Workshop on New Industrial Promotion Policy
Chief Minister woos industrialists
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 11
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri inaugurating a workshop on New Industrial Promotion Policy 2011 for the hill areas at Bhimtal in Nainital district today said the setting up of industries in the hills would not only help provide employment to the youth but also curb the tendency of out-migration from the hills and remote areas of the state.

Addressing the industrialists, he said without any undue interference of nature and its surroundings, the state had to utilise the natural resources in a planned manner. He said it was only through respecting nature that the state could take the fullest advantage of the precious legacy that it had bestowed on the state.

Khanduri said the industrialists could establish units in the state which, besides being the harbinger of prosperity, could also give a rise to employment opportunities. He said the state government was prepared to extend all possible assistance to the industrialists in this endeavour.

On the occasion, he said the New Industrial Promotion Policy 2011 for setting up industries in the hill areas would prove to be beneficial for the industrialists. In fact, the industrialists had been demanding such a policy since long, he said. He also emphasised on the need for establishing better coordination between industrial units and the departments.

“This will help create a favourable environment for establishment of small and medium units in the hill and remote areas, and will also encourage industrialists to set up their units there,” he said .

Earlier, the Chief Minister lit a ceremonial lamp to inaugurate the workshop.

On the occasion, Deputy Chairman of the State-Level Industry Committee Anil Goyal explained the benefits under the provisions of the present amended industrial policy. Stating that the policy besides strengthening the economic situation of the hill areas would also generate employment opportunities for the people, he said the government was committed to establishment of industries in the hills.

Among those who also addressed the workshop include Chairman of the Kumaon Garhwal Chamber of Commerce (KGCC) Darbara Singh and Secretary of the Himalayan Chambers of Commerce Ramesh Binjola. Rakesh Sharma, Secretary, Industries, said all industrial estates under the control of the UP State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC) had now been transferred to SIDCUL and these would now be developed by it.

BJP’s nukkad sabhas a hit in Haridwar
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 11
With the Assembly elections nearing in the state, the political activities by parties are on the rise.

To attract voters, political parties are resorting to various means to make sure that both party workers and public presence make there programmes successful.

Keeping this aspect in mind, the Bharatiya Janta Party district unit has started holding ‘Nukkad sabhas’ (street gatherings) to convey its agenda and criticism of rival parties.

This is also being viewed as in the past few days, large gatherings, including veteran former party national chief Lal Krishan Advani’s Jan Chetna rally, have been witnessing an average crowd.

By holding ‘Nukkad sabhas’, while on the one hand, it’s easy to communicate to the voters in the respective colonies, but also ensures that the small space gets easily filled giving the impression of a successful gathering.

Inaugurating one such ‘Nukkad sabha’ here at the Arya Nagar intersection, state Cabinet Minister Madan Kaushik termed it a door-to-door campaign which made interaction between party leaders and public easier.

“Street election gatherings are an effective way to meet the voters, know their problems and make us get more closer and accessible to them. So while we get to know of public woes easily, our party’s political agenda is also conveyed easily to them” said Kaushik who is a Haridwar legislator.

Accepting that the street gathering strategy was working, chief coordinator of the ‘Nukkad sabha’ Vikas Tiwari said that full-packed street meetings had given a fillip to their initial election campaign.

“When people see Cabinet Minister Kaushik or party workers see state party chief Bishan Singh Chufal, they not only talk to them but also feel more close to the BJP. Indirectly, we convey them our party’s policy and apprise them of the failures of the Congress and other rival parties,” said Tiwari.

Though the Congress has termed this ‘Nukkad sabha’ experiment of the BJP ‘nautanki’, spokesperson of the city Congress Manoj Khanna remarked that when even Advani couldn’t draw crowd, then how could the BJP’s state and district leader had the courage to hold mega gatherings and thus ‘Nukkad sabha’ was the only option for them.

BJP to focus on hill areas after winning poll
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, December 11
Ruling BJP leaders today declared that the party would be coming back to power again in Uttarakhand with a clear majority.

After coming to power, the party would focus on the development of the hilly areas to check migration from there. “We are committed to checking the migration by opening cluster of industrials units in the hill areas so that the villagers could get jobs near their village,” said Uttarakhand Chief Minister Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri addressing a party rally in Almora today.

The rally held against the alleged corrupt practices of the Central Government and its inability to check the rising prices was organised at the Lower Mall ground of Almora and was addressed by a

score of BJP leaders, including Thawar Chand Gahlot, general secretary and in charge of the party, and former Chief Ministers Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Bhagat Singh Koshiyari.

Addressing a sizeable gathering, Rajya Sabha member and former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari said the country was not safe in the hands of the Congress which was selling out the country to the foreigners by inviting them in the enterprises which had been dominated by the Indians till now. “By inviting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the retail sector, the Congress has cleared its intention that it only prefers the foreigners whether it is leadership or enterprises,” said Bhagat Singh.

BJP state in charge Thawar Chand Gehlot said on the occasion that if the party came to power in all the states where the elections

would be held in coming months, it would start working towards publishing the list of those who have their black money in foreign bank accounts.

Former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank detailed his achievement on the development front during his regime.

He claimed that the state could start the 108 emergency medical service that helped the poor people but also gave examples of the best administration before the nation in

managing the Kumbh mela where every section of devotee had expressed satisfaction.

“The BJP is only party which always cares for the deprived sections of society,” said Nishank.

BJP leaders Dhremndra Pradhan, Ajay Bhatt and state party chief Bishen Singh Chufal also addressed the rally.

Nainital Diary
More aspirants for CM’s post in BJP, Congress

As the state Assembly elections approach, the main parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), are sure to face a lot of problems when it comes to the distribution of party ticket for contesting the poll.

It is a well-known fact that is even accepted by leaders of the two parties that there is heavy infighting within the rank and file.

It is also evident that there is no way that the party leaderships can make every aspirant happy by giving party tickets to every one of them.

Another highly probable phenomenon is going to be the disillusioned rebel leaders standing as independents or other party may give them a ticket.

Even if they do not contest they are sure to cause major damages to their parent party by working against the official candidate. It is this phenomenon which is becoming dilemma for both parties at this point of time.

Talking about the Congress, the party has always been known for its infighting. At present, there are no less than five aspirants for the post of Chief Minister and logically there are equal number of factions at work.

The BJP too is no different. There is massive infighting on the issue of whose group will get majority of the tickets. There are several groups at work there also.

There is a faction that owes allegiance to former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, there is another that is loyal to present Chief Minister Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri. Somewhere in between is Khanduri’s predecessor Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank who too will have to be appeased by the party.

BJP sources say that Nishank has been in a sulking mode ever since he was removed as the Chief Minister.

It can be predicted that the central leaderships of both parties would have to do a tight rope walk in the days to come.

With Nishank having been consigned to a corner within his own party, the programmes and publicity drives started by him with an obsession too took a back seat. Officials particularly point out to the Atal Chaupal programmes that had been started with much fanfare across the state.

Officials point out that with Khanduri back in the saddle, the programme continues but the whole exercise of chairmen and presidents of boards and corporations attending these chaupals is over.

Even otherwise, these chairmen and presidents had been using these chaupals as a platform to promote themselves. This correspondent had attended some of the chaupals and seen for himself that almost 80 per cent of the time was being spent by these functionaries on either eulogising the Nishank government or giving long and boring speeches. The people were given very little time to raise their issues and even the issues that were raised were being dealt with in a cosmetic manner. During Nishank’s regime, a large number of officials too had never been serious enough to attend the chaupals.

A question that is once again raising its head is what happens to the tonnes of publicity material that the Nishank government had got printed to publicise itself. It is also known that such literature continues to gather dust in several government offices and institutions. With Khanduri back in the saddle, the effort of the government public relations machinery has been to prop up his image while not bothering about the thousands of magazines that had Nishank on its cover pages. Observers feel that the whole issue of wasting of money on such publicity drives calls for a probe.

Issue of statehood activists

A segment of the population in the state that has always remained disgruntled is the statehood activists or andolankaris. This segment has always had issues with whichever government has been in power in the state. The whole issue of statehood activists is quite complex.

One can gather this from the fact that the whole exercise of getting them identified has not been completed to everyone’s satisfaction ever since the state was created in 2000.

Skeptics and observers point out to the fact that the whole issue of an anti-reservation movement being diverted towards a massive statehood movement also needs to be understood in this entire gamut of thing.

The statehood activists have been demanding various benefits ranging from jobs to other benefits. Observers point out that the Uttarkhand movement had participants from almost every family in some way or the other. They say that why is it that only a handful of these people should get the benefits. It is being pointed out that both Congress and BJP have been trying to garner political benefits by announcing sops for these activists time and again. A solution to the complex issues related to the statehood agitators does not appear to be in sight, at least for now.

Beggars in VIP town

The VIP town that it has always been, Nainital over the last few days has witnessed a massive influx of beggars. It has been found that a large number of wards of those working in the quarrying operations on the Gaula riverbed in Haldwani and the adjoining areas have found begging in the Lake City. One can come across several women and scantily clothed children begging for money in the town. If someone offers to pay for their tea and snacks, they are not interested. They go around harassing the tourists for alms by constantly tugging at their clothes. Ironically, there has been very little attempt to study and deal with the phenomenon till now.

Manjari Negi, Bharati enter finals
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 11
Manjari Negi of Uttarakhand (64-kg category) and Bharati (75-kg category) stormed into the finals of their respective categories in the 5th Central India Senior Women Boxing Championship being held at the Parade Ground here today.

Manjari Negi defeated Prerna Sharma of Delhi 3-2 while Bharati of Delhi defeated Poonam Mahant of Madhya Pradesh 4-1.

In the 48-kg category, Ruksar Bano of UP beat Jyoti Thakur of Delhi 4-1. In the 51- kg catgory, Shabana of Delhi defeated Sonam Nayak of MP 5-0. In the 54-kg category, Geeta of Delhi defeated Payal Tomar of Uttarakhand 4-1.

In the 57-kg category, Savita Rawat of Delhi beat Jyoti Bora of Uttarakhand 5-0. In the 60-kg category, Nandan Tewari beat S. Kanishka of UP 5-0.

Barrier-free system for disabled sought
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 11
Appalled at the absence of barrier-free systems at public utilities created by the government, the commissioner for disabled persons BR Tamta has asked the Urban Development Department to ensure that these systems are compulsorily in place in all new buildings and tourist spots.

The commissioner has asked the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) and the Tourism Department to ensure a barrier-free system is in place at the rest houses, hotels and eating joints for the benefit of disabled persons.

“We have also asked the authorities concerned to put in place the system even at old buildings, but it is easier said than done. There is a lack of awareness about the issue,” said Tamta.

An enabling environment for the disabled and even the old continues to be elusive in the state. “The designs of buildings should be made receptive and participatory keeping in view the needs of the aged and disabled. If we keep this aspect in mind at the planning stage, a lot of effort and money can be saved,” said Tamta.

In rural areas, the problem that the disabled persons face is four times than their counterparts living in urban areas.

BJP firm on working for poor, says minister
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 11
Uttarakhand Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has reiterated the state BJP government’s commitment to work for the betterment of poor sections of society.

Inaugurating a community centre at Garhwali Colony, Nehru Gram, here today, Rawat said the government was working for the betterment of underprivileged and poor people.

Rawat said it had been his endeavour to ensure that the rural areas get the best of facilities. He said his ministry had also been working for the promotion of animal husbandry in the state and had been rewarding farmers that had taken to modern techniques of animal husbandry. The minister also took opportunity to announce metalling of the main Garhwali Colony road.

Earlier, Gram Vikas Samiti Nehru Gram’s president Pan Singh Rawat appreciated Rawat for his effort to ensure all-round development of the region. He said the newly constructed community centre would help poor people arrange family functions, particularly weddings, free of cost. Garhwali Folk Singer Mani Bharti also gave a cultural presentation. Samiti’s Secretary Vikram Singh Negi and LK Kandpal were prominent among those present on the occasion.

Rao Cricket Club win
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 11
Rao Cricket Club won by 8 wickets against Sarafa Mandal in the Beehive Challenger 20Twenty cricket tournament being held at Matawala ground, Dehradun.

Batting first after winning the toss, Sarafa Mandal scored 107 runs losing 9 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Sumit Pal scored the highest 22 runs. Neeraj scored 21 runs and Ankur contributed 19 runs. For Rao Cricket Club, Sahil took 5 wickets.

Rao Cricket Club easily reached the target score losing just 2 wickets. Deepankar scored 39 runs and Sumit contributed 29 runs to the team’s score.

Tapowan, Sundarwala teams shine
Tribune News Service

A match in the Abhishek Dabral Memorial Football Tournament under way in Dehradun on Sunday. A Tribune photograph

Dehradun, December 11
Tapowan and Sundarwala boys today won their respective matches during the Abhishek Dabar Memorial Football Tournament at Hathibarkala here.

In the first match of the day, Tapowan registered a 2-1 win over Kukri XI. Mayank scored the first goal for Tapowan in the 2nd minute followed by the second goal by Billu in the 55th minute of the match. For Kukri, Sunil scored the goal.

In another match, Sundarwala beat Bajrang boys 2-0. Himanshu scored both goals.

NGO holds cleanliness drive
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 11
Members of Making a Difference (MAD), an NGO, today undertook a cleanliness drive in the Jakhan area behind Scholars Home here.

About 15 volunteers geared up to fill more than 30 garbage bags which were later were disposed off at the nearest municipal dustbin.

The entire activity stretched for about two hours, which was also supported by an awareness campaign.

“When we asked the people about the reason for the irrational waste accumulation, they said despite their repeated appeal to the residents for proper waste disposal, they still litter the area. We also saw the board warning residents to not to throw the garbage lying in the pile of garbage,” said Anurag, member of the MAD.

Barpatia community seeks backward status
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, December 11
The Barpatia community of the the Munsiyari area has demanded that they be accorded the status of backward community. They argued that they were highly backward in almost every sphere of socio-economic life compared to their co-inhabitants in the area of the district.

“Only after the agrarian community of the Munsiyari mountains gets declared as backward, the educational and social development of the community could be possible,” said Girdhar Singh Chilkotia, representative of the community.

Chilkotia was speaking in a youth meet organised by the community at Madkot town of the region.

The community held a youth meet at Madkot in the Munsiyari valley today ahead of the Assembly elections. The youth of the community blamed the respective governments of the state of neglecting the basic needs of the community. They said they were rendered jobless like the “Bhotia” people after the Indo-Tibet Trade ended in 1962. “The Barpatia villagers used to grow grains and used to rear the sheep herds owned by the “Bhotia” traders. They demanded that as the “Bhotia” community has been given reservation on the grounds that they had lost their traditional avocation, the same job reservation should have been given to the us,” said Chilkotia.

The youth meet demanded that more educational institutions be opened in their area and “Asharam Padhati” schools be opened for the poor kids. They also demanded job reservation for the community youths. “The entire Talla Johar area(Lower Joharvally) should be declared as the backward area and the facilities of education, health and government jobs be given to the youths of the community,” said Surendra Singh Braizwal, leader of the community.

700 attend health camp
Tribune News Service

Yashpal Arya, state Congress chief, being welcomed at a health camp organised by the party at Prem Nagar in Dehradun on Sunday.

Dehradun, December 11
The Devbhumi Manav Sansadhan Vikas Trust and the Himalayan Hospital Trust, Jollygrant, today organised a health camp at Premnagar, Dehradun.

Inaugurating the health camp, state Congress president Yashpal Arya called upon the poor to take full advantage of such camps. He said there was no greater service on earth than serving the poor and appreciated the activities of the trust in charitable works.

Senior Congress leader and trust’s president Suryakant Dhasmana said they had been organising health camp in parts of the state that had little presence of doctors. He said apart from consultations by doctors, the trust also provided for free medicines to the poor.

Dhasmana said the trust so far had organised 40 health camps across the state in last 6 years and asserted that a large number of poor people have benefited from the camps.

A total of 700 persons attended the camp. Free medicines were provided to a total of 530 persons. Spectacles were also provided to as many as 70 patients free of cost.

Congress leaders Anil Grover, Rajesh Pundir and Reeta Grover were present on the occasion.

Haryana schools win inter-state quiz competition
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 11
For the first time in Haridwar, an open inter-state level quiz competition was organised in which a large number of students took part. The quiz witnessed participation of students of the state schools as well.

Host state teams gave a stiff competition to the participants from Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and other states with two city-based schools making it to the finish.

The quiz was held in two rounds, bifurcating students in junior section (Class V-VI) and senior section Class VII-VIII.

In the junior-category, Haryana-based Sacred Heart School students gained the first position, closely followed by Sant Nishchal School, Yamunanagar, and the Dayanand Arno Vernacular Centenary school team of Haridwar.

St Joseph’s School, Ambala, won the senior-category event. The team was given a tough competition by St Mary School. The Sacred Heart team in senior category could not replicate its junior students feat, as they remained second runners up in this category.

Chief guest Kiran Banerjee emphasised on the need to organise more of such events.

Organised by Construct Company, the quiz was conducted by educationist Rajiv Bhalla in a witty and informative manner. Principals Dr Ashok Sharma of Academic Heights and Vibhooti Rajya Laxmi of Winning Age School coordinated the event.

Academicians present on the event included Meenu Sharma, Jasbeer Singh, Veena Shastri of MCS Bal Vidya Peeth, Jyoti Singh, Mahesh Panjwani, Director of Maa Anandmayi School, Laxmi Natrajan, Principal of Bhagirathi School and Manoj Arya.