Dehradun, February 28
Uttarakhand has not remained unaffected by global economic meltdown. Once a hot favourite destination of the industry following the announcement of an industrial package in 2003, the situation has worsened for all major companies.

While the big ones have started scaling down their production and are retrenching staff, the micro, small and medium industries are contemplating shutting shop.

In the past one year, the situation has changed drastically. With an investment which was expected to reach Rs 20,000 crore in 2008, Uttarakhand had become the latest industrial happening place in the country.

Most top industrial houses, whether in automobiles, pharmaceuticals, information technology and consumer goods, had either set up shop in the state or had planned to come to this Himalayan state in a big way.

Taking the benefit of the income tax and excise holidays given under the special industrial package by the Central government and the concessions in the shape of land, power and infrastructure by the state government, most top companies had set up their plants at various industrial estates.

The extension of the tax benefits from March 2007 to March 2010 to Uttarakhand by the Centre had also attracted more companies.

The industrial growth rate of the state, which in 2002 was only 1.9 per cent, galloped to 18 per cent with this huge investment.

The state was set to become the next automobile and two-wheeler destination in the country attracting all automobile majors of the country. Tata Motors, Mahindra and Mahindra, Hero Honda and Bajaj Auto had set up their plants at Haridwar or Pant Nagar industrial estates.

Following the coming of these automobile majors, a large number of other ancillary units connected with the auto industry also followed suit.

More than 2,500 industrial units set up their plants and many started production. Some of the big names are Nestle, LG, Britannia, Hindustan Lever, Voltas, Lakhani Shoes, Relaxo, Liberty, Dabur India and Parle.

The State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCUL) has developed two industrial estates - one at Pantnagar and another at Haridwar - besides setting up another estate at Sitarganj with private participation.

A Pharma City had come up at Selaqui near Dehradun while an Information Technology Park was set up at Sahastradhara near Dehradun.

Another industrial estate at Bhagwanpur near Roorkee had also attracted many pharmaceutical and biotech units. Major investors were Ranbaxy, Natco, Pegasus, Chrispharma, Intaslab and Mastic and Harris laboratories, Coral, India Glycol and Mepromax Life Sciences.

The 60-acre Information Technology Park at Sahastradhara near Dehradun also attracted IT majors like Cisco Systems, IBM and Intel who have signed MoUs with the state government. A similar Biotechnology Park is being developed at the industrial estate at Pantnagar.

However, if the present trend of recession could be of any indication than the industrial boom in the state seems to be over. According to industry sources, electronic, packaging, personal care, automobile and pharmaceutical industry has scaled down production by more than 50 per cent in the last three months. There have been massive retrenchments of temporary labour due to the scaling down of production.

“The production of Mahindra and Mahindra at Haridwar was 4,000 vehicles per month till October 2008 which has come down to 300 vehicles now,” said Pankaj Gupta, president of the Industries Association of Uttarakhand.

The worst-hit are the vendors who had been associated with these industries and were totally dependent on them. “Tata has already retrenched 200 workers,” added Pankaj Gupta.

“The production of our diesel-generating sets has gone down from 300 in a month to 100,” Ashok Dabral, deputy general manager of Birla Yamaha factory located at Laltappar on the Dehradun-Haridwar road, said.

The pharmaceutical and electronic industry have also been badly hit in Selaqui industrial belt. “The economic meltdown and the reduction in Central excise concession from 16 per cent to 8 per cent now has forced some of them to close shop and shift,” said Pankaj Gupta.

According to a survey done by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in the northern states of Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the small and medium industry seems to be the hardest hit in the current recession on all fronts including profitability, credit availability and longer-payment cycles. This has impacted employment in the small and medium sector more than 21 per cent in November 2008 as against 13.5 per cent in the large organisations.

More than 8 per cent of respondents from the small and medium companies in the survey indicated a possibility of closure if the slowdown continued for another six months.

“The situation is no different in Uttarakhand. The mini, small and medium units are the hardest hit. Banks are shying away from loans and there is no government help coming,” charged Pankaj Gupta.

He alleged that the price purchase preference policy in government purchases has not been renewed by the Uttarakhand government since March 31, 2008.

“TELCO and Ashok Leyland moved to five shifts a week with export markets declining. Hundreds of small and medium industries in the auto component sector and foundries were asked to stop supplies. The stocks are piling up and they are not able to lay off employees as their elder brothers did or could enter into a negotiated settlement for reduced wages,” claimed Pankaj Gupta.

“A provision was made after repealing the Delayed Payment Act for constitution of State Facilitation Council to address the issue of payments of micro and small industries. It has been more than two years since this Act come into being. Our state has still not constituted the council. This has resulted in depriving the micro and small enterprises of the benefit of recovery of their dues through this council,” he said.

Dehradun, February 28
The 7th flower exhibition titled “colours of spring” got underway at the Raj Bhawan, here today. The event is being organised by the state horticulture department with an aim to encourage flower exhibitors to showcase their talent as well as impart knowledge to the people regarding the importance of flowers in this quintessential land of natural beauty.

Governor BL Joshi, who is actively involved in organising the event, hoped that the exhibition would be a perfect medium to showcase one’s interest towards nature’s exquisite gift.

“The exhibition holds a lot of importance for development of our horticulture department as well for people of the state to know about different species of flowers that are grown here,” he said.

Different species of flowers are grown in varied locations of the state and supplied to many big cities from here. Since the last six years, the horticulture department is holding the exhibition at the Raj Bhawan.

“Over these six years, the response has been good and almost 3,000 to 4,000 people gather at the exhibition. Last year, around 800 exhibitors participated, and this year we are expecting at least 900,” said Rajesh Tiwari, senior inspector, horticulture department.

Uttarakhand has been doing steady floriculture business and in the year 2006 at the international Flora Expo in New Delhi, the state department of horticulture won the first and second position for two consecutive years, respectively.

“Our state has immense potential for floriculture and we hope that this year flower-lovers will witness a perfect conglomeration of beauty and recreation,” said NS Napchayal, additional chief secretary.

At the exhibition, competitions would be held in various categories of cut and potted flowers, besides a contest for gardeners and photographers. Exhibitors from local nurseries, and state-level commercial flower growers would showcase potted plants like cactus and bonsai. Activities for children would also be organised.

But the main attraction this year would be a photo exhibition on the “Valley of Flowers”, bouquet competition for women, puppet show and cultural dance and singing programmes for children.

Moreover, on the recommendation of the Governor, children from government schools would also be given an opportunity to visit the exhibition. “Our main target is to encourage people from different walks of life to know more about the special flower species of Uttarakhand as well provide a means where one can enjoy with friends and family,” said RC Srivastava, deputy director, horticulture department.

Roorkee, February 28
The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board will set up tableaux and tourist information centres at major spots during ‘Urs’ which starts next week at Peeran Kaliyar, five kms from here.

Such centres, having information about major tourist spots, religious places and adventure sports, will be set up at Peeran Kaliyar and outside the railway station here.

The purpose is to apprise the pilgrims, who visit here in lakhs, about the culture, traditions and customs of the state. They will also get information on tourist spots, important religious as well as historical places of Uttarakhand, said an official of the tourism department.

“We want that these pilgrims should explore more places in the state during their stay here,” added the official.

The centres would also be equipped with Internet facility which would be extended to the ‘zaireens’ (pilgrims), he said.

Meanwhile, the administration claimed that all preparations have been completed for the event.

To avert any casualty while the pilgrims take a bath in Ganga canal during Urs, the administration has decided to deploy six motorboats and a team of trained divers from the Army and police.

The authorities have also decided to set up temporary medical arrangements at various spots near the ‘dargah’.

Dehradun, February 28
As a part of six days exposure programme in Uttarakhand and Haryana, a group of 40 farmers from Sirmour and Mandi districts of Himachal Pradesh yesterday visited Forest Research Institute (FRI), here.

Dr Jagdish Kishwan, director general, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education said the farmers of the activities have been undertaken by the institute in the field of forestry reseaessed different problems in forestry sector being faced by rural communities and the institute providing best services in the shape of training and extension of latest technologies.

Dr. Rajasekaran and rch, which he said need to be extended to the various user groups including farmers. He said the FRI has set up demonstration village, one each in Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand and other states of the country during the current year, which will serve as a display window for sensitising people towards technical know-how of appropriate forestry technology and its implementation at village level.

Similarly, Dr Kishwan said the ICFRE’s initiative towards establishment of Van Vigyan Kendra’s on the pattern of Krishi Vigyan Kendra’s in most of the states including HP and Uttarakhand.

He addrDr. Vijender Panwar, scientists from Shimla, accompanying the farmers apprised that the farmers are to visit research station Dhaulakuan (Paonta Sahib), model village Shyampur, medicinal plant nursery at FRI, Dehradun, Shushila Tiwari Herbal Garden, Rishikesh, Medicinal Plant Marketing Depot of Forest Corporation at Bibiwala and Medicinal plant pharmacies in Haridwar as part of their training schedule.

These farmers will further visit Van Vigyan Kendra at Dehradun, Agroforestry models in Uttrakhand, famous agro forestry Hara Farms near Yamunanagar in Haryana for visualizing latest forestry technologies and interventions.

Dr S.S. Negi director, FRI, Dehradun and Mohinder Pal director HFRI Shimla said their institutes have established suitable models for intercropping of medicinal plants with horticulture and agricultural crops to optimise the production per unit area, which will help farmers in adopting commercial cultivation of medicinal plants in a sustainable manner in the region.

Himalayan Forest Research Institute, Shimla in collaboration with FRI Dehradun has organised the exposure visit of farmers for promotion of medicinal plant cultivation and adoption of agro forestry practices in HP. The training programmes ends on March 1.