Pithoragarh, May 2
In what is being described as the biggest mobilisation of the people in the state by the Congress before the 2012 Assembly elections, its much-publicised Satyagraha Yatra, led by state president Yashpal Arya, began today from the small town of Dharchula on Indo-Nepal border in the presence of nearly 3,000 people.

Three out of total five Congress MPs from the state namely Satpal Maharaj from Pauri Garhwal, Vijay Bahguna from Tehri Garhwal and Pardeep Tamta from Almora and co-in charge of the party affairs of the state Anees Ahmed were present. Besides, Mahindra Singh Mahra, Ranjeet Rawat, Manoj Tiwari, Karan Mahara, Gopal Singh Rana and Balbir Singh Negi, all Congress legislators, also took part in the yatra.

KC Singh Baba, Lok Sabha MP from Nainital, and Haridwar MP and Union Minister of State for Food Processing and Agriculture Harish Rawat had to skip the launch of the yatra as they were pre-occupied with party work at other places, said Mathura Datt Joshi, a senior Congress leader and spokesman for the party.

Chief of the state Congress Yashpal Arya flagged off the yatra for the next destination at Munsiyari. “The first phase of the yatra will conclude on May 8 at Ranikhet. Thereafter, it will resume its journey to Haldwani from where the second phase will begin,” said Arya, adding that all the four phases of the yatra will conclude after traversing all 70 Assembly constituencies of the state in 62 days, covering a distance of 3,500 km. “The failure of the state BJP Government in all the fields of the governance will be the main issue on which the people will be awakened and will be told to bring in a change in the state through the forthcoming Assembly elections if they want all-round development of the state,” claimed Arya.

Vijay Bahuguna said the Uttarakhand Government, which ran totally on the money granted by the Central Government, was not able enough to make an effective utilisation of the Central funds. “Out of a total amount of Rs 6823.59 crore released by the Central Government during 2010-11 financial year, the Uttarakhand Government could only utilise Rs 3,285.14 crore,” alleged Bahuguna.

Satpal Maharaj said all the projects on which the BJP Government in the state was claiming success are the schemes of the Central Government.

“The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MANREGA) scheme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, below poverty line health card scheme, welfare programmes for minorities, National Rural Health Mission, Antodaya Anna Yojana, Indira Awas Yojana and the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyut Yojana, are all schemes of the Central Government. The hollow claims of the BJP Government on these schemes will be exposed before the people during the yatra,” said Satpal Maharaj.

Dehradun, May 2
Despite the vociferous protest launched by Non- Government Organisations (NGOs), the issues pertaining to environment, water and protection of forests seldom find mention in the manifestoes of political parities.

But in a first initiative of its kind, the members of the Non- Government Organisations (NGOs) of Uttarakhand have prepared a draft proposal that contains suggestions on issues affecting the lives of Uttarakhand residents and which, the NGOs feel, should have adequate representation in the manifesto prepared by the political parties at the time of elections.

“Not only will we present the draft proposal to the political parties but also set up a committee that will keep a constant watch on the progress and implementation of the draft,” said Dr Anil Joshi, patron of the Himalayan Environmental Studies Conservation Organisation (HESCO), while addressing a press conference today.

The proposal titled Uttarakhand Janmat that was circulated today lays emphasis on the protection of environment and will ask the parties to take steps that are aimed at conservation and also urge the Centre to come up with a separate Himalayan policy.

Echoing similar sentiments, famous environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna said that despite the promise made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a separate Himalayan policy was yet to see the light of the day.

He urged the government to ensure that the water was properly utilised and not viewed as a commercial commodity to be exploited.

While Radha Behn, Chairperson, Gandhi Peace Foundation, and also Chairman of the Sarv Sewa Sangh said the governments should not view the Himalayas as a consumer object as these are the biggest water sources feeding the nation and their duty should be to protect these and not vandalise it through their thoughtless policies.

The Uttarakhand Janmat will be given to all political parties and after the elections, a committee will be formed that will oversee that these issues are taken up vigorously by leaders who come to power in the state. 

Dehradun, May 2
More than 200 elected representatives of Kaljikhal block of Pauri Garhwal district today submitted their resignations to the District Magistrate, Pauri Garhwal, Dilip Jawalkar, in protest against the failure of the administration in providing safe drinking water to a group of 83 villages in their area.

The residents of 83 villages under the banner of Maniyari Suen Vikas Samiti had started a protest at Ghandiyal, 24 km from the district headquarters of Pauri from April 1, 2011, in support of their demands.

The villagers charged that the Chinbari Danda pumping water scheme for these villages was sanctioned during the previous Congress regime in 2005 but the present BJP government during its “more 
than four years” of rule failed to do anything to start the scheme. The pumping scheme was aimed at providing drinking water to these parched villages.

“In every summer, we are the worst hit as it becomes impossible to get water due to the drying up of natural springs,” claimed Dinesh Rawat, President of the Maniyari Suen Vikas Samiti, spearheading the agitation.

“Today we came to protest at the district headquaters of Pauri and two zila panchayat members, including myself, seven panchayat members, 23 garm pardhans and 32 deputy pardhans and 153 ward members from these affected villages submitted their resignations to the District Magistrate in protest,” claimed Rawat.

The samiti has also decided to intensify its “agitation by resorting to a hunger strike at the protest site of Ghandiyal. Four people each will sit on a rotational hunger strike to highlight the demand of drinking water,” Rawat told The Tribune on phone from Pauri town. He further said that the District Magistrate, Jawalkar, had assured to send the proposal to the state government.” It is astonishing that the estimates of the pumping scheme worth Rs 18.5 crore were prepared in 2005 after a prolonged agitation but in 2011, we are still fighting for the elusive drinking water,” said Rawat. 

Nainital, May 2
The Congress will be bringing out a charge sheet in the public against the Nishank-led BJP Government in the state. The charge sheet would be pointing towards the failures of the government on various fronts while raising the instances of alleged corruption that the government functionaries have indulged in during the past four-and-a-half-year rule of the BJP in the state.

This was disclosed by secretary of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) Anees Ahmed here today. Ahmed said: “The Chief Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has never undertaken pro-people policies. The BJP has failed to provide political stability to the state as its seven-year tenure since the inception of the state has been marked by the installation of four Chief Ministers.”

Ahmed hit out at the Nishank Government on the issue of Citurgia land use change scandal questioning that how can Nishank claim to be innocent and have come out clean when the officials have clearly been indicted by the Uttarakhand High Court and he is the head of the government. “Just when the government was being pulled up in the court, he took the hasty decision of withdrawing the facilities extended to the land developers. Does this make him innocent?” asked Ahmed.

Accusing the Nishank Government of not having done anything for the marginalised sections of society and the minorities, Ahmed said these two segments would be at the core of the policies that would be framed by the government when the Congress came to power in the state.

“Our endeavor would be to bring the minorities into the mainstream. We would set up a special ministry for minorities that will take care of their interests. The ministry would be responsible for protection of Wakf properties and bringing up the level of education,” he said while pointing out that emphasis would be laid on providing education to the minorities and help them in economic sustenance. He also promised that the Congress Government would work towards providing scholarships and stipends to students of the minority communities for pursuing higher education.

Dehradun, May 2
A jail term of two months has led to igniting the spirit of Sushila Bhandari and, thus emboldened, she has returned to the site of the agitation hours after her release. She continues with her agitation against the Singoli Bhatwari power project coming up at Rudraprayag (Chamoli). Not to be cowed down, she remains determined as ever to not allow the construction of Singoli Bhatwari power project.

Since her release in March, she is regularly at the dharna site, lending support to the anti-dam movement. The dam is being built by Larsen and Tubro. “When the company began building the underground tunnel that passed through my village, several houses developed cracks. Then they began to fell trees from the adjoining forest that fulfilled our fuel and fodder needs, putting a big question mark on our survival and that of our animals,” said Bhandari, while speaking with The Tribune.

A year ago Sushila Bhandari was just another housewife residing in Rayari village in Rudraprayag, caring for the needs of her family but her regular interaction with members of the Nadi Bachao Andolan (A movment launched to protect the rivers) transformed her into a strident opponent of the dam.

Bhandari launched her agitation on January 30 against the Singoli Bhatwari power project on Mandakini river. Both Jagmohan Jhikwan and Sushila Bhandari were arrested by the administration.

The duo were arrested on January 30 from Agustmani, the site of Singoli-Bhatwari Hydropower project, where they were participating in a peaceful march on the issue of local control of local resources. “The illegal detention of Bhandari was aimed at terrorising the women folk so that they do not raise their voices against the environment havoc caused by the construction of big dams and the loss of natural resources,” said Radha Bhen, a Gandhian and Chairman of the Sarv Seva Sangh.

Members of the Nadi Bachao Andolan accuse the company of going forward with the power project and undertaking large-scale felling of forests in the affected villages without taking permission from the villagers.

A total of 12 power projects are planned on the Mandakini river among which the villagers have been protesting against the Singoli Bhatwari and the Phata-Byung power project. They have launched relay fast and an indefinite dharna under the banner of Kedar Ghati Sangharsh Samiti. Around 36 villages are in the danger zone due to intense blasting being carried out by the company. 

Dehradun, May 2
The LPG supply remained disrupted throughout the state, especially in the hilly pockets after the gas agencies working under the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam went on a strike from April 30 to extend their support to the employees of the GMVN who have been on strike from April 25. The trader community of Uttarkashi observed a bandh on Sunday for the same cause.

Meanwhile, efforts to appease the striking employees too have intensified on the GMVN premises with three committees being formed by officiating MD UC Kabadwal on Sunday. These committees will prepare a list of those employees who are to be regularised, another batch to be regularised in second phase and those who 
are on the rolls and are seeking the benefit of equal work-equal pay.

The lists are expected to be sent to Principle Secretary (Tourism) Rakesh Sharma for his approval. — TNS

Dehradun, May 2
Following an assurance given by the state Education Department to constitute a committee to go into the demands of junior high school teachers, members of Uttarakhand Junior High School Teachers Association called off their strike in Dehradun today.

Yashwant Singh Negi, convener, said, “Today, we had a meeting with officials of the Education Department where they gave an assurance on appointments after further investigation in the matter.

“The committee has also constituted a subcommittee consisting of two officials of the department and two from the teachers’ union.”

Yesterday 250 junior high school teachers were served notices by the Education Department while the District Education Officer in Dehradun suspended 75 teachers for not taking classes and locking them from April 18.

NK Bahuguna, School Education Joint Director, had appealed to the teachers to take classes otherwise as per the directions, the district education officers would take appropriate action against them.

Junior high school teachers were protesting against the termination of their jobs on the grounds of upgrading of such schools in the state.