Raksha Morcha chief may float own party
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 14
Senior BJP leader and president of the Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha Lt General (retd) TPS Rawat gave a strong indication that he might be desisting from declaring his own political party at the moment, but could make such an announcement before Assembly elections.

Speaking to mediapersons at the Defence Colony at a convention of ex-servicemen, retired personnel from the paramilitary forces and people from other political and social organisations on the issue of eradication of corruption from state, Rawat said, “Just like a war, we take our time in strategising and synchronising our moves, here too I am taking my time in judging people’s mood, taking suggestion and holding discussions with them before arriving at a final decision.

“At the moment, the forum floated by me is purely apolitical,” he added. He got a shot in the arm when Narender Singh Negi, a popular Garhwali folk singer, who has been known for his songs against corruption, also joined him today.

On being asked, why he was involved in the activities of the forum despite his party’s reservation on it, he said, “I’ll continue to raise voice on the corruption-related issues. If the state government holds an impartial probe into the various scams, which took place after the formation of the state, and punish the guilty, then I may listen to the party on this matter.”

Hill potato price may rise this month: Scientists
Tribune News Service

Nainital, August 14
The wholesale price of hill potato is expected to touch Rs 1,650 per quintal this and next month. The forecast has been made by the scientists working at the Gobind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology at Pantnagar while working on a National Agricultural Innovation Project (NAIP) Project ‘Establishing and Networking of Market Intelligence Centres in India’.

The main objective of this project is to release price forecasts of selected agricultural commodities before sowing and during harvesting. The project team of Pantnagar centre had conducted market survey of the Haldwani regulated market, a major market for hill potato in Uttarakhand and analysed the wholesale price data of the last 21 years.

The econometric analysis indicated that the wholesale prices of hill potato in Haldwani market would range between Rs 1,500 and 1,650 per quintal in August and September 2011, while these prices are expected to be around Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,450 per quintal in October this year.

The scientists had advised the farmers, who were sowing hill potato crop in the coming season, to plan for early harvesting of the potato to get better prices. According to the trader’s survey, August, September and October are the peak arrival months, while July and November are the lean-arrival months of hill potato in the Haldwani market.

The traders of the Krishi Utpadan Mandi Samiti, Haldwani, revealed that the hill potato is mainly arriving from different areas of Nainital and Almora districts, along with selected areas of the Garhwal region. The main growing belts are Garur, Someshwer, Basoli, Paharpani, Motiawaghar, Dhanachuli, Shaherphatak, Chaamkhan and Nathukhan in the Kumaon region, along with Dewal, Gwaldam and Chamoli blocks in the Garhwal region. In Uttarakhand, the hill potato is relatively highly priced being off-season and exported to other regions due to low availability of potato of the plains during this season. Sowing of the hill potato starts from February end and lasts up to March and April according to different altitudes. The harvesting of the crop starts from the July end and lasts up to November.

expected Price

• The wholesale prices of hill potato in the Haldwani market will range between Rs 1,500 and 1,650 per quintal in August and September, while these prices are expected to be around Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,450 per quintal in October
• August, September and October are the peak arrival months, while July and November are the lean-arrival months in the Haldwani market
• The main growing belts are Garur, Someshwer, Basoli, Paharpani, Motiawaghar, Dhanachuli, Shaherphatak, Chaamkhan and Nathukhan in the Kumaon region and Dewal, Gwaldam and Chamoli blocks in the Garhwal region

Domicile certificate Issue
UKD (Panwar) extends protest for indefinite period
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 14
President of the UKD (Panwar) Trivender Singh Panwar has announced to extend its week-long protest on the issue of the domicile certificate criterion and demand for making Gairsain as the permanent capital for an indefinite period. The party has been holding protests in front of the Vidhan Sabha for the past few days.

At a press conference held here today, Panwar said the protests on the issues were also being held in Pauri Garhwal and Haldwani.

He also announced the launch of the fourth stage of his “Pol Khol campaign” from August 25 onwards when 25 teams of party members would launch their drive against corruption from Garhwal and Kumaon zones.

The Kumaon and Garhwal team will culminate their campaigns on September 1 and September 2 at Khatima and Mussoorie, respectively, to pay homage to the martyrs who laid their lives in these cities while fighting for the formation of the state in 1994.

He said party members would also observe a one-day fast at the district headquarters on August 16 to extend support to Anna Hazare who would observe fast on the day in New Delhi.

Those who were present at the press conference included NK Gusain, Narender Singh Rawat, Latafat Husain, Harish Pathak, Shishpal Bisht, Sunil Bisht, Prashant Jagmola, Mohan Singh Rawat and Imran Ahmad.

Gangotri yatra remains suspended for 8th day

Dehradun, August 14
Pilgrimage to the Himalayan shrine of Gangotri could not be resumed for the eighth consecutive day today as heavy landslides that hit the national highway leading to the shrine were yet to be removed, officials said.

However, the yatra to Badrinath, Kedarnath and Yamunotri was resumed last evening after remaining suspended for a day due to landslides, they added.

The landslides, following heavy rain, had struck the Rishikesh-Gangotri national highway in the Sainj area of Uttarkashi on August 7, also washing away a stretch of 80 m into the Bhagirathi river.

The BRO and police personnel were working round the clock to remove the debris and construct the road to resume the movement of traffic, the officials added.

The blockade of the route to the shrine has left hundreds of pilgrims stranded. The state government has claimed that all arrangements for their food and lodging are in place.

Meanwhile, light to moderate rain continued to lash most parts of Uttarakhand with the Met office here predicting rain to continue at many places for another day while isolated places might also receive heavy. — PTI

ONGC Day celebrated
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 14
Chairman and MD of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Limited AK Hazarika said today that the ONGC was fully prepared for the launch of its follow-on public offer.

Addressing a press conference at the ONGC headquarters as part of the ONGC Day celebrations, Hazarika said the corporation was fully prepared for the launch of its follow-on public offer (FPO) and asserted that it was ultimately for the government to decide on the timings for its launch. “We have been told to be ready for the FPO issue, but the call has to be taken by the government. Our role is just to help the government for the launch of the FPO,” said Hazarika.

The Union Government plans to sell 5 per cent of the ONGC shares. Originally planned for 2010-11 fiscal, the FPO launch has been deferred on several occasions subsequently. Referring to corporate social responsibility, AK Hazarika said the ONGC was spending 2 per cent of its total profits on CSR. He said the ONGC had been working for unprivileged sections and for cities where it is based as part of its corporate social responsibility initiative. He said as they have headquarters in Dehradun, ONGC was in talks with the government for various beautification projects for the city. “We are having discussion with the state officials for sprucing up the Clock Tower in Dehradun and also the Jollygrant Airport, which we propose to beautify. We are also contemplating construction of gates at the three entry points of the city,” he said.yestersday’s oil and gas leakage incident at Alkeshwar project of the ONGC, Hazarika said the ONGC crisis-management team managed to bring the situation under control within 12 to 13 hours.

He also held that the ONGC was now looking into the alternative sources of energy and had taken up exploitation of solar and wind energy in a big way. The CMD said the ONGC had maintained its production levels, despite 70 per cent of its oil and gas coming from 15 fields that were 30 to 40 years old.

Mob sets shop on fire
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, August 14
The police in the border town of Dharchula staged a flag march and the markets remained closed after a violent mob set a shop on fire today. The violence erupted following lodging of a complaint by a Post Graduate student belonging to a tribal community against Parvez Azim.

The student alleged that she was raped and later blackmailed as the ‘accused’ had made her video clippings.

The alleged culprit, president of the local taxi union Parvez Azim, was arrested under Section 376 of the IPC and various other Sections of Atrocities against Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes Act by the police, informed Dharchula Circle officer of police Swapan Kishore here today.

According to information, when the victim, a student of Government Post-Graduate College, Pithoragarh, was travelling to her hometown from her college for the Raksha Bandhan vacation, the accused allegedly raped her in his vehicle and made her “obscene” video clippings.

Anti-graft forum holds first meeting

Dehradun, August 14
A group of retired Army officers, led by Lt-Gen TPS Rawat (retd), also a BJP leader, who have formed an anti-corruption forum in Uttarakhand, today held the first meeting to discuss corruption issues rocking India and Uttarakhand in particular.

“Our main resolve is to fight corruption in Uttarakhand and in the country,” said Rawat, who is a close confidant of former CM BC Khanduri. Nearly 1,000 retired Army officers at Defence Colony here participated at the meeting of the Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha. Significantly, the meeting came despite objections being raised by the state ruling BJP. Rawat said the forum had also decided to extend support to Anna Hazare.

The BJP had been trying to persuade Rawat not to convene today’s meeting. Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and state BJP president Bishan Singh Chufal had met Rawat urging him not to hold such meeting this week. — PTI

Prisoners take to sewing
Sandeep Rawat/TNS

Haridwar, August 14
Those hands that used to be armed with pistols and knives are now sewing clothes at the district jail of Roshanabad, Haridwar. Prisoners are showing their dexterity in the art of sewing, hoping that when their imprisonment tenure expires they will be having some skill to feed themselves and their family.

This change in the mindset as well as imparting of skills to these prisoners has been made possible by its jail staff, who has been collaborating with various companies, institutions and agencies to make sure different types of skills are imparted to these prisoners.

Apart from the Jail Department, the sewing machines have been provided by different social institutions and the trainers provide them training too so that at professional level they don’t lag behind.

Mahendra Singh from Punjab, a hardcore criminal, said since he had learnt art of sewing his life has drastically changed in the jail.

Man swept away by swollen rivulet

Pithoragarh, August 14
One person was killed and two were injured when they were swept away by a local rivulet, which had become swollen due to heavy rain, in Dor village of Munsiyari subdivision today.

“The body of Prem Singh (45) was later recovered by the villagers,” said JS Rathor, Munsiyari SDM.

According to the officials, the three persons, all residents of Dor village, were crossing the local rivulet, which falls between their village and La village. They were swept away by the sudden heavy flow in the rivulet. “The body has been sent for postmortem,” said the SDM. — OC