Dehradun, May 19
Work on the construction of the Vyasi hydroelectric project (120 MW) by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL) is expected to start within a month.

According to the MD (UJVNL), GP Patel, the nigam had achieved a record generation of 4,906 MU as against its target of 4,798 MU by March this year. Patel claimed that it was gaining success in many of its other new projects and the renovation of old projects, which would put the state in a safe and stable position in terms of the power sector in the coming few years.

He said the construction work on the Vyasi hydroelectric project would start within a month. The Lakhwar hydroelectric project (300MW) is likely to follow it by September this year.

Patel said a clearance had been taken from the Central Electricity Authority and the Central Water Commission. The Ministry of Environment and Forests had also cleared both the projects.

He said: “Both projects, which were initially given to the Irrigation Department in 1986, were later passed on to National Hydroelectric Power Corporation. However, it faced a roadblock due to financial implications.

None of the beneficiary states, UP, Haryana, HP, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Uttrakhand, was ready to partake in the construction cost until 2009 when the Centre came forward to bear 90 per cent of the cost and the rest 10 per cent to be shared by the beneficiaries.”

Other projects, Bawra Nand Prayag (300 MW), Nandprayag Ligasu (100 MW), Tamaklata (250 MW) and Kisau (660 MW), will be built on the public-private partnership mode. Patel said 11 small hydroelectric projects of 56 MW would be completed by the next year and 13 projects of 27 MW were in the pipeline with their detailed project report clear.

“Two gas power projects of 350 MW to be set up in Kashipur and Haridwar will be ready in the next three years with the collaboration of GAIL. The Kisau project, a joint venture with the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam of the Himachal Government has been finalized. It will take seven years to complete and provide irrigation to UP, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi. The Center will provide 90 per cent of the total fund and the rest 10 per cent will be contributed by the states,” he said.

He further added that: “As many as 12 hydroelectric projects are being renovated and modernised for better performance, which will further add 974 MU. Galogi, Pathari and Mohammadpur projects are about to get completed, the tender process for Khatima and Kulhal is also complete and tenders for Dhkarani and Dhalipur are in the process. Chibro, Khodri, Tiloth, Ram Ganga and Chilla will soon be taken up. This entire drive will cost Rs 1,800 crore.”

Dehradun, May 19
Major-Gen GS Chopra of the Central Command inaugurated a state-of-the-art Audiology and Speech Therapy Centre at Military Hospital, Roorkee, today.

The 430-bedded hospital at Roorkee has extended its services and expertise to the patients suffering from various speech and hearing disorders. This centre would cater to the needs of the patients suffering from various hearing and speech disorders and also provide them with hearing aids and other support machines, said Brig M Ganguly, Commandant, Military Hospital, Roorkee.

“The addition of this centre to our hospital is a boon for the deaf and dumb wards of defence personnel as well as other speech impaired dependants who were earlier travelling to Delhi for their treatment and on many occasions had to forego their appointment due to exigencies of service but now all specialised facility for such treatment is available here under one roof,” added Brigadier Ganguly.

General Chopra appreciated the initiative taken by Brigadier Ganguly and his team for visualising the need of the hour and taking initiative to set up this centre.

“This is first such centre of its kind in an Army establishment in Uttarakhand,” claimed Brigadier Ganguly. Kusamjit Chopra, wife of General Chopra, also inaugurated “Suvidha Sadan”, an eight-room block for the relatives and the guardians of seriously ill patients at the hospital on this occasion.

Pithoragarh, May 19
Amid preparations for the India-China border trade, which will commence from the Lipulekh Pass in this district from the first week of June, the Pithoragarh District administration will send its representative to the Union Ministry of External Affairs this week to collect trade passes to be issued to the Indian traders. Those who possess these passes can cross the international border for trading goods.

“This year we have demanded 300 trade passes, as we already have 117 surplus passes received from the ministry last year,” said Dr Abhishek Tripathi, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Dharchula, who is also the designated trade officer.

According to the trade officer, the administration will start issuing trade passes from June 1 and in between the trade office in the Indian mart of Gunji will be opened and the traders will have enough time to store their goods there.

“We hope that the motor road between Tawaghat to Garvadhar, which has been closed to traffic for the past six months due to ongoing work to widen it, will be opened by the time the trade begins,” the SDM said.

The tribal traders involved in the barter trade have been demanding extension of the trade period and facility to convert Chinese currency into the Indian currency at the Gunji trade mart.

“We have been putting these demands before the Government of India since the trade has started in 1992, but the government never looked into our demands. The apathetic attitude of the Centre has discouraged the traders from doing the border trade,” said Padam Singh Raipa, president of the Bharat-Tibet Vyapar Samiti, an organisation representing the tribal traders involved in this trade.

Haridwar, May 19
After getting an assurance from Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank regarding her demand of saving the Dhari Devi temple in Sringarh, the first phase of the ongoing Ganga movement, led by Uma Bharti, is over and now the focus has shifted on the second phase of the movement, which will commence at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi ahead of the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament.

In the second phase of the movement, Uma Bharti will press for ridding the holy Ganga from Haridwar till Ganga Sagar of pollution and passing a Bill in Parliament regarding the national heritage status accorded to the Ganga two years ago.

A national convention will be organised on May 28 and 29 on “Ganga and Employment” in Haridwar in which experts from across the country will participate. After the meeting, the ‘Haridwar-2011 Mission” will be announced by Uma Bharti.

Though Uma Bharti has broken her fast after getting an assurance from Nishank, she will be not be taking any fruit and food and will just have liquid diet till Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gives her in writing as well as a Bill is introduced in Parliament providing a legal aspect to the heritage status given to the Ganga by the Central Government two years ago. The Bill will ultimately ensure that those who pollute the Ganga are punished according to law.

Informing about her future course of action, Uma Bharti said she would be still carrying on with her agitation, as numerous hydroelectric projects set up on the holy river from Gangotri till Haridwar were a matter of concern. These affect the sanctity and natural flow of the Ganga. Though she is not opposed to development, faith also should be taken care of, she added.

“I will be writing to the Prime Minister, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, all the opposition parties’ chiefs, parliamentarians and people related to the cause and urge them to make sure that the Ganga Basin River Authority is provided legality and serious efforts are made through it so as to make the Ganga from Haridwar onwards pollution free,” she added.

Supporting Uma Bharti in her drive, Jagadguru Shankaracharya Raj Rajeshwaram Maharaj said after victory in Haridwar, now they faced a bigger challenge in Delhi for which they were prepared. Former Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Swami Chinmayanand pointed out there had been just two sittings of the Ganga Basin River Authority in the past two years since it came into existence. It showed the lackadaisical attitude of the Central Government towards the cause of the Ganga. A noted environmentalist-cum-scientist, Prof GD Aggarwal, said his focus was on reviving the Bhagirathi.

Haridwar, May 19
While Uma Bharti has broken her fast on getting an assurance from Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank that no harm will be done to the holy shrine of Dhari Devi, former state cabinet minister Mohan Singh Rawat, popularly known as ‘Gaonwasi’, has termed her step to break the fast as a little hasty, saying that until a statement comes in writing, one shouldn’t see much in Nishank’s verbal assurance.

Associated with the conservation of temples, heritage and local culture of Uttarakhand by forming a social group “Praneta”, Gaonwasi has been active in the ongoing campaign to save the Dhari Devi temple.

Talking to The Tribune, Gaonwasi said in the past too many movements had come to a halt on mere assurances. The respective governments either slowed down on the agreed implication process or twisted the words in the order. These kinds of things should be taken care of, as the Dhari Devi temple issue is related to the masses, faith and local heritage.

Though he admitted hydro-power projects are also necessary for the development in Uttarakhand, Gaonwasi opined that a high-level panel comprising scientists, environmentalists, geologists, local representatives should be formed which will prepare a technical report on the clearance to hydro-power projects.

“I have paid several visits to the Garhwal hills and noticed that Himalayan glaciers are fast receding, forest cover is shrinking, water resources are drying up and a negative impact is visible on organic life.

This holds more concern as the Himalayan belt falls in the sensitive seismic zone,” said Gaonwasi, who was former legislator from Pauri Garhwal, which is hometown of Nishank.

Demanding a specialised policy with focus on the ecology of the Uttarakhand hills, particularly maintaining originality of the Himalayas and its rivers, Gaonwasi termed the usage of environmental-scientific approach as the best way to make sure the local ecology is conserved, otherwise migration of people from the hilly regions will only add to the density of population in the plains.

Pithoragarh, May 19
More than 100 Home Guards and Prantiya Rakshak Dal (PRD) jawans will be deputed on the 7-km long route between Nabhidhang and Lipulekh pass to guide and rescue pilgrims of the Kailash Mansarowar Yatra from this snow-covered route this year. The yatra is scheduled to start from June 1, informed Pithoragarh District Magistrate NS Negi today after a preparatory meeting on the yatra here today.

The first preparatory meeting held under the chairmanship of the District Magistrate, Pithoragarah, was attended by among others Kumona Mandal Vikas Nigam(KMVN) officers, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) commandant, Border Roads Organisation (BRO)commanding officers and Public Works Department (PWD) engineers.

“According to the information, we received today, the track route up to Gunji is in fine shape and there is nothing unusual in the deposits of snow as every year, the first batch of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra faces snow en route,” said NS Negi, District Magistrate, Pithoragarh.

According to the District Magistrate, all preparations for the yatra will have to be given final touch by all departments concerned a week before the yatra begins. “This year we have received a sum of Rs 23.50 lakh for the repair work on the damaged track routes of the yatra besides the installation of railings and solar lights between Bindukoti and Lakhanpur, which is considered the most slippery portion on the way to Lipulekh,” said the DM.

According to the KMVN, this year a total of 966 pilgrims in 16 batches will visit the Kailash Mansarovar, one of the most revered Hindu pilgrimages. The pilgrimage to the Kailash and Mansarowar will begin on June 1; the first batch of the pilgrims will reach the base camp, Dharchula, on June 2.

“We have handed over our PWD rest house of Sirkha to the KMVN for the purpose as being a new camp from this year, the Sirkha camp has camping facility of the nodal agency of the KMVN. We are also erecting a hut at Lipulekh pass as the pilgrims till last year complained that they reached at the pass much earlier than the Chinese came to take them to Tibet. With the erection of the hut at Lipulekh pass, pilgrims will get safety from the biting weather ,” said DM.

Dehradun, May 19
Looking beyond the traditional apple and citrus fruits, the Horticulture Department has taken to promoting the cultivation of new fruits such as kiwi and cherry, thereby expanding the fruit basket of the farmer.

The cultivation of the cherry and kiwi fruits is now being promoted on a pilot-project basis in selected areas in Julikot, Bheemtal, Nainbag, Magra and Ranikhet. “The temperate climate of Uttarakhand is conducive to growing different fruits. While apples and litchis continue to be the mainstay, we are keen on experimenting with other fruits. These fruits would help us expand our range of products,” said GS Pandey, Additional Secretary, Horticulture.

A total of 5 acres has been brought under the pilot project and most of the farmers were already involved in the cultivation of these fruits, though at a very low scale. Pandey said in the future additional areas would be brought under the cultivation of fruits. The experimentation has only started after the creation of the state and there are several untested areas. “The farmer has to be prepared in advance. There is limited awareness about the adoption of new technologies. We would like the farmers to move from a subsistence approach to a horticulture-business approach, so that farmers with limited land holdings can also benefit,” emphasised Pandey.

Low productivity and a lack of awareness among farmers are some of the factors that have prevented them from embracing horticulture in a big way in the state.

The Chief Minister Protected Farming programme has been launched primarily to help farmers reap benefits from limited holdings. “Subsidy is being offered to the farmers who are keen on adopting the latest technologies. Micro irrigation, mulching and high density plantation (wherein in on 1 hectare 5,000 trees can be grown) and canopy management are the technologies and techniques that would go a long way in improving the economic status of the farmers,” stressed Pandey.

Despite the attraction for newer fruit crops, the Horticulture Department has also undertaken the expansion of litchi orchards and is hoping to reap a bounty crop this year. “Despite the crop failure last year, we are optimistic that this year the litchi crop production would be better than the last year.

The litchi fruit is being grown on 9,000 hectares and the total production is 15,000 metric tonnes,” said Pandey.

Pithoragarh, May 19
Well-known scientist, Dr CNR Rao, and Chairman of the scientific advisory committee of the Prime Minister of India, said here yesterday that quality of research work in the country was decreasing gradually as the emphasis was being put on the quantity of research.

“At present, we are in the sixth position after the US, China, Japan, Germany and France as far as scientific research is concerned. This is due to the reason that our scientific research is located only in big cities and not reaching out in the rural areas of the country to find the new research talent in science,” said Dr Rao, delivering a speech on the occasion of 15th anniversary of “Pahal” , a Non-Government Organisation working to popularise science in Uttarakhand state. “Until we target villages of the country to get the future scientific talent for the country, we will continue to lag behind in the field of research,” he added.

Dr Rao said that energy and hydrology were one of the most challenging fields where we in the country needed to look for the new talent in the field of research as the country needed 300,000 MW of energy to sustain the growth targets. “To get this target, we will have to improve the quality of our science teaching and research and go to the vast rural areas to find talent in the sphere of scientific research,” he said.

Dr Rao praised the efforts of the PAHAL (Peoples Association of Hill Area Launchers) in propagating science in schools of the state and said that this sort of efforts were needed for the entire nation as a movement to popularise science education.

Dr Rao also delivered his inaugural speech on history and the new trends in mathematics on the Soban Singh Jeena campus of Kumoan university in Almora, a day before. “Mathematics has a close relation with many cultural and religious aspects of human life in India; the great Indian mathematician, Arya Bhatt, has used the mathematical theorem in making altars for Puja in the ancient Brahminical age,” said Dr Rao.

Pithoragarh, May 19
After the demand of Didihat to be made a district, residents of Gangolihat subdivision of the district have now started an agitation for the creation of Gangawali district incorporating the subdivisions of Gangolihat and Berinag of Pithoragarh district.

“We started with a dharna by women and yesterday was the third day of the dharna by the women of these tehsils for the demand of creation of Gangawali district. The agitation will continue till the government announces the creation of the new district,” said Jagdish Bhandari, convener of the agitation.

According to the agitators, the demand for the creation of the district of Gangawali is more than half a century old. “At the time of the creation of Pithoragarh district in 1960, the people of Gangolihat wanted to create a separate district of Gangolihat as the distance to the newly created district of Pithoragarh was more than 75 km,” said Jagdish Bhandari.