The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Nishank inaugurates Kumbh works Sandeep Rawat Tribune News Service Haridwar, November 8 On the eve of the 9th Foundation Day of Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank undertook a whirlwind tour of Haridwar to inaugurate at least 25 works that had been completed for century’s first Maha Kumbh to be held next year. The completion of these works has put aside for a while the doubts and aspersions being cast on the working of the mela administration with allegations of work going on a slow pace and it being non serious about the Kumbh projects. Nishank also inaugurated week-long Haridwar Mahotsava. The mahotsava is being held consecutively for a second year at the Rishikul Vidyapeeth ground, where it had got a mega success last year. With less than two months to go for the start of the world’s biggest fair in Haridwar, Nishank has been quite serious about the Kumbh preparations. On every visit to the city, he inspected Kumbh works and talked to officials concerned to get every detail of the projects. He had also suspended six senior officials of various agencies carrying out the Kumbh works for negligent. Now, with the inauguration of more than 25 works and projects, it seems the Kumbh works are on right pace and it gives hope that by the start of the Maha Kumbh all works will be completed. Nishank assured people of a successful completion of the Maha Kumbh in the state. He said as this was the largest conglomeration of people on the earth in a single point of time and place, the prestige of the state and the nation was at stake and government was quite serious about its successful completion. Nishank said the central government was not helping the state government as it should have been, but the state government would make sure that from finance to security, the Kumbh didn’t suffer a bit. Elaborate security arrangements were put in place for the CM’s visit. Security was beefed up at all venues of inauguration and CM’s brief stay. The whole city donned a khadi look. The whole day District Magistrate R Meenakshi Sundaram, SSP Sanjay Gunjiyal and SP (City) Asim Srivastava were busy in overseeing the administrative and security arrangements. Prior to the CM’s visit, Chief Secretary Subash Kumar, Urban Development Secretary Anoop Badhawan had a series of meetings with senior administrative officials and inspected the Rishikul Vidyapeeth ground and a temporary helipad constructed there.
	Eating Out Food that is yummy and economical Divya Semwal Tribune News Service Dehradun, November 8 Anandpuri, a small restaurant located in the busy Chakrata Road area for the past several decades, has been satisfying customers of Doon for maintaining an authentic taste of its breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, which sell like hot cakes round the year. Established in the 1930s, Anandpuri is a typical North Indian food joint, and in the forms of thalis serves a lot of variety. “Earlier this restaurant was owned by someone else. But now, for the past three years, we are owning it and are pretty satisfied with the response of customers. After all, over the years this restaurant has established a brand value in the market,” said Anurag Mittal, owner of Anandpuri. Poori Thali, being one of the most preferred items in the long list of the menu, comprises four pooris with a perfect combination of pumpkin, potato, black cholas, mixed curd and methi potato. However, the main reasons why from a middle-class to a high-class family throngs this outlet are the expert cooks, who have gained an ample experience, and the reasonably priced food items. “Though we took over the business a few years ago, the cooks are the same old ones. Also, to make sure that people come back to the joint, we prepare fresh food and keep the ventilation open so that customers are comfortable and happy while relishing the delicacies,” added Anurag. To satisfy the hunger for the tasty-and-value-for-money food, one has to shell out only Rs 35 to Rs 80 to taste anything, from a special veg thali, deluxe thali, mouth-watering kulchas, with a filling of paneer and potato, to South Indian idlis and dosas. Last, but not the least, Anandpuri’s sweet dishes add an extra flavour to the spicy treat. The creamy lassi, rasmalai, gulab jamun and winter special jalebis, in spite of being high on calories, are other favourite items at the restaurant. “I love the kulcha cholas and sweet dishes of Anandpuri for being really yummy and economical,” said Amardeep, a resident.
	Capital Issue UPP plans separate programme at Gairsain today Rajeev Khanna Tribune News Service Nainital, November 8 With Statehood Day approaching on November 9, the issue of a permanent capital for Uttarakhand has once again gathered steam. After the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) deciding to hold a public meeting at Gairsain, which, it says, should be the state capital, it is newly formed Uttarakhand People’s Party (UPP) that has decided to observe the day at Gairsain with the demand that the government must deliver on giving a real shape to the aspirations of the people of the state. At the same time, the UPP has launched a scathing attack on the Congress, the BJP and the UKD for taking the people of the state for a ride over the past nine years and failing to deliver on any front. The party leadership is particularly harsh towards the UKD, which, it feels, has betrayed the people. “They have no right to claim to represent the people,” said senior party leader PC Tewari while talking to The Tribune. The UPP has been accusing the UKD of playing a double game by being a partner in the state government along with the BJP while talking of addressing regional aspirations on the other. “We will be holding a separate programme at Gairsain. We have no truck with the UKD. We will be trying to draw the attention of the government towards the unfulfilled aspirations of the people and convey that it is better if the demands of the masses are met at the earliest,” said Tewari. Like the UKD, the UPP has also been holding public meetings and demonstrations in various parts, including Almora, Dehradun and Srinagar, to garner support for making Gairsain as the permanent capital of the state. Both parties contest that since Uttarakhand is primarily a hill state, the capital must be in the hills and should be easily accessible to all. They have zeroed in on Gairsain claiming that it is the appropriate choice while being the geographical centre of the state. The UPP has also attacked the state government for setting up offices permanently in Dehradun. “Who had asked them to set up permanent offices in an interim capital? We will take this issue before the people and would demand the arrest of all those people who were involved in the decision,” said Tewari. He, however, added that since the issue of having a permanent state capital was political in nature, the solution also must come at a political level.
	Haridwar intersections to get facelift, after mega fair Tribune News Service Haridwar, November 8 It seems that the deadline for Maha Kumbh works is finally taking its toll and now the beautification and renovation of some important intersections and crossings of the city will take place after the fair is over. Thus, the localities, where inner city chowks were to get a major facelift, will have to wait for more than half a year. Notably, under the Jawahrlal Nehru National Urban Rural Development Scheme, city’s intersections and major chowks would have to be renovated and this was to be done before the commencement of the Maha Kumbh in January next year. The work was to be carried out by the PWD. But now the department is contemplating on stalling the project for the time being till the Maha Kumbh is over. The PWD is facing problems due to time and other reasons such as some intersections coming on the national highways and some are so small and narrow that there is not much space to carry out work on such a scale. Apart from this, the work load on the department is quite huge as it is already engaged in several other mela projects which are already lagging behind the time. PWD officials say that to carry out the work it needs time otherwise the quality of work may suffer. So they have decided to temporarily halt this project and oversee it once the fair gets completed in April 2010.
	Multiple disabilities awareness drive begins Tribune News Service Dehradun, November 8 To develop awareness regarding autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities, the National Trust - an autonomous organisation of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in association with Raphael Ryder Cheshire International Center is organising a series of programmes. The grand finale will be held on November 28. Chairman of Cheshire International Center Air Marshal BD Jayal said: “As part of the Badhte Kadam programme, the National Trust team together with Raphael will put up an exhibition and programme at Rangers College Ground between 3 pm and 5 pm. The theme for the event is ‘Kadam badayaein saath saath’.” While addressing a press conference, Air Marshal Jayal said the volunteers from Raphael would present a street theatre performance at the Prince Chowk railway station. “These performances will be held all across the city,” said Air Marshal Jayal. On November 12, the performances will be held at Clock Tower and near Mission School, on November 19 at Ballupur Chowk and Army Cantt, on November 26 at Rispana Bridge and Gandhi Park and on October 29 at the Mohini Road.
	4 pharma Cos pack bags Neena Sharma Tribune News Service Dehradun, November 8 At least four pharmaceutical companies have packed their bags in the past few months denting the pharma-friendly image of the state that was acquired soon after the central tax-holiday policy for the hill state was announced. The four companies that are moving out of the state are Zorax Remedies, Udham Singh Nagar; Sanjeevani, an Ahmedabad-based biotech company; Arvind Remedies, Chennai-based company, Haridwar; and Speed Life Sciences, Roorkee. “Several pharmaceutical companies had come to the state as soon as the 10-year tax holiday was initially offered to companies setting up units in the state, said DD Upreti, Uttarakhand Drug Controller. “The exemption limits were almost zero, but subsequently changes in the central excise tax structure for pharma industrial units outside Uttarakhand made the state pharma industry uneconomical in comparison to units in other states,” he added. “It may be one of the reasons forcing many such units to shift from Uttarakhand,” said Upreti. With the aim to attract industry, including the pharmaceutical ones in Uttarakhand, the central government had provided a special industrial package in 2003 that included a tax holiday for new industrial units in the state. Entrepreneurs dealing with pharma manufacturers came to the state in a big way as the excise tax waiver gave them a great advantage over similar units in other states that were being levied excise tax to the tune of 16 per cent at that time. But the honeymoon of the industry with Uttarakhand was short-lived with excise tax in other states having been reduced substantially over a period of time from 16 per cent down to 8 per cent and now to four in the last budget. “It is proving costly for companies to bring in raw material and then carry back the finished product to the respective home states. Several companies are dependent on manufacturing by a third party,” said Upreti.
	Pre-engineered steel structures catching up in industry Akash Ghai Tribune News Service Roorkee, November 8 Unlike the conventional structures made of brick and mortar, pre-engineered steel structures are fast catching up in the industrial and infrastructure sector. An innovative concept, a pre-engineered steel structure is ready in just 10-15 weeks compared to at least two-year time taken for the completion of a conventional structure. “Compared to conventional building solutions, pre-engineered steel building solutions are superior in strength, take less time to complete and offer protection against non-uniform weather elements. It takes only 33 per cent of the time normally taken to construct a conventional building,” claimed experts associated with the industry. Everest Steel Buildings, which had ventured into this technology, had set up one of the manufacturing units in Lakeshwari (Bhagwanpur), about 26 km from here, last year. The company authorities claimed that since then, they had booked orders worth over Rs 175 crore in 11 months from small and big enterprises as well as MNCs across the country to build 165 buildings. This corroborated the fact how popular the technique here is. Some of the PEB projects completed by the company for the establishments like the Indian Oil Corp. Limited, Mecaplast India Pvt Ltd, Flander Limited, the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Aditya Automotive Applications Pvt Ltd and MP Warehousing and Logistics Corp have even been approved by noted institutes such as the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, and Central Building Research Institute. These pre-engineered steel buildings are manufactured at a state-of-the-art plant at Bhagwanpur, Roorkee. These buildings are strong and can withstand hostile weather conditions like cyclones, high-velocity winds, heavy snow and most importantly, earthquakes, providing lifelong durability, safety and very low-cost maintenance. These buildings have PUF panels as roof and wall cladding for temperature control. Ultra-modern and highly sophisticated software is used for the constriction of these buildings. To overcome any building-related problems, including inconsistency, time-consumption, untidiness, generation of wet waste and vulnerability to termites, present in the traditionally used materials of brick and mortar or ply board and gypsum, the new technology has also developed a range of new-age walling solutions, claimed the experts. These are ideal for multiple applications in residential, commercial and industrial segments. Besides, the doors used in these buildings have a host of advantages compared to traditional wooden doors in terms of moisture resistance, immunity towards termite and vermin as well as nonflammable attributes. They can be easily coated with any kind of paint or simply polished to look like wood. In order to provide an aesthetically pleasing look to the exteriors, the technology also covers cladding solutions. In such buildings, the roofs are made of fibre cement corrugated roofing sheets, which are extensively being used in factories, power plants, stadiums, schools and urban and rural houses. The roofs have high-impact resistance in which cement is reinforced with specially developed polypropylene fibres using the unique high impact poly propylene technology.
	Handicrafts exhibition to empower women Divya Semwal Tribune News Service Dehradun, November 8 Under the leadership of the Mahila Kalyan Udyog Kendra (MKUK) a registered society working for the empowerment of women, a two-day-long handicrafts exhibition, Kar Kamal, began here today. Around 46 exhibitors from different parts of Uttarakhand and a few other states gathered at the grounds of Welham Girls School to showcase a variety in the rich handicrafts wear. The MKUK, established 40 years ago, came into existence with the sole motive to help women with no means of livelihood and upgrade their skills so that they earn a living and finally achieve financial stability. However, while initially the centre trained women in stitching, knitting and tailoring, currently these women are also busy looking after other departments and stitching uniforms for school and garments in the city. “Kar Kamal has been going on for the past several years and as compared to last year this time we have more stalls and are happy with the way people are contributing for a social cause,” said Madhavi Mathur, founder, MKUK. From colourful jewellery, woollen clothes, Kashmiri handicrafts to nature-friendly soaps, everything grabbed the attention of people from different walks of life. Along with entertainment, this fund-raising exhibition not only provides a venue to small-sized and creative exhibitors who are in need of a market, but at the end of the exhibition whatever funds are collected are entirely used for educating the girl child also. “We provide a platform to needy artisans. Besides, the money which is collected is then used for educating women. In 2004, where the society was able to award the financial aid to only 18 girls, over the years the number has multiplied and now with the support of our members and people coming and helping this cause, we have been able to support 28 girls in various age-groups, studying in schools as well as vocational education courses,” informed Madhavi. “I purchased pure need-based facewash from a stall based in the Uttarkashi region of Uttarakhand and am glad to contribute for such a humanitarian cause,” said Rashmi, a visitor. “We are basically an organisation promoting the woollen handicrafts of Kumaon made by various NGOs in Nainital and are happy to be here as it gives us recognition and strength to achieve our goals in future,” said M Azhar, Manager of Himjoli Handicrafts.
	Railway reservation proposal yet to see light of day Yamini Sunwar Tribune News Service Dehradun, November 8 The proposal of making a railway reservation counter at the Grand Post Offices (GPO) of every city by the Directorate of the Postal Department has yet to see the light of day here. The scheme was launched to facilitate citizens with convenience of railway reservations. But the department seems quite apprehensive to inform the media about its launch in the city. NP Nautiyal said, “We can’t elucidate on this issue at the moment. Though the scheme has been running successfully in other cities, it’s quite uncertain to say anything about it in the state.” Business Development Manager SS Chauhan said, “The Postal Department has many other premium schemes for the citizens such as express parcel post, logistic post, e-bill post, world net express, business post, flat rate box, direct post and postal life insurance (PLI). “Other latest additional services offered by the department are payment of phone bills and electricity bills. In fact, people can also avail the service of recharge coupons and collection of admission forms of the university within the premises of GPO. Postal life insurance for the government and semi-government employees and savings bank accounts are yet another interesting schemes provided by the department,” he added. Even the ayurvedic medicines of Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Yog Peeth are being sold in the GPO campus.
	Engineer missing case: CM orders CBI probe Tribune News Service Dehradun, November 8 Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has ordered a CBI probe into the case in which Public Works Department’s assistant engineer Anand Prakash, 32, went missing under mysterious circumstances in August. Principal Secretary Subhash Kumar said Uttarkashi’s PWD assistant engineer had been missing since August and his family had approached the government for a CBI probe into the matter several times. The Chief Minister assured the family members that Prakash’s matter would be taken up seriously and no stone would be left unturned in his search. Prakash had gone missing in Uttarkashi three years after he got the job in the PWD. He reportedly wanted to expose the corrupt officials in his staff, but went missing from his official quarters a day before he was to visit his ailing father in Delhi. He had reportedly got to know of a scam of Rs 4.5 crore in a PWD project. But he was being pressurised to compromise, to which he didn’t agree. Deeparchana, his wife, had alleged that her husband was threatened by his seniors with dire consequences if he opened his mouth. His wife had last spoken to him on September 19. He joined the department after completing his B Tech from Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh. His family had alleged that the day he went missing his house was found unlocked. The family had suspected that it was the handiwork of three of his office staff members who were in fear that Prakash could expose them. They had kidnapped him at gunpoint, alleged the mother-in-law of the missing. The family had been also seeking the CBI probe into this regard for a long time. The police had claimed that the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) is probing the case and soon positive result would come but nothing happened till today.