Contractual workers of Patanjali unit strike work
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, September 15
For yoga guru Ramdev and the Managing Director of Patanjali Yogpeeth Trusts Acharya Balakrishan controversies seem to be showing no signs of ending, as now dozens of contractual workers of Patanjali Ayurvedic Limited have taken the agitation route.

The workers stayed away from work today, alleging discrepancies in the payments being made to them by one of the contractors. They said despite bringing the matter to the notice of the company management, nothing had been done so far.

The protesting workers even alleged that the contractor was exploiting them and for the past few days they have been getting calls to end the agitation or they lose job and face legal action.

Owing to the exploitation at the hands of the contractor and the stern attitude of the management, at least six workers have left the company. According to sources, more are willing to quit if in a day or two their demands are not met.

Workers who have been working since six months are also demanding other facilities like housing rent, issuance of identity cards and other facilities provided to pay roll employees.

One of the workers, Vijay Kumar, said despite the trust earning profits in crores, the condition of the workers is pathetic and the situation worsened after the company started relying on the contract system.

The contractor, Rahul Kumar, said the allegations levelled by the workers against him were baseless. He had assured them of a raise in their wages and the provision of basic facilities at the work place. The officials of the company refrained from speaking on this subject. They said it’s between the contractor and the workers hired by him.

“Please don’t drag the Patanjali Trust or the Yoga Guru’s name in this controversy as they are only contractual workers hired by private contractors. But, still we have asked the contractor and supervisor to listen to their demands and raise their wages,” said an official of the company who didn’t want to come on record.

Widespread rain in U’khand
n Doon records 90 mm, Haridwar 75 mm
n Rishikesh-Badrinath road closed due to landslides
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 15
Widespread rain has been reported all over the state even as Met officials see no sign of monsoon withdrawal. Heavy rain took place in Uttarakhand today with Dehradun experienced over 90 mm of rain in the entire day till evening.

Dehradun had already experienced 119 mm of rain on Wednesday. The city has received 208 mm of rain in the past 36 hours.

In other parts of the state, Haridwar experienced 75 mm of rain, Dharchula 65 mm, Kotdwar 42 mm, Champawat 42 mm, Banbasa 32 mm, Joshimath 27, Kashipur 31, Pithoragarh 33, Pantnagar 26 mm, Nainital 25 mm, Barkot 16 mm and Mushiyari 26 mm of rain in the past 24 hours.

Dr Anand Sharma, Director, Meteorological Centre, Dehradun, said rain was likely to continue in the next 24 hours in the state. He said at present there were little sign of retreating of the monsoon.

“The monsoon has not even retreated from Rajasthan and thus there is no question of its withdrawal from Uttarakhand”, he pointed out. “But hopefully this could be the last big spell of the monsoon in the state”, he added.

Meanwhile, the normal life was thrown out of gear in Dehradun due to rain. People kept indoors and markets gave a desolate look. Thin attendance was registered in the offices.

Dehradun receives an average rainfall of 321 mm during September, but this year, it has already crossed 350 mm in mid-September.

The Rishikesh-Badrinath road stood closed today due to landslides reported from the Lambagar-Pathardeep stretch of the road. Several other key hill roads were also blocked due to falling debris?

Thousands stuck in Pithoragarh
Nearly 32.6 mm of rainfall during the past 24 hours hits district
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, September 15
Thousands of passengers and dozens of vehicles have stranded on the main highways linking the district due to the landslides caused by the heavy rains in the region. Most of the roads linking the district with the outside world have been closed since Wednesday evening.

Nearly 32.6 mm of rainfall during the past 24 hours has affected this border district severely.

According to the office of the disaster management, the main road, which links the district with the Almora and Tanakpur plains, has been closed due to the heavy landslides at Ghat and Panar for the past 12 hours. “Besides, the road linking the remote area of Tawaghat in Dharchula subivision with the rest of the world has been blocked at Dobat and Kulagar while the road linking the Darma valley has also been blocked at Tawaghat and Pangla, disrupting road connectivity to these border villages,” said RS Rana, District Disaster Management Officer.

“Other motor roads which have been closed due to the incessant rain are Thal-Munsiyari road, which has been blocked at Haradia, and Seraghat-Berinag road that has been blocked at Madanpur,” added Rana.

According to Pithoragarh District Magistrate MC Joshi, the administration has issued a warning of heavy rains in the district in the next 36 hours. “Keeping in mind the incessant rain that lashed the region during the past 24 hours, the administration has sounded an alert in the calamity-sensitive areas of the district,” said the DM. According to the district disaster management unit, three houses have been damaged in Berinag block due to the rains during the past 24 hours.

The rainfall was 65.40 mm in Dharchula, 40.20 mm in Didihat, 29.60 mm in Berinag and 33 mm in Pithoragarh subdivisions of the district during the past 24 hours.

According to the information received from Champawat district, the incessant rains have led to a blockade on the motor road linking the temple of Purnagiri at Tanakput. More than 150-metre stretch of the road at Batnagar has been washed away by a local rivulet.

BC Khanduri calls on Governor
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 15
The Chief Minister, Major-Gen Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri (retd), called upon Uttarakhand Governor Margaret Alva here today. It was his first formal meeting with the Governor after taking over the reins of the state on September 11.

General Khanduri also met former Chief Minister Nityanand Swami at his residence here. The Chief Minister enquired about Swami’s wellbeing and also wished him good health. Both, General Khanduri and Swami Nityanand held discussions on various issues related to the development of the state.

On the occasion, the former Chief Minister gave a letter on behalf of the Deendayal Upadhyay Sewa Pratishtan containing various suggestions and issues related to state’s development to General Khanduri. The Chief Minister assured him that the state government would seriously consider suggestions that are submitted to him in the interest of the state.

Meanwhile, a large number of people from a cross section of society called upon the Chief Minister at his residence at Yamuna Colony here. These include Agriculture Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, the members of the Retired Employees Association and a delegation from the Yamunotri area led by BJP leader Vimla Nautiyal.

General Secretary of the Uttarakhand Jan Manch S Rajen Todaria also met the Chief Minister. Speaking to the visiting delegates, the Chief Minister said all must render their assistance and active cooperation in the development of the state.

Setback to Congress
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 15
Even before the Opposition Congress could start its offensive against the state BJP under the new dispensation, the party suffered its first setback when Vijay Bahuguna, who has been named as the chairman of the state media committee of the party, submitted his resignation. Indira Hariydesh, former Congress PWD Minister and number two in the previous Congress government under ND Tiwari, has been appointed new chairperson of the media committee.

The state Congress, in a bid to launch a media offensive against the state BJP government in the run up to the Assembly elections, had formed a 20-member media committee headed by Tehri Garhwal Lok Sabha member Vijay Bahuguna.

Interestingly, Bahuguna is the first cousin of the Chief Minister, Major-Gen BC Khanduri (retd).

However, Bahuguna, in his resignation, has stated that he would not be able to devote much time to his job due to his preoccupation with the parliamentary committee on 2-G scam. According to sources in the Congress, Bahuguna was also unhappy on his exclusion from the coordination committee of the senior Congress leaders formed by Congress general secretary in charge Birender Singh.

Binsar sanctuary to be tourist destination
Seema Sharma
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, September 15
The life of people living in the villages around the Binsar Wild Life Sanctuary (BWLS) is gradually changing for better with the eco-tourism wing of the Forest Department of the state government providing facilities and promoting the BWLS as a top tourist destination in the state.

The concept of home stays and a new map with the help of GPS mapping have lately been introduced. The new set of signage is being installed.

Now guide training to the unskilled youngsters from five villages of the area facilitated at Chuna Khan near the Corbett Park is another vital step in the same direction.

Rajesh Bhatt, instructor, said, “These boys were already working as guides. But now with this one-month training, they are learning in great detail about flora & fauna, conservation and tourism as a whole in great detail. They will also be provided uniform and identity card later on.”

The five villages from where these trainees have been picked up are Gonap, Dalar, Haroli, Sakri and Katdhara. Trainee Sunder Singh from Gonap beamed that they had been entrusted the task to prepare more youngsters in our respective villages to make them useful to the tourism industry.

He likes many others should learn rock climbing and parasailing in the adventure sports camps that help the Tourism Department of the state to hone his skills as guide.

Deep Chand, another trainee from Dalar expressed desire for English classes, equipments like Binoculors and motorbikes to travel down to WLS from their villages to better their lot.

Himanshu Pande, Director, ‘Village Ways’ commercial company which sets up community tourist guest houses in five of the villages said, “We provided villagers basic training in hygiene and hospitality and tourists also on a minimal revenue sharing basis.”

Kesar Singh, owner of state, awarded Binsar Eco Camp asked for more saying, “We need better infrastructure especially approach roads.” He appreciated the new map of the area.

“Earlier we had tourists only for four months May-June and October-November as people carried wrong impression about Monsoon and winter but the map which is also put on the website clarified the myth. Plenty of tourists came in rainy season as well this year.”

Director, Eco-Tourism, Rajeev Bhartari, threw lights on tourism promotion activities saying, “The map depicts the detail contours of the mountainous terrain of the BWLS, including villages trekking routes, home stays, the full range of Himalayan peaks, wild animals. As Binsar is open all year round, the back of the map provides impressions of the four seasons of the WLS through photographs, stories, historical information and practical tips for tourists. This is the first map prepared through GPS mapping.”

He said the department was also providing an exquisite gate to the renowned Jageshwar temple and streamline the flow of tourists at the place.

Wild Animal Menace
Residents of border villages migrate to towns
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, September 15
The menace of wild animals, which destroy crops every year, has forced residents of border villages to migrate to nearby towns and look for avenues other than agriculture for their livelihood.

Farmers of over 12 villages falling in Munsiyari subdivision are migrating to nearby towns as wild pigs destroy their ripe khariff crop every year.

Kesher Singh Bathiyal, a farmer of Gokul Dhura village, said: “This year also, wild animals have destroyed crops in Kotura, Gokul Dhura, Suwalekh, Talla Bhanskot, Malla Bhanskot, Chami, Chuni, Barthi, Dhami Gaon, Ringunia, Kaluchana, Napar, Surkhet, Murti, Khatera and Sini villages of the Talla Johar area. The area is known for rice production in Munsiyari subdivision.”

The farmer further said: ‘My family used to sell more than 25 quintals of paddy every year from our surplus production. However, this year due to the destruction of the crop by wild pigs, we had to purchase rice for personal use.”

He added that a number of villagers had now started living in the nearby towns of Baram, Munsiyari and Jauljibi and were opting for some other profession.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Pithoragarh, Sambandhanam said the affected farmers would be given compensation according to the rules. “The government has issued a notification to kill violent pigs that destroy crops in villages. But for this, villagers will have to get licence from the Forest Department to kill wild pigs,” said the DFO.”

“Due to this menace, a large number of farmers migrate to other areas every year,” said Kamala Devi, gram pradhan of Chami Bhanskot. “We will launch an agitation if the government failed to take any step to protect our crops. The menace is not only prevalent in the border areas of Munsiyari but also in the Terai area of Tanakpur, Champawat district. On Monday, wild elephants had destroyed the paddy crop belonging to five farmers in Bichai village.”

All is not well in state prisons
Sandeep Rana/TNS

Dehradun, September 15
Recent shocking incidents at the jails in Dehradun and Roorkee have once again exposed the state of affairs in the prisons of the state.

Neither have the two murder convicts who escaped from Suddhowala Jail in Dehradun about a fortnight ago been caught nor has the police been able to get a clue to the murder of Narendra Singh Thapa, Deputy Jailer of Roorkee Jail, who was shot dead near his residence.

Rather than arresting the escaped prisoners, the jail officials and the administration have been smart enough to hide the findings of the probe report which was supposed to be out within 48 hours of the fleeing of the two convicts from Suddhowala Jail.

A day after the jailbreak, two wardens of the jail were placed under suspension and a case was registered against them at the Sahaspur police station. However, it was seen as a face saving exercise in order to protect certain top officials with the connivance of whom the murder convicts actually managed to flee. There have been several allegations of criminals running their nexus from inside the jail and threatening witnesses in different cases. The presence of cellphones and other prohibited material inside the jail has also been alleged, which the jail authorities have denied.

In the aftermath of the two incidents, the jail authorities have been taking a lot of flak for the lackadaisical working in the jail. Most of the CCTV cameras installed in the jails are out of order while surprisingly the Suddhowala Jail authorities don’t even have the photographs of the escaped murder convicts.

The jail officials informed the local police about the jailbreak four hours late and did not blow the siren when they escaped.

On top of it, Inspector-General of Prisons Bhaskaranand and Jail Warden BP Pandey have been at their present postings for the past seven years while at such setups of maximum security a maximum of three years’ posting is given.

If this was not enough, Bhaskaranand was given the additional charge of Additional Secretary to the Chief Minister yesterday.

When The Tribune contacted Jail Minister Rajendra Bhandari, he said he had not received the report of the Suddhowala jailbreak probe yet. Regarding the murder of Roorkee jailer, he stated the police was investigating the matter.

Desecration at Gurdwara
Shops closed till 1pm in Nainital
Protests continue in Terai area
Tribune Reporters

Nainital, September 15
Protests continued in the Kumaon region today over the incident of the desecration of the “Bir” in Katiyya village of Barhaini in Uttar Pradesh that borders the Sitarganj area of Udham Singh Nagar district. The incident had reportedly taken place on Monday evening.

All commercial establishments of Nainital remained closed for the first half of the day.

After opening for a brief early this morning, eateries and wholesale vegetable shops remained closed till 1 pm.

People from all walks of life participated in a protest march that started from Gurudwara Singh Sabha and went right up to the office of the District Magistrate via the Mall Road and the main markets of Mallital and Tallital.

The protesters carried placards airing their dissent against the act of desecration.

They went on to hand over a memorandum of demands to the local administration that was addressed to President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mayawati and Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri.

Through the memorandum they demanded that the guilty responsible for the act of desecration should be nabbed and punished in accordance with the law so that none other could even think of doing such an act.

They also demanded that proper security arrangements should be made around places of religious importance.

Similar protests continued to take place in the areas of Terai which had a considerable presence of Sikh population. For the past three days, there have been a series of protests in Rudrapur, Kashipur, Sitarganj, Nanakmatta, Bazpur, Kitcha, Haldwani and Ramnagar.

Reports say that the police in Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh, in which the place of incident falls, has promised to solve the case at the earliest.

Mussoorie: Sikh community members took out a protest march from Landour Bazaar to the SDM office raising slogans against the UP government.

The agitated members also gave a memorandum to nayab tehsildar Mata Din, addressed to the President of India, stating that the perpetrators of the crime should be nabbed immediately and brought to justice.

The Sikh community also raised slogans against the UP government over the issue.

The community members also warned the government that if the culprits were not brought to justice, they would be forced to head for the gurdwara in large numbers where the incident took place.

President of the Mussoorie Gurdwara Prabhandak Sabha MPS Khurana, secretaries Narendar Singh, Jasbir Kaur and others also addressed the gathering condemning the act.

Ward member Ramesh Bhandari, Rakesh Agarwal, Gurucharan Lal Chadda, Parmendar Singh, Mustakim Ahmed, Anantpal Singh, Avtaar Kukreja and others were present on the occasion.

18,948 admitted to pvt schools

Dehradun, September 15
Under the Right to Education Act (RTE), 18,948 students belonging to the Economically Weaker Section of society have been given admissions in non-aided private schools in the state.

Under the Act, 20 per cent of the seats have been set aside for students hailing from the EWS. There are a total of 3,878 non-aided private schools in the state and 27,888 seats are set to be filled by poor students in the state.

The amount spent by private schools for providing uniform, fee and midday meals will be reimbursed by the state government under the Act. — TNS