Haridwar, July 23
The tall claims being made by the district administration of providing the best of facilities and a refurbished ‘Kanwar Patri’ have fallen flat on the ground.It appears that the ongoing Kanwar yatra is just the responsibility of the Police Department as the other departments look totally unconcerned.

Basic facilities are lacking on the entire route and the ‘Kanwar Patri’ is in a very bad shape. Many Kanwariyas have slipped and fallen due to the non-cementing of the stretch.

Though Garhwal Commissioner Ajay Singh Nambiyal, DIG Deepam Seth, District Magistrate Sachin Kurwe, along with various departmental officers and sector magistrates, had inspected the ‘Kanwar Patri’ and had claimed that it was in perfect shape and all services were being provided, The Tribune team found little proof backing the administration’s claims.

It seems that these government officials inspected the ‘patri’ in the city region where it is in a good shape, but a little distance away, the shoddy condition of the stretch gets exposed.

The 5-km-long old Ganga canal stretch from Jatwada bridge to Bahadrabad is a nightmare to tread on. Many Kanwariyas have tripped on it.

The other problem that these devotees face is that their slippers get stuck. As stepping back is considered inauspicious, the Kanwariyas move on leaving their slippers behind, not wanting to apply brakes to the movement of the ones behind them.

Similarly, a lot is wanting in terms of drinking water facilities, streetlights, proper barricades and cleaning of the stretch.

This is creating resentment among the millions of Kanwariyas who are being made to tread on a filthy, muddy surface sans basic civic facilities in humid weather conditions. Their anger is being passed on to the police personnel on duty adding to their strain.

When The Tribune tried to contact District Magistrate Sachin Kurwe, city Health Officer Dr Anil Tyagi, area sector magistrates and other departmental officers to apprise them of the plight of the Kanwar stretch, no one picked up the phone.

If this lackadaisical attitude of the officers continues during the Kanwar yatra, then one dreads to think what would happen during the Dak Kanwar during which 80-90 lakh Kanwariyas throng Haridwar in just five days.

While vehicles of many sector magistrates were stationed at the Kanwar stretch, none was found patrolling the area. The police personnel, stationed at the stretch, had been on duty for 12-14 hours. They said that despite they apprising the sector magistrates of the problems, no action had been taken.

Dehradun, July 23
Taking the initiative, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has declared the first list of 36 candidates for the forthcoming Assembly poll in Uttarakhand. Elections for the Uttarakhand Assembly are scheduled for February 2012.

The BSP is the third strongest political force after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Opposition Congress, having eight legislators in the Assembly that has a total of 70 members.

According to party leaders, Mayawati wanted to wrest the initiative by declaring party candidates particularly in areas where the party is strong. Since, the first Assembly elections in Uttarakhand in 2002, the BSP has maintained its political hold in the Terai districts of Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar district.

In 2002, the BSP won seven Assembly seats while in 2007, it improved its tally by securing eight Assembly segments - six in Haridwar districtand two in Udham Singh Nagar district.

However, the result of the Haridwar seat during the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 created trouble for the BSP. Senior Congress leader Harish Rawat was shifted from Almora and he wrested the seat for the Congress after nearly quarter of a century. Two BSP legislators namely Qazi Nizamuddin and Chaudhary Yashvir, openly supported Harish Rawat and were suspended from the party. Their names have been omitted from the party list this time. All other six legislators have been given the party nod.

Haridwar, July 23
A woman was arrested in Haridwar in connection with a telephone call in which she claimed that some persons were going to blow up the Neelkanth temple at Rishikesh in Pauri Garhwal district.

The call created panic in the twin cities of Haridwar-Rishikesh as India’s biggest Kanwar yatra is currently on during which 15 lakh Kanwariyas have arrived and about 90 lakh are scheduled to arrive in the next six days.

In her call, the woman claimed that four persons, carrying a bomb in a Jeep (UA 08 H-5630) had arrived in Haridwar and were moving towards the Neelkanth temple to blow it up.

As soon as the call was received, the twin pilgrim cities were put on high alert with elite commando unit snipers taking position to thwart any terror attack.

Intense checking of vehicles was done in both cities, but no vehicle with the given number was found heading towards Neelkanth temple.

Immediately, the telephone call was put on surveillance and it was found that the call was made from Shivalik Nagar colony in Haridwar.

Later, a police team arrested a woman named Savita residing in house number T-104.

Police and intelligence officers interrogated her and claimed that she made the call to settle scores with her neighbours.

Meanwhile, the Kanwar mela zone has been put on high alert and security has been beefed up at sensitive zones, railway station, bus station, temples and strategic locations.

The police chiefs of Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal, Dehradun and Haridwar are in constant touch to ensure that no untoward incident occurs in the state.

Rudrapur, July 23
The Conservator of Forests in Uttarakhand has ordered the tightening of security in the dense jungles to prevent the smuggling of valuable forest resources during the monsoon. A special team has been deployed for this purpose.

In the Terai Central Range in Udham Singh Nagar district, braving the rains, a team, specially equipped with arms and gear, guards the forests at night.

District forest officials have revised their strategies and devised novel ways to counter smuggling.

"Our team, along with armed personnel, conducts night patrolling in the forest. Patrolling is done throughout the monsoon.We also take special steps to thwart the activities of miscreants. For instance, we have placed sharp nails on nearby roads and pathways to obstruct vehicles,” said Kapil, leader of a night patrolling team.

According to certain media reports, the thick jungles in the Terai region have for a long time been under the threat of deforestation due to the illegal felling of trees by smugglers apart from poachers harming wildlife.

Torrential rain in the hilly terrain provides a perfect cover for the activities of smugglers, say green activists.

Divisional Forest Officer of the Terai Range Parag Dhakate said a special flying squad had also been deployed in the forests to plug possible loopholes in security.

"All areas that come under our supervision have eucalyptus and other valuable trees. We are protecting valuable forest resources.

“Keeping this in mind, we increase the number of patrolling units in the forests during the monsoon and deploy two or three flying squads. We also try to prevent smugglers from entering the forests by blocking nearby roads and pathways," said Dhakate.

Green activists have advocated the banning of the movement of timber between states to check deforestation. — ANI

New Delhi, July 23
India and France will have their first army-to-army exercise in October in Chaubatia, Uttarakhand."The first army exercise between the two sides will be held between October 9 and 22," officials said.

The two sides have so far been engaging each other in aerial and naval exercises only. — PTI 

Dehradun, July 23
Irked by the encroachment done on the Chandrashekhar Marg at Lal Pul area in Patelnagar by some influential persons, members of the Communist Party of India Marxist (CPM) today submitted a memorandum to Mayor Vinod Chamoli and asked him to intervene in the matter.

Indu Naudiyal, member, Sachiv Mandal, said that a businessman has encroached upon the land by constructing a boundary wall, which has led to the narrowing of the road. They urged the Mayor to ensure that the encroachment is removed.