Haldwani, January 18
What comes as an irony of sorts is that a cancer unit, which is the first of its kind in the entire state, has not been able to become fully functional over the past two months because Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has not had the time to come and inaugurate it.

The unit has been set up at a whopping cost of Rs 23 crore at the Sushila Tewari Memorial Forest Hospital Trust. Sources said Nishank had offered to dedicate the hospital to the people of the state while sitting at Bhimtal, a distance of about 30 km, where he had come earlier this month to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of a series of projects. But, those involved in the setting up of the unit were furious at the proposal, saying that if he could not bother to come here and instead wanted to dedicate by sitting 30 km away, he could do the same while sitting in Dehradun itself.

There is another point of view that Dr Nishank did not want to run into those protesting against the failure of the government to get mining operations started on the banks of the Gaula river.

An agitated official remarked: “These politicians have the time to attend marriages and even school functions but not to dedicate such important facilities to the people”.

There is a general feeling among functionaries here that the hospital, because it was set up by the ND Tiwrai-led Congress government, is being ignored on purpose by the BJP leadership. The sources point out that none of the ministers, even Dr Nishank when he was the Health Minister, have bothered to come to the hospital on formal occasions.

“They have only been coming here to see someone who is admitted but not otherwise,” said an official, adding that even the Congress leadership has been ignoring the issues pertaining to the hospital once Tiwari was made the Governor of Andhra Pradesh.

The cancer centre is a state-of-the-art facility that can go a long way in helping the people of Kumaon. The incidence of cancer is on the increase and sources say that before the centre was set up, more than 20 persons were coming to the cancer OPD daily.

The incidence of cancer is mainly in the form of oral, esophageal, ovarian and cervix cancers. In the absence of a full-fledged cancer centre, the patients were left with no option but to head towards Delhi for treatment.

Secretary of the Trust Monish Mullick said the centre had been set up at a cost of Rs 23 crore that was released in two instalments by the Tiwari government. He said: “The centre was made and the equipment was installed in August last year. The clearance for a low-energy accelerator was granted by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. The centre has become operational since November and the people are being treated here. Once it is formally inaugurated, people will become more aware of the facility and will come in greater numbers”.

He said there were plans to introduce a high-energy accelerator and other facilities, like the bone-scanning unit in the days to come. He, however, did not comment on the reasons for the delay in the inauguration of the centre. 

Roorkee, January 18
Today one of the oldest food joints of the town, Bhatia Shake Corner, was razed during anti-encroachment drive by the administration.The joint, located opposite Shatabdi Dwar of IIT-R, was one of the most happening places of the town, where students used to congregate to enjoy the flavours of this joint anytime of the day.

“No notice was served to me before bulldozing my shop,” rued Ram Kumar Bhatia, owner of the joint, adding that the shop had been run since 1975.

The drive, led by SDM (Roorkee) Harish Chandra Kandpal, was carried out in areas, including the Civil Lines, Shatabdi Dwar (IIT), MC Town Hall, roadways market along National Highway No. 58 and Malakpur Chungi. During the drive, several kiosks and temporary encroachments by shopkeepers here were removed by the team.

SDM HC Kandpal said the drive was carried out keeping in view of the ongoing Kumbh. “The town has been heavily weeded with encroachments. The administration started the drive to make it encroachment-free,” said Kandpal, maintaining that the drive would be a routine feature with regular monitoring to check the nuisance.

Dehradun, January 18
Under the aegis of the State Bank of India (SBI) an informative workshop for state-based NGOs was conducted here today. More then 50 NGOs from the far-flung areas of Uttarakhand participated to discuss important issues pertaining to better banking facilities, indirectly supporting numerous self-help groups (SHG).

Chief guest for the workshop was SBI Central Board Director Dr DN Balodi. SBI General Manager (Network) D Mazumder, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) CGM P Das and other prominent members of the SBI participated in the workshop.

Dr Balodi said, “The relationship shared between various NGOs and the SBI has been mutual. The idea is to promote the NGOs so that in turn various SHGs working under guidance of these NGOs are benefited and make Uttarakhand more prosperous and tourist friendly”.

The SBI till now has financed over 175 MFIs/ NGOs and now has been promoting women SHGs and timely launching schemes creating employment opportunities for people of Uttarakhand.

Around 1,000 representatives present at the workshop were briefed about SHGs credit cards and gold card, housing loan and micro finance schemes. Appropriate Technology India, an NGO based in Ukhimath (Garhwal), under the banner of Ushamath Mahila Mahasangh, has been managing around 500 SHGs with a strength of more then 7,000 persons.

“Since we came in contact with the SBI, people of our district got employment and also increased the awareness to promote our products through various exhibitions and fairs,” said Jeetpal Singh, micro finance head of SHG.

Presently, there are 337 branches and 218 ATMs of the SBI in the state. However, in the near future the bank plans to expand it. Moreover, to motivate the representatives, Himalayan Action Research Centre, Aajivika and Bhartiya Yovan NGOs were felicitated for their constant efforts to work for the development of the state.

“The idea behind our various schemes and plans is to spread awareness and make SHGs self-independent,” said Manmohan Chandok, Assistant General Manager, SBI. Various stalls that displayed items created by SHGs also gave people an opportunity to purchase and get a closer picture of it.

Dehradun, January 18
Fortyfive-year-old Shoban Dai today broke her six-day-old hunger strike after Welfare Minister Matbar Singh Kandari assured her that all demands of the Pradeshik Viklang Sangthan, Uttarakahnd, would be met. However, he fell short of giving a written assurance and as a result the members would continue with their 530-day-old dharna underway at the Uttarakhand Assembly.

The minister today visited Shoban Dai at the Doon Hospital, along with Commissioner, Disability, Snehlata Agarwal, where he served her a glass of juice.

“What clinched the matter was the deteriorating health of Shoban Dai and the minister showed us the documents pertaining to the action he has taken so far regarding our demands,” said Sunita Negi, member of the sangathan.

The members have been demanding the constitution of a board for the welfare of handicapped persons, enhancement of handicap pension to Rs 1,000, waiver of loan to the tune of Rs 1 lakh, appointment of handicapped persons and other demands.

Those present a the hospital included DS Negi, general secretary, Uttaranchal Handicapped Employees Association (Hospital), Sanjay Negi, Pooja Dhobal and others. 

Pitthoragarh, January 18
Former guerillas of the Sahastra Seema Bal (SSB) held a protest demonstration blocking traffic on the bridge made over the river Kali that forms the border between India and Nepal at Dharchula town in support for their demands today.

The demonstrators blocked the traffic on the bridge for two hours as contingents of local and armed police equipped with tear gas shells were deployed for any eventuality.

“We have already deputed police and PAC personnel on the site of demonstration which makes the border of India and Nepal, after the guerillas’ organisation gave us an ultimatum that they will block the entry into India from Nepal for two hours,” said Puran Singh Rawat, Superintendent of Police, Pitthoragarh district.

The volunteers of the SSB, who are also known as guerillas, were raised following the 1962 India-China war, to act as a second line of defence. These volunteers are demanding absorption in the paramilitary forces.

“Nearly 400 ex-volunteers gathered in Dharchula town from across the region and shouted slogans in support of their demands and stopped at the Indian side of the bridge and stayed there for two hours,” said Rawat.

“The purpose of our demonstration at this international bridge is to inform the Indian government that when the danger to the security of nation is looming large, even from Nepal side, the government has abandoned the second defence line of SSB Guerillas,” said BN Dalakoti, state president of the Guerillas Association.

The protest of the guerillas ended after they were assured by the Dharchula administration and SSB Commandant to pursue their demands with higher authorities.

Dehradun, January 18
The Mahanagar Mahila Congress Committee, Uttarakhand, today protested against the police inaction in the land dispute cases outside the District Magistrate office and later submitted a memorandum of their demands to the Magistrate.

In the memorandum, the party members alleged that often one-sided compromises were done by the police in land dispute cases. The police administration without listening to the victims and without looking at their documents did a one-sided compromise by taking a fee, they alleged.

The protesters further alleged that even though the disputed side had relevant documents with them, still they were made to suffer. They demanded that action be taken against such people who tried to grab the land of innocent people.

Dehradun, January 18
The Dehradun unit of the Student Federation of India (SFI) expressed grief over the death of former Chief Minister of the CPM Jyoti Basu at the meeting organised at the Gandhi Park here today.Speaking on the occasion, Surender Singh, district secretary of SFI, said Basu was a well-known name in politics not only in India, but in foreign countries as well.

 He had been the longest serving Chief Minister of West Bengal (24 years) and was the brain behind forming the the SFI. Singh asked all present on the occasion to follow in his footsteps. 

Dehradun, January 18
In a bid to rid Uttarakhand of polythene, an Act will be implemented in the state soon. This was stated by Uttarakhand Agriculture Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat here today. He was launching a campaign to make the Ganga pollution-free. The campaign aims at making Rispina and Bindal tributaries of the sacred river polythene-free.

Chidanand Muni Maharaj, who was also present on the occasion, said polythene had been polluting the Ganga and its tributaries. Showing concern about the Ganga getting polluted with each passing day, he said the Ganga would only found mention in the history books if timely efforts were not made to save it.

Dr Brij Mohan Sharma, Environmental Scientist, Society of Pollution and Environmental Conservation Scientists (SPECS), said polythene had been posing several potential threats to the Ganga because its tributaries were being polluted by harmful chemicals through the use and disposal of products made from polythene. Harmful chemicals like pthalate, cadmium, arsenic and lead had poisoned the tributaries of the Ganga, endangering its aquatic life, which had been a life-giving source to the mankind for centuries. He further explained that dissolved oxygen content in the waters of the tributaries was a subject to be dealt with on a war footing. The 77-km Song river flowing alongside the Rajaji National Park had been suffering from human intervention and dumping of polythene products, he added.

Industrialist Rakesh Oberoi said the campaign would gradually take the shape of a mass movement and was a collective effort of volunteers from the industry, civil society, business community and students of various academic institutions.

“We decided to launch the campaign because of a overwhelming support from the business community, student fraternity and common public from Rishikesh, Haridwar, Kotdwar and Dehradun. Yog Guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar, alone has contributed 16,000 bags made out of natural fibres whereas the Ganga Sabha from Kolkata has offered 12 quintal jute to make eco-friendly jute bags. The Badri Kedar Temple Committee has also come forward to help us in the initiative,” said Rawat. Sanjay Gupta, general secretary, Doon Hotel Association, Nitin Malik, chairman, Srishti Foundation, Ranjit Bhandari, Shailendra Tyagi, Harender Rawat, Arvind Uniyal, Montu Sharma and Santosh Semwal were also present. 

Dehradun, January 18
Mukut Mithi, former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, who is also in charge of the organisational elections of the Uttarakhand Congress party, has announced that the elections for the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) would be completed by July this year.

Mithi, who was addressing a meeting of the members of the PCC, here today said the preparations and publication of the voters’ list for the PCC elections would be completed by March 31, 2010.

He asked the Congress leaders to be vigilant and work hard for making organisational elections in the state a success. “It will be proper election for the PCC and not selections, and members should prepare to fight the polls,” he told state Congress leaders.

He further said that election process for electing District Congress Committees (DCCs) would also be undertaken at the earliest and the state would have an elected state president by July end.

He said returning officers for the polls would be appointed soon and he himself would personally go to each and every district to oversee the arrangements.

Senior Congress leaders, including the state President Yashpal Arya, Almora MP Pardeep Tamta and party legislators were present in the meeting. 

Dehradun, January 18
After a week-long strike, the enthusiasm of employees of the Uttaranchal Federation of Ministerial Services Federation has not faded yet as they staged a protest at the Gandhi Park here today. The protestors demanded pay hike for all categories of the workforce in the ministerial bodies.

After the meeting between the association and the authority failed on Wednesday, the movement of the federation gained support from the Tourism Department, PWD, stenographers and Rajkiya Vahan Chalak Mahasangh.

State spokesperson of the federation Subhash Debliyal said no department would recommence work until and unless they were provided with increment in their remuneration as per precursory of the agreement signed on November 9. 

Dehradun, January 18
With an aim to make an alliance with like-minded political parties and against inclusion of any of the Uttar Pradesh areas in Uttarakhand, a two-day first annual convention of the Uttarakhand Parivartan Party (UPP) culminated here today.Under the leadership of party president PC Tiwari, the party passed several resolutions in the convention.

The party held that the state’s demand to include parts of Uttar Pradesh in Uttarakhand was wrong. The party believed that the Congress and the BJP couldn’t stand up to the expectations of people and to hide their failure these parties were emphasising on such issues.

Tiwari said if the BJP and the Congress really wanted the development of people of the state, it should support demands for smaller states. The party also appealed to like-minded parties to join them to make a large political alliance.

A large number of party workers from different districts and leaders of various friendly organisations, including the Communist Party of India, Janta Party-S, Jan Sangarsh Morcha and Uttarakhand Mahila Manch were also present in the convention.