Dehradun, September 25
Harish Rawat, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment and Lok Sabha MP from Haridwar, has urged the state government to take every political party into confidence before deciding about the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction work for the damage caused by the monsoon rains in the state.

Addressing a press conference here today, Harish Rawat also requested Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank to restrain his party and ministerial colleagues from commenting on the Central government’s initiative to grant Rs 500 crore as interim package to the disaster-hit Uttarakhand state.

He said comments of leaders and ministers of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were unwarranted regarding the adequacy of the interim relief. “This is the time to help the common people, farmers and small traders than to do politics over the interim package,” he commented.

Lambasting the state BJP government, he said it was after the visit of Congress President Sonia Gandhi that the Prime Minister announced an interim relief of Rs 500 crore, besides the annual grant of Rs 100 crore from the Natural Calamity Relief Fund.

A committee under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary was formed by the Central government on September 18.

“While the Centre was prompt in taking action, the state government even failed to give its assessments. It is ironic that senior BJP leaders and ministers are commenting on the package and not working to provide relief and succour to the affected population,” he said.

Rawat refused to comment on the demand of the state government for Rs 21,000 crore as relief, but sarcastically said the relief amount should not be confused with the annual plan allocations. “The relief amount cannot substitute plan allocations,” he added.

He also urged the state government to make relief packages for farmers and small traders who were hit by the natural calamity.

“The interest on cooperative and farmers’ loans should be waived for this year and the state government should ask the Central government for more Indira Awas funds for those who had lost their homes and hearths,” he said.

Rawat said the state government should involve every political party and leaders of all parties, including former legislators, to draw up a plan of relief and reconstruction.

He also emphasised on the need for a plan for flood control in the state for which the help of the Union government could also be sought as 183 villages in the state near rivers and rivulets were badly hit.

“More than 75 per cent sugarcane crop, 100 per cent rice and other crops have been wiped out in flood-affected areas of Haridwar,” he said.

Rawat said the residents of Tehri living in the vicinity of the lake up to 850 m should be immediately rehabilitated. “I am going to Tehri to personally look into their problems,” he said.

Senior Congress leaders, including Surender Aggarwal, former Dehradun Mayor Manorama Sharma Dobriyal and Rajeev Jain, were also present on the occasion.

Meanwhile, Suryakant Dhasmana, senior Congress leader, has also appealed to the Chief Minister to restrain his ministerial colleagues and senior party functionaries from indulging in loose talk about the Central package.

“Instead of commenting on the Central package, they should concentrate on relief work and ask their senior national leaders to visit victims in the state,” he said.

Haridwar, September 25
While the level of water in the Ganga is receding, resentment among flood-affected people over the allocation of relief seems to be rising. In many parts, the flood water hasn’t receded, yet allotting compensation seems to be a headache for the administration.

Complaints of improper relief have now been aided by biased earmarking of compensation and its allocation among the affected people. In Haridwar, the issue seems to be turning into a major one as now on a regular basis, flood-affected people are taking to the streets alledging anomalies in the compensation funding.

Many affected people complain that administrative officials have not even inspected their villages and just on some political party representatives or village chiefs’ presented decided on the damage and the compensation amount. This has made them take to the streets when they should have been building their roofs.

A massive protest was held in the city by people of adjacent villages where flood played havoc from September 17-18 onwards. Supported by several ward councillors, a large number of villagers, slum dwellers and traders took to the streets raising slogans against the state government, local legislator Madan Kaushik and district administration for not attending to their woes.

Leader of Opposition in the Municipal Committee Sanjay Sharma lashed at the administration for first failing to carry out rescue operations on time and now faltering in providing adequate compensation to the affected people. Sharma sought an explanation from Madan Kaushik remarking that being an Urban State Minister, first during the Maha Kumbh shoddy work was carried out in the city and now again post-flood, relief funds were being misused.

“Doesn’t this show his inability as a minister as well as legislator? Dozens of people lost their lives, while thousands are affected by the flood fury, but ministers and administrative officials have no concern for them, it seems,” said Sharma.

Addressing the agitators, Ram Narayan Sharma, convenor of the protest, said till every one of the affected persons got due compensation, they would not sit down silent.

Flood-affected people from Bairagi camp, Mazra, Khadkhadi, Lakshar, Hazari Grant and adjacent villages participated in the protest submitting a memorandum in this regard to Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Governor Margaret Alwa of their problems and demands.

Meanwhile, the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) family has decided to donate its one-day salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund in view of the enormous problems people are facing due to floods, rain, landslides in Uttarakhand.

Dehradun, September 25
China is refashioning Asia, unfortunately Indian policy makers have not devised a strategy to counter Chinese influence or build bridges with it.

Dr Alka Acharya, a Chinese expert from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), today said in the past 10 years no credible response had come from Indian strategists and whatever China did in it’s neighbourhood was viewed as directed towards India. “It is an asymmetrical race between the two countries and in certain areas India must be ready to compromise.

“China is seeking access to the Indian Ocean and India should be ready to give it. At the same time, it should also build on it’s strength so that the relationship becomes mutually beneficial,” emphasised Dr Acharya while delivering a talk, “Coping with rising China” at Doon University.

She said the long-standing dispute between India and China could not be solved if both countries kept on harping on the past. “We need to forget the past as the borders between two countries are not amenable to straight lines. We will have to learn to give and take,” she stressed.

Dr Acharya said China was exporting handsets, clothes and toys to it’s neighbours in Asia. It had a world-class university system and boasted of infrastructure comparable to the best in the world, but India had started to focus on the infrastructure only now. “China controls one fifth of the world’s Gross Domestic Production (GDP)) and is the second largest exporter in the world. But India is also better than China is several areas. It is a leader in the IT sector and today the debate the world over is: Which is the sustainable model, Indian or Chinese. But unfortunately most of us know very little about China. We need to know what to learn or unlearn. I suggest that Indians should take China for what it is and not go by the American viewpoint,” said the scholar.

She also said India was passing through a phase where western thoughts, especially American, were influencing our thinkers. “But that’s not to say we have moved on the American side, but certainly the interpretation of ‘string of pearls’ theory needs to be re-examined,” Dr Acharya stressed.

Dehradun, September 25
In a meeting held here today, the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Gorkha Morcha Party (ABRGMP) has demanded that the state government provide the Nepali language the status of state language like Kumaoni, Garhwali and Jaunsari.

Capt JB Karki (retd), president of the party, made this demand at a party meeting held in their office. He said, “On August 20, 1992, Nepali language has also been included in the 8th section of the Indian Constitution. Similarly, the state government should include Nepali as one of the state languages in order to satisfy a majority of the Gorkhas residing in Uttarakhand”.

Dehradun, September 25
With the state Panchayati Raj (PR) Act nowhere in sight, the Uttarakhand government is once again planning to send a 32-member delegation to study the PR Act of southern states.

The tour, a third in the state, will cost the ex-chequer around Rs 40 lakh. Since the inception of the state, three study trips have taken place with the blessings of three different Panchayati Raj Ministers. Delegations have visited different states, seen for them how the Panchayati Raj is actually changing the working of democracy at the grass-root level, still the state is acting shy on adopting its own Panchayati Raj Act.

The delegation is expected to include three legislators and elected representatives who are part of the three-tier system of the Panchayati Raj. “The members of the delegation, besides studying the Panchayati Raj Act of southern states comprising Kerala and Karnataka, will also see for themselves how they are using the resources as these states are successful models,” said RB Dinkar, Assistant Director, Panchayati Raj.

The delegation has already visited Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh and, according to one estimate, the state has already spent Rs 10 crore on tours and workshops all aimed at getting conversant with the Panchayati Raj Acts of other states.

“The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act money is being diverted for these activities still the act has not been adopted,” said Avdhash Kaushal, Chairperson, Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra, Uttarakhand.

However, the officials in the Directorate maintain that the Act is ready and awaiting political signal.

Meanwhile, the elected representatives continue to face difficulties while the state is governed by the Uttar Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act. “We keep hearing these announcements from time to time by the Panchayati Raj Minister about the Act, but nothing happens on the ground. They are not interested in decentralisation. The Uttar Pradesh PR Act in place in our state has several shortcomings,” said Shiv Prasad Deoli, vice-president, Dehradun Panchayat.

Pitthoragarh, September 25
Border Road Organisation (BRO) officers working on the Ghatiabagar-Lipulekh road at Gunji, rushed to the ITBP for protection yesterday as local villagers tried to attack them after some conflict on the mode of the construction of the road on the China border. “The BRO officers are still in our protection,” said an ITBP officer.

According to Superintendent of Police (SP) Nilesh Anand Bharane, an FIR has been lodged at the Gunji thana by the villagers of Rongkong against some unknown BRO officers for attacking the villagers during night and injuring one Kalyan Singh, his wife and two children. “The FIR mentions the name of one Captain-rank officer of the BRO who the villagers allege was involved in the attack on them,” said Bharane.

According to BRO sources, the villagers are demanding change in the alignment of the road linking four local villages of Rongkong, Napalchu, Nabhi and Gunji. “But, the road is strategically important and its alignment has already been fixed keeping the geological position of the land in mind,” said a BRO officer involved in the construction of the road.

The villagers say when they complained to the BRO officers about the blasting of the mountains and debris hitting village, the officer instead of listening to the villagers started misbehaving and assaulting them. “When some of the youths responded, the said Captain, along with other personnel, went to the village during the night and allegedly assaulted the family of Kalyan Singh,” said the SP.

“We have sent the Dharchula SDM and Circle Officers to Gunji by helicopter and they will try to control the situation so that the tension between the villagers and the BRO officers can ease,” said the SP.

Dehradun, September 25
With 65 per cent of the population still not possessing bank accounts in rural areas of the country, in the coming few years Punjab National Bank (PNB) will extend client service in 4,637 villages.

Bridging the urban-rural divide and ensuring equitable distribution of services out of 4,637 villages, 117 villages will be covered in Uttarakhand as part of the bank’s financial inclusion plan, so that villagers can become users of banking services.

While interacting to mediapersons here on Thursday, KR Kamath, Chairman and Managing Director of Punjab National Bank, said for the all-round economic growth of the country the focus was to be on the untouched rural population. “They should be made part of the economic revolution sweeping the country and whole range of services would be extended to farmers once they open accounts with the PNB. A whole range of built in services would be introduced, upgrading it to credit card facilities and in the later stages they could even be using higher products such as mutual funds and micro insurance,” said Kamath.

On the issue of non-performing assets (NPA) and the banks response to it, Kamath said tracking systems had been put in place that warned the banks well in advance and action was immediately taken. “Simultaneously, we organise meeting for borrowers by bringing in the negotiating table and give them restructuring plan so that old loans could be paid off,” he said.

Besides, the bank would also launch a new scheme on October 2 for the farmers by extending electronic card facility to all farmers possessing Kisan Card holders. “This allow them to unhindered service at the ATMs and fertiliser stores and they need not even come to the banks for transaction,” said Kamath.

On his first visit to Dehradun, Kamath said the bank had done a business of Rs 4,52,205 crore this year compared to Rs 3,76, 939 crore in June 2009.

The bank has 174 branches in Uttarakhand, out of which 88 branches are in the rural areas and 45 branches in semi-urban areas and 41 are in the urban areas.

Dehradun, September 25
Instead of enjoying good health in the prime of youth, more and more youngsters are falling prey to heart diseases. Coronary disease is now striking early and incidents of youth in their 30s suffering from heart attacks are increasingly being reported.

Lifestyle-induced stress and faulty eating habits are giving rise to heart diseases among the youth. So much so the average age in which a person may suffer a heart attack has come down from 40 years to 30 years.

“Improper food habits, lack of physical activity and this coupled with high level of stress and increase in smoking and alcohol consumption are all classic risk factors. All these have become a part of the Indian youth’s lifestyle,” says Dr KB Joshi, Heart Specialist, Doon Hospital.

Not only college and school-going students, even working professionals have adopted the ways of this modern lifestyle, and this is a precursor to heart diseases.

“There has been a drastic shift in food culture. Good wholesome food, comprising nutritious dal, sabzi and chapatti, is no longer a preferred choice. Instead, food from junk food joints is readily ordered. Even young professionals prefer these joints for a quick bite,” said Ruchi Kukreti, dietician, Doon Hospital.

To top it, Indian food scores high in calories, especially rich food that is cooked in ghee. This in addition of the junk food to our diet and reduced physical activity exposes us to the risk of coronary diseases, “The youth in the hills lead a very healthy life, but once they migrate to Dehradun and other places, their food habits change for the worse,” said Dr Joshi.

Doctors say that low density cholesterol (LDL) which is a result of such food habits puts Indians in the high-risk zone as far as heart diseases are concerned. Cholesterol gets deposited in the arteries making these narrower and narrower. As a result the blood supply to the heart gets thwarted. This leads to heart attacks.

However, experts also admit that Indians are more vulnerable to heart disease than their counterparts in Europe because most Indians have narrower arteries. “It is important that one keeps a regular check on his\her weight. A Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 23 is bad news for your heart,” said Dr Kuldeep Datta, Heart Specialist.

Dehradun, September 25
Agitators of the Gram Pradhan Association, Uttarakhand, continued to hold protest pressing their pending demands on the administration at the Vidhan Sabha on 11th day here today. Supporting the protest, annoyed gram pardhans from Pauri district started hunger strike from today.

The protest was held in continuation of the meeting and dharna staged by the association in the past. Members from across the state have participated in the protest highlighting the issues of their respective block or constituency.

Pradhans that are on hunger strike are Pramod Khanduri, Satya Pal Singh, Virender Singh, Sita Devi, Kalawati Devi and Ved Prakash Gwadi.

According to Mool Chand, state spokesperson for the association, “In spite of sending memorandums to the CM, the administration is in no mood to pay heed to their matter. But the association is determined to fight for their rights while pressurising the state government to agree to their nine-point demands, including of the framing of the new Panchayati Raj Act in the state and increasing the honorarium of gram pradhans from Rs 600 to the respectable amount”.

Dehradun, September 25
The state Congress Committee met District Magistrate (DM) Sachin Kurve and submitted their memorandum regarding myriad problems faced by residents of Prem Nagar, Mitti Bedi and Shivpuri Colony.

The committee highlighted the condition of a pond in Prem Nagar which did not have outlets and because of which nearby areas like Wing No. 7 got inundated. This affected 150 houses in the locality. They requested for an urgent visit to the site.

The group also brought attention towards high-voltage wires hanging low in Shivpuri Colony over 200 houses. They demanded that the Power Corporation be directed to shift the wires.

The members also asked to relocate the toll barrier situated on the Chakrata national highway in Prem Nagar. The barrier gave rise to traffic jams most of the time. They asked that it be shifted to the Tauns river, Nanda Choki.

To solve the traffic problem on the same road, they also urged to designate timing for the trucks to ply, so that the roads could be spared of jams and school and college-goers could get relief from the traffic.

A main road approved from Government Polytechnic, Thakowali, to Kaas Wali should be built soon, they demanded.

Dehradun, September 25
According to Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre sources, relief and rescue operations in the state are going on on a war footing with services of four helicopters also being put to use for taking stranded tourists and other people to safer places.

A total of nine pilgrims of West Bengal have safely been brought to safer places from Barkot, whereas 15 pilgrims of Gujarat have been taken to Dehradun from Chinyalisaur.

Further, 28 tourists of Brazil have been taken to Dehradun from Uttarkashi.

Seven boats of the National Disaster Relief Force in Tehri and Uttarkashi, seven of the Rehabilitation Directorate and one boat of the THDC are being used to take people to safer places.

Moreover, up to 90 per cent of power supply has been restored temporarily or permanently. It will take another five days to compensate other damages.

The District Magistrate (DM), Pithoragarh, has also informed that 37 Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims, stranded at Gunji, have been taken to safer place, Dharchula, by MI-17 helicopter in three rounds. The DM said arrangements were also being made to take these pilgrims to Tanakpur shortly. Attempts are being made to open and clear up all blocked routes.