Mussoorie, June 20
As the development pressure increases on fragile tourists spots around Mussoorie, the risk of disaster is also looming large over them, as is evident from the narrow escape tourists on board a Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam bus had at the Kempty Falls here recently.

A view of the Kempty Falls near Mussoorie; plastic garbage littered on a hill; and unplanned parking leads to landslide at the famous tourist spot. Tribune photographs

Dehradun, June 20
Eight persons died while three others were seriously injured when a Max jeep (UK-11 PA-152), which was carrying baraatis, met with an accident on its way near Badanu village early this morning. The jeep was coming from Karanpryag.

Pitthoragarh, June 20
Uttarakhand Information Commissioner RS Tolia has stressed upon the need of a separate trade officer for Indo-China border trade and said the tendency to depend on temporary trade officer should be discontinued.

“The local tribal community can prosper out of this trade only when we can make a separate trade office,” Tolia said, who was felicitated by Indo-Tibet border traders at a function here today.

The Indo-Tibet border trade, which starts from June 1 every year till September, is not picking up this year as the traders want the trade period extended up to October 31. “These anomalies surface every year as it does not have a separate trade office and trade officer,” said Tolia.

Keeping the complaints of traders concerning import of live stocks from Tibet in mind, Tolia requested nominated trade officer Navneet Pandey, to depute two veterinary doctors at Gunji, so that the livestocks imported from Tibet could be put under quarantine checkup.

“The period of the trade can also be extended up to October 31, according to the agreement signed between India and China in 1998,” he said.

According to the Indo-China trade office, no guidelines concerning the trade have been received from the Union Ministry of Commerce this year. The traders are adamant on not to resume trade this year until the Centre comes up with clear-cut guidelines.

“The Pithoragarah District Magistrate can extend this trade only up to September 30, after which it becomes risky for the local district administration to let Indian traders remain in Tibet as heavy snowfall begins by then and they face the risk of being trapped in China,” said Pandey, who is also the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Dharchula tehsil of Pitthoragarh district. 

Dehradun, June 20
Workers of the Uttarakhand Congress Committee today burnt an effigy of Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank for his alleged involvement in the land use change issue of Sterdia chemical factory at Rishikesh.

Led by state secretary Vijay Singh Chauhan, party workers shouting slogans walked down till the clock tower with an effigy of the chief minister, and later burnt it.

Chauhan charged the state government of changing the land use pattern of the Sterdia chemical factory land for obvious reasons and demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the whole issue.

Earlier during the last Assembly session, the Congress had raised the issue, charging the BJP government of changing the land use pattern of a part of the closed chemical factory premises from industrial to residential. However, the state government defended its decision claiming that the same was done as per the orders of the industrial reconstruction bureau. 

Nainital, June 20
As the power situation in Kumaon goes from bad to worse, flak being drawn by the government for its mismanagement continues to increase day by day. Saturday happened to be one of the worst days for power consumers during this season.

With a high temperature accompanied by equally high humidity, residents had a very tough time combating both scheduled and

unscheduled power cuts. In certain areas even when the power supply was being resumed amid long intervals of unscheduled cuts, the voltage was so low that it was no different from a total blackout.

Residents were particularly peeved at the attitude of officials. They have been complaining that on the one hand the administration plays up before the media that it has established control rooms and redressal centres at various places and on the other its impossible to contact officials of the Power and Water Supplies Department.

The Tribune was also a witness to the mobile phone of officials in Haldwani being switched off as people tried to desperately call them up.

With the situation worsening, political parties have found a major issue in the form of power and water crises to direct the public ire against the ruling party, whose representatives have no words to pacify the agitated people of the state.

In a novel way of protest, activists of Janata Dal (Secular) burnt electronic gadgets like television, refrigerators, coolers and fans amidst slogans lampooning the government for its tall claims and terming Uttarakhand as an “Urja Pradesh”.

In another protest, activists of the Samajwadi Party went on tocrash a large number of empty pitchers outside the office of the Sub Divisional Magistrate in Haldwani.

Over the past three months, Kumaon has seen public protests, which were at times violent, against the gross mismanagement of the government on these two fronts. At times the unscheduled cuts have even exceeded the scheduled ones. The repeated calls to senior administrative officials to repair the faults in transformers and replacement of defective equipment are not visible on ground.

People have already started saying that the issue of power and water will be a deciding factor in the forthcoming Assembly polls.

Dehradun, June 20
Saraswati Vihar residents held a dharna seeking better civic amenities in their locality here today. They alleged that both power and potable water arrangements were the worst in the city.

Trilok Singh Sajwan, who led the protest, alleged that they had repeatedly informed the matter to both the power and potable water authorities, but in vain. He pointed out that even roads were in a bad shape in Saraswati Vihar.

Sajwan threatened to further intensify their agitation if the authorities did not pay heed to their long-standing concerns. He said they would also forcibly lock up the offices of departments concerned.

Nirmala Bisht, Sumer Chand Ramola, Vinod Chauhan, Kulbhushan Gusain and Prem Budakoti were also present at the dharna.

Mussoorie, June 20
Former BJP general secretary, Mussoorie, Vijay Ramola in a statement said the increase in vehicle fee for entering Amarnath and Vaishno Devi shrines to Rs 2,000 by the Jammu and Kashmir government would be opposed vehemently.

He said the draconian move of the government had hurt the sentiments of the Hindus. He further said this move was similar to imposing “jaziya” during the Mughal rule. He demanded that the state government should immediately revoke the order otherwise a massive statewide movement would be started soon.