Women dispute minister’s claims on development
Tribune News Service

Nainital, November 12
A large number of women residents from the Bhimtal, Bhawali and Ramgarh areas of Nainital district have disputed the claims made by Cabinet minister Gobind Singh Bisht with regards to the development of the area.

The residents of these areas have contested the claims saying that what the minister or the government has been claiming is far from reality.

Bisht is expected to contest the coming Assembly polls from the Bhimtal seat. During his visit to Nainital a couple of days ago he had said: “I would contest from whichever seat my party asks me to. But Bhimtal is the closest”. He also claimed that there was no other serious contender for the party ticket from this seat.

Speaking at an interaction with the media persons, he had made tall claims with regards to the developmental activities in the region of Ramgarh, Okhalkanda, Dhari and Bhimtal that form his present constituency. He had claimed that he has got new roads made, hospital buildings built and upgraded, started new colleges besides several other works.

A group of women from the area who were in Nainital on Friday said: “We agree that buildings have come up. But the fact of the matter is that there are hospitals and health centres without doctors or paramedical staff. There are schools where teachers simply do not go. There are tanks with no guarantee of a regular supply of water. Do you call this development?”

The women pointed out that there are no test facilities at the health centres and the people have no option but to go to the private hospitals in Haldwani. They complained that in villages like Sunderkhali, Jaakh, Tada and Hadiya the teachers have not been turning up for duty. “There are occasions when senior students can be seen teaching the junior classes. They even pointed out that even in Nathuvakhan the teachers simply do not want to work for full time.

“There is no reddress of the grievances at the official level. There are cosmetic episodes of phone calls, orders and strict instructions but very soon the things are back to square one,” said a woman from the Bhimtal area.

The women even disputed the claims of the minister on the health front saying that if asked to evaluate they would not even give 30 per cent to the government with regards to its performance in the primary health care sector. They said apart from the Pulse Polio drive, there doesn’t seem to be much seriousness. 

Creation of new dists hits roadblock
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 12
It seems the August 15 announcement about new districts by the then CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank would remain on paper only. Though the state Cabinet today gave approval to the creation of the proposed districts, it said the Election Commission orders were coming in the way of appointment of new DMs. At a press conference held soon after the Cabinet meeting today, Chief Secretary Subash Kumar said the Cabinet has cleared the proposal for the creation of the four districts of Didihaat, Kotdwar, Yamunotri and Raniketh, but in keeping with the orders issued by the Election Commission, the DMs and other officials cannot be appointed.

The state would go to the poll early next year. He also announced the new Integrated Housing Construction and Development Bylaws 2011 establishing different norms for the hilly and plain areas of the state ensuring full compliance of the National Building Codes. “According to the new bylaws, in the Yamunotri and Gangotri areas of the state the maximum height of the building to be maintained during construction has been raised from 6.5 metres to 8.5 metres. In all the group housing schemes 10 per cent of the houses will be set aside for economically weaker sections and 15 per cent for the low income groups.

These houses will have to be compulsorily transferred to the state’s Avas Evam Vikas Parishad,” said Kumar. To prevent fleecing by parties the government has also made a provision for a complete ban on advertisement by those coming up with habitat schemes and the payment of back guarantee has been made mandatory. For the purpose of safety the government has instructed compulsory construction of boundary around mobile phone service towers. The government has also raised the honorarium for Kargil war widow from Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 and for the dependant (either mother or father of the martyr) from Rs 2, 500 to Rs 7,000. 

No let-up in Pithoragarh water crisis
Tribune News Service

Nainital, November 12
There is no sign of a let-up in the water crisis being experienced by the residents of Haldwani. To make matters worse, the patience of the people seems to be running out in the face of official assurances.

The office of Jal Sansthan in the town was a theatre of a massive protest by the women residents of various localities who are worst affected by the water shortage. Most of these residents were from the Damuvadunga area. The residents of the Bhagwanpur and Ambica Vihar areas are also reeling under a water supply crisis.

The residents of the town are particularly agitated over the inordinate delays in repairing the tube wells whose motors get burnt at regular intervals. In addition to this, with the water levels of rivers falling, the villages located at the tail-end of supply schemes have not been getting water for several days. The worst affected areas in this category are Charayal and Nayabad. Even areas like Dahariya and CMT Colony are facing an acute water shortage.

To make matters worse, several pipes supplying water were devastated during an anti-encroachment drive carried out in the south of Mukhani and Kriyashala areas.

Although these pipes have been rejoined, the water supply pressure is simply not enough to reach out to the entire population.

People in the town have started raising eyebrows over the frequent burning down of tube well motors. They pointed out that there were several tube wells that got burnt three times in a month.

They demanded that the entire episode of the frequent burnings and repairs be probed by the government to ensure that there were no scams in the exercise. Reports said there were no less than 40 tube wells in the town and the incidence of burning of motors is not less than 50. It takes Rs 1.5 lakh to repair a tube well.

Officials on the other hand said they were helpless as frequent voltage fluctuations cause the damage to the motors. They claimed that arrangements were being made in the areas where the tube wells were under repair.

New mining policy gets approval

Dehradun, November 12
The state Cabinet today cleared the new mining/quarrying policy 2011 aimed at fully utilising the mining potential of the state. According to the policy, the government will now invite bids for the disposal of underutilised river bed mining areas allocated to the GMVN, the KMVN and the Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation (UFDC).

Principal Secretary (Industries) Rakesh Sharma said the government would invite bids for areas on which the three corporations were unable to undertake quarrying. “We will be able to earn revenue and also cover 40,000 hectares of area that remained underutilised. We have also banned subletting by the three mining agencies of the government,” said Sharma. The new policy has also made it compulsory that the first right of quarrying on up to 5 hectares of land would be given to its owner and no individual would be given quarrying right for two areas.

For the protection of the environment, the government has banned mining/quarrying on 15 meters areas from both banks of a river. The government also announced the setting up a corpus fund of Rs 1 crore, “Khanan Vikas Nidhi”.— TNS 

Nod to amended hill industrial policy

Dehradun, November 12
To boost industrial activity in the hills, the Uttarakhand Cabinet today gave its nod to the new amended hill industrial policy (2008). The policy is expected to boost manufacturing activities in the hilly areas of the state. Under this, the government has raised the ceiling on subsidy to the maximum Rs 60 lakh for setting up manufacturing units and enhancing the benefit period beyond 2018 to 2025.

At a press conference today, Chief Secretary Subash Kumar said the amended policy was brought to arrest the shortcomings in the Hill Industrial Policy (2008), which was not able to deliver the desired results. “The policy was introduced in 2008 for a period of 10 years. Now the benefits under the policy will be available till 2025, in case the units start production by 2015. The industries going for sizeable expansion either by investing 25 per cent of the total investment or increasing the production output by more than 25 per cent will also be entitled for all the benefits. A slew of benefits are being extended under the policy, including transport subsidy and price purchase preference,” said Kumar.

The government has also increased the new amendments, bringing the Sahaspur and Raipur areas of Dehradun district and the Haldwani and Ramnagar areas of Nainital district in the hill category.

Besides, under the amended industrial policy, the government has also decided to set up 11 industrial units (government and private) in the hilly areas of the state on the lines of Pantnagar. The government has also hiked the price preference from 10 per cent to 20 per cent in case the government purchases products from small and medium-scale industries. 

Surge in jumbo movement on Haridwar outskirts
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, November 12
With the advent of the winter season, a surge in the movement of elephants has been witnessed, particularly on the outskirts of the city area, adjacent to the Rajaji National Park and the Haridwar forest division.

After numerous incidents of jumbos being seen near the residential colonies coming to light, people are refraining from moving out of their houses in the evening.

Elephants have even damaged the crops and also intimidated the local people and forest employees who tried to scare them away.

From BHEL-situated Pollution Control Research Institute, an incident of jumbo intrusion near the building of the institute has come up.

As per the information provided by institute guards, elephants entered from the backside of the building from where the dense forest terrain starts. The jumbos didn’t even move when forest employees fired in the air. They instead intimidated the officials.

The jumbos reportedly went back but not before instilling fear among the local BHEL residents.

Tibdi forest range park official MS Negi said they were keeping a close vigil in the vulnerable elephant- prone area and night patrolling was also being done. He further added that anyone who notices jumbo movement should immediately inform the range officials.

Similarly, four elephants were seen in the BHEL stadium premise, coming from the nearby Rajaji National Park forest terrain. Seeing the herd, players informed the forest employees. Meanwhile, the jumbos interrupted the traffic on this route by standing there.

“Two days back, I was attending a marriage function at Ladies International BHEL club when four elephants came in front of my car. As it was the night time, I reverted back and took a long route. Its quite unsafe to venture out in the night in the BHEL-Tibdi area,” said Inder Mohan Barthwal, a BHEL official.

CPI (ML) calls for front against BJP, Cong
Rajeev Khanna/TNS

Nainital, November 12
Getting into the poll mode, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) has given a call for having a Left opposition in the state.

In a statement made at a two-day state meeting of CPI(ML) activists, the party’s state in charge Raja Bahuguna has said the CPI(ML) is willing to hold talks with other Communist parties and like-minded forces provided they are against the policies of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress and do not see any scope for compromise with these two parties. Bahuguna has also underlined that such a proposed front must have a common approach to the basic issues concerning the state. The meeting saw deliberations within the party cadres with regards to the coming Assembly poll.

A committee has been formed for bringing out a manifesto. The committee comprises Purshottam Sharma, Indresh Maikhuri and Jagat Martoliya.

The CPI (ML) activists will be protesting against the arrival of the Rath Yatra being taken out by the senior BJP leader LK Advani. The party workers will greet Advani’s rath with black flags when it arrives in Haldwani in the middle of this month.

On November 27, the party will be organising an anti- communalism convention in Rudrapur and a two-day convention on the issues concerning the farmers will be held in New Delhi from November 30. At the meeting that concluded in Haldwani on Monday, the CPI (ML) leadership came down heavily on the policies of the BJP and the Congress during the last 11 years since the state came into being. The two parties have been charged with practising the politics of loot and indulging in a blame game against each other while accusing the other of scams and scandals. The party leadership has also hit out at Chief Minister Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri for going soft and offering an escape route to bureaucrats, legislators and Chief Minister in the Lokpal Act enacted recently. It has also demanded an end to the use of agricultural land for non-agricultural activities.

Doctors’ team visits remotest Namik village
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, November 12
For the first time after the creation of Uttarakhand, a team of doctors, on the instructions of the Pithoragarh District Magistrate, has reached the remotest village of Namik for a general check-up of villagers.

Dr SC Pant, Chief Medical Officer, Pithoragarh, said: “The team from the Munsiyari community health centre, led by Dr SS Dugtal, has reached the village after covering a 22 km steep track route to the village from the main road.”

The Pithoragarh District Magistrate, during his visit to the village on October 24 that proved to be the first-ever visit of a District Magistrate after the creation of the district in 1960, had given an assurance to the villagers that he would soon send a team of doctors to the village.

“More than 125 villagers were medically examined and 50 children vaccinated against different diseases,” said the CMO.

According to the team members, most of the villagers were found suffering from fever, cough, asthma and diseases caused by malnutrition and a lack of sanitation. “Nine seriously ill patients have been referred to the District Hospital, Pithoragarh,” said Dr Dugtal.

The District Magistrate said an ANM centre would be opened in the village soon.

Villagers said they were happy as the District Magistrate had kept his promise of doing the needful for the village.

“It is an indication that the hitherto neglected village will now get its due of basic facilities,” said Tulsi Devi, the gram pradhan of the village. 

Experts: Immense opportunities in jute sector
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, November 12
A workshop was organised by the Khadi and Gram Udyog Board, Uttarakhand, here today. The experts said jute industry had immense opportunities of employment generation and profit.

The workshop was organised with a view to generating awareness on taking on jute as an employment avenue and the support the government is providing in establishing the jute-related infrastructure.

Apart from this, National Jute Board officials also apprised the people of various initiatives and help the board provides in this regard.

Chief guest on the occasion additional working officer of the board Arvind Kumar Khanduri said by taking training at various programmes run by the board, one could start his business in a short span of time.

Informing the TNS about the drive, Jute Service Centre in charge Anil Chandola said as a part of the programme, more than 150 persons had been employment in Rishikesh and after the workshop, many would be provided with the employment opportunities in Haridwar also.

From today onwards, a free training programme has been started at Khadkhadi by the Jute Board where people will be given training of jute related work. “We assure full help to anyone who is willing to start jute-related business,” said BD Dobhal, an official of jute centre. People from Ranipur, Jwalapur, Lakshar, Kankhal, Jagjeetpur and Haridwar have been enrolled in the training programme.

2 UKD leaders held for self-immolation threat
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, November 12
The police yesterday arrested two UKD leaders from their homes after they had threatened to immolate themselves in protest against non-notification of the proposed Didihat district. Later, after an assurance from BJP state chief Bishen Singh Chufal, who is also a local MLA. Both the leaders were released on furnishing personal bonds of Rs 20,000 each. “The two leaders, Jodh Singh Bora and Govind Singh Bora, were picked up by the police early in the morning from their respective houses yesterday, as they had set a date for self-immolation,” said Pithoragarh SP NA Bharane.

According to the police, both the leaders were presented before the court of Sub-divisional Magistrate BL Rana where they were asked to withdraw their decision on self-immolation. “The protesters were charged under the Violation of Peace Act. They were released later in the evening after they assured the police that they will not resort to their decision of self-immolation,” said Rana.

Jodh Singh Bora had started a relay fast a week ago in protest against the non-notification of Didihat district. But when the government did not take his protest seriously, he threatened to immolate himself if the notification was not issued on the announced day.

On an earlier assurance by Chufal, we had waited for the notification till November 9, the statehood day. When no notification was made even on that day, we decided to go for self-immolation in order to inspire the youth of the subdivision to come up against the BJP, said Jodh Singh Bora after his release. 

Discussion on women’s issues

Dehradun, November 12
On the second day of a cultural fair, Kothgi, a discussion was held on women issues and the role being played by them in local agitations.

Geeta Gairola, a social activist, said: “The government has failed to prepare a separate policy for women that would have improved the condition of women living in the rural areas,” said Gairola. Later, Director (Culture) Beena Bhatt opened the Garhwali film festival where two popular films, “Ghar Jawain” and “Ikulas” were screened. — TNS