Dehradun, July 18
The Uttarakhand Government has decided to register its protest against the proposed move of the Union Government to declare hundred metres along both sides of the Bhagirathi river from Gaumukh to Uttarkashi as an eco-sensitive zone.

A decision in regard was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar at the Secretariat here today.

The Chief Secretary said the interests of the people living on the banks of the river would not be allowed to be hurt and the government would register its protest against the proposed move.

He said Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank had already registered his disapproval.

Vijay Bahuguna, Tehri Garhwal MP, had released a letter by former Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh to the Chief Minister a few days ago in which he had stated that the Chief Minister had agreed to the proposal of declaring a 135-km stretch along the Bhagirathi from Gaumukh to Uttarkashi as an eco-sensitive zone at a meeting of the Ganga River Basin Authority.

Bahuguna said the government had been “playing politics” on the issue.

He said earlier, right-wing groups like the RSS and the VHP had opposed any hydroelectric project on the Bhagirathi due to its religious importance for the Hindus and the government had stopped work on its projects of Bhairion Ghati and Pala Maneri. They welcomed the move to declare the 135-km stretch of the Bhagirathi as an eco-sensitive zone, but started opposing it due to political expediency, he alleged.

Bahuguna clarified that it was still a proposal and the interests of the people would be taken into consideration before taking any decision.

At todays’ meeting ,Chief Secretary Sibhash Kumar asked all departments to come up with their objections on the proposed move at the earliest.

He said the state government remained sensitive to the ecological concerns and has been contributing immensely towards the conservation of the environment, but developmental needs of the people could not be ignored. He asked all departments to oppose this.

Dehradun, July 18
The state government has decided to extend the deadline for the regularisation of land for an indefinite period. Earlier, it was fixed for June 30, 2010.

It has also formed the Revenue Resettlement Committee to give the ownership right to the maximum number of people, including encroachers who have been occupying land for more than 20-40 years.

The committee comprises MLA Harbhajan Singh Cheema, Diwan Singh Bisht and Om Gopal Rawat as members and Revenue Minister Diwakar Bhatt as the chairman. The first meeting of the committee was held today and the next has been fixed for August 2 and will be held in Kashipur.

Bhatt said steps to give the ownership right would be taken in tandem with the High Court and the Supreme Court’s rulings given in this direction while providing maximum benefits to the people of the state. Out of a total 37,804 law suits against the encroachers, 500 had already been regularised, he added.

He said the people belonging to the categories of 1 (a), I (b), 2, 3, 4, 5,6, and 9 would be duly considered in this regard. Category I (a) includes those who have been owning the land from the successive generations. Those who have obtained land on lease without availing ownership rights come under Category 1 (b). Category 2 describes those who were given land which was not agricultural and was under the domain of the Gram Sabha, but after 10 years, it was given the status of the agricultural land.

Category 3 includes those to whom land was given to construct houses on lease and now they were also enlisted for ownership rights. Encroachers come under category 4. Categories 5,6,7 cover those who have occupied forest land.

Bhatt said the government was trying to give them the ownership right and earn revenue in return.

Bhatt said: “According to the revenue law made in 1950, the ownership of the land was declined in such cases, but the government is trying to look for ways to give the ownership right to the maximum number of people within the constitutional limits.”

Pithoragarh, July 18
Irked at the attack on the RSS by Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, Uttarakhand Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Rajya Sabha member Bhagat Singh Koshiyari has called Digvijay Singh an ISI agent of Pakistan and said, “He is to be buried in the sea like Osama bin Laden was buried by the Americans.”

Koshiyari, who was addressing a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, said whoever attacked the nationalist forces in the country was an enemy of the nation. “These Congress leaders are promoting a single family in their party keeping the nation aside,” he said.

Addressing a large number of young workers of the party, , the BJP MP said that Bhartiya Janata Party was the only party in the country which had always given opportunities to the youth in the formation of the next generation leadership while the Congress only promoted a particular family. “We foresee an organised youth power in the next elections as the youth will play a vital role in wining the elections for the party in Uttarakhand,” he said.

State general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha Virendra Waldia said during the previous Congress regime from 2002 to 2007 each recruitment in the government setup was mired in controversy and then Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari had to remove the ministers concerned after such scams had come to light.

Dehradun, July 18
Continuing with his tirade against the state BJP government, Leader of the Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly Harak Singh Rawat has urged state Governor BL Joshi not to give assent to the decision of the state government to extend the time period of the cooperative societies in the state.

Rawat, who met the state Governor last evening, presented a memorandum against the state government’s decision. He argued that the time period of the present cooperative societies had expired on July 10, 2011, and the state BJP government had sent a proposal to extend the tenure of these societies for one more year to the state Governor for approval.

Explaining the position of the cooperative societies in the state, senior Congress leader Rawat said the state BJP government on coming to power in 2007 had reduced the time period of the elected cooperative societies to two years. Earlier, the elections to these societies were held in 2005 and those were valid till 2010. But, the state BJP government due to its ulterior political motives reduced the time period of the societies to two years.

The next elections were held in July, 2008, and the time period of these elected societies expired on July 10, 2010. Rawat alleged that the state government again gave one-year extension to the office-bearers of the cooperatives societies so that the BJP members elected to these societies could enjoy their offices.

He alleged that the one-year extension period had also come to an end but the state government in an undemocratic manner was trying to extend the period of these societies for another year.

He further said at the time of reducing the time period of these societies, the state BJP government had argued that the five-year period was too long for such cooperative societies and there was a need for only two-year tenure for the office-bearers. “Now, throwing all democratic norms to the winds, the BJP government has been trying to extend the period of these cooperative societies through back door,” he said.

Rawat alleged that the state government had also failed to implement the recommendations of the Vaidyanathan Commission on cooperative societies despite signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard. “The farmers of the state have to pay more interest even on the loans taken from the cooperative societies and the state has been deprived of Rs 38 crore that it would have got from the Central Government after the implementation of the recommendations of the Vaidyanathan Committee,” said Rawat.

He impressed upon the Governor that the farmers of the state had to take cooperative loans at the rate of 9 per cent interest while other states are giving loans at the rate of 3 per cent interest to their farmers through the cooperative societies. “There has been a deliberate attempt to delay the modernisation of the cooperative societies by the state BJP government,” he added.

Nainital, July 18
The imbroglio over the issue of Haldwani continuing as a municipality or turning into a municipal corporation continues threatening to turn into a major political issue in the days to come.

After the state government’s abrupt attempt to make it a corporation and the subsequent developments in the Uttarakhand High Court that led to its reversal, the issue is the most debated one in the region.

In what is being seen by observers as a “face-saving exercise”, the government has now initiated a drive to know the people’s will on the issue. In this connection a public hearing under the chairmanship of Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department Ranbir Singh was organised in the Circuit House on Sunday which turned out to be a fiasco. The event was marked by chaos.

To begin with there was resentment that the hearing was held at a venue that is quite far off from the town. Secondly, the Municipal Councillors were annoyed that only 50 persons had been called for the hearing. The officials said that only those persons had been called who had responded to the department’s plea for giving suggestions on the issue till July 15. This led to the councillors and their supporters resorting to slogan raising. The Chairperson of the Congress-dominated municipality, Renu Adhikary, said that merely 50 persons could not decide the future of the town and if need be she would approach the courts on the issue. Among those who had turned up for the hearing, a majority were reportedly in favour of a corporation.

The Congress Councilors and even those from other parties want the existing political body to be allowed to complete its full term before the elections to the next civic body, be it a municipality or a corporation, are held.

The issue of upgrading the municipality to a corporation has multifarious dimensions. While a large number of areas which are currently being treated as villages would get the facilities that come with urbanisation, it would also mean shelling out more money in the form of urban taxes. The town has witnessed an unprecedented growth over the last decade and is today among the fastest growing areas of the region. Its population density is the highest in Kumaon.

In a setback to the Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank-led government the high court had in June reinstated the elected bodies of the two municipalities in Haldwani and Haridwar. The single Bench of Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia had given orders for the reinstatement after 20 days of the state government announcing that both Haldwani and Haridwar would hence attain the status of municipal corporation. The government had gone on to make tall promises to the people.

The decision of the government was seen as a “politically motivated” one keeping in mind the coming Assembly poll in the state that is barely months away. The elected representatives of the two municipalities had approached the high court saying that they were never consulted on the decision and the government had no right to do away with a constitutionally elected body before its term ended. The court had ordered the quashing of the notification brought out by the government in this regard.

Dehradun, July 18
The Uttarakhand Transport Corporation (UTC) has given relief to the hundreds of students and employees who commute on the same route the whole month. The corporation has announced 50 per cent discount on the “pass” (collective tickets for a month) issued at all the inter-state bus terminuses in the state.

Managing Director, UTC, Ranjit Kumar Sinha said this proposal was approved way back in 2008, but was never implemented for unknown reasons. When he got to know of it, he got it approved without any problem.

General Manger (Technical) Deepak Jain said till date the managements of different bus stands had been giving different discount rates on the “pass” on their own, as there was no clear guidelines on the matter. But after this new system is put in place, the passengers who travelled daily on the same route would be able to avail themselves of this benefit.

Sinha also rejected the news published in a local daily that a channel has been opened for the employment of the kith and kin of deceased employees in the corporation. He said: “There are 400 such cases to be disposed of. The corporation is not in a condition to employ the family members of those employees who died in harness. But, indeed, they can apply whenever advertisements for posts are published. Their cases will be considered on a priority basis. The criterion for the employment will continue to be the same. There would be no relaxation.”

In the budget estimation for the current financial year, the corporation has prepared an estimate of Rs 13 crore. The corporation, which is already running in a loss of Rs 30 crore, had not been able to break in. Jain said in the months from April to June, they made a profit of Rs 1 crore. “These are the months when domestic tourists travel a lot due to vacations in schools and other educational institutions and the Char Dham season. But after June, the lean season starts and we also begin to incur losses,” he said.

Mussoorie, July 18
Owing to lack of road, a pregnant woman died on the way to a hospital in Khadoli Talli village, Tehri district, after giving birth to twins on the roadside.

She was being taken to Hindola Khal Hospital on a palanquin when her labour pains increased and after giving birth to the twins she died. One of her babies also died due to lack of medical treatment.

According to information, Sussa Devi was expecting in August, but the labour pains started on Saturday night. Due to lack of road connectivity, members of her family were forced to take her to the hospital on the palanquin. However, she could not bear the pains and delivered a baby boy on the roadside.

After a few minutes, her pains started again and she gave birth to a baby girl, who died within a few minutes due to lack of medical care.

Later, the woman also died because of an excessive bleeding.

The condition of the baby boy is stated to be critical.

Gram Pradhan of the village Kunwar Singh said the road was sanctioned four years ago, but the work on it was yet to start for the reasons best known to the authorities concerned.

Dehradun, July 18
Member secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Rajesh Gopal today promised better working conditions and allowances to employees of the Corbett Tiger Reserve.

He announced this during a convention of the Corbett Employees Welfare Society held at the Corbett Tiger Reserve, Kalagarh.

He said the NTCA was committed to providing all facilities to those who were engaged in the tiger protection in the country. He assured of better working conditions and facilities for the Corbett employees.

On the occasion, Kunwar Brijendra Singh, a NTCA member and honorary wildlife warden of Corbett, raised issues related to the welfare of the employees. He said a lot was still needed to be done for their betterment.

Earlier, president of the Corbett Tiger Reserve Employees Union Sanjay Pandey put forward the demands of the employees which included additional one month salary for Corbett employees, better accommodation and a minimum remuneration of Rs 5,200 per month for daily wagers. Gopal promised to give due consideration to their demands. He also admitted that the job of the employees was challenging.

General secretary of the Corbett Tiger Reserve Employees Union Mohammed Naushad, Rakesh Kumar, Kisan Negi, Mathura Singh Mavadi and Nirmal Pandey were also present.

Dehradun, July 18
Under the aegis of the Sewa Bharti, Jammu and Kashmir, a delegation of Jammu students reached here today. As many as 46 students of Disha Hostel, Katra, who are accompanied by their five teachers, are here on a two-day cultural visit.

They were given a warm welcomed by senior BJP Leader Subhash Sharma. The students liked the beauty of Dehradun and shared their experiences while visiting tourist places like Mussoorie, Kempty Falls and Shiv Temple.

Programme coordinator Abhishek Shahi said: “The students are here to know about the culture of our state and also to exchange their ideas as well as the message of unity and prosperity.”

The students will meet Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank at his residence tomorrow.

Dehradun, July 18
On the first Monday of the Hindu calendar month of ‘Saawan’, a large number of devotees thronged Shiv temples across the city today.

At the famous Lord Shiva Temple, Tapkeshwar, serpentine queues of devotees could be seen from the early morning.

Devotees from far-flung areas also visited Nagnath Baba Temple, Birpur, Shiv Mandir at Kothal Gate and Shiv Mandir on Rajpur Road to seek blessings of Lord Shiva.

Haridwar, July 18
After donning the mantle of the new state chief of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Surajmal held meetings with the party office-bearers and made sure that on his assuming charge today more people joined the BSP.

Talking to The Tribune, Surajmal said as per the directions of BSP supremo Mayawati to make sure that the party wins maximum Assembly seats in the coming elections in the state, he will be extensively working in the hilly districts to make sure they add to their party base in the plain districts of Uddham Singh Nagar, Haridwar and Dehradun.

He pointed out that to make inroads into the politically important district of Pauri Garhwal, the party needed to hold membership drives and programmes.

Surajmal has been appointed by Mayawati after she sacked the previous party chief Meghraj Singh Zaraware whose son and nephew were found to be involved in a bride-abduction case in Deoband in Saharanpur last week.

Meghraj, when questioned by The Tribune, refrained from speaking on the abduction issue but added that as per the high command’s (Mayawati) wish, he, as a party worker, would continue to participate actively in the party programmes.

Meanwhile, in a major boost to the party, Kuldeep Singh Rawat, Samajwadi Party district chief of Pauri Garhwal, joined the BSP.

Mussoorie, July 18
The Tehri Hydro Electric Corporation (THDC) has much to cheer about this year. The change in tactics of utilising early monsoon rain to its advantage has paid rich dividends that led to a record power generation at Asia’s highest rock-fill dam. It generated 15 million units of electricity till Saturday, crossing the set target for July much in advance.

Last year, the water level in the reservoir exceeded danger mark, damaging their own Koteshwar Dam powerhouse, 15 km downstream, resulting in a loss of several crores.

The increased water level had damaged not only villages on the periphery of the lake but also posed a threat to the Tehri Dam.

According to sources in the THDC, more than 560 cumecs of water has been registered in the lake (320 cumecs from the Bhagirathi and 240 cumecs from the Bhilangana river) so far. Currently, the water level in the lake is witnessing an increase of 80 cm on a daily basis as the level reached 768.75 RL meter on Saturday.

Learning lessons from the past mistakes, the Tehri Dam administration’s focus this year is on generating electricity instead of storing the water that has yielded good results.

THDC General Manager Govind said they were already ahead of the set target for the power generation this month.

He commended the staff for their efforts and said the increased power generation would help in fulfilling the electricity demand of the country along with added revenue.

However, many experts are of the view that the shift in the strategy of not storing the water for lean season could hit back and lead to less power generation in months other than monsoon.