Dehradun, June 19
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and national president of the BJP Nitin Gadkari offered prayers at the temples of Badrinath and Kedarnath today.On this occasion, Nishank announced that a 14-km pathway would be constructed from Gaurikund to Rambada.

He directed the officials concerned to complete the rope way project between Rambada and Kedarnath soon. He also announced that Rs 5 lakh would be given to Sanskrit University at Sonitpur. He reiterated the state government’s commitment to the development of the Char Dham circuit, saying that the government was setting up more facilities on the Char Dham pilgrimage route and various plans had been drawn for the purpose.

Nitin Gadkari also stressed the need for preparing extensive plans, mobilising resources and developing tourism in the state. He suggested the officials concerned to sketch a master plan for the planned development of the Char Dham circuit so that natural beauty of the sites could be protected and more employment opportunities created.

Both the leaders were given a tumultuous welcome at Kedarnath by public representatives, including MLA Kedarnath Asha Nautiyal, president of the Kedar Sabha Mahesh Bhaghvadi, president of the Nagar Panchayat Darshan Lal Tiwari and District Magistrate AS Murugeshan.

At Badrinath, they planted tree saplings as well.

The Chief Minister congratulated the Eco Task Force for achieving the target of planting 1,11,01,011 saplings, and announced an aid of Rs 5 lakh for the welfare of the jawans of the task force.

The Chief Minister said the BJP government was determined to make Uttarakhand a green state and to achieve this objective they had launched schemes to strengthen the Van Panchayats and develop herbal cultivation. Nishank and Gadkari met people of Panda Samaj and listened to their problems.

On this occasion, president of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Mandir Samiti Anusuya Prasad Bhatt, president of the district panchayat Vijaya Rawat, office-bearers of Traders Association, officers of Eco Task Force and public representatives were present.

Dehradun, June 19
District president of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Trivender Singh Panwar faction) NK Gusain, along with workers of his party, met Managing Director, Uttarakhand Payjal Sansthan Vikas and Nirman Vibhag, Bhajan Singh here on Saturday and apprised the officer of various problems faced by people of the city and its adjoining areas regarding potable water.

Gusain urged the officer to get the old water supply pipelines replaced with new ones. He also asked for the redress of the problems faced by the people of Majri Maafi village who were not getting sufficient potable water supply because of damaged pipes. He demanded action against those who applied for double water connection, and suggested to the officer that water supply pipes should be laid at a distance from the road so that the roads were not dug up for carrying out repairs on the damaged pipelines.

The Managing Director directed his staff to repair the pipelines at Majri Mafi village and various other spots. He assured the workers of the party of swift action on their suggestions. 

Dehradun, June 19
Six persons were feared drowned when a jeep carrying pilgrims fell into the Ganga today.According to sources, the jeep carrying pilgrims, who were coming to Rishikesh from the Char Dham yatra, fell into the Ganga in Kodiayala on the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway in Tehri district.

Six passengers are feared drowned while some of them managed to swim to safety. They were brought to a hospital in Rishikesh.

The identity of those feared drowned is yet to be ascertained. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has mourned the death of six persons in the accident.

Dehradun, June 19
The Indian tribal art is perhaps the richest and the most diverse in the world that speaks about where its culture and civilisation originate from.For more than five years, “Tribes India”, a store of tribal artifacts at Rajpur Road here, is supplying the denizens of Dehradun with exquisite fabric, metal, wood, bamboo, grass art which are brought from small and secluded parts of the country.

“I love to decorate my home with antique art pieces and shop for rare tribal fabrics. These products are organic, eco-friendly and reasonable to purchase,” said Tara Manchanda, a housewife.

“Tribes India” was set up here with an aim to establish a market for lovers of tribal art work as well as to raise the socio-economic status of the tribals in India. The outlet has an interesting array of metal crafts created by tribal artisans from Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Orissa, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

From Bastar bell-metal figurines to the utilitarian crafts like candle stands, lamp shades, bells, wind chimes, stone and junk jewellery, footwear, pots, vase and traditional oil lamps are some of the best materials to buy in the store. They also have a great collection of handlooms with incredibly woven prehistoric memories, legends, mythology and history of the Indian tribes.

“I am here to buy a kurti for my friend whose birthday is tomorrow. I think nothing can be better than presenting her a cotton kurti in this sultry season,” says Arpita, a student.

However, the in-house product of “Tribes India” is unique and outstanding in itself. Among big variety outlets and international brands in the market, the store has maintained its quality and facilitated the cultural heritage of India to flourish. Their paintings are being used extensively in the interiors these days. The tribal art is traditional, yet it has folksy simplicity that appeals to the masses.

“Our effort is to promote tribal art as well as work for the uplift of the marginalised tribes of India by both government agencies and NGOs. These handicrafts are now a rage among Doonites and our store is also giving a tough competition to the outlets of Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited at Delhi,” quipped the owner of “Tribes India”, Shyam Dutt Joshi.

With only two stores in Uttarakhand, one in Rishikesh and the other in Dehradun, “Tribes India” is receiving a great turnover every year. The outlet is working under government regulations and is assisted by the local NGOs of the tribal area.

Joshi said the local NGOs were working as middlemen between the artisans and the outlet. He also said the Dehradun store alone had a revenue turnover of about Rs 1.5 lakh last year. “Through self-help of the local NGOs and mutual cooperation to undertake the marketing of tribal products, the outlet is working towards self-employment and self-development of the marginalised tribes,” he added.

Dehradun, June 19
Residents of Indra Colony are reeling under an acute water shortage and unhygienic conditions. A large number of slums are also situated here.In some areas, high-voltage electricity wires are hanging above houses, putting the lives of people at risk.

Though Ajay Sonkar, the councillor of the area, claimed that the people of his area were facing no problem, including cleanliness, residents complained of water shortage and unhygienic conditions.

Mukesh, a shopkeeper, said neither there was a proper place to dispose of garbage nor safai karamcharis came to pick it. The garbage keep lying in front of his shop.

Manoj, a wholesaler, said it was the duty of the people to keep their surroundings clean. They should not drop litter on roads.

Abha Lasiyal, a jeweller, said the councillor never visited the area to check whether safai karamcharis were doing their duty. “We are being forced to live in unhygienic conditions,” Lasiyal added.

Bindra, a housewife, said: “For the past two months, we are facing an acute water shortage. We have to go to distant places to fetch water.

Mukesh Sonkar, who had lost the MC elections, said people asked him to get their works done. He claimed that it was only during the elections that they had last seen the councillor’s face.

However, the area councillor said he had spent Rs 30 lakh on various works so far.

He claimed that: “The people of my area never face any problem. The only problem I see is the absence of an embankment as many parts of the area are near the riverbed. I have written to the corporation and their response is awaited,” he said, adding that, “I have also asked the corporation to construct a community centre in the area,” he added. 

THE last fortnight in Uttarakhand was most eventful as two swamis hogged the limelight with two major political parties, namely the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress, trying to outdo each other to politically cash in on the events associated with them.

It was on the night of June 4 that Swami Ramdev, who had started his agitation against corruption in the country at the Ramlila ground in New Delhi and was sent packing to his Patanjali Yogpeeth in Haridwar, that an intense political game started in Uttarakhand between the two rival political outfits.

While the BJP and the Sangh Parivar affiliates rallied in support of Ramdev, the Opposition Congressmen started opposing him and his motives tooth and nail. Earlier, the BJP and the RSS affiliates had lent their full support to the agitation started by Ramdev and his supporters in different cities and towns. But after June 5, the Congressmen also started holding dharnas and burning effigies of Ramdev as the yoga guru continued with his fast. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank remained in the forefront in negotiating with Ramdev and getting him admitted to the Himalayan Hospital, Jollygrant, as he showed signs of weakness. Senior BJP leaders, including Sushma Swaraj, also called upon Ramdev.

The yoga guru started taking honey and lemonade but his situation was stated to be deteriorating. Interestingly, while the doctors at the Himalayan Hospital stated his condition was stable, Nishank stated that Ramdev could go into coma. The ending of his fast was an anti-climax on June 12. Several other Hindu saints offered him juice to end his fast. The BJP leaders felt that the issue of corruption and the treatment of Ramdev by the Congress-led Central Government would benefit them politically. The next Assembly elections in Uttarakhand are scheduled to be held in February, 2012.

However, the end of the fast by Ramdev on June 12 was the beginning of the woes for the state BJP government. Another Hindu saint, namely Swami Nigmanand, who had been admitted to the same hospital died on the morning of June 12, the day Ramdev broke his fast. The Congress leaders, who were under pressure on the Ramdev issue, saw it as an opportunity to beat the BJP in their own game. The focus immediately shifted as allegations started flying thick and fast that the state BJP government and its senior leaders not only failed to save the life of Swami Nigmanand of Matra Sadan, Haridwar, who was on a fast-unto-death against illegal quarrying in the Ganga riverbed, but also none of them even once went to meet Swami Nigmanand while he was admitted in the same hospital.

The BJP, which had been raising various religious issues and had been in the forefront to demand protection of the Ganga, was on the bcakfoot as the Congressmen seized the initiative provided by the death of Swami Nigmanand. There were demands of a CBI inquiry into the allegations of poisoning of the deceased saint.

A reluctant state government finally agreed to a CBI inquiry into the circumstances leading to his death as the Haridwar district administration banned quarrying in the Ganga riverbed.

While, both the parties did try to gain politically from these two episodes but it was highly unlikely that these two issues would have any major bearing on the upcoming assembly polls in the state.

Ramdev is having his base in Uttarakhand but he has no major support base in the hill state. He also lost his credibility when he failed to reveal the name of the state BJP minister whom he himself accused of seeking Rs 2 crore as bribe. Moreover, while he has been raising his voice against corruption all over, he has kept mum on the alleged corruption scandals of the previous Congress government led by ND Tiwari who helped him establish his base in Haridwar and the alleged scandals of the present BJP government, including that of the Maha Kumbh spendings pointed in a report of CAG.

Haridwar, June 19
A fortnight-long summer training camp for children, which was organised by Kaushik Arts and Creation, a group involved in the fields of arts, music and culture, concluded here. Spectacular performances by 135 children, who were dressed in the respective attire of different states of the country, held the audience spellbound. The children were trained in different fields according to their calibre and were later prepared for the finale.

Local folk cultural dances of Garhwali and Kumaoni enthralled the audience. Similarly, the audience also enjoyed the folk dances of Punjab and Rajasthan. Western dance, hip hop and salsa were also performed by the children. Bharatnatyam, Odissi and Kuchipuddi were the main attractions.

Participating and meritorious certificates were given to the performing children.