The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Govt on wrong track, say trek operators
Jotirmay Thapliyal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 9
Uttarakhand is yet again in a piquant situation trying to maintain a balance between tourism and safety. The opening of the Gangotri National Park at the time of the Char Dham Yatra this year has had trekking tour operators in a tizzy.

Some well-known treks to Gaumukh, Tapovan, Nandanvan and Kalindikhas Pass pass through the Gangotri park and are popular with both domestic and foreign tourists.

Following mishaps involving foreign trekkers last year, the forest department that manages the park has decided to keep the park open in tandem with the opening of the Gangotri Temple, from May 1 to October 15.

This has irked adventure tours operators who say this will be detrimental to their promotion of trekking in the region.

The tour operators both in and outside Uttarakhand are upset over the move as the limited trekking period at the Gangotri National Park was bound to adversely affect adventure tourism.

“Tourists prefer trekking at the park even before the start of yatra as they prefer solitude. Thus, limiting the activity to the period of the yatra will surely act as deterrent,” says Vipin Sharma, Rishikesh-based adventure tour operator “Red Chilli Adventures”.

“The October 15 deadline for conduct of tours is even more irksome as the month of October is the peak season for trekking. But with October 15 the cut off date, we have already lost very crucial 15 days. This is illogical,” Vipin points out.

The forest authorities that manages the Gangotri National Park, however, have their own reasons.

They say the safety of tourists is their top priority. The period of the yatra season is most safe as logistic support of all kind is easily available during this period, whereas any trekking before or after this period can be problematic.

It may be recalled that an 11-member team of trekkers and porters from home and another 35-member team from Australia was trapped in a blizzard last September. While all trekkers were rescued, five porters were killed in the incident.

Till last year, the Gangotri National Park had its gates open for visitors beginning April 1.

Tour operators, who booked international groups for treks starting from the first week of this month now will have to cancel trips of clients at the eleventh hour, which will also affect their credibility.

While rafting and others in adventure tourism have constituted associations in some form or the other to act as pressure groups, trekkers have no such representative body. They find themselves in the lurch.

However, additional principal, chief conservator of forests Srikant Chandola, said the opening and closure of dates of the park were decided in consultation with local representatives and other stakeholders with the sole aim of regulating the flow of tourists.

He denied that the park earlier had a fixed date regarding its opening and closure.

Trekking tour operators argue that trekkers barely get favourable weather for six months and the cut off period this time will further spell trouble for them.

Mandeep Singh Soin, managing director, IBEX Expeditions, is opposed to any form of restrictions in the conduct of tourism activity.

“Any tourism activity that starts with restrictions proves detrimental to the cause of tourism. Uttarakhand is bestowed with enormous natural beauty, but carrying forward of adventure tourism needs a smooth mechanism,” Soin contends.

Cricket commentator Charu Sharma, who was in Dehradun mid-January to attend a convention of Adventure Tours Operators Association of India (ATOAI), expressed dismay over the state government’s attitude towards adventure sports.

Charu, a frequent visitor to Uttarakhand, said there was so much to explore in the state but the half-hearted efforts of the government had failed to bear any fruit.

“The foremost requirement to promote adventure tourism is to create the requisite infrastructure in the state.

“ I am not saying construct five-star hotels, but at least there should be a proper road network connecting various destinations across the state,” he argued.

He said the state government had done precious little in disseminating information on tourist circuits.

Meanwhile, ATOAI office-bearers in Delhi have approached the tourism secretary to take up the matter with Uttarakhand.

This is not the first time that trekkers have come into confrontation with the forest authorities. Rafting companies too have been at loggerheads with the forest department.

While rafting companies accuse the forest authorities of delay in issuing permits, the forest authorities deny any delay from their side, putting the onus of any such delay on the part of the companies, saying they had failed to submit the no-objection certification well in time.

The tourism department, however, maintains that the state has done well in the tourism sector. They say the number of tourists has gone up substantially in recent years.

Truly Regal
Sanjay Tamta

Mussoorie, April 9
Ever since British times, “the Queen of the Hills” - Mussoorie - has been a haven for various Indian regal families, many of whom have made it their home and live here throughout the year.

These regal families, despite their elite status, are an integral part of the social system of the town and some of them have even converted their properties into heritage hotels.

But the Katesar family chose a different way to be part of the closely-knit social network here.

They established, in their beautiful hilltop castle, a school that enrols children from all sections of society.

“When we decided to come up with a school on the castle premises in 1998, we were advised to set up a heritage hotel instead but we paid heed to our Guru Maharaj, late Mohan Das Ji of Gwalior, who told us to continue with the social cause that our forefathers had been doing for ages.

And that’s what we are committed towards,” revealed Neelambari Kumari, the grand daughter-in-law of Raajmata Savita Kumari of Katesar, in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh.

Notably, the Katesar family built the first-ever Radha-Krishna temple of the town in June 1948 inside the castle complex.

Neelambari Kumari is incharge of the school administration, as her husband Yuvraaj Prabhan Pratap Singh looks after the farms. Their eldest daughter Pratishtha teaches Indian classical music at the school during her board’s vacations. Rajendra Singh Kathaith, a resident of Mussoorie, is a partner in the administration of the school.

The school was initiated as a kindergarten in 1999 with competent teachers like Anjana Walia, Darshini and Sudha Dabral. Today, the school has been upgraded up to 8th standard with 78 children, 10 young energetic ladies as teachers and two helping staff.

The school follows three major principles. Firstly, less emphasis is put on exams as the entire process pressurises the fragile minds of children and that of the set up of the entire family.

Secondly, no homework is given, as children spend five hours in school and all their doubts are cleared there. Finally, no teacher takes private tuitions as remedial classes are held within the school itself. In addition, the fee structure is very nominal. Children travel to the school from villages as far as Dudhali, Bhilaru and Sia.

“We intend to introduce boarding facilities in the near future so that the children do not need to travel from far off areas on a daily basis,” said Neelambari Kumari. “We are dedicated to bridging the social divide, at least among the children, albeit it is an uphill task and we are only a decade-old institution. I wish bigger schools could follow suit,” she added.

— The writer is a freelance journalist

Job Cards: Numbers just don’t add up
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 9
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREG) in Dehradun district, comprising six blocks, continues to face implementation hurdles. In all the six blocks, against the number of job cards issued the muster rolls are far less, putting into doubt the credibility of district authorities.

According to records, in the Chakrata block for the period 2008-09, 4,611 job cards were issued but officials failed to keep track of the muster rolls. Surprisingly, no muster roll record was kept for the same period. The block was earlier in the news for issuing fake job cards to persons who did not benefit from the scheme.Similarly, for Kalsi block, against the employment demanded by 2,785 persons, 5,370 job cards were given but only 350 muster rolls maintained. For all the six blocks, the job cards continue to be in excess of muster rolls.

A total of 2,648 muster rolls were issued in all the six blocks against the 35,769 job cards issued to 14,723 persons. The District Rural Development Authority (DRDA) maintains that there are problems in monitoring the scheme, although Dehradun district has managed to realise funds issued by the Central Government for 2008-2009.

“Under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREG) Rs 1578.73 crore was allocated by the Central government for providing jobs to BPL families. Of the total budget sanctioned, the government spent Rs 11.9 crore, and Rs 5 crore was transferred to Uttarkashi district. However, we have managed to complete 775 units of work at a cost of Rs 11.90 crore,” said Dr DS Pokhriya, District Development Officer.

Meanwhile, the activities undertaken during the course of the programme are water conservation and harvesting, including digging of new tanks and ponds; afforestation activities; micro and minor irrigation works; provision of irrigation facility to land owned by Schedule Castes and Scheduled Tribes; renovation of traditional water bodies; flood control and rural connectivity.

According to DRDA, in Chakrata the number of registered households are 4,611 and the same number of job cards are issued; in Kalsi the number of registered households are 5,377 and job cards issued are 5,370; in Vikas Nagar the number of registered households are 14,280 and job card issued are 8550; in Sahaspur the number is 10,987 and 5,761, respectively; in Raipur the number is 4,257 and 4,210 respectively, and in Doiwala the number of registered households is 7,417 and job cards issued are 7,267.

Diabetes afflicts the young
Reasons: Decreased physical activity, obesity & stress
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 9
Once the disease of the middle-aged and the elderly, diabetes has now begun striking the youth and children.

Doctors say that decreased physical activity, obesity and stress are some of the reasons that are responsible for the early onset of diabetes.

The problem is raising its head in rural areas where due to the absence of doctors, it may remain undetected.

“A majority of diabetic cases in rural India go undetected. It may due to the absence of doctors. Large number of patients die of diabetes and the number is more than TB and cancer.

“In order to tackle the disease, it should be included in the national health programme,” said Dr RK Pant, CMS, Doon Hospital.

Type II diabetes, also known as disease of affluence, afflicts both the youth and children. If it remains undiagnosed, it can lead to long-term complications.

“However, early detection and proper modification in lifestyle can delay and even prevent the onset,” said Dr Alok Teotia, physician, Doon Hospital.

The cause of Type I diabetes may be lack of insulin due to damage to the pancreas.

“One should not ignore symptoms such as increased thirst, tiredness and weight loss.

“Persons with a family history of diabetes should regularly monitor their glucose level,” added Dr Teotia. Regular exercise is a must.