Dehradun, November 4
Demanding resumption of power projects, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) chief Trivender Singh Panwar said today in the name of environment and religion, efforts were being made to stall development in the state and as a mark of protest his party would launch rail rook campaign on November 8.

He said three power projects were closed down under pressure from the environment lobby. “Around 40 per cent of the work was over on the Lohari Nagpala Power Project and a total of Rs 600 crore has already been spent. Similarly, in the case of Pala Maneri, a total of Rs 123.4 crore have been spent and in the case of the Bhairon Ghati Power Project Rs 21 crore have already been spent, but suddenly religious sentiments and environmental concerns were used as a ploy to stop these projects that would have benefited the local people,” said Panwar.

Addressing a press conference here, Panwar lashed out at the Centre and the state government for acting against the interest of Uttarakhand. “Before leaving for Delhi the Chief Minister had said he would take up the matter about starting the three power projects, but he did not raise any of these issues.

“To expose the intention of the state government, the UKD will organise rail roko campaign on November 8 and also gherao the Secretariat on November 25,” he said.

He said provisions in the Forest Acts and the Environment Acts were also being used as an excuse to keep Uttarakhand underdeveloped. “Several road projects have not taken off because the government has been using one or the other provision in the Forest Act and the Kandi Road head is one such example,” charged Panwar.

Meanwhile, Avdhash Kaushal, Chairman of the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra, too, criticised the state government for plunging the state into darkness by scrapping the power projects.

“The Pala Maneri and Bharoin Ghati Hydel Projects were cent percent for the residents of Uttarakhand, but now all these projects have been scrapped, the future is bleak for the people of the state,” said Kaushal. 

Haridwar, November 4
With encroachers not sparing even land earmarked for Maha Kumbhs and Ardh Kumbhs, the authorities concerned are taking steps to make these encroached areas free to ensure a smooth conduct of future Kumbhs.

Kumbh mela authority vice-president Ashok Tripathi has said during this year’s Maha Kumbh several problems due to the encroachments came to the fore and the mela authority was quite serious about this issue.

Tripathi has also been given the post of president of the specialised committee which will look into the Kumbh area arrangements. The Kumbh Chetra Niyantran Vyavastha Samiti comprises 24 members who will be from government and non-government agencies.

Tripathi said while the Maha Kumbh, which was held early this year in Haridwar, didn’t get largely affected by encroachments, as these were removed prior to allocating land to respective akharas, ashrams and other religious-social organisations. Tripathi said this tradition of encroaching upon the land allocated to various religious organisations as soon as a mega event was over would not be allowed in the future as people think that they could easily encroach the mela land as it was used only every six years.

Citing the record number of pilgrims that came to Haridwar this Maha Kumbh, he said keeping this in mind one could easily assume the number of people that would throng the city after 12 years. “Considering that no less than 10-12 crore people will throng the pilgrim city next Maha Kumbh, it is our duty to make sure that pilgrims get ample space and elaborate arrangements are made for them. The work in this regard should start from now onwards only if we have to make sure the next fair is conducted successfully,” added Tripathi.

Every year several festive bathes and fairs are held in the city. The mela authority is making special plans to make sure these yearly festive occasions are conducted successfully by making traffic less congested and ensuring minimum problems to the pilgrims and local people.

“We want to make arrangements for Kumbh fairs which are sufficient for the next 50 years as long-term vision is the need of the hour for mega fairs, particularly in a limited core zone area city of Haridwar where mela proceedings are mostly aligned with Har-ki-Pauri and the Kumbh land. Basic infrastructural facilities should be developed in line with futureMahaKumbhs,” said Tripathi.

Pitthoragarh, November 4
The Uttarakhand government has expressed dissatisfaction over the non-utilisation of Rs 43.57 crore allotted to Pitthoragarh district under a disaster relief programme.

Uttarakhand Medical Education Minister and in charge of Pitthoragarh district Balwant Singh Bhoriyal expressed unhappiness over the non-utilisation of the money at a meeting of district officers.

“Out of Rs 43.57 crore, allotted to the district, only a sum of Rs 13.47 crore has been released so far. Out of that released sum officers have spent only Rs 1.5 crore,” said Balwant Singh Bhoriyal, minister in charge of Pitthoragarh 
district.

The minister, who conveyed Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank’s message to the officers at the meeting, said the officers failed to produce exact data of crops damaged during the last month disaster as well as the proposals for long-term projects. “The Chief Minister has ordered to form disaster management committees at the village level to keep a vigil on the work,” said the minister.

The minister said the Uttarakhand government had decided that keeping impending winter in mind the administration should immediately speed up rehabilitation and relief measures.

Tents as well as government accommodation should be immediately sanctioned for the use of the disaster-hit without waiting for approval from the higher authorities.

“The government has also decided that if some victims want to live as a tenant in nearby houses, they should be granted Rs 500 as rent,” said the minister.

The minister also said the Uttarakhand government wanted to construct permanent houses for the disaster-hit if the administration found revenue land or sanctioned forest land or permanent land belonging to gram sabhas for the purpose. 

Dehradun, November 4
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesman and Uttarakhand Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay has criticised Congress’ attempt to link the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) with terror asserting that a nationalist and patriotic organisation like the RSS should not be politicised.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office in Dehradun, Tarun Vijay said it was not proper to link a nationalist and patriotic organisation like the RSS with terror. The RSS was running over a lakh charitable organisations in the country as part of its commitment to the human service.

He even referred to first Prime Minister of the country Jawaharalal Nehru pointing out that he too had honoured RSS workers for their service to the nation in 1962 India-China war. Thould not be any politicisation of the RSS, he added.

Tarun Vijay, who was recently in Gangotri, also called for an end to discrimination on caste lines. “I had talks with priests at Gangotri and they have consented to start the religious education for the Dalits,” he said, adding that the BJP will be felicitating these priests in Delhi in December and January for their initiatives towards heralding a new beginning of casteless society.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Uttarakhand Tarun Vijay appealed the people to share their Divali celebrations with the poor and the discriminated sections of society. Nearly 40 per cent of the people of the country earn less than Rs 20 a day and there was a need to celebrate Divali with these people. He suggested for shunning the show of money in the Divali celebrations. 

Dehradun, November 4
Newly re-appointed state Congress president Yashpal Arya was given a grand welcome on his arrival at Haldwani, Kumaon. Arya visited his hometown Haldwani the first time after his re-appointment of the state Congress president.

Addressing the gathering at Swaraj Ashram, Haldwani, Arya said a large turnout of people today had proved that there was strong undercurrent in favour of the Congress in the state. He asked the party workers to prepare themselves for Mission 2012, the year of Assembly elections in the state.

He also appealed party leaders to shun groupism and work for ensuring success to the party in the coming Assembly polls. He said it was unfortunate that while leaders resort to factionalism and blame party workers instead.

Arya did not rule out disciplinary action against those party workers who resort to the groupism. He also asserted that communal forces were on their way out from Uttarakhand and people were anxiously waiting for return of the Congress to power in the state.

Earlier, Arya cavalcade went through streets of Haldwani and was given a rousing welcome by the party workers.

While petals were showered on Arya, enthusiastic party workers also burst crackers on the occasion.

Local Congress MP KC Singh Baba, MLA Tilak Raj Behad, MLA Shailendra Mohan Singhal, former MP Mahendra Singh Pal, Dhirendra Pratap, Vijay Saraswat, Madan Singh Bisht and several of Congress leaders greeted Arya on his re-appointment. 

Nainital, November 4
It was a film that went unsung and was underplayed at the Second Nainital Film Festival. Yet it is one of the most powerful attacks by the critics of the US policy on various issues right from the wars it has launched to its “invasion of the cultural and economic space”. The entire film undertakes its journey through the music videos and how these videos describe the changes in the socio-economic and socio-political domains over the past three decades.

In all it is a very powerful presentation. The film was made in Shillong by Tarun Bharatiya and Mark Swere from their own collection of the music videos. The pace is such that one keeps on enjoying the songs while taking a journey to all changes that have been “imposed” by the market-oriented US policies.

Incidentally, the organisers at the festival had just played one of the nine segments of the film at the festival citing paucity of time. However, the film was put up for sale. It begins with the very first music video to be played on the MTV “Video killed the radio star” by The Bugles which shows radio being replaced by the television. Thereafter are the songs from Madonna who was a rising star both because of music and technology on one side and the subjects chosen by her on the other. She had chosen subjects related to sex and abortion that were a taboo at that time. Hence, the songs that come up are “Erotica” and “Papa don’t preach”. Next comes the famous “Money for nothing” from the Dire Straits which points at a generation keen on earning millions by playing guitar on the MTV. Another song by Lily Allen describes the mood of the generation which goes, “I am what I am and I’ll be what I want to be”.

The film then takes a turn towards depicting how television went on to make society intellectually bankrupt. There is a song “Television drug of the nation” which also reveals that in the US at that time a child would see 1,500 murders on screen before adolescence. There are also songs like “Don’t cry” by Paul Simon which portrays how the television generation became isolated and lonely. There is also Pink Floyd hit “Another brick in the wall” that has been a well-known attack on the system.

All of a sudden the film moves to Pakistan where revolutionary poet Habib describes his interaction with his contemporary Hafiz Jalandhari on becoming Ayub Khan’s advisor. In comes the rendition of “Maine use ye kaha” by Lal Band which has become a mega hit in the sub-continent over the past couple of years.

The film then shows the song “Om sabkuch” on a blank screen as it powerfully makes its impact on the use of religion for attaining various goals in India in particular.

The journey then moves to the US with Billy Joel’s “We didn’t start the fire” making a clear statement that is followed by “Testify” by the band, Rage Against Machines. There are a series of music videos making liberal use of four-letter vocabularies in the songs that accuse the US of violation of human rights in several countries, initiation of wars and its hegemony in the economic sphere. The villain in several of these songs is former American President George Bush.

In between is the presentation of Kashmir and the volatile situation there. It shows the stone-pelting youth with the rendition of the song “Stone in my hand”.

There is also one of the most powerful satires penned by legendary Sahir Ludhianvi “Cheen o Arab hamara, Sara jahan hamara; Rehne ko ghar nahin hai, sara jahan hamara” from the movie “Phir Subah Hogi”. The film ends with yet another song showing violation of human rights by American soldiers.

The film has been aptly started with statement by Habib Jalib saying: “There are only two types of lyrics. One is against the establishment and the second is against it”. This is followed by a clip from Guru Dutt’s “Pyaasa” and the song being “Yeh duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai” and another audio clip from Iqbal Bano’s iconic rendition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s “Hum Dekhenge”.

The makers of the film Tarun Bharatiya and Mark Swere have described their attempt as a “lampat (vagabond), arajak (anarchic) and rajnaitik (political) prayaas (attempt)”. 

Pitthoragarh, November 4
By permitting five members of a South Korean family to trek the Milam Glacier, which is 58 km away from border town Munsiyari, the local administration has now closed this year’s quota for Milam trekkers.

“This decision has been taken keeping in mind the early snowfall in the area this year, where at present reportedly 45 cm snowfall has been occurred at Milam and the adjoining areas,” said JS Rathor, Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Munsiyari.

According to hotel owners of Munsiyari town, generally the Milam trekking season remains up to November 25, but this year due to early snowfall the hotel owners and tour organisers are a bit disappointed as the season ended 20 days earlier.

“Not only hotel owners, but local guides and trekkers also get employment during the season which lasts more than 10 days to and back from Milam. This year the jobs have been curtailed,” said GS Pandey, a hotel owner.

According to the administration, this year more than 300 trekkers from across the nation and abroad, most of them from European countries, in 30 trekking groups visited the Milam Glacier.

“After Milam, the trek to the Nanda Devi Base Camp and the Hardewal Peak were also the second preference to the trekkers, where more than 150 trekkers and mountaineers in 150 groups visited these places,” said SDM.

Every year mountaineers and trekkers from the country and outside throng Munsiyari from July onwards and the season continues for more than four months.

“After the Indo-Tibet trade from the Johar Valley ended in 1962, this is only base of economy for local people, besides trade of the high Himalayan herbs,” said RS Panda, a local hotel owner. 

Dehradun, November 4
Mahseer fish conservation continues to be a major challenge for Uttarakhand. Falling in a highly endangered category, mahseer is up against new enemies in the form of dams that pose as stumbling blocks in its migration route affecting its breeding and ultimately leading to its decimation.

Western Himalayan states Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh keep 186 species of fish, out of which staggering 132 species are reported from Uttarakhand. While the most abundant species includes Schizothorax Spp, popularly known as asela, Glypothorax Spp (patthar chat) and Noemachilus Spp (loaches), there is also the presence of Tor Spp, also known as mahseer or bigheaded fish. Even in mahseer, Tor Spp (yellow fin), Tor Putitor (red fin), Tor Chillonide (black fin) are in the category of the critically endangered as per the IUCN list and need immediate conservation for its survival.

As of Uttarakhand, the state has excellent mahseer breeding sites, which include the Corbett National Park and rivers like the Kali, Sharda, Nayar, Ganga, Yamuna and Song.

But mahseer has its own set of challenges. Dams are posing a big threat to it. This species migrates to smaller rivulets from the main rivers in the hills during the breeding season as hill rivulets have ample of food and enough of oxygen in water. Further, it is also safe from predators while breeding in the tiny rivulets.

But the dams come as an obstruction in its migration affecting its breeding, thus bringing mahseer in the highly endangered category. Although the fish ladder is constructed in the dam, so far it has not proved to be much effective.

As of other reasons behind its declining population is the destruction of its habitat due to over exploration of cobbles pebbles for building material, which act as a spawning site.

Moreover, over fishing due to high table value, is adversely affecting the population dynamics of the fish. While the native fish like Namichlus Montanus, Glypothora Alaknandi Spp (found in this particular region) are important for balancing the ecosystem of particular region, but introduction of exotic species (like rainbow trout) in hatcheries for food now adversely effecting the native fishes in rivers as exotic species are hardy and grow with faster rate.

Dr DP Uniyal, a senior scientific officer with the Uttarakhand Council of Science and Technology, calls for a series of corrective measures for the conservation of fish, particularly the mahseer. He suggests a complete ban on fish catch during breeding period (July to October). Check on unscientific fishing and mass awareness of protection should also be high on conservation agenda.

Dr Uniyal, whose presentation on fisheries was appreciated in the recently held fifth International Science and Technology Workshop at Terra Madre, Italy, appealed the world community to come forward for Masheer conservation.

Dr Uniyal, who was the key speaker in the special session on fisheries convened by World Fisheries Organisation, even goes to an extent of defining fish catching. He speaks for the promotion of fish culture taking into account socio-economic development of inhabitants.

Dehradun, November 4
To mobilise imagination, the annual storytelling competition was held at Brooklyn School here yesterday. The contest was organised for students of Nursery to Class V on the premises of the school.

The competition was divided into three categories of Group A, B and C. The participants were required to memorise one story each on diverse themes. “As you sow, so shall you reap”, “Where there is will, there is a way”, “Effect of bad company”, “Respect your elders”, “Be selfless, not a sweet talker” and “Be content and not greedy” were some of the themes on which the participants narrated a tale.

Shruti Negi of Group A came first, while Chirag Singhal and Vinayak Rana were declared second and third, respectively. In Group B, Mimansha Sinha stood first, Shivansh Gairola second and Aryan Rawat stood third, while in Group C, Ishant Rana bagged the first position, Sahita Uniyal the second and Mallik Sahib the third.

The winners were awarded by the Principal of the school and were evaluated on the grounds of dialogues delivery, voice modulation, expression, memorising the story and presentation of each participant. 

Dehradun, November 4
Agitators of the Manyata Prapt Vidhyalaya Teachers Association held a demonstration at the Civil Secretariat in favour of their demands here today. The protestors shouted slogans and gave a memorandum consisting of their demands to the Chief Minister.

The protestors were demanding government jobs to all unemployed BTC trained teachers as well as providing age relaxation to the teachers from 1996.

Nainital, November 4
District Supplies Officer in Almora KS Bisht has issued a warning to people in possession of fake ration cards to submit these cards over the next 15 days.

The warning has been issued in consonance with a Supreme Court order in this regard. Bisht has asked the people possessing fake cards to surrender these cards either at the Supplies Office or related offices failing which they would be liable to be prosecuted.