|
|
|
|
|
Big cracks in Kedarnath shrine; sanctum sanctorum fine: ASI
Uttarakhand the challenge ahead |
|
|
|
Call for ‘kar seva’ in Kedarnath
Refrain from anti-dam talk, advice against tree felling, CM tells NGOs
Chief Minister Vijay Bhauguna chairs a meeting of NGOs at the Secretariat in Dehradun on Tuesday about helping the disaster-affected people. A Tribune photo
RLEK volunteers distribute relief material
Need to conserve Himalayas stressed
Participants at a workshop on "Technological Intervention in Mountain Eco-systems" organised by the Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation
(HESCO) at FRI in Dehradun on Tuesday. A Tribune photo
Forest officials’ training on disaster preparedness
SP workers protest in front of DM office
Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail discussed
Qureshi visits Uttarkashi areas
|
|
Big cracks in Kedarnath shrine; sanctum sanctorum fine: ASI
Dehradun, July 16 "Unless the problem of accessibility is solved, the archaeologists cannot start the restoration and renovation work in the immediate future. The eastern gate near the mandap has suffered extensive damage. After being hit by boulders that came with the gushing river water, the granite stones have been completely removed. While towards the western gate of the mandap (hall) at a few places stones have been dislodged," said Atul Bhargava, Superintendent Archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India, Dehradun circle, who had submitted a preliminary report to the DG, ASI
(New Delhi). Huge cracks have developed in some places in the Kedarnath shrine, which faced the fury of last month's floods, although the sanctum sanctorum has escaped damage, according to the preliminary assessment of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). This would be followed by an in-depth assessment by an advance team which was yet to visit the site. "We have presented a detailed report on the conservation and restoration work to be undertaken at the temple to the Director General, Archaeology. The ASI would carry out the restoration and conservation work. The other agencies would have to take measures to divert the channels that have erupted and could pose a danger to the temple," said Atul Bhargava. Bhargava, who was earlier involved in removal and transfer of a temple from the Sardar Sarovar dam project, said: ''This temple was transplanted as the river posed a danger to its longevity. We had used the transplant and salvage archaeology to transplant the temple to some other place. But this technology is not suitable for Kedarnath Temple. It cannot be transplanted. We will use only conservation and restoration methods to preserve the temple," said Bhargava. He said Ishan Temple located in the north-east direction had been completely wiped out and there were moraine deposits that had accumulated inside the temple precincts. ''Around 2-3 feet of deposits of moraine lie inside the temple, which have to be carefully removed,'' said
Bhargava. Though Kedarnath Temple is not an ASI protected temple, in 2012 Bhargava and his team of archaeologists at the invitation of Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee had surveyed the temple and had found deep cracks in the foundation of the
mandap. |
||
|
Uttarakhand the challenge ahead
Pithoragarh, July 16 Dr Shekhar Pathak is a teacher known for his travels in the entire Himalayan region for the past four decades. He has also been bringing out a magazine called “Pahad” to highlight the society, life and travails of the people of the Himalayan region. He is agrieved that right from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, all states have violated the sensitive nature of this newest mountain of the world, which is still growing. “The construction of heavy structures in the Himalayan region has destroyed the traditional economy of the region. This has resulted in the reduction of agricultural land in the upper Himalayan region to a mere 4 per cent. As a result, the lives of the people have been affected. In Uttarakhand, people of Dharchula, Munsiyari and Kapkot in the Kumoan region and of Dasauli, Mori Bhatwari and Purola blocks in Uttarkashi district have lost their livelihoods and have been forced to migrate. On the contrary, local economies which are Himalaya-friendly should have been strengthened,” said Dr Pathak. “We will have to keep the changing trends of weather in the Himalayan region in mind also when setting the goals of long-time settlements in the region,” said Dr Pathak. He said the Kedarnath incident occurred due to heavy rains and cloudbursts in June. It was a first in the past 200 years. All such incidents have previously occurred in the months of July to September during the monsoon period. Dr Pathak said what the colonial rulers started doing in the Himalayas was intensified after Independence and multiplied in the last 25 years after the Indo-China war. Elaborating, he said the traditional method of road construction — in which every cut was filled and drainage was essential for every road — was abandoned. “This old system of heeling the natural wounds caused by road construction was replaced by the more destructive use of dynamites in road constructions. And using even river banks for large-scale constructions have led to massive landslides and destructions on river banks,” he said. The imitation of the construction models of plains would not do in the Himalayas, he said. “In last 210 years, earthquakes and landslides have devastated the region severely. The natural disasters tried to caution the authorities to understand the nature of the mountains,” said Dr Pathak. Dr Pathak cited the example of the nearly 8 Richter scale earthquakes in Garhwal in 1803 in which 80 per cent of the then Srinagar was demolished. He also narrated the disasters of 1857, 1864,1880,1893 and 1894 in which Himalayan glaciers busted and brought destruction on the settlements downwards. “Even after 1970, the massive landslides at Tawaghat, Ukhimath, Karmi Faloriagar and La Jhekla, before Kedarnath have reminded us of our interference in the nature of Himalayas,” said Dr Pathak. “The developmental model of the Himalayan region cannot be based on what is prevalent in Gurgaon. The Himalaya does not obey the chief minister, planning commission or any other authority and wants to be respected in terms of forests, rivers and its rivers beds. It has reacted sharply against the hydro-schemes this time and destroyed projects — right from those on rivers Dhauliganga to Pindar and Alaknanda rivers. It has cautioned that any interference must be immediately stopped,” said Dr Pathak. He said the government should be cautious regarding the construction of big dams in the Himalayan region and should not disturb the flow of the Himalayan rivers. The latest research in science should be used in the conservation of the Himalayan ecology. “ Every Himalayan state has seen results of high interference into the fragile ecology of Himalaya. Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Nepal and Bhutan have also seen devastating earthquakes and landslides in the past,” said Dr Pathak. Dr Pathak, who has criss-crossed the entire Himalayan region, said following the recent disaster, geologists have warned that a massive earthquake in the Himalayas is due in the near future. “The geologists have warned that the energy beneath the Himalayan region due to the tectonic activity of pressure on the Tibetan plate, over the last 200 years, has not been released till date and it might burst into a 8 Richter earthquake any time,” said Dr Pathak. He added the rulers in Lucknow were much more sensitive towards the Himalayan region that the present-day rulers of Uttarakhand who claim to hail from the hills. “After the formation of the separate state of Uttarakhand, the respective governments have never exchanged dialogues with geologists and environmental scientists. Neither have we taken the services of experts on Himalayan geology nor developed an autonomous scientific temper in the state,” said Dr Pathak. Dr Pathak said every decision taken for the development of the state should have a direct link with the welfare of people of the Himalayas rather than to help increase the per capita income of the industrial community. WHAT TO DO
|
||
|
Call for ‘kar seva’ in Kedarnath
Haridwar, July 16 He said the government should carry out relief and rescue operations, including providing basic facilities and shelter to the victims, speedily, and people should also help in restoring normalcy in the affected areas. MLA Madan Kaushik alleged that the state government had delayed the process to assess the actual damage in Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Srinagar (Garhwal), which had aggravated the woes of the stranded people. Kaushik accused Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna of delaying rescue works and said the services of the Army, Air Force and ITBP personnel were requisitioned too late. He said earlier, small choppers were pressed into service to rescue stranded pilgrims, which could evacuate only 4-6 persons at one time, whereas the number of stranded pilgrims was nearly 1 lakh. The state government should have urged the IAF to use big aircraft, which were later used during Surya Hope. Meanwhile, Haridwar Mayor Manoj Garg prayed for the peace of the departed souls and appreciated the efforts of the people of Haridwar in providing
relief material and accommodation to the rescued pilgrims. Divisional chief of the BJP Vikas Tiwari said the entire nation was with Uttarakhand in this hour of crisis.
|
||
|
Refrain from anti-dam talk, advice against tree felling, CM tells NGOs
Dehradun, July 16 The Chief Minister at a meeting with the representatives of the NGOs urged them to work in tandem with the respective District Magistrates for providing relief. “It seems the government has not learnt its lesson from the unfolding tragedy. To ask NGOs not to launch crusades against the degradation of environment is a bit too much. Besides raising concerns about the day-to-day issues, the NGOs have been working in the disaster-hit areas. The government reached very late but most of us were already working among the people,” said S. David, a representative of an NGO. The NGOs pointed out that the government failed to harness their collective power, which it could have used to distribute ration straight to the villagers. “For days the ration remained stacked at one particular place waiting to be dispatched,” said David. However, after the meeting the Chief Minister told waiting mediapersons that “I met representatives of several NGOs and tried to understand from them the ground situation of the relief work under way. All of them agreed that relief was reaching every affected person,” said the Chief Minister. |
||
|
RLEK volunteers distribute relief material
Dehradun, July 16 This area is cut off from the rest of the state as all roads and bridges have been washed away. The RLEK, in collaboration with the Nora Solomon Foundation and Baptist Church Trust Foundation, Delhi, distributed relief material worth Rs 15 lakh which included iron sheets and tarpaulins to make temporary houses, blankets, umbrellas, raincoats, torches, utensils, soap and other necessary rations. The team members braved their way through extremely difficult terrain for over 10 days to make sure that the relief reached the villagers. “More relief material shall soon be sent to areas in Uttarkashi districts as soon as it is arranged,” said Avadhash Kaushal, chairperson, RLEK. He said it was very necessary that the government should established grain banks in each nyaya panchayat as it played an important role in providing food security as well as be of great help in times of calamity and disasters. The RLEK, along with Peter Tower and Nalini, is chalking out a long-term plan for the relief and rehabilitation of the affected villages. Arvind Sharma, Umar Khan, Narendra Tripathi, Rekha Dhyani, Gurkirrat, Jyoti Siddhant, Meenal Chaoudhary, Mukta Jangir, Namita Fageria and Swati were in the team that distributed relief material.
|
||
|
Need to conserve Himalayas stressed
Dehradun, July 16 He lauded TIME for its efforts in improving the livelihood opportunities for people through Himalayan friendly initiatives in the past. Joshi said he was very hopeful that TIME will continue to work for the Himalayan region and its people. In charge, TIME, Sunil Agarwal, spoke at length about Science and Technology Department, asserting that the department was committed to conservation of Himalayas and creating livelihood opportunities for the people. Another speaker Vineeta Sharma called for sincere efforts from scientists to safeguard Himalayas. She said it was everyone's collective responsibility to save Himalayas as the latter had always given life to this country. Over 60 scientists from the country are participating in the three-day workshop.
|
||
|
Forest officials’ training on disaster preparedness
Dehradun, July 16 Entitled, "Role of Forestry Sector in Disaster Management", the training programme is aimed to make the officials of the Forest Department aware of the extent of damage caused by disasters in the country. Issues to be taken up at the programme include reasons for the occurrence of the disaster, steps that can be taken to prevent or minimise the losses due to disaster by the use of various GIS tools and developing a strong network with other departments of the government and joint forest managment communities so that massive disasters could be controlled and effective mitigation steps taken as follow-up. Faculties from institutes like the Forest Survey of India, National Institute of Hydrology,
Roorkee, and Wildlife Institute of India will deliver lectures at the training
programme. Inaugurating the programme, FRI Director, Dr PP Bhojvaid, emphasised the need of a national disaster management institute in Uttarakhad keeping in view of the recent disaster. |
||
|
SP workers protest in front of DM office
Dehradun, July 16 Rai said the tripartite panchayat election should be held according to the census figures compiled two years ago so that people belonging to the backward classes do not suffer. He rued that the state government did not have an accurate record of the number of backward class people living in the state. Rai said the census work pertaining to the backward classes was done shoddily and in a rapid manner after the state was formed. It was riddled with several shortcomings. He added many new backward classes like Gorkhali had been incorporated, leading to an increase in the population of the backward class people. But they continue to get 14 per cent reservation in the panchayat elections. He added the reservation should be increased to 27 per cent according to the guidelines of the Supreme Court in the matter and the seats should be reserved accordingly. He demanded that the backward classes should be given due consideration in the distribution of seats.
|
||
|
Rishikesh-Karanprayag rail discussed
Dehradun, July 16 Anand said out of a total distance of 122 km between Rishikesh and
Karanprayag, 107 km of the rail track would be in tunnels. Thus, 85 per cent of the total distance would be in tunnels. There would be nine stations between Rishikesh and
Karanprayag. Anand said the first and the second stages of geological surveys had been conducted. The Chief Secretary said all necessary help for the project would be provided by the state government. All forest clearances for the projects would be given soon, he said.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Classified | E-mail | |
“The rich Himalayan traditions of construction which are in consonance with the local geology and based on traditional wisdom acquired over thousands of years by local people along with appropriate technologies available worldwide should be used for the reconstruction of Himalayan villagers destroyed in the natural disaster that struck the state last month,” said Dr Shekhar Pathak, a former professor of Kumaon University and a Padma Shree awardee.
Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna today asked the representatives of more than 50 NGOs working in the disaster-affected areas not to do any anti-dam talk, preach against rampant felling of trees and about harmful effects on environment degradation, leaving them amused.
Dehradun, July 16
