Protests over petrol price hike
Tribune Reporters

BJP Mahila Morcha members hold a demonstration carrying a scooter on a cart. Tribune photos: Anil P Rawat and Vinod Pundir

Dehradun, September 16
In protest against the petrol price hike, the UKD (Panwar), the Uttarakhand School Van Association (USVA), the Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) and the Ambedkar Nagar Mandal Mahila Morcha of the BJP organised protests here today. The city unit of the UKD (Panwar), led by Bahadur Singh Rawat, burnt an effigy of the Union Government at Clock Tower. President of district unit of the party NK Gusain said the middle class would be the most affected. Sachin Gupta, state president of the USVA, alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was more concerned about the interests of oil companies and was ignoring the problems being faced by the common man. Meanwhile, while burning an effigy of the Union Government, the clothes of one of the members of the USVA caught fir. However, he has not sustained any burn injury.

State president of the BJYM Vinod Kandari also lashed out at the Union Government and sought the resignation of Union Petroleum Minister S Jaipal Reddy.

Babita Sehrotra, president of the Ambedkar Nagar Mandal Mahila Morcha, said: “The hike in the petrol price will put an additional burden on the common man. Now it is also contemplating increasing the price of an LPG cylinder.”

MUSSOORIE: Demanding immediate rollback of the recent petrol price hike, BJP workers raised slogans and burnt an effigy of the Central Government here today. Party workers, mainly from the youth wing, gathered at Picture Palace and raised slogans against the Centre.

Party leaders said this hike would affect middle-class families adversely. BJYM President from Mussoorie Rakesh Rawat said repeated increase in the petrol price showed the “callous” attitude of the Central Government.

25 pc relief on petrol VAT in state
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 16
The Chief Minister, Major-Gen BC Khanduri (retd), has decided to give relief of 25 per cent in Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol in the state. It would amount to a reduction of 78 paise per litre in the price of petrol in the state. From the hike in the price of petrol by Rs 3.14 per litre, effected by the Centre, the state government was to get 78 paise.

The relief in VAT would put an additional burden of Rs 21.78 crore on the state exchequer.

In a statement issued here today, the Chief Minister said his government would do everything possible to give relief to the residents of the state in these days of rising inflation. Criticising the petrol price hike, General Khanduri said the hike would lead to a further rise in the prices of essential commodities.

Maha Kumbh Scam
Signature drive against Kaushik
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, September 16
After the dislodging of former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, the Congress has started cornering BJP government and minister in charge for the Maha Kumbh Madan Kaushik, against whom a mass signature campaign has been launched.

Led by a social organisation, the Rashtriya Krantikari Manch, several sign boards have been put up across the city where common people are being apprised of the Kumbh scam and their opinion is sought on if the Chief Minister of the state has to resign on this issue then why the minister in charge for the Maha Kumbh should not also step down.

Also demand for a CBI probe into the scam is being made and like Anna Hazare’s anti-graft movement, this signature campaign is also drawing youngsters in large numbers.

Conceived by founder of the Rashtriya Krantikari Manch, Ambrish Kumar, the campaign has drawn thousands of people there is no space left to sign on the boards. New boards are being put up. He talked of the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) which had revealed mass irregularities in the Maha Kumbh funds done by the mela administration.

“It’s a matter of concern that all this was carried under the supervision of Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik, but owing to his influence in political circles he still retains the cabinet berth,” he added. Not only the local residents but also pilgrims from other states and tourists on knowing about the signature campaign are expressing solidarity with the members of the manch.

Indrani Nautiyal, a college girl, while signing a board at the Lal Taura Bridge, said crores of rupees were allocated for the Maha Kumbh held in Haridwar but on the ground the poor shape of the infrastructure in the city indicated how much of that money was actually spent on development works. “The condition of roads, sewerage, water pipes, power, street lights, highways and other infrastructure is pathetic and this is the reason I am here to lend my support to the drive”.

Youth activist and former president of the SMJN college student union Gawaksh Joshi said a CBI investigation should be ordered into the Kumbh scam so that the culprits were put behind the bars.

Kaushik, who is Urban Development Minister, was given the special charge of minister in charge for the Maha Kumbh by the then Chief Minister Nishank. He had also been directed not to leave Haridwar district from January-April, 2010, till the fair got over.

Vyasi project gets nod from directors of power authority
Seema Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 16
Formalities for the approval of 120 MW Vyasi hydroelectric project have almost been completed, after Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited got the nod from 18 directors of the Central Electricity Authority in New Delhi for its execution recently. The only major hassle, which is left to be cleared, is to settle the payments and assets issue with the Irrigation Department (ID) which had completed 30 per cent of the construction work in this project till 2003.

Managing Director, UJVNL, GP Patel said: “We have taken the civil and mechanical work of all our 12 hydroelectric projects from the Irrigation Department but the Vyasi project issue continues to linger on. The Irrigation Department has neither removed its assets from the construction site nor settled the accounts issue. We will have to get over it.” Patel said Rs 256 crore out of a total cost of the project (Rs 936 crore) had been spent till now.

Head of the Irrigation Department BK Tamta said they had no problem in settling the issue but the directive regarding it had to come from the state government. The claims of the payment may cause complications between both the departments. Though the Irrigation Department has also floated a corporation to take up the construction projects of other departments, the UJVNL has decided to hand over the Vyasi project to the NHPC instead and signed an MoU with it in July last year.

“The NHPC was handling this project when it was started in year 1982. Later on, it was given to us when the state was formed. Now, we have decided in favour of the NHPC for its expertise and reasonable rates,” Patel said.

Initially, Lakhwar (300 MW) and Vyasi were joint projects but later the Department of Planning (DoP), Government of India, asked the UJVNL to handle the Vyasi project independently in stage I and work on the Lakhwar project details alongside. Patel said: “Vyasi is a clean project which is meant to serve Uttarakhand only whereas Lakhwar is a big project which has the involvement of six states namely UP, Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Lakhwar-Vyasi project came to a halt in 1992 when all these six states could not reach an amicable agreement on costs and water sharing. Since the Centre has agreed to pay 90 per cent of the total cost of the Lakhwar project, there should not be a major problem in settling other issues as well”.

Teachers’ Shortage
Students refuse to take admission to upgraded school
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, September 16
Students who had left studies after passing Class VIII from a junior high school in Samkot village, Munsiyari subdivision, in 2008 due to the non-availability of a high school near their village have refused to take admission to the same school, though it has been upgraded. They demanded that they would not take admission till sufficient staff was made available to teach them.

Out of 29 students in the village, only six have taken admission to the upgraded high school, which was inaugurated by the village pradhan recently. Villagers said they had been demanding for long that the junior high school be upgraded as they were not in a position to send their children to Birthi or Munsiyari.

District Education Officer (DEO) Mukul Sati said though 22 high schools and intermediate colleges had been upgraded this year, no new staff had been deputed there so far. The DEO said all four junior high schools of Namik, Sainranthi, Samkot and Saailmali in the Talla Johar area had been upgraded, but the government was yet to provide the required strength of teachers in the schools.

According to the DEO, the education directorate has issued orders that till permanent arrangements are made, teachers of junior high school will teach in high schools and high school teachers be sent to the upgraded schools to teach intermediate classes. However, only a few students had taken admission to the Samkot school after being persuaded by the gram pradhan and the chairman of the School Management Committee.

“The parents of the rest of the students prefer to send their wards to do odd jobs as labourers and domestic help, but are not ready to send them to the school as there are no teachers to teach them,” said Narendra Panwar, chairman of the committee.

Rain Water Conservation
139 habitations to be covered this year
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 16
By focusing on rain water harvesting in Uttarakhand under the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, the government scheme hopes to neutralise the effect of depleting water table and erratic rainfall.

The Peyjal Nigam has set a target of covering 139 habitations in 2011, out of a total of 2,219 habitations, that have to be covered under the scheme. A habitation comprises four or five villages, according to geographical distribution.

“Rain water harvesting is being promoted by building of individual and community tanks through village panchayats. Rain water harvesting can be of immense help against the depleting water table and erratic rains,” said Bhajan Singh, managing director, Peyjal Nigam.

A total of 39,967 habitations have been fully covered under the Rajiv Gandhi Rashtriya Peyjal Mission (2003) in the state. “According to the Government of India guidelines, 35 per cent of the bastis that have SC and ST population are also being covered on a priority basis,” said Singh.

Meanwhile, the conservation practice has further gained momentum with the labour component being addressed through the Mahatama Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREG) Programme.

The convergence has also boosted the activity but along with building rain water harvesting tanks under the scheme, the government is also giving impetus to traditional water conservation practices.

“Along with building rain water harvesting tanks, we are also encouraging villagers to revive the traditional ponds and springs. A scheme is being promoted by the Jal Sansthan,” said PC Kimothi, Secretary, Appraisal.

He said each drop of water should be cherished as national property so that every citizen could get clean drinking water, besides adequate proportion for irrigation.

“The Jal Sansthan has been working for equal distribution of available water just on these lines. It is formulating a scheme to prepare a map that is able to pinpoint the grey areas for carrying out water conservation practices,” he said.

Need for incorporating fusion music in hill folk culture: Sangeeta
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, September 16
To divert the younger generation of Uttarakhand, which is fast drifting towards pop, Bollywood and Western music, to regional folk music, the need of the hour is to incorporate fusion music in the traditionally rich folk culture of the hills.

This was suggested by renowned Uttarakhandi folk singer Sangeeta Dhaundiyal who said youngsters should develop interest in folk music which is in dire straits in the state owing to people drifting away from their culture as well as the mass migration of people in the hilly regions.

Talking exclusively to The Tribune, while on a commercial assignment in Haridwar, Sangeeta, who has to her credit 1000-odd songs, urged young aspirants to practice for hours daily as nothing comes easy in this field. Understanding “sur”, “ragas” and other elements of vocal music needs patience.

Hailing from Baijro in Pauri Garhwal, Sangeeta lamented that owing to the lack of support from government and an organised film or music industry, the interests of the regional artistes, be it those related to cinema or music, had been hurt.

Sangeeta terms veteran folk singers Narendra Singh Negi, Hira Singh Bisht and Jeet Singh Negi as legends. She said just by listening to them she has learnt singing.

The versatile diva, who is equally trained in thumri and ghazal and sings proficiently both Kumaoni and Garhwali songs, says fusion is an aspect which can change the traditional folk scenario in the state as changing with time is the essence of nature.

“Today, when I see youngsters having platforms like ‘Jhumigo’ music talent show and various other singing competitions its evident that there is no dearth of talent in the state,” she said.

It’s just honing their skills and providing them right guidance what they need. A decade ago when I was a struggler the scenario was quite different with a few opportunities available to aspirants, said Sangeeta, a graduate in music from Gandharva Vidyalaya, Delhi, who has also made her mark as a versatile anchor in Uttarakhand’s first teen musical television talent show, “Jhumigo”.

She also cites piracy as one of the reasons why music industry is not surviving in the state. She, along with other artists, met the Chief Minister and the state police chief and urged them to take stringent steps against those who are pirating music albums.

Having performed in Muscat, Dubai, Bahrain, the USA and other foreign countries, Sangeeta now eyes Bollywood as she reveals that to become a playback singer of a Bollywood movie is her dream and if she gets an opportunity to sing along with Lata Mangeshkar and Udit Narayan it will be a dream come true.

Signing off the singer said Uttarakhandi music needed experimentation, changes, usage of new instruments apart from the traditional “dhol damau” as per the taste of audience.

New varieties of shisham, eucalyptus released
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 16
The Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) has released new varieties of shisham and eucalyptus.

According to FRI sources, the released variety of Dalbergia sissoo (shisham),FRI-DS-14, is not only productive but also shows resistance to a devastating disease of shisham called die-back. Besides, the variety has an excellent form which increases its value in the timber industry. This is the first-ever clone of shisham that has been released in India after research and field testing started in 1992. The productivity of the clone is expected to be around 18 cubic metres per hectare per year in comparison with the present productivity of 5-7 cubic metres per hectare per year.

This is one of the steps initiated by the Forest Research Institute to combat shisham mortality, which has caused serious economic losses to farmers and other growers.

Similarly, a clone of eucalyptus (FRI-EH-001) was released after research and field testing over the past 40 years. The clone has a productivity of more than 30 cubic metres per hectare per year. The productivity of the existing clones is limited to 22-24 cubic metres per hectare per year while the productivity of ordinary plantations is just 10-15 cubic metres per hectare per year.

The clones were developed by a team led by Dr Ashok Kumar and Dr Ajay Thakur.

Husain comes alive on canvas
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 16
To remember India’s legendary artist Maqbool Fida Husain on his birth anniversary (September 17), a reputed painter, Sandhya Singh — she hails from Dehradun — -has found a unique way: she has painted “the Master” in different forms on her canvas. Husain would have never thought in his lifetime that someone would attempt to sketch his face and put his thoughts and pain on the canvas. Described by many as “India’s Picasso,” the 96-year-old Husain died in London on June 9 this year.

“Husain’s death left a void in the world of art," said Sandhya Singh, who belongs to Badripur village on the outskirts of Dehradun. Her three-day exhibition depicting 17 oil paintings on Husain at the India International Centre Annexe here concluded today.

Husain’s son, Shamshad Husain, attended the exhibition's inauguration. A large number of Husain’s admirers and art lovers visited the exhibition.

Husain left India in 2006 following death threats and legal cases over some paintings of Hindu Gods and Goddesses that some Hindu religious groups described as obscene. In 2010, he was offered and accepted the citizenship of Qatar. “Husain’s bold style, sense of colour, firm lines and brush strokes always impressed me. His dedication to art will always inspire the artist in me,” says Sandhya Singh, wife of a retired naval officer.

“With great anguish,” she said, “I had watched a chain of incidents of vandalism and court cases targeted against Husain, leading to his eventual forced exit from India. I was also touched by his continuing love for India and his desire to return to the homeland. So, the artist in me could not help but register my anguish on my canvas.” The title of each painting is linked to a specific aspect related to the great artist’s life. “I see Husain as a true ‘Karm Yogi’ who was devoted to his creations, and hence I

have a set of three paintings with the same title. I also see Husain as a magician with his brush and, hence, I have titled one painting the ‘Jadugar’,” explained Sandhya.

“And when I saw the Master leaving footprints for all of us to follow in,” she said, “I named one of my works the ‘Footprints’. I tried to emulate Husain’s style and strokes in creating my works to pay tributes to him. I also attempted his speed by painting “Dard-e-Dil” within an hour.

Sandhya Singh has mounted 17 solo shows in India and abroad. She has evolved a unique style to express her thoughts on canvas on a variety of subjects — music and dance, life and social harmony, environment and development, poetry and prose. Her works draw inspiration from Indian culture.

“To me,” says Sandhya, “the paintings are nothing but poetry and music — in an alternative medium. I developed my own visual grammar and syntax for depicting music on canvas.”

New responsibilities for 18 IAS officers
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 16
The Uttarakhand Government has ordered for change of responsibilities of as many as 18 IAS officers.

Uttarakhand Principal Secretary, Home, Ayush, Commissioner Forest and Rural Development and Principal Resident Commissioner Rajeev Gupta has been given the additional charge of Principal Secretary Forest and Water Shed and Director Chief Projects.

Principal Secretary, Finance, Planning, Infrastructure development Commissioner and Prinicipal Disinvestment Commissioner Alok Kumar Jain has been relieved of the post of Prinicipal Secretary Planning and has been given the additional charge of Principal Secretary Power, Alternative Energy, Tourism, Pilgrimage and Chief Executive Officer, Tourism Development Board.

Principal Secretary, Civil Aviation, Housing, Sanskrit Education, Irrigation, Revenue and Chief Revenue Commissioner PC Sharma has been relieved of the charge of Prinicipal Secretary, Irrigation and Civil Aviation.

Principal Secretary, Pligrimage Tourism, Sports, Tourism and Information Technology and Chief Executive Officer, Tourism Board, and Information Technology Rakesh Sharma has been relieved of all the posts and instead given the charge of Prinicpal Secretary, Civil Aviation, Industrial Development, Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Managing Director, State Industrial Development Corporation.

Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Alternative energy, special projects and resident commissioner DK Kotia has been relieved of the posts of Principal Secretary, Alternative energy and special projects and has been given the additional charge of Principal Secretary, “Suraj”, anti-corruption and Public Service Department.

Principal Secretary, Centrally Sponsored Schemes, social welfare and Commissioner Social Welfare S Raju has been relieved of the post of Principal Secretary, Centrally Sponsored Schemes and has been given the additional charge of Secretariat Administration, Technical Education, Information Technology, Manging Director, Multipurpose Finance Development Corporation, and Managing Director, Minorities Welfare Corporation.

Principal Secretary, PWD, Personal, Potable Water and Reorganisation Utpal Kumar Singh has been given the additional charge of Principal Secretary, Information, higher education and vigilance. Principal Secretary Planning, transport, industrial development and managing director, State Industrial Development Corporation, S Ramswamy has been relieved of the posts of Principal Secretary, Industrial development and managing director, State Industrial Development Corporation.

Principal Secretary Excise, urban development, public grievances and census, secretariat administration, soldier welfare and commissioner excise has been relieved of the posts of Principal Secretary, Excise secretariat administration, soldier welfare and commissioner excise. Principal Secretary, forest and environment, watershed, managing director, Multipurpose Finance Development Corporation, minorities Welfare Corporation MH Khan has been relieved of all the posts and has been kept in waiting.

In charge Secretary, Housing, Energy, Alternative energy, vigilance and Information Umakant Panwar has been relieved of all the posts and given the responsibility of Secretary, Irrigation. In charge secretary, cane development, externally aided schemes and general administration Surendra Singh Rawat has been given the additional charge of secretary, Excise and commissioner, excise.

In charge secretary, Women’s empowerment, child development, finance and Commissioner, Commercial tax Hemlata Dhoundiyal has been relieved of women empowerment and child development charge. In charge secretary, culture and additional chief revenue commissioner NS Negi has been given the additional responsibility of in charge secretary, sports.

IAS officer in waiting Amit Negi has been given the responsibility of Additional secretary, PWD. Arvind Singh Hayanki, additional secretary, potable water, personal, reorganisation and vigilance, has been given the additional charge of Additional Secretary “Suraj”, anti-corruption and public services department.

Additional Director, Treasury, Arunendra Singh Chauhan has been given the additional responsibility of Director, “Suraj”, anti-corruption and public services department.

Railway staff leader meets minister

Dehradun: Shiv Gopal Mishra, general secretary, All-India Railway Men Association, who was in the state capital on Thursday yesterday, said: “The association has conveyed the 14 demands of the Northern Railway Men’s Union (NRMU) to the Union Railway Minister, Dinesh Trivedi, of which some have got a positive response from him.”

Mishra said: “I had a meeting with the Railway Minister two days ago where a majority of the demands of the NRMU had been agreed to by him. The minister responded favourably to the demands of distribution of bonus among the railway employees before Durga Pooja, providing jobs to the children of the retired railway employees, improvement in the recruitment process in the Railwaysand many more.” — TNS

Make use of freight transport facilities, industry urged

Nainital, Septmber 16
The authorities in the Izzatnagar Division of the North-Eastern Railways have called upon the industrial houses of Kumaon to make use of the facilities offered by them for freight transport. A meeting between the top brass of the Izzatnagar Division,including General Manager KBL Mittal, and representatives of industry was held at Rudrapur on Thursday. Mittal said the Railways was committed to providing the best possible services to its customers. He appealed to the manufacturing units to make use of the facilities offered by the Railways for sending their products to various destinations.

He was apprised of problems related to freight handling that had been reported at Rudrapur, Haldi Road and Kashipur stations. He assured the industrialists that their complaints would be looked into and solutions found. — TNS