Dehradun, January 11
Construction of 86 public toilets, parking lots and rain sheds along the Yamunotri route has been included in the Destination Development and Improvement project that has been aimed at providing more facilities on the Char Dham route. As traffic flow on the Char Dham route has been increasing every year and the existing public convenience facilities are not enough, pilgrims have to answer the call of nature in the open, which results in environmental pollution and the spread of diseases.

Therefore the state government is going to launch a mass awareness regarding this issue through posters, banners and pamphlets.

Two toilets at Dharasu, one at Vikasnagar, 36 on the Rishikesh-Gangotri road, 19 on the Rudraprayag-Kedarnath road, five on the Guptakashi-Ukhimath-Kedarnath road, and 23 toilets on the Rishikesh-Badrinath road will be constructed. The expenditure to be incurred on the construction of these toilets has been estimated at Rs 1009.77 lakh.

There are 90 public toilets, which are being operated and maintained by Sulabh International for 15 years now.

Chinyalisaur and Bhatwari, two towns located at Rishikesh on the Gangotri national highway in Uttarkashi district, which is also the route to the Gangotri Dham, do not have any parking facility. All the vehicles are to be parked on the highway, which leads to traffic jams. Sources in the Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board said land is available for the purpose at Pipalmandi, a nearby town.

To fulfil the demand of the locals for a parking facility, the district administration has made the construction division of the PWD as working agency for this project. The PWD also has a proposal for creating additional infrastructure, such as the construction of a bus-stand at Bhatwari.

Similarly, a proposal for the construction of 14 rain sheds along the yatra route from Barkot to Yamunotri will be prepared by the Forest Department. The department will build sheds both for protection from rain and night halt by the tourists during the yatra season. This will incur an expenditure of Rs 280 lakh.

Dehradun, January 11
The house of Sandeep Dangwal, the Merchant Navy officer who was released from the clutches of Somali pirates and came home a day before after spending eight months in their captivity, buzzed with the arrival of visitors round the clock. A visibly weak Sandeep, who lost 9 kg while in the captivity of the pirates, tried to greet each one, be it strangers, neighbours, relatives or friends, with a warm embrace.

His parents, who remained calm and composed throughout the kidnapping period, maintained their composure, but with a perpetual smile on their faces, thanking each visitor for his unstinted support.

His mother said she always believed that her son would come back, as was foretold by her family guru. The irritation stemming from being asked the same questions on his harrowing episode time and again was writ large on Sandeep’s face. “I want to forget about the distressing memories, once and for all. There is no need to write at length about me. People will read and forget me in a day. The media must make good use of its might by addressing this problem at the international level and sort the savage Somalis out for good. I will also stir a fight against the pirates at my own level,” he said.

Sandeep stressed on the need for having a better defence system on ships to counter the Somali pirates, who are heavily armed with AK-47 and rocket launchers.

Recalling his ordeal, he said: “We were captured within a chase of 20 minutes and kept hostage at Grat in Somalia. All our belongings were looted at gunpoint. A group of 20-30 men kept a vigil on us constantly. They would thrash us with boots on minor things. A diet of poor rice with spicy water kept us alive, though thankfully none of us fell seriously sick. A couple of pirates who could speak in English continued a dialogue with the authorities concerned on the matter of our release.” E

“Many ships, including an Indian ship, were held hostage, but were stationed far from one another. The day, I got to know that five members of a Burmese ship crew, who were thrown into the sea after they fell sick for lack of proper food and medication, died, I cried in a cabin of the ship. At times, I would release my pent-up anger by hitting on pillows, though there were a few light moments as well. We were engaged most of time keeping our ship in a workable condition,” he added.

The most memorable moment was when he got to feel ground after a period of eight months. “I had boarded the ship on May 3 and remained surrounded by water until January 7 when I put my feet on the ground at Salala Port. Out of sheer joy, I removed my shoes to feel the ground and ran amok”.

He experienced the cathartic emotions when he reached Dehradun. “I could never believe that I would ever be able to see my city again. I got overwhelmed when I reached the Jolly Grant Airport and met my parents. The love and support of city people and the media has been unparalleled,” said Sandeep.

Sandeep wants to forget about the bitter memories and spend full one year travelling and being with his family, to enjoy his life to the fullest. “I used to be a carefree and jovial kind of person, but now I have become quiet and serious. I value relations now more than ever,” he said.

His father Sundermani Dangwal noticed him getting irritated quite often.

Calling himself a “seaman”, Sandeep asserted his desire to get back to the sea one day, but he is determined to avoid the Somali region, ‘Gulf of Adam’.

As a simple person, he has no whims of fancy food or clothes. To be at home among his loved ones is what he only wants at the moment.

Haridwar, January 11
At the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected working executive of the Haridwar Bar Association, special invitees Union Minister of State for Labour Harish Rawat and Uttarakhand Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik urged the legal fraternity to make sure that the poor, suppressed and needy litigants were provided legal aid to ensure justice reached out to them.

Specifying on the imperative role of the advocates in the legal system, Harish Rawat said they played a chord between the judiciary and investigation.

While highlighting the aspect of providing legal aid to the poor, Kaushik said downtrodden and poor looked up to lawyers as a ray of hope, so they should also respond by contributing to society by providing them legal aid at minimum affordable price.

District Bar president Narendra Singh Chauhan said the faith imposed in him by fellow lawyers would only enhance the working and commitment towards the legal fraternity as well as the society. General secretary Hardam Singh also spoke.

The oath was given by Chief Election Officer Satish Chaudhari and Praveen Singh in the sizeable presence of honorable judges, lawyers and socialites.

Gracing the occasion were district chief judge Sarvesh Kumar Gupta, Consumer Forum chief RP Pandey, Labour Court officer Kanwar Sen, Uttarakhand Bar Council chief Mahendra Pal Singh, Bar Council member Yogendra Chauhan, Subash Tyagi, former palika chariman Satpal Brahamchari, former minister Ram Singh Saini, Bhushan Chawla, Dinesh Sharma, NK Paliwal, Fakira Khan among others. 

Nainital, January 11
The District Magistrate of Udham Singh Nagar, Dr BVRC Purshottan, has ordered streamlining work on the Moradabad-Kashipur-Rudrapur gas pipeline.He has appointed General Manager (Industry) BR Arya the nodal officer for the purpose and has asked the officials of Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), the agency entrusted with the work to build the pipeline, to coordinate with him.

Arya has been asked to convene a meeting within a week to look into the issues raised at the meeting.

According to Dr Purshottam, the execution of the gas pipeline project will help in the state becoming an energy hub and would also help in reducing the pollution levels in the region. He has asked the officials to provide all the possible help in the project.

Senior Manager of GAIL A Aggrawal, who was present at the meeting held at Rudrapur yesterday to discuss the issues pertaining to the pipeline, said the pipeline was to be laid in two stages. At present the work is underway on the Moradabad-Kashipur stretch of the pipeline and it is expected to be completed by March this year. A cost of Rs 150 crore will be incurred on the laying of this portion of the pipeline. Once this is done, the work on the Kashipur-Rudrapur stretch will begin. The estimated cost for laying the pipeline on this stretch is about Rs 30 crore and it is likely to be completed over the next one year.

The pipeline is expected to fulfil the fuel needs of the three power plants proposed to be set up in the Kashipur region besides various other industries that are dependent on coal, oil and hydro power.

He said besides keeping the pollution levels at the minimum, the pipeline would help maintain the green cover in the area. The GAIL official appealed to the officials concerned to provide early clearances for the works pertaining to the project.

The laying down of the pipeline had commenced on October 22 last year. The proposed Karanpur- Moradabad-Kashipur-Rudrapur-Pant Nagar pipeline will be 182 km in length.

Mussoorie, January 11
Eminent Punjabi pop singer after his stay in Dehradun found time to visit Mussoorie today. Mika after buying a flat in Dehradun, arrived in Mussoorie with his close friends. The news of Mika in Mussoorie spread like wildfire and fans in large numbers were seen converging in front of the hotel he was putting up in.

Speaking to the media, Mika said he had bought a flat on the Race Course Road in Dehradun and loved being in the state. It was because of his love for the state he thought of buying a house for himself.

Mika obliged his fans with autograph, chatted with them for a while and posed for photographs. He also wished people a very happy New Year and Lohri on the occasion. Mika was extremely pleased with his performance in the year gone by. He informed that the his show in Australia was a great hit and even English-speaking Australians danced to his beats enjoying thoroughly.

He also informed that he had performed in Mussoorie during the Autumn Festival a few years back.

Speaking on the reality shows on television, he said the shows which were liked by people became popular. He personally liked Big Boss immensely and was of the view that it was a good concept as brought the personal life of the celebrity in the public domain so that they could judge his character in real life, apart from reel life.

About his forthcoming album, he said very soon his fans would hear new songs in it.

After spending a while he also visited the Kempty Falls with his friends.

With Mika buying a house in Dehradun the attraction of celebrities towards the state is self evident. Sachin Tendulkar is also in the list of celebrities to make the state as his next home.

Nainital, January 11
Three unnatural deaths, including one murder from Kashipur, have come to light in Kumaon.In the first instance, a 20-year-old youth identified as Ashish Kumar Gupta was found dead at the Sharda barrage near Tanakpur. His body was discovered near the ghat on the banks of the Sharda river.

Although prima facie it looks like a death resulting from the severe cold conditions prevailing in the region, the police is investigating the matter as aspersions have been cast that he had been left at the spot by his friends.

According to reports, Ashish had left his house on Sunday afternoon to get some money from an ATM machine and had not returned home.

In the second instance, an SSB jawan going home on leave died under suspicious circumstances near Tanakpur.

According to information, 25-year-old Gopal Adhikari was posted at Didihat. He had called up his home from Banbasa saying that he was unwell. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. The deceased was a resident of Damkhada village in the Jhankaiya area of Khatima.

In the third instance, the dead body of a waste paper supplier from Kashipur was found from a drain on the outskirts of the town.

Sattar Ahmed (50), who was a resident of Mohalla Bahedawal, had been missing for the past four days. His body was found by workers of the local civic body. His feet had been tied with a piece of rope. It is being assumed that he had been murdered after being robbed of his possessions. The police has rounded up three persons for questioning in the matter. 

Dehradun, January 11
Backed by design centres and Himadari showrooms, the Uttarakhand Handloom and Handicraft Development Council (UHHDC) has adopted a two-pronged strategy for the promotion of handicrafts with the “made in Uttarakhand” label.

The design centres are helping craftsmen revive traditional art, add exquisiteness to their designs in keeping with the prevailing taste and add new range of products that could be used for souvenirs, while showrooms are providing market support to them.

Even the dedicated weaver clusters in Haridwar, Munsiyari, Kalsi, Dunda (Uttarkashi), Kashipur, are receiving inputs from the State Design Centre 
at Kashipur.

“This centre, too, is facilitated by regular interaction with designers from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, and National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), New Delhi,” said SC Nautiyal, director, UHHDC.

Significantly, small design centres established at Chamoli and Kotdwar (Haldwani) are also backed by services of designers.

On the other hand, Himadari showrooms in New Delhi, Haridwar, Kashipur, Kasauni, Almora (Kasar Devi) and Srinagar are providing marketing outlet for the products with the made in Uttarakhand tag.

“These showrooms are doing good business, especially, the Delhi and Dehradun showrooms are attracting buyers,” said Nautiyal.

The brand name Himadari is also proving to be fortuitous from the business point of view for craftsmen as the UHHDC is planning to increase the range of products.

“The temple replicas of Badrinath and Kedarnath made from local wood of Papri tree is already popular and now, we are planning to make replicas of Yamnotri and Gangotri,” added Nautiyal. The all-time favourite woollen products are also popular.

Designed and developed under the initiative of the UHHDC, the beautiful wooden replicas of temples have no doubt found favour with buyers, but their mass production is proving to be problematic. “The non-availability of raw material, especially wood, is proving to be a dampener and we may not be able to scale it upward. At the moment, we are only fulfilling demand for special orders but we are also looking at alternative material, especially, natural fibres for making object d art,” said Nautiyal.

The temple replicas are made from a soft tree-wood called “papri” that grows at high altitude, but now craftsmen are also using the wood of mulberry, eucalyptus, deodhar and red cedar trees. It takes at least six to seven days to finish one wooden replica measuring 1.5 inch.

Dehradun, January 11
For bringing in greater transparency in pension schemes, Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today asked the Secretary, Planning, to work with the DG, NIC, for developing software so that the entire data of beneficiaries was available at the click of the mouse.

While chairing a review meeting of the Social Welfare Department, the Chief Minister said the move would usher in greater transparency and accountability.

The move comes in the wake of bogus pension cases that keep cropping up in the state from time to time.

Dr Nishank asked the officers to develop a foolproof method that would help in streamlining the PDS system.

Besides a nodal officer too would be appointed for undertaking monitoring of the schemes. As 
of now, the state is disbursing Rs 8,288 crore among one lakh beneficiaries under various pension schemes.

At the meeting the Chief Minister also instructed the officers to ensure that timely plans were made for the centrally sponsored schemes. “The delays should not harm the interest of the beneficiaries. We have been slow in coming up with proposals for some of the schemes that are centrally sponsored,” he said.

Dr Nishank also called for completing the process of setting up cooperative banks under the Atal Adarsh Gram Yojana in selected villages. So far around 500 banks have been opened under the yojana.

He also called upon the officers to organise frequent camps for sorting out cases of pensions even at the selected villages under the yojana. 

Dehradun, January 11
On the occasion of Swami Vivekanand Jayanti, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank paid tributes to Swami Vivekanand and remembered his revolutionary deeds here today. He expressed gratitude to the saint who had initiated the Ram Krishan Mission while encouraging people to follow the path of righteousness.

While addressing people, Dr Nishank said the books based on Vivekanand’s ideology had helped the common man and encouraged scientists, sociologists, litterateurs, religion, yoga and others.

Nainital, January 11
The failure of the government to improve the condition of roads damaged in the recent rains is leading to chaos and problems for commuters.These roads continue to await proper repairs and at several places are a nightmare for commuters. Some of the stretches of roads like the Bhawali-Kwarab and the Nainital-Haldwani are in a pathetic condition.

Over the past two days there have been long traffic jams on the Nainital-Haldwani road at Jeolikote. An overloaded truck coming from Haldwani had got stuck at a stretch of a broken road that led to its front wheels hanging in the air. This had led to traffic blockade, which continued for no less than 18 hours.

It is pertinent to mention here that the said truck had passed right under the nose of the police and administrative officials in Haldwani and also at Jeolikote, but it was not checked.

The administration did not bother to remove iron rods from the road that were unloaded on Saturday from the truck and it was on early Sunday morning that a bus got stuck in these rods again leading to a 5-hour traffic jam.

The officials have failed to get the broken stretch repaired at Jeolikote even after over three months since the natural disaster struck.

The stretch at Bhujiaghat that had sunk during the rains stands non-metalled. Recently, when senior BJP leader Suresh Joshi was questioned on the claims of his government regarding the early opening of the devastated roads, all that he could say was that the works would be completed soon.

In another incident reported from Bageshwar district, the road from Balighat to Dharamghar saw a similar blockade when a truck loaded with limestone was stuck in the centre of the road choking the traffic from both sides. The road was in a bad state that led to its sinking under the weight of the loaded truck and amongst those who went through the subsequent traffic snarl on Sunday was State Health Education Minister Balwant Singh Bhauryal. The minister had to leave his vehicle and travel by another vehicle from the other side of the blockade.