Nainital, September 12
The government has been given jitters by the Indian Railways as it has threatened to do away with the stoppage of trains at the Haldwani railway station. The Railways has told the state government that it will be compelled to do so as there is inadequate supply of water to the station.

This is the latest development in the series of issues raised by the Railways from time to time about the non-availability of support to improve the rail network and the facilities being offered to passengers.

The Jal Sansthan is learnt to have eventually conveyed to the Railways that proper and an adequate supply to the railway station at Haldwani will be provided within days. According to sources, the Division Regional Manager (DRM) of Izzatnagar Division of the North-Eastern Railways recently sent a letter to the local legislator and the district authorities. The DRM had written that the Railways had been making a request to the administration for almost a year now to provide them with an adequate supply of water, and the request continued to go unheard. He had threatened that the Railways would be compelled to do away with stopping of trains at the station any day.

It was pointed out in the letter that there was an approximate requirement of about 1.87 lakh litres of water at the station on a daily basis, while the Jal Sansthan had only been providing it with a supply of maximum of 30,000 litres per day. The water was required for washing and maintenance of the station and trains. The matter was recently raised at a meeting of industrialists with a cabinet minister. Yet, there was no response from the government.

It is learnt that a panic-struck team of the Jal Sansthan met Railways officials at the Haldwani station yesterday and have promised that a pipeline with 3-inch diameter will be laid to the station within the next couple of days.

There are two lines of one-and-a-half inch and 2-inch diameter that supply water to the station at present. These lines were laid more than 40 years back and are in a bad shape. The Railways is learnt to be willing to pay for the new proposed line.

Another issue of contention between the Railways and the state government pertains to large-scale encroachments on the Railways land. Several other development projects proposed by the Indian Railways for the Kumaon region are facing a roadblock in the form of large-scale encroachment of land belonging to the institution. The Railways has been raising the issue with the state government from time to time, but to no avail. According to the Railways officials, almost 1.04 lakh square metres of land belonging to the India Railways is presently under encroachment in the zone between Kathgodam and Lal Kuan which needs to be restored to its owners. A large number of unauthorised, illegal settlements have come up on this land.

During the recent inspections of the Haldwani, Kathgodam and Lal Kuan junctions, besides the other land belonging to the Railways, the division officers have expressed dismay at coming across large-scale encroachments and have called for their removal at the earliest.

The officials have expressed surprise at the move of the administration to build roads to the illegal colonies that have come up on the Railways land. The officials have been underlining that it is not possible to remove these encroachments without the help of the state government.

Dehradun, September 12
The Dev Vimal Herbal Heritage and Educational Society organised the 6th Uttarakhand Awards ceremony on the premises of the Himalayan Public School auditorium here today.

Ten dignitaries from different fields were awarded for their contribution to society and nation in the ceremony. They were Dr Annapoorna (Principal, Dronasthali Arya Kanya Gurukul, Dehradun), Sheil Dhingra (social worker), advocate Razia Beg (president, Bar Council of Uttarakhand, Nainital), Dr Vinay Vidyalankar (HOD, Sanskrit Department, Government PG College, Ram Nagar), PS Kalra (Principal, GNA, Dehradun), advocate Avinanda (ex-HOD Law, DAV PG College, Dehradun), advocate Vinod Goyal (social worker), JN Nautiyal (Ayurvedic Acharya and Panchkarma Specialist), late Major Yogender Rajvar of 7th Garhwal Rifles, who sacrificed his life in a terrorist attack at Bandipur and late Deputy Commandant Jatin Gulati (CRPF), who was killed in a Naxalist attack in Chhattisgarh.

The programme was presided over by MP Vijay Bahuguna as the Chairperson.

It began with the lighting of the lamp by chief guest Narayan Dutt Tiwari, ex-Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and UP and ex-Governor of Andhra Pradesh, along with guest of honour Dinesh Aggarwal (MLA), Subodh Uniyal (ex-MLA) and Dr S Farooq (renowned industrialist and social worker).

The eminent guests were awarded mementos, shawls and bouquets.

The programme followed by the Veda mantras chanted by students of Himalayan Public School. Sonia Anand presented a devotional and patriotic song “Vande Mataram”.

School Chairman Harsh Vardhan Arya delivered the welcome speech. 

Dehradun, September 12
“Diwakar Mahato, primary school teacher and CPM activist, killed in West Bengal by Maoists in front of his child yesterday while holding a pen tight in his hand, was the 480th casualty of the CPM after the last Lok Sabha election. These killings are perpetrated not only under a deep political conspiracy, but are also direct physical attacks on the Leftists, triggered by forces like the Maoists and political parties like the Trinamool Congress (TMC), that too in places dominated by the Leftists, such as West Bengal and Kerala”. These strong words came from Member of Parliament, CPM leader Tapan Sen at a state party session held to sensitise and unite the public on the issue of a close nexus of the TMC with Maoists in unleashing atrocities on Leftists in West Bengal and Kerala.

He called upon party workers and leaders to spread the message of the party against the violence throughout the state in their interaction with the public to generate a public opinion in one-week countrywide campaign that started today.

While slamming the usage of the word “Maoists” for the alleged killers, he said it was shameful to associate the term, which belonged to a great Chinese leader who worked tremendously in creating the developed China of today, with killers who were butchering people at the grass-root level and not a single one of the wealthy and powerful section like contractors in the mining belt of Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh-Madhya Pardesh and Orissa, where the Maoists operated, only to get money from them to buy more weapons.

The scrapping of the Lohari Nagpala hydro power project in the state, which, he said, would have generated employment to 10,000 workers was a gambit played by both the Congress and the BJP. “Uttarakhand, which has the capacity to churn 1.5 lakh MW power, has not been able to meet the target of even 35,000 MW. If we make use of our resources while taking steps to safeguard our environment, we will not need to run after the nuclear power dominated by the USA and France which will cost us dearly in comparison to hydro power projects.” He also added that the Atomic Energy Act of 1968 was powerful enough to give unlimited liability than the much controversial Nuclear Liability Act.

Condemning the Centre for sitting over rotting foodgrain and high price, he offered a solution saying, “The Centre has hoarded 600 lakh tonne foodgrain which is rotting, whereas as per rules, it should not amass beyond 300 lakh tonne as buffer stock to meet calamities like floods. In case the rest of the foodgrain is sold in the market, the prices will automatically come down. But the Centre is not doing so to please grain merchants, including biggies like Reliance and TATA who wanted to keep the prices high to extract more money from consumers. The government favour them to get finances during the election time”.

While applauding the united voice of union workers who went on one-day strike on September 7, which he said shook leaders like Sonia Gandhi, he talked of bringing the much-required measures for the welfare of the labour class of unorganised sector. “It is high time that the Centre does something to provide social security to the labour class against those habitual factory owners who close factories just to oust workers, avail tax benefits on opening new factories and divesting workers of minimum wages rights till they formed unions for the first three years. Once all that happens, they again close the factory. The government should provide facilities like pension, provident fund, social security to the labourers which the Left government has provided in their bastions”.

Sen stressed that the benefits of the economic development were not percolating down to the lowest level, but favouring only the upper category who were getting 175 per cent of what a worker was earning.

While patting the back of the Leftists, he said it was all because of them the country was benefiting from the schemes like MNREGA and ownership rights to the forest dwellers. But he decried the Act pertaining to unorganised sector and the Right to Education Act which did not put the Centre in the dock for anything went wrong which, he said, came after the Left moved out.

He cautioned people against the government’s seriousness to adopt the Free Trade Agreement, which he felt if brought, would facilitate free export by the European countries in India which would lead to closure of our own industries and subsequently hampering the interests of the working class.

He also ruled out the widely held perception that the Left ideology was becoming obsolete saying that it was because of their ideologies which supported nationalisation of banks, discouraged privatisation which salvaged country during economic downturn when the rest of the world crumbled down one by one.

He urged the party men to awaken the public at all possible levels about all these issues to nullify the attempts of political forces like the TMC and the Maoists to blackout the Leftists.

Dehradun, September 12
The Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) today passed a resolution on expected lines authorising national party President Sonia Gandhi to decided about the new president of the state Congress. It was expected that the Central party leadership was in a mood to repeat present incumbent Yashpal Arya, who is the Dalit face of the party in the state.

However, his nomination was being opposed by a powerful camp led by Harish Rawat, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, who wanted to have his own person to head the PCC as the Assembly elections in the state are scheduled to be held in February 2012. Some of the party leaders close to Harish Rawat were also left out in the list of PCC delegates.

But the Central party leadership approved the list prepared by state Congress chief Yashpal Arya and did not give much weightage to the opposition by the Harish Rawat camp. It was learnt that the party leadership did not want to disturb the winning combination of the 2009 May Lok Sabha elections in which the Congress won all five Lok Sabha seats. The party did splendidly well in the Bahaujan Samaj Party bastions of Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts. By removing Yashpal Arya, Dalit leader, the Congress did not want to give a wrong political message at this crucial moment.

So, the PCC meeting held to decide about the state party president was just a formality. The meeting chaired by Mukut Mithi, President of the party Election Authority, and attended by AICC joint secretary Bhola Pandey, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Harish Rawat, party MPs Vijay Bahuguna, Satpal Maharaj and Pardeep Tamta, Harak Singh Rawat, Leader of Opposition, all party legislators and party delegates passed a one-line resolution authorising party supremo Sonia Gandhi to decide about the issue of state leadership.

The way in which the meeting was held proved that the message to all state leaders from the party leadership was clear and probably Yashpal Arya was in command of the situation, much to the chagrin of his political rivals, including former Uttarakhand PWD Minister Indira Hariydesh.

Mussoorie, September 12
Hindu devotees across the town joined in to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi and immerse the idol of Lord Ganesha amid the chants of “Ganpati Bappa Morya!” today.The devotees gathered at Mussoorie Public School Principal Mukesh Lal’s residence, near the Library Bazar, in large numbers and offered prayers.

Local singers like Meena Rana and Sushma Rana also sought blessings on the occasion. The priest carried out the prayers according to the religious tradition.

After the rituals, the devotees were served prasad, following which the congregation set out with the clay model of Ganesha for immersion at Haridwar chanting praises of the lord.

Principal Mukesh Lal informed that this was the one and only Ganesh puja and immersion that started three years back. He said, “Many people do the immersion of the idol on the same day of the festival, while others on the following days.” He said the Ganesh idol would be taken to Haridwar to be immersed in the Ganga today evening. 

Dehradun, September 12
From tomorrow, pharmacists owing allegiance to the Diploma Pharmacist Association will intensify their agitation, boycotting work for four hours at government hospitals.Since August 30, the association has been boycotting work for two hours that had very little impact on the day-to-day functioning of the hospitals, but extending the agitation for four hours, including OPD hours, the boycott call is bound to affect patients.

“We had informed the authorities in advance about our decision to boycott work and also submitted a memorandum of demands from time to time,” said BS Payal, regional president of the association.

The major demands of the pharmacists include removal of anomalies existing in the Sixth Pay Commission, framing rules for gazetted and non-gazetted staff and seniority list of pharmacists and implementing salary in lieu of work scheme for gazetted pharmacists in line with that of the police service rules.

“The government has not implemented the decision taken by a high-powered committee constituted by the Congress-led ND Tiwari government in 2006, about raising the number of posts of pharmacist (officer) from 14 to 30 and also increasing posts of chief pharmacist to 230,” said Payal.

Meanwhile, the boycott call is bound to have a disastrous effect on the patients coming from far-off places, as many of them may not be able to get their requirement of medicines. 

Nainital, September 12
Braving a heavy rainfall, people of Nainital turned up in large numbers for the inauguration of the Nanda Devi Mahotsava that began with the traditional programmes at the Ram Sewak Sabha here today.

The function began with the traditional lighting of the lamps and the singing of Nanda Devi stuti by children from various schools in the presence of Rajya Sabha member and former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari. Thereafter, the artistes from various schools, song and drama division, along with other institutions, presented songs and dances before a large audience that stood carrying umbrellas.

The inauguration of the mahotsava also saw a team being dispatched to Aam Padav village, about 20 km from here, that has been chosen for bringing the banana tree from which idols of the goddesses will be carved out. The team will return to Nainital tomorrow. This is the 107th mahotsava being organised in the town.

There will be religious events and festivities in the town over the next one week. The fair is held across the region comprising Nainital, Bhawali and Ranikhet, besides other places. It is held on the eighth day of the Bhadrapad month of the Hindu calendar. The day is known as Nanda Ashtami and has a very interesting tale behind the event. It is so said the two sisters of King Nand named Nanda and Sunanda were going to a temple. The sisters are believed to be the incarnations of Goddess Parvati. On their way they came across a he-buffalo, which was actually a demon, who started troubling them. To escape the demon, the two sisters took shelter in a banana grove. The story goes that as the demon tried to enter the grove, Goddess Bhagwati appeared and slew him.

It is on the basis of this event that the fair of Nanda and Sunanda is held every year.

There is another tale related to the event. The story goes that in a mahayagya organised by King Daksha, Lord Shiva, who was the husband of Daksha’s daughter Uma (Goddess Parvati), was insulted. Feeling humiliated, Uma immolated herself at the mahayagya. An incensed Lord Shiva started roaming in the Himalayas carrying the half-burnt body of Uma. The places where her organs fell became places of pilgrimage and are known as Siddhpeethas. It was at Nainital that her eyes had fallen. The place had initially come to be known as Naynatal and the term later got converted into Nainital. It is in this Siddhpeetha that Uma’s incarnations Nanda and Sunanda are worshipped.

The event in Nainital is organised by the Ram Sewak Sabha, an old organisation. Every year the festivities start from the fifth day of the Bhadrapad month with the making of idols of Nanda and Sunanda from parts of a banana tree.

The idols are adorned with jewels and placed inside the Maa Nayna Devi temple on the eighth day of the month. People turn up in large numbers to offer prayers and seek the blessings of the goddess. At the stroke of midnight on the ninth day or Navami, there is a special puja and mahabhoj. On the 10th or the Dashami, the goddess is bid farewell. On this day, the idol of the goddess is put in a palanquin and taken across the city. And at sunset it is immersed in the Naini Lake.

Dehradun, September 12
Members of the BJP Mahila Morcha felicitated Brijlesh Gupta, newly appointed Dehradun Mahanagar president of the morcha, here today. Auradha Walia and Sarita Gaur have also been given a place in the morcha at the state level.

Addressing the function, chief guest senior BJP leader Neelam Sehgal said it was her endeavour to take party policies and programmes to people. She said the BJP believed in women empowerment and would give greater representation to the feminine gender.

Sehgal also asked the party workers to give priority to the problems of people and work for their redressal.

Mahanagar BJP president Puneet Mittal, Sunil Uniyal Gama and Babital Sharotra were prominent speakers at the function.

Dehradun, September 12
After a series of protests by ativists at Srinagar, Uttarakhand Power Secretary Umakant Panwar today said there was no question of closing down construction of the 330 MW Srinagar Hydro Project in Pauri district.

In a statement issued here today, Panwar described the report of the closure of the Srinagar project as misleading and said only the construction activities in close vicinity of the Dhari Devi temple had been suspended, while the work at all other places of project would continue.

Panwar also pointed out that certain sections in Srinagar were strongly opposed to any possible submergence of the Dhari Devi temple in the project and there were also reports that the company’s MoU did have the temple in the submergence area. He said taking people’s concerns in mind, it had been now decided to examine the MoU and other detail project report.

Panwar also held that a committee had been constituted which comprised all groups. “The committee will be submitting its report with 15 days. The outcome of report will decided on the inclusion of Dhari Devi temple into the project,”he said.

Dehradun, September 12
Activists of anti and pro-hydro projects came to virtual blows here today. While the Ganga Ahavan, an anti-hydro projects organisation, was giving a presentation to mediapersons about the adverse impact of the hydro projects, Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) activists that are for the resumption of the hydro projects in the state, entered the Indian Medical Association venue and created a ruckus.

Ganga Ahavan members, who said they were ready to give a platform to the UKD members to deliver their point of view at the workshop, faced the ire of the UKD members, who were adamant on being heard first. This led to a lot of commotion and finally the UKD members left the venue renting the air with slogans against those opposing the construction of dams.

Leading the UKD bunch, senior UKD leader OP Uniyal asserted that the scrapping of the hydro projects would only make locals lose job opportunities. He said those opposing the projects were outsiders and working against the interests of the state. UKD Dehradun leader Bahadur Singh Rawat, too, alleged that the projects were very much needed for the state to strengthen its economy.

Countering the charge, Hemant Dhyani of the Ganga Ahavan said Uttarakhand got little share of power from the hydro projects coming up in the state. He said even employment provided to the locals were of a temporary nature. “The projects were killing Uttarakhand ecologically and culturally and must be checked,” he observed.