Dharchula areas cut off due to landslide
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, February 18
The border Dharchula subdivision and its adjoining villages were cut off from the rest of the region following a landslide yesterday. Seven Border Roads Organisation (BRO) labourers were injured in the incident. According to the district administration, the road could not be opened to traffic today.

The BRO workers were removing debris from the road but it could take two more days to clear it for traffic. “BRO officials have deputed extra DCB machines and stone cutters at the place and the road is likely to be cleared by today evening,” said BL Rana, SDM, Didihat.

The residents of the Talla Bagar area are cut off from the district as even another road linking the area to the district headquarters has been blocked due to the landslide at Pipli. “Villages of the Talla Bagar area, having a population of more than 10,000, have been cut off as BRO engineers did not care for the alternative road below the main road and debris was dumped on it,” said Tarun Pal, a social worker of the Jauljibi area.

After the incident, the local people held a demonstration against the BRO engineers. They alleged that the BRO was not keeping the parameters of road safety in mind while blasting and cutting the road. “Due to indiscriminate cutting of road, the people have to face difficulties at sensitive places in Bandarlima, Rangaun, Ogala, Jauljibi, Lakhanpur, Tawaghat, Garvadhar, Pangla and Ghatiabagar on the Tanakpur-Tawaghat National Highway No. 9,” said Tarun Pal, who led the demonstration.

The people complained about the lack of a primary health centre in Jauljibi town. They said despite assurances the government had not opened a health centre in the town. “Had the facility been provided in the town, those injured in the landslide could have been treated immediately on Friday,” said Leela Bangyal, a woman activist from Jauljibi.

Sanyukta samiti activists protest against ‘Save Ganga campaign’
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, February 18
Activists of the Uttarakhand Sanyukta Sangharsh Samiti today held a protest march up to Matri Sadan where Prof GD Aggarwal, aka Gyan Swaroop Sadanand, is doing meditation in support of his demand for a ban on hydroelectric projects on the Ganga and other rivers in the state.

The situation became tense when the protesters, along with supporters of quarrying, tried to cross the barricades put up by the police. Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Harbeer Singh, tehsildar Puran Singh Rana, and SHO, Kankhal, Mahesh Joshi reached Matri Sadan to monitor the situation and additional police force was requisitioned.

Led by Uttarakhand Kranti Manch president JP Pandey, the protesters comprising women termed Aggarwal’s campaign against hydroelectric projects in the state as uncalled for.

Pandey asked Aggarwal to leave Haridwar immediately. “If Aggarwal doesn’t leave the city within a week or the district administration does not make him leave, we will hold a protest and will force him to leave the state. First, he should peep into his backyard in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, where the Ganga is being polluted immensely. Be it Lohari Nagpala or Pala Maneri hydroelectric projects, which the Central government closed down due to Aggarwal’s agitation a year ago, a large number of people have been affected in the state where employment opportunities are scarce,” said Pandey protesting in front of the police barricades, 50 metres from the Matri Sadan ashram at Jagjeetpur.

The chief of the women cell of the Uttarakhand Kranti Manch, Meera Raturi, said if Aggarwal continued with his agitation, they would call activists of the Uttarakhand statehood movement from all over the state to Haridwar to force him to leave the city.

The SDM told The Tribune that elaborate security arrangements had been made and no one would be allowed to disturb law and order. He added as the power projects fell in the domain of the government, the district administration could not intervene in the matter. However, the administration was keeping a close watch on the situation in the wake of threats to Aggarwal.

The police arrested Mahesh Gaur, Manoj Giri, Dr Amar Singh Ahtiyan, Chandravati Gaur, Kamla Pandey, Manju and Chaudhari Afzal Alvi, besides other protesters, but let them off later.

Meanwhile, Matri Sadan founder Swami Shivanand Saraswati and Aggarwal said their campaign was nonviolent and aimed at cleaning Ganga and checking pollution.

Akhada Parishad national general secretary Shri Mahant Hari Giri urged all religious gurus, ashram heads and math sadhus not to support Swami Shivanand at whose ashram Aggarwal was sitting in meditation. He said as Aggarwal had cast aspersions on saints and asked him to apologise for his utterances.

Trust to manage Jageshwar Dham
Tribune News Service

Nainital, February 18
Efforts are afoot to bring the management of Jageshwar Dham in Almora under a trust.

Administration officials and people representing various segments of the population held a meeting in this regard in Jageshwar on Friday.

It has been learnt that the local people, including priests, have agreed in principle to set up a trust to manage the shrine. A meeting has been scheduled for the next week to constitute a committee to look into the minor details with regard to the formation of the trust.

It was advocated at the meeting that the traditional priests would continue to retain their rights of performing rituals. It was also suggested that the proposed committee would study the cases of Vaishno Devi, Tirupati and Badrinath with regards to managing a shrine through a trust.

The meeting also discussed how better facilities could be provided to tourists and devotees coming to Jageshwar every year.

The management of the shrine by the trust would also mean more sanitation in the area. An increase in facilities would also mean arrival of more people and hence more avenues of employment and earning for the locals.

Non-Construction of Toilets
Jal Sansthan, Jal Nigam officials pulled up
Tribune News Service

Nainital, February 18
The Chief Development Officer (CDO), Almora, SSS Pangti has pulled up officials of the Jal Sansthan and the Jal Nigam for the poor performance of their departments with regard to construction of toilets in the district.

Pangti said at a meeting held in Almora on Friday afternoon that laxity with regard to the implementation of the Total Sanitation Campaign and the programmes being executed under the Sector Wide Approach Programme (SWAP) would not be 
tolerated.

He asked the officials to take personal interest in making these programmes a success and work towards achieving the targets set for the purpose.

He pointed out that despite involving a large number of organisations, the Jal Nigam had been able to construct only 273 toilets against the target of 3,000. Meanwhile, the Jal Sansthan had constructed 473 toilets against the target of 2500 for the current financial year.

Pangti said this was highly unsatisfactory.

He called upon various departments in the district to achieve their targets and show the results to the Swajal office for making an online entry with regards to the progress.

Reviewing the SWAP programme, he expressed annoyance over the slow pace of works with regards to implementation of different schemes. He ordered that all schemes should be inspected at the earliest and the works be completed soon so that these schemes could be handed over to the community for management.

Pangti pointed out that the officials must start preparing for the coming summer season. He said the works on projects should be expedited so that the people did not have to face any problem in the months to come. The CDO also ordered that special measures be taken to promote the concept of water conservation among the common people. He asserted that at the same time the people must be convinced on keeping the water sources clean.

Almora faces water shortage in the summers. Despite being located very close to the Kosi river, the admistration has till now not been able to come up with a long-term plan to resolve the problem.

Villagers demand traditional rights, stage protest
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 18
Residents of Jamun village in the Corbett region, falling under Pauri Garhwal district, staged a demonstration at the Uttarakhand Chief Wildlife Warden office here today demanding the restoration of their traditional rights. They also demanded an end to Ramganga lease.

Led by Uttarakhand Janmanch president Chandan Singh Rana, Jamun village residents alleged that they were being forced to pay a permit amount of Rs 250 to reach their houses due to autocratic working of the state Forest Department. They accused the department of promoting a private entrepreneur unlawfully. “A lodge proprietor is getting all encouragement to go for illegal construction in Jamun village,” they said.

The protesters submitted a memorandum to the Chief Wildlife Warden, Uttarakhand, and threatened to stage widespread protests if their genuine concerns were not addressed at the earliest.

Union protests removal of class IV employee
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, February 18
The employees’ union of Rishikul Ayurvedic Pharmacy yesterday boycotted work and launched an indefinite agitation in protest against the removal of Aman Singh, a class IV employee.

Aman was dismissed from service by the superintendent (pharmacy) on disciplinary grounds recently. The agitating employees are demanding Aman’s reinstatement and the suspension of the superintendent (pharmacy).

Narendra Bagadi, a union leader, alleged that some officials treated class IV employees as servants, which would not be tolerated. He said the employees had been doing every official work without any complaint.

Bagadi said Aman had been dismissed from service by the superintendent on personal enmity. Till the superintendent was removed from service and Aman reinstated, the boycott of official work would continue, he added.

Another union leader KK Tiwari said despite their 960-hour strike, the pharmacy management had taken no action. Rishi Pal Bhandari, Vinod Kant Bhatt, Ramesh Dubey, Ram Prakash, Gobind Ram, Shiv Narayan, Uday Bhan, Yogesh Pal and other employees registered their protest.

Call to create post of Dy CM

Dehradun, February 18
The Uttaranchal Punjabi Mahasabha supported the opinion of former Congress minister Tilak Raj Behr to select someone from hills or plains as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state after the Assembly poll results were announced.

Senior member of the organisation Subhash Kohli said some people were opposing the suggestion saying that it would encourage regionalism in the state. “If a CM is selected from plains, then Deputy Chief Minister should be selected from hills or vice-versa. This way, both parts of the region would have equal and balanced development,” he said. — TNS

UPP threatens to launch agitation
Tribune News Service

Nainital, February 18
The Uttarakhand Parivartan Party (UPP) has sought an immediate action from the administration in the wake of the Almora District Magistrate having recommended cancellation of the permission granted earlier by the government to a Delhi-based organisation, Pleasant Valley Foundation, to purchase land in the Danda Kanda area of the district.

The UPP has claimed that the action on the part of District Magistrate DS Garbyal follows an initiative and agitation launched by the party. It has threatened to once again launch an agitation if the administration dithers over taking an immediate action in the matter.

In a statement issued in Almora, president of the UPP PC Tewari has stated that former Almora District Magistrate Subardhan had constituted a five-member committee under the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Rajiv Sah to probe into the matter that had been brought to light by the UPP. It is on the basis of the probe that the recommendation for the cancellation of the permission granted had been given, said Tewari. He alleged that the Danda Kanda area near Daulaghat Govindpur had emerged as a hub of activity for the land mafias.

He claimed that the said foundation, after having taken permission to purchase two hectares of land for building a charitable hospital and school, had gone on to usurp government and forest land while cutting a large number of trees and also indulging in mining. This had led to unrest in the area following which a probe had been ordered into the matter on October 10, 2010. The probe team, led by the ADM, had comprised of the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD), a Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and a tehsildar. The same team had earlier recommended the government to takeover 100 nalis of land that had been purchased by Asha Yadav in a wrong manner.

According to Tewari, “In this case, the team has found that a huge building was built on government land and an illegal road had been built to link four other buildings.

Apart from recommending the cancellation of permission, Garbyal is learnt to have ordered a probe by the Mining official and geological experts to ascertain the damage done to the area and submit the report within a week. The UPP has demanded an immediate action on the cancellation recommended by Garbyal, failing which it would launch an agitation.

Grade pay hike for pharmacists 

Dehradun, February 18
The Uttarakhand Government has approved the hike in the salaries of allopathic pharmacists in the state.

Now the government has set the grade pay for pharmacists at Rs 2800 and the entry grade pay at Rs 4200.

Simultaneously, the grade pay of chief pharmacist has been hiked from Rs 4600 to Rs 4800. Diploma Pharmacists Association members had been demanding removal of anomalies existing in the Sixth Pay Commission prior to the elections. Principal Secretary Medical and Health S Ramaswamy said the proposal to raise the pay band of pharmacists was sent to the Finance Department on June 7, 2011.

He said the Finance Department on December 13, 2011, prior to the imposition of the model code of conduct received the approval.

The proposal was again sent to the Election Commission on February 10 and it was approved on February15.

The government has also given approval for raising the grade pay of Ayurvedic and Unani Nurses. The staff grade pay for sisters has been set at Rs 4800. — TNS

Chandragupta boys defeat Shivaji seniors
Tribune News service

Dehradun, February 18
On the fifth day of the RIMC Inter-Section Cricket Tournament, two matches were played. In the first match, Chandragupta boys defeated Shivaji seniors by 41 runs. Batting first the Chandragupta team scored 107 runs at the loss of 5 wickets in 15 overs. Cadet Abhishek scored 20 runs and was the highest scorer while Cadet Orkhodip took 2 wickets from Shivaji’s side. In reply, Shivaji Seniors was all out for 67 runs in 12 overs to lose the match by 41 runs.

In the second match, Shivaji Juniors defeated the Pratap section by three wickets. Batting first, the Partap section scored 80 runs all out in 15 overs. Cadet Akshat was the top scorer with 17 runs. From Shivaji Juniors’ side, Cadet Kamlendra took 4 wickets.

In reply, Shivaji started on a good rate and scored 81 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 11.5 overs. Highest scorer from Shivaji was Cadet Abhash with 24 runs. 

Volleyball Tourney: Dolphin beat Nalandan College
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, February 18
Dolphin Volleyball Championship, 2012, begun in the Dolphin (PG) Institute of Biomedical and Natural Sciences here today.

The championship was inaugurated by Prof JP Bhatt, Department of Zoology and Biotechnology, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar.

The chief guest, Prof JP Bhatt, met with all participating team members and their coaches and welcomed them.

He encouraged all team members to maintain team spirit during match.

In the first match, Tulas’ Institute defeated DBIT 25-21, 26-24. Graphics Era University beat ICFAI University 25-13, 25-14, Dolphin (A) defeated Nalandan College 25-14, 26-06, Uttaranchal Ayurvedic College beat SBS Institute 25-19, 25-15, Beehive Institute defeated Pestleweed College 25-12, 15-05.

In the girls’ section, the Graphic Era University team beat SBS Institute 15-05, 15-05.