Dehradun, April 17
Patwaris have gone back on their work after ending their three-year strike on getting a new government order, which promises to them new pay packets and designations. However, they still have to cope with extra work in view of 300 vacancies of Patwari out of a total of 1220, 135 vacancies of Kanungo and 400 vacancies of assistants since 2003.

President of the State Patwari Association Bhagwati Prasad Jagudi said: “The state government have stopped appointing Patwaris since 2003 following the appointment of an entire batch of Patwaris through fraudulent means came to light. Then District Magistrate of Pauri Garhwal was found involved in the scam.” There were a few cases where the dependants of the deceased Patwaris were accommodated but the gap continued to widen with more Patwaris getting promoted to the position of Kanungo over the years. This way, one Patwari is handling the work charge of three or four Patwaris.

Having abandoned the unique system of policing for the past three years, the Patwaris have slipped into the comfort zones where they were just doing the revenue-related work. But, now they will have to wield the baton once again. Jagudi stated: “The situation is becoming grim with 10 per cent Patwaris retiring each year and, 30 per cent aging above 50, thus no longer being fit enough to handle the tough policing job. Before 2003, surplus appointments were made to fill the positions left by those who would get promoted, retired or go on leave for long durations.”

Stuck in a hard-pressed situation, their efforts to draw a line for not taking extra work failed miserably after the IAS lobby began pressuring them on many fronts, he added.

The Patwari of Chamoli, Vijay Pal Gusain, said: “One Patwari has only one assistant who has to man an area of 200 km. He is the only one who has to do it all, lodge an FIR, carry out investigations, trace the dead bodies, get the post-mortem done, nab the culprits and attend repeated hearings. That too when he is neither paid for outstation transport and food provided to the culprits. Since the drivers are also not being hired, so the vehicles, old enough, are becoming dysfunctional. There is no provision for women police and a cell for women convicts as well.

The state government’s stopgap arrangement to fix Naib Tehsildar for the additional policing job during the strike by Patwaris, too failed badly - a reason seen behind the state government’s U-turn. “Nayab Tehsildar, who rose to the hierarchy from the post of Patwari, had the prior experience of policing but could not handle the situation as one tehsil had as many as 40 Patwar areas,” said Mohan Singh Bisht, Patwari, Rudraprayag.

Despite all the complications, the Patwari community has no qualms in accepting revenue and policing both. “We are the interpreter of our local language to the outsiders and conversant of the topography of our respected areas. We strike an emotional chord with our people and they feel comfortable with us too as we also have all kinds of the documents or certificates. People can always exercise their rights to ask for the police protection from the District Magistrate but they prefer to contact us,” stated Jagudi.

One year training in subjects of revenue, law and Forest Acts at the Almora Training Academy, followed by six-month training capsules in various police posts and 15-day training at the court equip the Patwaris in handling these varied aspects of their jobs dexterously.

Now, they have demanded more facilities and, provisions to strengthen their positions. Diwakar Bhatt, Revenue Minister, has assured the Patwaris that the Revenue Police Act would plug all the loopholes in the system, from filling the vacancies with more qualified and experienced people to creating the required infrastructure.

Dehradun, April 17
A day-long panel discussion on Hindi language at the ‘Lok Bhasha Sammelan’ was conducted by the Uttrakhand Bhasha Sansthan on the premises of Doon University,

here today. The chief guest on the occasion was Prakash Pant, Uttarakhand Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.

A large number of scholars, littérateurs, poets and writers participated enthusiastically in the discussion while putting forth their views on the occasion. The sammelan was divided into two sessions where speakers from various walks of life participated.

The first session of the sammelan was based on the theme, ‘Lok bhasha and journalism’ where speakers discussed on the disparity and relationship between lok bhasha and journalism, while the theme of the second session was ‘Lok bhasha and literature’.

Dr Kamalkant Budhkar, senior journalist and professor at Gurukul Kangri University, Haridwar, said, “Language is in no way different from people of the state. Languages keep changing and upgrading from time to time, which can be clearly noticed in the present scenario of journalism.”

Another speaker from Meerut University, Prof Naveen Chand Lohni, opined that Garhwali and Kumaoni should receive the dignity of being superior languages in the state while Jaunsari, Karvi and other spoken languages should be given the same respect.

The programme culminated with a kavi sammelan in the evening. 

Dehradun, April 17
Dr Anil Dimri, Regional Director of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), inaugurated a study circle of IGNOU for BEd students at the Patrician College of Education on the campus of St Joseph’s Academy here today. As many as 100 students of the BEd course will study at the centre.

Dr Dimri underscored the great work being done by IGNOU in taking education to those to whom it had been hitherto not available.

It was the largest mega university in the world. In Dehra Dun alone, IGNOU had 20 centres, he added.

Dimri said 3,000 institutes in the country were attached to it. The local DAV College alone was conducting 100 programmes. “IGNOU is the people’s university and its motto is to democratise education and bring it to the doorstep of the potential learner,” he added.

Dr Dimri also underlined the fact that IGNOU was flexible in most of its operations and offered several options to the leaner.

Its courses were also available throughout the country and a learner who would move from one part of India to another would have no problem in continuing his education at the new place with his credits transferred there.

In a special appeal to Patrician College, Dimri said it had the infrastructure and the necessary facilities to expand the number of courses being offered by IGNOU and it could be easily converted into one of the largest regional study centers here.

Dr Daljeet Kaur, Principal of the Patrician College of Education, spoke about the progress made by the college. Earlier welcoming Dr Dimri, Bro AJ Goerge, Bro Maldowny (former Principal of St Joseph’s Academy) and Bro Sebastian, Director of the college, briefly explained to him why the Patrician Brothers felt the necessity of starting the college of education.

An elegantly dressed batch of students performed a beautiful group dance while another group rendered songs.

Dehradun, April 17
The Shani Seva Committee offered a 1.25-kg laddoo to Lord Hanuman on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti here today. A Balaji Shobha Yatra was held by Prithvi Nath Temple, Saharanpur, in association with the committee under the guidance of Swami Ravinder Puri. It started from Hindu National School, went through Paltan Bazaar, Clock Tower, Bindaal Pul, Tilak Road, Saharanpur Chowk and finished at Hindu National School.

The ceremony was a conglomeration of as many as 151 tableaus of various deities, chanting of bhajans and reciting of kirtan by devotees. A large number of people participated in the procession.

Ram Kumar Gupta of the Shani Seva Committee said that artists from various parts of Uttarakhand visited the capital city to participate in the procession. He further stated that ‘bhandara’ would be organised at Balaji Dhami, Ghagra, tomorrow. The devotees also cleaned the roads on the route of the yatra.

Haridwar, April 17
The city seems to be bathed in religious fervour with devotees from other states and local people getting involved in the installation of statues of Sai Baba and Lord Hanuman at two temples situated on the Saptsarovar marg in Bhoopatwala region.

The new temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman named Shri Ram Panchayat Salasar Hanuman Mandir at Satpsarovar Marg will be inaugurated on Hanuman Jayanti, but till date the religious rituals prior to the unveiling are being performed.

So while on Friday a beautiful Kalash Yatra was carried out by the devotees, including women and saints from Har-Ki-Pauri, to the temple premises with holy Ganga jal being brought by them to offer at the temple yesterday, the chanting of holy verses of “Shri Ram Charit Manas” began to which devotees listened in large numbers.

Along with this, a total of 108 statues of Lord Hanuman have been put up at the newly built Shri Ram Panchayat Salasar Hanuman temple which depicts various life stages of Veer Hanuman, ranging from childhood to being a part of the Shri Ram family.

Informing about the episodes related to Lord Hanuman Jagadguru Keshwacharya said the depiction of Lord Hanuman had been beautifully illustrated, be it Hanuman’s bravery or his devotion to Lord Rama.

Vaishno sect chief PeethDheeshwar Ramanujacharya also graced the occasion while religious prayers were offered to Lord Rama, Mata Seeta and observance of hawans and yagna. Uttarakhand Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik will also be present tomorrow when the temple gets unveiled.

Devotees associated with the temple, Raman Aggarwal,Virendra Beriwal, Alok Aggarwal, Prahlad Bansal, Radhe Shyam Lahoti, Gopal Jain, Sarvesh Gupta welcomed the saint community.

The function of unveiling of statues of Sai Baba also began today at Vishwa Sadbhawna Mandir at Saptsarovar Marg prior to the performance of hawan and other rituals.

Notably since April 13th onwards on daily basis the yagna,hawan,anusthan and Gayatri Mahayagya is also being held on the temple premises while the statue of Acharya Pushp Maharaj will also be put up in the temple premises.

Dehradun, April 17
Under the aegis of the Udyog Development Foundation and the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission, the Indian Pharmaceutical Association organised a seminar on “Challenges and issues in pharmaceutical sector in the state of Uttrakhand” at Sri Guru Ram Rai Medical College here today.

State Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Prakash Pant was the chief guest on the occasion. He, along with Mahant Devendra Dass, Chairman of the Governing Council, the Sri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Technology and Sciences, lighted the ceremonial lamp. He also released a souvenir on the Uttarakhand Pharma Summit.

Speaking on the occasion, Mahant Dass said: “I hope that this summit will deliberate on challenges and issues in pharmaceutical education, pharmaceutical drug regulation, pharmaceutical manufacturing and open up new frontiers of knowledge by healthy exchange of novel findings in the sector of pharmacy.”

Prof DS Chauhan, Vice-Chancellor of Uttarakhand Technical University, was the special guest on the occasion.

Nainital, April 17
Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development with independent charge, Krishna Tirath, has underlined that no child should be deprived of nutritious food intake.

She was in Nainital on Saturday, where she chaired a meeting of the Child Development Department at Raj Bhawan on Saturday afternoon.

The minister has called for expansion of the Aanganwari Kendras across the state and has assured that the Central Government is doing everything possible to ensure that Aanganwari Kendras are within the reach of every child.

She said it was pertinent for the officials to visit the Aanganwari Kendras themselves from time to time and ensure that the children coming there were being given meals with an ideal nutrition component.

Tirath said that growth charts for children must be prepared at all Aanganwari Kendras, according to the norms laid out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and every child must be weighed once a month. She asked the officials to also ensure that the children get the required food intake even on holidays.

The officials were told to start the newly sanctioned Aanganwari Kendras and that construction should start at those kendras where there is shortage of rooms.

Before the meeting, Tirath went to the Aanganwari Kendras at Bhawali, Bhumiyadhar, Tirchakhet and Kahalkwira and inspected them. She interacted with the children present there and saw for herself the arrangements made over there.

This was Tirath’s second visit to Nainital over the past 10 months. Earlier she had chaired a meeting of the Consultative Committee of Parliament on “Malnutrition in Women & Children -- Problems & Remedies” in the Lake City where she had spelt out what the government was planning to do with regards to improving the lot of women and children with regards to food intake.

Dehradun April 17
Vice-President of Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Raghunath Singh Negi along with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers held a dharna at Gandhi Park to protest against the Congress for withholding permission for quarrying in small rivers of the state. Negi said, “The Central Government run by the Congress has “played” with the Uttarakhand state by not giving permission to do quarrying in small rivers of the state.

The whole game plan is to back the quarrying mafia of Uttar Pardesh and Himachal Pardesh.

We will fight it out till the end to save the land of our farmers from impending floods in such a situation and the business interests of the transporters, labourers and employees associated with this field.”

The others who addressed the gathering included general secretary Akash Panwar of the Jan Sangharsh Morcha, general secretary, BJP, Bijender Thapliyal and BJP leaders Sumit Pandey and Amardeep Jaysawal.

Dehradun, April 17
Maidani Kranti Dal, a political party today demanded to include Uttar Pradesh’s districts of Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar and Bijnore in Uttarakhand, at its’ party convention held at Shivaji Dharamsala in the state capital. A large number of people from different districts participated in the convention.

They also demanded that Uttarakhand’s Roorkee, Vikasnagar, Rishikesh, Kotdwar, Kashipur, Haldwani, Khatima, and Ramnagar be converted into districts. Maidai Kranti Dal (MKD) also demanded that Haridwar and Rudrapur in Udham Singh be made separate ‘commissionaries’.

They also demanded setting up of a bench of the Nainital High Court at Haridwar. To stop the exodus of industrial units from the state, the party favoured reduction in the taxes and also demanded improvement of roads, electricity and security in the state.

The MKD also demanded to stop issuance of permanent resident certificates to those from the hills that has led to discrimination with the people from the plains who got settled in the state long ago. Today’s convention was held under the leadership of Mufti Rayees Ahmed.

Pithoragarh, April 17
The three-day Baisakhi mela at Thal on the bank of the Ramganga, which concluded yesterday, has disappointed craftsmen and artistes as neither the sale of the local handicrafts was as per expectations nor local singers, dancers and folk artistes were given permission to perform.

“Despite the presence of the rich cultural tradition of the Shauka, Barpatia and Sera areas, the organisers invited cultural parties from outside,” said Pratap Singh Satyal, a local artiste.

Mohan Ram, a craftsman from Hokra, a village that is known in the Kumaon region for its Ringal woodcrafts, said: “We came here after travelling a distance of 25 km. However, the number of customers was less this year unlike in the past when they used to wait for our products which are being used in agricultural work and for the household use.”

Meanwhile, thousands of devotees took a bath in the holy Ramganga on the occasion of Chaitra Purnima yesterday. Folk and commercial artistes from across the country participated in the closing ceremony of the mela.

Veteran businessman of Thal town Jaswant Singh Pangti was the chief guest on the occasion.