Petroleum university attracts international recruiters
Chairman of Hong Kong-based company opens ‘rig zone’ on UPES campus
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 18
The industry-specific courses being offered by the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES) are not only being recognised and appreciated by the national core sector industry but have also gained attention at the international level.

Multinational and international companies that are scouting for industry-specific trained manpower have started approaching the UPES to recruit students from the campus itself.

Chairman and CEO of Greka Drilling Limited, a Hong Kong-based gas drilling company, Randeep Singh Grewal, accompanied by his team, reached the UPES here today.Director (media affairs) of the university Arun Dhand said: "This company specialises in unconventional gas drilling methodologies and has even developed a new gas drilling technique that has a horizontal geo steered completion technique. This has been patented by it as 'LiFaBriC' methodology."

Conventional techniques either use vertical drilling method or horizontal drilling method. However, by this technique one can drill at any angle. The company is looking for expansion in gas production sector of India and South East Asia regions and is gearing up for starting its operations. For this, the company has been scouting to hire trained engineers and managers from India.

A few former students of the UPES were hired by this company a few years ago and they have been contributing well for the company. This has attracted Greka Drilling to visit the UPES campus to have first-hand look and also conduct the recruitment process over the next two days. This could well be the largest single international recruitment from the campus in the history of the UPES.

Randeep Singh Grewal also inaugurated a “rig zone” on the UPES campus at a function today. This outdoor zone consists of a complete working drilling rig mounted on a truck back and a movable “mud pump” unit. Students of petroleum engineering streams will now be able to physically operate and learn various drilling functions, including mud pump operations, drill bit functions, drill string operations etc. Earlier, students used to visit various ONGC sites for this part of the training.

The UPES has become the first to have its own personal drilling rig. It would not only be deployed to train students but would also be utilised by the UPES R and D team to develop and optimise the time taken in various drilling process and activities.

SSB volunteers to gherao Assembly on March 21
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, March 18
Sahastra Seema Bal (SSB) volunteers from all parts of the state will gherao the state Assembly on March 21 in support of their demand for action on their three-point demand charter.

More than 5,000 trained guerillas will take part in the proposed protest, said Krishna Singh Phirmal, spokesman for the SSB volunteers in the Kumaon region,

“The state and Central governments have been cheating us after we started demanding jobs, pension and compensation for the retired staff 2005 onwards. The state government had promised to give jobs to our cadre through an agency six months ago but had done nothing till now. We have given a call for gheraoing the Assembly to remind the government of its promises,” said Phirmal.

The volunteers, who were drawn into the SSB fold to serve as a civilian force in border villages after the 1962 war with China, are demanding jobs, besides pension to retired personnel and compensation to the members of the families of the volunteers who have died. “Even the Central government has done nothing for the welfare of the SSB volunteers who have served the nation on its borders for 40 years,” said Phirmal. 

Drinking water project cancelled in Pithoragarh
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, March 18
The long-awaited project to tap 12 ml of drinking water from the Aolaghat source has been cancelled by Asian Development Bank (ADB) due to a shortage of water in the source. This can lead to an acute water shortage in Pithoragarh in the coming years.

The Peyjal Nigam is now preparing to have new project for tapping 6 ml of water from that source, Nigam sources said.

“On the instance of the state government, the 12 ml drinking water scheme has not been included in the list of those 12 projects which were included in the trench-3 projects before the bank,” said a BJP source.

Pithoragarh Jal Nigam sources have also confirmed the news that due to a shortage of water at the proposed place, the scheme was reduced to the capacity of 6 ml from 12 ml of water after an inspection by a bank team. “The process delayed it from being included in the trench-3 projects of the state which have been approved by the bank,” said KC Joshi, an engineer with the Pithoragarh Peyjal Nigam.

“We have now prepared a scheme to tap 6 ml of water from Aolaghat and the remaining 6 ml from the present ghat scheme to fulfil the quota of the town and surrounding villages,” said Joshi.

The BJP source said their government had approved a drinking water scheme for the town which had capacity to lift 35ml of water from the Saryu river. However, he said due to political reasons, the present Congress government had cancelled that scheme. “The scheme we have approved for finance from Asian Development Bank was sufficient for the drinking water need of the town for next 30 years,” said Prakash Pant, former BJP MLA.

“As the state government has unlisted the drinking water scheme made by the former BJP government for Pithoragarh, the new scheme will have to cross the hurdles of inspection by the ADB team, which will consume another five or six years,” said Pant.

Pant: Land sale to builders deprived youth of jobs
Our correspondent

Pithoragarh, March 18
BJP leader and former Cabinet Minister Prakash Pant has alleged that by selling precious land to builders at Haridwar and Pantnagar, Uttarakhand government has deprived one lakh youths of the state of getting employment through industrial use of this land. This land, he said, would have invited Rs 1,000 crore investment from the industrialists, enabling employment for more than1 lakh youths of the state.

“Besides, the industries set up on this land would have given a regular Rs 100 crore annual revenue to the state exchequer,” said Pant.

Talking to mediapersons during his brief stay at Kashipur, the former minister said that the builders had earned a sum of Rs 350 crore, out of 23 acres sold by the government at Haridwar to three builders, while the 21 acres of land sold by it to Delhi builders at Pantnagar fetched a sum of Rs 250 crore. “It has been done on the personal orders of the Chief Minister as, according to law, land use of industrial land cannot be changed without the permission of the Cabinet,” said the BJP leader. 

Laudable social work by NGO
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, March 18
Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan, a social organisation, has been involved in bringing a social change by taking part in various social activities.

Be it reformation-rehabilitation of prisoners, employment training programmes for visually impaired and handicapped, anti-drug programme for addicts, cow conservation and generating health awareness by yoga, Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan members have been involved in a wide array of such social works.

Now the institution has made available in the market the products made by prisoners of Tihar and other district prisons. More than 5000 people have been involved in this mega social project across different states by the Divya Jyoti volunteers. Products made by challenged persons are also being marketed at affordable cost.

Ashutosh Maharaj, founder of Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (DJJS), said:" We can’t reform prisoners by only punishment. We have to make them realise their crime and by engaging them in positive activities."

The revered spiritual guru said that a major chunk of these products - soaps, dental creams, herbal colours, incense sticks, candles etc were being made by Tihar Jail inmates with special training provided by the DJJS.

To spread spiritual-religious awareness, a five-day Shri Hari Katha, religious sermon, is also being organised at Kankhal-based Bohadiya Vala Thalla, Krishna Nagar.

Along side the religious sermon venue, stalls of products made by prisoners and visually handicapped people will be put up. A major portion of the profit will go for the rehabilitation and reformation of prisoners and handicapped persons.

Cong workers burn BJP’s effigy in Mussoorie
Our Correspondent

Mussoorie, March 18
Congress workers held a protest and burnt an effigy of the BJP near Shaheed Sthal in Mussoorie today. They raised slogans against the BJP for disrupting the proceedings of the ongoing Assembly session in Dehradun.

The Congress workers gathered near Shaheed Sthal at Jhoola Ghar and shouted slogans against the BJP and burnt its effigy. They lambasted the Opposition for disrupting the Assembly proceedings on the issue of the sale of land at SIDCUL at Haridwar and Pantnagar.

President of the Women Congress in Mussoorie Geeta Kumain said after the Bhatti commission submitted its report on corrupt practices of the previous BJP governments the Opposition out of fear had been trying to divert the attention of the people from the issue. “The Bhatti panel report highlighting irregularities committed during the BJP rule is scheduled to be tabled in the Assembly,” she added.

Mussoorie Congress unit secretary Javed Khan said by disrupting the Budget session the BJP had shown its true colours and had proved that it was anti-people as several development issues were lined up for discussion during the session. The president of the Mussoorie Congress unit, Bhagwan Singh Dhanai, Jasvir Kaur, Subhashni Bartwal, Sunil Panwar and others were also present on the occasion. 

Prof JB Auden lecture at Wadia institute
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 18
Prof JB Auden Memorial Lecture was organised in the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology here today. On this occasion, Prof Anil K Gupta, Director, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, gave a brief history about Professor Auden and his work in the Krol-Tal belt and in the other Himalayan regions.

Professor Gupta also introduced chief guest and speaker of the lecture Prof Mrinal K. Sen, Director, National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, who is also a Professor at the University of Texas at the Austin Institute for Geophysics.

Professor Sen is well-known for his work on global optimisation methods for geophysical inversion. He delivered his lecture on "Geophysical investigation of impact craters." He gave a detailed analysis of craters and their impact.

He also gave the example of two impact craters such as Shiva, Chicxulub and Boltysh depressions and said they were among the most productive hydrocarbon sites on the earth.

He said Donofrio, 1998, recorded 17 confirmed impact structures occurring in petroliferous areas of North America, nine of which were being exploited for commercial hydrocarbons.

A vote of thanks was presented by Dr V C Tiwari, a senior scientist of the Wadia institute. On this occasion, all scientists and other staff of the institute were present. Among various dignitaries were Dr RC Jain of Central Ground Water Board, Dr Biyani of DBS College, Prof Yudbir Singh, Dr PC Srivastava and Dr VC Thakur former Director of the institute.

BJP seeks CBI inquiry into land sale in SIDCUL 
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 18
The Uttarakhand BJP today submitted a memorandum to Aziz Qureshi, demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged sale of land in SIDCUL to businessmen at a throwaway price and disbanding the Bhatti inquiry commission.

The delegation was led by Leader of the Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly Ajay Bhatt, former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, former BJP president BS Chuphal and president of BJP Tirath Singh Rawat.

“The CBI inquiry should be initiated to find out under whose behest the sale of land took place at SIDCUL, Haridwar and Pantnagar and other places,” said Bhatt. They also charged that the Bhatti commission had not been formed according to the norms and the Governor should immediately intervene in the matter.

"The commission has been formed in full violation of the Inquiry Commission Act 1952 (Section B) as under this section the accused person should be summoned for hearing," said Ajay Bhatt.

The leaders demanded that Harak Singh Rawat should be removed from the post of chairman of the Tarai Evam Beej Vikas Niyam Ltd as this appointment was illegal.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Ravinder Jugran has said that instead of settling political scores, both the BJP and the Congress should work in the interest of the state. "I urge the Congress government to set up a commission of inquiry to ascertain whether politicians and bureaucrats from the state had any relationship with the slain liquor baron king Ponty Chadda," said Jugran. 

UKD pays tributes to ‘Himalaya Putra’
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, March 18
Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna was paid tributes on his 24th death anniversary here yesterday.

Members of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) in a meeting highlighted the contributions of the veteran leader, who was known as ‘Himalaya Putra’.

UKD (labour cell) central secretary Uday Ram Semwal said born in Bughani village of Pauri Garhwal, HN Bahuguna rose to national fame owing to his contribution as a freedom fighter and later due to his political acumen.

Semwal said during Bahuguna's tenures as Union Tele Communication Minister (1971), Union Petroleum Minister (1977) and Union Finance Minister (1979) during the Chaudhary Charan Singh government, he had carried out mass development works across the country.

"The inter-linking of rivers was an idea of HN Bahuguna as was the creation of a separate hill council for the development of all hill states. Initially, he was close to Indira Gandhi but due to some differences, he gave up his Lok Sabha membership in 1981 and got re-elected from Pauri Garhwal parliamentary constituency again, which is the only such instance in the history of Indian Parliament," said Semwal.

Talking about Bahuguna's role as a UP premier, UKD youth wing chief Lalit Mamgain said be it curbing the police-PAC internal revolt and power crisis or leading the Congress to Assembly victory, Bahuguna had his stamp all over the Cabinet decisions.

UKD withdraws support from state govt
Says Congress has failed to address its issues
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 18
The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) has withdrawn support from the state government. Party president Trivender Singh Panwar went with a delegation of the party leaders and submitted a letter in this regard to personal secretary to the Governor Vipin Nautiyal in his absence.

Party spokesperson Shailash Guleri said the Congress failed to address most of the issues, which the party president had put up before Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna at a meeting held in the first week of March. He said, “The Chief Minister had assured positive action on the issues put forth up by the UKD. In response to the issues, the UKD got a letter from senior Congress leader Vijay Pal Singh Sajwan and not from the Chief Minister on March 14, clarifying their party’s stand on some of the prominent issues.” He said Sajwan in the letter said the issues such as permanent residence and reservation in promotions had been pending in the high court; so the state government would have to wait for the verdict of the high court in these matters. On the issue of Gairsain, he said Sajwan wrote that the party was building the Vidhan Sabha building for the holistic development of the hill region.

Panwar said, “The Congress did not respect the sentiments of the UKD or incorporated party demands in their priority list. All our demands remain unfulfilled. Not only this, the Congress never consulted us before taking any decision. Despite being an alliance partner, we always felt like an outsider.”

He said they gave the Congress one last opportunity to save the alliance but they did not show willingness in this direction and took them for granted by sending a letter which did not address any of their concerns seriously.

Party general secretary Shanti Bhatt said the separation of alliance partner would show the Congress in a poor light before their central leadership. The message would also go out in the entire state that the Congress could not take care of one alliance party. 

Party heading for another split
Seema Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 18
President of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) Trivender Singh Panwar has triggered a fresh crisis in the party by submitting a letter of withdrawal of support to the state government without taking senior leaders into confidence.

Neither party vice-president AP Juyal nor founder president Kashi Singh Aeri and leaders of the second rung such as general secretary Shanti Bhatt and Shish Pal Singh and president of the women's wing Promila Rawat were informed about it.

With this move, the party seems to be heading for another split after the previous break-up with Diwakar Bhatt, former state minister and party president, in 2010.

The party delegation also did not take an appointment with the Governor and submited the letter to his personal secretary, as he was not there.

Kashi Singh Aeri has termed Panwar’s step as unconstitutional and unprecedented in the party history. He said: "Party leaders had talked to Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna over their issues earlier this month. They must have discussed Bahuguna’s response over those issues and taken decision to either continue or withdraw support first at a meeting of the core committee and then the central committee. However, Panwar took a unilateral decision.”

Aeri said he would soon call a meeting of the core and working committees and take decision to oust Panwar from the party.

Party MLA and state minister Preetam Singh Panwar said: “The party president cannot submit the letter of withdrawal to the state government on his own. As an MLA of the party, if it is submitted by me, only then it would be considered withdrawal and I have no intention to do so now.”

He said the party president had been talking of withdrawal during canvassing for the Assembly elections and many other occasions without consulting him.

Promila Rawat said most of the party leaders were unhappy with the decision for which they were not consulted. She said the party had already seen many splits and further bifurcation would make it more weak.

Former founder president of the UKD, who is now president of the UJKD, BD Raturi said this was the right time for the disgruntled elements to join their party and strengthen the regional party once again.

He called for a change in the UKD’s leadership and said nothing could save the party from another split.

Govt has nothing to hide on SIDCUL land deals: Aggarwal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March 18
The Congress-led state government has nothing to hide on the land deals at SIDCUL in Haridwar and Pantnagar. It is willing to discuss the issue in the state Assembly but the BJP legislators are bent upon creating a ruckus in the Assembly and are trying to subvert democracy, said Sports and Planning Minister Dinesh Aggarwal. He was participating in a protest organized by the Congress here today in protest against the alleged fascist and undemocratic character of the BJP. The Congress workers held similar protests at the district and block levels all over the state and burnt effigies of the BJP.

Uttarakhand Congress president Yashpal Arya had given the call for the “Save Democracy” protest. The Congress alleged that the BJP legislators were trying to falsely implicate the state government in the SIDCUL land deals and stalling the proceedings of the Budget session of the Assembly.

A large number of Congress workers today gathered at Congress Bhawan, marched to Ashtley Hall Chowk and burnt an effigy of the BJP. Besides Dinesh Aggarwal, Uttarakhand Congress vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana, general secretary Vijay Sarswat, Congress legislator Rajkumar and other senior party leaders Devender Sethi, Lal Chand Sharma, Vivekanand Khanduri, Arun Balmiki, Sumer Chand Ravi and Din Mohammad participated in the protest.

The Congress workers raised slogans against the BJP.

The BJP has alleged irregularities in the sale of industrial land at SIDCUL in Haridwar and Pantnagar. On the other hand, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has claimed that the entire deal was done in a transparent manner through the open tendering process. He has even dared the BJP to bring buyers willing to pay Rs 400 crore and he will scrap the earlier deal. However, BJP leaders are adamant on their demand for a CBI inquiry into the land deal.

(Related story and photo on page 4)

BJP deliberately creating hurdles: Harish Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, March 18
With BJP leaders creating a ruckus over the Bhatti Commission report, which is to be tabled in the Assembly, Union Minister for Water Resources Harish Rawat today accused the BJP of trying to disrupt the proceedings as the report will expose the party's involvement in numerous scams.

Speaking on the sidelines of a party workers' convention, Harish Rawat asked: "If the previous governments led by the BJP have done nothing wrong, why is the party worried about the tabling of the report."

Meanwhile, the Union minister shed light on the efforts being made to increase the Haj quota for Muslims residing in Uttarakhand. He said a meeting in this regard was recently organised with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid while another round of talks would be held soon to confirm the quota increase.