Dehradun, October 27
The fast-unto-death dharna by Congress legislator (MLA) from Almora Manoj Tewari was called off following a meeting between Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Congress legislators led by Leader of Opposition Harak Singh Rawat here today.

On the assurance of the Chief Minister, Tewari ended his fast-unto-death dharna. He was offered a glass of juice by Uttarakhand Minister of Irrigation Matbar Singh Kandari in the afternoon.

Congress legislators had started a dharna in support of the demands raised by Tewari since Monday morning. Tewari was demanding action on the demand raised by him regarding the acute drinking water problem in Almora town in the Kumoan region. He had alleged that despite repeated requests nothing was done on the pressing demand of the people of Almora by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state government.

All Congress legislators and Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Harish Rawat, along with Almora Lok Sabha Member Pardeep Tamta, had participated in the dharna.

Nishank today invited the Congress legislators for talks in the state Secretariat. He assured the Congress delegation that his government was committed to solve the drinking water crisis in Almora town and every possible step would be taken in that direction. On the demand of the Congress legislators that the Saryu-Seraghat water pumping scheme be started immediately, the Chief Minister said the feasibility of the pumping scheme would also be considered seriously.

The Chief Minister further said he himself went to Almora last week and performed the Bhoomi Pujan of the Almora Medical College where the Congress legislator was also present. “The start of fast-unto-death by Tewari even after that was unfortunate,” he said.

He said his government was fully committed to start the Almora Medical College and all necessary budget would be provided, besides starting the Kosi barrage to provide for the water needs of Almora.

Nishank said the solution of the problems could only be found with mutual dialogue and he was open for any constructive suggestion by Opposition legislators and people’s representatives.

On the allegations of discrimination in the works in the assembly segments of Opposition legislators, the Chief Minister clarified that he would personally go to the segments to supervise the development works. “My government is committed to do all-round development of the state and we must get above party politics for the this cause,” he told them.

Chief Secretary Indu Kumar Pandey and other senior officials were also present in the meeting.

Dehradun, October 27
Despite the restriction imposed by UNESCO, Portland Cement continues to be used as a conservation material in ancient buildings in India, posing risk to the longevity of the historic structures.

“Portland Cement contains high salt content that dissolves basic silica fabric of the rock and also exhibits thermal conductivity that expands together along with the rock at a different rate leading to crack formation, permanently damaging the sculptures and buildings,” stressed Mangaer Singh, superintending chemist, Archaeology Survey of India (ASI), science branch.

He expressed these views on the second day of second regional workshop/symposium on Conservation of Cultural Property organised jointly by the Archaeology Survey of India (science branch) and Sagar (NGO) and co-sponsored by the Indian Council of History and Research (ICHR), New Delhi, underway here.

“Dark spots can appear because of the action of alkali on sand stone or lime stones, resulting in crystallisation. On the other hand, lime wash can provide longevity to wall and fresco paintings. The use of lime for conservation purposes in India came very late, long after it was used extensively for the conservation of wall paintings in European countries,” said Mangaer Singh.

He has used lime extensively in the conservation of Ajanta paintings in Maharashtra and for the conservation of frescoes at Radha Krishan Temple in old Rajpur.

“In keeping with the traditions of conservation, the restorers injected lime in two paintings to provide strength and used chemicals to arrest flaking,” said Mangaer Singh. “Cement concrete is a strong material with high elasticity. When old buildings undergo deformation, cement discharge on adjoining weaker materials and their decay rate can increase,” he added.

In another interesting work undertaken by the ASI, paintings as part of personal collections are also being restored. Giving details Ranjan Chakraborty, senior artist of the ASI, said the damage to an oil painting on canvas was generally noticed in the form of tears, rupture, “Such damages are normally a result of mishandling and at times due to violent action while transporting paintings that can cause untold damage,” stressed Ranjan.

The damage can be arrested by providing strength to the deteriorated original canvas by giving additional support from the back.

While DK Verma, Deputy Superintending Archaeological Chemist, ASI (science), said traditional methods of conservation like the use of feathers, herbal leaves continue to be used, newer methods were also becoming popular in the conservation of manuscripts. 

Haridwar, October 27
Just a day after Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank advised BJP workers in Haridwar to retaliate the allegations and protests done by the Congress against the state government, the city BJP unit has started protesting against the Congress-led UPA government’s policies.

Opposing the Congress party’s policies, especially its inefficacy to control inflation, rising prices of essential commodities and other local issues, the BJP workers took out a protest march and burnt the effigies of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Haridwar parliamentarian Harish Rawat.

Hitesh Sharma, chief of BJP Yuva Morcha, said one could see the difference in the prices during the NDA rule as compared to the UPA.

“The common man is pressed under price rise, unemployment and corruption while the Congress seems to have closed its eyes on the problems,” said Sharma.

While Congress activists protested the CM’s visit and tried to gherao him on Maha Kumbh projects yesterday, the BJP workers too questioned the Congress’s motive citing second-hand treatment being met out to the Maha Kumbh fair.

Municipal ward member Subash Sharma pointed that the central government released funds for Kumbh only after much persistence by the state government.

Party activists also questioned Union State Minister Harish Rawat over scarcity of food quota in the district. “From food items to kerosene, the central government is reducing the quota while Rawat is quiet on this issue which openly suggests the low concern of the Congress and the parliamentarian towards Maha Kumbh and Haridwar,” said Subash.

Among those who addressed the gathering were Sanjay Chauham, Vikas Sharma, Sanjeev Kalra, Sanjeev Sharma, Rajan Khann and Ujwal Pandit among others.

Meanwhile, the city BJP unit got a major boost as Traders Association executive members joined the BJP in the presence of local legislator Madan Kaushik. Prominent among those who joined were Suresh Gulati, Vijay Sharma, Arun Prakash Raghav, Shriram Arora and Ravi Dhingra. 

Haridwar, October 27
Despite a rehabilitation project going on for Van Gujjars to ensure an unhindered animal movement in forests and protect forest environment, there are hundreds of families from the community who are still waiting for a proper rehabilitation and compensation.

Van Gujjars displaced from Pauri Garwhal, Tehri Garhwal, Uddham Singh Nagar, Nainital, Champawat, Haridwar and Dehradun districts, have been demanding proper facilities at the place allotted to them for quite sometime now.

They allege there are no basic facilities available at the place allotted to them and it is severely affecting their life.

In all these districts, the Van Gujjars have formed an association called the Van Gujjar Kalyan Samiti to get the problems of the Gujjars solved.

The samiti has given a memorandum to Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in this regard.

Samiti’s general secretary Shamsher Bhadana said despite Van Gujjars accepting government’s proposal of resettling them from the forest area, they had not been properly settled by the government.

“We left our forest homes where we had been living for decades, but still after more than four years, most places where we are settled are not livable. Despite repeated complaints to the Forest Department and the administration, no heed has been paid to our demands,” said Bhadana.

The samiti also demanded settlement of more than 200-odd Gujjar families, which were displaced from the Chidiyapur and Gaindhikhata areas, but are still awaiting government nod for a permanent base.

“We have been patiently waiting for years and now we have pinned our hopes on the Chief Minister and even if it gets delayed, then we will have to opt for an agitational route,” stated Gulam Rasool, a Gujjar leader.

While officials accept that there are irregularities, they say all Gujjar families will be rehabilitated. Gujjars’ rehabilitation is the need of the hour as ecological and behavioural studies have shown that wildlife survives only when there are no disturbances in the buffer and core areas of natural habitats. Several studies by the Forest Department have favoured Gujjars’ rehabilitation. 

Dehradun, October 27
Contractual employees working with the three power corporations of Uttarakhand staged a protest in the state capital today seeking an end to the contractual system of employment and regularisation of their jobs.

These employees have been working with Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL) and Power Transmission Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (PITCUL) and have been hired through Poorva Sainik Kalyan Udyam Limited.

According to KR Kashyap, spokesperson of the agitating employees, “We seek regularisation of those employed on contract basis, and disbursement of wages should not be done through contractors, but through corporations directly.

“The practice of outsourcing of routine and regular jobs should be stopped immediately. We also want that more persons be hired in direct proportion to the increase of consumers in the state”.

He claimed that the contractual employees are being discriminated against by the government as they are no less in terms of educational qualifications and experience as compared to the regular employees. 

Dehradun, October 27
A cheque of Rs 1 lakh, a shawl and a Samman Patra was presented to Vineeta Bisht, wife of martyr Gajendra Singh Bisht, who laid down his life last year in the Mumbai terror attack at Taj hotel. The cheque was presented by Sushant Vats, president of the ONGC Officers’ Club, here today.

An evening dedicated to the martyrs called as “Ek Shaam Shaheedon Ke Naam” was observed earlier. It was decided that the amount collected from the show would be donated to the family of the martyr.

Havaldar Bisht led the five commandos of the National Security Guard on the fateful night of November 28, 2008, and laid down his life bravely fighting the terrorists. He was honoured with the Ashok Chakra, posthumously by the government of India.

Among the office-bearers of the ONGC Officers’ Club present were DR Kothiyal, vice-president, Matbar Singh Aswal, secretary, Vijay Kumar, treasurer, executive members, RR Dwivedi and RS Routela.

Also present were A Chakravorty, DS Rana, BB Chatterjee and Arun Kumar Sharma. 

Dehradun, October 27
Director-General of Police (DGP) Subash Joshi today conducted a meeting of senior police officers of the state through the means of video conferencing.

In his address the DGP called for speedy action for the detection of serious crimes like murder and looting. He also called for strengthening of investigation cells at each district.

He also reviewed police action linked to top 10 criminals in different districts.

The Director-General of Police also sought strict action against incidents of chain snatching, theft of vehicles and other such incidents.

Referring to November 9 State Foundation Day celebrations, the DGP suggested seeking the identification of the best investigation officer in each district and called for its felicitation.

Regular checking of vehicles and strict implementation of motor vehicles were also demanded.

Strengthening of the public redressal cell and child and women helplines were also taken up during the meeting.

It was also revealed that the police department would be celebrating Jan Sadhbhawana Saptah from November 7 to 11.

Arrangements for motorcycle rally, that begins on November 2, were also discussed.

Satyavrat, Additional Police Inspector-General, Crime and Law, MA Ganapathy, Inspector-General, Garhwal, Abhilasha Bisht, Deputy Inspector-General, and other senior police officials were present at the Dehradun headquarters. 

Dehradun, October 27
A committee headed by BK Singh, Senior Assistant Inspector-General, Forests Ministry of Environment and Forest Conservation Division, has conducted an on-the-spot inspection in the aftermath of reports of blockage of a narrow patch across the Gola river near Lalkuan in Nainital district.

It is the only critical connecting link for the movement of tigers and elephants between the Terai Central and Terai East Forest Divisions.

BK Singh visited the Lalkuan region in Nainital district the previous day and conducted the inspection.

The inspection came in the wake of credible reports of this narrow patch of forest across the Gola river getting completely blocked due to the infrastructure development.

The committee constituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, apart from BK Singh, had members from the Wildlife Trust of India and the World Wide Fund 
for Conservation.

The news reports had revealed that with the destruction of this vital corridor, the entire Terai Arc Landscape, stretching from the Yamuna, near Saharanpur, in the west, to the Bagmati river, near Chitwan National Park in Nepal, in the east, has been divided into two halves.

This corridor was identified by the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, in 2003.

Subsequently, it featured prominently in a book titled “Right of Passage” published by the Wildlife Trust of India in 2005 and endorsed by the Chief Wildlife Warden of Uttarakhand and Project Elephant Directorate, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

However, ignoring all this scientific rationale, it has been learnt that earlier this year, the Uttarakhand Forest Department allowed large-scale infrastructure development in this corridor.

Encroachment in this area has further aggravated the problem. The committee will be submitting its report shortly.

Dehradun, October 27
Uttarakhand Director-General of Police (DGP) Subash Joshi today presented a Scroll of Honour to Inspector Naveen Chandra, the police officer who solved the Spring View theft case within eight hours of the incident.

Presenting the honour at the State Police Headquarters, DGP Joshi said by ensuring a speedy solution to the case, people’s faith on police had increased manifold.

He said he was very hopeful that the police personnel would continue to stand up this great tradition.

An amount of Rs 90,000 and a passport was stolen from the Spring View, Mussoorie, of Dr Mulkraj Das on August 8 this year. He also recovered the articles taken by the miscreants. 

Dehradun, October 27
Three persons were killed when a vehicle, in which they were travelling in, fell into a deep gorge in Champawat district on Sunday.

The incident happened in the Bhartoli area of the district, about 75 km from here. The trio, including the driver, died on the spot, the police said.

The pick-up van was on its way to Barakot from the Ghaat area.

The bodies have been retrieved by the police.