Ramdev to go ahead with project's opening ceremony in HP on Feb 27
Says will back off if invested money is returned to Patanjali trust
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, February 21
Despite Himachal Pradesh state government cancelling the Sadhupil/Solan-based 96-acre land deed given for 99 years lease to Patanjali Yogpeeth, Swami Ramdev today made it clear that he will go ahead with the inauguration ceremony of this project to be held on February 27.

Yog guru Swami Ramdev made it clear that he had not received any notice or communiqué from the government or any authority. He had only read about the matter in the press.

He added further that if any legal notice was served, then he will be giving a befitting reply via legal course only, and if necessary, will initiate a mass movement with the help of people of Himachal Pradesh, who eventually will benefit from this mega social project.

Yog guru Swami Ramdev pointed out that till date Rs 11 crore expenditure had been spent on the Jadi Buti Krishi Prashikshan Anusandhan Sansthan at Sadhupul, Solan, in Himachal Pradesh in the past two years since the deal had taken place.

He said that he would only back off from this project if Himachal Pradesh government gave back the invested Rs 11 crore amount with interest to Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust, as they were invited to open the health project in Solan.

Lashing out at the Congress government, Swami Ramdev said that the decision was politically motivated while his project was socially oriented, and at the centre poor patients would be treated free of cost, while farmers will be given training for maximum output.

Acharya Balkrishan, Managing Director of Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust, termed the ongoing land deal's cancellation as "purely politically motivated."

Balkrishan said that for the past two years the sailing was smooth. But suddenly with the change in the state regime, the authorities were finding faults in the project.

"The Solan project is a social one, catering for society, and that, too largely for the poor and farmers. But after spending Rs 11 crore we are getting this treatment, which is condemnable," said Balkrishan.

Showing the consent letters of 40 gram panchayts of tehsil Kandaghat, Solan, which had approved the project by submitting an NOC, Balkrishan alleged that a certain political party was trying to obstruct the launching of this social project and putting obstacles on the way of Swami Ramdev's venture.

Notably, the Solan project's first phase had got completed and was scheduled to be inaugurated on February 27. This phase comprises medical department wing spread in 1300 sq metres area, a free OPD, yoga auditorium, medicine laboratory, jadi booti herbal training and retail centre, yagyashala and a parking lot.

A similar project is being made in Jharkhand state, which is on the lines of Patanjali Yogpeeth-based ashram in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.

Supporters of CM, Arya in Kumaon disappointed
Feel Rawat loyalists cementing base among masses 
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, February 21
Congress workers aligned to party president Yashpal Arya and Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna are a bit disappointed in the Kumaon region as the workers belonging to Harish Rawat are active in making their base in the region.

Political analysts have said that by carrying out a two-day thanks-giving rally of this initiative on making Gairsain as permanent capital of state, Rawat-loyalist Govind Singh Kunjwal had tried to snatch the issue from the Bahuguna camp for giving its credit to the Rawat camp.

“What Kunjwal was doing in the last two days by holding a thanks-giving rally in the Almora constituency was his private programme and it had nothing with the party schedule,” said Mahendra Singh Lunthi, district president of the Congress in Pithoragarh.

According to Lunthi, the proposal of making Gairsain as permanent capital was flouted by Satpal Maharaj and supported by Yashpal Arya and announced by Vijay Bahuguna. Thus the credit to make Gairsain as capital goes to the Vijay Bahuguna government. “We will soon carry a campaign to tell the people in Almora parliamentary constituency that Bahuguna government has done the hill region proud by announcing Gairsain as the permanent capital of the state,” said Lunthi.

Rawat loyalists have continued to draw attention of the masses in the region right from the day the government came into power, and Bahuguna was sworn in as Chief Minister of the state reportedly due to good liaison with the party high command. “We ensured elevation of Rawatji as Cabinet Minister in the Union Cabinet with the high command's will, as it was acceptable to all party workers,” said a Rawat loyalist in Almora.

Before this recent thanks-giving rally by Rawat loyalists led by Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, the Rawat loyalists drew the attention of the masses in the region when Kapkot MLA Lalit Farswan succeeded in freeing his party workers from the clutches of SC/ST Act despite the PWD workers supported by other workers' unions demanded imposing of the Act on these workers who were reportedly manhandled a Dalit engineer last month in Kapkot.

According to close watchers of regional politics in Kumaon, the Rawat group within the Congress has become vocal after he was denied the Chief Minister's post in the state. “The revolt by Rawat loyalists after their leader could not make it to the CM’s post is still haunting the decisions of Vijay Bahuguna as after elevating Rawat loyalists from Kumaon as ministers, the Chief Minister recently elevated second generation of Rawat loyalists to the posts of administrator of cooperative banks, in which the Arya and Bahuguna supporters were almost in negligible numbers,” said LL Verma, a retired professor of political science from Kumaon University.

Yashpal supporters, on the other hand, are a bit disappointed as despite being assured by the Congress Minister, they could not get any lucrative public post after the government came into power. “We have spent our precious time and money with the party chief to make him a successful party president in the region as he was being opposed by another group in the party. But after he came into power, he became only skin-deep supporters of his workers and changed his former behaviour with his fellow workers, who were with him during his days of struggle,” said Fakir Ram Gwasikoti, a Yashpal Arya loyalist in Pithoragarh. 

Ajay Bhatt takes on Kunjwal
Tribune News Service

Govind Singh Kunjwal

Dehradun, January 20
Leader of the Opposition Ajay Bhatt has raised strong objections to the manner in which Speaker of the state Assembly Govind Singh Kunjwal has been freely attending political programmes being held in his honour by the Congress, unmindful of his constitutional post.

Recently, Congress leaders felicitated Kunjwal after the completion of the yatra held from Bagnath to Jagnath. “The post occupied by Kunjwal does not merit that he participate in political functions. But the opposite is happening. During the yatra, the Speaker was accompanied by party workers carrying party flags,” he said.

He alleged that with an eye on the 2014 elections, the Congress is trying to use the office of the Speaker to promote its political agenda.

Work on Bahuguna’s ancestral home begins

Dehradun, February 21
Work on making the ancestral home of the late Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna at Budhani in Pauri into a heritage museum has started.

Pauri District Magistrate Chandresh Kumar has been given directions to monitor the work. Additional Secretary Dilip Jawalkar said this work would be done on a priority basis. The DM said the work would be done on the basis of geotechnical investigation technique.

On February 5, tenders were invited but no firm matched the norms required. On February 11, tenders were invited again.The building will be rebuilt and restored according to its original form. — TNS

Friction within Cong on Gairsain issue to the fore
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 21
The friction within the ruling Congress on the issue of declaring Gairsain in Chamoli district as permanent capital of the state came to the fore following advise by Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna to senior Congress leaders not to cross the party line on the issue.

Bahuguna was reacting to a statement by Almora Congess MP Pradeep Tamta, a loyalist of Harish Rawat, who has stated that Gairsain be declared as permanent capital of the state and there was no logic in building two Assembly buildings at Gairsain and Dehradun.

Bahuguna said Congress leaders should refrain from making controversial statements and should not cross the party line on the issue. He said the Assembly building and all related infrastructure would be built at Gairsain and another Assembly building would be built in Dehradun. The foundation stone of both these buildings had been laid last month.

He said the state government did not have the money to built a new permanent capital of the state and a decision in this regard had not been taken yet. “The state need Rs 60,000 to Rs 65,000 crore for the new capital. We don't have that money at present,” he said.

Interestingly, state Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, along with other Harish Rawat loyalist from the Kumaon region, took out an “Abhaar rally” for making Gairsain as the permanent capital of the state.

Kunjwal and Pardeep Tamta who led the yatra had vowed to make Gairsain as permanent capital.

This has annoyed Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna since the issue is a politically sensitive matter.

Bahuguna, by laying the foundation stone of two Assembly buildings at Gairsain and Dehradun, had tried to do a balancing act with the people of the hills as well as those residing in the plains.

However, the Harish Rawat loyalist, led by Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal, has led the campaign for Gairsain making it difficult for Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna.

Dhirendra Pratap, a spokesperson for the Uttarakhand Congress, in a statement supported the Chief Minister.

He said the statement by Pradeep Tamta was his personal opinion keeping in mind the sentiments of the statehood agitators.

However, he said such statements created confusion and Congress leaders should refrain from making such statements.

Legislation must for children in conflict with law: Child rights activist
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 21
Child rights campaigner and founder of Bachpan Andolan Kailash Satyarthi today said that in the aftermath of the Delhi gang-rape case, the clamour for revising the age of responsibility for juveniles from 18 to 16 was unjustified as the state had miserably failed to make provision for the rehabilitation and reform of children, who are in conflict with law, and even provide protection to the children who were victimised due to their vulnerability.

Speaking with The Tribune today, Kailash said that the state had failed in it’s duty to provide specialised care for children who are in conflict with the law by setting up proper observation homes backed by psychologists. “It would be retrograde step if the criminal responsibility age was again reduced to 16 years. Instead, focus should be on reform and rehabilitation of the juveniles by setting up homes. Either there is no provision for such homes in many parts of the country. In case these exist, they are not conducive for children,” he said.

He came on hard on the government’s apathy to make provisions to provide institutional care for children, who are victims of trafficking and need adequate protection. “There are no homes for children where they could get shelter and then learn skills for leading a life of dignity,” said Kailash.

Kailash said that Justice Verma Commission report had provided an excellent opportunity to include provisions of defining and criminalising trafficking, slavery, forced labour and other forms of sexual exploitation punishable under Sections 370 and 370-A of Indian Penal Code.

“We should not lose a historic opportunity that has come before us by focusing only on strong anti-rape laws and fail to enforce law on child trafficking. This would be a big deterrent in curbing crime against children,” said Kailash.

Though an anti-rape ordinance has been issued after Justice JS Verma submitted a report on legal measures to strengthen anti-rape laws, it is now being vetted by the select committee and has to be passed by Parliament.

Kailash Satyarthi stressed that it is high time to include trafficking in the penal code.

35 attend programme on housekeeping
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 21
The 15-day Housekeeping Training Programme for Forest Department officials under eco-tourism concluded at the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Dehradun, today.

Handing over the certificates to the participants, Chief Conservative of Forest (Eco-tourism) Rajiv Bhartri said the programme was aimed to provide knowledge of all housekeeping aspects to participants which included the topics like bed-making, personal hygiene and grooming, room and bathroom cleaning, pest control, flower arrangement and horticulture.

In all, 35 participants were awarded the certificates of participation on the completion of the training. The participants came from various forest ranges, including Lansdown, Corbett, Rajaji, Haldwani and Kaulagarh. Priya Singh and Siddharth Bhatia were programme coordinators. Principal, IHM, Dehradun, Sanjay K. Thakur was also present.

Cong govt insensitive to people’s problems: BJP
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh February 21
“The Congress-led government in the state has been insensitive towards people’s problems. It is being run by the bureaucracy while ministers are enjoying foreign trips,” alleged Tirath Singh Rawat, newly appointed Uttarakhand BJP chief, during his first visit to the Kumaon region.

Rawat, while speaking to mediapersons at Haldwani, said the Congress-led government was totally insensitive to the people’s problems. It had not only failed to resolve the problems being faced by the disaster-affected people of Uttarkashi but also failed to improve the law and order situation in the state. The Chief Minister, who had assured the disaster-affected people of Uttarkashi that he would get concrete houses constructed to rehabilitate them, had not even allotted temporary houses to them outside the seismic zone, Rawat said.

Asked about the Congress initiative to make Gairsain the permanent capital of the state, Rawat said the party was playing politics on the issue. It had never been serious bout making Gairsain the permanent capital of the state. “The Congress is befooling the people only to fare well in the coming parliamentary elections. It has been exposed before the people of the state,” he said.

Rawat told the party workers before the press conference to remain united to win the local bodies, panchayat and parliamentary elections. “We have won the Tehri Lok Sabha election and we will have to stay united to win all five Lok Sabha seats,” he said.

Training workshop on child rights
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 21
Ajay Setia, Chairman of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, today said that the government and police officers who had been appointed to head the various child welfare committees continued to be in the dark about their duties and laws framed to protect the rights of children.

Speaking today at the training workshop on child rights organised for chief medical officers, child welfare officers, social welfare officers and members of juvenile justice board, Setia said that lack of adequate knowledge was proving a big hindrance in the protection of rights of children.

“During my tour of the state, I found the officers ill-equipped to handle cases where there was infringement of child rights and felt the need to organise a workshop,” said Setia. The founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan Kailash Satyarthi informed the participants about the need to protect the vulnerable and how the child rights movement came about.

Besides, the Director of Parvartiya Bal Manch Aditi Preet Kaur said the emergency 1098 childline would be extended in all the districts of the state. It is now active in Dehradun, Haridwar and Nainital. 

Red alert in Uttarakhand
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 21
While taking precautionary measures in the wake of Hyderabad blasts, the state police has sounded a red alert all over. Teams of dog squads and bomb squads carried random checks at various spots in the city.

Police teams are keeping a strict vigil on border areas and sensitive pockets of the city. Private vehicles and public transport ones were being checked. Large police presence on roads could be seen.