to the river and on being questioned by the queens, he replied that if women could give birth to pumpkins then wooden horses could drink water. When the king heard about this, he punished the guilty queens and crowned the boy, who went on to be known as Gwalla devata. Gwalla devata is revered throughout the Kumaon region and people adore and worship their favourite deity. For any problem in life, Gwalla has the answer. The local priest of the Ghorakhal Gwalla devta Mandir showed an application written to the former in which an aggrieved woman has confessed that she wanted to become an IAS officer and now she does not have a job. So, she has requested Gwalla devta to arrange a job for her. Generation after generation, people in this region have worshipped deities like Gwalla devta. The goats and other animals are sacrificed to this day because they were sacrificed in the ancient past, in the remote past and in the recent past. It was a way of debt redemption for wish fulfilment. ``Even 10 years back, hundreds of goats were sacrificed in this temple. Now it is not that much. But people continue to do so,'' says the local priest. According to him, there is no religious sanction for slaughter of goats in the sanctum sanctorum. ``I tell people that they need not slaughter goats or other animals. Just offering a coconut would do. But they argue that they cannot give up a practice their fathers and forefathers okayed in the past,'' he observes. Since animal sacrifice is a religious practice, it can be fought only religiously. The Arya Samaj, Nainital, has been doing so for the past 100 years with limited success. One of its publications is titled: ``Badruddin Ka Bakra Bola: Bapu Ki Bakri Pyari Kyon Mari?''. The booklet contains a large number of articles, the combined thrust of which is the sanctity of human life and the immortality of the human spirit, which is found in all creatures. The booklet carries extracts from a conversation between Shiv and Sati in the Padma Purana, views of Gautama Buddha on compassion, Jesus Christ's humane approach and an article ``Badruddin Ka Bakra Bol Uta'' in which the goat says that it was a human being in its previous birth and since he sacrificed a goat in the temple then, he had to be reborn as a goat. ``Do not slaughter me, otherwise you will also be reborn as goat,'' the ``Bakra'' tells its slaughterer. Thus, even as the Kumaon region continues to embrace the new ideas and beliefs of a changing India, the assault of the old from the stored memories of yesteryears continues. The fight is tough and is beyond the purview of a few dictates from the top though it might certainly help. However, there is a lot of talk about this practice - at least in the towns, and many have indeed changed.
No volte face by Kalyan on Udham Singh Nagar By Smita Gupta The Times of India News Service - Monday 12 October 1998 NEW DELHI: Even after the government set up a three-member committee last week to resolve the controversial Udham Singh Nagar issue, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh who is one of its members is convinced that it should be part of the proposed state of Uttaranchal. For the Akali Dal, whose president Prakash Singh Badal, is also a member of the committee (headed by Union defence minister George Fernandes) there are two reasons for the insistence that Udham Singh Nagar remain part of UP: the fear among the Sikhs in Udham Singh Nagar that they could lose most of their land holdings and also that they would become a vulnerable minority in a Pahari- dominated area. At present, in UP, the land ceiling in different parts of the state varies. For instance, in the hills it is three-and-a-half acre, while in Udham Singh Nagar which is in the plains, though it was till fairly recently part of Nainital district, it is 18 acre. Of course, officials point out even this 12 per cent is not strictly observed, with families getting round even this by getting land holdings registered under benami names. Since the land ceiling is decided by the state government, the Sikhs are concerned that in a new state they might be subjected to the three-and-a-half-acre ceiling, and, being a minority, they would not be able to prevent it either. Arising from the land issue, and the fact that the Sikhs here are a generally prosperous lot, there is anxiety that they might also attract the wrath of the majority here who are comparatively poor. Additionally, Kalyan Singh's decision to keep Hardwar in UP has already annoyed his partymen in the hill districts. He does not wish to enrage them further by being seen to accede to the Akali demand to retain Udham Singh Nagar in UP as the BJP MLAs from the hills want to keep it in the proposed state of Uttaranchal. (Hardwar was listed as part of the new state in the Bill drafted by the Centre but was excluded when the Bill was passed by the UP assembly, following pressure by the 41 MLAs of the Janatantrik Bahujan Samaj Party and the Loktantrik Congress, who are partners in the BJP-led government there.) Apart from the problems relating to Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar, it is clear that the dispensation in Lucknow is determined to continue controlling the new state, something that has angered local BJP MLAs as well as those who have been fighting for many years for statehood for the region. For instance, when the Uttar Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 1998, was passed in UP assembly, the 26 amendments included that ongoing power projects in the area should remain under Lucknow's control; and development of water resources for any purpose should be done by the new state in consultation with Lucknow. Kalyan Singh maintains that these amendments were not brought about with the intention of curbing the decision-making capacity of the proposed new state's administration and denies charges that have been made against him that he wants to reduce the powers of Uttaranchal to that of a autonomous state council. Whatever Mr Singh's motives, the impression that has gained ground in the hill districts is that the area is being given short shrift, say political sources. In the long term, this could affect the BJP's political future in Uttaranchal, if such an impression lingers on. BJP sources say the party was keen to carve out Uttaranchal because it has become a political force in the area. It holds all five parliamentary seats here as well as 17 of the 19 assembly seats. The reasoning, therefore, was that if a new state could be created, this upper caste enclave - as over 95 per cent of the population are upper caste here - could become a permanent BJP stronghold. For years, this area has been under the control of the Congress, and when the National Front came to power, the Janata Dal swept to power here. But the withering away of the Congress in UP, combined with the BJP exploiting the anti-Mandal sentiment in the hills, saw the BJP striking roots here. Local BJP activists fear if the party does not play its cards well, the creation of Uttaranchal may not help it the way it had been led to believe.
Rawat opposed to panel on US Nagar Tribune News Service NEW DELHI, Oct 10: Former Congress MP, Mr Harish Rawat, who hails from the hills of Uttar Pradesh, today opposed the George Fernandes headed three-member panel formed to go into the issue of Udham Singh Nagar district. In a statement issued here Mr Rawat, who is also former vice-president of Congress Seva Dal, said the move was a conspiracy to suppress the demand for a separate Uttarakhand state and said he was opposed to the district's exclusion. Stating that Udham Singh Nagar district was an integral part of the proposed state, Mr Rawat said the formation of the panel by the Centre was to save the Vajpayee government. Mr Rawat said the Fernandes panel violated Article 3 of the Indian Constitution and wanted to know under which provision can a Chief Minister other than one whose States boundaries are affected have a say in such a matter. Mr Rawat said the Shiromani Akali Dal argument on the issue would spread hatred and hurt the sentiments of the people of Uttarakhand.
Himalayan town hosts mountain environment symposium UNI - Saturday, October 10 1998 RISHIKESH: Environment experts from India and abroad have stressed the urgent need to adopt a ``balanced and futuristic'' approach to bring about integrated development of the ecologically fragile Himalayan region. During the four-day international symposium on ``Environmental management in mountainous regions'' which concluded here recently, participants discussed ways and means to preserve the unique Himalayan ecosystem. The symposium, which concluded on Wednesday, reviewed most of the important issues that the mountainous regions face today and attempted to Synthesise the scientific knowledge, experience of social workers and aspirations of the people for better management of natural resources of the region. ``Mountain Meet '98'', organised by the Government Post-Graduate College, Rishikesh, assumed great significance due to the calamity that befell Ukhimath (Rudraprayag) and Malpa (Pithoragarh) in August following incessant heavy rain in the Garhwal and Kumaon Himalayan region. Themes taken up during the technical sessions at the meet were ``Biodiversity: Sustainable utilisation and conservation,'' ``Ecology, management and development of forest resources,'' ``Environmental monitoring through GIS/remote sensing,'' ``disasters: earthquakes, landslides, forest fire, etc.'' and ``mass awareness and community action: role of NGOs.'' The meet was inaugurated by Mr SS Singh, director, higher education, Uttar Pradesh academicians from universities in India and abroad participated in the symposium besides scientists from BHEL, CSIR, Tehri Hydro-Development Corporation and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd. Participants emphasised the need for applied research at universities and strategic research at institutes for holistic and integrated development of mountainous regions. Great stress was laid on the conservation of high altitude medicinal plants and herbs. Co-organisers and sponsors of the symposium were Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, CSIR, ONGC Ltd, Directorate of Higher Education, Uttar Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh Council of Science and Technology, Lucknow, University Grants Commission, Tehri Hydro-Development Corporation Ltd., and Environment Monitoring Society, Delhi. Chief patron of the meet was Mr SS Singh, director, Higher Education, Uttar Pradesh while the patron was Dr Subodh Kumar Gupta, principal, Government PG College, Rishikesh. The symposium was chaired by Dr GS Rajwar, head of the Botany Department in the PG College, Rishikesh. Dr Aravind Kumar Jaiswal was the organising secretary for the ``Mountain Meet '98'' which was held to mark the Silver Jubilee of the Government Post-Graduate College, Rishikesh.
Rare Siberian Tigers major attraction at Nainital Zoo ANI - Saturday, October 10 1998 NAINITAL: A high altitude zoo set up by wildlife authorities in the hill resort of Nainital in Uttar Pradesh is attracting hundreds of visitors. Situated at 7,000 feet above the sea level, the zoo boasts of two Siberian tigers, its prized possession. Though both the tigers, which were brought from a zoo in Darjeeling, male, the authorities are negotiating with other zoological parks for an exchange programme for breeding. Spread over 2,700 hectares, the zoo also has leopards, Tibetan wolves and black beer. ``Being a rare species, the Siberian tigers are the main attraction of this zoo. Earlier the tigers were kept in Darjeeling zoo but not many people were able to see them. Now many people come here because of Nainital being closer to Delhi'', said CM Kaul, a wildlife official. The zoo authorities say the main aim of the zoo is to preserve and protect the rare species. ``We are trying to bring in other high altitude animals like Snow Leopards, Red Pandas and Musk Deer etc, so as to help preserve these animals and to make use of this zoo as an important breeding place'', said Vishnu Singh, zoo caretaker. The State Government plans to invest Rs 2.5 million to start preservation schemes for endangered species.
Fernandes to head panel on Udham Singh Nagar Date: 08-10-1998 :: Pg: 01 :: Col: a By Our Special Correspondent (The Hindu) NEW DELHI, Oct. 7. The threat of withdrawal of support to the Vajpayee Government by the Akali Dal receded today with the issue of inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar district in the proposed new state of Uttaranchal being shelved till after the November 25 Assembly elections in four States. After a two-hour-long discussion between the Prime Minister and top Akali leaders here this evening, it was decided to set up a three-man committee chaired by the Union Defence Minister and Samata Party leader, Mr. George Fernandes, to go into the question in depth and report back to the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, before the start of the winter session of Parliament on November 30. The other two members of the committee will be the Chief Ministers of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Prakash Singh Badal (Akali Dal) and Mr. Kalyan Singh (BJP). By afternoon it became clear that it would be difficult to resolve the prickly issue with the BJP and the Akali Dal having taken opposing postures in public. The Akali Dal was adamant and the BJP was unwilling to concede its demand, especially at this stage when the party will be fighting the Assembly polls with its back to the wall. Any backtracking by the BJP could prove costly in the electoral battle ahead for there is a sizeable presence in Delhi of people from the hill region of Uttar Pradesh. The meeting at the Prime Minister's house was attended by three top Akali leaders - Mr. Badal, Mr. G.S.Tohra, Chief of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, and Mr. S. S. Barnala, Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers. On the other side, besides the Prime Minister, the Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, and the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr. Madan lal Khurana, were present. Mr. Kalyan Singh was also summoned by the Prime Minister and he joined the talks soon after they began. Much later, Mr. Fernandes joined the group. Immediately before the meeting, Mr. Khurana, chief architect of the BJP-Akali Dal alliance, met the three Akali leaders at Kapurthala House, where Mr. Badal is staying. Apparently, the idea of setting up the committee was hammered out here. It was felt that it was not in the political interests of either the Akali Dal or the BJP to queer the pitch further at this juncture. The Akalis are keen to get some seats in Delhi and Rajasthan in the coming elections and the BJP needs the Akali support desperately at the Centre. It is learnt that other issues such as transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab and the waiver of loans to the State did not figure at today's meeting. And as for the Union Cabinet expansion - the Akalis expect to get one more Cabinet berth - the discussion will take place separately tomorrow. At the end of the meeting at the Prime Minister's residence, Mr. Khurana said the three-man committee had been set up ``to hold deliberations with all concerned and arrive at an agreed solution as to whether Udham Singh Nagar district (should) be part of the new proposed State or remain in Uttar Pradesh''. He said the committee had been asked to submit its report to the Prime Minister before the start of the winter session of Parliament. Senior BJP leaders are now openly admitting that the party invited trouble for itself when the Centre first decided that Haridwar should go to Uttaranchal and then did a somersault when the Uttar Pradesh Assembly decided to keep Haridwar in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP had no leg to stand on as it seemed to be changing the contours of the proposed State at will in its own political interest but was not willing to consider the demand of its ally, the Akali Dal. In fact, one senior leader said that if the State Assembly had not changed the Centre's decision the Akalis would not have raised the Udham Singh Nagar issue afresh so forcefully. Internal squabbles within the Akali Dal are also being cited as a reason for the issue.
Akalis defer decision on Udham Singh Nagar The Times of India News Service - Wednesday 7 October 1998 CHANDIGARH: The Akali Dal on Tuesday deferred a final decision on withdrawal of support to the BJP-led Union government in view of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's invitation for talks on Wednesday in New Delhi. Briefing reporters after a three- hour working committee meeting here, party president and Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal said it did not discuss the issue of Udham Singh Nagar. He said that he along with Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Union minister for food Surjit Singh Barnala would meet Mr.Vajpayee and hoped that the issue would be resolved. The working committee would meet again at Chandigarh to discuss the issue. The final decision would depend on the the outcome of the talks with the Prime Minister, he added. Asked if the party would also raise other issues during the talks, Mr Tohra said they would concentrate on the contentious issue of Udham Singh Nagar though other issues, including the sharing of seats in the ensuing November assembly polls in Delhi and Rajasthan, were also significant for the party. Mr Tohra said there was no question of any ``package'', ``deal'' or ``bargain'' on Udham Singh Nagar. Asked if the BJP leadership had given any assurance on Udham Singh Nagar, Mr Tohra quipped: ``We have only received an invitation and not any signal or assurance.'' Though Mr Badal refrained from fixing a deadline for resolving the issue, Mr Tohra asserted that the party could not permit the issue to linger. The party was anxious to settle it before the November assembly elections. However, both leaders clarified that the party would stick to the earlier decision of the party's political affairs committee to withdraw support if the Centre introduced a Bill for the creation of Uttaranchal in its present form. Ajay Bharadwaj adds from Amritsar: Akali Dal sources here say that the cold war between Mr Tohra and Mr Badal may intensify. The sources say the chief minister has not been ``very comfortable'' with Mr Tohra's remarks against the Vajpayee government on Udham Singh Nagar. They say that Mr Tohra had been unusually harsh on the Centre, while Mr Badal wants to resolve the matter amicably. Mr Badal's supporters have apparently taken exception to the manner in which Mr Tohra has been seeking to build bridges with leaders like Mulayam Singh Yadav and Harkishen Singh Surjeet, whereas Mr Badal has been trying to solicit support of the coalition partners only to press his point of view. Senior Akali leaders, speaking on terms of anonymity, recall Mr Tohra's recent statement in which he reportedly compared Mr Vajpayee with Indira Gandhi vis-a-vis Punjab's demands. Differences between Mr Badal and Mr Tohra also came out into the open recently when the SGPC president differed with the chief minister on the formation of the People's Commission. While Mr Badal had maintained that there was no need for a such commission to be set up by human rights organisations, Mr Tohra argued in favour of it, much to the chagrin of the Akali-BJP coalition. The Akali Dal sources also cite the instance of Mr Tohra meeting Mr Vajpayee in August last to present a charter of demands on problems facing the state, particularly the Sikhs. They say it was a political move by Mr Tohra to project himself as ``fighter for the Sikh cause''.
Date: 07-10-1998 :: Pg: 15 :: Col: a By Our Staff Correspondent (The Hindu) CHANDIGARH, Oct. 6. The Terai is one of the most prosperous regions of Uttar Pradesh. The districts of Udham Singh Nagar (formerly known as Rudarpur), Pilibhit and Lakhimpur Khari comprise the Terai. The economy is based on agriculture, with the intensive cultivation practices similar to that followed in Punjab and backed by a sizeable agro- based industry in the form of sugar, rice and flour mills all over the region. The Terai was a jungle and marsh when the nation gained freedom in 1947. The Union Government and the then United Provinces Chief Minister, G.B. Pant, invited the robust Sikh farmers, displaced from what is now Pakistan, to cultivate the land. The toil of the settlers, who, apart from Sikhs, included Haryanvis and Bengalis, totally changed the complexion of the area. For the Shiromani Akali Dal, which not only shares power with the BJP at the Centre but also in Punjab, the Terai has always been of interest. The region houses a historic shrine, Nanak Matta, which is related to a visit of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak. Apart from this, the affluence of the region has always been a support for the Akalis, who fondly refer to it as their ``private bank''. Large amounts of election funds for the Akalis are provided by the landlords and agri-entrepreneurs of the region. Till recently, the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, also owned a sprawling farm in Bajpur. Udham Singh Nagar district, source of discord between the Akalis and the BJP, houses a large number of flour and sugar mills, the raw material of which is provided by the other districts. The Akalis who are opposed to its inclusion in the proposed State of Uttaranchal, argue that the separation of Udham Singh Nagar from the rest of the Terai would spell economic disaster, for this area, as the supply of raw material would be affected by the hurdles posed by the inter-State border. Hence, they have proposed that the Terai, as a unit, be kept either in Uttaranchal or Uttar Pradesh. The Terai region attracted major media attention during the militancy days in Punjab. Following sustained pressure by the security forces, quite a few Khalistani militants had shifted their bases to the Terai. Though they did not indulge in largescale killings in the region, the militants are said to have resorted to rampant collection of ransom to fund their activities in Punjab and elsewhere.
Date: 06-10-1998 :: Pg: 09 :: Col: a By Our Staff Correspondent (The Hindu) DEHRA DUN, Oct. 5. The Uttaranchal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party is in no mood to part with Udham Singh Nagar as sought by the Akali Dal. It is equally sore at the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. Kalyan Singh, for excluding Hardwar from the proposed State despite the Centre including it in the draft Bill for the proposed State. At a meeting presided over by Mr. Bhagat Singh Koshyari, president of the Uttaranchal unit, most MLAs expressed serious concern over the deletion of Hardwar from the proposed State and the Akali Dal threat to pull down the Vajpayee government if Udham Singh Nagar was made part of Uttaranchal. Making a scathing attack on the Akali Dal, Mr. Koshyari wondered why they or anyone else did not protest when resolutions favouring formation of Uttaranchal were passed in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly three times in the past. ``No one except a few big landlords are opposing the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar in Uttaranchal and the Akalis should realise this,'' he said. Mr. Koshyari is equally sore at the Samajwadi Party chief, Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, for opposing Udham Singh Nagar's inclusion in the hill State. ``It was during his term as Chief Minister that the U.P. Assembly passed a resolution favouring creation of Uttarakhand comprising of Garhwal and Kumaon divisions and that included Udham Singh Nagar,'' he said. Most BJP MLAs from the hills (17 out of 19 MLAs from the region belong to the BJP) also hope that the Prime Minister would ignore the recommendations made by the Assembly regarding exclusion of Hardwar and the others related to water, power and natural resources. Politics apart, Udham Singh Nagar carved out of Naini Tal district by Ms. Mayawati a few years ago provides the scarce flat land available for industrial development in the hills. If this area which is also the granary of the region is excluded from Uttaranchal, there will be very little scope for industrialisation or foodgrain production of the new State, said Mr. R. S. Kainthola, an industrial consultant. A number of Uttarakhand Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti (USSS) activists hoped the Prime Minister would pave the way for creation of Uttaranchal by offering legal provisions to safeguard the interests of Udham Singh Nagar landlords. Unlike the BJP, they are not seeking inclusion of Hardwar which they say was arbitrarily included in the proposed State by the BJP leadership at the Centre and dropped by Mr. Kalyan Singh at the instance of its ally Loktantrik Congress. The Congress which is in the process of a revival in the region with several top leaders preferring to either return or join its folds is maintaining a subtle silence over the controversies but is expected to vote in favour of the hill State when the Bill comes up in Parliament. ``We do hope to play a key role in Uttaranchal politics,'' said Mr. Gulab Singh, a former Minister and strongman from Chakrata region. There are strong indications that several local leaders and block pramukhs will be joining the Congress soon. The entry of these leaders who have considerable clout in their respective areas will strengthen the Congress, say observers.
NEW DELHI, Oct 6 (By Arati Bhargava) The Udham Singh Nagar issue has cast a shadow over the Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party's equation with its supporters from the Uttarakhand region living in the Capital and those supporting the Akalis. The Uttaranchal cell of the BJP, Delhi, claims to have a sizeable following among the 10-lakh odd hill people in the Capital. Sources said that if the BJP succumbed to pressure from the Akalis, it may alienate this section. In Delhi, the former residents of the UP hills have a significant influence in 15 out of the 70 Assembly constituencies. Partly owing to the extensive inroads made among this group by various BJP-aligned groups like the Himnad Sangh, the BJP considers them as an important vote bank. Sources said that this section was watching with interest the developments relating to the Udham Singh Nagar controversy. There is considerable apprehension among a section of the Delhi BJP leaders who feel that if the party compromises even partly on the issue, the hill people's vote may swing away from it. The party position vis-a-vis the Akalis is no less precarious. Sources said that although details were yet to be worked out, the Delhi BJP anticipated that the Akalis would want seat adjustment on at least four to five Assembly seats. A senior party leader, however, said the situation was presently fluid as everyone was awaiting the outcome of the Udham Singh Nagar imbroglio. Party sources said that the choice of election symbol for the Akali candidate was likely to surface as a contentious issue. Akali leaders have already announced that in the coming Assembly polls their candidates, regardless of the seat adjustment, would contest on the Akali symbol. The BJP, on the other hand, has maintained that since the Akali candidate would be accommodated with a party ticket by virtue of the party being an ally, the Akali candidate should contest on the BJP symbol. The Sikh vote in the Capital is relatively less than the hill people's. However, the community has a noticeable influence in a dozen odd Assembly constituencies here. Even as uncertainty prevails over this issue, the Delhi BJP has revised its earlier schedule for selection of candidates. According to the Delhi-unit president, the central leaders had stated that the final list of candidates for Assembly elections in Delhi would be announced by Nov. 3. The party has therefore extended its date of finalising the list of candidates to be recommended to the central leadership for tickets till the end of this month. Earlier, the Delhi unit had planned to short-list the names of prospective candidates before Diwali. The party unit has, meanwhile, asked its Uttaranchal cell to step up activities. The cell has been placed under the charge of one of the senior rankers - Virendra Juwal. It had been during his earlier stint at the cell had that the BJP had expanded its base among the Capital's residents who belong to the hill areas.
Uttaranchal unit of BJP sticks to its stand on Udham Singh Nagar issue The Times of India News Service - Monday 5 October 1998 DEHRA DUN: The Uttaranchal unit of the BJP does not seem to be ready to budge an inch from its earlier stand on the issue of inclusion of districts of Udham Singh Nagar or Hardwar in the proposed hill state of Uttaranchal. Party leaders are hopeful that Akalis would ponder over their stand on the Udham Singh Nagar issue once again as much as the Centre would also ignore the state government's decision to keep Hardwar out of the proposed hill state. Some of the BJP leaders met here on Sunday afternoon to hold discussion on the future of new state. The meeting was attended by Uttaranchal unit party chief Bhagat Singh Koshyari. The top leaders of the Uttaranchal appear to be unhappy with the party leadership having yielded to the pressure on the issue of Hardwar, which has been now excluded form the proposed blueprint of the new state. They are also surprised over the Centre's studied silence on the Udham Singh Nagar, which has now become a ```bone of contention between the BJP and the Akalis. Speaking to The Times of India News Service, Mr Koshyari reiterated that there was no scope for any reconciliation on the Udham Singh Nagar district, come what may. ``How can we part away with our land which has been traditionally ours,'' he said, adding:``What is the basis on which the exclusion of the district was being sought. I know even one per cent of the people, excluding some chosen landlords, are not in favour of going out of Uttarakhand''. He expressed surprise that even senior political leaders, such as Harkishen Singh Surjeet of the CPM and Balwant Singh Ramoowalia of the Janata Dal were strongly advocating the exclusion of Udham Singh Nagar, ignoring the historical facts. ``What happened to their ideologies?,'' he asks, adding: ```All seem to have come under one umberella''. Mr Koshyari, however, pointed out that during their discussion with the Akali leaders on the subject sometime ago, they appeared to be quite appreciative of the Uttaranchal BJP leaders point of view. The Akalis were also not prepared to pull down the BJP government on the issue. Uttaranchal BJP chief said, all party leaders and workers in the 12 hill districts along with 17 party MLAs and five MPs were hoping that Udham Singh Nagar would remain with the new hill state and Hardwar would also not be kept out of it. He said that all fears about the proposed amendments in the proposed Uttar Pradesh reorganisation Bill, 1998 were unfounded. The key issue of sharing of water and power fro the existing Hydro- projects'' would be eventually settled in favour of the new state''. He hoped that the Centre would leave no stone unturned in ensuring a fair deal for the poor hill people.
Sonia admits Uttarakhand BSP into fold Vijay Simha (Indian Express, October 4, 1998) NEW DELHI, Oct 3: Reflecting the current plurality in her party, Congress president Sonia Gandhi today admitted virtually the entire Uttarakhand Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) unit into her fold while keeping speculation alive on a possible understanding with Kanshi Ram in Madhya Pradesh. Sonia has thus opened up a new angle to the possibility of a Congress-BSP coming together in the important Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections on November 25, which are seen as a tough task for the ruling Congress. While the BSP's Uttarakhand unit merging into the Congress may not yield immediate results, with both outfits playing second fiddle to the BJP in UP's hills, Congress leaders are hoping it could add to their advantage. For one, it will almost certainly hurt the egos of Kanshi Ram and Mayawati who hate the sight of any of the BSP's UP unit parting ways. In this case, the gainer has been the Congress which sees the BSP as one of the ``casteist forces'' delaying the Congress' revival in UP. However, in the current eraof extreme flux, the BSP and the Congress could still swallow pride and get together. Almost at the same time she took away the BSP's Uttarakhand unit, Sonia cleared the 16-member PEC for Madhya Pradesh with an additional 15 members as special invitees. The list includes all major state Congress leaders with well-voiced pro and anti-BSP views. This is a signal that the Congress is keen to get its show in order in MP with or without the BSP. The Congress-BSP tie-up, whether it comes through or not, is the important story of this round of Assembly elections to four states, the first under Sonia's presidency of the Congress. There is no ostensible reason for the Congress to have an electoral understanding in Rajasthan, Delhi or Mizoram where the political space is fairly polarised between the Congress and the BJP in Delhi and Rajasthan, and Congress and hill parties in Mizoram. And like true politicians, both BSP and Congress leaders are talking in terms of going solo for the coming elections. In any case,the Congress could possibly not cede more than 40 to 50 seats in the 320-member MP Assembly. Even that is very thin at the moment with the BJP casting a huge shadow in MP. In the past, the BJP has pulled off political coups with Kanshi Ram, upsetting the Congress-Samajwadi party apple cart in Uttar Pradesh by forming a joint government. That still hurts the Congress and in the current scenario, where the Sonia group is in command, the BSP will always be a suspicious ally at best. The Congress has already divided MP into four areas with new working PCC presidents for each. Should the party go for an understanding with the BSP, these regional chiefs, Ajit Jogi, Balendu Shukla, Parasram Bharadwaj and Rajmani Patel, will have to cede some seats. At the moment, the majority Congress view is that the BSP's influence is on the wane in MP but that could change as the D-day nears. Most of these views will have to be thrashed out in the PEC itself. Led by MPCC president Urmila Singh, the PEC has, among others,Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, his deputy Subhash Yadav, working PCC chief Dalbir Singh, the four regional PCC chiefs, Arjun Singh, Motilal Vora, S C Shukla, Madhavrao Scindia, Speaker Srinivas Tewari, Kamal Nath, Gufran-e-Azam and Charan Das Mahant, all MPs. The special invitees are V C Shukla, recent returnee to the Congress Arvind Netam, Suresh Pachauri and R K Malaviya, both MPs, Harbans Singh, Jamuna Devi, H Siddiqui, all state ministers, Manju Rai, S C Jain, T S Kheer and heads of frontal bodies. While these people battle on whether to take Kanshi Ram along, the BSP's UP hill leaders were singing paeans to Sonia in the lawns of the AICC headquarters today. Led by the BSP Uttarakhand general secretary, and former UP minister, Harak Singh Rawat, a host of district BSP leaders, 15 block pramukhs, 28 ex-block pramukhs, 154 members of municipal boards, 875 kshetriya samiti members, 1,362 village pradhans and 215 women's dal chiefs. Statistically, this is a lot. The Congress hopes to reap the Political harvest too in the coming weeks. Copyright (c) 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
US Nagar: Cong for inclusion in Uttaranchal, says Khurshid NEW DELHI, Oct. 3 (HT Correspondent) The Congress is in favour of Udham Singh Nagar district to be included in the proposed Uttaranchal State, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Salman Khurshid said today. He told reporters at the AICC headquarters here that the Congress resolutions on this matter were clear. The CWC had on Sept 15 decided to stand by the decision taken by the AICC plenary session of Calcutta in 1997 on the formation of Uttarakhand. "We are in favour of Udham Singh Nagar district being in the Uttarakhand State, which the BJP calls the Uttaranchal State," Mr Khurshid said. Mr Khurshid announced that UP BSP general secretary and former State Minister Harak Singh Rawat had joined the Congress, along with a large number of office-bearers of the BSP's UP unit and the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal. He said the list included 25 block pramukhs, 28 former pramukhs, 154 members of the Municipal Boards and other local bodies, 875 members of the kshetriya samiti, 1362 village pradhans and up-pradhans from the Garhwal division. Mr Rawat said he and others were joining the Congress because they saw in the party greater role for themselves to work for the development of the hilly regions of UP.
Uttarakhand women's appeal to President Date: 03-10-1998 :: Pg: 10 :: Col: d NEW DELHI, Oct. 2. The Uttarakhand Mahila Manch today appealed to the President, Mr. K. R. Narayanan, to intervene to expedite legal action against officials held guilty of assaulting Uttarakhand activists in Muzzafarnagar four years ago. Representatives of various Uttarakhand organisations stayed a demonstration and dharna at Rajghat here to protest against the governmental inaction on this front. In a memorandum to the President, the Manch said that despite the 1996 Allahabad High Court judgment denouncing the assault, the special CBI Magistrate in Muzzafarnagar had absolved the guilty on technical grounds. ``This was the most shameful incident of independent India, when representatives of the Government committed crimes such as rape to curb activists headed for Delhi to a democratic entreaty,'' it said. The Manch appealed to the President to ensure that departmental and legal action is taken against the CBI officials responsible for the delay and negligence in proceeding with the case.
Uttarakhand women seek action against policemen PTI - Saturday 3 October 1998 NEW DELHI: A large number of women from Uttarakhand region on Friday staged a demonstration here demanding expeditious legal action against officials responsible for the 1994 Muzaffarnagar rape incident. The women, under the banner of Uttarakhand Mahila Manch, also demanded departmental and legal action against CBI officials ``responsible for delay, negligence and deriliction'' in proceeding with the case and presenting it before the court. The protesters, who marched from the Supreme Court to Rajghat, also presented memoranda to President K.R. Narayanan and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee listing their demands. A number of women activists from the hill region were brutally assaulted by police personnel on the night of October 1 at Moradabad when they were on way to Delhi to demand creation of a separate state. The Allahabad High Court had taken serious note of the incident saying such instances were only found in medieval accounts, where the victor plunders and mistreats women.(PTI)
BSP expels five members from Garhwal region The Times of India News Service - Saturday 3 October 1998 DEHRA DUN: The Bahujan Samaj Party is reported to have expelled five of its prominent members of the Garhwal region from the party for alleged anti-party activities. Those expelled include former BJP MLA Harak Singh Rawat, chief of Pauri unit Jaswant Singh Dhanai and chairman of district Tehri unit Dhani Lal Shah. Mr Rawat had left the BJP just prior to the assembly polls to form the Janata Morcha. He later joined the BSP. He was responsible for organising four big BSP rallies in the Uttarakhand region, two in Garhwal and two in Kumoun. Mr Rawat, however, lost his deposit in the vidhan parishad polls. He was later made chairman of the state Khadi Gramoudyog board.
Akali threat may force BJP to reconsider merger of Udham Singh Nagar in Uttaranchal George Iype in New Delhi (REDIFF - October 3, 1998) Still striving to come to terms with the setback it received on axing the Bihar government, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition has found itself in the midst of yet another controversy over the creation of the new state of Uttarakhand. With a key ally, the Akali Dal, threatening to withdraw support to the coalition, BJP sources said the only way the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government can wriggle out of the crisis is to avoid discussing and passing the statehood bills in the winter session of Parliament in November. "It would be wise and better for the government to postpone the decision to carve out the controversial states like Uttaranchal and Vananchal as it affects the coalition's survival," a BJP strategist felt. Though Akali leaders have been opposing the inclusion of Udham Singh Nagar district of the Terai region in the proposed Uttarakhand state, the Uttar Pradesh assembly passed the Uttarakhand Bill last fortnight, paving the way for the new state's creation. What angered the Akali Dal is the state BJP government's decision to exclude Hardwar from the proposed state, much to the annoyance of the hill people. While the Kalyan Singh government is beginning to feel the heat for including Udham Singh Nagar and excluding Hardwar in the new state, the Vajpayee government has begun tackling the crisis arising out of the Akali Dal's threat to withdraw support to the coalition over the Uttarakhand issue. In the last few weeks, relations between Chief Minister Kalyan Singh and his allies like the Loktantrik Congress Party, the Jantantrik Bahujan Samaj Party and the Janata Dal (Rajaram) have not been smooth as these allies have protested against what they call is the big brother attitude being adopted by the BJP. Official sources said that Prime Minister Vajpayee and Home Minister Lal Kishinchand Advani will soon meet senior Akali leaders, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee chief Gurcharan Singh Tohra to settle the row amicably. Despite their repeated requests, the Akali leaders say, Vajpayee and Advani have kept mum on the issue, choosing to include Udham Singh Nagar in the proposed hill state of Uttaranchal. BJP vice-president Jai Prakash Mathur said the Vajpayee government has never tried "to overlook and bypass its allies in the past six months." "Therefore, the Akali Dal's demand to exclude Udham Singh Nagar will be discussed in the appropriate party forum and among the government alliance partners," he told Rediff On The NeT. He said it is likely that the prime minister will soon convene a coordination committee meeting of the BJP's partners in an attempt to discuss and debate issues like the creation of new states. "But it is up to the prime minister to decide when the meeting will be called," Mathur added. Many believe the prime minister will convene the meeting soon as the Akali Dal has announced that it is chalking out the formalities of withdrawing support with regional parties like the Dravida Munnetra Kazagham, the Trinamul Congress and the Rashtriya Lok Dal. Most political parties in Punjab argue that the yardstick of reorganising and creating new states on the basis of language, culture and social traditions does not apply in the case of Udham Singh Nagar district as its people have nothing in common with the hill people. Already, nearly 85 per cent of village panchayats in the district have submitted written memoranda to the prime minister and President K R Narayanan opposing the union of Udham Singh Nagar with Uttranchal. While Advani is now negotiating with the Akali leaders to settle the controversial issue, many believe the BJP leadership will now probably reconsider the merger of Udham Singh Nagar in Uttaranchal for political reasons. Some senior BJP leaders have advised the prime minister and home minister to give up merging Udham Singh Nagar with Uttaranchal as it would ruin a party stronghold. They feel that any decision to merge the two will result in hostility to the BJP among the locals. While the BJP leadership is still ambivalent about the Uttaranchal issue, the Vajpayee government is also facing stiff opposition from Laloo Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal to carve out a Vananchal state from Bihar.
Next war will be fought for water: Bahuguna UNI - Saturday, October 3 1998 MUZZAFAR NAGAR: Noted environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna on Friday said massive deforestation will lead to a crisis of drinking water and ``next war will be fought for water.'' Justifying his protest against the construction of Tehri dam, Mr Bahuguna said the environment is polluted due to unplanned deforestation and rampant use of chemicals and pesticides. Speaking at a function in the Gandhi Ashram here, Mr Bahuguna said we all should come forward to save the forest. Huge developmental projects should be taken up considering its environmental effects. He emphasised the need to check deforestation and unnecessary use of chemicals. People are increasingly falling ill due to contaminated water. According to scientists, water table is falling drastically and there will be drinking water crisis in the near future he said.
Uttarakhand another problem area for BJP NEW DELHI, Oct. 1 (HT Correspondent) Still striving to come to terms with the setback it received on the Bihar situation, the BJP may well find itself in the midst of another problem, this time in Uttar Pradesh, although on different grounds. With the Akali Dal clearly stating that it would oppose the Uttarakhand Bill as passed by the UP Assembly, the BJP-led Government at the Centre would find it difficult to overlook and bypass its ally. However, that problem is likely to come up in a big way if the Atal Behari Vajpayee Government seeks to bring it in Parliament for adoption when Parliament meets sometime in November. But it is the BJP-led State Government which has already began to feel that heat. The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) has called a band in the hill region of Uttar Pradesh tomorrow in protest against the amendments to the original draft of the Bill moved by the State Government. To the annoyance of the hill people, the Kalyan Singh Government has kept Hardwar out of the proposed state of Uttaranchal and retain its control over certain subjects. At another level, to the chagrin and anger of the Akalis, the State Government has refused their plea to exclude Udham Singh Nagar from the new State.
Uttaranchal creation may hit Uttar Pradesh tourism By Jyotsna Dash Nanda The Times of India News Service - Friday 2 October 1998 LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh tourism department is all set to absorb the setback it will receive in the eventuality of the creation of Uttarakhand. It will deal a severe blow to the department's major source of income, tourists from Kumaon and Garwhal. Apprehending a major fall in the department's income, Dinesh Sharma, vice-chairman, the Tourism Development Corporation, has drawn up plans to overcome this hurdle. The department has invited a group of experts from Delhi and has asked them to prepare a draft plan highlighting various other spots in Uttar Pradesh which may be developed as places of tourist attraction. Mr Dinesh Sharma said the corporation proposed to develop its own tourist bungalows in Kumaon and Garhwal so that the tourists availing UP government package tours did not face a difficulty in getting accommodation in the hills, subsequent to the creation of new state. He added that the proposal was ready and would be passed by the cabinet soon. At present, the UP tourism department owns about 46 tourist bungalows in the state and most of these are situated in the hills. The department has felt the need for developing its own bungalows in places like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Auli, Naini Tal, Ranikhet and Ramnagar, where the Jim Corbett National Park is located. It may be noted that the corporation is one of the few departments of the state government which has recorded profits. During 1997-98, the department had earned a net profit of Rs 43.98 lakh, while the expected earnings for this year are at Rs 70 lakh. However, with the creation of Uttaranchal, the department is not confident of meeting its target. It has also learnt that the tourism research centre of the Lucknow University has been asked to conduct a survey of the state and list the possible places which may be developed as tourist spots. Efforts are on to improve the services in the existing tourist bungalows and hotels so as to provide a fillip to revenue. Plans were underway to acquaint people with places of historical importance in Lucknow, Jhansi and a few other places, Mr Sharma said. The recent spurt of coloured advertisements in various national periodicals and dailies by the tourism department is a fallout of this plan, he said.
The Times of India News Service - Friday 2 October 1998 DEHRA DUN: A female elephant and two of its calves from the Kansaro range of the Rajaji national park were killed near Raiwala adjoining Hardwar on Monday after they were run over by Janata Express. Another tusker was also reportedly hit by the same train. The park authorities are said to have filed a case against the train driver under the Wildlife Act. According to wildlife warden S P Singh the railway authorities had been advised several times in the past that the trains passing through the periphery of the park should move slowly so that wild animals get enough time to run to safety.
Leopard gets trapped in kitchen The Times of India News Service - Friday 2 October 1998 DEHRA DUN: A leopard which had entered a village in the Uphereinkhal area of Pauri Garhwal district, chasing a dog on Monday, ended up being locked in the kitchen along with the dog. According to a report from Pauri the leopard came rushing into the house of K C Dhaundiyal following the dog. The dog ran for safety into the kitchen of the house and the big cat followed. The terror-stricken owner of the house bolted the kitchen from outside. Later, the matter was reported to the forest officials. This is the second such incident in recent times of a big cat venturing into a Pauri Garhwal village and getting trapped.
This minister doesn't forget his old role The Times of India News Service - Thursday 1 October 1998 DEHRA DUN: The oft-repeated proverb, ``Old habits die hard,'' could have never come so true as on Monday when people of Haldwani town witnessed a minister playing a character in the local Ramlila. According to a report from Nainital, Banshi Dhar Bhagat, minister of state for Uttaranchal development and BJP MLA from Nainital, who had been playing the role of Maharaja Dashrath, father of Lord Ram, for the past 23 years, could not resist the temptation and did so to hold the spectators spell-bound. Police officers were present at the Ramlila not only to see the minister perform, but also to beef up his security. The minister later said, it was Lord Ram who had made him what he was today. |