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Nepal traders begin horse trading at Jauljivi fair
Horses brought from Nepal put on sale at the Jauljivi fair in Pitthoragarh district, and (right) a trader takes a dip in the nearby river along with his horse.
Governors Meet: India made head of ICIMOD
Ministry of Environment and Forest Secretary Vijay Sharma along with ICIMOD members in Mussoorie on Thursday.
ICIMOD for enhanced trans-boundary collaboration
Climate Change
HIV awareness programme held
Coaching camps for SAF Games from Dec 7
Participants at the 17th Inter-sector Rock Climbing meet on the ITBP campus in Mussoorie on Wednesday.
State b’ball meet from Dec 4
Udham Singh Nagar, Doon, Nainital champions
Sohram beats Imran in boxing meet
Dev Bhoomi institute beat Hermes
A batsman plays a shot in a match of the Uttarakhand Technical University Second Inter-college Cricket Tournament in Dehradun on Thursday. A Tribune photograph
A volleyball match under way at the sports day of GRD (PG) College in Dehradun on Thursday. Tribune photo
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Harsil-Gangotri-Gomukh tourism route to get Rs 50-crore upgrade
Dehradun, November 25 Informing more about the master plan prepared for the route, UTDB Joint Director AK Dwivedi said, “The project has been approved under the state government’s high profile Nirmal Gangotri plan. For this, we have hired consultants and architects, who have chalked out the master plan. The first priority of the department will be to establish helipads at Harsil and Gangotri”. “Next step in the upgrade will be to solve the parking problem, for which the department has got the NOC from the Forest Department, that has allowed us to create parking in three areas at a distance of about 5 km each between Harsil and Gangotri”. The other big problem has been a number of shops around Gangotri. “It has been decided to remove shops in the 300 m area around the temple. A proper shopping arcade would be made at the end of 300 m,” said Dwivedi. He also said a state-of-the-art tourist rest house, too, would be built en route picturesque towns Bhairon Ghatti and Lanka. The old rest house, which was 40 years old, would be replaced with the new premises, which would be complete with parking facility. For the Gangotri shrine, new ghats would be established and solar lights would be provided by the Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency, said Dwivedi. Well aware of the solid waste menace in the region, the department has now decided to begin solid-waste management programme in Gangotri under the master plan. The compactor units at Janki Chatti, Joshi Math, Son Prayag and Badrinath are already been equipped with this facility. Not only this, hi-tech buses will start to pick and drop the passengers. President of the Managers and Supervisors Association, Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam, BD Petwal said, “The Tourism Department need to ensure proper water and power supply to these places, as the jal sansthan keep playing tantrums when it comes to providing water to the rest houses at these places and generators play havoc with the environment due to erratic power supply. Unless these basic requirements are not provided, the new washrooms and luxurious rooms, too, will not help much”. He also stressed on slick marketing to sell these hot spots, not to forget amazingly scenic Lanka and Bhairo Ghat, which are just 10 km away from Gangotri and prove to be promising added attraction for the route. Complaining about the location of the rest houses, he said the biggest roadblock with Harsil was unaccessibility of the government rest houses, which are quite far from the town. Petwal also brought attention toward one important aspect that was to do away with the restriction on tourists to leave Harsil and Gangotri before night. He asked to do something about it so that tourists could stay overnight and extend their stay here, known for the best of religious as well adventure tourism. Lastly, he also made a valid point saying that the state government spends crores on infrastructure in the Kumbh, which comes once in 12 years. It should also upgrade places like Gangotri, which brings thousands of tourists every year. It is high time that the state government set its priorities right. This time, his plea did not go ignored.
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Hi-tech buses will be plied to pick and drop passengers
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Forest Dept gives nod for parking lots in three areas
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Shops in the 300-m area around the Gangotri temple to be removed
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Nepal traders begin horse trading at Jauljivi fair
Pitthoragarh, November 25 It started officially on November 22 and now, brand commodities of the fair like packs of Tibetan wool and mountain horses from far Humla and Jumla district of Nepal, close to the Tibetan border, have started reaching the fair. “We began seven days ago from our breeding centre in Jumla district of Nepal and we reached here a day earlier,” said Padam Singh, a horse trader. According to the several horse traders who reached Jauljivi to trade in horses, they had brought less number of horses this year due to the closed tracks inside Nepal due to heavy rain last month. “These horses will earn enough to feed our families for a whole year if all of them get sold in the fair,” said Padam Singh, adding that his horses cost from Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000 each. According to old-time traders, the Jauljivi fair had been the biggest market of horses in old times as this was the only means of transportation in the area before motor roads were constructed. “These horses, mostly at the Nepal-Tibet border, used to travel more than 15 days to reach Jauljivi and were purchased by people from Pitthoragarh, Almora, Bageswar to transport essential goods to distant locations in the region,” said Dr Lalit Pant, a researcher on India-Tibet border trade. According to horse traders, in the 1980s, more than 300 horses used to come to Jauljivi for selling. “In 1990, when I had gone to purchase a pair of horses in Jauljivi, we witnessed more than 270 horses there across the Kali in the Nepali area where these horses used to be tested by riding before being purchased,” said Sunder Singh, an old-time horse trader. After the interior areas of this once backward region of Kumaon were linked by motor roads after 1960, trade in horses gradually reduced. “The number got further reduced after interior areas of Nepal were linked with motor road some 10 years ago,” said Girish Awasthi, a resident of Jauljivi village. More than the horse market at Jauljivi, the way these horses are transported to India after their purchase is more adventurous. “These horses are transported through the strong waves of the Kali. The horse as well as his owner has to swim in these waves to reach the Indian side,” said Awasthi.
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Governors Meet: India made head of ICIMOD
Mussoorie, November 25 According to Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Vijay Sharma, the members deliberated the issues with reference to climate change and biodiversity. The stress was laid on finding ways to exchange scientific knowledge and strengthening each other’s hand in saving environment among the member countries and support groups. Sharma also said the issues adopted at Nagoya Protocol that highlighted the importance of biodiversity, traditional knowledge, access and benefit and sustainable livelihood as essential concepts for mountain development were also discussed in detail. National Action Plan on Climate Change
Later, speaking to The Tribune, Sharma said the policy of the Centre and the recognition of the mountain ecosystem in the national environment policy and National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) showed its commitment towards mountain development. The plan identifies eight core “national missions”, namely the National Solar Mission, National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency, National Mission on Sustainable Habitat, National Water Mission, National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, National Mission for a “Green India”, National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture and the National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change. Under the eight missions, the plan recommends mandating specific cut in energy consumption in major energy-consuming industries, with a system for companies to trade energy-savings certificates and providing energy incentives, including reduced taxes on energy-efficient appliances and financing. Public-private partnerships to reduce energy consumption through demand-side management programmes in the municipal buildings and agricultural sectors was being undertaken. India was also extending the existing Energy Conservation Building Code with greater emphasis on urban waste management and recycling, including power production from waste and strengthening the enforcement of automotive fuel economy standards and using pricing measures to encourage the purchase of efficient vehicles. Special incentives were being planned for the use of public transportation. Under the National Solar Mission, the NAPCC aims at promoting the development and use of solar energy for power generation and other uses with the ultimate objective of making solar energy competitive with fossil-based energy options. Sharma said the plan included specific goals for increasing use of solar thermal technologies in urban areas, industry and commercial establishments. Other objectives included the establishment of a solar research centre, increased international collaboration on technology development, strengthening of domestic manufacturing capacity and increased government funding and international support. Under the National Water Mission where water scarcity is projected to worsen as a result of climate change, the plan sets a goal of a 20 per cent improvement in water-use efficiency through pricing and other measures. The plan under the National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem aims to conserve biodiversity, forest cover, and other ecological values in the Himalayan region, where glaciers that are a major source of India’s water supply are projected to recede as a result of global warming. An ambitious plan under “Green India” is also being envisaged with goals to include the afforestation and expanding forest cover from 23 per cent to 33 per cent of India’s territory. Under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture, India aims to support climate adaptation in agriculture through the development of climate-resilient crops, expansion of weather insurance mechanisms and agricultural practices. And the last but not the least, under the National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change India aims to gain a better understanding of climate science impacts and challenges. The plan envisions a new climate science research fund, improved climate modelling and increased international collaboration. It also encourages private sector initiatives to develop adaptation and mitigation technologies through venture capital funds. Meanwhile, Ministry of Environment and Forest Director Vivek Saxena, who outlined the deliberations at the meet, said the main focus was on the issues related to mountain regions. The problems faced by people from mountain region are similar as the habitat was same across the region spread from Afghanistan to Myanmar. ICIMOD acts as a platform and its members interact with various countries on a trans-boundary basis and share knowledge and new developments on a regular basis.
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ICIMOD for enhanced trans-boundary collaboration At the ongoing governors meeting of ICIMOD, comprising members from eight countries, the annual budget was approved and the conclusion of the mid-term review was also deliberated upon today. The newly elected chairman of the body, Vijay Sharma, Ministry of Forest and Environment Secretary, Government of India, said it was also discussed at the meeting to increase trans-boundary collaboration and adopting our agricultural practices in accordance with the climate change. The focus was also on strengthening the scientific knowledge base and exchange it with the regional members to ensure a sustainable mountain development. Sharma also said the need to increase the regional environmental cooperation was also felt. The members also discussed the ways to deal with changes occurring in agro-forestry practices, keeping the climate change perspective at the forefront. A major policy was adopted under the Nagoya protocol in which threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services were discussed in details. The emphasis was laid on active involvement of relevant stakeholders, including indigenous and local communities, the youth, NGOs, women and business communities, for a sustainable development. Sharma said a concept of sustainable livelihood and adapting to climate change without affecting the lives of the stakeholders was also discussed. He was of the view that ICIMOD was focusing on the Hindukush region which was spread in several countries. India has taken a big initiative under the National Action Plan on climate change under which energy efficiency, agriculture, industry, Himalayan eco-system and enhanced green over of India are being envisaged through eight missions.
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Climate Change
Hua said scientists from Nepal, India and China had begun a collaborative work on the Kosi river basin which is important region for the livelihood of people. The scientists can work on a trans-boundary basis towards assisting the people to improve their adaption to issues of climate change. He also said China and India were both developing countries and they could work on sharing basis to create a balance between environment and development on both sides of the border. Hua opined out that water was not only the single most important resource and source of wealth, but also the source of catastrophic hazards, and China and India could contribute to the management and sustainable use of water taking into account land resources for livelihoods, the impacts on human health and the environment, and the pressing need for disaster risk reduction and management of water-related hazards. The regional cooperation can be sought in improving the knowledge and understanding of the status of glaciers. The two countries can enhance knowledge on climate-induced hazards and create a policy to improve the adaptation capacity of rural communities. Speaking on the role of ICIMOD, he said it acted as a bridge between these countries and formulating a mechanism for data sharing on a regular basis. Hua research studies in the area of climate change, alpine ecosystem, carbon cycling and water resources over the past 10 years has resulted in the publication of over 80 papers, many in international journals.
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Success stories
The growing awareness that mountain needs special attention is a success in itself. Another success story is the Bayleaf production in Uttarakhand, a research project which costs $ 140,000, undertaken in Nepal and Uttarakhand. The research showed that with small changes it was possible to increase revenue of the collectors very substantially from 2 to 8 per kg and the second part was that in Uttarakhand the bayleaf collection was not possible by the villagers so the department took a decision at the farm level and the collection has increased manifold. Another success story is the Kailash Sacred Life Landscape project that being sacred to many is an area that is geo-politically difficult but now the Indian, Chinese and Nepalese partners are working closely with each other on the same concept, meeting in workshops sharing plans and exchanging information which year ago was considered impossible. Schild, when questioned that if there was need for a separate mountain policy, said it depended on the countries but the agricultural policies had to incorporated the specificity of mountains as now we had new vulnerability created by landslide due to intensive precipitation. A majority of glaciers are receding not only at terminals but there is a reduction of mass balance, so consequences of this is very important and governments have to sit and assess the policies keeping these issues in mind. Schild said he was looking forward towards India chairing ICIMOD for 2110-11 and was extremely glad with the position of India regarding mountain development and climate change.
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Effective data sharing major concern
Daan Boom said a strong need was also felt for ICIMOD as a regional organisation to collaborate and bridge partners’ demand for an effective mountain development. He also said there were many hot spots in the mountainous region and those could be addressed through a team work. He stressed on the fact that the incorporation of local knowledge while addressing the issue of hot spots and other environmental changes were very important. He said the visit to Dhanaulti Eco Park was a refreshing experience.
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HIV awareness programme held
Dehradun, November 25 Dean, Academics, Anil Kumar Baliga inaugurated the competition. Baliga said such competitions were essential to sensitise the society, especially the students, on HIV/AIDS awareness. A large number of students undertaking B Tech, MCA Biotech, Management and Hotel Management participated in the competition. The results of the competition will be declared next week.
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Coaching camps for SAF Games from Dec 7
Dehradun, November 25 The skiing coaching camp at Auli will be organised from December 13 to 23, following which Auli Skiing Open Championship will be held from December 27 to 30. While ice-skating coaching camp I and II will be held from December 7 to 13 and December 14 to 19 in Dehradun. The skiing events will be held at Auli from January 7 to 10 and ice-skating events will be held at Dehradun from January 14 to 17. Prior to the SAF Games, open competitions will be held to select the Indian team and to do a test before the international event. Doon Ice Skating Open Championship from December 21 to 24 will follow the camps. President of the Winter Games Federation of India Brig SS Patwal (retd) in a press conference said participating countries have also been invited to attend the coaching camp as well as to participate in Auli and Doon Open Championships. The National Olympic Committees from the following countries have been informed by email, letters and by Indian Olympic representatives attending Asian Games in China, said the president.
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Dates clash with school nationals
Dehradun, November 25 On account of the national championships there would be less participation of players in the open championships, which are scheduled to be held from December 27 to 30 (skiing) in Auli and December 21 to 24 (ice-skating) in Doon. Besides less participation, the talent of other states may also not make it to the event, thus hampering the winning chances of the country in the SAF Winter Games. “They (WGFI) should have at least given a thought before fixing the dates. These dates must be rescheduled to engage in the best of the talent for the Winter Games,” a worried coach of a roller-skating association told The Tribune preferring not to be quoted. President, Uttarakhand Roller Skating Association, Arvind Gupta said, “We met the WGFI president and brought the matter to his notice. Our players have already qualified for the nationals and will be playing national school games next month, when the open championships will also be held in Uttarkhand. Thus, we requested them to adjust the players later on else it will be a great loss to the national team.” On this, president of federation Brig SS Patwal (retd) told The Tribune, “We got to know that the dates are clashing with the nationals. But we cannot help it. We have to complete the games by January 17, as we also have to take part in the winter Asiad Games scheduled to be held from January 30 to February 4 in Kazakhstan. However, we will try to adjust the talented players by making some changes later.”
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Rock Climbing contest begins
Mussoorie, November 25 Uniyal wished all participants good luck and said the existence of the ITBP in Mussoorie provided a sense of security and safety to town residents felt like they were in the mother’s lap. The Himveers also demonstrated various knots used in rock climbing like fishermen knot etc. Constable Vishal Deshmukh showcased the technique of climbing where the overhang was present. Speed rappelling, stomach rappelling and other techniques were also shown by the participants. DIG ITBP Austen Ippon said on the occasion that the force was deployed at difficult mountainous terrain, hence, rock climbing was not only a sport for them, but also a part of profession. He also said a life of adventure and discipline was awaiting the youth who wanted to join the ITBP. DIG Devender Singh, DIG, Academy, PS Dangwal, DIG Ajay Pal Singh, Nancy Ippon and other officers of the force were present on the occasion. The competition will conclude on November 27.
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State b’ball meet from Dec 4
Dehradun, November 25 During the championship, the Uttarakhand Basketball Association will be conducting FIBA-New Rule Changes-2010 clinic and the Uttarakhand State Referees Examination for the test referees and the promotion cases. The inauguration ceremony followed by the matches will begin on December 4th at 9 am. The finals will be played on Monday, December 6, 2010, at 3 pm onwards followed by prize distribution ceremony.
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Udham Singh Nagar, Doon, Nainital champions
Dehradun, November 25 Udham Singh Nagar beat Nainital 25-25, 16-14 in the volleyball final to win the title. Dehradun outplayed Udham Singh Nagar 43-8 in the kabaddi final to become the champion. In the kho-kho final, Nainital got the better of Haridwar 4-3. Subhash Barthwal, vice-president of the Rajya Yuva Kalyan Parishad, gave the prizes to the players.
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Sohram beats Imran in boxing meet
Dehradun, November 25 While Prayag of Delhi defeated Nitin of Uttarakhand in the 48-kg under-14 boys quarterfinal, in the 40-kg under-14 quarterfinal Ayaz of Gujarat was beaten by Prathab of Tamil Nadu after the referee stopped the contest. In the 38-kg under-14 quarterfinal, Rajveer of Punjab got the better of Raju of Jharkhand 3-0 and Vipin of Chandigarh defeated Rohan of Maharashtra 4-3 in the 34-kg under-14 boys quarterfinals. The semifinals of the event will be played tomorrow.
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Dev Bhoomi institute beat Hermes
Dehradun, November 25 Hermes set a target of 82 runs in 25 overs while batting first. Priyank (25) top scored for the batting side, rest all batsmen failed to perform. Lokesh of Dev Bhoomi got three wickets. Sanjeev and Ravi also took two wickets each. Dev Bhoomi’s batsmen performed better than their counterparts and ensured the win of their squad at the loss of three wickets. Amit (34) and Ashish (25) were responsible for the destruction of Hermes bowling attack. Bardwar Singh and Shashank took a wicket each, but that was not enough for Hermes to change the fate of the side. In another match, UIM beat HIP by six wickets to win the match.
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A day of sports at GRD institute
Dehradun, November 25 Meanwhile, volleyball match between B Phrama 3rd year and 2nd year was won by the later. Sumit Garg (B Pharma 4th year) stood first in the essay competition. Pallavi Ghildiyal (B Pharma 3rd year) came second. Pooja Pandey (B Pharma 3rd year) won the game of short put (girls) followed by Neetu Bora (B.Pharma 2nd year) as runner-up. Surbhi Chauhary (B Pharma 2nd year) was declared the winner of 100-metre race (girls). Football match between B Pharma 2nd and 3rd year was won by 2nd year. Elocution competition was won by Rajan Kr Ranjan (B Pharma 4th year), while Pallavi Ghildiyal (B Pharma 3rd year) was declared second.
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The Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board (UTDB) has given approval to the Harsil-Gangotri-Gomukh route’s upgradation, which will cost the state government a whopping Rs 50
crore.
on the banks of the Kali river at the India-Nepal border has started picking up.
It started officially on November 22 and now, brand commodities of the fair like packs of Tibetan wool and mountain horses from far Humla and Jumla district of Nepal, close to the Tibetan border, have started reaching the fair.
Members from eight regional countries of the Hindu Kush Himalayas consisting of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan with their headquarters in
Kathmandu, Nepal, unanimously elected India as the head of ICIMOD for 2010-11 at the ongoing governors meet held here yesterday.
Dehradun, November 25
Udham Singh Nagar, Dehradun and Nainital became the champions in volleyball, kabaddi and kho-kho matches, respectively, in the state-level women open sports competitions during the Panchayat Yuva Krida Evam Khel Abhiyan held at
Balawala.
The Dev Bhoomi Institute of Technology won by seven wickets against Hermes Institute during the Uttarakhand Technical University Second Inter-college Cricket Tournament, which was held at the Survey of India Stadium, here today.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ICIMOD governors meeting being held at Mussoorie, Prof Ouang Hua, a Chinese national working as Programme Manager, Integrated Water Hazard Management, said India and China could play a major role in the adaptation to climate change and looking at the region there were important issues where climate change had affected the livelihood of people adversely.
Director-General of ICIMOD Andreas Schild said the success story of ICIMOD so far had been including mountains in the international process of climate change. He said previously mountains were completely neglected at the international level while formulating the policies in respect to climate change and biodiversity, but now there was a mountain initiative. With regard to mountain development, a meeting was held in August and another meeting would be held in Cancun next year where the mountain interest would be discussed and countries from Latin America, Africa and central Asia and the the Hindu Kush region have shown strong interest.
Programme coordinator at Integrated Knowledge Management and Capacity Development Centre Daan Boom, a Dutch national, has said the ongoing governors meet of ICIMOD in Mussoorie has succeeded in touching base with stakeholders and partners about the progress of ICIMOD and framing a new strategic framework for the next year regarding mountain development. The major concern about mountain development, according to Daan Boom, is an effective sharing of the regional data in respect of climate change and environmental issues.