Deputy CM‘s post sought for Harak Singh Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, April 6
With a lone Cabinet portfolio being vacant in the Vijay Bahuguna-led Congress state government, the demand for creating the post of Deputy Chief Minister by the anti-Bahuguna faction seems to be getting intensified.

In Haridwar, pro-Rudraprayag legislator Harak Singh Rawat supporters have now started a routine agitation to press for their leader to be appointed as the Deputy CM.

Terming themselves as the loyal Congress activists, these supporters say that in view of the interests of the state as well as the party, it is imminent to have a Deputy CM post which will ensure smooth working of the state government.

Addressing these activists after a march, senior Congress leader Sanjay Chopra pointed out that Rawat deserved the honour owing to his political experience and mass popularity among people.

“Rawat became Cabinet Minister 20 years ago in the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet, served in various capacities in the Assembly, became leader of the Opposition during the last Assembly and won the most awaited contest from the Rudraprayag Assembly seat despite hailing from other district (Pauri),” said Chopra.

Another pro-Rawat leader Bhoopendra Rajput said its time that he be made the Deputy CM as Vijay Bahuguna would also get major relief by this.

Harish Rawat loyalist, city Congress chief OP Chauhan, though added that by not creating the Deputy CM post, the state government was only inviting more factionalism. He said the party high command should consider this aspect as with leaders like Harish Rawat and Harak Singh Rawat at the helm of affairs along with Vijay Bahuguna, the government would be able to provide development and sail through the stipulated five year tenure.

This open demand of making Harak Singh Rawat the Deputy CM has, however, not gone down well with some veteran party leaders and those close to Bahuguna. Many of them have even written to the party high command to not bow down to this demand again as it seems the anti-Vijay Bahuguna faction is not concerned with the party discipline.

PCC member Braham Swaroop Brahamchari commented that the party discipline was foremost as personal interests should never come before ones duty.

BJP in no hurry to appoint Leader of Opposition
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 6
It was a difference of a single seat in the recently concluded 2012 Assembly elections that reduced the status of the BJP from the ruling party to that of the Opposition party in Uttarakhand.

It is this thin victory margin that continues to irk the BJP leaders, who are still to come to terms with their defeat and is, perhaps, responsible for the delay in appointing the Leader of the Opposition from the party.

Confident of it’s victory in the 2012 Assembly elections, the BJP leadership had not visualised a situation where it would be made to play the role of the Opposition,

“Unlike the last Assembly elections, for these elections we had projected incumbent BC Khanduri as our chief ministerial candidate and were sure of our victory. But the strange mandate delivered by the people upset our plans. Instead of taking the top slot, we are now being forced to look for the Leader of the Opposition and strangely we have not come to terms with it,” said a senior leader.

Still eyeing the treasury benches and confident that the Congress government may not last long, the BJP leadership is not in a hurry to appoint the Leader of the opposition.

Citing the example of Rajasthan where the Leader of the Opposition was appointed after a gap of two years, organising secretary of the party was of the view that the party could for the time being do away without the services of the Leader of the Opposition as the faction-ridden Congress would provide them the opportunity sooner than later to make a grab for power. “We had appointed the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha after a gap of two years; the Constitution is silent on the time frame for the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition,” said Dhan Singh Rawat, organising secretary, BJP (Uttarakhand).

Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha to be recast
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 6
After facing drubbing in the recently concluded Assembly poll in the state, the Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha has formed three teams that will visit the state to strengthen the party organisation.

Presiding over a meeting in Dehradun today, Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha president Lt-Gen TPS Rawat (retd) said the team visiting the Kumaon region of the state will be headed by Shailraj Bahuguna whereas Rajendra Bhandari will be heading the team slated to visit the Garhwal region. Further, Mohan Singh Rawat will lead the morcha’s team to Haridwar. These teams will take feedback from grassroot-level party workers and submit a report to the party high command.

TPS Rawat also announced the appointment of 15 observers for various districts in the state that would work towards re-constitution of party organisation at city and block levels. Among those appointed include Ganesh Negi, who has been appointed observer for Pauri, Rajendra Singh Negi for Chamoli, Arjun Singh Garhwal for Rudraprayag, Vipin Chandra Bhatt for Almora, PC Thapliyal for Dehradun Rural and Ratan Singh Gunsola has been appointed observer for Tehri district.

CM told to take up power project issue with UP

Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha has asked the Uttarakhand Chief Minister to take up the issue of distribution of assets linked to hydro power project with the state of Uttar Pradesh in priority.

In a statement issued yesterday, Uttarakhand Raksh Morcha spokesman PC Thapliyal said Uttarakhand government must take up hydro power project assets distribution issue on priority with the UP government. He said it was Uttarakhand's right to have the ownership over its assets.

He said it was unfortunate that Uttarakhand ministers are more interested in portfolios than struggling to get the state its due rights. Thapliyal said Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha will be organising a meeting on April 8 in Dehradun to decide it's future course of action over the issue of distribution. 

Almora admn takes steps to improve civic amenities
Tribune News Service

Nainital, April 6
The administration in Almora has initiated major steps to put in place a proper fire-fighting mechanism. The steps follow the recent destruction of a portion of the Naughar locality where fire-fighting proved to be a difficult task as it was extremely tough for the fire-fighting mechanism to reach the venue amid the jungle of concrete that is accompanied by encroachments.

To begin with, the administration has decided that a fire tender would be made to ply in the Lala Bazaar, the arterial road and the main market in the town on April 9. The spots where the vehicle would have difficulties in passing through would be identified so that encroachments could be removed from these spots in the days to come.

Once these spots are identified, the owners of such properties where encroachments have been identified would be informed in writing to get them removed. If they fail to do so, action would be taken against them for removal of encroachment.

This plan was put forward by the Joint Magistrate, Sonika, at a recent meeting held in Almora to improve the functioning on the civic front. It was pointed at the meeting that several persons who sell ther wares on the pavements have encroached upon the government land. The municipal authorities have been asked to relocate them so that there is no encroachment in the town.

Sonika had also underlined that action would also be initiated against those persons who drive rashly. She asked the officials at the meeting to work as a team.

A major initiative announced at the meeting that had taken place on April 2 was reigning in taxi drivers to check them from fleecing the travellers. The office-bearers of the taxi union have been told to adhere to the norms laid down by the authorities wherein they are supposed to charge Rs 9 per km for smaller vehicles and Rs 14.50 per km for the bigger vehicles. The taxi owners have also been asked to paste the rate list on their vehicles.

On the issue of sanitation, it has been decided to set up locality-level sanitation committees. Almora is reeling under a crisis of sorts when it comes towaste management. The narrow alleys are often found litterd with filth and the existence system of solid waste management is simply insufficient to handle the quantum of waste generated on a daily basis.

Chaitola festival celebrated in Pithoragarh, Lohaghat areas
To get good crop, villagers worship Chamu and Bhumia deities
BD Kasniyal

A sacred umbrella of the local deity being worshipped. Tribune photos: BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, April 6
To get a good rabi crop and remain healthy and prosperous throughout the year, villagers of Lohaghat and Pithoragarh areas took part in the traditional Chaitola festival to receive the blessing of the local deities. The festival began on April 1.

More than 30,000 devotees participated in the Chaitola festival in the Lohaghat area of Champawat district on the sixth day of the festival today. “The local deity, Chamu, is carried to all villages of the Gumdesh area of Lohaghat subdivision in a palanquin, as, according to legends, Chamu was the original settler on this fertile land, which was occupied till then by some man-eating ‘rakshasas’. The diety eliminated the ‘rakshasas’ to make way for his people to settle there,” said Jagat Singh, a devotee of Chamu deity at Baskuni village in the Gumdesh area of Lohaghat subdivision.

The yatra of the deity began from Mad village and reached Baskuni village after passing through Pulla , Pokhari, Jindi and Sirkot villages, where a large number of youths in marshal attire followed the palanquin to get a chance to carry it on their shoulders. “The deity in response blessed them with prosperity and good crop,” said Jagat Singh. There is a belief that the youths get their wishes fulfilled by touching the palanquin of the deity.

In the villages of the Soor valley in Pithoragarh district the festival, which began today, is celebrated for two days. The palanquin of the deity, Bhumia, began from Bin village and after passing through 22 villages of the valley would be brought at the temple of the deity in Chaisar village. “The villages are said to be part of the land which was at first brought under cultivation by the ancestor of the local people, who is now worshiped as deity Bhumia,” said priest Chandra Shekhar Bhatt.

“The villages where the palanquin cannot reach, an umbrella symbolising the deity is carried and the devotees worship it after observing fast for the day.

Bhumia, which is considered a follower of Lord Shiva, gives blessings for a good crop and prosperity to the devotees in all 22 villages,” said the priest. 

Kunjwal reviews development works in Almora
Tribune News Service

Nainital, April 6
On his first visit to his home district of Almora after assuming the office of the Speaker in the state Assembly, Govind Singh Kunjwal chalked the priority list with regard to the development activities in the district.

He chaired a review meeting at Almora yesterday and took stock of various works that are being executed. It was his advice to the officials that they carry out on-the-spot inspection of works to see for themselves what needed to be done. At the same time, the officials need to maintain complete transparency while carrying out the execution works.

He laid emphasis on the early completion of roads that are being constructed. It needs to be pointed out that the roads in the district have been in a bad shape since the rain-related disaster had struck the region in September 2010.

Another issue that he took up on priority was the health set up in the district. Despite there being good hospital buildings in the district that are supposed to address the concerns of a large number of rural patients, the district has been experiencing a paucity of doctors and technicians.

Kunjwal underlined that immediate steps be taken to ensure that the machines that had been procured in the past are being put to use and the issue of shortage of manpower was addressed soon.

Another issue that was prominently taken up at the meeting was the shortage of drinking water being experienced by a major portion of the district. He said emphasis must be laid on the conservation of the water sources.

The Speaker asked the officials to identify new sources of water and made it clear that laxity on this front would not be tolerated. The officials have also been asked to be sensitive towards the problems being faced by the masses on the water front.

Kunjwal also told the officials to make optimum use of the financial assistance that is provided by various institutions for strengthening the infrastructure in the district. He said the officials needed to see that the money allocated for various projects was put to the optimum use and must not be surrendered at the end of the financial year.

Local legislator Manoj Tewari demanded that the Jal Sansthan make arrangement for supplying water to the places where there was acute scarcity. He said the officials needed to work as a team to address the core issue of water scarcity in the district.

Says need to discuss core issues of state
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, April 6
Speaker of the Uttarakhand Assembly Govind Singh Kunjwal has said he will start a discussion on the core issues which are needed for a new state like Uttarakhand.

“The state Assembly should discuss the basic issues as these issues are not discussed in any forum," said Kunjwal, addressing an audience gathered to felicitate him at Ramsay college in Almora on Thursday.

The Speaker said had the issues, which forced the creation of the separate hill state of Uttarakhand, been discussed honestly at a proper forum, the aspirations of common man would have been fulfilled.

“The imbalance in the development in the state is a core issue related to the common man which is never discussed in the Assembly," said the Speaker.

He said the use of money power and liquor in the Assembly elections was a bad omen for the future of the state as it would result into criminalisation of politics. “It is the duty of every conscious political worker to discourage these tendencies,” said Kunjwal.

He said as the Speaker, he was above party politics and would maintain the constitutional status of the august post.

No representation to Almora in Cabinet
Harish Rawat, Tamta to blame: Lunthi
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, April 6
Factionalism in the Congress in Pithoragarh resurfaced today after district party president Mahendra Singh Lunthi held Almora MP Pradeep Tamta and Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat responsible for no representation given to Almora in the state Cabinet. “While bargaining with the party high command, the duo did not mention any one of the eight Congress MLAs who won from Almora for a Cabinet berth, but instead pushed for Dinesh Aggarwal, Pritam Singh, Surendra Singh Negi and Govind Singh Kunjwal,” said Mahendra Singh Lunthi at a press conference here today.

“Had they bargained for a Cabinet berth for one of the MLAs from Almora, the area would have got a Cabinet minister,” said Lunthi.

He criticised the protest by some Congress workers against the high command two days ago and said Tamta was playing with the sentiments of Congress workers and using them against the party. “We in the district organisation of the party respect the decisions of the Congress high command and fully support the Bahuguna government,” said Lunthi.

He added he would plead with the high command to give representation to Almora in the state Cabinet. 

Start quarrying in one week, orders DM
Tribune News Service

Dehradun April 6
The District Magistrate gave directions to start quarrying on the Jakhan riverbed phase I and 2 and the Song riverbed phase 3 within one week, where the permission for quarrying had been granted by the administration for five years.

He said the Forest Development Corporation (FDC) had been permitted to start quarrying at 135 hectares in Song-3, 97.5 hectare in Jakhan-1 and 50 hectare in Jakhan- 2.

In the first year, the amount for annual patta has been fixed at Rs 96,33000 for Jakhan-1, Rs 49,40000 for Jakhan- 2 and Rs 1,33,38000 for Song-3. There will be an annual 15 pc increase in the amount.

He directed that the FDC must adhere to the directions given by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest in this regard. He said the officers should also look to it that the environment should not be damaged during the activity.

The other conditions he laid out were that no damage should be done to the forest property in surroundings. if it happens, then the officer would have to pay a penalty. He said the corporation could use the land for quarrying as long as it needed it, after that it could return it to the Forest Department without any charges.

There will be no use of explosive on these sites. The corporation will have to provide fund to prevent erosion of land and also for strengthening the banks of the rivers. The computerised weighing machines should be installed at the entrance and exit gates and also CCTV camera and equipment for video recording to ensure transparency in the operations.

He said the officials from the Revenue Department, the Forest Department and quarrying department or their representatives could monitor the activities. The FDC would provide wood for fuel to the labourers so that they did not harm the forests for it. The quarrying would not be carried out before sunrise and after sunset. It would also be banned from July to September during rainy season. A temporary checkpost would be set up in the area before beginning quarrying work.

Health awareness drive

Dehradun, April 6
A day before World Health Day, Helpage India organised a health awareness campaign in different areas of the city on the theme of active aging in the city.

The programme was held at the Gandhi Park in the morning in which senior citizens participated with great enthusiasm. The senior citizens were asked to follow a healthy diet, take up regular exercise and enjoy the company of their friends by Dr Aapga Singh, programme head, Help Age India.

Sharing his experiences, senior citizen M.L Khanna said he drank plenty of water and took vegetarian diet to keep his BP under control. "You can remain healthy even in the 70s by maintaining a strict diet and regular exercise," he said. — TNS

Councillor blamed for usurping land along canal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 6
Residents of Kaulagarh have blamed their councillor Uday Singh Pundir for usurping land along the canal passing through the area by building a big room and using it to store the things used by sanitation workers of the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (DMC). The residents met the District Magistrate in this regard and apprised him of the situation.

A resident of Kaulagarh said, “I had been living for several decades here. I had never thought that the land would be encroached by the councillor. He should have beautified the area or rather built a park with benches so that children, senior citizens or families could come and sit here.”

He added that by seeing the councillor doing so, another resident also encroached space.

Disappointed with the functioning of the DMC where he took up the matter, he said, he along with other residents had met Additional Mukhya Nagar Adhikari Harak Singh Rawat a few days ago who assured them of razing the room the very next day to their complaint but he never did so.

Rawat said he visited the area but found that the land belonged to the Irrigation Department and not the DMC, so he did not take any action. He, however, admitted that the councillor had encroached the land on the bank of the canal.

While giving his side of story, councillor Uday Singh Pundir said, “ I have not encroached upon any land around the canal. The room where the paraphernalia of sanitation workers and their carts had been stored belongs to somebody else who is fighting a legal case with regard to this land with another person. Since the room was lying empty, so I used it for storing things of sanitation workers of DMC who work for my ward.” He said he had been instrumental in removing encroachments from his area. While referring to one such case, he said he got one and half bigha land vacated like this. He claimed that he did not let any part of his ward area be encroached by anybody. 

New Central policy to help MSMEs
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 6
Around 37,000 micro, small and medium enterprises in Uttarakhand will benefit from the Public Procurement Policy for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) notified by the Central government recently.

The policy makes it mandatory for all Central government departments and public sector undertakings to achieve an annual target of sourcing at least 20 per cent (by value) of their total annual procurement of goods and services from MSMEs within three years. One fifth of this target is to be procured from the enterprises owned by the SC and the ST. The policy recognises the coming of age of the MSMEs, both quality and quantity wise. “We have been long advocating for this policy and despite pressure from corporate houses, who are bent upon snatching the basic rights of the MSMEs, the government has prevailed upon them,” said Pankaj Gupta, president of the Industries Association of Uttarakhand.

In Uttarakhand, some of the MSMEs manufacture light machinery goods, ancillary goods and even medicines. Earlier, around 5 to 6 per cent of the goods were sourced from the MSMEs and the raising of the limit to 20 per cent was expected to provide a huge market for the goods manufactured by these enterprises.

Prayers mark Good Friday in Dehradun, Mussoorie
Tribune News service

Christian devotees listen to preachings of a priest at the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Haridwar. Tribune photographs

Dehradun, April 6
Good Friday was observed by the Christian community of Dehradun with traditional reverence. Prayer meetings were held in various churches of the city where the teachings and the sacrifices of Lord Jesus were highlighted.

Uttarakhand Governor Margaret Alva also attended a service at the St. Francis Church in the city along with hundreds of devout people.

Mussoorie: Good Friday was observed here today. Since morning, the Christian community thronged various churches to observe the occasion.

At Central Methodist Church in Kulri, the followers after fasting for many days attended the special service and sermon given by Pastor Chaman Comfort to mark the occasion.

Pastor Chaman Comfort in his message read out the seven reflections of Jesus given on Good Friday and said of the death of Jesus on the cross, the followers should remember his teachings and adopt them in their daily life.

He also said the day also reminded everyone that Jesus Christ sacrificed for them and wore cross to ease the suffering of the world.

The followers also sang hymns in praise of the lord and later sweets were distributed in the end.

Emulate lofty ideals of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya: BJP
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 6
On the 32nd foundation of BJP, former Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri called upon the BJP leaders to emulate the lofty ideals propounded by Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.

While speaking today at a function held at the party headquarters, the former Chief Minister said the leaders should take the oath to strengthen the party.

Former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriayl Nishank said the party members should not lose hope and instead concentrate on strengthening the party at the grassroots level.

He said it was due to united efforts of the party leaders that the BJP managed
to come to power in many states.

Former Agriculture minister Trivnder Singh Rawat shed light on the history of the RSS and the BJP. 

Unauthorised plying of horses to be checked in Nainital
Tribune News Service

Nainital, April 6
The administration in Nainital has eventually got down to verifying the licences of horses being plied in Bara Pathar area to take the tourists to various destinations. There are about 100 licence holders who have been authorised to ply ponies and horses to tourist spots like Land's End, Dorothy's Seat, Tiffin Top etc.

Officials of the Nagar Palika have, meanwhile, ordered that the 40 horses that have been plying illegally must be taken away from the town in the next three days, failing which they would be confiscated.

Meanwhile, the officials of the Forest Department have also started identifying the area that has been encroached upon by the horse owners. The development follows a series of reports in the local media pointing out that horses are being kept and plied from a zone that is over and above the sheds that had been built for those practising the trade legally.

The administration has got into action following reports that not only is the horse plying being carried out illegally, the tourists are also being fleeced, thus bringing a bad name to the town as a tourist destination.

It was pointed that the number of horses being plied in the Bara Pathar area and the adjoining tourist destinations far exceeds the number of licences issued by the administration. It was also highlighted that the horse and pony owners were harassing the tourists by charging them money on the pretext of fees to be paid on various counts without any authorisation to do so.

Reports suggest that while the local municipal body has issued 94 licences for plying of horses and ponies to destinations like Dorothy's Seat, Land's End and Tiffin Top from Bara Pathar, there are no less than 150 horses to be found in the area. It was further asserted that the number of these horses goes up to 300 in the summer months.

It is also seen that often it is minors who take the tourists to these destinations, thus putting the tourists to grave risk.