Haridwar, November 20
The row sparked by the allegation of yoga guru Swami Ramdev against one of the state ministers of seeking bribe doesn’t seem to be cooling down easily as mixed reactions have been pouring in the pilgrim city from various sections of society.

The Akhara Parishad, statutory body of prominent akharas, has distanced itself from Swami Ramdev. Swami Chinmayanand has lashed out at the yoga guru for not revealing the identity of the minister who sought bribe from him, while Haridwar parliamentarian Harish Rawat has urged the yoga guru to reveal the name of the corrupt minister to propel the fight against corruption.

In a further development on this issue, Baba Hatyogi, national spokesperson for the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, shed more light on the matter by saying that that Swami Ramdev had given Rs 25 lakh as bribe to the said minister in lieu of the allotment of a piece of land. Baba Hatyogi said he very well knew the name of the minister, but would only reveal it when the time came.

Acharya Balakrishan of Patanjali Yogpeeth said the name of the minister would be revealed at an appropriate time as also the names of others who were involved in corruption. Urging people to unite and come forward in the war against corruption, Acharya Balakrishan said corruption had made deep roots in society and it’s the duty of all citizens to eradicate corruption.

Union Minister of State for Employment and Haridwar parliamentarian Harish Rawat has urged Swami Ramdev to reveal the identity of the minister who allegedly sought bribe from the Yog Guru in lieu of providing a piece of land.

Speaking to The Tribune, Rawat said Swami Ramdev was known worldwide for his humanitarian works as well as for his straightforward nature, so it would be in the public interest that the name of the corrupt minister be revealed.

Terming the allegations of Swami Ramdev as mere publicity gimmick which has just come in the wake of Ratan Tata making a similar allegation against a Union Cabinet minister during his Dehradun visit recently, Swami Chinmayanand has questioned Swami Ramdev over the non-disclosure of the name of the state minister.

Swami Chinmayanand said Swami Ramdev had also questioned the integrity of the then Chief Minister of Uttarakhand who was known for his honesty. So he should first think before levelling such allegations and if had already done so then he should reveal the identity of the minister.

Meanwhile, a protest march against corruption was taken out in the city under the aegis of the Teerth Maryada Raksha Samiti, which condemned the corrupt politicians. The activists also urged people not to give bribe to corrupt officials.

Mussoorie, November 20
Responding to the news published in The Tribune yesterday titled “Manch launches drive to take views on govts”, andolankaris from Mussoorie have welcomed the initiative and extended support for such a survey.

Speaking to The Tribune, senior anolankari Jai Prakash “Uttarakhandi” has welcomed the move and said the survey of such stature was extremely necessary to determine what Uttarakhand had gained in the past 10 years. Jai Prakash said the condition of the common man had turned from bad to worse during different regimes and there was a need to assess cumulatively the achievements of bureaucrats and politicians. The worst affected were village women and Dalits whose condition had not improved since the formation of the new state.

Jai Prakash lamented the fact that the state had been converted into a political battleground for major political parties, namely the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, who had sidelined people of the state completely for their own vested interests.

Mussoorie Hotel Association official HS Manchanda was also of the view that a composite survey that determined the growth path in real terms was a need of the hour. He said the survey that highlighted the effects of red tape in the path of development was essential for the state.

Another andolankari Ram Kumar said the survey on migration, that had got aggravated in the past decade, would clear the picture of the development in the state in the real sense. He added that a survey in villages near the border of the state with China had become a necessity keeping security of the country in mind.

Ansuya Negi, another andolankari, said she had actively participated in the Uttarakhand agitation with the view that her children would be provided some sort of employment, but the successive governments had failed to do so.

Dalit social activist Balbir Rawat said a separate survey on the condition of Dalits would reveal a shocking data, but also open the eyes of policy makers of the state.

Rajya Andolankari Samman Parishad president Ravinder Jugran said the formation of the state was done to cater to the needs of hill people and their allround development that included employment generation, check on migration, improvement in health and education facilities, but it was unfortunate that no concrete planning had been formulated. The Planning Commission of the state had not come out with a solid plan that would set a road map of development and for that a detailed survey was essential.

Dehradun, November 20
In a major breakthrough, the Uttarakhand police today nabbed two of the accused in the infamous Vishal Mega Mart dacoity case from the Rajpur Road area of Dehradun.

The shopping mall witnessed a dacoity on the night of festival of Dhanteras where the dacoits decamped with Rs 23 lakh and expensive items. Following the dacoity, the police on November 13 had arrested Gaurav Kumar, Manager of the mart, for his involvement in the case.

The Special Operation Group and the Dalanwala police today managed to arrest Satbir Singh, alias Papu, and Jitendra, alias Kala, from near Hotel Aketa on the Rajpur Road and seized Rs 78,000 and Rs 50,000 from their possession, respectively. An LCD TV, a country-made pistol, a police uniform and a Bolero car were also seized from them.

Police sources on the basis on initial interrogation revealed that the duo, along Amit Malik, alias Bhora, and Manoj Kumar, had allegedly committed the dacoity at the mart on Dhanteras night. The dacoits had left on the Balawala-Haridwar road route to escape from the city.

Nainital, November 20
Uttarakhand’s leading social activist Mahendra Singh Kunwar went back in time to relate how his organisation made use of empowerment that came through processes of decentralisation to overcome the challenges of globalisation over the past two decades.

Delivering the Professor SL Shah Memorial Lecture here yesterday afternoon, Kunwar shared the experiences of his organisation Himalayan Action Research Center (HARC) on the issue of public-oriented development through community empowerment. The lecture series is organised by the Central Himalayan Environment Association (CHEA) every year. Professor Shah is remembered for his outstanding contribution in the field of micro planning and formulation of agricultural development strategies in the Himalayan region.

Kunwar told the audience that his experience had been that most of the developing world recognised the need for democracy and decentralisation of power. In the early ’90s there were also steps taken to transfer rights and resources to people.

He said simultaneously the process of globalisation was taking place where free markets and privatisation were the foundations of development. The roll and control of the government was getting marginalised, while Multi National Companies (MNCs) were determining the agenda of economic growth.

“This benefited a few and as a result the disparities began to increase,” he pointed out. But at the same time, civil society organisations were able to register their presence in this era and started making interventions in various spheres, he added. The role of such organisations had become all the more important with the passage of time.

Referring to self-governance and determination, he said in the ’80s and ’90s community-based organisations did play a role, but these organisations vanished with the execution of individual projects. Hence, it was felt that constitutional institutions were a must for sustainable development. He asserted that the 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Constitution had gone a long way in decentralisation of governance and coupled with the Right to Information (RTI) over the past five years the results had been very encouraging.

“We realised that globalisation could not be negated and we had to make use of the opportunities it presented. Hence, we set up farmer-producer companies and laid emphasis on setting up of cooperatives,” he said.

“Today, our farmers get up to 50 per cent returns on their produce as the role of middlemen has been reduced. Our farmers use only 30 per cent of their land for cash crops, while the rest is used for food security,” said Kunwar. He advocated that the use of small technology could work wonders and it was the logistical problems that should be solved on a priority basis.

Pitthoragarh, November 20
One of the oldest palaces of erstwhile Katyuri kings in the Askot princely state in Pitthoragarh district wears a deserted look nowadays as the entire family of the Pal kings has gone to Rajasthan where the princess of Askot, Gayatri Devi, wedded Marwar prince and international polo player Shivraj Singh at Ram Bagh Palace, Jaipur, on Thursday.

“The marriage party of Shivraj Singh, Prince of Jodhpur, left for Jaipur on Thursday morning in 18 specially designed coaches in a special train. It was accompanied by the famous Mehramgarh band and reached at Rajputana Sheraton Hotel in Jaipur from where it reached Ram Bagh Palace,” said KV Pal, a close relative of Askot King Bhanuraj Pal.

It is for the first time that the small, but oldest princely state of the Himalayan region, an inheritance of Katyur kings of the Himalayas in the 7th century, is having relations with the sprawling kingdom of Marwar of the Jodhpur king.

According to the historians, the dynasty of the Katyuri kings of Askot began with King Kanak Pal in the 11th century and concluded with Tikendra Pal in 1951 when the kingdom merged with Independent India. “Being an oldest and respected kingdom of the Himalayan region, the Askot family had its family relation with leading royal families in the nation, including the families of Banswara in Rajasthan, Bastar in Chhattisgarh, Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh and Ratlam in MP,” said Dr Madan Chandra Bhatt, a leading historian of the Himalayan region.

According to those who attended this royal wedding, which is being taken as the wedding of the decade, many eminent personalities from across the globe, including King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Wangchuk, former King of Nepal Gyanendra, film star of yesteryear Kabir Bedi, industrialist Kumar Manglam Birla, politician Amar Singh and guests from Europe, Latin America, Egypt, Australia, the US and Canada.

“The entrance ceremony at Jodhpur Palace will be solemnised on Tuesday and until then the various royal ceremonies will be completed” said Devi Pal. The engagement ceremony of the princess was held in June this year and since then Askot Palace was busy in preparations for the marriage of Princess Gayatri who was doing a diploma course in IT in Jaipur.

Dehradun, November 20
Frustrated over delayed opening of sugar mills in the district, farmers are in a dilemma and threaten an agitation if the mills are not opened shortly.

November is the crushing season for sugarcane and preparation of the fields for wheat. However, the delay in opening of sugar mills this year will adversely affect the wheat next season.

The farmers are worried as the sugar mills are already delayed in opening keeping them from cutting the standing crop and, hence, causing further delay in sowing of wheat.

Any further delay will lead the crop to rot leaving the farmers in a pitiable condition, which will harm their livelihood.

There are four private sugarcane mills in Haridwar district, out of which only Iqbalpur Sugar Mill has opened since November 12 for crushing leaving the rest shut.

“The mill owners are purposely keeping their shutters down so that we sell our crop at lesser rates to them. This helps them gain monetary benefits leaving the farmers without any profit,” said Surinder Singh, vice-president, Kissan Mazdoor Congress. He also said it was sad to see that the Chief Minister and Minister of Industries for Sugarcane and Sugar Production Madan Kaushik had turned a blind eye to the farmers plight.

“Besides us farmers, there are many skilled and unskilled labourers dependent on these mills for their livelihood,” said Ram Singh, a farmer.

Their concern now is survival till the next crop, as mostly all the farmers have taken huge amounts of loan, to stay afloat and are in a ‘hand to mouth’ situation. They have been banking on this crop to give them a sizable income to pay-off a part of the loan. Now in the likely of this revenue they have no option but to bow down to the clout of the mill owners and sell their crop at a huge loss.

“A huge quantity of sugarcane is standing in the field and is yet to be sold. I have to marry my daughter, look after my ailing father and feed my family of six,” said Bhagan Singh, a farmer.

Speaking over this to General Manager of Rai Bhadur Sugar Mill, Laksar justified that the delay in opening the mills was not a deliberate act and stressed on saying that the growth of sugarcane this year has been less this year than the production last year.

Minister of Industry for Sugarcane Madan Kaushik told the TNS that the mills would opened 15 days prior to when they were open last season, November 27. He also mentioned that the rates would be fixed in a few days time and announced on November 24.

Farmers in the meantime are anticipating good rates for their sugarcane produce after the announcement made by CM of UP Mayawati, who, on Tuesday, announced an increase of Rs 40 per quintal in the SAP of sugarcane for the 2010-11 crushing season.

“It is a big failure on the account of the state government and the sugarcane minister who are playing hide and seek with the farmers,” said Mahivar Singh, a farmer of Narsan Khurd. He angrily said, “The farmers have no clue on the rates at which the sugarcane mills are going to take our produce whereas UP has fixed its rates. The state government must wake up now and take action. Why are they failing to realise that as it is this year the farmers have suffered a heavy loss because of recent floods, which have destroyed the standing crop. The plight is such that the farmers are selling their sugarcanes at the rate of Rs 170 per quintal to local crushers whereas last year the rate fixed was Rs 290 per quintal which is a total exploitation of the poor farmer.”

Dehradun, November 20
A rare case of a one-year-old child who has tested positive for HIV/AIDS, though his parents are negative, is currently being investigating at ART Centre of the Doon Hospital.

The child belonging to a middle-class family is suffering from numerous complications, including pneumonia, cold and cough.

“Though the parents have tested negative, their child has tested positive for HIV/ AIDS and it is rare case that does find mention in medical books,” said Dr KS Negi, Senior Medical Officer, Doon Hospital.

He said though a rare case, medical studies did point out that in several cases chances of transmission remained undetected. This could even happen with adults.

The parents, on the advice of their physician, had taken the child to a higher centre, the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), after which he developed several infections. Here he was tested for HIV/AIDS and then asked to undertake ART treatment in Dehradun.

“We have already counselled the parents and also tested them for HIV/AIDS, but both are negative,” said Dr Negi.

The doctors said the child would be put on ART once his condition stabilised. “The opportunistic infections have to subside before we can start the treatment,” said Dr Negi.

Meanwhile, Dr PC Kapri, Project Director, Uttaranchal State AIDS Control Society (USACS), said all efforts were being made to offer the best treatment to the child and talks were also on with the National AIDS Control Society (NACO).

Haridwar, November 20
Their fingers on the tabla made people thump their hands in sync, kathak performance cast a spell and sonorous vocal skills reverberated the hall. This was the atmosphere at the ongoing three-day competition being organised by the Madhurima Sangeet Samiti in the city’s Nav Shakti Yogpeeth with a total of 60 odd participants competing in the three categories of kathak performance, vocal singing and tabla playing.

This tri-event competition is being organised as part of the annual function celebrations of the samiti which is one of the prime music training imparting institutes in the city. Every participant seems to be giving performances an inch better than the others with a high level of skill being seen in the three category events under two levels: juniors and teenagers.

Today’s top performances included those of Neha, Sanskriti, Shweta, Anushka, Rahul and Isha, while Ganesh Vandana was performed by Avi Jhaveri, Siddhi and Margi Patel.

Among the judges were Nikhil Mukherjiee, Lalit Bhutani, Ganjendra Kaushik and Sangeeta Saxena in the presence of Pradeep Maharaj and Sunil Mukherjee, along with a host of personalities from related fields.

Secretary of the samiti RL Bhatt said the competition on the one hand gave a platform to students to showcase their talent, and on the other hand it gave the annual cultural function a higher dimension.