Experts feel paramedics should be made part of SDRF
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 7
In the wake of concerns over poor emergency response in the state to the recent disaster, the Uttarakhand government's decision to create a State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) comprising mostly policemen with no room for paramedics has not gone down well with experts.

Recently, the Uttarakhand government had given the green signal to the creation of SDRF that is expected to have six companies in Garhwal and Kumaon.

''So far the approach is very law and order centric, with no focus on recruiting paramedics who at the time of disaster act as frontline responders and are trained to respond with alacrity at the time of disaster. Their mind set is very different,'' said Dr BC Ramola, president of Provincial Medical and Health Services (PMHS).

In fact the paramedics with specialised skills are trained to go to tough areas and help victims. ''While doctors are trained to respond inside the hospitals, the paramedics in the event of a calamity are trained to take appropriate care of the injured so that their condition is stabilised on the way to hospital. A person with the mindset of a policeman cannot be expected to perform in such situations ,'' said Dr Ramola.

Along with discharging their duties at the time of disaster, the force comprising paramedics could also be deployed in other parts of the country in the event of a calamity.

In fact experts say the emergency medical technicians (EMTS), part of the 911 paramedics in the United States of America (USA), need to be emulated in the state. ''Though the 108 Emergency Ambulance Service was created to provide emergency services, it has remained merely a transporting force and is not working as a pramedic force. We need to establish a unit on the lines of 911,'' said Ramola.

Experts say along with running regular medical courses, the focus of medical colleges in the state should now shift to running courses for paramedics. ''The entire mindset of a paramedic and a first responder is different. They can not only reach areas where people may not be able to go but provide first aid to the victims which could prove crucial in saving lives in the event of a disaster. We need to have such trained paramedics,'' said the general secretary Indian Red Cross Society (Uttarakhand).

4 injured in landslide; yatra to Purnagiri temple stopped
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, August 7
Landslides and shooting boulders at two places in this part of the Kumaon region today created fear among the villagers. Pilgrims were stopped from proceeding to the Purnagiri temple after four persons were reportedly injured in a landslide near the Purnagiri hills yesterday. “All four people, including two priests of the temple, have been admitted to a Haldwani hospital,” said JS Rathod, SDM, Tanakpur.

The SDM said pilgrimage to the Purnagiri temple had been suspended till the debris was cleared. “Over 500 to 1,000 pilgrims are visiting the Purnagiri temple daily despite difficulties of transportation and a rugged route to the temple due to heavy rains,” he said.

In another incident, 13 families of Ghattabagar village in the Byans patti in Dharchula subdivision today took shelter in a Panchayat Ghar as boulders from hilltops fell on the village due to heavy rains. “The rains caused a landslide and later revenue officers noticed fissures measuring 1.5 metre in the village land. Over 12 livestock were killed in the landslide,” said Naru Dutt, a resident of the village.

Naru Datt said all 13 families took shelter in a Panchayat Ghar after their houses were destroyed in the landslide. “Not only their houses have become unsafe for living, but they have also lost their fields and animals. The landslide has rendered these villagers homeless and without a source of living as they used to earn their livelihood by selling farm produces and milk of the animals,” said Madan Ram, a resident of Tankul village.The villagers said though the administration had declared their villages landslide prone five years ago, no arrangements were made to shift them to a safe place.

140 bodies cremated in Kedarnath till date
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 7
A joint team of Uttarakhand police and National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) led by GS Martolia, DIG, Uttarkhand Police, cremated 21 dead bodies on Wednesday at Kedarnath after recovering them from debris. The police has kept their DNA samples, photographs and their belongings for the identification purpose.

It is to be noted that 140 bodies have been cremated at Kedarnath till date. The joint team of police and NDRF are camping at Kedarnath for recovering the bodies and for their cremation.

Minor damage to outer wall of Kedarnath sanctum sanctorum: ASI

New Delhi, August 7
A team of experts of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has found that the northeastern outer wall of the sanctum sanctorum of the Kedarnath temple was slightly damaged at some places.

"The northeastern outer wall of the sanctum sanctorum has some damages," Additional Director-General, ASI, BR Mani, told PTI. "Also there are minor damages at places where stones struck the temple structure. It is more visible on either side of the eastern, western and southern entrances of the mandap (a structure inside the temple)," he said.

The five-member team headed by Janhwij Sharma, Director (Conservation), ASI, studied the structure on August 2 and 3 along with representatives of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) to assess the damage to the structure after the June calamity in Uttarakhand. — PTI

Students burn Pak govt effigy
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 7
Activists of the ABVP held a protest march and burnt the effigy of Pakistan government here today against the Tuesday’s killing of five Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir. Members of the students union gathered at the Clock Tower and raised slogans against Pakistan for its gruesome act.

In another protest held at Dehradun, students belonging to the Aryan group from DAV (PG) College also burnt the effigy of Pakistan on the same issue and demanded immediate action against Pakistan. There has been a public outrage across the country over the killing of five Indian soldiers by the Pakistan army.

Uttarakhand  the challenge ahead
The Tribune series on what needs to be done to rebuild the state
Tourism policy should benefit local people: Social activist
Jotirmay Thapliyal
Tribune News Service

WHAT TO DO Go for rehabilitation and re-construction on the lines of 2007 the Central Government’s policy on resettlement and rehabilitation Ensure involvement of people both in pre and post-disaster management planning Green construction techniques must be used for road widening Our tourism policy should be such that it benefits the local villagers and not multinationals We are promoting multinational-oriented tourism. We have failed to sell indigenous products of Uttarakhand amply, revealing that our tourism policy is not meant for the betterment of the locals. — Suresh Bhai, social activist of Raksha Sutra Andolan

Dehradun, August 7
Social activist Suresh Bhai of Raksha Sutra Andolan and Nadi Bacho Andolan fame has sought conduct of all rehabilitation and reconstruction works in Uttarakhand on the lines of the 2007 Central Government policy on resettlement and rehabilitation, even while stressing on integrated approach towards rehabilitation for the recent rain disaster victims in the state.

Talking to The Tribune here, Suresh Bhai said a state sensitive to earthquakes, floods and landslides, Uttarakhand already faces a challenge of resettlement due to coming up of a large number of power projects, which involved rehabilitation of many people, and now the rain disaster had further uprooted a large population in hills. He said those getting displaced due to demolition of their houses and agriculture land in the rain disaster must be resettled in a convincing manner with adoption of an integrated rehabilitation policy, which ensures that those people who have been affected by disaster apart from getting houses, continue to have their livelihood as was before the disaster.

Referring to natural disasters in Uttarakhand, Suresh Bhai pointed out that in the last three to four years, nearly 50,000 houses had been destroyed in floods and landslides triggered by cloudbursts and alleged that the state authorities had so far failed to rebuild even a single house. He pointed out that the compensation amount provided for a destroyed house is was very less. “Today the government is providing Rs 3 lakh for a destroyed house; this is not even sufficient to construction a traditional hut. Channies are temporary dwelling places up in the hills where the villagers engaged in animal husbandry move with their cattle in summer for pasture,” he said.

Describing hydroprojects in Uttarakhand as blueprint of disaster in the state, Suresh Bhai said aggressive development was never in the interest of environmentally fragile Himalayas. He said most of the destruction in the recent rain disaster in Garhwal had come due to ferocity of the Alaknanda, Mandakini and Bhagirathi rivers that had suffered the most due to coming up of hydroprojects.

Suresh Bhai said disaster management preparedness was very poor in almost all the Himalayan states, including Uttarakhand. He said any disaster mechanism model can only be successful if it directly involves the people.

On rampant blasting being done for road widening in hills, Suresh Bhai suggested use of green construction techniques for road widening. He said it must be kept in mind that hill roads can be widened to an extent, and just non-stop blasting of hills won’t solve any purpose.

He also pointed out that it was an established fact that only 20 per cent of actual the budget meant for construction of a road in hills is utilised and this reduction in cost comes at the expense of safety measures. He also pointed out that Border Roads Organisation and the state government did not have excellent relations, which also proved a big irritant in the construction and repair of roads.

Suresh Bhai said the tourism policy being followed in Uttarakhand was faulty. “We are promoting multinational-oriented tourism. We have failed to sell indigenous products of Uttarakhand amply, revealing that our tourism policy is not meant for the betterment of the locals,” Suresh Bhai observed.

Raksha Sutra Andolan, a protective thread movement, was started in Uttarkashi by Suresh Bhai in 1994. The movement involved women going to forests to tie protective threads around tree trunks, reaffirming their pledge to protect them. Similarly in 2008, Suresh Bhai nurtured Nadi Bachao Andolan, a campaign to save rivers in Uttarakhand hills. He also vociferously opposed construction of Tehri Dam and was even imprisoned while opposing construction of a hydropower project in Bhilangna block in Tehri district of the Uttarakhand.

More relief money pours in for natural disaster victims
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 7
Representatives of the All-India State Government Employees' Federation today presented a cheque for Rs 50 lakh to Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna for the disaster relief fund.

Former minister Navprabhat, office-bearers of the federation KR Muthusundram, A Shrikumar, Lallan Pandey, Manjul Kumar Das, SP Singh and PD Sharma were present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, officials and workers of the PWD (provincial division), Dehradun, also presented a draft of Rs 1.84 lakh to the Chief Minister today. It comprised their one- day salary as contribution to the CM’s Disaster Relief Fund.

The Tehri unit of the BSP contributed Rs 51,000 to the fund. Principal, Government Inter-College, Shrikot, presented a draft of Rs 13,510 to Bahuguna for the disaster victims.

SFI protests govt order on reserved seats
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 7
Members of the Students Federation of India (SFI) yeaterday staged a protest in front of the office of the principal of DAV (PG) College, Dr Devendra Bhasin, against the recent government order making a certificate from a Tehsildar or the SDM mandatory for the issuance of income certificates for admission on reserved seats. They also gheroed the principal and accused him of harassing students belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Castes (OBC) categories.

Abhishek Bhandari, district president of the SFI, said, “The management of the college must understand that how the students will pay the full fee of Rs 2,500 when the income of their parents is just Rs 1,600 per month.”

The SFI is demanding that the college must ensure admission to the students belonging to the SC, ST and OBC categories without pressing for income certificates.

The students alleged that they were being denied admission to colleges in the absence of income certificates as most of the tehsildars and SDMs were busy in post-disaster rehabilitation work and were not sitting in their offices.

4 years on, landslide-hit villagers still await rehab
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, August 7
Tributes were today paid to 43 villagers, who died in a landslide at La Jhekla village of Munsiyari on this day four years ago. Social workers have demanded permanent settlement of 60 affected families of La Jhekla and Quiri Jimia villages of Munsiyari subdivision of the district, who are still forced to live in the villages facing landslides particularly during the monsoon.

“Though the government had announced to rehabilitate the villagers at a safe place after the incident, it did nothing in the next four years,” said Devendra Deva, a social worker in Munsiyari and president of Gram Pradhan Sangthan in Munsiyari.

According to Deva, not only 15 families of La Jhekla village but 45 families of Quire Jimia village, which was hit by a massive landslide, a year after the La Jhekla, are still waiting for resettlement. “All the 45 families of Quiri Jimia village have left the village and living in tin sheds near road as they could not be resettled at an empty plot of government horticultural farm near Balati as the forest department objected on their living on it,” said Deva.

The Pithoragarh District Magistrate has said the families of La Jhekla, and Quiri Jimia villages would be resettled after the state government gives clear direction on the proposal of resettling 56 villages of the district which were affected with disasters of any kinds. “We are awaiting directions on our proposal which was sent years back,” said Dr Neeraj Khauirwal, District Magistrate, Pithoragarh.

The La Jhekla villagers, who died on this day four years ago, were paid tributes by villagers, social workers and political leaders of Munsiyari today. “As the entire village has been converted into a cremation ground after the incident, officials have erected a memorial in their memory at the village. Apart from the memorial, the government has done nothing till date for diverting the future woes of the villagers,”said Deva.

DM holds meeting on launch of food security scheme
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 7
District Magistrate RM Sundaram held a meeting with concerned officials to make arrangements with regard to launching of food security scheme in DMC Town Hall on the birth anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi on August 20.

He directed Mukhya Nagar Adhikari (MNA) to make all arrangements in the Town Hall as the Chief Minister and all ministers of the state would be present there on that day. He directed the District Supply officer (DSO) to send the invitation cards, addressing Secretary, Food, as the sender.

He instructed the MNA and Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM), Sadar, to identify all deserving beneficiaries. He said; “The National Food Security Act will be implemented in the state. The beneficiaries in the category of APL and Antoydaya who have ration cards will be given 35 kg wheat and 20 kg rice at the rate of Rs 5/kg per family. Each person holding ration card of BPL category will be provided 5 kg grain.”

He said as far as APL ration card holders were concerned, the procedure as per the parameters fixed under national Food Security Act would be followed to select deserving families. The list of such families would be sent to the state government within one month of implementation of Government Order.

He directed the MNA, the SDM and the District Supply Officer to provide him with the list of eligible persons. He asked them to act with transparency and give priority to those living in kutcha houses. He said the Additional Transport Officer would make arrangements to bring the beneficiaries to the function.

Nainital suffers due to shortage of tourists
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, August 7
The lake city of Nainital, a major tourist centre of Northern India, is facing an unprecedented shortage of tourists, on which the town survives, for the second time after 1986, when malicious stories of destruction kept majority of tourists out of the town that year.

“The Nainital town is facing tourist crunch this year as instead of two months of summer season, it has ended in just 15 days after the Kedarnath tragedy, giving an impression to the country that Uttarakhand hills are unsafe for tourists. Delhi tourists stayed away from Nainital, leading workers to starvation who are dependent on this trade,” said Kamal Shah Jagati, a hotel owner in Nainital.

“I have sent most of my hotel workers to their respective villages as business has reduced by more 40 per cent this year,” said another hotelier Rajiv Lochan Shah.

Nainital became a major attraction for Delhi tourists after 1984. They flocked to Nainital and Mussorie as these tourists were peaceful. “ That also caused big investment in tourist sector inside Nainital as the businessmen started constructing big hotels in the lake city, which had by then not seen such heavy investment in the hotel industry,” said Kamal Shah.

“Tourists are helped by tourist guides, boatmen and horsemen, hotel and restaurant owners, souvenir sellers, street vendors, besides local service providers,'' said Mahesh Joshi, a local journalist based in Nainital.

After the news was splashed across the nation about the Kedarnath tragedy on June 16, and media highlighted the issue that hills were breaking and people living there were unsafe as thousands of religious tourists had perished in Kedarnath, Delhi tourists suddenly stopped coming to Nainital. The town has 440 families depending on boating activity in the lake during the season. ''We used to earn a minimum sum of Rs 700 per day, when the town used to be full with tourists. Today I cannot even earn Rs 100 per day as even two tourists are hard to find for boating these days,” said Jagdish Prasad, a local boatman, who is doing the job for the last two generations.

State to get $400 m World Bank, ADB aid
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 7
The World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) would provide $ 400 million aid for repair and construction of infrastructure that got damaged in the mid-June Uttarakhand disaster.

The funds would be used in the area of education, health, roads, irrigation, agriculture, housing, tourism, forestry, animal husbandry etc.

The team from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) yesterday attended a meeting presided over by Chief Secretary Subash Kumar.

The Asian Development Bank will offer 30 million dollar for tourism development, 95 million dollar for construction of roads, 10 million dollar for repair of damaged drinking water schemes in the cities, 6 million dollar towards city roads and drainage construction and 20 million dollar for Jal Vidyut Nigam for five damaged projects.

Further assistance would be provided through the crisis window. The entire aid would be provided in the ratio of 90:10, out of which 90 per cent would be paid by the Centre and 10 per cent by the state 
government.

Navy runs community kitchen at Agustmuni
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 7
An Indian Navy team has set up a community kitchen at Agustmuni in Rudraprayag district to provide cooked food to local people who have lost members of their families and homes in flash floods that struck the region on June 16 and 17.

An officer and 13 Naval Sailor cooks are working round the clock at the community kitchen to provide all three meals. The initiative of the Navy supported by the local administration has been feeding 800 persons daily in a temporary set up established in the compound of local Government Girls Inter College.

DGP lauds efforts of Kanwar mela force
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, August 7
DGP Satyavrat Bansal has lauded the efforts of the Kanwar mela force despite limited resources at its disposal.

The state police chief was here in Haridwar to attend the convention-cum- mass food for the mela force at Prem Nagar ashram.

Addressing the mela personnel, the DGP said due to the recent natural catastrophe in the state, there was paucity of police force for the Kanwar fair. Yet the successful and peaceful management of the Kanwar fair speaks volumes about the capability of the police force of the state, which is slowly making a mark in hosting such mega fairs.

The police chief mentioned the last two days of the Kanwar fair, when the traffic management got out of hand, owing to large numbers of vehicular Kanwars (Dak Kanwars) arriving in the city.

Satyavrat also mulled on the new traffic plan in which the vehicles of the Kanwariyas may be stopped outside the city as is done during Shahi Snaan during the Mahakumbh fair.

A two-minute silence was also observed for peace to the souls of the persons who died in the recent calamity.

Present among the others were DIG, Garhwal, Amit Sinha, DIG Sanjay Gunjiyal, Senior Superintendent of Haridwar Rajeev Swaroop, SSP, Dehradun, Kewal Khurana, SP, Haridwar, Jagdeesh Singh Bhandari, SP, Rural, Ajay Singh, Circle Officer Jodh Ram Joshi, Rajeev Bhatt, Commandants of Provincial Armed Constabulary, the ITBP and the Rapid Action Force.

Ban on mining to continue: CM
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 7
Against the backdrop of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banning mining or the removal of sand from riverbeds across the country without environment clearance, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said ban continued to be in place in Uttarakhand.

“But in view of the recent calamity in Uttarakhand, we have allowed villagers and household owners to remove debris and sand from their premises manually,” said Bahuguna, while talking to mediapersons. He added the ban on mining without environment clearance would continue in place in the state.

Bahuguna said the session of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly would take place on September 18. “Our government is ready for the Assembly session proposed to start on September 18,” he said.