rebuilding uttarakhand
Science institute comes to the rescue of disaster-hit
Provides temporary shelter to flood victim, plans to construct 300 more
Neena Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 15
Left homeless in the aftermath of the June calamity that struck the Mandakani valley, Shanti Devi of Bhatwarisunar village in Rudaraprayag was forced to seek shelter in a cowshed. The approaching winter has her worrying for the safety of her family.

There is small consolation for Shanti Devi though, as she is now a proud owner of a 15-ft-long and10-ft-wide temporary shelter that may not compensate for her lost house but nevertheless will protect her from extreme winter and wild animals. “Shanti Devi lost her husband and son in the natural calamity and the tragedy was exacerbated after her house and fields swept away. So when Public Science Institute (PSI) began making temporary shelters for the flood victims, it was Shanti Devi who was given the first temporary shelter in August,” said Ravi Chopra of the PSI.

After carrying out relief work in the devastated areas of Pithoragarh, Almora, Tehri and Rudraprayag, the Dehradun-based PSI has now begun concentrating on providing temporary shelters.

These shelters are made of GI sheets and wooden material. The NGO has trained local masons in the construction of the shelters. The cost is being met through public donations and local people chip in by contributing towards labour.

“These shelters, which have attached toilets, have been extensively used in the past in Uttarakhand while providing shelter to the earthquake victims of Uttarkashi and Chamoli. The expertise was also in demand in Gujarat and Ladakh,” said Chopra.

The organisation is expected to complete the construction of 300 temporary shelters by October. Further, 50 per cent of the material of the temporary shelters can also be utilised while constructing permanent houses.

The temporary shelters have come as a god sent opportunity for schoolchildren to resume their studies. A pall of gloom had descended in the villages in Rudraparayag after the children, on returning from their summer break, found their schools damaged in the floods. “We managed to provide eight rooms through the temporary shelters for the students of Shishu Mandir in Chandra Puri. Now around 186 children have resumed their studies. Similarly, four temporary rooms were also provided for another schools,” said Puran Bartwal of the PSI.

Villagers live on potatoes in absence of ration supply
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, September 15
Residents of the Darma valley in Dharchula subdivision of Pithoragarh district are eating potatoes in their meals, as they are not getting ration supply through the public distribution system in absence of roads to the valley from Tawaghat.

“I am coming after touring 15 villages of the Darma valley, including Bongling, Dar, Ubhataya, Suva, Sobla, Khet Jamku and Garguga. I can say that the valley residents are surviving on the potato crop they had sown. They are not getting ration through the public distribution system,” said Aan Singh Rokaya, member of the Pithoragarh Zila Panchayat.

According to Rokaya, the connectivity to the valley beyond Tawaghat could not restored as a bridge was washed away in flash floods in June. “If work on the 15-km long road from the Tawaghat bridge to Sobla was given to the BRO instead of the PWD, the road could have been completed by now. But the PWD is delaying the road construction with a view to changing its alignment,” said Rokaya.

Senior BJP leader and state party unit spokesman Suresh Joshi has alleged that hundreds of tonnes of potato were decaying in the valley as the government has failed to purchase it. “Our potato does not rot as we live in a cold place. We are eating potatoes for our food as we are not getting ration supply in the Darma valley from the Tawaghat godown,” said Rokaya.

He added nearly 15 truckloads of potato in the Darma valley and the same quantity in the Chaundas valley were lying with the farmers. Had the road bridge been repaired, the potato would have reached the market. “Though the villagers are eating their potato crop, it would have fetched them over Rs 30 lakh had it reached the market,” said Rokaya.

The Pithoragarh district administration said the helicopter service had not fully been closed. It was kept ready for emergency and could be requisitioned if need arises. “These scattered villages and hamlets cannot be reached by helicopters. The valley needs a bridge and mule tracks so that the ration could be supplie to the villages,” said a district administration spokesman.

I am coming after touring 15 villages of the Darma valley, including Bongling, Dar, Ubhataya, Suva, Sobla, Khet Jamku and Garguga. I can say that the valley residents are surviving on the potato crop they had sown. They are not getting ration through the public distribution system.
— Aan Singh Rokaya, member of Pithoragarh Zila Panchayat

BJP workers celebrate Modi as PM candidate
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, September 15
BJP workers in the Kumaon region yesterday celebrated the announcement of Narendra Modi as the prime-ministerial candidate of the party by distributing sweets at party offices in different districts.

In Pithoragarh, BJP spokesman Suresh Joshi today held a meeting of Modi loyalists in the party office and distributed sweets.

Later talking to reporters spokesman for the state party unit said giving leadership to Modi was a honour to the willingness of youths, who want to see Modi as the future prime minister of the country.

In Almora, a former BJP MLA a Raghunath Singh Chauhan called a meeting of the party workers at his residence and distributed sweets. Several senior leaders of the BJP took part in the meeting and celebrated Modi’s elevation. “The huge energy, Narendra Modi possesses in himself, is sure to fulfil the aspirations of the youths of the country,” said Chuhan.

Minister, MLA lay foundation stone of community centre
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, September 15
Urban Development Minister Preetam Panwar and MLA Mussoorie Ganesh Joshi laid foundation stone for the community centre being built on the gram panchayat land at Suvakholi, 20 km from here today.

Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA), is providing funds amounting to around Rs 33 lakh, while the rural engineering service has been assigned as the executive agency.

The villagers thanked the minister and the MLA and said they had been demanding community centre which was much needed as they had no place for organising the functions.

Panwar speaking on the occasion said the community centre would not only assit the villagers, but the tourists heading towards Dhanolti also. He, however, said the people should also try to maintain the community centre once built.

Joshi said the community centre here was one of his promises to the villagers and was happy to see it being fulfiled now. He thanked the minister for accepting his request and making arrangements for the construction of community centre by providing funds from MDDA.

Dehradun diary
Disaster has changed political alignments in Congress

The natural disaster that struck Uttarakhand on June 16 and 17 leaving a trail of death and destruction has started altering political alignments within the ruling Congress and created political uncertainty. Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts in the Garhwal division and Pithoragarh and Bageshwar districts in the Kumaon division were the worst affected by the flash floods. Most of the legislators in the affected areas belong to the Congress and there has been a lot of resentment among the people against the state government. These legislators are now worried about their political future.

The people of these disaster-affected areas are still trying to come to terms with the tragedy and rebuild their lives without much of government help. The tragedy was so huge that the miniscule government efforts in providing succour to the victims have met with disdain. Roads are still cut off and basic amenities like electricity and water supply are yet to be fully restored. A large number of schools and colleges are still damaged and students have been suffering for the past two and a half months. It will take time for normalcy to return. All this has added to resentment among the local population.

Political leaders, particularly belonging to the Congress, are worried about resentment among the local people but they have nothing to worry in near future as the next Assembly elections are due in 2017. But the ire of the public has unnerved the probable Congress candidates, who will contest the coming Lok Sabha elections scheduled for May, 2014. The Congress had won all five seats in the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 but lost the Tehri Lok Sabha byelection held in October, 2012. The byelection was necessitated following resignation by the then sitting Tehri MP, Vijay Bahuguna, after he became the Chief Minister of the state. His son, Saket Bahuguna, fought the election from the seat but lost to BJP candidate Mala Raj Luxmi Shah.

Union Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat represents Haridwar, Pradep Tamta Almora, KC Singh Baba Nainital and Satpal Maharaj represents Pauri Garhwal.

Much of the devastation took place in Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts, which are part of the Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency represented by Satpal Maharaj. The prevailing situation has made him worry about his political future. He was considered close to Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and his wife Amrita Rawat is the Tourism minister of the state. Legislators in his constituency are also his supporters. But after the natural disaster, he has changed tacks. Realising the public mood, he has started criticising the working of the Congress-led government in the state. He had asked questions in the Lok Sabha on the natural disaster and had been incensed at the lethargy of the state government. The resumption of the prayers at the Kedarnath temple from September 11 also pitched him against the Chief Minister. He said the time of resuming the puja was inauspicious and it should have been started during the Navratras.

Congress insiders believe that Satpal Maharaj has been trying hard to distance himself from the state government. Interestingly, his political opponent Major Gen BC Khanduri (retd) has been active since the natural disaster and touring the state, particularly the Pauri Garhwal Lok Sabha constituency. Khanduri, who lost the Assembly election from Kotdwar in January 2012, has covered a lot of ground and there has been a wave of sympathy in his favour.

Moreover, Satpal Maharaj has also been facing competition from his own family. His brother Bhole Maharaj and sister-in-law Mangla Devi have intensified their philanthropic work in the Pauri Garhwal area, starting with building a modern hospital. While Satpal Maharaj has lost political support on his own turf, his devotees have also started deserting him for his brother. According to a political grapevine, it is possible that given the present political circumstances he may opt out of the coming Lok Sabha contest and try his luck to get a Rajya Sabha nomination after a seat falls vacant next year.

Dehradun District Magistrate felicitated
Tribune News Service

The Advocate General, Uttarakhand, UK Uniyal (left), felicitates Dehradun DM BVRC Purshotam in Mussoorie on Sunday. A Tribune photograph

Mussoorie, September 15
District Magistrate, Dehradun, Dr. BVRC Purshotam was today felicitated by the Friends of Uttarakhand --- a social organisation --- for volunteering to work as disaster relief commissioner, following the calamity that struck the Kedarnath region in June.

Dr. Purshotam offered his services and headed for Kedarnath without any hesitation. He was able to streamline the relief and rescue operation and succeeded in saving lives of many pilgrims and local villagers through his enduring efforts, president of the social organisation Vinod Thapliyal said. Thapliyal, while presenting the shawl and the citation award to the DM at the Municipal Council premises here, said the honour was in recognition of the sensitivity shown by the officer towards the pain and suffering of the people affected by the disaster at Kedarnath.

He hoped that other officers in the government would also try to emulate Dr. Purshotam’s feat. Thapliyal, on the occasion, also raised the issue of the delay in the identification of the statehood agitators from Mussoorie and urged the administration to speed up the process. The chief guest on the occasion, Advocate General Uttarakhand U K Uniyal commended the role of Dr. Purshotam during the disaster.

He said the state required such officers who could go a step further while imparting their duty.

Speaking on the issue of identification of the statehood agitators, Uniyal said the hill town of Mussoorie has played an important role in the formation of separate state of Uttarakhand and it was unfortunate that the people who contributed in this regard have not been identified as yet.

He also suggested formation of a committee to look into the issue. Dr. Purshotam, meanwhile, informed the reporters that the he has been able to carry out the relief camps without any hindrance and has been able to make a trekking route to Kedarnath, which helped in facilitating the prayers at the temple few days back.

Outlining the future challenges, the DM said the global warming is being seen as the main reason for the disaster and all sections of society should work towards preserving environment, so that such incidents are not repeated again or are minimised considerably. 

CPI (ML) seeks action against hydropower project companies
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 15
The CPI (ML) has sought action against hydro project companies in the Garhwal region of the state, holding them responsible for the recent floods.

Staging a dharna here today, secretary of the CPI (ML) in Garhwal Indresh, along with other party workers, alleged the hydro power project companies like JP, Lanco, GVK and NTPC had dumped tonnes of debris in the rivers of Garhwal and had also resorted to large-scale blasting that has had an adverse effect on the ecology of hill areas. They said hydropower projects must be penalised for the death and destruction in the recent disaster.

A committee member of the CPI (ML), Garhwal, KP Chandola, said hydropower project companies were violating the environment norms. He also alleged that political parties in the state were backing these companies.

PB Dobhal, Utkarsh Bamrara, Mukhtar Ansari, Anis Ahmed and Kalam Singh were prominent among the protesters.

No headway in Neeru Saini murder case
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 15
The Neeru Saini murder case is still shrouded in mystery even as police teams are working around the clock to ascertain the reason behind the brutal act took place last Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the two police teams that had gone to Uttarkashi and Roorkee in connection with the murder case have come back empty handed. The police is still groping in darkness in terms of investigation.

Police sources told The Tribune that police teams could be sent to other places if the need arises. The police has been working on various theories to crack the case.

City SP Jagdish Chandra told The Tribune, “We are working on all possible angles and we cannot disclose anything at present.”

It is noteworthy that 40-year-old Neeru Saini, wife of SK Saini, was murdered at her house when she was alone. After investigation it has come to light that the murder was not carried out with an intention of robbery and there was something mysterious behind the gruesome act.

On the other hand, the police is under pressure from several quarters for nabbing the culprits in the wake of surge in crime incidents in the city.

Independent candidate elected president
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, September 15
In the annual Student Welfare Union elections of Gurukul Kangri University, Independent candidates outclassed student outfits.

Independent candidate Amit Kumar was elected as the student union president, while Jitendra Dhakkad, also an Independent, emerged victorious for the secretary post.

Amit secured 853 votes defeating his nearest rival Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad candidate Sagar Parnami with a close margin of 23 votes. Jitendra secured 1,441 votes defeating Rajneesh Kumar, who got 868 votes. National Student Union of India candidate Vinod Kumar bagged 900 votes to become the vice-chief of the union defeating Ashish Kumar (735).

Ashish Navani (1,276) was elected for the Treasurer Post and Dhirendra Kumar (1,432) became the sub-secretary. Shivam Ahuja,Vipin Kumar, Sidharth Tyagi, Prashant Kumar and Kartik Walia were elected working committee members.

The newly elected union members took an oath in the presence of Vice-Chancellor Surendra Kumar.

Election officer Prof VK Singh, Dr Devendra Gupta, Dr Rishi Kumar Shukla, Dr Karatar Singh and teaching staff members were among those others present.

British officer meets CM
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 15
The Commanding Officer of Rescue Global, a British organisation, David Jones, met Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna at his residence here today. He gave the Chief Minister a proposal about an early warning system for the state.

Jones of Rescue Global also apprised the Chief Minister of disaster prediction and quick response programmes that his organisation could prepare.

Chief Minister Bahuguna has asked the British officer to provide information about the project in detail.

Ex-servicemen take part in recruitment rally
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 15
A recruitment rally was conducted by the 127 Eco Task Force in the Roorkee and Dehradun Cantonment Boards from September 11 to 14 in which around 80 ex-servicemen from the Garhwal region took part.

The participants also included the ex-servicemen from the recent flash flood-affected areas of the state.

The rally was conducted at the BEG Centre in Roorkee and in Dehradun in which the candidates were tested physically and underwent a medical fitness test in Military Hospital, Dehradun.

All candidates who were found physically and medically fit and were interviewed by a board of officers.

MAD distributes food packets
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 15
The Making a Difference by Being the Difference (MAD), today organised a food distribution drive in the Bihari Basti slum area on the Raipur Road here today.

The slum is considered to be one of the poorest areas of the state capital. Volunteers of the organisation distributed buns, cakes, biscuits and juice among the slum dwellers on the occasion.

The MAD has been conducting similar food distribution drives among the poor people living in the slums across the city. The members of young group were, however, saddened by the level of illiteracy prevailing in the Bihari Basti.

The MAD had conducted a survey to study the implementation of the right to education in the area in May last year and the report was submitted to the Chief Minister and the Education Minister of the state. But the government does not seem to have taken cognisance of the report, said Karan Kapoor, a school student and member of the MAD.

Besides Karan, Shardul, Manvendra, Manzer, Atish, Sunidhi, Rajat, Kashika, Sarayu, Hitesh, Abhishek, Ayushi, Anushka and Devanshi were present.

Brightlands School wins GK quiz
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 15
Brightlands School won the City Championship of Derek’s Faster Smarter Better Challenge, the inter-school general knowledge quiz show, held at Scholars Home School in Dehradun.

Brightlands won the title for the second successive year. Shubhankar Mihir Seth, Sanchit Gupta, Minza Shahid and Aryaman Seth represented the winning team.

Overall, 30 schools from Dehradun participated in the city edition of Derek’s Faster, Smarter Better Challenge. Vodafone has been conducting the event in association with renowned quiz organisers Derek O’Brien and Associates. This was the second edition of the annual quiz competition at school level where students from Class VI to Class X were eligible to participate in the two-stage event.