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Apples to remain juicy for 8 months
Water scheme for 22 towns to be completed by 2015
Protests erupt in Kumaon over lack of basic amenities
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Rly reservation counter at Dharchula post office by month-end
DIG discusses security plan
Govt to table three Bills in Vidhan Sabha
Women demand farmer’s status
Minister mulls drastic changes in education system
114 join ITBP in Mussoorie
SSB intensifies patrolling on border
Kailash Mansarovar Yatra ends
German expert for developing soft trekking spots
22 J&K students visit IMA campus
Woman succumbs to burns; another found dead
Crocodile run over by train
3 held with leopard skin
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Apples to remain juicy for 8 months
Dehradun, September 20 With the launch of the Control Atmosphere Storage (CAS) facility at Naugaon in Uttarkashi district, he can now hope to preserve his apple crop for as long as six to eight months, thereby ensuring a steady supply in the market even during the off-season. Control Atmosphere Storage, which has been patented in 1984 in the Netherlands, comes to Naugaon as a result of partnership between the Stichting Het Groene Woudt (SHGW) foundation of the Netherlands, the Fresh Food Technology also of the Netherlands and the Jadgamba Samiti, a NGO that has launched an apple project for marginalised farmers. “The CAS possesses a storage capacity of 1,000 metric tonnes where apples can be stored for a period of 6-8 months after harvest. The equipment costing Rs 15.50 crore has been funded by the Stichting Het Groene Woudt foundation,” said Emmy Janssen, programme officer of the foundation while giving details of the project here. Usually, it was a tough ride for apple growers in the state even if the weather god was kind, their happiness was shortlived due to poor transportation and marketing facilities, the scientific storage facility was the need of the day. “More than 4,000 farmers are involved in this venture that was started in 2007. Now even a small farmer based in Kafnol no longer frets about his apple not reaching the market,” said LP Semwal, Chairman, Shri Jagdamba Samiti. Before installing CAS, the samiti established four collection centres at Syuri, Dhari, Purola in Uttarkashi and Tyuni in Chakrauta and also held pre-harvest training for the farmers. The technology is popular in the European countries. Unlike the simple refrigeration in this case, one is able to put a stop to respiration that usually takes place in the fruits and vegetables with the passage of time and also maintain the necessary flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide,” said Wim Van Den Berg, managing director, Director Fresh Food Technology (the Netherlands). The Netherlands-based foundation is also working in Kerala and helping farmers retain their coffee and spices fresh through CAS. “Farmer associations have been formed at Tyuni, Purola, Naugaon and Kafnol and in time these will be strong enough to own stakes in the equipment and then we will withdraw, said Alfred, Director of
SHGW. |
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Water scheme for 22 towns to be completed by 2015
Pithoragarh, September 20 According to Pant, the scheme meant for the towns of Dehradun, Haridwar and Nainital will be completed by next year and these three towns will be able to get 135 litres per capita of drinking water supply daily. “The schemes, covering seven towns of the state, including
Haldwani, Almora, Ramnagar and Kotdwar, will be completed by 2013,” claimed Pant. He said the last phase of this mega scheme would be completed by 2015 and 22 major towns of the state would be able to get drinking water supply according to the norms of the scheme. “We have 63 towns in the state facing a shortage of drinking water and we have chalked out drinking water schemes with the help of the ADB where we can lift water from the nearby rivers. In the rest of the 41 towns facing a shortage of drinking water, the schemes will be launched only after the water sources are identified,” he
said. Pithoragarh district will get Rs 110 crore to renew the existing drinking water schemes from the Saryu river at Ghat and to speed up the construction of the long-stalled sewerage scheme for the town, said Pant, who is the local legislator. |
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Protests erupt in Kumaon over lack of basic amenities
Nainital, September 20 People have been suffering many hardships as roads continue to be in poor condition and the supply of essentials has been hit at several places. There are several areas that continue to face problems on account of erratic or no power supply that is marked with voltage fluctuations. To add to the misery, officials have The scenario with regard to water supply is also dismal at several places. Chief Minister BC Khanduri had made it clear to officials during his video conference last week that any laxity on the provision of essentials to the masses would not be tolerated at any cost. However, the delivery on the ground level still eludes people. Even the prime towns of the region like Haldwani and Nainital are facing many problems. The sinking of a patch of a road near Jyolikote on Friday has led to the cancellation of late night AC bus services from Nainital to Dehradun and New Delhi. These buses are now being run from
Haldwani. On Monday, villagers from the areas around the Nainital blocked the roads leading to
Nainital, Haldwani and Almora at Jyolikote in protest against the failure of the government to build a road on the Fatehpur-Bel-Basani-Patwadangar stretch, the demand for which is almost four decades old. Officials said tenders for building the road had been floated eight months ago, but the matter was pending with the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. The day also saw residents of the Okhalkanda and Dhari blocks of Nainital district protesting at Haldwani on account of power problems being faced by them. They also staged a demonstration and locked the office of the Deputy General Manager of the department. Villagers claim that over 24 transformers in the region are out of order and repeated pleas made to officials till now have been in vain. On the other hand, residents of Udwa village in the Bhimtal region staged a protest at Shiksha Bhawan in Bhimtal over the alleged failure of the administration to depute teachers at Government Primary School in the village that has been lying closed. There is also resentment among people of the Kapkot area of Bageshwar on account of several roads in the Danpur valley still being closed. Residents of Dharchula have been demanding the installation of cellphone towers and connectivity. They also blocked a road on Monday. |
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Rly reservation counter at Dharchula post office by month-end
Dehradun, September 20 The railway reservation will get easier with the postal authorities and the Railways joining hands to launch another public-friendly initiative to facilitate booking of rail tickets. Residents of far-off Dharchula and nearby areas in Pithoragarh district can now book their railway tickets at the grand post office instead of coming all the way to the railway station in
Dehradun, Nainital and Almora. The services will be made available by the beginning of the next month while it will be further extended to the post offices in Dehradun districts too. Informing about the services, Sushil Mohan Manral
Gosai, Deputy Manager, Uttarakhand Postal Circle, said, “To make the booking of railway tickets a hassle-free exercise, the Railways and the Department of Posts joined hands to open railway reservation counters in the post offices of in the hilly areas.” “With a majority of travellers coming to
Dehradun, Almora and Nainital for reservations all the way from interiors of
Uttarakhand, the authorities have decided to open new counters for the benefit of the railway passengers at their nearest post offices,” he added. However, the facility of railway reservation is currently running at the Almora and Pithoragarh postal divisions, including Almora Head Post Office
(HPO), Ranikhet Head Post Office (HPO), Bageshwar Mukhya Daak Ghar (MDG), Baijnath Sub Office (SO), Kosani Sub Office (SO), Champawat Mukhya Daak Ghar
(MDG) and Pithoragarh Head Post Office. |
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Assembly Session
Dehradun, September 20 During the meeting, the security plan was discussed besides ways to tackle protesters who try to lay a siege to the Vidhan Sabha during the session. The DIG directed the police officials present at the meeting to review the security arrangements inside and outside the state legislative Assembly. Public entrance system, CCTV cameras and a fire alarm system installed on the premises of the Vidhan Sabha should be in working condition, he said. Seth also asked the police officials to do a verification of all the persons working in the canteen and other such places on the premises of the Vidhan Sabha before the session begins. Besides, a thorough checking of everybody’s ID should be done at the entrance, he added.
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Govt to table three Bills in Vidhan Sabha
Dehradun, September 20 A Cabinet meeting today, chaired by Chief Minister BC Khanduri, took several decisions regarding introducing Bills on numerous issues of public interests, such as transfer of government servants to remote areas, right to public service, and confiscation of ill-gotten properties of public servants by the government. In addition, the government also decided to scrap the 1893 notification issued by the then colonial government regarding the protected forest that would remove hurdles posed by the Forest Act in the execution of development projects in the state. The proposed transfer Bill will ensure compulsory posting of government servants to remote areas of the state. It will provide for the officer to be posted back to the plains after completion of a specified time-frame in the hills. The Cabinet also took a decision to introduce a Bill on right to public service in the forthcoming Assembly session. The legislation would accord statutory rights to the common man in availing hassle-free public service such as ration card, electricity connection, driving licence, birth/death certificates, etc. within a specified time-frame. The proposed Act will have a provision for filing of first and second appeals, following which the matter would be referred to scrutiny. The Cabinet also decided to bring in a legislation that would enable the government to confiscate wealth and property acquired by public servants through illegal means. |
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Women demand farmer’s status
Dehradun, September 20 At a deliberation held today under the aegis of Jan Karwan, an NGO, its women members said despite contributing to farming, the women were not given the status of a farmer nor did they have any rights over property. “At least 80 per cent of farming is in the hands of women in the hills, but women do not have any rights over the property. More than reserving 50 per cent seats for women in the panchayats, our cause would be better served, if we were accorded the status of farmer and rights over farm land. Our names should figure in the ‘khasra khatoni’ prepared by Patwaris,” said Hira Jangpangi. Firming her case, Maheshi Devi said a survey of land records undertaken by them in 12 villages of Chamoli recently revealed that not a single patch of land was registered in the name of a woman. “Even if there was any such land registered in the name of a woman, it had more to do with compulsion as the family did not have a male heir,” added Maheshi Devi. At the end of the deliberations the women members said they would now ask the political parties to take up the issue and include it in their manifestos. They have already carried out a signature campaign in the villages. |
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Minister mulls drastic changes in education system
Haridwar, September 20 The Education Minister, while speaking to The Tribune on the phone, said with Uttarakhand having a high literacy rate, it’s imperative to provide quality education to children and for that matter strict monitoring of the schools in the hilly regions and far-flung areas needed to be done. Stressing the need to make sure that the postings of teachers and school employees is done as per the norms, Kandari said a majority of teachers wanted postings in urban areas and on the periphery of their home cities or towns which was affecting the quality of education in the state. “We need to have a mandatory five-year posting for teachers at least in far-flung and hilly districts, as then only we can put brakes on this trend which diverts teachers’ attention. Instead of teaching at schools, they are seen more in education offices or the office of the minister concerned making efforts to get choice posting. This is not right, as it’s children who eventually suffer. Though all the facilities are being provided to teachers, the desired results are not there,” said Kandari, who is a legislator from the Rudraprayag Assembly segment. He added that only those teachers would be transferred mid-session who would be found to be medically unfit. The Education Minister is also in favour of holding interactive meetings between teachers and the guardians of students, as prevalent in public schools, so that the regular progress reports of the students can be analysed. The requisite directions have already been issued by him in this regard. On the shortage of Sanskrit, mathematics, English and science teachers in the state, Kandari said that was one of his priorities and for this he was in |
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114 join ITBP in Mussoorie
Mussoorie, September 20 The chief guest Ranjit Sinha, Director General, ITBP, was presented with the ceremonial Guard of Honour and review of the parade. Ranjit Sinha distributed the citation and trophies to the trainees for their excellent performance during the course in different streams. Dr Lawrence Kindo, medical officer, was adjudged the overall best trainee in 34th GOs’ course whereas Dr Katyani Sharma, medical officer, was declared the best indoor trainee along with Dr Vinod Kumar Sirvaiya, medical officer, who was adjudged the best outdoor trainee. In the 23rd SI/GD course, Deepak Bhatt was adjudged the overall champion, Dhamendar Kumar the best indoor trainee, Dinesh Kumar the best sportsman, Om Pal Yadav the best conduct trainee, Rameshwar the best endurance trainee and was also declared the best marks man while Rash Pal Singh was adjudged the best outdoor trainee here. DG ITBP Ranjit Sinha congratulated the officers for successfully completing the tough course and expressed confidence that under their alert surveillance, the borders of the nation would be safe. He asked the newly inducted officers to serve the country in accordance with the rich tradition of the force. Later speaking to the media, Ranjit Sinha reassured the nation of the preparedness of the ITBP to meet any challenge on the Indo-China border. He said the battalions were being raised to shorten the distance between the chowkis, which would strengthen the border security. Speaking about the rescue and disaster relief efforts in Sikkim which suffered a major earthquake a couple of days back, he said the ITBP Jawans, popularly known as Himveers, were first to reach the disaster sight despite all odds. Sinha further said the force had been inducted in the Naxal-affected states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh where the officers and jawans were performing their duties with utmost dedication and professional ease. Kabul Singh Bajwa, Director, Academy, in his welcome address, enumerated the role and achievements of the academy in the field of training. The POP ceremony concluded with a thrilling karate display by the Jawans. |
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SSB intensifies patrolling on border
Pithoragarh, September 20 “As the water level decreases in the Kali river, which forms the border between the two countries, the smugglers increase their activities in this part of the country. Keeping this in mind, we have intensified patrolling at all the 18 border out posts
(BOPs) on the India-Nepal border,” said SL Sarkar, DIG of the force. According to sources, the personnel of the force deputed at the five bridges of
Dharchula, Jauljibi, Baluakot, Jhulaghat and Sitapul in the Garbiyang area are now keeping an eye on every suspected person crossing the border from either side in order to check smuggling from across the border. ”The activities of the wildlife smugglers and the charas smugglers are likely to increase after the rains as these remain busy in collecting goods during the four months of monsoon,” said the SSB officer. |
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Kailash Mansarovar Yatra ends
Pithoragarh, September 20 The batch has returned at the 16,500 feet-high Lipulekh pass in the Indian territory on Monday. “With the return of the last batch, the personnel deputed at various track route camps have been ordered to pack up and come back from the high-altitude camps of
Nabhidhang, Gunji, Bundi, Gala and Sirkha,” said Bachi Ram Arya in charge of pilgrimage at the Dharchula base camp. “This year a total of 721 pilgrims, including 199 women, from all parts of the country visited the abode of Lord Shiva in Tibet, but 700 pilgrims were lucky enough to have darshan of the holy mount of Kailash as 21 pilgrims had to leave the pilgrimage between due to health reasons,” said the yatra officer. According to information received from the base camp, the last batch will reach at the base camp Dharchula on September 23 and reach Delhi on September 25. — OC |
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German expert for developing soft trekking spots
Dehradun, September 20 The students’ team, divided into two groups, covered the Deoriatal-Chopta-Chandrishila trekking area and the Kunjakhark-Akashkhand-Khumeria-Corbett National Park region near Nainital. While addressing a press conference in the city today, Pechlaner said: “The objective of the study tour was to observe the soft trekking product(s) available in Uttarakhand from a European perspective and do a comparative analysis between the trekking spots of the Alps and the Himalayas from the tourism point of view.” He said Uttarakhand had been blessed with mountain ranges with distances in between them. “Besides places of spiritual and religious significance, the state also has amazing soft as well as hard (difficult) trekking spots. Nevertheless, it can score on the latter by building a brand image because Nepal, the neighbouring country, has already established itself as a leader in hard trekking spots. It is the political wing of the state which can smartly market the brand image in the international arena because the presence of international tourists is a must to boost tourism here,” he said. He also spoke on the significance of culture. “Emphasis has been laid on nature in the state without having paid equal thrust to culture which is of paramount significance for the expansion of tourism in the state.” Besides competitive infrastructure “trained guides” were needed in the tourism sector and it was the state which was to draw a line between public and private intrusion, he said. “The state has to lay the rules to decide the extent to which the outsiders could be allowed to participate in the tourism-related activities here while ensuring interests and active participation of the locals as well.” Karin Spisla, a student, complained that during their trip they found the trekking sites were not up to international standards. “The places may be fine with the pilgrims but not international tourists. The accommodation on the way were filthy, without any electricity and water in the taps.” Their interaction with locals remained limited due to language barrier. Pechlaner said the trekking sites also needed to have proper signage and map delineation along with simple and clean accommodation, good food and transport facilities close to the trekking destinations. The staff of GIZ who were present on the occasion included senior Programme Manager Subroto Roy, Dr Indraneel Ghosh, Sanjay Bahti and Manish
Juyal. |
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22 J&K students visit IMA campus
Dehradun, Sept 20 The students were encouraged by watching, “Making of a Warrior”, a film on the life of a Gentlemen Cadet and a visit to the campus. This exposure to the students gave them fair idea of the routine of a Gentlemen Cadet and inspired them to join the Armed Forces. The “Operation Sadbhavna” was launched in 1998 in pursuance of the Army’s policy of winning hearts and minds of the people and providing much-needed healing touch to the terrorism-affected areas of J&K. The multi-faced activities being undertaken under the “Operation Sadbhavna” encompasses all aspects of socio-economic development of the people, especially in remote areas. |
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Woman succumbs to burns; another found dead
Nainital, September 20 In the first instance a resident of the Kaladhungi area died at the Sushila Tewari Memorial Hospital while being treated after she had allegedly immolated herself. Reports say that 22-year-old Dhanuli Devi had been married to Govind Ram of Ratanpur village barely six months ago. She had reportedly doused herself with kerosene and had torched herself at her home on Monday. The members of her family rushed her to the hospital with the help of 108 Emergency Response Ambulance Service where she succumbed to her injuries. Police investigations are on in the matter. It is learnt that the victim had been mentally depressed over the past few weeks. On a previous occasion she had gone to her paternal home without informing anyone and was later sent back to her husband who earns his living as a daily wage labourer. In the second instance a married woman was found dead at her paternal home in Shiv Nagar locality of Rudrapur on Monday. Going by the marks on her body and her neck, the police is presuming this to be a case of murder and is questioning her husband who lives in the same locality. According to the reports, Geeta had a tiff with her husband Raju Yadav three days ago and had come to her paternal home along with her child. On Monday, Raju had come there asking her to come back home. The couple once again had an exchange of words following which Raju had gone back. It was later in the day when Geeta’s sister called her to have meal. When she failed to get any response from her room she became suspicious. She informed the neighbours who in turn informed the police. On breaking open the entrance to the room, Geeta was found dead. |
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Crocodile run over by train
Haridwar, September 20 Villagers alleged that despite reporting the matter to the forest and Railways officials, no one came to the spot on time. Forest officials said there was a trench near Sarai village and the crocodile might have come from there. It was four feet in length. As the news spread, people from nearby villages arrived at the spot. |
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3 held with leopard skin
Dehradun, September 20 Announcing this at a press conference here today, Uttarakhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Wildlife and Chief Wildlife Warden Shrikant Chandola said the SOG, in assistance with a voluntary organisation, worked for nearly a month before zeroing in on three persons who were trying to sell a leopard skin to potential customers near Natraj Chowk in Rishikesh. They were arrested today. The arrested trio have been identified as Keshav Chand Pradhan, Vinod Sharma and Deepak. Two of them are residents of the Garhwal while the third one is a resident of Rishikesh. Chandola said the seized leopard skin was about a year old and the beast was believed to have been poisoned as no bullet holes were found on the skin. |
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withering away for lack of proper storage.
With the launch of the Control Atmosphere Storage (CAS) facility at Naugaon in Uttarkashi district, he can now hope to preserve his apple crop for as long as six to eight months, thereby ensuring a steady supply in the market even during the off-season.
As many as 114 officers and subordinate officers joined the mainstream of the ITBP in a colourful passing-out parade ceremony after undergoing a year-long tough training held at the ITBP grounds in Mussoorie today.
Uttarakhand has all the potential to emerge as the biggest destination of soft trekking sites in the country. The observation was made by Dr Harald Pechlaner, Chairman, Tourism Dept, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, Germany, who led a team of 18 students to various trekking spots in the state to study trekking options available in Uttarakhand.
A group of 22 students and two teachers from Srinagar (J&K), along with officers and men of the 117 Infantry Battalion (Territorial Army), “THE GUARDS”, under the aegis of “Operation Sadbhavna” visited the Indian Military Academy (IMA) here today.
