NHRC for special attention to women, kids at camps 
Dehradun, July 18
The NHRC team led by DG (Investigation) Kanwaljit Deol today stressed on paying special attention to the welfare of women and children living in the relief camps set up by the Uttarakhand government in disaster-affected areas and on proper documentation of the relief work.

Dehradun, July 18
Heavy rains continued to lash various parts of Uttarakhand today. The water level has increased in the Ganga and other rivers, including the Yamuna, the Kosi and the Sharda.

"We are consistently monitoring the water level and are on alert to deal with any possible situation," the district authorities said today.

Despite heavy rains, the relief work has not been affected.

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna yesterday called up various village heads to ensure the distribution of relief material to the victims, officials said.

Due to the heavy rains, the Birla guest house has also been washed away in the Raywala area of Rishikesh.

The Ganga had changed its course due to which the guest house, along with over 20 acres of land of the adjacent company, washed away yesterday, Additional District Magistrate, SS Martolia said.

Eight-nine employees used to stay in the guest house, but they had evacuated the place in time, he added.— TNS

Dehradun, July 18
The NHRC team led by DG (Investigation) Kanwaljit Deol today stressed on paying special attention to the welfare of women and children living in the relief camps set up by the Uttarakhand government in disaster-affected areas and on proper documentation of the relief work.

''Special attention should paid towards the needs of women and children, and for the convenience of the affected persons, it would be better if the relief amount is deposited in their bank accounts and proper documentation carried so that the amount reaches the right person,'' said Deol at a meeting held today.

The team members had gone on a tour of the affected areas and had shared their findings at a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Subash Kumar.

Deol also stressed on the need for greater coordination with the NGOs engaged in the relief work in the state. She also urged the state authorities to ensure proper GSI mapping is carried of the areas, where people from 238 villages awaiting rehabilitation have to be settled.

Deol drew the attention of the government towards the condition of animals who were left high and dry in the disaster-affected areas. ''The carcasses of these animals should be immediately removed, while those requiring urgent medical care should be brought down,'' said Deol.

On the other hand Chief Secretary Subash Kumar said that the villages would be rehabilitated after undertaking proper survey of the villages. ''The Central Government has agreed to release Rs 800 crore in a phased manner for carrying out relief work,'' Kumar said.

Further the Chief Secretary said that the government is also preparing guidelines for NGOs who are keen to adopt villages in far-flung areas. ''Such NGOs would be asked to create infrastructure in the adopted villages and work in the area for at least two years,'' he said.

The Chief Secretary said that the CCF (Wildlife) has been asked to camp in Guptkashi for overseeing the disposal of animal carcasses. 

Haridwar, July 18
The maha rudra yajna being held at the revered shrine of Maya Devi Temple concluded here on the third day in Haridwar today. Twentyone Vedic experts chanted maha rudra jaap 2,21,000 times as per rituals at the revered shrine of deity Maya Devi.

Being organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a large number of noted saints, seers, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Rashtriya Swayam Sewak volunteers and local people took part in the yagna. Maha rudra yajan was organised to pray for the souls of the persons who got killed in the last month natural catastrophe and also to pacify the anger of Lord Shiva and the deity Bhagwati.

RSS ideologue Bhaiya Ji Joshi took part in the maha rudra yagna today along with a large number of saints. Jyotishpeethadeeshwar Jagad Guru Shankaracharya Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati, ex-Shankarcharya Swami Satyamitranand, Juna Akhada Mahant Hari Giri Maharaj, Mahant Parshu Ram Giri, Swami Devanand Maharaj, Mahant Ravindra Puri, Mahant Ramanand Puri, Vishwa Hindu Parishad divisional coordinator Jeeveshwar Mishra, Leader of Opposition Ajay Bhatt, Mayor Manoj Garg, former ministers Mohan Singh Rawat Gaonwasi, Madan Kaushik, legislator Prem Chand Aggarwal, Swami Yatishwarnanad, Vikas Tiwari and Amit Sharma among others participated in the yajna.

Haridwar, July 18
The administrations of Pauri Garhwal, Haridwar, Tehri Garhwal and Dehradun have made all preparations for the Kanwar fair beginning from July 23. Last year, nearly 1.20 crore Kanwariyas had visited the state to fetch Ganga water and the authorities are expecting that the number could be higher this year.

Pauri Garhwal District Magistrate Chandresh Kumar said in the wake of the recent disaster, Kanwariyas had been asked to bring photo identity cards along with them for the registration process. A passport size photograph has been also sought from Kanwariyas coming to the shrine of Lord Shiva at Neel Kanth.

The DM said Kanwariyas bound for the Neel Kanth Mahadev temple could get themselves registered at the Baghkhala taxi stand while those coming on four and two-wheelers would be registered at the Barrage-Neel Kanth motor road near the Gujjar dera.

The cross-checking of Kanwariyas coming on vehicles would be done at Garud Chatti and for those coming on foot at Pundarshyun. To ensure the peaceful completion of the fair, meetings are being organised by mela officials here.

Mussoorie, July 18
Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna conducted an aerial survey of the disaster-affected Thatyur (Jaunpur) block in Tehri district today. He later reviewed the relief work being undertaken by the local administration. He reached the Thatyur block headquarters by air and heard problems being faced by the disaster-hit people. He obtained the required information from officials and in-charge of disaster management and directed them to speed up the relief work. He said the government had made a comprehensive change in the relief norms in the larger interest of the people.

The Chief Minister said the disaster in the state had affected 37,000 sq km of land while over 5,000 persons had gone missing. He reiterated that Rs 2 lakh each would be given to those whose houses had been completely destroyed in the floods and Rs 1 lakh each to those whose houses had been partially damaged. The families of two persons who died in the area would be given Rs 5 lakh each.

He added that the compensation norms had been changed considerably even for damaged irrigated fields and standing crops and loss of livestock. “For every ‘nali’ of land destroyed, Rs 25,000 will be given,” said Bahuguna. He added that a provision of relief had also been made for students affected by the disaster. He said class XII students would be provided Rs 500 each as compensation and those pursuing higher studies would be given Rs 1,000 each.

Bahguna said as many as 71 roads were blocked in the district due to the disaster and out of these 60 roads had been reopened. The PWD had been directed to repair the remaining 11 roads by July 25. A total of 22 water schemes had been restarted and gram sabhas had been directed to restart the remaining 43 schemes, he added. Bahuguna also directed the SDMs of Tehri district to tour the affected areas and ensure proper relief work.

However, the affected villagers, who had been waiting for the Chief Minister for several hours, rued the fact that Bahuguna stayed for only 15 minutes and left without listening to their grievances.

Residents of Parodi village criticised the Chief Minister and said they were anticipating that he would announce a rehabilitation package for the village but he left without doing so. The villagers of the area demanded that the region be declared disaster prone.

The MLA, Dhanaulti, Mahavir Rangad, said the Chief Minister’s tour of the area was a sham as he failed to address the problems of the affected villagers. Rangad added that he had also requested the Chief Minister to visit the affected villagers of the Thatyur block. “If he had no time to listen to the woes of the disaster-affected people, he should have stayed in the capital,” Rangad said.

State-level member of the Congress Aapda Sewa Samiti Jot Singh Bisht and Mussoorie Municipal Council president Manmohan Singh Mall refuted Rangard’s charges and said the expectations of the people could not be met at the individual level. However, the Chief Minister directed subordinate officers to look into each case at the personal level and resolve them without delay. The senior Congress leaders said the Chief Minister had relaxed the compensation norms extensively in the interest of the people. Now, every head of the family living in a house damaged due to the disaster would receive Rs 2 lakh.

Dehradun, July 18
The worst came true with Doon Valley Waste Management Company (DVWM) suspending its door-to-door garbage collection work in protest against alleged non-cooperation of Mukhya Nagar Adhikari (MNA) today. The latter, too, sent notice to parent company of DVWM, SPML, New Delhi, for violation of company rules at many levels.

Heaps of garbage could be seen overflowing in the large dustbins kept on roadsides and in the residential localities of the city. However, garbage was lifted from some pockets of the city, with MNA pressing sanitary workers associated with Swachata Samiti and sweepers into these colonies. Director, DVWM, Sidharth Jain, said: “MNA Ashok Kumar refused to pay me an advance of Rs 50 lakh for not being able to raise my tipping fee from Rs 365 per tonne of garbage to Rs 525. I am incurring losses due to which I have not been able to pay salaries to my 40 senior employees for the past three months. Not only this, I could not pay salaries to my 500 sanitary workers and other lower rung employees this month.” He said it was because of the MNA that the issue over trenching ground became so complicated. His demand for Rs 9 lakh to build a concrete road in front of the trenching ground to enable vehicles to ply there was not met as well. He also complained of the MNA’s rude behaviour, saying that he treated him as a servant not as a private partner.

Ashok Kumar, on the other hand, castigated Jain for resorting to suspension of work as a ploy to blackmail him. He said: “Jain should have served a notice of 15 days before suspension of work to let us make our alternative arrangements but he informed the Health Officer just yesterday. He faulted on many grounds. He never convened a meeting of his staff and did not send us minutes of that meeting. Kumar said the way Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) had been spearheading garbage disposal and sanitation work in the city earlier, it would do the same, without any support from DVWM. The vehicles given to the company by the corporation would be taken back and sanitary workers would be hired.

Mayor Vinod Chamoli on the other hand said: “ It is not easy to take over the garbage disposal and cleanliness work all of a sudden. There will be chaos in the city in the next three days. Keeping the grim situation in view, I have apprised the Chief Minister, Urban Development Minister and higher officials about the impending disorder in the city. MNA must take serious note of the grim situation. He should think of resolving the crisis.” 

Dehradun, July 18
Atul Bhargava, Superintending Archaeologist, Archaeological Survey of India, in a rejoinder to the news item, “big cracks in the Kedarnath shrine, sanctum sanctorum fine: ASI” published in The Tribune on July 17, 2013, has said it has been mentioned in the news that huge cracks have developed in the temple according to the findings of the ASI.

He said he had never stated that huge cracks had developed in the temple due to the recent floods.

Dehradun, July 18
Semi-final matches were played today at the Indian Public Schools Conference (IPSC) U-14 boys' soccer tournament at Welham Boys School, Dehradun. In the first semi-final match, Birla Public School, Pilani, beat Pine Grove School, Himachal, 5-0 in a one-sided match. Amit scored all five goals for Birla Public School. In the second semi-final match, Tashi Namgyal Academy, Sikkim, beat L K Singhania, Rajasthan, 2-0. Tandong scored both the goals for Tashi Namgyal Academy.

The finals will take place tomorrow. The match for the third and fourth positions will also take place tomorrow.