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UP says no to closure of Ganga canal
Power cuts reduced, but crisis stays
Mass hysteria cases in Kotabagh
Khanduri visits patients
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MGNREGA workers to get free medicare
Tourists stranded after landslide near Munsiyari
Tourist arrivals dip to 30%
Rural development message via hi-tech presentation
Women ‘confiscate’ illegal liquor
Governor releases 2 books
Santosh is UWA president
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UP says no to closure of Ganga canal
Haridwar, October 19 The Irrigation Department owing to accumulation of silt and garbage on various barrages, bridges and ghats on the canal annually cleans it, which starts from Haridwar till Kanpur. Also cleaning of ghats, maintenance and reconstruction is done during the Ganga canal closure. Irrigation Department officials of Uttar Pradesh informed TNS that they had not got permission from the government this time so the annual closure of the Ganga canal flow had not been done. However, on a request by canal officials, the flow of water in the canal has been restricted owing to various works being done on the stretch falling in UP. At present, only 1,000 cusecs of water is being allowed into the canal though the full capacity of the canal is 10,500 cusecs. The water flow in the canal is being controlled from the Bhagirathi point, prior to Har-ki-Pauri and the Chaudhari Charan Singh Bhimgoda supply channel. This means the depth of the canal water has lessened by a metre and Har-ki-Pauri is falling short of water for religious rites. The Ganga Sabha, a religious body maintaining Har-ki-Pauri ghats, has expressed its resentment to the UP Irrigation Department for restraining the water flow in this festive season. Ashok Tripathi, chief of the Ganga Sabha, said religious feelings of millions of devotees should have been taken into account by the department as substantial water flow was essential at least at the core Braham Kund ghat. However, they are also happy that permission for the Ganga canal closure has not been given as it affects the pilgrim flow. Emphasising the need for the total Ganga canal flow closure annually, SDO, Headworks, UP Irrigation Department KP Singh Verma told the Tribune that non-closure would have long-term repercussions on the condition of 160-year-old canal. On the issue of hurting religious sentiments, KP Singh said the full closure was only in the interest of the Ganga Sabha and devotees as during this time ghats were cleaned, repaired, reconstructed and iron chains were replaced and huge garbage stuck beneath and on the sides of the canal was cleaned. |
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Power cuts reduced, but crisis stays
Dehradun, October 19 The state is managing 25-26 Million Units (MU) on a daily basis as against the requirement of 28 MU. The talks with Himachal Pradesh for 150 MW fizzled out recently. Managing Director, Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), AK Jain said, “Our Chief Minister talked to his counterpart of HP for power banking on our insistence but they quoted a steep price of Rs 6.85 per unit, an expensive bargain, as we can make a better deal at Rs 4 whenever the Northern Grid is in a favorable state. So we refused them.” He, however, said the power situation in the state has improved after the Centre share rose from 8 MU to 10 MU. “The power shortage worsened throughout the country due to Telangana agitation and wetting of coal due to Orissa floods. This affected the Centre’s share and the states which were dependent on it drastically. Our situation too became shaky after our share fell from 12 MU to 8 MU. Then we are also giving 1.2 MU to HP daily for setting up some of our hydropower projects in that state. It is, however, balanced with the same quantity of power, we are getting from the Vishnu Prayag project,” he said. A drastic drop in the power produced by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL) through its hydropower projects from 20 MW to 15 MW after the end of monsoon has also affected the power scenario in the state. Winter is going to be tougher in that sense. Power borrowing (power banking) from other states and companies is the only option left now. Jain said, “We felt relieved over having returned power of 50 MW each to Punjab and Haryana by mid of October and saved 1.2 MU for our own use. A deal with Punjab for power banking of 500 MW, 100 MW each for five months at a stretch from November onward will give us 2.4 MU every day. This power will be retuned in July, August and September in the rainy season”. The progress with gas companies over power purchase appears to be derailing as of now. He said, “When we had good production, gas companies showed a lot of interest in selling power to us, but as the power crisis has deepened they have begun throwing tantrums. Hence, a deal with these companies do not seem a profitable proposition.” For the remaining days of October, he said, he was trying to contact Punjab again for some power but did not show much hope on this account. |
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Mass hysteria cases in Kotabagh
Nainital, October 19 Once again, there are reports of schoolgirls acting in an abnormal manner. The irony of the matter is that despite such incidents being repeated at regular intervals, the government or the Education Department is yet to launch a programme with the help of rationalists and psychologists to deal with the situation and make people aware. The helpless villagers, in the absence of quality medical help, have been resorting to solutions derived from occult practices. Reports said over the last few days, girl students of Government Junior High School in Okhaldunga village had been swaying and falling as a group while the school was on. As of now, the villagers have invited the Jaagariyas and Dangariyas for treating them. It is learnt that following such an instance, the girls became normal once the Jaagariya applied some ash to the foreheads of these girls. The school authorities have informed the officials of the Education Department about the development and the local officials of the Revenue Department too have apprised their seniors of the instances that are being reported from there. The parents of the wards are a scared lot and have sought that the district administration initiate steps for the well-being of their wards. Such instances have become a sort of routine in the region. Medical experts and rationalists term these instances to be cases of mass hysteria. Earlier in July this year, such incidents had been reported from Raumavi Dola village in the area where girl students had been resorting to hysterical behaviour for more than 10 days. Such incidents are responsible for low turnout in schools for several days thus hampering the education of the children. The rationalists, including the officials, have always tried to convey to the agitated parents of the students that these are cases of mass hysteria taking grip on the students but there are very few takers for this explanation. The villagers then prefer resorting to what they term “traditional treatment”. The parents and the teachers have always sought that the administration should send a team of specialists comprising lady doctors to the villages where such incidents are reported to study the development. Earlier, during September last year, a similar phenomenon had been reported at an Inter-College in the Bhimtal block. There had been instances of girls at Nain Singh Mehra Government Inter-College in Amian village becoming unconscious. Prior to that in February last year, girls at an Inter-College in Patkot, a village located 22 kilometres away from Ramnagar, had been losing consciousness for more than a week. In the case of Raumavi Dola village, the villagers had gone to the extent of organising a Jaagar at the school much to the annoyance of the rationalists. Jaagar is a form of spirit or ghost worship practised in the hills of
Uttarakhand. |
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ROUNDWORM-INFESTED BOAR MEAT
Dehradun, October 19 The Chief Minister also toured Pinani and Siwal villages of Pauri district in which several deaths have taken place due to consumption of the meat. He also gave away cheques of Rs 1 lakh each to the families of the three deceased persons of Pinani and nine of Siwal village. He also directed the chief medical officer to ask the medical teams to camp in the affected villages till the disease was fully controlled. Twelve persons have died till now and more than 50 persons are undergoing medical treatment in the hospitals in Pauri. Former Chief Minister Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ and chairman of Uttarakhand Disaster Management Advisory Committee Tirath Singh Rawat accompanied the Chief Minister to the area. |
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MGNREGA workers to get free medicare
Dehradun, October 19 A total of 9.91 lakh workers who undertake work for more than 15 days would be provided cover under the scheme that is being supported both by the state and the Central Government. “The scheme to be implemented by the Health Department has been aimed at giving financially weak individuals and groups an option to access medical facilities at all the government and select private hospitals. The card has already empowered several people in the state and now with this new directive, we will be again bringing those individuals who may have not been covered under the BPL and BPL urban categories in the ambit of the health scheme,” said Banshidhar Bhagat Health Minister. In Uttarakhand, 3.33 lakh BPL families living in rural areas of the state are covered under the scheme. Recently, the Uttarakhand government decided to extend the cover to 12.60 lakh urban poor families under the scheme. Through the cashless smart card the people can get treatment for 980 diseases at the empanelled private and government hospitals. “The card is extremely handy. I was able to get the best treatment for my chest infection at the best hospital in the city,” said Ram Singh, a labourer. The scheme is being administered through a third party in the state that has the responsibility for issuing biometric cards and provides software. The beneficiary and his family can avail themselves of services worth Rs 30,000 by making an yearly payment of Rs 30 only. “The scheme is costing the government Rs 600 one person per family. Besides, the beneficiaries will have wider choice in selecting hospitals especially in the private sector which earlier were beyond their means,” said Dr Asha Mathur, Director-General, Health and Family Welfare. The maximum contribution of 75 per cent is made by the Centre and 25 per cent by the respective state government under the scheme. |
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Tourists stranded after landslide near Munsiyari
Pithoragarh, October 19 ”The landslide which occurred on Tuesday has been spread in 200 metres of the area near the pipeline and the administration has pressed heavy machinery and labourers to clear the road as soon as possible,” said BL Rana , Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Didihat. According to witnesses, a two-km-long queue of vehicles en route to Munsiyari can be seen at Barar and the life in the area has been paralysed due to the road block. ”Not only the tourists, but also the routine passengers plying between Thal and Berinag and Didihat have also been stuck in the blockade,” said SS Satyal, a social worker in Thal. ”Some tourists at Berinag have gone back to hotels as they could not reach Munsiyari due to the road block,’’ said Satyal . PWD engineers said due to heavy boulders on the road, they would have to resort to blasting of these boulders. ”Today we are breaking the boulders by blasting and only after that we will be able to remove the mud by tomorrow,” said GS Pangti, Superintendent Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD), Pithoragarh. The PWD engineers said due to weakening of the adjoining hill during the rains this year, the slide started from mid-day on Tuesday and took a large shape by the evening. “This landslide has stopped the transportation from Thal to Munsiyari, Dharchula, Bageshwar and Almora,” said Pangti. |
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Tourist arrivals dip to 30%
Dehradun, October 19 The tourists, who got stranded at Gangotri and had to be airlifted or provided exit through other means, are asking for refund from the GMVN which had booked their package tours. Officials claim to have already paid Rs 1 lakh and is still dealing with several such cases now. Saddened by the dismal scenario, AGM (Yatra), GMVN, PC Juyal said after every rainy season, the tourists inflow increased in September and October before the four main temples of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath closed down. Now with the date of closure of the first three temples approaching on October 28 and the fourth shrine on November 17, the tourists arrival still continues to be very slow. Therefore, there is no more hope left for the tourists footfall to increase. Juyal also blamed negative publicity, exploitation by local motorists and failure of the local administration in handling the disaster management on the transit routes. He said the state needed to learn a lesson from Himachal Pardesh as to how to keep their roads and the disaster management in good shape even in monsoon. The Gangotri episode, when tourists remained stranded for days together, left a blot in the name of tourism in the state. “We could not deny tourists to travel to Gangotri as we marketed this destination in our package tours and had fixed travel charges to and fro from Uttarkashi to Gangotri as Rs 3000. But when our vehicles stranded and we had to depend on the services of local jeeps, the local drivers insisted on charging Rs 3,500 one side. Tourists who had to shell extra felt cheated. It could pose difficulty for us in audits if we pay. Later the SDM, Uttarkashi informed us that fares of Rs 1500 one side was fixed for local jeep drivers, but still they had their way and the administeration failed to nail them.The tourists went with bad impression and experience and are now demanding for refund.” He blamed negative publicity as well. “The media highlighted the state of broken roads and stranded tourists in detail. Even former Chief Minister urged tourists not to come to the state at that time. An appeal made by an authority such as CM left a far reaching impact, as tourists continue to avoid Uttarakhand as the unsafe state.” He said the department was now planning to sell some of the offbeat destinations in the state to lure tourists in the winter season. |
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Rural development message via hi-tech presentation
Haridwar, October 19 The presentation, which is a part of the programme to highlight the strides India has taken in rural development in the past few years, is being organised by the Song and Drama Division of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, Indian Government. The two-hour long presentation by over 100 artistes is drawing all and sundry as this is the first time that hi-tech light and sound effects are being used on a 25-metre stage. Via Jamunia, the lead character, a social message is given against the social evils prevalent in villages as well as about women empowerment. Also villagers are informed about their rights and various benefits of the Central Government schemes. Talking to The Tribune, Dr Manju Delal, Deputy Director, Song and Drama Division, said Haridwar was only the sixth city in the country to have witnessed this presentation. She said their main motive was to showcase the rural people the way to development by self awareness, with focus on women like Jamunia who could change not only the condition of their families but also the whole village. The audience, including people from both rural and urban areas, has appreciated the efforts of the local youth and others, who are acting in the presentation. The large audiences witnessed at the venue is a proof that the message is spreading effectively. “Be it light, sound or acting, everything leaves an impact on audience. If changes and development are carried out in the villages then surely India will be a developed nation soon. The women folk have to play a major role in this development,” said Anjum Beg, Haridwar Zila Panchayat Chairperson. |
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Women ‘confiscate’ illegal liquor
Nainital, October 19 Since Monday night, women from certain areas around Ramnagar have organised themselves and have been carrying out raids at joints where alcohol is being served or sold illegally. They are mainly active around the Maldhanchaur area. The women raided several joints illegally selling liquor and “confiscated” a large amount of alcohol only to later hand it over to the police. The drive being carried out under the banner of the Mahila Jagriti Sangathan has sent terror waves across those involved in the illegal sale of liquor. They started with confronting people over the sale and purchase of liquor at public places. They even had a verbal spat and resorted to some pushing and shoving of two people involved in the sale. Seeing that they did not stand a chance against the women, the two persons involved in the sale of liquor fled from the spot. At certain places the women even destroyed the liquor which according to them had been distilled illegally. Reports say that they “confiscated” 120 pouches of country liquor which they handed to the local plice. The women claim that alcohol has proved to be poison for the youth of the area. Instead of doing anything productive, the youth, including the unemployed men, often resort to consuming alcohol and gradually become addicts. They also create problems for their families that are already hard-pressed for money for their survival. The agitating woman have made it clear that their drive would continue in the days to come. They have stated that they would be convening a meeting soon to chalk out a strategy to further intensify the drive in view of Diwali approaching. |
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Governor releases 2 books
Dehradun, October 19 Dr Renu Pant's Hindi poetry collection "Phir Pankh Lage Pahaad Ko" and Dr Venu Sanon's anthology titled "Realization" were launched by the Governor at Raj Bhavan this evening at a ceremony. "A woman's life is difficult, whether she is educated or not, well-to-do or not, highly placed or not," she said, adding that Dr Pant had depicted the struggles of women living in the hills in her poems. About Dr Sanon's poetry, the Governor said the poetess’ quest for inner peace and happiness had led her to explore the various facets of nature and divinity sensitively, giving an expression to her compassionate thoughts. Prof Girijesh Pant, Vice-Chancellor of Doon University, who was a special guest, said he had been extremely impressed by both books .He said Dr Pant's poem on the death of Tehri town was very moving and spoke about the pain of an entire town vanishing under water. Dr Budhinath Mishra, the well-known Hindi poet, also a special guest, said he had been associated with Dr Pant's work since its inception and had seen it shape into a beautiful book. |
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Santosh is UWA president
Dehradun, October 19 Election officers Manushi Deb and Saroj Uniyal conducted the elections. At the first meeting of the executive body, Manushi Deb, Saroj Oniyal, Dr Daljeet Kaur and Shveta Rai Talwar were given different responsibilities in the association pertaining to publicity. The UWA (Dehradun) is a registered body, which came into existence in 1962 and has been carrying out many successful activities pertaining to the theme “Enrich, Enlighten and Empower women” since then. It has been giving scholarships to needy and meritorious girl students and research scholars at the graduate and postgraduate levels. The dedication of the outgoing team made it possible for the UWA to launch two new scholarships for women students in different categories in the memory of Late Leela Biswas (founder president) and Sushila Dhobhal (chairperson), who were the guiding lights of the association.
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SGRR beat KV Club 25-21
Dehradun, October 19 Sohan scored seven goals and Suraj struck six goals to lead his team to a win while KV’s Sanjay Thapa scored five, Dilbar four, Amit five and Sachin four to chip in for their side that ultimately went down fighting. In the sub-junior girls’ section, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Hathibarkala number 1 edged past MKP 6-5. Urmila and Kanchan scored three and two goals, respectively, for MKP. Ruchi with three goals topscored for opponent team. In another junior boys’ match, Laxman Vidyalaya Inter-College beat SGRR, Patel Nagar 8-3. Furkan and Shubham struck four goals each to play a major role in the win of Laxman inter-college. |
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since Independence, the water flow of the Ganga canal, popularly known as Gang Nahar, has not been fully stopped as the Uttar Pradesh Government has denied permission in this regard this time.
In order to create awareness among the rural people, particularly the women folk, a hi-tech theatrical presentation of “Jamunia”, the story of a rural woman, is being held at Jawaharlal Nehru Youth Centre.
