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	Nanda Devi yatra begins in August (February 29, 2000) Uttarakhand: Over the hills and beyond (February 28, 2000) Women seek fresh survey of quake-hit houses (February 24, 2000) Women undergoing rural training (February 17, 2000) Ultrasound test popular in remotest hill pocket (February 16, 2000) Heavy snow hits life in Mussoorie (February 14, 2000) Uttarakhand stir lacks tempo (February 8, 2000) Mussoorie has heavy snowfall (February 6, 2000) Bank guard shot dead; Rs 10 lakh looted (February 3, 2000) Partial response to stir for Uttarakhand (February 3, 2000) Open liquor sale in Garhwal (February 3, 2000) VOP observes dharna (February 2, 2000) Relaunch Chipko to protest Himachal decision: Bahuguna (February 2, 2000) 29 killed in UP bus accident (February 1, 2000) Plan for construction of airstrip annoys environmentalists (January 30, 2000) Uttarakhand supporters plan stir from Feb 2 (January 29, 2000) Memorial for Uttaranchal Kargil heroes (January 29, 2000) Plains districts to agitate against inclusion in hill state (January 27, 2000) Uttarakhandis to step up pressure for statehood (January 25, 2000) Sale of liquor to be promoted in Garhwal districts (January 23, 2000) Mussoorie gets season's first snowfall (January 14, 2000) Hill culture falling prey to alien influences (January 11, 2000) Red alert sounded in Garhwal (January 11, 2000) Uttarakhand activists warn of reviving agitation (January 6, 2000)		Nanda Devi yatra begins in August Times of India Tuesday 29 February 2000 By Aarti Aggarwal GOPESHWAR: The Maha Kumbha of Garhwal, Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra, is to be held this year. The actual dates were announced by Prince Balwant Singh also president of Nanda Devi Raj Jat Samiti, amidst the chanting of mantras. According to the schedule the Yatra will start on August 21 from Nauti village of Chamoli district. This pilgrimage of 264 km walk will span over 20 days with 19 padaav (stoppages for the night). The pilgrims will reach Nauti back on September 19 and the yatra ends with puja in Nauti Mandir, when the Rajguru Nautiyal bids a farewell to the prince by giving pravachan (noble sayings). William S. Sax, the first-ever foreigner who accompanied the pilgrims in 1987, translates this yatra as the `Royal pilgrimage of the Goddess Shri Nanda' in his book `Mountain Goddess --- gender and politics in a Himalayan pilgrimage", published by the Oxford University Press in 1991. He writes, "The royal pilgrimage of the Goddess Shri Nanda Devi is among the longest and most difficult pilgrimages in the world a three-week, barefoot journey of 165 miles led by a four horned ram during the foul weather at the end of the rainy season. After traversing rain-swollen rivers, dangerous wind-swept passes and terrifying ice fields, pilgrims reach the lake of Rupkund, located at 15,000 feet and surrounded by hundreds of human skeletons. Then they cross a narrow vertical spot called "The Path of death" and proceed to Homkund", the lake of the sacrifice" where, according to the faithful the four-horned ram (bejewelled) leaves the procession and finds its way, unaided, to the summit of Mount Trishul, which is called Kailash by the local people. The yatra touches a high of 17,500 feet. According to tradition, the all-powerful Nanda Devi is regarded as dhiyai outmarried village daughter who is at the same time a goddess, married to Lord Shiva. She is summoned, feasted and worshipped and sent back to her husband's place. This pilgrimage is conceived of as vidai (departure) of the divine daughter Nanda from her birthplace (lowlands), Nauti, to Mount Kailash, her husband Lord Shiva's abode (highlands). The event has once again heightened the tussle between the lowlanders and highlanders. They fight over issues like almanacs used, leading the procession, collecting the offerings etc. The highlanders claim that as they are the people of Sausaral" (in-laws) of the goddess, hence they should perform all the important rites. On the other hand, the lowlanders say that as they are taking the Goddess from her maika (father's place it is their duty to escort her through. Sax writes that the quarrel amongst the two factions nearly spoilt the pilgrimage in 1987. This year the grumbling are already evident. The dates, though disputed, have been announced. However, efforts are on to resolve the differences. Uttarakhand: Over the hills and beyond (By Harish Chandola) Hindustan Times -- February 28, 2000 (Opinion) The Uttar Pradesh Assembly has adopted four resolutions in the last decade for the creation of a separate hill State. The Union Government will now be asking it to pass a fifth. The Uttarakhand issue, for all purposes, continues to be a card used by political parties before elections. This becomes evident once one charts the history of the Uttarakhand question. The first Kalyan Singh Government moved the resolution in 1991. For the first time, the BJP pledged to create a separate hill state on coming to power in its election manifesto. Nothing came of that however as the Government was dismissed after the Babri masjid demolition. On the second occasion, the Samajwadi Party Government of Mulayam Singh Yadav brought a resolution which the Assembly adopted in 1994. Mulayam Singh had set up a committee to make recommendations on the boundary, capital, resources and other matters of the proposed state. This report was even presented to the Assembly. It was the Bahujan Samaj Party’s turn in 1997 when the Mayawati Government tabled a resolution for setting up a hill state which the Assembly adopted. The fourth time around, it was again Kalyan Singh’s Government which moved a resolution on the Uttarakhand bill sent to it by the President. This was passed by the Assembly in 1998. Last year, the Uttarakhand bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on the very last day of its budget session. Not surprisingly, there was no time left to discuss and adopt it. The BJP-led Union Government subsequently lost a confidence vote and went out of office. On returning to power, the Government was asked by the hill people to adopt the bill introduced last year. Its answer was that all bills placed before the previous Lok Sabha which were not passed had lapsed. Therefore, the bill had to be introduced again in the new house. This means repeating the entire cumbersome process completed last year. It involves the Home Ministry preparing the bill (the hill people have been assured that it will be exactly the same that was presented to the Lok Sabha last year), sending it to the Law Ministry for scrutiny, submitting it to the President, and subsequently sending it to the UP Assembly for adoption. After passing it, the Assembly will return the bill to the Union Government, which will then present it to the Lok Sabha. One fails to understand, however, why the UP Assembly has to adopt the bill again. The bill has not been dissolved after it was passed in 1998; it is the same Assembly and not a new one. Repeating the entire process is obviously a delaying tactic. The BJP does not seem to want a hill state to come into being because of the opposition from its allies. The Telugu Desam Party and the Akalis do not support the idea. As the Assembly session was coming to a close in 1991, Puran Chand Sharma, the Minister for Hill Development, got in touch with Kedar Singh Fonia, the Minister for Tourism, to share his concern over the Government’s inaction. Both were from the hills and had to face their people back home. They knew that the CPI supported the demand for Uttarakhand and was preparing for the introduction of a resolution before the Assembly session ended. If the CPI was successful, the BJP would have faced an embarrassing situation. A resolution was drafted and moved by the BJP Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Rajendra Gupta, which was adopted unanimously by a voice vote. During the Lok Sabha poll campaign in the hills last September, the BJP had assured the public that if voted to power, its first task would be to introduce an Uttarakhand State Bill in the Lok Sabha. That did not happen. On December 20, a delegation of the Garhwal Hitaishini Sabha leaders met the Prime Minister. Mr Vajpayee assured them that the bill would be introduced in the budget session of Parliament. The BJP had won 17 of the 19 “hill seats” in the 1997 Assembly elections, and three of the four seats in the Lok Sabha last year. The party has tagged the creation of two other states — Vananchal and Chhatisgarh — on to that of Uttarakhand. Before the recently held polls in Bihar, Laloo Yadav campaigned that the BJP wants to divide the state by creating Jharkhand. The BJP, therefore, underplayed the “Jharkhand promise” so as not to risk losing votes in north Bihar. The UP Assembly budget session begins on February 28. Thanks to the activity of BJP dissidents keen on joining Kalyan Singh’s new party, it is unlikely that the State Government will survive the session. If the State Government falls, there will be no Assembly for the President to send the Uttarakhand Bill to until a new one is elected. The Uttarakhand farce is, therefore, likely to continue. Women seek fresh survey of quake-hit houses By Our Staff Correspondent GOPESHWAR (U.P.), FEB. 23. Women representatives of nearly a dozen villages in Dasholi area have sought a fresh survey of houses damaged by earthquakes and landslides as many fully destroyed houses were left out during the survey conducted earlier. Expressing concern over the neglect of the area, they wanted women to unitedly assert their views before the officials. The unity shown by women in several villages in improving the green cover and maintenance of natural water sources has begun showing results and people in other villages should follow suit, Mrs. Bhakti Devi of Dayagram said. Expressing their views at a four-day workshop in Bacher village, near here, organised by the Dasholi Gram Swaraj Mandal, most participants wanted early construction of roads, electrification and establishment of schools and primary health centres in the remote villages. Noted environmentalist Mr. Chandi Prasad Bhatt, while seeking an honorable rehabilitation package for the earthquake and landslide victims, urged the hill people to regreen the hills by taking up massive plantation drives in their villages. ``Care should be taken to plant species which not only reinforce the fragile hill sides but yield much needed fodder, fuel and food for the cattle and human beings,'' he said. Women undergoing rural training Times of India 17 February 2000 DEHRADUN:A new generation of rural women was being imparted training before the coming panchayat elections in the Uttarakhand region. Saharanpur and Hardwar districts near the Doon valley would be having panchayat elections in April or May and the newly-formed institute Pragati (Panchayati Raj and Gender Awareness Training Institute) was concentrating on training programmes for the panchayats where seats were reserved for women pradhans, according to Mrs S. Sengupta, a senior worker in the institute. Pragati consisted of 25 women working under the umbrella of the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), a non-government organisation (NGO) in the Doon Valley. Though the training institute with all women members had been constituted recently, work in panchayat and gender awareness training had been carrying on in Dehradun and other districts of Garhwal since 1994 under the aegis of the RLEK. According to Ms Manisha Panwar of Pragati, connecting women groups (self-help groups) to income generating activities through state and Central government sponsored schemes in Panchayati Raj was one of the major objectives of the institute for the women, of the women and by the women in the Doon valley. Pragati was also working as a support organisation and imparted training to the NGOs working in rural areas besides networking with them. The institute encouraged and facilitated women participation in local self-governance. Ms Damini Bhargava, another young volunteer of the organisation, said ``we undertake development projects and programmes which improve the socio-economic conditions of the rural poor, especially women". Women Pradhans of existing panchayats who were earlier trained by those trainers were then being used as resourcepersons by the institute to train women who would contest the coming panchayat elections. Ms Rekha Pundir, one of the most popular trainers of the Panchayati Raj team at the Institute, felt that it would bring about a new confidence in the rural women. Social forestry, environment protection camps and training in reproductive health were other issues being taken up by Pragati in several villages in and around Dehradun district. ``Micro-planning training is the most important issue on which we are concentrating at the moment", said Ms Sangeeta Prasad who had worked as a Panchayati Raj trainer for several years in that region. (UNI) Ultrasound test popular in remotest hill pocket By Manjari Mishra The Times of India News Service 16 February 2000 LUCKNOW: With hill women from Tehri Garhwal, Pauri, Chamoli and Uttarkashi thronging Dehra Dun, the nearest and best-equipped township in the vicinity, the district is fast emerging as the biggest centre for pre-natal sex determination racket in the state. There has been a mushroom growth in licensed ultrasonography centres in the distict over the last five years as hill women trek down at least 20 km a day to get a `quick verdict' from technicians manning these clinics. The male-female ratio of Dehra Dun district alone is revealing. While the female-male sex ratio in UP, according to the 1991 census, was reported to be 882 per 1000 males as against the national ratio of 927 per 1,000, the sex ratio reported in Dehra Dun is only 851:1000. This, according to experts, indicates the rising incidence of female foeticide in this district alone. This is particularly shocking as girls in certain pockets of UP hills still fetch a bride price, points out Ms Madhu Gurung, who has investigated into the decline in the sex ratio and its links with female foeticide during the National Foundation of India fellowship. Hill women form the backbone of the economy. According to a study conducted by the Himalayan Environmental Study and Conservation Organisation, an NGO, the women in the hills work for 16 to 18 hours a day. "While in the plains, women have always suffered discrimination, women in hills traditionally enjoyed a better status. So female foeticide in hills assumes greater sociological significance, " she says. Gurung attributes the phenomenon to the socio-cultural pollution through exposure of the hill folk to the plain culture. This has been a slow and steady phenomenon, as more and more men from hills have been coming to the plains for employment. They have over the years picked up the same gender bias, and the preference for a son, bringing about a change in thinking. So much so that majority of the hill women accept pre-natal sex determination tests and female foeticide as the most effective way of limiting their family, she observes. In fact, even illiterate masses in remotest part of the hills, she says, are aware of the ultrasound test. It is a routine matter for hill women, specially from places like Uttar Kashi, Kotwar, Tehri, Nayagoun, Churani, Kanda and Barkot to trek even 18 hours to come down to Dehra Dun for a medical check-up. Moreover, the president of the Dehra Dun Gynaecological Association, Dr Asha Rawal, points out that now the situation has come to such a pass that the girl child is unwelcome even if she is the first born". What makes the termination of pregnancy more risky is that a good number of women are already well into their second trimester of pregnancy when they trek down to the valley, something which gynaecologists or the quacks do not bother about. The increasing number of visits to the sex determination clinic is more than unusual for according to statistics only 17 to 19 per cent women here opt for a delivery in a hospital. "While they would be reluctant to go to a doctor for childbirth, they do not think twice before treking for a day to know if the child is a boy or a girl, says Gurung. Heavy snow hits life in Mussoorie The Times of India News Service (February 14, 2000) DEHRA DUN: Heavy snowfall continued to lash the nearby hill resort of Mussoorie on Saturday, paralysing normal life. The town was said to be under three to five feet of snow. It is believed that this is the first time after 1973 that such heavy snowfall has been witnessed not only in Mussoorie but many other parts of the Garhwal region. Uttarkashi, en route to Gangotri, and Gopeswar in Chamoli district are also reported to have experienced snowfall for the first time in 11 years. Several areas in the region are said to have been completely cut off from the rest of the country and normal supplies totally stopped due to disruption of vehicular traffic. According to report from Mussoorie, Lal Tibba, the highest point in the hill station, experienced between four to five feet of snow. Landour, the area below it, is also snow-bound. A Mussoorie resident told The Times of India News Service that the hill resort was facing a shortage of essential commodities and there was no power supply as poles had fallen. He said people were forced to keep indoors and there was a lurking fear of rooftops giving way because of the weight of snow. The Doon valley, Rishikesh and Hardwar are reeling under severe cold wave conditions as rainfall has been continuing for the last 24 hours. Uttarakhand stir lacks tempo Times of India Tuesday 8 February 2000 By Aarti Aggarwal GOPESHWAR: Hills of UP are presently witnessing a renewed stir for the creation of Uttarakhand. The regional political parties have made a call to begin agitation afresh once again. Recently the Uttarakhand Sanyukta Sangharsh Samiti (USSS) stopped the trains at Raiwala on February 2. They boarded the engine of Dehrandun-Saharanpur passenger train, holding the banners with ``Rail Roko, Uttrakhand Nirman Karo'' (stop train, demand for Uttarakhand creation) written on them. They delayed another train in Kotdwar also for one and-a-half hour. The USSS will hold a rally on February 20 near the PM's residence. The organiser of the USSS, Mr Harish Rawat said, ``BJP has put the creation of Uttarakhand in cold storage due to its own selfish motives.'' According to him, BJP is petrified over the fact that if Uttarakhand is created, its own government in UP may fall as then it loses nineteen MLAs from the UP assembly. Alongside, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) too has decided to gherao parliament on February 23 to present their demand for creation of Uttarakhand. Mr Chamoli, spokesman of UKD said, ``BJP had cleverly snatched the Uttarakhand issue from our hands in order to win elections. Hill folk believed their false promises and BJP won handsomely in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections.'' According to him, BJP has cheated Uttarakhand and ha been using Uttarakhand for its own benefit. ``BJP has not done anything to punish the officers responsible for atrocities against innocent people in Khatauli, Muzaffarnagar and Mussoorie during the Uttarakhand agitation in 1994,'' he added. The UKD had not participated in the `rail roko' call given by the USSS for the February 2. When questioned about it, the UKD committee replied, ``USSS agitation is headed by people who are trying to gain political mileage for themselves in Delhi. We are not redy to be led by such people.'' They say most of the USSS workers are Congressmen. ``I wonder why these Congressmen did not take such steps when Congress has in power at the Centre'', pipes in another UKD member. The local people are worried over the failure of political parties to come under one umbrella. ``We fail to understand why USSS, UKD, Samajvadi Yuvjan and CPI (ML) are launching stirs separately when they all spire for the same goal? asks a resident of Srinagar". People are also anxious over attempts by some leaders to play on the hill-plain divide. Many residents settled here, though originally from plains, acuse these political parties of creating bad blood unnecessary. The demand for a separate hill state is not of recent origin. Time and again this issue has come forward. Even prior to Independence, intellectuals had expressed the view that for meaningful development to be possible, a separate hill state was a pre-requisite. The proposal was also presented to the States Recognization Commission in 1956. Over 90 per cent of the people residing here, be it a government servant, businessman, an ex-army personnel or a housewife, want Uttarakhand to be formed. Views may differ only regards its creation as a state or Union Territory. Clearly, though all aspire for it, their support is latent. There is no wave as in 1994. People are still not coming forward openly. The present agitation lacks mass movement. The tempo is missing. In this scenario, the BJP government at the Centre and the state, ruled by its own selfish motives, would be least inclined to go ahead with creation of Uttarakhand. With the various political outfits divided, it can afford to keep the issue hanging. Mussoorie has heavy snowfall Times of India Sunday 6 February 2000 DEHRA DUN: A large number of tourists are flocking to Mussoorie following the season's heaviest snowfall there on Saturday. The "Queen of the Hills" received 32 cm of snow. This was the third snowfall of the season there. Reports from Chamoli and Uttarkashi, the two border districts of Garhwal division, said there had been recurring snowfall in the region and the national highway from Hardwar to Badrinath had been blocked due to heavy snowfall in the higher reaches. Border Roads Organisation personnel are working round the clock to clear the road. The Doon Valley is also reeling under a cold wave and normal life has been disrupted as intermittent showers have continued for the last 24 hours. Vehicular traffic between Dehra Dun and Chakrata and between Mussoorie and Tehri has been suspended. Some vehicles have been stranded on the Mussoorie-Tehri road due to the snowfall, it is learnt. Bank guard shot dead; Rs 10 lakh looted Times of India Thursday 3 February 2000 DEHRA DUN: In a daylight bank robbery here on Wednesday afternoon, some unidentified masked men looted Rs 10 lakh from the Astely Hall branch of the Punjab National Bank after killing the guard. The panic-striken staff or other persons could not even note down the number of the Maruti car in which the culprits escaped. It was around 12 noon when four men forced their way into the bank and challenged the manager D.P. Jain, his aide Sanjay, and the guard D.B. Gurung to hand over the Rs 10 lakh, which was being taken to another branch of the bank at Kaulagarh road here. On being refused, the intruders fired at the guard, who was holding the cash box, killing him on the spot. Thereafter, they collected the cash box and sped away in a Maruti car waiting outside while the bank staff and onlookers ran to save their lives. Partial response to stir for Uttarakhand Times of India Thursday 3 February 2000 DEHRA DUN: The Congress-sponsored Uttarakhand Sangarsh Samiti's ``rail roko'' agitation evoked a partial response on Wednesday. The samiti had organised the protest to press the demand for the early formation of Uttarakhand state. According to reports received here, the samiti activists could disrupt the movement of trains only in some sections in the foothill towns of the hill districts of western Uttar Pradesh. Many of its activists were picked up by the police in some towns early in the morning. Reports said while trains were stopped for sometime at Raiwala, Hardwar,Kotdwar and some parts of Kumaon division, the activists' bid was foiled by the police in Dehra Dun and some other places. The Congress Sangarsh Samiti is led by Seva Dal vice-president Harish Rawat. Meanwhile, BJP leaders on Wednesday described the Congress agitation as a mere ``drama''. Open liquor sale in Garhwal Times of India Thursday 3 February 2000 By Aarti Aggarwal Gopeshwar (Chamoli): The UP government is actively considering allowing open sale of liquor in the five hilly distrits of Garhwal. This will result in six fold increase in the annual excise revenue to Rs 100 crore. This free sale proposal is an alluring concept for the Up government, which, at present, has an empty treasury and has been looking around desperately for means to increase its revenues. Speaking in Almora recently, the minister of state for excise, Mr Narayan Ram Das, said that soon no permit would be needed to purchase liquor. At present only permit holders can buy liquor in these distrits. He further stated that excise earnings would become the main source of revenue for the proposed Uttrakhand state. On the other hand, the women in Garhwal, who for long have been agitating against liquor, cry that abolishing the permit system and making liquor sale free would mean promoting and popularizing liquor consumption here. They feel that this attitude of the government make sa mockery of their ongoing struggle. The women demand total prohibition in the hills. They lament that for a few paltry crores of excise earnings, their men folk, especially the youngsters, are being sucked in a vortex of evil. They are even ready to forgo an equivalent amount in development funds. At present, permits can be obtained to purchase IMFL (INdian Made Foreign Liquor) bottles only. Desi liquor is banne,d and hene is sold illegally. Its sale, due to the price difference, is manifold vis a vis that of IMFL liquor. Evidently no revenues accrue from tis illegal sale. According to the minister, if the open policy is followed, the government could earn by imposing taxation of "desi" liquor as well. As such, illegal brewing is prevalent all over, and opening up will not really increae consumption levels. He claimed that hills are flooded with spurious liquor. By making it available freely, people would not have to consume sub-standard adulterated liquor. The minister termed free sale `a welfare measure'! It is doubtful whether this `welfare measure' would eventually be implemented. That is so because not only the women, but even politicians and the UP Sugar Federation would not support it. The politicians cannot openly support this measure, as the backlash by the Garhwali women would rob them of precious votes. One should accept the basic fact that liquor is harmful. But banning liquor is no solution. We have seen time and again that prohibition has not succeeded around the world ever. It was banned in America in 1930's but to no avail. Recently, prohibition was tried in Andhra Pradesh and Haryana but it failed miserably. Even though it continues in Gujarat, it has not led to any lesser consumption by the people residing there. Another point to consider is that Garhwal hills are the home of many exservicemen. These Army men get their bottles at subsidized rates from Army. Our aim is to cut out liquor from the life of Garhwali men but with their consent. The government should support the women of Garhwal campaigning against liquor. Their aim should be to try and wean people awya from liquor through education and social measures like ostracization, family pressures etc. The Maali village of Gairsen tehsil of Chamoli district, witnesses a refreshingly new dawn in the millennium. the women asked the men folk of Maalai to give up drinking. In return, they asked women to give up tea. The women agreed. Today, the village is tree of this evil. Inspired, the district administration of Chamoli has announced prizes worth Rs 65,000 for such villages and it expects many more examples of this kind soon. Liquor excise is a major source of income for the government. The need of the hour is not to cut funds allotted for development but to utilize the increased earnings for more developmental works. It is time desi liquor sale is opened up as everywhere else in the state. The Kumaon hills, once under permit system, are not the any worse after free sale was started there. VOP observes dharna Times of India Wednesday 2 February 2000 LUCKNOW: Members of the Voice of Partners (VOP) observed a one-day dharna at the Gandhi Statue on Monday to protest the proposed construction of the Pancheshawar dam. Following the Mahakali pact signed between Nepal and India, the Pancheshawar dam is to be built on Mahakali river at Champavat in Pitthoragarh district. The VOP has alleges that the proposed dam would not only displace thousands of people but also pose massive environmental damage to the Uttarkhand region by way of deforestation. It also contends that the area where the proposed dam is coming up was earthquake prone and hence, the dam should not be allowed at any cost. The Pitthoragarh administration is mum over the issue and the initial work of dam construction has just begun. The VOP has demanded that all intricacies about the dam should be brought out in the open by the administration. Relaunch Chipko to protest Himachal decision: Bahuguna Utpal Parashar (New Delhi, February 1) NOTED ENVIRONMENTALIST Sunderlal Bahuguna has appealed to the people of Himachal Pradesh to relaunch the Chipko Andolan in protest against the recent decision of the State Government to lift the 16-year-old ban on felling trees for commercial purposes. "The ban should continue as felling of trees will affect the bio-diversity of the region immensely. If the Government does not reimpose the ban immediately, the people should relaunch the movement," Mr Bahuguna said while speaking to The Hindustan Times here. He added that the recent move of the Himachal Pradesh Government might even lead the Uttar Pradesh Government to lift a similar ban, imposed 19 years ago in the state. Mr Bahuguna is in the Capital to speak to Union ministers and members of the Planning Commission to request them to reimpose the ban. The ban was lifted in 1992 when the state was under President's Rule, but was reimposed by the succeeding Congress Government. For the past several years, the HP Government has been requesting the Centre to compensate the state by means of special grants to cover the loss in revenue suffered because of the ban. Its removal is expected to bring in an additional yearly revenue of nearly Rs 100 crore to the state. In 1981, following pressure from all quarters after the successful Chipko Andolan, the UP Government had imposed a ban on commercial felling of trees. The HP Govt had followed suit. In addition to continuing the ban on felling trees, Mr Bahuguna urged the Government to come up with a policy to protect the flora and fauna of the Himalayan state. "Himalayan states should be given adequate funds to launch massive tree-plantation drives. Subsidies should be given to the people directly and they should be encouraged to plant more trees," he said. Mr Bahuguna stated that the entire Himalayan range falling in India should be cultivated to prevent ecological disaster. "Rivers of the area are already getting polluted and there is scarcity of clean water. Nowadays, we have substitutes for timber, but there is no substitute for pure water. And if the ban is not reimposed, a famine might affect the state very soon," warned Mr Bahuguna. The environmentalist stressed the need to plant nut and fruit-bearing trees. "Nut-bearing trees like walnut and chestnut, edible seed giving trees like almond, oil-giving trees like apricot and trees providing seasonal fruits like apple should be planted. This will also bring about economic prosperity for the people of the region," Mr Bahuguna stated. He emphasised that trees provide the five vital Fs (food, fodder, fuel, fertiliser and fibre) and the Government should ensure that more trees are planted for a pollution free society. It is feared that the latest move of the State Government may lead to the timber mafia of the state becoming active once again. 29 killed in UP bus accident Rishikesh, January 31 (Agencies) AT LEAST 29 people, including five women and a child, were killed while 17 were injured in a bus mishap today. The ill-fated bus plunged into a deep gorge on the Ghunttu-Ghansali Road, about 65 km from here, in Uttar Pradesh's Tehri Garwal district, official reports said. Twenty-five people died on the spot as the bus fell into the gorge after its driver lost control over the vehicle, reports from Tehri said. The injured have been admitted to Pilkhi Primary Health Centre. Plan for construction of airstrip annoys environmentalists Sunday, January 30, 2000 The Times of India News Service DEHRA DUN: The state government's decision to construct an airstrip near the famous ``Valley of Flowers'' has not gone down well with social activists and environmentalists of the area. They had earlier opposed the International Khalsa Foundation's plan to build a 30-km road from Govindghat to Hemkunt, a 500-room serai and a bus stand in Chamoli. The construction of the airstrip would harm the fragile ecology of the Valley of Flowers which is a large expanse of flowery meadows, they fear. The area, located near the famous Sikh shrine of Hemkunt Sahib, is a virtual treasure house of countless varieties of high-altitude alpine flowers. The construction of airstrip was apparently aimed at providing additional facilities to pilgrims as well as tourists visiting the area. The government's decision to allow airstrips at Gauchar (Chamoli), Chinalisaur (Uttarkashi) and in Pithogarh (Pithoragarh) had also raised the hackles of the environmentalists. ``Why promote eco-tourism when the government indirectly allows plundering of ecologically fragile areas?'' asked Om Prakash Bhatt, an environmentalist associated with Chamoli-based NGO Dhasoli gram sabha. Other activists said they feared the construction activity would translate into annihilation of at least 30 per cent of rare species of plants and trees from the green Bhuniyar valley. Several rare flowering plants would also vanish if the fragile ecosystem was disturbed as many of them have already disappeared, they felt. The state government had earlier rejected Bhatt's opposition to the construction of Vishnu Prayag hydroelectric project over Alaknanda en route to Badrinath and Hemkunt Sahib. Bhatt's argument was that the project would lead to an ecological imbalance. ``Instead of constructing a road and building an airstrip, why can't the state government set up a ropeway for the tourists? Why blast the hills for construction?'' social activist J P Maithani asked. The state government's approach towards environmental protection in the central Himalayan region lacked cohesion and vision, environmentalists alleged. While it spent hundreds of crores of rupees (given by the World Bank) on ecological restoration of the UP hills, it also allowed the destruction of region's environment by its own ``omissions and commissions'', they pointed out. Uttarakhand supporters plan stir from Feb 2 Saturday 29 January 2000 Pioneer News Service/Dehra Dun Accusing the Atal Bihari Vajpayee led central Government of back-tracking on its promise on the Uttarakhand Statehood issue, the Uttarakhand Joint Action Committee (UJAC), which has been spearheading the movement for the creation of a separate State has announced that it will hold a Rail-Roko programme throughout the region on February 2. Committee spokesman Pratap Bisht said here on Friday that during his earlier tenure, Mr Vajpayee had promised to carve a separate state of Uttarakhand within 90 days of coming to power at the Centre, but could not do so during his 390 days in office. Now, well over a hundred days have passed since the present Government under Mr Vajpayee was sworn in, but no initiative has been taken on creation of a Uttarakhand State, Mr Bisht said. He said that UJAC was fully prepared to launch its agitation programme of detaining all trains at various places in the Uttarakhand region including Dehra Dun and Kotdwar in the Garhwal region and Haldwani and Tanakpur in the Kumaon region. Meanwhile, a multi-party meeting organised under the aegis of Uttarakhand Vichar Manch (UVM) at Rishikesh (Dehra Dun) on Thursday has also decided to hold a Rail-Roko programme on February 2 over this issue. Representatives of various political and non-political groups including Jai Mazdoor Forum (JMF), Uttarakhand Garhwal Mahasabha (UGM), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Indian National Congress (INC) and Uttarakhand Congress (UC), accused the BJP for misleading the masses on the separate Statehood issue and delay in the matter related to passing of the Uttarakhand Separate Statehood Bill by the BJP-led coalition at the Centre. Puran Chand Dangwal, member of the UVM coordinating committee, said that forging of unity among various groups was important to revive the agitation for the creation of a separate State of Uttarakhand. He said that a meeting of various political and non-political organisations has been planned for Sunday (January 30) at Rishikesh, for the purpose. Memorial for Uttaranchal Kargil heroes Saturday 29 January 2000 The Times of India News Service DEHRA DUN: The Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, a public sector undertaking of the U.P. government, has undertaken to build a monument here in memory of the Kargil war heroes from Uttaranchal who laid down their lives in the defence of the country. The foundation stone of the war memorial was laid here on Thursday by state minister for Uttaranchal M.S. Khandari. The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation donated Rs 3 lakh to build the monument. Costing Rs 10 lakh, the rest of the expenditure would be borne by the nigam. Plains districts to agitate against inclusion in hill state By D S Kunwar Thursday 27 January 2000 The Times of India News Service PAURI GARHWAL: Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar continue to create hurdles in the way of the formation of the Uttarakhand state. Even as Uttarakhandis plan two rallies in Delhi to press their demand, residents belonging to these two districts are launching a ``mass contact programme'' to oppose the proposal to include them also in the hill state. A proposal to form a joint sangharsh samiti comprising the agitators of both the districts to step up their demand not to be included in the new state isunder active consideration. This samiti is likely to be formed in line with the Uttarakhand Sanyukti Sangharsh Samiti (USSS). ``We are not against the formation of the state but we are definitely against the proposal to include these two districts in the proposed state,'' said a 55-year-old farmer in Hardwar. Residents belonging to Udham Singh Nagar and Hardwar said they were opposed to the inclusion due to several reasons. The possibility of a price slump for their land by bringing it under the Land Ceiling Act applicable in the UP hills and the fear of being treated as a minority community are being sported as the main reasons for it. ``No one should compromise on these two genuine issues,'' said a property dealer in Hardwar. Besides, differences in the lifestyles and socio-economic standards of the people belonging to the hills and the plains are also cited as reasons for opposing any move to include these districts in the proposed Uttarakhand. Most residents belonging to the hills feel that as the per capita income of an average person in Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar is much higher than that of the average hill person, the two districts' inclusion in the state is intended to help develop the proposed state economically. ``If the state is to survive on its own, the inclusion of these two districts in the proposed state is mandatory,'' said a resident from Byasi (in Tehri district). Udham Singh Nagar is known for producing high-quality rice and other agricultural produce while Hardwar produces high-quality sugarcane and rice. Meanwhile, Uttarkhandis said they felt the state government was not taking adequate interest in the issue as they feared losing 13 assembly seats if the state was created. The people also maintained that little had been done to alleviate the extensive damage caused to their land by natural calamities and lack of industrial development. Tourism, which is their sole source of income, had been continuously hit due to a drop in the number of tourists visiting the area. The state government's attempts at developing tea plantations and small-scale industries have not paid off. According to a senior district officer in Pauri, although, a special budget is allocated for the overall development of the region, no efforts have been made so far to create the proper infrastructure. Factories like IDPL in Rishikesh and HMT in Nainital have almost folded up due to the lack of raw materials. Unless a wealth of natural resources existing here was tapped properly, the economy of the region cannot improve, said a senior officer in the soil conservation department in Rishikesh. Power projects, including the Sonprayag project, are still awaiting sanction from the state government. Power and water crises in places like Pauri continue to hit the hill districts. Uttarakhandis to step up pressure for statehood By D S Kunwar The Times of India News Service PAURI: A renewed stir is gathering momentum in the Uttar Pradesh hill districts for the creation of the Uttarakhand state. Uttarakhandis and members of the Uttarakhand Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti (USSS), a non-political organisation formed in 1994, have decided to step up pressure for the formation of the state. ``The delay in introducing the bill in Parliament to pave the way for creating the hill state has forced the Uttarakhandis to take up cudgels against the Centre,'' said a trader in Pauri. The decision to step up the stir was taken at two meetings of the Sangharsh Samiti held in Khateema (Udhampur Singh Nagar district) and Rishikesh on January 18 and January 21, respectively. USSS convener Harish Rawat said the two meetings had decided to mobilise mass support for the Uttarakhand rally to be held in Delhi on February 2. It was also decided at the meetings to hold another rally outside the Prime Minister's residence on February 20. The rally is aimed at pressurising the Centre to introduce the bill in the coming budget session. Many Uttarakhandis said they would no longer be fooled by the Centre. ``Despite extending our maximum support to the BJP in the last poll, we got nothing in return,'' said Ramesh Jain in Rudraprayag. People from Devprayag, Rudraprayag, Karanprayag, Pauri and Gopeshwar said they supported the two-pronged strategy of carrying on the stir both at Uttarkhand and Delhi. ``By doing so, we will be able to put pressure on the Centre to concede our demand,'' said 45-year-old Bhagwani in Devprayag. People in Chamoli, Gopeshwar and Rishikesh said they feared the agitation would turn violent if the government did not place the bill during the budget session. Residents were also worried about the attempts by some leaders to create bad blood among the people by creating a hill-plain divide. Several residents originally from the plains but settled here accused the USSS and others of trying to treat them differently saying they were not Uttarakhandis. There were also some doubts whether the stir would continue to get the support it needs unless those spearheading it treated all residents equally here. What worried most people was the failure of political parties to come under one umbrella. ``If the USSS was the sole body spearheading the stir in support of the demand, why should leaders of other parties including Samajwadi Yuvjan, and CPI(ML) launch their stir separately?'' asked another resident. Samajwadi Yuvjan, the youth wing of Samajwadi party began making inroads into the BJP's pocket borough after its office-bearers held a two-day conference in Shrinagar on December 15 and 16. The party workers have been wooing the unemployed youth to get them enrolled as members. ``The party has so far got satisfactory response in view of the increasing rate of unemployment here,'' said a senior leader of Samajwadi Yuvjan. Sale of liquor to be promoted in Garhwal districts Joshimath, January 22 (Harish Chandola) THE UP Government proposes to increase its yearly excise revenue to Rs 100 crore (5,000 million) by promoting and popularizing liquor in the five districts of Garhwal. This is being done "for the welfare of the people", stated state Minister of Excise Narayan Ram Das in Almora last week. At the moment only permit holders can buy liquor in these districts. Soon liquor sale will be made free, according to the Minister. After having scrapped the bottom of its treasury barrel, the bankrupt UP government has been searching for ways of increasing its revenue. It has been able to pay teachers and many other employees for months at a time. To justify the new policy to sell more liquor in the hills, the Minister said excise from it would become the main source of revenue for the proposed Uttarakhand state. Excise duty on liquor sold in the hills yields Rs 200 crores (2,000 million) a year at the moment. The minister's statement has raised the hackles of hill women as they feel he has made light of their struggle to end the evil of drinking. That struggle, he said, was based only on what the women had experienced. Most men, on the other hand, wanted liquor to be sold freely, he said. The hills, he argued, were flooded with illicit liquor, much of it of the spurious kind. By abolishing the permit system and making it available freely, people without permits would not have to buy and consume smuggled and adulterated liquor, injurious to their health, which resulted in immediate deaths from time to time. Making liquor sale free therefore was a welfare measure, so the Minister tried to convince the people. The women were not buying his argument however. The government would also earn revenue from its legalised sale. No excise duty could be levied on what was sold illegally. The new policy will violate the pledge given by the ruling BJP before it was elected to power that it will make the hills liquor free. The minister said illicit liquor was responsible for crimes that thrived under a regime of restrictions. Unhygienic and substandard secret distillation gave birth to Mafia, which organised its smuggling, transportation and distribution. The one and only way to fight this parallel system was to free liquor sale. Then there would be no need for people to drink substandard liquor that was sold in secretly, he said. Mussoorie gets season's first snowfall The Times of India News Service January 14, 2000 DEHRA DUN: Heavy to moderate snowfall accompanied by rain in different parts of the western UP hills has brought down the temperature and thrown normal life out of gear in many parts. The popular hill resort of Mussoorie also experienced the first snowfall of the season on Thursday. Reports of heavy snowfall have also been received from the high altitude areas of Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Nainital, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Champawat and Almora. The skies continued to remain heavily overcast in the foothill areas. Cold winds and rain also lashed some towns. A number of tourists thronged Mussoorie after the snowfall there. ``We have come all the way from Mumbai to see the snowfall,'' said a tourist Paresh Shah. However, the residents of many towns in the region have had to bear with prolonged spells of power cuts. On most days, there is no electricity for six to 10 hours. Hill culture falling prey to alien influences Rajendra Bansal/Dehra Dun Himalayan Environment Studies and Conservation Organisation (HESCO), a voluntary organisation here, which was awarded the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru award for the year 1999-2000 by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, at the just concluded National Science Congress at Pune, believes that the growing acceptance -- by the hill people -- of developmental models alien to the locally available resources and technologies has impeded development and growth of their societies. Hill residents have tended to gradually ignore their ethnic resources and technologies and conveniently adopt the outside ones. As a result, the various technical vocations prevalent for long among them have become a thing of the past. HESCO's founder Dr Anil Prakash Joshi told "The Pioneer" as many as 41 types of craftsmen skilled in traditional technology -- which included ironsmiths and masons -- could fulfill the everyday requirements of the hill people. Now, even simple items, such as the hand-held sickle, used by the local residents to harvest crops and cut grass was being brought from outside the region. It is only through self-reliance that the hill communities in the country can become economically prosperous, Dr Joshi said. Cautioning against abandoning the local traditional technologies, he emphasised, even if there was need to enrich the local brand with modern inputs, it be done in such a way that its relevance to the lifestyle of the hill folks was not entirely lost. Dr Joshi, also the propounder of the water-movement in the hills said, mountain eco-systems prosper in plenty of water, but only a small fraction it was being used by the local communities. Calling for framing of water-centrist development programmes, he cited his organisation's work on water-mills (gharats) of Jammu & Kashmir,Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the North-East, to push home the point that these traditional structures not only were source of cheap mechanical power, but after minor modifications, can be made to generate hydel-power at the micro-level for local consumption. Stating that the Nehru Award given for the first time to a Uttarakhand-based organisation was a recognition by the country of the contribution being made by the highlanders in its development, Dr Rakesh Kumar, director of HESCO, disclosed he would utilise the award money of Rs one lakh for extension of traditional technologies in the hills. Red alert sounded in Garhwal The Times of India News Service DEHRA DUN: As part of a red alert sounded in western Uttar Pradesh in view of the increased ISI activities in the region, police and intelligence departments have been directed by the Union home minstry to launch a special drive in the Garhwal division to check hotels, dharamsalas, trains and roadways buses for suspicious individuals. Instructions have also been issued to prepare a through list of all the foreigners living in the area and those having a questionable background. A meeting of top police and civil authotities from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Delhi was held recently in Delhi at the instance of the home ministry to ensure coordination in the three states. The three states would exchange information on vital clues to track down not only criminals but also persons with links with ISI. It was being said that ISI may increase its activities during the Republic-Day celebrations. Sussessive inspectors-general of police of Meerut zone have time and again been admitting that ISI was spreading its tentacles in western UP through its border with Nepal. It is through Nepal that the ISI finds an easy access into India. It may be recalled here that during the past one decade alone, areas in and around the Himalayan foothills such as the Garhwal division areas such as the Doon valley, Rishikesh, Hardwar, Saharanpur, Bijnor and Roorkee have figured from time to time in cases of bomb blasts, drug-peddling, poaching, clandestine timber trade and counterfeit currency circulation. The security agencies have also been directed to adopt special steps for the safety of genunine foreigners living in the area.It may also be noted here that hundreds of Europeans and Americans reside in the three towns of Mussoorie, Rishikesh and Hardwar for different purposes. During the Mahakumbh in Hardwar in April 1998, a similar red alert was sounded in the region. Uttarakhand activists warn of reviving agitation New Delhi, January 5 (HT Correspondent) The Uttarakhand Samyukt Sangharsh Samiti (USSS), an umbrella organisation of various bodies involved in the statehood movement, today declared that it would revive its agitation if the Centre did not take concrete steps for early formation of a separate state in the UP hills. Announcing their plan of action, USSS central convenor Harish Rawat and coordinator Dhirendra Pratap stated that a 'rail roko' agitation would be organised in the Uttarakhand areas on February 2 if the government failed to initiate any positive measures for grant of statehood by then. The leaders said at a Press conference that they were giving the government a month's ultimatum and wanted the statehood Bill to be introduced in Parliament during the forthcoming Budget session in February. Otherwise, their agitation could take a violent turn, they warned.