Dehradun, March 6
A member of the National Wildlife Board, Brijendra Singh, has favoured the involvement of villagers in the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Jim Corbett National Park, which are scheduled to begin on March 9.

In an interaction with mediapersons in Dehradun, Brijendra Singh said any conservation effort was incomplete without people’s participation and the Corbett platinum jubilee celebrations should serve an opportunity for the authorities concerned to involve local villages in forest conservation efforts.

He said tourism benefits must percolate to the grass-roots level and not be limited to big hoteliers. He said while Ramnagar had developed fast, the villages, which were situated on the Kandi road and in the Duggada area, were still not getting eco-tourism benefits from the Corbett. They needed more attention.

He, however, expressed concern over the rising number of lodges and hotels in the close proximity of the Corbett. “While encroachments in the form of settlements could be tackled, the increasing influence of big companies, which have been building high-rise hotels and resorts, can certainly prove detrimental to the wildlife of the region,” Brijendra Singh pointed out.

Preferring elephant rides to Jeep safaris for tourists, he said the former were more forest friendly as these caused little disturbance in the Corbett. But unfortunately finding “mahouts” was a tough task as the younger generation of “mahouts” was more interested to become Jeep drivers.

While admitting that man-wildlife conflict was getting worse, he said the day was not far when protected areas would be no less than safari parks. The incidents of leopards attacking humans had become more frequent due to scarcity of prey inside forests.

He said blockades on wildlife corridors were increasing day by day and there seemed to be no solution in sight. The problem aggravated in cases of elephants, which suffered the most due to the corridor blockades. He said a scarcity of fodder inside forests was also affecting the elephants.

Dehradun, March 6
Congress councillors of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC), demanding regularisation of slum areas located in the capital city, held a protest at the Gandhi Park here today. They submitted a memorandum to the Tehsildar and on behalf of the District Magistrate (DM) requested him to forward it to the Uttarakhand Chief Minister.

Ashok Verma, Leader of the Opposition, said in the past too they had asked the DMC to provide ownership to the residents of slum areas, but no action had been taken so far.

Verma added, “There are around 102 slum areas that are recognised, but after the formation of the Municipal Corporation, 27 more bastis have come to light and need to be accepted. Due to the non-availability of possession, residents of the slums are deprived of various facilities provided to them by the government”.

Haridwar, March 6
Thousands of business queries were generated at the Industrial Expo-2011 that concluded here today. That expo has put forth the emergence of the state as a powerful investment hub in the industrial sector.

Terming the expo as a second phase of the industrial development, Managing Director of the public sector undertaking Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) DK Mody said, “The state has a lot of potential for both heavy and small-scale industries. I compliment the role played by the CII, state government and SIDCUL in promotion of the industrial development in the state".

While CII northern region Chairman RM Khanna said, “The CII is in regular touch with the Uttarakhand Government in policy making, so as to ensure appropriate business and investment opportunities”.

Deputy Chairman, CII, NR Vijay Thadani said human resource and connectivity were the two aspects that should be addressed to meet the requirements of the growing industrial sector and investment agencies.

“The state has many positives essentials for attracting investments,” said Thadani. He also appreciated the vision of the state government to make Uttarakhand an automobile hub. Many automobile companies like Tata Motors, Hero Honda, Ashok Leyland and Mahindra & Mahindra have made large investments in the state and these companies have further attracted many more.

Highlighting the achievements of the expo, Chairman, CII, Industrial Expo-2011 and plant head of Tata Motors, Pantnagar, Atul P Renavikar said over 181 exhibitors, including 148 exhibitors from corporate sector and various other sectors, participated in the expo spread in the area of 3,500 sq m.

There were over 6,000 visitors during the past two-and-a-half days. The vendor development programmes, a platform for interaction of potential vendors, suppliers and established corporates in the state, had been extremely well received with over 680 participants, he added.

Chairman, CII, Uttarakhand State Council, Rajiv Berry said the CII, Uttarakhand State Council, had adopted the theme ‘Robust Inclusive Green Growth' for 2011-12.

Nainital, March 6
Lok Sabha member from Pauri Garhwal Satpal Maharaj has sought the linking of Kathgodam, Ramnagar, Kotdwar, Rishikesh and Dehradun with Mumbai by a super-fast train.

According to a statement issued by Maharaj’s spokesperson, Maharaj raised the issue while participating in a discussion on the recently presented Rail Budget. He said a double track should be laid down till Kotdwar and freight terminals should be established at Ramnagar, Kotdwar and Rishikesh, as all these three destinations were the key business centres in the context of the state.

Maharaj also asserted that there was a need to link all the tourist destinations with places of spiritual importance. He also said a mixed third air-conditioned and first air-conditioned coach should be put in the Ramnagar-Delhi Corbett Link Express to provide the option of an added facility to the passengers travelling by this train.

The Lok Sabha member had also advocated installing biological toilets in the trains, as this would lead to more cleanliness at the railway stations and put an end to manual scavenging. He had also suggested that the GPS system be used in the trains, so that there could be better management and the passengers got correct information regarding the arrival and departure of the trains.

Maharaj also raised the issue of expansion of the rail network in the state and demanded that railway reservation counters be opened in more towns of the state.

Thanking UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Railways Minister Mamata Bannerjee for the rational Rail Budget, Maharaj also sought the laying down of the foundation of the Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail line at the earliest. Welcoming the Budget, he said it had been presented while keeping the interests of the common man in mind.

Dehradun, March 6
Workers of the city’s BJP yesterday submitted a memorandum to Mayor Vinod Chamoli asking him to provide a cremation ground for children.

Anant Sagar, general secretary, Dharampur Vidhan Sabha area, apprised the Mayor that a piece of land was available in Brahmanwala that came under the Dharampur Vidhan Sabha area. Incidentally, people from near-by villages had been using the place as a cremation ground, but the MC took away the land from them in 2006-07 and gave it to the Peyjal Nigam.

Since then, no place has been allotted for the purpose. The Mayor has assured them that he will allot land to them within a week. —TNS

Pithoragarh, March 6
After initial structural troubles in the flagship scheme of the state government Atal Khadyann Yojana, people are now coming with complaints of rotten wheat being distributed to PDS shops in the district.

“On opening the wheat bags that reached these shops recently, villagers of Naphar village in the Talla Johar area of the Munsiyari sub-division found it completely rotten,” said Rejendri Devi of Naphar village in a letter written to the DSO in this connection.

“At first, we complained to the shop owner who expressed his inability to exchange the ration. After that we wrote to the DSO,” said the gram pradhan.

Pithoragarh District Supply Officer Tej Bal Singh confirmed that some of the PDS shops in the Talla Johar area of the district received rotten wheat under the scheme. “As we get the wheat from the Central pool, these rotten grains might have been supplied from Food Corporation of India (FCI) godowns. We have taken back the wheat from the said shops and informed the regional food controller in Haldwani,” said the DSO.

According to villagers, the wheat in the quota given to them was rotten and black in colour. “The blackness in the wheat was so deep that it could not be removed by washing,” said BDC member of the village Geeta Mehta. “Our employees are looking into the matter. If more such complaints come, the complete stock will be called back,” said the DSO.

Mussoorie, March 6
Students and staff of Wynberg Allen School at Mussoorie are excited and jubilant with the performance of its ex-student Meiyang Chang on reaching the final of reality musical show on Sony channel’s “Jhalak Dhikla Jaa” .The students and staff of the school have decided to support the Indian Idol sensation by voting for him in the finals scheduled on March 7.

According to school teacher AC Kurian, Chang, who passed out from Wynberg Allen School in 2000, has thanked the school for imparting quality education and said it was due to love and support shown by the staff, students and fans that he had reached the final of ‘Jhalak’.

Kurien also informed that Chang, while in school, was an exceptionally good student and considered an all-rounder. He participated in various extra-curricular activities and was good in singing, too. Chang had won the “Indian Idol 3” competition earlier.

Kurian further said Chang was good in dramatics, debate and declamation, which surely must have come handy in his career. Kurian said when the students came to know about him entering the final of ‘Jhalak’ were delighted that a student of their school once again would bring laurels to the institution .

Chang’s forefathers came from the Hubei province in China and ever since the family has lived in India. Chang is fluent in Hindi, English and Kannada and can understand a bit of Gujarati. Chang is a qualified dentist.

He was among the top 10 finalists on “Indian Idol 3” and had attained the fifth place in the competition with public votes. His big ticket to the Indian film industry, however, was his debut the film “Badmaash Company” under the Yashraj Films, one of the biggest and most reputable film production houses in the country.