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Mela administration speeds up work
Nano gets permanent home in Pantnagar
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Minister pulls up irrigation officials over lapse of funds
Concert in aid of cancer patient
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Mela administration speeds up work
Haridwar, June 11
Security main concern
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Trained personnel and sharp-shoot er commandos to guard major sites at Hari-Ki-Pauri The total budget allotted to the Kumbh Mela administration is Rs 350 crore. The mela area is spread over 130 sq km, from Haridwar to Rishikesh. Already, providing services to lakhs of pilgrims daily is an arduous task and given the limited time, doubts have been raised if the fair can be held successfully. On occasions such as Baisakhi, Somwati Amavasya, Ganga Dussehra and Poornima, lakhs of devotees and tourists throng the city. Traffic jams are an incessant problem, and the worst-hit are the local population. Deputy superintendent, traffic, (Kumbh Mela) Shweta Chaubey says a detailed traffic plan is being devised for the fair. As lakhs of vehicles will be used for transport, several bus stations and parking lots will be carved out to ease pressure. This week Uttarakhand urban development secretary Anoop Wadhawan met the mela officers and reviewed major projects. He inspected the quality of material used for various works and was not too pleased. One of the major reasons for the slow progress of work is the fact that Haridwar is a traditional centre. At times there is opposition to development works when the agencies concerned fail to show due respect for traditional beliefs or when traditionalists resist changes in structures holding religious significance. In one such instance in Damkoti, work on construction of a bridge had to be stopped as the PWD and Uttar Pradesh irrigation department wanted to halt the flow of the holy Ganga to build the bridge. But the Ganga Sabha and other religious leaders objected to the same. Hence, the work had to be temporarily put off. One fails to understand that when the state-of-the-art equipment is being used in the construction of bridges, why then is the closure of the Ganga canal necessary to construct barely a 40m-long bridge. Similarly, there was opposition to construction work for upgrading the Tova Nai Setu at Nai Sota near Har-Ki-Pauri. The purohits objected to its height and said it disturbed the beauty of the century-old ghat. They apprehended the bridge would not bear the weight of lakhs of pilgrims during important events. One aspect which will make this Maha Kumbh different from the earlier fairs will be security. It’s not that security has not been an issue earlier, but it was confined to managing crowds and any untoward incident. With changing times, specially in the aftermath of the September 2001 New York attacks and the Mumbai carnage, security has assumed greater significance. In the past two years, there have been a series of blasts in New Delhi, Varanasi, Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Guwahati. Now, with lakhs thronging the Kumbh mela, Haridwar could become the next target for terrorists. This could bring them not only national but international media attention too. Keeping this aspect in mind, the government has appointed DIG Alok Sharma as security in charge, Maha Kumbh. Specially trained personnel with sharp-shooter commandos will guard major sites at Hari-Ki-Pauri and other important venues in the pilgrim city. Bomb disposal squads, sniffer dogs and CCTVs will be in place to monitor the proceedings. For any fire emergency, fire fighters on motorbikes will be deployed so that they can reach dense colonies without impediment. A whopping 5 crore people are expected to visit the four- month-long Maha Kumbh in Haridwar district. The railway department, that will ferry a majority of passengers during the occasion, has begun preparations for the same. Senior divisional manager Surendra Johri says the railways will start a special 20-coach train while an extra 350 coaches will be attached to various trains. For this, the length of the platform is being increased and separate platforms being made. On the Lakshar-Haridwar and Haridwar-Rishikesh routes, shuttle trains will be plied. To lessen the rush at the railway station, separate counters will be made for these trains. The mela administration is trying to make the fair different this time with seminars on topics such as terrorism, pollution, population, environment, global warming, casteism, unemployment, Ganga cleaning and other issues. Mela officer Anand Vardhan wants to turn the mela as a platform for discussion of national and international issues. Seers too are working on making Maha Kumbh an occasion to bring the world community closer. Patanjali Yogpeeth’s general secretary Acharya Balakrishan says the fair will be an appropriate platform for interaction on religious matters. Swami Chidanand Muni of Parmarth Niketan says an all- religion parliament will be organised. One can gauge the enormity of the occasion from the fact that on temporary works alone, an estimated Rs 100 crore will be spent, with tents, barricades and tin shades alone costing Rs 12 crore. The tourism department is also gearing itself up for the grand fair. District tourism officer YK Ganghwar says apart from exhibitions, a food mart and an exhibition on the Garhwal-Kumaon aretefacts is planned. Special focus is being given to foreign tourists who will be greeted in the traditional style with their foreheads smeared with vermillion. Besides, information kiosks and special tent colonies will be set up for them to make their stay comfortable. But there is murmurs of dissent against the working of the mela administration. Haridwar municipal committee ward members complain that despite they being representatives of the people, they have not been taken into confidence by the administration. Rakesh Prajapati, a ward member, says the Kumbh administration should have sought their suggestions besides apprising them of ongoing works in the city. “With just six months left now, the Kumbh administration has sought our advice which is too late as there is no time left to amend or change the projects,” said Prajapati. The local population is quite perturbed by the ongoing mela work. For the past year, laying of sewer lines in the city has thrown life out of gear. Residents have on several occasions come out on the streets in protest against the lackadaisical attitude of the PWD and Ganga Pollution Control Board in carrying out the work.
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Nano gets permanent home in Pantnagar
Dehradun, June 11 Tata Motors is planning to produce 50,000 cars per year from the Pantnagar industrial unit. Earlier, ACE trucks were being manufactured at the unit. While confirming this, state Chief Secretary Indu Kumar Pandey said Tata Motors had requested 45 acres of additional land for expanding the industrial unit for producing Nano cars. “The government has already acceded to the demand,” he revealed. Earlier, the December, 2008, launch of the Nano was delayed after political problems forced the company to pull out of Singur (West Bengal). Subsequently, the mother plant was relocated to Gujarat, but in order to ensure that launch of Nano doesn’t get delayed further, the company started manufacturing it from Pantnagar unit. The first Nano car, which was rolled out on March 23, 2009, was from Pantnagar. “The company has also agreed to distribute all its Nano cars from Pantnagar through its new subsidiary - Tata Motors Distribution Company Limited,” said the Chief Secretary. Chief Minister BC Khanduri had already expressed his happiness over Tata Motor’s decision to set up a permanent satellite plant at its Pantnagar facility. “The manufacturing of Nano will not only benefit the customers and Tata Motors, it will also be a boon for the state. Since Nano will be sold from Uttarakhand only, it will annually generate Rs 200 crore for the state exchequer in the form of VAT etc,” he said.
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Bhadraaj stone fading away
Mussoorie, June 11 Bhadraaj ‘devta’, the elder brother of Lord Krishna and one the prime deities of the people of Jaunpur-Jaunsaar area, is offered unprocessed milk by devotees since time immemorial. During the mela, devotees meet, eat, sing and dance in honour of the deity. A few steps away from the temple is a rock on which vital names and dates of those involved the first-ever British venture beyond Dehradun are formally inscribed. The British defeated the Gorkhas in Dehradun in the 1814 war and began expanding their domain beyond the Himalayan foothills. This demanded thorough survey and mapping. Arcadia, one of the largest tea estates in Dehradun, is called so because the great arc of triangulation compiled from Kanyakumari terminated near it. The first-ever practical map in the entire north India was that of Dehradun, which still exists in the National Archives Gallery at New Delhi. The early surveyor-generals dared the thick jungles, notorious thugs of central India and hazardous diseases in order to accumulate precise maps, which still document a country as large as India. Such pioneer surveyors inscribed their initials on the rock outside Bhadraaj temple when they visited the area in 1814. A certain admiral of the British Navy, which defeated Napoleon during the same time, had inscribed the name of his ‘Lady Hood’ on the same rock. Besides these names, a Persian inscription is believed to be of some interpreter, as Persian was the official language of India during that time. Sadly though, the milestone of the history between Dehradun and Mussoorie is under threat of extinction owing to ignorance and negligence. “I am pained to see the prevailing condition of our heritage stone, which is a standing record of the history of this region. It requires preservation and demarcation. “I reported the matter to the local administration and media so many times, but to no avail. Soon the rock, a part of which has already been destroyed, will succumb to human litter,” said historian Gopal Bhardwaj. People of Mussoorie should be proud of the fact that the town was headquarters of the Great Trigonometrical Survey (GTS) with Sir George Everest as one of the Surveyor-Generals who lived in Mussoorie’s Park Estate during 1830s. Six years from now, in 2014, the Bhadraaj stone will complete 200 years. Even as enormous amount of milk is offered to Bhadraaj ‘devta’, scant attention is being paid to a relic that is in real need of preservation.
— The writer is a freelance scribe
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Doon to get facelift, courtesy ONGC
Dehradun, June 11 Negotiations are on for a tie-up with the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) and Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC) to give facelift to some road junctions, parks and most importantly, the main Rajpur Road. Dehradun is home to the oil major’s head office since its inception but it is significant that it has now come forward to contribute towards the city’s upkeep especially at a time when its development is suffering from the funds crunch. In fact, efforts were made in this regard in the past but somehow they failed to materialise. The development and beautification of Kishangarh Chowk is the case in point. Its huge assets in terms of various buildings are already a matter of pride for Dehradun. Vice-chairman of MDDA Menakshi Sunderam revived the process recently by writing to corporate houses having presence in Uttarakhand for their contribution. The ONGC reciprocated promptly and held preliminary talks with him on Wednesday. “We have asked the MDDA as well as DMC to come up with concrete proposals. Something concrete will emerge after studying them together to avoid any overlapping. At the same time, we will ensure that the proposals are implemented in a manner which promotes our corporate identity,” said an ONGC official involved in the negotiation. Mayor Vinod Chamoli, who has been pursuing the matter separately, does not see any problem in highlighting the brand ONGC in lieu of its financial contribution. “We will like to have their cooperation in developing Rajpur Road on the pattern of a Mall Road. We have already prepared the project which may cost Rs 75 crore or above. Let us see how much will be the ONGC’s contribution,” he said. The project entails widening of the road starting from Clock Tower. Besides beautification of roundabouts, it has also been planned to ensure maximum greenery on both sides, develop petrol stations along it in the shape of parks, construction of public toilets and proper pavements among other things.
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Minister pulls up irrigation officials over lapse of funds
Dehradun, June 11 Last year, the department failed to avail even a single penny of the central grants in this regard. Irrigation minister Matbar Singh Kandari yesterday minced no words while asking officials to pull up their socks in order to utilise the central grants for the purpose. While presiding over a meeting of the department’s officials of the Garhwal zone held here yesterday, he lamented the fact that not a single proposal was submitted to the Union government last year due to which funds worth Rs 42 crore were allowed to lapse. Though the department had been able to prepare projects - Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) - worth Rs 18 crore till the first week of February. It is a measure of the official apathy that out of these projects they failed to submit projects worth Rs 7 crore to the Centre even after their clearance by the state finance department. Under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), the Centre provides 90 per cent funds for each project while the state government has to contribute the rest for construction of canals and lift-irrigation schemes. Showing that he would have to act tough against the erring officials, if they failed to submit proposals for 2009-10 by July 15, he set a target of proposals worth Rs 24 crore to be submitted by this deadline. His tough talk was in line with the displeasure expressed earlier by the Chief Secretary IK Pande over the department’s performance in this regard during the meeting held on November 6, 2008, for monitoring of projects under special component meant for both categories of the population.
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Concert in aid of cancer patient
Dehradun, June 11 “She requires at least Rs 6 lakh for treatment in addition to chemotherapy. “We hope to collect the amount through the concert that will be held at the Khetarpal stadium, IMA,” said Zubin Nautiyal. For the show, tickets in four categories will be sold. The tickets will be available at Count Down restaurant near Kanak hall, Music World near hotel Madhuban, Barista, Sugar Box near Ghantaghar, Velocity, EC road, Art Home Ashley hall, Ganpati Sweets near Meedo Grand and Avtar Stores, Jakhan. The tickets have been priced above Rs 200 and donor cards too will be on sale. The 19-year-old singer, who hails from Jaunsar Bawar, called upon residents of Doon to donate generously and attend the show to support Tanisha. A pass-out of Welham Boys School, Nautiyal has been interested in music since his childhood.
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Haridwar, June 11
Dehradun, June 11
