Assembly Session
Govt to hold Cabinet meeting at Gairsain on Oct 2
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 5
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hriyadesh today evaded giving a commitment in the House on the creation of permanent capital at Gairsain by the Bahuguna government, instead she said bowing to the demands of the people, the government had decided to hold a cabinet meeting in Gairsain on October 2 this year.

While replying to a question posed by BJP MLA Ajay Tamta who wanted to know if the government was seriously deliberating on the capital issue and why the government was unnecessarily playing with the feelings of the people by deciding to hold a Cabinet meeting in Gairsain, the minister said: “The government had constituted the Dikshit Commission to decide on the capital for Uttarakhand. The four volume reports of the commission have already been tabled in the House on July 2009. Beyond this I cannot comment beforehand,” said the minister.

On being repeatedly asked by BJP MLAs whether the government would declare Gairsain as a summer, a temporary or a permanent capital, the minister said if such a decision had to be taken, it would come during and after the Cabinet meeting at Gairsain. We will be allocating separate budget, if construction work has to be started in Gairsain in view of the Cabinet meeting,” she said.

Caste certificates

Health Minister Surinder Negi, who was deputed in place of Social Welfare Minister Surinder Rakesh, informed the House that the Uttarakhand Government was still awaiting directives from the Central Government for sorting out the caste certificate problem being encountered in the state.

In a question put up by MLA Kalim Ansari about the action taken by the government on the simplifying of the procedure of issuing caste certificate, the minister said the representative had already been sent to the Central Government.

However, when BJP MLA Madan Kaushik wanted to know why the Bahuguna government had formed a cabinet sub-committee on caste certificate when Kaushik committee had already submitted the report, the minister said it was complex issue that required the creation of a subcommittee.

Backlog of Rs 66 crore

The minister also informed the House that the government had a backlog of Rs 66 crore that it had to pay as scholarship amount to OBC students for BTech and diploma course.

“The Central Government provides funds for SC/ST and OBC students by way of scholarship for B TECh and diploma courses (engineering), the previous government should have given scholarships according to the funds made available by the Central Government but it selected students far beyond the stipulated limit, incurring a liability. Though the Central Government had asked the state to bear the liability but we are still in talks with the Central Government to lessen our burden, said the minister.

Per capita income of Tehri Rs 40,000: Finance panel chief
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 5
Chairperson of the State Finance Commission Indu Kumar Pandey, said today that Tehri dam had helped raise the per capita income of hill district of Tehri in Uttarakhand, which is quite high in comparison to other hill districts of the state.

Addressing a consultative workshop on World Environment Day organised by Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra, Indu Kumar Pandey disclosed that the per capita income of Tehri district had reached Rs 40,000 per person per year, which is quite high compared to other hill districts of the state. He attributed this rise to spillover effect over large investments made at Tehri in the form of Tehri dam.

While advocating a balance between environment and development, he laid equal stress on the rising needs of power for the country and Uttarakhand in particular. “There can be no debate such as environment versus development. We have to find ways where a win-win situation can be approached. India has lowest per capita consumption of power world over today but as we develop, this shall not remain so and more power shall be needed to fuel this demand,” he said, justifying the hydropower projects. Hydroelectric power is the cleanest, cheapest, renewable, non-polluting source; it gets cheaper by the years. It also has the highest energy payback ratio. We have to see the expanse of resources for state to be generated from hydroelectric power, the kind of positive impact it brings for the economy,” he pointed out.

Avdhash Kaushal, Chairperson, RLEK, said: “Environment Day worldwide is celebrated only once a year but we shall celebrate development day every day till 2014, the Lok Sabha election year, only to remind our elected representatives that it is high time they took their responsibility seriously.” Kaushal stressed on the need of creating awareness within society towards importance of hydropower. He said those opposing projects will now face their opposition. "The sadhu and saints have declared that they shall proceed to Delhi on June 18, 2012, but we should go to Delhi on June 15, 2012, along with women from such villages who have never in their lives seen an electric pole, let alone electricity, and expose the misinformation being spread regarding hydropower projects in Uttarakhand," Kaushal added.

Liladhar Jagudi, eminent writer, said that while all religions in the world were for human beings, the development too was for human beings. He said it was extremely unfortunate that few people with vested interests were misleading common masses while the truth is that Ganga is not polluted by hydro power projects made on it in the hills, but, rather, gets polluted after it enters the plains, and there was enough data too prove this fact. “Blind superstitions shall never allow us to progress,” he observed.

No Chinese incursion into India: ITBP DG
Our Correspondent

Ranjit Sinha, Director General, ITBP

Pithoragarh, June 5
ITBP Director General Ranjit Sinha today denied that there was any incursion into the Indian territory by Chinese forces, but admitted that the area along the China border needed infrastructure to the level that the Chinese had developed in Tibet.

“As our government has given priority to the work of developing infrastructure on the border, soon we will be matching the Chinese infrastructure on the border,” said the DG, who was briefing mediapersons here.

The DG said 13 new battalions of the ITBP were on the cards and would be inducted into the border force by 2015 making the total strength of the force to 63 battalions.

“The force is being modernised by the government and being given the equipment and essential facilities like meal and clothing on a par with the Army,” said the Sinha.

He said to tackle the internal security threat, the force was opening four training centres to train jawans in jungle and mountain warfare. "These training centres are being opened at Uttarkashi, Siv Ganga in Tamilnadu, Keining in the northeast region and Karera in Shivpuri district of MP,” said the DG.

The ITBP DG said the process was on to issue night vision equipment and high-altitude snow equipment to the force at and it is soon to get these gadgets.

“The process is also on to have a separate air wing for the ITBP,” said the DG.

7 administrative officers shifted
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 5
The Uttarakhand government has changed the portfolios of seven administrative officers on Tuesday. Vinita Kumar, Principal Secretary, Centrally funded programmes, higher education, home and the Commissioner, Forest and Rural Development, had been relieved from the post of Principal Secretary, Centrally funded programme and higher education. Rakesh Sharma, Principal Secretary, Industrial Development, Externally Aided Programmes, Technical Education, Civil Aviation, Information Technology and Managing Director, SIDCUL, had been relieved of the responsibility of Principal Secretary, Externally aided programme, and given the responsibility of Principal Secretary, Higher Education.

SS Ramaswami, Principal Secretary, Planning, Forest & Environment and Labour & Employment, has been given the additional post of Principal Secretary, Externally Aided Programmes and Centrally Funded Programmes.

Radha Raturi, Secretary, Election, Finance and Chief Election Officer, has been handed over additional duty of Secretary, Excise. SS Rawat, Secretary, Chief Minister, Sugarcane-Sugar, Gopan, Excise, General Adminsitration, Suraj, Corruption Eradication and Public Service Department and Commissioner, Excise has been relieved as Secretary, Excise and Commissioner, Excise and given the additional charge of Director, Industry.

Dr PS Gusain, Secretary, Science and Technology and Bio-technology and Commissioner and Director, Industry has been relieved from the responsibility of Commissioner and Director, Industry. Dilip Jawalkar, Additional Secretary, Chief Minister, Information and Director, Information has been given additional charge of Commissioner, Excise.

Chief Development Officer, Chamoli, Sabin Bansal has been transferred to Tehri Garhwal in the same capacity.

Issue of Rudrapur riots rocks Assembly
Cases against BJP legislator politically motivated: Bhatt
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 5
The issue of a CID investigation against BJP MLA for his alleged role in fanning communal violence in Rudrapur (Udham Singh Nagar) on October 2 last year rocked the Uttarakhand Assembly today with the Opposition BJP MLAs demanding a discussion under rule 310 (adjournment motion).

Soon after question hour, the Leader of the Opposition, Ajay Bhatt, said the Speaker should concede to their demand of discussing the issue pertaining to BJP MLA Rajkumar Thukral under rule 310. “Why has the police slapped cases under Sections 302 and 304 against the MLA and recommended CID enquiry seven months after 39 people were sent to jail in the Rudrapur riots case? The move is politically motivated and smacks of political vendetta,” said Bhatt.

But the Speaker of the House, Govind Singh Kunjwal, accepted the demand under rule 58, which incensed the Opposition members, who trooped to the well of the House and accompanied by BJP MLA Rajkumar Thukral staged a sit-in dharna, forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House twice.

The BJP MLA alleged the cases against him have been registered seven months after the violence at the behest of rural Congress. “They are keen to tarnish my image; my life is in danger,” said the MLA, who demanded security for himself.

Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hriyadesh also tabled the fourth Annual Report (2008-2009) along with the action taken report (ATR) of Uttarakhand Information Commission.

Saints support power projects in Uttarakhand
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 5
A section of saints under Samajik Sena outfit have come forward in support of the hydroelectric projects in Uttarakhand. In this regard a symbolic fast was undertaken today by the outfit members under national chief Vinod Maharaj and state chief Swami Satyavratanand.

The main demands of the demand as per Vinod Maharaj is to start small hydroelectric projects in the state as they are imperative for the overall development of the state and to meet the energy requirements of the country too.

Maharaj Vinod added that despite Uttarakhand being touted as Urja Pradesh, the state government had to procure electricity from other states at higher costs, "which is a serious matter as we, despite having immense natural resources, are not able to utilise them to even meet our requirements."

Sitting on fast at Kankhal, Pahadi bazaar, Sadhvi Mata Chandra Kanta ji, said that the government should form a high-level committee, which would look into the power project aspect, having scientists, saints, local people and environmentalists on panel. Their consent would be vital giving the green signal to such projects.

The sadvi said that the sanctity of the holy Ganga should be maintained while constructing such projects, which is possible with scientific-ecologic measures.

National spokesperson Acharya Roopendra questioned the banning of quarrying in Haridwar, terming it imperative for both for natural and commercial reasons.

Acharya pointed that scientists too have given valid reasons for allowing quarrying to a certain degree on rivers.

"Illegal quarrying worth crores is still going on in Haridwar. Neither the state government nor the administration is taking action. Thousands of people are getting affected due to prohibition on quarrying in the region, which is hampering the development work and raising the prices of sand, stone and related material," said Acharya Roopendra.

Among others who sat at the agitation today were Swami Dharam Giri, Swami Antanand, Baba Balak Das, Sandeep Rajpur, Naresh Bohra, Amarnath and Chaudhari Jagpal Singh.

Very few making use of RTI in Uttarakhand
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 5
The Uttarakhand Information Commission has pointed out that only a small population among the villagers is using the Right to Information (RTI). In it's annual report (2008-2009) tabled in the House today, the Uttarakhand Information Commission has expressed dismay at the inability of women and rural folk in taking recourse to Right to Information and has asked the state government to take notice of the issue.

"Despite the recommendation by the Information Commission asking the government to launch awareness programmes for these groups, no effort has been made so far by the government," the report states.

However, the government managed to take action on some of the suggestions made by the commission. These include resolving first appeals in all the departments.

The other suggestion that has been accepted by the government is providing training about handling appeals under Right to Information at the state and district level.

While ranking the 76 government departments on the RTI index, the office of the Principal Conservator of Forests (PCF) has emerged on top, followed by the Department of Women Empowerment and Child Development at the second spot, and Sericulture Department at the third spot.

The RTI ranking matrix comprised Uttarakhand Information Commission keeping a track of RTI compliance, including keeping RTI manual, annual report, maintenance of records etc.

Anti-corruption stir being backed by foreign hand: Congress
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 5
With Gandhian Anna Hazare and Yog guru Swami Ramdev coming together at Jantar Mantar on corruption and black money issues targeting the UPA government, the Uttarakhand Congress Committee has targeted both crusaders, calling their agitation as being backed by "foreign hands".

Spokesperson for the state Congress Committee Dhirendra Pratap lashed at yog guru terming him a BJP agent working on the directions of the RSS, which Pratap termed was demonstrated at the meeting between BJP chief Nitin Gadkari and Ramdev in New Delhi.

Accusing Swami Ramdev of amassing crores of rupees in the name of ‘yoga’, ‘social service’ and ‘charity’ in drape of saffron colour, Pratap said he should first clarify his billion dollar assets clearly and then only should demand black money stacked in foreign bank accounts be brought back.

While state general secretary of the party Vijay Saraswat took a dig at the Anna Hazare core committee comparing it with the tale of Ali Baba and 40 thieves.

“With due respect to Anna Hazare, we are sorry to say that his so-called civil society team is more of a gang which is corrupt . Are we or other people ‘uncivilized’ as they portray themselves as civil society representatives,” said Saraswat at Jai Ram ashram.

Congress leader Braham Swaroop Brahamchari praised the governance of Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna in the state.

Brahamchari pointed out that be it unemployment allowance, deduction in VAT on petrol, popular budget, calling of a Cabinet meeting at Gairsain or visiting all districts of the state in just three months, Bahuguna had proved when Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had reposed faith in him by appointing him as Chief Minister.

On a query that the Haridwar parliamentarian is complaining on any move that Vijay Bahuguna takes, Brahmchari said the Congress was a democratic party where everyone could express his opinion but added that one should not cross the limit, be it minister, legislator or a common party worker.

‘States should adopt forest certification’
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 5
Director General, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, today organised a workshop on forest certification on World Environment Day.

DG, ICFRE, Dr VK Bahuguna said the forest certification was a mechanism for forest monitoring, tracing and labelling timber, wood and pulp products and non-timber forest products against a series of agreed standards.

He said in order to meet the growing demand for certification in the global market, the forest industry had to look for certified forests and plantations to source their raw materials. So the forest certification was required to be adopted in different states of the country and the ICFRE and its institutes could play a key role in this.

He said in the international market, there was a lot of market for certified wood and the forest certification was increasingly becoming popular in European and Western countries and once it was adopted in India, the economic prospects for the forest industry and agro-forestry would improve.

Berty Van Hensbergen, Chairman, SSC Forestry Group Ltd, who has come from England to support the forest certification in India and to give training to officers and scientists of the ICFRE on the forest certification, participated in the inaugural session of the workshop.

Forest Research Institute Director Dr PP Bhojvaid was also present on the occasion.

Govt to set up two centres for trapped monkeys
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, June 5
The Uttarakhand Government will open one centre each at Rishikesh in Garhwal and Tanakpur in the Kumaon region to rehabilitate monkeys caught from villages in the hill region of the state, said BJP president Bishen Singh Chufal.

The BJP president said this while quoting the answer of the government to his question in the Uttarakhand Assembly on the subject of money menace in the hill areas of the state.

“I have asked the government under Rule 300 in the state Assembly as what it is doing to end the monkey menace in the hills of the state where people have left villages due to continuous damage to their crops by monkeys and other wild animals. The government answer was that it would open two rehabilitation centres in the state to rehabilitate monkeys caught from these villages where a campaign to catch the animal would be launched,” said Chufal.

The BJP president said to stop migration from the villages in the hills the government would have to find ways to check menace of wild boars and Himalayan bears, which were damaging crops in these villages.

Water shortage: Women lay siege to XEN office
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 5
Protesting against the absence of water supply in Rajender Nagar, women residents of the area led by Nandini Sharma, general secretary of BJP (city unit), today laid siege to the office of the Executive Engineer of Peyjal Nigam.

The members demanded immediate restoration of water supply in their area and pointed out that areas comprising Rajinder Nagar, Krishan Nagar, Syed Mohalla and Loharwalla had been facing acute water shortage and their problem had increased due to harsh summers.

The residents of the area had been demanding a new tubewell so that the entire area could get sufficient water supply. The tubewell that was supplying water earlier in the area had developed complications due to prolonged use.

Rawat seeks CBI probe into Rudrapur riots
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 5
Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Food Processing and Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat has demanded a CBI probe into Rudrapur riots that took place in the Udham Singh Nagar district of the state last year.

In a letter written to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Food Processing and Parliamentary Affairs Harish Rawat said Uttarakhand government can set an example by ordering a CBI probe into the incident. He asserted Rudrapur riots were part of a planned conspiracy and pointed out that many Muslim organisations have met him and sought a CBI probe into the riots.

Rawat has also sought adequate compensation for those affected in the riots.