Nainital, March 15
Just on the day when the doctors across the state went on a strike seeking the implementation of the Security Act in the state, two hospitals in the region once again became theatre of violence.

According to the information available, the confusion over the identity of a deceased led to a commotion at a private hospital in Haldwani Monday evening. This resulted in the thrashing of a managerial staff member and vandalism in the hospital building.

It is learnt that 65-year-old Fauja Singh had been brought to the hospital following a brain haemorrhage. He had been brought to the hospital from Udham Singh Nagar. He died in the afternoon. Meanwhile, when it came to declaring him dead, the doctors by mistake went on to declare another patient named Jassa Singh of Rampur dead.

This led to a great confusion as the relatives of the actually dead Fauja Singh kept on running around throughout the day bringing whatever medicines that were sought by the doctors. On the other hand the relatives of Jassa Singh came from far-off places on learning about his demise.

When the situation became clear the relatives, friends and acquaintances of Fauja Singh created mayhem at the hospital.

A person from the managerial staff was allegedly thrashed and they broke a glass door of a doctor’s cabin, a computer table and an almirah. The matter was eventually resolved with the intervention of the police and the administration.

In another incident reported from Rudrapur, some youngsters, who were in an inebriated state, went on to tear apart the register in which the records of the OPD patients were maintained at a government hospital.

They went on to create a scene in the emergency ward and manhandled a doctor.

According to the information available, the trouble started when a group of youngsters reached the hospital late Sunday night and demanded to have a look at the OPD register. On being opposed by a pharmacist on duty, they went on to create nuisance on the premises, causing extreme discomfort to the patients. They fled from the spot before they could be nabbed. The police investigations are on into the matter.

These two incidents are among the several similar instances that have been reported from the region over the few months past.

Haridwar, March 15
The demand of merging border areas of Uttar Pradesh into Uttarakhand seems to have gained momentum once again owing to difference in facilities and developmental works witnessed in border areas of the two neighbouring states.

The All-India Bijnore Mahasabha organised a function ‘Holi milan’ to bring people hailing from Bijnore district in the neighbouring Uttar Pradesh together. Senior members also introduced new members at the function.

The mahasabha passed a resolution demanding the inclusion of a major portion of Bijnore district into Uttarakhand owing to their neglect in the UP that has put a brake on the developmental wheel of the district.

On the occasion, a unanimous resolution was also passed that all the residents living in Uttarakhand of Bijnore should be identified and after that a detailed list would be compiled which would be published in the form of a book for better communication among them.

The demand for merging the border areas of the Bijnore district with Uttarakhand, too, came to the fore with a majority of the members supporting the stance and termed it as a development step for the region that was facing several problems owing to the neglect by the subsequent UP Governments.

State general secretary, AIBM, Goswami Madhukant Giri announced that soon the formalities for the organisation of the Bijnore Maha Kumbh would also be done at Bijnore in which people living outside the district would participate.

Uttarakhand Scheduled Caste-Tribe Commission vice-chief Suresh Rathore assured the sabha members that the problems related to people of the region would be looked after. He would apprise Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank of the problems being faced by people of the region regarding domicile and other certificates. Meanwhile, a cultural programme was also organised.

Dehradun, March 15
Demanding extension of the period of the facility providing 10 per cent reservation to the agitators who had fought for the formation of the state from August, 2011, to 2020 as also all the benefits of health, education and transportation to them, the Uttarakahnd Rajya Andolankari Manch staged a dharna at the Vidhan Sabha today.

Asking for a swift action on their demands, vice-president of the manch JP Pandey said if the respective District Magistrates could not fulfil the task of identification of state agitationists till December 31, then there was no logic of implementing the cut-off date.

District president Pradeep Kukreti said many senior citizens were identified for a pension scheme in August last year but it could not be approved because of negligence on part of the administrative officers. The pension must be released soon.

Dehradun, March 15
State BJP president Bisan Singh Chufal has advised the state Congress to protest in Delhi rather than staging rallies in the state.Addressing a press conference at the state BJP office here today, Bisan Singh Chufal said the Congress-led Centre was leaving no stone unturned to reduce the funds for the state.

“While quota of foodgrains has been decreased, Uttarakhand has been deprived of special package, resulting in the reduction in the number of jobs,” said Chufal.

He said even in case of disaster relief, a meagre Rs 500 crore had been provided to the state as assistance for the rain disaster.

Chufal also took a dig at the five Congress MPs from the state, alleging that the five MPs had failed to raise even a single issue linked to the state.

Chufal accused the Congress of misleading people. 

Dehradun, March 15
Members of the Rajya Nigam Karamchari Mahasangh sat on dharna at the Gandhi Park to attract the attention of the state government toward their demands.After their proposed meeting with the Principal Secretary (Industries) failed to take place on January 30 and dialogue with the Chief Secretary, too, did not bring about any result, the association gave their demand letter on the name of the CM on February 24.

District president of the mahasangh Ramachander Raturi said, “The employees of the corporation, too, contributed to the formation of the state like other government employees, but the corporation employees had been meted out unfair treatment. It was decided during the time of Uttar Pardesh reign to grant 20 per cent more salary to the corporation employees, as against the government employees. But in reality it is only the administrative officers of the corporations, who are enjoying 20 per cent hike in the salary”.

He also said, “Despite the fact that the administrative officers run the corporation, it was the employees of the corporation who had to bear the brunt of the losses incurred by the corporation through deduction in their DA allowance, bonus, salaries or layoff that was not fare”.

District general secretary BS Rawat, DN Shukla, Vijay Mamgai, Dinesh Gusai, Dyal Rawat and CP Semwal participated in the dharna.

Dehradun, March 15
Quite perturbed after months of wait for their due payments, anganwari activists poured on the streets as a mark of protest and also cornered the District Project Officer (DPO) to press forth their demands.

According to them, the demands were posing financial problems owing to less and delayed payment given to them by the project officer. Under the aegis of the Uttaranchal State Anganwari Karamchari Panchayat, hundreds of activists rallied towards the DPO office, situated in Roshanabad, raising slogans against the alleged secondary treatment meted out to them.

Seeing the mood of the activists, the DPO instantly called on a high-level meeting at his office, in which the decision was taken. Divisional chief of the panchayat Anita Saini announced instant fulfilment of their demands.

During the meeting it was also agreed that the rent of the buildings, where the anganwari centres were operating would also be made within a fortnight, while appointment letters in the three projects in Roorkee tehsil were also given to anganwari recruits, apart from the other assurances of various problems of the panchayat that were put up by the representatives.

To make sure the condition of the anganwari activists throughout the state improves, the anganwari activists will assemble in Dehradun to gherao the Assembly on May 26. They will demand an increase in their wages that was quite low compared to the social work they were doing in tough conditions.

Haridwar, March 15
As an appreciative gesture, the BHEL Ladies Club honoured the employees who had won dozens of awards in the past year in different competitions and categories.The award ceremony was presided over by First Lady of BHEL Vandana Modi, who emphasised the need for environment conservation by making efforts in this regard. Honouring the awardees, Vandana lauded the talent, efforts and creativity of the artistes.

She said, “Horticulture employees won a whopping 85 medals in the BEG Roorkee flower exhibition and 13 in the Dehradun Raj Bhawan exhibition-cum-competition”.

The judges included Neelam Sodhi, Chaya Nisha, Surekha Palgey, Rekha Garg and Kusum Sharma.

BHEL town administrator Rajeev Bhatnagar, SB Pandey, Subash Chand, MK Jain, JS Bhalla, Randhir Singh, Mahendra Pradhan, and representatives of the Labour Union, Ladies Club and Public Relations Department were also present on the occasion.

Pithoragarh, March 15
Tehsil activist from the Devalthal area today took out a procession at the Pithoragarh district headquarters and submitted a memorandum to the Pithoragarh DM demanding tehsil status for Devalthal sub-tehsil.

“This is for the first time that we took procession in the district headquarters, but if our demand is not fulfilled, people of the area will boycott the Assembly elections scheduled next year,” said convener of the agitation Jagdish Kumar.

“After Holi, tehsil activists in Devalthal will block the motor road that links Pithoragarh with interior border areas at the Indo-China border at Devalthal,” said Jagdish.

Pithoragarh, March 15
The flower festival of Kumaon, Phuldei, was celebrated across the Kumaon region today. Minor girls sprinkled fresh spring flowers on the doorstep of every house in their respective village and in turn got gifts in the form of money and rice.

The ancient Kumaoni society is known for its solar calendar. The society celebrates Phuldei at the beginning of the season of flowers, the spring, almost on March 14 every year when the sun enters the Pisces zodiac. Phuldei is the festival to celebrate the advent of the blossom season of spring and happiness it brings with it.

According to Dr Yamuna Dutta Vaishnav ‘Ashok’, Phuldei has its roots in the ancient Roman culture and its influence on the North Indian society. In ancient Rome the festival used to be celebrated at the beginning of the spring and was devoted to the Goddess Flora.

According to Dr Vaishnav, a known cultural historian of the Kumaon region, as the solar calendar has been adopted by the hill society from the Romans, the months of Chaitra is considered to be the first month of New Year and Phuldei is the first day of the solar year.

On this day, unmarried girls from every household of the village rise early and after taking a bath and fully purifying themselves, first collect white and yellow flowers from their vicinity and after mixing these flowers, they worship their own doorstep. Then they go to each and every house of the village and chant “Phuldei chamma dai bhar bhakar daini dwar” (these flowers may bring prosperity to your family and may your granaries be full and your doorsteps be a sign of good omen) and sprinkle flowers on the every doorstep. “By offering flowers on the doorstep, girls wish the doorstep of their brothers’ houses be ever prosperous and that they could always return there happily even after their marriage,” said Dr Ram Singh, another noted cultural historian of the region.

In exchange to these well wishes expressed through fresh flowers of wild plants, the villagers give them rice, jaggery and some money. After the ceremony concludes, the village youngsters return and wet this rice stock and prepare a special prasad after grinding it. This prasad is also offered to every household in the village.

The beginning of the spring has a special significance to the ancient Kumaoni society. During this season, the snow melts in the higher reaches of the Himalayas and evergreen rhododendron comes to full bloom. Not only the rhododendron, but so many other plants also bloom, giving the entire hilly region all the colours of the coming spring season. In the valleys of the western Himalayas, specially the Pauri region, this festival is celebrated throughout the month and young girls offer flowers at the doorstep of village households daily.

Folk singers of Kumaoni celebrate this festival and the beginning of Chaitra by going to each household of their locality and offering them good wishes. They dance and sing while playing their traditional musical instruments and expect New Year gifts from people.

The beginning of Chaitra on this day also has a special significance for newly wedded girls. These married village girls expect New Year gifts from their parents and brothers. Many Kumaoni folk songs have been based on the pain suffered by the girls daily as they wait for their gifts to reach them.

The Aryans, after settling in the Himalayan region, gradually moved towards the plains during the Vedic era where they witnessed the five seasons and mentioned them in their literature. “This festival of Phuldei is also the welcome of pleasant summer after the end of biting cold,” says Dr Ram Singh.