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Save Ganga Agitation
SINKING OF LAND
33 illegal structures on Railway land removed
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Snowfall in high-altitude areas
Kedarnath temple to reopen on April 28
Submit fund utilisation report, DM to BDOs
Most Indians die of heart attack, says doctor
Creation of Deputy Chief Minister’s post
Trust to guide people on religious rites
50 handloom weavers participate in expo
Four bodies found in Pithoragarh
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People from Kedarghati region support movement
Tribune News Service
Haridwar, February 20 The people from 30 gram panchayats arrived at Matri Sadan to extend their support to the movement. Led by social activist Sushila Devi, who carried out a 63-day agitation against the Singholi-Bhatwadi hydro project, these villagers blamed political parties for having a nexus with hydro project companies and builders’ mafia. Sushila Devi said it seemed the government and private companies were hell-bent on making Uttarakhand a ‘Ujrha Pradesh’ as several kilometres of tunnels are being dug, villages being submerged, water sources being dried up and ecology being disturbed in the name of hydro projects. “Without a scientific analysis, these companies are digging up the areas forcing us to migrate towards the plain regions. If we don’t have the right to live in hills, then why was this Uttarakhand carved out as a separate state in the name of providing development to hilly districts?” said Sushila. While Jagmohan Singh, a former ex-Army officer, said 11,000 people were affected due to a single power project while the government was mulling over starting 200 more projects along the Ganga, the Bhagirathi, the Alaknanda, the Pindar river. Rajendra Singh said the apathy of Centre and the state government had set up the Ganga River Basin Authority while the Ganga was getting polluted. Matri Sadan founder Swami Shivanand said political parties such as the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, the Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha, the Uttarakhand Kranti Manch had failed to realise the pollution in the Ganga and woes of Kedarghati people.
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SINKING OF LAND
Nainital, February 20 Residents of villages like Khupi, Aallookhet, Gethia etc have brought to the notice of the authorities that on account of the continuing sinking of land, there is a grave threat to human lives in the area. A large number of cracks can be seen in the walls of the construction that exists in these villages. These cracks continue to emerge even during the season when there is no rainfall. This stretch had witnessed a large-scale destruction during a rain-related disaster in Kumaon in 2010. At that time, the road had sunk at several places and the Jyolikote-Bhawali route had remained closed for several days. This road is among the busiest in the hilly terrain of Kumaon as most of the buses being run to the remote destinations of the region from Haldwani by the Kumaon Motor Operators Union ply on this stretch. At that time temporary measures had been taken and the road was repaired so that the traffic movement could be resumed. However, the sinking of land in the area has continued unabated. This has forced the administration to look into the matter in detail and come up with a long-term plan. Officials of the Disaster Management Cell, Nainital, said a fault existed on the stretch and it was on account of this fault that the sinking of land was being witnessed. They said the administration had decided to carry out a geological survey of the stretch following which the further course of action would be taken. When asked if there is any plan to relocate the population, the officials said the decision in this regard would be taken only after the survey was complete. And if there was any relocation that was to take place, it would be done according to the new rehabilitation policy of the state government. The administration has also sought the help of geologists in addressing the problem of frequent landslides on the Bhawali-Almora road at Jaurasi. The spot at Jaurasi has been witnessing regular landslides since the rain-related disaster of September 2010. The traffic on this stretch is being hampered every other day. As of now, the movement of vehicles on this road has been banned in the evenings. |
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33 illegal structures on Railway land removed
Nainital, February 20 The encroachment had taken place very close to Haldwani railway station within a little span of time. When the matter came to their notice, the authorities ordered the removal of these structures in the last couple of days under the protection of the Railway Protection Force. According to information, encroachers had constructed a proper wall in the area and were in the process of building shops. Besides this, some hutments had also come up on the land. During the encroachment removal drive, the authorities had to use some force to overcome the resistance being put up by some encroachers. The Railway authorities have made it clear that no encroachment on the land belonging to the institution would be tolerated and a drive to remove the existing encroachments would be carried out over the next few days. The authorities have been stating that a large number of their projects aimed at improving the services being provided to the passengers were hanging fire on account of large scale encroachments that had taken place on its land in the stretch between Kathgodam and Lal
Kuan. Recently, the authorities had gone on to get a large area vacated from the encroachers in Lal
Kuan. The Railways has announced that the institution plans to develop Lal Kuan as the ‘Gateway to
Kumaon’. Since there is a paucity of space at Haldwani and Kathgodam, Lal Kuan is the ideal destination for initiating the expansion of services in the region. According to official estimates, almost 1.04 lakh sq mt of land belonging to the Railways is at present under encroachment in the zone between Kathgodam and Lal Kuan alone which needs to be restored to its owners. A large number of unauthorised settlements have come up on this land. During the recent inspections of the
Haldwani, Kathgodam and Lal Kuan junction, besides the other land belonging to the Railways, Izzatnagar railway division officials have been dismayed at finding large scale encroachments and have called for their removal at the earliest. |
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Snowfall in high-altitude areas
Pithoragarh, February 20 “Due to heavy snowfall last month, at least eight inches of snow is still there at Gunji and Kalapani. The Kuti camps of the force are also being removed by the jawans in special operation these days,” said Vishwamitra Anand, Commandant of the ITBP. According to Anand, this year the snow removing work is being carried out by the ITBP for the third time in the past two months. Due to heavy snowfall, the routes leading to higher pockets were closed, which posed difficulties for the jawans deputed at higher posts on this part of the border. |
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Kedarnath temple to reopen on April 28
Dehradun, February 20 The Kedarnath temple will be reopened at 07.15 am on April 28, said Anusuiya Prasad Bhatt, chairman of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee. The “mahurat” for the reopening of the Kedarnath temple was decided today on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivrati in the Ukhimath area, the winter sojourn of Lord Shiva, Bhatt said. The portals of the Badrinath shrine would reopen on April 29. The chardham comprising the shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri nestling in dizzying heights of Garhwal Himalayas reopen for pilgrims in April-May every year, after remaining closed for nearly six months during the winter as the area remains snow-bound. Two other shrines of Gangotri and Yamunotri would reopen on Akshya Tritiya. While Badrinath is situated at a height of 3,133 metres in Chamoli district, Kedarnath is situated in Rudraprayag district at a height of 3,584 metres. Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines are situated at a height of 3,200 metres and 3,615 metres, respectively, in Uttarkashi district. The annual Chardham yatra is considered as the backbone of the thriving religious tourism in the state that attracts nearly 15 to 16 lakh pilgrims every year. — PTI |
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Submit fund utilisation report, DM to BDOs
Nainital, February 20 Garbyal has asked them to take keen interest in its execution and ensure that all persons, whose job cards have been made, get job as per the guidelines of the scheme. At the same time, a drive must be undertaken to make the job cards of those who have been left out. At a meeting held in Almora on Saturday, Garbyal asked the BDOs to work towards achieving the targets set with regards to the Indira Awas Yojana in the district. It was ordered that the houses built under the scheme must be given to the poor. Garbyal said the houses being built must be completed soon so that these could be of some use in the time of need. At the same time, he expressed displeasure over the failure of the officials to get toilets in houses built. He said these toilets shuld be constructed at the earliest. During the meeting, Garbyal ordered the officials of the Food and Civil Supplies Department to carry out regular checks at the Public Distribution System (PDS) outlets so that the interests of the poor were taken care of. Referring to the furniture being purchased for various schools with the funds sanctioned under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, Garbyal said the payment should be made only after ensuring that the quality of furniture was satisfactory. With regards to the funds being given under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Garbyal ordered that Gram Sabhas should be asked to submit a utilisation certificate to the office of the Chief Medical Officer in the district. |
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Most Indians die of heart attack, says doctor
Dehradun, February 20 He was speaking at a cardiovascular public health awareness programme at Bharat Heart Institute. He said to prevent the cardiac disease, there was need to change lifestyle that included healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoiding tobacco and smoking. This is where the heart insure programme played an important role, he added. The main aim of the programme was to reduce the high incidence of coronary artery disease among Indians and lives through a comprehensive programme that includes incorporating education on the prevention of heart disease and an ongoing follow-up. The programme also ensures if there is a recurrence of the disease at the site of the treated vessel, reimbursement is offered for repeat treatment. This programme is at the forefront of a new revolution in healthcare which aims at encouraging the patients to have a healthy lifestyle and making them active partners with their healthcare providers. |
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Creation of Deputy Chief Minister’s post
Dehradun, February 20 In the latest such instance, Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik has put the state BJP in a spot. Kaushik was at the receiving end of the ire of the party chief for extending support to Congress leader Tilak Raj Behad’s suggestion that a deputy chief minister should be appointed from the Terai (plain) area of the state. “Such issues are discussed at the Parliamentary Board meeting. The party has so far not taken any decision on the issue. The party’s highest decision-making body would meet only after the poll results. As a disciplined party member, the minister should not have joined the issue with the Congress leader. He spoke out of turn,” said BS Chuphal, state BJP Chief. While both Behad and Kaushik hailing from the Terai area of the state, their recent utterances have brought the issue of hill versus plain to the centre stage. On another level, party sources say their statements have more to do with projecting themselves as sole leaders of the Terai region, more so when the number of Assembly seats from the plain districts has considerably gone up after the new delimitation. However, this is not the first time that Kaushik has courted controversy. Last year, he was quite vocal on the domicile/ permanent residency issue. In fact, on the last day of the monsoon session, when he tried to table the Madan Kaushik Committee report on issuance of the SC/ST/OBC certificates scuffle of sort ensued between the proponents and opponents of the report. An applicant has to produce his or her residence certificate in order to procure an SC/ST/OBC certificate, but the committee has proposed this criterion be relaxed. The committee had recommended relaxing of the provisions and issuing caste certificates to those residing here only for the past 15 years. The matter was then referred to the high-powered committee. |
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Trust to guide people on religious rites
Haridwar, February 20 The members will provide priests and teerth purohits for the performance of religious rituals. Besides guiding people to various temples, ashrams, ‘muths’ of the city, they will also help them in arranging visit to Har-ki-Pauri. A website, www.gangesnirvana.com, was also launched today at VIP ghat by the Trust activists. The Trust members will also provide information on immersion of ashes and ritual attached to it. The devotees who cannot come to Haridwar to perform rituals will also be benefitted. Trust activists will themselves perform the traditional rites with teerth purohits and a video footage will be recorded and send to the person. Trust Head Ram Pajnani said, “We decided to open up a Trust when we saw people coming to the city and searching out for teerth purohits. Many people coming here do not know about the right methodology of the rituals to be performed and pay huge money to middlemen who, many times, mislead them. That’s is why we decided to give a platform to the devotees where their queries could be addressed. Mona Verma, a local literati and socialite, who got associated with the Trust, termed the effort as laudable. |
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50 handloom weavers participate in expo
Dehradun, February 20 A rebate of 20 per cent was given on the purchase of all cotton items displayed at the exhibition. Development Commissioner, Handloom Ministry, Union of India, Rural Department, Chhattisgarh, collaborated with the state Handloom Sahkari Association to make the expo a success. Chamoli said the residents of the city would be able to buy products of Chhattisgarh and other states in the exhibition. He appreciated the Government of India and Chhattisgarh state government for making the endeavour of giving artisans a platform, which would further strengthen the handloom industry in the country. He said with the expansion of handloom trade, the artisans associated with this industry will also get financial assistance. Expo in charge Raja Ram Devangan said more than 50 handloom weavers were participating in the exhibition from various states such as Madhya Pardesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pardesh and Jammu & Kashmir. He said the customers would be able to buy cotton and kosa cloth material at 20 per cent discount. The exhibition will be over on March 5. |
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Demand for Uttarakhand apples grows
Dehradun, February 20 From Chandigarh to New Delhi, apples from this belt are being liked in different parts of the country, experts said. And apples growers in these areas are all set to reap huge dividends, thanks to a Dutch technology that has come as a boon to boost sales. The control atmosphere storage (CAS) facility where the oxygen level is brought roughly around 1-2 degrees of the atmospheric level began functioning last September from the apple belt of Nogaon in Uttarkashi district. An investment of Rs 15.5 crore came from Stiching Het Groene Woudt SHGW, a Dutch foundation with the help of Fresh Food Technology, another global company from Holland which has developed the Van Amerongen technology for preserving apples. The entire project is non-profitable where the shares will eventually be transferred after the recovery of the cost of the machines. Nearly 400 tonnes of apples were procured and kept in the cold storage this season which is now being sold at different areas like New Delhi, Lucknow, Kanpur and Chandigarh. “This is the first cold storage exclusively for apples in the entire Garhwal region,” said Laxmi Prakash Semwal, who is heading the Shri Jagdamba Samiti, a local NGO, which took the entire initiative to bring the Dutch players into the apple belt of the hill state. The cold storage has the capacity to store nearly 1200 tonnes of apples for nearly nine months. This year, which is the first season after the installation of the CAS, the apples are being sold at an average price of Rs 85 in the market against the average procurement price of Rs 60 which means that there will be a profit of Rs 10-15 per kg after discounting various expenses like electricity bills. The total profit is now hovering around Rs 40 lakh. This is being seen as an immediate 20 per cent to 30 per cent jump in the prices, said Semwal. “Our main focus will be to remove middlemen from the apple business due to which farmers are not getting the real price,” said Semwal. — PTI
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Four bodies found in Pithoragarh
Pithoragarh, February 20 The bodies of a 28-year youth and 35-year woman were found hanging from a tree at different places in Digra village near the town. They were suspected to have illicit relation, said JS Chauhan, Naib Tehsildar of Pithoragarh. The bodies had been handed over to their relatives for last rites after post-mortem, said Chauhan. In two another incidents, a 19-year youth of Sini village in Munsiyari committed suicide by consuming poison as he could not clear the police recruitment test. BA second-year student Kundan Singh has left a written note that as his parents were very caring, he is ending his life because he could not fulfil their wish to be a constable, said the police. The body of a 21-year youth was recovered by villagers in Kanalichina village from a gorge. The youth seems to have died two days earlier. The youth had been missing for two days. The body has been handed over to his relatives after post-mortem, said the police. |
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from the Kedarghati region of Garhwal came out here today in support of “Save Ganga” agitation started by saints and social activists led by Professor GD Aggarwal and Magsaysay awardee Rajendra Singh.
Relieved by the clear weather, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has now taken up a task of removing snow layers from the routes to high altitude pockets and the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage.
“Due to heavy snowfall last month, at least eight inches of snow is still there at Gunji and Kalapani. The Kuti camps of the force are also being removed by the jawans in special operation these days,” said Vishwamitra Anand, Commandant of the ITBP.
The portals of famous Kedarnath shrine will be reopened for pilgrims after a gap of six months on April 28.
The Kedarnath temple will be reopened at 07.15 am on April 28, said Anusuiya Prasad
Bhatt, chairman of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee.
The “mahurat” for the reopening of the Kedarnath temple was decided today on the auspicious occasion of Mahashivrati in the Ukhimath area, the winter sojourn of Lord Shiva, Bhatt said.
With one leader after another making controversial statements, the Uttarakhand BJP just does not know whether to ignore such issues or take up a disciplinary action against them.
In the latest such instance, Urban Development Minister Madan Kaushik has put the state BJP in a spot.
A group of people from Haridwar has formed a charitable body, Ganges Nirvana Charitable Trust, which will help provide information to people with regard to the performance of spiritual and religious rites and the immersion of ashes in the
Ganga.
Mayor Vinod Chamoli inaugurated Dehradun special handloom expo at Hotel Doonga House Wedding Point here today.
A rebate of 20 per cent was given on the purchase of all cotton items displayed at the exhibition.
Development Commissioner, Handloom Ministry, Union of India, Rural Department,
Chhattisgarh, collaborated with the state Handloom Sahkari Association to make the expo a success.
