Stand-off between PWD staff, Cong workers continues
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, December 27
The three-day-long stand-off between PWD employees and Congress workers in Kapkot subdivision of Bageswar district continued as a delegation of striking employees did not turn up at a meeting called by the district administration to mediate between the two sides. The Almora Congress MP, Pradeep Tamta, also tried to persuade both the parties to come to a settlement and end their respective protests, according to Lalit Farswan, Congress MLA from Kapkot.

“The Congress workers will start an agitation at the district headquarters from tomorrow if the employees did not withdraw cases lodged by them against two Congress workers under the SC/ ST Act,” said Lalit Farswan, MLA, who is sitting on a dharna for the last three days, demanding investigations into alleged conspiracy against Congress workers.

“We have never taken a negative approach towards settlement during the three-day-long face-off as the work of the subdivision is being affected. If one department goes on strike only because the public representatives are requiring result-orient and timely work from them, this attitude will not be accepted,” said Farswan, Congress MLA from Kapkot.

The dispute came to light on Sunday when all PWD workers went on a strike, alleging that two Congress workers manhandled their executive engineer for not constructing a motor road in their village. “It happened when the local MLA had called the engineer to his residence. When the engineer was returning from his residence, two Congress workers manhandled him,” said a PWD workers' union leader.

On the instance of the striking government employees, Bageshwar police has registered a case under Sections 353 and 504, IPC, besides SC/ST Act against the two Congress workers of Kapkot unit of the party.

“As the case is fake and registered by pressurising the two work- charged employees, we are sitting on dharna for the last three days, demanding withdrawal of the case against our workers,” said Farswan.

As the PWD workers across the Kumaon region have protested in support of the incident, the Bageshwar district administration is camping at the dharna spot to talk to the MLA and the striking workers. 

Ministerial staff go on indefinite stir
Work paralysed in 60 departments
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 27
All ministerial employees working in the government departments went on an indefinite statewide stir from today, paralysing work in more than 60 departments against the non-fulfilment of their three-point charter of demands.

The employees owing allegiance to the Uttarakhand Federation of Ministerial Services Association struck work and held a protest at the Parade Ground. Union leaders lashed out at the government for failing to fulfil their demands despite entering into an agreement in the past.

A meeting was held between the union leaders of the federation with the Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain and Secretary to the Chief Minister SS Rawat, but the talks failed on the issue of removing anomalies as the government wanted to first examine the issue.

“The anomalies persist in our pay scales and we have been demanding that these be removed and brought on a par with the Uttar Pradesh employees. The benefits should accrue to us from December 12, 2011,” said Sunil Datt Kothari, general secretary, Uttaranchal Federation of Ministerial Services Association, Uttarakhand.

The employees were also angry with the government for failing to honour the agreement reached with the Union leaders on February 10, 2010, in which the government had agreed to restructure the ministerial cadre in all departments.

“The government backtracked on the agreement and two and a half years have passed but the government has failed to restructure some of the departments, including rural development, the Department of Technical Education, the Department of Horticulture, the Department of Sericulture, the PWD and the Collectorate employees cadre,” said TS Pundir, president of the association.

The third demand includes bringing changes in language framed under the rules and regulations of the ministerial cadre 2011 by replacing “and” with “or”. “But so far the government had not paid any heed,” said Pundir.

The State Employees Joint Council of Uttarakhand has extended support to the stir launched by the Uttarakhand Federation of Ministerial Services Association.

“We have asked the members of the association to extend support to the demands of the ministerial federation,” said Arun Pande spokesperson of the State Employees Joint Council of Uttarakhand.

Meanwhile, the work on the office of the Dehradun District Magistrate and the collectorate premises got affected due to the indefinite strike by the employees. The clerical staff who are members of the Ministerial Federation of Uttarakhand have gone on strike in support of their demands.

Plan for women in distress fails to take off
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 27
The Department of Social Welfare has not been able to roll the maintenance scheme for economically weak, separated, abandoned, deserted and destitute women announced by the BJP government in 2011 for the want of beneficiaries.

The department had started implementing the scheme from April this year in all 13 districts of the state but with the year almost drawing to a close, not even one beneficiary has been selected under the scheme.

A total of 650 beneficiaries (50 in each district) are to be selected under the scheme and given a monthly pension of Rs 400. So far, 61 applicants have applied in Champawat, eight in Rudraprayag, 18 in Haridwar, 71 in Bageshwar, 33 in Chamoli, one in Udham Singh Nagar, three in Pithoragarh, 171 in Nainital, 65 in Dehradun and 36 in Almora. But none has applied from Uttarkashi, Tehri and Pauri districts.

“There is a fear that the scheme may collapse due to the poor response received at the initial stage. The applications have to be examined and then selections are to be made according to the norms set by the government. Since the scheme is new, the Department of Social Welfare should have advertised it extensively in the rural areas of the state so that the women in distress could get help. In several districts, the government has received very few applications. At this rate, they will not be able to select 50 beneficiaries in each district,” said Harbans Kapoor, senior BJP leader.

Though the Congress government had announced the scheme in 2006, it was the Khanduri government in 2011 that recognised the need to provide maintenance to the destitute and deserted women.

“The problem of desertion is rampant in the hills. These women are often left to fend for themselves after they are deserted by their husbands. The problem has been exacerbated due to migration. Without financial support, the women are hard up and lead a solitary existence in villages,” said Chaya Kunwar, a social activist.

Interestingly, in the hill districts of Tehri, Uttarkashi and Pauri, the Department of Social Welfare has not received any application. While in Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Champawat districts, a few applications have been received.

Girl raped by her neighbour
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 27
A 15-year-old girl was raped by her neighbour, 18-year-old carpenter Naushad, in the Mandwala area of Sahaspur.

According to sources, the girl was having an affair with the boy for a long time and was spotted by her father. The police has arrested the boy.

Meanwhile, owner of a dance academy, Amit Kapoor, resident of Shipra Colony, Rajpur, filed a complaint of theft in his house on Tuesday. He said while he and his wife had gone to attend to some work in their academy near Dila Ram Chowk in the day time, when they returned late at night they saw the lock of their house broken. Jewellery and cash of Rs 50,000 was found stolen.

In another incident, fire constable Sandeep Rawat, who is posted at Dakpathar, mistook acid bottle for a water bottle and consumed some drops of it by mistake during his duty hours at night yesterday. He was taken to Jolly Grant Hospital, where his condition is stable now. 

ICFRE to honour HESCO founder chief Joshi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 27
The Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun, will be honouring Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation (HESCO) founder president Padamshri Dr Anil Joshi on January 1 for his achievement of successfully accomplishing 2,200 km cycle rally from Jalpaiguri to Dehradun.

Director General, ICFRE, Dr VK Bahuguna disclosed that Dr Anil Joshi was doing yeoman's service towards the society by highlighting the challenges linked to pollution of air, water and land in the entire country.

“For Dr Anil Joshi’s recent achievement of successfully accomplishing the cycle yatra, in which he covered West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the ICFRE has decided to honour him on January 1 on the campus,” Bahuguna said.

He said the renowned environmentalist Sundarlal Bahuguna will also attend the felicitation ceremony.

Cong committed to welfare of slum dwellers, says Dhasmana
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 27
State Congress vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana has reiterated that the state Congress government was committed to the welfare of slum dwellers in the state.

Addressing a convention of the Uttarakhand Malin Basti Vikas Parishad here today, Suryakant Dhasmana said the state government had already made its intentions clear by giving ownership rights to the slum dwellers.

He said the government was also contemplating bringing in other measures to improve the infrastructure in the slums of Dehradun.

Suryakant Dhasmana also reminded that the BJP that had the majority in the existing the Dehradun Municipal Corporation’s board had totally ignored slums in capital Dehradun. He said no development work had taken place in the slums of Dehradun for past many years.

The State Congress vice-president said inhabitants of slums in Dehradun were even devoid of basic civic amenities.

He also called upon slum dwellers to unite and struggle for their rights.

He also apprised them of a massive rally that would be held in Dehradun in January to express the gratitude to the state government towards providing ownership rights to slum dwellers.

Dehradun Municipal Corporation councillor Arun Valmiki coordinated the event. Qumar Siddiqui, Ratanmani Nautiyal, Mohammed Shahid and S Rabbani were prominent speakers on the occasion.

Nepalese delegation meets Pithoragarh DM
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, December 27
On a goodwill visit to Pithoragarh district, a delegation of officials from Baitari district of western Nepal today met District Magistrate CMS Bisht and assured him of full support in curbing crimes in the Indian territory by anti-social elements from across the border and expected the vice versa.

The delegation was accompanied by businessmen from that country.

“The delegation led by Janak Raj Regmi, Chief District Officer of Baitari district of Nepal, wanted to fix some problems coming in trading between businessmen of the two countries from the Jhoolaghat border. We have assured them of full support from our side,” said Bisht.

“We have talked on mutual border security, trade, rising smuggling from across the border and on wildlife protection in both the countries and offered our help to the Indian authorities on these matters,” said Regmi.

The Nepalese delegation invited the Pithoragarh District Magistrate to Nepal on a goodwill visit for better coordination between the traders and security personnel of both the countries at borders towns of Jhoolaghat, Jauljibi and Dharchula. 

Rally in Jan in support of new domicile policy
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 27
The Uttarakhand Sanyukt Sarv Samaj Sangathan announced to take out a rally in the second week of January in support of the new domicile policy for the state. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting held in Dehradun recently. The speakers at the meeting alleged that the state government was deliberately delaying issuing a GO for making November 2000 as cut off date for deciding on the domicile residents of the state.

Sangathan’s general secretary Nathu Singh Ravi said despite the Nainital High Court's directive for making November 2000 as the cut off date, the state government was deliberately delaying the issuance of GO under pressure from state agitators.

Nathu Singh said the Sangathan would not tolerate this injustice.

Verma takes over as Joint Magistrate
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 27
IAS officer of 2010 batch Ranjana Verma today joined as Joint Magistrate and met District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam today. Before this, Verma worked as Joint Magistrate for two months in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu.

She has now been transferred into Uttarakhand cadre. Her husband Ramchanderan Ranjguru is an Indian Forest Service officer and working as Deputy Conservator in the state.

Allocate Central funds for development of state on priority: Agarwal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 27
Uttarakhand Planning Minister Dinesh Agarwal has urged the Union government to give priority to developmental projects in the state due to its difficult geographical conditions.

Agarwal was speaking at the 57th meeting of the National Development Council chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi today. He attended the meeting on behalf of Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, who is away on a foreign visit at present.

Agarwal also sought priority in fund allocation for Uttarakhand. He said special attention should be given to framing of separate norms for infrastructure development, a special communication network and additional border grant for the hill region. He added the target of 11 per cent annual development rate had been fixed for the state. The development rate was more than the set target (9.9%) in the Eleventh Plan and there had been reasonable progress in economy and the service sector.

Besides, Agarwal said the state government had initiated several short-term projects, including the single window system and the licensing bill facility for entrepreneurs, constitution of a wage committee, the allocation of funds for development of 74 border and backward blocks, unemployment-cum-skill development scheme and welfare schemes for minorities for their economical development.

Agarwal said, “Uttarakhand has wide potential for economical development, tourism, horticulture, medicinal plant farming, besides the potential to produce 27,000 MW of hydropower. With a better law and order situation, the state also has a potential for the establishment of educational institutions and housing development.”

The Planning Minister, underlining that several cases were pending at the Central government level, said if these cases were resolved in time, the state would receive sufficient resources through which it could achieve the targets of the 12th Five-year Plan and other previous schemes easily.

Agarwal said though Uttarakhand was given the status of a special state in 2002, 38 projects were being financed in less than 90:10 ratio. If these projects were assisted in the 90:10 ratio, akin to north-eastern states, Uttarakhand would get Rs 697 crore as its share from the Centre.

He pointed out that as 65 per cent area of the state was under forests, with 15 per cent reserved forest area in which development works were totally restricted. The state government had restricted felling of trees for commercial purpose in areas located above the altitude of 1,000 metre. However, Agarwal said the state was getting nothing in return. He added the estimated cost of ecological services rendered by the state, as per a scientific survey, stood around Rs 30,000 crore. On several occasions in the past, the state had demanded a ‘green bonus’ from the Centre. “The state is incurring a loss of Rs 1,650 crore per annum owing to stalled hydropower projects,” he said. He demanded equivalent compensation to the state for additional purchase of power and also help in establishing power projects based on natural gas.

Agarwal said the centrally-sponsored projects run under the Border Area Development Project in border areas were not sufficient. He added the migration of population from border areas was a disturbing sign. Hence, funds under the BADP be increased and all border districts be covered under it.

He said it would be better if a separate infrastructure development fund was created. He added Uttarakhand was a strategically-sensitive state and appealed to the Centre to develop national highways, air and railway connectivity on priority by making appropriate relaxation in the set norms. Agarwal said Uttarakhand was sensitive to earthquakes and natural disasters and laid emphasis on fund allocation for permanent reconstruction instead of temporary construction under the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF). He asserted that disaster mitigation be given more importance than disaster relief.

The minister said 233 villages were situated in sensitive areas and the population there should be shifted for which financial assistance from the Centre was needed. He added a concrete policy for quarrying and mining on riverbeds was needed so that no unnecessary restriction was imposed, no illegal mining takes place and the incessant flow of river was also maintained.

Land identification welcome step: UKD (P) leader
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 27
The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Progressive) and statehood agitators have welcomed the initiative of the state government in identifying 498 acres at Bhararisain in Gairsain in Chamoli district for the construction of a building of the Vidhan Sabha.

Uday Ram Semwal, central secretary of the UKD (P), said the development was tantamount to the recognition of wishes of the statehood fighters and the people of the hill state. He added it seems now the dream of having Gairsain as the permanent capital would be realised.

Semwal said the UKD (P) played a pivotal role in the agitation for the creation of the state. He added the foundation stone of the capital of the state was laid at Gairsain in 1992 under the aegis of party leaders Indra Mani Badoni, Diwakar Bhatt, Trivendra Singh Panwar, Rana Ranbeer Singh and others.

A statue of veteran freedom fighter, Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali, was also installed at the venue in Gairsain. For 12 years after the creation of the state, neither the BJP nor the Congress governments showed sincerity in declaring Gairsain as the permanent capital. “We acknowledge the initiative taken by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna in holding a Cabinet meeting at Gairsain in November and now identifying land at Bhararisain for the Assembly building,” said Semwal at the party camp office in Haridwar.

While city chief of the UKD (P) youth wing Lalit Mamgain demanded the summer capital status for Gairsain before the laying of the foundation stone by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on January 14 next year.

Mamgain said family members of the statehood agitators, who laid down their lives for the creation of a separate state of Uttarakhand on November 9, 2000, and others who participated in the agitation were quite happy with the development.

JP Pandey, a statehood agitator and president of the Uttarakhand Kranti Manch, gave credit to the Chief Minister for restoring the lost glory of Gairsain, which was one of the core demands in 70s when the agitation for Uttarakhand began.

Student wing representative of the party Vaibhav Rawat from Prem Nagar in Dehradun said the main examples of hill towns as capitals were Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) and Gangtok (Sikkim).

IFS trainees interact with forest officers
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 27
The Indian Forest Services officer trainees of the 2012-14 batch, who have recently joined their professional training course at the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy, visited the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) and had interaction with the IFS officers working there.

Welcoming the young officers to the family of forest officers, Director General, ICFRE, Dr VK Bahuguna congratulated them for choosing this service that would have a very crucial role in future for ensuring food and water security for all living beings.

The batch consisted of 79 officer trainees, including two officer trainees from Bhutan. The batch covers graduates, postgraduates and doctorates from a vast range of fields covering forestry science, veterinary science, agriculture science, engineering, pure science, biotechnology and other linked subjects.

Bahuguna emphasised the importance of the youth as the service needed some out-of-the-box ideas. “There is always a tussle between conservation and development but we have to find a judicial mix of the two as both of these are essential for the overall growth of the country. We have to be more people-centric in future,” he said. The DG ICFRE also advised them to develop a personality for the service and to attain the qualities of a social scientist and economist, apart from gaining technical knowledge of the forestry as our service in future will require good resource managers, rather than merely the forest experts. The group had a detailed discussion on various aspects with the other officers of the ICFRE too. The accompanying faculty Alok Nagar thanked the DG ICFRE and all officers for such inspiring and fruitful discussion.

After the interaction, the group visited the data-centre of the ICFRE which is the unique facility available with the organisation in the field of Information Technology. 

Primary teachers’ memo to DM
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 27
The Primary Teachers' Association submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate in support of their demands today. Their demands are constitution of independent administrative units of Directorate of Primary Education at block level and demarcation of their functions.

Establishment of new high schools while not curbing the position of the faculty of upgraded junior high schools, timely promotion of assistant teachers of primary schools and filling of 40 per cent seats of Additional Education Officer are their other demands.