The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

UPCL comes with power(ful) plan for 25 years
Seema Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
Uttaranchal Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) has prepared a future plan to deal with the perpetual power crisis in the state. By taking stock of the present-day situation and an estimate of the next one year, the UPCL has prepared a plan to meet the power requirement of the state up to 25 years.

The power report of present times is not bright either. Hydro power stations are generating 13-15 MU every day. While the gross energy availability stands at 24-26 MU, the demand is around 29.5 MU. Thus, power shortage varies between 3.2 to 4.7 MU. Adding to its miseries, the UPCL is returning 1 MU to the NTPC for West Bengal, 0.96 to Reliance and 1.5 to Punjab every day.

To strike the balance, it is doing energy rostering of 4.6 MU and overdrawal of 3.5 MU.

Taking from the present situation, the UPCL has prepared an estimate for the year 2010-11. According to the report, the power production of the UPCL will be 4,713 MU, total production by taking power from other sources (leaving Himachal’s part) will be 4,368 MU, power received from central sector and Vishnu Prayag will be 3,734 MU, total power availability will be 89,102 MU, unrestricted energy demand will be 9,746 MU, return banking in the current year will be 293 MU and power shortage 1937 MU. The power shortage of 2035 MU will be met through overdrawl of 441 MU, purchase and advance banking of 363 MU and power cut of 1,133 MU.

Telling about the UPCL plan to procure power for next 25 years, Vinay Gupta, DGM Power Operation said, “An advance banking of 200 MW will be arranged from July 2010- March 2011 which will be returned from April 2011 onwards. Case I bidding approved by Uttrakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission would facilitate an arrangement of 300 MW for next 25 years. The power procurement will be done through tender-process. Power available from bidding will last from April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2036.

By clubbing with the 70 MU power produced by small hydro-electric power houses, the UPCL can achieve revenue loss to the zero level if it achieves its target of producing 4693 MU,” he said.

The power situation has fluctuated quite drastically from year 2002-03 onward. According to the figures available, energy availability rose up from 5,189 MU in 2002-03 to 8,102 MU in current year, unrestricted demand too has rose from 3,611 (02-03) to 3611, and demand was met at 3,588 MU (02-03) to 8,613 MU at present. In the year 2010-11, the maximum energy demand is going to touch 2,380 MU. The UPCL bought 8,241 MU for Rs 2,109 crore.

It is the industries and rolling mills and induction furnace which is bearing the maximum power cut of 16 hours. Their time period starts from 12 to 10 and 18- 24 hours. The power cut slated for two hours from 9-11 in Dehradun city is also continue to increase for four-five hours though the power situation in the city remained good on Friday.

Nishank’s term marred by corruption: Cong
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News service

Haridwar, June 27
While the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is going all over the place to publicise its one-year tenure under its second Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, the Congress has termed the tenure as one marred by corruption and blocking the developmental wheel of the state.

The Congress district unit today observed the day as black day and party workers wore black armbands as a mark of protest. Party workers gathered at the City Magistrate office premises, wherein party leaders addressed the gathering lashing out at the state BJP government.

Terming the one-year tenure of Chief Minister Nishank as unfruitful, former Women State Commission chief Dr Santosh Chauhan said the whole one-year term had been marred by corruption scandals with the Chief Minister himself coming under the scanner in the recently exposed the Rishikesh chemical factory property matter.

Taking a dig at the Chief Minister’s claim of the successful completion of the Maha Kumbh in Haridwar as his main achievement, Dr Chauhan said even the Kumbh would be remembered in the coming times as the most corrupt one with a huge sum of Rs 700 crore allotted for the Kumbh by the Central government being misused. “The Nishank-led government has not even left untouched the religious Kumbh, and instead of an achievement, the Kumbh corruption is a blot on the BJP governance,” said Dr Chauhan.

While addressing the party workers at the protest rally, city party unit chief OP Chauhan said development had taken a backseat in the past one year and even termed former Chief Minister Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri’s tenure as much better in comparison to Nishank’s.

Lamenting at the non-supportive nature of the BJP state government, the city party chief said the Central government had always been supportive to the state, be it funding of the Maha Kumbh or the recent state financial expenditure plan. “The BJP has made it a habit to blame the UPA, but people of the state know that Centrally-aided schemes are the only saviour for them, while the state government has failed at all fronts,” stated OP Chauhan.

A memorandum was also submitted at the occasion demanding explanation from the Chief Minister on Kumbh funds and various allegations on state Cabinet ministers.

Devotees take dip in Ganga waters on lunar eclipse
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 27
After the holy occasion of Jyesth Poornima that fell yesterday, today too a large number of devotees took a holy dip in the Ganga at Har-ki-Pauri and adjacent ghats.

The atmosphere in the pilgrim city was somewhat like that of the Kumbh when from all sides thousands of people were thronging to the Ganga ghats. Almost a million had taken a dip in the Ganga during Poornima and today too the ghats were almost jam-packed.

At all prominent temples, be it Mata Mansa Devi, Mata Chandi Devi, Mata Vaishno Devi or the Kankhal Mahadev temple, pilgrims were seen queueing up there in large numbers.

Long traffic jams were witnessed specially on NH-58 intersections leading to the inner city.

Elaborate arrangements that were put in place for the yesterday’s religious bath were also extended today.

Governor returns to Doon
Tribune News Service

Nainital, June 27
After her brief summer sojourn in Nainital, Uttarakhand Governor Margaret Alva left the Lake City for the state capital Dehradun here yesterday.The previous evening the Governor hosted a dinner in honour of a parliamentary delegation led by Union Minister of State for Women and Child Welfare Krishna Tirath, who is on a visit to Nainital these days. Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court JS Khehar, along with his family members, were also present.

The parliamentary MPs delegation included West Bengal MP Susmita Bauri and Bihar MP Nikhil Kumar. The reception was also attended by other residents of Nainital. The Governor also had her husband Niranjan Alva alongside.

As per the traditions, the Governor’s House in the Nainital region of Uttarakhand has been used by Governors and Heads of governments as a summer retreat since British days. Even in independent India, Uttar Pradesh has followed that tradition, which still is in practice in Uttarakhand.

Garhwal’s community fishing festival from today
Ajay Ramola

Mussoorie, June 27
There is a popular saying that “a bad day at fishing is better than a great day at work”. Keeping this in mind, villagers from the Yamuna-Aglar valley will converge on the banks of the two rivers to celebrate the only fishing festival of Garhwal called Maund on June 28. Maund is a community fishing festival in which villages from around the region participate with enthusiasm and fervour.

The villagers take turns in preparing the intoxicating powder from a plant locally called Timru which acts as an intoxicant for the fish and this year it is the turn of the villagers from Silwar Patti.

According to Bittoo Kavi, the preparation of the fine powder called Maund to intoxicate the fish begins from today. The powder is prepared by peeling the bark of the plant and dried for a few days.

Following that, it is grinded in the various Gharats or water mills. Tonnes of powder prepared will be mixed in the Aglar rivulet at a pre-destined place called Maunkot after which the rush to catch unconscious fish will begin. The most surprising thing about the festival is that it does not have any leader and villagers catch fish in a democratic fashion where every individual, according to his capabilities, can catch unlimited amount in a day.

The festival also has a historical bearing. According to SS Kharkai from Devi Kol, during the pre-Independence era, the Maharaja of Tehri used to inaugurate the festival and collect the Maund tax imposed on fishing. The event was also a place to settle old scores between villages where scuffles and brawls were part of the festival on an annual basis. It was the responsibility of the king’s administration to maintain law and order.

Kharkai further says that the one year the king seeing the feuds increase, stopped the festival altogether. The former Pradhans, Kalyan Singh from Pab Ajmeru from Tator, Sher Singh Syana from Myani, Hansu Syana from Dwargad and many others gave consent in writing that they would not fight, and then only the king reopened the festival and the law enforcement was to be done by the DFO, Uttarkashi. The Tehri king inaugurated the fishing for the last time in 1946-47.

The festival was carried on after Independence too, but without the presence of the king as India had become a democratic republic. The festival has environmental antecedents too. Previously villagers use to fish at any time and place, leading to a decrease in the number, but when it was decided that all would fish only during Maun, the fish got chance to recover their number, adds Kharkai.

The festival has already created a buzz in the region and expatriates from Garhwal will also be attending the only festival of its kind on June 28.

Cong workers observe protest day
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
The Uttarakhand Congress today observed protest day on the completion of one year in office of the incumbent Nishank government.Congress workers in Dehradun, led by their Mahanagar President Harish Virmani, tied black badges around their arms and observed fast near the very statue of Mahatma Gandhi.

Addressing the gathering, Deputy Leader at the Uttarakhand Assembly Tilak Raj Behad said the one year of Nishank rule had witnessed scams even as unemployment and lack of basic civic amenities remained a major issue for people. “Whether it has been the scam in the allotment of minor hydro power projects or the Rishikesh land irregularity, the Nishank government has been openly promoting corruption in Uttarakhand,” Behad alleged.

Referring to the Ganga Sparsh programme, Behad said the Ganga was a national river and was not just a BJP subject. “Any such Ganga Sparsh programme should have been a followup of an all party-meeting,” Behad observed.

He said it was strange that Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank was making false claims of providing employment to youth in thousands, while the truth was that many had lost jobs in the past one year.

Another Congress leader Vijay Singh Chauhan said the Congress would continue to expose the misdeeds of the Uttarakhand BJP government. Congress leaders Rajiv Maharishi, Rajendra Shah, Mamta Gurung, Bijendra Singh, Ganga Chhetri, Meena Bisht, Bala Sharma and Col Vijay Gildiyal (retd) were present on the occasion.

State plan aims to strengthen agriculture sector
Our Correspondent

Pitthoragarh, June 27
Uttarakhand will strengthen agriculture sector with the help of this year’s state plan in which the government will spend 7.5 per cent of the total outlay in the annual plan. “The Centre government has emphasised to spend 10 per cent of the total plan outlay on agriculture this year, but we persuaded them at 7.5 per cent expenditure of the total plan outlay for the Uttarakhand state this year,” said Prakash Pant, Uttarakhand Planning Minister here today.

“According to the directions of the Union government to uplift the agriculture infrastructure in the state, nearly Rs 378 crore (against Rs 5,600 crore actual plan outlay) will be spent on agriculture in hill district which is Rs 100 crore more than last year,” said Pant.

According to the planning minister, Uttarakhand government aims at developing an Atal Adarsh Gaon in every 670 Nyaya Panchayat of the state. “These villages will be developed as centre of excellence for agriculture practices having not only modern seeds and equipments but modern methods as well,” said Pant.

The Planning Minister said the contribution of primary sector in state’s GDP, which is only 17.39 per cent, needed to be increased to make agriculture self-sufficient in hill areas.

“Keeping this in mind, we have put maximum 27.31 per cent expenditure on general services which includes agriculture of the state, our social sector expenditure will be 31.17 per cent and expenditure on economic services will be 23.54 per cent,” said the minister.

Nirankari Baba appeals to rise above language, regional divide
Ajay Ramola

Mussoorie, June 27
The spiritual head of the Nirankari sect Baba Hardev Singh Maharaj, speaking to a congregation of devotees in Mussoorie, said people should elevate themselves above language and regional divide to strengthen the country.

The seer was of the view that people should follow the path of peace and compassion. He further said people should abstain from greed and selfish motives and inculcate a feeling of brotherhood in the nation.

Baba Hardev Singh was of the view that the regional and language divide was the root cause of most of the troubles and people should avoid such thoughts if they wanted to grow as one nation and spread the message of peace and universal brotherhood.

He also appealed to them to break the shackles of religion, caste and creed and treat every human being with equality. “When there is sense of affinity in the heart, love and compassion automatically surface and make the world a place worth living,” he said.

The devotees sought blessings from the seer at the end of samagam. Nirankari Rajmata Kulvinder Kaur, Mata Savinder Kaur, Bhai Harbhajan Singh and others were present on the occasion.

A helping hand in wilderness
US-based instructor trains trekking guides on how to help clients in distress in remote areas
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 27
Having completed 72 hours of classroom and practical training, seven trekking guides from the Mountain Shepherds Initiative (MSI) were certified as Wilderness First Responders (WFRs) by a US-based instructor Ted Morrison at Joshimath in Chamoli district. This is the first course of its kind to be completed in the Garhwal region and represents a unique opportunity for both course participants and the local communities. Morrison works with the Aerie Back Country Medicine company at Montana in the US.

The course was held from June 15 to 25 in the usually quiet hills surrounding Auli and the meadows of Gaurson. It was designed to provide a more realistic learning experience and its effectiveness in teaching medical skills is unparallelled.

Nandu Martolia, senior guide and shareholder of the MSI, described the WFR course as “a great course that taught him to provide medical care for his clients in remote areas”. Martolia also said: “The most important thing I learnt was taking good care for all clients by asking good and relevant questions, administering first aid with proper medications and how to make proper splints from improvised materials such as sticks, trekking poles and sleeping pads”.

The course is the best-possible medical training and is the standard for mountain guides and instructors in the US and around the world. It consists of hands-on experience on how to attend to those affected with a variety of serious injuries and trauma, as well as medical conditions like diabetes and acute mountain sickness. The course focuses on a long-term care for back country patients because often in back country settings, such as those encountered while trekking, a hospital might be days away. The MSI guides spent their days in class learning the skills of a caregiver and their nights studying their course books.

The US company is a leader in providing all types of back country medical training worldwide and prides itself on their work with local guides in Africa, Latin America, and now in India. The guides from the MSI, with its offices based in Dehradun and Lata village, is a community-owned tourism cooperative that has been operating since 2006. Its mission is to simultaneously provide a sustainable livelihood for the local youth and their communities and give tourists a safe and high quality trekking and family mountain adventure experience. The course highlights the budding relationship between the two companies.

After completing their 72 hours of classroom and practical training, each participant passed the formal examination. Only then the seven participants were certified as Wilderness First Responders. The MSI guides are now prepared not only to treat a myriad of medical problems but also manage risk in order to keep their clients healthy. This course was the first step in the MSI plan to open an Adventure Sports and Sustainable Livelihood Institute in Uttarakhand. In the future, the MSI and Aerie hope to train some guides to hold the WFR course and also adapt to the training to a larger disaster management plan that would have WFRs acting as first responders in the case of earthquakes or landslides in mountainous areas.

Morrison said: “I am excited to have worked with such an outstanding group of guides from such an amazing area of the world!

Aerie provides precisely the training that mountain shepherds need to launch them as a competitive international trekking service. I look forward to working with these talented guides in the future, as the success of the programme has ensured the establishment of a long-term international relationship between Aerie and the MSI”.

Morrison is a lead instructor for Aerie Back Country Medicine. He is a licensed Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT) and a Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) instructor. He is also certified in avalanche safety and awareness. He has been specialising in teaching wilderness and emergency medicine since 2006. Morrison also works as a rock climbing and mountaineering lead instructor and course director for the Outward Bound School in Colorado, US. He combines all of these experiences and certifications to teach back country medicine and risk management to outdoor professionals. He greatly enjoys watching his students become confident.

In all, the first Aerie/MSI WFR course was a great success. The guides from the MSI are now certified in wilderness medicine and can give excellent care to their clients and if needed in an emergency, can help their villages.

The idea for having the MSI guides get the WFR certification came from the Nature-Link Institute (NLI), an NGO based in Montana, US, that conducts trekking and cultural tours for students of the University of Montana. The NLI and the MSI have a longstanding relationship based on mutual goals. Eric Legvold, Director of the NLI, noticed the need to have the MSI guides trained in back country medicine and proceeded to develop the linkages between Aerie and the MSI. Aerie waived a portion of the course costs and the MSI used their own profits to pay for organising the WFR course in the Indian Himalayas.

Uterus cancer most preventable: Expert

Dr Indrani Ganguly

Dehradun, June 27
Dr Indrani Ganguly, Head of the Department of Gynaecology, Sir Gangaram Hospital, New Delhi, yesterday said cancer of the uterus was preventable provided proper screening modalities were regularly adopted by all women in the reproductive age.

Speaking at a seminar on “Gynaecological Cancer-Screening and Management”, Dr Ganguly said PAP smear tests taken at regular intervals could guard against cervix cancer, but due to lack of awareness very few women turned up for regular examination. “In fact, among all cancers, uterus cancer is the most preventable. But the mortality rate is quite high and India reports approximately one-fourth of the world’s cases of cervical cancer each year,” she said.

The number of deaths due to cervical cancer was estimated to rise to 79,000 by 2010. The seminar was organised by the Dehradun Gynaecology and Obsterics Society, Dehradun, and attended by gynaecologists, surgeons and oncologists of the city. Annu Dhir, president of the society, said the seminar was organised for creating awareness among the medical fraternity. — TNS