A building of present Gurukul Kangri University in Haridwar. Tribune photo: Rameshwar Gaud

The original university building situated at Kangri village near Neel Dhara popularly known as ‘Punya Bhoomi’ was founded by Swami Shraddhanand in 1902.

If members of the Arya Representative Sabha Panjab vote against the pact between the VC and Archaeological Department, it could mean the end of the road for the university getting national monument status

The idea was to revive the Indian system of esoteric education against Lord Macaulay’s forcefully imposed education system.

In 1924, a massive flood engulfed Haridwar and the whole Gurukul campus was flooded. As a result, the new present campus was erected.

Mahatma Gandhi visited the university several times and the road by which Gandhiji went to the old campus has also been mapped by the team.

It was here that Swami Shraddhanand addressed Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi as Mahatma and thus the Father of the Nation came to be known as Mahatma Gandhi. The university provided shelter to many freedom fighters.

If the national monument status is given, then the National Museum will look after the building and its adjoining areas. It will renovate or change the building in accordance with the national monument norms.

The main aim will be to conserve, protect and maintain the national monument with its historical significance.

The place where the old campus is situated is not accessible as it is surrounded by water.

Bridges will be build which have already been envisaged by the Survey of India officials as the old university building will get huge publicity and will be visited by lakhs of people.

Though the campus is spread over 600 ‘bighas’, conservation activity of the main building and the adjoining 100m area will be undertaken.

Vice Chancellor Swatantra Kumar said that the Gurukul has been always the hub of freedom fighters, nationalists and educationists. The ‘Punya Bhoomi’ had inspired freedom fighters and propagated the Vedic system simultaneously.

But Gurukul’s proud moment has got embroiled in a controversy. The owner of the land of the old campus and the Gurukul University is Arya Representative Sabha Panjab.

It has objected to the matter citing that the land rights of the ‘Punya Bhoomi’ rests with it and hence, any consent in this regard will be taken by the sabha.

Devendra Sharma, registrar of Arya Representative Sabha Panjab, said that the proposal regarding giving the ‘Punya Bhoomi’ to the National Museum has not been taken. The decision that the Vice Chancellor and the archaeological department have taken is not final, he said.

A panel has been formed which is investigating the matter. It will visit the Survey of India office in Dehradun and the Archaeological Department in New Delhi to check the legality and other aspects of the details chalked between them and the Gurukul Vice Chancellor.

In July, a meeting of the representatives of the sabha is scheduled. The report of the panel will be tabled and discussed. After all this, a final decision regarding providing the ‘Punya Bhoomi’ for heritage purpose to the concerned department will be taken.

If the sabha members vote against the pact between the VC and Archaeological Department, it could mean the end of the road for the university building getting national monument status.

University insiders said that Chancellor Sudarshan Sharma has asked the Vice Chancellor to come to Jalandhar and specify why the matter was not brought to his notice and to the notice of the sabha.

Sudharshan Sharma is also the chief of the Arya Representative Sabha Panjab and that’s why this is being seen as an ego clash as the VC took the decision alone.

Vice Chancellor Swatantra Kumar, who is presently in Jalandhar, said that he has apprised the university authorities about the matter. It is in the best interest of ‘Punya Bhoomi’ and Gurukul University that it be given National Monument status, he said.

“I am sure the sabha members will pass the mooted project. Presently, the campus is deserted and no classes are held there. So, in the best interest of the university I agreed to the national heritage status,” said Kumar.

Former Haridwar Samajwadi Party legislator Ambrish Kumar had said he too had raised the issue of according national status to the Gurukul campus in the UP Assembly. The issue is of national importance so personal interests should be sidelined, he said.

Head of the Archaeological Department Dr Prabhat K Sengar said that Gurukul will shine on the world map after it gets national heritage status.

“The Archaeological Survey of India team had surveyed the area, building, its historical importance, documents and other related matters in detail and only then, decided on according the status.” He added that it is not easy to get this status.

“The ASI will only conserve the area. The property rights will still be in the sabha’s hands. But they can’t sell the property,” he said.

Whatever be the final outcome, people in Haridwar are elated to hear Gurukul is on the verge of being a national monument.

Dehradun, July 1
The blood component separator machine at the Doon Hospital blood bank has been lying idle for the past eight months. In the absence of a licence, the hospital authorities are unable to operate the unit that stores blood on the basis of its components.

The hospital authorities are awaiting the report of the inspection carried out in the beginning of June by the central team.

“After the inspection was over, we were assured that the report will be sent within four days. But so much time has passed and the report is still awaited. The unit will become operational only after the licence is issued,” said Dr RK Pant, CMS Doon Hospital.

Dr S.K Nautiyal, senior pathologist at the Doon Hospital, said that all doubts raised by the inspection team are being addressed.

“The team had suggested installation of air-conditioners which have already been done. The Cryofuge 6001 and 6002 machines along with three other components have been housed in an AC room,” said Dr Nautiyal.

Dr RK Pant, CMS Doon Hospital, said soon after the machine funded by the central government was installed, we had applied for licence. After this, the mandatory checks by the central team were undertaken.

The component machine ensures highest level of blood safety and utility. As the blood is stored as per red cells, platelets and plasma components, patients are given blood according to component requirement. This ensures better utility especially when it is in low supply.

Normally, blood banks with component machines store red cells at 2-8 degree centigrade for 42 days, platelets at 20-24 degree centigrade for five days and fresh frozen plasma is stored at 30 degree centigrade for 365 days.

Kotdwar, July 1
The addition of insecticide in the Khoh river near Kotdwar by some miscreants which resulted in the large-scale killing of fish appears to be an inside job.

On June 27, thousands of fish were found dead in the river. But forest department authorities believe that elephants, and not fish, were the target of the miscreants. To keep themselves cool, pachyderms in large numbers frequent the river in the summer.

A sample of the river water and the dead fish has been sent for pathological test to the Fisheries Department of the Pant Nagar University. The local administration has alerted the drinking water supply authorities to check the potable water supply system.

Forest officials during investigation found an empty bottle of pesticide ‘Thiodine Indo-Sulphas’ near the Tod Gadhera rivulets.

This region lies between Durga Devi Temple and Siddhbali complex and is a picnic spot for local people. This had prompted the Chief Conservator of Forest Shrikant Chandola to suspect that some anti-social element who visited the spot for illegal fishing might have added insecticide to the water.

But even the forest personnel are not convinced by this logic. They said that local people do indeed catch fish in the river illegally but in very small amounts. They never use pesticide to kill fish as then, they become unfit for human consumption. So the hand of the locals in this incident is out of the question.

The large amount of pesticide used indicates that the target of the miscreants was not fish, a forest department official observed.

Another forest employee, who did not want to be named, alleged that the motive behind the incident was to take revenge on the forest authorities by killing elephants.

Some forest employee, who had been transferred from Kotdwar recently against his wishes, had declared before leaving that he would take revenge and this forest division will witness his curse.

Many forest department employees are linking that threat to this incident adding that the poisoning of that particular patch of the river was planned because elephants come there to drink water. The area is a corridor between Corbett and Rajaji national parks.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Nishant Varma chose not to comment on this issue but said that an inquiry have been instituted under the Sub-Divisional Officer (forest) at Lansdowne.

Dehradun, July 1
Even four years after its establishment, the Single Window System (SWS) for hassle-free and time bound implementation of industrial projects as well as expeditious clearance of various other matters related to the existing units is a non-starter in Uttarakhand.

On the insistence of industrial organisations, the government under former CM BC Khanduri had about a month back announced setting up of a Monitoring Cell for the purpose. But no concrete progress has been made on the ground since then.

The industry leaders are now planning to take up the matter along with host of other issues with the new CM Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal. “We have requested for an appointment with the CM tomorrow in this regard,” said Pankaj Gupta, chairman Industries Association, Uttarakhand.

Apparently, the industrialists are peeved at the official apathy due to which SWS has remained only a concept till date. Interestingly, this has happened despite the fact that all documents to operationalise the system are in place.

“The problem is that the concerned departments have not accepted their nuisance value slipping away from them. This is high time this system is enforced in the state, the way it has already been done successfully in Gujarat,” added Gupta.

As major fallout of the non-functional SWS, the industrial atmosphere has been rendered non-conducive. The outside industrial investment is being hampered. An entrepreneur wanting to set up even a micro or small unit has to face harassment visiting all departments differently for necessary approvals and sanctions.

The plight of existing units is no different, as they too have to approach these departments for periodical renewals. “The government would do well to make every district industries center as nodal office for the purpose,” suggested Gupta.