Swami Shivanand ends 11-day fast
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 6
Exactly after 11 days of his indefinite fast against large-scale quarrying on the Ganga river bed in Haridwar, Matra Sadan ashram founder Swami Shivanand ended his agitation after getting a copy of the government notification from the administration banning quarrying on the Ganga river beds at Bishanpur Kundi and Bhogpur till a final report is submitted by the Central Environment Impact Assessment Committee.

At 11 am this morning, Swami Shivanand drank juice in the presence of Dayanand Maharaj of Adi Kalipeeth and Jagadguru Swaroopanand ashram’s Brahamchari Divyanand and several other activists of the Save-Ganga campaign.

Late last night Haridwar District Magistrate D Senthyl Pendiyan had visited Matra Sadan and submitted to Swami Shivanand a letter signed by Chief Secretary, Industrial Development, Rakesh Sharma. The letter states that the quarrying has been completely prohibited in the two specified ghats of Bishanpur Kundi and Bhogpur until the central environment committee evaluates all the aspects and presents its final evaluation report. By taking this step on one hand the state government has appeased Swami Shivanand while on the other it has put the ball in the Central Government’s court.

Revenue Minister Diwakar Bhatt has expressed apprehension that till the Central committee submits its report, thousands of people involved in quarrying will be affected.

Swami Nigmanand, a disciple of Swami Shivanand, had observed fast for 68 days continuously and was forcibly admitted to a hospital by the adiministration. In the hospital too he continued his agitation and died after 109 days of agitation.

VHP opposes job quota for Muslims
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 6
Vishwa Hindu Parishad international general secretary Praveen Bhai Togadia has opposed the reservation for Muslims in the government jobs with the Other Backward Castes quota.

Addressing a press conference in Dehradun, Togadai said the Constitution does not allow reservation in government jobs on religious grounds. He said the Backward Caste Muslims were already getting reservation under the OBC category and thus there was no justification in providing separate 6 per cent quota within the 27 per cent quota meant for Other Backward Castes.

He said the VHP would not allow Muslims to take away jobs of the OBC peoples in the country. Togadia said VHP workers were ready to stage an agitation if the Congress-led Centre went ahead with its Muslim reservation agenda.

He pointed out that Hindu seers and saints would be meeting in Rishikesh shortly to chart out an action plan in wake of efforts by the Congress to ensure reservation of Muslims in government jobs. He said the VHP would be opposing such a move tooth and nail.

Togadia also raked up the issue of the Scheduled Tribe reservation being provided to Christians. He said the VHP also opposed Christians taking benefit from the Scheduled Tribes’ reservation provided to Hindu tribals by the Constitution.

Responding to a query, he also described December 6 as a victory day for Hindus for bringing down the Babri mosque. Senior VHP functionaries from Uttarakhand were also present. 

Cong cell trains guns on BJP over FDI in retail
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 6
The executive committee of the intellectual cell of the Uttarakhand Congress at its meeting held here today condemned Opposition parties for opposing FDI in retail. The intellectual cell felt that the initiative would benefit the common people.

It also condemned the opposition BJP for opposing any progressive move by the Central Government for the welfare of the people and the country.

“Whether it was the abolition of the privy purses, nationalisation of banks, finalising nuclear deals, introduction of IT revolution by the late Rajiv Gandhi, or developmental economic policies initiated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the BJP has always opposed those very steps of the Congress which have actually led to the immense advancement of the country,” said DS Mann, president of the cell.

The committee members felt that creating unnecessary controversy and misleading citizens of the country for political mileage had been a clever strategy adopted by the BJP time and again.

The members also highlighted the fact that during the BJP’s six-year rule in the state, the party had changed their Chief Minister five times which was against a strong, successful and stable Congress government for five-year led by veteran ND Tiwari.

The meeting also strongly condemned the extremely pathetic and pitiable condition of the roads of Dehradun, which is the capital of Uttarakhand. Furthermore, the committee greatly disapproved the appalling and unpleasant incident of bulldozing the houses of the poor at Brahamanwala.

“It shows the unsympathetic attitude of the ruling BJP towards poor and underprivileged population of the nation as no provisions for rehabilitation of the residents of Brahamwala were made to prevent them from becoming homeless,” said Mann.

The cell also urged the Congress high command to declare the party ticket for the contestants of the Uttarakhand legislative assembly as soon as possible so that the party candidates could reach out to the voters of their respective constituencies.

The meeting was attended by Dr Anju Bali, Anil Jaggi, Dr A A Baurai, Som Prakash Sharma, Rakesh Bhandari, Sudha Patwal, Satwant Singh, Dr S. K Govil, PC Sharma amongst others.

BJP manifesto to focus on corruption, inflation
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 6
For the past two Assembly elections, the BJP has taken the lead in declaring the party manifesto, ahead of the Congress, and it is expected to repeat this even for the 2012 Assembly elections.

The BJP is already in the process of fine-tuning the party manifesto and has started the process of incorporating suggestions by party workers, the party office-bearers say the manifesto will focus on the BJP’s pet themes of anti-graft, good governance and reining in prices.

“We will be able to release the manifesto as soon as the model code of conduct is in place, our work is in the final stages. We are also optimistic that the Lokayukta Bill presented by the BJP to curb corruption and the Right to Service Act will be able to address the issues of graft quite convincingly,” said Bachi Singh Rawat, chairman of the election manifesto committee.

However, among the promises made by the BJP in its 2007 manifesto, many remain unfulfilled. When it came to power after the 2007 Assembly elections, the BJP government had promised to improve the fiscal health of the state through deft financial management.

But almost nearing the end of its tenure, the Khanduri government is planning to apply for loan from the market for which it has already sought permission from the Central Government.

“With expenditure exceeding earnings and salaries of the employees eating most of the budget, the fiscal health of the state is poor. The recent sops announced by the government in order to gain politically in the Assembly elections too are responsible for the budget going haywire,” said a senior official in the Finance Department.

Similarly, as promised in its manifesto, the party also failed to exploit the hydro power potential of the state and was dogged by one controversy after another. 

Thousands hold protest against ban on quarrying
Protesters gherao DM’s office
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 6
Thousands of people in Haridwar district expressed resentment over the state government’s decision to ban quarrying by staging a protest at the District Magistrate’s office.

Prior to the gherao of the DM office, a huge procession of vehicles in favour of quarrying started from Jagjeetpur village where the Matra Sadan ashram is situated.

More than 150 tractor trailers participated in the procession which rallied through the inner city colonies of Kankhal, Ranipur, Bhagat Singh and BHEL.

Villagers involved with quarrying business from Jagjeetpur, Bishanpur Tanda, Kundi, Laksar, Shahpur, Missirpur, Katarpur, Panjanhedi, Jeopata and nearby river bed villages participated in the protest, raising slogans against the BJP government, the administration and the Matra Sadan.

Submitting a memorandum, the pro-quarrying agitators said the ban on quarrying in the region will pose a threat to their families as this was the only major source of livelihood for them.

The protesters also said they fully supported prohibition on illegal quarrying and express full cooperation with the administration to make sure only legal quarrying was allowed in the region.

“We will also adhere to the norms and procedures as specified in the state quarrying policy. Special precautions will adhered to to make sure the Ganga bed ecology doesn’t get affected due to quarrying but for that the administration should invite us to table,” said Bhogpur village head Jag Pal Singh, a representative of the protesters.

“Even our trailers are funded by banks. From where will we pay the installments and feed our families? The government should provide us alternative livelihood resources and then should have taken such a step,”said Mukharram Ansari a tractor trailer operator.

SSP Pushkar Sailal said that no one will be allowed to operate quarrying in the region and a police vigil has been upped in the quarrying zone.

Top politicians eyeing Doiwala
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 6
Suddenly the nondescript town of Doiwala on the outskirts of Dehradun has come into prominence with the talk of Chief Minister BC Khanduri, former CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat trying their luck from this constituency.

Though BJP leaders say Khanduri, in all probability, would pick between Kotdwar and Srinagar, his name has also begun figuring among the likely candidates from the Doiwala seat.

After the delimitation, Nishank’s constituency, Thalesein, from where he is a sitting MLA has merged with Landsdowne. He is on look out for a new seat and has been visiting Doiwala quite regularly.

In fact, he had begun wooing people of Doiwala during his tenure as the Chief Minister. The other seat he is eyeing is the Yamunotri constituency.

Since the BJP has all along taken credit for the creation of the new state, it would not like to see two of its leaders, though hailing from the hills, now migrating to the plain areas. “If Khanduri stands from Srinagar, it is bound to have a positive impact on the adjoining constituencies. But even if he decides to stand from Kotdwar, it will make sense. Though a plain area, the constituency is part of Pauri district that falls in the hilly terrain. His act will not be viewed as migration from the hilly terrain,” claimed a party source.

After the delimitation, Khanduri’s Dhumakot Assembly seat has also been incorporated in the Landsdowne Assembly seat.

Interestingly, the Doiwala seat is also being coveted by Leader of the Opposition Harak Singh Rawat. He intends to migrate to the plain area. Though he had started his political career from the hills, the reorganisation of the Landsdowne Assembly seat, from where he is the sitting MLA, has upset his plans. 

Dissolve medicine board: Tyagi

Dehradun, December 6
Dr Ved Prakash Tyagi, vice-president (Ayurvedic Committee), Central Council of Indian Medicine, today accused members of the State Board of Indian Medicine of passing a resolution (on November 26, this year) aimed at cancelling his registration and called for the board’s immediate dissolution.

He said the members of the board had been unfairly targeting him after he became the chairman of the (Ayurvedic Committee) Central Council of Indian Medicine.

At a press conference today, Dr Tyagi said despite the High Court orders, the Board of Indian Medicines (Uttarakhand) passed a proposal for cancellation of his registration soon after he announced his candidature. “Initially a show-cause notice was issued to me on frivolous grounds challenging my membership that I was not a permanent resident of Uttarakhand and, therefore, could not register here. After I threatened to go on a hunger strike, the board took the matter of resolution passed against me to the government. I have threatened to go on a hunger strike again from tomorrow, if the government does not initiate an inquiry into the conduct of the board and pass orders for its dissolution,” he said. — TNS 

66 units of blood donated at camp
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 6
Uttarakhand State AIDS Control Society, the National Service Scheme, Dehradun, and Dolphin (PG) Institute of Biomedical and Natural Sciences jointly organised a blood donation camp in Dehradun today. A total of 66 units of blood were collected at the camp.

Uttarakhand State Aids Control Society’s president Parvati Pandey said the patients of hemophilia and thalassemia needed large amounts of blood for transfusion and, thus, requirement of blood was all growing. She said while the country needed 10 lakh units of blood every year, there was regular shortage of blood in the blood banks of the country due to lack of awareness towards importance of donation.

Director of Dolphin (PG) Institute of Biomedical and Natural Sciences Arvind Gupta, who himself donated blood at the camp, said there was no substitute to human blood and called upon the students to take part in the camp in a big way. 

New power project for Munsiyari areas
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, December 6
In a move to deal with the shortage of electricity in a border town of Munsiyari, the Uttarakhand Laghu Jal Vidyut Nigam will construct a new project using the perennial flow of the Surin river in the area as the old project on the river has gone out of production.

The nigam will construct a 5 MW new hydroelectric project by 2013 as the 30-year-old existing scheme of the same capacity has gone out of production.

“We have received a sum of Rs 35.58 crore for the project which will feed the people of not only Munsiyari but of the Berinag and Thal areas as electricity need of the Munsiyari area is only 1MW,” said GS Budiyal, executive engineer of the nigam.

According to the officials, the phase two schemes will be located near Dhapa village on the roadside on the Munsiyari road to avoid any difficulty in dumping material for the project.

“Two turbines of 2.5 megawatt capacity each will be installed in this project for which the tenders have been invited and land has been selected,” said GS Budiyal.

“Besides this project, the department has also proposed a new scheme of 9 megawatt at Painagar in Munsiyari after the construction of which the power shortage in all border villages and near by towns will be taken care off. We have called the experts from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, in this connection after the preliminary investigations. The permission and the budget for construction of scheme will be sought from the government,” said Budiyal. 

Turn mined areas into green belts: Expert
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 6
The Forest Research Institute’s head of the silviculture division, Dr VRR Singh, said while mining of minerals had much importance for the development, rehabilitation of the mined areas was also equally important from the environment point of view.

Inaugurating a one-week short-term training programme on “Ecological restoration of mined lands” being held at the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, Dr Singh cited an example of a hill resort of Mussoorie where the mined areas were left abandoned after limestone quarrying but were subsequently turned into green cover after the intervention of the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, and the Eco Task Force.

Dr Singh also necessitated the proper restoration of silt generated during the construction of hydro projects in the mountain areas so as to check the silt from going into rivers as well as reservoirs.

“It is an urgent need to find out the solution and sustainable management of these lands and ecological restoration is most important to achieve the goal”, he said.

Earlier, FRI head of ecology and environment division Dr Laxmi Rawat welcomed chief guest Dr VRR Singh and the participants. Course director Dr H B Vasistha, gave the overview of course content.

He said the main objective of this training programme was to develop awareness among the participants about the scientific management of the mined-out areas and also to abreast them about the measures taken in restoration of various mined areas, including the coal mined areas in the country.

Eleven participants from Northern Coalfields Limited (A subsidiary of Coal India Ltd.) are participating in the training programme. Nirmal Ram, scientist, ecology and environment division, accorded the vote of thanks.  

BJP against panchayati raj, alleges sangathan
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 6
The Pradhan Sangathan of Uttarakhand has accused the state BJP Government of being against the Panchayati Raj and announced working against the party in the coming Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference here today, Surat Singh Negi, President Pradhan Sangathan, accused the state government of being least interested in the empowerment of panchayats in the state. He said pradhans had been for long demanding implementation of the Uttarakhand Panchayati Raj Act but the state government had so far not responded to the demand. “The gram pradhans have also been demanding appointment of the Gram Panchayati Raj Vikas Adhikari at every gram panchayat. Apart from it, they have also demanded ensuring presence of gram pradhans in the District Planning Committees,” Negi said accusing the state BJP government of completing sidelining the gram pradhans.

He disclosed that the sangathan would be shortly handing over the Panchayati Raj Draft Plan prepared by them in consultation with the experts to all political parties. “We would support only that political party in the elections, which promises implementation of the Panchayati Raj Act in its election manifesto on assuming the power.

State general secretary of the sangathan Sanjay Pokhriyal and spokesperson Molchandra Shirshwal were also present at the press conference.