Corbett Mahotsava cancelled
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 3
The Corbett Mahotsava that was proposed to begin today has been cancelled. Mahesh Joshi, president of the Eco Sensitive Zone Virodhi Samiti, Ramnagar, who has been spearheading the agitation against Corbett Mahotsava said that after much protest, the Uttarakhand tourism authorities had decided not to go ahead with their mahotsava plan that was proposed to take place from October 3 to 7.

Mahesh Joshi said the samiti had been condemning the organisation of the mahotasava particularly at a time when the state was reeling under the rain disaster.

He said the samiti would continue with its protest till the inhabitants in periphery of Corbett National Park got justice from "constant harassment" in the name of wildlife protection

Ajay Bhatt flays Cong govt

Uttarakhand's Leader of Opposition Ajay Bhatt has criticised state Congress government for planning to organise Corbett Mahotsava, particularly when the state is reeling under rain disaster.

In a statement issued yesterday, Ajay Bhatt said it was strange that even the locals at Ramnagar are opposing Corbett Mahotsava but still the state government is going ahead with its proposed Mahotsava and even sanctioning a budget of over Rs 68 lakh for the purpose.

He said even artistes from outside the state have been asked to perform at the stage and an exorbitant amount is being paid to them.

Bhatt said instead of focusing on Corbett Mahotsava, the government should work to provide speedy relief to the rain disaster affected people.

Fest a waste of money: Khanduri

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister BC Khanduri has termed Corbett Mahotsava as wastage of public money in times when the disaster-hit state is struggling to get back on track.

In a statement issued today, Khanduri said there was no point in organising Corbett Mahotsava, particularly when disaster victims were still to get relief.

He said even if the government wanted to publicise the Corbett park, it should have come up with the programme after November 15.

Khanduri also requested the state government to ensure that the people residing in the close proximity of the Corbett park do not get harassed in the name of the eco-sensitive zone. Before implementing Centre’s guideline on eco-sensitive zone, the state government must discuss the matter with the locals. Rights of people could not be ignored in the name of conservation, he said.

Chief Secy assures power staff of regularisation, DA
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 3
Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar has assured a delegation of the Uttarakhand Power Contractual Employees Association that their demands of regularisation and Dearness Allowance (DA) will be met. The delegation was led by Narender Nagar MLA Subhodh Uniyal.

Vice-president of the association Vinod Kavi said, “The CS was reminded about the agreement that took place on March 14 this year regarding our demands of regularisation and Dearness Allowance twice in a year within a span of three months. The agreement was finalised in the presence of officials of all the three corporations of the power department and members of the association. “Six months have lapsed and no action has been taken on the agreement so far. A memorandum of our 10-point demands was also given to the CS today,” said Kavi.

He said Kumar assured them that he would soon direct the secretary of the power department to implement orders regarding their regularisation and Dearness Allowance. He also assured them of extending the contractual terms with retrospective effects, which had not been done in some cases for various reasons.

The matter regarding contractual employees of Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited was brought before him where those contractual employees who were associated with the power projects that got damaged in the disaster were now on the brink of penury and unemployment, as these projects were now being handed over to the Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency (UREDA). Kavi said, “The officials in the UREDA are dithering on taking the contractual employees of the UJVNL who were earlier working with power projects that got damaged in the disaster and are now being handed over to the UREDA. These employees, who had been working for the past five years, are facing unemployment crisis. On one hand, the Chief Minister talks of providing employment to those who lost means of livelihood in the disaster, and on the other hand, the departments are divesting employed from their employment. Hence, we demanded these employees of the UJVNL to be absorbed with the UREDA.”

Besides, the members of the association also put across the issue of contractual drivers working with UJVNL who were not given additional wages of Rs 1,000 in addition to their salaries for doubling up as peons. Their counterparts in Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited and Power Transmission Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited were being paid for the addition service.

Flood victims to get pre-fabricated huts
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 3
The Uttarakhand Government will provide pre-fabricated huts comprising 400x600 sq ft living space complete with two rooms, a kitchen, bathroom and toilet at a cost of Rs 6 lakh to around 2,500 flood-affected families whose houses were either fully or partially damaged during the mid-June floods, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said here today.

“The government will soon float tenders for constructing the all-weather pre-fabricated huts. These huts costing around Rs 6 lakh per unit are guaranteed to last for 30 years and would be insured. These would be able to provide shelter to around 50-100 families. Wherever clusters are built, the government would provide community facilities, including schools and health centres, and the individuals would have lease right on the land for 90 years,” said Bahuguna while unveiling a rehabilitation plan for the flood-affected families.

He said the government had earmarked around 3,100 families requiring immediate rehabilitation after their houses were either fully or partially damaged. Out of 3,100 such families, the government had decided to make arrangement for the rehabilitation of around 2,500 families while the remaining 600 families would be rehabilitated by NGOs, corporate houses and other organisations. “The government has identified Bangapani, Madkot, Charchung in Pithoragarh, and Garud and Kapkot in Bageshwar and two places in Chamoli for the installation of pre-fabricated houses. A sum of Rs 25 lakh has been allocated to the District Magistrates for site development,” said Bahuguna.

"While the government has already distributed Rs 2 lakh to persons whose house were fully damaged, but in case these persons are interested in availing the facility of pre-fabricated huts, they would be given the same,” said Bahuguna. Before availing the houses, the families will have to submit on a stamp paper that they are willing to avail the facilities of pre-fabricated huts on their own free will.

However, those families not interested in settling down in the pre-fabricated huts, too, would be provided assistance of Rs 4 lakh from the Chief Minister’s relief fund. “The assistance is linked to construction of house on land available with them and, in case some of them did not possess land, financial assistance would be provided for buying land measuring 1,000 sq ft in places near their villages also through the Chief Minister’s relief fund,” emphasised Bahuguna. 

Waste Warriors launch clean-up drive at Corbett
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 3
Waste Warriors, an NGO, celebrated Gandhi Jayanti in Corbett National Park by organising a clean-up drive and waste workshop with the help of 250 students from Dhikuli Inter College.

The NGO was invited to the Corbett by Minakshi Pandey, owner of an eco-lodge that she, along with her husband, managed for over 12 years on the northern boundary of the tiger reserve.

The day started with a flag-hosting ceremony followed by activities for the students like poster-colouring, designing banners and eco-friendly slogan placards, making tetra pack wallets and masks. The students also took out an awareness rally around the village.

Communities and businesses around the tiger reserve are facing the problem of waste disposal and collection system. They have no option but to dump their waste on the border areas of the park.

The highlight of the day was the clean-up drive organised around the college. Led by project manager of Waste Warriors Tashi Pareek, the students collected 15 bags of garbage and also learnt about recycling and segregation.

A total of 25 students volunteered and continued to clean even after the official college hours.

The team included project manager Tashi Pareek, Minakshi Pandey, Ritish Suri, Naveen Upadhyay, Vinod Budhani, Raghuvir Bisht, Deepak Malkani, Harish Arya, Saurab Arya, Shreyas Arya, Himani Chimwal, Bhuwan Chimwal, Gauri Pandey, Manju Pandey and Aikta Suri.

The area near the college, which was being used for dumping for many years, still requires many more rounds of clean up. Waste Warriors, along with the participation of local children in Dhikuli, have scheduled a clean-up drive on October 6 from 9 am to 12 pm. This will be followed by an interactive session with those who set up Sunday "haat" or market stalls and are one of the biggest contributors to waste. Waste Warriors will provide garbage bags, so the waste can be recycled and stored until a long-term solution is found.

The programme is the first step towards making the village clean. Waste Warriors is positive about finding permanent solutions to improve the current waste management systems in Dhikuli, where over 500 households and 70 hotels have absolutely no access to waste management facilities and are dumping waste in the forest land. A full evaluation of waste management will be carried out soon.

Julian Matthews from TOFT said, “The work that Waste Warriors is doing is brilliant. I would like Minakshi and Waste Warriors to take this project to every reserve we work in and restore some civic pride in villages bordering the parks.”

Minister visits Dharchula to assess road damage
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 3
Union Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh today visited the disaster-hit border area of Dharchula subdivision and inspected loss of motor roads and other property of the BRO.

The minister also inspected a bridge being constructed by the BRO at Tawaghat on the national highway to facilitate transportation to border posts on the Indo-China border.

The minister, along with officials of the BRO, inspected the newly constructed 55m-long bridge on the Dhauli river, which was washed away in the mid-June flood fury. The bridge will facilitate transportation to Byans and Chaundas valleys on the Kailash-Mansarowar route that has been kept suspended after the floods, said Dharchula SDM Pramod Kumar.

The SDM said the minister, who was accompanied by engineers of the BRO, also received information on the changed alignment of the road to the China border and found it unsuitable for the construct of a new road portion. The minister's visit only inspected roads and bridges that belonged to the BRO, said the SDM.

Residents of the Drama valley, who had prepared a memorandum to be given to the Union Minister but could not do so as the minister had no time to meet them, said they wanted to draw attention of the minister towards the infrastructural needs of the Darma valley. In the memorandum, they demanded construction of a road between Tawaghat and Sobla within 15 days. They also demanded construction of six main bridges in the Darma valley within a month for the villagers who would be migrating to lower valleys for winters.

Dengue mosquito can survive in cold region: Experts
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, October 3
Dengue mosquito can survive in cold region of hills if the pace of global warming continues to affect the hill region like what it is doing at present, claimed experts.

The experts have tried to take care of the dengue mosquito in the hill region after some cases of the disease were reported from villages of Bageshwar district where the platelet count in some admitted patients was found less than average indicating being affected by dengue. Even the doctors have admitted that though at present the temperature in the hill regions is not that suitable for the dengue mosquito, but if the pace of warming will continue as present, the possibility of its surviving in hill region cannot be ruled out.

“The suitable conditions for survival of ‘aedes aegypti’ (dengue mosquito) lies in hot temperature of the Tarai region, but the pace on which the hills are getting hot, their survival cannot be denied in hilly valleys in the coming years,” said Geeta Sharma, Chief Medical Officer of Almora district.

The experts who are working on the trends of climate change in the hill region have also predicted that if the factors which are affecting the climate change in the hill region could not be neutralised, the pace of warming will definitely increase in the region.

“Temperature in the hill region has increased drastically in the last 10 years,” said Dr JS Rawat, Director, Centre of Excellence for Natural Resources Data Management, attached with the Almora campus of Kumaon University.

According to Dr Rawat, the possibility of dengue is obvious due to presence of uncounted natural water sources in the hills all of which remain clear and worth potable, as the dengue mosquito survives in clean water in hot temperature, these natural water bodies can shelter its larva if the temperature of hill regions increases at the level of their survival.

“Construction of houses without proper drainage system and increasing waterlogging situations in towns in the hill districts, could pave the way for mosquitoes of dengue as well as malaria regions,” said Dr Rawat. 

Microbiology labs reel under staff shortage
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 3
For better reporting of water-borne diseases, the five microbiology referral laboratories set up a year ago in the state continue to face staff shortage and are unable to handle public health cases independently.

The microbiology reference laboratory established with the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (Jolly Grant) laboratory has been functioning normally. However, the laboratory at Forest Hospital Trust Medical College, Haldwani, and Veer Chander Singh Garhwali Medical College, Srinagar, continue to face staff crunch.

In addition, a district priority laboratory has been established at the District Hospital, Pauri Garhwal, and District Hospital, Almora.

Several villages in the Chakrata region have been reporting the outbreak of diarrhoea recently.

Rumours of human trafficking false, claims CM
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 3
Minister Vijay Bahuguna today denied having received any report of human trafficking in the state in the aftermath of the mid-June calamity.“There have been reports about an NGO making such claims. We had sought information in this regard but have not received any so far. Such rumours should not be spread or action would be taken against the NGOs found guilty. The affected people, including women and children, are being adequately taken care of by the state,” said the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister also said during his visit to Ukhimath on October 11, he would personally meet the people of Kedarnath owning permanent residences and shops to chalk out a special package for them.

He also said regarding the removal of debris from Kedarnath, contradictory reports had emerged. “To get clarity on the issue, the Geological Survey of India has been asked to present a report,” said Bahuguna.

Further on October 7, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde will be in the state to inaugurate a BSF and SDRF unit in Sitarganj and Doiwala. 

Landslide fear haunts Mussoorie residents
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, October 3
The overnight incessant rain wreaked havoc just below the Company Garden damaging several trees due to the landslide that occurred in Mussoorie, today. The danger of further landslide has instilled fear among 200 families residing in the area. Surendar Rana, president, Garden Welfare Resident Association, said the landslides had been occurring for the past three years and despite reminding the authorities repeatedly, no action had been taken so far.

As a result, the landslide has nearly reached the famous tourist destination company garden. The Cart Mackenzie road that was reconstructed below the Company Garden recently has taken a severe blow as the outer portion has caved in considerably.

Considering a prolonged rainy season, Rana said the main drinking water pipeline passing through the area could be damaged any moment, leaving the town thirsty for several days.

The danger of the whole garden caving in further looms large over the residents of the Company Garden who are agitated as no treatment action has been taken by the authorities concerned, despite repeated pleas over the years.

It is worth mentioning that the DFO and SDM Mussoorie had inspected the affected site during the beginning of the monsoons and had assured of a early treatment, but nothing has been done so far.

DFO Mussoorie Dr Dheeraj Pandey said the estimate had been prepared and sent to the government and as soon as funds are allocated, the treatment work on the affected site would begin earnestly.

IAF recruitment in November
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 3
The recruitment drive of youth from the state for the Indian Air Force (IAF) will take place at Sringar Garhwal, Uttarakhand, in November. According to the Wing Commander SK Mishra, the Srinagar recruitment drive will be open for applicants who are domiciled residents of Chamoli, Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Pauri districts.

Urban Development Minister Pritam Singh Panwar said the Indian Air Force recruitment drive at Uttarakhand is taking place after a long time. 

2 bureaucrats shuffled
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, October 3
A minor bureaucratic reshuffle has taken place in Uttarakhand. Secretary, Medical Education and Sugarcane Development, Manisha Panwar has been given additional charge of Secretary, Rural Engineering Services and Secretary Science and Technology.

Joint Magistrate of Udham Singh Nagar and Joint Commissioner Relief Bhatwari, Uttarkashi Dr Ashish Kumar Srivastava has been relieved of the post of Joint Relief Commissioner Bhatwari, Uttarkashi. He will, however, remain Joint Magistrate of Udham Singh Nagar.

Joint Magistrate, Almora, and Joint Commissioner Relief, Joshimath, Chamoli Ravi Jha has been relieved of the post of Joint Magistrate, Almora. He will, however, continue to hold the post of Joint Commissioner Relief Joshimath, Chamoli.