Ranikhet, villages face water crisis
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, May 14
Ranikhet and villages under Ranikhet division of the Jal Sansthan are facing severe drinking water crisis due to drying out of natural sources feeding these areas.

"The natural water sources of the villages of Jaal, Chamdoli, Chana, Karakot Naini, Jana, Kalika and Makro are supplying 30 per cent less water due to increasing temperatures giving sufficient reason to Jal Sansthan officials to supply less water than required to these village and the areas of the town," said KS Khati , assistant engineer of the Jal Sansthan, Ranikhet division.

The sansthan officials said when they tried to fill the gap by supplying more water from the pumping schemes, the shortage of electricity created hurdle as 3 to 4 hours of power cuts took place daily.

"We have 18 lifting water schemes in the division from the Ramganga and Gagas rivers. We cannot supply water till we get electricity," said the engineer.

Ranikhet residents have demonstrated several times in protest against the water shortage as they depend on tourism this season. "Besides Ranikhet, the villages and towns of Tarikhet, Dwarahat and Bhikiasain are reeling under drinking water crisis and Jal Sansthan officials need to find alternative means to fetch water to the residents during this summer," said Ravindra Joshi, a social worker in Ranikhet.

They say that they have already prepared for this crisis months before and a plan to tackle the drinking water crisis during summer is ready. The plan included maintenance of all drinking water schemes in the region and repairing of the hand pumps by the sansthan.

"We received nothing for our action plan of Rs 24.50 lakh, sent to the district administration," said KS Khati, an engineer in Ranikhet Jal Sansthan. 

 'Shervani Hilltop among top 10 resorts'
Tribune News Service

Nainital, May 14
A hotel located in Nainital Shervani Hilltop has won the distinction of being among the top 10 family holiday resorts in India. The distinction has come its way through the Trip Adviser Travellers’ Choice.

The general manager of Hotel Gopal Suyal told mediapersons in Nainital today that the hotel would not only strive to retain its position but would try to move further up in the rankings. “This is the first time that a hotel from Uttarakhand has won this prestigious

award in the family category,” he said.

Situated at a distance of two km from the heart of the town over an area of three acres, the property maintains the old world charm with details like lantern posts, clear glass French lanterns, stone bird baths and local materials.

It has been in existence since 1960 as Shervani family home and has been operating as a holiday resort since 1981. It is among the few hotels in the Lake City that are being run in a professional manner.

The hotel authorities claim that the chefs use spices and standard food stuffs procured from Delhi to prepare meals that are homely 
and a taster’s delight.

 3 labourers killed in road accident
Tribune News service

Dehradun, May 14
Three labourers were killed and 11 others were injured at Noudkhal, tehsil Yamkeshwar, at Pauri district in a road accident on Monday.

According to the State Emergency Monitoring Centre, a tractor-trolley was heading towards Rishikesh from Jakhnikhal when the driver lost control of the vehicle, which fell into a10-metre deep gorge at Noudkhal, killing three labourers on the spot and injuring 11 others. The injured were rushed to Government Hospital, Rishikesh, and one of the seriously injured was admitted to Jolly Grant Hospital by 108 Emergency ambulances.

The names of the deceased are Manga, Narsu and Nazar.

All the deceased and injured were labourers are from Muzzarfarnagar, who had come to built a road in Naoudkhal. They had an altercation with the contractors and decided to leave the work and return to Muzzafarnagar at night only, when this incident happened.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has expressed his condolences on the death of the three labourers. 

 BJP blocks highway in protest against power cuts
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, May 14
Protesting long and continuous power cuts in the hill district of the state, the BJP held a protest march, blocking the national highway at Pithoragarh for two hours here today.

BJP workers stage a demonstration in protest against power crisis at Pithoragarh on Monday.

The protesters later submitted a memorandum to the Executive Engineer of the electricity distribution division of the Uttarakhand Power Corporation.

The protest march, led by BJP state general secretary Suresh Joshi, saw not only the involvement of top leaders of the district organisation but also a large number of BJP workers.

“The state is generating the maximum units of electricity this time but is not in a position to check power cuts as it has failed to distribute electricity priority-wise in the state, especially to the hill district,” said Suresh Joshi, general secretary of the party state unit.

According to Joshi, the party has organised dharnas and protests at every place in the state as the call has been given by the state unit of the party.

“This is the start of our protests against the difficulties being caused by the Congress government. If the government doesn't control the things, the BJP will continue agitations,” said Joshi. 

 DBA felicitates HC Chief Justice
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 14
Dehradun Bar Association (DBA) felicitated Chief Justice, Nainital High Court, Barin Ghosh, at district courts today. President of DBA, Surinder Singh Pundir, apprised him about the demands of the advocates of the district court.

He said: "We apprised Ghosh about the long pending demand of setting up a High Court bench in Dehradun. Besides that, we also requested him to permit the office of State Consumer Commission to run it's operation in the judiciary building for one more year. Ghosh agreed only for six months at present. Then the issue of shortage of almost ten judges for the positions of Civil Judge, Junior Division and Senior Division and Judicial Magistrates in the district court was also brought up with regard to the pending cases."

Ghosh assured to look into all theseissues seriously, he added.

 Rust-free iron trident at Gopinath temple
ASI to unravel mystery of coating material
Neena Sharma/TNS

Dehradun, May 14
Withstanding rain, snow and extreme temperatures, the resilience of rust-free iron trident located at the Gopinath temple built during the reign of the Katyuri dynasty (9-11 century AD) have confounded archaeologists and conservationists.

In order to unravel the mystery of the material that coats the trident, chemists of the science branch of the Archaeology Survey of India (ASI) and the Lucknow-based National Research Laboratory For Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC) have joined hands to undertake the study of the material that provides the protection to several ancient temples and objects dotting the country. "Though the project is in the initial stage, if we manage to unravel the mystery, it would be revolutionary as the material is expected to be 
made of natural material. We will have to first find the traces of the pigment on the monuments and there are bleak chances of it. As after so many years, it will be difficult the extract the pigment," said Dr KS Rana Director, ASI (Science Branch).

While the Gopinath temple may or may not possess some leftover traces from the pigment after so many years, Rana and other experts believe it could be the ancient Vajarlepa, finding mention in the traditional Sanskrit texts that provided protection to the ancient shrines exposed to the vagaries of weather and adverse climatic conditions.

"We do not know the exact composition of the natural product, but it finds mention in the old Sanskrit texts. Together with the NRLC, experiments would be undertaken to recreate traditional coating material that covered objects decorating the shrines and monuments. A small quantity of the traces of a pigment-like substance still coating the shrines in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been found from time to time but we require appreciable quantity for testing," said Rana.

As the conservation practices shift towards the natural material, the recreation of Vajarlepa will be a path-breaking rediscovery. Experts say in the ancient time, materials extracted from plants and trees were used extensively for preserving the objects of art. While the ASI is upbeat about the project, the chemists do not fail to add a cautious note. 

 Support women SHGs: Hridayesh
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 14
State Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh has called upon banks to help in mitigating unemployment through micro-financing and special efforts to facilitate loan without guarantee with an aim to develop the state.

She was speaking at the 41st State-level Bankers' Committee meeting held here today. Advocating bank services to the remote areas through cluster banking, she said banks could play an important role in checking migration and providing employment in the hilly region.

She directed the banks to provide special support to women self- help groups (SHGs) working in the dairy sector to generate employment opportunity for 50,000 women.

Stressing on micro-financing, the minister asked the banks to adopt a soft attitude in providing financial assistance to roadside vendors, rickshaw-pullers and auto drivers.

She said the common man should get particular limit of financial assistance from banks without co-lateral guarantee .

Meanwhile, the minister expressed dissatisfaction over poor condition of the CDR in Haridwar and Dehradun and said banks had not done much progress in the direction of Kisan Credit Card. The CDR in Haridwar is 40.8 and 34.23 in Dehradun while it is 110 per cent in Udham Singh Nagar.

Chief Secretary Alok Kumar Jain asked the banks to not only improve the CDR but also carry out their social responsibilities. He said only 1,19,921 Kisan Credit Cards were issued as against the target of 2 lakh in the last financial year. He also asked the banks to take measures to provide financial assistance to landless labours.

Secretary, Finance, Radha Raturi, Secretary, Minority Information MH Khan, Additional Secretary, Social Welfare, Subardhan, Chief General Manager, SBI, New Delhi B Sriram, General Manager, RBI, Regional Office, RL Das, Chief General Manager, NABARD, Dehradun, S Selvaraj, and officials and representatives of various banks attended the meeting.

 Govt firm on ending illegal quarrying, says Arya
Tribune News Service

Nainital, May 14
State unit president of the Congress Party and Cabinet Minister Yash Pal Arya has stated that the government is serious about putting an end to the practice of illegal quarrying that has been reported from different corners.

During a visit to Kashipur and Bazpur areas of Udham Singh Nagar district on Sunday, Arya, who also holds the Revenue portfolio, stated that the government led by Vijay Bahuguna does not want to put any additional burden on the back of the common man and is working hard to find new sources of revenue in the state. He said that orders have already been given for survey of land belonging to the Revenue Department and to get encroachers evicted from there.

Addressing the people who had come to raise their issues at a redressal camp in Bazpur, Arya said that the ignorance of issues by the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had derailed several things

and it would take some time before these things are back on track again.

Replying to a query on the problems being faced by people in getting various certificates and other documents on account of the ongoing agitation of Lekhpals, Arya said that the government is in touch with the agitators and is trying to put an end to their agitation so that the common people do not have to suffer.

Addressing the concerns of the farmers, Arya promised that the government would go all out to provide relief to the farmers.

The issues of basics like roads, water and power dominated the interaction and Arya pointed that very soon the people would find the scenario changed. He promised to take up the issue of unscheduled

power cuts with the Chief Minister.The Minister announced a grant of 
Rs 1.5 lakh for beautification of a graveyard at Mundiyakalan village. 

 ITBP band enthrals tourists
Our Correspondent

Mussoorie, May 14
More than 12 members from the marching band of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), also known as the Northern Frontier Band, enthralled the audience by playing patriotic and filmy tunes at a famous tourist destination Company Garden in Mussoorie to mark the golden Jubilee celebration of its formation today.

The programme was organised jointly with the efforts of the Municipal Council, Mussoorie, and the ITBP for the tourists visiting Company Garden.

The live band played several patriotic tunes from Bollywood film that was much appreciated by the audience. The marching band was led by Havaldar Jitendar Singh and pipe band was led by Constable Ashok Kumar.

The band members also said they would be organising such melodious evenings in the month of June for the pleasure of the tourists visiting the town.

 Extend all facilities to orphaned kids: DM
Tribune News Service

Nainital, May 14
District Magistrate at Almora Akshta Gupta has ordered that all facilities be extended to orphaned and disabled children in the district.

Carrying out a surprise visit to Shishu Sadan in Karnatak Khola area of the town on Sunday, he said that special emphasis must be laid on the educational and physical development of the children residing there.

He distributed gifts to the children that were given by the Art of Living. Gupta has asked the officials of the Social Welfare Department and the programme office to present a detailed report on Shishu

Sadan so that maximum facilities can be extended to the children residing there and the schemes meant for the children can be given a practical shape.

He inspected the boarding and lodging facilities being provided to the children and ordered the employees of the sadan that there should be no laxity on their part in providing the best to the children and that he should be contacted in case of any problem in serving the interests of the children. He has promised that a woman Home Guard would soon be deputed for the security of the institution and efforts would be made in organising interactions between children and officials of various departments to increase their level of exposure.

 BJP may elect Leader of Opposition shortly
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 14
With the Uttarakhand Assembly session beginning from May 28, the Uttarakhand BJP leaders have once again started putting pressure on the Central leadership to elect the Leader of the Opposition who can take on the two-month-old Vijay Bahuguna government in the Assembly.

While the names of Ajay Bhatt, Ramesh Pokhriyal, B. C Khanduri and Harbans Kapoor are doing the rounds, so far the Central leadership has failed to elect the leader fearing dissension in the party.

The BJP may finalise the name of the candidate in the next coming days and would not like to prolong the issue any more, with the Assembly session approaching. A united assault on the Bahuguna government led by the BJP in the Assembly session would help shore up the image of the party that has not come to terms with the photo-finish results of the 2012 Assembly elections, said a senior BJP leader.

Meanwhile, there is section in the BJP that is still hopeful of getting a chance at forming the government, given the Bahuguna government's precarious position. But the restive BJP leaders are of the view that a strong Opposition leader would be able to take on the inherent shortcomings of the Bahuguna government to accruing political mileage to the BJP, that, too, has been floundering ever since the factional fight during and after the Assembly results

 Indo-China Trade 
Include 10 more goods on import items' list
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, May 14
Tribal traders taking part in the Indo-China trade beginning from June 1 have demanded that 10 more goods, including Chinese electronic goods, be included on their list of import items.

"As the list is confined to only traditional commodities, Indian traders suffer losses every year," said Bhupendra Singh Thapa, president of the Dharchula Traders' Association, who met Assistance Commissioner (sales tax),

Tara Thapa in this regard today. Traders demanded that Tibetan blankets, readymade outfits, shoes, namkeen, tea, medicinal herbs, carpets and electronic goods be included on the list of import items from this year. Jeewan Singh Ronkali, a trader, who has been taking part in this trade for the past many years, said: "So far only traditional items like wool, pashmina and borax are available for import. But there are a few takers of these items in the domestic market.”

The Indian tribal traders have also demanded the posting of a permanent trade officer.

 Theatre bonanza concludes in Nainital
Tribune News Service

Nainital, May 14
A nine-day theatre bonanza presented by Manch, The Experimental Theatre Repertory, concluded here today with a performance of William Shakespeare's "As You Like It".

While the initial one week saw presentations on the works of noted progressive Urdu short story writer Saadat Hassan Manto, whose birth centenary was on May 11, the last two days were marked by the presentation of Bard's works.

The most significant aspect of the presentation was that it was performed in English by the local youth who are dedicated to keep the tradition of theatre alive in city.

The main force behind the presentation was Sanjay Kumar who had adopted the script and the concept besides directing it. The select audience that had gathered to witness the performance thoroughly liked the presentation by artistes, Anil Ghildiyal, Jyoti Bisht, Rehan Akhtar, Rohit Verma, Himani Verma, Prashant Kabadwal, Ajay Pawar, Vinod Rawat, Manoj Singh, Anwar Raza, Minesh Pandey, Javaid Hussain, Osheen and Portia.

The presentation of Manch has left the theatre lovers of Nainital asking for more.