Dehradun, December 19
The Devbhumi Uttarakhand should be turned into Swachh Bhumi. The Governor of Uttrakhand, Margret Alva emphasised on the need to keep Ganga and each village of the state clean. She was speaking at a function to give away ‘Nirmal Gram Awards’ to 136 gram panchayats for the year 2008-09 in a program held in Brig Gambhir Singh Auditorium, Survey of India, here today.

The Governor also expressed happiness in awarding women members and said women have always played a very important role in nation building and added that she was overwhelmed to see so many women receiving awards from the state.

She said, “I am a staunch supporter of reservation to women in every field, including politics. There is an imminent need of spreading awareness among the women representatives about their rights.”

Stressing on the need of cleanliness in the state, she said she would be happy to see every village of the state clean and hoped that she would be distributing more than 500 awards the next year.

Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank who presided over the function agreed with the Governor and said the task of establishing toilets in all the villages of the state should be completed by 2012. “It is the moral duty of every resident of the state to keep it clean. I promise all possible support and assistance from the government in achieving this target.”

He said out of 7,562 gram panchayats of the state, only 136 are being awarded today, and this number of award-winning gram panchayats needs to be enhanced.

Minister for Drinking Water Prakash Pant also assured of additional aid in terms of extending basic facilities in keeping the surroundings clean and expected initiative and cooperation from public in this task.

The 418 gram panchayats have received Nirmal Gram Awards so far and this year 136 Gram Panchayats were awarded with the same. Uttarakhand is among the first eight states of the country in receiving the awards.

Principal secretary to CM Subhash Kumar, secretary, Drinking Water MH Khan, Director, Swajal Project Kapil Lal also spoke on the occasion. Ganesh Joshi, MLA, Rajpur and Jot Singh Gunsola, MLA Mussoorie were also present on the occasion. 

Dehradun, December 19
Dr Asghar Ali Engineer, a renowned Muslim scholar and head of the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai, said today that competitive tendencies of modernity were posing threat to toleration, unleashing an unhealthy competition among people of the country.

He was speaking at a two-day workshop on “Communal Harmony and Future of India” as part of Dr DP Pandey Lecture Series (2009-2010) organised by the Madhu Limaye Shodh Samiti and the Manav Bharati Society.

“Modernity is triggering competition and even riots. There is competition for jobs, education and other economical perks. Different identities are at play, giving rise to conflict and riots. In the medieval ages no riots took place but we are using medieval history to spread riots,” he said.

Dr Asghar said both India and Pakistan had different perceptions of medieval history. “If Mahmud Gaznavi and Emperor Aurangzeb are pilloried for being puritanical, responsible for ransacking and plundering temples in India, they are hailed as heroes in Pakistan. Similarly, Emperor Akbar is not given importance in history books written in Pakistan. The oversimplified view of history does not allow room for reason or a fact-based approach,” Dr Asghar said.

Indians and Pakistanis view history from the narrow prism of religion and so is the case of Muslims and Hindus in their respective countries.

Allaying several misconceptions, he said: “There is a strong evidence that Aurangzeb made handsome contributions for the construction of Shiv Mandir (near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh), the Balaji temple (Uttar Pradesh) and the Mahakali temple in Assam, but seldom is their any mention about this aspect of the emperor’s conduct,” he said.

Prof Girijesh Pant, Vice-Chancellor of Doon University, said a new tension in the society was emerging wherein national identities were being questioned.

“The positive effect is that it is breaking up monolithic caste structure, but politics of identity is also posing a challenge to nationalism and our own understanding of events. To view incidents simply through the narrow prism of religion and culture can lead us no where. The same narrow explanation was bandied while attributing cause to the eruption of riots in the country that too is faulty. In many instances, the problem may be attributed to economic struggle,” said Professor Pant.

Senior Congress leader Surya Kant Dhasmana said future of the India rest on secularism and complete knowledge of one’s own religion could help us better appreciate other religions as well.

Dr DN Bhatkote, a political scientist, said we could no longer live within the confined stereotypes and should shun old views in order to integrate ourselves better with the globalised world.

Earlier, Dre Himanshu Shekhar of the Manav Bharati said the organisation was committed to the beliefs of socialist thinker Madhu Limaye who worked tirelessly for a united Indian society. 

Dehradun, December 19
Governor Margaret Alva extended Christmas greetings to all at a function held at Raj Bhawan here today.

The Governor said the festival gave a message of compassion, affection, mutual love and merry making. She wished for happiness and prosperity for all on Christmas.

Assembly Speaker Harbans Kapoor, former Chief Minister BC Khanduri, Forest Minister Bishan Singh Chufal, Drinking Water Minister Prakash Pant, Disaster Management Minister Khajan Das, Opposition leader Harak Singh Rawat, MP Satpal Maharaj, district panchayat president Madhu Chauhan, MLA Amrita Rawat, former Governor Sudarshan Agarwal, Chief Secretary NS Napalchyal, DGP Subhash Joshi, Chairman of State Finance Commission S Ramaswamy, Deputy Speaker Governor Arun Kumar Dhodiyal, Father Barnald, Father Veenu, Father Eleven, Missionary of Charity Sister, and representatives of the Christian community were present.

Dehradun, December 19
Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre’s (DMMC) latest film on disaster sensitisation, “Himaleey Key Dhaad”, was screened here today.

Uttarakhand Minister for Disaster Management Kazan Singh said hilly areas of the state had been prone to disasters and preparedness was a must to meet such challenges.

The minister lauded centre’s efforts towards disaster mitigation. He also gave away prizes to the producer, director and artists of the film.

Teerath Singh Rawat, Chairman, State Advisory Committee, said understanding how to deal with natural disasters kept much importance. Imparting right of training to the youth to meet exigencies during disasters was very much needed.

Executive Director, DMMC, Piyush Rautela elaborated the activities of the centre. He said the centre had been working on all aspects of disaster mitigation and management.

Apart from sensitisation of masses, training to villagers and providing them with equipment were some of the works undertaken by it.

Earlier, Girish Joshi, Senior Executive, DMMC, welcomed the dignitaries. Dwelling at length on “Himaleey Key Dhaad”, he said the film was one of its kinds and had been made with some of the best artists of the state. Joshi disclosed that it had been found that film-bases sensitisation drive had left much impact on people.

Film producer Mahesh Bhatt said the film had prominent star cast of Dinesh Borayee, Abhishek Maindola, Kusum Pant and Upendra Bhandari. Satya Adhikari, Manju Vandana and Sangeeta Dhoundiyal have given the music whereas Dr Hemant Bharadwaj is the creative director. 

Nainital, December 19
In a fresh move to improve the tourism related infrastructure in the district to attract a greater number of tourists, the Lake Development Authority (LDA) has decided to install a floating jetty at the Naukuchiatal lake.

According to Dheeraj Garbyal, the secretary of the LDA and also the Additional District Magistrate in the district, “The floating jetty is the best possible choice in the offing and it will be costing us Rs 11.37 lakh for its installation.”

Officials disclosed that the firm for setting up of the jetty has been short-listed after the floating of tenders and only the order has to be placed now.

It will take about a month for the installation of the jetty.

“The biggest advantage of having a floating jetty is that its designs can be changed by re-arrangement of the module and it can also be shifted to other lakes, if required,” said a senior LDA official while talking to The Tribune.

He said the module of the jetty comprise high-density poly ethylene.

It has no corrosion effect by water and hence is not slippery in nature.

The LDA had earlier thought of going in for a civil jetty but that would have had the recurring problem of gathering of algae on it and would have required frequent maintenance.

The floating jetty would have a minimum lifespan of more then a decade and it has a bouncing capacity of 370 kg per sqm. Its modular is 50 cm by 50 cm in size and can be easily re-arranged.

Located at a distance of 26 km from Nainital, the Naukuchiatal Lake is known for its nine corners.

The myth related to the lake is that if one gets to look at all the nine corners at one glance, he is sure to vanish in smoke and attain nirvana.

In the Greater Nainital area, it is the deepest lake. Its length is about one km and its breadth varies from .5 km to .3 km.

It is located at a height of 1,220 m or 4,003 feet.

The lake is within an enchanting valley and provides ample scope for rowing, paddling and yachting. It is also famous for angling an bird watching.

A beautiful tree-lined path runs along the length of the lake and is the ideal place to soak in the natural beauty.

The 'nine-cornered lake is fed by an underwater spring. Pretty views of terraced fields and meadows make this lake destination an enjoyable stopover.

Scientists believe that the lake was created due to blocking of the valley by a huge debris flow along a narrow outlet.

The lake basin was filled intermittently due to fluvio-lacustrine and colluvial processes that deposited a thick sequence of inter-bedded mud and gravel.

Fluctuating arid-semiarid to humid climatic conditions and repeated tectonic activity may have governed the mode of sedimentation and ultimately the basin fill history.

It falls in the blend zone of Paleastic and Indo-Malayan zoo-geography.

It boasts 500 species of resident and migratory birds, 20 species of mammals, over 525 species of butterflies and over 11,000 species of moths, beetles, bugs and other insects.

Dehradun, December 19
The state Governor Margaret Alva chaired the meeting of management committee of Uttrakhand Servicemen Rehabilitation Society in Raj Bhavan today. Many welfare schemes were given a go-ahead in the meeting which included annual scholarship of Rs 3,000 to orphans of ex-servicemen and wards of war widows from Class I to X, Rs 6,000 for class XI and XII and Rs 2,500 for commercial and technical education.

Apart from this, it was decided to give 10 per cent subsidy on Rs 1 lakh and above, 5 per cent subsidy on loans up to 5 lakh taken by ex-servicemen. It was also decided to increase ex-gratia amount from Rs 20,000 to 30,000 on houses damaged due to natural calamity, and 50,000 on the remarriage of any war widow.

Alva asked for more transparency and honesty in execution of these schemes and selection of deserving persons. She stressed for deputation of more representatives in rural sector to spread awareness among them about these projects. She gave direction to make sure that the selected children must get scholarship on time.

To ensure transparency in this task, she suggested for creation of a coordination committee. She also gave direction to take appropriate action in matter regarding to rebate in Income tax.

Secretary of the society, Brig AN Bahuguna gave the detailed report saying that the total property of society cost more than Rs 12 crore and they are giving scholarships and other grants of Rs 2.75 crore. He informed that the society made Rs 29 lakh from Jatropha farming and Rs 19.60 lakh from fishponds. He informed about the targeted revenue of Rs 2 crore by planting 17,500 popular trees in next six years.

Besides others, secretary to Governor S Ramaswamy, secretary Ex-Servicemen Welfare Radha Raturi, deputy secretary to Governor Arun Kumar Dodiyal also attended the meeting.

Dehradun, December 19
There would be less police personnel during the anti-encroachment drives in the city. The decision in this regard was taken at a meeting held between police and different city traders union here today in the Kotwali police station.

According to police, different traders groups had a meeting with Jagatram Joshi, city Superintendent of Police (SP). The traders union demanded that less police force should be engaged in the anti-encroachment drive.

They said a large number of police personnel were deployed during the drive which created fear among the small traders and shopkeepers as well as among people. This should be avoided and the operation should be carried in an amicable manner.

The traders unions said they were against illegal encroachment but they didn’t want that the police misbehaved with the small traders and shopkeepers during the drive.

The SP said we had come to a resolution that police would not go in large number and would send small police parties for the carrying the drive.

However, he maintained that challans would be issued from tomorrow. “The encroachers who sit on roads their stuff will be seized while they are allowed to have rehris. We have also demarcated lines for the shopkeepers for the Sabazi Mandi,” informed the SP. 

Pitthoragarh, December 19
Unexpected more than average snowfall in higher valleys of the Himalayas this year has made the movement of villagers as well as personnel of security forces posted on the India-China border difficult.

According to met officials, this year till December 15, an average 1,399 cm of snowfall has been reported in the border areas of Pitthoragarh district whereas it was only 651 cm during the same period last year. Not only the density but also the area experiencing snowfall has widen this year. Whereas it was 15 km wide in the peak month of snowfall last year, it has widened to 30 km this year.

The snowfall, which was 160 cm during September, 2008, 202 cm in November, 92 cm in December and 197 cm in January, 2009, rose to 355 cm in October, 2009, and 822 cm up to December this year. But, the peak period of the snowfall of this season extends till January, 2010.

The density of snowfall in higher valleys of this region of the Himalayas has also led to a fall in temperatures. The temperature at a height of 13,000 feet at Kuti Camp last year when snowfall was very rare was maximum minus 4 degrees Celsius. The temperature there dipped to minus 11 degrees Celsius in December this year.

“Not only in higher valleys but areas close to these valleys are also witnessing a severe cold and a sharp dip in temperature. Didihat town, which witnessed 11 degrees Celsius temperature during this time last year, is witnessing only 4.7 degrees Celsius minimum temperature this year,” said Sanju Pant, a journalist based in Didihat.

Most villagers in Darma and Vyans valley migrate to other areas during winter due to severe cold but some who prefer to stay back in their homes situated at higher valleys are helped by ITBP personnel.

Dehradun, December 19
The Dehradun SSP today terminated the services of two constables while suspending another for their involvement in different cases.

According to the information, the services of constables Jagdish Ram and Vir Singh have been terminated. The duo was found guilty in a case in which an under-trial, who was being taken back from a Haridwar court to Dehradun, fled from their custody in November. Total three under-trials were being brought back to the city. Undertrials Surender and Harbhajan were caught while they were trying to flee but Jaswant managed to escape.

The constables had been suspended and an inquiry ordered into the matter.

Meanwhile, constable Anil Kumar, who was posted at the Arhaghar police post, was suspended for remaining absent from duty without any intimation since December 12, 2009. He had also been booked under the Dowry Act.

Counterfeit notes deposited in bank

Two persons were booked for allegedly depositing fake currency notes in a Punjab National Bank branch in Rishikesh.

Anil Banjari, manger, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), complained to the police alleging that two fake notes of Rs 500 and one of Rs 50 denomination were deposited in the PNB’s Rishikesh branch. A case has been registered.

Dehradun, December 19
After inaugurating Tarakund Mahotsav in Pauri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank gave a grant of Rs 4 lakh to the organising committee of the historic festival today.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the Tarakund Environment Protection Committee had done a good work and it was due to the tireless efforts of the committee that developmental work got under way in the area.

He also announced to give a grant of Rs 1 lakh to Kasturba Gandhi Residential School situated in the area. Nidhank said it was the endeavour of his government to bring the government at the doorstep of villagers.

People of the area submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister regarding their long-pending demands of schools, roads and other developmental works in the area.