Nainital, February 14
With owners of shops distributing ration under the Public Distribution System (PDS) continuing with their agitation, the routine PDS setup in the state has hit a major roadblock.

The shopkeepers, who distribute foodgrains amongst common people, have been agitating for almost two weeks and their agitation continues unabated. They have refused to pick up the grains under the Atal Khadyann Yojana and also stopped the distribution under the routine PDS scheme.

A large number of these distributors staged a demonstration in Nainital today. Having come from various blocks in the district, they gathered in Tallital and then marched to the District Collectorate shouting slogans in support of their demand. They met the Additional District Magistrate and handed him a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

They had also staged a massive demonstration in the Buddha Park in Haldwani yesterday.

The distributors have been demanding an increase in the commission in the sales made by them and an increase in the carriage money given to them for transportation of foodgrains to ration shops. They allege that the commission being paid to them was according to the norms laid out in 1960.

According to them, while inflation has shot up several times during these years, their commission rates have remained stagnant. They have accused the government of multiplying their problems instead of addressing their genuine concerns.

Nainital, February 14
With the authorities failing to learn a lesson from a series of debacles in the past, the power supply infrastructure in the Kumaon region continues to be in a shambles.

Despite the tall claims coming in time and again from officials and the political leadership that everything is being put in order, precious little is visible and experienced by the distraught people who continue to suffer the apathy.

The 132-KV high-tension line that comes from Uttar Pradesh and supplies power to the entire region once again snapped near Mauna yesterday, as a tree fell on it and the four districts of Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Almora and Champawat had to go without power for more than five hours.

Ironically, this was the same line that had broken at Bhimtal last month and the entire region had been without power for almost 37 hours. They have been saying that anyone can wreck havoc by just damaging the only high-tension line that supplies power to the entire region.

For an alternative source of power to the region it is being hoped that if the power grid installed at Chandok in Pithoragarh district becomes functional and starts getting power from the power project at Dhauladevi in a few months as per the expected schedule, the problem of voltage fluctuations and power supply, at least for the hill regions, would become a thing of the past.

Officials say that that right now there is a supply line coming from Bareilly that is serving the entire region right up to Pithoragarh district. With the Chandok arrangement, there will not only be two channels of supply for the region, but the total dependence on Uttar Pradesh will also be over. In the Chandok grid arrangement, the supply will be coming from hill areas to the plains unlike the supply going to high-altitude areas from Bareilly.

Besides the problem of the supply line, there is also the problem of transformers across the region being in a pitiable state. Media reports point out that the failure of the authorities to check power thefts and overloading has resulted in no less than 1,900 transformers being burnt across Kumaon in the past 10 months. Most of these transformers have been burnt in Kashipur with their number standing at 393.

Talking in terms of percentage, the number of transformers that have been burnt reportedly amount to 10.28 per cent. The people in the region are of the opinion that burning or breaking down of the transformers is not the main concern. According to them, the main issue is the delay in the repair and replacement of faulty parts. It takes days and very often people, particularly those in rural areas, have to resort to agitations.

There is also the problem of supply lines being supported by wooden poles that are in a bad state. This arrangement is particularly visible in the blocks like Okhalkanda and Betalghat. Residents of these regions are planning to launch an agitation seeking replacement of damaged wooden poles with metallic ones.

Dehradun, February 14
The ruling BJP has come to the defence of former Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader ND Tiwari for attending a function of the state government to launch Atal Khadyann Yojana of providing cheap ration to poor people in the presence of BJP national president Nitin Gadkari last week.

Tiwari was under fire by his arch political rival Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Harish Rawat for attending the BJP function aimed at the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state. Rawat has demanded action against the veteran leader for causing embarrassment to the party at a crucial time.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Uttarakhand State Media Advisory Committee Devendra Bhasin has termed the statement of Harish Rawat as unfortunate.

In a statement here today, Bhasin said the function was a state function and all the leaders of various political parties were invited by the state administration.

“It was gracious on the part of ND Tiwari to attend the function that was aimed at providing succour to poor people by giving them cheap ration,” he said.

Bhasin said during his visit to Nainital in 2003, the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had announced an industrial package for the state despite the fact that it was Congress Government in the state.

He charged that instead of pressuring the Centre to give more quota of foodgrains to the state, senior Congress leaders were criticising Tiwari for attending a state function showing that the Congress leadership had a narrow-minded mentality.

Bhasin alleged that Congressmen were afraid of the popularity of the Atal Khadyann Yojana launched by the state BJP Government and were indulging in cheap antics.

Dehradun, February 14
Leaders of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) burnt an effigy of the state government in the backdrop of the slapping incident. A few days back, MLA Ganesh Joshi had slapped a policeman for getting pushed when the policeman tried to control the crowd on the launch of the Atal Khadyan Yojna.

District president NK Gusain said this was not the first time leaders of the BJP Government had reacted in this manner. Earlier too, they had slapped a policeman at the Lansdowne Chowk, displaying their autocratic behaviour and taking law in their hands.

The leaders praised the police force for keeping patience in these incidents. Those who participated in effigy burning included senior leaders Latafat Hussain, Promila Rawat and Jayprakash Upadhyay. 

Nainital, February 14
With Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank announcing his decision to personally travel to all districts and see the status of the implementation of government schemes, officials in Almora have been asked to gear up with up-to-date knowledge about the development with regards to their individual departments.

In a meeting here today, District Collector DS Garbyal told the officials to prepare proper lists with regards to the execution of projects so that the Chief Minister could be given instant information. Nishank would start his visits in the second half of February.

Garbyal made it clear that the officials would be responsible for any shortcoming with regards to the works entrusted to their departments. He said all the officials deployed at the block levels must ensure that the schemes were being implemented in a transparent manner.

He also took stock of the relief being provided to the victims of the rain-related disaster that had recently hit the region. He said, “A special team is being constituted to carry out surprise checks and any shortcoming found by this team with regards to the quality of repair works would lead to action against the erring officials”.

He also stated that those contractors who were not completing the work in time despite their tenders having been passed would be blacklisted.

Dehradun, February 14
Constructed with the aim to provide temporary shelter to relatives of patients who accompany them from far-off places, the rain baseras at the District Doon Hospital and the District Women’s Hospital are no longer in use, forcing families of poor patients to spend nights in the open.

The rain basera at the Doon Hospital was pulled down in 2005, during the massive reconstruction work undertaken under the Uttarakhand Health System Development Project (UHSDP), while the other rain basera at the District Women’s Hospital is being used as a store and may even be demolished in the days to come.

In such a situation, relatives of patients are forced to look for accommodation at dharamshalas, or spread themselves with their bedding and quilts in quiet corners of the hospital, away from the prying eyes of the hospital authorities.

“Both rain baseras were constructed when Uttarakhand was part of Uttar Pradesh. The rain basera at the slip counter was demolished and no alternative arrangement has been made so far. The set-up is no longer viewed as an important facility,” said Dr BC Pathak of Doon Hospital.

Far from reviving these temporary shelter homes, even the one at the District Women’s Hospital awaits imminent demolition. “The hospital authorities are on an expansion spree and may use the space to construct new labour units to come up in the vicinity of the Women’s Hospital,” said a senior official from the Health Department on the condition of anonymity.

Experts are surprised why the authorities have overlooked the vital facilities, especially when both the hospitals are eyeing the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals (NABH) and Healthcare Accreditation. “The Doon Hospital attracts more patients from Uttarakhand and neighbouring states. It is of utmost importance that a temporary space is allocated to family members of patients so that they can retire for the night. We have overlooked this important facility and it will not cost the government much. The hospital has also applied for NABH accreditation, they would be marking the hospital for customer satisfaction,” said Dr DP Joshi, General Secretary, Provincial Medical and Health Services. 

Dehradun, February 14
To ensure that the Dehradun MC provides jobs to family members of the employees, who have expired, members of the Nagar Vikas Karamchari Mahasangh today staged a protest outside the office of the Executive Officer.

Talking to the mediapersons, president of the mahasangh Shekhar Pant said the corporation had failed to provide jobs to the families of Agya Ram and Vats Nautiyal, who had expired recently.

They demanded promotion on the basis of seniority and cleaners to be posted on the vacant posts of driver. The mahasangh also wants a green signal for their elections.

They have also asked the corporation to provide masks, gumboots and gloves to all the drivers, cleaners and other employees who work on the vehicles that carry filth from all over the city. Pant further stated, the corporation should provide all the employees with the passbook or the FD of the funds and pay in cash, the 10 per cent of the arrear amount. He stated that if the corporation failed to do so, they would protest on the premises. —TNS

Dehradun, February 14
Landless people of Kashipur Tehsil staged a dharna demanding land, at the Gandhi Park here today. The protestors shouted slogans and also submitted a memorandum to the Governor.

The protesters demanded that 409 acres of land, out of the 1,089 acres that has been declared additional during the sealing, should be distributed to them.

It is relevant to mention that the protestors had already submitted a memorandum to the upper District Magistrate’s office, Kahipur on November 16, 2010, but nothing has been finalised yet. 

Dehradun, February 14
Chiranji Lal, president of the Jati Praman Patr Banao Sangharsh Morcha, submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister to apprise him about the complications arising in issuing caste certificates to SC/ST applicants.

The sangharsh morcha said the certificates should be issued to the residents living in the state before November 9, 2000.

They said the condition of permanent residence was confusing in this direction and urged the CM to facilitate the smooth issuance of the caste certificates to the beneficiaries.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) supported their demand by asking for simplification of the regulations related to the issuance of caste certificates for people of SC/ST/OBC communities and pulled up the BJP Government for deliberately complicating the process to divest people of these communities of opportunities to move ahead.

Dehradun, February 14
When he first burst upon the art scene several decades ago, it was assumed that the influence of the great masters of Europe would dictate his themes. But far from it. It was the every day ordinariness of things that Phalguni Dasgupta set to give shape through the medium of water colours.

Several decades down the line, there has never been a shaky line and the ordinariness of his subjects take an exalted form under the masterfull stroke of his brush, adding a Wordsworthian mysticism to the simple, but diverse themes.

“My interactions with European masters, especially Turner, during my visits abroad did influence me, but more than that I could never let go of the Indian experiences that I had internalised. The Indian art has a history of it’s own, and it is this predominantly distinct ‘Indian flavour’ that is usually associated with my paintings,” said Dasgupta at the start of his painting exhibition in Dehradun.

Yes, it is the charm of this nondescript city that forced Dasgupta to settle here after retirement. It is the pull of the city that brings him back from time to time. “I feel refreshed here. It is here that I vent out my creativity and find the much-needed rest and repose. I am an intrepid traveller, often visiting Kolkata and Delhi, but I love to come back here,” said Phalguni.

In the initial years it was elephant god Ganesha that had the artist mesmerised. Painting him playing cricket, dancing and indulging in pranks won him many fans. In between, Phalguni’s love for nature too continued to find expression. “I am known as crow and myna painter. These are the two birds that I love the most. I think the crow is a beautiful bird. You ought to see the black colour of the handsome bird changing to a mystical blue for a fraction of a second in the morning sunlight,” revealed Phalguni.

Even migratory birds that fly down to Dehradun have been subject of his paintings. So also the rain-washed valley. It too has a special appeal for the painter. “I love to observe things as an impartial spectator, and at the end of the day, if people do not like what I have done, I am never unhappy. The act of painting is more important to me. I like to finish up things that I start. It may take five minutes or one hour,” he added.

The challenges of market economy, where everything has to be packaged and sold, have never affected him. In fact, his contemporaries continue to call him a ‘low-priced, but highly valued artist’ and he has no complaints whatsoever. “Money has never played an important role in my life. I manage to lead a comfortable life, thanks to the pension that is sent to me by the management of the Delhi School of Art where I taught for 27 years,” he stated.

Besides, the artist has also been imploring the Uttarakhand Government to set up an art school. “Nothing will please me more than a dedicated art school so that budding artists are properly trained,” stressed the master painter.

His works have been put on display at the Art Gallery of Inderlok Hotel. They will be on display for the entire month of February to March 8.

Dehradun, February 14
Nomination papers for the posts of president, vice-president, secretary, joint secretary and auditor of the Dehradun Bar Association were submitted today in the presence of election officers LB Gurang, Chitranjan Trivedi and Deepak Ahluwalia.

The withdrawal of nomination will take place tomorrow, followed by election on February 24. Prem Chand, Suresh Kumar Dhar, Madan Singh Rawat and sitting president Manmohan Kandwal submitted their names for the position of president.

Alok Ghildiyal, Brij Pal Singh Arora, Chitranjan Nautiyal, Deepak Kumar and Virender Prasad Uniyal filed for the acting president’s post. Anil Gandhi, Arvind Kumar Arya, Javed Akhtar, Raghubir and Singh Kathait filed for the position of secretary.

Ajay Bisht, Bhanu Pratap Sisodia, Deepak Kumar Thapliyal, Kamal Kishor Bahuguna, Kali Prasad Bhatt, Kusum Rani, Purushottam Kandval, Rajiv Kumar Gupta and Ram Singh Rawat were nominated for the post of the joint secretary. Vishnu Dutt Uniyal and Nirdesh Kumar Khandelwal submitted their papers for the position of auditor. 

Dehradun, February 14
Uttarakhand Mussoorie MLA Joth Singh Gunsola has accused the state BJP Government of doing little to bring development to the region.

Addressing a convention for Dehradun Cantt Assembly Segment organised by the Dehradun Mahanagar Congress, Gunsola alleged that the BJP Government had failed to deliver the goods, and accused it of resorting to false promises and nothing else.

Former Congress MLA Subodh Uniyal said people were fed up with the Congress rule and anxiously waiting to unseat the BJP Government in Uttarakhand.

Senior Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana said the BJP so far had only resorted to lip service towards public issues and had befooled people of the state. He hoped for a major success for the Congress in the forthcoming Assembly polls.