Dehradun, April 14
The statue of Dr BR Ambedkar was unveiled at Tel Bhavan, the headquarters of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), on the occasion of his 120th birth anniversary, here today. The statue was unveiled by AK Hazarika, CMD (ONGC), at a function organised here.

Speaking on the occasion, Hazarika said only unveiling the statute of a great man did not serve the purpose and they must remember the contribution made by him for the nation.

SV Rao, Director (Exploration), Dr Jauhari Lal, former Director (HR), ONGC, Sundar Lal, Executive Director (Chief Employee Relations), Baij Nath, GM (HR) and Deepak Kumar, Chairman of the All-India SC/ST Employees’ Welfare Association (ONGC), Dehradun, were also present on the occasion. A vote of thanks was presented by Deepak Kumar, Chairman of the All-India SC/ST Employees’ Welfare Association.

Meanwhile, members of the Jati Praman Patr Banao Sangarsh Morcha celebrated the birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar as ‘Adhikar Diwas’. Sub-convener TC Bharti, Shayam Singh, Sudesh Kumar, Shanti Prasad and others were also present on this occasion.

MUSSOORIE: The 120th birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar was celebrated by different organisations today.

Mussoorie Municipal Council staff and elected representatives gathered at the Mount Rose camp office and paid tributes to Ambedkar.

MC President OP Uniyal said everyone should take a vow to help the downtrodden and the needy in accordance with the dream of Dr Ambedkar.

Uniyal said the Mussoorie Municipal Council had envisaged several plans for the betterment of the poor in the town and the construction of 98 houses for them at IDH was one of them. In another function, BSP workers also remembered Dr BR Ambedkar.

Pitthoragarh: Various programmes were organised on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, Fire Safety Day and Baisakhi in the district today. The Ambedkar Jayanti programmes were organised by the Ambedkar Jayanti Samaroh Samiti, which included the Shilpakar Mahasangh, the Dalit Sahitya Academy and the Ambedekar Jagriti Mission.

“Ambedkar was the man who saw the strength of Indian society in the concept of the equal status for all the strata of society,” said Almora MP Pradeep Tamta while delivering a speech at a meeting organised by the samiti here today.

Uttarakhand Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prakash Pant and Kanalichina MLA Mayukh Singh Mahar also addressed the meeting.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of Fire Safety Day, fire service personnel organised demonstrations in various parts of the city and remembered those firemen who died while performing duty.

The Baisakhi programmes were organised at the traditional Thal mela in the district today. “The three-day fair is the sole representative of the local bamboo craft and the local culture, which has unique features of the cultures of the Johari and Sera belts of the district,” said Didihat SDM BL Rana while inaugurating the fair.

Pitthoragarh, April 14
“The Ganga was not brought to the Earth to produce electricity and for irrigation, but to facilitate the salvation of the kin of King Bhagirath the common man, but today, this holy river is being ruined due to the greed of the governments,” said Swami Anand Swaroop, National Convener of the Ganga Sewa Mission, a movement to save the Ganga formed by Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, Shankaracharya of Dwarka and Jyotishpeeth.

Addressing a press conference here during his tour to the Kumaon region to enlighten people on the religious and culture significance of the Ganga, the swami said after the movement run by the Shankaracharya in 2006, the Ganga was declared as national river.

“Despite being declared a national river, the Union and the state governments are continuously violating the norms by polluting a national symbol, but no legal action is being taken against them for their crimes,” said the Saraswati.

The Ganga Sewa Mission National Convener said the Ganga is a vital element in Hinduism and the basis of the Vedas. “To tell people about the significance of India’s national river, we will be organising a Ganga Sansad after which a nationwide movement to save the river will be launched,” said the swami.

According to Swaroopanand Saraswati, as many as 558 river projects are being allowed with the connivance of the Union and state governments which are causing slow death of the river which is the base of Hindu culture and society.

Answering a question on the movement to save the Dhari Devi Shaktipeeth, Swami Anand Swaroop said the Uttarakhand Government was showing duplicity on the matter and the companies involved in it were showing fake documents to resume work on it, but the members of the Ganga Sewa Mission would not let it happen.

Dehradun, April 14
The Himalayan Chipko Foundation has filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court highlighting several environmental irregularities in the construction of a dam at Srinagar in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.

The litigant, JP Dabral has sought that the cumulative environmental impact of various hydroelectric projects and the carrying capacity of the Ganga be first defined before the construction of any dam is allowed on the Ganga.

Dabral further pointed out that the environmental and forest clearances of the Srinagar dam were given in 1985 and 1987 respectively.

The validity of these clearances was only for a period of five years.

However, the dam construction was started in 2006, 20 years later. Thus fresh clearances are required, he added.

Moreover, the project authorities should now pay money as per the new NPV (net present value) norms, as has been decided by Supreme Court. Full NPV value as per the norms should be deposited at the earliest.

The project agencies and the state government should have ensured that a public hearing was organised before the construction of the dam.

This too was not done. All the work on the project should be halted till full compliance with the above-stated conditions is done.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Forest Advisory Committee and its sub-committee had already approved of these issues in the Srinagar dam project.

As such the construction of the dam should be stopped immediately.

The Supreme Court has admitted the PIL and given four weeks’ time to the Ministry of Environment and Forests to file its reply.

Dehradun, April 14
Aimed to stimulate infrastructure development and set up facilities backed by prompt delivery systems, the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode adopted by the governments has managed to give fresh lease of life to moribund projects in the health sector and is now aiming to do with other sectors as well.

But things have never been hunky dory for a concept that continues to be misunderstood and viewed with suspicion. After burning its fingers with the private sector, the Uttarakhand Government adopted the public-private mode that borrows the best principles of both the sectors.

With that aim in mind, a public-private cell was created in 2008-2009 and rules of procurement framed. Since the concept took off in the state, all the 13 projects, which are a mix of health, Urban Development Department and tourism projects, have been kick started. A total of 39 projects are in the pipeline to be initiated in the education, health, tourism and power sector.

“There are different ways of doing a PPP, but first a framework has to be built. The Public-Private concept projects implies efficiency gains, efficient use of resources, availability of modern technology and better project design,” said Principal Secretary (Finance) and nodal officer (PP) Alok Jain.

In the health sector alone, seven projects have spread in different parts of the state. These include mobile units, cardiac unit, MRI, nephrology unit and diagnostic centres. “It was a mammoth task starting the projects under PPP, because people viewed it with suspicion. This is the best option for the government that is battling human resource crunch, but have assets in other form,” said former Director Doon Group of Hospitals Dr Sudhanshu Bhauguna, under whom the public-private concept took off in the health sector.

Despite an impressive performance, the initiative was not without the glitches. According to experts, a right kind of framework is necessary for the concept to blossom. Though the government is keen to push for infrastructure development, it has still not managed to build a single chain of command, so different departments continue to assert and put spanner in the works.

The initial impasse in the five star hotel project that is now being taken up by the Emmar and intercontinental consortium being built under the PPP mode resulted as the conditions of the government were not specified.

“The government was keen on the hotel and convention centre taking off, while the party was keen on commercial activities i.e. building of shops taking precedence over the hotel. Similarly, a two-year impasse on the commercial project at the old bus stand at the Gandhi Road was followed by the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) and the Transport Department flexing their muscles, with the MDDA giving clearance as per the old bylaws,” said a source.

These initial glitches were quoted on and off by alarmists, who viewed PPP mode with suspicion. The departments unwilling to embrace change were in the vanguard of the anti-PPP movement, especially the state government utility in the power sector. A rumour was spread that the project costs under the PPP take a jump, but experience has shown the costs get reduced. Despite the rumour mongering, the PP concept is here to stay with several green field projects lined up in the education sector.

Dehradun, April 14
Canadian High Commissioner Stewart Beck called upon Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pohkriyal Nishank here today and showed interest in setting up of a cancer research institute in the state.

He said that his country might extend bilateral co-operation with Uttarakhand on several projects such as tourism, climate change, education, health and cancer research. He also suggested the formation of a core group comprising officials from both sides on the issue.

Beck showed interest in ayurveda and yoga. Nishank welcomed the Canadian High Commissioner and said that India and Canada had a healthy relationship and people of both countries respected each others’ culture, traditions and values. Nishank reiterated his resolve to make Uttarakhand an ideal state and was of the view that projects in the field of education, tourism, and power can be initiated in association with Canada.

Welcoming the suggestion made by the Canadian High Commissioner on the formation of a cancer research centre in the state, Nishank said ayurveda and yoga could also be included in the project so that it became more effective.

Nishank also said that Uttarakhand was planning to convert the Tehri Lake into a water sports hub and Canada’s experience could come handy in the development of a specialty centre and university in the field of water, adventure and ice sports. He apprised the High Commissioner about the efforts of the state government towards conservation and climate change. The High Commissioner showed his keenness towards “Sparsh Ganga” (to maintain sanctity and free flow of Ganga River) and “Ashirvad” projects run by the state government. 

Haridwar, April 14
Donning the seat as religious guru, former Union Minister of State for Railways and Pauri Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj is drawing crowds in Haridwar at a religious discourse ‘sadhbnhawna sammellan’, which is held annually on the festive occasion of Baisakhi.

Satpal Maharaj, who holds mass popularity among people both as a religious guru and politician, advocated harmony, peace and love in the society.

Satpal Maharaj cited example of Japanese resilience, wherein affected by earthquake, tsunami and nuclear radiation threat, the nation is recovering fast due to strong bond of nationalism, fighting spirit and patience.

Similarly, he urged people to take on the menace of corruption to the fore, as it has made common man hapless and only mass awareness can eradicate corruption, citing path of spirituality as a deterrent factor to take this cause forward effectively and successfully. The religious convention will culminate tomorrow on the festival of Baisakhi held every year at Maharaj’s Prem Nagar Ashram.

Mussoorie, April 14
The Mussoorie Fire Department took out a procession on fire engines to mark the beginning of Fire Safety Week beginning today. The Fire Department personnel led by the fire safety officer, IJ Arya, marched through Mall Road, raising slogans on awareness about fire safety. They also distributed pamphlets and explained the ways to prevent fire incidents. The firemen paid tribute to the indomitable spirit of the firemen who lost their lives while performing their duties.

Firemen also educated the people on fire safety by presenting a demo using their fire engines at Mall Road. The fire safety officer, IJ Arya, said this day was also celebrated to remember 66 firemen, who lost their lives on April 14, 1944, while extinguishing the fire caused due to a blast in a ship carrying goods at the Mumbai port. Around 150 people were also killed and 150 firemen injured in the tragedy, added IJ Arya. He further appealed to the residents to take extreme care while using gas cylinders in hotels and restaurants. He reiterated the commitment of the Fire Department to remain alert towards any fire incident in the town.

TNS adds from Dehradun: Fire Service Day was celebrated at the main fire station at Gandhi Road in the state capital, here on Thursday.

Chief Guest, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ganesh Singh Martolia, offered garlands to the martyrs and took the salute from the parade. This day is celebrated as National Fire Safety Day across India.

Martolia remembered 66 firemen who died in the Bombay Duck Yard fire accident in 1994. This week is organised to make people aware of how to save themselves from fire accidents and how to take police’s help. He also inspected the fire equipment.

Mussoorie, April 14
In an attempt to revive the Garhwali culture and art form, the local Sai Pursuit Foundation Mussoorie organised a “jagar” performance by eminent folk artiste Pritam Bhartwan at Kashi Devasthanam, Sri Chamunda Peeth, here yesterday.

Bhartwan and his troupe began with a “jagar” in honour of Goddess Shakti followed by a “jagar” invoking other gods like Narasingh and Gandhial Devta. The melodious voice of Bhartwan held the audience spellbound. Some in the audience danced along with the troupe members.

President of the Mussoorie Municipal Council OP Uniyal and other dignitaries also attended the event that continued till late in the night.

Uniyal commended the efforts of the foundation and said such events were needed in the town to revive the culture and tradition of Garhwal that had its genesis in the vedic age. The director of the Sai Pursuit foundation, Sameer Shukla, said the palanquin of Goddess Shakti was set up here for the first time and they had plans to convert the site into a place for spiritual learning.

Shukla said the objective behind establishing the Kashi Devasthanam was to draw inspiration from the God’s gifts. It was in 1998 that they decided to construct the temple complex of Sri Chamunda Peeth, which comprised a Shiva temple, Shirdi Sai Guru Mandir and a Shakti temple.