'Give package of Rs 50,000 cr or complete projects'
Dehradun June 17
An organisation "Uttrakhand Bacho" consisting of state agitators has decided to oppose the forces which were preventing the construction of hydro power projects in the state.

2 killed, 8 hurt as cab falls into gorge
Dehradun, June 17
Two persons were killed and eight others were injured when a cab on way to Balwakot from Paya Pauri in the Pithoragarh region fell into a gorge yesterday.

150 participate in western dance workshop
Haridwar, June 17
A month-long western dance workshop, Fun Dynamics, concluded here today with children presenting a colourful show on the occasion. More than 150 students learnt western dance from city-based choreographer Dolly Bisht.

Mussoorie, June 17
Eminent social activists and senior political leaders of the state have questioned the intentions of both pro and anti-dam activists in the name of keeping the Ganga clean and free flowing. They fear that such activism will be detrimental to the local community, that is most affected with the construction of such dams.

Jot Singh Bisht and Jaiprakash Uttarakhandi, eminent social activists and political leaders, speaking to media persons in Mussoorie today, alleged that both pro and anti-dam activists were sidelining the concerns of the local community and were playing petty politics on the issue.

The two leaders, casting aspersions on the intentions of both pro and anti-dam activists, were of the view that the whole idea of keeping Ganga clean and free flowing had been undermined way back in 1993, but no member of the saint or scientist community had raised his or her voice then. The only person who actively opposed the construction of big dams was none other than eminent environmentalist Sunder Lal Bahuguna, and silence of the activists and saints then and their sudden outpouring of emotions and newfound love for Ganga now was beyond comprehension.

The pro-dam activists also failed to address the rehabilitation and active participation of the local community in such projects, added Bisht.

Reminiscing the years of activism during the construction period of Tehri dam, Bisht opined that they were not against the dam but were more interested in raising the issues of rehabilitation and the rights of local community that, sadly, the activists from both sides have neglected so far.

Jot Singh Bisht, further attacking GD Aggarwal, said that the studies on the purity of Ganga done in the past have revealed that the Ganga was impure beyond Rishikesh, and most polluted in Kanpur from where GD Aggarwal hails; but instead of opposing at Kanpur, he was bent upon stalling the development projects of Uttarakhand .

Being critical of the pro-dam activists, too, Jot Singh Bisht and Jai Prakash Uttarakhandi said that such activists were not concerned about the local population, which was the major stakeholder from such projects.

The pro-dam activists have failed to raise the issue of active involvement of the local community that should be included at all levels of development activities emerging after construction of such dams. Advising the pro-dam activists, Bisht said that they should raise the issue related to local community while talking about constructing such projects.

Jaiprakash Uttarakhandi, doubting the intentions of the such activists, said that they were playing in the hands of people with vested interests, who were conspiring to derail the state that was on the path of development through the construction of such dams. He also said that Avdesh Kaushal, the person responsible for banning the 54 limestone mines in Mussoorie in 1980s in the name of environment, was now was batting for such projects, thus raising several doubts on his intentions.

“The real issue was that of decrease in the level of water at the sources of such rivers. We must find solutions to conserve such sources and glaciers so that free flow is maintained. But neither pro-dam nor the anti-dam activists were concerned about the wellbeing of the rivers,” added Bisht.

The two leaders said that they were not against the construction of dams on the rivers of the state. They said that with the construction of such dams the power needs of the country would be met to certain extent along with generating much-needed revenue for the state.

They demanded that the government should not halt the ongoing projects under pressure of anti-dam activists, and, instead formulate a clear policy to ensure that the community affected due to the construction of such dams gets its rightful share and is included in the development story of the state.

Dehradun June 17
An organisation "Uttrakhand Bacho" consisting of state agitators has decided to oppose the forces which were preventing the construction of hydro power projects in the state.

Convener Rajender Shah criticised the saint community for going against hydro-electric projects, saying that, “None of them spoke when work was progressing at the Tehri dam. They also kept mum till the work at Lohari Nag Pala, Bharion Ghati and Pala Maneri projects completed up to 70 per cent. Now their opposition is futile because if the infrastructure already created on these projects is left open, it can prove disastrous to the villages situated in the vicinity and if it is closed, then it would incur whopping expenditure. So the best way is to complete them.”

He said the state was dependent on its natural resources for earning revenue and if the Centre was concerned about the environmental degradation due to the hydro-electric projects, then it must release an annual package of Rs 50,000 crore for the state.

He also emphasised that they were ready to wage another battle, to the level of state formation struggle fought earlier, against all the voices raised to shut down hydro power projects in the state. 

Mussoorie, June 17
More than 450 units of blood was collected at a blood donation camp held at Nirankari Bhavan under the aegis of the Sant Nirankari Charitable Mission on the Camels Back road in Mussoorie, today. The camp also coincided with the golden jubilee celebration year of the bhavan.

Spiritual head of the mission Baba Hardev Singh Maharaj accompanied by Mataji Savinder Kaur and Nirankai Rajmata Kulwant Kaur inaugurated the camp in which devotees from around the country participated with enthusiasm.

Baba Hardev Singh Maharaj, addressing the devotees, termed blood donation as the greatest service to humanity. Baba Hardev was of the view that blood should flow in veins and not in drains.

He also said blood donation was one way of showing love towards the humanity.

He further stated that blood donation highlighted the organic unity of humanity, therefore it was a fundamental duty to cement human bonds with each other by donating blood.

Baba looked concerned over the infrastructure available in the town and said public representatives should try to improve the parking and other basic facilities so that tourists did not face difficulties.

He also extended the support of the mission to the local administration in improving the basic facilities such as hospital and parking in the town.

Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi, former MLA Jot Singh Gunsola, Municipal Council president OP Uniyal and former MC president Manmohan Singh Mall commended the efforts of the mission in carrying out such noble activity in the country. They also extended their support in efforts to improve the basic facilties in the town.

The zonal in charge of the Nirankari Mission Harbhajan Singh said the mission had been organising blood donation camps since 1986.

The medical staff from Doon Hospital and Jolly Grant Hospital assisted the camp.

Dehradun, June 17
Poonam Shukla, who belongs to Baliya in Uttar Pardesh, was arrested by the police on Saturday night for trying to sell gold-plated artificial jewellery to renowned Kamal Jewellers on Rajpur Road. While sobbing, Poonam said she came to Haridwar with her husband and four-year-old son to take a dip in the Ganga, and also came to Dehradun to visit the city. It was here, she said, she went out to exchange her jewellery for new gold jewellery without knowing that the jewellery was artificial. She said that her husband, Sunil Shukla, had a small chunk of farming land.

Poonam carried fake receipts from jewellers to support her claim that her jewellery was 22-carat gold when she went to sell them to Kamal Jewellers. Her husband has not contacted her since the time of the incident.

Dehradun, June 17
The Uttarakhand State Football Referees’ Association felicitated former international football players and referees here today.

State Sports Minister Dinesh Aggarwal, who was the chief guest on the occasion, recalled the glorious old days of football in Dehradun. He said his ministry was committed to promoting football in the region. The minister said the issues raised by the association would also be taken up at the earliest.

Among those players who were felicitated were Amar Bhadur Gurung, Ranjeet Thapa, Shoorveer Thapa, Matbar Singh Aswal and Narsing Gurung.

Dehradun, June 17
To commemorate World Day to Combat Desertification, a one-day seminar on ‘Healthy soil: Health life’ was organised by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education here today.

Main Speaker Dr M N Jha, former head, Forests Soil and Land Reclamation Division, Forest Research Institute (FRI), in his presentation, highlighted the soil importance and its factors. He said approximately eight hundred million tonnes of soil was lost every year in desertification. He said the world’s most significant non-renewable resource, fertile soil, could be best understood with its component of good microbes, which led to healthy soil. He, however, added that soil was one of the most neglected parts of renewal source.

Earlier, Dr VK Bahuguna, Director General, ICFRE, BMS Rathore, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment and aForests, New Delhi, and Dr Saibal Dasgupta, DDG (Extn), inaugurated the seminar.

Dr Bahuguna outlined the need for improvement in soil fertility. He emphasised that the coming years, there would be a problem of food security. Further, he stressed that people must be aware of the threat. He also said the seminar had been organised to generate awareness among a wide range of people.

Rashmi Bajaj made presentation on 'Desertification to zero land degradation'.