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Stir for separating Hardwar continues (8/31)
Poachers kill forest officer (8/29)
Uttaranchal to abide by SC verdict on Hardwar (8/30)
`State can't resolve problem' (8/30)
Underground water (8/29)
Barnala stresses on rainwater harvesting (8/29)
Cong to review issue of Uttaranchal capital (8/25)
Uttaranchal to haul up mountain body (8/23)
Agreement eludes Uttaranchal, UP (8/22)
Chinar to blossom in Mussoorie (8/23)
Rishikesh-Badrinath highway blocked (8/22)
UKD calls for Uttaranchal bandh on Sept 2 (8/21)
Samajwadi party to stage Chetana rally on Aug 21 (8/20)
BJP workers asked to prepare for local polls (8/19)
Dehra Dun school celebrates centenary (8/15)
Uttaranchal delimitation: US Nagar to have 7 Assembly seats (8/13)
BSP to go alone in Uttaranchal (8/14)
Mussoorie cut off (8/14)
Tehri Dam may be ready by 2002 (8/12)
Drive to eradicate polio from Uttaranchal (8/12)
PAC deployed to foil Uttaranchal Chakkajam (8/11)
Bravery award on I Day (8/10)
Swami refuses UP babus’ services (8/9)
Task force to decongest traffic (8/5)
Rains hit traffic in Uttaranchal (8/1)
Action plan for disaster management (7/28)
Exploitation of Himalayan biosphere goes unchecked (7/25)
Rudraprayag landslide victims (7/25)
Literacy in Uttaranchal 72 pc (7/25)
Tourist rush ends in Queen of Hills (7/24)
Cong to hold protests rallies (7/24)
Landslides in western UP (7/23)
Eco task force appreciated (7/20)
Stir warned for change in Uttaranchal name (7/20)
Army choppers airdrop food packages in Rudraprayag (7/19)
26 killed in landslides (7/18)
25 killed in landslides in Rudraprayag (7/18)
Sahitya academy in Uttaranchal (7/17)
GMVN chairman resigns (7/14)
Everest house to be developed as tourist site (7/14)
Centre's package for tourism in Uttaranchal (7/12)
Uttaranchal seeks Rs 1700 cr as compensation (7/11)
Parallel Panchayat bodies in Uttaranchal (7/11)
Evening classes closure flayed (7/10)
Pressure on to reopen Nanda Devi reserve (7/8)
Council for `clean Uttaranchal' (7/7)
Shift capital to Gairsen: UKD (7/6)
NHRC to sensitise newly-created states (7/2)
Uttaranchal — a saga of ordeals (7/2) |
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Stir for separating Hardwar continues
8/31 - DEHRA DUN: As part of the ongoing agitation to separate Hardwar from Uttaranchal, the Lok Dal today called for a `bandh' in Roorkee in Hardwar district.
After the police firing at Mandi in Manglaur on Tuesday, the protestors have decided not to block the Delhi-Dehra Dun National Highway, but to continue their `dharna' and `jail bharo' agitations.
Union Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh, who visited Manglaur last evening, assured the agitators that adequate compensation would be paid to the family of a farmer killed in the firing as well as to those injured. He said, ``whenever a Harit Pradesh was created, Hardwar would become a part of it.''
United News of India
Poachers kill forest officer
Dehra Dun, August 29 (Tribune)
Suspected armed poachers, who had let loose a reign of terror in the Jim Corbett National Park here since last week, shot dead a deputy forest ranger and seriously injured three other officials in the area, park officials said today.
The incident occurred last evening in the Birjani area of the park when deputy forest ranger Bipin Chandra Pandey along with two other forest guards was returning after patrolling.
The forest officials saw the poachers in army uniform passing through the area having taken forest guard Dayal Singh Rana as their hostage.
When challenged, the poachers fired indiscriminately on the officials, killing Pandey on the spot.
Two forest guards, Hira Singh Halsi and Janardan Pathak, were seriously injured in the incident and have been admitted to a hospital in Haldwani where their condition is stated to be serious, they said.
The incident follows a series of attacks on the officials of the world famous park by armed poachers who had been eluding the police since more than a week now.
More than seven park officials have been injured so far in such attacks.
Five poachers had entered the Reserve donning Khaki uniforms similar to that of the rangers. When the other rangers realised that they were poachers, they accosted them at about 5 p.m.
The ensuing exchange of fire left Pandey dead and Janardhan Pathak and Hira Singh Halsi injured. Rana was freed.
Mr Samir Sinha, Deputy Director of the Corbett Tiger Reserve, (CTR) said the combing operations have been further intensified in the CTR and was confident the poachers would soon be nabbed. UNI, PTI
Uttaranchal to abide by SC verdict on Hardwar
8/30 - DEHRA DUN: Uttaranchal Chief Minister Nityanand Swami today said that Hardwar was an important part of Uttaranchal and the decision to separate it from the state could only be taken by the Supreme Court where a case has been filed.
Talking to newspersons here this morning at his office, Mr Swami said ``we want to have Hardwar in Uttaranchal. It has the Roorkee University and is an important cultural and agricultural region of Uttaranchal.''
Mr Swami was talking about yesterday's firing at Manglaur in Haridwar district. He said that Agriculture Minister Ajit Singh, who was coming to Manglaur this afternoon, had talked to him over the phone this morning and promised that he would show a positive attitude towards the situation.
The Chief Minister said that a compensation of Rs two lakh would be paid immediately to the next of kin of Raghuveer Singh, the farmer who was killed in the firing yesterday. Uttaranchal commissioner Subhash Kumar was at Manglaur, constantly monitoring the situation there, added Mr Swami.
Mr Swami said that the highway had been opened but there were hardly any vehicles plying as yet on the route. The shops in Hardwar district remained open today after observing a ``bandh'' yesterday, he added. He said that the body of the farmer killed yesterday had been cremated. Since last evening, no other untoward incident had taken place in the area, he informed.
Mr Swami said that a ministerial meeting would be held at Vidhan Sabha here tomorrow. ``We have no agenda for it, many issues will be discussed.''
``What is certain is that we have never neglected Haridwar. We have established a degree college in the district. The Samajwadi Party merely wants to politicise the issue and gain political mileage from it,'' the Chief Minister said adding that the agitation would soon ``fizzle out.''
There were many outsiders among the agitators including a large number of people from Muzaffarnagar , he said. ``In case any more trouble brews, we know what steps have to be taken,'' added the Chief Minister.
United News of India
`State can't resolve problem'
8/30 - DEHRA DUN: Uttaranchal home secretary SK Das said that the demand for separating Hardwar from Uttaranchal could not be fulfilled by the state government but had to be put before the Union home ministry.
Talking to UNI here, Mr Das said that negotiations were still going on with the activists of the BKU and the Hardwar Bachao Sangharsh Samiti and the administration was trying to convince them that they should put their demands before the Centre. Their agitation is actually not against Uttaranchal, he said adding that a close watch was being kept on Hardwar district which witnessed violence yesterday.
``There is not too much tension there except for the fact that people are sad about the farmer's death. However, we have deployed adequate forces to keep the situation under control,'' he said.
He said that though the Hardwar-New Delhi national highway was cleared for traffic, but vehicles were not yet plying as the people were apprehensive after yesterday's violence.
United News of India
Underground water
8/29 - MUSSOORIE: Much to the relief of the hill people, geologists have successfully extracted underground potable water in and around this hill resort yesterday.
Mr PC Kimothi, executive engineer of the Jal Sansthan, said here that a large number of handpumps would soon be installed in this hill town located 7000 feet above sea level. ``This will ease the water shortage to a considerable extent'', he said.
Geologists, alongwith Jal Sansthan workers, succeeded in extracting ground water, a process, which began quite sometime ago. ``We have successfully pulled out potable water from 50 places falling in Tehri, Pauri and Chamoli Districts'', Mr Kimothi said.
United News of India
Barnala stresses on rainwater harvesting
8/28 - DEHRA DUN: Uttaranchal Governor Surjit Singh Barnala has called for concerted efforts at the individual and community level to make maximum utilisation of rainwater harvesting for meeting the needs of drinking water and irrigation in the hill state.
``'With so much of rainfall, we should not face any water shortage throughout the year'' said the governor last evening while releasing the book - ``making water everybody's business- practice and policy of water harvesting''.
The governor said the book provides essential information for administrators, key decision makers students, NGOs and other interested groups to help them in water management.
Dr Indira Khurana, one of the editors of the book said, ``two thousand villages all over the country are today engaged in water harvesting at the local level as nobody knows their ecosystems better than the villagers themselves''.
``What our country needs today is not drought relief but drought- proofing through proper management of water'', she added. Dr Khurana said that if Jaisalmer, with the lowest rainfall in the country, could still meet its drinking water needs and Cherrapunji with its highest rainfall did not have enough drinking water, it said a lot about water harvesting and management.
The book details the work of different governments, non- governmental organisations and community groups in rural and urban rainwater harvesting and also describes the drought of 1999-2000 and the efforts of the state governments.
Dr PS Roy, the dean of the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, scientists, academicians, students, representatives of the government and NGOs were also present on the occasion.
United News of India
Cong to review issue of Uttaranchal capital
Prashant Sood - Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 25
Uttaranchal Congress Chief Harish Rawat has said that if the Congress was voted to power in the newly-created state in the forthcoming election the party would re-examine the issue of its capital.
Mr Rawat, who has already launched the party’s poll campaign with rallies and demonstrations, feels that the party would get more than 50 out of 70 seats in the state’s first Assembly elections likely to be held in February along with the polls to UP and Punjab Assemblies.
Talking to The Tribune here, Mr Rawat said that even the BJP had declared Dehra Dun to be “temporary capital.” Maintaining that the Congress would try to build consensus over the issue. He, however, clarified that re-examining the question of capital did not necessarily meant its change from Dehra Dun. “Dehra Dun, being the temporary capital, is a front-runner in any case,” he said. The Congress is not happy even about the state’s nomenclature. Party leaders feel that instead of “Uttaranchal” (which is seen as a name given by the Sangh ideologues), the state should have been named as ‘Uttarakhand’ which, they say, was the name under which agitation for the separate state was launched.
Claiming that the BJP government in the state had failed to fulfil the aspirations of the people, Mr Rawat said that the state had not even been able to finalise its plan size. “Though the Union Cabinet decided to give special status to Uttaranchal three months back, the state government has failed to get any special funds from the Centre. Even a meeting of the NDC has not been convened in the past three months to ratify the Cabinet decision,” the PCC chief said.
Also blaming the Centre, Mr Rawat said that though a new state had been carved, nothing had been done to meet its special economic requirements. He said that no study had been done to help the state in its days of infancy.
Mr Rawat said that the state government had failed to sort out the issue of its assets with Uttar Pradesh.
Uttaranchal to haul up mountain body
S M A KAZMI (Express India)
DEHRA DUN, AUGUST 23: Uttaranchal is planning to issue notices to the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) for violation of wildlife laws during an expedition to the Nanda Devi Biosphere.
The expedition to look into the feasibility of re-introducing adventure tourism in the area was incidentally jointly sponsored by the state government and included one of its representatives as its memers.
Besides the IMF, notices would also be served on other members of the expedition as well as two foreign-based tourist companies.
According to Chief Wildlife Warden A.S. Negi, the notices would be issued in a day or two. The reserve, situated in the Garhwal Himalayas, has been closed to tourists for the past two decades. The expedition to consider its reopening comprised mountaineers, environmentalists, research scholars and Army officials. Senior journalist Suman Dubey, Vineet Pangati, an Uttaranchal government bureaucrat and photographer Rupin Dang were among the members.
The team returned from the expedition last month. While the IMF is yet to submit its report on the reopening of the biosphere reserve to the state government, the latter has taken exception to some ‘‘wildlife violations’’ by the members.
Citing these, officials say the team was granted permission for a 40-member expedition, but took along 109 people, including porters. Another ground for notice apparently is the heavy camera equipment that Dang took along with him for commercial filming on the reserve. Officials say this was not permitted. They are reportedly also apprehensive that the footage might be used to show poaching at the reserve — ostensibly closed to all human intrusion — to put pressure for its reopening.
The basis of the fear apparently are reports that Dang has photographed remains of a musk deer which, officials say, was actually killed by a leopard. He is also said to have photographed skulls of Bharal, a wild mountain sheep. Officials say Dang has also brought two of these skulls with him.
As a fallout of the controversy, the government has decided to serve notices on two tourist companies — K.F. Adventure Travels of the USA and K.E. Adventure Travels of England — too for recently urging adventurers to visit the Nanda Devi from next year in their advertisements on the Internet. The advertisements said the Indian Government had decided to open the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and that the companies had been given permission to take tourists and adventurers there.
A Korean expedition to scale the Doonagiri peak located at the boundary of the reserve has, meanwhile, been denied permission to enter the protected biosphere. Another American expedition to scale the Kalanka peak has also been denied permission.
Dhan Singh Rawat, the pradhan of the tribal Lata village situated on the periphery of the biosphere reserve, has been pressing the Government and IMF to prepare a ‘‘people-oriented plan’’ for reopening the reserve so tribals who work as porters continue to enjoy their rights. ‘‘We would continue to fight for our rights’’ says Rawat, who was recently in Dehra Dun to submit a memorandum to the state government.
Agreement eludes Uttaranchal, UP
Tribune News Service
Dehra Dun, August 22
Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh failed to reach an agreement on the division of assets and liabilities in the power sector at a meeting held between the CMs of both states in New Delhi yesterday.
The Chief Minister of Uttaranchal Mr Nityanand Swami, after his return told mediapersons here today that a meeting between the two states would be held again in New Delhi on August 27 to sort out the issue. He said that he met the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and invited him to participate in the Uttaranchal foundation day celebrations in November this year.
The CM also got an assurance from the Union Railway Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, for running another Shatabdi train between New Delhi and Dehra Dun. He also pressed the Railway Minister to introduce a fast train between Dehra Dun and Kathgodam to connect the Garhwal and Kumaon regions. Nainital is just 16 km from Kathgodam.
He requested Union Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha that Uttaranchal be given the benefit of 90 per cent grant and only 10 per cent recoverable loans during the current financial year keeping in view of the grant of special economic category status to the hill state.
The CM further revealed that UP had refused to take back 4,700 teachers who had opted for Uttar Pradesh.
Meanwhile, the UP CM, Mr Rajnath Singh, has said that two of his ministers — Mr Hukam Singh and Mr Lalji Tandon — would represent the state in the next round of talks between UP and Uttaranchal slated for August 27.
Since Uttaranchal is facing a shortage of senior IAS officers, UP has agreed to relieve three officers for posting in the new state.
The Union Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Sharad Yadav, at his meeting with the Uttaranchal CM, agreed to release Rs 70 crore for the upgradation of Jollygrant (Dehra Dun) airport.
Chinar to blossom in Mussoorie
8/23 - MUSSOORIE: `Chinar' trees, reminiscent of Kashmir, will now be seen at the famous `Mall Road' of this extremely popular hill resort of India.
According to renowned environmentalist Vipin Kumar, the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) has taken the initiative to plant the Chinar trees which would then be adopted by the children of the Hampton Court School under their community service extension programme.
Mr Kumar, who is also the convenor of self help environment programme (SHEP), said that GMVN managing director Uma Kant Panwar had assured the people of this hill station that the GMVN would be one of the major stake holders in greening Mussoorie and also removing plastic waste from the area.
``Mussoorie, Dehra Dun and Dhanolti would be the focal areas of our project of removing plastic waste through the authorised ragpickers of the SHEP,'' he added.
Mr Kumar said that the GMVN would work for the improvement of ecology in the hill state in cooperation with individuals and voluntary organisations in Uttaranchal.
United News of India
Rishikesh-Badrinath highway blocked
8/22 - DEHRA DUN: The Rishikesh-Badrinath highway in the Uttaranchal Himalayas has been blocked due to landslides which occurred after a cloudburst yesterday.
The holy Badrinath region is now cut off from the rest of the country.
According to border roads organisation official Subhash Chandra Lunia, a 25-km stretch on the Rishikesh-Badrinath national highway is covered by the debris of the landslide.
Work is underway to clear the route, Mr Lunia said.
A hundred labourers have been deployed and are using two bulldozers and a compressor to clear the important highway, he said.
However, it may take another three days for the route to be opened for vehicular traffic.
Meanwhile, the Niti valley in Chamoli district still remains cut off as the Niti road has been blocked for the past 20 days due to recurring landslides. Despite efforts to clear this route, the difficult terrain of the area is posing problems for the border roads organisation workers.
The people of the region are facing great inconvenience as there are not enough supplies of foodgrains to the Niti valley.
United News of India
UKD calls for Uttaranchal bandh on Sept 2
8/21 - DEHRA DUN: The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) has decided to call for an `Uttaranchal bandh' on September 2 next to protest against the `anti-people' policies of the state government.
UKD' s central president Diwakar Bhatt told mediapersons here yesterday that the UKD was opposed to holding Panchayat elections in Uttaranchal before the delimitation process in the state had been completed.
Meanwhile , the Uttaranchal Congress Committee will stage a `dharna' in New Delhi on August 24 next against the policies of the government.
In an official release by the party, the media was informed that the Pradesh Congress Committee would highlight the government's failure to implement development schemes in the hill state. A meeting of the Uttaranchal Pradesh Congress Committee would be also held in Doon on September 2 next to discuss the issue of delimitation in the state, the release said.
Meanwhile, Uttranchal Samajwadi Party (SP) secretary Munna Singh Rana, who has been on a hunger strike for six days to press for the setting up of a degree college in the tribal area of Jaunsar Bhabar in Uttaranchal, has been admitted to hospital.
Police yesterday picked up Mr Rana from the district headquarters and took him to hospital where he was put on a glucose drip.
At hospital, the SP leader said he would not end his hunger strike until his demand was granted.
State party chief Vinod Barthwal said like several other organisations he too fully backed Mr Rana's demand for a college in the backward area.
The Uttaranchal Government has announced the setting up of 14 colleges in different parts of the hill state by next year, but has not included Chakrata and Jaunsar Bhabar in its list.
United News of India
Samajwadi party to stage Chetana rally on Aug 21
8/20 - DEHRA DUN: The Samajwadi Party (SP) will stage a `Chetana rally' in the Doon valley on August 21 to urge the state government to look after the interests of the poor and the downtrodden.
Party's state general secretary Sunder Lal Yadav said the rally would begin from the Gandhi park in the heart of the city and culminate at the district headquarters. The rally would be addressed by state Samajwadi party president Vinod Barthwal and general secretary S N Sachan, said Yadav in an official release here.
The Uttaranchal government had failed to provide employment to the people in the hill state, he said. There was no provision of electricity and drinking water in `Malin bastis', he added.
The party would make all efforts to urge the government to focus on the interests of the downtrodden in the state, Yadav stated.
Meanwhile, the minority cell of the SP has criticised the recent statement of chief minister Nityanand swami that the creation of a minorities commission in the state was not an immediate requirement.
Gulfam Ali, the state chief general secretary of the minority cell of the Sp, said here that the interests of the minorities should be protected by the Uttaranchal government.
The party has also demanded more assembly seats for plain areas in uttaranchal. Addressing mediapersons here yesterday , Samajwadi party's Roorkee MLA Ram Singh Saini asserted that the plain areas (Dehra dun, Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar) must get 33 assembly seats for the 37 for the hill areas in the state.
United News of India
BJP workers asked to prepare for local polls
8/19 - DEHRA DUN: The BJP working committee in Uttaranchal has called upon party workers and Panchayati Raj representatives to be prepared for Panchayat elections in the hill state.
At the meeting of the working committee at Ramnagar in Nainital yesterday, party workers were called upon to build a rapport with the people through government programmes and schemes.
Working committee president Pooran Chandra Sharma said Panchayat elections in the hill state were likely to be held in October. A strategy for these elections was the need of the hour.
Mr Harbans Kapoor, BJP MLA from Dehra Dun, said Panchayat elections would most probably be held after October 16 next and the party was working on a strategy to prepare its workers for the elections. Chief Minister Nityanand Swami said a drive would be undertaken to further strengthen the BJP in the state. Among others who attended the meeting was former BJP national president Kushabhau Thakre.
United News of India
Dehra Dun school celebrates centenary
8/15 - DEHRA DUN: The Convent of Jesus and Mary (CJM), Dehra Dun, one of the oldest schools of Uttaranchal, will hold centenary celebrations from Thursday.
Uttaranchal Education Minister Teerath Singh Rawat will inaugurate the three-day festival -- Chimes-2001 -- which will begin with a one-act play competition in which several schools of the Doon valley, including the Doon School, Welham School, St. Joseph's Academy and Carman School, will participate.
State Education Secretary N Ravishanker will give away the trophies, CJM principal Sister Janet said.
The school has been a girls' institution for the past hundred years. However, it has a unique tradition of giving admission to little boys upto the kindergarten level.
Earlier this year, a `centenary fete' was organised by the school as part of the celebrations, a senior teacher of the school said.
Ex-students and former teachers of the institution would be attending the celebrations. Some of the well-known names among its alumnae are actresses Himani Shivpuri and Archana Puran Singh and renowned environmentalist Vandana Shiva.
United News of India
Uttaranchal delimitation: US Nagar to have 7 Assembly seats
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 13
The 70-member Uttaranchal Assembly after the delimitation of constituencies will have seven seats from the Punjabi-dominated district of Udham Singh Nagar and nine seats from Dehra Dun.
A broad consensus on the number seats from each of the 13 districts of Uttaranchal was arrived at a meeting between the Election Commission and the newly appointed associate members of the delimitation committee here today.
During the first meeting of the associate members, Kedar Singh Phonia, Mohan Singh Rawat, Ajay Bhatt, K.C. Singh ‘Baba’ and Harbans Kapoor, with the three-member commission led by the Chief Election Commissioner, J.M. Lyngdoh, it was decided to hold another meeting on September 3 to finalise the draft before making it public, Election Commission sources said.
According to the draft proposal Uttar Kashi district will have three Assembly seats, while Tehri Garhwal (six), Hardwar (nine), Pauri Garhwal (eight), Rudraprayag (two), Chamoli (four), Bhageshwar (three), Almora (seven), Nainital (five), Champawat (two) and Pithoragarh (five), the Election Commission sources said.
During the meeting, there was a consensus that the districtwise allocation of Assembly seats would be based on the 1971 population figures, sources said.
It was also decided that no Assembly constituency will fall in two different districts.
As for the reserved seats for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes, there was a consensus that 12 seats out of the 70 assembly constituencies would be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and two seats would be reserved for the Scheduled Tribes.
“Twelve Assembly constituencies having the highest concentration of the Scheduled Castes will be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and two seats having highest percentage of the Scheduled Tribes population will be reserved for the Scheduled Tribes,” a source said.
During the meeting the commission made a detailed presentation on the legal position of the delimitation process and the principle according to which delimitation of the present 22 Assembly seats into 70 seats would be done.
While arriving at the draft proposal, the commission had taken into account geographical location, administrative convenience and the communication facilities to keep each constituency a compact block, the sources said adding suitable allowance was also given to sparsely populated areas in the hills.
Although a broad consensus had been reached on the delimitation, the draft would be further refined and a complete proposal would be discussed in the next meeting scheduled for September 3, 2001.
In the meantime, further verification of the population figures, rechecking of the territorial extents would be undertaken with the support of the inputs from district-level officials, the sources said.
By mid-September, the commission is likely to publicise the draft proposal of the delimitation to elicit public view and for the convenience of people the commission will hold camps for public hearing in each of the five parliamentary constituencies in Uttaranchal.
Once the delimitation is completed, which is expected by December end, the Election Commission redefine the territorial limits of five Lok Sabha seats in Uttaranchal — Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Almorah, Nainital and Hardwar.
BSP to go alone in Uttaranchal
8/14 - DEHRA DUN: Bahujan Samaj Party has decided to contest the forthcoming elections in Uttaranchal on its own strength.
In a meeting held here yesterday Mr PS Bains of the party exhorted the party members to keep away from the Lok Janshakti Party.
The meeting was also addressed by Som Dutt Jatav, Harphool Singh and SS Valmiki.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Janvadi party president Munna Singh Chauhan has appointed Mr Dhanendra Singh Pundir, member of the cantonment board, as the city president of the party.
Chauhan urged him to form a working committee at the earliest and start working towards solving the problems faced by people in Uttaranchal.
United News of India
Mussoorie cut off
8/14 - MUSSOORIE: Major landslides triggered by heavy rains have blocked the Doon- Mussoorie road, leaving to stranded and cutting off supplies to the hill station.
Vehicular traffic on the route has stopped since early morning yesterday, leaving many tourists, holidaying in Mussoorie over the weekend, stranded.
The supply of milk, newspapers and vegetables from Doon to Mussoorie has also stopped and hotel tariffs have risen in a day as stranded tourists had no option but to stay on till the route is cleared.
Fallen trees, and debris from the landslides have completely blocked the route two kilometres from Kolhukhet.
Continuous rain is making it difficult for the public works department workers to reopen the road.
Landslips on a small scale are occurring at several places on the route due to the heavy rains.
United News of India
Tehri Dam may be ready by 2002
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service
Tehri (Uttaranchal), August 12
Construction work on Tehri Dam in Uttaranchal, believed to be the fourth largest in the world, is likely to be over by 2002, but residents of the Old Tehri city are angry that the government has not kept its promise of rehabilitating them even after 25 years. The Tehri mega project was started in 1976 as a joint venture of the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh Government. The cost of the dam, estimated at around Rs 500 crore at that time, has now escalated 10 times because of slow progress and frequent stoppage of work.
Till now, almost Rs 3,500 crore has been spent on the project which, once completed, will generate 2,400 MW of electricity. It will also control floods in the area and provide additional irrigation facility to 2,70,000 hectares.
But these seemingly abundant gains from the dam have failed to impress the local residents who have had to leave their homes because of the project.
“The officials here think that the rehabilitation can be done only in the plains, but is that so?” asked a resident, Rajendra Singh. Almost the entire Old Tehri city and 22 other villages will be submerged once water is filled in the dam.
The Tehri Hydro Development Corporation was assigned to rehabilitate more than 10,000 families of the region in 1990. But residents say more than 1,500 families are still waiting for rehabilitation. “The local administration has started a campaign to evacuate the Old Tehri town to pave the way for the filling water in the dam,” said Mrs Radha Raturi, District Magistrate, Tehri. Reports reveal that the district administration has taken the possession of about 50 shops for demolition during next week. More than 100 shops and 1,500 houses are yet to be taken into possession for demolition.
Drive to eradicate polio from Uttaranchal
8/12 - DEHRA DUN: A special week-long drive to `mop up' polio from the hill state of Uttaranchal will be launched on August 16 next. The drive will be conducted in two phases, the other beginning on September 14 next.
Uttaranchal chief secretary Madhukar Gupta said here that he had given directives to district magistrates of nine districts including Dehra Dun to ensure that `mop up' rounds for eradication of polio be made successful. In the first week-long drive beginning August 16, Dehra Dun, Haridwar, Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts would be covered. Door to door visits would be made by volunteers to administer polio doses to children between 0 and 5 years of age.
Dehra Dun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar would be focussed upon as they border western Uttar Pradesh where the polio virus prevails. The second week long drive would begin on September 14 and will cover several other areas of the hill state, said Mr Gupta.
United News of India
PAC deployed to foil Uttaranchal Chakkajam
8/11 - DEHRA DUN: Six companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) have been deployed throughout the Doon valley to avert any untoward trouble in view of the Chakkajam called by the agitating transporters in the state today.
Police personnel were patrolling the main thoroughfares of the valley since this morning including the bus stands to ensure smooth flow of traffic, city SP Martolia said.
Any persons found disrupting traffic or causes nuisances would be strictly dealt with, Martolia warned.
The district has been divided into three sectors namely Dehradun, Rishikesh and Vikasnagar and 22 sub-sectors for security purposes, he added.
Meanwhile, Uttaranchal chief minister Nityanand Swami appealed to people to maintain calm during the Chakkajam. He said it would not affect normal life in the region as the administration had made adequate arrangements.
Commercial transporter and drivers have been agitating for quite sometime demanding a decrease in the extra taxes imposed on them. Ambulances, milk vans, newspaper vans and vehicles owned by journalists have, however, been exempted from the jam.
According to Suryakant Dhasmana, Congress leader and president of the Uttarakhand transport union, if today's strike and jam did not succeed in making the government aware of the problems of transporters in the state, a movement would be launched all over Uttaranchal from August 15.
United News of India
Bravery award on I Day
8/10 - DEHRA DUN: Seven citizens, including one posthumously, will be honoured with `Jeewan Raksha Padak' bravery awards in Uttaranchal on Independence Day.
The awardees are Puneet Khadait of Pithoragarh (Posthumous), Amit Kumar, Balam Singh and Prakash Tamta (Nainital), Bhakun Khol (Bageshwar), Manju Arya (Baijnath), and Vinita and master Subhash Chandra (Champawat).
The awardees will be invited to Dehra Dun and treated as state guests, according to officials. Chief Minister Nityanand Swami will honour them for their acts of bravery after hoisting the national flag at the parade ground in the Doon valley.
United News of India
Swami refuses UP babus’ services
S M A KAZMI (Express India)
DEHRA DUN, AUGUST 9: Uttaranchal has decided to pay back it’s parent state Uttar Pradesh in the same coin. The state government today refused to appoint over 700 officers selected by UP for appointment in Uttaranchal.
Both the states are in conflict over the fate of thousands of employees, who want to move to their respective states.
The Uttaranchal Cabinet which met here today decided not to absorb more than 700 candidates selected for class-I, II, and III jobs by the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sewa Ayog (UP Public Service Commission) and the UP Higher Education Commission.
According to sources the Uttar Pradesh government had hurriedly selected more than 700 officers for appointment in Uttaranchal, within a month of the creation of the new hill state. But since a new government was formed in Uttaranchal, these new recruits could not join duty. Most of these selections were made in the the Education and Irrigation Department.
Apart from this the two states are already at loggerheads over the repatriation of more than 4000 teachers serving in Uttaranchal who had preferred to go back to UP in case of a transfer of officials. The UP government has refused to take back these employees.
During the past nine months, the Uttaranchal government has taken up the issue with UP several times but without any success. Even the teachers organised a massive rally in Lucknow some time ago but the UP government turned a deaf ear.
Similarly, the issue of thousands of employees of the Irrigation Department who belong to Uttar Pradesh cadre is still hanging fire. The matter has left the Uttaranchal government in a dilemma. It also threatens to snowball into its major political failure for government since it has not been able to make new appointments for these jobs in the state following the conflict.
Task force to decongest traffic
8/5 - DEHRA DUN: The Uttaranchal Government plans to constitute a task force to decongest traffic and improve traffic management in the capital.
The task force, headed by the State Principal Secretary (Home) and Secretary, Power, will have the Health Secretary, the PWD Secretary and the vice chairperson of Mussoorie-Dehradun Development Authority as its members.
The traffic plan will also be implemented in Rishikesh and Haridwar.
The force would formulate viable measures to decrease traffic pressure in the capital and identify hurdles in the way of the master plan, which is soon to be implemented.
Meanwhile, the Irrigation Department has been given the responsibility to look after the faulty drainage system, blocked sewage lines and overflowing manholes in the capital which cause great inconvenience to the public during the monsoons.
United News of India
Rains hit traffic in Uttaranchal
8/1 - DEHRA DUN: Heavy rain continue to wreak havoc in Uttaranchal hills with several roads having collapsed and major routes blocked by landslips since the past four days.
Milk, vegetables and other essentials were not reaching remote villages and scarcity of these commodities had resulted in a hike in prices. Telephone links had been severed and areas such as Munsyari were entirely cut off from the rest of the state.
Education Minister Teerath Singh Rawat, who returned to Pithoragarh from Champawat yesterday, had to walk to Tanakpur as the Champawat-Tanakpur-Tawaghat route remained blocked for the fourth day.
Pilgrims on their way to Kailash-Mansarovar and Hemkund Sahib were facing great Inconvenience.
The Pithoragarh-Jhoolaghat route was also blocked as the road gave way because of incessant showers in the Kumaon hill region. The Pithoragarh-Munsyari route also remained blocked.
United News of India
Action plan for disaster management
7/28 - DEHRA DUN: The Uttaranchal government has decided to initiate a ``village disaster management action plan '' in 80 villages of four hill districts which have been found to be more sensitive to natural disasters.
Official sources here said the state government has a separate ministry for disaster management headed by Ajay Bhatt. The recent landslides in Rudraprayag have made the government pace up work to increase preparedness in disater -prone areas of the hill state.
The four districts targetted in the action plan are Chamoli and Uttarkashi in the Garhwal area and Bageshwar and Pithoragarh in the Kumaon area of Uttaranchal, sources said. Twenty villages in each of these four districts have been identified by the ministry as more disaster prone than other areas in the state.``Shelter points'' would be established in these villages which would provide safety to the villagers during any natural calamity. Helipads would be made around these ``shelter points'' to be used in emergency situations.
Among the 80 villages are Maithani, Nandprayag, Pipalkoti, Mandal, Gangola, Bhimtalla and Aamkhet (in Chamoli), Jamak, Sanglai, Kishenpur, Badkot, Nandgaon and Raithal (in Uttarkashi), Dokti, Gogina, Farsali Talla, Kanyali Kot, Kaflani and Ghulampur Garh (in Bageshwar) and Madkot, Bona, Batkura, Bhadeli and Dhapa in Pithoragarh.
United News of India
Exploitation of Himalayan biosphere goes unchecked
7/25 - SRINAGAR (Garhwal): Despite the western Himalayas serving as a source of almost 50 per cent of medicinal plants used in the Ayurvedic, Unani and allopathic systems of medicine, initiatives towards indigenous cultivation of these plants have been few and far between.
Out of about 2500 such plants grown in the wild, only 300 species are currently used by 8000 licensed drug manufacturing units in India.
According to Dr RK Maikhuri, senior scientist, GB Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, Garhwal unit, though extraction of medicinal plants from the wild is a widespread practice across the Himalayas, there are no published accounts of indigenous initiatives towards cultivation of medicinal plants in the Niti valley and Nanda Devi biosphere reserve.
Even the cultivation of these plants in private farmlands seems to be a response to restrictions on traditional utilisation of the resource base in the wild as well as the fast growing market demands for medicinal plant products.
A variety of medicinal plants viz, allunium humile, a stracheyi, Angelica Glauca, Pleurospermum angelicoides, Dactylorhiza Hatagirea, Megacarpaea Polyandra and Carum Carvi having multiple value are being cultivated by the villagers of the buffer zone of Nanda Devi Biosphere since last two-three decades, Dr Maikhuri, said. The total land under medicinal cultivation in Niti valley is approximately about 25 ha. out of the total area under medicinal plant cultivation, 71 per cent area is under cultivation of allium species whereas rest of the area (29 per cent) is under cultivation of other species, he added.
However, Dr KS Rao, head sustainable development, Almora said that the future of hundreds of medicinal plants species such as Aconitum Heterophyllum, Podophyllum Hexandrum, Dactylorhiza Hatagirea, nordostachys Grandiflora, taxus Baccata, etc in the reserve are at risk as they are often picked Indiscriminatley from the wild, leaving little scope for their natural regeneration. Even today pharmaceutical industries obtain their total requirements mainly from the wild resources and not from say that of cultivated.
Even though traders and manufacturers that time has come to go in for cultivation of medicinal plants on a large scale to ensure a constant supply of raw material, they find it very cheap and easier collecting their requirements from the wild, rather than take a risk of expensive farming, he added.
While working on the medicinal plant cultivation aspect, Dr Maikhuri pointed out that the cultivation and use of medicinal and aromatic plants has a great potential for employment generation, particularly in the marginal lands of higher Himalayan regions. Limitations of indigenous knowledge, small land holdings, lack of an organized marketing system and ineffective enforcement of policy restrictions on utilization of wild resources are the factors limiting cultivation on a larger scale he added.
Dr Rao, said that local communities need to be made aware of new uses of traditionally used medicinal plants and the potential monetary benefits from the new uses so that they are able to resist exploitation by the middlemen in the marketing channel. Because of limited options of income in inaccessible high altitudes and poor understanding of the market, people sell products for whatever money they get.
Research conducted by Dr Maikhuri and his team highlighted that though the economic returns per hectare per year from medicinal plants are several fold higher than food crops, food crop cultivation remains the dominant land use because marketing of and profits from food crops are more secured than from medicinal plants. On one hand bartering, the traditional system of exchange, is disappearing with increasing concern for monetary economy among the Bhotiyas, the community is unable to adequately benefit from the growing cash market of medicinal plants.
Introduction of medicinal species in degraded lands belonging to government and communities could be another option for promoting the rural economy together with environment conservation but have not received attention in the land rehabilitation programs in the Himalayas, said Dr Rao.
According to Dr Rao, efforts are being made to promote and motivate farmers to undertake the cultivation of economically important and biologically significant medicinal plants on a large scale and also establish their nurseries. Farmer-to-farmer training programmes are being organized in several villages to encourage them for cultivation while providing on-site training, he added.
Dr Maikhuri emphasized that farmers lack the opportunity and the means to develop their capabilities regarding their knowledge and innovations in medicinal plant cultivation practices, owned and sold in the market place of ideas of the scientific community without them being compensated in any way. There is a need to created mechanisms at different levels in order to effectively monitor and evaluate programmes dealing with cultivation of medicinal plants and iprs in order to ensure full accountability at local level planning, policy-making, implementation and impact, he added.
United News of India
Rudraprayag landslide victims
7/25 - DEHRA DUN: Vehicles of the pilgrims trapped due to last week's heavy landslides in Rudraprayag district of Uttaranchal are being guarded by the ITBP personnel.
The pilgrims were rescued after 104 of their vehicles had been trapped between between Gaurikund and Byomgarh villages but the vehicles still remain stranded.
SDM Dehra Dun Vinod Raturi said yesterday that 848 families had been affected by the last weeks landslides in several villages of Rudraprayag.
The ITBP has put up 40 tents for the shelter of the landslide victims. Some more tents were being dispatched by the District Magistrate, Dehra Dun, he informed.
United News of India
Literacy in Uttaranchal 72 pc
7/25 - DEHRA DUN: Seventy-two per cent people in Uttaranchal are literate which is one of the highest literacy rates in the country despite the difficult mountain terrain and lack of resources.
Addressing a five-day training workshop in the Doon valley, Mr Vishnu Kumar, director of Directorate of Adult Education, quoting figures from the 2001 Census, said around 84 per cent of men in the new state were literate, while the figures for women went around 60.
The training of trainers (ToT) programme, organised in the Doon valley by the Directorate of Adult Education, Ministry of Human Resources Development in collaboration with the State Resource Centre for Adult Education, is being attended by the participants from 15 states of the country.
Uttaranchal's Education Secretary N Ravishanker said the Education Department in the new state was aiming at convergence of all education programmes under the canopy for the Education For All (EFA) society which has been created by the State Government. ``The cabinet is soon to give its approval to this approach of converging all educational programmes, including basic, adult and non-formal education,'' he said.
Mr Ravishanker said making literacy job-oriented was extremely important to improve the economic condition of the people in the hill region. ``Skill development is a must for all literacy programmes,'' he said.
The focus during the workshop would be on training methodologies and the latest techniques of training the trainers, said Mrs Kusum Vir, joint director of the Directorate of Adult Education.
Dr Naseem Ahmad, director of the State Resource Centre (SRC) for Uttaranchal said the adult education programmes in all the districts in the hill state were carrying on at a satisfactory pace.
United News of India
Tourist rush ends in Queen of Hills
7/24 - MUSSOORIE: Monsoon magic prevails in this queen of hills as it rejoices in its green solitude after the huge crowds of visitors have left it to its own resources with the summer rush ending in mid-July.
The heavy downpour over the past weeks has rejuvenated the tired summer landscape, bringing a freshness which words can hardly describe. The noisy vehicles of tourists rushing through the mall and other streets of the hill town seem like a nightmare which is past and the glowing cherubic faces of schoolchildren are the only faces one can see in large numbers on the rain washed roads of Mussoorie.
Chance visitors from Doon and some other parts of Uttaranchal, alongwith some pilgrim groups on their way to Hemkund Sahib through this hill resort are having a feel of the magic of rains in the queen of hills. Some honeymooning couples can also be seen on the mall and the ``camel's back'' road, savouring the green charms of this wondrous hill resort.
Hotels are wearing a sad look after bidding adieu to the rush of occupants and the rough and tumble of the tourist season when representatives of all hotels literally woo the visitors as they arrive at the parking lots of ''library point' and' picture palace ''.They vie with each other to bring in the maximum number of tourists to their hotels. More than two hundred and fifty hotels have been a part of Mussoorie for many years now, but a supreme court order banning construction has put an end to the proliferation of hotels here.
Pilgrims passing through the town these days go onto Dhanolti and then to ``Surkanda Devi'' temple, 30 Km from Mussoorie at a height of 10,000 feet which offers a panoramic view of Himalayan peaks like Chaukhamba, Nanda Devi, Trishul and Annapurna. The temple is surrounded by majestic Deodar trees in a meadow.
Apple orchards in this area developed by the State Government in the early 70s offer another attraction for the visitors. The fruit belt of Chamba (Uttaranchal) lures many a visitor to Mussoorie to go beyond Dhanolti towards Tehri and onto the `yatra'. route. Breathtakingly beautiful Lush green Himalayan alpine meadows(called bugyals in uttaranchal and ''margs'' in Kashmir) line the entire route from Dhanolti to Chamba.
Traders in Mussoorie will now take some time off before preparing for the tourists groups from West Bengal which visit the hill station in october during `pooja'. After that, Mussoorie also sees a brief period of excitement during the christmas vacations, especially if it happens to snow in December.
For the locals, monsoon is a time for peace and reflection, of enjoying the tranquility which was once synonymous with Mussoorie. Once again it is time for taking stock before another stream of visitors comes and breaks the quiet.
United News of India
Cong to hold protests rallies
7/24 - DEHRA DUN: Congress workers of Uttaranchal will hold protests against the BJP government at the district headquarters in Dehra Dun on July 26 next.
Mr Harish Rawat, state president of Congress in Uttaranchal, said at a meeting of the city Congress committee held in Doon yesterday that Congress workers would ``expose the failures of the government'' through dharnas and demonstrations on Thursday next in the valley.
The meeting was presided over by Mr Vivekanand Khanduri, senior vice president of the city Congress committee and conducted by Prof Ghanshyam Tripathi.
Addressing the meeting as the chief guest, Mr Harish Rawat said that the Congress had established itself as the main opponent political party in Uttaranchal much before the announcement of the state Congress executive.
Mr Rawat stressed on the importance of `shramdan' by Congress workers in `Malin bastis' (slums) of the region. Mr Prithvipal Chauhan, state general secretary, Mr DS Rawat, spokesman of the city Congress committee and several other Congressmen were present at the meeting.
United News of India
Landslides in western UP
7/23 - DEHRA DUN: Several villages in the Saharanpur area of Uttar Pradesh have been cut off due to blockade at the Saharanpur-Chakrata route after landslides occurred following heavy rains in the region over the past three days.
Life has been thrown out of gear due to the heavy downpour in the Shivalik hills and the Himalayan region. Dehra Dun has been experiencing heavy rain for the past 72 hours along with several areas in the hills of Uttaranchal.
Rivers emerging from the Shivaliks have been flooded by the excessive rain. Two trucks were washed away by the strong current on Friday night in the Kaali river. Hundreds of hectares of fertile land with standing crops in the region have come under water, resulting in the destruction of the crops of groundnut and sugarcane.
Vehicular traffic has been obstructed by the landslide on the Saharanpur-Chakrata road.
United News of India
Eco task force appreciated
7/20 - DEHRA DUN: Large-scale planting of tree made by the Eco task force and the NCC headquarters in Doon over the years have ensured maintenance of balance in the ecology of the valley.
Dehra Dun sub-area commander Brig Rajeev Chopra said this at at a ``Ban Mahotsav'' celebration at the Hiralal Atal Park in the cantonment area in the valley yesterday. Speaking as the chief guest at the function, Brig Chopra said that afforestation in the hills could prevent landslides, which were caused by uncontrolled mining and soil erosion.
He highlighted the incongruence in the population and forest cover of India, which has 16 percent of the world's population but only 1.7 percent of the forest cover. He said this was very low, expressing concern at the ever decreasing forest cover.
United News of India
Stir warned for change in Uttaranchal name
7/20 - DEHRA DUN: The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) has decided to call a state-wide bandh and `chakka jam' on September 2 to highlight the alleged failures of Nityanand Swami government in Uttaranchal.
Mr Kashi Singh Airy, senior UKD leader and former central president of the UKD, told mediapersons here yesterday that the bandh would be part of the UKD's phased agitational programme.
UKD members would stage a dharna and undertake a fast on July 25 at the district headquarters in Dehra Dun to urge the government to change the name of the hill state from Uttaranchal to `Uttarakhand,' he said.
Regarding a third front, he said the UKD had been having formal and informal talks on the matter. Any such front would, however, be without the Congress, BJP and SP, he added.
He further said the UKD would hold talks with various parties and organisations at Dehra Dun and Nainital on July 25 and 26 to explore the possibility of the emergence of a third front.
United News of India
Army choppers airdrop food packages in Rudraprayag
7/19 - DEHRADUN: Army helicopters today began airdropping food packages and other essential items in Rudraprayag district where 27 people were feared killed in heavy landslides on Monday, an official spokesman said.
State chief minister Nityanand Swami made an aerial survey of the affected areas, he said.
Uttaranchal disaster management minister Ajay Bhat, who visited the affected areas, said out of the 14 villages, Vyumgaad, Fata and Semkurla were the worst hit.
The landslides triggered by heavy rains have completely cut off these villages, he said adding eight more people are still reported to be missing.
The state government has appealed to the people of these areas to move to safer places, he said adding medical teams and make-shift tents have been sent as part of the relief operation.
Meanwhile, last rites of 19 people killed in the landslides were performed yesterday.
Press Trust of India
26 killed in landslides
7/18 - GUPTAKASHI: As many as 26 people have been killed following yesterday's torrential rains and landslides in Phata and Koong areas near here while the state government is sending a team to rescue around 200 pilgrims still stranded in the affected areas.
This information was given to newsmen by Rudraprayag District Magistrate SK Lamba, who added that while most of the pilgrims in Kedarnath had been evacuated, around 200 were still stranded in Kedarnath, Gaurikund, Sonprayag and Sitapur.
A rescue team is being sent to evacuate them, Lamba said.
He said the exact damage could not be ascertained so far.
The army, ITBP and police officials have reached most of the affected areas for relief and rescue works.
Lamba said a control room had been established to coordinate the various rescue operations.
The DM said pilgrims to Kedarnath were advised not to proceed till further notice.
The road between Guptakashi and Gaurikund has been closed for heavy vehicles.
United News of India
25 killed in landslides in Rudraprayag
7/18 - THE TIMES OF INDIA NEWS SERVICE
DEHRA DUN: At least 25 people were killed and several rendered homeless following cloudburst and landslides in Rudraprayag district in the wee hours of Sunday, according to delayed reports.
Casualties were reported from Fata and Biyounggad areas in Ukhimath Tehsil. The reports said as a result of landslides, boulders had crushed lots of houses, burying some people alive. A few boulders are still lying on the pathways, causing blockades. Some pilgrims and villagers from Kedarnath are said to be stranded due to the blockades at several places along the main route and snapping of the communication network.
Kailash Khanduri, a local journalist and resident of Rudraprayag town, told The Times of India News Service over the phone on Sunday night that no senior district officers were available to give information on the actual situation in the affected areas.
``Even as those displaced in previous landslides continue to look for help, the absence of adequate precautionary measures have exposed the weakness of the government once again,'' said Vinod Barthwal, president of the Uttaranchal unit of Samajwadi Party from Rudraprayag.
In 1998, flashfloods and slope failures claimed 106 lives and left about 12,000 people homeless in the Kedarnath valley.
Sahitya academy in Uttaranchal
7/17 - DEHRA DUN: Uttaranchal Chief Minister Nityanand Swami today announced that the Sahitya Academy will soon be established in the state.
The Chief Minister was speaking on the occasion of the felicitation ceremony of Shivani, the famous writer of Uttaranchal.
Mr Swami said Uttaranchal had no dearth of writers and the establishment of the academy would enable them a wider field in art and literature.
The Chief Minister presented Shivani with a shawl.
United News of India
GMVN chairman resigns
7/14 - DEHRA DUN: After a four year long successful innings as the chairman of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), Dr Devendra Bhasin resigned from the post yesterday.
Prem Chand Aggarwal, district president of the BJP, has been appointed as the new chairman.
Dr Bhasin has not given any reason for his resignation. It was a one-line resignation saying that he was resigning from his post as the chairman of the Gmvn.
Secretary (tourism), Uttaranchal NN Prasad said that Dr Bhasin's resignation had been accepted by the government which has appointed Mr Prem Chand Aggarwal as the new chairman of the zonal development body.
The GMVN had been the only corporation now in the state which had a non-MLA chairperson.
Dr Bhasin is a professor in history in the PG DAV College, Dehra Dun and a veteran journalist.
United News of India
Everest house to be developed as tourist site
7/14 - DEHRA DUN: The famous house of Sir George Everest, India's first surveyor general, in Mussoorie will be developed as a tourist site by the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) and the tourism department of the Uttaranchal Government with financial assistance from the central government.
This information was given to mediapersons in the Doon valley yesterday by GMVN chairman Devendra Bhasin. Tent colonies and pre-fabricated huts would be put up at this heritage site at Hathipaon in Mussoorie, he said, as part of the plan to preserve and develop heritage sites which would also include Doon's Rangers' College and Nainital's `Snow View.'
Everest's room and his observatory would be repaired and made into tourist attractions, said Dr. Bhasin. The instruments used by George Everest had already been brought down to the Doon valley and were safe with the survey of India, he said. The area in which the George Everest house lies is known as ``Park Estate''.
While encouraging tourism in such historic sites, visitors would be given a list of dos and don'ts so that the environment was not harmed in any way due to tourism, said the GMVN chairman. ``We want to protect the religious sentiments and the ecology of our region while promoting tourism in the new state'', he said.
Eco-tourism would definitely be now implemented in Uttaranchal, he added. At places where there were shrines and people did not want bars nearby, the GMVN would see to it that no bars were allowed in such places, Dr. Bhasin said.
Dr. Bhasin said that to increase the interests of tourists in the traditional handicrafts of Uttaranchal, rural craftsmen would be provided the necessary training and craft bazars would be set up to exhibit their wares.
Souvenir shops would be set up in hotels and guest houses of the tourism department and Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam to showcase and market locally made handicrafts.
United News of India
Centre's package for tourism in Uttaranchal
7/12 DEHRA DUN: With financial assistance under a special tourism development package from the Centre, Uttaranchal is now on its way to become one of the finest tourist destinations in the country.
Uttaranchal Tourism Secretary NN Prasad said here that a host of tourism development schemes were being launched with Rs 968.15 lakh central assistance which the state had recently received.
The schemes are related to beautification of tourist sites, setting up tourist reception centres, renovating guest houses, improving amenities on Tourist routes and creating tourist villages, Mr Prasad said.
A sound and light show on the Ganga River was also in the offing for tourists to Uttaranchal, he said, adding that 2001-2002 had been declared as the ``visit Uttaranchal year'' by the state government. Heritage buildings such as the George Everest House in Mussoorie, Rangers' College in Doon and Snow View, Nainital, would be repaired and strengthened to give visitors a feel of the colonial era.
An ice-skating ring is proposed to be setup at Auli, the world famous ski-resort in the Chamoli district. The cave garden at Sukhatal in Nainital would also be developed and beautified, Mr Prasad said.
He said priority would be given to augment the infrastructure facilities for tourists and to mobilise resources for this purpose. Private sector participation would be encouraged in a major way.
Winter sports activities such as skiing, ice-skating and ice- hockey would be especially promoted in the state to make it a round-the -year tourist destination.
The unlimited tourism potential of Uttaranchal has so far not been fully realised in the absence of a planned and coordinated strategy of tourism development. Limited capital investment and almost negligible private sector participation have also been responsible for this. With the creation of a separate hill state, tourism would be the main source of revenue new state.
Uttaranchal seeks Rs 1700 cr as compensation
7/11 JAIPUR: The Uttaranchal Government wants a Rs 1,700-crore compensation from the Centre for the revenue deficit inherited after the state was carved out from Uttar Pradesh, State Finance Minister Ramesh Pokharial has said.
``Such a huge deficit can't be covered by the State on its own. It being a new one, the Centre should meet it,'' Mr Pokharial, who is on a visit to Rajasthan, said yesterday.
Citing precedence, he said Himachal Pradesh had received central- aid for several years after becoming a full-fledged state.
He said Uttaranchal came into existence after the 11th Finance Commission submitted its recommendations. ``There was no separate recommendation for my state, it should be given special central assistance,'' he said.
He, however, said the special status granted by the Centre to Uttaranchal would certainly help, to some extent, like in getting the Rs 700-800 crore additional aid from the Centre.
He said there were disputes between Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal about dividing power and water. This would be resolved soon, he added.
United News of India
Parallel Panchayat bodies in Uttaranchal
7/11 DEHRA DUN: Minister of Rural Areas and Employment M Venkaiah Naidu has been requested by Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK) chairperson Avadhesh Kaushal to issue directions to the Uttaranchal Government to stop creating parallel bodies to the panchayats as they ``water down the letter and spirit of the 73rd amendment.''
The creation of ``van panchayats'' by the Uttaranchal Government would dilute the power of the Gram panchayats in the state, Mr Kaushal said in a letter sent to Mr Naidu yesterday.
He urged the Minister to make his stand on the issue clear at the meeting of Rural Development Ministers to be held in New Delhi on July 11.
``The van panchayats become handy for the bureaucracy since they are not elected bodies, but full of people nominated by the forest department,'' Mr Kaushal pointed out in the letter.
Despite clear-cut instructions by the Prime Minister in his letter dated April 27, 2001 against the creation of bodies parallel to the panchayats, the Uttaranchal Government had created the van panchayats, he added.
Meanwhile, Mr Naidu has announced that the Panchayat elections in Uttaranchal would be held in October.
United News of India
Evening classes closure flayed
7/10 DEHRA DUN: The Uttaranchal chapter of the Indian National Students Union (NSUI) has expressed resentment at the state government's proclamation banning evening classes in colleges and universities.
In a joint statement issued in the Doon valley, Mr Vijeyesh Navani, district president of the Yuvak Congress and Mr Jagmohan Singh Negi, divisional president of the the students' union, said the government was depriving the youth in the state of educational opportunities by announcing such a move.
``Such a decision can only weaken the base of Uttaranchal as many students who work in the mornings would not be able to pursue higher studies'', the statement said.
It said that there were thousands of unemployed youth in the state. Banning of evening classes would take away from them even the opportunity to continue their education while doing part time jobs during he day.
United News of India
Pressure on to reopen Nanda Devi reserve
Dehra Dun, July 8
With pressure mounting on the nascent Uttaranchal Government to reopen the world famous Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR) for mountaineering and tourism, environmentalists have begun dreading the harm it would bring to one of the world’s “purest” repositories of biodiversity.
The reserve had suddenly come into focus as an expedition was sent there by the state government recently to assess the status of biodiversity in the area which had remained closed to any human interference since 1982.
In 1993, a team of scientists and Army personnel had visited the reserve to study the effects on keeping it out of bounds for man.
The latest expedition, led by mountaineer and tourism expert Harish Kapadia, had recently returned. It will submit a report to the government on July 12.
In case it recommended mountaineering and tourism be started again in the Nanda Devi, not just India but the whole world may have to bid farewell to one of the few sites where nature exists in its purest form, environmentalists said.
Talking to the UNI here, Mr S. Sathyakumar, a specialist in High Altitude Ecology at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehra Dun, opposed any effort to reopen the pristine core area spread over 640 sq. km of the Nanda Devi National Park.
Mr Sathyakumar was in the 1993 expedition to the Nanda Devi. He alleged that this time the team which went there was not competent enough to judge the impact of banning human activity on the park’s ecology.
According to Mr Sathyakumar, the international mountaineering community has always been campaigning for the opening of the core area of the park for mountaineers.
“This is happening despite the fact that so many peaks can be climbed from outside the core area. Even the Nanda Devi Eastern Peak can be attempted from the other side. Why do these people then insist on climbing the Nanda Devi Western Peak which can be done only after entering the core zone?” asks the visibly agitated lover of nature.
Mountaineering expeditions from all over the world would queue up to climb the Nanda Devi West as soon as the park was opened. Money will pour in but so would the garbage. “In 1993, we brought back 1000 tonnes of garbage left by mountaineers, but we still had to leave a lot behind.
The cost of clearing the garbage later would be far more than what might be earned by the government from the expeditions”, said Mr Sathyakumar. UNI
Council for `clean Uttaranchal'
7/7 DEHRA DUN: The Central Vigilance Commission, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the enforcement directorate have joined hands to set up a `council for a clean Uttaranchal' with the initiative of a local NGO.
This council would initiate a drive for a corruption-free state for which an ambitious campaign would be launched by the the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), Dehra Dun, in all the 13 districts of Uttaranchal. The move is to create public opinion against corruption, especially targeting the forest bureaucracy as 70 percent of the state's population is dependent upon forests.
Talking about the anti-corruption drive, RLEK chairperson Avadhesh Kaushal said they plan to organise a `vigilance awareness week' in Uttaranchal from October 31, the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.
Moreover, RLEK would also make available a `format for complaint' to all members of the public. Through this form, they would be able to make complaints about corrupt officials to the Central Vigilance Commission in strict confidence, Mr Kaushal said. Honest officials in the state would be publicly honoured and supported by RLEK, he added.
``This is an act of cleaning the social environment in the nascent state'', said RLEK chairperson. At a meeting held last week in New Delhi by the Central Vigilance Commission, grave concern was expressed over the fact that India had slipped from the 69th place to the 73rd place out of 90 countries in the ranking of the corruption perception index prepared by Transparency International, a Berlin-based NGO.
The meeting in Delhi was attended by former and present directors of the CBI and enforcement directorate, Ombudsmen of various banks and insurance companies and representatives from a few NGOs. Mr N Vittal, Chief Vigilance Commissioner, Central Vigilance Commission, Mr Julio F Rebeiro, Swami Agnivesh and Mr Avadhesh Kaushal were among those who attended the meeting.
It was decided at the meet that RLEK should assume the responsibility of working for a corruption-free state with the support of the Central Vigilance Commission, CBI and the enforcement directorate.
The drive would create awareness against corruption through extensive use of the media, said Mr Kaushal. The support of the media would be taken in pointing out corrupt officials and exposing them. With the Assembly elections and Panchayat elections at hand in the state, he said, the RLEK also aimed to undertake a survey of all aspiring candidates and exposing anyone who was found corrupt.
United News of India
Shift capital to Gairsen: UKD
Tribune News Service
Uttarkashi, July 6
The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UDK) has staged a “dharna” at the district headquarters and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Governor regarding the demand of the shifting of capital from Dehra Dun to Gairsen. It has launched a ‘Ghera Dalo Dera Dalo’ campaign.
The president of the party, Mr Diwakar Bhatt, while addressing a public meeting held at Hanuman Chowk here today insisted upto the imposition of Article 371 in the state. Describing the BJP government as incompetent, he declared that an agitation would be launched within a month against the government’s failure to implement land-ceiling laws.
Alleging that the land mafia was making inroads into the state in a big way, Mr Bhatt said the government was extending support to them. The dreams of the people were being betrayed, he claimed.
He demanded that the capital of the state should be shifted to Gairsen and that the delimitation of Assembly constituencies be done on the basis of geographical area and the 1971 census.
Uttaranchal's first drama academy set up
7/3 DEHRA DUN: Admissions to a one-year course in drama will begin on July 5 next in the `Uttaranchal Natya Academy' set up in the Doon valley.
Addressing mediapersons in the Uttaranchal Press Club last evening, academy managing director Anuj Rajput said the one-year course would cover all aspects of drama. Twenty students would be admitted in the first course in which all seat are reserved for people of Uttaranchal, he said.
But from next year, admissions would be made on an all-India basis, he said adding entrants would have to be between 17 and 30 years of age, he added.
Physical theatre, mime, history of drama in India, voice training and improvisation would be part of the training given at the academy.
United News of India
NHRC to sensitise newly-created states
7/2 DEHRADUN: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) will take all efforts to `sensitise' the three-newly created states, including Uttaranchal, to the protection of human rights, special rapporteur with the NHRC Chaman Lal has said.
Lal, who was here to deliver a lecture at the rural litigation entitlement Kendra (RLEK) human rights centre, told UNI here yesterday that the NHRC chairperson would visit Doon on July nine to hold talks with the Uttaranchal chief secretary and other senior officials.
``We feel that there is a greater need to create awareness regarding development, education and poverty alleviation in Uttaranchal,'' he said.
The NHRC would make an assessment of the human development status in the new hill state, he added. Uttaranchal required special attention in the areas of education, health care and water conservation, he felt.
Lal also stressed the need to exploit the strength of women in uttaranchal. ``The women of Uttaranchal are its greatest potential and should be given all opportunities to play a role in its development,'' he said.
Strengthening the Panchayati Raj institutions in the state would make this possible, he added.
``Kerala and Himachal Pradesh have seen great improvement after women empowerment began in these states,'' Lal pointed out.
United News of India
Uttaranchal — a saga of ordeals
Kulwinder Sandu
Tribune News Service
Dehra Dun, July 2
For tourists, Uttaranchal hills may be a pleasant break from the tension of city life, but for the tillers of soil, it is a saga of ordeals and untold miseries. Tricky hill terrains devoid of basic amenities, make survival difficult.
The failure of the successive governments in the parent state Uttar Pradesh has left these hills undeveloped despite being blessed with natural resources and scenic beauty. Even after five decades of Independence, 70 per cent of hill villages do not have proper road links and basic facilities like medicare are scarce.
Spread over 53,484 sq km Uttaranchal with a population of about 85 lakh according to the 2001 census, continues to remain neglected. Its creation has made little difference in the development of the area, despite an increase in the plan outlay from a meagre Rs 150 crore in the early sixties to around Rs 1,429.5 crore at present.
The government spending hardly reflect in the lives of people. Employment avenues are scarce. There are more than four lakh registered unemployed people here.
Agriculture, which by and large is unrewarding, still remains the mainstay for a majority of people. Medicare is only for namesake, as hospitals in general are ill-equipped. One cannot hope for medical help in an emergency. Two base hospitals set up at Nainital and Srinagar some few years ago are still without the requisite strength of doctors and other paramedical staff. According to a rough estimate, over 700 posts of doctor are lying vacant in districts.
Indira Gandhi had raised the annual budget allocation for the region equal to that of Himachal Pradesh.
As most of the villages are inaccessible district officials seldom visit the rural areas. In most cases, the hill region is considered as a dumping ground for the rejected lot of officials and generally they are sent on punishment postings. This leads to lack of motivation and reflects on development work.
There are still a large number of villages where people are unaware of the existence of Collectors or Superintendents of Police. For them, the patwari’s word is law.
The problems of the region are many and unique which call for a change in the basic approach towards development. |
