Haridwar, June 16
Just after one and half months of the completion of the Maha Kumbh, another Kumbh has begun in Haridwar. But while the previous one was of religious-pilgrim significance, this one is related to farmers, ie coming together of farmers, popularly known as Kisan Maha Kumbh, began today.

This conglomeration of farmers is a three-day affair in which issues related to farmers, their problems, demands and rights will be touched upon in various sessions by farm leaders from across the country. While last week also there was a Kisan Kumbh organised by the Ambavat group, this convention is led by heavyweight farmers and peasants leader Chaudhari Mahendra Singh Tikhait.

Tikhait will be presiding over tomorrow’s proceedings and a large farmers turnout is expected at the convention that is already drawing farmers from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. Keeping in view this aspect, security arrangements have been enhanced in the city, specially at the venue.

Garhwal Division president Sanjay Chaudhari of the BKU lashed out at Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar for his apathy towards the farmers, who are the backbone of the Indian economy, and instead focusing majorly on cricket proceedings. He said this was quite ironic that the Agriculture Minister was heading a billion-dollar cricket institution and was least perturbed about the woeful living condition of poor farmers.

Division spokesman Vijay Shastri said various issues would be dwelt on during this farmers’ convention with several proposals passed by the union. 

Haridwar, June 16
Buoyed after the mega success of the Kumbh, the district administration is now eyeing the hosting of the forthcoming Kanwar Mela with working on it to make it one of the finest ones. The mela is scheduled to start on July 26 and will culminate on August 8.

With last year’s Kanwar season having witnessed a whopping seven million Kanwariyas thronging the Ganga ghats, specially at Har-ki-Pauri, the administration has started working on putting up arrangements for the fair.

This time the focus is on providing facilities and safety to Kanwars. District Magistrate (DM) R Meenakshi Sundaram said keeping in mind the number of pilgrims that thronged last year, the number was bound to touch a notch higher, and expectations were that it might touch one billion mark. So the number of zones and sectors that were put up in the plan for previous Kanwar fair would also be increased this time.

At the core for Har-ki-Pauri mela zone to have non-stop electricity supply, generators would be provided, while new hand pumps on the Kanwar route at various points would be installed, while the default hand pumps would be repaired. The administration is also earmarking all accident-prone Ganga canal route points and curves so that sign boards, precaution steps and side railings can be put up to avoid any accident. The DM has also directed the Ganga Pollution Control Board not to discharge any sewage in the Ganga without its adequate treatment and to check any leakage in the sewerage system before the Kanwar season commences.

Senior Superintendent of Police Sanjay Gunjiyal owing to the sensitiveness of the pilgrim city has proposed to form different sects’ peace committees who will aid the police during the fair in ensuring communal harmony, as last year a communal riot-like situation was diffused owing to the administration’s intervention and help from representatives of different religions.

Dehradun, June 16
A protest meeting of the Trained Unemployed Association, Uttarakhand, took place on the Parade Ground here with the speakers seeking immediate appointments for special BTC-trained unemployed.

Addressing the gathering, senior Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana criticised the state BJP government for depriving the special BTC trained of jobs. He alleged that there were a large number of vacancies of special BTC trained and those of LT cadre, but the state government was taking no initiative to fill these posts.

While expressing support to the agitating unemployed, Dhasmana said the state government was totally insensitive towards the concerns of the unemployed. He also reiterated that the Congress would continue to agitate till the genuine demands were accepted by the government.

Earlier, trained unemployed, which included special BTC trained, BEd and BP Ed trained, took out a protest rally that started from the Parade Ground and criss-crossed all over the city before culminated at the beginning point.

Mahaveer Singh Chauhan, Kunwar Singh, Mahendra Chauhan, Himanshu Rajput, Vishwanath and Rajendra Sharma were prominent participant to the protest. 

Haridwar, June 16
A major accident got averted today when a driver of a supplier truck lost control over the vehicle and deviated from the road and rammed into trees alongside the road getting overturned in the process. The accident happened on the Haridwar-Delhi National Highway near Gurukul Kangri University.

According to witnesses, early in the morning the driver of the truck (UK 07A CA 2318), coming from Roorkee, in an attempt to avert a head-on collision with a vehicle coming from the opposite direction while overtaking a vehicle, lost control over the truck. While applying the brakes, the truck after taking a half turn, fell on the left side of the road.

Three persons, along with the driver, who were travelling in the truck, sustained injuries and were admitted to the Civil Hospital. It halted the traffic and there was a jam-like situation for half an hour.

“The truck could hit me, but I had a narrow escape. This highway has become a nemesis for commuters and needs to be made, at least four-laned,” said Ashraf, who was in front of the truck on a motorbike.

Mussoorie, June 16
On a visit to Mussoorie for meditation and Vipasana under the guidance of Acharya Aashish Maharaj, Bollywood singer/composer Kailash Kher, who has popularised the Sufi style of singing in mainstream music, said spiritualism was an integral part of his music and this journey was a continuity to that. He was speaking to the media at a hotel at the Library Bazar here today.

Kailash said the visit to Uttarakhand rejuvenated the soul and mind and helped in increasing the creative aspects for future endeavours. He opined that spirituality and interaction with saints had influenced him since childhood and that percolated in his singing too. The preachings of Kabir, Guru Nanak and other saints had influenced his thought process and were evident in his songs.

The Sufi music has universal appeal and that is the reason his songs have been appreciated worldwide. He said the meaning of love and passion were different in Bollywood and to filter all that he was in Uttarakhand.

Kailash was of the view that he was close to spirituality and that is the reason he was extremely glad to know about the clean Ganga campaign started by Acharya Aashish Mahara in the state. He said the cleaning of the Ganga was the most sacred work undertaken in present times and commended the efforts of people like the acharya for starting it.

As far as his singing goes, Kailash said he had the pleasant opportunity to divulge in various forms of music, including folk, classical etc.

Speaking on composition, he said, “The kind of music I compose is ultimately of romance and love, but with pure feelings filled with Sufi emotions. While composing, the materialistic aspect is kept at bay and effort is made to tap the purity which comes from within”.

Kailash was appalled to see plastic garbage littered on the Mall Road and said everyone should make an effort to stop this menace and pleaded to advise tourists also to avoid use of plastic carrybags which was defacing the beauty of the town and the Himalayas. He said Uttarakhand was the “abode of gods” and it should be kept that way.

Kailash was born in Meerut and started his music career from the age of 12. After he set foot in Mumbai, it didn’t take long for him to manage his first break. He began his musical journey with jingles for adverts like Dermicool and finally bagged a Bollywood number “Rabba ishq na hove...” from the movie “Andaaz”. But, it was revolutionary hit “Allah ke bande...” around 2002 that made him popular.

Kailash, however, is pleased when he is singing for his band Kailasa aka Heaven. The band has already given several hit numbers like “Teri diwani...” and “Tauba tauba...”. Kailash thanked his fans worldwide for the kind of support they have given to his music and said he would continue to enthrall them with yet another untitled album after the world tour this year.

Kailash follows a controlled life in which no smoking, no drinking, no dope and conserving internal energy by speaking only when he’s spoken to are imbibed to the core. 

Mussoorie, June 16
A multi-starrer Garhwali music album “Hey Dhani” produced under the banner of Leo VIII and Rising Sun Films Pvt Ltd was released here yesterday. Popular singers from Garhwal, namely Gajendar Rana, Virendar Rajput, Jitendar Panwar and Meena Rana, have lent their voices in the album. The album is directed by Anuj Joshi and Pradeep Bhandari. Madan Duklan and Arvind Negi have jointly produced the album. It is for the first time that a 52-ft crane has been used for the album raising the technical standard of the album and bringing it at par with other successful regional film industries. Gajendar Rana has lent his voice for the title song “Hey Dhani”. The album has succeeded in bringing out the rural aspects of Garhwal.

Producer Anuj Joshi said Garhwali and Kumaoni dialects were on the UNESCO list of extinction, therefore supporting the local album and film industry became essential for every person in the state.

Joshi also opined out that the Uttarakhand Film Vikas Parishad had also not helped the industry. Theindustry to sustain itself required some sort of subsidy to continue

Haridwar, June 16
Cornering the state BJP-led government for its failure to provide adequate supply of essential commodities, blackmarketeering of LPG cylinder, the city Congress today staged a massive protest at the District Supplies Office and held a meeting demanding explanation from the state government over the matter.

Lamenting that despite the district boasting of Food Supplies Minister and Urban Development Minister in the state government cabinet, the residents are living in a pathetic condition with the lack of essential commodities marring the normal life of people of the district.

Terming it as a step-motherly attitude towards people of Haridwar, secretary of the state Congress unit Jitendra Vidyakul said even the BJP government had failed to utilise the left-over quota that was granted by the Central government to the state government be it oil, LPG, sugar, pulses or kerosene. “The Chief Minster boasts about its party leaders, but he has forgotten that in the elections it’s not his party leaders that vote, but the common public. In every district the condition is the same with the people in problem while BJP leaders and bureaucrats indulged in making money,” said Vidyakul.

Demanding the transfer of District Supplies Officer (DSO), district chief JP Sharma alleged that during the Maha Kumbh the DSO illegally issued permits to his near ones raking in crores while now common people were not getting nominal rationed items.

Less availability of LPG cylinders was also raised at the protest with city women chief Saroj Sahu lashing at the administration’s failure to control blackmarketeering of the gas cylinders. She said while the commercial establishments were never short of LPG cylinders, as they, in connivance of the gas agency owners, were utilising only domestic cylinders which was not only illegal, but also putting up pressure on the general public. “We are queueing up for hours waiting for LPG cylinders and still gas agency owners say that there is lack of availability of cylinders in the city, but its not for commercial establishments.

A memorandum was also submitted to the Supplies Officer.

Dehradun, June 16
The Mahanagar BJP held a meeting here today. Presiding over the meeting held at the BJP Mahanagar Office on the Parade Ground, minister Teerath Singh Rawat called upon party members to take up public issues on priority. He said the party workers must focus on the problems of people and work towards redressing their concerns.

Rawat also exhorted partymen to ensure a resounding success for the party in the forthcoming 2012 elections. He reviewed the progress made by the party regarding the membership campaign.

Mahanagar party president Puneet Mittal and Goverdhan Bharadwaj were other prominent speakers.

BJP mahanagar office-bearers, morcha leaders and Dehradun BJP councillors and other party leaders were present on the occasion.

With barely two years to go for the Assembly elections in Uttarakhand, the BJP has been frequently holding review meetings of various city party units across the state.