Dehradun, June 5
The caravan of Reservation Express campaign demanding 33 per cent reservation received a warm welcome as it reached Dehradun today.

At the Gandhi Park here, the ceremonial flame was passed by Manasi Sharma, leader of the caravan, to women activists of the city.

The campaign will finally reach Delhi tomorrow.

“There are several political and religious groups that are opposing the Women’s Reservation Bill. On the contrary there seems to be some clarity among political parties in power, but the support and enthusiasm among women members is immense,” said Manasi of the Action Now for Harmony and Democracy (Anhad).

Under the aegis of Anhad, 22 women members participated in the campaign that was launched on May 20, criss-crossing through different parts of the country, building support for the Bill and making women members aware of it that it had to be passed by the Lok Sabha members without bringing changes or amendments.

“Any move to scuttle the Bill would have long-term consequences. We have already reached the local bodies and panchayats and now want to have our presence in Parliament as well,” said Jhanvi Tiwari, state coordinator of Disha, an NGO.

For Rafida and Haseena, residents of Kupwara and members of the Reservation Express, who travelled through different parts of the country for the first time, the caravan was a learning experience.

“The condition of women is bad. Most of the time policies and laws for the benefit of women are imposed by men. It will change if women participate in the electoral process. In order to take the right decision we need to educate our sisters also,” said Rafida.

In all, 12 organisations of women comprising the Akhil Bharatiya Janwadi Mahila Samiti, Uttarakhand Mahila Federation, Uttarakhand Mahila Manch, Samta Gyan Vigyan Samiti, YWCA (Cantt Road), Kaushalya Dabral Sangharsh Vahini, Maneka Jagriti Samiti, Disha Samajik Sansthan, University Women’s Association, Ghansyam Smriti Shikshan Sansthan, Dhad Mahila Samiti, Anganwadi Karyakarti Sewika Union and Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, Uttarakhand, participated in the caravan.

Pitthoragarh, June 5
Kanalichina MLA Mayukh Singh Mahar inaugurated a 2-km-long road at Pipli village on the Indo-Nepal border here yesterday.

The road was constructed by the villagers after government agencies did not take it up for construction, as they said the proposal violated the forest laws.

Kanalichina MLA Mayukh Singh Mahar inaugurates the 2-km-long road constructed by villagers; and (right) the road at Pipli village on the Indo-Nepal border in Pitthoragarh.

Nainital, June 5
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has come up with a design of solid state cooling garment that can provide a lot of relief to the defence personnel moving inside tanks in forward areas, where there are extreme temperatures.

The garment has been designed at the Defence Institute of Physiological and Allied Sciences (DIPAS) in Timarpur, Delhi. It works on the principle of an auxiliary cooling system and has the capacity to make the stay of personnel inside a tank reasonably comfortable.

DRDO officials said, “It is a well-known fact that the temperatures inside the tanks can shoot to more than 50°C. This garment can keep the temperature around the human body encapsulated in it at around 29°C”.

The officials said the garment had been devised while keeping in mind the basic principle of physics, which was known as Peltier Effect. They said the Peltier Effect was named after French physicist Jean Peltier (1785-1845), who found that the junctions of dissimilar metals were heated or cooled, depending upon the direction in which an electric current passed through these. Heat generated by current flowing in one direction and was absorbed if the current was reversed. The effect always involves pairs of junctions, whether the junctions are explicit or just implied in the balance of the circuit.

The officials related that based on this principle the garment that comprises trousers, vest and a hood had been recently tried in the field on personnel manning the Arjun Main Battle Tank (MBT) of the Army. The garment was designed in a manner that 700 millilitre of water was circulated between a series of conductors in a manner that it kept the body of the person wearing the garment cool.

They informed that when applied in a reverse mode, similar garments could also be designed for personnel deputed in high altitude areas, where there was a need to keep the body warm.

Senior officer from DIPAS Amir Bajaj, who was here to represent the DRDO at a national-level science exhibition, said, “We are now working on further reduce the size and weight of the garment”. 

Dehradun, June 5
A delegation of 15 residents, representatives of 43 families who are to be shifted in view of the widening up of the Chakrata road, along with 123 shopkeepers, met Mayor Vinod Chamoli today to apprise him of their displeasure regarding the government plan to give them shops instead of houses in the new scheme of things.

The Mayor asked them to give their problems in writing to enable him to forward it to the Chief Minister in their next meeting on the issue.

Rajesh Goyal, a resident, said, “We are not pleased with the plan of giving us shops, that too on the third floor, in lieu of acquiring a part of our houses.

Since only 15-metre road is to be widened, only that much area will be dismantled of the shops and 
houses perched above and the rest will be left as it is. So we want to get the same area in the form of houses, free of cost, rather than shops. Then the others who had a shop and house above should be compensated in the same way”.

He also questioned as to how the residents would go up to their houses when the staircases too will come under bulldozers. The state government must take care of that fact also, he added.

Goyal also differed with the tally of the Municipal Corporation and the MDDA saying that there were only 30 families and not 43, as claimed by the government bodies, to be shifted.

Another representative of the delegation Sushil Virmani said the shopkeepers were concerned with their own interests and had been putting pressure on the government in view of that, but no one was bothered about the residents, many of whom were tenants living there for more than 30 years and retired persons.

He said, “The government claims to give us shops in exchange of acquiring a part of our houses, but what will the retired people who are living alone do with the shops. They need residence in middle of the city for their convenience, not on the outskirts”.

Chamoli said he heard their problems and asked them to give all points in writing so that he could place their problems before the Chief Minister when he met him next. 

Nainital, June 5
Yet another incident of medical professionals being beaten up by agitated people over the death of a baby has come to light in the region.This time the matter revolved around the death of a newly born baby at a Community Health Centre (CHC) in Sitarganj.

According to the information available, Babli, a pregnant woman resident of Vamanpuri village, was admitted to the CHC on the evening of June 1 where she delivered a baby in the early hours of the next day.

The baby was allegedly delivered by an auxiliary nurse and midwife (ANM) and Vijay Rao, husband of the woman, was informed that since there was no woman gynaecologist at the CHC, the delivery would be done by an ANM.

The baby did not survive on account of some medical complications following which a large number of people stormed the CHC on Friday afternoon to gherao the in change, Dr Harsh Singh Airy.

As a result of the ongoing heated debate, the villagers allegedly assaulted two doctors at the centre.

The matter was resolved with the timely intervention of the Sub Division Magistrate (SDM) and the police who promised a probe in to the incident.

Such incidents have become a routine in the region with people resorting to protests and violence against medical professionals in the event of thendeath of a patient.

Small-time politicians try to drive political mileage out of such incidents reported in the past from Nainital and Haldwani.

Nainital, June 5
A large number of gram pradhans of Dhauladevi Block in Almora have threatened to launch an agitation against the improper implementation of the Panchayati Raj Act in their area.The pradhans have come out with a nine-point demands charter following a meeting held by them at Dhauladevi yesterday. They have demanded that the gram panchayats must be empowered with all powers mentioned in the Act.

The pradhans have stated that the funds for developmental activities must be transferred to the account of the Gram Panchayat for expenditure.

In addition to this, they have identified 31 departments whose works need to be transferred to the gram panchayats for implementation in accordance with the Panchayati Raj Act.

The pradhans have also demanded the appointment of a village development officer in every panchayat and that the honorarium being paid to them be increased to Rs 15,000 per pradhan.

The agitators have charged that several developmental works are being executed without the approval of the panchayats and contractors are being promoted by the officials.

They have sought an end to this practice at the earliest failing which they have threatened to launch an agitation.

Dehradun, June 5
The heay downpour last night brought down the soaring temperature giving temporary relief to residents, as their joy turned momentary with the power remaining elusive throughout the night.

Several parts of the city got affected due to disrupted supply for seven to 10 hours that also cut down water supply which gave double beating to people in the affected areas. The authorities in Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) claimed to have resumed the power supply in the morning hours barring some individual cases.

PK Alag, a resident of Race Course, said they had a disturbed night due to power cut which also disrupted water supply in the morning and had to buy potable water from outside.

SK Jain, General Manager, Operation, said, “We had to snap power supply as a precautionary measure in the wake of the gushing wind and lashing rain for a few hours. But in most parts of the area the power got disconnected because of tree or branches falling on electric wires”.

Informing about the power disruptions in the area, ranging from the railway station to Vasant Vihar and surroundings of the ISBT, executive engineer Amit Sharma said, “We put power cut at 1 am when the wind started blowing before rain and resumed power supply after two hours. But it was due to tree felling at Vijay Park in the vicinity of the FRI area and the GMS road, the wires snapped. Similarly in Vasant Vihar, Panditvari, Kolagarh, Chakrata Road and Turner Road the power remained off due to wires breaking because of heavy rain and wind”.

He said the power supply was resumed in the entire region by 7 am except the GMS and Turner Roads, where the electricity resumed at 8 am.

Executive engineer RR Singh said power remained disrupted from 3 am to 5 am in Neshvilla and some areas of Araghar substation and Dalanwala where it resumed at 6 am, whilst Ajabpur and the Race Course got power at 10 am. 

Dehradun, June 5
Baaddi artistes from Uttarakhand may see a revival of sorts in the coming days, with the Uttarakhand Culture Department taking interest in their rehabilitation.

Creators of myths and legends beautifully woven in their stories, the Baaddi artistes were in a true sense a repository of history and culture, but owing to disinterest among people, with more popular modern art forms vying for attention, they lost their space.

Taking note of the grim condition of members of the Baaddi community, the Uttarakhand Culture Department today held a workshop in association with Sathi, a cultural organisation, to revive the old art form.

Once upon a time they found a pride of place at the palaces of Tehri rulers and were even proponents of classical singing that later acquired popular forms. With time, the disinterest towards the Baaddis saw them being sidelined and ignored, and now they are on the verge of extinction.

“These singers could narrate an entire sequence of events that might have occurred several years ago in their songs, unknown singers’ composed songs, but never got their due. The workshop is primarily aimed at reviving the art form,” said Beena Bhatt, Director Culture, Uttarakhand.

Their songs express cultural ethos, impregnate with deep meaning and spirituality. In fact, the Baaddis are credited for inventing Swaang, Lang and Beda art forms.

Kusum Nautiyal, a member of Sathi, started working on the Government of India project in 2003 to rehabilitate the Baaddis. “The workshop is aimed at making them stage compatible so that they can take on better and bigger performances. Those still residing in the hills are only used to marriage performances, but we want them to take on the stage more often,” said Nautiyal.

Fifteen Baaddi folk singers from Rudraprayag, Tehri Garhwal, Pauri Garhwal and Uttarkashi participated in the workshop.

The participants included Chakori Devi, Kaushalya Devi, Ram Bhakt and Swang expert Chanda Devi. 

Dehradun, June 5
In the absence of a suitable site, the plan to house the postmortem house is expected to get delayed further and may not be completed by the end of December 2010.

The transfer of the postmortem house from Chander Nagar is pending for the past two years. A writ petition had been filed by a resident of Dehradun pointing out the need to shift the house, as the area had become congested.

Residents of the area had been up in arms against the administration for delaying the process. After the High Court orders, the matter has gained urgency. The Health Department was given land at Kargi where it had begun construction, but again it was stopped as it turned out that Jal Sansthan was building a sewerage plant on that land. Left with no option, the Health Department was forced to abandon the land.

“We had already spent Rs 1.5 lakh on the project and now again the hunt for land has begun. We are looking at various options and may even opt for Coronation Hospital. We were allocated Rs 12 lakh for revamping and modernisation of the existing Chander Nagar hospital. But since the postmortem house will be reallocated, the amount will be spent on the new one,” said Dr GC Bounthiyal, CMO, Dehradun district.