Dehradun, August 3
Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi today gave enough indications that the forthcoming Assembly elections would be held in the months of January and February, though he refrained from declaring the dates.

“At a meeting with the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary and the BJP leaders, we have specifically asked the government to complete the process of transfers of officials by August. So that the officials settle down in advance and do not feel out of place,” he said while interacting with media persons.

During a meeting with the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary, Quraishi asked for filling the posts of electoral registration officer, SDM and others in view of the forthcoming elections.

To increase voter participation in the state especially of the first-time voters who are in the age group of 18 and above, the Election Commission would launch a voter literacy drive in the state.

“The voter participation in Uttarakhand is less than the national average and the missing voters usually seem to be the youth. We would like to increase their participation by launching an awareness drive. The role of the booth-level officer (BLO) too is important and the state election office would also launch a “Know your booth-level officer” programme to strengthen the local system,” said Quraishi.

He said in order to deliver clean elections in the state, the state election office would be taking up the issue of electoral rolls revision, deletion of bogus names and duplicate names on a priority basis.

The Chief Election Commissioner said to make elections more transparent, the Election Commission has held trials of a printer to be attached with an Electoral Voting Machine (EVM).

Dehradun, August 3
The Samajwadi Party (SP), the CPM and the UKD have submitted memorandums to Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi giving suggestions on the election mechanism in the state.

The SP suggested that polling stations be installed at short distances and a ban should be imposed on the misuse of money during the elections time. State president of the party Vinod Barthwal said the Election Commission should take effective measures to increase polling percentage. Polling booths should be set up at close distances for the convenience of the public. Restrictions should also be imposed on the misuse of government advertisements, he added. He further demanded that liquor should be banned during the elections.

State secretary of the CPM Bacchi Ram asked the CEO office to provide Hindi format of all notices issued by it to state parties.

He also suggested the inclusion of the people of impeccable integrity in its monitoring committee. He demanded that a booklet regarding all information related to the elections be issued 15 days before the nomination date.

The UKD too demanded that polling booths be set up at close distances as it’s difficult for elderly to travel long distances to cast their votes.

General secretary of the party Shish Pal said they also suggested to fix pay out of the MP/MLA funds every year.

Dehradun, August 3
Taking serious note of the misuse of MPLAD and MLALAD (Local Area Development) funds for electoral purposes by elected representatives, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) SY Quraishi said today that the commission would soon initiate steps to curb this practice.

“A complaint of this nature has come for the first time before us and we will be examining the entire records of the MPs and the MLAs to arrive at a policy decision. We have been told that the public funds allocated to the elected representatives are not spent in a time-bound manner but have been liberally used in the past few months before the elections to reap political dividends,” said Quraishi while addressing a press conference.

He said along with the issue of misuse of MPLAD and MLALAD funds, the commission has also instructed the officers to show zero tolerance to exchange of money for votes and bribes offered in the form of liquor. “It is a matter of concern that money power has come into play in a small state like Uttarakhand but as we have already shown in the Bihar elections the matter will be sternly dealt with,” said the CEC who was on a one-day visit to Uttarakhand.

The EC said the date for the elections would only be announced after the commission had completed the tour of the remaining five states.

“We met members from seven political parties, and the political leaders from the NCP and the CPM had raised the demand for holding the elections in November and December. We have not yet decided on the dates, and these will be announced after we complete the tour of the rest of the states. The Election Commission would take note of the weather conditions, availability of officers, examinations, the harvest season, etc, before committing to a time schedule for the elections,” said the CEC.

He said to curb the practice of paid news, the EC would constitute a monitoring committee that would keep a watch on the contents of the news printed and broadcast at the time of the election campaign.

Quraishi emphasised as of now the EC recognises the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal faction led by MS Panwar. “The case is pending with the state election office and would come up for hearing on August 19,” he said.

Dehradun, August 3
Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh will jointly take up the issue of a gradual reduction in the quota of foodgrains to the two states with the Central Government.

At a joint press conference held here today, state Food and Civil Supplies Minister Diwakar Bhatt and his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Ramesh Dhawala said both the states were suffering at the hands of the Centre that was continuously decreasing the quota of foodgrains.

Dhawala said like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh was also being “discriminated” against by the Central Government. He said even the LPG quota had been reduced drastically. With strict environmental laws preventing the usage of any type of wood in the hills, its residents were facing many problems, he added.

The ministers further said both the states would adopt good points from each other’s PDS mechanism and tried to implement the same in their respective states.

Bhatt said both the states had decided to take up the quota reduction issue with the Central Government. “We will meet the Union Civil Supplies Minister and urge him not to discriminate against the two states,” he added.

Pithoragarh, August 3
As various political parties prepare themselves for the coming assembly elections in the state, the people have also started using pressure tactic to press for the fulfilment of their long pending demands of separate administrative units.

A demand for a separate block and subdivision status for Thal, an old commercial centre of the district, has been raised.

“Despite being placed at the centre of four blocks and three subdivisions and being the oldest commercial centre of the Kumaon region, the town of Thal has been neglected by almost every state government after the formation of the state,” said Trilok Singh Basera, president of the Sangharsh Samiti.

Meanwhile, the agitation to demand the formation of Ranikhet as a separate district has been intensified as the relay hunger strike has been started by the Sangharsh Samiti from August 1.

“The relay hunger strike will continue till August 15 and after August 16, if the state government fails to fulfil our demands, we will convert it into a 24-hour hunger strike followed by fast unto death,” said RC Joshi.

“The Uttarakhand Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president has announced the formation of Didihat district before the assembly elections. We want a similar assurance,” said Joshi.

The agitators in Didihat have welcomed the announcement of the BJP president and local MLA Bishen Singh Chufal to form the district of Didihat in October but continued their agitation on the 35th day today.

“If the district will not be announced on October 2, all markets and offices in Didihat will be closed for an indefinite period,” said Jodh Singh Bora, leader of the movement for separate Didhat district.

Besides, the movements to form separate districts at two places in the Kumoan hills, the movements to form subdivisions at Devalthal and Kanalichina are also gaining momentum as the Devalthal agitation entered its 154th day and Kanalichina agitation 78th day.

“The distance from the villages of Devalthal to subdivision headquarter is more than 85 km. If the subdivision headquarter is formed at Devalthal, the distance will be reduced to 20 km,” said Jagdish Kumar, convener of the movement.

The agitators at Kanalichina demanding a separate subdivision had announced to stop the 10th batch of Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims last week but failed to do so as Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) officials, managing the yatra, diverted the route of the pilgrims.

“Now, we have decided to block the Pithoragarh-Dharchula highway to pressurise the state government to announce separate sub-division at Kanalichina,” said Pawan Dhami, vice-convener of the movement.

Dehradun, August 3
In view of little efforts on part of the Uttarakhand Forest Department to promote the extraction of the caterpillar fungus, “yarsa gumba”, popularly known as “keeda jadi” in Uttarakhand, those engaged in its extraction in the higher reaches of the state see the “yarsa gumba” business as a key revenue earner for the state and they say the fungus can be a trendsetter in improving the rural economy in this Himalayan state. The residents of higher reaches of the state have demanded a fair and rationale policy on fungus extraction like the ones implemented in the neighbouring countries of China and Bhutan.

Having aphrodisiac properties, the fungus is in high in the international market and commands a good price. No wonder it is smuggled on a large scale to Nepal from where it is further taken to China, where it fetches a phenomenal price. The consumption of this aphrodisiac fungus by the Chinese and Tibetans began some 1,500 years ago when some Chinese herdsmen observed that their livestock became energetic after eating a fungus-like grass. Since then, the importance of the “keeda jadi” has grown over the years.

In Uttarakhand, the fungus is found in the higher reaches of Chamoli and Pithoragarh districts. Villagers, particularly in tribal areas, are engaged in its extraction. But a lack of adequate marketing mechanism and its forcible purchase on part of the state forest authorities make these villagers take to the smuggling route to get maximum benefits.

The role of the Uttarakhand Forest Department has been somewhat that of government middlemen, trying to check the illegal sale of the fungus rather than working to benefit the villagers. The Uttarakhand Forest Department provides a rate of just Rs 1 lakh per kg for the “keeda jadi”. But, if it is sold through middlemen, one gets Rs 3 lakh for 1 kg of the fungus. Interestingly, in the Chinese market the rate goes as high as Rs 15 lakh per kg.

Interestingly, the neighbouring country of Bhutan has made the fungus an important source of income. A research paper by Daniel Winkler published in a Chinese magazine, “Journal of Grassland”, reveals that the caterpillar fungus has transformed the social and economic conditions of Tibet in the past 15 years. Yarsta guenbub, as spelt in the Tibetan language, has paved the way for health care, education, transportation and other entrepreneurial activities.

The research goes on to say that in the long term the only viable way of ensuring the sustainability of the yarsta guenbub harvest is through locally focused natural resource management, with the villagers making their own informed decisions on collection policy. The yarsta Guenbub harvest therefore provides a far greater income to most herdsmen compared to what they earn through the traditional activities.

Dhan Singh Rana, head of Van Panchayat Lata at Joshimath in Chamoli district, says the Uttarakhand Forest Department must make efforts to ensure that villagers get the international market price for their produce through a legal global marketing arrangement. He said those involved in the fungus collection would even become revenue-earners for the state.

Before 2004, the “keeda jadi” trade in Bhutan was illegal. After legalising the fungus trade, the Bhutan government developed comprehensive regulations for its harvest and marketing, which is reviewed every year.

Dehradun, August 3
Garhwal MP Satpal Maharaj met Union Environment and Forest Minister Jayanti Natrajan in Delhi today and sought re-start of Srinagar Chauras Hydro Power Project in Uttarakhand.

Maharaj pointed out that there was no point stopping the project when more than 8 per cent of the work had already been completed. He said the project was necessary for the Chauran region in Srinagar as it would ensure its speedy development. He said the construction company was executing the project in accordance with the strict environment guidelines and had undertaken a proper rehabilitation of the affected persons.

Former Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani was among other Congress leaders who accompanied Satpal Maharaj. The Environment Minister assured them of taking up the issue on priority.

Dehradun, August 3
The yatra to the Himalayan shrine of Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district remained suspended for the sixth consecutive day today due to the ongoing repair work on the 14-km-long trek route damaged by landslides. Official sources said the yatra had been disrupted as the repair work on the damaged Gaurikund-Kedarnath trek was still going on.

The PWD is making efforts to resume the movement of the pilgrims on the trek which is blocked since Friday when landslides damaged the trek. However, the sources added that it might take a couple of days to make the trek fit for the movement of the pilgrims. The alternative trek route to Kedarnath was very narrow and its dangerous for pilgrims to use it, they added. Kedarnath is situated at a height of 3,581m in Garhwal Himalayas. — PTI

Dehradun, August 3
The Met Department here today issued warning of heavy rain in most parts of the Kumaon region and a few areas in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand during the next 24 hours.

In its warning, the Met Department said most parts in the Kumaon region in the districts of Pithoragarh, Champawat, Nainital, Almora and Bageshwar and a few parts in Chamoli district of the Garhwal region were likely to receive heavy rain.

The rain might also trigger landslides in the hilly areas, it said.

Meanwhile, light to moderate rain continued to lash most parts of Uttarakhand with Chamoli recording the maximum rain at 56 mm followed by Kashipur with 53 mm, he said. According to the official statistics compiled by the Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre (DMMC), a total of 19 persons had so far been killed in various rain-related incidents such as flash floods and landslides this monsoon season. The state was badly hit by natural disasters like landslides, cloudbursts and floods following heavy rain last year, leaving over 200 dead and rendering thousands homeless.

In view of the last year's experience, the state government has directed all 13 District Magistrates (DMs) to put their staff on 24-hours alert and already released funds to meet any eventuality that may strike. — PTI

Pithoragarh, August 3
The district administration has made arrangements to shift the students of six primary schools to a panchayat building near Thal town as they have been unable to reach their schools for the past five days due to a heavy landslide on the Thal-Munsiyari road.

“A 100-metre stretch of road has been washed away due to the landslide five days ago. We have asked the students not to cross the landslide-prone areas,” said Pithoragarh District Magistrate MC Joshi.

According to the District Disaster Management unit, Public Works Department (PWD) workers are engaged in removing the debris but a fresh landslide occurred on the road on Tuesday.

“We hope to clear the debris from the road in one or two days,” said RS Rana, District Disaster Management Officer.

“Though the people of Munsiyari and Thal have been facing difficulties of transportation for the past five days, we have given consent to the proposal of the Block Education Officer to run classes of the primary schools of Bhins Khal, Rasia Bagar, Amdhar, Bansgoon and Sepa and Kholi, which are situated beyond the landslide site, at a local panchayat building,” said RS Rathod, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Munsiyari.

Nainital, August 3
Ramnagar and Rudrapur towns in Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts have been reeling under a cooking gas crisis over the last few days. This has led to a public outburst with the people resorting to various methods of protest.

The worst-affected town is Ramnagar. Things came to a pass on Tuesday that the people went on to thrash a contractor supervising the distribution of the two truck loads of the LPG that had arrived at the godown.

The distribution was being carried out at the godown itself which led to the people, who had been awaiting gas delivery elsewhere, lost their patience. A large number of people once again had to return home with empty gas cylinders.

Earlier on Monday, the gas cylinders were distributed at some places in the town under the police protection. The shortfall in the supply, coupled with the alleged mismanagement of supplies that has become a norm across the region, has been resulting in the tempers running high.

While the officials have been blaming the ongoing Kanwar Yatra for the delay in the supplies, the people say that two holidays over the weekend coupled with speculations of a price hike over the last two days have led to the derailing of the supply mechanism thus causing extreme hardship to the people.

They say that they have to give up other important chores and spend most of the day in the hope of getting a gas cylinder.

A similar situation prevails in Rudrapur also with the people being agitated over the mismanagement of gas supplies and the failure of the administration to check the use of domestic cylinders in commercial establishments. Although there are 18 gas agencies across Udham Singh Nagar to cater to the needs of 2,13,070 consumers, the mechanism lies in a shambles.

These agencies are said to be having a monthly quota of 1,66,033 cylinders per month.

Rudrapur town alone reportedly has 38,000 gas connections.

The people have been complaining that they have not been getting cylinders even after 25 days of having booked one at the gas agency. They have also been alleging that LPG cylinders are easily available in the black market for Rs 700 per cylinder. But the authorities are blaming the Kanwar Yatra for the shortage of cylinders.