Pithoragarh, June 25
Keeping the increasing urban population and the required civic amenities for it in mind, the Uttarakhand Government will include 31 urban bodies in its Urban Area Development Investment Programme with an amount of Rs 7,151 crore drawn from the Asian Development Bank,the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission and state funds.

“In the first phase of the programme, we have already started the work of modernisation of urban amenities in the cities of Dehradun, Nainital and Haridwar and in the second phase seven more towns will be included. A detailed project report (DPR) is being prepared for the work which will start from August,” said Prakash Pant, Water Resources Minister of the state.

“Out of a total of 31 urban bodies brought under this programme, 13 towns from Kumaon and 18 urban bodies from Garhwal have been selected for developing basic amenities in them,” he said. Eighteen towns will be provided with potable water, 19 with sewerage, 29 with the solid waste management facility, 14 will have better roads within the towns and four town s will have slum area improvement projects.

“A populaton of nearly 37 lakh will be covered under the programme for the second phase on which our team is at present working on the DPR,” said M.Sahni, leader of the team preparing the second phase of the DPR for Pithoragarh town.

“In Pithoragarh town the completion of the sewage treatment plant, construction of 10 new water tanks for potable water and revamping of the existing drinking water scheme from Ghat will be taken up,” said Sahni.

According to Asian Development Bank sources, phase two project reports will be submitted to the state government next month so that the work can be started from August. “At present, we are surveying 31 towns for their requirement of basic amenities with the help of two NGOs of Uttarakhand and a private company of Delhi,” said Sahni.

Dehradun, June 25
Girls from Muslim families are breaking barriers and stepping into areas that their families may have at one point of time frowned upon.

A group of law students from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) is undergoing internship at the Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK). “When I decided to opt for law, my friends asked several questions and were worried that I was stepping into an unknown territory, but I told them that I wanted to solve the problems of the people who line up outside the districts courts,” said Nazia Akhtar.

During their internship, the students went on a study trip to Uttarkashi district where a literacy camp was organised and they were amazed at a lack of education among the elected woman pradhans about their rights and have vowed to hold legal literacy camps for them.

At the RLEK, the students are being exposed to the practical nature of legal studies and the enthusiasm shown by them has left everybody impressed there.

“I have been observing this trend for quite some time now.Since the past three years, more and more Muslim law students have been coming to the kendra for their internship. It is a good sign. I think it will have a far-reaching impact and in time, fatwas issued by maulanas would become ineffective with an increase in the literacy level among Muslim women,” said Avdhash Kaushal, Chairperson of the RLEK.

Aware of the fact that the path they have chalked for themselves is not without hurdles, they are aiming still higher. “I have planned to take up postgraduation from top law colleges of the UK. I have already begun hunting for scholarships,” said Sahar who is also teaching at the kendra. Similar views were echoed by Afreen. 

Mussoorie, June 25
The newly constructed hawaghar, which was constructed to give shelter to people during inclement weather, failed to withstand the first monsoon showers and collapsed on the Jharipani-Dehradun road near here yesterday.

The entire structure was painted recently and was awaiting inauguration by the Mussoorie Municipal Council.

Locals accused the contractor of having used substandard material in the construction and alleged that officials of the Municipal Council were hand in glove with him.

Ramesh Bharti, a former member of the Jharipani ward, said the site selected for the setting up of the hawaghar was not appropriate. And despite repeated warnings, the council continued with the construction work.

Bharti said the hawaghar that could not withstand the first monsoon showers had created doubts in the minds of the people on the quality of the construction done here.

He said earlier, the hawaghar was proposed to be set up near Jharipani Market, but later the venue was changed as the locals said it would become a safe haven for drunkards, who would create a nuisance in the area.

Ramesh Bharti demanded an inquiry into the matter so that a nexus between the contractor and MC officials could be revealed.

The hawaghar was built at a cost of Rs 1.29 lakh. Sources maintained that with such a small amount, the construction was not possible. They alleged that the contractor must have been forced to use substandard material to complete the job on time.

On the other hand, Municipal Council President OP Uniyal described it as a natural calamity and said the construction site had to be shifted to the present site after the locals’ opposition.

Refuting the allegations of using substandard material in the construction work, he said the contractor had done a good job and it was unfortunate that the structure caved in due to a heavy downpour.

He, however, maintained that an investigation was on to ascertain the cause of the collapse and if anyone found guilty, he would be punished. 

Mussoorie, June 25
The North-Western Frontier team was declared the winner of the first Inter-Frontier Karate Championship held at the ITBP grounds here. Special Frontier (Delhi) was adjudged the first runners-up and Northern Frontier the second runners-up in a keenly contested championship that concluded today.

In the Black Belt individual category Harish Kumar of North-Western Frontier won the gold medal.

In the Brown belt category constable Chandan Singh was adjudged the winner. The chief guest, DIG (TRG), ITBP Academy, PK Dhasmana, gave away the medals and the trophies. The winners of the championship will be selected for the central team from where they will go on to represent the country. 

Dehradun, June 25
Garhwal Sporting got the better of Balaji 2-1 in the 60th Lala Nemi Dass Memorial District Football League held at the Pavilion grounds here today.The first half of the match ended without a goal. Though the winning team got a penalty in this half, it missed the chance to score. In the second half, Sporting opened its account through Gaurav Sharma in the 55th minute.

There was quick retaliation in the 57th minute by Balaji with the help of Vipin. The two teams showed good competition.

However, Sporting walked away with the cake as Vikram struck in the 69th minute. The first match today ended in a draw, as Thakurpur and Doon Valley could not score any goal. Tomorrow, Uttarakhand Tigers will take on Motthrowala The Ranger while Vijay Cantt will play against Doon Challengers and Akranta will face Rising Star.

Dehradun, June 25
Some months ahead of the Assembly elections in the state, the Uttarakhand Government has yesterday transferred 40 IAS and PCS officers in the state.According to a government communiqué, Principal Secretary (Labour and Employment) Vineeta Kumar has been relieved from the post.

Principal Secretary, civil aviation, sanskrit education, housing, irrigation, revenue, disaster management and Chief Revenue Commissioner PC Sharma has been relieved from the post of Principal Secretary (disaster management). Principal Secretary, technical education, culture, religious affairs, pilgrimage, training, sports, tourism, information technology and Chief Executive Officer, tourism board, Rakesh Sharma has been relived from technical education, culture and religious affairs.

Principal Secretary, externally funded projects, and center-funded projects, S Raju has been relieved from Principal Secretary, externally funded projects. Similarly, Secretary Om Prakash has been relieved from the Cane Department. Secretary Vinod Phonia has been relieved from the Departments of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy Development.

Secretary Rajeev Chandra has been relieved from the Departments of Science and Technology and Panchayati Raj Department. Secretary MH Khan has been relieved from the Departments of Women’s Empowerment and Child Development. Commissioner Garhwal and Secretary, Food and Civil Supplies and Cooperatives Department, Ajay Singh Nabiyal has been relieved from the Departments of Food and Civil Supplies and Cooperatives.

Chamoli District Magistrate Dr PS Gusain has been transferred to the post of in charge secretary Panchayati Raj, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Hemlata Dhoundiyal has been transferred to the post of in charge secretary women empowerment and child development, Pitthoragarh District Magistrate NS Negi has been transferred to the post of in charge secretary culture and religious affairs.

Additional Secretary Bhaskaranand will look after disaster management and programme implementation besides being the secretary of the Verma Inquiry commission. Additional Secretary RK Sudhanshu will be in charge of technical education and Additional Secretary of the Chief Minister.

Suvardhan, who was Director General, information, along with Commissioner, Food and Civil Supplies, will retain the charge of Commissioner, Food and Civil supplies. Dr MC Joshi will be the new District Magistrate of Pitthoragarh district. Brijesh Kumar Sant will be the new District Magistrate of Chamoli, while Akshit Gupta will be the new District Magistrate of Uttarkashi. Asish Joshi will be the Managing Director of the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN), while Ranjit Kumar Sinha will be the Managing Director of the Uttarakhand Road Transport Corporation. Vinod Sharma will be the new Director General of the Information Department, while D Senthil Pandian will be the new vice-chairman of the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority. (MDDA). Vikarmjit Tewari, a new officer will be the Director of the Social Welfare Department. 

Haridwar, June 25
Boasting of a neat and honest track record during his tenure as the Union Minister for Surface Transport and National Highways and as former Uttarakhand Chief Minister, Major-General Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri (retd) has advocated the need of having the Jan Lokpal Bill to ensure transparency at higher level too.

Raising questions on the intent of the Congress-led UPA Government, Khanduri said it was no hidden fact that why the Union Government was not serious over drafting and passing the Jan Lokpal Bill as this would expose the numerous corrupt faces in the government, who have been using corrupt means to accumulate public’s money in foreign bank accounts.

Khanduri was speaking at a convention held here in Kankhal.

He demanded stern measures to tackle the menace of corruption.

“Only stern legal measures, fast-track courts dealing cases of corruption and accountability from higher authorities be it the Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers, judges and legislators will eradicate this ill from society. Corrupt leaders should be put behind the bars,” said Khanduri.

Speaking on the prospects of the BJP in the upcoming Uttarakhand state Assembly elections, Khanduri, who represents the Dhumakot Assembly in Pauri Garhwal district, expressed optimism that the party would gain majority in the Assembly on its own due to mass development works being carried in the state since it came to power in 2007.

“The previous Congress government failed to live up to the demands, needs and expectations of the state residents. We have been extensively working in all districts,” said 77-year-old former Union National Highways Cabinet Minister.

Dehradun, June 25
With the launch of studies on metal artefacts, the Science branch of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will be able to assess scientifically the achievements of ancient India in the field of metallurgy.

Already, archaeologists from the ASI have begun microscopy studies of silver objects that are expected to shed light on the science of metallurgy prevalent in ancient India. The archaeologists pick up small samples of the objects, studying them for variation in composition.

“The metallurgical marvel of ancient India like the Delhi Iron Pillar that is corrosion resistance and the artefacts used by artisans during the bronze age make fascinating case studies. Our archaeologists have already participated in the workshops held at the Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur), leader in this field of study,” said KS Rana, Director, Science, ASI, Science Branch.

In fact, a distinct stream of study termed archaeometallurgy is already popular at the IIT, Kanpur. The composition of metals will also shed light on whether the technique of forging was prevalent during that period and the variation in composition would indicate how evolved the culture was at that point in time.

“If artisans used different metals, it automatically indicates a knowledge of metallurgy and the evolution of a particular culture. Even while using metals in temples great care was taken to prevent corrosion. As the knowledge of metals evolved, powerful weapons of war began to be manufactured,” said Shilpa Raturi, Deputy Superintendent, ASI.

The studies would also provide new insights into several other aspects of the artefacts, besides history. “The soil corrosion analysis of the Delhi Iron Pillar has already been validated by engineers and the knowledge gained by studying a monument of an ancient period helped them develop reinforced concrete pillars that could withstand corrosion. So we can expect several spin-offs from these studies,” said Raturi.