Haldwani, May 3
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Secretary (Medical Education) Umakant Pawar were in for a shock as former Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari gave them a piece of his mind on Monday for the government ignoring the genuine concerns of the Haldwani Medical College and the Sushila Tiwari Hospital.

Tiwari took the Haldwani region by storm on Monday and the warm response he got from the public wherever he went is an indicator of the fact that there has been no decline in his popularity and the people still see him as the “Vikas Purush” of the state.

Tiwari went around the premises of the medical college and later to the Sushila Tiwari Memorial Hospital in the afternoon. He was happy with the functioning of the institutions but when he saw the plight of the Cancer Hospital he lost his cool. Sources say that he was appalled to see that the expensive latest machinery lying in the operation theatre had not even been opened and was covered in a heap of dust.

Sources disclosed to The Tribune that Tiwari was further agitated to know that the government had taken no initiative to start a CATH laboratory, a programme that has been pending since the time when he himself was the Chief Minister.

Better known as catheterisation laboratory, a CATH lab is an examination room in a hospital or clinic with diagnostic imaging equipment used to support the catheterisation procedure. A catheter is inserted into a large artery, and various wires and devices can be inserted through the body via the catheter, which is inside the artery. This laboratory is proposed to be set up at Haldwani at a cost of Rs 45 crore.

These revelations left the former Chief Minister furious and he first called up Pawar asking him when he had last visited the Haldwani Medical College. On hearing that his last visit happened five months ago, Tiwari reprimanded him for ignoring the institution and asked him to make regular visits to see things for himself. He then called up Nishank and told him that now the time had come for the government to move out and address the needs of the people on their doorstep. He expressed his displeasure at the manner in which the government had been ignoring the Haldwani Medical College and the Sushila Tiwari Hospital.

Sources say, “Fearing that Tiwari might not start a dharna here, Nishank did his best to pacify him and promised to visit the college on Tuesday itself when he was scheduled to attend an event being organised by a media house in Haldwani. It was only then that Tiwari asked those accompanying him to get his train ticket booked.”

Seeing his concern for their needs, the patients at the hospital forgot their pains and worries for a while and raised slogans in favour of Tiwari.

Tiwari later went to the premises of the Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) factory on the Bhimtal road and got a rousing welcome from the employees whose future continues to be at stake. He told them that he would never let the factory shut down and made an instant call to the Union Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel asking him to expedite the matters pertaining to the unit.

Pithoragarh, May 3
Amid a strong protest by trained unemployed teachers and the Bhojan Mata Sangathan as well as the agitators from Garkot village who are protesting against the stoppage the construction of a road, which they were constructing with their own efforts, by the district administration, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today laid the foundation stone of the Base Hospital in the Chandak area of the district. The hospital will be constructed at a cost of Rs 45.92 crore.

“We have taken into custody 45 trained unemployed teachers, 15 bhojan matas and anganwari workers and 20 residents of Garkot village, who were going to obstruct the stone-laying programme,” said NA Bharane, SP, Pithoragarh. The Union Environment Ministry gave clearance to the hospital project last week.

The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone of two roads to be constructed at a cost of Rs 6.81 crore besides a Rs 31.32-lakh extension project of the sports stadium in Pithoragarh.

The Chief Minister also announced that nine high schools, four inter colleges and one polytechnic would be opened in the Aathgaon area of the district besides an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in the Barabe area. The ITI will start this session. “The Chief Minister also fulfilled the long-standing demand of the people of the district by announcing that a sports college will be built in the district and it will start this academic session. After getting one hectare of land in Lelu village, the permanent sports college will be built there,” said Prakash Pant, Uttarakhand Water Resources Minister and local BJP legislator.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the BJP Government in the state was committed to the development of the backward regions of the state. “I have instructed the officers to act on each and every application submitted to me by people here,” said the Chief Minister.

The people gathered in large numbers at the “Janata Darbar” to meet the Chief Minister and submitted applications to him regarding their demands.

On the other hand, the “Satyagraha Yatra” started by the Opposition Congress reached Munsiyari and then moved towards Didihat town.

Lashing out at the stone-laying spree by the Uttarakhand Chief Minister, state Congress president Yashpal Arya termed the stone laying as mere political gimmick to appease the people before the Assembly elections. “During the Congress rule, a proper budget used to be sanctioned before launching any project, but the present BJP Government has been on a foundation stone-laying spree without any budgetary sanction,” alleged Arya while addressing a public meeting.

“The district headquarters and almost all the towns of this border district are facing an acute water crisis despite the fact that the Uttarakhand Water Resources Minister Parkash Pant hails from Pithoragarh,” said Arya.

Dehradun, May 3
Though the famous Doon basmati may have lost ground in the present milieu of rapid urbanisation, the Agriculture Department’s rice expansion programme has helped retain considerable ground and both the organic and non-organic varieties are attracting farmers and buyers.

The districts that are benefiting from the basmati expansion scheme include Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital.Regular interaction between scientists of Govind Ballabh Pant University (Pant Nagar) and farmers from these districts has paved the way for a better adoption of farm practices and varieties.

The total area under basmati cultivation in these districts was 10508.43 hectares in 2010-2011 against 9851.04 hectares in 2009-2010.

“Under the basmati expansion scheme farmer-to-farmer interaction was encouraged. That is the only way to encourage farmers to adopt profitable practices. Besides along with the basmati expansion scheme, we are also encouraging farmers to go in for organic rice. Several farmers in these districts are in the process of conversion,” said Madan Lal, Director, Agriculture.

The total area under organic basmati in 2010-2011 was 4402.13 hectares, while the the total number of villages that are engaged in basmati rice cultivation, both organic and non-organic, is 346.

The original Dehradun basmati rice was said to have been brought by Afghan rulers who were exiled here. The reduced area under basmati had perturbed the Agriculture Department. Now it seems the efforts have begun to pay dividends.

The government has also formed 295 Self- Help Groups ( in Dehradun 45, Haridwar 64, Nainital 46 and Udham Singh Nagar 140). Besides, the Uttarakhand Organic Commodities Board has tied up with Satnam Overseas and KRBL has signed an agreement with Uttarakhand organic basmati rice growers to sell their produce abroad.

“This agreement has been in effect since 2006, and both companies are buying organic rice from farmers at competitive prices,” said Vinita Shah, Senior Programme Manager, Uttarakhand Organic Commodities Board.

The demand for basmati rice in general and organic rice in particular is rapidly growing in Europe, especially in Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Italy and Scandinavian countries. People in the US and the Middle East have also begun to appreciate the long rice variety.

The basmati rice varieties (organic) that have a good market abroad include basmati-370, Type-3, Trawadi basmati (HBCC-19) and Pusa basmati-1, all grown in Uttarakhand.

Haridwar, May 3
The motive of criminals to be put up in prison is not only to punish them but also to reform them so that when they complete their sentence they leave their blotted past behind and mingle with people in societal as reformed and law-abiding citizens.

Though it’s easier said than done, this is being practised to effect in the Haridwar district jail where prisoners are not confined to daily chores in jail only but are learning vocational skills and giving the industrial workers a run for their money!

Working eight hours a day, 20-odd prisoners are producing 600 or 800 briefcases with the same finesse as any other employee of an industrial unit. While the government gets revenue up to Rs 50,000 per month, the prisoners earn Rs 4 on every unit they make.

In a tie up with leading briefcase maker company, VIP, the district jail authorities are equipping the prisoners with technical skills, which not only diverts their attention from the rigours of the life in the jail but is also laying a foundation for their future post sentence.

When The Tribune team visited the Roshanabad-situated district jail, it seemed a mini-industry was functional there, as the prisoners were seen being imparted technical training as well as working as industrial workers.

Infrastructure and raw material is being provided by industrial units while assembling is done in the prison. While the VIP company has provided two technicians to monitor the assembling work, WIPRO has also set up an electric mini-unit on the premises of the jail where on an average 500 pieces are made by eight prisoners daily. Another company, ALPS, has set up a unit producing bamboo sticks, which are used to clear the cotton that gets stuck between the spinning machines.

Now, more prisoners are being trained while many other have shown interest to learn these skills.

Superintendent of Haridwar Jail MS Gwal said the personnel at the jail have been working in this direction for the past few years. They thought indulging the prisoners in some kind of skilled work as one of the best ways to reform them.

“Apart from remaining busy in these skilled jobs, the prisoners get to learn various skills that will help them in providing employment in the near future. It also gives them a feeling of contributing to the mainstream society,” said Gwal. According to the government norms, Rs 18 is deposited on behalf of a worker working for normal job hours. The revenue generated from this trade in the jail is spent on them only, he added.

Prisoners Manohar, Gulshan and Rakesh, all convicted under Section 302 of the IPC, told The Tribune that after these industrial units were established, their life in jail had totally changed.

Their perspective towards life too has undergone a significant change. “I have been in jail for the past seven years. I used to cry, lament my crime, my blotted past, the disgrace I have brought to my family. I had lost hope but suddenly ‘Jailer sahib’ convinced me to be positive, indulge in yoga, reading and learn job skills. Now, I even press to work for more than stipulated 8 hours. Now, we don’t have time to think about other things as we are working like any other employee in an industrial unit outside the jail,” said an emotional Manohar who hails from Fatehpur Sikri as he works at a unit in the prison.

Dehradun, May 3
Many hassles have emerged in the entire process of getting a no-objection certificate (NOC) from Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited for the open access facility to purchase power by industrial units. Insiders blame the former Chairman of the corporation for the lacunae in the process.

Vikas Ranjan, Senior Deputy General Manager, Surya Roshni Group, Kashipur, says: “The consumers don’t have a single window system, where they can get the NOC for the open access facility without hassles. As I am stationed at Kashipur, I need to take the NOC from power stations situated at Kashipur, then Rudrapur and Haldwani, thereafter further clearance from State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) at Rishikesh and then PITCUL and UPCL in Dehradun. The lengthy process is quite tiring, frustrating and time consuming.”

Vinod Goyal, adviser to a north-zone trading company, said: “The consumers have to take the NOC every month. In case someone applies for it in the middle of a month, then his NOC expires by the end of the month, and he has to apply for the same again. This way, the consumers can’t avail himself of a continuous service of the open access facility and loses out on making timely arrangement for power supply through the facility. The NOC should be given at least for one month, if not more than that.”

Meanwhile, the in charge of the open access facility denied providing the NOC for 30 days to those who applied for the same in between a month. He reasoned it out on the billing system, which is done calendar wise and could not be tampered with.

While stressing the need to complete the process to issue the NOC in a time-bound manner, Punit Mahindra, vice-president, KVS Group, said: “The UPCL takes recommendation of all field offices before giving consent for the first time. Therefore, there should not be any need to fix the frequency at monthly intervals.”

Nainital, May 3
A research paper, submitted at the ongoing International Geography Union Commission Conference on ‘Local and Regional Responses to Globalisation in the Mountains and Marginal Areas of the World’, has underlined the need for the residents of the mountain regions of the world to be more creative to establish a stable basis of living.

In his paper on ‘Tourism in Mountain Regions: Local Responses to Marginality Threats’, Walter Leimgruber of University of Fribourg in Switzerland has categorically stated, “Most mountain regions in the world are also marginal regions. Exceptions are those areas that are either of central importance for transit traffic, for special industries, or for tourism. However, none of these activities is necessarily stale over time.”

He has stated that traffic routes may change through technology, such as tunnels replacing pass routes , and industries may lose their resource base or become less competitive. Tourism very much depends on the economic situation in the countries of origin and also on exchange rates.

“Creativity is, therefore, important for local and regional inhabitants in order to survive and create a stable basis of living. While niche products have become one possibility for mountain farmers, more imagination is demanded when it comes to the other economic sectors,” says Leimgruber.

The paper discusses three cases of tourism and recreation in the Swiss Alps that demonstrate the importance of the cooperation on all scales ranging from local to international. It shows that the inhabitants of mountain regions are not narrow-minded when it comes to taking decisions that are related to their survival.

eimgruber, however, says, “The risks are considerable and may also result in certain persons coming into conflict with the law.”

Even in his address on the opening day of the conference, he had clearly called for ending the economic disparity between people residing in different regions.

Dehradun, May 3
To curb the menace of corruption in Uttarakhand, Swami Shivanand, on behalf of Maitri Sadan Sansthan, has extended his support to social activist Swami Nigmanand, here today.

Addressing the media here today, Shivanand said, “Swami Nigmanand is not alone in fighting against corruption. We are with him and will stand by him through thick and thin.”

“We are indebted to him for his sacrifice in observing hunger strike in Haridwar for the welfare of the state, and will extend our hands of support in laying the foundation of a corruption-free country,” he added. Shivanand also prayed for the recovery of Nigmanand, who is in a state of coma following his 68-day hunger strike.

Dehradun, May 3
In an incident a man was critically injured in a tiger attack in the Terai-West Forest Division in the state.

The victim, Suresh Chandra, 35, along with a few of his fellow villagers, had gone to collect firewood in Aampokhra range of the Division, when he was pounced upon by a tiger critically injuring him in the process. It was only after the fellow villagers raised an alarm that the tiger fled the scene. He was rushed to Joint Hospital, Ramnagar, which further referred him to Haldwani.

Terai-West sub-divisional Forest Officer PC Arya said the Forest Department was extending all help to the victim for medical treatment.

In a separate incident, a tiger was killed in Sarpaduli range of Corbett Tiger National Park as a fallout of the territorial struggle. The Corbett patrol team came across the carcass of the tiger near Kothidunga water source. Park Warden UC Tiwari, along with Veterinary officers Dr Rajiv Singh and Bharat Singh, reached the site and found the carcass to be around a week old, as it looked a bit decomposed and was exuding foul odour.

“Prima facie, it looks to be a case of territorial struggle between two tigers, which resulted in the death of one of them,” said UC Tiwari.

The deceased tiger was around eight years old. However, whether the tiger was a male or a female could not be ascertained as the rear portion of the beast had been eaten up by the other feline.

WWF’s Dr KD Kandpal had also reached the site of incident. Tiwari said the exact reason of the death would be known after the postmortem report.