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CM asks Bansal to give priority to U'khand in Rail Budget
Gairsain suitable for state's capital: Speaker
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UKD to cement base in lower Garhwal areas
Dharchula villages without power, essential goods
Industrial
Expo concludes
Handicraft council to develop new designs
Two from Haridwar nabbed with horns of stags
SP mobilising workers to strengthen base in state
Alignment of Tanakpur to Jauljibi road changed
Mussoorie residents welcome change in housing norms
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CM asks Bansal to give priority to U'khand in Rail Budget
Dehradun, January 21 During a meeting with Pawan Bansal in New Delhi today, Bahuguna discussed with him the recent incident in which two elephants died after colliding with a moving train in the Rajaji National Park. Bahuguna also met Union Industry Minister Anand Sharma and urged him to expedite the process of establishing textile and spice parks in
the state. Stating that the Dehradun-Kalsi railway line was important for the Selaqui industrial area and Pharma City, Bahuguna urged the Railway Minister to start the project at the earliest. Bahuguna also urged Pawan Bansal to extend this railway line till Vikasnagar, so that it would prove instrumental in the development of the Jaunsar Bhavar tribal area. He requested the Railway Minister to consider Muzaffarnagar-Roorkee-Haridwar (via Luxar) connectivity instead of Deoband-Saharanpur-Tapri railway lines. Bahuguna also put forth demand for the remaining amount approved by the Centre for the Delhi-Dehradun railway line. The last amount received by the state government was Rs 120 crore. Bahuguna, while describing the Rishikesh-Karnprayag railway line strategically important, said there ought not to be fund crunch for the project. He said there was need to connect Kathgodam/Ramnagar stations to western parts of
the country. Looking at the international importance of Corbett National Park, he suggested to begin Delhi-Ramnagar ‘tiger theme-based' trains. Bahuguna also suggested resumption of the Lucknow-Lalkuan train service. Bahuguna also raised the issue about the safety of elephants in the area between Motichur and Raiwala in Rajaji National Park. |
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Gairsain suitable for state's capital: Speaker
Pithoragarh, January 21 Talking to newsmen at Haldwani on Sunday evening, the Speaker said after the stone laying ceremony, there should not be any doubt on making Gairsain as the permanent capital of the state. “Though, I am still firm on making Gairsain only as the summer capital of the state, the place is highly suitable for the permanent capital.” said Kunjwal. The Speaker said the Assembly building and other constructions would come up in two years.
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UKD to cement base in lower Garhwal areas
Haridwar, January 21 The UKD wants to increase its party base in Haridwar, Dehradun, Roorkee and Rishikesh in view of more than 18 Assembly segments falling in this region. A meeting was held in this regard here today where party office-bearers decided to enrol new party workers. Heading the party meeting, central general secretary Anil Pokhriyal stressed on making inroads into these areas as already party held good depth in the upper reaches of the Garhwal division. Pokhriyal pointed out that by launching a membership drive at the college and block levels, the party could bring people together who favoured the UKD ideology. While central secretary labour cell Uday Ram Semwal said with Haridwar alone having 11 Assembly segments and Dehradun nine, the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal should focus on these two districts to make sure that it had a say in the state politics too. Terming the decision of expelling lone party legislator and Cabinet Minister in the coalition government Preetam Singh Panwar, Semwal said no one was bigger than the party and if any one breached party rules, then he or she would meet the same fate. City chief of the UKD Haridwar unit Lalit Mamgain expressed confidence that the party even without Cabinet Minister Preetam would be much stronger as anti-party activities of the minister were hampering the party's prospects. Party office-bearers also dwelt on the problems and issues that should be taken up. Mamgain said soon the party would be initiating a membership drive in this region and the party was also open to likeminded activists who were in other outfits that broke away from the UKD, the Democratic and the
Ekta. |
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Shantha Sinha against dilution in Juvenile Justice Act
Dehradun, January 21 “The revision of age for the juvenile, who is involved in the crime, should not be lowered from 18 years to 16 years as the New Delhi gang-rape case was the rarest of the rare case. The furore over the incident is justified but making amendments to the JJA Act so that jail term could be increased for delinquent juvenile is not the answer. In the entire debate the issue of care, rehabilitation and monitoring have been lost,” said Dr Shantha Sinha, while speaking with the media. She said the majority of children involved in crime were exposed to violence very early in life. “They cannot differentiate between right and wrong as they have been kept out of schools. By increasing the jail-term is not an answer to the problem,” said Dr Sinha. Dr Sinha said children with disabilities had still not been able to access education that was promised under the Right to Education Act (RTE). “Though the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) had launched a special programme for the children with disabilities due to absence of trainers, these children still remain out of school,” she said. For that matter, she stressed on including a subject on special education as part of the teachers training programme. The Winner of Magsaysay and Padamshree, Dr Sinha is an anti-child labour organiser and with that aim in mind she said the government of Uttarakhand should keep an eye on child labour and get proper data on child labour. “We are still not willing to come out openly with the number of children employed as domestic servants in most houses. These children are used and abused and kept out of school. The response of the government on the issue of child labour and corporal punishment should be quick,” said Dr
Sinha. |
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Child rights panel chief for inclusive education
Dehradun, January 21 Delivering the Sir Ratan Tata Trust Distinguished Lecture Series on Education and Inclusion, Dr Sinha said that the children with disabilities continued to remain on the margin and their concerns did not even form part of the policy. "We grew up not doing anything or had a sense of guilt while finding children amongst us. It still continues. If we couldn't do anything for them, we avoided the person or simply thanked God for sparing us of this misery," she said. Dr Sinha stressed on inclusive education so that children with disabilities were not confined to special schools. "Greater efforts should be made towards their integration so that the society understands their problems," said Sinha. The lecture series was organised by the Latika Roy Foundation that provides direct services to hundreds of children with special needs in Dehradun, including supporting them in accessing mainstream education. |
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Dharchula villages without power, essential goods
Pithoragarh, January 21 “We have deputed a snow cutter and a JCB machine at Kalamuni and Betulidhar, respectively, and we expect the road to be cleared of snow soon,” said a PWD engineer from the Askot division of the department. According to sources in the district administration, life in Munsiyari town remained disturbed even three days after heavy snowfall on Friday last. “Some foreign tourists, who were trapped in snow in the area, were helped to reach the main road by local guides. But local residents are having a tough time as the supply of essential commodities have not reached Munsiyari town for the last three days,” said Devendra Singh Deva, a resident of Munsiyari town. According to information received from the Chaundas valley of Dharchula, thousands of villagers from more than 15 gram panchayats have gone without power since last Friday as electric poles in the area have been damaged at various places. “The villagers living in high valleys are facing double trouble as biting cold has made their life difficult in the absence of power supply,” said AS Rokaya, a zila panchayat member of the area. Rokaya said Sirdhang, Unchadungi, New Sobla, Gojgela, Suva, Nagling, Baling, Pankhu, Himkhola, Sirkha, Chalmachilaso and Jaikot villages had been without power for the last four days as electricity wires had been snapped in the Pangla area due to heavy snowfall. “We have sent a team to the area to take stock of the losses suffered due to snowfall in the area. The electricity supply will be restored to these villages after the team returns,” said Pramod Kumar, SDM, Dharchula subdivision. The villagers of Champawat district were the worst affected due to the disruption in power supply as besides regular rostering for four hours, faults in lines due to heavy snowfall and rain were affecting regular electricity supply, said RS Basnet, an engineer of the Electricity Department.
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Traffic blocked to demand repair of road
Pithoragarh, January 21 “NH-9 that links Pithoragarh and the towns of Dharchula and Tawaghat with Tanakpur plains is in a bad shape, courtesy the BRO that maintains the road,” said Shamsher Singh Mahar, chairman of the Pithoragarh Civil Society. Traffic also came to a standstill due to the blockade. “The BRO has no budget to renovate the road. However, the potholes on the road will be filled next month and a proposal to renovate the road will be sent to higher officers,” said a BRO officer. After getting an assurance from the BRO officer in this regard, the agitators lifted the blockade. |
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Industrial
Expo concludes
Haridwar, January 21 Labour and Small Scale Industries Minister Harish Chandra Durgapal, at the concluding function, assured the industry that he would look into their issues. “The issues related to the industry will be resolved quickly,” said Durgapal at the valedictory session of the expo. Durgapal said the state government was committed to resolving all issues faced by the industry in Haridwar. Boiler inspectors would be stationed at Haridwar twice every week and measures would be taken to ensure that the ESI dispensaries did not face shortage of drugs. He said Uttarakhand is an attractive destination for high value-added, agro-based industry, floriculture, and horticulture, pharma, tourism, biotech and manufacturing. He urged the industry to invest in the state, including the hill areas. Dr Ranbir Singh, Principal Secretary, MSME, Labour and Employment, said inputs from various stakeholders would help the government in the formulation of suitable policies for the industry. He urged the industry to come forward with recommendations for the purpose. He stressed for more such focused interactions like the expo. V Gandhi, Co-chairman, Steering Committee of the CII for the expo and Plant Head of Tata Motors, Pantnagar, said the present edition was much larger and broad based than the previous ones. More than 170 exhibitors from 13 states and one union territory participated in the expo. The expo also featured two sessions on financing options for MSME by the SBI and the SIDBI; a platform for the Industry-Institute Interface and buyer seller meets by BHEL, Diesel Loco Modernisation Works (DMW) (Indian Railways, Patiala), Tata Motors Ltd, Mahindra and Mahindra, Delphi-TVS, IRDE and Minda Corporation. The participating companies shared their purchase processes and requirements. Gandhi also briefed about the visit of a special delegation from the Directorate of Indigenisation of the Army and its interaction with the exhibitors. Dr S Farooq, former Chairman of the CII Uttarakhand State Council, and Co-chairman of the CII Steering Committee for the expo, said the expo brought onto one platform all segments of the manufacturing and related industry facilitating business development and investments. It would help the MSMEs link with the large industry. He felt that the MSMEs could play a significant role in the development of small and hill states like Uttarakhand. Sandeep Jain, Vice-Chairman of the CII Uttarakhand State Council, presented the vote of thanks. He said the state had emerged as a key manufacturing destination, especially in the auto sector, with the state emerging as an auto hub of North India. Many auto majors like Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland, Hero Honda, Mahindra and Mahindra and Bajaj Auto had set up their plants along with vendor parks for their key vendors in the state, he added. Durgapal presented awards for the best display at the exhibition, exuding confidence that in the coming days Haridwar would become a major industrial hub. |
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Handicraft council to develop new designs
Dehradun, January 21 The UHHDC is marketing the products made by about 20,000 artisans under the brand name HIMADRI at two emporiums in New Delhi. "We are planning to shortly open emporiums in the SIIDCUL industrial areas of Haridwar and Pantnagar", he added. There are five stalls of the UHHDC and its artisans displaying souvenir items, wooden temples, table mats and coaster made from shishal fibre, aipan, natural fibre hat, files, folders, dairy, shawl, loi, aplic garments etc at the Industrial Expo at SIDCUL, Haridwar, that concluded today. Nautiyal said the demand for the traditional Uttarakhandi handicraft was very high as a large number of tourists visit the state. The number of tourist arrivals in the state was 27 million (26.9 million domestic and 0.1 million foreign) in 2010-11. Also there is a significant demand for these products from the hospitality industry, he added. On the purpose of exhibiting in the Industrial Expo, Nautiyal said, "We want to showcase our products to the industry and also create awareness about the local crafts. Artisans make a variety of products, which the industry may use as gifts or souvenirs items, thereby increasing the demand for these products and also generate employment opportunities in the process", he added. In this context, the UHHDC is in discussion with large number of corporate and hotel chains, informed Nautiyal. Crafts usually utility items like doors, windows, rugs, carpets, baskets, copper utensils or the folk art Aipan made by Uttarakhandis have a unique touch of nature in their designs. Owing to the stiff competition faced by these arts and crafts from the modern and cheap machine-made products, the Government of Uttarakhand felt the need to take concrete step for their revival and promotion in order to prevent this precious creativity from fading away. In this regard, the UHHDC, a council constituted by the Government of Uttarakhand, acts as a facilitator to motivate, guide and organize artisans and provide common platforms for direct interactions between creaters and connoisseurs, producers and buyers. Uttarakhand specialises in production of woollen handlooms, cotton handlooms, silk products, products of other natural fibers and also many other innovative combinations. |
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Two from Haridwar nabbed with horns of stags
Dehradun, January 21 The accused have been identified as Bittu and Babblu, residents of Haridwar. The cost of the animal organs are estimated to be Rs 4 lakh. While addressing a press conference, SSP Kewal Khurana said the accused had been involved in this illegal trade for many years. They would sneak into the Rajaji Park from the passage of jungles nearby Luxar in Haridwar and would kill the animals. The accused admitted of killing leopards and elephants. They would collect skins and other body parts of the animals and sell it to the buyers who usually came from Bijnor and Saharanpur. The accused revealed that the stag horns were in demand to manufacture nails in the ships and in powder form as aphrodisiac and cure for other health treatment.
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SP mobilising workers to strengthen base in state
Haridwar, January 21 Presided over by Uttarakhand in charge for the Samajwadi Party Aslam Khan, the convention saw a good turnout of party activists. Aslam Khan in his address urged party workers to eye the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, so as to strengthen the party tally in the general elections. It was imperative for the party to add to the tally, apart from it's stronghold in Uttar Pradesh, he added. “After 2014 general elections, there was every possibility that party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav became the Prime Minister. Samajwadi Party caters to all segments of society.I see good prospects for the party in Uttarakhand. Party workers need to reach out to voters and convey the party manifesto-cum- message,” said Khan. The veteran Samajwadi leader also cited the relations between UP-Uttarakhand and Samajwadi Party, relating the birthplace of Kannauj parliamentarian Dimple Yadav being in Pauri Garhwal. He said that those who wrongly publicise anti-hill state stance of Mulayam Singh Yadav forget that his daughter-in-law hails from Uttarakhand only. Uttarakhand party chief SN Sachan lashed at both Congress and BJP governments in the state for failing to cater to the wide segment of society. “Instead of ushering in development in the hill state, these so- called national parties don’t have concern for the people of the state with development getting affected due to their inner factionalism and love for red beacons,: he alleged. Sachan also remarked that Samajwadi party could well be a decisive third front option as regional outfits like Uttarakhand Kranti Dal and Raksha Morcha have failed to be a strong alternative. Haridwar district chief said that the party had been raising issues related with farmers and minorities, who will be pivotal in increasing the party base in Haridwar. Notably, Samajwadi Party fared poorly in 2009 general elections. It failed to retain Haridwar Lok Sabha constituency, which it's candidate Rajendra Bedi had won in 2004 elections. The party also failed to open it's account in the recent Assembly elections last year, with it's state chief Vinod Barthwal losing from Raipur Assembly segment. Adding to the party woes was the state unit getting divided into two factions with Barthwal being replaced as state chief a few months back. Since then the party was trying to reorganise and restructure it's organisational structure and mass base. |
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Alignment of Tanakpur to Jauljibi road changed
Pithoragarh, January 21 “The PWD has completed the detailed project report of a 72 km stretch on the road. It is working for forest clearing for the road, but in between the Union Home Ministry has called a meeting and asked us to have a survey done for realignment beyond the Tamli area of Champawat district,” said BC Pant, XEN, PWD. Pant said a dam had been proposed beyond the Tamli area, but the road alignment was along the river, the dam alignment would also be disturbed. “This new alignment will be beneficial to villages of Champawat district situated at heights in the Tamli area and did not have road connectivity,” he said. According to PWD sources, if the road is constructed, the 9-hour journey from Tanakpur to Jauljibi would be reduced to only three hours and the distance to one third. “The Union Home Ministry has now sent a letter to the Ministry of Water Resources on the decision. The final information about the exact alignment of the road will be known only after the Water Resources Ministry replies to the letter,” said Pant.
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Pakistan pilgrims may face opposition during Roorkee visit
Haridwar, January 21 As the 744th Urs of Sabir Pak is being organised at Piran Kaliyar, Roorkee, a large number of Pakistani pilgrims come to pay obeisance at this holy shrine. Every year, local people would welcome these pilgrims, spreading the message of communal harmony. However, this time Pakistani pilgrims may have to face opposition with
several outfits opposing their visit. The Bajrang Dal, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and some local outfits have made it clear that they would not allow Pakistani pilgrims to come to Piran Kaliyar, Roorkee. District president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Man Singh said they had already informed Joint Magistrate Sonika Rana about their decision and also submitted a memorandum in this regard. “In the memorandum, we have stated that no Pakistani will be allowed to enter Uttarakhand. We used to welcome them in the past but this time we won’t,” said Man Singh. Bajrang Dal activists also demanded apology from Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar. Naveen Rajput, a VHP activist, condemned the Central Government for not giving a befitting reply to the inhumane act of the Pakistani army. Meanwhile, mela officer BS Budyal said since they had not received any confirmation about the coming of Pakistani pilgrims from the Embassy so far, there was no question of providing them elaborate security cover. As soon as they received information in this regard, they would hold talks with top officials. |
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Mussoorie residents welcome change in housing norms
Mussoorie, January 21 A government order in this regard signed by Secretary, Housing, MH Khan has been sent to the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) directing it to sanction maps even for 30 sq m area. The government decision has provided relief to the lower middle class which is interested in constructing houses but could not do so in the absence of enough vacant space in the town. Senior Congress leader Manmohan Singh Mall hailed the move and said by relaxing the construction norms the government had fulfilled a long-standing demand of the residents of Mussoorie. He thanked the Vijay Bahuguna government for providing relief to the hapless residents who had faced continuous harassment at the hands of various authorities earlier. “The people in the hill region do not have enough space and with this relaxation in the construction norms, they will be able to have a roof over their heads in Mussoorie too as it falls under the jurisdiction of the MDDA,” added Mall. The officials of the MDDA also confirmed that they had received a government order directing them to clear maps for construction of houses in the 30 sq m area.
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SC Nautiyal, Additional Director, Industries, Government of Uttarakhand, and CEO, Uttarakhand Handloom & Handicraft Development Council
(UHHDC), said that in cooperation with the National Institute of Design (NID),
Ahmedabad, the UHHDC is developing new designs as well as marketable products.
